End of April

 

April  30th - Guys, I am TIRED.  Today was a long day.  Too many things going on.  Tonight I went and shot an IDPA match... first time in a LONG TIME for this type of match.  I did better than I expected, but not as well as I would have liked.  And really not bad at all for not being able to see my front sight post.  Still, It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed it a great deal.  To be honest, I think the 1st stage's courses of fire were somewhat retarded, and took up a lot of time for unnecessary exercises.  Fire 3, reload, holster, Fire 3, reload and holster etc.  I was almost expecting the range officer to say something like "Okay, on this stage take 3 mags and when you hear the beep, juggle them and then do a tactical reload..."  Stages 2 and 3 were a lot better and a lot more of what I think IDPA is all about.  I enjoyed it a great deal.  Again - I need to get some Ashley Outdoors Express Sights put on my gun.  If I go to the 3Gun Tactical Match without those sights, it will be a disaster.

I also traded a knife for something different... a knife brand that I never thought I would get.  Buck.  This knife make me laugh. The thing is a TANK. If the M1 Abrams was a folding knife, this would be it. The Buck Strider. The blade is like a railroad spike... thick and heavy. No tanto point has ever been this strong. You could stab Chubham Armor with it. You fire this thing out of a 120 MM smooth bore.  The thing is TOO TACTICAL. So much so that it is a DISASTER of Ergonomics. The grip is too grippy, the clip is too secure, the lockup is too tight... its too much. This knife is an odd duck that is for sure... It's G-10 and ATS-34, but its chunky. Its short and fat... The lock up, for a liner lock, is like the top hatch on a submarine.  This knife is about as sensitive and delicate as HULK HOGAN but with out the flair. The point is less Tanto, and more like Metal Chisel. Not a Chisel Point like an Emerson Knife... I mean like a Cold Chisel from your High School METAL SHOP class.  In a nut shell, this knife is ONE TOUGH BIATCH. Like the worst MOTHER IN LAW EVER. This thing is a PANZER.  The cutting edge is sharp... not the sharpest... not like a new Spyderco kinda sharp - but sharp enough to do a lot of cutting... Man, this knife is just STRANGE!  The guy that designed this knife must have designed the HUMVEE.  In the morning I am getting out the DREMMEL and removing the square corners around the scales.  There is no way I'd pay for a knife like this. I have no idea what you do with it. It's not like BadGuys go around in platemail armor these days. But its just such an odd thing, I had to trade for it. I still don't know why.  The knife is new and unused.  I have not even tried to cut anything with it… I’m all out of rolled steel armor to test it on.  I’m not even sure what I am going to do with it.  It aint going to be my carry knife, that’s for sure!  I have my Kershaw BOA for that duty.   Maybe I’ll E-Bay it off and use those funds to get my gunsights.  I don’t know... too tired to think straight.  I'm going to bed.

In the Weapons Section I have added my Top 10 Handguns list.  Also, for the geeks, I have added my Top 10 PC games list.  For those that don't like my choices. Go make your own list.  If you really feel like you have a better list, let me hear it.  We'll do a comparison. Note.. I'll only post the best response for each category, guns and games. 

I also just archived everything from the 16th to the 25th.  It was getting too long.  300 second download time on a 56K connection.  Too long.  I try to keep it a lot lower than that. 100 to 200 seconds.  Oh well.  It my site, and I only update it for my own amusement, if its too slow, that's your problem  Get Broadband. 

April 29th - Here is what I have on the .32NAA Guardian.  It's pretty much a recap of everything I've already said about it, with some new info.  This is one hell of a good little carry gun.  I wouldn't feel too bad packing it in most situations, as long as I didn't have to face down "Mongo The Wonder Tongan" again.  Of course I wouldn't want to do that again armed with anything else other than a Lightsaber.  

Hey Spectre, I dropped you a Benchmade  M2 Mini AFCK coming at you via Priority Mail.  You should get it by Wednesday or Thursday.  If you don't get it, some Enlisted staffer working the HQ just snagged your knife. 

Lots of errands going on today, including the final testing work on the Guardian.  Then the articles to write.   Not a lot of time to do any updates.  Here is something that will occupy you until I can get back. WARNING:  That link is to a Legos shockwave game.  God help you if your at work when you click that link.

Oh, here is something else interesting that I'll throw out to you.  If your a car nut with a spare $125K sitting in a bank account with nothing better to do than earn interest... You might want to look at this: The Mach 5.  Speed Racer's Mach 5.  Not a one off custom car... but a limited run production car.  Racer X now has the chance to get one too.  The Highway Patrol surrenders.  You can buy one if you want it... Not a bad build.  It's based on a Corvette platform, which isnt a bad choice, but the wrong choice.  The Mach 5 was a ricer.  The platform should have been an Acura NSX. 

April 28th - The weekend draws to a close.  This is a sad moment to reflect upon because my family and I had a great time.  We went up to Sage's place and shared his birthday along with Taunia's.  It's sad that we have to begin the drudgery of a new week.

Kudos go out to James Bunten, who this weekend earned the coveted recognition of High Rifleman for the Utah Army National Guard.  WAY TO GO JAMES!!!  (aka Pvt Pyle on TFL)

Tenacious D has done a video of the greatest song in the world "Tribute".  It is awesome.  The D Rocks.  If your not up on the D, you have to go check them out.  Jack Black and his brother Kyle rock to a shockingly high degree. Wonder Boy was good... we all know that... But "Tribute" IS the greatest song in the world. 

Okay, you guys are probably wondering about the .32 NAA Guardian, and think I'm stalling.  Well, I'm not.  I have just not written anything down just yet because I am not finished with my evaluation.  I have some opinions from some other guys who I showed the gun and cartridge too: "That is so AWESOME!", "Interesting... Very Interesting,", and "Whoa."  Needless to say all the impressions were positive.  Including the comment "Oh, that's cute, the Japanese miniaturized the .357 SIG."  More on the .32NAA tomorrow.

Email from reader:  “Just found your site while looking up info on the Kimber.  Nice going! Anyway, keeping it short and sweet I have a problem with most rental handguns (Glock 9mm/.40, Sig 9mm, HK 9mm. Walther P99 9mm, Kimber CII all with 4" barrels)  I pull the shots down and to the left.  Some of them I am all over the place (even my brother who shoots pretty well is all over the place with them).  This was with the cheaper box ammo, Phc or something like that.  Some guns I do much better with like the Walther and Kimber.  Is it me or the guns?  (I think my low shots are totally my fault. I don't understand why guns sights are set so you have to cover the bullseye instead of leaving it right above the sights how can you see what your are trying to hit if the sights are covering it? How do you know your not too low?  I might just buy a gun so I can sight it the way I like it.)  Are all those models just inferior to a type 1911 and I should just give up trying anything but the old tried and true or at least a 5" barrel?  Also, what do you mean when you said that you should buy the gun that the sights are in the middle or low but not high when sighting on a wall?  Thanks! Hal in San Jose, CA”  Thanks for the email Hal.  About the shooting… It’s you.  Don’t take it personally, there are many variables going on but off the cuff let me make two guess that combined result in most of your shooting issues.  #1, your Anticipating the recoil and are actually pushing the muzzle down the moment the trigger breaks.  This does a lot of bad things to the group.  #2, you need to relax.  Your physically stressed on the firing line and although you may feel comfortable, are probably a tad bit shaky once you raise the gun up to fire.  To cure these 2 issues you need to work on a few fundamentals.  Breathing, Sight Picture, and Trigger Control… and of course, Relaxation.  Forget that you are firing a gun, breath deeply and evenly… and enjoy the process.  Shooting handguns is a hard thing to do.  Hence the accomplishment of doing it well.  If it was easy, everyone would do it.  It’s the HARD that makes it great.  Now that I am done quoting Tom Hanks in “A League of Their Own” I can continue.  I suggest some time spent on Dry Fire Practice, followed up on some workouts with air pistols, and then .22 target pistols.  The goal is to get ingrained in the basic handgun shooting fundamentals.  Then you apply that to shooting the gun of your choice… Walther, Glock, whatever.   As for the gun’s sight alignment,  That can be changed to whatever you prefer.

