Snarky after Tea

Centaur musings

2012-01-16T12:53:00.000-08:00

Centaurs have always been one of my favorite mythical creatures. I'm not entirely sure why, but there is something captivating I find about the concept of a half horse, half human being.

Part of the draw for me is the running. Nothing runs quite like a horse. The raw acceleration and speed that a horse can put down while still managing to look graceful is something that I find awe inspiring. Especially since I lack the ability to run myself.

More than once I've had dreams of being a horse and in them I always run and run and run. That's all I do. For the entire dream I run around my big green pasture and I hardly even get tired! I love those dreams. The day after I have one of those dreams always start out really well.

Then there is the power. With a horses body, a centaur would have the ability to pull almost anything or carry whatever it darn well pleased on its back. That could have some serious perks.

There are some downsides too though. A centaur would have to eat a lot to keep up it's body mass. A horses body would also be hard to clothe and its fiddly bits would always be hanging out in the breeze for everyone to see. Of course there is an up side to that too I suppose if you're a male centaur. (he he he) Ughh, showering would be a pain.

Still though. Being able to pull a car and run 50 mph would would offset, at least for me, the downsides by quite a bit. If centaur gene splicing ever became available I'd certainly think about signing up!

Anyway, you can see where my fascination in centaurs lies and that's probably why this article from USAtoday grabbed my attention.

Personally I think an exhibit like this is neat. It excites the mind to pretend that something like this could have existed even though in all likely hood it could not. The anatomical hurdles would just be too great.

It's still fun though to think that this:

Could have looked like this:

See? Doesn't it look like she's enjoying herself?

Tactical but not practical?

2012-01-15T10:07:00.000-08:00

I posted the following question over at “The highroad.org” a forum I used to visit quite frequently. The forum used to be a great place where new shooters could come and glean information on CCW, rifles, shotguns, tactics and more. It promoted 2nd Amendment rights and served as a good way to get people who were novices about firearms into the sport. When I was younger, much of what I learned about shooting, carrying a gun, and defending 2nd Amendment rights, I learned from THR.

Nowadays my presence there has diminished as the site has lessened in its usefulness. Many of the members and moderators are condescending to new shooters or people looking to broaden their knowledge base who invariably ask “silly questions” in their efforts to seek out knowledge. I will no longer be recommending THR as a resource to brand new gunners until their attitude changes. Running down people who don’t know any better is a bad way to teach.

Anyway.

The question I proposed was this: “In a citywide Katrina or Joplin style disaster emergency, where tensions are high, normal daily services are interrupted, and emergency personnel and services are stretched thin, but in which calm can be restored within a month. Which of the following rigs would be viewed by responding government emergency personnel as "prepared and practical" or "way too tactical" for someone to be carrying in defense of their property and would thus draw unfavorable attention? Why?”

I then posted the following pictures and asked the members to describe which they thought would draw the most attention. The vest? The satchel? Or doesn't it matter?

I posted it at THR because I had a hypothesis that I wanted either confirmed or denied and the smattering of Gunnies from all walks of life that frequent the forum made it look like the ideal place to post it. Due to some poor wording on my part and some uncooperative members I didn’t get very much useful information so I decided to take the question, edit it, and post it to the blog in hopes of finding an answer.

My hypothesis is this: In today’s modern society tensions are heightened, people are nervous, and we’ve seeing an uprising in the number of gunnies who are moving their defensive setups from looking tactical to looking discrete. On other blogs and forums, I’ve seen posts where owners of rifles and shotguns have taken their firearms, stripped them of their “tactical accessories”, and have purposefully replaced them with dulled finishes and banged up wood stocks in an effort to make them look less “evil”. The idea here is, that should they use them in a defensive situation, this urban cammo will make them look less like a “wanna be ranger” whom the authorities should check out and more like an “innocent but well prepared home owner,” who is just trying to keep his/her house safe.

To me there are both pros and cons to camouflaging your equipment. On the one hand the question arises, if we are trying to hide ours guns, then what kind of society are we living in? Not looking like someone whose home you would want to break into just for the gear is a prudent mindset. Not wanting to draw the attention of the authorities during a temporary breakdown of society like the one I described above is also a good plan. And, so is not looking like someone your anti-gun neighbor might want to report to the FBI as suspected terrorist.

Still we shouldn’t have to live in that kind of fear should we? And should we handicap ourselves in an effort to remain low profile? Or, does a full load out vest like the one above still have a place in today’s disaster setup? Has it ever had a place? Or is a satchel and a low profile rifle case the wave of the future.
Discuss.

GOP Battle

2011-11-30T08:54:00.000-08:00

I don't know with what interest or enthusiasm you've been following the GOP battle for the Republican nomination. It doe get a little tiring after awhile. But with so many people out there, at least we have a choice in the matter this time. At least it appears that way. If the MSM have their say, there is only one choice and that is Mitt Romney. I, personally, don't like that choice. So nuts to them. They "helped" us choose Sen. John McCain last time, and we all know how well that worked out.

So to offer a little assistance to people out there, here are just a couple of the links I've gotten via e-mail and Facebook over the last 12 hours from some of the various candidates. Minus anything from Romney. Just click on their name and it'll take you to the site.

Ron Paul
This is Ron Paul's plan to cut $1 trillion. The plan has its merits for the effect it would have. But I'm not sure a president has the power to do it by himself.

Herman Cain
This link will take you to view Cain's famous (or infamous) 9-9-9 Plan. It will tell everything you ever wanted to know about it. Maybe more. Right now, Herman Cain is my personal choice for the GOP nominee. He does have the least amount of political experience, but, in these political circumstances, I see that as a plus. The career politicians have rather made a mess of things. Do I think this 9-9-9 Plan will fix the economy? Probably not. Mostly, again, the president doesn't set the tax code and can't "fix" the economy.

Newt Gingrich
Newt is the new favorite in the polls. Especially after his endorsement from the Manchester Union Leader. I think he has a lot to offer, but he has a tricky past, both personally and politically. It's hard to get past. Mostly his political past. But, again, he does have some good ideas, plus he's not afraid of the media. He knows how to handle the tricky questions. The media and the left don't always like his answers (they aren't always PC)but it makes for good news.

Theft and Bemidji

2011-08-15T06:47:00.001-07:00

Spring was coming and my wife wanted a bicycle. She hadn’t had one since she was very young and after seeing how much I enjoyed mine she had decided that she wanted one too. It was a large expense for us so I weighed the benefits. Having another bike, I thought, would be a great way to save a little money on fuel. Instead of starting the car for those trips where we only needed a couple items from the local stores we could simply ride our bikes. The bike would last several summers, I figured, so the initial cost would eventually be offset. It would save us time. We own a single car and my wife doesn’t like to drive it. So, having a bike would allow her more freedom to venture further from home or work at her leisure during the summer when I wasn’t around to give her a ride. It would provide some exercise for us. It would also be environmentally conservative, and would provide some extra bonding time for a husband and wife as we enjoyed the new city trails. These are all good and healthy things so I decided the investment was a sound one and promptly agreed that we should make the purchase.

So we saved our money. It wasn’t easy. Our yearly income averages around only $14k and we work hard to live off of that without resorting to the many food stamp or welfare programs available. We manage, but it is hard. It takes sacrifice and we often have to carefully consider any large purchases we make that are outside of our budget. And at roughly $100, a bike was a large purchase. Where most families wouldn’t bat an eye at spending that on a dinner, we had to save over a couple months. But we save it up we did and through the help of some friends and family and a little extra work on the side we quickly had the money we needed. Now all we had to do was find a bike that fit. It was a task that was easier said than done because the problem in finding a bike for my wife wasn’t that there weren’t bikes available in Bemidji. There were. It was that they were either too expensive or were too big. You see, my dear wife is a short woman and a standard 26” adult bike was far too large for her. We found a few youth bikes that fit, but many where out of our price range or where mountain bikes with full suspension and overly complex controls. As a new rider she wanted something comfortable and simple, a single speed cruiser. And we found one too, after a lot of looking. One of our big box stores had just gotten in some 24” NEXT Lajolla cruisers so we bought one. It was purple and it fit just right. A little more saving and we bought a basket for the front. Perfect.

Happy ending, right? I wish. I would like to say that this is where the story ends. I would like to tell you that this is a happy story with a happy ending where a woman got to spend the summer enjoying the purchase she had spent so much time considering, waiting for, and saving her money for. But I’m not, because I can’t. I can’t because when we left our home downtown the other day and walked past the rack where our bikes are chained I heard a gasp and a shocked “No!” from my wife and turned to see her standing next to her new bike. The seat was gone. Someone had stolen it. And not just the seat, either, but the post and hardware that holds it on too! The bike is now useless until we can find the money and the parts to replace it. To make matters worse, we had even taken precautions to prevent this very sort of thing from happening as it had happened to us before when I had bought my own bike. Someone had stolen my seat too, so when I bought a replacement I had used a heavy duty zip tie to fasten the seat to a bolt that holds the seat to the frame. I had done the same to my wife’s bike but the thief had beaten the clamp from the frame of the bike and simply taken everything! Apparently in this town people will steal things even if they ARE bolted down!

Now some of you reader this are probably thinking “So what? It’s just a small thing. Just go buy another seat and don’t be so worked up about it. It’s no big deal.” And you’re partially right. We will go buy another seat. We will go spend more of our hard earned money to replace something that someone else has stolen and is now using for free. We will do it because we have to and in fact we already have. A quick visit to our local bike shop for the parts to replace the ones that were stolen cost us $47 total for a seat post, seat, and theft proof clamp. To put that in perspective that’s half again the cost of the bike when it was new, is $3 short of our weekly budget for groceries, and is one fourth my monthly paycheck. That’s money that could have gone into savings but is now going to cover the cost of the theft. We spent that because we were left no other reasonable choice if we wanted to make the bike useable again so I will not pretend it isn’t a big deal.

You see, I’ve written all of this to make a point. Theft is a real problem in the city of Bemidji. I’m sure many of you have noticed it and maybe even know someone who has experienced a similar story. Maybe it was you. Maybe it was your bike that got stolen or maybe it was something more expensive. The point is that something which was worked hard for and was earned got stolen by someone that did not earn it. That’s wrong. And I realize every town has theft and that probably every store in those towns has problems with theft because bad people are everywhere but here, in our town, it has become a real problem. It’s more common here. Don’t believe me? Visit the big box stores here in Bemidji, especially ones that sell sporting goods, and look at what is locked up. Look at what items you have to ask a clerk to open in order for you to purchase them or look at them. Now go to any other town in Minnesota and you will notice many of those items are not locked up. Why? Now check the police reports in the papers. How many of them are reported thefts? Talk to store managers. Ask if their shoplifting is high.

