Paladin Roaming

EggNog

You GOTTA have eggnog to toast into the new year. Not cheap not really knowing what is in eggnog -- I make real eggnog, separate the eggs: yolks and sugar and booze and milk and nutmeg in one bowl, the egg white whipped in a second bowl, and the cream whipped in a third bowl. Just before drinking you gently fold egg whites into the first bowl, then gently fold the cream into the first bowl, ladle into cups and garish with a dusting of more nutmeg. Trust me -- you will not be able to gag down chemical commercial "eggnog" ever again.

Which brings me to the picture:

"2 Day Sale! Friday & Saturday ONLY!" -- so I hit Vons on Friday, about 2pm, before the workers get to shop, so I can get the eggs I need. 18 large eggs for $1.99. Nope -- big empty cardboard boxes. But they wanted to sell me for 12 for the same cost as the 18 that I came in for.

Hey, I need the eggs. But I am not happy about getting 2/3rds for the same price. I don't think is was a mistake.

Christmas Beer

For Wendy I purchased a dozen of bottles of beer -- about $40, good beers.

Christmas Shopping

The weather was warm enough to have my annual Christmas Shopping picture:

Christmas Tree

$20 from the Hawthorne Home Depot. It was up a week ago, finally took a picture:

Christmas Lights

Got the lights up, just a week late:

Simple, just my usual. Note: the two pine trees are gone, you can just see the stumps, about 3 inches tall.

Motorcycle Show

Checked out latest motorcycles, free parking. LOTS of cheap people like free parking:

Suzuki did *NOT* have the TU250 at the show, why?, because it is a 49-State motorcycle, not available in California. They did have a S40, and they had a Ryca, the cafe rework of a S40. A totally motorcycle, rear sets, low bar. A totally useless motorcycle for me.

As were all of the motorcycles at the show. Checked Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Harley-Davidson, Triumph, Royal-Enfield, etc. -- and not another motorcycle that I would ride instead of my Big Single.

Why to not Fly

http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/local_news/norfolk/tsa-stops-teen-for-gun-design-on-purse?hpt=us_bn5 -- for when if no longer have it on the Internet:

"TSA stops teen for gun design on purse
TSA: Replica weapons banned since 2002Updated: Monday, 05 Dec 2011, 7:30 AM EST
Published : Monday, 05 Dec 2011, 7:20 AM EST

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - A flair for fashion got a Jacksonville teenager in trouble in Norfolk.

Vanessa Gibbs was not allowed to board a flight at Norfolk International Airport because her purse had a gun design on it.

A TSA agent told her it was a federal offense.

"It's in the shape of a gun. I'm like, it's a design on the purse. How is it a federal offense?" said Gibbs.

Agents determined the gun was not real, but told Gibbs to check the bag or hand it over.

She missed her scheduled flight on Southwest Airlines but was put on a later flight.

The TSA stands by the rule, saying replica weapons have been banned since 2002"

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/replica
Definition of REPLICA
1: an exact reproduction
2: a copy exact in all details

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bas-relief
Definition of BAS-RELIEF
: sculptural relief in which the projection from the surrounding surface is slight and no part of the modeled form is undercut; ...
Origin of BAS-RELIEF
French, from bas low + relief raised work
First Known Use: 1667

So let's us look at the weapon in question:

Is this a Replica, something that looks like a real gun? Or is it ART?

No doubt that no one with an I.Q. over room temperature knows that a clutch purse is ART, not a replica of a weapon. I have pictures in the pages of the American Rifle that are more a replica than this lady's purse.

If we need security we need people with the intelligence to know the difference between real and art. The Goons in the TSA cannot stop a terrorist.

LIPID PANEL

I don't care, but others do. I think they care I won't die too soon:

Runaways

A girl and boy, "Precious" and "Brownie", according to their tags:

Wendy was pulling the trash to the curb for the pickup when she saw two small dogs wandering loose. Friendly enough, but they had places to go and trouble to get into. She came into the house for the keys to follow in the car to try to get the dogs to get into car. I went to help. Found them already four blocks further east, I got out to coax them to come close enough so I could look at thier tags. Names, address, phone number. Put the numbers into my cell, handed it to Wendy to call. Blah Blah, hang up, stay here they will be arriving to pick up the dogs.

A few minutes the dogs had learned that Wendy and I and not going to kill them, got them into the car so they wouldn't wander off. Owner arrives, off they go, I go home to check the address in maps.google. I can see why they were willing to rest -- from their home to where we picked them up was just over a mile straight line, they had wandered at least 1.5 miles and were going further away.

This is why your dogs need collars and tags. They DO wander off. And they don't know how to get back home.

A New Starting

The catagory, "Daily Grind", is no longer valid. The "Daily Grind" is gone. I am RETIRED.

Pictures from the last day on the job:

My desk, a shrine: