(no subject)

[camwyn]

Did not get any furniture work done last night, alas. I got home from work and found that my heat was not functioning, and since I keep the room with the unfinished furniture in it closed off to prevent cat intrusion, it's colder in there than the rest of the apartment. Fortunately heat rises, so it was only about 60 in the main apartment, but I still didn't want to deal with that while I was working. I spent the evening alternating between playing X-COM: Enemy Within, doing the dishes, and baking cookies, with periods of gratuitous Oops I Have Left The Oven Open Several Inches While It Is Running At 375 Degrees. Wasteful, I know, but it was 25 degrees F outside last night, and I felt it was better to ensure at least a little warmth in the apartment just in case. Made it through the night okay, as did the cats. The heat should be fixed today while I'm at work, according to the plumber the landlord called.

(For those of you going 'what does the guy who fix the pipes have to do with household heating', Massachusetts has rules about exactly who is licensed to touch natural gas pipelines. Plumbers up here are the people who do most of the work on that kind of thing.)

That being said, it wasn't too much colder in the apartment when I left the house this morning, and it's supposed to be around 47 degrees outside today, which means less heat loss even if the plumber runs late or something goes wrong. The insulated curtains on three out of four sides of the house probably help with that, too. (No curtains in the kitchen, just blinds.) We'll see how it goes. I have apples, so if there's still a problem tonight I'll make pie, and then load the blankets on again.

Oh, and on another note, at some point I need to contact the flight school in North Andover. Groupon had a half-off deal on an introductory helicopter lesson- half an hour of video and teacher instruction on the ground, 20-30 minutes in the air, and they send you home with a video of your flight time. I don't intend to pursue a pilot's license, particularly not for rotary-wing aircraft, but I wanted to know what the experience was like. Also bought a groupon for a rifle and pistol range somewhat west of Boston. I've shot before, but it's only been .22 rifles and a 12-gauge shotgun. This one includes the use of a couple of handguns, and I'm curious about what that experience is like as well. Yes, I know some of the people reading this are probably from countries where so much as wanting to pick up a gun and use it is tantamount to mental illness, but c'mon. I need to keep up my Reasons To Find Cam After The Apocalypse cred somehow.

(No, I am not a survivalist. I just have people spontaneously tell me of their own accord that they're coming to live with me when the apocalypse hits.)

Comments

[themightyspazz]

Those countries are barren wastelands where all fun is illegal, so fuck 'em.

Get yourself a chance with either a Bulgarian Makarov or a bare-bones 1911A1. You'll thank me later - your wrists might not. Fair warning.

[camwyn]

*goes to the page to check which weapons are actually included in the course*

"Students will have the opportunity to shoot a Ruger Mark III semi-automatic handgun (.22lr), Smith Model 617 revolver (.22lr), Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 semi-automatic rifle (.22lr), and an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle (7.62x39mm)."

Ah well. We'll see how it goes with what they've got.

[themightyspazz]

Yeah, most places start out people they don't know on rimfire guns, just in case. But hey, an AK! A part of me is thinking it'll just be a Western knockoff, but if you're lucky you might get a rifle with some history behind it.

A little surprised it isn't a semiauto AKM, though. The KMs are way more common than the 47s. (Then again, not many people could tell a 47 from a KM to begin with, and probably more don't even know what an AKM is. They might just be mislabeling it so people can brag to their friends and family about it. IIRC, the differences are all internal.)

[jothra]

It's not like this is going to lower that number of people.

[ymfaery]

..X-COM: Enemy Within was the most recent one? That's available on multiple platforms?

[camwyn]

Yep. Enemy Within is the expansion pack follow-up to Enemy Unknown, which came out last year or so. Consoles and PCs. Not sure about iOS.