... I got hitched...
To the most wonderful woman in the world. My love for her is as strong today as it was that morning.
She is my rock.
I love you, Julie.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
The Ruger, she is done!
....Well, almost. Just need to add a sling.No, I didn't find my camera battery charger, worst luck. I took this pic with my iPhone and emailed it to myself. Came out quite nicely, though, for a camera phone.
So there she sits, all pretty and stuff... shoots as nice as she looks, too. So here's what I've done:
-Green Mountain barrel
-Fajen stock (which I had to mount sling swivel screws onto. Front, not so bad; the rear - well, it could have been a little straighter. We'll just leave it at that)
-8-32x44 mil-dot scope with adjustable objective - a TruGlo I picked up from Natchez Shooters Supply for about $65 (hey, I'm a cheap bastard. What can I say? It works so far, and if it ever craps out on me, well then I'm out $65)
-Harris bi pod knock-off from Walmart (see above)
Oh, and a custom trigger setup from Hawktech.
All in all, I'm into this for about $450, I think, including the price of the original rifle. I'm pretty happy with how she turned out.
Frustrating
I still can't find the charger to my camera, which is really starting to bug me, as impatient as I am. I'll probably have to wind up buying another one, which means that within minutes of returning home from the electronics store with the new charger, I'll find the original one...
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Jupiter...
Got clobbered by something around July 20th, leaving a scar that was first viewed by an amateur astronomer in Australia. This is his image:
..
The scar is the black spot in the upper right, which is actually the lower left, since the image is upside down. I went on NASA's web site, but the only picture they had was monochromatic and grainy. This one is much better. The guy's name is in the subtitle, and I snaked the image from here... cool stuff... glad Jupiter took one for the team! A hit here wouldn't be too much fun...
..
The scar is the black spot in the upper right, which is actually the lower left, since the image is upside down. I went on NASA's web site, but the only picture they had was monochromatic and grainy. This one is much better. The guy's name is in the subtitle, and I snaked the image from here... cool stuff... glad Jupiter took one for the team! A hit here wouldn't be too much fun...
Taggers
The building I work in sits atop a parcel of land held up by a twenty-plus foot retaining wall in the back, facing railroad tracks. This wall has become a favorite for local taggers lately, to the extent that our field crew will be painting it for the third time in the last few months. What a complete pain in the ass.
The last time they did it, the city "graffiti abatement" guy who was "supervising" the job (he couldn't actually do the job, since it was on a high wall and city rules said it was too dangerous for him) told us that a couple of guys in their thirties were caught tagging in the area a few days prior.
In their thirties.
Dude. Tagging at any age is a crime that sets my blood boiling, but if you're still doing it in your frigging thirties, you are an official waste of life. You're completely worthless.
The last time they did it, the city "graffiti abatement" guy who was "supervising" the job (he couldn't actually do the job, since it was on a high wall and city rules said it was too dangerous for him) told us that a couple of guys in their thirties were caught tagging in the area a few days prior.
In their thirties.
Dude. Tagging at any age is a crime that sets my blood boiling, but if you're still doing it in your frigging thirties, you are an official waste of life. You're completely worthless.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Gates
So the officer who arrested Gates in his own home for disorderly conduct won't be apologising. What a surprise. If the officer acted correctly, why were the charges dropped almost immediately? I'm sure any investigation will also clear said officer of any wrongdoing. Now I know that Gate is asserting racism here, but I am not so sure. I think anyone getting "uppity" with the law in this day and age is likely to wind up with the jackboot on their neck and some BS charges to go with. It's not racism that's the issue here, it's petty tyranny - the expectation that citizens must cower before their masters in blue.
I wish it was an isolated incident, but it isn't. Stuff like this - and worse - happens on a daily basis in this country. I'm wondering if we haven't ourselves created the standing army that our Founders were so concerned about. On that note, here's a couple of posts that I read today...
Good cops have a responsibility to clean their own house. They have more rights and privileges than the rest of us, and as such must be held to a higher standard of behavior.
I wish it was an isolated incident, but it isn't. Stuff like this - and worse - happens on a daily basis in this country. I'm wondering if we haven't ourselves created the standing army that our Founders were so concerned about. On that note, here's a couple of posts that I read today...
Good cops have a responsibility to clean their own house. They have more rights and privileges than the rest of us, and as such must be held to a higher standard of behavior.
Great news!
