Last NRA Convention Thoughts and Maudlin Meanderings

Yosemite Sam and I are back. I had a deskful of stuff waiting for me at work, including a couple of fires I had to put out.

My job entails a bunch of coordination and almost constant writing. That's one reason I don't blog much anymore. It's awfully hard to face the monitor when I've been staring into its depths all day. Besides, I feel I've said everything I ever wanted to say. Put those two together and you get little bloggy. Enough whining.

Yosemite and I attended the "Celebration of American Values: Freedom Experience" held in the Time-Warner Arena on Saturday night. I understand that Charlotte did not have a large enough venue to host a banquet, but I missed the banquet. I like sitting around the table and meeting gunnies and bloggers from anyplace in the country. I even like the excuse to throw on a bit of makeup and dress better than my work casual.

So, some thoughts to tie it together.... We enjoyed meeting and renewing long-distance friendships with all the bloggers that were there. We liked the cavalcade of guns and gear on the convention floor. We attended Ted Nugent's session on Sunday and he always gets one fired up to support gun rights.

Speaking for myself now, I hope that the almost six years I've been blogging has done some good in support of gun rights. I hope that I've added something to my readers' days. I hope I've provided information and maybe entertainment. I even hope that my love of the shooting sports has encouraged someone to buy a gun, learn how to use it, and find their own passion for shooting. I hope to get over the funk that has led me to write few posts. Maybe a new job....

Snowzilla, Round Two

Yesterday, Megan McArdle blogged the Snowpocalypse in the Washington, D.C. area. Yosemite Sam and I are living it. Today is a second round of heavy snow, this time with strong winds. We used to live in New Hampshire and wish we were back up there if for no other reason than to get away from snow.

I have to agree with McArdle that DC is notoriously inefficient in getting rid of snow. It's not their forte. Yosemite and I were out and about Monday and found strange things plow drivers had done on the road. We would drive in a lane that abruptly tapered into the next lane finally ending in a snow berm. Four lane roads were narrowed to one lane in each direction. Parking spaces in our complex are full of snow. There is no other place to put it. The lot designers never imagined this much snow unlike in more northern cities.

This is also the third day (plus one half for last Friday) that the Federal government has been closed. If it keeps going like this, people will begin to realize how much we don't really need the government--at least not the size it is now.

Here's a photo taken today about 4:00 pm and the light really is that dim and has been all day.

Pray for us.

Happy Anniversary, 2009

♪ Happy Anniversary to us
Happy Anniversary to us. ♪

Yes, today is Ten Ring's anniversary. We started this experiment in public expression five years ago. In blog-years that’s like twenty people-years. Granted, Yosemite Sam and I haven’t blogged that much in the recent past, but we’re still around.

I’ve expanded my horizons on this blog. I’ve written about politics, the zen-like joy of shooting, the pleasures of collecting firearms, book reviews, and much more. I’ve even tried satire (and it's my favorite post).

I found out that blogging is a funny thing. You put time and effort into a post and you get few hits, few comments, and even fewer links to it. Then you toss off a post with little thought and effort. That’s the one that gets more hits than you know what to do with. For instance, I posted about a TV show I had just watched. It took me maybe ten minutes to write. Instapundit linked it and I had over 10,000 hits in less than two days. Wow.

I’ve learned to respect professional columnists, either on the right or the left. They have to produce one, two or more columns each week. Unlike me, they can’t say, “that’s been written about recently,” “I’ve written about that before,” or “I’m tired and just want to crash in front of the TV.” Writing is hard work, so hat’s off to the professionals even if I agree with very few of them.

I also found out that I’m an essayist. I can’t just throw out news links with a pithy sentence or two (I’ve tried). When I start to write, I just have to keep writing until I’ve explored the topic (hence an anniversary post that’s just too long, sigh).

So, I’ve enjoyed the last five years even though I feel a little guilty about the recent lack of content. I love reading your comments (hint, hint) and appreciate all of you who continue to read my scribblings here. I’m sure Yosemite Sam seconds the above. Thanks to all of you.

Seasons Greeting and a Sort of Apology

I've been a poor blogger recently and admit to feeling guilt. There are people who continue to read this blog, although I'm not sure why. After all, the new content can be printed out on a postage stamp. I would say sorry, but that would imply that I plan to get better.

