Can't see the Forest

Well, in an overwhelming stew of political opinions, its time to throw mine in. First, I'll just say it, I'm a McCain/Palin man and its not just because they are pro-gun.

I am amazed by the support that Obama is receiving. Sure, we need change. No doubt. Economy is falling apart, absolutely. George has failed us? I'd say yeah, and I voted for the guy.

But what kind of change do we want? Can Obama fix the economy? Maybe. I think he could probably do some good things. I think our country's financial state may improve with his leadership.

But at what expense?

There are some things more dear than the dollar. There are things more precious than our checkbook. There are things that need to be protected beyond our IRA.

America. What it is, what is was founded to be, what it could be. A repair of a fractured economy crafted by Obama's hands would come at the expense of our country's integrity. Obama is dangerously un-American, flirting with socialism, and would be bad for the heart of our great country. And no, its not because he's black and has a name like Barak. I'm not that ignorant.

He is a confident and poignant speaker. He carries himself with grace and ease. He exudes a feeling of calm that immediately seems to quiet even my worries. But in these hard times, its quick to fall in love with the image that is Obama. However, while he carries himself in a way that is reassuring- I fear what he'd bring to America.

The fact is that right now, people can't see the forest through the trees. We are so caught up in gas prices, stock markets, failing retirement funds, and bad home loans that we are blinded. Obama looks like a giant dollar bill floating down to save us and we are grasping at it with all abandon. Anything that doesn't look like George Bush is an oasis and we are desperately running toward it.

But perhaps, its just a mirage. It looks so good, seems so real- we need a taste of that refreshing water. I fear though, that Obama will give us nothing but a mouth full of sand.

We want a better economy. We want out of Iraq. We want to be comfortable and happy again. Obama may fix a battered economy, he may pull us out of a war but....

What will the bottom line mean for your checkbook? Many call him a socialist.

Do you see him as our Commander in Chief? John McCain has been in battle.

Does he support the moral compass of America? Our morality is in shambles.

Is he the best thing for America? Or is he more interested in change for the sake of change?

Will he protect Constitutional rights or rip them away? Americans have had the right to bear arms since its conception, and Obama is heavily anti-gun of every kind.

Choose wisely. Think beyond today. Think beyond your hurting checkbook. Any new president will enact healthy change for the economy. Don't crucify McCain because you think he's George Bush. Don't drink the sand. Stop and look through the trees. See the forest.

Man Nurse

My great-grandma, bless her heart, always refers to me as a "Man Nurse".

"Are you still going to be a Man Nurse" she would always ask me while I was in school.

"Yeah Grandma, its the only kind they'll let me be"

She would reply with an approval because all those women need someone to help lift, people are just too darn heavy now.

I can't say my main motivation to take up nursing was to help other women lift stuff. What is it about nursing anyway- this reverse sexism thing?

There are male nurses but never female nurses.

I thought maybe the world was getting over that until I started working in the PACU. The first time I was in the locker room, I headed over to a rack of scrubs and found this:

Man Nurse = Man Pants. Now where is that Man Top.....

Competition Rig

Well, my competition belt finally arrived......2 days after the last meet of the season. It took almost a month. I have a Safariland bucklelss 2 layer belt- one inside the pants loops and one out.

Right now I have an Uncle Mike's Law Enforcement paddle holster but I'll be replacing that. Not sure exactly what yet.....maybe something Safariland or maybe just a Blade-tech. I don't want a race holster because that is nothing like what you'd actually have in real life.

I'm using Comp-tac mag carriers. They do the job. I need to get 1 or 2 more.

Nobody's Perfect

Well, you can't place them all perfect, can ya? My first target from the first time I shot a G17. See lower left.

Glock 23

After selling one of my guns I used some of the money to finance a new purchase. Glock 23.

Yes, thank you ladies and gentleman, Tarak has again joined the bandwagon. What? This is his second Glock? Pathetic.

Whatever, they work.







I bought this gun with the purpose of carry/self defense. I wanted something bigger than my J-frame and in a larger caliber, but a little cheaper to train with than a 45. It rides in my nightstand. It often has a place in the bag I'm carrying. Now that its fall I can carry in an IWB holster with a sweatshirt, heavy shirt or coat if I want. Also looking forward to taking it hiking/camping/backpacking as it holds up well in the elements.

