Go see the Macbeth movie. The film is fantastic in its visuals and also makes the dialogue accessible to most people as well.
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Showing posts from 2015
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Ok, so the move to Little Rock next year is a GO. Jobs are lined up, houses have been looked at, matches found, a church to attend, restaurants checked out and plans to learn about the new area's nature, culture and history have been made. But that leaves one major and one minor thing left. San Diego. I gotta sell a house in San Diego as the major thing. And I'd really love to sell my vacant land in east county as the minor thing. Jobs have been told a start date of June 1, 2016. Can I sell a house in 4 months?
Crazy
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I kinda feel like I'm going a weird kind of crazy. I have been absolutely unable to sleep more than 5 hours a night for the past 6 nights. No naps later, no substance use, no extra stress. My room has no light pollution. No noise. My bed is just fine. I exercise. I do not drink caffeine after 2pm. I stop using my phone or computer about a hour before I want to sleep. And yet every night now I fall asleep at 10pm and wake up at 3am like it is a regular thing to do for a person. It is not! I don't know which is worse, waking up every night to a nightmare but getting 8 hours of sleep or trouble free sleep but for only 5 hours???
1776 and 1492
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I've been to a lot of countries in the world. Generally at the end of my stay while I appreciate what I've seen and experienced I still feel that America is one of the better places to live in the world. Very few of us worry about clean water. The electricity and telephone networks work 24 hours a day. You can get an apartment without being on a waiting list. I've never paid a bribe in the US. My vote gets counted. I can practice a religion without fear. You sure can't say these things about most other places in the world I have been. Sorry America but where I think you could use some help from you foreign brothers is in how people drive on the highway. Of the first world countries I've driven in the US is by far the worst for people just staying to the left, driving below the limit and not moving over to let someone pass. Come on US drivers, get it together and stop being left lane bandits!
Trust
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I have two more days of background checks to be completed before I know if I get my Trusted Traveler/Global Entry status from DHS. Should I worry? Well....... Things started rough in the interview when I had to explain why my income doesn't match their idea of someone who has traveled as much as I do. I think I overcame that one to the interviewing agent's satisfaction. Middle of interview was fine. Then we get to the end and final question, "Have you ever been arrested, detained, handcuffed or fingerprinted?" I had to answer yes. Two years ago I was fingerprinted by Harbor Police at the San Diego airport as I had mistakenly left ammunition on my carry on bag and it was detected at screening. Everyone was cool and I boarded the plane on time and just fine. But it was still an "incident", and the agent said it might prohibit my enrollment in the program and I'd lose my $100 application fee. My interview was the 2nd, so I should know by the 12th..........
Choices
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I like to do two things that others sometimes question. Shoot guns and ride motorcycles. Both are things people think of in some way as dangerous or not a necessary activity. Now if I had to choose just one of them to participate in I'd probably choose motorcycles. If I had to only do one for the rest of my life I'd prefer to ride a motorcycle around. Now if you were talking about the right to do something, I'd go with firearm ownership. I'd rather have my transportation rights restricted than something mentioned in the Constitution. So it really shouldn't be surprise then that I went for a ride this Labor Day morning. With my GoPro.
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I won my division and the overall for the match today. Yeah! Feels good. It was a very long day though! At the last indoor match I met and Adidas rep and got a deal for half off anything from Adidas. So I'm gonna take big time advantage of this shoe deal! Casual, outdoor, cleats, clothes. And of course for Super D as well. I shaved my head. My hair is about 1/8th of an inch. At most. I like it. Well what I actually like is not having to do anything to it or think about it. That is what I like! My interview with DHS went well right up until they asked me if I've ever been fingerprinted, handcuffed, detained and so on. Told them the story and they said they'd have to investigate and since it did happen at an airport I might not be granted my Global Entry/Trusted Traveler/Sentri. And lose the $100 fee. Sigh..... My buddy DO came back from 5 months of work in Singapore this week and today was the first day I saw him. Felt good to see a friend after a long absence. Kil...
