Roomie apparently had her own Hippie Encounter in the parking lot of the very same grocery store in which the "Nuke Berkeley" incident occurred.
I almost feel guilty riding a bicycle in this neighborhood, as though I were letting down the side or something. People might think I was one of them.
Then I remember that I don't believe in sides, teams, groupthink, or identity politics, and I go pedal my own damn bike if I feel like it.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Today's Totally Awesome Book Review.
OH JOHN RINGO NO!
Perfect review of the Ghost/Kildar/et al series, and yes, I have all but the latest. They are a lot of fun, but they are among the guiltiest of guilty pleasures. Like eating Peanut Butter Captain Crunch in bed, straight from the box.
(A big H/T to Unix Jedi. Thanks to that link, my sides hurt from laughing before 6AM.)
Perfect review of the Ghost/Kildar/et al series, and yes, I have all but the latest. They are a lot of fun, but they are among the guiltiest of guilty pleasures. Like eating Peanut Butter Captain Crunch in bed, straight from the box.
(A big H/T to Unix Jedi. Thanks to that link, my sides hurt from laughing before 6AM.)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Hooray!
I have just discovered that RobertaX has not seen Heat. We need to hook up a VCR, since my copy is in that recently-anachronized format, but I'm pretty stoked about getting to watch it again, and with a first time viewer to boot. I wonder if she's seen Collateral?
Throw down thy crutches and walk!
Apparently Joe "I'm not the guy" Biden forgot that Obama wasn't in the room to make the visually-challenged see and make the differently-abled walk:
(H/T to Unc.)
Biden slipped a bit during the introductions, through no fault of his own. In introducing local elected officials, from Ninth District Congressional candidate Judy Baker to former Gov. Roger Wilson, Biden tried to give a special recognition to Sen. Chuck Graham of Columbia.Hey, when you're second banana to The Messiah, you kind of expect miracles to get delivered on demand...
“Chuck, stand up, let the people see you,” Biden says. He was a bit chagrined when he realized that Graham uses a wheelchair.
(H/T to Unc.)
Spooking the locals...
So, I may have mentioned that I live in this relentlessly gentrified, hopelessly twee little in-town neighborhood called Broad Ripple. There's a business/entertainment strip that is all pubs and live music joints and restaurants and vintage clothing boutiques and hair salons. Stretching several blocks away from that in every direction is block after block of quiet, tree-lined former suburb, inhabited by single adults and young families. You will often see Kelli, the personal trainer or Skip, the newly-minted attorney out pushing baby strollers or pedaling their mountain bikes.
I have referred to the 'hood as "The O-Zone", due to the fact that the (admittedly sparse) yard signs are pretty much all for one guy, as is to be expected in the demographic, which is young, artsy city-dwellers. Every now and again it makes me twitch, though. Like the other day, when I parked the Bimmer (urban camouflage) between the brand new 911 and the Jag X-type (the latter with the obligatory "O") where my doors should be safe, and ran into the Fresh Market for some necessaries.
I'm in the checkout line with my purchases when I draw the attention of the dude behind me. Or rather my shirt does. He's tall and thin, with a tan physique that speaks of lots of frisbees thrown to bandana-wearing dogs in lots of public parks. His salt-and-pepper hair is pulled into a long ponytail and he blinks through wire-rim John Lennon specs as he says "Does that shirt really say...?"
"'Nuke Berkeley'? Yes, it does."
"But," he asks in genuine puzzlement, "why would you want to nuke Berkeley?"
"Because," I say in my sweetest voice, the one I use to get toddlers to take their medicine, "that's where they grow hippies, silly!" And I picked up my purchases and headed for the door, leaving him standing there in slack-jawed puzzlement.
I have referred to the 'hood as "The O-Zone", due to the fact that the (admittedly sparse) yard signs are pretty much all for one guy, as is to be expected in the demographic, which is young, artsy city-dwellers. Every now and again it makes me twitch, though. Like the other day, when I parked the Bimmer (urban camouflage) between the brand new 911 and the Jag X-type (the latter with the obligatory "O") where my doors should be safe, and ran into the Fresh Market for some necessaries.
