Ever since I moved to the coast I have wanted to try oysters but I had heard horror stories about getting sick from a bad batch, so I was leery. Well, the first meal of oysters was a success. There was hot sauce, garlic butter, crackers, and some oddly tiny silverware involved, but no puking! They were steamed though, and I still want to try the raw ones at some point, in all their snot-textured glory (and mussels are on the menu for next week).
Also, I now know whether oysters are an aphrodisiac or not.
First Gun Play
Somehow, despite the fact that my father was a Major in the United States Marines, I had never fired a weapon; so, my friend ML took me to a shooting range on Thursday to shoot things. And, hell yes, guns are freaking cool.
The first time you pull the trigger it is pretty scary but after that it’s an absolute blast. We shot a 9 mm and a 40 caliber (yes, we were wearing protection for our eyes and ears). Apparently all those hours of Duck Hunt paid off because, to be totally honest, I am a pretty decent shot. I did have to try and learn how to aim with both eyes open - when I was a kid playing with the old plastic Nintendo gun, I would close one eye to make aiming easier, so that was my same instinct/habit to do with the real metal guns. But, as my teacher for the day, ML, so eloquently put it: "If you are shooting shit that is trying to hurt you, you need to be able to see it coming at you from both sides. That is hard to do if you only have one eye open." Touché.
On the drive home from the range I saw a black SUV with “Davidson County Crime Scene Investigation” marked on the side. As I drove past them, I felt the bizarre urge to hold up my hand and yell at them to test me for gun shot residue. (It would have been positive! Gasp! How cool!) Luckily, I realize how dumb I am and can ignore most of these stupid impulses.
I brought home my target and it is hanging on my wall (I marked the shots for you in red because they were a little tough to see in the picture). I still want to shoot a shotgun someday; there is something about that massive bruise it leaves on the shoulder that is a badge of honor I still need to acquire. Hopefully I can do that with my dad in Tennessee in August. And speaking of Daddy, this is the conversation we had:
LADA: I am no longer a gun virgin!
DAD: Wow, did it hurt?
LADA: Ha! I can’t believe you just said that.
DAD: Congrats on your first time on the range, my steely eyed pistoleer. Cannot wait to see the pic of the target.
101 Things to do (or don't) before you die - #43:
Do throw a dart into a map and travel to where it lands.
Don't forget who the real Batman is.
- lada goes where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases her blues away
2 comments:
Very nice S.E.P. Tight group in the chest to get their attention then, just in case you got a "A Fist Full of Dollars" type situation, one in the right eye...D
You are FORMIDABLE! I would totally pick you for my side in a gunfight. Also, re: oysters and mussels. Oysters on the half are fantastic; I recommend a very cold vodka martini to accompany them. Actually, that's good advice for nearly any food item.
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