We have another episode of the Superficial Friends. This one isnÂ’t as good as the last one, but the crude humor and the fact they are now making fun of blogging as well really makes it worth sharing. Oh, and definitely Not Safe For Work.

Posted by: Contagion at 10:38 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Well in keeping up with my ability to find cheesy and addictive online games, IÂ’ve found Sea of War. It is a strategy game that looks to be based on the Command and Conquer series of games. You have to build up troops and take over the enemyÂ’s position. Of course they get crafty and start building bigger and better units, but then again so do you. There are another couple hours of my life wasted.

Posted by: Contagion at 09:08 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I donÂ’t know how safe this is, but it could make for a pretty cool party trick. Here is a video of how to make smoke come from your fingers.

Now if I could only get them to shoot flames!

Posted by: Contagion at 07:48 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Ktreva and I were actually able to go out and see a movie last night. Since I love zombie movies, and 28 Weeks Later came out, we went to see that. Yes, I know those aren’t “real” zombies. They are humans infected with the rage virus. But you know what, damn near close enough. They may be easier to kill then real zombies, but they are stronger, faster a bit more cunning.

I enjoyed the movie, I thought it was pretty good. However, I will say that this movie is a prime example of how NOT to contain a zombie outbreak. They started off good, but then one security breech and they all went stupid. Then they tried to fix it in the only logical manner.

Folks let me tell you something. If there is a zombie and/or Virus outbreak and the Chief Medical Officer breaks protocol to “find a cure”, treat them as an infected hostile. That’s all I’m saying.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:33 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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We received a progress report for Boopie tonight. It seems that he is failing one of his classes. After talking with him we discovered it's because he's not doing his homework again. We already had pre-set consequences for this, so we banned him from video games until his grades come back up.

He's all bummed out, he just got his new Guitar Hero 2 game and was really liking it. So he started pouting and decided that he was going to hide in the closet. I didn't realize where he went to, and couldn't find him in the house. I didn't think to look in his closet, because he's 14 and I thought he would have outgrown that. Calling out from him I hear his voice coming from his room. I go in there, and can't see him. I call his name again, then I hear his voice coming from the closet.

I ask what he's doing in there (not sure I want to know). He tells me nothing, he's just hiding in there. So I say, "You're 14, you're too old for that. It's time to come out of the closet." He peeks his head through the door and looks at me with a slight smirk on his face.

At that point I realized what I said.

Yea, that's another therapy session I'm going to be paying for.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:42 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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You would think I would have learned my lesson by now. There is an issue at work that all of my peers and myself agree needs changing. Unfortunately we canÂ’t make that change with out approval from upper management. On Tuesday we sat down and talked it over amongst ourselves to make sure we were all on the same page. At that time I told them this will not work unless we all support it AND openly support it. If anyone backs down, then we wonÂ’t get anything changed. Everyone agreed and wanted to make the change, it was decided that weÂ’d discuss this with upper management today in one of our bi-weekly meetings.

We are in the meeting, and one of my peers turns to me and quietly says just to me, “Contagion, bring up that thing we spoke about.” I should have realized what was going to happen then, but of course I didn’t. I laid out my proposal, and as soon as upper management started questioning it or showed hesitation, they all started backing down. Some said, “We can’t do that.” or “It won’t work”.

The sad thing is that this change is not something that will have that big of an impact on me. They all want it more then I do, they are just too damn cowardly to say so. So instead they hang me out as the fall guy (Literally). But you know what, IÂ’ve learned my lesson. I know where the battle lines are drawn and that from this point on; itÂ’s me versus them.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:50 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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IÂ’m still on the quest for Shadoglare to find a great Italian Beer. This week at the store I found a sixer of Peroni Nastro Azzurro. That makes two different Italian beers IÂ’ve tried. So far IÂ’m pretty whelmed by the quality.

It has a green bottle with the name of the company cast into the glass. The label is white with the name of the company in large red letters and the name over the beer just underneath it. There are some blue banners with Italian writing on it. Really there is nothing all that special about the label.

This is another beer with a very pale gold/straw coloring to it. ItÂ’s clear; light passes easily through it with out any problems. It poured a white head, but it disappeared in less then 30 seconds leaving no lacing or film on the top of the beer.

The scent is very faint and hard to discern from other scents in the air. After concentrating you can make out a faint floral hops scent with a touch of malt and citrus. The flavor is week with a slight malt sweetness. There is a nice hop bitterness to the finish that leaves little to no aftertaste.

This is a light bodied beer. There is a strong carbonation at the beginning, but that fades quickly to almost nothing. There is almost no mouth feel to the beer and I liken it to drinking water.

To be honest this beer tasted like a knock off of a standard American lite beer. I know they say they have been around since 1846, but IÂ’d swear I taste a mix of Miller and Bud in this one. ItÂ’s not a bad hot day beer. While grilling tonight I enjoyed one. ItÂ’s a beer that you can drink if you donÂ’t want to be overwhelmed with flavor or your standard beer fillingness. Yea, thatÂ’s a word now! IÂ’m going to give this beer 3.5 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:38 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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For Boopie's 14th birthday he wanted Guitar Hero 2. Okay, no problem. we bought it for him.

But now I regret it. Tonight I'm out back grilling (more on that later) when he comes running out and says, "Dad, do you know the song "Freebird"?" Well of course I do. So he asks me, is it any good?

Yea, kids today have no culture.

For Boopie:

Learn the classics boy!

Posted by: Contagion at 05:48 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 I haven't played that game but I'm glad to hear they have some classics on there.

Posted by: Sissy at May 09, 2007 06:44 PM (y2kUf)

2 So did you tell him the truth... that it sucks?

Posted by: That 1 Guy at May 09, 2007 09:19 PM (amJz2)

3 We are loving Guitar Hero II around here - even me! :-)

Posted by: Richmond at May 11, 2007 08:12 AM (e8QFP)

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Holy crap, there may still be hope for Illinois! It seems that Pike County in Illinois adopted a resolution last month to oppose ANY legislation that infringes on the right to keep and bear arms. It seems that the citizens of the county were afraid that all of the anti-gun legislation that is being pushed through Springfield is going to not only jeopardize their Constitutional rights, but also hurt their tourism industry. Pike county is famous for itÂ’s hunting. I know a lot of people that have traveled there to go Deer Hunting. The citizens and county board feel that the StateÂ’s attempt to ban firearms would end that hunting tradition.

On April 24, 2007 in a 7-2 vote they adopted a resolution that read:

” Now, Therefore, It Be And Is Hereby Resolved, that the people of Pike County, Illinois, do oppose the enactment of any legislation that would infringe upon the Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms, and deem such laws to be Unconstitutional and beyond lawful Legislative Authority.”

IE if the State does pass such laws, they arenÂ’t going to enforce them. IÂ’m sure they will run into problems with the State Police and government over this, if anything comes to head. Until then I hope that other counties and citizens take this example and run with it. Remember Illinois, we are NOT Chicago. What Mayor Daley and Governor Blagojevich want is to control the entire state. They want to make us all like Chicago. You know, big city, big crime, crooked politics and infringed rights. ItÂ’s time to take back our state and tell them in a loud and strong voice, WE ARE NOT CHICAGO!

"What we are trying to do here is protect rights we already have," board member Robert Kenady said.

And

"We have to stand up," said board member Mark Mountain, who proposed the resolution. "We have to voice our opinion. As an individual, it doesn't mean much. As a county, it means more. As three or four counties, it means a lot."

Nothing I could write would put it better then those two quotes. I applaud you Pike County, I applaud you and your citizens for symbolically firing the first shot in what I hope is a revolution to keep our rights. Yes, I know this is mostly symbolic, but itÂ’s a good start. If only it wasn't so far down state, I'd move there.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:45 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I think I may have found the perfect food substance. Last week my parents went to visit some relatives up by Menomonie, Wisconsin. While up there they stopped at what is, in my opinion, the best cheese factory in the country, Cady Cheese Factory.

