Love him or hate him, it's still the end of an era.
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
I've got Kim to thank for renewing my love of all things that go bang. I'd gotten into the shooting sports as a young lad; renewed interest when I got my LTC after my grandfather passed and I inherited his cherished firearms; and then lost interest as life intervened.
Discovering Kim's site rekindled my love of things that go boom. My life, and my wallet, haven't been the same since. I'll always cherish the words of wisdom imparted to me when I asked Kim's opinion of two different .22LR revolvers: "Buy both". And I did...
Thank you, Kim, for everything. Enjoy the retirement. Punch a hippie.
That is all.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Of Course You Realize...
...this means war!
Mighty tough talk from a man who has Rush bobbleheads...
And yes, I do have Star Trek ornaments... Not just Worf, but James T. and Sisko, too. And the Enterprise D on a stand. Doesn't everyone?
That is all...
And, in the spirit of "Hopenchange for the Holidays", I will not be making my annual snarky comment about Jay's...um..."totally awesome" Star Trek ornaments.
Mighty tough talk from a man who has Rush bobbleheads...
And yes, I do have Star Trek ornaments... Not just Worf, but James T. and Sisko, too. And the Enterprise D on a stand. Doesn't everyone?
That is all...
Saturday, November 29, 2008
More Musical Musings...
Caught the tail end of this one on the '80s channel on Sirius Satellite Radio the other day. For a moment, I was transported back to 1989, when the album was released. I remember thinking, the first time I heard it, "wow, that'd be a bitch to listen to if you ever got dumped"...
And now y'all have that little bit of cheesy 80s earworm stuck in your heads...
Heh heh heh.
That is all.
And now y'all have that little bit of cheesy 80s earworm stuck in your heads...
Heh heh heh.
That is all.
Watch This Space...
Important Northeast Blogger Gathering update to be posted Monday AM.
That is all.
That is all.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Blogroll Adjustments & Additions
First off, please welcome MauserMedic to the MArooned 'roll. Milsurp rifles and motorcycles. Nope, nothing in common there... :)
Secondly, it's way past time I added Sebastian from Snowflakes in Hell to the 'roll. Sorry about the oversight...
And lastly, please note that Epijunky has new digs! She broke free of the Blogger collective. Way to go, Epi! Adjust your blogrolls accordingly.
Someday I've got to look into doing something like that. Yeah, in my infinite free time...
That is all.
Secondly, it's way past time I added Sebastian from Snowflakes in Hell to the 'roll. Sorry about the oversight...
And lastly, please note that Epijunky has new digs! She broke free of the Blogger collective. Way to go, Epi! Adjust your blogrolls accordingly.
Someday I've got to look into doing something like that. Yeah, in my infinite free time...
That is all.
Friday Fun Thread: Iconic Cars...
This week's Fun Thread was going to center around Movie Cars from the 1970s, when something caught my eye during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. It was a promotional vehicle created for a snack food manufacturer. And that got me to thinking... (always a frightening prospect).
How many cars/trucks/etc. out there have achieved "icon" status?
3. Delorean Time Machine. Yeah, it's already made a previous list. I think the time-traveling DeLorean is worth a second mention - see previous note about nostalgia. The "Back to the Future" franchise practically defined the 1980s, as did the DeLorean that co-starred.
4. Mach 5. Okay, while most of the cars on this list aren't street-legal Detroit (or Tokyo) offerings, this one's not even a real car. No list of famous cars would be complete without putting "Go Speed Racer, go Speed Racer, go Speed Racer, GO" in your collective subconscious.
5. Herbie. Yes, Disney's too-cute-for-words Volkswagen Beetle makes the cut. How on earth a 1963 VW with self-determination and a propensity for winning races (SRSLY? A Beetle?) became an icon is a testament to the power of the mouse... Plus it's a VW Beetle, which is pretty iconic in its own right.
6. Mystery Machine. Okay, a second cartoon vehicle makes the list. But how many kids who grew up in the 1970s couldn't pick this hippie-dippie van out of a line-up? Only in cartoons would two guys, two girls, and a Great Dane traveling around in a custom van with no apparent means of support and voracious appetites not arouse immediate suspicion...
7. Richard Petty's #43. The basis for Strip Weathers' The King in "Cars", Richard Petty's 1970 Superbird has got to be one of the most recognizable cars in existence; certainly in the top three for racing cars.
8. Aston Martin DB5. First appearing in Goldfinger, the tricked out DB5 was bullet-proof, heavily armed, and had a passenger ejection seat (and guys, no comments on how handy that would be when driving with the Mrs...). How could James Bond's signature vehicle not make a list of icons?
9. 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. I can't think of a car that's been more parodied, deified, or otherwise featured in popular culture. From Greased Lightning in Grease to countless other TV show cars (Simon & Simon) and movies (there were a whole spate of cheesy '80s movies with retro-50s themes) to endless songs ("in a 57 Chevrolet")... I think the 1957 Chevy Bel Air qualifies as a distinctly unique piece of American automotive history.
10. UPS Delivery truck. I've got to throw this in for my fellow C&R holders. The "Brown Truck of Happiness" showing up at your house is a sure-fire guarantee for some gunnie goodness. Am I right, guys?
Thus ends another list of unique and interesting vehicles. This list is one of the more subjective lists (as opposed to the other highly subjective lists, I guess...), and I had fun putting it together. As always, any additions, quibbles, etc. are more than welcome in comments!
That is all.
How many cars/trucks/etc. out there have achieved "icon" status?
There are some cars that are instantly recognizable. Show a picture of one of these cars, it's a pretty safe bet that 9 out of 10 people would know where it comes from.
1. Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. It's a car. Shaped like a hotdog. 'Nuff said? I would be very surprised if more than one person out of 100 couldn't identify the Wienermobile.
2. Batmobile. Nostalgia prompts me to show the 1960s campy Batmobile; however the Tim Burton version as well as the retro-, pre-quel "Batman Begins" version is acceptable as well.3. Delorean Time Machine. Yeah, it's already made a previous list. I think the time-traveling DeLorean is worth a second mention - see previous note about nostalgia. The "Back to the Future" franchise practically defined the 1980s, as did the DeLorean that co-starred.
4. Mach 5. Okay, while most of the cars on this list aren't street-legal Detroit (or Tokyo) offerings, this one's not even a real car. No list of famous cars would be complete without putting "Go Speed Racer, go Speed Racer, go Speed Racer, GO" in your collective subconscious.
5. Herbie. Yes, Disney's too-cute-for-words Volkswagen Beetle makes the cut. How on earth a 1963 VW with self-determination and a propensity for winning races (SRSLY? A Beetle?) became an icon is a testament to the power of the mouse... Plus it's a VW Beetle, which is pretty iconic in its own right.
6. Mystery Machine. Okay, a second cartoon vehicle makes the list. But how many kids who grew up in the 1970s couldn't pick this hippie-dippie van out of a line-up? Only in cartoons would two guys, two girls, and a Great Dane traveling around in a custom van with no apparent means of support and voracious appetites not arouse immediate suspicion...
7. Richard Petty's #43. The basis for Strip Weathers' The King in "Cars", Richard Petty's 1970 Superbird has got to be one of the most recognizable cars in existence; certainly in the top three for racing cars.
8. Aston Martin DB5. First appearing in Goldfinger, the tricked out DB5 was bullet-proof, heavily armed, and had a passenger ejection seat (and guys, no comments on how handy that would be when driving with the Mrs...). How could James Bond's signature vehicle not make a list of icons?
9. 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. I can't think of a car that's been more parodied, deified, or otherwise featured in popular culture. From Greased Lightning in Grease to countless other TV show cars (Simon & Simon) and movies (there were a whole spate of cheesy '80s movies with retro-50s themes) to endless songs ("in a 57 Chevrolet")... I think the 1957 Chevy Bel Air qualifies as a distinctly unique piece of American automotive history.
10. UPS Delivery truck. I've got to throw this in for my fellow C&R holders. The "Brown Truck of Happiness" showing up at your house is a sure-fire guarantee for some gunnie goodness. Am I right, guys?
Thus ends another list of unique and interesting vehicles. This list is one of the more subjective lists (as opposed to the other highly subjective lists, I guess...), and I had fun putting it together. As always, any additions, quibbles, etc. are more than welcome in comments!
That is all.
Friday Gun Pr0n #87
Today's gun pic is one of my favorite little guns, a North American Arms Mini-22LR.
I lucked upon this particular gun a few years back. It was taken into consignment at the local gun shop, and they were putting it on the shelf as I walked in to reserve a lane at the range. It wasn't in the case for more than 30 seconds before I was putting down a deposit...
It came with a case and a really neat extra, a folding grip:
Here's the grip in the folded position:
I lucked upon this particular gun a few years back. It was taken into consignment at the local gun shop, and they were putting it on the shelf as I walked in to reserve a lane at the range. It wasn't in the case for more than 30 seconds before I was putting down a deposit...
It came with a case and a really neat extra, a folding grip:
Here's the grip in the folded position:
The only drawback to this grip is that it's not 100% tight - the gun moves around quite a bit when the trigger is pulled, which as you might imagine has a detrimental effect on accuracy. Now, a .22LR fired out of a gun with a 1 1/8" barrel isn't going to be terribly accurate to start with (well, the gun is fairly accurate, but with that teeny sight radius it's extremely difficult to shoot). A grip that shifts makes it that much harder - this is best served as a last-ditch, contact-distance last resort defensive arm. Or a handy little back-up gun...
Either way, it beats a poke in the eye with a pointy stick.
That is all.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Hmmm...
Got a line on a Bushmaster Competition AR-15 off the Northeastshooters classifieds. Price looks to be reasonable, gun looks clean from the pictures, not too terribly complicated for my first foray into the world of the AR-15.
It's a good thing, too, because I've already committed to five pre-ban 20-round magazines...
Thoughts? Opinions? The price looks damn good to my uninformed eye, especially given the recent, ahem, run on anything even remotely resembling an EBR these days... I know some folks have had bad experiences with Bushmaster (from comments to my EBR bleg earlier this month); I'm not completely happy with supporting a company willing to pull out of the US and moving to China, but this is an in-hand rifle and all...
That is all.
It's a good thing, too, because I've already committed to five pre-ban 20-round magazines...
Thoughts? Opinions? The price looks damn good to my uninformed eye, especially given the recent, ahem, run on anything even remotely resembling an EBR these days... I know some folks have had bad experiences with Bushmaster (from comments to my EBR bleg earlier this month); I'm not completely happy with supporting a company willing to pull out of the US and moving to China, but this is an in-hand rifle and all...
That is all.
More Piling On...
Sebastian has a Photoshop contest going on with regards to the current flap from H-S Precision. My P-shop skills are weak (read: non-existent), but I wanted to play anyways... so here's my humble submission:
I couldn't resist...
That is all.
Musical Interlude...
I've had this stuck in my head for three days now. So it's time to pass it along to get it stuck in yours, too...
And no, the title isn't "Hollywood Boulevard", it's "Celluloid Heroes". Much like the Who's paean to the Vietnam War isn't "Teenaged Wasteland" but rather 'Baba O'Reilly"...
That is all.
And no, the title isn't "Hollywood Boulevard", it's "Celluloid Heroes". Much like the Who's paean to the Vietnam War isn't "Teenaged Wasteland" but rather 'Baba O'Reilly"...
That is all.
Thanksgiving
So... Isn't today the day we celebrate Christopher Vespucci sailing around the Horn of Tierra del Fuego in the Kon-Tiki or something like that?
Kidding aside, I've got a lot to be thankful for today. I've got two great kids (a little crazy sometimes, but the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree there!); fantastic friends I can count on to cheer me up when I'm down and be happy for me when I'm up; my nice, safe tidy little life out in the 'burbs; basically just livin' the American Dream.
What else am I thankful for?
Kidding aside, I've got a lot to be thankful for today. I've got two great kids (a little crazy sometimes, but the acorn doesn't fall far from the tree there!); fantastic friends I can count on to cheer me up when I'm down and be happy for me when I'm up; my nice, safe tidy little life out in the 'burbs; basically just livin' the American Dream.
What else am I thankful for?
- I live in the most free country on the planet.
- Gas is back under $2.00/gallon.
- My decision to rejoin the Church and bring my children into the Faith.
- I'm still gainfully employed.
- At a job I don't hate.
- The great friends I've made through the power of Al Gore's internets.
- Coffee.
- The simple beauty and elegance of John Moses Browning's 1911 design.
- My daughter won't be stoned to death for showing her elbows.
- A day at the range where everything works.
- The brave men and women on the tip of the spear, particularly those serving overseas today.
- My son aspires to more than dying while murdering those of a different faith.
- Jackbooted thugs won't kick in my front door for writing something critical of our nation's leader
- People actually take the time out of their hectic days to read the
crap drivel brain droppingshumble musings I post.
Thanks, everyone. We spend an awful lot of time grousing about the things in our lives that are going wrong, or in the wrong direction, or are otherwise imperfect in our view. It's good to sit back and take stock of the things that are right in our lives. We take a good deal for granted, and it's never a bad idea to stop, look around, and realize just how fucking wonderful we really have it...
To everyone out there who reads MArooned, have a joyous and bountiful Thanksgiving!
That is all.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Piling On...
From Caleb, SayUncle, Tam, and I'm sure many others, comes a tale of stupidity it's hard to believe the Federal government is not involved. Apparently H-S. Precision, in a fit of what can only be described as maniacal idiocy, has accepted an endorsement from one Lon Horiuchi.
Yes, the man who shot Vicki Weaver in the head while she held her infant daughter in her arms. THAT Lon Horiuchi.
Please take a moment to contact H-S Precision and express your displeasure with their unconscionable choice of spokesvermin.
Contact info.:
That is all.
Yes, the man who shot Vicki Weaver in the head while she held her infant daughter in her arms. THAT Lon Horiuchi.
Please take a moment to contact H-S Precision and express your displeasure with their unconscionable choice of spokesvermin.
Contact info.:
©H-S PRECISION, INC.
1301 TURBINE DRIVE
RAPID CITY, SD 57703
(605) 341-3006 TEL
(605) 342-8964 FAX
That is all.
Let's Start A Pool...
In which state is Laura Bush going to run for Senator?
Obviously, Texas would be the first choice - it's her home state; it's where she currently lives and would make the most sense. Problem, of course, is that it's already got two Republican Senators - Cornyn just won re-election to his second term, and Hutchison was recently re-elected to her third full term - neither is going anywhere anytime soon.
It would be deliciously ironic if Mrs. Bush chose NY, gunning for senior Senator Charles "Chuck the Schmuck" Schumer's seat in 2010. Of course, the likelihood of a Republican named Bush winning a Senate race in NYFS is fairly slim. But wouldn't it be funny to see Laura and Hillary! squaring off? Heh.
Barbara Boxer's up in CA in 2010 - wouldn't that just be a hoot and a half? And Patty "Osama built daycares" Murray is also up in WA state - it would be the absolute height of poetic justice to see that moonbat driven from office (and ideally ridden out of town on a rail), but once again, a right-leaning candidate connected to the current administration will go over like a fart in church...
Other long shots would be Barbara Mikulsy in MD, Patrick Leahy in VT, or perhaps Chris Dodd in CT. Hmmm. Now wouldn't that be a kick in the ass, seeing Chris "other half of a waitress sandwich" Dodd (also the largest recipient of Fannie Mae donations...) getting his seat stolen by Laura Bush...
Oh, and while I'm dreaming, I'd like a pony...
I have a feeling the chances are slim and none that Laura will run. I just saw the news that she's shopping her memoirs around, and was reminded of Hillary!'s $8 mil. advance on her memoirs some eight years ago. Thinking along parallel lines, it lead to wondering where Laura could run should she choose...
That is all.
Obviously, Texas would be the first choice - it's her home state; it's where she currently lives and would make the most sense. Problem, of course, is that it's already got two Republican Senators - Cornyn just won re-election to his second term, and Hutchison was recently re-elected to her third full term - neither is going anywhere anytime soon.
It would be deliciously ironic if Mrs. Bush chose NY, gunning for senior Senator Charles "Chuck the Schmuck" Schumer's seat in 2010. Of course, the likelihood of a Republican named Bush winning a Senate race in NYFS is fairly slim. But wouldn't it be funny to see Laura and Hillary! squaring off? Heh.
Barbara Boxer's up in CA in 2010 - wouldn't that just be a hoot and a half? And Patty "Osama built daycares" Murray is also up in WA state - it would be the absolute height of poetic justice to see that moonbat driven from office (and ideally ridden out of town on a rail), but once again, a right-leaning candidate connected to the current administration will go over like a fart in church...
Other long shots would be Barbara Mikulsy in MD, Patrick Leahy in VT, or perhaps Chris Dodd in CT. Hmmm. Now wouldn't that be a kick in the ass, seeing Chris "other half of a waitress sandwich" Dodd (also the largest recipient of Fannie Mae donations...) getting his seat stolen by Laura Bush...
Oh, and while I'm dreaming, I'd like a pony...
I have a feeling the chances are slim and none that Laura will run. I just saw the news that she's shopping her memoirs around, and was reminded of Hillary!'s $8 mil. advance on her memoirs some eight years ago. Thinking along parallel lines, it lead to wondering where Laura could run should she choose...
That is all.
Letters, We Get Letters...
It's a letter and a bleg! Folks, I'd appreciate any assistance you could provide with this one. I received an e-mail from Brian, who's currently serving our nation in the Army. Brian asks:
I responded thusly:
Any help y'all could give Brian would be appreciated. Remember, he's a MA resident, so his options are significantly more limited than those of someone living in America... And thanks for writing, Brian. I'm glad I could help in any small way I could.
That is all.
Sir,
I am currently in the US Army, and am looking for information prior tothe purchase of a personally owned pistol. I have shot 1911's and M9's in the army and I'm rather partial to the 45 acp round. So what I'm looking for is a good 45 caliber pistol that is either left handed (magazine release and safety) or ambidextrous. I've been silently following your blog for a while, and it appears that you know a fair amount about weapons and owning them as a civilian. I'm staying in the Army, I'm just looking for something to shoot on my own time. Seeing as my residence of record is in MA I need to follow their gun laws pertaining to what I can and can't own... Makes you want to move to NH.
Thank you for any advice you can give me.
Respectfully,
Brian
I responded thusly:
Good everning Brian,
First off, thank you for your service. It is truly an honor and a pleasure to assist you in this endeavor.
Secondly, your options will be somewhat limited as a MA resident; however, I have a fair amount of experience dealing with this state and it's insane regulations, so I'll offer up a few thoughts.
For 1911s, there's three main players in MA for new guns: Smith & Wesson, ParaOrdnance, and AutoOrdnance. AutoOrdnance makes decent, entry level guns that will most likely need a bit of attention from a gunsmith to properly function. ParaOrdnance I have found (not my experience, I've never owned one) to be either hit or miss - people either have had horrible experiences with Para guns or fantastic. I've got a good friend who owns literally dozens of Paras and swears by them; another friend has had two or three that have all had many problems (he swears at them...).
In this regard, for a new 1911, Smith & Wesson is truly the way to go. An entry level SW1911, brand new, is going to run you about $800 right out of the box. The good thing is, from everything I've heard, "right out of the box" is going to be pretty darn good. It doesn't cost very much to have a good gunsmith put on an ambidextrous safety; however the mag release is problematic.
For non-1911s, the Smith & Wesson M&P45 is a good fit to what you're looking for. Both the mag release and safety are interchangeable for left- or right- handed, and if you're reasonable competent mechanically you can perform the work yourself. Or, as is customary with MA-legal guns, you're going to want a trigger job anyways, so have everything done at once.
Other options are the Sig220, which unfortunately does not have the ambidextrous safeties nor the ability to switch. However, it's a Sig, meaning that it's built like a tank and damn accurate. Another option is the Glock 21; however being MA you'll have to look around a bit to find one. That's got the same issue with the mag release (right handed), but at least no safety to worry about.
With your permission, I'd like to post your question and my response on my blog - I've got some mighty sharp readers and commenters, and I'm sure they can come up with a firearm or two I haven't thought of. Let me know, and I'll get it posted ASAP. Aside from that, I hope I've given you a decent start, and good luck in your
search!
With best regards,
Jay G.
MArooned
Any help y'all could give Brian would be appreciated. Remember, he's a MA resident, so his options are significantly more limited than those of someone living in America... And thanks for writing, Brian. I'm glad I could help in any small way I could.
That is all.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Stick It To the Man!
The world's most dangerous librarian reminds us that there are some promises Barack Obama might just keep...
Go and read the whole thing. It's well-worth your time. Just be sure you hide the breakables before reading.
You've been warned...
That is all.
Go and read the whole thing. It's well-worth your time. Just be sure you hide the breakables before reading.
You've been warned...
That is all.
One Toot Over the Line
Student arrested for 'passing gas' at Fla. school
So. Much. Snark. Possible.
There's really not enough to go on in the story given, but it certainly seems excessive to have a flatulent child arrested. I mean, I can certainly understand why they wouldn't want to paddle the lad, but still...
That is all.
STUART, Fla. - A student at a Florida school has been arrested after authorities said he was "passing gas" and turning off his classmates' computers. According to a report released Friday by the Martin County Sheriff's Office, the 13-year-old boy "continually disrupted his classroom environment" by intentionally breaking wind. He then shut off some computers other students were using.
So. Much. Snark. Possible.
There's really not enough to go on in the story given, but it certainly seems excessive to have a flatulent child arrested. I mean, I can certainly understand why they wouldn't want to paddle the lad, but still...
That is all.
MORE Pants on Fire!
No, BabyGirl G hasn't been caught in a fib again (she's actually been well-behaved the past couple of days...).
This time, it's... the mainstream media! Yes, I know it's shocking, but there's some serious truth-stretching going on in this story:
In fiery rally, Turner blasts media, City Council president
There's just one problem: Mom G. works right around the corner from where this rally was held. She was present while the rally was going on. According to her eyewitness report, there were maybe 50 people there, and that's counting the lookie-loos who came over as soon as they saw TV cameras...
Nice try, guys. You couldn't even pan the video out more than a dozen people, could you? The morning news had a "wide angle" type shot, and I'd have to agree with Mom's assessment. If there were 50 people present, that counts passerbys and media personnel as well... Obviously the media was using theMillion Hundred Thousand Ten Thousand Thousand Hundred Lots and lotsa Mom March template...
Local media: FAIL.
That is all.
This time, it's... the mainstream media! Yes, I know it's shocking, but there's some serious truth-stretching going on in this story:
In fiery rally, Turner blasts media, City Council president
Shaking his fist and yelling into a microphone outside City Hall, Chuck Turner this afternoon lashed out at the City Council president and blasted the news media for convicting him of bribery without a trial.
As a throng of 250 supporters chanted "We want Chuck! We want Chuck!", Turner was by turns angry and defensive, scolding the "ignorant" press for oppressing his family with unrelenting harassment since his arrest Friday in a federal corruption probe.
There's just one problem: Mom G. works right around the corner from where this rally was held. She was present while the rally was going on. According to her eyewitness report, there were maybe 50 people there, and that's counting the lookie-loos who came over as soon as they saw TV cameras...
Nice try, guys. You couldn't even pan the video out more than a dozen people, could you? The morning news had a "wide angle" type shot, and I'd have to agree with Mom's assessment. If there were 50 people present, that counts passerbys and media personnel as well... Obviously the media was using the
Local media: FAIL.
That is all.
Open Invitation
Okay. Watching the local news this morning while working out, they ran a story on the soccer mom in PA who had her CCW permit revoked for open-carrying her handgun at her child's soccer game. Even though this story is over two months old, they apparently felt the need to revisit it now.
Given that these are Boston media-types (read: liberals), the PSH was strong.
So here's my invitation: To any Boston-area media personality who would like to actually learn something about firearms rather than rely on Hollywood's interpretation, I'm offering to meet with you, one-on-one, to come to the range, have a safety briefing, and shoot one of these dangerous weapons. More if you would like.
This is an honest, sincere offer; I bring no agenda with me other than a desire to educate. I think a lot of the anti-gun sentiment out there right now comes from ignorance - people get their information about guns from Hollywood, where a 9mm round can knock a bad guy through a wall, a shotgun can remove limbs, and a snubnosed revolver can hit quarter-sized targets at 200 yards. With enough planning, I can even bring an "assault weapon" that can be compared to a benign "hunting rifle" to dispel some of that BS as well.
Contact information is available; I'll not hold my breath waiting for takers, though...
That is all.
Given that these are Boston media-types (read: liberals), the PSH was strong.
So here's my invitation: To any Boston-area media personality who would like to actually learn something about firearms rather than rely on Hollywood's interpretation, I'm offering to meet with you, one-on-one, to come to the range, have a safety briefing, and shoot one of these dangerous weapons. More if you would like.
This is an honest, sincere offer; I bring no agenda with me other than a desire to educate. I think a lot of the anti-gun sentiment out there right now comes from ignorance - people get their information about guns from Hollywood, where a 9mm round can knock a bad guy through a wall, a shotgun can remove limbs, and a snubnosed revolver can hit quarter-sized targets at 200 yards. With enough planning, I can even bring an "assault weapon" that can be compared to a benign "hunting rifle" to dispel some of that BS as well.
Contact information is available; I'll not hold my breath waiting for takers, though...
That is all.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Gimme Bach My Baldwin
Mystery piano in woods perplexes police
Obviously the dead have risen - and have chosen Liberace as their leader.
Be afraid. Be very afraid. The zombacalypse is upon us. And it looks fabulous!
That is all.
(CNN) -- Was it a theft? A prank? A roundabout effort to bring some holiday cheer to the police? Authorities in Harwich, Massachusetts, are probing the mysterious appearance of a piano, in good working condition, in the middle of the woods.
Discovered by a woman who was walking a trail, the Baldwin Acrosonic piano, model number 987, is intact -- and, apparently, in tune.
Obviously the dead have risen - and have chosen Liberace as their leader.
Be afraid. Be very afraid. The zombacalypse is upon us. And it looks fabulous!
That is all.
What It's All About...
It's the little things in life that matter. Like this morning, as I put on my daughter's sneakers in the crazy morning rush to get out the door. She's fascinated by the shaved head, particularly the tactile sensation. As I leaned over to finish tying her sneakers, she leaned over and kissed the top of my head.
"I love you, Daddy" was all she said.
With these four words, my morning turned around and felt brighter. Even after the lying incident of last week; even though a good chunk of the weekend was dedicated to working with her on why she needed to be truthful and how she had to be mindful of keeping her hands to herself... After all that, I get a completely unprovoked expression of love. That's what makes being a parent worthwhile.
My G-d, I am going to miss this...
That is all.
"I love you, Daddy" was all she said.
With these four words, my morning turned around and felt brighter. Even after the lying incident of last week; even though a good chunk of the weekend was dedicated to working with her on why she needed to be truthful and how she had to be mindful of keeping her hands to herself... After all that, I get a completely unprovoked expression of love. That's what makes being a parent worthwhile.
My G-d, I am going to miss this...
That is all.
Peter Pan, Murderer
I saw this story on the news this morning at the gym: "Mass. woman walking dog killed by speeding car"
Fuckwads. I fear for our fucking species sometimes.
That is all.
LEOMINSTER, Mass.—The driver of a car that struck and killed a Leominster woman out walking her dog over the weekend is facing a vehicular homicide charge.Dude, WTF? 28 years old and you're drag racing? SRSLY? When I was 28, I was married with a career, a house, and a baby on the way. IOW, well into adulthood, and long past the days of draggin' with my buds through residential areas. In fact, at that point, I was the guy screaming at you to slow the fuck down. I'd tell you to grow up, but it's too late - your immaturity has cost another person their life. May yours be equally destroyed.
Police say 28-year-old David Conant of Leominster may have been driving as fast as 70 mph on Saturday afternoon when he allegedly struck 54-year-old Elizabeth McCaffrey. She died hours later at a hospital.
Fuckwads. I fear for our fucking species sometimes.
That is all.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Curse You, Bushhitler!
$1.849/gallon for regular unleaded.
Obviously that evil Chimpy McHaliburton is artificially lowering gas prices to influence the election!
Oh, wait...
That is all.
Obviously that evil Chimpy McHaliburton is artificially lowering gas prices to influence the election!
Oh, wait...
That is all.
Anatomy of a Sleepover
The Boy had his first sleepover last night. That meant that my house consisted of the following exchange:
[me, 9:00PM] Okay guys, time for bed!
[The Boy & Guest] Aw, can't we stay up another 5 minutes?
[me] No, guys, we've got a busy day tomorrow. You've got to be up early for church, and Guest's mother will be here at 8:30 tomorrow morning.
[The Boy & Guest] Awwww, do we hafta go to bed?
[me] Yes!
...
[thud][thud][thud][thud]Giggle, giggle[thud][thud][thud][thud]
[me, 9:15PM] Uh, guys, I thought I said it was time for bed?
[The Boy & Guest] Aw, can't we stay up another 5 minutes?
[me] No. Go to bed. Now.
...
[The Boy & Guest] (they fight for 10 minutes over whether one nightlight should be on or two)
[thud][thud][thud][thud]Giggle, giggle[thud][thud][thud][thud]
...
[Guest] The Boy took my covers!
[me, 9:25PM] The Boy, why did you take Guest's covers?
[The Boy, thinking] Uh, because it would let us stay up another 15 minutes?
[The Boy, speaking] I dunno!
[me] GO TO BED!
...
[thud][thud][thud][thud]Giggle, giggle[thud][thud][thud][thud]
[me, 9:45PM] GO TO BED!
...
[me, 10:00PM] I think they're asleep...
[thud][thud][thud][thud]Giggle, giggle[thud][thud][thud][thud]
[me, 10:05PM] Yup, they're asleep...
That is all.
[me, 9:00PM] Okay guys, time for bed!
[The Boy & Guest] Aw, can't we stay up another 5 minutes?
[me] No, guys, we've got a busy day tomorrow. You've got to be up early for church, and Guest's mother will be here at 8:30 tomorrow morning.
[The Boy & Guest] Awwww, do we hafta go to bed?
[me] Yes!
...
[thud][thud][thud][thud]Giggle, giggle[thud][thud][thud][thud]
[me, 9:15PM] Uh, guys, I thought I said it was time for bed?
[The Boy & Guest] Aw, can't we stay up another 5 minutes?
[me] No. Go to bed. Now.
...
[The Boy & Guest] (they fight for 10 minutes over whether one nightlight should be on or two)
[thud][thud][thud][thud]Giggle, giggle[thud][thud][thud][thud]
...
[Guest] The Boy took my covers!
[me, 9:25PM] The Boy, why did you take Guest's covers?
[The Boy, thinking] Uh, because it would let us stay up another 15 minutes?
[The Boy, speaking] I dunno!
[me] GO TO BED!
...
[thud][thud][thud][thud]Giggle, giggle[thud][thud][thud][thud]
[me, 9:45PM] GO TO BED!
...
[me, 10:00PM] I think they're asleep...
[thud][thud][thud][thud]Giggle, giggle[thud][thud][thud][thud]
[me, 10:05PM] Yup, they're asleep...
That is all.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
...Pants on Fire
*Sigh*
Sometimes it's tough being the grown-up. Sometimes you need to make hard, unpopular decisions. And sometimes you have to deal with life's unpleasantries.
Like finding out that one of your children is a bully. And a liar.
We got the call from the vice principal at the kids' school yesterday. One of our dear children was in his office, sent there by the teacher for hitting another child, lying about the cause, and refusing to obey the teacher. Said child has been having a tough time, recently, and we were asked about our method of discipline at home (side note: It's a damn good thing I didn't take that call, because IMHO the only answer to that is "NUNYA").
Yes, BabyGirl G has been beating up other kids in school. Mostly boys. Actually, exclusively boys. She has a very low tolerance for teasing, apparently, and rather than tell the offending child to stop, or telling the teacher, or simply walking away, she starts swinging.
And the worst part is, she lies about it afterward. That's what we're having the most trouble with - getting her to understand that telling the truth is important. We're up a brick wall, because she will lie even under circumstances where we absolutely know the truth and can immediately correct her (like she'll say "Daddy said 'X'!" even if I'm standing right there and she damn well knows I didn't say 'X').
Obviously, I blame the Democrats.*
No one ever said this would be easy... In fact, I'm reminded of Acidman's admonition that "If it were easy, any asshole could do it"... Just gotta take it one day at a time, and remember to provide as much positive reinforcement as punishment. It's just hard, though, when they look you in the face and lie to you. You know, "I did not have, pugilistic relations with that kindergartener"...
Sometimes it's tough being the grown-up. Sometimes you need to make hard, unpopular decisions. And sometimes you have to deal with life's unpleasantries.
Like finding out that one of your children is a bully. And a liar.
We got the call from the vice principal at the kids' school yesterday. One of our dear children was in his office, sent there by the teacher for hitting another child, lying about the cause, and refusing to obey the teacher. Said child has been having a tough time, recently, and we were asked about our method of discipline at home (side note: It's a damn good thing I didn't take that call, because IMHO the only answer to that is "NUNYA").
Yes, BabyGirl G has been beating up other kids in school. Mostly boys. Actually, exclusively boys. She has a very low tolerance for teasing, apparently, and rather than tell the offending child to stop, or telling the teacher, or simply walking away, she starts swinging.
And the worst part is, she lies about it afterward. That's what we're having the most trouble with - getting her to understand that telling the truth is important. We're up a brick wall, because she will lie even under circumstances where we absolutely know the truth and can immediately correct her (like she'll say "Daddy said 'X'!" even if I'm standing right there and she damn well knows I didn't say 'X').
Obviously, I blame the Democrats.*
No one ever said this would be easy... In fact, I'm reminded of Acidman's admonition that "If it were easy, any asshole could do it"... Just gotta take it one day at a time, and remember to provide as much positive reinforcement as punishment. It's just hard, though, when they look you in the face and lie to you. You know, "I did not have, pugilistic relations with that kindergartener"...
That is all.
*That's humor, for the humor impaired. I tend to use inappropriate humor to mask feelings of inadequacy and/or terror.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Feel-Good Friday...
This past summer I blogged about a heartbreaking local story. This morning the local news ran an update on this young boy:
Father says his son's remission is 'a miracle'
I'm speechless.
This is, quite simply, a miracle; there's no physiological or biological basis for this sort of remission to occur. Yes, I know that it can happen; that's certainly not unprecedented, however it's highly unlikely. As the expression goes, David slew Goliath, but that's not the way to bet.
They say in space, no one can hear you scream; I'll offer this corollary: At the gym, no one can see you cry.
G-d continue to hold you and protect you, Jeremy. May your miraculous recovery continue, the cancer remain at bay indefinitely. And thanks to everyone who read this story and said a prayer to the Big Guy. While we may never know if there's any connection between prayers and miracles and modern medicine, I'd like to think there's at least a chance.
A chance Jeremy now has.
That is all.
Father says his son's remission is 'a miracle'
The child who it was feared would die after his mother allegedly withheld medical care for leukemia is now in remission and has returned to school, his father said yesterday.
"Basically right now, it's a miracle," Eric J. Fraser said of his 9-year-old son, Jeremy, who has autism. "He is doing excellent. His health is all good now. Basically, a lot of people wrote him off, but I put him in God's hands and look at what happened."
I'm speechless.
This is, quite simply, a miracle; there's no physiological or biological basis for this sort of remission to occur. Yes, I know that it can happen; that's certainly not unprecedented, however it's highly unlikely. As the expression goes, David slew Goliath, but that's not the way to bet.
They say in space, no one can hear you scream; I'll offer this corollary: At the gym, no one can see you cry.
G-d continue to hold you and protect you, Jeremy. May your miraculous recovery continue, the cancer remain at bay indefinitely. And thanks to everyone who read this story and said a prayer to the Big Guy. While we may never know if there's any connection between prayers and miracles and modern medicine, I'd like to think there's at least a chance.
A chance Jeremy now has.
That is all.
Friday Fun Thread: Famous Cars of the 1980s
Thought I'd take today's automotive fun thread in a slightly different direction. Today's list of cars centers on cars that were "celebrities" (and no, I don't mean the crappy A-body from Chevy) during the 1980s. Why not just top 10 famous cars? Because then I couldn't milk this another couple of weeks, duh...
1. The General Lee, "Dukes of Hazzard". Hugger orange paint job. Confederate flag on the roof. Welded doors. "Dixie" horn. Able to leap small canyons without suffering frame damage. Yep, the General belongs on any list of "famous" cars, even if the show started in 1979...
2. The DeLorean, "Back to the Future". Back to the Future has got to be one of, if not the, defining movies of the 1980s. Starring Michael J. Fox, who starred in "Family Ties", one of the enduring shows of the '80s, the entire movie was a comparison between the "current" year and the 1950s, much like right now we're comparing to the 1980s themselves. Le plus ça change...
3. KITT, "Knight Rider". Fellow car nuts out there have already filled in K.I.T.T. as "Knight Industries Two Thousand, the full name of the William Daniels-voiced Trans Am that attempted to upstage David Hasselhoff on a weekly basis. Bulletproof, rocket-proof, but not cliché-proof, the T/A proved to be the intellectual superior of Hasselhoff regularly.
4. Christine, "Christine". A possessed 1958 Plymouth Grand Fury that hunts down 1980s punks and crushes them. What's not to like? Even better, I have a buddy who owns a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere that is a perfect replica of Christine. It's a head-turner, to be certain, especially given that he tows a boat with the same paint scheme with it...
5. 1974 Mount Prospect Police car, "The Blues Brothers". The old Bluesmobile was traded (for this? No. A microphone. I can see that), so Elwood picked up the police car cheap (practically giving them away). Fix the cigarette lighter.
6. Ecto I, "Ghostbusters". Starting life as a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor hearse, the "Ecto I" had it all - Ghost-siren, seating for six, and pull-out racks for the proton accelerator packs. There was a scene that wound up on the cutting room floor of ticket placed on the windshield of Ecto-I being reduced to ash right before the meter maid's eyes...
7. A-Team van, "The A-Team". Complete with storage compartment for stainless Ruger AC-556s that couldn't hit anything, the A-Team van was an obvious holdover from the '70s conversion van craze. Why on earth no one ever noticed the distinctive custom van and the presence of the A-Team coinciding I'll never know...
8. Ferrari 308 GTS, "Magnum PI". It's hard to tell what was most iconic about that show - the Ferrari, the 1911 Magnum carried, or Tom Selleck's mustache... In any case, the bright red Ferrari coupled with a hunk in a Hawaiian shirt was a staple of the 1980s.
9. Pursuit Special, "Mad Max"/"Road Warrior". This modified Holden Monaro was barely introduced in 1979's "Mad Max" and was far more prominent in 1981's "Road Warrior", so it counts for a 1980s car. No word on whether or not it comes with the hacksaw...
10. Coyote X, "Hardcastle & McCormack". I remember nothing else from this show than the Coyote X, a modified McLaren with near-mythical powers of speed and handling. Hey, the show came out when I was 12... And the fumes from David Hugh Kelley's jerri-curls was making me dizzy...
Well, that wraps up another automotive list of greats. As always, feel free to rebutt, add, critique, or just gawk at the pictures.
That is all.
1. The General Lee, "Dukes of Hazzard". Hugger orange paint job. Confederate flag on the roof. Welded doors. "Dixie" horn. Able to leap small canyons without suffering frame damage. Yep, the General belongs on any list of "famous" cars, even if the show started in 1979...
2. The DeLorean, "Back to the Future". Back to the Future has got to be one of, if not the, defining movies of the 1980s. Starring Michael J. Fox, who starred in "Family Ties", one of the enduring shows of the '80s, the entire movie was a comparison between the "current" year and the 1950s, much like right now we're comparing to the 1980s themselves. Le plus ça change...
3. KITT, "Knight Rider". Fellow car nuts out there have already filled in K.I.T.T. as "Knight Industries Two Thousand, the full name of the William Daniels-voiced Trans Am that attempted to upstage David Hasselhoff on a weekly basis. Bulletproof, rocket-proof, but not cliché-proof, the T/A proved to be the intellectual superior of Hasselhoff regularly.
4. Christine, "Christine". A possessed 1958 Plymouth Grand Fury that hunts down 1980s punks and crushes them. What's not to like? Even better, I have a buddy who owns a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere that is a perfect replica of Christine. It's a head-turner, to be certain, especially given that he tows a boat with the same paint scheme with it...
5. 1974 Mount Prospect Police car, "The Blues Brothers". The old Bluesmobile was traded (for this? No. A microphone. I can see that), so Elwood picked up the police car cheap (practically giving them away). Fix the cigarette lighter.
6. Ecto I, "Ghostbusters". Starting life as a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor hearse, the "Ecto I" had it all - Ghost-siren, seating for six, and pull-out racks for the proton accelerator packs. There was a scene that wound up on the cutting room floor of ticket placed on the windshield of Ecto-I being reduced to ash right before the meter maid's eyes...
7. A-Team van, "The A-Team". Complete with storage compartment for stainless Ruger AC-556s that couldn't hit anything, the A-Team van was an obvious holdover from the '70s conversion van craze. Why on earth no one ever noticed the distinctive custom van and the presence of the A-Team coinciding I'll never know...
8. Ferrari 308 GTS, "Magnum PI". It's hard to tell what was most iconic about that show - the Ferrari, the 1911 Magnum carried, or Tom Selleck's mustache... In any case, the bright red Ferrari coupled with a hunk in a Hawaiian shirt was a staple of the 1980s.
