Saturday, March 19, 2011

Gun Show Weekend

Tam and I went Friday; it's my turn "in the barrel" this week, working an early shift Friday and Saturday to cover for a retired co-worker who won't be replaced. ("Him? What'd he actually do here?" --Cover a lousy shift, it turns out).

That shift is pretty rough on me. Add in absquatulating to the Indy 1500 with only a hasty stop to brush my hair and powder my nose (etc.) , followed by walking half the length of the State Fair from our parking spot (it's Garden and Patio Show* weekend, too), standing in line for ten minutes just to get in and then walking the amazingly-crowded gun show end to end on hard, hard floors and it was all I could do not to fall asleep on the way home.

Still, it was worth it. I didn't buy any guns (Tam found two!) but I saw quite a few, including an uncommon Benelli handgun. I did pick up a Roper-Whitney punch, except it's a Roper-Jennings, an older version in a metal box. (One pictures some sort of industrial love triangle, with Roper leaving poor Jennings sobbing by the forge). And a book (Some Went West, by Dorothy M. Johnson) and we both bought one of these, a kind of a super-spork ('cos there's some things that just need sporking).

...And with that, I must depart for my second early shift. Oh, what fun, though a little extra at payday kind of makes up for it.
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* With mini-gardens named after Indianapolis neighborhoods, including the snooty (and not part of UniGov) Meridian Hills. I wonder if, should you dally too long, a nice policeman comes by and asks if you live there? Just for realism's sake....

10 comments:

Joseph said...

I think "sporking" (a new verb!) has little to do with it. I think you bought it because it's a cool tool...somewhat like the famous titanium folding spork.

Tam said...

The little multi-spork is the perfect kind of thing to toss in the pocket of the turse.

Never know when you might need to spork some grub.


(WV: "ableguv". Haven't seen one yet.)

rickn8or said...

Just don't try getting on an airplane with the assault-spork.

Old Grouch said...

"...should you dally too long, a nice policeman comes by and asks if you live there..."

Actually that's Carmel (which also has a garden featured).

In Meridian Hills, the nice policeman tickets you for driving 33 mph on 75th Street ("Strictly Enforced") ;-)

Roberta X said...

Joseph: Aw, c'mon, surely you have met someone or seen em on TV and thought, "A sudden, unexpected sporking would o that individual a world o'good".

Rni8: I dunno -- it hasn't got a sharp edge and I though small widgets were okay again? OTOH, I would not put it past those born-past-Wedlock's-last-trolley-stop* types to grab kewl stuff just 'cos it is kewl.

O.G.: 'Strewth. 'strewth, though Carmel is awfully proud of their speed limits and the Meridian Hills boys in dark blue are not above a bit of preemptive Terry-stopping, either.
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* As Ring Lardner, the commie so-and-so, observed, "Beautiful country around there." Even a blind clock finds the occasional ear of corn; and a stopped sow is still right twice a day.

Drang said...

Let us know if Mrs. Drang's and my first impression of the CRKT Super Spork was wrong, i.e., looks messy and uncomfortable to use.

Roberta X said...

I'll eat my oatmeal with it and report back. Spaghetti is right out, I think.

Tam said...

D.W. Drang,

It strikes me that CRKT Spork is to Real Utensils as Kel-Tec P3AT is to Real Gun.

To wit: It beats using your bare hands...

Fuzzy Curmudgeon said...

Ah, a Roper-Whitney punch. I have one of those, also in a metal box :)

Of course I'll be dashed if I can tell you where it is at the moment...

Drang said...

All those years in Korea, I got pretty good with chopsticks...

Many sporks I look at them and think, "OK, I cut it and turn it around to eat, and I'm holding it by the dirt end..."