Breakin the law, Breakin the law!

Those are the venturis I just picked up for my beloved VW. Read the little disclaimer underneath, and then ignore it. Just like I'm going to.

Lokidude

Things I never thought I'd say #3

I told my wife to watch her ass last night, since the hippies were in town.

As far as I'm concerned, Occupy This ..!..

Lokidude

Excuse me while I whip this out...

Since everybody else is playing, I'll play too.  These two knives were just pulled from my pocket.

The knife on the left is a Wenger Swiss Army Knife, which is unendingly useful. The right hand knife is my Gerber Descent, which I've carried since it replaced my Kershaw Vapor a year or so back. The blade shape is about ideal for general use, and it holds an edge far better than I'd expect. I'm abusive toward knives, and this one just keeps going.

Lokidude

Seen on a bumper sticker

While driving home from work:

"All your base are neutralized by acid."

I lol'ed like a nerd.

Lokidude

Kilted to kick cancer

First off, the info is here.

I'm not tossing in my hat, at least not for myself.  My traffic is far too low to be anywhere near competitive.  Instead, I'm asking that you donate to one of the other fine bloggers.  I really don't care who.  Back Kelly.  Or Old NFO.  Or Stingray.  Or Alan.  Or JayG.

Because seriously, it's about far more than some online contest.  This is, quite seriously, a matter of life and death.  1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.  That's TWO DUDES in your average fantasy football league.  That's one of your best drinking buddies.  That's a figure that is far too high to screw around with.

So donate, through whichever blogger you choose.  If you're a man of appropriate age, swallow your shame and get your ass checked out (no pun intended.)

Even though I'm not playing for the big prize, there happen to be pictures of me in a kilt out there somewhere.  Here's the deal.  I'll be donating $40 come payday.  If any of my readers is willing to match me, and email me their confirmation number (utredneck on the gmail service), I'll dig up the picture, and it will be my blogpic for the rest of the year.

Get on it.

Lokidude.

Men with guns

On September 11, 2011, two men walked into a grocery store in Ogden Utah, openly carrying firearms. And not a damn thing happened.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

Lokidude

10 years later

I have plenty of hazy, scattered memories of September 11, 2001.

I remember waking up to a call from Mom, telling me to turn on the TV, that there'd been a horrible accident. I remember watching the second plane hit, and knowing it was not than coincidence. I remember seeing the wreckage at the Pentagon, and being truly scared for the first time in the whole mess.

About that time, I hauled myself over to the university. I really don't know why, I guess I needed a sense of normalcy. Not that anybody did anything. We rigged up a portable radio and speakers and sat outside the band room all day, listening and feeling shell-shocked.

The memory that I hang, to, though, is something the world learned about weeks later. "Let's roll!" Two simple words, uttered by people who had to know they were going to die, but were determined to die on their feet, free and uncowed.

To me, that embodies the American way. To stand up to evil, to get pissed off, and kick it in the nuts, no matter the odds. And THAT is truly what we need to never forget.

Lokidude

Loki's Barley Chili

(Barley?  Yes.  Trust me here.)

Remember, my recipes are a bit like the Pirate Code.  Tinker with em until you like the taste.

Ingredients:
A pound or so of good bacon. (By good, I mean that at the very least, the butcher had to pull it from his cold case and package it for you.  It should be 1/4" thick or so.)
A pound or so of good sausage.  (I like andoulle.  Chorizo would probably work quite well.)
1-2 pounds of "other meat."  Fajita-cut beef, stew meat, cut up pork, doesn't really matter.  Doesn't even have to be particularly good meat, you won't notice when you're done.
Fresh cilantro
a bulb of garlic
bay leaves
smoked paprika
lime juice
coriander
cumin
chili powder
chicken stock (2 huge cans, somewhere north of 32oz. Beef is better, but I can't find it in bulk)
tomato juice (2 large cans)
tomato paste (2-3 cans)
stewed tomatoes, if you really want them
a bag of barley

You'll end up assembling all your ingredients in about a 3 gallon pot.  Put your stock in the pot and get it warming.  Dice your bacon and brown it in a frying pan.  When it's browned, put it in the stock pot, reserving the grease in the frying pan.  Brown a pound of your "other meat" in the grease, and then add that to the pot.  Slice and brown your sausage, again reserving the grease when you add it to the pan.  Brown any remaining meat, add it to the pot, and reserve whatever grease remains.  Finely chop your garlic, and brown it lightly in the grease.  Add the garlic (and the grease, if you're me and like the extra flavor).

