Regionals...

This past Saturday was the Pinewood Derby Regional race that I mentioned here. All of the Packs in our District sent their top 2 Scouts to compete in district-wide races that would sent the top Scout to the State finals.

Now, a little backstory. After the Derby of 2006, our Pack decided to buy a new track, and went with a four lane metal track over the more conventional wood track. It's new, it's fast, and we have a pretty good system in place for running races. There are also no warps, burrs, varnish spots, etc. that are inherent in the wood tracks.

So, the District borrowed our track. Which, naturally, meant that they needed to borrow US to help set it up. So Friday night I head to the church where the district races are held to help deliver and set-up the track. Me, the other Asst Cubmaster, and our Council rep (whose laptop has the racing software installed, BTW) all met and delivered the track. We got it set up, in place, smoothed out, etc. and generally ready to roll.

Well, if you know anything about Scouts, or other volunteer-based organizations for that matter, you know what's coming next... We all got "volunteered" to help work the event as well. So my Saturday went from a morning obligation to an all-day thing. Oh well, small price to pay to make some boys happy.

Left there at 10PM, and was back at 8:30 with my son and his car. Checked in at 9, and settled in to watch the set-up. Since my son was racing in the Tiger heat, I couldn't help with that portion of the race. They'd had incidents in the past where people (read: Overzealous dads) were complaining about possible favoritism because someone was working the event whose son was racing. Now, I'll leave aside the fact that it is virtually impossible to cheat, given the sheer number of people, the software, etc.

All I know is it meant I got to watch the race sitting with my boy. And for that, I thank you, Mr. Whining Complainer.

My son's car came up in the third race. Now, mind you, there's 44 Tiger Cubs racing. That's 44 heats. We watch his car go down, he wins the race. We check his time. Sssssmokin'. Uh oh...

The next 5-6 races, we check every other winner's time. They're not even close to his time. Yikes.

Then a car beats his time. And another. And another. He wound up winning three of the four races he was in, but there was serious competition from the other Tiger Scouts. There were a BUNCH of really fast cars on that track.

End result? He took fifth place. Not too shabby at all. The kicker? The kid who won was a friend of my son's from the next town over. He went to pre-school with this boy, and we got to know the family pretty well, very nice people.

Once the Tigers were done, I took off my "Tiger Cub Dad" hat and put on my "Pinewood Derby Racing Staff" hat and got to work. For the Wolves & Bears heats I was a runner, bringing the cars from the end of the track to the staging area. For the WeBeLoS heats, I staged the cars for the races. It was exhausting, demanding, and so much fun I hope we get to do it again next year.

And there was a reporter from the Globe present - theoretically there's going to be a story in next Sunday's Globe on this event. I could be famous!

Fifth place out of 44. Not too shabby, especially for a guy who can barely swing a hammer...

That is all.

Friday Gun Pr0n #52

I couldn't decide what I wanted to post today. So I went with all my .357 Magnum wheelguns. Hey, why not?


Clockwise from the top: Ruger Security Six, 6" barrel; Smith & Wesson model 19, 4" barrel; Smith & Wesson model 360PD, 1 7/8" barrel; and Colt Lawman Mk III, 2" barrel.

Figure I need a 6" Python, an 8 shot PC627, and maybe a 2" 640 to round out the .357 Magnum offerings...

That is all.

Uh, No...

I gotta throw the bullshit flag on this play:

Looking good, dude, head to toe

Don't call them metrosexuals.

"That's a dated expression and concept," said Judy Fogarty, manager of swanky new men's salon Barbershop Lounge, which recently opened on Newbury Street. "Men taking care of the way they look is much more the norm now."

Yes, the number of men who own a moisturizer or two and, heck, maybe even a bronzer is on the rise, which may explain the success of several men's salons that have opened here in the past couple of years.

Well, you know, them pussy-whipped mama's boys have to have somewhere to go when their girlfriends allow them to come shopping with them...

The part that jumped out at me was this, though:

Besides hairstyling, Barbershop Lounge offers straightedge razor shaves, facials, pedicures, massages, and manicures. There's even a $5 shoeshine. Memberships are available.

Back up the metrosexual truck for a second. If you are getting a facial, pedicure, or manicure, I'm sorry, you'll have to leave your testicles at the door.

Nope, ain't gonna fly. No matter how you look at it, men don't need to go to a salon to look their best. And, for the record, neither do women. If your "beauty" comes from dropping 2 or 3 large on a spa for "help", let's face it - you ugly...

That is all.

Doomed...

From Breda (via Tam) comes this frightening omen of America's doom:

Librarian Says Book About Censorship Is Being Censored

The Idaho Falls Public Library is in the middle of a community reading project to encourage people to read books. But the book the library chose is about censorship, and one librarian thinks the controversial book just like its topic, is being censored.

Library staff is encouraging everyone to read Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451". They're giving out 15 hundred books, but the library staff is surprised that not everybody wants one.

Written in 1953, it's about censorship, propaganda and conformity. The book has been challenged and banned because it's also about thinking outside the norm, and making choices for yourself.

First off, Fahrenheit 451 is one of my absolute favorite books. If hard-pressed (i.e., I can't call the Lord of the Rings trilogy one book), I'd say it is my favorite book.

Secondly, the librarian is confusing "censorship" with "don't give a damn". Censorship we can fight - we can hold vigils, protests, etc. to shine the light of truth on the ugly roach of censorship. This, however, is people not giving a damn. The book's not censored; rather, no one wants to read it.

Which is a fucking shame. Bradbury really nailed our society some 55 years ago (holy SHIT is it really that old???) From the TV walls that cocooned Montag's wife to the farcical presidential race, one almost wonders if Bradbury himself had a time machine to our present time when he wrote F451.

Looks like I'm going to have to put my 52^nd reading of Dune down and read Fahrenheit 451 for the 137^th time...

(And apologies to James Rummel for the new category. It was fitting as well as in keeping with my alliterative alignments...)

That is all.

