I know it, I preach it to students that if you want to get really good you need to stick with just one gun for a year of competition.
My plan, and what I dumped a bunch of money into was to shoot Limited for all of 2018. Shoot major power factor, shoot a single action gun, shoot a high capacity division and make Master in it. Things to be learned from all of those items.
But then I shot my Carry Optics gun today for the first time in 9 months and realized how much I enjoy it. So now I'm torn...
Which division to put my focus into for 2018.....
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Shower With Me
I do love a long hot shower.....
As I have large tiles in the shower with repetitive patterns in them I now see two things in the shower with me, all the time, in any direction I look.
A clown's face and a snake's head wearing a bishop's hat.
I guess it's a good thing the inside of my shower isn't patterned to look like clouds in the sky or who knows what I'd see??
As I have large tiles in the shower with repetitive patterns in them I now see two things in the shower with me, all the time, in any direction I look.
A clown's face and a snake's head wearing a bishop's hat.
I guess it's a good thing the inside of my shower isn't patterned to look like clouds in the sky or who knows what I'd see??
Monday, December 18, 2017
mas corto
I'm totally at peace with buzzing my hair super short, myself. Yep, I do look uglier with my hair all buzzed off. But I like it that way, so the end.
I did it the first time on a dare in college when I had typical long 90s grunge hair. It felt very weird. Then I got into jiu jitsu and it made physical sense to have short hair. Then I was super poor and saving $25 a month by cutting my own hair was helpful. Then I moved to Yuma Arizona where it was suppppper hot and it just made me feel cooler temperature wise.
So here I am now. No real reason to do it other than it's just how I like it.
I did it the first time on a dare in college when I had typical long 90s grunge hair. It felt very weird. Then I got into jiu jitsu and it made physical sense to have short hair. Then I was super poor and saving $25 a month by cutting my own hair was helpful. Then I moved to Yuma Arizona where it was suppppper hot and it just made me feel cooler temperature wise.
So here I am now. No real reason to do it other than it's just how I like it.
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Newosis Neurosis
When you get malaria it never goes away. You can have bouts of it years and years after first contracting it. The same goes for a disease I suffer from, Newosis.
Newosis is a powerful brain and mood disorder where you're frustrated and disconsolate until you've either done or acquired something new in your life. Normally it takes a fairly large dose of new to put it into remission.
I'm feeling an onset of it, probably a strong case.
Newosis is a powerful brain and mood disorder where you're frustrated and disconsolate until you've either done or acquired something new in your life. Normally it takes a fairly large dose of new to put it into remission.
I'm feeling an onset of it, probably a strong case.
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Going back to sleep on purpose.
Normally when someone wants to tell you about their dreams they start off with, "I had the strangest dream last night." Which has lead me to conclude that pretty much every dream that everyone has is strange. Neurological back wash is how I'd describe them.
But last night I had a regular dream. And it was so regular that the two times I awoke during it I made a real effort to go back to sleep and reenter the dream. What was it? I had some sort of entry level job at a natural history museum in a large city. And my dream was just me going to work and interacting with co workers and trying to do well at my job.
That was it.
But last night I had a regular dream. And it was so regular that the two times I awoke during it I made a real effort to go back to sleep and reenter the dream. What was it? I had some sort of entry level job at a natural history museum in a large city. And my dream was just me going to work and interacting with co workers and trying to do well at my job.
That was it.
Saturday, December 2, 2017
Unfortunate
I don't think there is a single, not one, male who couldn't be found guilty of sexual harassment. Every single one of us has said or done something that could have been construed as harassment at one time in our lives.
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Making It.
In my shooting competitions the top skill classification is called "Grand Master" (GM). To achieve this ranking you have to shoot 6 different skill tests with a score within 5% of the very best. In other words you need to be 95th percentile of everyone who is doing it. By the membership numbers that is about 2% of the people who compete. More people have summitted Mt Everest.
I usually shoot one or two of these skill tests, called classifiers, per month year round. And to make it a little harder they don't just take your 6 best of all time but only your 6 best of your most recent ones. Looking at my history for example you'll see that I've shot more than one 100% level classifier but they were long enough ago they don't count to my current classification percentage. (I'm paraphrasing this as it's a little more complex that how I describe)
I've always had the goal of making GM in the back of my mind. And now I get this tingling feeling I'm in another window of possibility to do it. This Saturday my local club is doing a classifier I know I can do 100% on. The following week in Tulsa they are doing 4 classifiers in one match giving me a total of 5 tries in just 2 weeks. If I can get 3-100$ runs in or 4 at 97% in I would make GM in Production. Cool!!!!!
The question is do I go for it in one concerted effort or let it happen more gradually? Am I ready for the added pressures and expectations of having a GM ranking?
I usually shoot one or two of these skill tests, called classifiers, per month year round. And to make it a little harder they don't just take your 6 best of all time but only your 6 best of your most recent ones. Looking at my history for example you'll see that I've shot more than one 100% level classifier but they were long enough ago they don't count to my current classification percentage. (I'm paraphrasing this as it's a little more complex that how I describe)
I've always had the goal of making GM in the back of my mind. And now I get this tingling feeling I'm in another window of possibility to do it. This Saturday my local club is doing a classifier I know I can do 100% on. The following week in Tulsa they are doing 4 classifiers in one match giving me a total of 5 tries in just 2 weeks. If I can get 3-100$ runs in or 4 at 97% in I would make GM in Production. Cool!!!!!
The question is do I go for it in one concerted effort or let it happen more gradually? Am I ready for the added pressures and expectations of having a GM ranking?
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Money and Medicine
I still think I made more working at the hospital than I've paid to one.... No way I've paid more than that out of my own pocket. I'm sure the insurance company feels a little differently though! What a rough business.
Beyond that, here is an email for an expensive out of pocket blood test I had with the result of remission to mild. That is good news! I can accept that on a cold Tuesday morning.
Beyond that, here is an email for an expensive out of pocket blood test I had with the result of remission to mild. That is good news! I can accept that on a cold Tuesday morning.
Monday, November 20, 2017
I know it, but it's hard to live it.
"It will all work out", isn't the same thing as "It will be easy."
Friday, November 17, 2017
Henry
Henry is a word like yuppie. High earner not rich yet. What most people don't realize is there is a huge difference between being rich and having a high income.
Doctors who are doing great make over 500,000 dollars a year. Any decent lawyer makes 200,000 a year. I made over 100,000 a year just as nuclear medicine technologist and as a radiation safety officer. Rock stars, professional athletes and movie stars now we're talking about millions of dollars a year at the top.
