tag:madoilman.com,2007-08-23://5 2008-01-05T14:32:10Z Movable Type Publishing Platform 4.01 tag:madoilman.com,2007://2.815 2007-12-08T03:17:40Z 2008-01-05T14:32:10Z

Damn. I finally find a well made flannel shirt that doesn't have those stupid button down collars. (I’ll make a short story long as I have a glass of wine and there’s a random football game on providing me with...

Mad Oilman http://madoilman.com Damn. I finally find a well made flannel shirt that doesn't have those stupid button down collars. (I’ll make a short story long as I have a glass of wine and there’s a random football game on providing me with benevolent background noises). Subscribe to a gun magazine and you’ll get on some random catalog list. Subscribe to all of the gun magazines (except the British ones because I can’t read dense 5 pt font for more than a minute) and you receive the mother load of catalogs. Aside. Why subscribe to every gun magazine? To figure out which ones are worth a damn. $10-$30 for a year long review is a fair price to pay, I think. Conclusion? A good chunk of them are crap. So back to flannel. The new Orvis catalog arrives. Pricey, and a snob factor but they sell relatively good crap. And they have the elusive normal collar flannel shirt. After a week or two (and with temperatures dropping) I decide to take the plunge and order two of them. A few days later I receive them and they are damn nice and they will most likely last many years. But Orvis wasn’t happy enough to take my dollars and provide me with their products. They also provided me with The Message. The Message was an insert in the package along with the packing slip. On one side of the Message was a nice graphic with the title ‘Making Environmentally Responsible Decisions’. And an introductory essay as to the confusion in making the ‘correct’ decisions on things from light bulbs to which fish to eat. And what was The Message? ‘Fear not ignorant consumer! We have made those decisions for you.’ And the reverse side of ‘The Message’? An essay titled ‘Carbon Credits Explained’. It had Indians in it. Really. And why carbon offsets are awesome. To save the environment and Earth and everything. The Message? Carbon offsets are awesome! (brushing economic reality under the table). All I wanted was a Pepsi. Or in this case, two shirts. Instead I received two shirts and a hell of a lot of preaching I didn’t ask for. Thanks Orvis. I might ask if I could get a discount on your products in the future if I just received what I paid for and you could take off the price of sermonizing but I realize that I would be wasting my time. So I’ll just end this so short relationship. Goodbye forever, you sanctimonious jackasses. tag:madoilman.com,2006://2.677 2006-01-13T02:50:27Z 2006-01-13T02:51:34Z

I brewed up a batch of Kern River Red for the Christmas holidays as I had quite a bit of family coming in. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite ready. It takes a good 3-4 weeks in the bottle for good results....

Mad Oilman http://madoilman.com ]]> tag:madoilman.com,2006://2.669 2006-01-05T05:38:06Z 2006-01-05T05:38:10Z

Mad Oilman is not a Longhorn. He is a Terrier, albeit a native Houstonian Terrier....

Mad Oilman http://madoilman.com Terrier, albeit a native Houstonian Terrier.]]> tag:madoilman.com,2006://2.668 2006-01-05T05:35:26Z 2006-01-05T05:43:39Z

1. Defenses on both sides collapsed at the end. 2, Vince Young #2 Heisman? Right. That was proven tonight. A 6'5" mobile quarterback is a hell of a lot more valuable in the draft than a 6' running back/receiver that...

Mad Oilman http://madoilman.com 1. Defenses on both sides collapsed at the end. 2, Vince Young #2 Heisman? Right. That was proven tonight. A 6'5" mobile quarterback is a hell of a lot more valuable in the draft than a 6' running back/receiver that is a playmaker against crappy teams. A guy slated before this game to be the #1 pick in the NFL draft, who runs an average of 12 times a game. LenDale White proved to be the better offensive threat in this game, and his collegiate numbers prove him to be a good pickup if he is available. Reggie Bush is talented, yes. I see him going down the Antwoan Ranle El path. Fast as hell, not quite a receiver, not quite a runing back, to small for a tight end. tag:madoilman.com,2006://2.667 2006-01-05T04:42:10Z 2006-01-05T04:53:17Z

1. Pete Carrol is a damn good coach. Second half adjustments have been masterful. This game may come down to coaching. 2. Field goals are always important. Points on the board. Or in the case of Texas, not on the...

Mad Oilman http://madoilman.com 1. Pete Carrol is a damn good coach. Second half adjustments have been masterful. This game may come down to coaching. 2. Field goals are always important. Points on the board. Or in the case of Texas, not on the board. 4 points squandered. 3. Stupid penalities and turnovers are key. Texas is losing this battle in a big way. 4. Where did Texas' defense go? 5. Mack Brown's halftime motivational speech had to be one of the worst in history. As was his staff's first half analysis. tag:madoilman.com,2006://2.666 2006-01-05T04:39:32Z 2006-01-05T04:39:38Z

So the Astros pick up Preston Wilson. At best a sideways move. Yes, he had some key hits for the Nationals and his numbers look good, but he played in Colorado for quite a while and that town tends to...