I have an Aunt and Uncle that own a farm in nearby Spring Valley. When I was a kid my grandmother used to live on the farm with them. Every time we would go and visit her, we would stop at Cady Cheese and bring pounds of the glorious golden food home with us. It was Cady cheese that started me on my love of Salami Cheese. Up until now, I thought this was the perfect snack food combination. ItÂ’s so wonderful that I think IÂ’ve turned half of my friends and both boys into Salami Cheese loving fools. I know you can get it down here, but it just doesnÂ’t taste the same.

Anyway, I’m off topic. Since my parents were up that way, they knew I would want some cheese. They stopped in to pick some up for themselves and for me, er for my family. While looking through their gift shop my father pointed something out to mom and told her, “Contagion must have that.” So he bought me a very special chunk of cheese, this may even be the holy grail of cheese.

He bought me Cheddar with Guinness.

ThatÂ’s right, Cheddar cheese with Guinness in it. It looks like a cheese with dark brown veins running through it. IÂ’ve had the cheese for three days and I havenÂ’t cut into it yet. Why? Well IÂ’m waiting for a special occasion. See, I havenÂ’t found cheddar with Guinness anywhere else. And at 12.99 a pound IÂ’m not sure I want to just eat it any old time. However, IÂ’m starting to get antsy just waiting. IÂ’m thinking it wonÂ’t last through the weekend.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:30 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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ItÂ’s been four days since the chainsaw incident. IÂ’m done being mad about the whole thing, so now it is actually funny.

Over the last couple of years I had a couple of trees start to grow awfully close to my house and garage. At first I didnÂ’t do anything about them, but then I decided I had better get a start before they actually do some damage. Especially since one of the trees was right up next to the house and another was right next to the garage. They werenÂ’t big trees. The one next to the house was 3-4 inches in diameter and the one next to the garage was about 7-8 inches wide. The one next to the house was only about 15 feet tall, but the one next to the garage was about 30 feet. The third tree was in the middle of the yard, but along a fence lineÂ… I just didnÂ’t like it.

The tree next to the house came down easily enough. There were three separate trunks intertwined with some fence. It was a little tricky, but everything went smooth. The tree in the middle of the yard, again intertwined with fence came down easily enough with no damage to the fence or the chain. Then there was the tree by the garage.

First off, not only was this tree right next to the garage, but it was also intertwined with chain link fence. To make it even worse, it was between my garage and my neighborÂ’s garage. Our garages are so close I can stand and place my left hand on my garage and be able to touch theirs with my right. Oh, and to make it just a little bit more difficult there is a phone line that runs right next to it. Yea, this one was going to be tricky. Yet I just knew I could get this one down easy as can be. IÂ’ve precision dropped larger trees then this before.

I make a flat cut about halfway through the tree. Then I make an angle cut to take out a wedge to direct the tree to where I want it to fall. IÂ’m almost done with the angle cut when the tree shifts and pinches the chainsaw. WTF? ItÂ’s a maple, it shouldnÂ’t be that flexible. I mean over half the trunk is still intact! Making sure there is no power to the chainsaw, I try to pull it out. That bad boy was S-T-U-C-K stuck. I figure if I just gently and lightly push on the trunk maybe, MAYBE I can pull out the chainsaw.

Now at this point someone is going to say I should have gotten help, tied a rope to the tree, or something else logical. HereÂ’s the problem. Everyone I asked was busy and couldnÂ’t come over. The only help I had was Boopie. If I had tied a rope to the tree and tried to have him pull anything, he would have just hurt himself. Anyone that has met him knows what IÂ’m talking about.

So I just very lightly and gently push on the tree to alleviate the pressure on the blade. Sure enough the treeÂ’s grip on the chainsaw is loosened and it starts to come free. Just as IÂ’m about to let go of the tree it happens. Just like in some cartoon or stupid comedy movie the biggest fattest bird I have ever seen plops down onto the furthest sticking branch that will hold its weightÂ… over my neighborÂ’s garage.