But every dollar any of those people earn is for something they did. A surgery, a case, a performance. A wage for for a service, even if it is a very high wage. But that doesn't make you rich.
You know what rich is? Rich is having something else make money for you. Rich is receiving income unrelated to your physical performance. Rich is capital gains. Rich is commercial or residential rental property income. Rich is having the employees of your chain of restaurants or gas stations making money for you.
Now, it would be foolish to argue that having a high income isn't nice or that it doesn't allow you a certain liberty in choices versus someone making 18 thousand a year. But understand being truly rich rich is a different thing. And then there is a whole other level of wealth that's generational. Money that lasts multiple lifetimes..... wow.
Doctors who are doing great make over 500,000 dollars a year. Any decent lawyer makes 200,000 a year. I made over 100,000 a year just as nuclear medicine technologist and as a radiation safety officer. Rock stars, professional athletes and movie stars now we're talking about millions of dollars a year at the top.
But every dollar any of those people earn is for something they did. A surgery, a case, a performance. A wage for for a service, even if it is a very high wage. But that doesn't make you rich.
You know what rich is? Rich is having something else make money for you. Rich is receiving income unrelated to your physical performance. Rich is capital gains. Rich is commercial or residential rental property income. Rich is having the employees of your chain of restaurants or gas stations making money for you.
Now, it would be foolish to argue that having a high income isn't nice or that it doesn't allow you a certain liberty in choices versus someone making 18 thousand a year. But understand being truly rich rich is a different thing. And then there is a whole other level of wealth that's generational. Money that lasts multiple lifetimes..... wow.
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Costs
When making a purchasing decision economists say we gauge how much money to spend by using two methods of thinking, relative cost and opportunity cost. Researchers say that most of us use relative cost when deciding how much money to spend on an item or service.
"Well if we're gonna spend 900 on new dryer why not 1,200 and get the super nice one?" Normally it is comparing one thing to another and convincing yourself that spending more is worth it, relative to the amount you're spending or to an alternative but similar item. Usually you find a way to rationalize an up-sell, either from a salesman or from within yourself.
More rarely they say do we gauge things from the idea of an opportunity cost. Relative is a 'this-vs-that' kind of question while opportunity asks you, "what instead of this altogether?" I'm feeling a little melancholy and broke today, which has me thinking opportunity costs of the thing(s) I spend the most money on. What did I give up by spending money on X instead of Y?
In my personal example my number one thing would have to be money spent in relation to shooting. Now with no sponsorship, no industry job, no regular teaching the idea of cost comes to mind. This inward look isn't helped by the fact that I have no big matches in sight, no plans, nothing but practice and the goal of "getting better". Which always leads me to a what's it all worth kind of navel gazing. More of a sigh than sorrow.
Real numbers, I spend about a low of $300 a month on shooting competitions to a high of $1,800 depending on the travel and matches I'm attending. A low month would be $80 in match fees, $100 in gasoline, $100 in ammo. A high month would be $300 in match fees, $200 in ammo, $700 in plane ticket, $300 in hotel, $200 in rental car and $100 in misc. if you figure a year to be 6 big months and 6 small months that is 12,600 dollars. Throw in a new gun and the required equipment and that adds another 2 grand easy. And I'm not sure my ammo component costs are accurately figured into these figures either, but that's OK. Fifteen thousand a year. Pretty cheap to chase a dream, right? Oh, there is that relative cost thinking again!
Without looking at time and emotional involvement and using the idea of opportunity cost is there something I'd rather have entirely in the place of a year of competitive shooting at a highly involved level? Fifteen smackers, hmmmm, to think to think. That's a nice motorcycle. I could have a pretty good adventure bike for that money. A two week first class vacation can be had for 15 grand as well. An extra 15 grand a year into savings? An extra thousand dollars a month on the principle of the house loan? Getting that burst blood vessel lasered off the end of my nose? I mean really, that's all I can think of; trips, motorcycles, savings or paying on the house loan. Those are the things I feel I'm giving up instead.
What else would I rather have or do with that money? Asking me right now I'm not sure how I'd answer. Ask me when I make GM or have a division trophy in my hand and I know the answer. Not sure what Super D thinks.....
"Well if we're gonna spend 900 on new dryer why not 1,200 and get the super nice one?" Normally it is comparing one thing to another and convincing yourself that spending more is worth it, relative to the amount you're spending or to an alternative but similar item. Usually you find a way to rationalize an up-sell, either from a salesman or from within yourself.
More rarely they say do we gauge things from the idea of an opportunity cost. Relative is a 'this-vs-that' kind of question while opportunity asks you, "what instead of this altogether?" I'm feeling a little melancholy and broke today, which has me thinking opportunity costs of the thing(s) I spend the most money on. What did I give up by spending money on X instead of Y?
In my personal example my number one thing would have to be money spent in relation to shooting. Now with no sponsorship, no industry job, no regular teaching the idea of cost comes to mind. This inward look isn't helped by the fact that I have no big matches in sight, no plans, nothing but practice and the goal of "getting better". Which always leads me to a what's it all worth kind of navel gazing. More of a sigh than sorrow.
Real numbers, I spend about a low of $300 a month on shooting competitions to a high of $1,800 depending on the travel and matches I'm attending. A low month would be $80 in match fees, $100 in gasoline, $100 in ammo. A high month would be $300 in match fees, $200 in ammo, $700 in plane ticket, $300 in hotel, $200 in rental car and $100 in misc. if you figure a year to be 6 big months and 6 small months that is 12,600 dollars. Throw in a new gun and the required equipment and that adds another 2 grand easy. And I'm not sure my ammo component costs are accurately figured into these figures either, but that's OK. Fifteen thousand a year. Pretty cheap to chase a dream, right? Oh, there is that relative cost thinking again!
Without looking at time and emotional involvement and using the idea of opportunity cost is there something I'd rather have entirely in the place of a year of competitive shooting at a highly involved level? Fifteen smackers, hmmmm, to think to think. That's a nice motorcycle. I could have a pretty good adventure bike for that money. A two week first class vacation can be had for 15 grand as well. An extra 15 grand a year into savings? An extra thousand dollars a month on the principle of the house loan? Getting that burst blood vessel lasered off the end of my nose? I mean really, that's all I can think of; trips, motorcycles, savings or paying on the house loan. Those are the things I feel I'm giving up instead.
What else would I rather have or do with that money? Asking me right now I'm not sure how I'd answer. Ask me when I make GM or have a division trophy in my hand and I know the answer. Not sure what Super D thinks.....
Tiempo, horas y segundos.
I'm going to Texas for a week at Thanksgiving. I have family coming for Christmas for a week. And then I want to move out of the state by like May or June. All these things are on the books.
