I found out today that Jeff Cooper, the Gunner's Guru, passed away. He was a man who lived a very full life. He served with distinction in the military, literally wrote the book on riot control with the Royal Hong Kong Police, and revolutionized modern combat techniques.
In addition to being a writer, Colonel Cooper was a teacher. He codified what became known as the Modern Technique of gun fighting, and has been influential in all areas of firearms and shooting. He was even an authority on African big game hunting. We may never see as well-rounded a shooter again in my lifetime.
The Colonel also had another quality: he made people think. He was a man who had his ducks in a row; if you were going to tell him he was wrong, you'd better have a good arguement to support that position. If you didn't, he'd chew you up...politely, but completely.
That's one thing I really appreciate about the man: he made me examine my positions and why I held the beliefs I do. I knew 1911's are cool. He helped me realize the reasons why its cool, from the perspective of a man who went to war with it.
He had his detractors, too. Pundits said that the Weaver technique that he espoused was inferior to other stances. However, you can't get from point A to point B in technique without going through Cooper Country. They said he was abrasive and dogmatic. That may be true, but he was honest. That's probably the thing I'll take away from all the words I've read that he's put to paper: be honest. Know your stuff, be able to articulate it, be honest. "To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Tell the Truth". Even the title of his book is great advice.
I grew up reading Cooper's thoughts. I found a treasure trove of them here. Do yourself a favor and read what the man had to say. He'll make you think.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Saturday, September 23, 2006
The Big Saturday Pet Peeves
As I compose this furious screed (for some reason, I really love that phrase), my beloved Michigan Wolverines are battling a tough, undefeated Wisconsin Badger team that is doing everything they can to avoid getting steamrolled the way Notre Dame did last week. So far, they're doing well. But some shots of some of the crowd brought to mind a couple of pet peeves that have come to the fore because of other events this week.
A comment from a fellow forum staff member pointed out that I'm not the only one who feels this way: being a fan (sometimes called a FANatic) does not give you the right to use the nominative singular pronoun "we". "We" didn't score the game winning touchdown. "We" didn't work hard in the preseason and in practices all season long. "We" didn't come back from a devestating injury. As a matter of fact, to quote Morty from Layer Cake , "we" had "absolutely sweet ****-all to do with" with how the team does. Nothing. Zip, zero, nada, and perhaps even less than that. You do what all fans do: buy gear with logos on it, download fight song ring tones, watch a game with friends. If you're really lucky, you get to go to Ann Arbor and tailgate before (and after, to do it proper) going in to watch the game wearing maize and blue. I have a couple Wolverine hats, and I think I've got a shirt or two, as well. If they made foam Wolverine hats, I'd wear 'em on game day. I even dig the foam claw, which is a variation of the giant foam "#1" finger. If I had epic amounts of money to spend on clothes, I'd even have an authentic jersey. And guess what: none of that makes me any more than a fan. Get it through your head, FANatics: you're not on the team. You're not a coach of the team. You're not even a ball-or-towel boy. You're nothing but a fan. You're probably the same jackass that plays in the Division DD municipal softball league and wears your team's gear to play, while getting bent out of shape at a missed call and acting the fool because you think you're still an athlete. Guess what, bro: I played at the same level as you, and batted in the neighborhood of .900, and I suck. Get over yourself.
The first pet peeve took quite a long time to get all out, didn't it? That doesn't mean I'm going to leave out Pet Peeve #2, becuase its what ruins going to see college sports lives. These people fall into a sub-catagory of the FANatic, because they're also guilty of the "we"-ism: the college band.
Bandies get to thinkin' that because they make a lot of noise during the game, playing goofy selections that nobody asked for and making it so people can't hear the coversation with the people they want to be there with, and because they do the "lets go get a some food and drink" show (halftime), they get to use the "we". I was in band in High School. Sadly, I didn't make it to the big leagues of college pep-bands. I know how some of them think. They wear a uniform with team colors on it, and they play the fight song. Sorry, geeks, it does not mean you get to use the "we".
Several times back in the day, I was able to go to SDSU games with my friends and their family. My friend's mom worked in the athletic department at State, so they got really good seats to games. Unfortunately, those seats were next to the band during basketball season. It wasn't long before John and I were bringing kazoos to play along with the band. I've never seen such an offended tuba player. You'd have thought we were Skinhead O'Connor ripping up a picture of the band dressed as the Pope on Saturday Night Live.
C'mon, bandies. Lets get a grip here. you're playing at what will probably be the pinnacle of your musical career. You're not going to join a band that sells millions of records after college. You're also not going to get into a symphony and get paid big bucks...or even medium bucks. Probably not even small bucks, because you're the equivalent of the D league softball player in comparison to minor league baseball (never mind the big leagues). Its not like you're pullin' chicks being in band, either. I know; I was there. Get the head screwed on, straight and tight, and realize that even with all that practice and effort, you don't get to use the "we" in terms of the team, either. You do get to use the "we" in terms of all the glory that comes with being in the band, though.
A comment from a fellow forum staff member pointed out that I'm not the only one who feels this way: being a fan (sometimes called a FANatic) does not give you the right to use the nominative singular pronoun "we". "We" didn't score the game winning touchdown. "We" didn't work hard in the preseason and in practices all season long. "We" didn't come back from a devestating injury. As a matter of fact, to quote Morty from Layer Cake , "we" had "absolutely sweet ****-all to do with" with how the team does. Nothing. Zip, zero, nada, and perhaps even less than that. You do what all fans do: buy gear with logos on it, download fight song ring tones, watch a game with friends. If you're really lucky, you get to go to Ann Arbor and tailgate before (and after, to do it proper) going in to watch the game wearing maize and blue. I have a couple Wolverine hats, and I think I've got a shirt or two, as well. If they made foam Wolverine hats, I'd wear 'em on game day. I even dig the foam claw, which is a variation of the giant foam "#1" finger. If I had epic amounts of money to spend on clothes, I'd even have an authentic jersey. And guess what: none of that makes me any more than a fan. Get it through your head, FANatics: you're not on the team. You're not a coach of the team. You're not even a ball-or-towel boy. You're nothing but a fan. You're probably the same jackass that plays in the Division DD municipal softball league and wears your team's gear to play, while getting bent out of shape at a missed call and acting the fool because you think you're still an athlete. Guess what, bro: I played at the same level as you, and batted in the neighborhood of .900, and I suck. Get over yourself.
The first pet peeve took quite a long time to get all out, didn't it? That doesn't mean I'm going to leave out Pet Peeve #2, becuase its what ruins going to see college sports lives. These people fall into a sub-catagory of the FANatic, because they're also guilty of the "we"-ism: the college band.
Bandies get to thinkin' that because they make a lot of noise during the game, playing goofy selections that nobody asked for and making it so people can't hear the coversation with the people they want to be there with, and because they do the "lets go get a some food and drink" show (halftime), they get to use the "we". I was in band in High School. Sadly, I didn't make it to the big leagues of college pep-bands. I know how some of them think. They wear a uniform with team colors on it, and they play the fight song. Sorry, geeks, it does not mean you get to use the "we".
Several times back in the day, I was able to go to SDSU games with my friends and their family. My friend's mom worked in the athletic department at State, so they got really good seats to games. Unfortunately, those seats were next to the band during basketball season. It wasn't long before John and I were bringing kazoos to play along with the band. I've never seen such an offended tuba player. You'd have thought we were Skinhead O'Connor ripping up a picture of the band dressed as the Pope on Saturday Night Live.
C'mon, bandies. Lets get a grip here. you're playing at what will probably be the pinnacle of your musical career. You're not going to join a band that sells millions of records after college. You're also not going to get into a symphony and get paid big bucks...or even medium bucks. Probably not even small bucks, because you're the equivalent of the D league softball player in comparison to minor league baseball (never mind the big leagues). Its not like you're pullin' chicks being in band, either. I know; I was there. Get the head screwed on, straight and tight, and realize that even with all that practice and effort, you don't get to use the "we" in terms of the team, either. You do get to use the "we" in terms of all the glory that comes with being in the band, though.
Friday, September 22, 2006
dangit
What a hassle. I downloaded what I thought was a codec for Windows Media Player, and it turned out to be chock full of spyware. I had a moment of weakness, didn't look deeply enough at what I was doing, and have spent a few days without my 'puter to sort it out. I suspect that I'm not done yet, either.
Makes me wonder, though: who's responsible for all this spyware, malware, jackassware, jerkware, etc. etc. Is it the companies that make spyware detection programs? In the end, I suppose it doesn't matter, because Webroot got $20 from me for SpySweeper anyway. This program comes recommended. Of course, you need to run right out, so to speak (its not easy to run right out online), and buy this program because some guy said he bought it on his blog.
Aha! Perhaps therein lies the difference: my blog is a self depracating blog. Look at the title. How could you not trust such a blog antiestablishmentarian? How could you not believe in a guy that can spell antiestablishmentarianism, and even know what it means and how to conjugate it? See that? That's called credibility!
If you're gonna take something useful away from my blog, it should likely be this: the online world has become a rotten place. Sure, its a great tool and a fantastic communication aid. But its also become the place where there are probably a million people out there writing malicious junk to get in your computer and make your life difficult. Use the 'net as a tool and have fun, but keep your guard up. People that wouldn't step to you in "real life" are out to wreck your stuff and cost you money, and perhaps attempt to ruin your life, when you're in front of your computer. Don't ever forget to push the chair back, stand up, and go outside.
Makes me wonder, though: who's responsible for all this spyware, malware, jackassware, jerkware, etc. etc. Is it the companies that make spyware detection programs? In the end, I suppose it doesn't matter, because Webroot got $20 from me for SpySweeper anyway. This program comes recommended. Of course, you need to run right out, so to speak (its not easy to run right out online), and buy this program because some guy said he bought it on his blog.
