Cowboy Blob's Saloon and Shootin Gallery

I'm not a real Cowboy, but I play one in the movies.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Gun Show

Went to the Gun Show at the Tucson Expo this afternoon (missing the end of the Arizona game, dammit). At first glance, I thought this might be one of the rare good Expo shows; it looked so promising until I saw the expanse of dreck beyond the midway bottleneck. Just mostly junk back there.

I brought the Para P-13 along, priced as normal; dealers turn up their nose at it, but someone who wants to own a P-13 would see a good deal. My only agenda was to get my AK ACTS-competitive; I'd need a retention sling and a few more mags. Only saw one over-priced sling. The biggest mag dealer had a big stack of .223 AK mags -- tempting, but I can wait until the Para unlocks some cash. I have a few other rifles that can burn through the .223.

At the Rock River table, I saw my ideal next upper, a flattop, flat front, Hogue-fore-ended dealie that I'd pick up if it turned out that my Simmons scope can't handle the concussion generated by the muzzle brake of my POF upper. It's got a Vortex flash-hider, so it's ACTS-legal.

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Civics


Not bad considering how long it's been since I've been in a classroom.

h/t Rodger, who's way smarter than I am.

Quiz here.

Update: Woohoo! Check out the chart at Mostly Cajun!

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No Three-Peat for the Lady Wildcats

Taryne Mowatt was on the mound for Arizona's chance to advance through the Loser's Bracket at the Women's College World Series of Softball. Damn 'Bama beat 'em.

Guess Taryne's gonna graduate with only two National Championships... poor girl.

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I'll Drink to That!

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Watch Out, Obama!


Click the WATCH THIS MOVIE link at Newgrounds.

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Friday, May 30, 2008

Bob's My Hero

Scott,

There are miserable creatures like you in every administration who don't have the guts to speak up or quit if there are disagreements with the boss or colleagues. No, your type soaks up the benefits of power, revels in the limelight for years, then quits, and spurred on by greed, cashes in with a scathing critique.

In my nearly 36 years of public service I've known of a few like you. No doubt you will "clean up" as the liberal anti-Bush press will promote your belated concerns with wild enthusiasm. When the money starts rolling in you should donate it to a worthy cause, something like, "Biting The Hand That Fed Me." Another thought is to weasel your way back into the White House if a Democrat is elected. That would provide a good set up for a second book deal in a few years.

I have no intention of reading your "exposé" because if all these awful things were happening, and perhaps some may have been, you should have spoken up publicly like a man, or quit your cushy, high profile job. That would have taken integrity and courage but then you would have had credibility and your complaints could have been aired objectively. You're a hot ticket now but don't you, deep down, feel like a total ingrate?

Bob Dole
h/t Fox News

By sheer coincidence, I'm in the middle of re-reading Bob Dole's memoir, One Soldier's Story. What a great American!

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Thursday, May 29, 2008

Almost There....

Finally dragged my butt to the on-base registrar for the local community college to see what I must do to start classes. Okay, I think I have the forms already -- buried somewhere. This could mess up my summer road trip (or bring it on sooner; classes start in August).

The clock is ticking....

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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Erfworld

Oh, great, another day killed clicking through another web comic archive. Erfworld is on the same comic server as Order of the Stick, but instead of the role-playing genre, it spoofs turn-based fantasy board games. I never got into these, since I preferred Dauntless and Squad Leader (not nearly as much the former), both Avalon Hill games that have long since been shelved in favor of Il-2 Sturmovik and Steel Panthers. I've played a few computer examples of the fantasy war genre, but give me a Finnish ski squad over gaggle of Dwarvish ax-men any day.

This is a good synopsis of the comic, being a tad spoilerish for those starting at the beginning, so don't enlarge and read if you want to be surprised from the beginning:

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Child Care


Wyatt links to some funny child care instructions for beginners. Unca Bobby doesn't babysit.

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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Congrats to the Happy Couple!

Naturally Oleg Volk took the wedding pics; it was a very secure wedding. Yeah, I know, it's been a few days, but you know how most guys' eyes glaze over when the bride-to-be is gushing over the details. Thus, fast-forward to the nice wedding photo.

I wonder if they're registered at Cabela's.