On the other hand I feel I need a part time job. What are the chances of getting a part time job that lets me keep my holiday plans and won't look bad when I leave another job after less than a year?????????????
On the other hand I feel I need a part time job. What are the chances of getting a part time job that lets me keep my holiday plans and won't look bad when I leave another job after less than a year?????????????
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Like the edge of torn, wet paper
My vision is definitely deteriorating more rapidly than I'd ever imagined. I'm not gonna go blind anytime soon but my loss of visual acuity is severe and hasn't stopped getting worse once it started just 4 years ago. Glasses of course are and have been the answer. That's not what gives me pause though, just the fact my vision hasn't leveled off. Just worse and worse year after year.
Reflect on the pause button for a second. Cassettes, cd, dvd, digital they all have a pause button. An indeterminate time of stoppage but that was user controlled and then you jumped right back in where you left off. So to say life is on pause I think would be a misnomer. I don't feel in control of the time frame and I'm not quite sure where in my own personal song I'm going to be jumping back in. Feels more like shuffle instead.
Career restart and change is tied to the timing and money of both selling this house and moving to a new place. This is not the time to spend 10 grand on career re-entry education. (Radiation Safety if you're wondering. Classes at Oak Ridge) Feeling all Joseph Heller, the house has to be sold and a move made to Texas most likely and then I can go get re-certified and then I can go get a new job. OK, not a catch-22 but more like a Rube Goldburg contraption. The iron has to move the bowling ball has to knock of the domino has to set the mouse trap for this to all work out right.
The timing is very rough. Maybe get the house up for sale in March or April to get the timing right for a family buyer and the school year. Then move to Texas hopefully in May or June. With a job already in place. Then work on my RSO job stuff.
Wow, notice how shooting wasn't mentioned anywhere in there? The ROI of it all is driving me crazy right now. I love doing it, I love the travel, I love the pressure of big matches. (not really into locals, as a "just for fun" thing)But I want more out of it than personal satisfaction and I struggle with making that happen through my sponsorship, videos and writing gigs. IDK....
Gulp. Gag. Word vomit. Spittle. Gasp.
Reflect on the pause button for a second. Cassettes, cd, dvd, digital they all have a pause button. An indeterminate time of stoppage but that was user controlled and then you jumped right back in where you left off. So to say life is on pause I think would be a misnomer. I don't feel in control of the time frame and I'm not quite sure where in my own personal song I'm going to be jumping back in. Feels more like shuffle instead.
Career restart and change is tied to the timing and money of both selling this house and moving to a new place. This is not the time to spend 10 grand on career re-entry education. (Radiation Safety if you're wondering. Classes at Oak Ridge) Feeling all Joseph Heller, the house has to be sold and a move made to Texas most likely and then I can go get re-certified and then I can go get a new job. OK, not a catch-22 but more like a Rube Goldburg contraption. The iron has to move the bowling ball has to knock of the domino has to set the mouse trap for this to all work out right.
The timing is very rough. Maybe get the house up for sale in March or April to get the timing right for a family buyer and the school year. Then move to Texas hopefully in May or June. With a job already in place. Then work on my RSO job stuff.
Wow, notice how shooting wasn't mentioned anywhere in there? The ROI of it all is driving me crazy right now. I love doing it, I love the travel, I love the pressure of big matches. (not really into locals, as a "just for fun" thing)But I want more out of it than personal satisfaction and I struggle with making that happen through my sponsorship, videos and writing gigs. IDK....
Gulp. Gag. Word vomit. Spittle. Gasp.
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Every morning
I seriously wake up each morning wondering if we're at war with North Korea yet. And each morning I'm both surprised and relieved nothing happened in the night to provoke either side.
Monday, October 16, 2017
Thursday, September 14, 2017
Tears
I tried watching some of the 9/11 specials that were on TV in the past few days. I couldn't keep watching them once they got to the actual attacks. All it did was overwhelm me emotionally and made me cry. So I turned them off.
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
the one night...
The one night I want to make sure I get a solid 7 hours of sleep and take a Unisom to help me out is the night it totally doesn't happen. Instead I sleep in three sets of 2 hour blocks and the expected diarrhea from the contrast I drank for my CT scan kicks in with a vengeance at 4am. Fun!
Friday, August 18, 2017
htfu
It is going to be hot and humid this week at the local IDPA match. So they waived concealment as a requirement. Essentially no vest is what that means, gun out in the open.
I think this is silly. Why? Well it's IDPA, drawing and reloading the gun from concealment is part of the game and an essential part of it. How is that weather dependent? Two. You're already outside in the heat and humidity for the 4 hours or so that the match takes. If it is to hot for a vest it is probably to hot to shoot at all. Finally, the amount of time you wear the vest is minimal. If you only put it on when you shoot that is about 12 minutes of time during the match. Yep, 12 minutes out of that 4 hours you're already there in the sun, feeling the humidity you'd be wearing a cotton vest.
Just another example of how things are changed to make stuff simpler and easier for no logical reason. "It's really hot out!"
Harden the freak up.
I think this is silly. Why? Well it's IDPA, drawing and reloading the gun from concealment is part of the game and an essential part of it. How is that weather dependent? Two. You're already outside in the heat and humidity for the 4 hours or so that the match takes. If it is to hot for a vest it is probably to hot to shoot at all. Finally, the amount of time you wear the vest is minimal. If you only put it on when you shoot that is about 12 minutes of time during the match. Yep, 12 minutes out of that 4 hours you're already there in the sun, feeling the humidity you'd be wearing a cotton vest.
Just another example of how things are changed to make stuff simpler and easier for no logical reason. "It's really hot out!"
Harden the freak up.
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Maybe
With all the race/history/statue stuff going on maybe the South will realize they lost that war and start acting like it.
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Neither
I didn't give myself the chance to be a good or bad parent. I was just an absent one. Which was probably worse.
And nothing I do now can make up for then.
And nothing I do now can make up for then.
Thursday, August 10, 2017
So if I did....
So if I did get out of shooting their would be no reason to keep probably 1/3 of the stuff I have in the safe. I'll brain storm through this and see what would possibly stay or go should I take a big step away.
Shotguns:
Mossburg semi auto. A tactical shotgun.
CZ over and under hunting/skeet gun.
Hmm, I'm probably more likely to go hunting that get in a gun fight with a shot gun. 'Burg would go.
Rifles:
AR-10
AR-15 in 5.56
AR-15 in 9mm
AR-15 in .22lr
I'd keep the 5.56 gun and the .22lr. I'd probably add a 5.56 bolt gun. So sell .308 and 9mm ones.
