April 1st to April 15th
April 15th - Well, I just came back from NAA. I've exchanged emails with Sandy, NAA's President. While I was down there at NAA I had a little conversation with Ken, the General Manager. Ken was telling me that the .32 NAA has the same energy as a standard loaded 9mm. That is a very bold claim, considering that a standard 9mm FMJ has the ability to leap tall buildings according to 9MM purists. The guys at NAA are all very good people and Ken showed me into his office and handed me one of the .32NAA rounds. Just what you think it looks like. A .380 that is necked down to .32. It looks like a mini .357Sig. And if it does hit like a 9mm, then that rounds has a lot of potential. In his office there was about 8 boxes of this .32NAA... the familiar blue and white Cor-Bon boxes that is. He also showed me the other round... a .32 necked down to .25... but I was not impressed by that one at all. I'd have to look at the numbers and see what it can really do. Let's dust off my old Defensive Power Factor formula and see what this .32NAA load does: (For those wondering, DPF is a simple tool for making nothing more than a comparison between loads. That's all it is. The formula is bullet weight in grains, times caliber, times velocity, divided by 1,000.) 60 grain slug of .32 caliber at 1222FPS. This shows a DPF of 23.5. A standard 9mm loads: 9mm 115@1250 = 63.7, 9mm 147@1000 = 52.1 So Ken's claims that it hits like a 9mm is not quite accurate. You have the same velocity as a standard 9mm... but 1/2 the energy... due to a smaller and lighter load. But I think Ken was meaning velocity when he was talking to me. Comparing this load to other .32 loads, you do see an impressive increase in energy. In fact, for a mouse gun - it has good roar to it. The hollow points I looked at gave an impression that it would indeed make a good deep concealment option or as a second or third back up gun. This Friday I should have a press sample of the gun and ammo for some hands on testing. I’ll let you guys know what is up with that after some hands on.
This just in from Spectre who is out at Ft Lewis - "George, I think a KTOGer beat NAA to the punch. Does seem to prove the concept, though...Test bed was a modified P-32 firing a wildcat based on a trimmed .30 Carbine case, IIRC." Not only did it beat them to the punch... it out performs the .32NAA by about 50 FPS.
The Scorpion King. Just who's idea was it to make this movie? I've not seen it yet (and I don't think I ever will) but can make one simple prediction... it's going to suck rocks. Doesn't take much to foresee that. But it has all the elements required for epic suckage. A WWF star wrestler, a spin off of another flick, unknown actors making up the rest of the cast. I think I'd rather watch "Street Fighter" again... and that was painful. I'm talking pulling an arrow out of your thigh kinda painful. Whoever it was that thought The Scorpion King would make a good stand alone movie... that person should have all Thinking privileges revoked.
This just in from Shin Tao - "Scorpion King is going to ROCK." No, Scorpion King just has The Rock.
The Matrix Vibe. You guys have all seen commercials that Pontiac is pumping out about it's new car called the "Vibe" Let me tell you what that car really is. Under the skin is a Toyota Celica. This car was totally developed by Toyota using Toyota parts. If you don't want to buy a Pontiac (and I don't blame you) you can buy the Toyota version called the Matrix. The only difference between the two cars is that the Pontiac has some different sheet metal and it's arrowhead badge. These cars come with a pathetic 130 horse power engine as standard. Thankfully you can get the optional engine... a 180 horse power mill that is tweaked by Yamaha. (a motorcycle company working on car engines? WTF?) Don't expect any Celica-like performance. Looking past the Pontiac's incredibly ugly plastic body panels, what you have is a small station wagon that looks like a Micro-Minivan. The useful space in there makes it a viable option for those wanting utility, without a Sport Utility Vehicle. After all, this is based on a sports car and not a truck. There is an optional AWD version that you can order... but the good engine is not available as an option for that. How retarded is that? Well, it gets worse. With AWD, you don't even get the 130 horses... you only get something in the area of 112. That's just fantastic. Heaven forbid Pontiac actually has the balls to make an interesting car with some real performance potential. Heaven forbid you make a car that might be compared to a WRX. The Matrix version has a lot more going for it. You can get the 180 horse engine with an automatic transmission, and you can show your face after you park it and walk into your place of work. The Matrix looks like twice the car. Why is that? It has good looking sheet metal with out the gay looking plastic body parts. No mater which one you get, you still have a car that is overweight, underpowered, and with less utility than a Jeep Cherokee. I'm not sure what the point of it is... It isn't a performance car... It isn't a utility vehicle. Doesn't have the mojo of a PT Cruiser... and the Pontiac version looks like a mini version of the Aztec. Please puke over the side of this ride and not on me, Okay? I'd give this car, the Matrix version to my college bound sons... swapping apartments and moving assemble at home type furniture would be a lot easier with this vehicle than other cars. That ands the lack luster performance will keep them out of trouble. Of course, my sons wouldn't want one even if given to them new. My oldest has already told me he wants a Jeep Cherokee when he grows up. Smart kid. Anyone that makes a commercial that you can put a blender in your car and make "smoothies" while sitting in the drivers seat... needs to have his car privilages taken away. I mean, hell, we have enough problems with stereos, cellphones, and PDA's causeing enough distractions... Now we are going to be having people blending shit when they should be watching the road. Bottom line on these two cars... Avoid them. Seriously, if you see one on the road - avoid getting near it. You have no idea what that driver is doing in there with that damn blender.
One more thing - if your a guy that buys a Pontiac Vibe with your own money... You have no dick.
April 14th - Email from reader: “What is your opinion of the CZ97B? The idea of a semi-automatic handgun in .45acp with a ten round capacity is appealing. I'm not the sort who likes big rounds, because they (due to our magazine limit) tend to limit firepower. But I think ten .45acp slugs would do for any situation. I've heard the 97b is a bit heavy. Heavy as compared to what? Galland” All CZ pistols tend to be well made, reliable, accurate, and considered one of the most ergonomic designs on par with the 1911 and the Browning High Power. I've owned a CZ-75 in the past, and I can honestly say it is one of the best 9MM autos you can get. Right up there with SIG even. I've only handled the .45 version, not fired it. Yeah it was a little heavy - but comparable to other solid steel full size service grade autos. Check this out: http://pub69.ezboard.com/fczechpistols82792frm36 Those guys take to the 97 as a religion. Remember - it IS a full sized, solid steel gun... but that has some advantages. 1. It will last forever. 2. The weight of it makes it fire like a pussycat with even the hottest .45ACP loads. Set up properly, it can even fire the might .45Super loads, and Triton's .45SMC (Short Magnum Cartridge). If your not one to like big rounds... that is most likely due to velocity theory. If you like faster velocity, check out the 165 grain loads from Cor-Bon. They are very fast and quite snappy. If you want a good practice round, the 230 grain CCI Blazers are excellent for the caliber.
