Most folks have the mistaken impression that trail season starts the first nice day of spring, I've got two words for that ... yep, those are the words. I have no interest in fighting the bugs, the mud, and every cabin-fevered idjit who owns a pair of hiking boots for a bit of trail space. I'll snag a few miles in spring and summer, but Ohio isn't exactly comfortable during those months when you're sitting on a 1000 lb heat machine & biting insect attractor. Give me fall with its glorious cool days, low humidity and bugs dying by the tonne. From September 1st through the end of November, I put as many miles in as I can. Hell, I've been known to load up & ride in December and January - mosquitoes really hate snow.
So, after months of not riding, I went on 4 trail rides in the past week - roughly 10 miles each ride. They certainly weren't taxing rides, mostly walking & slow gaiting; I didn't want to abuse the boys after they languished in the pasture all summer. Both Freedom & Gambler were confused at the whole, 'get in the trailer' thing but got back into the groove once we struck out on trail. Our local trail systems are nice, there are several parks with an hour's drive to keep things interesting. The parks are fairly horse-tolerant on their multi-use trails; while they don't provide horse-only trails around here, riders are given right of way in most encounters and aren't completely barred from many parks. While I enjoy the hustle & bustle of riding on the more manicured trails, what with their strollers, bikes, and folks on roller blades, I prefer the single-file dirt paths through the woods - I'm going for a ride to avoid humanity, not to be surrounded by it.
So, Huzzah for the start of trail season! If you need me, you'll find me with Freedom on the furthest trail we can find.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Riding Armed
I started to respond to this post by Haiku Farms in comments but decided it would be better to make it into a whole post. I agree with her self-defense post up to a point. A person who decides to get a gun and never shoots, just gained an expensive & odd looking paperweight; so she's right - if you don't intend to practice, there's no point in getting a gun. However, I don't agree that you have to be a hunter or a soldier to shoot well; heck, you don't even need constant access to a range. You can practice grip, target acquisition, posture, etc with snap caps while watching TV. A gun is a tool, you don't have to make a hobby out of it, just learn to use it.
The entire premise of the post is having to defending yourself, not making an escape, not barricading until help arrives (these options were covered in previous posts) so why not have & learn to use the best defense weapon out there? I, at 5'6" and 145lbs, am not going to pit my strength against a goblin intent on doing harm - no matter what size skillet I may have access to. Intent is everything in these scenarios; the goblin has already planned on causing harm. You have to decide what your own intentions are when someone threatens you (and I agree with Newbius's post on what a life is worth). Defending yourself is the final option, you've decided that you cannot escape and your life is in danger.
In regards to being able to hit a target at close range (< 25yrds), I have up to 16 tries to neutralize the threat - I doubt I'd have that many tries to stab them with a pitchfork or beat them with a frying pan before being overpowered. I also don't see someone advancing into gun fire, even if I am missing. I can see a goblin risking a whack or two with a pan to subdue his victim. A gun is the greatest equalizer and if I've made the decision to fight, I want as many factors in my favor as possible. Shooting, of course, would be the last resort in any goblin scenario; if I can avoid, flee or diffuse a dangerous situation I will. However, if I'm afraid enough to draw a gun I'm shooting to kill, not to wound and certainly not to frighten.
Of course, adding a 1000 lb creature into the mix makes things more difficult. As mentioned in Haiku Farm's post, unless you've desensitized your horse to gunfire you're asking to be dumped firing from its back. That said, if I'm contemplating shooting while mounted, things have gone so far beyond pear shaped that being dumped is the least of my concerns. The only (human) situation I'm not running away from is a goblin with a deadly weapon; anything else, run-pony-run. If someone's threatening me I'm shooting mounted and taking the associated risks.
I do advocate desensitizing your horse to gunfire regardless of your choice of self-defense. How will you know if someone else on trail isn't armed or someone isn't hunting nearby or that a goblin won't light off a few rounds just so you're thrown. You desensitize them to a host of other sights and sounds, why not one that could save your life? I'd recommend Cowboy action shooting as a place to start for information. It's a large and healthy organization and they're one of the friendlier groups of horse people I've ever met. Find a forum or a local group to help you with the basics.
Any non-mounted horse scenario is comparable to being jumped going out of the grocery store - the horse is an external element. If you're in camp and it freaks & runs away, you can look for it later. Overall, I can't see the justification for obstaining from guns if you truly endeavor to defend yourself, especially if you're out in the wilderness alone or in a small group. This goes double if you're female; goblins just don't come in our size and they don't fight fair. Best to stay aware, use your head and have the greatest advantage possible.
The entire premise of the post is having to defending yourself, not making an escape, not barricading until help arrives (these options were covered in previous posts) so why not have & learn to use the best defense weapon out there? I, at 5'6" and 145lbs, am not going to pit my strength against a goblin intent on doing harm - no matter what size skillet I may have access to. Intent is everything in these scenarios; the goblin has already planned on causing harm. You have to decide what your own intentions are when someone threatens you (and I agree with Newbius's post on what a life is worth). Defending yourself is the final option, you've decided that you cannot escape and your life is in danger.
In regards to being able to hit a target at close range (< 25yrds), I have up to 16 tries to neutralize the threat - I doubt I'd have that many tries to stab them with a pitchfork or beat them with a frying pan before being overpowered. I also don't see someone advancing into gun fire, even if I am missing. I can see a goblin risking a whack or two with a pan to subdue his victim. A gun is the greatest equalizer and if I've made the decision to fight, I want as many factors in my favor as possible. Shooting, of course, would be the last resort in any goblin scenario; if I can avoid, flee or diffuse a dangerous situation I will. However, if I'm afraid enough to draw a gun I'm shooting to kill, not to wound and certainly not to frighten.
Of course, adding a 1000 lb creature into the mix makes things more difficult. As mentioned in Haiku Farm's post, unless you've desensitized your horse to gunfire you're asking to be dumped firing from its back. That said, if I'm contemplating shooting while mounted, things have gone so far beyond pear shaped that being dumped is the least of my concerns. The only (human) situation I'm not running away from is a goblin with a deadly weapon; anything else, run-pony-run. If someone's threatening me I'm shooting mounted and taking the associated risks.
I do advocate desensitizing your horse to gunfire regardless of your choice of self-defense. How will you know if someone else on trail isn't armed or someone isn't hunting nearby or that a goblin won't light off a few rounds just so you're thrown. You desensitize them to a host of other sights and sounds, why not one that could save your life? I'd recommend Cowboy action shooting as a place to start for information. It's a large and healthy organization and they're one of the friendlier groups of horse people I've ever met. Find a forum or a local group to help you with the basics.
Any non-mounted horse scenario is comparable to being jumped going out of the grocery store - the horse is an external element. If you're in camp and it freaks & runs away, you can look for it later. Overall, I can't see the justification for obstaining from guns if you truly endeavor to defend yourself, especially if you're out in the wilderness alone or in a small group. This goes double if you're female; goblins just don't come in our size and they don't fight fair. Best to stay aware, use your head and have the greatest advantage possible.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
NC Blogshoot II
Well, we had quite a turn out this year for the NC Blogshoot! Thank you, everyone, who came and shared your toys, stories and food. Heath and I enjoyed hosting, y'all were great company and we're looking forward to doing it again next year. Hell, we have to do it again, I still have Tannerite!
Speaking of which... Many thanks to Dan over at Tannerite; without his services we wouldn't have had any exploding goodness for the weekend. I called him up on Tuesday to see if we could get a couple cases of targets by the weekend. With a few phone calls / e-mails they were shipped that afternoon and at my door Wednesday night. No hassle, no outrageous charges - just excellent customer service. If you enjoyed the reactive targets at the shoot, drop by his site and let him know!
I hope everyone had as much fun as I did this weekend. Getting to try out everybody's toys (Thanks Old NFO, Mad St. Jack, ThotPolice, Sean & apologies if I missed someone) was a blast and reminded me that I haven't been shooting near enough this summer. Nothing like decimating water jugs, stuffed animals, computer components and a car to make a weekend feel worth while!
All the food was terrific; I over stuffed myself trying to taste it all. Newbius's pizzas were delectable, I mourn the return of my fridge space :-( Breda's chicken & her mom's stuffed cabbage made it impossible to not go back for seconds (who am I kidding - thirds!).
So, it looks like everyone else remembered to shoot their cameras as well as their guns; I, however, forgot. So, I'll have to leave the photographic evidence of the merry-making to everyone who came. Again, thank you for the absolutely enjoyable weekend, I hope to see you all again next year.
And for all of you who loved on our dogs... they miss you and have made their displeasure regarding the decrease in belly rubs and head pats known!
