Lunch Hour Range Visit

Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Nov 9th, 2023
Category: Blog Entries.Local

It's that time of the year when the daytime temperatures can vary by 25° or more from one day to the next. I took advantage of one of the higher end of the spectrum on a recent afternoon to scoot over to the range for some brief trigger time. I only took 100 rounds of ammo with me, a choice I quickly regretted.

During some recent home purging activities, a full box of cardboard USPSA targets was discovered in the basement. I've been out of the IDPA version for some time so this was a fortuitous find. Grabbing one of my metal target bases completed the target supply needs. Using the stand-alone target setup turned out to be a good choice as the breeze at the range would have played havoc with the usual target hung from a rope.

As switch from the usual routine, I skipped the OWB range holster and stuck with my IWB holster for the SIG P320 Compact. Current events illustrate that these are good times to stay fresh on the EDC weapons.

I spent most of the time simply drawing from under a t-shirt and shooting the target set at 15 yards. Shooting various head/body combinations ate through the 100 rounds pretty quickly. Nonetheless, it was an extremely relaxing time amongst the fall colors in the trees. Not a bad way to spend a "lunch hour."

Cheers!

Your phone probably is the problem

Author: Chris ODonnell From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Nov 8th, 2023
Category: Blog Entries.Local

We've all heard the stats about how we spend 4 hours or whatever starting at our phones everyday.

Adam did the math, and that is 68 full days a year staring at your phone.

68 Days!

What did you do with that time before iPhones?

Maybe you should start doing that again. Also, read Adams article. All those things you're too busy for, all the books you don't read, art you don't create, the novel that never gets written, all of it, is probably being absorbed doom scrolling on social media.

BTW, this is a new blog post 4 days in a row. I probably haven't done that since my 31 posts in 31 days stunt back in 2018.

Another Cool Evening Smoke

Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Nov 7th, 2023
Category: Blog Entries.Local

After a long week of activities that did not include a chance to relax with a cigar, I was looking forward to the start of the weekend. I'd been eyeing the CAO Flathead V660 cigars resting in my humidor for a couple months, waiting for the opportunity to enjoy one. The large stick offers nearly a two hour smoke, and though I wasn't sure I'd want to be outside that long, I opted to light one anyway.

I selected the Michter's Small Batch US*1 Bourbon to go along with the smoke. The Michter's is a 91.4 proof bourbon that provides plenty of flavor return for the lower proof and reasonable price point. There's a pleasing aroma of raisons, cherries, and vanilla. The taste has dark fruit, vanilla, oak, and pepper. The finish is short with some lingering spice.

As the name suggests, the Flathead V660 is a 6 x 60 box-pressed stick with an extremely flattened cap at the end. I always use a punch to cut the cap when smoking the Flathead. The large size and flattened shape gives an awkward feel in the hand. A Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper covers an Ecuadorian Connecticut binder and Nicaraguan fillers. The smoke has a rich, semi-sweet chocolate and espresso flavor profile. As I find with many large ring gauge cigars, the draw is wide open, even when using a small punch. This limits smoke production somewhat, but the stick maintained an even burn.

The portable propane heater took the edge off the cool temperature, and I did enjoy the entire two hour smoke. The Michter's and the Flathead providing an enjoyable pairing to wind down the week.

The evenings are cool and the dark comes early but the whiskey is "warm" and the smoke refreshing, so it's still a win.

Cheers!

My default apps

Author: Chris ODonnell From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Nov 7th, 2023
Category: Blog Entries.Local

Remember when memes like this spread on blogs? This is how the cool kids did it back in the day. Anybody still blogging regularly is a possible cool kid, if they aren't an asshole.

The emojis were not working for me so I deleted them all.

