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This week's reading I handled in a slightly odd way; whenever I finished a chapter in one particular book I'm still reading, I then read an Osprey book through. This lead to a lot of books finished though total pages aren't quite so impressive.

Anyway, the first one I got done was Osprey Weapon #23: The M1903 Springfield Rifle which taught me a bit about a weapon of which I knew nothing. There's going to be a lot of the Weapon series in a row here, BTW, because they've been piling up and I wanted to get through them.

Next was Osprey Weapon #29: US Combat Shotguns. Somewhere, somehow, I got the impression that shotguns were against the laws of war, but clearly they got a lot of use, starting with trench-clearing weapons in WWI to the Vietnam War and beyond, wherever it appears that US forces might be engaged in short range, closed in combat.

Then I finished Osprey Weapon #31: MP 38 and MP 40 Submachine Guns, the iconic weapon that is nearly always evident in WWII movies. Production of this was outpaced by the Sten, the Tommygun, and the following book which I read:

Osprey Weapon #33: Soviet Submachine Guns of World War II which discusses the weapons that they produced, used, and exported after the war. Interesting.

Next was Osprey Weapon #34: The Lewis Gun, the British light machine gun in use from WWI through II and beyond.

Then, Osprey Weapon #35: The MP5 Submachine Gun, leaping forward into the modern era and the chosen combat weapon of anti-terrorist units in the present.

Next was the book Osprey Weapon #37: The M14 Battle Rifle. I once had a friend who fought in Vietnam who swore by this weapon and could never get over being handed an M16 when he got overseas. The book spends some time on this controversy, which I found therefore interesting to read.

Following that was Osprey Weapon #38: The Hand Grenade, a modern weapon that goes way back, and one which has several variants, not all of which are anti-personnel. I found this book particularly interesting.

Then it was Vesuvius by Night by Lindsey Davis, a shorter piece which describes the life in Pompeii just prior to and during the eruption of the volcano. Chilling piece of work.

Then breaking free of the Osprey Weapon series for a bit, I read Osprey Campaign #47: Yorktown 1781: The World Turned Upside Down, getting a bit of background on the ground and naval maneuvers which led to the British defeat.

What a week!

(no subject)

I shall try my best to pummel my memory into submission and give up the bits and pieces of the last week or so. I expect imperfection.

Last Sunday was a graduation party for my nephew at my youngest sister's house; we were early which was my fault, but to be honest it was a pretty good thing because we got to spend a fair amount of time chatting with the nieces and nephew which we both enjoyed. It was supposed to be a BBQ, but we didn't stay for the dinner part. In fact, we left much earlier than we had planned.

You see, one of my mother's friends had been invited, and she informed us that Mom had apparently hurt herself and wasn't coming to the party. Because she lives now only a shrot distance away, we excused ourselves and went to see how she was. She was uncomfortable, but I was able to give her some suggestions on how to address her problem, and in the upcoming days, she had improved comfort and mobility.

We followed that with my pre-birthday celebration; Bridget and I went to Ink, a restaurant in Beverly Hills, I think, opened by a winner of the Top Chef TV show. We agreed that the entree and sides were incredible, but the appetizers and desserts were forgettable.

At work later in the week, two of the offices where I worked the staff decorated my office space for my birthday; helium balloons appear to be very popular. The Ontario office got me a birthday cake, while the Pomona office fed me pizza. I'm abashed at their willingness to celebrate.

Thursday night was food truck night at the Fairplex again, but there were fewer there this time, so the lines were longer. I ended up going to one of the trucks with the shortest lines due to being famished, but the food was forgettable again. It was my choice.

Yesterday was my D&D 5th Edition game; most folks weren't available, so those who attended didn't press to do anything too difficult with so many of the characters not involved. It was still fun, especially when the mages got involved in a bar room brawl with a halfling thief, and nearly every swing failed to connect. Some kind of comedy! Nice day.

We shall see what this day brings. Have a good week!