Aha! Perhaps therein lies the difference: my blog is a self depracating blog. Look at the title. How could you not trust such a blog antiestablishmentarian? How could you not believe in a guy that can spell antiestablishmentarianism, and even know what it means and how to conjugate it? See that? That's called credibility!
If you're gonna take something useful away from my blog, it should likely be this: the online world has become a rotten place. Sure, its a great tool and a fantastic communication aid. But its also become the place where there are probably a million people out there writing malicious junk to get in your computer and make your life difficult. Use the 'net as a tool and have fun, but keep your guard up. People that wouldn't step to you in "real life" are out to wreck your stuff and cost you money, and perhaps attempt to ruin your life, when you're in front of your computer. Don't ever forget to push the chair back, stand up, and go outside.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Karma strikes again! The hits just keep on comin'!
Oh, man, I'm gettin' a good chuckle out of this. First, Supernova picks the wrong guy, then we find out they picked the wrong name! Somehow, a band that's been around for about a decade claims to have copyrighted the name, and managed to get an injunction against the New 'Nova. I don't really know how they managed to pull that off, since this is hardly the first time more than one band has had a name. I guess Jill Gioia was right: everything in rock has already been done. Including picking the wrong singer! LOL!
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Oops!
Supernova just picked the wrong guy. Congrats on picking the worst possible option, fellas. Almost a shame that a band with such potential will only record one record, have it sell...not platinum...certainly not gold, even...it'll sell wood. Balsa wood. 300,000 copies, max. I hope its utter failure of picking a front man. Remember, the public also picked Jesse Camp as a VJ...for a season. Good thing you guys have made money in the past, cuz this one ain't gonna make ya diddly squat.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
A Cultural Phenomenon
I have a confession to make. I've been watching Rockstar:Supernova all season long. Its intriguing for some reason. Its not like I love the music. They covered plenty of songs that I hated. I can't help it; I'm really picky about what music I like. Ask my friends how long the list of "that song sucks ass" tunes is. The more I think about it, the more I think its about competition.
I've been to traffic court a few times in my life. After the first one, which I lost in a close decision (perhaps I'll tell that story another time. It may be useful for the edification of the driving body politik) I came to be able to tell within the first minute or two if the person before the judge had any chance of winning their case. Most don't, but that's beside the point. Its a form of competition. Just like I called last year's winner with INXS (a band I'm a huge, huge, huge fan of) in the first couple weeks, I tried to do the same thing this year.
This year's a bit different, though. They've already cut loose one of my favorites, Storm Large. My opinions haven't changed much so far; I'm down with Magni and Toby to front this band...although they don't rate me linking anything to them the way Storm does. What can I say? She's tall, hot, and talented as all get out. She rocks. When her record comes out, I'm all over it. Storm is DA BOMB DIGGITY!
The bottom line is this, though: if Lukas Rossi wins this thing, I'm not buying the Supernova record. I'm not gonna go see 'em. I'm not gonna watch the videos. I'm not gonna have anything to do with them. The bottom line, I suppose, is that regardless of who wins, I don't care as long as its not Lukas. I hate the sound of his voice. His haircut is irritating. His penchant for making is so damn emo I can't stand it. He not only doesn't fit with this band, he needs to front some band of adolencent cutters with "the world is hard on me and I'm gonna cry" songs. He needs a job working the night shift in a Stop and Rob store, or to be intimately familiar with the words "Would you like an apple pie with that?" Maybe in a Dead or Alive cover band. That might work. If he wins, there's something seriously wrong with people in this world.
I'm hackin' on Lukas because I don't think he fits this band, and life is mostly about competition, which means a good part of it is about rooting, too. I wish the best to all the competitors, but I gotta have things to root for and against, don't I?
I've been to traffic court a few times in my life. After the first one, which I lost in a close decision (perhaps I'll tell that story another time. It may be useful for the edification of the driving body politik) I came to be able to tell within the first minute or two if the person before the judge had any chance of winning their case. Most don't, but that's beside the point. Its a form of competition. Just like I called last year's winner with INXS (a band I'm a huge, huge, huge fan of) in the first couple weeks, I tried to do the same thing this year.
This year's a bit different, though. They've already cut loose one of my favorites, Storm Large. My opinions haven't changed much so far; I'm down with Magni and Toby to front this band...although they don't rate me linking anything to them the way Storm does. What can I say? She's tall, hot, and talented as all get out. She rocks. When her record comes out, I'm all over it. Storm is DA BOMB DIGGITY!
The bottom line is this, though: if Lukas Rossi wins this thing, I'm not buying the Supernova record. I'm not gonna go see 'em. I'm not gonna watch the videos. I'm not gonna have anything to do with them. The bottom line, I suppose, is that regardless of who wins, I don't care as long as its not Lukas. I hate the sound of his voice. His haircut is irritating. His penchant for making is so damn emo I can't stand it. He not only doesn't fit with this band, he needs to front some band of adolencent cutters with "the world is hard on me and I'm gonna cry" songs. He needs a job working the night shift in a Stop and Rob store, or to be intimately familiar with the words "Would you like an apple pie with that?" Maybe in a Dead or Alive cover band. That might work. If he wins, there's something seriously wrong with people in this world.
I'm hackin' on Lukas because I don't think he fits this band, and life is mostly about competition, which means a good part of it is about rooting, too. I wish the best to all the competitors, but I gotta have things to root for and against, don't I?
Sunday, September 10, 2006
anticipated anticipation
So there I am this past Friday, slaving over a hot lighter, burning off extra threads on some pouches at work. The guy who used to be my boss before I started in the manufacturing division comes over and says "How late do you think you'll be on Tuesday morning?" I thought for a bit, and said "Well, if the game runs long, ya better plan on an extra hour". Our production manager asked why I'd be late, so he said "Chargers/Raiders on Monday Night Football in the late game." That game is scheduled to end at about midnight:30 or so. I'm gonna have to stay up and watch it (unless its a blow out) because 1) Its the Chargers/Raiders, and I have to see it live for the best effect, and B) I don't have TiVo.
I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to this game. There's a couple reasons for it: I'm a San Diego guy at heart, and have been for 25 years or so. I love that city, from the killer Messican food to ultra fresh seafood, to the Mardi Gras Cafe on Midway Dr. In addition, the weather is awesome, the wimminz is beeee-youtiful and the poeple are pretty fantastic, too. Because I have a strong link to San Diego to this day, following the SD sports teams when I can is a way to make me feel just a bit less homesick...or at least, missing carne asada nachos with sour cream and cheese a little less.
But there's more. Being a Charger fan means that I hate the Raiders. I detest Alice Davis and all that he stands for. Except for part of a decade when they employed a guy I knew from my church, Lincoln Kennedy I wanted them to lose every game. The hard part was that I wanted my bro to succeed (he did) and get paid (he did) and stay healthy (thank God, he did) but I still wanted, vehemently and strenuously, to lose every game and lose big. Now that he's retired, I can do that in good concience. I don't care what they do, as long as they lose. Hey, Alice, get down there on the sideline and coach. Get in Art Schell's way and cause more losses. Its the best thing you can do for fans of real sports teams.
The best part is that he's got himself one bad, bad football team. The Raiders, once again, are going nowhere. They're going to be the cellar dwellers, which is great. The Chargers will make the playoffs, barring too many injuries. They should be steadily improving over the next couple years, too. The Raiders, as long as Alice owns them, are going no where and staying there. They'll be the source for the maps to nowhere. They'll be able to act as guides. The Browns will probably be there, too, to spread the work load.
After all this, all I gotta say is, I'm gonna look pretty bad if the Raiders win somehow. They say the sun shines on even a blind dog's butt some days. I'm not sure what that means, other than that its supposed to connotate "luck". At any rate, here's to seeing the first game of a lot of losing by the Raiders for the forseeable future. Its a continuation of the past couple seasons, after all.
I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to this game. There's a couple reasons for it: I'm a San Diego guy at heart, and have been for 25 years or so. I love that city, from the killer Messican food to ultra fresh seafood, to the Mardi Gras Cafe on Midway Dr. In addition, the weather is awesome, the wimminz is beeee-youtiful and the poeple are pretty fantastic, too. Because I have a strong link to San Diego to this day, following the SD sports teams when I can is a way to make me feel just a bit less homesick...or at least, missing carne asada nachos with sour cream and cheese a little less.
But there's more. Being a Charger fan means that I hate the Raiders. I detest Alice Davis and all that he stands for. Except for part of a decade when they employed a guy I knew from my church, Lincoln Kennedy I wanted them to lose every game. The hard part was that I wanted my bro to succeed (he did) and get paid (he did) and stay healthy (thank God, he did) but I still wanted, vehemently and strenuously, to lose every game and lose big. Now that he's retired, I can do that in good concience. I don't care what they do, as long as they lose. Hey, Alice, get down there on the sideline and coach. Get in Art Schell's way and cause more losses. Its the best thing you can do for fans of real sports teams.
The best part is that he's got himself one bad, bad football team. The Raiders, once again, are going nowhere. They're going to be the cellar dwellers, which is great. The Chargers will make the playoffs, barring too many injuries. They should be steadily improving over the next couple years, too. The Raiders, as long as Alice owns them, are going no where and staying there. They'll be the source for the maps to nowhere. They'll be able to act as guides. The Browns will probably be there, too, to spread the work load.
After all this, all I gotta say is, I'm gonna look pretty bad if the Raiders win somehow. They say the sun shines on even a blind dog's butt some days. I'm not sure what that means, other than that its supposed to connotate "luck". At any rate, here's to seeing the first game of a lot of losing by the Raiders for the forseeable future. Its a continuation of the past couple seasons, after all.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
whats wrong with with athletes?
Saturday (and Sunday, Monday, generally Tuesday, Wednesday during basketball season, and always Thursdays, with a lot of Fridays in there, too, not counting Pay Per Views) are generally pretty darn good sports days. Last I looked, Texas was gettin' pretty much stomped, and Tony Stewart had been cut out of the chase. Michigan won big. The WNBA is finally done so I don't have to worry about seeing that trainwreck any longer. If I wanted to see hoops with 4" vertical leaps I'd go down to the Y and watch the kids run.
