Miscellaneous

Suffered my first DQ today. I somehow managed to drop my unloaded pistol on the ground after I shot the stage and unloaded. Second stage of 6. Contained herein is my list of excuses. You are free to guess which one fits.
-The sun was in my eyes.
-Lu distracted me by looking so sexy in her 511s.
-It was those hateful Tea Partiers fault for being hating and hatey.
-I ate a whole stick of butter for breakfast and my hands were still a bit greasy.
-I did it on purpose. Occupy The Range! Because the government still won't pay for my trigger control!
-My holster had a hole in the bottom.
-It wasn't my fault. I swear! Fox News just hates me because Racist!
-The American People wanted me to drop my gun. They always have and always will.
-Ooooh! Shiny!
-I'm a moron
Only one answer is correct. Please choose carefully as absolutely nothing is on the line. Except for my dignity.

The bathroom goes slowly but it's going. Drywall and concrete backerboard are up and the main floor is tiled. Next week the shower pan, threshold, tile and wall finishing. We may have a working bathroom by Friday. Provided I'm not distracted by something shiny (see above).

It appears that America's word, in this administration, is completely worthless. In exchange for their nuclear weapons we and Great Britain guaranteed Ukraine's sovereignty. Now that the Russian Bear has begun devouring that country we are reduced to strongly worded warnings and not much else. I guess it's the Ukrainians fault. They trusted us. Putin appears to be actively nut slapping our president. Go figure.

I find myself edging toward hatred for those who constantly beat the "Tribal Bad but Me no Tribal so Me Good" drum. Please do everyone a favor. Stop preaching at us and STFU. Tribal is the default for the entirety of the human race. Always has been always will be. Deal with reality. We all have our biases and preferences. To say you're above such things is both untruthful and narcissistic. Spare me. Your Wookie suit isn't luxurious, it's Unicorn hair and just about as believable. Someone is gonna make me burn my libertarian card, I just know it.

I passed my final exam for my USPSA RO course. Now I are a certified Range Officer. Hooray! After I DQ'd today I stayed on and ran the rest of the shooters through the remaining stages. Good practice but I have a ton to learn. (I'd still have rather shot)

I still haven't received my Switchview from MGM that I won at the UPOA 3 Gun last month. I'll give it another week before sniveling at them and writing nasty posts here.

I'm selling my Sig 1911. I just can't get it to run reliably and shoot it half as well as my P226. I know that some work on the pistol would help as would a lot more practice on my part. The problem is I'm basically a lazy man and will choose the easiest path every time.

In that same vein Lu has added another firearm to her arsenal. My Glock 35. I hate the thing with the purity of a thousand flaming suns. I refuse to so much as touch it lest it infect me with it's unworthiness. Fortunately Lu likes it and wants to add a .40 to her options so at least it's going to a good home.

Two big matches upcoming. The Berry's Steel Challenge in April and the Southwest Multigun in May. Plus I've signed up for a 3 Gun carbine course in June. It's being put on by Tactical Performance Center right here at my home range. Keith Garcia is the lead instructor and since he's probably the top rifle shooter on the 3Gun circuit I anticipate a great learning opportunity.

I hope you're all having a great weekend. It's a bit wet here but it's all good. Except for some cabin fever in a certain black dog.....
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2013 Resolutions

I don't get the whole New Year's resolutions thing but I do have great respect for making plans and trying to accomplish certain goals. Stretching your limits, especially at my age, is important. Maybe more so now than at any other point in my life. I'm nearing my mid 50s so the time left for trying new things and acquiring new physical skills before I just get too old and broke down is rapidly dwindling. I am not going down without a fight. I'll go but by golly I'm going kicking and screaming.

In the vein of all the above nonsense I do have some things I'd really like to accomplish in the coming year as well as some purchases and reviews in the works. Here's the list.

Finish the master bedroom and second bathroom. The kids room is nearing completion and there is no way I'm getting up on that blast furnace of a  roof to replace the shingles in the heat of Summer so the master bedroom/bathroom may be the next large project. One bathroom is OK when it's just me and Lu but when we have company, like the grandkids for example, a second bathroom is a near necessity. Besides, I promised Lu. Look for more how to posts. As if you're all not already sick of them.

Angus' rehab has started in earnest. At first I had decided that field trial and hunting training was out of the question but now I'm not so sure. The best I can come up with is we'll just have to wait and see. The Surgeon said he'd be personally offended if Angus wasn't back to full speed after the surgery but it's not his decision to make. My goal for the year is to get him back as close to one hundred percent as possible and then decide where we go from there. If I choose to stop his training that's Ok. He's still a wonderful companion. I'll have more posts up on his rehab and our decision.

Improve my rifle shooting and reacquire as many of my now rusty pistol skills as I can. I've been following Rifleslinger over at Art Of The Rifle for a bit now and he's really got me revved up. If you're a rifle shooter and not reading Rifleslinger please allow me to recommend his blog in the strongest terms. He's smart, determined, knowledgeable and logical in his approach to long distance precision shooting. Definitely worth the investment of your time. A couple of years ago Michael at Michael's Custom Holsters made me a beautiful rig for IDPA shooting. Unfortunately a long string of catastrophes and major projects has precluded any serious pistol shooting much less competition. I'm going to change that this year. With Lu getting her concealed carry permit it's time for us both to get back to shooting regularly. I will compete this year.

Acquire some new stuff. Whoa, that's a surprise right there huh. Six buying new fun stuff. With help from Rifleslinger I'm putting together my M1A. Finally. I have the scope, mount and accessories and just ordered a new loop sling from him. Instinct from Rimfire Designs is making me new grips for my retirement Sig P226 that are going to be awesome. Look for a review on both in the near future.

I want to add two bolts to the armory. One will be in either .308 or 300 Win Mag though I've even toyed with one of the big 33s. The other is up in the air for the moment. It'll be for Lu and I am seriously considering .223. It won't be a hunting gun it'll be strictly for long range shooting. Out to say 600 yards or so. Set up properly a good .223 bolt with the proper loads and accessories is very capable and I want it to be fun for her to shoot. Hopefully without sounding like a flincher or a recoil sensitive wuss I have admit that a long day at the range firing the Ruger 300 Win Mag a couple of dozen times can be a bit of a trial.

A kids rifle in .22 LR. This one is a no brainer. I badly want to introduce the kids to the shooting sports. 

Lu and I are upgrading the kids bicycles to something a little better equipped. We recently found a Diamondback Octane 20 used at the local Deseret Industries (think Mormon Goodwill) for 35 bucks. We bought it and I'll be stripping it down for maintenance/fixing and repainting. We're shopping for another. I'm also looking for a small kids motorcycle or minibike. Hey, I started young and see no reason they shouldn't have the same experiences. Luckily DO agrees. Besides it's a great motivator. Want to go riding tomorrow? Great, I think the poop bucket needs to be emptied and yard picked up. Heh heh.

I want to start writing again. Did you know I've actually written two novel length stories and a bunch of shorts? Well I have even if they're awful. And they are. Still, I love to write and I need to do more of it. Call it therapy. It's just for me though Lu and DO both read all my stuff. Hey a readership of two is still a fan base :)

The 2013 Long Ride with Car Guy is in the planning stages. It has to be before the kids get here in June so we're looking at either April or May. Since he's just started a total kitchen remodel we'll have to schedule it for when we both have a break. He's left the route up to me and I'm thinking about a trip north. Maybe Puget Sound? We'll see. The BMW is running like a top and Car Guy has a couple of new toys he wants to try out the legs on. At least we'll both have bigger gas tanks so running out in the middle of nowhere will be a somewhat lesser hazard than last year.

I've been neglecting my personal fitness. With projects winding down that has to change. The only way to get fit and stay fit is to prioritize my regime and I'm determined to do that. I've been using issues and projects as excuses and that has to stop. The gym is back together and I want to add a universal machine to the mix. I got rid of the squat rack after last years knee injury so I have room now. The bicycles are calling out to me even now and the weather is perfect. I need to go for a ride! My goal is to get back to fighting trim and back to at least the occasional 25 plus mile rides. I'd also like to get back down to the low 220s weight wise. I'm probably 240 or so right now so that means about 20 pounds of pure lard I need to lose. Oof.

I'm being as positive about the new year as I can be. There are some things I can influence, mostly those personal and family related, but there are many more that are out of my hands. I refuse to become a worry wart about them. I'll prepare and do what I can and leave the rest in God's hands where they properly should be anyway. I'm looking forward to an interesting, challenging and fun 2013. My daughter and grandkids will be here in June for a nice long visit and we have a bunch of plans for fun stuff to see and do. We're even going to take them to Lagoon in Salt Lake City. It's a small amusement park where Lu and I spent our honeymoon so very long ago. It'll be fun to take them. How could we not be looking forward to that?

See you all down the road my friends.

