The Review From Here

New Business: Joslyn Place Photography

2009-11-18T04:38:00.000-08:00

In today's economy and in our culture of "Big Box" retail and mass production, I think that it is important to remember that small businesses are the largest employers in the United States. As Americans, we owe it to ourselves and our neighbors to promote and patronize as many local seriecs and retailers as we can.

I would like all of you folks in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, to meet Kimberly and Meredith. These ladies own a local business which I hope you will support, in aid of which I have invited them to use my little corner of cyberspace to tell you what it's all about.
Take it away, ladies.

Gunfighter, whom I have the privilege of working with at DC Metro Moms (he's the official Dad), has offered us the wonderful opportunity to guest post on his blog to announce our new business called Joslyn Place Photography. We are located in Northern Virginia and we specialize in: family, newborn, maternity, pet, teen and group portraits. Many of our sessions are done right in the client's backyard, favorite park or outdoor setting. We like to share our work on our blog as well as on our big girl portfolio website.

About The Photographers

We are a team of two, A Laverne & Shirley for this century. Joslyn Place is wonder twins activated. Or at the very least, we are cousins. We go by Meredith and Kimberly. At long last our lives have geographically come together in Northern Virginia which isn't too far from where our parents started out back on Joslyn Place in Cheverly, Maryland. The proximity has finally allowed us to combine forces and share our love of people and life through photographs. This is good news for you.

I, Meredith, am the lead photographer. That means that while we’re together I’m looking for the right space, the right light, the right moment to capture you being you. This is, hands down, my favorite part. All you have to do is spend time with your people. And all I have to do is notice and capture you.

I, Kimberly, am the second shooter. I began following in my cousin’s creative footsteps and fell deeply in love with both the imagery of the art and the experience of the shoot. I enjoy putting people at ease and bringing out the comedy of the moment. I head up the organizational end of things mostly due to my anal retentive nature which, in turn, often leads me in the direction of a great bottle of red. I like to say that I savor life.

We love the details of all the ties that bind. We love the second where those ties and personalities surface and are captured while you were wiping a crumb off his shirt or helping her avoid the mud. We crave the moments where you can see the details of a misplaced hair, a smirk or a wrinkle and feel every ounce of that thing called love.

Our cameras capture your story so far.

We’ll catch your beauty, your heart and your funny all wrapped up in one.

We cannot wait to work with you.

Meredith & Kim
PPA Members

We have two types of sessions to fit your holiday needs and wallet:

2009 Holiday Package $500

· Sitting fee (90 minute session)
· Three 8×10 Stand Out Wall Prints
· Print Gift Set (One 8×10, Two 5×7s, Eight wallets)
· CD containing 10 images. Each image provided in color and B&W with copyright release.

Holiday Mini-Shoot $250

· Sitting Fee (a 45 minute session)
· CD containing 5 images w/ copyright release – perfect for creating holiday photo cards.

*Along with either package, our a la carte prints, listed below, would be offered to you at 30% off.

PRINTS:

8 wallets (2.5×3.5) = $10
4×6 = $5.00
5×7 = $7.50
8×10 = $10.00
16×24 = $90.00

Check out our calendar for the day that suits you. Let’s take advantage of this stunning fall weather, pretty please.

We can't wait to work with you!

Love,

Kimberly & Meredith

Please note that I have not been compensated for this guest post. I am just trying to do right by some nice people.

Book Review - True Blue

2009-11-18T04:32:00.000-08:00

Several weeks ago, the fine folks at Hachette Books were kind enough to ask me if I wanted to review an advanced copy of David Baldacci's new police mystery, entitled "True Blue". Despite the fact that I almost never read police stories (never mind what I do for a living), I decided to give it a go. Since today is the official release date for the book, there is no better time than now for a review.

OK, let's get to it, shall we? I enjoyed this book. I did... and that surprised me. I fully expected a lot of crappy and archaic terms that someone got of a badly-made police movie from the 1950's... but that isn't what happened. Baldacci seems to have really done his homework especially as it regards the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department. This simple fact helped me enjoy the book more that I would have thought, because I have so many pals on the Department (special shout out to my protege M, in 1D).

In this story, Baldacci tells the tale of Mason "Mace" Perry, a hot shot former police officer who was set-up, convicted of a crime that she did not commit, and imprisoned. Her sister, Elizabeth, is Washington DC's Chief of Police (hello Cathy Lanier!), a true leader in this ever politicized town. When Mace is finally released from prison, she figures that the only way she can get back on the force is to bring to justice, all of the people who set her up, thereby restoring her honor (and her eligibility to wear the blue again). She'll have a long way to go, because as soon as she gets out people start getting murdered.

Despite her sister's repeated warnings, Mace sets out to investigate one of the murders on her own, and then she meets Ace Georgetown lawyer Roy Kingman. Combining forces, Mace and Roy begin to... well, I think that I will let you find out the rest on your own, but believe me when I tell you, this is where the wild ride begins!

In this book you will find murders, police procedure, lawyers (good and bad), spies, government deception, crime in the name of "National Security" (and haven't we had enough of that?!), corruption, and all sorts of action.

If you live in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, I think that you will enjoy the book, even though Baldacci could have been a little more descriptive of the specific locations he used to tell his story, but truthfully, I don't think that any of this impinges on the story itself.

If you like police mysteries, you'll like this book. Give it a read, I don't think that you'll be unhappy. As I said, today is the official release date for the book, so it is available at local bookstores and online.

GF

Please Note: While Hachette Books provided a copy of the book, I have not been compensated in any other way.

Book Review: Pursuit of Honor

2009-11-18T04:27:00.000-08:00

I recently finished reading Vince Flynn's latest novel, Pursuit of Honor, and I would like to tell you a little bit about it.

Flynn's main character, Mitchell Rapp, is a CIA counter-terrorist operative who spends his time covertly doing violent and bloody things that most people can't imagine themselves doing. What I mean by that is the Rapp finds out where terrorists are and he kills them. Sometimes he kills them after using "enhanced techniques" to interrogate them... which is to say he sometimes tortures them. If you are waiting for me to get weepy about that, keep waiting.

Anyway, in this novel, which picks up immediately after the end of the last, is about finding the terrorists that got away in the last book, so that Rapp can do what he normally does, but there is a fly in the ointment (isn't there always?).

In this story, Rapp's fellow operative, Mike Nash, is starting to burn out, and his family life is suffering along with him as he wrestles, morally, with the things that his job requires him to do, and living the secret life that he does. These feelings are not only affecting Nash's marriage, but also his ability to think clearly in the field.

I won't give any spoilers as to how Rapp and Nash go about dealing with the terrorists who are still at large America, other than to say that you'll like that part of the story if suspense, action, skulduggery, and cloak & dagger adventure are your thing. Nor will I give anything away as to how Rapp is able to help Mike Nash find a solution to his personal woes, but he does both with great effect.

Vince Flynn writes a good story most of the time, and he has done a fair job here, but as a reader, I would warn him that he should probably leave off with his political tirades masked as soliloquies by Mitch Rapp. Truthfully, Mr Flynn, it gets tiresome... so give it a rest, because you are beginning to sound like something of a crackpot.

Recommended

TV Show Review: Glee

2009-11-18T04:22:00.000-08:00

Generally speaking, if I love a television show it is destined to be canceled. Seriously, almost every show that I love lasts a season, maybe two before it is ended for not having enough support, or because it conflicted with other shows that were just a little more popular. It gets irritating, especially after the recent cancellation of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.

This fall, with the beginning of the new television season, I decided that I was going to give a few shows a watch to see if the networks could find me somebody to love... and they did.

If you have been watching Glee, you wll have been watching the breakout hit of the season! I don't usually gush about television shows, but this one is really good. Glee is funny without overselling the humor, dramatic without being morose, and just good fun. The fact that it has music that is well done and doesn't grate on my ears is just a bonus.

The basic premise of the show is that a young teacher agrees to take over the Glee Club at a small-town Ohio high school. The Glee Club is demoralized and only has one or two members, none of whom can be remotely considered cool. While the new teacher tries to recruit people, he is stymied at every turn by the creepy coach of the cheerleader squad (who calls them "Cheerios"). Anyway, the usual dorks v. cool people premise plays out in it's usual way, but is made that much better by the music, which is really good.

I suppose that if I cared to do so, I could dissect this show and figure out reasons to hate it, but I'm not going to. Why not? Because the show is fun, thats why, and I think that if more people had more fun, they would sleep better, live longer, have more fulfilling sex lives... and they'd quit being such tools.

Recommended!

The Peek

2009-02-19T03:42:00.000-08:00

This year, I wanted to do something really nice for my wife on Valentine's Day. It's not I don't normally do something nice, but I am usually a schmaltzy-card-and-expensive-chocolate kind of guy. This year I wanted to give my wife a present that would be cool, useful, and completely surprise her.

After a bit of deliberation, I figured out what it would be: a smartphone! smartphones are cool, aren't they?, I know that they can be useful, and I know that it would completely surprise her. So I went and looked at various smartphones. They had touchscreens, email, web-browsers and all the other bells and whistles that I could ask for... they also cost a couple hundred dollars. Well, it isn't like I'm a tightwad or anything, I could afford to buy her one of those things, but while the cost of the gadget being one thing, the service plans were quite another. No thanks.

What to do?

Well, the answer was simplicity in itself. I went to my local Target store and purchased The Peek!

The Peek is an email device that will allow you to receive email from as many as three different personal email addresses. It doesn't browse the web. It doesn't include a GPS beacon, It doesn't remind you to pick up your kids from their horseback lessons. Most importantly, it doesn't try to do all of these things and be a telephone, too.

