I hate Mondays

Never my favorite weekday, this Monday seemed more Mondayish than most. Taking a week off will do that to you, I suppose, but this was worse than most. The roads on the site this morning were slicker than lubricated glass. Touching the accelerator was enough to break the rear tires free, and even crawling along, I slid for half a block trying to stop for the turn in to my office trailer. Work was, well, work, and then the wind decided to start kicking up, making for yet another fun driving experience.

There was some good news for the day: we managed to escape Costco for less than $25. I think I may frame that receipt. The nice postal person also delivered one of the 20 round pmags I ordered from Brownells last week, the other being back-ordered.

Tomorrow's another day.

The Post Holiday Blues

It shouldn't bother me so, I know, but I always suffer from depression
whenever the family scatters again after being together. For a few days,
life is joyously full with a packed house, and lots of activity. The
very next moment, everyone is headed back to their busy lives, the house
feels like it's expanded ten-fold, and even the dog is down in the
dumps. Life goes on, I suppose, but I miss what we used to have when we
were all together under one roof.

Attila's Christmas Haul

From Christmas 08

Santa was very good to Attila this Christmas. This may not look like much, but it's exactly what I wanted to receive. I was hoping for one other thing, all the kids together at one time, but that was not to be this year.

The knife is a Spyderco Tenacious from number two son Sam and his fiance' Cali. The Call of Duty, World at War title came from daughter Mary and husband Phil, and The American Rifle was from my dearest Mrs. Attila. Lot's of good hours of enjoyment in all three.

Doin' Business, while Doin' Business

You've got to love serendipity. The lovely little machine pictured here, a White Kenmore model 600 electric dryer will be waiting for me to pick up in an hour or so at our local Sears store. This morning, while waiting for the rest of the family to wake up, I checked Sears for after Christmas appliance deals and discovered a 20% discount on Kenmore appliances. After a little discussion with the spouse we settled on this unit and ordered it for pick-up today. Cost with the necessary power cord, just over $400, about $88 less than the normal price. As with most online purchases, the process was quick and painless and completed without regard to my physical location. I have to admit though, that thanks to the netbook, completing an order while contemplating nature in the little engineer's room was a new experience. TMI?

Fate

It had to happen. As soon as I spend my disposable income for this pay period on a computer, albeit an inexpensive one, our clothes dryer decided to die. Not coincidentally, I'll end up spending at least as much to replace it as I did on the Aspire One. Mister MasterCard will come to the rescue tomorrow, and the bill paid this coming Friday, payday. Blah.

Merry Christmas!

 
Merry Christmas to all. As we settle in for a nice holiday at home, please remember all of those in harm's way this Christmas around the world defending our freedom.

Forty Years

1968 was a notable year. In many ways, the world we live in today has its genesis in that year of riots, assassinations, war and the counter-culture. It was also the year I turned twelve. In my humble opinion, there is no better year in the life of a boy. At twelve, you are old enough to be given a great deal of autonomy in where you go and what you do. Girls have not yet become an obsession, and your friends at that age will be friends for life.

Toward the end of my twelfth year, something marvelous occurred. For the first time in history, men traveled to the moon. The first landing was yet to come on July 20th of the next year, but forty years ago tonight men were orbiting the moon.



Merry Christmas, and may God bless you.

Higher Aspirations

Okay, I am thoroughly enamored with my Aspire One. I've spent the evening uploading photos to Picasa, reading my RSS feeds, and playing around in Facebook. After months and months of struggles with the old iBook, I feel like I've been set free.

Aspirations

Well, what else would you title a post talking about my new netbook? The old iBook I've been using as my home PC is on its last legs. The display has been dicey as long as I've had it, but of late, the power cord has been dying too. Today, I finally did something about it and picked up an Acer Aspire One from Costco. So far, I'm liking it. The keyboard is just large enough to allow touch typing and it seems plenty fast enough for email, surfing, and blogging. I've downloaded OpenOffice 3.0, but haven't really played with it yet. It definitely runs Firefox well. It doesn't have Bluetooth, and I left my Blackjack's USB cable at work, so I haven't been able to experiment with tethering it yet. That'll have to wait until next week. It's also sized right to fit in my County Comm EOD bag. Life is good.

