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Jan. 25th, 2007 08:52 amEstimated amount of glucose used by an adult human brain each day, expressed in M&Ms: 250
-- from Harper's Index
-- from Harper's Index
Rain Rain Go Away!
Nov. 22nd, 2006 01:00 pmNothing much going on here. I thought I'd just come around and post a few things.
No offers on the house yet. That's a boo! I'm hopeful for next week though. *fingers crossed* This should be a link to the listing
Still house hunting here. And we'll start car shopping this weekend. That's exciting but yucky because I don't want another car payment. However Ronette is worried because we only have one car and Seattle doesn't have public transportation the same way that San Francisco does. Really, she's worried. I've driven her to work because I might need the car. It's raining cats and dogs. I'm not going anywhere if I don't have to go.
We've got turkey day plans with our friends John and Carl. Which is nice because I don't have to cook, but a little frightening because there is a good possibility of extremely zesty, I don't know who could eat it, cranberry sauce/relish concoction that tastes like ass. Bad cranberry sauce can ruin Thanksgiving. I'll look forward to the food adventure because knowing Carl he'll have at least two dishes that he "just had to try this year".
We're going to Florida at Christmas to see Ronette's side of the family. Thank goodness we're staying with her dad. Her mom is actually asking for Christmas lists this year. It's a good thing because this means not receiving anything that will go into a Goodwill bag as soon as we get home. The best part this year is that her sister is pregnant with baby #2 and her brother just eloped which means we're out of the spotlight.
UPS delivered the mysterious rifle to our friend Donald and he has gotten some time to research it's history.
What Donald knows so far - It is a true M.1888/90 Mannlicher, not an M.1888 or M.1888 converted to M.1888/90 standards. It was made in 1891 in what is now Steyr, Austria and proofed/accepted into the Austria-Hungarian Imperial Army in Vienna. There were about 350,000 M.1888 variants built, and most of them stayed in Austria-Hungarian service until 1917. Many, but not all, of the smaller countries that succeeded the Empire replaced it with more modern rifles. There are no other European marking visible, and no markings indicating that it was originally made for export. I have an as yet unproven suspicion that it could have come here via South America after WWI. There are no American import markings, so it came into the US before 1968. It has been taken apart and re-assembled at least twice, once by someone who knew what they were doing and had a lot of similar rifles (possibly a government arsenal, but whose government?) and once by someone who had only the one rifle and could not remember exactly how it went together.
So here is the probable life history:
1891 Manufactured
late 1890's Placed in reserve service or storage (replaced by M.1895)
c1914-5 Re-issued, probably reworked and inspected at arsenal
1917 Removed from service. Used as war reparations?
?? Belgian arsenal rework? Sold to South American country?
Left in a dusty European warehouse? Re-issued in desperation in 1945?
<1968 Brought into the US.
?? Disassembled and almost reassembled (some parts are put on backward)
200? Found by You.
2006 Sent to Me
The best part is that we can all be 12 and giggle hysterically whenever he says "Mannlicher". *giggles*
And that's about all I've got. I hope everyone has a great turkey day.
No offers on the house yet. That's a boo! I'm hopeful for next week though. *fingers crossed* This should be a link to the listing
Still house hunting here. And we'll start car shopping this weekend. That's exciting but yucky because I don't want another car payment. However Ronette is worried because we only have one car and Seattle doesn't have public transportation the same way that San Francisco does. Really, she's worried. I've driven her to work because I might need the car. It's raining cats and dogs. I'm not going anywhere if I don't have to go.
We've got turkey day plans with our friends John and Carl. Which is nice because I don't have to cook, but a little frightening because there is a good possibility of extremely zesty, I don't know who could eat it, cranberry sauce/relish concoction that tastes like ass. Bad cranberry sauce can ruin Thanksgiving. I'll look forward to the food adventure because knowing Carl he'll have at least two dishes that he "just had to try this year".
