Global Warming My Hairy Ass

Al Gore is a Freaking LIAR!!! So far this week, the temperature has been below zero, we were under a BLIZZARD WARNING, it has snowed enough to (supposedly, this is 2nd hand info) put a snow plow in the ditch, and the high temp in the last 48 hours has been 22 degrees.

So just in case you didn't know, global warming is BULLSHIT. The week I was in Florida, here at home, they saw several days of single digit to below zero temps. In December, every single freaking weekend for the entire month saw either ice or snow that stuck around for several days.

So to paraphrase Bender from "Futurama," Al Gore can bite my hairy pasty white ass.

Winter Weather Driving

So about 1:30 today it started snowing outside my office. I had been watching radar and tracking the system. The National Weather Service had issued the Advisories and Warnings either last night or early this morning. It was not a surprise when this stuff came.

One thing that always amazes me is that between snow events, even Illinois drivers forget how to handle winter driving conditions. I left the office at 4:00. There is a major T-intersection 1.5 miles west of my office. When I arrived at the intersection, there was a car on the curb that would have been coming from my left and turning the direction I had come from. As i passed the car, I realized how boned the driver was. For you see, the road was about 50% snow covered and could be slick when trying to turn or start moving or come to a stop. The driver of the car forget to increase their slowing distance and arrived at the intersection WAAAAAYYYY too fast. There is an island at the intersection separating the turn lane from the through lane. Well this driver hit the curb of this island and such a speed that they broke the wheel off of the axle.

Now, I drive a crew cab 4x4 pickup, and I know how to handle adverse driving conditions. No, I am not perfect and I have been in the ditch before. Although, so far, it was not my own vehicle I was driving when I entered said ditch. Anywho. My commute is normally 55-60 minutes one way, depending on traffic lights. Today, it took and hour and 20 because I was stuck behind slow drivers who have no confidence in their own ability to drive, or just plain suck at it and should not be on the road in these kind of conditions.

For most of the drive, I was actually behind a good friend of mine, and I was cussing him for driving too slow in several places (Didn't realize it was said friend until just about the end of the drive).

When the weather gets like this, I wish all the crappy drivers would just get the Hell outa my way.

Thank God

I was worried it could be really bad.

25% Geek

That ain't so bad. Pretty low really. Hell, this could even be a bit of a stretch.

Hat tip to The Smartest Guy in the World.

There's another place I won't go

Since I haven't ever been to Gainsville Florida, it is not a place I can't or won't go back to, but unless they reverse this perverse policy, I WILL NOT ever be going there.

Evidently, having a twig and berries, but FEELING like you shouldn't, is reason enough to use the wrong side of the bath house.

I KNOW I am not the only one who see the absolute idiocy of this policy. Basically, all I have to do is do the floppy wrist hand drop and say "Man, I FEEL like a woman" and I can use the women's restroom.

**ATTENTION PERVERTS AND RAPISTS** Gainsville, Florida has written an open invitation for you.

Alright, I am a guy. I am straight. And in the words of Jeff Foxworthy, "I'd like a beer and I'd like to see something nekkid." But I am NOT going to walk into the women's locker room to do it. I was raised with values and morals far above a stunt like this. How anyone could even think this is a good idea must be freaking retarded (no offense intended to those who have legitimate disabilities, stupiditiy is not a legitimate disability and to them I do intend to offend).

Here is my perfect solution to this (what should be a fake) issue. If you have a twig and berries, you use the side of the bath house that is intended for those with a twig and berries. If you are embarrassed, they have this great new invention. It is called a STALL. They have doors that lock, and a seat on which to park your messed up self. Use them. And vice versa for women.

H/T to Ogre for bringing this up.

Who the heck am I

I am Petey.

A 25 year old single guy. I am a hunter, archer, woodworker, canoe paddle maker, shooter, Living History Re-enactor, pro 2nd-Amendment, Right Wing Conservative, and a Freemason (yes, those Freemasons, the ones that really run the world (just kidding)).

I am a farm boy. My great grandparents bought the house I grew up in in 1942. When my older brother was born, he became the 4th generation to live in the same house. My family has an 800 farm. We have hogs, cattle, and raise corn and soybeans. A little bit of pasture ground. We also have a recycling business.

My education background: I spent my entire primary and secondary education in the same school system. The same one my brother and dad attended. My entire high school was 215 students. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I attended the local Junior College and got a degree in Agriculture (farm boy). Then transferred to Western Illinois University and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Construction Management, and graduated with a 4.0 GPA (4.0 scale). I was in a professional agricultural fraternity while in college.