The Princess Bride - There is no other movie like that one. Delightful to all ages, and with more quotable one liners than any other movie. Remember, Men in masks can not be trusted.
From the shoot yesterday, I've been thinking of what I need to do to my .45 to get it fully ready for the Match. Now, I've already mentioned getting the sights done... but I have a couple other things I'd like to get done too. #1, is a full trigger and action job. The thing still feels rough after an uncountable amount of firing. Yesterday, I didn't have a single jam of any sort... not even ammo problems. (I was shooting the Blazer FMJ loads) Despite the lack of issues - I want some more insurance that one wont happen. Now, I also want something that is just a touch flamboyant. I'd like to get Ed Brown's full "Melt" job done to it. I was thinking of checkering or something... but really what I think I'll use is a set of regular Hogue rubber finger groove grips on it. Being totally honest with myself, I have always shot my best with those grips on the gun. As much as I fancy the exotic woods and ivory grips... Hogue rubbers let me do it better.
April 13th - This is unbelievable, Benjamin Netanyahu blasted President Bush today for being soft on terrorism. Holy shit... what the hell is Benny thinking? Bush? Are you kidding me? G W Bush? Gimme a break. Bush isn't soft on terrorism... YOU WERE SOFT ON TERRORISM! Your the SOB that left ARAFAT in power when you could have arrested him for terrorism YEARS AGO. Benny, your the one that could have improved the Israeli/Palestinian relations - YEARS AGO. No, Mr. Netanyahu, Bush isn't soft on anything over there in the Middle East, what your bullshitting about is that Bush hasn't sent US Troops into Israel and blasted the crap out of all the Palestinians for you. You can do that yourself. We already keep pumping you guys full of weapons and ammo enough to take care of your selves. So do it. Grow the hell up. "Hey Momma, I need to WIPE MY ASS... Can you come do that for me? No? Your soft on Shit!" This middle east situation is growing tiresome. No one is wanting to talk about it anymore. I don't even want to hear about it anymore. I personally think that every "LEADER" over in the middle east is a self serving jackhole that is just looking for ways to profit off the violence. Not sure what the racket is... but I bet it's life insurance.
I have the Utah TFL Gathering scheduled for the day. If your in Utah, head over to the west shore of Utah Lake. We are about 5 minutes south of some newish developed community... just south of a rock quarry... there will be a sign up. Come by and check things out. It's going to be a blast.
AFTER ACTION REPORT: The Gathering was a total blast... we had a lot of no shows today so the turn out was a lot less than normal... but the fun factor was just as high as ever. I had a great time. I took 100 rounds of .45 with me, but through some barter work I ended up shooting... uh... I don't know, a whole hell of a lot, that's for sure! Now, I did some shotgunning too. Thrown clays. I did much better than I expected. 1st 2 throws, I nailed them. From then on, it was hit and miss... but much more hitting than I though was possible. You see, I've NEVER been a shotgunner. I respect the shotgun as a weapon, and can use one... even used to own one. But as Quigley said, I've never had much use for one. Today, I showed a respectable performance for using an alien shotgun. Rifle... I still have some practice work to do - but I don't suck. I was always good with rifle... But I just want to hone that skill as much as I can. My 1911... I really have to get a new front sight post. I tried some fingernail polish on it... didn't work due to glare. *sigh* I want some damn Ashley Express sites. I came home and took a nice hot bath... wonderful way to sooth the muscles and get the grit off. This was really the longest I've been out and about since I got sick. I'm tired... but I'm getting better and stronger every day. Not too bad for a guy that almost DIED this time last month.
The O'Reilly factor is quickly becoming my favorite show on TV. The guy reports news and makes good points with good sense, and his takes are both pointed and hard hitting. He is like a cross between Rush Limbaugh and Jim Rome sans the jungle gloss. (if you don't know what I meant by that, give Jim Rome a google search).
I just learned that our family has a freaking castle in England. Okay, we might not own it still... but we built it. Alright, my ancestors have a lot of damn castles. They were kings and shit back then... but this castle has the coolest name ever for a castle. "Hawkstone Castle" is the one I'm talking about. I've studied castles... and know a lot about a lot of them. But to be honest I have never even heard of Hawkstone castle. A search didn't reveal any images of it, but I did learn what it is now. A Bed and Breakfast. How nice.
This country was founded on two things. Eating meat and war. We just sit around eating meat until we have to kill something.
Worst Movie Ever - 13 Ghosts. I went in expecting it to Not Be Good. Hoping that it was at least somewhat scary. I didn't expect it to be so horribly stupid and blatantly retarded. You know how we pay farmers to NOT grow so much of a crop... well... I think its time that the Government offer to pay a director to STOP making such a horrible movie. Seriously, dude... don't finish this piece of shit movie and we'll give you about 10 million bucks. Okay? Because if you do finish it... We'll have the IRS audit your ass for 5 years in a row, and then have the CIA kill your whole family leaving you broke, homeless, and loveless. Then we'll just kill you. Twice. Slowly. You'll take the cash? Good. Oh, and you can never make a movie again. Ever. Not even home movies with a camcorder. And don't even take stills either. Thanks.
Tech Idea. You know how you have surround sound and use 4 satellite speakers to create a 3D sound environment? Yeah, I know that is cool. But the sound fills the whole room. What if you could make that experience more personal? Just you can hear it and not disturb other in the room, listening to music or reading quietly. I'm talking headphones. 4 speaker headphones. 2 on each side. Small speakers resting inside a cushioned muff. 1 speaker in front of the ear, and 1 just behind the ear so that you create that same 3D sound environment. Is there anything like that out there now on the market? No? Damn. Let's see what I can do about that.
CNN had a story that old cars from the 70's are becoming cool again. The Pacer, the Gremlin, the Duster, and the Vega. Guys... let's drop the Retro shit here for a second. The 70's was the WORST decade EVER for American Iron. While the US was building the Pacer - Japan gave us the RX-7. Look, the Pacer and those other cars were not cool then. They are still not cool now. If you are driving one of them, please... don't think the car is cool. I can however give you a nod for keeping a POS actually drivable for so long. Especially if your the Original Owner. If you have this kind of old car and you still have an 8 track in the dash... and it still works... Shoot your self in the head. There are only a COUPLE cool cars from that era that are built in America. And your probably not driving one of those.
Best Movie of the week - Spy Game. Very cool. Lot's of twists and turns... some surprises... all very well done. Go rent it, rip it, download it... whatever. It's worth it. One of the best I've seen all year.
Best Show on TV? I don't know. Other than news stuff like O'Reilly... I have to admit I like the Sci-Fi channels "Farscape". It's often corny, but interesting and very well done. Characters are pretty good and the scripting is some of the best serial sci-fi next to Babylon 5. Of course that isn't saying much... almost ALL serial sci-fi totally sucks.
