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Bad Things Come From Bad Decisions

If you carry a weapon as part of your day-to-day habits, please think about why you do it.  I carry because bad things happen, and I want the best tools I can get to help me achieve my goal of getting home safe.  Maybe you carry because you have an active reason to fear for your life.  Maybe you just do it because that lump of metal and plastic on your belt just feels right.  Maybe you carry for another reason, or maybe it’s all of the above.

But do you carry because you’re going to go out and hunt down those who have wronged you and yours?  Should we go out looking for trouble?

Last week, a young man in Las Vegas made that decision, and a very bad thing happened.  It appears that his mother and sister were involved in a road rage incident on the way home from a driving lesson, and when they got home, the mother got her son and his gun, and they went out to find the man who frightened her.  Somehow, a shooting occurred, and a third party shot the mother in the head.  She died on Saturday after life support was removed.

Was her son responsible for her death?  Absolutely not.  The person who shot her is responsible, and I hope that the authorities find him and prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.

But bad things come from bad decisions.

We do not arm ourselves to enforce the law, nor do we do it to apprehend bad people.  Our weapons are not there to help us in our anger.  They are there so that we may defend ourselves in that moment when we or those we love are in danger.  The difference between a good decision and a bad decision can be measured in seconds, and going to get someone with a gun, and someone with a gun going along, when we want to hunt down those who have wronged us, is absolutely a bad decision.

Use your weapons to survive the bad moments, but use your eyes and ears to be good witnesses for the police and prosecutors.  Don’t use them to try to do their job for them.

by daddybear71 on February 18, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Guns, news

Posted by daddybear71 on February 18, 2015

https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/18/bad-things-come-from-bad-decisions/

Musings

  • We got between  8 and 9 inches of snow yesterday, and school was closed today, too.  The Governor is asking everyone to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary, and I’m inclined to oblige him.  Too many Kentucky people out there testing the laws of physics.
  • Here’s a hint to other parents out there:  If the school system is taking away two of the extra days that are built into Spring Break to make up for snow days, posting that you will not be bringing your kids to school those days is going to make it hard to get the absences excused.
  • You know you’re an adult when you make the executive decision to see how much of the snow gets blown off the driveway overnight rather than go out to shovel after dinner.
  • If your father can tell that your radio is tuned half a megahertz off of your obnoxious teenage girl station, then maybe you need to work the volume knob too.
  • It must have been colder during the drive to work this morning than I thought.  The truck nutz on the pickup in front of me were all shriveled and blue.
by daddybear71 on February 17, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Thought for the day

Posted by daddybear71 on February 17, 2015

https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/17/musings-118/

Coming Soon

  • Jurassic World – Looks pretty good, if you like more of the “there are things which man was not supposed to know” moralizing.  Probably going to see this one, if for nothing else than to show support for Dennis, who provided sheaths for some of the actors.
  • Poltergeist – Reboot of the 1980’s movie.  Little girl is taken by the things that go bump in the night, and her family tries desperately to save her.  Had nightmares from the original, so nope, nope, nope, nope.
  • Run All Night – Liam Neeson is in line for an Oscar for this, in the “Hypocritical Use of Violence and Guns To Protect Human Life by a Hoplophobe in a Drama” category.  Nope.
  • The Gunman – Sean Penn is competing with Neeson in that category.  This film appears to be the “I gots me the PTSD, so I’m gonna kill a bunch of people” kind of storyline.  Wouldn’t accept free tickets to see this, unless Sean Penn’s character dies horribly in the opening scene, then is mocked for the rest of the movie.
  • Chappie – What if we took a police robot and gave it independent intelligence.  If you said “someone will bring in an ED-209 to destroy it”, then you’ve seen the trailer for Chappie.  I’m probably going to see this one, but I hope it doesn’t take itself as seriously as the trailer suggests.
  • TomorrowLand – A young woman is let out of jail, and finds that the Disney World lapel pin that she’s handed sends her to the middle of a wheat field with a city of big buildings in the distance.  If you don’t see this trailer and immediately think that somebody watched the Wizard of Oz one too many times, please pay more attention.  I might see this with the kids, but I’ll be sure to bring along a good book just in case.
  • The Lazarus Effect – Ever wonder what would have happened if Flatliners hadn’t had a happy ending?  Watch this movie and you’ll probably find out.  Pass.
  • McFarland, USA – Kevin Costner plays a track coach in an economically depressed, rural area.  A feel-good movie where we all learn that our differences are only skin deep.  If only I went to movies to feel good.  Pass.
  • Cinderella – A live-action reboot of the Disney classic, because hand-drawn artistry from the golden age of animation just can’t compete these days.  I look forward to more Disney princess merchandise clogging the aisles of Walmart this fall.  Thank the Lord that Girlie Bear is old enough to go see this without me.
  • Home – A quirky little alien escapes to Earth after he succeeds in messing up with his own people.  He is met by Stereotype, the spunky little girl with African ancestry, who proves to him what it means to be human.  I don’t have high hopes for this one, but may see it.
  • Pan – Origin story for Peter Pan, because every childhood memory needs a brooding, psychological treatment.  On the fence about this one.
  • Underdogs – Foosball statuettes come to life when the kid who used to play with them gets into a pissing match with the soccer star he embarrassed over the table years ago.  Pass.
  • In the Heart of the Sea – Retelling story of the whaling ship Essex, which inspired Melville to write “Moby Dick”.  As a history nerd, this is almost an obligatory watch.  Hope it’s as good as it could be.
  • Unfriended – Cyber stalking for the recently deceased. Booga Booga, there’s a ghost in the machine.  Pass.
  • The Age of Adeline – A woman who is eternally young meets the guy she can give it all up for.  Might make a good date night movie.
by daddybear71 on February 16, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in movie

Posted by daddybear71 on February 16, 2015

https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/16/coming-soon-15/

Movie Review – Paddington

As a reward for a good week and for being good for his sister on Friday night while Irish Woman and I went out for dinner, I took Boo out to see the only kids movie that’s out right now that doesn’t include an anthropomorphized dish rag as a main character.  In short, we saw Paddington.

Paddington is loosely based on the series of children’s books by Michael Bond.  A young bear is sent to London by his aunt to seek out the explorer that visited their family years before.  On arrival, Paddington is helped out by the Brown family, who take him to their home.  The father isn’t sure about all this, and the daughter is embarrassed by the whole thing, but the son loves it, and the mother has a good heart.  Paddington and the Brown’s have adventures as they try to seek out the explorer.  In the end, Paddington finds himself in a good home with a new family.

The casting for this movie was outstanding.  Ben Wishaw provides the voice of Paddington, and he fits the character perfectly.  Likewise, the Brown family, played by Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Madeleine Harris, and Samuel Joslin, was perfect.  Nicole Kidman plays Milicent, the taxidermist at the Natural History Museum, who tries throughout the movie to catch Paddington and add him to her collection, and she is an excellent villain.

The visuals and cinematography in the movie were quite good.  The character of Paddington is CGI, of course, but he doesn’t look cartoonish or over-done.  I did see a lot that reminded me of scenes from “Mary Poppins” or “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” in the movie, and that only added to its richness for the older crowd.

Overall, I’d give the movie an A for people with kids.  I enjoyed it, as did Girlie Bear.  It says a lot that the theater was about 3/4 full of small children and parents, and not a peep was heard for the entire hour and a half run of the movie.  This one is probably going on our Christmas list.

by daddybear71 on February 16, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in movie, Review

Posted by daddybear71 on February 16, 2015

https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/16/movie-review-paddington/

Movie Review – Seventh Son

If you’re my age, you may remember playing Basic Edition Dungeons and Dragons.  Yeah, it wasn’t too intricate, and the characters and monsters you encountered were pretty simple, but a thirteen year old could figure it out and be a Dungeon Master in a couple of hours, and everyone had a lot of fun.  If you remember the hours of fun, gallons of soda, and mountains of snacks consumed as you wound your way through forests, dungeons, and villages, please raise your hand.

Now, imagine that somebody made a movie out of the teenage ideas of magic and monsters that were in that Basic set, and you have the makings for a movie like Seventh Son.  It’s a lot of fun, had some outstanding visual effects, and went just deep enough to enjoy.

The movie centers around Thomas, played by Ben Barns, the proverbial seventh son of a seventh son, who is bought by “Spook” Gregory, played by Jeff Bridges.  A Spook is a knight who would fit very well into a Larry Correia novel – a monster hunter and destroyer of witches.  Gregory is the last of his kind, but continues to ‘recruit’ apprentices to take over for him.  His last apprentice, played by Kit Harrington (who probably didn’t even have to change his costume from his character on a little-known TV show), is killed in a battle with Mother Malkin, played by Julianne Moore.  Gregory and Malkin have a history, including Gregory locking Malkin in a cave for a few decades, and she’s back for revenge.  Tom meets and falls in love with Alice, played by Julia Vikander, when she is about to be burned as a witch. The rest is pure monsters, magic, and mayhem.

The acting in the movie is a bit uneven, but not so bad that the movie itself is not enjoyable.  Bridges never seems to find the correct voice for Gregory, and his portrayal changes several times during the movie.  Also, the love scenes between Tom and Alice seem to have been written by a tweenage girl who has never actually been kissed, but can imagine how it would work.  Julianne Moore turns in the best performance of the picture as Malkin, which isn’t surprising.