It appears that since September, here in the valley, one of the most depressed real estate markets in the state, if not the nation, that my home value has rocketed upwards in the region of a whopping twenty percent!...
...according to the county tax assessor.
That's going to hit me in the wallet for another $500 a year.
Thieving gits.
California's in a huge financial mess, and the budget they finally squeaked through this week is an abortion. One of the creative accounting methods is for the state to swipe money from cities and counties just to make ends meet, and I guess they have to make the shortfall up somewhere. Since Proposition 1A - which called for large tax increases - got shot down at the polls earlier this year, they have to get it somehow. Cut spending? Nah. There's still sheep to be fleeced!
When government runs out of money, watch out - recession or no.
...according to the county tax assessor.
That's going to hit me in the wallet for another $500 a year.
Thieving gits.
California's in a huge financial mess, and the budget they finally squeaked through this week is an abortion. One of the creative accounting methods is for the state to swipe money from cities and counties just to make ends meet, and I guess they have to make the shortfall up somewhere. Since Proposition 1A - which called for large tax increases - got shot down at the polls earlier this year, they have to get it somehow. Cut spending? Nah. There's still sheep to be fleeced!
When government runs out of money, watch out - recession or no.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Some random thoughts...
I was going to post a picture of another of my rifles tonight, but after getting it out of the safe and finding a suitable place to photograph it, I realized my camera battery was dead... and I don't know where the charger is right now. Bummer.
I finally jumped on the Apple fanboy bandwagon and bought an iPhone (once the price had dropped to $100). It's frikken great! I had no idea what I had been missing, just using a $15 gophone (with my sim card in it) for the last year. Wow - way much more than a phone! All my music is on it, there's a sick amount of "apps" available - I have a bunch of games on it as well as a GPS, "I heart radio" and even a bible in various translations! One HUGE drawback - since I got the phone, I have not read one single book... which is saying something coming from a guy who used to read 2 or 3 a week... I am going to have to address that at some point, but not right now. I have a high score to beat on Battlefield 2.
Today was an especially interesting day for me in the blogosphere. I found a pretty inspiring story about open carry in California over at Say Uncle, which was written in a neutral/positive manner. Pretty refreshing to see a reporter actually report on gunnies objectively. Over at Joe Huffman's casa, I found a link to the state of affairs back in Blighty, which is pretty depressing (and would be even more so if I still lived there). I swear, whenever I get down about the latest stunts our lords and masters in Washington are planning to inflict upon us, I see stories like this which correct my perspective and make me truly thankful that I live where I do. These stories also, however, show us a taste of what's to come too, should we slip in our vigilance.
This year's Gun Blogger Rendezvous has me all tingly. There's going to be a lot of folks going that I'd love to finally meet in the flesh, and it sounds like there are a lot of neat events planned too. It's great that they pushed it up from October to September, so in a perfect world, I could attend and still go hunting. However, it is not a perfect world, and like everyone else, my funds are stretched pretty tight right now. My wife and I have shares in a points-based timeshare thingy and they happen to have a resort in Reno less than half a mile from the Silver Legacy, where the Rendezvous is being hosted. Since I could use that for "free" (notwithstanding the thousands of dollars we paid up front to actually purchase the shares) I wouldn't have to sweat the $300+ a hotel room would set me back and I'd only have to deal with gas there and back... I could possibly swing that... unfortunately, the Reno resort is fully booked, so I'm on the "first tier" waiting list to snag anything that comes up should someone cancel... it looks like that is the only possible way I'll be able to attend, worst luck... well, fingers crossed...
I finally jumped on the Apple fanboy bandwagon and bought an iPhone (once the price had dropped to $100). It's frikken great! I had no idea what I had been missing, just using a $15 gophone (with my sim card in it) for the last year. Wow - way much more than a phone! All my music is on it, there's a sick amount of "apps" available - I have a bunch of games on it as well as a GPS, "I heart radio" and even a bible in various translations! One HUGE drawback - since I got the phone, I have not read one single book... which is saying something coming from a guy who used to read 2 or 3 a week... I am going to have to address that at some point, but not right now. I have a high score to beat on Battlefield 2.
