AzRednek

My brother made that mistake. Trying to be fair he withdrew half of their joint account and opened another checking account in his name only at the same bank branch. She with the advice of a bank employee friend. Deliberately over drew the joint account and the bank took it from my brother’s sole checking account to cover her overdraft. My brother got it back a few years later added to the 20,000+ he got from the sale of their house.

I’m no expert having taken the easy route on the stocks I did. I used poly urethane, first with finger dunks then steel woofing it down a few times with the final coat sprayed on. The oil finishes by far are the most attractive although they may not be as durable as the modern poly. I recall the beautiful stocks on sporter projects I saw at early to mid 70’s gun shows. Most if not all were hand rubbed oil finishes. I’m certain the sellers likely exaggerated on the number of coats. I recall one seller claiming he steel wooded down 24 coats before the final finish. I recall seeing a pathetic mess. The seller claimed his father sprayed clear high gloss lacquer over the original finish. The lacquer was peeling away. Back in the 80’s a close friend wanted the most durable finish he could get on his Mauser 308 Norma project. The stock was an altered military with an add-on cheek piece. He got it done in real Marine grade varnish. Not the stuff on hardware store shelves saying marine grade. It was done by a San Diego boat repair and Yacht restorer. It was rock hard, couldn’t dent it with a thumbnail and felt like you could bounce steel ball bearings on it without harm. At first it looked simply ok when I first saw it but two years later it yellowed but still was rock hard. Probably the most beautiful stock finish I saw was on a muzzle loader project. It was done by a jeweler to show off his skills. He had no idea what was used. He traded services with an antique furniture restorer. It almost looked like the tiger stripped stock was dipped in clear glass. The jeweler black nickeled the barrel and gold plated the brass parts including a fancy butt plate. Long one short, the jeweler was gifted the kit. Told me and a friend he didn’t like guns after serving in the Korean War but felt obligated to do something with the gift. In the 80’s I refinished some revolver grips with what was named Linspeed Oil. 20 years later the finish started peeling away on a High Standard Double Nine. When I traded it away a few years ago in a parking lot meet up. Seeing the grips in bright sunlight I could see it yellowing. A pair of S&W grips I did with the Linspeed Oil the finish was powdering away 20 years later with a few chips. The Linspeed Oil however was great for doing small touch ups on dings and factory finishes

Mauserman, not speaking from experience but a close friend found out community property also means community debt. Within a few days of the split she bought and financed a new 4X4 pickup. It was some kind of over priced Ford Harley Davidson model. The only thing that saved his ass was his brother in law posing as her husband forged his signature. Her mistake was not keeping her mouth shut and it came back to him from her friend’s husband. I’m told in Arizona one needs to file something with the court. After the date of the filing any debts accrued will not be part of the community. It also prevents selling or using as collateral any jointly owned property. Please keep in mind it is a situation I was told about and it’s something to discuss with a lawyer if there’s a possibility she’s maxing out credit cards. I remember the business of an adulterous relationship before Arizona became no fault. A friend of my mother that married into a wealthy family lost out on the big bucks she was demanding. That was back about 1968-69 and she was demanding $2500 a month alimony and keeping the house. Their huge house was unusual that it was in the city but zoned as horse property with city maintained riding trails. After he proved she was involved with two men she lucked out some. She got the alimony but for only one year and it was reduced 50% at six months. The house was sold with her only getting a small portion not 50% of the sale price. He got to keep some valuable art and antique china collection. Myself being a teenager I was thrilled she got to keep her car. A Chevy convertible with a factory stock 409 with dual quads. I only got to drive it once but had her daughter with me so I couldn’t really race it. I floored it kicking it into passing gear at about 35 MPH getting on the freeway when her daughter screamed slow down you’re as bad as Johnny (her brother) I’ll never forget the thrill I felt in my stomach with the incredible acceleration. Oops sorry for wandering off subject again!! The lawyer that handled my child custody battle told me about a situation his firm lost. She admitted to jumping ship, came out of the closet as a Lesbian and a private detective testified she was involved with weekend Las Vegas prostitution. Despite her being to what some might consider to be a low life especially in the mid 70’s she prevailed. She was a good mother and the kids were well taken care of. She had them enrolled in private school and paid 100% of the cost of tuition which exceeded his monthly child support payments. She had a nice home and was well set financially. The burden of proof was on him to reverse the original custody arrangement. He had to show the kids were neglected and her lifestyle was harming the children, he couldn’t do it.