But amongst all this great sport action are reports of athletes screwing up. David Boston got cut. No reason given, but I'm sure its the same reason that got him traded from every other team he's been on. T.O. is getting into the same crap he was doing in Philly, which got him sent packin' from there. On The Ultimate Fighter, Jeremy Jackson got himself thrown out of the house-and the whole competition-which ends his shot at getting paid and getting a title shot.
I don't claim to be all that mentally tough, but I have decent amount of it. I'm not an athlete anymore, but there are still things I do well that get me paid. So what I don't understand is how supposed professionals can just throw away the one thing that sets them up for life.
A pro athlete generally has about a ten year career, if things go their way and they don't have career ending injuries. That's a pretty lucky guy that gets to do it for that long, and doing it any longer than that is really, really special. I still don't understand how it is The Rocket is still pitching at the level that he is. He's certainly making the most of his ability. Why is it so dang hard to put the idiocy behind ya to get your job done and make it possible to set yourself up for life?
If you're going to just HAVE to act the fool, why can't you wait until your career is done and the world doesn't care so much if you're an moron anymore? What's so difficult about that? I understand playing hurt and I understand that to do those jobs means that you have a lot of pressure and pain. However, you chose to do it! I really don't get it.
To punctuate the point, let me explain what Jeremy Jackson did to get booted off the show. For a change of pace, the fighters were taken to the local Y to do some swimming, play some basketball...whatever they wanted to do to break up the routine of going to the same gym and doing the same training. Jackson met a lifeguard there, and to make a long-ish story short, he arranged for her to meet him at the house. The rules are: no leaving the house without authorization (which means "go to the gym for training and fights, and go to the hospital if its required") and no guests. What does he do? He jumps over the back fence-seen on camera, of course-to meet up with this girl for one night. This was two weeks into the six week time in the house. He gets booted off the show for it. The kicker here is that for the past several months, he's been living out of his car. His rationalization? "I just wanted to spend some time with someone female. The house is all guys." All he had to do was last four more weeks. Now it'll be one heck of a long time before he gets any shot at the UFC, and he'll probably never be back there again. All because he lacked the fortitude to hold out just six weeks.
Somebody please put the world on a platter for me for a decade. I've been working my butt off since 1986, and the world still isn't mine. If I can put myself into projects that don't pay as much as pro sports do, and still work on 'em for years at a time. I guess I simply don't understand how someone can have a perishable talent, and either lacks the mental toughness or will to take advantage of it. All ya gotta do is show up, put the work in, and get it done. Save being a jerk or whatever else your problem is for later. It just makes the rest of us mad to see you blow it when we know the same chance isn't squandered on everyone else.
But amongst all this great sport action are reports of athletes screwing up. David Boston got cut. No reason given, but I'm sure its the same reason that got him traded from every other team he's been on. T.O. is getting into the same crap he was doing in Philly, which got him sent packin' from there. On The Ultimate Fighter, Jeremy Jackson got himself thrown out of the house-and the whole competition-which ends his shot at getting paid and getting a title shot.
I don't claim to be all that mentally tough, but I have decent amount of it. I'm not an athlete anymore, but there are still things I do well that get me paid. So what I don't understand is how supposed professionals can just throw away the one thing that sets them up for life.
A pro athlete generally has about a ten year career, if things go their way and they don't have career ending injuries. That's a pretty lucky guy that gets to do it for that long, and doing it any longer than that is really, really special. I still don't understand how it is The Rocket is still pitching at the level that he is. He's certainly making the most of his ability. Why is it so dang hard to put the idiocy behind ya to get your job done and make it possible to set yourself up for life?
If you're going to just HAVE to act the fool, why can't you wait until your career is done and the world doesn't care so much if you're an moron anymore? What's so difficult about that? I understand playing hurt and I understand that to do those jobs means that you have a lot of pressure and pain. However, you chose to do it! I really don't get it.
To punctuate the point, let me explain what Jeremy Jackson did to get booted off the show. For a change of pace, the fighters were taken to the local Y to do some swimming, play some basketball...whatever they wanted to do to break up the routine of going to the same gym and doing the same training. Jackson met a lifeguard there, and to make a long-ish story short, he arranged for her to meet him at the house. The rules are: no leaving the house without authorization (which means "go to the gym for training and fights, and go to the hospital if its required") and no guests. What does he do? He jumps over the back fence-seen on camera, of course-to meet up with this girl for one night. This was two weeks into the six week time in the house. He gets booted off the show for it. The kicker here is that for the past several months, he's been living out of his car. His rationalization? "I just wanted to spend some time with someone female. The house is all guys." All he had to do was last four more weeks. Now it'll be one heck of a long time before he gets any shot at the UFC, and he'll probably never be back there again. All because he lacked the fortitude to hold out just six weeks.
Somebody please put the world on a platter for me for a decade. I've been working my butt off since 1986, and the world still isn't mine. If I can put myself into projects that don't pay as much as pro sports do, and still work on 'em for years at a time. I guess I simply don't understand how someone can have a perishable talent, and either lacks the mental toughness or will to take advantage of it. All ya gotta do is show up, put the work in, and get it done. Save being a jerk or whatever else your problem is for later. It just makes the rest of us mad to see you blow it when we know the same chance isn't squandered on everyone else.
what's entertainment coming to?
I've been noticing lately that much of what's out there-and popular-to entertain me is...crap. There's a dearth of originality on all forms of media: film, music, television. How is it we can have 400 channels of cable and nothing worth watching? How can hundreds of millions...nay, billions, of dollars be spent with so little to show for it?
I spend what seems like a lot of time with the TV on. The thing is, most of the time, I'm on my computer with my back to it. I could just as easily have a radio on...except that radio is really bland these days, too. I've heard a couple of songs from the new Dixie Chicklets record. In addition to holding a nice, big fat grudge against them for their anti-American comments, I found it to be the same old tired stuff. Oddly, their record sales are down something like 30% according to some sources, but they still have a top ten disc that's apparently gone platinum.
I watch three shows with regularity, not counting sports. I've been watching Rock Star for a couple seasons now, and I'm not exactly sure why it facinates me so much. I guess because its competition, which I like, and because it rocks from time to time. If they pick Lukas, though, I'm not buying that disc. I'm also a regular watcher of The Unit, even though the errors in that show drive me absolutely nuts. The best thing on TV is The Ultimate Fighter, and the other UFC shows like Fight Night and Unleashed. Its pretty real, and its competition. Other than sports that I watch religiously (baseball isn't a sport, and its at least 150 games too long in season), that's what there is on TV.
The Blockbuster movies of the summer are pretty damn tame these days. I've seen two of the three that have been of any interest over the past several months. The Pirates sequel was what the middle film of a trilogy always is: a transition movie that sort of stands on its own, but really only works in terms of the whole story. The other, Miami Vice, was enjoyable, but mostly because I was a huge, huge fan of the TV show. I might have liked it a little better if they'd used Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas. The only other flick I'm interested in is a classic B-movie comedy, Beerfest. Being a B-movie, though, means that I gotta see it on a matinee to be worth the price.
Is that the reason? Is that why there's so much of the same out there these days? Is it simply because cost has gotten so high that the companies that find, green light, and sell this stuff are trying to go with the "sure thing"? That would explain the boring sameness that we are forced to endure. There are a few "new" shows out there that are doing new and interesting things, but few of them appeal to me. Its also a shame that so many of them end up listed on Brilliant But Cancelled.
A while back, though, Joss Whedon was allowed to make a movie out of his TV series Firefly. In case you haven't seen it, the movie is called Serenity. That project gave me hope, but its been a while ago that it was made. I think I may be hoping against hope that something will come along that will take up all the time that following the trainwrecks of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears careers. Help....please?
I spend what seems like a lot of time with the TV on. The thing is, most of the time, I'm on my computer with my back to it. I could just as easily have a radio on...except that radio is really bland these days, too. I've heard a couple of songs from the new Dixie Chicklets record. In addition to holding a nice, big fat grudge against them for their anti-American comments, I found it to be the same old tired stuff. Oddly, their record sales are down something like 30% according to some sources, but they still have a top ten disc that's apparently gone platinum.
I watch three shows with regularity, not counting sports. I've been watching Rock Star for a couple seasons now, and I'm not exactly sure why it facinates me so much. I guess because its competition, which I like, and because it rocks from time to time. If they pick Lukas, though, I'm not buying that disc. I'm also a regular watcher of The Unit, even though the errors in that show drive me absolutely nuts. The best thing on TV is The Ultimate Fighter, and the other UFC shows like Fight Night and Unleashed. Its pretty real, and its competition. Other than sports that I watch religiously (baseball isn't a sport, and its at least 150 games too long in season), that's what there is on TV.
The Blockbuster movies of the summer are pretty damn tame these days. I've seen two of the three that have been of any interest over the past several months. The Pirates sequel was what the middle film of a trilogy always is: a transition movie that sort of stands on its own, but really only works in terms of the whole story. The other, Miami Vice, was enjoyable, but mostly because I was a huge, huge fan of the TV show. I might have liked it a little better if they'd used Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas. The only other flick I'm interested in is a classic B-movie comedy, Beerfest. Being a B-movie, though, means that I gotta see it on a matinee to be worth the price.
Is that the reason? Is that why there's so much of the same out there these days? Is it simply because cost has gotten so high that the companies that find, green light, and sell this stuff are trying to go with the "sure thing"? That would explain the boring sameness that we are forced to endure. There are a few "new" shows out there that are doing new and interesting things, but few of them appeal to me. Its also a shame that so many of them end up listed on Brilliant But Cancelled.
A while back, though, Joss Whedon was allowed to make a movie out of his TV series Firefly. In case you haven't seen it, the movie is called Serenity. That project gave me hope, but its been a while ago that it was made. I think I may be hoping against hope that something will come along that will take up all the time that following the trainwrecks of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears careers. Help....please?
