Saturday at the Lake.

Got up early this morning and called Ced to jump start some needed repairs on the boat. The boat doesn't belong to me, but lives in my backyard, so I'm kinda First Mate. After four hours of holding the flashlight and saying, "yep that looks good to me..." we were off to Lake Austin. This "lake" is actually part of the Colorado River that cuts directly through downtown Austin. Known as Lake Travis further west of town, it becomes Lake Austin after a large dam. Winding through some amazing landscapes and gigantic houses to another dam, next to the famed Hula Hut, the body of water turns into Town Lake or Lady Bird Lake as it was renamed recently after the death of Lady Bird Johnson. Lake Austin is controlled by the release of water at the first dam so the water level doesn't fluctuate, making for safe and easy boating. Town lake is restricted to non-motorized crafts, so there are lots of canoes, kayaks, and sculls. Town Lake is what you would see in front of the skyline if looking at a brochure of Austin. This is really one of the great things about Austin (and yes, there's a long list). I did many canon balls and had many beers (soooo good when it touches the lips), hit Rudy's for some much needed BBQ, and pried myself off the couch to keep up the blog. 

Happy to be working tomorrow, Monday, and hopeful for more work this week. I still have to dig a rather large hole in the front yard to fix the sprinkler system and may do some additional exterior work this week, if the temperatures can hold it for a while.

This house is protected...

by Heckler and Koch. 

Is it Christmas Yet?

So this is what I want for Christmas this year. It looks like what the police in Germany carry around the airport. For those who haven't traveled outside the U.S., law enforcement in Europe has been carrying machine guns for decades. You see it now in the U.S. after 911, but the German made ones are much cooler. This H&k USC is a semi-auto rifle, so there's not much difference between this and a deer rifle of the same caliber. It just looks like something out of a Mission Impossible movie.

Ced and I went to a gun show here in Austin on Sunday. Quite an experience if you've never been. Lots of guns and knives (ninja outfits and throwing stars available!) and a ton of other crap. Beads, kettle corn, books, army/navy surplus, etc. Interesting mix of people as well, almost like the better to do cousins of the traveling carnivals. I did end up making a purchase, at a discount from my local gun store. Here's how simple it is to buy a gun. 

1. Pick one out you like.

2. Fill out form a Federal form that ask questions like are you mentally stable, currently stalking someone, or a felon?

3. Salesman calls in the form to the FBI and they enter it in to a computer and accept or deny the application.

That's it. 10 minutes and I was out the door. Next up is a series of training classes and an all day CHL class in September and probably a range card at the local range for lots of practice. I've been thinking about joining the Army reserves where maybe I could use a rocket launcher, or a 50 cal. machine mounted on top of a tank, or repel out of a helicopter into a hostile enviroment. That sounds thrilling. Mindy is not thrilled and thinks that is a bad idea. She's probably right.

For the Kids...

Spent time with two our friends and their kids this weekend. Friday night we went to the Hatches for some late afternoon swimming and cookout. Ollie requests, hourly, to go for a ride on the "motorcycle", its a Vespa, and donned a bike helmet for safety. We grilled and spent a nice time outside in good weather, which is a break from the oppressive heat as of lately.

Saturday was a birthday party for Tula turning two. Lots of other "breeders" and of course I hit the breakfast beer at 10:15 am. Hey I got Mindy to look after me, right? After all the festivities, it was nap time. Unfortunately, I slept crooked on a pillow and have been dealing with a sore neck for two days. Probably would have been better to sleep on a broken Heineken bottle. Dinner after the napage with the David's and Red, in town from Englehood. And off to bed. Worked Sunday morning. Mindy made a great asian (do-da-do-da-dat-dat-do-do-do) dinner and another restless night with Elliot and the scratching. He's on flea meds, but I keep finding them on him. We're off to the Doggy Alergey clinic Wednesday. They'll probably recommend a complete skin transfer or something. He better be worth it. He is.

YES, I am Finished...

Well after recovering from the weekend, this week has started off pretty plain. Inspections are picking up and I done some more marketing with the Austin Board of Realtors. I am looking ahead to the fall when its time to start my own business and be THE MAN.

We had a very underwhelming dinner at a local restaurant on Saturday. The particular place we have been to many times and is (was) a local favorite to take out of town guest. Also a place where you just might find a celebrity or two upon occasion, ducking the mass of phototogs at the Ivy. The prices have gone up, the portions have gone down, and the dishes were just bland. A signature appetizer that we have had many times, lacked any real flavor. We were told 30 minutes for a table, o.k. its Saturday night I expected that. And low and behold after ten minutes and half a drink at the bar, we were seated in a 3/4 full dinning room. By the time we ordered and "enjoyed" our appetizer, the place was half full. It took quite a long time to get the main dishes and the manager came by for the usual "sorry 'bout that" of course waiting for a comp a piece of pie or cake , he said "enjoy your meal". Damn it.

Here's the thing that just pushed me over the limit (you can only take so much some time). When I have eaten everything on my plate, stacked my utensils, folded my napkin at the side of the plate, pushed my chair back slightly from the table and looked generally relaxed sitting at the table, ATTENTION WAITSTAFF!! Do Not ask me, "Are you finished with that?" Yes I'm fucking finished, what does it look like! is what i wanted to say, but i didn't. you know that's fine at a Chili's or Olive Garden. But at a meal that costs $150 for three people, the waitstaff should act like they know how to wait tables. Don't ask me, just pick it up!! Jesus.

Happy July 5th!

