They Say It's Your Birthday...

Actually, it's mine. It's a numerically significant one - but only because it ties in with a grail gun. I've made 44 revolutions around the sun as of today, so in that vein, I'm looking to acquire my .44 Magnum grail gun this year: a Smith & Wesson model 29.

But not just any model 29, no. See, that would be easy. What I want is the final piece of the Smith & Wesson target trifecta. I've got the model 17 (.22LR). I've got the model 27 (.357 Magnum). I need the 8 3/8" barrel, target hammer, target trigger, diamond grips version of the model 29.

I've got a year to find it. I may break down and buy the Dirty Harry model (6.5" barrel) if I can't find the 8 3/8" version for a reasonable price ($2K+??? It ain't a Python, folks!). I'd also be amenable to the 10" barrel version for the .44 Magnum.

Keep your eyes peeled and let me know if you come across one, thanks!

That is all.

Eight Years...

Eight years ago today, MArooned came into being. Eight years. 2,922 days. 9,082 posts. Over 58,000 comments. A move out of the Volksrepublik and into Free America. Several dozen PMags. It has been a long, strange, and wonderful ride these past eight years.

What does the future hold? I have no idea. Some say blogging is dead, killed either by the short attention span of Facebook or the commercialization of blogs (as he looks at the banner ad just under the masthead...) I'm still here, albeit with less output. Funny, that - moving out of MA took away a great deal of the urge to blog. Amazing what freedom can do.

Thanks for sticking with me, and we'll see what the next 8 years hold.

That is all.

One Year...

As of 8:30 this morning, I will have been at the new (dream) job exactly one year. I still cannot believe that I managed to score a gig that pays me to write about guns on the internet. Heck, one day I actually was tasked with posting a picture of a shotgun with a bayonet on Facebook.

As. Part. Of. My. Job.

In the past year I've gotten paid to attend SHOT and the NRA Annual Meeting (which, BTW, is NOWHERE near as glamorous as it sounds, trust me); I've gotten to go to Wyoming to learn how to shoot at ridiculously long distances (that WAS as fun as it sounds), I've been to Smith & Wesson as a legit media-type, and I've met literally hundreds of folks in the business I'd followed for decades.

There are times when it's stressful, when we're under a deadline or waiting to hear back from a manufacturer for a critical spec for a story. But that's life, really. I had deadlines at my last job, and the job before that. I had episodes where I was waiting for input from folks outside my sphere of influence in both previous jobs as well.

But neither of those jobs paid me to post a picture to Facebook of a shotgun with a bayonet attached, either...

A year. Wow. It has flown by, and I have learned so much. One of the biggest things I've learned is that I still have so very much to learn. As I expand my horizons and learn things outside my comfort zone I see how much more there is to learn and how much I truly don't know. It's rather zen, really. I'm still having a blast, loving the new job, and getting used to the idea that I got the hell out of Massachusetts.

Still miss the friends and family I left behind; the politics, though, not so much...

That is all.

The Seven Year Itch...

Seven years ago today, MArooned was born.

I know the blog has seen some changes in the past six months, and while I don't regret the circumstances leading to those changes, I know a good number of folks miss the gun pr0n and gear talk. That will be coming back on my professional blog (yes, I know, it scares me too) that I'll get on a sidebar as soon as it's created.

For now, though, I'll focus on the motorhead side of things. I'm equally a car/truck/bike nut as I am a gun nut, so the car pr0n should continue to increase as time goes on. Politics, naturally, are fair game, as are bad drivers - which are pretty legendary around the DC area.

Thanks for putting up with me for 7 years now!

That is all.

Apologies, Possibly In Advance...

I know a good number of folks have tried to get in touch with me this week, either via phone, e-mail, or even text messages. I've been amazingly busy this week (go figure; getting paid to go to SHOT Show means your days are jam-packed solid with ... work!) and haven't had much time for quick or even not-so-quick replies.

Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, though. We're almost halfway done with SHOT Show, and after that things should start to level off. We're getting the house a lot closer to unpacked, and the Mrs. has leads on a job. The kids are starting to get into a routine with the new schools. Life is slowly starting to get back into some semblance of normal.

One more thing, though. If you text me, and I don't respond shortly, it might mean that I'm really busy. However, there's another possibility: your number isn't in my phone, and therefore I have no idea who you are. A quick "hey, this is [name]" would go a long way towards a more timely response.

Or I could be hair-on-fire busy; that's also a very real possibility right now...

That is all.

So That's What That's Like...

Sorry about the lack of free ice cream, folks. Here's how my weekend went:

Friday, 5:00 PM: Leave NoVA heading to MA.
Friday, 6:30 PM: Have traveled precisely 40 miles in 90 minutes. At this rate, I'll be home sometime around Veteran's Day.
Saturday, 2:15 AM: Get home. Meet TheBoy walking through the door - he set his alarm and waited for me. Brought a big ol' smile to my face it did.
Saturday: Moving heavy objects, packing things into boxes, and visiting Dad G. to see how recovery is going after his hip replacement. He's walking better now than I've seen him walking in two years.
Saturday night: Dinner out with the family, then shopping. Get home, and spend an hour or two with the Mrs. looking at homes in NoVA.
Sunday: Church, CCD, winterizing the camper, then meeting with the buyers to discuss the home purchase and walk around the property. Then drive back to VA.

