Docwagon

Well, I ran 6.25 miles today and I have a blister on a blister. Yup. Seriously. I'm ordering some Wright socks, they are a two layer sock where one stays snug on your foot while the other stays snug against the shoe and there is very little friction between them, and they are moisture wicking. Perhaps that will help.

I've made arrangements to buy the first one a local gun store could get...I just got the notification that their distributor got one and it will be on its way soon. In a week or two I should have it.

Kindle. What have you read that he wrote? Some of his series are geared toward teens. If you haven't read Mistborn, look into that before you make your decision on him.

Its official. I've gone full on fanboi. The Mistborn trilogy is still the best fiction trilogy I've read, better than Lord of the Rings, the standard by which the bar was set high many years ago. I have accepted that Brandon Sanderson is a fabulous author, he pulled the Wheel of Time series back on track and finished it strong after the original author died, his own original work is varied but always incredible...and now this. The Stormlight world is just as original and well detailed as the Mistborn world, a completely new and different group of cultures, magic, and dangers. Book #2 just came out, book #3 won't be out until 2015 or so, so this is going to be a long haul, but its worth it. I'll end up reading them like I read Wheel of Time, starting at book #1 and rereading the whole series each time a new book comes out. Anyway, if you're interested in following a new series of books, Stormlight Archives is just abso-fucking-lutely fantabulously awesome. Yup, full bore fanboi.

I know this sounds super ghey, but the Wii fit works pretty well for getting into yoga. I had the usual ' too much crap on your cop belt' back pain, and doing Yoga on the Wii fixed it. Another thing that's helped me is Runkeeper, a free ap on your smartphone. I've always hated to run, even when I was in the Army and they made me until I was pretty good at it. I just never enjoyed it or felt any sense of accomplishment from it, unlike lifting. Runkeeper changed that. After a few months of using it and it getting my normal paces, distance, and time...it started sending me emails that I did better than average, ran further, etc. That, combined with the odometer and the goal setting, has made me really enjoy running as I compete against myself. Personally, I'll never be 'fast' again due to injuries, but as long as I stay within my range of motion I can do pretty good. Last July, my average run was 2 to 2.5 miles and a long run was 3.5, a record run was in the low 4.0 miles. This month my normal run is 4.25 miles, my record run is 5.5 miles, and I think I can do 6.0. That's at a 10:40 minutes per mile pace, or just under 6mph. At first that was depressing because I kept remember how I could run 2 miles in 13 minutes flat in the Army, but once I made myself accept that I'm no longer 20 years old with two fully functional knees and began only comparing myself to my recent self...I started to feel a real sense of accomplishment as I improved. It sounds like we may be similarly motivated, impressed by watching numbers go up/down, as we improve...like something we can track...like to compete against ourselves, etc. If you have a smartphone, give it a look.

They do, that's what I wore in the Army. The problem is to get them wide enough up front, they slop around on my heel so I had to put mole skin on the backs of my heels. I've got Asics right now, and they are actually shaped ok, but the arch support is too high, so I have to put mole skin on my arches. I had a pair of Brooks in the police academy and they were alright. The guy at the running shop showed me an odd way to lace them that adjusted the fit. I still bulged the toe out the side, but once the leather stretched they were reasonably comfortable and didn't require any mole skin.

My feet are shaped like chicken feet. Very wide at the front, very narrow at the back. Because of this its a giant pain in the ass to find shoes that fit, my little toe either bulges out the side or my heel slops around. I need about a 4E or 5E width depending on the cut. Running shoes are the worst, as they need to fit pretty well to avoid blisters. I'm up to 3-5 miles a day, did 5.5 miles this morning, but am having to use mole skin on my arches to keep blisters from forming and have to be really careful to keep my toe nails as short as possible or they'll jab my other toes. I've had my big toe nails removed twice due to them ingrowing from improper shoes as a youngster and a soldier. They no longer do that because the Army killed the nailbed so only the center of the nail grows, but the other toe tails will still 'bite' their neighbors if I give them a chance. I really, really wish there was still a cobbler who could custom fit shoes to an individual's foot. I guess my next best thing is to try to get inserts that would take up the slack and remove the pressure on my arches. Anyone here had custom inserts made, and if so what were the results?

Training with Mounted Patrol. The horses are impressive as FUCK when they come at you in a line. Afterwards you get to play with them. This makes the officers less afraid of the horses and the horses less afraid of crowds of people.

Police trade in Glocks for sale at a good price: http://centerfiresystems.com/GLOCK-22PTI.aspx $370 with night sights and 3 magazines is a good deal. This is everything you need for a "do it all gun", small enough to carry, big enough for home defense, 3 mags for range time, etc. The .40 is a good round, if you do your job it will do its job.

Yeah, that's why I put them up.

I just took 3 weeks off, it'll be a little while before I can take a big chunk of time off again.

Better how?

We want to be able to enjoy the beach. We're considering staying here: http://www.expedia.com/Barcelona-Hotels-Lugaris-Sea-The-Home-Concept-Apartments.h4099112.Hotel-Information

We're looking at a tourist apartment on the Med coast, and think we'll unlikely to get off the beaten path. I know a guy who teaches knife fighting, I suppose I could brush up on that for a few months if the local laws allow a reasonable sized blade. Stretch, any info is greatly appreciated.

We bought package beer, it wasn't too bad. Italy has you covered, with a single, two pack, three pack, etc. The Napoli pizza: My wife, for some reason, was invited into the kitchen. The employees were really keen to get their photo with her. The guitar player seemed to linger at our table, too. Very friendly, those eye-tallions. Gelatto, it'll make you punch ice cream in the face. No public intox laws, deli sandwich + beer = normal lunch in public

A few years ago we'd saved up the money to go to Spain...then our furnace went out. So, the Spain fund became the "new HVAC fund", and we started over. Well, we have the money again and were going to go this October but learned that its the rainy season in Barcelona, so we're thinking of putting it off until next July. Anyone here been to Spain? The Barcelona area in particular? Any input?

Italy is awesome. We took 792 photos in 2 weeks when we went. I miss the food, I gained about 8 lbs in those 2 weeks, but it was completely worth it. Pizza, gelato, and beer. Repeat.

Jsyn is close. 1) A dropped firearm MAY fire, particularly old school revolvers with the firing pin on the hammer if it falls on the hammer. However, it is much more common with long guns, which often have a free floating firing pin. The firing pin does not have a block, such as a drop safe handgun has, and as the name implies it floats freely in the bolt. The AR-15, the Remington 870, and many others all have a free floating firing pin and can discharge if struck hard enough to give the pin enough inertia to touch off the primer. This is why these weapons shouldn't be stored with one in the chamber, and also why military primers are traditionally harder than civilian ammo primers. The second common way is a "slam fire". This is where the firing pin gets stuck with the tip sticking out of the bolt face, so when the bolt is closed the firing pin strikes the primer. A bolt action rifle, for example, with a bit of debris in the firing pin channel. You work the bolt rapidly, and the gun discharges. A pump shotgun could discharge when you work the pump for the same reason. This can cause a 'run away gun' in a semi-auto or auto, where the gun will fire until the magazine is empty as the bolt fires every round as its chambered. Lesson: When closing the action on a firearm, make sure its pointed in a safe direction, as its possible to discharge the weapon without touching the trigger as the action closes. 2) Modern thinking is let it drop. Modern handguns are drop safe and the possibility of a discharge is much smaller than the possibility of accidentally pulling the trigger trying to catch it. 3) While that would work with a bolt gun or inline muzzle loader many guns cannot be viewed from the action end. A chamber flag is the preferred method. Once the gun is empty, both chamber and either magazine removed (external) or empty (internal), a chamber flag is inserted. This is a small device that is inserted in the chamber, it will not go in in there's a cartridge there, and also physically blocks the firing pin. This renders the weapon mechanically incapable of firing, even if there was ammo in the magazine, as it can't be chambered and the firing pin can't hit it. Fiber optic chamber flags also create an easy way to illuminate the barrel, simple shine a flashlight on the end that's outside the chamber and it will light up the barrel. 4) Yup, anyone who sees something unsafe has the authority and the duty to call a ceasefire. Most ranges will eject anyone who fails to honor a ceasefire, if not ban them. 5) Yes, with the purpose being to catch the bullet if a slam fire were to occur. Sand barrels are often literally barrels of sand, but can also be a block of polymer in a steel can, a stack of phone books in a milk crate, etc. The purpose is when loading and unloading a weapon capable of slam firing to put the muzzle in the sand barrel just in case.

Safety quiz: 1) Can a firearm discharge without the trigger being pressed? If so, how? 2) If you drop a handgun, is it better to attempt to catch it or to let it fall? 3) You want to inspect the bore of a weapon, what's the best way to safely look down the barrel? 4) Who can call a cease fire on a public range? 5) What's the purpose of a sand barrel in the context of firearms?

Bourbon whisky is the only kind in my house. I guess living in Kentucky for years rubbed off. I never buy 'good' bourbon, why bother if you're just going to mix it? Old Granddad works just fine. When I was drinking hard liquor straight, it was usually tequila. I don't know why, I just picked up a taste for it in the Army. It seemed like most guys in the barracks drank tequila or rum, and I've yet to find a rum that didn't taste like someone rubbed a coconut on a hobo's feet and then juiced it into a bottle of rubbing alcohol. I've tried the Maker's Mark select and a few middle-upper types for straight whisky and just never got into it. Oh, and I don't know that it officially counts as a mixed drink, but a hot toddy (honey, not sugar) if you're sick is acceptable.

I guess I'm old fashioned, but if I have to piss I hang up the phone and go piss.

These are the approved Manly Mixed Drinks for Men Cold weather: The Old Fashioned Warm weather: The Tom Collins Wild card: The Whisky Sour Anything else should be sipped with your pinky daintily extended while discussing if your new thong will chafe if you hit the dance floor one more time.

Do you need a remedial class in urination?

I got to play with a PS90 today, 16" barrel, factory red dot, semi-auto only....and its sexy. I can see where this would be a fantastic CQB weapon, even with the 16" barrel. I don't think I want to put the money into buying it, magazines, ammo, etc. for the platform...but it was sexy.

A few pics taken over the years at work. Female driver had a seizure and drove completely into someone's bathroom. Asian female reinforcing stereotypes, confuses "D" for "R" and drives into an apartment building, knocking the upstairs balcony loose. High speed crash into a phone pole, this one was fatal. Ranger sideswipes a Sable, the tow hook on the bumper peels the door skin off almost totally intact. Giant warehouse fire, toxic fumes, was called out to assist in evacuation of neighborhood due to toxicity of the air downwind.