Memorial Day - Monday, May 28, 2012

My thanks to all the men and women for their military service to the United States. I don't thank any one man or woman in particular.  They all did the best they could and they all endured misery.

I would like to give special recognition to those people who came out of military service disabled.  Thank you for your service, and I am truly sorry for any difficulties you are suffering today.

My highest recognition goes out to the families who lost a son or a daughter, and in particular to the mothers of those men and women.  Certainly it's true that the fathers suffer also, but I believe that men tend to cope with the loss of a child a little better or easier than women do.  It isn't a part of the natural order of things that a mother should have to bury her children, and I am very sorry for your loss.

Griffin's Hines Farm Blues Club - Revisited

On Saturday May 19th, 2012 I drove out to Hine's Farm to see Carl Weathersby. I haven't been to Hine's Farm in a long while and I felt I was overdue for a double shot of ribs and good old blues music. Sadly, I've had better. Here's why, with spoilers.

When Lawyers Go Bad: The Conclusion

I wrote about the disbarred attorney Linda S. Cook in my post titled: When Lawyers Go Bad. The local scandal sheet picked up the story but failed to run it to the goal line: Ex-Sylvania lawyer guilty of attempted records tampering - 8/25/2011.  Today I got some email from a person unknown to me asking about Linda S. Cook and her possible whereabouts. Having an hour or so to kill I decided to see if I could find out just what did happen to this wayward ex-servant of the Court, because the last I heard she was staring at a year and a half in the big house, courtesy of Judge Gary Cook (no relation).  After a little searching I discovered what happened.

Tennessee Walking Horse Scandal

I was born and raised on a horse farm in Ohio.  We had American Saddlebred horses which we showed in fine harness, three gaited and five gaited classes.  My father was an accomplished horse trainer, and I spent about half of the first 25 years of my life inside a stable.  I learned a lot about horse and the care they required.

One evening at a horse show in Columbia City, Indiana I was watching the show with my father when he abruptly turned his back to the ring.  I was surprised.

Restaurant Review: Avenue Bistro

Avenue Bistro

6710 W. Central Ave., Toledo, OH

(419) 841 - 5944

(419) 842 -1435 (Fax)

Avenue Bistro

Mon - Thr: 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Fri - Sat: 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Sun: Closed

Being at loose ends for lunch I decided to try Avenue Bistro again.  I used to patronize Avenue Bistro for lunch on an irregular basis, often with my attorney Johnny the Hammer, but I discovered that the owners refused to heat the place during the winter and last February the dining room was an ice house so I swore the place off.  Things have changed a little since then, and for the better.

Film Review: A Better Life (2011)

A Better Life

Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 98 min
Genre: Drama


Tomato Meter: 85%

Cast
Cast overview, first billed only:

Demián Bichir as Carlos Galindo (Our Hero!)
Eddie 'Piolin' Sotelo as Himself (Our Cameo Celebrity!)
Joaquín Cosio as Blasco Martinez (Our Important Character!)
José Julián as Luis Galindo (Our Hero's Loyal Son!)
Nancy Lenehan as Mrs. Donnely (Our Pretty Much A Nobody!)
Gabriel Chavarria as Ramon (Our Other Latin!)
Bobby Soto as Facundo (Our Other Latin!)
Chelsea Rendon as Ruthie Valdez (Our Hot Latino Gang Banger Girl!)
Trampas Thompson as School Security Officer (Our School Security Officer, Without Whom The School Would Be Insecure!)
Tim Griffin as Juvie Officer (Our Authority Figure)
Valorie Hubbard as School Secretary (Our - what? She's playing a school secretary.)
Dolores Heredia as Anita (Our Other Heroine!)
Isabella Rae Thomas as Linda (Our Other Important Part!)
Carlos Linares as Santiago (Our Nasty Hombre!)
Robert Peters as Truck Driver (Our Truck Driver!)

If you're looking for a film that you can watch without getting bored out of your mind and that will make your girlfriend tear up and get pissed off at the world, well... this is as close as you're going to get.  Keep reading to find out why, without spoilers.

On being ostracized...

In the past I have worked in the IT industry on contract, meaning that I'm not a permanent employee.  I'm only on site until the job gets done or someone fires me, whereupon I shake the dust from my heels and go find another job.  My very first job as a contractor was at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, where I learned that I wasn't just a contractor; I was a scum-sucking contractor.  I learned a lot of other things as well, in particular that if you actually worked and took on extra responsibility people would think that you're valuable and keep you around while other people would take an instant dislike to you for no discernible reason.

Restaurant Review: AMango

AMango Restaurant

5228 Monroe St.; Toledo, OH

Hours: Wed - Mon 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Closed Tuesday

(419) 517 - 0261

Flowers in May

While taking Excellent Rachmaninoff for his afternoon canine constitutional, I assembled my camera and the flowers in Main Lady's front yard.  The results exceed my own standards of mediocrity, so I'm posting them here.  I hope everyone enjoys them.

Got pain?

Call your State of Ohio elected official - they know everything.

Well, the morons in Columbus have managed to do it again.  Just when I was willing to believe that they couldn't do anything dumber, they proved that I had no idea what I was talking about.  Now they're trying to regulate the drugs an emergency room can prescribe for pain, and the urgent care facilities are enthusiastically doing their very best to hitch their own float to this parade.

That is, if you believe commercial media.

Police Shooting

This goes under the heading of murder by cop with a sub-heading of our completely screwed up justice system.

On December 14, 2009 Toledo police officer Diane Chandler shot and killed Linda Hicks.  I've written about the shooting of Linda Hicks or referred to it twice, once in Police State and again in Here's an offer you can't refuse.  I believe that the shooting was completely unjustified.

Flowers for Leontien

I caught this meme from Scriptor Senex at Ramblings from my Chair.   Evidently there's a nice young lady named Leontien at Four Leaf Clover Tales who lives on a dairy farm in Indiana and who's having a rather nasty time of it.  A few bloggers are wishing her well by posting a picture of a flower and providing link to her site.  It seemed like a worthy cause to me, so here's my own contribution.

Tulip

My best wishes and prayers for you, along with a hoist of my afternoon bourbon glass and a tip of the old fedora.

Philosophy of Carrying a Concealed Weapon

I think my views on the Second Amendment are known to everyone who's read my collection of diatribes, but just to make sure allow me to repeat myself.  The Second Amendment states that:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

That means that if I can bear the armament one way or another, my right to do so is recognized by the United States Constitution.  It also means that I'm allowed by the law of the land to carry my weapon of choice in any manner that amuses me to do so.  So, should I want to carry a Micro Tavor under my coat, complete with sound suppressor, laser sight, folding stock and any other Tennessee go faster I can buy and bolt on to it, that should be perfectly legal and should be protected by the Federal government.  Not everyone sees things this way, but I do.

Having settled the legalities of gun ownership and concealed carry once and for all, the real question becomes should I or shouldn't I carry a concealed weapon - and that's what I'm going to write about here.