I've said a lot in this blog and basically hate repeating myself. I also find that I am reading fewer blogs because the pace of my life has increased. Now, it seems like I barely have time to eat and maybe read a few pages in a book. The thought of reading anymore than I have to on a computer screen causes one of those pinchy little pains right between the eyes.

This is not one of those posts that announces I plan to quit blogging. No, not yet if ever. I like to make the occasional yawp into the ether. I like to put out a "gunnie book review" and sometimes even talk about politics. Lately though, politics has become a major pain in the pocket book and the ass. Health care, spare us that statist wet dream. Grumble, grumble.

So in general, this is to let you know I'm still around, still planning on blogging, but lightly, and still feeling guilty that I'm not doing so daily like I once did.

Also, it is a great opportunity to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas or a Happy Chanukah. May your New Year's Day mark your happiest year ever (provided the government doesn't tax or regulate your happiness away).

Re-Post of WinM-94 Parody

I don't have time today to do a real blog post, work and all that. I am working on another "Gunnie Book Review," so please bear with me.

Thanks to Instapundit's link yesterday, a large (for us) number of visitors are seeing the Ten Ring for the first time. In lieu of new content, I want to re-post my favorite piece of writing. It has been lost in the dim reaches of time (2005, which in blog-years is practically the Middle Ages). This was a parody. Enjoy reading about the WinM-94, the newest, most deadly assault weapon to hit the market.

Power of New Media

I have an example of the power of new media. Yosemite Sam and I have been blogging for about four years now. The Ten Ring has had a core of readers and I thank them for for their readership. Yesterday, SayUncle linked to a post I did on a TV show. Instapundit picked it up today probably from SayUncle. Now my SiteMeter is burning up. My first Instalanche. Thanks Glenn Reynolds.

So, we have a small blog and today we reached about 5,000 people and will be more by day's end. This new media has power and don't let newspaper editorialists convince you otherwise. After all, most of the newspapers have serious financial problems. One reason is that their readership is going to Instapundit and many other fine blogs. Newspapers lost out of new media, because they didn't act fast enough and when they did, they tried to force the old model on the new one.

Yosemite Sam and I used to post everyday, but due to new jobs, a move to the D.C. area, and other reasons we haven't posted as much. Still, there is good content here if you want to click around.

One regret, though, the post that Instapundit linked was one of those I tossed off in a few minutes unlike others that I have outlined, written, tweaked, edited, and then posted. It always seems to go that way.

Four Years Ago Today

How about that? The Ten Ring is four years old today. Four years ago, I had this insane notion of tossing my words into the ether and Yosemite Sam didn't yell stop. In fact, he came along for the ride.

We have met bloggers and other people we would never have met. We have enjoyed the ride and plan to continue. Who knows, you may one day read an eighth anniversary post. How about that?

100 Things Meme

I have nothing today, thanks to meetings and other fun at work. Someone did ask me to do the 100 questions thing in an e-mai. Curious people sometimes get answers so here goes:

100 things I've done - items I have done are in bold

1. Started your own blog. (Duh)
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band. If a high school band counts.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity. Some time ago anyway.

7. Been to Disneyland. When I was little and to Disney World too, but not to Epcot.

8. Climbed a mountain. If smallish mountains in New Hampshire (in a car), Texas, and the highest point in Florida counts.
9. Held a praying mantis. Yick, no—ever see a close up photo of one of those things.
10. Sang a solo. When younger and in church and I am not a singer—can’t carry a tune in a box.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris. I’ve been there several times and want to go back.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. I can write and draw a bit, but I am not accomplished.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning. That would be the great shrimp incident of 1992—I still have memory of that misery.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France. Yosemite Sam and I went to the Louvre on a winter evening and were the only people in the room with Mona Lisa.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch-hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. But, don’t tell anyone….
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb. In a petting zoo, if that counts.
26. Gone skinny dipping. Alright I admit it, now get your minds out of the gutter.
27. Run a Marathon. Are you freaking kidding me!!!
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run. In softball in high school.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community. Not up close, but traveled through them.
36. Taught yourself a new language. I taught myself French, went to France, came back and hired a tutor for my next trip, enough said.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. I am in that position now and happy with what I have (I will accept any and all raises though).
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke. See #10 for my singing abilities.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance. I've been lucky.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling. The latter not the former.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business. An art conservation studio.
58. Taken a martial arts class. I’ve taken more than one.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Got flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma. Not for awhile though.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check. A long time ago in college.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London.
77. Broken a bone. I had a greenstick fracture in my arm and my nose has been broken twice (should have ducked).
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. Been on, but not driving it.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. Fairly often.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury. I served on a sexual abuse of a child case, one of the most intense experiences in my life.
91. Met someone famous. Several, but they would have no memory of me (including Fred Thompson, Dr. Benjamin Spock, Frank Church, Dirk Kempthorne, and a few others).
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one. Grandparent and I dread the day I lose my parents.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake. When I was little.
97. Been involved in a law suit.
98. Owned a cell phone. You have to ask nowadays, how about “Owned a land-line phone.”
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

