Oh Yeah! I Have A Blog...

So, yeah, last week totally sucked. What helped bring a big heaping helping of extra suck to an already s**tty week was the drive home from Massachusetts. Between the MA Pike, route 84 in CT, and the NYS Thruway, we ran into traffic from hell, which was somewhat unexpected for a Saturday afternoon. Granted, it was a long weekend, but I'd have guessed that by Saturday afternoon the bulk of traffic would have abated.

Over an hour in traffic to go five miles on the Tappanzee Bridge says otherwise.

It got me to thinking, though. Here I am, in New York, a rather liberal state. We're always hearing about "Global Warming" and all, yet there are thousands of cars polluting the air because the state can't get it's collective s**t together on traffic. On a Saturday, of all things. Now, I expect a bit of traffic over the holiday weekend, sure. But the Tappanzee is generally pretty good; certainly better than the GW Bridge; that's why I go the long way around NYFC.

Now, I grok that the same people that decry Global Warming are the same ones that want us all taking public transportation. It stands to reason that their response to weekday traffic is to tell us to take the bus/subway/train. But what about on weekends? While there may be a bus that runs from Northern VA to northeast MA, it's not convenient for us to take. I've looked into taking a train, and it's just as expensive as flying - but with the same time constraints as driving. In short, it doesn't work.

So, then, the question comes back around. If they're so concerned about global warming, why aren't they doing more to relieve traffic congestion? While it's great to incentivize people to take more public transportation, that's a long-term solution. Right now, there's a need to alleviate the day-to-day wasting of resources sitting in traffic on roads that were never designed for the volume of cars they see. While the ivory tower eggheads clasp their hands worrying about global warming, the proles are sitting in their shiny metal boxes throwing CO2 into the ozone layer by the bajillions.

Give us another 2-3 lanes on pretty much any major highway and this will stop being such a problem - or is that too simplistic a solution for your liking?

That is all.

Dear Apple...

You know what sucks? Having a phone that won't keep time. Spending several hundred dollars on a piece of technology that won't perform the basic function that a $20 Timex will is annoying as hell.

You know what's worse? Finding out that this has been a problem for very near three years. 

Look, I get it. Not all technology is perfect. But, damn. This has been a known problem for close to three years. I got the phone less than a year ago, so the problem was known for two years when I got it. And yet no one has been able to fix it? That's not the way to keep market share, folks...

Looks like there will be a trip to the Verizon store this weekend. Boy, I just love technology...

That is all.

Little Help, Please...

I keep seeing references to something called a Car-dash-Ian on the intertubes. It's obviously something of great importance to civilization, given the prominence of this entity on numerous information-related websites. Yet it remains that I have never heard of it; given that so many outlets consider it of sufficient worth to display it prominently, I had feared that perhaps my information gathering devices and locations had failed me.

And where's that bread, anyways?

That is all.

Snow...

A couple quick pictures of the snow at Casa del G.:

Front

That's the view out of my front door. It's hard to get a sense of scale without actually being down in the walkway, but I wasn't about to shed my bathrobe for the snow suit yet. The snow pile on the side of the walk way is up to 6' high in spots. We've lost our 3' tall driveway markers in some spots - it's okay, though, the 8' tall snowbanks let us know where the driveway ends...

It's getting a little frightening, actually:

Back

That's looking out the french doors to the back deck. Bear in mind that there's a good 6" step down onto the porch for scale. Looking out into the back yard, the kids' swingset has lost all three swings to the snow. The decorative 2' tall flowerpots that disguise the covers to the septic tanks are completely hidden, a small mound of snow the only evidence that there's even something there.

This is, without hyperbole, the most snow I have ever seen here in New England. I've lived on the same street my entire life, even in the Blizzard of 1978, the storm of the century and the benchmark for a lot of snow - and this is by far more snow. We're consistently getting a foot or more per storm, and this year we're not getting an intermittent warming period to melt any of it.

Now, I'm loathe to draw any conclusions from this winter, as (commenters are quick to remind me) weather ≠ climate; all I know is that I've had enough climate weather to last me the rest of the winter. Cabin fever is setting in pretty hard core, with even indoor events having to be canceled because of the poor weather. We've had to close down our business twice already this winter, and the kids are on their sixth snow day of the year. And it's only February 2nd - we've had winters that extend through March easily.

All I can say is that I'm ready for spring.

That is all.

Day of... Rest?

