The story behind this video as I understand it, the wife gets drunk and tells a joke. The husband records the joke, animates it, and makes a video out of it.

Over the past few days I have been thinking about a lot of stuff. A lot of small stuff, to small to make their own post about. So I thought I would combine a lot of small topics into a random thoughts post.

I promised a buddy of mine that I would tone the political stuff down. Rather than posting political topics here, I will keep them on PBJ News.  So here goes.

Video Gaming -I guess it is a matter of me getting older, but fewer and fewer games have that “wow” factor.  Back in the 1980s and 1990s some of my buddies and I could play Atari and Super Nintendo for hours at a time.

Now, its takes a lot of keep me interested in a game.  Borderlands 2 got boring within 2 hours and Skyrim lost it after maybe 2 – 3 hours.  The only game that has been able to keep my interest over the past 3 years had been Left 4 Dead 1 & 2.  Since Diablo III has the always on internet requirement I did not even bother buying it.

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After receiving some complaints about the amount of political commentary on this site, I have decided to do two things:

1 – Reduce the amount of political commentary posted here.

2 – Open a new website where I can rant all I want about political stuff.

The new site is called PBJ News, as in Peanut Butter and Jelly news. Why PB&J? Because it is quick, simple, and something that fills the soul. It is a name just about everyone can relate to and it is easy to remember.

With all of the gun hating, conservative hating, family values hating sites on the net, I figured we needed a site that pushed conservative values.  I have this vision of PBJ news being not only a conservative news site, but also a conservative opinion site.

I am so tired of gun hating liberal sites spewing their hatred, I figured it was time to open my own site to spread core conservative values.

This is just my personal opinion on things, I think the United States is going to hell in a handbag.  The government has turned against the common working people, while liberals push for social equality for those who do not deserve quality, meaning illegal immigrants.

While companies like apple turn record profits, a record number of people are on welfare.  The major news would rather report on celebrities, rather report on the pressing issues.

We need sites that push for holding people responsible for their crimes, rather than liberal sites who would rather blame society.

Join me in my new endeavor, head on over to PBJ News and add the site to your bookmarks.

After the events in Boston is has become clear that we need more bomb control.

Here is what I purpose:

7 day waiting period on buying a bomb – This is a cool off time to make sure someone is not buying a bomb to kill a jilted lover. The cool off period is to give the person buying the bomb time to think about their actions.

We do not want someone buying a bomb in haste or while they are angry.

Kevin Felts on Google+

Background check for all bomb purchases – We want to make sure bombs do not fall into the wrong hands. The background check is to make sure those buying a bomb are not criminals (like criminals care about laws).

Not only do we need background checks for licensed bomb sales, but also person-to-person bomb sales.  If an individual wants to sale a bomb to someone else, they need to go to the local police department so a background check can be ran on the buyer.

Bombs have to be kept out of the hands of criminals.  The only way to do that is for a universal background check.

Limit bombs to 10 pounds of explosives – Bombs that have have 15 pounds of explosives are too dangerous for civilians.  Only the police or military need bombs with more then 10 pounds of explosives.

Bombs with more then 10 pounds of explosives are nothing more than weapons of mass destruction and most be prohibited.

License for the manufacturer of bombs – Anyone who makes a bomb will be required to have a license.

Restrictions needs to be put on being able to modify a bomb, such as adding a timer, remote detonator, or adding more pounds of charge.

Liability insurance for bomb owners – If someone owns a dangerous bomb, that person needs to obtain at least 1 million dollars of liability insurance.

You never know when an irresponsible bomb owner might leave a bomb laying around for a child to find.

Limit how many detonators someone can have – If someone has more then 100 detonators then that person will need a special permit from the government.

There is no legitimate sporting purpose for anyone to have more than 100 detonators in their procession.

But then again – when do criminals care about stupid laws?

Laws like the ones listed above would only apply to law abiding citizens, as criminals do not care.

Saturday, March 2, 2013 I said goodbye to an old friend.  C.D. Broussard lived life as it was supposed to be lived. He never had a harsh word to say about anyone, not once did I see him get angry. When C.D was at your house you were never bored, as C.D. could carry on a conversation with anyone. Whether it was computers, comic books, video games,,, C.D. knew something about it.

