USAF lose badly to CHICOMS

Yeah, but I bet their pass rate on Sensitivity Training was WAY better than the Chinese People's Army.

I had the idea for this post 3 days ago, and now it looks like everyone has had the same comment.  When I was in the military it was drilled into me that training was nearly the most important thing you could be doing, second only to victory in battle.  

It did not mean Sensitivity Training.    

But maybe today training to fight and winning battles are no longer the priority at DoD.  I've had my DD214 a long time.  Screw victory in battle in the 21st Century.  Now have a victory over a new anchor.  

Is this the best use of your time Command Signal Major Lemon?  You sound like Swallwell.  Never a good look.

This is healthcare!

"You can't pay for anything out of pocket! That's insane!"

So my MRI place got bought out by MedStar, and they decided that I don't get an MRI unless I jump through a buncha hoops first.  What a difference 3 months makes.  So no imaging.  My doctor's office is trying to go to bat for me before the next appointment on the 23rd. 

Thanks Obama.

"We'll let you get an MRI after 2 more doctor visits, and 16 more PT sessions, all at $30 a pop, co-pay."

I did PT.  It made things worse.  And all that costs more than the $500 an MRI goes for. 

--

But, I got an appointment for the vax.  St Paddy's day.  It's a dice throw on which company, but everyone that got the one and done J&J here have had flu like symptoms for 2 days after.  So if I get that one I better hit the pubs right away before it kicks in.  

"How did you manage that?  Are you special?"

Sorta?  Essential worker and all that.  Though they aren't really demanding proof apart from my word.  I will be the last in my extended family to get a shot.  Even my work from home Navy brother got one already, and the over-70s have all gotten both shots.  The office I work at only has one more person that hasn't gotten an appt lined up.  Dollars to donuts, before May some of us will be leaving the mask in the car. 

This isn't the ammo blog idea, but...

We were discussing ammo deterioration.  Quite a few people had an example of ammo that went bad.  

I'm not talking the ammo stored in a paper sack in the basement that floods all the time.  Properly stored in a upstairs closet sort of storage in a year round climate controlled house.  

Mine was leftovers from the 1950s.  But other had tell of ammo going bad less than 20 years old.  All corroded, lots of duds...

Can you guess the commonality?

It was .22, correct.  Huh.

Anyone else notice a propensity for their long rifle ammo spoiling?  If so, do you know what causes that, if I am noticing an actual 'thing'?

I LOVE THIS!

No, not Col. Cooper or the Steyr Scout, though I have been fascinated with both.  Look at that vest!  LOOK AT IT!

Admittedly, tho

 I do like one feature of books that come on a screen.  If you touch a word, it give you the definition.  Yet another efficiency increase thanks to technology.

I buy Blu Ray

To, just in case, actually have physical property of my media.  

So, you know, Hitchcock movies, Blazing Saddles, Caddyshack.  Stuff that might be cancelled and yoinked from the regular economy.

I was never a fan of Dr. Seuss.  Even as a kid.  So... Meh.  The Grinch cartoon is good!  Worth having.  So I don't need to buy Mulberry Street.

Never a fan of Gone With the Wind, neither.  I mean, I saw it, thought it plodding, the burning of the King Kong set as a stand in for Atlanta was cool, but I never saw the greater appeal.  

I have a spare DVD player, as well. 

Of course I am not the only one with this attitude.

Nobody reads Hemingway anymore.

Had an idea

 Last night.  For blog fodder.  But I didn't jot down a note.  Now it's gone.

I think it was about ammo.  Not wadcutters, but wad cutters are all I can think about now.

Monday

My standard blog drought day.  Or I could whine about my spine.  I'm sure you all lover reading about that.

"Everyone talks about their aches and pains, but no one ever does anything about it, T-Bolt."

Not true!  I go for lumbar imagery today.  Two weeks, the Noive Doctor follow up.  I just hope he has a way to fix it a little short of Laminectomy.  I hate ectomies.  This Florida Man performed a wholly different kind of ectomy, but just as unwelcome.  Maybe a bit more unwelcome...

I've had a couple of good days, tho.  You know how I know its a good day?  I go "Up, time for ibuprofen!  Wait...  I don't feel so bad.  I can skip it for now."  Low pain days are nice.

"So what is causing all this, T-Bolt.  What is it?"  

Spinal Stenosis.  Most like caused by:  Old.  A narrowing of the channel the nerves ride in, both the main cord itself and all the branches off of it. Thing that didn't help it:  

• 6 years of military style physical training every week.
• Working in microbrewery throughout the 90s lifting kegs that weighed 140 pounds, grain sacks that weighed 50, trashcans full of wet, spent, malted barley, shifting hundreds of beer cases at a go.  Oh and shoveling enough snow to get semi trailers to back to our door.  And the 90s had quite a few good snow storms.
• Three decent car accidents that didn't send me to the doctor, but weren't nothing, either. 
• And 20 years of system administrator posture.

But mostly just being old.  It's arthritis on the bones narrowing the channels, ya know.  No history in the family of people with similar issues except maybe dad.  He had a twinge in his back that would come on sudden.  It went away of it's own accord by the time he was about my age now. 

But, lets get some pictures.  Clearer ones, this time.    

