First of all, let me just say, fuck Christmas decorations. Fuck aaaallllll of them. I spent like four hours yesterday and have two or three more today just helping my wife’s decorating. Which, IMO, is a little bit excessive. Like, Christmas tree, okay. Stockings, fine. Put out some Christmas lights so we’re not the Grinch family, cool. But why do we have like a whole different interior decoration theme complete with little nick-nacks that go on every available horizontal surface? I still don’t feel bad about using my one veto for striking the snowman head Christmas tree topper. It looked like we had mounted Frosty’s head on a tree as a warning to all the other snowmen. We’re going back to a more subtle and decorous star.
…and that’s really all I’ve got that won’t tread on SF’s Deathwatch. Sorry, not enough Florida Men posting bail since Thanksgiving, I guess.
Dem DeathWatch 2020
With Kamala Harris, the fake nails and weave of the Democratic field, out, I just can’t imagine what the other sub-candidates are waiting for.
Mayor Pete is having the Iowa surge they were all hoping for and New Hampshire is pretty much still up for grabs and will probably be decided on name recognition (Biden) or schoolmarmocity (Warren.)
As most of the (ew) white people keep failing one purity test or another, Castro is the far left whackjob still standing. Booker is running out of money (again) and just can’t seem to be Obama as hard as he tries.
Klobucher, Steyer, Patrick are obviously waiting for a VP chance, but, honestly, they bring nothing to a ticket. Patrick won’t solve the problem black voters have with Mayor Pete, Klobucher might be a nice pick for Biden, but that’s it–and who does she bring to a ticket that Biden doesn’t already have? Slightly different white people? Steyer might balance a Mayor Pete ticket, but any old could do that.
Gabbard, Yang, Delaney, and Williamson have no useful VP matches that are also possible. And at this point, the irrational hatred toward Gabbard is probably going to get her primaried from the far left. (And a third-party run might end her political career completely, aside from kicking around the Libertarian Party for a couple of decades.) Yang, I can only assume, is on some sort of Brewster’s Millions mission to blow as much money possible as long as he has nothing to show for it at the end. Delany looks like a penis with ventral teeth. Williamson, well, shit, who knows?
Donald Trump campaigned explicitly on term limits. His proposal was that Senators serve only two terms (for a total of 12 years) and that Congressmen and Congresswomen serve only 3 terms (a total of 6 years, for those of you who slept during civics class). This might be the smartest idea that Donald Trump has ever had (proving – yet again – the wisdom in the aphorisms about the blind squirrel and the broken clock).
The surest way to drastically reduce (notice I said “reduce,” not “rid”) the political system of the vast sums of money that pour in from both Democrat and Republican PACS, SuperPACs, Unions, lobbyists, etc., is to make the “market” for politicians be so low that the amounts involved wouldn’t rise high enough to finance a political campaign. You want to discourage both buyers and sellers from even attempting the transaction by making the transaction worth as close to zero as possible.
I have one friend who believes the answer is what I consider the “death penalty” for re-election campaigns: one term only for all politicians, effectively killing the re-election campaign market entirely. Senators would serve their single 6 year term and Congress-critters would get only 2, then it’s just like they say at the barber shop: “Next!” No one would then be able to use the cover of a re-election campaign as their primary vehicle for soliciting donations – and, more importantly, for paying off those donations by changing the legal status of either the donor or the rest of the citizenry, via legislation, or favorable tax status, or whatever form the payoff takes. I believe this is too radical an approach and undermines some of the institutional considerations that led the Founders to structure the government the way they did. My friend’s idea is too much like Congress’ approach for me. “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” to quote Maslow’s Law of the Instrument.
Congress’ approach to things they don’t like, as illustrated in part II, is simply to declare it illegal and then order the King’s Men to enforce the edict. What has been repeatedly demonstrated, however, is that simply prohibiting something by declaration – even with draconian enforcement methods and penalties – is an abysmal failure in every instance, including campaign finance reform. Prohibition of alcohol didn’t stop drinking; the War on ________ hasn’t stopped ________. Feel free to fill in your pet cause: Poverty rates are the same today as they were right before Lyndon Johnson declared “War!” on it, notwithstanding the billions and perhaps trillions spent on that war. It’s even worse for Drugs.