9. Pursuit Special, "Mad Max"/"Road Warrior". This modified Holden Monaro was barely introduced in 1979's "Mad Max" and was far more prominent in 1981's "Road Warrior", so it counts for a 1980s car. No word on whether or not it comes with the hacksaw...
10. Coyote X, "Hardcastle & McCormack". I remember nothing else from this show than the Coyote X, a modified McLaren with near-mythical powers of speed and handling. Hey, the show came out when I was 12... And the fumes from David Hugh Kelley's jerri-curls was making me dizzy...
Well, that wraps up another automotive list of greats. As always, feel free to rebutt, add, critique, or just gawk at the pictures.
That is all.
Didn't See THAT Coming! Part 2
Tobacco settlement money squandered by states, advocates charge
Emphasis mine.
Yup. I called this 10 years ago when they reached the settlement. Very little of that money would actually be used to help curb smoking; rather it would simply be another windfall to the local tyrants. And of course, I was right:
Yeah. Remember how we were subject to endless commercials about the perils of smoking; about how the costs associated with the treatment of smokers' illnesses was putting a drain on health care, yadda yadda yadda? Bullshit. Complete and utter bullshit. Folks, the tobacco settlement was nothing more than a shakedown, a naked, raw grab by the FedGov to take money from a legal business by threat of force.
And Barack Obama is tapping the administration who made this all possible for all levels of Cabinet and administration picks.
BOHICA. Hopenchange my hairy Italian ass.
That is a
Alaska is making the best use of cigarette taxes and Big Tobacco settlement money distributed to states in the decade after authorities negotiated a deal with the companies over smoking-related health costs incurred by the states, according to a new report released today by a coalition of advocacy groups. South Carolina ranks the worst.
States have received $203.5 billion in tobacco revenue since the Master Settlement Agreement between states’ attorneys general and cigarette makers in 1998. The agreement required the companies to reimburse states for the money they spent treating smoking-related illnesses. It didn’t stipulate how states should spend the funds, but many attorneys general and public health officials said they’d use it and revenue from cigarette taxes to discourage children from smoking. But just over 3 percent of that money – about $65 billion – has been spent on tobacco prevention and treatment programs, according to the report.
Emphasis mine.
Yup. I called this 10 years ago when they reached the settlement. Very little of that money would actually be used to help curb smoking; rather it would simply be another windfall to the local tyrants. And of course, I was right:
Most of the money has been spent plugging budget holes, says Joel Spivak, a spokesman for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, one of the groups that worked on the report.
Yeah. Remember how we were subject to endless commercials about the perils of smoking; about how the costs associated with the treatment of smokers' illnesses was putting a drain on health care, yadda yadda yadda? Bullshit. Complete and utter bullshit. Folks, the tobacco settlement was nothing more than a shakedown, a naked, raw grab by the FedGov to take money from a legal business by threat of force.
And Barack Obama is tapping the administration who made this all possible for all levels of Cabinet and administration picks.
BOHICA. Hopenchange my hairy Italian ass.
That is a
Friday Gun Pr0n #86
There are several stories behind the gun used for today's picture. It's a new acquisition, the gun I hinted at last Saturday. It belonged to Bruce, who has set his sights on bigger and better boomsticks, so I decided to give it a (hopefully temporary) home in the G. armory. It's also the gun I borrowed for the infamous teletubby bayonetting video. So I feel that I've known this gun for ages...
Plus I've only got one other SKS, so this covers me under the "one is none, two is one" principle...
That is all.
Plus I've only got one other SKS, so this covers me under the "one is none, two is one" principle...
That is all.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Holster Bleg...
There's been a fair amount of talk about holsters 'round the gun blogosphere these days, and it got me to thinking (always a frightening prospect)...
The $20 "Elite" nylon holster (Thought question: Why do the cheapo nylon holsters have model names like "El Supremo Tacticool Delta Seal Force Five"?) just isn't cutting it for toting the G30 around. I'd like something with a little more support, that balances the heft of the .45 a little better as opposed to hanging from a single utilitarian steel clip as it does now. I've got a nice Bianchi Pistol Pocket for my S&W 360PD that works really well, and would like to get something along the same lines:
The $20 "Elite" nylon holster (Thought question: Why do the cheapo nylon holsters have model names like "El Supremo Tacticool Delta Seal Force Five"?) just isn't cutting it for toting the G30 around. I'd like something with a little more support, that balances the heft of the .45 a little better as opposed to hanging from a single utilitarian steel clip as it does now. I've got a nice Bianchi Pistol Pocket for my S&W 360PD that works really well, and would like to get something along the same lines:
- Leather
- Top strap
- Double belt loops
I'm not interested in Kydex - the Crossbreed that I bought for the SW99 compact works fine for that. I'm looking for a good, sturdy IWB leather holster for a double-stack Glock .45 ACP, and there's only about 700 million different holsters out there in that category. Since I already have the obligatory "box full of holsters that [I] have tried and discarded" (actually, it's several drawers worth by now - you'd think after the third cheap nylon shoulder holster I'd learn, but nooooo...), I'd prefer to get some feedback before I commit any more ducats to leather...
Thanks in advance!
That is all.
Getting Back on the Horse...
Brigid, in a most excellent post at Home on the Range (if you're not reading, you are doing yourself a grave disservice), talks about getting back on the horse:
Yes, it's all that good. SRSLY.
Mine revolves around an accident and a motorcycle, although ironically not a motorcycle accident. It was a little over 12 years ago; in fact it was four days before my wedding. Mrs. G. and I were living in a little apartment just over the border in NH (yes, I lived briefly in Live Free or Die Land and stupidly came back), halfway between her job outside of Boston and my Master's studies at the University of New Hampshire. I had gone to my parents' house for dinner that night (Mrs. G. worked nights), and had a most unpleasant encounter on the ride home.
It was a clear August night, no pouring rain or howling winds, and I was thinking about my impending nuptials only 96 hours hence. I was driving up Route 113, a two-lane blacktop through a sleepy suburb, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw headlights coming out of a side street. Really fast. The 17 year old driving the souped-up Civic didn't realize that the street he was drag-racing down ended at the highway I was occupying. He plowed into the driver's side of my tiny Plymouth Sundance at approximately 40 MPH, crushing the driver's door into my side and sending me violently into the console (yes, I was wearing a seatbelt). When the cars came to a rest I couldn't move, trapped in place by the crushed remains of my door.
Long story short, I spent six months in physical therapy trying to walk without excruciating pain. I was doped up on serious painkillers through my wedding (I joke that I have an out because I was under the influence; that never goes over well with Mrs. G.) and honeymoon (including a week in Montreal where the hotel workers were all on strike, meaning that I had to carry my own bags the entire time...). After the accident, I had a realization: My life was spared that night because of a load of laundry.
I had originally intended to take my motorcycle that night.
There's no doubt whatsoever that I would have been killed had I been on my Magna rather than inside a cage. My car absorbed a 40 MPH impact that left me with significant injuries, but injuries from which I recovered fully. There would have been no such reprieve on the motorcycle. At the very least, I would have lost my left leg entirely; more than likely I would have died either from the blunt force trauma or from massive blood loss.
It was extremely hard to get back on the horse after that accident. I tried, over and over, to take the Honda out again. Each time, I'd sit in the seat, thumb the starter, let it warm up, maybe even back it out of the parking space, only to shut it down and cover it back over. I kept playing the accident over and over in my mind, thinking about how close I came to dying; thinking about how lucky I was that I chose to do laundry at my parents' house and therefore took the car rather than the bike. Each time I thought about the accident, how I'd cheated death, I'd break out in a cold sweat as I pondered my mortality and how close I came to facing it.
Eventually, of course, I did get back on the bike. After the accident, I rode it exactly one more time that season - to my parents' house to store it in their garage for the winter. The entire time I rode the 15 miles from our apartment to my folks' house I was sweating bullets, scanning each and every side road for the hurtling car I knew was waiting to kill me. Starting it up the following spring was a little easier, right up until the stupid yuppie bastard in the Explorer crashed into my Toyota van at 65 MPH - he thought that having rear anti-lock brakes meant he could stop on a dime in a cold April rain. I had two serious accidents that sent me to the hospital in the short span of eight months. That's why the next car I owned was a 1983 Cadillac Coupe DeVille - I wanted the next person who hit me to PAY.
I rode less and less in the ensuing years, as building a house and starting a family took me away from the open road. Having kids meant playing it safe, not taking unnecessary risks, being the responsible family man. Then the Harley came along, the thunderous V-twin shaking me out of my safe little routine and reconnecting me with the marvelous world on two wheels. I've had my share of close calls on the Harley, from an inattentive soccer mom in an SUV who pulled the age-old "left hand turn right in front of the bike" trick on me (fortunately she telegraphed it well in advance so that I was able to maneuver around her - and teach her kids in the backseat colorful new words through the open window) to the octogenarian who blew through the red light and nearly made me a hood ornament for his Buick.
They say you never forget your first. That's never more true than for your first near-death experience.
I still ride today; I'm still very careful and remember my MSF mneumonic SIPDE (Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute) for staying safe on two wheels. I'm aware that at any given moment one of these lumbering idiots in their luxo-cages can squash me like a bug; my 750 pound motorcycle no match for their two-ton luxo-SUV. I ride with the mindset that everyone else on the road is actively trying to kill me, and act and react accordingly. I'm back on the horse.
And I'd be a poorer man had I decided to stay out of the saddle.
That is all.
We've all had that experience. The one that scares the wadding out of you, and makes you reticent to get back near what caused the situation in the first place. "Getting back on the horse" as they call it. Sometimes it's a near accident, sometimes it's the real thing. One of those days that was meant to be spent in quiet order when suddenly fate reaches out to bite you in the behind. You expect death to arrive with fanfare, but instead it usually comes in the most ordinary of circumstances. The Roman goddess Fortuna grabs the remote and changes the channel—click.
Yes, it's all that good. SRSLY.
Mine revolves around an accident and a motorcycle, although ironically not a motorcycle accident. It was a little over 12 years ago; in fact it was four days before my wedding. Mrs. G. and I were living in a little apartment just over the border in NH (yes, I lived briefly in Live Free or Die Land and stupidly came back), halfway between her job outside of Boston and my Master's studies at the University of New Hampshire. I had gone to my parents' house for dinner that night (Mrs. G. worked nights), and had a most unpleasant encounter on the ride home.
It was a clear August night, no pouring rain or howling winds, and I was thinking about my impending nuptials only 96 hours hence. I was driving up Route 113, a two-lane blacktop through a sleepy suburb, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw headlights coming out of a side street. Really fast. The 17 year old driving the souped-up Civic didn't realize that the street he was drag-racing down ended at the highway I was occupying. He plowed into the driver's side of my tiny Plymouth Sundance at approximately 40 MPH, crushing the driver's door into my side and sending me violently into the console (yes, I was wearing a seatbelt). When the cars came to a rest I couldn't move, trapped in place by the crushed remains of my door.
Long story short, I spent six months in physical therapy trying to walk without excruciating pain. I was doped up on serious painkillers through my wedding (I joke that I have an out because I was under the influence; that never goes over well with Mrs. G.) and honeymoon (including a week in Montreal where the hotel workers were all on strike, meaning that I had to carry my own bags the entire time...). After the accident, I had a realization: My life was spared that night because of a load of laundry.
I had originally intended to take my motorcycle that night.
There's no doubt whatsoever that I would have been killed had I been on my Magna rather than inside a cage. My car absorbed a 40 MPH impact that left me with significant injuries, but injuries from which I recovered fully. There would have been no such reprieve on the motorcycle. At the very least, I would have lost my left leg entirely; more than likely I would have died either from the blunt force trauma or from massive blood loss.
It was extremely hard to get back on the horse after that accident. I tried, over and over, to take the Honda out again. Each time, I'd sit in the seat, thumb the starter, let it warm up, maybe even back it out of the parking space, only to shut it down and cover it back over. I kept playing the accident over and over in my mind, thinking about how close I came to dying; thinking about how lucky I was that I chose to do laundry at my parents' house and therefore took the car rather than the bike. Each time I thought about the accident, how I'd cheated death, I'd break out in a cold sweat as I pondered my mortality and how close I came to facing it.
Eventually, of course, I did get back on the bike. After the accident, I rode it exactly one more time that season - to my parents' house to store it in their garage for the winter. The entire time I rode the 15 miles from our apartment to my folks' house I was sweating bullets, scanning each and every side road for the hurtling car I knew was waiting to kill me. Starting it up the following spring was a little easier, right up until the stupid yuppie bastard in the Explorer crashed into my Toyota van at 65 MPH - he thought that having rear anti-lock brakes meant he could stop on a dime in a cold April rain. I had two serious accidents that sent me to the hospital in the short span of eight months. That's why the next car I owned was a 1983 Cadillac Coupe DeVille - I wanted the next person who hit me to PAY.
I rode less and less in the ensuing years, as building a house and starting a family took me away from the open road. Having kids meant playing it safe, not taking unnecessary risks, being the responsible family man. Then the Harley came along, the thunderous V-twin shaking me out of my safe little routine and reconnecting me with the marvelous world on two wheels. I've had my share of close calls on the Harley, from an inattentive soccer mom in an SUV who pulled the age-old "left hand turn right in front of the bike" trick on me (fortunately she telegraphed it well in advance so that I was able to maneuver around her - and teach her kids in the backseat colorful new words through the open window) to the octogenarian who blew through the red light and nearly made me a hood ornament for his Buick.
They say you never forget your first. That's never more true than for your first near-death experience.
I still ride today; I'm still very careful and remember my MSF mneumonic SIPDE (Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute) for staying safe on two wheels. I'm aware that at any given moment one of these lumbering idiots in their luxo-cages can squash me like a bug; my 750 pound motorcycle no match for their two-ton luxo-SUV. I ride with the mindset that everyone else on the road is actively trying to kill me, and act and react accordingly. I'm back on the horse.
And I'd be a poorer man had I decided to stay out of the saddle.
That is all.
Northeast Blogger Winter Gathering Update
Okay guys and gals, it's time to shit or get off the pot here... We need to nail down a date and a location for this meeting if we want it to happen before the end of the year.
Location
In the last post, I offered up a bunch of locations to choose from. It appears that the strongest contenders were:
Murphy's Taproom in Manchester, NH
and
Martha's Exchange in Nashua, NH
Murphy's is run by a Free Stater and is not averse to open-carry for non-drinking patrons; Martha's is an actual brewery with plenty of house drafts to choose from.
Both are centrally located in NH; Murphy's is probably the more accessible location for the MAholes given it's proximity to I93. It's also less than a mile from several hotels should people chose to stay over (although to be fair there's a Day's Inn only a mile and a half from Martha's).
I've contacted both locations and both have private function facilities available, although for a fee (I wasn't able to speak with a functions manager at press time so I don't have an actual figure, but I can't imagine it would be more than a couple hundred bucks if that; obviously we'll need that information before making a final decision).
Let's form a consensus on which establishment to choose, and then onto:
Date
Given that we've got people traveling up to 2-3 hours for this gathering, it makes the most sense to have it on a Saturday evening. I'm thinking starting maybe 5:00 PM and going until they kick us out; obviously folks would be more than welcome to arrive sooner if they so chose.
So which Saturday?
I'm somewhat partial to the Saturday after Christmas, 12/27/08. This gets us past the holiday and attendant Christmas/Holiday/Office parties that serve as organization landmines for events this time of year. It also allows over a month for folks to make the necessary arrangements and such so that we can have maximum attendance at the gathering.
Working up to that, though:
The Saturday after Thanksgiving, 11/29/08: Pros are that most folks have that weekend off; cons are that it's only a week and a half away.
Saturday, 12/6/08: Bad for me, but I'll endure the wrath of Mrs. G. for canceling "date night" if that's the only night that would work for everyone else.
12/13/08 is right out for Mrs. G.'s company Xmas party.
12/20/08 is currently open but awfully close to the holiday.
Realistically, once we agree on a date, the location is easy. Hell, a couple of us could go in on a suite at the Holiday Inn in Manchester and we all show up with our favorite brewskis...
So, what say you on the date?
Attendees:
JD
doubletrouble
Liberty
Marko
MedicMatthew
wally
the saj (dependent on location)
scotaku
Lissa
Bruce
Paul (dependent on time)
weer'd beard
Ted
TOTWTYTR
wolfwalker
angus lincoln
zeeke42
MeatAxe
andrew (dependent on time)
Have expressed interest, but not explicitly said "IN":
brad_in_ma
thefaz
sci-fi
As a side note, the sooner we can nail down the date and location the better we'll be. There's a slim chance that we might be joined by a certain well-known blogger from far away up visiting friends in the area (who will remain nameless until I can confirm or if he wants to out himself in comments); suffice to say I'd be honored to have him join us.
Let's get the specifics down, and I'll make concrete arrangements as needed.
That is all.
Location
In the last post, I offered up a bunch of locations to choose from. It appears that the strongest contenders were:
Murphy's Taproom in Manchester, NH
and
Martha's Exchange in Nashua, NH
Murphy's is run by a Free Stater and is not averse to open-carry for non-drinking patrons; Martha's is an actual brewery with plenty of house drafts to choose from.
Both are centrally located in NH; Murphy's is probably the more accessible location for the MAholes given it's proximity to I93. It's also less than a mile from several hotels should people chose to stay over (although to be fair there's a Day's Inn only a mile and a half from Martha's).
I've contacted both locations and both have private function facilities available, although for a fee (I wasn't able to speak with a functions manager at press time so I don't have an actual figure, but I can't imagine it would be more than a couple hundred bucks if that; obviously we'll need that information before making a final decision).
Let's form a consensus on which establishment to choose, and then onto:
Date
Given that we've got people traveling up to 2-3 hours for this gathering, it makes the most sense to have it on a Saturday evening. I'm thinking starting maybe 5:00 PM and going until they kick us out; obviously folks would be more than welcome to arrive sooner if they so chose.
So which Saturday?
I'm somewhat partial to the Saturday after Christmas, 12/27/08. This gets us past the holiday and attendant Christmas/Holiday/Office parties that serve as organization landmines for events this time of year. It also allows over a month for folks to make the necessary arrangements and such so that we can have maximum attendance at the gathering.
Working up to that, though:
The Saturday after Thanksgiving, 11/29/08: Pros are that most folks have that weekend off; cons are that it's only a week and a half away.
Saturday, 12/6/08: Bad for me, but I'll endure the wrath of Mrs. G. for canceling "date night" if that's the only night that would work for everyone else.
12/13/08 is right out for Mrs. G.'s company Xmas party.
12/20/08 is currently open but awfully close to the holiday.
Realistically, once we agree on a date, the location is easy. Hell, a couple of us could go in on a suite at the Holiday Inn in Manchester and we all show up with our favorite brewskis...
So, what say you on the date?
Attendees:
JD
doubletrouble
Liberty
Marko
MedicMatthew
wally
the saj (dependent on location)
scotaku
Lissa
Bruce
Paul (dependent on time)
weer'd beard
Ted
TOTWTYTR
wolfwalker
angus lincoln
zeeke42
MeatAxe
andrew (dependent on time)
Have expressed interest, but not explicitly said "IN":
brad_in_ma
thefaz
sci-fi
As a side note, the sooner we can nail down the date and location the better we'll be. There's a slim chance that we might be joined by a certain well-known blogger from far away up visiting friends in the area (who will remain nameless until I can confirm or if he wants to out himself in comments); suffice to say I'd be honored to have him join us.
Let's get the specifics down, and I'll make concrete arrangements as needed.
That is all.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
TANSTAAFL...
At least not for the MBTA Board of Directors any more...
T Board Bags The Free Lunches
Now, granted, $5K isn't a big chunk of change, all things considered. But in these uncertain economic times, where state budgets are getting cut and taxes, tolls, and fees are all being raised, it's the height of arrogance for the MBTA (which, BTW, is absolutely hemorrhaging money) to continue offering free (i.e. taxpayer-funded) lunches to the Board of Directors.
Watch the accompanying video. The attitude of the MBTA head is just amazing. He's completely non-plussed that the Board is getting a free lunch, just saying that it's always been that way. With the MBTA some eight billion dollars (yes, billion with a "B"), back wages not paid to the tune of $53 million, and fees and prices being increased across the board, $5K a year is a small figure, to be certain. But it's the principle of the thing.
That's my $5k going for those lunches, dammit. I want it back.
That is all.
T Board Bags The Free Lunches
BOSTON (WBZ) ― From now on, the MBTA Board of Directors may have to brown-bag it.
There will be no free meal at the board's December meeting. Last week, our I-Team uncovered a long standing MBTA tradition: a free lunch for board members at taxpayer expense.
But we learned today that the T is pulling the plug on the chafing dishes. Our I-Team also learned that for the fiscal year that ended in June, the total tab for the lunches came to just under $5,000.
Now, granted, $5K isn't a big chunk of change, all things considered. But in these uncertain economic times, where state budgets are getting cut and taxes, tolls, and fees are all being raised, it's the height of arrogance for the MBTA (which, BTW, is absolutely hemorrhaging money) to continue offering free (i.e. taxpayer-funded) lunches to the Board of Directors.