Set your goals!
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At each big USPSA match I've been to this year my overall placing has improved, but for the National Championships where you have to look at my classification placing to see the trend continue. Area 2 Desert Classic this March I was 19th overall in Production, shooting 67%. And 4th B. Golden Bullet this May I was 10th overall in Production, shooting 71%. And 4th A. Production National Championships this August I was 101st overall, shooting 70%. And 11th A. Utah State this August as well I was 9th overall, shooting 88%. And 2nd A. My percentage of the match winner is getting better, my overall is getting better and my class finish is getting better. Onward and upward! In two weeks I go the the IDPA World Championships. Last year I was division champion for ESP in an Arizona match. At the US IDPA Championships last year I was 16th place in SSP Master. IDPA and USPSA are both pistol shooting competitions but they are decidedly different, so hard to make a direct comparison. No...
Art. Deception.
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I have a book, now out of print, entitled "The Art of Deception". Initially one would think this book is about how to deceive but rather it is about detecting other's deception and countering it. Primarily in verbal or written communication. (For body language I recommend the book "What Every Body is Saying") Which in my stream of conscious thought leads me to wanting to post this poster of logical fallacies. Read it and weep when you realize how often you've made these errors tying to prove a point. That is if you are a real Scotsman....
Ricky Bobby
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Hey, we have the same initials! And I've sadly had to come to the same realization that if you're not first, you're last. The competitive field I am in is very small at the top. It's not like the NFL where there are hundreds of people getting rich and good paychecks. If you're not at the pinnacle you basically don't exist. Which is kinda me right now and it is a crushing feeling. Last week one of the top people posted a video of him training with an agility ladder for shooting. On my own and months ago I had been doing the same thing. I posted on FB and some shooting forums about it and was basically dismissed in my opinions and training methods. But this guy does it and everyone says "oh, that's why he's the champ", "what a cool new idea", "innovator". But until I win something on a regional or national level, no one is going to care about my opinion or methods. Which is tough when you're still working hard but j...
Espana
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So after going to Little S' birthday party it's back off to Spain again. This time with Super D. I'm thinking 4 days in Madrid as that's the area I know best. Then two days time each down south in Seville and time up north in Bilbao. Just checking around it's kinda sad that leaving from the east coast doesn't make travel to Europe any easier. And it doesn't look like I'll have my global entry stuff done with DHS by that time either. Oh well, there is always the November trip to take advantage of that nicety. Any fall or winter travel plans for my readers?
Le Sigh
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I have tried a lot of positive self talk but my land ordeal, and especially now its subsequent costs, are really depressing me. I'm not interested in my hobbies. I'm not sleeping well. I have a hard time thinking about other things. I'm cranky at every little thing. I'm eating food in excess. All the classical signs of depression. I'm aware of it, but not doing a good job of defeating it. Like they said in the movie, "Life is pain, anyone who tells you otherwise is selling you something." Thanks a lot Dread Pirate Roberts! Sadly there is no simple way to make it go away. The county is not letting go at all. I read 68 pages of County code today related to grading and brush clearing and it looks abysmal for me as far as a what I see as a positive outcome. More so the cost of the action items they require just kills me. I spent 3 grand a few weeks ago and will have to spend twice that again still to finally be finished. I'm unsure of what to do and ...
The shootin'est, tootin'est varmit west of the Pecos!
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Some pics of me working on another overall match win today. Should you be interested in this kind of practical pistol shooting you should go to www.idpa.com or www.uspsa.org and find a match near you. You don't have to take it as seriously as I do, not at all! But if you like shooting and have a free weekend day now and then it can be good fun and hopefully help you improve your shooting ability.
grrrrr
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The housekeeper said today I look like a gangster or mafioso. Do you agree? So I posted on FB a picture of my agility ladder and talked about how I use it for training for shooting. Most people kind of questioned it or dismissed it outright. Then I see a famous person posts a video of him today on FB using one and everyone thinks it's a great new idea. This actually makes me kinda angry. I don't like being dismissed or marginalized because my thoughts and ideas come from me, and not from someone "famous". Cause you know what, he isn't any better or smarter than I am. In any way. And just like MM93 grew up to take down VR46 I'm gonna do the same to all those who are at the top right now. Everyone is gonna know it and see it. Then there will be no doubting.