Mail Service: Polaris mail
Mail Client: Group Office (open source)
Notes: Text files synced with Dropbox
To-Do: Open task
Calendar: Group Office
Contacts: Group Office
RSS Service: n/a
RSS Client: Feedbro (Firefox add-on)
Launcher: whatever the Gnome 3 default is
Cloud storage: Dropbox
Photo library: Dropbox
Web Browser: Firefox
Chat: Text messaging
Bookmarks: Firefox and Pinboard
Reading: Paper books
Word Processing: Libre Office
Spreadsheets: Libre Office
Presentations: Libre Office
Shopping Lists: Spreadsheet
Personal Finance: Homebanc
Music: Audacious with my personal collection
Podcasts: Antenna Pod
Password Management: Bitwarden
Social Media: Mastodon
Weather: NOAA Weather
Search: DuckDuckGo
Code Editor: text editor

Halloween Chocolates

Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Nov 6th, 2023
Category: Blog Entries.Local

The evenings when we walked the neighborhood with our son and friends on Halloween are but memories now. I admit I don't always look forward to jumping up and down to answer the door repeatedly, but most years we participate, remembering the thrill it was for the boy. As a celebration-relevant treat, I poured myself some Maker's Mark Hint O' Chocolate II to enjoy with, of course, the occasional candy bar.

The Hint O' Chocolate is a Virginia ABC pick from 2022. The Private Selection is part of the Maker'sWood Finishing Series that was selected by, or for, VA ABC. Bottled at 107.9 proof, there are fruit and oak aromas to start. Those notes continue to the taste, with the addition of sweet cream to the mix. The "chocolate" comes in late. It's a soft mild chocolate tone that fades pretty quickly. I admit when I first tasted it upon purchase, I was not overly impressed. However, perhaps with better timing, I found it a quite enjoyable sip, if a mild one.

Unfortunately, I'll have plenty of candy to pair with this and other bourbons for a while. We had NO trick or treaters come to the door this year. We live on a cul-de-sac with just a few homes and the kids these days only seem go to the houses on the main street, and only the ones that bring the candy to them at the end of the driveways. Their loss, my gain.

Cheers!

The Mysteries

Author: Chris ODonnell From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Nov 6th, 2023
Category: Blog Entries.Local

I was super excited about the new book from Bill Watterson and John Kascht. At 72 pages and 350 words you can read this book in 90 seconds. So read it 3 or 4 times.

I know a lot of Calvin & Hobbes fans are unhappy with the new work, but really, if you thought Watterson was going to do anything related to C&H, you don't really know the author like you think you do.

That said, I do think there is a direct line from Calvin to the story in The Mysteries. C&H was about maintaining your child like sense of wonder. Calvin doesn't age, but the benefit, even the necessity, of not growing up was essential to the comic. Just compare Calvin's constant sense of adventure with his parent's constant sense of resignation.

Now read The Mysteries again and contemplate the ending implied for the people in the book that think they have it all figured out.

Also think about who exactly Watterson is talking about in The Mysteries. Who are the kings people?

Watterson's genius is that he can say so much with 350 words.

I think it's time to revisit The Complete Calvin & Hobbes.

the mysteries book cover

On Subscriptions

Author: Chris ODonnell From https://odonnellweb.com/pelican/ • Nov 4th, 2023
Category: Blog Entries.Local

A couple of bloggers, Kev and Manu, are talking about how much they spend on recurring subscriptions, and that is something I've been meaning to check on for a while. Subscription fees, by design, tend to hit your account well past their usefulness.

Entertainment

Cup of Coffee newsletter - $5.83
All Trails - $3
Hulu/Disney/ESPN+ - $24.99
Peacock - $5.99
Netflix - $15.49
Fostodon - $5
YouTube Premium - $13.99
Pandora - $12.99
MLB audio - $2

Subtotal - $89.28

If you are wondering why I have both YouTube Premium (which includes YouTube Music) and Pandora, let's just say being married for 32 years teaches you which battles aren't worth fighting. Peacock I originally bought for the Premier League, but my team got relegated last season, so I haven't been watching much soccer. I need to check if anybody else is using Peacock regularly. Cup of Coffee is my absolute favorite online destination. It's a baseball Substack with a comments community that is straight out of a blog circa 2005. Clearly, I should pick one of Netflix and Hulu and alternate subscriptions every 3 months or something. Again though, that may fall into into the battle not worth fighting category.

Birds

Cornell Lab of Ornithology - $5
National Audubon Society - $5

Birding is a major hobby for us for supporting the two primary conservation organizations is important.

Subtotal - $10

News

Guardian - $2
Virginia Mercury - $10
Techdirt - $1.25
Good Morning RVA - $2

I think some of the issues on the US can be traced directly to the collapse of the newspaper industry. Local papers kept local politicians in line, and nobody is really doing that job these days.