The tree starts to creak as it begins its slow fall. I drop the chainsaw, (Thank all that is good for steel toe work boots) and grab the trunk with both hands pulling it in the opposite direction. My efforts are to no avail as the tree crashes on top of my neighborÂ’s garage and phone line. IÂ’m yelling and swearing at the top of my lungs. The boys are staring in wide eyed wonder at the events they just witnessed. To make matters worse, THE TREE STILL WAS ONLY CUT HALF WAY THROUGH! The notch was still in place! It didnÂ’t break, the damn thing bent with the weight.

At this point I’ve lost all rational thought. With anger and frustration I grab the chainsaw, power it up and lift it over my head like a psycho path in some comedy-horror flick. In a stream of obscenities that would shock most people I attack, yes attack, the tree with the chainsaw. I finish cutting it all the way through. Then I grab the trunk and pull it off the roof and onto the ground. Boopie is screaming, “DAD, DON’T! STOP, PLEASE STOP!” I am now giggling with a madness that only those that have been irrationally pissed at an inanimate object can understand.

Yes, I got the tree down. No, I did not damage the garage. No one was physically injured, however my kids may need more therapy now when they get older. As for the phone lineÂ… uh, I donÂ’t know what youÂ’re talking about. Right now there are piles of limbs and trunk in my driveway waiting to be cut up and disposed off. I had too many plans over the weekend to finish it. That and in my exuberance to destroy the damnable plant I broke the chain on the chainsaw. I havenÂ’t had a chance to get it fixed yet.

But tomorrowÂ… the sage continues.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:51 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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What happens when cheerleaders fight?

IÂ’m telling you guys, just add some butterscotch pudding and this would be a much better video.

Yea, the fight itself is lameÂ… but itÂ’s cheerleaders fighting. How can you not enjoy it?

Posted by: Contagion at 10:02 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I found a little game that is right up my alley. It’s called The Last Stand. The point is to survive 20 days from a zombie uprising. You have to defend your “fort” at night and during the day you decided how many hours you spend repairing your wall, searching for other survivors or looking for better weapons.

Yea, the chainsaw is cool and is really good when they are right up against your wall, but the AK-47 seems to be the best one for accuracy and round capacity.

Posted by: Contagion at 08:58 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Today is Cinco De Mayo. I was going to go into a long history as to what this holiday actually celebrates, especially since there is some confusion about it. After much though, I figured why bother. LetÂ’s face it; Cinco De Mayo in America is pretty much just like St PatrickÂ’s Day.

It is just another day for single guys to attempt to score with drunk hot chic.

Except today itÂ’s a hot Latino chic, while St. PatrickÂ’s is a hot Irish chic.

So to all my single friends out thereÂ… happy hunting. And remember: tip your wingman well.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:57 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Hmmm Me and a chainsaw. Maybe that wasnÂ’t such a good combination.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:46 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Today while at work, I received a call from my mother. She called to tell me that Clone is in a bit of trouble. Today at school they were going over fire safety. You know, stop, drop and roll, what do to in case of a fire, etc etc etc. Everything was fine until they left the building for the day. As he was walking out, he saw the fire alarm.

Yep, Clone walked right over to it and pulled it. Setting off all the warning lights and buzzers. Why did he do it? Because they pointed it out to the kids and said only pull it in case of fire. He had never noticed it before and wondered what it did. So he pulled it.

The school emptied, the teachers ran in a panic to call the fire department to advice it is a false alarm, the kids ran went outside like they were supposed to, only they had their little hands covering their ears. Apparently they thought it was great fun. The kids that is, not the teachers. I never did find out if the kids got to see the fire trucks. IÂ’m sure they would have loved that. Then again I think that only would have provoked them to pull the alarm again.

Only my kids.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:07 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Since this weekend is Cinco de Mayo, I decided to go with an ethnic styled beer. No, itÂ’s not Mexican, every Mexican beer I found IÂ’ve tried and sucks. If any of you bring up Corona, just shut up now. Any beer you have to add fruit to it in order to make it drinkable is not a good beer. Please Corona is the Keystone Light of Mexican beer. Why do you think they pawn it off on us Americans? Nope, this weekÂ’s beer is Dirty Bastard Scotch Style Ale by Founders Brewery.