Thursday, September 07, 2006
writer's block
I spend a lot of time on the Intarweb. I'm a moderator on a couple forums, and admin on a few more. I have thousands of posts...come to think of it, closer to ten thousand and very likely far more than that...on various forums on various subjects. I have no problem commenting on stuff other poeple post. F'rinstance, my bro Josh is a bloggin' fool. He's got lots to post about, and half the time I seem to write these long rants in reply to his posts. By the time I'm done, I thinkin' that "I should have posted that here". Yet I am in the throes of writer's block.
The key is, I'm sure, to start writing down some topics. I have them pass through my head from time to time, but they're like Spongebob chasing the jellyfish: I don't keep them very long at all. Sort of like when you see someone you know at a stoplight, but don't remember to honk because you didn't recognize them in time. Even better: being that person who comes up with the perfect come back...the day after they needed it. I don't have that problem, but that's not the same as writer's block.
I think part of this all stems from some pot smokin' idiot posting a big ol' long rambling trainwreck of a rant on the MySpace account of the person I commented on earlier. That person has since made their account "private", which means you have to be let in as a "friend" to view it. Since I'm not that person's friend, half my entertainment for the week has gone out the window.
I'll see what I can do this weekend. I gotta go get some sleep so my next treatise isn't about how I spend my whole weekend with a cold kickin' my butt.
The key is, I'm sure, to start writing down some topics. I have them pass through my head from time to time, but they're like Spongebob chasing the jellyfish: I don't keep them very long at all. Sort of like when you see someone you know at a stoplight, but don't remember to honk because you didn't recognize them in time. Even better: being that person who comes up with the perfect come back...the day after they needed it. I don't have that problem, but that's not the same as writer's block.
I think part of this all stems from some pot smokin' idiot posting a big ol' long rambling trainwreck of a rant on the MySpace account of the person I commented on earlier. That person has since made their account "private", which means you have to be let in as a "friend" to view it. Since I'm not that person's friend, half my entertainment for the week has gone out the window.
I'll see what I can do this weekend. I gotta go get some sleep so my next treatise isn't about how I spend my whole weekend with a cold kickin' my butt.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
My new guilty pleasure
One of the members on one of the several forums that I moderate on turned me on to my latest guilty pleasure. There's a comic strip called Over The Hedge that is making my grinceps sore these days. Mainly, its these two crazy redneck flamingos that are just killin' me. To whit, one piece of evidence:
Style and panache. One must be awed by their creativity in entertainment. They're...birds after my own heart. Were they human, they'd be renaissance mans...er...men. Mens. Renaissance Dudes. Yeah, that's the ticket.
I quit reading the paper quite a while ago. Didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense to read the same stuff on paper that I could read on the intarweb without additional monetary investment. What's the point of spending more than a dollar on a Sunday paper when most of it is ads that get thrown away? At least I can close pop-up ads, and I have a couple pop-up stoppers that quash that stuff before it even gets started. Perhaps the newspaper needs to get away from the politicking and get back to the reporting. Like when Fletch was still working for the papers. That was a real reporter.
Check out Over the Hedge here. The cool thing about this site is that you can sign up to have comics delivered to your e-mail, although if you want more than one, it costs ya. I chose OTH, but since I have more than one e-mail address, I may need OPUS, too....
Style and panache. One must be awed by their creativity in entertainment. They're...birds after my own heart. Were they human, they'd be renaissance mans...er...men. Mens. Renaissance Dudes. Yeah, that's the ticket.
I quit reading the paper quite a while ago. Didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense to read the same stuff on paper that I could read on the intarweb without additional monetary investment. What's the point of spending more than a dollar on a Sunday paper when most of it is ads that get thrown away? At least I can close pop-up ads, and I have a couple pop-up stoppers that quash that stuff before it even gets started. Perhaps the newspaper needs to get away from the politicking and get back to the reporting. Like when Fletch was still working for the papers. That was a real reporter.
Check out Over the Hedge here. The cool thing about this site is that you can sign up to have comics delivered to your e-mail, although if you want more than one, it costs ya. I chose OTH, but since I have more than one e-mail address, I may need OPUS, too....
Sunday, August 27, 2006
a bit of an epiphany
I was sitting in church this morning when a thought came to me, all out-of-the-blue like. I had to write it down lest I forget it, and I had to get it posted before that note slipped my mind. Would ya look at that: motivation!
There's a very old saying that probably came from either bikers or criminals: "Its better to rule in hell than serve in Heaven." The sentiment is that whoever's wearing that on the back of their beat up t-shirt is a rough dude; one would suppose that character could take care of himself...whatever that really means.
It also brings up an interesting question: who said you get to rule in Hell? I don't care how much of a tough guy the hardcore shirt wearer is; there are plenty of things between Heaven and Hell that are tougher. No puny human gets to decide where he rules. Think about it: you don't even rule much of anything on Earth, and you want to be a ruler in a place not even of Earth? How do you get that job? What kind of schooling is required? If you're not even good enough to rule on earth, how ya gonna do it where beings are more powerful than you are? If you can't rule the world (and better leaders than you have tried, come close, and ultimately failed) you stand no chance of getting that job in the afterlife.
The arrogance of people never ceases to blow my mind. We think we're so in control, that we affect so much. Its laughable. The Earth was here before us. Animals didn't need to worry about ethical treatment or rights. They go on living with or without us. Scientists two decades ago were claiming we were causing a global freeze, but when that didn't pan out, they went for global warming instead. The Earth was here before us. It will be here, if God decides that it will be, after we've gone. We could blow up every nuclear weapon we have simultaniously, in the process really putting the Iranians to shame with thier efforts in comparison, and make the world clicking hot for generations. The Earth would still right itself. Humans can mess things up, and maybe even do it for a long time, but we still don't have that much of an effect on things. The world goes on with or without us.
So, since we can't even make the world bow to our will, how is it we'll be able to rule in Hell, then? The shirt doesn't qualify as a pass. You gotta stand up and do something about it. Didja see The Omen? The Possession of Emily Rose? Who's possessing who? You gonna go to Hell and take that demon's job? Go! Tell him he's a pansy. Whup his ass, then go after his boss. Lemme know how that works out for ya.
Think about it a moment. Since those are the choices, there's really only one way to go. I'll be a servant in Heaven. Its going to be a lot better serving Jesus than it will be serving Satan. If nothing else, the working conditions will be far easier to deal with.
There's a very old saying that probably came from either bikers or criminals: "Its better to rule in hell than serve in Heaven." The sentiment is that whoever's wearing that on the back of their beat up t-shirt is a rough dude; one would suppose that character could take care of himself...whatever that really means.
It also brings up an interesting question: who said you get to rule in Hell? I don't care how much of a tough guy the hardcore shirt wearer is; there are plenty of things between Heaven and Hell that are tougher. No puny human gets to decide where he rules. Think about it: you don't even rule much of anything on Earth, and you want to be a ruler in a place not even of Earth? How do you get that job? What kind of schooling is required? If you're not even good enough to rule on earth, how ya gonna do it where beings are more powerful than you are? If you can't rule the world (and better leaders than you have tried, come close, and ultimately failed) you stand no chance of getting that job in the afterlife.
The arrogance of people never ceases to blow my mind. We think we're so in control, that we affect so much. Its laughable. The Earth was here before us. Animals didn't need to worry about ethical treatment or rights. They go on living with or without us. Scientists two decades ago were claiming we were causing a global freeze, but when that didn't pan out, they went for global warming instead. The Earth was here before us. It will be here, if God decides that it will be, after we've gone. We could blow up every nuclear weapon we have simultaniously, in the process really putting the Iranians to shame with thier efforts in comparison, and make the world clicking hot for generations. The Earth would still right itself. Humans can mess things up, and maybe even do it for a long time, but we still don't have that much of an effect on things. The world goes on with or without us.
So, since we can't even make the world bow to our will, how is it we'll be able to rule in Hell, then? The shirt doesn't qualify as a pass. You gotta stand up and do something about it. Didja see The Omen? The Possession of Emily Rose? Who's possessing who? You gonna go to Hell and take that demon's job? Go! Tell him he's a pansy. Whup his ass, then go after his boss. Lemme know how that works out for ya.
Think about it a moment. Since those are the choices, there's really only one way to go. I'll be a servant in Heaven. Its going to be a lot better serving Jesus than it will be serving Satan. If nothing else, the working conditions will be far easier to deal with.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Missing
I've been watching the VH1 series of "The Eleventy Billion Greatest Acts of Hard Rock"...or something like that. Makes me wonder two things: what happened to MTV that VH1 took over as the hard rockin' station, and who's deciding this list? Its hard to believe that the channel that was supposed to be the alternative to MTV for 30-something parents has become the last bastion of rock on basic cable. I can't count Fuse in on that because I don't get that channel. More's the pity; Juliya is not only extremely knowedgible, she's three kinds of hot, too.
I've pretty much been a dirt head all my music-listening life. I'm not an expert on Hard Rock, but I certainly know it when I hear it. The list was allegedly amalgamated from the responses of professional musicians. I gotta call BS on that.
Meatloaf is hard rock? No. The artwork was...the songs aren't. Husker Du? Also not hard rock. Punk? Probably; alternative to probably more accurate. Alternative in this case meaning "not very good". Alternative to good music, I guess.
They ranked Bad Brains above Primus. What-the-hell-ever. I saw both of those bands opening for Living Colour. LC can blow a lotta bands clean off the stage. Primus not only held their own, they were completely memorable and seeing them live made me a fan. Seeing Bad Brains live made me an anti-fan.
These compilation list shows are interesting, but it makes me wonder what people are hearing when they listen to music. Some of this stuff is obviously crap, and it still makes the list. How do we know its crap? It didn't sell. That's not to say that only good bands sell; there's more than ample evidence to show that idea as false. But over time, if the public isn't buying it, its because it sucks. Or they don't get it.