In December 2011 C.D. Broussard was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

He lived the good life,
He fought the good fight,
and now he rest as he has never rested before.

C.D. Broussard lost his struggle with cancer in February 2013.

Several years ago a mutual friend of ours passed away from a sudden heart attack, his name was Joe. At the memorial service and funeral for Joe, C.D. cracked a joke about how much a grease fire there must have been while Joe was being cremated. Joe was a fairly large fellow, as he probably weighed over 400 pounds when he died. We all talked and laughed about how Joe did us a favor being cremated.

That is the way C.D. was, he could find the humor in anything.

Got a phone call from a buddy of mine informing me a mutual friend had passed away.

December 2011 C.D. was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He had been feeling ill for a long time, maybe 6 months or more. But as most men do, C.D. put off going to the doctor.

He fought the good fight,
He lived life as it should be lived,
Good drink,
Good food,
Good friends.

You will be missed my friend.

Just another example of the sissification of America, this time its from Dartmouth college.

In short, college kid talks jibberish to a couple of asian students.  Asian students are offended and file a complaint.

Holy crap, really?  I wish I could file a complaint everytime I have been offended.

Offended asian kids, welcome to the real world.  Think you will be able to file a complaint when you have a flat tire, or when the power goes out, or when a bird craps on your car, or when you get sick,,,,.  The world is full of unpleasant situations, get used to it.

It is funny how I remember certain things as if they were yesterday, and then it seems like who years are missing from my memory.

January 28, 1986 is a day I remember quite well.

On January 28, 1986 I skipped school with Bryan, Eric, and my brother. We found out later that day the space shuttle had blown up.

If I remember right, Bryans truck had a flat tire as we were going through burger king for breakfast that morning. We agreed a flat tire was a good reason to skip school.

What did we do with our free time? We ended up shooting pine cones out of trees with 22 rifles for a couple of hours. I bought my Ruger 10/22 the day I turned 18 years old – January 17, 1986. I was itching to take my new rifle out and shoot something, so why not shoot pine cones?

After we got tired of shooting pine cones, we went to Erics house to watch TV. It was at this time we saw the news that the space shuttle had blown up.

Eric was upset because he changed the TV channel and his moms soap opera did not record on the VCR.  Maybe “upset” is not the best word to describe the situation.  Eric was on the edge of being in tears.  He was worried his mother was going to beat him when she found out he skipped school.

Today is my birthday, I turned 45 years old.  Depending on how you look at it, turning 45 is either not too bad, or it sucks.

Retirement – One thing that bothers me is I am nowhere near being ready for retirement.  I partially blame myself, but I also blame every 401k management firm I have used.  Since 1994 just about every 401k management firm has lost money, except for the one I am using now.  How am I supposed to save for retirement when the people managing my 401k lose 20% of my money every year?

Something I worry about is if social security is going to be around when I retire?  I know people who have never worked a day in their life and they are drawing social security disability.  I work and pay into the system for some lazy bum to draw benefits?

Working Hard – When I was growing up, kids were told to “grow up, get a job and work hard.”  Because we “worked hard” our efforts would be recognized and we would be rewarded.  I know now that is a lie.  Working hard is a wage slave mentality.  No welding company is going to reward your efforts unless they have to.

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One thing that has surprised me after the Sandy Hook shooting is all of the hatred towards guns. This is not your typical “we need to ban guns” type of hatred that we see after a shooting, this is unbridled hatred.

This is the nazi and the jews type of hatred, pit bull attacks a baby type of hatred,,,,. If those people could, they would take every gun away, and that is absolutely crazy. Crazy that logical people have a knee jerk reaction to a tragic event.

Instead of placing the blame on the root cause of the gun violence issue, gun haters blame the tool. That is like blaming Snap-on for someone drinking and driving.

If the people are not united, can we survive as a nation?

After Waco and the Branch Davidian stand off, did gun haters want religion control?

After the financial collapse of 2008, did the gun haters want banking control?

With so many pit bull attacks every year, are the gun haters calling for pit bull control?

President Obama is having US citizens killed with no due process of law, are the gun haters outraged about that? Probably not.

