Playing Tourist

I lived in Jacksonville from late '94 to almost 2000 and never once went to St Augustine to do the tourist thing. With the temps in the 70s and a house full of kids to entertain today was the day.

The four of us got there in the afternoon, we found a good parking spot and walked through the old jail first. After going through the gift shop we went down to the ticket booth across the road and rode the red train (actually we rode the black train, but it was being used as a red train) and then went through Ripley's.

Boneshaker bicycle

St Augustine Old Jail

 Castillo de San Marcos

House made from redwood log, that's Grand-daughter posing for the picture

 The Great Cross, Mission of Nombre de Dios, St Augustine FL

We didn't get to go through the fort or see the Fountain of Youth, but they will be there another day. Sonny's BBQ rounded out the days events.

All in all, a fun day.

Book Reports

I've been remiss, there are several books I've finished that I should have told you about. Allow me to correct my oversight now.

All of these books can be had through the Amazon Kindle store, but a few (Terms of Enlistment, any of the Sabrina Chase books) can be had straight from the author's websites which usually nets them a little more coin. I've put up links to the authors websites where appropriate. I usually get them from the Kindle store just because its easier to download them to my 'droid.

In the order which they appear on my Kindle app (love that thing, but I really could stand a bigger screen. Problem is that would take a bigger device, and the 'droid is already pushing my limit where communications devices are concerned. But I digress):

The Scent of Metal by Sabrina Chase. So far I've liked everything by Sabrina Chase, and this is no exception. Pluto is no planet, but what it is may surprise you. Highly recommended.

The Flux Engine by Dan Willis. Steampunk in the old west starring Wild Bill Hickok, a rollicking fun read that would be great for anyone who likes the steampunk genre.

Terms of Enlistment by Marko Kloos. Marko is well known for his essays (particularly "Why the Gun Is Civilization") that have been bandied about on and off the net, mostly attributed incorrectly, but this is his first novel. Long time readers of The Munchkin Wrangler know what to expect as far as style; Terms of Enlistment is a good solid mil sci-fi read that will not disappoint.

"The Long Way Home", "Queen of Chaos" and "Raven's Children", the Sequoyah Trilogy by Sabrina Chase. Did I mention that I have liked everything so far by Sabrina Chase? More space novels, this one follows a space pilot with an interesting past that has a secret to tell someone...if she can just figure out who that someone should be.

Space Eldritch, a compilation that I got from one of Larry Correia's book bombs. I didn't really care much for it.

Old Habits by Christopher Taylor, I started reading this one when he was publishing it on his now defunct website and got sucked into the story. I was very glad to see him actually publish this one. It's the story of a thief who finds himself in strange circumstances trying to track down his loot in a medieval magical world.

So that's what I've been reading. I liked everything but Space Eldritch, it just wasn't my cuppa tea but someone else might like it. Hopefully it gives you a few ideas.

Enjoy!

Karmic Opportunity

Go grease some wheels.

Gator State

and raining. Liquid sunshine.

But it was already in the mid 60's when I got up at 9 this morning.

It's going to get colder this week, it's going to be all the way down in the lower 60's the first part of the week and only get to the mid 60's the last part of the week. I'll definitely need a jacket while I'm cruising around with the top down, at least Tuesday and Wednesday.

Weather at home during the same time frame isn't expected to climb out of the low 50's.

It's a burden I must bear.

UPDATE: By 3 PM it was sunny and in the low 80's. Burden indeed.

Tough Love

This past week as I was suffering under the nasty bug, Eldest Son got himself locked up.

To hear him tell the story he didn't actually do anything, but he was riding around with someone who had enough weed on him to warrant a possession with intent charge.

He has had a lifetime of poor choices, with the entirely predictable bad results, but none of them have ever been his fault, of course. This is called "bad luck" by those who don't realize that we make our own luck.

Anyway, he burned up the phone lines at $10.00 per call (on my plan, naturally) to his sisters trying to get bailed out without letting me know about it, but finally had to call me to tell me what had happened. The first call he told me that he wouldn't be home for a while.

The second call was to tell me if I would put my property up as bail he could get out.

Last tax assessment period the house and land was assessed at $157K. His bail is $600.

He was hurt and surprised when I declined this generous offer.

My tax return came in this week as well, and I had already planned what I was going to do with it. First I was to replenish the credit card for the tire purchases and wheel repairs made earlier in the month, and then I was going to put exhaust on the car, and finally it was vacation time.

Bottom line, I had the money to bail him out. In fact, I still do. And I could go downtown right now and bail him out.

Just as I always have.

Eight years ago he came to North Carolina from Florida to "straighten his life out" and get back on track. Eight years later he has accomplished nothing towards that goal.

He still doesn't have his GED. He has no vocational skills training that would help him get a good job. He hasn't worked a real job in over five years. He owes the state of Florida $24K on back child support and fees so he doesn't have his drivers license. No forward progress, and a bit of backwards progress.

He doesn't realize it just yet, but his life has changed. He will start his new life by sitting in jail until his April 1st court date. He will turn 30 years old the day after. We will see if he will spend that birthday in jail as well. When he does get out he will find that Dad is no longer willing to pay his bills.

One year from the day he gets out of jail he will have his GED, or he won't live at my house any more.

Two years from the day he gets out of jail he will have some sort of vo-tech training in progress, or he's out.

Three years from the day he gets out of jail he will be working in his new profession, or he's out.

Four years from now he's out anyway because I'm selling the house and getting out of the kid raising business altogether. By then Youngest Son will be 18 and he had better be graduated from school and starting on his new career path that doesn't include "sponge off of Dad" because he knows that option has been closed. At least his older brother has served as a good bad example in that regard, and I'm happy to say he's been scoring straight A's for the past few months.

He will get one single apology from me. I will apologize for not kicking his ass eight years ago.

His bail money sure does sound great on the car though.

UPDATE:  Recent developments have me cautiously optimistic. He called me today and, without me prompting him, laid out his new life's plan which pretty much paralleled my life's plan for him. He usually figures out the right thing to do once he runs out of all the other options.

He even told me he didn't expect me to believe him, so he would just prove himself to me. We'll see if he sticks to it. That will be the real test.

Sneezing, Sniffling, Stuffy Head

just in time to go on vacation.  My joy knows no bounds.

At least it should be warm in Florida.

