50 degrees! Time to get outside!

I've had the winter cover off Fish Slayer 2 days in a row now, making the improvements that I want to have done before the serious fishing time begins. The weather has been really nice for the past 2 days and so I have been out in the driveway weilding tools and getting ready.

New seats are going in with new posts and bases and the trolling motor gets a quick detach plate and I'm going to raise the level of the front storage areas to the height of the pads on top of the current covers. I've got 1 downrigger already that needs mounted and I want to tidy up the cockpit by removing the ratty black vinyl on the consoles and replacing it with something new. I'm also planning to replace a bunch of the worn out trim fabric on several of the boards around the edges.

Today I pulled out the transition boards on both sides of the cockpit that form a shelf under the gunnels and cleaned them and sanded them and hit them with a spray can of new color. They look 100% better than they did before.

I also realized while I was out in the driveway, working away on my boat, that I was really happy; happier maybe than I've been in a while. I was really enjoying myself, out in my driveway. It felt like maybe I had been waiting all winter just to get outside to play with my boat. It was a really good feeling.

Anyway, there's lots to do and I'm looking forward to having Fish SLayer tidied up and lake ready for a full season of fishing, starting very soon.

Parking- you're doing it wrong!

I went for coffee today with my frined Carol and on my way out I discovered something I couldn't help but snap a picture of and then make fun of tonight on the internet.



Fail!
As always, click the thumbnail to see the full sized picture!

Be a part-

of the Party of No! I gotta get me a couple of these! Support Bruce's efforts and buy some for yourself!

Speaking of curious-

There are 3 comments in the post from Sunday about ammunition but for some reason, Blogger hasn't changed the notification that shows if there is a comment or there isn't. I have no idea why or what to do about it.

Suggestions?

Crazy man catches snapping turtles by hand-

Keeping Kentucky safe from vicious snapping turtles one grab at a time. See the video and be amazed what people will do for a hobby. This fool claims he doesn't drink alcohol but I can tell you I could NOT drink enough booze to go out for an afternoon with this wild man.

Make sure to stick around long enough to hear his explanation for his missing teeth! It's a classic.

That's very curious-

I discovered today that my Taurus 1911 will not feed 165 grain hollow point ammunition at all! I don't remember the brand but it's ammo I have used in my last 45 without problem. But today I loaded 8 of them into both a stock Taurus magazine and then a Chip McCormack mag and neither one of them would feed the first round into the chamber. In every case the cartridge just rammed straight forward and hung up on the feed ramp no matter what manner of releasing the slide I tried.

I never thought that might happen with the ramped frame in that gun!

What it means is two things: 1, I need to get to the gun store and pick up a couple other brands of self defense hollowpoints and shoot them through this gun and, 2, I'll keep carrying my PF-9 until I get it sorted out.

Working on another snowblower...

It followed me home from church today... It's another old machine, donated to the church a few years back but out of operation for the past couple years. I'm pretty certain the "no staart" problem was a result of a fuel shutoff valve that was pretty well hidden. But I also found a few worn out parts, some of which I just ordered online and the belts I'll carry to the store next week for replacement. Hopefully this machine won't be too big a problem child.

I also had to make another trip to the car wash this morning to wash out the furry, masked terrorist trap. That's 4 so far...

Oh yeah- I had a job interview!

I've been busy this week job hunting and running errands and such- the truck needed a new windshield today before it would pass the safety inspection that it needed before I can re-register it before the month runs out. But I did have a job interview this week with a very interesting looking company that manufactures really large items out of steel. They make huge tanks for oil refineries and similar equipment and they are upgrading their production scheduling office. It looks like a real neat place to work and I thought the interview went well.

I'm hoping I make the first cut this week and get called back in for a second one next week because I think I would really enjoy working for a company that really makes things.

Ice fishing Russian style

I can't figure out how to embed this video so you'll just have to click the link to see the wildest ice fishing ever! This is the most bizarre fishing related video I've ever seen.

Found it!

Strange as hell.

Weekend update and Monday musings

I'm still trying to get my iPhone to feel like MY iphone! I've had to overhaul my contact list because Apple's software added all my email contacts off my laptop into my phone when I re-synced things last week, even though I tried to tell it not to. And it dorked up all my pictures, moving them from the camera roll to the photo library, where they can't be deleted easily and rotated most of them 90 degrees so they didn't display properly. This morning I have been sorting and filing pictures on the laptop, organizing and deleting duplicates and trying to make order of my picture folders. It's been a mess. Certainly I have wrecked some blog photo connections or links in my Photobucket account. But I think I finally have my phone set up the way I want it and I've loaded some new contact pictures so if you call me I may have a photo of you to give me a hint before I answer the phone.

