JAB

  I wanted something spicy yesterday evening, too.  I would really like to try some of this 'hot chicken' of which the Nashville guys speak.  Unfortunately, it seems to be a very Nashville-centric kind of thing and I don't think it is available anywhere in or around Knoxville.  If any of you folks who have had the real deal know of a recipe that yields similar results at home then I'd like to hear about it.   I ended up meeting a friend (my ex-wife, actually - yeah, she and I are still friends) at the recently opened Big Kahuna Wings in Farragut.  They do 'naked' wings with a dry spice blend on them and serve a choice of sauce on the side.  Even their 'Original Fire' spice blend isn't very hot but it has a great flavor (if they would do a super spicy version I wouldn't even need sauce.)  I tried the honey-Sriracha sauce, which was different and pretty good - and the FIre sauce, which is their hottest.  The 'Fire' sauce was also good but wasn't really all that super spicy, to me.  I would say that its heat level was about on par with Scorned Woman hot sauce.  In fact, it tasted a little like Scorned Woman - but not enough for me to think that it was. 

  I sample various hot sauces at the Pepper Palace in Gatlinburg whenever I am there.  The hottest ones really get my attention, to say the least.  Just about the only one I don't think I would try, again, was one called 'Da Bomb".  It wasn't their 'regular' hot sauce but one of their hotter ones - either Da Bomb: Beyond Insanity or Da Bomb: Ground Zero.  I am thinking it was Ground Zero.  Anyhow, the way the guy at the counter explained it to me was that this sauce had a lot of orange juice as the base.  Apparently, according to him, orange juice makes your taste buds kind of 'open up' - almost like having pores on your tongue open - which allows the hot components to really get in there.  Well, I think it worked just that way because that stuff hurt me.  Thing is, it wasn't really a 'burning' sensation like most hot sauces.  I can ride that out and likely enjoy it even when the sauce is really hot.  This felt more like someone was using my tongue for a pin cushion.  Seriously - it felt like I had a bunch of needles stuck in my tongue.

  My favorite Thai restaurant ever has been closed for well over a decade, now.  It was the first Thai I ever ate.  It was on 'The Strip' right next to the campus of UTK and was owned by a brother and sister, from Thailand, who also traded out kitchen duties.  On one of my first visits there, with the sister in the kitchen, my buddy and I asked the waitress to ask the cook to make ours as hot as she would make it for herself.  That was before I knew about the term 'Thai hot.'  Well, obviously she was concerned that we couldn't eat it that hot so she held back.  When the food came and we asked for additional crushed pepper, she came out of the kitchen to get a good look at us and said, "Okay, next time I make hot."  After that, when we would make the same request she would stick her head out of the kitchen door, see that it was us, smile and wave then proceed to make our food really hot.

  It is also kind of funny to watch for 'pros' vs. 'amateurs' at a hot sauce shop where they have samples.  When sampling something really, really hot the 'pros' will dip up just a small amount while the 'amateurs' will dunk a chip in like they are eating salsa or something.

  Endorphins.  If you eat something hot enough, your body releases endorphins - which are the same things that give people the so-called 'runner's high' but without all that annoying running.  So, in addition to enjoying the flavor (for those of us who do) it can be a cheap, legal high that leaves you feeling relaxed and happy.   Of course, like most 'drugs', your tolerance grows the more you partake so you have to keep going hotter and hotter to get the same feeling.  What some folks consider 'so ridiculously hot it doesn't even have any flavor' might be only somewhat warm and pretty tasty to a serious chile head.    Around here, most Indian and Thai restaurants have a scale of 1 to 5 for how hot you want your food to be with 1 being mild and 5 being very hot.  I order Indian hot or Thai hot which are off the scale.  Anything less than maybe a 4 or 5 and I can hardly eat it as it just doesn't taste 'right' to me - but both of those styles of cuisine are very good for having a lot of flavor even while setting your hair on fire.  My non chile-head friends have learned to be careful when asking me if something is hot.  It isn't that I would lie to them but honestly some things that create a 'two alarm fire' in some folks' taste buds don't even register with me.  This also means that I might find plenty of flavor in something that other folks might say is 'too hot to taste anything'.  Also, I actually like the flavor of ghost peppers (which have a nice, lemony taste when ripe) and habaneros (which have a somewhat 'smoky' citrus flavor when ripe.)  That isn't to say that some foods don't go for the heat to the detriment of flavor and I don't enjoy those foods, either.  I haven't had Hooter's Three Mile Island wings in years but seem to recall them fitting into that category - all heat and no flavor.  By contrast, the Braveheart wings at Wild Wing Cafe (their hottest) taste good, make me sweat, give me a serious endorphin rush and will completely clear my sinuses.  I can honestly only handle about five of those at a time.

Yep.  I have been known to slice fresh habaneros up in my beans.  I have been known to cut fresh ghost peppers into (thin) slices and eat them straight up.  Heck, some of my buddies and I got together last Sunday and our host - who made bratwurst cooked in beer (yum) had a bowl of diced, fresh habaneros and ghost chiles to put on our brats (along with the green tomato, tomatillo and ghost chile chow chow that I made last week.)  All that said, ghost chiles average around one million Scoville units (twice as hot as some of the hottest habaneros - the hottest jalapenos top out around 10,000 Scoville) while the burger in the article, above (according to another article I read) is estimated to be around seven to nine million Scoville.  Seven to nine times hotter than a ghost chile.  I'm not sure that even I would want to try that.  Okay, maybe a little bite - but I'm not eating a whole one.   In Oak Ridge there is a place near the pool that is called "The Other One'.  They have burgers, sandwiches and the like.  Their burger menu is huge and has some oddities (including one burger that has two grilled cheese sandwiches as the 'buns'.)  They have one burger on which you can have any or all of the following:  Sauteed serranos (I think), sauteed jalapenos, sauteed habaneros and/or sauteed ghost chiles.  I have only been there once and unfortunately it was at a time when they didn't have any fresh ghost peppers, only dried, so I opted to go with all the peppers except for the ghost (I will go back soon now that fresh ghost peppers are available.)  There is a flashing, 'siren' type light they turn on whenever they are doing a burger with those peppers because they have basically an open kitchen and apparently want to warn the other patrons that they are about to get pepper gassed.  They had a special burger the day I was there which had chorizo mixed into the ground beef (not something they have all the time.)  That burger had pepper jack cheese, a cayenne based spice blend and chipotle mayonnaise.  It seems like their might have been some kind of house-made hot sauce, too, but I can't swear to it.  I ordered that burger with the aforementioned blend of sauteed chile peppers.  It was delicious.

I am in a unique situation because my closest neighbor is my mom.  My neighbors on the other side are my sister, her husband and kids but they live a little farther up the road so that trees mostly block my view of their place.  We also live out in the sticks on a dead-end road so the chances of an unknown someone just happening by are slim.  Anyhow, if there were some unknown person sitting in my neighbor's (mom's) yard I wouldn't wait for them to come to me but would go and find out what the heck they were up to - but only because of it being my mom's place.   The last time an unknown person or persons (Jehovah's witnesses or some other equally annoying 'want to talk to you about God' group) showed up at my place I headed them off before they even got in the front gate, thanked them for their concern and politely asked them to leave and they politely did so.  Okay, so my dog was at the fence doing her Cerberus impersonation and I had a .357 on my hip and wasn't wearing a shirt (I am pretty much always armed at home) so that might have influenced their decision not to tarry, I don't know.   I am not going to allow anyone to force their way into my home.  Luckily, my dog probably isn't going to allow that, either.  I have 'No Trespassing' and 'Beware of Dog' signs on my main gate (but not on the gate between my yard and mom's.)  I also have a 'No Soliciting' sign on my front storm door.   In such an incident I would prefer to head any potential, unknown and uninvited 'guests' off before they even get inside the fence.  Failing that, I am not allowing them in my home.  I don't have a land line and I doubt I'd let them use my cell phone.  Instead, depending on how the situation 'feels' to me, I might offer to call someone for them.  The last thing I would want to do would be to relinquish control of my cell phone (my method for calling 911 if necessary - not that, if there were a violent threat, the police could get there in time to do anything but put up yellow tape and draw a chalk outline, anyhow) to a stranger.

  I wouldn't be too sure of that.  In this case the deceased wasn't armed with even a baseball bat (although one must assume he had golf clubs in his cart) and was on foot, standing beside the shooter's vehicle.  While the shooter was arrested and charged, he was found not guilty at trial.   http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/apr/17/man-charged-with-murder-in-tellico-village/   http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2012/sep/19/expert-close-range-shot-killed-tellico-village-man/   From the second article (Nichols was the defense attorney in the case):     That said, I agree that if you can get away then you should.  However, thinking of how the often bumper to bumper traffic in Gatlinburg may mean a driver can't go anywhere or can only move at a snail's pace, I can see where fleeing would not be possible.   One good thing to keep in mind when driving in Gatlinburg, however, is that pedestrians very much have the 'right of way'.  When at a light, they should cross with the light but they don't always do so.  When using one of the numerous cross walks that are not at a light, pedestrians cross whenever they want and drivers have to look out for them.  I am not sure exactly what the local laws are on that but I know that it is true in practice.  I actually kind of like going to Gatlinburg a couple of times a year but try to go during the off seasons.  I also try to park near whatever end of town I come in on and go on foot from there because driving through town can be a hassle, especially considering that some pedestrians take the right of way to extreme levels and will step off the curb right in front of you without even so much as glancing to see if a car might be too close to stop (just like many people do in Walmart parking lots.)

I like what is often called a 'traditional, hand-tossed' crust.  Pan pizza used to be my favorite but somewhere along the way Pizza Hut went down the tubes in general and specifically forgot how to cook a pan pizza.  Where pan pizza crust (specifically Pizza Hut) used to be crunchy on the outside and tender/chewy in the middle now they are often underdone, tough and barely browned on the outside and gummy and doughy in the middle.  Yuck.  As for thin crust, if I want tomato sauce on a cracker then I'll just eat tomato sauce on a cracker :) .   Further, while I like mushrooms, (some) olives, bell peppers, onions, spinach, sliced tomatoes and the like in other contexts, I don't want any of that crap on my pizza.  If I want a salad then I'll eat a salad - no need to ruin good pizza by putting salad on it.  Pineapple is acceptable in some configurations and I will make an exception for a white sauce pizza with chicken, spinach, pineapple and banana peppers on some, very rare occasions.   Otherwise, I like salami (which I think is less greasy and more tasty than pepperoni) and Italian sausage.  Even better if it is from Mama Mia's in Kingston, TN where the owner (a German lady with an Irish last name whose father in law was Irish and whose mother in law was Italian) makes her own sausage in house (she makes the dough for the pizza crust and the bread that her sandwiches are served on in house, as well.)  The crust there is fairly thin but avoids being 'cracker like'.  Romeo's in Loudon also does a good job with that combo.  If I have to have a third topping then I would go with either extra cheese or, maybe, Canadian bacon.

  Thanks for the link.  It never ceases to amaze me how far some people have their heads crammed up their backsides when it comes to what a legal gun owner will do vs. what a thug criminal is willing to do.  Case in point, this quote from the new police chief in Chattanooga, from the article:       So, then, before this bill went into effect criminal gang members who did not have an HCP never carried loaded guns in their cars?  Really?  I mean, Fletcher sites 'criminal gang members' having loaded firearms in their car as a result of the bill as being a potential problem so he is basically saying that such criminal gang members wouldn't carry loaded firearms in their vehicles if not for this law.  Why do so many people - especially, apparently, those in law enforcement careers - seem to fail to grasp the meaning of the word 'criminal', as in people who break or ignore the law?  The only folks who will carry under the provisions of the new law who weren't doing so, already, are people who do not wish to break the law - i.e. non criminals.  The old smoke and mirrors trick of insinuating that such laws will have an effect on criminals' behavior is a load of horse manure.

  If cover is available then I'm ducking either way.  I don't want to be shot with anything.  Ever.  Period.

When I carry on my belt it is OWB, usually with a tucked in t-shirt and unbuttoned shirt as a cover garment.  I used to worry when, for instance, I would be walking across a parking lot and the wind would blow my cover garment back and expose my firearm.  I must have looked pretty awkward - and probably drew more attention - walking with one arm held stiff and tight against my side to keep the cover garment in place.  Now I mostly don't care if it there is some incidental exposure and I don't think most folks notice, anyhow.  Over time, I have also shifted to pocket carrying more often and belt carrying less often than I used to, especially in the summer at times when it is too hot for even a light cover garment.  With a J-frame or a Kel Tec P3AT in my pocket - while I know it is "there" just like I know my right leg is "there" - I really don't think about it all that much.

If I had a decent amount of cash to spend on a 'just because' gun - especially if it were to be bought with inheritance money, meaning I would want it to be something a little more unique and special than the norm - my choice would probably look something like this (except with really nice, wood grips) : I like shotguns but you can pick up a well built pump shotgun for comparatively little money. For a 'splurge', again, I would want something a little more special, to me.

"Wish You Were Here" is one of my favorite songs ever, period.  "The Wall", "Dark Side of the Moon" were both great but I think my favorite Floyd album is "The Final Cut".  It was technically a Floyd album but in reality was danged near a Roger Waters solo album.  Waters wrote and arranged everything on it and did the majority of the vocals.  To me, it is almost like "The Wall" was a warm up to do "The Final Cut" as "Cut" has a lot of the same feel and spirit of "The Wall" but seems even more emotionally honest and is less melodramatic.  The song "The Gunner's Dream" from that album often gives me chills when I listen to it, especially after not hearing it for a while.   After Waters left, I tended to like his solo stuff more than what Floyd was doing.  I liked "A Momentary Lapse of Reason' okay and really liked the song "On the Turning Away" from that album.  I wasn't just blown away by "Division Bell".  It will be interesting to see what they sound like, now.

  I have to agree with both parts of this statement.

