An Update AND a Rant, All In One!

These last few weeks have been crazy. Between getting Christmas shopping done, visiting relatives, visiting friends, and planning more visits with relatives, I haven't managed to get anything constructive done around the house that I was planning to do. Which really isn't a big price to pay at all for spending time with loved ones at Christmas.

What I have managed to do is to catch up on laundry, get my Para LTC (that was beginning to rust - more on that later) traded out for a Glock 20, get new tires on my truck (Along with a new tie rod end and a front end alignment), and get traps and poison set out for the uninvited guest I mentioned previously.

Now, what's the deal with Para-Ordnance? I've had two Para pistols, both of which have exhibited a disturbing tendency to rust. The first was a P12-45 that rusted underneath the Hogue grips that I installed. After oiling it to make sure that exact problem wouldn't happen. The LTC began rusting at the hammer, the guide rod plug, and the slide rails. The former two are blued parts, so I'm not really all that surprised given my track record with bluing. But come on! The freaking slide rails?

Now, I realize that Para uses some kind of polymer coating for the OD Green finish. But I also own several CZ firearms and I've never had issues with the pieces that receive the polycoat finish rusting. The safety, slide stop, and hammer, yes (blued parts, see above) but not the polycoated parts. So, I don't have anything against "painted-on" finishes, as some have dubbed them. I think I just have something against the particular finish Para uses. Or maybe used. Both of the pistols I had were older firearms. It's possible Para has switched to something different by now.

On to the new Glock. The 20 will be getting the same treatment as my model 21. I've ordered a 3.5# trigger bar to install, two extended slide stops (one for each pistol), and a set of XS 24/7 Big Dot sights. Those sights on my 21 have sold me on the concept of express sights on a pistol. They are accurate enough for social use and fast to boot. Right now, I'm thinking the 21 will be doing nightstand duty and the 20 will be my main carry piece. This is, of course, assuming that the 20 passes function testing with the new parts I've ordered.

Well, that about does it for me. I'm off to get my hair cut and deposit my paycheck that I thought was a direct deposit receipt when I received it last week.

Half Asleep

I'm sitting here half asleep and trying to figure out what I want to post. I know there're things I want to put up here but I'm not so sure I can do so coherently at this point. I apologize in advance if I write something that leaves you scratching your head trying to figure it out.

I've had a pretty Thanksgiving holiday. Got to see mom and dad, my grandparents, aunt and uncle, cousins, and an uncle who I hadn't seen in a couple of years at least. Bro and his better half made it in as well, as did little sis, if only for Thanksgiving day.

Dad's been trying to get sick pretty much all day today. It's made him a little grumpy but he realized it and tried his best to moderate himself. Did a pretty good job, too.

He and I had mom try out several pistols that I brought with me this time. Dad had asked me to bring some so that she could get a feel for which one fit her hand the best. She ended up really liking the Star BM. I offered to give it to them but dad insisted on paying me for it. I showed dad how to field strip it but I'm hoping that mom will take some time with me in the near future to learn how to operate and care for it. It's in need of a re-finish right now as most of it is gone off the front and backstrap but I did have a couple of extra magazines for it. I plan on checking at Gander the next time I'm in LR to see how much they'll charge to either re-blue or parkerize a pistol. If it's close to reasonable, I'll probably take it back with me over Christmas to have that done.

I'm quite impressed by the amount of light that the tritium vials in the XS Sights Big Dot put out. I've noticed the past couple of nights that there's enough that there's a small patch of light washing around the rear sight. I plan on stopping by D, R, and T's tomorrow on the way home. I hope that I'll have the opportunity to try the new sights out while I'm there.

Wheee!

Well, it's finally official. I am now a direct, full-time employee at my workplace. After a year of contract work, I'm now getting salary and benefits. It'll be nice to finally have health insurance again.

My new debit card has arrived. My last one had to be canceled because of some dill-hole in Austin, TX (supposedly) fraudulently charging $0.15 to my account. That's right, fifteen cents. I figure they were waiting to see if I noticed and then charge more later. Oh well.

I up and joined a gym today. A couple of the fellas at work go there regularly and suggested I try it out. It was especially tempting because our company has a corporate account with them which means I get a discount. Paying less rocks. I'm currently planning on going three times a week. I'm hoping I can last this time 'round.

