Join or Die? And other stories about Avatars and Nicknames...

[Faux Pas]

Maybe in the US . The only time I laid my hands on a pistol occurred when I was emptying my parents' apartment in 2001, and found a rusty Royal Italian Army 7.65mm Beretta and a box of rounds that my father, passed away in 1992, had hidden in a commode drawer, probably from his guerrilla times - my father served in the Royal Italian Airforce in WWII, not in the Army.

I went to the local police station to report my finding and asked them if I should bring it over - they said : "Absolutely not, we'll come and pick it up ourselves", which they did the following day.

Certainly in the US. Places safe from possible gunfire is very limited, in fact I don't know of such a place. If I stay on my property I wouldn't worry with it but, an innocent trip to the grocery could potentially turn in to a shooting gallery. I too stay armed.

I would have loved to have that Beretta btw

[SANDRO43]

I would have loved to have that Beretta btw

I'm no connaisseur of firearms, but I'll bet it'd have probably exploded in your face, considering its VERY poor conditions and not having been ever fired since 1945 .

It was the standard sidearm issued to RIA officers.

[Faux Pas]

I'm no connaisseur of firearms, but I'll bet it'd have probably exploded in your face, considering its VERY poor conditions and not having been ever fired since 1945 .

Thats a chance I'd have been willing to take 

[Simoni]

If I stay on my property I wouldn't worry with it but, an innocent trip to the grocery could potentially turn in to a shooting gallery. I too stay armed.

Then I'll stay away from the grocery store!  Can you imagine half a dozen rednecks who can't shoot worth a damn opening up fire in a crowded grocery store? Now that is what is dangerous...

Gives a new name to Groove's slogan "join or DIE."   

[GoodOlBoy]

Maybe in the US . The only time I laid my hands on a pistol occurred when I was emptying my parents' apartment in 2001, and found a rusty Royal Italian Army 7.65mm Beretta and a box of rounds that my father, passed away in 1992, had hidden in a commode drawer, probably from his guerrilla times - my father served in the Royal Italian Airforce in WWII, not in the Army.

Sandro...that is a very fine looking pistol.

I wish you had called me first!!

God bless your Father!

Semper Fi!


GOB

[Missouri-Hunter]

What for ? Do you live in a highly hazardous environment?

LOL  No, I've just always loved guns. Not everyone has a stigma against guns, and they're part of life for me. Even when I was little I had toy guns within reach...



... and it's no different now.  (Except that now it's real guns rather than toys).  The only time I'm not armed is in the shower and in church, and I'd carry in church too if it weren't illegal (so I leave it in my truck). I've raised my son this way, and he is a good shot too. His favorite gun to shoot is my Bushmaster; here he is on my scooter in our driveway getting ready to shoot



..and here's a video of him in our back yard shooting a friends' sub-machinegun



There's nothing that makes us think we have to have these, but our Constitution guarantees it and it's a way of life out here.

I think my old license plate says it best. 

[myrddin]

I was a "guest host" of the Fernbank planetarium  (as were other ranking Astrogeeks during the university years) and that had to be one the coolest 'jobs' known to man... but the thought of panhandling to supplement the income wasn't very appealing.

luckily for me, my program was "constellations" so I didn't encounter the 7th Inter-Planetary Conundrum (but man would I have had a blast asking all the kids to pronounce it over and over again, pretending I had no idea what was happening)...

It gets old pretty quick, and I can be very immature when I need to be! 

Yeah, there's certainly an income issue.  I used to have a tremendous fear of public speaking, but when I hit Adler a few weeks ago I realized how much I missed it!  I got tipped in Tampa, though I think I was not supposed to accept (I doubt the bosses had considered such a possibility). 

I did constellation and planet shows, among others. Once had a class full of Catholic creationists order the "Universe Show", which starts with the words "14 billion years ago..."  Interesting time.  At least they were polite!

[Simoni]

myrddin-- what a great asset you have with your knowledge of the stars.  You can wow the girls at night as you point out constellations.

Marina was amazed at how much brighter and closer the stars look here, especially in rural Texas were we stayed for a while.

Lots of pollution in the FSU deprives girls of that crisp view of the stars...

[SANDRO43]

myrddin-- what a great asset you have with your knowledge of the stars.  You can wow the girls at night as you point out constellations.

Throw in a bit of Astrology, too, and you'll knock them over . Like, to a Leo girl: "That is YOUR constellation, the Lion, see how majestically proud it stands in the sky" . 

Marina was amazed at how much brighter and closer the stars look here, especially in rural Texas were we stayed for a while. Lots of pollution in the FSU deprives girls of that crisp view of the stars...

