Hot Tuna! 50 Years of Jorma & Jack!

I've been following Tuna for over 30 yrs, and I'll keep on going to their shows for as long as either they're playing, or I'm still breathing. Saw this show at Town Hall in NYC on 12-3-2008. I went with my son and my friend Mike.

Had dinner at RUB(Righteous Urban Barbeque) first. You just can't beat their pulled pork or chicken.
A couple of beers and then the mandatory shot of Jack Daniels before heading off to the show.

The orchestra seats weren't too shabby at all. A good time was had by all! (except for my friend T.C. who was in Aruba with his wife) I decided to torture him by leaving several voice mails consisting of Tuna playing in the background.
What can I say, I'm just evil that way! LOL!!

Blues Traveller

Took my wife & son to see Blues Traveller at the Highline Ballroom on 10-16-08.

Great fuckin' show. BT has still got it together. I Love these guys. Last time I saw them was in 05 at the Nokia theatre. The only drawback is that they only seem to do shows with Gen'l. admission these days, which means I have to stand up all night. And frankly, between getting old and my bad back not getting any better, that means it's getting rougher.

But then again, all the Gen'l admission venues generally have a bar on the premises, and everybody stocks Jack Daniels, so it's not too bad!

If anybody reading this ever gets the chance to see them live, trust me, you won't be dissappointed!

I Love The NY Renfaire!

I haven't been able to make it to a Renfaire in a few years. But when I do go, I never miss the Belly Dancers!

A Quick A.L.R.T. Redux...

Came home tonight and had to make dinner for myself and my offspring. I couldn't find the godamned can opener for the carrots, so I decided to improvise. The TOPS ALRT is not as good as the regular can opener, but it sure as hell works faster than a P-38. The kiridashi style knife has what is essentially a tanto-point, only it's double ground instead of a chisel grind.

Worked like a charm!

Every Once In A While, Technology Works

With Gustav bearing down, this time with people decided to get out of Dodge with an ample amount of warning, technology came through in the form of Onstar. I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of technological "toys" in the car, but apparently sometimes things actually do what they're supposed to, and even a little more.

Drivers Rely on OnStar to Evade Hurricane GustavThousands of Gulf Coast Drivers Seek Help From GM's OnStar While Fleeing HurricaneBy TOM KRISHERThe Associated PressDETROIT For the most part, the callers were calm, patiently asking for the fastest path out of New Orleans or some other Gulf Coast city as Hurricane Gustav twisted its way to the northwest.They started calling General Motors Corp.'s OnStar service by the thousands early Saturday, and by Sunday, their numbers had grown to well over 3,000 per hour."There's a lot of people that are stranded on the evacuation routes," said Brad Williams, a service manager for the automaker's motorist help line who was overseeing OnStar's response from a command center in Downtown Detroit.As more than 2 million people tried to outrun the deadly storm, OnStar beefed up its staff to around 500 and put emergency plans in place at three call centers in Pontiac, Oshawa, Ontario, and Charlotte, N.C.Managers expected Sunday's calls to reach 75,000, about double the number on a normal Sunday.The storm calls are sent to specially trained OnStar advisers, many of whom were on duty during Hurricane Katrina."They're more prepared. They know what questions have been asked," said Williams.The advisers were armed with computerized maps, databases of hotels with vacancies and even locations of Red Cross emergency shelters, Williams said.All day, callers asked for the closest hotel with vacant rooms. They asked OnStar to find loved ones who were on the road. But most of all, they wanted to get around the clogged Interstate evacuation routes."They don't want to get on the major highways because they know traffic is at a standstill," said Kim Dupee, a senior adviser in Charlotte who spent much of Sunday directing people out of metro New Orleans. "It's steady. The calls don't stop."Advisers reported that most callers were calm, leaving well in advance of the storm. Governments and drivers, they said, were far better prepared for Gustav than they were for Hurricane Katrina.Unlike Katrina, they said, there were few calls about gas stations running out of fuel along the evacuation routes. OnStar managers also had to prepare for more calls than during Katrina, because the service has grown from around 3 million subscribers to more than 5 million, Williams said.As the storm moved closer to the coast, advisers were preparing for more panic calls, people unsure of where to go when buffeted by heavy winds and blinding rain with roads closed due to flooding and downed trees.Before she loaded up two daughters, an aunt, her sister-in-law and a niece to get out of Pearl River, La., north of New Orleans, Cyndy Nobles got into her 2007 Saturn Vue and called OnStar, figuring the operators would know the best way to get to the safety of a relative's house in Meridian, Miss."They have the most updated information with the traffic situation and so forth," said her husband, Robert, who stayed behind to ride out the storm at home.Their home, about 25 miles from New Orleans, is just outside the mandatory evacuation zone, Robert Nobles said, but they figured it would be best for the mother and daughters to head for a safer place. His parents and brother had decided not to leave, so Robert stayed behind in case they needed help.Cyndy Nobles was given a route that included two Interstate highways, but the operator assured them it was best, Nobles said. Along the way, one of the interstates jammed up, so Cyndy had to take a different route. She made it to Meridian in 6 1/2 hours, more than double the time it ususally takes, he said.By Sunday evening, OnStar was telling people that most hotels were booked up in areas along the Gulf and even as far inland as Dallas. They were routing drivers to hotels in Kentucky and Indiana."People have to travel pretty far away because everything's booked up in the affected states," said Mary Ann Adams, OnStar's crisis incident manager in Detroit.For Mo Crane, owner of Mo's Chalet lounge in the New Orleans suburb of Metairie, there was no crisis Sunday. He was staying put to guard against looters, who he said did $250,000 damage to his business after Katrina.He called to add minutes to his OnStar cell phone, which the service says has better coverage than standard cell services because it transmits from a car rooftop antenna rather than a hand-held phone.And although he's only a few miles from Lake Pontchartrain and near the Mississippi River, the 72-year-old businessman is more worried about looters than Gustav. Katrina, he said, didn't damage his building, so he figures he's safe inside."The last time I left here...they looted my place terribly," he said. "I just didn't want them to loot it again."Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures

On Disasters...

