The world of Newtonism

House Demo.

2008-07-04T00:45:59Z

I'm not surprised at all, But just the same I kinda am, The more we tear into this house the more we discover as far as it's history and the more ass-baggery of work thats been done to cover up the orginal plaster and other workmanship thats degraded over time. Plus it's a big dissapointment that of all our friends who sounded so eager to help are now so busy they just can't seem to be able to make it. I'm not surprised at this either. In all truthfulness, I'm much faster and efficient when working alone. Theres no need for me to direct anyone on how or what to do next, No one asking me to give em a hand or to bring them something. I don't mind help at all, It's just frustrating.

What would be nice is if my father was younger and had much more time, Him and I along with say my brother and the skills he's finally learned in the past 5-6 years of home ownership would make a kickass team. He never wanted anything to do with the projects my father and I did over the years on our family home. So that really put him behind once he had his own home to work on.

Tomorrow is the 4th. I hope eveyone has a safe and fun day! Freedom doesn't come free...

-Adam

Just another sunrise

2008-06-30T03:10:30Z

Tomorrow morning when I awaken, It's a good bet I won't feel any different than this morning. I'll open my eyes and greet the day with my woman by my side, there won't be any sense of urgency. Since it is an "important" milestone in my life journey of birthdays there will be cake! and best of all steak, As a matter of fact there will be two different cakes.

June 30th 1983 at 11:29am in a hospital a boy was delivered into this world, Not naturally but by C-section. I can't remember my weight offhand but it was in the 7-8 pound range. Born with no outward defects and no internal imperfections, I had the upperhand on life. Loving parents and a jealous brother. I grew up in a pretty decent neighborhood with pretty much all I've ever wanted. Far from spoiled I assure you! We earned what we got and we're taught to understand that nothing is free, Helping my father on home projects from the age of 2-3 and learning the tools and skills in many trades.

Religion was never pushed upon us, We we're sent off to church on sundays with my grandparents for the purpose of my parents to have some time together and to get house work done or to shop. I was somewhat sheltered by my mother and both parents made sure I knew the difference between right and wrong.

Remembering our childhoods is always an experience, Whether it was mostly good or only had some good times we all have some fond memories. I sometimes live for the past too much, I soon realize it's over and move on to the "Now". Regrets, I do have them... Many. But theres not a single thing that can be done.

Tomorrow I will not celebrate by drinking my age in shots, I won't go skydiving, bullriding, Or much of anything else crazy. I do enjoy riding mechanical bulls though...

-Adam, The 24 year, 11 month, 30 day, 11 hour, and 38~ minute old dude

Ummmm, WOW...

2008-06-29T03:42:15Z

HAIPHONG, Vietnam - John McCain has an unusual endorsement — from the Vietnamese jailer who says he held him captive for about five years as a POW and now considers him a friend.

"If I were an American voter, I would vote for Mr. John McCain," Tran Trong Duyet said Friday, sitting in his living room in the northern city of Haiphong, surrounded by black-and-white photos of a much younger version of himself and former Vietnam War prisoners.

At the same time, he denies prisoners of war were tortured. Despite detailed POW accounts and physical wounds, Duyet claims the presumed Republican presidential nominee made up beatings and solitary confinement in an attempt to win votes.

His statements seem to echo the communist leadership's overall line on America: It insists the torture claims are fabricated, but that Vietnam now considers the U.S. a friend and wants to lay the past to rest. Duyet said one of the reasons he likes McCain for president is the candidate's willingness to forgive and look to the future.

Duyet, 75, grew testy during the interview when repeatedly questioned about torture and why so many other former POWs say they too were mistreated. He preferred to talk about McCain as an old buddy.

His photo collection doesn't include one of him with POW McCain, and he said they have not met on any of McCain's postwar visits to Vietnam. But Duyet said he often met the young Navy pilot when off duty, that McCain would correct his English, and that he had a great sense of humor. And although they never saw eye-to-eye on the war that killed some 58,000 Americans and up to 3 million Vietnamese, he said they listened to each others' views.

"He's tough, has extreme political views and is very conservative," Duyet said. "He's very loyal to the U.S. military, to his beliefs and to his country. In all of our debates, he never admitted that the war was a mistake."

Duyet also talked about prisoner volleyball games and said the captives were fed the same meals as average wartime Vietnamese in Hanoi. The same propaganda is depicted in photos of smiling American POWs displayed at the Hoa Lo prison, now a museum for tourists.

McCain spent 5 1/2 years behind bars in Hanoi. His flight suit and parachute were recently added to the museum display, which includes a recording of bombs falling and air raid sirens shrieking.

McCain still bears the evidence of his wounds and has described being repeatedly bound and beaten by his captors. After his plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile during a bombing mission over Hanoi in 1967, McCain ejected and suffered a broken leg, two broken arms, and was briefly knocked unconscious. The Vietnamese mob who found him smashed his shoulder and he was bayoneted.

He says medical attention was delayed in an attempt to get him to reveal information and he was held in solitary confinement for over two years.

Other former POWs also say they were tortured by communist forces at the jail, and many say they still suffer physical pain from it.

"They are liars. What they said is not true," said Duyet, who was a jailer at Hoa Lo from 1968 until the POW release in 1973, serving as prison chief the last three years. Duyet claimed McCain "invented that story that he was tortured and beaten to win votes."

Asked for a response, the McCain campaign referred The Associated Press to Orson Swindle, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel who was imprisoned with McCain. Swindle said Duyet "has no credibility on every utterance he makes."

"For him to say that no one was tortured, he's a damn liar, and the history books in the aftermath of Vietnam were replete with stories of what prisoners went through. I've got friends that died up there from torture."

"He says John McCain would make a great president. How the hell does he know? He has absolutely no credibility," Swindle added.

McCain has returned to Vietnam several times and visited what's left of the old prison, whose pilots' section has been replaced by a gleaming high-rise of offices, apartments and shops.

McCain was instrumental in pushing for normal relations between the two former foes, and the friendship was highlighted by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's trip to see President Bush at the White House on Wednesday.

McCain's wife, Cindy, was in southern Vietnam last week doing charity work. She said if her husband wins the election the couple would delight in paying a presidential visit to the country.

If that happens, Duyet said, "I hope to meet with him again as two old friends. At that time, I would toast to congratulate him as U.S. president.

"We would talk about the future, and we would not talk about the past."

/end story

This guys a nut job, Well I'm sure both are actually. I don't know of any Vietnam vets or a veteran of any "conflict"/war who are not in some way changed. Let alone a guy who was held for over five years

Sign of the times

2008-06-21T19:40:55Z

Heres a story I found from Fark which is interesting to our current economy and gas prices, Heres the story...

{This may be a sign that the gas crunch is breaking the piggy bank.

A man trying to pay for gas with a sackful of pennies at a Denver gas station Thursday got so pushy that clerks called police.

The 7:30 a.m. call was on what was termed an "unwanted person" at the Diamond Shamrock station at Broadway and 10th Avenue.

Employees said the man, driving a satellite TV truck, became offensive as he insisted on paying with about $10 worth of pennies while the station's mini-mart was busy with a line of customers and vendors delivering goods.

The penny-pusher took off just before police arrived. Store officials declined to comment.}

It's hard to say for sure why he got "pushy", Most would agree it's probably because the store clerk didn't want to hassle with counting out what would amount to 1000 pennies But legally I do believe they would be required to accept his money since it is still legal tender. They could tell him to count it out himself and roll it. But generally any place you go the clerk verifies you gave them the correct amount.

Yeah the guy was holding up people and I know if I was in line behind him I would be ticked off but look back in your history books to the times of the great depression and in other countries where their currency is so worthless they literally needed sacks full of bills and coins for a loaf of bread. It's coming to that once again here in the US. What do we do? Well During world war 2 we rationed. Maybe some of our sports such as Nascar (which I used to love) Should be suspended. I read a article about the gas use of each race car and how Sunoco supplies the gas to each driver free of charge, Nearly 50 gallons of gas a race for each of the 43 cars Thats 2150~ gallons of fuel... Keep in mind that this is not your regular 87 octane mix...

Sunoco doesn't publish the cost of it's price but it's guessed to cost anywhere from $5.60 a gallon upto $6.50 Or upto $14,000 A race in fuel alone. This is just Nascar... Factor in Indy and all other forms of legal track racing and the fuel savings add up. With 41 scheduled Nascar races this season thats about 88,000 gallons (this season alone) of fuel Used for nothing more than to entertain.

Think about it... Do you need to have Nascar, Indy, The craftsman truck series, and all other vehicle races including Boat racing?

-Adam

Death Sucks...

2008-06-21T02:59:22Z

This morning on my way out the door heading to work my father informs me that a close friend of mine passed away on Wednesday. I didn't know how to respond other than "what?" Then "what from?" He didn't know other than the obit said he passed away in his home. So after work and a nap I looked up his obit on The Blade and read it, Services we're today so I got cleaned up and headed over to pay my respects... After a quick stop to the liquor store to pick up a bottle of Bacardi. Rum and coke was his favorite drink at his sisters bar, That and a shot of tequila once in a while. After paying my respects to his family and some of his other friends there I placed the bottle in his casket where some others had placed a shotgun shell and a fishing pole.

Jonh "Butch" Schmidlin, Was a Vietnam vet. He was an army ranger who served his country well. I was glad to have spent time talking to him about his tour in "Nam", Which if you don't realize it not many veterans of any war are willing to share their experiences, He would discuss most anything. I only wish I had know of his sickness so I could of talked to him once more...

Butch was a trucker for many years as well, then he worked in the steel industry and he had quite a tough injury prone life, He was plagued with kidney stones atleast once a year and nearly lost a leg from a steel plate falling down in which it shaved his skin down to the shin bone. He also bought a Harley last spring, Which was not his first time owning a motorcycle. I think he only dropped the bike once and it was minor.

He enjoyed going to the Bay and his yearly trip with his wife, Diana to Mexico.

I'll make this short and end my writing about him now, Tonight I'm going to have a drink in his memory. Cherish the time you have with the ones you care for... You never know when their time or yours is up.

Heres the link to his Obit. http://www.legacy.com/ToledoBlade/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=111821248

-Adam

Life is hectic... Yet great!

2008-06-18T03:51:07Z

Where to start...

I guess I'll say right off the bat that even though I haven't been online much at all other than checking my e-mails and to do a quick read over of everyones blogs and some news, I'm not having interweb withdrawls. Since last Tuesday when I closed on the house and promptly headed over to it with Andi to check it over and rip off the ugly lattice from the porch I've been busy as hell!

Wednesday was awesome! As stated in my last post, Some friends and I took a trip to Cedar Point for the day. Andi stayed back here and did some work on the house. Thursday I was back to work and then right after Andi and I worked on the house till near sundown, Same with pretty much each day since then. We've nearly finished the downstairs removing the crap we don't want. More than half of the upstairs is done, We still have a lot to do really but most of the time consuming stuff is done... Plus now that we have learned what to expect behind the paneling it's easier to work. I'm really proud of Andi and how much work she's put into the house so far, For someone whos never really done a project of this caliber she's doing great!

Like many, if not all old houses that have been bought and sold to different families over the years you can see the progression of "improvements" over the years We've nearly filled a 15 cubic foot dumpster and filled about 8 bags of garbage, I've salvaged what wood I can for later use. We had a guy walk by the house on Sunday and offer to mow the lawn, I accepted and He's going to continue to do it every two weeks for a while till I have time to buy my own mower and do it. We've also had tons of neighbors come by and congratulate us on the house and thank us for buying it. We met the head of the block watch and her husband, Andi says she's "hot", And I'd have to agree... It's a huge upgrade from the old dude we had in the neighborhood I grew up in :P

Theres so much more I could cover in this post. but I've given you the general idea of whats up in my life. :)

Check out our house blog for more info on whats up with the projects and theres plenty of photos too! HouseBlog And for what history we have on the house check out This!

-Adam

Fuckity Fuck Fuck!!!

