The Countertop Chronicles

Anyone Here

2008-05-21T16:53:00.000-04:00

Why not visit me here

We've Moved

2007-02-07T19:23:00.000-05:00

To the countertopchronicles.com

Adjust your links, your newsreaders, and your bookmarks appropriately.

New page is still a work in progress, but all new posts will be there.

test

2007-02-06T11:15:00.001-05:00

Fuck Blogger

2007-02-05T16:09:00.000-05:00

heh, its been a long time coming (and I get the old look back).

check it out (though it won't be up and running at full speed till after the baby comes).

I owe someone A WHOLE LOTTA DRINKS (was gonna say LOVE but I'm married so lets not go there).

Modeling

2007-02-05T12:12:00.000-05:00

I admit it, I'm a geek.

Going way way back. Had a pong. Had a Vic 20 and a Commodore 64. GI Joes and Star Wars action figures too. What I also loved as a kid was model airplane kits.

The wife and I have been looking for something to get my son into, little gifts for him and things I can do around the house after the baby is born. While getting a frame at Michaels, we came across the great selection of plastic models and supplies they carry. While still probably a little advanced for a 4 turning 5 year old, he got excited about the idea of building planes.

So, for Christmas his grandfather gave him this model of a P-51D Mustang. He took it out and asked to put it together, so yesterday afternoon, before the Super Bowl, we headed over to Michaels to get paint and glue and the other essentials. While there, I stumbled on this kit for a Lockheed P-38J (my favorite plane of World War II) and picked it up too.

We ended up sparying all the parts down with a coat of aircraft metal gray before the game, and then post game I began to paint the cockpit of the P-51D for him. Its the first model I've built in 15 21 years or so, but I really enjoyed it. Tonight, and over the next couple of weeks, we are going to construct both of these planes.

I'll post pictures when I am done.

Anyone else out there into Airplane Modeling? Got any good online resource links? Suppliers? Neat models I should check out?

Six Super Thoughts

2007-02-05T12:04:00.000-05:00

1. Sloppy Wet Game. Awesome. I don't care if it was wet and sloppy with lots of turnovers. Football is all about mud and ice and snow. The Colts killed the Bears (and Peyton and the Vols finally beat Grossman and the Gators) but the game was still worth watching because it was within one big play reach of the Bears right up till the end. As memorable a game as the ice bowl (which I've seen on video - wasn't alive then).

2. Commercials sucked. Big time. The Katie Couric ones were the worst. Ugh. And whats up with Sheryll Crow hawking hair coloring? At a football game no less. I did like the Grand Theft Auto Coke commercial, and Rock Paper Scissors. And K-Fed.

3. Shannon Sharpe - couldn't understand a word he said all night long.

4. Prince. Rocked. Royally. Just as he started, we began to comment how this would be another lame halftime show. I asked, rehtorically, why don't they just bring out the marching bands and strike up John Phillip Sousa. Well, he listened. Those black college marching bands are awesome. Good for Prince for including them and Good for Prince for putting on the only memorable, entertaining, rocking superbowl performance in recent years.

5. More Prince. Good for Prince for not having any "suprise special guests" to ruin the show. He carried it on his own. And super Kudos to Prince for having the balls to actually perform. No taped lip synched performance here.

6. Pre Game - we watched Animal Planets Puppy Bowl III. Great fun. Got everyone in the mood. Highly recommend it next year. Who doesn't get all happy watching puppy's tackle-and-fight-and-roll-on-the-ground playing with each other.

Out and About

2007-02-04T01:59:00.000-05:00

Went to 2 Amy's for dinner tonight (official site, here with some friends. As always: good company, great wine, outstanding pizza.

Of note: George Stephanopoulos, wife (Alexandra Wentworth, who according to Wikipedia played Jerry's girlfriend in the Soup Nazi episode), and his two kids.

George is a good guy. Can't stand much about the Clinton's, and never watch his show (or any sunday morning political show), but he and his wife were making funny faces and doing dumb table side dances and things to entertain the kids. His ability to act, publicly, like such an idiot in as crowded and public a place as 2 Amy's certainly speaks strongly of his humanity and overall decent guyishness. Good for him (and for his kids). His wife seemed human too. BTW, he had the same long wait as everyone else.

Also: Son totally hit on the hot blonde - a good 45 years his senior - sitting at the next table. Walked up to her, held her hand in his two hands, and proceeded to say "Hello, I am _____. Would you like to see my toy? You very beautiful hair, Can I touch it? Why dont you come sit at our table? We order Pizza. You sit next to me . . . I sit on your lap. Here. Its ok, can't she mama??"

Blog Stuff

2007-02-04T01:54:00.000-05:00

1. Been getting hit with lots of spam comments the last few days. Annoying. Haloscan has worked great the last few years, but for some reason can't keep up with spam comments in old posts. Anyone know how to turn comments off on a post?

2. New blogger sucks. I didn't want to make the move, but it made it for me. Looks like I'll be making an actual move - finally - to wordpress. One of my local blog buddies (and more recently, just occaisionally mid day lunch time drinking buddies) has graciously offerred to help me set my meager little blog up at a new host and with wordpress. Look for that move in the coming weeks (as time permits).

3. Yes, with a new move will come a new skin (and hopefully easier to read text).

4. Not that anyone even reads this blog anymore.

5. And no, we haven't had a baby yet (thought last nights full moon would do it ... but alas, no).

Like You and Me, But Better (part deux)

2007-02-02T16:07:00.000-05:00

Breaking developments in the most lawlessness of Prince George's County asshole extraordinare Keith Washington (who I mentioned the other day).

"My investigators were notified that Brandon Clark was taken into surgery early this morning and died," said a written statement issued by Prince George's County Police Chief Melvin C. High. "This is an unfortunate turn of events that now becomes a part of the internal and criminal investigation."

Its nice to see the Police Chief is going to treat this as a criminal investigation (watch you, Chief High, my guess is that the cronies of Prince George's County asshole extraordinare Keith Washington are gonna see to it that your investigation is never completed).

As you might recall, Clark was

shot by Cpl. Keith Washington, who is a police officer as well as a top homeland security official in Prince George's County, at Washington's home in Accokeek during what was supposed to have been a simple swap: one Marlo Furniture bedroom set for another.

An argument began between Washington and the two men and escalated quickly, authorities said after the incident. It ended when Washington, a 16-year police veteran, drew a 9 mm Beretta and opened fire on the unarmed movers, police said.

Yep. Thats what gun control will do for you.

in other news, I spent the day in court in Prince Georges County in a domestic violence case (I was a witness). A young lady I know was beat up by her boyfriend (surprise, surprise, also a cop). She's safe now, and I think we put the fear of god into him (or at least all his fellow cop buddies who seemingly disappeared after we raised the possibility of seeking criminal charges against them for their actions on his behalf). Anyway, was working with an attorney there who grew up with Prince George's County asshole extraordinare Keith Washington and was quick to defend him - but admitted (as she put it) "He may have gotten away with the time before this, and the time before that, and the one before that, and that thing before then, but he's gonna have to do some fast talking to pull this one off"

She didn't doubt he would walk away.

In any case, tell me again why the police are the only ones who should have guns???

Jim Webb

2007-01-30T15:44:00.000-05:00

I know, I know.

His State of the Union response may have left a bit to be desired. Oh well, chalk it up to a rookie mistake. He still has some very admirable charecteristics, including some that his fellow senators could learn a lot from.

Exhibit A: Fred Hutchins, his new liason to SW Virginia.

Hutchins met Virginia's newest senator on a shooting range, where he saw the former Navy officer handle a gun with deadly accuracy. He was hired while they were shooting targets, he said.

Need I say more.