Pearl Harbor Day was voted down by Congress as a national holiday. For years all federal offices stopped working and observed a minute of silence on December 7th. Afterward it was a brief moment of silence then eventually it just faded away. Phoenix govt employees get what is named a floating holiday. It was enacted so Mexicans could celebrate Caesar Chavez Day. They do celebrate as there are numerous social events around the state. From what I’ve been told the majority of city employees take the floating holiday on their birthday.

My first year as a full time employee at the Post Office I showed up for work on Columbus Day. I had no idea why everything was locked up and the parking lot was empty. I walked across the street to a convenience store, called from a pay phone and didn’t get an answer. I breathed a sigh of relief after buying a newspaper and seeing something about Columbus Day. I started grade school in 1956 and we had the day off until the 4th grade. The first few years we also had Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays off before the two holidays were consolidated into Presidents Day.

Have you dipped the stock in water?? I can only imagine how beautiful the finished wood will look. I have some fond memories of the beautiful sporter stocks I saw at 1970’s gun shows. I saw some I really wanted to buy but unfortunately the sellers wanted way to much. Just like building hot rods one can never recoup their cash investment in a sporter project. I saw some really stunning Mannlicher sporters but the odd ball calibers and price shied me away.

Reminds me of Mrs Bassinger’s mahogany stick. She once heard me say to the class snitch “shut up”. I had to stay after school for 30 minutes repeatedly saying out loud “be quiet”. After ten or so minutes and getting bored I started saying “quiet be”. She made me start over again for another 30 minutes.

I realize that nearly everybody has instant access to a calculator with their cell phones but to not teach kids how to do long division on paper is totally wrong in my opinion. I do however recall taking a math aptitude test and we were given time to use a slide rule. I wonder how today’s students do with math problems using fractions, not decimal points. Im not educated or have much knowledge of Ritalin and other drugs like Phenobarbital given to unruly students. I know way back in the 50’s some out of control kids were given diet pills and Bennys. I did get really PO’d that a teacher not a Dr determined a student needed to be on drugs. My X and I never followed through on the Ritalin. I told the teacher, principal and union reps their discipline was a joke. Putting a kid’s name on the blackboard, a check mark for second offense then a trip to the office for the third didn’t fix anything. When I was in grammar school and acted out I would be forced to stay after school. One teacher made me stay after school and copy pages out of a dictionary. Often we had to stay and pick up trash and popsicle sticks on the playground. The first time I got the paddle for putting two thumbtacks on a girls chair was a lesson I remembered. My older brother went to what was called a college preparatory school named Brophy. I wasn’t smart enough and failed the entrance exam. It was run by Catholic Jesuits and the discipline was tough. It was a private school attended by many celebrity’s boys. If the students were trouble makers they were simply booted out. My brother got into trouble over dress code violations. He spent several days after school spreading manure on the football field. Another time a Priest gave him a thick book named Ivanhoe on Friday and Monday morning he spent an hour with a counselor being interrogated on the book assuring he did read it entirely. My brother’s friend was ordered to get a haircut. When he didn’t comply a Priest gave him as crew cut.

