One of the worse things ever is when you are really tired and you crawl into bed and roll over right into a wet messy mass of vomit. It’s really bad when it’s your partner’s vomit, but it’s not much less bad when it’s your cat’s vomit.
This cat has a bed, but she’s never vomited in it. No, that would be wrong. She has to climb out of her bed, jump into my bed, and then puke. And then go back over to her bed and go to sleep. And never say a word about it.
Cats suck. A dog would at least eat its own vomit and make some effort to clean up after himself.
I must confess that reading of your vomit misfortune caused great mirth here in Happy -- and, apparently -- Mean-Spirted Larryville.
(Which had nothing whatsoever to do with the droll fashion in which you related your account. Nope…we’re just flat-out Bad Gerbils here at CasaK. But not so bad as to blame teh victim; we do have some sense of propriety. Because GoodWifeK says we do. And no…she didn’t make me add that; rather, it was a keenly-honed sense of self preservation.) 😉
So I’ve completed three weeks at my new job. I’m the Sr. (read only) Technical Writer in the IT Dept for a large retail outlet. If I mentioned the name, you’d know it. In terms of size, they did about $2.1 billion in sales last year, have about 300 stores right now, and are adding a new one every week. Privately held. Family business with a lot of weird history behind it-at least over the last two years when a power struggle forced the founder out and it was taken over by his kids. Out with the old and in with the new. (Some details changed, exaggerated, minimized-old habits dying hard and all that.)
The IT dept is a mess-one of them places where they all work harder instead of smarter. In the three weeks I’ve been there, they had two network outages-one that lasted about 6 hours. They’ve also been hacked with the target being credit card and customer information. Was that one successful? Officially, they say no, but folks I’ve talked with aint so sure. No integrated systems running things, but a rather extreme hodgepodge of separate systems literally for every department and business process-all kludged together-leading to a huge IT group.
There’s that old cliche about not getting a second chance to make a first impression. My first impression is that these guys are seriously f*cked up, but they work hard to keep things going. They take pride in how disorganized they really are and how chaotic the environment is. Out loud, they say they want to change things and they are doing a lot of hiring to make that happen, but I also think they are going through the motions-there isn’t a game plan in place as to where they want to go.
So, for me, I’m thankful to have a job. I can do the work, and I will do the work and do it to the best of my ability. But I also know that it isnt going to make a bit of difference. For the first time in a long time, this is going to be only about a paycheck.
Mrs Sven got home from work at 11:00 last night. We’ve talked about this and the effect it is having on her health, but I can’t make any headway with her.
Regarding the thread pic, that’s either really lightweight oil she’s pouring all over the engine or it aint oil at all. Funny anyhow, especially since she’s blonde.
Happy Caturday, Gerbil Nation!
Sorry about your cat-vomit travails, Sven. I related your tale to Teh Family and we all shook our heads and agreed with your position. Sorry about the job situations (both yours and Mrs. Sven’s). Unfortunately, in the on-going depression poised to take-off economy, a lot of people are going to have to settle for “just a paycheck”.
Teh Older and Teh Younger are taking me out shooting today, so I’ve been busy going through the shooting supplies and reloading some 38 special and 45 acp.
Have fun today, Paddy. I went shooting twice last week trying out the new guns and ammo. I have always been a big fan of the .45 but lately the arthritis in my hands and wrists has encouraged a move to smaller calibers. I do still have my father’s old GI 1911A1 and my S&W Mod 25 Target in .45 ACP and will continue to enjoy those, but my more serious .45s have been traded away. Still love the .38 / .357s.
Sven, I hope you will revisit that talk. I think we are going to lose Elena’s mother very soon. The last month and a half have been devastating to her and she seems to have decided she has had enough and has stopped taking water, food, or her medications. She can hardly communicate but has made it clear she does not want to go back to the hospital. She is a very strong old lady that has worked hard all her life caring for her family. She ran away at twelve and lived by working as a domestic and continued to work hard until her body just gave out. She set a standard that any two or three of her daughters found exhausting to try to keep up with.
If possible, back down a bit and start looking at starting the future now, it will be here all too soon. There is no finish line in this race, just a place you collapse and can’t go on. I’m not sure it makes sense to sprint to the end.
Im sorry to hear about your MiL, Mac. My thoughts and prayers continue in that regard.
