All Things Rowdy

Successful people do daily what other people do occasionally. I think that is turning into a pretty valuable saying for me, I seem to use it often now. On FB super early this morning, 3am, I posted about some upcoming travel for shooting and how I was still tired from international travel and was kinda dreading the constant stream of it I have facing me. The fact that it is for competition means it is work, not fun. I have fun, but I have more fun winning. I've only been first place twice this year, 2nd place four times and then a few really bad results. Hoping for better results I switched divisions I compete in, looking for that top spot. Due to the equipment I run this requires some learning of new techniques and skills. Couple that with the fact I've not been able to practice at all for weeks and I'll be using a new gun with my first match in just two weeks, well I better get a move on! I want to be successful. I want to follow my own advice. Here are the things...

I can go places OK with time adjustment but coming home kills me. Sleeping few hours and very much at the wrong time. Yesterday my "sleeping" for the night was 5am to 1pm. Tonight's sleep was from 9pm until 1am. Arranging one of the ugly skeletons in my closet, I don't mind taking something to sleep. Even to the point that some might consider an inappropriate dose. Two Benadryl to sleep is no biggie. It's just like taking two or three Tylenol PM. Unisom can be doubled up as well. And of course all of these can be combined with Melatonin, heating pad and some Dramamine thrown on top. Or Nyquil. And if I had some prescription pain or anti-nauseousness medication that'd make the cocktail all the better! And by better I mean Kapow knock you out effective. It is ugly, but there, now you know a horrible foible of mine. When my life is made into a special on the History or Biography channel they can say I occasionally abused sleeping medication. But at the same...

Ok, so I've been home from SE Asia for about 7 hours and it's time I wrote some of the trip out, so I don't forget it. Of course I'll elaborate more as the week goes one with pictures and stories. -Flew the non-stop JAL from San Diego to Narita for the long leg of the trip. Everything else was trains, metro, ferry boat, high speed rail or local airlines. -Lots of transit in the trip. Pretty much it was travel a day, see something the next day and then move to the next place. Probably 7 different hotels in 14 days. -Got to see people K knew in Korea. Had dinner with them, hung out, and so on. Very nice for all I think. K speaks Korean, and that was beyond value. -Got to see my old neighbor in Cambodia. It was almost like he hadn't even moved across the Pacific Ocean. V (neighbor) speaks Khmer and again, invaluable. Super D and I can cover European languages just fine but man, Asia is a different story, especially if you are off the beaten path and away from g...

Oh man, things to do before leaving for a long vacation.......... -learn my new phone. get it set up, synced to my car, learn it's short cuts, down load all my apps. adjust the freaking personal stuff too, as it vibrates like you wouldn't believe! DONE -take my laptop in for repair to be done while I'm gone. a cooling fan has totally died and I don't want to fry my computer any more than I already have. -fix the bolt catch on a AR DONE -write up a comprehensive to-do list for the girl watching the house and cat. Mr Oliver seems to like her, so that's good. -buy some food and new toys for Mr Oliver to enjoy while I'm gone and for the sitter girl to entice him. I don't wanna come home to a shredded couch cause he was pissy the whole time. DONE -make a copy of my passport, credit card and driver license to have in case I lose everything or it gets stolen -begin to arrange things and clothes I want to take. especially photographic gear. DONE -pay...

I was talking to a shooting mentor about sponsorship and valuation and he asked me what my time is worth in the other things that I do in life and apply that to the payment amounts I want from sponsors. OK, so what is my time worth then? As a bicycle mechanic it is worth 10 dollars per hour. Everything I learned in doing this was as a person into bikes, a racer and on the job training. Stacking produce for a big grocery store my time has been worth 14 dollars per hour. I worked at this job for years and years and again just learned everything on the job. Teaching folks how to ride a motorcycle safely, for which I have a lifetime of enthusiast experience and 50 hours of training from the CHP my time is worth $22 hour. My degree is in nuclear medicine and if you want me to do that for you I charge between $40 and $48 per hour. I went to college for 5 years to get this degree and I have 5 years of full time experience doing it. Hmmm, so if my time is worth anywhere from 10 to ...

So I shaved my beard off totally and gave myself a haircut that is just short, not buzzed all off. I consider that a good compromise. Now for the bad results. Working on my grip strength I have jacked up my left (support) hand. Wrist hurts, palm hurts, little finger hurts. So I guess it's a good thing I'll have two weeks off from training to try and let it heal as much as possible in that time. The national championships is the second week in September, so you know I'll be going crazy in training the second I get back! Boot camp, eye exercises, dry fire, professional training and lots and lots of live fire. Last year I was 10th in the US, this year I wanna be 5th or better!

Ok here are the two choices; 1. Shave my beard and keep my hair. Or.... 2. Shave my head and keep my beard. You decide!! Let me know what you think. I'm going crazy and need to do one or the other.....