What a difference a year makes

It's been almost a year since my last entry.  The amount of change that has occurred since is almost staggering....here it is in a nutshell.

In an estimated 45 days from now, Connie and I are expecting to meet our baby daughter...Evey.

While neither of us expected to have any children, we now find ourselves anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new little human to our tribe of Criscanny.  Due to arrive in November, there is only a short time until we find ourselves being parents....a title that still is somewhat of a surprise to us both.

We couldn't be happier though.  Connie and I always said...."if God wants us to be parents...he will make us parents".

I am truly proud of Connie and how she has handled her pregnancy.  She is a strong, beautiful, sincere woman who will be an amazing mother...I couldn't wish for a better mother for my daughter.

I am excited to meet my daughter, and begin teaching her everything I can to make her a wonderful person.  Evey Annika Johns.....the newest member of our family to be.  We can't wait to meet you!

So here I will be....surrounded by my 3 gals....Connie, Evey and Sakari.  God, please give me strength.  :)

My LVL 2 attempt....

Loc Precision "Expediter"
Motor-J420R 38mm
Rocket name-"That's classified"
Status-K.I.A/Sacrificed to the rocket gods.

My rocket fleet.

My fleet of mid and high power rockets.

Kickass video from the Indonesian islands!

 This video was the end result of my trip to Bali, Indonesia in 2008.  I ventured there to get footage of the IPSC World Shoot and CZ firearm shooters on the U.S. team.  It was hot for the entire 10 days (g.o.t) of actual competition at the range.  The "range" at which the match was held, was a fairly good sized man made island. Made from what appeared to be rocks, sand and shells mostly.....no shit.  Anyway, great experience, good times and this is what I created......

I did not write this.  However, I cannot think of a more eloquent way to describe the reason and purpose of our 2nd Amendment.  In light of the tragic events that have happened over the last couple of months...this logic should not be forgotten.

why the gun is civilization

Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that’s it.
In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some.
When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force. The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gangbanger, and a single gay guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.
There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we’d be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger’s potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat–it has no validity when most of a mugger’s potential marks are armed. People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that’s the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly.
Then there’s the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser. People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don’t constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level. The gun is the only weapon that’s as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weightlifter. It simply wouldn’t work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn’t both lethal and easily employable.
When I carry a gun, I don’t do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I’m looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don’t carry it because I’m afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn’t limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation…and that’s why carrying a gun is a civilized act.

Lightning show

Take the "Federal Reserve note" challenge

Have a little fun and try this. For me, it was a challenge, but eye opening and provoked a different thought and attitude toward the "Almighty Dollar".
For one week, instead of saying dollars or cash, substitute them by saying "Federal Reserve notes".

How would you like to pay for that sir?...cash, check, charge, debit?
I will use "Federal Reserve notes" thank you.

Hello bank teller, I would like to make a withdrawl for one hundred "Federal Reserve notes" please?

Thank you for your interest in buying my used car, but I cannot accept your offer of 2000 depreciating "Federal Reserve notes"....

I know one thing, most people do a double take, or seem flabbergasted, or even ask what you are talking about when using FRN instead of dollars.
It really changed my perspective on our currency...made me see it in a different, realistic, and shitty way. Try it and see the type of reactions you get.