On Research and Eisenhower

I sit here in my entryway, and I should be doing research. It turns out the nuclear policy of the Eisenhower administration is actually pretty interesting. It's too bad I can't come up with a thesis yet. Anyway, I don't feel like doing research, so instead I'm writing something that very few people will read.

I'm not even sure what I want to write about. For those who care, my arm is on the upswing, somewhat literally, though I still can't swing it very proficiently. However, I think it will probably be at approximately 50% of combat readiness by the end of next week. It may even be higher! All I want is to be able to pick it up onto a table without having to use my other arm or having to used my fingers like spider legs to get my hand to where it belongs. Give me that, and I'll be one happy man. Oh, that, and I would like to be able to turn my blinkers on and off, too.

Anyway, did you all know that the Eisenhower administration took us to the brink of nuclear war like three times? I didn't know that. In a survey of later American history people usually kind of gloss over the Eisenhower administration as a time of peace. Well, let me ell you, it may have been physically peaceful, but there was a lot of mess going on. If there's something I've learned in my study of history, it's that there is always something going on, no matter what it may look like at a glance. Take Utah when the Mormon pioneers just came in. Famine and peace? Not so much. I learned about that in my Utah history class.

Anyway, I don't think any of my readers are really that interested in this, I just felt like writing something. That being said, I leave you with a picture of an excellent man, at least based on the things I've read so far.

This is Captain Danger out.

On Arms

There are some things that you really don't understand what you've got until you've lost it. This was the case with my left arm. Now, don't worry, I'm not running around with a stump. My left arm is still attached to my body. However, the majority of the time it hangs uselessly at my side, because I can't lift it. Is that convenient? No. Not at all. You think, "Oh, I'm right-handed, so I don't need my left arm that much." Well, if you thought that, you're wrong. You would be really surprised at the number of things you use both arms for. Take, for example, getting dressed, or undressed for that matter. I'll bet you never tried to take off or put on a shirt when you couldn't lift one of your arms. It's harder than you think. Also, take driving. Closing the driver's side door without a left arm is a fight in itself, and then trying to do something with your right arm while driving is pretty well out of the question, because, while I have enough strength in my left arm to hold onto the bottom of the wheel, I can't really steer.

Thus, I finish complaining. I'll tell you what, I knew I was awesome, but before now I didn't know just how awesome, because I have to say, I'm pretty proficient and going around without a left arm. Also, the fact that I dragged my fat butt out of a canyon with only my right arm makes me pretty pleased with myself, too. In closing, I say this to you, my readers: Don't take your non-dominant arm for granted!

Canyons

As I sit here in my house at 7:32 am, waiting for it to be time to go to my weightlifting class, (that's right, I'll be ripped come December) my mind turned to what is the main reason for my weightlifting class, and what has become quite possibly my favorite pastime: canyoneering.

What is it you ask? In a word: awesome. In a few more words, I usually describe canyoneering as hiking through a slot canyon, but as slot canyons tend to offer a lot of obstacles, it usually consists of a lot more than hiking. Most of the time there is rappelling involved. There are usually things that you have to climb down, water to wade through/get over by being tricky and bracing yourself across the canyon walls, water to swim through, things to climb over, and all sorts of awesome stuff, not to mention the amazing things you get to see. Basically, take the coolest thing you've ever heard of and multiply it by 19. That might get you pretty close. It is the fact that I'm into canyoneering that gives me the ability to think when I walk around, "You know, Cliff, you're probably a lot cooler than most of the people around you." Note that I said most. I'm sure there are some people out there who make up for this deficit somehow, but I don't know how yet.

Anyway, that being said, I provide you with a few pictures, just to prove my point. This is Captain Danger out.

LOST

Before reading this post, please view the animated .gif found here.

Now, if there's one thing that I've never understood, it's the show LOST. I've never seen a full episodes, but the parts of episodes that I've seen have seemed really convoluted and confusing. Some people would say, "Cliff, you can't make a judgment on a show that you've never watched a full episode of!" First of all, those people are ending their sentences with the word "of," which any person who knows about grammar can tell you is awful. I'm pretty sure that the sentence that I just wrote was also grammatically awful, but I don't want to expend the amount of thought it would take to fix it. Yeah, I'm lazy. Second of all, I beg to differ. I believe that I can pass judgment on, not just shows, but also people, animals, books, and pretty much anything when I hardly know anything about them. I'm good at that kind of thing. For example, the first time I saw the show Stargate SG-1, I knew it was a great show, and I was right! I could give many more examples, but that's not what this post is about. Anyway, based on my judgment, the show is just strange. Also, I can't watch any full episodes, because I once told one of my coworkers that I would never watch that show, and when Cliff Chandler says he'll do something, he does it. Or doesn't do it. Depending on the situation.

