On a quiet evening

It is always exasperating this time of year, with pheasants and ducks and geese and bowhunting for deer all competing for my free time. Saturday morning I went hunting geese. The geese didn't cooperate, we got skunked. As I always say when that happens, "I shoulda went bowhunting." It is a good problem to have, I realize. I really shouldn't complain.

I really get frazzled when we are hunting geese and I see a nice buck out snooping around for does. During October, the deer are concerned mainly with putting on weight for winter, and the bucks are getting ready for the rut (mating season for outdoor illiterates). The deer get their routines changed by the grain harvest, and they get disturbed some, by waterfowl hunters, and especially pheasant hunters. So they go pretty nocturnal during October. Especially the bigger bucks, who have to be pretty wary to survive long enough to get big. So during October, bowhunting is often unproductive. I went out a few times this year an only saw one deer.

Then the rut happens. Gradually the deer activity picks up during the daytime, the bucks rubbing their antlers on small trees and making scrapes on the ground. The big bucks start moving around, establishing dominance over the smaller ones, and looking for receptive does. In other words they get a little vulnerable. When the does start coming into heat it is an explosion of deer activity. The deer can be out moving around and any time of day. When this happens, I want to be in my tree stand.

It is during the transition, from low deer activity and few sightings to high activity that I have trouble deciding what to do. The transition coincides with the peak of the waterfowl migration. When I sit in the tree and see no deer I wish I had gone goose hunting, when I go goose hunting and can't get under the geese, I wish I was bowhunting. I wish I could go on vacation from the middle of October till Christmas.

I went bowhunting Saturday evening. Bowhunting is my favorite way to hunt deer. You are alone with your thoughts. Nature is happening around you. Pheasants cackle, ducks and geese and blackbirds fly by. Some neat things happen. One time I had a hawk land in the top of the tree I was in. One time I had a robin land on my arrow. I heard something kill a rabbit a few nights ago. And you sit their and listen. Your ears tell you what is going on. Well not really. They tell you something is going on, and exactly what is up to you imagination. You hear that rustling in the leaves, and of course your start imagining a huge buck coming down the trail. You look and listen, straining to hear over all the other sounds, the wind rustling the leaves, trees creaking, leaves falling, geese honking in the distance, bluejays and crows and blackbirds. Usually when you locate the source of the sound, it turns out to be a squirrel, or a rabbit. You can get to hate those dang things. But they are fun to watch sometimes too.

It was after sundown. Legal shooting hours go from 1/2 hour before sunup to 1/2 hour after sundown. I heard something to the north. This was after a couple squirrel false alarms, and what I believe was a pheasant sneaking through the grass. Whatever it was, the thing that I heard, it was taking its time. I heard some small twigs breaking. Crunches in the leaves. The minutes dragged on. It was coming closer, but far too slowly. I figured it had to be a deer. The deadline for shooting was close, if not past when I finally heard it coming crunch crunch crunch down the trail through the fallen leaves. It was getting dark. I finally saw some movement, there he was. It was a buck. I raised my binoculars, not needing the magnification, but the light gathering. He caught the movement of me bringing up the binoculars. He looked at me, I looked at him. He wasn't sure what he had seen, I was in full camo with a face mask. But he knew he had seen something. He did the trick deer usually do, put his head down, pretending to feed, but his eyes were on me. I tried to stay still, trying to get a feel for how big he was. After a bit, he seemed to lose interest in me and worked a scrape in front of me. I kept looking him over with the binocs. Is he big enough? I decided not, and the shot angle wasn't the best anyway. I could have shot at him while he worked the scrape. After a a few minutes, he took a couple more steps and then turned off the trail, away from the lanes I had cut through the branches to shoot through. I think in the back of his mind, he knew something was up there, and though he didn't know what, he didn't want to find out either. I had another brief shot opportunity as he worked his way out of the trees and into the corn field for the nights activities. I waited till he was far enough away that I wouldn't scare him and then walked home.