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Thoughts On The Week

We took Angus to the Vet on Tuesday. He's doing very well, improving every day. We've worked very hard to keep his cast clean and dry and Doc was gratified to see it's condition. He decided not to change it and said the stitches could stay in until we see the surgeon. That will be on the 19th. So far so good.

Pneumatic nailers are a wonder. When you're doing extensive reconstruction, especially repairing structure and putting in new stud walls, they're priceless. Of course they can turn around and bite you in the butt toot suite if you get careless. Or finger as the case may be.

Yeah, shooting 16 penny nails into your digits is moderately uncomfortable.

From the 'No Sexism Expressed Or Implied I'm Just A Guy Talking From A Guy's Point Of View' department.
For all you high speed/ low drag gun guys out there a word on training your significant other. Sometimes it's Ok to let someone else do a little education. There's an clear and certain tension in any relationship. Everyone wants to be viewed by their spouse/girlfriend in a certain way and they feel the same. They want us to see them as they want to be seen. That creates a special relationship that can occasionally be a problem in the training environment. Watch for it and before tempers get short and things are said that can't be unsaid look outside for help. I'm not saying you can't or even shouldn't train her, you should if you're capable, but be aware of the potential pitfalls and keep your ego out of it. Lu is spending the afternoon with her mother at the range with another trainer I know and trust to sharpen her semi-auto pistol handling and manipulation. There is no special relationship between them and he can impart knowledge and techniques without ego or feelings getting in the way. Sometimes it's simply best to step away until a certain training hurdle has been cleared before again taking up the mantle of instructor for someone you love. There are times when we are the worst possible choice as an instructor for our wives and girlfriends. Understanding that and knowing when to step away for a bit makes you a better trainer. Not to mention husband.

The remodel has hit a small snag. It's currently snowing/raining and I can't finish the roof and ceiling joists until things clear up a bit. I need to get on the roof and remove a one foot diameter stove pipe and don't dare until I can get the huge hole in the roof weather sealed before it floods the room. Stud wall construction next week. Doors and windows have been purchased and I think I should have enough lumber to get at least most of the rest of the way through. We're a bit above my initial estimation. I think we're at about $1,200 so far. Since that was my initial estimate and I haven't yet bought a single sheet of sheetrock it's fair to say I suck at guessing.

Lu's birthday is next week. She's a Valentine baby! We stopped with the whole gift buying thing a long time ago so we'll probably go out to a nice early dinner and then snuggle at home.

With the weather bad I foresee a relaxed weekend with lots of battery recharging. Speaking of which, I do need to get the motorcycles out, get the batteries tended to and fire them up. First ride of the year isn't far away now. Can't wait.

I hope you all have a great weekend. Our thoughts and prayers go to all our brothers and sisters in the northeast. We hope you all weather the storm alive and well.

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Miscellania

For all the liberals and leftists that have been preaching tolerance and compromise at us for decades. Yeah, just take a quick look at the Chick-Fil-A nonsense and ponder our view of what the actual problem is. This is a company that has and is doing everything that's been asked of it from a politically correct business environment and as soon as it's owner expresses an idea you find distasteful you attempt to destroy it and him. It's crap like this that gets us gun owners backs up every time you talk about common sense compromise. We know where that leads and all you have to do is take a quick gander at the invective hurled at Chick-Fil-A to see what true liberal tolerance really looks like. I'm gonna take a pass, keep my guns and go have a nice chicken sandwich whilst telling you on the left to kiss my fat, armed ass.

The giants are in a pennant race and I'm loving it. But can someone please tell the G-Men it's actually not considered insulting to the other team to occasionally hit the ball in your own ballpark? Pretty please?
Speaking of baseball. What is happening with the Red Sox? The team is disintegrating and Bobby Valentine's days as manager are numbered. Low numbered.

Contrary to what some people may say, no I am not done with the house remodel. I'm simply resting. I'm old. Naps and days spent reading a book on the couch are no longer just a really good idea they're an important part of my daily workout routine.

The Olympics are done and I'm going into withdrawals. Where am I going to get my synchronized rhythmic dressage fix now?

Went to the range for some trigger therapy the other day. The M1A shot well. The Sig shot well. The M1895 shot well. The operator? Not so much. I really need to spend more time shooting. Plus I broke the buckhorn rear sight on my Model 94. Meh, it's a good excuse to buy that peep I've been eyeballing.