2008-06-15T05:12:55Z

I just went outside to have a smoke and looked over at my truck and noticed my back tire is flat! FUCK!!! So I go look closer and check the rest to make sure that some assbag didn't flatten all my tires while I was inside, Just the one... I'm guessing the dirty hood got me again. So tomorrow I've got to first try and airing it up if Andi has an inflator. If not then I'll have to back out with the flat and let her pull out, Then pull my tire and the spare since it's flat too from a couple months back when I had to change tires from yet another flat and could not afford to fix it. Now a good chunk of the money I've been saving up for minor house repairs will have to be spent on freakin tires that run $150-170 a pop for mine.

SOB! why do I have to keep getting flats??? I've had more flat tires in the last year than anyone I've ever known! Maybe i should get tires with rubber thats 3 inchs thick. Or maybe solid rubber tires like the ones used on forklifts and shit? Toledo's roads suck anyways so I'm sure I wouldn't notice much of a difference in the ride. I kinda feel like Dalton in "Road House" right now when he bought his old beater car and also got four spare tires because he knew that the ones on it would be slashed.

I remember a couple years ago shortly after I got new tires on my truck prior to a flat from a huge bolt which pierced through and promptly ejected deflating my tire in about three seconds flat (pun intended) I also was due for a new set at the time since they were well worn. Anyhow I had to work Thanksgiving and soon as I got out of work and backed out of my parking spot I noticed i was on a slight lean... then I heard the thump thump thump. I get out and see I have a flat!!! On my new 2-3 month old tires. It's cold and raining and I just got off work. I drive a short ways to another open spot thats open on both sides as well so I have room to work.

If memory serves me correctly theres been 6 or maybe 7 flat tires on my truck since I got it in mid 2004. I've had to replace the brakes all the way around once, Just recently did the brakes on the front and new rotors plus a new bearing assembly for the drivers side, New transmission pan (the old one had rust and some pin holes) a new power stearing pump, A recall for the upper ball joints, Had an accident January of 2007 which did almost $7000 worth of damage (luckily the guy whos fault it was had full coverage) In which my truck needed the frame straightened, new radiator, AC condensor, Transmission cooler, major body work and some paint work, new head light turn signal, front bumper and skirt. And I'm sure there was something else that was fixed/replaced fron that. I've had to replace a glovebox handle one of the buttons on my steering wheel (to change stations) for my radio... Just that little plastic peice cost like $50!

I still need to get my speakers replaced since I they sound like shit now after crankin it up loud as hell once. I need a new block heater, the rust fixed thats starting to pop up, And a few other odds and ends. I don't understand what the orginal owner was thinking when he ordered this truck. He went all out and got leather, the biggest engine, and pretty much every feature except rust proofing! It's Ohio! Toledo uses salt on the roads like nobodies business.

Arrrrgggg!!!! Fuck the city!

-Adam

Breaking maritime news from our great lakes!

2008-06-15T04:07:08Z

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - A 22-gun British warship that sank during the American Revolution and has long been regarded as one of the "Holy Grail" shipwrecks in the Great Lakes has been discovered at the bottom of Lake Ontario, astonishingly well-preserved in the cold, deep water, explorers announced Friday.

Shipwreck enthusiasts Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville used side-scanning sonar and an unmanned submersible to locate the HMS Ontario, which was lost with barely a trace and as many as 130 people aboard during a gale in 1780.
The 80-foot sloop of war is the oldest shipwreck and the only fully intact British warship ever found in the Great Lakes, Scoville and Kennard said.

"To have a Revolutionary War vessel that's practically intact is unbelievable. It's an archaeological miracle," said Canadian author Arthur Britton Smith, who chronicled the history of the HMS Ontario in a 1997 book, "The Legend of the Lake."
The finders of the wreck said they regard it as a war grave and have no plans to raise it or remove any of its artifacts. They said the ship is still considered the property of the British Admiralty.

Although the vessel sits in an area where the water is up to 500 feet deep and cannot be reached by anyone but the most experienced divers, Kennard and Scoville declined to give its exact location, saying only that it was found off the southern shore.
The sloop was discovered resting partially on its side, with two masts extending more than 70 feet above the lake bottom.
"Usually when ships go down in big storms, they get beat up quite a bit. They don't sink nice and square. This went down in a huge storm, and it still managed to stay intact," Scoville said. "There are even two windows that aren't broken. Just going down, the pressure difference, can break the windows. It's a beautiful ship." Smith, who was shown underwater video of the find, said: "If it wasn't for the zebra mussels, she looks like she only sunk last week."

The dark, cold freshwater acts as a perfect preservative, Smith said. At that depth, there is no light and no oxygen to hasten decomposition, and little marine life to feed on the wood. The Ontario went down on Oct. 31, 1780, with a garrison of 60 British soldiers, a crew of about 40, mostly Canadians, and possibly about 30 American war prisoners.

The warship had been launched only five months earlier and was used to ferry troops and supplies along upstate New York's frontier. Although it was the biggest British ship on the Great Lakes at the time, it never saw battle, Smith said.
After the ship disappeared, the British conducted a sweeping search but tried to keep the sinking secret from Gen. George Washington's troops because of the blow to the British defenses.

Hatchway gratings, the binnacle, compasses and several hats and blankets drifted ashore the next day. A few days later the ship's sails were found adrift in the lake. In 1781, six bodies from the Ontario were found near Wilson, N.Y. For the next two centuries, there were no other traces of the ship. Explorers have been searching for the Ontario for decades, and there have been numerous false finds over the years, said Eric Bloomquist, interpretative programs manager at Old Fort Niagara.

Kennard, an electrical engineer who has been diving for nearly 40 years and has found more than 200 wrecks in the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, the Finger Lakes and in the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, began searching for the Ontario 35 years ago but quit after several frustrating and fruitless years. Six years ago, he teamed up with Scoville, a diver who developed the remote-controlled submersible with students from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Since then, the pair have found seven ships in the lake.