And on that note, I really miss the old NyQuil. It had as much alcohol as brandy and would really knock you out. The new stuff doesn't do a thing at all to help me sleep.

Round Rubber Thingies, Part 2

I went out today to get a set of front tires to match the new rear tires. I didn't really want to go all the way into town, so I stopped off at the next-to nearest tire store to the house (the nearest is a defenseless victim zone) to see if they had what I needed.

They didn't have Hankook Ventas V12s in the proper size, and the quickest they could get them was Wednesday. I didn't want to wait until Wednesday, but they really wanted my business. So, instead of getting two more Ventas V12 tires they traded them straight across for two Continental ExtremeContact DWS tires and then sold me two more for the front at the same price, mounted and balanced, which was a few dollars less than I paid for the Hankooks.

It was a solid deal that I couldn't pass up, so I sprung for their extended road hazard warranty as well just to ease their pain a bit. Out the door for a bit more than I paid at Pep Boys for the Hankooks, but four new tires for the cost of two (and a better warranty) couldn't be beat, considering they traded used tires for new (even if the used set did only have 630 miles on them since they were installed).

So now I have four Continental tires on the car, it's just as smooth as the day I picked it up, and I have a 50,000 mile tread warranty to boot. Since I've only been able to get 20 to 30K out of the Pirellis I'm interested in seeing if the Continentals can deliver what they promise. If they do deliver as promised it should be another 2 1/2 years before I have to put tires on this car next (at which point the car will have 100K miles on it), and if that is the case I'll spring for the same tires again.

Now I'm all ready for my Florida trip next weekend. It sure would be nice if the IRS would hurry up and give me my money back so I can get axlebacks put on it before I go, but I won't hold my breath.

The Last Angel

Thank you LT Dalton. Fair winds and following seas.

3.14

Have some pi.

This Is Why

Larry Correia is my favorite author. The one-liners. Like this one:

"If I was angry, you'd know it as soon as your house blew up." (you have to scroll down a ways to find it)

You Know You Want One

Get it here.

For a limited time only, so go quickly!

No Pipes For You

They were for a 2010 and the connections are different.

I haz a :(

Oh well, I needed front tires worse anyway, and besides, I know a guy...

Home Alarm System Commercials

To put it bluntly, they piss me off. Yeah, some determined attacker who has already kicked in your front door is going to leave your naked towel-wrapped ass alone because some disembodied voice on a speaker tells him the cops will be there in a half an hour or your pizza is free.

Here's how they should really end:



Free rock with every purchase!

Round Rubber Thingies

A little over a year ago I put tires on the Mustang. When I did so I got a wobble at 15MPH that turned into a vibration at interstate speed. I took it back to the Ford dealer that had installed the tire they diagnosed a bent wheel and went into "not our fault" mode when I pointed out that the wobble wasn't there before the tires went on.

Yesterday I took the car to a wheel fixing place to get some curb rash taken care of and oh yeah,by the way while you are there...

The wheel wasn't bent.  The tire on the left rear had a band about 3" wide that was worn bald about 1/3 of the way around the inside of the tire, the rest of the tread was good. In other words, the left rear tire has been bad since it went on the car a year ago. If the dealers service center had just checked the tires instead of the alignment and balance they might have found it and replaced the bad tire under the tire manufacturers warranty, but I suppose that was too much to expect from parts replacers (I don't have much use for dealer "mechanics" ever since a Dodge dealer couldn't properly diagnose a pickup coil on the Rampage because there wasn't an OBD port for them to plug the diagnostic computer in to tell them what the problem was).

This is irritating for reasons I hope I do not have to explain. I had already decided I would never buy tires from the car dealer ever again, figuring that if you take the car to a tire shop for tires they know tires better than the car dealer, but since the first set got replaced for having basically the same thing happen (on a front tire this time) I'm done with Pirelli P-zeros as well.

Fortunately I found a tire shop that had the correct size (245/45-19's, Hankook Ventus V12 this time around) to put on the car at short notice, so the wobble is gone. I just wish I had done it earlier, that vibration was really irritating. It's funny, I had forgotten how smooth the ride really is on that car.

Today I get my new exhaust put on. The guy I got them from gave them to the guy that told me about them, I'm meeting him with the Mustang group today and one of the other guys in the group lives 15 minutes away from the meeting spot and has offered the use of his garage and tools to put them on, so they will be on the car when I get home.

Between the Subaru and the Mustang this has been an expensive month.

Sound And Fury

60,000 miles is coming right up on the pony, I'm expecting to be out of warranty by this summer. That means this years tax return is going for pony parts.

I'm not going to get overly crazy, I like the car the way it is but I just want a bit more here and there. I'm definitely going to have to get another wheel because one of them on the right side is bent which causes the car to shake, but for purely aftermarket parts I'm looking at exhaust, cold air intake and tune, maybe some springs and shocks, and that's about it.

One of the aftermarket exhaust systems I was looking at was the MRT Interceptor axle-backs. I shudder at the cost...almost $600 for mufflers? but they are stainless steel so they fit the existing pipes like they were stock and they give a nice deep tone.

I wasn't planning on getting them right away, in fact I was going to concentrate on wheels and probably new tires (they last about 18 months and run about $1000 a set), I'll be due for them this summer sometime, but when I mentioned it on the Mustang Forums one of the forum members mentioned that he knew where there was a set used that could be had for not quite half price.

The payment has been sent and the only thing that remains is to get them from Hickory to here. Fortunately the same member that brought them up has transportation options in mind, so I should have them next week.  They'll go on just in time to go to Florida for Easter.

That's it for mods for a while though, next will be that bad wheel replacement, a set of tires, and a scuff repair for the other wheel on the right side. Just keeping the wheels in good shape is a chore by itself.

I'm looking forward to hearing how they sound though.

UPDATE: It's at the wheel fixing place right now, and my weekend plans have fallen through so I'm going to go get the axlebacks on Saturday. They will go on the car as soon as I have the time to do it. That will finish up the mods for the time being...until the tax refund gets here...

Day In Review

Saturday started out with range time, which is always a good way to start the day.

The bangsticks of choice for the day was in the diminutive caliber of .22 long rifle. There was one open-sight Marlin model 60 and one scoped Ruger 10/22.

The Marlin ended up being much more picky about it's ammo, which is something I had not experienced with that gun before. Multiple FTE/FTF issues with it using the bulk ammo Range Partner had in his ammo can, but the Ruger ate it without complaints.

So, surprisingly enough, did the High Standard, which is usually much more picky about its ammo.

Following the .22 shooty goodness I put a box of 50 crap Tula ammo through the Glock and got the expected 2 FTEs with it. It's picky about its ammo also, but not as bad as before I changed out the recoil spring.

After all the shooty goodness Range Partner and I went to McCalls for the Triangle Open Carry meetup which is always good.

The day was finished off by showing Eldest Son how to install a timing belt on a 2.5 Subaru flat four (see previous post) and hamburgers on the grill.

Tomorrow is back to work

Subaru Owner PSA

If you own a Subaru with the 2.5 liter flat 4 motor there are certain maintenance tasks which must be performed without fail.

Number one on that list is a timing belt change at 105K miles. Well, actually that's probably number 3 after regular oil changes and scheduled coolant flushes (yes they are very important, they will help to keep the head gaskets from leaking which is a bane of the Subaru 2.5L flat 4, also pay attention to your battery) but it is the major maintenance at 105,000 miles.

If you are doing this on your own it is imperative that you get the service manual for your car, but while on the subject of timing belts please do note you do not line the motor up to Top Dead Center to remove or install one, as you would with normal engines. You do this at TDC (#1 cylinder compression stroke) + 90 degrees.

For what it's worth, you can install the heads without pulling the motor. You have to put the heads in place with the bolts in the heads. It's easier to have two people to do this, one from the top and one from the bottom, to keep from dropping the head as you are trying to seat it on the block.

Eldest Son wasted most of his day trying to figure out why he couldn't put the timing belt on the Subaru today, when I got home we had it on in 5 minutes and he felt like an idiot. I'm hoping that the rest of the trucklet will go back together tomorrow, it's been down all week and I'm going to need it next weekend.

Until then I'll be forced to ride the pony I guess. The sacrifices I must make...

For Mrs. B

They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and his wonders in the deep. For he commands, and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end. Then they cry to the LORD in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distresses. He makes the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he brings them to their desired haven. 

Psalms 107:23-30

Someone Is Paying Attention

I've had a Marlin 795 on my Guns I Want list for a while now to make a Liberty Training Rifle for Appleseed out of. The Marlin only needs sights and a sling to make it a good LTR while the more popular Ruger 10/22 seems to need an extensive list of modifications to make it a good shooter. All told I figure the Marlin fully modified would cost about as much as a Ruger out of the box.

Someone at Marlin has apparently been paying attention to the Appleseed Project because now they are getting ready to offer the 795 in an Appleseed configuration. It will come complete with the sights and sling, a spare magazine, and some fancy etching on the side. The only thing it would need to be absolutely perfect would be a wooden stock, but unfortunately that is not offered on any of the 795 models.

At first I thought the $300 asking price was a little bit on the steep side, but then I noticed that there is a certificate for an Appleseed weekend that goes along with it. In my opinion that makes the asking price more than reasonable. I've got my info in to be contacted when they come available.

I certainly hope I won't have to wait too long.

UPDATE: The wait was too much to bear. For a little less, and without the engraving, I have the rifle I want.

HT: Bob Owens

Discombobulation

So I'm driving in to work last night, got my smarter-than-me phone plugged in to the charger so I can have the neato GPS map up (I have an app for that!) and the damn thing goes dark. It's not supposed to do that while it's on the charger.

So when I get to the stoplight I check it out, and it's not charging. I fiddle with the wires some and it starts charging again. As soon as the car starts moving it stops. Wiggling the wires gets it to charge some more and then, hit a bump and it stops. Repeat, ad nauseum.

By the time I got to work it wasn't even trying. When I got home I plugged it in to two different chargers. No joy, the damn thing won't charge. I've had it for three whole months.

Fortunately it's insured, so I call the insurance place and get a replacement on the way. The good news, it will be here tomorrow. The bad news, it will cost me $99.00 on a phone I only paid $150 for after the discounts.

Tell me again how these damn things are so wonderful.

UPDATE: So I get a suggestion in comments to remove the battery for a half a minute or so, problem is with the 'droid the battery is non-removable. I can, however, shut it off and power it back up.  I do so and voila, it's charging again.

Of course since the claim is already processed I have a shiny new phone already on its way to me. When it gets here tomorrow I have to tell the driver to send it back, however since I'll likely be sleeping when he gets here I'll have to take it back down to whatever shipper it arrived with and have them send it back. I'll get my refund then and everything should be back to status quo.

Then again, Eldest Son should be out wrenching on the Subaru when it gets here, so I'll have him handle it if he's out there when the driver shows up. He ought to be able to say "no" I think.

Shame they couldn't just push a few buttons and make it all go away...

UPDATE II: The darn thing stopped charging in the car again so I ended up keeping the new one. Then, the new one wouldn't charge in the car...the charger was bad. I'm thinking the bad car charger made the charging circuitry lose its little electronic mind. If I had just replaced the car charger...

and if flies carried .45's, frogs wouldn't f**k with them.

Fresh Starts

I spent the day yesterday unloading content from my ailing laptop (it goes through phases where it shuts off for no good reason and I have to perform a system restore on it) so that I could do something drastic.

When we got the laptop we got no software with it since it was all pre-loaded. We didn't think to make a backup disc for it of course, so I didn't have one to fix any problems when Vista went sideways (the darn thing shuts off by itself, then it has to be started in safe mode and restored to the last known good point; when it's on the fritz if you start it up in regular mode you won't have time to do the restore before it shuts off again. Microsoft has been less than helpful, telling me "it shouldn't do that..." Yeah, I got that, thanks). I ordered one from Ebay and it arrived yesterday, so I set out to use it.

I had no idea that I had so much stuff stored on the laptop, and it won't all transfer (the computer stubbornly insist there isn't enough room on a 32MB flash drive for 17MB worth of video files), but I did get everything else (including lots of stuff I'll never use, but its on the external hard drive now with all the rest).

I then did a fresh install of Windoze Vista, ordering a format of the C drive to do so. I still have my D and E drive partitions, I haven't figured out how to combine them yet, but for the first time in a long time there is plenty of room on the laptop. I finished off my day by reloading all the software that got nuked with the format, including the Acer drivers for the camera.

The camera works when it wants to, but today I did take the lid apart to look at the wiring. I didn't see anything obvious, but it's working now so I'll leave it alone. I'll take Yes for an answer. I was also able to install the Adobe PDF reader that wouldn't install before, so I can read PDFs on the laptop again.

So far so good, I'm happy with the decision. The desktop looks a bit different than it did before so I wonder if I got another version of Vista, but it seems to work, the old product key activated it with no problems and I have been able to find everything I need. It might have something to do with the fact that the Acer management software got nuked at the same time and I didn't have a way to reload it, not that I used it anyway so I don't miss it.

That reminds me though, one of the things I'll have to put on my list of things for my friends to do for me should something tragic happen is to nuke the external hard drive...

More Kindle-ing

Poor Man's Fight by Elliot Kay

Space Eldritch, a compilation

Old Habits by Christopher Taylor

The Flux Engine by Dan Willis

I think at least two of them have been hawked by Larry Correia on his website, one of the others is a commenter at Ace of Spades (lots of moronblogger books on my Kindle), and the last one just looked interesting.

It's kind of nice having reading material at my immediate disposal, before I had to actually hike myself out of the chair, go to the bookstore and look through the stacks. Now all I have to do is log onto the Amazon Kindle site and browse to my hearts content, downloading whatever I want.

This could get to be an expensive habit.

This Just In

Armalite employee is a festering douchepile.

If AR indeed stands for Armalite I guess I'll be taking AR off of my "Guns I Want" list.

HT: Sean at An NC Gun Blog, who has been doing yeoman's work keeping track of who's been naughty or nice.

Scooby Down

If it isn't one thing it's another...

Subaru has a nasty rep with it's 2.5L flat four motors, they tend to leak at the head gaskets.  Fortunately for me leaking at the head gaskets for the early 2000 and up models means external leaks, not internal ones like the earlier versions, but it's still something that needs to be fixed.

I was hoping that the valve cover gaskets would take care of the oil leak, and it may have, but now it is being overshadowed by the coolant leak. The head gasket set is an order item at the local parts store, if there isn't anything wrong with the heads (there usually isn't) a quick check with the straightedge should be all that is needed to put it all back together again. Since there hasn't been any overheating or other problems I'm guessing the heads are OK, if not then it will cost a bit more and take a little longer. I'm hoping to get it done for a few hundred bucks tops, that's the advantage to doing your own work.

It isn't something I was intending to do but it looks like the boat is on it's own schedule (why should it be any different). At any rate the forecast looks like crap with an extended chance of crap this weekend, so it won't get done then. Hopefully I can get it done next weekend, I was intending to haul the trailer out to Range Partner's new abode to help him clean up a bit the weekend after next and it's hard to do that without a trailer hitch equipped vehicle.

(No. Don't even suggest it. Ain't gonna happen.)

Until then, I guess I'm riding the pony. It seems like there is a silver lining to this cloud after all...

Starting Early

It's snowing here already. It wasn't supposed to do that until later on this evening.

Looking at the weather across the state it looks like the snow started several hours early everywhere.

I was supposed to go to Charlotte today. Looks like I'll be postponing that trip.

I have chili already made, and it's a good day for a fire.

Everyone stay safe wherever you are.

(The picture has a blurry spot cause I took it through the window.)

UPDATE: Final tally, about 2" of snow accumulated on the soft surfaces, a light skim of ice on some of the hard surfaces this morning, all of it burned off by the afternoon along with most of the snow, the snow remaining is in shady patches. And thus ends the Great February Snowmageddon of 2013. As far as the snow goes, it was great snowball/snowman snow, so we had fun playing in it. I'm not a big fan of snow in general, but if we gotta have it, this is a good way to get it.

Raxiom

One of the few things I never liked about the 2010-2012 Mustang was the tail-lights, I thought they looked terrible with the two white backup sections between the three red sections. I first saw the Raxioms on a car cruising down the highway and decided I needed a pair of them.

One of the Mustang Forums guys is changing his lights out to the 2013 style, so he was letting the Raxioms go at a good price. As an added bonus, they are smoked lights which look great with the GT/CS blackout panel on the trunk lid.

This is the first obvious mod to the exterior I've done, most folks miss the hood spears. I think this one will stand out.

Oh, Yeah

 Happy Valentine's Day! Have some hearts and flowers.



Photo shamelessly stolen from Aggie, where she got it I know not.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

3/4 tsp of the first two and half a tsp of the last, along with a half a tsp each of ground black pepper and minced garlic, mixed in with a half a pound each of sliced carrots and celery, two or three pounds of diced potatoes, one or two diced onions, and three or four pounds of boneless chicken breast cut up into bite-sized chunks in a crock pot. Pour four cups or so of chicken broth over the top and put that crock pot on low. Stir it up to mix the ingredients and then let it go for eight hours.

I'll stir it up once about noon or so just to make sure everything is mixed up real good and then leave it for another four hours. After that I'll put in a tablespoon or two of flour to thicken it up a bit, stir it up to shred the chicken, and serve it up with some biscuits.

That should shut them up for a while.

UPDATE: It's gone already, so they must have liked it.

Sounds Fair

"First they came for the blacks, and I spoke up because it was wrong, even though I'm not black.

Then they came for the gays, and I spoke up, even though I'm not gay.
Then they came for the Muslims, and I spoke up, because it was wrong, even though I'm an atheist.
When they came for illegal aliens, I spoke up, even though I'm a legal immigrant.
Then they came for the pornographers, rebels and dissenters and their speech and flag burning, and I spoke up, because rights are not only for the establishment.
Then they came for the gun owners, and you liberal sh!tbags threw me under the bus, even though I'd done nothing wrong.  So when they come to put you on the train, you can f*cking choke and die.
 ~~~
Or you can commit seppuku with a chainsaw.  I really don't care anymore.  This is the end of my support for any liberal cause, because liberals have become anything but."

 RTWT.

HT: Gun Free Zone

Say What???

 

Billions of years from now when the sun goes supernova and swallows the Earth, the singularity of stupid from this statement will still be sucking the intelligence off of the planet.

Drooling of the Three

More dancing monkeys heard from.

1) He ain't my boss, and he certainly ain't my Pa.

2) My life has just as much value as anyones, and it is my right to protect it.

3) You still around?

Shut up and dance.

Scooby Fixing

I've mentioned it a couple of times, but the Subaru has been a bit under the weather as of late.

It started with a power loss, something that was very subtle but noticeable. When the weather turned nice and I pulled the Mustang out for a couple of days the Subaru sat, and when I got back in it there was a dead miss. I ended up driving the Mustang the rest of the week.

When we pulled the plugs out the number 4 plug was fouled. Number 2 was slightly better, numbers 1 and 3 looked fine. I had Eldest Son change out the plugs and put valve cover gaskets in (the left cover gasket had been leaking for some time) and then change out an O2 sensor that had been throwing a "check engine" light that I had been ignoring for a couple of months.

A fresh filter and crankcase of clean oil and it ran better than it ever had before. When I got it there was a noticeable stutter at the low speeds which was almost (but not all) eliminated with a good tune up. Now that the 02 sensor has been changed the stutter is completely gone. I think it had been in the process of going bad for a while and it had been the cause of my previous problems with it (a "check engine" light that called out an Idle Air Control Valve, which going by the price must be made out of platinum plated diamonds. I got one off of Ebay for about 20 bucks that fixed it for a while, but it came back, and then the old one fixed it).

A couple of days later, sitting at a stoplight on the way to work, it coughed once. It sort of startled me, it had been running so smoothly for the past couple of days, but when the light turned green it took off without a hitch and did not stumble again at the next light. I figured it was an abberation and put it out of my mind.

On the way home, however, every time I'd come to a stop behind the school bus I was following it would idle fine for about 30 seconds and then start to cough and stumble. It would run fine as long as it wasn't idling, but it surely didn't like to sit still for long. When I got in it to go to work that night, however, the power loss (but not the light!) was back and the miss was evident from idle on up.

Eldest Son pulled the plugs out of it and sure enough that number 4 plug was fouled again. We cleaned the plugs and I got a set of spark plug wires for it and the stumble was gone again. I drove it this morning out to Range Partner's place, about 50 miles away, and it was fine out and back.

We will see how it does this week, but I think it's back to 100% now.

Range Morning

Range Partner emailed last night, seems that he had an unexpected day off and asked if I would like to put a few shells through the EBS Project. Of course I would, so bright and early I quaffed down a shot of DayQuil and loaded up the freshly repaired Subaru (it ate another plug last week, so I had to clean and gap them again and put on a set of wires; we'll see how it does next week).

I don't know how crazy I am about that new stock. I like the fact I can adjust it, and I set it to a couple of different lengths during the elimination of a box of shells, but the stock is now straight enough I can't get a good look down the barrel. The front sight bead might as well not even be on there, I have a feeling this stock is meant for some sort of optics. I might have to switch it out for one of these instead.

UPDATE: I just ordered a drop spacer for it, we'll see how that does.

I also put a box of CCI's through grand-dad's Hi Standard and a box of 50 Tulas through the Glock, and then I was done. Range Partner brought a shotgun, too, a semi-auto Benelli, that he used to take the center out of a round target. It was, without a doubt, the right tool for the job. I also put a few rounds through his .357, but the .454 had some ammo related problems (reloaded, old powder) so it didn't stay out and play very long. We were done by late morning, something we both agreed was unusual for us.

Feeling a bit under the weather I decided I really didn't want to do much cooking, so before I left the house I chucked about 4 lbs of boneless chicken breasts in the crock pot with a bottle of Carribean Jerk marinade and set it on low to slow-cook for 8 hours. On the way home I got the ingredients for slaw and a couple of packages of hamburger buns. After the eight hour cooking time had elapsed I took the chicken out of the pot, stirred it up with my barbecue fork to shred it, and poured about half of the cooking juice back in to moisten it up.

That's a tasty sandwich!

And now I'm off to self-medicate some more. Night, all!

Recently

I've been keeping the deliveryman busy this week.

The company I work for had a pretty good quarter, so I got a quarterly bonus. It's obviously gone now, between necessary Subaru repairs and...toys!

The first thing that arrived was the forward tri-rail. I don't have a sling swivel for it yet, but it's on the list. I suppose I should get a sling for it, too, while I'm at it. I was planning on mounting it between the barrel and magazine, but it's not the right size for that. It was designed for a flashlight, so I put my old work flashlight on it. It will do, I guess.

The second thing that arrived (with the tri-rail, in fact) was the cheek piece and ammo holder. Putting that on had to wait until the stock arrived. That came in the next day.

The stock went on easily and works great, but I'm sad to say the same can't be said of the cheek piece. I really didn't like the tall one, it raised my point of sight so far up the front bead might has well not even existed. It took a pair of flatblade screwdrivers to take it back off once it was installed. So, I took the tall piece off and tried just the short piece. Better, but still a bit tall. I had to have it for the shell holder though, so it stayed on.

When I tried to put the shells in the shell holder they wouldn't fit. I understand that you want the fit tight enough so the shells won't fall out, but a twelve gauge shell should be able to fit in a twelve gauge shell holder without pulling the damn thing off the stock...the same setup that required two flatblade screwdrivers to take off when I wanted to take it off pops right off when you try to push the shells up ito the shell holder. So, it's staying off.

Next project is getting the sling swivels for it, and then a sling. I'm looking at one of these since the cheek piece/shell holder was such a loser.

In the final analysis my Tacticool Mall-Ninja Evil Black Shotgun project is going pretty well. I'm thinking about a forward pistol grip, I've been warned that it can bend up the action bars but I'd have to change the action tube assembly to even contemplate it. The stock came with a foregrip, but unfortunately there are two different lengths of action tube and nothing in the package tells me which length the foregrip takes.