Today was an especially interesting day for me in the blogosphere. I found a pretty inspiring story about open carry in California over at Say Uncle, which was written in a neutral/positive manner. Pretty refreshing to see a reporter actually report on gunnies objectively. Over at Joe Huffman's casa, I found a link to the state of affairs back in Blighty, which is pretty depressing (and would be even more so if I still lived there). I swear, whenever I get down about the latest stunts our lords and masters in Washington are planning to inflict upon us, I see stories like this which correct my perspective and make me truly thankful that I live where I do. These stories also, however, show us a taste of what's to come too, should we slip in our vigilance.
This year's Gun Blogger Rendezvous has me all tingly. There's going to be a lot of folks going that I'd love to finally meet in the flesh, and it sounds like there are a lot of neat events planned too. It's great that they pushed it up from October to September, so in a perfect world, I could attend and still go hunting. However, it is not a perfect world, and like everyone else, my funds are stretched pretty tight right now. My wife and I have shares in a points-based timeshare thingy and they happen to have a resort in Reno less than half a mile from the Silver Legacy, where the Rendezvous is being hosted. Since I could use that for "free" (notwithstanding the thousands of dollars we paid up front to actually purchase the shares) I wouldn't have to sweat the $300+ a hotel room would set me back and I'd only have to deal with gas there and back... I could possibly swing that... unfortunately, the Reno resort is fully booked, so I'm on the "first tier" waiting list to snag anything that comes up should someone cancel... it looks like that is the only possible way I'll be able to attend, worst luck... well, fingers crossed...
Monday, July 20, 2009
Build party...
Having finally scored my citizenship, I decided to celebrate by making a new gun purchase. But... not just any gun, oh no...
I got me the beginnings of an EBR!
My friend came over tonight with his, and we set about assembling our AR15 lowers...
I got me the beginnings of an EBR!
My friend came over tonight with his, and we set about assembling our AR15 lowers...
Voila!
Thirty minutes of grunting, cursing, hammering and chasing parts across the shop, we finally put together the finished product.
That unsightly lump above the magazine is a bullet button, a device that makes it impossible to remove the magazine without a tool - something you want to have in California to stay within the limits of our laws here.
For those who care, that is a LAR Grizzly-15 lower, with a CMMG parts kit and a Magpul p-mag configured to take 10 rounds only (another California requirement).
Although I'm heartily satisfied with tonight's work, obviously it is not yet complete without the upper assembly... well, that costs a wee bit more, and thanks to current "gun" market conditions, there's somewhat of a wait...
Soon, my precious, soon...
Monday, June 29, 2009
Today...
I turned in my voter registration form at the Registrar of Voters. This is one of the rights I've been eagerly anticipating.
I have never voted before. I moved to the States when I was 17, and the UK voting age is 18, same as it is here. I received a voter form for the UK in the mail, but never got involved. I was young, didn't much care about politics in Blighty (or anywhere at that time, for that matter) so I never voted. In the last few years this right is one that has become more important to me, especially as I have watched the changes around me that I have had no say in. I cannot wait to finally make my voice heard.
Heck, I even want to serve on a jury!
I have never voted before. I moved to the States when I was 17, and the UK voting age is 18, same as it is here. I received a voter form for the UK in the mail, but never got involved. I was young, didn't much care about politics in Blighty (or anywhere at that time, for that matter) so I never voted. In the last few years this right is one that has become more important to me, especially as I have watched the changes around me that I have had no say in. I cannot wait to finally make my voice heard.
Heck, I even want to serve on a jury!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Yosemite
A few shots of Yosemite for your viewing pleasure...
Random shot of the valley floor. Well, not so random I guess - my wife loves ferns...
My Little Princess and her cousin, with the entire valley as a backdrop.
Sasha found the only shade available under our truck, plopped down and wouldn't move. She actually looks dead in this picture...
Yosemite Valley floor, as seen from Glacier Point. That's a LOOOONG way down...
Half Dome, seen from Glacier Point.
Bridalveil Fall...
Number One Son and his cousin fishing the Merced River.
The view from our room's patio...
Random shot of the valley floor. Well, not so random I guess - my wife loves ferns...
My Little Princess and her cousin, with the entire valley as a backdrop.
Sasha found the only shade available under our truck, plopped down and wouldn't move. She actually looks dead in this picture...
Yosemite Valley floor, as seen from Glacier Point. That's a LOOOONG way down...
Half Dome, seen from Glacier Point.
Bridalveil Fall...
Number One Son and his cousin fishing the Merced River.
The view from our room's patio...Saturday, June 27, 2009
I am an American Citizen.