April 12th - Last night I was watching the O'Reily factor on Fox News. He had a couple college student on to give their takes about what's going on. One student was Jewish and claimed other Jewish students feel somewhat intimidated. The other student was an Palestinian who was totally freakish and said that the Jewish students DIDN'T HAVE A RIGHT TO FEEL INTIMIDATED! You evil freakish harpy bitch - Yes they do! If you guys would stop throwing rocks at them for just a minute maybe you guys would see that you are indeed intimidating them! She claimed that the are peaceful and that no one should be using violence... at the same time she getting all worked up into a frenzy and I swear she looked like she was about to scream "Jihad!" and pull out a dagger or something. The Jewish dude was cool about it... keeping a level head... saying that some Jewish students have had rocks thrown at them. She said "No they didn't". Whatever. Who are you going to believe? Then O'Reilly, you could tell he wasn't believing a word she was saying. She went on claiming that "All we want is for the US to stop giving Israel money." To which the O Man said "If we stopped, all the Arab nations would then wipe Israel off the planet!" She said "No we wont." in a manner like John Cleese caught in a lie... RIGHT. That is exactly what would happen and she knows it. O went back and talked to the guy again for a bit before he cut off... It was very obvious that even Palestinian college students (especially her) are just as completely psycho as those in the Gaza strip.
As screwed up as the above is... check this out. The family of dead rapper "B.I.G." is suing every LA official they can, along with police departments and chiefs. They are claiming that the police did not do enough to prevent his death. Poor guy got mowed down in a drive by shooting. That sucks. Seriously. He had a couple songs I liked, but I'm not tore up about it. Yeah, it was sad and all... but here is what is even sadder. The Police have no responsibility to protect you. That was the decision of the US Supreme Court. The Highest court in the country actually ruled that the police are not obligated to protect you! And now this family is throwing a lawsuit about that? Guys, get real. The only person that can protect you is YOU. This is why it's critical that every person that can legally own a handgun - SHOULD own a handgun. Not just own it - but CARRY it daily.
I think we all saw this coming. The Arab states are getting together prepping to over run Israel. Didn't they try that before and LOST? Yeah, they did. The Jews kicked their asses.
A moment of Zen. Just for you.
What ever you do - Don't trim your own bushes! If I was this guy - I'd rip all those damn bushes out of the ground and have a little bonfire. I'm sorry, but it's his property and he can do whatever the hell he wants to do with it. This fine is obviously the result of some bureaucrat with an agenda. Either that or this guy pissed off a city council person some how. Regardless of the reasons behind this... it's wrong. He can trim his own bushes if he wants.
Here is something rather chilling. We all know the Middle East is screwed up. Let's not forget that China is just a screwy and ready to throw down too. Well, one of the things China has said that it wants... is Taiwan. China is getting ready to pounce on it and claim it as there own. Well, the US says that we wont let that happen. This situation is the most dangerous to the US... It could very easily lead to war with China. China has been gearing up for this show down since the 70's. I think what would happen is that China will snake Taiwan and then we will have to try to liberate it. Talk about an ugly mess. This isn't an easy roll over like what we did to Iraq. China has the tools and talent to make this a very costly effort. Two countries we will protect at all costs... Israel and Taiwan.
Email from Reader: "You just hate the Palestinian people." No, I don't hate the Palestinian people. What I hate, is what the Palestinian people are doing. What they believe and what they are doing about it. If you are Palestinian, fine. I have no problem with that. If your a militant Palestinian that supports the terrorist actions that your people are doing over in Israel... then I DO have a problem with you. Here is another thing... There is no occupation. The land is not yours, never was yours. So you can just drop that noise.
Just now, another bombing in Israel. Another suicide terrorist attack by a Palestinian woman with a bomb strapped to her body. Again, the target was not Israeli officials or soldiers... just people. Again, a bus. There Palestinians are terrible. The news makes mention that these bombings are coming from a militant group that are taking orders straight from Arafat himself. Bin Laden is certainly an asshole... but Arafat is just as big of an asshole as he is... because Arafat has been doing this shit since the 50's.
April 11th - You have got to love Time Magazine's April 8th cover... with Yasser Arafat looking so cute and all alone. Poor picked on Arafat... nobody likes him. Wait a sec. When did we forget that Yasser Arafat is a fucking TERRORIST? Oh, poor misunderstood Arafat my hairy ass! The man has people strapping bombs onto themselves and blowing themselves up in crowded places! Some of these people are young ladies. In the April 8th issue of Time there are photos of TWO teenage girls. Young unmarried girls. Arafat is quite literally SACRIFICING VIRGINS now. The man is just sick. He is quoted as saying that he wants to be a martyr. Really? You do? The why don't you strap the fucking bomb on YOURSELF and become a damn martyr! You crazy sonsabitches are calling one of the young ladys that did that the Palestinian Joan Of Arc... Joan of Arc was Soldier not a Terrorist. She fought enemy soldiers... Not going around killing innocent civilians... You fucking idiots. I loath the Palestinian cause. It isn't a cause they are fighting... it's racial hatred of the Jews. That's why instead of attacking the Israeli tanks... they are blowing up busses full of women and children on the ways to the stores or on the way home from errands. That is just sick and wrong no matter what you damn issues are. That's not politics, that's not fighting for your cause... that's terrorism... and that is just wrong. Yasser Arafat isn't doing a damn thing to stop it either. Hell no. He is in fact promoting it among his people. He doesn't want PEACE. He wants all the Jews DEAD. He is more like Hitler than Hero. Fuck Arafat and Fuck the Palestinians. If your reading MadOgre and you support the Palestinians... then fuck you too.
Today is just boring...
Nothing
going on in the news that is worth commenting on and I'm just bored. So
just for the heck of it I wrote up some tips to answer a couple questions I had
regarding MechCommander 2.
Let me explain a bit about me and Battle Tech. There was a time when I was
recovering from an abdominal surgery... couldn't do much other than sit around.
Well my Bros had some Battle Tech things... lead cast miniatures. I
painted a couple for something to do and even played the "board" game.
Kinda like Chess but without the grid and with pieces you can customize.
I never really Got Into It but it became something I was at least familiar with
on the surface. So when these Battle Tech PC games come out... I like to
check them out. I still have not played Mechwarrior 4 yet, but I want to.
I've played all the others. It would be cool if one of these days they
made more of a roll playing version of Mech Warrior... more character based and
more customizable instead of such a railed FPS game. But that's just
me. Heck, I remember playing Crescent Hawks Inception way back when on an
IBM PS 2 machine with a killer 16 megs of RAM. That was a fun little
game... I liked it. Something like that, but more updated to today's
standards... that would be cool.
Martin's work on a new Onsite Consultants website is just awesome... I'll not spill the beans on it yet. When it is done - it's going to be so cool.
April 10th - Throwable Robots. Yeah, robots that you throw. Article in Wired magazine about them. Check it out. If you don't read Wired, I'll fill you in. Recon/Observation bots that soldiers and police can throw into a building and let the Bot risk it's neck scouting. It's a pretty cool idea but these little bots are rather limited. A small wheeled robot would have a hard time negotiating stairs and other obstacles. Nice idea, seriously. But the best Bot design is already out there and in fact its like 10 years old. I'm talking about a "Floater" Remember the old Tom Selleck Sci-fi flick called "Run Away"? The police were going to go into a house that had a hostage situation going on in there... if you could call it that. The police powered up a "Floater" and sent it in. The Floater was a very small flying robot that hovered about 3 feet off the ground. The floater transmitted live video to the police safely outside. The Bot was later shot out by a .357 Magnum... this just illustrated the real world value of a Scout Bot... the robot was shot - not a live officer. DARPA is developing these small robots for just such a purpose. However a small flying one that will negotiate the inside of a house or office building is not to my knowledge being worked on. The flying Bots DARPA is working on are too large - launching out of the back of a HUMVEE and not an Soldier's pocket. They are so large, and un-quiet as to be of a limited value as even a Pop-Up target for enemy gunners. Oh well... Keep working on it guys!
I just read about 3 dudes up in Canada that got into a little trouble. These guys stole from their employer. This is called shrinkage to business people... something budgets normally account for in the business model. However this company in Canada is Para Ordinance. Para-Ord for short. They make automatic handguns. These 3 scumbags had stolen a lot of guns... they were caught with 95 guns and over 500,000 rounds of ammunition. This goes a little beyond mere shrinkage. These guys are totally busted. If this was in the US, say in a city like Richmond, Virginia where they have "Project Exile" running... they would get 5 years for each gun. More for the ammo, but lets just talk about the guns... 475 years for these three. Consecutive. At best, if these guys could share the time... it would be over 158 years a piece. Sucks to be them! But this is in Canada. What would they be facing up there? I don't know.
In a gun rag I was thumbing through I read that Massad Ayoob gives a big thumbs up on the .357SIG cartridge. He goes over how he was talking with some homies in the Richmond, Virginia PD... the PD guys told him they have had GREAT results with the cartridge and have had 100% One Shot Stops that gave INSTANT incapacitation. Hey, that's cool... the problem is that Richmond PD has only had 7 shootings with the .357SIG caliber autos. The weather is quite often sultry in Richmond and the clothes are often light for most of the year. I'd like to see this survey from an area where it is a bit colder and the clothes are heavier... Like say, Madison or Milwaukee Wisconsin. Well, how about Rhinelander Wisconsin, one of my old haunts (for a short and very fucking cold) period of time. Of course there you would only be shooting at the Hodag. 7 is not enough to get me to change my mind about chamberings for my auto pistols. What the .357SIG is, is basically a .40 cal case necked down to take a 9mm slug. Simple enough... but the result is simply another fast 9MM cartridge. Same as 9X23mm, .38 Casull, or 9mm Magnum... Is one Fast Nine really any better than another Fast Nine? I don't think so... But .357SIG does have an advantage... being a "Bottle Necked" cartridge it has a much easier time feeding into the chamber. This means it has a natural tendency to be a more reliable feeding cartridge. The numbers on the .357SIG are generally around 1350 FPS with a 127 grain load. Hell yeah, that's not bad. Not bad at all for a 9mm. I'd rather not get hit with that myself. However why carry that - if I can carry the same gun chambered for .40? Let me fill you in on something... Cor-Bon and Triton both make .40 loads with a 135 grain .40 caliber slug moving at the same 1350 speed. So this .40 slug is going the same speed... but has a bigger frontal area and is heavier. You do the math and tell me which load is better. Or you can try to tell me that because the SIG cartridge has .357 in the name it is some how imbued with magic powers?
Best Optical Gunsight Ever: Trijicon's TriPower.
Handgun Control Inc has become the "Violence Policy Center". Old news... What is rather new is the new group within VPC called "Gun Industry Watch" This "Watch Dog Group" is a little more spooky than that. They are not just watching the Industry... They are also reading all the gun rags, and gun websites and forums. They are keeping track of contributors to these... making files... building profiles. They probably read this page too. If so, HEY VPC! FUCK YOU!
Ed Brown, custom gunmaker, needs to get his own ideas. His new "KOBRA" handgun features a "Scale" pattern on the gun to improve grip. It would be pretty cool if it wasn't already 5 years being on S&W's 945 pistol. Ed Brown just turned the pattern on its side and renamed it. Nice. It's a good looking gun for sure... but please... when it comes to creativity, look for inspiration elsewhere. I'm not bagging on Ed Brown... his handguns are TREASURES. They are probably THE BEST 1911s you can get. Period. And I am sure the Kobra is no different. But lets not take all the glory. Let S&W have a little credit. Okay?
Crossroads Mall in downtown SLC is losing 4 large stores. The company that owns all 4 of them say that pulling out is only a business decision, and that they blame the economy. Funny, they don't mention that Downtown Salt Lake City SUCKS. They don't mention the fact that it is too crowded and the parking is both scarce and expensive. One of the stores is actually just moving to another mall in SLC... one more "Off To The Side" of down town. Yeah, I love going to Crossroads and having to drop 10 bones JUST TO FREAKING PARK! I'm sure it was THAT economy that the company was talking about.
This just in from Shin Tao: Shin: It is the official Decree of the CHB that the Palestinian militants and their unthinking supporters are Eternally Condemned. Those of you who use the incident with the Phalangists as a permanent pardon for any and all acts of murder against Israeli civilians are Eternally Condemned. Those of you apologists for Palestinian terror are Eternally Condemned. It is the Official Ruling of the CHB that Israel has a right to exist. The CHB supports 100%, the IDF operations in the Palestinian areas. The CHB would like to point out that no country called "Palestine" ever existed, and that there is no "occupation". A country was formed in 1948 and many in the region chose not to be a part of it. This does not invalidate the existence of the State in question. The CHB would like to point out also, that much of the disputed territory was SOLD by Palestinians to the Jewish settlers. The Palestinians have not a leg to stand on. Israel is acting in it's national interest. The CHB would also like to invite the Bush Administration to Fuck Off with respect to the current crisis. It is the informed opinion of the CHB that the Administration's condemnation of the Israeli Offensive is a ploy to gain favor with the Arab States and win support for military action against Iraq. Betraying Israel and practicing such Grand Hypocrisy is unbecoming to a head of state. Long live Israel and the IDF! Amen.
Ogre: Also note – When the country was formed over 60% of the Palestinians living in the area moved away in protest. Then there was a little war in which Egypt, Syria, and Iraq helped the Palestinians in attacking Israel in an attempt to reclaim the land. Here is the kicker… The Jews KICKED ASS and the plan didn’t work. Something that isn’t said is that in that arrangement that created Israel, also created an area for the Palestinians… but they help they received… those other countries TOOK and DIVIDED the area that was for the Palestinians! If those Palestinians are to be pissed off at anyone... it should be directed towards those other Arab nations!