What have I done for you lately? AKA Responding to a sponsorship question.
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A few posts back I asked if anyone had a specific question about sponsorship in the shooting sports world, or at least my experiences with it. I got a comment asking "Funny, I was just thinking about this topic. I figure once we have all our gear, I think we only really need two things from our sponsor... help with entry fees & ammo. Would like to hear how your sponsors have helped you. Thanks." For this shooter, it seems the first priority is gear. The physical equipment one would use in competition, based on his saying "once we have gear". These are pretty durable items and often a once a season expense. The reader then says he/she thinks their next greatest need is ammo and entry fees. If you shoot, practice or compete often then this is at least a weekly expense so let's run through some numbers. Ammunition. I make my own 9mm for 13 cents a round using high end components. You can make it for 9 cents if you're thrifty. When I was receiving bullet...
Does it really make a difference?
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As I sat in traffic near Mission Valley mall yesterday I saw people begging at the intersections, like normal. With the mild weather I think SD is a popular place to be homeless or transient. In this case it was an obviously pregnant, disheveled woman doing the begging. Or should I say pleading? In my mind my first thought was, I wonder if that is padding or is she in someway faking being pregnant to get more money? Closer visual inspection and she looked legit. And as I sat there averting my gaze after previously staring, the thought came strongly to my mind, "Can I see another's lack and I not care? Have you fed the hungry? Clothed the naked?", all of these New Testament style Christian thoughts. Let me inerrupt this by saying I have ZERO white guilt, zero guilt about being a 3%er. I am nice to people in the service industry but I have no problem watching TV while the housekeeper cleans the house. I don't fly across an ocean unless it is in first class. You get ...
Worry
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I wish I didn't worry so........ I have some things on my mind that I can't seem to shake off and let go of completely. First and foremost is getting the work done to tear down my private shooting range and get that land sold. I want that off my conscious sooo badly. All that property does now is cause me to feel anxious and worried. The exact opposite of its intended purpose. I am in the process of fixing all this, but I guess I won't feel really at peace about it until the range is completely torn down and the County no longer has an open case against me. Secondly I think about the little things around the house I want fixed before selling it. Time and money and scheduling. Seems to be the core component to all of these things. Oh and maybe "ownership" as well. The shower and wall in the master bathroom need fixing and replacing of fixtures. The kitchen sink and fixtures need replacing. The AC unit outside needs looking at and disconnected from the PGE control...
Como se dice 'vrrooom' en espanol?
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While I was doing my study abroad in Spain I rented a motorcycle for a weekend and took some rides out into the countryside north of Madrid and into the Sierra de la Guadarrama mountains. Here are some snippets from the GoPro video I took while goofing off. A lot of the country side reminded me of northern California and the Sierra Nevada mountains. All I know is it was a fun adventure to be riding around in the mountains in a new country. How can you beat that for a break from studying??
M Proust
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"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust I like this quote quite a bit but at the same time I don't like it because I want new landscapes. Not new eyes. I am choosing to read it as that I should not just view new landscapes with my old eyes but that new things should also be viewed with new eyes. Change my scenery and change myself.
You know who else would ride a zipline upside down?
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My mom! (Muscleman voice from Regular Show) My mom would be proud of my upside down playground toy riding. A joke I heard when I took a Skip Barber racing class went like this, "What's the difference between a rental car and a 4-wheel drive? A rental car can go anywhere." I kind of feel the same way about a rental a bicycle as well.
