Name that movie!

"We had a meeting, and we drew straws, and we got you."
"You got me? What do you mean you got me?"
"If you get killed, we take the rifle and avenge you."
"And we see to it that there's always fresh flowers on your grave."

And they did. More:

"That's a mighty big comfort."
"I told you he would appreciate that."
"Well now, don't you kids be too disappointed if your plans don't work out."
"We won't. If you're still alive we'll be just as happy."
"Maybe even happier."
"Maybe."

Damn, there is so much good stuff in this movie! Maybe more quotes another time.

So what's the haps around Casa Banjo?

Well, I'll tell you. Had a nice Christmas. Got a new mini-video camera. Will be seeking out some reactive targets in the near future.

Then went to the ranch for a couple of days of quail hunting with Daughter Number One. Only got one quail, though. They were few and far between, and nearly all were flying at more than 50 yards away. Also fired off my new piece for the first time. Very fun.

Then picked up my new lenses, still getting used to them. Turn my head the wrong way and the world goes a bit swirly.

Then took Daughter Number Two out to the Indian Casino today. She won a few bucks, I won a few bucks, the Sainted Bride lost more than we won. Still, a good time was had by all.

And in what's left of my vacation (the next five days), I plan to do some reloading and a little bit of movie watching. Picked up three DVDs at Borders yesterday. This one, this one, and this one.

I've seen the first, it's spectacular and I wish to own it and see it again.

The second, I've seen part of the remake with Kirk Douglas, Jason Robards, and Darren McGavin. Though, in reality, no fiction can beat the true story.

The third? Never seen it yet, but I've wanted to for a long time.

Anyway, that's what's happening here. How about you?

Merry Christmas, Everybody!

A warm and wonderful holiday to you all!

The Pelosi Gtxi SS/RT lives on

And The Great and Powerful Iowahawk excoriates a thieving duchebag for stealing the post (Note: as of this morning, said duchebag has posted an attribution to Iowahawk - fear the might of The Great and Powerful Iowahawk!)

And more, The Great and Powerful Iowahawk has used Officer Vic's voice-over and added some great video to go with it (so I have removed my poor attempt). Go there and watch it!

Math

How I loves it. But that's not what I came to tell you about...

Well actually it is, sort of.

In my never-ending quest to send the Youtube search function into conniptions, I started searching on the Mills Brothers, then the Ink Spots. Got sidetracked again.

First off, I never knew how old the song "Java Jive" was. Daughter Number Two and friends performed it in high school, and just this evening I learned that it was originally (I think) recorded by the Ink Spots in 1940. I learned this because I was searching in the Mills Brothers, who were (sadly) somewhat eclipsed in the public consciousness by the Ink Spots in 1939 when they were trapped oversees by the outbreak of WWII. Mills Brothers post coming soon, if I remember.

Anyway, DNT (and friends)'s version was very much like this one:



And then, for some "stream of consciousness" reason, my mind wandered to math and the Klein Four. Found lot of good stuff, including their signature tune:



Not only that, I found this:



And this:



And, in the spirit of the Christmas season, this one:

Sidetracked

I am a dismal failure in my quest to give the Youtube search function a nervous breakdown. Popped over there this evening and s/he wasn't even fazed.

First screen: A couple of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band references (Cadillac Ranch and one I will embed below) plus a bonus Emmylou Harris, which (surprisingly - NOT!) prompted me to search on something else. Oh well, Youtube is too smart for me. So I'll go with the flow.

Here's one of the NGDB's rock 'n' roll tunes, tearin' up the highway like a big ol' dinosaur:



Followed by a lovely (and ALL-STAR) version of this lovely song (can't be certain, but I think one of the folks is Vassar Clements, who played with the NGDB on their original recording of the song):



And here's the Emmylou Harris connection: Before she became well-known on her own, she was backup for Gram Parsons. He had lots of good stuff but my favorite song of his is this one:



Oh, and just for fun, a couple of NGDB favorites.

"American Dream:"



And one of their best, written by THE GREAT AND POWERFUL BANJO GOD EARL SCRUGGS, but only one of many great tracks on one of the greatest albums of all time (have a listen to the samples in that link if you doubt me). "Randy Lynn Rag":

Movie themes (updated)

Following on this post, here are some more great themes, not western.

An obvious one, the Colonel Bogie March:



Too cool to talk too much about:



And another "great" one:



And this one is not a movie theme, but I like it and I liked the TV show, and it came up on a search for the last one:



A very nice song for a fun show.

UPDATE: Wolfwalker adds some more excellent themes:

The Longest Day:



And from A Bridge Too Far:



Jeez, how come no one can write stuff like that anymore?

Honestly, I don't remember what I was originally looking for

But I clicked on Youtube, and as I described in the earlier post, I got an interesting mix of "recommended". In this case, an Andrews Sisters rendition of "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar".

Well. The first time I ever heard that song was some thirty years ago, and the performer was Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen. Which made me think of some of my other Commander Cody faves. Unfortunately, I couldn't locate a Youtube vid of "Lost in the Ozone", at least, not the song I was looking for, only a different song by some heavy metal group called Motorhead.

Fortunately, I was able to find a couple of other CCatLPA faves:

Seeds and Stems Again Blues:



And, of course, their signature tune:



I really need to track down the original version of that song. But not tonight.

UPDATE: Okay, tonight. I found it on Youtube. Turns out that Charlie Ryan passed away just this year in February at the age of (about) 92. RIP, man, we love you. Meantime, here is Charlie singing "Hot Rod Lincoln". Compare the lyrics to Commander Cody's remake above.



Click through on the video to read the story about the song itself. Pretty cool.

Your revolver-fanning questions...

...asked and answered.

And empirically so, as a good scientist should do.

Well, I think they are answered. I don't own a Ruger Redhawk, nor a Super Redhawk, but I think I can answer the questions anyway.

Hokay, kids, so here's the problem. It is technically possible to fan a single-action revolver. Now, I'll grant the idea of laying down a lot of firepower, but six don't much do that in my mind. Still, I'll grant the concept. But having just played with my 1851 Navy SA revolver (I don't have an 1873 SA Army, though I'd like to) I don't think it's useful to do so.

But to the meat of the post:

As I mentioned, I don't own a Ruger Redhawk (or Super Redhawk) but I think the argument still applies. For one thing, I don't think it's possible to fan, without doing major (and painful) damage to one's hand, a DA revolver. Just the shape of the hammer would rule that out.

Beyond that, I have to assume that the Ruger DAs and the Smith and Wesson DAs are similarly configured (I don't know that this is so, but it's likely). As it happens, I own a S&W DA revolver, in .44 Mag. So I pulled it out and played with it. It seems that, if the trigger is not held back, cocking the hammer will revolve the cylinder to the next cartridge and be ready to shoot.

HOWEVER: After that first shot (which, BTW, is necessarily either DA or "cock, then pull the trigger"), if one holds back the trigger and attempts to "fan" the revolver (which, empirically, hurts like hell on the left hand) the hammer goes back and falls on the previously fired shell casing, it does not revolve the cylinder to the next cartridge. I don't have detailed knowledge of the revolver's mechanism but after firing, if one does not release the trigger, cocking and releasing the hammer does NOT move the cylinder.

Bottom Line: If one tries to "fan" a DA revolver, (1) the first shot is necessarily DA (or at least, "cock then shoot" SA), and (2) "fanning" in the usual sense is impossible, because you will be dropping the hammer on an expended cartridge.

My goal in life

... is to give the Youtube search function a nervous breakdown. I think I'm almost there.

Everytime I go to Youtube, I get a small selection of "Recommended for You" videos offered. And everytime I do so, it looks WAY different from the last one. One time I get a bunch of Big Band vids, next time I get some Bob Rivers Christmas stuff, next time I get some Western themes, next time I get the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and George Carlin.

So far, no recommendations from my Dwight Yoakum search I can see, but speaking of Dwight Yoakum, I just love this song. Enjoy:



Gads, I love that song.

And here's another that will help to freak out Youtube:



Y'all know that my C/W tastes tend toward the older folks like Marty Robbins, Johnny Cash, and Merle Haggard, but these are a couple of more modern gems.

Celebrity Snot

Jee. Zus.

There really is nothing else to say about this story. Get over yourself, bitch.

Minor observation, apropros of nothing

Well, actually two minor observations. Well, two-and-a-half or three (depending on how you score the REALLY stupid one) but only one-and-a-half relate to The Magnificent Seven.

So I'm sitting here sipping some Sierra Nevada and I watched the vid of the The Magnificent Seven trailer again. Way cool, of course. But once again, I was struck by the silly cinematic nonsense. It seems that Robert Vaughn and the Young Dude (whose name I can't remember and don't want to look up, too lazy) are the only ones who can handle a six-gun properly.

Okay, in fairness, I didn't actually notice James Coburn and Charles Bronson, nor the other guys whose names escape me at the moment and I don't want to look them up, doing stupid crap in the trailer. But given their characters (and on-screen personas) I can certainly believe they would do this stupid crap.

So what stupid crap, you ask? I'm glad you asked.

Stupid Crap #1: This one is half a point. At 45 seconds into the trailer, Steve McQueen pops up from behind a wall and shoots from the hip. Dude, I know you're good and all that, but there's a reason that guns have sights.

Stupid Crap #2: Fanning. Good Lord, are Hollywood people that ignorant of handguns? Apparently so. NO ONE, and I repeat for the hopelessly revolver-naive, NO ONE can fan a single-action revolver and hope to shoot anywhere near accurately. Steve McQueen does it at 23 seconds in, and You Brynner does it at 27 seconds (and there are probably other examples I didn't scan for). Yeah, I know it looks cool on the big screen, but not to people who know anything about single-action revolvers.

Notice how I mentioned "single-action" twice? This brings us to the biggest dumbass thing I've ever seen on a screen that involved revolvers. And it's why I left open the possibility that it might get more than one "Stupid Crap" point.

Stupid crap #3 (and this one is REALLY Stupid Crap): Back in 1979, there was a TV show that came out called "240-Robert", starring Mark Harmon and John Bennett Perry and Joanne Gleason. Cop/paramedic show about the LA County Sheriff's Department. Mostly good fun, I like cop and paramedic shows that have good writing. This one was average as such shows typically go, but mostly good fun.

But here's what got me: in one episode, maybe the first, Mark Harmon (a Sheriff's Deputy) is at the firing range and not doing well on the targets. In the Grand Tradition of the Sundance Kid, he asks the rangemaster if he can "move" (not the actual words Harmon's character used but close enough for rock and roll). He then dives, rolls, comes up, and fans his service revolver, blitzing the target with all six shots (all six left AFTER missing several shots, BTW).

He was shooting a Ruger Redhawk. 10 Lo-cal MBP points to anyone who can explain in the comments why this scene gets such scorn from me.

Fortunately, I've never yet seen anyone on (or off) screen try to fan a semi-auto.

Something is dreadfully wrong here

I just got a SacBee news update:

Interstate 80 is closed because of snowfall in the Sierra Nevada, with the westbound freeway shut to all vehicles at Colfax and eastbound lanes closed at the Nevada-California state line.

Um, Colfax is west of the high part of the Sierras and the state line is east of it. I'm expecting to see a lot of traffic backed up right in the snow.

At least the actual news story got it right.

Okay, yeah, it took me a couple of minutes

And half a cup of coffee to get it.

Via Andrea, who's holding a fundraiser for her kitty's vet bills.

The Greatest Movie Western Theme of All Time

Do not argue with me, you will be wrong. Though if you say "The Virginian", I will not spit on you, it's a close second.

Just to set the record straight...

So the Lovely and Talented Aelfheld (a frequent commenter somewhere, though I can't remember just where, possibly at Blair's) commented on my Youtube vid posted here that it was originally from Iowahawk, and so it is.

I'm more than happy to set the record straight (and to excoriate "Mike" for stealing it without attribution) and will forthwith, and with due diligence and all due speed, forward to the Lovely and Talented Officer Vic for proper attribution.

Seriously, though, I am really surprised I didn't see it at Burge's place. I read his stuff pretty religiously.

I knew it!

I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!

Backstory: Thirty-some-umpty-ump years ago, "Mad Magazine" had a bit called "Don't You Hate..." or something along those lines. One of their cartoons was on the order of "Don't You Hate... when the TV bleeps something that wasn't anywhere near as bad as what you imagined was bleeped?"

Well, yeah. That's how it usually happens.

Case in point: Just this evening I happened across a video from 1969, one part of which had originally been bleeped on the public airwaves. Turns out, not only was the bleeped part not all that bad (hell, I've actually heard it on TV, no less, in the intervening years), it was actually what I had suspected it was all these years and nowhere near as bad as I had always hoped.



Rock on, JC.

N.B.: For the record, despite what the Youtube post says, this is NOT the original radio version, I'm pretty sure, unless perhaps it's a version I never heard that was the original radio version before I ever heard the radio version I heard. Or something like that. There is a whole verse missing early in the song ("Well he must have thought it was quite a joke..."). Not that it detracts from the crux of this post. But still...

So, another day of classes

Mostly overviews, there may be more depth another time. One module was on a particular type of manufacturing strategy. I've loved this term since I first heard it.

Poka-Yoke

Every time I hear it, I think of this guy. And amazingly, the description seems appropriate...

Well, that was a bit unusual Updated)

Had a bit of snow on the way home from work. That's not so unusual, my usual route gets a dusting or two pretty much every year, at least at the higer elevations above the road. Had some above the road on the peaks last night on the way home, much lower tonight.

This one was odd, though. No snow on the road or on my side of the valley except a teeny little bit still clinging in a few spots by the inner shoulder. Across the valley, though, there was a significant smattering across the hills, at least what I could see of them below the cloud cover. But at one particular part, the snow was dusted across the mountainside well below my elevation, at least 200 feet below, I think. It's almost as if it snowed in one spot but not the surrounding hillsides, and only on that side of the valley.

Very odd.

UPDATE: Winter Dumbass Time.

Oh this is too damned funny

You have to watch the whole thing. That's an order.

So funny I can't even describe it

Just go read.

Nothing much new

Spent the whole work day in a class, will do same tomorrow. Yeah, it seems like a pretty valuable class, but I'm shagged out. And the Sainted Bride is out tonight on a school function, so I'm sitting here eating soup and wondering what to do for a post. So I thinks to myself... BOB RIVERS!

Pokemon:



Louis Armstrong:



This one I had never actually heard before searching on Youtube:



And this one is classic:

The frogs would be horrified

But they're frogs, so who cares?

Dinner tonight:

Coq au vin. On brown rice. Accompanied by shrimp-and-corn-chowder. And green beans. And cornbread.

I do loves me some cornbread with my coq au vin.

HAHA! Priceless!

Margaret Hamilton. God bless her, what a gal. Here is a priceless outtake from "Gunsmoke":



Rock on, gal!

Aw man

That sucks. But at 92? That's cool.

Damn, I loved this guy in Brigadoon and The Caine Mutiny.

Rest in peace, Van.

The year of the progressives

Lenses, that is. I'm bowing to reality and age, and going with the progressive lenses this year. Being extremely near-sighted, I can take the glasses off to read but why bother? These lenses (in theory) will give me distance distance, computer distance, and up-close-reading distance.

Such is the theory.

Also, I'm going to more stylish, symmetrical frames for my main glasses this time, a change from the aviator-shade-style frames I've worn for the past 25 or 30 years. But I'm keeping the aviator "Ray-Ban" style for my sunglasses. Which is as it should be. And which was the reason MacArthur and Thompson came up before. I mentioned to the (lovely, BTW) eye doctor lady that I need my sunglasses to look like Doug MacArthur/Hunter Thompson. Because I'm just that way.

Finally, here it is

Well, I didn't have any kind of time to search down or draw appropriate illustrations for this video, so I just used a picture of the Lovely and Talented Officer Vic:

Car Commercial

My goal is to try to turn this into a video to upload tonight and upload it to Youtube. Our local RWDB radio station had received a satirical car commercial text by email, and the talented on (Officer Vic) turned it into a great commercial spot, and played it on the radio. They're not going to post it on their website, but OV kindly sent an mp3 along so that I can upload to Youtube. And I'm going to give it a shot this evening.

Meantime, here is the text. Enjoy.

It's in the way you dress. The way you boogie down. The way you sign your unemployment check. You're a man who likes to do things your own way. And on those special odd-numbered Saturdays when driving is permitted, you want it in your car.

It's that special feeling of a zero-emissions wind at your back and a road ahead meandering with possibilities. The kind of feeling you get behind the wheel of the Pelosi GTxi SS/Rt Sport Edition from Congressional Motors.

All new for 2012, the Pelosi GTxi SS/Rt Sport Edition is the mandatory American car so advanced it took $100 billion and an entire Congress to design it. We started with same reliable 7-way hybrid ethanol-biodiesel-electric-clean coal-wind-solar-pedal power plant behind the base model Pelosi, but packed it with extra oomph and the sassy styling pizzazz that tells the world that 1974 Detroit is back again -- with a vengeance.

We've subsidized the features you want and taxed away the rest. With its advanced Al Gore-designed V-3 under the hood pumping out 22.5 thumping, carbon-neutral ponies of Detroit muscle, you'll never be late for the Disco or the Day Labor Shelter.

Engage the pedal drive or strap on the optional jumbo mizzenmast, and the GTxi SS/Rt Sport Edition easily exceeds 2016 mileage standards. Even with increased performance we didn't skimp on safety. With 11-point passenger racing harnesses, 15-way airbags, and mandatory hockey helmet, you'll have the security knowing that you could survive a 45 MPH collision even if the GTxi SS/Rt were capable of that kind of illegal speed.

But the changes don't stop there. Sporty mag-style hubcaps and an all-new aggressive wedge shape designed by CM's Chief Stylist Ted Kennedy slices through the wind like an omnibus spending bill. It even features an airtight undercarriage to keep you and a passenger afloat up to 15 minutes -- even in the choppy waters of a Cape Cod inlet.

Available in a rainbow of color choices to match any wardrobe, from Harvest Avocado to French Mustard. Inside, a luxurious all-velour interior designed by Barney Frank features thoughtful appointments like an in-dash condom dispenser. A special high capacity hatchback holds up to 300 aluminum cans, meaning fewer trips to the redemption center. And the standard 3 speaker Fairness ActoPhonic FM low-band sound system means you'll never miss a segment of NPR again.

Best of all, the Pelosi GTxi SS/Rt is made right here in the U.S.A. by fully card-checked unionized workers and Detroit 's famous visionary jet-set managers. Even if you don't own one, you can enjoy the patriotic satisfaction that you're supporting the high wages, good benefits, and generous political donations that are once again making the American car industry the envy of the world..

But why not buy one anyway? With an MSRP starting at only $629,999.99, it's affordable, too. Don't forget to ask about dealer incentives, rebates, tax credits, and wealth redistribution plans for customers from dozens of qualifying special interest groups. Plus easy-pay financing programs from Fannie Mae.

So take the bus to your local CM dealer today and find out why the Pelosi GTxi SS/Rt Sport Edition is the only car endorsed by President Barack Obama. One test drive will convince you that you'd choose it over the import brands. Even if they were still legal.

Doug MacArthur and Hunter Thompson - Separated at birth?

So after the other stuff I needed to do, I topped off my day with my annual (rather, biennial, I'm kind of bad about this stuff) eye exam. While looking at frames for new glasses, the names Douglas MacArthur and Hunter Thompson came up.

Go figure.

Anyway, separated at birth? You decide:

[UPDATE: Hmm. Still haven't quite figured out this formatting stuff. Click on the picture to see the whole thing]



And for extra, meaningless bonus points, try to figure out exactly why these names came up. Hint: It ain't the smoking apparatuses... apparati... apparata... pipe or holder.

Well, I still got nuthin'

Doing the routine doctor thing today, with several different appointments, including the eyeball doctor appointment still to go.

So here's some more Jim Stafford, with a tribute to short songs:



And another classic:

Fie on people with no sense of humor

For some reason, Jim Stafford popped into my mind this evening. So I went a-Youtubin'. Read something pretty goofy:

In later years, Jim's jokes became more "family friendly".

Apparently, a coalition of chihuahuas picketed Jim's theatre threatening him with non-stop annoying barking and yapping.

Fie on chihuahuas that can't take a joke.

Um, okay, a coalition of ankle-biters actually sounds amusing. Here is the video:



And here is another Jim Stafford dog-related classic:

Sucks to be you valley people

Actually, I'm not engaging in schadenfreude, I felt really bad last night for the people on the local freeways who still had to travel beyond my town. Also for those who didn't but were still stuck in the backup just trying to get this far.

Three big rigs closed two of four lanes east of town on the evening commute route. At Oh-noon-thirty. Finally opened sometime after 7pm. Backed up the freeway for more than twenty miles. More than two hour delays on the freeway. The only upside for them is that probably the rest of their commutes, once they got past the scene of the carnage (kidding, news says no major injuries, just spilled fuel), there was probably clear sailing.

Fortunately for me, I don't take that particular freeway (coming into town from a different direction), and I normally take a back road to escape the freeway that feeds into the clogged one (which was also pretty badly clogged, far worse than even the normal parking lot it becomes in the afternoon). Got to town having escaped that mess, but got into a backup on the surface streets. This clog was so bad that it clogged the surface streets for several miles, at least the main ones that carry commuters.