Now ask yourself what you can do about it. The answer is simple. Be vigilant and report the crime! To use our theft as an example; did you see someone walking down the street with a bike seat tucked under their arm? Did it look suspicious? Maybe the person looked nervous. Why? Did you report it? Do you see someone at the store stuffing DVDs and CDs into their shirts? Why are they doing that? Report it. Isn’t 12:00 a.m. an odd time to be working on a car stereo? YES! Report it! Report it! Report it! You see, theft is a crime of opportunity and will often only be committed if the thief thinks they won’t get caught. Keep watch, report suspicious activity to the police, the manager of the business, or the owner of the property. Please don’t turn a blind eye to theft, help deter it. Thieves rarely steal if they think they’ve been spotted. Remember, this is your community, get involved. Make your town better. Theft raises the prices of the goods you buy and the bike that you watched get stolen may be the only transportation of the college student that lives next door. Report theft. Do this and maybe we, all of us, all the people that live, work, shop, and are just trying to survive in this town, maybe we can make a difference and make Bemidji a better place to live.

Independence Day Thought

2011-07-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

Being a Minnesotan, I've been saturated with news about the government shut down. Gov. Dayton wants to raise taxes on the highest wage earners. The Republicans in office don't want to do that and offered many versions of a balanced budget to spend within their means. The DFLers in office--have been strangely quiet on the whole thing.

A lot of the local news is full of sob stories about people who won't be able to eat or pay for their rent or similar sad things. Like not being able to buy their car tabs at the last minute because they put it off too long. Sad, right? It does make me a little sad because it makes me realize how many people can not (or will not) take care of themselves. My husband and I both only work part time and yet we manage to pay for our own food, pay our rent and our utilities and our car all out of our own pocket.
And still have a little left over to go out to eat once in awhile or go on vacation. All because we live within our means and are determined not to become dependent on someone else. Especially the government.

That being said. I find it fitting that the state government has shut down over Independence Day. Very symbolic. It paints a picture of people dependence on the government. On how much the government has taken away people's independence. Minnesota has some of the highest taxes in the union and that issue is the major one that has shut down the government. I can't shout the old cry of "No taxation without representation!" because it is our elected representatives of the past who raised the taxes to the current rate. But I hope that the current representatives will be able to prevent the taxes from becoming any higher.

I'm hoping the current shut down will help people realize they do not need the government holding their hand for every step they take. That they can go and live their lives without it. That they wake up and see the independence they have been missing, that they enjoy it and will not want to relinquish it later on.

Happy Independence Day.

Had to Share This Story

2011-06-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

Maryland Adds Environmental Literacy in High Schools

Because real literacy isn't trendy enough. Seriously, I think that's the reason they're adding this requirement. But it begs the question, what are they taking out to add this in?

Lost promises

2011-05-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

My grandfather taught me how to handle a handgun when I was very young. He gave me a High Standard sport king .22Lr when I was around 13 and I used it constantly and still have it. He bought me my first ccw piece when I was eighteen and he's the man I credit the most when people ask how I learned to shoot like I do. He taught me many lessons while on the range and when I'm teaching a new shooter how to handle a gun for the first time they often get told the same things my grandad told me when he taught me to shoot. It's tradition.

One of his best lessons grandpa taught me was on passing down family traditions. Shooting and hunting is one of the greatest traditions my family has and I often make a point to try and pass the knowledge within the tradition down whenever the opportunity arises because shooting, Grandpa once told me, teaches us many things. He told me that it teaches trust, discipline, and ethics. He told me you can tell a lot about a man by how he handles a gun and I've find that to be universally true.

Shooting, I've come to understand, builds good men.

Growing up Grandpa always had a handgun in the dresser drawer by his bed for home defense. The gun that lay there changed models and calibers many times as I grew up but there was always one there with a loaded magazine lying next to it.

His last gun was a Sig Sauer P232 chambered for the .380 cartridge. I remembered being surprised when he showed it to me for the first time as it was a German design with the European style mag release and Grandpa was a "Made in the USA" kind of guy.

He explained that it wasn't what he really wanted. What he had really wanted was a Luger but he couldn't find one so he decided that he would settle for a Walther. Back then Walther .380s weren't very common so he had settled for the little Sig as it was "Eh, close enough." he told me.

After the Sig he never bought another gun and I moved to another city, visiting only every few months.

As he and I got older he would often bring out the little gun and shoot it along side me whenever I managed to find time to visit the family farm for some target practice. Back then I was buying guns all the time and I would often trot out the latest greatest piece when I was there. Being a simple man he would often give me a hard time about my high tech hardware, saying "Why don't you get something sensible like my little pistol here."

I would laugh and ask him why he didn't get something with a little more oomph.

Then one day I showed up on the farm with a new 1911 A1. Being a paratrooper my grandpa had carried one and I was excited to show him a piece of history that he had been a part of. It was to be a moment I wouldn't forget. We were standing in the yard I handed the piece of fighting iron. "I used to carry one of those in the war!" He exclaimed "Lemme see that."

Proudly I pulled the gun, loaded, hammer back, from it's holster and handed it over. I never thought to empty it. The man taught me to shoot! Surely he would know what to do. I was wrong. Time froze for me as his old fingers clumsily sought out the trigger and he fumbled the safety off with his thumb as he struggled to grip the heavy weapon. Horrified I made a grab for it before anything else could go wrong and we stood there staring at each other with sad looks of understanding in our eyes as I dropped the gun back into it's holster.

With sad realization it dawned on me that his mind was beginning to go. With my regular absence I hadn't known.

A short time later I came to visit again and Grandad pulled me into his bedroom. He pulled the little .380 from his drawer and said "I want you to know that this is where I keep this so that it doesn't get lost and when I'm gone, I want you to have it." I was stunned but I laughed it off at the time saying that I was sure he would be around for a long time yet.

I was wrong.

