...and no one came?
Sat out in front of the convention center with a dozen or so gunbloggers waiting for the big anti-NRA protest. News reports had placed the protest between 11:30 and noon, so we were camped out at the main entrance waiting for the big protest starting at 11:30. We left at 1 after not a single sign or waft of patchouli.
If you can't depend on a hippie, who can you depend on???
That is all...
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Convention Linky Love
Unc posts about my exploits at last night's Crimson Trace dinner (the winner of Top Shots!)
Weerd has proof that I was open carrying!
THOT has the quote of the day: Does this gun make my butt look big?
Heh. Having a blast here at the convention!
That is all.
Weerd has proof that I was open carrying!
THOT has the quote of the day: Does this gun make my butt look big?
Heh. Having a blast here at the convention!
That is all.
Overheard in Pittsburgh
Pulled into the parking garage (only half hour in traffic today!) and left the gate with a little too much enthusiasm. The attendant admonished me, saying "Slow down, New York. There's folks here from the NRA here and they'll shoot you!"
This was, of course, to a carload of NRA attendees all carrying firearms, most openly...
That is all.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
This was, of course, to a carload of NRA attendees all carrying firearms, most openly...
That is all.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Walking the Floor, Day One...
So yesterday was the first full day of the NRA convention. Started out with Unc, Weerd, and Dennis and a two hour car ride FROM HELL to the convention center. Two hours to go less than one mile - I'm not kidding here, I really wish I weren't. Then it took nearly an hour to find a parking spot. Sorry y'all, Pittsburgh SUCKS... We met up with Heath and Amanda, THOTpd, and OldNFO inside at the media center, got checked in and started walking.
We went to the bottom level first, where most of the gear-related vendors were located. I passed out a whole slew of cards, hopefully some of them will result in some interesting items for review later. It seemed like more vendors were warming to the concept of bloggers, as several places - Charter Arms most notably - were happy to chat with me about blogs and blogging and wanting to work with new media more in the future.
After walking the show, we attended a "Happy Hour" at the Tilted Kilt hosted by the good folks at Crimson Trace. We were stopped at the door and told that we were not allowed to carry inside the restaurant, which was a definite first for me. There was a moment of surreal as an older gentleman not-too-politely admonished us for taking pictures - claiming that we were ruining his quiet dinner. Bear in mind this is a sports bar with scantily clad waitresses and music playing at over 100 decibels (Alan measured it)...
More info and pics later - hoping to get some quality gun pr0n today!
That is all.
We went to the bottom level first, where most of the gear-related vendors were located. I passed out a whole slew of cards, hopefully some of them will result in some interesting items for review later. It seemed like more vendors were warming to the concept of bloggers, as several places - Charter Arms most notably - were happy to chat with me about blogs and blogging and wanting to work with new media more in the future.
After walking the show, we attended a "Happy Hour" at the Tilted Kilt hosted by the good folks at Crimson Trace. We were stopped at the door and told that we were not allowed to carry inside the restaurant, which was a definite first for me. There was a moment of surreal as an older gentleman not-too-politely admonished us for taking pictures - claiming that we were ruining his quiet dinner. Bear in mind this is a sports bar with scantily clad waitresses and music playing at over 100 decibels (Alan measured it)...
More info and pics later - hoping to get some quality gun pr0n today!
That is all.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Off to the Convention...
Okay, heading off to the convention itself now. Picking up a few folks on the way (did I mention I have a MINIVAN???) and then braving Pittsburgh traffic and (from what Bubblehead Les tells me) a dearth of parking to actually drive into the convention center. Gotta check in at the NRA Media Center (it still floors me that I am considered media!), grab my press credentials (heh), and hit the exhibit floor. I've got a handful of folks I need to visit, but in general I want to walk around with my shiny new camera, take a ton of pictures, and try not to drool on the gunnie goodness.
Will try to post updates from the floor, assuming I don't go into a cool-stuff-induced coma... :)
That is all.
Will try to post updates from the floor, assuming I don't go into a cool-stuff-induced coma... :)
That is all.
Shindig...
So there was this little soirée last night... Got into Pittsburgh after some interesting traffic (and no matter what Weerd says, I did *NOT* have the minivan on two wheels yesterday on the ride - three wheels were on the ground at all times) and barely had enough time to drop my stuff in my hotel room before heading to the Thursday evening get-together hosted by Unc. Naturally, my hotel room is about as far from the restaurant as possible, leading to a comical half-run in my Flounder-like zeal to not miss anything.
It was an amazing turnout - there were at least two dozen folks that I counted, and I'm sure I missed a few folks. We talked about travel, Pittsburgh, and the show in general; folks were talking about Hot Shots, whether Taurus would be introducing the Supreme Court Judge in 20 gauge (I'd have to think about that one...), and plenty of other gun related topics. We were even joined by some folks in the industry, with representatives from Luckygunner, Brownells, Woolrich, and GunUp hanging out with us.
Man. This was only the start of the convention - I can only imagine how cool this is going to get from here!
That is all.
It was an amazing turnout - there were at least two dozen folks that I counted, and I'm sure I missed a few folks. We talked about travel, Pittsburgh, and the show in general; folks were talking about Hot Shots, whether Taurus would be introducing the Supreme Court Judge in 20 gauge (I'd have to think about that one...), and plenty of other gun related topics. We were even joined by some folks in the industry, with representatives from Luckygunner, Brownells, Woolrich, and GunUp hanging out with us.
Man. This was only the start of the convention - I can only imagine how cool this is going to get from here!
That is all.
Friday Gun Pr0n #212
Well, I *think* this is the last of the Buy A Gun Day Pr0n (well, at least until MY gun comes in!). Here's a three-fer:
1. IZInterrogator on the GBC got a SWEET EBR:
2. Stretch got a stunning example of the "finest battle implement ever devised":
3. phred in OK got a beauty of a boltie:
Man, y'all got some gorgeous guns...
That is all.
1. IZInterrogator on the GBC got a SWEET EBR:
Here's a late addition to the BAG Day guns, thanks to my dealer being closed Mondays and Tuesdays. A FN SCAR 17S in black.Jealousy. I haz it.
2. Stretch got a stunning example of the "finest battle implement ever devised":
Man, I have got to get me onna those...
3. phred in OK got a beauty of a boltie:
I've attached pics of what I am considering my BAG day purchase. I managed to grab an original bayonet and a repro sling to complete my Model of 1917 project. My FIL gifted me the rifle about a year ago. I had researched it for him, then slowly started dropping hints... Winchester manufacture, dated 11/1917.It's so beautiful, even though it was an existing work in progress I'll allow it.
When I received the rifle, the stock had been sporterized. She's now in a original wood and hardware. Here are some details to stoke your bayonet lust: 21 3/4" total length with a 17" blade.
Man, y'all got some gorgeous guns...
That is all.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Fitting...
Heh. I figure by the time this posts, we'll have picked up Dennis, caught a quick lunch, and be started on the remainder of our trek to Pittsburgh. Seems like the perfect time for Priest:
Yeah, that'll do until I hit Steelerville...
That is all.
Yeah, that'll do until I hit Steelerville...
That is all.
Eatin' Out at the NRA Convention...
No, this isn't another dig at the Primanti Bros, but a round-up of cool stuff going on at the NRA convention.
It's gonna be a great time - hope to see you there!
That is all.
- Thursday night there's the aforementioned soirée with Unc at the Radisson Hotel starting at 8PM. Since that's my hotel as well, I'll be there hoisting a cold one (or three) until they kick us out (can you say afterparty? I thought so).
- Friday night there's a "Happy Hour" (illegal in MA, I kid you not) hosted by the good folks at Crimson Trace at the Tilted Kilt starting at 6:00 PM.
- Saturday is chock-full of events to attend, some are private/invitation only (if you have to ask...)
- And Sunday there's a special brunch - give me a shout if you're interested in getting together with one of the big names in the business for a late breakfast/early lunch/brunch get-together.
It's gonna be a great time - hope to see you there!
That is all.
But Then My Homework Was Never Quite Like This...
Oh, the irony...
PHOTOS: Teachers Behaving Badly
That is all.
PHOTOS: Teachers Behaving Badly
Courtney Bowles, 31Something tells me that "professional distance" is not measured in nanometers...
31-year-old Courtney Bowles was arrested after police say she was found nude in a car with a student. Bowles is an "instructional coach" at Mountain View High School whose role was teaching teachers about keeping a professional distance with students. She was being held on $50,000 person recognizance bond.
That is all.
*Actually* Going to the NRA Convention...
Let's see. By the time this posts, I should have picked up Weer'd Beard and have started west. In a few hours, we'll be meeting up with Dennis of Dragon Leatherworks and continuing west to Pittsburgh. Google maps puts the entire trip at 601 miles, giving an estimated time-of-travel of 10½ hours. Figure another hour with stops, we should be pulling into town with just about enough time to drop off our bags to make Unc's shindig...
And y'all will love this. I'm renting a car, considering that gas is $4/gallon and the Dodge Earthf**ker gets about 12-14 MPG on the open highway (15 if I take it easy, but with a 345 HP Hemi, that ain't gonna happen). I chose the "intermediate" class, which consists of Corollas and Sentras and such, cars that all get 30 MPG highway or better. In the "Comments" section, I wrote down that I did not want a hatchback - a 1200 miles journey requires multiple stops, and I'd rather folks not see all the suitcases in the back.
So what does Hertz give me? One of these:
THEY. GAVE. ME. A. FREAKIN'. MINIVAN.
Yeah, yeah, I know, it's a 5-door hatchback, not a minivan; blah blah blah. It has twin sliding doors and seating for six. It's a minivan. On the plus side, I can run a nice side business shuttling people to and from the hotel and convention center...