Shin: All true. I can not abide any support for the whining, filthy, Palestinians. The IDF needs to throw up a great wall between them and obliterate anything that crosses. Some type of automatic system like a mini Phalanx running off IR/motion and operating a 5.56mm Gatling would be good. Make a few hundred of them and set them up without a word of explanation. They'll figure out what they do eventually.
The job hunt continues. I've made applications for several very good job openings this last 7 days... Jobs right up my alley. Yet nothing has come back yea or nay on them. I'm just anxious and stressing out I guess. When I became unemployed, I had no idea I would remain so for so long. I lost my last job back in January. Why have I not found another yet? It's not that I suck... No, I am very good at what I do. It's that there is so much competition out there for the jobs I am going for! It's insane. One fellow I talked to during an interview said that for the one opening they had over 1500 responses. I was #2 on the list. Another job that I really wanted... again, 500 people applied. I was #2. I know this because they told me that straight up. "Look, you are really great, but you got edged out by another candidate." Nice. Look, being #2 out of 1500 isn't bad. The problem is that THEY ARE ONLY TAKING ONE GUY! DAMN IT!!!!! Second Place SUCKS!
"I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend." J.R.R. Tolkien - The Two Towers
April 9th - The one thing all of us Americans have in common. The DMV. I had to go get my DL remade due to a change of address that I made two years ago. The State had my new address, but my DL still shows my old... so off to the DMV. I seriously dislike the DMV. For some reason I am never very comfortable in a purely governmental place where I am totally at Big Brother's mercy. Now, I remember back in the good old day when you had a new DL made, they handed you one fresh and hot off the laminator. Now today, I didn't get that. Instead I got a little slip of paper that looks like it came off a 8 pin Dot Matrix printer that says "Temporary License". Nice. "When am I going to get an actual card?" "Oh, about 3 weeks." That's just fuqqing GREAT. Is not the goal of any organization to improve service and reduce costs? How the hell is this an improvement? It only takes 1 minute to print a card and roll it through the laminator. Instead, they now have the cost of printing these temps, and postage. I can only guess what the cost of mailing out cards is.. cards getting lost in the mail... all that crap. Yeah - Thanks for saving me 1 minute of my personal time to MAKE ME WAIT FOR 3 FUQQING WEEKS! AAARRRGGGHHH I HATE THE DMV! There... I feel better now.
Something wicked this way comes... Martin White is brewing up a flash intro for MadOgre.com. Can't wait to see what he comes up with.
Man, this is a slow news day unless you want to talk about the middle east... and I don't. Not right now. Other than yesterday Arafat was faced with a couple Israeli soldiers. He put a gun to his head and threatened to kill himself unless the Soldiers backed up. I would have freaking stepped up. Go ahead! Do It!. Be My Guest! Arafat is such a joke. One hand he is talking peace and on the other he is telling his gunmen to make now agreements and keep holding out. Nice. Arafat, your a bastard.
I was watching Fresh Gear on Tech TV the other night and they had a story about this little Helicopter. You can buy for only 60 Grand. After you build the kit the company will teach you how to fly it. This is a very cool little helicopter. It runs on regular gasoline, has a built in computer that checks all the engines stats, and can fly at about 100 MPH. That's very cool. Never mind the fact that it's EXPENSIVE AS HELL, and takes "ABOUT" 300 HOURS worth of time to build. Other than those two little things, the kit is looking like it's actually very well done. If I only had 60 grand... No. If I had 60 grand, I'd spend it on some other things. BUT... if I was actually in the market for a small Helicopter, this would be a killer option. The little computer thing is cool. You hook it up to a laptop and it will tell you what the engine is actually doing... you can connect that via modem to the company and they will check it out and trouble shoot for you or tell you what is going on and what to do about it. That's cool. I wish automobiles would have this kind of thing. "Hmm, my Jeep isn't running right. Let's see what JEEP says about it." You plug it in... the engine computer downloads data and you can see it, or you can send that data to the Jeep Online Service Department. A couple minutes later you can an email back giving you the run down in English. "Looks like you need to change your air filter." How cool would that be? I'd still LOVE to have my own little helicopter. I flew one once... Okay it was really an Autogyro but it was still cool.
I wrote up a very short review of Vampire : The Masquerade - Redemption. Check it out if you like Vampires. Man, this is a slow news day. There is NOTHING really going on. I've no interviews, no appointments, no nothing going on today. I have my 2 youngest boys here with me while Mom is at school. But then again Nostradamus predicted this... that today I would be really really bored and will end up watching movies and playing MechCommander 2 and reading a book because there is nothing else to do and I am just trying to keep from PULLING MY HAIR OUT.
April 8th - Check out the new logo/banner. This was done for me by Martin White. A good Cat to work with that has massive creative mojo. He has some skills and he has some talent. If you need something done - Give him a shout. He'll do something up real nice for you. He has also done a couple banners for ConvergysSucks.com that will be put up soon.
The Barnes & Noble thing has really gone too far. I go walking in there to look for a book, and this freaky chick is SITTING IN THE DOORWAY. WTF is that all about? This female age 20 to 25 all decked out in duds that she thinks is giving her that intellectual sophisticated book worm sort of look. Instead she is just looking like a idiot that's sitting in the freaking doorway. I know it's the cool thing to be sitting around reading at B&N. I do that too. But generally I'll take a CHAIR. And if no chair is available, I'll go with a patch of floor that is out of people's way. I don't try to show off my bookishness by parking my ass in EVERY BODY'S WAY! It's kind of like cell phones and driving. If you have to make or take a call, you are supposed to pull off the road, right? Right. What you don't do is STOP and PARK in the middle of that damn street.
The Middle East situation is on everyone's mind right now. And if not, it should be. At least on the back burner. Everyone is picking sides and giving takes. Everyone is a pundit now. Everyone has the key to world peace if only the world would listen to YOU. Do I have the answer? Fuck no. This is a giant shit sandwich and eventually we will all have to take a bite. It's really an ugly situation. On the radio I heard a talk show where they are talking that we need to destroy all the Palestinian military so we can dictate our terms of peace with them like we did for Germany and Japan. The Palestinians don't have much of a Military force. And its not any Palestinian military that are the problem. What we and Israel are facing is something much different. The Palestinians have a personal, almost religious belief or so it seems, that they have to kill every Jew possible. They do this using terrorist methods. You can't bomb that. You can't shoot that. You have to dig it out. It takes a lot of time to ID the Tango Cells, ID the members, go get them, and then extract further information from them about other cells. There is no easy or fast answer to that. Israeli Intelligence is probably EASILY now the BEST IN THE WORLD with maybe accepting China. Anyways... they are playing the game there way. They are also playing it very well. One thing that they are not doing is going after Arafat specifically. And that is a good thing because they can't do that. If they did - they would invite the wrath of all the other freaking countries all around them to come pick a fight. This is why you can't just Take Him Out either. Or make him disappear. (But MAN, I would LOVE THAT!) Pissing off everyone is a good way to get your little country over run by tank from at least 5 other nations. What they are doing however is nailing every Palestinian target that they can... HOPING that Yasser is at home. "We killed Arafat? Dang. My Bad." I suggest arresting him and locking him up. That way he doesn’t become a martyr for his cause. Imprison that SOB and he becomes a tool for the state. (Well, he has always been a Tool) In a cell, he could actually become valuable to Israel. A poker chip if you may.