Angus is healthy, happy and 75 pounds of mischief looking for an excuse run around the yard like a meth fueled furry rocket. I have bad news for the Air Force. The Mach Five missile has already been invented. He lives at my house. Plus, I think Lu is one chewed bathing suit away from turning him into a winter coat. Just sayin'.

On a more serious note, since it came up at a certain unnamed person's work place, suspected child porn on a company computer is a very serious issue. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, is a mandated reporter when such is found. Call the cops immediately. Don't wait. Don't discuss it with someone else to see what they think and for damn sure don't show it to anyone else. Report it immediately. Yes, you may lose that computer and the cops will be around for a bit asking questions and generally making a nuisance of themselves but this is important. The child is already victimized, don't make it worse by hesitating or worse by ignoring it. Child porn is a line in the sand. If they're not already molesting children it's only a matter of time and opportunity. Deny them that and make sure they're turned over to the system. It may not be perfect but it's what we have and on crimes like this they get it right more often than not. Child predators are among the highest recidivism rates in the country. Do a kid a favor and help put the scuzzballs in big boy prison.

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Catching up

-First, I'm going to go on a rant about Penn State here so please bear with me for a moment.

We've all heard the story. We all know what happened and more importantly what didn't happen and should have. Now Penn State is facing some of the toughest sanctions the NCAA has ever handed down. My take?

It's not enough. It's not even close to being enough. They should chain the doors shut, turn the the student body loose to pursue their academic interests somewhere else. Penn State should be razed to the ground, the remains burned to ash and then the land beneath salted to nothing ever grows there again. The very name Penn State should be stricken from the English language, never to be spoken again in polite company.

Yes, the current athletes and students had nothing to do with what Paterno and company did and failed to do. So what? Nothing will ever wipe this stain from Penn State. Nothing. Better if it had never been than to continue to exist knowing what happened and was allowed to happen. I've been there and I know, from the investigator sides of this particular coin, what child abuse is and does to the victims. There is simply no way Sandusky could have carried on his perversions and victimizations for literally over a decade without there being institutional knowledge. Was there denial and three monkeying going on? Assuredly but tell me the functional difference between pretending you don't know and acknowledging you do know but ignoring it. May Paterno and all the rest die in ignominy.

-The laundry room is coming along nicely. I've got it wired and the dryer installed. Plumbing later this week. I'll try and get pics posted later today for those interested.

-Bradley Wiggins won the Tour De France and it wasn't even close. Congratulations Bradley. He's the first Brit winner in it's 99 year history and when you add in 6 stage wins by Brit riders I'm thinking their riders are the absolute best in the world at the moment. Kudos to SKY cycling team and all our cycling brethren from across the pond. Well done my friends. My boy Cadel finished 7th which just proves that if you're relying on me for betting information you're going to be broke and frustrated. I can't even win at Old Maid with the kids.

-If you're going to mumble and mutter crazily to yourself in a public place do try and be aware of your surroundings. The large man watching you like a hawk is armed and now hyper aware of what you're doing and if you go off you're probably going to get curb stomped. If you're really lucky. Word to the wise hopefully being sufficient.

-Chrisi is having good days and bad. I fear we're in her final weeks. Lu starts crying every time it looks like we're there. So far she's still hanging in there but it's obvious she's having a hard time walking or even getting off the floor. She's incontinent and pretty much stays as close to Lu as she can get. I may do a post about caring for elderly dogs in the near future. Please keep a good thought for Lu and her beloved Chrisi.

Update; It's become clear today that we're now in Chrisi's last days. Lu is being as strong as she can, which is pretty damn strong, but the knowledge that she's about to lose her friend of 15 plus years is tearing her up. I'm not exactly helping as I seem to break down about every time I look at either of them. We're going to see the Vet on Friday.Oh Lord, this is going to be so hard. Again.

On the same lines. For Cindy and Tucker. You guys are in our thoughts and prayers.

-On the other hand Angus has a new favorite toy. I bought him something to chase that's not a retriever bumper so it's pure toy. It's an el cheapo frisbee and he loves it. He's still trying to get the whole snatch it out of the air thing down (he tends to try to grab it in the center) but he is improving. Of course most of the time he just runs around carrying it in his mouth biting little spots in it but at least he's having a good time.

-On the gripping hand Car Guy two new kittens. Really dude, if you keep this up I'm going to send you a flower print mumu and a subscription to O magazine. Your man card is in dire jeopardy.

-Happy Pioneer Day! It's a purely Utah celebration of the founding of Utah. It's as big a celebration here as the Fourth with parades, fireworks and a holiday day off. Of course, it's been thunderstormy with flash flood inducing rains here for the last week so wish us good luck with the whole lights in the sky thing.

