With a title of this blog being Miasmatic Review, it should not surprise me that I keep getting google hits for people searching for reviews of various products. Just yesterday I had hits for reviews of bras, firearms, toys, cars, tools, girls, and brass knuckles.

Posted by: Contagion at 09:32 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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While making some more Jerky tonight, I hear Clone call to me from the other room. “Bye Dada, I go shoot now” is what I hear. When I looked out of the kitchen, this is what I saw:

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Please disregard the ketchup on his face; I hadnÂ’t cleaned him up from dinner yet. DonÂ’t worry; that .50 cal ammo can is empty, except for cleaning brushes. I just found it highly amusing the boy decided on taking his gun AND ammo for it. I also like the slightly mentally disturbed look on his face.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:49 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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1 Oh, that reminds me, I found that 1000-shot reload pack I bought him >

Posted by: Shadoglare at March 04, 2006 08:10 PM (xsagH)

2 The boy's a natural.

Posted by: caltechgirl at March 05, 2006 12:16 AM (jOkK0)

3 How cute is he?! heh heh heh! Like father like son.

Posted by: Bou at March 05, 2006 08:29 AM (iHxT3)

4 I *just* need to hug him.....

What a doll baby!!

Posted by: Tammi at March 05, 2006 09:21 AM (lfQya)

5 .. he certainly looks psyched..

Posted by: Eric at March 05, 2006 10:19 AM (r5XsL)

6 One question... what exactly did u teach him to shoot for? By the look on his face, I'd say anything that got in his way,lmao. Too Cute!!

Posted by: talulazephyr at March 05, 2006 10:29 AM (/Vg0b)

7 For those who haven't met Contagion, yet, this is the same look that he gets on HIS face when he's yapping at you, with a touch of foaming.

Clone comes by it quite honestly... only he's a cute kid. Definitely gets that from his mom...

Posted by: that 1 guy at March 05, 2006 11:21 AM (+SBBH)

8 I love that look. When my boys get something similar I have a hard time not running over and smooching on them.

Posted by: vw bug at March 05, 2006 12:40 PM (2z7l3)

9 He looks like the gun is talking to him...

"What? You said something Mr. Bangie? It's time to cleanse the city in a river of blood?? Let's go! Wheee!"

Posted by: Graumagus at March 05, 2006 09:57 PM (5u5N6)

10 I still can't stop laughing and Grau's comment didn't make it easier! At least Clone comes by it honest!

Posted by: oddybobo at March 06, 2006 08:14 AM (6Gm0j)

11 Damn you, fill the ammo can! How's he going to learn appreciation for ammo if he can't play with it?

Posted by: Ogre at March 06, 2006 10:31 AM (/k+l4)

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A friend of mine sent me this clip. He knew I was into shooting and thought IÂ’d appreciate it. The much forwarded e-mail came with the below information. IÂ’m not sure if itÂ’s true or not, and to be honest IÂ’m not about to do the research to find out. Either way, watching the guy about give himself a concussion with the handgun is hilarious.

The gun in the video is basically a "show and tell" custom built on a
Thompson Encore (fancy version of the Thompson Contender).

The Caliber... 600 Nitro Express. That's right...an elephant gun round in a
handgun.

The story goes that the guy that built it is some kind of custom gun maker,
and built this as an exhibition piece. He takes it to the range with him
just to show it off, and the big guy that shot it (in the
video) had been bugging the builder to let him shoot it. Now think about
this...only until fairly recently (early-mid '80's IIRC) the 600 Nitro
Express was hands down the biggest, nastiest, hardest hitting, and heaviest
recoiling weapon you could buy. It was designed for one simple purpose...to
knock an elephant flat on his a$$. IMO, it was really built as an exhibition
piece for guys "compensating"...this cartridge is known for breaking
collarbones, arms, shoulders...of the shooter! Think about this...in the gun
world they use what is termed as a "recoil index" to kind of give
prospective buyers an idea of what a gun kicks like. A
30-06 gets a rating of a 1.0, which for many people is about the limit of
what they can shoot multiple rounds thru comfortably. A .243 is rated at
like a .4, a .270 was like a 8, etc.

The .600 Nitro Express is rated at a 9.4...9.4 times more punishing than a
30-06.

See what I mean?

Posted by: Contagion at 09:49 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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The local news did a story about Sex Offenders about a week ago. During the story they mentioned a website, MapSexOffenders.com, where you can enter your address and it will map out any that are in your area.

Other then that, I think these lists and services are a useful tool for concerned parents. If you have kids, or are just curious to see if your neighbors are perverts, plug in your address and see who are the people in your neighborhood.

Posted by: Contagion at 09:14 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Here we have yet another reason one should never trust strange callers, especially if you're cheating on someone.

This girl tries to win a radio contest in Minnesota and ends up finding out that her loving boyfriend has a secret. I guess the answer to the question is that he loves everybody!

Posted by: Contagion at 07:45 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Phin asked, "Why do married men typically die before single men?"

The first thing that came to my mind was the three rings of marriage.

The Engagement Ring.

The Wedding Ring.

And the Suffer-RING

Posted by: Contagion at 04:59 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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I had my second interview earlier today. Normally I have a good idea how the interview went. Either by the interviewerÂ’s body language or ad-libbed questions at the end gives you a feeling of the interviewerÂ’s oppinion. This time the two of them both sent off very neutral vibes, which is not a good sign. That and when I was leaving I went to shake one of the managerÂ’s hands and instead she wiped her nose with a tissue. She did have a cold and I honestly donÂ’t believe it was intentional. Her hand may have been moving toward her nose before my hand was extended in a handshake.