Cool site of the day. Putt Putt Golf.
April 7th - I just watched a movie that I enjoyed a great deal. This has become one of my favorites for some reason. Written, Directed, and starring SYLVESTER STALLONE for crying out loud. DRIVEN. This flick is in the vein of the classic racing flick "Grand Prix". If you liked that one, you'll like this one. I loved Grand Prix. If you love racing... you'll love Driven. I enjoyed it a great deal. Sly did a very good job... And surprisingly so did Estella Warren. She is the blonde chick from Planet of the Apes. Unlike that shitty remade monkey movie, in Driven she actually has lines on top of looking luscious. Okay... enough of that. I'm just playing around... Seriously, the movie rocked. Check her out... I mean Check it out. Yeah, that's it.
I got a nice little email that normally would have had a very short answer... but this one I got a little wordy on. Here is the email: "Ogre, Question 1: You got a recommendation for a concealable handgun? Revolver vs. Automatic, caliber, model, ammo etc. Question 2: I want an AK type rifle; I want quality & accuracy. I don't know from AKs. What's the best one available to us in the U.S.? - Steve" No Problem, Steve. About the AK. You want quality and accuracy and the best in the USA? Then you want a "VEPR II". The cats at Robinson Armament import these VEPR rifles straight from Russia as target rifles. They are built on the RPK machinegun receiver... Meaning they are tough, stable, and very well made. Milled from solid billets instead of stamped from sheet metal. You can check them out here: http://www.robarm.com/ In the green bar at the top of the page, click where it says "Quality Russian Made Firearms". You can get a VEPR II in 7.63x39mm, .223, or even .308. The VEPR K is my favorite... Especially with the muzzle break. Now, about the CCW handgun. That's a much larger question than it appears. For a new shooter and green horn CCW permit holder, my first recommendation is a Revolver. Here is a short list of candidates: Ruger SP 101. Taurus 650 CIA. Taurus 617 UltraLite Ti. S&W Model 386PD. Or, if you can find one, the old classic Colt Detective Special. There are other good candidates out there for this class. Don't discount the value of a Snub Nose wheelgun. In my police academy I took a S&W model 10 with a snub nosed barrel. I out shot the entire class with it. I was faster and more accurate with it than the other fellows packing SIGs, Glocks, and even a full sized Colt Python. Of those ones I listed above, my favorite is the Taurus 650 CIA. Take a look at one if you get the chance. If you want an Automatic, there are tons of good options. Just depends on the caliber your wanting and or your body type. (you have to be able to hide it) In .45 (my favorite caliber - Period) I like STI's offerings, The Ranger, the LS, the VIP, and the BLS are all very good. These are 1911 variants - a personal favorite of mine. In this class of gun, there are other good options. Springfield Armory makes a nice line up of Compact and Ultra Compact guns. Kimber makes some very good options too, but at a higher price. The Compact CDP II is AMAZING, as is the even smaller ULTRA CDP II. These little guns are just plain SWEET. If you can afford it - get one and you wont have a wandering eye towards other compact autos. A personal favorite if you can find one in good shape is the DETONICS COMBAT MASTER. It was the first super compact .45 1911... way ahead of its time. I had one and I really hated to sell it. If I had the cash, I'd buy it back with out even thinking twice. For 9MM, Colt made a clever little pistol called the POCKET NINE... but they are hard to find now. There is the SIG P225... very nice if you can find it. Or if not, the P239 is excellent as well. The 239 is a great little pistol that you can get in 9, or if you’re a more advanced shooter, .40 or .357SIG. The P245 is a good .45 option but a little bigger then either of these other two SIGs I mentioned. And of course there are the Glocks. The 26, 27, 29, 30, 33, 36... all worth of consideration - just pick the caliber you like. 9mm, .40, 10mm, 45, .357, and .45 again respectively. And then there is HK. The USP Compact series can be had in 9MM, .40, .357SIG, and .45. Again, pick a caliber. All are good. The most important thing about a concealed carry gun is to get one in a good caliber, that is reliable, and most importantly - one that FITS YOUR HAND. You have got to be able to be comfortable with it and be able to shoot it well. All these pistols I have mentioned... just a short list of guns to consider. You have to FEEL them. When you handle the one that fits you the best - you'll know it. Get that one. Oh, about the Ammo. For .45 out of shorter barrels I like to run 185 grain loads. 230 grain loads are a little too slow out of short tubes to insure reliable expansion. The 185 loads are generally faster and thus open up nicely. If it's a super short barrel I will sometimes run 165 grains. The bullet type its self is not that important... Gold Dots, Hydra Shoks, SXTs, XTPs... try them to find the one your gun shoots the best and use that load. Same thing goes for other calibers. The shorter the tube, the lighter the slug. For 9MM out of a compact, I'll generally go with a 127 grain load. For .40 caliber, I like the Cor-Bon and Triton 135 grain loads. They are running at or over 1300 feet per second. That's plenty of energy in those for any situation.
Which Colossal Death Robot Are You?