I’ve tried several different tactics with Mrs Sven to no avail. I was actually happy earlier in the week when she was getting home by 7ish, but that was blown out by yesterday. It’s 11:00 now, and she’s still asleep upstairs.
It aint easy doing these types of hours once you hit and pass the age of 50. To add insult to injury, once again she’s supporting groups for which she is not suppose to be responsible.
When you guys consider buying a new gun, are you loyal to any particular manufacturer? I’m thinking, now that I am once again employed, of picking up a new 1911. Any recommendations?
Hey, Sven! No, I don’t have any particular loyalties. I have pistols from the following manufacturers: Star, Astra, Springfield, Remington Rand, Colt, S&W, and High Standard. No complaints with any of them. I’ve always had a good impression of Kimber, but have never been able to afford one.
Try out whatever you are interested in, at least how it feels in your hand. A buddy of mine absolutely loves the Desert Eagle in large calibers because it fits his large hands.
We’re very saddened to hear about Elena’s mother; know that you’re all in our thoughts even more than usual.
Paddy --
Hope you had a good time at teh range.
Sven --
Bummer about your job as well Mrs. Sven’s ridiculous hours. (FWIW, Powerball’s up to $114.6M cash value tonight. Despite the fact I’m annoyed they raised their tickets to $2 / play earlier this year, I purchased one this afternoon as the risk v. reward is almost acceptable…WTF.) 😉
SiL has a Kimber 1911 Custom 2 he purchased used; even as a relative newbie, I really enjoy shooting it. Feels good in my hand and I’m always pleasantly surprised with the accuracy I can achieve.
Had a great time shooting. Fixed some of the feeding problems I’ve had with some of my reloads. Now I need to adjust the powder charges and see how that changes accuracy. I fired some standard (purchased) cast lead bullets with wax-type lube and compared them with hard-cast bullets with a graphite coating and was amazed at the difference. The standard lead rounds produced very noticeable clouds of smoke from the wax, while the graphite rounds behaved like jacketed bullets. Unfortunately, the company I bought them from is no longer in business.
Teh Older turns out to be a pretty good shot with a pistol. Teh Younger, who is an ace with a shotgun, struggles. By struggle, I mean his shots at 7 yds stay within an 8 in. diameter circle.
I am not loyal as such but do tend to look to companies that I have confidence in for quality, engineering, and service. I had a Kimber 1911, a Crimson Carry II with full legnth 5″ barrel but alloy frame. It was light and would have been nice for carry, and the quality and trigger pull were fine. I traded it off because the recoil of the .45 in the lightweight gun was becoming a problem when my arthritus is bothering me and I am no longer as comfortable with cocked and locked so I am moving to DA/SA or DAO guns in .40 S&W or 9mm caliber.
I should soon have my father’s old 1911 back from the gunsmith and will shoot that for fun but I would not carry it or depend on it for self defense. I carry a Kahr CW40 and I have a Sig 239 in .40 and a Taurus PT100, a clone of the Beretta 96 in .40 caliber. If I was going to carry the Taurus I would probably but a Beretta as I did with the 9mm.
If I was going to buy a utility type 1911 I would buy the Remington or a Springfield Mil Spec. The cheaper ones might be alright as toys but I would be reluctant to depend on one. For a fancier or premium one the Kimbers offer a full range of models and are a good value. Beyond that you start looking at the Wilson or other top makers and the prices get nuts, well over $2,000.00. I can’t really recommend those unless you have a high risk job and are expert with the 1911 or you win Fatwa’s lottery.
The configuration is a matter of need and preference but in general the shorter the slide/ barrel set the pickier they tend to be about loads and reliability. The shorter slide travel tends to shorten the feed cycle and make timing and speed critical. I would not depend on one less than 4 1/4″ and I prefer the full 5″. Many disagree with this.
The 1911 is the first handgun I fired when I was 11 years old. In fact, the one I have is that very gun. I do love them but for serious use it has just become obvious that the newer designs are better engineered for reliability and durability. A Glock, Sig, or Beretta will just handle a wider range of ammo and live through many times the number of rounds that a 1911 can be expected to shoot. I used to consider the 1911 the ultimate combat handgun and it will still hold it’s own in the modern lineup, the newer ones tending to be better generally that the older ones were, but the newer ones are just better with a straighter shot for the cartridge into the chamber aiding reliable feeding and more robust parts allowing round counts the older design just can’t handle.
I’ll be very interested in your impressions and thoughts as you look at them.
We were shooting both a stock Springfield government model 1911A1 and a compact Star PD. He had the same performance with my Colt Trooper Mark III and slightly better with the High Standard Military in .22.
Thanks, guys-appreciate the advice. The one I have now is a Springfield Armory and I’ve enjoyed it, bought it used several years ago, but with even a couple of trips to the supposedly best 1911 gunsmith on the west coast, it still jams. It aint my wrists or grip either as Ive had other guys shoot it and it jams with them as well. I ‘m always on edge with it when I shoot-waiting for it to jam. But I only paid $450 for it and think I’ve gotten my money’s worth.
I’ve never had a new gun before-all mine have been used. Might be nice.
BBQ’d some steaks for dinner; Mrs Sven was sleeping, I woke her up, told her dinner was ready-she said OK, and apparently went right back to sleep. Best let her rest.
I have had many guns be unreliable, including revolvers. One of the things that makes a Sig or Beretta worth the money is having it just eat up whatever you feed it. This new Beretta I got has been great in that respect and my Sig has also excellent, even during the break in period. I good 1911 can certainly be very reliable but I would never trust one until it was proven and I know many that have had your experience with one just not running right, even after several visits to a gunsmith. Even my two Taurus autos, though cheap copies of good guns, have shown the benefit of good design by being absolutely reliable from round one with every type of ammo I have tried in them. For the Pt908 in 9mm this runs from hot Corbon 90 grain JHPs to 125 grain JHPs. The Pt100 in .40 caliber has handled 135 grain JHPs to 180 grain JHPs and mild 165 grain loads to some hot +P 155 grain and 135 grain JHPs.
Re teh thread GIF: Meh…it’s only a Beetle. 😉
Caturday greetings from drear -- and cooler -- yet Happy Larryville, GN!
There ain’t enough wasabi in teh world…just sayin’.
BOGO?
One of the worse things ever is when you are really tired and you crawl into bed and roll over right into a wet messy mass of vomit. It’s really bad when it’s your partner’s vomit, but it’s not much less bad when it’s your cat’s vomit.
This cat has a bed, but she’s never vomited in it. No, that would be wrong. She has to climb out of her bed, jump into my bed, and then puke. And then go back over to her bed and go to sleep. And never say a word about it.
Cats suck. A dog would at least eat its own vomit and make some effort to clean up after himself.
Sven --
I must confess that reading of your vomit misfortune caused great mirth here in Happy -- and, apparently -- Mean-Spirted Larryville.
(Which had nothing whatsoever to do with the droll fashion in which you related your account. Nope…we’re just flat-out Bad Gerbils here at CasaK. But not so bad as to blame teh victim; we do have some sense of propriety. Because GoodWifeK says we do. And no…she didn’t make me add that; rather, it was a keenly-honed sense of self preservation.) 😉
You guys are bad gerbils. Bad Jooooooish gerbils. Bad southern Jooooooish gerbils. Just to be precise.
To make up for it, I expect you to buy me lunch at Zig’s the next time you are out here.
Done and done, sir!
(Presuming that it’s still open, of course.)
Oh…shalom, y’all!
Gotta go prep the chicken-fried boiled chicken; BBL.
So I’ve completed three weeks at my new job. I’m the Sr. (read only) Technical Writer in the IT Dept for a large retail outlet. If I mentioned the name, you’d know it. In terms of size, they did about $2.1 billion in sales last year, have about 300 stores right now, and are adding a new one every week. Privately held. Family business with a lot of weird history behind it-at least over the last two years when a power struggle forced the founder out and it was taken over by his kids. Out with the old and in with the new. (Some details changed, exaggerated, minimized-old habits dying hard and all that.)
The IT dept is a mess-one of them places where they all work harder instead of smarter. In the three weeks I’ve been there, they had two network outages-one that lasted about 6 hours. They’ve also been hacked with the target being credit card and customer information. Was that one successful? Officially, they say no, but folks I’ve talked with aint so sure. No integrated systems running things, but a rather extreme hodgepodge of separate systems literally for every department and business process-all kludged together-leading to a huge IT group.
There’s that old cliche about not getting a second chance to make a first impression. My first impression is that these guys are seriously f*cked up, but they work hard to keep things going. They take pride in how disorganized they really are and how chaotic the environment is. Out loud, they say they want to change things and they are doing a lot of hiring to make that happen, but I also think they are going through the motions-there isn’t a game plan in place as to where they want to go.
