And Just Like That, Cold Weather Riding Is Paused

This morning was my 07:00 appointment at Quest Diagnostics for the Chi-Com Flu antibody test my doctor reluctantly ordered for me at my request. THIS is what we woke up to this morning.

An inch of fresh snow everywhere

The view down my driveway from a toasty warm cab. You wanna take a bike down that? NOPE!

The lab is about 20 minutes away and I got right in and right out. The sign on the door said face diapers were required. I went in wearing an N95 that virtue signals to people that I don't care about them, I care about ME! I did not see a GFDZ (Gun-Free Death Zone) sign. The test starts with a Chi-Com Flu nasal swab test (my very first one). I complete that and she says, "All set, thank you." I remind her this is an antibody test, I thought there was a blood draw? Oops... nothing like not reading the lab request form. She takes my blood and I am out. Oh yeah, the M&P 45 Shield remained on my right hip concealed the entire time. Since a large grocery store was near the lab, I took back my returnable glass bottles since I knew no one would be hogging up the machines. Now I just need to get rid of the plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Stupid fucking bottle bill!*

Headed home up my road. Recent tires on the truck made for fine traction on untreated roads.

 

I was talking to the town DPW maintenance guy last week. He said not one of their trucks were ready to go for plowing or sanding. The monkeys that work there absolutely beat the shit out of the equipment faster than he can repair it, and parts are getting tough to get when they really break something. I hear grumblings from people around town that if they had the authority, they would fire every one of them motherfuckers and make them reapply for their jobs. The only one that would probably get rehired is the equipment maintenance guy.

 

*The Kommiecticut bottle bill has been around forever. State government will say it is to promote recycling... I CALL BULLSHIT! They make returning cans and bottles for your deposit purposely a pain in the ass, in the hopes YOU WILL NOT RECYCLE and the deposit money goes into state coffers. Just like not playing the lottery (a suckers tax), I refuse to give them one more penny than they can otherwise confiscate. The bottle bill is taxation on the lazy.

A Review - The 2021 Big 'E'

This year is the 39th time in a row that my wife and I have attended together. Last year, because of C-O-O-O-O-V-I-D! 😱 the normal fair held at the exposition grounds in West Springfield, MA was turned into a drive through food event only. You drove through in your vehicle and bought your fair food to go. The Log Cabin Restaurant in Holyoke did their "Taste of The Big 'E'" at their own facility on the side of Mt. Tom. My wife and I went with one of my biker buds on motorcycles. We had a nice lunch on their outdoor mountainside terrace overlooking the valley. Afterwards, we took the long way home east through MA and then headed south into Kommiecticut by way of Somers. While not the experience we are used to, I contend our record of attendance is intact.

This year the Big 'E' was happening at the exposition fairgrounds as normal. Well... almost. Right before it started, the city of West Springfield decided to institute a "Mask of Oppression" mandate just for the fair anytime you were inside the buildings. How'd that work out for them? Maybe 50% average compliance. Earlier in the day compliance was higher. We delayed going because it was raining pretty hard in the early morning, and it remained cool and cloudy until mid-morning. My wife wore her thin blue medical mask and I wore my 19th century train robber bandana. The way I wear it, it looks like it is covering my air intake/exhaust, but it is pulled up high on my face and there is almost ZERO restriction that way. It takes some extra fiddling for me to get it that way. In between buildings it was pulled down around my neck. As the morning wore on, the sun came out and by the afternoon it got warm, I just stopped putting my mask back up. So did my wife. So did a lot of other people. And NO ONE MADE A STINK! Outside, only the very few idiotic Branch-Covidians wore a face diaper walking around outside. One libtard ass-clown sitting outside with his wife by themselves on a bench nowhere near anyone were covered up, with their official "Biden-Harris" labeled face diapers virtue signalling all those around them how enlightened and extra special they were. I so wanted to take their photo to turn it into a meme, but they would have seen me and I had no intention of engaging with such morons even to lie to them.

In all the state buildings, we noticed lots of empty exhibitor floor space, and some of the permanent setups closed up with a sign saying "See You in 2022!" While outside in the open areas it was the same. Not as crowded with vendors and purveyors. At the main entrance to The Better Living Center, it is usually full of vendor tents, and 2 to 4 fundraisers raffling off cars and/or motorcycles. Nothing. Open pavement in the whole area. Inside The Better Living Center which is almost 3 acres of indoor exhibitor space is usually cram packed with fair-goers and exhibitors. Not this year. Again lots of open floor space and easy to walk around. Even though we always go on a weekday and it started out rainy, I believe attendance was off. I think it is because instead of a full year of planning like normal, the exposition was in doubt up until it was confirmed to occur a few short months ago. I assume many exhibitors and vendors went and made other commitments.

