"Bringing a Plate" means that you need to turn up at whatever function with some finger-food for others to eat ... these will certainly stand out:
instructions from http://evilmadscientist.com/article.php/edibleeyes
(i've copied and pasted it without photos as i don't really think they're necessary - refer to the original site if you want to see the piccies).
To begin with, we need a food-grade rigid transparent dome that will form the outer visual shell of the googly eyes. Empty gelatin capsules like these slide apart easily and come with one such dome on each end.
You can get capsules like these in bulk at all kinds of "natural" and "health food" stores-- or even at many grocery stores in the section where dietary supplements are sold. There is of course a huge selection online-- you can even get them in different colors and flavors. Capsules come in range of sizes; we suggest starting with size 00 or so to get a good dome.
While the gelatin capsules have a dome on each end, they have a lot of space in between that we really don't need. The photo above illustrates how much of each end we want to keep: the domed part plus a few millimeters. As it turns out, you cannot use the scissors to actually cut it there-- it will crack or suffer permanent creases, making it useless for our application.
Instead, using fine-point scissors, make one continuous cut from the opening to remove the excess capsule material. This actually works very well and does not cause undue stress to the dome that we want to keep.
Next, we're going to need rolling pupils for our eyes, and these fit the bill perfectly. These are Wilton Jumbo Rainbow Nonpareils, one brand of *giant* round sprinkles a couple of millimeters across. Our big surprise: these actually taste pretty good-- they're flavored candy. The downside is that we only really want dark pupils, so there's some fishing around to find them in the assortment..
Suggested substitutes: other brands of round sprinkles and cake decors, as well as Nerds candy (look for the occasional round pieces). While you might be tempted to try using flat "confetti" sprinkles or similar types, we actually found them to be quite unsuitable-- they get stuck in all kinds of unexpected ways instead of rolling freely.
Next we need a solid substrate that serves as the back surface of the googly eyes-- the whites of the eyes. The substrate needs to be sturdy, so that it can support the rest of the eyes, light in color, and completely dry and free of oil. At the same time, it needs to be soft enough that we can press the gelatin capsules into it.
Our substrate of choice is (are?) Whoppers, although some other things will work as well. To use the Whoppers, first cut them in half with a chef's knife. Then, using a (virginal) half-capsule as a tool, press an indentation into the semirigid center of the Whopper.
Place one of the round "pupil" sprinkles in the cut-off capsule dome, and press it into the indentation made in the Whopper hemisphere. Press it in deeply enough-- several millimeters-- that it will not fall out, but not so deeply that it restricts the motion of the sprinkle pupil. Some care is required-- the substrate can shatter if you push too hard. Special worry about using this particular substrate: the outer, chocolate-like coating will begin to melt if you handle it too long.
Once the capsule dome and pupil are in place, test your new googly eyes, and make sure that the ball rolls freely in the dome. That's it! You've made edible googly eyes!
Applications
As one example, we present a simple recipe:
Flying Spaghetti Monster Treats, featuring edible working googly eyes.
The basic idea is that we make rice krispy treats, omitting the rice crispies and instead using some tasty dried noodles. Now, rice krispy treats without the rice is actually just marshmallows and butter-- an effective and edible glue that can be used for all kinds of purposes.
You can crib the butter/marshmallow proportions from the original source or from whatever box is handy-- no two of these seem to be exactly the same. Anyway, melt a bunch of marshmallows with a little butter to make the glue. To that, add some small pieces of precooked dry noodles. Spoon the resulting mess out onto parchment paper, and decorate as needed.
The "classic" choice for this sort of thing is to use chow mein noodles-- already used to make a few different kinds of no-bake cookies. Of course, considering our theme, it makes sense to instead use ramen noodles. Ramen noodles have beens successfully employed with sweets lately, and it seems like a fine idea. (Remember to omit the flavor packet.) We used another type of dry asian noodle, beautifully labeled "Excellent Flour Stick," for ours.
Mounting the googly eyes to the eyestalks presents a bit of a challenge, since the "rice krispy" glue does not set immediately, and the eyes kept falling down. Instead, dip the eyestalks in the glue and place them flat on a piece of parchment paper. Then, set the eyes flat on the eyestocks to cool and bond. Later these eyestalk can be added easily to the top of the noodly blobs.
The crowning detail of course is to add the meatballs-- in this case Cocoa Puffs. And we're done-- one hundred percent edible Flying Spaghetti Monster treats with working googly eyes.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Right?!?
From a recent conversation in jigsaw's casa:
hubby: "Anything on TV tonight?"
me: "Something called 'How to Have Sex when you're Married'. Feel like watching it?"
hubby: "No, I think I'll go to bed instead."
RIGHT ?!?
hubby: "Anything on TV tonight?"
me: "Something called 'How to Have Sex when you're Married'. Feel like watching it?"
hubby: "No, I think I'll go to bed instead."
RIGHT ?!?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Internet Censorship
THE Federal Government is planning to make internet censorship compulsory for all Australians.
When the idea was first mooted, there was the concept of an "opt out" option, where users could contact their ISP and say "no, thanks" to this filtering.
This option has now been REMOVED.
When the plan comes into effect sometime next year ALL internet access through Australian ISPs will be censored.
As far as I am concerned, this is a very dangerous path to start walking down.
The Senator in charge of this travesty is Stephen Conroy and, despite trials being planned for later this year, he doesn't know what content the mandatory filters will bar!!!
According to this article there will be two levels of filtering - one level of mandatory filtering for all Australians and an optional level that will provide a "clean feed", censoring adult material. So we're not just talking about porn here.
There was a comment against this article which listed email and contact addresses for Senator Conroy and various other people who support this initiative, however, I can not longer find that comment.
Here are contact details for Senator Conroy:
Senator Stephen Conroy
Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
Level 4, 4 Treasury Place
Melbourne Vic 3002
Phone:.....(03) 9650 1188
Fax: ......(03) 9650 3251
Email:.....minister@dbcde.gov.au
I urge you to contact him to express your opinion about this proposal. A proforma letter can be found at No Clean Feed.
Additional Links:
* Petition against internet censorship personal contact is best, but this is another option
* Somebody Think of the Children a blog about censorship and moral panic in Australia, with a particular focus on Internet censorship.
* No Clean Feed a website against internet censorship
* Letter from a mother definitely worth reading this view from a Christian mother
When the idea was first mooted, there was the concept of an "opt out" option, where users could contact their ISP and say "no, thanks" to this filtering.
This option has now been REMOVED.
When the plan comes into effect sometime next year ALL internet access through Australian ISPs will be censored.
As far as I am concerned, this is a very dangerous path to start walking down.
The Senator in charge of this travesty is Stephen Conroy and, despite trials being planned for later this year, he doesn't know what content the mandatory filters will bar!!!
According to this article there will be two levels of filtering - one level of mandatory filtering for all Australians and an optional level that will provide a "clean feed", censoring adult material. So we're not just talking about porn here.
There was a comment against this article which listed email and contact addresses for Senator Conroy and various other people who support this initiative, however, I can not longer find that comment.
Here are contact details for Senator Conroy:
Senator Stephen Conroy
Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
Level 4, 4 Treasury Place
Melbourne Vic 3002
Phone:.....(03) 9650 1188
Fax: ......(03) 9650 3251
Email:.....minister@dbcde.gov.au
I urge you to contact him to express your opinion about this proposal. A proforma letter can be found at No Clean Feed.
Additional Links:
* Petition against internet censorship personal contact is best, but this is another option
* Somebody Think of the Children a blog about censorship and moral panic in Australia, with a particular focus on Internet censorship.
* No Clean Feed a website against internet censorship
* Letter from a mother definitely worth reading this view from a Christian mother
Monday, October 27, 2008
Travel Meme
from over Marko's way comes this "Travel" Meme
Five really interesting/beautiful foreign places I’ve visited:
i'm limiting it to cities
* Prague
* Jerusalem
* Budapest
* Munich
* Freiburg im Breisgau
Five countries that are high up on my List of Places I Want To See:
* New Zealand
* Brazil
* Morocco
* Peru
* Thailand
If I could speak one more language fluently, I’d like to be able to speak:
* German (as i already know some)
If I had to trade my citizenship for another one, I’d most likely move to:
* The USA (you guys get to play with more guns than we do :) )
What about you???
Five really interesting/beautiful foreign places I’ve visited:
i'm limiting it to cities
* Prague
* Jerusalem
* Budapest
* Munich
* Freiburg im Breisgau
Five countries that are high up on my List of Places I Want To See:
* New Zealand
* Brazil
* Morocco
* Peru
* Thailand
If I could speak one more language fluently, I’d like to be able to speak:
* German (as i already know some)
If I had to trade my citizenship for another one, I’d most likely move to:
* The USA (you guys get to play with more guns than we do :) )
What about you???
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Fun with my Girls
My eldest (7) has a halloween party at Guides on Monday night, and they can bring "scary" food if they want.
So today the girls and I made some eyeballs in jelly for the occassion ....
Here they are putting some blood shot marks using food colouring on the eyes:
And here is the finished product ....
There's some snakes crawling around in there too ...
Not sure that the rainbow jelly makes it scary but it looks fun ....
I'll post a photo of the girls in their costumes after the party.
So today the girls and I made some eyeballs in jelly for the occassion ....
Here they are putting some blood shot marks using food colouring on the eyes:
And here is the finished product ....
There's some snakes crawling around in there too ...
Not sure that the rainbow jelly makes it scary but it looks fun ....
I'll post a photo of the girls in their costumes after the party.
Weird & Wacky Research: Counting to four is as easy as a bee sees
i read this research which reportedly shows that bees can count to four.
RESEARCHERS have discovered that honey bees can count to four.
A researcher from the University of Queensland put five markers inside a tunnel and placed nectar in one of them, the ABC reports.
Honey bees placed in the tunnel flew to the marker with the food, and would still fly to the same marker stripe when the food was removed.
"We find that if you train them to the third stripe, they will look subsequently in the third stripe," researcher Mandyam Srinivasan said.
"If you train them to the fourth stripe, they will look in the fourth stripe and so on. But their ability to count seems to go only up to four. They can't count beyond four.
"The more we look at these creatures that have a brain the size of a sesame seed, the more astonished we are. They really have a lot of the capacities that we so-called higher human beings possess.
The research was carried out with Swedish researcher Marie Dacke.
And i don't get it ... on a number of different levels.
Firstly, what is the actual purpose of the research?
And, how does training them (using food, standard Pavlov approach) to fly to a certain number of strips show that they can count?
Maybe they decided that "four stripes" is far enough to fly to find food .. not that they can't count to five.
RESEARCHERS have discovered that honey bees can count to four.
A researcher from the University of Queensland put five markers inside a tunnel and placed nectar in one of them, the ABC reports.
Honey bees placed in the tunnel flew to the marker with the food, and would still fly to the same marker stripe when the food was removed.
"We find that if you train them to the third stripe, they will look subsequently in the third stripe," researcher Mandyam Srinivasan said.
"If you train them to the fourth stripe, they will look in the fourth stripe and so on. But their ability to count seems to go only up to four. They can't count beyond four.
"The more we look at these creatures that have a brain the size of a sesame seed, the more astonished we are. They really have a lot of the capacities that we so-called higher human beings possess.
The research was carried out with Swedish researcher Marie Dacke.
And i don't get it ... on a number of different levels.