So, for me, I’m thankful to have a job. I can do the work, and I will do the work and do it to the best of my ability. But I also know that it isnt going to make a bit of difference. For the first time in a long time, this is going to be only about a paycheck.
Mrs Sven got home from work at 11:00 last night. We’ve talked about this and the effect it is having on her health, but I can’t make any headway with her.
Regarding the thread pic, that’s either really lightweight oil she’s pouring all over the engine or it aint oil at all. Funny anyhow, especially since she’s blonde.
If I were a betting man, I’d say it’s water. Nonetheless, a humorous GIF.
I’m shocked and disillusioned to think that might have been staged. What is the world coming to.
Happy Caturday, Gerbil Nation!
Sorry about your cat-vomit travails, Sven. I related your tale to Teh Family and we all shook our heads and agreed with your position. Sorry about the job situations (both yours and Mrs. Sven’s). Unfortunately, in the on-going
depressionpoised to take-off economy, a lot of people are going to have to settle for “just a paycheck”.Teh Older and Teh Younger are taking me out shooting today, so I’ve been busy going through the shooting supplies and reloading some 38 special and 45 acp.
Have fun today, Paddy. I went shooting twice last week trying out the new guns and ammo. I have always been a big fan of the .45 but lately the arthritis in my hands and wrists has encouraged a move to smaller calibers. I do still have my father’s old GI 1911A1 and my S&W Mod 25 Target in .45 ACP and will continue to enjoy those, but my more serious .45s have been traded away. Still love the .38 / .357s.
Enjoy both the loading and shooting!
Sven, I hope you will revisit that talk. I think we are going to lose Elena’s mother very soon. The last month and a half have been devastating to her and she seems to have decided she has had enough and has stopped taking water, food, or her medications. She can hardly communicate but has made it clear she does not want to go back to the hospital. She is a very strong old lady that has worked hard all her life caring for her family. She ran away at twelve and lived by working as a domestic and continued to work hard until her body just gave out. She set a standard that any two or three of her daughters found exhausting to try to keep up with.
If possible, back down a bit and start looking at starting the future now, it will be here all too soon. There is no finish line in this race, just a place you collapse and can’t go on. I’m not sure it makes sense to sprint to the end.
Im sorry to hear about your MiL, Mac. My thoughts and prayers continue in that regard.
I’ve tried several different tactics with Mrs Sven to no avail. I was actually happy earlier in the week when she was getting home by 7ish, but that was blown out by yesterday. It’s 11:00 now, and she’s still asleep upstairs.
It aint easy doing these types of hours once you hit and pass the age of 50. To add insult to injury, once again she’s supporting groups for which she is not suppose to be responsible.
Good fun shooting, Paddy.
When you guys consider buying a new gun, are you loyal to any particular manufacturer? I’m thinking, now that I am once again employed, of picking up a new 1911. Any recommendations?
Hey, Sven! No, I don’t have any particular loyalties. I have pistols from the following manufacturers: Star, Astra, Springfield, Remington Rand, Colt, S&W, and High Standard. No complaints with any of them. I’ve always had a good impression of Kimber, but have never been able to afford one.
Try out whatever you are interested in, at least how it feels in your hand. A buddy of mine absolutely loves the Desert Eagle in large calibers because it fits his large hands.
Mac --
We’re very saddened to hear about Elena’s mother; know that you’re all in our thoughts even more than usual.
Paddy --
Hope you had a good time at teh range.
Sven --
Bummer about your job as well Mrs. Sven’s ridiculous hours. (FWIW, Powerball’s up to $114.6M cash value tonight. Despite the fact I’m annoyed they raised their tickets to $2 / play earlier this year, I purchased one this afternoon as the risk v. reward is almost acceptable…WTF.) 😉
SiL has a Kimber 1911 Custom 2 he purchased used; even as a relative newbie, I really enjoy shooting it. Feels good in my hand and I’m always pleasantly surprised with the accuracy I can achieve.
Off to make dinner of some sort…
Had a great time shooting. Fixed some of the feeding problems I’ve had with some of my reloads. Now I need to adjust the powder charges and see how that changes accuracy. I fired some standard (purchased) cast lead bullets with wax-type lube and compared them with hard-cast bullets with a graphite coating and was amazed at the difference. The standard lead rounds produced very noticeable clouds of smoke from the wax, while the graphite rounds behaved like jacketed bullets. Unfortunately, the company I bought them from is no longer in business.