He was a medium sized four point (on each side), probably a 2 year old. In a couple years he could be something special. I don't think I will take a shot at him even if I get a better chance. But it certainly made it worth the trip out there. No griping about being out chasing geese.

I saw him again Sunday morning. He was out sparring with a smaller buck. This time they were about 300 yards away, and I was in a different spot due to the wind direction. I wanted to watch the fight, as I have never seen one. I got distracted though and missed it. A small doe had appeared out of nowhere behind me and was looking at me. I stood looking at her, hoping she wouldn't spook. She finally lost interest and went into the trees. When I turned back to the other two deer, the small buck was much closer, and the 4 point was moving along the slough, having chased him off. I looked at the smaller buck. He had at least 2 points on one side, and no antler on the other. Either he didn't grow any or they broke off in a fight. He caught my scent and took off. I had to leave to get to church.

The time change pretty much eliminates the evening hunts now, except on weekends. I can go out in the mornings before work, for a while. I might be a little late, but the boss doesn't care. Since I can't hunt in the evenings, I can make up the lost time then.

Sorry this got so long. I really enjoy bowhunting if you can't tell.

My first blog pic: My biggest buck. I may never top it.

Never mind, can't get the picture to post right now. Will try later.

Update 11-1

Here is the photo. It doesn't do the deer justice. I have been out bowhunting a couple more times. I saw three small bucks, including (I think) the one described above trying to molest a young fawn this morning.

Not looking good

From the Sioux Falls Argus liar:

A new poll finds most South Dakotans would vote against the state's
ban on almost all abortions. But, as a previous poll found, the ban would have
broader support if it allowed women to receive abortions for cases of rape
and incest.

The determining factor in my opinion is turnout. For us pro-lifers, we have been waiting for years to get the chance to vote on this. For some, abortion is the One Issue, it totally defines how they vote. The congressional race is a blowout, the governors race is a blowout, nobody cares too much about the other issues. Most of the other stuff is already decided. But the prolifers care very deeply about this, and will not be deterred from the polls. Even if we lose.

Pray for a blizzard on November 7.

I am doubtful, but I am going to vote no matter what.

The spotlight is on us

On November 7th, a very important issue will come before the people of my state.

Of course, I'm talking about Referred Law 6.

It is an issue that is getting the attention of the whole nation, with money coming in from the whole country on both sides.

I will be voting for it, but I'm not sure it will pass. I see a lot of signs in front yards supporting the ban. I have not seen a single sign against it (other than billboards). I think opponents are afraid to put up a sign. It says a lot about your position when you are ashamed to admit it. Apparently some of the pro life signs have been hit by vandals. I suspect if there were any pro ban signs they would get the same treatment, probably worse.

If the ban on abortion fails, it will be because it does not allow exceptions for rape and incest.
If you really think that there should be such exceptions, come back after reading this. I am not sure how it will shake out, the only polls show support for the ban is behind, but catching up.

Even if the ban is upheld, it is almost certain that we will relect Stephanie Herseth, a strong supporter of abortion. That confuses me; we're a State that is strongly pro life. Another thing that really makes me angry, is that the National Rifle Association has endorsed her. She is a Democrat and supposedly has said that she would support Nancy Pelosi for majority leader if the Democrats retake the house. Her very presence in the House adds to the possibility of the Democrats taking control. And the Republican candidate recieves the same A rating on gun control issues. Nice call NRA. Why endorse a candidate at all when both candidates support gun rights? And if you do, why support the one that gives more power the the gun grabbers in her party? I will not be renewing my membership. I will probably have to write them a letter explaining why.

I expect voter turnout will be high for the pro life side. I am sure the churches will have the congregations motivated. This will be the first time in 30 years that anyone in the US will have a chance to vote on abortion instead of having the court dictate to them. For the pro-life crowd, this is the Big Chance.