Over the years, Kennard obtained documents from British and Canadian archives on the Ontario, including the ship's design plans. Even then, it took the pair three years of searching more than 200 square miles before they found the vessel earlier this month.
After locating the wreck with the sonar, the explorers used the submersible to confirm their find, documenting their discovery with more than 80 minutes of underwater video. "Certainly it is one of the earliest discovered shipwrecks, if not the earliest," said Carrie Sowden, archaeological director of the Peachman Lake Erie Shipwreck Research Center of the Great Lakes Historical Society in Vermillion, Ohio. "And if it's in the condition they say, it's quite significant."

A rare feature that helped identify the ship: the two crow's nests on each mast. Another was the decoratively carved scroll bow stem. The explorers also found two cannons, two anchors and the ship's bell. The clincher was the quarter galleries on either side of the stern — a kind of balcony with windows typically placed on the sides of the stern-castle, a high, tower-like structure at the back of a ship that housed the officers' quarters.

Kennard said he and his partner have gathered enough video that it will not be necessary to return to the site. He added that they hope to make a documentary about the discovery. There are an estimated 4,700 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, including about 500 on Lake Ontario.

********************************************************************************************************************************************
Damn, I hope someday they bring up the whole ship and turn it into a museum in N.Y. The USS Monitor at the Mariners Museum is freaking amazing! I had the pleasure of seeing it shortly after it opened to the public, Interestingly enough my Brother who was stationed in VA. at the time and living in Poquoson was among the select few volunteers who helped to preserve parts that were brought in.

I wish him and his wife were still stationed there... I loved it when I visited. Plus I never did get the time to check out the things I wanted to see, Our many national monuments, historic sites and the many other attractions that Virginia has to offer.

Someday...

-Adam

Trip to Cedar Point 6/11/08

2008-06-13T21:59:42Z

All of our group relaxing in the shade for a few...

Names are as follows, (going clockwise) Guy flipping me off is Jack aka Douche Rocket, Chick staring at me like wtf are you thinking? Crystal aka Ravyn, The guy leaning on a support column is Ron aka DJ Darkfalz, To his left (right in the photo) is Zac, aka Prime, Sitting to his left id Cindi aka Rowena, and to her left is James, aka Couch Jew, To his left is Brett aka Ichi (not as in he needs to scratch...) To his left is Dorrane aka Dane. (you can find em all on my myspace page "myspace.com/whatsthefuckingpoint")

We had a fucking great time! It was kinda hot at 85+ degrees without much wind but we stayed fairly cool all day and especially after we rode a couple water rides. I got a little bit red from being in the sun all day, Ron's neck was scorched as well as Jacks freshly shaved head. By the end of the day my legs and feet hurt but I was still pumped from all the rides. I had to work the next morning and I laid awake till atleast 2am trying to sleep.

You can bet your ass that there will be another trip there in the next two months.

-Adam

Life could not be much better!

2008-06-11T02:27:19Z

It happened...

I closed on that big ass house today! Talk about a score, The agreed price was 10K and we figured closing costs would be about $500 so $10,500 total. Well I got word from my realtor today that the bank that owned it paid some taxes and crap and the grand total would be $9,661.74! I feel as if I anally raped the bank and didn't even offer a reach around. Makes me feel good

Tomorrow I'm off work and going to cedar point... Andi might be doing some work on the house, Go help her! (please? ) If it wasn't for the fact of this trip being planned since last year and 6 people riding with me I'd just not go and work on the house all day... Plus I could use some stress relief after Monday at work... 16 fuckin hour day!

-Adam

Schedule and interesting/important updates...

2008-06-09T06:03:06Z

Well I've been pretty busy lately with work, And even though I may be on the computer I haven't had anything I've wanted to blog about. So heres a informal list of things to come in the next week, and somewhat beyond...

1. Monday 6/9/08 - Ugh... Mondays, Hopefully I'll be off work sooner than 4:30pm so I can head to my union hall and get/price my discounted passes for Cedar Point and if they are the right price I have to pick up 8 for the upcoming trip there with my friends.

2. Tuesday 6/10/08 - Same goal as Monday if I work beyond 4:30

3. Wednesday 6/11/08 - I'm off work for a whole day at Cedar Point with atleast 7 of my friends, If I can't make it Monday or Tuesday to the union hall I'll be there when the doors open at 9am (hopefully) and get em then and since the park opens at 10am that'll only put us behind 20-30 minutes. I'll try to get as many pictures as I can while there...

4. Thursday 6/12/08 - Back to work...

5 Monday 6/30/08 - 25 years of wear and tear on this body of mine... I'm hoping to be on vacation this week, But it's going to depend on if work hires a few guys very quickly here... *curses Ace*

6. Friday 7/4/08 - Our nations anniversary of independance, A holiday most take for granted as a reason to drink and be stupid... Celebrating is great! But be responsible and make sure you know and understand why we have this day to party. If you have kids, nephews, neices, Or any young children be sure to educate them in a simple manner (age appropriate) Above all have fun!

7. Saturday 7/5/08 - Argggg, My womans best friends family reunion which I am to attend since somehow I'm considered family... The theme (yes these people have a theme/dress code for reunions) is pirates. So I guess thats a interesting enough reason to attend, And unlike my real family I could actually take home a chick from this one! :P (Just kidding Andi my love... {I'm sure my g/f will beat me soon as she gets to see me after work})

8. Rest of July and start of August - Work as much as possible on this house of mine to get it in livable shape.

9. Friday 08/08/08 - Something special, I'm getting Married. Yes this is the offical LJ announcement, Andi & I have been talking about it for four months or more and seriously for the past month or so. it's not going to be a traditional wedding... Should have pics soon after. I'm planning on wearing a Kilt much like this one. Andi can make it. this ones from Utilikilts

10. Friday night through Sunday morning I suppose 8/8 - 8/10/08 - Our short honeymoon. Probably here in one of the cottages, My parents offered to pay for a couple of nights as our wedding gift... So we scoped em out and theres one thats awesome looking... It's surrounded on nearly 3 sides by a rather large marsh/pond and they all are set fairly far apart and some are more into the edge of the woods.

11. Saturday 8/16/08 - We're having our "reception" party! It was supposed to be the 9th but Andi's brother has paid for and is going to OzzFest in Texas that weekend so Ozzy has ruined our plans... lol Whatever, Your all Invited once we figure out for sure where we want to have it. We plan on sorta a pot luck dinner, if it's not at a public park and alcohol is allowed it'll be byob with some supplied by us as well as other stuff.

