Automotive

Winter Ride with Moose Ears.

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Okay, so the KTM is so far doing just fine in the snow. Save for the small “Endurance” LCD dash/trip computer… which died on me. So I have no speedo or Odometer… which is no big deal.
The bike handles as I expected it too in the snow, or even a little better.  This is what I like about the KTM, the stability.   Other bikes, when they lose traction, just seem to say “Oh to hell with it.”  The KTM seems to fight to find traction anywhere.  Standing on the pegs, you can just let the bike squirm around under you, hunting for some grip.  The cold didn’t even bother me.  Thanks to the combo of the moose-ears and the long johns, it’s not so bad.

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This is a case of “If it’s stupid, but works, then it isn’t stupid.”  It looks stupid.  But it works.  Very well.  Normally on my ride to work I’ll lose feeling in my hands even before half way there.  Now, it’s not a bother.  The Moose Ears are actually my name for them… they are actually ATV Handlebar Mittens from an outfit called “Classic” that makes lots of ATV stuff.  Never thought I’d buy anything from them, as I don’t have an ATV.   But I was lookinat the ATV area of Basin Sports and was straightening things out there and I had this set that was the last pair and kinda in the way.  I thought “Hell, I should just buy them to get rid of them.”  And then I thought, “Hell yeah, I should buy them!”  The Mittens look like Moose Ears, so that’s what I call them. They are a huge help.   I’d rather have a set of Hippo Hands, as they are made for Motorcycles. These Classics are made for ATV’s. There is a difference. But the Moose Ears cost me 10 bucks, so I’ll call it good.

I am optimistic about my chances of surviving the Winter now. Every other Rider that I know of has now parked it for the remainder of the season. I am the only one left on two wheels that I’ve seen in the last week. I think I’m kinda nuts here… but then again, if certain things hadn’t happened that did happen, what would have happened was that would be driving a 2006 F-150 Crew Cab right now. Black. With a lift. Four Wheel Drive. And a heater. Oh well.
Uncategorized

The Hobbit

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Last night I took a couple of my boys to go see the Midnight Showing of THE HOBBIT.

This is a movie that I’ve been waiting for since I was a child.  I don’t remember when I first read it… exactly… but I remember that I was very young.  Before my family moved to Tacoma, I had already read it.  I remember living in Tacoma, going to church the first time and meeting the other kids… and I remember going home and opening The Hobbit again and started reading it for the second time.  I was… what 10?  Maybe?  I’ve read The Hobbit many times since. And The Lord of the Rings.
I’ve always enjoyed the cheesy, upbeat cartoon version too.  But The Hobbit has always been one of my very favorite stories.
So I went to the theater with much expectation.
I was delighted.
Peter Jackson took a great deal of care in making this movie… Bringing in bits of Tolkien Lore that might not have been in The Hobbit, but are mentioned in passing in other books.  Including The Necromancer.  Which was done in a fantastic way that I really liked, showing Radagast The Brown, and giving him a bit of a bigger role in the story.    On a side note, for the next movie, I really hope Peter Jackson throws in Beorn.  A little known character that wasn’t in the Cartoon and largely forgotten… a man that can change into a Bear.  Werewolf style.  Beorn fights in the Battle of Five Armies after the defeat of Smaug.
While I hate dragons… Smaug has always been the model Dragon.  He is intelligent, can communicate, but in the end he is a huge freaking monster that causes massive amounts of destruction on an industrial scale.  A monster, treated as a monster.  So far, the glimpses of Smaug, show that this is a Dragon done right.  And not completely freaking wrong… like some other movies.  Smaug is to Dragon what Bram Stoker’s Dracula is to Vampires.  They way they should be.  The set pattern.