I'm in the checkout line with my purchases when I draw the attention of the dude behind me. Or rather my shirt does. He's tall and thin, with a tan physique that speaks of lots of frisbees thrown to bandana-wearing dogs in lots of public parks. His salt-and-pepper hair is pulled into a long ponytail and he blinks through wire-rim John Lennon specs as he says "Does that shirt really say...?"
"'Nuke Berkeley'? Yes, it does."
"But," he asks in genuine puzzlement, "why would you want to nuke Berkeley?"
"Because," I say in my sweetest voice, the one I use to get toddlers to take their medicine, "that's where they grow hippies, silly!" And I picked up my purchases and headed for the door, leaving him standing there in slack-jawed puzzlement.
Today In History: Potpourri.
On this date in...
...1798, a small force of colonists, marines, armed slaves, armed commercial boats, and Royal Naval vessels thwarted the Spanish Empire's attempt to invade Belize at the Battle of St. George's Caye.
...1813, Oliver Hazard Perry shot up the British fleet on Lake Erie, capturing everything that didn't burn or drown.
...1939, the Royal Navy suffered its first loss of the Second World War when, only a couple days into the conflict, the skipper of HMS Triton got trigger happy off the coast of Norway and mistook her sister, HMS Oxley, for the boche. He put a few fish into her midships and she promptly sank.
...1945, an unnamed barnyard fowl was magically transformed into Mike the Headless Chicken, using only an ordinary hatchet.
...1798, a small force of colonists, marines, armed slaves, armed commercial boats, and Royal Naval vessels thwarted the Spanish Empire's attempt to invade Belize at the Battle of St. George's Caye.
...1813, Oliver Hazard Perry shot up the British fleet on Lake Erie, capturing everything that didn't burn or drown.
...1939, the Royal Navy suffered its first loss of the Second World War when, only a couple days into the conflict, the skipper of HMS Triton got trigger happy off the coast of Norway and mistook her sister, HMS Oxley, for the boche. He put a few fish into her midships and she promptly sank.
...1945, an unnamed barnyard fowl was magically transformed into Mike the Headless Chicken, using only an ordinary hatchet.
Rock and Roll High School...
I'm assuming y'all have seen the two groovy video montages from the Blackwater trip? Joe Huffman's totally awesome montage is here. JR did a club mix video, as it were, to Slipknot's "Duality", which doesn't sound quite the same unless it's reverberating off linoleum and plate glass at taxiing 747 volume, all at an hour to annoy sleeping birds.
You'll note in the videos that I brought my best selection of total poser t-shirts: National Forensics Academy, Department of Energy SRT, and Boone County, Indiana SRT. The National Forensics Academy one is totally my favorite, because it says "The Harvard of Hellish Violence" on the back and has a big ol' skull on the front. This is guaranteed to get you rapid service in most restaurants in the hopes that you will eat fast and leave. The DOE guys used to be regulars at CCA and would occasionally bring t-shirts if they had some to spare. My tour guide to Hoosier Shooty Goodness hooked me up with the Boone Co. one, where Sheriff Ken Campbell runs probably the only program in the nation that schedules big-name instructors on the county ranges for plain ol' everyday folks.
You'll note in the videos that I brought my best selection of total poser t-shirts: National Forensics Academy, Department of Energy SRT, and Boone County, Indiana SRT. The National Forensics Academy one is totally my favorite, because it says "The Harvard of Hellish Violence" on the back and has a big ol' skull on the front. This is guaranteed to get you rapid service in most restaurants in the hopes that you will eat fast and leave. The DOE guys used to be regulars at CCA and would occasionally bring t-shirts if they had some to spare. My tour guide to Hoosier Shooty Goodness hooked me up with the Boone Co. one, where Sheriff Ken Campbell runs probably the only program in the nation that schedules big-name instructors on the county ranges for plain ol' everyday folks.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Can't we all just get a long gun?
The Armed Schoolteacher on rifle marksmanship and the recent Appleseed tiff.