This beer came in a squat 12 ounce bottle The label had a plaid background with a white line drawing of a pissed off Highlander and the name of the beer on it. The neck label says, “Auch! Yeh’ve nary had such a bonnie taste of heav’n since pullin’ yer mouth off yer mammy’s teet. With more highland bitties, and flavours than yer grandmammy’s haggis, Dirty Bastard Ale ain’t fer the wee lads. And if it’s too strong fer yer silk-wearin’, poodle-walkin’ arse. Then it’s back to the lock with you, Nessy!” (That is EXACTLY how it is on the label. I think we may have found the official beer of Miasmatic Review.

When poured in the glass there is a nice thick tan head that very slowly dissipates. It leaves a nice lacing on the glass, and by the time you finish, there is still about an eighth inch head. The color is of a dark brown with ruby tints. ItÂ’s a clear beer, with no floating bits, but is thick enough that light has difficulty passing through.

The scent is a mix of sweet fruits and toasted malts. There is a toffee undertone, but a definite hint of Scotch that wafts to the nose. The scent is very pleasing. The taste is a glorious combination of beer and Scotch. There is a scotch like smoked peat flavor. You can almost taste a good oak charcoal to it. With a chocolate accent and touch of good roasted malts it brings a wonderful finish to the beer. The aftertaste is slightly bitter, but fades quickly.

Dirty Bastard Ale is a full-bodied beer. There is a nice creaminess to it. The carbonation is at a good level. ItÂ’s not biting on the tongue, but keeps the beer drinkable.

I thoroughly enjoyed this beer. Ktreva told me I should get it because she felt it fit my perfectly, Auch, back to the loch with you, Nessy! I found this to be a good combination beer. A mix of scotch and beer that is just too good to pass up. IÂ’m giving this beer a 7 out of 10.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:32 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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We have yet another example of how the Illinois Government is trying to control its citizens. Yesterday the Illinois House passed a statewide smoking ban. Folks, this is just another freedom taken away from us by the government.

First let me preface this by saying I donÂ’t smokeÂ… anymore. I quit on November 18th cold turkey and I havenÂ’t looked back. Yes I still have the urge to light one up, especially when IÂ’ve been drinking. But I just ignore it, and it goes away. So this ban really doesnÂ’t have that big of an effect on meÂ… or does it?

When I did smoke, and some businesses around here voluntarily went smokeless, I was upset. I liked those establishments, however I wasnÂ’t going to go to a bar or restaurant that I couldnÂ’t smoke in. Thus I stopped frequenting those establishments for other businesses that would allow me to smoke while I had a pint or two. (Okay twelve, whom am I kidding) Now I may have quit, but I have many of friends that do smoke. When we go out, they like to light up while we sit at the bar.

We canÂ’t smoke in the bars here? Well Wisconsin is only 30 minutes north of here, oh and they have a lower sales tax rateÂ… LETS GO THERE! So no, itÂ’s not going to have an affect on my smoking habits, just where I am going to go drinking on the weekends when I hang out with my friends that do. Trust me, smokers are a resilient group. My company banned smoking on the grounds last November. Even on the coldest days of the winter our employees that didnÂ’t want to quit smoking could be seen standing out in the street braving the wind and the cold just to light up. Do you really think by banning smoking is going to stop them?

Now someone will tell me that they arenÂ’t doing this to stop people from smoking, just protect non-smokers from second hand smoke. I say bullshite. First off, you are protecting no one. Anybody that claims that they donÂ’t know smoking is bad for them has either had a full lobotomy or is just plain dealing with a single digit IQ. Ever since I can remember they government and every medical professional I know has been harping on the fact that smoking is bad for you. Now, I know the arguments for whether or not second hand smoke is bad for you. Folks, IÂ’ll be honest I donÂ’t know which side to believe. Mainly because I have spent absolutely NO time looking into it or doing any of my own research. I just donÂ’t care, but for the sake of this argument I will acquiesce that it is harmful.

