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Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Erin Update

No pithy title for this post, as I'm operating in that gray area of "I would rather accomplish this than waste time being clever" and "I don't want to jinx this" at the moment. 

Things are looking cautiously positive at the moment. After two months of the house being a shambles due to the mold problem I discussed earlier, it seems like we have finally filled out enough paperwork, jumped through enough hoops, and lit enough fires under people that the insurance company is finally thinking about getting around to possibly paying to have dad's old bedroom - bathroom - closet suite made habitable. Neither mom nor I know when this will be -- knowing my luck, they'll want to begin when I'm out of state for LibertyCon -- but like my tummy after eating too much Taco Bell, I feel rumblings which presage future motion. 

Speaking of LibertyCon, not only will I be there (June 23-25, Chattanooga TN) but I will also be a panelist for the first time! I even have a Guest Page like a big shot. Here is my schedule:


I've talked about this over at Blue Collar Prepping, but I have been taking nightly walks around my neighborhood pretty much every night since December of last year as a way to lose weight and get in better shape. I am overweight like pretty much all Americans, and I have arthritis in my back that has diminished my quality of life, so I started walking as a low-impact form of exercise. Most importantly, it doesn't feel like exercise to my body, which is pretty much essential to insuring I do it. The weight loss has been... well, I'm down six pounds since I started, but that's basically just a pound a month? But please keep in mind that I had to get through Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter, so that walking helped keep weight off when I was stress/depression eating. (My favorite carbohydrate is sugar.)

Perhaps more importantly, though, my back is getting better. Usually it would start tightening up halfway through the 1.1 mile loop, and by the time I made it home I would have to limp into a hot shower. Tonight, however, I did two loops, my back didn't even begin to get sore until 3/4th of the way through the second loop, and I'm typing this now before I take a shower. This is an absolute win for me in terms of flexibility and quality of life!

Finally, in related news, I think I've figured out why my brain has felt so sluggish for months: I didn't take my nightly dose of melatonin, and when I got up the next morning I actually felt well-rested and not sluggish in the brain. Apparently my body is super-sensitive to melatonin, because 5mg (half the recommended dose) is like anti-ritalin for me in that it basically makes thinking difficult! Imagine if your body is awake but your brain just wants to take a nap, regardless of how much coffee you drink... and believe me, it's a WEIRD feeling to have my body wired on caffeine while my brain still refuses to go any faster than first gear. 

I truly hope that between the exercise, the weight loss, and quitting the melatonin I will be able to return to what feels like normalcy. I've missed writing and I hope to do more of it soon.  

Thanks for reading, and I'll talk to you again soon. 

Monday, May 29, 2023

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 251: Ho ho, hey hey, NFA must go away!

 

In This Episode

  • Erin and Weer’d skip the news to get right into the topics!
  • Matt from Geeks Gadgets and Guns talks about the latest development in the ATF's reclassification of pistol stabilizing braces.
  • David teaches us about shotguns and chokes.
  • ACP listener and Patreon patron Miles gives a response to Erin and Weer'd's take on "Run, Hide, and Fight".
  • Finally, Oddball calls back to a previous show and tells us about Jack Thompson, the driving force hind the Violent Video games moral panic.




Did you know that we have a Patreon? Join now for the low, low cost of $4/month (that’s $1/podcast) and you’ll get to listen to our podcast on Friday instead of Mondays, as well as patron-only content like mag dump episodes and our hilarious blooper reels and film tracks.

Saturday, May 27, 2023

Pride Month Flyers for OBS-PP



Pride month begins next week, and so Operation Blazing Sword - Pink Pistols is proud to announce that we have tri-fold information pamphlets for download. They are double sided, with one side for Operation Blazing Sword and the other for Pink Pistols. Print them out for your table, or grab a handful and pass them around to Pride attendees!



To anticipate a question, "Why Say Queer?" and "Full Circle Support" are deliberately on both sides. Someone may not think to look at the back, or the flyers may be printed out as a single-sided and unfolded sheet, and the repetition ensures that an important message is seen ("Queer") and the other org is listed ("Circle") so that the viewer knows to look for more information. 

Special thanks to David Bock and Tiffany Reynolds for their help in making this project a reality. 

Monday, May 22, 2023

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 250: Several Old Cranks

 

In This Episode

  • Erin and Weer’d discuss:
    • Another spree killing in Serbia and its political fallout;
    • the Texas Mall shooting first responder who wasn't;
    • a Federal Court ruling that the ban on firearms purchasing for people under 21 is unconstitutional;
    • Trump talking about the 2nd Amendment at the CNN Town Hall... and it wasn't good.
  • David tells us a story of a friend who pressed a debate on gun control.
  • Xander had an accident, so he talks about first aid down on the farm.




Did you know that we have a Patreon? Join now for the low, low cost of $4/month (that’s $1/podcast) and you’ll get to listen to our podcast on Friday instead of Mondays, as well as patron-only content like mag dump episodes and our hilarious blooper reels and film tracks.

Monday, May 15, 2023

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 249: Mass Killings Won't Be Solved by Gun Control

 

In This Episode

  • Erin and Weer’d discuss the similarities and differences between three mass killings that happened within four days.
  • Weer'd sits down with John Richardson to talk about North Carolina's Constitutional Carry bill, and how the NRA killed it.
  • David had a visit from a Tisas company rep, and he discusses the guns offered by this Turkish company.




Did you know that we have a Patreon? Join now for the low, low cost of $4/month (that’s $1/podcast) and you’ll get to listen to our podcast on Friday instead of Mondays, as well as patron-only content like mag dump episodes and our hilarious blooper reels and film tracks.

Monday, May 8, 2023

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 248: Less Chevron Deference, More Chevron Defiance

 

In This Episode

  • Erin and Weer’d discuss:
    • Time magazine's interview with Gabby Giffords, and her talk of gun confiscation;
    • Nebraska joining the ranks of permitless (but still concealed) carry;
    • Illinois' Assault Weapons Ban getting blocked by the courts;
    • Operation Blazing Sword - Pink Pistols filing an Amicus Brief against the Rhode Island Magazine Ban;
    • and how a SCOTUS case against the Chevron Deference of the National Marine Fisheries Service relates to the abuse of gun owners by the ATF.
  • David continues his series on optics,  this time with the history of reflex sights.
  • Oddball bought a new knife, and this one is the high-priced Sandrin Torino.




Did you know that we have a Patreon? Join now for the low, low cost of $4/month (that’s $1/podcast) and you’ll get to listen to our podcast on Friday instead of Mondays, as well as patron-only content like mag dump episodes and our hilarious blooper reels and film tracks.

Show Notes

Main Topic:

Gun Lovers and Other Strangers;

Oddball’s Corner Pocket:

Monday, May 1, 2023

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 247: A Savage Fisking

 

In This Episode

  • Erin and Weer’d discuss:
    • Wayne LaPierre cementing his position within the NRA and its pending demise;
    • an Assault Weapons Ban that passed in Washington state and failed in Colorado, and what that means to the residents of these blue states;
    • and the Louisville, KY bank shooter and his ties to gun control.
  • Finally, Weer'd fisks Dan Savage of Savage Lovecast over the Nashville shooting.





Did you know that we have a Patreon? Join now for the low, low cost of $4/month (that’s $1/podcast) and you’ll get to listen to our podcast on Friday instead of Mondays, as well as patron-only content like mag dump episodes and our hilarious blooper reels and film tracks.

Show Notes

Main Topic:

Weer’d Audio Fisk: