Hello all,
It seems that the summer is upon us with the all the "summer activities" that go along with it. For my own enjoyment, and a bunch of other folks, the Bianchi Cup is starting this week, with handgun competitions which draw the best shooters from all over the world. These guys and girls can do things with a handgun that are truly amazing, and the matches are open to the public starting Wednesday and running through Saturday. Also, a bunch of booths will be available for shooting products. It should be a good time. It has always been very well run and the venue is fantastic. More information can be found online at MidwayUSA & NRA Bianchi Cup.
If you have ever had any interest in the shooting sports, this is a "Can't miss" event.
See you there...
Kent
Hello all,
Here is another new one for my wife and me, our little boy is graduating from high school. That in it's self was not to hard to prepare for, I mean, he did all the work, got the grades, worked his butt off on the basketball floor to nail down a scholarship, and still acted like a normal kid even if he is 6'10" tall. Needless to say, we're very proud of him.
But what is really interesting is this whole college registration process, especially when dealing with an athletic department.
Nobody has any idea what is going on. It's like my kiddo is the first student athlete to go through this process. The athletic department tells you that all is taken care of, don't worry we do this every year, we've got guys that follow the process. But when you talk to the registrars office, they have no earthly idea who your kid is and if in fact he is going to school there. So as it turns out, you end up doing everything twice (or three times as we did with summer school). I talked to one guy in the admissions department who didn't have a clue who my son was, even though he was obviously in the system because he already had a student number. Hmmmm, not much of a confidence booster.
And don't even get me started on the website, which on another planet probably does have all the information you need to register, but for those of us who don't understand computer science speak, (or Martian for that matter) it's a total waste of time and you end up talking to the same guy in admissions again who doesn't know what you're talking about...arrrrghhh!
It's kind of like the military. You start out with a great plan, which goes right out the window five minutes into it, and four hours later, you're right where you're supposed to be at exactly the right time...
Everything will turn out ok, and it'll be a lot of fun getting there.
Until next time,
Kent
Hello everyone!
It seems that the gun buying public is in a state of panic, what with the upcoming elections and so forth. I have been having a lot of trouble finding loaded ammunition, ammunition components, even .22 long rifle ammunition. Since the ammunition companies load these items in batches, and hope that the amount they load will last until the next run, it would seem that they were short. By a bunch. It looks to me like folks are buying up ammo at an alarming rate (I'm also trying to do the same, so I know...). There is a very slight chance that the upcoming administration whichever it is, will hammer our rights to arms and if not arms, ammunition. It's hard to shoot your firearms with no ammo, or if the cost of ammo goes through the roof which it is now. I'm of the opinion that it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. So I will continue to search out the odd calibers I need, along with the components to make them, and buy up more than I need. If everything turns out great, than I'll have some extra. If not, I'll have some...
Keep your powder dry
Kent
Hello everyone!
I have returned from my post-op, follow-up appointment with my Orthopedic Surgeon in Kansas City. It's been a little over 2 weeks since my knee replacement and I'm doing great. Since I've been doing all my rehab exercises, I got a great review from my doctor. I no longer have to do at home rehab or go to inpatient rehab at the hospital. Just keep doing what I'm doing and things should continue to get better. I still have to ice my knee, and I can't take a hot tub for another month (which sucks...) but all in all, this has been a fairly trouble free operation, and I can't believe I took this long to get it done. I'll still be on a cane for a month, and I have to use a banister when I climb the stairs, but I can do that.
I'll keep you all in the loop...
Kent
Hello everyone,
I'm still in the throes of knee rehab. Everything is going great, except that I have run into a problem that is not a bad one to have. As it turns out, I'm doing TOO well. The little regime I do for strength and flexibility is causing my knee to swell, which limits flexibility and therefore I can't strengthen like I want without alot of pain. So, I guess I'll have to follow my therapists directions and use my cane all the time, ice my leg and don't overdue the exercise. OK, I guess I can do that.
So you can try too hard, somethings just take time, no matter how much you would like to think otherwise.