So if itÂ’s harmful, and people are aware that it is harmful, why do they just not avoid it? There are plenty of bars, restaurants and pubs that the OWNERS chose to be smoke free. Why not just go there? If you go to an establishment that you know allows smoking, then you are choosing to expose yourself to it. If you canÂ’t control your own actions, then maybe you should not leave your house with out proper supervision. If you take your kids to one of these places, itÂ’s your own damned fault for doing so. But NOOOOoooo, instead these whiney self-centered jerks went off and got the government to inconvenience everyone else just so THEY could go to places they wanted.

Personally, I think the whole smoking issue should be up the individual that smokes and the establishment owner. If a person wants to smoke, that is there right. If a proprietor wants to allow smoking at their place of business, that should be their decision. The government needs to keep to running the country and not our lives. They need to look after the war, the illegal immigrants and enforcing the laws that exist.

ItÂ’s time to start voting these jokers out of office.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:10 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Well that annual war of the lawn started tonight. For the first time this year I mowed my lawn. Yea, I know itÂ’s may already, but dammit! I hate mowing my lawn! I pressed Boopie into service this year. Since our grass was about a foot long, and IÂ’m not kidding, it was probably closer to 11 inches, but it was damn long, I couldnÂ’t use the bagging attachment. Well I guess I could have, but why when IÂ’d have to stop and empty it ever ten feet. Instead I converted it to the mulching mode and let Boopie rake up whatever I didnÂ’t mulch. That would be a lot if you really wanted to know.

I think it might be because itÂ’s early in the season, but there were no wild animals waiting in ambush in the grass. But I did discover a couple of things. Like there is some kind of animal that has burrowed into my front yard. IÂ’m not sure what it is yet, but itÂ’s not going to be around for long. Secondly, I found out that those plastic soft-air BBs from the guns I bought Boopie for Christmas hurt like the dickens when they fly out of a mower and hit you in the leg. I may have to re-think how I set up the shooting trap for that. Obviously they arenÂ’t all staying inside the one I have now.

Hopefully the rain holds off so I donÂ’t have to mow again next week.

Posted by: Contagion at 08:34 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 I cheated... I paid my cousin to cut the lawn. It won't be too long, and I'll cut it down to the ground for the summer.

Posted by: That 1 Guy at May 02, 2007 12:53 PM (amJz2)

2 Oh, don't worry, you WILL have to mow the lawn again next week!
That's not a suggestion

Posted by: ktreva at May 02, 2007 07:38 PM (T4WRc)

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Good lord am I beat. This weekend was a great weekend. It jump-started my re-enacting bug, which is good. Now IÂ’m looking forward to my next one.

Originally we were going to head out Thursday night, but with it being on the cold and rainy side and us not participating on kidÂ’s day, we decided to head out Friday. I have nothing against kidÂ’s day; I use to do it all the time. However, after my leaving Clan Chattan I changed my demonstration from Surly Scotsman talking about weapons to Surly Scotsman talking about Distilling. It had been decided a while back that my demonstrating distilling to kids might be taken the wrong way. The event coordinators didnÂ’t want some parent complaining that they were promoting alcohol use to children. With todayÂ’s litigation loving society, I completely agree. There were some rumors floating around that the committee wouldnÂ’t let me participate. I did get those straightened out that it was a mutual agreement.

We arrived a little on the early side Friday. Kids day wasnÂ’t quite over, so we had to wait in the parking lot before they would let us in to set up. Since a nice warm front was coming through, the skies cleared up and it actually got warmer as the afternoon passed into evening. This is when all my love of re-enacting came flooding back. The sights, smells and old friends really warmed my heart. It was great seeing people that I hadnÂ’t been able to visit with since October. Unfortunately, there were some friends that werenÂ’t there. Some that either couldnÂ’t make it or just didnÂ’t come, and in a couple of cases ones that didnÂ’t make it through the winter or arenÂ’t long for this world.