I work in the construction industry. Originally in General Contracting, I now work for an HVAC contractor, where I estimate jobs, manage work, do CAD drafting, and manage the safety program. On jobsites, I can become a safety nazi. But in my first job I learned to monitor safety and lots of proper safety practices. And then, I went through the horrible ordeal of having a worker on a jobsite lose his life in a jobsite accident. I really screwed with my head for a while. But at least now, I don't think about it every day.

Like I said earlier, I am a Freemason. I am a (at least) 4th consecutive generation Master Mason. 3rd generation in the same local Blue Lodge, and a 3rd generation Worshipful Master of the local Lodge. I was raised in October of 2002 and it has made a profound impact on my life.

I am also a Living History Re-enactor. I portray a farmer/hunter in the Illinois Country in about 1765. I travel to about 15 events a year. All the way to Northern Wisconsin and to Central Florida. And there are a bunch of other events all over the country I want to attend. There will be lots more on this as the world continues to turn.

Hunting is a lifelong passion of mine. Mostly I prefer to hunt birds and predators. But I do some deer hunting as well. In the spring, I will be getting my first hunting dog. A Spinoni Italiano. There will be lots on this as we get closer to the arrival of "Thor." (Yes, I already have the name picked out)

So stick around. It should be really interesting. And if I piss you off at some point, GET OVER IT. Welcome to the United States of America. I have the right to say what I want. It is MY OPINION!!!! If you don't like MY OPINION, you have the right to LEAVE. Thanks for stopping by.

The standard first post that must Suck.

Just a little bit late.

After much long and careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that the Blogosphere cannot survive any longer without the Wisdom of me. So now, you have arrived at Petey's Powderhorn.

What you can expect at my blog. Lots and Lots of me ranting about stuff that makes me want to shorten someone's spine (i.e. calling out the stupidity of the planet), general stuff about things I find interesting or organizations I belong to, political commentary, and whatever else comes to mind and stirs any kind of opinion in me.

So gather round the fire, just make sure the plug is in your horn. We don't want powder falling in the fire. There is a pot of coffee on, it is warm, black as sin, and strong enough to bend nails. Good.


I guess this post doesn't suck that bad.

It is almost like a quick kick in the nuts.,

So, for the last almost month, I have been e-mailing back and forth with a young lady. I can see some potential with this, but don't want to rush anything.

Then today, I get a call from one of my very good friends of the Motley Crew called me to inquire if I was currently seeing anyone. For you see, it looks like his sister is going to be moving to our area in Illinois and he was looking to help her meet people and possibly set her up on a blind date. The last blind date I went on was just about 4 years ago. It was one date and nothing ever became of it. Now, technically, I have seen my friends sister (13 months ago at his wedding) so it is not totally blind. But anyway, I digress.

The thing about it for me is that, even though I have never spoken to or actually met the young lady I have been e-mailing, I feel it would be wrong to go on a blind date with someone else.

Am I way to old fashioned?

Alafia River Rendezvous

So, I just recently returned from Florida. 8 days of Rendezvous. I made the 22 hour drive with Token Mexican and The Man from Ohio. When we arrived on Saturday it was an 80 degree temperature swing from home in Illinois. Here on Saturday morning was -5 and in Florida it was 75 and beautiful sunshine. The Florida Frontiersmen who run the Alafia have a pretty good site, about 300 acres of reclaimed phosphate mine. Great shooting range, and a really cool archery range through a swamp, where if you sail an arrow long, you need to think really hard about how much that arrow is worth, because there is a really good chance you are no longer the top of the food chain.

Over the days we were there, I shot archery 3 days. Didn't do terrible but sure would have liked to do better. I didn't shoot any of the gun matches, simply because I was doing a whole bunch more socializing.

On Tuesday, they had the parade of tartans and the highland games. As scary a thought as it is, I even wore a kilt.
Scary ain't it? That is Hot Buttered Rum Master, Me, and Red Legs.

I even did something there that I don't think I did in College. I was knee walking, snot slinging, furniture breaking DRUNK, and three nights in a row. I will post more on those nights in the next couple of days.

All in all, it was a great week and I can't wait to go back in 2009. It is an 1,800 person camp that feels like a local rendezvous with all your closest friends.

Tastes like?

I suppose this is as good a way as any to start.

65%

Tastes like Beef. Good Red Meat. Well Aged.