want to mess with someone's stats?

one of the good guys, Ride and Shoot is trying to figure out his hit counter by experimenting.
want to mess with him?
go visit.
a bunch of times.

hey, what are net buddies for?

sunset pastels

sunset pastels
Originally uploaded by bothenook

sunset colors on moving water can be boring, spectacular, or simply inspiring. there is something magical about the evening light during the fall, especially along large bodies of water

room with a view

room with a view
Originally uploaded by bothenook

if you are going to have to attend a conference, and it happens to be held in a beach side resort hotel, it's nice to get a room with a view. and a background soundtrack.

shasta2 09-23-07

shasta2 09-23-07
Originally uploaded by bothenook

yup, Mt. Shasta is still as beautiful as ever.

beaches have short term memory

short term memory
Originally uploaded by bothenook

have you ever looked across a sandy beach, and notice all the footprints? these are the beaches memory of those that have passed and played across its expanse.
but beaches have short term memory. a wave, a rain squall, even a breeze will erase its memory for ever
kind of like me...

tomato macro with the new camera

tomato macro test
Originally uploaded by bothenook

so my camera died. hard. since not having a decent camera is NOT an option, i toodled off today and bought the latest generation Canon S5IS camera. this replaces my older and now dead S1IS. i really liked the camera, so i decided to go with the latest generation.
there are a few differences that will take some tinkering and time, but all in all, i like the way it functions and feels.
one thing that is going to be different is that the flash doesn't automatically pop up when needed. that's because they put a hot shoe above the cover, and i suppose they don't want the thing trying to open when a flash unit is attached.
i also got a memory card (4 gigs) for pennies compared to the 256meg flash cards i bought for the old camera.
technology progresses, and i straggle along behind the crowd trying to catch up.

portland oregon, foodie restaurant review: Besaw's

after a nice week of conference on the coast, di and i decided to go hang out in portland for a while. i'll blog about that later.
while there, we went looking for a nice place to eat dinner on a friday evening.
we stopped at Besaw's on NW23rd. it looked promising, kind of homey with a bit of trendy overtones. the menu looked respectable, with only one or two entres hitting the $20.00 range. not bad.
it was around 1930 (that's 7:30 PM for those of you that don't know how to tell time) and the restaurant's capacity was nowhere near full. as a matter of fact, there were only 6 or 7 tables filled, of the many they have including the outside ones. since it's a little early for friday dinner, we figured the barrenness didn't have anything to do with the food, and everything to do with the time.
we were seated, and our waiter basically forgot about us.
when i was finally able to order a beer and an appetizer, it took 10 minutes for him to come back to tell me that they were out of that appetizer. at 1945, on friday evening, at a restaurant that stays open until 2200 (10 pm). he rattled off the specials after changing our appetizer selection to a hummus plate (which, when it finally came 30 minutes later, was pretty dang good. credit where credit is due). by this time, the restaurant filled to the brim. i listened as the waiter came back to table after table informing them that the item they'd ordered was out, so the chef substituted something else. soups and appetizers, mainly, but even a few entres were out, before the dinner rush hit.
we finally got our dinners. i'd ordered the coconut prawns and batsmati rice. i didn't ask what the price was (it was one of the evening's specials).
no soup, salad or side. 5 overcooked, tough and chewy prawns, a scoop of rice, and some sort of tasty red sauce drizzled on the plate under the rice. $21.00. ok, so that's not an unfair price for the dinner special. but 5 prawns and a scoop of rice? we didn't take our time eating, and it still took 2 hours to order, get our dinner, scramble through it, and get out.
i talked to several locals afterwards, and they were all surprised to hear we had a bad experience. that place sucked ass. i just hope that it was an off night, and not their typical operation.

camera death

camera death
Originally uploaded by bothenook

i'm so bummed. we took a road trip up the california and oregon coast to Lincoln City Oregon for a conference and mini-vacation.
the first morning, while getting ready to leave Cresent City, this is what my display showed as i attempted to get a shot of the lighthouse.
damn.
it acted up for the rest of the trip, sometimes letting me get a shot, sometimes not. i missed at least 50 pictures that i know would have garnered offers from the National Geographic, had i only been able to capture them.
the last day, it simply refused to do a damn thing. luckily the memory card could still be accessed. but that is all the camera will let me do.
i think i'll be in the market soon for a new camera. we bought a cheapo kodak for diane, since she likes taking snapshots of the kids. me, i'm going to figure out what the next camera will be.
this sucks. i'm buying new cameras every 3 years. maybe it's time to go back to film.....

here's my email to the governator

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger,
I have been following the progress of two bills, AB 821 (Nava) Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act, and AB 1471 (Feuer) Microstamping with some alarm.
Both are examples of the use of incrementalism towards a total ban of firearms in this state.
I am not a criminal. I do not engage in criminal activities. I store my firearms in a large, heavy fireproof safe. Yet the legislators in this state continue to try to take away my 2nd Amendment rights to keep and bare firearms as though I am a crazed drug addled thug.
By using the deceptive tactics of "it's for the environment", without taking into account there are no viable alternatives, seeking to ban lead bullets is just another example of muddled uninformed State Representatives (elected to represent the entire population, not just some vocal and politically sexy segment) utilizing bogus science to force their agenda down our throats.
Regarding the microstamping bill, I can hardly believe there are those people backing this act can have law enforcement in mind. Any day of the week I can go to a shooting range and collect spent shell casings. Since I reload my ammunition, would my recycling brass now put me in danger of prosecution because brass I collect may have stamps that could be traceable to a crime? Or if my brass was collected and used, I would again be at risk.
Neither of these bills show the slightest hint of common sense. I urge you to veto both.

Respectfully,

gun grabbers acting up again in California

i'm a gun owner. i'm a responsible citizen, with no felonies, no arrests, and not even a speeding ticket since 1975. but in the eyes of many, i am of the worst type of people, because i own and shoot firearms for recreation. i also own and maintain firearms for personal protection. breaking into my house when i'm home will probably be the last in a long line of bad decisions you've made in your life. so here i am, a completely aboveboard member of society, yet i'm viewed as a criminal. it's just that i haven't committed a crime yet. why? because i own firearms.
now in california, they are trying desperately to separate me from my guns. why? "because no law abiding citizen needs guns, since the police are here to protect you." and "your guns can fall into the hands of those less responsible". bullshit. if you can get that bolted down 1000+ pound safe out of my house, dude, you are welcome to them. far be it from me to get in your way. of course, you may have to deal with a 125 grain 0.357 inch diameter hollowpoint bullet delivered at 1200 feet per second by someone that can shoot like this 25 yards off hand in low light conditions (AND THERE ARE NO PLACES INSIDE MY HOUSE EVEN APPROACHING 25 YARDS IN A STRAIGHT LINE):

anyway, i subscribe to a newsletter from American Gunsmithing Institute. they have an amazing range of DVD's covering a large number of gun smithing topics that are usable by tinkerers like me. today, the president of the AGI sent out the following e-mail to all subscribers. since i'm a californian, and i am affected, you can bet i'll be sending my email to the governor. if you live in california, and you own or shoot firearms for any reason, you need to step up to the plate and act NOW. this is just another one of the small, incremental steps we've known to be the modus operandi of the gun grabbers in this state. pretty soon, i'll either be trying to sell my guns out of state, or become a criminal simply because they will have finally achieved their often stated goals of criminalizing gun ownership.

here's the email. read it, and act. and if you don't live in california, and think you are safe, think again. what starts in this state has a habit of spreading like syphilis at a liberal arts college. (hehe. not bad. that just bubbled up out of nowhere. appropriate, though).

oh, and before i forget: i not only renewed my NRA membership, but sprang (finally) for the life membership. yup, i'm officially a gun toting right wing nut job, and have the card to prove it.


To ALL: This is Serious. I don't normally send out politically related stuff but this is important because what starts in California can spread across the country. This is effectively a ammo ban and the Micro stamping is a Handgun ban, all based on Junk Science and lies. If you have firends in california please make them aware of what is happening and ask them to take action. This has PASSED the assembly and the senate and is sitting ont the Governor's Desk. We need to get him to VETO them.
I have attached a copy of the letter I emailed, FAXed and will be mailing at the end of this email.