Clinton and Halls are the only Wally Worlds in this area of which I am aware that sell reloading supplies.  Neither of them have a lot, any more.  When the Halls store was still in its old location they actually stocked a good bit but seem to be stocking less and less in the newer 'super' store location.  The Clinton store seems to be slacking off, too.  I am only up that way once every few months and the scaling back has been noticeable, to me.  I also didn't see any 16 gauge ammo the last time I was in the Clinton store.  That was the only WM I know of that was still stocking 16 gauge and I usually bought a box or two whenever I was in there.

  I kind of agree with you but think the law may have 'unintended consequences' for the 'pro-gun lip service but really anti' gang.  I have to wonder if it might not end up resulting in more folks - after getting used to having their loaded handgun in their car - deciding they want to carry outside their car.  This might result in two outcomes, both of which could be good (yeah, I consciously used the qualifiers 'might' and 'could' because nothing may come of it.)  I am thinking that either:   1.  Those folks might decide to get their HCP so that they can carry in more places.  More people - and more voters - with an HCP could result in more pressure being put on politicians to pass 'carry friendly' laws - the first of which I would like to see being that the stupid 'No Guns' or gunbuster signs would lose the weight of law and (like other states) it would be a simple trespassing charge if a person legally carrying is asked to leave a business and refuses.   2.  Those folks might decide that they don't want to have to get an HCP but do want to carry outside their car - which could result in more pressure being put on politicians to pass 'Constitutional carry' laws.*   So car carry, if it swells the ranks of folks who vote from a position of a person who carries outside their home (at least in some, limited fashion) might be a step in the right direction.  Maybe.   *Personally, I think that (for our own good) folks who want to carry should work on removing the 'weight of law' from signs before working on open carry without a permit or 'Constitutional carry'.  I say that because, as soon as we have a large number of people open carrying, I foresee more businesses putting up signs.  Too much chance of someone getting into trouble over a stupid sign as long as those signs have the weight of law.

Mr. Miculek's abilities are pretty amazing.  I wish that I could shoot any, single handgun as well as it seems Mr. Miculek can shoot just about every, single gun.  I am sure doing that wasn't very comfortable - he even said in the video that it was a 'brutal' experience and just about all the 'fun' he wanted to have at one time.   The thing that got me most was the sheer size of the frame of that .500.  I have usually seen them (in video or the couple times I have seen one in an LGS) in a long-barrel configuration.  That makes the overall gun look like a hand howitzer but kind of 'balances' with the frame.  Mr. Miculek said that the one he was shooting is a four-inch barreled model.  On most revolvers, a four inch barrel looks pretty balanced and not short at all.  On that behemoth, a four inch barrel made it look like a snubbie!

  I was just about to type a comment saying that when I read the comment about a .45 being a 'one shot stopper', I quit reading.

  Specifically don't like revolvers?  That's even worse!

I just used the 'contact us' email address on the Remington company website to send an email asking about projected start time for production at the expansion.  Maybe I can find something out 'straight from the horse's mouth', as it were.  We'll see.

So the rumor has it that they have pushed start of production back by an entire year from the original projections?  Crap.  I was hoping they might start churning out some Golden Bullets and other rimfire ammo (along with some centerfire, too, of course) and maybe help alleviate the current .22LR nonsense.  Not that GBs are my favorite - although I do believe the claims of 'improved' Remington made just before the drought were more than just hype (based on shooting some of the 'improved' stuff side by side with some older GBs I had on hand) but right now I'd be happy for just about anything to keep my meager .22LR stash from dwindling further.

Last year there were a few articles discussing Remington's plan to build a new ammo factory.  I believe it was to be at their existing Arkansas facility but was planned to operate in addition to existing factories, thereby significantly increasing their yearly ammo output.  I remember seeing articles stating that ground had been broken on the project and so on.  According to at least some articles at the time, the new factory was projected to be online by this month (June, 2014.)   http://www.guns.com/2013/08/09/remington-begins-construction-on-new-ammo-plant-in-arkansas-video/   So, being that there are only a few days left in this month, does anyone know if that projection was met?  Anyone know of any current information?

  You are right but I think this guy's perspective also has to be considered.  People probably look at him as a paranoid guy who thinks the government is coming after him - except that it turns out that he wasn't so paranoid and the government really was coming after him.  If a person's greatest fear is of being bitten by a snake then if they open their front door and see a bunch of snakes crawling around on the ground then they probably aren't going to rationally stand there and try to figure out if any of the snakes are venomous - they are going to run.  In that same vein, i wouldn't be surprised if the feds wanted this guy to either start shooting or run so that they could play this non-event of a case for all it is worth and create a reason to arrest him even if they really had no reason to arrest him.

  I'd settle for finding a reasonably priced Ruger Blackhawk Convertible in 9mm/.357 at a time when I have the cash to spring for it.