Me, a minivan, and a 1200 mile road trip with Weer'd Beard - this is gonna be EPIC.
That is all.
And y'all will love this. I'm renting a car, considering that gas is $4/gallon and the Dodge Earthf**ker gets about 12-14 MPG on the open highway (15 if I take it easy, but with a 345 HP Hemi, that ain't gonna happen). I chose the "intermediate" class, which consists of Corollas and Sentras and such, cars that all get 30 MPG highway or better. In the "Comments" section, I wrote down that I did not want a hatchback - a 1200 miles journey requires multiple stops, and I'd rather folks not see all the suitcases in the back.
So what does Hertz give me? One of these:
THEY. GAVE. ME. A. FREAKIN'. MINIVAN.
Yeah, yeah, I know, it's a 5-door hatchback, not a minivan; blah blah blah. It has twin sliding doors and seating for six. It's a minivan. On the plus side, I can run a nice side business shuttling people to and from the hotel and convention center...
Me, a minivan, and a 1200 mile road trip with Weer'd Beard - this is gonna be EPIC.
That is all.
So, I'm Going to the NRA Convention...
...and I remember all too well how last year went, using an inexpensive camera to take pictures of all those guns... I picked up a new camera - I've wanted one for a while - before our trip to DC, and put it through its paces as we walked through the Capitol. I'd been vacillating between a Nikon D series and one of the Canon Rebels for a bit. Which one did I finally choose?
Nikon D3100
The main reason I opted for the Nikon over the Canon was that the Nikon can use film camera lenses as well as digital SLR lenses. I would like to experiment with what the camera can do (once I've gotten the basics down, which I am learning more and more every time I use this camera). I've always been a camera buff, the guy behind the lens rather than in front of it, and now I have a camera I can get some real use out of.
So far the Nikon has impressed me - the outdoor pictures in DC have been nothing short of spectacular, and even the ones inside have been pretty impressive. The battery lasted our entire vacation on a single charge (naturally; we dropped $50 on a second battery - two is one, after all). It's simple to use for average shots, yet has some serious capabilities for more complex settings. It's even got pretty decent editing capabilities!
I should have some pretty nice pictures from the NRA convention as a happy bonus...
That is all.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Hit It...
A reader who has asked to remain anonymous alerted me to the following poll:
THE ECONOMY, HEALTH CARE, TAXES AND DEFICITS
What is interesting to note is that the results for the first question are seeming at odds with the remainder of the results - while folks feel that things are heading in the wrong direction, they think that the government is going to get us out of trouble... Haven't we spend the last 2½ years having the Federal Government insert its nose into all sorts of aspects of what used to be private matters (health care, mortgages, car manufacturers, gas prices) and things continue to cartwheel on fire into the ground???
Less government, not more, is the answer - now let Bernie Sanders know that!
That is all.
THE ECONOMY, HEALTH CARE, TAXES AND DEFICITS
What is interesting to note is that the results for the first question are seeming at odds with the remainder of the results - while folks feel that things are heading in the wrong direction, they think that the government is going to get us out of trouble... Haven't we spend the last 2½ years having the Federal Government insert its nose into all sorts of aspects of what used to be private matters (health care, mortgages, car manufacturers, gas prices) and things continue to cartwheel on fire into the ground???
Less government, not more, is the answer - now let Bernie Sanders know that!
That is all.
Death... By Dewalt?
Reader Steve sends in this head-scratcher from right here in MA:
Man kills himself with power saw after police find woman, 2 dogs dead inside home
Man kills himself with power saw after police find woman, 2 dogs dead inside home
PLYMOUTH, Mass. -- Massachusetts police are investigating an apparent murder-suicide they discovered after watching a man cut into his leg with a power saw.
Discretionary Licensing Is Unconstitutional.
Wally sent me a story that got the ol' blood pressure climing. It deserves the standard warning:
Warning:
(image courtesy of Robb Allen)
Massachusetts Sued Over Gun Rights of Legal Immigrants
It's baffling, though, why there's a repeated insistence on the "self defense in the home" part of the challenge. It seems to me that the legal immigrants are allowed to own rifles and shotguns - they are allowed firearms for self defense in the home already. It would seem more plausible that Equal Protection would come into play here under the 14th Amendment, but then again, I only had dinner with Alan Gura, I didn't study Constitutional Law with him...
In any case, this will be a case to watch, that's for certain...
That is all.
Warning:
(image courtesy of Robb Allen)Massachusetts Sued Over Gun Rights of Legal Immigrants
It sounds like the "resident alien permit" only allows the person in question to receive an FID card, which only permits shotguns and non-high-capacity longarms. The FID card is the only card in MA that is "shall issue", meaning that unless you are legally prohibited from owning a gun, you can get the FID card. The Class B & A permits are needed for high capacity rifles and handguns; these are "May Issue" (at the Chief of Police or his designee's whim).The Second Amendment Foundation is leading a civil action lawsuit in federal district court against Massachusetts challenging a law that denies non-U.S. citizens the right to possess a handgun in their own homes.
Under the current law in Massachusetts, legal permanent residents -- who carry what is commonly referred to as a "green card" -- are not allowed to hold a firearm identification card or license to carry of any kind. Instead, they must apply for a resident alien permit, which allows a person to possess only a “low capacity” rifle or shotgun.
It's baffling, though, why there's a repeated insistence on the "self defense in the home" part of the challenge. It seems to me that the legal immigrants are allowed to own rifles and shotguns - they are allowed firearms for self defense in the home already. It would seem more plausible that Equal Protection would come into play here under the 14th Amendment, but then again, I only had dinner with Alan Gura, I didn't study Constitutional Law with him...
In any case, this will be a case to watch, that's for certain...
That is all.
Covering My A- Bases...
Just so I've got an easy reference...
PA Firearm Reciprocity Agreements
Further down the page we find this:
Which gun for concealed carry in PA?
That is all...
PA Firearm Reciprocity Agreements
Note: It has come to the attention of the Office of Attorney General that there has been confusion over the applicability of Pennsylvania's reciprocal privileges with regard to the residency status of an individual who has been issued a valid license/permit. It is the position of the Office of Attorney General that recognition within Pennsylvania is based on the issuance to an individual of a valid license/permit by the reciprocal contracting state, and not on the license/permit holder's place of residence.(emphasis mine)
Further down the page we find this:
Under Pennsylvania law, there are six categories of firearms reciprocity status.Okay then. Guess that clears up the permit part of the test... Of course, this brings up a much thornier question, one that no Pennsylvania website can help me with:
Category 1: States that have entered into written reciprocity agreements with Pennsylvania. (Title 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 6109(k))
The following states have entered into formal written reciprocity agreements with Pennsylvania under section 6109(k) of the Uniform Firearms Act. These agreements provide for reciprocal recognition of valid licenses/permits issued by both states. Recognition in Pennsylvania is based on the individual's issuance of a valid license/permit by the reciprocal contracting state, and not on the license/permit holder's place of residence.
A list of these states and links to their firearms laws is provided below, along with the text of the agreements:
{SNIP}
New Hampshire
Read Pennsylvania's Firearm Reciprocity Agreement with New Hampshire
Review New Hampshire's official information on gun laws
Which gun for concealed carry in PA?
That is all...
Tool Using Monkeys...
...beware, for I have a new tool!
Gerber Suspension Multitool
Pliers, wirecutters, two blades (one straight, one serrated), saw, scissors, small and large flathead screwdriver, Phillips head screwdriver, and a can/bottle opener. All tools lock in the open position, and are accessed with the tool closed rather than open. The two blades even have thumbstuds for simple one-handed opening. It even comes with a nylon sheath!
I chose the Gerber over other multitools because it had the most features I was interested in (opening with tool closed, locking tools, etc.). Additionally, it was less than half the price of a comparable Leatherman - this multitool was under $30, whereas the cheapest Leatherman was over $50 and had fewer options.
I've got a Gerber Paraframe that I bought years and years ago as a "disposable" knife (always have a couple of decent pocket knives that it won't break your heart to dump in a trash can or gift to the security gods if you're not sure of the protocols where you're venturing...) and it's held up admirably well. It gets tossed in the pocket anytime I'm headed to a destination where I'm not sure if they'll let me in with a knife on my person, or kept in the glove box of the truck as a JIC knife.
Now I just have to resist the urge to open a jar of baby food or fix some toilet hardware and I'll be doing great...
That is all.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
I Know I Have My Shocked Face Around Here Somewhere...
Lawyer for key DiMasi witness wants out
For those claiming that DiMasi is going down because of Chuck Turner and Diane Wilkerson... Guess again. There's no way in hell a MA Speaker of the House is going to do hard time. No way. You can take that to the bank. Some have opined that DiMasi is going to take a fall because Turner and Wilkerson were busted. While this would be nice - in that it would be refreshing to see a crooked MA pol pay the price - it ain't gonna happen. If there's one thing they do and do well, it's take care of their own.
DiMasi may face a stiff penalty, though - he might not get a radio show like Tom Finneran...
That is all.
The lawyer representing the convicted software salesman expected to unleash a torrent of damaging testimony against Salvatore F. DiMasi is asking to be cut loose from the former House speaker’s corruption trial — just as it’s getting underway.
Attorney Robert Goldstein, who has been representing Joseph P. Lally Jr., 50, of North Reading, will meet this afternoon behind closed doors with U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf to explain why he wants out, Wolf said this morning from the bench.
For those claiming that DiMasi is going down because of Chuck Turner and Diane Wilkerson... Guess again. There's no way in hell a MA Speaker of the House is going to do hard time. No way. You can take that to the bank. Some have opined that DiMasi is going to take a fall because Turner and Wilkerson were busted. While this would be nice - in that it would be refreshing to see a crooked MA pol pay the price - it ain't gonna happen. If there's one thing they do and do well, it's take care of their own.
