iCaved

Finally--I don't know how I held out so long.  Life is different now, and it's kind of scary how connected I am with a smart phone.

I really resisted the idea of paying more for cell service but being able to keep an eye on work and get the interwebs while mobile is too much of an advantage.  It also helps that AT&T offers discounts for a lot of employers and extends them to employees.

The performance of the phone (OS) is amazing.  I went from a six year old Motorola Razor with a clunky and slow interface to this phone and I still can't get over it!

State Election/Issues

Some thoughts...

Tom Tancredo

While John Hickenlooper claims to be business friendly, and has a decent record as Mayor of Denver, he is a Democrat who will be pushed further and further to the left.  Dems mean death to business and jobs.

Tancredo has a solid record and always put the state first.  It takes an honest man to take on illegal immigration; Democrats want the votes, Republicans want the cheap labor, Tom wants what is right.

It would be a powerful message if Coloradans elected a third party candidate as Governor!  A message Washington needs to hear.

Calling Peggy the Moocher

Peggy, where are you?  I have some questions for you?

Why is it you are still paying for your mortgage and putting gas in your car while the President spends more than you make in a year on a vacation?

What happened to your big payday?  Why is the President and his family partying while the rest of the country is struggling, especially the "Black Community?"

How are those identity politics working out for you now?

Do you feel as stupid as you look?  If so, have your opinions changed?  Would you vote differently or will you keep making the same mistake?

The Children Whine

People are finally waking up and many are waking up mad as hell. I predicted this some time ago (when they started to see some individual consequences) but I'm surprised by the lack of accountability some have displayed--many of these folks voted for Obama and other Democrats and have yet to make the connection.

I can't count the number of blogs I'm seeing with grown adults complaining about Obama's policies, one after the other, after openly admitting voting for him! Many are hysterical, some are even calling for civil war.

They are idle threats--these individuals won't do anything themselves. They want someone else to come in and make it stop on their behalf. This entitlement mentality is what got is into this mess in the first place (i.e. I should have everything for free). They lack the maturity and wisdom to know that they are accountable for the status quo and they have the power to change it.

They are children. 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 year old children!

Defective HJC Shield

Like a lot of manufacturers recently, quality is down, cost is up.  HJC is apparently no different.

I bought a HJ-05 dark smoke shield for my SyMax II helmet to replace one that I've had since 2002.  The old shield held up great, it's just got some chips and scratches that have gotten annoying.

The new shield was ~$22 and I thought would be just like the old one.  I was wrong.

The replacement shield distorts my vision so badly that I couldn't stand to ride with it one once.  The distortion completely tricked my depth perception creating what I believe would be a serious safety issues since riders have seconds to react on the road.  Objects appeared closer or further away when I moved my helmet up and down.

The newer shield is also clear when looking at it from the side while the old one is solid dark smoke.  They have likely changed the manufacturing process to save some money and the distortion is possibly a consequence of that.

I contacted HJC--they don't care.  My dealer doesn't care either and won't do a return since it has been opened and was put on the helmet (once).

So beware if you are shopping for a new HJC shield or helmet.  Inspect BEFORE you pay for it!

McInnis Coverage

Scott McInnis must drop out. 

According to the interviews (including those of McInnis) there are one of two things that happened... 

1. McInnis committed outright plagiarism
2. McInnis put his name on a researcher's plagiarism without crediting the researcher

Either way, this is unacceptable for a gubernatorial candidate.

We do not tolerate these kinds of character flaws on the right.  Not to say we have any immunity, but unlike the left, we do not pretend that it didn't happen in hopes of progressing an ideology.  I've seen the interviews, and the story doesn't pass the sniff test.

Now for the interesting part...

The local media is obsessed with this story.  Even sending e-mail alerts and keeping the story on the front page when small details are known, like the resignation of three campaign staffers.  Take note:  If you have (R) after your name, you will be scrutinized for everything and anything in the media.