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My Google Profile

Maybe “dividing resources in your long term survival plans” is a good title for this article. But its all I could think of at the time.

Like a lot of people my wife and I have limited resources. We are just everyday middle class people trying to get by. Just like everyone else we pay our taxes, pay the electric bill, internet, health insurance,,,,. Once everything is paid we try to decide how to save money.

The issue we are running into, my wife and I are looking at moving away from Jasper Texas to a rural area. Jasper is already rural, but we want to get further away from town.

We need to put a water well on the land, sewer system, build a chicken yard,,, and a few ether odds and ends to get our new life started.

Then came the Adam Lanza incident and renewed calls for an assault rifle ban.

I am finding myself pulled into some of the panic buying. There was a short period of time between the shooting and Dianne Feinstein calling for more gun control and prices going through the roof. During that short time period I picked up another AR-15 for less then $1,000.

A gun store has some AR-15s for $1,300 each. As I consider buying another AR while I still can, I keep thinking about what that $1,300 could pay for at the homestead. We could probably put down a septic system for between $1,500 and $2,000.

But then again, we are not looking at a ban on septic systems.

When you have X amount of resources, and two projects that need funding, how do you decide which is the best long term investment.

I see the AR-15s as an investment into security for my family and my property.

But then again, if all I wanted is a firearm, I already have those bases covered.

Will a new assault rifle ban really ban military type weapons?

For those of you old enough to remember the 1994 – 2004 ban, all the assault rifle ban did was affect the appearance of the rifle. Companies were still making AR-15s, just without a bayonet lug and flash hider. I currently own a Bushmaster XM-15 that was made in the assault rifle ban. The only difference between my old AR and the new AR, is the flash hider and a bayonet lug.

I might buy the other AR, then after the first of the year focus on getting moved.

What do I “really” want in life? To live in peace and quiet.

I want my chickens to be able to scratch through the leaves, roam around looking for food, to live as chickens are supposed to live.

I want to be able to sit on the back deck and listen to the win blowing through the trees.

Buying another AR-15 does not help me obtain that goal. All that rifle will do is help me protect what is mine.

Forum Thread – Dividing Resources

Dealing with the ex-wife again, this time its over a gun she claimed came up missing during the divorce.

What really happened, some people lack a single decent level of respect for other people.

Its simply amazing how someone can warp reality to believe what they want.

This world would be a better place if people would respect others. Is a little respect too much to ask? For some people, yea, asking for respect is a little too much to ask for.

The question I ask, why do people have to act that way? Is it a mental disease, too much lead in the water, genetics, mom do too many drugs while she was pregnant,,,, or something else?

What causes certain people to have a lack (or no) empathy for those around them?

Maybe its a survival thing left over from our primal existence? To survive the ice ages, maybe some people stole from others, instead of working as a team for the betterment of the community.

Does selfishness reach no end?

During the housing collapse of 2008 I think we say a good example of selfishness and a lack of empathy. To the money lenders, people were a loan number and nothing more.

Some people take their actions past empathy, and into a field of hatred.

What makes someone so angry that they lash out at everyone around them? There is no talking, there is nothing but screaming and pure rage.

How can someone live in a constant state of rage?

Most people get mad, then calm down a little while later. But there are some people who never seem to clam down, its as if their life is ruled by rage and screaming fits. How can people live like that?

Maybe its a lack of team spirit? That the people think its them against the world? Maybe they think the world is theirs for the taking? Those other people out there are just in the way and are to be brushed to the side like insects.

Isn’t charity and empathy some of the features that make us human? When we strip those away, what are we?

As I was reading through an article on Toms Hardware about the greatest video cards of all time, I caught myself looking at the dates on the video cards, and then comparing those dates to things that were happening in my life.

Between 1996 – late 1999 were a great time in my life. My third son had been born in 1994, my daughter had been born in 1996, I had a steady job with good benefits, a little overtime here and there.

I started going to Lamar College in Port Arthur around 1995.  It was time to get out of the welding field, so I went to Lamar to learn computers.

Then there were the video games such as Diablo, Quake, Red Alert, and the camping trips into Orangefield Texas in the mid 1990s.

