Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers

Heather and I went over to Love and War in Texas to meet up with some friends and catch the Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers show.  This was our first show, unlike my friends, who have been to many, many more.  It was a great time, with good music, good beer (including Shiner‘s Ruby Redbird seasonal brew made with grapefruit), good food, and good company.  The Peacemakers is a must see show, don’t miss them if they’re near you!

Banning Private Gun Sales

This is a longer version of a post on Facebook.  The 420 character limit makes it a little tough to thoroughly shred her stance.

It seems the new head of the DNC, one Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, wants to screen all firearms sales, whether they be private or through an FFL.

Lets take a look at some numbers, shall we?  According to the CDC, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and lower respiratory diseases each kill more people than “accidents” (which lumps falls, car crashes, and even accidental shootings into one bucket).  And what’s worse for Rep. Schultz and her friends is that homicide didn’t even make the top 10 list.

Lets ask ourselves what the folks opposed to firearms ownership would stand to gain if they could force private sales to be screened?  Well, first of all, it’s kind of hard to actually stop two people from meeting somewhere and exchanging paper for steel.  We haven’t been able to do it for certain chemical compounds, so what makes her think it’ll work this time?  Besides, I’m don’t think that it would be workable without also requiring gun registration (see! slippery slope!).  So would that be next?  A few years from now are we going to listen to some elected official saying that we need to register all firearms so that we can stop those illegal sales?  What’s next after that?  Since they’ll know who has what, confiscation is next on the list.  It’s happened everywhere ekse where gun registration was implemented.

If she really wanted to reduce deaths in this country, shouldn’t she be pushing for the almighty government to require a cholesterol check before allowing someone to buy a Big Mac?

For extra credit, head on over and read Joe Huffman’s Jews In The Attic Test for even more reasons why this is a bad idea.

Working On The Individual Challenge Ride

I took some mental health time today and headed for points east to pick up some points for BMW DFW‘s Individual Challenge Ride.  It was a nice, 272 mile loop through east Texas.  After breakfast with Heather, I made my way out to Forney to get a picture of the MiG-17 in front of De Ridder Antiques.  After leaving there, I ended up in Emory to get a picture of Circle-H BBQ.  From there it was a quick hop over to Edgewood to take a picture of the Heritage Park.  As it was getting closer to lunch, and I’d decided to stop and eat at the next location, I headed for Edom and the Edom Bakery.  Little did I know that there was an arts festival going on, but not to worry, I got a parking spot, some food, and another picture.  Back on the road, I stopped in Athens to take a picture at the post office, and then went over to the final stop.  Stopping in Eustace, I got a picture of the bike in front of Sue’s Roost restaurant.

My point gathering done, I rode over to Creekview Golf Course to meet up with Heather.  She was doing a work related golf tournament, and it was just wrapping up when I pulled in.  After hanging out for a little while, we made our way back to the metroplex.

Here’s the ride route over on Spot Adventures.

True Grit – The Book

I finished off the [amazon_link id=”159020459X” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]novel that both movies were based on[/amazon_link] tonight.  It was really good, better than either movie.  While the Coen brothers did a much better job sticking with the book, and they really did, there are still some differences.  I’ve got to rank the book first, the Coen brothers film second, and John Wayne’s film third.  Sorry, I like The Duke a lot, but I like films that are true to the novel more.

The story is about Mattie Ross’s hunt to bring the man who shot her father to justice, told through her recollections from years later.  That journey takes her through Arkansas and the Indian Territory, and shows a 14 year old girl a much larger world.

It’s a great book, and if you liked either of the films, you owe it to yourself to get a copy and read it.

Seeing Reese Off

Sad day.  We got Reese packed up and headed for the airport to get him on his way home.  He did really well with his nerves and I’m really proud of him.  It’s sad to see him go, but the time spent was good, and it won’t be the last time.  Now looking forward to seeing him again in June!

Scarborough Faire

Heather, Reese, and I made our way down to Scarborough Faire for a day of fun.  The heat started building earlier than expected, but we got a lot of stuff in before getting beat down.  Reese loved the birds of prey show put on by Last Chance Forever, a raptor rescue organization.  From there we did a little shopping and then caught the glassblowing demonstration done by Andres and Chapman.  Afterwords we got some lunch and caught some of the jousting before heading to see Arsene Dupin‘s show.  He does a mime/magic act that was really hilarious.  Next up was some more shopping and getting Reese a coin made.  We booked over to catch the turtle races, on Reese’s insistence.  On the way over, we heard the closing bit of Kashmir and took a short detour to pick up a copy of Wine and Alchemy‘s CD.  After the turtle races we made our way back to the exit and headed back home.

Fort Worth Zoo

After getting the garage door fixed, we made our way out to the Fort Worth Zoo.  The weather got a little warmer than we liked, but Reese had a good time.  We spent a lot of time in the new MOLA (Museum Of Living Art) exhibit checking out the snakes and insects.  From there we went and checked out the cats and then spent a bunch of time in the parakeet enclosure feeding the greedy little birds.  The heat took its toll on Reese, so we took the train back to the entrance and headed home for some dinner and Wii.

Garage Door Repairs

The guy from Overhead Door came out first thing in the morning and got to work fixing everything up.  He was fast, courteous, and friendly with Reese, which is always a plus.  New springs, new rollers, a little grease, and a realignment later and it’s working better than it ever has.

Major kudos to them.  If you’re in need of garage door repairs, they’re the ones to call!

Tartan Night At The Rough Riders

Reese, Heather, and I headed out to Frisco to meet up with some people who put together a tartan night at the Frisco Rough Riders opening night.  We snacked at The Irish Rover Pub and then did a kilted walk, with a piper, over to the park to watch the game.  The seats were great, Reese had a good time, and the Rough Riders won.  What more can you ask for?  Pics after the jump…

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National Scouting Museum

Reese and I spent a few hours at the National Scouting Museum today.  It’s really well done, though we were the only people there, which is a shame.  The exhibits start out at the beginning of Scouting and go all the way to today, and include both displays of artifacts and memorabilia as well as interactive stuff.  We spent some time racing pinewood derby cars and playing in the shooting gallery before working on his trivia worksheet.  He got everything right and earned his Cub Scout pack a unit award.  After that we checked out the Norman Rockwell paintings and watched the film.  Finally we spent a little money in the gift shop and headed out.