Friday fizzles, Saturday drizzles & Sunday shizzles

Bits and pieces to wrap up the week.

• Sean Penn is giving interviews to explain that he's not to blame for the re-capture of El Chapo, and that it screwed up his PR message (whatever that was) re: The War on Drugs.
• Because everybody knows Sean Penn is a policy genius.
• My latest fixit project involves hacking a self-darkening welding helmet.  It's advertised as being 'solar' powered and recharging (I guess from the arc flash), but the fact is that the cartridge pack uses two CR2330 batteries soldered to the circuit.  I'm going to replace them with a modification using easy-to-replace AAA batteries, which will supply more mAh than the OEM coin cells.

(photo from internet)

• It's reported that the Los Angeles Playboy mansion is on the market, asking $200 million.  I'm guessing it'll be a cold day in hell when they get an offer anywhere north of half that.  Real estate people value the property in the $40-45 million range, and I don't think that the 'ambiance' and history of the place will add significant 'goodwill' value, even in Gomorrah-by-the-sea.  As in, "...and over here is where Dr. Huxtable gave a drink to [insert wannabe starlet's name here]..."

• Since the first of the year, I've fallen into a habit of watching reruns of Carson on Antenna TV 33.2.  One of this week's highlights was Robin Williams as guest...followed by Jonathan Winters, in a full union general's uniform.  At the end of the show, Johnny remarked "My only job tonight was to stay the hell out of the way."

• Much has been written about Carson favoring Letterman over Leno as replacement, but the other day I caught an episode (not Leno's first, frizzy haired appearance) where, from the guest chair, Leno really had Johnny laughing.
• I think the show Rules of Engagement ran for seven years, and I never watched it in its original run.  Now, because 21.1 airs two episodes a night, it's rare for me to see a fresh one.
• Oldest son was texting me quotes from Tommy Boy last night.
• For about the last year, I'd searched for my Jabra bluetooth headset.  A month ago I found it.  Now I don't know where the charger is.  Sheesh.
• I'm not a lottery addict, but will buy an occasional ticket.  I subscribe to the theory, espoused by the head of the Math Department at an elite Dallas private school, that your odds go up infinitely by buying the first ticket; but after that it's a linear equation.  So if I play, I only buy one ticket.  (Update: I matched ONE number last night.)
• Winning the Powerball would turn your life upside down, though, as last night's 20/20 noted.
• I've ended up with quite a few .45 ACP case headstamped TZZ 89.  I never gave them much thought, believing they were either Russian or Turkish.  They are neither - they are Israeli manufactured (IMI), and in their original loadings, said to be quite good.  Hopefully, they will be as good or better as reloaded by The Donald.

(web pic)

• Michael Moore is suing the governor of Michigan over the Flint municipal water supply situation.  Why?  Ostensibly it's because the officials who changed Flint's water supply were appointed by the governor, but in reality it's because Moore is a dolt and the governor is a Republican.  If we used Moore's logic and held the POTUS responsible for all of his appointees/sycophants/Czars' stupid actions, he'd be resting now with OBL.
• The global crude oil price drop, though a boon to consumers, has caused quite a bit of pain in the oil patch.  I'm wondering what effect it will have on the Islamic extremists (yes, they exist) who finance their terror ops from pirated petroleum.  I read an article this morning that says Daesh supplements its oil revenue with 'protection' money it extorts from people in the areas it controls.
• Many big thinkers have noted that societies/cultures without character and morals will quickly wither, even in the timeframe of a very few generations.  Think Roman Empire.  In my lifetime, we've always thought of the Saudis and others in the region as being ultra-rich (gold trimmed Bentleys & Gulfstreams, and crisp white robes).  But, apart from all their oil wealth, what do they know how to do?  If global oil continues to stay at current prices for an extended time, will citizens of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait et al have to get real jobs?
• I stopped at a store after church yesterday for a small armload of items, then before I headed for the checkout, realized I'd left my wallet on my desk at home (after paying a bill online), and was forced to pay en efectivo from my money clip.  I had to put a couple of items back.  Oh, the humanity!
• Son and former FIL and I went to Frontiers of Flight at Love Field Yesterday.  There were some displays from the Zeppelin heyday (in the early 20th century, not 1968-1979), and the 270 pound tube radio from the zeppelin Los Angeles.  It had vacuum tubes the size of eggplants.
• This is not the Ryan PT-22 that Han Solo crash landed:

I flew with the one on the left many times in his home-built biplane.

The one on the right took his first flight at six months on my lap in an Aeronca 7AC "Champ"

• Luke Skywalker and a California assemblywoman are working on legislation to protect consumers from fake autographs & memorabilia.  Hey, idiots consumers, how about not buying that crap?  Know any Franklin Mint, Beanie Baby, or Yu-Gi-Oh millionaires out there?
• I have just a few autographed items, but I don't attach financial significance to them: A Bill Jordan autographed copy of  No Second Place Winner (for those who've forgotten, Jordan persuaded S&W to produce K-frame .357 Magnums, i.e. Model 19 & 66, and with Elmer Keith - who himself pushed S&W to create the .44 Magnum - developed the .41 Remington Magnum).  Col. Jordan signed it for me after an installation dinner (ca. 1972-1973?) when my Dad was president of the local gun club.  I also have album/CD covers signed and inscribed from Peter Frampton and Jimmy Webb, in my presence, and CD covers that a good friend of mine had Don Henley and Michael Martin Murphey inscribe to me (I have an original Blue Sky Night Thunder LP (Wildfire, Carolina in the Pines) that I may take to his Kessler Theater show in March).

(internet photo)

• News outlets last week ran some fluff that someone wanted Michelle Obama to run for President. You gotta be *kidding* me.  Zero accomplishments, and married to the least qualified President in memory.  Yeah, that'll play.
• At least HRC in 2008 could point to having been elected as Senator in Nueva York (before she proved to be a complete disaster as Secretary of State).
• With the dropping temps this weekend, I'm glad I took a bike ride Friday.  The sun felt good on my face, and I wasn't as out-of-shape as I'd feared, despite not riding in nearly three months.
• The other night, I caught an original (I think) episode of the ABC sitcom with Tim Allen, with Jay Leno making an appearance as a mechanic who'd washed out as a stand-up comic.  It was kinda fun to watch Leno and Allen as they nudged the fourth wall in their dialogue. 

In memory of Ed Rasimus