In the Spirit of the Season of Hope and Change

Fleet ORdinance Delivery Vehicle

As if not accepting bailout funds wasn't enough reason to look at buying Ford, there's this bit from one of my favorite TV shows, Top Gear.




Guns, helicopters, boats, a car, and the insufferable Jeremy Clarkson, what's not to like?

As if there was any doubt

My Conservative Identity:

You are an Anti-government Gunslinger, also known as a libertarian conservative. You believe in smaller government, states’ rights, gun rights, and that, as Reagan once said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

Take the quiz at www.FightLiberals.com

Your result for The Steampunk Style Test...

The Explorer

29% Elegant, 45% Technological, 40% Historical, 76% Adventurous and 17% Playful!

You are the Explorer, the embodiment of steampunk’s adventuring spirit. For you, clothing should be rugged and reliable, and just as functional as it is attractive. You probably prefer khaki or leather, and your accessories are as likely to include weapons as technological gizmos. You probably wear boots and gloves, and maybe a pith helmet. Most of what you wear is functional, and if you happen to wear goggles people had better believe that you use them. In addition to Victorian exploration gear, your outfit probably includes little knickknacks from your various travels. Above all, you are a charming blend of rugged Victorian daring and exotic curiosity.

Try our other Steampunk test here.

Take The Steampunk Style Test at HelloQuizzy

Barbecue Gun

With a certain western-themed major family event coming up in a few months, I've been scouting around for a single action barbecue gun. I think I may have found it in a Uberti brass-framed Cattleman in .45 long colt. Classic looks with a certain "don't mess with me" aura. I like it.

What a Weekend for a Wedding

We had a great weekend for a wedding in Seattle. The weather was fabulous, and we all had fun. The photo is of my new son-in-law, Phil, doing the disco duck while we rode the ducks Saturday afternoon. More photos of the actual wedding when some come my way.

Celebration

We're having a nice dinner out tonight in celebration of my new and improved employment status. It feels nice to splurge a little without guilt.

Hallelujah!

It appears that I'm going to be employed for a while longer. A mechanical engineering job working for the site's fire systems maintenance organization opened up, and I've been picked to fill it. The interview I had yesterday went well and it's the kind of job that I can have some fun in. Lots of variety, and a fair dose of autonomy. The really good news is that it's within the scope of the next contract to transition, and I'm almost certain to not have to worry about losing this one when that happens. I think I may just celebrate by replacing the Xbox and buying a gun.

Karma

I'm beginning to think I'm suffering from a karma deficit. On top of the job situation, the XBox's death, today we can add a jury duty summons for the month of November. The good news is that since bad things always happen in threes, I no longer have to worry about an Obama presidency.

Arrrrgh!

The XBox died last night. I'll be in mourning.

Uncertainty II

The job situation clarified a bit over the last week. I've been assigned to a site resources pool for the time being. Think of it as the Island of Misfit Toys for adults. Officially it's a ninety day test program to validate the idea of a pool of trained personnel that can be assigned to fill short-term need on-site. Unofficially, it's a place to stash folks like me until the Department of Energy decides to grant permission to reduce the site's workforce sometime after the election. In any event, Fluor's contract has been extended until January 15th, and I'm probably safe until then. With any luck, I'll be able to find something else before then.

In the event I do join the ranks of the unemployed and have to rely on one salary, we're making good progress on our debt reduction program. We've payed off one of our outstanding PLUS loans already, and a quite likely to pay off another by the end of the month. Every bit helps. I'll be happy when the whole situation is finally resolved. I'd sure like to buy a couple more rifles, and a few thousand rounds of ammunition. In the mean time, I'll be shooting the .22s a lot.