I'm not going to tag anyone with this. The list is interesting though and it reminded me of the many phases of my life and the things I still want to do. There are a few though I don't want to do at all such as being involved in a law suit, being in an ambulance, and holding a praying mantis.

How 'bout That

Have you ever watched your car's odometer click up to a nice round, fat number? I have. I just checked Sitemeter and Ten Ring is about to hit 300,000 visits (it's on 299,997 right now).

Thank you all for your support even though we haven't won any contests for most blog posts.

We are both planning election/gun posts and taking a deep breath because of the closeness of the polls. Keep watching this space. Thanks again.

New Terms (and Vote for Me)

Thanks to the inestimable Rachel Lucas, I just found a new term that I must figure out how to use; "butthurt," or "a butthurtin'."

Maybe something along the line of vote for me in the ParaUSA contest by July 1, or I'll have a butthurtin' when I don't win. Or something like that.

Seriously, I like that term or word in our present political situation. Expect to see it here soon.

Vote For Pedro (er...Vote for Me)

In these times of political strife, there's another election. ParaOrdnance is having a contest for the bloggers who attended the "blogger bash" at this year's NRA Convention. People who vote also enter a drawing in which one person will also go to the session. It closes on July 1, so vote early and vote often.

I am unused to asking for anything on Ten Ring and I had to really think about how to approach this post. I could play the guilt card:
“I’ve given you almost four years of free ice cream. Give me this vote. I don’t ask for much…whine, whine, whine.” I decided I don’t like the guilt card.

I thought about playing the humble card:
“Well, I know I haven’t posted much lately, but I’ve gotten better and though I don’t really deserve it, I would like you to vote for me.” Things to be said for that approach, but not a whole lot.

Then there’s the political approach:
“Okay, vote for me because in your heart you know it’s the right thing to do. A vote for Denise of the Ten Ring will mean there’s a chicken in every pot, a car in every garage, and a revocation of all gun laws.” I can’t keep those promises, so that approach is out.

Then there’s the manically aggressive pitch:
“Vote for me or I’ll shoot Cooper the wonder basset.” That idea is completely out the window, down the street, and heading out of town.

I thought about the noble approach:
“There’re other bloggers who work harder, write more, have more readers than I do. Be sure to vote for them.” I like that approach, because it’s all true. Just look at the list of blogs for which you can vote. Yosemite Sam of Ten Ring is listed separately from me, so be sure to vote for him too.

Then I decided not to be too noble. I decided to say vote for me and if I’m a selectee, I will write the best I can about training sessions, the people I meet, and all that stuff. There that’s the right approach.

Hello Louisville

Since Denise just did a quick post, I thought that I would do a quick one as well. We're having a great time here so far. Most of the day (Friday) was spent at the Celebration of American Values Leadership Forum. Having media credentials and sitting in the press area was an interesting experience. In some ways I felt that we had more access and in others, I felt that we were separated and isolated from everyone else. Of course we were physically separated, but it seemed we were separated emotionally as well. It was very strange seeing things on that side of the fence.

Most of the speeches were the typical political stem winders. Rah Rah Republicans. Rah Rah McCain. I liked Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson's speech a lot and she seemed the most dedicated of the politicians to 2nd Amendment rights. McCain's speech was typical McCain. He just sucks less than the rest of them. The whole thing was basically a Republican campaign rally. The NRA really needs to get more Democrats to speak at these events. I think Rep. David Boren was the only self identified Democrat on the stage.

After the McCain campaign rally, err Leadership forum, we headed over to the Bass Pro Shop for a get together with A LOT of bloggers. It was great to finally put faces to all the names and get to meet people whose blogs I have been reading for many years. Thanks to Bitter and Michael Bane for putting this together and I'm looking forward to the banquet tomorrow night.