Scooter Trash Bleg

Pickin' up the Harley from storage next Saturday, and it dawns on me that I really need a new jacket. After losing ~ 100 pounds, even the jacket I bought as a freshman in college no longer fits me (it's too big), and that's the smallest motorcycle jacket I have.

Sadly, the local leather place appears to be out of business, and I'm not about to drop 2X as much cash as needed on something with the Official HD logo, so I'm in the market for a new jacket (could also use a new vest). I'm looking for something in the traditional "biker" style, not a Kevlar-reinforced jacket (although, now that I think about it, one of those wouldn't be bad either...)

So... Anyone have any good places to check online? Or, alternately, any places to avoid?

Thanks in advance. That is all.

Analogy Time...

Being tailgated by a Ford Focus when you're driving a Dodge Ram is a lot like being The Rock and having David Spade start shit with you. Sure, there's a tiny chance that you might get a little dirty should the worst happen, but odds are greatly in your favor that you will emerge victorious.

Especially when it's the other guy's fault.

Stupid people. If you can't beat 'em, laugh at 'em.

That is all.

Long Ball...

My man Bruce hits one out of the fucking park.

Every single word is gold, so read the whole thing. I'll excerpt Bruce's closing lines, though, because of the sheer elegance of his wordsmithing:

When rights are so severely restricted, or doled out only to the privileged classes, by a government so distrusting of its citizens, liberty and freedom are lost.

And, under no circumstances, whatsoever, can such a system or rules and regulations be deemed "reasonable" in a free society.

Huzzah, Bruce. Huzzah.

Now let's go shootin'.

That is all.

File Under "N"

...For "No Shit, Sherlock":

Police limit searches for guns

Boston police officials, surprised by intense opposition from residents, have significantly scaled back and delayed the start of a program that would allow officers to go into people's homes and search for guns without a warrant.

The program, dubbed Safe Homes, was supposed to start in December, but has been delayed at least three times because of misgivings in the community. March 1 was the latest missed start date.

One community group has been circulating a petition against the plan. Police officials trying to assuage residents' fears have been drowned out by criticism at some meetings with residents and elected officials.

Yeah, that pesky ol' fourth amendment just got in the way, didn't it?

Fuck you, you lazy-assed fascist bastards. Try finding some probably cause, first. Or, y'know, how about trying to keep the fucking criminals in the fucking jails. That always seemed to work in the past. It's a damn sight better idea than just randomly searching people's homes without cause or warrant. Of course, that would require a judiciary with a fucking spine, so fat chance.

Every day, I despair more and more for our society.

That is all.

Speechless...

Sometimes, the headline alone leaves me dumbstruck:

Cops chase stolen doughnut van; reward sweet

TOLEDO, Iowa - A bevy of officers chased a doughnut delivery van at speeds up to 100 mph before arresting the driver at gunpoint, authorities said.

The van, owned by Donut Delite of Moline, Ill., was stolen early Thursday while the driver was making deliveries at a local hospital. The driver had left the van running, and a man jumped in and headed for Iowa, just over the Mississippi River.

How fucking stupid do you have to be to hit 100 MPH in a stolen van? First off, I have my doubts about that speed - I'd be surprised if an utility-body van outfitted to carry large amounts of confectionary can fall at 100 mph. I'd guess that 100 mph is the magic number at which "speeding" becomes "driving to endanger" or somesuch like that. Secondly, those types of vehicles aren't known for their handling ability. It's surprising he didn't wreck before getting nabbed.

Then again, I'm sure the officers were doing their best to keep everything intact... Unreal. It all boils down to three little words: People are stupid.

That is all.

Ugh...

Yep, it's Monday. All day.

Ugh.

That is all.

Pro-Duck-Tivity...

So, to make a long story short, I've got the day off (son's school is closed for "Teacher In-Service", A.K.A. "We've Always Closed for Good Friday But Can't Call It That Anymore").

So far today, I've:

• Gotten the yearly state inspection done on the truck (yes, I've had it a year already!)
• Gotten my driver's license renewed (a month early, I might add!)
• Done the week's grocery shopping.
• Made a special trip to McD's for my son, whose behavior at the past three stops was exemplary
• Made an appointment for next Friday (which I have off thanks to my daughter's school being closed for an in-service day) to get my wife's car inspected (and serviced while we're there)
• Cleaned the downstairs
• Two loads of laundry.

Go me!

That is all.

Friday Gun Pr0n #51

Today's gun picture represents the only Browning in my collection:

This is a Browning BDA-380, also known as the Beretta 84. It's a double-stack .380 ACP pistol with a 13-round capacity, making it the second (of three) "high-capacity" handgun in my collection (the others are the Sig 226 I acquired earlier this year and, oddly enough, my Smith & Wesson model 422 .22LR...)

It's a very nice firearm: well-made, shoots very well even given the smallish sights, takes down for cleaning quite easily. Unfortunately, though, it's awfully heavy for a .380, and while the capacity is more than twice the P3AT, the weight is at least 3X... It doesn't get carried at all, and for plinking, .380 ACP's much more expensive than 9mm, .40 S&W, or even .45 ACP these days, so she doesn't get out of the safe much.

Hmmm. Might be time to bring the ol' girl to the range...

That is all.

Motorhead Pet Peeve

Fake dual exhaust. How stupid is this?

Got behind a Nissan Altima on the ride to work this morning, and as we're idling in traffic, it dawns on me that even though the Altima has "dual" exhaust (one pipe on each side), exhaust is only coming out of one side (passenger's, FWIW).

And it got me to thinking about fake dual exhausts, and how much it irks me. Now, there's one thing if you want to turn your Mustang 2.3 I4 into a GT wannabe by slapping the "5.0" emblem on the side and bolting a completely fake pipe to the underside of the car. You want to look like a moron when I blow you away in my Buick Regal, more power to you. Heck, I can even grok the need to screw on a Borla tip on your GTI so it sounds better.

But when the factory does it, it's just plain pathetic.

