In the craziness of yesterday, I missed that it was SayUncle's sixth blogiversary. Six years. Holy crap that's a lot of posts.
Congratulations on the longevity, Unc. I know my day wouldn't be complete without a stop or three at SayUncle.
(Side note: Counting my time as a co-blogger at Ricky's place, I passed five years sometime last month...)
That is all.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Saturday, Saturday Night...
Man, what a day. It's Mrs. G.'s weekend to work, so I spent the morning with the chillens - first Friendly's for breakfast (a special treat whenever Mrs. G. has to work the weekend; it's become a tradition), then a few quick errands before lunch. Grocery shopping after lunch, then off to the gun club with some new friends (and a new shooter, a report will be forthcoming...).
Got a call from a longtime friend in town, someone I've known over 20 years. He was having a cookout at his place, and invited us over. Now, Dave* and I go back a long time, all the way to high school. His dad went to school with my dad. His daughter has the same 2nd grade teacher as my son - in fact, their desks are together!
So I get back from the gun club, stow the ordnance, and head over to Dave's house on the Harley. Now, a little backstory here. Dave is a master mechanic, literally. He works for a local dealership, and restores old cars on the side. He's got a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere (yes, just like Christine) that is all finished and positively gorgeous; he's also got a 1969 Ford Torino GT that is 98% original. Major car nut...
Well, I show up on the Harley, and all of a sudden, all eyes are on me. I hear about 5 or 6 kids whispering, "Hey, look at the Harley!". Then my son comes running over to greet me - he eats the attention up like candy. His stock just shot up with the ladies. (Sadly, mine didn't. Well, it might have, but not with the one lady that would have made any difference...)
So, needless to say, many frosty malt beveraged were consumed, much bull was shot, and the kids all played together happily. And, to make things even better, Dave just got his LTC, so I've got another bud to go shooting with.
Life. Is. Good.
That is all.
*Names have been changed to protect the inebriated...
Got a call from a longtime friend in town, someone I've known over 20 years. He was having a cookout at his place, and invited us over. Now, Dave* and I go back a long time, all the way to high school. His dad went to school with my dad. His daughter has the same 2nd grade teacher as my son - in fact, their desks are together!
So I get back from the gun club, stow the ordnance, and head over to Dave's house on the Harley. Now, a little backstory here. Dave is a master mechanic, literally. He works for a local dealership, and restores old cars on the side. He's got a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere (yes, just like Christine) that is all finished and positively gorgeous; he's also got a 1969 Ford Torino GT that is 98% original. Major car nut...
Well, I show up on the Harley, and all of a sudden, all eyes are on me. I hear about 5 or 6 kids whispering, "Hey, look at the Harley!". Then my son comes running over to greet me - he eats the attention up like candy. His stock just shot up with the ladies. (Sadly, mine didn't. Well, it might have, but not with the one lady that would have made any difference...)
So, needless to say, many frosty malt beveraged were consumed, much bull was shot, and the kids all played together happily. And, to make things even better, Dave just got his LTC, so I've got another bud to go shooting with.
Life. Is. Good.
That is all.
*Names have been changed to protect the inebriated...
McCain Ads I Want To See...
Here's a partial list of campaign ads I desperately hope McCain/Palin put out:
- A montage of news clippings from the MSM that talk about McCain being a "Maverick" and breaking with the Bush administration. Contrast that with the CONSTANT barrage of "third term" and "90% agreement with Bush".
- Put up Obama's record vs. Palin's. Contrast with the long knives being unsheathed over her inexperience.
- Also WRT records - put up George Bush's record pre-2000... Add comments from the Democrats about him being the "least qualified person to ever run for president"... Contrast that with Obama's record. Ideally, show the SAME people supporting Obama.
- TOTALLY throw the "chickenhawk" meme back in their hypocritical faces. Run clips from 2000 and 2004 about how Gore and Kerry were better suited to lead based on their military experience. Single sentence at the end: "What Changed?"
If McCain runs ads like this, he will CRUSH Obama. Use their own words against them. Good luck calling that "going negative"or "attack ads" (although we all know the press will do just that...)
What else would y'all like to see?
That is all.
Friday, August 29, 2008
On The Road...
My blogson Ted scares me sometimes. He made a comment on my milestone thread that made me wonder if he had gotten inside my head. In response to my whining about the ever-increasing responsibilities in my life, he quipped:
Now, I don't know if Ted rides. If he does, he gets it. If he doesn't, he's got an uncanny insight into the mindset of why we (or at least I) ride.
Plainly put, it's escapism. On the bike, it's just you, the bike, and the road. There's no faxes from the main office. There's no Scout Meeting. There's no PTA obligations. There's no "he hit me/she hit me first" squabbling. It's a roaring engine, blue asphalt, and little green mile markers rushing past as you put on the miles. And that's all.
You are, for the moment, in control. In control of the bike, in control of your destination, in control of everything that matters for as long as you stay in the saddle. While you may have a two hour meeting the next morning, you might just call in sick, point the front tire west, and ride until the tank's empty...
Even if all you do is take a quick twenty minute spin around the block to keep the battery charged...
Someday I'm going to the Sturgis Rally. And I'm going to ride out and back. It's about 2,000 miles, give or take a couple hundred for side-stops (I've promised Og I'm swinging in and picking him up. I hope he takes his bike, 'cuz I do NOT want him riding bitch...). If I want to train for the Iron Butt Rally, I could aim for making it in two days; however I would rather break it up into ~ 500 mile increments so I can really enjoy the ride out and back.
That's something to look forward to right there... Even on a Friday before a long weekend...
That is all.
Sounds like someone needs some private time on the bike...
Now, I don't know if Ted rides. If he does, he gets it. If he doesn't, he's got an uncanny insight into the mindset of why we (or at least I) ride.
Plainly put, it's escapism. On the bike, it's just you, the bike, and the road. There's no faxes from the main office. There's no Scout Meeting. There's no PTA obligations. There's no "he hit me/she hit me first" squabbling. It's a roaring engine, blue asphalt, and little green mile markers rushing past as you put on the miles. And that's all.
You are, for the moment, in control. In control of the bike, in control of your destination, in control of everything that matters for as long as you stay in the saddle. While you may have a two hour meeting the next morning, you might just call in sick, point the front tire west, and ride until the tank's empty...
Even if all you do is take a quick twenty minute spin around the block to keep the battery charged...
Someday I'm going to the Sturgis Rally. And I'm going to ride out and back. It's about 2,000 miles, give or take a couple hundred for side-stops (I've promised Og I'm swinging in and picking him up. I hope he takes his bike, 'cuz I do NOT want him riding bitch...). If I want to train for the Iron Butt Rally, I could aim for making it in two days; however I would rather break it up into ~ 500 mile increments so I can really enjoy the ride out and back.
That's something to look forward to right there... Even on a Friday before a long weekend...
That is all.
WOW...
A Republican did something right.
Holy motherfucking shit. McCain picked Sarah Palin as his VP.
I cannot fucking believe this. What a masterful choice. Pro-life. Pro-gun. Young. Executive experience. Governor. Babelicious (wait, did I say that or type it???).
McCain just got my vote.
That is all.
Holy motherfucking shit. McCain picked Sarah Palin as his VP.
I cannot fucking believe this. What a masterful choice. Pro-life. Pro-gun. Young. Executive experience. Governor. Babelicious (wait, did I say that or type it???).
McCain just got my vote.
That is all.
History Began Yesterday...
...once again, for the Democrats.
Carter: McCain 'milking' POW status
Eight fuckin' words for ya, Jimmeh: "I'm John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty."
Kerry's answer to any question he was asked on the campaign trail started with "Well, when I was in Vietnam..." The man couldn't take a shit without talking about his time in 'Nam. Remind me, Jimmeh, how long was Kerry in country? I believe the time was measured in months, was it not? Not five and a half fucking years in a POW camp. John McCain has earned the right to cite (not "milk") his time spent in Hanoi. Now shut your senile piehole, you miserable failure.
Two more words for ya, Jimmeh, Fuck and You.
Why? Because you, the other hypocrites of the Democratic party, and the supplicant press who report your brain drippings as gospel are going to force me to vote for John fucking McCain. Congratulations.
That is all.
Carter: McCain 'milking' POW status
DENVER, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- Former President Jimmy Carter says Republican U.S. presidential contender John McCain is "milking" his status as a former prisoner of war, USA Today reports.
In an interview with the newspaper, Carter said McCain is a "distinguished Naval officer" but he said McCain has been "milking every possible drop of advantage" from his Vietnam War ordeal by using it extensively as part of his defense against criticism by political opponents.
Eight fuckin' words for ya, Jimmeh: "I'm John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty."
Kerry's answer to any question he was asked on the campaign trail started with "Well, when I was in Vietnam..." The man couldn't take a shit without talking about his time in 'Nam. Remind me, Jimmeh, how long was Kerry in country? I believe the time was measured in months, was it not? Not five and a half fucking years in a POW camp. John McCain has earned the right to cite (not "milk") his time spent in Hanoi. Now shut your senile piehole, you miserable failure.
Two more words for ya, Jimmeh, Fuck and You.
Why? Because you, the other hypocrites of the Democratic party, and the supplicant press who report your brain drippings as gospel are going to force me to vote for John fucking McCain. Congratulations.
That is all.
Friday Gun Pr0n #74
Today's gun pic is a veritable smorgasborg 'o' guns. I mentioned a while back about taking a new shooter to the range. I listed the guns that I like to bring out when I take a new person to the range in that post, and thought that since we're getting together this weekend to go shooting, I'd put together a "group shot" of the ballistic participants:
(Clockwise from top left: Smith & Wesson Model 17 .22LR; Smith & Wesson Model 422 .22LR; SigSauer model P226 9mm; Ruger Security Six .357 Magnum/.38 Special; and a Colt 1991A1 .45 ACP in the center).
As I mentioned, we'll start with the .22LR revolver. I've chosen the Model 17 over the Colt Official Police simply because it has target sights (rather than the fixed groove sight on the Colt), plus the extra weight of the 8 3/8" barrel really tames what little recoil there is from the .22LR. I'll even pick up a box of Aguilar .22 primer-only rounds for a start - no appreciable noise and zero recoil.
After the .22 wheelgun, we'll shoot the .22LR semi-auto. The 422 fills this niche by default, as the only other .22 semis I own are a Jennings J22 I saved from a gun-buyback program and a finicky Hi-Standard HD-Military that needs new springs. It's also got a way-cool red dot sight, which at 21 feet will aid greatly in getting all shots in the black.
We'll move up to the Security Six with .38 Special loads for the first taste of centerfire handgunning; then up the ante with .357 Magnum rounds if called for. Then it's on to the Sig 9mm for the centerfire semi-auto.
And a Colt .45 for Bill, as per his request. Because it's one of my very favorites (plus someone else out there likes it, too...), here's a close-up:
Damn, JMB knew what the hell he was doing, eh?
It's gonna be a good day Saturday. Hope to have the new shooter report up sometime Sunday, definitely by Monday. Please, dear G-d, do NOT let me forget my camera. Again.
That is all.
(Clockwise from top left: Smith & Wesson Model 17 .22LR; Smith & Wesson Model 422 .22LR; SigSauer model P226 9mm; Ruger Security Six .357 Magnum/.38 Special; and a Colt 1991A1 .45 ACP in the center).
As I mentioned, we'll start with the .22LR revolver. I've chosen the Model 17 over the Colt Official Police simply because it has target sights (rather than the fixed groove sight on the Colt), plus the extra weight of the 8 3/8" barrel really tames what little recoil there is from the .22LR. I'll even pick up a box of Aguilar .22 primer-only rounds for a start - no appreciable noise and zero recoil.
After the .22 wheelgun, we'll shoot the .22LR semi-auto. The 422 fills this niche by default, as the only other .22 semis I own are a Jennings J22 I saved from a gun-buyback program and a finicky Hi-Standard HD-Military that needs new springs. It's also got a way-cool red dot sight, which at 21 feet will aid greatly in getting all shots in the black.
We'll move up to the Security Six with .38 Special loads for the first taste of centerfire handgunning; then up the ante with .357 Magnum rounds if called for. Then it's on to the Sig 9mm for the centerfire semi-auto.
And a Colt .45 for Bill, as per his request. Because it's one of my very favorites (plus someone else out there likes it, too...), here's a close-up:
Damn, JMB knew what the hell he was doing, eh?
It's gonna be a good day Saturday. Hope to have the new shooter report up sometime Sunday, definitely by Monday. Please, dear G-d, do NOT let me forget my camera. Again.
That is all.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Dorkus Majorus...
Just looked at the ol' stats for the day. An even 300 as of 10:10 PM.
Saw the 300 and reflexively went "Spartaaaaaaaaaa!"
(Why, yes, I did just get the Frank Miller comic 300 from Amazon.com this week. Why do you ask?)
That is all.
Saw the 300 and reflexively went "Spartaaaaaaaaaa!"
(Why, yes, I did just get the Frank Miller comic 300 from Amazon.com this week. Why do you ask?)
That is all.
Little Help, Please?
Anyone out there read Japanese?
Apparently someone is "borrowing" one of my pictures - the Colt Jr. - and I'd like to know if it's for nefarious purposes. It appears to be a site with pictures of various pocket pistols, but still...
Ah, the things you find through Sitemeter...
That is all...
Apparently someone is "borrowing" one of my pictures - the Colt Jr. - and I'd like to know if it's for nefarious purposes. It appears to be a site with pictures of various pocket pistols, but still...
Ah, the things you find through Sitemeter...
That is all...
Dichotomy...
So I'm behind this Subaru on the drive to work. It's got two bumper stickers on the back window. "Motorcycles are Everywhere" and an Obama '08 sticker.
And it struck me as odd. On the one hand, this person supports motorcycling in some manner. Maybe they ride, maybe one of their loved ones rides. In any case, they not only support bikers, but are willing to adorn their vehicle with a statement exhorting folks to be more cognizant of motorcyclists. They're supporting a form of transportation that's known to carry more danger than driving; one that has its supporters and detractors in all walks of life; one that, by its very nature, supports the individual rather than the group.
And on the other hand, they support the election of a neophyte socialist to lead the free world. They are willing to advertise their backing of a candidate who endorses further and further intrusion of government into our daily lives; someone who has promised to increase the level of control that same government maintains over each and every one of us.