Sharks
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What happens when a shark stops moving? It dies. To most who know me personally, you know I'm anxious to move away from not only San Diego but California. For a good handful of reasons. -Income Taxes -No Family Lives in CA -Political Climate/Gun Laws/Land Use -Desire for Change (And Hope! hahaha) -Personal Growth that Comes with Change -SD Makes You a Weather Wuss -Increase in Personal Exposure/Opportunities in Shooting Having been living in Spain for the past month has only solidified my desire to move as soon as is appropriate. Not that I am in love with Spain but it has been a bit of gasoline on my rambling fire living and studying here. As if I needed any more fuel...... What has Spain taught me though about all of these feelings and desires? Well that I am more of a country mouse than a city mouse. That I need trees, mountains, seasons. That I can live without the beach. I like the beach swell (pun intended) but not as much as I like mountains. Blame it on my up bri...
Different Blog
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So I have to write a blog for my Spanish class while I am in Spain this summer. They would prefer I do it separate from this blog. So I will be posting a link here soon when I create the new one just for this summer's stuff. Find the idea of me writing in Spanish about my time in Spain horrible? Sweet, then you'll have a lot more free time. Buttttt, if you wanna read that kind of stuff I think it will be something new and fun for all of us! Check back here soon!!
Fiber's a fiend not friend.
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So with my history of intestinal stuff the lumen, inner diameter of my intestine, is narrower than most people's in all the places I've had surgery previously. I seem to have forgotten this fact when deciding to eat half a pineapple this morning. Needless to say the mechanical action of trying to force that much fibrous food through the tight spots in my gut has made me feel pretty yucky. I'm currently in bed trying to wait out the pain, nauseousness and bloating. #stupidchrohnsdisease
I hate "why" questions.
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I generally have a strong dislike for most "why" based questions that aren't of a scientific nature. I much prefer phrasing all the questions I have in life with the other interrogative options. Who, how, what, when. Why just never seems to lead anywhere. As you know, or don't, I have a strong desire to move not only from San Diego but from California entirely. 10 years has been enough! When I tell people who still love CA about this they often say, "Why would you ever want to leave this?!?", gesturing to the weather, sky and ocean. Well one, I've lived a lot of other places and I'm not a weather wuss. Living in SD makes you weak in that regard. It lulls you with a false sense of ease and comfort. Like the couch when you should work out, or sweatpants worn outside of the house. When interviewing for jobs in San Diego we always had salary discussion. In the bay area I was making $50 an hour as my base pay and routinely made 11 grand a month in o...
Not a chance!
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If I dyed my hair black, had surgery to alter my eye lids, took medication to alter my skin pigment and changed my name to Li I would not then be Asian. I could tell people all day I was Asian, that I'd always felt Asian and that I'd been born to the wrong race. Ad I'd be 100% wrong. I'd be called a cheat and a fraud for checking "Asian" on any form, application or paperwork. Any genetic testing on me would come back Caucasian. And most importantly every other Asian in the world would scoff and scorn my exclamations that through my own choice and superficial actions I was now Asian. To expect, let alone demand, inclusion or understanding from all the other Asians would be ridiculous on my part. The things that make us who we literally are all intrinsic. And unchangeable. To do otherwise is an affront to your very being and existence. An existential slap in the universe's face.
Questions, always questions. Isn't action always part of the answer?
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Various questions rolling around in my brain cave the past few days..... -Serve some revenge now that the dish is cold, or just let the sleeping dogs lie? -Renew my CA state nuclear medicine license or let it go fallow? -Is and act still considered courageous even if it is wrong? -Sell my FZ09 and get a KTM RC390? -Wear my GoPro facing to the front or the rear when I run with the bulls at Pamplona this summer? -Which is better, Wallace and Grommit or Shaun the Sheep? -Should I care about seeing the number go upwards on the scale as long as my waist stays the same? -Buy a Spanish talk and trash(pay as you go) phone or just get a month of international data while in Spain on my current phone? -I've let my interest in photography and photoshop slip, what is the best way to revive these interests? -Should I get a second cat, one more cuddley?
