Posted by
Kent on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 10:12:27 PM
And so on inauguration day…
The stock market dropped 330 points. Various friends on Facebook have made self-congratulatory comments. I’m very tempted to say something in my status section. Mostly, I’m considering saying that I’m so inspired by the day I want to start up my game system and play “Teleprompter Hero”. I wish I could claim credit for that joke, but it’s from another poster on IMAO.US.
I went to Gander Mountain to commemorate the day in my own way. I went to the firearms section and asked where to apply for a firearm card. Instantly the salesman told me which area of the store to go to. You get the impression he’s answered that question a lot lately. The young clerk at the counter took my picture and gave me the form to fill out. That done, he told me it would normally take 6-8 weeks, but it may take two months now because they are very backlogged at the moment.
“I know”, I told him. Gun sales and application for gun permits has gone up 20-30 percent since the election. I wanted to have this done today more than anything if only on principle.
I shopped a bit for gloves, camping gear, and so on. I looked at the gun selection to get some idea of what prices I’d be looking at should I actually use that card. Frankly, I think $400 plus is better spent at Best Buy when things are normal, but we may well have some new normal to worry about. I’ve been playing Crysis on the computer lately, which along with insanely detailed graphics has the distinction of letting you customize your guns with different sites and so on. I was very amused to see the real versions of a number of elements I associate with the game.
I continued browsing over various other sportsman items. There is a definite difference between a sportsman shop and a camper/hiker shop. Sportsman gloves are designed to do work and get dirty. Ski gloves assume you’ll never touch anything dirtier than snow. Sportsman cooking gear assumes you’ll stay around a while and hunt your food, with a need to butcher it on site. Hiker gear assumes you’ve packed in something freeze dried and you will be leaving immediately.
I stopped at Best Buy to get some paper for my printer, and the gas station. I always think it’s a good idea in times of uncertainty to have a full tank of gas. Speaking of gas, I also picked up Taco Bell.