-With apologies to everyone else posting wonderful stuff Borepatch is On Fire! He's not leaving scorch marks he's decimating the enemy. Warning; high caliber intellect on display.

-I need a range day. Bad. It's been weeks and weeks so I'm getting the Gun smoke DTs.

Just a small glimpse into what passes for my mind these days. Man, I need a new brain.

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Miscellaneous

I got tagged by MrG and Sarah for a Liebster Blog award. Thank you both for thinking of me. I admit to being a little stuck to pick out only 5 blogs to pass it along to, at the risk of ignoring someone I should have tagged.
Anthroblogogy because Dirtcrashr shares two of my loves; guns and fast motorcycles (because slow motorcycles are just dull).
Theredneckengineer because the man can make really cool stuff out of other stuff. And because he's a fighter.
Thunder Tales because if anyone is my blog father it's Ed Rasimus. He's been supportive, instructive and he's waaaay smarter than I am. Throw in shootin' and fast jets flown in harms way (and delivered of much harm to the enemy himself) and he's a man I hugely admire and respect.
TheKitchenDispatch because I love Kanani and always will. Medical professional, wife to an Army doctor and supporter of the troops in positive and tangible ways. Plus she can write a lick or two.
TheMadOgre because he can so totally kick my ass if he ever had a mind to. Plus there's that whole guns/motorcycle thing. I think I sense a pattern here. Obsessive? Me?

Here's to you and all of you my friends.

Baby Girl is doing very well. The arm doesn't appear to bother her at all. Aren't kids something? I mean, if that had been me I'd still be crying about it. And she's back to her ballet, pink cast and all.

Had a yard sale today. I made 25 bucks so just be all jealous and stuff. Baby Girl and The Boy ran a lemonade stand and made some nice coin. I saw actual dollar bills in their box.

This is for Michael at Michael's Custom Holsters. Lu has chosen her new CCW gun. I won't say what it is yet (there will be a write up soonest) but I will say it's light and small but not a .380 and it's not a bullet hose. Michael, e-mail coming your way soonest (he's going to do a holster for her and she simply cannot wait!). Her birthday is coming up in a few days and what says I Love You better than a new gun?

The DO bought me a new book. It's Shadow Ops: Control Point by Myke Cole, a 3 tour Iraq veteran as well as some other secret squirrel stuff. His site is here. I'll do a review as soon as I get done with it but it's very interesting. I like it so far but it's military sci-fi from a different perspective. More later.

Angus is fat and happy. He's growing so fast it's hard to remember that tiny puppy I brought home 7 months ago. A secret admirer sent him a wonderful Christmas present that reminds us every day how lucky we are to have him (thank you my friend!). Tell me that's not a happy dog.

Chrisi, on the other hand, is visibly failing. She turned 15 last December 18th. I fear that our time together is drawing to a close. Lu is trying her best to prepare herself but it's so hard. Please wish her well. When our Princess goes she'll be inconsolable.

I seem to have gotten over my bout of midsection umbilical cord detachment area viewing with the help of a few friends. Thanks guys. Frankly, with all that's going on in this country I'm going to be as positive and upbeat as I can. I plan on concentrating on gun stuff and humor writing. What's that you say? You didn't know I ever attempted to convey anything of a humorous bent on here? Well, Lu thinks I'm funny. Very funny in fact so that for you. Did I mention she's getting a new gun and can shoot like stink?

As I sit here, pecking painfully at the keyboard with two fingers and moving lips, I am reminded how fortunate I have been here. So many of you have taken me into your hearts and lives and I am grateful. My life is better and richer for each and every one of you. Thank you.

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Items

A few things that popped up on the radar this weekend.

I just joined the Patriot Guard Riders. I hate the necessity but am honored to have a chance to give service to those who have given their last true measure of devotion. I've added a link to them in the Warrior Roll.

The continuing erosion of freedom aka Dumpster diving. Forget that california is dead broke. Forget that LA has had to cut back on Fire, library and abandoned child care services. How about someone in that state recognizing the concept of personal privacy and a sense of priorities. Another reason (of many) that I'm glad we escaped that cesspool.

This is almost too funny. I don't know. $14.95 to read something I already knew?

I'm now living in an area that gets some snow and can get pretty dang cold. We're adjusting but re-learning things we used to know. Brigid hits another home run with this post on cold weather preparations. Thanks Brigid.

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