Will try to have something resembling content up shortly...

That is all.

One Decade...

Ten years ago today, I posted my first blog post.

My blogfather has let Toys in the Attic go, so the original post is lost to the ages. But July 9th, 2003 was the first time I blogged. I would spend nearly four years as co-blogger of Toys in the Attic before striking out on my own, during which time I managed to annoy liberals, gather folks for a proto-blogger shoot, and buy my Harley.

I don't know if you should thank Ricky or curse him, but he's the reason I'm here doing what I do...

That is all.

You Can't Win For Losing...

You really can't. Last week, I posted a story about bars in New Jersey substituting rotgut for top shelf liquor, and was roundly pilloried for what was perceived as an acceptance of fraud. I believe McThag's actual comment was:

So, fraud is OK as long it's premium liquor and served at a TGIF in NJ?

Yesterday, I posted a story about Boston pizza joints getting busted for delivering pies after closing hours, and posted this:

And, since it apparently needs to be said, yes, they stayed open past their stated hours, the hours that they were permitted to be opened. They should face a fine or other type of sanction.

Because, you know, I didn't want to be accused of condoning law-breaking, you see. Well, that prompted this comment from Randy:

And I'm a little disappointed at your seeming acceptance of this intrusion, maybe you've lived up there too long. 

So, which is it? Do I condone fraud, or slavishly follow the rules? It gets confusing trying to follow which side of the fence folks think I'm on. I'm apparently a lawless rule-breaker and a law-abiding goody-goody at the same time. Cool!

Or maybe I'm just a snarky bastard who ridicules both stupid laws and stupid people?

That is all.

For My Author Friends Out There...

Just how crazy am I for jumping into the fray?

Had a killer idea come to me that (as far as I know) is moderately untapped. It has promise; I think I can add a bit to the genre; I think I've got a twist that hasn't been explored (or at least exploited to death). Dunno if this will be anything more than a short story at this time, but the more I diagram and wargame what this story should be, the more avenues I find ripe for exploration.

Proselytizing may be slightly hard to keep to a minimum (it'll make sense later, trust me); but for the target audience it shouldn't be an issue. The genre is pretty full and care will need to be taken not to tread on any toes (fortunately, to the best of my knowledge none of the folks I know in this business have written stories in this genre - yes, Marko, Peter, and Larry are the folks I'm thinking of specifically).

I suppose I should stock up on bourbon if I'm going to do this properly...

That is all.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Hey, I Know That Guy!

So, during the protest at the NRA convention, the folks from Buzzfeed were talking to the folks outside of the NRA convention asking for our counter arguments. They asked us what we'd like to say to the protestors, and to write it down. They posted the top 25 responses yesterday, and look who made the cut:

#1 Blogdaughter, Weerdbeard, and AwelowNT also made the list. I'll let you figure out if you can piece together who they are...Overall, the guys from Buzzfeed did a reasonable job. I'll give them being generous listing the number of the protestor at 40 - 50; I will disagree that the protestors were silently protesting. They were singing songs and chanting slogans intended to shame and embarrass the attendees of the convention. I guess it scans better that way...

But yeah, look, Buzzfeed!

That is all.

If It Were Human, It'd Be In First Grade...

Six years ago, a silly little blog called MArooned was born. Six years ago, I left the comfortable surroundings of Toys in the Attic (doesn't look like Ricky's keeping the blog part up any more, a pity) to start my own blog and see if I could make a go of things solo. I'll always have a fond spot for my time as co-blogger at Toys, and consider Ricky a close friend (even if we haven't managed to meet up in meatspace. Yet.)

According to Blogger, I've had 47,614 comments published on 7,338 posts over the past six years. Not bad for a guy who still doesn't think of himself as a writer. I've published over a hundred product reviews, and had nearly two dozen articles published outside of MArooned - including a print article! According to Sitemeter I've had over 2.2 million unique visits over the past 6 years.

Thanks to everyone that sends me articles, from DGC stories to stupid things MA politicians to do the crazy and wild stuff. I can't thank you folks enough - nearly 400 Dead Goblins and growing every week; political stories to get my blood pressure up; the latest news on the Batmobile... I can count on a lot of folks to provide me with awesome blog fodder.

Six years down, Lord alone knows how many left - but they ain't gettin' rid of me yet!

That is all.

In Lighter News...

It appears that this is my 7,000^th post. 7K posts in a little under 6 years. Thousand posts a year, and given that I was nowhere near as prolific in my rookie year, that means a heck of a lot of posts. As I've joked, this blog is a form of therapy for me - rather than scream in impotent fury at the biased news displayed on TV, I can write in impotent fury here... Like Unc says, I do this for me, not you - and as the often-missed Acidman used to say, a ceaseless quest for adoration from people who don't know me...