Classic

I thought this came out rather well, and after watching Mogambo this morning, too.

Your result for The Classic Leading Man Test...

Clark Gable

You scored 33% Tough, 14% Roguish, 14% Friendly, and 38% Charming!

You're a helluva guy, a real split personality and a bit of an enigma. On the one hand, you're a man's man, tough talking and ready for anything. But on the other hand, you soften your rough and tumble core with a disarmingly smooth exterior, and you make the ladies swoon. You're equally admired by both men and women alike, drinking other men under the table all the while charming the socks off half a dozen lovelies. You're a commanding presence, and you know how to get what - and who - you want when you want it. You're drawn to women who, like you, are savvy enough to deal with the world on their own terms. You work well with spitfires. Leading ladies include Joan Crawford, Myrna Loy, and Jean Harlow. No damsels in distress for you.

Find out what kind of classic dame you'd make by taking the
Classic Dames Test.

Take The Classic Leading Man Test at HelloQuizzy

Whose Policies Failed?

Silk Purses & Sows Ears

Today was an interesting day. This morning we drove over to Grandview for a dress fitting with Mrs. Attila's seamstress. The dress is coming along very nicely and the Mrs. is going to look fantastic in it.

This afternoon, we did a bit of shopping for me. The last time I bought a suit, Jimmy Carter was president, and bell bottoms were in fashion. I needed a suit for an interview with Hyman Rickover. My dear departed mother would say the putting me in a suit is like trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. I can't say that I disagree. In any event, it's been thirty years since a last bought a suit, and I was not looking forward to the process.

It all went well enough, and I think I'll end up looking presentable. I even scored a few points with Mrs. Attila for choosing a shirt that matches the jacket to her new dress. (Just because I don't enjoy shopping for clothes doesn't mean I don't know how.) One thing's for sure though, I'm definitely not the 42L, 16.5/36, 32x36 kid I used to be. One other thing's fairly certain: I won't be buying the next new suit I'll be wearing, and I'll be wearing it for a VERY long time.

Following up on yesterday's post, we also started to execute our disaster preparations. We mailed off a check to pay off one of the outstanding PLUS loans. We should be able to get rid of another before I have to worry about a layoff. That, combined with the asset protection we put in motion yesterday should position us well in the event we need to deal with a layoff. If things go as we hope, and I stay employed, we'll be that much closer to being completely debt free.

Even better news is that our future should be clear long before the next wedding.

Uncertainty

The news was mixed last weekend. Mrs. Attila was picked up by the new contractor at work, but your humble (no, really) servant was not. I'll be staying with the incumbent for the time being. My management assures me that the company doesn't intend to lay anyone off. Since there's still one piece of the contract to be transitioned, I'm probably safe for at least a couple months. I've usually been successful keeping myself employed, so I'm not too worried.

Still, with an economy that can only charitably be described as shaky, I've felt the need to plan for the worst. We've talked with our financial planner and are moving some assets around to protect them in the event the stock market tanks and I end up looking for work. While we're waiting for everything to sort itself out over the next several months, we'll be suspending payments into our IRAs and use that cash to pay off debt. That'll reduce the burden our retirement funds will have to bear in the event we have to liquidate to get our cash outflow down to something manageable on one salary (plus un-, or seriously under-employment pay).

Having a plan is a good thing. Here's hoping we don't have to execute anything more than the debt reduction portion of it.

Stress Reduction

We had an "all hands" meeting this afternoon lasting almost forty-five minutes, at the end of which I knew no more than when I entered. With the contract changing everyone is concerned about their futures, and understandably so. We are 18 days from a major contract transition on the site, and it seems there are no firm plans in place to accomplish the task. There's much motion and activity to be sure, but no numbers for our staffing level to be, no firm description of our work scope, and no budget numbers worth the paper they're written on (thank you, Democrat Congress). It's almost like the winning bidders were taken by surprise when they got the award.

The only thing that I know for sure is that I was asked this morning whether or not I was interested in accepting a position with our new overlords. My answer was of course, yes. I suppose I can breath a little bit easier, but until I have an offer letter in hand, I'm going to be feeling some stress. It's a damn good thing I've got a new gun to shoot. Nothing lowers the stress level like putting a few rounds down range.

Why I Love Opening Packages

Today the mail brought me a new factory guide rod/recoil spring for my XD-40 from Pistol Gear. UPS brought me a Swiss K31 from Samco, and a brick of GP-11 to shoot through it. God, is this a great country, or what?

A Puppy Again

Our Carmen is undergoing treatment for Cushing's disease. Today she decided to play with us outside. We tossed a tennis ball around the back yard like we used to do when she was young, and she chased it with abandon. It was wonderful.

Range Day mit der Karabiner

This afternoon I had the pleasure of taking my k98 to the range for the first time. It has been a very long time since I've shot anything approaching a high power rifle, and I've got to say, it was a hoot. As the photo shows, I was shooting from a sitting position, but not using a rest. This wasn't a great test of accuracy. Honestly, I would have just been happy to hit the target at 50 yards, but was quite happy to find all the rounds actually near the bull. For a 68 year old rifle (rifles,really. I've counted parts from seven.) and 52 year old eyes, I was very pleased. I was even happier when I hit the steel at the 300 yard position on the second try. :-)

Giddy as a Schoolboy

That's what I've been all day. My type 3 FFL arrived in yesterday's mail and I put it to use this morning with a call to Classic Arms. My "new" toy is on the way. A K98 Mauser built for the Wehrmacht in 1940. Here's the catalog description of my baby:

27, 1940M, SER # 6142C - LAMINATED, CUPPED, NICE PRETTY LAMINATED STOCK WITH GOOD GRAIN AND COLOR. HEAVY BLUED CUPPED BUTTPLATE. DEEP DARK LOW LUSTRE BLUE. SINGLE WAR EAGLE. THIS ONE IS UNIQUE IN THAT WAR EAGLE HAS BEEN PARTIALLY SCRUBBED BUT SWASTIKA REMAINS INTACT PLUS 2 SMALL WAFFENAMPS AND BBL STAMPINGS. REALLY NICE BORE. SHOWS LIGHT USE BUT STRONG LANDS AND GROOVES. NRA VERY GOOD PLUS. W/CLEANING ROD BECAUSE IT WAS ALREADY THERE. A VERY NICE RIFLE OVERALL.

With any luck, I'll be shooting it next weekend.

Another Result

131 As a 1930s husband, I am Very Superior Take the test!

Don't mess with me!

What Kind of a Western Bad-Ass are You? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Charles Bronson You're normally peaceful and friendly, but when trouble strikes you respond with brutal vengeance. And despite having a face like a bashed crab, your sensitive soul helps win over ladies way above you appearance wise. Charles Bronson 100% Clint Eastwood 88% Lee Van Cleef 75% John Wayne 75% Lee Marvin 63%

Something New

I tried something new today and competed in my first IPSC practical pistol match. I was as nervous as a cat going into it, and didn't sleep at all well last night. I even forgot to pack my mag pouch and had to borrow some gear to compete. It was all worth it though. The results aren't posted yet, but I think I held my own. I won't be anywhere near the top of the list, but I'm pretty sure I won't be at the bottom.

Update: Third of nine in the Production division. Thirty-first of forty-three overall. For a first outing, I'll take it.

A Bitter White Guy's Perfect Car

In a flash of inspiration after seeing a gorgeous white Boxster this evening, I've decided that I want one. It must, however, have the following: the personalized plate BTRWHT, an NRA Life Member decal, and a fish magnet. Perfect, don't you think?

