 |
You are viewing ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} macattack001's journalCreate a LiveJournal Account Learn more | Explore LJ: Life Entertainment Music Culture News & Politics Technology |
chipper pleasedWe had our couple’s Halloween paintball party at the Combat Zone on Saturday night. I have to admit to being a little nervous about all of it, not only because night games are fraught with potential for mishaps, but also due to the fact that our wives had very little to no previous experience playing paintball. The smart things that we did included, pump paintball markers for the guys while the ladies got semi-autos (and in Kim’s case an SP-8 <the Destructor>). The ladies had a significant advantage in firepower that way. Next the women had red glow sticks while the men had green glow sticks. The green sticks simply lit up (negating in large part our familiarity with the field layout) the night while the red were a lot harder to see. The ladies out numbered the men two to one. Those three things helped make the night a great deal more enjoyable for the ladies, as they weren’t simply being overwhelmed by the men and getting shot up. In fact that women won all of the games but one.
The end result was that all of the women said that they were willing to come out and play again. Kim (Steve’s wife) learned that we were planning a birthday game this weekend for Da Target (Jayson) and wanted to play as well. Susan (a.k.a. Rogue, my wife) said that she would play this weekend if we got some crucial stuff done around the house. I would have to call that night a tremendous success!
Today, it rained, really putting a stop to work that I was hoping to get done on the paintball field. I did manage to get out and work for a couple of hours that little effort did not really accomplish the meaningful goals I had set for today. Even more unfortunate was that after just two hours of using the limb cutters my elbow was aching horribly. Popped a couple Advils and the pain subsided an hour later but it illustrates for me that I am not 22 any more.
What does that mean for tomorrow? Well, I have to get all of the hewn limbs, vines, and brush cleared off of the trails. Hopefully Dave will be able to get out there early and together we can get that squared away. Also on the itinerary, put up more bunkers on the mid-field. Since we have opened up so much of that section without the bunkers it is going to be hard to play effectively without them. To facilitate this, I am thinking of going over to an equipment rental business and getting an auger to make digging of the post holes goes faster. It is amazing to me how much time I am spending on digging these holes by hand as I get a few inches down and start hitting rock after rock.
It should be stated loud and proud that Steve (a.k.a. Brave Alpha Delta) has not only been a huge help but the chainsaw, generator and Wagner power sprayer have been the right tools for the right jobs. So I doff my hat to you!
I had better get to bed! Tomorrow is going to be another long day.
I have noticed that you can’t go directly to my Special Ops Brigade page, only members are allowed to view it. This seems kind of weird to me, or at the very least counter productive to the whole concept of trying to promote the Brigade site and paintball. Actually I think that their site is having some issues since I don’t think that my last two play log entries earned me any points.
Went and worked on the field some more today. I am trying to get the chip board on the bunkers covered with paint before the cold and wet weather sets in. My conclusion from today’s efforts, one man with one paint brush just isn’t going to make it. So tomorrow morning I am going over to Steve’s (a.k.a. Bravo Alpha Delta) house to borrow his generator and Wagner power sprayer. Wednesday is crunch time, the rain and colder temperatures are going to be arriving Thursday and I have to get those bunkers done.
In addition to my foray into splattering paint with a brush I also cut away a lot more the overhanging limbs. It is useful to note that there is a species of trees in New York that has some of the nastiest thorns I have ever been unfortunate enough to encounter. They go through my leather work gloves like a hot knife through butter and then into me. In spite of those painful encounters progress is being made. The mid-field is really beginning to take shape and playing on the field I am seeing holes in the initial layout and working to improve it.
Once I get it the field more respectable I will take some pictures and post them here (and also on the Combat Zone’s website: http://www.thecombatzonepaintball.com/1.h
A couple of bright spots today, Steve (a.k.a. Bravo Alpha Delta) noticed that the 40 yard dumpster behind the Tractor Supply store is FULL of good wood (from pallets to structural pieces). I talked with the manager Molly and she said I was more than welcome to go dumpster diving. I am definitely going to have to check out other businesses and see if there is more wood that I can get hold of!
The other bit of good news? Dave informed me that the replacement parts for the SP-8 that I bought on Saturday are going to be in tomorrow. I am thinking that Susan will use the SP-8 on Saturday for the couples game that we are planning in the evening.
As long as I don’t slack off during the rest of the week, the field should really be looking good. In no small part to Steve (a.k.a. Bravo Alpha Delta) loaning me his chainsaw (a.k.a. The Hacker) which really makes short work of all that pesky branches.
Anyway, I have to go and get some sleep now. Have fun!
This last week I (Steve and Dave) have spent working on the Combat Zone field, getting it cleaned up and building new bunkers.
Yesterday I spent eleven hours working on the field and was able to drag my tired butt home. The last thought before drifting off to sleep, “We need to add more bunkers to the lower fort side of the mid-field.” First thought when I woke up, “Ouch, if I pop three aspirin I could get out to the field and clear some more stuff before people show up to play.”