And I couldn't get the two concepts to mesh. I pondered it for quite a while, until finally I hit on the only plausible answer:
The person who applied those stickers must be a biker who rode without a helmet and took a nasty spill...
That is all.
And it struck me as odd. On the one hand, this person supports motorcycling in some manner. Maybe they ride, maybe one of their loved ones rides. In any case, they not only support bikers, but are willing to adorn their vehicle with a statement exhorting folks to be more cognizant of motorcyclists. They're supporting a form of transportation that's known to carry more danger than driving; one that has its supporters and detractors in all walks of life; one that, by its very nature, supports the individual rather than the group.
And on the other hand, they support the election of a neophyte socialist to lead the free world. They are willing to advertise their backing of a candidate who endorses further and further intrusion of government into our daily lives; someone who has promised to increase the level of control that same government maintains over each and every one of us.
And I couldn't get the two concepts to mesh. I pondered it for quite a while, until finally I hit on the only plausible answer:
The person who applied those stickers must be a biker who rode without a helmet and took a nasty spill...
That is all.
How 'Bout a Nice Big Glass of STFU?
Dukakis: It's all my fault
Wow. Talk about concentrated stupid:
I loved this line:
Crawl back into your fucking hole, Mike.
That is all.
Wow. Talk about concentrated stupid:
Certainly you remember the governor of Massachusetts who left the Democratic National Convention in 1988 with his party's presidential nomination and a double-digit lead over the soon-to-be Republican nominee George H.W. Bush. And you remember what happened next: The attack of the Republican meat-grinder. At least that's the way Dukakis remembers it.Yeah. That's it. It was the "Republican attack machine" that did in Michael Dukakis. It had nothing to do with the fact that Dukakis did such an abysmally bad job in Massachusetts that he handed the governor's mansion to the Republicans - in Massafuckingchusetts - for some 16 years.
Ask anyone who lived through it about Dukakis' "Massachusetts Miracle" - the running joke was that it was a miracle there still was a Massachusetts. Or, during his failed presidential run, that we were joking that if he won, they'd have to rename the state Machusetts.
Because we'd have sent the "ass" to Washington...
Or, how about four words: Riding. In. The. Tank. A buddy of mine put it perfectly: He looked liks Snoopy.I loved this line:
Look, I owe the American people an apology. If I'd beaten the old man, you'd never have heard of the kid and we wouldn't be in this mess. So it's all my fault, and I feel that very, very strongly.Yeah, and if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle. Take your "apology" and shove it up your ass, sideways. Fuckwad. You came real fucking close with 111 electoral votes, didn't you? Last Democrat to lose California, weren't you?
Crawl back into your fucking hole, Mike.
That is all.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Way To Go, Idaho!
Alternate title: Fry, Fucker, Fry...
This is one of the most horrific things I have ever read in my fucking life. Be warned.
Death for man who kidnapped, murdered Idaho boy
If there is any justice in the world, Dylan's father will put a .30-06 slug right through this bastard's worthless melon the first time they move him. And no jury in America should convict him.
This was particularly infuriating:
Kill this motherfucker tomorrow. If not tonight. Give me the fucking job, I will drive out to Idaho myself to put a dozen 12 gauge slugs through his worthless body. No, strike that. It would give me the greatest pleasure in the world to beat this piece of shit to death with my bare fucking hands.
I wonder if this was a premonition of things to come:
Last words on this? Die, motherfucker, die. Ideally slowly and painfully. But then again, the faster the death, the faster you can rot in hell.
That is all.
This is one of the most horrific things I have ever read in my fucking life. Be warned.
Death for man who kidnapped, murdered Idaho boy
Someone PLEASE tell me that Idaho has "Drawing and Quartering" as their death penalty. Barring that I'll take death-by-woodchipper a la Fargo, only with this worthless waste of oxygen alive at the onset of the chipper.BOISE, Idaho — A longtime sex offender was sentenced to death Wednesday for the 2005 kidnapping, torture and murder of a 9-year-old northern Idaho boy after federal jurors who watched video of some of the brutality deliberated just three hours.
The jurors' recommendation was binding on U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge, who thanked them, dismissed them and then sentenced Joseph Edward Duncan III.
Relatives of the victim, Dylan Groene, remained somber as the jury's decision was announced. Duncan murdered Dylan's mother, older brother and his mother's fiance to kidnap him and his younger sister, who was sexually abused along with her brother but survived."The jury speaks the mind of the community," U.S. Attorney Tom Moss said. "By the verdict today, they have given voice to the victims."
If there is any justice in the world, Dylan's father will put a .30-06 slug right through this bastard's worthless melon the first time they move him. And no jury in America should convict him.
This was particularly infuriating:
Duncan showed no reaction other than smiling as the verdict was passed to the judge.
Kill this motherfucker tomorrow. If not tonight. Give me the fucking job, I will drive out to Idaho myself to put a dozen 12 gauge slugs through his worthless body. No, strike that. It would give me the greatest pleasure in the world to beat this piece of shit to death with my bare fucking hands.
I wonder if this was a premonition of things to come:
Whelan told the jury that Duncan would pose a risk even to prison guards and fellow inmates.Is it illegal to offer a crate of cigarettes to the first inmate who shanks this piece of shit to death???
Last words on this? Die, motherfucker, die. Ideally slowly and painfully. But then again, the faster the death, the faster you can rot in hell.
That is all.
Another Milestone...
First full day of school for daddy's little princess today.
Yesterday was the "Parent's Social" at the school - meet the teacher, see the classroom, let the kids take a 10 minute bus ride around town to get used to it. Took ½ day off, met Mrs. G. and BabyGirl G. at the school. It was interesting to see a good number of dads present; it was also interesting to see just how many people I knew from Scouts...
But today was The Big Day. BabyGirl G. was getting on the big yellow bus all by herself. Well, no. Her big brother (he of the sink-peeing ilk) will be there to help her adjust to life as a "big girl" (her words), both on the school bus (which, thankfully, is driven by a family friend this year) and in the halls of her new school (he's promised to walk her to class "until she knows the way").
Sometimes they're so grown-up they scare me.
This morning proceeded unusually well for the first real day back. They both woke up without having to resort to the fire hose; they both got dressed without the need for cattle prods; they even managed to consume mass quantities of breakfast without the need for coaching today. Got the backpacks ready (BabyGirl G.'s backpack is nearly bigger than she is!), even had time to grab the gloves and a baseball to toss around at the bus stop.
Who are these children, and what have they done with the little hellions who tore my house apart all summer?
Get to the bus stop a good 10 minutes before the bus comes. We've got lots of time to toss the ball back and forth (and yes, BabyGirl G. was included, complete with her pink glove...); we talk to the other kids and parents at the stop; many discussions on the new teachers (apparently the boy got a "good" - read: easy - teacher); etc. Bus was even on time, got both kids loaded in, and it's off to work. Even got to drive in relatively unscathed - our district is one of only a small handful that went back before Labor Day, so once I got outta Dodge it was pretty smooth sailing.
And it will be like this for the next 4 years... After that, #1 Son goes off to... [cue ominous music] Middle School... Holy crap. How did I get this old??? When did I transform into... Suburban Dad Man! Some folks are born to greatness. The rest of us just make shit up as we go along...
That is all.
Yesterday was the "Parent's Social" at the school - meet the teacher, see the classroom, let the kids take a 10 minute bus ride around town to get used to it. Took ½ day off, met Mrs. G. and BabyGirl G. at the school. It was interesting to see a good number of dads present; it was also interesting to see just how many people I knew from Scouts...
But today was The Big Day. BabyGirl G. was getting on the big yellow bus all by herself. Well, no. Her big brother (he of the sink-peeing ilk) will be there to help her adjust to life as a "big girl" (her words), both on the school bus (which, thankfully, is driven by a family friend this year) and in the halls of her new school (he's promised to walk her to class "until she knows the way").
Sometimes they're so grown-up they scare me.
This morning proceeded unusually well for the first real day back. They both woke up without having to resort to the fire hose; they both got dressed without the need for cattle prods; they even managed to consume mass quantities of breakfast without the need for coaching today. Got the backpacks ready (BabyGirl G.'s backpack is nearly bigger than she is!), even had time to grab the gloves and a baseball to toss around at the bus stop.
Who are these children, and what have they done with the little hellions who tore my house apart all summer?
Get to the bus stop a good 10 minutes before the bus comes. We've got lots of time to toss the ball back and forth (and yes, BabyGirl G. was included, complete with her pink glove...); we talk to the other kids and parents at the stop; many discussions on the new teachers (apparently the boy got a "good" - read: easy - teacher); etc. Bus was even on time, got both kids loaded in, and it's off to work. Even got to drive in relatively unscathed - our district is one of only a small handful that went back before Labor Day, so once I got outta Dodge it was pretty smooth sailing.
And it will be like this for the next 4 years... After that, #1 Son goes off to... [cue ominous music] Middle School... Holy crap. How did I get this old??? When did I transform into... Suburban Dad Man! Some folks are born to greatness. The rest of us just make shit up as we go along...
That is all.
Sweet Merciful Vishnu...
LawDog has finally finished the Pink Gorilla Suit story...
Go. Read. Prepare to laugh so hard various fluids shoot out your nose...
That is all.
Go. Read. Prepare to laugh so hard various fluids shoot out your nose...
That is all.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Having Male Children Means...
...at some point in their lives, you will utter the phrase
No one ever told me parenthood was this glamorous...
That is all.
Why the hell did you pee in the sink?
No one ever told me parenthood was this glamorous...
That is all.
Inevitable...
It was bound to happen.
I was hoping it would have happened further down the road, but I'm happy to have gotten as far along as we did. Sure, I'm a little sad, but it's one of those things that comes with time and age. Do I wish it would last longer? Hell yeah. Would I change it if I could? I really can't say.
My seven year old son informed Mrs. G. and me this morning that there was to be no further kissing goodbye on school grounds. "Too embarassing" he says. "I'm too old for it" he protests. "All the other kids make fun of me" he whines.
*sigh*
I knew someday we'd come to this point. I was just hoping, foolishly, that it might happen closer to college...
Have a good first day of school, buddy. Daddy loves you very much, even if he embarasses you by doing uncool things like kissing you goodbye in front of your friends.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go buy some Geritol™...
That is all.
I was hoping it would have happened further down the road, but I'm happy to have gotten as far along as we did. Sure, I'm a little sad, but it's one of those things that comes with time and age. Do I wish it would last longer? Hell yeah. Would I change it if I could? I really can't say.
My seven year old son informed Mrs. G. and me this morning that there was to be no further kissing goodbye on school grounds. "Too embarassing" he says. "I'm too old for it" he protests. "All the other kids make fun of me" he whines.
*sigh*
I knew someday we'd come to this point. I was just hoping, foolishly, that it might happen closer to college...
Have a good first day of school, buddy. Daddy loves you very much, even if he embarasses you by doing uncool things like kissing you goodbye in front of your friends.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go buy some Geritol™...
That is all.
Send the Royalty Checks to...
Hey, Madison Avenue? Here's a free tip for ya.
Make the commercials that you're going to run early in the morning understandable without volume. Lots of folks are watching TV while exercising, and most are wearing headphones. You aren't going to get your point across to Joe Public who's plugged into his iPod by having witty banter between two paid actors. You need to branch into the visual. Change with the times, baby...
On a related note, anyone ever listen to a TV commercial after seeing it muted about 50 times and be shocked at how whiny the person's voice is? Or is it just me?
That is all.
Make the commercials that you're going to run early in the morning understandable without volume. Lots of folks are watching TV while exercising, and most are wearing headphones. You aren't going to get your point across to Joe Public who's plugged into his iPod by having witty banter between two paid actors. You need to branch into the visual. Change with the times, baby...
On a related note, anyone ever listen to a TV commercial after seeing it muted about 50 times and be shocked at how whiny the person's voice is? Or is it just me?
That is all.
Life Imitates, Well, Me...
...kinda:
Lethal Star Trek blade seized in knives amnesty
Designed to be swung like a paddle? Uh, no. Morons. And if a fucking prop weapon "shocked" British police officers, then British police are fucking pussies. It's less dangerous than a goddamned lawnmower blade, you chickenshits...
Link to article sent to me by the world's most dangerous librarian. Thanks Breda!
And for the record, that's a standard bat'leth. Mine is the ceremonial bat'leth as carried by Kahless:
Lethal Star Trek blade seized in knives amnesty
This horrifying five-foot weapon has been recovered by police during a knife amnesty.
The three-handled sword with a blade at either end, designed to be swung like a paddle, shocked officers who took custody of it.
Designed to be swung like a paddle? Uh, no. Morons. And if a fucking prop weapon "shocked" British police officers, then British police are fucking pussies. It's less dangerous than a goddamned lawnmower blade, you chickenshits...
Link to article sent to me by the world's most dangerous librarian. Thanks Breda!
And for the record, that's a standard bat'leth. Mine is the ceremonial bat'leth as carried by Kahless:
(And yes, that's Jake and Elwood flanking the bat'leth. I said I was a geek...)
That is all.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Now This Is Cool!
Check this out:
Human exoskeleton suit helps paralyzed people walk
Take a look at the slideshow accompanying the article. This is pretty cool stuff...
That is all.
Human exoskeleton suit helps paralyzed people walk
(Okay, further boosting my sci-fi geek cred, the first thing I thought of was the MI suit from Starship Troopers...)HAIFA, Israel (Reuters) – paralyzed for the past 20 years, former Israeli paratrooper Radi Kaiof now walks down the street with a dim mechanical hum.
That is the sound of an electronic exoskeleton moving the 41-year-old's legs and propelling him forward -- with a proud expression on his face -- as passersby stare in surprise.
"I never dreamed I would walk again. After I was wounded, I forgot what it's like," said Kaiof, who was injured while serving in the Israeli military in 1988.
"Only when standing up can I feel how tall I really am and speak to people eye to eye, not from below."
Take a look at the slideshow accompanying the article. This is pretty cool stuff...
That is all.
Dawn Breaks...
You know what I never understood?
The snubnosed J-frame Smith & Wesson .22LR pistols. They just never made any sense to me at all. I mean, WTF? You can't target shoot with them (well, some people can but the vast majority of shooters aren't going to be nailing X-rings at 25 yards with a 1 7/8" barrel). It's not powerful enough to carry. It just didn't make sense to me for the gun to even exist.