I guess I don't get it. I must be out of touch. I have heard scant little that's worth listening to these days, much less plunking down hard earned cash to get the CD. One of the contestants that got voted off of Rockstar Supernova made the comment that everything's already been done in rock. She got voted out, but I think she may have been right. I'm listening to the same CD's I've had for a very long time, with few exceptions. Once a year, if I'm lucky, I'm finding something I wanna hear that's new. Everything else is stuff that's a few years old now.
What's new that I'm into? Demon Hunter. They just released their third record last year, and I'm trying to wear that CD out. At least they rock. I'm gonna go back and listen Sailing the Seas of Cheese now.
I've pretty much been a dirt head all my music-listening life. I'm not an expert on Hard Rock, but I certainly know it when I hear it. The list was allegedly amalgamated from the responses of professional musicians. I gotta call BS on that.
Meatloaf is hard rock? No. The artwork was...the songs aren't. Husker Du? Also not hard rock. Punk? Probably; alternative to probably more accurate. Alternative in this case meaning "not very good". Alternative to good music, I guess.
They ranked Bad Brains above Primus. What-the-hell-ever. I saw both of those bands opening for Living Colour. LC can blow a lotta bands clean off the stage. Primus not only held their own, they were completely memorable and seeing them live made me a fan. Seeing Bad Brains live made me an anti-fan.
These compilation list shows are interesting, but it makes me wonder what people are hearing when they listen to music. Some of this stuff is obviously crap, and it still makes the list. How do we know its crap? It didn't sell. That's not to say that only good bands sell; there's more than ample evidence to show that idea as false. But over time, if the public isn't buying it, its because it sucks. Or they don't get it.
I guess I don't get it. I must be out of touch. I have heard scant little that's worth listening to these days, much less plunking down hard earned cash to get the CD. One of the contestants that got voted off of Rockstar Supernova made the comment that everything's already been done in rock. She got voted out, but I think she may have been right. I'm listening to the same CD's I've had for a very long time, with few exceptions. Once a year, if I'm lucky, I'm finding something I wanna hear that's new. Everything else is stuff that's a few years old now.
What's new that I'm into? Demon Hunter. They just released their third record last year, and I'm trying to wear that CD out. At least they rock. I'm gonna go back and listen Sailing the Seas of Cheese now.
Monday, August 21, 2006
The Champ
The next UFC PPV is this weekend, and for the first time in the past couple of them, I think we're gonna get some great fights. I'm excited about the Babalu/Iceman fight. The buzz for this fight is really interesting. Seems that, for the first time in a while, people want to bet against the champ.
I'm not sure why that is. Renato "Babalu" Sobral is a fantastic fighter. He's tough, he's got great wrestling skills, he's a Gracie jiu jitsu master. He's very well rounded, with better striking skills and he's bigger than he was three years ago when he got knocked out. He's been thinking about this fight for three years. I wouldn't wanna match up against this guy. He's going to bring it, full speed and all the time.
Chuck has great takedown defense. He's got good wrestling skills, and he's taken guys down to beat them. But he doesn't like to be there; Chuck wants the fight to be a stand up striking affair.
Chuck's game plan is the same as it always is. He's not gonna do anything different; he's going to defend the takedown and look for the knockout. Who hasn't he fought like that? Ortiz? Beat him that way. Cotoure? Defend the takedown, stand up and strike. He beat Randy two of three, getting the belt, and getting the belt back. Then he beat Randy in the final shot at the title. He beat Sobral the first time in the same way. His game plan is old, well known, and not going to change.
Don't bet against Liddell. He will win this match up via knock out and retain his title.
I'm not sure why that is. Renato "Babalu" Sobral is a fantastic fighter. He's tough, he's got great wrestling skills, he's a Gracie jiu jitsu master. He's very well rounded, with better striking skills and he's bigger than he was three years ago when he got knocked out. He's been thinking about this fight for three years. I wouldn't wanna match up against this guy. He's going to bring it, full speed and all the time.
Chuck has great takedown defense. He's got good wrestling skills, and he's taken guys down to beat them. But he doesn't like to be there; Chuck wants the fight to be a stand up striking affair.
Chuck's game plan is the same as it always is. He's not gonna do anything different; he's going to defend the takedown and look for the knockout. Who hasn't he fought like that? Ortiz? Beat him that way. Cotoure? Defend the takedown, stand up and strike. He beat Randy two of three, getting the belt, and getting the belt back. Then he beat Randy in the final shot at the title. He beat Sobral the first time in the same way. His game plan is old, well known, and not going to change.
Don't bet against Liddell. He will win this match up via knock out and retain his title.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
SOAP
I realized this weekend that Snakes on a Plane is a movie that I have no desire to see. The Intarweb buzz for this movie has been outrageous. For the life of me, I can't figure out why. Sure, Sammy Jackson is a good actor. Is he great? Well.....no. Is he good enough to carry a movie like this? Welllllll...no. Mark my words: this movie is gonna suck.
How can I feel so strongly about that when the movie doesn't even come out until tomorrow? From the trailers, Jackson's charcter is pretty weak. He plays a cop of some sort, probably a sky marshall. Yay, another cop on a plane. That's pretty unoriginal. The protagonists are snakes? Yeah, that worked great in such films as "Slither" and "Anaconda". You have both of those in your first line DVD collection, right? OK, six of you do. What about everyone else? Yeah, that's what I thought. "Anaconda" had Kari Wuhrer and JLo's big ass in it, and it still couldn't be saved.
The Intarweb has this wierd underground popularity thing that this flick has tapped into. Its sort of the "Pirates vs Ninja" thing, but with a movie. What effect will that have? It'll probably cause the movie to debut at #1, knocking another movie I have no desire to see out of that spot, and then it'll disappear soon after. If they'd have made the snakes look real, it may have had a chance...but it doesn't. Try to at least see it on a matinee if you have to see it. At least that way you'll be out slightly less money.
How can I feel so strongly about that when the movie doesn't even come out until tomorrow? From the trailers, Jackson's charcter is pretty weak. He plays a cop of some sort, probably a sky marshall. Yay, another cop on a plane. That's pretty unoriginal. The protagonists are snakes? Yeah, that worked great in such films as "Slither" and "Anaconda". You have both of those in your first line DVD collection, right? OK, six of you do. What about everyone else? Yeah, that's what I thought. "Anaconda" had Kari Wuhrer and JLo's big ass in it, and it still couldn't be saved.
The Intarweb has this wierd underground popularity thing that this flick has tapped into. Its sort of the "Pirates vs Ninja" thing, but with a movie. What effect will that have? It'll probably cause the movie to debut at #1, knocking another movie I have no desire to see out of that spot, and then it'll disappear soon after. If they'd have made the snakes look real, it may have had a chance...but it doesn't. Try to at least see it on a matinee if you have to see it. At least that way you'll be out slightly less money.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Wrecked!
Found out a couple days ago that a good friend of mine got wrecked by some crazy lady on his brand new motor-sickle. Not even 600 miles on his bike yet. Crazy lady was behind him, then went to pass him, made eye contact with him as she was going by, and then cut in front of him and hit her brakes.
The good news is that my bro is fine, except for some bruises. He went OTB, and the bike landed on him, which is where the bruises came from. He jacked up his helmet and jacket in addition to probably totalling his scooter. The Crazy Lady pretty well copped to causing it in the Police report. Of course, it apparently didn't do all that much damage to her rig. Ain't it the way? Seems my bro's insurance company is going after everything on this one, and he's got gap insurance in case they don't. He'll end up with a new bike out this, more than likely.
Wanna guess where he was coming from when this happened? Think about it...what would be the most ironic thing you can think of? That's right: motorcyle riding school. Since he's fine, that's funny!
The good news is that my bro is fine, except for some bruises. He went OTB, and the bike landed on him, which is where the bruises came from. He jacked up his helmet and jacket in addition to probably totalling his scooter. The Crazy Lady pretty well copped to causing it in the Police report. Of course, it apparently didn't do all that much damage to her rig. Ain't it the way? Seems my bro's insurance company is going after everything on this one, and he's got gap insurance in case they don't. He'll end up with a new bike out this, more than likely.
Wanna guess where he was coming from when this happened? Think about it...what would be the most ironic thing you can think of? That's right: motorcyle riding school. Since he's fine, that's funny!
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Classic monologue for the day
"So I jump ship in Hong Kong and make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas."
"A what?"
"A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace...bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one...big hitter, the Lama...long..into a ten-thousand foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-lagunga. So we finish eighteen, and he's gonna stiff me. And I say,'Hey, Lama! Hey, how about a little something...yuh know...for the effort..yuh know.' And he says, 'Oh, there won't be any money. But when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive...total consiousness.' So I got that goin' for me...which is nice." -Karl Spackler, Assistant Greenskeeper (they say that doesn't mean anything, being assistant greenskeeper), Bushwood Country Club.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
stripping!
Sorry, its not what you think. An SF buddy of mine showed me how to detail strip a 1911, by helping me tear mine down to the bare frame and slide. Its a handy thing, having an SF Weapons Sergeant around. He knows a couple things.
My baby was built, oh, almost a decade ago by a very talented gunsmith named Lance Martini. He's apparently out of the gunsmithing business and works for a Sheriff's crime lab somewhere; more's the pity. It started life as a near-bone stock Springfield Armory 1911-A1 Lightweight. The difference between near-bone and totally-bone is that it had high profile fixed sights and a lowered ejection port. If the slide hadn't been lowered, I'd have had it done. If you're going to reload, you don't have a choice; it'll save your brass.
The pistol has some great parts in it. Here's the rundown, because I haven't used the list feature yet:
This gun has shot like a champ almost from day one. The Bar Sto barrel had to be opened up to commercial specs from a match chamber because it wouldn't feed reloads reliably. It feeds rocks now. The best thing about Bar Sto barrels is that in addition to being very accurate barrels, they simply don't rust. Most folks I know replace the Rustmaster barrels in their Kimbers with Bar Sto's so they never have to see corrosion again. For a couple hundred bucks, they're a heck of an investment. If you can shoot, you'll see a marked difference if your gun is of average accuracy.