Rob, keep in mind your lawyer might be charging you 500- 2,000 per hour. Try your best to keep the meeting as short as possible. According to a relative lawyer, about 50% never follow through after the first visit. He told me many women meet with a lawyer hoping the threat of a divorce, a divorce lawyer or judge can change or improve their husband’s behavior. You don’t want to spend $10,000 then reconcile. Try your best to work it out, be it dividing property or having a friendly split before spending the big bucks.,

Mauser Man, ask your lawyer for a referral for an arbitrator or somebody that can help mediate the division of the property. I’m not speaking from personal experience on property but did know of somebody that used the service. He got to keep his pension, classic and race cars. She kept the house with him making the payments for a year. It will cost you a fortune if the lawyers and court do it. It is my understanding, at least in Arizona the mediation is not mandatory they just make recommendations. I was involved with outside mediation way back in the 70’s over child custody. It didn’t go to well as the mediator was a die hard liberal and I later found out she was politically active in the legalization of marijuana. Keep in mind that was back in the mid 70’s when possession earned prison time. My X threw in the towel after the first court hearing. Her drug use, neglecting my twins caused her family and neighbors testify against her. I got full time custody and she got limited visitation.

I was fortunate having good teachers at public schools I only had one bad teacher for the 4th grade. She was what we then named an old maid so old she came out west on a wagon train. She was stopped by the principal from using a dunce cap and high chair for discipline. She was unable to finish the year. We were told she had a nervous breakdown. I was a cut up and trouble maker and my teachers forced me to learn. It was still legal in the 50’s and my fear of the paddle or my 7th grade teacher’s mahogany stick kept me in control. Two marriages, helped raise a total of six step kids plus my twins. I did have some problems with a couple of the kid’s worthless teachers. One was the son of a celebrity and dum as rocks. Another teacher I made TSHTF after my step son’s teacher sent a note home insisting we take him to a Dr and have him put on Ritalin. I had previously called the principal asking why he was only being taught to do long division with a calculator. I can’t remember if he was grade 5 or 6 and he had no idea how to do long division on paper and he wasn’t up to par never memorizing multiplication tables. The teacher was a hot blonde in her 20’s likely a rookie and inexperienced. When we had a meeting at school she came in with two union reps. My guess her wanting him on Ritalin was an excuse for him being behind. My then wife a cop was really pissed saying Ritalin was abused by kids and a form of speed.

I suspect it was likely although I never saw it. The last time I saw him at a warehouse space he rented. A few raunch looking bikers were leaving. The way he was foolishly spending money, guns especially like a kid in a candy store. Neither my blind bud or myself found out the details of the drug charges. We did hear from one of his former friends, a Phx cop. The stash of Cocaine was large enough for some kind of distribution charge. When cops entered his home, he was totally naked and had no idea where or who he was. He had accumulated so many guns and a large amount of ammo. Cops called in a haz mat team and used two paddy wagons to haul in all away. His then wife with a lawyer attempted to recover the guns but was unsuccessful. She did recover thousands of rounds of ammo which she promptly sold for a nickel per round. He lost a good attractive wife over it. It was a shame as he was a good friend until the drugs. We had a lot of fun, several of us gathered often and did long range shooting at metal dongs with various mil-surp rifles. Anything from old 45/70 rolling block to a Korean War vintage M-1 sniper rifle. Unfortunately I lost contact with all those mil-surp shooters.

He was a character and good fortune seemed to follow him. He had a good job with VA heading up a program working with west coast state unemployment offices to assist disabled veterans find jobs. Often by leaning on defense contractors. I met him through my blind friend that he help get a job with Sperry Rand. He left VA taking a job with the Justice Dept witness protection program. He carried a badge and claimed he had the same arrest authority as any fed LEO. Sometimes he’d joke saying “I’m just a glorified prison guard”. He was on a JD shooting team that competed against other fed agencies in Arizona. He got as he liked to say “drafted” to work guarding the Cuban prisoners after President Carter opened the door and Castro emptied his prisons and nut houses. Carter refused to let the military handle it and fed LEO’s from all branches were sent to Florida and Georgia until the Bureau of Prisons hired enough warm bodies to handle it. After a nearly two year stint it seemed like he went through a personality change when he returned. He gave that job up after he started making so much money with the surplus goods. I suspect his drug habit may have had something to do with it and he might have been fired. It was at that three day gun show I figured out he was an addict. Numerous lengthy trips to the rest room. He returned to our tables happy go lucky, sniffling and nearly exploding with nervous energy. I had previously dealt with a couple doing Meth with similar bathroom habits at the Post Office. As a union rep I was tasked with trying to save their jobs. One resigned before being fired the other went to rehab, got a last chance agreement and she remained clean.