Please redistribute this action alert to others as soon as possible!!!!

The following bills are strongly opposed by sportsmen and other owners of firearms. Your contacts with the GOVERNOR in opposition are urgently needed now!!!

AB 821 (Nava) Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act - Would prohibit the use of lead ammunition for the hunting of big game and coyotes in the range of the California Condor. This would affect much of the Central Coast and Southern California hunting areas. Supporters claim it is hunter's ammunition that is responsible for lead poisoning in condors. If AB 821 becomes law, they have let it be known that they will be seeking a lead ammunition ban statewide. Anti-hunting groups know that the alternative to lead, (i.e.-copper bullets), is not as effective, will likely result in more crippling of animals, and is also toxic to condors. AB 821 is seen by them as laying the groundwork for a total ban on hunting next as it will allow them to claim that hunting should be stopped because no satisfactory ammunition is available that will not poison condors.!!!!

AB 1471 (Feuer) Microstamping - Would expand the definition of "unsafe handgun" to include semiautomatic pistols that are not designed and equipped with a microscopic array of characters that identify the make, model, and serial number of the pistol, and which are transferred in at least two places by imprinting onto each cartridge case when the firearm is discharged. This will enable identification of the registered owner.
Even though over 90% of handguns used in crime are stolen, the registered owner from whom the firearm was stolen would become the subject of a criminal investigation and possibly prosecution!

If signed into law, AB 1471`s requirements could soon be expanded to cover all firearms of any kind! And...if a criminal gets a hold of some of your spent cases (as from a shooting range) he can leave them at a crime scene and the police will come looking for you!! To make matters even worse, scientific studies have shown that any criminal can easily remove or defeat the microstamping technology with a minimum of effort!!!!

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED!!!!

It is important that every sportsman and other owners of firearms immediately contact the Governor to oppose the above described two bills!!!

Mail: The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger FAX: (916) 445-4633
Governor, State of California
State Capitol e-mail: http://gov.ca.gov/interact
Sacramento , Ca. 95814

Your action is needed now if we are to have success!!!
The Governor will act on these bills very soon!!
Please act today!!!

Here's an example of a letter I sent:
9-14-07

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor

By FAX 916-445-4633

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:
This is junk science at its worst. This is an example of "the Camels nose under the tent" to BAN all Lead ammunition, thus ALL Ammunition. REdiculous, Unfair and just plain Wrong! Please Veto.
This lie is using the "handgun safety" law to CREATE A TOTAL BAN on Sales to lawful individuals. This technology Doesn't Work!!! - It's a lie. It is easily distorted and altered and even legitimate repairs will alter it thus making the owners criminals The DOJ own research shows it doesn't work. Again this is a Back-door method to create a total Ban on new handgun purchases by the Extreme Liberals. Please Veto!

The Assembly and Senate continue to act irresponsibly and without regard to the rights of legal, law biding citizens.

yeah, what the commander said

everyone around me is getting tired of my ranting about how i think the leaders of the at least one of the political parties in this country should be tried for treason and sedition. but enough of how i feel.
check out what the commander and Marco say about things.

a comparison between OBL and Keith Olbermann

i've always thought olbermann should have stayed in some local area market doing high school football commentary, since he was completely crappy doing the pros. as far as his politics, well, let's just say that the video at this link doesn't surprise me. and to be fair, the link also links out to olbermann's comparison of hannity and OBL.
sounds like ko and obl have the same speech writer.

100000 visitor benchmark today

yup, hard to believe. i've had my 100,000th visitor (with almost 138,000 page hits) since i started keeping track of my visitors with sitemeter. i lock out myself and anyone using the same ISP dsn, so the tracking isn't skewed with all of my firing up of computers at home or work. of course, my blog is the home page, and if i hadn't blocked me out, i'd have gone over the mark a long time ago!
so what was the 100,000th visitor here for? the yahoo search was for " best progressive press 9mm primer feed".
in the last year or more, most of my visits have been looking for the huli huli chicken recipe i posted a long time ago, and still gets a boat load of visits, or gun reloading searches.
cool