Hixter

He sounds a lot like my friend/neighbor (also in San Antonio) who is on active duty in the Air Force as a neurosurgeon. He moonlights one or two weekends a month at a non-military hospital (he isn't allowed to operate on service members while moonlighting) and makes as much in a weekend as he makes in 6 weeks at his "real" job. He's a great guy and I wouldn't begrudge him a dime after all the hard work he's put in. Just don't get him started on Obamacare ...

My friend works for them as a graphic designer. I assume he's responsible for the Cook's Illustrated magazines which have started showing up in my mailbox.

No setlist, but here's my take on the show: First of all, Wilco deserved a closing slot. They should not have gone on before Kings of Leon. They're very popular in Austin and deserved better. The sun was horrible. The band had to play into the hot, setting sun and it couldn't have been easy. They were all wearing shades and I'm sure it affected the show. The volume was far too low. I sat with semi-fans very far back and they weren't engaged by the show. There were auxiliary speakers nearby, but apparently they were reserved for The Cure. People on their blankets were gabbing and the st

It's just Joe Biden trying out his shotgun.

I didn't like the first one, but it grew on me after they warmed up a bit. Typical for an English ale.

Real Ale Brewing Company is just up the road from me and they brewed a beer for The Sword.

Like all men, I'm only an operation away ...

Ixnay on the onionsay. I finally found a place in San Antonio that makes California-style burritos. It's close to my house and on the way to my favorite watering holes.

I have 3 empty bedrooms and 4 different beers on tap at all times ...

I don't mind cooked onions, but a crunchy onion makes me gag. I'm lucky that my next-door neighbor and her husband feel the same way because she brings me tasty meals on a regular basis.

Onions are evil and so are radishes.

I think you need to be a cable/satellite subscriber.

On her knuckle?

My neighbor shot a moose in Alaska last week. I'm looking forward to trying out this recipe: Moose Meatloaf 2 lbs moose burger 1 lb Jimmy Dean hot sausage 3 eggs 1 cup Italian bread crumbs ½ cup chopped onion 4 stalks chopped celery Chopped bell pepper (optional) 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce Salt, pepper and garlic powder Mix and place into deep glass loaf pan. Bake covered at 350F for 45 min. Uncover and top with cheddar cheese or horseradish cheddar cheese. Squirt ketchup on top and bake in the oven for 15 additional minutes. Serve hot or slice up for sandwiches.

I'm a man of my word.

Every now and then I like to splurge on a huge, USDA Prime rib eye. Today will be that day.

I like the cut of your jib.

Yeah, but strong winds and rain kicked in during their set, turning everything into a muddy mess. Then there was some lightning and we decided to skeedaddle. I believe the show was postponed an hour or two, but all the Blink-182 kids finally got to see their band. I'm glad we had packed our tents up earlier in the day; a lot of them seemed ready to blow away.

I didn't write down a setlist or anything, but it was a hell of a show. The band came out wearing plaid western shirts (made in India), bright orange cowboy hats and pink, pleated skirts. They seemed to be having a good time and threw in some covers like Sham 69's 'Borstal Breakout.' It all ended in a glorious mess with the band trading instruments and rambling through snippets of 'Detroit Rock City' and 'Substitute.' They all laughed, walked off stage and never came back. Any day that you can see Superchunk, GBV, the Stooges and the Replacements is a good day.

It's about time one shook things up.

I've never had a break-in and I don't expect I ever will. One man's paranoia is another ex-Boy Scout's 'be prepared.' It's definitely way below par for this part of Texas, but I, too, lived in Florida for nearly 30 years and 6 firearms wouldn't have raised an eyebrow -- even among my liberal, nouveau-hippy professor friends. I've never played a round of golf in my life, but it's not difficult for me to understand that a golfer needs more than one club in his bag. I don't play guitar or read music, but I can understand why Jeff Tweedy needs an acoustic guitar for certain songs and an elec

Paranoiac, fetishist, weird ... those aren't exactly polite descriptions to throw out while having a discussion. No, you're just a person with a different opinion than my own. We should be able to have a discussion without resorting to throwing derogatory personal remarks at each other. It takes about 5 or 10 seconds after hearing the sound of breaking glass to grab a firearm, ready it and take up a defensive position. The occupant has the advantage of knowing the layout of the home, while the intruder is going to spend a few minutes trying to locate the valuables. There's unlikely to be

If we're talking about mass killings, the only hope is for better mental health screening. If it ever becomes a reality, I suspect that a lot of anti-gun people will be outraged when they find out that their use of antidepressants is in a government database that is used for more than just screening gun buyers. Then we'll just have to cross our fingers that Mr. Voices-in-my-head doesn't resort to samurai swords, explosives or a monster truck. As far as the majority of gun crimes, nothing will work until the segment of our society that glamorizes the gangsta lifestyle has a change of heart. M

And so it begins:

Were the sailors and civilian employees at the Naval Shipyard allowed to carry guns on the premises? Were the teachers, students and administrators at Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech and Columbine allowed to carry guns on campus? Were the patrons at the Aurora theater allowed to carry guns? The answer is no. Only police officers and security personnel were allowed to be armed.