Email from reader:  “Hey Ogre- awesome site! I also really like the Fatboy Slim/Chris Walken video....I did read somewhere however that Walken started out as a dancer- may years ago ( I think he's now 60 or 61) Maybe they wanted some "rusty moves" for the video!  How about Walken’s creepy portrayal of a mafia Don in "True Romance"?  Keep up the great work!  Ed "parmasan" on TFL”  Thanks Parmasan.  I’m glad you like the Ogre’s Den.  Interesting thing about Walken.  I never new that.  What about his creepy Nam Vet bit in Pulp Fiction?  Never look at Gold Watches again the same way again…  Question:  Has Walken played any roll that wasn’t creepy?

Email from interesting reader:  "Dear Mad Ogre, Cool Site. Check out here for some hard core history.  HE Robert Hertner, The Republic of Texas' Ambassador to Europe"  Thanks.  I'll look into it.

I was talking to my Bro-In-Law Mike yesterday, about different things.  When all the sudden he has an epiphany that I should go to work as a factory rep for a gun company... He even reviewed my qualifications for such a position and declared me a Perfect Candidate for that position, regardless of the company.  Nice.  Two things, Mike.  #1, Duh.  The problem is that these cats are not hiring and when they do, they don't advertise for it.  You have to know someone on the inside who is doing the looking.  I don't know those people.  #2, regardless of the position or pay, I will NOT work for HI POINT Firearms.  No Way.  Mike then explains to me that he knows someone in with one of the local companies.  Cool.  I hope it pans out.  But I wont hold my breath.   Mike is a very cool guy.  I'm lucky that I like all my brother's in law... Even Matt, who married The Beast, aka, my sister (by blood) Shannon.  Mike is one of those guys that is liked by everyone... perma smile on his face, and always in a good mood.  You can't help but to smile when your around him.  Thanks Mike.  You rock bro.

April 26th - Rob Zombie, one of my favorite rockers is taking Mazda to court.  Go get them Rob!  You see, Mazda used his music.  Mazda didn't ask to use his music.  Mazda stole his music for a truck ad.  The Zombie is just kicking back at his home, watching some TV.  All the sudden he is hearing his music on TV.  Hawking a truck.  Lots of heavy metal is used in advertising these days.  The Navy is using "Godsmack" now.  Why not Zombie for a truck?  Well, for one... Mazda should have asked.  They didn't.  They just ripped it off.  So Rob calls his legal squad.  Mazda, they act like dicks.  They don't want to talk.  They act like asses.  No settlement.  Fine with Rob... See you blowjobs in court.   I'm all for pirated music... It's just me, listening to a song for about 2 minutes.  No harm, no foul.  Mazda on the other hand, didn't just have one employee rip it from Napster and wear his headphones while working at his desk designing the next Mazda vehicle that will suck.  No... Mazda goes and throws Zombie's beats out to the world in a huge ad campaign for those lame trucks.  That sucks even worse than the trucks do.  Don't tell me about Mazda trucks... "Oh, I got one and its the bees knees!"  Stuff that noise.  Back in my college days I was hawking used rides at a lumpy dealership.  I had 4 Mazda trucks that I couldn't give away.  Every other truck... rolled in, rolled out.  Every truck except the Mazdas.  Hell, the Mitsubishi trucks sold better!  Even the minivans sold better.  Even a Subaru Justy, after sitting forever on the lot, rolled out before those Mazdas did.  I final got rid of them.  After 7 months, I sold 3 to a parts supply outfit needed delivery trucks. The last one I traded off to another dealership (along with 2 Geo Metros) to help secure another ride (Lincoln) from them that I was able to sell for a killing.  Anyways, just goes to show you... Mazdas suck.  Kudos to Rob.   His vibe slams.

Fatboy Slim's video that features a dancing Christopher Walken has been named "Best Video Ever Made".  I don't know about that, but I do love the video.  Best video ever might have to go to David Lee Roth for his "California Girls" video, but that's another story.  And a satire story as well.  We all know Walken.  Dogs of War, Dead Zone, Sleepy Hollow, Suicide Kings, Mouse Hunt, and many other movies where he plays a stone faced creepy person.  You gotta love Walken... he has a very unique style about him.  First time I saw the video, the reaction was a big "WTF?"  My Mother-In-Law saw the video, didn't know who he was, but laughed at the dancing.  Mrs Ogre tells me that they combined no less than 5 dancing styles (maybe more) in putting that dance together.  Walken is no dancer... but he does a great job.  Part of the shock effect.  Who knew that the Master of Evil had chill moves?  BTW, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but since Dave Thomas died, Christopher Walken took his place as Head of the Dark Council.  Just thought you should know.  Don't tell anyone I said that.  Thanks.