Pistols:
Shield
P10C
MkIII 22/45
Model 64 in .38spc
Glock 34
complete Shadow upper and RMR optic
SP01 Shadow
Accu Shadow
Tac Sport in .40sw
STI 1911
Shadow 2.
Wow. Kinda scary when you type it all out. hahahaha. Turn the Shield into a Glock 43 for my ccw gun. Keep the P10C as my nightstand, winter carry, CCP gun. Keep CO uppper. Keep 1911. Keep Accu Shadow.
Sell 22, sell revolver, sell G34, standard Shadow, sell Tac Sport, sell Shadow 2.
So I'd end up selling 9 things and keeping 7. I'd have a lot of expected uses covered and could still compete in a couple different ways if the mood ever struck me again. Probably recoup $5,000 in selling these things...
Shotguns:
Mossburg semi auto. A tactical shotgun.
CZ over and under hunting/skeet gun.
Hmm, I'm probably more likely to go hunting that get in a gun fight with a shot gun. 'Burg would go.
Rifles:
AR-10
AR-15 in 5.56
AR-15 in 9mm
AR-15 in .22lr
I'd keep the 5.56 gun and the .22lr. I'd probably add a 5.56 bolt gun. So sell .308 and 9mm ones.
Pistols:
Shield
P10C
MkIII 22/45
Model 64 in .38spc
Glock 34
complete Shadow upper and RMR optic
SP01 Shadow
Accu Shadow
Tac Sport in .40sw
STI 1911
Shadow 2.
Wow. Kinda scary when you type it all out. hahahaha. Turn the Shield into a Glock 43 for my ccw gun. Keep the P10C as my nightstand, winter carry, CCP gun. Keep CO uppper. Keep 1911. Keep Accu Shadow.
Sell 22, sell revolver, sell G34, standard Shadow, sell Tac Sport, sell Shadow 2.
So I'd end up selling 9 things and keeping 7. I'd have a lot of expected uses covered and could still compete in a couple different ways if the mood ever struck me again. Probably recoup $5,000 in selling these things...
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
ROI
Not as sure anymore what sort of positive return I'm getting in my life devoting soo much of it to shooting competitions.
This would all be so much easier if I was able to keep a decent job. I haven't worked a regular, full time job at one place for more than a year since 2004.
Let that sink in, for 13 years I've only had part time jobs, most of them not in my degree field, and with over year long gaps of unemployment.
Now that I'm trying to be a productive member of the work world I'm seemingly locked out. Specialized degree. Don't work in my field any more. Expired professional license. No previous work experience beyond j-o-b level stuff, nothing career level.
This would all be so much easier if I was able to keep a decent job. I haven't worked a regular, full time job at one place for more than a year since 2004.
Let that sink in, for 13 years I've only had part time jobs, most of them not in my degree field, and with over year long gaps of unemployment.
Now that I'm trying to be a productive member of the work world I'm seemingly locked out. Specialized degree. Don't work in my field any more. Expired professional license. No previous work experience beyond j-o-b level stuff, nothing career level.
Sunday, August 6, 2017
K State
The scene, I'm sitting in a gas station parking lot facing out of the car's open door. I'm clipping my fingernails, the clippings falling to the ground.
Passerby: You could do that over the garbage can. (sternly)
Me: This is Kansas, right?
Passerby: Yes.
Me: (Just stares)
Passerby: You could do that over the garbage can. (sternly)
Me: This is Kansas, right?
Passerby: Yes.
Me: (Just stares)
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Resume
I wonder how much it is hurting my job search to have "Firearms Instructor" on my resume when looking at regular life type jobs....
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Richie Rich Riches Ratings
After vacation and observing some things around me I think I've identified some pretty clear strata of what rich really is ranked by according to what you purchase. So from least rich to most rich, according to Rowdy, here are the levels.
-You eat more restaurant food than food prepared at home.
-You have a house cleaner or gardener, or both, on a regular basis.
-You have more vehicles than drivers in your home.
-You've owned an exotic car. Not just the base model in a premium brand line.
-You fly first class.
-You have a second home for vacation purposes only.
-You have an airplane or helicopter. Maybe a "share" in a private jet.
-You have a yacht.
What prompted this was seeing some amazing yachts around the Greek coast. If you have a yacht you probably have all the things in the list below it, but I doubt very many people skip the intermediate step and just go ahead to yacht.
-You eat more restaurant food than food prepared at home.
-You have a house cleaner or gardener, or both, on a regular basis.
-You have more vehicles than drivers in your home.
-You've owned an exotic car. Not just the base model in a premium brand line.
-You fly first class.
-You have a second home for vacation purposes only.
-You have an airplane or helicopter. Maybe a "share" in a private jet.
-You have a yacht.
What prompted this was seeing some amazing yachts around the Greek coast. If you have a yacht you probably have all the things in the list below it, but I doubt very many people skip the intermediate step and just go ahead to yacht.
Friday, July 7, 2017
Only practice makes a real Grand Master
All apologies to Run DMC for paraphrasing their lyric but you get the idea.
The top skill classification in USPSA is Grand Master (GM). To reach it you have to have shot 6 standardized shooting tests, what we call classifiers, within a 5% value of the very best shooters in the USA. Your six classifier scores have to average above the 95th percentile.
Needless to say only about 1% of the people who compete ever reach this goal. I'm currently around 90% and have been as high as 93%.
For me to reach GM this year I need to shoot 3 classifiers at 95% or better. These classifiers are most often included in local matches as they are smaller and easier to set up than other courses of fire. And normally everyone is trying to shoot them well to advance their classification.
Because of my major match travel schedule it looks like I'll only be shooting 4 of these classifiers the remainder of the year. I've got just 4 chances then if I want to make it happen this year...................... I just have to be perfect 3 out of 4 times this year.
Yikes.
The top skill classification in USPSA is Grand Master (GM). To reach it you have to have shot 6 standardized shooting tests, what we call classifiers, within a 5% value of the very best shooters in the USA. Your six classifier scores have to average above the 95th percentile.
Needless to say only about 1% of the people who compete ever reach this goal. I'm currently around 90% and have been as high as 93%.
For me to reach GM this year I need to shoot 3 classifiers at 95% or better. These classifiers are most often included in local matches as they are smaller and easier to set up than other courses of fire. And normally everyone is trying to shoot them well to advance their classification.
Because of my major match travel schedule it looks like I'll only be shooting 4 of these classifiers the remainder of the year. I've got just 4 chances then if I want to make it happen this year...................... I just have to be perfect 3 out of 4 times this year.
Yikes.