Fortunately for me again, I could avoid this backup by going straight instead of turning onto the commute road (skirting the edge of town) I routinely take. But then I hit another backup on another big commute street.

Fortunately for me again, I was able to turn left (against the commute backup), then wind through the neighborhoods to get home, being fairly close. In actuality, I suspect this last backup was a separate incident because I could see some emergency lights on the street a few blocks down as I turned, and what I could see of this street as I paralleled it a few blocks away looked like the traffic broke up.

Still, looks like I missed a bullet on the commute last night.

But today karma caught up with me at work. Sucked to high heaven. But at least the commute, even at the late hour I finally got out of work, didn't suck to high heaven. But I suspect karma will still be a bitch with attitude tomorrow. And will suck to high heaven.

Stupid karma.

Confluence of Awesome

Okay, I am a frickin' idiot. I was all set to note the confluence of The Incredible Awesome That is Bob Rivers with The Incredible Awesome That is Stan Freberg.

And then I remembered (after some searching, that jogged my memory) that the particular song I was looking for by the Incredible Awesome That is Stan Freberg wasn't. It was actually The Incredible Awesome That is Allan Sherman.

I am so ashamed. I blame it on the age. And the alcohol.

Anyway, here are two takes on a Christmas classic. Please do listen to both all the way through, the particulars tend to change a mite with each verse.

The Incredible Awesome That is Bob Rivers:



And The Incredible Awesome That is Allan Sherman:



For you youngsters not familiar with The Incredible Awesome That is Allan Sherman, please do search on him. He is teh funny.

And for no particular reason, here is a Bill Engval Christmas video ("No sir, that's ZZ Top doing a Farm Aid concert"):

The amazing Bob Rivers [genuflect]

Any of you folks who have listened to The Amazing and Incredibly Awesome Genius that is Bob Rivers know just how cool he is. For the rest of you, um, what the heck is wrong with you?

The best thing about the Bobster, of course, is how he does very specific parodies of particular versions of songs. Whether it's a particular version of a traditional Christmas song by a particular artist, or a non-Christmas song parodied with Christmas-style lyrics, he never disappoints. One of my goals in life is to purchase one new Bob Rivers Christmas CD each year. I have fulfilled this goal for the past two years.

And so, without further ado, here is some more Bob Rivers goodness:



And here is another:



And another favorite (with a modern, reasonable admonition):



Gosh, I just love this guy!

Okay, finally got time without distractions

And I can respond properly to the Dear Ricki with a few of my favorite Bob Rivers songs. What a genius this guy is. I can't find the intros for the first two, and don't feel like searching for the lyrics (I posted them before at 'Pints) but they are stand-alone on their own.

The Chipmunks:



The poor little Angel:



And of course we can't forget Bob's plugged-in tribute to The Savior:

Gimme Some Skin, My Friend, because I am such a sexist pig (updated)

So after a hard day of spreadsheets and meetings, I was sipping on a stein of God's Own Brew and surfing the webster. Came across Ricki's post with a video of "Walkin' 'Round in Women's Underwear" and I was inspired, so I started a-Youtubin' for more Bob Rivers. The man is a genius. But he will have to wait.

See, I didn't get far yet. In my splashpage of "Recommended for You" vids was an Andrews Sisters selection, one I hadn't heard before. Tres cool, especially since it's largely related to Harlem, for which you will have to wade through the rambling nonsense below because it's just that good and you need to work for your reward by reading this post. Because working for rewards is good for you. And because I said so.

Anyway, it reminded me of something I wanted to blog about a while back but didn't. When I embedded the video of the Lovely and Glorious Dorothy Dandridge with the Glenn Miller Band, I meant (and forgot) to mention how unusual it was back in the '30s and '40s for white and black acts to appear together. Glenn Miller must have been a hell of a guy to do that in the era of Jim Crow. Anyway, I meant to say that but forgot.

Even better, this particular Andrews Sisters video has Abbott and Costello in it, which also reminded me of something I meant to blog yesterday (when it popped into my head for some reason I can't remember). This was a bit from some Abbott and Costello movie whose title I forget. They were on a south Pacific island, and the (admittedly sexist, but still funny) exchange went something like this:

Abbott: These native girls are really pretty, I may just marry one of them.

Costello: Not me, I'm going to marry a homely girl.

Abbott: Why do you want to marry a homely girl?

Costello: A pretty girl can run away.

Abbott: A homely girl can run away.

Costello: So what?

Yeah, terribly sexist joke, but you gals can turn it around and swap sexes if you want.

Okay, kids, you've suffered enough. Here are the Andrews Sisters:



UPDAYE: Ha! Wolfwalker reminds me of an old R'n'R song in the same vein as that Abbott and Costello bit. Surprised I didn't think of it when I wrote the original post:



I never took that advice, of course. Married a pretty, beautiful lady. Which is why I do a lot of cooking and food blogging...

Family story time

Do deer eat grass?

No particular reason to ask, except for thinking of the story after reading Ricki's post. Well, there's also the fact that I've a genteel sufficiency* of God's Own Brew.

So the story is that some gummint (I think it was) biologist came to Red Bluff or environs to give a talk on managing deer herds. This was back in the 1950s, possibly the 1940s, I was never certain of the timeframe. The scientist/expert/whatever made some comment that "deer don't eat grass".

Grandpa stood up and said something along the lines of, "Well, I've seen deer out on the plain a long way from trees. Out in the middle of the grass. The deer were there, the grass was there, and the deer had their heads down, and if they weren't eating grass, what were they doing?"

Heh. Grandpa. God Love Him.

*Genteel sufficiency** - Another family story I may tell some time. Remind me, though, to keep kicking myself (as I have done for so many years) at not having captured all these family stories on tape of Mom and Dad and Auntie and Grandpa and Uncle Jack telling them. I don't retell them well.

**Just learned that the phrase may have originally been from Rudyard Kipling's Kim, after reading HH - shades of serendipilipity!

Jeebus

This story is just getting too weird.

Tracy neighborhood shocked by kidnapping, torture allegations

TRACY — The teenage boy stumbled into the sprawling fitness club wearing only boxer shorts and a heavy chain padlocked to his ankle. Covered in dried blood, bruises, burns, feces and urine, he begged the club's assistant manager to hide him, then curled into a fetal position under the front counter and kept saying, over and over, "They're going to come find me."

And weirder still.

Third suspect in Tracy torture case arrested in Berkeley

A Sacramento woman is being held in a San Joaquin County jail today, in connection with the torture and kidnapping of a teen reportedly held captive in Tracy for nearly a year.

Meanwhile, the 17-year-old boy, who is still a ward of the state, has been turned over to the Sacramento County Child Protective Services Department. He's been discharged from Sutter Tracy Community Hospital and is expected to be transferred to another medical facility, possibly in Sacramento County, officials said.

Jeebus. Just look at these freaky-looking creeps and at the failure inherent in the system:

Caren Ramirez, 43, pleaded no contest in Sacramento last year to abusing her nephew, but authorities say the teenager somehow wound up living with her again - this time, in a Tracy home owned by Michael Luther Schumacher, 34, and his wife, Kelly Layne Lau, 30. The couple were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of kidnapping, torture and other felonies.

Words fail.