Watch the accompanying video. The attitude of the MBTA head is just amazing. He's completely non-plussed that the Board is getting a free lunch, just saying that it's always been that way. With the MBTA some eight billion dollars (yes, billion with a "B"), back wages not paid to the tune of $53 million, and fees and prices being increased across the board, $5K a year is a small figure, to be certain. But it's the principle of the thing.
That's my $5k going for those lunches, dammit. I want it back.
That is all.
Don't Forget...
Today is National Ammo Day. Go buy 100 rounds of your favorite caliber. Then buy another 100 just to be on the safe side. Might as well pick up a brick of .22LR while you're at it. Go make Baby Vulcan smile, and Sarah Brady cry.
Remember, every time you buy ammunition for an assault weapon, Chuck Schumer gets hit in the balls.*
That is all.
*At least I certainly hope so.
Remember, every time you buy ammunition for an assault weapon, Chuck Schumer gets hit in the balls.*
That is all.
*At least I certainly hope so.
Gather 'Round the Fire...
I forget what, exactly, reminded me of it the other day, but I was brought back to the campfire at the Cub Scout overnight. It was a chilly night, so we got a good roaring fire going in the big fire pit in the center of the campsite. Throughout the night, folks dragged their chairs up for warmth and camaraderie, and people kept the fire going throughout the night as the temperature dipped into the low 20s.
At one point at some indeterminate hour of the morning, I awoke to answer nature's call. As I picked my way back from the latrine to the tent, I saw the fire blazing brightly, a beacon of warmth that beckoned to me and bade me tarry a moment. I shuffled over to bask in the warmth of the burning embers, and greeted several other campers also huddled around for warmth.
As we sat there silently, I reflected on how this scene could easily be thousands of years old. Human beings, huddled against the elements, a roaring fire their only defense against the developing cold. It struck me how primitive the yearning for fire and warmth was, and I realized that one of the consequences of modern living is that we lose that quest for fire. We don't have reason to face just how fragile we humans are when exposed to the elements.
It's nice to be reminded of that frailty without staring into the gaping maw of a larger predator.
Looking back, camping and campfires have always been a part of my life. As a young child, my folks had a series of tents and campers, and we often would spend weeks camping over the summer. As we grew older, and more dependent on creature comforts, the camping trips turned into hotel trips or beach house trips, but I found myself drawn back to the basics: a tent, a stove, and a campfire.
I'm glad my son enjoys camping. I love sharing the outdoors with him, and I cherish the time we spend together in the Scouts. I know it won't be long at all before he's too cool to go camping with his dad, so I intend to wring every second I can out of this narrow window in time. This coming summer I hope to take him camping to some of my old haunts, places where nature is still wild, subdivisions have not conquered, and the campfire still flickers late into the night.
Heck, I might even break out the guitar. Of course, only if I have trouble starting the fire...
That is all.
At one point at some indeterminate hour of the morning, I awoke to answer nature's call. As I picked my way back from the latrine to the tent, I saw the fire blazing brightly, a beacon of warmth that beckoned to me and bade me tarry a moment. I shuffled over to bask in the warmth of the burning embers, and greeted several other campers also huddled around for warmth.
As we sat there silently, I reflected on how this scene could easily be thousands of years old. Human beings, huddled against the elements, a roaring fire their only defense against the developing cold. It struck me how primitive the yearning for fire and warmth was, and I realized that one of the consequences of modern living is that we lose that quest for fire. We don't have reason to face just how fragile we humans are when exposed to the elements.
It's nice to be reminded of that frailty without staring into the gaping maw of a larger predator.
Looking back, camping and campfires have always been a part of my life. As a young child, my folks had a series of tents and campers, and we often would spend weeks camping over the summer. As we grew older, and more dependent on creature comforts, the camping trips turned into hotel trips or beach house trips, but I found myself drawn back to the basics: a tent, a stove, and a campfire.
I'm glad my son enjoys camping. I love sharing the outdoors with him, and I cherish the time we spend together in the Scouts. I know it won't be long at all before he's too cool to go camping with his dad, so I intend to wring every second I can out of this narrow window in time. This coming summer I hope to take him camping to some of my old haunts, places where nature is still wild, subdivisions have not conquered, and the campfire still flickers late into the night.
Heck, I might even break out the guitar. Of course, only if I have trouble starting the fire...
That is all.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Musical Interlude...
I love this song.
This is how I feel about the town I live in.
Even though it's in Massa-fucking-chusetts.
This is my town.
That is all.
This is how I feel about the town I live in.
Even though it's in Massa-fucking-chusetts.
This is my town.
That is all.
MArooned Meals: Lunchtime!
In keeping with my fitness routine, I thought I'd share my normal workday lunch:
There's a red delicious apple for my mid-morning snack (60 calories). For lunch, a ham lavash wrap with spicy mustard and diced lettuce and onion (200 calories), baked Cheetos™ snack chips (100 calories), pickles (20 calories), a Diet Coke, and a sugar-free pudding for dessert (60 calories). For a mid-afternoon snack there's a yogurt (80 calories) and a small package of baby carrots (35 calories). Total expenditure for the day: Approximately 600 calories including the morning coffee.
It's plenty of food for the day, with snacks spaced pretty evenly to stave off the hungry horrors but not overload, causing the mid-afternoon slump. Add in a couple hundred calories for a breakfast bar or bowl of cereal, then 800 - 1000 calories for dinner, and the day's caloric intake is well under 2000 calories. The evening snack(s) round this number out to add more protein (peanut butter, beef jerky, etc.) and maintain weight for an active lifestyle.
Now, I'd be lying if I said this beat a buffalo chicken sandwich at the 99 Restaurant, or a couple slices of sausage and 'roni pizza from Sal's, but it sure beats a handful of rice cakes and a grapefruit, that's for sure. And that was my intent - I didn't want to just cut way back on the calories for a few weeks, then go back to my old ways. I'd done that pretty much my whole life, and as soon as I went "off" the diet, I'd gain all the weight I lost back (and then some, usually...)
Instead, I opted to make a lot of small changes that I could live with going forward; I wanted each change to be something that I would continue using rather than stop once the weight goal was achieved. It appears to be working - I've been within 5 pounds of the same weight since May of last year; I've never kept weight off this long before. Most experts call weight loss permanent if the weight is still off after two to five years; I'm not going to relax until I've hit the upper end of that figure.
Heck, I may sit down and write my diet book - call it "How I Did It" in honor of the question most often asked!
That is all.
There's a red delicious apple for my mid-morning snack (60 calories). For lunch, a ham lavash wrap with spicy mustard and diced lettuce and onion (200 calories), baked Cheetos™ snack chips (100 calories), pickles (20 calories), a Diet Coke, and a sugar-free pudding for dessert (60 calories). For a mid-afternoon snack there's a yogurt (80 calories) and a small package of baby carrots (35 calories). Total expenditure for the day: Approximately 600 calories including the morning coffee.
It's plenty of food for the day, with snacks spaced pretty evenly to stave off the hungry horrors but not overload, causing the mid-afternoon slump. Add in a couple hundred calories for a breakfast bar or bowl of cereal, then 800 - 1000 calories for dinner, and the day's caloric intake is well under 2000 calories. The evening snack(s) round this number out to add more protein (peanut butter, beef jerky, etc.) and maintain weight for an active lifestyle.
Now, I'd be lying if I said this beat a buffalo chicken sandwich at the 99 Restaurant, or a couple slices of sausage and 'roni pizza from Sal's, but it sure beats a handful of rice cakes and a grapefruit, that's for sure. And that was my intent - I didn't want to just cut way back on the calories for a few weeks, then go back to my old ways. I'd done that pretty much my whole life, and as soon as I went "off" the diet, I'd gain all the weight I lost back (and then some, usually...)
Instead, I opted to make a lot of small changes that I could live with going forward; I wanted each change to be something that I would continue using rather than stop once the weight goal was achieved. It appears to be working - I've been within 5 pounds of the same weight since May of last year; I've never kept weight off this long before. Most experts call weight loss permanent if the weight is still off after two to five years; I'm not going to relax until I've hit the upper end of that figure.
Heck, I may sit down and write my diet book - call it "How I Did It" in honor of the question most often asked!
That is all.
Chickens Roosting, Yadda Yadda Yadda...
So, The Boy has discovered boogers. Specifically, he's discovered that:
a) his nostrils produce them; and
b) he can terrify his little sister with them.
**Sigh**
There are days I will pick up the phone, dial my parents' house, hear my mother answer, say nothing more than "Hi mom. Just wanted to say I'm sorry." and she knows what I mean. I'm a big brother - a "big bother" as my little sister used to say (hell, still does sometimes). At family get-togethers, even now as grown adults with mortgages and car payments, I can still make her duck and scream by holding my hands so as to mimic having a rubber band ready to fling at her.
The Boy never stood a chance.
So, when "MOOOOOOM! [The Boy] is picking his nose AGAIN" reverberates through our household like the clarion call of Gabriel's trumpet, we know that failing to step in will result in several minutes of "EWWWWWW!" "[The Boy] STOOOOOP!!!" and the ever-popular "HE'S PICKING HIS NOSE *AGAIN*!"
It's cosmic karmic payback. Every last mucus-filled second. There's got to be some sort of "booger gene" encoded on the "Y" chromosome and absent on the second "X". I figure another 148,000 screams of "HE'STOUCHINGMEWITHHISFINGER" and I'm even with my mom.
Which, naturally, means that my mailbox only has to explode another 87 times before I'm square with the universe.
That is all.
a) his nostrils produce them; and
b) he can terrify his little sister with them.
**Sigh**
There are days I will pick up the phone, dial my parents' house, hear my mother answer, say nothing more than "Hi mom. Just wanted to say I'm sorry." and she knows what I mean. I'm a big brother - a "big bother" as my little sister used to say (hell, still does sometimes). At family get-togethers, even now as grown adults with mortgages and car payments, I can still make her duck and scream by holding my hands so as to mimic having a rubber band ready to fling at her.
The Boy never stood a chance.
So, when "MOOOOOOM! [The Boy] is picking his nose AGAIN" reverberates through our household like the clarion call of Gabriel's trumpet, we know that failing to step in will result in several minutes of "EWWWWWW!" "[The Boy] STOOOOOP!!!" and the ever-popular "HE'S PICKING HIS NOSE *AGAIN*!"
It's cosmic karmic payback. Every last mucus-filled second. There's got to be some sort of "booger gene" encoded on the "Y" chromosome and absent on the second "X". I figure another 148,000 screams of "HE'STOUCHINGMEWITHHISFINGER" and I'm even with my mom.
Which, naturally, means that my mailbox only has to explode another 87 times before I'm square with the universe.
That is all.
Monday, November 17, 2008
In Praise of the P3AT...
What other handgun could you have in the pocket of a pair of sweatpants and forget it's there?
That is all.
That is all.
Did I Miss Something?
Is there like a worldwide shortage of calcium carbonate? I can't find regular-strength Rolaids anywhere...
I need some, because being in sales in these unsure times, I'm going through a good bottle a week...
That is all.
I need some, because being in sales in these unsure times, I'm going through a good bottle a week...
That is all.
Let GM Sink...
And Ford too...
First off, any industry that can spend tens of millions of dollars on lobbyists when they're crying for a bailout can kiss my hairy Italian ass.
Secondly, I've had my share of piss-poor experiences with GM especially to know that it's their own damn fault.
One of the most telling instances, and I am fully aware that it's merely anecdotal, was something that happened to me in the mid-1990s. I was in the market for a new car as I wrapped up my graduate career and started looking to the future. I had secured a position at the local manufacturing plant as an industrial chemist, working on developing novel cleaning, oiling, and degreasing fluids for market. I was established.
I decided I wanted to get a pickup truck - I was newly married and we had family land to build on; it was only a matter of time before we started building our house and having something to haul stuff in would be really handy. I had owned trucks on the past - in particular, a bone-stripped Dodge Ram that I bought when they rolled out the new body style in 1994 and were just about giving away the old body style trucks - and wanted something of similar utility. Nothing fancy, a standard transmission was fine, no A/C needed (it's a pick-up, just put a sliding rear window and you're good to go); the only caveat was four-wheel drive.
I stopped into a local Chevy dealer and started looking at the S-10 pickups (the compact trucks). One of the sales pukes sidles up and asks what I'm looking for, so I explain what I want. Stripped truck, 4WD, nothing fancy. He asks what my budget is. I response, oh, somewhere around $15K or thereabouts.
He walked away from me without saying another word.
I'd looked at the going rates for new trucks, and $15K for a stripped compact was not unreasonable. I wasn't looking for a new $10,000 Corvette. Now, I understand that this was only one dealership (which, BTW, went out of business not too long after, for a lovely touch of shadenfreude...). But I found that attitude to be pervasive - going to a Ford dealer, they had a bone-stripped Ranger 4X4 - not even a radio - that they wanted $18K for. In 1997.
And even at that, they weren't interested in selling it to me.
Now, I'm 25-26 years old. Professional. Just married, looking to build a house and start a family. This is exactly the demographic they want to court - these are the people that you want to cultivate a long-term sales relationship with, as they'll be back for a family car in a few years, then a minivan, then a new sedan, and then down the road the shiny red convertible. And yet my experience was overwhelmingly negative. (And I'm not even getting into the other idiotic things GM has done, like, oh, completely and utterly conceding the large car market *and* the sports car market to Ford by phasing out the Caprice and Camaro...)
Made. Of. Fail.
That is all.
First off, any industry that can spend tens of millions of dollars on lobbyists when they're crying for a bailout can kiss my hairy Italian ass.
Secondly, I've had my share of piss-poor experiences with GM especially to know that it's their own damn fault.
One of the most telling instances, and I am fully aware that it's merely anecdotal, was something that happened to me in the mid-1990s. I was in the market for a new car as I wrapped up my graduate career and started looking to the future. I had secured a position at the local manufacturing plant as an industrial chemist, working on developing novel cleaning, oiling, and degreasing fluids for market. I was established.
I decided I wanted to get a pickup truck - I was newly married and we had family land to build on; it was only a matter of time before we started building our house and having something to haul stuff in would be really handy. I had owned trucks on the past - in particular, a bone-stripped Dodge Ram that I bought when they rolled out the new body style in 1994 and were just about giving away the old body style trucks - and wanted something of similar utility. Nothing fancy, a standard transmission was fine, no A/C needed (it's a pick-up, just put a sliding rear window and you're good to go); the only caveat was four-wheel drive.
I stopped into a local Chevy dealer and started looking at the S-10 pickups (the compact trucks). One of the sales pukes sidles up and asks what I'm looking for, so I explain what I want. Stripped truck, 4WD, nothing fancy. He asks what my budget is. I response, oh, somewhere around $15K or thereabouts.
He walked away from me without saying another word.
I'd looked at the going rates for new trucks, and $15K for a stripped compact was not unreasonable. I wasn't looking for a new $10,000 Corvette. Now, I understand that this was only one dealership (which, BTW, went out of business not too long after, for a lovely touch of shadenfreude...). But I found that attitude to be pervasive - going to a Ford dealer, they had a bone-stripped Ranger 4X4 - not even a radio - that they wanted $18K for. In 1997.
And even at that, they weren't interested in selling it to me.
Now, I'm 25-26 years old. Professional. Just married, looking to build a house and start a family. This is exactly the demographic they want to court - these are the people that you want to cultivate a long-term sales relationship with, as they'll be back for a family car in a few years, then a minivan, then a new sedan, and then down the road the shiny red convertible. And yet my experience was overwhelmingly negative. (And I'm not even getting into the other idiotic things GM has done, like, oh, completely and utterly conceding the large car market *and* the sports car market to Ford by phasing out the Caprice and Camaro...)
Made. Of. Fail.
That is all.
PSA: NAD
Just a gentle reminder that National Ammo Day is only two days away.
GO. Buy ammo. Lots of ammo. I've already bought my 100 rounds - and something with which to expend said ammo.
Watch this space on Friday...
That is all.
GO. Buy ammo. Lots of ammo. I've already bought my 100 rounds - and something with which to expend said ammo.
Watch this space on Friday...
That is all.
Okay, I'll Play...
Epijunky has tagged me with a award. I'm speechless! (Aw, hell, those of you who know me know that's not possible...)
Here are the rules according to Epi:
Well, let's see... Books... Books... Uh... there's about 5,000 gun magazines in the office, but where's the nearest book... (Oh who the hell am I kidding? There's about 8 or 9 hundred books in the office...) Here goes:
If you know where this came from, you're as big a geek as I am...
So, five people to pass this along to... Let's see:
Amusings, because she was all verklempt when I missed her for the last award. :) Brigid, because no matter what it is she'll write it up wonderfully.
Here are the rules according to Epi:
Pass it on to five other bloggers, and tell them to open the nearest book to page 56. Write out the fifth sentence on that page, and also the next two to five sentences. The CLOSEST BOOK, NOT YOUR FAVORITE, OR MOST INTELLECTUAL!
Well, let's see... Books... Books... Uh... there's about 5,000 gun magazines in the office, but where's the nearest book... (Oh who the hell am I kidding? There's about 8 or 9 hundred books in the office...) Here goes:
In other words, we weren't allowed overtime. Come 6:18 PM, we had to pull the plug and get off the set, whether the scene was filmed or not - and tomorrow's schedule didn't allow for us to come back and finish it!
To emphasize that fact, Roddenberry and two or three production assistants wandered out onto the set - letting us know by their silent, ominous presences that they were watching the clock.
We had just enough time for one take - so it had to go perfectly!
If you know where this came from, you're as big a geek as I am...
So, five people to pass this along to... Let's see:
My blogson, Ted. While I fear it may be a computer manual of some sort, it might be something from his private stash...
Lissa, because I have a feeling whatever she has close by is absolutely fabulous.Amusings, because she was all verklempt when I missed her for the last award. :) Brigid, because no matter what it is she'll write it up wonderfully.
And lastly, Robb, just because.
That is all.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Wish Me Luck...
Bringing BabyGirl G. to church for the first time today. This should be interesting - so far this morning her and The Boy have already fought approximately 6,894 times. Both children have whined mercilessly about going; the temptation to just say forget it is rather high. But I really want to impress on both of them that this is something important that we need to do.
I've tried to give the Reader's Digest Condensed version of why we go (don't ask; right now it centers around making Santa Claus happy and keeping the Easter Bunny off life support); but the only thing that seems to get through to her is raw, naked bribery: Behave and you get a toy afterwards. Given that she's only going on the days that Mrs. G. has to work, I can live with that...
Next year it will of course be different; she'll be in her first year of CCD and will be going every Sunday with The Boy. Soon enough I'll have to answer the question, though, of "Why doesn't mommy come with us?" That's going to be a hard one - Mrs. G. is an atheist, a recovered Catholic who has lost her faith and her belief. Given that I'm generally distrustful of organized religion, and also knowing the fire-and-brimstone church she grew up in, I'm somewhat sympathetic. I don't agree, mind you; I firmly believe in Him and His son. Which should lead to, shall we say, interesting discussions in the G. household when the time comes...
That's when I'll really need lucky wishes.
That is all.
I've tried to give the Reader's Digest Condensed version of why we go (don't ask; right now it centers around making Santa Claus happy and keeping the Easter Bunny off life support); but the only thing that seems to get through to her is raw, naked bribery: Behave and you get a toy afterwards. Given that she's only going on the days that Mrs. G. has to work, I can live with that...
Next year it will of course be different; she'll be in her first year of CCD and will be going every Sunday with The Boy. Soon enough I'll have to answer the question, though, of "Why doesn't mommy come with us?" That's going to be a hard one - Mrs. G. is an atheist, a recovered Catholic who has lost her faith and her belief. Given that I'm generally distrustful of organized religion, and also knowing the fire-and-brimstone church she grew up in, I'm somewhat sympathetic. I don't agree, mind you; I firmly believe in Him and His son. Which should lead to, shall we say, interesting discussions in the G. household when the time comes...
That's when I'll really need lucky wishes.
That is all.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Pleasant Surprise...
So a gun nut walks into a gun shop... (okay, had to go with the pseudo-joke opening, it seemed fitting). I went to a local gun shop to meet Bruce for a transaction (see this coming Friday's Gun pr0n). It's one of the closer shops to me, over the line in NH which is really a good thing, as I wasn't (too) tempted by the goodies therein. I'm waiting until next month to really get into the panic buying mode...
I walked inside and was greeted by an old friend. William*, who worked at the local public range for as long as I've gone there, was now working at the local shop. Long story short, the public range was going through some tough times, with the owner at odds with some of the long time employees. Bad scene all around, and William chose to take the opportunity to move onto bigger and better things.
Which really works out well for me, because ever since I joined the gun club I (obviously) haven't been to the public range. No sense dropping $25 a range session for a range 20 miles away when for $100 a year I can shoot at the club only 4 miles away, right?