I am not sure what motivates the other side. The House race will probably be a blowout, so there is no desparation to make sure Herseth is re-elected.

If the ban is passed, I am afraid it will only be the beginning of the fight.

On gay old pedophillia

My political memory may be short, like the rest of my memory, but it seems to me that the Republicans reaction to a scandal is a bit different to the reaction of Democrats toward their scandals. The Republicans seem to disown offenders in their own party, while Democrats circle the wagons. At least that is how it seems to me. I think it is right for Foley to resign, even though apparently no actual crime was committed. Republicans have are not defeinding him. Somehow Clinton can perjure himself, and sell pardons and Democrats look the other way or defend him. Newt resigns after an affair, Clinton doesn't resign after several. An perjures himself and lies outright to the public. Doesn't seem like the Democrats apply the same standard to themselves that they do to the Republicans.

You have to hand it to the Dems though. Aside from the obvious timing before the elections, nobody seems to be asking who is behind outing Foley. And as Steve at Hog on Ice points out, it really seems to be a hachet job. They have come a long way from the screw ups with Dan Rather and the National Guard story. That story was probably true too. It is unfortunate, that the Democrats do not have the honor to resign when their skeletons are dragged out of the closet.

You know you're a gun nut when....

You buy reloading dies for a gun you don't even own!!!!


At least I got a good deal.

(44 mag carbide RCBS $28)

Say What?

Say What part one: Quote of the day

Joe Carter: "Anyone who thinks the Democratic Party is good for the poor or minorities or thinks that Republicans are for small government hasn't been paying attention."

Say What part the second:

I didn't see this coming.

Friday

I am going golfing this weekend. One last hurrah with a college buddy before I put away the clubs for the year. It is now huntin' season, with seasons for various species now open or opening soon. As usual, I am not prepared, not having enough shotgun shells loading, nor deer loads perfected, nor bow sighted in and practiced, etc. But if the lawn will stop forcing me to mow thrice weekly and I get my potatoes dug, I still have some time to get ready.

My suspicions were confirmed. My wife stayed down there all day and half the night, to get Ty's autograph. She did finally get it, at least that is what she claims it is. I could not discern anything in the scribbling on the paper that she showed me. So she stood around all day, and came home footsore, hungry, and thirsty, just to see Ty. Luckily, he wasn't too friendly, or this might have ended up like a country song. He came down the line, signing stuff, not saying anything, and when he saw my wife, he said "hey how ya doing?" or something like that. That's right, the only one he spoke to was my wife. I knew that I should be worried. Fortunately, she was too starstruck and weak in the knees to jump the barricade. So she came home, we met for supper at Applebees. Marital bliss resumes. I think I may have to ban that show on the premises though.

Today I will be passing by the Cabelas store, so I am pondering a shopping list. If I don't go in with a list, I might go nuts and could come out with maxed out credit cards. Self control is tough in such a place.

Everyone say a prayer for Jeff. I wish him a speedy recovery.

Extreme Home Makeover, Giraffe Edition

A big deal in my area now is the house for Extreme Makeover Home Edition. They are building it about 30 miles from my house. I went down there on Sunday with Mrs. Giraffe. We parked in a wheatfield 2 miles from the house, waited in line for 45 minutes to get on a bus, got to the site and them stood around watching them paint and put up stone on the front. This was Sunday, they started with a hole in the ground on Friday afternoon. The foundation was laid, the house was framed, roofed sided, sheetrocked, and they were painting it in 3 days. There were swarms of people around in blue t-shirts. Each crew has a specific task, when done, they get out of the way for the next crew. We couldn't see much, and the only cast member we saw was Eduardo (I think, I don't watch the show). After standing around gawking at nothing for an hour, we were lucky to only wait 15 minutes for the bus back to the car. I kept telling her we should leave, but she wanted to see Ty. Of course we didn't, he wasn't even there. About the same time we were there, my niece ran into him and some other cast members at a gas station in Brookings.