Yesterday, I stood up with 2701 other new citizens in the LA Sports Arena and took the Oath of Naturalization. I cried throughout the whole thing. Aside from my wedding, and the birth of my two children, I'm hard pressed to find a day with more significance in my lifetime.
It's been a crazy last few days. The ceremony was scheduled smack in the middle of our planned trip to Yosemite, but I wasn't about to reschedule something I'd been waiting on for so long... so, Wednesday we drove up (380 miles) and got settled in to the Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal (great place, by the way - our rooms overlooked the Merced river - but the crappiest staff I have encountered in a hotel in a LONG time).
Thursday we drove into Yosemite, up to Glacier Point - amazing vista - and tooled around for a while, then back out to the hotel for dinner and a celebratory toast with the family, before I headed out on the road again at 9pm to get back into LA. Got to my brother-in-law's place in Long Beach around 4am and crashed on his couch for about 3 hours.
Friday I got up at 8:30 am, fretted around for a couple of hours getting ready before I made my way to the Sports Arena. Got in line, got herded around like cattle, completed the oath ceremony, listened to President Obama say a few words (videotaped of course) and filed out to pick up my certificate of naturalization. Saw sunlight again at around 3pm where I met up with a couple of my church friends who had come out to support me, grabbed a quick bite at Denny's with them before heading back up to Yosemite AGAIN. LA traffic by this time was absolutely abysmal and added a good two hours to my trip. I didn't see my hotel room until midnight.
Got up this morning, packed up, took the 120 East through the valley and came home down the Eastern side of the Sierras, via 395. We pulled in to the Kingdom at 9:30, and now I'm looking forward to my bed. I have driven close to 2000 miles these last four days. I'm tired, as is the rest of my family (although they didn't accompany me down to LA) but elated at finally possessing proof of US citizenship. Now to switch out my red passport for a pretty blue one and register to vote. I'll be getting started on both of those Monday.
Bitchen pictures of Yosemite to follow...
UPDATE: I just learned by reading Say Uncle that yesterday was also the first anniversary of the Heller decision! June 26th will forever be doubly auspicious for me! Gun blogger taking the Oath of Naturalization on the anniversary of the Heller decision. Way cool!
It's been a crazy last few days. The ceremony was scheduled smack in the middle of our planned trip to Yosemite, but I wasn't about to reschedule something I'd been waiting on for so long... so, Wednesday we drove up (380 miles) and got settled in to the Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal (great place, by the way - our rooms overlooked the Merced river - but the crappiest staff I have encountered in a hotel in a LONG time).
Thursday we drove into Yosemite, up to Glacier Point - amazing vista - and tooled around for a while, then back out to the hotel for dinner and a celebratory toast with the family, before I headed out on the road again at 9pm to get back into LA. Got to my brother-in-law's place in Long Beach around 4am and crashed on his couch for about 3 hours.
Friday I got up at 8:30 am, fretted around for a couple of hours getting ready before I made my way to the Sports Arena. Got in line, got herded around like cattle, completed the oath ceremony, listened to President Obama say a few words (videotaped of course) and filed out to pick up my certificate of naturalization. Saw sunlight again at around 3pm where I met up with a couple of my church friends who had come out to support me, grabbed a quick bite at Denny's with them before heading back up to Yosemite AGAIN. LA traffic by this time was absolutely abysmal and added a good two hours to my trip. I didn't see my hotel room until midnight.
Got up this morning, packed up, took the 120 East through the valley and came home down the Eastern side of the Sierras, via 395. We pulled in to the Kingdom at 9:30, and now I'm looking forward to my bed. I have driven close to 2000 miles these last four days. I'm tired, as is the rest of my family (although they didn't accompany me down to LA) but elated at finally possessing proof of US citizenship. Now to switch out my red passport for a pretty blue one and register to vote. I'll be getting started on both of those Monday.
Bitchen pictures of Yosemite to follow...
UPDATE: I just learned by reading Say Uncle that yesterday was also the first anniversary of the Heller decision! June 26th will forever be doubly auspicious for me! Gun blogger taking the Oath of Naturalization on the anniversary of the Heller decision. Way cool!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Happy Father's Day
Dad,
I want to say thank you.
Thank you for giving me an example of how to be a good husband and father.
Thank you for all the sacrifices you've made over the years for your children.
Thank you for the wisdom and advice you've passed on throughout my life, even in those times when I was too dumb to heed it.