I love those M-70 type safeties. Being a cheapskate I kick myself for pinching pennies on my 35 Whelen project and did the two stage instead of the three. I went way over budget on the McGowen premium cyro frozen barrel. I recently lucked into a FN 98 action and don’t know what the heck I want to do with it.

Very sad and sorry to hear. Guess I’m fortunate that my friends and family that got it all recovered. My grandson tested positive and was only down for a couple of days. A friend’s daughter got it and it pretty well knocked on her ass for several weeks. She recovered and is back to work. I had my scare but it turned out to be pneumonia.

Tony, please check your messages

A bit off subject. Shortly before the Berlin Wall came down. A friend was dealing with a West German mil-surp merchant. The German had connections to the East German and Russian black market. In short they were trading Playboy and Penthouse magazines, VCR’s and porno for Russian and E German mil-surp goods and making a small fortune at gun shows and Shotgun News ads. My friend had trouble clearing US Customs and I remember my friend getting really PO’d paying rent for the container and the storage space. I recall he had one container held up for almost 90 days. I imagine the cost back then was nothing compared to nowadays. He finally got Customs off his ass. Customs awaited the Dept of Defense to inspect the merchandise. My friend met with the DOD, some high rank military officers and a rep he suspected was CIA. The govt guys told Customs to clear it and to longer hold him up in the future. My friend said the govt guys had the attitude if you can steal from the Russians and E German military it was fine with them. He lined them up with his West German connection and they gave him a want list. Things went smoothly for awhile then strangely Customs put a hold on gas masks and AK-47 parts. Took several weeks to get what my friend said was a reluctant ok on the gas masks but he had to give up the AK parts. In short after whom I now name a former friend making money hand over fist. I worked a table at the Great South Western gun show with him. In a three day weekend he made big-big bucks, all cash. A good example, a unique Russian AK muzzle brake sold for $60.00 he paid less than a buck for. Unfortunately he sucked it all up his nose, went on a drug fueled gun buying frenzy, cheated his German connection and he eventually wound up with several years in prison. ATF went after him for some smuggled AK parts but he somehow skirted those charges. The Justice Dept put out a warrant or the German’s son. Not sure but I believe it was for AK parts to easily covert Chinese AK’s to full auto. My friend got hit up with some serious drug charges after local cops nailed him for a large amount of Cocaine. The drug charges carried an extra penalty as they were stored with his very large gun collection including legal Class 3 full autos and tens of thousands rounds of ammo. He tried connecting with me and my blind buddy he also cheated out of money but we ignored his calls. What’s almost pathetic about the guy shortly after he got out of prison he won big time with a lottery ticket. What I heard second hand originating from his X-wife. After the IRS deduction, state tax exempted he is getting around 50 G’s annually for 20 years. My apologies again guys wondering off subject. Guess it’s part of living alone, being bore stiff cruising the net, watching TV and nobody around to talk to except my German Shepard. Hopefully with some scheduled steroid joint injections I can get off my ass and get some range time. I’ll know in a few weeks if I have to do anymore Chemo.

Tony, please check your messages.

You have a good excuse to buy some new Vice-Grips.