DiMasi may face a stiff penalty, though - he might not get a radio show like Tom Finneran...
That is all.
The Count Marches Ever Forward...
Bob sends in this delightful story about why you don't mess with a southern lady:
S.C. man killed by ex-girlfriend's dad in shootout
Dead Goblin Count: 153
That is all.
S.C. man killed by ex-girlfriend's dad in shootout
SALUDA, S.C. Authorities say a man who kidnapped his former girlfriend has been shot to death in a shootout that also involved her father and her roommate.Saluda County Sheriff Jason Booth told WIS-TV that John Clark went to his ex-girlfriend's house Saturday night even though she had a restraining order against him and put a gun to her head.
The story gets more complicated from here on in - apparently the woman's roommate took a shot at the guy, missed (or at least failed to stop him) and got shot by him for her trouble. Dad hears the commotion, comes running with his gun, and doesn't miss, turning "ex-boyfriend" into "ex-human".
[pauses to let cheers and bloodthirsty whoops die down]
Good shootin' dad.Dead Goblin Count: 153
That is all.
Things That Go Well Together!
How about Texas Rangers and 1911s?
Some aren't exactly my cup 'o' tea (engraving is beautiful, but I like my guns clean too much to want all kinds of crevices for dirt to accumulate in) and some aren't even 1911s (there's at least one Smith & Wesson 1006 in the mix), but it's still a damn good slideshow. I always thought that Rangers carried wheelguns (a mix of ignorance and romanticism, I think). It's good to see Saint John's creation getting its fair share of exposure.
Thanks to CoolChange for the link!
That is all.
Some aren't exactly my cup 'o' tea (engraving is beautiful, but I like my guns clean too much to want all kinds of crevices for dirt to accumulate in) and some aren't even 1911s (there's at least one Smith & Wesson 1006 in the mix), but it's still a damn good slideshow. I always thought that Rangers carried wheelguns (a mix of ignorance and romanticism, I think). It's good to see Saint John's creation getting its fair share of exposure.
Thanks to CoolChange for the link!
That is all.
Tuesday Campaign Pic, Part 4
Today's pic comes from PISSED:
We wish they were this responsible
We've got a year and a half to steer this trainwreck off the rocks - or something like that.
That is all.
Grim Anniversary...
Brad_in_ma reminded me that today is the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl reactor:
Chernobyl nuclear disaster: Ukraine marks anniversary
Chernobyl changed that metric, with a tangible body count exacerbated by the standard Soviet stonewall of silence. Dozens were dead, possibly hundreds, with thousands poised to swell the body count over the ensuing months and years due to cancer and other nuclear-induced health problems. The Chernobyl meltdown singlehandedly kneecapped nuclear power for well over a generation, with the name striking fear into the hearts of folks not even born when the accident occurred.
Whatever your views on nuclear power, take a moment to remember the victims and the heroes that day...
That is all.
Chernobyl nuclear disaster: Ukraine marks anniversaryUkraine is marking the 25th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear accident - at the Chernobyl power plant.Chernobyl. The very word exudes the trepidation many feel towards nuclear power. Until the Chernobyl disaster, Three Mile Island was the incident many nuclear power opponents pointed to as evidence that nuclear power was unsafe. In the court of public opinion, though, the Three Mile Island accident, environmentally catastrophic as it was, didn't result in massive numbers of people falling over dead of nuclear radiation sickness.An explosion at one of the plant's reactors sent a plume of radiation across Europe and killed at least 30 people in its immediate aftermath. A disputed number of others died later from radiation-related illnesses.
Chernobyl changed that metric, with a tangible body count exacerbated by the standard Soviet stonewall of silence. Dozens were dead, possibly hundreds, with thousands poised to swell the body count over the ensuing months and years due to cancer and other nuclear-induced health problems. The Chernobyl meltdown singlehandedly kneecapped nuclear power for well over a generation, with the name striking fear into the hearts of folks not even born when the accident occurred.
Whatever your views on nuclear power, take a moment to remember the victims and the heroes that day...
That is all.
Monday, April 25, 2011
This Just In: Water Is Wet!
Cuts go too far, agency says
Now, it's quite possible these budget cuts are too draconian, that's not the issue. It's the fact that the story is rather one-sided - including the "quelle surprise" title - that's the issue IMHO. Buried on the second page was this factoid:
Oh, wait, this is MA, isn't it???
That is all.
The state Department of Environmental Protection soon may not have enough people to carry out its most basic duties of testing air and water, permitting businesses, and protecting the environment if the proposed House of Representatives budget wins out in the ongoing deliberations.
The House is proposing a 14 percent budget cut to the agency, which would drop the number of full-time equivalent staff to 720, its lowest level in decades. In 2009, the agency had a staff level of 1,004.
Now, it's quite possible these budget cuts are too draconian, that's not the issue. It's the fact that the story is rather one-sided - including the "quelle surprise" title - that's the issue IMHO. Buried on the second page was this factoid:
While the recession has cut the number of business applications for environmental permits from about 3,000 to 2,000 a year, the state is beginning to see an increase and needs staff to start handling the additional requests, Kimmell said.So, the number of permits that the office handles has fallen by 50%, but staffing is only cut ~ 25%, and the budget is only cut 14%. Things don't seem to add up, do they? But ZOMG! Those evil Republicans in charge want to SLASH TEH BUDGET! They sure hate the environment, don't they...
Oh, wait, this is MA, isn't it???
That is all.
Zombies at CNN...
No, really, there's a discussion of zombies-as-disease-vector:
Inside zombie brains: Sci-fi teaches science
Slow, stupid, and shambling I can deal with. Airborne zombie virus, not so much. The article makes some interesting points about how the fictional zombie outbreak can yield clues into other avenues such as tracking pandemics and, for our purposes, survival practices. The article talks about using zombie outbreaks to get young people excited about science; it's equally possible that it might be a way to make survival prep more mainstream as well. It's along the lines of "I'm not gearing up for a total collapse of civilization, I'm getting ready for the zombie apocalypse"...
Just, like T-bolt says, don't use a shotgun for anti-zombie defense...
That is all.
Inside zombie brains: Sci-fi teaches science
(CNN) -- An airborne virus is rapidly turning people into zombies. Two-thirds of humanity has been wiped out. Scientists desperately look for a cure, even as their own brains deteriorate and the disease robs them of what we consider life.
Relax, it's only fiction -- at least, for now. This apocalyptic scenario frames the new novel "The Zombie Autopsies" by Dr. Steven Schlozman, a child psychiatrist who holds positions at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Program in Child Psychiatry.
Slow, stupid, and shambling I can deal with. Airborne zombie virus, not so much. The article makes some interesting points about how the fictional zombie outbreak can yield clues into other avenues such as tracking pandemics and, for our purposes, survival practices. The article talks about using zombie outbreaks to get young people excited about science; it's equally possible that it might be a way to make survival prep more mainstream as well. It's along the lines of "I'm not gearing up for a total collapse of civilization, I'm getting ready for the zombie apocalypse"...
Just, like T-bolt says, don't use a shotgun for anti-zombie defense...
That is all.
A Humbling Gift...
I mentioned getting another gift for my birthday at the blog dinner Friday night. Michael W. from Doin' The Time Warp presented me with this gorgeous knife:
THAT'S a knife!
Brass hardware, rosewood scales, and swirled damascus steel blade. Isn't that about the most gorgeous knife you've ever seen? I started thinking about the different knives in my collection, and this is far and away the nicest blade out of the entire bunch. Did I mention that Michael made this knife? No? Well, there you are. The craftsmanship is astounding, and I expect that this will be a fine heirloom for the G. men to hand down from generation to generation. I only hope TheBoy doesn't start plotting to get it early... :)
Thanks again, Michael - I will cherish this always.
That is all.
DC Vacation AAR
I posted some snapshots last week of our DC vacation, and wanted to follow up a little bit with some further analysis/thoughts on the sights and sounds of DC. A dozen or so pictures and snippets pounded out at oh-dark-thirty while I try not to wake the family with my blogging don't do the nation's capital justice - heck, my meager attempts here will most likely fall short.
Note to T-bolt: Laurel, MD isn't as bad as you made it sound. I half-expected to have to step over crack whores and junkies to get into my hotel from your description of the area. Even though our hotel was literally adjacent to the racetrack, we had no noise issues arising from that partnership. I did mention the trains in jest, but I don't think we heard a single whistle after about 7 or 8 PM. The only issue I did have was that our hotel seemed to be the premiere stop for high schools touring DC for the week, as bus after bus of rowdy teenagers stopped in...
Holy lord DC is expensive! Even the Metro to get into the District is insanely high priced - on days where we hit peak rates, we spent over $40 for the four of us to drive to the station, park, and take the train in and back out again. The MARC train into Union Station was cheaper, including free parking, and considerably nicer than the commuter rail up our way. One of the comments I made, upon hearing a Metro train approach, was that it sounded like an MBTA train, only with less rattling.
In that same vein, what in blue blazes is going on with escalators in DC? I think we ran into at least two or three non-functional escalators every time we went out. It seemed like every time we went to a Metro station or Smithsonian, at least one of the escalators was bound to be out of service. I was beginning to worry that we might get stranded on one...
DC is really big on symbolism. Taking the guided tour, we heard that Lady Freedom on top of the Capitol was 19.5' tall, and that no other statue can be higher than that height. She also faces east so that the sun will never set on Freedom (I like that). There are 56 flags outside of Union Station, one for all 50 states, one for each of the five US territories (can you name all five?) and one for DC itself. There are thousands of little tidbits like these everywhere.