PDB goes to carbine school: Day one. Day two.
PDB goes to carbine school: Day one. Day two.
No facehuggers.
Went out to dinner with my roomie last night. She introduced me to the funky, happenin' Broad Ripple joint that is Naked Tchopstix. Contrary to the name, all staff and diners were clothed.
Good sushi and very friendly service. Prices were reasonable. The decor looks like Buddhist hippies from Planet Ikea gave Ten Forward a remodeling. The presentation on the spider rolls was not what I was used to, however. The little facehuggers were all smooshed up and served atop the roll, rather than reaching up out of its center in all their H.R. Geigeresque splendor, as is traditional. It still tasted like crunchy pureed awesome, though.
Good sushi and very friendly service. Prices were reasonable. The decor looks like Buddhist hippies from Planet Ikea gave Ten Forward a remodeling. The presentation on the spider rolls was not what I was used to, however. The little facehuggers were all smooshed up and served atop the roll, rather than reaching up out of its center in all their H.R. Geigeresque splendor, as is traditional. It still tasted like crunchy pureed awesome, though.
All Palin, all the time...
...even on NPR.
From Mike-istan:
From Mike-istan:
From what I could gather - between bouts of spittle-flecked microphone biting, he felt that MaCain chose the Alaska Governor in a cynical, underhanded attempt to turn the simple country folk, what with their cow milking and hay making, against their dazzling urbanite betters and thus drive a wedge between these heretofore natural allies in the battle against the Darth Vadars of the Republican party.When your enemies can talk about nothing but you, it means you've got them rocked back on their heels. They are reacting to your moves. You are all up inside their OODA loop. Witness Slick Willie and every conservative talk show guy between '92 and '00.
A very relaxed and laid-back kind of scandal.
Pop Quiz: The highest court in the land has ruled that Thailand's prime minister must step down because he scandalously...
A) Embezzled jillions of baht.
B) Was dipping the ministerial pen in the secretarial inkwell.
C) Was fighting in the War Room.
D) Had his own cooking show.
If you picked "D", you're absolutely right.
"Thailand: Where even the scandals are relaxed." I mean, there's your next Phuket travel brochure slogan right there.
A) Embezzled jillions of baht.
B) Was dipping the ministerial pen in the secretarial inkwell.
C) Was fighting in the War Room.
D) Had his own cooking show.
If you picked "D", you're absolutely right.
"Thailand: Where even the scandals are relaxed." I mean, there's your next Phuket travel brochure slogan right there.
Today In History: Her experience was questioned.
On this date in 1543, long before anything that whiffed of child labor laws, Mary Stuart was actually crowned Queen of Scots in a ceremony at Stirling Castle when she was nine months old. The ermine onesies must have looked so cute...
Monday, September 08, 2008
Lunchtime comfort food...
Thin-sliced Swiss cheese + wine-soaked Sopressata + Kavli crispy thin crispbread = A Italo-Norse-Swiss taste treat.
Yum!
Yum!
Google Search of the Day:
Someone hit my blog today searching for "used car problems after 100k miles".
Well, Anonymous Searcher, those problems can vary depending on the used car in question. For instance, an older diesel Mercedes Benz or American pickup truck rarely has much in the way of problems at 100k miles, unless you count "stinky exhaust" or "a tendency to spontaneously sprout rebel flag bumper stickers" as a problem. Meanwhile, some brands of Yugoslavian cars or older Korean imports will frequently suffer GEF, or "gratuitous existence failure" before hitting the six-digit mark on the odometer. There are certain special categories too, such as 1970s Datsun Z-Cars, which could theoretically have lifespans measured in jillions of miles if their bodywork didn't succumb to rust in dozens of months.
Well, Anonymous Searcher, those problems can vary depending on the used car in question. For instance, an older diesel Mercedes Benz or American pickup truck rarely has much in the way of problems at 100k miles, unless you count "stinky exhaust" or "a tendency to spontaneously sprout rebel flag bumper stickers" as a problem. Meanwhile, some brands of Yugoslavian cars or older Korean imports will frequently suffer GEF, or "gratuitous existence failure" before hitting the six-digit mark on the odometer. There are certain special categories too, such as 1970s Datsun Z-Cars, which could theoretically have lifespans measured in jillions of miles if their bodywork didn't succumb to rust in dozens of months.