And then...
I found a Colt Official Police revolver at the local gun shop/range. In .22LR. Came across it this weekend as I cleared out the pistol safe. Took one look at it, with the fixed sight (basically a groove in the top strap, common to working revolvers), and everything clicked into place. This revolver was intended as a training tool - it's identical to the .38 special-chambered model that was issued to police agencies through the country (and the world) with the single exception of the chambering.
Hence the .22LR snubbie. It's a training tool. You can shoot it all day long for literally pennies.
Needless to say, I want one. I want a S&W model 317 so bad I can taste it. With a Sig P226 conversion in .22LR, a .22LR conversion for the Colt Gold Cup, and a model 317, I'd have cheap shootin' for nearly every firearm I could conceivable use for defense. I could literally spend hours shooting from a $13 box of 550 rounds.
It's so simple, I cannot believe I didn't realize it before...
That is all.
The snubnosed J-frame Smith & Wesson .22LR pistols. They just never made any sense to me at all. I mean, WTF? You can't target shoot with them (well, some people can but the vast majority of shooters aren't going to be nailing X-rings at 25 yards with a 1 7/8" barrel). It's not powerful enough to carry. It just didn't make sense to me for the gun to even exist.
And then...
I found a Colt Official Police revolver at the local gun shop/range. In .22LR. Came across it this weekend as I cleared out the pistol safe. Took one look at it, with the fixed sight (basically a groove in the top strap, common to working revolvers), and everything clicked into place. This revolver was intended as a training tool - it's identical to the .38 special-chambered model that was issued to police agencies through the country (and the world) with the single exception of the chambering.
Hence the .22LR snubbie. It's a training tool. You can shoot it all day long for literally pennies.
Needless to say, I want one. I want a S&W model 317 so bad I can taste it. With a Sig P226 conversion in .22LR, a .22LR conversion for the Colt Gold Cup, and a model 317, I'd have cheap shootin' for nearly every firearm I could conceivable use for defense. I could literally spend hours shooting from a $13 box of 550 rounds.
It's so simple, I cannot believe I didn't realize it before...
That is all.
Prediction...
There will be no fireworks at the Dem convention.
Hillary! will not barricade herself in the delegate room with 20 pounds of C4 strapped to her chest screaming "NOMINATE ME OR DIE".
This will not be a repeat of Chicago '68.
While it's certainly nice for the right side of the blogosphere to wax rhapsodic about Democratic disunity, the cold hard facts are these are the people who perfected lockstep...
The convention will be clinically cold, calculating, and timed like the Chinese-hosted Olympics (with about as many machine gun-toting guards). Yes, there will be protestors. No, there will not be riots and open fighting in the street. Predicting such with overzealous glee doesn't help our cause in the least.
Problem is, the GOP is "The Stupid Party" for a reason. The Democrats don't have to fall apart when they can wait for the GOP to fall apart first. While the talk around the right side right now is mainly "Biden? WTF?", we have yet to see McCain's pick. I'm betting McCain's pick is going to make Obama's choice of Biden look positively genius by comparison...
That is all.
Hillary! will not barricade herself in the delegate room with 20 pounds of C4 strapped to her chest screaming "NOMINATE ME OR DIE".
This will not be a repeat of Chicago '68.
While it's certainly nice for the right side of the blogosphere to wax rhapsodic about Democratic disunity, the cold hard facts are these are the people who perfected lockstep...
The convention will be clinically cold, calculating, and timed like the Chinese-hosted Olympics (with about as many machine gun-toting guards). Yes, there will be protestors. No, there will not be riots and open fighting in the street. Predicting such with overzealous glee doesn't help our cause in the least.
Problem is, the GOP is "The Stupid Party" for a reason. The Democrats don't have to fall apart when they can wait for the GOP to fall apart first. While the talk around the right side right now is mainly "Biden? WTF?", we have yet to see McCain's pick. I'm betting McCain's pick is going to make Obama's choice of Biden look positively genius by comparison...
That is all.
Point... Counterpoint
Point: Journey's Separate Ways. Causing males to consume excessive quantities of alcohol while trying desperately not to cry since 1983. Often played in conjunction with Richard Marx's Right Here Waiting and Chicago's Look Away.
Counterpoint: Paul Carrack's Don't Shed a Tear. Oddly enough, is also associated with the consumption of large quantities of alcohol. Played in conjunction with Guns 'N Roses's I Used to Love Her and Lord Tracy's She's A Bitch...
Yes, I love Sirius satellite radio. Why do you ask?
That is all.
Counterpoint: Paul Carrack's Don't Shed a Tear. Oddly enough, is also associated with the consumption of large quantities of alcohol. Played in conjunction with Guns 'N Roses's I Used to Love Her and Lord Tracy's She's A Bitch...
Yes, I love Sirius satellite radio. Why do you ask?
That is all.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Nope, No Irony Here...
Idiots. Here's the little "news" headlines box on MSN.com:
Emphasis mine.
Nope, no contradiction here. No bias or agenda... Y'see, diplomacy (read: appeasement) is fine when it comes to America's enemies. But when it comes to Americans with which we have political disagreements? Oh, the gloves come off.
Gah. Every fucking day these assholes push me closer to voting forEmperor Palpatine McCain...
That is all.
MSNBC News
China’s run as home of Olympics comes to end
NYT: Biden's philosophy of diplomacy first
Biden debuts with attack Video
Emphasis mine.
Nope, no contradiction here. No bias or agenda... Y'see, diplomacy (read: appeasement) is fine when it comes to America's enemies. But when it comes to Americans with which we have political disagreements? Oh, the gloves come off.
Gah. Every fucking day these assholes push me closer to voting for
That is all.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
MArooned Movie Review: Star Wars: Clone Wars
Okay... I'll start with the bona-fides. I am a total sci-fi geek.
- I've been to many science fiction conventions.
- I have autobiographies of three members of Star Trek: The Original Series. Autographed.
- I own a bat'leth. And a d'k tahg.
- Have seen every Star Trek movie. All but the first three in the theater. All on opening night.
- Used to cruise the online forums with the nom de plume "Guy Montag".
- I have a friend who has actually written an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
- Saw the re-release of Star Wars 4-6 at the midnight showing (reserved for theater employees and their friends) as well as Episode 1 (Episodes 2 and 3 were released post-kid[s] or I'd have seen them at the midnight showings, too).
- I have every single episode of Star Trek: The Original Series on VHS.
I'd continue, but you get the point...
Now, that said, I liked Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The single best review I could give would be that of my seven year old son (who is a Star Wars FANATIC - he has like every light saber possible; at least two of each action figure; the Lego sets; etc.). At the end of the film, I turned to him and asked what he thought.
He didn't speak a word.
He just broke into an ear-to-ear grin and gave not one, but two thumbs-up.
It was worth the $12 for us to see it in the theater, let's put it that way. The story was greatly simplified - it was obvious that this was geared down for a younger audience than the geeks that normally frequent Star Wars films. I can only imagine that it was produced for folks in exactly my demographic - parents who grew up watching the original movies who now have kids old enough to see the movies as well...
Will we buy it on DVD? That's a foregone conclusion, especially since we have all six movies on DVD (and Episodes 4-6 on VHS as well!). If you're a Star Wars fan, it's worth a look-see. Don't expect slavish adherence to the franchise and you won't be disappointed.
That is all.
More Gunnie Math...
The cost of my afternoon shooting today:
$1.75 in gas to get to and from the gun club.
Approximately $2 worth of middle-of-the-road .22LR ammunition.
$3.75 to sight in the Remington 511 with the new 3-9X scope. Took a nice leisurely hour shooting, adjusting, shooting some more, adjusting some more, then finally shrinking the groups.
60+ minutes of relaxing gunnie therapy for under $4. How the hell can you beat that???
(Okay, the price goes up considerably if you factor in the cost of the club membership, but that'll amortize over the year as I go more often...)
Got a chance to shoot on the rifle range; had so much fun playing with the 511 and the new scope (and jawing with the owner of the SWEEEEEEET AR-10 two lanes down) I didn't get a chance to shoot on the pistol range or the indoor range.
Shucks. Looks like I'll just have to go back, doesn't it?
I like my club. A lot.
That is all.
$1.75 in gas to get to and from the gun club.
Approximately $2 worth of middle-of-the-road .22LR ammunition.
$3.75 to sight in the Remington 511 with the new 3-9X scope. Took a nice leisurely hour shooting, adjusting, shooting some more, adjusting some more, then finally shrinking the groups.
60+ minutes of relaxing gunnie therapy for under $4. How the hell can you beat that???
(Okay, the price goes up considerably if you factor in the cost of the club membership, but that'll amortize over the year as I go more often...)
Got a chance to shoot on the rifle range; had so much fun playing with the 511 and the new scope (and jawing with the owner of the SWEEEEEEET AR-10 two lanes down) I didn't get a chance to shoot on the pistol range or the indoor range.
Shucks. Looks like I'll just have to go back, doesn't it?
I like my club. A lot.
That is all.
The Answer Is... Biden?
SRSLY?
Joe "plagiarism" Biden? I thought they had re-animated Phil Hartman to play Obama's VP choice...
Bringing the awesome power of Delaware's whole 3 electoral votes to the table (and yes, I am well-aware that Dick Cheney came from WY, which also has 3 electoral votes. It's called irony, given the flack Bush took for picking Cheney).
Joe Biden. Very interesting choice. I would have put money on Obama picking a southerner like Jim Webb or Tim Kaine - more so Kaine, as he's got executive experience. I wouldn't have guessed Obama would have gone for another senator, and certainly not one from a small northeast state at that. I'm guessing that Obama's been paying attention to the criticism of his lack of foreign policy experience with this pick.
Or he could just be batshit insane. Who knows?
(Interesting side note: Joe Biden is exactly one day younger than my dad. Weird...)
Now we see who John McCain picks. My money's on someone stupid, like Mitt fucking Romney or Michael Bloomberg - IOW, someone to really piss off the GOP faithful. I'd love to see him grab Sarah Palin or Bobby Jindal, but I'm more likely to sprout wings and fly to the moon...
That is all.
Joe "plagiarism" Biden? I thought they had re-animated Phil Hartman to play Obama's VP choice...
Bringing the awesome power of Delaware's whole 3 electoral votes to the table (and yes, I am well-aware that Dick Cheney came from WY, which also has 3 electoral votes. It's called irony, given the flack Bush took for picking Cheney).
Joe Biden. Very interesting choice. I would have put money on Obama picking a southerner like Jim Webb or Tim Kaine - more so Kaine, as he's got executive experience. I wouldn't have guessed Obama would have gone for another senator, and certainly not one from a small northeast state at that. I'm guessing that Obama's been paying attention to the criticism of his lack of foreign policy experience with this pick.
Or he could just be batshit insane. Who knows?
(Interesting side note: Joe Biden is exactly one day younger than my dad. Weird...)
Now we see who John McCain picks. My money's on someone stupid, like Mitt fucking Romney or Michael Bloomberg - IOW, someone to really piss off the GOP faithful. I'd love to see him grab Sarah Palin or Bobby Jindal, but I'm more likely to sprout wings and fly to the moon...
That is all.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Cue Tumbleweeds...
Is it just me, or are things awfully quiet in the ol' gun blogosphere?
It's because all the cool kids were abducted by Blackwater, isn't it?
Good thing y'all got uncool Jay G. here to provide you withfree ice cream bloggy goodness...
That is all.
It's because all the cool kids were abducted by Blackwater, isn't it?
Good thing y'all got uncool Jay G. here to provide you with
That is all.
Earworm...
After reading tweaker's most excellent bitch-slap of Metallica's latest offering, I now have "Last Caress" stuck in my head...
{insert furious head-banging here...}
That is all.
I've got somethin' to say
I killed your baby today and it
Doesn't matter much to me
As long as it's dead
Sweet lovely death
I'm waiting for your breath
Come sweet Death one Last Caress.
{insert furious head-banging here...}
That is all.
Just for Og...
Special Friday TMI crapblogging!
You know your day is off to a good start when the morning constitutional:
You know your day is off to a good start when the morning constitutional:
- Is so large it comes out of the water in the toilet;
- Clogs said toilet (a commercial one, mind you, with direct-water flow, not gravity-fed); and
- Causes the guy in the next stall to gag.
Hi, my name is Jay, and my ass has been classified as a toxic waste dump (pun intended)...
That is (definitely too much) all.
TGIF...
Alternate Title: How Good is Today? Let Me Count the Ways...
Hmmm. Let's take stock, shall we?
Friday? Check.
Rode to work? Check.
Boss out? Check.
Going shooting tomorrow? Check.
Yep. Life is pretty fuckin' good.
That is all.
Hmmm. Let's take stock, shall we?
Friday? Check.
Rode to work? Check.
Boss out? Check.
Going shooting tomorrow? Check.
Yep. Life is pretty fuckin' good.
That is all.
Friday Gun Pr0n #73
Today's Gun Picture is a re-working of my Sig P226.
Alert readers will note the addition of Hogue wrap-around monogrips as well as an inexpensive (read: free!) belt holster. And more full capacity magazines - our "esteemed" governor is trying to pass a one-magazine-a-month bill, so I'm getting while the getting's good... (And sadly, no, I am not making this up).
As for why this is making a (re)appearance, all I'll say is check back next Friday when it will all be clearer. I'll just say that if all goes well there will be a special report after Labor Day...
That is all.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Holy Somnambulists, Batman!
So I get up early this morning to answer the call of nature, and nearly step on my daughter's head.
Seems she got out of her bed, wandered out of her room, down the hall, and proceeded to fall back asleep on the floor on my side of the bed.
This is the third or fourth time she's done this. I think we need to put a buzzer on her door or something.
(Or start duct-taping her to the bed. That's another thought...)
That is all.
Seems she got out of her bed, wandered out of her room, down the hall, and proceeded to fall back asleep on the floor on my side of the bed.
This is the third or fourth time she's done this. I think we need to put a buzzer on her door or something.
(Or start duct-taping her to the bed. That's another thought...)
That is all.
New Carry Gun...
I have decided that I am in the market for a new winter carry gun.
I'm pretty well-set for warm weather carry guns (i.e. guns that don't require a cover garment; typically pocket guns). I've got my Kel-Tec for when I really can't carry a gun, and two Smith & Wesson J-frames (a shrouded hammer for pocket carry and the Snubbie from Hell™ for special occasions...).
