OldTimeR's corner

OldTimeR

Welcome visitor! Forget about plastic food, banking, bailouts and economic crisis! Also, leave behind all of your sad thoughts like salary cuts or overdue loan payments. Here we talk fun. A specific sort that is closely associated with “heavy metal things”. Cars. Motorcycles. Outdoor activities. Weapons. Hunting & fishing, probably. Small human pleasures of the past and many more.

History, when attached to technical progress in certain related areas. You know what? One can’t separate technical progress from history and the evolution of human society – well, prove that I‘m wrong! Weapons, cars and other tech stuff appear when people need and want change, when civilization makes another leap forward.

Why OldTimeR? Well, let me explain – the term “old-timer“ is used when speaking of a car made in the past. Okay, I’m probably like one – made in the past, living in the present, heading for the future. And the “Time” part starting with a capital “T” may have its own explanation – being part of history, a “time” category is essential to understanding events when put within certain context of a historical era.

Capital “R” may stand for “Russian”…well, there’s yet one more explanation – other spelling versions were probably all taken – leaving only THAT ONE free! I guess you may take any description you like…or invent your own …but don’t forget some of the areas of human interest or hobbies I intend to cover might not be, well, “fancy” in the 21st century.

6 May, 2011, 21:04

V-Day and Saint Anger

May 9th. Victory Day in Russia. A date to remember, even for those who never went to war. So much blood spilled, so many lives lost. The pride and the grief of my nation. Veterans and memories are still alive. But what’s next? History lessons and books are not enough, I guess. “The web-age” doesn’t add much to the genetic memories of a nation, unless a nation wants it. Yes, we remember. We...

6 May, 2011, 14:50

Russian Spring hunts part 2

In the previous post we were talking of spring season duck-hunts with a live call bird. Now we turn to local ways of goose hunting and another Russian spring hunting sports – woodcock roding [mating display –ed.] hunt. But – I’d start with a goose hunt. Duck hunting Russian style Well, many people say it’s laborious. And I’d say it’s a “heavy” hunt. I mean equipment and labor. Damn true. But...

3 May, 2011, 19:40

Russian spring hunts – part 1

I’d probably say “sorry” for a start. Even our web editor (who is, sincerely, a VERY patient person) said “You’re late.” But, writing needs some inspiration – and I obviously had none and needed to get some. Why was that? Too many reasons to mention, too many words to write. Anyway…this past weekend was probably the best in 2011. The real spring has come to Moscow – at last. I went out of the...

1 April, 2011, 22:43

The bikes that went to war

Okay, my friends. Here I go again – with one more story from “pre-iPhone” century. Any ideas how the war machines of the past looked like? No, I don’t mean Soviet T-34, US Sherman or any other “homicide dinosaurs” – surprisingly, humans have been very successful inventing many more of the kind. And many of them survived… Tank Sherman Tank T-34 Let’s take a glance at a very different breed which...

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17 March, 2011, 16:06

Joseph Stalin and a fistful of dollars

It seems like I’m keeping promises. Remember me saying I’ll be back again with Stalin’s car? Okay. Here it is. A perfect incarnation of the era. Please note a mannequin of a NKVD officer standing by. Black lacquered ZIS 115. A “Road Dominator”. Well, Joseph Stalin was no stranger to some forms of vanity. It has nothing to do with attachment to weird looking license plates with different words...

14 March, 2011, 13:51

A car’s “www story”: Wars, watermelons and welding

Bad guys drive “imported cars”– well, that’s what we heard from American movies… you know Mr. Chuck Norris? Remember his “adversary” in 1983’s “Lone Wolf McQuade” – David Carradine and a Mercedes car with the “CARATE” vanity plate? Oh, yes, you know Carradine starring in “Kill Bill” and never heard of pre-2000 movies…right, this is “old time stuff”…anyway…Let’s get back to import cars issue,...

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9 March, 2011, 19:09

OldTimeR's dream of an oldtimer

Where do we go first? Should we start with cars? A specific breed? You know guys, I have a dream. And it’s called a vintage car. No, not that “Pink Cadillac” Mr. Elvis Presley gave to Priscilla as a gift, or its clone, like this one. Though a different body-paint might be a good idea. Still I have some doubts about Caddies – I think they are too big to drive. Five+ meters of American dream in...

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