Happiness

Is having a wife to buy guns for. This is her Mother's Day present.
Guaranteed to pay for itself in ten trips to the range. The Mrs., you
see, likes to shoot. Keeping her SP101 fed with .38 Special at $66 for
250 rounds, and one box of 250 per trip is rather pricey. 22LR is
blessedly, much cheaper, so even though the Model 317 cost upwards of
$600, the payback period will be over by the end of the summer. God how
I love her.

Happiness

Is having your tummy rubbed.

Rites of Spring

The only good thing about the twice weekly ritual mowing of the lawn is that it concludes with beer. If I've been particularly faithful to the lawn gods, the household Goddess might reward me with a cheeseburger. This is a good thing.

Tomorrow we practice fertilization.

Czech Please

Friday was darn near a perfect day for the ol' Captain. Work didn't quite suck. It was a gorgeous day, and my paycheck included my quarterly stipend for being a qualified Building Emergency Director. Most importantly, and closely related, Sportsman's Warehouse called with the news my new pistol had arrived.

I've been wanting a CZ P-01 for months. They fit my hand like gloves, have a great reputation for reliability, and are reasonably priced. For those who might not know, this is a compact DA/SA design with a decocker based on the legendary CZ-75. At 14+1 rounds of 9mm Luger, it's a potent platform.

Today was my first trip to the range with my new baby. I put 150 rounds through it with zero problems other than running out of ammunition. :-) The DA trigger is smooth and very controllable. SA is light and crisper than my XD. Being a nine, recoil is a non-issue, even with +P loads.

I don't admit to being a great shot, and my first group was pretty ragged. Once I tightened up my grip and started really concentrating on my front sight, things improved dramatically. My last several magazines of rapid fire went into fist sized groups offhand at ten yards. All in all, I'm a very happy camper.

Cool Phone

A Samsung Blackjack II came home with me yesterday. This thing is awesome, although it does have a few shortcomings compared to my old Cingular 2125.

On the awesome side of things is a full QWERTY keyboard. It beats the heck out of predictive text on a numeric keypad. I also really like the scrollwheel/joystick. It makes navigation painless. My favorite feature though, is the built in GPS. AT&T would have happily sold me a ten buck a month turn by turn navigation package to use it. I'm a cheapskate though, and would much rather fire up the free Google Maps application and let it compute directions for me. I ran a little test this morning while I was out in the field at work. I opened Maps and set it to the satellite view. Zooming in once it was tracking more than the four birds it needs for a position, I could see that the plotted position was within a couple feet of where I was standing. Sweet!

The annoyances are few. I can't tag individual contacts with ringtones, and it won't recognize my custom mp3 ringtones. At least I haven't figured out how yet. I'm also having some synchronization issues. I saw this with the old phone too whenever I tried to synch Favorites. It gets terribly slow, and as soon as I get another good synch, I'll uncheck that option. That's always sped things up again for me. Keep your fingers crossed.

Change's afoot

I know, I've been neglecting the blog lately. Part of that is from the lack of a decent computer at home, and part of it is just the annual winter blahs. More of the latter than the former, I'm afraid. It was a terrible winter at work. Don't ask, just take my word for it. Anyway it's catch up time. All three of the kids have had big news lately.

Our youngest will be getting married this coming October to a great guy from Kirkland. He actually had the cojones to ask for my permission to marry her. I almost told him no just to see his reaction, but couldn't bear doing it to him. They obviously care for each other, and that's enough for this dad.

Number two is also getting hitched, but not until next May. He's found himself a real sweetheart of a girl who's been part of the family for several years now. Both of them have good jobs now, and are ready to settle down. We're very happy for them.

Finally, numero uno will be getting out of the Army this fall in time for the wedding. This is good news. We were thinking that he would find himself in Iraq this summer and not being able to return. His contract will be up however, and the Army gave him the option of not deploying. He chose to come home. Now we just need to make sure he finds a job or gets into school.

There's more to talk about later, but no time now.