Communist Bloc Party!!

Several members of Zombie Squad own Mosin-Nagant rifles. Most own them because they are cheap to purchase (around $100 a rifle) and cheap to shoot (about $0.20 a round). Someone suggested that we all get together and have a “Mosin Day” at a local rifle range. Several people were interested so planning commenced. One of the members said that while they didn’t own a Mosin, they did have an SKS which is also Russian and would that be acceptable. It was agreed that the event would be changed to a “Communist-Bloc Party” and that any Russian rifle was allowed to come along.

On Saturday, April 7th I made the drive to Wheeling IL and met up with a couple of friends and we car-pooled to show-up site. Once everyone got to the site we headed over to the Aurora Sportsman Club in Waterman, IL. There were two ZS people who were members at this club and played host to us. We got signed in and set up at one of the ranges.

I brought my 1943 Mosin-Nagant M91/30.



We got our targets placed, went over the range rules and started putting lead down range. It was really interesting to see all the variations people brought.



There were a couple of people who, in addition to “Russian” rifles, brought some other interesting guns. One of the guys brought a couple of AR-15’s he built. My previous experience with this rifle was not great because I kept getting hit in the face when I fired it. I said this to him and he picked one up, extended the stock, and handed to me. After some questions about the electronic gun sights or “optics" I loaded and fired. What a difference! It was easy and enjoyable shooting this gun after a simple “click and slide”. I also got to fire an AK-74.

After some free-for-all firing the group decided to have a shooting contest. Twenty Four “Clay Pigeons” were hung out in a line and six of us each took a shot. If we hit one we got to fire again otherwise it moved to the next shooter. The winner hit five while I only hit one. Hey, I’m a beginner, what did you expect?

After the contest, one of the members brought out a couple of special guns for us to check out. He brought a M1918 B.A.R. (Browning Automatic Rifle) and an Armalite AR-50 Which fires a round like this!



And I got to shoot them!! I apologize for the audio but it was windy that day.

The B.A.R.



The AR-50



When I fired the AR-50 I looked through the scope but didn’t see a mark on the Zombie head I was aiming for. However, as we went to clean up at the end of the day this is what I discovered.

Photo by Mystic_1


After we cleaned up we all headed to a local pub for burgers and conversation. It was a great day with some great people shooting some great guns.

The BAR next to the AK-74


Me with the AR-50
Photo by Firebreatha

A proper send off

To randomly overheard lyrics about “Tractor Pulls”
To a booth at Perkins
To Johnny V’s, Donnie Darko and Spaghetti with weird sauce
To dozing during Hellboy
To a Narcoleptic Insomniac
To Awesome Bumper Stickers
To Green Glass
To Horrible Screaming matches and uncontrollable Laughter
To available shoulders during dark times
To Mindless Self Indulgence and Henry Rollins
To “East Wash”
To the” 2 Live Crew”
To pastries from hot blondes for 3rd shifters
To little girls drinking cans of Pepsi with both hands going “doop di doop doop”
To “Alcatraz………”
To grilled pineapple and tartar sauce
To all the silliness and flouncing that created “Mamories” that will NEVER fade

Easy Roads and Honest Strangers

Another year

This is a post based on a response from my friend Shielah to a Facebook question I posed regarding Blog topics. Thanks for the suggestion!!

When I was in high school, I was bombarded with questions about what field I wanted to work in. Considering my GPA, I figured it would be any field where ditches needed to be dug. I did choose classes geared (pardon the pun) toward a career in auto mechanics. Upon graduation, which was almost as big a shock to me as it was my “counselors”, I took the placement tests at WCTC for the GM Auto Coop Program. They told me I would need to complete several other classes just to get into that program so I turned my back on college and entered the working class. I worked here and there, delivering furniture, driving school bus, working as a custodian when a friend said I should apply at the place where he worked. So I did.

Sixteen year ago today I clocked in to work at Dueco Inc. for the first time. I had no idea what would happen at this job or even how long I could hold on to it. I was hired to work in the “Overhaul and Transfer” Department where old equipment was removed from old trucks and installed on new ones in order to get more life out of the equipment. I worked in that department for a year and then moved into “Shipping and Receiving”. From Shipping I went to the Service Department where I have spent the bulk of my time.



In mid-2008 I moved into the office for my first “Desk Job” EVER. Through a series of events I ended up becoming a “Parts Sales” representative.




On April 16th I will begin my new position working with Inside Sales. This is new territory. I have spent my time at Dueco focused on used equipment, now I will be working with new equipment.

During my time at Dueco Inc, I have watched this company grow to a point where the building is probably a little too small to contain what goes on here. I’ve met some truly outstanding people. With them I’ve seen America’s First Black President and watched as the internet and cell phone revolutionize the way the world works. I watched with horror the devastation of The Columbine Tragedy and the events of 9/11 traumatize this country. I’ve discussed NASA landing on Mars and the success of animal cloning.

I have spent almost half my life coming to this building. I am curious to see what else I will witness as I continue in this career I never expected.

Sometimes you have to highlight the Brightness by walking through some darkness

Blissful, The Idiot sits and decays
Locked in his box
By some paper-made chains

Pair of dice
Paradise

Blathering line after line from some 70’s Sci-Fi
About hoakey religions
And Walkers of the Sky

Pair of dice
Paradise

The family tree has been poisoned by fallout in the stream
From the explosion of social media and
Internet memes

Pair of dice
Paradise

His gene pool is stagnant
A Puddle of despair
Stinking and slimy and covered with hair

Pair of dice
Paradise

Dumb-fucks and debutantes running
The planet
With brains filled with bullshit and
Souls made of granite

Pair of dice
Paradise

I say push the Red Button and
Wipe the slate clean
‘Cause I looked in the mirror and
The Idiot was me

Homework!?

I recently posted regarding a haunted apartment I used to live in. This post was requested by a good friend of mine named Jerry. I enjoyed the experience of a writing assignment a great deal so I posted a status update on Facebook requesting suggestions from my friends on stories or topics they would be interested in reading.

I got several responses. There were some suggestions that meant as jokes but I did get quite a few that I will be pursuing in one direction or another. I will acknowledge the person who put forth the idea in those posts like I did here with Jerry. I am excited to get working on these so I can get them out to you. If you have further suggestion please feel free to leave them as comments on this post below.