I'm not insane -- my mother had me tested.

Let's see still a relatively quiet time at work---nothing much to report there--I've been lazy letting the yards go to hell and will have to make up for it with a full monty weekend of yard work...I've been practicing 10 meter air rifle...read three books this week------all in all a standard human type week.

I laugh the laugh----My candidate after winning the Presidential election---wins the Nobel Peace Prize----The Republican candidate for Vice President---well your right wing religious nut job,

abstinence only, Pit bull with lipstick, wacko candidate's daughters illegitimate child's father who refused to---well get married------ is posing nude for Playgirl magazine-----Since the in-laws so to say-----Mama was arrested for cooking Meth not too long ago----- this may actually be a step up for the entire damn extended family.

What an Oil Slick in the Gene Pool this whole Palin crew is....

The father of Palin's Illegitimate grandson can't get his picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone---but being the trailer trash that all of them are he'll take the Playgirl cover.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33217038/ns/entertainment-celebrities/

We are so lucky that the entire Republican trailer park community across the US couldn't get their cars started on election day---or they were in line for free cheese or appearing in court, or watching NASCAR or the bass were biting, or the first Tuesday in November was molest your stepdaughter day.....so that they couldn't get to the polling place....otherwise we'd a been stuck with this POS. I like her hanging around tho....another display of Republican stupidity helps so that the Bush legacy will never be allowed to happen again..........

I just completed reading "The Desert" by Bryon Morrigan. Cool and easy to read -----The Desert is a horror/military novel about a combat patrol fighting supernatural creatures in the desert of Iraq.....a Very different plot line and an excellent first book---I am going to check amazon often for the author to see how he develops if he keeps writing....this was pretty good overall...I like it for it's originality if nothing else. I recommend.

I just received today "Strange Brains and Genius" you can guess this is non-fiction and centered on the bizarreness of Genius throughout history.......starting this tonight.

http://www.amazon.com/reader/0688168949?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

http://www.amazon.com/DESERT-Bryon-Morrigan/dp/0978731867/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255567960&sr=1-3

I am in some kind in the past TV time machine always seemingly set for 6 years ago...I always, always, find new and interesting shows that have been on for YEARS apparently--since I have no commercial TV capability whatsoever means that being the Amish TV reviewer is---in some ways understandable------I have to find these things on my own with no guidance (and none really wanted) from popular media......... I found the show weeds by accident the other day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weeds_(TV_series)

Weeds is a perfectly written, incredibly funny, and always surprising story of a widow living in a up-scale California neighborhood who is broke and tries dealing weed. She turns out to be born to deal...............Now if you are living in one of these "ticky--tacky" suburban houses you may find her clientele and their problems too close to home...and not funny at all. But I have to say that it is the best thing I have ever seen on TV the funniest and the best.........Originally shown (?) on Showtime cable.....I am working my way through the 6 seasons of the show via Netflicks....

You gotta see this...but start at the beginning and miss nothing.........I'm on season 3 now.

I received my packet of 250 official 10 meter air rifle targets this week...The center of the target is not quite as big as a US 25 cent piece--with a dot the size of a period on this page in the middle of it for scoring the ultimate ten point shot---In fact the target is soooo small that for the Olympic games it must be scored by computer---toooo tiny for human hands and eyes to work on.....I have to hit this center period repeatedly and on demand from a standing unsupported rifle position at 33 feet 4 inches away---damn--damn--damn. Well if it was easy it would not be in the Olympics i suppose....I acquired the remaining cheap equipment for standing unsupported practice..a combination rifle/pellet stand and an official ISSF sanctioned support hand glove...Practicing standing unsupported position humbles you....firing 30 rounds exhausts you both physically and mentally so that when done for the day----------------- all you want to do is sleep.This practice has become a Tai Chi like thing differing in that you are attempting to lock your body to the depths of the earth through the souls of your feet---------I want a new rifle---------i love this------------------

" I don’t guess. As a scientist I reach conclusions based on observation and experimentation. Although, as I’m saying this, it occurs to me that you may have been employing a rhetorical device, rendering my response moot."

Dr. Sheldon Cooper--The Big Bang Theory

This week was good...that's two in a row so the previous 5 insane weeks must have been astrological and with the movement of the planets, weirdness is now behind me!

We are still picking tomatoes...planted red onions, garlic and snow peas this week... Sunday I will Gran Torino the backyard---front--back--front---back---front----back until winter arrives---Men have gone from being mighty hunters supplying the much needed Mastodon hank, to supplying only yard maintenance and DNA .....

Work is OK--it has calmed down with everything else in the past two weeks--but it is still work and I would so much rather be retired....JoJo and the dog boys are well and having a good time with life so there is not really much to bitch about....and for that I am very grateful.

Work on the process continues. I have the temporary, practice rifle sighted in..almost...I received the lace on, black nylon, cheek piece this week and mounted it canted to the left on the stock. During my last practice session I started a practice log book.....This Saturday I will complete sighting in the rifle. Once completely sighted in from a rest position I'll begin practicing from the required standing position, because of this I ordered a standing rifle rest, ISSF approved support hand glove and pellet box. All of these items are necessary equipment for shooting ISSF Men's 10 meter air rifle.