We didn't see this kind of coverage when Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper admitted his corporation hired the illegal immigrant that shot and killed Denver Police Detective Donnie Young.  This is a crime.  Hickenlooper, a Democrat, is Mayor to this day and is projected to be the Dem candidate for Governor.

We didn't see this kind of coverage when Democrat Governor Bill Ritter's campaign attorney Stephanie Villafuerte used Denver DA resources to out a whistle blower on Ritter's catch and release policy.  This is a crime.  Ritter has decided not to seek reelection after speculation that he lied to Federal investigators about his role.  If this is true, Ritter committed a crime.

We did see this kind of coverage when Douglas Bruce, a strong advocate of taxpayer rights and author of TABOR (this is worthy of it's own post), allegedly kicked a reporter in the knee for being disrespectful during a moment of prayer at the Capitol.  Bruce was nearly run out of town--any guesses as to his party affiliation or ideology?

What Scott McInnis did was wrong, but it was not a crime.  It is a matter that could be resolved in the civil courts and, from recent reporting, McInnis is giving back the $300,000 he was paid for the article in question.  What these front running Colorado Democrats have done is a crime and the coverage was limited to a blurb then stricken from the front page.

One could speculate that the higher standard on the right for personal conduct makes this a bigger story--McInnis was held to a higher standard and is somewhat of an ideological hypocrite.  Of course, this would mean Democrats are held to a lower standard and their hypocrisy is readily accepted by the press. 

The better explanation is, once again, media that has selected it's winner and crafted a reality to create that outcome.  This is tragic given that we can't afford anymore "selected" leadership.  The state has gone from budget surpluses and tax rebates to shortfalls, debt, and higher regulatory costs that are hurting Coloradans.

I'm not saying McInnis should be afforded a pass.  I just wish the same scrutiny applied to Republicans was also applied to Democrats.  We would end up with much better candidates.

Colorado License Plate Fee Increase II

To this day, the most visited page on my humble blog is the post about Colorado license plate fee increase.  People are not happy.

It's been about a year and I saw one of my vehicles stay the exact same while the other, a 1995 KLR650, actually went up $4!  I looked up the Kelly Blue Book value of these vehicles and I am paying ~4% and 5% each year to continue driving/owning them in Colorado.

Perhaps the most frustrating part is, once again, that this fee increase (really a tax increase) hurts individuals and families who are already running in the red and probably driving older vehicles anyway.  So much for "progressive taxation!"

Then comes income tax time when you learn that because the slimy Colorado Democrats call this a "fee" and not an ownership tax (which would have required voter approval in a recession) it is not tax deductible.  For example, my total renewal cost on my car is $122.  My ownership tax is $3.  I can only deduct $3.

For all of you out there who are equally angry, remember November.  You may not like the social issues platform of conservatives but, this tax and spend trend must be broken.  Do you want someone who makes you feel warm and fuzzy, or someone who makes it easier to live and work in your own country?

The tired liberal response of "well, you want bridges and roads so now it's time to pay for them," falls flat.  We have been paying for them for generations through income, sales, and gas taxes!!!

If we can't vote these Colorado liberals out it won't be long until we are known as the "New Jersey of the West."

P226 Slide Lock Replacement

For some reason Sig Sauer introduced a new "short post" slide lock lever for the P226 about three years ago. Along with the introduction of this new part are new magazine followers with protruding lips.

The problem with this change is that low capacity P226 mags and older high capacity mags will not lock the slide back after the last round is fired. The usually comes up on boards as "my slide won't lock back" and can be diagnosed after eliminating the human factors; thumb discipline, weak wrist, etc. In addition, many believe the short post lever digs into the mag followers wearing them unnecessarily (I am in that group).

In my opinion this is a critical function as it lets the operator know a reload is required.  The last thing anyone wants is to hear "click" in a bad situation.

I have posted this fix to help anyone who may be in this situation.

I assume no liability for your actions!!! Proceed with caution!!!