My wife had a Chrysler LeBaron in the '90s. It had a single muffler with a fake twin pipe exhaust. Rather than have two pipes coming out of the muffler (like my Regal, frex), there was one pipe that was then split. And it wasn't an even split, either - the left pipe was branched off the right pipe. Talk about stupid. Especially after 6 years and 100K - the left pipe was brand new, the right one all gunked up with years of use...

Now, I understand that putting in a true dual exhaust set-up in today's day and age is an expensive proposition. The extra catalytic converter alone would add a not-inconsequential heft to the price tag, as well as another expensive part to fix down the road. But what happened to splitting the exhaust pipe after the cat and running through twin mufflers? That way, the split's even, it looks correct, and the extra cost is marginal. Why on EARTH would you split at the muffler, resulting in one pipe functioning and the other pipe sitting there unused???

Then again, people buy the Cadillac Escalade or the Toyota Prius, so there's no accounting for smarts in the motoring public...

That is all.

Open Gunnie (or EMT) Question...

It's never a good thing when I get a spare moment to think about things. AD's request got me to thinking about wound ballistics and protective ammo.

Now, as the gentleman at Box O' Truth has been known to opine, birdshot is for birds, right?

Why? Yes, I understand that penetration is extremely minimal with birdshot. But what about a close range head shot? My (admittedly quite limited) understanding would be that at close range, a powerful birdshot load would be sufficient to blind an attacker, which to my way of thinking should end things right there.

One could load up a double barrel with one round of birdshot and one round of 00 buckshot, or a pump-action with 2/3 of each. Or if we're getting über-tacticool, have a Saiga shotgun with one mag filled with #8 birdshot and another mag filled with 00 buck. If the birdshot fails to blind, pull 2^nd trigger, eject second round and chamber third, or drop one mag and chamber the next.

I mean, I've hit a gallon jug filled with water with birdshot before. Jug blown apart, dozens of tiny holes through the plastic. Makes me think that an eyeball wouldn't stand a chance.

Mind you, this is purely a thought exercise - I'll keep my 00 buckshot mags loaded for the Saiga-20, thankyouverymuch...

Thoughts?

Random Observations...

Just some random stuff upon which to ruminate on this last day of winter...

*Apparently only attractive women with firm, perky breasts order replacement flooring, and only dark-haired, well-muscled hunks install said flooring. And the flooring business is owned by a grey-haired, mustashioed grandfatherly type.

*Note to car manufacturers: Cars with automatic transmissions are in Park when the shifter is all the way forward or visible above the dashboard. Don't have commercials where your car appears to be moving when the transmission is clearly in Park.

*Alright, enough about the hooker that caused the torpedoing of Eliot Spitzer's career. Her 15 minutes were up 14½ minutes ago.

*The first day of spring is tomorrow. Hard to get in the spring spirit when it's cold and snowy, but that's global warming for ya...

That is all.

How Things Work, Part 1

Today's discussion will focus on the rotary. Sometimes called a "roundabout" or a "traffic circle", we're talking about a circular roadway with several roads (typically four, although could be as little as 3 or as many as will fit) intersecting and interchanging therein.

One of the biggest bones of contention is the right-of-way. In some areas, the cars entering the rotary have the right-of way; in other areas, the cars already in the rotary have the right-of-way. This causes no end of consternation, as one can imagine.

Here in New England (at least MA, NH, and ME as far as I can tell), the vehicles in the rotary have the right-of-way. In theory. In practice, determining right-of-way is a time-honored tradition, varying by locale, determined by many factors:

• Size of the tires on the truck - largest tires has right-of-way
• Amount of bondo™ - the vehicle with the most bondo goes first
• If applicable, if the road USED to be a standard intersection, and one of the crossing roads previously had the right of way, then it is assumed (if you're on that road) that you still have the right of way
• Presence of a police officer - this, obviously, means that all traffic grinds to a complete and utter halt while everyone in a 15 mile radius tries to think back to their driver's ed class to remember who, exactly, has the right-of-way.

So, in an effort to streamline the process by which motorists in the great Northeast navigate a rotary/traffic circle/roundabout, allow me to present a few simple rules:

1. Know the laws of the state regarding who has the right-of-way.
2. Hang up your fucking cell phone if you cannot chatter mindlessly and drive.
3. If you do not have the right-of-way, then wait your fucking turn.
4. If you have the right-of-way, do not stop in the middle of the rotary and wave people through. This is grounds in some areas for running your stupid ass off the damn road.
5. If you do not have the right-of-way, but proceed anyways without regard to your fellow motorists, be prepared for a visit from Mr. Digit Hand Puppet and/or his traveling companion, Señor Road Rage. If you have children, make sure your windows are closed, as they will learn new and colorful words.

Thank you. I hope this has been an informative lesson.

That is all.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Hollywood...

Ambulance Driver has some questions for the gunnie community (side note: I like the idea of a gunnie community. Imagine the local neighborhood watch, for instance...)

I started to pound out a response in his post when I realized, hey, I've been suffering writer's block, here's a good chance to put up a decent post... So on with the questions!

In your view, what are the most common myths among the firearms community about "stopping power" (now there's a fuzzy term if ever I've heard one), penetration, velocity, caliber, bullet weight and construction, firearms accuracy and reliability? If there are other points of contention I haven't mentioned, by all means let me know.

Among the firearms community, I'd have to say that the most common myth is that one must carry a firearm whose caliber starts with "4" and ends in "5". Now, don't get me wrong; there's nothing wrong with the venerable .45 ACP or the .45 Long Colt or the .454 Casull. But some folks just plain don't like firing guns with that much oomph, some folks (like me) are cheap and want something less expensive to shoot, and yet others prefer a gun that's easy to conceal.

None of my carry guns are chambered in .45 ACP.

The smallest caliber I carry is .380 ACP, which is, in +P configuration, the smallest and least powerful caliber that I am comfortable using for self defense. It's marginal, to be sure, but the P3AT is "the gun to have when you don't have a gun" - it is so small, light, and concealable that it really can be taken anywhere (legal, of course, we here at MArooned do not condone the breaking of laws no matter how unConstitutional they may be...)

