They Really Will Put a Flashlight on Anything

I LOVE mascara. Absolutely adore mascara. I also hate most formulas and most applicators. Eye makeup is difficult to formulate right, doubly so for mascara. So when I stumble upon a formula I like I tend to hold on to it and start testing the rest of the manufacturer's products.

Too Faced's Lash Injection is one of my never-fail, always dependable mascaras. Doesn't clump, doesn't dry out, doesn't give me spider eyes, doesn't have me pulling at my eyelashes in frustration, and looks really good to boot.

It's also really expensive. It seems all of the good mascaras are and Too Faced is no exception.  Oh I've tried the cheaper mascaras but they never really work out for me. The Too Faced ended up in my collection as a birthday present and I absolutely adore it. I just can't justify buying more.

We've been looking for a good reflective mascara for me for what seems like forever. Reflective, light-catching mascara is the holy grail of the mascara world. Lots of mascaras claim to be reflective but turn out to be regular mascara mixed with glitter (seriously). And, of course, good premium reflective mascara is expensive.

So when I saw Too Faced's Lashlight on sale for 60% off I had. to. have. it. I'd been lusting over it for months.

This is the first bit of the description:

Our innovative thickening and lengthening mascara formula contains millions of microscopic mirrors that bounce light off lashes for a super-glossy, jet-black finish for whiter, brighter looking eyes.

I figured it was the same formula and same packaging that I researched 6 months ago. I really should have kept reading. No, scratch that. It was better being surprised.

My mascara arrived today. I'm opening up the shipping box (with Chris doing something else next to me) and I pick up the mascara.

And it's heavier and bigger than I expected. That's odd. Normally a tube isn't that heavy...

I read the box...

My mascara comes complete with blue-light LED's for "precise application".

My mascara has a flashlight button.

Actually there's a huge bonus to having lights and a battery in the applicator end. The applicator stays up by itself. This may actually be the first time in history that adding a (mostly) arbitrary light source to something ended up making the design better.

Does the light source work as promised? Yes, yes it does.

Shiny...

Chris initially didn't believe me when I told him. His remark? "They really will put a flashlight on anything." For once a package arrived with a new LED flashlight and I'm the one geeking out over it.

I wonder if this counts as a secondary backup light source...

Mel

Channeling Jessica Rabbit...

Katy Perry, singing for the troops.

The girl can actually sing, I just wish she wouldn't sing such crap... and pics like this show you why Russell Brand can't get that stupid grin off his face.

The requested submissive self defense post...

Is up at Femina Fortis.

Mel

They need a manual - A conversation

I have a friend who's an engineering student (let's call him ES) at a prestigious university; and although he's not socially awkward in the nerdish sense, nor is he ill groomed or unattractive; he has had little success with the opposite sex.

...Actually he's had little failure either; simply because his interactions with them almost always leave him thinking "Either she's insane, or she lives in a universe other than the one I live in".

Such interactions leave little room for the development of personal relationships. He's looking for logic and consistency... as those of us with more experience know, there is little to be found within the gender.

Which leads me to this conversation:

[15:10] ES: Someone needs to write a manual about women. You show attention they get pissy. You don't show attention, they get pissy.

[15:11] CB: In order to write a manual there has to be a defined standard, and a consistent interface. Neither exist.

[15:12] ES: It's amazing, isn't it. We spend all this money on science, we can put men on the moon, uncover the genome, but ain't no way in hell one can predict women... Let me rephrase that, not predict, rather have any idea to what level of randomness their actions will go.

[15:13] CB: Assume maximum entropy. It's the safest course.

[15:14] ES: Unfortunately that's an ideal solution. We studied this in "thermodynamics of alloys"; and I think much like ferrite, women are not ideal.

[15:15] CB: Generally speaking one prefers to optimize for the general case rather than edge cases. Unfortunately, with women, the consequences of general case optimization (presuming a maximally entropic system) are catastrophic. Therefore the wisest course of action is to optimize for maximum entropy, and compensate as necessary.

[15:16] ES: You know I had a dream about this last year...

Babes With Bullets - Background

First off, for those of you who don't know me that well, a little background.

I've been shooting for almost 2 years now. I did have some experience with firearms beforehand (a .22 rifle during summer camp at the age of 10, and some shooting with an ex who worked at a gun store) but my birthday, 2005, marks the beginning of my love of firearms.

At the time I was living alone in a not-so-good part of Mesa. The kids would be back in my care in another month, so I was in desperate need of a form of self-protection. Enter Chris, John, and Ben whose combined birthday present to me was a Ruger SP101 and all the necessary accessories.

I've been shooting ever since, and my personal collection has grown to include a Ithaca Model 37 Deerslayer in 20ga, a Marlin 1894c in .357, my tiny Llama Especial Spanish service pistol in .380, and a Kel-Tec PF9. I've gone on many range trips and gone through many rounds and been to 6 group shooting events in the past 2 years.

Despite all of these times spent shooting, I wasn't exactly what you would call well trained. Was I well-versed in the 4 rules? A rather good shot? Up to date on all applicable laws and consequences? Yes, yes, and yes. But I'd never had any professional training past what John taught me and Chris tried to teach me.

Yes, Chris tries, and he tries hard. But for some reason I have some kind of mental block when it comes to learning from him.

So when LawDog posted a link to the Ladies Shooting Camp site, my first words were, "that's what I want for my birthday."

Someone (Kommander I think) complained that it was "sexist" to have a shooting camp just for women. I think Chris's exact words were, "I don't care. It's taught by Kay Clark Miculek. If I could go, I WOULD."

And so it was agreed that I was, without a doubt, going to attend.

In the months following, other sites posted links to videos of the camp and other info and I became more excited about going. A few months back I took all of the firearms we had that we possibilities for me to take for the training, including the PF9 (ow, ow, ow, Cor-Bon nearly drove it into my forehead), the Colt Defender (which does not like me at all) and the FM Detective, which is essentially a shortened Browning High Power. After running some standard practice rounds through all 3 semis (having only shot each once before) I decided the Detective would be the best choice out of everything available to me. Not only is it heavy with relatively little recoil, but 9mm is nice to shoot and 15 round standard magazines are a major plus.

I checked our personal stores for a holster, checked the pile of mag pouches and chose a double, and drove to AZ Shooters World and chose a tactical belt. 840 rounds of handloaded 9mm packed in my range bag and I was ready to go.

And I had no idea what I was in for.

Mel

Tomorrow: I find out exactly what I signed up for.

This is Part 1 of a series of posts about my experience at the Ladies Shooting Camp I attended last week.
Post 2 - Meet and Greet
Post 3 - Day 1 of Instruction
Post 4 - Day 2 of Instruction
Post 5 - Match Day and Culmination of Camp

The REAL Face of the NRA

I just got home from here.

Let me tell you, 2 1/2 days of instruction from Kay Clark Miculek, Lisa Munson, Sheila Brey, and Judy Woolley can do a LOT to improve your handgun skills.

Obviously I will be posting a lot more about the camp once I actually get a good night's rest.

However, as a teaser here is a of one of my fellow campers:



This is Jackie. Jackie is a Boston attorney with a love of revolvers and blued steel and wood (which I can MORE than relate to). Jackie is also an NRA certified instructor. I took this picture after I explained to her exactly what I intended to do with it.

So for all of you anti-gun folks who say the NRA is all white Southern redneck men, I beg to differ. Jackie is none of the above; AND a damn good shot.

Oh and yes, that is a 625 on her hip.

More to come later.

Mel