As the other dads and homeowners out there know, there's no such thing as a restful day when you have a house and kids. There's always something that needs to be done - whether it's chauffeuring the kids to Sunday School, running errands while they're in Sunday School, or the annual cleaning out of the garage for the winter. There's still a camper to be winterized (next weekend; fortunately the water inside is still in its liquid form and is currently draining down the driveway); a shed to be filled with propane tanks and then secured against the elements; gutters to be cleaned; and leaves to be raked (again). Soccer is over next week; two weeks after that basketball starts and swimming lessons start up again.

The Harley has been deposited at the dealership for winter storage for the eighth winter; a bittersweet parting that reflects the end of the riding season (I'm not diehard enough to ride once the temperature drops below freezing, sorry) and the coming of winter. Soon we will be shoveling snow, making snowmen and snowforts and taking the kids over to the local park for sledding (there's a monster hill near where we hold the Cub Scout graduation that's been a local attraction for daredevil kids ever since *I* was a wee sprog!). Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Years will rocket by in a flash, and then TheBoy will be turning 10 - double digits!!! - there's an awful lot going on in the next two months...

And it all starts in roughly three weeks - there really is no rest for the weary...

That is all.

Not With a Bang, But...

Many prominent bloggers have commented on the farcical events surrounding the calling out of a SWAT-like team to deal with a bunch of Tea Party protesters in Quincy, IL. Many videos can be found here. Some folks (not necessarily the ones linked, mind you) have commented that this is evidence that the US is sliding further into a Brazil-style police state; others have opined that such Barney-Fife-cum-SWAT-wannabes would fare poorly against determined opposition; still others blame Clinton/Bush/Øbama for starting/continuing/escalating the assault on the First Amendment.

We're not headed for the lawlessness of Mad-Max here, folks - we can't survive a freakin' bank going under, never mind the complete and utter collapse of society. What we're witnessing, live and direct in our lifetime, is a slow-but-steady slide into European-style socialism, possibly followed up with a 1984-like police state. As more and more Americans become dependent on the government for their livelihood, we're seeing fewer folks willing to rock the boat for fear of upsetting Uncle Sucker.

Private industry is getting squeezed, and those that aren't getting out are voicing their opinions - and finding the response from the government to be more like the Keystone SWATs than a "beer summit". We're seeing police pulled from areas of Detroit, or refusing to respond to traffic accidents in Philadelphia, or any other number of small, seemingly insignificant incidents that, taken by themselves, don't mean all that much. But added together, it's a frightening picture indeed of the world that our children will inherit. And some of us don't seem to mind all that at all...

Robbing Peter to pay Paul only works as long as Peter stays compliant...

That is all.

Can I Just Say...

...that I really, really, REALLY hate Daylight Savings Time?

That is all.

Quick Question...

WTF is "Jersey Shore" and why should I give a hairy rat's ass about it?

That is all.

Vicious Circle, the Holiday Edition

More specifically, the "what do we hate about the holidays" edition. It's Vicious Circle #31!

Alan, Unix-Jedi, Stingray & LabRat, and AEpilot jim and I talk about the Christmas season, what Christmas songs we hate, and about 500 other things that pop into our heads during the conversation. And, apparently my first time using the Eee for Skype had some unintentionally hilarious results when the battery started to run low, causing my transmission to lag and/or repeat, Max Headroom-style, until I figured out the problem and plugged it in...

Yep, that's me, just slightly behind the technology curve...

That is all.

It Has Been Said...

That if you've never had a gun break on you, you're not shooting enough. Apparently, I have been shooting entirely too much lately, because I've had guns breaking on me left and right...

Just in the past week, I've had the following guns or gun accessories break:

LaserLyte laser sights for the SigSauer P226. The lights are on, but there's no laser home. I talked to my contact at LaserLyte about this, there was a very brief run in the early phase where the contacts would work their way loose. He sent out a replacement unit ASAP, and I will install and re-sight it shortly. Once again, the response was phenomenal, although I'm coming to realize that this is nothing out of the ordinary for LaserLyte - they're just this good.

Bolt lock-up on the Bushmaster XM15-E2S. Something went wrong, because the last round in the magazine wasn't fired, and when I went to extract it from the chamber, it took pretty much every ounce of strength to clear the round. I suspect that the buffer retainer pin worked loose and jammed things up, and I'm hoping I can get the rifle apart to inspect the damage. This could be anything from very minor to "oh shit, I need a new rifle". If anyone in the area has any experience with AR's I'm willing to travel to get help...

Colt 1991A1 Compact grip bushings. Yes, my new (to me) Colt needs a wee bit of help. I went to take off the ugly-as-sin-yet-pretty-damn-functional Pachmayr wrap-around grips to put on some nice wood stocks and found three out of four screws firmly anchored to the bushings. Upon closer inspection, two of the three bushings were pretty well stripped bare. The threads on the frame look fine, so new bushings and screws are on order and should be in soon.