I have been considering the purchase of a heart beat monitor watch. My idea is to monitor and slow my heart beat while shooting with the ultimate goal being the release of the shot between heart beats...I'm going to think this through but I am seriously considering this idea as a practice aid.

Time to get serious pretty soon...............

Idiocracy---if you haven't you need to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiocracy

I do not believe you can get more alternative in Architecture than building campers in Shopping carts and on bicycle chassis. Kevin Cyr has built, well I guess you can call them alternative RV's...based on the average human bicycle and shopping cart. This is really no joke---this campers really work...Mr. Cyr has actually lived and traveled in his creations.

http://boingboing.net/2009/09/18/pop-up-camper-on-a-s.html

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.

I Gran Torino'd both yards this week--the place looks beautiful, if I do say so myself. The Pumpkins and gourds we grew will soon be placed on the front porch as decorations for fall. I've been pulling up expired cucumber vines to be followed by snow peas planted in their place. A good deal of our gardens will be resting over this winter..and we will compost them for next years crop. We did pretty good overall for our first year gardening...we gave vegetables away to those who needed them---sold some at the local farmers market---beautified our back lot---canned excess--maybe inspired others to garden for themselves---a very good first garden year as I look back.

I looked at gardening as a necessity for the future...a fall back in case of economic collapse much like the Russians went through in the 1990's. I've learned that on a 50x90 foot lot, in the city you can produce a tremendous amount of food with the proper organization and preparation. That we would have excess to trade or sell for other items that we might require. That we could grow herbs and spices to help out the stocks of prepared food we have stored. That I can hunt squirrels with an air rifle in the back yard if necessary...(trading off the karmic stain) That we could not totally feed ourselves..but we could come very close seasonally...and could use the excess to trade for food we could not produce...I discovered this year that with the right stock of food stored, our garden and trading of garden excess for additional supplies we could do alright--not great but alright for close to a year. The house is happy producing food and flowers, the yards look wonderful and artistic..and we give flowers and vegetables to the neighbors. I am happy.

From a bench rest I began sighting in the new air rifle this weekend. It is very strange that at 57 I am thinking about trying out for the Olympics. How weird is that Mal? Of course the only more non-athletic event than the 10 meter air rifle is Geezer electric scooter-chair racing. I have now joined the correct societies so that I may compete in selection events--I am selecting equipment. Reading. Keeping a practice log.

Trying to figure out which pre-selection events I have to compete at and what score is required to attend the try-outs. It is somewhat funny in that I had previously believed, (wrongly of course) that any citizen could show up and try out for any Olympic event that one's country participates in. WRONG--WRONG--WRONG--WRONG--WRONG! There are all these organizations involved, pre-events you have to perform at--requirements that must be met, societies that must be joined. BLAHBLAHBLAH. Who knew? I thought the Olympics were democratic--that the best who showed up attended...Nope. So I have to figure this out from the bottom. I've downloaded all the rules--but still cannot find simple answers to simple questions. I just want to try out you know? I am currently keeping the confusion on how to get there-as far away from actual practice as possible. I must admit that I am handicapped from the start by not being singled out at 16 to do this...and coached...and supported....and mentored. At least I have till 2012...I just want to say I tried---at something I apparently really enjoy. There's nothing wrong with trying---right?

This past week's average again was 53.7 MPG in the Prius and we used zero fuel over the weekend. JoJo rode her recumbent everywhere she needed to go. I am afraid that the current low pricing of gasoline due to the recession will reinforce societal stupidity but...The change to a cooler season increases my morning commutes mpg and this is great. I actually do believe JoJo and I have reached the lowest level of oil consumption possible for us--let's say 390 miles a week for me which includes daily commuting and required work driving once I arrive..and our gasoline usage is at about 8- 9 gallons a week for an average. I believe that while I am required to work this is about the reduction limit that we can meet. It is still hard to believe that just to work I require 32 gallons of gasoline a month! I will have to research and find out the comparison between us and the monthly gasoline requirements of the "average" American?

I'm currently reading Last Light by Alex Scarrow. I find it quite excellent. The descriptions of the middle east and the internal conflict which cuts oil flow to the west is really quite a thoughtful circumstance and right on the money as I remember from working in this region. There are two elements very well crafted within this novel--the first being the main character's focus on peak oil and his social isolation because of it, even within his own family. Secondly there is a scene where oil company workers with their Iraqi expediters are circled up in the desert with a Brit mechanized unit and the apparent walls between people cannot be broken even in a crisis. Last Light is a very good novel I recommend it to anyone interested in peak oil and self sufficiency.

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Light-Alex-Scarrow/dp/0752893270/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254097243&sr=1-1

"Age is a very high price to pay for maturity."

It has been a long time since a totally new, unexpected, endeavour has come into my life. A thing i have never attempted that would totally focus me on the mastery of something previously unknown.This new endeavour is the Olympic air rifle and 10 meter Standing Olympic air rifle competition. The demon squirrel addicted me to this new subject matter. Originally a tool simply to dispose of the demon squirrel the air rifle became something else altogether.Target shooting with my Gamo, scoped, .177 caliber, air rifle became so interesting, I had to learn and do more with the entire air rifle genre.

