Parrothead Jeff

Happy Independence Day everyone !!!

I have a few thoughts to share in the short time I have left on my lunch break (I volunteered to work).

I never really realized just how much more independence the average citizen has in Nevada than California until I moved here. It’s more than just the gambling. Nevada trusts its citizens more than California does. Out here you can have fireworks, machineguns, silencers, and any type of semi-auto firearm you want. It’s legal to carry a gun openly in public without a permit anywhere in the state except government buildings, courts, schools, and private property where the owner decides it’s not allowed.

I don’t see why California thinks it’s dangerous enough to talk on a hand held cellphone that it needs to be illegal, but reading, shaving, eating, and putting on makeup are illegal. I don’t have a hands-free device for my cellphone and I talk on it while driving. I still haven’t crashed because of it. Most people have a clue that way.

My last thought for the day doesn’t involve California vs. Nevada. I was walking out to my car thinking about how freaking hot it is out today. It’s supposed to get up to 111 degrees, hotter still on blacktop like parking lots. But I think I’ve got it pretty easy. I get to wear pants and a polo to work. I go from my air conditioned work to my air conditioned car to my air conditioned apartment.

Somewhere over in the middle east and even on bases like Nellis, Creech, and Barstow, are U.S. servicemen and women who don’t get those luxuries. They wear protective clothing, sometimes body armor, and they stand out in the sun. It’s hotter over in the middle east and out on the tarmac and streets than it probably is on my walk to my car at work.

These people who have volunteered to serve deserve our thanks and our recognition always, but especially so today. They stand ready to defend us even if it means giving their lives for us and for our freedom. Take a moment today while you’re cooking on the barbecue, watching TV, lighting fireworks, or out shooting and say a prayer for the troops - all of them from the men who fought with General Washington to those who serve today. Don’t forget the rest of the people you never think about either - the CIA, FBI, NRO, DIA, and the rest of the “three letter organizations” and all law enforcement officers who work on our behalf. They are the reason we continue to exist as the great nation we know as the United States of America and the reason we continue to enjoy the blessings of liberty every day. I’ll be saying a prayer for all of our allies as well - ironically including the British - who aid us in keeping the flame of freedom burning.

Happy Independence Day everyone !!!

Due to all sorts of reasons, I will be leaving for Prescott, AZ tomorrow morning instead of tonight.

Still wish me luck on the journey down

I’ll be driving down to go see the family down in Prescott, AZ this evening (wish me luck!) and I’ll be taking my firearms with me for a father/son day of shooting as well. There’s something so right about Dad and I grabbing our AK-47s and going to the range, don’t ya think ?

Well, there’s something else I’m looking forward to down in Prescott - a trip to the J&G Gun Sales retail store You see, I’ve had my eye on a couple of military surplus bolt action rifles for a while and they just happen to have ‘em in stock along with that hard to find ammo for the Steyr

So I’m debating about whether to buy just one rifle, two rifles, etc. and which ones. I’m leaning heavily towards a Swiss K-31, but I might also pick up either a Mosin Nagant 91/31 or M44, or a Yugoslavian 8mm Mauser.

Only time will tell what I decide on, but I’ll be sure to post it !

So I checked my comments in moderation tonight and found a new one from Utahn on my post Hi-Point C9 - Adding a Handgun to the Collection:

Utahn

So, did you ever get the Hi-point, and how much do you love it?
Just got a used .40 last week, shoots straight, hasn’t failed once, (100 rds) only spent $119 too!
And if you haven’t yet, go to the Hi-Point forum
http://hipointfirearmsforums.com/Forum/

In the middle of moving to a new residence, buying a new car, and trying to preserve the little sanity I have left, I’d forgotten to post updates about the guns in general and the C9 in particular.

I’ve fired about 600 rounds through the C9 so far and I’ve only had a couple of rounds fail to feed. The rest of the rounds have gone perfectly. I’ve got several types of ammo for the C9 which will be tested this weekend, so look for another post Tuesday or Wednesday with further info.

About the other guns - The Steyr M95 is still running great and I just varnished the wood on the AK-47 so I’ll be shooting both of those this weekend as well.

Have fun and shoot safe everyone and happy Independence Day !

Saturday was a day of traveling for Cindy, her mom, her niece, and yours truly. Vegas may be a great place, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes you just want to get away. We loaded up into the HHR for a trip up north in search of fun and all and we surely found it - from swimming to alien hunting at the Little A’Le’Inn we cruised Nevada in style and comfort. Make sure to hit the jump for more pictures

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Sorry for not posting lately, but I can’t seem to find the energy. Life has lots of stuff going on behind the scenes, but I expect to be back up and running right soon.

