New Cool Place

I recently discovered a new blog that was linked from one of my other blogs that I regularly read. This chick rocks. Today's post made me laugh and her list of deathbed requests would match mine almost exactly. CZ

http://mausersandmuffins.blogspot.com/

Gun Porn

One of my dearest friends in the world happens to work for one of the good lawmakers in DC, and I thought I'd put his comment at the forefront since it was hidden on my previous post. Thanks, Sean, and tell your boss we're all glad he supports common sense. Here it is:

In case you wonder what my boss thought about the issue...Some in our office are already trying to apply for permits...PRESS RELEASEU.S. REP. JOE BARTON, TEXAS 6TH DISTRICT2109 Rayburn House Office Building

- Washington, DC 20515 - 202.225.2002 Contact: Sean Brown - Sean.Brown@mail.house.govThursday, June 26, 2008

Rep. Barton: Supreme Court gun ban ruling “restores freedom”WASHINGTON – Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller that the District’s handgun ban violates the Second Amendment:

“It’s about time this law was struck down. It only makes sense that people should be able to defend themselves in their own homes. The Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights states “the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” It doesn’t mention geographical boundaries. However, for more than 30 years this law has kept guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens in our Nation’s Capital. At the same time the arsenal carried by criminals has grown and intensified and Washington, D.C. has consistently been identified as the “murder capital” of the U.S. The gun ban did little to protect the citizens of the city and instead made them criminals if they chose to protect themselves with a firearm. It also infringed on the rights of hunters, sportsmen and weapons collectors. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn this ineffective and draconian gun ban not only makes sense, it also restores the freedom to all citizens granted by our Constitution.I hope this sets a precedent for future Court decisions and that judges on all levels will follow the Constitution when it comes to ruling on an individual’s rights.”
June 26, 2008 2:28 PM

Since I'm giddy like a schoolboy over this decision, I thought I'd post some gun porn...uh, pictures, of some classics. Both of which I happen to own and will soon fondle gleefully. CZ

Hell, Yeah!

It's only the biggest decision about individual citizen gun ownership since the NFA of 1934. The Supreme Court of the United States released the decision in the Heller case this morning that the Washington DC ban on handgun ownership is in fact unconstitutional. It's about time, and I'm appalled that it was such a close decision at 5-4. That means there are no less than four morons serving as Supreme Court Justices. For Shame.

So, all you lawyers in Chicago and every other city with similar ridiculous laws on the books should start getting your act together and paperwork set to file lawsuits in order to restore the rights of all (except felons and mentally unstable) United States Citizens to protect themselves, family, and home.

I think I'll clean and rub on a few of my guns tonight. I'm proud to be an American.

CZ

Back to Life

So, after a little doubt, I found out that there actually is one good thing about the People's Republic of Chi....errr...California. The scenery in northern California is absolutely breathtaking in some places. As many of you know, Karen and I just returned from our honeymoon at Lake Tahoe. We had a fantastic time, and many pictures will follow in the days to come. Drinking, gambling, hiking, etc..I'm off today to get a little relaxation time in before going back to work tomorrow. The list of great things on this trip is huge, and I'm trying to go through all of it and not leave anything out.

The picture on the top is a small pond near the top of Tallac mountain, which is one of the tallest peaks near Lake Tahoe. The pic below is at the top of Tallac. We didn't make absolute summit because of early season snowpack (yeah, in the middle of June) and the lack of proper equipment. It was still a six hour hike covering approximately 8 miles and 3000 vertical feet. Very draining, and they list the hike as "strenuous" for a reason. It was worth every second and every drop of sweat.

I'll decompress and compose a few more blogs shortly. As for now, In SB's immortal words....Good Day to You!!

CZ

The Beginning

The sun shone in her eyes, opening brilliant golden hues of brown I'd never seen before, and opened to depths I had never experienced. The depth of which matches my love for the woman I wed yesterday, June 12th, 2008.

She is my wife, and the love of my life. We stood in the garden by the fountain, accompanied by no one aside from the minister and those that were there to document the occasion. I can't remember ever feeling so complete and at peace with everything. If I accomplish nothing else in life, I have accomplished one thing. I've married the one for me.

The air was light and cool, gone with the breeze was the muggy and thick. Fifty feet up on a balcony, on a night in the mountains, I could smell the peace in the air. I could smell the calm and serenity. I think she could, too. The sun had set a while ago as she looked at me again with those big brown eyes, and again I could see the golden depths just as I had when the sun shone brightly. They were telling me, like they do every day, that we are one. I love you, Karen Vicens.