The Peek is the email device for everyone. It is well designed, simple to operate, incredibly easy to set up, and best of all, there is no service contract and you get unlimited emailing service for $20 per month!

Some of you, by now are sitting at your desk, muttering about your smartphone saying: "Yeah but I can text with my smartphone!" Sure, you can do that, but you can do that with The Peek as well. If you use some online applications, you can even Tweet & blog from your Peek!

The Peek is thin, fits well in your hand, and the screen is large enough to see well, even if your eyes are not as young as they used to be... like mine. The Peek is the device to have if you just want away-from-home access to your email, and you already have a cellular phone. It's the gadget that even non-techie types will love.

Right, so it's functional, comes in cool colors (I have the charcoal, Mrs Gunfighter has the cherry), it's easy to set up, and doesn't cost much to operate. All of those things are good news. Now let me give you one more piece of news: The Peek, which normally sells for $100, is now on sale for $49.95.

That's right, $49.95... Compare that to the popular smartphones or blueberry devices out there.

Go get one of these things, and then get one for your sweetie. You'll be glad you did!

The Bush Administration: A Review

2009-01-22T04:32:00.000-08:00

A great day for America. Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th President of the United States.

If you don't mind, I'll quote President Gerald Ford and say that "our long national nightmare is over".

I will try to refrain from over-sentimentalizing, but I am certain that it won't shock you to know that I am excited. Excited for our future. Excited about the possibilities that this day means. Excited for my daughters, excited for my Grandmother, and excited for my parents. I'm Excited for my ancestors... all of my ancestors, black and white. I am excited for America.

I have no illusions that with the inauguration of President Obama, everything that is wrong in this country will be put right by next week. I have no illusions that with the ascension of Barack Obama that everything wrong in this country will change... even in the long term. I remain excited, nonetheless, because in electing Obama, this country has showed, enthusiastically, that it has reached a tipping point. We, the people, have had enough bad leadership from our government.

We have, by electing this man to be our leader, taken a positive step in restoring sane, responsible government. This isn't a matter of Right v. Left, nor of Democrats v. Republicans, as much as it is about making wrong things right.

Over the past eight years, a particular faction of anti-democratic reactionaries have run roughshod over the government of the United States. The government of, by, and for the people has been mightily abused and as a result, the American people have been mightily abused.
These reactionaries spent the past eight years making our national treasury the playground of largesse for any corporation or conglomerate seeking to make money... taxpayer's money, in the name of "privatization". These evil men and women engaged in the political sleight of hand of deceit and deception, and fooled the people, at least for a while, into believing that the "party of fiscal responsibility" could fight two wars, improve schools and infrastructure, create something close to a balanced budget, and cut taxes all at the same time, and maintain solvency.

While these governmental pirates had their snouts deep in the trough of Midas and were busy bribingdistracting the ever-shrinking middle class with "stimulus" checks, they were busy molesting our Constitution in ever more vile ways. These people treated our laws with no less brutality than that of a dark-alley rapist, with secret prisons, torture, warrantless searches, indefinite detention without trials or even charges. This sort of thing is wrong in any circumstances, but it is thrice-damned when you consider that these things were also done to American citizens.

The Bush administration, at the direction of their leader, and with the collusion of their party affiliates, instigated and initiated a war of aggression against a sovereign nation that wasn't a threat to this country, our way of life, or our economy. This war destroyed a nation, made it less safe and opened that country to internecine religious strife, which, until our intervention, it had never seen on this scale in modern times. Without the slightest compunction, our country, being led by the criminal clique of George W. Bush, and his lick-spittle sycophants, began a bloodletting unequaled in modern western military history. A bloodletting that didn't have to happen, that was based on distortions, lies, and outright crimes. A war that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths, thousands of American and allied military deaths, and untold thousands of wounded soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines.

Anyone who is reading this knows that Bush and his quasi-fascist gang of Constitutional thugs were unpopular, that fact became abundantly clear early in their time of national control, but they didn't care. We don't like the law? Don't even bother to change it... let's get our pet lawyers to write something that says it doesn't pertain to the Executive Branch. Don't like the fact that the Attorney General is being investigated for crimes in office? Have him refuse to answer questions put forth by Senate committees. Don't like the treaties that we are signatory to? Ignore them!

George W. Bush wasn't content to flout the laws of this nation, no indeed, his domestic policies regarding education, in the form of the "No Child Left Behind" act, took measures that could potentially cripple already struggling public school systems. Mr. Bush's one-size-fits-all view of education started and ended with teaching students to pass standardized tests, which is fine on it's face, but fails to take into account that if all you are doing is teaching to a testing standard, you are failing to educate the whole child. Further, the "No Child Left Behind" initiative was basically a cover for attacking public schools in general and public school teachers and their Unions in particular. The idea here is that the more blame and scorn we can heap on public schools, the more money the government could take away from public education in order to fund private schools, which does nothing for the education of children in either public or private school.

All of this was done in the name of "school choice" which is just another name for segregation.

The list of crimes and nefarious activities of the Bush administration is long. Certainly too long to be properly enumerated here, but I have to tell you that, Mr. Bush and his people were out of control from start to finish. Their leadership was a a nightmarish exercise in failure.

Failure.

Failure of leadership. Failure of good citizenship. Failure in every single aspect of governance. Mostly, the Bush administration was a textbook example of the failure of character.

Welcome, Mr. Bush, to the ash-heap of history, your place is well-deserved.

CD Review: Melissa Etheridge - A New Thought For Christmas

2008-12-04T08:03:00.001-08:00

As has become my custom, I am reviewing this year's best new buys in Christmas music. Here is the first (and best) of this year:

Melissa Etheridge - A New Thought For Christmas

In this new offering, Etheridge covers some tried and true Christmas standards on this CD, but her aim was to have a CD that focused on the theme of "Peace on Earth" and has included some original songs that I believe will immediately become holiday classics in their own right.

Etheridge's voice is as bluesy and as soulful as ever, and the arrangements are awesome. Guitar solo's by Phillip Sayce are a high point in a recording full of high points.

As much as I enjoyed all of the songs on the CD, the following songs really stand out:

Christmas in America; Glorious; Merry Christmas Baby; and Glorious.

As I said earlier, Etheridge covers some standards on this CD, but don't let that lead you to believe that she does the same old songs, the same old way... she doesn't.

Now, listen to your old friend Gunfighter... give this album a listen and I promise that you won't be disappointed. This recording is THE one not to miss this year.

Merry Christmas!

Gunfighter

Book Review: Extreme Measures

2008-10-27T05:11:00.001-07:00

Last year, I reviewed a Vince Flynn novel called Protect & Defend and told you all how much I enjoyed it. Well, author Vince Flynn has released his latest offering, and it doesn't disappoint.

In his newest novel, released October 21st, Flynn once again delves into not only the dirty, vile, morally indefensible world of radical Islamic terrorism, but also gets into the morass of Washington, DC politics.

Flynn's main character, Mitchell Rapp, is a clandestine CIA operator, a counter-terrorist operator who works out in the field, killing or capturing the avowed enemies of the United States, and he is good at what he does. When the novel opens, we find Rapp and another operator interrogating two senior Taliban/Al Qaeda prisoners about a terror operation that is about to take place inside the United States. Not surprisingly, the terrorists believe that they can hang tough and not answer questions due to post-Abu Ghraib political pressures.

They didn't count on meeting Mitch Rapp.

Rapp was having some success getting information from the prisoners, when the base commander, looking to protect his own ass, put a stop to the harsh interrogation, and had the Military Police arrest Rapp and hold him in custody.

The CIA get's Rapp out of jail and whisks him back to Washington, where he and operative Mike Nash have to do major damage control, appearing before Congress, taking heat from chair-warming bureaucrats etc... While all this is happening, the terrorist cell that is plotting an attack arrives in the United States and heads to Washington, DC.

I don't want to give too many spoilers here, so I'll end here... except to say that during the attacks, my favorite Capitol Hill watering hole, the Hawk 'n Dove was destroyed.

Anyway, in Rapp's inimitable fashion he goes about hunting down and killing as many of the perpetrators as possible, along the way, making a very high-powered ally out of a political enemy.

Look, Flynn's novels aren't heavy. They aren't politically correct, either. They are exceptionally violent (although not mindlessly so). The characters swear, they talk about sex, they kill people, and they take their kids to LaCrosse practice. Flynn's novels are not likely to win any fiction prizes, either, as they are fairly formulaic, but what they are mostly is a whole lot of fun.

I highly recommend this book.

Book Review: The Scourge of God

2008-10-25T05:53:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite authors, S.M. Stirling is at it again, with his newest publication, The Scourge of God (A novel of The Change).

This new offering takes place in the year 2021, which is also known as CY (change year) 23. In this world that Stirling has crafted, there was a "Change" that took place in 1998, wherein all electricity, mysteriously ceased working. Internal combustion engines stopped firing, gunpowder no longer burned, and Nuclear power plants went dead. In this world, all at once, the lights went out, and a new age began.

In the first three installments of what will eventually be seven (I think) novels, we saw exactly what this loss of technology and power meant to the world in general, and the United States in particular, through several point-of-view characters: Mike Havel, former Marine and pilot who is transporting a wealthy man and his family on a private charter plane when "the lights went out"; Juniper McKenzie, a bard/busker who is a single mother as well as an active member of a group of Wiccans; and Norman Arminger, who is a not-very-nice member of the Society for Creative Anachronism.

In these novels, Stirling shows us, in sometimes very stark detail, that despite our claims at "civilization", we are no further removed from what we would call barbarism, than a few missed meals, and a few dark nights. The characters in these novels not only survive, but thrive in a world very different than the one they knew.