The Big 'E' has a no weapons policy, enforced by bag searches at the gate and metal detectors. Since I was in MA I was not carrying a firearm. But I sure did have a weapon. I possess a Blackie Collins poly resin serrated straight knife (aka The CIA Letter Opener) with an added para cord wrist loop. I carry that whenever I  have to pass through a metal detector. Airports are a different story, as the knife would get picked up on a full body scanner or x-ray. For those times it is packed in my checked luggage. While bringing a knife to a gunfight is never a good idea, the only guns inside the Big 'E' are hopefully on the hips of the numerous cops on the grounds.

This knife holds a pretty good edge and the serrations are nasty. I wish the handle were just a little more robust and the added wrist loop ensures I don't lose it in a fight. It sure would be a good offensive weapon too, say deployed from behind and jammed into an enemy's brain stem. But I digress.

This year's Big 'E' gives me hope that next year, people will be so fed up with all the BKT that the exposition will be like it always has been, and the wife and I will hit the Big Four-Oh anniversary of attendance.

Update On The GFDZ Post

Immediately after my visit to Town Fair Tire I received an email invite to review my experience. I gave them a well deserved 5-Star review and it was immediately published.

Last night I received another email invite for a review. This one was from corporate and was more along the lines of "how can we improve the customer experience?" I let `em have it on that one.

I told them they need to get rid of their GFDZ policy and pull down their stupid signs. That a sign on the door alone in lieu of armed guards and/or metal detectors is totally meaningless, except to disarm the permit holding concealed carry public that may obey their signage. That an armed violent person hell-bent on killing will not stop at the door because of a sign. I went as far as to tell them that I was in their store armed anyway, that no one knew, and yet somehow no one died [sarcasm off]. Imagine that?

I am sure this will never be seen by the decision makers. Much like the letters I used to send the corporate hierarchy at the companies I once worked for about their moronic diversity programs, this one too will be discarded because it goes against the agenda.

I will continue to carry in all manner of GFDZ, and if I have to be the one to put a stop to an act of violence, I will deal with the consequences of potentially saving lives, especially my own.

Carried In Two GFDZ's Today

Put new sneakers on the Tundra today at Town Fair Tire. I've lost track how many full sets of tires I have bought there in the past 30+ years. Always great price and great service. I got another set of exactly what I had. Michelin LTX AT2 off-road tires in LT275/65/R18E. After all, I got 78,000 miles out of the last set and they were still road legal. With 155K on the truck, this may be the last set. Who knows?

Gotta have the raised white letters showing. Can't afford new rims, they are more than the tires.

 

As my usual SOP I was carrying. Since it was so bloody hot, I opted for the LCP in .380. The ammo is Hornady Critical Defense which has good penetration and expansion, especially against lightweight summer clothing. As I went to enter the store, I noticed and then promptly ignored their Gun Free Death Zone (GFDZ) sign on the door. I refuse to be disarmed, not only while standing in the store, but to and from my vehicle in the parking lot. If I followed their signage completely, I could not carry at all, including to and from home because the only place to secure it was in my vehicle. And they were bringing my vehicle into their garage. Since I carry concealed, its nobody's fucking business what is in my pocket. But I'll bet there would be plenty of grateful potential victims if I was to put a stop to an act of "gun violence" by being that good guy with a gun. BTW... my truck rifle was locked up inside the cab, so as long as no one was poking around the inside of my truck where they shouldn't be, they'd never know.

Since today is also yours truly's anniversary (#38), wifey and I went out to dinner with another couple. Because we were going out for the evening, I had upgraded my carry gun to my normal S&W 45 Shield. The plan was to go duckpin bowling afterwards, but my wife had too much tequila in the form of margaritas, so bowling was out of the question. Instead, the girls wanted ice cream and that was fine with us guys. The closest (and best) place to go was the UConn Dairy Bar. The ice cream is made right there with milk from the cows in the agricultural program. Located on the UConn campus, I found myself armed in a GFDZ yet again. And yet again... IDGAF! My alternative would have been no ice cream for anyone, or go out for the evening unarmed. I'll just stick with ignoring GFDZ designations and doing what I please, thanks.

BREAKING NEWS

A report just came across my afternoon local newscast about a shooting at a Knoxville TN high school. No details, possible multiple victims.

Yup. Another shooting at a Gun Free Death Zone (GFDZ). Will the #LIBTARD gun-grabbing hoplophobes EVER see the correlation? If not, then they are truly just mentally retarded.