Country/Western Trivia (Just one thing more edition)

So, following on the Marty Robbins Trivia Post (which, by the way is still open; operators are standing by), I just thought of another lost verse. It's one that Marty didn't sing, but Hank Williams and the Sons of the Pioneers did, and I never heard it until I picked up my Hank Williams CD some many months back.

Come to think of it, that was when I learned that the Hankster sang this song too. And later I learned that the Sons of the Pioneers did too. And both of them before Marty.

Anyhoo, here is the single question from this "lost verse":

Dan's feet are sore he's yearning for just one thing more. What?

More funnies

Heh. Watch them both.

For our buddy Wolfwalker

Yeah, man, I do understand how the old, tragic cowboy ballads can be a downer. So here is one that's not a downer, it's even uplifting. And even better, I can find an embedded video to follow the lyrics by! Lyrics after the video:



Well he walks out in the arena all dressed up to the brim
Said he just came down from a place called Highland Rim
Well he said he came to ride the horse, the one they called the Brute
But he didn't look like a cowboy in his continental suit

We snickered at the way he dressed but he never said a word
He walks on by the rest of us as if he hadn't heard
A thousand bucks went to the man who could ride this wild cayuse
A meaner horse was never born than the one they called the Brute

The horse that he was lookin' for was in chute number eight
He walked up very slowly put his hand upon the gate
We knew he was a throughbred when he pulled a sack of Dukes
From the inside pocket of his continental suit

Well he rolled himself a quirly and he lit it standin' there
Blew himself a smoke ring and he watched it disappear
We thought he must be crazy when he opened up the gate
Standin' just inside was fifteen hundred pounds of hate

The buckskin tried to run him down but the stranger was too quick
He stepped aside and threw his arms around the horse's neck
And he pulled himself upon the back of the horse they called the Brute
Sat like he was born there in his continental suit

The Brute's hind end was in the air his front end on the ground
Kickin' and a squealin' tryin' to shake the stranger down
But the stranger didn't give an inch he came to ride the Brute
And he came to ride the buckskin in a continental suit

Well I turned around to look at Jim and he was watchin' me
He said I don't believe the crazy things I think I see
But I think I see the outlaw the one they call the Brute
Ridden by a cowboy in a continental suit

The Brute came to a standstill ashamed that he'd been rode
By a city cowboy in some continental clothes
The stranger took his money and we don't know where he went
We don't where he came from and we haven't seen him since

The moral of this story never judge by what they wear
Underneath some ragged clothes could be a millionaire
Everybody listen don't be fooled by this galoot
This sure enough bronc buster in a continental suit

Quote of the day

"[I]t saddens me ... that I have to share my breathing air with people like this."

Read this post too.

The new piece

I'm on a telecommute day, and I took a break from the procedures and spreadsheets to go pick it up. It's purty!

Marty, you're making me cry, dammit!

So, as promised, here are the lyrics to my new tear-jerking Marty Robbins song. I'd really love to make and embed a video but my video-making software is being totally uncooperative. Bastards, recognize my audio! Feh. So here are the lyrics. Read them and weep as I do. If you don't, you are a heartless philistine.

And now my friends you've asked me what makes me sad and still
And why my brow is darkened like the clouds upon the hill.
Run in your ponies closer and I'll tell to you my tale
Of Utah Carol my partner and his last ride on the trail.

We rode the range together and rode it side by side.
I loved him like a brother, and I wept when Utah died.
We were rounding up one morning, when work was almost done,
When on his side the cattle started on a frightened run.

Underneath the saddle that the boss's daughter rode,
Utah that very morning had placed a bright red robe,
So the saddle might ride easy for Lenore his little friend,
And it was this red blanket that brought him to his end.

The blanket was now dragging behind her on the ground.
The frightened cattle saw it and charged it with a bound.
Lenore then saw her danger and turned her pony's face,
And leaning in the saddle, tied the blanket to its place.

But in leaning lost her balance, fell in front of that wild tide.
"Lay still Lenore I'm coming" were the words that Utah cried.
His faithful pony saw her and reached her in a bound.
I thought he'd been successful, and raised her from the ground.

But the weight upon the saddle had not been felt before.
His back-cinch snapped like thunder and he fell by Lenore.
Picking up the blanket he swung it o'er his head,
And started cross the prairie. "Lay still Lenore" he said.

When he got the stampede turned and saved Lenore his friend,
He turned to face the cattle and meet his fatal end.
His six-gun flashed like lightning, the report rang loud and clear.
As the cattle rushed and killed him, he dropped the leading steer.

On his funeral morning I heard the preacher say
"I hope we'll all meet Utah at the roundup far away."
Then they wrapped him in the blanket that saved his little friend,
And it was this red blanket that brought him to his end.

F*ck you, Marty. I'm still weeping.

Oh good lord this is funny

Please don't ask me how I happened across it. It was quite by accident.

Country/Western Trivia (Gunfighter Ballads Redux Edition)

Well dagnabbit, I got no takers at all on my Hank Snow Edition so far. Tres disappointmente. Well, I'll repost it soon with high hopes for a better response. But this is a holiday weekend so I'm sure lots of folks are not available, and the Hankster deserves better than that.

Soooooo, in his place this weekend, I'll do a redux of one that got a very nice response some time back. I don't mind relegating the Great and Powerful Marty Robbins to this holiday weekend, because I've already dedicated two separate editions to him. But at the very least, I will try to change some of the questions, especially those that were answered quickly before.

Ah, Marty. You do it so well. I took "Gunfighter Ballads" on my bike ride today, as I've done so many times before. I did notice, however, that I seem to have changed my pattern a bit with this album. There are three songs in particular that I have tended, in the past, to listen to first (perhaps even a couple of times) before listening to the others. Today (and, TBT, the last time I took it along) I listened to one of the others twice. It really has grown on me, and it brings tears to my eyes. And it's in this list (naturally). So herewith are some great Marty Robbins "Gunfighter Ballads":

1) Who came riding from the south side, slowly looking all around?

2) The nights are cool and I'm a fool. What are the stars? [Heroditus Huxley: Each star's a pool of water, cool, clear water]

3) "Twenty one men I have put bullets through." Who will make twenty two?

4) I head for home when day is done with my pocket money jingling in my jeans. To where?

5) They'll bury Flo tomorrow. What are they doing tonight?

6) His legs are all spavined, he's got pigeon toes, little pig eyes and a big Roman nose. He's got little pin ears that touched at the tip, he's U-necked ewe-necked and old, and has a long, lower jaw. Who is he? [Hint: oddly enough, it's not Bingley, though THS might beg to differ] [Wolfwalker: He's the strawberry roan]

7) [Slightly cheating on this one, the lyrics in this question did not appear in the original album or single edition of this song, they were omitted by the publishing company, Pox Be Upon Them, and only later restored in a full-length version]

Ahem, where was I? Oh yeah, I remember now.

7) I was shocked by the foul, evil deed I had done, and had only one chance. What was that chance, and what did I do with it? [Heroditus Huxley: That one chance was too run, so I stole a (fortunately pre-saddled) horse and skedaddled off to the badlands of New Mexico]

8) I'm as sad as the willow that weeps where?

9) This kind of sinful living leads only to a fall. I learned that much and more the night I heard what?

10) A woman's love is wasted when she loves what?

11) Where will my homesick heart trouble me no more?

