Shooty Goodness

Six hundred rounds of 1953 manufacture 8mm Mauser goodness. All lead core FMJ and legal to shoot at my range. I am so looking forward to the weekend!

Horse Crossing

These folks, and several hundred others, crossed our high power range this morning. Lots of range officers on hand to keep anyone from wandering into unsafe areas. It was a nice outing for all concerned.

Eighty

That's how old my new-to-me Mosin/Nagant 1891/30 rifle is. Date stamped 1929, and built in the Izhevsk arsenal, I'd sure like to know more of the story behind 50064. I just finished my first pass at getting all the cosmoline out of it, and am very pleased with the shape it's in. I've got more work to do before firing it the first time, but regardless of how it shoots, I'm happy I own it. Pictures to follow.

Milsurp Goodness

I just checked my bank account and AIM has charged my account for the Mosin-Nagant I ordered at the same time as the CZ. A significant chuck of change has also been committed to Sportsman's Guide for an ammunition shipment. Nothing for the MN, but 500 rounds of 9mm Makarov for the CZ-82, 1000 rounds of 9mm Luger for the P-01, and 600 rounds of Yugoslavian surplus 8mm for the Mauser. None of the above are available in quantity around here, and what is available is increasingly overpriced.

New Toy

My new-to-me milsurp CZ-82 arrived last night from the good folks at AIM Surplus via UPS, and after a quick clean and lube before bedtime it was read for its first range trip today. Ammunition of any kind for almost any caliber is scarce right now, but I was able to find a box of American Eagle 9x18 at Sportsman's Warehouse, so all was ready.

Today wasn't the greatest day for hitting the range, cold and windy to the point that Mrs. Attila spent more time in the range shack soaking up heat from the wood stove than shooting, but I was on a mission and soldiered on.

Shooting from about ten yards it didn't take long to discover that the pistol was shooting well below point of aim. Once I figured out where it was going, it was easy to adjust my sight picture accordingly and start producing a nice group in the bull. I've never shot anything in 9x18 before, so the lack of recoil actually came as something of a surprise. That, coupled with this being a steel pistol makes for very little muzzle flip, and consequent quick return to target, which I liked. A lot. The trigger was very smooth, but not very crisp. As expected, shooting DA gives you a long pull, stacking a little before breaking. SA has about an eighth inch takeup before breaking, and the break itself is more a "rapid roll-off" than a crisp 1911 type break. I didn't find it objectionable, just a little different from what I'm used to.

Overall, my impression is very favorable. It's a downright fun pistol to shoot. In size, it's almost the same dimensionally as my P-01, but seems smaller because it lacks the former's rail. I paid for the "hand-select" option from AIM, and this example is in very nice shape with only a touch of holster wear at the muzzle end of the slide. (Much nicer than the one pictured.) The current crop of imports seems to be a batch of police weapons and mine came with a very nice duty holster and mag pouch. Sportsman's Guide has a batch of Czech import surplus shoulder holsters which appear to be made for this handgun at a very attractive price. So, for well under $300 shipped, I've got a nice rig suitable for either open or concealed carry. Will I carry it every day? No, I'm much too attached to my P-01 and its more powerful 9x19 round, but I do see myself using it when I want to conceal under a jacket in a shoulder rig, or for use as a loaner/teaching pistol for friends and family new to shooting. A use, btw, for which I think it would be nearly ideal. The only fly in that particular ointment is that because it has a blowback action, the recoil spring is rather stout, and someone with weaker hands might have difficulty operating it.

Bottom line: I'm a happy camper.

Be Prepared

Some lessons learned early in life are worth repeating now and then. The necessity to be prepared is one of them. Be prepared for what? That's hard to answer. Some things are pretty easy to anticipate: a flat tire while you're out in the boonies, an unexpected overnight on that 'day hike' you had planned, a lost job, even the odd encounter with one of society's wolves. The larger things, the high consequence, low probability things, like a complete economic collapse, a wmd attack, etc. are harder. Whatever the threats are to your life, at least give them some active thought. You may decide that you don't need much in the way of plans or supplies, etc., but the very act of making those decisions will better prepare you if you do have to face the unexpected. Above all, remember that it's your responsibility, and no one else's to take care of you and yours, so plan accordingly.

!Range Day

Nope, not today. The weather's crappy, and I don't feel much above that level myself. My neck's out of whack, apparently from sleeping in some position only a chiropractor could love, and the weather's driving my sinuses batty. I don't even feel much like reading, which is really saying something. Maybe next weekend.

Temptation Resisted

Have you ever seen something you wanted so badly that you'd sell your eternal soul, give up your left testicle, and your firstborn child to own? I have. Our local Ranch and Home store has opened a gun section. Last night, in need of some bulk 9mm (an eternal quest) I stopped in. Looking in the display counter first, I spotted a C96 Mauser with case/stock for a cool grand. Very little bluing left, but to my eyes utterly gorgeous. Still, as much as I would like one in my collection, it wasn't even mildly tempting. What, then, was? Ah, my friends, the temptress was one of the most pristine M1 Garands that I've ever seen. Not only that, but it was an M1D, with M84 scope sniper variant. Ten thousand of them made, four thousand destroyed by he who's administration shall not be named in 1994. Rare, in other words. Two thousand, five hundred bucks, and you have no idea how close I came to pulling out Mr. Mastercard. As I told the gent behind the counter, that rifle was a naked twenty-year-old enticing me. Even now, twenty-four hours later, I can still hear her siren call. God, give me strength.

Taking Chance

Watch this movie. As an officer, as a military dad, I think this is a movie for America.

What Kind of Survivor are You

I come out as a Realist. No surprise to me. I will be getting the book this relates to.

QOTD

Seen on a list I monitor in response to this article:

Here's how I beat the robots:

sudo rm -R /


Kills 'em every time.

If you don't get it, it's okay. It's a geek thing.

Don't Know How I Missed This

Admit it, that's funny.

Any Day Shooting is a Good Day

It was a little cold and windy, but I opened up the range for myself and had a good day. The 22/45 ate up about 150 rounds on the plinking range, and then I shot through a 100 round box of Winchester 9mm. The P-11 got 20 rounds and the P-01, 80.

It's been a while since I've shot the Kel-Tec, and it showed. In my hands at least, it's a little finicky. You've got to have a very tight grip, or it has issues cycling. Part of my problem, I'm sure, is that I was using my standard floorplate magazine. The one with the grip extension is a bit easier.

The CZ, of course, is always a pleasure to shoot. When I do my part, it does very well, and the ergonomics of it make it easy to do my part. I can always use more practice, but I feel very, very confident with it as my daily carry piece.

Now, off to the next item on the checklist for today: calling AIM Surplus to see if they're open. If they are, I'm going to order a CZ-82 and a hex receiver Mosin. For bonus points, take a look at this little beauty. Too bad I don't have a spare grand lying around.

Five Bucks

That's what that splash in the water cost.

H/T The Firearm Blog

Dude, Where'd We Put the Van?

Now this is creative. Victim 1, burglars 0.

QOTD

Ragin' Dave says:

Besides... every damn day should be Valentine's Day when you're married. You should be doing something to show your love to your spouse EVERY SINGLE DAY, not just one day a year. So all you married folks, here's your challenge - live every day as if it's Valentine's Day. And I don't mean go out and buy more more cheap crap. Do something special every day for your spouse. Bring him or her coffee/tea/cocoa in the morning. Take a task they normally do, and do it for them. Remember to thank them for what they do around the house. Sneak up behind them and give 'em a hug and a kiss at random moments. ALWAYS kiss them goodnight. Instead of a hurried peck on the cheek as you're rushing out the door, take the time to give 'em a kiss that'll knock their socks off, and instead of a "Bye hon I'll see you at dinner", look them in the eyes and just say "I love you".

Good advice!

Heroic, Homeric*

Okay, by now you know that I'm a sucker for silly internet quizzes and such. Here's the latest. You all knew I was a superhero, right?

*Reference from? Anyone? Beuller?

Depressed

I'm too depressed by the hacks in Congress to blog anything light tonight. I need a beer.

Everybody Needs a Duck in a Truck

Seriously, there are days when I wonder if I should admit I'm from Minnesota. Although, if you read my other blog, you might also conclude that Minnesota's loons aren't just the state birds.

Solid Gold

The very first Gold Record was awarded on this date in 1942. Enjoy.