I thought it was a waste of time, but apparently Mrs. Giraffe didn't, because she went back early this morning. She called to tell me she she was the third car there. Today is the reveal date, and they are only letting in 1000 people. It is now 2:30 in the afternoon, and I haven't heard from my wife yet. She has been there since 7:00 A.M. The family was supposed to arrive at 2:00. So, if I blog even less than normal, it is because my wife ran away with Ty Pennington and I have gone hunting him.

Via email

I used to have a Labrador retriever & I was buying a large bag of Purina at Wal-Mart and was in line to check out. A woman behind me asked if I had a dog(?). On impulse, I told her that no, I was starting The Purina Diet again, although I probably shouldn't because I'd ended up in the hospital last time but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms. I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pants pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry & that the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again.
I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story, particularly a tall, black guy who was behind her.Horrified, she asked if I'd been poisoned. I told her no, I'd been sitting in the street licking my balls and a car hit me.

I thought the black guy was going to have to stagger out the door.

What a week

It has been a very long week. We have finally been getting some rain. Too late for the corn crop but it will help the soybeans. Much better off than some in that department. West of here they are baling up the corn because they aren't going to get a harvest. I haven't mowed my lawn for a month. I have to do that soon. The weeds are growing, but not the grass. That makes it look really ugly. Starting to get tomatoes and cucumbers out of the garden. Will have a good potato crop, because I watered them. Bad year for a garden. Nothing came up. A lot of people had that problem this year.

Loaded up some .223 shells and shot a few groups with my AR. Wow. One group measured 0.33 inches. At 100 yards with 5 shots. The higher loadings were around an inch, but showed pressure signs. I will take the accuracy over the speed in this case. I loaded some more to see if I can repeat it, but I haven't had time or good conditions to shoot. If I can repeat it, it will be about the easiest load development I have ever done. I will post a photo if it works out. Load was 26.0 grns Varget, 55 grn. Nosler Ballistic Tip, CCI primer, Federal case. I could post links to Hodgdon and Nosler etc., but if you don't already know you probably don't care. Varget is a pain to get in a .22 case, but I don't shoot that many rounds. It will be my coyote load.

I got licenses for Black Hills deer, 3 fall turkey licenses, a two tag West River deer license. I will also get an archery deer license and probably at least one East river tag and a blackpowder tag. Potentially 7 deer if I get all of them, which I won't. It ends up being far more deer meat than I can eat, but I don't hunt only for the meat. That reminds me, I have to get dog food. My mutt has been dining on the deer sausage that I made for the last couple days because I'm out of food for her.


It is shaping up to be a huge year for pheasants. We had a 40 year high in population last year, and as far as I know, there will be even more this year. I have not seen any projections for this year yet. The Canada geese had a good hatch this year, the first around here in about 3 years. A lot of them have left, taking the young up into North Dakota. I don't know why they do that, but there is always a noticeable decline in goose numbers right before the season opens. They have tracked geese that nest here and go all the way into Canada after the young can fly.

This is shaping up to be the best year for hunting that I have had in a long time. My brother has left for college, so I might not hunt as much as I had when he was here.

We froze a whole bunch of sweet corn. It turned out OK, but I want to do better. I think if I drained the juice out of it, and put butter in it and a little salt, it will be excellent.

I have about a 30 pound watermelon in the fridge at home. I think it is time to see if it is any good.

on men

I have been trying to get this one posted for a while. I couldn't get it right.

Res's post gets me thinking again about something that I have pondered before.

Some misconceptions about men: Women seem to think that sex is only a physical thing for men, they just want to get laid. When a married man complains about not getting enough, he is just whining, it doesn't really mean anything to him. He's not fussy about who he does it with, any warm body will do. If you withhold it, he can take it.

But that is not the way it really is.

Women are supposed to be the ones who tie emotional needs to sex. A woman need to feel loved to have sex. What they don't realize is, a man needs to have sex to feel loved.