Minority Report

2007-01-30T11:05:00.000-05:00

I usually make it a point not to comment on work related matters, but this is simply too much to keep my mouth shut.

Say the Bush Administration, in a new effort to stop the flow of drugs (or, heh, illegal guns) on the street came up with a Minority Report approach. Using a statistical model, and knowing that 30% of african american males aged 15-25 and living in DC will be caught selling drugs or otherwise violating the law, they were able to determine - based on reports these machines spit out - which african americans walking the streets were more likely than not to have committed a crime (or will commit a crime in the future) and then went and simply started arresting people based on this.

Pretty outrageous right? Enough to warrant calls for impeachment? Perhaps federal criminal penalties? Civil liability?

I'd generally agree. However, what really troubles me (and drives the passion behind my distrust of environmentalist and federal bureaucrats) is that the same thing happens in an environmental context - especially concerning clean water act violations driven by the demands of Robert Kennedy and his Waterkeeper Alliance - and hardly a peep of protest arises.

Last week, EPA charged four feedlots in Iowa with illegal discharges of agricultural wastewater.

Owner Alan Zellmer told Brownfield Friday the EPA accusation came as a "total shock," and that the EPA had no evidence he had actually polluted. "They have no physical evidence whatsoever, "Zellmer said. "The allegation comes from a model that they have in Kansas City, and they ran our average rainfall through a model, and it says that I discharged, but they have no physical evidence whatsoever."

Brownfield spoke with officials at EPA's Region 7 headquarters in Kansas City Friday. Regional Administrator John Askew confirmed that in Zellmer's case, the accusation that Zellmer is a polluter is, indeed, based on an engineering model. Askew also confirmed the EPA doesn't actually know if a discharge has actually occurred.

"There is a high probability that there has been discharges, so, yes, we are using a model," Askew said.

But EPA attorney Dan Breedlove told Brownfield the model is accurate. "Just because there hasn't been a fishkill reported doesn't mean that there hasn't been impairment to the waterways," Breedlove asserted.

Yet, today, the New York Times runs a completely slanted (surprise, surpise) story on a new executive order signed by the Bush Administration (full disclosure - I worked, from the industry perspective, on the development of this order and consider many of the officials quoted in the story to be close friends and collegues) on the need for more executive oversight of the regulatory agencies.

In an executive order published last week in the Federal Register, Mr. Bush said that each agency must have a regulatory policy office run by a political appointee, to supervise the development of rules and documents providing guidance to regulated industries. The White House will thus have a gatekeeper in each agency to analyze the costs and the benefits of new rules and to make sure the agencies carry out the president’s priorities.
This strengthens the hand of the White House in shaping rules that have, in the past, often been generated by civil servants and scientific experts. It suggests that the administration still has ways to exert its power after the takeover of Congress by the Democrats.

Permit me a few thoughts.

1. The federal agencies are under control of the EXECUTIVE BRANCH of government. Regardless of the Democrats takeover of the LEGISLATIVE BRANCH, last time I checked the Republicans controlled the EXECUTIVE BRANCH.

2. All agencies are already controlled by appointees from the EXECUTIVE BRANCH. To suggest that the President, as the CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER of the Federal Government can't impose his will on federal agencies is not only ludicrous, but reveals either a basic misunderstanding of the United States of America or (more realistically) is intended to deliberatly deceive and misinform the readers of the NY Times regarding the functioning of the Federal Government (I don't criticize the Times running the story, it is in fact a newsworthy development, only the political spin they have put to it).

3. Bureaucrats are notorious for skirting the bounds of the law and constantly seeking to expand their power far beyond that which has been delegated to them either by the President or Congress. As my buddy Paul Noe is quoted as saying , the point of this executive order is to make the inner workings of the federal bureacracy more transparent. Certainly the NY Times agrees the public demands a right to now what is going on at federal agencies run largely by unelected bureacrats - reporting to no one - who exert phenomenal control over the nations direction.

