Hope all y’all had a great Valentine’s Day.

Started the morning with true romantic spirit, sleeping in and watching “Zombie Apocalypse,” the Ving Rhames one, which turned out to be every bit as unintentionally funny as I’d been told.

High points for hilarity were a tie between the Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a shopping cart, and the zombie tigers.  The latter were kinda matted & ratty, as would befit their undead status, and the Ray Harryhausen-ish movements were about what you’d expect from a critter trying to “walk off” a pretty good case of rigor mortis.

Well, my valentine and I are both Calvin & Hobbes fans, and all we could think was, “Hobbes Twenty Years Later.” “Sooo, Calvin, you thought you could just abandon me at that dump when you went off to college, eh…?”

The live critters of our holiday were more fun, bearing in mind that we’d celebrated Valentine’s Day as a couple the weekend before, at a Glock match ably run by the Central Florida Rifle and Pistol Club in Orlando.  After an absence of prehistoric wildlife, the range pond now appears to have two resident alligators, one of which kept a wary just-above-the-surface eye on the loud doings a short distance away.  My valentine is a self-described “shooter chick,” and we were far from the only couple in attendance.  Nothin’ says redneck romance like volleys of gunfire.  A recovering big city denizen, my sweetie is in her element on the range, and loves living where she can carry.

We finished up the 14th at Starbucks, dropping two-dollar bills (to commemorate Starbucks’ refusal to knuckle under to anti-Second Amendment advocates boycott, see post here of January 28, 2012).  Thanks to all who did the same.  The barista who served us told us we certainly weren’t the only ones there for The Cause, and our collective presence was appreciated. (Tried their new Blonde Roast, a light, crisp blend for an afternoon cup.)

Guns, ‘gators, and zombie tigers…seemed like a righteous redneck Valentine’s Day to me.Also helped me to understand why I’m the firearms editor at Backwoods Home, and not the romance editor…

 

“O my Valentine, my love for you is as undying as, uh, this zombie tiger from ‘Zombie Apocalypse,’…”

Zombie Apocalypse
Photo by Lara Solanki – © Syfy

 

It ain’t a REAL  redneck Valentine shootin’  match if ya ain’t got a pond ‘gator watching the range balefully… 

 

Range Gater

Shooter-chick celebrates Valentine’s Day by strafing down six plates right to left with a Glock 30 loaded with .45 hardball.  Notice spent casing from last shot just behind pistol’s slide, muzzle still on target as middle plate is hit. Strong women are the most interesting…

 

A $2 bill, symbolizing “2A support,” goes into the tip jar at the nearest Starbucks.

1 COMMENT

  1. bought $100 Starbucks gift card, and left the following lettrt for the manager.
    Dear Manager:
                As you are probably aware, there has been an effort by many “anti-gun” and “anti-Constitution” groups to boycott Starbucks organization on this date. Apparently, this arises out of Starbucks refusing to forbid the concealed carry of handguns in their establishments. I would like to personally thank you, as well as the entire organization for standing your ground against this type of political bullying.  As you are aware, each individual state has already seen fit to enact laws in accordance with the wishes of the people who live there. I would like to thank you for not giving in to this coercion.
                The fact of the matter is, I don’t like coffee. I’m sorry, it’s just a taste that doesn’t appeal to me. I however, do enjoy the individual freedoms I have been granted by our forefathers in our Constitution. In an attempt to help offset any financial hardship that may have incurred as a result of this “boycott”, I will be purchasing gift certificates today to show my appreciation. You may be aware that this is an organized action by many people who, like myself, simply want to say; ”Thank you”.
                I would appreciate it if you could forward this letter to your regional management such that they may know that our gratitude extends to them as well. Thank you for your time and diligence.
    Sincerely;
    Dr. Cliff M
    South Dakota

  2. Well, from yesterday – cheers!

    Drunk with a Starbucks Caramel Macchiato. Calvin & Hobbes fans? Darn it Mas, I always knew you were cooler than you looked! 🙂

  3. I may not have had a $2 bill on me (or my firearm – local laws prohibit such) when I visited the local Starbucks here on Astor Place in Manhattan, however, $2 still made it into the barista’s tip jar in spirit of the cause.

  4. Mas,

    I have always loved cartoons, and was a big fan of Calvin and Hobbes also – very funny what you said about Hobbes twenty years later! Also loved Bloom County – Bill the Cat reminds me of a few friends – some before and some after caffeine, and also could easily pass for a zombie 🙂

    Which brings me to Starbucks. Did my part with a large hot chocolate (would have been better not to have the buzz and do my classic oxymoron – a decaf double espresso) and left a $2 bill while explaining why I was there. They were appreciative. Intend to go in every so often, as the boycott was supposed to be long term from what I have heard, not just for Valentine’s Day.