12) [Just for the record, this is the song I mentioned that I've been listening to more when listening to this album. Gads, it brings tears to my eyes each time I hear it, it's such a beautiful ballad]

Ahem [dries eyes], where was I? Oh yeah.

12) A red blanket brought him to his end in two different ways: as the cause of his death (through his own selfless action in saving his young friend) and as his funeral shroud. Run in your ponies closer and I'll tell to you my tale of whom?

And I will post the lyrics of this lovely ballad soon. If you've never heard it, you owe it to yourself.

National Ammo Day

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it was last week. But I just got out to our local (sorta) Bass Pro Shop yesterday to hit the after Thanksgiving sales.

Well, I didn't actually pick up anything in their ad but I did pickup a box of this, in anticipation of picking up my new piece next week. Seems like a decent enough price but I really gotta start reloading them soon.

"This is not a chawade.."

So I was reminded by Joel this evening of just how old I am in a response to my comment on this post. Truth be told, it's been a lot of years and I tend to forget which unforgettable sketch was in which unforgettable movie.

Yeah, seems I have forgotten the unforgettable. Go figure.

But in any case, here is part 1 of 5 of one of my favorite sketches from Kentucky Fried Movie. Please do click through to the rest of the posted sketches. My personal favorite part in in Part 4 of 5 (the part with the transmission and the few seconds just before it).

Indeed, "This is not a chawade. We need toto concentwation." Heh.

And speaking of the great Stan Freberg...

Classic.

Amusing, if it could actually happen

So I received an email from a former coworker, one of those amusing emails that runs around the 'net:

Wanna really upset liberal (pardon the redundancy) Democrats? Then Bush should resign now!

So Dick Cheney becomes President.

Then, Cheney should appoint Condoleeza Rice as VP.

Then, two weeks later, Cheney resigns and...

Condoleeza Rice, A Republican, becomes the First Woman President! And the first black President!

Giggle.

Quote of the Day

Just heard it on the radio, an email to the morning show:

"I think members of Congress should wear uniforms like NASCAR, so that we can identify their corporate sponsors."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Whatever your plans, have a happy and safe holiday.

I thought about embedding "Alice's Restaurant"; a local Classic Rock station traditionally plays it every Thanksgiving. But then I thought, "Nah, it's been done." So I thought I would post this one instead (actual Thanksgiving part starts about 3:25 in):



Damn I love Stan Freberg.

Unfortunately...

I have not yet discovered the secret of hiding parts of posts. So please be aware that there is a Hank Snow Trivia post below the long, picture laden posts immediately below this.

Family pictures

Deal with it, youngsters. I'm fried from staring at spreadsheets all day and I'm inflicting my misery on you. These are more stills from the family-home-movies DVD, pre-China as it were. These are various Christmas movies over the years, from roughly 1956 through roughly 1965.


My lovely Auntie, 1956.


Mom and Uncle Jack (Auntie's husband), same year.


Grandma with the Littlest Bro. This would be 1963.


Me and Littlest Bro, from 1964.


Littlest Bro. He's sitting in front of our "entertainment center": a B/W TV with AM/FM radio and record player all in one. Very avante garde for its time, even if bought used.


Me an Little Bro the Firefighter, him with his grenade launcher. That was one of the coolest toys any of us ever got.

Unfortunately, no still pictures were ripped by the conversion company of this part but perhaps I will try to rip some video later. Yes, there are video scenes of our musical instruments. The ones our family friend Shine got us boys for Christmas one year (I guess it was 1964, I had thought it was 1965):



For me a trumpet, for Little Bro the Firefighter a drum set, and for Littlest Bro a xylophone. Yes, Mom (bless her kind, forgiving heart) allowed Shine to live.

That Chinese Movie

So as I mentioned before, I'm intrigued and stymied by the China travelog (I think that's what it is) I found. I think it's from the 1930s (judging by the clothes I see on the Westerners), and I'm uploading some of the images here.

It occurs to me that this is perhaps the very sort of thing my Dear Cousin Edna might have. She did a fair amount of traveling in the Far East before WWII and I have the pictures to prove it. However, this was with my family's stuff, not Edna's (the stuff my Mom saved after Edna passed away was mostly in one box) so it's still very confusing.

Anyway, I'll try to rip and show some of the video later when I have more time. These images are some of those pulled by the film-to-DVD conversion company and printed on the DVD box, and helpfully provided in a folder on the DVD.

First up, some reasons I think it's from the 1930s (or 1920s): Title Cards (or Intertitles, as I just learned they are also called).







From these Title Cards, I also learned that Punch and Judy originated in China:



And here is the first (and so far only) clue as to the date of this travelog:



Unfortunately, so far the only references I can find to a ship call the "General Sherman" in the far east are for an incident in Korea in 1866, well before these movies were made.

Well, in any case, here are a few more pics from the DVD:















Seriously, this is very intriguing, and if anyone can shed any light on it I'm all ears.

Country/Western Trivia (Hank Snow edition)

As promised. Yes, my young friends, I know I've neglected the trivia posts for a while now. I'm sorry. Been busy. But I hope to make it up with some Hank Snow.

Small confession: Many years ago, when I was young and foolish (as opposed to old and foolish) I tended to confuse the names Hank Snow and Hank Thompson. I know, I know, blasphemy, burn in Hell, and all that. But I did. As much as I liked a lot of country music back in them days, I didn't pay a lot of attention to who did what and stuff.

But times have changed and I now (sorta) remember which Hank did which song. Truth be told, I really hadn't heard a lot of Hank Snow's material until recently, when I brought home a CD from my Mom's collection to listen to (and which has one hell of a fashion statement on the cover).

Two songs in particular stand out, of course, but aside from those I really hadn't heard much of his stuff. Well, now I have. And I shall inflict it on you. I know, of course, that at least the two aforementioned songs you have no doubt heard. A few of the others I remember from many years ago, all the rest are ones I never heard until recently on my weekly bike rides.

Feh. Enough babbling nonsense. Let's go with a Baker's dozen of Hank:

1) [N.B.: this presupposes that the locations mentioned are in chronological order; they are not, of course, they are in an odd rhyming order but that will not stop us from presupposing that they are in chronological order, and since this is almost certainly the Hankster's most folks know song and everyone and their brother has heard it. End run-on sentence.]

Ahem. Multi-part question:

1) Please identify the following locations:

(a) After Reno, to which three places did I go?

(b) And after Buffalo, to which three locations?

(c) And after Wichita, to which three locations?

(d) And which three after Tampa?

Okay, I'll suspend this for now. But there will be more later. Because I'm just that way and love this song just that much.

2) I've got a pretty mama in Tennessee that does what?

3) What did I do after crossing deserts bare?

4) I'm on a bad motorcycle with a devil in the seat. How fast am I traveling and where?

5) After Boston, to which three locations did I go?

6) You dealt the cards, but you missed the play. So what am I going to board?

7) To which three locations did I go after after Washington?

8) I've wined you and dined you till my money is gone. So now, what's over and what's on?

9) To which three locations did I go after Glen Rock?

10) I'll love you until the day I die. Why?

11) Where (3X) did I go after Pittsfield?

12) I ain't got time for a triflin' woman. So what am I doing?

13) And where (3X) did I go after Tennessee? And (3X) after Spirit Lake? And (3X) after Elmsburg? And (3X) after Kansas City?

