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The weather has had the state shut down so much, that my brain is starting to visualize ways to make simulated mines and grenades for airsoft :-/.

Sigh, the ice storm still has me cooped up here instead of at work. I do appreciate the “Break” from having to be on the road so early, but, eh, work is a good thing ™ in my books.

I’ve spent most of my time putting in research efforts after last Saturday’s airsoft game as to what the ideal course of action would be, long term. My MP5 performed excellently and it ought to serve me for as it is now, for however long the parts last but if I’m stuck here, I may as well plan a head. I’m thinking the best return on investment would be to acquire a full sized G36A/G36E type AEG, probably one of SRC/TSD make. I could get a good G36A/E quite cheaply, even with this months pocket money, but being a stingy son of a bitch, I’m not going to do it until at least Feburary lol. Just about everything that I ain’t saving this month, I’m reserving for a GED.

In terms of upgrading my MP5, whatever month it is when I get a second weapon, I’ll likely disassemble my MP5 and see how it works, and what might be doable to `improve it`. O.K. so sue me o/. What I’m thinking on the externals at least, is to get a claw mount that puts a picatinny rail over the top of the receiver and a pair of rails on the sides. Then mount a mil-dot scope on the top rail and a bright LED torch on either side.

My thinking here is that assuming the referees have no objections: I could put the torch on the right and engage it when I have to shoot around a corner against a known threat—making it harder for other players to get a clean shot at me with the light shining in their eyes, hehe. Then transition it over to the left rail when I’ve got to swap to firing off the left shoulder. Ditty trick for just an “Airsoft” game perhaps, but arguably more effective then simulated flash bangs.

I am not convinced that Thunder B‘s or similar items offer more ROI then throwing an empty soda can. Well, compared to a *real* stun grenade or using a torch anyway. Price wise a simulated fragmentation grenade is probably more useful at CQB field than a simulated stun grenade. For the kind of range Airdogs fields offer, a mil-dot scope would be more useful to me at longer ranges (i.e. outside or far down the corridor) then the more popular 1X red dot sights, because within that range, I scarcely need my weapons sights let along a scope, and when I do need to be precise an adjustable mil-dot offers me more utility. Especially since it could be mounted on another weapon. For the internals, I can’t really say yet. Will cross that bridge when things come to it. Perhaps an M4 or G36C might have been a more well rounded weapon to have started with but I rather like the MP5 for use in doors. It also fits in my pack better.

A spring action sniper rifle would be a good second/alternative weapon, if it’s capable of enough precision for what I would call sniping but IMHO a full sized G36 (not a C or K variant) would be a better investment for the cash. Or at least, it should give the range my MP5 lacks for the hill next to the woodsball field, and save me the trouble of having to drag the little H&K behind me, lol. Since most people use a G&G GR16 or comparable M4 kit, the barrel length of a G36K would probably be alright but I think a full sized G36 would offer the best possible result down range.

When I can get a few slings, it would also be easy to rig things to carry both. Use the MP5 as primary in doors and the G36 outdoors, but really a scope would do alright for increasing the effective range. It’s just that getting a G36 costs about as much as putting a scope on my MP5, lol. Two AEGs also has a better insurance against failure/dead batteries than just mounting a scope.

>_>

As of 30 minutes ago the office is officially closed tomorrow. Damn fucking gum it, it’s only a state of emergency out there…. not night of the living dead!

After scanning a bar code off my computer screen and opening a novel on my cell phone, I can just see myself in the 2070s trying to explain to some youngster that once upon a time books used to come in something called paper.

Then when something breaks down, I’ll shake my cane and politely point out that even in the future, nothing works. Will anybody still get the quote?

Appropriately Ford Tempo’s have been haunting my dreams all morning. Yesterday ma made the final decision to scrap Rosie, which brought the price of the cars value by weight. Before we left, I took one more picture:

From Rosie & Noëlle

So that’s officially the end of an extremely old friend. The only good thing I can say, they will likely keep her around for a parts draw until they need to liquidate some cars or run out of usable parts.

O.K. so while we were at the car dealer, we had to get all the car insurance crap sorted out while finalizing things. Bad news is obviously, a slightly higher cost but good news is full coverage.

Getting pissed with the insurance company e-mailing her about the changes, she’s gone ahead and made changes to that. So now I have to contact the dealer and get that updated with the policy changes, and she has effectively increased the projected insurance bill in the process.

As far as I’m concerned, she just forfeited an equivalent share of her share of my regular pay cheque, or owes me monthly!

