Supply, Demand And Greed

Pretty average Wednesday overall. Nothing new with regards to snow, rain, freezing temperatures or anything else that happens to be weather related - ok well it is still dam cold outside and everything is frozen but that is nothing out of the ordinary as far as the past few days are concerned.

There seemed to be more bad idiotic drivers on the road during our commute this morning which sucks, and surprisingly not a single one of them was a minivan for a change. I honestly don't understand how these people manage to get their license and keep 'em for that matter!

Work was filled with nothing more that piles of things to get done because my current game (Hangover) is on it's way to PA in about 2 weeks which is going to be cutting it close as it is. Otherwise my Wednesday afternoon was filled with nothing but meetings once I was done with lunch and the gym, ugh! I hate meetings and tomorrow is looking to be more of the same.

Searched High And Low

The past week or two I've been searching everywhere I possibly can for some accessories to add to my target practice arsenal. Nothing new as far as firearms, but things like additional magazines so I don't spend the majority of my target practice time at the range filling up a single magazine.

I am really bummed to say that because of all of the bullshxt that is going on because of the shootings it is nearly impossible to find anything right now, especially high-capacity magazines. There are some assholes that have a few of the items that I am looking for but at a hefty price. For example, there is a magazine that holds 30 rounds and is generally pretty easy to come-by because of the type of weapon and because this model is widely used for target practicing and training of firearm safety. The magazines that will normally cost me $23 to $35 a piece are now being sold for $65 to $125 a piece or more. I get it, it's simple economics of supply and demand but what is the point of taking advantage of like-minded enthusiast in this manner?

In my opinion I think that everyone should steer clear of any ridiculous pricing like that if they are in the market for something. Whether it's firearm related or the latest and greatest electronics. I cannot stand to give greedy assholes money when it's marked up in this manner. I can understand marking it up a few bucks because you have a now "hard to find item", but screwing someone that is into the same hobby as you just to make a one-time quick buck hurts everyone. Unfortunately this is only the start of it all now that New York passed their ignorant laws yesterday, California will follow them along with many other states - all of which I will never consider living in.

Community Mailbox

As mentioned in a previous post, I ordered a modification kit for my AR.Drone so I can fly it via a traditional remote vs. one of my iOS devices. The seller Mac Drones had my order in the mail immediately and it showed up Monday (less than 2 days!). That is awesome and I cant thank them enough for the outstanding customer service. Too bad for me, the happiness ends there.

We have community mailboxes in my neighborhood so when you get a large package the postman puts it into a parcel box and leaves the key in your box. When you open the parcel box the key locks in and stays-put and the process repeats for other customers. No lost keys, no packages left on doorsteps for wanderers to take possession of, sounds great right?

It is when it works, and for the most part the system works great. We have received packages this way for over 12 years without a problem. That has all changed now because for the past 2 days we have been trying to get the box to open, leaving the postman a note telling him that the key is not working, only to have him leave a note saying that the key is working fine and that it's now in another box with another key, ahhhh! Stop the insanity, I do know how to operate a key. So last night we stop to get the mail after work and guess what - same thing - new box, new key, no worky!

So today we decided to leave him another note and asked if he can simply leave the packages at the house or with a neighbor. I have no idea if he will or if he can, but I am hoping so. It's super annoying to have packages right on the other side of a door that you cannot get to. Therefor you have to play note-tag with your postman 1 time per day until it's resolved. What was the point of getting the package here so quickly if I can't get to it? I am also wondering if our normal mail carrier is on vacation and this is a temporary carrier, hence the problem.

I personally think there is something he is doing wrong. If he has his master key in there I am sure it opens just fine, but then he is not resetting the second lock that we would use with the provided key. I have a feeling it's happening to more than just us as well. Generally there are several keys in the boxes because neighbors have retrieved their large parcel items. The past 2 or 3 days there have been no keys in the boxes which leads me to believe everyone is having the problem because rarely, if ever, are all of the boxes key-less.

I am just hoping that today's note will be the last one and we will get our stuff today. I know that not only is my stuff in there but now Cicely has packages she has been waiting for from China and other international locations that have been delivered and are sitting in the parcel box, just outta reach.

Enough Outta Me

Yep, that is all for today. I felt the need to vent about the pricing of firearm accessories as well as the rarity of items that everyone is trying to stock up on while the getting is still good. I have a few calls and emails out to several companies back East so maybe I will get lucky and find what I am looking for, if not I guess the search will continue and the prices will keep going up as the accessories become harder and harder to find. Enjoy your hump day!

Photo: Community Mailboxes