In this newest installment, young Rudi McKenzie (the son of Mike Havel and Juniper McKenzie), and a band of young people from the various new nations that were born out of the chaos in the Pacific northwest, have set out on a quest to get to the center of the mystery of "The Change", which lies in the retrieval of a sword, from far-away Nantucket island. The problem is that in order for McKenzie and his friends have to get to Nantucket, they have to traverse most of what used to be the United States, which means crossing the territory of the very hostile United States of Boise, bands of un-friendly "neo-Sioux", and the Army of the Church Universal Triumphant (CUT)

Mind you, this is no sword and sorcery novel (well, maybe it is, I guess that depends on your view of science fiction), but it will certainly appeal to people who enjoy that genre as well as anyone who enjoys "time displacement" stories as well.

I won't give any spoilers, but if I were a science fiction reader who had never had the pleasure of reading anything by Stirling, I would run... run, not walk, to your nearest bookseller and start reading S.M. Stirling's stuff.

You'll be glad you did.

The Mako Group T-Pod

2008-10-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

The Mako Group T-Pod expandable bi-pod/vertical M-4 grip, at first blush, seems to be a very useful tool. Right from the beginning, I noticed that in the closed position, this product fit my hand much better than the issued vertical grip, which is manufactured by Knight’s Armament.

The T-Pod was very easy to install, and remained secure throughout my test. When used as a vertical grip, the T-pod suits me well. It is large enough to fit my hands, and didn’t slip at all. In this capacity I give it good marks.

When used as a bi-pod, the T-Pod is a very stable platform, but there, my kudos come to an end. As I said, the T-Pod is useful and stable as a vertical grip and in the open position, but the problems for this item begin when transitioning from one use to the other. The T-Pod is difficult to get into operation because you have two push two buttons to open it and extend the spring-loaded legs. The fact that the two buttons are close together helps some, but even with my big hands, I had to do some manipulating to get them open at the same time.

Once in the open position, the shooter isn’t able to use the grip itself, since it splits down the middle. In this configuration, the shooter must either grip one half of the open bi-pod or the front hand-guard of the rifle.

Another problem with this item occurs when the shooter transitions from the Bi-Pod configuration back to the vertical grip. In order to close the Bi-Pod, the shooter must squeeze the split parts together (being careful not to pinch the palm of the hand), then push both buttons, and press the legs against some sort of hard object to get them to load back into the grip.

If you were using this product for varmint hunting, I think it would serve just fine, but tactically, I don’t particularly care for it.

Book Review: "A" is For Atticus

2008-09-29T05:31:00.000-07:00

You know me, don't you?

You know about lots of things in my life, because in my narcissism, I love ~~talking about myself~~ sharing things with you. Not only do you know of my love for my family, you also know that I love some really crappy television shows, and politics. You know that I own several kilts, and that I have a few tattoos. You know what I do for a living, that I teach Sunday School and coach youth soccer.

You also know that I love to read.

I recently had the good fortune to review a new book from the Hachette Group called "A" is for Atticus, by Lorilee Craker.

I have had the pleasure of reviewing lots of books, but this is a new thing for me, because it is the first time because I have ever reviewed a baby name book. Truthfully, I had no real expectations from the book, because I figured that it would be another collection of names with some sort of focus. I was about to be surprised.

As you know, there are a huge number of baby name books out there, and many of them have a particular focus, giving parents an incredible wealth of potential names for their soon-to-be-born children. As you can imagine, all of these books start to look alike in a very short amount of time.

Those of you who have become parents since the dawn of the Internet, also know that there are innumerable resources for baby names online... and that there are computer models that track the popularity of names and identify trends in baby names.

This book is a different because it is all about names from great books. Think about that... how many times have you read a book and thought to yourself "THAT would be a great name for a child"? I have done that more than once, and if we, by some miracle of heaven, ever have a boy child, his name will be Hamish... the Scottish form of James (Bond... James Bond).

Thumbing through this book of names made me smile, alot. Seeing the names of so many familiar characters can't help but remind you of the joy of a lifetime of reading. If you are the reading sort and are planning to have children, you should give this book a try. If you are someone that reads, and you would like to have something of a reminder of your old "friends" from literature, this book is a must.

GF

PS: Can you get better than Atticus Finch?

Book Review: The Tao of Fertility

2008-05-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

When The Parent Blogger Network asked me if I wanted to review this book, I wasn't sure that I should. I was unsure for a couple of reasons, the first and foremost being that I'm male, and as such, I can't get pregnant... so why bother, I thought? Another reason that I had for not being sure that I should give it a gander is because Mrs Gunfighter and I are done having children.

In the end, I decided to review this book because I like to see things from points of view different than my own... and of course this is a seriously different view of pregnancy for me.

As you all know, I am an advocate of fully participatory fatherhood, and I tried as best as I could, to empathize with Mrs GF when she was pregnant. You know something? with all of the good intentions and sensitivity that I could muster, I CAN'T really imagine what it must be like to be pregnant. No way.

So. I decided to give this book a try.

First Impressions: "Oh, Lord... another touchy-feely, earthy-crunchy, new age, neo-hippie book on how to be spiritually holistic etc..." I figured that this would be another book that could be summed up by saying: "Watch what you eat, rest, drink water, exercise and all will be well"

I was wrong.

Clearly, I can't get pregnant, but there are things in this book that are beneficial to just about anyone... not just for women who want to have a baby.

The authors were kind enough not to fill the book with jargon that would leave my eyes bleeding and my head hurting. They wrote in plain speech, and didn't appear to try to dazzle the reader with flashy prose. On the contrary, this book is written so that a person with no knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine could understand it, and glean very helpful... and healthful information.

The information in the book even covers pre-pregnancy dietary information (including suggested menus and recipes), and self-applied accu-pressure, to promote health and fertility. By the way, I suggest accu-pressure with a partner. It's more fun. Yeah.

OK, so the book is good. The suggestions are good. The presentation is good.

Done, right?

Not yet.

There are other aspects of this book that I enjoy. The first being the stories of women about their journey toward pregnancy. Some of the stories were just heartbreaking. Other aspects that I enjoyed were post-partum suggestions on diet and exercise, as well as mom-specific nutrition.

I am going to be honest here and say that I thought I was fgoing to read this book and shoot it full of holes. I am rather pleased to report that this isn't the case here.

The authors, Daoshing Ni, Ph.D, and Dana Herko derserve full marks for their product.

GF

This book review is sponsored by The Parent Blogger Network and HarperCollins Publishers. This review is cross-posted at my regular blog, Gunfighter: A Modern Warrior's Life.

Book Review: Raised By Wolves, by Christie Mellor

2008-05-12T03:02:00.001-07:00

At the very start of this book, author Christie Mellor did something that few authors do for me. She made me laugh. She made me laugh aloud.

In her own wonderful and very humorous way, Christie Mellor gives young people some very cogent advice, while not sounding at all preachy, dry, or boring. She takes less than 250 pages to tell all twenty-somethings things that it took me almost 40 years to learn. Just think of the possibilities if I had learned them early on.

Mellor gives advice on basic living practices, such as the importance of keeping your apartment clean, how to clean your bathroom, and why it is important to make your bed, and the myriad uses of baking soda. Baking soda! Did you know that you can remove coffee and tea stains with that stuff? I didn't. I didn't know that you could also use it to kill fleas. who knew? Well, Mellor knew enough to share it with all of us.

She goes on to give advanced life-lessons about the working world; from not being a "fawning bootlicker" to not sharing the intimate details of your love life with people you barely know. Mellor gives directions to the young in ways that will make you laugh aloud, AND make you think (or at least, nod your head sagely).

Reading this book at age 44 was like a trip down memory lane. When the author talks about drinking to excess, and how you care to be remembered, I immediately thought back to my hard-partying days in The Marines. It made me think about the several old friends of mine from those days whom, in my memory, will always be pictured as roaringly, life-of-the-party drunk... or violently vomiting in public places.

To be sure, this book has a lot of lessons in it that can be categorized as "What Not To Do When You Are An Adult", but it doesn't spend all of it's time as a humorous "Don't" list. There are other things that young folks in anything close to polite society ought to know. Dinner Party etiquette; visiting invitations; hosting a party; basic recipes for the novice cook; and how to make a proper Martini (yes, it IS important to know how to make a Martini). Get this, she'll also teach you how to draw a Martini... see? (I drew this 10 minutes before posting this review. Useful, see?)

One of the most important chapters is the one about finance. Look, in today's economy, things are tough for families... we already know that, but we shouldn't assume that things are free and easy for young adults, especially as they often start amassing horrendous debt early in life. Mellor's advice on money is sound. So, pay attention.

The bottom line on this book is that there is a lot of good information in it, and it would be useful to a young person who has just left or is about to leave his parent's home or graduate from school. It would also be every bit as useful to that person in their thirties or forties, you know the ones, who just don't have a clue.

It's a keeper... but not for me. I'm sending MY copy to my college freshman daughter (that is, after I copy that soup recipe!)

GF

This review was sponsored by the Parent Blogger Network and the fine folks at HarperCollins Publishers

CD Review: Back to Black - Any Winehouse

2008-03-14T05:55:00.000-07:00

Having listened to British soul singer Amy Winehouse's 2006 CD, I have to say that it isn't the unpleasant experience that I expected it to be... not at all.

Simply, the troubled Ms. Winehouse has talent. The songs are all done in the bluesy, early soul style that is very retro... reminiscent of the late 50's or the early 60's.

Just about every track is catchy and interesting to listen to, and the musicianship is great and Winehouse's vocal style is enjoyable.

There are tracks that you'll want to sing along with or even have a nice slow dance with someone that you are fond of.

