Food

Sloppy Joe’s Suck

12/04/2013 MadOgre 18 Comments

I freaking hate “Sloppy Joes”. Sloppy Joes… Meat’s Epic Failure.

Look, you have a pound of ground meat… and you just ruined it. You could have had Tacos. You could have made it into a couple good burger patties… But you didn’t. You made Sloppy Joes. Don’t give me that Manwhich bullarchy. You ruined it. Admit it. It’s kinda like saying you are going to make an Omelet, and then cocked it up and made Scrambled Eggs instead, and then cleared your sinuses into them. That’s what you did with the ground meat… same thing.

Toss some chili powder on them… some taco seasoning on the ground beef or whatever and make some Tacos. Tacos are always win. ALWAYS WIN. Don’t have some tortillas, well, you are wrong and you are living in Kitchen Fail… but hey, you can always make a pot of chili out of it. And that’s damn fine eating.

I mean, hell, if you have to make Spaghetti with it. Boil some pasta, and poor that over the stuff over those noodles. You’ll be fine.

But to mix a BBQ type sauce into the meat? Oh hell no! Look if you want BBQ flavor… make a burger and put the sauce on top of the burger. That’s a good burger. A BBQ Burger… We can all live with that. And be happy.

But to make Sloppy Joes with that meat… Oh my hell… That’s giving up on life.

Don’t give me that “You’ve never had my… whoever the hell it is Sloppy Joes”. No… I never have. And no, I never will. You will never get me to try it. I will just look at you with disgust and disappointment and walk away… Probably to my car so I can go find a 5 Guys or a Cook Out or a Sonic… or some places that knows what the hell to do with a pound of ground beef that isn’t blowing excretion into it. Sloppy Joes Suck.

Uncategorized

Hunting Bears in New Bern, NC

Gallery 12/04/2013 MadOgre 1 Comment

Spend any time looking out the window as you drive through pretty much of any part of New Bern, NC, you’ll spot a bear. I’ve taken it as a hobby to hunt all the bears I can any time I’m in New Bern. I’ll pull over and stop if I see one, whatever it takes to get the shot. They are all over.

I caught that one in front of a Realty Office.

Continue reading Hunting Bears in New Bern, NC →

Automotive

Ford’s Aston

12/03/2013 MadOgre 4 Comments

Now that the 2015 Ford Mustang is revealed, we see that Ford really and truly had its way with Aston Martin.
It appears that Ford wasn’t a considerate lover… it made Aston bite the pillow.
And now we’ve got the result… The Mustang. One version is going to be rolling on a V8 that grinds out 500 horses. That’s only 65 horses less than the Aston V-12 Vantage S, for a whopping $100,000 less. And most guys will never be able to tell the difference. Not between the way it drives, or looks. And since the new Stang is standing on independent rear suspension… finally… it’s going to handle like kid’s Hot Wheels.
I can honestly say that I’ve never really wanted a Mustang before. But I want this. Ooohh man! It looks awesome, and with 500 horses at the Independent Rear… it should prove to be the best Mustang ever built.
Unless Ford finds a way to ruin it.

Uprising

Where I Write

11/26/2013 MadOgre 18 Comments

I have a place in Ogre Manor, where I sit and… well… supposed to Write. However I can never actually write there. The chair is hard and office like, the desk it at a good height for writing. But when I sit down there… It’s like I’m in the Phantom Zone of writing. Creative Exile. I can Game there. Chat there. But actual creativity doesn’t and can not happen while I am there. Time spent there is time wasted and lost. In terms of Creative Writing that is. In terms of Leveling up my Characters in Borderlands 2, the spot is the Bomb Diggity.

If I go upstairs and lay down on my Magic Bed of Insomnia… Another location for a specific something that Does Not Happen There. On the MBOA, I get ideas and thoughts of writing and the Creativity Flows like the Butthurt of Xbox owners who discover all their games don’t work on the new One.

The only Problem… No matter what position I get into or how I prop up the Pillows of Anti-Slumber… I can’t actually Write on the MBOA. Instead, I just get horny and send dirty Text Messages to my wife. So that doesn’t work either. Because then she comes upstairs and nothing get’s written.

