Quote of the day

It is better to have old second-hand diamonds than none at all. - Mark Twain, Following the Equator

Quote of the day

“If two people love each other, there can be no happy end to it”
-Ernest Hemingway

Dreaming of warm places and a future

I mentioned to a friend that other day the possibility of moving to Mexico when I retire, and the less than enthusiastic response was basically "Why?"

That's the Sea of Cortez from San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico.

Any other questions?

What I'm looking at right now

Aww...they took him to the mall for his birthday.

If you're authorized to carry a weapon, and don't, say "baaaa"

http://www.policeone.com/off-duty/articles/2019751-Off-duty-Calif-cop-fatally-shoots-violent-man/

Through much of my career, I didn't carry a weapon off duty...too much trouble, too heavy, too hard to conceal, etc...but then I watched a video of Col. Dave Grossman giving one of his speeches. I've written here before about sheep and sheep dogs. The thing that Grossman said that has stuck with me since I saw that video was this:

“Do you have any idea how hard it would be to live with yourself if your loved ones were attacked and killed, and you had to stand there helplessly because you were unprepared for that day?”

I do have an idea. I couldn't live with myself if violence came to one of my loved ones because I was not prepared to confront it. Since that day I can count on one hand that number of times that I've been "unprepared", mostly because carrying a weapon was impossible or illegal, ie: on an airplane, Disneyland (whose weapons policy I'll NEVER understand), at the beach.

Thank God, and kudos to the officer that's the subject of this story, that he was prepared and didn't have to stand there helplessly while some scumbag did violence to his daughter.

Brothers, be prepared and watch your six.

What I'm looking at right now

Burgers on the grill and an ice cold Red Stripe...summer's coming!

Motivating Poster

I saw this over at Trigger Pull Tactical and had to repost it. It speaks for itself.

Video of the week

HT Ed, who named this "Video of the Week". Ed says this is "OK Go’s completely brilliant video for “This Too Shall Pass”", but I might go so far as to call it Video of the Year.