In your view, what are the most common myths among non-firearms enthusiasts about the same subjects? What are the biggest misconceptions among non-shooters about the destructive power of firearms?

This is an easy one. First off, let's consider the "Hollywood Effect":

1. A handgun round (or rifle, or shotgun, for that matter) is powerful enough to knock someone down and toss them across a room.
2. Your average person can hit a moving target at 100+ feet with a snub-nosed revolver.
3. Firing a semi-automatic handgun as quickly as you can accomplishes something other than wasting ammo.
4. Without insane amounts of practice, firing two guns at once (one in each hand) is a safe and smart practice.
5. Depending on the character of the person shot, a handgun round is powerful enough to kill instantly (if the person shot is an expendable henchman) or weak enough to merely inconvenience (hero).
6. Shotguns, presumably with buckshot, are capable of removing limbs.
7. Shotguns, presumably with birdshot, are capable of turning people into hamburg.
8. Submachine guns are controllable with little-to-no practice.
9. (Just added) The "Lone Ranger" myth - that in the middle of a fierce gun battle, it will be possible for the good guy to merely shoot the gun out of the bad guy's hand. Alternately considered the "couldn't they just shoot him in the leg" line of thinking.

From a non-Hollywood-influenced standpoint, I'd hazard that the general unfamiliarity with firearms, coupled with a genuine lack of knowledge of folks what has been shot, the vast majority of the general population knows about as much about the destructive power of firearms as I know about nuclear physics. There's also the raw unpredictability of the human body, what with the rounded areas of bones causing unpredictable ricochets, the effects of semi-fluid joints on penetration, etc. Sometimes a .45 slug will pass right through and cause minimal damage; sometimes a .22LR enters just right and kills immediately.

In any case, like the gentleman from the Box O' Truth is wont to say, rifles are rifles, and pistols are pistols. (Also known as the "Fistful of Dollars" Corollary: When a man with a .45 meets a man with a rifle, the man with a pistol is a dead man.) There's a reason the Armed Forces issue rifles to their combatants - there truly is no subsitute for raw power (the old truism from the muscle car wars of the late 1960s rings true here: There's no replacement for displacement). The more power behind the bullet, the faster the stop.

Aside from the obvious (the ability to put multiple rounds through a bad guy's left ventricle while under extreme stress), what do you feel are the most important determining factors in rendering someone quickly and decisively dead or incapacitated? I'm talking about the tools here, folks - the weapon and its projectiles - not the training and mindset of the shooter.

Well, without shot placement and the willing to use the gun, you're left with pretty much large caliber and, uh, putting cyanide on the slugs. *g* Really, though, the most significant thing is shot placement - the old saw about "A hit with a .22 beats a miss with a .44" ringing particularly true here. You need a gun that will go "bang" every time you pull the trigger. You need enough ammo to get the job done (capacity). And you need a bullet that creates a sufficiently large wound channel to cause massive shock and trauma before the bad guy has the chance to do to you what you just done to him...

And I hope I never, ever have to find out if my choice of firearm is sufficient.

That is all.

Overheard...

Things you hear in a house where a five year old is present:

Daddy is NOT a trampoline!

That is all.

AAAUUUGGGHHH!!!

Okay, it's a sad commentary on my life when I'm actually GLAD to get back to work Monday morning...

At least now I'm only crazy busy, rather super ultra mega insane busy...

More later. Maybe. If I don't fall into a bottle of SoCo and drown...

That is all.

Friday Gun Pic #50

It's Friday. Hallelujah-holy-shit. Naturally, that means it's time for gun pr0n...

(And no, I don't know why it isn't # 52. Must have been a slacker the first couple of weeks...)

So without further ado, here's my gun show find (and first blogiversary gift to myself):


Colt Lawman Mark III in the venerable .357 Magnum caliber. Six shots of Magnum goodness in a gun that weighs only slightly less than a cash register. Built like a bank vault, with a heavy barrel and a first for Colt - a transfer bar-operated firing pin.

Colt only made the Lawman from 1969 - 1983, and this is one of the earlier models (later models had a shrouded ejector). This is my first Colt .357 Magnum, and I'm hoping it won't be the last {cough}Python{cough}.

That is all.

Step Into The Wayback Machine™

Theresa has a cute little meme that I couldn't resist: Post your oldest e-mail.

For me, that had to come from my (ancient) hotmail account. I signed up at hotmail so I wouldn't have to use my work address to sign up for online forums, etc.

Date of the e-mail: 1998. Yes. 10 years ago. Bill Clinton was still president {shudder}. I was driving a Dodge Ram (okay, some things don't change). I was living in an apartment, didn't have kids, and was just starting to build my house...

Here's the e-mail (some info has been redacted, natch):

Welcome to Pathfinder‏
From: help@pathfinder.com
You may not know this sender.Mark as safeMark as unsafe
Sent: Mon 7/20/98 12:00 AM
To: [REDACTED]

Dear Jay G,

Thank you for joining the Pathfinder Network! You are now connected to the world's most trusted brands on-line: Time.com, Fortune.com, Money.com, People.com, Entertainment Weekly (ew.com), CNNSI.com and many other familiar Time Warner affiliates. Our Member Services area is always available to help you. You can get your membership information and quick answers to your questions by clicking "Help"on the Pathfinder home page (http://www.pathfinder.com) and choosing "Member Services". Please be assured that Pathfinder membership is free of charge. As a registered member, you can now explore the services that the Pathfinder Network offers: Boards, Chats, and Shopping. Just enter your member name and password whenever prompted and off you go! Enjoy!

Sincerely,Pathfinder Customer Servicehelp@pathfinder.com

That was to join up on the now-defunct Pathfinder Bulletin Board (my handle, BTW, was guy montag...). Pathfinder (later TimeOnline and then Time/AOL online IIRC) was where I met Ricky (and I'll leave it up to him to post his handle if'n he wants...)

10 years ago. I'd like to say I had hair then, but that would be a lie. I did have an extra 75 pounds...

That is all...

What A Difference A Year Makes...

Yep. It was one year ago today that I took my first fledgling steps on my own as a blogger.