I think this attempt to obliterate the entire re-election market has too much downside, no matter how much it personally appeals to me. There are valid arguments for some continuity and retained “corporate knowledge” in the legislative arm of the U.S. government. I believe a middle-ground between the current system and the “no re-election” position is – and I can’t believe I’m saying this – exactly what Trump campaigned on: 12 years for Senators, though I would give 8 years (4 terms) to Congressman, because of the shorter terms. While it doesn’t completely eliminate re-election campaigns, what it would do – along with staggered elections every two years for one-third of each legislative chamber – is drastically reduce the “value” of any given legislator to near zero, because:
There is a “lag time” required for new legislators to build up their graft mechanisms er, re-election campaigns. It takes some time to find one’s way around. I would give the incoming Senators and House members the benefit of the doubt for one Senatorial term. Twelve years is plenty of time to pursue something, do some legislative “good”… and then it’s time to go back to the productive/working class. The same is true of the 8 year limit for Congressman. After that, as far as I’m concerned, you’re a government welfare recipient of the worst kind.
Term limits act as a natural check on legislative overreach and ambition. Legislators know that 90% reelection stat and they all are “banking” that they won’t be in the 10% who get sacked. The law is NEVER applied to Senators and House members like it is to the rest of us, as Obamacare showed everyone. (No Senator waits in line at the DMV like you do, either). If, however, the clock is already set for a fixed term, old Congressman Know-Nothing might think twice about what he does to you and me with his pen if he knows in the not-very-distant future, someone may very well be looking at his or her cell phone records, just like yours and mine.
Large donors would have to take far greater risks with the possibility of no payback for their dollars. Given the current system involves tiered rates for those higher up in the food chain, the time compression of term limits would mean that by the time someone gains the experience to become a Committee Chair, they would likely no longer be facing a re-election campaign to solicit donations, perhaps one or two in Congress. In other words, as one spent more time in the Senate or House with the clock ticking in the background, one’s “value” (measured as the ability to control a legislative agenda, pass legislation, or the like) would get lower with the passing of each day because of dwindling chances for re-election.
There are other means to fortify this Amendment, in my opinion, but those are best left to a different post.
More Possible than Ever?
Term limits has been an issue many times in the past. It typically draws favorable polling from both sides of the political aisle. Republicans currently control 33 state legislatures and hold 32 governorships. It takes 34 states (2/3) to call for a Constitutional Convention. It takes 38 to ratify an Amendment. If Trump – and Republican allies – are truly the party of limited government, or want to leave a legacy that would make everything else they ever do pale in comparison, they should be activating on this issue. If the people of these United States want to begin the process of taking their Freedom back, this should be what is one everyone’s lips and on their state and federal representative’s agenda: Term Limits. The Chicago Tribune pointed this out just after the election. They – as a mouthpiece for Democrats since their inception – lament such an idea, but it’s the only form of “campaign finance reform” that will ever work. Given Democrats (and most Republicans) complete ignorance of economics and free-, gray-, and black-markets (the latter two of which are created by politicians via taxes and legislation), don’t expect a big push for this forgotten promise any time soon. Politicians know how their bread gets buttered and they aren’t anxious to see that change. It’s the one campaign promise Trump made – and got right – without sticking his foot in his mouth. We should actually hold him to this one.
I really thought the Seahawks were gonna lose. The Vikings put up a good fight but it just wasn’t enough. Only a handful of games on the ice yesterday. Your winners were Buffalo, Vegas, NYI, St Louis and Anaheim. And on the hardcourt, the ACC/Big Ten thingy got into gear as Minnesoooooda took out Clemson (oh, if only this was football) and Miami knocked off Illinois. More on tap tonight including a couple of biggies.
