2015 Day by Day fundraiser (NSFW)

Click here to go to this year's fundraiser.

Let's keep Chris Muir's wonderful comic strip going, guys!

And now for a lighter change of pace...

To help alleviate the bad news going around, such as the Charleston church shootings, I came across this funky music vid put on by the fine first responders from Rock County, WI.  Check it out!

This is F'in Awesome!!

Just saw on the GoFundMe site for Anya's family that they are WAY over their goal of $2,000 and as of now it's at $5,027!!

Words can't even begin to describe the awesome...

Another trip down Laughlin way

Am using a comp day from work today to enjoy a 4-day weekend, with 2 of those days being down in Laughlin at the Colorado Belle Hotel & Casino to relax and for a change of pace.  I am also doing some work at the property and making preparations to get my radio shack up and going once power is brought in.

So I'll update when I can and try to include some pics as well.

A little help goes a long way

I was surprised this morning by a message from Anya, the mother of the family that I had mentioned in a previous post thanking me for my contribution to her GoFundMe campaign to get moved.

Here is an excerpt:

Dear Mark, your help is greatly appreciated! $15 might not seem like a lot to many, but to us, it's the world! 
There is an old saying, that says, to save one life, is to save the world complete, the generosity that we have seen from complete strangers, has restored our faith in humanity. 
I gave a man a ride home the other day, when I was short on gas and couldn't really afford to go go the extra 15 miles, but ,I gave him a ride anyway because I was taught to help others, even if there is no gain. 
Some day, if you need help, I pray that we can do the same for you. Your gift is a blessing to us and our daughters! 

It was wonderful to hear from her and was glad I did my little part to play.  As of this morning, her campaign is at just under $600, so hopefully before the week is out the goal will be reached.

I consider this an example of the good side of the butterfly effect, where instead of a single butterfly's wings creating a maelstrom halfway around the world, it creates a nor'easter of good tidings.

So please go by and donate to help Anya and her family reach her goal.

Giving some help to those that need it

Just read on The Lonely Libertarian's blog about a family that needs some help with moving expenses, and kicked in what I could spare.  If you're interested in helping out, click on this link to donate.

Yes I am still here

My apologies to those who might have wondered if I was MIA.  Not to fear, I've just been busy with a wide variety of issues both related to work and personal.  Now that I have managed to drain the swamp and beat hell out of the alligators, it's now time to get back at it.

On the blogosphere lately, especially at Peter's page, there's been a lot of discussion regarding the latest Hugo award nominations, and the severe backlash that has been encountered.  While too lengthy to go into here, this posting does provide some details on what is happening as well as some background.  Not being a professional author like Peter is, I haven't delved into it too deeply, but I have read through it and you should as well, since it may well determine your ability to read whatever works of SF and/or fantasy free of the dictates that publishers might want to toss at you.

Over at Every Blade of Grass, drjim had just purchased an AR, and since he is currently a resident of the People's Republic of Kalifornia, can only use 10-round magazines.  He had solicited some advice on recommendations for where he can obtain additional ones, and I was able to point him to Midway USA's site where they had 10 round Magpul P-MAGS at a decent price.  He now has 5 of them on order, and if they suit his needs well, he'll order additional.  I was happy to be able to help him out on this, and hopefully he'll be able to escape the craziness and relocate to a state where no such silly restrictions exist.

At The Liberty Zone, Nicki has been describing, and I've been reading in amazement, her ongoing issues with some renters who are now essentially squatting in a home she owns, which is putting a severe crimp on her both financially and with possible blow-back to her professionally (negative financial issues can be very detrimental to those with security clearances).  Fortunately, her latest update reports that some of her friends have been able to raise some cash to help cover some expenses.  If I had been in a decent position last month money-wise, I would have done the same in a heartbeat.  I look forward to hearing more updates from her as her saga keeps winding its way on.

On a personal side, I am happy to report that my dad's mobile home is now been set up, with only some other details (namely electric and LPG) to be fixed up, not to mention more money.  With the recent slowdown in loads that he had, it got a little tight for a bit, but hopefully things will begin improving more this month.

I'll be back tomorrow with some more tidbits.  In the meantime, stay frosty, watch your six, and keep your powder dry. :-)