The answer to everything.

My good buddy and fellow Boxer-block fan Kentrik directed me to something far better than any cat with a cheeseburger.  He actually found a site with the answer to all of the deep philosophical questions of life.

Why do you not have a girlfriend?
Why do your neighbors hate you?
Why do you still live at home with your mother?
Why don't I like the French?

Why?  Because racecar!

And my personal favorite...

It's almost as awesome as 42.

Lokidude

220

220.2, actually.  As of roughly 6 pm Mountain Time time tonight, I'm down right at 20 pounds from the start of Operation Fatass.  That's roughly a third of my goal.

Go team me!

Lokidude

The CDC finally gets it

It seems the Centers for Disease Control has issued a warning to prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse.

As wacky as it sounds, this is actually a very good thing.  Because as Unc has said "If you're prepared for a Zombie Apocalypse, a hurricane is just a storm."

When you think about it, it's the truth.  While the odds of the dead rising and walking the Earth are pretty slim, the odds of something else occurring that would require the same preparations are far higher.

And the looks you get when you answer "What are you prepping for?" with "Zombies." are awesome.

Lokidude

Operation Fatass is back

Even though it only kinda left.  Sorry I've been quiet, I got myself a job a couple weeks back and have been working 60 hours/week.

Anyways, I weighed myself tonight, and I was at 228.8.  I figure I had no less than .8 pounds of assorted crap in my pockets, so call it an even 228.  That's 12 down from when this project started. Not quite on pace, but with the move, and some general attitudinal issues I had for a while, I'm more than happy to have it.  Now that I have a working scale, I promise I'll keep you updated far more frequently.

Lokidude

Overheard while unpacking

Bex and I were going through some boxes tonight when she found and decided to keep an inflatable fish, because

"You never know when an inflatable fish might come in handy..."

I laughed. A lot.

Lokidude

Analog blogging

Justice is served

The news tonight reports (in case you've been living under a rock) that Osama Bin Laden is dead.

I'm completely good with that.  Sadly, it took a decade to do it, but finally, the architect of so much death and destruction has met his end.

Lokidude

Utah Grand Prix

I'm sitting in the stands at the Utah Grand Prix, and it's an excellent day for a Collosimo brat and racing at North America's longest road course.  If the pictures I took turn out, maybe I'll share.  If not, the cars were hot and  the racing was excellent.

Lokidude

The hell you say?

It's April 26.  There should not be global warming accumulating on the back porch.

Seriously.

Lokidude

In atonement

I'm sorry I haven't posted much recently, I know I've been a bad blogger, but between moving and trying to find a job, I've been a bit occupied.  But in an attempt to atone for my sins, I give you FOOD!

So, I have this recipe that has pretty much become a staple at family events involving food.  And now, I'm gonna share it with you.  Be advised, though, unless we're baking, around here, recipes are kinda like the Pirate Code (more of a guideline, so to speak.)

16-24 oz uncooked bowtie pasta
6 oz black olives, drained and sliced
3-4 roma tomatoes, seeded and cubed
4-6 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
4 T olive oil
4 T (and change) Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 t black pepper
2 t salt
1 T dried basil
1 c crumbled feta cheese

Boil your pasta according to the directions on the bag.  (Me, I add a bit of olive oil and some salt to any pasta I make, but that's up to your discretion.)

While that's boiling, prep your tomatoes and olives.  Whisk your vinegar, olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, and garlic in a medium bowl, then add your tomatoes.

When your pasta is done, remove it to a large bowl, preferably one suitable for serving (metal bowls are not advised).  Add your wet ingredients mixture and your olives, and fold in.  Then add the feta, and fold that in as well.  Add any balsamic, salt, pepper, or basil to taste. (Remember how recipes are more of a guideline?)

You can serve this immediately if you want, but we've achieved far better results by covering the bowl with plastic wrap and putting it in the fridge for 24-48 hours.  The flavors kinda mellow together, and it's happiness on a fork.

Enjoy.

Lokidude

This is why you don't screw with old people

They have a tendency to kick asses.

