peejman

This is very much a divide between parents and non-parents. When parents tell people w/o kids, "you just don't understand..." they're really not being patronizing, condescending, or making excuses. You really don't understand. It's a whole different lifestyle. Before kids, I was the guy who got really annoyed when a kid was making noise in public (restaurant, store, etc.). Not having a fit, just making the relatively nonstop random noise kids make. Now, I don't even hear it. When we have friends w/o kids over, I can easily tell they quickly get overwhelmed. Our version of normal is far different from theirs. "Multi-tasking" takes on a whole new meaning. For medicinal purposes only....

Build this (or at least use this basic idea).... http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/Build-An-All-In-One-Outdoor-Oven-Stove-Grill-And-Smoker.aspx

Welcome!

Sheesh... I wish my 4 yr old was as well behaved as your kids. He's a handful. He doesn't have many melt-down screaming fits and can be a perfectly nice, well behaved kid, but also can be quite stubborn at times... (no idea how that happened ). So far, his little brother is more laid back. To the OP... my only suggesting for dealing with 3 is routine. Establish a daily routine and stick to it. When it's time to eat, everyone eats. When it's time to play, everyone plays. Different ages, different needs, ... I'm sure it's tough to find a compromise.

Welcome!

I have a crossbreed and like it. One issue that's come up with longer guns ... if you spend a lot of time sitting, the muzzle may wear a hole in your pants. If you haven't already, get a quality gun belt too.

Check this out... http://www.sae.org/mags/aem/elect/10587

Is FTE failure to extract or failure to eject? Have they all happened recently or randomly since you've owned it? If recently, there's a problem that needs to be fixed. If randomly, ... stuff happens. I wouldn't worry about it.

My 4 yr old loves the discovery museum. If you go to the aquarium a couple times per year, get a membership. It's cheaper than 2 visits and you don't have wait in line to get in.

Eating a whole box of any Girl Scout Cookies is better for you than a Whopper or Big Mac meal.

Worked good at Disney too....

The glass beads will help clean out the pitting, but won't do much to smooth out to the pitting itself. AlOx blasting will help smooth out the surface, but be very careful. If you get overly aggressive with AlOx, you can blast a hole right through the metal. As for paints/coatings filling in the pits... if you run over the pitting with an extra-fine point pen (0.5mm) and can feel them, paint will not fully hide them.

mmmmmm.... thin mints. mmmmmmm.... tagalongs. mmmmmm..... samoas. mmmmmm...... dosidos. My wife is a former girl scout. She'd probably divorce me if I didn't bring home some cookies.

As a former band geek who spent plenty of time standing next to girls flinging rifles high in the air.... amen to that. That said, the practice rifle must mimic the weight and balance of what he'll be using in the parades and such. Else it'll feel different with potentially unpleasant consequences.

It is time for racing... shame NASCAR quit doing that years ago. It's merely entertainment these days. Danica hasn't done anything behind the wheel of a racecar anywhere, ever. Her presence is pure marketing.

mid 40's and rain here. Saw a few flakes, but its far too warm to stick. If there's any overnight, it'll be gone before lunch tomorrow.

You and me both, though mine needs patches.

I'm curious to see what the FAA comes up with for UAV regulations. A few nerdy RC helicopter guys who dabble in programming stand to become very wealthy. I think stuff like this is really cool... http://www.gizmag.com/grasp-nano-quadrotor-robots-swarm/21302/ The Clone Wars are nearer than we may think.

A 1903 Springfield, a really nice K98, SKS-M, Arsenal AK, ...

Very cool.

Or the next Ted Kaczynsky...

Depends largely upon the maturity of the child. You're the dad, and dad knows best. You might consider an airsoft or BB gun to get him started with all the basic safety stuff. Lots of good info here: http://www.corneredcat.com/Is_Your_Child_Ready_for_the_Range/

Working for me, and I've never looked at the blogs before. Yet another way to waste time at work, woohoo!

There's a bathroom in the basement of the ME building (Brown Hall) at TTU. In the far stall, there was a sign over the tp dispenser that said "EE degree, take one." We coined the phrase... "gotta go get my EE degree, back in a few." Even the professors thought it was funny. I don't know if OSHA trumps ME, but I'm quite sure that EBITDA trumps us all on a regular basis. I'll freely admit that CE's create some really cool stuff and have some neat toys to play with. The construction process can be like watching paint dry, but the end results are really neat. Case in point...

Civil engineers build targets. Mechanical engineers (me) build weapons.