The problem with rat terriers

They want to eat anything smaller than they are

Gun stuff

I have been seriously lacking in the gun stuff on the blog as of late.  Why?  Well, ammo is expensive, time is short, and I am busy as hell with the day job.

I need to get to the range.  I cant afford it right now.  I REALLY want to fire a big boomer, and if I can load up some .454 ammo, MAYBE I'll sneak to the range in the next few days.

You want a BOOM?  You can't handle the BOOM!

Anywho... so here is some cool stuff about guns that was on the blogs this morning:

Grant Cunningham linked to Forgotten Weapons (a site that trips my oddball gun trigger) about another Automatic revolver that is just freaking cool:

 The Firearms Blog linked to another cool 'hidden safe':

Crown Royal?  A Glock?  Pfft... how positively 1992.

Jalapeno Lime Vodka

On father's day, my family got me (among other things) a VodkaZinger.

A what?

A neat little infuser that allows you to make custom flavored alcohol in small batches in a short period of time.  A few weeks ago, a coworker received one as a gift, and the idea migrated to the wife that I really needed another way to enjoy alcohol.

It works by having a little opposing blade rough grinder at the bottom that you load with whatever flavor you want.  When you screw it on, the blades clop and crush the flavorant, and keep it in the bottom with a fine mesh strainer.  Then you fill with the beverage of your choice, shake and steep in the fridge.

Of course, it was a Sunday, and in Texas we still have these asinine Blue Laws that say that hard liquor can only be sold at liquor stores... and that the stores must be closed on Sundays.

...and we were out of vodka.

So I did a test run with some strawberries and lime with water, and made a nice refreshing agua fresca.

Today, I was able to sneak out to the liquor store and score a bottle of vodka.  We had some jalapenos left over, and were fresh out of limes... so I improvised for a test run and used some key lime juice I had lying about.

That's some targeted marketing, rite thar'

With a rough chop of the seeded peppers (we already knew this batch was rocket hot), I loaded up the bottom of the 'Zinger' and started the process.

Into the fridge it goes!

Meanwhile, it was time to put That Kid to bed.  I let it steep for an hour or so (meanwhile I reminded myself why you should not touch your eyes after processing hot peppers) and decided to try a taste.

It was REALLY good.  It really brought across the flavor of the jalapenos.  I immediately regretted not  getting tequila and doing this to make some awesome Jalapeno Margaritas.

Clean up was a snap.  The peppers came out of the bottom easy and the carafe cleaned right up quick with no lingering odor of either the peppers or the vodka.

Now, I'm sure someone is asking 'what does this give you over just cutting up the stuff and steeping it in a mason jar?'  Really just one thing- speed.  A few months ago, I did a Meyer Lemon infused vodka, and to get this level of flavor transfer, it took about 3-4 days of steeping.

Can you tell I like to drink local?

All in all, this was a nice gift, and something I think I'll get some good use out of.  It is fairly inexpensive, and I think worth the price.   I am going to try different flavors with different liquors and see if I can come up with something really good.

Of course, I could just be mean and make someone a 'special' drink...

All this to play shitty music and sportball

Last weekend's project

Last weekend, I spent a lot of time working on a recent acquisition.  Building stake sides for a trailer.

My brother in law had a Harbor Freight trailer that he had converted to a Teardrop Camper.

Not his, but you get the idea

For several reasons, he was done with it, and had converted it back to trailer configuration.

Yes, that is peel and stick kitchen tile on the deck.

So I bought it, and drove it home in a monsoon.

Only lost one tile in the rainstorm!

A trailer without sides is only mostly useful.  While the base trailer has stake pockets in the frame rails, that would make the bed capacity slightly less than the 4x8 size of the trailer.  Using those pockets means I could not lay a sheet of plywood or drywall flat on it with the sides on.  So I went to Red Trailers and bought a set of bolt on stake pockets and side connectors and went to work.

Why yes, that is a microbrew IPA in an insulated plastic cup.

In my attempt to not make stuff too heavy, I used 3/8" plywood for the sides.  That is pretty flimsy, so I had to brace between the stake pockets.  I did not want to increase the weight by using more pressure treated lumber, so I used the bracing from the inside of a storm-killed EZ-Up canopy

NOW I'll be able to see it in the rearview mirror!

...and it was ready to roll. 

Now I have a utility trailer.  No, I cannot help you move.

Culinary and Automotive geeks collide: Gordon Ramsay vs James May

Not in MY Post-Apocalyptic Dystopia!

This made me laugh

Content!

Been almost a week since I posted anything. So, here is this