Listened to General Conference today. In April and October we Mormons have a general conference where we listen to talks given by our church leaders. Very good talks about faith and such that anyone of any religion could appreciate if they would actually listen. Very good talks today. Builds faith. Makes me feel better about everything. It was definitely an up for the day. My church is very important to me. A lot of people go out of the way to bash Mormons. Don't do that around me, or you might get bashed yourself. Physically. I don't care what church you go to, or not go to. Feel free to believe whatever you want. Seriously. It doesn't matter to me. I can accept and appreciate your faith... All I ask is for you to do the same for mine. I'm not the normal Mormon. I grew up outside of Utah... I had fallen away from the church and returned of my own choice. My beliefs are not going to be shaken by anything you would say... I've already heard it all. All the Anti-Mormon propaganda, all the biblical stuff... all of it. I've "Bible Bashed" with enough people, Priests and Clergy of other churches... Catholic, Prodistants, Methodists, Baptists, Born Agains, Jehova's Witnesses, and even Scientologists. Too me... Mormonism makes more sense to me. Mormonism gives me the most comfort. It's not just my Church. It's also WHO I AM. So, if your bashing Mormons, your bashing me. For that, I take it personally. You insult me, I'll kick your lily, nancy ass. The worst are the "Ex-Mormons". They can leave the church, but they can't leave it alone. They hold a special kind of bitterness. This is a type of HATE. If your into HATE of any sort... against Blacks, Jews, Gays, or anyone of a particular faith... then your the one with the problem. I don't care what your story is... it's just your excuse for carrying on with the Hate. I don't like Hate Mongers. You might as well be a damn goose stepping skin-headed Neo-Nazi. Look, Mormonism is , like it or not, a real Christian religion. We are not that different from other faiths... we just have some other things that most faiths don't have. Mormonism is often labeled a Cult. This is ironic. If you give a definition of "Cult" you quickly realize that your defining the Christian belief. So just give up that Cult noise. Your just making yourself look stupid with that argument. The United States owes a lot to Mormons. The expansion into the west... Mormons paved the way. The Gold Rush in California... Mormons were the one that made the find that brough so many more people out west that would not have come otherwise. In WWII, we had air superiority not just because of the planes, but by the guns on the plane. Designed by a Mormon. The lever action rifle - Mormon. The automatic handgun that we fielded in WW1, WW2, Korea, and every other conflict since... Mormon. Mormons have been there for other advances... in healthcare, science, automotive, communications... We Mormons have been there. Deal with it.
St George, Utah. We lived there once for a time. We loved St George. If I had a job offer down in St George... I'd go in a heart beat.
April 6th - Last night I defeated the MechCommander 2 game. Yeah, I played a damn game on a Friday night... I'm that lame. Hey, when your a broke father of 5, there are not a lot of party options. Anyways, so I have a take on that game now.
April 5th - Almost 150 years ago, President Lincoln found it necessary to hire a private investigator - Alan Pinkerton - for protection. And that was the beginning of the Secret Service. Since that time, federal police authority has grown to a large number of multi- letter agencies - FBI, CIA, INS, IRS, DEA, BATF, FEMA, etc. Now we have the "Federal Air Transportation Airport Security Service." Can't you see them now, these highly trained men and women in their black outfits with their initials in large white letters across their backs: "FATASS." I feel safer already.
Here is something that
doesn't happen very often. A home intruder is
repelled
by the owner who takes after him with a sword. Cool. Very cool.
One of my health problems is an acute ankle... It breaks easily. I've
broken it many times. One doctor I have talked to said I should be using a
cane to help take the weight off it. If I have to get a cane one
day... It's going to be one of those!
My wife is going to be PISSED. Angelina Jolie has been named by Vogue magazine as the worlds most Perfect Woman. She has this Bad Girl mojo going on that people just eat up. She has taken the place of Gina Gershon in that role... Gina had a good career going until she appeared in "Showgirls". Actually everyone in Showgirls had a career until they appeared in that truly crappy flick. Gina was The Bad Girl there for awhile... Best role she ever had was in "FACE OFF". Anyways, back to Jolie. Oh Boy.
Another reason why George W Bush is cool... He's bring OZZY into the White House! Now I have to admit that I have liked more than a few of Ozzy's songs, but do not consider my self to be a fan. Still, Ozzy is the Icon of HEAVY METAL. An old school hard rocker before hard rock was cool. In other news Bush grows a mullet and Ozzy bites the head off a live intern. The world is a very weird place.
I just submitted a little story to SWAT magazine. SWAT is asking for real life instances of conflicts and survival. What the hell. Go for it. You can read it here if you like.
I've got to give props to Scott Evans of Edge Works. For this 3-Gun Tactical Match I'm shooting in, Scott is sending me out his personal AR-15 Match HBAR. He is also throwing in a spare upper... a "Shorty" that he picked up on trade. COOL. Scott is a great guy. Former US MARINE that now makes holsters. His line of G-Code holsters simply ROCK to a shockingly high degree. Seriously... I have a couple, and wouldn't have any other kydex holster. They are simply brilliant. If you pack heat... get one. While on TFL for the past two years I have done a lot of bagging on the AR-15. So showing up to this match with me packing an AR-15 might raise a few eyebrows. Well, it shouldn't. I've never bagged on the AR's accuracy or ergonomics... just reliability and design. Accuracy and Ergonomics are what come into play during a shooting match. I'm not taking this thing into combat. The AR will do just fine.
For you TFL readers... I don't know what going on with the server. It's been down for me too. Please don't complain to me about TFL being down. TFL is a free board, not a service you pay for. Get real. Take this time to go out and do some shooting. Can't leave the computer? Check this out. Want something more gun related? Have you read Brian Enos's page? This link was sent to be by Larry Correia.
April 4th - What been going on since my last update? Well, a lot actually. As I have explained before, I have been very very ill. There was one point where, in all seriousness, I thought I was going to actually die. I was that bad. But very slowly I started to get better. Since March 21st I've been "UP" in attitude and in health. Yesterday I went to see my Doc and he himself was surprised at my recovery. My liver is now as healthy as ever... My allergy to wheat is gone... and I am regaining strength. I'm still weakened by the illness, but hey, last Sunday I actually played some round-ball with Mike. Mike is one of my Bro In Laws. He married my sister in law, Chey and is a cool guy. Okay, I wasn't playing basketball. We were playing "Horse". Just tossing the ball and talking smack. Miracles do happen. I only lost by one shot. Not bad considering he plays all the time and I haven't shot hoops in over a decade. For you Ogres out there here in Utah - Don't invite me out to play B-Ball. I don't do it. Unless your offering some steaks and cold drinks on the side.
Easter is a special holiday for Mad Ogre.
Forget the Easter Bunny. It's a celebration of him overcoming death.
His resurrection. One of his gifts to all of us... that along with
his atonement for our sins. Glorious day. Yeah, Ogre Believes.
Ogre has accepted Christ as his Savior. Ogre even went to Church last
week. Been too sick to do it all month of March but I finally went and it
was a good thing. Anyways, Easter Saturday everyone piles into 4X4s and we
head up into the Uinta mountains for a picnic and some fun. My 1st Bro in
Law, Sage is a huge Mountain Climbing, Rock Climbing, Ladder Climbing, Tree
Climbing... Anything he can climb... he does. Sage is a solid guy.
Good sense of humor, good nature... a lot of fun. Anyways, so Sage breaks
out the climbing gear because as luck would have it, the spot selected had a
huge rock face that was just made for climbing. He freestyles up the face,
attached anchors and everything for ropes and stuff. People got to go
climbing. No, Ogre didn't go climbing. I was still not up to it...
But others did. Kade did, Kenna, Chey, Pauni (Wife's Grandmother from
Idaho), Dacia, Havanna... Everyone had a good time. No one got hurt.
It was a good day. Oh, the other thing about that spot. Old Indian
burial ground. Seriously. Creepy. I wont go into that.
So last weekend was great.