Thursday, July 6, 2017
Being a home owner
When we were kids our dad would get soo pissed at us if we broke a sprinkler head with the lawn mower. That'd make me mad today as well.
But.........
When we were kids we had to rake up every last leaf. Eh, now I just wait till they're thick and then drive over 'em with the riding lawn mower. Good enough for me.
When we were kids dad would get mad if we shot the fence with bb or pellet guns. He'd be mad if we threw knives or throwing stars into the fence. Now? I still do that stuff and don't bat an eye lash. Just don't split it wide open and I'll survive.
When we were kids we had to either rake the grass clippings up or use the bag attachment and dump it out all the time. My house I just consider the grass clippings more like yard decoration than nuisance.
But.........
When we were kids we had to rake up every last leaf. Eh, now I just wait till they're thick and then drive over 'em with the riding lawn mower. Good enough for me.
When we were kids dad would get mad if we shot the fence with bb or pellet guns. He'd be mad if we threw knives or throwing stars into the fence. Now? I still do that stuff and don't bat an eye lash. Just don't split it wide open and I'll survive.
When we were kids we had to either rake the grass clippings up or use the bag attachment and dump it out all the time. My house I just consider the grass clippings more like yard decoration than nuisance.
False Fangs
So went to the dentist today to check out my broken crown prior to going to Greece for two weeks. Good and bad news.
First the bad news. I have at least two cavities, both on either side of the tooth with the crown. And they are not tiny either.
And my teeth have shifted considerably from when they were straight with invisalign. I kinda feel like I wasted two years and three thousand dollars.
Now the good news. I have a dentist here. I only broke of a large portion of the porcelain crown, the metal structure underneath is intact. So I can go to Greece with my "broken" crown on and just keep gluing it back on as needed. When I return it will be temp crown, new crown and getting fillings filled.
I hate my teeth and my mouth.
First the bad news. I have at least two cavities, both on either side of the tooth with the crown. And they are not tiny either.
And my teeth have shifted considerably from when they were straight with invisalign. I kinda feel like I wasted two years and three thousand dollars.
Now the good news. I have a dentist here. I only broke of a large portion of the porcelain crown, the metal structure underneath is intact. So I can go to Greece with my "broken" crown on and just keep gluing it back on as needed. When I return it will be temp crown, new crown and getting fillings filled.
I hate my teeth and my mouth.
Monday, July 3, 2017
4th of July ten years ago....
4th of July, 2007. The day I got home to San Diego from Iraq.
I slept. I shaved my beard off. I drove a regular car in traffic with real traffic rules. I hiked to the top of Cowles Mnt. I was startled by fireworks noises for a while. I had amoebic dysentery and a week later would be hospitalized with a fever of unknown origin.
But I was home. In a free country, fresh from a war.
I loved 4th of July before, it's in my top three holidays. (Thanksgiving is #1, then my birthday and then Independence Day!)But now I feel it and love it even more. I've seen the ups and downs of the US, its people and its perception around the world.
I'll be eternally thankful for the sacrifices and strength to follow their convictions of those Revolutionaries.
Pic, me July 4th, within hours of arriving home.
I slept. I shaved my beard off. I drove a regular car in traffic with real traffic rules. I hiked to the top of Cowles Mnt. I was startled by fireworks noises for a while. I had amoebic dysentery and a week later would be hospitalized with a fever of unknown origin.
But I was home. In a free country, fresh from a war.
I loved 4th of July before, it's in my top three holidays. (Thanksgiving is #1, then my birthday and then Independence Day!)But now I feel it and love it even more. I've seen the ups and downs of the US, its people and its perception around the world.
I'll be eternally thankful for the sacrifices and strength to follow their convictions of those Revolutionaries.
Pic, me July 4th, within hours of arriving home.
Today was the type of day....
where I considered quitting shooting and taking up tennis. It is soo hard and sooo frustrating to get perfect technique for some things and then be able to do them perfectly, at full speed. It's both maddening and disheartening.
I've been googling country and racquet club memberships for the past hour.
I've been googling country and racquet club memberships for the past hour.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Satire
Beards. You know who has them?
1. Terrorists. Whether they are Chechens, ISIS, followers of Che, ultra right wing Jewish settlers, the Uni Bomber, Black Panthers, Hamas and so on. People who instill terror in other people for a political motive. That's who has beards.
2. Lazy people. They have a beard simply because it is easier than shaving. These people also never make their bed or wash their truck.
3. People without access to hot water, razors, soap and a mirror. People who've been kidnapped for a long time, certain other prisoners, people with jobs in remote places for extended time periods. Basically forced upon them by hardship and circumstance.
4. Closely related to some of the other categories, but religious figures or even religious nut jobs, depending upon your adherence to their teachings. Pick your historical, mythological or other poisoned stereotype and put it here.
5. The cruelest and in my observation most prominent, the compensatory beard. A beard is a push up bra for masculinity. A symbol or proof of manhood and testosterone because your actions and other outward appereance does nothing to convince strangers or family that you have a surfeit of masculinity. Rather than having to have surgery and change your shirt size you just skip some of your grooming for 2 months and voila, you're suddenly thinking that other people are thinking you're more virile, handy around the house, lift more at the gym or whatever other "beastly" activity you want to think of.
And of course your beard figures prominently in your Instagram posts. Look at it. Look at it.
1. Terrorists. Whether they are Chechens, ISIS, followers of Che, ultra right wing Jewish settlers, the Uni Bomber, Black Panthers, Hamas and so on. People who instill terror in other people for a political motive. That's who has beards.
2. Lazy people. They have a beard simply because it is easier than shaving. These people also never make their bed or wash their truck.
3. People without access to hot water, razors, soap and a mirror. People who've been kidnapped for a long time, certain other prisoners, people with jobs in remote places for extended time periods. Basically forced upon them by hardship and circumstance.
4. Closely related to some of the other categories, but religious figures or even religious nut jobs, depending upon your adherence to their teachings. Pick your historical, mythological or other poisoned stereotype and put it here.
5. The cruelest and in my observation most prominent, the compensatory beard. A beard is a push up bra for masculinity. A symbol or proof of manhood and testosterone because your actions and other outward appereance does nothing to convince strangers or family that you have a surfeit of masculinity. Rather than having to have surgery and change your shirt size you just skip some of your grooming for 2 months and voila, you're suddenly thinking that other people are thinking you're more virile, handy around the house, lift more at the gym or whatever other "beastly" activity you want to think of.
And of course your beard figures prominently in your Instagram posts. Look at it. Look at it.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Pocket Change
So I do some private firearms teaching, via word of mouth. I have a competitive rate at $25 per hour, per person. So I teach a lot of 1's and 2's. Which is fine by me as I like giving individual attention rather than running a line of shooters.
