Glad Tidings.........Not

This past weekend was the unit's drill weekend "holiday meal" (formerly Christmas meal; oy, how low we've fallen as a culture) and briefings. Our's wasn't bad; good food, relatively short briefings, etc. Things could've been worse; we could have been in the company of our battalion that got notified at the holiday meal that they'd just won an all-expense paid trip to Afghanistan. Nothing like a little forethought and consideration to make everyone happy, right? I'm sure there's going to be a load of Christmas celebrations this year that will feature more tears than smiles. And they're not even leaving until well (really well) into 2010.

The brass has been making these announcements for almost 10 years now; is it too hard to figure out that maybe right before one of the major family holidays isn't the time to do it?

Ugly Gun Sunday

"Loose, sloppy, and too dangerous to shoot". With a description like that, I guess the only reason to buy it is the aesthetic appeal.............Truly, how can one pass up a revolver with plexiglass grips secured by a hardware store hexnut?

Curtains for Criminals

One of the interns at the hospital recently had an early-morning home invasion. 5 AM on Black Friday, and someone came in through the back door uninvited. As he and his wife happened to be up, getting ready for shopping, the intruder was noticed, and ran as soon as he realized he had someone running down the stairs at him. He got away, and we now have a group of very nervous doctor's wives.

These walk-in attempted burglaries have become rather frequent in my town lately. We also have a large number of unemployed urban youth imported here from Illinois in the last year, which is a major change in our demographics. According to friends who circulate in law enforcement circles, a good number of them already have convictions and outstanding warrants, but Illinois won't spend the money to put them back in their system. Their our problem now. Just a coincidence, I'm sure.

So far, no one has been hurt; just missing cash, purses, and snatch-and-grab items. But what has been the response by the doc's wives to up security? New locks, and.....curtains. Apparently, if they can't see you, they won't bother you, is the current thinking. I'm thinking locks are good, as long as they don't want in very badly. It's a good start; but curtains? Curtains are good for making sure no one can see what's happening to you if something does happen, not for keeping burglars (or worse) away.

At least one of my docs has the right idea. A police-style shotgun is now on the shopping list, along with some buckshot practice to follow, which is more my idea of an appropriate dissuasion technique. At least there's one family around here that won't have to rely on wishful thinking for protection.

Intermittent Posting (Even More Than Normal)

Posting will be even more haphazard than usual, as the combination of an accelerated finance class studies(I feel like the guy above looks), Guard drill weekend, and work join to create a perfect version of The Suck. When the alternating periods of personal conviction that I'm on the low end of simple and desire to strangle random people cease, the usual torrent of intolerance, anger, and amazement will commence once again.

In the meantime, here's a belated Ugly Gun Sunday Post in honor of Sino-Soviet Saturday's topic:




I'm guessing the artist is question didn't take the time to modify the gas system to function, so we have a really poorly engineered straight-pull pistol at this point. Bet that flash hider works just super too. Although I'll admit, if this was given to me for free, I'd keep it just for shooting at dusk as personal entertainment.

Sino-Soviet Saturday

Took a break to attend an auction at the local fair grounds today. While the focus of it was various auto repair shops cleaning out their obsolete and redundant tools, there were two items of interest to me noted in the paper; a "Russian rifle, 7.62x54" and a "rifle, 7.62x39". Can't hurt to look, I figured.

After getting there, I found an M-44, dated 1944, and a Norinco SKS. Both in relatively good shape. While I was waiting for the auctioneer to get to the rifles, I got a brief lesson in rifle identification listening to bystanders. Apparently, M44 carbines are easily confused with Springfield rifles. Also, they're American made, because there's writing on the side of the receiver in English showing "the company that made them". And according to one man, at least in his fifties, speaking to his friend, no one with any sense would by either of them, because "they're old junk; only modern rifles are any good".

All that may be why I now have another SKS for the cost of $140, and another M44 for $110. A damn good price for an SKS, and a not-bad price for a bolt rifle selling for $169.99 two blocks away at the local Fleet Farm.

I'll be watching the auction advertisements a little closer from now on.

Ain't Reality A Bitch?

I expect children to whine, cry, and sob when they see a needle coming at them. When you're a young, but adult, woman, it's simply pathetic. Especially if it's a change-out of central venous catheter you already have in, in which case you know damn well it's not horribly uncomfortable to have done. Keep in mind, we're doing this to keep you alive. So swearing at the staff, screaming that we made you look like a freak, and yelling there's a massive length of tubing that's disfiguring after your procedure is done isn't something that makes us look forward to working with you. And we are the ones that will keep you alive when your line fails, which it eventually will, unless your dialysis loop in your arm has time to mature. In which case, you'll be really unhappy when you notice that success means having something that looks like a massive hemorrhoid on your forearm, that will be stuck at with a couple of sixteen-gauge needles three times a week, which will leave plenty of additional scars over time. And you'll come to see us when that eventually fails too, and we have to angioplasty it open three or four times until it's unsalvagable, and the surgeons move to the next area of your body to make a new loop. Where we will start over a square one again, putting in another central catheter.

We'll do the same quality of work, each time, because it's our job to do it right, regardless of how much on a spoiled ass you are. But don't expect much sympathy. We have it, but it's not infinite; and believe it or not, your not super-special. There's lots of people worse off than you, who are simply happy someone helps them live longer with a better quality of life than otherwise.

Efficiency

Based on personal experience, if FedGov healthcare administration works as well as VA education benefits administration, the corpses will be stacking up in the waiting room before they ever encounter an actual human being.