Not only in the FSU. The first time I looked at the night sky in the Maldive Islands, for instance, I was stunned speechless - Gator'll tell you how hard that is to accomplish - by the overwhelming beauty of it, unhindered by any air and ambient light pollution.

[SANDRO43]

Sandro...that is a very fine looking pistol. I wish you had called me first!!

I briefly considered the idea of having it restored, but owning guns, and particularly obtaining permission to carry them (porto d'armi), is too much of a bureaucratic hassle here, so I decided to get rid of the 'rod'.

LOL  No, I've just always loved guns. Not everyone has a stigma against guns, and they're part of life for me. Even when I was little I had toy guns within reach...

Toy guns are universally favoured by boys anywhere, but unless one lives in the countryside, very few opportunities are available to get familiar with real ones here and develop a taste for them.

I had an air BB carbine as a kid. One day I was bored and shooting lead pellets at random targets from my 3rd floor window when I noticed a sparrow on a tree branch some 50 meters away. I aimed at the branch to scare it off and see it fly away. I was flabbergasted when I saw it flip its hold, upside down from below it rather than above - a full hit . I never aimed at live targets again after that.

[Missouri-Hunter]

   That reminds me of when I was a kid and shot a bird with my pellet rifle, and it landed on the hood of my moms' white Cadillac.    I cleaned up the splatters before she ever saw it. 
    My first hunting trip was a rabbit hunt when I was 15, and I loved it. I immediately started hunting other game (like squirrels). I don't rabbit hunt anymore, but I still hunt squirrels, turkeys, deer, doves, ducks and geese. I'd like to elk hunt some day, but that one's not very likely because I'd have to go west and into the mountains.
    Every wall in my living room has mounts from game I've shot, including a red fox, a bobcat, two ducks, a goose tail, a turkey and several deer. There's another turkey in my bedroom, and few sets of antlers that I haven't put up yet.
    I know it's not for everyone, but I still get excited just thinking about the coming of Fall and the hunting seasons that come with it. 

[SANDRO43]

I don't rabbit hunt anymore, but I still hunt squirrels, turkeys, deer, doves, ducks and geese.

Why squirrels? Target practice? 'Pest' control? The rest I can understand - enough meat to eat.

[Daveman]

It gets old pretty quick, and I can be very immature when I need to be! 

Yeah, there's certainly an income issue.  I used to have a tremendous fear of public speaking, but when I hit Adler a few weeks ago I realized how much I missed it!  I got tipped in Tampa, though I think I was not supposed to accept (I doubt the bosses had considered such a possibility). 

I did constellation and planet shows, among others. Once had a class full of Catholic creationists order the "Universe Show", which starts with the words "14 billion years ago..."  Interesting time.  At least they were polite!

Hey, at least you got paid.. as students, we got nada.. unless one counts an extra quarter of lab work applied to the major (which was not my major anyway). I had to cease and desist the fun planetarium gig and get a real job.. slinging alcohol for drunks.. heh.. but hey, it paid the bills until graduation and the tavern girls were fun to... look at.

That's really funny about the polite creationists.  I neither discount nor embrace the possibility of intelligent design -- I simply follow the physical clues of scientific observation as relevant to theory without any real preconceived notions.  Though some people do love to debate that topic..  I prefer to freeze  my rear off in the dessert night, clinging to the telescope and cursing the clouds which usually seem to follow me. 

We really need to hook up for some brew and some Astronomical war stories. 

[Missouri-Hunter]

Why squirrels? Target practice? 'Pest' control? The rest I can understand - enough meat to eat.

They're fun to hunt, and though I don't eat them my friend does. I give them all to him, then after skinning them and using the meat to feed his family he also does taxidermy so he mounts the squirrels and sells them on Ebay. It works out well for all of us.

[myrddin]

Hey, at least you got paid.. as students, we got nada.. unless one counts an extra quarter of lab work applied to the major (which was not my major anyway). I had to cease and desist the fun planetarium gig and get a real job.. slinging alcohol for drunks.. heh.. but hey, it paid the bills until graduation and the tavern girls were fun to... look at.

That's really funny about the polite creationists.  I neither discount nor embrace the possibility of intelligent design -- I simply follow the physical clues of scientific observation as relevant to theory without any real preconceived notions.  Though some people do love to debate that topic..  I prefer to freeze  my rear off in the dessert night, clinging to the telescope and cursing the clouds which usually seem to follow me. 

We really need to hook up for some brew and some Astronomical war stories. 

Sure!

BTW, anyone vaguely interested should check out the History Channel's
"Universe" series.  Not quite Sagan's "Cosmos", but interesting!