Mad Oilman http://madoilman.com So the Astros pick up Preston Wilson. At best a sideways move. Yes, he had some key hits for the Nationals and his numbers look good, but he played in Colorado for quite a while and that town tends to inflate stats quite a bit. Average player. What's infuriating, though, is listening to our local sports talk jackasses, Rich Lord and Mark Vandermeer discussing the move. They actually brought up that race (Preston is black) might have played a part in the signing as the Astros at that point had no 'black' players on the roster. They lamented that Major League Baseball as a whole only had 10% black athletes. Black population in the US is around 14% . Vandermeer, in brilliant analysis, brought up the fact that a Major League roster is 30 players. Therefore the Astros should have at least 3 black players. What!? There are quotas in baseball? BULLSHIT! Baseball, as all sports are merit based. You are compensated based on talent. Period. Then they intimated that this was a marketing move to get the black fan to the park. Again, What?! The entire conversation implied old boy racism. In fact, it showed an inherent racism in the sportscaster, looking for problems where they do not exist. Professional sports are based on skill, period. A player's value is based on his ability. His paycheck is based on his ability (and a good agent). Given the demographic argument presented by Lord and Vandermeer, let me play devil's advocate and ask a few questions: Why are there so few whites on the Texans, given there demographic distribution in the country? Is it racism? Why are there so few Hispanics on the Texans, given there demographic distribution in the country? Is it racism? Why are there so few Asians in any major sport? Is it racism? Answer to all of the above? NO. Let's continue. Why are there no Black sports commentators on the 610 lineup? Is it racism? Are Kevin Bass contributing during the Astros season and Andre Ware calling during the Texan's season marketing ploys to bring in the Black audience? Why does the regular staff not reflect the demographics of the USA? Stupid commentary by inherently ignorant people, creating controversy where there is none to generate callers. Again, Bullshit. tag:madoilman.com,2006://2.665 2006-01-05T04:03:52Z 2006-01-05T04:51:53Z

1. Keith Jackson - Time to retire. Calling an obviously wide right extra point good shows you don't even pay attention any more. It was obvious. 2. How long is halftime? Come on, let's play some football. 3. USC Band...

Mad Oilman http://madoilman.com 1. Keith Jackson - Time to retire. Calling an obviously wide right extra point good shows you don't even pay attention any more. It was obvious. 2. How long is halftime? Come on, let's play some football. 3. USC Band - Beat It, Michael Jackson. Nice collective 250 person crotch grab and thrust. Classy. 4. U2 performance/commercial - Ummm, Apple used that song about a year ago. Hideous waste of time delaying the game needlessly for some stupid and ill thought out marketing campaign. 5. Midway through the 3rd quarter. Reggie Bush? Sorry, this is the Vince Young show. Reggie Bush has been shut down. It's still a damn good game, but looking at sheer talent at this point, Reggie Bush is not a #1 draft pick. Don't do it Texans. Don't do it. 6. Officiating. Typical college garbage. Vince Young's knee was down on the lateral. Texas intercepted a ball near the end of the second half. Even in the impact of incompetence at this point. tag:madoilman.com,2005://2.639 2005-12-02T02:41:08Z 2005-12-02T04:05:46Z

It's always entertaining to look at the search terms and referrals to this pathetic website. My personal favorite search term was 'witch doctor for hire'. Number six for that one. Given my numerous cooking posts about Italian food, I'm a...

Mad Oilman http://madoilman.com Yes, if you're in search of a black american husband and you happen to be using MSN search in Italy, I'm the number 5 hit. And I'm plumb out of black american husbands. It seems I need to stock up a bit. I see opportunity.]]> tag:madoilman.com,2005://2.634 2005-11-24T06:01:43Z 2005-11-24T06:01:44Z

Channel 786. Cable radio. Metal. It is the foundation channel for this household's avoidance of commercials. Hit 786, play a name that tune through to the Golden Oldies channel and guess what? Back to the original show with perfect timing....