So now I get to chat with William any time I need ammo or reloading supplies. Life's funny that way. A door closes, a window opens, insert your cliché of choice here. Bottom line is I still get to jaw and bitch about politics (and there's a LOT of bitching being done in the gun shops) with one of my favoritemerchants of death gun dealers.
As a side note, SINGLE STACK WASR-10s are selling for $499??? Holy crap... I think I need to step up the acquisition pace here before they're over a grand...
That is all.
*Name changed to protect the innocent...
I walked inside and was greeted by an old friend. William*, who worked at the local public range for as long as I've gone there, was now working at the local shop. Long story short, the public range was going through some tough times, with the owner at odds with some of the long time employees. Bad scene all around, and William chose to take the opportunity to move onto bigger and better things.
Which really works out well for me, because ever since I joined the gun club I (obviously) haven't been to the public range. No sense dropping $25 a range session for a range 20 miles away when for $100 a year I can shoot at the club only 4 miles away, right?
So now I get to chat with William any time I need ammo or reloading supplies. Life's funny that way. A door closes, a window opens, insert your cliché of choice here. Bottom line is I still get to jaw and bitch about politics (and there's a LOT of bitching being done in the gun shops) with one of my favorite
As a side note, SINGLE STACK WASR-10s are selling for $499??? Holy crap... I think I need to step up the acquisition pace here before they're over a grand...
That is all.
*Name changed to protect the innocent...
Got Drill?
So I saw the dentist this morning. Took care of some cavities. There's no truth to the rumor it was like this:
Heh. Actually, my dentist is very good (and just so happens to be a fellow gunnie!). I prefer to have my cavities filled without novacaine, because I'd rather have a few moments of unpleasantness than to have my mouth numb for half the day.
There's a metaphor for left- vs. right- in there somewhere, but I'll be damned if I can find it...
That is all.
Heh. Actually, my dentist is very good (and just so happens to be a fellow gunnie!). I prefer to have my cavities filled without novacaine, because I'd rather have a few moments of unpleasantness than to have my mouth numb for half the day.
There's a metaphor for left- vs. right- in there somewhere, but I'll be damned if I can find it...
That is all.
Saturday...
Ah Saturday.
I believe it's derived from the Greek word for "cram all the crap you put off during the week into a single day"... But there is a bright spot today... Among the plebian errands like going to the dentist and going grocery shopping? A trip to the eeeevil gun store to buy something of the boomstick variety.
Heh. The great Obama-fueled buying frenzy begins today in the G. household. Watch this space.
That is all.
I believe it's derived from the Greek word for "cram all the crap you put off during the week into a single day"... But there is a bright spot today... Among the plebian errands like going to the dentist and going grocery shopping? A trip to the eeeevil gun store to buy something of the boomstick variety.
Heh. The great Obama-fueled buying frenzy begins today in the G. household. Watch this space.
That is all.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Friday Fun Thread: Good Foreign Cars of the 1970s
Last week's fun thread was the bad foreign cars of the 1980s; the week before that was the good foreign cars of the 1980s. Continuing our march backwards in time, I figured this week's list would contain the good foreign cars (available in the USA) of the 1970s.
1. Datsun 240ZX - With a straight six producing 151 horsepower in a supremely light body, the 240ZX drove a stake through the heart of the British monopoly of lightweight roadsters. It was affordable, reliable, and, most important of all, fun to drive; a welcome change of heart from the "no replacement for displacement" mantra of the early 1970s cubic inch wars out of Detroit.
2. 1972 Toyota Celica - The first generation Celica; this was the prototypical rice rocket. A 2.0L inline four cylinder engine mated to a five speed transmission and rear wheel drive meant a small, light car that could powerslide around corners (but be picked up and carried by two strong men if you went off the road, but I digress...).
3. 1970 Honda N600 - this was the first Honda imported into the US for sale. All the Civics, Accords, CR-Vs, and Odysseys we drive every day started with this little tin shoebox... A two-cylinder, air-cooled engine making some 1300 CCs powered this car to the amusement of other American drivers everywhere who kept waiting for the clowns to start pouring out...
4. MGB - A good friend of mine growing up owned nothing but MGs all through high school and college. He even raced one in autocross competitions, which unfortunately he couldn't turn off when driving on the street - I have not-so-fond memories of taking a sharp corner in an MG and looking down over the passenger door to see that the passenger side of the car was off the ground a good six inches...
5. 1971 Mercedes 280 SEL - I don't care who you are, this car is gorgeous. Classic Mercedes lines, distinctive Mercedes grill and that oh-so-sought-after hood ornament, drop-top, and retro-50s styling leads to a timeless classic. This is probably the heaviest car on the list; and undoubtedly the safest - a friend of my dad's was hit in his sedan version by a pickup traveling well in excess of the 40 MPH speed limit, and while the truck needed the jaws of life to extract the driver, my dad's friend walked away literally unscathed...
6. BMW 2002 - One of BMW's most famous models, the 2002 made BMW a household name. The emphasis on performance, coupled with world-renowned German engineering, helped upstart BMW claw American market share away from Mercedes, starting a rivalry that continues today.
7. 1977 VW Super Beetle - Arguably the most iconic and best-loved automobile ever produced, the German "People's Car" saw its last American sale in 1977. Considering that the marque was introduced in the 1930s, it had a good run. I have fond memories of, at age 15, helping a buddy of mine remove the engine from his Beetle for some repair work. The two of us unbolted the engine and removed it by hand - just the two of us... I remember being amazed at how simple that engine was...
8. Porsche 914 - sure, it was a Volkswagen at heart, but the 914 did something no other Porsche model since has done: It provided a model that I could actually afford. Now, I never owned one, but I came perilously close to buying one when I graduated from college. Thinking about speeding tickets and foreign-auto repair bills steered me away.
9. Ferrari Daytona - The car of choice for Sonny Crockett in "Miami Vice". 'Nuff said. Plus it's a screamin' red 2-seater that is guaranteed to get you noticed even if you don't look like Don Johnson. Plus, no list of awesome foreign cars is complete unless it has at least one exotic Italian sports car. Sorry, but that's the rule...
10. Saab 96 - I'll have to claim nostalgia for this model. It wasn't particularly exciting, but it is the first automobile I have memories of riding in. My folks both had 96s in the late 1960s and early 1970s, long before Saab became trendy and expensive. My mom wanted a VW Beetle in the worst way, but my dad, ever the practical one, saw too many rolled over as a State cop and persuaded mom to get the Saab instead. They fell in love with the good gas mileage and front wheel drive capability (dad drove home from Logan airport smack dab in the middle of the blizzard of 1978 in the 96!), and owned one or two for over a decade.
Thus concludes another automotive list of excellence. Please feel free to add to the list, critique the choices, or just drool over the pretty pictures...
That is all.
1. Datsun 240ZX - With a straight six producing 151 horsepower in a supremely light body, the 240ZX drove a stake through the heart of the British monopoly of lightweight roadsters. It was affordable, reliable, and, most important of all, fun to drive; a welcome change of heart from the "no replacement for displacement" mantra of the early 1970s cubic inch wars out of Detroit.
2. 1972 Toyota Celica - The first generation Celica; this was the prototypical rice rocket. A 2.0L inline four cylinder engine mated to a five speed transmission and rear wheel drive meant a small, light car that could powerslide around corners (but be picked up and carried by two strong men if you went off the road, but I digress...).
3. 1970 Honda N600 - this was the first Honda imported into the US for sale. All the Civics, Accords, CR-Vs, and Odysseys we drive every day started with this little tin shoebox... A two-cylinder, air-cooled engine making some 1300 CCs powered this car to the amusement of other American drivers everywhere who kept waiting for the clowns to start pouring out...
4. MGB - A good friend of mine growing up owned nothing but MGs all through high school and college. He even raced one in autocross competitions, which unfortunately he couldn't turn off when driving on the street - I have not-so-fond memories of taking a sharp corner in an MG and looking down over the passenger door to see that the passenger side of the car was off the ground a good six inches...
5. 1971 Mercedes 280 SEL - I don't care who you are, this car is gorgeous. Classic Mercedes lines, distinctive Mercedes grill and that oh-so-sought-after hood ornament, drop-top, and retro-50s styling leads to a timeless classic. This is probably the heaviest car on the list; and undoubtedly the safest - a friend of my dad's was hit in his sedan version by a pickup traveling well in excess of the 40 MPH speed limit, and while the truck needed the jaws of life to extract the driver, my dad's friend walked away literally unscathed...
6. BMW 2002 - One of BMW's most famous models, the 2002 made BMW a household name. The emphasis on performance, coupled with world-renowned German engineering, helped upstart BMW claw American market share away from Mercedes, starting a rivalry that continues today.
7. 1977 VW Super Beetle - Arguably the most iconic and best-loved automobile ever produced, the German "People's Car" saw its last American sale in 1977. Considering that the marque was introduced in the 1930s, it had a good run. I have fond memories of, at age 15, helping a buddy of mine remove the engine from his Beetle for some repair work. The two of us unbolted the engine and removed it by hand - just the two of us... I remember being amazed at how simple that engine was...
8. Porsche 914 - sure, it was a Volkswagen at heart, but the 914 did something no other Porsche model since has done: It provided a model that I could actually afford. Now, I never owned one, but I came perilously close to buying one when I graduated from college. Thinking about speeding tickets and foreign-auto repair bills steered me away.
9. Ferrari Daytona - The car of choice for Sonny Crockett in "Miami Vice". 'Nuff said. Plus it's a screamin' red 2-seater that is guaranteed to get you noticed even if you don't look like Don Johnson. Plus, no list of awesome foreign cars is complete unless it has at least one exotic Italian sports car. Sorry, but that's the rule...
10. Saab 96 - I'll have to claim nostalgia for this model. It wasn't particularly exciting, but it is the first automobile I have memories of riding in. My folks both had 96s in the late 1960s and early 1970s, long before Saab became trendy and expensive. My mom wanted a VW Beetle in the worst way, but my dad, ever the practical one, saw too many rolled over as a State cop and persuaded mom to get the Saab instead. They fell in love with the good gas mileage and front wheel drive capability (dad drove home from Logan airport smack dab in the middle of the blizzard of 1978 in the 96!), and owned one or two for over a decade.
Thus concludes another automotive list of excellence. Please feel free to add to the list, critique the choices, or just drool over the pretty pictures...
That is all.
Ride the Lightning...
Jury convicts Michael Addison of capital murder case; death penalty phase begins Monday
Do the right thing, folks. Just remember one very simple fact:
Red is positive, black is negative. Git-r-(well)done.
And for the musical interlude portion of the blog, here's a little ditty to get stuck in your brain:
That is all.
MANCHESTER – A jury today found Michael K. Addison guilty of capital murder in the October 2006 shooting death of city police Officer Michael L. Briggs (shown in the upper right corner of this page).
The jury of six men and six women reached the verdict after 12½ hours of deliberation over 2½ days. The Hillsborough County Superior Court trial now moves into its second stage when jurors must first decide whether Addison is eligible for the death penalty. That phase will start Monday.
Do the right thing, folks. Just remember one very simple fact:
Red is positive, black is negative. Git-r-(well)done.
And for the musical interlude portion of the blog, here's a little ditty to get stuck in your brain:
That is all.
Friday Gun Pr0n #85
Last week's gun pr0n focused on the long guns that Barack Obama would like to see banned. This week we're featuring another group of firearms that President-Elect Obama would like to see go softly into the night, concealed carry handguns (I kinda meshed two groups together; I know Barack wants to ban concealed carry at the Federal level *and* ban all handguns; if I tried to take a picture of all my handguns I'd need a wide-angle lens. Or I'd need to take it from the second floor...).
So here are my different carry rigs, presented in all their glory. No, I don't carry more than one at a time. Well, okay, sometimes two at a time. But never three, that would be silly... Oh, wait, I didn't show the NAA mini-.22lr...
Let's see... Starting clockwise from top left:
Smith & Wesson SW99c 9mm, shown with Crossbreed "Supertuck" IWB holster.
Glock G30 .45 ACP, with "Elite" nylon IWB holster (originally purchased for SW99c).
Smith & Wesson model 38 .38 Special, with Uncle Mike's pocket holster.
Kel-Tec P3AT 380 ACP, with Uncle Mike's pocket holster.
Smith & Wesson model 360PD .357 Magnum, with Bianchi Pistol Pocket holster (courtesy of TOTWTYTR, thanks again!).
There's about $3,000 worth of firearms and gear in that picture. All of it becomes worthless without legal concealed carry. What about training? Courses cost money - all of that goes "poof" if Barry waves his magic EO pen and makes CCW illegal (And yes, I'm well aware of the argument that there's no legal way for him to do such a thing; I refer the reader to the laws against accepting money from illegal aliens and the Obama campaign's willingness to do so as Exhibit A in the case against Obama giving a rat's ass about legality...).
Just something to think about on this cold November day...
That is all.
So here are my different carry rigs, presented in all their glory. No, I don't carry more than one at a time. Well, okay, sometimes two at a time. But never three, that would be silly... Oh, wait, I didn't show the NAA mini-.22lr...
Let's see... Starting clockwise from top left:
Smith & Wesson SW99c 9mm, shown with Crossbreed "Supertuck" IWB holster.
Glock G30 .45 ACP, with "Elite" nylon IWB holster (originally purchased for SW99c).
Smith & Wesson model 38 .38 Special, with Uncle Mike's pocket holster.
Kel-Tec P3AT 380 ACP, with Uncle Mike's pocket holster.
Smith & Wesson model 360PD .357 Magnum, with Bianchi Pistol Pocket holster (courtesy of TOTWTYTR, thanks again!).
There's about $3,000 worth of firearms and gear in that picture. All of it becomes worthless without legal concealed carry. What about training? Courses cost money - all of that goes "poof" if Barry waves his magic EO pen and makes CCW illegal (And yes, I'm well aware of the argument that there's no legal way for him to do such a thing; I refer the reader to the laws against accepting money from illegal aliens and the Obama campaign's willingness to do so as Exhibit A in the case against Obama giving a rat's ass about legality...).
Just something to think about on this cold November day...
That is all.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
"Reality" TV...
I'm with Marko - I don't watch television, and don't feel that I'm missing out on anything. I've never seen an episode of American Idol; I've never seen a single episode of Survivor; I have no idea what the latest sitcoms are; I just don't care. I watch about 45 minutes of the local news in the morning while working out, and that's all the television I'll see in a day.
Sure, the kids watch Nickelodeon and Disney and Cartoon Network (that's new; and we only let The Boy watch that one...), and Mrs. G. loves the "reality" TV (Not me. I leave the room when she turns it on - I can actually feel my brain atrophy the longer I'm exposed to it). I am a huge fan of the Simpsons, but I haven't seen a first-run episode in years - not coincidentally, ever since they started coming out on DVD. I don't see the point in wading through commercials.
So I'm pop-culturally deficient. And I feel fine.
You know what, though? Look at my motorcycle trip post. Every single person I've linked there is a hundred times more real to me than anything that could flash across the boob tube. I'm far more interested in the goings on of a small town cop like LawDog, or the trials and tribulations of T-Bolt as he fights the flinch. I'd rather hear about Brigid's flights of fancy or look at Les's awesome pictures than watch any primetime drama. In short, I'd rather read about real people doing real things in the real world than watch beautiful people pretending to be real any day of the week.
That is all.
Sure, the kids watch Nickelodeon and Disney and Cartoon Network (that's new; and we only let The Boy watch that one...), and Mrs. G. loves the "reality" TV (Not me. I leave the room when she turns it on - I can actually feel my brain atrophy the longer I'm exposed to it). I am a huge fan of the Simpsons, but I haven't seen a first-run episode in years - not coincidentally, ever since they started coming out on DVD. I don't see the point in wading through commercials.
So I'm pop-culturally deficient. And I feel fine.
You know what, though? Look at my motorcycle trip post. Every single person I've linked there is a hundred times more real to me than anything that could flash across the boob tube. I'm far more interested in the goings on of a small town cop like LawDog, or the trials and tribulations of T-Bolt as he fights the flinch. I'd rather hear about Brigid's flights of fancy or look at Les's awesome pictures than watch any primetime drama. In short, I'd rather read about real people doing real things in the real world than watch beautiful people pretending to be real any day of the week.
That is all.
Can't... Resist... Snark... Too... Great...
Call to action: Pastor issuing 7-day sex challenge
This dude wants married couples to have sex once a day for seven days straight. The first thing I thought of was, but what would we do the rest of the year, then?
That is all.
DALLAS — The pastor of a mega-church says he will challenge married congregants during his sermon Sunday to have sex for seven straight days — and he plans to practice what he preaches.
"We're going to give it a try," said the Rev. Ed Young, who has four children with his wife of 26 years.
Young, 47, said he believes society promotes promiscuity and he wants to reclaim sex for married couples. Sex should be a nurturing, spiritual act that strengthens marriages, he said.
This dude wants married couples to have sex once a day for seven days straight. The first thing I thought of was, but what would we do the rest of the year, then?
That is all.
(Not So) Easy Rider...
An article in the October American Motorcyclist magazine details the month-long voyage of a mother-daughter team as they crossed the USA, going from NH to the west coast and back. They covered some 9,000 miles over 35 days, all on a 20 year old BMW motorcycle (yes, Ross, we know they rawk...)
And since I just put my Harley into storage this past weekend, I started thinking... Wouldn't that be the coolest freakin' thing to do? And then, even better... What if I were to make a similar trek, but stop in to meet bloggers along the way? I've got a month-long paid sabbatical coming in the summer of 2010 - it's one of the cool perks at my job after 10 years of employment. I'd like to head west across the northern US, then down the entire West coast, then back across the southwest and deep south.
I could swing into PA and meet Sebastian, and see the Geekwitha45 again. Then west into OH for Breda & Mike, Epijunky, Sevesteen, JimmyB, Brent, and James. Swing in to see Bill in MI. Hit Ahab, Tam, RobertaX, Red, and og in IN. Then Brigid. Strings in WI. Cross into SD - naturally I'd have to time it to hit Sturgis - then into MT just because. Cross into ID to meet Bill and knitalot3. Cruise through WA. Meet Gullyborg in OR, then onto CA, where I could meet dirtcrashr, fodder, and DJK.
From there it's into the southwest - Chris and Mel, Kevin, Cowboy Blob, and Danno in AZ, Bob G. in UT, then OK for Firehand and Lindsey, then onto TX... Matt G, tweaker, pistolero, phlegmfatale, Murphy, Holly & JPEG, Mark, Kim, Jim, LawDog, ChrisB, and Sabra in TX... Then Ambulance Driver and Xavier in LA... Robb, Greg & Beth, and Jay in FL... Then it's time to head north for the last leg of the trip...
And since I just put my Harley into storage this past weekend, I started thinking... Wouldn't that be the coolest freakin' thing to do? And then, even better... What if I were to make a similar trek, but stop in to meet bloggers along the way? I've got a month-long paid sabbatical coming in the summer of 2010 - it's one of the cool perks at my job after 10 years of employment. I'd like to head west across the northern US, then down the entire West coast, then back across the southwest and deep south.
I could swing into PA and meet Sebastian, and see the Geekwitha45 again. Then west into OH for Breda & Mike, Epijunky, Sevesteen, JimmyB, Brent, and James. Swing in to see Bill in MI. Hit Ahab, Tam, RobertaX, Red, and og in IN. Then Brigid. Strings in WI. Cross into SD - naturally I'd have to time it to hit Sturgis - then into MT just because. Cross into ID to meet Bill and knitalot3. Cruise through WA. Meet Gullyborg in OR, then onto CA, where I could meet dirtcrashr, fodder, and DJK.
From there it's into the southwest - Chris and Mel, Kevin, Cowboy Blob, and Danno in AZ, Bob G. in UT, then OK for Firehand and Lindsey, then onto TX... Matt G, tweaker, pistolero, phlegmfatale, Murphy, Holly & JPEG, Mark, Kim, Jim, LawDog, ChrisB, and Sabra in TX... Then Ambulance Driver and Xavier in LA... Robb, Greg & Beth, and Jay in FL... Then it's time to head north for the last leg of the trip...
Obviously the highlight of the trip would be meeting Ricky, who I've known for over a decade. While in GA, I'd have to search out buck (maybe he could meet Ricky & I for a well-deserved beer or three...), then head north. I could meet Chris in NC, then make a slight westward jaunt into TN so I could meet Unc, Les, Squeaky, Linoge, and Rustmeister. Then back to the coast to see Sailorcurt in VA (where I could reconnect with ArcticElf) and meet Countertop. After that, I'd hit the mid-Atlantic states: T-Bolt in MD, Mike W in DE, then onto the home stretch with Erica in NY.