Yesterday was Valentines- you knew that already and the BSU and I celebrated at Olive Garden with the grandbaby's mama, Stephanie and the baby's daddy too- even though they aren't a couple or together and even though he has a different, live-in girlfriend who was at work. Awkward! Sadly, they still act like a couple more than I think is appropriate and he insisted that she would drive him back to his apartment and stuck around at her place. I don't know how long he stuck around but when the live-in GF texted me, I had to tell her that I was at home and he was still at the ex-GF's place. What was I supposed to say? I'm not lieing for him, so he can make up his own story when he gets home.

I've done a little job hunting today and need to get back at it this afternoon. The job hunt keeps dragging along and it is a little discouraging because it just seems like I should be getting more invitations for interviews for the positions I have already applied for. Everybody I have talked to assures me it could take months but I'm impatient and don't like the break in my work habits. So the sooner I find something and get back to it, the happier I will be. Maybe when the unemployment money begins to come in I'll be less cranky but for now I'm chafing at the uncertainty of it all.

It's raining and dreary outside and the rain means it will be too muddy to go out shooting with Kenny tomorrow like we wanted, so that's a bummer. Last Saturday Jim and I went to the big boat show and window shopped all the shiny new boats. Neither of us are in the market for a new boat- I'm unemployed and have a boat already and Jim's getting ready to retire and has a boat, so unless either of us wins the lotto, we aren't buying. But it is fun to go look and see the new ones and compare the features we like and don't.

Oh yeah- one more thing; I've been elected to be a member of our church's vestry and the junior warden. This is the first time in my life I've ever had a real position in any church, so it feels like a big deal. I'll be involved in assisting with program implementation, building maintenance and problem solving for at least the next 2 years. It should be an interesting challenge...

Ever been to an Apple Store?

I thought I really hated going into Best Buy stores, (and I still do) but today my iPhone started acting all wonky so I was forced to find my way into the Apple Store in the Gateway Mall down in Salt Lake.

What a horrible place! It was crowded, noisy, overly hot and had big screen tvs flashing Apple propaganda on every wall. I asked the expert that schedules the technicians if today was an unusually crowded day and he assured me that today was a typical day, nothing special at all.

I finally got to see a tech that advised me to take home and reset my phone back to it's original settings- which I did, and it is going to take me days to get everything setup the way it was before and so I can find everything. I'm still reloading the music and it appears I missed a step so all my text messages are gone forever- bummer.

On a more pleasant note, I did stumble into Dick's Sporting Goods and score several new crankbaits on the clearance rack.

Another neighborhood terrorist eats his last marshmallow

That would be 2 furry, masked thieves removed from the gene pool this week for me. Taking the trap to the carwash to clean it out is getting expensive!

Busy busy-

Did you know there is now a real gun store at the AAFEES Base exchange? How cool is that? I discovered it today during a trip to the base. They have put in a admittedly small gun store in the back of the building with a reasonable selection of handguns, shotguns and rifles. There is also several rows of accessories and typical stuff, all for sale with NO sale tax! Sweet.

Anyway, I was in there during lunch today and immediately ran into 3 of the people I went on base to see. So I got to do some networking without a bunch of running about. I also contacted the guy in charge of the Disabled Vet hiring preference list and have just about completed that package. I mailed off a Valentines package to the grandbabies, boxed up a Tracker motor and a couple front axle ring & pinion assemblies that tomorrow I'll figure out how to ship to a buyer in Nevada and took the BSU to see From Paris With Love, the recent John Travolta action adventure flick.

As for the movie- think Lethal Weapon but this time the crazy guy is the old guy not the youn one and you about have it. There's more stuff blowing up than in any Die Hard flick and the shootemups are as wild as Mr & Mrs Smith. In other words, it's a hoot. There won't be any Best Picture nominations coming for it but it is a wild ride of a movie.

I've been job hunting and have applied a couple places this week, including one place where a buddy works. He got in touch and asked me to send a resume which I promptly complied with so hopefully something will kick open soon.

Oh yeah, I've had to free 2 neighborhood cats from my terrorist trap in the past 2 days. Hopefully they are smart enough to stay away the 2nd time. One of the cats lives on the neighbor's back porch but is completely feral, the other one I've never seen before but he looked like he might be living rough too as his tail was badly matted.

Another backyard terrorist removal success!