*Note for anyone who concerned about the review: I paid for the gorram Tannerite - so bugger off.*
Speaking of which... Many thanks to Dan over at Tannerite; without his services we wouldn't have had any exploding goodness for the weekend. I called him up on Tuesday to see if we could get a couple cases of targets by the weekend. With a few phone calls / e-mails they were shipped that afternoon and at my door Wednesday night. No hassle, no outrageous charges - just excellent customer service. If you enjoyed the reactive targets at the shoot, drop by his site and let him know!
I hope everyone had as much fun as I did this weekend. Getting to try out everybody's toys (Thanks Old NFO, Mad St. Jack, ThotPolice, Sean & apologies if I missed someone) was a blast and reminded me that I haven't been shooting near enough this summer. Nothing like decimating water jugs, stuffed animals, computer components and a car to make a weekend feel worth while!
All the food was terrific; I over stuffed myself trying to taste it all. Newbius's pizzas were delectable, I mourn the return of my fridge space :-( Breda's chicken & her mom's stuffed cabbage made it impossible to not go back for seconds (who am I kidding - thirds!).
So, it looks like everyone else remembered to shoot their cameras as well as their guns; I, however, forgot. So, I'll have to leave the photographic evidence of the merry-making to everyone who came. Again, thank you for the absolutely enjoyable weekend, I hope to see you all again next year.
And for all of you who loved on our dogs... they miss you and have made their displeasure regarding the decrease in belly rubs and head pats known!
*Note for anyone who concerned about the review: I paid for the gorram Tannerite - so bugger off.*
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
BMV = Exasperating Time Suck
Finally, the time came to get The Beast properly papered and tagged for Ohio. What a merry expedition! In our little corner of Ohio, even under the best of circumstances, you have to go to 3 separate places over 4 unique visits to get an out of state vehicle vetted, approved and licensed. In the past 2 days, I stopped at 5 different government offices, 7 separate times and got to pay for the privilege of having my life wasted by petty bureaucrats.
In the lovely state of Ohio, you have to get an out of state vehicle "inspected" at a license bureau ($3.50) before they'll issue a new title. Basically, they take down the VIN, make and model on a special form (only good for 30 days - since after 30 days your Taurus may have morphed into a Charger and you have to get it checked again, just to be sure). Then you have to go to a title office to get the title changed and pay any taxes due - not just on what you paid for the vehicle, but on any admin fees / stocking fees that the dealer may have charged. The rant about the double dipping created by taxing the sale of a used vehicle must wait for another day. Then, you have to go get an E-check (emissions). Finally, you take the title & passed e-check form back the the license bureau and get your plates and tags.
Now the fun begins:
There isn't a office that has both titling and licensing abilities in our county. Of the four title offices, the first two are closed on Mondays, open 8:30 - 4:30 T-F, 9-1 Sat. and the other two are open 8:15 - 4:30 M-F. The closest office is of the first variety & isn't even listed on the website. Also, their phone # doesn't have a message machine so I had to stop by on Monday to see what their hours were. Then, when I stopped back on Tuesday, I was told that their computers had been down for the past 4 days and hadn't been repaired yet!
There are 4 licensing offices, all of which have normal business hours - no qualms there. You just have to go there twice to get through the process (bring a book - maybe two) and it's not like they're right next to the title office, either.
E-check - some green initiative bullshit only required in a handful of Ohio's counties and only has 2 testing stations in our county. Guess who's awesomely huge truck is over the weight class limit for a free check and has to pay every 2 yrs for the privilege of the eco-nonsense? Or, I can get an appointment & drive to one of the 2 EPA field offices over an hour away (open M-F 8-5), have them say, "yep, it's a big diesel" and get a permanent exemption.
Not like it's shocking, but for all the information they have on their website, there's not a clearly defined set of requirements for going through the whole title -> license plate process. Instead, it's scattered amongst lists of links that make the whole process incoherent. A simple list would solve a lot of issues. Somehow, I think that'd be too simple. The other novel thought would have been to not raze the only dual title-license office in the county! Or, instead of opening a title-only location afterwards, put the title office into one of the existing license bureaus
Overall, I'm just glad it's done. If I was of stronger constitution, I would go and demand to know what in the hell "misc fees" ($10.00) refers to but at this point - I just don't care.
Happier posts on the way -- Blog shoot this weekend!
In the lovely state of Ohio, you have to get an out of state vehicle "inspected" at a license bureau ($3.50) before they'll issue a new title. Basically, they take down the VIN, make and model on a special form (only good for 30 days - since after 30 days your Taurus may have morphed into a Charger and you have to get it checked again, just to be sure). Then you have to go to a title office to get the title changed and pay any taxes due - not just on what you paid for the vehicle, but on any admin fees / stocking fees that the dealer may have charged. The rant about the double dipping created by taxing the sale of a used vehicle must wait for another day. Then, you have to go get an E-check (emissions). Finally, you take the title & passed e-check form back the the license bureau and get your plates and tags.
Now the fun begins:
There isn't a office that has both titling and licensing abilities in our county. Of the four title offices, the first two are closed on Mondays, open 8:30 - 4:30 T-F, 9-1 Sat. and the other two are open 8:15 - 4:30 M-F. The closest office is of the first variety & isn't even listed on the website. Also, their phone # doesn't have a message machine so I had to stop by on Monday to see what their hours were. Then, when I stopped back on Tuesday, I was told that their computers had been down for the past 4 days and hadn't been repaired yet!
There are 4 licensing offices, all of which have normal business hours - no qualms there. You just have to go there twice to get through the process (bring a book - maybe two) and it's not like they're right next to the title office, either.
E-check - some green initiative bullshit only required in a handful of Ohio's counties and only has 2 testing stations in our county. Guess who's awesomely huge truck is over the weight class limit for a free check and has to pay every 2 yrs for the privilege of the eco-nonsense? Or, I can get an appointment & drive to one of the 2 EPA field offices over an hour away (open M-F 8-5), have them say, "yep, it's a big diesel" and get a permanent exemption.
Not like it's shocking, but for all the information they have on their website, there's not a clearly defined set of requirements for going through the whole title -> license plate process. Instead, it's scattered amongst lists of links that make the whole process incoherent. A simple list would solve a lot of issues. Somehow, I think that'd be too simple. The other novel thought would have been to not raze the only dual title-license office in the county! Or, instead of opening a title-only location afterwards, put the title office into one of the existing license bureaus
Overall, I'm just glad it's done. If I was of stronger constitution, I would go and demand to know what in the hell "misc fees" ($10.00) refers to but at this point - I just don't care.
Happier posts on the way -- Blog shoot this weekend!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Noms!
Fried zucchini is one of my favorite summer foods, as it's easy to make, has little mess & effectively uses up garden surplus. I start by putting flour and crumbed club crackers into separate ziplocs and beating together egg, buttermilk & S&P (1 part milk to 2 parts egg). How much of each ingredient depends on how much zucchini you have; a cup of flour, a sleeve of crackers and an egg is enough to do 1 moderate size zuch.
Slice up the zucchini, toss it in the flour ziploc & shake until they're completely coated - knock off excess flour. Then, flop the slices into the egg mixture & let them rest in there for a little while. They should come out without any flour spots. Scoop them out with a fork (no stabbing!) or something else that's scoop-like & put them in the cracker ziploc. Bounce the slices about until they're coated & set aside until you've finished.
Heat up a large skillet and use your preferred frying liquid. I use butter, lots and lots of butter :-) Put the slices in once the pan's hot enough for them to sizzle right off and keep the heat around medium. Don't bother'em, just let'em cook. Once they're brown on one side, flip and repeat. Should take about 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the slices. Plate & serve. Be careful with larger zuchs, the larger seeds seem to store heat & can really burn.
Mine are simple, I'm sure you could add Tabasco sauce, chili powder, paprika, etc to liven up the taste. Consider this as a good starting point for a summer classic & enjoy.
Heat up a large skillet and use your preferred frying liquid. I use butter, lots and lots of butter :-) Put the slices in once the pan's hot enough for them to sizzle right off and keep the heat around medium. Don't bother'em, just let'em cook. Once they're brown on one side, flip and repeat. Should take about 15 minutes depending on the thickness of the slices. Plate & serve. Be careful with larger zuchs, the larger seeds seem to store heat & can really burn.
