Life

(Don’t let ’em) Grind Ya Down

/ hsoi

This morning I’ve been listening to Iron Fist, one of my favorite Motörhead albums. There’s a track on there that serves as a good reminder.

People gonna make ya wonder if you’re right,
Keep ya wide awake and worried late at night.
Why don’t ya tell ’em to beat it?
Why don’t ya tell ’em to eat it!
They’re just a bunch of clowns,
Don’t let ’em grind ya down.

Sons of bitches, crocodile tears in their eyes.
We scare ’em shitless just by showin’ up alive!
Why don’t you tell ’em to shove it?
You know they might as well love it.
Give you runaround,
Don’t let ’em grind you down.

Evil bastards ain’t got nothin’ else to do;
Make your life a misery and put you off your food.
Don’t you dare to go under!
Don’t let ’em steal your thunder!
Listen to the sound,
We’ll let ’em grind that down.

Don’t let them bastards grind ya down!

Finally!

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

How serendipitous!

A bunch of things finally came together and today I introduced (at least my older 2) children to Magic: The Gathering.

I started playing M:TG in grad school. When I first arrived, I met a couple guys in the department and was immediately invited to an evening at their apartment where they introduced me to the game. This would have been when The Dark expansion pack was out. I remember that because I thought that expansion was really cool and I only wish I knew the game better at that point as I would have bought a lot more expansions of that set. 🙂  I played while I was in grad school through Revised Edition, Fourth Edition, The Dark, Fallen Empires, Homelands, Ice Age, Chronicles, and into Alliances. After leaving grad school however, I had no one to play with (Wife tried, just not her thing) and the cards ended up in the closet… hoping that one day I’d get to play them again. Or sell them and make a lot of money. 😉 And while most people kept wanting me to sell them, it was always my hope that I could actually play again because I did enjoy the game so much.

Just a few weeks ago, Linoge had a posting about the game, which brought back so many memories. As well, since M:TG’s explosion in popularity years ago, collectible card games became quite the thing. I’d say the most successful other has been Pokémon. While I tried to dodge that bullet for years, eventually my kids got into it (I think due to one Christmas with my nephews some years back). I never was that upset about it, as I always figured if they liked one collectible card game they might like another! Often our kids would get together with other kids and out would come the binders of Pokémon cards… sometimes tho I felt like they cared more about collecting than playing, but I eventually did see the kids play the game. Then one day, at the birthday part of one of Oldest’s friends and I see a lot of the other boys there with cards… and not just any, but M:TG cards! Certainly recent editions, but it was M:TG and it was cool to see kids were still into it. I think that sowed a seed back in Oldest’s head.

Then the serendipitous thing was last night. My good friend W is about to move out of Texas 😦 and in the midst of packing he and his wife are trying to get rid of things they don’t want to pack and/or move. One thing was a couple big boxes of W’s old Magic cards! He sold off all the cards worth money, but that’s OK as this is about playing, not money. He gave me a lot of cards, and his cards were heavy from Alliances and Ice Age, some Chronicles and other sets from around that time. My oldest 2 kids immediately were curious about “the cards” I was taking home, so last night when I got home I pulled out a rulebook, refreshed myself on it, and introduced older 2 kids to it today. Gave them a quick overview of the rules, then we played a game.

When I was introduced to the game, the way we played was the experienced players made some decks and let the newbies play with the new decks. We would play the games open-handed, so every player’s hand was face-up on the table. This allowed no surprises and many chances for instruction. We’d play games this way until the newbies felt comfortable, then we’d move to close-hand games and normal gameplay would commence. So this is what I did with my kiddos today, playing an open-hand game with some decks I had made… decks that I made probably 13-14 years ago, still in their boxes, waiting for the day when someone would play with them again.

I’m so happy that day finally came. 🙂

The kids enjoyed it, especially Daughter. I did my best to keep things moving and keep the action high, despite the slower nature of an instructional game (lots of pausing to explain things). I also did what I could to sow the seed in Oldest’s head that he’d want to check this out… before he went to bed last night I was flipping through the cards and came across Orcish Conscripts (click the link, see the card). I knew Oldest would enjoy the humor of the artwork, and even now he’s still asking me to see more Orc cards because well… Orc cards have a lot of humor in them. Whatever works, if it keeps them interested and wanting to play.

Of course, I’ve got tons of cards between mine and the ones W gave me, so I don’t expect we’ll be buying any time soon. Besides, after reading Linoge’s post all the new rules, other things to keep up with, bleah. I’ll worry about that later. I’m sure once the kids are well-versed I’ll want to do some sealed decks, and that will mean new cards, but that’s fine. I look forward to it.

Happy day for me.

Mmm… sausage

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Just got back from Johnny G’s Butcher Block, where they processed my pigs from my last hunt.

Got about 30 lbs. of sausage made. Got their “regular” sausage, smoked. As soon as I got home I put one link in a frying pan to heat it up and finish cooking it (it’s about 75% cooked).