However, the action scenes were pretty well done, and the visual effects were excellent.  Whereas Peter Jackson’s use of CGI in “The Battle of the Five Armies” was clumsy and stood out, the CGI monsters in “Seventh Son” blended in very well with the setting.

Overall, I’d give this movie a low B.  It was worth the cost of the tickets and popcorn, but won’t be something I’ll seek out later.

by daddybear71 on February 16, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in movie, Review

Posted by daddybear71 on February 16, 2015

https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/16/movie-review-seventh-son/

Musings

  • You know it’s going to be a rough couple of days when the local weather critter announces that critters from the Weather Channel have arrived in town.
  • We expect to get anywhere from six to twelve inches of snow over the next day or so.  I’m planning on  schools to be closed because of a mammoth migration or something.
  • As of right now, 50% of the kids don’t have school tomorrow.  I’ll probably wake up to find that they’re all staying at home.

  • I have a bottle of sweet red wine from Huber’s in the basement that is calling my name, but her hot cousins from Buffalo Trace are having a rave in the liquor cabinet.  Not sure who is going to win out.

  • For some reason, I spent time today fetching a bathroom vanity for a bathroom we haven’t built yet.  As a matter of fact, we won’t be building it for a few years.  Irish Woman is either a visionary with a very long view, or I need to worry about hoarding.
  • If you’ve read Minivandians, or listened to the audiobook, could you do me a favor and leave a review, either at the Amazon site, or at Audible?  Feedback will only make things better.
  • Girlie Bear seemed disappointed when I told her that even with school being cancelled tomorrow, she still has to go to bed at a decent hour.  I’m such an old meanie.
by daddybear71 on February 15, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Thought for the day

Posted by daddybear71 on February 15, 2015

https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/15/musings-117/

Today’s Earworm

Praise the Lord and pass the Geritol.

by daddybear71 on February 15, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Earworm

Posted by daddybear71 on February 15, 2015

https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/15/todays-earworm-608/

Restaurant Review – Ann Marie’s Bacon Bar

Irish Woman and I decided we wanted to go somewhere new for Valentine’s Day, and several friends recommended the Bacon Bar.  OK, ‘recommend’ might not be the correct word.  Have you ever listened to a teenage boy describe, in detail, the first time he saw a shapely young woman in a bikini?  Yeah, that’s how my friends described the food at this place.

To say we were intrigued would be an understatement.

The Bacon Bar is located in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, a suburb of Louisville.  It is a little more than a block away from one of the main intersections of Taylorsville Road, so it is easy to find and easy to get in and out of.  If you’re in Louisville for business, it’s a bit of a trip from downtown.  However, getting there from Interstate 64 is pretty simple.

The restaurant is on the small side, but was very clean.  It would be fine for groups of friends to get together.  I wouldn’t hold a big gathering there, but several families could easily meet there to have a bite to eat.  The decor is simple, but tasteful, and the walls are decorated with bacon-themed posters and pictures.

The wait staff at the restaurant was terrific.  Our waitress was attentive without being bothersome, and someone from the bar brought my drink out to me and explained it to me (more about that later.)  Our drinks were never empty, and we were checked on at regular intervals throughout our visit.

The food was unique, tasty, and exactly what we were looking for.  As can be expected, the menu is centered around bacon in all its forms.  My drink was a flight of three short Samuel Adams beers, garnished with three ramikens of bacon: beef, duck, and pork bacon smoked at the restaurant.  The pork bacon melted in my mouth, the beef bacon was an interesting new taste, and the duck bacon was outstanding.  Our appetizer was 5 bacon-wrapped segments of country sausage, which would have caused a sword fight with our cutlery over the odd piece, had Irish Woman not offered to split it.

My main dish was a delicious bacon buffalo chicken sandwich, while Irish Woman got the pork belly sandwich.  Both meals came with french fries, which were done perfectly and lightly seasoned.  The buffalo chicken sandwich was juicy, had the perfect amount of sauce, and the pieces of bacon and bleu cheese added outstanding variations in flavor and texture.  Irish Woman reported that her sandwich was juicy and tasty.

For dessert, we split a bacon brownie with caramel sauce, and it’s a good thing we split it.  Between all of the other food and the size of the brownie, we wouldn’t have been able to finish individual orders.  We ordered a brownie to go for Girlie Bear as payment for watching her little brother, and when I suggested that she share it with him, got that stony, hard look that all Scandinavian women learn.  I guess she liked it.

Overall, the cost for the meal, considering the quality of the food and service, as well as the portion sizes, was very good.  Our bill for the evening, including a good tip for excellent service, was less than $60, which is about par for two adults in this area.

