The second book in David Weber’s Safehold Saga, [amazon_link id=”0765353989″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]By Schism Rent Asunder[/amazon_link], picks up right where the first one left off. The upheavals are spreading, and I like where the story’s heading. There were a few pretty big surprises and plot twists, including one just about exactly half way through the book that I was not expecting. Lets just say that Charis has more allies and help than they thought. And don’t be expecting a neat wrap up like the last book, this one ends on a cliffhanger!
Author Archives: Pat
Better to Beg Forgiveness
Now that school’s out for the summer, my reading is getting back on track, and I should have the rather large stack reduced considerably soon. The first one was Michael Z. Williamson’s [amazon_link id=”1416591516″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Better to Beg Forgiveness[/amazon_link]. A fun roller coaster ride through a private security team’s lives before, during, and after getting sold out. They doesn’t pull any punches, and the body count shows just how ruthless the bodyguards can be to keep their man safe.
More ICR Points And Pie
I didn’t get as early a start as I would have liked, but I was rolling by 9:00 this morning, heading south and west of Dallas/Fort Worth to pick up some more points. The first stop was Cresson, where I snapped a shot of the post office. From there I went on to Granbury to find Jesse James’s grave in the old city cemetery. It was down some gravel/dirt roads, but nothing too difficult. I’m not sure if it’s really him, but the marker is there. After that it was off to Tolar to get a picture of the Windmill Farm bed and breakfast. They’ve got a great view of the Hill Country there! Next on the list was the Greenwood Saloon in Bluff Dale. It looks like an interesting place to be at on a Saturday night. I goofed setting the waypoint for it, confusing the north and south sides of town, but got that sorted out quickly. I then stopped off at the Hard Eight BBQ in Stephenville, where I got a good whiff of smoke as they were firing up the smokers while I was taking the required picture. Multiple points in Dublin were next, including the Dr. Pepper plant and Doc’s Soda Shop, where I enjoyed some real Dr. Pepper (sugar, not corn syrup). Then a quick detour over to De Leon to get a picture of the Terrill Antique Car Museum before heading back to Hico to meet Heather for lunch at the Koffee Kup. Lunch was good but the pie was better. I had the key lime and Heather had the peanut butter cup pie. Finally, a picture of the Billy The Kid statue in Hico finished off the to-do list. We then worked to outrun the thunderstorms brewing up as we headed home. We just got sprinkled on a little, nothing serious, and pulled in just after 5:00 PM.
Thor
We met up with some friends to catch the latest comic book movie, Thor, down at AMC Grapevine Mills. This was my first time in the renovated theaters since they’ve converted half of them to in theater dining, and I wasn’t disappointed. The food was good and the service was ok.
The movie was a lot of fun, with some (so I’m told) good eye candy for the ladies, humor, action, and great special effects. I didn’t read too many of the comics growing up, but got the basic story down. And the cross-overs with Captain America, The Avengers, and more of the Marvel universe were nice to see. The volume was a little high, and judging by what others have said, that wasn’t specific to the theater we were in.
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.