I'd been carrying my Smith & Wesson SW99C compact 9mm as a winter sidearm, but with the recent weight loss and concomitant reduction in my size, the double-stack grip just doesn't conceal well any more. There's a lot less "padding" to cushion the hard edges of a firearm, and I find that the thicker pistols tend to dig in more.
So I'm in the market for something in the single-stack variety. Revolvers are out (with the notable exception of the S&W 242ti, which I will buy on the spot if I ever find one), as I've got the aforementioned Snubbie from Hell™ which pretty much covers all wheelgun needs (I see no reason to double the weight for two more rounds). I'm looking for something slim, in a significant caliber (9mm or greater), that doesn't weight a ton. Sadly, since I live in the Volksrepublik of MA, choices are limited. Sure, it'd be great to pick up a Kel-Tec PF9 or a Walther PPS, but those are extremely rare here in MA, being as how they're not on the {spit} Approved Firearms Roster and as such can't be sold by dealers...
What to do, what to do... I've got it narrowed down to a handful of pistols:
1. Smith & Wesson SW1911SC/PD - scandium-framed, Commander-sized 1911. Pros are, well, it's a 1911; 8 rounds of .45 ACP goodness; it's a 1911; I already own several so I've got plenty of magazines and grips; it's a 1911; I shoot them well; it's a 1911; I'm familiar with the operation, care, and feeding; and did I mention it's a 1911? Cons are price (ouch) - even used models are $800+ and size - even in commander-configuration this is a large gun to conceal. I'm also not terribly comfortable with carrying a single-action pistol as a general rule.
2. SigSauer P239 in .40 S&W/.357 Sig. It's about the same weight as the SW1911, but smaller pretty much everywhere else. 8 rounds of .40 S&W or .357 Sig is nothing to sneeze at, even if it's not .45 ACP. Used models run about $500, so this is easily in my price range. Pros are Sig reliability and ease of operation/cleaning; cons are... well... I'd have to say the double-action trigger pull would be the only real "con".
3. Kahr PM40. I shot Liberty's P40 (ed.: correction noted; thanks Liberty!) at the bloggershoot and was mightily impressed. Recoil was definitely not bad at all; the gun fit my hand perfectly; accuracy was damn good (I hit the steel plate with all 7 shots). Pros are the weight - at just under a pound, this is the lightest gun on the list by a good 10 ounces (that's the P3AT, loaded, for a back-up gun!); size (smallest on the list); and DAO operation - the SW99 and P3AT utilize DAO, so I'm both familiar and comfortable with the operation. Cons are price, since this is MA and this gun is not readily available, they command a premium "in-state" - also means they're hard to come by.
4. Smith & Wesson CS series, either CS40 or CS45. CS40 is out of production but available; CS45 is a current S&W offering. Pros are that the CS45 is a current production gun that's MA-approved, meaning I can walk into pretty much any gun store and buy/order one at any time; at 23 ounces it's the second-lightest gun on the list and also the second smallest (Kahr being first in both categories); and price - the CS45 is selling new for ~ $600; used models can be found in the mid-$400s. Cons are just a general dislike of the S&W double action trigger and the poor availability of accessories (magazines, holsters, grips).
I'm open for any and all other suggestions, but please keep in mind that I am severely limited by the idiotic Approved Firearms Roster {spit}. Anything not readily available for sale is going to be both expensive and hard-to-find. My specs are single-stack, 9mm or greater, under 30 ounces, ideally 4" barrel or smaller. Any and all suggestions are appreciated, but don't yank my chain about "move to a free state". That shit gets old.
That is all.
I'm pretty well-set for warm weather carry guns (i.e. guns that don't require a cover garment; typically pocket guns). I've got my Kel-Tec for when I really can't carry a gun, and two Smith & Wesson J-frames (a shrouded hammer for pocket carry and the Snubbie from Hell™ for special occasions...).
I'd been carrying my Smith & Wesson SW99C compact 9mm as a winter sidearm, but with the recent weight loss and concomitant reduction in my size, the double-stack grip just doesn't conceal well any more. There's a lot less "padding" to cushion the hard edges of a firearm, and I find that the thicker pistols tend to dig in more.
So I'm in the market for something in the single-stack variety. Revolvers are out (with the notable exception of the S&W 242ti, which I will buy on the spot if I ever find one), as I've got the aforementioned Snubbie from Hell™ which pretty much covers all wheelgun needs (I see no reason to double the weight for two more rounds). I'm looking for something slim, in a significant caliber (9mm or greater), that doesn't weight a ton. Sadly, since I live in the Volksrepublik of MA, choices are limited. Sure, it'd be great to pick up a Kel-Tec PF9 or a Walther PPS, but those are extremely rare here in MA, being as how they're not on the {spit} Approved Firearms Roster and as such can't be sold by dealers...
What to do, what to do... I've got it narrowed down to a handful of pistols:
1. Smith & Wesson SW1911SC/PD - scandium-framed, Commander-sized 1911. Pros are, well, it's a 1911; 8 rounds of .45 ACP goodness; it's a 1911; I already own several so I've got plenty of magazines and grips; it's a 1911; I shoot them well; it's a 1911; I'm familiar with the operation, care, and feeding; and did I mention it's a 1911? Cons are price (ouch) - even used models are $800+ and size - even in commander-configuration this is a large gun to conceal. I'm also not terribly comfortable with carrying a single-action pistol as a general rule.
2. SigSauer P239 in .40 S&W/.357 Sig. It's about the same weight as the SW1911, but smaller pretty much everywhere else. 8 rounds of .40 S&W or .357 Sig is nothing to sneeze at, even if it's not .45 ACP. Used models run about $500, so this is easily in my price range. Pros are Sig reliability and ease of operation/cleaning; cons are... well... I'd have to say the double-action trigger pull would be the only real "con".
3. Kahr PM40. I shot Liberty's P40 (ed.: correction noted; thanks Liberty!) at the bloggershoot and was mightily impressed. Recoil was definitely not bad at all; the gun fit my hand perfectly; accuracy was damn good (I hit the steel plate with all 7 shots). Pros are the weight - at just under a pound, this is the lightest gun on the list by a good 10 ounces (that's the P3AT, loaded, for a back-up gun!); size (smallest on the list); and DAO operation - the SW99 and P3AT utilize DAO, so I'm both familiar and comfortable with the operation. Cons are price, since this is MA and this gun is not readily available, they command a premium "in-state" - also means they're hard to come by.
4. Smith & Wesson CS series, either CS40 or CS45. CS40 is out of production but available; CS45 is a current S&W offering. Pros are that the CS45 is a current production gun that's MA-approved, meaning I can walk into pretty much any gun store and buy/order one at any time; at 23 ounces it's the second-lightest gun on the list and also the second smallest (Kahr being first in both categories); and price - the CS45 is selling new for ~ $600; used models can be found in the mid-$400s. Cons are just a general dislike of the S&W double action trigger and the poor availability of accessories (magazines, holsters, grips).
I'm open for any and all other suggestions, but please keep in mind that I am severely limited by the idiotic Approved Firearms Roster {spit}. Anything not readily available for sale is going to be both expensive and hard-to-find. My specs are single-stack, 9mm or greater, under 30 ounces, ideally 4" barrel or smaller. Any and all suggestions are appreciated, but don't yank my chain about "move to a free state". That shit gets old.
That is all.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Blogroll Pruning...
I hate to do it, but I've removed several blogs from the blogroll. In all cases, the blog has been discontinued; in most cases I've been alerted to the discontinuation by the blog owner.
Folks, if you're one of the above folks and you decide to start up again, drop me a line, please. It's just as easy to add you back in...
That is all.
Folks, if you're one of the above folks and you decide to start up again, drop me a line, please. It's just as easy to add you back in...
That is all.
R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-REVENGE!
Help needed: Someone to assist in a PhotoShop project.
I need to counter this abomination...
Heh. Good one CB. Let's see what we can come up with here at MArooned...
That is all.
I need to counter this abomination...
Heh. Good one CB. Let's see what we can come up with here at MArooned...
That is all.
Holy Mr Hanky...
It just dawned on me that my son is only two years younger than the foul-mouthed denizens of "South Park".
I feel really, really, really fucking old right now.
(And I just realized he's a year older than Calvin...)
That is all.
(ETA: I have the sharpest commenters in the blogosphere. Liberty just pointed out that "Holy Mr. Hanky" was a more appropriate title than the boring ol' "Holy Crap"...)
I feel really, really, really fucking old right now.
(And I just realized he's a year older than Calvin...)
That is all.
(ETA: I have the sharpest commenters in the blogosphere. Liberty just pointed out that "Holy Mr. Hanky" was a more appropriate title than the boring ol' "Holy Crap"...)
Letter and a Link!
Y'know, every once in a while I get a letter from a reader that makes everything worthwhile. Got one last night. I've asked for, and received, permission to reprint the original message and my response from the gentleman who sent it. He's also got a blog, and has MArooned linked (in fact, I could almost consider it a third blog-child...).
Bill is a former shooter who gave up the sport some time ago. Actually, I'll let him tell it:
From: Bill [redacted]
Hello, my wife and I have been lurking on your site for some time, and I thought I should say hello.
I'm afraid I've never been a very active web commenter, but we certainly enjoy your posts, especially about MASS-holes (we're stuck here too) and guns.
I have a couple of questions you might be able to answer for me if you would be so kind:
1. I'm from Washington State, where I had a CCW for years. When I moved to California I got rid of my beloved Colt Officer's Model, and my Browning Hi-Power. I did this because I figured (I think correctly) that there was a better chance of me going to prison for using a gun against an assailant due to insane gun-phobe prosecutors than there was a chance I'd run into a situation that feet, fists or a pool cue couldn't handle.
When I moved to Massachusetts to marry my wife I didn't own any firearms and haven't bought any since because there seems to be so many obstacles. What do we need to do in order to legally own them here? (I've gotten 4 different stories form gun shops)
2. My wife is interested in shooting and assuming we don't run into too much hassle getting the government's permission (Jesus I hate this place) , I thought a nice little .22 like a Colt Woodsman would be a good starter pistol for her, and if she's interested, she can move up to a .40 S&W or 9mm. What do you think? My wife is a hefty girl, but she's still a girl, if you know what I mean. I don't want her to have an unpleasant experience.
3. I read you joined a gun-club, and you live near us (we're in [redacted]) do they have an indoor pistol range and do they allow reloads? I still have my gear, dies and about a million cases. I miss shooting, but store bought ammo is pretty pricey for serious practice.Anyway, any informa tion you could provide would be really helpful. Thanks in advance, and also thanks for the articles. We always enjoy them.
Bill
And here's my response:
Good evening Bill,
First off, thanks for reading my site. I'm always gratified to hear that I'm not just p**sing into the wind, at least sometimes. *g*
Secondly, I'll take a swing at answering your questions.
In order to legally own guns in MA, you need a minimum of an FID card. That permits you to own non-high capacity longarms (i.e. not AR-15s) and shotguns. FID cards are "shall issue", meaning that unless you're a "prohibited person" (felon, restraining order, etc.), if you apply for the permit and meet the Chief of Police's criteria (a gun safety course is mandatory and some Chiefs require letters of reference), you get the FID automatically.
If you want to own pistols, you need a minimum of a Class B LTC (License To Carry, which ironically enough does NOT allow you to carry your firearm). Class B LTCs are essentially useless in MA, as they only allow ownership of low-capacity firearms - 10 rounds or less. MA also has the assault weapons ban, which makes this a moot point.
If you want to carry a pistol for self-defense, you need an unrestricted Class A. This is the only permit in MA that allows for concealed carry. Getting an unrestricted Class A varies from town to town and is solely at the discretion of the Chief of Police. There's a handy guide on the Northeast Shooters forum here: http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=8703. According to this list, Lowell is a red town, which means that getting an unrestricted Class A may be problematic. They list my town as red, which I disagree with - the Chief will issue an unrestricted Class A, but only on renewal.
Your best bet is to talk to the Chief or whoever does the firearm permits and talk to them. You will need to take a firearms safety course, which are offered through GOAL (http://www.goal.org/ - Gun Owner's Action League, please consider joining GOAL if you want to protect our fragile 2A rights in MA).
Scared yet? Good. It's a scary process. If you have your heart set on an unrestricted license, you may want to consider contacting an attorney who specializes in MA Gun laws before handing in your application. There are three practicing attorneys who frequent the Northeastshooters forum - Darius Arbabi (screen name Cross-X); Keith Langer (screen name scrivener); and Jesse Cohen (don't know if he posts often). More info on contacting these gentlemen can be found here: http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=19145
Now...
As for the second question, that's both easier and harder...
In my not-so-humble opinion, you cannot go wrong with a .22 revolver for ANY first-time shooter. The mechanism is simple; you're not likely to experience any malfunctions; and the VAST majority of .22LR revolvers are sufficiently heavy as to completely nullify any recoil.
When I bring a new person to the range, I have a four-part process for pistols:
1. .22LR revolver. I have two good revolvers for this purpose, a Smith & Wesson model 17 with a target trigger, target hammer, and 8 3/8" barrel; and a Colt Official Police .22LR with a 6" barrel. Either gun is accurate, reliable, and does not kick in the least.
2. .22LR semi-automatic. This gives the new shooter a taste of the semi-automatic mechanism without the kick of a centerfire handgun. I have a Smith & Wesson model 422 for this purpose. With the right ammo (fortunately it runs well with moderately priced PMC ammo), it's a great running gun.
3. .38 special revolver. I actually use a .357 Magnum revolver with .38 Special rounds loaded for the first taste of centerfire handgunning. I have a Ruger Security Six with a 6" barrel that is very comfortable to shoot .38 special loads through. It's even pretty decent on .357 Magnum if the new shooter is comfortable moving up.
4a. Centerfire semi-automatic. I prefer a full-size, steel-framed 9mm for this part, as 9mm is fairly easy recoil, especially when fired through a heavier gun. I have a SigSauer model P226 for this purpose. I also have a Smith & Wesson model 39, which is a single-stack firearm (single stack meaning all rounds are one on top of the other like a .45) - the grip is significantly thinner than the Sig, which is a double stack firearm (the rounds are staggered for higher capacity - the Sig holds 15 rounds to the S&W's 8).