We're going to Florida at Christmas to see Ronette's side of the family. Thank goodness we're staying with her dad. Her mom is actually asking for Christmas lists this year. It's a good thing because this means not receiving anything that will go into a Goodwill bag as soon as we get home. The best part this year is that her sister is pregnant with baby #2 and her brother just eloped which means we're out of the spotlight.
UPS delivered the mysterious rifle to our friend Donald and he has gotten some time to research it's history.
What Donald knows so far - It is a true M.1888/90 Mannlicher, not an M.1888 or M.1888 converted to M.1888/90 standards. It was made in 1891 in what is now Steyr, Austria and proofed/accepted into the Austria-Hungarian Imperial Army in Vienna. There were about 350,000 M.1888 variants built, and most of them stayed in Austria-Hungarian service until 1917. Many, but not all, of the smaller countries that succeeded the Empire replaced it with more modern rifles. There are no other European marking visible, and no markings indicating that it was originally made for export. I have an as yet unproven suspicion that it could have come here via South America after WWI. There are no American import markings, so it came into the US before 1968. It has been taken apart and re-assembled at least twice, once by someone who knew what they were doing and had a lot of similar rifles (possibly a government arsenal, but whose government?) and once by someone who had only the one rifle and could not remember exactly how it went together.
So here is the probable life history:
1891 Manufactured
late 1890's Placed in reserve service or storage (replaced by M.1895)
c1914-5 Re-issued, probably reworked and inspected at arsenal
1917 Removed from service. Used as war reparations?
?? Belgian arsenal rework? Sold to South American country?
Left in a dusty European warehouse? Re-issued in desperation in 1945?
<1968 Brought into the US.
?? Disassembled and almost reassembled (some parts are put on backward)
200? Found by You.
2006 Sent to Me
The best part is that we can all be 12 and giggle hysterically whenever he says "Mannlicher". *giggles*
And that's about all I've got. I hope everyone has a great turkey day.
Celebrate Litha!
Jun. 21st, 2005 07:36 amBetter known as the Summer Solstice. Technically, the first offical day of summer, where the sun rises and sets at its most northern point. This will also be the longest day of the year. It also may be my second favorite day of the year.
Now for a little Pagan education.
Litha marks midsummer or the midpoint between Beltane and Lughnassadh. The Celtic celebration of this day is the Oak Festival.
Litha celebrates the height of the sun's power and the abundance of summer. Everything is alive and growing towards harvest. However, we must remember that what goes up, must come down.
In the past to celebrate this day, fires were lit for purification, protection and in the hope that the sun could be kept powerful for long enough to ensure a good harvest. People would leap over these fires in the belief that the crops would grow as high as they could jump. Drumming, dancing and singing were common, making this festival a noisy and social time. The full moon in June is known as the Mead or Honey Moon, and mead is a traditional drink for Litha, just as June is a popular time for weddings and hence honeymoons.
Litha is a time to consolidate your strengths and clear away negative thoughts and energies. It is a time to be joyful and full of life, while at the same time mindful of the waning of the light from now until Yule.
Everyone have a great Litha day!
Now for a little Pagan education.
Litha marks midsummer or the midpoint between Beltane and Lughnassadh. The Celtic celebration of this day is the Oak Festival.
Litha celebrates the height of the sun's power and the abundance of summer. Everything is alive and growing towards harvest. However, we must remember that what goes up, must come down.
In the past to celebrate this day, fires were lit for purification, protection and in the hope that the sun could be kept powerful for long enough to ensure a good harvest. People would leap over these fires in the belief that the crops would grow as high as they could jump. Drumming, dancing and singing were common, making this festival a noisy and social time. The full moon in June is known as the Mead or Honey Moon, and mead is a traditional drink for Litha, just as June is a popular time for weddings and hence honeymoons.
Litha is a time to consolidate your strengths and clear away negative thoughts and energies. It is a time to be joyful and full of life, while at the same time mindful of the waning of the light from now until Yule.
Everyone have a great Litha day!