But after all these years, the gun had never been more than field stripped, mostly because I didn't know how to detail strip it. Sometimes detail stripping is like black magic voodoo to shooters. We just don't want to get involved in it in case we mess something up. I have some nice accurate guns that I don't want to be the cause of them forgetting how to do so!
This particular pistol has had thousands of rounds through it. It's been my primary match gun and shooting class gun since it got built. I've carried it daily at work for the two years I've been in Kentucky. It still gets carried from time to time, getting a day off from time to time when I've got my Grock 30 with me.
Detail stripping is something I really wish I'd done before. I can't believe how much dust, dirt, carbon, powder residue, funk, junk, and other stuff that was in that gun. No tumbleweeds, but that probably wouldn't have surprised me. Doing all this cleaning made me a believer in the beauty of the Dunk-It. I didn't have one to use for this gig, but its clear how much easier that would have made the job. The M4 Guru said he's used it quite frequently and swears by it.
If you don't know how to do this, by all means, find out. There are videos available, and you probably know somebody who already knows how to do this. If you don't trust that guy to change a battery in a flashlight, though, don't let him at your guns! Some people give off a bad vibe regarding mechanical things. That's not the guy to allow near your expensive bet-your-life-on-it blaster! My rule has always been, "Only let the best available touch your guns". In my case, I have both an 11C and a cop that's been through the Colt's Armorer's Course at my disposal. If you don't have that, get an education in how to work on your firearms. I'd hate to hear that the guy wasn't qualified when it was too late! "Oops" is something you don't want to hear from your doctor, your dentist, or your "gunsmith".
One last thing. You may notice a wierd two tone effect in the finish of the frame of my gun. That's where I've worn the finish off the frame by shooting the hell out of it. All gun refinishing needs to be started in this manner. Yes, I'll refinish the gun, but when people see the gun, they know its got miles on it. That kind of character cannot be bought.
My baby was built, oh, almost a decade ago by a very talented gunsmith named Lance Martini. He's apparently out of the gunsmithing business and works for a Sheriff's crime lab somewhere; more's the pity. It started life as a near-bone stock Springfield Armory 1911-A1 Lightweight. The difference between near-bone and totally-bone is that it had high profile fixed sights and a lowered ejection port. If the slide hadn't been lowered, I'd have had it done. If you're going to reload, you don't have a choice; it'll save your brass.
The pistol has some great parts in it. Here's the rundown, because I haven't used the list feature yet:
- Springfield Armory 1911-A1 Lightweight; aluminum frame and steel slide
- Novak fixed rear sight fitted by me. Someday its gonna be replaced with a milled in Novak night sight.
- Factory front sight, grip screw bushings, mainspring, sear, hammer, extractor, spring guide, firing pin, recoil spring cap, detents and detent springs. All else has been replaced.
- Wilson firing pin return spring and Wolff recoil spring
- Bar Sto barrel, hard fit to the slide
- King's trigger, thumb safety, slide stop
- Wilson's grip safety
- Wilson's stainless hex head grip screws. Ya gotta get ya some of these or yer not a real 1911 shooter! ;)
- Pachmayr Presentation grips with wrap around front strap, and not thumb rests. I needed something to increase grip on the front strap because of the light weight of the pistol
- Reliability polishing job
This gun has shot like a champ almost from day one. The Bar Sto barrel had to be opened up to commercial specs from a match chamber because it wouldn't feed reloads reliably. It feeds rocks now. The best thing about Bar Sto barrels is that in addition to being very accurate barrels, they simply don't rust. Most folks I know replace the Rustmaster barrels in their Kimbers with Bar Sto's so they never have to see corrosion again. For a couple hundred bucks, they're a heck of an investment. If you can shoot, you'll see a marked difference if your gun is of average accuracy.
But after all these years, the gun had never been more than field stripped, mostly because I didn't know how to detail strip it. Sometimes detail stripping is like black magic voodoo to shooters. We just don't want to get involved in it in case we mess something up. I have some nice accurate guns that I don't want to be the cause of them forgetting how to do so!
This particular pistol has had thousands of rounds through it. It's been my primary match gun and shooting class gun since it got built. I've carried it daily at work for the two years I've been in Kentucky. It still gets carried from time to time, getting a day off from time to time when I've got my Grock 30 with me.
Detail stripping is something I really wish I'd done before. I can't believe how much dust, dirt, carbon, powder residue, funk, junk, and other stuff that was in that gun. No tumbleweeds, but that probably wouldn't have surprised me. Doing all this cleaning made me a believer in the beauty of the Dunk-It. I didn't have one to use for this gig, but its clear how much easier that would have made the job. The M4 Guru said he's used it quite frequently and swears by it.
If you don't know how to do this, by all means, find out. There are videos available, and you probably know somebody who already knows how to do this. If you don't trust that guy to change a battery in a flashlight, though, don't let him at your guns! Some people give off a bad vibe regarding mechanical things. That's not the guy to allow near your expensive bet-your-life-on-it blaster! My rule has always been, "Only let the best available touch your guns". In my case, I have both an 11C and a cop that's been through the Colt's Armorer's Course at my disposal. If you don't have that, get an education in how to work on your firearms. I'd hate to hear that the guy wasn't qualified when it was too late! "Oops" is something you don't want to hear from your doctor, your dentist, or your "gunsmith".
One last thing. You may notice a wierd two tone effect in the finish of the frame of my gun. That's where I've worn the finish off the frame by shooting the hell out of it. All gun refinishing needs to be started in this manner. Yes, I'll refinish the gun, but when people see the gun, they know its got miles on it. That kind of character cannot be bought.
Lies, Damn lies, and MySpace
If MySpace ever had any value (I don't know if it ever did; I found about it on TV. They said its where teenage girls go to get hooked up with sexual predators...or something like that) that value is totally used up now. I just checked out the MS page of a girl I work with. I bookmarked it with "comedy" in the title of said bookmark.
This lead to an interesting discussion on the topic of human psyche yesterday at work. Hey, I can't always be doing what I'm supposed to do, can I? At any rate, its become common knowledge that this kid we work with has an MS account, because she tells lots of people about it. That's a separate issue that will be discussed later. Here's where this gets interesting.
She claimed her height was 5'7". I think she may be fudging that, but we'll give her the benefit of the doubt. However, she claims her body type is "average". Ummmm...yeah, as long as "average" means "shaped like a barrel". She weighs at least 200 lbs, and probably a lot more. That's definately where the fudging comes in...along with cakes, ice cream, bacon triple cheeseburgers...and diet Cokes. She claims a religeous faith, but according to her MS friends, she sparks up the chiba and drinks to excess.
I bring all this up partly for comedic purposes, but also to illustrate the discussion of yesterday. She's hardly the only one. If anything, I'd be surprised to find out anyone on MS had a truthful, honest account. The question becomes, then, is she lying to attract someone that couldn't attract before, or is that how she sees herself?
Remember "Collateral" with Jamie Foxx and that short guy that jumps on couches on TV? The cabbie always made it sound like he was working towards his dream goal. It turned out that he was doing nothing of the kind. That would seem to be more the case with the majority of people in the world. So many people have dreams that they could reach with some work, but either through fear, lack of confidence, or lack of desire, they don't even try. Yet, they'll talk about it as if they do, or have, or are actively working on it.
What is it about people that they just can't be honest, with themselves or anyone else? What drives them to have to lie about themselves? Or do they really believe their "cover story"?
Because I work in the tactical gear industry, I run into people on a fairly regular basis who claim to be what they're not. One kid I heard about came back from the Army on leave, and told his dad that he was the was the youngest kid to graduate "Special Forces Sniper School", and that he was with 10th SFG. Dad got all chuffed and contacted the newspapers, who sent a reporter to write a story on this kid. The article got published. One of the members of the forum I am an admin on found it, and posted a link. Now, this particular forum is mostly .mil and LE types, who don't take kindly to people claiming stuff they haven't done. This kid went home to a weekend with the family, and came back to work to find out that members of our forum had used their contacts in the service to let the kid's platoon leader, sergeant major, and company commander know what he allowed to happen. He claimed to be something he wasn't, and ended up with a maxed field grade Article 15, and had to write a formal letter of apology to 10th Group. I heard that his extra duty (45 days of it) consisted of being given to 10th Group to do whatever they wanted to with him, but I can't confirm it. I suspect he ended up polishing things that were never polished before. All that because he couldn't be truthful with himself, his family, or a reporter. He still had three years to do in the Army. One forum member described it like this: "remember having that dream where you show up at work with no pants? That's his life for the next three years."
I know a guy who claims to have been a Ranger. Except that he called the obstacle course at Camp Darby the "Queen Darby" (its real name is the Darby Queen). That fact, on top of many others, got called. Then he had to backtrack and lie some more to cover it. In the end, he lost all credibility with the people that he was trying to build credibility with. Oops.
Why is it people feel the need to do that? I don't understand. I won't claim that I've never lied, but I've tried to always be the person I appeared to be. I'm a low speed, high drag nobody with a pretty cool job that I got because I had developed some useful skills that were needed by my employer. In my job, I get to meet a lot of people who are bona fide heroes, badasses, straight up shoot-you-in-the-face killers, and would be celebrities if what they did for a living was celebrated in the press. Its no wonder so many people want to be them, but its also no wonder that so few can be. Those same "can't be's" are the same ones that "wannabe" and "claimtabe". For the life of me, I can't understand why. If you wanna be one of them, then go do what they did to get where they are. If you can't, be honest with yourself and say "I can't". If everyone could do it, everyone would do it. There are more jobs than I can count that make the world work everyday. If they didn't need to be done, they wouldn't be paid.