CZ

Ouch

As suspected and prognosticated in my last post, gas is going through the roof. Today's big story on the national news is the fact that gas may be $4.50 a gallon (national average) by the end of the week. Forget the fourth of July. That's officially been bumped up. End of the week, kids..Ouch.

I'm glad Karen and I will be making just a quick two hour (now looks like $45) drive up to get married in Eureka Springs this week. Scott and Jen are visiting the Martins this week and it looks like they will have spent a couple hundred on gas by the time they get back. All that for a place that's only six hours drive time away. Eeek. 400 miles and some change to the Lou. 200 and some change down to see Jen's Parents in the duck hunting capital of Arkansas, then another 250 miles back home. Approximately 900 miles will be added to the odometer of Scott's TJ by the time it's all said and done. That equates to about 50 gallons of gas with an average 18 mpg that the 4.0 liter six might get on the highway since it's a manual tranny. That's $200 at a $4 average per gallon. Their Dave Mathews Band tickets were cheaper than that, I'm sure.

Gone forever are the road trips like the Griswalds took in National Lampoon's Summer Vacation. I can't believe it's been 25 years since that movie came out. In today's money, that trip would have been a few grand just in gas. That giant sled of a goofy station wagon got about seven or eight miles to the gallon. Awesome. All the Hummer owners are going to be keeping their steeds in the garage soon, I think, because that's about what they average. Unless, that is, the owners have more money than sense. Aahhnuld out in Cali with his fleet o' Hummers is probably not doing much recreational cruising with Maria riding shotgun these days. Kevin and Sam, great friends of ours that live near Sacramento in the People's United Socialist Republic of California, are now paying $4.59 a gallon. Woohoo...Kevin says he's driving like a grandfather. I hear ya, brother, I hear ya.

In positive, much happier news, I'm officially getting my ass kicked. I knew going in it would be tough, but I was ready for it, because at 32, I'm not getting in any better shape without serious effort. Karen and I decided a few months ago to ditch the gym membership since we were paying a ridiculous $80 combined every month. Stupid money. Anyway, we had seen a paid infomercial on the boob tube about a program called P90X. Usually, these things don't really intrigue me because I've seen too many workout gimicks in my day. Ab rollers, thigh masters, whatchahoozits that don't do shit for you but empty your bank account.

To put it bluntly, this is a serious ass-kicking program, but it's worth every cent of the $130 entry fee to play. I've only done two of the (I think ten) dvds so far, but I can tell it will pay off in spades by putting me in the best shape I've ever seen. I'll let everyone know a little more about it when I'm not so sore, tired, and can speak more about the exercises and results.

How much is gas in your neck of the woods?

CZ

Hang on Tight

I just called K to tell her to gas up the car before prices at the pump go up again. I was watching Squawk on the Street this morning, and they were reporting oil futures up nearing records again, and that Morgan Stanley predicted $150 a barrel in less than a month. Nice. I think this is what T.Boone Pickens was saying three weeks ago, you Morgan Stanley geniuses. I was a skeptic of the pullback of oil futures during the last two weeks. It hurt to see my options on PCZ taking a serious hit, but they'll be up nicely if oil continues an upward spike. This is from Bloomberg today:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aeFRC47m3YDk&refer=home

Of particular interest is the gentleman from Israel spouting off about attacking Iran if they don't quit their nuclear programs. Hmmmm...You think oil is high now, wait 'til THAT happens. Ugly can't begin to describe it. Gas up my fellow readers, because as it sits now locally, in Ft. Smith, AR at $3.82 a gallon, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see it up ten to fifteen cents by the beginning of next week. Ugh.

CZ

Socialism be Damned

Well, it looks like Washington DC has come up with another brilliant idea for lowering crime. I got this from LawDog this morning.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/04/AR2008060402205.html

Make the people helpless by taking their weapons, then, turn their neighborhoods into a police state not unlike Germany during WWII. Then call it "neighborhood safety zones". Awesome. Even a pig with lipstick is still ugly and stinks to high heaven. This, for the sheeple in this beloved country of ours, is exactly what happens when the masses and people in control don't know their history and mistakes of the past. The last time I checked, we weren't in Russia or China, but in a 'FREE' country.

I'm in awe that people aren't up in arms over this bulls$&*. I'm at a loss for words, really. By the way, Obama would likely endorse such a ridiculous practice since he's already voiced his opinion on and voted many times over for stronger gun laws limiting possession by law abiding citizens. He is against anyone carrying a concealed weapon. No, thanks, Mr. Charisma. They can have mine when they peel them from my dead hands.