I figure, all tolled, it'd be somewhere well north of 10,000 miles. Given that the Iron Butt Rally is 10,000 miles in 10 days (yes, 1,000 miles a day on a motorcycle!), this would only be 333 miles a day. That's a fair bit of driving, to be sure... On the plus side, I'd stand a pretty good shot of winning the Harley Owner's Group "ABCs of Touring" contest that year... I count over 60 different people to meet, so I'll either need to spend a couple of hours in each place or arrange mini-get-togethers around the country. Kinda like the Johnny Appleseed of blogmeets.
What an interesting concept. I wonder how hard it would be to turn it into a reality? The first step, and the hardest, would be convincing Mrs. G. to let me take off and explore the country for an entire month. After that, everything else is easy... I'd take the wuss way out and arrange for hotels rather than camp - the last thing I want to do after putting in 300 - 400 miles on my motorcycle is struggle with a damned tent...
So, who's up for a visit from a foul-mouthed biker gun nut?
That is all.
(Side note: Holy crap, it's a huge pain in the ASS to get all the links together. This represents everyone on my blogroll that I have a location for, or at least where I think they're located. If I've missed you, my apologies, it is completely unintentional. Interesting to see how many gun bloggers are in OH and TX...)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Movin' Up...
In keeping with my resolution to add more muscle mass as the next step in my fitness regimen, I'm paying closer attention to my current weightlifting routine. Now, right now it's just light freeweights, some curls, flies, etc. to tone up the arms. Eventually I want to add some presses, leg lifts, etc. - I want to get to the point where I'm doing cardio 2-3 times a week and lifting 2-3 times.
I lifted weights pretty much all through college. The dorm I lived in had a gym in the basement that, since it was a college dorm populated with invincible college students, didn't see a lot of use. I used to go down with a couple guys in my suite that were big into lifting, and managed to get myself into fairly decent shape. There were a handful of free weights available, but mainly it was a giant universal machine with bench, military, and leg press stations, and a butterfly/pull-down station (kinda like this).
I ran a pretty standard routine, running through bench press, then military, then pull-downs, then legs. I'd do four sets of 10 reps (I'm doing five sets of 10 with the curls and flies now), then move on to the next station. I'd work out at a weight that, by the fourth set, would have me struggling; when I could easily blast through all four sets I knew it was time to add more weight.
That was the greatest feeling I got when lifting, when it was time to move up...
Just hit me tonight when I ran through all five sets on the curls. It's time to add more weight to the bar for my curls - time to add on another 5 pounds and start over. Looks like I'll need to pick up some more free weights. Oh darn...
That is all.
I lifted weights pretty much all through college. The dorm I lived in had a gym in the basement that, since it was a college dorm populated with invincible college students, didn't see a lot of use. I used to go down with a couple guys in my suite that were big into lifting, and managed to get myself into fairly decent shape. There were a handful of free weights available, but mainly it was a giant universal machine with bench, military, and leg press stations, and a butterfly/pull-down station (kinda like this).
I ran a pretty standard routine, running through bench press, then military, then pull-downs, then legs. I'd do four sets of 10 reps (I'm doing five sets of 10 with the curls and flies now), then move on to the next station. I'd work out at a weight that, by the fourth set, would have me struggling; when I could easily blast through all four sets I knew it was time to add more weight.
That was the greatest feeling I got when lifting, when it was time to move up...
Just hit me tonight when I ran through all five sets on the curls. It's time to add more weight to the bar for my curls - time to add on another 5 pounds and start over. Looks like I'll need to pick up some more free weights. Oh darn...
That is all.
The Times, They Are 'A' Hopenchangin'
...or not:
Obama softens ban on hiring lobbyists
Yeah, and it also shows just how full of shit Obama was when he claimed he was going to "change" how things were done in Washington. He's going back on campaign promises before he even takes the oath of office. Well, I guess that is some sort of change. I still cannot believe people bought the snake oil he was selling - business as usual, just in a new wrapper.
Well, maybe I can believe it - especially living in MA with Deval "Together We Can" Patrick...
That is all.
Obama softens ban on hiring lobbyists
WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama, who vowed during his campaign that lobbyists "won't find a job in my White House," said through a spokesman yesterday that he would allow lobbyists on his transition team as long as they work on issues unrelated to their earlier jobs.
Obama's transition chief laid out ethics rules - which also bar transition staff from lobbying the administration for one year if they become lobbyists later - and portrayed them as the strictest ever for a transfer of presidential power.
But independent analysts said yesterday that the move is less than the wholesale removal of lobbyists that he suggested during the campaign - and shows how difficult it will be to lessen the pervasive influence of more than 40,000 registered lobbyists.
Yeah, and it also shows just how full of shit Obama was when he claimed he was going to "change" how things were done in Washington. He's going back on campaign promises before he even takes the oath of office. Well, I guess that is some sort of change. I still cannot believe people bought the snake oil he was selling - business as usual, just in a new wrapper.
Well, maybe I can believe it - especially living in MA with Deval "Together We Can" Patrick...
That is all.
Give Us Dirty Laundry
Had a minor crisis in the G. household last night. The Boy was told to get clothes laid out for the morning (I do this with both kids the night before, because trusting them to find clothes in the morning is a dicey proposition to say the least...); upon inspection before bed it was discovered that he had only put out a shirt and socks - he had run out of clean pants.
A quick check of the laundry basket revealed that, yes, it was full and needed to be run through the wash post haste. When I went to load up the washer, it hit me -
The washer was full of The Boy's clothes only.
This was a first. This was the first time he's had enough laundry to fill the washer himself. We'd always had to supplement - when he was a baby, it was washing the various towels, blankets, cloth diapers, etc. that inevitably get dirty with a baby. Then his sister came along, and we combined their clothes ever since. It appears we've entered a new phase in The Boy's life; he's growing ever-larger and has the clothes to show for it.
We've got pictures of both kids all over the house, as do most parents. We've got baby pictures; toddler pictures; pictures from day care, and pre-school and kindergarten. The inevitable march to adulthood is well-documented, but the pictures have been around so long they've more or less faded into the background. Actually physically seeing that my son's dirty laundry is now sufficient to merit its own washing, that was different.
They're growing up, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.
That thought is both exhilarating and terrifying. On the one hand, he'll be old enough to take to the range next year. He'll be old enough to (finally) lose the booster seat. At the rate he's growing, he'll fit much better on the Harley when it comes out of storage in April, which means more comfort on the back, which means more riding together - maybe even Laconia! On the other hand, it means middle school, with attendant dangers of bullies, drug and/or alcohol use, and the onset of puberty/adolescence/sexual awakening.
This is the stuff that keeps me up at night.
As, I would surmise, it does most parents of kids at this age. They're barrelling along towards adulthood, and there's nothing we can do to slow the progession. Nor should we - they're learning at a dizzying rate, with avenues of education available to them we could only dream of at their age. I cannot imagine being able to write a research paper for school with the advent of Google. Heck, just having MicroSoft Word must have revolutionized how papers are written.
All I can do is be there for my kids. That means being a Scout leader, or baseball coach, or chaffeur to gymnastics/karate/etc. It also means saying no a lot - no TV in your room; no staying up until midnight; no riding your bike after dark; etc. I've been called "too harsh" on occasion, to which I'll happily plead guilty. There's a fine line between being their buddy and being their parent; I fall squarely on the side of being the parent. Friends come and go, but Dad is forever.
The greatest compliment I can imagine - and I get it frequently - is when one of my kids comes up, completely unbidden, and tells me that they love me. I eat that up for breakfast. It makes everything worthwhile, and I hope they do it until the day I die. No matter how fast they grow, or how big they get, I'll never stop worrying about them, and I'll never stop loving them with every fiber of my being.
I will, however, stop doing their laundry before they hit high school...
That is all.
A quick check of the laundry basket revealed that, yes, it was full and needed to be run through the wash post haste. When I went to load up the washer, it hit me -
The washer was full of The Boy's clothes only.
This was a first. This was the first time he's had enough laundry to fill the washer himself. We'd always had to supplement - when he was a baby, it was washing the various towels, blankets, cloth diapers, etc. that inevitably get dirty with a baby. Then his sister came along, and we combined their clothes ever since. It appears we've entered a new phase in The Boy's life; he's growing ever-larger and has the clothes to show for it.
We've got pictures of both kids all over the house, as do most parents. We've got baby pictures; toddler pictures; pictures from day care, and pre-school and kindergarten. The inevitable march to adulthood is well-documented, but the pictures have been around so long they've more or less faded into the background. Actually physically seeing that my son's dirty laundry is now sufficient to merit its own washing, that was different.
They're growing up, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.
That thought is both exhilarating and terrifying. On the one hand, he'll be old enough to take to the range next year. He'll be old enough to (finally) lose the booster seat. At the rate he's growing, he'll fit much better on the Harley when it comes out of storage in April, which means more comfort on the back, which means more riding together - maybe even Laconia! On the other hand, it means middle school, with attendant dangers of bullies, drug and/or alcohol use, and the onset of puberty/adolescence/sexual awakening.
This is the stuff that keeps me up at night.
As, I would surmise, it does most parents of kids at this age. They're barrelling along towards adulthood, and there's nothing we can do to slow the progession. Nor should we - they're learning at a dizzying rate, with avenues of education available to them we could only dream of at their age. I cannot imagine being able to write a research paper for school with the advent of Google. Heck, just having MicroSoft Word must have revolutionized how papers are written.
All I can do is be there for my kids. That means being a Scout leader, or baseball coach, or chaffeur to gymnastics/karate/etc. It also means saying no a lot - no TV in your room; no staying up until midnight; no riding your bike after dark; etc. I've been called "too harsh" on occasion, to which I'll happily plead guilty. There's a fine line between being their buddy and being their parent; I fall squarely on the side of being the parent. Friends come and go, but Dad is forever.
The greatest compliment I can imagine - and I get it frequently - is when one of my kids comes up, completely unbidden, and tells me that they love me. I eat that up for breakfast. It makes everything worthwhile, and I hope they do it until the day I die. No matter how fast they grow, or how big they get, I'll never stop worrying about them, and I'll never stop loving them with every fiber of my being.
I will, however, stop doing their laundry before they hit high school...
That is all.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Overheard in the G. Household...
Got the new AC/DC CD "Black Ice" playing on the laptop (KICK. ASS.)
Overheard from the family room, where my two lovely children are playing Nintendo together:
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[BabyGirl G] I don't know how!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[Me, thinking] Either click the damn button or shut the damn game off
[Me] Guys, if you can't play the game nicely together, shut it off please.
[The Boy]
[The Boy]
[The Boy] Click it! Click it! Click it! Click it! Click it! Click it! Click it! Click it!
[BabyGirl G] {starts crying]
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[Me] ENOUGH!
Yes, the fun never ends when you're a parent...
That is all.
Overheard from the family room, where my two lovely children are playing Nintendo together:
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[BabyGirl G] I don't know how!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[Me, thinking] Either click the damn button or shut the damn game off
[Me] Guys, if you can't play the game nicely together, shut it off please.
[The Boy]
[The Boy]
[The Boy] Click it! Click it! Click it! Click it! Click it! Click it! Click it! Click it!
[BabyGirl G] {starts crying]
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[The Boy] Click it!
[Me] ENOUGH!
Yes, the fun never ends when you're a parent...
That is all.
Paradox...
Okay. I've brought the G30 to the range twice. Both times it's fed, fired, and ejected everything I've run through it, from Blazer aluminum-cased FMJs to Federal +P Hydra-Shoks to WWB FMJs to 25+ year old Remington JHPs. Gun runs well. Very well. If I'm doing my part (which isn't all that often, but...) I can even hit the center of the target during rapid fire drills at 10 yards:
Full complement (9 round initial, 15 round backup), fired as fast as possible. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. Yes, I still have plenty of work to do smoothing out the trigger pull, but given that this is only the second time I've shot the gun, I'm pretty happy with the results. Room for improvement (which we all know means... more shooting needed!), but more than adequate for self-defense.
So where's the paradox? Well, it's a Glock. It's a clinical piece of hardware, clunky and chunky, plastic and sterile. It works, it works well, but it's got no soul, like a good ol' Model 10. It's got that stupid trigger safety, which I still to this day do not like nor understand.
But I do lurves me some .45 ACP goodness in my carry gun; even better when I can carry 25 rounds of .45 ACP with only one extra magazine. If I can't get the job done with 25 rounds of .45 ACP hollow points, well, it's time to find out how fast I can run... Considering that my summer carry is a J-frame with a Speed strip (11 rounds total) or the Kel-Tec and a spare mag (13 rounds total), I'm pretty well-heeled with the Glock...
Even if it is Tupperware™...
That is all.
Full complement (9 round initial, 15 round backup), fired as fast as possible. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. Yes, I still have plenty of work to do smoothing out the trigger pull, but given that this is only the second time I've shot the gun, I'm pretty happy with the results. Room for improvement (which we all know means... more shooting needed!), but more than adequate for self-defense.
So where's the paradox? Well, it's a Glock. It's a clinical piece of hardware, clunky and chunky, plastic and sterile. It works, it works well, but it's got no soul, like a good ol' Model 10. It's got that stupid trigger safety, which I still to this day do not like nor understand.
But I do lurves me some .45 ACP goodness in my carry gun; even better when I can carry 25 rounds of .45 ACP with only one extra magazine. If I can't get the job done with 25 rounds of .45 ACP hollow points, well, it's time to find out how fast I can run... Considering that my summer carry is a J-frame with a Speed strip (11 rounds total) or the Kel-Tec and a spare mag (13 rounds total), I'm pretty well-heeled with the Glock...
Even if it is Tupperware™...
That is all.
Memory Hole...
Hey, if someone's got a spare couple of hours, you know what would be an instructive project?
Comb through news reports, press releases, and Obama campaign propaganda and take screen shots (saving URLs is pointless given the Obama campaign's penchant for making things that make them look bad disappear) of all the stories about how poorly the economy is doing. Extra attention should be paid to direct statements by The One or Mr. Gaffe, of course.
Because I have a feeling we're going to hear "we can't do _X_ because we didn't realize how bad the economy was" a lot in the coming months...
And it would be nice to have information to the contrary - that they did, indeed, know just how bad it was - to serve up against them. Because, well, we all know that the mainstream media will be on top of things and perform the necessary journalism to point out The One's errors, right?
Right?
No, I mean it. Stop laughing!
That is all.
Comb through news reports, press releases, and Obama campaign propaganda and take screen shots (saving URLs is pointless given the Obama campaign's penchant for making things that make them look bad disappear) of all the stories about how poorly the economy is doing. Extra attention should be paid to direct statements by The One or Mr. Gaffe, of course.
Because I have a feeling we're going to hear "we can't do _X_ because we didn't realize how bad the economy was" a lot in the coming months...
And it would be nice to have information to the contrary - that they did, indeed, know just how bad it was - to serve up against them. Because, well, we all know that the mainstream media will be on top of things and perform the necessary journalism to point out The One's errors, right?
Right?
No, I mean it. Stop laughing!
That is all.
Thank You...
Today is Veteran's Day. Thank you, the American servicemen and women who are on the pointy end of the spear.
Thank you, to all and sundry who read and comment on MArooned who have served or are currently serving.
Thank you for doing the job I wasn't strong enough to do; a fact that shames me to this day.
That is all.
Thank you, to all and sundry who read and comment on MArooned who have served or are currently serving.
"For those who have fought for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know."
Thank you for doing the job I wasn't strong enough to do; a fact that shames me to this day.
That is all.
Monday, November 10, 2008
MArooned Meals: CHILI!!!
At the Cub Scout Overnight last weekend, the talk around the campfire turned to chili (and yes, the campfire scene from Blazing Saddles was discussed as well. We're nothing if not well-rounded in the classics...). It got me to thinking (never a good idea), and I decided to whip up a batch of chili this weekend. So, presented for your amusement, benefit, and/or betterment, here's my patented chili recipe. Purists beware, I'm a fan of beans ("More beans, Mr. Taggart?") and corn in my chili...
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef, 93% lean
1 lb. ground turkey
1 lb. ground pork
2 28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes
2 cans light kidney beans
2 cans dark kidney beans
2 cans kernel corn
1 can tomato paste
Chili powder
Onion powder
Cumin (thanks T-bolt!)
Crushed red peppers
2 Fresh cerrano peppers
1 Fresh habañero pepper
Preparation:
Brown all meat in skillet, set aside.
Dice fresh peppers finely, set aside.
Add all ingredients except chili powder, onion powder, and diced peppers to 10 quart stock pot. Bring to slow boil over medium-high heat, then let simmer.
Add in chili powder, onion powder, and diced peppers to taste after chili has simmered for at least 15 minutes.
Enjoy!
MMmmmm, mmmm good!
That is all.
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef, 93% lean
1 lb. ground turkey
1 lb. ground pork
2 28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes
2 cans light kidney beans
2 cans dark kidney beans
2 cans kernel corn
1 can tomato paste
Chili powder
Onion powder
Cumin (thanks T-bolt!)
Crushed red peppers
2 Fresh cerrano peppers
1 Fresh habañero pepper
Preparation:
Brown all meat in skillet, set aside.
Dice fresh peppers finely, set aside.
Add all ingredients except chili powder, onion powder, and diced peppers to 10 quart stock pot. Bring to slow boil over medium-high heat, then let simmer.
Add in chili powder, onion powder, and diced peppers to taste after chili has simmered for at least 15 minutes.
Enjoy!
MMmmmm, mmmm good!
That is all.
What He Said...
Robb nails my feelings on the incoming Obama administration perfectly. Go RTWT. I can't excerpt from it, as it's all on the money.
The only thing I can add is, buy guns, ammo, and magazines. LOTS.
That is all.
The only thing I can add is, buy guns, ammo, and magazines. LOTS.
That is all.
Northeast Blogger Winter Gathering...
Two weeks ago I hinted at a second Northeast Blogger's meeting, a winter get-together ideally at a brew pub or other such venue. While it would be nice to have a second shooting get-together this year, I'd like to have an event where we can meet and talk without having to stop and bayonet teletubbies first... In all seriousness, my biggest (only!) regret from the summer get-together is that I didn't get to chat with everyone nearly enough. There were so many fascinating and wonderful folks at the Bloggershoot that I would dearly have loved to have spent hours chatting with, but things like shooting Class III weaponry and classic firearms kept getting in the way...
That said, I proposed a brewery/brew pub type venue somewhere in the northern MA/southern NH area. That seemed to work pretty well for most folks, so now I think it's to nail down a time and location. I would guess that a Saturday night would offer the best chance for the most folks to make the event, but would be more than happy to entertain pretty much any day of the week if that's what folks want. Heck, I've got to burn four more vacation days by the end of the year, so if we can get enough people interested in a mid-week lunch event I'd be up for that, too...
So let's see if we can't nail down some specifics!
Location:
We have several suggestions on the table for a location:
Murphy's Taproom in Manchester, NH
Martha's Exchange in Nashua, NH
Lowell Brewery in Lowell, MA
Tap Brew Pub in Haverhill, MA (Okay, this one's all mine, because it's like five minutes from my house - I will offer sofa/floor space to anyone that wants to crash after a night at the Tap should we choose this location).
There's also the Portsmouth Brewery in Portsmouth NH, but the handful of times I've been there they've been wall-to-wall packed and parking is a PITA.
I'll even toss in Boston Beer Works for my homegirl Lissa, but it seemed like the general consensus was that people wanted to avoid Boston if possible...
One more: Red Hook Brewery in Portsmouth, NH as suggested by Wolfwalker. This is another decent choice, as it's right off 95 for those coming North or South and very close to 101 as well for those coming west...
Possible attendees:
JD
doubletrouble
Liberty
Marko
MedicMatthew
wally
the saj (dependent on location)
scotaku
Lissa
Bruce
Paul (dependent on time)
weer'd beard
Ted
TOTWTYTR
wolfwalker
angus lincoln
zeeke42
MeatAxe
Have expressed interest, but not explicitly said "IN":
brad_in_ma
thefaz
tjp
Okay. Once we start hammering out the date, time, and location, things will fall into place. I would be happy to make some calls to prospective establishments to find out how large of a group they can accomodate (ideally we want a separate room if possible). I would guess at this point getting something going before Thanksgiving would be difficult (hmmm. How's everyone set for Friday night after Turkey day???); possibly before Christmas; ideally before New Year's - I've got lots of time off between Christmas and New Year's and would wager many others do as well.
We can make this work. We can make the non-Northeast bloggers jealous... *g* I want to add a whole bunch of new folks to the list of "Bloggers I've met. One last thing: the more the merrier. If there's anyone I overlooked, or who didn't comment on the last thread, chime in and let me know (also if I've inadvertantly forgotten to link anyone)... This time, the list is wide open, as there are several venues listed that can accomodate groups of pretty much any size.
That is all.
That said, I proposed a brewery/brew pub type venue somewhere in the northern MA/southern NH area. That seemed to work pretty well for most folks, so now I think it's to nail down a time and location. I would guess that a Saturday night would offer the best chance for the most folks to make the event, but would be more than happy to entertain pretty much any day of the week if that's what folks want. Heck, I've got to burn four more vacation days by the end of the year, so if we can get enough people interested in a mid-week lunch event I'd be up for that, too...