You remember when I use to crank out Gun Reviews and scathing opinions of Things? All that writing I did was at a certain place in a certain location Gandalfo’s. A New York Style Deli in Vernal in a little shopping Strip next to a Smith’s Grocery store in Vernal. On my day’s off I’d go in early and sit at the second to the last table… the one that had a power outlet in the booth. I’d get a little sandwich and a large drink and I’d open the laptop… And I’d write. Like the runners in Chariots of Fire, the words would flow.

I need that sort of place here in NC. I need “That Spot”. I envy the hell out of Writers who can write at home. I can’t write at home. I tried. Every room, every chair… everywhere. And I can write nowhere. Gah! It’s frustration incarnate. I need to find a place somewhere relatively close by, that has a window view of the street and people, that’s quiet, that has a power outlet, and will bring me a cup of something caffeinated and cold every once in awhile without asking me or breaking my attention at my words. Gandolfo’s was awesome at that. I miss Gandolfo’s.

Uncategorized

Drone Hunting

11/25/2013 MadOgre 16 Comments

On AAR the topic of Drones came up. The use of drones for harassment, spying, and creeper pics.
I said my solution would be to shoot them down. If I’m on private property and a drone flies over, I believe this constitutes trespassing and spying. I believe I have the right to swat down the drone.
Now I’m not talking about high altitude Predators or Reapers… and neither were we on Air. We’re talking about the small QuadRotor types.
My first response on air was “Federal Black Cloud 3 1/2″”. A good shotgun shell for knocking a goose down. I thing it would knock a drone down too.
Trespass, invasion of privacy, spying, harassment, these are not things that have to be tolerated on your private property.
I see the use of them for honest reasons in law enforcement. But it needs to be done in accordance with the law. Warrants need to be had before they can come into a property and search… same rules should be in place for the use of drones. Also LE Drones should be marked clearly.
I can see the warrantless use over private property in some cases… fleeing criminal suspect… an active search and rescue of a missing person or amber alert. Or other extraordinary circumstances where the use is reasonably prudent to save a life. IE, you hear screaming or other sounds that lead you to believe a human life is in jeopardy.
Note: Corporate Espionage is a big business. Spying is a real and a growing problem.
Let’s say I sign an NDA with a gun company so I can test out a prototype weapon. I’m at a secure location, and have an expectation of privacy. A drone flies over and snaps pics of me and this weapon. Next thing you know the prototype is now on TV and I’m liable for breaking the NDA.
How many spy photos have you seen in car magazines?
The use of drones are going to cause problems that are going to have to be addressed in court.

Weapons

Shockwave Technologies Raptor Grip.

11/23/2013 MadOgre 8 Comments

This was one of those “What the hell, I’ll try it” sort of things. With a big “I’m glad I did” sort of results. I was in the market for a new stock, but not exactly for a pistol grip… so I’d likely have passed this up until our friend Ryan Horst at Tannerman’s Trading Company offered this to me.

This is a synthetic product that is reminiscent of the results of the old school mod of chopping down a standard wood stock. It’s got that look and feel, but with a better finish. Compared to some other pistol grip, or Breacher grips out there, this has a better look and feel. Better in that it looks more traditional. It is both solid and comfortable and during recoil, it feels more comfortable than most standard pistol grips out there.

Mounted on a standard factory Remington 870 HD model, it helps make for a nice compact Home Defense weapon. It begs to be used on an SBS or AOW shotgun. The Raptor Grip is not for everyone. The purpose is more specifically CQB in tighter areas, or for where you need to transport a potent weapon in as compact a package as possible. This isn’t for any Duck Commanders out there.

You can see it removes a lot of length from the weapon, while keeping a legal OAL. Any shorter here and I’d have to be doing some ATF Paperwork.

Available from Shockwave Technologies. For the Remington 870, NEF and H&R Clones, and IAC Hawk shotguns. Also available for Mossberg 500 and those related shotguns.

Government

Richard Dryfuss on Guns

11/23/2013 MadOgre 3 Comments

Certainly a surprising Pro-Gun attitude from Richard Dreyfuss.
However the Shall Not Be Infringed, while shockingly clear, is misunderstood by Mr. Dreyfuss. Voting is a Right. Free Speech is a Right. Gun Owning and Bearing is a Right. Driving a Car, however, is a Privilege. There is a difference. Because The State has the right to determine who can operate a Motor Vehicle on public roads. Applying the same model to Guns means that Guns become a Privilege.
Also, he seems to think that SOME guns are okay… while OTHERS are Bad and should be locked up and controlled by someone other than the Owner. This is where things fall apart and shows that Mr. Dreyfuss has a way to go in understanding the very reasons for the Second Amendment.
Also, the Second Amendment is not written poorly, or vaguely. It is very clear. It’s just allowed to be argued because it’s rude to call someone ignorant of their own language. Let me break it down into a common interpretation for those in Portland Oregon. The Second Amendment says:
“Because we have to have a well regulated Militia, the right to keep and bear guns shall not be infringed.”
Because the people just had a war against a well regulated militia. It’s those Militias that are the worry… The spear point of a Government. The people need guns to keep the Militia and the Government in Check. Notice how the Second Amendment mentions Militia, but doesn’t mention Self Defense or Sport or Hunting? Because those things are a Given. Taken for Granted like growing vegetables and chopping wood to get ready for winter… Everyone did that because that was the way of life.
And regardless of the interpretation because of bad English skills… the last sentence is absolutely very clear. SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED. It’s not “Shall be Debated.” “Shall be Regulated.” SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED. Period.

Government

JFK would be ashamed.

11/22/2013 MadOgre 3 Comments

Training

Zimmerman’s Clownshoes

11/21/2013 MadOgre 17 Comments

There is something definitely wrong with George Zimmerman.   The man isn’t thinking clearly.
His incident with Travon Martin shows bad judgment.   The actions were shown in court to be not illegal, but were not wise either.
Then the incident with his wife… bringing his girlfriend with him to the house. Again, drastically unwise. And now with this girlfriend – pregnant girlfriend. Allegedly pointing a gun at her and throwing her out of her home while she’s on the phone with 911.
GZ has a problem with his decision making process.   The part of the brain that does the Threat Assessment processing clearly isn’t working.   Cost vs Benefit.   Actions vs Accountability.   None of that seems to be working in his head.
One incident (The Travon Martin one specifically) doesn’t legally effect the other… remember that GZ was found innocent by law. However there is the big picture that shows a pattern of poor judgment. Which will be used by the Anti-Gun Main Stream Media against gun owners. Poor judgment isn’t a felony on its own.   If it was, 90% of Congress would be behind bars.
This is important because the media is branding GZ as the Self Defense Poster Boy. In the eyes of the Media, he is the example of the Stand Your Ground law and arguments are going to slide in that direction.   Any self defense case that can be, will be compared to GZ. To counter that in the court of public opinion, either in conversations at work or online, you need to be armed with some truths and other examples… better examples.
Allow me to give you a source of good examples.
Lessons from an Armed America, by my good friends Mark Walters and Kathy Jackson. Cases of self defense, all documented, showing how guns save lives.   Join the USCCA, get the Concealed Carry Magazine. Such stories are in every issue. Read them.
Also, watch the news and look at the cases where good triumphed over evil because Good was prepared and armed.
We can’t let the opposition use one guy as an example of how gun owners are… that we are all like GZ. We need to show that WE are the Main Stream America. We are the norm. When GZ comes up, turn the conversation to another example of Self Defense in the right.

Weapons

Since I was 17 years old…

11/19/2013 MadOgre 15 Comments

Since I was 17 years old, I’ve consistently said that “They need to build an M1 Carbine that fires 9mm and feeds from a regular pistol magazine.” I think I’ve said this on just about any gun forum I’ve talked about the M1 Carbine on.

And now, finally, many many years later… Someone has done just that. Using common and easy to find… and cheap to acquire, Beretta 92 Magazines. I’d have rather Glock, but barring Glock, Beretta 92 is the next best choice.

I love this idea. I’m completely jazzed about it. I’m looking forward to seeing many modifications to these… all manner of custom work. The thought of one of these in a Paratrooper configuration just makes me weak in the knees.

Some will ask about the Company. Citadel. These guys are in the Philippines… state of the art facility. And have put out some very decent 1911 pistols for very reasonable prices.

I’m unsure of the state of that facility now, giving the disaster that has befallen the Philippines with that Super Hurricane that almost wiped the whole country off the map. But here’s to hope.

Mad Ogre