Today started off like a normal day, except for  the cars recent transmission problems getting, eh, worse. So instead of a nice Monday at work, I end up missing work and taking it into the the mechanics. Whose advise is run it til it dies. Of course that gets my mom banannas.

So I’ve spent time looking at used cars. There goes a nice 50% of incom, that would other wise be getting saved  :-/. The ironic thing? Years and years ago, this is the kind of time frame I thought I might end up having to get a car… lol.

Ahh, it feels good to be able to sit with my laptop and update my journal for a bit! That’s kind of a down side to such a long drive to work, I usually get home to late to focus on blogging anything. Hopefully that will change in the near future, courtesy of leaving Newnan.

Today, I slept in as it were: rolled out of bed circa 0900, where as for work I’ve been setting my alarm for 0600. Most of my time has been spent on the rather tedious subject of logistics and budgeting. It won’t be long until I know how much the regular pay cycle is going to be, but a little simple math and margining gives me a suitable ball park for plotting. The other thing that I’ve been looking at, is apartments closer to work. How I run the numbers, I also leave myself a comfortable margin!!!

Driving to work every day is around 140 miles per day across two highways and two interstates. Moving could reduce that closer to a 20-25 mile drive, which means a hell of a lot of less money spent on gas. Like 2 gal/day instead of 6 gal/day. Being able to eliminate the hike down the I-85 alone, is a net savings to be honest. Taking the Atlanta bypass, the speed limit is only 55, same as on a normal highway outside of school zones. Where as on the I-85, the speed limit is 70 at this end and drops to 65 within city limits. In actuality, people tend to go well over the speed limit out here lol. This old ford burns through gas once you start going past ~45mph; and over 60 it sucks gas like, well I won’t use that analogy here but those who know me well can guess what I would think <_<.

Geographically, if I could find something near the areas that I have outlined, it’s much less of a commute. But e.g. getting to other things, like the airsoft field or church would become a good long drive. I’d rather commute weekends than weekdays, when you combine the time and money saved with moving closer to work. When they interviewed me, they didn’t demand I/we move, they only asked if I would be willing to. Really, I don’t mind the commute, but it would be nice to still have free time left in the day when I get off work, that isn’t spent driving home lol.

As things work now, my mother is seeing 1/3 of my net income after tithing. That’s what she got out of my first weeks pay, and what she’ll get out of this pay cycle as well. Moving would rearrange that equation. Namely that money would then represent a decent months rent, and the savings out of the petrol budget could help with bills or fill in extra slack if the rents a little higher. I think it would be fair enough to my mother, that if instead of giving her a percentage of my pay cheque, I alleviated her biggest monthly bill, it would be a fair trade. She would also worry less if it’s a short drive to work, and I would be more at ease knowing my mother is taken care of, than if I was out on my own and she was at the other end of the metro area! I would also miss the dogs if I moved out :'(, and I really can’t count on my brother to lift a finger lol. Friends have been telling me for many years he should get off his arse, but I know both that ma is the only mother I’ve got, and I’m the only stooge that’s going to look after her. Maybe I’m weird, but I don’t throw people out just because I don’t “Need” them, especially family.

So in theory, between the pay from my new job and her staple income, it’s possible to pay rent, pay (and trim) bills, and still have part of my regular pay to save away in the bank (or a mayonnaise jar). That’s something I couldn’t do without my mother: have enough left to save after rent, bills, and a car. I know what it’s like to live with things tight, heck, I’m not a penny pinching S.O.B. in a family of spenders for nothing! I want to stuff away part of my income, so there’s something there for a rainy day. I’m not willing to blow every cent I make before the inks dry lol.

Yeah, I’m kind of the family freak… the one who saves money :-/.

Right now, my plan is to start calling some of the places I’ve tracked down and inquiring about details. Principally I need to know if their are any suitable units available, and how the animals would impact things. To be acceptable to me, any place of residence has to accept the dogs and the bird. Simple. Like wise a decent internet connection is required.

Hmm, maybe I can get my mother to finally throw crap out that we ain’t used in over ten years…… O.K that is probably to much to hope for, LOL!

Why after spending the work week with dynamic languages, do I feel like sitting down with C++?

If the traffic and the weather keeps up as it’s doing, I think I’m sleeping later and googling if those packets the army uses to warm your hands in gloves, are available to civilians lol. Me and this tough old ford are making it across them 70 miles like Han Solo and the Falcon pulling the Kessel run xD.

Never thought I could honestly long for that Floridian sunshine, but hey, while they’re breaking out the fur coats, they still got +20F on us here in Georgia lol.