Mad Oilman http://madoilman.com Channel 786. Cable radio. Metal. It is the foundation channel for this household's avoidance of commercials. Hit 786, play a name that tune through to the Golden Oldies channel and guess what? Back to the original show with perfect timing. Well as it is the night before Thanksgiving, there's not a whole lot on. I've been roaming channels but I keep coming back to good old 786. Then something strange happens. Forgetting the channel I am on, I hear the intro to a song. I immediately scream 'Bjork'. Looking towards the tely, I am proven correct, but in a very, very wrong manner. Yes, this is Bjork. 'Army of Me'. Covered by Helmet. OK, a bit of a stretch but I like Helmet a lot. Then I see the album title. Something about 'Save Our Oceans' or some other garbage like that. So is this what it has come to? Helemt covering Bjork songs for the Save our Oceans album? On the 'friggin METAL Channel! Judas Priest came up two songs later and erased all of that evil debasement. 'The Ripper'. That will atone for quite a few metal transgressions. tag:madoilman.com,2005://2.632 2005-11-24T05:11:03Z 2005-11-24T05:14:12Z

Oh the humanity. Dude's GF left him and he can't figger which juice to buy. And her half of the $600 rent is coming up and he may not be able to come up with the money. What! $300? Really?...

Mad Oilman http://madoilman.com Dude's GF left him and he can't figger which juice to buy. And her half of the $600 rent is coming up and he may not be able to come up with the money. What! $300? Really? $300! That's a weekend job. Yes, you'll have to sacrifice a bit. But it's infinitely doable. Here's a tip. Deliver pizzas a couple nights a week. You'll earn $75 in two nights easy. Two nights a week, 4 weeks a month, well you get the math. I read that post and I felt like crotchety old man (back in my day, sonny...) but given I'm not even close, it must just be life experience that makes me laugh. Summers spent on campus, working 50 hours during the week at a t-shirt manufacturer for the overtime, working 30 hours a week at night at a liquor store and sharing a 3 bedroom house with three guys to save on the rent. And putting money in the bank to support myself during the upcoming school year. Sunday was my only true day off. Yeah, my social life was brilliant at that point of my life. But guess what? I did it. And today, if the shite hit the proverbial fan, I would do it again. That damn work ethic thing.]]> tag:madoilman.com,2005://2.626 2005-11-23T02:24:36Z 2005-11-23T02:24:36Z

The day at the range also included my first e-postal match. And it was tremendously fun. I can't wait to shoot the next challenge (which I beleive will be happening in the Spring some time). Here are the rules (from...

Mad Oilman http://madoilman.com E-Postal Match - Seeing Spots I managed to shoot each target twice. The highest scores were submitted (and they both happended to be my first attempts at each caliber). Here are the results on the .22 target: And here are the results on the .40 target: ]]> tag:madoilman.com,2005://2.625 2005-11-23T02:16:00Z 2005-11-23T02:16:00Z

Sunday was range day. I loaded up the petromuncher with three pistols, more than enough ammo and a variety of targets (including my first attempt at one of Mr. Completely's e-postal matches). The range was packed which was surprising. Saturday...

Mad Oilman http://madoilman.com Mr. Completely's e-postal matches). The range was packed which was surprising. Saturday afternoon, overcast and cool? It's deer and waterfowl season! In any case, I found a bench at the 10 yard pistol range and got ready to set up. Pistols uncased, ammo at the ready and magazines loaded. As the line was still hot, I had only a used target to practice on until the range was cleared. I whiled away shooting at the numbers on well used targets. At lease I could see where I was shooting. Range is cleared and I have my first targets up. Here are some of the results: First up is the Browning Buckmark .22. Here are the first 20 shots: Not bad but it could be a LOT better. Over the course of the day it didn't get any better with that pistol. The sights are slightly off in elevation. It was eventually put away in frustration. Next was the S&W 617 .22. Here's the first group, shot single action: Now I'll take that any day. The 617 is a ten shot revolver and there are ten shots on that target. Over the course of the day I became even more comfortable with this gun. The trigger in single action has zero creep and it breaks wonderfully. It is still relatively new and the double action trigger is a bit stiff. A couple thousand rounds should solve that problem. Here's the 617 in double action: Not too bad given the stiff double action trigger. Now on to larger things. the HK USP Compact .40 S&W. Here's the first 12 shot magazine of the day: Acceptable. The next magazine is just as good: And finally, three magazines at the central target: I'll take that kind of shooting all day. Overall I fired about 170 rounds of .40 S&W and 300 rounds of .22lr. And Ill consider that a fine day at the range. ]]> tag:madoilman.com,2005://2.623 2005-11-23T01:40:49Z 2005-11-23T01:40:49Z

I thought I was alone in my disdain for Rachael Ray. But I'm not. Rachael Ray Sux At least I change the channel within seconds of seeing or hearing her. The guys at this site actually revel in her incompetence....

Mad Oilman http://madoilman.com Rachael Ray Sux At least I change the channel within seconds of seeing or hearing her. The guys at this site actually revel in her incompetence.]]> tag:madoilman.com,2005://2.622 2005-11-23T01:36:45Z 2005-11-23T02:47:33Z

Well its Mad Oilman's birthday and the Mrs. sets up a fabulous birthday meal. At Mark's American Cuisine, a highly regarded restaurant which we have never visited. Arriving 5 minutes early for our 7:00 reservation, we are quickly seated...