After getting a 2-fer Subway coupon in my junk mail I went back. The $10.80 six inch was the foot long price. The young girl about 16-17 apparently rang it up wrong. Not to bad with the coupon my son and I got two foot longs, bag of chips and no drinks for eleven and change. I’ll never forget one of the first Taco Bell’s in Phoenix opening in 66 or 67. Tacos, much higher quality than today were 19 cents. I missed the grand opening when Tacos and most everything else on their menu was eleven cents. The Jack in the Box across the street lowered their burgers to 19 cents to compete but cheese burgers stayed at 32. I was a carry out boy at a nearby grocery store named Fry’s, grandfather of the guy that started Fry’s Electronics. I was making $1.45 per hour and was delighted I could buy lunch for under 50 cents. Occasionally we worked off the clock earning two bucks an hour. The store manager would pay us with pop bottle deposit credit. Pop from the store’s machine was only a dime up from the original 8oz Coke for a nickel when I first started. If short on money we’d steal and drink a warm bottle out of the back room. If really broke and hungry it would be a can of stolen cold beef stew or chili. I watched one guy eat a can of cold Hash with a Boy Scout pocketknife, grossed me out.

That’s really sad. According to a former friend that was a Nam Corpsman. Dying or seriously wounded often cried out for their mothers.

Once upon a time one could bring just about anything across the border. I believe it was on the tv show Cops. Two women brought across something like 300 Valium. The border cops informed local cops that nailed them later in a traffic stop. Best I recall laws or regulations changed after the so called date rape drug was coming across the border. Just like TSA some of the border cops go on a power trip and get chicken sh!t. I once picked up six pre loaded syringes of vitamin B-12 or for my neighbor. She was paying 20 or 25 at her Dr’s office and I got them in Mexico for six for 30 bucks. The jerk at the border kept asking me if I just wanted to use the syringes. I remember hearing on the news a customs agent tried to get Rush Limbaugh arrested for Viagra in his luggage and not in the original prescription container. Caused Rush to miss his plane. When I argued for the Cipro there was an elderly man bringing a large amount of Dilantin, phenobarbital syrup and Ritalin across. He made the mistake of telling customs it was a six month supply for his not insured granddaughter. The old guy told me the regulations had changed and customs said he could only bring across his personal meds. He was awaiting the customs supervisor to get verification from his granddaughter’s Dr. He was still waiting after I left. There was also a mangy looking guy obviously high on something that just kept repeating “I was just visiting friends frisk me if you don’t believe me”. Two border patrol cops came, cuffed him then took him elsewhere. Before Border Patrol and Customs merged under DHS. I would get into a lane with a Border Patrol cop. I’d have to deal with questions about my citizenship but they cared less about me bringing back Roman Candles, sky rockets firecrackers and switchblades. Customs once confiscated a bunch of my fireworks and half of the Mexican Contact only allowing a 30 day supply. The customs agent made a remark then grunted about the novelty Horse Sh!t cigarettes I brought across. “What’cha going to do smoke these” after I told him they were gag gifts he grunted and angrily tossed them back into my bag. I apparently pissed him off. I thought he asked where are you from. I replied Phoenix and he angrily said “that’s a city not a state don’t you know the difference”. He said something about Phoenix could be Arizona or Alabama I asked you what state you from. He just shook his head when I said it’s noisy in here.

After my teeth started falling out after Chemo I began spending apx 1,000-1200 plus per tooth getting inserts. Being a cheapskate already spending several G’s saving my front grill and looking at $20-25,000+ as my teeth continued to fall out I said fork it to the dentist. I went to a state sponsored dental clinic and got falsies for a couple hundred. I only had one pulled, the rest fell out painlessly usually while chewing. I spent way to much on root canals, prescription mouthwash and antibiotics trying to save loose teeth. Once they were loose the fix was temporary at best.

Good luck Rob, the counseling might work out for the both of you.

The 1990 F-150 I inherited from my uncle has numerous dents but it only has apx 135,000 miles on it. It runs great, 302 V8 and it was originally purchased new in Los Angeles. It has the California emissions gizmos and flys through the Arizona emission test. About a month ago while at a convenience store. A stranger tried to buy it offering me 1,000. Told him no and it’s not for sale so he upped his offer to 1500. He gave his business card telling me to call if I change my mind. His card was for a used car lot in south Phoenix. Obviously he intended to sell it for a profit.