Back to work, part time

This morning was physical therapy once again, and this afternoon was back to work for the first time since surgery. The combination of therapy and work kicked my butt.

I drove the Boss's car because of the softer seats that are less aggressive buckets than the truck I normally drive. There was still pressure on the sore spot on the side of my upper leg, but was acceptable.

One co-worker acused me of sitting in a recliner all day dry firing a 44 Mag. Only in my mind.

I told the manager that I plan on working partial days the first week and no more than half days on therapy days. Any more than that will depend on how things go. He didn't comment, which is acceptance from this guy.

De-Stress Yourself

Some time ago a friend asked me to try an experiment while sitting in my tree stand deer hunting. He said to try and think about something related to my work. I tried and found that I could only keep my mind on work for seconds at a time. I think that's the biggest reason that I enjoy bow hunting for deer, and in years past squirrel hunting. There's something about being in the woods, trying to become part of nature, that clears the mind of all the worries and troubles of life It's refreshing and revitalizing.

It's not quite the same nor as effective, but I get a similar effect when at the shooting range. Concentrating on safe gun handling and the challenge of improving my marksmanship clears the mind. My outlook is always improved afterward.

This comes to mind due to an article in a men's health magazine the Boss got free when ordering something on-line. It's reported that meditation helps clear the brains RAM (random access memory in computer terms), allowing quicker and more effective analysis. I suppose this is similar to the effect I get from shooting or spending time in the woods.

I think everyone needs an escape from the stress of daily life. If you don't have a method of de-stressing yourself, I suggest you find something that works for you. You'll be a better and happier person because of it.

What The Hell

Before going to the range Wednesday I had the friend handle most of my handguns to narrow the field a little for what he wanted to try. During what I consider normal handling the thumb safety of my full sized Kimber broke. What the hell? It was cast stainless with a little bit of porosity. Today I took it to a part time smith that I trust. He told me that the thumb safety, slide lock and extractor are all cast material on Kimbers. I decided to have him replace all 3 with Ed Brown parts. When I get it back I may have him do the same on my UltraCarry, which hasn't had nearly as many rounds put through it. The likelihood of a similar failure on my main carry gun is troubling.

While there I picked up a cheap IWB holster that I can probably convert to cross draw carry with minimal effort. I'm not fond of that method, having short arms and wide body, but sometimes compromises are in order. My repaired hip is way too sore for my preferred strong side carry.

Range Day

Yesterday late morning I went with a friend to a local shooring range. He was trying to decide what chambering to get in a semi-auto. I supplied two 9mm and two 45 pistols for him to try. I have each in full sized all steel, and compact light weight. I don't own a 40, though he did rent a full sized Glock in 40.

He shot my two 1911s and HiPower fairly well. The Glock didn't suit him even a little bit, even less than the tiny Kahr PM9.

The decision has yet to be made, but I suspect he's going to end up with a full sized, all steel 9mm. He really liked my HiPower.

A guy behind the counter at the range said, with authority, that the 1911 is not a suitable carry gun, even if you like 1911s. Isn't it interesting how an opinion can become gospel in some minds? I think my aluminum framed , 3" 1911 is the perfect carry weapon, . . . for me anyway. I only carry plastic (Kahr PM9) when something smaller and lighter is required. If I could get a 1911 in that size and weight in 9mm, that would be my choice.

Oh, and mostly standing on my feet for a couple of hours was exhausting. And my personal markmanship didn't degrade as much as I thought it would without shooting for maybe 3 months.

A Little Strange

Being behind the wheel for the first time in about 5 weeks. The biggest challenge was actually getting in the vehicle with a bad right hip. I have to sit on the seat with both feet outside, then pull myself inside far enough thst rotating my body also rotates my legs under the wheel. Once there I did OK.

I've always liked bucket type seats. The wings on each side hug the hips and provide good stability when cornering. Right now not so much. That same seat feature now pushes on a sore area of my hip. It's sure not comfortable now.

A Rap on The Knuckles

Now that the Reps have taken a large majority in the House, and are basically even in the Senate, I sure hope some of the Nanny state BS that's grown over the last several years can be mitigated a bit. Those policies and laws have surely been destroying this country, but it can only happen if the Reps keep in mind this happened because The People no longer want the type of Fed government that's been prevalent for the last decade, regardless of political party.

The Reps need to remember that this wasn't because The People want Reps instead of Dems in power, just like the last wasn't because The People wanted Dems instead of Reps. This election and the one 2 years ago were all about the reduction of Big Government. We've had enough of the Nanny state. We don't want to be like European countries.

In years past I've celebrated Fed government gridlock that happens when the legislature is split between parties. It's usually been better for the country when the Fed does nothing rather than screw things up like the norm. This time I pray that those newly elected and those still keeping their jobs at least reverse some of the BS that's been signed into law in the last 2 years and long before.

Thanks to the TEA people, we're now seeing a glimmer that, as a country, we're moving back towards where this country should be. Just like 2 years ago, the Fed has had a rap on the knuckles. Maybe this time, Big Nanny will pay attention.

Voted Today

The Boss drove me to the local polling place this morning, and I voted for mostly Republican candidates. I'm hoping the TEA movement will turn the Republican party back into Republicans once again.

In 2 cases I held my nose and voted for Democrats strictly due to the Republican candidates poor record concerning firearm laws. Any politician that wants to restrict my gun ownership rights has no trust or respect for The People, nor respect for the rights of The People. Those do not represent me, nor do they have any business being in authority, at least in this country.