Well Said

The only difference between this piece and my own opinion is that I would have said that the climate is changing, rather than the earth is warming. The data's been pretty flat for about ten years now, but I haven't seen any mastodons or saber toothed tigers lately, so I've got to conclude that the climate's warmed a bit in recent geologic time.

H/T The Anarchangel

"Eyes right!"

If this doesn't make you tear up, sod off.


H/T Kevin

He's got People?

Too bad that 63 page vetting questionnaire didn't include a copy of the tax code for reference.

H/T Powerline

And another one down

An email from a friend:

 

Tom Daschle withdraws his nomination as health and human services secretary, as more tax issues arise.

This is what the Obama people get for contracting out their vetting process to the same people who test Microsoft software.

My Favorite Ad

I'll admit it. This was my favorite.

I certainly have, but since he's not on satellite, I don't hear him as much as I'd like. Harry and Nancy can kiss my backside. At least Tailgunner Joe was a vet, and deserves a little respect.

Mmm...cake!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Thanks to a loving wife, I'm now the proud owner of the headset I wanted for the range. Since I'm taking a Range Officer course Friday night, it'll be getting lot's of use soon.

Good News on the Economy

See, it's not all doom and gloom.

Yup!

I'm a Chevrolet Corvette!

You're a classic - powerful, athletic, and competitive. You're all about winning the race and getting the job done. While you have a practical everyday side, you get wild when anyone pushes your pedal. You hate to lose, but you hardly ever do.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

H/T Cowboy Blob

Whoopee!

A reminder for friends and family: hope is not an effective strategy,
and change is not a synonym for improvement.

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Ricardo Montalban, RIP

Khan<http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001544/>: [quoting from Melville's Moby Dick] To the last, I will grapple with thee... from Hell's heart, I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!

Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalban y Merino passed away today at the age of 88. One hopes he shows up at the Pearly Gates in a Chrysler with rich Corinthian leather upholstery. Farewell.

You Will Hate Me

H/T: Tam

Here's a Shock

I'm an embarrassment to Barack!


I only scored 17 on the Obama Test

It would have been lower, but I'm really not a bitter guy. Yet. And I wouldn't describe my grip on my guns as clingy. More like firm. Manly, you know, not clingy like a girl afraid to hold one.

Sunday Afternoon

Well, I didn't make it to the gun show this weekend. I had wanted to go yesterday, but circumstances conspired against me. Today I went to the range and shot the SKS a bit, as well as my P-01 and AR.

The SKS was pretty grossly out of zero. I wasn't anywhere near the target at 100 yard, so I brought it in to 50 and started to work in in firing three shot groups. The B-Square sighting tool I bought from Brownells worked fine for elevation, and I have that dialed in pretty well now. The windage adjustment portion of the tool leaves a lot to be desired on a Yugo SKS. It just doesn't sit on the sights with enough thread engagement to stay in one place while performing an adjustingment. Very frustrating. I'm off about 4' to the right (2 in. at 50 yds) and will probably have to use a drift punch the next time out to get it where I need it.

The AR was, as always, a blast to shoot. The Trijicon sight has a bit too wide a dot for real good accuracy. It pretty much covers the target at 50 yards, but every shot's where it needs to be if I ever have to engage with it. Some day, I'll spend a bit more time with it and dial it in so the apex of the triangle is the point of aim. For now though, it's perfectly adequate at any "inside the house" range.

I could definitely tell that its been a month since I've shot the P-01. I won't say I was bad, because I wasn't, but my shooting wasn't where it usually is when I've had more practice.

All in all, not a bad day. Oh, and the new 20 round P-Mags are perfect for the range. I might just have to get a couple more.

I Should Have Known

Board games, then, do not bring a family closer together. They rip out its heart in a seething cauldron of rage, hysteria, accusations and hate. - Jeremy Clarkson

Reading this brought to mind the unfortunate Would You Rather make-up incident. You don't want to know.

Lazy Weekend Ahead

We've got a nice three day weekend, so today was spent running a couple of errands. A few things remain undone for tomorrow, but they won't take long. We've got a gun/antique show in town this weekend, so I'm hoping to get over there and oogle some potential new toys. If I can find a nice Mosin, it'll probably go home with me. I could also be persuaded to pick up an Enfield, but am less knowledgeable about them, so I wouldn't feel as confident about appropriate prices. In any event, I'm setting a $200 limit for myself, so there definitely won't be anything fancy coming home with me. Sunday will be range day. I need to sight in the SKS, and desperately need some handgun practice.