 Determine If You Have This Issue

Find an older P226 magazine like this circa 2000 10 rounder.

Make a safe weapon. Remove the slide. Seat the magazine and observe the contact between the slide lock post and the magazine follower (yellow circle)...



If the magazine follower is making solid contact with the slide lock post, you do not have this issue. If you see a gap like the one in the picture you will need a new slide lock lever (or new mag followers) for the gun to be operational with that magazine.

Before Doing Anything
If your P226 was bought new and you are the original owner, your gun is under warranty. Contact Sig Sauer customer service. If you can get your gun to an armorer at Sig they will have you fixed up in about three weeks. When I did this in early 2009 on another P226, the work and part was free--I wasn't charged a cent (Sig knows they are causing some pain)! I have also heard that Sig is shipping mag followers out in lieu of a slide lever swap--I wouldn't accept this fix.

If you want to do the lever swap yourself, order a new P226 slide lock lever from Top Gun Supply. The part number is 34260120 (Anon in comments says Sig has changed the part number to 1200779 and TopGunSupply confirms.  It might be best to call before ordering to confirm.)

Doing the Swap
It's a good idea to have an armorer's guide and toolkit although this swap could be done without them and is relatively easy.

First, make a safe weapon and remove the slide. Rotate the disassembly lever forward and carefully remove it from the frame.

With the disassembly lever out, remove the breech block (locking insert) by gently pulling it upwards out of the frame. It should be loose and move freely. If it is not loose, do not force it! Add some CLP until it moves freely.  This can be the dirtiest part of the frame because it is so difficult to clean.

Using a punch or small screwdriver, without much force, push the trigger pivot pin to the right slowly.  You do not want to remove this pin completely...
  

The pivot pin should be past the slide lock lever but not past the trigger itself.

The old slide lock lever should come out freely.

A comparison of the new (left) and old (right) parts.  Note the notch and shorter length of the old part on the right.

Set the old part aside.  Insert the new slide lock lever to the left of the trigger (muzzle pointing away).  Push the trigger pivot pin back into place.

Insert the slide stop spring into the locking insert.

For the next step (probably the hardest part of the whole operation) you will need an appropriately sized screwdriver.  A screwdriver too big and you will scratch the frame, one too small and you may mess up the trigger pivot pin.

This is when being a sucker and over-paying for the armorer's toolkit works to your advantage.

The tricky part is getting the breech block (locking insert) into the frame.  The slide stop spring must be on top of the slide lock lever.  The slide lock lever must be all the way to the left side of the frame. 

There are notches in the trigger pivot pin that allow the breech block to be inserted.  With the screwdriver, slowly turn the trigger pivot pin until the block can be gently pushed into place.  Do not force the block in!

When the breech block is in, the disassembly lever channel should be a perfect circle without any overlap of the breech block.  If it doesn't look like the following picture, remove the block, turn the pin 180 degrees and try again.

Now the disassembly lever can be reinserted into the channel.  This too requires some finesse to keep from scratching the frame.  The lever has a lip on one end that can be used to manipulate the spring while it's being inserted.

Once done, using the same test mag as above, check the contact between the post and the magazine follower.

Reassemble the weapon and test the slide lock a few times.  A new slide lock lever can cause the release to be a little stiff the first few times--this is normal.

If you have any questions or anything to add, feel free to the use the comments!

Oops

My typos are a disaster waiting to happen.

It's gotten so bad that I have to take a deep breath before typing SELECT COUNT(*) for fear of what could end up in the DB logs.

This page came up when I accidentally typed "statconuter.com" instead of statcounter.com. Made me chuckle.

I have no idea what conuting is, but rest assured I never want to see any stats on it.

Xcel Sticks it to the Man!

Oh wait, no, I mean they (once again) are sticking it to the little guy.

The summer tiered billing (June - September) has kicked in and they've found creative ways to squeeze Colorado customers with a proration for billing periods with as little as one day in June. Add to that, many middle class homes are already over the 500KWH mark in the winter! Summer bills are set to sky-rocket.

People are pissed. But should they be?

These kinds of punitive use billing schemes have been creeping up everywhere. First with water, now electricity, who knows what next. And it's not by accident. There is a certain ideology that believes people should be punished for using resources even when there is a fixed cost for providing those resources. The voters (people) have done this to themselves.

Let me make this clear: In the information age, there is no limit to how our existence can be categorized and punished accordingly. And yes, it will be riddled with double-standards where a working person pays more for less while the welfare demographic is rewarded for using more and paying next to nothing (provided they continue to vote for the right people).

There is only one way to stop it--stop voting for them. Those of us who still have jobs can no longer afford their pseudo-green commie policies.

Pastis

The Meatpacking District has become so trendy it can make a tourist puke. But there is one well-known off the beaten path gem; Pastis.

After my favorite restaurant, Bolo (damn you Bobby Flay!!!), closed about two years ago we've been spending more meals at Pastis. It is always crowded and expect to wait at least 45 minutes for a table for two during the dinner rush which lasts from ~8:00PM to 11:00PM. They switch to a supper menu at 1:00AM which is a scaled back version of the dinner menu.

Service can be hit or miss but I've never had a bad meal at Pastis. Even dessert at this place is amazing!

Getting into SNL on Standby

(This is the day after, see below)

Getting to see SNL live has been a goal for the last 10 years. With as many times as I go to NYC it's remarkable that this was my first time actually getting to go.

SNL does an annual lottery in August which doesn't allow you to specific the dates (Google for info). I've entered in the past and was never selected. This time I decided to try standby and it was the season finale with Alec Baldwin. I knew my odds were slim to none, but I had to try.

The standby tickets are given away at 7:00AM day of the show (Saturday morning). People started queuing up on Wednesday! We arrived at 6:45AM and the line was about 200 people long (I know this because of the ticket numbers).

You get a choice of dress rehearsal or live standby tickets and are advised to pick the lowest number which gives you the best odds of getting in. In our case, the live show had the lowest numbers, and since it didn't start until 11:30PM (required to be there at 10:45PM) I figured our chances were better as many would give up being that late.

I was right. We received ticket numbers 104 & 105 and were the last group of five standbys to make it.

We were initially seated behind some lighting rigs that made it really hard to see the stages. After about five minutes a PA asked us if we wanted to move up into closer seats that were reserved for people who didn't show. Of course! I can't even say who we sat next to.... But it was another NBC universal employee.

The whole thing was surreal and an amazing experience. Best of all, it was free (less time spent in lines with anxious anticipation).

In retrospect, if you want to try standby, I have some advice...

1. Get to the AM line as early as possible without ruining the day. Consider taking a nap afterward since you'll have standby tickets in hand at 7:00AM and will need to be well rested for the PM shows. I would not be a "camper." The folks who started waiting on Wednesday made it in, then again, so did we and we were 200 people behind them.
2. Get to the PM line on time.
3. The NBC staff are great. And by great, I mean amazing! They will do everything they can to get standbys on the show to include bringing more seating into the studio if they can fill it. No need to beg--if it's meant to be, it will happen. Listen to them! They will give advice and instructions throughout the process.
4. Do not bring a camera--they will take it. We had enough sense to not even try.
5. Use the restroom before getting in the PM line. You can do this in the lobby of Rock Center. There is no leaving the studio and returning. Get something to eat before hand--there is no snacking in the studio.
6. Dress well. Not three-piece-suit well, but look presentable. Have a great attitude--be excited!!! This increases your chances of getting selected to move forward to better seats. The PAs need all of those seats filled and are constantly looking for people to move forward to fill empty seats. Be one of those lucky people!
7. In the AM line, consider choosing the live show instead of the rehearsal if the numbers are close. Believe it or not, more people were willing to be at Rock Center at 7:00AM than were willing to show up at 10:45PM. Of course the rehearsal, from what I've read, is a lot of fun and sometimes you get to see skits that don't air.
8. The numbers... There were around 35 regular ticket holders and VIPs that did not show. Only about a third of the standby ticket holders showed. So don't be discouraged if you get a high number. 104 & 105 were still low enough to make it.
9. Have a back-up plan. The last thing you want, if you don't get on the show, is to go back to the hotel room and think about what could have been. Go out, see the town, and get a drink--it's still Saturday night!