But that's a project for another day.
The last thing to come in this week was the package of materials to begin obtaining my Associates in Applied Science degree in Electronics Engineering Technology. Yeah, I'm finally getting it done. It's something I should have done years and years ago, but I suppose better late than never. Thanks to previous course work I'm already over half-done, so hopefully it won't take all that long.

The next thing I'm expecting is "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil". I've been wanting to see it for a while, it looks pretty good. According to the tracking data it should be here Monday...when I'm at work...

I guess that gives me something to do next week!

Book Review: Amy Lynn

Author Jack July comments as Oldsailors Poet at Ace of Spades HQ. He can be found on the infamous Overnight Threads, where I have enjoyed many a comment from him.  Morons, we call each other there, but the commenters on the ONT are anything but. Many of them, it seems, are writing something, and sometimes those things make their way into print. "Amy Lynn" is one of those things.

At first it was only available in print format, and since I had just gotten the smarter-than-me phone with the Kindle app I was looking for electronic books. Then one ONT I found out that it was available as a Kindle book (Oldsailors Poet, Author of Amy Lynn available on KINDLE finally) and went over to take a look. It didn't really seem like a book I would be interested in, but still I downloaded it if for no other reason than to support a fellow Moron.

And then I read the book.

When we first meet Amy Lynn Braxton she is a 12 year old girl growing up in rural Alabama amidst heartbreak and tragedy - in other words, real life. Her older brother Kerry, whom she admires greatly, has just drowned and left her as the oldest child, as well as being the woman of the house following her mother's death some time earlier.

As she dances from tragedy to tragedy she is helped along the way by friends and family. We meet her family, her father Leon, her Uncle Jack and Aunt Carla Jo, her younger brother, and all the other characters in her life that influence her in one way or another, good or bad. Some of those characters come with their own stories, several which are tantalizingly brief and worthy, one can hope, of their own books.

We find that life is not always pretty - in fact it can be downright ugly and brutal - but joys can be found in many ways. Life is a journey after all, and we are privileged to follow along as Amy makes her journey, through tragedy it is true, but also through triumph. As I read the book I found it was less about growing up than it was about redemption. We all are shaped by the events in our lives, but in the end what happens to us is not nearly as important as what we do with them.  That is what makes all the difference.

And then one day Amy finds herself in the situation that she has unknowingly been preparing for her entire life. What she does next is both expected...and yet completely unexpected. She is left with the consequences of her actions and a fresh set of tragedies to deal with. She does so with the help of friends and family, just as she has all along, and so the tale ends with all the strings tied up (even if frayed at the ends and sticking out a bit here and there) and most of the conflicts resolved.  Most, I say, because in real life the story continues.

But that is a tale for another day. Life may continue, but the book, regretfully, does not.

And when I had reached the final page and saw written upon it "The End" I quite literally screamed in frustration. I simply must know what happens next. Must, I say. I MUST know.

I salute you OSP, you magnificent bastard. I have read your book. I pray it is not your last.

Curious

Speaking of conspiracy theories...

Just Quit It

I just got an email (in my junk folder, where it certainly belonged) saying that the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax.

Twenty six fresh graves proclaim that theory to be a lie, and I will not be a party to dancing on those graves.

Seriously folks, this is the kind of thing we laugh at the Loose Change people about. Knock it off already.

Taking Stock, Part 2

Last quarter was a good one so my workplace issued a bonus.

It was enough to get everything I wanted for this.

Pics and details when everything arrives and gets installed.

Also, I was at Big Box Store early enough to score some 50 rd boxes of Winchester 185gr FMJ target ammo, there were three boxes but I was nice and only took two of them. I may regret that later. The nice lady at the counter said they got some .223 in yesterday but it was gone by noon.

There was enough of my bonus left over to get the things I needed for the Subaru, so hopefully it will be back at 100% soon.

Old Men

Life is a Shakespearean tragedy, no one gets out of it alive.

That doesn't mean we have to take it lying down.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Make Up Your Mind

68 and sunny Tuesday, rainy and 70 yesterday, sunny and 47 today.  At least I got to drive the convertible with the top down to work Tuesday. So far I've been able to get out with the top down at least once every month for quite a while now.

Looks like I might be driving it a bit more, the Subaru is acting up, missing and sputtering. I guess it's time to put that O2 sensor in it, and while I'm at it, the valve cover gaskets that are leaking, maybe some plugs and wires, and I'm sure an oil change wouldn't hurt it any. I guess that's what I'll be spending my quarterly bonus on.

I'll pay Eldest Son to do the work though, cause it's too damn cold to get out there myself.

Paper Shields

This is what the anti-gunners will have you believe will save you.

In real life, it doesn't work out so well.

HT: Rachel Lucas, by way of Marko

The Big Game

After careful study and consideration of both team's assets and attributions, I have decided that I am going to have to pull for the 49ers this Super Bowl.

A Couple Of More Things

The storm came and went and left us no worse than we were. It got pretty slippery Friday night, but since I didn't have to go out in it I didn't. I stayed in with a nice warm fire and took the Samuel Adams Hop Tour.

Daughter had to work and Son In Law took her in the sure-footed Subaru since she still can't drive a stick. Out and back, no issues, out and back again, he said it was a bit slick coming into the driveway since our road isn't county-maintained (and if it were it would have been low enough on the totem pole that nothing would have been done with it anyway) but otherwise it wasn't too bad.

Saturday Youngest Son and I went out to an open carry lunch. There were seven or eight cars on the sides of the road (I say seven, Youngest Son says he saw eight), some of them having been deposited there more forcefully than others. Apparently some drivers didn't find the roads as accomodating as Son In Law did, even though all the cars we saw were on the major roads.

After the lunch we dropped by to see my former co-worker. He left us several months ago to pursue his own business and is doing well with it, which is good. We talked for a few hours and when the sun started sinking low we headed for home. By then the roads were mostly dry, even the ones by the house.

Last night I put in another roast to shred and then went out at about 3:30 AM to get hamburger buns. It was foggy, but when I got to Wake Forest the fog was freezing in the air, turning into what for all the world looked like snowflakes in a clear sky but acted like fog. It was interesting, the air shimmered like glitter. I had never seen anything like it before. When I went back home it turned back into fog.

Back to work today, tomorrow I have to follow up with the shopping center for our car show. They were supposed to have sent me something but I haven't seen it yet, so I will get up early and give them a call about it. April is right around the corner, October seems as if it is barely gone, I'm sick of car shows already before I've even attended one this year and I've already promised myself I won't be doing this again.