After my grandpa died I got to wondering about the little German gun so I asked my Dad about it. He thought it had been sold but after the funeral I found it sitting in the drawer where it had always been. Glad to see it was safe I waited a few weeks before asking my grandmother about it. She wanted to ask her 3 sons if any of them wanted it but assured me that my having it probably wouldn't be a problem.

I waited a few more weeks before asking about it again and this time I got a different response. "Are you planning on selling it?" She said "Because if you're planning on selling it then I'm not comfortable with you having it." I was stunned. I only wanted what was promised to me by my grandfather and now it was being suggested that I only wanted it to sell. I felt cheap. Heirlooms get passed down in my family! Not sold. Why would she suggest such a thing?

I asked her if she had talked to her sons about it. She told me that she wanted to talk to all of us about it, together, at the same time. I felt like I was going to be put on trial. Why did she not feel uncomfortable with carrying out her husbands wishes?

Lastly she questioned whether or not my granddad had actually promised me that I could have it! My heart broke. Had he not written it down? Of course not! It was a promise between two men. Why would he? More importantly why would she question me? Did she think I was lying? All I wanted was a fulfilled promise and a piece of history, a monument to time my grandad and I had spent together.

Now I'm not sure I do want it. Now along with the happy memories I now have another underlying tone attached to it. A tone of lies, deceit and questions.

2011-05-19T07:23:00.000-07:00

This is my biggest fear. Lord knows I haven't been the best student and it has taken me a long time to accomplish what most would accomplish in a four years. Now with the end finally in sight and with only two years of college left I have to wonder, will there be a job for me when I get out? I think so.

The degree I'm currently pursuing is in education and we will always have a need for teachers. The only thing that would keep me from getting a job in education is an unwillingness to move or the government.

The last part is what scares me. I think a lot of the current regulations keep good teachers from obtaining a license. I've seen a lot of teachers graduate from my college. Some of them make me wonder who dresses them in the morning. How do they get a license?

Hillary clinton, the new face of sexy counter terrorism.

2011-05-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

"Apparently the presence of a woman, any woman, being all womanly and sexy all over the United States' counter terrorism efforts was too much for the editors of Der Tzitung to handle,"

Right. If I opened a girly magazine and found Hilary's face with those puffy jowls staring back at me from the centerfold I'd eat my sidearm. Sexy the woman is not. I can see why Bill ran around on her.

Sorry readers. I really regret using that pic to make my point. Let me make it up to you.

Ahhhhhhh. Much better. Again, sorry about that.

Obama's Bin Laden speech

2011-05-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

Did anyone else blink in surprise as he said "one nation under God," and "may God bless the United States?" It's rather out of character for him. I do think it's one of his better speeches though. He finally had some good news to give!

Breaking News!

2011-05-02T11:50:00.001-07:00

Everyone is weighing in on the news that Osama Bin Laden has finally bit the dust (or bullet, as it were), so I figured I'd get my two cents in as well.

First, I don't really like the idea of rejoicing in the demise of another person. However, I might make an exception in this case. Maybe it's more of a prayer and sigh of relief then actual rejoicing. I'm glad he was not captured alive. There is no way in the current political climate that we would have seen justice done. And the American people needed justice to be done so we can start to find closure. To that end, I feel that pictures of his body should be released to the public. We need photographic proof of the deed finally being done. I don't think it's just morbid curiosity, it's just a need for proof from an administration that's lied to its people too often.

Next, I hope our illustrious elected officials can see that this is not the end. It is only the end of a chapter to the "war on terror." Yes, we got one of the ring leaders, but there are more out there, wanting to do us harm. You only need to read the news reports about the threats already coming in. We still need to be vigilant, both here and abroad. And it won't be an easy thing to do, especially now with Bin Laden out of the way. The peace mongers will come out in force soon, wondering why we're still fighting now that Bin Laden is dead.

And to the MSM out there, I'm glad you have actual news out there to report on right now. But keep your concentration on that. This isn't a "game changer" for next year's election. Educated voters will keep this in mind when deciding on who to vote for next year, but November 2012 is many, many months away. And educated voters will also look at how Pres. Barak Obama has conducted himself during his whole presidency, not just continuing Pres. Bush's war policies.

Hard times

2011-04-19T21:44:00.000-07:00

Up here in my little backwater neck of the woods in Northern Minnesota it is some times hard to find things. When I say this, I often relate it mostly to shooting because it is my primary hobby.

In my region, when one wanders into a gun shop he can find guns galore but not magazines, holsters, cases, vests, light mounts or anything else. Sure you can buy an AR-15 at three separate stores but forget mags and most certainly forget decent defensive ammo.

That part I've gotten used to and I often risk it and order almost everything shooting related from the internet.

Well, gun stuff and also yo-yos, my other passion. You can't find a decent Yo up here either. Anyway, I'm getting off track. Point is, yesterday I went on the look for 7.62 x 39 ammo. Which, for those of you who are cartridge savvy, you will recognize as the prime meal of choice for the AK-47. My rifle of choice for this cold northern climate.

After school, I scoured four separate shops and managed to come away with the last 4 (and I'm not kidding) smashed boxes of 7.62x39 containing 20 rusting cartridges per box at $9.99 for each box. I talked the guy at the counter down to $7 a box but I still felt as if I was getting the short end of the stick.

Catching up on my reading

2011-04-07T11:39:00.000-07:00

Started reading a new book the other day. I heard about it from the Conservative Book Club. (They have good recommendations, it you're into the political scene) It's "Leadership and Crisis" by Bobby Jindal, current governor of Louisiana. If you haven't heard of this guy, look him up, read his book and find out. He has some of the best ideas I've heard from a politician in a long time. And he's an American who actually likes America and thinks this is a great country. Yeah, it has its problems, but with hard work we can fix them. And he has innovative ideas to fix his state and help the coutry. Unlike our "illustrious" Mark Dayton, whose only solution to the budget is "raise taxes on the richest 5%." At least he's consistent, I guess.

2011-03-25T19:54:00.000-07:00

You know you live in a small town when a this is a story in your newspaper: Menards traffic signal to be turned on next week.

Exciting times, aren't they folks?

2011-03-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

He Walked On Water
Edited to suit the man better.

Wore starched white shirts buttoned at the neck
And he'd sit in the shade and watch the chickens peck
And his teeth were gone, but what the heck
I thought that he walked on water

Said he was a soldier when he was young
He could handle a wrench and he was good with a gun
And my daddy was his middlemost son
And I thought that he walked on water

If the story was told, only heaven knows
But his hat seemed to me like an old halo
And though his wings, they were never seen
I thought that he walked on water

Then he tied a cord to the end of a stick
And said, "Son, here's an airplane, let'er rip!"
And I'd ride it in circles while he laughed allot
Then I'd flop down beside him

And he was already a few years old in twenty O three
And I loved him and he loved me
And Lord, I cried the day he died
'Cause I thought that he walked on water

If the story was told, only Heaven knows
But his hat seemed to me like an old halo
And though his wings, they were never seen
I thought that he walked on water
I thought that he walked on water

Small Accomplishments

2011-03-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

There hasn't been much going on here in B-town lately. Schools had spring break last week. So Tremaine was home all week. Which would have been great, except I had to work extra hours. The Library is planning bus trips down to the Cities to see the King Tut exhibit. Which is way cool. But I had to convince my boss that I should be a group leader. You'd think I would be a shoe-in for that position, having a B.A. in history. But no. After some nagging and asking if my husband could come too, I was finally added to the list. Yay!

I was able to finish a couple sewing projects this week that have been lying around for a while. Tremaine's "utilikilt" is finally done. And just in time for St. Patrick's Day. I've been working on this since sometime before Christmas. He had found a website where you can buy these, but since they are a little out of our price range, I told him I'd make one. Surprisingly, it wasn't that hard to make. It was finding the time to work on it that proved difficult. That and my cat liked to help. I also found an almost finished skirt in my fabric box. This had been lying around for years. I had gotten mad at the pattern (it didn't make any sense) and put it away to work on it later. Occasionally I would take it out and look at it, remember my frustration, and put it away again. Yesterday I decided to tackle it once and for all. And got it done!

It's amazing how good it feels to get something accomplished. Even little things. Maybe especially little things. They have ways of multiplying and growing into big things. Perhaps only figuratively. Our mind makes them into big things that seem overwhelming. Weighing us down. Finishing that little purple skirt took a weight off. It doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things, it's just an article of clothing. But putting the last stitch in and finally getting to try it on (and it fit, too!) made me breathe a little easier. And made me want to accomplish even more.

The girl in the little red skirt

2011-03-04T06:17:00.001-08:00

I don't know what her name is or who she is but if I did I would thank her. Her little red skirt and that mischievous smile made my morning. I'm glad she does what she does even if grandma wouldn't aprove.

And before you get all horny remember, she's someone's baby daughter.

Incredible

2011-02-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

Def: Too improbable and/or extraordinary to believe.

Last semester I took a class called "Stratigraphy and sedimentation" in which we had to do a field project that involved a four day trip to the Cedar Creek anticline in Montana near a city called Glendive.

While there we studied ancient depositional environments and I collected several specimen samples. One was a clump of cretaceous aged clams found in the Pierre shale and the others where some cannon ball concretions from the fox hills formation.

I gifted one of the concretions to my biological mother, one to my mother in law, and one to my wife. The two concretions the mothers got where the size of golf balls and where nearly identical. I had personally chiseled the rocks from the sandstone myself with a rock hammer and carried them in my pack for the 1'000 + odd miles back home to give to them.

Both mothers collect rocks and where both very excited about the concretions.

Both wanted to know where their rocks came from. I told them the above story.

Now, here is where the story differs.

My biological mother listened to the the story and took it at face value. End of story. Why? Because with her I have some credibility even though I've lied to her face dozens of times when growing up.

My MIL, though, took the rock and showed it to the fam on my wife's side over christmas. They all decided, using their combined expert geological knowledge, that the concretions where in fact NOT ROCKS. But instead, were old ball bearings I had found laying on the ground and that I had tried to pass off as ancient and interesting geological finds. It took me an hour an several citations to correct the error.

I have never lied to my in-laws, but to them I am incredible.

My standing in my family is worthy of note.

Such a Busy Week

2011-02-25T17:56:00.000-08:00

Here's a random list of 10 things I learned this week.

1. My Gerber pocket knife is VERY sharp.
2. However, you should not use it to trim houseplants.
3. Medical grade superglue is purple!
(All this I learned on Monday. It was a very informative day.)
4. Our new full-time staff person leaves very promptly at 5:00, no matter if you are ready to take the desk or not. (It'll be interesting to see how she handles the reference desk.)
5. One of our regular patrons is mad at the Library because she didn't get the full-time job. (Having also not got the position, I'm not very sympathetic.)
6. Having made and tasted homemade crackers makes me never want to buy boxed crackers again.
7. How to make a blanket without a pattern.
8. BBQ chicken does not go good with spinach and tomato pasta.
9. I can buy 3 pairs of jeans, a shirt and a sugar dispenser for under $25 at the consignment shop.
And finally....
10. What diverticulitis is.

2011-02-25T08:15:00.000-08:00

I dedicate this video to all those "brave" Wisconsin Democrats who have fled to Illinois.

Too Little Information

2011-02-24T12:32:00.000-08:00

I have to say, working at a public library may be many things, but it isn't dull. It's also full of headaches. Not just from all funding issues, collection development, and programming. Most of it comes from our patrons.
A case in point happened yesterday evening. The phone rings and I answered it (my mistake). There was a woman on the other side who had a question for me. OK. I get a lot of questions. No biggie. It turns out that her family had checked out a bunch of DVDs a week or so ago. And they brought them back (that's good). But she thinks they brought one of her own movies back by mistake. And she wanted to know if we had it there. I told her we might, things end up in the drop box by mistake all the time. We have a spot where we hold them for a while. Could she tell me the name of the DVD? I'll go check to see if it's there.
Well, actually, she didn't know the title of the movie, she just knew she didn't have it on her table where it should have been. *sigh* Trying to be polite, I told her it would be hard for me to tell if we had her movie if she didn't even know the title of it. Which was a concept hard for her to grasp unfortunately. Lucky for me, there were only 3 movies on our unclaimed shelf behind the desk. I read off the titles and none of them seemed correct (she assured me that she'd recognize the title if she heard it). I told her again that without the title of the movie I couldn't help her and wished her a good evening.
And I let my co-worker answer the phone the next time it rang.

Call it devine intervention

2011-02-23T13:54:00.000-08:00

I know there is a god because he likes to kick my ass regularly at times when it's too coincidental to be anything else but divine intervention.

I could go for weeks and as long as nothing critical is going on life is a breeze. However, the moment I have something important to do. One of those "all or nothing, the chips are down" moments. The bottom falls out.

Case in point.

I had a test in class today on mineral optics which I left mostly blank.

We've been studying this subject since the semester started and for once I was feeling comfortable with a subject.

I should have known better.

I've known the test was coming since last wednesday and had planned to study over the weekend but I had to work saturday and sunday we went on a road trip which we very badly needed to go on because the city I live in doesn't have the items we needed.

Durable shoes.

Monday everything went tits up when my wife sliced her hand trimming a house plant that I've been nagging her to trim.

Because of that I missed the class where we discussed EVERYTHING that was going to be on the test because we where at the clinic. Then, because I wasn't there for class. Everyone left and skipped out on the after class study session I had arranged.

Tuesday was spent studying like mad. To little effect though since I didn't sleep the night before. This is because I share a bed and when one partner doesn't sleep neither does the other. Not her fault. She was in serious pain but still......

This morning I got up to read a note from my brother that put me in a down mood.

I'm beginning to wonder if my old man wasn't right when he said "Be married or be in college. You can't do both."

A Few Ramblings

2011-02-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

It's been one of those weeks this week. You know the kind. It's when things don't even pretend to want to go your way. We all have them. Come to think about it--so far it's been one of those years. Hopefully, it's getting everything out of its system right away and things can only get better. But I've been told that I'm an incurable optimist.
This week started out with our car in the shop. We are about $300 poorer, but on the plus side the car can now stop on a dime (or would if it wasn't for all the ice on the streets).
Tuesday wasn't too bad. But at work we had our weekly staff meeting and were told that the county commissioner hates libraries and wanted to cut our funding. Jerk. So our manager was going to a meeting to discuss that and try to convince the rest of the county board that libraries are cool and they should let us keep our money. Fortunately, that is how it turned out. Yay! I get to keep my job! But my manager was swift to dash my enthusiasm by pointing out we don't know what the state level budget cuts are going to be yet. oh.
Then he thanked me for being gracious about not getting the forty hour a week position. That he and the powers that be gave to someone else (with no library experience by the way). The position that they didn't even call me in for an interview for, even though I have four years experience working there. I can honestly say that I don't want to be gracious about it. That I (almost) hope the new person is a flop and they feel bad about not hiring me (though I don't think the powers that be have any kind of feelings). But I need to be because I'm a nice person and I like my job for the most part.
So to top off the week, today I filed my taxes. Figured it was a fitting way to spend this Friday. It went easier then I expected. Though it was a little lowering to see how little we made this year. More than last year, but still. You'd think all our work would be worth more. Oh, well. At least we can still say we are not "on the dole" and still pay for our food, clothes and rent with our own money. And that is an encouraging thought.
After that, I went down to the Tea Shoppe and restocked my tea supply. Because I don't want to run out of that very necessary beverage. I will need it to see me through training in "the new guy" next week. And besides, it's very hard to snark with out my tea!

2011-01-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

I got this in an E-mail from the president of our University.

"This Thursday, I will begin a series of campus forums at Bemidji State
University and Northwest Technical College to introduce a plan for
recalibrating both institutions in light of a projected $5 million
budget shortfall for the next two years. This shortfall is directly
attributable to the economic challenges Minnesota is facing with its
$6.2 billion budget deficit."

I especially like the last bit. Yes, president Hanson, I'm sure the budget shortfall is all the states fault. Nothing is ever the universities fault, is it?

Never mind the fact that you guys drop money on sports teams and special projects like a drunk on payday.

1/16/2011

2011-01-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

Retiring a warhorse.

This is my very first 1911 pistol.

She is a Springfield Armory 1911A1 chambered in the standard .45 acp.

She has a lot of rounds through her and has many fond and not so fond memories attached.

She is the first gun I hand to a new shooter when I take them to the range for the first time.

I once used it to bring down a wounded deer my best friend had shot. We still laugh about how he could hardly eat it thanks to all the bullet holes. I got excited and used the whole magazine.