Thanks again to everyone that sends in material: Les, Gerry, Joseph, Brad_in_MA, Jackie in TX, Stretch, ChiefJayBob, and countless others who I am forgetting at the moment (and I humbly apologize!). Thanks to everyone that submits DGC additions - I think it's a very worthwhile count to keep in mind, and appreciate folks thinking of me and the count whenever they see a suitable story. Thanks to everyone that reads and comments (that's a hint); I've learned a ton over the past few years, and I hope I've managed to help others along the way.

It's been a long and sometimes strange trip, but here's hoping for another 7,000 posts!

That is all.

As Promised...

FarmGirl reminded me that I was supposed to post the video of me losing my mustache:



Both AD and I shaved off each others' mustaches as part of the Kilted to Kick Cancer fundraiser. I promised; I posted a picture of it right after the event and everything. Many folks commented that I needed to grow the mustache back, and I got right on it. Here's a week and a half out:

Yeah, there are advantages to being Italian...

That is all.

What He Said...

Robb nails it out of the park.

Last month, folks that read MArooned raised over $6,500 for cancer research. All together, gun bloggers (and some EMS- and police- bloggers too) raised over $20K - all done on a shoestring budget (budget? We had a budget?) and without a lot of fanfare. The people that read our blogs thought our cause was worthwhile and donated, and gave quite generously. And that's no exception; rather, that's the rule.

I don't blog for awards or accolades either. I'll never get rich blogging, nor writing in my spare time. I do both because it interests me and I enjoy it - and the day it stops interesting me and/or I stop enjoying it, I'll stop. Until then, you're stuck with a foulmouthed shaved head biker dude who likes guns, cars, and making fun of brittle people.

Thanks for reading my scribblings.

That is all.

Crazy Question...

One of the things that was pretty hot at SHOT Show were morale patches - companies were giving them out as schwag, some offered humorous or military or LEO-themed patches for same, and I saw a few bloggers with custom patches made for their online soapboxes. One such blogger was my friend Richard over at BlueSheepdog, who was kind enough to give me one of his patches:

Pack with patch

Here's a close-up:

Patch alone

So here's the deal. I would dearly love to get a run of MArooned patches done. I'm thinking of the same general format as the above, only with the Robb Allen header cropped and text edited slightly (basically, remove the info text on the sides and have the full URL over my head). It'd be pretty cool to have *my* patch on my sling pack walking around the NRA convention...

Forgive the crappy editing, but this is a rough sketch:

Basic idea...

It's a VERY rough sketch - Robb has offered to help and will undoubtedly do a much better job - but that's the basic idea. I'd rather see "www.MA-rooned.com" over my head, but it could stay simply MArooned... Now, though, here's the tough part...

It's a lot of cash to drop, and things are a little on the tight side right now. I've talked to the folks that made Richard's cool patch - the good people at MilSpec Monkey - and they've got a special price for a minimum order of 50 units. I'm wondering if there's be enough interest in patches to at least cover part of the cost - if a couple dozen folks wanted patches at cost ($5 shipped), that'd be enough to cover more than half the cost.

So, I ask: Is there any interest in a MArooned morale patch?

That is all.

New Meme Time...

Glenn B. has a good one.

I have never seen or heard one like this before although Heaven could probably attest to the fact that it has been done before, somewhere at sometime by someone else. I am going to go ahead with it anyway and here is how to play along. I will write down 5 things that indicate, to me, that a gun owner or shooter maybe is an honest one; I say 'maybe' because I have known some seemingly honest gun owners to tell some really tall tales. Then I will tag 5 other gun owners who are also bloggers and I hope each will play along, each listing, in their blogs, at least 3 things that are indicative a gun owner is an honest one, then sending the challenge of this meme on to 5 other gun owner who are also bloggers.

Let me see. I bet I can come up with five items...

1. You really do own guns that you've never shot, have no interest in shooting, and don't care if they ever get shot.

2. While you appreciate the military history and significance of the M1 Garand, you agree that modern rifles with detachable magazines are superior.

3. Deep down, you love buying new accessories for your AR-15/Ruger 10/22/1911 because it allows you to do work on a firearm without having to actually gunsmith.

4. You know and admit that you need to get to the range more often than you do and/or need more training.

5. You really do clean your guns as often as you pretend online...

---

And five bloggers to tag: I'll choose from my blogchildren:

Borepatch
Nancy R.
Merlin
PISSED
Mad Saint Jack

Don't let me down, kids!

That is all.

Okay, I'll Play...

Just because I think this is one serious kick-ass song. Meme brought over from Tam, who found it at RNS:

You’re about to get eaten by the zombie hordes. You’ve prepared, but there are more than you every possibly imagined. Sorry.

As you load your last mag into your chosen weapon, what song comes up your MP3 player/IPOD?

Easy peasy. Ass, prepare to be kicked.



Thing is, once the gun runs dry, there's always this:

Kukri

They may get me, but dammit they're gonna pay for it...

That is all.