So let's see if we can't nail down some specifics!
Location:
We have several suggestions on the table for a location:
Murphy's Taproom in Manchester, NH
Martha's Exchange in Nashua, NH
Lowell Brewery in Lowell, MA
Tap Brew Pub in Haverhill, MA (Okay, this one's all mine, because it's like five minutes from my house - I will offer sofa/floor space to anyone that wants to crash after a night at the Tap should we choose this location).
There's also the Portsmouth Brewery in Portsmouth NH, but the handful of times I've been there they've been wall-to-wall packed and parking is a PITA.
I'll even toss in Boston Beer Works for my homegirl Lissa, but it seemed like the general consensus was that people wanted to avoid Boston if possible...
One more: Red Hook Brewery in Portsmouth, NH as suggested by Wolfwalker. This is another decent choice, as it's right off 95 for those coming North or South and very close to 101 as well for those coming west...
Possible attendees:
JD
doubletrouble
Liberty
Marko
MedicMatthew
wally
the saj (dependent on location)
scotaku
Lissa
Bruce
Paul (dependent on time)
weer'd beard
Ted
TOTWTYTR
wolfwalker
angus lincoln
zeeke42
MeatAxe
Have expressed interest, but not explicitly said "IN":
brad_in_ma
thefaz
tjp
Okay. Once we start hammering out the date, time, and location, things will fall into place. I would be happy to make some calls to prospective establishments to find out how large of a group they can accomodate (ideally we want a separate room if possible). I would guess at this point getting something going before Thanksgiving would be difficult (hmmm. How's everyone set for Friday night after Turkey day???); possibly before Christmas; ideally before New Year's - I've got lots of time off between Christmas and New Year's and would wager many others do as well.
We can make this work. We can make the non-Northeast bloggers jealous... *g* I want to add a whole bunch of new folks to the list of "Bloggers I've met. One last thing: the more the merrier. If there's anyone I overlooked, or who didn't comment on the last thread, chime in and let me know (also if I've inadvertantly forgotten to link anyone)... This time, the list is wide open, as there are several venues listed that can accomodate groups of pretty much any size.
That is all.
Stuff I Need to Work On...
Had some time to think over the weekend (ha, that's a little inside joke given yesterday's lament). There's a bunch of stuff I have to work on, both physically and gun-related. In no particular order...
So, aside from hoarding as many evil black rifles, high-capacity magazines, and ammunition as I can, what else should I be thinking about working on in the coming year? What's everyone else working on these days?
That is all.
- Reloading. I have got to take some people up on their very generous offers to get me started on the path to reloading. I've been using being busy and having kids as an excuse, not a reason, to avoid it so far, and it's damn time I took the plunge. My gun club has an indoor range that's limited to lead bullets only; and it'd be nice to work up some 9mm and .380 ACP loads to go with my .38 Specials for winter practice.
- Speaking of gun-related practice, I really need to work on my draw and dry-fire more often. I might break down and get a Crimson Trace for one of my handguns (which one I'm not sure of yet, but I'm leaning towards the J-frame) as a way to improve my dry-firing. I also need to work on drawing from the pocket (not so much) as well as IWB and deep-IWB/deep cover (assuming I get off my lazy ass and order the Thunderware...).
- I also need to take some classes at GOAL - particularly the Art of Concealed Carry. It'd be a good idea to take a Michael de Bethencourt class like Gun Fighting Secrets of the Concealed Carry Snub Revolver next time it comes close by. It'd also be a good time to look into getting certified as an NRA Basic Instructor so I could better assist folks looking to get their start in the shooting sports. An introductory shotgun fighting course would be interesting, but not as necessary as the others mentioned.
- 2009 might also be the year I start gaining some weight - in the form of more muscle. I've spent the past two years working on maintaining my current weight and exercise regimen; I think it's time to kick things up a notch or two and start working on adding some muscle back. I'm going to be calling on my good friend Ricky for assistance here. Hell, I'd need work to match his "Before" picture, although I'm not exactly a 98-pound weakling myself:
So, aside from hoarding as many evil black rifles, high-capacity magazines, and ammunition as I can, what else should I be thinking about working on in the coming year? What's everyone else working on these days?
That is all.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Busy, Busy, Busy...
When did "weekend" become synonymous for "cram a hundred hours of stuff into 48 hours"???
That is all.
That is all.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Friday Fun Thread: Bad Foreign Cars of the 1980s
Last week's Friday Fun thread revolved around the good foreign cars of the 1980s; obviously this week's entry will revolve around the bad and/or ugly. Compared to the dreck coming out of Detroit at the same time, pretty much anything on the list will be better, reliability-wise, than its domestic competition. However, uglier they were... So here's the list!
1. 1988 Suzuki Samurai - I had a friend growing up who traded in a 1983 Pontiac Trans Am, Daytona 500 25th Anniverary edition on a Suz. Worst. Trade. Ever. Not only was the Samarai notoriously underpowered, poorly engineered, and slow; it was also prone to rollover crashes at moderate speeds. Bad, bad, bad.
2. 1985 Yugo GV - this one's masquerading as a GTI, but failing. What can you say about the Yugo other than, well, you get what you pay for? Manufactured by Soviet bloc comrades, this car was as ugly as a CZ-52 but nowhere near as reliable or durable.
1. 1988 Suzuki Samurai - I had a friend growing up who traded in a 1983 Pontiac Trans Am, Daytona 500 25th Anniverary edition on a Suz. Worst. Trade. Ever. Not only was the Samarai notoriously underpowered, poorly engineered, and slow; it was also prone to rollover crashes at moderate speeds. Bad, bad, bad.
2. 1985 Yugo GV - this one's masquerading as a GTI, but failing. What can you say about the Yugo other than, well, you get what you pay for? Manufactured by Soviet bloc comrades, this car was as ugly as a CZ-52 but nowhere near as reliable or durable.
3. 1988 Hyundai Excel - A buddy of mine had one of these. He got in a fender bender outside of NYC, and went into a shop to use the phone to call the authorities to report the accident. When he got outside, the car was gone. He said it was the best day of his life...
4. Mercedes 190 - Let's see. How can we sully the Mercedes name? First off, make it a teeny car. Then wicked over-engineer it. Next, offer it as an "entry level" so people who have no idea what it costs to maintain a Mercedes will buy one.
5. Porsche 924 - Sense a trend? The 924 was a less-expensive version of the 944, one of Porsche's more popular models. It actually started life intending to be Volkswagen's flagship sport-coupe, but got absorbed back into Porsche at the 11th hour. It didn't help assuage the egos of Porsche owners everywhere that the entry level Porsche was supposed to be a VW...
6. Volkswagen pick-up. Whoever thought of this concept should be dragged off and shot. A front-wheel drive pickup truck? WTF? Uh, guys, the idea of a pickup truck is that you put extra weight in the back. When the drive wheels are in the front, extra weight in the back means that it's a LOT harder to move... Duh!
7. Mid-1980s Honda Prelude - Nicknamed the Honda Quaalude because of the anemic 110hp engine, the styling of Honda's (alleged) flagship sports coupe mirrored the two-door Accord. "Performance" was a joke, the styling bland, and the hefty price tag all contributed to a car with very limited appeal...
8. 1985 Toyota Tercel 4WD wagon - I am still trying to figure out what the hell Toyota was trying to do with the Tercel 4wd wagon. Keep up with Subaru? Try to usurp the title of "World's Ugliest 4WD Wagon" from the AMC Eagle?
9. Subaru Brat. Yes, another front wheel drive pickup-looking vehicle. Only this was had garish styling, rear facing seats in the bed, and t-tops! The only redeeming quality of the Subaru Brat is that I dated a girl who owned one, and she had really big... Well, never mind...
10. Nissan Pulsar. All the aerodynamics of a door wedge. All the frightening raw power of a weedwhacker. Pop-up headlights that broke within weeks. The only way this car could possible have gotten worse would have been to give it a restyle with a modular ass end. Oh, wait, that's what they did...
This concludes another automotive hit list. If one of the cars listed is your absolute favorite, please accept my most sincere condolences for the sharp blow to the head you must have received to muddy your decision-making processes...
That is all.
Friday Gun Pr0n #84
Alternate title: The Pre-Obama-AWB Edition!
Just to spite anti-gun President-elect Obama, here's a group shot of EBRs and EBP:
Why, yes, I do favor designs centering around the Kalashnikov action. Why do you ask?
Look for this segment of the G. armory to expand significantly in the coming months. Another functioning AK, a complete AR-15, and quite possibly one or more AR lowers will be joining these rifles; there's also plans to include an M1 carbine in the group as well (it's not black, so it doesn't quite fit...)
Don't tell me I can't have something; it just makes me want it all that much more...
That is all.
Just to spite anti-gun President-elect Obama, here's a group shot of EBRs and EBP:
Why, yes, I do favor designs centering around the Kalashnikov action. Why do you ask?
Look for this segment of the G. armory to expand significantly in the coming months. Another functioning AK, a complete AR-15, and quite possibly one or more AR lowers will be joining these rifles; there's also plans to include an M1 carbine in the group as well (it's not black, so it doesn't quite fit...)
Don't tell me I can't have something; it just makes me want it all that much more...
That is all.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
And the Blogroll Swells!
Several new blogs to add to the blogroll today:
1. Bill over at Political Debris. His header alone says it all: "Sorting through the garbage of so-called politics". I like it. And, while not a prerequisite for getting on the MArooned 'roll, he's thinkin' the right way...
2. Scotaku of Scotaku in America. Given that he's expressed interest in attending a future Northeast bloggers get-together, I'm guessing that Scotaku is a local blogger, and with any kind of luck will get bootstrapped into the "Bloggers I've Met" section rather soon (update on blogmeet early next week, I promise!).
3. And, lastly, they get the coveted anchor spot because they went through the trouble of e-mailing me to tell me they were adding MArooned to their blogroll, Meataxe and Atom Smasher of Men Are Not Potatoes. Guys, love the names. SRSLY.
UPDATE: Old NFO over at Nobody Asked Me points out in comments that he added MArooned after an episode of Gun Nuts. Given my drunken stupor, I'd wager that it was in spite of my appearance on Gun Nuts... Thanks Old NFO!
Welcome aboard, everyone.
That is all.
1. Bill over at Political Debris. His header alone says it all: "Sorting through the garbage of so-called politics". I like it. And, while not a prerequisite for getting on the MArooned 'roll, he's thinkin' the right way...
2. Scotaku of Scotaku in America. Given that he's expressed interest in attending a future Northeast bloggers get-together, I'm guessing that Scotaku is a local blogger, and with any kind of luck will get bootstrapped into the "Bloggers I've Met" section rather soon (update on blogmeet early next week, I promise!).
3. And, lastly, they get the coveted anchor spot because they went through the trouble of e-mailing me to tell me they were adding MArooned to their blogroll, Meataxe and Atom Smasher of Men Are Not Potatoes. Guys, love the names. SRSLY.
UPDATE: Old NFO over at Nobody Asked Me points out in comments that he added MArooned after an episode of Gun Nuts. Given my drunken stupor, I'd wager that it was in spite of my appearance on Gun Nuts... Thanks Old NFO!
Welcome aboard, everyone.
That is all.
EBR Bleg...
Okay. I've cleared it with Mrs. G. I am buying an AR-15 clone and a semi-auto AK variant before the end of the year. I can see the writing on the new Assault Weapon Ban wall, and something tells me to pick up a suspect rifle before the ban starts getting press - and prices go through the roof to match the demand.
There is, of course, one extra fun wrinkle - since I'm in MA, I'm covered by the former AWB - Mitt Romney signed that little doozy in 2004 when the Fed ban sunset, fuck you very much Mitt. This means that unless I want to pay an extra $500+ for a "pre-ban" rifle, I can't have a folding/telescoping stock, bayonet lug, or flash suppressor. Really, the folding/telescoping stock is the only bummer, as a decent multi-position stock makes fitting the gun to different people quite handy. OTOH, the ACE Skeleton stocks look pretty bad-ass and are good to go for ban purposes...
That said... Which AR variant should I get? The local gun shop has DPMS and Bushmaster variants as well as the S&W M&P15 for between $900 and $1300. I've heard good things about all three makes; is any one better or worth the extra money? Is there another manufacturer I should look into ordering? Hell, are there even folks out there who bother making "post-ban" configured rifles any more?
Basically, I'm looking to get something to plink with, something to own more or less because they don't trust me to own it. My personal act of defiance, if you will. I make no claim about possessing mad shootin' skillz, so I don't need something that will shoot 0.25 MOA at 7,000 yards. I want something decent, cheap, and reliable. What can I get that will leave me enough for extra 30 round magazines and 500 rounds of ammo?
Side note: When the HELL did freakin' WASR-10s go up to $500????? Holy CRAP I am kicking myself for not getting 2 when they were $319 each...
Side note2: Order an M1 Carbine from CMP TOMORROW, if not sooner...
Thanks in advance for any assistance y'all can offer to an AR-15 noob...
That is all.
There is, of course, one extra fun wrinkle - since I'm in MA, I'm covered by the former AWB - Mitt Romney signed that little doozy in 2004 when the Fed ban sunset, fuck you very much Mitt. This means that unless I want to pay an extra $500+ for a "pre-ban" rifle, I can't have a folding/telescoping stock, bayonet lug, or flash suppressor. Really, the folding/telescoping stock is the only bummer, as a decent multi-position stock makes fitting the gun to different people quite handy. OTOH, the ACE Skeleton stocks look pretty bad-ass and are good to go for ban purposes...
That said... Which AR variant should I get? The local gun shop has DPMS and Bushmaster variants as well as the S&W M&P15 for between $900 and $1300. I've heard good things about all three makes; is any one better or worth the extra money? Is there another manufacturer I should look into ordering? Hell, are there even folks out there who bother making "post-ban" configured rifles any more?
Basically, I'm looking to get something to plink with, something to own more or less because they don't trust me to own it. My personal act of defiance, if you will. I make no claim about possessing mad shootin' skillz, so I don't need something that will shoot 0.25 MOA at 7,000 yards. I want something decent, cheap, and reliable. What can I get that will leave me enough for extra 30 round magazines and 500 rounds of ammo?
Side note: When the HELL did freakin' WASR-10s go up to $500????? Holy CRAP I am kicking myself for not getting 2 when they were $319 each...
Side note2: Order an M1 Carbine from CMP TOMORROW, if not sooner...
Thanks in advance for any assistance y'all can offer to an AR-15 noob...
That is all.
Hope? Perhaps. Change? Not So Much...
So Barack Obama is filling in his administration. This is how the cabinet is shaping up:
Vice President: Joe Biden, 30+ years in the Senate.
Chief of Staff: Rahm Emmanuel. Current IL congressman and former Clinton administration advisor.
Head of transition team: John Podesta. Deputy Chief of Staff in the Clinton White House.
Secretary of State (poss.): John Kerry (30 years US Senate) or Bill Richardson (Clinton Energy Secretary).
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Tom Daschle, former Senate Majority leader.
Not a lot of change from the past, is there? In fact, one could say this is a whole lot more of the same. Hell, it's pretty much Bill Clinton's third term, one could even say. Y'know, just like one of the main smears against John McCain being that his administration would be George Bush's third term. Only the media wasn't interested in investigating exactly how much "change" there would be in Obama's Hopenchange™...
Oh yeah, Barack Obama is really looking to "shake up" Washington. He's bringing bold new thinking to the Oval Office - by stacking it with long-time Democrat insiders. This is the "change" we were promised? Obama's going to change the tone of Washington by hiring Rahm Emmanual? The man who allegedly sent a dead fish in a box to a political rival? Oh, yes, this is going to "heal our souls".
Gah. The hypocrisy is hip-deep and getting deeper.
That is all.
Vice President: Joe Biden, 30+ years in the Senate.
Chief of Staff: Rahm Emmanuel. Current IL congressman and former Clinton administration advisor.
Head of transition team: John Podesta. Deputy Chief of Staff in the Clinton White House.
Secretary of State (poss.): John Kerry (30 years US Senate) or Bill Richardson (Clinton Energy Secretary).
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Tom Daschle, former Senate Majority leader.
Not a lot of change from the past, is there? In fact, one could say this is a whole lot more of the same. Hell, it's pretty much Bill Clinton's third term, one could even say. Y'know, just like one of the main smears against John McCain being that his administration would be George Bush's third term. Only the media wasn't interested in investigating exactly how much "change" there would be in Obama's Hopenchange™...
Oh yeah, Barack Obama is really looking to "shake up" Washington. He's bringing bold new thinking to the Oval Office - by stacking it with long-time Democrat insiders. This is the "change" we were promised? Obama's going to change the tone of Washington by hiring Rahm Emmanual? The man who allegedly sent a dead fish in a box to a political rival? Oh, yes, this is going to "heal our souls".
Gah. The hypocrisy is hip-deep and getting deeper.
That is all.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
On The Bright Side...
...well, there's not a lot of bright side to the news today, but I'm going to try to find it.
Let's see...
Let's see...
- First off, here's hoping the election of Barack Obama to the highest political office in the land finally shuts Je$$e Jack$on, Al $harpton, and the rest of the professional race baiters the hell up. Kinda hard to paint the USA as one big ol' racist nation when they just elected the first black president - by a large margin.
- Secondly, we're off defense and can now go on offense. The Democrats have all three branches of government come January. Anything that happens, anything at all, is solely their responsibility. Any bad news out of Iraq (since we're supposed to be leaving post haste), any economic woes, high gas prices, anything; that's all squarely in the lap of President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader Reid.
- Third, and perhaps the most pollyanna-ish, it behooves the GOP to take a good long look at what worked (nothing) and what didn't work (running an old tired geezer who was previously most known for pissing off his own party) and start planning for 2012. Now, the GOP isn't called "The Stupid Party" for no reason, and it wouldn't surprise me to see them running as hard as they can to the left at this point - it's our sworn duty to turn 'em around and send them the other way. It's time to remind them that they lost not because they weren't liberal enough, but because they weren't conservative enough.
- At least there's no endless legal battle over hanging chads; no cries of "stolen election" to be heard. While there's a good body of evidence that some groups working on the left side may have bent or even broken some rules, please note that the right isn't yelling and screaming about "pResident" or "stolen" elections.
- Lastly, on a personal level, I'm finally breaking down and getting an evil black rifle or two in the next couple of months. Before they're banned, that is. We've elected the most virulently anti-gun President ever, and the next 4-8 years are really going to suck for those of us who support the Second Amendment. So I'm getting mine now while the getting is good, and I'm going to learn how to reload as well.
I'm surprisingly upbeat this morning (and no, I'm not hungover...). I think the GOP may very well have hit rock-bottom, and while it wouldn't surprise me to see them start digging, I hope that we can all start working to rebuild the GOP into a conservative party that will field a true conservative candidate in 2012.
Lastly, I want to thank all of my fellow bloggers who gave their time, energy, and money towards our Quixotic quest to keep the Presidency out of socialist hands. I know that Bruce worked his ass off in NH, Breda did yeoman's work in OH, Sebastian (who I also need to add to the blogroll, mental note...) was working PA, and many others I'm forgetting (and for that I humbly apologize). I will make a solemn promise to do more to help out in the coming elections, doubtful in MA (lost cause) but certainly on the national stage and perhaps working to bring NH back to red.
It's not the end of America, folks. The Shining City on a Hill that Ronaldus Maximus extolled is still there; still a shining beacon of hope the world over. One petty socialist won't signal the end; millions of Americans packing it all in will. Let's not let that happen. Keep the faith. Believe.
That is all.
One...
Exactly one vote I cast last night meant something. One.
MA ballot question two. The half-assed decriminalization of marijuana passed in MA by a wide margin. This is a good thing.
The other two ballot questions I lost - Question 1 about eliminating the income tax was defeated, and Question 3 about banning dog racing passed.
Every single candidate I voted for lost.
Apparently I am an albatross (ALBATROSS!)...
That is all.
MA ballot question two. The half-assed decriminalization of marijuana passed in MA by a wide margin. This is a good thing.
The other two ballot questions I lost - Question 1 about eliminating the income tax was defeated, and Question 3 about banning dog racing passed.
Every single candidate I voted for lost.
Apparently I am an albatross (ALBATROSS!)...
That is all.
Forgive Me...
How on earth have I managed to go on this long without having the Fabulous PhlegmFatale on my blogroll?
Minions? SRSLY? This is a pretty serious oversight.
Anyhoo, Phlegm, as promised last night on drunken chat @ Gun Nuts, welcome aboard...
(And thanks for listening to me cry in my beer, BTW...)
That is all.
Minions? SRSLY? This is a pretty serious oversight.
Anyhoo, Phlegm, as promised last night on drunken chat @ Gun Nuts, welcome aboard...