Or the time I used it to scare off a carload of gang bangers that had chased me one block too far on a dark night.

I carried it on many searches for missing people, secretly tucked in the waistband of my uniform.

Once I used it to win a bet.

She's been a good gun.

But the years and the round count have caught up to her and I lack the funds for the repairs she needs.

All the years have worn much of the finish from the lower frame so she rusts in the slightest moisture. The grip screw caps are coming loose as well as the plunger tube housing and both need to be restaked. The safety is worn and is tough to turn off and the barrel bushing is so loose I can fit a paperclip between it and the slide.

Yet she still runs.

She needs a rebuild bad but the bill is up in the price range where I could easily buy a new gun, which is my limit, so I'm hanging her up.

I've got a nice oak box with a glass lid that I think she'll look good in. I've too many sentimental attachments to part with her. Maybe in the future I'll have enough money to tune her back up and make her young again but right now I've more important bills to pay.

Such is life.

Not What I Voted For

2011-01-14T09:19:00.000-08:00

In my morning perusal of the news I came across this headline Lawmakers begin to rally for bipartisan seating plan. I had to check this out of course. It turns out that the Democrats (Sen. Udall in particular) want to play nice. Or at least give that impression to the people. Udall has proposed that instead of sitting with your fellow party members at the State of the Union Address, everyone should mingle and sit.....wherever. I guess. They see this as bipartisanship at work and on display. (I think "on display" is what they're going for since it really wouldn't be in practice) Sounds like a great show of "unity," especially after the Arizona thing. And, according to this article, it must be a good thing because two Republican senators have signed on. Now I don't know anything about Sen. Lisa Murkowski, but seeing Sen. John McCain's name attached to anything usually flags it as suspect to me. He's almost a RINO and has never really impressed me.

I understand the rhetoric. And it would seem like bipartisan politics would be a good idea in such a time as this. We are the "United" States after all. But I remember, was it just last year? that bipartisan politics was the last thing on the Democrats minds. In fact, they pretty much shut out their Republican counterparts. Why? Because they could. Now, however, they see that they have a problem. They can't just shut them out anymore. At least not in the House, because there the Republicans out number them. The Dems still hold the advantage in the Senate, but not by a large margin. So now they want to play nice. No, they want to look like the want to play nice. To lure their opposition into playing nice.

What I have to say is this. I did not vote for the Republicans so that they would play nice. And I don't want them to play nice. They are supposed to go in there and mix it up. And not to just put stumbling blocks in the way, but to try to put things back to rights. And they need to stick together to do that. The McCains and the Murkowskis are not helping when they sign on to ideas like this. They are hindering their party. There are not assigned seats (as far as I know) for the State of the Union Address. So they can go sit with their "friends" on the other side. As for the rest, stay united and true to party lines, to show that you are united as a party and are willing to fight for what you said you going to fight for.

1/12/11

2011-01-12T16:13:00.000-08:00

Things heard at school

As person who prides himself in his ability to stay in tune with his surroundings, I often catch phrases or sentences that make me laugh. Yeah, I'm an eavesdropper, so sue me.

In or out of context some of these are down right hilarious. Here are some from this week.

"Pie is irrational!" (Overheard in Algebra class)

"Coffee tastes like dirt, but you kinda get used to it after you drink enough." (Caught in geology class)

"Turtles and fish creep me out and I don't like to share my space with them. This is why I don't swim." (heard over lunch)

"My average shower time is 7 minutes if I don't shave my legs. Which I haven't. Right now they are hairy like a banana." (Also heard at lunch)

"I'm going to close this door. There are offices down this hall that are full of psychologists and we don't want to disturb them." (In the hall between classes)

Back in the Know

2011-01-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to get back in the action after about a month of avoiding reading the news. I'm not saying I didn't read or watch or listen to any news, but I tried to avoid it if possible. Probably not a very responsible action on my part, but it did increase my sense of peace a little. Occasionally that peace would be intruded upon when I came across certain headlines in the papers. Like last week when Minnesota inaugurated our new governor, Mark Dayton. He says he's going to raise taxes on the rich (because we all know that's going to work). And his first act as governor was to sign on to the totally awesome Health Care Bill. This news made me stick my head in the sand for another week.

I've been told this course of action doesn't help anyone, so I'm trying to get back in the know. So I went to Yahoo News to find out what's news today. A lot of it is about the shooting in Arizona. And it's journalism like this that makes me groan. Now it's not the title of the article, Officer stopped suspect on day of Ariz. shooting, that's the problem. It's the tear-jerking story about the poor misunderstood young man who was so lonely. You know it really isn't his fault he shot and killed all those people. "Even when Loughner tried to do good, it didn't work out." Aahhhhh. Poor guy. I can forgive so much now.

Actually, no. I don't care how lonely you are, shooting people is not a good and acceptable way to make friends. It's illegal. I don't care who you are. Or what your problems are. For me, it's pretty cut and dry. He obviously is guilty, so he needs to pay the penalty. Why he did it is secondary. And typically unnecessary. Unless he was a hired assassin, I don't really care. Emotional problems are not going to make me feel sorry for him. Perhaps that's very unfeminine of me, but there you are.

But don't worry, Pres, Obama is going to console Arizona and the nation later today. I feel so much better already. Don't you?

1/7/2011

2011-01-07T19:53:00.000-08:00

Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin' so small

Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they'll soon discover
That I don't belong

So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them

Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Is there anyone who's been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who's traded
In the altar for a stage

The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart

But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be

Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away
Would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay

-Casting crowns, Stained glass Masquerade

1/5/11

2011-01-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

Too little, too late.

