Sunday, March 21, 2010

Looking Back At My Sunday.....

.....made biscuits, bacon, con huevos for the girl, the surfer kid and myself.....later, spent a bit too long enhancing my tinnitus, but the aforementioned surfer dude, benefited from a real world experience. One that will likely make him re-evaluate the thrill of some of his video games. For his first time, an hour or better on the firing line with a real Glock Model 19, and sandwiched between soccer moms, would be Rambos packing Mossberg cannons, a few suburbanites killing a chilly afternoon, and a couple of guys you just know will turn up on the evening news, was a bit of a sobering experience for my boy. Good news, is that handled the weapon with the safety and respect that he was taught to. Better news yet, for a dad, was that in departing the range, when queried about the experience, he said it wasn't as cool as he expected it would be. While his paintball and airsoft experience translated into a rather impressive display of accuracy and discipline with the 9mm, I think the reality of what firearms really sound like, and just what they are capable of doing or causing, finally won out over the sound from computer or TV speakers, and only having to use lightning fast fingers on a keyboard or X-Box controller. For all of the preaching I've done, nothing could have been more eye opening for my son, than seeing and feeling what he did today.

After all of that, Mr. pacifist pilot, found out that he could still put a pretty tight group around the noggin of a paper "bad guy". Hope I never have to do that. As I told the two of them, while it's handy to know how to handle a gun, don't look to this old boy to put backstrap on the menu.......I am much more content sacrificing by gigging, and gathering a mess of flounder, or tricking a slew of whiting, or specks into jumping from the surf into my skillet(and they are a helluva a lot easier to field dress and get to the dinner table than a 140 lb furry four legger that I had to at first look in the eye, then blast with a cannon. Please don't misunderstand me, I won't turn down venison steaks or sausage. Just don't look to me to bring them home........

Wrapped up the evening with my headphones and hanky, on YouTube, being mesmerized by Jim Dandy and Black Oak Arkansas, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Annie's Band(Heart), and the Guess Who.......oh, and visiting Edith Ann, The Loon, Sugar Magnolia, The Truth Ferret, and Fred Reed and Timothy McSweeney's motley stable of writers.......

3 comments:

Truth Ferret said...

Sounds like an eventful weekend. I'm glad that you went to the firing range and took your son. I know that when my husband took our daughter (she was in high school) I didn't know what her reaction would be. This is a girl that HATED fireworks display because of the noise, so I expected an early return. Instead, when they did come home, she had the biggest grin on her face. "Look at the targets!" Amazingly, her target revealed that she had a natural talent for accuracy with a handgun.

Fast forward, now that she's a "grownup" she is saving money to be able to go to the Academy and become a detective. Mom and Dad don't say much, but you understand our fears, mixed with pride.

I appreciate that you read my blog and when you comment, I relish your opinions. You don't have to agree to leave your words, you know.

Have a great, smooth day, Pilot.

BTW, it's great to see you back on The Advocate, too.

Warmly, Ferret

Anonymous said...

We got hooked on Laser Tag decades ago in California. At least the hits didn't hurt like the paintball. Man, talk about sting. Never got the thrill of it, but always enjoyed the spongeball guns. Still go a round or two with the grandson:) My personal favorite is the machine gun. r

amybradley said...

Very good that you brought up the scary video game stuff. I play a game every now and again so I see the addiction to it. Still, younger kids seem like they are so much more into it than ever before maybe I'm not around enough kids to just overlook it. It seems scary to me still every time.