12... Life goes on? Hopefully have the house done or atleast where I can move in by mid-August?

-Adam N.

Ready, Aim, Fire!

2008-05-31T02:15:08Z

This week has been shitty at work, So today after work I met up with my woman and two other couples for lunch, During the course of waiting on food my friend Jack and I decided that today was the perfect day to do some shooting.

So after lunch we went our seperate ways to go pick up our guns and ammo. I also grabbed my chainsaw since where we were going is Jacks girlfriends Aunts house, And there was a tree they wanted cut down. After cutting down the tree, pulling the stump, and cleaning up all that we found a 50 gallon drum and rolled it over to where we planned to shoot.

We set up the drum about 35 yards away and also had a large V8 concentrate can next to it (approx. 5 inches across) We each shot our own guns Including a 1935 Mauser, The .410 shotgun converted to .357 Mag, My Bushmaster AR-15, and a few other rifles Jack owns. All shots were taken with iron sights only, Since the whole idea was stress relief rather than accuracy so much.

We took a few breaks to pick up our brass and change to pistols and I let Jack shoot my pistol grip 12 GA. I think we shot for two hours atleast, I fired off 80 rounds from my AR-15 alone, and about 10-12 from the shotgun, And a clips worth from the 5-6 different firearms Jack brought. Here is the end result of the 50 drum and the many different caliber rounds put through it...

One of my .223 punched right thru the rolled edge of it and also ripped thru the V8 can making it fly in the air a couple feet.

More of the drum and towards the porch and trees we shot from

I went back about 40 yards and shot freestanding (no arm strap) with my AR-15 and took shots at the small can hitting it about 4-5 times (that I could tell of) out of the twenty rounds shot from that distance. I can't wait to get a decent scope!

Also I noticed that when I got home and was about to shower I have a small bruise on my shoulder... Dunno if it's from all the rounds fired off or I did something when cutting down the tree... Either way I had a blast! (pun intended)

Their not stupid, Just ignorant!

2008-05-26T22:25:25Z

As a friend posted today and has in the past the anti's don't take the right approach to their fight, They go off of the media's "knowledge" and of what they are told from other ignorant gun control advocates. I was reading the "pages of opinion in the local paper just a bit ago and found a submission the paper felt was good enough to re-publish... It's taken from the "Columbus Dispatch"

Obviously this person doesn't understand that the people this proposed law covers is Legal gun owners, The ones who jumped through all the hoops and were checked throughly before sold a gun.

I have a friend who owns a bait shop and he got pulled over once while on his way to the bank to deposit the previous months money, He told me it was about 25K. He's (Rick) a hunter, fisherman, and obviously a supporter of gun rights. He gets pulled over for whatever reason and the cop approaches his car and notices a gun on the passenger seat, Alarmed he pulls his and asks why he has a gun on the seat and if it's loaded. Rick informs him why he's carrying a gun and that indeed it's loaded... He comments to the officer "Of course it's loaded... It's not very useful in a emergency unloaded. So the cop is still alarmed and informs him it's illegal to have a firearm in plain unsecured view And loaded while operating a vehicle. Rick tells him to call the local judge because he has permission directly from him to be armed while carrying his monthly deposits to the bank... Long story short the cop calls and lets my friend be on his way.

If he were to obey the law and have the gun secured in a locked case... or worse yet in the trunk and someone who has staked him out was to approach his car and demand the money he wouldn't have the slightest chance to do anything but hand over his hard earned money. (Mind you obviously this wouldn't matter much anyways if he had a CCW)

So here's the submission... Lets hear your thoughs on the subby, The proposed law and your general thoughs on these matters! :)

Time marches on.

2008-05-26T06:29:26Z

It's been a while since I've blogged about anything, I've been working long hours and still trying to socialize after work... Sometimes too late into the night and then at work I'm literally falling asleep standing up.

Works been hell and a half! Not terrible overtime but enough that it's wearing myself and my co-workers thin, Combine that with the direction Ace is going and your looking at a very unhappy workforce. From our shorthanded staff to our inept supervisors/managers. In the past five years at Ace I've seen it go from being a somewhat acceptable job if not fun at times to being a sweatshop where the management doesn't care about anything but how can we save more money? Where can we cut back and have less people do more? How far can we push till they break? Well, People are breaking, Ace is crumbling...

Enough with my work life I say... I'm there, It's a paycheck.

As some of you know theres a house Andi and I have been in love with since around late January. This coming weekend We finally close on it after two or three different failed methods of purchasing it. Basically I couldn't get my parents to co-sign because of their doubt that it's a good investment. Couldn't get a personal (unsecured) loan from my bank, And the FHA I almost went through with was a *last* resort till I finally said enough of cuntrywides bullshiat.

So Andi's mother came thru and loaned us the difference of the cash we'd need to buy it outright. $8,000 combined with my $2,000 Plus closing money and stuff. Yeah 10K for a huge old stone house on the east side in a mixed neighborhood. Not terrible but not nearly as nice as where I have lived all my life on the east side.

Photos of house here

Soon as we close I plan on getting right into the work, Basically it needs a enema and a douching. Then some TLC and I can get into the basic repairs to get it looking nice so when I go to either my bank or one a friend works for to get a line of equity so I can get all the major projects done and move in. I"m hoping to have this all done by early August.

So yeah I'll be looking for people who wanna help. I'll be sure to supply drinks, foodz, music, and I totally plan on having a few parties directly after working on either Friday or Saturday nights...

Also for those of you who know my brother, He'll be in town in the next few days... Be sure to get ahold of him or me if you wanted to catch up. It'll be your last chance for a while since he's being stationed in Texas come November-ish.

This past Saturday (5/24/08) Andi and I met at Lisa's Aunts house to help clean (Raccoons got in while Lisa's aunt was in the hospital) and to have a small fire afterwards with S'mores. Jack and I cleaned out the entire gutter (which is probably the first time ever) and we checked out the old barn... Wood/Metal workers gold mine! I think between Jack and I it was the straightest jizz fest ever... Lets just say we both appreciate old tools and especially a place that would make a decent gun manufacturing shop.

So after that Lisa's father busted out his .223 single shot rifle and a .410 shotgun converted to shoot .357 Mags. Then Lisa, Heather (Zombie Edward) Jack, Lisa's Father, and Myself all took a few shots at a (what I'm guessing was) large V8 concentrate can from about 50 yards away. With Iron sights on both guns and neither really being sighted in it was a little tough to hit, I couldn't get the .223 to shoot low enough. So anyways first shot with the converted .410 I hit nearly dead on. What a rush! Made me get the itch to go out shooting very soon. I have my AR-15 which needs some lovin'.

Last Saturday I had a photoshoot with a friend of mine Mr. Boyd Hambleton, He informed me of his idea a few weeks back and that he really needed a male model who could dress as a dork/nerd. So I agreed, I'd be wearing a white button up shirt, Pens in the pocket (wanted a pocket protector but couldn't locate one) And some buddy holly-esque glasses. The female model was to be Katie (PXE) and she is supposed to be interested in me while I'm to look straight ahead and generally not be interested. Heres the resulting photos I like from it.

Andi's favorite...

And my favorite...

The book title... "An easy introduction to the slide rule" :P

I think I'll end my writings now... Before I don't get enough sleep for tomorrow at work, Double time baby!

-Adam H. Newton

"Hold on one second sweetie"

2008-05-18T17:36:49Z

You may have seen or read about Obama and his trip to Detroit at the Chrysler factory. The one where a local reported asked him a question related to his visit and he only replied with a demeaning remark, Least thats the way I feel it was meant. He claims to call all kinds of people "sweetie" And in another video on youtube they show him saying sweetie to these people, All women of course. So not only did he not answer her then he didn't answer her on the phone message either. He just said his lack of an answer would have to be made up for.

What is it good for...

2008-05-17T09:13:33Z

Of course we all know this war in Iraq is bullshit and needs to end now.

Just last week my Sister in law (who I consider my sister I've never had more than a "inlaw") Sherry returned from a seven month tour at Camp Liberty in Baghdad, Which was her second time being sent to Iraq. I'm very relieved she's home not only alive but unhurt!

I know for sure my brother is happy to have his wonderful wife back. I can only Imagine how much her daughter, Rowan missed her. It's sad that for the past three years my neice has had to be without her mother (and father last year) during christmas and her birthdays as well as just not being there because of being deployed.

Our soliders are stressed, Our nation is stressed like a pair of spandex worn by a fat chick. And yet our ~~fearless~~ brainless leader continues on his war path! I found this badly composed news story on Fark about a soldier who is refusing to serve in Iraq based on his belief that this is a "illegal war"

I love my family, I support our troops, And most of all I continue to believe that America has a chance...

-Adam H. Newton

Matthis Chiroux is the kind of young American US military recruiters love.

"I was from a poor, white family from the south, and I did badly in school," the now 24-year-old told AFP.

"I was 'filet mignon' for recruiters. They started phoning me when I was in 10th grade," or around 16 years old, he added.

Chiroux joined the US army straight out of high school nearly six years ago, and worked his way up from private to sergeant.

He served in Afghanistan, Germany, Japan, and the Philippines and was due to be deployed next month in Iraq.

On Thursday, he refused to go, saying he considers Iraq an illegal war.

"I stand before you today with the strength and clarity and resolve to declare to the military, my government and the world that this soldier will not be deploying to Iraq," Chiroux said in the sun-filled rotunda of a congressional building in Washington.

"My decision is based on my desire to no longer continue violating my core values to support an illegal and unconstitutional occupation... I refuse to participate in the Iraq occupation, he said, as a dozen veterans of the five-year-old Iraq war looked on.

Minutes earlier, Chiroux had cried openly as he listened to former comrades-in-arms testify before members of Congress about the failings of the Iraq war.

The testimonies were the first before Congress by Iraq veterans who have turned against the five-year-old war.

Former army sergeant Kristofer Goldsmith told a half-dozen US lawmakers and scores of people who packed into a small hearing room of "lawless murders, looting and the abuse of countless Iraqis."

He spoke of the psychologically fragile men and women who return from Iraq, to find little help or treatment offered from official circles.

Goldsmith said he had "self-medicated" for several months to treat the wounds of the war.

Another soldier told AFP he had to boost his dosage of medication to treat anxiety and social agoraphobia -- two of many lingering mental wounds he carries since his deployments in Iraq -- before testifying.

Some 300,000 of the 1.6 million US soldiers who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from the psychological traumas of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or both, an independent study showed last month.

A group of veterans sitting in the hearing room gazed blankly as their comrades' testimonies shattered the official version that the US effort in Iraq is succeeding.

Almost to a man, the soldiers who testified denounced serious flaws in the chain of command in Iraq.

Luis Montalvan, a former army captain, accused high-ranking US officers of numerous failures in Iraq, including turning a blind eye to massive fraud on the part of US contractors.

Ex-Marine Jason Lemieux told how a senior officer had altered a report he had written because it slammed US troops of using excessive force, firing off thousands of rounds of machine gun fire and hundreds of grenades in the face of a feeble four rounds of enemy fire.

Goldsmith accused US officials of censorship.

"Everyone who manages a blog, Facebook or Myspace out of Iraq has to register every video, picture, document of any event they do on mission," Goldsmith told AFP after the hearing.

"You're almost always denied before you are allowed to send them home."

Officials take "hard facts and slice them into small pieces to make them presentable to the secretary of state or the president -- and all with the intent of furthering the occupation of Iraq," Goldsmith added.

Chiroux is one of thousands of US soldiers who have deserted since the Iraq war began in 2003, according to figures issued last year by the US army.

But while many seek refuge in Canada, the young soldier vowed to stay in the United States to fight "whatever charges the army levels at me."

The US army defines a deserter as someone who has been absent without leave for 30 days.

Chiroux stood fast in his resolve to not report for duty on June 15.

"I cannot deploy to Iraq, carry a weapon and not be part of the problem," he told AFP.