One day is not enough to see all the sights in the Museum of Natural History. It's definitely not enough to see the Air & Space, American History, and US Mint as well... If you want to take a tour of the Mint, or ascend the Washington Monument, get your tickets well in advance. They go fast. Take a tour of the White House, despite the insane amount of red tape and personal information they want ahead of time. It's really something to behold.
Words mean things, even in DC land. We took the kids to Six Flags in MD on Wednesday with the intention of breaking the trip up with one "fun" day. It was downright eerie walking right up to the signature roller coasters - I don't think we waited more than one rotation for any single ride we went on. While it was great to just hop on a ride - or stay on twice - it just seemed wrong not to have to wait 20 minutes for a roller coaster... As for words meaning things, one of the things that bothered me greatly at Six Flags was hearing that "Six Flags is a Smoke-Free park" which was immediately followed by a PSA telling smokers where they could light up...
Lastly, another thanks to Newbius for escorting us around the Pentagon. Not a lot of folks get the chance to venture inside of the seventh largest building in the world, let alone have lunch in the Courtyard with generals and dignitaries. TheBoy hasn't stopped talking about it - he loved the displays (and the guns - that's my boy!) and the tour and the planes and uniforms and everything else on display. The biggest thing that jumped out at me was how incredibly clean the Pentagon is - as I commented, upon seeing a large trash bin collecting office trash, "Wow, in the Pentagon even their trash is clean!".
Also major thanks to OldNFO for the personal tour of the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum. I'm pretty sure that was the highlight of my son's visit to DC, seeing the different war planes and learning about the difference between an Attack plane, a Fighter plane, and Bombers. It's truly amazing to see how far we've come in the short 100 years of powered flight; and also interesting to see the ground we've lost: the SR-71 Blackbird was designed in the 1960s and yet still holds all kinds of air speed records.
One final note: the reflecting pool on the mall was drained for cleaning while we were there. I took one look at it and quipped, "Wow, the economy is so bad they can't even keep the water turned on". While the comment drew chuckles, I'm afraid to think about how prescient that may turn out to be.
Sometimes I do think that we get exactly the government we deserve...
That is all.
Note to T-bolt: Laurel, MD isn't as bad as you made it sound. I half-expected to have to step over crack whores and junkies to get into my hotel from your description of the area. Even though our hotel was literally adjacent to the racetrack, we had no noise issues arising from that partnership. I did mention the trains in jest, but I don't think we heard a single whistle after about 7 or 8 PM. The only issue I did have was that our hotel seemed to be the premiere stop for high schools touring DC for the week, as bus after bus of rowdy teenagers stopped in...
Holy lord DC is expensive! Even the Metro to get into the District is insanely high priced - on days where we hit peak rates, we spent over $40 for the four of us to drive to the station, park, and take the train in and back out again. The MARC train into Union Station was cheaper, including free parking, and considerably nicer than the commuter rail up our way. One of the comments I made, upon hearing a Metro train approach, was that it sounded like an MBTA train, only with less rattling.
In that same vein, what in blue blazes is going on with escalators in DC? I think we ran into at least two or three non-functional escalators every time we went out. It seemed like every time we went to a Metro station or Smithsonian, at least one of the escalators was bound to be out of service. I was beginning to worry that we might get stranded on one...
DC is really big on symbolism. Taking the guided tour, we heard that Lady Freedom on top of the Capitol was 19.5' tall, and that no other statue can be higher than that height. She also faces east so that the sun will never set on Freedom (I like that). There are 56 flags outside of Union Station, one for all 50 states, one for each of the five US territories (can you name all five?) and one for DC itself. There are thousands of little tidbits like these everywhere.
One day is not enough to see all the sights in the Museum of Natural History. It's definitely not enough to see the Air & Space, American History, and US Mint as well... If you want to take a tour of the Mint, or ascend the Washington Monument, get your tickets well in advance. They go fast. Take a tour of the White House, despite the insane amount of red tape and personal information they want ahead of time. It's really something to behold.
Words mean things, even in DC land. We took the kids to Six Flags in MD on Wednesday with the intention of breaking the trip up with one "fun" day. It was downright eerie walking right up to the signature roller coasters - I don't think we waited more than one rotation for any single ride we went on. While it was great to just hop on a ride - or stay on twice - it just seemed wrong not to have to wait 20 minutes for a roller coaster... As for words meaning things, one of the things that bothered me greatly at Six Flags was hearing that "Six Flags is a Smoke-Free park" which was immediately followed by a PSA telling smokers where they could light up...
Lastly, another thanks to Newbius for escorting us around the Pentagon. Not a lot of folks get the chance to venture inside of the seventh largest building in the world, let alone have lunch in the Courtyard with generals and dignitaries. TheBoy hasn't stopped talking about it - he loved the displays (and the guns - that's my boy!) and the tour and the planes and uniforms and everything else on display. The biggest thing that jumped out at me was how incredibly clean the Pentagon is - as I commented, upon seeing a large trash bin collecting office trash, "Wow, in the Pentagon even their trash is clean!".
Also major thanks to OldNFO for the personal tour of the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum. I'm pretty sure that was the highlight of my son's visit to DC, seeing the different war planes and learning about the difference between an Attack plane, a Fighter plane, and Bombers. It's truly amazing to see how far we've come in the short 100 years of powered flight; and also interesting to see the ground we've lost: the SR-71 Blackbird was designed in the 1960s and yet still holds all kinds of air speed records.
One final note: the reflecting pool on the mall was drained for cleaning while we were there. I took one look at it and quipped, "Wow, the economy is so bad they can't even keep the water turned on". While the comment drew chuckles, I'm afraid to think about how prescient that may turn out to be.
Sometimes I do think that we get exactly the government we deserve...
That is all.
NoVa/DC/SoMD BlogMeet AAR...
Considering that the NoVa/DC/SoMD BlogMeet was Friday night, this AAR is long overdue. Given that we spent Saturday morning in DC - we took the White House tour, I strongly recommend it even despite the long lines (which moved quickly I'll grant) and security check - and didn't leave until 1:30 PM (getting home nearly 11 hours later, thank you traffic from hell), and that yesterday was Easter, this is the best I got... (and yes, superlong runon sentences are gratis...)
First off, mad props to Newbius for throwing this all together. We chatted back and forth about the where and when, but he's the one that made the calls to get a room secured, and also managed to finagle our special guest star...
Attendees:
Newbius and his lovely bride
Several folks were kind enough to bring me birthday presents, knowing that I had just turned the big 4-0 the day before the meet:
The d'k tahg and the patchouli ("It's hippie bait!") were from my wonderful blog daughter, and the ammo was from Stretch - I think he's trying to get me to buy a 1903 Springfield... There's one more present that will be discussed in a separate post later today - trust me when I say it's worth a post all on its own.
The meet was - as all blogmeets are when gunnies are involved - wonderful as usual. Everyone was animated, interested and interesting, and happy to talk about subjects ranging from the McDonald case (hello, did you see Alan Gura was in the house???) to the MI library case to the perfect weapon for the Zombocalypse (hello, did you see T-bolt was in the house???). Again, my only singular regret is that I didn't have more time to talk to everyone.
And I suppose I should mention that the only reason I beat Newbius in 9-ball was because he let me... ;)
That is all.
First off, mad props to Newbius for throwing this all together. We chatted back and forth about the where and when, but he's the one that made the calls to get a room secured, and also managed to finagle our special guest star...
Attendees:
Newbius and his lovely bride
My one and only blogdaughter and Geodkyt (aka Shorter Half)
commenter SID
Turk Turon - which was especially ironic since I took the Cup of Turonistan this time...
commenter and purveyor of blogfodder extraordinaire Stretch, who lives up to his name in spades (he's even taller than Nancy R., who as Unc will tell you is 7 feet tall...)
commenter theAxe
commenter theAxe
commenter Chris
Nikki and Rob
Several folks were kind enough to bring me birthday presents, knowing that I had just turned the big 4-0 the day before the meet:
The d'k tahg and the patchouli ("It's hippie bait!") were from my wonderful blog daughter, and the ammo was from Stretch - I think he's trying to get me to buy a 1903 Springfield... There's one more present that will be discussed in a separate post later today - trust me when I say it's worth a post all on its own.
The meet was - as all blogmeets are when gunnies are involved - wonderful as usual. Everyone was animated, interested and interesting, and happy to talk about subjects ranging from the McDonald case (hello, did you see Alan Gura was in the house???) to the MI library case to the perfect weapon for the Zombocalypse (hello, did you see T-bolt was in the house???). Again, my only singular regret is that I didn't have more time to talk to everyone.
And I suppose I should mention that the only reason I beat Newbius in 9-ball was because he let me... ;)
That is all.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
He Is Risen
Matthew 28:1-10
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." (NIV)
Today we celebrate His Resurrection. Rejoice.
That is all.
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." (NIV)
Today we celebrate His Resurrection. Rejoice.
That is all.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Headin' Home...
Well, as all good things must do, our vacation here in DC is coming to an end. In typical Washington style, though, there's a twist - even though we specifically gave our availability for a White House tour as "any time Monday through Friday", we got the good news that we had a tour today at 11. Now, we're not about to pass up the chance to tour the White House, so we'll be getting a later start on the ride home than expected...
Look for a recap of the trip early next week, including a full recap of last night's get-together with DC-area bloggers - including a special guest!
That is all.
Look for a recap of the trip early next week, including a full recap of last night's get-together with DC-area bloggers - including a special guest!
That is all.
Friday, April 22, 2011
More Scenes from DC
We did the full-blown tourist bit yesterday, with a tour of DC via tourbus. Yeah, it's schlocky. Yeah, it's expensive. But I do like the results:
We saw the Washington monument:
(No idea who the guy was, I think he followed me around getting in my shots)
And the Capitol:
(Yes, I intentionally got the "Stop" light in for not-so-subtle hints...)
Saw a full-blown DC freakshow:
(See? I pick on the right-leaning wackjobs too!)
And Arlington National Cemetery:
(Yes, I made the kids watch the changing of the guard. They liked it.)
The view from Arlington is spectacular:
(From the front of the Custis-Lee mansion).
And, lastly, no trip would be complete without visiting Honest Abe:
(Even on a weekday, the Lincoln Memorial is packed...)
Today we are going to attempt to hit three Smithsonian museums (American and Natural History and Air & Space) and the Mint...
That is all.
We saw the Washington monument:
(No idea who the guy was, I think he followed me around getting in my shots)
And the Capitol:
(Yes, I intentionally got the "Stop" light in for not-so-subtle hints...)
Saw a full-blown DC freakshow:
(See? I pick on the right-leaning wackjobs too!)
And Arlington National Cemetery:
(Yes, I made the kids watch the changing of the guard. They liked it.)
The view from Arlington is spectacular:
(From the front of the Custis-Lee mansion).
And, lastly, no trip would be complete without visiting Honest Abe:
(Even on a weekday, the Lincoln Memorial is packed...)
Today we are going to attempt to hit three Smithsonian museums (American and Natural History and Air & Space) and the Mint...
That is all.
More Fun From the Museum...
Heh. I couldn't resist this one:
Careful with that missile Eugene
I can't tell if this is better or worse than "Front towards enemy" printed on claymore mines...
That is all.
Friday Funnies...
Skidmark sends in this one, knowing my inordinate geekitude and love of faux periodic tables:
He's got a good point, though:
That is all.
He's got a good point, though:
You will notice there is no Det Cord. Thus this can only be an alleged Table of Awesome.True dat...
That is all.
Friday Gun Pr0n #211
Today's gun pr0n comes to us from the Uzdar-Hazy Air and Space Museum:
Old Testament Style
That's Charles Lindbergh's Winchester model 54 in .30-06 (G-d's Own Caliber, Old Testament) as well as some of the other survival gear Lindbergh typically brought on a flight mission with him "just in case". A .30-06 and 40 rounds of ammo ought to settle pretty much any issue, but just to be on the safe side ol' Charlie brought along a couple of pig-stickers too...
They were tougher in the old days, apparently...
That is all.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Last Minute Reminder...
There's a SoMD/DC/NoVA blogmeet going on tomorrow evening!
Please join me and area bloggers, commenters, readers, and lurkers at the Rock Bottom Brewery in Bethesda, MD starting at 7:00 PM (later if that's better for you). We'll have drinks and appetizers, dinner, and a whole lot of chewing the fat and shooting the s**t for everyone!
Side note/bleg: If anyone's coming through/near the Laurel, MD area and would like to give me a lift to the dinner, I would be eternally grateful. I'd prefer to leave the Mrs. with the car while I go off gallivanting with other bloggers if at all possible. Will pay for gas and a beer... ;)
See you tomorrow night at 7!
That is all.
Please join me and area bloggers, commenters, readers, and lurkers at the Rock Bottom Brewery in Bethesda, MD starting at 7:00 PM (later if that's better for you). We'll have drinks and appetizers, dinner, and a whole lot of chewing the fat and shooting the s**t for everyone!
Side note/bleg: If anyone's coming through/near the Laurel, MD area and would like to give me a lift to the dinner, I would be eternally grateful. I'd prefer to leave the Mrs. with the car while I go off gallivanting with other bloggers if at all possible. Will pay for gas and a beer... ;)
See you tomorrow night at 7!
That is all.
More MA Gun Control Victory!
Police: Road Rage Leads To Stabbing In Tewksbury
I will say that the traffic on I-93 *is* generally bad enough to make you want to stab someone, though...
That is all.
Reading the article, I was starting to think it was a DGC story, that's how sketchy the details were. It appears as though the guy who got stabbed was being tailgated on the highway, got off to drop his buddy off at work and got ambushed by the guy doing the tailgating. This is a victory for gun control, because with MA's tough gun laws, the driver who got stabbed was essentially defenseless against some lunatic with a grudge...TEWKSBURY (CBS) — Police in Tewksbury are searching for the person who stabbed a driver after a road rage incident.
Authorities say the incident happened around 3 p.m. on Industrial Avenue off of East Street. Lt. Ryan Columbus, of Tewksbury Police, said the incident started on I-93 North.
I will say that the traffic on I-93 *is* generally bad enough to make you want to stab someone, though...
That is all.
Answerin' The Mail...
Reader Daniel has a couple product questions for us:
As for the Clipdraw, I've never had direct experience with them. I'm not a fan of the concept in general, but that's specific to me - I'm a sweaty Italian guy, and if I had a pistol pressed against my body my sweat would eat the finish right off of just about any gun that's out there, stainless or not. I also prefer a holster to keep lint, dust, and other detritus (don't salute!) out of the action and/or barrel. If I were going to get a Clipdraw, I'd want it for my P3AT or the soon-to-be-acquired S&W Bodyguard 380, nothing bigger.
As for the Magna-Trigger, it's got two strikes against it from the get-go. First off, it needlessly complicates something that should not be complicated - the interaction between the firearm and the user's hand. Secondly, it's $350 and requires shipping the gun to them for modification and then shipping it back to you. $350 will buy you one hell of a nice biometric pistol safe...
I'm always willing to hear otherwise, so if anyone has experience with either item, please chime in!
That is all.
And if anyone from Clipdraw would like to send a unit for review, well, I can be reached through the blog e-mail... :)
Hi Jay,Heh. "No-bullshit style". I like that. I try really hard to review items that I receive in "real world" conditions as best as I can. If I'm testing out a holster, for example, I'll wear it out and about for a few weeks before drawing any conclusions. When testing a new firearm, I'll try to get it to the range on multiple days, quite often using a variety of ammunition.You review a lot of stuff, and I've come to like your no-bullshit style. Here are two items you may have come across, and if you have, I'd like to hear what you think --- clipdraw.com -- ever used them?- MagnaTrigger, done by Tarnhelm.com in NH -- Massad Ayoob seems to think highly of it, but I've seen precious little mention of it elsewhere. (My wife is very nervous indeed about keeping a gun in the house, but she was intrigued by this.)
As for the Clipdraw, I've never had direct experience with them. I'm not a fan of the concept in general, but that's specific to me - I'm a sweaty Italian guy, and if I had a pistol pressed against my body my sweat would eat the finish right off of just about any gun that's out there, stainless or not. I also prefer a holster to keep lint, dust, and other detritus (don't salute!) out of the action and/or barrel. If I were going to get a Clipdraw, I'd want it for my P3AT or the soon-to-be-acquired S&W Bodyguard 380, nothing bigger.
As for the Magna-Trigger, it's got two strikes against it from the get-go. First off, it needlessly complicates something that should not be complicated - the interaction between the firearm and the user's hand. Secondly, it's $350 and requires shipping the gun to them for modification and then shipping it back to you. $350 will buy you one hell of a nice biometric pistol safe...
I'm always willing to hear otherwise, so if anyone has experience with either item, please chime in!
That is all.
And if anyone from Clipdraw would like to send a unit for review, well, I can be reached through the blog e-mail... :)
I Don't Know How To React...
Yeah, I know plenty of other bloggers have covered this already, but I've been on vacation. PISSED sent this my way, and I will admit to being seriously conflicted upon reading this story:
Michigan: Police Search Cell Phones During Traffic Stops
Michigan: Police Search Cell Phones During Traffic Stops
ACLU seeks information on Michigan program that allows cops to download information from smart phones belonging to stopped motorists.As I mentioned above, I'm torn on the story. On the one hand, I can kinda see the need for a BRING ME THE HEAD OF THE IDIOT WHO THOUGHT OF THIS SO THAT WE CAN MOUNT IT ON A PIKE AS A WARNING TO OTHERS here. Then again, there's also the appeal of the FOURTH AMENDMENT, BEEYOTCHES! aspect. Now, I will grant that there's probably some information being left out - like these are people suspected of texting while driving or something, so this might be downgraded to WHAT THE HOLY MOTHERF**KING HELL. Jury is still out.
The Michigan State Police have a high-tech mobile forensics device that can be used to extract information from cell phones belonging to motorists stopped for minor traffic violations. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan last Wednesday demanded that state officials stop stonewalling freedom of information requests for information on the program.
Look, I don't give a hairy rat's patoot what you think might be on someone's cell phone. If they've used in in the commission of a crime - say, texting while driving - then you get a damn warrant. Come to think of it, that's really the only instance in which it's even barely conceivable that the police would have any need to know what's on your smart phone - if they suspect you were texting at the wheel (in a state - like MA - where this is a ticketable offense). There is no need whatsoever to scan phones arbitrarily, and there's simply no excuse for this egregious violation of civil rights.
Of course, the sheep bleat, if you haven't done anything wrong, you have nothing to hide, right comrade?
That is all.
Four... Oh?
Today's my birthday. My fortieth birthday. 14,610 times around the sun. You know you're getting old when instead of thinking "Wow, he's old" upon hearing someone just turned 50, you start thinking "That's not all that old - or far away". One of the revelations a couple years back was that folks in their early 50s were no longer old enough to be my parents.
Birthdays make me pause and reflect on things in my life, how my life and my life's goals have changed and solidified as the years have passed. I would never have thought of myself as a writer, for example; yet I've got a semi-regular gig with the good folks at Guns, Holsters, and Gear (and this blog, of course). If you'd asked the ten year old me what I thought I'd be doing some thirty years hence, job descriptions like "doctor", "astronaut", "jet pilot", or "truck driver" would have be the responses. If you'd asked me at 20, perhaps I'd have answered "professor" or "scientist".