4. Get over it. Right now, there is at least a 50% chance that the next President could be a Democrat. Last time I checked, Bill Clinton had just as many poroblems with career bureaucrats at EPA and the Department of Interior as George Bush has (funny, how those same complaints weren't given the prominence in the NY Times that they are now). Wonder if the Times will be singing a different tune in 2 years.

The Wife

2007-01-29T14:04:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have known she's been pregnant.

Well, just got back from the doctors, she's not dilated yet, but 50% effaced.

gonna be a daddy again some time this week. Just hope I have enough time to finish things around the house. Its gonna get interesting.

UPDATE

Still no baby, but I am home watching my son who has a pretty serious gastro intestinal virus (and hence can't be near my wife).

California Bleg

2007-01-25T23:28:00.000-05:00

Got a bleg for ya'll.

Please email me any response, since I am not really going to have access to the page over the next week or so.

anyway, I am going to be heading to Anaheim California for a week at the end of February.

I've been to California once before, in January 1995, when I spent a week in Death Valley and then drove up to San Francisco for the wildest and most crazy weekend of my life. This time, I am going to be in Anaheim for most of the week, but will have one day entirely free. Some of the folks I work with want to go to Disney Land. Since my son can't join me on the trip, and I will have a newborn baby at home, I think the thought of Disney Land will pretty much put me in a foul mood, and so I want to avoid that (even though, staying across the street from the Magic Kingdom its sort of unavoidable).

anyway, here's the bleg. What cool things are there to do in Anaheim for a day (I will have a car)? Any places to shoot guns? I could go to the beach (and Hollywood) but thats not really my scene. I'd much prefer to hit the desert and go hiking. Where should I go and what cool things are there to see? How far will I be from Death Valley? Joshua Tree? Anything else closer? Any good ghost towns? What are the laws in California on having a gun? I assume I can't carry it concealed, but if I am in the desert, can I open carry it? Can I even bring it with me to the state or is its mere possession going to get me in trouble?

Any other thoughts?

Like You And Me, But Better

2007-01-25T23:17:00.000-05:00

Pro Gun Progressive and myself have been going back and forth in the comments to one of his post. I don't think we will ever agree on the issue of wolves, but I am pretty sure we can both agree that Maryland politics - and the decision of who gets prosecuted for gun crimes and who doesn't - leave a bit to be desired.

Take today's case concerning Prince George's County asshole extraordinare Keith Washington (I am positive I have blogged about this shit head in the past, but can't seem to find the posts, I'll keep looking).

An argument began between Washington and the two men and escalated quickly, authorities said. It ended when Washington, who is a police officer and a top homeland security official in Prince George's County, drew a 9mm Beretta and opened fire on the unarmed movers, they said.

Police said that they believe the officer, a 16-year veteran, acted in self-defense and that the two wounded men probably will be charged with assault, based on statements from Washington and a family member whom they did not identify.

Now, if police in Maryland provided this level of deference to the actions of law abiding gun owners in the state, I'd normally be cheering them on. And heck, I'd usually instinctivly support the cop in a situation where he is protecting his home. The problem though, is George's County asshole extraordinare Keith Washington isn't just any ordinary person. Not only is he the top "homeland security" official in the county (whatever that means), but he has a pretty shady history.

Washington, 45, a former driver for County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), has long been a controversial figure. He was sued in 2000 by a man who claimed to have been arrested and strip-searched for protesting Washington's rough treatment of a motorist -- a civil verdict against Washington was overturned on appeal -- and was later temporarily suspended for alleged aggressive behavior during meetings of a homeowners association board on which he served.
Because of that history, Johnson was accused of cronyism and poor judgment when he named Washington in 2004 to be deputy director of homeland security. Johnson brushed off the criticism, saying that he hired Washington in part because he is "mentally tough."

SOTU

2007-01-23T22:05:00.000-05:00

Couple of thoughts.