Quick Map
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The first draft of places for relocation reads like this: San Antonio Texas Boise Idaho Little Rock Arkansas Raleigh North Carolina Ashville North Carolina Austin Texas The basic considerations are: Low state income tax Seasons, trees, topography Proximity to an airport for national and international flights Conservative political climate and or presence of a university Favorable gun laws and competition opportunities Proximity to family Access to healthcare as an employee and patient
Here there be dragons....
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In a recent film I watched one of the characters asks, "What is your earliest memory?" Reviewing my own memories I'm saddened and surprised to remember a nightmare as my earliest memory from about the age of 3 years old. Of being awake at night and crying out for my parents, frightened of the scary dragon I'd dreamed of perched on the end of my bed. Him telling me he was going to get me and my parents couldn't save me. Wouldn't save me. I still have the same style of nightmare............... while it may be my earliest memory I hope it won't be my last.
la valise ou le cercueil.....
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La valise out le cercueil, is French for "the suitcase or the coffin." Pared to it's essential meaning to me it says if you leave you live. If you stay you die. Buddah had to go on a journey, leave his palace and hometown to find his enlightenment. Mohamed had to leave the area of his birth to win Mecca and Medina. Moses was a prince in Egypt but that wasn't the place to be for him. He died on the way to his promised land but never stopped moving. Jesus was scorned in his own town, no one could believe the son of a carpenter was really their Messiah. He had to find followers elsewhere, and send his apostles all over. All of these example lend credence to the saying no prophet is accepted in his own land. I'm not a prophet. But I am on a journey of personal perfection. Enlightenment. The aforementioned examples are all relgious in nature, but the individuals effected billions of people. I think they give a model to follow. Growth doesn't happen without chan...
OZ versus USA
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I made a new Australian friend today. As we were talking about a certain circumstance I said, "arguing with a fool is like wrestling with a pig. you both get muddy and the pig likes it." He said he'd never heard that before but the Aussie version is "I's like playing chess with a pigeon. He'll knock all the pieces over, crap on the board and still strut around like he's won." I'm going to start using the Aussie version. Any colloquialisms you'd like to share??
Feeling hot, hot, hot!
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We've had some very unusual San Diego weather the past few weeks with 90F days! More than one! I've also been supervising a lot out at The Ranch and my normal time outside shooting and such. Needless to say I've spend a lot of the previous week hot, dirty and sun burned. It's during times like this my mind drifts off to where I stayed in Patagonia............So cool, crisp and clean.
Project R
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So in my quest to be one of the best pistol shooters in the US I took a hard look at what that would take to accomplish. From that I decided that the essential components of success are: -Time free to devote to practice and competition. -A sufficient supply of ammunition and materials. -Support from family and friends. -The desire to not settle for anything less than the best. -Natural talent. -The mystery ingredient of Project R. Project R is what I was lacking in my quest. I have ALL of the other things in sufficient supply, if not more than enough. But what I was really missing is something difficult to get here in Southern California. If you're not familiar witht the set up, let me explain it to you. Shooting on public land is highly regulated and not open year round and you are limited to a few spots on a first come, first serve basis. You can join an outdoor gun range but you are limited in how quickly you can shoot and all from behind a firing line or static shooti...
Virginia 1760
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If I lived in Virginia in 1760 I'd now be able to vote. I'm an adult male, white, Christian and last but not least I now own property. Yep!!! I now own 43 acres out in the Jacumba area. Rocks for climbing, caves to explore, rabbits to shoot, motorcycle trails to build. All sorts of outdoor "fun" and such. A lot of money, a lot of work but hopefully it will also be a lot of fun.
But can I??
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I played the violin in 5th grade to appease my parents and try to get with Emily Butterball. Neither worked. Like all kids at the time I played the recorder as well in 4th grade music class. In college I bought a "Teach Yourself to Play the Piano" book. Got to the 4th chapter and was done, having only learned a little with my right hand only. I've since owned and sold and electric and acoustic guitar. Never learned more than a handful of chords. I still have a djimbe drum around somewhere as well... As you can see, learning a musical instrument is about like learning Russian for me. Lots of attempts but no real developments. But you know what I'd really really like to know how to play? The xylophone or marimba!!! Yep, mallets striking bars. Oh, I'd love that. I even have a to Fischer-Price one with the notes written on the "keys". Do you think anyone in SD does adult xylophone lessons??