Back when he spoke intelligibly
Those notables born on this day include infinity symbol guy John Wallis, General George McClellan, novelist Joseph Conrad, college basketball coaching great Fred Taylor, rocker Ozzy Osbourne, faith healing conman Benny Hinn, actress Julianne Moore, human statue Terry Schiavo, sexy skater Katarina Witt, and ageless actor Brendan Fraser.
The Chicago Machine eats one of its own. I wonder what stupid thing the mayor did to burn this trump card. That’s what it usually is when an expendable is cast aside with such fanfare. Everybody knows this dumbshit should have been fired at least a month ago. Lightfoot kept him around just for this.
Oh man, they didn’t think this one through. Also, I guess they don’t care about far-left extremism. Otherwise they’d be placing an urn about 10x that size in front of the CCP’s offices in Bejing.
So, imagine my surprise when I found out that Cyber Monday didn’t mean hanging out in chat rooms looking for a sexting hookup. Yeah. I guess that’s not how Millenials do it. They don’t know how expensive bandwidth was when your bits had to walk uphill to the modem both ways! Only 3 more minutes before that nudie pic downloads!
I love it… the “Silver Tsunami”. I am not particularly worried about home prices here. First of all, they’re about 25% too high, but I’ve priced that in. Second of all, its not like there’s a shortage of old people to move here.
The British version of “Republicans pounce”: Boris ripped for “exploiting” dead terror victims. Yes, not cricket at all for BOTH sides to stand on a pile of bodies and wave a bloody shirt.
Some people are mistaking sex robots for the real thing. Others find the robots far too responsive to be human. And why are all these robots vaguely Asian?
Joe Sestak, who I didn’t even know was running, and Steve Bullock are among the faceless rabble of mediocre white men to drop out of the race.
I honestly didn’t know about Sestak. I had to add him just to X him out. It makes you wonder how many more Democratic Presidential candidates are out there, running for office under the radar, lurking under the stage at debates, waiting to erupt like cold sores on the lips of America.
Resolved: The 1851 Colt Navy is the standard by which all succeeding single-action revolvers must be judged. Now that that’s established, let’s take a look at this ground-breaking product of the mind of Colonel Colt, how it changed forever the concept of what a revolver should be, and how it affected every single-action sixgun model that followed – including its famous offspring, the Single Action Army.
The Forerunners
The 1849 Colt Pocket Model
Colt’s production of revolvers up to this point had not yielded a reliable, effective piece for belt holsters. The Paterson guns were underpowered and had fragile folding triggers; their popularity was mostly due to their being the only effective mass-produced revolver available in the 1830s and 1840s.
The Paterson guns had five-shot cylinders, but prudence dictated loading only four and leaving the hammer down on an empty chamber; this precaution was required for Colt revolvers up to and including the Single Action Army. Further, the Paterson guns were loaded using a separate tool for seating bullets. If that tool was lost, what the shooter was left with was an expensive and rather ineffective hammer.
The later Colt Walker and First, Second and Third Model Dragoon revolvers were significant improvements. They had a loading lever attached to the gun under the barrel. They were also big, powerful guns, firing a .44 caliber ball propelled by a stiff charge of black powder from a six-round cylinder. The Walker and Dragoon guns were reliable and powerful, but they were also heavy and cumbersome, so much so that many were fitted with shoulder stocks, making rather effective carbines. But it’s important to note that these were, as named, dragoon pistols, meant to be carried in saddle holsters by mounted troops.
Contemporaneous with the Dragoon guns were a small selection of Colt “Pocket” revolvers, .31 caliber six-shot revolvers that began with the 1847 Baby Dragoon and continuing with the 1849 and 1850 Pocket Models. These were, effectively, scaled-down versions of the Dragoon pistols. Barrel lengths ran from four to six inches, allowing for a decent sight radius for the small-framed guns, but the .31-caliber cylinder put them back in the Paterson level for power; most loads yielded performance roughly equivalent to a modern .32 ACP full-metal-jacket round.
So as of 1850, your choice in Colt revolvers faced a strange dichotomy; you could either have a big, powerful, heavy horse pistol, or a pocket-sized pipsqueak. Clearly something new was needed. Colt decided the answer was obvious: Split the difference.
The New Holster Gun
An original Colt Navy
In 1851 Colt revealed their new gun. The 1851 Colt Navy revolver was a scaled-up 1849 Pocket Model, but it differed in several significant ways: It fired a .36-caliber ball, yielding power roughly equivalent to the later .38 Special 158-grain RNL standard loads; it had a 7 ½” barrel, yielding a good sight radius while maintaining portability; and it was lighter than the Dragoon models, making it easily portable in a belt holster. It did retain the odd sighting arrangement from the earlier guns, using a small conical brass front sight and a notch on the hammer as the rear sight; despite the rather crude sighting arrangement the new gun quickly developed a reputation for accuracy.
Another innovation, oddly, didn’t quite catch on; some early Navies were made with a “safety peg” in between chambers on the six-shot cylinder that fit into a recess on the hammer face, allowing the gun to be safely carried with all six chambers loaded. For some reason this feature wasn’t carried over into later models, and even the famous Single Action Army is only safely carried with the hammer down on an empty chamber.
Rooster Cogburn’s pair of Colt Navy sixguns, correctly depicted as in Charles Portis’ novel.
The new revolver was well received, and with good reason. It was more powerful than the Pocket Models or the Paterson guns, while still being light enough to allow easy carry in a belt holster. Its grip frame, adapted from the earlier guns, was designed for a one-hand shooting style, making it easily usable either on horseback or on foot. Further, the curved grip meant that, like later single-actions from Colt, revolved upwards on recoil rather than slamming into the web of the hand. This made follow-up shots a fraction slower but was much easier on the hand and wrist in repeated shot strings.
While the majority of Colt Navies were made in the Colt works in Hartford, Connecticut, some were also made in the London Armoury near Vauxhall Bridge; a few other copies were made in Belgium and (unlicensed) in Russia. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and that holds true for guns as well as people. During the war, the Confederate Army widely used the Leech & Rigdon revolver, an unlicensed copy of the 1851 Navy made in several locations throughout the war.
Interestingly, the appellation “Navy” was not intended to denote a sidearm designed for naval use. In fact, the production 1851 Colt revolvers cylinders were engraved with a scene of the victory of the Second Texas Navy at the Battle of Campeche on May 16, 1843; this decoration was intended to commemorate the Republic of Texas’ purchase of Paterson Colt revolvers, which was Colt’s first major commercial success. In fact, most of the Colt Navy revolvers were sold to Army and civilian customers.
The 1851 Navy proved a great commercial success, remaining in production until 1873, when its niche as a fast-handling holster gun was taken by the next Colt Legend: The Single Action Army. It’s important to note that while the SAA improved in several ways over the Colt cap-and-ball guns, it retained the grip shape introduced with the Colt 1851 Navy. You don’t mess with success, and it was largely the shape of the grip that made the Navy handle so well.
The Gunfighters
Wild Bill with his pair of Colt Navy revolvers.
During the years leading up to the Civil War, the 1851 Navy gained a strong following. The new gun was popular among outdoorsmen and Army officers, but it also gained a powerful following amongst professional guntwists and outlaws. Why? The Navy Colt, even today regarded as perhaps the best-handling single-action sixgun ever made, was the ideal model at that time for the gunfighter.
The 1851 Navy was the best sidearm yet made for the guntwist. It was lighter than the Dragoons and thus faster to place into operation. It was more powerful and, with a longer sight radius, more accurate than the pocket models. It could be carried on a saddle or in a belt holster and was slim enough to be well concealed beneath a long coat or vest if one was of a mind to do so.
Famous users of the Navy sixgun were legion, including such historic names as John Henry “Doc” Holliday, Jack Hays, Ned Kelly, John “Rip” Ford and Frank Gardiner. And, not least, one of the West’s more notorious professional guntwists also favored the Navy Colt: John Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok.
Bill Hickock and the Navy Colt
Wild Bill would be a great subject for a future Profile in Toxic Masculinity, but a lengthy discussion of his life is probably well outside the scope of this article.
Suffice it to say that Hickock was one of the more notorious figures of the Old West; in his career he worked as a scout for the Army, a cattle drover, a wagon master, a lawman, a gambler and, not least, a gunfighter. He was involved in several high-profile gunfights and was said to prefer the Navy Colt for its power, light weight and accuracy.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Hickock took shooting seriously as an art unto itself, reportedly practicing quick-draw, rapid-fire and slow fire for an hour or more each day. This served him will on July 21, 1865, when he took part in one of the few actual, recorded instances of the kind of quick-draw duel generally only seen in movies.
Wild Bill’s guns
On that day Hickock was playing cards in the Lyon House Hotel in Springfield, Missouri. Another gambler, one Davis Tutt, stood nearby. Tutt was known to dislike Hickock and was continually lending the other gamblers money as they continued to lose to Wild Bill.
One thing led to another and, eventually, the two repaired to the street to settle their differences. They faced each other at the range of 25 yards; when hostilities commenced, Hickock drew his Navy Colt and promptly plugged his adversary between the fifth and sixth ribs. Tutt shouted to his friends, “Boys, I’m killed,” and collapsed.
Eventually Wild Bill was himself killed over a card game, yielding the famous “dead man’s hand” legend, but his death was not due to any failure of his pair of Navy Colts, who continued to serve him well until the end.
Today
There are a wealth of 1851 Navy replicas for sale today. Colt themselves reintroduced the 1851 Navy in the late 1970s and made them for a while, but it was a pricey item and had difficulty competing with the many cheaper versions. I had one for a while, a brass frame model made by an outfit called Early Modern Firearms (EMF), about which I’ve written here before. It was a neat piece and I shot it until the brass frame deformed so badly that it wasn’t safe to operate.
The Uberti Navy model.
Uberti makes a great steel-frame replica. So does Cimarron. There is a wealth of replica guns on the market, but I’d give one precautionary note based on my own experience: Avoid the brass-frame guns if you intend to do a lot of shooting. A steel-frame gun will last a lot longer.
As time goes on, I’m thinking more seriously of picking up one of the Uberti replicas. I’ve handed a few Uberti guns and find them to be excellent pieces, and I still remember my original Navy Colt replica fondly. As I’ve written before, it was light, accurate, fast to clear leather and slick as a snake. Even at the age of fourteen, when I bought the gun and started practicing quick-draw and reflex shooting, I could easily see why the old gunfighters preferred this piece.
The 1851 Colt Navy was a ground-breaking gun, one which set the pattern for all single-action sixguns that followed. It was a seminal piece, changing the sixgun market and the expectations of sixgun shooters more than any preceding gun. The Navy Colt also had long-lasting impact on sixgun design, not just by Colt but also Remington and later, Ruger, as well as Great American, Cimarron, Uberti and other replica makers; this qualifies it as the Gold Standard of single-action revolvers.
The Texans took down the Patriots. The Ravens won a colossal game. The Steelers buried the Browns hopes one more time. And a bunch of other NFL games took place. Oh yeah, the Bungles won. But we all know this week was about Saturday. Sorry, Golden Rodents. Y’all had a hell of a season but just ran out of gas. No “sorry” for Bama. Fuck them. Want to not lose games like that? Learn to recruit and train better kickers. Not to mention they have no wins against ranked teams all season. I hope they are ready for the Outback Bowl, but they’ll probably sneak into the Cotton Bowl and get to play a G5 team. Now if we could just get UVA to pull off a crazy upset this weekend. Oh, and one more thing: This clock seems to be functioning perfectly. LOL, man that was one absolutely epic beatdown in the Big House. I will admit I was nervous as hell, but that’s just in my nature and the scars from the Cooper years that haven’t healed. But in all honesty, the two programs are getting farther apart in quality every year now. It’s time TTUN start nudging Harbaugh back to the NFL. Or just pretend the game isn’t important and focus on beating MSU and PSU every year.
I can’t even remember which of the 8 TDs this was.