Kitchen Pron

Am I a good husband, or what? Mindful of the fact that I'm often buying myself goodies, during our last foraging expedition to Costco, I suggested to the spouse that she might like one of these. Being the smart lady she is, she agreed that we might have enough counter space available to allow bringing it home with us. Needless to say, this wasn't a sub-$25 trip, but well worth the cost by increasing marital bliss.

Methinks the dough hook will get a workout later today.

Happy New Year!

I think this is going to be a tough year in many respects, but I'm resolved to make the best of it. We've got another family wedding coming up in May, and every reason to expect a great year for our little corner of the universe. That the world at large is likely going to Hell in a hand basket is of little consequence to me. As I told my daughter several years ago, our country has prevailed over every challenge its encountered. I expect that trend to continue. We're a remarkably hardy bunch, we Americans, and while it may take us a while to come to our senses, we always do.

From me to you, have a happy new year, going forward with faith in ourselves, and resolve to make the best future we can for ourselves and our posterity.

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.

Pistol Packing Mama

We went to the range this afternoon for a bit of practice. Mrs. Attila is shooting much better these days. When she started, the broad side of the barn was safe, but now, she's making nice groups, and that fighting stance definitely says, "Don't mess with me, or I'll blow your balls off." Must be all the dry-fire practice she's been doing.

Happiness is having a wife to buy guns for.

Where the Neanderthals Went

While unloading the latest half-yard of bare-dirt covering landscaping rock at the yurt, Mrs. Attila asked me how it was going. I had a flash of insight and told her that it could be worse. She could have sent me out for a couple hundred pounds of mastodon on sale in the next valley over. I can just picture Og muttering to himself as he headed out on a mastodon run for the little woman.

Lost Worlds

We had a film crew at the plant today working on an episode of the History Channel's Lost Worlds series. I had the opportunity to be an escort for these folks and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. They found a very entertaining Hanford retiree to be their on-screen subject matter expert, and it was great fun listening to him talk about the old days. He signed on in, I believe, 1947, so he saw the plant as an operating chemical separation facility. Interestingly, the on-screen host is an American History professor at Yale, where our retiree received his wartime commission. The remainder of the crew were all brits and interesting too, although I didn't get much time for conversation. The episode should air sometime in the late summer or early fall. I'm looking forward to it.

And More Plants

It never ends! There's still more dirt to cover.

Must...Have...Plants

The lovely lady must have plants! There is bare dirt to be covered back at the yurt. My friends, take Attila's advice. Kill the lawn and leave the yard bare. Lawns and gardens will rob you of all your time and the money you would have used to buy weapons and a faster steed. Worse, there is no end to them.

A Great Afternoon

Went out for a nice ride up in the Horse Heavens and snapped this on Nile-Mile Canyon Road.

Support

A pox on clueless tech "support" people! I'm trying to ditch Charter in favor of Verizon's DSL. Thursday, I received an email from Verizon telling me that my service was ready and to use the self-install kit to get on-line with it. All well and good, except that I had no signal to the modem. I call "support" and run through the guy's script to keep him happy. End result, since I"d earlier received an email saying that it would be up today, let's wait and see if they jumped the gun on the 12th.

Over the weekend I went out to the network interface box and connected the modem directly to the utility's side, bypassing my household wiring. No joy. I also measured the voltage across the red-green pair. Zip. Tonight after six, same drill with the modem and again, no-joy.

I am convinced there is no signal to the house and call "support" again. Again the guy wants to run through his script, AFTER I told him all of the above! How long is the phone cable? How the hell should I know, you sent it to me! How many phone jacks do you have? Dude, I BYPASSED THEM ALL, I HAVE NO SIGNAL! And the kicker, "Are you using Windows or a Mac?" I'm using a Mac, but have Windows and Linux machines. What part of I HAVE NO SIGNAL don't you understand? Well, sir, since you're using a Mac, I'll have to transfer you to our Mac technical support so they can schedule your technician visit. Fine, then for argument's sake, let's say that I'm running Windows. Okay, what kind of Windows? 98, but who cares? It's not an OS issue. Fine sir, I've run a line check and we'll transfer you to our dispatch agent to schedule your appointment.