I would definitely recommend the Bacon Bar to anyone who enjoys salty, smoked meat and great service.

by daddybear71 on February 15, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in food, Review

Posted by daddybear71 on February 15, 2015

https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/15/restaurant-review-ann-maries-bacon-bar/

Musings

  • Irish Woman told me that all she wants for Valentine’s Day is a card and to go out on a date.  I took her word for it, but I took along a cyanide pill just in case.
  • If something is only important so long as I have to do all the work, then I guess it wasn’t that important.
  • If I say something and you pretend to not understand or hear until someone else repeats what I said word for word, then don’t come to me later and ask why I have an attitude problem.
  • Why, of course I need to do research on ancient Thracian auxiliary cavalry.  I’ve got nothing but time and energy to spare.
    • Related question – Any of you guys do Roman reenacting?
  • I know that Irish Woman will never be able to poison me through my breakfast, because so long as the dog doesn’t keel over from sniffing / licking it every morning, I’m good.
    • No, I have never eaten something I’ve witnessed the dog making physical contact with, but then I don’t watch my breakfast 100% of the time.
  • Girlie Bear thought it was hilarious when I told her that I never got into trouble as a private and was a model citizen and soldier.
    • That’s my story and I’m sticking with it. Nobody saw anything, and even if they did, I’m not going down alone.
  • It’s amazing how libertarian I become around tax time.
by daddybear71 on February 14, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Thought for the day

Posted by daddybear71 on February 14, 2015

https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/14/musings-116/

News Roundup

  • From the “Multitasking” Department – Investigators suspect that the taking of photographs during takeoff likely contributed to the crash of a small airplane.  The pilot and passenger of the aircraft were killed in the crash.   Investigators found evidence that “selfies” and other photographs were taken during a night-time take-off, and the flash from the camera might have disoriented the pilot, contributing to the events that led to the crash.  There’s a lesson here for us gun people as well:  when you’re doing something that ought to require your full attention, pay attention to what you’re doing.  When you’re shooting, think about shooting.  When you’re holstering, concentrate on safely holstering.  The same can be said for loading magazines, reloading ammunition, or whatever else we do.  Adding distractions like photography during shooting requires even more vigilance, lest our desire to look good or have fun get in the way of safety.
  • From the “Dammit!” Department – Recently, there have been multiple incidents of children getting their hands on firearms and harming either themselves or others.  In New Mexico, a child pulled a gun out of a purse and shot both his parents, while a boy in Florida shot his sleeping mother.  Say it with me, brothers and sisters:  When the gun is not in your direct control, it needs to be locked away from little hands.  Additionally, children need to be taught the Eddie Eagle rules:  Stop!  Don’t touch! Leave the area.  Tell an adult.  The anti-rights crowd has enough clubs with which to smack us.  We need to stop making this one easy to use.
  • From the “Politics As Usual” Department – The governor of Oregon is in a bit of a pickle.  You see, his fiance was lucky enough to land a job lobbying the state while at the same time acting as his first lady.  This would be kind of like Mrs. Obama drawing a $118,000 per year salary from a company that sells corn dogs and brown bananas while advising her husband on the evils of school lunches.  The governor, of course, denies that any hanky panky happened, and I certainly hope that he is being truthful.  It would be shocking for someone to bring discredit upon the hallowed calling of politics.
  • From the “Watching the Watchers” Department – A Philadelphia man is suing the TSA, claiming that he was arrested and held for 20 hours for having the audacity to complain about poor treatment.  It seems that the gentleman was traveling with a watch and some nutrition bars in his carry-on, and after a while, got tired of waiting for the Uncle Badtouch to remove his blue thumb out of his blue posterior.  The TSA supervisor apparently didn’t like having his authority questioned, because he had the man arrested for making threats and being belligerent.  Fortunately for the traveler, nobody thought to lose the video evidence of the incident, which shows him being pretty calm about the whole thing, and the charges got tossed.  Now, he’s trying to get damages out of the government for his ordeal.  I wish him luck.
  • From the “And the Horse You Rode In On” Department – The Veteran Affairs secretary got a little snippy with a member of Congress the other day while the two were verbally tussling over a VA hospital in Denver.  Secretary McDonald apparently got impatient with a congressman having the audacity to demand answers on cost and time overruns at a major project and asked Congressman “I ran a large company.  What have you done?”.  Here’s a hint to cabinet secretaries:  Challenging the qualifications of the people who vote on how to fund your department might be a career limiting action.
  • From the “Good News” Department – A federal judge has declared that the part of the GCA ’68 that prohibits people from one state buying a handgun in another state without doing an FFL transfer is unconstitutional.  Gun buyers are able to buy long guns in other states.  Everyone needs to stop dancing in the streets over this, at least for now.  My guess is that this will be appealed repeatedly, and we won’t get final word for years.  It’s a good first step, though.
by daddybear71 on February 12, 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in news

Posted by daddybear71 on February 12, 2015

https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/12/news-roundup-245/

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