Firstly, what is the actual purpose of the research?
And, how does training them (using food, standard Pavlov approach) to fly to a certain number of strips show that they can count?
Maybe they decided that "four stripes" is far enough to fly to find food .. not that they can't count to five.
Friday, October 24, 2008
QUOTE OF THE DAY
By way of Marko - The Munchkin Wrangler ....
Parenting–it’s not just a job, it’s secure employment for the people at your local liquor store.
**hehehe**
Parenting–it’s not just a job, it’s secure employment for the people at your local liquor store.
**hehehe**
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
My Range
Saw this idea over at “The Real Gun Guys” and thought you might like a look at where I shoot (Orange Grove Shooting Association, Western Australia).
As you can see we have two range areas – the upper one (right hand side of picture) is used mainly for rifles, shotguns, metallic silhouette. The lower one is where I shoot IPSC (ICOR and other pistol/revolver shoots take place there too).
The lower range area is divided into 8 ranges, of which we generally only use 5 or 6.
The club house is the greenish building between the two areas. The white building in the lower range area is just an open shed.
For those interested, the area used to be a quarry and therefore surrounded by VERY HIGH rock walls. I will take some pictures of this when I’m next up there.
As you can see we have two range areas – the upper one (right hand side of picture) is used mainly for rifles, shotguns, metallic silhouette. The lower one is where I shoot IPSC (ICOR and other pistol/revolver shoots take place there too).
The lower range area is divided into 8 ranges, of which we generally only use 5 or 6.
The club house is the greenish building between the two areas. The white building in the lower range area is just an open shed.
For those interested, the area used to be a quarry and therefore surrounded by VERY HIGH rock walls. I will take some pictures of this when I’m next up there.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Today's Range Report #4
Good day shooting today ... hot (around 30degC) and long - 6 stages around 120/130 rounds (didn't count) and I think our squad had 8 people in it. There were 4 squads today, so quite a lot of people shooting.
Again I experienced a few stovepipes - but I'm convinced these are caused by me not holding the gun firmly enough, because after I started to focus on holding the gun properly the stovepipes stopped. My friend was in the squad and he was really helpful in letting me know what I was doing right & wrong. He had a bit of a go at me for not actually grounding my feet properly when shooting, so I guess that's the next thing I need to work on.
I did okay - slow again, but pretty accurate. I was particularly pleased with one stage (16 targets, 32 rounds), of which 31 were in the "A" zone. The other was a "miss" and I did spot that I had missed it, but decided not to back it up (not sure WHY I made that decision).
There was a "freestyle", then "strong hand", then "weak hand" shoot again. I did really well with the "strong hand" section. Not so good with the "weak hand" bit (but did get the shots on the target) ... guess I need to practice that too.
So in summary, I didn't hit any no-shoots, I didn't get disqualified and I only had a couple of misses ... all in all a good day. All of the others in the squad were v.good shooters but they didn't seem to mind me slowing them down.
Things I Learnt Today:
1) Hold the gun FIRMLY
2) Ground my feet properly
3) When doing a "gun unloaded with mags on table" type shoot, focus on the gun rather than the targets to start with
4) Back up a missed shot unless it means that you need an extra reload
5) Take more water on hot days :)
Again I experienced a few stovepipes - but I'm convinced these are caused by me not holding the gun firmly enough, because after I started to focus on holding the gun properly the stovepipes stopped. My friend was in the squad and he was really helpful in letting me know what I was doing right & wrong. He had a bit of a go at me for not actually grounding my feet properly when shooting, so I guess that's the next thing I need to work on.
I did okay - slow again, but pretty accurate. I was particularly pleased with one stage (16 targets, 32 rounds), of which 31 were in the "A" zone. The other was a "miss" and I did spot that I had missed it, but decided not to back it up (not sure WHY I made that decision).
There was a "freestyle", then "strong hand", then "weak hand" shoot again. I did really well with the "strong hand" section. Not so good with the "weak hand" bit (but did get the shots on the target) ... guess I need to practice that too.
So in summary, I didn't hit any no-shoots, I didn't get disqualified and I only had a couple of misses ... all in all a good day. All of the others in the squad were v.good shooters but they didn't seem to mind me slowing them down.
Things I Learnt Today:
1) Hold the gun FIRMLY
2) Ground my feet properly
3) When doing a "gun unloaded with mags on table" type shoot, focus on the gun rather than the targets to start with
4) Back up a missed shot unless it means that you need an extra reload
5) Take more water on hot days :)
Friday, October 17, 2008
Why do I shoot?
Roberta X asked the following:
How about you? Why do you shoot? Why do you carry, if you carry at all?
Why do I shoot?
Living in Australia the official answer has to be because I enjoy competing in IPSC. And while that statement is totally true I also shoot for other reasons.
I took up pistol shooting when working in a very, very, very stressful job. Aiming the pistol at the target, thinking of the myriad of things you need to think about when you first start shooting I found for the first time during this particular employment period I forgot about work. It became truly an escape from the stress of the job.
Even now, I am still at the stage where I can’t think about anything else when I’m shooting. Nothing else matters only getting the bullet on the target as quick (and as safely) as possible.
I also shoot as, even though self-defence is not a valid reason for owning a firearm in Australia, I would like to have the necessary skills and ability to defend my family and myself.
I have never been hunting and I’m not sure I would enjoy it. Maybe .. maybe not. I have nothing against animals being killed for a) food or b) because they are causing damage to food crops. I’m not interested in just killing things for fun. And I guess that if I am willing to eat meat then I should be willing to kill it to eat. So yes, I guess I would go hunting if the opportunity came up.
Why do you carry, if you carry at all?
I don’t carry. It is illegal here.
Would I carry if it was legal? Yes, most definitely.
Why? Simple answer is “a cop is too heavy”. Seriously though, I would carry mainly because I do not want to be a victim. I believe that defence of self and family is my responsibility alongside my partner (of course, and yes, he shoots too).
I would carry hoping that I would never have to draw the gun on another human being, but I would be willing to draw the gun and shoot if it meant not being a victim to anyone's ill intent.
What about you?
Why do/don't you shoot? Why do you carry, if you carry at all?
How about you? Why do you shoot? Why do you carry, if you carry at all?
Why do I shoot?
Living in Australia the official answer has to be because I enjoy competing in IPSC. And while that statement is totally true I also shoot for other reasons.
I took up pistol shooting when working in a very, very, very stressful job. Aiming the pistol at the target, thinking of the myriad of things you need to think about when you first start shooting I found for the first time during this particular employment period I forgot about work. It became truly an escape from the stress of the job.
Even now, I am still at the stage where I can’t think about anything else when I’m shooting. Nothing else matters only getting the bullet on the target as quick (and as safely) as possible.
I also shoot as, even though self-defence is not a valid reason for owning a firearm in Australia, I would like to have the necessary skills and ability to defend my family and myself.
I have never been hunting and I’m not sure I would enjoy it. Maybe .. maybe not. I have nothing against animals being killed for a) food or b) because they are causing damage to food crops. I’m not interested in just killing things for fun. And I guess that if I am willing to eat meat then I should be willing to kill it to eat. So yes, I guess I would go hunting if the opportunity came up.
Why do you carry, if you carry at all?
I don’t carry. It is illegal here.
Would I carry if it was legal? Yes, most definitely.
Why? Simple answer is “a cop is too heavy”. Seriously though, I would carry mainly because I do not want to be a victim. I believe that defence of self and family is my responsibility alongside my partner (of course, and yes, he shoots too).
I would carry hoping that I would never have to draw the gun on another human being, but I would be willing to draw the gun and shoot if it meant not being a victim to anyone's ill intent.
What about you?
Why do/don't you shoot? Why do you carry, if you carry at all?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Aussie News ... Troublemakers will hear voice from above
from: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24502575-952,00.html
IPSWICH City Council will set up portable security cameras with built-in loudspeakers that can warn hoons to think twice before they cause trouble.
The cutting-edge cameras can be set up anywhere to keep an eye on hot spots.
Mayor Paul Pisasale said it was community policing at its best.
"This is about trying to take control of our city," he said.
"A small percentage of people are doing the wrong thing- but we are not going to let these morons get to us.
"If operators see some kids hanging around and think they might be up to no good, they can warn them off, saying: 'Son, I wouldn't do that'," he said.
The cameras will be set up in response to complaints from residents about problems including hoons, vandals, thieves and muggers.
Images are monitored round-the-clock and can be immediately sent to police computers, enabling them to respond to trouble in record time.
The technology has even impressed experts at Britain's Scotland Yard, who described it as "world class".
Three cameras, costing Ipswich $60,000 all up, were bought after a successful trial.
They are the latest addition to the city's army of 160 "Big Brother-style" security cameras, which have reduced crime in Ipswich by 80 per cent in the past five years.
The council runs its "Safe City" camera initiative in partnership with the police and the State Government, at a cost of $840,000 a year.
Cr Pisasale said the city was moving forward.
"This is not about Big Brother spying on law-abiding citizens," he said. "This is about telling the morons who cause civic damage and destruction that they are not welcome in our city."
Umm, okay, three mobile cameras that are going to be set up in trouble spots to WARN possible offenders not to offend.
Mmm, so what's to stop the potential offenders from moving to somewhere where the cameras aren't? ...
Potential offender: "Shall we spray paint this wall?"
VFTS (voice from the sky): "Son, I wouldn't do that!"
Potential offender to mates: "Okay so that's one camera let's go find the other two!"
OR what's to stop them ignoring the VFTS completely?
AND how do you know that someone is "preparing" to mug someone anyway?
VFTS: "Hey, pedestrian in the brown coat please keep your distance from the lady with the pram - we ARE watching you."
AND if the current 160 cameras have already reduced crime by 80% one wouldn't have thought there would be much more to worry about ....
One of the commentators on the original post suggested the following:
I have an alternative solution. Arm the cameras with rifles. If anyone is seen vandalising property, assaulting a person etc., open fire on them. No warning. No left-wing, do-gooder excuses. After a few examples, the crime rate would be close to zero.
Posted by: Naden S of Perth 10:48am today
Now if this was done I could see the benefit of the cameras :)
IPSWICH City Council will set up portable security cameras with built-in loudspeakers that can warn hoons to think twice before they cause trouble.
The cutting-edge cameras can be set up anywhere to keep an eye on hot spots.
Mayor Paul Pisasale said it was community policing at its best.
"This is about trying to take control of our city," he said.
"A small percentage of people are doing the wrong thing- but we are not going to let these morons get to us.
"If operators see some kids hanging around and think they might be up to no good, they can warn them off, saying: 'Son, I wouldn't do that'," he said.
The cameras will be set up in response to complaints from residents about problems including hoons, vandals, thieves and muggers.
Images are monitored round-the-clock and can be immediately sent to police computers, enabling them to respond to trouble in record time.
The technology has even impressed experts at Britain's Scotland Yard, who described it as "world class".
Three cameras, costing Ipswich $60,000 all up, were bought after a successful trial.
They are the latest addition to the city's army of 160 "Big Brother-style" security cameras, which have reduced crime in Ipswich by 80 per cent in the past five years.
The council runs its "Safe City" camera initiative in partnership with the police and the State Government, at a cost of $840,000 a year.
Cr Pisasale said the city was moving forward.
"This is not about Big Brother spying on law-abiding citizens," he said. "This is about telling the morons who cause civic damage and destruction that they are not welcome in our city."