I think there are two reasons for sex from a man's point of view. The first is primarily physical. It is the release, relieves stress, endorphins, etc. I think women see this part clearly. They may see it as him using her just to get his rocks off. And she is somewhat justified in believing this, as some men are doing just that. For a happily married man, it is more focused. He may still 'just want to get laid' once in a while, but he only wants to do this with his wife. Obviously there are different seasons in a mans life, the physical need will diminish. (he will only want it once a day)


The second part for men is the emotional. They may not be too aware of it themselves. It is the glue in a relationship for men. After a fight and make up, she may want to cuddle, he wants sex. For him, it is how he knows they're OK. Women need to be told that you love them, men need to be shown. This may be the reason that a man doesn't respect a woman after a one night stand. She gave him something so valuable for nothing. Or why a man who doesn't get laid much might fall in love with her. Because she gave him something so valuable.

Of course, a man can have casual sex and not think much of it. He is just taking care of the physical. That probably explains most unfaithfulness too. Such acts are immoral and he should be treated accordingly. I am talking about marriage, and what a man needs out of it.

If a man loves a woman, he needs to be loved back, and the way he is wired to feel that is through sex. It is important to understand that it is not just blowing off steam, it does matter to him who he does it with, and it is necessary for a healthy marriage. And if you withhold it, you are being unfaithful, because he can't take it. He will get frustrated, be short with you, and since everyone knows how well men express their feelings, he most likely won't be able to tell you why. This won't put you in the mood, and things just get worse and worse. Res posted on the what. I am trying to convey the why: Sex for men is not just what they desire, it is a need.

So, the way to a man's heart is not through his stomach. He will love it if you cook him his favorite meal, give him a nice gift, or tell him you love him. But the effectiveness of those things are seriously reduced if he has SRS.

If you haven't seen this.....

Warning, the following image may cause wildly varying reactions in its viewers, including but not limited to: vomiting, nausea, cold sweats, night sweats, insomnia, hysteria, hysterical laughing, erectile dysfunction, fear of museaums, fear of lizards, fear of Democrats, voting Republican, genital warts, genital herpes, loss of bladder control, loss of bowel control, stupefaction, and blindness.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

for the intrepid

If you maintain an erection that lasts for more than four hours after clicking the link, leave this blog and never return.

So while shopping around this weekend I saw the following chambered in .44 mag:

1. Taurus Tracker $400 new
2. Ruger Blackhawk $295 used
3. Ruger Redhawk stainless $600 new

That Blackhawk is tempting because of the price. I am not sure I would be satisfied with it, because of the way it loads. Seems like a PITA to load and unload, and slow too. You would never need more than 6 shots while hunting, and if you did, you already screwed up. In that case you would most likley be tracking, and have time to reload.

I am not sure I want to spend that much money to get the Redhawk, for sure not right now. The Taurus tracker seems a good compromise, but the differences in construction are apparent. The Rugers are definately more solidly built.

Right now I am going to wait. I will be in a bigger town in a few weeks, and will have to do some more shopping where there are more stores, better selection, and more competitive pricing.

Unless I can't help myself and just go buy that Blackhawk.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Well they were here for a little while. And now they are not. Haloscan says "can't find server" partway through on the auto install, and I can't get the manual to work.

I'll keep messin' with it.

What should Giraffe Shoot?

Well I got an itch. A couple weeks ago my brother bought a .357 magnum. Now, I have always been more into long guns than handguns, and more into auto's than revolvers, so I don't have a revolver. But now I think I have to get one. Because I shot my brother's and I got the itch. I might not actually buy one for a while, but I am going to put it on my list.