Featured above is my strongside nightstand-type holster by Cheap-Target-Nightstand.

I plan on replacing the terrible Glock factory sights, of course. I'll be getting different sights on my Glock 17 for competition, and will pull the nightsights off of that and put it on my new G23.

Fit and finish is all fine and dandy. Came with the usual: case, 2 mags, speedloader, lock, paperwork. It cost $499. Its chunky in my hand- there are certainly any number of guns that feel better in the grip, but I'm used to my G17 for competition, so I wanted the same platform for a carry gun. Its comfortable enough.

Shoots as well as I can shoot it. I would have to say it does have quite a bit of snappy recoil that took some getting used to. Made my wrists hurt a bit after about 150 rounds.

After some slow fire I worked on point shooting at close ranges, as that's what I anticipate I would need it for. After a bit, my groups began to clean up. At first, they were all over.




I have a cheap nylon holster that it sits in in while in various bags, etc. I picked up an Uncle Mikes IWB holster for $10 that actually works fairly well, though the cheap Velcro release leaves much to be desired. I will be getting better holsters for it. For ammo I have 185 gr. Federal Hydrashocks, which is in pretty much any gun I carry.


Overall, I'm happy with the 23 and think it will serve me well for its intended purpose.

What Have I Done??

Well, I did it.

I sold my 1911. My only 1911. Why? Well, this year I have bought 3 very nice guitars and associated gear, 3 pistols, quite a large amount of shooting gear, I've exponentially increased what I've spent on ammo, and I got myself completely set-up for backpacking and took two trips. That's a ton of money I spent on hobbies people. And I wonder why I struggle to buy a house. We are talking thousands. Two of my guitars alone brought me in around 5k. That's fine and good, this stuff will all last a long time if I take care of it.

In the meantime I wanted a carry/home defense gun that was larger and had greater capacity than my J-frame, but wasn't as large and heavy as my Kimber 1911. I also want new sights and trigger work on my Glock, would like a shotgun, and an AR-15. Well, see above paragraph. I just can't keep digging my my pockets for more guns this year.

It seems I wasn't shooting my 1911 often, nor did I seem to enjoy it much. I like shooting Production class in IPSC so I was sticking with the Glock. Also, I really wanted that carry/defense gun and felt I couldn't wait.

So, I sold my 1911.

And now I'm freaking out. What was I thinking? Maybe I was thinking, I don't know. All I know is, suddenly a 1911 seems like the best gun in the world, and I don't' have one. A 1911 is now way up high on my gun wish list. In fact, I'll most likely get a shotgun, then a 1911.

The only question is this: What 1911? I need to wait and see what happens with competition next year. I may decide I need a full size since that's what so many people use. But, if not....if I am digging the Production thing, then I think I want a commander size 1911. I'm thinking either Colt Combat Commander or a Kimber Pro.

Though I'm still full of doubt and sadness, I will give my new Glock 23 a fair review. Besides, it is working out well for me and its intended purpose.

2nd USPSA 2 Gun Match

I shot my second full 3 Gun USPSA match today. Talk about a day of fun! My only bummer is I love to shoot pistol and we just don't shoot that match. My score and overall performance was overwhelmingly better than my first match.

My times were better, I never had a target I failed to engage, I didn't have hits on any no-shoots, and I only had one miss in 5 courses of fire. That is remarkably better. I still am not happy with how well I'm shooting pistol when I'm on the timer, I'm pulling my shots.....everything is still hitting center mass, but still has room for improvement.

I'm finding more and more and more that trigger pull is so essential, even more so when you're "under fire". Just that steady, smooth press. If I try to shoot 100 miles and hour and abandon all accuracy then its worthless. There were several stages that if I had slowed down just a tiny bit- added maybe 5 seconds to my total time, I would have scored higher due to better hits.

I did, however, have one of the best single times on the steel plates in my group. Draw, engage to plates, move and engage 3 more, under 6 seconds :)

So all said and done, I scored 3rd out of 6 in my division. I scored 3rd on 3 different courses of fire where I was just chasing some very good shooters.

The bad news....the outdoor season is over :(

Missing in Action

So, if anyone does actually read this, you'll notice its been a long time since I've posted. What can I say, I've been lazy. I have lots of stuff upcoming to post about- shooting match, sold a gun, buying a gun, needing new sights, trigger jobs....so stay tuned.....