I'm feeling a bit pensive tonight.

I've been thinking about the last year as always happens around the new year and that, of course, has lead me to think about the years before that.

What all this boils down to is time.

Time is an amazing, beautiful, horrible and destructive entity.

It is my worst of worst enemies.

It is unstoppable.

A few years ago I found myself out of a job and out of a house at the same time. Newly married and able to find work immediately in my home town, I moved back with my new bride in tow.

It was a dark journey but the light at the end of the tunnel was that I would be able to catch up on the years I missed with my siblings when I left, quickly and without thought, in the midst of my parents divorce.

Young, confused, and our family torn, I had reached down and pulled the ejection handle on life and shot off as far away from the burning wreckage of home as I could leaving my siblings and parents behind.

I hadn't wanted anything to do with it.

I don't know if it would have been better had I stayed with them. I got a wonderful wife out of the deal but have always felt guilty about leaving my siblings behind to face that challenge alone. I thought I would be able to make up for that when I came back.

Several years later and I've realized I never will.

Too little too late. Time has marched steadily on and left me behind.

Now my sibs are both grown. One has kids and works hard to support them and the other has a girlfriend and is on the fringe of graduating college. When he does I'm sure he'll be off to places unknown and the only time we'll see each other will be during the flurry and stress of holidays.

Makes me wish I had spent more quality time playing legos, fighting monsters with stick swords and goofing off when I had the chance but it's too late now.

It's always too late. Not enough time. Never enough time.

It's a hard lesson to learn.

1/4/11

2011-01-04T13:06:00.000-08:00

I don't know when I became such a pansy when it comes to blood but it sure is inconvenient.

Take this afternoon for example. I was bored and decided that since I had all my chores done that I would fashion a miniature grappling hook out of a treble fishing hook.

You're probably thinking that I got the hook in the fingers at this point but you'd be wrong.

What happened was that I clipped all the sharp ends of the hook without incident. It was when I was trying to remove the remainder of the hook from the jig itself that I slipped and gouged my thumb on the little key ring that holds the hook to the jig.

Not the hook. The key ring!

It didn't hurt much but it bled like crazy.

When it happened I even looked at it and said out load "Darn, that's gonna bleed."

And it did. A lot.

Then I got woozy, threw up, got mad and threw up again. Then I found the band aids and plugged the hole.

WTF? When did this happen?

I used to do search and rescue and had done it for eleven years. I was even an EMT for a while. I've seen plenty of ghastly wounds during my time and I never even once got queasy but apparently when it's me doing the bleeding now my cool demeanor goes to hell.

I didn't used to do that. I once hacked my finger off at the tip and didn't really even flinch except for the fact that I was worried about not being able to play my viola anymore. Which I couldn't after the accident.

But now my stomach does the crappy flop every time i see a little red.

(sigh)

Magpul Dynamics Live Fire Drill

2011-01-04T06:32:00.000-08:00

1/2/11

2011-01-02T15:47:00.000-08:00

I've never really fallen into the stereotype of what a "real man" is supposed to be.

I feel I differ from the the "real man" in that:
I don't like beer that much.
I think spitting is gross.
I think sports are silly and that athletes are overpaid.
I like to draw and do arts and crafts.
I hate baseball hats.
I do not need to drive a truck to prove how huge my penis is. (It's huge and I drive a Kia)
I don't need to cuss to express myself.
And I can walk into a Victorias secret to buy lingerie for my wife WITHOUT her being there.

That said. I can do all those thing Robert Heinlein says a boy of 21 should be able to do before he leaves home except that I don't know what the de Tocqueville is. I am immensely proud of this fact and feel that it makes me "manlier" than most men I know.

This is why it cracked me up a bit when I ran into my Dad's best friend at the local Walmart this afternoon. The guy is the poster guy for the the stereotypical man. He looks like what I imagine a child of Bret Farve and Hulk hogan would look like. A beef farmer and snowmobile racer, the guy knows tough.

We greeted each other apprehensively over the meat freezer and the conversation quickly lead to "the game" and why I wasn't watching it. I replied that I wasn't interested in it and that I had just dropped my wife off at her sisters to watch said game while I went to buy groceries.

I really wanted a steak (I bought shrimp instead) but we didn't get that far.

Upon finding out that my wife was watching football while I shopped for cinnamon sticks the fellow quickly wished me a good day with a grunt, turned on his heals and walked off in search of an industrial can of Dinty Moore stew which I figured he would probably eat raw and would open with his teeth.

I went home, did laundry and cleaned the carbon out of my AR-15.

1/1/11

2011-01-01T16:12:00.000-08:00

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we're back!

Welcome to "Snarky after Tea" formally known as "The flash suppressor".

We've gone through a bit of a rebuild over the last couple months in an effort to decide what kind of content our blog should, well, contain.

From here on out you'll be seeing links and commentary to things that irritate us, news we find interesting, recipes that we think are tasty, and pics of subjects that we think make the world beautiful and interesting. Oh, and anything else we feel like posting about.

We will no longer be holding anything back. What you see is what you will get. Our postings will be personal, direct and from the heart. Reading here means you will get to know the authors as well as anyone. You'll share our good days and bad days and will be able to keep up with our little slice of the world on your time. We find ourselves interesting and hope you will too.

At some point you will probably read something that you disagree with and that's ok, it's just our two cents and you're welcome to take a penny leave a penny. In short, comment back. We like that kind of thing. Friendly discussion is something we're about.

So, sit back and enjoy "Snarky after Tea" for days when a good hot cup of Tea still won't hold back the snark.

2010-11-06T10:39:00.000-07:00