As for planetariums, income close to minimum wage is still income, I suppose.  Technically    

I mentioned the polite creationists because it was unusual.
 A few times other religious schools asked me beforehand not to go into any questions of billions of years or evolution.  I won't say how many times that included something like "...and all that crap [or some similar term..]." 

[SANDRO43]

A few times other religious schools asked me beforehand not to go into any questions of billions of years or evolution.  I won't say how many times that included something like "...and all that crap [or some similar term..]." 

Did you show them Hertzsprung–Russell's diagram, and if so what was their comment ?

[Daveman]

I prefer to freeze  my rear off in the dessert night, clinging to the telescope and cursing the clouds which usually seem to follow me. 

LoL, looks like my problem wasn't the clouds but rather whipped cream on the lens...

I can't believe Sandro let me get away with that one....

[SANDRO43]

I can't believe Sandro let me get away with that one....

Yes, I missed that, you loonatic , my Mangled-English Scanner must be getting rusty .

[myrddin]

LoL, looks like my problem wasn't the clouds but rather whipped cream on the lens...

I can't believe Sandro let me get away with that one....

I was gonna let you off the hook, but you smacked yourself!  Dessert nights are good, too

[Missouri-Hunter]

I mentioned the polite creationists because it was unusual.
 A few times other religious schools asked me beforehand not to go into any questions of billions of years or evolution.  I won't say how many times that included something like "...and all that crap [or some similar term..]." 

I'm (a little) surprised they'd go somewhere that they already know they're in disagreement, and then try to belittle the people there. I wish people weren't so intolerant of beliefs other than their own.

[myrddin]

Did you show them Hertzsprung–Russell's diagram, and if so what was their comment ?

No, those were usually just the planets, epicycles, and crystal spheres 

Comments ran to the typical - lots of "zzzzzzzzzzz" from those comfy chairs.  I assume it was the chairs, not me.


MH, I was surprised at first, too.  I think often the kids really wanted to go but the adults were worried that their house-of-cards belief system, indoctrinated into the children for months and years, could be threatened by side comments from a stranger.  Oops, suppose some bias is showing.     

My natural instincts were toned down by the fact that I didn't want to get the museum into trouble (you just know some of those types are sniffing around for nuisance lawsuits), but a few things would slip out:

"What do you think the chances are that everything including life could happen just by a series of accidents?"
"One hundred percent!"

Like Daveman, I stopped debating this long ago. 

But it really does bother me that the kids (especially young kids, who have such a strong natural curiosity about the world), were being indoctrinated with hostility towards ideas.  All I could do in an hour or so was to encourage them to read on their own as much as possible.  If they did ever read about the planets, they'd someday encounter the "subversive" stuff and eventually learn to make up their own minds.

[Gator]

Why squirrels? Target practice? 'Pest' control? The rest I can understand - enough meat to eat.

With their severe overbite, they resemble rodents albeit with a bushy tail. Their diet differs as they feed on nuts, berries and seeds if available.  This diet makes them tasty critters in Brunswick Stew, and I have dined on my share when young. 
 

Here's a recipe. 

http://squirrely.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/squirrel-recipe-brunswick-stew-made-with-squirrels/

I don't think it will make the menu on a Michelin 3-star restaurant, something about the  "personality" of the cuisine. 

[Simoni]

Oh, and welcome dokrog!    I've been so busy trying to catch up on your posts and almost forgot!  Did you explain your nickname in the "Join or Die" thread yet?   

Looks like the "new kid on the block" misunderstood myrddin's request, and answered right after the above post in that thread.  That's fine.  But I'll tidy it up and repost his answer here so all the name and avatar info will be in one place for future generations of RWDers to find :-)

Here was his response:

dokrog. well basically i grew up next to a dairy farm in chesaning michigan. From an early age I was helping the farmer next door (who was childless). a kid's arm can inseminate a cow much easier than a grown mans you know. He taught me a lot and by the time I was 18 and joined the usmc I was quite the farm vet. That carried over into life after the usmc where my skills became known and I started helping other neighbors with horses. Vets are horrendously expensive you know. So they started calling me dok rog. Roger being my first name.

Welcome to RWD, Roger. And thanks for explaining your interesting name :-)

[Simoni]

I don't think it will make the menu on a Michelin 3-star restaurant, something about the  "personality" of the cuisine. 

Yes, sigh.  The personality thing.

To this day, Marina won't eat mahi-mahi, which carries the common name dolphin fish.  After all, who would eat a dolphin?

My explanations that it is not a dolphin at all fell on deaf ears...

[dokrog]

Thank you Simoni. My only comment is Oooops!