Winehouse has fairly solid writing credentials as well. She wrote or co-wrote every track on the CD.

One song in particular stands out, and I'm not talking about Rehab, which is catchy, but not that special. No, I'm talking about track number seven, Tears Dry on Their Own. This song was written with Nick Ashford & Valerie Simpson of Motown fame. This song samples a couple of musical phrases from "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"... I really like it.

OK, enough love and kisses... even though the hooks are good, I have a bricks to throw, and here they are: Several of the songs have sex and drug references that I could do without. Yours truly is no prude, but, I suspect some of these lyrics were done just for shock value. I suppose one saving grace is that you either have to listen very closely to hear many of them, or read the lyrics to see them.

Amy Winehouse has talent, sure enough, and like so many talented people, she seems hell-bent of self-destruction. I hope she lives long enough to do another CD... I would like to see what she does next.

GF

Book Review: The Sky Isn't Visible From Here

2008-02-26T04:53:00.000-08:00

The scenes from Felicia Sullivan's book are heartbreaking.

Stories of her childhood as she watched her mother abuse drugs, and abused by often-violent men. Stories of a child who had to take her mother to the emergency room on a regular basis when the dope stopped feeling good. Stories of a nomadic youth. Stories that aren't filled with love, and don't have happy endings.

I didn't know where to start with my review. I really didn't. It isn't because I didn't get it, because I did. It isn't because the book isn't good, because it is. I didn't really know where to start, I think, because I am very aware of the fact that a lot of the author's childhood was like my own.

I too, lived in a home with a single, drug abusing parent, and sure as hell, it wasn't pretty.

Ms. Sullivan tells us about some of the minutiae of life with her mother, and her own struggles with addiction and it's aftermath. Anyone reading this very personal, powerful, and moving memoir, should come away knowing at least one thing for certain: That the wreckage of substance abuse isn't just physical, and it isn't just mental. The wreckage is emotional, and it's raw... and despite what you've been told, time doesn't heal all wounds.

Felicia Sullivan's well-written story is one of survival, not victory.

Survival.

Sometimes survival is the best we can ask for.

This review is sponsored by the Parent Bloggers Network, and those fine folks at Algonquin books.

You can read Felicia Sullivan's blog here.

Product Review: Cleanwell Antibacterial Wash

2008-02-05T04:34:00.000-08:00

My kids are old enough that I don't have to get terribly involved in their biological dirt... and that's a good thing. The problem is that whether you have little kids or not, it's a dirty, germy, nasty world out there, folks, and most of those germs aren't airborne. No, they are right there on your keyboard, or the door knob, or the steering wheel, or on that dollar coin... or on any of the myriad surfaces that you and I touch every day.

Now, just because I don't have small kids doesn't mean that I don't get dirty... believe me, I do! I make my living as a tactical firearms instructor, and whether it is during training exercises, or during routine weapons maintenance, my hands get dirty. After a day of intense shooting, the last thing to do before finishing for the day is to clean all of my weapons. The problem is getting not only cleaning the burnt carbon and harsh chemicals and oil from my hands, but cleaning them with a soap that won't leave my skin dry dry and papery. As you can imagine, working in a government buliding, the soap in the men's room is usually that harsh, hard-core, skin-drying, industrial stuff that NOBODY wants to use.

In my home life, I do all of the cooking, and since I am a carnivore, and Mrs Gunfighter doesn't much care for beef, I use chicken in lots of the meals that I make. Now, boneless, skinless, chicken breasts aren't a major threat to your health, like a sub-machinegun... but Salmonella is.

So, whether I am at home or at work, I need my hands to be clean. Clean and disinfected, and I think that CleanWell's antibacterial wash will do exactly that. Whether I am in the kitchen, cutting up a chicken or at the range cleaning a sub-machinegun, shotgun, or pistol, when I use CleanWell, my hands get clean AND disinfected.

Here is the best part. CleanWell products won't hurt the environment. You see, the production of some of the chemicals in some other antibacterial soaps and hand-sanitizer's find their way into the environment either during the manufacturing process, or via waste water. Not so, with CleanWell. The active ingredient in CleanWell's products in Ingenium, which, according to company reseaerch, is a botanically sourced plant oil (that utilizes Thyme), which kills %99.9 percent of the bacteria which will make you sick.

Lastly: Guys, sure this stuff is environmentally friendly and it doesn't smell like turpentine, but it isn't unmaly. Remember: Environmentally savvy is the new studly!

Hey folks! There is a contest going on... people want to know how you get dirty... it's a photo contest, and you can find it here. It's brought to you by ShutterSisters

This review is sponsored by the Parent Bloggers Network, and those fine, environmentally friendly folks at CleanWell.

Book Review: Sex Detox

2008-02-01T07:04:00.000-08:00

Sex Detox: Recharge Desire. Revitalize Intimacy. Rejuvenate Your Love Life.

Author Ian Kerner, Ph.D, wastes no time in this book. He jumps right in and makes it plain that American sex lives are broken. According to Dr. Kerner, our lives and our culture are so oversexualized from the media, music, and online pornography, that our own sex lives have become unsatisfying. Our increasing lack of exercise has eroded what he calls our "sexual fitness". According to Kerner's research, sexual dissatisfaction has become the primary for divorce (a stupid reason, I think). This oversexualization, fostering unrealistic visions of Hollywood-perfect bodies, and surgically enhanced pornstars has hurt us. Well, he might be right, but the good thing is that he has an answer: The Sex Detox regimen.

Kerner posits that too many people in this country are engaging in unsatisfying sex (and that goes for singles involved in the "booty-call" life as much as it does for the married fuddy-duddies), and that sex can be greatly inproved by simply not having it.

That's what the man said: Have better sex by not having sex.

Sure, some of you are nodding sagely, and some of you a spewing your beverages while bellowing WTF? I found myself in the latter category... but reading on, I had to concede that Kerner has a point. Denying yourself something that you want, something that you really crave, while it is sitting right there on the couch with you... and probably thinking similarly randy thoughts about you, can really increase the mental aspect of sex... which has to be better than having sex just because you are supposed to every other Tuesday night.

The Detox plan is very detailed, and from reading it, it seems to make sense. By the way, you don't have to be in a committed relationship for this program to be effective. Singles have as much sexual toxicity as those in committed, long-term relationships... it's just different.

I'm not going to give you a detailed description of the plan, but I'll tell you, I think that Kerner is on to something. Reading his plan, I think that it would be good for anyone who thinks that there is anything toxic in their lives, from sex, to friendships, or even the beginnings of substance abuse problems.

Give it a read. Even if you don't use the plan, you'll probably learn something useful.

Full marks for Dr. Kerner.

GF

This product review was sponsored by the Parent Bloggers Network, and the fine folks at Harper Collins books

New Giveaway!

2007-12-14T09:14:00.000-08:00

The folks at PickPackGo have started a new give-away promotion!

This month, you can enter to win a Sony portable DVD player!

It's a nice player, and I know this for a fact, because I won one just like it in a give-away a few months ago! Find them here to enter!

While you are there, have a look around... If you are serious about vacationing (and who isn't?), you might be inspired!

GF

CD Review: Hymns, Carols, & Songs About Snow

2007-12-10T04:07:00.000-08:00

Over the next few weeks, I'll be telling you a bit about my favorite Christmas music. Why? Because your Gunfighting pal Loooves Christmas music.

Here's a little story for you... it takes place in a sleepy little town...

Time: The week before Christmas, 1991

Place: 19th & L Streets, NW, Washington, DC

Dramatis Personae: The man later to be known as Gunfighter

It was cold. It was early Friday evening, and it was starting to snow.

I was leaving the Bally’s Health Club (that had several years before, been the “Abbey Road” nightclub) and heading for the Farragut West Metro station. I had had a great workout, and was looking forward to my weekend… holed up in my wee humble bachelor apartment. I had a few extra dollars in my pocket that weren’t dedicated to keeping the place warm or lit, or to keeping me fed, so I decided to stop into the Sam Goody’s music shop to see if there wasn’t something new to listen too.

As I entered, I headed straight for the Christmas music. I really love the Christmas season, and to tell you the truth, I was feeling more than just a little lonely. I was just recently divorced, and my ex-wife was taking our daughter to visit with her family over the holiday, and the woman that I was seeing was out of town for some reason that escapes me now. Hearing cheerful Christmas music that would probably be good for me.

As I browsed, I became aware of this really great instrumental music playing in the background. It was all guitar, and all-Christmas… but the two went together better than I could have imagined. As I browsed some more, I decided that the music that I was listening to was the music that I wanted to buy, so I asked the clerk what we were listening to. He showed me the cd, which is the one that you see here: Hymns, Carols, and Songs About Snow, by Tuck Andress.

“Tuck Andress?” I thought to myself, “I’ve never heard of him”. I bought the cd anyway. Transaction made, I went back out into the snow with a song in my heart, in a much better mood than I had been in.

I remember my metro ride, that evening, with unusual clarity… I felt like I had a secret. A pleasant secret all my own, and it was right there in my gym bag. You should have seen the suburbanite commuters! Scared to death by the large, young, black man who smiled at them when meeting their eyes! Even then I was used to the fact that most white people in the city were terrified of me (or what they think I represent), but it was actually funny to watch them squirm on this particular night.

I exited the Metro at Eastern market, and made my way through the whitening streets of Capitol Hill. Past the Post Office, the bakery, Hine jr. High School, and the Natatorium. I walked past that really great liquor sore whose name escapes me now (Haydens?), and went on to my apartment at 6th & A streets, S.E. Once inside, I took a shower, changed and made myself a wonderful dinner of frozen flounder fillets (I ate a lot of frozen fish, canned tuna and/or Ramen noodles in those days… I was broke… but in GREAT shape). I spent a very pleasant evening, listening to this cd… I think I might have listend to it three times through. It was a great night for me, and for all of it’s mundanity, it is a favorite Christmastime memories.

