THE PRETTY PISTOLERA

Cougar...

New development at the homestead...  John has a crush on Sarah Palin.  A big one.  While John's announcement would irritate some women, it doesn't bother me.  I love that John appreciates intelligent, strong, (and beautiful) women.  He hasn't mentioned the moose hunting thing, but I think the fact that she's hunted Bullwinkle warms his heart, too. 

Note to John:  I love you... but, there is no way I am going moose hunting.  Please do not ask. 

Absent!

I'm back....  I've been absent for the last few days. I had a huge presentation at work yesterday.  It took most of the week to prepare.  It went well and I am happy to have it behind me.  Hooray! 

Although it has been a nutty week I refused to give up Tuesday night IDPA practice.  The Michigan State Match is coming up and I need all of the trigger time I can get.  I feel like I am not squeezing in enough practice.  And, I am beginning to worry that my progress will slow down or, even worse, come to a screeching halt.  Luckily, a three day weekend is upon us! 

Just for chuckles... I find this help wanted ad absolutely hilarious.  The person that accepted this nanny job can never say she didn't know what she was getting into.

More Gifts!

What is up with my sweet husband?  I received another gift last night... a Kel-tec PF-9.  I am excited to try it out this weekend.  From what I understand many people love this model... I will have a full report on Monday.

John asked me if I want any other bells and whistles for it.  I am still clueless about the "options" available for firearms.  He suggested adding some Crimson Trace Laser Grips.  It's a good idea as long as the grips come with one of their "helping bad guys make informed decisions" t-shirts.

UPDATE: OOPS!!! It is not Crimson Trace Laser Grip, as they are currently unavailable for the PF-9.  The company that makes a laser for the PF-9 is  Armalaser.  I still want the cool t-shirt..

For Me?

Setting:  Sunday evening, John and I are at our desks in the home office we share. I'm chatting with Peter from Firearms and Freedom about blogging, DuraCoat, and ARFCOM (I'm clueless about two of the three topics, can you guess which two?) 

John leaves his desk for a bit, then comes back grinning from ear to ear...

John:  "Hey babe, I got you a gift."

Me:  "You did! What is it?"

John:  "Here." (Hands me the biggest Glock magazine I've ever seen)

Me:  "Huh?"

John:  "Everybody needs a 33 round magazine."

Me:  "Huh?  What for?"

John:  "It's for the Glock 26."

Me:  "How?"

After telling Peter about my "gift" I had to snap a picture to share.

 

I find this hilarious.

Facts vs. Feelings

Stumbled across this interesting article from Guns & Ammo.  I love it when facts are separated from feelings. The picture is crystal clear when the waters are not muddied by emotion. 

On another note, here is a rather odd article.  I admit I can't help but rubber-neck at a train wreck (e.g. reality TV, tabloid magazines, and celebrity gossip blogs).... but, I will not watch a nun beauty pageant.

Here at The Pretty Pistolera... it's all about balance.

Tracy's Travel Rules

I was on the road for the last couple of days. I was in the New York City metro area for a meeting. The company we were meeting handled our hotel arrangements. I am a major control freak about my travel arrangements. I have learned over the years that people who do not travel should never be allowed to make travel arrangements for a frequent business traveler. It sounds snotty and cold, but I have three very good reasons why this rule should be adopted by society:

1. I've been booked in questionable hotels. Just because the hotel name includes the word "suites" DOES NOT mean it is nice, safe, or clean. I learned how to handle this situation the first time it happened. I leave immediately and check into the Westin.
2. "Cheap Rates" in Vegas during convention time.  The room rate needs to be high enough to keep out the riff-raff. I once had a hotel neighbor hire a hooker at 3:15 one morning. I know you are thinking "How did you know she was a hooker?"  I know because I heard everything.  The negotiation, the payment, the spanking... everything!  I'm still traumatized.
3. Fifteen minutes to make a connecting flight. This is NOT enough time to deplane, pee, find the new gate, and board. Trust me, it's not.

All of this travel drama was because an administrative assistant felt empowered to save the multi-billion dollar company a few lousy bucks. My safety and comfort is a priority and I refuse to put myself in a vulnerable position. Anyway, back to my travel story...

I knew whatever hotel we were at this week would be fine. I couldn't imagine a company that wanted our business would book us at the Airport Travelodge.  I'm not a huge travel snob, but I like to stay somewhere comfy like the Wetsin when the company is footing the bill. This trip we stayed at the Ritz-Carlton.  I thought "hooray, I will sleep good tonight." 

Then, something spectacular happened while I was checking in... I got upgraded to a suite.  A suite!  I had a living room, two bathrooms (one with a rainfall shower), and a fabulous bedroom with luxe linens.  The best part was I could control the lights, temperature, and curtains from a touch screen by the bed. I spent most of the night tapping the living room curtains open, closed, open, closed... then the bedroom curtains open, closed, open, closed... then the temperature... then the bedroom lights on, off, on off... then the living room lights...you get the picture.  I tapped that crazy screen just like the Starbucks Barista on a busy morning.  Only if that hotel in Vegas had something as nifty to keep me distracted for an hour.  

Scores...

The scores...  Subject switcheroo:  What do we call the final results in competitive shooting?  Scores? Times? Results? Ranking?  I haven't a clue....  Anyway, the scores are up!

I was close in predicting my total time - 285.51 with 72 points down.  Average time was 203.13 and the average points down was 47.  Eeeeek!  My points down really hurt me.  I realize now that I was not moving as deliberately as I needed in order to concentrate on my accuracy.  Next time I will be more focused on accuracy and less distracted by the moving, disappearing, dropping, and swinging fun stuff. Lesson learned!

Pretty Pistolera Shoots a .38 (Finally!)

One more note regarding Sunday's match...

Firing a .38 snub-nose revolver shouldn't be revolutionary news, but it is to me!  The match allowed (actually, forced) me to shoot one.  Stage 4 started with a .38 on a table.  The shooter had to engage two targets with the .38 while retreating.  Then, the shooter had to pick up their own firearm to finish the stage.  You can see the video of me shooting stage 4 on the Pretty Pistolera YouTube Channel.  You can see John's video there, too. 

I was pleasantly surprised at the weight, recoil, and easy handling of the .38.  I assumed it would be heavy and abusive. And, I was convinced it would kick like a mule. I have no idea where I got these crazy, pre-conceived notions, but now I see why so many people choose a .38 as their carry gun.  

My commentary on Sunday's match is now over.  I promise to find a new topic.

I Heart Steel!

Over at Ahab's.... a fabulous (and super-positive) story from an ABC affiliate regarding The Steel Challenge.  View the news clip here.  This is great press!

Also, check out Ahab's commentary.  I agree with him... the reporter does a great job highlighting two young girls that are competing.  Kudos to ABC in Ventura County!

Chicks!

I almost forgot!  There were more women at the match yesterday than I've ever seen.  I wasn't the only girl!  There were at least five women competing and at least three or four watching.  Hooray! 

It was a pleasure to spend the afternoon with Katie.  Her dad is teaching her how to shoot competitively and she's doing great!