I spent the morning today teaching a doctor mostly how to change his grip and better determine where his focal plane should be during various actions. A good morning as he adapted to the changes and there was visible results on the target in a positive direction. Success!
With that bit of cash from spending a morning teaching I was then able to buy today:
-2 mag pouches for IDPA for my 1911 $30
-Kershaw pocket knife $40
-3 shot package of B-12 injections $50
All little things I wanted to do for a while but was able to do without showing any $120 effect on the bank account. And that makes me smile as well.
I spent the morning today teaching a doctor mostly how to change his grip and better determine where his focal plane should be during various actions. A good morning as he adapted to the changes and there was visible results on the target in a positive direction. Success!
With that bit of cash from spending a morning teaching I was then able to buy today:
-2 mag pouches for IDPA for my 1911 $30
-Kershaw pocket knife $40
-3 shot package of B-12 injections $50
All little things I wanted to do for a while but was able to do without showing any $120 effect on the bank account. And that makes me smile as well.
Monday, June 19, 2017
That thing they say about real estate.
Looking at the next long term move, at least in the discussion phase these are the towns that get brought up and why or why not they'd be acceptable. The basic requirements are that 1. It be a larger town for that particular state. 2. It have an international airport in less than an hours drive. 3. It have all the religious buildings less than an hours drive. 4. The presence of family within a two hours drive. 5. Acceptable venues for food, entertainment, outdoors, shopping and hobbies. 6. Consideration given to the natural and cultural environment of the greater area. 7. Presence of universities and higher education.
So in no particular order:
A. Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin area. Not on the list but definite plus of the area are the housing prices and taxes. It would also be easy to reconnect with San Diego friends. One of the things missing is proximity to family by car, though the airport and number of flights from that location could help offset that.
B. Austin, Georgetown, Round Rock. This is probably the primary area for search efforts. It would really click a lot of the family stuff off the list at an appropriate time. But church stuff is far. And a big airport is a drive as well.
C. Rockwall or other nice suburbs of Dallas. Sometimes you have to go where the work is, and this might be that kind of option. It just doesn't have family within the parameters of an ideal spot. Also not sure how I'd feel about it being a 'this could be the last place you live' kind of thing. I do miss the West and feel more at home there.
D. Denver and surroundings. Family super close. Church stuff super close. Big airport. Lots to do. Back in the West. House prices are higher than other places and the winters are the only negatives. Other than that on paper is really looks good and I feel good inside about it. Also, other family might relocate there as well which makes it a stronger consideration.
E. Boise. I don't know why, but this does come up as a location. It would need an in person visit to figure out before any serious consideration was given to it.
F. Random places of chance or opportunity. Bend Oregon. Mesa Arizona. Places that don't meet maybe half the things on the list but present something else soooo strongly they have to be considered. Professional life and quality of life bonuses could make something like this happen.
So in no particular order:
A. Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin area. Not on the list but definite plus of the area are the housing prices and taxes. It would also be easy to reconnect with San Diego friends. One of the things missing is proximity to family by car, though the airport and number of flights from that location could help offset that.
B. Austin, Georgetown, Round Rock. This is probably the primary area for search efforts. It would really click a lot of the family stuff off the list at an appropriate time. But church stuff is far. And a big airport is a drive as well.
C. Rockwall or other nice suburbs of Dallas. Sometimes you have to go where the work is, and this might be that kind of option. It just doesn't have family within the parameters of an ideal spot. Also not sure how I'd feel about it being a 'this could be the last place you live' kind of thing. I do miss the West and feel more at home there.
D. Denver and surroundings. Family super close. Church stuff super close. Big airport. Lots to do. Back in the West. House prices are higher than other places and the winters are the only negatives. Other than that on paper is really looks good and I feel good inside about it. Also, other family might relocate there as well which makes it a stronger consideration.
E. Boise. I don't know why, but this does come up as a location. It would need an in person visit to figure out before any serious consideration was given to it.
F. Random places of chance or opportunity. Bend Oregon. Mesa Arizona. Places that don't meet maybe half the things on the list but present something else soooo strongly they have to be considered. Professional life and quality of life bonuses could make something like this happen.
Another sign I'm "old"
I had a good Father's day but I think it was also another sign I'm getting old. Super D gave me a gift early. I didn't receive a card from anyone. Only J texted me, no calls or any contact from M or K. I chit chatted with my dad for a bit on the phone. I had a simple dinner that I wanted.
No formalities, no extra communication, no special lovin'. Just simple, brief acknowledgement. I think the fact none of that bothered me in the moment is a sign of getting older. Accepting things more quickly and easily comes more readily as one matures I guess.
I now have a sweet Yeti cooler for matches and stuff now.
So Happy Father's Day!
No formalities, no extra communication, no special lovin'. Just simple, brief acknowledgement. I think the fact none of that bothered me in the moment is a sign of getting older. Accepting things more quickly and easily comes more readily as one matures I guess.
I now have a sweet Yeti cooler for matches and stuff now.
So Happy Father's Day!
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Clicked
Something has clicked in my shooting and shooting of matches. Reviewing my "big" match performance from the recent two months shows a nice trend:
Arkansas State IDPA: SSP Division Champion
Mississippi State L10/PCC/CO Championship: 2nd place overall L10
Double Tap Championship: 9th place overall Production
Arkansas Section Championship: 5th place overall Production, high state resident
I have the Mississippi State Production Championship this coming weekend and then 6 weeks off. I'm feeling no pressure going into this next match. For good or bad.
But I've never had a string of this many good finishes in a row before, ever, at any skill level. Time to keep pushing!
Arkansas State IDPA: SSP Division Champion
Mississippi State L10/PCC/CO Championship: 2nd place overall L10
Double Tap Championship: 9th place overall Production
Arkansas Section Championship: 5th place overall Production, high state resident
I have the Mississippi State Production Championship this coming weekend and then 6 weeks off. I'm feeling no pressure going into this next match. For good or bad.
But I've never had a string of this many good finishes in a row before, ever, at any skill level. Time to keep pushing!
Gross. Warning.
So three weeks ago or whenever it was I went to the ER in Mississippi for upper intestinal bleeding. It was from my small intestine so I ended up pooping out all that blood. And lots and lots of it. Well that has a very specific smell. And I know it well because in my old nuclear medicine job we used to scan people with gi bleeds all the time.
Well ever since having to experience my very own gi bleed, every time I pass gas or poop I smell that gi bleed smell. Even though my poop may be "normal", I smell that smell.
And it is disgusting.