4b. The essential Colt 45. If the new shooter is comfortable with the .38 Special revolver, sometimes I'll use a 1911 as the centerfire semi-automatic. Quite simply, most people are familiar with the 1911 - it was the sidearm favored by Magnum PI as well as generations of soldiers.
Any and all of the firearms listed above are available should your wife like to shoot them.
The Colt Woodsman is an EXCELLENT choice for a first firearm, but be warned - they're hard to come by in MA. You might want to think about a Smith & Wesson model 22A or a Ruger Mk III.
I'm a member at [redacted] Gun Club just down 495 from you. Their small indoor range absolutely allows reloads, but no Magnum calibers. All rounds must be lead-nosed, and jacketed ammo is strictly prohibited.
Let me know if/when you'd like to go to the range. As it says on my sidebar, new or returning shooters get a free pass the first time, so the ammo's on me. All I ask is that I be allowed to blog the event (and I can use initials or pseudonyms if you prefer).
Thanks for reading, and let me know if you need any more information.
Best regards,
Jay G.
PS: If it's okay with you, I'd like to reproduce this exchange as a blog post. Let me know.
Folks, please welcome Bill at The Eclectic One to the blogroll. With any kind of luck I'll be adding Bill to the list of "Bloggers I've Met" sometime in the near future, complete with a New Shooter Report for Bill (returning shooter, but close enough) and his wife.
Also, for those out there more knowledgeable than myself (no comments, peanut gallery...): Please feel free to critique my choice of hardware for new shooters. I've run through this a handful of times and gotten rather positive feedback from those I've offer it to, so I think it's pretty solid. I'm always open for suggestions, though, as anything I can do to make someone's first firearms experience more enjoyable is a plus.
The thought of helping to bring more folks into the shooting sports and gunnie environment here in Massa-fucking-chusetts just makes me downright giddy...
Heh.
That is all.
Bill is a former shooter who gave up the sport some time ago. Actually, I'll let him tell it:
From: Bill [redacted]
Hello, my wife and I have been lurking on your site for some time, and I thought I should say hello.
I'm afraid I've never been a very active web commenter, but we certainly enjoy your posts, especially about MASS-holes (we're stuck here too) and guns.
I have a couple of questions you might be able to answer for me if you would be so kind:
1. I'm from Washington State, where I had a CCW for years. When I moved to California I got rid of my beloved Colt Officer's Model, and my Browning Hi-Power. I did this because I figured (I think correctly) that there was a better chance of me going to prison for using a gun against an assailant due to insane gun-phobe prosecutors than there was a chance I'd run into a situation that feet, fists or a pool cue couldn't handle.
When I moved to Massachusetts to marry my wife I didn't own any firearms and haven't bought any since because there seems to be so many obstacles. What do we need to do in order to legally own them here? (I've gotten 4 different stories form gun shops)
2. My wife is interested in shooting and assuming we don't run into too much hassle getting the government's permission (Jesus I hate this place) , I thought a nice little .22 like a Colt Woodsman would be a good starter pistol for her, and if she's interested, she can move up to a .40 S&W or 9mm. What do you think? My wife is a hefty girl, but she's still a girl, if you know what I mean. I don't want her to have an unpleasant experience.
3. I read you joined a gun-club, and you live near us (we're in [redacted]) do they have an indoor pistol range and do they allow reloads? I still have my gear, dies and about a million cases. I miss shooting, but store bought ammo is pretty pricey for serious practice.Anyway, any informa tion you could provide would be really helpful. Thanks in advance, and also thanks for the articles. We always enjoy them.
Bill
And here's my response:
Good evening Bill,
First off, thanks for reading my site. I'm always gratified to hear that I'm not just p**sing into the wind, at least sometimes. *g*
Secondly, I'll take a swing at answering your questions.
In order to legally own guns in MA, you need a minimum of an FID card. That permits you to own non-high capacity longarms (i.e. not AR-15s) and shotguns. FID cards are "shall issue", meaning that unless you're a "prohibited person" (felon, restraining order, etc.), if you apply for the permit and meet the Chief of Police's criteria (a gun safety course is mandatory and some Chiefs require letters of reference), you get the FID automatically.
If you want to own pistols, you need a minimum of a Class B LTC (License To Carry, which ironically enough does NOT allow you to carry your firearm). Class B LTCs are essentially useless in MA, as they only allow ownership of low-capacity firearms - 10 rounds or less. MA also has the assault weapons ban, which makes this a moot point.
If you want to carry a pistol for self-defense, you need an unrestricted Class A. This is the only permit in MA that allows for concealed carry. Getting an unrestricted Class A varies from town to town and is solely at the discretion of the Chief of Police. There's a handy guide on the Northeast Shooters forum here: http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=8703. According to this list, Lowell is a red town, which means that getting an unrestricted Class A may be problematic. They list my town as red, which I disagree with - the Chief will issue an unrestricted Class A, but only on renewal.
Your best bet is to talk to the Chief or whoever does the firearm permits and talk to them. You will need to take a firearms safety course, which are offered through GOAL (http://www.goal.org/ - Gun Owner's Action League, please consider joining GOAL if you want to protect our fragile 2A rights in MA).
Scared yet? Good. It's a scary process. If you have your heart set on an unrestricted license, you may want to consider contacting an attorney who specializes in MA Gun laws before handing in your application. There are three practicing attorneys who frequent the Northeastshooters forum - Darius Arbabi (screen name Cross-X); Keith Langer (screen name scrivener); and Jesse Cohen (don't know if he posts often). More info on contacting these gentlemen can be found here: http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=19145
Now...
As for the second question, that's both easier and harder...
In my not-so-humble opinion, you cannot go wrong with a .22 revolver for ANY first-time shooter. The mechanism is simple; you're not likely to experience any malfunctions; and the VAST majority of .22LR revolvers are sufficiently heavy as to completely nullify any recoil.
When I bring a new person to the range, I have a four-part process for pistols:
1. .22LR revolver. I have two good revolvers for this purpose, a Smith & Wesson model 17 with a target trigger, target hammer, and 8 3/8" barrel; and a Colt Official Police .22LR with a 6" barrel. Either gun is accurate, reliable, and does not kick in the least.
2. .22LR semi-automatic. This gives the new shooter a taste of the semi-automatic mechanism without the kick of a centerfire handgun. I have a Smith & Wesson model 422 for this purpose. With the right ammo (fortunately it runs well with moderately priced PMC ammo), it's a great running gun.
3. .38 special revolver. I actually use a .357 Magnum revolver with .38 Special rounds loaded for the first taste of centerfire handgunning. I have a Ruger Security Six with a 6" barrel that is very comfortable to shoot .38 special loads through. It's even pretty decent on .357 Magnum if the new shooter is comfortable moving up.
4a. Centerfire semi-automatic. I prefer a full-size, steel-framed 9mm for this part, as 9mm is fairly easy recoil, especially when fired through a heavier gun. I have a SigSauer model P226 for this purpose. I also have a Smith & Wesson model 39, which is a single-stack firearm (single stack meaning all rounds are one on top of the other like a .45) - the grip is significantly thinner than the Sig, which is a double stack firearm (the rounds are staggered for higher capacity - the Sig holds 15 rounds to the S&W's 8).
4b. The essential Colt 45. If the new shooter is comfortable with the .38 Special revolver, sometimes I'll use a 1911 as the centerfire semi-automatic. Quite simply, most people are familiar with the 1911 - it was the sidearm favored by Magnum PI as well as generations of soldiers.
Any and all of the firearms listed above are available should your wife like to shoot them.
The Colt Woodsman is an EXCELLENT choice for a first firearm, but be warned - they're hard to come by in MA. You might want to think about a Smith & Wesson model 22A or a Ruger Mk III.
I'm a member at [redacted] Gun Club just down 495 from you. Their small indoor range absolutely allows reloads, but no Magnum calibers. All rounds must be lead-nosed, and jacketed ammo is strictly prohibited.
Let me know if/when you'd like to go to the range. As it says on my sidebar, new or returning shooters get a free pass the first time, so the ammo's on me. All I ask is that I be allowed to blog the event (and I can use initials or pseudonyms if you prefer).
Thanks for reading, and let me know if you need any more information.
Best regards,
Jay G.
PS: If it's okay with you, I'd like to reproduce this exchange as a blog post. Let me know.
Folks, please welcome Bill at The Eclectic One to the blogroll. With any kind of luck I'll be adding Bill to the list of "Bloggers I've Met" sometime in the near future, complete with a New Shooter Report for Bill (returning shooter, but close enough) and his wife.
Also, for those out there more knowledgeable than myself (no comments, peanut gallery...): Please feel free to critique my choice of hardware for new shooters. I've run through this a handful of times and gotten rather positive feedback from those I've offer it to, so I think it's pretty solid. I'm always open for suggestions, though, as anything I can do to make someone's first firearms experience more enjoyable is a plus.
The thought of helping to bring more folks into the shooting sports and gunnie environment here in Massa-fucking-chusetts just makes me downright giddy...
Heh.
That is all.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
How's That Workin' Out For Ya?
I hate to horn in Bruce's racket here, but this story just spoke to me:
2 boys shot sitting on Roxbury porch
Boy, it's a good thing that the Boston Police Department won't issue licenses to carry firearms. Imagine how bad things would be if law-abiding folks could carry guns for protection?
Here's my favorite part:
Read that again. 17 years old. Too young for a gun permit. Too young to even own a handgun anywhere in the US.
THAT. GUN. WAS. NOT. LEGALLY. OBTAINED.
End of story.
All the gun control in the fucking world isn't going to keep guns out of the hands of the criminals. Not with millions of guns currently in circulation. Introducing "One Gun A Month" laws or "ballistic fingerprinting" bullshit won't do a single fucking thing to stop a 17 year old gangbanger from getting his hands on a gun and using it illegally.
Gun control, as it is practiced, is an abysmal failure. Plain and simple. It targets almost exclusively the most law-abiding of people; it rarely addresses the misuse of the firearm, focusing on the attachments to the weapon or the capacity of the magazine. You know, rather than actually punishing the miscreants who think it's acceptable practice to shoot a four year old child.
The only way gun control would stand a chance at even vaguely denting crimes committed with firearms would be a three step approach:
1. Declare the Second Amendment null and void, and make the private ownership of firearms 100% illegal.
2. Perform house-to-house searches of every single house, condo, and apartment in America looking for firearms.
3. Institute an immediate, on-the-spot death sentence for possession of as little as a single cartridge.
That's the only plan that could even conceivably make a difference in gun crime.
And, of course, it would lead to open revolt after about 15 seconds of implementation, but that's fodder for another discussion...
Unless and until we are ready to take the "Final Solution" (and yes, that is intentional) to the above method of gun control, it behooves us to focus on punishing the misuse of firearms (and all weapons) rather than the simple ownership of said firearms. Actually put these monsters in jail and fucking keep them there. Take them out of the population. Let it be known that this level of violence will be punished swiftly and severely.
But it's much easier to suggest a "One Gun A Month" law, isn't it? The 10% of the population that owns guns isn't going to vote for your pathetic ass anyways, right? And it looks like you're doing something, doesn't it? Even if it's completely ineffective, targets the wrong people, and doesn't address the real issues in the least.
Gah. It's not good to get this worked up this early in the week.
Fuck this. I'm goin' to the range.
That is all.
2 boys shot sitting on Roxbury porch
A 4-year-old boy and his teenage cousin were shot as they sat on the porch of their Roxbury home last night, the latest round of gunfire to strike a young, innocent bystander, and the beginning of a spate of violence that stretched across the city.
At least four other people were shot and three were stabbed in what police believe were unrelated incidents.
Boy, it's a good thing that the Boston Police Department won't issue licenses to carry firearms. Imagine how bad things would be if law-abiding folks could carry guns for protection?
Here's my favorite part:
Last night, police had charged a 17-year-old in connection with the shootings. The suspect, who was not identified, is expected to be arraigned today in Boston Municipal Court.
Read that again. 17 years old. Too young for a gun permit. Too young to even own a handgun anywhere in the US.
THAT. GUN. WAS. NOT. LEGALLY. OBTAINED.
End of story.
All the gun control in the fucking world isn't going to keep guns out of the hands of the criminals. Not with millions of guns currently in circulation. Introducing "One Gun A Month" laws or "ballistic fingerprinting" bullshit won't do a single fucking thing to stop a 17 year old gangbanger from getting his hands on a gun and using it illegally.
Gun control, as it is practiced, is an abysmal failure. Plain and simple. It targets almost exclusively the most law-abiding of people; it rarely addresses the misuse of the firearm, focusing on the attachments to the weapon or the capacity of the magazine. You know, rather than actually punishing the miscreants who think it's acceptable practice to shoot a four year old child.
The only way gun control would stand a chance at even vaguely denting crimes committed with firearms would be a three step approach:
1. Declare the Second Amendment null and void, and make the private ownership of firearms 100% illegal.
2. Perform house-to-house searches of every single house, condo, and apartment in America looking for firearms.
3. Institute an immediate, on-the-spot death sentence for possession of as little as a single cartridge.
That's the only plan that could even conceivably make a difference in gun crime.
And, of course, it would lead to open revolt after about 15 seconds of implementation, but that's fodder for another discussion...
Unless and until we are ready to take the "Final Solution" (and yes, that is intentional) to the above method of gun control, it behooves us to focus on punishing the misuse of firearms (and all weapons) rather than the simple ownership of said firearms. Actually put these monsters in jail and fucking keep them there. Take them out of the population. Let it be known that this level of violence will be punished swiftly and severely.
But it's much easier to suggest a "One Gun A Month" law, isn't it? The 10% of the population that owns guns isn't going to vote for your pathetic ass anyways, right? And it looks like you're doing something, doesn't it? Even if it's completely ineffective, targets the wrong people, and doesn't address the real issues in the least.
Gah. It's not good to get this worked up this early in the week.
Fuck this. I'm goin' to the range.
That is all.
Wanna Feel Old?
This may not be as much of a shock to the younger bloggers out there (zeeke42, lissa, I'm thinking of yoooouuuuu), but to the rest of us old farts, it's time to feel old.
Beloit College has released its Mindset List for the Class of 2012 (students entering college next month).
Because I want to share the old with you, here's the list in its entirety:
That is all.
Beloit College has released its Mindset List for the Class of 2012 (students entering college next month).
Because I want to share the old with you, here's the list in its entirety:
- Students entering college for the first time this fall were generally born in 1990.
- For these students, Sammy Davis Jr., Jim Henson, Ryan White, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Freddy Krueger have always been dead.
- Harry Potter could be a classmate, playing on their Quidditch team.
- Since they were in diapers, karaoke machines have been annoying people at parties.
- They have always been looking for Carmen Sandiego.
- GPS satellite navigation systems have always been available.
- Coke and Pepsi have always used recycled plastic bottles.
- Shampoo and conditioner have always been available in the same bottle.
- Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino.
- Their parents may have dropped them in shock when they heard George Bush announce “tax revenue increases.”
- Electronic filing of tax returns has always been an option.
- Girls in head scarves have always been part of the school fashion scene.
- All have had a relative--or known about a friend's relative--who died comfortably at home with Hospice.
- As a precursor to “whatever,” they have recognized that some people “just don’t get it.”
- Universal Studios has always offered an alternative to Mickey in Orlando.
- Grandma has always had wheels on her walker.
- Martha Stewart Living has always been setting the style.
- Haagen-Dazs ice cream has always come in quarts.
- Club Med resorts have always been places to take the whole family.
- WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling.
- Films have never been X rated, only NC-17.
- The Warsaw Pact is as hazy for them as the League of Nations was for their parents.
- Students have always been "Rocking the Vote.”
- Clarence Thomas has always sat on the Supreme Court.
- Schools have always been concerned about multiculturalism.
- We have always known that “All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”
- There have always been gay rabbis.
- Wayne Newton has never had a mustache.
- College grads have always been able to Teach for America.
- IBM has never made typewriters.
- Roseanne Barr has never been invited to sing the National Anthem again.
- McDonald’s and Burger King have always used vegetable oil for cooking french fries.
- They have never been able to color a tree using a raw umber Crayola.
- There has always been Pearl Jam.
- The Tonight Show has always been hosted by Jay Leno and started at 11:35 EST.
- Pee-Wee has never been in his playhouse during the day.
- They never tasted Benefit Cereal with psyllium.
- They may have been given a Nintendo Game Boy to play with in the crib.
- Authorities have always been building a wall across the Mexican border.
- Lenin’s name has never been on a major city in Russia.
- Employers have always been able to do credit checks on employees.
- Balsamic vinegar has always been available in the U.S.
- Macaulay Culkin has always been Home Alone.
- Their parents may have watched The American Gladiators on TV the day they were born.
- Personal privacy has always been threatened.
- Caller ID has always been available on phones.
- Living wills have always been asked for at hospital check-ins.
- The Green Bay Packers (almost) always had the same starting quarterback.
- They never heard an attendant ask “Want me to check under the hood?”
- Iced tea has always come in cans and bottles.
- Soft drink refills have always been free.
- They have never known life without Seinfeld references from a show about “nothing.”
- Windows 3.0 operating system made IBM PCs user-friendly the year they were born.
- Muscovites have always been able to buy Big Macs.
- The Royal New Zealand Navy has never been permitted a daily ration of rum.
- The Hubble Space Telescope has always been eavesdropping on the heavens.
- 98.6 F or otherwise has always been confirmed in the ear.
- Michael Millken has always been a philanthropist promoting prostate cancer research.
- Off-shore oil drilling in the United States has always been prohibited.
- Radio stations have never been required to present both sides of public issues.
- There have always been charter schools.
- Students always had Goosebumps.
That is all.
Grip Bleg...
Okay. It's time to make my Sig P226 look all pretty. Since this is a target/teaching firearm, the grips don't have to be utilitarian (read: Hogue monogrip). Since it's a full-sized, all-steel 9mm, the recoil-taming ability of the monogrip isn't needed.
So it's time to get the wood out. Or on, as the case may be... Now, I loves me some wood grips. A nice goncalo alves on a blued revolver just about makes the gun. Ditto some nice dark walnut panels on a stainless 1911, or a light ash or maple on a parkerized 1911.
However... I'm a cheap bastard. I just can't justify spending over $100 on a set of grips just for aesthetics, I really can't. Not when I've already got three perfectly good pairs (Sig factory plastic, Hogue monogrip panels, Hogue monogrip wraparounds). Also, since it's the only P226 I own, it's limited (IOW, I don't mind a little extra on the 1911 grips since I can use 'em on more than 1 gun). Ditto J-frame grips.
So... Anyone know where I can get a nice pair of wood grips for a SigSauer P226 for (relatively) cheap money? I'm thinking something like this would look really good ($75 from MidwayUSA with C&R discount). Here's a site with pictures of the 226 with different wood grips on it. I like the looks of the coco bolo checkered grips, but not $90+ shipping worth...
*sigh* It ain't easy bein'frugal cheap...
That is all.
So it's time to get the wood out. Or on, as the case may be... Now, I loves me some wood grips. A nice goncalo alves on a blued revolver just about makes the gun. Ditto some nice dark walnut panels on a stainless 1911, or a light ash or maple on a parkerized 1911.
However... I'm a cheap bastard. I just can't justify spending over $100 on a set of grips just for aesthetics, I really can't. Not when I've already got three perfectly good pairs (Sig factory plastic, Hogue monogrip panels, Hogue monogrip wraparounds). Also, since it's the only P226 I own, it's limited (IOW, I don't mind a little extra on the 1911 grips since I can use 'em on more than 1 gun). Ditto J-frame grips.
So... Anyone know where I can get a nice pair of wood grips for a SigSauer P226 for (relatively) cheap money? I'm thinking something like this would look really good ($75 from MidwayUSA with C&R discount). Here's a site with pictures of the 226 with different wood grips on it. I like the looks of the coco bolo checkered grips, but not $90+ shipping worth...
*sigh* It ain't easy bein'
That is all.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Useful Parental Skills...
Being able to identify which of your two children has left their bedroom from naught other than the sound of their door opening while you're in the office at the other end of the house.
Because nothing says "Daddy sees all and knows all" like hearing, "Get back in bed, {female child name}!" through the closed office door...
That is all.
Because nothing says "Daddy sees all and knows all" like hearing, "Get back in bed, {female child name}!" through the closed office door...
That is all.
What I Did On My Summer Vacation...
Permit me a little indulgence, if you will. A pictorial montage of our family vacation last week.
The original plan was to spend another glorious week at Scusset Beach State Reservation as we attempt each year. It's a pretty popular destination, and rather small as RV parks go (less than 100 sites), so reserving a site takes careful planning and split-second timing. This year, we had neither - we had a small window of time in which to take our annual summer vacation due to the kids' school- and summer- programs, and did not plan accordingly when the reservation window opened.
What this meant was that we wound up only being able to get three days at Scusset this year. Usually we try to reserve 5 or 6 if possible, as it's a wonderful, relaxing place with lots to offer. The beach is absolutely glorious; the Canal offers fishing off the rocks or the pier as well as 7.5 miles of walking/biking/rollerblading trails unimpeded by motorized transport; and should the weather prove daunting, there's lots to do within a ½ hour drive.
Now, with gas @ $4 a gallon, I really didn't want to drive 2+ hours to the Cape for only three days, so we looked around for other campgrounds close by that we could split the week. We found a "Jellystone Park" in East Wareham only 20 minutes away and reserved two additional nights there. Not ideal, as we still have to break camp, pack up, and all that, but it extended our vacation to nearly a week.
We left late on Sunday because my daughter had a very special birthday party to attend in the early afternoon - one of her closest friends from pre-school had a gala event party complete with petting zoo AND pony rides (my daughter is GAGA over ponies/horses/etc.). This meant, naturally, that we didn't hit the road until well after 4 PM, and wound up driving through a blinding thunderstorm. Let me tell you, towing a 27' RV is NOT fun when the winds whip you over and there's standing water in the right lane...
But we made it safe and sound (well, okay, I was looking for a bottle of bourbon to fall into) at Jellystone shortly before nightfall, and got the camper all set up properly:
The original plan was to spend another glorious week at Scusset Beach State Reservation as we attempt each year. It's a pretty popular destination, and rather small as RV parks go (less than 100 sites), so reserving a site takes careful planning and split-second timing. This year, we had neither - we had a small window of time in which to take our annual summer vacation due to the kids' school- and summer- programs, and did not plan accordingly when the reservation window opened.
What this meant was that we wound up only being able to get three days at Scusset this year. Usually we try to reserve 5 or 6 if possible, as it's a wonderful, relaxing place with lots to offer. The beach is absolutely glorious; the Canal offers fishing off the rocks or the pier as well as 7.5 miles of walking/biking/rollerblading trails unimpeded by motorized transport; and should the weather prove daunting, there's lots to do within a ½ hour drive.
Now, with gas @ $4 a gallon, I really didn't want to drive 2+ hours to the Cape for only three days, so we looked around for other campgrounds close by that we could split the week. We found a "Jellystone Park" in East Wareham only 20 minutes away and reserved two additional nights there. Not ideal, as we still have to break camp, pack up, and all that, but it extended our vacation to nearly a week.
We left late on Sunday because my daughter had a very special birthday party to attend in the early afternoon - one of her closest friends from pre-school had a gala event party complete with petting zoo AND pony rides (my daughter is GAGA over ponies/horses/etc.). This meant, naturally, that we didn't hit the road until well after 4 PM, and wound up driving through a blinding thunderstorm. Let me tell you, towing a 27' RV is NOT fun when the winds whip you over and there's standing water in the right lane...
But we made it safe and sound (well, okay, I was looking for a bottle of bourbon to fall into) at Jellystone shortly before nightfall, and got the camper all set up properly:
That's pretty much how the entire stay went. Dark, rainy, and lots of mud... Now, I think had things been different (i.e. had it not been monsoon season), we would have really liked this park - we had about a 2 hour window Monday afternoon where the sun came out and we went swimming in the lake where it was just a lot of fun. But the rain - and there was a LOT of it - meant that the dirt roads made for difficult maneuvering, especially for small ones either just off training wheels or just starting out...
My son expresses his displeasure at the experience:
(It really wasn't that bad, he was just being his normal silly self...).
So we packed up after two soggy days and made our way over to Scusset, which is where we wanted to be in the first place (which may also have colored our impressions of Jellystone...). It was a short drive over to Scusset Beach road, where one is greeted by the Cape Cod Canal Electric plant:
Ordinarily something that looks like a Pink Floyd album cover wouldn't be a welcome sight. However, I've been coming to Scusset Beach since I was a small boy, and the Electric plant rising seemingly out of the sea as one approaches is a visceral clue that vacation time is here. I love seeing that power plant. It means R&R is upon us.
So once again we set up camp, only this time with significantly better weather:
Yeah. That's more like it... The weather was absolutely gorgeous the entire time we were at Scusset. As soon as we set-up camp and had a quick bite to eat we were off to swim in the ocean. Getting back, we realized we had forgotten our clothesline for drying our wet swim trunks and towels, so we improvised. So we present the Dodge Ram Drying Rack:
Heh. And yes, we remembered to get everything off before leaving... (I just know the comments I'll get from the Peanut Gallery for this one...).
Three days of swimming in the ocean, family bike trips along the canal (with my daughter on the tandem behind me we make pretty decent time, actually!), and fishing off the pier with my son. The only way it could possible have been better would have been to have had about another week to stay, especially if it could have been this week as they're predicting a phenomenally beautiful week, weather-wise.
One last shot, one last picture to encapsulate how much I enjoyed this vacation:
That's the view of the start of the Canal itself, with my son leading the way to "go climbing on the rocks". He loves it. Which is only natural, as I loved climbing on those same rocks when I was a little boy, just about his age as a matter of fact... It's funny. I always thought my parents were a little crazy to worry about me as I jumped over crevices and scrambled up and down the sandy inclines.
And then I went and had a little boy who did the very same thing. And *I* worry myself silly watching him jump over crevices and scrambling up and down the inclines. Plus ça change, c'est la même chose...
Okay. I think that's enough introspection. I'll be back with the bile and vitriol soon enough; even sooner if I start thinking about how fucking stupid people are when it comes to driving around slow, heavy recreational vehicles...
That is all.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
What It's Like To Be Me...
This is the kind of fail of which my life is made...
Gonna take the Harley out for a ride. It's been a while since my butt's seen saddle time, and today I was gonna rectify that serious transgression. Got my chores done by mid-afternoon, then got ready for a nice long solitary ride.
Jeans? Check.
Tank top? Check.
Leather vest? Check.
½ helmet? Check.
New shades? Check.
Dark storm clouds looming on the horizon? Aw, fuckit, I'll be back before that hits...
So I'm out on the bike, enjoying the ride, etc. It's about 80º, not too humid, I'm likin' the feeling of the wind in my face. Quick vanity check passing the bank, yeah, not too shabby for an old man. Even got a second glance from the soccer mom in the Escalade at the traffic light.
And then... (you know what's coming, right?)
The skies open up. Not a gentle, warm summer rain; oh, no sirree. This is a full-scale thunderstorm, lightning, the whole works. Rain pelting my face, stinging like needles as I point the bike towards home post-haste.
The tank top and vest that had been showcasing my muscled torso were now cruelly mocking me as I shivered, my teeth chattering in time to the v-twin beneath me. "Yeah, you just had to go for form over function this time, didn't you?", screams the intelligent portion of my brain; the portion controlled by vanity cowered in the corner, shamed into silence by the goosebumps on my arms.
I *did* remember to take extra care on the on- and off-ramps to the highway, and soon rolled into the garage a much wetter biker than when I left. This time, trying to be cool just got me cold...
And, not for nothin', but about 5 minutes after the garage door closed and I got the bike wiped down? Yeah. Nothin' but sunshine.
That is all.
Gonna take the Harley out for a ride. It's been a while since my butt's seen saddle time, and today I was gonna rectify that serious transgression. Got my chores done by mid-afternoon, then got ready for a nice long solitary ride.
Jeans? Check.
Tank top? Check.
Leather vest? Check.
½ helmet? Check.
New shades? Check.
Dark storm clouds looming on the horizon? Aw, fuckit, I'll be back before that hits...
So I'm out on the bike, enjoying the ride, etc. It's about 80º, not too humid, I'm likin' the feeling of the wind in my face. Quick vanity check passing the bank, yeah, not too shabby for an old man. Even got a second glance from the soccer mom in the Escalade at the traffic light.