Whoa. Gotta stop now. Don't want to burn out on that song.

Whoa, this is way freakin' weird

So, as some of you may remember, some months ago I converted old home movies to DVD. I even uploaded a few for your amusement/mockery.

Well, when I was at the ranch at deer season, I found a couple more rolls, though these were not the standard little roughly-3-inch rolls like before. These were larger, and one was a 16mm instead of the usual 8mm or super-8mm. Anyway, I took them to Costco to work their magic. Just got them back yestiddy and took a look today.

Well actually, yestiddy when I picked them up I knew something was weird. Costco (or their subcontracter, more accurately) puts pictures on the box of the DVD. I saw something was odd when I looked at the box.

No, it's not like it was pr0n or anything like that (though I wouldn't put THAT past my Dad, horndog that he was). No, after the several years of Christmas movies was what seems to be a documentary about China. Gads, I wish there was sound with the old movies but no. Just text as there was with the old silent movies. Tres odd. Only thing I can figure is that Dad got this film when he was in the Navy back in the 1950s (the people, including the Westerners, look to be from the 1940s but I can't be sure). Gads, for many reasons, including this, I'm kicking myself for not having done this stuff before Mom passed away.

Anyway, on the DVD before the aforementioned documentary (I assume) was a lot of footage from Christmases long past. Some from before I was born, some from when we lived at the ranch, some from when we lived in Muscoy, some from when we lived in the north end of San Bernardino. I think some footage is from a trip to Oregon but I can't be certain. Grandpa and his sister Aunt Mae are in some footage. George and Margie and their son Don are in some of it (my Dad grew up with George in Halfway, this footage is from before Don joined up and went to Vietnam). More besides.

Also, Louie is in it. He was my Grandma's second husband, after my Grandpa died, but before Grandpa Joe. Realistically, I should remember him but I really don't, and don't remember ever hearing of him until I was an adult. Perhaps I just blocked him out. I do remember when Grandma married Grandpa Joe, but I just don't remember Louie. Probably just as well.

Possibly I will upload some vids soon, we'll see.

The jingoistic ugly American in me just loves this

Knowing my taste for fine American whiskies, my good buddy Julie sent along this story that was on CBS News this morning. Pretty interesting, and I just loved this part:

What happens to those barrels once they're emptied? Here's a delicious little irony: Most of them are sent to Scotland and used again.

So with every sip of some fine old scotch, you're likely drinking a little bit of bourbon.

That amuses me.

Administrative Announcement

A Hank Snow Edition of Country Western Trivia is coming soon. Keep checking back for it in case I forget...

Quote of the Day

"OH GOD THE STUPIDITY, IT BUUURNS."

Runner up (which was actually going to be the Quote of the Day until I read the first comment):

"Can we all agree that if you don’t know what suffrage is, you shouldn’t be allowed to vote?"

One would think.

UPDATE: Minor observation. I just stepped down to the lunch room to fill up my water bottle. There's a small crowd that watches "Deal or No Deal" while eating lunch. It occurs to me that "Deal or No Deal" is apparently on a higher intellectual level than "The View".

Mamma Mia!

So the local RWDB morning show spent a few minutes mocking Italians.

Well, not really, but they did spend a few minutes mocking a naming contest for a new combat jet fighter trainer built by an Italian company.

An Internet contest to name the new M-346 combat jet trainer [built by manufacturer Alenia Aermacchi] has elicited more than 2,000 ideas.

[...]

[A]viation buffs at Internet forums have proposed choices like the Pizza Pie, Italian Stallion, Turbo Pigeon and Pompeii.

All great names, I'm sure.

One thing I never knew: the F-16 fighter is officially known as the "Flying Falcon", but no one ever uses it. Story says it's also called (unofficially) the "Viper" but I've never heard it referred to as anything but F-16.

So I'm finally doing some actual gun blogging

And HH and Jeff gave me an idea for another post. I mentioned that, in addition to the .45 I'm buying, I'd like to get a Garand, among other new firearms. A number of folks mentioned that it's money slowing down their own personal gun-buying frenzy, and I sure feel that too.

So, if money were no issue at all, what would be your own personal wish list of guns to buy? Here's mine (or at least part of it) in the order I would likely buy them:

First, a flintlock replica rifle ("Pensylvania" or "Kentucky" style rifle). I already own a Hawken style caplock but I do enjoy blackpowder shooting. I'm a sucker for historical stuff like this, and not just guns. Given unlimited resources, I suppose I could become a "real" collector, but I'm a shooter more than a historian so I'd prefer shootable replicas to originals. And the colonial/revolutionary period is a special interest for me.

After the Pennsylvania rifle, I'd get a Ruger Single-Six. I know all the arguments for a double-action vs. single-action revolver, but I have to go traditional route on this one (with, of course, the bow to modernity of actual, useable sights and the option of .22LR and .22 mag). Besides, I almost always shoot double-action revolvers in single-action anyway. And it would be so handy on camping/hunting trips to take small game for the pot.

Okay, those last two are my list of "even if I don't become mega-rich" guns. They are ones I WILL own, hopefully before I die of old age.

Now, for the ones I doubt I'd be able to buy before winning the lottery:

First off, everything in the Navy Arms catalog. Oh yeah, I loves me some historical, blackpowder stuff. In particular, I want the Paterson Colt, the 1847 Walker, and the 1860 Army. I already have a .36 1851 Navy, and it is so much fun to shoot. Also, those top-break revolvers look pretty cool, as does the LeMat revolver; I'd have to check out some of them too. And what collection would be complete without an 1873 SA Army?

On the longarms front, I'd first go for the three-band Enfield, then browse through the other Civil War offerings, and back up to the 18th century for a Brown Bess. And after the war, I'd move on to the several styles of buffalo guns and single shots, in particular the 1873 Springfield, the 1874 Sharps, and the Remington Rolling Block.

And thence to the Henry and Winchester collections.

Hmm. Anything missing here? Oh yes, modern arms. I'd buy a motley collection of more modern stuff, including the 1895 Lee straight pull, a 1903 Springfield, a Lee-Enfield, and others. Oh, and some EBRs, too. But the top, number one in my list of "modern" rifles? The slickest bolt-action in the history of rifles.

That's my collection for tonight. I'll update if I think of any more particulars. Please drop you wish lists in the comments.

Quote of the day

"Cancer, you lose this one, you bastard!"

YAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY! for Ricki's Dad!

National Ammo Day

My bad. I didn't buy ammo on National Ammo Day. However, I did start the paperwork on a firearm, to be retrieved some 10+ days hence (piss on the CA legislature *spit*). I'm kinda bassackwards that way. I promise I will buy some ammo on National Buy a Gun Day.

Anyhoo, I've wanted a .45 Model 1911 for a long time, and I thought "there's no time like the present."

Oh, and there's the part about an anti-gun potentio-socialist in the White House with a Dembulb majority in both houses of Congress, and the potential mayhem that may ensue. So I decided to go for it.

The big decision: "What to do, what to do."

See, I'm a traditionalist in large part. I've wanted a Model 1911 for some time, seeing as how it was a mainstay of the U.S. military through two World Wars and beyond (same reason I want a Garand and a Springfield Model 1903, though I can't afford them). But the conundrum, for me, was: completely traditional route (i.e., Colt or Springfield standard military grade) or a newer model with the modern accoutrements (useable sights, no thumb-killing hammers, etc.)?