Until next time
Kent
Hello again,
I'd like to say a few things about this rehabilitation I'm doing on my recently replaced right knee. These orthopedic people really know what they are doing when it comes to convenience. I have two nurses that come to my home, one to take care of my medication and wound treatment and one, let's call her Satan, that runs me through my new exercises for quick and painless rehab. Actually, they are both very nice ladies and there is no pain unless I force it on myself. But the really nice thing about all of this is that they know you can't get around like you would like and so they come to your home. They realise that you are not a medical professional so they explain why you are doing the tests and exercises and how they are helping with your rehab. It's all very well done and everyone seems to be in contact with everybody else (doctors, nurses, rehab experts, and insurance folks) so ally you do is get better. I'll let you know how this all turns out.
Until next time...
Kent
Hello everyone!
I'd like to start out today by saying, at age 49, I just had a total knee replacement on my right knee. "Ohmygod! was it painful?" Hell yes it was painful, but only for about 2 days. After that, you realise that it's not as painful as it was before the surgery, and it's getting better every day! They had me walking the day of the surgery, and rehabing the next. Now, as it turns out, I'm about 20 years younger than the average knee replacement candidate, and that will make my recovery much faster, but not that much. I'll let everyone know what the in-home rehab is like and just how arduous. Stay tuned for further information.
Hello,
Today is an interesting day in our household, in that our only child turns 18 today. On all the other birthdays he has been asked, "So, how does it feel to be older?" To which the answer has always been "The same as yesterday, why do you always ask that?"
But today is different.
With the passing of this birthday, responsibilities change, opportunities (both good and bad) become available, and expectations are raised.
At 18 you register for the DRAFT, you can go to war, you can VOTE and have a say in the direction of our country and community. All the "When I'm older, I'm gonna..." statements are now possible and the whole world gets to see if you can walk the walk.
What an exciting time in a young person's life.
Until next time,
Kent
I recently attended an NRA "Personal Protection in the Home" instructor course. This course allows me to teach other perceptive, news following people what to do if some guy tweeking on Meth decides to come into their home and take their stuff. It was interesting to see the cross section of people who took the class. We ran the gamut from Kansas SWAT guys to a young, new mother who just wanted the information to take care of her family. The course required the 14 of us to pass a shooting test to show that we could actually manipulate and fire a handgun and hit pretty much what we were shooting at. This is where things got kind of spooky. The police officers were obviously highly trained, you could tell by the way they gripped their guns and the rock solid stances they took in a split second. They just LOOKED good and competent. The rest of us had varying levels of skill, with the young mom having to be taught all the basics. This was all great fun and we started shooting.
The cops looked great, shot fast, and couldn't hit squat.
The young gal looked uncomfortable, shot at a very deliberate, slower pace, and hit everything she shot at.
The cops were competing with each other and showing off. The mom was using what she had just learned, and didn't care if she looked like Clint Eastwood and sounded like a machine gun.
Since many of the guys were from Kansas, I could say that they had shown up with their pants on backward, wearing one shoe and couldn't read, or that Kansans miss the mark on most things, HO HO HO! But that wouldn't be true. They all passed the shooting segment of the course and had fun doing it.
But the 20 year old mom out shot them...
There may be something to this "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" thing after all.
Enjoy,
Kent
Hello!
In this space I plan to write about small town life, politics, and central Missouri culture as I see it. I am writing from the perspective of a 50 year old unapologetic conservative, ex-Naval Aviator, University of Missouri graduate. I have been married (to the same beautiful woman) for 23 years, and have a fantastic 17 year old son who will be leaving for college in the fall. I'm very proud of both of them. I will be giving my opinion on the upcoming elections, high school and college sports, the gun culture in this area, weather, and even pass on a recipe or two if I feel like it. I have spent most of my adult life in the military or as an airline pilot, and have strong opinions on almost everything from Afghanistan carpets to hunting zebra on Texas game ranches. I hope that you will enjoy my musings and find them thought provoking and even humorous. You don't have to agree with anything I say, but I hope you will be able to understand the reasoning behind my opinions.
Lets see how this turns out....
Kent
