"In a democracy (‘rule by mob’), those who refuse to learn from history will be the majority and will dictate that everyone else suffer for their ignorance."
*huh* .32 H&R snake shot: a legitimate use for an oft-neglected caliber handgun (hiking, backyard work after high creek waters—water moccasins, etc.). Limited usefulness (maybe rats, other very small varmints), but seems a decent use to put a collectible (~100-year-old) firearm designed and built for modern propellant that is in excellent condition. Otherwise, it’s pretty much just a plinker.
I have had fun reading a few LitrPG books a week (a fair percentage—maybe ~30%?—of the 10 or so books I read in a week are from this relatively new genre). The big appeal if getting inside thee heads of the writers, since almost all of them fall into a demographic that I have had little exposure to. *heh* Lil sidebar: this Olde Pharte surprised a fast food worker when I recognized his GamerSpeak™ and simply looked at him and said, “Gamer, eh?”
Oh, and filed under “Guilty Pleasures of Which I Should be Ashamed But Am Not,” I spend at least 25% of my time in the average LitRPG book marking it up with comments on errors. Almost universal crap editing of not-ready-for-publication writing. Yeh, yeh, I couldn’t write these things, but I can critique ’em. Shameful. . . that I’m not more ashamed of that than I am (which would be ANY shame at all. 😉 )
Well, it’s a hobby.
My fav of the LitRPG self-pubs are those from native Russian speakers/writers, even though the translations are sometimes a bit. . . rough. eh, maybe even a wee tad because the translations are sometimes a bit rough. English idioms and syntax are the most common problems. Still, even though the demographic the writer pool is drawn from may not be that of the average contemporary Russian people (well, not any more than US RPG gamers/writers are typical of the average American. . . though sometimes it seems they share a lot of common ground with typical 23-30-somethings. Sometimes), I still am able to get a feel for deep-seated psycho-sociological traits, and that is fascinating. What is even more fascinating, is that the attitudes of the Russian LitRPG writers, though less literate than 19th Century Russian authors (still more literate than most 21st Century American writers, IMO) are fairly consistent with earlier writers. Fascinating.
One thing that annoys me about roughly, well, almost all LitRPG writers is that they seem to have knowledge bases almost completely circumscribed by what they learned from gaming, thus, for but one recent example, a character “destroying” a bioweapons research center with a large ANFO bomb. No. In order to INCINERATE biological materials, and ANFO explosion must be VERY carefully designed and executed (and no, I will not discuss the construction and execution of such a thing. The NSA is listening, you know, and I do not want to be unjustly persecuted by the feds), and given the description in the book, the character had NO idea what he was doing even with a basic ANFO device. Ah, but maybe the writer feared his own government, so that might not be thee best example. ‘S’all right. There is a myriad of others. . . *heh*
(Then again, the writer/character uses a hydrogen bomb as having analogous destructive characteristics, so maybe allowing the writer an excuse isn’t warranted.)
while waiting in the checkout lane at my fav “Fell off the back of a truck” store the other day, I met a young Island Lady (well, my Wonder Woman’s age—that’s young enough) who shared with me the circumstances of her birth. Yeh, I know. Complete stranger. . . for all of five seconds. *heh* She just HAD to tell me she was “born in a canoe.”
You have NO idea the level of self-control I had to exercise to bite down on the old joke.
So, my Wonder Woman gave Aussie Lap Puppy a birthday present she had bought him (a heavy duty nylon “bone” with a beef wrapper). He gently took it from her hand, then set it on the floor and laid down just “cuddling” it for a bit. THEN. . . bit. And chewed and chewed and chewed. . .
Happy puppy. (The part where he grabbed it between his paws and rolled over on his back to enjoy it from another angle? *smh* Nutso.) 12 months old today and undergoing another wee growth spurt? Yeh, that.
For a couple of weeks, Da Boi “forgot” how to heel. Yeh, right. “Teenagey” puppers? Seems about right. Back to being more well-mannered in following direction/commands. *whew* Still, he has never stopped giving great pupper-hugs, so there was that.
Apropos of nothing in particular, I am greatly encouraged that “instinctive shooting” works the same for me whether I shoot right- or lefthanded. Nice. . . as long as my right eye (dominant eye) remains good and my left eye stays pretty much in the same relation, between them, my binocular vision allows me to acquire my target well w/o focusing my sight on the. . . urm sights, just by focusing my eyes on my target and maintaining a proper grip alignment. It’s the latter that’s a bit more difficult for my lefthanded shooting. Just needs more drill. So, drill, baby, drill. *heh*
The last time I moved a piano by myself was 32 years ago. Did it fairly often in my 20s and 30s, though (a sometime occupational hazard 😉 ). This (below)? A wee tad more than I’d want to attempt nowadays. It’s the knees, the back and between my ears. *heh*
Demands on time and $$ have pretty well dictated limited range time. VERY limited range time. *sigh* Therefore,
Dry fire practice does aid in target acquisition and training for best handling, though only live fire can really lock skills in definitively. Still, when needs drive. . .
On a side note: I discovered that a lil antique (well, according to the standard, RW definition of “antique”—more than 100 years old—though not the stupid ATF definition) firearm I was given quite some years ago, can easily and very safely accommodate more powerful ammunition than that which came with it. In fact, it was designed and manufactured for more powerful ammunition, and has checked out as being in top condition. So. . . graduating from plinking and small game to small-medium game. Now, I just need to get to the range. . . *sigh*
I had wondered for years about the chamber length as opposed to the ammunition I was gifted to use with it. . . Been using the “wrong” (though perfectly safe and usable) stuff for years. No wonder there was so much chamber fouling. (Not a bad thing, really, since I like the aroma of Hoppes. ?)
I have Leveled Up several times in the “Achey-Breaky Body” game. I have dislocated a knee rolling over in bed and dislocated a hip by just laying there, unmoving.
And then there are those “rough patches” of clear, smooth, open floor. . . Dangerous when barefoot or in shoes that give good traction, ya know. Socks or smooth-soled slippers, dude. Less likely to trip over a stray cat hair.
And lest you think it’s all age-related, nope. Pretty much been this way my whole life, with the rare decade of well-coordinated, healthy, fit body wedged in.
Of course now, what with New Guy puppy* and all that, it’s fun working downfield past a VERY active Defensive Tackle; it’s challenging. . . *heh* (I dunno why he’s working so hard to take me down when he has rung his Doggy Door Bell to go out, but I guess that’s the game, eh? *heh*)
*At least, as a puppy, he needs about as much sleep as he does activity, so I do get a little bye on heading “downfield,” at times. 😉
Eschew obscurantism, redundancy, and prolixity. That is, avoid arcane, esoteric, recondite, or obscure expressions; avoid undue repetition, reiteration, and duplication-reduplication of statements, and, above all, refrain from extreme, inordinate, unbridled, unchecked, and exorbitant wordiness.
YW.
Addendum: dictionaries are your friend. Thesauruses? not so much.