Hi, sir, I've got tomorrow between 0800 and 1900, will there be someone home? No, you'll schedule the appointment Friday between 0800 and 1200. Fine, sir, I have you down for Friday between 0800 and 1900. No, you'll schedule the appointment between 0800 and 1200 if you want someone there. Well sir, I can only give you between 0800 and 1900, but I'll put it in your notes. Fine. Thank you for calling Verizon.

What a joke. These guys couldn't support my privates with a jock. I'm hoping that they'll at least send a phone guy on Friday, not some generic outsourced tech "support" weenie from God knows where.

Sleepy

Pet adoption day at Pet Smart is such hard work!

Our new plants!

The seven new plants we put in the front bed Sunday.

Mrs. Attila in her Natural Habitat

Starbucks.

Not at my best

Today's been one of those days. The cold that I've been fighting for a couple weeks came back yesterday and knocked me on my backside. Last night was awful, and I didn't get enough sleep to be able to put in a work day. I stayed home and have been trying to take care of myself, but the cold's been winning. Such is life. May tomorrow be a better day.

Good bye, Subie

Our last look at the Subie before it gets picked up by the salvage company.

Mourning

The mood in the yurt is distinctly morose these days. We had a minor accident with our '95 Subaru wagon a couple weeks ago, and our insurance company has decided to total the car. We've made 330,000 miles of memories with it, and it almost feels like we're putting down a family pet.

We've owned cars longer, but never put as many miles on one as we have this, and I can safely say that it's been our overall favorite. It's had two engines and two transmissions, but has been as reliable as anyone could hope. I've been trying to eke out as much life from it as possible, much to the chagrin of my mechanics, who are tired of working on it. While I'd love to give them the chance to work on a mid-life crisis Corvette, financially that's just not in the cards for a few years.

I've been looking at cars for a while, but don't have deep enough reserves on hand to pay cash, and not enough cash flow to feel comfortable with a loan. I should admit, that I'm picky about what I drive, and can't see spending less than $10k. The cars that I'd prefer (think roadster) are hard to come by under $20.

Mrs. Attila and I had a talk about it yesterday, and are going to embark on a grand experiment, trying to get by with one vehicle. My only hope is that we can make it last long enough to get some cash in the bank again. In the meantime, we mourn the passing of our Subie.

Love is in the air

Maybe I'm crazy, but I like Valentine's Day. I know, most of it is a marketing scam, but I'm the kind of guy that enjoys having an excuse to do something nice for my wife. I picked up the requisite card after work yesterday, and on the way back to the truck passed my favorite jewelry store. Knowing that Mrs. Attila wasn't expecting anything other than the card made it a no-brainer, I bought her a nice pair of earrings just to give her a surprise. Of such things are 30 year marriages made.

Sixteen tons

You haul Sixteen Tons, whadaya get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store

I've been neglecting the blog a bit lately, but having another birthday
roll around is a "good enough" reason to hit the keyboard. It's been
tough lately to do much of anything on the Net. We had a transformer
fire in the neighborhood a couple months ago that fried my main
computer. Five power cycles in less than 30 seconds as the transformer's
feeder breakers cycled to shed the load was enough to kill my
motherboard. Add one more item to the list of things to spend money on.

You haul Sixteen Tons, whadaya get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store

We also spent about $1500 on car repairs a month ago. We've been trying
to eke out as much life as possible from the Subaru, and it's cheaper to
keep fixing it than it is to buy another one. At this point in its life,
the Subie's only worth about three grand, so this was a significant
fraction of the car's remaing value. No good deed goes unpunished
though, a few days ago the hood latch failed at highway speed. Estimated
repair cost $2900 with a $500 deductible. The insurance company is still
making up its mind whether or not to total the car, so we don't know yet
whether we'll have $500 out of pocket, or be springing for a replacement
vehicle. Add another item to the list.

You haul Sixteen Tons, whadaya get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store

I've been making do with an older pair of glasses for a while now. Last
week my work pair of safety glasses broke, so I had an excuse to get to
the optometrist for a replacement on the company's dime. Not being one
to miss an opportunity to save some time, I decided to order a new pair
of dress glasses for myself. Decent glasses are not cheap. Even with my
health plan's vision "benefit" I'm going to be out $364. Admittedly,
these are going to be a top-end pair with good frames, and Zeiss lenses
with photochromic and anti-refection coatings, but it's one more item on
the list.

And I still don't have the yard work paid for...

You haul Sixteen Tons, whadaya get?
Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter don't you call me cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store

Iron Peak

Number two son dragged my tired arse out on a great hike yesterday. Our original intent was to hike up to Ingalls Pass but a full trailhead parking lot and lots of people milling about caused us to come up with a "Plan B". The Iron Peak
trailhead is just down the road, and having passed it on the way up, we knew there was nobody parked there. Solitude being what the doctor ordered, we headed that way pronto.

You will notice from the trail description that this is a strenuous hike. This is an understatement, particularly if you have not hit the trail all summer. But, knowing what I was getting into, I plunged onward and upward. And upward. And upward. Twenty-seven hundred feet upward to be exact. The "100 Hikes" guidebook says that this is a four hour hike. That's almost exactly what it took us. I'm sure young son could have done it in much less time had he been unencumbered, he never even started breathing hard, but I wouldn't have wanted to try doing it in less time.

For me, besides being out with the boy, the highlight of the hike was a very clear cougar track in the trail. That it was in a section of trail containing elk tracks told the story. I've never seen cougar sign before, and let me tell you, it was quite a thrill.

The whole day was picture perfect as the view of Mt. Rainier attests. Any day vertical is a good day, but one spent out in the boonies with family is hard to beat. Was I tired at the end of the day? You bet. Had a few blisters and a couple aches and pains too. Would I trade a minute of it? Not a chance.

Retirement

Today, twenty-seven years and two days after I received my commission, I retired from the Naval Reserve as a Captain. I can't say that I'm thrilled to be retired. Quite honestly, I'd much rather be starting my career than ending it. 'Tis not to be though.

Here's a list of the commands that I've been associated with over the years:

Naval Nuclear Power School, Orlando, FL
Nuclear Power Training Unit, Idaho Falls, ID (S1W, for those interested)
Naval Submarine School, Groton, CT
USS Archerfish (SSN 678), Groton, CT
NROTC Unit, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Naval Submarine School, Groton, CT
USS Michigan (SSBN 727G), Bangor, WA (patrols 19,21,23,25,27)
NCSO Seattle
COMSUBPAC DET 320
VTU 2210G
NCSO Pacific DET 222
PERSMOBTM Bangor
VTU 2213G

In all that time, I've seen a goodly portion of the world. Not enough to satisfy my curiosity, but enough to know that I like it here better than anywhere else.

Looking back, I'd like to think that I left the navy better for my having been in it. I know that I'm better because of it.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day

In honor of the day, here's me pirate name matey.

My pirate name is:

Bloody Jack Kidd

Every pirate lives for something different. For some, it's the open sea. For others (the masochists), it's the food. For you, it's definitely the fighting. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Remembrance

The world changed five years ago today. The news came over the radio on the way to work and life would never be the same. A month before, I had relieved as the commanding officer of a Naval Reserve Personnel Mobilization Team and my gut told me that I would soon be back in uniform. Twelve days later my team was mobilizing itself and it would be twenty-three months before I returned to civilian life. We were comparatively lucky because we were able to stay close to home while performing our mission. Those we mobilized went throughout the world. Of the more than 2,000 people we processed, all but two went willingly. In all, more than 14,000 naval reservists answered that initial call, and over 5,000 are on active duty today.

It has been very hard for me to get through the day today as I remember what our country endured five years ago. The anger and the agony of that day still burn within me, and I doubt they'll ever go away. May God help me if they ever do.

Never forget.

A Confession

I am a Terrible Person. There, I've said it. In the eyes of my neighbors, I've committed the most grievous sin. I have killed my lawn. I could be a wife-beating, incestuous, mass murdering, racist, neo-Nazi serial killer and lived with my neighbors in peace, but this, apparently, is unforgivable.

Yesterday, as we were returning home, ironically from a trip for gas to power the mower, a woman we have never seen before stopped her car in front of the house and asked my better half why we let our lawn go. Bless her, my wife asked why it was any of her business. I have never been prouder of the dear girl.