And then... (you know what's coming, right?)
The skies open up. Not a gentle, warm summer rain; oh, no sirree. This is a full-scale thunderstorm, lightning, the whole works. Rain pelting my face, stinging like needles as I point the bike towards home post-haste.
The tank top and vest that had been showcasing my muscled torso were now cruelly mocking me as I shivered, my teeth chattering in time to the v-twin beneath me. "Yeah, you just had to go for form over function this time, didn't you?", screams the intelligent portion of my brain; the portion controlled by vanity cowered in the corner, shamed into silence by the goosebumps on my arms.
I *did* remember to take extra care on the on- and off-ramps to the highway, and soon rolled into the garage a much wetter biker than when I left. This time, trying to be cool just got me cold...
And, not for nothin', but about 5 minutes after the garage door closed and I got the bike wiped down? Yeah. Nothin' but sunshine.
That is all.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Civilization!
Ahhhh...
Back in the land of internet connectivity. I was sorely tempted to buy a laptop and a satellite connection after about the third day of internet-free living.
My name is Jay G., and I am an internet addict.
S0, what happened while I was getting rained on and eaten by bugs the size of small Hyundais?
More to come, later, after the unpacking is completed and the children are properly anaesthetized with cable television...
That is all...
Back in the land of internet connectivity. I was sorely tempted to buy a laptop and a satellite connection after about the third day of internet-free living.
My name is Jay G., and I am an internet addict.
S0, what happened while I was getting rained on and eaten by bugs the size of small Hyundais?
More to come, later, after the unpacking is completed and the children are properly anaesthetized with cable television...
That is all...
Friday Gun Pr0n #72
Here's another fine firearm represented at the Northeast Bloggershoot last month:
Yes, that is an actual broomhandled Mauser in 7.63 Mauser (astute readers will note the lack of the red "9" on the grip as indicative of the original chambering). This was another magnificent offering brought by Paul of State Line Gun Shop (can't have enough gratuitous plugs for Paul!).
For those who were wondering, the Mauser is grandfathered by the ATF for the shoulder stock. It does not achieve NFA status as an AOW (Any Other Weapon) as would, say, a Glock 34 with a shoulder stock attached (the Glock in the link is also a Class III machine pistol; if it had a suppressor on it it would hit the trifecta of NFA status...)
Also didn't get to shoot this gun, and really wish I'd gotten a chance - I've never fired a broomhandled Mauser, which, growing up watching Star Wars and Han Solo's blaster, is almost a crime...
Should be back to post some fresh stuff soon. Until then,
That is all.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
One More Day...
One more day until vacation is over (fooey) and I can get back to my regularly scheduled ranting and ravings (yay!).
Hope y'all haven't forgotten me already...
That is all.
Hope y'all haven't forgotten me already...
That is all.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Meditations on Open Carry
First caveat: In case you've been living on Mars, I'm in the Volksrepublik of Massa-fucking-chusetts, one of the most anti-gun states in the union. My thoughts on open carry are rather heavily prejudiced by the overwhelmingly anti-gun attitude I experience on a daily basis in MA.
NOTE: I am biased.
There. It's out of the way.
If I were to open carry a handgun in MA, several things are very likely to happen.
*Someone will call the police with a frenzied "Man with a Gun" type call - OH NOES! Scawwy gun!
*The police, not knowing it's a law-abiding citizen exercising his Second Amendment right, will approach the sitation as a "felony stop" - I'll have a boot on my neck and several loaded guns aimed at my vital organs.
*I may or may not be charged with a crime - it's a grey area whether or not they could prosecute me for "Posing a public danger" or nuisance or somesuch.
*I will most likely have my firearms permit revoked by my Chief of Police as an "unsuitable" person. This means that I lose the guns I own, and would have to answer "Yes" to the question of have you ever had a permit revoked should I move to another state and apply for a permit there.
So, needless to say, I am more likely to run buck nekkid through Faneuil Hall at noon the day after Thanksgiving than I am to open carry in MA.
As far as open carrying in a friendly state, like NH, I'm still ambivalent. There are enough stories of people getting hassled that I honestly wouldn't risk it - see the part above about being declared "unsuitable". I have in the past open-carried in NH, but won't do it again until I move there...
All that said, I can't really get behind open carry. I just don't think it's a tactically sound practice for a non-LEO person. I'd rather have the element of surprise.
I don't buy into the "having a gun will make the criminal think twice". I feel (and that's all it is, a feeling) that a criminal would be more likely to blindside you in an attempt to get your firearm or simply shoot first, steal later. Put plainly, if they're smart enough to see the gun and avoid you, they're smart enough to chose a better line of work than strong-arm robbery. That's my feeling.
I'd rather keep my gun hidden from view and maintain the element of surprise. A little practice in drawing from concealment and the extra second afforded an open pistol is negated.
Sure, in a perfect world no citizen would be hassled for open carry. In an ideal world, the sheeple wouldn't go into a blind screaming panic if they caught sight of a firearm carried by someone not wearing a uniform. Then again, in a perfect world we wouldn't have people looking to steal from us, and as such could leave our firearms for the target range only.
Until then, mine stays hidden. "Keep it secret, keep it safe", as it were (tip 'o' the pen to Gandalf...)
That is all.
NOTE: I am biased.
There. It's out of the way.
If I were to open carry a handgun in MA, several things are very likely to happen.
*Someone will call the police with a frenzied "Man with a Gun" type call - OH NOES! Scawwy gun!
*The police, not knowing it's a law-abiding citizen exercising his Second Amendment right, will approach the sitation as a "felony stop" - I'll have a boot on my neck and several loaded guns aimed at my vital organs.
*I may or may not be charged with a crime - it's a grey area whether or not they could prosecute me for "Posing a public danger" or nuisance or somesuch.
*I will most likely have my firearms permit revoked by my Chief of Police as an "unsuitable" person. This means that I lose the guns I own, and would have to answer "Yes" to the question of have you ever had a permit revoked should I move to another state and apply for a permit there.
So, needless to say, I am more likely to run buck nekkid through Faneuil Hall at noon the day after Thanksgiving than I am to open carry in MA.
As far as open carrying in a friendly state, like NH, I'm still ambivalent. There are enough stories of people getting hassled that I honestly wouldn't risk it - see the part above about being declared "unsuitable". I have in the past open-carried in NH, but won't do it again until I move there...
All that said, I can't really get behind open carry. I just don't think it's a tactically sound practice for a non-LEO person. I'd rather have the element of surprise.
I don't buy into the "having a gun will make the criminal think twice". I feel (and that's all it is, a feeling) that a criminal would be more likely to blindside you in an attempt to get your firearm or simply shoot first, steal later. Put plainly, if they're smart enough to see the gun and avoid you, they're smart enough to chose a better line of work than strong-arm robbery. That's my feeling.
I'd rather keep my gun hidden from view and maintain the element of surprise. A little practice in drawing from concealment and the extra second afforded an open pistol is negated.
Sure, in a perfect world no citizen would be hassled for open carry. In an ideal world, the sheeple wouldn't go into a blind screaming panic if they caught sight of a firearm carried by someone not wearing a uniform. Then again, in a perfect world we wouldn't have people looking to steal from us, and as such could leave our firearms for the target range only.
Until then, mine stays hidden. "Keep it secret, keep it safe", as it were (tip 'o' the pen to Gandalf...)
That is all.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Does It Show???
...That I really, really, really like the "Scheduled Post" feature?
Is this something new, or have I just been operating blindly here?
(Don't answer that. It was rhetorical...)
That is all.
Is this something new, or have I just been operating blindly here?
(Don't answer that. It was rhetorical...)
That is all.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Gone Fishin'...
Truck packed? Check.
Camper packed? Check.
15 page list of things to remember? Check.
78 pages of directions and phone numbers? Check.
Ah, the crazy wanton hedonism of vacationing with the family...
Goin' dark for the week, folks. I've scheduled a few posts for the remainder of the week, including a Friday Gun pic, and will try to pop on if I can find an internet cafe or library somewhere on my travels.
If not, see you on Friday!
That is all.
Camper packed? Check.
15 page list of things to remember? Check.
78 pages of directions and phone numbers? Check.
Ah, the crazy wanton hedonism of vacationing with the family...
Goin' dark for the week, folks. I've scheduled a few posts for the remainder of the week, including a Friday Gun pic, and will try to pop on if I can find an internet cafe or library somewhere on my travels.
If not, see you on Friday!
That is all.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
And Yes, Even More Additions...
Found not one but two new blogs that need to be added to the MArooned blogroll...
1. DJK at Of Life and Liberty has been on my list to add for a bit - I know he's had MArooned on his roll for a while now, and I had been racking my brain trying to remember where from... he's trapped in Kalifornistan, my west coast brother trapped behind the red curtain.
2. Bunnyman (there's gotta be story behind that name!) at A Bullet-shaped hole where the answers should be (ditto) joins the crew. Anyone with a tag for "Blowing shit up" deserves a spot...
There is a third blog I know I've seen linking here from someone else trapped in the Volksrepublik, but I'll be damned if I can find it.
Folks, once again, if you link to MArooned and your blog is not represented on the blogroll, shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment. Thanks!
That is all.
1. DJK at Of Life and Liberty has been on my list to add for a bit - I know he's had MArooned on his roll for a while now, and I had been racking my brain trying to remember where from... he's trapped in Kalifornistan, my west coast brother trapped behind the red curtain.
2. Bunnyman (there's gotta be story behind that name!) at A Bullet-shaped hole where the answers should be (ditto) joins the crew. Anyone with a tag for "Blowing shit up" deserves a spot...
There is a third blog I know I've seen linking here from someone else trapped in the Volksrepublik, but I'll be damned if I can find it.
Folks, once again, if you link to MArooned and your blog is not represented on the blogroll, shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment. Thanks!
That is all.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Ugh...
Alternate title: Motherfucker!
Son of a bitch. Spent three and a half hours mowing the damn lawn (it rained the past two weekends), and when I finally finished up and went to check on the camper, I noticed that one of the tires was flat.
This is not good...
So I grab my floor jack. Broken.
I go next door to borrow dad's floor jack. He lent it to a friend.
Sigh. Well, I'll use the jack from the truck. If I ever get a flat on the road, that's what I'll be using anyways.
Get the (pitiful) jack under the camper, start cranking. It gets about an inch from the frame and then stops. It's too short. {grumble}{grumble} sonofamotherfuckindouchbagbitch-wait!
Grab the blocks I made for leveling the camper, jam them under the jack, and get the wheel off. Big ol' roofing nail jammed square into the tread. Fuck fuck fuck.
Call around. Find that NTB is open until 7. Yay! (Yes, it would have been significantly cheaper to have plugged it myself. I'm a lazy bastard. Sue me). Since we were heading that way anyways, toss the tire in the trunk of the Honda and take off.
NTB fixes the tire and then lets me know they have replacements (another tire has some gashes in the sidewall from a pothole) for $89 installed. SCORE! I had found a couple camper places that were selling the tire alone for $160. Fuck that shit. NTB it is.
So, color me a happy camper (ha! Get it!?!?!) with NTB. $20 to plug a tire is on the steep side, but getting it done at 6:30 PM the night before we leave for the Cape (100 miles away) was well worth the money.
$50 says the truck won't start tomorrow...
That is all.
Son of a bitch. Spent three and a half hours mowing the damn lawn (it rained the past two weekends), and when I finally finished up and went to check on the camper, I noticed that one of the tires was flat.
This is not good...
So I grab my floor jack. Broken.
I go next door to borrow dad's floor jack. He lent it to a friend.
Sigh. Well, I'll use the jack from the truck. If I ever get a flat on the road, that's what I'll be using anyways.
Get the (pitiful) jack under the camper, start cranking. It gets about an inch from the frame and then stops. It's too short. {grumble}{grumble} sonofamotherfuckindouchbagbitch-wait!
Grab the blocks I made for leveling the camper, jam them under the jack, and get the wheel off. Big ol' roofing nail jammed square into the tread. Fuck fuck fuck.
Call around. Find that NTB is open until 7. Yay! (Yes, it would have been significantly cheaper to have plugged it myself. I'm a lazy bastard. Sue me). Since we were heading that way anyways, toss the tire in the trunk of the Honda and take off.
NTB fixes the tire and then lets me know they have replacements (another tire has some gashes in the sidewall from a pothole) for $89 installed. SCORE! I had found a couple camper places that were selling the tire alone for $160. Fuck that shit. NTB it is.
So, color me a happy camper (ha! Get it!?!?!) with NTB. $20 to plug a tire is on the steep side, but getting it done at 6:30 PM the night before we leave for the Cape (100 miles away) was well worth the money.
$50 says the truck won't start tomorrow...
That is all.
Let's See How This Goes...
Okay. Leaving on vacation tomorrow afternoon. Whole week down @ the Cape, relaxing, swimming, fishing, etc. Some much needed R&R with the fam in the RV.
Weighed in this morning: 174.0 pounds. Let's see what happens after a week of (relatively) unsupervised eating (I am on vacation, after all) and no formal exercise (I can't say no exercise, as I intend to bike the canal every morning, plus we usually walk several miles a day back and forth to the beach, around the campground, etc.).
Will try to check in periodically with updates - I surmise that the trip down will provide at least a post or two's worth of road rage, as people do not seem to understand the difficulties involved in towing a 27' trailer... But for the most part, I'm planning on relaxing, and if I don't see a keyboard from Monday through Thursday, well...
That is all.
Weighed in this morning: 174.0 pounds. Let's see what happens after a week of (relatively) unsupervised eating (I am on vacation, after all) and no formal exercise (I can't say no exercise, as I intend to bike the canal every morning, plus we usually walk several miles a day back and forth to the beach, around the campground, etc.).
Will try to check in periodically with updates - I surmise that the trip down will provide at least a post or two's worth of road rage, as people do not seem to understand the difficulties involved in towing a 27' trailer... But for the most part, I'm planning on relaxing, and if I don't see a keyboard from Monday through Thursday, well...
That is all.
Friday, August 8, 2008
EUREKA!
I just had an epiphany. Holy shit, I can't believe I haven't thought of this sooner.
I am fat.