Last, but not least, li'l sis has (finally) been given a store in Jackson, TN. We're all ecstatic that she's been promoted but I'm a little disappointed that she didn't get one closer to me. I can live with it, though. Now she just needs to see about getting her concealed carry license since she's where she's gonna be for a while. Told you I'd pay for it, Binker, and I'm sticking to that. Give me a yell and we'll figure out when and where you can take the class.

Quite A Weekend

Went to my parent's place this weekend. Mom was out Friday and most of Saturday but we got to visit late Saturday night and most of today. She, my sis, aunt, and cousin all went to LR to participate in the Race for the Cure (my maternal grandma died of cancer and my aunt is a survivor). Dad and I worked on my truck, replacing the front shocks and changing the oil. We also had some time for some heart-to-heart chats that there hasn't been much opportunity for lately. I enjoyed the visit thoroughly.

On separate note, my Dresden Files 2009 calendar arrived while I was away. I'm trying to determine the appropriate place to hang it. Present thinking is 'on the wall'. I've not got much further than that.

I've got some new mag springs and followers for my Witness coming in tomorrow. I've had some issues with the stock followers hanging or being sluggish to bring the rounds into position after the top round is fed. The Gram's followers from Henning Shoots Guns are supposed to help with such issues based on some posts at the CZ Forum's Clone Club. I'm itching to try them out.

And lastly...WANT!

It's Been a Great Day!

Today has been a great day.

I went with several of the guys at work to the new pizza place in town, Old Chicago. Probably the best thick-crust pizza I've ever eaten.

My new knife came in today. It's a thicker blade than what I had thought it'd be and the handle size and blade length are exactly what I'd hoped they'd be. I'm quite happy with it so far. Now it just needs a little better edge on it. The sheath is quite nice, too.

I finally managed to get the custom hammer from CZCustom.com fitted to my 97B. I managed to botch the fitting slightly as I really didn't have the right tools for the job. So there's a noticeable bit of creep to the trigger before let off. It's still better than the factory trigger that came on it. I also got the SA trigger to reset properly. Unfortunately, the take-up adjustment is now missing (tho I don't think it would have worked anyway given the way it fit before) and there are a couple of large shiny patches where I had to remove some of the material and the aluminum is showing through the finish. But a little aluminum black should fix that right up. The slimline grips that I had ordered now allow the magazine to drop free after a bit of judicious filing. Overall, I'm pleased with this setup and can hardly wait to try it out.

I'll be heading up to my parents this Friday. My truck is in need of an oil change and there's something wrong either with one of my shocks or with a torsion bar. When the front driver's shock deflects past a certain point, there's a pop that can be heard inside the cab and felt underneath the driver's foot. I'm going to have to have dad's jack and concrete floor to pull the tire and check/change the shock and torsion bar.

Mom, sis, and my aunt and cousin are all going to be in Little Rock this Friday and Saturday. I'm hoping that we can get an opportunity to all get together for lunch or something on Friday before I head up to their neck of the woods.

Oh, and I finally sent in my change of address info for my voter's registration this past Saturday (thanks for the help, Dick). I should now be eligible to vote in the coming elections.

Yay! It's My Birthday! Yay!

Today marks the beginning of my last year as a twenty-something. So, what did I do today?

Rode my motorcycle to work;

Got lunch paid for by one of the senior engineers (the only one who'd been listening to me, apparently, as he was the only one who wished me a happy birthday before lunch) ((I kid, I kid));

Found out my mom was out of surgery and doing fine;

Was hounded into buying health and life insurance and given a firm reminder to start a savings account;

Priced insurance for my firearms and accessories (NRA members only, unfortunately).

Priced magazines for my Para;

And lastly, I'm in the process of watching episodes of the first season of Jericho.

I still need to:

Open said savings account;

Call AT&T Support to complain about my cell phone's mini-display screen self-destructing on me.

Busy, busy.

Alabama Bound ... Or Not

My brother has been in the process of applying for jobs in the Birmingham, AL area recently. He and his wife will be moving there soon for her work and he's interviewed with a couple of companies. Today he accepted a position to a local power company. So now they just need a place to live.

They and my parents had already made plans to head down there to look at prospective houses over the Fourth of July weekend and I was planning to tag along. Well, apparently, he managed to get Thursday off as well as Friday and now they'll be heading out earlier than expected.