It's funny, the different curveballs life throws at you. Sometimes you swing and miss. Sometimes you connect and ground out. And sometimes you even hit the ball squarely and get on base - that's what it's all about. Age isn't a number, it's a marker; an arbitrary designator of the number of times one has managed to avoid death thus far. Of course, at this point, my markers that have yet to be written are starting to be outnumbered by those already set in stone.
Birthdays make me pause and reflect on things in my life, how my life and my life's goals have changed and solidified as the years have passed. I would never have thought of myself as a writer, for example; yet I've got a semi-regular gig with the good folks at Guns, Holsters, and Gear (and this blog, of course). If you'd asked the ten year old me what I thought I'd be doing some thirty years hence, job descriptions like "doctor", "astronaut", "jet pilot", or "truck driver" would have be the responses. If you'd asked me at 20, perhaps I'd have answered "professor" or "scientist".
It's funny, the different curveballs life throws at you. Sometimes you swing and miss. Sometimes you connect and ground out. And sometimes you even hit the ball squarely and get on base - that's what it's all about. Age isn't a number, it's a marker; an arbitrary designator of the number of times one has managed to avoid death thus far. Of course, at this point, my markers that have yet to be written are starting to be outnumbered by those already set in stone.
In other words, anyone got a red convertible they're looking to sell?
That is all.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
DC Meditations, Day Two...
Yesterday was a double treat. Newbius and his lovely wife escorted the G. family around the Pentagon, a favor for which I am eternally in his debt. This was a once-in-a-lifetime event, at least for me; I've been to DC a number of times in the past and only gotten a look at the outside of the Pentagon from a distance. This time we got a personal guided tour from not one but *TWO* experienced tour guides - the one and only OldNFO joined us in our trip through the big geometrical-shaped building!
After having lunch at the Pentagon Cafe (located in the inner courtyard, which is something like five acres and gives you an idea just how massive the Pentagon is), we traveled over to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center where OldNFO was kind enough to act as tour guide yet again. He walked through the entire museum with us, explaining different bits of aircraft trivia, telling stories from his own personal experience, and just making an already amazing day even better. We then had the pleasure of dining with him at a local restaurant, a perfect end to a perfect day.
Lunch at the Pentagon, dinner in VA after a visit to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Life is good. And, of course, some pictures. Now, there are no cameras allowed at the Pentagon, so no pictures from there. However, that just means that I took twice as many of the planes... Here goes:
The SR-71 Blackbird is without a doubt my most favorite aircraft ever. The whole "Skunkworks" lore, the titanium construction, the airspeed records; everything about this plane is awesome.
Yes, I am totally a child of the 1980s and could not resist the allure of the F-14 Tomcat (called "The Turkey" by OldNFO...)
What would a Jay G. picture post be without guns? Just wait until Friday's gun pr0n...
One of my all time favorite shots...
Thanks again, Newbius and OldNFO, for an incredible day from start to finish that the entire family enjoyed!
That is all.
After having lunch at the Pentagon Cafe (located in the inner courtyard, which is something like five acres and gives you an idea just how massive the Pentagon is), we traveled over to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center where OldNFO was kind enough to act as tour guide yet again. He walked through the entire museum with us, explaining different bits of aircraft trivia, telling stories from his own personal experience, and just making an already amazing day even better. We then had the pleasure of dining with him at a local restaurant, a perfect end to a perfect day.
Lunch at the Pentagon, dinner in VA after a visit to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Life is good. And, of course, some pictures. Now, there are no cameras allowed at the Pentagon, so no pictures from there. However, that just means that I took twice as many of the planes... Here goes:
The SR-71 Blackbird is without a doubt my most favorite aircraft ever. The whole "Skunkworks" lore, the titanium construction, the airspeed records; everything about this plane is awesome.
Yes, I am totally a child of the 1980s and could not resist the allure of the F-14 Tomcat (called "The Turkey" by OldNFO...)
What would a Jay G. picture post be without guns? Just wait until Friday's gun pr0n...
One of my all time favorite shots...
Thanks again, Newbius and OldNFO, for an incredible day from start to finish that the entire family enjoyed!
That is all.
What I've Missed In MA...
Umbrella, not gun, caused mall evacuation
Really? Some imbecile confused an umbrella with a rifle? In a backpack? Stop wasting my precious oxygen. Seriously. If you are that fearful of weapons that you start seeing them where they clearly are not, check yourself into a nice, safe place with padded walls where men in nice white coats will come squirt lithium down your throat with a turkey baster.
*facepalm*BURLINGTON, Mass., April 19 (UPI) -- A young man innocently walking with an umbrella mistaken for a rifle triggered the evacuation of a shopping mall in Burlington, Mass., Tuesday, police said.
WHDH-TV, Boston, reported the unidentified man called state police from the Lahey Clinic in the Burlington Mall shortly after the 10 a.m. incident began to report he was the person two people had reported seeing in the shopping center with what looked like a short-barreled rifle. He said it was really just the umbrella he had in his backpack.
Really? Some imbecile confused an umbrella with a rifle? In a backpack? Stop wasting my precious oxygen. Seriously. If you are that fearful of weapons that you start seeing them where they clearly are not, check yourself into a nice, safe place with padded walls where men in nice white coats will come squirt lithium down your throat with a turkey baster.
Whatever you do, do not go out in public - those evil black assault Totes™ are everywhere!
That is all.
Dear Virginia Highway Department
WTF?
No, really. What the holy hell is going on in Virginia? We had dinner with the charming and insanely nice OldNFO last night (thank you, good sir, for the fine dining and excellent company!), and upon leaving the restaurant, were directed to our way home via GPS to the first leg of our trip, getting on a state highway.
Except that the ramp they wanted us to go up was no longer a highway entrance, it was an exit.
No, really. What the holy hell is going on in Virginia? We had dinner with the charming and insanely nice OldNFO last night (thank you, good sir, for the fine dining and excellent company!), and upon leaving the restaurant, were directed to our way home via GPS to the first leg of our trip, getting on a state highway.
Except that the ramp they wanted us to go up was no longer a highway entrance, it was an exit.
Yes, you heard that right. They change the direction of a ramp off the highway depending on the time of day. Apparently at certain times it lets people off the highway, at other times it lets people on the highway. I've been all over the US and never seen something like this, probably because it's f**king retarded. Sure, for the locals that know the ins-and-outs I'm sure it works, but for anyone turning around off the highway, or stopping off for a bite to eat, or anyone not intimately familiar with the area it turns a quick stop off the highway into a highly annoying detour.
And it gets better - we find an alternate route, travel ~ 15 miles on a secondary road to I-95 - to find the on-ramp to I-95 closed. Not because of an accident. Not because of road work. Apparently this is more of the VA DOT's traffic control - prevent access to a major highway at 9:00 at night so that... um... I'm trying to think why this is a good idea. Oh, wait, it's not - especially because it routed us off the secondary highway through a congested commercial zone where we promptly got right on I-95. If the design was supposed to keep us off the highway, it failed miserably.
It did manage to make me turn bright crimson with rage, though, and think of several hundred creative things I'd like to do to the filthy sadist responsible...
That is all.
Thought Discussion: Guns for When the SHTF
PISSED sends this interesting article:
Guns for Disaster: What to Have When Katrina Comes to Your Town
Pistol, rifle, shotgun. Three basics, with sound choices behind all three. Richard (hey, I know that guy!) recommends a Glock 19, a lever-action rifle in .30-30 or .44 Magnum, and a pump-action shotgun in either 12 or 20 gauge. Now, these are all fine recommendations, don't get me wrong. The Glock is a rock-solid reliable, high capacity choice that's hard to go wrong with - and, as mentioned in the article, if push comes to shove and you're forced to turn it in, well, it's a Glock 19... The rationale behind the lever action rifle makes sense - while your friends and neighbors might balk a bit at the gear ninja with full-blown M4gery, someone carrying their cherished deer rifle might not ruffle their feathers as much. And a shotgun is just a handy choice to have...
Now, of course, I have to disagree somewhat. Not so much with the pistol - I mean, I'd have my Sig P226, but that's just a personal preference. A Glock 21 would be my ideal choice for a SHTF pistol - reliable, up to 15 round capacity, and it's .45 ACP goodness (G-d's own pistol caliber). Plus, if you have to hand it over, well, it's a Glock. There are several billion more just like it... I won't disagree at all with the choice of a short(ish) barrel pump-action shottie, either. Sure, a Saiga-12 with different types of shot in different magazines would be keen, but the standard riot gun has been a weapon of war, police work, hunting, and home defense for going on three centuries now... Personally, I prefer the Mossberg 590, but that's only because a shotgun without a bayonet is like a day without sunshine... :)
The disagreement comes on the rifle part. My feeling is that if the SHTF, the feelings of the folks around you are secondary at best - you want the best tool for the job, and to hell with what the local Fudds think. If there's rioting and/or looting going in in close proximity to your neighborhood, I suspect that your neighbor who would normally be uneasy around you with your AR-15 would be positively giddy to know that someone in the neighborhood has a potent self-defensive arm. A standard hunting rifle sure beats a stern look and harsh language, but nothing says "Get off my lawn" like a bayonet and a beta mag...
The purpose of these guns in a riot/looting/SHTF situation are protection, plain and simple. We're not making friends, we're not fitting in, we're protecting that which is ours with the best tool for the job. An AR or AK is easily good out to 50/100 yards, so any long-distance needs are easily covered; combine with a couple reliable 30 or 40 round magazines, and any situation that might arise is covered - or you need air strike capability... Besides, if the sight of you walking around your property with an AR-15 slung over your shoulder convinces the roving band of thugs to turn aside from your cul-de-sac, you're miles ahead of the game...