I guess what I'm getting at is that if you're not happy where you are, do something about it. This is America. Opportunity is there, and so is copious amounts of help. If you don't wanna do it, then don't. Just don't claim that you did. All that happens in the end is that you lose a whole lot more than you were willing to bet, and gain a whole lot less than you wanted to win. Its too high a price to die unhappy because you spent your life as a lie.
This lead to an interesting discussion on the topic of human psyche yesterday at work. Hey, I can't always be doing what I'm supposed to do, can I? At any rate, its become common knowledge that this kid we work with has an MS account, because she tells lots of people about it. That's a separate issue that will be discussed later. Here's where this gets interesting.
She claimed her height was 5'7". I think she may be fudging that, but we'll give her the benefit of the doubt. However, she claims her body type is "average". Ummmm...yeah, as long as "average" means "shaped like a barrel". She weighs at least 200 lbs, and probably a lot more. That's definately where the fudging comes in...along with cakes, ice cream, bacon triple cheeseburgers...and diet Cokes. She claims a religeous faith, but according to her MS friends, she sparks up the chiba and drinks to excess.
I bring all this up partly for comedic purposes, but also to illustrate the discussion of yesterday. She's hardly the only one. If anything, I'd be surprised to find out anyone on MS had a truthful, honest account. The question becomes, then, is she lying to attract someone that couldn't attract before, or is that how she sees herself?
Remember "Collateral" with Jamie Foxx and that short guy that jumps on couches on TV? The cabbie always made it sound like he was working towards his dream goal. It turned out that he was doing nothing of the kind. That would seem to be more the case with the majority of people in the world. So many people have dreams that they could reach with some work, but either through fear, lack of confidence, or lack of desire, they don't even try. Yet, they'll talk about it as if they do, or have, or are actively working on it.
What is it about people that they just can't be honest, with themselves or anyone else? What drives them to have to lie about themselves? Or do they really believe their "cover story"?
Because I work in the tactical gear industry, I run into people on a fairly regular basis who claim to be what they're not. One kid I heard about came back from the Army on leave, and told his dad that he was the was the youngest kid to graduate "Special Forces Sniper School", and that he was with 10th SFG. Dad got all chuffed and contacted the newspapers, who sent a reporter to write a story on this kid. The article got published. One of the members of the forum I am an admin on found it, and posted a link. Now, this particular forum is mostly .mil and LE types, who don't take kindly to people claiming stuff they haven't done. This kid went home to a weekend with the family, and came back to work to find out that members of our forum had used their contacts in the service to let the kid's platoon leader, sergeant major, and company commander know what he allowed to happen. He claimed to be something he wasn't, and ended up with a maxed field grade Article 15, and had to write a formal letter of apology to 10th Group. I heard that his extra duty (45 days of it) consisted of being given to 10th Group to do whatever they wanted to with him, but I can't confirm it. I suspect he ended up polishing things that were never polished before. All that because he couldn't be truthful with himself, his family, or a reporter. He still had three years to do in the Army. One forum member described it like this: "remember having that dream where you show up at work with no pants? That's his life for the next three years."
I know a guy who claims to have been a Ranger. Except that he called the obstacle course at Camp Darby the "Queen Darby" (its real name is the Darby Queen). That fact, on top of many others, got called. Then he had to backtrack and lie some more to cover it. In the end, he lost all credibility with the people that he was trying to build credibility with. Oops.
Why is it people feel the need to do that? I don't understand. I won't claim that I've never lied, but I've tried to always be the person I appeared to be. I'm a low speed, high drag nobody with a pretty cool job that I got because I had developed some useful skills that were needed by my employer. In my job, I get to meet a lot of people who are bona fide heroes, badasses, straight up shoot-you-in-the-face killers, and would be celebrities if what they did for a living was celebrated in the press. Its no wonder so many people want to be them, but its also no wonder that so few can be. Those same "can't be's" are the same ones that "wannabe" and "claimtabe". For the life of me, I can't understand why. If you wanna be one of them, then go do what they did to get where they are. If you can't, be honest with yourself and say "I can't". If everyone could do it, everyone would do it. There are more jobs than I can count that make the world work everyday. If they didn't need to be done, they wouldn't be paid.
I guess what I'm getting at is that if you're not happy where you are, do something about it. This is America. Opportunity is there, and so is copious amounts of help. If you don't wanna do it, then don't. Just don't claim that you did. All that happens in the end is that you lose a whole lot more than you were willing to bet, and gain a whole lot less than you wanted to win. Its too high a price to die unhappy because you spent your life as a lie.
Friday, August 11, 2006
rainy rain
Man, have we gotten some rain over the past couple of days! The weather here in the KY has been energetic, to say the least. Its been generally hot and humid for the past couple weeks, but in the past two days, we've really gotten some good quality storms. I mean rain with enough wind to go with it to blow the rain in sideways. I wish I'd gotten photos of it.
Now, I'm a semi-believer in O'Brien's Law (O'Brien's Law is, "Murphy is an optimist"), which would generally state that if there is to be rain, then your weekend will be ruined by it. According to the Weather Channel, though, this weekend will be clear, with rain coming again on about Tuesday of next week. I have to admit to being stunned that my weekend didn't get hosed.
So what am I going to do? I don't really know; I don't have any plans for the weekend at all! Figures, doesn't it? I'll probably go visit some friends in Nashville. All I know is, I have to do something to get out and about. Well see what happens after the weekend, but I have to attempt to do something so I have a subject to post after this one. Obviously, a lot is riding on this clear weekend!
Now, I'm a semi-believer in O'Brien's Law (O'Brien's Law is, "Murphy is an optimist"), which would generally state that if there is to be rain, then your weekend will be ruined by it. According to the Weather Channel, though, this weekend will be clear, with rain coming again on about Tuesday of next week. I have to admit to being stunned that my weekend didn't get hosed.
So what am I going to do? I don't really know; I don't have any plans for the weekend at all! Figures, doesn't it? I'll probably go visit some friends in Nashville. All I know is, I have to do something to get out and about. Well see what happens after the weekend, but I have to attempt to do something so I have a subject to post after this one. Obviously, a lot is riding on this clear weekend!
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Sling
We're supposed to get a visit from Ashley Burnsed of Blue Force Gear tomorrow, the maker of the best damn slings on the market tomorrow. I wish it wasn't so rare for companies to make a fantastic product (theirs truely is), be able to deliver fast (so far they've done exactly that), and have great people running it (everyone I've met there has been wonderful). Ashley's one of the coolest guys in this industry. I really wish there were more of them.
What's Ashley do that's so different? He's the first guy to make a sling modular. There are no common rifles that can't be slung with one of his rigs. He and Larry Vickers got together and designed the best tactical sling in the world, which of course is named for Vickers. Name a sling. I don't care who's it is. Pick one. Blue Force Gear slings are better. Don't bother trying to argue it, you'll just embarrass yourself. Don't even think about bringing up some bungee cord contraption; they're cute but inferior.
One of my cop co-workers got the run down on how cool the Vickers two point is. He ended up leaving with it. We're right outside Fort Campbell, so we have a lot of friends and customers in SF. Those guys have been getting BFG slings in large, large quantities. In addition to making the best two point sling going, they make the best releasable armor integrated sling, too. Lots of companies make slings, but who else does a releasable sling? Every other sling maker is behind the curve.
I'm hoping to get a chance to give a slogan to Ashley tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe it makes them famous. Everyone we talked to tonight agreed that its true: "the Blue Force Gear Vickers sling is the only true two point tactical sling going. Everything else is a carry strap." If they use it, they'll send me something for it. On top of making the best slings going, Ashley's one of the most honorable guys in the tactical industry.
What do I get out of all these kind words about this company? Do I have some vested interest in 'em? I've already been given a Vickers sling, and I love it. My vested interest is that ATS is a BFG dealer, so we want to sell a bunch of them. In fact, in our showroom, they're one of only four brands of slings that we stock. One of those is ours, and the other two are the Troy one point and the Spec Ops Wolf Hook. None of them, including our own, are as good as the BFG. Guess which ones we recommend. You simply can't get a better tactical sling right now. Go order one!
What's Ashley do that's so different? He's the first guy to make a sling modular. There are no common rifles that can't be slung with one of his rigs. He and Larry Vickers got together and designed the best tactical sling in the world, which of course is named for Vickers. Name a sling. I don't care who's it is. Pick one. Blue Force Gear slings are better. Don't bother trying to argue it, you'll just embarrass yourself. Don't even think about bringing up some bungee cord contraption; they're cute but inferior.
One of my cop co-workers got the run down on how cool the Vickers two point is. He ended up leaving with it. We're right outside Fort Campbell, so we have a lot of friends and customers in SF. Those guys have been getting BFG slings in large, large quantities. In addition to making the best two point sling going, they make the best releasable armor integrated sling, too. Lots of companies make slings, but who else does a releasable sling? Every other sling maker is behind the curve.
I'm hoping to get a chance to give a slogan to Ashley tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe it makes them famous. Everyone we talked to tonight agreed that its true: "the Blue Force Gear Vickers sling is the only true two point tactical sling going. Everything else is a carry strap." If they use it, they'll send me something for it. On top of making the best slings going, Ashley's one of the most honorable guys in the tactical industry.
What do I get out of all these kind words about this company? Do I have some vested interest in 'em? I've already been given a Vickers sling, and I love it. My vested interest is that ATS is a BFG dealer, so we want to sell a bunch of them. In fact, in our showroom, they're one of only four brands of slings that we stock. One of those is ours, and the other two are the Troy one point and the Spec Ops Wolf Hook. None of them, including our own, are as good as the BFG. Guess which ones we recommend. You simply can't get a better tactical sling right now. Go order one!
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
on the way!
We just finished our first production run today. ATS Gear delivered a bunch of new rigger belts to ATS Tactical Gear (the showroom) and they've sold a few already. And so it begins. I expect that we'll soon be selling a metric buttload of them.
Tomorrow we start a new product run, a unique medical pouch that's unlike anyone else's. I almost wish I needed one because they're slick. Once I get cleared to post some pics, I'll put 'em in here.