Which was the bad guy of WWII, Europe side?

 Easy!  The one that invaded Poland in 1939.

"OK so neither of us invade Poland. Deal?" pic.twitter.com/t7HqJDb5h1

— Noam Blum (@neontaster) March 3, 2021

Good Ol' Uncle Joe

Happy Stalin’s Death Day! pic.twitter.com/FwNjoADY7E

— Ukraine / Україна (@Ukraine) March 5, 2021

Near Future NBA Prediction

 "The 3-Point line is racist"

1987 NBA Three-Point Shootout. If you need me to tell you who won, you haven't been paying attention. pic.twitter.com/0E3UQ9lBSz

— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) March 3, 2021

Hell, it may have already been a thing for a time and I just forgot.

You Tube may be worse than CPAC

🚨🚨🚨Breaking🚨🚨🚨
Hidden in plain sight? User uncovers ░N░A░Z░I░ ░I░M░A░G░E░R░Y░ on YouTube proprietary video player. pic.twitter.com/MIiKi7qV65

— I,Hypocrite (@lporiginalg) March 3, 2021

Update on that Insurrection 2:

 QAnon boogaloo.

At the Capitol, a March 4 threat from militant Trump supporters proves a mirage https://t.co/pHUgunuHEN

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 4, 2021

What a jerk

Banned from hunting errywhere, but Hawaii and Mass.  Has to turn in the guns he used for poaching.

It's not like it is really that hard to adhere to most hunting regulations.  He didn't just poach a lil bit...  he poached it lotta bit.  Like he preferred it out of season.

I imagine he can get another rifle tomorrow.  And he can buy a couple hundred acres.  I assume in that situation he can hunt all year round from his back deck.  Ifn that was what he wanted.  He seems trophy obsessed and not venison obscessed, tho. 

... uh huh...

U.S. CAPITOL POLICE SAYS IT HAS OBTAINED INTELLIGENCE ON POSSIBLE PLOT TO "BREACH CAPITOL" BY MILITIA GROUP ON THURSDAY

— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) March 3, 2021

What do you do here?

Wayne?  You can't think of ANY gun law that might be a bit much?  A bit of an infringement?  Not providing any public safety benefits despite what it was billed as before it was passed (like that matters with a right anyway)?

You suck up all the money to live high on the hog, AND you don't really advocate for our rights, which should have been you raison d'etre.  Plus flubbing the New York incorporation.  Out.  Of.  Touch.  

Retire.  

If you had said "We don't need to repeal any gun laws," out loud I'd be for investigating you for malfeasance to pack you away in prison.  Instead of retire.

Retire, you have outlived your usefulness.  If you ever had much in the first place.  Now you have the utility for the cause as an ashtray on a motorbike.

Waco

 I'd been reading up on the Waco Siege of the Branch Davidians because the ATF was being all mournful of the 4 agents that dies there.  Not so much for the 80 some 'civilians' that died there (2 dozen children) because the ATF wanted to make a flashy arrest for the cameras and elevate their exposure.

Oh, their exposure got elevated alright.

The thing that got the ATF sniffing around is the cult (a bit sketchy as a cult, yes, but the ATF doesn't arrest people for being in a fringe Christian group...) were firearms enthusiasts.  They made some folding money with an FFL selling stuff at gun shows.  Being very meticulous to properly fill out the ATF forms.  The ATF found it sketchy that they got shipped firearms accessories.  Citing a time when they got 60 AR magazines at one time.

Sixty.

I bet more than one reader of this tiny blog has considered owning up to sixty magazines for personal use.  

For that all this people had to die.

President Clinton:  "Why can't you just wait them out?"

Janet Reno: "Well, the FBI shooter team is getting tired."

President Clinton: "..."

Janet Reno:  "Plus reports children are getting molested, like all them Satanic daycare centers across the country!"

President Clinton:  "Whatever... Look, do what you want, but if this goes pear shaped that is on you."

And it went pear shaped.

We remember the fallen agents: Special Agent Conway LeBleu, Special Agent Todd McKeehan, Special Agent Robert Williams, and Special Agent Steven Willis who made the ultimate sacrifice while trying to execute a search warrant. Learn more: https://t.co/4bKunPx0Hq pic.twitter.com/aVde6ZK13K

— ATF HQ (@ATFHQ) February 28, 2021

Does Mitt have a brother?

That, you know, likes to drink a lot, and was known for being a southpaw boxer back in the day.

Like Harry Reid's brother!  Sure, Harry, it slipped.  

Wait, Mitt was visiting his boy, Tagg.  No word on Tagg's boxing prowess.

Garum

 But I thought that I was the only one that went on Ancient Rome fish sauce jags.

--

If I had a time machine I'd go back to 1979 and bring back some Trac II razors.

But I'd also go back to 79 BC and bring back an amphora of garum.  Just to see what the fuss was about.

Monday always sneaks up on me.

 Been doin some experimenting.  Dosing with booze to help with sleeping.  What with the painful spine and all.  Beer is less effective than I remember, and wine isn’t much better.   But four fingers of bourbon does a decent job.  And unlike opioids, alcohol isn’t addictive.

~whisper~

It is?!  No shit.  Huh.