I'd been a co-blogger at Ricky's for nearly four years beforehand, starting after my daughter was born, when the site went down a couple of times and got me to thinking about stretching my legs fingers. Started out one year ago today, with little but the electrons on my screen...

In that time, I've put up nearly 550 posts, garnered over 60,000 unique visits, added countless dozens of bloggers to the blogroll, and even gotten to meet a few people.

G-d willin', I'll be back here next year with a two-year blogiversary. And after that... Might not catch up to the heavy hitters like Bruce or Unc, but I'll keep pounding away at my IBM Selectic, sharing my crazy thoughts and road rage rants as long as you'll read 'em...

That is all.

Help A Blogger Out

Actually, it's "help a blogger send her daughter to Europe".

(a)musings has a plea for help. In a nutshell, her daughter's going on a trip to Britain and Germany, and things have been tighter than expected.

So if you've got a couple spare ducats, help a very nice person get rid of one of her kids give her daughter the trip of a lifetime. (Sorry for the feeble attempt at humor; sometimes I just can't help myself...) *g*

And as an added incentive, I'll share an odd random fact about myself here: I've never been more than one time zone from my home (EST) in my life...

Do They Speak English in What?

Watching the news this morning, I came across a story that had me wondering if I had left the Planet Earth:

Students face caps in city housing

The Boston Zoning Commission set a limit of four yesterday on the number of college students who can live together off campus, a far-reaching decision that could spur a citywide crackdown on crowded student housing.

This is a little odd on its own, but wait until you hear their reasoning:

But proponents - an unusual coalition of neighborhood groups, college officials, and city leaders - said the new occupancy limit will reduce the number of rowdy late-night parties on otherwise quiet residential streets.

ARE. YOU. SHITTING. ME???

Are these people so fucking far removed from reality that they actually believe there's a correlation between the number of apartment residents who happen to be college students and the attendees of a keg party? Are these people morons or bug-eyed aliens from the Planet Weembo?

You could reduce the permitted number of college student occupants to ONE and still have rowdy parties. How about if they just enforce the standard noise ordinances?

Gah. Stupidity should hurt.

That is all.

More New Blogs...

Ricky points out that our old co-blogger Jay has his own place now. Not only that, but he's crazy kind enough to link here, so on the roll with The Right to Bear Arms.

While looking around Jay's site (he and Jay Solo are two of the reasons I use my last name initial; there's your random Jay G. factoid du jour) I came across another blogger who links my insane scribblings, TriggerFinger of the eponymous blog (one of these days I'm going to find this Epony guy and give him what-for...).

He has about the perfect approximation of my attitude towards blogging about work:

I work for someone I choose not to talk about, doing things that I can't talk about, and I won't talk any more about that.

Yup.

Welcome aboard, guys. Shoulda let me know sooner so I could return the favor (that's a veiled hint to anyone else out there who's linked me on their blogroll but doesn't yet have their own mark of shame place of honor on the MArooned roll...

That is all.

Color Me Surprised...

(And no, I don't know where "surprise" falls in the Crayola universe...)

Spitzer resigns after stunning fall from power

ALBANY, N.Y. - New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned on Wednesday, completing a stunning fall from power after he was nationally disgraced by links to a high-priced prostitution ring.

"I cannot allow for my private failings to disrupt the people's work," he said, with his wife at his side at his Manhattan office. “I’m deeply sorry that I did not live up to what was expected of me."

I'd love to know just how many calls from high-ranking Democrats at both the state- and federal level it took to get Spitzer to resign. Up until this morning it looked like he might try to ride this out...

That is all.

A New Wrinkle to an Old Question...

Hmmm. For our 420 brethren, MaryAnn might be the better choice...

'Course, she might just have been holding onto Maynard G. Krebs's stash...

(Side note: Dawn Wells is 69?!?!?! Now I feel old...)

And While I'm Grousing...

People, people, people...

It is March 12^th. Christmas was three months ago. It is long past time to take down the Christmas lights, wreaths, and other accoutrements.

You especially need to turn off the damned lights, especially given that at 5 PM, when your automatic timer kicks on, it's still fucking light out.

Take 'em down. Really. Having your lights up now pegs you as either stupid or lazy. Which is it?

That is all.

Must Control... Horn of Death...

Man... What the hell is wrong with people? (Note: rhetorical question. The actual answer would fill volumes...)

Morning weather report said periods of light flurries. We didn't even get that - it was 90%+ rain.

Yet the bozos are panicking like we're seeing the Blizzard of '78 all over again. The classic 15 MPH under the speed limit. Slamming on the brakes at every corner, bump, and intersection. The hills are alive, with the sound of... morons...

Culminating in the genius who stopped in the middle of the intersection, for which he had a green light, to let the person turning right on red go. Note to clueless moron: Turn in your license. Sell your car. Commit suicide. You have been proven to be too stupid to live.

That is all.

When Home Improvement Projects Attack...

So, this morning I'm attempting to get my children out of their respective beds (note to self: Dynamite. It's the only way to be sure), when I hear an odd noise coming from outside. Sounds like a truck. A large truck.

Look out the front window, and sure 'nuff, it *is* a large truck. It's one of the town's highway department trucks (both "highways" in our town are state routes, both with only two lanes. We're deeeep in the 'burbs, Bubba), idling away in front of my house.

As I'm trying to figure out why, in this day and age of $4/gallon gas (diesel), the DPW employees are chosing to waste even more money, I spot the spreader in the back of the truck. A ha, I think to myself, they're putting down some road salt.

And then I realize why they need to put down the road salt: My new drain. Apparently, replacing the flex hose with sturdy PVC has allowed the sump pump to rocket the water out of the sump and down the front lawn with sufficient velocity to totally coat the street with a thin layer of water, which, at 15ºF, immediately froze into a thin but (near) frictionless veneer...

Not sure if I'm doing anything technically wrong (I doubt it, as there are at least four or five other spots just on my ride to work that are significantly worse and have been so for years) or not, just found it interesting that a shorter (12' vs. 20') hose would increase the amount of water making it to the road...

That is all.

Holy Crap!

It's Bruce's fourth blogiversary!

Four years of exposing idiocy. Here's hoping for many more, Bruce.

Now. That said, when are we going to the range to celebrate?

That is all.

Gun Geek Extraordinaire...

Okay. You know you're a gun geek when you hear that disgraced NY governor Spitzer dropped $5K per session on his ladies of the evening, and your first thought is "5 large? That's Class III weaponry!".

That is all...

People Unclear on the Concept

And this imbecile wants to be President?

Obama: Don't assume I'll take VP slot

COLUMBUS, Miss. - Democrat Barack Obama ridiculed the idea of being Hillary Rodham Clinton's running mate Monday, saying voters must choose between the two for the top spot on the fall ticket.

The Illinois senator used his first public appearance of the week to knock down the notion that he might accept the party's vice presidential nomination. He noted that he has won more states, votes and delegates than Clinton so far.

Nothing wrong so far. Can't blame him for this position whatsoever. What he's unclear about, however, is this:

"If I'm not ready, how is it that you think I should be such a great vice president?" he said, as the crowd laughed and cheered loudly.

Should we use larger fonts for the word "vice", Barry? Do we have to spell out to you the difference between the President and the vice-President? It is not contradictory to suggest that a poltico as inexperienced as yourself would be fine as the VICE president, where you could study the example of the President for 4 - 8 years.

Now, you're a smart guy. The only possible conclusion I can draw is that you think your audience is stupid, which they seem intent on proving (see the "laughed and cheered loudly" part) - although I suppose we should give them credit for not fainting this time...

Christmas Coming Early This Year?

Report: Spitzer linked to prostitution

NEW YORK - Gov. Eliot Spitzer has told senior advisers that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, The New York Times reported Monday, citing an anonymous top administration official.

Spitzer, who is married with three daughters, was scheduled to make an announcement Monday afternoon. Spitzer officials wouldn't immediately comment on the story.

The Times reported that a person with knowledge of the governor's role believes the governor is identified as a client in court papers. Four people allegedly connected to a high-end prostitution ring called Emperors Club VIP were arrested last week.

Granted, since he has a "D" after his name, he'll probably be offered the veep slot...

Here's hoping they flush this turd... From the same article (in the NY-fuckin'-T, of all places):

But his stint as governor has been marred by several problems, including an unpopular plan to grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and a plot by his aides to smear Spitzer's main Republican nemesis.

Spitzer had been expected to testify to the state Public Integrity Commission he had created to answer for his role in the scandal, in which his aides were accused of misusing state police to compile travel records to embarrass Senate Republican leader Joseph Bruno.

Looks like he learned from the masters...

Miscellaneous Monday Musings...

*"Spring Ahead" my hairy Italian ass. Someone tell my kids that they went to bed at 8 PM and not 7 PM last night...

*I must be getting old. I had to actually dig out the owner's manual to my truck to figure out how to set the clock. Ugh.

*Had a momentary panic this morning when I went to work out. Checked on the new basement sump drain pipe, as the temperature was hovering at a balmy 20ºF, and couldn't get it to budge. Thought it had frozen solid... It had frozen - to the ground. Once I got it free it was immediately apparent that it was thankfully devoid of H₂O, solid or liquid...

*Ugh. (It *is* Monday, after all)

That is all.

The Hardest Part...

...as Tom Petty informs us, is the waiting.

We're supposed to get a monsoon of biblical proportions this afternoon. Talking weather head this morning was saying it could be as much as 5" - of rain.

Major flooding expected in all low-lying areas, river beds, ponds, stream, etc.

I've upgraded my basement sump exhaust from 20' of flexible hose (that was at the end of its lifespan) to 12' of 1½" diameter PVC pipe.

So, basically, I'm waiting to see how the new arrangement handles the water. I'm also waiting to see if my (ancient) PVC-fu skills are still intact.

If you don't hear from me soon, send a canoe...

That is all.

UPDATE:

[POUNDING on wood] So far, the new arrangement appears to be exceeding expectations. Pipe's doing what it does, carrying the water away from the house.

Made an important discovery in the process: A reciprocating saw is about 1,000 times better than a hacksaw blade at cutting out the rest of the hole for the pipe...

The Dri-Basement guys made one teensy mistake when they finished the system - they made the pipe that comes out of the wall into the outside about 6" too short. It stopped juuuuust shy of the end of the farmer's porch, which means that when it runs, it dumps water against the porch supports.

I had previously overcome this shortcoming by cementing a female PVC screw-in joint on the exit pipe, and getting 20 feet of 1½" flex hose from a plumbing supply house and running that down the front lawn.

This came to a crashing halt during the last snowstorm, as I had put the flex hose on to handle the melting before the snow, and neglected to remove the pipe before we got 10" of heavy, wet snow. Water got trapped, pipe froze solid, I spent two hours two Saturdays ago under my front porch with a hair drier...

It had the unfortunate side effect of finishing off the flex hose, too. So this morning I found myself at Home Despot, buying 1½" PVC pipe/fittings/etc. Got everything assembled and tied in (including some creative digging up of my front lawn that will need to be revisited after things dry out a bit.

But for now, it appears that the new system is working - 12 additional feet of 1½" diameter PVC discharge pipe brings the water far enough on the front lawn for gravity to take over. Rather than backing up against the house (BAD) and then running down the side lawn into Mom&Dad G.'s house (BADDER), the water now goes out onto the front lawn and into the street.

Noah's got nothing on me. His kids were grown when he built the ark. Otherwise, he'd have never finished...

Gunnie Geekery...

Peeked at the ol' stats just a minute ago:

VISITS

Today 357

Totally geeked out...

(It *is* after all my favorite pistol caliber...)

((BTW: Big thanks to Unc for the linky-love))

Drivin' Tunes...

Heard one of my all-time favorite driving tunes on the way into work this morning, and it got me to thinkin'...