The criteria are:

• I want to be able to hunt with it. State law says you have to have a minimum of 500 ft/lbs energy at the muzzle. (I assume this means with factory ammo.)
• It would be nice if I could shoot a lower power shell with it, like shooting .38 special in a 357 mag. Or the .44 special in a 44 magnum.
• I want to be able to buy brass and bullets cheap. I will be reloading.
• I don't want something that will break my wrist or something that requires a muzzle brake. So that rules out the .460 and .500 S&W magnums.
• I don't want to spend a huge amount of money, I may buy used. My brothers was used and went for $340.
• I prefer the option of mounting a scope. I might not, but I want the option.

I don't know a lot about wheel guns. I think I want single action. My brothers works on single action or double action. I mean he can cock the hammer, or pulling the trigger rotates the cylinder and pulls back the hammer. This would be preferable. Also, I want the cylinder that tilts out of the frame, rather than the type where you eject the shells one by one. Unless there is some big advantage to that I am unaware of. I could buy a .44 mag right now for $300 where the cylinder is fixed and you have to kick out the shells one by one.

For chamberings, I am thinking 357 magnum, .41 magnum or 44 magnum, leaning more towards the 357 or 44 for cheaper ammo. I would prefer a longer barrel, maybe 6-8 inches. This is not going to be a concealed carry or self defense gun. There isn't much need of that here.

So, what do you think. Recommend any models?

Update:

Comments deleted when haloscan was added:

The order might be wrong and there are some goofy characters. (from my email)

Res ses:

Buddy,You want to go 44 mag. double action.If you’re going to do this do it right. The 44 is a good gun on deer. I got a nice 5 pt with mine. It’s a good back up gun to a rifle. It serves well for home defense. It sucks for CCW. I can shoot mine at 100 yards with good accuracy making it decent on deer/antelope/elk/moose/bear/lion/goat/big-horn. There are 3 realistic choices for a hunting gun, regardless of brand they should be a six inch barrel. Shorter barrels aren’t as accurate at 100 yrds and longer barrels are to bulky to use quickly.Rugar: hands down the toughest/strongest/most durable American made revolver from a major manufacture. Like a craftsman tool, if it breaks (not likely) they fix it. The redhawk will serve you well, the super redhawk is designed to take a scope. I’ll get my 2 cents in here on scopes for pistols, if you need one you shouldn’t be shooting a pistol. Leave it off, its bulky and screws with your ability to handle the gun, if you need it and it breaks in the field you will be use to depending on it instead of iron sight shooting.Smith and Wesson model 629. For most this is the definition of what a 44 mag should be. I’ve got one. I shoot it. I like it and it can be loaded down to accommodate my wife shooting it.Dan Wesson. Its lighter than a smith and its real classy. They are a good shooter. If I had a chance and extra $ I’d get one myself.Reloading for the 44 is a snap. You can buy several boxes of ammo and reuse the brass. I load mine down to 730 fps with 185 grainers for the wife to shoot and it kicks less than my 45 acp. I can load it way up to nearly 1500 fps with 250 grain partition gold that I use when I’m in grizzly country. A 240 grain semi jacketed hollow point will take a whitetail at 150 yards no problem, at 30 yards the exit wound through the rib cage is a mere 2in with no meat loss, I know I’ve done it. My brother uses his 44mag in a marlin carbine to shoot deer every year, even with the slight gain in fps with the longer gun he still doesn’t waste meat.I bought my 629 12 years or more ago used, I’ve shot it a lot and its still a great gun. Any one of the three brands is worth having. I don’t know about Taurus as I’ve never owned one. If its gonna be a used gun, I’d stick to the 3 I’ve mentioned, excepting I’d buy a Freedom Arms revolver in a hart beat, but that would mean it would be single action.Res

Equus Pallidus ses:

Tyhe ruger blackhawk is a damn good choice, it is all of the above in your post. It is a single action 44mag which can be loaded with 44sp bullets. The acurracy of them are uncanny. My brother own one and I own the redhawk which is the double action version.His blackhawck just handles better and is well balanced for a 44mag.I even got the load for ya.24.5 g winter 24.0 g summer of win 296240 grain jacketed hollow point, I prefer the XTP's

and

Get the carbide reloading dies, you'll thank me later

(I knew that already)

and

That 240g XTP was a hornady if I didn't make myself clear.

