The weekend.

It looks like we're in for another good time this weekend, but before I tell you about that, let me tell you about what happened in one of my classes last night.

I started a new semester Monday with four History classes and one Government class on base. Two are daily classes, from 11:30 to 1:30 every day. Two are Monday/Wednesday night, from 4:45 to 10PM, and one is Tuesday/Thursday nights from 7:30 to 10PM. last nights 7:30 class got loud for a short time when one of my students said something that set a few folks off.

This guy is an older soldier, originally from Massachusetts. His accent is thick and fun to listen to. He likes to chime in regularly as I lecture, usually bringing up some vaguely relevant information he's seen on the History Channel, or somewhere else. It's an occupational hazard... Students who hear something familiar in my lecture, who've seen something on TV and want to put their two cents worth in. I'm usually cool about it. Lots of time I've seen the show too and it helps me to explain what I'm talkin' about, but this guy does it a bit too much.

Anyway, last night I was talkin' about the Age of Exploration and the first confrontations between the Spanish and the Aztecs in the early 1500s. I described it, in technological terms, as a case where the late Stone Age was confronted by the late Middle Ages. This guy chimes in, saying something like "Well, that's like the thing between Northerners and Southerners. Northerners being more sophisticated, quicker with better technology."

I just stood there for a second, looking to see if he was serious. In seconds people in the class were laughing but one guy in the back came very close to standing up and askin' him to go outside. I wanted to say something like "Mother fucker, get the hell out of my class!", but I held it together and made a joke out of it. Thought later I should have said somethin' like "Hey, you know why Yankees are like hemorrhoids? If they come down and go back up it's cool, but if they come down and stay down there'll be a HUGE pain in your ass!"

Now, no offence intended guys, but DAMN! What a typical load if arrogant Yankee bullshit!

Anyway, we're lookin' forward to a good time this Saturday. Denise and I are gonna drive up to Dallas early, check in to the Hyatt and then head to the big gun show at Market Hall. My gunsmith emailed me while I was off in Canada fishing to tell me he'd finally finished my new AKS-74 and he was ready for me too pick it up. He does good work, so I'm lookin' forward to getting it.

I gave him the parts set for the build about a year ago and I've been waiting patiently since then. In the last year he's moved his shop from Burleston, South of Ft. Worth, to somewhere in East Texas, so I knew there'd be a delay. He specializes in building FN FALs, but has built me about five nice Kalashnikovs in the past and I've always been very happy with his work.

After the Gun Show we'll be heading over to a good friends apartment nearby and attending a party. We'll be meeting up with a sweet lady who's been a great friend, sister and confidant of mine in the last year. I can't wait. There'll be other bloggers there too, so it should be fun.

We'll head back down here Sunday and try to get some more yard work done. It's pilin' up again, as it always seems to do. You guys try to relax, stay cool and have a good time, and we'll get together again on the other side. Cheers.