Subtotal - $15.25

Internet

GoogleOne - $2.99
Dropbox - $9.99
Hosting - $1.50
Domain - $1

Subtotal - $15.50

Yes, I really am down to 1 domain name. I recently switched from Google One to Dropbox, but given that Google is cheap I'm keeping it as a backup of the backup. I can probably save $2.50 a month by using S3 directly, and it's on my list of thing to do.

Total - $130 (rounded)

I was budgeting $110 for subscriptions, and it's been at least a couple of years since I did this sort of audit, so that is not too bad. I'd like to get it under $100 though.

Five O’Clock Friday: Time Changes

Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Nov 3rd, 2023
Category: Blog Entries.Local

Thus begins the darkness. Don't forget to set your clocks back.

Time to add some extra lighting on the deck.

Cheers!

Redemption Rum Cask Rye and HVC 10th Anniversary

Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Nov 3rd, 2023
Category: Blog Entries.Local

I called this a “second chance” pairing. Both the Redemption Rum Cask Finish (Batch 003) and the HVC 10th Anniversary cigar I had first tried a few months ago. They were both found disappointing during those initial trials.

Having enjoyed the standard Redemption Rye in the past, I picked up the Rum Cask Finish bottle on a whim this summer. It was a minimal investment, and I've been exploring various "finished" whiskeys of late. The aroma gives off basic rye notes of spice and sweet fruit and caramel. Even at a low 94 proof, I get some alcohol tingle in the nose. The flavor profile is rather uninspiring with initial alcohol sharpness, merging into cinnamon and a sweet mix of brown sugar and molasses. There's a "young" harshness marking the flavor profile. Only in the finish do I detect a note of the rum influence.

I had first smoked the HVC 10th Anniversary last July. At the time I noted repeated burn issues, both uneven burns and difficulty keeping at the burn actually going. I was hoping a few months in the humidor would help. The 6 1/2 x 50 Toro is a Nicaraguan puro with a Nicaragua Jalapa Corojo ‘99 wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and Nicaraguan Corojo ‘99, Corojo 2012, and Criollo ‘98 fillers.

Upon lighting I get a vanilla blend of earth, nuts, leather, and a bit of cedar. The smoke feels "heavy" and leaves some dryness behind. For a while the burn seems to go along fine. The stick is very light and loosely packed, with some very soft spots near the middle. Eventually the smoke production slows and I am forced to relight. Cleaning off the ash I notice an off-center hollow space in the roll. Relighting seems to take and the burn continues. Despite my initial relief through the first half, the situation stays the same for the rest of the smoke and I am frequently touching up the diminishing burn. That does nothing for the flavor, or my relaxation. I eventually gave up on the cigar with a couple inches left.

Well, these things happen I suppose. I knew going in the selections would both need to redeem themselves. While the flavors of neither were bad per se, they both left a lot to be desired. Perhaps if one or the other had proven exceptional, it would have boosted the other. I still have most of the bottle left, and a few of the cigars on hand. I'll probably give both yet another go at some point. Although not at the same time.

Cheers!

Afternoon Cappuccino and a Cigar

Author: David From http://www.musingsoverabarrel.com/ • Nov 1st, 2023
Category: Blog Entries.Local

Sometimes you just need a diversion from gazing at spreadsheets and answering email. On a warm afternoon that could mean heading outside for a coffee and cigar. In the mood for something sweet and and a little decadent, I made a quick cappuccino.

The accompanying smoke was a Southern Draw Rose of Sharon Desert Rose Londsdale. This limited edition of the Desert Rose is a 6 x 44 lonsdale that features an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, a Nicaraguan habano leaf binder, and filler consisting of Honduran Corojo 99 and Dominican Ciloto Cubano tobaccos. The wrapper is said to be a bolder version of Ecuadorian Connecticut used in the original Rose of Sharon. I enjoy Southern Draw cigars frequently, but have actually not had the Rose of Sharon so I will accept that untested. What I do know, is this cigar is more robust than I typically expect from Connecticut wrapper, and that's a good thing. The cigar kicked off with a peppery spice, before the addition of creamy bread and earth. Start to finish I found it a flavorful companion to the creamy espresso drink.

It wasn't too long before my "diversion" was interrupted by an urgent request for some data from my the salt mine. Thankful for wifi, I was able to continue the afternoon smoke while working on my laptop.