There are some songs out there, you know the ones I mean, the ones that get your foot pressing down harder on the gofastinator, the ones that get you in trouble with Johnny Law, the ones that seem to work in concert with your vehicle's motor to just move you quicker... Well, here's my list of my top ten favorite driving tunes:

10. "Let it Roll" by Little Feat. One of the best concerts I've ever been to was Little Feat/George Thorogood, and "Let it Roll" was the encore song. It's even better in concert.

9. "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane (although the Rascal Flatts version ain't too shabby either). Just a good ol' rollin' down the highway tune.

8. "You've Got Another Thing Coming" by Judas Priest. This has the added cachet of being the #1 song on my "songs to kick someone's ass to" list...

7. "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC. Pretty much anything by AC/DC, but "Thunderstruck" sticks out in my memory as being the background music for a late-night road trip back in college... 3AM wailing down the highway at 90+ just because... Yep, young, dumb, and full of c*m back in the day...

6. "Fuel" by Metallica. Yeah. Fuck yeah.

5. "I Can't Drive (55)" by Sammy Hagar. Possibly the pinnacle of '80s hair band driving tunes, complete with over-the-top video of the Red Rocker in a yellow Ferarri.

4. "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf. What can I say? The song's a classic, and for good reason.

3. "Kick Start My Heart" by Motley Crüe. Vivid memories of achieving speeds well in excess of triple digits while weaving in and out of traffic in my mom's Lumina EuroSport because of this song...

2. "Hot Rod Lincoln" by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. I've alluded to this song's effect on my driving before...

And finally, my favorite driving song of all time:

1. "Move It On Over", by George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers. I have been pulled over as a direct result of this song on three separate occasions. 'Nuff said. I used to refer to this song as my "turbo" - pop the tape in the deck, the car would magically go faster. Imagine that.

That is all.

Friday Gun Pr0n #49

Okay. I *should* be posting pictures of last week's gun show trophy.


Note operative word "should". This week, however, I've got to post something special:



This is a Glock model 22, the full-size .40 S&W version. It's the infamous "Glock Foh-tay" of the "I'm the only one professional enuff" video (No, not the exact gun, but the model). They're becoming as common as S&W model 10s back in the day, as they're the go-to gun for a lot of police departments around the country. Used models, many with less than 50 rounds a year through them, show up used for stupid cheap money (except in the Volksrepublik, but that's a RCOB for another time).

So what's so special about this gun? Simple.

It's Matt's first handgun. And he's chosen to share it with me. I posted a rather lengthy reply to Matt's request for info on a handgun a while back, and it appears that he's taken (some of) my advice to heart (the model 22 is a good mix of stopping power, ammo capacity, and availability. IMHO a little big for CCW, but not out of the question). To say I'm touched would be putting it mildly (and no comments from the peanut gallery adding "in the head", either...).

Welcome to the wonderful world of handgunners, Matt. Shoot it well, and practice, practice, practice...

That is all.

Move Over, Kiddies...

...I'm sorry, you need to make room for the grown-ups...

Dean urges do-over voting in Fla., Mich.

WASHINGTON - Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean urged Florida and Michigan party officials to come up with plans to repeat their presidential nominating contests so that their delegates can be counted.

"All they have to do is come before us with rules that fit into what they agreed to a year and a half ago, and then they'll be seated," Dean said during a round of interviews Thursday on network and cable TV news programs.

What the ever-lovin' fuck??? A "do-over"??? What the fuck does Dean think this is, fourth-grade kickball?

What are they gonna do if the motion is denied? Hold their breath until they turn blue?

That is all.

Pissed Off...

Watching the news this morning during my workout, they had a "story" about the Swiss Mini-gun. This is an old story, resurrected recently for no good reason (except, perhaps, for more PSH to get us to vote for an avowed gun-grabber like Hillary! or Obamessiah... {/tinfoil hat})

What really frosted my ass, though, was the talkinghead's assertion that this was something only a criminal would be interested in. It was in the context of the gun not being able to be imported (too small, AAMOF), and the comment was along the lines of "Bad news for criminals, this gun can't be imported."

First off, the fucking thing costs over $6 grand (listed as 6500 swiss francs, one US$ = 1.03 swiss francs). Secondly, it's a 2.2 mm bullet. Put this in perspective - it's less than half the size of a .22LR caliber bullet in diameter, with far less power. They claim it is capable of killing, but it's along the lines of Legos - yeah, if one got lodged in your windpipe just right you could choke to death on it.

Quite frankly, the ONLY people would might be interested in this gun were it importable would be very rich collectors - the same folks that legally own machine guns, frex.

"Bad news for criminals". Fuck you.

That is all.

Sometimes, Truth *IS* Stranger than Fiction...

Take this story:

Padded lampposts are being trialled in a London street to protect inattentive pedestrians.

A pilot scheme has been launched in Brick Lane after it was found to have the highest number of 'walking and texting' injuries in the country.

A study carried out by 118 118 found one in ten people has hurt themselves while focused on their mobile phone screen.

The charity Living Streets is so concerned that it has teamed up with the directory enquiries service to test a scheme to wrap up the nation's lampposts.

A poll will be carried out on Brick Lane to gauge the response of locals.

If successful, the concept will be rolled out in Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool.

Got it? They have to pad the freaking lampposts because imbeciles were walking into them. Yes, apparently in "Great" Britain, the sheeple are so fucking stupid they cannot walk without government intervention. Un-fucking-real.

In that vein:


(Thanks to poster "z0mbi" at Northeastshooters forum for the link)

That is all.

Scouting Update

Last week I had a favor to ask. I needed to find an organization that could distribute get-well cards made by our Scouts to wounded soldiers recovering at Walter Reed.

Several of you wonderful people suggested Soldier's Angels as a place to go. I am happy to say that they have enthusiastically given me contact information to whom I can send the cards and pictures. I am also passing along this information to the rest of the pack in case other dens would like to write to wounded soldiers.

The get-well letters will be scanned into my computer (so we have examples for future Scouts) and go out in the mail later this week. We took a group shot of the boys holding their letters that will be included in the package - they are just TOO cute.

Anyhoo, thanks again for the tip!