I've put up a new link called "Listening To Katrina". It's the blog portion of a website belonging to a guy who lived in New Orleans up until Katrina hit. I'm not really sure if he has since moved back or not. I put the link up because it is one of the best Real World preparedness sites I have seen to date.

What do I mean by Real World?

Simply this, it covers his familys' "lessons learned" by what happened. It covers how to bug out, or how to hunker down, depending on your situation. What gear you really need vs. all the fantasy shite you see on other survival websites. The kinds of vehicles that will really get you out of dodge, what kind of Bug Out Bag to put together. He 'll explain how to organize the records that make up your life so that you can, in advance, be prepared to deal with your insurance company when it's time to get them to pay up so that you can get your life back together.

There is no discussion of what "Tacti-Kewl" knife to carry, or of what kinds of firepower you absolutely "must-have" to protect yourself against crazies, looters, or just good old fashioned Zombies!

It's a preparedness site for Real People, who happen to live in the Real World.

Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs/klessons/

Just For A Comparison..

In my last post about the MoraKniv Scout, I alluded to The Drawpoint 1 video from James Keating. The knife he used in the video, and personally favored for his Drawpoint system was the Gryphon M10.

I thought I'd put up this picture so that if anbody is actually reading this Blog (and my Hit Counter apparently says that people are) they can see the similarities and differences.

The main similarities being that hey have the same overall length, the same blade length, they both have stainless steel blades, and they both have handles made of synthetic materials.

As for differences, the Gryphon has what is considered better blade steel (that's a matter of opinion), and the Gryphon has a superior sheath (no argument there).

The biggest difference of course being the price, as the Gryphon retails for about $110.00

Frosts Of Sweden (Mora)

Back to one of my favorite subjects.... Knives!

I picked up this little beauty about 4 months ago from the Tenessee Knife Mafia. Otherwise known as SmokeyMountainKnifeWorks.

The Frosts(Mora) knife Co. has been in business for well over a century and produces some of the best made knives, for the most reasonable prices that you could imagine.

This little number is no exception.

The MoraKniv Scout comes with a stainless steel blade, a synthetic handle and a two piece sheath made of both a rigid composite, and a flexible belt frog/attachment. The overall length is 8-5/16", with a blade length of 4-1/16". With a clip point and no ricasso, this blade can, and will, do just about any real world job you need it to. The spine is about 3/32" thick, and the blade comes razor sharp from the factory.

I've used this knife for just about every dirty chore you can think of. From opening boxes and letters to cutting rope and cord, digging up weeds, cutting vines, prying open lids, and scraping rust, this knife is like they used to say in the old Timex watch commercials.

It takes a licking, and keeps on ticking!

Despite being synthetic, a combination of ridges and a slight grainy composition provides a positive grip on the handle. The guard is also a pleasure as it allows you to use the knife without worrying about you fingers sliding up the blade.

From a self defense point of view, this knife is quite serviceable. Handle-heavy, it moves quickly in the hand, and the shape of the handle allows for any grip you want. Forward grip, edge down or up, Reverse grip, edge in or out. If you've ever seen James Keatings' Reverse Grip Knife Fighting video (also known as Drawpoint 1) this knife is perfect for what he shows you. The only drawback being that the sheath does not lend itself to a quick deployment.

But hey, that's what Kydex is for!

In an age where everyone is running around spending a fortune being a good little "gear q@**r", spending a fortune on any and all manner of overpriced , overspecialized equipment, the Frosts MoraKniv Scout is a refreshing change. Whether you're a homeowner, camper, fisherman, or somebody worried about a bad situation at zero-dark thirty in an empty parking lot, you would be hard-pressed to find a better all-round, general-purpose knife than this one.

And at a price of $11.99 plus shipping, it really doesnt get any better than that.

One Of My Hobbies

I like knives, I always have. I've owned, used, and trashed so many over the years (OK, decades) that I couldn't even begin to tell you how many I've owned. What I've discovered is that it has usually turned out to be the the simplest, smallest, and most innocuous ones that I have gotten the most use out of.

The TOPS A.L.R.T. falls into that category. Lightweight, solid, simple, and non-threatening to the sheeple (if you don't know what that means, you probably shouldn't be wasting your time at this blog).

It comes with a kydex sheath, a small carabiner clip, a ball chain, and a small LED penlight that runs on 3 button cells. Sharp as a razor and only about 3 3/8" long, it's great for cutting boxes, trimming paper, and other assorted household and office type supply room functions.

I can even see where it might come in handy for "social work".

I picked mine up for $23.13 and it's proven to be a real bargain so far. Give it a try, you won't be sorry.

My Tribute To George

I didn't always agree with his politics, but I always thought he was funny. I remember watching George Carlin on the Tonight show back in the 60s'.

Yeah, I'm that old!

I was lucky enough to get one last chance to see him perform in NJ just a couple of weeks before he died. (Note: I could have said "passed" or some other euphemism for death, but if you knew any of George Carlins material, you knew that he hated bullshit expressions for day to day realities)

My son and I got lost on the way to the town he was playing in, and wound up in PA. I got so frustrated that I almost turned around and went home.

I'm glad I didn't.

Wow, I now Have a Blog.

I don't really know where I'm going with this. I just wanted to see what was involved in setting one of these things up. Turned out to be easier than I thought. Hopefully I can put up some interesting material, as well as work on the format in the near future.

Oh well, that's enough for now.