Teh Older turns out to be a pretty good shot with a pistol. Teh Younger, who is an ace with a shotgun, struggles. By struggle, I mean his shots at 7 yds stay within an 8 in. diameter circle.
I am not loyal as such but do tend to look to companies that I have confidence in for quality, engineering, and service. I had a Kimber 1911, a Crimson Carry II with full legnth 5″ barrel but alloy frame. It was light and would have been nice for carry, and the quality and trigger pull were fine. I traded it off because the recoil of the .45 in the lightweight gun was becoming a problem when my arthritus is bothering me and I am no longer as comfortable with cocked and locked so I am moving to DA/SA or DAO guns in .40 S&W or 9mm caliber.
I should soon have my father’s old 1911 back from the gunsmith and will shoot that for fun but I would not carry it or depend on it for self defense. I carry a Kahr CW40 and I have a Sig 239 in .40 and a Taurus PT100, a clone of the Beretta 96 in .40 caliber. If I was going to carry the Taurus I would probably but a Beretta as I did with the 9mm.
If I was going to buy a utility type 1911 I would buy the Remington or a Springfield Mil Spec. The cheaper ones might be alright as toys but I would be reluctant to depend on one. For a fancier or premium one the Kimbers offer a full range of models and are a good value. Beyond that you start looking at the Wilson or other top makers and the prices get nuts, well over $2,000.00. I can’t really recommend those unless you have a high risk job and are expert with the 1911 or you win Fatwa’s lottery.
The configuration is a matter of need and preference but in general the shorter the slide/ barrel set the pickier they tend to be about loads and reliability. The shorter slide travel tends to shorten the feed cycle and make timing and speed critical. I would not depend on one less than 4 1/4″ and I prefer the full 5″. Many disagree with this.
The 1911 is the first handgun I fired when I was 11 years old. In fact, the one I have is that very gun. I do love them but for serious use it has just become obvious that the newer designs are better engineered for reliability and durability. A Glock, Sig, or Beretta will just handle a wider range of ammo and live through many times the number of rounds that a 1911 can be expected to shoot. I used to consider the 1911 the ultimate combat handgun and it will still hold it’s own in the modern lineup, the newer ones tending to be better generally that the older ones were, but the newer ones are just better with a straighter shot for the cartridge into the chamber aiding reliable feeding and more robust parts allowing round counts the older design just can’t handle.
I’ll be very interested in your impressions and thoughts as you look at them.
Paddy, that does not sound bad for someone not used to shooting handguns.
What kind of .45 do you have?
We were shooting both a stock Springfield government model 1911A1 and a compact Star PD. He had the same performance with my Colt Trooper Mark III and slightly better with the High Standard Military in .22.
Thanks, guys-appreciate the advice. The one I have now is a Springfield Armory and I’ve enjoyed it, bought it used several years ago, but with even a couple of trips to the supposedly best 1911 gunsmith on the west coast, it still jams. It aint my wrists or grip either as Ive had other guys shoot it and it jams with them as well. I ‘m always on edge with it when I shoot-waiting for it to jam. But I only paid $450 for it and think I’ve gotten my money’s worth.
I’ve never had a new gun before-all mine have been used. Might be nice.
BBQ’d some steaks for dinner; Mrs Sven was sleeping, I woke her up, told her dinner was ready-she said OK, and apparently went right back to sleep. Best let her rest.
I have had many guns be unreliable, including revolvers. One of the things that makes a Sig or Beretta worth the money is having it just eat up whatever you feed it. This new Beretta I got has been great in that respect and my Sig has also excellent, even during the break in period. I good 1911 can certainly be very reliable but I would never trust one until it was proven and I know many that have had your experience with one just not running right, even after several visits to a gunsmith. Even my two Taurus autos, though cheap copies of good guns, have shown the benefit of good design by being absolutely reliable from round one with every type of ammo I have tried in them. For the Pt908 in 9mm this runs from hot Corbon 90 grain JHPs to 125 grain JHPs. The Pt100 in .40 caliber has handled 135 grain JHPs to 180 grain JHPs and mild 165 grain loads to some hot +P 155 grain and 135 grain JHPs.
It really is nice when they just work, every time, from round one.