Guns for Disaster: What to Have When Katrina Comes to Your Town
Pistol, rifle, shotgun. Three basics, with sound choices behind all three. Richard (hey, I know that guy!) recommends a Glock 19, a lever-action rifle in .30-30 or .44 Magnum, and a pump-action shotgun in either 12 or 20 gauge. Now, these are all fine recommendations, don't get me wrong. The Glock is a rock-solid reliable, high capacity choice that's hard to go wrong with - and, as mentioned in the article, if push comes to shove and you're forced to turn it in, well, it's a Glock 19... The rationale behind the lever action rifle makes sense - while your friends and neighbors might balk a bit at the gear ninja with full-blown M4gery, someone carrying their cherished deer rifle might not ruffle their feathers as much. And a shotgun is just a handy choice to have...
Now, of course, I have to disagree somewhat. Not so much with the pistol - I mean, I'd have my Sig P226, but that's just a personal preference. A Glock 21 would be my ideal choice for a SHTF pistol - reliable, up to 15 round capacity, and it's .45 ACP goodness (G-d's own pistol caliber). Plus, if you have to hand it over, well, it's a Glock. There are several billion more just like it... I won't disagree at all with the choice of a short(ish) barrel pump-action shottie, either. Sure, a Saiga-12 with different types of shot in different magazines would be keen, but the standard riot gun has been a weapon of war, police work, hunting, and home defense for going on three centuries now... Personally, I prefer the Mossberg 590, but that's only because a shotgun without a bayonet is like a day without sunshine... :)
The disagreement comes on the rifle part. My feeling is that if the SHTF, the feelings of the folks around you are secondary at best - you want the best tool for the job, and to hell with what the local Fudds think. If there's rioting and/or looting going in in close proximity to your neighborhood, I suspect that your neighbor who would normally be uneasy around you with your AR-15 would be positively giddy to know that someone in the neighborhood has a potent self-defensive arm. A standard hunting rifle sure beats a stern look and harsh language, but nothing says "Get off my lawn" like a bayonet and a beta mag...
The purpose of these guns in a riot/looting/SHTF situation are protection, plain and simple. We're not making friends, we're not fitting in, we're protecting that which is ours with the best tool for the job. An AR or AK is easily good out to 50/100 yards, so any long-distance needs are easily covered; combine with a couple reliable 30 or 40 round magazines, and any situation that might arise is covered - or you need air strike capability... Besides, if the sight of you walking around your property with an AR-15 slung over your shoulder convinces the roving band of thugs to turn aside from your cul-de-sac, you're miles ahead of the game...
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.That is all.
-Sun Tzu, "The Art of War"
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Schadenfreude. I Haz It.
Skidmark sent me a link to a story that had me giggling like a tickled hermit:
Righthaven copyright trolls never had the right to sue, have their asses handed to them by the EFF
Righthaven copyright trolls never had the right to sue, have their asses handed to them by the EFF
Righthaven is the extortion racket spun out by the Las Vegas Review-Journal: they received a license from the Review-Journal for its copyrights, then attempted to make the license pay by threatening any blogger who quoted the newspaper with expensive lawsuits and domain confiscation. They firehosed these legal threats around without regard for their legal merits (and attracted more desperate, unethical newspapers to their client roster in the process) and so it was inevitable that eventually they'd misfire at someone who got pissed off enough to do something about it.Go read. It's pretty damn funny, especially considering that it was someone from Democratic Underground that brought forth the hammer. Bet they'd have a screaming fit if they knew it would be helping Clayton Cramer... It appears as though the group was set up for the exclusive purpose of filing lawsuits, except that since that's all the group does, they can't be affected by alleged copyright violations... Everyone say it with me... "Awwwwwww"...
This is *definitely* a case of "the enemy of my enemy is my ally"...
That is all.
DC Meditations, First Day...
Day One of the "Clampetts Invade DC" saga is behind us. Yesterday we took our first trip into DC, opting for the Metro from the closest station to our hotel. Yes, DC traffic really is that bad - I saw how some of these jamokes drive just on the highway and didn't want any part of trying to join them in city congestion... We got in on the later side, walked around until lunch time, then took the kids to see the National Spy Museum.
The Spy Museum is exceedingly cool - you aren't allowed to take any pictures, though, which is both understandable and also exceedingly unfortunate. However, I was able to take a few really nice shots around town...
Next we're off to visit the Pentagon and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - expect LOTS of pics from today!
That is all.
The Spy Museum is exceedingly cool - you aren't allowed to take any pictures, though, which is both understandable and also exceedingly unfortunate. However, I was able to take a few really nice shots around town...
Next we're off to visit the Pentagon and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum - expect LOTS of pics from today!
That is all.
And Another One!
The Big Guy sends in another addition to the count:
Man killed in shooting in Denver home
a) The story mentions an argument in the home;
b) The other guy ran off and hasn't gone to the cops yet; and
c) It's Denver. If there was anyway to besmirch a legal gun use they'd have figured it out right now.
Dead Goblin Count: 152
That is all.
Man killed in shooting in Denver home
The story is, as DGC stories usually are, written very poorly - they mention that it does not appear to be "a home invasion as previously believed", but offers no other explanation. Several factors lead to this being added to the count:A man who was shot at a Denver home Friday night has died and police continue to search for a second man who fled the home, authorities say.
Police scoured the neighborhood just west of Federal Boulevard and south of Bayaud Avenue following the 9:25 p.m. shooting at 136 S. Julian St.
a) The story mentions an argument in the home;
b) The other guy ran off and hasn't gone to the cops yet; and
c) It's Denver. If there was anyway to besmirch a legal gun use they'd have figured it out right now.
The addition stands, unless further information warrants removal.
Dead Goblin Count: 152
That is all.
Tuesday Campaign Pic, Part 3
This one comes to us courtesy of Gay_Cynic:
He stole my idea!
November 2012 isn't as far away as we think - let's be ready for the campaign blitz!
That is all.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Overheard in the Hotel Room...
T-bolt will get a kick out of this...
Last night, after hearing what must have been the 20th train go by, Mrs. G. turns to me and deadpans,
That is all.
Last night, after hearing what must have been the 20th train go by, Mrs. G. turns to me and deadpans,
"How often do the trains go by?"Naturally, not wanting to miss a beat, I replied with the standard:
"So often you won't even notice"...It's not that bad, but we did get a chuckle out of it...
That is all.
Beware of Seniors with Skillets...
They'll whoop your butt but good... PISSED sends in this delightful story of an old vet giving a young scumbag a serious case of whatfor:
Elderly Florida man used frying pan to fend off robber
My favorite part of the article is here:
That is all.
Elderly Florida man used frying pan to fend off robber
The dude robbing him had a gun, so this is a doubly ballsy move. Once again, it illustrates that a wolf with an inferior weapon will triumph over a sheep with a superior weapon. That and old vets will whoop your butt something fierce if you mess with them...SPRINGFIELD, Fla. -- A Springfield, Florida man says a 31-cent frying pan he's had for decades was a worthwhile investment.
He smacked a robber with it over the weekend. Bobby Smith, 81, said he fended off a gun-toting robber in his kitchen Saturday.
My favorite part of the article is here:
Right now, police don't have too much to work with.Um, HELLO? Look for the guy with skillet burns on his melon and pitchfork tine holes through his torso, that'd be a good place to start...The description of the robber is too vague.
That is all.
Even On Vacation, the DGC Goes On!
Both FTYD and mdev sent me this heartwarming tale out of Seattle:
Seattle store worker shoots, kills burglary suspect
Seattle store worker shoots, kills burglary suspect
I love that. "Apparent" burglars. They were just standing around, minding their own business when [BAM]! they get teleported inside the store. Oh, and with a chainsaw:SEATTLE, Wash. -- An employee working alone inside a Seattle store shot and killed a burglary suspect while capturing another.
Seattle Police said two apparent burglars broke into Sharp's Oudoor Equipment store in the 5900 block of 4th Avenue South Thursday night just before 11:30 and confronted the worker.
Stapleton was carrying a chain saw when he was confronted by the store employee and shot about 11:20 p.m. Thursday, said Seattle police Sgt. Sean Whitcomb.Um, sure. They just wanted to talk to the store employee about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I'm sure...
Dead Goblin Count: 151
That is all.
Bag Day Updates
Got some BAG Day notices after last Friday's rouns-up to share:
UPDATE!!! Robb got a non-Glock plastic fantastic!
Bluesun got a S&W 642.
McThag got an EBR:
Skip got a perennial favorite, a medium-framed .357 Magnum:
(S&W 686, looks like)
JFT got a beaut:
S&W SW1911, great gun
John the Texaner got a Marlin 795.
Dwight got a sweet Winchester 9422.
Hunter in AK, lucky SOB that he is, WON his BAG Day Gun:
CZ 452 FS in .22 WMR
Bob_S got a milsurp fave.
Tirno got a S&W 45C.
Folks, if you've got more guns, I can make more posts...
That is all.
UPDATE!!! Robb got a non-Glock plastic fantastic!
Bluesun got a S&W 642.
McThag got an EBR:
Skip got a perennial favorite, a medium-framed .357 Magnum:
(S&W 686, looks like)
JFT got a beaut:
S&W SW1911, great gun
John the Texaner got a Marlin 795.
Dwight got a sweet Winchester 9422.
Hunter in AK, lucky SOB that he is, WON his BAG Day Gun:
CZ 452 FS in .22 WMR
Bob_S got a milsurp fave.
Tirno got a S&W 45C.
Folks, if you've got more guns, I can make more posts...
That is all.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
A Capitol Idea...
We will be leaving shortly for the Capitol; our DC odyssey begins in earnest. Of course, it's raining - I don't think we've started a road trip yet when it wasn't pouring at the onset. I'm hoping this means it will be nice for the duration of the trip - there's a lot to see in DC, and our efforts will be significantly soggier if the rain persists. I'm looking forward to meeting up with folks Friday night (7-8 at Rock Bottom in Bethesda, hashed it out with Newbius late last week!).
Looking forward to some much-needed family R&R, and meeting new folks to boot!
That is all.
Looking forward to some much-needed family R&R, and meeting new folks to boot!
That is all.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Gone Campin'...
Tonight marks the start of the annual Cub Scout campout, our yearly foray into the great outdoors at our local Scout campground. We're staying tonight, all day tomorrow, and leaving Sunday morning (although there's talk of thunderstorms, in which case in the interest of safety we'll break camp early).
Gonna be incommunicado for the rest of the weekend, and the next time you hear from me, I'll be in DC...
That is all.
Gonna be incommunicado for the rest of the weekend, and the next time you hear from me, I'll be in DC...
That is all.
So, What Did I Get?
I alluded earlier to my BAG Day purchase not being in yet. I placed an order for it about three or four weeks ago, but unfortunately the demand is so great they're currently backordered well into next month. Not wanting to get caught empty-handed on BAG Day, I felt I should at least buy some food for my new purchase:
380 in stock!
What is this eventually going to feed, you might ask. Well, in a few more weeks, one of these:
Yep, I'm getting another pocket 380. I like my Kel-Tec P3AT, I really do. It's very small, very light, and packs 6+1 rounds of .380 ACP in a teeny tiny little package. I compared the two in my pocket rocket round-up at Guns, Holsters, and Gear a while back, and the Kel-Tec is 8.3 ounces to the BG's 11.8 ounces. Overall length is about the same, and some of the extra weight on the Smith can be attributed to the internal laser. The real selling point of the Smith, though IMHO are the sights - it has honest-to-goodness adjustable sights as well as the laser.
Someday I may actually even get to take it home - and there will be a range report, oh yes there will...
That is all.
Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'...
Brad_in_ma, Bob_S, and The Big Guy both sent the most recent DGC addition:
Coroner identifies man shot during Moncks Corner burglary
MONCKS CORNER — Authorities say a man was shot and killed this morning while breaking into a Moncks Corner home.The goblins must have figured that no one was home. They figured wrong, to the eternal detriment of one of the pair... Reading the article, it almost sounds like a comedy of errors - they broke in; homeowner heard the noise and went downstairs to investigate; while he was looking around the garage they were ransacking the second floor; then they met in the middle. Given that the goblin he shot was carrying a firearm at the time (even if it was stolen), there's very little reason to believe this won't be summarily dismissed in favor of the homeowner.Moncks Corner police responded to 1404 Cooper River Blvd. about 8:45 a.m. The homeowner told police that he was in the bathroom shaving when he heard a noise inside the house.
Brad pointed out this tidbit:
The 20-year-old man died from a single gun shot, according to the coroner.Single handgun shot, mind you - yes, we have a one-stop shot from a handgun. They do indeed happen...
Dead Goblin Count: 150
That is all.
Friday Gun Pr0n #210
Alternate Title: BAG Day Show-off Thread!
Here's a round-up of what folks got or are getting for Buy A Gun Day:
JP got himself a stripped AR lower.
Lokidude got this beauty:
CZ-82
Reader ThoreMo got a two-fer:
Winchester Model 59 and Kel-Tec PF9
Andy got an 1847 Colt Walker replica . (DROOL)
Wilson got a Ruger Mk II:
Reader Duane in AZ got a 1911 in this 100th year of our Lord JMB (PBUH):
RIA 1911-A1 Mid Size.
Butch got a Ruger LC9.
Tango liked my new blog header so much he tried to copy it:
Remington 700 SPS Varmint
And lastly, Mopar got himself a hand cannon:
Taurus .44 Magnum
I'll have a post up in a bit with a preview of what I'm getting (will be explained then). I'm also going to offer another post up for folks who are picking their purchase up today and blogging about it later today/over the weekend. If you just got something, send in a pic and I'll post an addendum on Monday.
C'mon, you know you want to show off what you got!
That is all.
Here's a round-up of what folks got or are getting for Buy A Gun Day:
JP got himself a stripped AR lower.
Lokidude got this beauty:
CZ-82
Reader ThoreMo got a two-fer:
Winchester Model 59 and Kel-Tec PF9
Andy got an 1847 Colt Walker replica . (DROOL)
Wilson got a Ruger Mk II:
Reader Duane in AZ got a 1911 in this 100th year of our Lord JMB (PBUH):
RIA 1911-A1 Mid Size.
Butch got a Ruger LC9.
Tango liked my new blog header so much he tried to copy it:
Remington 700 SPS Varmint
And lastly, Mopar got himself a hand cannon:
Taurus .44 Magnum
I'll have a post up in a bit with a preview of what I'm getting (will be explained then). I'm also going to offer another post up for folks who are picking their purchase up today and blogging about it later today/over the weekend. If you just got something, send in a pic and I'll post an addendum on Monday.
C'mon, you know you want to show off what you got!
That is all.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
A Bad Day For Goblins...
...because we have two additions to the count in one day. Both OrangeNeckinNY and Dave sent me this addition - from right in OrangeNeck's corner of the world, New York:
Police: Homeowner Shoots Intruder To Death In East Islip Police told WCBS 880 reporter Sophia Hall that a gunman and two other suspects forced their way inside a two-story, yellow-colored home on Adams Street in East Islip around 2 a.m. The homeowner returned fire after a suspect shot the family dog, police said.EAST ISLIP, NY (WCBS 880) - A home invasion on Long Island turned deadly for one of the suspects early Wendesday morning.
Returned fire after they shot the dog? He's lucky it was a goblin and not ATF... Again, we have multiple armed invaders kicking in the door in the middle of the night. The exercise is left to the reader what, exactly, these choirboys had planned - something tells me they weren't just planning on grabbing the XBox and flat screen and getting out of Dodge... In any case, the homeowner was prepared for the event and prevailed - a successful endeavor by anyone's measure.
Dead Goblin Count: 149
That is all
Pittsburgh-Bound...
...well, in two weeks, that is.
Yes, after taking TheBoy camping and then the entire fandamily to DC, I'll be pausing for a few day breather and then heading out to Pittsburgh for the NRA convention. I'll be picking up Weer'd Beard and Dennis along the way, and we'll be arriving in SteelerVille sometime late Thursday evening. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be filled with gunnie goodness, between walking the convention floor ogling the many fine offerings to dinners to meeting up with other bloggers in the press room. It's been likened to the gunnie prom, which of course means I'll break out in zits and won't be able to do a thing with my hair...
What I liked most about last year's NRA convention, though, was meeting up with bloggers from around the country. I easily doubled my "Bloggers I've Met" list after last year's NRA convention, and it's easily my favorite part of the convention. Sure, ogling the shiny new guns (most of which I can't own) is fun; talking to industry folks is informative; and meeting up with folks like Alan Gura and Alan Gottlieb was great - but getting the chance to finally meet folks like Unc and Breda and Alan and Joe Huffman and Mike W. and Nancy R. and Newbius and... well, you get the idea. All these folks that I've talked with - some for years - I finally got to meet. And in some cases, sit down and have dinner with.
Who else will we be meeting in Pittsburgh?
That is all.
Shameless Promotion...
There's a promo currently going on from the good folks at SIG SAUER for some quality SIG SAUER gear to go with your P220, P226, P229, or P239. You get a holster, double mag pouch, two magazines, and a range bag all for not at lot more than the price of two new factory magazines:
If you're in the market for some SIG SAUER accessories, this might be the time to check it out. There's more information - and other deals - at their Facebook page. And no, there's no truth to the rumor that this gratuitous plug is brought to you in the vain hopes that there will be more cool SIG SAUER gear to review...
So why not check out the deal and "Like" SIG SAUER on FB while you're at it!
That is all.
If you're in the market for some SIG SAUER accessories, this might be the time to check it out. There's more information - and other deals - at their Facebook page. And no, there's no truth to the rumor that this gratuitous plug is brought to you in the vain hopes that there will be more cool SIG SAUER gear to review...
So why not check out the deal and "Like" SIG SAUER on FB while you're at it!
That is all.
The Hits Keep Comin'!
McThag sends in the latest DGC addition with this charming tale:
Deputies: One fatally shot, two wounded in Pinellas break-in A resident in house at 2311 Lorena Lane, near Clearwater, was also wounded, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said. Three people broke into a house and two were shot – one fatally – by a resident inside after a scuffle late Tuesday, Pinellas County deputies said.
In a twist on the normal gun-grabbers fantasies, the homeowner pulled his gun and - as the goblin tried to take it away from him - shot the invader to death. The bad guy tried to take the gun away, but failed - and paid with his life. This is exactly how a home invasion should go - bad guys bust down the door with guns in hand and wind up leaving either running for their lives or on a slab.
Dead Goblin Count: 148
That is all.
Ask Mr. HateRage...
As you might remember, I'll be taking the family to DC next week for school vacation. We'll be taking in the sights, seeing our nation's rich history, paying too much for parking, etc. - all the things that come with a vacation in the nation's Capitol. It also means I'll need some pre-made blog fodder...
In that vein, what topics would you like to see covered? What sacred oxes can we gore for you while getting gouged for dinner? Please, intarwebs, won't you help me fill in some content while I'm navigating the UNMITIGATED HELL that is DC traffic? Give folks something to read while Jay recuperates from an overload of HATERAGE in traffic?
Seriously, give a shout if you've got an idea(s) for a blog post, be it a question on a firearm, an interesting tidbit about something stupid/infuriating/mindlessly idiotic a fedgov has done, or anything else that might come up. Give me something to write about, please!
Otherwise it's going to be post after post of pictures of the Washington monument with juvenile comments...
That is all.
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