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.