Even now, in 2007, when I am not so broke, and not in such great shape, and looking middle age square in the eye, I still love this cd. Listening to it reminds me of a pleasant moment during a not-so-pleasant time in my life.

If you like listening to Christmas music, and are not afraid of trying something a little different, try this… you’ll love it.

CD Review - Frosty The Bluesman - Michael Powers

2007-12-10T04:05:00.001-08:00

Before I begin to talk about Michael Powers’ great recording, let me tell you all that most of the great discoveries that have been made in Castle Gunfighter, have been made by the Lady of The Manor, and not by my humble self. Mrs Gunfighter has this uncanny ability to see a CD and know if it will be good. This CD is another example of this ability.

Released in 1996, Frosty The Bluesman is destined to be one of the secret greats of Christmas music done in the blues tradition. This isn’t hyperbole… I challenge you to listen to Power’s arrangement of Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer (with the vocals of Priestly Thompson) and then listen to it with the same ears ever again.

Although you may have never heard of Michael Powers (I had never heard of him when Mrs. GF brought this CD home a few years ago), you will immediately recognize the talent of this musician/arranger/producer. None of this music is canned or “phoned in”

In addition to the brilliant arrangement of “Rudolph”, other standouts on this cd are: “God Rest Ye Funky Gentlemen”, “Salsa Claus Is Coming To Town“, “The Christmas Song“, “Frosty The Bluesman”, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”, and the really great final song; "The New Years Eve Gig (Auld Lang Syne)”

Sure, you have heard all of these songs before… every one of them, but you’ve never heard them like this.

This CD is in our top tier of Christmas music, and is a reliable stand out for listening to over a glass of something good, or with your children when you are playing on the floor.

It’s that good.

GF

Book Review: George Washington - A Military Life

2007-11-30T16:27:00.000-08:00

If you are an American, and learned American history the way it was taught to me, you might be inclined to believe that George Washington chopped down some cherry tree, and then told his father "I Cannot tell a lie. I chopped down the cherry tree." (which was made up by Washington's first biographer, Parson Weems, who lived only two miles from our home)

Depending on when you went to school, you might have been taught that Washington was a great man or a horrible man for having been a slave owner. Again, depending on when or where you went to school, you might believe that George Washington was an incredible blunderer or a strategic and tactical genius, who was as brilliant as Napoleon and George Patton all at once.

No matter what you learned, it is likely that whatever you learned was a bunch of crap.

For centuries, different people, for different reasons, have portrayed Washington as an unstained demigod, while others have reported him to be either a dummy or a nefarious character who is just shy of Satan. It's a real shame, because the real Washington, the man, is a very interesting character WITHOUT all of the embellishment.

In his book, General George Washington - A Military Life, author Edward Lengel strips away the history as reported by people with agendas. He brings the facts of Washington's life, as they pertain to his military experiences.

Here, we see Washington as a teenager, who longs for a life in the uniformed service of the British Crown. He first tries to emulate his older half-brother, who secures him a place as a Midshipman on a British man of war. He was thwarted in this by his very formidable mother, but his dream of serving the crown in uniform went un-extinguished.

After the Death of his half-brother and his wife, nine years later, Washington inherited Mount Vernon, which became his home for the rest of his life, and embarked on the rest of his military career.

At the age of 21, Washington was appointed adjutant, with the rank of Major, in the Virginia militia, and only a few years later, was appointed to the Colonelcy of the 1st Virginia regiment, as they were raised for service against the French, who were encroaching upon British claims to the Ohio Valley in the area that later became Pittsburgh.

We see Washington at his very best and at his worst throughout the French & Indian wars, and the long period between those years and the period immediately preceding the American Revolution. We see the Washington as the only American born militia officer with enough military experience and combat experience, selected by the Continental Congress to lead the as yet unformed American army against the experienced troops of the British Army.

(Washington, seen here as Colonel of the Virginia militia, circa 1772)

During the book, Lengel isn't afraid to discuss Washington's successes nor is he afraid to skewer sacred cows when he talks about Washington's failings as a General.

After reading this very frank, but very fair assessment of Washington's military career, one can only come to the conclusion that General George Washington, taken warts and all, was indeed the person that James Thomas Flexner deemed as "The Indispensable Man"

Washington was neither genius, nor blunderer. He was a man, a soldier, and a politician. He was a good field commander, a real fighter, and brave in the face of the enemy. He never lost his nerve on the battlefield.

The history of the military art screams that Washington's strategy in general was, unbeknownst to him, absolutely correct in that he didn't often try to do things that were beoynd his resources against a better trained, better armed, and better provisioned army.

He might not have been 12 feet tall, but he was the man of the moment, and was equal to the challencge.

Kudos to Lengel for a great book on such an important figure in our history.

Book Review: Protect and Defend

2007-11-18T14:26:00.001-08:00

Have any of you ever read a Vince Flynn novel? If you haven't, you might want to give it a go.

Flynn writes what I like to think of as "romance-novels-for-men"... books with spies, guns, military hardware, and a main character that so many of us wish we could be. In Flynn's seven novels to date, he has had the coolest main character that you can imagine: Mitch Rapp, a dedicated and almighty lethal counter-terrorist operative of the Central Intelligence agency.

Mitch Rapp is a bad dude. (he's even badder than me!). He is a killer, but not just a brute. Mitch Rapp can speak Arabic, Farsi, and some other languages. He is deadly with a machinegu, a sniper rifle, a pistol, knife, or just about anything else, including a soup spoon.

In Flynn's newest novel, Protect and Defend, Iran's secret nuclear facility is destroyed by an undercover Mossad agent and as the flurry of events afterward increase, the Director of the CIa and the Chief of Iranian intelligence decide to meet for some back-channel discussions, in Mosul, Iraq.

Immediately after their meeting, CIA Director (and mentor/friend of Mitch Rapp) Irene Kennedy is kidnapped by an elusive Hezbollah operative. Mitch Rapp swings into action, killing damned-near EVERYbody that gets in his way.

This book is a slam-bang action story in which there is one bombing, one ambush/gun battle in the streets of Mosul, several summary executions, hand to hand combat to the death, a daring rescue, a domestic assassination, interrogations, torture, the beginning of a new romance, and a military stand-off that leads the United States and Iran to the brink of open warfare.

If you like this sort of stuff, read this.

If you are unfamiliar with the genre, read it anyway.

This isn't intellectual stuff, but, by God, it sure is fun!

Product Review: Sequoia Vehicle Survival Kit

2007-11-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that I make my living teaching officers and agents about street-level combat survival... Today, I want to talk about survival of a different sort.

Today, I want to talk about survival on the road, trail, or highway.

While it is bad enough to broken down on the side of the road, compound that problem with having your children with you, and being in inclement weather, or all of those things combined and being in a rural area that isn't well-travelled. As anyone who has ever had their car break down knows, these things always happen at the time when we are most ill-prepared to handle it. There is almost always something that we need that we don't have... and it is usually a simple thing.

What would you do if your car went off the road in the snow, and it wasn't likely that anyone was coming to help anytime soon? An ugly position to be in, isn't it.

Well, this product, the Sequoia Vehicle Survival kit, may not have all of the answers, but will certainly help.

Let's start at the beginning: The kit isn't huge, measuring only 15" x 7.5" x 10", and weighing only eight pounds. You might, seeing this, think that there couldn't possibly be a lot to the kit, being so small... but you'd be wrong. Read on!

This kit contains some amazing stuff, that I would have been glad to have around, not only when I was a Boy Scout, but also when I was in the Marines!

First things first... It comes with a roll of toilet paper. Oh yeah, laugh!.... but have you ever been stuck without a roll? bad times, kids, I'm telling you.

The kit also contains emergency food rations that are designed to last two people a full day... which is good, but sort of inaccurate. In a survival situation food for two people can be enough for four people to get by on for four days.

There is a large First aid kit, small water packs (dehydration is an ugly thing), rain ponchos (2), chemical hand warmers, 12 hour light sticks (2), waterproof matches, cleansing wipes, emergency blankets (2), even a deck of playing cards (distraction from boredom is important while waiting for rescue). The kit also contains a notepad and a pen.

Now, lest you think that this kit is all about being comfy while you wait for help... it isn't. There are items in this kit that will help you to help yourself out of a bad situation. Items such as: A 75 foot, braided rope; leather work gloves; a Gerber Multi-Function tool; duct tape, and get this!; a flashlight that contains a radio and a cell phone charger! The radio, flashlight and charger all operate from a hand-cranked generator, so you don't have to worry about running out of juice.

In summation, I would be glad to have this kit in both of our cars (and my test kit is already in the car the Mrs GF drives most of the time), and I can't think of anything that the people at Sequoia might have left out, with the exception of a large shovel.

This kit is the bomb, I'm telling you!

This product review was sponsored by the Parent Bloggers Network, and the Sequoia Survival Company... give them a look, there are kits for your home as well!

Be smart, be safe!

GF

Book Review: The Teen Whisperer

2007-10-24T03:08:00.000-07:00

This review will be right to the point, friends.

Right to the point because that is the style in which The Teen Whisperer was written.

Mike Linderman has written a book that you should read if you are the parent of a teenager, or have children that will be entering their teens.

There are times when I get sentimental about things, as you know, but not about this subject. I have an eighteen year old daughter, and I thank God for the fact that she seems to be quite healthy and isn't acting out at all. I have an almost-nine-year-old daughter who is also quite healthy and doesn't seem to be exhibiting any unusual behaviors. I'm glad about this book, anyway.