Gray's Papaya

Getting into New York late, with plans to get up at 6:00AM the next day, leaves one with few fine dining options. Thankfully, there was this Gray's Papaya location in Chelsea close to the hotel.

I have seen a Gray's mentioned a few times on the foodie channels and had wanted to someday checkout the original but was unwilling to dedicate the time and a "real meal" to the adventure. The Chelsea location made it easy.

Walking into the place is a trip in itself. It's like entering a different universe. There are no tables. It's easily 100 degrees and the guys behind the counter are not lovin' it.

I got two dogs (with sauerkraut) and a papaya drink for ~$4.75. The papaya drink is a must. Yes it's strange and even stranger combination. The dogs were great and there was some really good spicy mustard on the counter. I was pleasantly surprised.

Notice to Liberals

Want to see where the liberal ideology is taking America? Look at Greece!

The situation in Greece in deteriorating rapidly. It's the adults v. the children. The children want their entitlements, the adults have run out of money to pay them their entitlements, and no one is willing to lend a country that isn't willing to work any more money.

The IMF bailout will help Greece stay in the black short-term but only with severe cuts in spending (otherwise known as austerity measures). These cuts will dramatically impact the Greek standard of living since so many in the country depend on government social programs or government jobs.

This is what happens when you grow the scope and size of government, via social programs, to a level where the private sector can no longer support it.

We often hear that we need more government and more programs in America to provide for social and economic justice. But how much justice are we able to provide when the entire system collapses? What will happen to people who, for generations, have become dependent on government assistance? The message "get a job" is a difficult one because, in such a scenario, the private economy has been destroyed and there are no jobs.

We have the opportunity now to bring balance back to government. To constrain the size of government to a level that we can support, yet we are consistently moving the opposite direction. Less than half of the country pays Federal income tax. We have more voters than taxpayers! We are steadily replacing the private economy with the public economy--which can only consume, not produce. Is this sustainable? If it isn't sustainable, who will bail us out?

If liberals really believe in their programs, they have to be willing to defend them. That means bringing economic sustainability and balance back to Washington. A message consistently heard at Tea Parties that liberals vilify and mock.

Unless liberals wake up and realize what is at stake, they stand to lose 80 years of "progress."

Update

It's been a long time...

My efforts have been going to other places lately, much of it doing good things. I made a major change a couple of months ago and am all the better for it!

It seems other things have been changing as well and not for the better. To put it succinctly: America is no longer ideologically compatible.

Half of this country believes it is entitled to the labor and property of the other half while paying little or no tax. We continue to punish working Americans for going to work and providing for their families while rewarding those who couldn't care less. Bailout is no longer a buzzword--its a lifestyle.

Our "new thought" leaders implement historically proven flawed ideas and policies pretending that they will work while holding the country hostage through taxation, debt, and inflation. Many speculate that we can no longer pay to service the current level of debt, let alone write new debt to continue funding bankrupt social programs.

The vanguards of the value system which made America the greatest country in the world are absent, having been either bribed by the architects of failure and fully complicit in it, or marginalized into obscurity. We now have situational ethics which distort right and wrong and allow the most incapable among us to demand their wants and needs be met no matter what the present or future costs.

Looking back, I believe we will view this time as an opportunity to get what we deserve. Bondage, deception, and broken promises or freedom and prosperity. Sadly, we may no longer be able to share the later together.