CZ

Gut Shot

I remember this feeling. The year was 1996, and I had waited 15 years to see my Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl. They lost. It was the worst feeling ever. Like someone had punched me in the gut and taken the life out of me...I had to wait sixteen years for the Penguins to get a shot at the Stanley Cup this year. They got there pretty easily, and were within a game of a decisive contest for the cup. They fought hard, but the better team prevailed. I wanted to see Lord Stanley's cup hoisted in the Igloo, on home ice in the greatest sports city of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, but not by another team. The clock showed zero at the end of the third and I turned off the television. It hurts. I feel like...Like I did in '96...

CZ

Fortitude

Last night I watched the single greatest performance by a Pittsburgh Penguin goalie in my short 18 years of watching the world's fastest, most exciting game. Marc Andre Fleury kept the Penguins in the fight. Ryan Malone took a sixty mile an hour puck in the face and was bleeding profusely onto the ice after dropping like a stone. Even the ref was trying to catch the dripping blood in his hands while guiding Malone to the bench. Malone was back after the intermission for the rest of the game. That's guts. That's heart. That's championship hockey.

The opening period was fantastic, and probably the best period of play for the Penguins during the entire Stanley Cup series. It was good enough to give them a 2-0 lead. The second was bad, which let the winged wheels get within one, and the third was pitiful. The Red Wings were a mere 35 seconds from being able to skate around carrying Lord Stanley's Cup with a 3-2 win in front of their fans when Maxime Talbot stuffed in the tying score. Unbelieveable.....

Saturday night was pretty depressing for me. I watched the Penguins go down at home to Detroit in a game I didn't get to see much of. I watched the last five minutes, and they looked bad, so I assumed they looked bad the whole game. I just knew the Penguins were finished, and like me, much of the hockey world was writing them off as done for the year with last night's game being a mere formality.

My good friend Craig, the Red Wings fan, called me last night to shoot the breeze a bit and talk hockey. He said the Penguins actually looked good in Saturday's game, but just couldn't muster any more than a single goal. We talked about how we've been able to witness some good hockey, either way. Even when the Pens are taking a beating, it's good to see beautiful hockey being played. The Motor City team is just awesome. They are so good at controlling the puck and winning the neutral zone battle, the Pens don't have many chances to get their high-powered offense rolling. They need to learn to capitalize on those few chances. If they can do that, they may be able to pull off what would be the greatest upset comeback I've ever seen.

Either way, conversations with one of my best friends in this world are always good. His wife is expecting, but he was able to get in a little hockey time to escape chores and things to do around the house. I wished him well and told him he'd likely get to see his Winged Warriors hoist the cup later in the evening. We never gloat about our teams when the other's is taking a smack-down. Even when Craig went to the Burgh with us to see my beloved Steelers take his KC Chiefs to the clinic. There was no gloating. No boisterous nanana... We just had a fantastic time. His Chiefs had beaten the crap out of the Steelers the year before (or maybe the year before that) when we all went to see them in Kansas City's awesome Arrowhead Stadium. Either way, we know when the other is down, you don't step on the heart. Love you, Brother.

The first overtime of last night's marathon was awful. I think the red hornets on the ice outshot my Pens by something like 15-2. Crazy. They swarmed everywhere, and Fleury saved every one of the shots they took. Awe inspiring. The second overtime was better for us, and we had several chances. It looked like a more even matchup, but still no score for anyone. The third looked just like the second OT until halfway through, a high stick in the face that drew blood gave the Penguins a double-minor power play. That's when Petr Sykora took a shot from the point that whistled past Osgood's left shoulder. Victory. How sweet it is.

I'm tired today, since I was up until midnight for the four and a half hour game, but I'll rest up tonight in preparation for Wednesday's game 6 in the Igloo. Maybe. Just maybe.....

CZ

Creeping in

We're seeing more stories from bigger, national news media sources, now about the coming problems from a lack of oil. I just posted this blog and clicked over to Scott's blog and found the exact same newsweek post. It's good stuff that a hippie and a right-leaning libertarian are talking about the same things.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/139395/page/1

I really do hope what is to come isn't as devastating as what many portray (Olduvai theory), but I am going to do everything I can to prepare for the worst. Here is a study that was petitioned by the U.S. Government back in '05 (yes, 3 years ago). It was for the Department of Energy. They are the big boys that are bigger and badder than the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. They control our nuclear arsenal, nuclear power, and many clandestine operations to ensure the security of the United States. They commissioned a guy named Hirsh and his team to come up with a published report of what will happen if oil goes on the decline in a hurry. If you want to really understand what is going on, click on the brief summary highlighted at the bottom, and if you want the whole thing (90 pages) email me. It's all very eye opening.

Hirsch Report

CZ