No pictures today because they all look the same but today I did remove the 2nd masked, furry nocturnal thief from the gene pool this morning. I think this one might have been larger than the first one. I relocated the cage to a new location last night and scored on the very first try so that made me pretty happy.

Tonight I'll try it again...

Maybe the coolest book ever!

And I haven't even started reading it yet! This morning I went to a local gun show with buddys Kenny and Jim after a tasty Cracker Barrel breakfast. I didn't have any money for guns or ammo or the usual stuff and I was extremely disappointed not to be able to afford the Smith & Wesson Model 17, 22LR revolver that I found not 60 seconds after having my hand stamped. It was a good looking revolver and I'd have bought it in a minute if the budget would have tolerated it.

So I didn't buy any guns today but I did discover a fantastic book that simply had to come home with me. This one was sitting on a table with 12 or 15 other books that seemed old and well loved but this one, well, it just spoke to me. Check out the pictures first-











That's a 1964 first edition of a biography of local hero and world renowned gun inventor, John Moses Browning, (PBUH), written by another Browning though I haven't had time to figure out the geneology yet and autographed to Gerald Keogh, the former and long time president of the Utah Gun Collectors Association. The book is from Mr. Keogh's estate as were the resto of the tasty books on that table. If I could have- I'd have bought them all today.

But I could only afford this one and it's a keeper. I don't have a huge library of books- certainly not like so many other bloggers but I'm keeping this one and saving for the next gun show where I can add more of Mr. Keogh's collection to my collection! Tamara- you can't have my book, it's not for sale. But I will gladly loan it to you after I've read it through, if you like.

UPDATE: I started reading my new book last night. I had to get a couple chapters in to discover that the John Browning listed as co-author and signatory of the autograph, is John Moses Browning's oldest son. Pretty cool. It's also a very interesting read.

Unemployed and no time to blog?

That doesn't seem quite right, does it? Well time's fun when you're having flies and a week has slipped by and no doubt my pathetic visit stats have slipped as a result. So what have I been doing all week?

I did have a job interview yesterday with a company that works as an intermediary for out of state companys looking to do work on Hill AFB. The job is a consulting position, representing a company or 2 or 3, doing research, setting up meetings and generally seeking new business opportunities. The interviewers left it with me to consider and promised some additional background information via email before I decide to sign on. THe job might be promising and profitable but it is significantly different than what I've been doing or what I thought I might do, so it's something to think over carefully.

As part of my birthday celebration, last night the BSU and I went to see A Prairie Home Companion live radio show at our local cineplex big screen. We invited Kenny and his lovely spouse along and this was their introduction to Garrison Keillor and the Prairie Home crew and they really liked it. I think they were both very surprised at how much fun the show was even if they didn't know the characters. The BSU isn't a huge Garrison fan so she wasn't expecting to have a great time but she did enjoy it even if her opinion of the host didn't change any. I also noticed this morning that they are going to do an encore show February 9 so if you click the link you can find the details of where it might be showing near you next week. I really recommend it if you enjoy A Prairie Home Companion on your local public radio station and have never had a chance to see the production live on stage. The singing is energetic and there is plenty of it. Sue Scott is a hottie- click through the pictures to #9 to see her and Pat Donahue is an amazing guitar player- I really enjoyed watching him play. Click the #2 picture at the link to see him playing a beautiful Gretch guitar. All in all, it was a fun night out and I really liked the fact that Kenny and Susie had a great introduction to the show.

What else? Ittie Bit is nicely healed up from his surgery on Monday and is back to his hyperactive, silly self. He's busy trying to dig his way into a paper box here in my office right now and having a great time. I saw my buddy Ben twice this week, taking him out to dinner at Famous Dave's BBQ and the next day we went for a drive out to Smith & Edward's Country Store for a look around.

So I haven't landed a job just yet but I have been searching and I've applied a couple interesting places. Now I need to get busy today to see what new opportunities have presented themselves. And there's a gun show tomorrow!

Itty Bit had to spend the night at the vet tonight-

He had his surgery today and he no longer has his testicles, so we've done our part to prevent unwanted kitties. But he had an IV infiltrate and it caused his paw to swell so the hospital thought it best to keep him overnight and make sure his paw got massaged and watched.

So it's pretty quiet around here tonight.

On another note, my stupid, greedy dog got herself caught in the livetrap I'm using to catch racoons! I had just re-baited it with some canned catfood and 30 minutes later the neighbor called to ask if the dog was in the house- which she was not. Sure enough, she had crawled into the cage to eat the cat food and the door slammed shut and trapped her in. She's pretty embarrassed tonight! Dumb dog...