Thank you for all the work you endured, in all the crappy places around the world to provide for your family.
Thank you for bringing us here to the United States to chase our fullest potential.
Thank you, Dad.
I want to say thank you.
Thank you for giving me an example of how to be a good husband and father.
Thank you for all the sacrifices you've made over the years for your children.
Thank you for the wisdom and advice you've passed on throughout my life, even in those times when I was too dumb to heed it.
Thank you for all the work you endured, in all the crappy places around the world to provide for your family.
Thank you for bringing us here to the United States to chase our fullest potential.
Thank you, Dad.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Citizenship....
May finally be happening! I have an appointment to appear at the LA Sports Arena on Friday June 26th to take my naturalization oath. Wow! This has been a LONG time coming - and its not over yet, but the end is in sight! Going to celebrate with my family tonight...
Friday, May 15, 2009
Ruger jumps on the AR bandwagon...
Imagine that...
The SR-556. Small print states that it may not be available in all states. That means no Ruger AR for you, California...
With an MSRP of $2K, I wouldn't be in the market for one anyway, I suppose.
The SR-556. Small print states that it may not be available in all states. That means no Ruger AR for you, California...
With an MSRP of $2K, I wouldn't be in the market for one anyway, I suppose.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
In case you had any doubts...
...whether our elected representatives made staying in power a higher priority than principles, hopefully Senator Arlen Specter's behavior this week cleared that up for you.
Facing a trouncing in his upcoming Republican primary (judging by the polling data), Specter decided to switch his party affiliation to Democrat, mere weeks after affirming that he would stay Republican.
This man is obviously much less concerned about giving one party a filibuster-proof majority than he is about personally losing all (well, most; he still scores a lifetime retirement check for his "service") the perks associated with being a US senator.
Here's the money quote: "I am unwilling to have my twenty-nine year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate."
Get that, Pennsylvania Republicans? He doesn't answer to YOU, you filth. Who the hell do you think you are?
Facing a trouncing in his upcoming Republican primary (judging by the polling data), Specter decided to switch his party affiliation to Democrat, mere weeks after affirming that he would stay Republican.
This man is obviously much less concerned about giving one party a filibuster-proof majority than he is about personally losing all (well, most; he still scores a lifetime retirement check for his "service") the perks associated with being a US senator.
Here's the money quote: "I am unwilling to have my twenty-nine year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate."
Get that, Pennsylvania Republicans? He doesn't answer to YOU, you filth. Who the hell do you think you are?
Another sign of the apocalypse...
Funny...yet sad... pretty much confirms my opinion of humanity as a whole...
I am so very thankful this technology was not available during my partying days...
I am so very thankful this technology was not available during my partying days...
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Jackhammer Gardening
My friend and I dug four of these today, getting ready to plant some citrus trees. I started off the day renting a two-man auger, but it was useless - just bouncing around on top of the ground. We went back to Home Depot and traded it out for a jackhammer...
It did the trick, but man that's some work!
The holes are about 2-3 feet wide and 3 deep, and that white stuff you see in the picture is granite. Hopefully there will be enough drainage towards the front of the holes for the trees... guess we'll find out.
I'm going to bed now. I am very sore.
How was your Sunday?
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tea Party for lunch...
First. Protest. Evar!
My darling wife and I spent our lunch break today attending the Riverside, CA Tea Party. On the way in, I stopped by a store to grab my protest flag.
I was a little hesitant about this, figuring it might be just a half dozen or so folks, but I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout - I would say 100-150 people maybe.
The rally wound its way through downtown Riverside in a very orderly, civilized manner - staying on the sidewalks, obeying the traffic signs etc. There were no cops in attendance, with the exception of a couple of Sheriff's deputies who came out of the courthouse to see what was going on.
Everyone in the protest was very friendly - pretty low-key, not a lot of shouting or hectoring, just a bunch of people walking together,holding signs and chatting amiably. Quite a few made positive comments about our choice of banner.
There was one guy, out in the Farmer Boys parking lot, who asked with a sneer, "Aside from everything, what exactly is it you guys are protesting?", to which I replied "The size of government; the loss of liberty". Yeah, a big talker I am not...
Well, we did a circuit of downtown, and the march wasn't stopping. They continued on to do a second lap. Wifey and I looked at the watch, then at each other, and decided that we had to split. We had to go back to work - taxes to pay, y'know...
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