I found myself prowling the Internet reading anything on competition air rifles. The Olympic games offical 10 meter men's air rifle event suddenly became my addicted focus.I found myself drooling over photo's of Olymic competition air rifles..the high tech accessories, shooting jackets, the quiet beauty of shooting the perfect, perfect 600 target....comparing rifle prices...Although my mind screamed that this--this is what I want to do--the Olympic 10 meter mens Air Rifle

I could not yet justify the expense of the type of Olympic air rifle I really truly desire that I truly need:

The Feinwerkbau 600 T-----(pictured at the left) so in an attempt to practice, to learn, to advance my skills and then go nuts money wise..So this week I purchased a Daisy Avanti 853CM air rifle shown below--The Avanti is not cheap in itself but compared to the $2000 to $4000 standard Olympic quality air rifles it definitively is the place to begin this quest to shoot this event.

Iron precision competition sights, movable barrel weights, composite stock, equipped with a German manufactured Walther barrel in .177 caliber and regulated to a muzzle velocity of 550 f.p.s just like the Olympic competition air rifles. The Avanti has the correct fundamentals to investigate this strange desire of mine.The Avanti 853M was the least expensive, beginners, competition air rifle I could purchased from a reputable source.

Combined with the Avanti where two other items I had to have to get started--first match grade .177 wadcutter pellets--no problem--ordered them with the rifle..the second item was much more difficult. A specific target shooting jacket is absolutely required for training in this discipline...the problem is two fold..finding one and then affording one. The ISSF shooting jacket is regulated, specific and really expensive. Way too expensive for a beginner to justify. So although the jacket doesn't fit the international rules--I found a $65.00 canvas and rubber shooting jacket from champion's choice that will allow me to practice with the absolute necessary support of a precision shooting jacket. If I ever compete in the 10 meter i cannot use this jacket...but if i ever get to that point the purchase of an authorized jacket will be something i will have to do. Way good enough for now though.

One of many excellent qualities of the air rifle discipline is the ability to practice a real Olympic event IN YOUR BACKYARD----my first step was researching to determine the exact parameters of the ranges/heights of the Olympic 10 meter air rifle event to be able to set up a practice area in the back yard. They are: 33-1/3 feet from an Olympic specific target standing 55" (plus or minus 2") off the ground are the exact distance/height target requirements of the event. I am in the process of designing a target stand consisting of an old shower curtain and a cardboard box--real Olympic potential eh? There again that is the beauty of the thing--that a 57 year old geezer, practicing in his backyard on a target stand made from a shower curtain with a beginner's rifle and a canvas and rubber illegal shooting jacket might actually be able to do the 10 meter air rifle event. I am sort of my own Jamaican Olympic Bobsledding team in action. Just practicing for the Olympics, nothing to see here.....

Marksmanship--the ability to hit a mark on demand.

Well I am totally apologizing to my wife---there was a demon squirrel----(read about the was part below) and she was absolutely correct----(completely unforced testimonial and apology after a short waterboarding session)........thereby forcing a small newsy blog in mid week...........covering only the demon squirrel and the 9-12 teabagger march---a match made in heaven as far as i am concerned.

Only in America can you assemble 10,000 idiots to march on the capitol without any type of actual purpose. There is an excellent photo set on Flickr taken of the 9/12 marchers, their signs and demands ranging from the every popular birth certificate bozo---to fat guys in revolutionary war outfits carrying no to socialism signs... My personal favorite is the rednecks----in lawn chairs------in the pickup truck bed---- covered with the stars and bars....How cute!......If you were worried that the neighborhood crazy cat lady had died cause you hadn't seen her lately---she was probably in DC at this marching thing.....This is the public that bothers me...the abject stupidity, the no thought required philosophy covered by patriotism. I am at least glad that they are out in public to scare the moderates into voting democratic. Take a moment to view the photo's on the link below, it will alternately scare you and have you laughing your ass off....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42406957@N04/

He is an Un-Demon Squirrel. As of yesterday. Yes, he did indeed exist and I owe my wife many, many apologies...and yes he was definitely a demon. I watched his little angry face search for my wife on the patio, through my scope...before.....well, before he was reborn to a nice squirrel momma in Central Park. As soon as i observed his demonises in the pecan tree I knew I was going to have to pay a price for all the Yeti Squirrel jokes I've been using on my wife....the squirrel was definitely there and I have to admit he was definitely large, demon like, and obviously Territorial about this tree. That much you could tell immediately.

My new air rifle worked perfectly, powerfully and the demon squirrel felt no pain. Of course there are two bad parts to of all this.....first, I have now gotten deeply into air rifles....and am dreaming of owning one of those expensive, German designed and manufactured, Olympic competition..science fiction type air rifles....the second is that from this point on if my wife thinks she sees Bigfoot in the backyard I am required to agree with her.

If you want to fight terrorism, buy hyrid cars and solar panels.