Also, when we were in Louisville, 3 years ago, we toured the excellent Frazier Firearms Museum. It now has a politically correct name, but I suspect that it still has a lot of gunny goodness. If anyone has an extra 4 hours(we took the good part of a day), they should really visit this museum. It is, in my opinion, one of the best gun museums in the world. They have an entire floor of arms from the English Royal Armouries, which is worth the price of admission alone. This place is a do not miss for gunnies.

Feeding the Blog-Beast

In a comment to my most recent post, drew458 wondered if this blog had died. No it’s not dead, although it’s a little crippled right now. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a crippled blog personified. It’s not a pretty sight. It just lies there in our living room and groans. It’s covered with purplish-green scales with red spots (a truly horrendous color scheme by the way). Every now and again it opens its yellow eyes and balefully stares at us and croaks, "FEED ME." I finally decided to listen and feed the crippled blog-beast.

I’ve been on a vacation from blogging for two primary reasons. The first is that I've said so much already here. I have to rack my brains for new ideas. The second is that my new job involves a lot of writing. When I come home I battle between the thought of writing still more versus the ability to sink into the mind-numbing lethargy of sweet, sweet TV; and oh what a TV--42" of high-def goodness with detail so rich it’s almost disturbing. Who knew that actors don’t have perfect skin even under thick layers of make-up. Whoops, back to blogging, the blog-beast wants more food.

This has been an interesting month for us gunnies with big ups and downs. A big up was the Heller hearing. Although predicting the Supreme Court is never certain, it looks like oral arguments went our way. Of course, some gunnies made the usual complaints, valid as they may be, that Heller will not go far enough in stopping infringements on our rights. Still, if we come out on top, I will cherish the victory and hope we can build on it.

One of the downs was the death of Charlton Heston. I read comments to his obituary in the New York Times. Too many commenters were glad he died and cited his support for gun rights. They have so much hate and yet they believe they're the tolerant, the progressive ones. They can’t even see how bitter they are. They also couldn’t recognize that Heston was continuing a life-long support of civil rights. But, the day that "progressives" recognize firearm ownership as a civil right will be the day the Earth stops spinning.

I had a personal disappointment this month involving guns. I shot Mr. Completely’s e-postal match. I haven’t practiced shooting much recently. I blame two things; the move and that blasted TV set--but oh the colors are so rich and the sound is so good. Sorry, I’m back. Because I’m out of practice, I didn’t shoot that well in the match. While I didn’t screw up badly, I know I’m capable of better. It proves that shooting well is a fragile skill. I need to get to the range more and maybe join a gun club in this area.

Now a word about living in Maryland. The gun laws are not as onerous as I feared, but they could be much better. I haven’t tried to get a carry permit or buy a handgun. My opinion may change should I do either of those things. There’s a lot of room for improvement in the laws and maybe a good result from Heller will lead to that end, unfortunately one lawsuit at a time.

Yosemite Sam and I are looking forward to the NRA convention in mid-May. We plan to attend the Blogger Bash and have registered and got banquet tickets. In order to hold my head high when I get there, I better start feeding the blog-beast more. For right now, it seems to be sated. The colors on its scales have turned to a pretty shade of purple and the red spots are gone. It’s sleeping easily now. No promises, but I hope to start feeding the beast more often.

Happy Third Blogiversary

Three years. That's how long the Ten Ring has been up.

Yosemite Sam and I haven't been posting as much as when we started. We told the world what we had to say and don't want to repeat ourselves too much.

We're certainly not going away though. You'll have to put up with my long essays and Yosemite Sam's rants. You'll have to tolerate our posts from the NRA convention this year. Maybe we'll even start repeating ourselves and post more often.

So, wish us a Happy Third Blogiversary.

A Blog Milestone

The Ten Ring reached a blog milestone sometime this weekend. I checked Sitemeter and found 225,347 hits. That may be what some of the big bloggers to on a good day, but it feels good to have had that many people check into our blog. Thanks to all those who came in for a visit and another thank you to those who keep coming back.

New Bloggers--A Welcome

I had a little time to do some blogroll maintenance this morning. It’s like cleaning house, you gotta do it once a year or it just gets away from you (I’m joking I clean house at least once every six months).

I removed a few blogs and could have taken out more. I used ad hoc criteria—if a blogger hadn’t posted for awhile but the blog was still up and had something on the front page, I left it in. I hope they return to blogging. If the blog was “not found” or had nothing on the front page, then out it went.