Got a new knife in the mail... The Kershaw Vapor II designed by Ken Onion.  Sweet knife.  Very sweet.  The price is unbelievable.  A set of wood grips.  Killer deal.  This knife will be the perfect match for a photo image with the Guardian pistol.  Smooth, scary sharp, well made, and with very good lines.  Ken Onion is almost as good of a designer as I am.   This image will go with a short article that I'll write for SWAT magazine.  

I throw out a beef stew recipe and get tons of email requesting Mrs. Ogre Beef Stew.  It's cool.  Mrs. Ogre is at school teaching dance and stuff... I'll have her write it down and we'll send that out later today if we have time.  I'd answer, but then it wouldn't be her stew would it?  I'm not sure what she does.  All I know is that everything is chopped big.  Big chunks of veggies, big chunks of steak.  You eat it with a serving fork its so large.  Yeah, that's what's for dinner.  Don't tell her I said this, but to your bowl, toss in a dash or two of Tabasco sauce.  Just right.  Okay, for those interested, here it is.  Stew is are a simple thing.  This isn't some fancy recipe from some far east gourmet.  It's home cooking.  It's good hearty food.  "Gut Wadding" as I call it.  Fill you up.  Good desert with it is a peach pie with some butter pecan ice cream on top.  What wine do you drink with it?  How the hell do I know?  I don't drink wine.  Coke is a good beverage with it.  Drink a coke, sit down, smile, and shut up.  Don't make me break out my personal recipe for Enchiladas.  That's a private reserve.  Let me just say this, I prefer it to ANY enchiladas that I have ever eaten at ANY restaurant. Seriously.  Maybe next week, if I'm in a giving mood, I'll share.

New stupid site of the day.  Domo-Kun Dance.  I have no words.  It's just farked.

To answer a question:  Yes, I will write some more Star Wars articles.  After Episode two rolls out or when I have seen enough hype to make a valid take.  I may even send it to Echo Station, just for giggles.  There will be some takes on the weapons and fighters and stuff.  There are some tanks again, so that will have some comments.  Let's just see the show, Okay?

Darwin Award Winner - Faulty Aim Fatal.   2002 Darwin Award Nominee confirmed True by Darwin:  (7 March 2002, Colorado) When Gerald was pulled over by police for erratic driving, he decided it was better to flee from the stolen car on foot, rather than face possible jail time for a parole violation. This was the first of two successive mental lapses. Gerald's actual thoughts are unknown, but *may* have been something like this: "The officers are only suspicious and alert now... I'll make them hot, sweaty, tired, and angry by leading them on a wild chase through dark alleys and fields." During the subsequent foot chase, Gerald attempted to dissuade officers from the pursuit by firing a 9mm Ruger semiautomatic handgun blindly over his shoulder. This was the second illustration of a potential mental deficiency. "Officers are running behind me. They have guns. I have a gun! They have eyes in the front of their heads, so they can see to aim at me. I don't have eyes in the back of my head, so I'll fire wildly behind me and see what happens!"  Unfortunately, Gerald appears to have been one of those folks who can't chew gum and walk at the same time. Or at least he couldn't flee and fire at the same time. While discharging the weapon over his shoulder, Gerald managed to shoot himself in the head with his own gun, bringing the chase to a sudden conclusion.  Four shots were fired, none by the officers, who found Gerald's pistol next to his fallen body. Gerald was transported to a local hospital where he expired the following day, thus removing a set of genes deficient in both judgment and coordination from the gene pool. 

Alienware - Ultimate Gaming PC  ALIENWARE computers.  Very cool.  Tons of mojo.  Good positive alien karma.  Buy one.  Just think how sweet those beasts would be running Linux!  To quote Neo:  "Whoa."  If you can't handle the power, you could just get a Dell.  Funny, the things that go with Dell... Ironic.