My my my.

That was tasty. I like that they season things well, flavorful but not so strong that it’s overpowering. It’s very well balanced. Then the smoke… it was just a perfect smoky flavor. Not too much, not too little. As soon as I opened the pouch I smelled the smoke. It was heavenly.

So far, I’m liking the service and end-product coming out of Johnny G’s. Satisfied customer, willing to keep going back.

Lessons learned from D&D

/ hsoi

A rather amusing but strangely true post about real life lessons someone learned from playing Dungeons & Dragons.

I haven’t played D&D in years (decades?), but it sure was fun. I can certainly relate to the lessons learned.

I still got it

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Had a nice Independence Day weekend with the in-laws.

Up at the father&mother-in-law abode, they have a “tank” — basically, a pond. When they expanded its size about 4 years ago, they stocked it with some fish. My kids have been on a fishing kick lately, so they wanted to go fishing and fishing they got. Actually, this was more “catching” than it was “fishing”, but still great! Oldest caught a catfish and 2 largemouth bass. Daughter caught a catfish. Youngest caught a catfish and a couple bluegill. All the keepers were about 2-3# in size, bass were 14-16″ and catfish 19-21″. Kept 5 total fish, and some were thrown back. It was a big learning experience for Youngest because he’d get some fight on his line then the fish would throw the hook… Youngest got upset about it, but he has to learn that sometimes that’s what happens. A few minutes later it even happened to me and Youngest saw it (just a few feet from shore, and Youngest even got to see the fish throwing the hook) — see? even happens to Daddy!

Nevertheless, a good time catching fish. Brought them back up to the house and I learned that my fish cleaning skills are still with me. I haven’t cleaned a fish since I was a teenager (either haven’t fished or have only fished catch-and-release), but I still got it. We’re going to have some fried catfish and bass for lunch today.

After that, went to my brother-in-law’s place. Kiddos got to swim. Ate good food. Fireworks too. Since we live in the city (Austin only allows things like sparklers and snakes) and typically have burn bans, we don’t get much for fireworks. But my brother-in-law had no such issues so they bought all sorts of things. Kids got to shoot some stuff off, see some rather big shells going off. It was quite cool for them to finally get to experience fireworks beyond the little dinky things that we might get to do on occasion.

It was a hot, tiring, weekend. But ever such a good one. Family’s important. Spend time with them. I don’t often hear people saying “gosh, I wish I spent more time at work” but often you’ll hear that folks wished they spent more time with their kids and family.

Anyway, I’ve got some fish to fry.

When in the course of human events…

/ hsoi

…it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the power of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and the Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

Read the rest of the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. Remember why this country was founded.

I’ve got lemonade

/ hsoi

Over at 2AMusing, Exodus is making lemonade.

I spent today drinking of that lemonade.

He sold me his reloading setup and I got quite a deal. It’s been on my plate to start reloading, but a very low priority. Well, this came along and it was too good a deal to pass up. I’m not sure when I’ll actually start reloading, but obviously sooner rather than later. Cool!

Thing is, I intended this to be about a 3 hour effort: drive up, load up, drive home, unload, done. Instead, it turned into an all day affair. When I got there, we talked for a long time about all manner of things. One great thing was that Exodus has a history in martial arts, including western boxing. We spent a long time talking about that, or rather, him talking and me listening. I just soaked it up. I could tell from how he was talking that he is fond of it and has much information to share. I just soaked it all in. Good good stuff.

But then I drove home (stopped at foo.c‘s place to get my cooler and give him a bunch of .45 ACP bullets; he gave me a bunch of 9mm and .308 brass and whenever I set up the reloading stuff he’ll be coming down to help), unloaded, and realized I was missing a box of stuff. So, I called him back and lo… yes one box got moved behind some stuff so we didn’t see it. I had to drive all the way back to his place (about 45-60 minutes) to pick up the box. But that was OK. I got to learn a new route that will be handy for getting to that area in the future. Plus, he took me to this little tamale place near his house. OMG!!!11!11!1!111  $8 for a dozen, and they are huge, probably twice the size of the typical tamales you get. Bought 3 dozen (pork, beef barbacoa, chicken with green chilies) to bring home to the family.

Got home, ate some tamales, had a beer, life is good.

Exodus is a great guy. Just a joy talking with him, and if we didn’t have things to do I’m sure we’d have kept talking for hours. So the day didn’t quite turn out as I wanted, in terms of time spent, but like Exodus is doing… let’s make lemonade. I got to talk with him for a while, which was great. Got to get some excellent tamales. All in all, life’s good. Exodus is about to embark on a new leg of his life journey, and I wish him well in it. I think he’ll do great.

Racism is (unfortunately) alive and well

/ hsoi

Roberta X goes off about the recent New Haven, CT firefighter racial discrimination lawsuit ruling.

