Well Damn.

Damn. I never suspected.........

OK. The lights will be left on. The reference material will remain available. I did not realize that some of it was so difficult to find, or that people wanted it so much.

When I left for work this morning, I noticed that I had about fifty comments to my last post. I figured I would answer each one once I got home. I came home to find them pouring in faster than I can read and publish them. At work I received two telephone calls, something that I usually cannot allow. I returned the calls in between cases and was amazed at who I had touched. All I could say when I hung up was "Damn. Well, Damn."

Friends, thank you for the outpouring of support and goodwill. The blog will remain available, and I will likely return to it to update things after a few days or weeks. I need to get away, I need to to put down the keyboard. I need to pick up my guns and go shoot. I need to pick up my camera and go shoot. I need to take my daughter out for ice cream. I need to run Ilsa along the river. I need to go to Gunsite. I need to get away.

I remember my favorite blogger, Rob Smith. When he died and I thought his blog would dissolve it hit me hard. I visited his place this afternoon, and I read in his side bar...... "If my blog does not meet your standards, then LOWER YOUR STANDARDS. Who the hell do you think you are, anyway?" Rob was right. I chuckled at his Axis of Asshole insignia and I re-read some of his words.

I read some of Syd's work. I still long for an update on Syd's posts. If anyone was my Blog-daddy, it was Syd. Exploring his thoughts and trying to reach his level of competence inspired me to better myself. I never considered that my attempts had the same effect on others. The idea just doesn't seem realistic. I am not worthy of that.

Over the past few months I thought I had some great material for blogging, but the muse just danced a dance I could not follow. I will, perhaps, write about some of my past experiences, some of my recollections. I may or may not be accurate. Hell, is our memory of distant events ever not colored by more recent experiences? I don't know where this blog will go, or how often it will be updated, but I will keep it public for you.

I apologize if anyone went berserk trying to save information, that was not my intent. I had intended to keep it up for a week or so, and then let it go. I did not want to sound histrionic, as though I would toss the baby out with the bathwater, but I suppose I came off that way. I apologize for that.

I cannot promise that I will ignore stupid comments. I may publish them anyway. I may have inadvertly published an email or two in the comments of yesterday's blog. I will go through them, find the emails and try to delete the email addys without deleting the comment. Not certain how, but I will try.

Thank you for the support and goodwill. All of you. Even the ones who think this is an overtly political blog. Even those who disagree but said thanks anyway. Yep, the lights will stay on. They just might not have an addition for a while.

I went by Neil's pawn shop yesterday. The S&W Model 10 was still there. Still $299. I'm still holding.

The End

I'm sorry guys, but I will soon be turning off this blog. I am tired of arguing with a bunch of know-it-alls and chuckle-heads. I am tired of getting emails from people who object to what I write about criminals and people who have handled firearms irresponsibly. This is a blog, not a forum. I have tried, however, to answer even the most thick headed missives with respect and decorum. Frankly, I often wanted to simply say "Who the Hell do you think you are? Write your own damned blog. I am not here to serve you."

I began this blog out of anger at the New Orleans/Katrina firearms confiscations. I continued it because I felt I had a few things to say that would help others. I hung on past that point because people told me they enjoyed my writing.

I will not disolve my blog into nether space, but it will be made into a private reference and diary for myself in the very near future. If there is information here you would like, copy it quickly.

It's been a good run, thank you for your readership and friendship.

First, I would like to thank my readers who have emailed me well wishes while I was at a rather abrupt hiatus in my blog. I also want to apologize to the folks who continued to check in each day or two to see if there was anything new posted on my blog. I genuinely appreciate your readership.

I would say that I was spirited away by extraterrestrials, or traveled to distant and dangerous lands with a super secret squid platoon, or perhaps, that I had been in the witness protection program. The truth is much more pedestrian. I woke up one morning with a double dose of writer's block and a side order of other responsibilities. Sometimes, for whatever reason, we begin to feel like a repetitive, dissonant chord in a run away symphony of disagreeable music. When that happens, we can lose focus and turn to things that we feel are more productive.

As many of my readers know, I have rediscovered a long lost love for photography. It's not easy reacquiring old skills. I have been reading, studying, capturing light and sculpting with light. I am beginning to get a few images I am happy with.

There have been some readers who have exhorted me to get back to guns and shooting as a topic. It's true that this blog has been generally seen as a gun blog. Guns, shooting, and defensive survival skills are a part of my life. However, I feel that what I needed and wanted to say a few years ago has been said ad nauseum. There are a lot of great gun blogs on the internet. Folks that are better equipped than myself, both with a keyboard and a trigger, write blogs.