Umm, okay, three mobile cameras that are going to be set up in trouble spots to WARN possible offenders not to offend.
Mmm, so what's to stop the potential offenders from moving to somewhere where the cameras aren't? ...
Potential offender: "Shall we spray paint this wall?"
VFTS (voice from the sky): "Son, I wouldn't do that!"
Potential offender to mates: "Okay so that's one camera let's go find the other two!"
OR what's to stop them ignoring the VFTS completely?
AND how do you know that someone is "preparing" to mug someone anyway?
VFTS: "Hey, pedestrian in the brown coat please keep your distance from the lady with the pram - we ARE watching you."
AND if the current 160 cameras have already reduced crime by 80% one wouldn't have thought there would be much more to worry about ....
One of the commentators on the original post suggested the following:
I have an alternative solution. Arm the cameras with rifles. If anyone is seen vandalising property, assaulting a person etc., open fire on them. No warning. No left-wing, do-gooder excuses. After a few examples, the crime rate would be close to zero.
Posted by: Naden S of Perth 10:48am today
Now if this was done I could see the benefit of the cameras :)
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
That's One Way of Saying It ....
just read the following on Baldilocks and thought it illustrated beautifully the situation that many "realists" find themselves in today ...
The Twisting
Another One-Act Play
******
He: The sky is blue.
She: No it’s not, it’s plaid.
He: Why are you saying that?
She: Because that the way I see it.
He: But it is the color that has been historically called blue.
She: I don’t see it that way.
... read the whole thing ...
The Twisting
Another One-Act Play
******
He: The sky is blue.
She: No it’s not, it’s plaid.
He: Why are you saying that?
She: Because that the way I see it.
He: But it is the color that has been historically called blue.
She: I don’t see it that way.
... read the whole thing ...
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Today's Range Report #2
Reloaded 100 rounds last night with 4.0 grains - no problems at all with the primer feeding or seating so it went very smoothly.
Shot the stages at the range today. They had modified it from yesterday's shoot - so today ended up having 5 stages some were quite challenging.
I messed up the second stage majorily. It was start seated at a table, with loaded gun & all mags on the table. On signal, engage the 6 targets in any order with one shot, then reload and engage the targets again with another shot. I shot the first three targets two shots each before my brain kicked into gear ... ooops :) There goes three "procedurals" :)
One of the other stages had a "start facing up range, unloaded & holstered ... on signal engage all targets in any order 2 shots each". I've not done a "facing up range" one before ... so I was just hoping to get through the stage with out being disqualified .. which I managed (and I hit all the targets and missed the "no shoots" so was happy).
My times are awful but my accuracy isn't bad (no "no shoots" at all for the day and I think only 1 miss). The majority of my shots are hitting the "A" zone.
The gun performed well most of the time. Had a couple of "stovepipes" which the RO reckoned was due more to me not holding the gun firmly enough more than anything else and I think he was right. I also managed to get a case down my front ... ouch!
Definitely more practice needed.
Next week is a "trophy shoot" not sure if I will go up on the Saturday or Sunday yet.
Now off to the zoo with the family ...
Shot the stages at the range today. They had modified it from yesterday's shoot - so today ended up having 5 stages some were quite challenging.
I messed up the second stage majorily. It was start seated at a table, with loaded gun & all mags on the table. On signal, engage the 6 targets in any order with one shot, then reload and engage the targets again with another shot. I shot the first three targets two shots each before my brain kicked into gear ... ooops :) There goes three "procedurals" :)
One of the other stages had a "start facing up range, unloaded & holstered ... on signal engage all targets in any order 2 shots each". I've not done a "facing up range" one before ... so I was just hoping to get through the stage with out being disqualified .. which I managed (and I hit all the targets and missed the "no shoots" so was happy).
My times are awful but my accuracy isn't bad (no "no shoots" at all for the day and I think only 1 miss). The majority of my shots are hitting the "A" zone.
The gun performed well most of the time. Had a couple of "stovepipes" which the RO reckoned was due more to me not holding the gun firmly enough more than anything else and I think he was right. I also managed to get a case down my front ... ouch!
Definitely more practice needed.
Next week is a "trophy shoot" not sure if I will go up on the Saturday or Sunday yet.
Now off to the zoo with the family ...
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Today's Range Report #1
Very profitable time at the range today.
My friend fitted the new recoil spring for me (and firing pin spring) (yes, I can do it, but I was doing something else at the time). He didn't fit the mag well due to time constraints.
Anyway went up the range, I decided not to shoot with the regular squads but just give the gun a workout to see how it goes.
My friend fired first and the first round failed to eject. But from then on the gun worked perfectly. For both him and me. I used my reloaded rounds and the Chip McCormick mags and everything just came together.
He then mentioned that he thought I wasn't holding the gun firmly enough, so we worked on that for a bit and holding the gun firmer made a HUGE difference with the amount of recoil I was experiencing.
I also need to work on my draws to ensure that I get the gun correctly into my hand each and every time. I have a Blackhawk Serpa holster with a "release" lever which helps with the draw but sometimes I get the beaver tail just off centre.
We then shot a stage which wasn't being used by the other squads at the time, there were 4 boxes and 5 targets. From the first box - one shot to each target freestyle; second box - one shot to each target kneeling; third box - one shot to each target strong hand and fourth box - one shot to each target weak hand. (With a mandatory reload between each box). I had problems with the gun ejecting when I shot weak hand only - but I know that I wasn't holding it firmly enough. The first time I shot the stage my time from signal to first shot was about 3.5secs. We did a bit of practice on this and I managed to get the time down to around 2.5secs.
There is so much to remember and work on with IPSC style shooting - I'm hoping some of it becomes automatic soon :)
If all goes smoothly I will go back to the range tomorrow and actually shoot the stages - will have to do some reloading tonight.
My friend fitted the new recoil spring for me (and firing pin spring) (yes, I can do it, but I was doing something else at the time). He didn't fit the mag well due to time constraints.
Anyway went up the range, I decided not to shoot with the regular squads but just give the gun a workout to see how it goes.
My friend fired first and the first round failed to eject. But from then on the gun worked perfectly. For both him and me. I used my reloaded rounds and the Chip McCormick mags and everything just came together.
He then mentioned that he thought I wasn't holding the gun firmly enough, so we worked on that for a bit and holding the gun firmer made a HUGE difference with the amount of recoil I was experiencing.
I also need to work on my draws to ensure that I get the gun correctly into my hand each and every time. I have a Blackhawk Serpa holster with a "release" lever which helps with the draw but sometimes I get the beaver tail just off centre.
We then shot a stage which wasn't being used by the other squads at the time, there were 4 boxes and 5 targets. From the first box - one shot to each target freestyle; second box - one shot to each target kneeling; third box - one shot to each target strong hand and fourth box - one shot to each target weak hand. (With a mandatory reload between each box). I had problems with the gun ejecting when I shot weak hand only - but I know that I wasn't holding it firmly enough. The first time I shot the stage my time from signal to first shot was about 3.5secs. We did a bit of practice on this and I managed to get the time down to around 2.5secs.
There is so much to remember and work on with IPSC style shooting - I'm hoping some of it becomes automatic soon :)
If all goes smoothly I will go back to the range tomorrow and actually shoot the stages - will have to do some reloading tonight.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Things I Didn't Know About a Glock
mmm ...
1) didn't know that Glocks come in 0.04 calibre and
2) where's the safety latch?
he was at least fined and a conviction was recorded.
from http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24474536-2761,00.html
Policeman fined for pointing gun at colleagues
A POLICEMAN in Perth's rail unit has been fined $2000 for pointing his loaded police-issued pistol at colleagues on two occasions.Sen-Constable Clifford Harold Warner, 37, faced three years’ jail and a maximum $12,000 fine after today pleading guilty to two counts of pointing a firearm at another person.
Police laid the charges against the now stood-down father-of-two under the Firearms Act following a complaint.
The Perth Magistrates Court today heard that on August 11 this year Sen-Constable Warner took out his holstered 0.04 calibre Glock pistol and aimed it a female constable while at the Rail Unit office at Perth Station.
Two days later, he again pointed his loaded weapon at a male officer for a few seconds in front of five or six others while having a meal at the end of a shift.
There were no threats of violence and his finger was not near the safety latch but he was stood down by the force on August 15.
The court heard that his actions were treated as a "joke", with the policeman who was aimed at giving Sen-Constable Warner an "expletive" then saying, "Geez, your barrel needs a bit of a clean."
Defence lawyer Michael Judd said his client was "greatly embarrassed" and remorseful at his actions but he did not have any recollection of the first incident with the female constable, which was only reported after the August 13 incident.
Mr Judd said the unit team were good friends and worked as a close-knit group.
"It is in this pressure cooker environment that this kind of tomfoolery can occur," he said.
Magistrate Wayne Tarr told Sen-Constable Warner that as a police officer he should have known better than to "skylark with a firearm".
"I just can’t understand what was going through your mind when you took your firearm out and pointed it at a colleague," Magistrate Tarr said.
"With the training that you are provided you must have known it was fraught with danger."
Magistrate Tarr fined him $1000 for each count and rejected a defence plea for a spent conviction, which would have removed the conviction from his criminal record.
1) didn't know that Glocks come in 0.04 calibre and
2) where's the safety latch?
he was at least fined and a conviction was recorded.
from http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24474536-2761,00.html
Policeman fined for pointing gun at colleagues
Todd Cardy, court reporter
October 10, 2008 11:57amA POLICEMAN in Perth's rail unit has been fined $2000 for pointing his loaded police-issued pistol at colleagues on two occasions.Sen-Constable Clifford Harold Warner, 37, faced three years’ jail and a maximum $12,000 fine after today pleading guilty to two counts of pointing a firearm at another person.
Police laid the charges against the now stood-down father-of-two under the Firearms Act following a complaint.
The Perth Magistrates Court today heard that on August 11 this year Sen-Constable Warner took out his holstered 0.04 calibre Glock pistol and aimed it a female constable while at the Rail Unit office at Perth Station.
Two days later, he again pointed his loaded weapon at a male officer for a few seconds in front of five or six others while having a meal at the end of a shift.
There were no threats of violence and his finger was not near the safety latch but he was stood down by the force on August 15.
The court heard that his actions were treated as a "joke", with the policeman who was aimed at giving Sen-Constable Warner an "expletive" then saying, "Geez, your barrel needs a bit of a clean."
Defence lawyer Michael Judd said his client was "greatly embarrassed" and remorseful at his actions but he did not have any recollection of the first incident with the female constable, which was only reported after the August 13 incident.
Mr Judd said the unit team were good friends and worked as a close-knit group.
"It is in this pressure cooker environment that this kind of tomfoolery can occur," he said.
Magistrate Wayne Tarr told Sen-Constable Warner that as a police officer he should have known better than to "skylark with a firearm".
"I just can’t understand what was going through your mind when you took your firearm out and pointed it at a colleague," Magistrate Tarr said.
"With the training that you are provided you must have known it was fraught with danger."
Magistrate Tarr fined him $1000 for each count and rejected a defence plea for a spent conviction, which would have removed the conviction from his criminal record.
A Meme
I just got tagged with a meme ....
What were you doing 2, 5, 10 and 15 years ago ....
Here's my answers:
2 years.......worked pretty much 7 days a week 15 hours a day - stoopid, stoopid, stoopid girl... something not to be repeated!
5 years.... had DD2, dealing with a new baby in the NICU unit and a 2y.o. toddler was challenging. Thankfully bub wasn't in there long, but then she spent around 10days under lights due to jaundice .. boy, don't they grow fast.
10 years ...working in a job with a boss who didn't pull his weight or support me and my colleague - we both ended up resigning on the same day - good decision!
15 years ... traveling & working in Europe .. i think in 1993 I was working in a drug rehab in Germany ... great experience ... so glad i did it ....
and now, you're tagged ... leave your answers in comments ....
What were you doing 2, 5, 10 and 15 years ago ....
Here's my answers:
2 years.......worked pretty much 7 days a week 15 hours a day - stoopid, stoopid, stoopid girl... something not to be repeated!
5 years.... had DD2, dealing with a new baby in the NICU unit and a 2y.o. toddler was challenging. Thankfully bub wasn't in there long, but then she spent around 10days under lights due to jaundice .. boy, don't they grow fast.
10 years ...working in a job with a boss who didn't pull his weight or support me and my colleague - we both ended up resigning on the same day - good decision!
15 years ... traveling & working in Europe .. i think in 1993 I was working in a drug rehab in Germany ... great experience ... so glad i did it ....
and now, you're tagged ... leave your answers in comments ....
Gun Stuff
I have a Springfield Armory 1911 9mm pistol which takes 9 round mags, this puts me at a slight disadvantage in IPSC, where everyone else is shooting 10 round mags. (Australia's firearms legislation limits mags to 10 rounds).
To get around this problem I purchased and use Chip McCormick 38super 10 round mags. These fit fine in my gun, but I did have some feed problems when I started using them. To solve this problem I have reloaded my rounds slightly longer (as per various articles on the web) and now they feed fine.
However, I am now having ejecting problems. Not sure if it is due to under-powered loads, too heavy recoil spring or bad technique on my part. The ejecting problems are reduced when I use 3.8 to 3.9 grains of AP70N powder (with a 125 lead projectile) but they still happen.
So today I purchased another recoil spring (Wolff 16.5lb) and will give that a go in the gun tomorrow. Unfortunately I do not know what the weight of the current recoil spring is (and I couldn't find the information when I did some searching earlier). I'm hoping this spring is lighter, or if not, I will get a friend to help me cut it down.
Will report after the range trip tomorrow. I'm not sure if I will shoot an IPSC match tomorrow or just monkey around with the gun. Hopefully my new mag well will also go on the gun tomorrow as I am interested to see how that will improve my mag changes.
To get around this problem I purchased and use Chip McCormick 38super 10 round mags. These fit fine in my gun, but I did have some feed problems when I started using them. To solve this problem I have reloaded my rounds slightly longer (as per various articles on the web) and now they feed fine.
However, I am now having ejecting problems. Not sure if it is due to under-powered loads, too heavy recoil spring or bad technique on my part. The ejecting problems are reduced when I use 3.8 to 3.9 grains of AP70N powder (with a 125 lead projectile) but they still happen.
So today I purchased another recoil spring (Wolff 16.5lb) and will give that a go in the gun tomorrow. Unfortunately I do not know what the weight of the current recoil spring is (and I couldn't find the information when I did some searching earlier). I'm hoping this spring is lighter, or if not, I will get a friend to help me cut it down.
Will report after the range trip tomorrow. I'm not sure if I will shoot an IPSC match tomorrow or just monkey around with the gun. Hopefully my new mag well will also go on the gun tomorrow as I am interested to see how that will improve my mag changes.
Politics and Stuff
I read the following the other day:
carter69 #debate08- Drop Mccain in Iraq, Obama in Afgan both with guns. First to catch Bin Laden gets to be President. less than a minute ago
via way of "Girl on the Right"
and thought it was a novel approach to election campaigns.
Just wondering what we could do for Australian elections ... drop the contenders on Bondi Beach and award the election to those who rescue the most swimmers? Or maybe send them to the Northern Territory to catch crocodiles?
carter69 #debate08- Drop Mccain in Iraq, Obama in Afgan both with guns. First to catch Bin Laden gets to be President. less than a minute ago
via way of "Girl on the Right"
and thought it was a novel approach to election campaigns.
Just wondering what we could do for Australian elections ... drop the contenders on Bondi Beach and award the election to those who rescue the most swimmers? Or maybe send them to the Northern Territory to catch crocodiles?
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Gun Stuff
I recently bought a Dillon Square Deal so I can reload my own 9mm rounds.
The press sort of worked but I have always had problems with primers feeding and seating, now I've only reloaded a couple of hundred rounds and this is my first experience with reloading so I assumed it was a problem with me rather than the press.
When my hubby and I sat down to do some reloading on Monday night we decided to take the primer feed assembly apart to check it and we discovered that the little plastic feed thingy (technical term) was split. Fortunately Dillion provide a replacement with the press so we put that it and it worked perfectly for the 150 rounds we did that night (phew!)
I contacted Dillon via email yesterday afternoon asking how I can source replacements in case it happens again. I recevied a reply this morning asking for my address as they're happy to send me some free of charge - which I think is pretty impressive!
Thanks Dillon!
The press sort of worked but I have always had problems with primers feeding and seating, now I've only reloaded a couple of hundred rounds and this is my first experience with reloading so I assumed it was a problem with me rather than the press.
When my hubby and I sat down to do some reloading on Monday night we decided to take the primer feed assembly apart to check it and we discovered that the little plastic feed thingy (technical term) was split. Fortunately Dillion provide a replacement with the press so we put that it and it worked perfectly for the 150 rounds we did that night (phew!)
I contacted Dillon via email yesterday afternoon asking how I can source replacements in case it happens again. I recevied a reply this morning asking for my address as they're happy to send me some free of charge - which I think is pretty impressive!
