Boeuf a Pistolet

From Boing-boing.

H.P. Lovecraft Box Lunch

Boing-Boing.

When In Indianapolis...

A two-hour tour of Fry's Electronics is de rigueur in Indianapolis.

But you should also try the food:

The banana walnut coffee at Cafe Pretentiu, or their vegan Bloody Mary.

The Reuben dog at King David's Hotdogs (just across the street from Morton's).

The chili cheese etouffe at Yat's.

The cheese quiche at Taste that was as fluffy as egg custard.

Morel mushrooms from Locally Grown Gardens, sauted in Irish butter.

And the guns:

The Darne shotgun at 500 Guns, 20-gauge with case coloring as beautiful as I have ever seen - like woodgrain in steel; or the Enfield Mk. 4 Trainer in original .22LR.

The Savage Navy side-hammer revolver at Beech Grove Firearms, with two triggers, one to rotate the cylinder and one to trip the hammer.

Blood Orange Vinegar

At Locally Grown Gardens.

Indianapolis Blogmeet, Sunday May 22 at 3 PM

At the Broadripple Brew Pub

It's official.

From 2008: Old Grouch, Turk Turon, Roberta X, Brigid, Tam, Rob D and the Usual Suspects:

At the picnic table at Locally Grown Gardens (2009) with Shootin' Buddy, Shermlock Shomes, Roberta X, Old Grouch, Shermlock, Jr (aka Hagbard Celine), Joanna and Tam:

And from December, 2008 in the aforementioned Brewpub:
Yes, that IS Wolf Blitzer in the upper left corner.
There's lots of room! See? Please come.

And at Brugge in 2010:

Special guests have included Frank W. James, Og The Neanderpundit, Caleb, Red, PA State Cop, Rob D., Wayne, Nathan, Carteach0, Breda, Mike, Thirdpower and many others, too numerous to mention.

You'll be smilin', too!

Edible Cigar

Food as art:

They made a Cuban pork sandwich that looks like a Cuban cigar. "We take the spices that go into the pork shoulder and fashion that into ash," said Cantu." We take the sandwich and wrap it up into a collard green" and add an edible cigar band. "We put it in a $1.99 ashtray and charge you about 20 bucks for it."

Boing-boing.

Causation or Correlation

In the past thirty years or so, there have been more than two dozen research papers published in American medical journals "linking" guns with a) homicide, b) suicide, or c) injuries. But as even the New York Times recently admitted (amazingly enough!) there has never been any finding of a direct cause-and-effect relationship between gun ownership and elevated risk of homicide, suicide or injury. These medical studies led one critic (was it Dave Kopel?) to ask, "On what basis do the researchers recommend not keeping a gun in the house when they have not documented any increase in mortality or morbidity as a direct result of having done so?"

One of my favorite comparisons is to a (hypothetical) study to determine the causes of obesity. The researchers recruited a thousand voluteers who were overweight to participate in the study. One of the things that the researchers did was to look into the eating habits of the volunteers, and when they did, they found that many of them consumed large amounts of diet soda. Their conclusion? "Consumption of diet soda is a risk factor for obesity."

It's a "reductio ad absurdum" joke, of course. No one, especially a team of Ph.D.'s, would be stupid enough to fall for that.

Oh, really?

New research that links diet soda consumption with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke has doctors urging caution about the controversial and preliminary results.

According to a study of more than 2,500 people presented today as a poster at the American Stroke Association International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles, people who drank diet soda daily had a 61 percent increased risk of cardiovascular events compared to those who drank no soda, even when accounting for smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption and calories consumed per day.

"This study suggests that diet soda is not an optimal substitute for sugar-sweetened beverages, and may be associated with a greater risk of stroke," Hannah Gardener of the University of Miami and her colleagues reported at the conference.

ABC News

Decimation

I was trying to come up with a good pun for a title, but this is the best I could do.

I drove down to Glen Allen to check out Green Top Sporting Goods. GT is a venerable gun-and-tackle store and over the years I've bought a lot of things from them. Today the excuse for my visit was to get some 10mm ammo. But there was none to be had!

Green Top does have some interesting history in a display case: one of their first bills of sale for a firearm, from 1956, when they were called "Green Top Service Station." And, from December 16, 1968, their very first form 4473.

So, I consoled myself with a couple boxes of .30 Carbine and moved on.

Moved on up the street about two miles to the Bass Pro Shops Superstore shown above. But they were out of 10mm, too. So I had lunch in their Islamorada Fish House and watched the tropical fish in their aquarium.

So, any improvements on the word "decimation" to indicate a lack of 10mm?

Winter Tour

The Star Theater in Berkeley, West Virginia

I drove to Indy in two days, overnighting in (*shudder*) Zanesville, Ohio. I chose a route that takes me through as little of Maryland as possible: basically Maryland is the width of the Potomac River at that point, and you're out of West Virginia and into Pennsylvania in less than two minutes. Maryland doesn't even have a "Welcome To..." sign there, 'cause there's no place to stop.

A storefront in Berkeley, WV

The upside of the route is that it passes through Berkeley Springs, WV, a delightful little mountain town with some good local restaurants.

Arriving in Indianapolis, Tam showed me a great little gunshop in Brownsburg: Premiere Arms. And it's a pity that I didn't have my C&R updated with my new address, or I would've returned with something, I'm sure.

I was introduced to Huck The Cat, Roseholme's newest resident. What a character! The world's largest kitten.

New Year's Eve it was my privilege to escort the lovely Roberta X (airship privateer, TV techie and now, published author) to dinner at Morton's. We had the traditional champagne cocktails...worth waiting a year for!

I can report that I was favorably impressed with the new version of True Grit with Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper and little Hailee Steinfeld.

Roberta, Tam, Brigid and I visited Artisano's Spices. You've GOT to at least sample some of their balsamic vinegars and spiced olive oils.

And speaking of spices, I was even allowed to sample the legendary Roseholme Hash! Spoiler alert: the secret is in the scissors.

The drive back was uneventful but scenic: the Tom Tom GPS unit reported heavy traffic on Rt 70 in Pennsylvania and re-directed me to state Route 30, a beautiful, winding rural highway. Then back through the same Hole In The Wall from Pennsylvania to West Virginia.

Stopping again at Berkeley Springs, I had lunch at Tari's Cafe. I ordered the special of the day, a Mediterranean Wrap. I wasn't expecting much, but it turned out to be one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted. Chicken, basmati rice (or maybe it was risotto?), artichoke hearts and secret ingredients, wrapped in a tortilla that is then toasted (or maybe it's baked). Wow! Highest recommendation.

The new embassy staff car, a 2002 Crown Victoria, performed beautifully. Preparing for the worst, I had mounted Michelin X-Ice snow tires on all four corners, and stocked the trunk with three MRE's (and chem-heaters for same), water, boots, socks, shovel, etc., etc. And the weather was some of the mildest I have ever encountered at this time of year. Murphy's Law, I guess!

Black Swan Eggs

Black swan eggs were the secret ingredient in Ovaltine until the late 1960's.

Boing-boing.

Bacon Tuxedo

Just in time for Christmas!

Rural Bicycling II

Today I saddled up and took a long ride on the bike, about 20 miles round-trip I believe. Crossed the Shenandoah River at a little one-lane bridge.

The GPS didn't start working for the first three miles. Blackberry GPS's are like that: they expect to have a working data connection, and if they don't have it, they'll keep looking, sometimes for hours, even though the GPS satellites are coming in loud and clear. Oh, well.

Here's the aerial view:


This was the most exhausting ride I have ever done. Nothin' but hills. I pedalled up one hill on the opposite side of the river from an elevation of 550 feet to an elevation of 850 feet. The road was "paved" with dusty, powdery dirt and gravel, and it was so steep that it was difficult to balance the bike: I had to lean forward to avoid toppling over backwards, but if I leaned forward too much, the rear wheel would lose traction. At the top of that hill, I decided, "OK, that's all I can take!" and I turned around and descended the hill; that's the steep drop in the graph.

Wheeeeee!

Over thirty minutes to climb, and then back down in about two minutes.

On the way back I stopped at the little campground store and bought an orange Popsicle: 35 cents. Best-tasting Popsicle I ever had!

I was gone four and a half hours and I was near collapse when I got home. I had plenty of water; I took a Camelback with three trays of ice cubes... I'm just outta shape!

Travel Notes

I applied one of those rain-repellent treatments ("Rain Clear") to my windshield before setting out for Indy and the result was quite interesting. Even heavy rain beads up and rolls off the windshield. Worked pretty well. I recommend it.


When I asked Roberta X which was the most interesting key in this collection, she did not hesitate.

At the range Sunday, we had, among many others, a Colt Pocketlite in 380, a Colt Detective Special in .38 SPL, a Ruger Mk III in .22-LR and a Kimber Ultra CDP in .45 ACP.

At the corner of College Ave. and 53rd St, someone had renamed the street "Fingerbang Ave." I am informed that this is the name of a fictitious boy-band from the TV show "South Park".

Down the road a bit at Taste, they have the most delicious confection I have ever eaten: bread pudding with chocolate and caramel syrup, slivered almonds and whipped cream.

On the way home, the Garmin GPS routed me through the Cumberland Gap on Interstate 68. The speed limit here is 65. I have just been passed by a Maryland State Trooper, just visible in the fog ahead as a blurry dark shadow.

My crappy old '95 Toyota Corolla purred like a kitten for over 1500 trouble-free miles.

The Monon Trail

I have now tried my bicycle on Indy's Monon Trail and I hereby pronounce it in every way equal to Virginia's W&OD Trail.

Here we see a couple of cyclists, and, passing them and looking back, we see Roberta X, Tam and Shooting Buddy, flying down the Trail.




Just off the Trail we discovered this little spice shop. They offer free samples for sipping, and we were all absolutely floored by their Black Cherry Balsamic Vinegar. Ambrosia!

Big Mac, VI

The CATO Institute is hosting a public forum on the McDonald case. The forum is on Monday, March 1 at 4:00 PM at 1000 Massachusetts Ave. The featured speaker is Ilya Shapiro, a CATO fellow. Open to the public without charge. If you can make it, you should register here. You can also watch a live video podcast. Although it is at 4:00PM, the announcement says, "Reception To Follow"; that usually means the famous Milton Friedman Memorial Free Lunch.

Oral arguments at the Supreme Court are at 10:00 AM Tuesday, March 2. If you plan to attend, you should be in line no later than 1 AM, as seating is very limited.

On Wednesday, March 3, CATO is sponsoring a "Capitol Hill Briefing" on McDonald at 12 noon in room B-340 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Again, open to the public without charge but you should register here. Includes the famous Milton Friedman Memorial Free Lunch.

UPDATE: here's a USAToday profile of Otis McDonald.

h/t Arms And The Law and Maddened Fowl.

Catching Up

I spent a delightful week in Indianapolis. Flew in and rented a car - the flight was smooth, the TSA was not unpleasant, and even the weather cooperated. It was very cold - down to 6 degrees F one night! - but only a few snow flurries.

Brigid put me up in the spare bunk at Home On The Range. Much appreciated!

Did a little shopping at The Mall Thursday afternoon - eight stores in three hours - and bumped into Shermlock Shomes and the delightful Mrs. Shomes. An unexpected pleasure!

Thursday night it was my distinct privilege to escort the charming Roberta X to dinner at Morton's, where we enjoyed champagne cocktails, seafood, steak, and hot chocolate cake with hot fudge filling topped with ice cream and raspberries! Doesn't she look great in a tiara? To the manner borne!

Sunday was range and blogmeet day. We carpooled with Tam and Shootin' Buddy to Popguns, then on to Brugge for the blogmeet. Roberta tried to get a wi-fi signal on her netbook but it couldn't be done. And friends, if a woman with an Extra Class amateur radio license tells you there's no signal.... then there's NO SIGNAL!

Your humble servant was momentarily transfixed by the beauty of the wall sconces at Brugge:

And upon returning home, I had a new CW key to try out! It's a gem! A miniature straight key, with tiny ball bearings, even! Note the number two pencil for scale. But the 40-meter band was a mess and there was nobody responding to my puny little 100-watt signal. I think I need a new antenna....We also saw Avatar and The Road and bought some new books at the used book store. Bobbi even found a 1966 paperback copy of Colossus! You sci-fi fans may remember the movie version: Colossus - The Forbin Project, about the autonomous missile defense computer that becomes sentient and takes over the world.

Now reading The Last Centurion by John Ringo.

BlogMeet Video

Let's see: in order of appearance, we have Roberta X, Joanna, Tam, Shootin' Buddy, Nathan, Shermlock Jr., Mrs. Shomes and Shermlock Shomes himself. Not shown are Brigid, Old Grouch, Rob D. and Wayne.

Classical Breakfast

Oatmeal and coffee while listening to The Four Seasons (Vivaldi) and Der Rosenkavalier (one o' them Strausses, Ah fergit which one).

Shanktified! Ha! I'm still chuckling. Java-lanche!

Meanwhile, outside, the wind howls and the rain pours.

Re-Examining My Investment Portfolio

They say that every investor should put his portfolio into order about once a year. For me that's easy! Here's my investment portfolio before:



And here it is after:

Everything I will need for a quarter-century of comfortable retirement, all in one convenient spot!

Not shown: coffee and ammo - neither will fit in picture without wide-angle lens.

Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe - avec bicyclette

By Édouard Manet (1862)

By Bow Wow Wow (1982)

My own lunch was not as exciting as either of these. I bicycled 21 miles out to Reston and enjoyed a brief arboreal repast of an apple and a banana, then bicycled home. About a 4-hour round trip.