Here's hoping everyone had a great July 4th. Mindy and I and our friend Ann from Denver hit the lake with Ced and Char with their dogs in tow. Good weather and cold beer always makes for a good time. I was struggling a little from the wine experience the night before, and sitting in the sun all day made for a short night. But up early for an inspection on a really neat house built three years ago. Looked like it came straight out of Dwell magazine (modern construction magazine) with plastic walls. Yes plastic. Its an insulated panel system with a steel frame. Allows 100% light penetration into a structure and apparently has a decent insulation factor. Lots of steel and concrete. Nice place.

The week ahead.... Monday is Ladies Night at the shooting range. I'll see if I can get Mindy in for some practice, pigs may start flying and hell may freeze over too. "So your saying there's a chance...."

Day 2

O.K. One day off is good, two... probably greedy. I think its the 4th of July holiday week or something, but I have gone from 60 to 0 in a matter of two days. Oh well, time to finish up some projects around the house. 

I spent an hour yesterday at Red's Indoor Gun Range blasting some caps. For those who have never fired a gun or more less never fired a gun in a small concrete reinforced "hallway", it can be very loud. It takes a little warming up to. You can feel the compression of the sound waves as they bounce off the walls. After 15 minutes or so, I stopped jumping out of my skin every time a gun went off. Until the guy with the AR-15 (what the guys in Iraq carry) started blasting a piece of paper to bits. Sounded like a bomb going off 15' away. Once in Denver at an indoor range, some guy had brought a .50 caliber rifle and was letting people shoot it if they paid for the ammo. That was like a cannon going off in your head and they were in the sealed room next door for rifles. Crazy. But hey you never know when someone may try to break into your house using a tank- better have your .50 caliber ready!

This brings up the whole gun thing. Latest headlines: D.C. gun ban, guy in Houston gets off after shooting two robbers in the back, just watch CNN for additional stories. I am pro gun. It was interesting that last night laying in bed the show 30 days (big fan) was about a woman who was anit-gun and lived with some gun freaks in Ohio and lived a gun culture fro 30 days. She was from inner city Boston and had a friend killed by a gun and hears gun shots where she lives. The gun freak guy was making the point that its not the gun that kills people- it the person firing the gun. I agree the gun can't hurt you if you don't pull the trigger. Now I do hold some liberal views on gun control. It should be WAY harder to purchase and own a gun. Simply walk into many a retail store, pick up some Gatorade, a rake, paper towels, maybe a new door mat, and oh, don't forget your 9mm. Just fill out a form (assume your a decent person without a felony charge) and walk out with your gun. That's a little ridiculous! It harder to register your car and get a new picture on your license than to own a gun. And the indoor range- just pay your money and your shooting away. No questions, no education, no license-just fill out a form that says if you kill your self or someone else it ain't the ranges fault. and your in business.

Two personal stories. 1. When i was about 7, I think, my dad was shot in a robbery by some asshole with a shotgun. It went through the windshield of the car, hit the rear view mirror, took a left turn and hit my dad in the arm. Messed it up real bad. But he was certainly lucky it did go straight through the wind shield or I'm sure there would have been a different ending. To this day you can see the damage to his arm and his has a pinky finger with a mind of its own. 2. Two years ago when Mindy and I were in Austin looking at houses, our friend Anne was watching the house and the dogs when she went by to look in on them and the big front picture window at the front of our house was broken out. Our house had been broken into. Long story short some crazy crackhead broke the window, changed clothes, slept in the guest bed, and left the next day. Didn't steal anything?? But this gets me thinking, if I had been home and had a gun, that story could have ended very differently. I would have been in a position to have to use my gun, it would have been within my right to do so. Its late at night, I'm asleep, a hugh window in my house is broken, I go up stairs and someone is standing in my house. Just watch an episode of  "I survived..." to hear some horror story about someone who almost died during a robbery, rape, or break in. Crazy shit does happen to normal people. And if you have a gun and the proper training, you may be able to defend yourself and your family from something very horrible happening. Of course you may also win the lottery or be picked at random to go into space, but hey you gotta be ready!

If you have never done it or "are afraid" of guns- give it a try. But go outdoors first its not as loud. I think that most people who are afraid of guns, probably have never fired one. There's also trap, skeet and target. All of which can be a lot of fun. Well I guess I'll sit back and wait for all the hate mail to come in, however Anne may be the only person reading at this point. 

Off to sand down and paint the beam in the kitchen, water the plants our front, keep up with work emails, and oh yeah, head to the range this afternoon. 

Day Off

Aaaaahhhhhh. All those working stiffs hitting it hard on a Tuesday. Not here in the ATX. Today is a day off. Lots of shouting at the doves that are raiding my feeders, followed by a walk through the garden with the hose, wash a scratching dog and maybe catch a movie. However there's nothing good playing (within 10 miles) close. Gotta conserve that gas. Which by the way is $3.98/gal. here in Texas. I remember the Racetrac on Mansell Road in Roswell at $.89 a gallon.

I have to finish watching a nextflix from last night. "No End in Sight" is about the sham of the Bushies and the invasion of Iraq. It amazing any of those people can wipe their own ass. I highly recommend this film- note to the watcher- you may punch yourself in the face repeatedly. Be prepared. I'll also be digging through the boxes for old photos ala Anne and Matt's recent expose of the yester years. 

We finally got some rain here and are in a heat way of something like 24 days above 100F. I was inspecting an attic last week and took a temperature reading just for fun.....134.8F!! I felt like the nazi's in the Raiders of the Lost Ark melting away. Well my humming bird just came to the feeder outside my office window, and shoved his nose up at the spoiled nectar, I guess its time to change it out. Photo from a recent wine tasting Texas-Style. Jackets, pearl snap shirts and jeans- now that's a night out!!