The author discusses the reasons why children, particularly teenagers, act out, and talks about ways of dealing with those issues. I think that he hits the nail on the head, but the most important part of this book is the discussion of communicating with your teen child. I'm a man, and try as I might, communication isn't always easy for me (shocking, right?), well, the author helps with this, which is important, because as the song said: "communication is the problem to the answer"

Linderman writes in a direct manner, without a lot of sugar-coating, and without a lot of clinical psychobabble that leaves you with a headache like the one I had after drinking some questionable booze in Okinawa when I was in the Marines many years ago.

Simply put, this book is something that you should read before your children become teenagers! Read it, and perhaps you can mitigate problems on the rise instead of dealing with full-blown issues later on.

Read it.

Trust me.

This review was brought to you by The Parent Blogger Network

Book Review: Kids Are Americans Too!

2007-10-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

When the nice folks at The Parent Blogger Network asked me to review the new book, titled "Kids Are Americans Too", by Bill O'Reilly and Charles Flowers, I thought that perhaps they had fallen down and hit their heads on something really hard. I mean, come on... anyone who reads my blog has to know that I'm not fan of O'Reilly, although I give him made props for diggin' the Isely Brothers. I asked if they we sure, because I would gladly read his book and then give my usual no-soft-soap analysis... I'd be fair, I promised... but not necessarily nice.

They agreed.

I read the book.

Here we go.

This book was published by the fine folks at HarperCollins, the same folks that published the book that I reviewed last week, and retails for $24.95

Let me start by saying that there is no real evil in this book, so, if your teenager reads it, he or she would not likely harmed by it. There is no hateful or vulgar language in this book (although the word "slut" does appear once, but appropriately in context). So if you, like me, think that Bill O'Reilly is, at worst, evil, or at best a smarmy shill of a right-wing pundit, you can at least be assured that he isn't going to be brainwashing your kids with this book.

Let's get down (with our bad selves) to it, shall we?

The aim of this book is to have a dialogue on rights... the rights of teenagers.

So far, so good.

The target audience is supposed to be teenagers but, it seems to me that it was written for 6th grade students. Worse, there is nothing in that book that most kids wouldn't get from American History and/or Civics (American Government) classes at school. While I realize that not everyone gets the same education in this country, I think that for the most part, basic structure government is set up is covered... starting in elementary school.

Moving on.

I found this book to be trite. O'Reilly & Flowers sound very even, and sometimes sensible throughout the book, even though they don't miss two opportunities to Rag on 50 Cent or Ludacris, or to label the American Civil Liberties Union as "extremists"

I have to tell you that I think that anyone who spends $24.95 on a hardback book with 129 pages of poor writing, pictures and lots of visually irritating clutter, is out of their minds. I wouldn't buy this book for anyone, not even some of my right-wing, crackpot, co-workers.

A complete waste of time and money.

This review was sponsored by your friends and mine at the Parent Blogger Network and by HarperCollins Publishing.

No Conservatives were harmed (intentionally) in the production of this review.

Book Review: Deceptively Delicious

2007-10-12T07:15:00.001-07:00

Not everyone who reads this blog is a parent, but I am rather certain that everyone that reads this blog eats food, so don't be fooled by the sub-title of this book.

Jessica Seinfeld says that her new cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, is about secret ways to get your kids to eat good food... by which she means getting enough fruits and vegetables. She had parents with finicky children as her target, but I think that there is a much wider audience for this sort of work.

I like to cook. I really like to cook... mainly because I really like to eat (which is why I'm so bloody fat), and I live in a household where vegetables are always welcome... even by Soccergirl, who loves, loves, loves, peas carrots, green beans, and routinely asks for salad for dinner. Because of this, I was able to take a different approach to this book.

In her book, Jessica Seinfeld tells you how to get vegetables into your kid's food without them even realizing it, by using a puree. It really is a great idea. If your child won't abide a pile of peas on her plate, make a puree, or even make it ahead of time and freeze it, and add a dollop to her mashed potatoes... or soup. The puree will add flavor, cool colors, and better still, will give your child a serving of vegetables without her even knowing.

Pretty cool, huh?

As I said earlier, I had a bit of a different approach because, if it were up to Mrs GF and, we'd probably have much less meat in our home (we rarely eat beef, but eat a lot of chicken and fish), so I don't have to hide either fruit or vegetables in the food, but the upside is using the purees in the book as a flavor additive. This can be done with pureed steamed (or roasted, as appropriate) roasted peppers, onions, squash, beets, green beans, or any fruit or vegetable that you might like to use to flavor a dish.

Seinfeld's book may not be the definitive word in this arena, but the collection of recipes is good, and covers a lot of dishes that parents might serve the little ones. There is a good variety of recipes and a section on directions and cooking fruits and vegetables preparatory to making your puree. The directions for making and storing your puree are easy to follow. The photography is good and not so glossy as to make you feel like you are out of your depth, if you aren't really the most able person in the kitchen arts.

This cookbook should be a welcome addition to anyone's kitchen, even if you don't have kids.

This product review is sponsored by the Parent Blogger Network, and Harper-Collins publishing. It is also brought to you by the number 9, and the letter F

Book Review: The Religion

2007-10-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I finished what is probably the best book that I have read all year... maybe in the last few years. The book was: The Religion, by Tom Willocks.

This book takes place in 1565, when "The Grand Turk" , also known as Suleiman The Magnificent, ruler of the Ottoman Empire, had decided that to ensure the spread of Islam, the Knights of St. John, also known as The Knights Hospitaller, must be dislodged from the Mediterranean Island of Malta.

As this historically true event played out, the fictitious Captain Mattias Tannhauser, a European-born former Janissary soldier in the army of the Sultan, is convinced to bring a high-born Maltese Contessa, Lady Carla, to the island, despite the siege, to find her 12 year old bastard son... a son sired by one Brother Luvodico, a highly-placed Priest of the Inquisition.

What Tannhauser doesn't realize is that his reputation as a military commander have proceeded him, and he has been duped into going to the island so that he can give good military advice to the Grandmaster of the Knights of St. John, Jean De La Valette to help them withstand the siege.

Predictably, Tannhauser is able to spirit Lady Carla, and her son, Orlandu, off of Malta, but not before falling in love with Carla, and killing Luvodico.

The plot of the book isn't exceptionally intricate, which is appropriate, since this book is and adventure, not a mystery. There are several factors here that make this book and exceptionally good one: The first (for me) is that the subject matter, the religious-military orders of the era, between the 12th and 17th centuries, is an area of particular interest to me. The second is that the author has really done his homework here, in that he not only was able to place this important battle in the right time and place, but he was able to describe that motives and actions of the characters in proper cultural terms. The third important thing for me was the description of 16th century combat and siege warfare. Willocks doesn't gloss over the unholy brutality of personal combat, and the gruesome wounds caused by the weapons of the day.

If you have an interest in history, you will enjoy this book. If you have an interest in grand adventure, you will enjoy this book. If you have an interest in some of the skulduggery of the 16th century Church you'll really like this book.

This book has it all: Violence, history, intrigue, and sex... and it's well-written!

What's not to like?

If you read it, please tell me what you think.

GF

Book Review: The Religion

2007-10-09T04:17:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I finished what is probably the best book that I have read all year... maybe in the last few years. The book was: The Religion, by Tom Willocks.

This book takes place in 1565, when "The Grand Turk" , also known as Suleiman The Magnificent, ruler of the Ottoman Empire, had decided that to ensure the spread of Islam, the Knights of St. John, also known as The Knights Hospitaller, must be dislodged from the Mediterranean Island of Malta.

As this historically true event played out, the fictitious Captain Mattias Tannhauser, a European-born former Janissary soldier in the army of the Sultan, is convinced to bring a high-born Maltese Contessa, Lady Carla, to the island, despite the siege, to find her 12 year old bastard son... a son sired by one Brother Luvodico, a highly-placed Priest of the Inquisition.

What Tannhauser doesn't realize is that his reputation as a military commander has proceeded him, and he has been duped into going to the island so that he can give good military advice to the Grandmaster of the Knights of St. John, Jean De La Valette, to help them withstand the siege.

Predictably, Tannhauser is able to spirit Lady Carla, and her son, Orlandu, off of Malta, but not before falling in love with Carla, and killing Luvodico.

The plot of the book isn't exceptionally intricate, which is appropriate, since this book is an adventure, not a mystery. There are several factors here that make this book an exceptionally good one: The first (for me) is that the subject matter, the religious-military orders of the era, between the 12th and 17th centuries, is an area of particular interest to me. The second is that the author has really done his homework here, in that he not only was able to place this important battle in the right time and place, but he was able to describe that motives and actions of the characters in proper cultural terms. The third important thing for me was the description of 16th century combat and siege warfare. Willocks doesn't gloss over the unholy brutality of personal combat, and the gruesome wounds caused by the weapons of the day.

If you have an interest in history, you will enjoy this book. If you have an interest in grand adventure, you will enjoy this book. If you have an interest in some of the skulduggery of the 16th century Church you'll really like this book.

This book has it all: Violence, history, intrigue, and sex... and it's well-written, to boot!

What's not to like?

If you read it, please tell me what you think.

GF

CD Review: Sara Bareilles - Little Voice

2007-10-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Have any of you ever heard of this young woman?

I confess that I never had until a few weeks ago, when Mrs Gunfighter brought home this CD that she bought on a whim. Go here to listen to the first track on the CD, "Little Voice" it's called "Love Song" and I guarantee that it will capture you immediately.