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Martian Coolness

Phoenix at Mars
Credit:
Phoenix, HiRISE, NASA, JPL-Caltech, Univ. Arizona

Explanation: The Phoenix lander's footpads are about the size of a dinner plate. One of three is shown at the right, covered with Martian soil after a successful soft landing on the Red Planet on May 25. Amazingly, the left panel image is of the spacecraft during its descent phase, captured by the HiRISE camera onboard Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter -- the first image ever of a spacecraft descending to the surface of another planet. Taken from 750 kilometers above Mars, the picture shows Phoenix suspended beneath its unfurling, 10 meter-wide parachute, against the much darker Martian surface. The lander is still attached to its protective backshell. Phoenix subsequently released its parachute at an altitude of 12.6 kilometers. Using rockets to further reduce its speed for landing, Phoenix now rests in the northern polar region of Mars at about 68 degrees latitude.

H/t Astronomy Picture of the Day

After watching Third World Thugs rubbing atoms together trying to make nuclear fire, this really rocks!

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Monday, May 26, 2008

Weekend Caption/Photoshop Contest

Sticky until Monday -- Scroll Down for New Stuff
Not the Winning Caption:

Grand Marshall, professional wrestler and actor Hulk Hogan flexes his arm during the Bacchus Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, Louisiana in this February 3, 2008 file photo. Hogan's fans can get his autograph via a Web site that puts a new twist on the global $4 billion memorabilia market often beset by fraud.

REUTERS/Lee Celano/Files (UNITED STATES)
Got a caption or photoshop for this Reuters photo? You could win a coveted Blog Ad on my side bar!

Leave a caption or photo link in comments, or Email a pic to me at the address in my profile. If you're sending a large animation, please provide a hot-linkable URL.

You need not own a blog to win! I'll advertise your favorite charity, web site, or even that set of barbells you never use.

Check out the links in Drinks Ordered for photoshops!

Judging begins Monday PM.

Winner! Deathlok of The Temerity of High Maintenance wins with an invisible Mister Microphone and:
"Cherokee People!. . .Cherokee Tri--ibe! So Proud To Live. . . So Proud To Dieeeeee!
Other Contests

Gone Rick Motel (1st Place last week!)
Outside the Beltway
Right Pundits
bRight & Early
Support your Local Gunfighter
Public Pondering
Wizbang

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Memorial Day Binker

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Remember



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Sunday, May 25, 2008

The Flying Fickle Finger of Fatality

It's hard to remember what made Dad and us laugh so much: the Carol Burnett Show, Hee Haw, or Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. This was after he returned from Vietnam and before he deployed to somewhere else (Guam? We were living in rural Smyrna TN at the time). These are the only shows I remember from 1969(?). Now Dick Martin has passed on. Damn.

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Friday, May 23, 2008

Bargain Basement Bond

Haven't done any gun pr0n in a while, so here's a re-branding of the Norinco Makarobu (Makarov in a cheesy Chinese accent). The ChiComs call it a Model 59 and mine came in .380 ACP instead of the zippier 9x18 Mak cartridge.

The magazine holds eight rounds, but its open-sided architecture makes me leery of packing it out in the scary, dirty world. Plus I can only find one magazine.

But at least it gave me the excuse to open a bottle of cream sherry tonight.

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Arizona?

This morning, I thought I'd been teleported to the top of the Mogillon Rim, except without the dizziness from the altitude... and being teleported and all. I had to pull the blanket on. Running around today, I had to replace the cowboy hat with a ball cap, it was so windy. I hope it clears up by next week so the house painters can work.

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I Hate Shipping

I put off shipping the SOCOM-16 and Simmons scope long enough, so I took them to FedEx-Kinko's today. They were nice enough to print up my prepaid FedEx shipping label, but balked at actually shipping the rifle without Springfield faxing them a copy of their license first. WTF? Glad I asked about that first... I took the scope with me on the way out.

Since I didn't have a cellphone, a shit-load of quarters, or several hours to screw around with this, I took the rifle to nearby Second Amendment Sports, where the manager found a shipping sleeve for my box and promised it should at least make tomorrow's FedEx truck. Is that great, or what? Since it came under new management last year, I'm really grooving on this store; they even have a resident gunsmith!

I took the scope to the UPS Store.

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Where I've Been



I don't remember which blog tipped me off to this web comic, but they owe me two... er, three days of productive blogging! If you're a dungeoneer-geek like myself, you'll check out the five years worth of archives.

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Monday, May 19, 2008

Yeah, I turned it on

The a/c, I mean.

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Weekend Caption/Photoshop Contest

Sticky until Monday -- Scroll Down for New Stuff
Not the Winning Caption:

US Republican presidential candidate John McCain (center) arrives with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak (2nd left) in the southern Israeli town of Sderot March 19. Soul searching Republicans are turning to an unlikely savior, one-time party heretic and now presumptive White House nominee McCain, as they try to stave off an electoral disaster.

(AFP/Pool/File/Uriel Sinai)
Got a caption or photoshop for this AFP photo? You could win a coveted Blog Ad on my side bar!

Leave a caption or photo link in comments, or Email a pic to me at the address in my profile. If you're sending a large animation, please provide a hot-linkable URL.

You need not own a blog to win! I'll advertise your favorite charity, web site, or even your pair of Official ZZ Top sunglasses!

Check out the links in Drinks Ordered for photoshops!

Judging begins Monday PM.

Winner!

Wyatt Earp of Support your Local Gunfighter wins with:
McCain: "I know my voting history troubles you, but just look at this deneuralizer and everything will be fine." ZAP!
Other Contests:

Support your Local Gunfighter (1st Place last week!)
Right Pundits (1st Place last week!)
WILLisms (Honorable Mention last week!)
Outside the Beltway
Public Pondering
bRight & Early
Gone Rick Motel













Reader Photoshops:

Russell V.

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Aw Crap!

On the second stage yesterday, I noticed my new Simmons scope reticle had rotated out of the vertical plane. At first I thought my rings had been too loose, but nope, the scope body and knobs look perfect... it's an internal problem. Anybody ever experience this? Is it fixable?

First the SOCOM, now this... I hope sh*t like this doesn't come in threes.

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Indistinguishable

When spoken on a commercial:

Order HBO and Cinemax for the most hits all summer!

Order HBO and Cinemax for the most tits all summer!

Advertising genius!

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Don't know why he doesn't PhotoBlog

I won another Caption/Photoshop contest at The Gone Rick Motel! As always, Dennis sent me a cool pic (right) he'd taken this month. All the pics he's sent me are kinda cool; he gave me the okay to post them. I gotta wonder, why doesn't Dennis post these? Gotta dig around to find where I put the others....

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Sunday

Didn't get much video since the match was undermanned most of the day. This is the Practice 3-Gun Match as submitted. The Course of Fire Committee made a few improvements.


Pistol - Start Position: Standing in Box A, Normal ready.

On start signal, draw and engage P1 through P4 from Box A, P5 through P8 from behind Line B, and P9 through P12 from behind Line C. All steel must fall.

Shotgun - Standing in Box A, Low Ready.

On start signal, draw and engage P1 through P4 from Box A, P5 through P8 from behind Line B, and P9 through P12 from behind Line C. All steel must fall.











Pistol: Start Position: Seated at Table A, palms flat on table.

On start signal, draw and engage P1 through P9. From Box B, engage T1 through T4 and P10 through P15.

Paper targets require two hits to neutralize, all steel must fall.

Shotgun/Pistol - Start Position: Seated at Table A, palms flat on table.

On start signal, draw and engage P1 through P9. Grounded safed or unloaded shotgun and from Box B, draw and engage T1 through T4 and P10 through P15.

Paper targets require two hits to neutralize, all steel must fall.



Pistol - Start position: Seated at Table A, hands touching table.

On start signal, draw and engage T1 through T5. From Box B, engage T6 through T10. From Box C, engage T11 through T14.

Each paper target requires two hits to neutralize.

Pistol/Rifle - Start position: Seated at Table A, hands touching table.

On start signal, engage T1 through T5. Ground unloaded or safed handgun. From behind Line B, engage T6 through T10. From Box C, engage T11 through T14.

Each paper target requires two hits to neutralize. (The lone no-shoot was moved to be in line with Box C.) The shooter before us didn't use Box C for the last array, so he got a choice between a re-shoot or eight procedural penalties. He wisely took the re-shoot.