Mine are simple, I'm sure you could add Tabasco sauce, chili powder, paprika, etc to liven up the taste. Consider this as a good starting point for a summer classic & enjoy.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Renaissance Faire Fun
Heath and I traveled to the Great Lakes Medieval Faire this weekend to partake in some 13th century distractions. There were jousts, falconry and dirty limericks a plenty. Unfortunately, this year there was no abundance of Mead or other adult beverages - the city council gave the event coordinators too much hassle to allow alcohol to be sold. All other aspects of the Faire were nice - the atmosphere was congenial and there was quite the selection of performances, exhibits and vendors. For being a small RenFaire, they do a credible job and it's well worth the $20.00 entry fee for several hours of entertainment. I, of course, dress the part while Heath... umm, he wore a fancy hat; I just can't seem to get him into those fancy pants and floppy shirts. :-D
I must commend Dennis over at Dragon Leatherworks for his addition to our outfits. His pistol pouches blended in perfectly - keeping us safe, unencumbered and in character. I'd recommend it to anyone who plans on carrying while becoming a lord, lady, fop or wench for a day.
I must commend Dennis over at Dragon Leatherworks for his addition to our outfits. His pistol pouches blended in perfectly - keeping us safe, unencumbered and in character. I'd recommend it to anyone who plans on carrying while becoming a lord, lady, fop or wench for a day.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
There oughta be a law...
Or at least Cleveland City Council figures there should be another. In light of the use of social media to create flash mobs they want to make it a misdemeanor to use twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc to create a disruptive flash mob. Mind you, they don't want to stop the 'good' flash mobs, just those naughty ones.
Trying to separate a good disruption from a bad one is such a nebulous proposal that I doubt any charge would be upheld in court. It's ridiculous that they cannot use a current law to control the undesirable behavior; what ever happened to disorderly conduct? The manner of communication shouldn't have any bearing on the end result they're trying to control. Saying, "it's okay to meet in a large group due to a phone tree, but not a group text" or "mailed invitations are fine, but e-mails are right out," seems downright silly. Seriously, how pathetic. Workers organized strikes before AIM, people marched on Washington before Facebook and riots broke out before Twitter. People will gather in groups to promote a cause regardless of the source of invitation, punishing them due to their choice of communication is shortsighted and myopic. Technology doesn't control or create the behavior, it just gives people a new way of accomplishing their intentions. New facets of wonder and horror are exposed with each technological leap into the future. It's how we apply our country's founding principles and laws that temper the resulting knowledge and abilities. Destructive people will find a way to pervert the loftiest advancement and they should be punished due to their intent, not their methodology.
In this case, it seems like the city council is looking for a new source of revenue more-so than a way to keep the public safe and unharried. The fines for this new crime would start at $100.00 and climb to $500.00 for repeat offenders. Hrmm... common sources of communication + large group of undesirable people + sizable fine = $$$$$ I'm starting to see the council's logic! Hopefully this suggested law dies an ignoble death and the council members move on to playing tiddly-winks, which would be a far more productive pursuit than they've attempted thus far.
"We want to keep the singing in the malls, we want to keep all the flash mobbing that is dancing or whatever you do that's positive but the negative use of it with the intent to disrupt and cause some injury or some type of damage that we're going to speak to," he said.
Trying to separate a good disruption from a bad one is such a nebulous proposal that I doubt any charge would be upheld in court. It's ridiculous that they cannot use a current law to control the undesirable behavior; what ever happened to disorderly conduct? The manner of communication shouldn't have any bearing on the end result they're trying to control. Saying, "it's okay to meet in a large group due to a phone tree, but not a group text" or "mailed invitations are fine, but e-mails are right out," seems downright silly. Seriously, how pathetic. Workers organized strikes before AIM, people marched on Washington before Facebook and riots broke out before Twitter. People will gather in groups to promote a cause regardless of the source of invitation, punishing them due to their choice of communication is shortsighted and myopic. Technology doesn't control or create the behavior, it just gives people a new way of accomplishing their intentions. New facets of wonder and horror are exposed with each technological leap into the future. It's how we apply our country's founding principles and laws that temper the resulting knowledge and abilities. Destructive people will find a way to pervert the loftiest advancement and they should be punished due to their intent, not their methodology.
In this case, it seems like the city council is looking for a new source of revenue more-so than a way to keep the public safe and unharried. The fines for this new crime would start at $100.00 and climb to $500.00 for repeat offenders. Hrmm... common sources of communication + large group of undesirable people + sizable fine = $$$$$ I'm starting to see the council's logic! Hopefully this suggested law dies an ignoble death and the council members move on to playing tiddly-winks, which would be a far more productive pursuit than they've attempted thus far.
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