Reputation Defender? Or a scene from Momento?
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Went to lunch today at a sandwich place I haven't been in almost a year. I like their food; it is original, flavored well, filling but kinda expensive. The last time I went there I was a little sick with Crohns. I had also just had a MRI and was starting to have a reaction to the contrast. Or was it the MRI to check my brain out? Funnily enough, I can't remember. What I do remember was puking twice while leaving the establishment. Once right at the front door and once at my truck. So you can see why I stayed away, even though it was clearly my fault and not theirs for the up-chuck. It's not you, it's me. Killer and I are eating our lunch when the owner stops abruptly and says to me, "Hey I know you, right? You look super familiar to me." As odd and atypical (finally huh Super D!) as I look I'm always surprised when this happens. I am not a memorable, movie star like tall dark and handsome. I replied with, "Well where do you think you know me fro...
adventure??
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The words "epic" and "adventure" get thrown around a lot in the outdoor sports world. Hell, they call themselves "Xtreme" sports so it should be no surprise. A definition for adventure that I like is, "It's not an adventure unless something goes wrong." This is a quote from a modern polar explorer as he was contrasting early exploration to how things are done today. Evidently my mountain bike ride yesterday was quite the adventure! -My gloves fell out to the ground and into the storm drain in front of my house while loading my stuff into a friend's truck. I would rather ride shirtless and helmetless than ride without gloves. The first sign of a coming adventure. -I'd just thrown my hydration pack down on as I loaded stuff up. Onto its drinking valve. On a 80F day, for a 2pm ride, with no shade. When we got to the ride spot I had 10% of my water remaining, the rest having leaked out. Good thing it wasn't hot or anything. -Th...
Slim Pickens pickings
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There is a scene in the classic movie Dr Strangelove where the pilot, Slim Pickens, reads off the list of their survival contents and adds a funny quip at the end. Should I list off the contents of what my survival pack this morning includes it would read like this: 1 hot shower 1 pill probiotics 1 pill sub lingual b-12 1 pill Tamiflu 2 pills Tylenol Severe Flu 1 quart drinking water (not rain water J. Ripper) 1 glass orange juice 250 rounds 9mm ammunition (I'm going to try and shoot a match with the flu)
Kurosawa
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This year is what I like to call my "Secret Samurai" year, in honor of the Japanese film director Kurosawa. Basically only traveling to like two or three matches this year instead of the 13 or so I did last year. But instead staying local and focusing on 'sharpening my sword', to then next year burst forth out of hiding. To have made Master and start shooting well and have people be shocked about this guy who just came out of nowhere and is sooo good. Kinda makes me wanna change my personal logo from a shark to a samurai......
Modeling....
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I love outside industry sponsorship. Three things about it I like are that 1. my continued sponsorship with them is more contingent on being a nice guy/good representative than on being first place every time. 2. they are normally excited to include me in their promotional material. I have two modeling gigs coming up where I am going to be photoed and videoed for the various company's websites and such. 3. it allows me more freedom in the equipment I choose. All of these things increase my level of enjoyment in competing and in just being nice, friendly and talking with people about the products I help represent.
Range Master Rowdy
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Ok, so plans seem to be moving forward on building my own practice facility/fun compound. Instead of moving overseas for two years. Land will be about 40 grand. A shed and storage will be about 1 grand. Targets and shooting supplies about 9 grand. Then a fence, Bobcat rental to build berms and other stuff I've forgotten are unknown costs to me. Two grand? Five? So let's say it is 55 grand to do it. Last year I spent 20 grand just on travel and match fees. I think my skill level would improve at a rate two times it did last year, so the ROI on this seems to be right. But I'm biased. The right plot will also have the terrain to make a small motorcycle track around it as well. Oh yeah.