Sara Barielles (pronounced Ba-rell-is) is from Humboldt County, Californina and attended UCLA. Her music has been compared to that of Fiona Apple, Nora Jones and other female songstresses. Some of hose may be fair comparisons... but that in no way diminishes the talent of this young singer-songwriter.

I could go on and on about Bareilles' raw talent and driving piano-playing, but I don't have to, you can hear it for yourself.

If you are of a mind to trust me, trust me when I tell you that if you buy this cd you will be really glad you did.

GF

Product Review: OxiClean

2007-09-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

When The Parent Blogger Network contacted me to ask if I would like to do a product review for OxiClean, I told them that I already had a history with the product, and that I was a firm believer in using it.

I have been using OxiClean as a stain remover and a laundry detergent booster for quite a few years now, and I swear by it. Used as directed, OxiClean can remove laundry stains that you might never expect to be able to lift. Used as a detergent booster, OxiClean is help to get you clothes cleaner than they would have by using detergent alone.

This stuff works.

As you know, I work with guns and do quite a bit of shooting. One of the things that a shooter spends considerable time doing is cleaning guns (No. I didn't use this stuff to clean any guns!). One of the things that comes with cleaning guns is getting oil-based cleaning chemicals and lubricants on my uniform. Using OxiClean gets right to this stuff every time.

OxiClean also does quite a good job on soccergirl's grass stained soccer uniforms and socks! Hallelujah!

Another benefit of OxiClean is that it is simple to use. Following the easy-to-read guidelines, your laundry will be clean, bright, and stain-free.

This review was brought to you by OxiClean, via the Parent Blogger Network.

DVD Review: Toolbox For New Dads

2007-09-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

As all of you know, I am the father of two daughters. You probably also know that I am an advocate of what I call "fully participatory fatherhood". I am always interested in any movement, group, forum, or product that has, as it's main aim, the inclusion of dads in the whole parenting experience.

Today, despite the fact that I am either going into, or recovering from surgery as you read this, I get to review a product with a fierce amount of pleasure.

The picture that you See here is from the cover of a new DVD called Toolbox For New Dads, with bestselling author, Armin Brott.

In the DVD, Brott is shown teaching a class for expectant fathers and giving them incredibly valuable information that practically no men were ever given until perhaps the past ten or so years.

Here, Brott starts the discussion by showing men how to hold & calm a crying baby baby! Think about this... many of you may be saying to yourselves "well, everybody knows how to do that!", but I am here to tell you that is "ain't necessarily so". I had no idea how to hold a sleeping baby, let alone hold & calm a crying baby when my oldest was born. I was a young man that had no baby siblings... no nieces or nephews that I had handled as babies... I had to learn on my own. Now, here is this guy showing men how to do this BEFORE the actually have to do it. Awesome.

I'm loving this, right from the start.

The DVD goes on to discuss and give advice about how to interact with your baby, changing relationships with your partner, helping with breast-feeding (What? you mean we men have a role there, too?), what babies do, intimacy, and S-E-X! Yes, folks, there is sex after baby (or at least, there should be).

This DVD has a wealth of information that I nodded my head about and heartily agreed with. It was full of things that I had to learn on my own, which, with a baby, is something akin to walking through a minefield, hoping that you won't lose your legs in the process. Expectant dads will find this DVD to be an excellent resource.

Gunfighter gives full marks, and a high recommendation.

But wait! We aren't quite finished. The target of this DVD is clearly expectant or brand new fathers, but that doesn't mean that expectant moms shouldn't watch this as well. Expectant or new moms may learn some things about what her man may be feeling before and after the arrival of the baby. Moms may learn to allow dads to be more participatory fathers, which is not only great for the future relationship that dad has with his child, but also great for dad's relationship with mom.

Everybody wins, here, my friends.

Armin Brott has done something special here, and I think it is worthy of a good hard look by new and expectant parents.

GF

Armin Brott can be reached via his website: MrDad.com

This review was brought to you via the Parent Blogger Network.

Product Review: Ryka MC-2 Walking Shoes

2007-08-31T05:32:00.000-07:00

First things first, in the spirit of full disclosure, I have to tell all of you that I didn't wear these shoes. No, not because I didn't have time or because I was slacking in my product review work-rate. No, I didn't wear these shoes because I am a man.

These shoes are for the ladies. Especially for the ladies.

I suppose I could try to BS about them, but, really, what would be the point? That's not how I roll.

Having said all of that, I will say that my lovely wife, known in the blogosphere as Mrs Gunfighter (or as she SHOULD be known, Dr. Mrs. Gunfighter) DID wear them. Not only did she wear them during a period of day to day activities, she wore them while were were on vacation... at Disney World. Uh huh!

According to Mrs GF, the most immediately remarkable thing about these shoes is that they were comfortable instantly, they needed no real break-in period.

The shoes never gave her a blister nor did they cause any pain, even after two weeks of walking through the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, Disney's MGM Studio, and all of the other places, including SeaWorld, that we went during the trial period.

Another notable thing about these shoes is that they aren't ugly. These shoes look like any other high-end athletic shoe that is made for serious athletes (and walkers ARE serious athletes, OK?). I am sure you all have gone to sporting goods stores and seen what are passed off as "walking" shoes, when in reality the shoes look more like they were made for the nice old folks at the Shady Tree rest home.

All in all, these shoes performed flawlessly over the two-week test period.

Mrs Gunfighter gives full marks!

Ryka products and their descriptions can be found at their website: www.ryka.com

This product Review is brought to you by the Parent Blogging Network.

Product Review: KINeSYS Sunblock

2007-08-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

All of you know that your pal Gunfighter loves to talk about products that he likes. Today, I want to mention something new. KINeSYS sunblock.

This stuff is the bomb, folks, and if you'll stop squirming, I'll tell you why.

First things first: If you are asking yourself, probably aloud: "Gee Gunfighter, you're black... why do you care about sunblock?" Well here is your answer: "Because sunburns hurt, and if you spend as much time in the sun as I do, you'd better be using it, too!"

Now, about this KINeSYS stuff. When I received my sample in the mail, I figured that it couldn't be any better than any other sunblock, and to tell you the truth, I don't thin that it protected me any better, but there were some major differences between this stuff and a lot of what is out there on the market. First, I used the bottle's pump action to apply this stuff to myself AND soccergirl. OK, not that uncommon, but I like it. Next, it goes on without being so creamy that I have to spend ten minutes trying to rub it in, so that I won't look like Dennis Haysbert in kabuki makeup.

I applied the KinEsys and once it had dried (in less than a minute) I took soccergirl to our community pool. During the three hours that she spent playing with her friends, I watched and listened to Parliament/Funkadelic on my Ipod, all the while sweating in the northern Virginia sun. Although I took frequent breaks to hydrate so that I wouldn't drop dead, I didn't reapply the sunblock.

As it turns out, I didn't burn and neither did soccergirl, even though she was in and out of the pool throughout the three hours.

This stuff turned out to be pretty good.

I don't know that it is the best sunblock that I ever used, but it sure worked every bit as well as the better stuff that I have used.

GF

This product review was brought to you by the Parent Blogger Network

Book Review: Fathering Your School-Age Child:

2007-08-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

In some places they say that the way to measure someones intelligence is to measure it against the degree to which they agree with you. If I were to use that yardstick, I would have to conclude the Armin Brott, the Author of Fathering Your School-Age Child - A Dad's Guide To The Wonder Years, is a friggin' genius!

Armin Brott, A Marine Corps veteran (Woo Hoo!), is a bestselling author and lecturer on the subject of fatherhood. Most of you who read my blog know how serious I am about being a dad... well, Armin Brott is serious about it, too, and has given us dads a very clear and concise primer on some things for us to pay attention to when it comes to our young school-age children.

This book is a guide to what to expect and how to deal with children from ages three to nine years old... what Brott calls "The Wonder Years", and I have to tell you, that right from the beginning of this book, I found myself circling things and highlighting like mad, and saying to my wife: "hey! listen to this!".

Each chapter in the book is broken down like this: What's Going On With Your Child; What's Going On With You; You and Your Child; You and Your Partner. In each of these sections, the author speaks specifically to each point, discussing things that our kids are doing developmentally, our interactions with them, and our interactions with our partners in parenting.

This book has an incredible amount of information that will help a father know what is happening in the development of his child educationally as well as emotionally. Brott teaches us about educational choices, discipline, developing physical, intellectual and emotional traits, activities to do with our kids throughout the age-range covered, the use/abuse of the media, school sports, being an involved parent at school (prepare for rejection, dads!), and so many other things that I can't properly list them.

OK, Men! Listen to your pal, Gunfighter... you know that I would never bullshit you about anything concerning our children, so read this book and pay attention to what it says. It's important to you and your kids. Ladies, you, too, know that good ol' GF would never BS you about the kiddies. If you have young children, give this book to your partner... he'll thank you for it, and you and your children will benefit from it.

If you take anything from this review, take this: This is an excellent resource for any man who is truly interested in doing a real man's job: Being an involved father to his children

GF

Armin Brott has a website at MrDad.com. You can find out all about his books, DVD's, and lectures, there.

This review is brought to you by the Parent Bloggers Network

Book Review: The End of Blackness

2007-08-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

In this book, the author, Debra Dickerson tells some home truths... truths that may be hard to hear for some people... some of the tough things that we, as black Americans, should have been saying for many many years.

Ms Dickerson deserves full marks for having the courage to skewer many of the sacred cows that we have been praying to for so many years. Further, she doesn't shrink from taking stab at today's almost-useless civil rights leaders.

It is time, and past time for us to be proud of who we are for what we are and what we have done in this country. Not because white people will acknowledge it... some will, some won't, but so what? The acknowledgement of others shouldn't be the goal of ethnic pride. That said, it should also be said that ethnic pride shouldn't be a bar to the pride that comes from being an American.

