Mr. Whiney...

You know, my hand still hurts from popping off all those GIGANTIC BOOMERS! Makes me wonder about those gunwriters who talk about shooting "manly guns!" Wow, I wish I was "manly." Maybe I can take a course at CU...

I gotta say, I think I might shift priorities on the old "Michael's Gonna Buy It" list. As you know, I was planning to add one of the long-discontinued L-frame S&W 696 5-shot L-frames .44 Specials to my S&W collection, but, perversely, I really liked the S&W 329PD 26-ounce .44 Magnum...and they're available all over the place pretty cheap because people buy 'em because the studly gunwriters said they were cool, fire a couple of cylinders' worth of full-boat ammo through 'em and put 'em on consignment at the local gun store for kibbles and bits.

I'm getting ready to stage an expedition to Santa Fe to get my fix of world-class Mexican food and maybe buy a new cowboy hat or some Luchasse boots. I'd almost move to Santa Fe if for no other reason that the proximity of Ten Thousand Waves, the greatest Japanese health spa in the country. Ten Thousand Waves is where God goes when She needs to relax. Hot tubs, saunas, freezing cold dips, a zillion maggase therapists (including one involving hot rocks and feet, which reduced me to whimpering rubble). I used to go there when I was climbing; bust your ass on the rocks all day, then soak it out all night. I've also stayed in the Japanese cabins there; had I stayed one night more, I'd have never left. If you're looking for a romantic weekend because the loan on the tennis bracelet didn't come through, Ten Thousand Waves is it.

Gotta go fee my goldfish...