Jacksonville burglar gets hit 'upside the head’ by 81-year-old victim’s frying pan

The man told Smith to "gimme what you got" before shoving him to the ground and taking his wallet, according to the police report. That didn't stop Smith, who said he "went back after him." He grabbed the nearest weapon, while Sones grabbed for something else to give him.

"I grabbed the frying pan and hit him upside the head. I knocked his teeth out ... and he went to the floor," Smith said. "There was a pitchfork about six feet away. ... I stuck him."

And the burglar was actually lucky.

"I was angry; I was upset; and I was as mad as all outdoors," Smith said Wednesday. "If I'd had my gun, like I normally would have, I would have shot him because he was in my home. I don't like people hurting my family or my home."

 As the man has been known to say...  "Play stupid games, win stupid prizes."

Lokidude

Things that make a nerd go SQUEE!

I got another package in the mail yesterday (it's been a good week for nerdiness).  Whatever would make me so happy you ask?

That would be my brand-new copy of Klingon Academy, a game I remember loving right around 2000.  It's the height of nerd space combat games, and I've searched for years for its equal and been left wanting.

So, once again, squee.

Lokidude

The only thing better than a new book...

Is a FREE book!

A week or so back, I won a giveaway for a free book from my friend Sarah's blog Bookworm Blues.

It got here today.

 

 Sorry for the sideways, it's late, I'm tired, and it's been a long day.

I'm stoked.  This will be the first dead-tree book I've read in months.

Thanks Sarah!

Lokidude

Not that I needed more motivation

But the good people at CCI are giving away a free spinner target with the purchase of 2 boxes of ammo.

The ammo is worth the cost anyways, the free target is just a bonus.

The FCC can take a flying leap, nobody paid me to post this, I just like quality products.

And anyways, free stuff good.

Lokidude

A voice from my youth silenced

According to the news this morning, G-funk legend  Nate Dogg has died.  There is no cause of death yet, but he had serious health issues in recent years.

Rest In Peace

Lokidude

What I Did With Guns This Week

One of my favorite podcasts has a feature "What I did with guns this week."  Seems like good blogfodder to me, and it will hopefully push me a bit, both in shooting and blogging.

That said, this week has been cold, snowy, and busy, so the gun stuff has been a bit slim.  However, I did acquire a pair of Safariland Comp-I speedloaders and a pair of Tuff Products speed strips.

(Clockwise from top left, Safariland Comp I, HKS #36, Tuff Products speed strip)

I'll post reviews after I've run them through their paces, but so far, I'm not unimpressed, particularly with the speed strips.

Lokidude

My own Zombie Squad

(Shamelessly stolen from Breda.)

Here's how it's supposed to work:  Go to your Facebook profile, and the top five friends on the left-hand sidebar are your team in the upcoming Zombie Apocalypse.  Based on your team and their skills, estimate how long you'll survive.

I got lucky.  My team?  Bex, my buddy Kyle that I've known forever (picture the sunglass and cowboy hat wearing jailers in most any prison movie, and that's Kyle), GayCynic, the infamous Nightcrawler, and my friend Lacey (the only non-gunnie on the team, but she's wicked smart, and every good team needs a techie).

The zombies don't stand a chance.

Lokidude

Provenance

Here is the link to the article in the Casper Star-Tribune about Governor Mead signing the Wyoming Constitutional Carry bill into law.

And I'm still grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

Lokidude

It PASSED!

I just got an email from Wyoming Gun Owners, bearing excellent news:

Governor Mead signed the Wyoming Constitutional Carry bill into law!

Pardon me while I do the world's happiest Truffle Shuffle.

Lokidude

A moment of realization

Between a discussion over on The Gun Counter, and learning of the death of a friend of a friend, I inadvertently stumbled across what will someday become my epitaph:

Life is short.  Living is dangerous.  We are fragile.

 I'm not really worried about dying anytime soon, and I really don't want to sound morbid, but the above is the realization I've recently reached.  However, instead of making me depressed, I view it as inspiring.  Because, knowing that it is truth, I'm reminded that I need to do more than just metabolize oxygen and sugar.  I need to get out and LIVE.  I need to spend more time fishing with my brother and my dad, and worry less about my own mortality.

And that, I'm realizing, is a refreshing freedom.

Lokidude