Moral-Flexibility.Net

I am writing this surrounded by boxes, sitting in an uncomfortable chair, the acoustics are strange and I’m not entirely sure where my shoes are.

Other than that the move went as well as a move can. There were no unusual mechanical failures, no disappearing possessions, no strange events. It was a little “hot”, no scratch that….it was AMAZINGLY hot, and thankfully the movers took one for the team shuffling 2 computers, a few hundred hardcover books, 300 DVDs, a couch, desk, bed, crib, dryer and assorted other belongings from one inaccessible apartment to another.

It’ll be a few days before we’re settled in properly, the highest priority here at our new west facing apartment was preventing unwanted intrusion by the sun, and a shameful amount of effort has been expended connecting air conditioners, hanging blinds and trying to keep the temperature in here at a “human” level.

Note: I swear, if one of you Vancouver types pops off about the weather I WILL drive across the country and inflict my wrath upon you (As this mainly consists of sitting on your couch, eating your food and generally making a nuisance of myself, I strongly recommend you think twice about it).

Anyway, we’re almost back to business as usual, although I was going through internet withdrawl…go figure.

Ok, ok, ok. I appreciate the assistance, but honestly people… when my zombie making icon releases a new film after 20 years you can rest assured I will be there openning night. It’s not a matter of choice, it’s preordained.

For those that are not zombie fans, George Romero has, after a 20 year break, returned to the genre he pioneered and given us his fourth zombie movie “Land of the Dead”.

Filmed here in Toronto (those of you that were visitors here before my last ‘big crash’ will remember I had the pleasure of actually attending the set for a few hours and meeting Romero briefly), and covering new ground in the “evolution” of zombies this film takes place a few years after the events of his previous films (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead) focusing on a small enclave of survivors surrounded by the undead.

I’ll post a proper review later, but suffice to say I was far from disappointed with this film.

Thanks George!

The move continues to hover on the edge of our schedule. After getting braced to move this Friday (EEK! Land of the Dead scheduling conflict!) we discovered the new apartment won’t be ready on schedule, and all the arrangements were rolled back a few days (we’re now moving on Monday).

Boxes continue to be filled, chaos reigns..I just want this to be over.

My first fathers day as a “father”.

I’ll spare you the reflections on the past and the future, suffice to say;

Thanks Dad!

How I missed this I’ll never know…

Belinda Stronach, you remember her right? Of course you do, has penned a small piece explaining her defection to the Liberals. It’s a story of corruption, sex, greed and ambition….No, not really.

It’s really a pedestrian PR effort to explain why her defection, and sudden ministerial appointment (no connection naturally, what with her vast political experience) is good for Canada, is in the best interests of her constituents, and was perfectly natural under the circumstances.

Well thank goodness for that, and here I thought she was an oportunistic brat looking for a quick appointment. Boy is my face red.

Some highlights…

I have been called many things over the past weeks, some of them not very pleasant or mature.

No mention here of “accuracy” you’ll note….

When smart-minded Canadian voters chose a minority government in June of 2004, they were sending a message - get to the work of governing in a way that puts the interests of the country first.

Ah…was that the message? And here I thought it meant that there was no clear mandate from the voters.

My principles have led me to the belief that we need to restore trust and integrity to politics and public life.

You’re kidding me right? Belinda why don’t you just……………never mind.

(Hat Tip: Let it Bleed)

This weeks Carnival of Cordite is up at Technogypsy. It’s something I usually enjoy reading, although I only manage to keep up to date on it’s location through some of the gunbloggers I read regularly.

I enjoyed this weeks mainly because my Frankengarand made this issue, but it pales in comparison to the other features (my favorite being Team Infidels test of the ballistic protection offered by the desktop PC).

Give it a read, then go buy a gun…..you know you want to.

Well, with the completion of the FrankenGarand I made the obligatory call to the Canadian Firearms Center to duly change the registration of my Breda.

You see it was registered as a “receiver only” up until yesterday, and as I had installed the barrel and it was now a functional firearm I am required to notify the firearms center, and get a new registration certificate for the rifle.

Much to my suprise I was told the rifle would have to be inspected by a government approved (volunteer) verifier to submit the change of classification. So I was provided with a list of five local names and phone numbers. Four of them failed to answer their phones (three didn’t even have answering machines, the fourth never bothered to return my call) and the fifth I reached at his daytime number (turns out this verifier is a member of the Canadian Armed Forces). Due to scheduling problems related to the move I was only able to meet with him yesterday afternoon, during another of Torontos Smog advisories, and I’d have to drag Jillian along for the ride.

When I got there I discovered the verifier was almost completely ignorant with respect to firearms. First attempting to classify my M1 as a “bolt action”, then attempting to measure the barrel length with the removable muzzle brake still on (Canadian Regulations specify that the barrel be measured from the bolt face to the end of the barrel, removable attachments do not count for overall length).

Some other details irritated me, as I was being lectured by someone who clearly didn’t know anything about his topic. But in the end I just decided to keep my mouth shut, make sure the paperwork was correct and get out of there as quickly as possible. While I admit the temptation to let the registration show that I own an extremely rare “bolt action M1 garand” was significant, in the end I caved.

Next step is for me to mail the verifiers form to the CFC and wait for them to act on it….

Gotta love the system we have here.

So, after too much mucking around with the borrowed tools (receiver wrench and barrel blocks) in my uncles backyard, we managed to install the .308 barrel, and the Frankengarand was given life (without the screaming melodramatics, a hunchback or even angry villagers - although undoubtedly the neighbors were somehwat concerned).

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Ok, so lacking the patience to wait for proper gun coating (Armacoat) in this case I have painted the outstanding parts (op rod, trigger housing and rear sights) using high temp paint.

In the spirit of experimentation I figured theres no harm, should the finish prove inadequate for the task I can always strip the paint and redo the finish properly. If the finish holds up so much the better (hell, the paint is $5.00 a can as opposed to $50 for 8oz of Armacoat).

I also felt that a little color would serve the project, so I went ahead and bought some red hightemp paint, and did the bullet guide (pictured here) as a splash of color, in an otherwise black/grey rifle. This is supposed to be fun after all.

Barrel assembly is still on for Monday or Tuesday, and the rifle should be fully assembled minutes after the barrel is on. Stand by for pics and critique once it’s finished.