February 20, 2013

Pax and competition prizes

New blog Competition will be held shortly - once  I sort out the prize I wish to bestow upon the winner.

Sadly, as much as I like you all, the prize will not be the following (too $$$ for my unemployed pocket to bear)

but you can buy one for yourself HERE

Hmm... the military teddy bears seem a bit too twee....   and sadly I would never get away with trying to ship the mini swords (the Australian and USA postal services seem a bit less than excited about shipping those sorts of things)

Oh Look!  They are now listing "Field Rations" and other freeze dried foods too...
http://www.militaryshop.com.au/catalogue/displayProducts/lineId/3551.html

And all the equipment for eating and heating.  [although I notice that the eating utensils are still a metal based product.  One day I may blog about the downrange friend for whom I found some sturdy plastic ware for - all very sad that the taste of metal in his mouth from standard issue cutlery would trigger PTSD attacks.]

Oh - they do have cuff links.  Is that of any interest to the readers?

Or I guess I could just buy some more of their nifty hats (offered once before as a prize.... I *think* Coffeypot ended up with one (it's late here and the brain is snoozing a bit)

There are also the usual extra bling bits of keyrings and the like....

Any suggestions from the Readers?  Just remember that it has to be affordable enough for me to acquire two of (so that any victim of the "Caption this photo" games gets one as way of apology) AND needs to be of small to middling size for International posting.

February 14, 2013

Pax is....

....looking for - Amanda Hugginkiss

(think about it)

And a Happy Valentines to the rest of you

Pax

February 13, 2013

WD-40 - Greatest invention since Duct Tape?

I found the following online - sorry not sure who to attribute it to (please advise if you are the author and I will add credits)
 
According to a few other online sources some of the following facts have been disputed (not made of Fish Oil say a few; not a cure for arthritis (however other folks vouch that it works from the). Anyway - read on and take notes [I for one am going to try it on the spotty glass shower door next cleaning day]
 
 
 
DID YOU KNOW?
What IS The Main Ingredient of WD-40?
Before you read to the end, does anybody know what the main ingredient of WD-40?
No Cheating.....

... WD-40 ~ Who knew!

I had a neighbor who bought a new pickup.
I got up very early one Sunday morning and saw that someone had spray painted red all around the sides of this beige truck (for some unknown reason).
I went over, woke him up, and told him the bad news.
He was very upset and was trying to figure out what to do....
probably nothing until Monday morning, since nothing was open.
Another neighbor came out and told him to get his WD-40 and clean it off.
It removed the unwanted paint beautifully and did not harm his paint job that was on the truck. I was impressed!

WD-40 who knew?
"Water Displacement #40".
The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts.
WD-40 was created in 1953, by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company.
Its name comes from the project that was to find a 'Water Displacement' Compound.
They were finally successful for a formulation, with their fortieth attempt, thus WD-40.
The 'Convair Company' bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts.
Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.
When you read the 'shower door' part, try it.
It's the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door.
If yours is plastic, it works just as well as on glass.
It's a miracle!
Then try it on your stovetop.
It's now shinier than it's ever been.
You'll be amazed.


WD-40 Uses:
1. Protects silver from tarnishing.
2. Removes road tar and grime from cars.
3. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
4. Gives floor that 'just-waxed' sheen without making them slippery.
5. Keeps the flies off of Cows, Horses, and other Farm Critters, as well. (Ya gotta love this one!!!)
6. Restores and cleans chalkboards.
7. Removes lipstick stains.
8. Loosens stubborn zippers.
9. Untangles jewelry chains.
10. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
11. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
12. Keeps ceramic / terracotta garden pots from oxidizing.
13. Removes tomato stains from clothing.
14. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.
15. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
16. Keeps scissors working smoothly.
17. Lubricates noisy door hinges on both home and vehicles doors.
18. It removes that nasty tar and scuff marks from the kitchen flooring.
It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off.
Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
19. Remove those nasty Bug guts that will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly!
20. Gives a children's playground gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
21. Lubricates gearshift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers...
22. Rids kids rocking chair and swings of squeaky noises.
23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
28. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.
30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
31. Removes grease splatters from stovetops.
32. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
33. Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
35. Removes all traces of duct tape.
36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.
37. Florida's favorite use is: 'cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers.'
38. The favorite use in the state of New York, it protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
39. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a little on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose.
Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.
40. Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.
41. It is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray it on the marks and wipe with a clean rag.
42. Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and rewash. Presto! The lipstick is gone!
43. If you spray it inside a wet distributor cap, it will displace the moisture, allowing the engine to start.

P.S.
As for that Basic, Main Ingredient.......
Well.... it's FISH OIL....
Who would have guessed ? ? ?

January 28, 2013

Pax and floods

So you might have heard that we have been having some wild weather over here in Australia....

"ex"-cyclone Oswald has spent the last few days creating merry havoc on the Eastern Seaboard as it swept down the coast.

We have had immense amounts of rain; huge winds and flooding.

Photos of some of the areas HERE

My place is dry and undamaged by the rain or wind - however some of my friends are not so lucky.  The Rivers are still rising as I type and we are unsure if their homes will be flooded out again (many of the same homes went under in 2011 which was listed as "once in 100 years flood").

And in other parts of Australia bush fires still rage...   Ahhh Australia - Beautiful one day, Deadly the next....

Come on over and visit!

January 25, 2013

Pax and pinking the Marines

I like to think of myself as "Not Evil - just easily Lead"


America's First Sgt Major... "Just saw this in my Supply office: "No Marine! No!"

Pax's offhand comment on photo... "So true... he must be punished.... (digs out the musk sticks and the postal boxes)"

One thing lead to another which lead to an address.. with the results being -



I wasn't *utterly* heartless and made sure the parcel also contained one pack of Tim Tams and some Caramello Koalas... 

So Marine Cpl Foster - where ever you may be - apologies from Downunder.

Can I send you something else to take the Pink from your memory?  Perhaps an Apocalypse Kitten? (I hear they are all the rage in certain Marine Households!)

 
 
For more adventures with Marines and Musk Stick Lollies - check out A1SM's posting on an earlier taste test adventure

January 24, 2013

Pax and plants

At home news...

In the hopes that I can establish a small herb garden on my balcony (and break the "Curse of the Black Thumb" that I seem to have for plants) I have begun a small "Green Project"

Day 3 after planting.
Nasturtium's in the top pot; basil and mint in the bottom

Oh and in case you marvel at how fast those two plants on the bottom are growing - sorry to admit that I got those two from the local market - already slightly grown.  The top pot - now that one is my gardening foo at work (from small seeds great things will come... and possibly be named "Audrey" )

Day 15 of the experiment and so far so good... even the current summer heat wave hitting our area hasn't (yet) caused any problems...



Milsupporting update.  My Official adoptee - lovely Sgt of the Marines - received the parcel of jerky that I sent earlier in the month.  He writes that he shared it with his team :).

There is a Valentine's Day parcel yet to reach him - a box of Old-fashioned V day sweets (according to the Amazon.com sales blurb at least).  Not sure if any of those small candy message hearts are enclosed but if they are - hope he's careful! :D

No word lately from the Unofficial Soldier adoptee in A'stan - Message received just after New Years that he loved the Christmas stuff.  No word since. I really hope he's okay!

Wish I could adopt another to virtual "hug, and pat and call him George" but have told myself that I must remain at one official only until I have a new job.  At least at one I can afford to keep up the level of monthly troop treats and not worry (too much) about my bank balance.  Sgt A is deployed until June so I still have some fun things on the list left to send him :)

*Pax is Plotting*

January 13, 2013

Quick update

The Rumours of my kidnapping by Clowns were sadly exaggerated*

However due to Bloggers new format changes I am unable to upload any photos without installing the evil and annoying Google Chrome on my computer (yeah.. no thanks) so until they fix/reverse or give me a better work around option I have a few posts that will be "on hold" for now.

Insert mental picture here - a lovely scenic shot of Heat wave affected Australia
(that's the burning bit at the other side of the globe from most of you)
 
 
In other news - still no job. Another application has just been sent off.  It's rather depressing to realise that in this day and age of digital communication that "must be able to use a telephone" is basic for just about any job on offer (even if they don't ever intend for you to be allowed to use the phone - you still have to have the ability).  Whatever happened to that Government Mandated "Disability Quota" system I wonder?
 
 
*I should point out that I consider Clowns to be evil and creepy so they are more feared than your average politician holding candy