"Because I drive by it every day and it's an eyesore" was the response. Now please note that we live in the middle of a desert. Shrub steppe, actually, but desert is close enough. If God had intended for grass to grow here, He would have provided more than our annual average of nine inches of rain. Also note that on the other side of the woman's car is an overgrown vacant lot, currently the home of construction equipment for my neighbor's next "good idea" and that apparently caused her no pain. Ah, but I get ahead of myself. The wife's answer was a classic that shall live in family lore forevermore: "Don't look."

"Are you renters?" We've lived here for 15 years and owned it the entire time, but as my wife said, "It's none of your business." You should also know that for someone who drives by every day, she's not very observant. We've made tens of thousands of dollars worth of very visible improvements to the property and have had the same car in the driveway for ten years.

At this point the woman (I'm being polite here. The words hag, harridan, busybody, snoop, and of course, the b-word, all come more readily to mind.) indignantly told us that we were Terrible People, rolled up the window of her POC Buick and left in a huff.

Had I had more time to engage in conversation with her, I might have thanked her for noticing the "white trash" look we were going for, and let her know my plans to put an old transmission in the front yard along with a new bathtub Madonna. I could have also told her that she should be patient because the money from the basement meth lab hasn't started to kick in yet. Or, my personal favorite, I could have told her that I enjoy having the only yard in the neighborhood that can be seen from space. None of these are the truth. (Well, that last one does tickle me a bit.)

The truth is more mundane, and in large measure due to busybody neighbors like the one that accosted us. A number of years ago, when I had a wonderful lawn, my neighbors decided that our previously unincorporated neighborhood should become part of the city of Richland and voted to make that happen.

Not long after that first exercise of power, the same neighbors decided that all of our septic systems had to go because, gee, being on the city sewer system was just so much better. They voted that one in too, and here is where the story really takes off. The contractor they hired to do the job of installing the city sewer lines and hooking us up destroyed my irrigation system. The six grand that job cost, left me without any spare cash to relandscape what had been lush and green a short time before. As noted, without water, grass does not grow here and the lawn died a slow, agonizing death.

Since that time I've helped put two children through college. Between direct cash outlays and loan payments, over thirty grand has left my wallet to date, with expenditures of about $750/mo continuing until the loans are paid off. I suppose that someone who wasn't a Terrible Person would have told the kids to buck up, the lawn must come first, but I failed my neighbors and supported the kids.

The oven, stove, range hood, and even the kitchen sink have all needed to be replaced since the lawn died. A non-Terrible Person, would have sucked it up on hard tack and cold beans like a true Man-of-the-West, but I let putting food on the table come before the lawn. I have no shame.

When the hot water heater died, we could have just saved water by taking short, cold showers. Being a Terrible Person though, I let my family's comfort come before the greening of the lawn. Please, put me in the stocks and throw rotten food at me.

The washing machine also gave up the ghost somewhere in there and joined it's recently departed brother, the dryer, in appliance heaven, and darn if I didn't make the wrong choice again and let money go to their replacements rather than grass seed.

Then there was the 30th high school reunion trip, the trip to DC for a friend's wedding, or the trip to Minneapolis for the wife's step-mom's 100th birthday that a better person would have given up. Oh, and I can't forget the trip to Germany to spend a few days with our daughter. I'm a Terrible Person for giving those things a higher priority than the lawn.

I also mistakenly spent nearly two years out of town and away from the lawn. Someone who wasn't a Terrible Person might have found a way to do yardwork and avoid going when duty called me back into the Navy to command a Personnel Mobilization Team for the Global War on Terrorism.

My truck died while I was gone, and darn if I didn't spring for a used one to replace it. I didn't really need to be coming home to see my family on those weekends anyway.

I almost forgot the eleven grand for a new HVAC system this past winter. Someone who wasn't a Terrible Person would have stoically endured the cold and this summer's heat. Not me, I let my neighbors down again.

Now, adding insult to injury, my dear neighbors have once again decided that they knew best how I should spend my money and have passed another "neighborhood improvement." This time we get curb and gutter and sidewalks. Wow, how has the property ever survived the forty years since the house was built without it? Nine thousand, six hundred this time. Oh, and what if I had done the right thing and replaced the irrigation system? That's right, I'm sacrificing several feet of front yard to the new sidewalk, and would have lost the sprinklers again.

I guess the new roof will have to wait.