Everyone have a great week!

A Couple Of Things

Work last night, off tonight, so I'm doing a bit of catching up.

Last Friday I took Boy skating (that is to say, he skated and I provided the transportation), and while I was pecking on the laptop some woman and her daughter asked if they could leave their drinks on my table so the staff wouldn't clean them up while they went skating. I saw no problem with that, but now Boy is telling everyone about Dad's new girlfriend. Sad to say, I don't even remember her name. Not an auspicious start, that.

Apparently, according to the Most Holy Order of the Higher-Up Muckety-Mucks, we had an exceptional quarter so there will be bonuses. Maybe I'll be able to put a full tank of gas in the car, or purchase some reloading supplies if any can be found. Something explosive at any rate, I certainly wouldn't want it to go to waste. I made the tactical error of saying something about it to my new Sith apprentice (he started on the night shift this month, and WTF is up with this, the Jedi apprentices get a cool name like Padawan and ours get nothing? Who makes these rules anyway?), who being a temp doesn't get the bonus. Oops.

Happy Birthday to The Mistress of the Snark and John Moses Browning (there is one caliber, .45 ACP, and John  Moses Browning is it's prophet, PBUH). A day late (two in JMB's case) but we're sort of out of the way here at the backside of nowhere.

I was supposed to get some range time in this weekend, but weather and (mostly) worker exploitation (of my range partner, AKA he who has the gun club membership) got in the way. Eh, it was going to be cold anyway*, and I have an open carry dinner to go to instead. Drop in if you're in the area, McCalls has good grub and the company is always welcome.

Tis the season (if there isn't one there should be) to give the gift of life. I'm an O negative myself, meaning when I was still USN-AD I was part of the walking blood bank because I'm a universal donor. Of course if I ever need the red stuff I'm SOL if they ain't got my type. Lucky me. Fortunately I don't have the problems that some do about giving blood, even though I, too, am rather needle-adverse. I wouldn't be a good diabetic or junkie I guess. Where I work makes this easy, they have the ARC van come by at least twice a year.

Lucky Gunner did a piece on steel vs brass cases using .223 ammo. I encourage anyone who has ever wondered how much difference it really makes to drop on by and have a look. I prefer brass myself since you can't reload steel, but with 36,000 rounds expended you can't say they didn't do their homework. Please do note, I'm not an official Lucky Gunner correspondent but it is a rather interesting piece. (I'm guessing they did this test before .223 became so hard to come by, as of right now they have none in stock.)

To sleep, perchance to dream. I have to be up early and get my supplies laid in before the big one hits. We're expecting sleet and freezing rain, but with the way these idiots drive when it's JUST rain I surely don't want to be out in it with them. Looks like the bulk of the bad weather will be up in MSgt B territory, but by the time it gets going real good I plan to have a nice fire going and a good book on my lap.

Stay warm and safe if you are in the eye of the storm. I'm looking at the three of youse.

*I've had a heart-to-heart with the lowlife scum sucking maggots here and they have agreed to only attack me when its sunny and warm. They have further agreed only to come at me with the sun in their eyes and to stand perfectly still whilst I draw and aim at them. They're really an agreeable lot, once you get to know them.**

**I'm trusting that my readership understands that I'm completely full of it here.

Note To Congress

Will. Not. Comply.

Put me on your lists. Bring friends and ammo. This is my line in the sand.

On a related note, maybe someone can explain to me why patriotism and expressing a desire for our government to operate according to the rules that were set in place for them makes one a suspected terrorist, especially when most of the violence (with notable exceptions; notable, it seems, for their exceptionalism) seems to come from leftists?

Baby It's Cold Outside

Teens this morning at the Refuge.

You SUV drivers need to get out there and spew some carbon.

I'm going to crawl under some nice warm blankets now.

Gun Show

We got there right at 9 AM and took 5 minutes of walking to find the end of the line. It wrapped all the way around the building and back out into the parking lot.

It took about an hour and a half to get in the door once the line started moving. I walked around the perimeter of the convention center and finally found the GRNC booth. I volunteered at the booth for a few hours and then went walkabout to see what I could see.

It was about that time that * Cletus shot himself two people with an unloaded pistol shotgun and "slightly" injured a deputy (violating rules 1 through 3 all four rules in the commission of said act) and just like that the show was over and everyone had to go home.

I can now transfer "Go to a Gun Show" from my "Things To Do Before I Die" list to my "Things I Am Not Likely To Do Again (Whilst Sober/On Purpose)" list.

I should have gone to the Guns Across America rally instead.

*UPDATE: Contrary to what I was told as we were leaving the building, Cletus touched off his scattergun, not his pistol, and hit two bystanders with the pellets while showing the nice deputy it was unloaded ("slightly" wounding the deputy's hand in the process). The Refuge staff would like to thank commenter cthulhu at Ace of Spades HQ for the correction.

UPDATE Part II: Now it's not real clear whether it was Cletus who touched off the scattergun or Deputy Fife. Either way, Cletus brought a scattergun to the show with a round in the chamber, someone violated rules 1 and 3 at a bare minimum, and a bad day was had by all involved, thus adding credence to the statement "There are four rules, violating any 2 will result in a bad day."

Interesting...

We will have to see where this goes.

Off to the Dixie Knife and Fun Show (yes I know it's backwards, but the song won't work the other way). It will be my first one, so it's a new experience. Maybe I'll write about it later.

Snow

We didn't get any last year, but here it is.

It's not expected to stick around long, we haven't had cold enough weather. It is accumulating on the cars, and as long as it falls it will collect on the grass and hard surfaces. Tomorrow the sun is supposed to come out (although it won't climb above 50 degrees) so it will all go away then.

Nice night for a fire. I think I'll go start one.

Taking Stock

When I bought the Maverick 88 it had the pistol grip stock on it, but I switched it back over to the factory stock. I don't really know why, I guess I just thought a pistol grip on a shotgun was a bit much.

But, considering what just happened in New Yawk, and considering that recent polls show that 52 percent of my fellow Americans think they should be able to restrict my rights regardless of what "that little book" says, I've decided to put the scary black pistol grip stock back on it.

The only problem is my shell sock doesn't fit the pistol grip stock since it is thinner along its length. Adjustments must be made I guess, it fits if it is pulled back over the sling swivel attach point. I don't have a sling for it anyway so I won't miss it...yet. Maybe I should put a tacticool mall-ninja adjustable stock on it, then I can hang one of these bad boys on it...and a tri-rail for the forward sling attach point...

To hell with being nice. I aim to misbehave.

What You Do Instead Of Something

One of the first things I was taught about leadership is not to issue orders you know are not going to be obeyed.