It is time, and past time for us to stop seeing ourselves only in comparison to how we are treated by white people... or any other people, including other black people. Black Americans have done remarkable things. We are inseparably woven into the fabric of American history and society.

It is time, and past time for us to stop pretending that we exist outside of American society. We don't. This is our country! We are full citizens, but must begin to act like it. We should walk tall, be proud, look others in the eye with dignity and self-respect.

As Americans, we should be sure of ourselves and of our pivotal role in the building, and the success of this great country. We don't need to wait for the approval of other people to feel good about ourselves. This is childish behavior.

This book could have been written better, Ms. Dickerson's writing is disjointed in some places, but that doesn't detract from the message.

While I don't share every conclusion that the author comes to, she deserves full marks for having the courage to say things that needed to be said in an open forum.

Dickerson is right... the mind truly is the last plantation. The gate is open, and all we need do is walk through it, opt in, and be a participant in creating our own destinies.

GF

Book Review: Bootmaker To The Nation

2007-08-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

Four years ago, I read this book on the strong advice of a friend of mine. That friend was a great gentleman and devotee` of early American history named John Grubb. Before his untimely death nearly two years ago, John was a bookseller at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor's center, and could always be relied upon to point me toward the next great book on the period. I am glad I took his advice on this one.

The author of this book, Dr. John Slade, has hit a historical home run with this well-told tale of the birth of our republic.

Told from the viewpoints of Benjamin York, a pressed British seaman that deserts in 1775 Boston, and Genevieve, the Massachusetts farm girl he marries. The story takes us from the beginning of our war of independence at Lexington & Concord, to it's end at the Siege of Yorktown.

Not only does Slade tell the story well, he does something that will truly shock some people: He teaches you every bit as much as he entertains! This is no dry historical tome that will send you off to sleep after the first few pages. No, indeed. When you put this book down, you will have a real feeling and understanding about the American Revolution that so few people ever get.

When you read this book, Breed's Hill and Bunker Hill will become real places and real battles, not just a dry collection of ates and factoids from high school. Not only will you see the battles as real, but the people as well. From the hunger of the foot soldier, to the real moral and tactical dilemmas facing the various commanders.

Slade makes people like George Washington, and Nathaniel Greene real flesh-and-blood men, not the cardboard heroes we often read about. The fact that he makes them human makes them all the more heroic.

Another point in Slade's favor is that he doesn't fail to discuss the southern theater of operations. Many Americans don't realize that the bloodiest fighting of the war took place in the Carolina's, and that the most militarily significant battle of the southern campaign was that of Guilford Courthouse, in North Carolina.

Slade has done nothing short of brilliant work here.

Read this book. You won't be disappointed.

Book Review: GhettoNation

2007-08-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

I found this book at the College of William & Mary bookstore (Barnes & Noble), while we were on our Spring Break trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, last month.

I was very excited about it, in fact, I was so excited about it, Mrs. Gunfighter bought it for me as a gift* I couldn't wait to read it, and I started it the next night.

The premise of the book was a discussion and critique on the use of the term "ghetto" in contemporary American parlance, the proliferation of "ghetto culture" which devalues education, is demeaning to women and promulgates the worst of Black American stereotypes as black culture. The author, Cora Daniels also discusses who benefits from "ghetto culture" and whom it destroys.

I enjoyed the book, and although I didn't agree with every conclusion that Ms. Daniels arrived at, we certainly agree about the incredible damage that "ghetto culture" is having in the United States today.

One of the main points that Daniels makes in her book is that, unlike in days past, the word ghetto rarely equates to a geographic location. Today, ghetto is a set of values, a behavior, in short; a mindset.

The following are my opinons:

Once upon a time, ignorant, uncouth behavior was something that we used to see and shake our collective heads about, silently tsk-tsking at people doing stupid and self-destructive things... many people would say or think to themselves: "Well, what do you expect from those people, especially peole who live there?"

Today, that same behavior (obnoxious swearing in public; baggy jeans hanging off of your ass; rude, unwelcome, attention towards women) isn't only tolerated... it's celebrated (in the suburbs no less!). Some of you are no doubt shaking your head and saying: "not by me it isn't!", that's great, but it sure as hell IS celebrated by enough people to make several industries hugely profitable.

Instead of screaming about it, people today shrug their shoulders and say (cue the Paris Hilton voice) "God, that's SO ghetto!"

Make no mistake my friends, the multicultural society that so many of us have advocated has arrived... and it isn't what you thought it would be. Multiculturalism today, isn't about the blending and uplifting the various cultures that make America. Today, multiculturalism means that white kids buy most of the gangsta rap that is produced. Multiculturalism has come to mean the glorification of ghetto dress and behavior, it is the mainstreaming of destructive pathological behavior.

The clothes, the music, the language of "ghetto" has become welcome in America... and we should all be ashamed. The tabloids celebrate scum, yes... I said scum, like 50 cent, Jay-Z, Eminem, K-Fed, Lil Kim, Busta Rhymes, and any number of the fountains of filth that pollute our homes, and our children's schools. Worse yet, the mainstream media have been so completely cowed that they say nothing about ghetto behavior for fear of being labeled racist.

Multiculturalism today, has given us the phenomenon of the so-called "Wiggers"

In this manner we have indeed become "GhettoNation"

We should be collectively ashamed.

A few months ago, I blogged about the following: Several years ago, famed comedian, actor, and educator, Bill Cosby had the nerve to speak out about the pathology of ghetto culture, and he was reviled by many, from black activists to white liberals, for having the guts to speak the truth. Unfortunately, Cora Daniels, in her otherwise excellent book, agrees with many of those that lashed out at Cosby..., but in the opinion of this humble blogger, Cosby was, and still is, absolutely right.

Peace,

GF

* Your pal, Gunfighter, loves to read. Gifts of books or bookstore giftcards never get wasted on me.

Beer!

2007-08-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite beers.

It's called Dead Guy Ale, and it is produced by the Rogue brewery, in Oregon.

If you like malty, yeasty beers, this one is for you. It isn't high brow beer, but it's good, tasty, manly beer.

That's right. I said manly. It isn't a beer for anyone who drinks light, or worse "Lite" beer. It isn't for the dilletante. It isn't for ANYone who puts lime in their beer.

Try it, if you aren't one of the people listed above, you'll like it.

Trust me. I know beer.

GF

Under Armour

2007-08-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

Are any of you familiar with this company? They sell all sorts of sporting apparel for men, women, and children. In addition, they sell "Tactical" gear, including underwear, and they are quite popular with military and police personnel. Their claim to fame is making lightweight garments that help wick away sweat in order to keep you cool(er) in the summer, and warmer in the winter.

I'm all about good gear, but to tell you the truth, at this stage in my career, I leave it to the younger folks to do the sweltering and the freezing most of the time... the benefits of seniority, I guess.

Anyway, I still get all sorts of catalogues from companies that want us to buy whatever new "must have" item is out this month.

Well, Under Armour is no different, and I recently got their 2007 catalogue. I flipped through it figuring that is just more of the same stuff that I won't be buying, until I go to the women's apparel and saw this:

The Power Thong:

This is the text that went with the photo:

POWER THONG

"The Under Armour® performance thong, delivered in an athletic cut to prevent riding and chafing. Seamless construction and knit-in labeling ensure an unobtrusive garment that moves with you."

I'm guessing that the term "unobtrusive garment has something to do with visible panty lines.

OK... when the SWAT team is about to move in on a barricaded suspect, who may be armed...

... does anybody give a crap about a visible panty line?

Tactical uniforms tend to be baggy because you may need to fight or run or do things that tighter clothing might be too restrictive for.

I am trying to think of a delicate way to ask one of the women that I work with if they would wear such a thing on an operation.

CD Review: Kathrine McPhee

2007-08-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

Kat McPhee has finally released her first post American Idol CD. The following are my thoughts about it.

Katherine McPhee is a pretty girl with a sweet, strong voice but…

There is already a Christina Aguilera in the world.

There is already a Mariah Carey in the world.

Kat McPhee is neither one of them, and she shouldn't try to be… but she tries on this CD. In fact, she tries too hard!

Bloody awful is what it is. It’s musical torture.

Don’t buy it.

Don’t download it.

Don’t put it on your iPod.

DON’T DON’T DON’T

Product Endorsement: PNY Flash Drive

2007-08-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

I truly love the whole idea of being able to drag around multiple gigabytes of information in my pocket... or on a key chain or in "Inside-The-Beltway" fashion, on a lanyard around my neck.

I love the convenience of being able to write at practically any computer that I can find to use, and easily keep blogs posts, memos, lesson plans, my CV (you never know when you may need it), or pictures with you wherever I go.

I have a few flash drives that I use... one primary and two back-ups. They all have essentially the same information on them because I like a certain amount of redundancy... which brings me to my endorsement.

The PNY Flash Drive:

As you know, I was home with Olivia, yesterday, because of the two or three flakes of snow that fell here in the DC area. I tried to be a smart and resourceful fellow and get at least SOME of the laundry done, thereby reducing the amount left to be done over the weekend. Smart, right? Well, I washed the uniform shirts...

...that I had worn earlier in the week... assuming that I had already cleaned out my pockets, as I always try to do (my shirts have four large pockets). Well, I did that load of laundry, and then tossed it all in the dryer.

When I unloaded the dryer, my 1GB flash drive fell to the floor at my feet. I wasn't pleased about that at all since there were some things on it that I hadn't backed up yet.

Fearing the worst, I attached the drive to my computer this morning, and would you believe that it was just fine? It was fully operational.

So, if you want sturdy, get yourself one of these drives from PNY.