I'm a menace to society?

2008-05-16T01:38:43Z

So today after work I quickly headed home, got changed and cleaned up so I could get to Andi's house to meet the realtor to sign papers on the house we're buying. Shortly after arriving I talked to the realtor, Tony. He said he'd be a little later than expected since his wife was not home to watch his son while he was out... So finally over two hours later he shows up and I sign papers and bid him farewell.

Here's where the fun starts! Andi and I get on our way and shortly after I turn onto the main drag I notice the unmarked police car that was circling Andi's neighborhood in my rearview, Thinking nothing of it I continue on my way. Just after I pull through the fresh green light he turns on his lights and sounds the siren for a second as I'm pulling over saying to Andi WTF?

He approaches the car and asks for my ID (doesn't even ask for insurance or registration) Then after looking at it for a minute he asks me to step out of the car and to place my hands on the car, He proceeds to question me the usual "do you have any weapons, knives, drugs, explosives or anything that might poke me on yourself" The whole time I'm answering very politely with "yes sir" or "no sir" While he is frisking me he makes the comment that I shouldn't be wearing this badge in this neighborhood (it's a S.H.A.R.P badge) So I say to him why not? He says because of the skinheads. So I say in a scarcastic tone Skinheads against racial prejudice? he replies with yeah they might not understand it. Whatever dude... So after he frisks me looking for drugs I assume, He asks me to step to the rear of the vehicle so he can search my truck. he opens the door and asks Andi the same shit as to whether or not theres guns knives or explosives in the vehicle and she told me she laughed at him. So he did a quick look in a few places told me to retun to the car and wait... He comes backa minute later and tells me to buckle up and that I was going near 50 MPH in a 35 zone and to watch my speed.

Hahahahahaha Bullshit! Soon as I seen him in my rearview well before approaching the red light (where he had plenty of time to pull me over if i was indeed speeding) I glanced at my speedometer and I was going almost 40 MPH. Apparently our drug task force has nothing better to do than to hassle the token white guy in a black neighborhood, Yeah my big durango with a trailer hitch and me looking like a redneck with a few weeks of facial hair growth makes me the "dealer" Last time I got pulled over was the same deal, New years eve and they said I was doing 50 in a 35 but he "couldn't pull me over till he did because there was a car between him and I" Oh and on the ticket I got during that stop they checked the box saying he determined my speed by Pace... What kind of magic do our law enforcement officials use that they can be behind a car presumably going the legal speed limit and know that the car in front of it is going 15 MPH faster than it (mind you I was stuck behind another car myself which was actually going slow... I can remember it like it was ten minutes ago because I have a weird memory for stuff like that) Anyways I contested that ticket and got off with no points on my license and only had to pay the ticket and legal fees.

I swear this weekend I'm going to buy one of them portable tape recorders and tape any and all future occurrences where I'm pulled over. I'm not certain on my legal rights in this situation, I certainly don't see how he had any circumstantial evidence suggesting I was concealing anything illegal on me or in my truck. I probably had every right to say I don't approve of him searching my vehicle without a warrent or a reason.

Your thoughts?

-Adam aka Toledo's most wanted

Youtube find

2008-05-10T14:46:38Z

Found this on Youtube as a "Video response" to the Obama 57 states Vid. I've never heard of this Mike Gravel but the video made me laugh...

When seconds count...

2008-05-09T16:29:18Z

OMAHA, Neb.- An Omaha man struggling to breathe used a steak knife to perform an at-home tracheotomy. Steve Wilder said he thought he was going to die when he awoke one night last week and couldn't breath.

Wilder said he didn't call 911 because he didn't think help would arrive in time. So, the 55-year-old says, he got a steak knife from the kitchen and made a small hole in his throat, allowing air to gush in.

Wilder suffered from throat cancer and related breathing problems several years ago. About that time, he had an episode where he couldn't breath because his air passages swelled shut.

He said that's what happened this time around.
Doctors don't expect Wilder to suffer any adverse affects from the tracheotomy once it's healed.

It's a vagina, Not a clown car

2008-05-09T15:43:04Z

The infamous Duggar cult is at it again...

While on break at work, Our breakroom TV usually has on the "Today Show" and on todays edition they we're talking about upcoming mothers day and as their guest they had a "deserving" mother. Which of course turned out to be this weirdo baby machine we all know as Michelle Duggar (along with her husband and the whole herd).

I can't believe that our government hasn't stepped in and either snipped "Joe Bob's" junk or tied her tubes yet, The fact that so many people and charities feel sorry for them and help support their addiction of children sickens me. I'm no professional but I'd say these parents and any other couple who has more than four children needs help. Theres really no need for more than two,three, or four children in modern America.

Fifty years ago and before that, There was a valid reason to "be fruitful and multiply" since many familes lived on farms or owned small businesses.

-Adam

I don't...

2008-05-02T18:25:12Z

Obama is not only a liar but a back stabber, If you didn't know it already he's "unequivocally" denounced his support of his long time reverand and friend. Damage control... A cover up, How else should it be described? If you ask me he's still a believer in Mr. Wright's ideology.

-Adam

It is what it is...

2008-05-01T22:47:07Z

You might say times are hard, Hard enough that people are getting desperate. Some will go as far as theft to make ends meet, Others will grin and bare it as long as possible. I'd bet most are doing as I've been doing and conserving fuel as much as possible, scaling back on vices and niceties and maybe even working some extra hours to make ends meet.

I read an article the other day about the gas prices of Toledo and how they've jumped dramitically in the last few months.

Sixty four cents in three months! And thirty five cents of it was in a one month period alone, It's fucking bullshit! Theres no legitimate reason at all for it. I can remember when gas was $.99 a gallon and when my father had his 79' Trans Am which required premium fuel for optimal engine performance, If gas hit $1.79 a gallon he was complaining. I'd give my right nut for gas under two dollars a gallon.

The gas cartels have the greatest scheme going on and theres absolutly nothing we can do about it. No matter what people say, Our life style depends on oil products like a crack fiend for his next fix. Theres simply not enough alternate fuel options available to us... Partly because governments don't want to move on from the big oil business which makes them rich and keeps them in office.