Best presentation of a SOTU yet, he seemed relaxed as if a great weight was lifted off his back. Perhaps we'll finally see the president we've know we would.

Looks like my meetings the last couple of days paid off. Tempered his original proposal and put forth something more reasonable (sorry, not gonna tell you the subject)

Sat next to Jesse Jackson Jr at lunch today at Charlie Palmers. He was wearing the same outfit tonight. He's still an idiot.

Just Ban It

2007-01-22T15:06:00.000-05:00

Ban underage clubbing?

Why not just ban guns?

Oh yeah, thats right. They already have.

Much good that law does.

On Ethics Reform

2007-01-20T11:00:00.000-05:00

What he said!

Like You and Me, Only Better

2007-01-19T13:57:00.000-05:00

This is pretty outrageous, and I really can't post many details about it but ...

I work with a woman who was abused by her fiance. He happens to be a cop, working here in DC for a federal police force. She left him, and has a temporary restraining order against him (which was issued by a Prince Georges, Maryland county court).

Last night, he violated the restraining order. When she got (luckily safely) away from him, she reached a phone and pulled out the restraining order and called the number on it.

Someone answered. Told her that no one was around, there wasn't anything they could do because the office was mostly closed for the night, and that she should come by the police station to file a report in the morning.

I've offerred her a gun (as well as some sane legal guidance since her local PG county attorney is pretty worthless) though thats probably illegal since Maryland (and DC) are both pretty much opposed to women defending themselves.

I'm trying to get her to move to Virginia.

You Listening Bloomberg???

2007-01-18T06:38:00.000-05:00

Quote of the week

Nice to have a government that takes your money and uses it to pay some asshole to search the web for websites that dare to criticize their efforts to destroy the Constitution...

gudis, in comments

Fuck You Bloomberg

2007-01-17T16:10:00.000-05:00

I'll take your 2 minute DOJ visit Uncle, and raise you 30 minutes with the Blooming Idiot Billionaire

With Republicans Like These, Who Needs Democrats

2007-01-16T09:45:00.000-05:00

The other day I asked if I could still consider myself a Republican.

Seems Virginia incompetent Congressman Tom Davis's (RINO-McLean) wife wants to seal the deal.

State Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, R-Fairfax, is sponsoring the bill that gun control advocates contend would close what they call a loophole that allows people to buy firearms from unlicensed dealers without a background check at gun shows. Similar measures have died in past legislatures -- last year, a proposal pushed by state Sen. Henry L.Marsh III, D-Richmond, died in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee.

Davis described her bill "as not about taking away anybody's Second Amendment rights" but a "commonsense bill."

Bullshit. Your trying to prevent me for selling my guns. Your trying to prevent me from buying new guns. Your trying to put gun shows - and the dealers they support - out of business.

And, lest you think this is just some politician acitng out of the good of her own misguided heart - think again. The commie mommies are pulling the strings on this one again.

The measure has failed to pass in previous years, but that does not sway supporters such as Jim Sollo, vice president for Virginians Against Handgun Violence.

"We're going to keep bringing this bill up until it passes," he said.

Never one to pass up a dead body, Davis somehow is equating the tragedy in Pennsylvania with taking away my guns.

Similar bills have died in the Senate for the past four years, but Davis said numerous school shootings last year and a shooting spree outside a northern Virginia police station that killed two officers may help to change her colleagues' minds.

VCDL's latest report has more, including this bit of reporting (which they will post video of and which you won't see in the papers)

The highlight of the day was when Senator Devolites Davis (Senator
DD) held a press conference on her bill to close the non-existent
'gun show loophole.'

We decided that we should attend that press conference with our
bright orange "Guns Save Lives" buttons.

About 25 of us headed to the press conference and we outnumbered the
bill's supporters!

While waiting for the press conference to begin, the press cameras
were panning our way and some of the press came over to interview us.