VIDEO.


Pistol - Start position: Standing in Box A, normal ready.
On start signal, draw and engage in any order T1 through T10 from behind the pistol line. Paper targets require two hits to neutralize.

Rifle - Start Position: Standing in Box A, rifle at port arms.

On start signal, engage in any order T1 through T10 from behind the rifle line. Paper targets require two hits to
neutralize.

Box A was moved to the center point.

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Saturday

Okay, I did shoot one magazine without a malfunction. This stage killed my score because I failed to aim low enough to get the three far head shots, plus I failed to get any hits on another target that spent most of its time shaded behind no-shoot targets.

Afterwards, Rob showed off another of his cool toys.



I so did not have the second fastest raw time on this stage, as you can see from the video time code. Still, there was a 103 second difference until the score of the guy who placed under me, so the standings remain the same.

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Sunday, May 18, 2008

Forty-Seven

Is the age when senility sets in. At least for me.

Yesterday, driving up to the Pima match, I zoned right past the exit to the short route to Catalina (goes right through central Tucson, but it's pretty fast on a weekend morning). Oh well, I'll continue on the Interstate.

The constant cycling/firing problems I had with the SOCOM-16 distracted me so much, I collected five procedurals for not shooting from the prone position. Just plain forgot. I still placed in the bottom of the middle third. Gotta stop the pre-match trash-talking with Jake (I think I scare him).

Senility aside, I had the second fastest raw time on a monster stage that included shots limited against 200-yard steel and two blind bays between which you had to reholster and jog. Got 101 seconds worth of penalties, though. Everybody agreed this was a cool-ass stage... let's try it again this winter!

After the match, I headed up to Phoenix on Oracle Road and zoned right past the turn-off for the road through Florence to Mesa. I realized this rather quickly, but decided I'm only young once not getting any younger and I wonder what Globe AZ looks like? Meh. Not much to look at, but the drive up there was made of Awesome! At least if you like looking at pretty rocks and the most scenic green-desert landscape in the World!

Once I got back to known territory (Mesa) I saw the Loop 202 exit thought, "Maybe they finished it!" As if. I used my 1st Level Phoenix Ranger skills to find the other end and continue to Jon's house.

Got another match today. I hope my brain's working better.

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Congratulations, Serr8d!

You said the majickal woids! "Happy 47th Birthday." The clues were as follows:

0 - Speaking of Asian military juntas, S. Korea had one of those. It took power on the day I was born. The leader General President Park was assassinated the week I graduated from Air Force Basic Training with orders for Korean Language School.

1. Chusingura is the story of 47 loyal retainers who avenge their master. Spoiler: They all die in the end.

2. T-47 Snow-Speeder.

3. Shuttle mission STS-47 by Shuttle Endeavor.

4. BB-47 USS Washington was never finished.

5. Forty-seven Ginger-headed Sailors sounds like a snappy tune.

6. CV-47 USS Phillipine Sea

7. The T-47 was also called the T17E1.

8. New Mexico was the 47th state admitted to the Union, right before Arizona.

9. The X-47 is a UCAV.

10. The B-47 Stratojet (these are starting to get more obvious).

11. The AK-47 is the preferred weapon of the enemy. It makes a distinctive sound when fired. -- Gunny Highway (Heartbreak Ridge)

12. CH-47 Chinook is the second of three helicopter types I've flown on.

13. This post is mysteriously blank. It was supposed to be a C-47 Skytrain. I had not been drinking that early in the day.

14. P-47 Thunderbolt

15. "Forty-seven" in Chinese.

16. "Happy Birthday" in Korean. Marcus at Just Barking Mad picked up on that.

17. Happy (Gilmore) + Berth + (Doris) Day

18. Birthday cake ordered by my coworkers back when I was gainfully employed.

19. "Happy Birthday" in Japanese.

20. "Happy Birthday" in Russian.

21. "Forty-seven" in Roman numerals.

22. My 36th Birthday was right before I shipped off to Survival School, hence all the gummi bugs and worms.

23. "Happy Birthday" in Spanish.

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Saturday, May 17, 2008

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!Feliz Cumpleaños!

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Friday, May 16, 2008

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С Днем Рождения!

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誕生日おめでとう!

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Whoo-hoo!

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