    Would have rather been with you and the evil princess shooting a match (my better half is a good shooter but hates guns and my owning them – figure that out).

    Also wondering why these liberal Supreme Court Justices who have been mugged or robbed have not woken up to the fact that self defense is not only a God-given right, but our responsibility. Hope we can change that.

    I like the idea of one responder to a recent blog of yours who suggested everyone request all the printed material from the anti’s and gently run them out of business. Seems the tactful way to do things, since we are a group of upstanding American citizens, on many sides of the political fence.

    Thanks for all the blogs – I do look forward to reading them and hope someday to attend a class with you (would love for you to come to northern Ohio). Will work on weaning you from those funky green martinis onto some quality wines – and not the 4 liter generic “chablis” you have mentioned. Would be only fair for you developing my shooting skills along the way – and you have through this blog and your books! We will, of course, put the guns and ammo away before that happens.

    Happy belated Valentine’s Day!

    Gary

  5. I visited a Starbucks yesterday– not a destination on my normal course of events. I bought some coffee, tipped the barista, and let her know I was there because– and only because– of the “buycott” to support Starbucks since they support the Second Amendment, and to let her boss know.

    She said “Oh cool.” I assume I was the first (and perhaps only) to do that here locally.

  6. We also went to a local Starbucks last night ….. and got treated like dirt by that store’s manager. We explained to her about the boycott, to which she said, “I’m not worried about any boycott, I’ve got plenty of regular customers.” She looked at our Guns & Coffee hats like we had 3-heads.
    To which I should have returned to her, “We won’t be one of those return customers….”! Not at her store ~;-(

  7. Also visited Starbucks with my honey on Val day and chatted about our visit. She was delighted; her fiance in USMC and will be home in 2 months. She’s all for armed females esp with her all gal crew at her location. Great idea; positive approach.

  8. I patronized the Green Bay Starbucks on Military Avenue yesterday. The shift manager looked a little surprised when I told her why I was at her store. I am not a coffee drinker so I got hat only could be described as liquid apple pie. She had some fluffy name for that escaped me. Another great idea from my mentor, thanks Mas.

  10. I visited a Tacoma WA. Starbucks on Valentines Day and bought a coffee, doughnut and mug. I left a tip paper clipped to a business size car with the GRRN (Gun Right Radio Network) logo on one side and the 4 rules of gun safety on the other. Yesterday I just bought a coffee and asked if they were bothered by protesters. The Barista said that nobody showed up. I left the same tip.
    I use these cards to spread the word.

    Gary Larson, Calvin and Hobbs my favorites.

  12. The alligator in the pond reminded me of the time my wife and I were staying in a Condo at Lake Okeechobee. My son was going to get off from his Navy training in Orlando and visit us on the weekend. I thought we could have a swell time if I rented a ski boat. I stopped at a marina and asked about a rental and the fellow said sure, but wel-l-l-l where are you going to use it. I nodded towards the lake and said “right there”. He says some people do ski out there but you do know that there are alligators out there! He probably thought “Lord, not another of those damn Yankees”. Sure enough when I was out in my fishing boat you could see the eyes peeking above the water.

    Mas, about that Glock 30 in the picture; If that case ejection was any closer to the firearm it would be called a stovepipe.

  14. Mas

    Checking in late.

    I went to Starbucks in McKinney , Texas.
    The Barista/Manager saw the 2 dollars bills with which I paid for my vente caffe Americano. She asked if I were “one of those gun guys”. I said yes, and explained why the two dollar bills and expressed support of their corporate policy of deferring to state law. I chatted briefly with her and the other staff, they were all friendly . She commented that she had never had a problem with any CHL holder , so why were those people ( Brady et al) making such a fuss? We agreed that the answer to that was a long discussion. I put a 2 dollar bill in the tip jar.

    She got back to work and I got back about my business – was a positive experience.

    Question: Anyone kow if the Starbucks boycott nationally have any noticeable effect on sales? How bout our “buycott”?

    Regards

    GKT

  15. Went to Starbucks for the very first time with some friends . . . Thankfully they had Iced tea (I hate coffee)

    I celebrated Valentines Day Chicago Style and got a used Smith & Wesson MP 15 for my sweetie as her gift. She’s never owned or fired a gun before in her life, even growing up in AZ (go figure). She loved it all and wants to go more often. The MP 15 is perfect for her as she’s had neck and shoulder surgery from a car accident and the recoil is light. She also liked shooting the target 10/22 we brought.

    I promised her never to let her shoot anything that might hurt her shoulder / neck. What a great day we had