The entire conference was taped by Matt Gottshalk, who is doing a
professional promotional video for VCDL free of charge. I am SOOOOO
glad Matt was there taping and I think you will agree:

Senator DD said to the press, "This is not about taking away anyone's
Second Amendment rights."

After she spoke, the next speaker was S. Buford Scott with Scott &
Stringfellow, an investment banking firm in Richmond associated with
anti-gun BB&T (boy, is that a surprise).

Mr. Scott proceeded to say that, "If the matter were left up to me, I
would REQUIRE the registration of ALL firearms in the whole United
States."

He went on to state that he wanted us to be like Canada, where all
guns are registered!

FINALLY, the TRUTH from the dark side about their FULL agenda.

I appreciate Mr. Scott's candor and will share it with the Senate
Courts of Justice committee when the gun show bill comes before them!

He then proceeded to come up with a survey where 85% wanted this kind
of gun control and 82% wanted this other kind of gun control and on
and on. All of his numbers were over 70% in favor of gun control!
The firm that did the survey was here in Richmond and I was left with
the impression that it was affiliated with either Mr. Scott or his
firm.

As soon as the press conference was over, the press headed over to
interview VCDL, leaving Senator DD and the other antis standing there
without much to do. ;-)

Board member Bruce Jackson and I were surrounded by press. Bruce was
in an optimum position relative to the location of the press and got
most of the questions. He did a great job. EM Dave Van was also
interviewed and handled it very well, appearing on FOX news in
Richmond.

We are going to post some great still photos from Lobby Day and also
the video of Senator DD, Mr. Scott, and the Q&A that followed on the
VCDL site. I will advise when you can view them.

Drop Kick Bow Wows

2007-01-16T08:28:00.000-05:00

Some call them toys, I call them Drop Kick Punters.

as in perfect size to drop kick and punt away from me*

But the big news, the club said, was the No. 2 ranking in both the city and the country: the Yorkshire terrier, overtaking larger breeds like the golden retriever and the German shepherd.

but even worse, and another sign why New York City is simply out of touch with reality is the dog of choice amongst New Yorkers.

In New York, the most popular breed in 2006 was the poodle, with 77 registrations, or about 8 percent of the club’s total in the city. It has been the most popular breed for two years in a row

My lab eats poodles for lunch. He doesn't bother with the Punters since there's not enough meat on them. With those, we simply use them to play fetch.

Disregard the messy floor, I was in the process of building a window seat
(which you can see in a half finished state in the background)

* if you didn't get it, this is a joke. Lighten up PETA person. I wouldn't seriously drop kick a dog (or play fetch with one) though I am not a small dog person.

I Can't Believe Its In The New York Times

2007-01-15T23:48:00.000-05:00

Its Knoxville in New York City.

and not a visit by one gun banning mayor to another.

Nope, the blogfather himself has gotten a doozy published in the NY Times Op Ed section.

Cool . . . . .

A Rifle in Every Pot

Sounds good to me, and it should really drive a load of letters.

Greenleaf is following in the footsteps of Kennesaw, Ga., which in 1982 passed a mandatory gun ownership law in response to a handgun ban passed in Morton Grove, Ill. Kennesaw’s crime dropped sharply, while Morton Grove’s did not.

But in all seriousness, the editorial is going to be most noteworthy because of the important historical discussion midway through.

Precisely because an armed populace can serve as an effective backup for law enforcement, the ownership of firearms was widely mandated during Colonial times, and the second Congress passed a statute in 1792 requiring adult male citizens to own guns.

As they say, read it all

Too Bad, So Sad

2007-01-15T09:48:00.000-05:00

As they say, Shit Happens

Two of Saddam Hussein's aides were hanged before dawn on Monday, the Iraqi government said, admitting that the head of his half-brother Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti was also ripped from his body during the execution

Barzan would be Saddam's once feared intelligence chief.

Slick Dick

2007-01-12T16:42:00.000-05:00

heh.

Me, i Am Sure i Think i'vE cReated an unBeATable Idea tO eNter