ItÂ’s not like I expect to get the position, in fact if you recall I didnÂ’t expect to make it to the second round. Right now I just look as if IÂ’m on borrowed time. If they do pass me over, then I will just apply again the next time something opens up. The experience of interviewing really was what I was looking for. This whole ordeal has been worth it just for that.

IÂ’ll know for sure by the end of next week at the latest.

I sure could go for a beer about now.

Posted by: Contagion at 04:01 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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You’re driving down the road. In your rear view mirror you see a white truck with yellow flashing lights approaching at a high-rate of speed. When it passes, you can read the sign on the back. It says:”Haz-mat Emergency Response Team, Radioactive material containment unit.”

I really wish it wasnÂ’t heading in the same direction I was traveling.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:03 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Heading for Byron?

Posted by: That 1 Guy at March 02, 2006 06:35 PM (lfQya)

2 They get called out anytime there is a spill of something they cannot identify. We call it "methylethylbadshit". Hope all is well.

Posted by: Oddybobo at March 03, 2006 08:07 AM (6Gm0j)

3 Maybe it's the root cause of that strange eye thing you had going on a while back. Let me know if you start sprouting extra limbs.

Posted by: Dr. Phat Tony at March 03, 2006 08:22 AM (fk/lm)

4 Just be glad it didn't stay behind you until you pulled over...

Posted by: Ogre at March 03, 2006 10:28 AM (/k+l4)

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Over at BasilÂ’s Blog, he has a post up about how he saved money when he was in the military by using the same brand of deodorant and razor as his wife at the time. I canÂ’t say IÂ’ve used either Secret deodorant or a Lady Bic disposable razor. Thanks to his post, he did bring back a painful memory for me.

When I first started growing facial hair I only had to shave about once a week before it was noticeable. I would just use my fatherÂ’s electric razor and everything was okay. Occasionally I would use his razor and shaving cream to trim up around the side burns where the hair was the thickest. Even as time went on and I had to shave more often, IÂ’d just use my fatherÂ’s electric or manual razor. Not once did I think to ask to borrow my fatherÂ’s shaving supplies, thus my parents had no idea that I had started shaving, until one painful weekend.

My parents went away for the weekend leaving me at home alone. Having decided that I needed to shave, I headed off to my parents bathroom. Much to my chagrin I discovered that my father had taken both his electric shaver and manual razor with him. I was looking kind of scruffy. Well to be honest I was as scruffy as a teenage high school boy can get. Looking in the mirror, IÂ’m scruffier now and I shaved this morning. My facial hair seems to grow at an alarming rate.

Anyway, I felt for sure that my father had to have something for me to shave with hidden away in his bathroom, an emergency back up razor, some sample packs of a disposable or anything. Not one shaving item was found. In frustration I started going through my mother’s stuff looking for a razor. Still I was unable to find one. Then I ran across something she had bought to shave her legs, and epilady epilator. I see this and think to myself, “If it will remove the hair from legs, it will remove hair from my face.”

Well, I wasnÂ’t far from wrong. It removed the hairÂ… and the skinÂ… and some underlying muscle. For those of you not familiar with what an epilady was at that time, itÂ’s like a coil of metal that comes out from a handle. The coil rotates, yanking hair and anything else it grabs onto off of the body. When I found that, I didnÂ’t realize that was how it worked.

After plugging in the hair removal device, I slide it down the side of my face like it was an electric razor. Every hair that it grabbed onto was yanked violently from my teenage face. Tears started forming in my eyes and tiny drops of blood started form on my cheek. Little squares of toilet paper were not going to cover this bloody mess. I grabbed a whole sheet of toilet paper and stuck it to my face, the blood instantly causing it to adhere in place. For three hours I walked around with a sheet of toilet paper soaked in my own blood stuck to my face. I was afraid if I peeled it off, IÂ’d start bleeding again.

When my parents returned home, the injury was very noticeable. They found out I had started shaving when I told them the story. My mother, who didnÂ’t laugh, proceeded to explain that was why she used it once and never again.

To this day IÂ’m real hesitant to use any product designed for a female, IÂ’m afraid of what it could do to me.

Posted by: Contagion at 04:05 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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Does anyone teach manners anymore? When I ask for something I say “please”. After I have received what I’ve asked for I say “thank you”. If someone says, “thank you” to me, I respond with a “your welcome”. Unfortunately I’m coming to the conclusion that I am one of the last individuals in the world that does this.

This has always bugged me, but of late I’ve noticed a rapid increase in the lack of manners and common courtesy in people. On television shows, at the gas station and at work, almost everywhere I turn people don’t use it. I guess this really bothers me because I’m teaching my boys to say “Please” and “Thank you”. Even Clone will politely ask for a drink and say “thank you” when it’s received. Yet many adults just seem to think it’s a waste of their time.

Not that I want to be a politeness police and start correcting people. After a couple of incidents that happened today, I’m ready to stop assisting people that can’t ask me nicely. That includes some of my peers at work. How hard is it to say, “Contagion, could you please rerun that report for me?” Instead I got, “You need to rerun that report for me.” When I gave it to the individual I received the response, “I’ll look at it later when I have time.” At this gas station this morning I hear, “Give me two packs of cigarettes.” The cretin couldn’t add a “please” to the end of the sentence.

Maybe IÂ’m being too nitpicky, maybe I should just realize that polite society is about dead anymore and give up my archaic ways.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:06 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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Today I received word that I am being passed on for a second interview. My charm and credentials outweighed the fact this is a lateral transfer and that I have a penis. (Remember, they tend to not like lateral transfers or promoting males here.) I am one of two finalists for the position.

The second interview is later this week, and I should know for sure by the end of next week. IÂ’m not sure how my friend did, I havenÂ’t asked her and I donÂ’t want to just in case she was rejected.

Posted by: Contagion at 04:01 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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