Well ever since having to experience my very own gi bleed, every time I pass gas or poop I smell that gi bleed smell. Even though my poop may be "normal", I smell that smell.
And it is disgusting.
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
I guess
So I came in 9th place at the match I wrote about a few posts back. A good showing and accomplished what I wanted.
The "I guess" title comes from a thought I had this morning. Which was "I guess I should be happy that without having a real job I am still up and showered and ready for my day at 7am."
It's as if I'm basically retired but am still physically capable. Well as much as any Chrons person can be expected.
I;m really excited for vacation next month. I want to have some good quality time away. A re-connection to fun.
The "I guess" title comes from a thought I had this morning. Which was "I guess I should be happy that without having a real job I am still up and showered and ready for my day at 7am."
It's as if I'm basically retired but am still physically capable. Well as much as any Chrons person can be expected.
I;m really excited for vacation next month. I want to have some good quality time away. A re-connection to fun.
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Tired
I'm getting really tired of sleeping from 930pm until 1230am and then waking up and having my body think that's enough and just fine. I'm also getting really tired of not being able to sleep unless it is perfectly quiet, completely dark and just the right temperature.
This is causing to me to fall into a cycle of using over the counter medicine to sleep at night to try and get 6 hours of continuous sleep or long periods of wakefulness in the middle of the night where I am unhappy, uncomfortable and unsatisfied.
I do a good job of getting exercise. I don't drink alcohol. I have low stress in life. I try to avoid drinking anything with caffeine after around 4pm in the day. I do my best to go to sleep and get up on a regular schedule. I rarely nap. So I'm doing a great majority of the behaviors one should do for good sleep.
The only one I don't really follow is less screen time within an hour of bed. I normally cut off my electronics usage about 15 minutes before trying to sleep, rather than an hour.
Currently I'm in a hotel in Texas and the damn AC unit mounted in the wall by the window, like semmingly all low and mid range hotels have, is sooooooo loud it's impossible to sleep. I also have all the spare pillows against the bottom of the door to block out noise and light pollution. All to no avail as it is 143am and I've been up for an hour.
I tried just laying there. I counted to almost 400. I said the alphabet many times. I listened to an audible book. I tried just being still and calm. An hour passed and I finally just got out of bed. I'll probably fall back asleep at 4am.....
Curse words, curse words, curse words.
This is causing to me to fall into a cycle of using over the counter medicine to sleep at night to try and get 6 hours of continuous sleep or long periods of wakefulness in the middle of the night where I am unhappy, uncomfortable and unsatisfied.
I do a good job of getting exercise. I don't drink alcohol. I have low stress in life. I try to avoid drinking anything with caffeine after around 4pm in the day. I do my best to go to sleep and get up on a regular schedule. I rarely nap. So I'm doing a great majority of the behaviors one should do for good sleep.
The only one I don't really follow is less screen time within an hour of bed. I normally cut off my electronics usage about 15 minutes before trying to sleep, rather than an hour.
Currently I'm in a hotel in Texas and the damn AC unit mounted in the wall by the window, like semmingly all low and mid range hotels have, is sooooooo loud it's impossible to sleep. I also have all the spare pillows against the bottom of the door to block out noise and light pollution. All to no avail as it is 143am and I've been up for an hour.
I tried just laying there. I counted to almost 400. I said the alphabet many times. I listened to an audible book. I tried just being still and calm. An hour passed and I finally just got out of bed. I'll probably fall back asleep at 4am.....
Curse words, curse words, curse words.
Friday, June 9, 2017
Nervioso
So tomorrow is a very big day for me in my shooting career. It is the first time I'm in a super squad of people shooting the same division as myself. So I'm with my division's heavyweights for the very first time.
Two, this is the first match where I'm also shooting against big name people in my classification. For you who don't know, division is related to what gun you shoot. Classification is how good you are. So I'm in a Production gun division and of the skill classifications from highest to lowest there are Grandmaster (G) then Master (M) which I am, then A, B, C, and D.
In Production Master at this match there are 4 big name people in my sport. This is my very first match ever where I get to have the chance for direct competition with them outside of a National Championship. (Where I historically under perform)
Tomorrow is the day to show I can shoot with and beat the best. This is a real chance to shine, to make or break my reputation as someone good and upcoming.
Seven, 7, Grandmasters. Then in Master with me, Gordon Carrell, Randi Rogers and Bobby Mcgee. A total of 10 Production Masters in the match.
At 6pm tomorrow you'll know where I finished.
Two, this is the first match where I'm also shooting against big name people in my classification. For you who don't know, division is related to what gun you shoot. Classification is how good you are. So I'm in a Production gun division and of the skill classifications from highest to lowest there are Grandmaster (G) then Master (M) which I am, then A, B, C, and D.
In Production Master at this match there are 4 big name people in my sport. This is my very first match ever where I get to have the chance for direct competition with them outside of a National Championship. (Where I historically under perform)
Tomorrow is the day to show I can shoot with and beat the best. This is a real chance to shine, to make or break my reputation as someone good and upcoming.
Seven, 7, Grandmasters. Then in Master with me, Gordon Carrell, Randi Rogers and Bobby Mcgee. A total of 10 Production Masters in the match.
At 6pm tomorrow you'll know where I finished.
Monday, June 5, 2017
ar ugh
Things I won't miss for even half a second when I get to leave Arkansas
1. high humidity
2. the bajillion bugs
3. the prevalence of fried everything and dearth of fresh fruits and vegetables
4. rural poverty on a large scale
5. inordinate pride in where one was born, race or things southern
6. a state capital without an international airport
Things I will possibly miss
1. cheap gasoline
2. a pleasurable experience at the dmv
3. general friendliness to strangers/ the sir and mam effect
4. the house I live in
5. simple, normal gun laws
6. beautiful sky scenes of clouds and color
1. high humidity
2. the bajillion bugs
3. the prevalence of fried everything and dearth of fresh fruits and vegetables
4. rural poverty on a large scale
5. inordinate pride in where one was born, race or things southern
6. a state capital without an international airport
Things I will possibly miss
1. cheap gasoline
2. a pleasurable experience at the dmv
3. general friendliness to strangers/ the sir and mam effect
4. the house I live in
5. simple, normal gun laws
6. beautiful sky scenes of clouds and color
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Time time time to do.....
As I look around the house there are some things that'd be nice if I did them but they seem just overwhelming when thought of as a group to do.... And a lot of it is Home Depot related...