The early Quakecons were a blast. Driving to Dallas, staying with my buddy “Acid Breath” and his wife for the weekend, those were good times.

Around August 1999 all of that fell apart when I was laid off from Allied Fabrication in Rose City. The company had recently lost a lot of money, I had missed time due to my drinking. When it came time to reduce cost, I and a couple of other people were let go.

In all honesty, I loved working at Allied Fabrication. They were a great group of people that I really liked working for.

Regardless of how much I liked the job, all good things must come to an end.

Towards the end of 1999 and into early 2000, I was feeling really down. The jobs I was able to find sucked – terrible pay, no benefits and really long work hours.

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Its difficult to believe the end of November is almost here, and the end of 2012 is drawing near. Where did 2012 go? It seems that the older I get, the faster time flies by.

For Thanksgiving dinner, my wife, my daughter and I are going to my mom and dads house in Bridge City. My uncle might be there, my brother has to work, but he might drop by.

My Google Profile

We will probably have the traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, dressing, ham, pie,,,, along with all of the fixings.

The end of November is a great time for Thanksgiving. The year is drawing to an end, its time to look bad, reflect, and give thanks for what we have. In todays economy, a lot of people are lucky to have a roof over their head and food on the table. Some people are not so lucky or blessed.

After eating with mom and dad, my wife, daughter and I will probably head back to Jasper to get ready for Black Friday.

The Walmart in Jasper Texas has certain items that will go on sale at certain times, and at certain locations in the store. There is a map on the walmart website that can be printed out to show where the items will be at.

Instead of there being a mad rush for the items, its first come first serve. If you want the item, get the map, go to the marked location in the store. There will usually be some tape on the floor designating where the line for the item starts.

This will be the third black Friday my wife and I have done at the Walmart in Jasper Texas. Its not the crazy experience you see on TV with the doors flying open and hundreds of people bum-rushing for the items they want.

If you want the item, get in line early. Last year my wife and I were inline for around 8 hours.

When we arrive at Walmart, the first thing we do is go to sporting goods to get a couple of lawn chairs. Then we find the item is marked in the store, then we setup camp.

To break the boredom I will make a trip to the magazine section, get a magazine, go back to my chair, read it, go back to the magazine section and swap out for another one.

A lot of people get lawn chairs, use them all night, then leave them in the store for the Walmart employee to put up. My wife and I buy the lawn chairs. Since we used the chairs, why not go ahead and buy them.

In the past two previous years there has been a fight over towels. Why would anyone fight over a stupid towel?

I like to use Black Friday to shop for SHTF survival gear.  Lowes in Jasper Texas usually has Maglight LED DD and DDD flashlights on sale.  I like to pick up a couple of those lights to give out at Christmas and to have a couple in inventory.  The Lowes usually has tool kits on sale, so I might pick up a tool kit to bring to the Bug Out Location.

The Walmart in Jasper Texas is advertising a SIG Sauer M400 enhanced version they are supposed to have on Black Friday. But as of yesterday, sporting goods had not got any of the rifles in stock. nor were the rifles marked on the Black Friday store map.

I thought about buying the SIG Sauer M400 enhanced version, then putting a Bravo Company midlength upper receiver on the Sig lower.

Time for another random thoughts post.

The Amazing Spider-man

Bought The Amazing Spider-man for the grandkids to watch. The grandkids are between the ages of 3 and 5 and were not interested in Spider-man. But they can watch The Avengers all day long.

Why did Sony have to go back to Spider-man having an artificial web?

I thought The Amazing Spider-man was a rather bland.  I like how they got away from the Green Goblin and introduced The Lizard.  The original Spider-man movies seem to stuck on the Green Goblin.

Wages Today

A few days ago I was thinking about how much money I was making in the welding shops. In 1987 the top pay of the welding shop I was working at was $11.13 an hour. Minimum wage was $3.35 an hour.

11.13 divided by 3.35 = 3.3223.

In other words, top pay in the welding shop was 3.3223 times minimum wage in 1987.

In 2004 I checked back at that same welding shop, top pay was only around $14 an hour, which was less then 3X minimum wage at the time of $5.15. In other words, wages have not kept up with inflation or minimum wage.

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