This now leaves me with most of the day Friday open. Anyone have suggestions as to what to do with my newly freed up time?

Post #100

Well. My 100th post. I should do something special, something big, something meaningful...



...I've got nothin'.


Actually, I'll be going to a barbecue tomorrow afternoon at the new house of some friends from church that I helped move a while back. I'm planning to take my bike but I'm not sure how to take along a lawn chair. I may have to head out to Target tomorrow afternoon to pick up one of those collapsible chairs that have a carry bag.

I passed this past weekend on a planned trip up to Osage Beach in Missouri with my parents and sister. I later found out that they intend to head to Branson Saturday night. Today I got an email from Ron Paul's campaign advertising a rally in Branson tomorrow night. Now I'm wishing I could have gotten the time off to go.

Oh well. You win some, you lose some. I'll probably buy some saddlebags and a mesh jacket for my bike instead.

On a side note, I've ordered a High Noon pancake holster for my Para. UPS' website shows that they've received the billing info but haven't received the package. I'm eager to get it and my earlier order of belt and holster for my CZ 97B. That order will probably be delayed until July, though, due to the made-to-order nature of their belts.

I've also finally ordered a replacement for my dearly departed ergo-keyboard. It has shipped and is sitting in a UPS facility in California at the moment.


Well, what do you know. Not a bad 100th post after all. Managed to get most of the things that I love or consider important stuffed in without too much effort.

And After an Almost Three-Week Hiatus...

You'll remember that two posts back, I mentioned a second movie that Richard and I watched the previous Friday. One that I was too sick to remember. Well, Richard stepped up and reminded me. Tremors II. Hilarious. And the gunplay is fun and accurate. I highly recommend it.

Also, you'll remember that I was sick due to allergies. Thankfully, I've pulled through and have managed to find an effective method for preventing allergy attacks of such drastic size. After talking it out with my dad, we came to the conclusion that it was mowing my yard that triggered my attack. I was then informed that there's this invention out there called a "filter mask". It's just a bit of formed filter paper that fits over your nose and mouth and is held in place by a rubber band.

Genius!

Sarcasm aside, I've mown my yard once since purchasing a pack of masks and nary a sniffle.

Visiting with the Family:

I had a chance to visit with my folks weekend before last. They seem to be doing well, considering. They just finished up a week of testing at their respective schools. The kids are always a handful during that time. Mom was diagnosed with having a thyroid condition. She's taking medication for it and, as a pleasant side effect, appears to have started to drop weight.

Dad bought a used tractor to use around the farm. He's been a bit frustrated with it as it really wasn't in the condition as was advertised. But even with the repair work, it's cheaper than he could have gotten a different tractor in better condition. Overall, I think he's satisfied.

Dad gave me a Weedeater brand "mower". I'm not really sure what you'd call it. It runs on two rear wheels and has a handle much like a push mower but the front is a half ball that the twine connects to. The twine is incredibly thick, too. There's no telling how large of a plant stalk it can chew through. I don't think I posted about my first attempt to mow the yard here, but it wasn't pretty. I used an electric weedeater that managed to scalp the yard where it cut at all. Between that and the small cutting radius, I was forever getting just the front and sides done. I still haven't gotten the back. That'll be this weekend when I go over everything again with the mower.

Visiting The Family

I spent Thursday night, Friday, and most of the day Saturday with my parents. Got to visit with my sister, brother, and his wife as well. Enjoyed myself thoroughly.

Dad and I have been talking quite a bit lately about a number of topics and we've had a few disagreements. Most of these have been caused by the outlook on life that I've come to accept in the past few years.

The basic gist of what our disagreements center around is my belief that one should be personally responsible for one's own safety/security and as long as you aren't infringing on anyone else's rights, you're fine. That sometimes directly conflicts with dad's belief that some intervention is necessary to protect people from themselves.

I'm not used to disagreeing with my dad on much of anything. As a kid, I generally accepted his opinion on matters as the "gospel truth" so to speak and that habit followed me as I matured. I'm pretty sure it's a side effect of my lack of experience and natural tendency to defer judgement on matters I know little to nothing about to others I trust. It's made for some interesting adjustments in my thinking that I'm still in the process of understanding and building around. Unfortunately, my inability to adequately throw thoughts into a cohesive verbal response on-the-fly has been hampering my ability to communicate to him the reasons for the conclusions I've reached on several matters.