Today, I just got back from a good interview. The position is Service Manager for Ultimate Electronics. One of my favorite stores. You go in there and dudes are handing you bottles of water and hot towels... offering you back rubs... just pampering you. Seriously cool people there and the store its self... just awesome. It really is Ultimate. I sat down on a leather sofa and watched "THE ONE" on DVD, played on a giant HDTV flat panel screen.... SWEET. While sipping on my bottle of spring water. Gotta love the place. Anyways, the position wouldn't be in a store - but in a little industrial place just off 2100 South in SLC... All 4 Utah stores have just one Service Center. The position is to run the Service Center. Cool job. Cool company to work for. I probably wont get it... Not because I am not qualified... Hell I got the interview, Dudes drove down from Boise to meet me... But I got the impression that they may have thought me too young. The three dudes that interviewed me were all older cats. Nice guys... but I'm not the type to want to go out golfing with these guys. I'd rather hangout on the sales floor and talk tech with the cats hawking the wares. Know what I mean? Anyways... needless to say... I want the job. If I can get it.
Check this out. Coming home from this interview today, I stopped by the AF Gun Range. I tell you, that place is going to go under. Can't fault them though... they have a piss poor location and the customer service generally stinks. The one guy that works in there is alright. Good old boy kinda guy. But the owner is some one of a prude. Does like to talk to you unless he knows you. Anyways, I walk in there and see this nice looking FNC up there on the wall. I ask to see it and the cat behind the counter is just surprised that I knew what an FNC was. Acting like he was all that... Guy finally admits he had never seen one before. Great. Your a big help. Folding stock, Removable scope rail, rifle grenade set up... the works. Less than $2,000USD. I WANT IT. It's that cool. They had something else in there that was just as cool. A Browning Hi Power that has a matching wood Stock/Holster. Serials all matched and everything. This had the tangent sight that reads out to 500 Meters and the T-slot in the grip so the stock can be fitted and you can shoot it like a rifle. They were asking $900USD for that. That's about right I think for the pistol... probably add another 50 for the holster set up at least. Anyways, needless to say, I want that too. Very cool. Pretty danged rare too. The Browning and the FNC. You don't see those in collections very often.
The lady from back east finally called me up again. I have that interview scheduled for the 16th of this month. The local company I'd be working for should I get the position is Larson Davis... They make gizmos that measure sound and vibration for industrial purposes... Not as "Cool" as Ultimate Electronics... but probably the better and more solid career move. (that and I didn't like the U.E. benefit package.)
Also while I was Off Line, I had some things going on... My Mother and Father flew out here for a visit. Always a good thing. I just wish my Bros back in Virginia would pony up for a plane ticket once in awhile and come out too. Mom was great... she played the Grandmother with style. She also spent a lot of bucks on my wife and boys. That was cool. And they got me some software for my birthday... and gave me a "PALM". More about that... My Dad doesn't know computers or technology. Bless his 1950's heart, he tries. He gave me a "daVinci" by some company called "Royal" that really should stick with making calculators. It's shaped like a PALM and from a distance and at an off angle, looks kinda like a PALM, but that's it. My take on the daVinci... save a few more bucks and buy a real Palm. Or save a few more and buy Compaq's handheld, the iPaq. Anyways... Never saw Dad more than a few minutes as he was running all over the state making his contacts with his people. Mom hung around for a couple of days and it was wonderful. She is a Saint. I love her. I just wish they would move back out here. My boys relished every moment with them.
One of the coolest things going on - I'm on the TFL Shooting Team. I'll be in the WC 3 Gun Match in Vegas this coming September. It's a 3 gun tactical match where I will be competing with handgun, rifle, and shotgun. More on that later.
Now for some serious news...
What the hell is going on in the Middle East? Are those guys just freaking NUTS over there? Now all the Arab states are wanting to stop selling us oil? Excuse me - but if you jackasses don't sell it to us - who are you going to sell it to? We buy like 90% of it! You'd be in a recession the day you stopped. Think about that for a second Abdul. You wouldn't be able to by seven more 2003 BMW M5s and another MIG fighter jet. Seriously people, this is reason number one we need to drill the hell out of Alaska. Forget the wilderness. Protecting the wilderness is going to cause us another fuqqing war. We need to be free of reliance on middle eastern oil... and that means pumping Alaska. There is plenty of oil there and in Texas and Eastern Utah and Western Colorado to power the US without the stinking middle eastern mess. PUMP ALASKA!
Yassar Arafat? What is up with that jackhole? Here is my take on him. I say arrest that SOB and put him on trial as a terrorist and lock him up in some forgotten cell and throw away key... and the cell. The PLO is a joke. They don't want peace. All these peace talks are bullshit. That and they are sacrificing virgins for The Cause. What cause? To kill ever Jew they can. Those people are sick. I'm for Israel. I got their backs. These Palestinians are some sick fuqqers. Putting bombs on their little 16 year old girls and having them go into a Jewish center of some sort and blowing them selves up. At least these people are taking themselves out at the same time. The whole middle east makes me sick. You people out there need to hold some damn hands and sing camp songs once in awhile. Make some SMORES. Make some tin foil dinners. Get along. You don't need peace talks. You just need to put the bombs down.
We read in the news that Bush is sending Powell over to the Middle East to broker a peace deal. Like this is going to be worth while. Sure he should send Powell. With General Schwarzkopf too. And the 82nd Airborne. And the 1st Armored Cavalry. And the Big Red One. And the 11th Armored Cavalry. And the 2nd, 3rd, and 75th Ranger battalions. And the 160th special air unit. And all the other military bad asses that we have. We'll end up in there anyways. Why not now? Let's Roll. Let's run these SOBs. They keep talking smack... I say lets just go ahead and throw down on them. They act like they want it. Let's give it to them.
Here is some good news for you fellas in West Virginia and anyone in The South. It's okay to marry your cousins. Yeah... That's good news. Come on over here Cousin Annabel and sit on my lap! Excuse me while a have a little freak out and vomit fest. The world is a sick place. Actually hell, I had some cute cousins I wouldn't have minded shagging. Maybe Kissing Cousins isn't so bad. I don't know. Wait a sec. Yeah, I do know. Forget about it. That is NASTY. If your boinking your Mother's Sister's Daughter... get checked. Or your Dad's Brother's Daughter... Please... go get checked out by a head shrink. Seriously.
Now for some geek stuff. Some games. Two great games are going on over here right now. "MechCommander 2" and "Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption" (Damn that is an unnecessarily long name!) MC-2 is a fun game. I loved the first one and like the second one a lot as well... but to be honest I liked the first one better due to the freedom of outfitting but this sequel has of course much better graphics. Eye candy is nice, but you have got to have some good game play to go with it. Both games are kick butt fun and will give you many hours of good play time. I'll review both in the tech section later this week or sometime soon. Who knows?
March has been archived and placed here.