Anyway, I obviously can't go into great detail explaining what's strange about the show, because I haven't watched it. However, from what I've been told, the premise is that a bunch of people from a plane end up stranded on an island and strange crap starts happening. Okay, that's easy enough to deal with. However, then, from what I'm told, they start having flash backs, and then even stranger, flash forwards, and then before you know it you don't have a clue what's going on. Who wants to watch that? Not me. At any rate, I think the main reason I wanted to write this post is to showcase the animate .gif, which, if you didn't look at it from the first link, you can look at it here. Basically, from what I've heard about the show, that thing sums it up pretty well if you ask me. This is Captain Danger, signing off. (For now. I'll post again, don't worry.)

Six Strings to Greater Attractiveness

There was a time in the past when I was very jealous of those around me who could pull out a guitar and start strumming it. I've always been pretty confident in my voice, and many have told me that I sing well. However, for a very long time, after giving it a couple tries, I had decided that I was incapable of playing the guitar, since I have large fingers. Fat fingers, as I like to call them. However, after a large amount of practicing, I have developed a descent amount of skill. Nothing too amazing, but I can strum out several chords and I can string them together and sing while I play them. I continue to practice, and I consider myself an amateur at best. However, something that I noticed at least partially before I could play and something that I really notice now that I can play is the following: Women really like a guy who can play the guitar. I'm not sure what the allure is, and I'm not going to ask too much, but for some reason, they think it's amazing.

One situation that I keep on finding myself in (and enjoying) is when I mention that I play a little, and then the girl who I said it to asks, "Can you teach me how to play?" My reply? "Yes I can." Then, not only do I get to hang out with said woman for a little while, I also generally get a chance to show off, something that I thoroughly enjoy. Anyway, that being said, I leave the mystery to my readers. What is it that's so attractive about a guy who can play the guitar and sing? I conjecture that it may be the fact that in order to play the guitar, there has to be at least some of his time spent not playing video games. With that, I make an end.

On Spamming

Dear Asians who keep on spamming the comments on my blog,

Because of you I have had to turn on comment moderation. You know, I really have no problems with Asians, and I actually think that Asian characters are pretty cool, the fact that I have no clue what your comments say aside. However, it's the fact that every single one of those comments has a long string of links after it, every one of which leads to a website that I definitely can't endorse. Therefore, my Asian friends, you will find that every one of your comments on my blog will be rejected. I apologize, but that's just the way it has to be. I hold my blog to a higher standard than that.

Yours,

Clifton Chandler
Captain Danger

P.S. To all of my loyal followers, this is why I have turned on comment moderation. Not that you would notice, since none of you have commented on my last couple posts. That's all.
CDC

You Thought I was done blogging, didn't you?

Well, allow me to begin this post by first saying that I apologize for my long absence. I would like to point out, however, that I am not the only one. It seems to me that the blogging craze has died down a bit since last year, when it seemed like everyone and their dog was blogging about everything. Granted, there are a few people who are still blogging, but not nearly as frequently as they used to. Life is sad when people don't want to write about random crap that happens to them or that comes to mind. I blame it on the recession. Either that, or Global Warming. Or else President Obama. It might be his fault, too.

Anyway, I didn't write this post just to make apologies and to point fingers. I actually have something to write about! If you're wondering what it is, wonder no longer! I present to you, the nunchuck gun:This little wonder is brought to us by the geniuses behind homestarrunner.com, one of my very favorite websites. (You know what's annoying? The text in links is always purple. Why does it have to be purple? Anyway.) The nunchuck gun made its first appearance in "Dangeresque 1: Dangeresque too?" and has lived in my heart ever since. I mean, it's so cool! the idea of combining an awesome weapon with another awesome weapon defies the senses, as well as the intelligence.

Granted, there are obviously a few problems with this gun. First of all, it looks like it might have a bit of a shoddy construction. If I were in the business of making nunchuck guns, I'm pretty sure I would use duct tape, not masking tape. My experience with masking tape has been that it generally doesn't hold very well, especially under conditions of heat or getting swung into peoples faces, which are conditions that nunchuck guns are required to endure. Duct tape would do a much better job of making it stand up to the heat of firing, as well as being able to bear being swung into all sorts of peoples faces. Another problem that comes to mind immediately is how the gun would be aimed. Those not as familiar with firearms don't know this, but the sights of a gun (how you aim) are on the top, and with that nunchuck in the way, it would make it hard to aim. That, however, is inconsequential. It simply makes the nunchuck gun a close-range weapon, which makes sense in the first place, because nunchucks are definitely close-range, and pistols are generally only medium range at best.

However, aside from these small problems, which could be easily fixed, I could definitely say that if I were going up against the world's most evil man, a nunchuck gun would be welcome in my arsenal. Just it's ability to shoot, combined with its swing in faces-ness makes it awesome. With that, I make an end. This is Captain Danger out.