I’ve been planning on going down to visit family in northern Arizona for quite a while now, but I’m starting to think I might need to go on down to SoCal, San Diego specifically. There’s been quite a few times lately when I’ve started to feel homesick for the salt air of the sea and the feel and flavor of freezing cold Pacific Ocean water. I miss the Star of India, Seaport Village, La Jolla, the Aerospace museum, and Coronado. I just purchased a new car, so I can’t say my vehicle is unreliable and I can probably find a way to pay for gas and a hotel room if I try. It’s a five hour drive, not too bad at all.

Maybe it’s time to go back for a visit…

Yep, I promised it so now I’m delivering - here’s the first pic of my new HHR

My Cavalier was a true basic car - crank windows, manual doorlocks, etc. The only option on that car was the deck spoiler! OK, so it had ABS and a CD player standard, but that was about it. The Cavalier had developed a few quirks over the years. I’d smelled a bit of coolant here and there, the air conditioning (a necessity in Las Vegas!) wouldn’t blow cold if the temperature was over about 85 degrees and you were going slower than about 45 MPH, and the speedometer would either read zero or 50 MPH too high on cold mornings. I won’t miss those quirks !!!

Fast forward and now I’m still trying to get used to some things in the HHR. Remote keyless entry, power windows, mirrors, and door locks, cruise control, auto-dimming rear view mirror, automatic headlamps, speed sensitive wipers, On Star - it’s all a bit overwhelming at times, but in a good way I can’t believe how quiet it is on the freeway and how smooth it rides. I just love the styling and all the room inside - all this with 30+ highway MPG Oh yeah, I made sure to get the 6 year, 72,000 mile warranty with zero deductible and the

There are a few custom touches I’d like to add sometime such as body color or chrome mirrors, chrome doorhandles if chrome mirrors, a billet grille, custom wheels, some interior chrome, maybe an OEM leather steering wheel, and a possible cold-air intake. Of course, I’m going to add a few Parrothead decals to the windows, too

Have fun and drive safe !!!

Yep, I went down to the Chevy dealer on Sunday and left in a brand new car ! I am now the proud owner of a 2008 Chevrolet HHR LS with the 2.2L engine and 5 speed manual transmission

I don’t know where the charger for my AA batteries is right now, but I’ll post pictures once I find it. Until then, this stock photo will have to suffice.

More detals soon, hopefully with the pics

The crash of my Cavalier got me thinking about another black Chevy I once owned and loved which met a similar fate. Quite a few years back now, I owned a 1988 IROC-Z that’s still my favorite car out of all that I’ve owned .

I have to admit that Eleanor (I named her after the Shelby in Gone in 60 Seconds) was problematic from day one. I purchased her from a supposed friend for $3,000, but failed to do a pre-purchase inspection - the seller was a friend, right? Well, I did my first oil change and found that the oil looked like a chocolate milkshake - coolant in the oil !!! It turned out that when said friend’s wife was driving it, it severely overheated, blowing the freeze plugs as well as (not known at the time) cracking the block down the lifter valley in a way that it could not be welded. My supposed (read as former) friend then insisted that I had done this racing the car. BULLSHIT !

With the loan of $1,000 from a friend, I was able to procure and have installed a used engine out of an ‘88 Firebird and we were back in business! Even with having to replace the starter, alternator, mass airflow sensor, oxygen sensor, engine computer ($80 at Auto Zone WOO HOO!!!), many hoses, the distributor, and a few other things (mostly done myself), I still loved the sound of the 305ci V8 engine, the open air feel of having the T-Tops off, and the feel of driving something that was just so FUN !!!

To tell the truth, the accident which ended my time with Eleanor was a blessing even if it was heartbreaking. You see, the check engine light was not about to go out and nobody could fix it. It needed a tune-up, it needed to be smogged within a week, and I was broke. A 17 year old girl screwed up and wound up crashing into me and totaling Eleanor. Her insurance company paid me much more than they should have (long story) and hauled Eleanor away.

Now that I’m back in the market for a car after over six years, I’ve found myself on several websites looking for another black (yes, even in Vegas in the summer my IROC would have to be black !) ‘88 IROC with T-Tops and scheming for ways to afford them. No, it’s not the most practical car by any stretch of the imagination, and yes it would be labor intensive, but I still think about all the fun times I had in my IROC and how much I would love to have another one.

While in the process of moving, I recently came across some pictures of my IROC and I’ll post one soon after I find it and have a chance to scan it.