That is all.

Gettin' Ink Done...

So, lately I've been thinking (never a good thing)...


There's a group buy over at Northeastshooters forum for ink from a friend-of-a-friend's tattoo parlor. I've been quasi-seriously been thinking of getting a tattoo - it's never been an issue up until now owing to several factors:

• Couldn't think of anything I'd want on my body for the rest of my life


• Mom's older brother got tats done in the Philipines when he was in the Navy in the early 1960s, and all that remains are three amorphous blue blobs.


• Cost - never realized it, but tattooing done right is 'spensive, bubba.

Lately, though... I've been thinking... A couple of years ago I looked into getting a Gadsden flag done, but the cost and time were prohibitive. Ditto on a V-twin with my kids' names on the cylinders - while touching and cute, would be time-consuming, expensive, and might not come out like I've envisioned in my mind's eye...


But... Given that I'm a gunnie... Given that I don't see any chance of stopping being a gunnie...


I've been thinking of one of these on my upper left bicep:


Yep, that's the infamous Colt rampant pony. Of course, the Smith & Wesson logo would have to go on the other bicep...


Nothing's final, yet; heck, things are still in the planning stages. Might bring up the V-twin idea and see what kind of drawings we can come up with. But I think it'd be cool as shit to have a Colt pony tattoo - would be a neat little Rorschach test to see if someone's a gunnie or not...

That is all...

New Linkz...

Man... Some overdue additions to the blogroll.

First off, a couple of folks who have graciously added my insane scribblings to their lists of people to avoid read (and "forgot" to let me know, ahem ahem...):

1. Doubletapper from the eponymous blog - comin' atcha live from Israel; I believe he's my first foreign blogger.

2. Ace of The Madman Raves - style points abound for the names alone; another gun nut trapped behind the Red curtain in Kalifornistan.

Second, a new addition to the much smaller "Bloggers I've met":

Christine of (a)musings, matriarch of one of my WeBeLos (one who just crossed over, AAMOF) and keeper of my awful secret amongs the Pack (that their assistant Cubmaster is a }gasp{ conservative gun nut with a foul mouth). Don't anger her, or I'm really up shit creek. *g*

So go. Read. Enjoy. And welcome aboard. Fasten your seatbelts, you're in for a bumpy ride.

That is all.

Inconceivable!

Had to reproduce a comment I left at JD's place:

I never, not in a million years, thought there was ANY circumstance whereby I would be hoping for a Clinton win.

Barack Obama changed that.

Although, to be fair, Deval Patrick played a hand in it - if he hadn't been so utterly incompetent in MA, I wouldn't be as afraid of an Obama presidency as I currently am.

But I look at Barack Obama and I see Deval Patrick, writ large. I see a man completely and utterly out of his league getting into office on nothing more than flowery rhetoric, and not having the faintest clue what to do once he gets in...

How bad has Deval Patrick been? His agenda is being stymied by the 90%-Democratically controlled MA State Senate. Mitt Romney, an alleged Republican, was more capable of working with these people than Deval Patrick. Patrick couldn't work with members of his own party in the most heavily Democratically controlled state in the union. What's that say about his experience, or, more particularly, lack thereof???

The man won the Governor's office in MA without the faintest fucking clue how MA politics worked. Not a single one. He has systematically alienated the people that get shit done. He has submitted budgets that rely on revenue from casinos that not only haven't been built, but haven't even been approved to be built. His "Together We Can" slogan has apparently come to mean "Together We Can work to stop Deval Patrick".

And I expect Obama, who has less experience than Deval Patrick, to be just as ineffective.

If the Stupid Party had a snowball's chance in hell of re-taking the House and/or Senate, I'd be cheering Obama on from the rooftops - IMHO, gridlock is the best we can possibly hope for in our Fed Gov these days. The less they can get done, the less they can infringe on our liberties. However, the GOP seems intent on painting bullseyes on their wingtips (IOW, business as usual), so I'm not willing to chance Deval Patrick playing with the federal budget...

That is all...

Understatement of the Day...

...or week, or even month...

Yesterday was our Pack's "Arrow of Light" ceremony. In a nutshell, this is the "graduation" ceremony for the WeBeLos II where they finish their tenure as Cub Scouts and, should they choose, cross over into Boy Scouts.

Part of the ceremony includes the boys all shooting an arrow at a standard archery target, a literal embodiment of the Arrow that is the Cub Scout aiming for the figurative target of Boy Scouts. During this part of the ceremony, I overheard one of the dads using terms like "dry fire" and joke about wanting to "crank off a few rounds when the scouts are done". Being, as we are, in Mass-a-fucking-chusetts (with tip 'o' the keyboard to Kim for the phrase), hearing gunny-like talk is out-of-the-ordinary enough that I wanted to follow-up with the dad. It's much like being a Christian in ancient Rome, although I didn't draw a bullet in the sand...

Talking to him when the crowd thinned out after the ceremony, it turns out that he's not a shooter - his only exposure to firearms was the single-shot .22 he fired as a Boy Scout many years ago. Sensing a chance to bring someone back to the fold, I offered to bring him to the range. He looks at me, all serious, and asks,

Do you own any guns?

Squelching the urge to cackle maniacally like Snidely Whiplash (thanks DT!), I calmly asserted that I might be able to find a gun or two to bring...

One new shooter at a time.

That is all.

Worth a Read...

Some good reading and links with regard to DC vs. Heller over at Freedom Under Fire.


Go. Read.

That is all.

Monday Morning Commute Conundrum...

Do I:

a) Pick up the pace so I can get to work quickly and hit the head, voiding the morning's coffee which is urgently working its diuretic magic,

*or*

b) Slow down even more so the self-important jackass in the Volvo SUV backs the fuck off my tailgate?

Decisions, decisions...

---

On other fronts, Saturday's excursion to the gun show was fruitful. Scored some seriously good ammo deals ($12/box of 50 .38 special JHPs!), chatted with a bunch of good folks from Northeastshooters forum, and found a super-special, über-rare addition to the G. armory... {/tease}

That is all.