( I knew that too)

Res ses:

The partition gold is a better bullet to put behind 24 grains of 296. No they're not cheap but when you care enough to use the best they are worth it. You'll be pushing nearly 1500 fps with a 250 grain chunk of hurt.

Res

weekend

Headed for the land of 10,000 lakes for the weekend. Going to Valley Fair on Saturday, and then to a Twins Game on Sunday. The Twins look like they may start a losing streak. Must have heard we were coming. It's always fun to watch your team lose. The last time I saw the Twins play they lost. Of course, that had to be more than 15 years ago.

This is the wife's idea of a vacation. I have to do things with her once in a while so that I can go hunting with my vacation time. The Twins game is just so I have a reason to go. I am not all that excited about Valley Fair. Never been there. Maybe it will be fun, but I will have to pretend to be bored so she doesn't try to make me waste more vacation time on it.

rambling

Book review:

I ran out of material to read so I re-read couple of books. Rise to Rebellion and The Glorious Cause. I like all the books by this author. They are historical novels, and the author tries to be accurate in respect to history. One thing that strikes me, is how close the American Revolution was. We really should have lost. We had such a small army. It seems strange that with such a large population we lacked for volunteers. It seems the hand of God was in it. The British had us over a barrel several times, but Washington always made his escape. If we hadn't had help from foreign officers and the French, we likely would not have succeeded. Not surprisingly, men didn't want to leave their farms and families to fight a war against their own country.

Our successes were mainly due to finding vulnerabilities and striking them, rather than direct confrontation. Another thing that is striking, is the poor performance of the militia. They ran, time and time again. They dropped loaded weapons without firing a shot. As I read, I wanted yell "fight for your freedom you cowards!" The militias were good for general harassment of the British, but in a larger engagement, they were more likely to turn and run. This was used as a strategy in the battle of Cowpens. The movie The Patriot portrays this battle.

As Res pointed out, some of the abuses we suffer under our own government are worse than the ones they fought against. But, few would be willing to take up arms today to fight. I guess the big difference is our chains are gradually being put on. Also, most people are apathetic to the situation. We have a more direct involvement with our government, so some still feel we can solve our problems politically. And now, as in those times, the more idiotic segments of our population want more government intrusion. Too bad we can't tar and feather them.

Tough Girls

Another thing about movies, is the Hollywood cliche. I call commen elements that occur in many movies a Hollywood cliche. An example of this would be any time a car falls a vertical distance of greater than 5 feet, it has to explode. Or any time you really need a car to start, it won't.

Today's cliche for discussion is the Kick Butt Woman. This all started in the comments at Vox's.

Examples:

Uma Thurman, Kill Bill
Renee Russo, Lethal Weapon 3 (I think 3)
Jenifer Lopez, Enough.
GI Jane.

Well the pattern that emerges is any action movie that has a woman in it. The funny part of it is, I think some women actually believe this crap.

As an example, there was a chick at my college that actually wanted to play on the football team. She was serious. I suppose it didn't come from movies, rather just the regular feminist crap that there isn't any difference between men and women. She even talked to the coach. I think he told her she could try out, just to humor her. He probably wanted to get in her pants. She never did try out. I think she came to her senses, or maybe playing on a intermural flag football team made her realize she wasn't even a good female athlete, let alone ready to try out for a collegiate mens football team.

She wasn't alone in this attitude. There was another girl, that tried to tell us that anyone could make the team if they tried hard enough. More PC bullcrap. I know, it is partly true, some people do make it based on hard work rather than talent or ability. But there are some people who are just not athletic, and it is obvious that no amount of practice or training will put them at a superior level. And that doesn't make them less valuable as people, they just aren't going to the NFL.