(And thanks for listening to me cry in my beer, BTW...)
That is all.
Good Morning President-Elect Obama
Okay, you did it. You're going to be the 44th President of the United States.
Historic occasion, blah blah blah, first AA president, yadda yadda yadda. That's nice and all, but what are you going to do? I mean, really? There's no teleprompter for this one, Barry. There's no media cushion for you to fall back on here. Your party controls the House and Senate. There's literally nothing stopping you from getting whatever you want.
So there's no one to blame if you can't deliver.
Oh, sure, you'll be able to blame George W. for a while. Claim he left you a bigger mess than you realized, that the Iraq situation was more volatile than had been reported, that the economic mess was more far-reaching than previously thought. That's only going to carry you so far - especially since your party has controlled the House and Senate for two years. Then you've actually got to make things happen - claim ownership. It will be up to you whether your initiatives pass or fail, whether you deliver on your lofty claims or not.
95% of Americans will get a tax cut. Free health care for all. Revamp retirement funds. That's a lot of scratch to cover, even if you utterly soak those eeevil rich folks. With any kind of luck you'll be too busy to try to take my guns, since you will actually have the votes. But we'll see. 2009 and beyond will prove interesting, to say the least...
That is all.
Historic occasion, blah blah blah, first AA president, yadda yadda yadda. That's nice and all, but what are you going to do? I mean, really? There's no teleprompter for this one, Barry. There's no media cushion for you to fall back on here. Your party controls the House and Senate. There's literally nothing stopping you from getting whatever you want.
So there's no one to blame if you can't deliver.
Oh, sure, you'll be able to blame George W. for a while. Claim he left you a bigger mess than you realized, that the Iraq situation was more volatile than had been reported, that the economic mess was more far-reaching than previously thought. That's only going to carry you so far - especially since your party has controlled the House and Senate for two years. Then you've actually got to make things happen - claim ownership. It will be up to you whether your initiatives pass or fail, whether you deliver on your lofty claims or not.
95% of Americans will get a tax cut. Free health care for all. Revamp retirement funds. That's a lot of scratch to cover, even if you utterly soak those eeevil rich folks. With any kind of luck you'll be too busy to try to take my guns, since you will actually have the votes. But we'll see. 2009 and beyond will prove interesting, to say the least...
That is all.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Liveblogging the Obamcalypse...
Alternate title: Drunk-Blogging!
Let's see... This is going to be pretty much free-form blogging as the night goes on. Updates will become more disjointed and amusing as the night goes on - and the beers go down...
Let's see. Reuters has called PA for Obama. Big shock there, NOT.
Elizabeth Dole has lost her Senate seat.
McCain has been called the winner of WV. At least it won't be a complete rout...
Let's see... This is going to be pretty much free-form blogging as the night goes on. Updates will become more disjointed and amusing as the night goes on - and the beers go down...
Let's see. Reuters has called PA for Obama. Big shock there, NOT.
Elizabeth Dole has lost her Senate seat.
McCain has been called the winner of WV. At least it won't be a complete rout...
Beer #1 cracked.
Commenter sci-fi brings the news that Sununu is toast. Loverly. Thus furthers the Massafication of NH...
Beer #2 cracked. I should have invested in a case...
According to Caleb via gun nuts, Obama's had over 170 electoral votes called on CNN.
McCain has 49...
Beer #3 coming up quick...
Beer #3 cracked.
OH called for Obama. Folks, this game is OVAH...
Beer #4 cracked. Now it's time to dull the pain...
I think I'm leaving work early tomorrow to buy an AR...
Beer #5 is cracked. I do believe I may call in sick to work tomorrow... *g*
Beer #6 is half-empty. Everything is half-empty right now; I am incapable of looking at anything as half-full...
Okay. Last beer is empty. So are our hopes for keeping the presidency out of the hands of the socialists...
Tomorrow is a new day, one that will bring a renewed sense of urgency to gun-buying plans...
I've just been told that VA has been called... for Obama. This is turning into a complete and utter rout, folks.
Good night, America. You had a good run.
That is all.
The Winner Is...
Is what I will be drinking tonight to dull the pain of the impending Obamanation...
Expect drunk-blogging tonight...
That is all.
Quote of the Day
Safety or Stupidity?
There's currently an uproar in our sleepy little burg. We learned at dinner time that our childrens' school has instituted a "lockdown" policy when an "unauthorized" person is discovered in the school building. The children are to remain in their classrooms, and are instructed to move to a location away from windows along a wall (or so I could gather from my kindergartener and my second grader; take from that what you will).
Apparently they had a "Code Red" drill (that's what they announce over the loudspeaker when the "unauthorized" person is discovered) today, because that's what the kids told us happened at school today. We were not informed of this policy at all, no notes home from the school administation, no notice in the weekly Communicator (the notices they send home with all the school-related news like school lunches, field trips, etc).
Now, first off, I have a fundamental problem with the "ostrich" instructions, namely that that is precisely the mentality that brought about 32 dead at Virginia Tech. All staying put does is make you an easier target for the nutjob with a grudge against the world and a Glock. I'd much rather the policy be "When you heard Code Red, run like the little sugar-fueled maniacs you are".
However, I am not so naïve as to ignore the glaring problems with this plan, particularly the difficulty in practicing (yeah, you want to chase after 175+ high-velocity elementary school kids?) as well as walking the razor-thin line between scaring them unnecessarily and not giving them enough information to make their own informed decisions. The devil is in the details; where's the happy medium between "huddle in the corner and hope he runs out of ammo before he gets to you" and "run like a startled gazelle into the woods behind the school so you can eventually die of hypothermia"?
I also wonder if the "huddle in the corner" plan was chosen for ease of implementation. It's pretty simple to tell the kids to get in position and don't move if the Code Red is called. They can document the plan, have twice-yearly drills, and fulfill the requirements for the lockdown plan that was required after the Columbine shootings. It's a lot hard to properly document the "run at maximum velocity in 1,500 directions" policy and even harder to practice it.
And, finally, in the statistical analysis, they're not bloodly likely to encounter a real school shooter scenario. They're more likely to have someone try to get past the front office, in which case the lockdown/Code Red and resultant plan is pretty solid - the Code goes out, the teachers lock the classroom doors, the police are called, the "unauthorized" person is located and removed from the scene. It's a small town. The cops know everyone, and I'd wager in case of an intruder at the school they'd be on site in less than 4-5 minutes.
It just irks me that the first I hear of it is AFTER the first drill. A quick note in the Communicator stating that the school would be instituting the lockdown policy and having a drill in the near future would have been nice. Better still, of course, would be to have an information night in conjunction with the police department to answer questions and calm fears - not to mention quelling rumors.
There's no real good answer here. There are lots of unanswered questions.
That is all.
Apparently they had a "Code Red" drill (that's what they announce over the loudspeaker when the "unauthorized" person is discovered) today, because that's what the kids told us happened at school today. We were not informed of this policy at all, no notes home from the school administation, no notice in the weekly Communicator (the notices they send home with all the school-related news like school lunches, field trips, etc).
Now, first off, I have a fundamental problem with the "ostrich" instructions, namely that that is precisely the mentality that brought about 32 dead at Virginia Tech. All staying put does is make you an easier target for the nutjob with a grudge against the world and a Glock. I'd much rather the policy be "When you heard Code Red, run like the little sugar-fueled maniacs you are".
However, I am not so naïve as to ignore the glaring problems with this plan, particularly the difficulty in practicing (yeah, you want to chase after 175+ high-velocity elementary school kids?) as well as walking the razor-thin line between scaring them unnecessarily and not giving them enough information to make their own informed decisions. The devil is in the details; where's the happy medium between "huddle in the corner and hope he runs out of ammo before he gets to you" and "run like a startled gazelle into the woods behind the school so you can eventually die of hypothermia"?
I also wonder if the "huddle in the corner" plan was chosen for ease of implementation. It's pretty simple to tell the kids to get in position and don't move if the Code Red is called. They can document the plan, have twice-yearly drills, and fulfill the requirements for the lockdown plan that was required after the Columbine shootings. It's a lot hard to properly document the "run at maximum velocity in 1,500 directions" policy and even harder to practice it.
And, finally, in the statistical analysis, they're not bloodly likely to encounter a real school shooter scenario. They're more likely to have someone try to get past the front office, in which case the lockdown/Code Red and resultant plan is pretty solid - the Code goes out, the teachers lock the classroom doors, the police are called, the "unauthorized" person is located and removed from the scene. It's a small town. The cops know everyone, and I'd wager in case of an intruder at the school they'd be on site in less than 4-5 minutes.
It just irks me that the first I hear of it is AFTER the first drill. A quick note in the Communicator stating that the school would be instituting the lockdown policy and having a drill in the near future would have been nice. Better still, of course, would be to have an information night in conjunction with the police department to answer questions and calm fears - not to mention quelling rumors.
There's no real good answer here. There are lots of unanswered questions.
That is all.
This Just In!
CNN has declared Barack Obama the winner of the 2008 Presidential race, giving him an estimated 1,937 electoral votes and, we quote "All" of the popular votes.
That is all.
That is all.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Recommendations Welcome...
So what kind of beer should I get for tomorrow night? I figure I'll need something to help take the edge off...
That is all...
That is all...
There Must Be Some Mix-Up...
I think TOTWTYTR has me confused with someone else. Like, someone else with a shred of actual talent. Either that or one of his lovely Smiths recoiled too hard and bounced off his noggin, because he's bestowed a "Superior Scribbler" award on me (origins of the award can be found here):
I kid, I kid. In all seriousness, I'm honored; doubly so considering both who gave me this award and who gave it to him - the one, the only Ambulance Driver, a man whose writing I so thoroughly enjoyed that I bought his book (gratuitous plug alert) - which, BTW, is destined to become a classic and is rapidly flying off bookstore shelves, so get your order in today (hey, I am in sales...).
This is an award I can grok, as "scribbling" is a fairly accurate description of what I do here at MArooned. I've tried to post thoughtful, descriptive posts, and in some cases hit my mark, but most often there's bits of road rage, random politcal rants, car nut stuff, and of course, the gun pr0n. It's basically a clearinghouse for whatever flits through my mind at any given moment. Which, I suppose, fits "scribbling" to a tee.
The real bitch is gettting the crayon off the computer screen... {cue rimshot}.
Thanks, TOTWTYTR.
Now I've got to choose five bloggers from my blogroll to give this award to. As if that wasn't hard enough, I'm coming to this late in the game, and as such, many of the folks I'd like to give the award to have already received it. So I'll have to try harder...
Let's see...
Liberty of Fighting For Liberty. He and I are cut from the same cloth; he's kinda like the Jay G. of the Frozen North. Plus he has hair. He's got a sick, warped sense of humor and very little in the way of filtration apparatus set up to shelter us from it. And that's a feature, not a bug.
The Geek of TheGeekWithA45. Perhaps this might spur him to post more (hint), but I've long enjoyed reading TheGeek any time he posts (plus for a long time his blog was the first place to turn for news of Bill Whittle sightings....)
Firehand over at Irons in the Fire. Firehand, like og and doubletrouble, is one of those guys that just make me green with envy. He's mechanically inclined (as I think I've mentioned, I'm more along the lines of what could charitably be called "mechanically declined"), lives in Free America, and can express himself with a clarity and eloquence uniquely his own.
Epijunky at Pink Warm And Dry. Through this weird little "Follow Blog" widget (which I am still desperately trying to figure out, lumbering dinosaur that I am), I came across Epi's blog. She's sharp as a whip, loves her kids more than life itself, and quite prolific, mostly stream-of-consciousness akin to my own brand of "toss it against the wall and see what sticks".
Gotta give the anchor slot to my friend tweaker over at Where Sometimes Things Go Boom. He may not post as often as we'd all like (that's a hint, brother), but he brings a razor-sharp wit to the dance and a Texan sense of goodness. Plus he's a long-haired hippie gun-carryin' Texan. Gotta love us our paradoxes...
Now here's the rules:
- Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
- Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
- Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
- Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we'll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!
- Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.
Thanks to TOTWTYTR for the honor, and thanks to everyone who reads my insane rantings poo-flinging verbal diarrhea random potshots at life.
That is all.
Exhausted, But Exhilarating...
I think I've finally thawed out from the Cub Scout overnight weekend. It was 29º in the tent when we woke up yesterday morning - as far as I can recall, that's the coldest temperature I've ever endured in a domicile made of fabric. And I had my son with me.
And he loved every second.
I'm trying to think about how much time we put into getting things ready for the Overnight. We met three or four times, at least 2-3 hours per meeting, in advance of the campout. The other leaders and I took last Friday off to prepare the camp and gather supplies. At least a week and a half to two weeks were spent sending and responding to e-mails either requesting help or answering questions.
And Saturday morning it all came together. We had hammered out a rudimentary plan. We had four event locations, one for each group of Scouts (We had the oldest Scouts - the WeBeLos IIs - pair up with the youngest - the Tiger Scouts as mentors to the newest Cubs). There was a Scoutcraft Event, where the boys learned Scouting basics like woodcarving, knot-tying, and fire-building. There was an obstacle course, where they were timed to see who got bragging rights as fastest Scout. There was a Showman arena, where they were told to practice a skit to be performed at the campfire that evening. And there was a BB Gun and Archery range. Even for Scouts from MA.
We set aside an hour and a half for folks to arrive and set up camp. We had about a couple dozen families pitching tents on site and another 3-4 families (wisely) electing to stay in the (heated) cabin. This meant we had about 30 or so Scouts staying the night (and about an equal number of parents and siblings), and another 15 or so came up for the day only (the ones who couldn't stand the cold or were otherwise committed the next day). Trying to keep nearly four dozen boys between the ages of 6 and 11 focused on their respective tasks at hand brings new insight to the phrase "like herding cats".
But we managed to do it pretty darn well.
I was in charge of the obstacle course - needless to say, I was not particularly thrilled about missing the chance to run the BB Gun and Archery range, and I will be certain to have a talk with our Committee Chair (who set up the stations) well in advance next year. I did get to give a discussion of the four rules to the Scouts ahead of time (at my insistence; I saw the list of "rules" that were being touted and was horrified that "keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot" wasn't on the list...). I did, however, get to meet each and every boy who attended the overnight - which was positively invaluable as I'm assuming the Cubmaster role in March when the current Cubmaster moves on to Boy Scouts. I also got to meet a goodly number of parents, which is also invaluable as we'll need another Assistant Cubmaster, too...
After the Scouts had gone through all four stations, we took them on a long hike around the Reservation, then back to the campsite for dinner. I elected to stay at the campsite and helped cook (mmmmm, marinated steak tips...), as it was a chance for a much-needed rest for a few moments. Once the Scouts ate their fill, we herded them down to the ampitheater for the evening bonfire, where they performed skits, sang songs, and got to be just as silly as their young imaginations would permit them.
And we encouraged - and abetted - them at every possible turn.
After the bonfire it was back to the campsite for - of course - s'mores around the campfire and hot chocolate (hey, we thrive on tradition!). Lights out at 9:30 (to avoid a repeat of last year's, err, unsanctioned activities), and we had run the boys so ragged that most of them were asking to go to bed before lights out!!! I put my son to bed with three layers of clothing and five layers of blankets, hoping it would keep him from turning into a Cubsicle by morning (it did). Even the sub-freezing temperatures achieved overnight weren't enough to drive us into the cabin, despite how warm and inviting it looked... (okay, The Boy wouldn't hear my frantic pleas to abandon the tent...)
Yesterday morning we woke up, got breakfast ready (bacon, of course, cooked over the same 55-gallon drum grill we used for dinner), and had the boys walk through the reservation on litter patrol. This basically gets them out of our hair while we break down all the gear and get ready to leave. What was nice this year is that The Boy is old enough - and mature enough - to be trusted to follow whoever is leading the group without me having to go with him. It was a little disconcerting at first, to see him heading off on the hike without Daddy by his side, but I had a revelation this weekend.
He's growing up.
He impressed me this weekend. He helped out without being asked, he asked permission before leaving the campsite (i.e. latrine run), he remembered his manners; in short, his behavior was beyond reproach. Some of the lessons we're teaching him are starting to sink in. That's nothing short of a miracle. Now, I certainly can't and won't attribute to Scouting, at least not solely; but I know he enjoys the one-on-one father-son time (and TBH I dig it pretty well, too...) and is doing his level best to make sure there's plenty more where that came from...
There will be more, buddy. Plenty more.
Please excuse my self-indulgence with this admittedly long-winded description of the weekend's events. I'm trying to save this for posterity as well as provide a record that we can use for help plan next year's events. Plus I'm proud as hell of my boy, and since this is my blog, well... :)
That is all.
And he loved every second.
I'm trying to think about how much time we put into getting things ready for the Overnight. We met three or four times, at least 2-3 hours per meeting, in advance of the campout. The other leaders and I took last Friday off to prepare the camp and gather supplies. At least a week and a half to two weeks were spent sending and responding to e-mails either requesting help or answering questions.
And Saturday morning it all came together. We had hammered out a rudimentary plan. We had four event locations, one for each group of Scouts (We had the oldest Scouts - the WeBeLos IIs - pair up with the youngest - the Tiger Scouts as mentors to the newest Cubs). There was a Scoutcraft Event, where the boys learned Scouting basics like woodcarving, knot-tying, and fire-building. There was an obstacle course, where they were timed to see who got bragging rights as fastest Scout. There was a Showman arena, where they were told to practice a skit to be performed at the campfire that evening. And there was a BB Gun and Archery range. Even for Scouts from MA.
We set aside an hour and a half for folks to arrive and set up camp. We had about a couple dozen families pitching tents on site and another 3-4 families (wisely) electing to stay in the (heated) cabin. This meant we had about 30 or so Scouts staying the night (and about an equal number of parents and siblings), and another 15 or so came up for the day only (the ones who couldn't stand the cold or were otherwise committed the next day). Trying to keep nearly four dozen boys between the ages of 6 and 11 focused on their respective tasks at hand brings new insight to the phrase "like herding cats".
But we managed to do it pretty darn well.
I was in charge of the obstacle course - needless to say, I was not particularly thrilled about missing the chance to run the BB Gun and Archery range, and I will be certain to have a talk with our Committee Chair (who set up the stations) well in advance next year. I did get to give a discussion of the four rules to the Scouts ahead of time (at my insistence; I saw the list of "rules" that were being touted and was horrified that "keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot" wasn't on the list...). I did, however, get to meet each and every boy who attended the overnight - which was positively invaluable as I'm assuming the Cubmaster role in March when the current Cubmaster moves on to Boy Scouts. I also got to meet a goodly number of parents, which is also invaluable as we'll need another Assistant Cubmaster, too...
After the Scouts had gone through all four stations, we took them on a long hike around the Reservation, then back to the campsite for dinner. I elected to stay at the campsite and helped cook (mmmmm, marinated steak tips...), as it was a chance for a much-needed rest for a few moments. Once the Scouts ate their fill, we herded them down to the ampitheater for the evening bonfire, where they performed skits, sang songs, and got to be just as silly as their young imaginations would permit them.
And we encouraged - and abetted - them at every possible turn.
After the bonfire it was back to the campsite for - of course - s'mores around the campfire and hot chocolate (hey, we thrive on tradition!). Lights out at 9:30 (to avoid a repeat of last year's, err, unsanctioned activities), and we had run the boys so ragged that most of them were asking to go to bed before lights out!!! I put my son to bed with three layers of clothing and five layers of blankets, hoping it would keep him from turning into a Cubsicle by morning (it did). Even the sub-freezing temperatures achieved overnight weren't enough to drive us into the cabin, despite how warm and inviting it looked... (okay, The Boy wouldn't hear my frantic pleas to abandon the tent...)
Yesterday morning we woke up, got breakfast ready (bacon, of course, cooked over the same 55-gallon drum grill we used for dinner), and had the boys walk through the reservation on litter patrol. This basically gets them out of our hair while we break down all the gear and get ready to leave. What was nice this year is that The Boy is old enough - and mature enough - to be trusted to follow whoever is leading the group without me having to go with him. It was a little disconcerting at first, to see him heading off on the hike without Daddy by his side, but I had a revelation this weekend.
He's growing up.
He impressed me this weekend. He helped out without being asked, he asked permission before leaving the campsite (i.e. latrine run), he remembered his manners; in short, his behavior was beyond reproach. Some of the lessons we're teaching him are starting to sink in. That's nothing short of a miracle. Now, I certainly can't and won't attribute to Scouting, at least not solely; but I know he enjoys the one-on-one father-son time (and TBH I dig it pretty well, too...) and is doing his level best to make sure there's plenty more where that came from...
There will be more, buddy. Plenty more.
Please excuse my self-indulgence with this admittedly long-winded description of the weekend's events. I'm trying to save this for posterity as well as provide a record that we can use for help plan next year's events. Plus I'm proud as hell of my boy, and since this is my blog, well... :)
That is all.
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