What to do, what to do?

So I compromised. Well, actually, I caved to certain realities. I wanted to buy local to home if possible (rather than local to work, where there are a few more options), I wanted a shootable weapon instead of a shootable-but-probably-should-just-hang-on-the-wall weapon, and this was just so pretty. Well, pretty and functional. Oh, and the one I settled on is a limited-edition, two-tone gun which comes just a wee bit closer to the blued metal of the traditional route, rather than the modern stainless route.

And since it's in the venerable "Colt Commander" configuration, I guess that's just barely traditional enough (the original Commander style having come out nearly 60 years ago, even before I was born) to satisfy my traditionalist leanings.

Aw hell. Who am I kidding? I caved to modernism. But I can live with that. I'm a gun whore, I admit it.

Joel Rocks

Yeah, that Joel. Dude, that was so cool.

*sniff* I'd say "I love you, man" if the expression didn't have some unpleasant overtones.

And speaking of Booker T and the MGs...

One of the coolest things about "Time is Tight" is the way the main theme kind of sneaks up on you under the background riffs. There's another Sixties song I just love that does the same thing. Okay, yeah, I'll admit it. I'm a sucker for surfer music, at least part of it. I loves me some Beach Boys and I loves me some Ventures and I loves me some Jan and Dean. But there is one, count 'em, one piece from the early 1960s surfer era that TOTALLY embodies the cool, understated, bitchin', "sneak-up-on-you" theme that is the essence of surfer cool.

Unfortunately, the Chantays unfortunately chose to unfortunately allow it to be unfortunately showcased on the unfortunately Lawrence unfortunately Welk unfortunately Show unfortunately. Unfortunately.

Dudes, I love you guys but unfortunately, "Serutan" spelled backwards is "Natures", and dudes, how could you? Hey, I loves me some '40s music and stuff, but really, Welk? Damn, guys, that hurts bad.

Well, major "make me feel even more like a geezer" stab-in-the-gut aside, here are the Chantays on the Lawrence Welk Show in 1963:



And here, to atone for embedding a Lawrence Welk Show video, is one with the studio version of the song (with suitably '60s weirdness for the video part):

STFU you f***ing idiots

I'm sorry, stupid people, you don't get a do-over just because you don't like the outcome.

Prop. 8 backers, AG ask court to hear challenges

SAN FRANCISCO -- The sponsors of California's new same-sex marriage ban and Attorney General Jerry Brown urged the state's highest court Monday to hear a series of lawsuits seeking to overturn the measure, saying it's too urgent a matter to be left unsettled.

Actually, those suits should be thrown out immediately and the lawyers involved disbarred. And some idiots slapped around.

"The petitions raise issues of statewide importance, implicating not only California's marriage laws but also the initiative process and the Constitution itself," the attorney general argued in papers filed with the California Supreme Court.

"This court can provide certainty and finality in this matter," he said.

Congratulation, Governor Moonbeam, you are only half an idiot now, in that you actually realize that the court can provide certainty and finality.

On the first part, however, you are still an idiot. I don't like the outcome any more than a lot of other people, but allowing that an initiative BROUGHT BEFORE THE ELECTORATE PROPERLY UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, and then VOTED IN BY THE ELECTORATE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, according to the LAWS AND CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, raises "issues of statewide importance" is merely stupid. It raises no such issues. The backers of these lawsuits have absolutely no leg to stand on unless they can bring the feds into it. And I don't think they want to do that.

Gay and civil rights groups, the city of San Francisco and others have asked the court to void the measure on the grounds that voters did not have the authority to make, what they say, is a fundamental constitutional change.

I'm sorry, you are too fucking stupid for words. Under the LAWS OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, and the CONSTITUTIONALLY APPROVED RULES FOR CHANGING THE STATE CONSTITUTION, the voters DID INDEED HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE A FUNDAMENTAL CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE. If you don't like what the voters approved, THAT'S TOO FUCKING BAD.

Look people, I've said it before, I'll say it again. You want change? Work for it. It's not like you had your asses handed to you this time, as with Prop. 20 (or whichever number it was) some years ago. You (we) got beat by what could plausibly be described as a margin of "people who support gay marriage but hate activist judges who pull rulings out of their asses". But if you win on this one, then there is nothing outside of the power of judges. If they can declare that a constitutional amendment PROPERLY BROUGHT BEFORE THE PEOPLE, and PROPERLY VOTED IN UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA is to be denied just because some people don't like it, then there is absolutely nothing that can properly be described as "the rule of law" in this state. They might as well just decide that the state supreme court is dictator for life.

No particular reason

Other than the incredible awesome that is Booker T and the MGs.

Unfortunately not to be embedded, here is "Time is Tight" and "Soul Limbo".

But here is a live, embeddable version of "TiT" (the jokes just write themselves, don't they?)

And speaking of whiskey...

Well, actually I hadn't been but I am now. Couple'a things I've been meaning to post but forgot to until now.

First, I can't find a link or pic on this 'net thingy but last week at Costco I happened across a great Jack Daniel gift set at a great price. It's a wooden box (hinged door, etc.) containing a fifth each of Jack's mainstay Old Number 7, Gentleman Jack, and (be still my heart) his Single Barrel. All three in one box, for $72. Such a deal. And all for me. Not that I've opened them yet, I'm still working on the bottle of Evan Williams I picked up a few months ago. Call me a lightweight if you must, but I just don't drink that much at one time. I'm a sipper, not a guzzler.

Second requires a small bit of backstory or two: First, it is my family's tradition to have lots of whiskey available at deer season. Well, it was in the old days, primarily for the poker religiously played on Saturday nights after a long day of deer hunting. Some years ago, I noticed how anemic the crew had become after the loss of the older generation, in that I saw the same bottle of bourbon from the year before . And the year before that. And still not empty. (Also, there was the fact that we started to make "Pepsi runs" instead of "beer runs"). Time was when at least two or three bottles were barely enough to get through the poker game.

Anyway, on one of the first days I was out at the ranch, the weather was pretty warm, and Little Bro the Firefighter and I were tramping around. We weren't really doing any serious hiking so I was in sneakers, and it occurred to me that the warm weather was not only warm, it was rattlesnake weather. So on our next trip into town I went looking for some rattlesnake medicine, i.e., some shotshells for my .44. We trekked into Wally World, but couldn't find the appropriate ammo. But the salesperson was very kind and mentioned that people had told him that if it couldn't be found at Walmart, it could be found at Longs. So we trekked over to Longs and sure enough, we found the rattlesnake medicine I sought.

And in addition, they had a sale on some gift sets, a fifth of 101 Proof with two (count 'em!) two highball glasses. Enough to last me for at least three or four deer seasons! Huzzah! And of course, I could not pass up a sale on bourbon.

Oh, and for the part I had meant to post earlier (and actually thought I had in my trip report but apparently not, at least, I can't find it), while we were standing in line at the checkout counter, me with the Wild Turkey in one hand and a box of .44 shotshells in the other, I remarked to the Little Bro:

"Whiskey and ammo. What could possibly go wrong?"

Heh.