The Hobbit has a lot of Levity.  Lighthearted moments throughout.  This is keeping with the Lord of the Rings precedent of showing Dwarves to be hard core Badasses, and funny at the same time.  In the story, all the Dwarves get caught up in snares all the time… you can’t have a pack of badass Axe wielding warriors getting clobbered all the time without some humor.  Tolkien didn’t write them out to be clowns though, and Peter Jackson found a balance.  The Dwarves were very well done.
Also done well were the Trolls.  Better than I had imagined them.

Peter Jackson… Thank you.  After waiting for this movie for so long… You are doing it right.

There are a couple things that I can pick on.  First, is the characterization of Radagast.  Bird nest in his hair, poop running down the side of his face… that was nasty and unnecessary.   Making him slightly touched though, explains why he was not used more in LOTR by Peter Jackson or Tolkien.  The dog sled chase with the rabbits and wargs was kinda stupid, and I didn’t care for that.
The other thing I didn’t like was the use the Giants.  While it was mentioned in The Hobbits that Stone-Giants were throwing rocks at each other for sport – across the valley – it’s not intended by Tolkien that they were made of Stone.  Or that they were the size of mountains.  Or that they were killing each other.  That’s not how I nor the Author imagined them.  Gandalf suggested to the Dwarves that they find a friendly giant to help them… but this isn’t possible considering Peter Jackson’s vision of them.  Small matter though, Giants.

 

Uncategorized

School Shootings

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Once again we see the Failure that is the Gun Free Zone.  Historically this concept has been proven time and time again that it doesn’t work.  Even in places were access to guns is limited, we see a report of a madman in China that used a knife to slash 22 children.

What we need is an Active Defense Measure.  We need our schools and other institutions to have people on staff at all times that are Trained and Armed.
We can not Educate our Children if we can not Protect our Children.

But this is not going to happen.  As a result of this new school shooting, you will be able to see a massive sweep to outlaw semi-automatic rifles, ban handguns, do everything they can to crush our ability to stand up to a tyrannical government or defend our homes.  This is the beginning of the end for American Liberty.

What the response should be, is that Every Responsible Adult be encouraged to pack a gun for defense and have access to a rifle.  Evil is not stopped by giving in to it or running away from it… and what we have seen today is truly Evil.  Evil that ran unchecked.

Our prayers are with the families of the dead and injured…

Weapons

New Carry Gun for December.

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December’s Carry Gun is a SIG 1911 Scorpion in .45.  I was lent it the other day and have enjoyed it so far.

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I like the subdued earth tones of the Scorpion series.  I don’t know if it is Flat Dark Earth or if it’s Coyote Tan, or if it’s Cream of Wheat.  I don’t know the difference in Hues.  But I do know that I’ve never seen any earth this color other than sand.  Most dirt is Flat-Darker.  But I guess Potting Soil isn’t a color OPERATORS would want on their guns.  But SAND looks better for a serious shooter.  Even if they live in the Pacific Northwest where Desert Colors just don’t happen all that much compared to Woodland or Jungle.  But Jungle has gone out of Style… everything is Shitty Desert now.  Anyways, the colors do work well in my area of Utah, which is Desert south of me and High Desert north of me.

SIG’s quality control in these 1911’s is fantastic.  They’ve been the best sellers for the store for a few years now, and I don’t remember having any of them giving us a problem.  I only remember sending 1 SIG 1911 back to the factory for a guy that was having problem with the slide not locking back… because it couldn’t possibly have been his thumb hitting the slide stop during recoil.  Even if that SIG did have a problem mechanically that wasn’t Magazine or User Related – This represents the best track record of any brand for the 1911 Industry.  Absolutely smokes the hell out of Kimber and Smith & Wesson.  When SIG’s compact gun can out-shoot my full sized Kimber, that is saying something.  And what it is saying is not complementary of Kimber.

The Scorpion has a nice set of Micarta scales with a matching Mag-Well.  I like that.  Packing it, well, a full sized grip with a Mag Well does make it rather long.  While I am not sure if it’s longer than the Beretta 92’s, it feels longer.   I don’t have a very good holster for packing this railed commander… I’ve never carried a Railed Commander before.  Huh.
The nightsights on this Scorpion are very bright and clear.
The trigger is excellent.
I’m not sure if I’m liking the DK style trigger… straight, no curve to it.  Compared to my Springer GI’s short trigger… I do prefer the GI’s.  But does the Short or the DK trigger help me put rounds into the target better.  I don’t know.  I’ve only fired relatively few rounds through the Scorpion so far.  And the Scorpion is indeed one seriously accurate pistol.

More about this gun as I get to know it.

 

 

Uncategorized

The Top 5 Women

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Evil Jim and I were joking about our Top Five’s on Facebook.  I said that Christina Hendricks was my #3.  We joked about them, and then I decided to go ahead and do a Top Five list.  Now, these may not be the most beautiful women in the world… but they just do it for me.  I’ll watch them in any movie.

1.  Jennifer Connelly.  I fell in love with her way back when the movie “Labyrinth” came out.
2.  Tabrett Bethell.  Her character “Cara” in “The Legend of the Seeker”.
3.  Christina Hendricks.  “Yosafbridge” from Firefly.  Mad Men.  Redheaded, full figured, no appologies.  The phrase “Special Hell” pretty much defines her.
4.  Jennifer Love Hewitt.  Soft and feminine, but with a strong character.  Just watch Ghost Whisperer.
5.  Monica Bellucci.  The goddess from Italy.  Need I say more?

 

Military, Uncategorized

West Point Drama

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West Point Cadet, only 5 months from Graduation, quits because West Point has too much Religion.
I smell some serious bullshit here.
Let’s read the Article… West Point is a tough school… people wash out all the time. This kid is just pissed he couldn’t hack it and is making a stink. West Point is a fantastic asset to our Nation, and this snot nosed brat wants to take it down? Not going to happen. Ah, there it is… He was denied a Commission. Mental Health issues? Obviously. So, there is no beef here. He’s quitting because there is too much religion, not that he wasn’t going to become an Officer. Yeah. That’s it.
5 Months away from Graduation too. That shows a drastic lacking in strategic thought. All that money for his education – WASTED. He could have graduated, Commission or not, few men get to put GRADUATED WEST POINT on their resume. Going out like he did – I’m very pleased this person did not get a Commission. He’s shown a very large hole in his character where Honor would be. The Religion thing is just an excuse, and not a very valid one at that. Thank GOD he will not be a Leader.

Weapons

Unpossible!

5 Comments

There is a certain outdoors oriented magazine that recently did a test on cheap rifles.  They took the most popular rifles that retail for less than 500 bucks, and did a quick and dirty accuracy test.

Weatherby Vanguard
TC Venture
Marlington X7
Savage Axis
Ruger All American

The results were than the Marlin X7 rifle handed it to all the others.  Drastically.  According to this test, the Marlin was much more accurate than all the others, showing a one hole group compared to the other’s patterns.

Okay.  I’ll buy that.  This Marlin X7 was more accurate with the Test Ammo than the others.  But they didn’t test other loads through the other guns.   Generally what happens is that one gun can favor one particular load more than others.  As is this case.  In spite of what this test shows, I’d much rather have a TC Venture or a Vanguard than the Marlin X7.
The Savage is at a disadvantage here.  At 299, it’s the cheapest.  But for a hundred bucks you could drop in a Timney trigger.  But it up to the 400 dollar range, still well within the test price range, and then you would have a very competitive rifle.

I’d like to see this test conducted again, with the Savage trigger swapped, and with a number of different loads tested for a more “Accurate” test result.  Because I’ve personally seen groups from the Vanguard S2 rifles and the TC Ventures that were just amazing.  I’ve also heard reports from more than a few Marlin X7 owners that these rifles are indeed shooters.  I can’t deny that.  One is from a source that I will not question.  I have nothing against the Marlin rifle here… But fact remains that this test was rather shallow and only skimmed the surface.

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