JayG of Borg...
...assimilates another one. At his one-new-shooter-per-weekend clip, who knows? He may get the Augean stables of Massachusetts cleaned out eventually.
Airports? Sports teams? Pphhhtt.
These days, your city ain't nothin' unless it has 50-foot mechanical spiders roaming the streets.
The money quote, as it were, comes from the Wikipedia article:
The money quote, as it were, comes from the Wikipedia article:
The project, which is free to the public, cost £1.5 million to stage.That simple sentence demonstrates such a breathtaking lack of anything resembling a grasp of economics that it fair staggers the imagination. It's as though someone thinks the fairy godmother bestowed all that moolah on the Liverpudlian Commission For Giant Sidewalk Creatures.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Range Thoughts...
1) When you grab a freezer bag full of 10mm moon clips and your handy de-mooner, it helps to actually put them in your range bag rather than leaving them lying in the attic. ~100 rounds of 10mm doesn't sound like much until you have to pop them in and out of your single moon clip with your fingers.
2) Georgia Arms 180gr 10mm @ 1100fps is pretty zippy stuff when fired in a Smith & Wesson revolver with no moving action bits to spread the recoil impulse over time. With a 3" barrel, and recoiling against a standing breech, there's a lot more sturm und drang than the same load fired from a 5" Colt Delta Elite. The stuff I had was actually Georgia Arms commercial reloads, rather than new-manufactured stuff. I actually encountered one round with a visible crack in the case. Luckily I caught it as I was loading the clip. I've never had a problem with Georgia Arms ammo over the fourteen or so years I've been a customer, so keep an eye on the ammo you use, no matter where you get it from; even the big companies can occasionally split a case mouth or seat a primer wrong. (Also, if shooting 10mm reloads, bear in mind that the round was, statistically at least, likely fired from a Glock, which can be a warning sign in a high-pressure round like the Big Ten.)
3) Even with Mag-Na-Porting and fairly moderate MagTech 240gr JSP ammo, a 3" S&W 629 can be a flinch-inducer. Maybe save that 'til the end of the range session...
4) Did you practice strong-hand only and weak-hand only drills today? If your gun malfed, did you practice clearing the malf rapidly and finishing the string of fire, or did you stare at the jam like a duck in thunder before clearing it?
Happy shooting!
2) Georgia Arms 180gr 10mm @ 1100fps is pretty zippy stuff when fired in a Smith & Wesson revolver with no moving action bits to spread the recoil impulse over time. With a 3" barrel, and recoiling against a standing breech, there's a lot more sturm und drang than the same load fired from a 5" Colt Delta Elite. The stuff I had was actually Georgia Arms commercial reloads, rather than new-manufactured stuff. I actually encountered one round with a visible crack in the case. Luckily I caught it as I was loading the clip. I've never had a problem with Georgia Arms ammo over the fourteen or so years I've been a customer, so keep an eye on the ammo you use, no matter where you get it from; even the big companies can occasionally split a case mouth or seat a primer wrong. (Also, if shooting 10mm reloads, bear in mind that the round was, statistically at least, likely fired from a Glock, which can be a warning sign in a high-pressure round like the Big Ten.)
3) Even with Mag-Na-Porting and fairly moderate MagTech 240gr JSP ammo, a 3" S&W 629 can be a flinch-inducer. Maybe save that 'til the end of the range session...
4) Did you practice strong-hand only and weak-hand only drills today? If your gun malfed, did you practice clearing the malf rapidly and finishing the string of fire, or did you stare at the jam like a duck in thunder before clearing it?
Happy shooting!
Rain, rain, go away...
Yeah, the garden and the lawn needed the water, but this kinda puts a dent in my lawn-mowing plans for the day. On the other hand, there are guns that need cleaning.
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