Add the tomato juice and 2-3 bay leaves, and the stewed tomatoes if you're going to add them.  Chop the cilantro fine, and add it to the pot, along with spices and lime juice.  Stir well, cover, and let cook.

Check and stir every half hour to 45 minutes (total of 4-6 hours), spicing to taste.  In the last 30-60 minutes, add tomato paste if needed for thickness, and the barley, then cook until barley is done.

It's even better on day 2 or 3, and you can freeze it for later, too.

Lokidude

Blacklisted

It seems there's a list, it's black (RACIST!), and I'm on it.

I consider myself in good company.

Lokidude

Good suds

While it may not be the internet-famous Dogfish Head, I have to give some love to Squatters Roadhouse and Pub. They may be hippies, but they make some great food and brew a killer beer (with a nice side of some poke-the-local-establishment humor.) Their "Organic" Amber Ale is highly recommended.

Lokidude

Holy alpacas, Batman!

The drama llama is tuned the hell up this week.

Mike W and pdb dissect it far better and more intelligently than I'd be able to, which leaves me with only one pearl of wisdom for Mr Farago:

The First Amendment guarantees you a voice, Robert. It does NOT guarantee you an audience.

Lokidude

Why you have more than one gun

I have two primary carry guns, and both of them are down. I got some parts in for the CZ, so it's in pieces waiting for me to fit them. No problem, I still have my trusty snub revolver, right? That is, until I discovered a nasty rust problem on it tonight, so it's torn down and half fixed. (Posts on both fixes tomorrow.) My 1911 is freshly repaired, but untested. I ended up having to go deep into the vaults for a nightstand gun for tonight, back to a trusted old friend, my beloved Smith & Wesson 19.

Because when you need a cannon for home defense, accept no substitutes.

Lokidude

Things I never thought I'd say...

#1. This morning, I rode on a plywood elevator.

#2. The plywood elevator had an operator.

Lokidude

High Speed Dirt!

Continuing with "music that inspires Loki's right foot," this week is a ripping tune from Megadeth.  Not really about racing, but it's still about going damn fast, on the edge of control.



Lokidude

An observation

While I've been up at this jobsite, in a town populated by professional hipsters, I've noticed something. It's not the poor, lower class kids, who'd ostensibly benefit from socialist policies, who make a habit of wearing Che shirts and the like. It's the stupid hipsters with full bank accounts, who've never worried about making ends meet.

I found it telling and terrifying.

Lokidude

Seriously?

Okay, I gotta get this out or I'm gonna explode, and since screaming at stupid people will get me nowhere but into trouble, y'all get the honors.

You can obviously see the caution tape and orange pylons. You've apparently survived to adulthood, so it would seem the breathing lessons took and you can learn simple tricks. So try this one. DO NOT CROSS MY FUCKING BARRICADES!

I don't put up the tape because it looks pretty, or for my health. I don't do it for fun. (Profit, yes. Fun, no.)  I do it because there's a guy working 40' above me, and if he drops something, you might get hurt. Now, that wouldn't make me cry overmuch, but.the inevitable lawsuits involve a whole mess of paperwork, and wouldn't we all prefer to avoid that nonsense?

This has been your one friendly warning.

Lokidude

Keepin on

This week, I'm reaching DEEP into the vault, and coming out with some very classic Aerosmith.



If that doesn't make you want to fly down the freeway, you might need your pulse checked.

Lokidude

On Stage is BACK!

I finally fixed my bass, and started working on my old car, so I've had a bit of inspiration.  On Stage Thursday is scheduled for at least the next three weeks with what sometimes gets termed "right foot music."  They're all tunes that inspire my right foot to find the firewall, basically.

For starters, you get Storm Large covering Pinball Wizard.  I apologize for the extended intro, but it's the only video I could find with any kind of actual quality to it.



Lokidude

An open letter

To the self-important, overblown Park City bimbo.

No.  You cannot "just go under" my damn barricades.  I can tell from the look on your face that I ruined your day, by making you walk an extra 20 feet to get "over there."  ("Over there" being the suck-nuts, uber-trendy hair salon.)

I know you think you're special, and that Mommy and Daddy made sure you knew that.  But seriously, what part of "CAUTION: CONSTRUCTION AREA!  DO NOT ENTER!"  do you think doesn't apply to you?

I hate folks who are stuck on stupid.

Lokidude

A much needed PSA

...and knowing is half the battle.

Lokidude