An example of this would be the national speed limit, a law that is routinely scoffed at even by those who are supposed to be enforcing it. When I first moved to North Carolina I was speeding down US1 at ten over the limit when a marked state patrol car came zooming up behind me. I was sure I would get a ticket, but he passed by in the left lane without even looking over at me.

I caught up to him at a gas station up the road and mentioned that I thought he was going to pull me over. He just grinned at me and said "Welcome to North Carolina, where everyone thinks they are Dale Earnhardt JR...and one of us is!"

The New York Senate has just passed sweeping anti-gun legislation that bans, among other things, magazines over seven (!) rounds (my Glock is OK but the Saiga, even with the 10 round magazine it was delivered with, would not be), semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines and one (!) military feature (meaning, practically all of them), and ammunition purchase tracking. None of the banned magazines are grandfathered (they must be sold out of state within one year) and registration of grandfathered rifles is mandatory and must be re-certified every five years. The bill is expected to pass easily in the assembly and of course the governor will sign it.

Proponents claim this will reduce gun violence. All I see is tragic boating accidents happening in the next year. But, the lawsuits should be epic.

For what it's worth, if there are any .223 Saiga magazines looking for a new home, my doors are open.

Wings and Wheels

Today the sun was out and, while not as warm as the weatherman predicted (shoked face-i haz one) it was still mid 60s when I departed the Refuge for points south. The goal: airplanes and smoked pork. Carthage NC is home to Gilliam McConnell Airfield and the Pik N' Pig Restaurant, so both items could be found there. Top down, a full tank of gas, and off we went down US1.

Gilliam McConnell Airfield was built in 1994 as a general aviation field and started growing from there. It is now the home field for 22 aircraft, six houses, an RV park, and of course, the Pik N' Pig. It also hosts a Flying Tigers Memorial, with a P-40 Warhawk replica as it's centerpiece.

 The Pik N' Pig started out as a catering van and has grown into quite the popular destination for pilots out for a day trip. They specialize in slow cooked hickory smoked pulled pork, ribs and chicken with the obligatory sides and for desert they offer nanner pudddin and Co-Cola cake. Everything is just as good as it sounds.

I first heard of the airfield and restaurant when the Heart of Carolina Mustang Club planned a cruise-in there. Unfortunately that event was rained out. So, when today's forecast called for sun and warm I thought it would be a great place to go, if for no other reason so I could let the club know what they missed.

We will certainly be scheduling another cruise in down that way this summer.

It did rain on me a very little bit just before I arrived, but when I was ready to go the sky was clear. I cruised back home under a clear and darkening sky and finished up the day with burgers cooked on the grill.

Back to work tomorrow, but today was a good one.

Destination Unknown

Saturday in the Carolinas we are looking at 73 degrees and partly cloudy with only a 10% chance of rain.

I don't know where I am going Saturday, but wherever it ends up being the top will be down.

Maybe I'll take some pictures, too.

New Contest

Jennifer is having a contest for a book, Glock: The Rise of America's Gun (I will leave it as an exercise for the reader how an Austrian firearm becomes America's gun...but I digress).

Go on over there and see how to enter.

Real Men of Genius

Coffee pot beer.

Probably a good thing we didn't have this recipe "back in the day".

Urgently Needed

Go on over and say a prayer for my shipmate Bull.

No, I've never met him, and it's unlikely we ever sailed the same waters at the same time, but "he who sheds his blood with me" and all that. Bubblehead he may have been, but shipmate he will always be all the same.

Besides, I hate this fucking disease.

After Christmas Sales

I find your lack of gumballs...disturbing.

Cool Kids

Apparently I are one now, cause now Tam has a Subaru to go along with her 'vert.

Too bad I gave away my last sticker, otherwise I'd send it to her.

Cooking With Buttermilk

I picked up a quart of buttermilk for biscuits and have been experimenting with it.

I haven't ever used buttermilk in anything before so it was a new experience. For one thing it's thicker than processed milk, not having been churned to remove the other dairy products (including butter, hence the name) being a fermented dairy product. (Updated, see comments. Thanks McThag!) It also has a taste of sour cream in it, which I didn't expect. Fortunately the sour cream taste goes away in the finished product.

So far I've only used it in biscuits and pancakes. I've found that in pancakes you want to use a bit more than the recipe calls for (or cut it with processed milk) because the batter is quite a bit thicker and doesn't pour well otherwise. It still won't pour well, but it will be better. Don't use too much though, if you do the pancakes will be too thin. About half again as much as the recipe calls for is good.

Final verdict...and I'm going out on the heretical limb a bit here...not a fan. I'll likely use up what I have and not use it again.

It would be a boring world if everyone liked the same things.

Traffic Lights: How They Work

There is a sensor embedded in the pavement right behind that white line that is painted on the pavement at the stop light.  This sensor lets the traffic signal computer know when a car is present so that it will trigger a light change.*

If you stop beyond the white line...no trigger and the light won't change. You can be rescued from the effects of your dumbassery by the driver behind you, who stops behind you and therefore behind the white line.

However, if you stop a car length behind the white line (and seriously, whodahell told you to do that???) once again, no trigger and SURPRISE! the light won't change, but this time no one can save you from your dumbassery. This is why you are still sitting there after three cycles of the light. You, and everyone behind you, will sit there until you finally extract your cranium and pull up to the white line.

The drivers behind you would like to show you their appreciation. This is why they are honking and waving at you.

*If you are on a motorcycle you aren't a dumbass, you just don't have enough metal to trigger the sensor. Try putting your kickstand down.

Kindle-ing

One of the reasons I got the smart phone was so that I would have an E reader, and I've been taking advantage of that.

The book I just got done reading was "Enemies Foreign and Domestic" by Matt Bracken which starts out with a semiautomatic rifle ban. It was a somewhat unsettling story, made even moreso in that the setting was familiar to me (having been stationed in both the tidewater VA area and southern Maryland). I also downloaded his Anthology which has a story that has been making the Internet rounds lately.

I will be downloading the next two in the series very soon. I'm sure that will put me on a list or two (not like I'm not already on one or two, being a vet and a CWP holder).

Other books/authors I have read recently:

Wings over the Pacific by Raymond Fiore. The only gripe I have with this one is it seems unfinished. Raymond Fiore also wrote Rileys Rogues which was a fun little space opera story.

Firehearted by Sabrina Chase. Fantasy with an "end of the Roman Empire" vibe to it. This one I downloaded and had to find out how to put it on the 'droid.

Rita Royale by Terry Anderson. Guy's apparently got a thing for lesbian warriors.

All three of the above are commenters on Ace of Spades HQ, which is how I initially found them. Talented Morons, who knew?

I could see myself spending a lot more money on ebooks but I can't see myself ever getting completely away from paper books. Still, having reading material so readily available is kind of handy.

Happy New Year

Wishing all of my electronic friends a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.