Now, I don't mean this in a anorexic, I-can-never-be-thin-enough kind of way. I'm happy with my current weight and size. I mean it in the sense of a recovering alcoholic. They realize the power that alcohol has over them, and as such are always alcoholics, even if they haven't had a drink in decades.
For me, it's the same with food and overindulgence. I am fat. As long as I realize the place that food has in my life - and the delicate balance of eating vs. overeating - I will be fine. The moment that I think I have the addiction licked, and start to let my guard down, is when I'll go back to the old ways.
I am fat.
And I will continue to be fat for as long as I can. I think it's the secret to maintaining my proper weight. As soon as I start thinking, "hey, I can have that doublecheeseburger and fries for lunch, I'll just eat less tomorrow", I'm done for. Keeping my weight down will require the same vigilance and guard against back-sliding as any other recovering addict.
The only difference is, other addicts can live without their chosen drug. Food addicts don't have that luxury. We need to walk the tightrope between eating to live and living to eat...
That is all.
I am fat.
Now, I don't mean this in a anorexic, I-can-never-be-thin-enough kind of way. I'm happy with my current weight and size. I mean it in the sense of a recovering alcoholic. They realize the power that alcohol has over them, and as such are always alcoholics, even if they haven't had a drink in decades.
For me, it's the same with food and overindulgence. I am fat. As long as I realize the place that food has in my life - and the delicate balance of eating vs. overeating - I will be fine. The moment that I think I have the addiction licked, and start to let my guard down, is when I'll go back to the old ways.
I am fat.
And I will continue to be fat for as long as I can. I think it's the secret to maintaining my proper weight. As soon as I start thinking, "hey, I can have that doublecheeseburger and fries for lunch, I'll just eat less tomorrow", I'm done for. Keeping my weight down will require the same vigilance and guard against back-sliding as any other recovering addict.
The only difference is, other addicts can live without their chosen drug. Food addicts don't have that luxury. We need to walk the tightrope between eating to live and living to eat...
That is all.
Quick Bleg...
A very specific, targeted bleg...
I've got a post sitting in drafts welcoming two new blogs to the MArooned blogroll.
I know I've seen a third blog that links here, but I will be damned if I can remember the name. I remember it being a MA-based blog with something like "Ward Twenty" or something in the title. The tagline over the links said something like "I'm picking up what these guys are throwing down", if that helps.
Brother, if you're out there reading, post a quick comment so I can get you added to the 'roll.
And if there's anyone else out there who links here but isn't represented, comment away...
That is all.
I've got a post sitting in drafts welcoming two new blogs to the MArooned blogroll.
I know I've seen a third blog that links here, but I will be damned if I can remember the name. I remember it being a MA-based blog with something like "Ward Twenty" or something in the title. The tagline over the links said something like "I'm picking up what these guys are throwing down", if that helps.
Brother, if you're out there reading, post a quick comment so I can get you added to the 'roll.
And if there's anyone else out there who links here but isn't represented, comment away...
That is all.
The Times, They Are 'A-Changin'...
Dropped my daughter off at day care about an hour ago.
For the last time, ever.
She's off to Kindergarten in 2½ weeks. Next week we're on vacation (more on that later). Week after Mrs. G. is taking off work toride herd over the cats take care of the kids (since the summer program my son is in also ends today). Then it's off on the big yellow bus, just like her brother did two years ago.
*sigh*
Who the hell told them they could grow up???
No one told me when I signed up for this that they'd get so damned big so damned fast; that they'd stop being the adorable little babies that cooed on command and made cute, Gerber-like faces 'round the clock; that they would have the audacity to grow up?
Now I've got two kids in the public skool system (and no, please, no comments about home-schooling. As much as I'd like to do it,. it's not possible right now). Our community is, as my left-leaning boss says, firmly stuck in the 1950s - they still say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning and have an American flag in every classroom. We consider ourselves more south-NH than north-MA (if only we could secede to NH...). The indoctrination is fairly mild - no "please dump your pencils and crayons into the communal bin so everyone has some" crap; only moderate "zero tolerance"-type policies; and the "self-esteem uber-alles" mentality is not completely entrenched.
It's not a bad place to live and raise children, as far as Massa-fucking-chusetts goes.
All that aside, both kids are in school full-time now. While it's good for the budget (no more $800/month day care!!!), it's a stark reminder of how old I'm getting... My son's going into second grade, which, when I was his age, was BMOC - we had two schools in town, one K-2, the other 3-6 (the K-2 school was closed shortly after I went through the program, and all rumors that I was involved are spurious lies...). Now he's on the younger side of the spectrum, with his sister a PS noob...
I'm glad he's going to be there to look after her. Not that she'll need it, of course - this is the girl I firmly believe will "break legs, not hearts" - but it helps dear-old-dad feel better. He's on board with sitting next to her on the bus and showing her around the school, and I couldn't be prouder of him for that.
Man... Oh, oh, what I want to know-oh, where does the time go?
That is all.
For the last time, ever.
She's off to Kindergarten in 2½ weeks. Next week we're on vacation (more on that later). Week after Mrs. G. is taking off work to
*sigh*
Who the hell told them they could grow up???
No one told me when I signed up for this that they'd get so damned big so damned fast; that they'd stop being the adorable little babies that cooed on command and made cute, Gerber-like faces 'round the clock; that they would have the audacity to grow up?
Now I've got two kids in the public skool system (and no, please, no comments about home-schooling. As much as I'd like to do it,. it's not possible right now). Our community is, as my left-leaning boss says, firmly stuck in the 1950s - they still say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning and have an American flag in every classroom. We consider ourselves more south-NH than north-MA (if only we could secede to NH...). The indoctrination is fairly mild - no "please dump your pencils and crayons into the communal bin so everyone has some" crap; only moderate "zero tolerance"-type policies; and the "self-esteem uber-alles" mentality is not completely entrenched.
It's not a bad place to live and raise children, as far as Massa-fucking-chusetts goes.
All that aside, both kids are in school full-time now. While it's good for the budget (no more $800/month day care!!!), it's a stark reminder of how old I'm getting... My son's going into second grade, which, when I was his age, was BMOC - we had two schools in town, one K-2, the other 3-6 (the K-2 school was closed shortly after I went through the program, and all rumors that I was involved are spurious lies...). Now he's on the younger side of the spectrum, with his sister a PS noob...
I'm glad he's going to be there to look after her. Not that she'll need it, of course - this is the girl I firmly believe will "break legs, not hearts" - but it helps dear-old-dad feel better. He's on board with sitting next to her on the bus and showing her around the school, and I couldn't be prouder of him for that.
Man... Oh, oh, what I want to know-oh, where does the time go?
That is all.
Friday Gun Pr0n #71
Alternate title: Be vewwy, vewwy quiet...
Today's firearm pic is another piece that was brought to the Northeast Bloggershoot last month. It's a pretty ordinary Walther P22 .22LR semi-automatic pistol, a neat little plinker to be sure and a training tool for folks who carry the Walther P99 series of handguns (or Smith & Wesson's twin, the SW99 series).
With a twist - it's got a can:
Today's firearm pic is another piece that was brought to the Northeast Bloggershoot last month. It's a pretty ordinary Walther P22 .22LR semi-automatic pistol, a neat little plinker to be sure and a training tool for folks who carry the Walther P99 series of handguns (or Smith & Wesson's twin, the SW99 series).
With a twist - it's got a can:
Ah. Nothing like a suppressed .22LR firearm to really bring home just how quiet freedom can be.
Shooting this gun without hearing protection, all you can hear is the action cycling and the rounds hitting downrange. It's quite surreal. If I lived in Free America this would be quite high on the list of fun guns worth dropping the $200 tax on (MA doesn't allow suppressed weapons unless you're a manufacturer thereof).
Interestingly enough, I loaded up my Smith & Wesson Model 17 with Aguilar's primer-only .22LR rounds, and it was only marginally louder. There was a "pop" on ignition of the round, but on a par with a small firecracker or powerful air rifle, not a regular .22LR. It's good information to file away...
That is all.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
A Mess 'O' Messors...
Despite the machinations of Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks to make ants cute and cuddly (see: Bambification), the G. household is currently waging chemical warfare against the rampaging Insecta Hymenoptera hordes.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of ants, I will fear no infestation: For thou art with me; Thy pyrrethroid pesticides, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the absense of six-legged beasties; Thou cleareth my table of sugar; My cup runneth over.
That is all.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of ants, I will fear no infestation: For thou art with me; Thy pyrrethroid pesticides, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the absense of six-legged beasties; Thou cleareth my table of sugar; My cup runneth over.
That is all.
Nuh-Uh...
If trends continue, we’ll all be fat in 40 years
Four words here, folks: Not. All. Of. Us.
I've been there. I ain't goin' back.
That is all.
Researchers: By 2048, every American could be at least slightly overweight
NEW YORK - If the trends of the past three decades continue, it’s possible that every American adult could be overweight 40 years from now, a government-funded study projects.
The figure might sound alarming, or impossible, but researchers say that even if the actual rate never reaches the 100-percent mark, any upward movement is worrying; two-thirds of the population is already overweight.
Four words here, folks: Not. All. Of. Us.
I've been there. I ain't goin' back.
That is all.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Too Cute Not To Share...
Last weekend an old friend stopped by. Adam* and I met in junior high, and have been friends since we were 12 years old. In 2000 his job took him west to CA (and then on to OK), and we've kept in touch mainly by phone and e-mail ever since.
He was back in the area for his 20th high school reunion and stopped in for dinner last weekend (weekend before last, actually). While he was here, he took a bunch of pictures to bring home to his family so they could see how we're all doing (and yes, they were all amazed at my weight loss. I eat that shit up...).
My daughter decided that she wanted to be the center of attention, so she got into the dress-ups and went all out:
He was back in the area for his 20th high school reunion and stopped in for dinner last weekend (weekend before last, actually). While he was here, he took a bunch of pictures to bring home to his family so they could see how we're all doing (and yes, they were all amazed at my weight loss. I eat that shit up...).
My daughter decided that she wanted to be the center of attention, so she got into the dress-ups and went all out:
Isn't that just the cutest thing you've ever seen? Daddy's Little Princess, indeed... (the backpack was new that day, as part of her back-to-school shopping. She loves it so much she couldn't put it down, so she wore it over the dress-ups...) And ya just gotta love the Spongebob imitation Crocs...
That is all...
*Names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent...
More (Wheel)Gun Lust...
Okay, so I detailed my desire for a new (to me) round gun here.
I was waxing more theoretical in that post. However... I've stumbled across a Smith & Wesson Model 22 at a very reasonable price locally. And it's instilled a serious case of the "I'vegottahavits"... Man...
Unfortunately, while the price is reasonable, I don't have it. So the question remains, what can I hawk to afford this thing of beauty??? I've gotten rid of all the guns I just don't shoot any more, for whatever reason, so I'm left with either selling something I really don't want to (which will lead to "seller's remorse"), or passing on a fantastic deal.
Decisions, decisions...
That is all.
I was waxing more theoretical in that post. However... I've stumbled across a Smith & Wesson Model 22 at a very reasonable price locally. And it's instilled a serious case of the "I'vegottahavits"... Man...
Unfortunately, while the price is reasonable, I don't have it. So the question remains, what can I hawk to afford this thing of beauty??? I've gotten rid of all the guns I just don't shoot any more, for whatever reason, so I'm left with either selling something I really don't want to (which will lead to "seller's remorse"), or passing on a fantastic deal.
Decisions, decisions...
That is all.
At the Hop...
Took my son to his first dance last night. The summer program at the school he attends holds a dance during the last week of camp, and as this was his first year in the program, this was his first dance.
I'm firmly convinced that the only reason that they allow parents inside is to make us realize just how fucking old we are. The counselors are all high-school kids; even the guy who runs the program can't be more than 25 or so. All the music is current pop music. In other words, I was about as out of place as my parents, refuges from the '50s, were when they dropped me off at *my* first dance...
Secondly, I was struck by the way my son seemed firmly rooted in the middle of phases. He would still wave to his ol' dad from time to time, and came over to me when he wanted to take a break so we could sit together at the table. But on the other hand, he'd get together with his friends from school, act silly, tease the girls, etc. and when he noticed me watching him he'd shake his head and kinda shoo me off.
It won't be much longer at all before he wants me to just drop him off and leave him there. And not much longer after that before he's hitching rides with his buddies rather than his old man.
I am not looking forward to that stage. I want to freeze time, right fucking now, and hold onto that little boy who still waves to his dad even in a group of his peers. I already miss the little boy who crawled into my bed asking for "cuddle time", or asking me to read him a story. To be certain, there are many advantages to this stage - I've already crowed about spending an afternoon knocking over cans in the backyard with an air rifle; something I wouldn't have done 2 or 3 years ago.
But I can see my little boy turning into a young man... And while I'm proud of him and the young man he's becoming, part of me knows that young men turn into middle-schoolers, who turn into high-schoolers... And then... Cue "Cats in the Cradle"...
I love you, pal. No matter how big you are or how old you get.
That is all.
I'm firmly convinced that the only reason that they allow parents inside is to make us realize just how fucking old we are. The counselors are all high-school kids; even the guy who runs the program can't be more than 25 or so. All the music is current pop music. In other words, I was about as out of place as my parents, refuges from the '50s, were when they dropped me off at *my* first dance...
Secondly, I was struck by the way my son seemed firmly rooted in the middle of phases. He would still wave to his ol' dad from time to time, and came over to me when he wanted to take a break so we could sit together at the table. But on the other hand, he'd get together with his friends from school, act silly, tease the girls, etc. and when he noticed me watching him he'd shake his head and kinda shoo me off.
It won't be much longer at all before he wants me to just drop him off and leave him there. And not much longer after that before he's hitching rides with his buddies rather than his old man.
I am not looking forward to that stage. I want to freeze time, right fucking now, and hold onto that little boy who still waves to his dad even in a group of his peers. I already miss the little boy who crawled into my bed asking for "cuddle time", or asking me to read him a story. To be certain, there are many advantages to this stage - I've already crowed about spending an afternoon knocking over cans in the backyard with an air rifle; something I wouldn't have done 2 or 3 years ago.
But I can see my little boy turning into a young man... And while I'm proud of him and the young man he's becoming, part of me knows that young men turn into middle-schoolers, who turn into high-schoolers... And then... Cue "Cats in the Cradle"...
I love you, pal. No matter how big you are or how old you get.
That is all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