Thanks Dillon!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
From the Weird & Wacky Internet
Hopefully this will be a regular segment where I can bring together funny, interesting and entertaining snippets from the weird and wacky internet world:
Today's offerings:
- Geek Wedding Rings .... check out Artful Articulations
Today's offerings:
- Geek Wedding Rings .... check out Artful Articulations
Generation Debt
I don't normally watch "60 Minutes", but due to various circumstances I saw the episode last Sunday on "Generation Debt" ... (full transcript at http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=640543).
Basically it was a report on the Gen Yers (those aged between 18 & 28) who between them hold $60BILLION dollars worth of debt in AUSTRALIA ... now, i'm not sure how many Gen Yers there are, but we've only got a total population of 20mill or so, so i'm thinking there can't be THAT many of them.
I know some of the debt is HECS (higher education costs) and i am a bit annoyed that the program didn't differentiate between how much of the $60Billion is HECS and how much is "other" debt. Even so I was totally astounded at the "it's the price I pay for happiness" type attitude that came through the whole report.
Peter Overton was the reporter and I thought he did a pretty good job except I would have liked to punch him for two comments ... both were made in relation to a 21y.o. lass who has a personal debt of $70,000 ... he called her a "poor possum" in one comment - I would have thought "stupid idiot" would have been more applicable and then at the end he said "you can't help but admire her decision to pay back what she owes". Umm, hang on a second ... why should anyone ADMIRE someone for doing what they're responsible for???
One of the interviewees - who annoyed me the most with her attitude - played the "victim" card, e.g. "We're targets. We are targets of the bank because they know we're gullible. They know that anything they say we'll just follow. They're the leader and we're just the little people walking behind them, 'give me the money.'"
Her attitude doesn't come across in the transcript as much as it did in the video - where she says ... "it's my debt I'll deal with it and if I can't afford it then I will just... go bankrupt" .. the "go bankrupt" bit was said with a off-handed laugh ... as if it is a joke ...
All in all I thought the whole report highlighted a very scary situation and as a mum of two young girls I'm now asking myself how I can avoid my girls growing up with similar attitudes. I use my credit card a lot, and my girls know this, what they probably don't know is that I pay it off in full each month. For me, a credit card isn't "free, easy money" it's a convenient way of avoiding carrying cash.
Basically it was a report on the Gen Yers (those aged between 18 & 28) who between them hold $60BILLION dollars worth of debt in AUSTRALIA ... now, i'm not sure how many Gen Yers there are, but we've only got a total population of 20mill or so, so i'm thinking there can't be THAT many of them.
I know some of the debt is HECS (higher education costs) and i am a bit annoyed that the program didn't differentiate between how much of the $60Billion is HECS and how much is "other" debt. Even so I was totally astounded at the "it's the price I pay for happiness" type attitude that came through the whole report.
Peter Overton was the reporter and I thought he did a pretty good job except I would have liked to punch him for two comments ... both were made in relation to a 21y.o. lass who has a personal debt of $70,000 ... he called her a "poor possum" in one comment - I would have thought "stupid idiot" would have been more applicable and then at the end he said "you can't help but admire her decision to pay back what she owes". Umm, hang on a second ... why should anyone ADMIRE someone for doing what they're responsible for???
One of the interviewees - who annoyed me the most with her attitude - played the "victim" card, e.g. "We're targets. We are targets of the bank because they know we're gullible. They know that anything they say we'll just follow. They're the leader and we're just the little people walking behind them, 'give me the money.'"
Her attitude doesn't come across in the transcript as much as it did in the video - where she says ... "it's my debt I'll deal with it and if I can't afford it then I will just... go bankrupt" .. the "go bankrupt" bit was said with a off-handed laugh ... as if it is a joke ...
All in all I thought the whole report highlighted a very scary situation and as a mum of two young girls I'm now asking myself how I can avoid my girls growing up with similar attitudes. I use my credit card a lot, and my girls know this, what they probably don't know is that I pay it off in full each month. For me, a credit card isn't "free, easy money" it's a convenient way of avoiding carrying cash.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Entering the World of Blogging
hi everyone
i've been debating for awhile now as to whether or not to take the plunge and put my thoughts down in this format ... i have been running a blog on a weight loss site for just over a year and a half but now that my focus has moved away from weight loss at the moment i thought that it might be time to venture out into the generic world of blogs.
i read a number of blogs regularly (i'll get around to adding them to a blog roll in the next couple of days) and from reading these blogs i've been exposed to various types of humour, ideas, beliefs and thoughts. I have been entertained, bewildered, shocked, challenged and educated. I hope that anyone reading this blog will also experience some of these things as well.
I have no idea of the focus or direction of this blog at this point in time. I know it will be a place for me to put down some of my ideas, rave about shooting & guns, share some of my ideas of living with kids and probably rave about various social, political and economical factors affecting my life.
Please feel free to leave comments .. look forward to getting to know you ...
i've been debating for awhile now as to whether or not to take the plunge and put my thoughts down in this format ... i have been running a blog on a weight loss site for just over a year and a half but now that my focus has moved away from weight loss at the moment i thought that it might be time to venture out into the generic world of blogs.
i read a number of blogs regularly (i'll get around to adding them to a blog roll in the next couple of days) and from reading these blogs i've been exposed to various types of humour, ideas, beliefs and thoughts. I have been entertained, bewildered, shocked, challenged and educated. I hope that anyone reading this blog will also experience some of these things as well.
I have no idea of the focus or direction of this blog at this point in time. I know it will be a place for me to put down some of my ideas, rave about shooting & guns, share some of my ideas of living with kids and probably rave about various social, political and economical factors affecting my life.
Please feel free to leave comments .. look forward to getting to know you ...
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