Mad Oilman http://madoilman.com Mark's American Cuisine, a highly regarded restaurant which we have never visited. Arriving 5 minutes early for our 7:00 reservation, we are quickly seated at one of the worst tables in the restaurant. A two seater backing the hallway between this room and the main room. So much for a reservation three weeks in advance. Seems that was meaningless. Our waiter arrives and we choose a fine bottle of wine. A Seghesio Barolo, 2000. This is a special occasion. Menus arrive. The standard menu as well as a chefs menu for the day. Our waiter then told us about the specials of the day. All seven of them (appetizers and entrées). Listening to the specials before we have even glanced at the menus, we dove in to the treasures within. And completely forgot about the specials. Our intrepid waiter returns and we ask him to recite the litany of specials once again. He does, yet he forgets one which Mrs. Oilman immediately points out. Isn't there a duck special as well? Our waiter quickly remembered and recited that special. Now it is decision time. I choose the garden salad, the cask smoked Scottish Salmon with caviar, and the Kobe beef platter for my menu. Mrs. Oilman chooses everything from the Chef's menu. Oysters to start, a pear and greens salad, and a softshell crab entrée. First course is delivered within seconds of our waiter leaving. My salad is wonderful and expertly dressed. Mrs. Oilman receives a soup which she enjoys immensely. Before we could say uncle our plates were cleared and the second course delivered. It is obvious they are trying to turn tables. So much for a pleasurable dining experience. They turn tables at Friday's and Chili's too. Second course arrives. House smoked salmon for me, oysters for Mrs. Oilman. The salmon was ridiculously good. And the caviar. My goodness. I've had caviar before and they were little salt bombs. This was a whole new world. Exquisite. The Mrs. receives her oysters. And realizes this is the appetizer she ordered as her first course. A salad was her second course. Our waiter has screwed up our order. Our opinion of Mark's is starting to deflate a bit. Before our second courses are completed the vultures arrive to take our plates. The traffic behind my wife is amazing. Wait staff hovering, antsy, looking for a plate to clear. The traffic is just ridiculous. The table turning antics even more so. As soon as the second course plates are cleared, guess what? The entrées appear within thirty seconds. This is the fastest turn at a fine dining establishment I have ever been party to. They really want us to give them our money and leave. As fast as they can make it happen. The Kobe beef platter. Three cuts. Flank steak, short ribs and sirloin. Flank steak was a joke. I ordered the platter medium rare. The flank steak was well done. A rude joke. Next it is on to the sirloin. I should not have to use a knife to cut Kobe beef. I did for this. Although well marbled, this particular cut was nothing special. The short ribs were an embarrassment. Ibiza's short ribs crush these. As do Restaurant 17's. As do my own (from the Craft cookbook). Granted there were lots of sauces on the dish. But with Kobe, meat comes first and sauce second. In this dish sauce came in second and meat came in third (there was no first place finish). Entrées are again whisked away in record speed as the vultures hovering around my wife's table descend. Were but 75 minutes into our meal. We have a third of a bottle of wine left, and we've been through three very rushed courses. Dessert. Mrs. Oilman asks for the special and I ask for a special on their own menu. They have a lemon cake on the menu. Sounds good. Theirs is served with a mouse, candied zest, berries, and meringue. I just want cake. Simple request, right? The waiter said no twice. At that point I told him I didn't want anything. He relented and brought out what I wanted (only because it was my birthday and he knew that). It was exactly as I expected. Damn good lemon cake without the garnish I had no need for. So there you go. One of the best-rated restaurants in town. With a three week reservation seated us at the worst table in the restaurant. Screwed up our order. Food was brilliant at times and a joke at others. The only way they could have moved our table faster would be to have a group of waiters surround our table and stare at us as we ate. It was that bad. As we leave I hand my ticket to the valet. He pulled the car up but did not open the door for my wife. Nor did the two other valets nearby. Bush league service. Final Review. Huge reputation. Extremely poor execution on service, and marginal (given the prices) acceptance on food. DaMarco's is just up the street. And from my experience it crushes Mark's. Crushes it.]]> tag:madoilman.com,2005://2.596 2005-11-01T03:37:33Z 2005-11-01T03:37:33Z

Mrs. Oilman and I spent the weekend at the Nation of Riflemen/Revolutionary War Veterans Association Texas Rifleman Shoot. I learned a hell of a lot. I'm also exhausted. A more detailed report to follow soon....

Mad Oilman http://madoilman.com Nation of Riflemen/Revolutionary War Veterans Association Texas Rifleman Shoot. I learned a hell of a lot. I'm also exhausted. A more detailed report to follow soon.]]>