Saturday was a hot one. The temperatures climbed into the 80’s. I didn’t participate in the battle, mainly because I spent most of my time demonstrating distilling, but also because I really didn’t want to participate. As the years have passed my desire to go run around the battlefield burning black powder is waning. My desire to go shoot at a target is more along my lines. Speaking of shooting, one of the re-enactors there brought with this huge blunderbuss. I believe he said the barrel was 1 and 9/16 diameter at the breech. It will fit a golf ball comfortably. He let me fire the thing. When asked how much powder it takes to shoot it, he replied with, “300 and some” He had a 100 grain powder measure. He would fill it three times and pour it down the barrel. Then he would fill it about half way and put that in as well. Using a slice of bread he would pack it into place. Yea, it rocked!

It's not the length, it's the girth

I went to the ONW meeting on Saturday. There wasnÂ’t enough there for my second introduction, but thatÂ’s okay. It was another opportunity to meet more of the guys. It was during this that I learned more said news about some other re-enactors I know. It seems that this off-season has really taken its toll. The guys all gave me crap for not going to Bloody Lake next weekend. Unfortunately there are too many reasons that I canÂ’t go. I canÂ’t even day trip it and itÂ’s almost in my back yard.

After the public left we went over to Clan Chattan for Dinner. Grau was making I canÂ’t believe itÂ’s not Blam stew, and invited us to help eat it. We werenÂ’t about to pass that up. It was damn good. He made the ultra-dense version of it. It didnÂ’t take much for you to get you fill. And if you ate even a spoonful too much, you where in discomfort. After dinner Clone was acting up so we headed back to our camp. I figured weÂ’d just sit and stare at the fire while listening to the other camps from ours. We canÂ’t leave Clone in the camp unattended. Wes, who was camping next to us, came over and started playing his Bodhran, and my friend Smokepoles came over to join in the festivities. I turned to say something to Ktreva, and I noticed that most of Clan Chattan AND the RogerÂ’s Rangers had wandered into our camp. We ended up having a party right there!

All was going well until Grau decided to bust out the wheel of pickled food. The pickled turkey gizzards were good, the herring was wonderful, but he had some pickled eggs that spelled my doom. I love pickled eggs. So of course I grabbed one and popped the whole thing in my mouth. What none of us realized is that these had some extra-spicy kick to it. It took a whole couple of minutes before my stomach problems kicked into an overdrive. Our camp was close to a golf course, all I know is that I feel sorry for the golfers that found my surprises on the back nine the next day. Let me just say, I am NOT sticking my head in a port-a-john.

Sunday went well. I spent more time walking around and visiting people. The temperatures again soared into the 80Â’s. Which kind of sucked because I only brought my cold weather clothes with. So I was sweating my nuts off. I also finished off a nice sunburn on Sunday. My nose is blistered; my ears and lips are burnt. ItÂ’s painful when I blink. Before anyone says anything about sunscreenÂ… yea I know. But you have to understand. IÂ’m half Scottish, half Norwegian. Me in the sun is like putting a fork in the microwave. Even with SPF 109,238, which is a thick paste, I get a sunburn. Then I peel, and then I go back to pasty white.

Clan Chattan revived the Voyage of Maelduin after a three-year hiatus this weekend. It used to be their signature play they would put on. There are parts in the play where the actors have water thrown on them “unexpectedly”. My long lost blog daughter, Virtue (whom is not dead as previously thought), had this idea to get the audience in by throwing water. Unfortunately she informed my wife and Smokepoles about this nefarious plan. After she left our camp Ktreva and Smokepoles filled a bucket with water and ice from the bottom of our cooler. I didn’t get the shot of Smokepoles dousing Grau with ice water, but I did get a couple of shots of them being splashed.

Yes, that is a wall of water heading for Grau!

All in all it was a good weekend. IÂ’m geared up for my next event, Fort Koshkonong in Fort Atkinson, WI. IÂ’m hoping that some of the River Scum from down state make the trip again this year. ItÂ’s always good hanging with them and I havenÂ’t seen most of them since last October. Anyway, we all had fun, especially Clone. He keeps asking when we can go camping again.

The boy on his way to harass Smokepoles

Oh, and by the way. Even though it didn't rain on us while we were at the event. Right after we finished packing up and headed out, the skies opened up on us. So even though my canvas was technically down and in my vehicle, it still got wet. There is no cover on my truck.

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