Britney Spears, Gianni Versace, Aaron Rogers and Monica Seles were born on this day. Hardly anybody else was. Bummer.
Anyway, on to…the links!
Remind me…who runs Seattle? Oh that couldn’t be a contributor, could it? You know, since they pretty much have removed property owners’ rights to develop land as they see fit and fill market gaps. Nah, it’s got to be greed.
Poised to ensure more rights…
Gun grabbers are about to get a swift kick in the balls. I, for one, expect to be pleased by the decision. Sorry, grabbers. I know the goal in removing the ordinance was so the case would get dropped and you’d just put a new ordinance in its place. You played a game and are about to lose. Nice job.
Guess my phone case was on that truck
Maybe instead of pushing Nest on homeowners, Amazon should be installing it in their trucks. On a side note, how hard is it to deliver a damn iPhone 11 case on time, you bastards? I ordered it on Thursday with next day delivery guaranteed and it still isn’t here and I can’t cancel the purchase until it gets delivered. and then I have to take the time to return it now that I got another one somewhere else.
STEVE SMITH READ COMMENTS FROM FUNNY GLIBERTARIAN HOOMANS…HIM SEE HIM DISAPPOINT.
STEVE SMITH NO WANT FUNNY GLIBERTARIAN HOOMANS BE DISAPPOINT! SO HIM MAKE OPEN POST….WITH ADVICE. LATER, HIM GO TELL SPUD HOW SORRY HIM IS…IN PERSON CRYPTID.
Q. A woman sat behind me at a coffeehouse, put her headphones on, and started up a very personal conversation via phone. I was working on my computer, so I had my own headphones on. However, I could not turn up the music loud enough (and at a tolerable enough level for my ears) to drown her out.
I shot a couple of glances behind me (I know, ridiculously passive-aggressive), and, after the second one, she said loudly, “Hang on a minute,” then directed her attention to me and asked, “Is it all right that I am on the phone?” I turned and said, “Well, it’s a bit loud.”
She snapped back (loudly), “I am NOT loud!” I replied, “OK,” and turned around. She ended up gathering up her stuff in a huff and left.
I was left to wonder if I am the rude one by thinking it’s quite rude to hold loud phone conversations in spaces like coffeehouses and restaurants. With more and more people working remotely, I have encountered this more frequently.
I’ve had people say to me, “How is it any different than two people sitting next to you and having a conversation?” It just is. No matter who you are, you speak in a louder voice when talking on the phone (especially in a noisy coffeehouse) than you do just chatting with a friend at your table. And there are now several studies that show that hearing one side of a conversation causes more distraction and less ability to remember things than hearing a two-sided conversation, apparently because your mind is rushing to fill in the other, unheard side of the conversation.
If I have to take a quick phone call while in a coffeehouse or similar space, I step away briefly. If the call is going to be longer, I pack up my stuff and head to my car. Perhaps I am overly conscious of my fellow coffee drinkers or diners, but this seems like the most considerate thing to do.
So, is it rude to hold a long phone conversation or conference call in a busy place of business? And, if Miss Manners does deem it rude, what is the best way to handle it in the future? I really doubt that my passive-aggressive glances are the right approach.
A. STEVE SMITH UNDERSTAND DILEMMA. HIM OFTEN WANT TELL HIKER, “WHY SO LOUD ON BLUETOOTH? IT TOO EASY FIND YOU! NO CHALLENGE!”
STEVE SMITH HEAR MILE AWAY!
MANNERS IMPORTANT. WHEN IN PUBLIC PLACE. STEVE SMITH ALWAYS MAKE SURE HIM NICE QUIET WHEN APPROACH CAMPGROUND. IT MORE POLITE WHEN HIM RAPE RV PEOPLE!
SO STEVE SMITH SAY NEXT TIME, HIT LOUD RUDE HOOMAN ON HEAD WITH BIG ROCK. THEN THEM NO LOUD.
This one is going to be short but sweet because I’m writing this from the road while returning from celebrating wifey’s 50th birthday. Presumably, you’ve all sobered up from Thanksgiving. It’s time to report in on your progress over the last four weeks.
