Outrageous Malfunction

You can support Cav Arms in a time of need by buying medical kits from them. Of course, you can pick up a lower or two as well.

Harris County (Houston), Texas Obama Rights Exclusion Zone:

Tarrant County (Fort Worth) and Dallas County (Dallas), Texas Obama Rights Exclusion Zone:

Vigo County (Terre Haute), Indiana Obama Rights Exclusion Zone:

Marion County (Indianapolis), Indiana Obama Rights Exclusion Zone:

Knox County (Knoxville), Tennessee Obama Rights Exclusion Zone:

Texas data from TEA. Indiana data from IDoE. Tennessee data from TDoE. Mapping with MapPoint 2006.

Some guys on irc were complaining about notices they’re getting when they use google. The notices are about redacted results and the reason for the redaction. One of the searches that produced the redaction notice was “shitcock“.

If you’ve been around the block, you know what shitcock is all about. I knew what it was all about. Being in the US, I didn’t get a redaction notice. The top result was as you would expect. I clicked anyway.

I find Penny Arcade, the comic, unfunny and tedious. I really enjoy, however, the running commentary published as news. One of the news items was about a game I have only passing familiarity with: Animal Crossing. The author allowed that there was an interesting story to be told around the game; I warily clicked on a YTMND link.

I enjoyed it, and I think you might, too.

The relationship between parents and children is the second oldest, and most difficult, relationship to untangle. I spent a few hours this weekend on a mountain in Idaho with my daughters, and I immensely enjoyed the time spent. I was angry that my son had, once again, eluded all attempts to be found. I am now ashamed of my anger.

Alan should know I miss the time we spent playing DoD. I miss spending time at the gun range, or at Beth’s, or watching dumb TV and making fun of it. My bar for quality time is low, but unmet. Hopefully, at some point, Alan and I will be able to connect. Alan, I love you. When you’re ready to spend time together, I hope to be, as well.

<Lefty> RyJones: saw a guy who would have made you proud when thumper^ and meghan and I drove up to squamish on the weekend
<Lefty> he’d gone off the road to try and bypass some traffic and got stuck up to his doors in soft earth
<Lefty> jumped out of his ford explorer with a huge grin on his face, and flipped us the bird as we drove by
<RyJones> nice

The area in green are the parts of King County within which no firearms dealers would be allowed to operate, based solely on exclusions for middle and high schools, as proposed by Obama. This excludes elementary schools, higher education, and parks. Most of the east side (right side) of this map are parks of various compositions. Map from MapPoint. Data from Washington State. Click for full size. Map inspired by request from David Kopel

I got an urgent email from Mom and an instant message from one of my sisters. Somewhat randomly, I decided to spend about 20 hours in Phoenix.

I spent the extra $40 for a first-class seat, and spent the entire trip down taking pictures.

Once there, I found my way to the VA hospital and spent a few hours with my uncle Bob.

I arrived well before visiting hours, but the nurse allowed that time was short and I could visit. We spent hours chatting about this and that; frank discussions about life and death were had. I think his wife wasn’t up to Bob and I discussing with such candor the end of life and the humor we found therein; the time was spent on wide-ranging and ribald topics such as comparative spectrum analysis (his urine went from cranberry juice in color to peach water and back a few times) and his inability to pass all of the food he’d eaten over the last few days. He’s been living a healthy lifestyle for the last fifteen years or so; I think his pending death freed him to eat things he enjoys, like pizza and messy burritos. Certainly, his state had no impact on his ability or desire to eat. It was technically interesting to see how much fluid the body can process when it is freed of consuming it; he was on his fifty fourth or fifth half-gallon bag of saline since Thursday when I got there, and he went through several more when I was there.

Seeing Bob a shadow of his former self was hard. Bob used to be tall, muscular, and full of quiet power; his baritone could deliver loud jokes or quiet support as he desired. While Bob’s voice is mostly intact, his body has failed him. I think I could have picked him up with one arm and carried him out, had I wished; I am certain he could not have stopped me, such is his diminished physical state.

Everyone I talked to about “the reason for my travel” was supportive and, I think, surprised; I get the impression that there aren’t a lot of visitors of any stripe at the VA hospital. I went with his wife and her son out to lunch, then to FedEx/Kinko’s. We picked and printed about 50 pictures from Flickr of my kids, my sisters, and my sister’s kid. Later, thinking about the hardship imposed by not having a credit card, I went to the Circle K and picked up some phone cards so that they could make long distance calls to try to find people. Mom asked that I try to find banana pudding for Bob, so I went on a quest for this substance; sadly, I started about 0000. The streets of Phoenix roll up around 2300; that Safeway and CVS and everything else are not open 24/7 was culture shock.

I talked with Bob’s wife around 0200 or so and made my way to the airport. Devoid of sleep, I ended up sleeping on the flight back; although I had a window seat, I didn’t take pictures as I had planned.

More on mortality and the fragility of life later.

No N number on this bird. Parked in military parking at BFI.

I’m trying to find out who is calling me; CNID shows these two numbers:

• 919976480795
• 919960721547

Verizon can’t help me out. Note, these do not appear to be line IDs.

IE used to work fine. MSN required Silverlight to render; after I installed Silverlight, MSN crashes IE every visit. Thanks!

Shot at RNT: