New rounds, and a great lazy Sunday.

Went to a gun show in Austin Sunday morning. Buddy of mine wanted to head down, so we left early and got there soon after it opened. I saw a few old friends there, folks who I'd bought guns from in the past, and fondled a few nice pistols. I'm always thinking about getting a stow away piece for the car, but just can't find the right one. Saw a nice Kimber .45 ACP, smooth black finish with the sights ground off and a groove down the top, but it had one of those short handles. Those things just don't fit in my hand. I love the look of it though. I'll have to think about it. Don't have any money in the budget right now for a new toy, but did manage to find an ATM and get some loose currency and picked up some new ammo.



On the left, we have armor piercing .30-06, in an M-1 Garand clip. I don't actually have a Garand, so I guess this means I need to get one, right? I bought five clips of the stuff. The rounds on the right are East German 7.62x39, stored in a plastic battle pack. The dude said they were AP too, but I don't think so. They look like standard rounds.



This is how the East Germans stored their rounds, and how they arrive in the tins when the soldiers cracked them open to load their magazines. I'd seen other, lacquered rounds in the plastic packs before, and blanks, and I'd bought several hundred rounds of each, but I'd never seen these regular rounds in these packs.

Went to Rudy's BBQ in Round Rock on the way home and got 6 links of their hot jalapeno sausage and a half gallon of their cream corn. I love that stuff to death, and will be eating on it all week.

Bein' lazy around the house today, we watched a few DVDs, beginning with an old favorite that I own; Zulu, starring Michael Cane. We both saw this one in the theater in England back when it came out, but of course we didn't know one another then. Pitty. Here's a taste, if you haven't seen it.



Denise is part Welsh, and knows that song, Men Of Harlech, and sang along with the flick. Killer! I tell ya, those Zulu warriors chanting and beating their shields just chills me to the bone. Imagine seeing that in real life. Seeing things like this as a kid made me a history teacher today. I'm sure of it. You can still get one of those old Martini Henry rifles. They're so old now, they're considered antiques. That means they'll send them to you in the mail, and there are no friggin' rules to hinder it.

Later we watched a few flicks she'd rented; K-9, P.I. (Belushi and that dog are a great teem), and The Queen, with Helen Mirren. Loved that one too.

After she turned out that wonderful pot roast, taters and such, and Yorkshire whatevers last Sunday, I decided it's my turn to cook dinner this weekend. After getting home at noon and finding her still tucked in, I took a trip to the store and got the fixin's for my famous (or infamous) "Bachelor Pasta Thingy".

Here's the process; You take a package of ground turkey, and a package of chopped beef (chopped into little bitty pieces), two cans of diced or petite cut tomatoes (I use Del Monte; one with garlic and onion, and the other with basil, garlic and oregano), a package of medium heat pico de gallo, and finally a jar of tomato sauce. Whatever brand or flavor you like is cool. This time I used Prego, Chunky Garden.

Place a good sized pot on the burner, turn on the heat and pour a nice amount of wine into it, and about a third of a stick of butter. As the wine and butter begin to heat, put the ground and chopped meat in and begin to season to taste. I put all sorts of stuff in there. Lots of different kinds of pepper, and a good daub of honey.

As the meat cooks, stir it regularly so that it all gets cooked through and through. Then open the cans and put all the other contents into the pot. Stir it all up and put it aside, covered on a medium burner. Take another pot and cook the noodles in water with salt and more butter. This time I chose to make it with Rotini. I love that stuff.

When the Rotini are cooked, drain the water and pour them into the sauce. I like to mix all the stuff together and then let it simmer for a few hours. Let it acquire that great leftover taste that pasta dishes have when they're taken out of the fridge for the second day. I think these things are almost always better the second time around, the flavors having mingled a bit more in the fridge.



Here's what it looked like in the pot. Tasted damn good after simmering for a few hours...



And on the plate. Drinks were a Flying Dog Pale Ale for me, and her noxious lime juice and beer mixture (not with my Yuengling this time, by God). It was all good. After we finished, I cleaned the kitchen, put the leftovers in the fridge, filled the dishwasher and turned it on, and then I busted out the fruit. Denise whipped up a desert plate a while back, cutting up a cantaloupe and some strawberries, and we've been grazing on it all weekend.



We finished it off tonight. We'll probably walk tonight, to give ourselves the illusion that we've made up for all this debauchery with a little exercise. After finishing her fruit plate and putting it in the sink, Denise gave me a squeeze and asked me if I had any other talents she hadn't heard of. I told her I was pretty good with a paddle. A few seconds later, with her giggling, I let her know that I meant in a canoe.

It's been a good day. Hope your weekends were all as good. Cheers.