I've reached that place in defensive training and gun ownership that makes me comfortable, and barring some unpredictable event that produces a paradigm shift in my way of thinking, I am not likely to change. To me, it's basic. Train hard. Shoot a caliber sufficient to incapacitate while maintaining the accuracy necessary to stop a threat as quickly and efficiently as possible. Train hard. Train to shoot on the move, to recognize emerging threats so you have the response time needed, and take every advantage you can to preserve your life and the lives of those you love. I have found what I believe to be my solution to the problem of self defense. My solution might not be the best choice for everyone, but I believe it is the best for me. I've written about it, and until there is a change, I think I've said it as best I can.

I've never been one to discuss politics much, nor religion. I am not going to become an evangelical drone in opposition to the current political administration, no matter how distasteful I may find it to be. I have my beliefs, and they will not change. I figure the thing to do at the present time is as much damage control and containment as possible and vote the sons of bitches out of office in the next go-around. My blog is not likely to become a political blog.

I have rediscovered this love of photography though, and I have been teaching my daughter how to use her own digital SLR. At the end of the summer, I surprised her with her own Nikon DSLR, and she has been learning to see as a photographer. We have also planted the seeds of our own photography business, with her working as my assistant as I photograph actors and writers in the area. I continue to work as a nurse, but I am starting to consider an actual side-line business of photography. I have thought about studio space, the financial aspects of it all, and I may be drafting up a business plan soon. These are the things that have taken away the time I once devoted to writing.

Learning new things takes time and dedication. While my blog has been a journal of sorts, I recognize that the bulk of my readers do not come here for my thoughts on capturing light and composing form. So, while I am still regaining my footing in that area, I have kept my thoughts to myself for a while. For those truly interested, I apologize. I do want to say that I am OK, in good health, and that I have not been devoured by jackals or pancaked by a beer truck while riding my bicycle.

To catch up with the burning question I left hanging in my last post of more than five sentences........... The gun range at the Police Academy........ There was a demonstration of the Heckler & Koch MP5, and a SWAT officer's personal AR. I was amused at all the gadgetry on the AR. Perhaps in SWAT, lights and infared cameras have a practical application on an automatic carbine, but I almost started to think SWAT was an acronym for Special Weapons and Toys. During the SWAT demo in a previous class, I was not impressed with the tactics demonstrated. Of course, it might not take much in the way of tactics to take down the standard delusional Bubba that is well armed but off his medications. That's their job, and I figure they do it well enough. Who am I to criticize how they do it as long as they do not infringe on the rights of the law abiding?

The range class was four hours on a Saturday morning, and I got to fire a total of thirty rounds. Budget cuts, I guess....... Although I had 500 rounds of 45ACP and a range bag full of 1911's in my trunk, we were not allowed to bring our own weapons into the class. I had the choice of a .38 special S&W revolver with a four inch barrel, or a 9mm Glock. I chose the revolver, shot it double action. I smoked the rest of the class and performed as well as the best instructor did with his Glock. One of the instructors tried to match me with the revolver and failed. The instruction was competent, although an unfounded gender bias was verbalized several times. At 15 and 25 yards, I kept all my groups tight and I hit multiple targets as they were called out to me. Thirty rounds was used up quickly though.

After the class was over, I helped put away the target frames, and I noticed a couple of falling plate racks in the storage shed. I mentioned to the instructors that I had ample ammunition in a 45 caliber and several nice pistols to share if the instructors wanted to roll out the plates and continue to shoot a bit. Although the rest of the class had left, the instructors declined my offer. I won't speculate why.

But at any rate, I will be back to writing, but the subject matter will likely stray from guns rather frequently. This may have been viewed as a gun blog by many, but in truth, it is just a blog of my thoughts. It's getting late, and I am on call with a full schedule of cases in the AM. Thank you for your readership.

I have been very surprised at the level of interest in my photography. I have recieved several commissions and requests for head shots. I am devoting a good bit of my spare time to that area.

I am still riding and shooting.

Will blog when possible.

Cameras or Guns?

I enjoy learning. I like to share knowledge. I tend to make a record, whether on a yellow steno pad, in a journal, or on a weblog of the esoteric bits of information that pass between my ears so I can can purge my gray matter and attach a bit more information. I can't explain why, maybe it is just because my Momma taught me to share. The most valuable thing I will give away is what I know. I give it away freely.