The dissenting — liberal — Justices aver, “in effect, that having so few black firefighters in command positions provides a reason for the city to at least consider throwing out the test and then designing a new one that will accommodate the education level, lower income, and particular work experience of African-Americans. And candidates for a promotion don’t need to be the best; they need simply have qualifications that are only ‘necessary to successful performance of the job in question.’”

This is the cold, dead hand of Woodrow Wilson’s Democratic Party, reaching out with the soft bigotry of low expectations. telling us, “that’s all they’re capable of, poor creatures.” Bullshit! Pure, unadulterated, triple-strength bilge and hokum! It’s 2009 and just about the only groups that have to be reminded of the countervailing examples all around ’em are unregenerate racists and liberals — but I repeat myself.

Like I said, most liberals aren’t.

Roberta X continues:

…But what still has my blood boiling is this burning desire to define tests down to achieve “balance.” It shows up in public safety jobs and the military these days but public safety is the most damaged by it — there are often different physical requirements for the boys and the girls, yet once they qualify, they do the same job. This is the worst sort of foolishness; if a fireman’s got to be able to carry X weight for Y distance under Z conditions, then a firewoman had better be able to do so, too, or she’s gonna have to leave someone to die that her brothers would’ve been able to save. Unfair? –It may have the effect of setting the bar higher for women than for men but it does not make it impossible, and it could be your loved ones or even you, left to burn by someone who only got in because the bar was lowered.

Some jobs take strength or stamina; some take great powers of concetration and fine motor control. Some — Supreme Court Justice, perhaps? — merely take good sitting-down muscles at both ends. And many jobs require some basic abilities that if you, personally, lack ’em, you had not ought to be doing that job. Not even if Justice Ginsburg thinks it would be “fair.”

On fear

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

Last night I finished reading Col. Jeff Cooper‘s book To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth.

An interesting and enlightening book. Cooper, no question has his mind set in particular ways. You may not agree with him, but without question he’s been a major influence on the craft of shooting. The book comes across as a series of “talks” or stories on a topic. Some remembering past hunting trips, told as if you were sitting around a campfire having a beer and sharing with your mates. Some passages were Cooper’s take on pistols or rifles and how to use them properly. Certainly there was a dose of his philosophy, politics, and view on life and the world.

A common question from the hoplophobes (Cooper’s term) regarding gun ownership  is “What are you afraid of?”. Questions about your mental state and your level of paranoia inevitably arise. This passage from Cooper’s book struck me in this regard:

Danger, to be appreciated, must be known. Our lives were all forfeit when we were born, but the hour of our peril is not always apparent to us. As you read this you may be seconds away from a fatal heart attack, but you are not in danger – so to speak – since you do not know that you are. Danger, in this sense, is the awareness of the possibility of imminent death. It is always a shocking experience but it need not be terrifying – and it absolutely must not be allowed to become incapacitating.

“Fear” and “terror” are words too often used in the Age of the Common Man. When I was a lad they were not admissible. Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan, for example, said, “I do not know what you mean by ‘fear’. I do not want to die, if that is what you mean, but you speak as if there were something more to it than that.” Fear that nullifies a man’s ability to cope with the danger which gives rise to the fear is an unacceptable emotion. The awareness of peril, however, is not the same thing at all, because in properly organized personalities it heightens perceptivity, sets the heart and mind to greater activity, and stimulates the entire consciousness in a way not otherwise realized.

I like Cooper’s distinction here on the effects of fear. That is, if fear paralyzes you, that’s not good. If instead you are aware, accept, and acknowledge peril exists and it motivates you to greater things, that’s good.

I don’t think the world is as horrible as the mainstream media paints for us and taints our perception. I don’t think there is evil lurking around every corner waiting to pounce on me, my wife, my children. But I do know evil is out there, and it only takes one incident to be too many. I work to make myself aware of peril and allow it to motivate my heart and mind to greater activity. Denying it exists doesn’t make it not exist, it merely puts you in a state of denial. Not being prepared puts you at a disadvantage, regardless of context or situation.

Some people find it odd that I study defensive pistolcraft and martial arts, but yet my sincere hope is to never use them in contexts beyond training, practice, and recreation. Why study them if you intend to never (truly) use them? We study language because we wish to communicate with others. We study math because we wish to engage in commerce. We tend to study and learn things specifically because we wish to directly use them. But this martial stuff…. that’s one of those “I’d rather have it (the knowledge and skill) and not need it, than need it and not have it” sort of things.

A liberal examination

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

Linoge has an enlightening little piece examining the word “liberal”.

I’ve known many so-called Liberals in my life, especially when I was in undergrad, and certainly I know many today. The sad thing is, if you go by the true definition of “liberal”:

  • open to new behavior or opinions (“open minded”)
  • willing to discard traditional values
  • favorable to or respectful of individual rights and freedoms
  • favoring maximum individual liberty in political and social reform
  • non-interventionist
  • tolerant

most Liberals aren’t; in fact, I’d say they’re just the opposite.