Busy day.

Had to go over to Temple today to run a few errands... Get my laundry to the cleaners to be pressed and see if I could get in to see my eye doctor. It's been a few years since I had them checked (not good - type 2 diabetes) and I wanted to get dad's old Air Force sunglasses fixed with my prescription so I can wear them.

As I was driving over I called mom to see what she was up to and she reminded me that today was dad's birthday. I'd totally forgotten. He would'a been 86 years old. We made plans to eat after I got my stuff done. I floated an idea that we could go to Green's and have burgers, but then she said she had the fixin's to put together some chicken enchiladas, "if I had the time". Boy, did I! It was turnin' out to be my lucky day.

I walked into the hospital at about 2:45 and got an appointment for 3:30 with the eye doctor, just like that. How can ya beat it? They checked me out and there's not much of a change in my eyes, and no sign of cataracts or issues from the diabetes. All good news. The new lenses for the glasses and shades will take about a week, so I should have them in time for the road trip.

I headed over to mom's, eyes dilated, old shades offering some relief, and sat down to feast on the good vittles. She topped it off with some good Jell-o, with fruit mixed in. Great stuff. As we both cleaned up the kitchen, rinsing off the plates and putting the leftovers away, mom started to tell me about how, just about every day, she'll lean back from her chair to tell dad about something she's just seen on the TV, only to catch herself. Or she'll wake up from a nap and for a second she'll think that she needs to get up and get his dinner on, and then she'll remember. Hearing that breaks my heart, but there's nothing I can do about it. Some things in life you just can't do anything about.

So I drove back over here to Killeen, eyes still dilated and now ballin' on and off like a fool. It's a wonder I made it back over here alive. I met Denise over at the college athletic facility and we spent some time together swimming in the pool.

As soon as I jumped in the deep end and was workin' my way under that cool water my sorrows were washed away. I love swimming. Now that I sit here, typing this out, about to give a test, the feelings are coming back. But there's nothing I can do about anything. It's just life. Maybe in time it'll get easier? I'm told it will, but I doubt it.

Well, it's test time. I wonder if I'll feel any better if I take it out on these folks? Naaaaaaaa.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Hump day again.

I'll give my first final exam of the semester today at 11:30. The rest will be Thursday and Monday. It's a busy time, with me having to grade all the papers and exams and get everything done so that the students can see their averages. I try to get it done pretty quick, so that I get it over with and post the grades on the computer. I've got an online class starting in late October, and I need to get the class web site updated by next week. Never much of a chore, but a tedious amount of time spent on the computer when I'd rather be reading blogs. Never seem to have the time to do that much these days. I've had to let a few of you slide, and I apologise for that. But hell, as soon as I get caught up, some of you have posted a dozen more things, and I'm back where I started.

Denise is flying to Kentucky to visit her kids and grand kids, and go to a friends graduation. I'll take her out to eat Chinese food at The Great Wall, and then I'll take her to the local airport so she can meet her flight. I'll be batchin' it then till she returns late Sunday night. Maybe I'll be able to get a few things done around the house. There'll be a gun show in Belton this weekend, and I'm thinkin' about a trip to Dallas on Saturday to visit a buddy and maybe see a movie. Damn, there went the idea of getting shit done. Never fails.

I'll play pool again tonight, and this time I'll see about getting a little practice in before my match. Need to end this loosing streak. My buddies tell me it's no big deal, and that they think as soon as I get used to playing again' the angles will come back to me. Need to practice, but when the hell do I have time for that? I'll have a two week break between this semester and the next, so I'll have to spend some time in a pool hall and sharpen my eye. Hell, everyone gets beat. I'm just out of practice. Makes me wish I had a pool table in the house, but every one of those I've ever seen was covered with crap, and not used for playin' pool. I've already got an expensive stair machine I never use. That's enough.

So, didn't we all love to hear ol' Amabigajackoff get his ass reamed at Columbia this week? What a silly tool! Question is, where's that sort of passion on the left when it comes to getting congress to back the fuck off and letting the soldiers do what they need to do to get the job done defeating just that same sort of asshole in Iraq?

Been surfin' the Sturmgewehr site this week between classes (and some times while I lecture - slows me down), and found an exciting little toy for sale.

That's a semi-auto Finnish Valmet assault rifle. These things were the ultimate version of the Kalashnikov, till the Israelis copied it and came out with the Galil in the late 1970s. This one shoots 7.62x39, but they also come in .223. He wants $2400 for it. Good luck dude. I'd love to have it, but not now. My M-1 Garand is on the way, and my gunsmith is putting the finishing touches on my AKS-74. And anyway, that's WAY to friggin' much money to spend on something that doesn't swallow.

If any of you are in the mood to get a really nice AK, this one is about the best one on the market today.

It's a Bulgarian SLR-106FR, which is a copy of the current Russian and Bulgarian service rifle (AK-74M), only it shoots .223. It has all the features of a current service rifle, like the current side folding stock, only it's semi-auto and shoots the NATO round. They usually want around $800 for it at gun shows. This one is up on the Sturmgewehr site for $850. Thing is, I had a dude build me one of these from parts a few years back, thinkin' that I'd never get to see a factory made model on the market. Cost me an arm and a leg, but it shoots nice. Has a heavier barrel than this one. Anyway, go for it if the mood hits ya. They're pretty cool to have. Shit, they'll probably be illegal some day, so get it while you can.

Well, I'm off. Cheers.