Disappointment

This has not been a good day on the electronic devices front. Palm seems to have misplaced the PDA I sent them to repair, and the cell phone I wanted to buy seems to have undergone a last-minute change rendering it unsuitable for us in the good ol' US of A.

My Palm TX has been suffering from greatly reduced battery life for a few weeks now, so I sent it in for repairs. Two days ago, they sent me an email saying that it had shipped:

SRO# - S1-XXXXXXXXX
ORDER TYPE - REPAIR
PART# - 180-10098-00 - Palm TX, Multilingual


Dear XXXX XXXX

Your recent repair order with Palm has been completed. The repaired device has been shipped to you at the following address:

XXXX XXXX
XXXX XXXXXXX XXX
RICHLAND WA 99352


You should be receiving the device within the next three business days via DHL. To check current shipment status, click on the link below.

http://track.dhl-usa.com/atrknav.asp?ShipmentNumber=XXXXXXXXXXX

IMPORTANT:
Package tracking numbers are pre-assigned at our distribution center. After you receive this email, it may take up to the end of the next business day for tracking information to become active in DHL's system. If the link above contains no information, check it again in 24 hours.

Note that it should have been picked up no later than the end of the next business day, i.e., yesterday.

This morning I checked the tracking site at DHL and found no information,
again, so I called them and asked why. The answer was that the package hadn't been turned over to them yet! This did not please me, so I sent an email to Palm. The response was that it had shipped and that I should check DHL's website.

Right. That's what I'd been doing, as I had made clear in my first email. The second email bordered on the uncivil, basically asking, exactly where was my device since neither they nor DHL seemed to have it. Amazingly enough, now that I'm home, DHL shows it was picked up about an hour after my second email, a full day later than promised.

Probably not coincidently, Celestica, the company doing the repair has a location just across the Rio Grand from Pharr, TX, where DHL says the device was to be shipped. Outsourced customer service strikes again. When will companies learn that success means underpromising and overdelivering, not the other way around.

Now, on the HTC MTeoR front: I was on the phone with a vendor this morning when her tech-support folks overheard she was talking with me about the MTeoR. A key selling point with this phone has been that it's a true worldphone with full coverage on all GSM 3G systems both here and abroad. It now seems this isn't quite the case. Being a tri-band GSM/EDGE phone and a 2100 MHz UMTS phone is a deal-breaker for me since Cingular uses both the missing 850 MHz GSM band and the missing 1900 MHz UMTS band. It's a shame, really, because the MTeoR, as described in HTC's literature would have met my needs very, very nicely.

On the plus side of that whole experience though, was a very nice email exchange about Qualcomm chipsets in HTC phones with Dovid at On the Go Solutions. Dovid starts his emails with B"H. I was curious, so I googled it. The Wikipedia entry the popped up says that it means, Baruch hashem (Hebrew "Blessed is God"). I share the sentiment. As I told, Dovid, I didn't get much Hebrew in my Lutheran catechism class.

BTW, if the quality of their sales and tech-support staff is any indication, this is a company worth dealing with, even if their prices are higher than most other vendors.

Have a Nice Day

There are few things in life that instantaneously push my buttons, but being ignored is number one on the list. It's particularly galling when done by people wearing smiley faces and vests that ask how I may be helped as they're walking AWAY from me.

Have a nice day was, therefore, the wrong thing for the poor girl at the local Wally World to say. I'd just been rudely prevented from using a self-service checkout by someone for whom I'm sure the job with America's number one retailer was going to be a career peak, and then told by the same neanderthal (truly an insult to neanderthals, I might add) to go through one of the regular check out lines because all the self-serves were broken with no evidence that this was the case. Normally, I take these things as the patient soul I try to be. Five minutes of backed-up checkout line later, with no additional checkers at any of the dozen or so empty lanes, and several people who should have known better on the staff ignoring the situation, I left the cart and merchandise in the lane and headed for the local Target. When the aforementioned PG wished me a nice day, which it most assuredly had not been, a switch in my head was tripped, and I went off with an improvisational riff on the rudeness and idiocy of the place. Had I spent more time in line, I might have been better rehearsed, but all in all, it was a good effort.

In contrast to Wally World, the staff at Target was polite, the merchandise much more pleasantly displayed, and the prices every bit as appealing. Guess who gets first nod for my future business?