I added three blogs and probably should add more later.

“Call Me Ahab” is really a name and address change. Ahab has moved to snappy new digs. He dropped his former blog name “What Would John Wayne Do?” I loved the name of the old blog, but “Call me Ahab” resonates too, especially for someone who reads as much as I do.

I want to welcome “New Jovian Thunderbolt” to the roll. He is fairly new to gunnie-hood and mentions several times the influence "Ten Ring" has had on his interest in shooting. We are flattered and your blog is now a daily read.

Finally, we are welcoming a professional blog: Outdoor Life Magazine’s “Gunshots.” The magazine brought together several excellent gun writers and told them to go forth and write. Michael Bane is among the writers. Yosemite Sam and I are also flattered and happy to see “Ten Ring” listed on their blogroll, despite my recent dearth of posts.

There is a certain ego-boost to this blogging thing. It's great to hear how we inspired someone to go shooting. Appearing on the blogrolls of so many bloggers that we respect is certainly welcome. If you would like us to add your blog to our blogroll, just put a message in comments.

Also, we recently had an e-mail problem, so if you e-mail or have e-mail us and not gotten an answer, your message was probably spam-filtered out of existence. Such is life in the digital world.

Bring On Your Links

Well, the “New Blogger” (unsure about “Old Blogger”) has been down for most of the day. I even had a short post ready, but lost it somewhere in the ether. Oh well, I’ll try and reconstruct later. I can’t even complain about it being down. I don’t pay anything for it.

Anyway, through referral logs, I’ve noticed people getting to Ten Ring from new blogs. I get set in my ways and don’t read enough of the new bloggers.

Because of that, I’ve been remiss in keeping our blogroll up to date. Therefore if you have a blog and would like a link on Ten Ring, and if you link to here (reciprocity is a good thing), I’ll blogroll your blog this weekend and/or the next. Just leave a URL in comments or send me an e-mail to the address on your right.

(Note: I reserve the right though not to link a blog that is truly racist, anti-gun [unless you can give me a very good argument], that tends to think discourse begins with “doodiehead” and ends with “fuck off,” or is otherwise unlinkable.)

Help MassBackwards

Bruce of MassBackwards needs your help. You see, he just moved to New Hampshire, my home state. He moved here for reasons very similar to those that drove Bill and me here. He wants freedom. He wants to get away from Massachusetts' anti-gun craziness. It doesn't hurt either that it is cheaper to live in New Hampshire than Massachusetts.

Bruce wants to buy a scary rifle that could cause anti-gunnies to lose bladder control in a most embarassing way. So let's help him out. Visit his site and buy a bumper sticker.

A Site to Read, The Cornered Cat

I’d like to point out a site that’s on this Internets tube-thingy that Al Gore invented. It’s been up there awhile, but it’s new to me. The Cornered Cat is about women and guns. It takes its name from one of the most dangerous things in the world, a cornered cat.

Bill (Yosemite Sam) and I have a cat who has more than a little Maine Coon Cat in him. He’s not as large as a pureblood Maine Coon Cat, but he’s about 16 pounds of muscle, hide, and the fat that a pampered lazy kitty gets over time. We’ve accidentally cornered him with say a vacuum cleaner every once and awhile and have paid the price, so we agree that a cornered cat is dangerous.

So is a woman who’s cornered and put into a position of flight or fight. Unfortunately, a woman is not trained to fight and so many of us have a "nice girls don’t do that" mentality. We need to shake it off, because there are a handful of men out there who rape and kill for the fun of it.

I don’t want to exaggerate the danger. Not every woman will be attacked. Almost all men are fine people—I married one. But the danger is real and women cannot ignore it. Society may not advocate ignoring danger, but society doesn’t want us to arm ourselves and seek training. In this, society is wrong. Sometimes, it even seems to make it difficult to arm and train ourselves. We have to find knowledge where we can.

The Cornered Cat gives you that knowledge. It features many lessons on how to equip and prepare yourself for something that will hopefully never happen to you or to a woman in your life. It’s comprehensive and its advice is good. Go give it a read.

Oh, and putting modesty aside, the people behind The Cornered Cat asked Bill and me permission to re-post our gun nut series (the eight part one on the sidebar) on their site. I feel so flattered.

Template Woes

I'm not sure why, but our custom header for Ten Ring is not loading. I won't be able to fix it (if I can anyway) until I get home tonight. Bear with us for a little bit.