To fill my truck up from nearly empty (25 gallon tank) it costs me 70-80 dollars! And I generally have to fill up twice a week. I'm really thinking about buying a bike and riding the 7 miles to work everyday, with gas this expensive it'll pay for itself in no time plus not to mention the health benefits of riding.

On a slightly different subject...

In relation to the hard times many companies are cutting back on costs, whether it's labor or anything else I'd say theres not any business around thats not feeling the hurt... cept them oil tycoons. My employer "Ace Hardware" is really feeling it, You see I work at the regional warehouse where we supply all the Ohio, Michigan, and some Kentucky stores with their product. And sometime last year the CEO stopped into our warehouse to visit and talk about the future of Ace ect. ect.

Ray Griffith, our CEO said Ace would be moving towards being a publicly traded company over the next 5 years, And in doing so the accountants hired to go over all the finances and to put together everything discovered a huge difference in our sales, and profits that had been reported in the last 5+ years. It seemed that somehow due to small inventory errors from all the regional warehouses over those last 5+ years had added up to a whopping $154 million in overstated profits. Yes thats $154,000,000!!! So of course they are holding off the restructuring to become a publicaly traded company, However now they must make up this money by the end of 2009 to continue to have financial backing. So for this year our warehouse has been given the task of cutting $350,000 in costs of anything and everything to do our part. Of course there was some layoffs (2 guys for 2~ months while we were in slow season) And many office staff have been eliminated a couple other odd things here and there to save money.

They even decided to cut our safty team from 9 guys to 5 because the once monthly meetings which cost them a grand total of about $150 for an hours worth of lost production time. However I must quote my man Einstein and his thrid law... For every action an equal and opposite reaction will occur. By effectively reducing the eyes and ears of the safty team they have now created not only a less safe work environment, Ace has also pissed off many if not most of it's employees in some way or another. I was on the safty team... I can't claim that in the past 4 years I've been happy with my job. The first year or so was ok... And even fun at times, Now it's hell with no improvement in sight. Speaking of safty we had a short meeting with our facilities manager this morning to listen to his bullshit about being safer and how year to date we have 9 accidents reported. Nine people injured in three months some way or another. My theory is that unsatisfied people don't care how they do the job they just do it because it's a paycheck, And when someone doesn't atleast take some pride in their work, Then procedures are skipped and accidents happen.

We did have a 750+ day running of no OSHA recordable accidents. If only I could explain all the changes in the last year, All for the worse. Ace took a step forward since I started 5+ years ago, But sadly it has taken 3 steps back in the last year alone. From cutting out team members jobs, to slashing incentive programs to the point of it being better to go slow and work overtime for extra pay rather than bust ass and be off work early.

I could go on and on for atleast another hour of typing but I'll stop and maybe add more as things happen

It is what it is, Quoted from my supervisor on the subject of a complaint about the work conditions.

Ace hardware, It is what it is.... A (union hating, law breaking, uncaring) shithole

N.C. is so porno...

2008-04-27T08:28:01Z

I wonder how many of these will end up on e-bay for sale in the next year, and how many are in private "collections"?

More than 9,000 North Carolina license plates have been recalled because they begin with "XXX" — a common symbol for sexually explicit material.

Marge Howell, communications officer for the Department of Motor Vehicles, said DMV Commissioner William C. Gore Jr. made the call Thursday morning after receiving complaints from people who found the letters offensive.

Greg Eans/The Daily Reflector

A new car owner attaches an XXX license plate to his car Thursday afternoon at the N.C. License Plate Bureau on Tenth Street in Greenville.

"I don't think anybody really looked at this as a problem," Howell said. "It was just next in the alphabetic stream of things."

At least 1,015 of the plates were distributed before the recall went into effect, but Howell said gathering the remaining stockpile should be easy. They are only available at two bureaus — Greenville's 10th Street location and the branch in Roanoke Rapids.

"Only a few were turned in ... just six that I know of, and I don't know the reasons for those," Howell said. "The commissioner decided this was just something that we didn't need out there."

She added that DMV license plate bureaus will replace any plate considered offensive free of charge.

A Winterville man returned his plate Thursday afternoon, after realizing in the parking lot that he was holding the suggestive prefix.

"I definitely don't want XXX on there," Blake Coghill said. "I'm a youth pastor."

He re-entered the office to complain and emerged 10 minutes later, raising a new plate beginning "XTM" triumphantly above his head.

"They didn't know if they'd be able to replace it today," he explained, smiling, "But they had some back there ... I don't want to be the brunt of somebody's joke."

story from "reflector.com"

I wonder if the plate XXX-6969 was made? Or perhaps XXX-0069?

Chicago soon to be a war zone?

2008-04-27T01:59:46Z

Taken from the Chicago Tribune...

Mayor Richard Daley said Saturday Chicago police officers will he armed with high-powered assault rifles when they're on the streets fighting gangs and other criminals.

"Many times they're outgunned, to be very frank," Daley said at an event in the Englewood neighborhood. "When they come to a scene, someone has a semi fully-automatic weapon and you have a little pistol, uh, good luck."

The city's police officers carry pistols, and Daley suggested they will start carrying "M4 rifles."

Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said the department still is working out details about the M4 carbines.
"It's very preliminary. It's really under review. It is something being reviewed. As far as all of the logistics, the training component, might be premature to discuss it at this point," Bond said.

Daley pointed out that the Illinois State Police, Chicago SWAT units and other police departments around the country already carry high-powered assault weapons. He said the weapons will better match the Chicago police officers against criminals with sophisticated weapons, such as high-powered assault rifles.

"We're finding out that the weapons of criminals are getting bigger and bigger, AK47s, all types of different weapons, because they can carry assault weapons, it's not a violation of federal law, and that is a concern for all of us," he said.

/end story

So now our cops will be armed with full auto weapons...

Also wtf is a "semi fully-automatic" weapon? It's either semi-auto or full auto, Unless the mayor meant these guns they are facing have a selector switch, in which case it would be illegal for criminals (convicted felons) to have... thats if they we're to bother with legally purchasing such a weapon lol.