The last time I checked, there was no cover charge on this blog. The last time I checked, there was a blogroll of links to gun sites and blogs, bicycle sites and blogs, nursing sites and blogs, and photography sites and blogs. Hell, I even threw in a few blogs that just make you think. I also have almost four years of archives now.

A few readers have written asking if I'm giving up the guns. No, I'm simply concentrating on photography, relearning it, at this time. Thus, a lot of my blog will be dedicated to camera shooting rather that Colt shooting. My guns are not for sale. Tomorrow, if my wife gives her blessing (yes, I still ask her, and I'm not ashamed of it) I will be heading to the range with Frieda again. If so, I plan to blog on it. Expect it to happen. I still ride the pawn shop circuit, but I often wonder if anyone wants to read a rehash of the same old stuff. I'm expecting my Clark Meltdown Commander back in June sometime.

I never was a one trick pony. My first degree was a BFA in fine art and art history. That's right. Oil painting, printmaking, and drawing. I chipped a bit of marble and struck a couple of arcs on steel sculpture as well. I can talk Modigliani or Da Vinci with a bespectacled art critic and never miss a beat. In fact, I do just that, at openings that I still attend for student and professional artists. I can hold my own talking the zen of motorscooters and VW busses and the life those who are attracted to them tend to live. I'm not a mechanic, but I can turn a wrench. I never was a Hell's Angel, but I did ride across the country on a stripped down Moto Guzzi Eldorado, and I lived a year and a half in a Volkswagen bus. I also rode a 100cc Honda with a milk crate bolted to the back in the Philippines. And speaking of that, whatever you do, don't get me talking about the Navy. I try not to blog about the military too much. The guys in the arena should be doing that, not me. They are current, I am recent history. A lot has changed since I was enlisted, but I'm sure a lot remains the same. Coups still stink, the chow still sucks, and the old salt's cruise will still be longer and tougher than the recruit will ever know.

I am now a landlocked sailor who likes to spin a yarn about the days he matured in Uncle Sugar's Yacht Club. I'm an Honorable Shellback who has stepped foot on four continents, a score of countries, dived the Great Barrier Reef, swam the Marianas Trench, ate lizards with aborigines, broke bread with American ambassadors, made contact with the resistance, and bled a bit for my country. The thing is, not many people give a damn, nor will they believe half of it.

I am an artist, a sailor, a shooter, and I've been called worse. I am a nurse now, and I work in a rather lively atmosphere of human suffering, accomplishment and failure. I occasionally write about a case or provide a thought or two concerning nursing, but I tend to avoid the subject on my blog. I figure there are plenty of nursing and medical blogs available, and the risk to the food on my table ain't worth it. Occasionally, after a tough case, a bit of nurse blogging slips out simply because I can't contain it. I keep saltwater fish and train dogs. I've blogged about both skills.

There's a lot I haven't done. There's a lot I would like to learn. I would love to possess the gift of music. If I could play piano or guitar, or even sing....... I appreciate music from gut bucket blues to opera. I can't stand rap. Unfortunately, my musical skills are limited to the radio and more recently, the iPod. I doubt I will ever play lead guitar in a rock and roll band. I would like to learn to fly. Getting my wings seems to be a lost goal now, but I hit the beach with some crazy Navy fliers, most who have matured into sensible retired Commanders. My wife prohibits me from building a house the way I would like. She says tires, Coke bottles and concrete are not suitable building supplies in America. If I ever end up with my 100 acres in the country, I will build a brick house for her.

Getting to the point, this blog was begun as a reaction to the gun confiscations in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. It morphed into a blog of general and then more specific knowledge concerning guns. Except for the confiscations, I have left most of the gun politics out of it. I'm not fluent in that, although I do have a basic understanding. For those readers who come for the guns, keep checking back, I will write about guns and shooting again. I doubt I will ever be as proficient as Caleb, as knowledgeable as Syd, as funny as Tam or as cute as Tracy, but I will do my best, and I will be me. I don't have the answers to the world's tribulations, or even the ammo shortage, but I knew exactly how we should handle the scum threatening our sailors off the coast of Somalia. I sincerely appreciate my readers. I was not expecting this blog to be little more than a lone howl in the wilderness of disbelief over the NOPD stealing the firearms of private citizens. I figured it would fizzle out after six months as my rage was spent. It didn't. I learned to write, was humbled into learning grammatically correct composition, developed a bit of a following and gained some new friends.

I do want to say one thing clearly and distinctly. To the singular key pecker who thought he could threaten me into writing about guns again......... I advise you to simply go to another blog to get your jollies. This is my blog, and I will write about what I damn well please, when I damn well please. Your attempt to intimidate me is ludicrous, and I find your punctuation amusing. I'm not going to get all nautical with you. You are beneath my contempt. If you want a piece of this old sailor, and I don't think you do, you can rest assured I will give away a bit of knowledge freely.

The Nurse is Sick

Draining nose, watery eyes, swollen oropharnyx, bad attitude.

Blogging will be light until I heal myself.

Here's a picture.

Xavier Thoughts Statistics 2008

Click the graph to enlarge. I guess it's easy to see which months I wrote a blog post that generated a lot of hits, or which months Tam linked to me......

Link Spam

It looks like I am getting a lot of link spam on my blog posts. Anyone know how to limit the spam without limiting legitimate links?

I'm Human!

Guess what? Blogger has recognized me as a human!

Finally, finally Blogger has recognized that I am not a robot and my blog is not a spam blog. They have turned off the random letter verification that I was forced to endure to post and maintain Xavier Thoughts.

This first began around September 23. It's about time!

Color Change

Regular readers will note that I have made a color change to the titles, the links and the hover colors. I'm trying to make the blog a bit easier on the eyes. I've thought about ditching the black background and going with black on white, or perhaps dark grey on light grey, but doing so would jack with the layout/images excessively. I'm open for suggestions, fire away........

Pop-up Ads

It seems something on my blog is now causing pop-up advertisements from Moxie Search, Premier Bank and a bunch of other internet parasites.

I apologize for this inconvience and am working on getting rid of the offender. If you can help me pinpoint the offensive bug, post it in the comments of this piece. If you are having no problems, post that as well.

Issue resolved. It was a trojan known as Virtumonde, in my own browser....

Spam Blog Still

On September 23, I first blogged that Blogger had word verification inititated for me to post. I was designated a spam blog. When, after two weeks had elapsed past my notification, the word verification still was not turned off, I notified them again. Today, I sent the third notification.

The failure of Blogger to respond appropriately only makes me believe my blog is politically incorrect in their eyes. So Blogger, is it my support of McCain/Palin, or my advocacy of gun rights that has you doing this? 'Fess up.

I'm a Spam Blog? Enough Already!

For three days now I have struggled to publish blog posts at Xavier Thoughts, because Blogger's robots have determined that my personally published blog may be an evil spam blog. Maybe it's because I posted some disagreeable things about Obama. Maybe it's because I write about guns. Maybe it's because some prick decided to "flag" me because he or she did not agree with my content. Blogger claims it is because of the number of links I have, and my posting frequency.

Three days ago, I sent a request for human verification. Today, I am still straddled with Blogger's silly warped multi-font random array of letters that I must type in a blank to publish a post. It has been three days. Here is what Blogger has to say on the matter:

"Blogger's spam-prevention robots have detected that your blog has characteristics of a spam blog. (What's a spam blog?) Since you're an actual person reading this, your blog is probably not a spam blog. Automated spam detection is inherently fuzzy, and we sincerely apologize for this false positive.

We received your unlock request on September 20, 2008. On behalf of the robots, we apologize for locking your non-spam blog. Please be patient while we take a look at your blog and verify that it is not spam.
Find out more about how Blogger is fighting spam blogs."

Three days..... I am still waiting. So, I ask my readers that I have responded to in the comments and in email to comment here. If this blog disappears into ethernet, it wasn't because I wanted it to. If there is something on my blog you value, I urge you to copy it to your hard drive.

Oh, and for the human who sooner or later will review this blog, it is not spam. It is an informative work by a real human being with a following of regular readers. You may not agree with the views expressed here, but this blog has not violated your policies. If it has, drop me a line and the violation will be removed. Know what? I'll answer you too, because I AM NOT A 'BOT!

Sitemeter is Gone

I have removed Sitemeter from this blog. Last evening, my IE browser suddenly refused to display my own blog. Mozilla was fine. I allow a minimum of web bugs, bots and other crap, while running some decent software to prevent my browser being overloaded with surplus crap.

On troubleshooting, I discovered that it was the Sitemeter webbot on my blog that was causing the problem. My browser is also refusing to display any website running Sitemeter, or the Sitemeter website. I'm not what certain whether the Sitemeter webot was manipulated by someone else, or if the folks at Sitemeter have done to manipulate what was once a passive and peaceful 'bot. Honestly, I don't care. I'm not having any predatory bots in my blog, and they aren't taking any bites out of my browser. It is a manually run check, with manually downloaded updates.

If Sitemeter should change their bot back to what it once was, I may re-install it. Then again, maybe not. I don't really look at it anymore anyway.

I'm presently running some spybot software on my computer to check things out. If you do not have an effective spybot eradicator, one of the best ones is free, and obtainable at Spybot Search & Destroy. It will take care of 'bots, trojans, malware, PUPS, keyloggers and dialers. Updates are free and provided in a more timely manner than any other program I've found.

If anyone has any further information, post it in the comments section. Comment to let me know you were here, OK?

Related Stories with Solutions

Sitemeter Bug Breaks Internet

Internet Explorer Cannot Open the Site Operation Aborted

Fix: IE7 with Sitemeter: Operation Aborted

Operation Aborted

Update Aug 8 2008: I got around to reinstalling Sitemeter. If any further problems occur, I'm dumping it.

Email.........

Several readers have requested a way to contact me outside of the blog's comments. I use my personal email for business and can not allow it to be spammed. So, I've set up a gmail account at treatmewithbenignneglect@gmail.com. We will see how that goes.

Why anyone would want to contact me is a mystery, I am not a gunsmith, I am not an attorney, I am not a marital counselor, and I am off the market for all those female types. Don't expect a quick response. I will do my best. I barely have the extra time available to blog, train dogs, ride bikes and blow away targets at the range after work. I can also be found on The High Road, and I can be contacted there by private messaging.

Nursing and Other Blogrolls

I've separated out and posted another hard wired blogroll for my nursing/medical type favorites.

The nursing and medical communities in many parts of the U.S. are politically anti-gun, and vocal. I encourage all rational, thinking gunnies to visit these nursing/medical type blogs and comment. Encourage the medibloggers to come to your own blogs through thoughtful commentary.

I encourage all rational, thinking nurses and physicians to visit these gunnie type blogs and comment. Encourage the gunbloggers to come to your own blogs through thoughtful commentary.

It is only through mutual respect and understanding that we will reach the truth of the human condition and the problems in society. It is only through reaching the truth that we can solve the ailment.

Blogroll

I'm sick of my blogroll not being functional. Rather than continue to fight it and wonder, I want a list of links to the blogs I read for easy use. Unfortunately, I have no guideline but my memory, as I can't access the blogrolling website either.

Thus, I am hardlinking my blogroll. To hell with the Blogrolling website and their program. If I inadvertantly left your blog off, send me a note.

Blogroll

I have no idea why my blog roll isn't showing up. Any ideas?

The War

I apologize that my blogging has been sketchy. I have been watching The War by Ken Burns on PBS each night. Blogging in greater frequency to follow soon.

Thoughts On Blogging

It's Sunday morning, and as I sip my coffee, I am perusing the blogosphere, catching up with blogger acquaintances and friends. I don't get to do that to often, and as I scan and read, I have a few thoughts........

I like to read blog articles that are short, sweet, and to the point. If I wanted to read a manifesto on a subject, I would buy the book, and curl up under a quilt in bed, not sit at a computer desk. I'm not reading for study, but rather for entertainment here. My wife, child and dogs frequently interrupt me at my desk with their own needs. The attention span I can give is by it's very nature......short.

I'm attracted by visual imagery. I like pictures, but I want to read a bit too. I want the content to be of substance, not simply narcissistic ramblings. I get enough of that at work. I want pages to load fast, not be filled with a bunch of personal ads and other nonsense.

I don't like to leave the blog I'm reading to go find more information. I appreciate links to more info, but I'm looking for information, not directions. I want to know what is going on. If I wanted to go to Drudge or MSN to get the gist of the story, I'd Google it up and go. A blog of nothing but posted links fails to hold my interest.

I like to know what I'm going to get when I go to a blog. I like the blog to have a theme such as guns or medicine, and pretty much stick to it. If it doesn't, labels or other categorizing links are much appreciated. I've been told that a blog is a public journal. I suppose that is true. I use mine to keep up with my life, my animals, my fish tanks, and to elaborate on thoughts and preserve what I have written about online. I consider my blog content to be approximately 70% guns/defense, 10% nursing, 10% family and pets and perhaps 10% other curious stuff that intrigues me. Oh, and 1% narcissistic rambling such as this.....