The focus of the work is creating a bunker layout that allows for lateral movement as well as moving up or down the field. The new bunkers are primarily chevron shaped, using pallets with extra chip board strips to cover the gaps. We are securing them to trees (with rope) and treated posts as needed. Not overly fancy but they do get the job done.
It is impressive just how well things grow in the Eastern end of the U.S. and the three very distinct phases of the field given the season of the year.
That does it for this morning, the aspirin have kicked in and I am off to the field. I might be able to squeeze out another bunker or two before people show up to play later today.
A couple of weeks ago a group of my friends formed a scenario paintball team, The Shadow Corps. The very first paintball event that we played as a team at…Castle Conquest XXVI! Talk about jumping into the deep end of the pool.
I am extremely proud of the team’s performance, their sportsmanship and the manner that they conducted themselves off the field. This is a tremendous bunch of paintball players and I am honored to hang out with these guys. Just to be clear, The Shadow Corps was the business end of the spear for the attackers, leading the way through
I want to shine the recognition spotlight on some of our members that are real standouts.
Steve Atkins, this guy not only managed a significant majority of the logistics but went out of his way to get the word out. The Xbox 360 with the projector on the back of the bunkhouse provided hours and hours of fun for the rest of the team. If Steve had not done all that he did, the event would not have been nearly as much fun as it was! It should also be said that Steve is a FORCE of nature, once you meet him you will understand what I mean.
Frank Bushbascher, handled all of the cooking, watched over our gear while we were playing and he also remembered to take pictures (including one of me passed out with a bunch of beer bottles on the table in front of me)! Frank is a very cool guy and everyone on the team should thank him for his significant contribution.
Note: I was going to post this on Elissa Carey’s blog in response to a teeny tiny post that she put up. However, after composing this lengthy diatribe I felt that it would be better to simply post it on mine. As I don’t want to come off as uber ranty on a friend’s blog.
I think that Senator Biden did very well. No qualifiers, no back-handed compliments...he did very well.
I was also watching CNN as well and noted the focus group responses throughout the debate if you want to cherry pick so be it.
Seriously though, let’s be honest. If Governor Palin had parted the
Elissa, I just don't get it. A while back you were all riled up over that legislation that the recording industry lobbied for, backed by lots and lots of Democrats (and more than a couple of Republicans). Do you really think that either party has a vision that is anything other than 'more of the same'?
Every one wants to talk about health care...nobody is willing to engage in meaningful tort reform. Why? Because 99% of our politicians are lawyers.
We want alternative energy. Yet the Sierra Club has managed to convince the BLM to put a moratorium on alternative energy plants that are on Federal land, including transmission lines. Happened with a large scale solar plant in
70% of the people in this country want off-shore drilling and to drill in ANWR, still Congress is dragging its feet. Even though, in areas like Florida and California we could see the oil flowing in a matter of months because the infrastructure is there to deal with it. I bet the people driving around at night trying to find gas in the south east would appreciate the gesture.
In
A majority of people want the government to secure our border. Can’t do that either have to get the Latino vote, regardless of the risks to national security, the crime, or the drugs that are flowing over it.
It seems pretty disingenuous to talk about Wall Street greed, when Senator Obama's campaign finance chairwoman was not only an advocate of subprime lending but the bank she was on the board of went bankrupt because of it. Speaking of which, should we talk about everyone who voted for a little piece of legislation in 1999 (and was signed by President Clinton) that gave birth to this subprime mess!?!
There really is cause for the disapproval rating of this Congress. A disapproval rating that is actually worse than that of the President, imagine that!
It feels like I am on the Titanic, we have hit the iceberg and now we are trying to get excited about promoting a new captain. The ship is going to sink regardless of who is at the helm. I just hope I am not the poor bastard who hits the propeller when he fell off the fantail, that did not look like fun!
PS: Should people want to complain about something other than getting the name of the commanding General in
The correct answer to the title of this little piece...We the people...did not win last night.
Woke up at 2 am this morning and new instantly that I was not going to be able to go back to sleep. Today is Castle Conquest XXV, a big scenario game down in
Part of my anticipation is that I have never played in a truly big scenario game before. The game itself is intriguing, as it pits 200 defenders, defending a 32,000 square foot castle (with three levels and know as Castle AAARRGH) against what is best described as a horde. Your first thought might be that this should be easy for the attackers, all they have to do is rush the entry points and simply overwhelm the defenders (with a 6 to 1 advantage in numbers). However, this game routinely demonstrates that a cohesive unit (in this case Blue’s Crew and hand picked teams) can engage and triumph over a mob.
In fairness to the soon-to-be EX-Governor, I don’t personally mind that he hires prostitutes, after all I think what consenting adults do is their business. My problem is the unbridled hypocrisy that as the attorney general he had NO problem prosecuting prostitution rings.
happy
anxious
tired
energetic
annoyed