Colt Gold Cup National Match rear sight. This one was a super easy, on-the-spot fix - the pin holding the sight on had worked itself loose, and a quick tap with the omnipresent Leatherman had it back in place in no time. It looks like it may have been working its way out over time, which may (or may not) be why I was having such a hard time hitting with it - once the sight was back on good and sturdy I was nailing the X-ring like nobody's business...

---

I've also still got a bolt-action SKS in the safe in the attic (more than likely needs a good thorough cleaning and more complete de-cosmolining) as well as an AK clone that needs two new rivets (hammer and trigger FWIW) - that one I can't decide if I want to pull it all apart and re-rivet everything, or simply toss a couple bolts through it and see how long it lasts. Given that it's an AK, I suspect long enough for my grandkids to laugh at my WECSOG job...

Notice the one thing all of these problems have in common? Yes - they're all semi-autos. Notice that there's no revolvers on the list, nor lever-action or pump-action rifles. I'm certain it's mere coincidence that all of my revolvers work perfectly; that my Remington 572 Fieldmaster has only failed to chamber a round once out of the many thousands I've put through it, and that was because it was simply FILTHY inside; that all of my bolt action rifles fire rounds much more potent than 7.62X39mm or .223 Rem, yet all have kept all of their inner workings in one spot...

Is it any wonder I like the old school?

That is all.

www.HotBabesWithGuns.com

Attention gun manufacturers, retailers, and gun accessory manufacturers and retailers: Can we please, please stop with the scantily clad models holding or using firearms in an unsafe manner?

Look, I'm in sales & marketing. I understand the axiom that "sex sells". I know you have to know your target audience, and that your particular demographic is overwhelmingly male. For the tactical/operator/HSLD accessory guys, your target is even narrower, comprised mainly of 22-35ish males (WAG here, but I'll bet I'm not too far off). Props for knowing your audience and knowing what they want to see in their ads.

Now, I'm probably in the minority here. I don't want to see some scantily clad bimbo holding your gun/magazine/gun-related-widget like it was a turd while smiling and thrusting her silicone-enhanced breasts at the camera. I'd rather see a burly dude beating the ever-lovin' snot out of it and it still working, but then again, I've always been a little weird.

But really. Can we please put a stop to the egregious violations of basic gun safety? I mean, the finger on the trigger is bad enough, but can we please stop having the model point the gun at the camera? Or leaning the muzzle in towards her body? Not only are you setting a poor example, but you're gift-wrapping a nice fat little Freudian present to the gun-grabbers who snicker at gun owners and claim compensation issues are behind gun ownership.

And videos. [shakes head] If I never see another set of implants bouncing up and down while the model fires a full-auto weapon 15-20 feet over the berm I'll be a happy man. While we're at it, can we knock off the stupid "shooting in a bikini" nonsense, too? While I appreciate the female form as much as the next guy, seeing some model who knows about as much about guns as I know about brain surgery shooting the latest uber-tacticool whizbang blaster with a form that would make Weaver weep doesn't make me want to buy your product. Nor does seeing a porn-star lookalike shooting a gun without eye or ear protection, for that matter.

Resorting to the tired clichéd "booth babe" to sell your product tells me that you have no new ideas, that your product probably doesn't do whatever it's supposed to do substantially better than your competitors, and/or you don't hold your customers in very high regard. You're essentially saying, "hey, here's something shiny to look at!" rather than offering a product that will stand out on its own. Your product should be the center of attention, not the model you hired to stand around holding it for the photo shoot.

I think the most irritating thing is seeing safety violations, though. Companies that make and sell firearms and/or firearms accessories should have the absolute highest regard for the four rules, for basic common sense, and for good firearms etiquette. While eye and ear protection aren't part of the four rules, insuring your spokespeople utilize both shows that you have an attention to detail and a knowledge of the shooting community. Having a bikini-clad model fire a semi-automatic weapon in the general vicinity of a berm while brass rains down around her might make for interesting cinematography, but it's lousy gun handling plain and simple.

There are plenty of female shooters, gunnies, and gun bloggers. Any one of them would make a better model than some 22 year old bimbette who's never held a gun before in her life. Saying "we'd rather hire some model than a less-perfect physical specimen who knows her way around a gun cabinet" is insulting to female gunnies and to the shooting community in general. We're better than that. We know what it's like to be marginalized, ignored, and/or looked down upon. We should demand better from those that seek to earn our business.

I'd rather see Breda in camo shooting an M24 at 1,000 yards over some silicone sweetie any day.

That is all.

Three Words about Tiger...

WHO. FUCKING. CARES.

That goes double for the Salahis as well.

That is all.

Daylight Savings My A-

Ugh. My least favorite day of the year - "spring forward"... We lose an hour of sleep - totally teh suxxor... Plus it doesn't help that half the clocks in the G. household are of the self-advancing kind, whereas the other half are not - meaning that when I woke up this morning, I didn't know what the hell time it was...

On the plus side, though, both kids slept until 7AM today...

That is (groggily) all.

Not For Nothing...

But it sure doesn't help a foul, gloomy mood to have cold, soggy rain melting the brown snow and making even more brown/black mush everywhere...

*sigh*

That is all.

Just When The Day Couldn't POSSIBLY Get Worse...

...I find out that the Neanderpundit is no more.

Fuck me.

Looks like I'm gonna have to ramp up the crapblogging to fill the (very large) hole in our collective blog experience...

That is all.

Frustrating, To Say the Least...

I've been reading up on this so-called "stimulus", trying to articulate exactly what out of this monstrosity is the most offensive to a fiscal conservative point of view. It's a herculean task, as there's much in this bill to offend, well, anyone not feeding off the government teat (or deriving votes therefrom).

And the more I read into it, the more I just want to say "fuck it all" and go to the range.

That is all.

Tired...

I'm tired.

Tired of being the grown-up.
Tired of being the responsible one.
Tired of being the disciplinarian.
Tired of feeling unappreciated.
Tired of being the good child.
Tired of being frustrated.
Tired of being the good example.
Tired of being the provider.
Tired of working hard with little to no recognition.
Tired of being ignored.
Tired of being neglected.
Tired of putting everyone else first.
Tired of coming in last.
Tired of being taken for granted.
Tired of being a doormat.
Tired of hiding my feelings.
Tired of pretending everything's all right when it's not.
Tired of backtalk.
Tired of not talking.
Tired of feeling less important than what's on TV.
Tired of doing everyone else's work.
Tired of being the guy who gets it done.
Tired of being the answer man.
Tired of fixing everyone else's mistakes.
Tired of taking crap from everyone.
Tired of being me.

But since this is the only me I have, I guess I'll have to keep being tired.

That is all.

More Crap I Don't Need...

Got a call while I was at the Cub Scout Leader's meeting tonight. On the eve of yet another snowstorm, our furnace has decided to die. Yep, no heat in the G. house tonight.

Un-fucking-real.

We moved into the house less than 10 years ago. Five years ago, almost to the day, we replaced the block in the furnace. It doesn't look like the block - last time there was water everywhere, but who knows?

AAAUUUGGGHHH!!!!

It's always something, isn't it...

That is all.

Unfortunate...

Weird train of thought on the ride into work today. Driving down some of the backroads I travel in my journey to my place of employment, the truck shuddered and lurched over the various potholes, frost heaves, and frozen ice in the roadway. As the Ram bounced, jounced, and otherwise shimmied around the road, my mind wandered back to a different time. I was riding in the back of my buddy's F-150, smoking a cigarette and letting the breeze flick the ashes off for me.

Then my memory wandered further back, to being about 10 years old and riding in the back of my grandfather's Chevy pick-up, my buddy Cliff with me, on our way to get ice cream on a hot summer's day. I remembered, clear as day some 20-mumble years later, looking up at the sky and watching the clouds seem to pace us as we drove down the road. We'd laugh at each other when we went under a tree branch and both jumped at the same time; our cloud-watching rudely interrupted by an over-reaching oak.

And then it hit me. I've got a pick-up truck, and my son will never know the feeling of the breeze in his hair on the way to the ice cream shop. He'll never sit in the back with his muddy bicycle after I have to come pick him up when he tries to jump the creek (Oh, I caught hell for that one...). Our overly litigious society has decreed it too dangerous to allow folks to ride in the back of a pick-up truck - no seat belts, you see, folks might sluice around too much. Might bounce right out and hit the pavement. Too many variables.

And that's sad right there.

That we've allowed the government to make our choices for us; that we've willingly granted them the power to take away our childhood memories makes me very sad - and very angry. Barring unprecedented longing for reclaiming liberty, I don't foresee us ever getting those freedoms back - I don't see a repeal of the seat belt laws (or helmet laws for that matter). I see us marching ever closer and closer to the Big Brother state envisioned by Mssr. Orwell so many years ago, where everything is taken care of by the state and nothing is left for the individual.

And I don't like it. I don't like it one bit...

That is all.

Tis the Season...

For the damn cutesy Santa toilet lid covers that won't allow the damn lid to stay up when taking a whizz...

Bah (wet) humbug!

That is all.