The goal is to be in on the sub level (below ground level; it means that, although I'm in management, I still get to swing a mop around, do heavy lifting and sweat off a few pounds) and be one of the ones making it happen, while it grows. I have no doubt that this will soon take off, and we'll be growing by leaps and bounds. Or heaps and bushells. If you have another favorite cliche, insert that one ----->"here".
I'm coming home dog tired every night, but I'm excited beyond words at the possibilities here. Its not too much of an exaguration to say that this has the potential to make me....not rich, exactly...ummmm...OK, how 'bout this: very, very comfortable. Yay Capitalism!
Tomorrow we start a new product run, a unique medical pouch that's unlike anyone else's. I almost wish I needed one because they're slick. Once I get cleared to post some pics, I'll put 'em in here.
The goal is to be in on the sub level (below ground level; it means that, although I'm in management, I still get to swing a mop around, do heavy lifting and sweat off a few pounds) and be one of the ones making it happen, while it grows. I have no doubt that this will soon take off, and we'll be growing by leaps and bounds. Or heaps and bushells. If you have another favorite cliche, insert that one ----->"here".
I'm coming home dog tired every night, but I'm excited beyond words at the possibilities here. Its not too much of an exaguration to say that this has the potential to make me....not rich, exactly...ummmm...OK, how 'bout this: very, very comfortable. Yay Capitalism!
Monday, August 07, 2006
voting
I just re-read a story that re-blows my mind. An elected "official", Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D of GA, threw a hissy fit when stopped by Capitol Police for not following the rules at a security checkpoint . She threw her cell phone at a law enforcement officer, and then cried foul, claiming "inappropriate touching" when they detained her. She wasn't wearing her congressional pin, which is a sort of ID badge (not enough of one, in my opinion). I suppose she expected the Police to remember what she looks like and just let her through, because she's been elected, after all. Now, if she looks like this all the time, I gotta say she'd be pretty memorable, in that crazy-lady-with-200-cats sort of way.
But the bigger question here isn't Rep. McKinney's obviously detached perception of reality. It isn't even her "I'm above everything because I'm a congress-person" attitude, exhibited by her claims of being assaulted when, in point of fact, she could have (and probably should have) been arrested for battery of a law enforcement officer. The bigger question has less to do with the representative and her kind. It rests with the people.
Why is it that so many people around the world can see her as a caricature of a lawmaker, a political whacko (its a technical term) and someone that most of us wouldn't be represented by, when she repeatedly wins elections? What do people see in these fringe candidates that gets them elected? Are there really that many nut jobs in America?
Here's a less extreme example. When I lived in deepest, darkest southern California (the border was a mere 15 minute drive away) I was represented at the Federal level by Barbara Boxer. She's far more liberal than I am, but that's not really why I disliked her representation.
I disagree with the rules of the game as they are at this time. Representatives are in Washington DC to get money for the states. I don't like the way it works, but until that changes, those are the rules that govern. Barbara has failed in that job, getting California less and less funding every time around. Diane Feinstein has garnered more funding for San Francisco's alleged illegal immigration problem (must be importing hippies from somewhere) than the rest of California gets. That's just not right, and it points directly to a failure in representation.
Which really just means that an innefective employee has the job. OK, then, vote her out and replace her. Californians of various political stripes have voiced their displeasure; its not just us whacky kill-em-all-for-oil neo-cons. She's been eminently beatable for the past couple elections. But what do the people do? The reelect her.
I suspect that this phenomena (and I'm not speaking strictly of female elected officials, those are just two of the plethora of examples I could use, from both genders and all political affiliations) rests with the fact that Americans have grown lazy. I started voting when I came of age, and haven't ever missed voting in an election that I was eligible to vote in. But there are family members, friends, and aquaintances of mine that can't be bothered to vote. At all. Many that do don't put in serious study into their candidates because of busy schedules. I've taken the easy road from time to time and voted the party line, but I've been far less disappointed when I have, compared to "if I hadn't". In those cases, I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting; the candidates were known entities.
What happens now, it seems, is that when there are new candidates, such as presidential hopefuls, we the people vote more on appearances than policies. Once they're in office, the easy way is to keep them there. More's the pity.
In the end, regardless of what political stripe one wears, one gets the government one votes for. Sort of a political "you get what you pay for." When people get elected and they do something rash, foolish, illegal, immoral, or criminal, the finger of guilt, at the end of the day, points to the people that put them there.
But the bigger question here isn't Rep. McKinney's obviously detached perception of reality. It isn't even her "I'm above everything because I'm a congress-person" attitude, exhibited by her claims of being assaulted when, in point of fact, she could have (and probably should have) been arrested for battery of a law enforcement officer. The bigger question has less to do with the representative and her kind. It rests with the people.
Why is it that so many people around the world can see her as a caricature of a lawmaker, a political whacko (its a technical term) and someone that most of us wouldn't be represented by, when she repeatedly wins elections? What do people see in these fringe candidates that gets them elected? Are there really that many nut jobs in America?
Here's a less extreme example. When I lived in deepest, darkest southern California (the border was a mere 15 minute drive away) I was represented at the Federal level by Barbara Boxer. She's far more liberal than I am, but that's not really why I disliked her representation.
I disagree with the rules of the game as they are at this time. Representatives are in Washington DC to get money for the states. I don't like the way it works, but until that changes, those are the rules that govern. Barbara has failed in that job, getting California less and less funding every time around. Diane Feinstein has garnered more funding for San Francisco's alleged illegal immigration problem (must be importing hippies from somewhere) than the rest of California gets. That's just not right, and it points directly to a failure in representation.
Which really just means that an innefective employee has the job. OK, then, vote her out and replace her. Californians of various political stripes have voiced their displeasure; its not just us whacky kill-em-all-for-oil neo-cons. She's been eminently beatable for the past couple elections. But what do the people do? The reelect her.
I suspect that this phenomena (and I'm not speaking strictly of female elected officials, those are just two of the plethora of examples I could use, from both genders and all political affiliations) rests with the fact that Americans have grown lazy. I started voting when I came of age, and haven't ever missed voting in an election that I was eligible to vote in. But there are family members, friends, and aquaintances of mine that can't be bothered to vote. At all. Many that do don't put in serious study into their candidates because of busy schedules. I've taken the easy road from time to time and voted the party line, but I've been far less disappointed when I have, compared to "if I hadn't". In those cases, I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting; the candidates were known entities.
What happens now, it seems, is that when there are new candidates, such as presidential hopefuls, we the people vote more on appearances than policies. Once they're in office, the easy way is to keep them there. More's the pity.
In the end, regardless of what political stripe one wears, one gets the government one votes for. Sort of a political "you get what you pay for." When people get elected and they do something rash, foolish, illegal, immoral, or criminal, the finger of guilt, at the end of the day, points to the people that put them there.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
New Toys for my Evil Black Rifle!
I received my new Blue Force Gear Vickers Sling on Friday, and finally got it on my EBR last night. Still needs some adjusting, since I attached it a little differently than the directions describe, but I'm absolutely loving this new rig! I'm done with one point slings from here on out.
The difference is that I ran it from my GG&G end plate adapter to a rail mounted QD sling mount closer to the lock nut for the rail. I picked that up from some SF friends of mine who've deployed with this style of sling, set up that way. So far, I'm totally hooked.
I'm a big, big fan of Daniel Defense parts. My EBR sports a 9.5 FSP rail and a 16" M4-ish profile barrel of theirs. I'm hoping they're going to start doing some throw lever mounts to compete with La Rue. The quality is certainly there, and their finish is outstanding. Ashley Burnsed from Blue Force Gear has Daniel Defense make the end plate adapters that he designed. Its quality stuff, backed by a lifetime warranty, made in the US of A. What else can you ask for? You want another reason? My buddy works for them, and recently got married. Buy their parts so he can keep his wife supplied in the manner she deserves! ;) Here's some more pics for ya:
I also added a Badger Ordnance version 1 Tac Latch. I like the latch; its way easier to get a grip on without seeming like it has a big, fat paddle on it. I'm glad I added it. Intalling it? Almost bad enough to make we wanna give up on putting it in! The difference was that the old one was already out. I hit that point of no return, and finally got the tiny roll pin to line up with the charging handle and the latch, which required some prayer, alignment of planets, and luck. I'm not changing that part out now! Even if I hated it, it stays! Good thing its a good part.
Holy cow! What a (not) day off!
My new gig with ATS Manufacturing Division (we don't really have a name yet, so far as I know) starts tomorrow, so I spent today getting the building (more) ready. We were hoping it would be a couple of hours. It ended up being seven, and we're still not at 100%. However, we're much, much closer, and we should be stitching by Tuesday. I'm excited.
I'm also exhausted! Every time I had to go outdoors, I think I lost about six months from my lifespan. KY in the summer isn't the greatest of places to be. Its hot (at 9:25 PM, its still 86 degrees) and its humid. I'd estimate the wet factor at about 80% or so. Nasty. Overall, though, even with a few injuries sustained (that's SOP for me; no big deal), we're almost there. I'm fully expecting this thing to get huge in a big hurry.
Tell ya what: if you're going to go into a new venture, its awfully nice to have a parent company that has the capital to back the venture. Look for cool new, original, well made, kick butt gear from ATS in the very near future. Then order some!
I'm also exhausted! Every time I had to go outdoors, I think I lost about six months from my lifespan. KY in the summer isn't the greatest of places to be. Its hot (at 9:25 PM, its still 86 degrees) and its humid. I'd estimate the wet factor at about 80% or so. Nasty. Overall, though, even with a few injuries sustained (that's SOP for me; no big deal), we're almost there. I'm fully expecting this thing to get huge in a big hurry.
Tell ya what: if you're going to go into a new venture, its awfully nice to have a parent company that has the capital to back the venture. Look for cool new, original, well made, kick butt gear from ATS in the very near future. Then order some!
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