I had two “tests” this past week. Athleanx’s AX1 program has a recurring test at the end of each 4-week cycle called the Athlean 400. It’s 100 pushups, 100 sit ups, 100 inverted rows, and 100 bodyweight squats. You can get these done in whatever grouping you choose. A month ago, I completed it in 17:43. This time I completed it in 15:06. I was really pleased with the improvement but was shooting for a sub 15-minute time to score at a higher level. I’m still calling that a win.
The second and more important test was the “Final X-AM.” I hate the corny names but that’s the only thing I dislike about this program. The Final X-AM requires 12 sets of ten reps and is also timed. The exercises are burpee pushups, dumbbell swings, inverted rows, and V-Up Russian twists. You must do one set of each (so basically a big super set) and then repeat until completed.
I’ll leave the scoring levels aside and cut to the chase. I had to complete this in 25 minutes or less to “graduate.” This test has seriously kicked my ass before. It’s humbling to be reminded how far I have to go.
Four weeks ago, I completed ten of the sets in 32:20. I was winded, parched, and just dripping in sweat. I was also pissed at myself because I was tired but not totally gassed. I could have pushed on to finish even if I would have been over the 40-minute mark.
This time I finished but it took 37:23. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. I was not even close to passing. But I’m finding the silver lining because I did finish, and my ten-set time dropped to 30 minutes. That’s an unofficial mark and I’ll probably ignore it going forward. It seemed relevant this time because of where I gave up last time.
My lats and conditioning were clearly weaknesses four weeks ago. I did much better on the inverted rows, but I have got to up my conditioning if I’m going to get my time down below 25 minutes.
I really wanted to move on to AX2 but clearly, I’m not ready. May Warty have mercy on my soul.
Here’s where you report on your progress. Our next check in will be the Sunday after Christmas. So, for the brave among you, also tell us what your goals for the next check in.
I’m writing this way early because I’ll be out of town doing various fun, family and feasting things over Thanksgiving so all of the predictions that come true are extra-impressive. My first prediction is that I’ll be at the airport when this gets published which is a pretty risky prediction as anyone who has attempted to fly into Albany in the winter can attest to.
Lots of bad news in the skies this week, but much of it is annoyingly unspecific. Saturn-Venus-Luna can mean the end of a relationship, a decrease in passion in a current relationship, Lesbian Bed Death, menopause, or a relationship getting out of a sexual rut that it’s been in. Mars aligning with Mercury and the Earth can mean a soldier returning home, a soldier being called up from hoe to go to war, or your neighbors have a domestic disturbance that causes you problems. Sagittarius continues its karmic benevolence from last week, though less so, and for those born under this sign, this week will be a bit less than optimal (though still very good). Capricorn will be lucky in love purely by accident. The moon in Aquarius brings an enhancement to water in all of its forms.
I somehow made it out of town without my deck, and also have to write this up on a phone. While a lesser man would use that as an excuse to not provide you with that personal advice that you’ve come to depend on, I won’t let you down. I don’t have any suitable scapulae available, and my hosts wouldn’t appreciate the ritual evisceration that a good haruspex requires. Plus I’d need to do it twelve times, and that would cut into my holiday budget. There are many systems of divination based on the casting of tonnes, probably the most famous of which is the I Ching. I’m not going to cast that one either. Instead, I’m going to use a stripped-down version of the Celtic oracular casting sticks, or more specifically: coins. The prescient precision is imperfect with this, but the results should be just as reliable as any major technique.
Fuck, it’s December already? Well, at least it’s Sunday and while all the goyim are scurrying around, I can relax and watch the Niners and Ravens. Maybe. Depends on the VPN we’re using. Fingers crossed. Because that’s going to be far more interesting than the stupid goddam Rams-Cards bullshit that our local stations are carrying.
Old Guy Music is a song I like to play (or have liked to ever since I figured out her tuning). The studio version is the one I knew, but holy fuck holy fuck holy fuck look at this lineup! But Jesus, clean your nails, Joni.
