One thing about buying the blade ... it will never change it's mind on you, although I have been married for well over a THOUSAND years ... well it feels like it anyway, so my opinion may be biased. Here's a few of mine.
Re: Getting a dirk... Or courting a girl... reguarding the dirk, thats in intersting question, is 3200 RUB a lot of money as is spends in russia or even your part of russia? From my point of view thats not a huge amount of money but then compareing currency, I'd spend 1000 RUB on a bottle of vodka, which from your view might be quite expensive. Is the dirk usefull for anything more than just looks, if its not I wouldn't say that it was worth it, but if its then maybe. It depends on how rare the item is and how much you want it.
Re: Getting a dirk... Or courting a girl... They say average salary in Russia is 18000 roubles per month (alas, my salary is below average!) 3200 roubles is still affordable for me. In Russia officer's dirk is given to every graduate of a higher military education institution along with their first (commisioned) officer rank (lieutenant). It is a part of parade uniform for officers and, for navy officers, also a personal weapon. Unfortunately, it is not given to those, who get their rank of lieutenant via military training during scholarship in a common (non-military) higher education institution. Somehow, three years after getting my rank, I decided it would be neat to have a replica, if I can not get a real one. I guess it is just another one of my obsessive ideas. P.S. Average salary is, actually, far too high, because very few people with VERY HIGH income make it a non-representative parameter. P.P.S. And yes, it is only good for its looks. Third Addition. 3200 roubles can get you ~60 tickets to some cinemas in Moscow (morning/midday), ~30 average dinners in my University's mess hall, ~150 half-liter bottles of still "Aqua Minerale" water...
Re: Getting a dirk... Or courting a girl... Off-topic post: Today radio said that 80% of Moscow inhabitants get salary, which is LESS than average salary in Russia. Since those, who do not live in Moscow, earn even less... Well, you get the idea. (It is just an unexpected proof for "P.S." part of my previous post.)
Re: Getting a dirk... Or courting a girl... I just read recenty that moscow is the most expensive city in the world to live in. I think thats factoring income vs expences
Re: Getting a dirk... Or courting a girl... Exactly. But it gets better, Moscow may be the most expensive CITY, but I only work there, not live there, and my TOWN beats Moscow by expensiveness! Mytischy -> unch: <- Moscow [EDIT] Bought myself a dirk today. Now there is only one other problem left! Yay!
Re: Getting a dirk... Or courting a girl... depends on the material and worksmanship used. i personally dont like sharp things. i would rather get a temp tatoo and show it to the girl. but besides, if they didnt give you a dirk becouse you were in scholarship then you might as well just write to them and try to persuade them to give you a dirk. you could say you can offer 3200 roubles to them as the expense of the dirk if thats the problem (that will hurt their pride). but just buy a rapier instead. edit: errr you bought a dirk. sorry i didnt read the last line. good luck with it um..
It seems you suggest that I show my new dirk to girls... Nope... Never... Being attracted to a piece of metal is silly and spending money on it is a waste, I will better keep it in a secret stash. Do not tell anyone. [You would not believe how great it is to have such a thing, to carry it on a belt and to take in out of the scabbard hundred times in a day...]
ah i thought you wanted to show it to the girl. good. well i know the feeling sadly. i know the stashing feeling also. the best blade is the one you forge yourself. "the man who have forged the first blade, of crude steel his savage soul must be made" said a famous actor once.
Does creating a wooden flotation column holder count for forging a blade? The holder is neat, it has three legs, and they form a cone, the column is held in two self-locking three-sided bands, and all is made from as small quantity of planks as possible. Hmm... I think I'll show it in the cam-hos thread, it is neat... Maybe I should have made an animated 3D model in Solid Works or KOMPAS for it... That would beat WHN for sure... <...gone to the laboratory to take photos of the column holder...>
No cucumbers, just 9 wooden planks and 12 steel screw bolts... I had no camera with me today, so no photos yet.