The reason I bring this up is that I've recently read a couple of posts put together by the Munchkin Wrangler that I'm pretty sure dad and I would be at odds over. My inclination is to let the free market sort itself out and for government to have as little power as is necessary to make sure everyone plays according to the rules. The rules being "no infringing on the rights of others".

I'm now beginning to truly understand why folks use the phrase "heartless libertarian".

I Love My Family.

Well, my family's come and gone already. We ended up staying up til 11 watching Jericho on Sci-Fi. I've recently gotten into watching it and there was a marathon on Friday night. Mom and Dad actually seem interested in the story. Sis fell asleep. She was tired and a little cranky that the folks had her drive on the way down.

We had a lazy start to the day Saturday. Mom got up around 7 or so and made breakfast. After that we went running around and I got to see the booming metropolis (/sarcasm) of Greenbrier for the first time. We saw a small shop that advertised rabbits, ducks, and colored chicks. That managed to send my sis on a "little friend" kick. She kept telling the folks she needed a bunny to cuddle since her roommate moved out.

We kept an eye out for tractors for sale for Dad and small pickups for sis. After that we went back to my place and played Uno until lunch. (Do we get up to some crazy fun or what?) Actually, it was a lot of fun.

For lunch we went to a Chinese buffet that a co-worker had taken me to previously that was really good. Something must have happened between then and now, 'cause the food was not that good. It was greasy, soggy, or just plain bleh. Folks didn't care much for it either. Sis didn't seem to have an opinion.

We went back home and tried to find my waterheater. I'd complained to Dad previously that it was set too low and never made it above lukewarm. We searched the entire house and finally found it ... embedded inside the kitchen cabinet corner. There's no way to get at the thing without major effort that would likely end up leaving the cabinets looking like crap. Oh well.

Sis had insisted on a tie-breaking hand of Uno (her and me) and Mom wanted one last chance to win a hand. That hand ended up lasting over half an hour. By the time we finished, it was time for them to go. I helped them load their stuff and saw them off.

About 20 minutes later, I got a phone call from Dad. Mom had left a prescription in the fridge and they were on their way back to get it. I headed out and met them about half-way. We said 'bye again and went our separate ways.

I love my family.

Out of Pocket

Hey folks. As the title above says, I've been a little out of pocket the last week or so. I've had time to post but just plain didn't think about it. My bad.

Anyway, all of my Amazon orders have arrived. I still don't have the rifle kit I ordered back at the beginning of February, so I can't really comment on the usefulness of most of the items I ordered. I will say that the TangoDown battle grip is built like a freaking tank! It may be difficult to get it to go onto the receiver but once it's on, it should be incredibly sturdy.

The Knoxx Spec-Ops NRS stock is another very sturdy piece. I was a little disappointed in that it required an extra-long ball-end Allen wrench to install and it doesn't appear to accept other types of AR-15 style collapsible stocks (the "buffer tube" is too large). But other than these two admittedly minor gripes, I'm tickled with the stock.

I also ordered and received (very quickly I might add) an adjustable trigger from Red Star Arms for my Saiga S-308. All I can say is, "WOW!" I spent an hour or so yesterday, first installing the trigger, which took all of 15 minutes (because I'm a retard) and then fiddling with the adjustments until I got it just right. The old issue that I had with the G2 trigger group from Tapco where the bolt wants to hang when going back into battery was once again rearing it's ugly head. But it wasn't as pronounced as with the G2 originally and the rearward movement of the bolt was much smoother. I honestly think this will wear in quite nicely. I'll just have to shoot the heck out of it!

That won't be too big of a problem, either, as the trigger pull now is swee-eet compared to the old FCG (fire control group) and I've placed an order with Georgia Arms for 250 rounds of .308 Canned Heat. I've also ordered 500 rounds of .223 Canned Heat and 3 more PMags from Mississippi Auto Arms. That should put me in fairly good shape once Del-ton gets their act together.

I went and visited my brother and his wife up in Fayetteville this weekend as well as R in Rogers. R, D, and I all went and requalified for our CHLs (concealed handgun licenses). R's and my licenses expire at the end of next month, so I really need to get the paperwork together and sent off.

While we were up that-a-ways, we stopped by Ozark Armory in Springdale where I drooled over several different pistols. I really, really wanted to drop the coin for the SIG 220 SAO they had there. But I thought about it extensively and decided that I'll have to wait until Ghost Products, Inc. introduces their CZ-97B thin grips. If those make the 97 a little more hand-friendly for me, I'll probably just stick with it. After all, it's more accurate than I am, which isn't saying much, mind you, but I know it's got the mechanical accuracy there. It was the pistol that my friend P's brother embarrassed me with at 15 feet a few months back.

I didn't walk away empty-handed however. I picked up a well-used AutoOrdnance 1911 in 10mm for right around $335. The gun's definitely seen better days but I think most of the wear is superficial and/or minor in nature. A trip to the smith and a little TLC and it should be like new. I believe that I'm gonna try out the XS Express Sights on this one as it needs new sights anyway.

Well, that's been my last several days. Hope yours have been as enjoyable.

Good Company, Good Books, and a Crappy Connection

Well, my sister came by to visit this weekend. I had ended up taking both Thursday and Friday off due to my ill-health and she was kind enough to run to the store after getting here Friday afternoon and load me up with drugs. NyQuil is my daddy.

She ended up sticking around 'til around 6 Saturday evening. She had never seen the second or third installments of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy so we watched those in three installments of 2-4 hours each. By the time she left I was feeling mucho better. I went to Cabot to visit D and discuss guns, politics, and housing developments. (Don't ask. We're still in the wishful thinking stages ATM.)

I managed to finish both Animal Farm and MHI over the course of my illness. I would recommend both. Animal Farm would be best described as a cautionary tale about socialist democracies (and possibly governments in general). I'd highly recommend this to those of you who might be dealing with a friend or loved one who's living in a state of denial about the direction that our own government is headed.

MHI was a very fun read and I do recommend it but with one caveat. Please remember that this is author Larry Correia's very first published novel. Unfortunately, the lack of experience shows as "stream of consciousness" writing style in several places. There are several misspellings (in more than one language), run-on sentences, and some sentences that are just down-right constructed poorly. It's obvious that Larry could use the services of a few professional proof-readers. If this is the kind of thing that can distract you from a good story, this might not be the novel for you. However, if you're willing to forgive a few grammatical faux pas in the pursuit of an excellent story arc, then this is something you'll want to read. The story breadth is really astounding for a first-timer (though those of you who've read the Welcome Back, Mr. Nightcrawler thread on THR probably had an inkling of Larry's abilities.) It's almost unfortunate that there have been so very many mainstream vampire/werewolf/zombie blockbuster movies recently as this feels almost like it's trying to use those as a springboard to get more of an audience than it really would otherwise attract. However, as the story progresses, it's obvious that Larry has no intentions of sticking with the same old same old. He manages to use the old horror formulas, throw in a dash of campfire ghost stories, add a generous sprinkling of Lovecraftian lore, and the excellent portrayal of use of a metric ton of the biggest and baddest small arms that you'll never see on the big screen and manages to serve up a novel that is completely new and exciting.

Overall, I'm giving MHI 4 out of 5 smoking .308 casings of approval (with 0.5 deducted for technical writing errors).

Lastly, my internet connection has been flaky for the better part of this last week. It seems like if I go for more than about 3-4 minutes without bringing up a new web page, the ISP drops my connection. I then have to use the repair button on my local area connection icon in the toolbar and everything's fine until I let the connection idle again. I have no idea if this is an ISP issue or if my modem might be flaking out on me (it's about 4 years old now and was getting glitchy before the move anyway). Anyone have any ideas as to what the problem might be?

The Shame

I have a confession to make...

First of all, it's not like I actually bought it. It came with the gun. And I didn't have a holster that would fit...

*deep breath*

I own an ankle holster. And even worse I've used it. And worst yet, I think I like it.

Please, stop throwing things for a second and listen, will you? Just hear me out.

My standard mode of carry until now has been a full-sized sidearm in a hip holster either outside or inside the waistband. I then usually wear a baggy T-shirt or a loose button-down shirt, untucked, as a cover garment. This is great for normal about-town jaunts but in situations where sitting for a long period it gets quite uncomfortable. Inside a vehicle is even worse as the armrests and seatbelts can encumber the drawstroke.

Another strike against it is when in situations where there's a good chance of physical contact between yourself and another person. I've posted before on THR that my brother has made me a couple of times while I was carrying. Each time, he made an unexpected move such as poking me in the ribs at something he found funny or trying to playfully punch me in the side. And even though he's gotten a little more mellow about it, the first time ended with him making a scene in a restaurant and possibly outing me to other patrons.

Pocket carry would go quite a ways toward mitigating the risk of the latter problem but does nothing to help the former. However an ankle holster can work to solve both problems. It is an unobtrusive mode of carry and quite discreet so long as you don't go around lifting your pant legs in public or trying to kick people (or getting frisked by fellows in blue uniforms with guns and badges. Hey, whatever you're into...it's just not my bag). While wearing loose pants (think carpenter jeans) the pistol is not any more likely to get hung up on the draw than with a loose cover garment and the risk of printing with a small pistol like the PF-9 is minimized. And while sitting, the pistol is much more accessible than in normal carry methods.

With all this in mind, it's looking like I'll be able to arm myself in situations where it might be detrimental to certain aspects of my life (think sitting at a desk for hours on end). But at least I'd still be alive to look for other prospects.

So yes, I own an ankle holster. And I'm proud of it!

And maybe one of these days I'll be able to admit that to someone's face...

I'm Ba-aaack...With Presents!

Welcome back everyone! Here's hoping you enjoyed your break and had a merry Christmas. I know I had one.

Now, I'm sure everyone is just itching to find out what I got. Well...

In clothing I got: A t-shirt that says I'm right You're wrong Any questions? (The graphic is a little different on mine); A fleece pullover with pockets on the sides; Socks. (Of course. But hey, they're insulated and I didn't have any like that); An insulated jacket; Slip-on type shoes to replace the ones that I ruined while mowing the lawn a couple years back. (Hey, at least I didn't lose any toes)

For entertainment: Jeff Dunham's Spark of Insanity DVD. (F-U-N-N-Y...funny!)

In cash: $160.

And finally,...

Used the cash to buy: Kel-Tec's PF-9. I got a deal on a slightly used pistol at a pawn shop in J-boro. The $160 didn't quite cover the cost but it did cover almost 2/3. And now I have a pocket pistol!

Posts Intermittent

I'll be at my parents until around New Year's. Posts may be intermittent 'til then.

How to make a wallet beg for mercy

As I mentioned in my previous post, my sister swung down for a visit today. After leaving my current place of employment, we sallied forth in search of lunch. (Egads but I love having half days on Friday!) Being the good brother I am, I picked up the tab. Then she managed to coerce me into doing some shopping.

To tell the truth, all it took was her asking if I minded doing some looking around. I had completely forgotten that the Christmas rush is upon us.

We made a quick stop by the local branch of her shoe store where I was educated on exactly how they were doing everything wrong. And then listen to complaints about how, in spite of this incompetence, they still managed to be the highest grossing store in the state.

Then we hit Target. And this is where the cries of mercy from yon pocket book come into play. We had intended to do a little shopping for some of our family members on our mother's side. We managed to pick out a couple of items that seemed likely candidates for a few folks on our list. Then we entered the DVD section...

Long story short, we ended up purchasing at least three times as much, price-wise, for ourselves as we did for those on our list. There were just too many good deals that we absolutely knew we were never going to see again. My sister ended up with three seasons of Friends while I managed to pick up a box set of The Lord of the Rings and the Bourne trilogy.

I decided at that point that it might be for the best to skip the trip I had planned to Best Buy...

Where to begin...?

How about with a little self-congratulatory back-patting?

If you're reading this, you probably know that I recently started a new job in central Arkansas. It's really rather nice as I'm able to visit family and friends with a drive that's half the time that my old place of residence required. Because of this, my sister was able to come down for a visit today and drop off a couple of large bags filled with shoes.

Why shoes? Well, the R&D department that I am now a part of has sponsored the local Women's Shelter for Christmas. My sister is a manager for a shoe store in ma familia's neck of the woods and she was able to find deals on shoes for 4 women and 6 kids without breaking my bank account. (That came later.)

It was rather fun to see the coworkers go a bit bug-eyed as I brought two large bags through the front door to the office and deposited them beside the box designated for accepting donations (as the bags would not have fit even had it been empty).

Now, would you mind giving me a hand? I think I wrenched my shoulder...