Wow, I Smell Good!!!

I tried some new cologne out, DOLCE & GABBANA Cologne for Men, and so far the results are 100% positive. Of course, I've only asked 3 women how I smell. LOL But it does seem to be a good fragrance for me. I like a subtle cologne with a moderate scent, not one with an strong, overpowering smell. I ordered it through FragranceNet.com , a company I have done business with before. Previously I had ordered a girlfriend some products she couldn't find locally. I was looking for a bottle of cologne and happened to receive an email from them. When I checked the price they were very competitive on some (Like the D&G) and better priced on others. If you decide to check them out be sure and enter Link6 in the coupon code section for an additional 10% off.

Finally

We are finally fully back online. The network problems have been resolved and we have figured a better place to place the equipment for easier access when problems arise.

A Day (and counting) Without The Internet

It started late Saturday night. Around 11 PM local time. The network I get my internet access through went down. No prob, I thought, they'll get it running again in the morning. Nope. All day Sunday. Nothing. Nada. Zip. This morning it still wasn't working so I grabbed my laptop and went to the local Starbucks to check my email. Now as I sit at work I can check my email through webmail, but when I tried plugging my laptop into the network it wouldn't connect. I've had this problem before, I wish I remember what the solution was.

It is amazing just how much I use the internet. All day long I would think of something and start to head to the computer to check it out. Then to remember I couldn't get online.

It's hard to believe that 10 years ago the web was just in it's infancy. Maybe it wasn't even going then, I can't recall to tell the truth. I do know that in a short period of time it has become a major part of my life.

That is kinda scary.

Can The Democratic Party Be Changed?

I have been a lifelong Republican, only to see my faith in the GOP wane over the years. In fact, I am more Libertarian then Republican. There are still areas where I think the Libertarian position is better than what is being offered by either of the 2 major parties, and areas where I think the L position is outdated (open borders for example).

Below is a post I made on an email list I belong to:


> -----Original Message-----
> From: fidoguns@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:fidoguns@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of (Redacted)
>
> We don't have to call it the Libertarian party as such, just
> so long as
> the common man recognizes that we are the libertarians,

My Rresponse:

This is just my opinion, but I don't think the "comman man" will ever embrace the Libertarian platform, and the more he knows about it the more likely he will be to distance himself from it. Especially if "Mr. Common Man" is married to "Mrs. Soccer Mom."

That's why the more I think about it, the more Joe's comment about invading the Democratic Party makes sense to me. They have billed themselves as "The Party of the Common Man" for so long that most people buy it hook, line & sinker. Let's face it, we're never going to get rid of the welfare state programs in our lifetimes. Most D's that I know are concerned about items like Social Security, Medical Care, Crime, Education.... the list goes on & on. We'll never get rid of them, but we can work to moderate them. They don't buy into the radical left's solutions. They are for the most part conservative, or what we might refer to as moderates.

Most D's that I know could care less about abortion on demand, are against gay marriage and want us to keep our guns. They support our troops and what we are trying to do in Iraq, and would be happy as could be if we bombed the Muslims back into the stone age.

Most D's I know want controlled immigration and secure borders. They want economic opportunity for their children and grandchildren. They want a decent education for them and could care less about their "self-esteem" as long as they learn the basics.

That's why I think we have an opportunity to maybe not take over the Democratic Party, but to get enough conservative elements inside it to mitigate the damage the leftists could cause.

There's my 2 cents.

Is There Really A Connection?

Gas prices are up about 5 cents a gallon around here in the week after the election. I heard a blip on Fox News where someone was claiming it was because the election was over. I'm sure you recall that prior to Election Day many were claiming a conspiracy by "Big Oil" to drop the prices to give the GOP a better chance in the election. Does anyone really believe that so-called "Big Oil" doesn't have BOTH parties in it's pocket, and really cares who is elected? If the goal was to insure a continuing GOP majority, don't you think prices would have shot back up instead of just going up by a nickel? I have a better reason for the increase in gas prices. What is this Thursday? According to a survey shown on Fox News yesterday, of those surveyed who were traveling more than 100 miles for Thanksgiving Weekend, some 87% were driving. That's millions of gallons of gas. So if you can get an extra nickel, that's 50 grand per million gallons. So if nothing else changed (and I don't keep a close eye on the commodities market) that's an extra 50K profit per million gallons of gas sold. I'd do it, and you would too if you will be honest enough to admit it. End of story, hopefully.

Stormin Here In The Ozarks

It was a very rainy day here in the Ozarks. The projection was for around an inch of rain, and I bet it was at least that much, if not a little more. That also brought up a bit of a quandry for me.

It started last week when we had a windy day, a day with a cold, artic type of wind. I usually wear fleece in layers when it is cold, but that does nothing to stop the wind. My leather jacket will stop the wind, but my fleece won't fit under it and looks funky over it. Of course, my duster blocks the wind, but it is bulky. Today we had both the cold wnd and plenty of rain. Out came the duster which is fine if you are outside not moving much, like walking the dog or just meandering. but it is not something to wear if you are driving around and getting in & out of the car.

I also have a nice waterproof trench coat, but for casual stuff it is a bit dressy. Quite frankly, it is not very warm. Good for business calls on a bad day or going out, but again not for a casual day where alot of getting in & out of the car is on the agenda.

That led me down to Bass Pro Shops in Branson, MO. There I found a Gore-Tex PacLite Rain Jacket. I bought it large enough to wear over both a fleece jacket and a fleece vest. In addition I picked up a pair of RedHead Windstopper Gloves. The PacLite Rain Jacket is a thin shell. Putting on a fleece jacket and the shell over it, I found I was able to move quite well without binding. The gloves fit well, not too tight and not loose either. They have a surprising amount of feeling through the material. Now it was time to test them out in the elements. Getting in & out of the car was no problem, driving with the gloves on was a piece of cake. I went out to lunch and then to a couple stores, parking far enough to have to walk through the wind & rain in order to get to the establishments. The PacLite Jacket was superb. No rain got through and it did a great job of blocking the wind. One time, walking back to the car the wind was driving the rain into me so hard my face stung. None got through the jacket and with it zipped all the way up the hood stayed tightly around my head, which was insulated with a Carhartt Acrylic Watch Cap. The gloves did their job just as well. My hands stayed warm & toasty. I also wore them while walking the dog and had excellent feeling and control of the leash.

It looks like my search for an adequate layering system to keep warm through an Ozark Winter is almost over. The last thing I have to do is go back to Bass Pro and get the PacLite Pants to match the jacket!

Like Finding An Old Friend

This post is going back a few (or more...many more) years, back to when I was in High School. There were a few of us who worked for a company refilling fire extinguishers. Unlike today's youths, who walk around with pockets full of credit cards from dad & mom, we got the basics and if we wanted extra we had to work to buy it ourselves. Where shoes were concerned, the basics were one pair of regular shoes and one pair of gym shoes. Extra pairs had to be on our own dime. One of the guys at work signed up to become a salesman for B.A. Mason Shoes. Those of us who worked there would order at cost. I recall them being good quality shoes (even back then I was very picky about what I put on my feet.)

On a whim the other night I did a search for B.A. Mason, expecting to find a history of the company. Imagine my surprise to find out they are still in business, selling not only their own shoes but some of today's major brands also.

You may want to take a look at B.A. Mason.com, I think you'll like what you see!

Veteran's Day

Thanks to all who served.