I suppose someone could comment about they know girls who made the local high school team. (well if I had readers that is.) I say, "yeah, right. Is she a kicker?" There was a girl that played football at my school. It was long before my time. I heard she had a concusion just about all the time, and she wasn't there long. Amazingly, she played center. I imagine that would make things very interesting for a high school aged quarterback.

Women who feel they are the physical equal of men are mistaken. There is a reason that men's track and field records are better than women's. There is a reason that male gymnasts don't compete in the same types of evens as the women. Ever see a woman on the rings? There is a reason there is an LPGA and a WNBA. And that reason is, women can't compete with men. There are thousands of men who can't make the PGA that would fill the LPGA if they were allowed. (off topic, I can't believe the WNBA has survived this long. Women are less interested in sports, and as a man, I find the WNBA very boring. Nobody is watching. *)

And for any women who thinks otherwise, the first full speed football practice in pads would convince most of the error in their thinking.

I hope I haven't offended any women with this post. After all, their are many ways in which women are superior to men. All in all, men and women are of equal worth, we just aren't the same.

Movies

I don't have many friends now, being somewhat of a loner. I said loner not loser!.................



OK, OK, loser. Have it your way.

Anyways, back in my college days, one of my friends used to get pissed when I was critical of movies. I thought movies were stupid, when they were not believable. I am not a big fan of most action movies, where the good guys come out at the end without a scratch on them. You know, the Vin Diesel and Chuck Norris type. I must not be alone, because there are websites that make fun of them. I want the movie to make me believe that what I am watching could actually happen. in other words the movie does a good job of suspending my disbelief. So, the scene the first Die Hard when he is falling down an elevator shaft and catches himself by his fingertips, well, that sort of ruins things for me. That is still one of my favorite movies, because the hero goes through hell, and the movie does a pretty good job of pulling you into it. There are not as many moments where you say, "right, like that is gonna happen."


Now, this is not to say I wouldn't like to watch a movie like Star Wars because it obviously can never happen. Fantasy is a separate class. I just don't like movies that defy the laws of physics or common sense.

Another movie I loved, right up till the end, was True Lies. I actually was ticked off that they ruined a perfectly good movie. The turning point from good movie to bad was when she drops an Uzi and it falls bouncing down the stairs, firing and killing bad guys all the way down. From there, the movie devolves into crap where people run around on the wing of a harrier jet in flight, and take a ride on an air to air missile.

Since I got married, I don't watch as many movies, and my wife rents most of them now. And the type of movie my wife picks is a whole 'nuther type of movie agony.

Does anyone have suggestions on movies to see?

Why I'm not a professional trader

Because I suck, really. You have to be honest with yourself. Are you good enough to manage your own investments? I am not, so far, so I fired myself.

But I still do dabble a little in stocks. Because I want to learn how to trade/invest for myself. I have a pitiful amount of money left in my account that I opened back in 1999 (great timing). I have a Roth IRA that has a little more. My main 'investment' is my 401K and the pro's are investing that.

I currently own one stock. Finisar incorporated (FNSR). I have have some paper profits in it. It was not a good trade, though. I wish I had owned Titanium Metals (TIE) as long as I have owned Finisar.

My problem has been inexperience and poor discipline. I don't sell when I know I should. I should have sold FNSR at 5.25. I could have bought it back at 4.25.

Now the metals are roaring. I should have been in that. Or the oils. Shoulda had Ultra Pete.

But it is easy to tell what you should have done. It is worse when you are right and still get it wrong. I owned Etrade at 4 bucks. It tripped my stop and I never got back in. I new it was right, because a new bull market was starting. It was a cinch that new accounts would open and more trading would happen at Etrade. Etrade went to 15 bucks pretty quickly. Now it is at 24.

My efforts have had less than stellar results so far. I have sent myself back to the minors. Well, actually I never made it to the majors. If I never do get there, I will be fine. But I am not going to quit either.

Note: To see what I am talking about with UPL and TIE look at the weekly charts.