1. Install a cat door in the garage. $150 (4 hours)
2. Install gate door squaring kit on three fence gates. $110 (6 hours)
3. Apply weed-n-feed treatment to yard. Apply fire ant treatment to yard. $50 (1.5 hours)
4. Apply layer of mulch to beds and garden. $300 (8 hours)
5. Build planter boxes for garden. $200 (6 hours)
6. Buy new car. (4 hours)
And then of course all the regular crap I do during the day for fitness and shooting practice. And mow the yard and do dishes and stuff. I basically have a week's worth of all day style projects to do. Maybe I can get Super D to help me, that'd motivate me more to try and plan all this stuff out.
Or at least buy the materials and have them on hand. Sigh.
1. Install a cat door in the garage. $150 (4 hours)
2. Install gate door squaring kit on three fence gates. $110 (6 hours)
3. Apply weed-n-feed treatment to yard. Apply fire ant treatment to yard. $50 (1.5 hours)
4. Apply layer of mulch to beds and garden. $300 (8 hours)
5. Build planter boxes for garden. $200 (6 hours)
6. Buy new car. (4 hours)
And then of course all the regular crap I do during the day for fitness and shooting practice. And mow the yard and do dishes and stuff. I basically have a week's worth of all day style projects to do. Maybe I can get Super D to help me, that'd motivate me more to try and plan all this stuff out.
Or at least buy the materials and have them on hand. Sigh.
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Words!
I was trying to think of how many languages I know even just a single word in while I was bored driving from Atlanta to Little Rock today. Here is what I could come up with:
American English
British English
Spanish
Arabic
French
German
Russian
Italian
Norwegian
Swedish
Latin
Hebrew
Brazilian Portuguese
Vietnamese
Japanese
Korean
Mandarin
Yep, 17 languages in which I know at least one word.
American English
British English
Spanish
Arabic
French
German
Russian
Italian
Norwegian
Swedish
Latin
Hebrew
Brazilian Portuguese
Vietnamese
Japanese
Korean
Mandarin
Yep, 17 languages in which I know at least one word.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Road Trips
I have a lot of road trips for matches now through Sept where I'll have to start flying again for the USPSA Nationals then in Utah. The beginning of the year I had to fly to like 4 matches. Flying is almost always about $450 a ticket, $250 for a rental car, $300 for a hotel. So right away just the three basics of it are a thousand dollars.
But now that I have a big string of ones I drive to I have to run the numbers again and see if it's cheaper. So I still have the $300 for the hotel. Unless it's close enough I can cut a day off but that only happens about 1/3 the time. So I'll leave it as a value. Zero for rental car. So that leaves gasoline as the equivalent to the plane ticket. Say I have to drive 400 miles to a match one way, at 18 miles per gallon that I get in my truck that is 22.2 gallons of gas at $2.25 a gallon for a total of $50 each way or $100 total.
Fly to major, $1,000 at least. Drive to major, $400 at least. That's a big difference!
As I think about reducing costs for 2018 I might have to go to only one fly away match during the year. And I'm thinking of cutting my amount of major matches to like 5 instead of 12-14 like I do now and maybe adding in two training trips instead. So I'd go from a travel outlay of about 14 grand a year I had in 2015-17 down to around 7 grand. Also coupled with the resultant savings in ammo, entry fees and so on.
So yeah, unless a major sponsorship thing comes along it looks like 2018 will have to be the year of only 5 majors with only one of them being flown to.
But now that I have a big string of ones I drive to I have to run the numbers again and see if it's cheaper. So I still have the $300 for the hotel. Unless it's close enough I can cut a day off but that only happens about 1/3 the time. So I'll leave it as a value. Zero for rental car. So that leaves gasoline as the equivalent to the plane ticket. Say I have to drive 400 miles to a match one way, at 18 miles per gallon that I get in my truck that is 22.2 gallons of gas at $2.25 a gallon for a total of $50 each way or $100 total.
Fly to major, $1,000 at least. Drive to major, $400 at least. That's a big difference!
As I think about reducing costs for 2018 I might have to go to only one fly away match during the year. And I'm thinking of cutting my amount of major matches to like 5 instead of 12-14 like I do now and maybe adding in two training trips instead. So I'd go from a travel outlay of about 14 grand a year I had in 2015-17 down to around 7 grand. Also coupled with the resultant savings in ammo, entry fees and so on.
So yeah, unless a major sponsorship thing comes along it looks like 2018 will have to be the year of only 5 majors with only one of them being flown to.
Monday, April 10, 2017
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Jurrasic Bug Park
When I left San Diego for Arkansas I had a list of things I thought I probably wouldn't enjoy about Arkansas. Well something that wasn't on that list at all is definitely number one.
And it is BUGS! For the past year I have had some sort of constant bug bite or 40 before I learned what chiggers are...
Seriously, it may be where I live in the state or the pass times I'm involved in but the number of freaking bugs and how much they bite me is what I hate the absolute most about Arkansas.
And it is BUGS! For the past year I have had some sort of constant bug bite or 40 before I learned what chiggers are...
Seriously, it may be where I live in the state or the pass times I'm involved in but the number of freaking bugs and how much they bite me is what I hate the absolute most about Arkansas.
Friday, March 17, 2017
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Third Person
Video showing just part of a match, from the point of view people have when they watch.
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
El Floridita
Not too far from Hemmingway's ocean side house lies the famous club El Floridita. Tennessee Williams was a very frequent visitor.
Memories of 50's Cuba were suppressed after the revolution. So it's only with a little digging do I find some of the interesting history behind what I saw just in a day trip to Havana.
Monday, March 13, 2017
Cuba infil video
Short video showing initial land fall over Cuba, and leaving the airport headed to the touristy part of Havana.
Etsy
Remember how I paid $50 for a bow tie? A trip to the fabric store and $8 later I have all the material amd interfacing for 5, yes 5, bow ties.
Check out my new spring line!
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Zero
Yep drove this car down to zero bars of gas. I had 0.30 of a gallon in it when I filled it up.
To the very edge my friends....
Friday, March 10, 2017
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
A Day in My Life
0700 eat breakfast
0730 do laundry
0800 answer emails and browse forums and such
0830 exercise
0900 shower and dress
0930 Kroger for Humira refill and food. Toys R Us for SS present. Cycle Gear for part. Gas fill up. Oil change.
1130 Home for lunch
1200 dry fire
1230 pack up truck and head to range
1430 head home from range, clean up
1500 rest. review practice. work on Tactical Journal article
1600 head to airport to pick up Gordo and SS
0730 do laundry
0800 answer emails and browse forums and such
0830 exercise
0900 shower and dress
0930 Kroger for Humira refill and food. Toys R Us for SS present. Cycle Gear for part. Gas fill up. Oil change.
1130 Home for lunch
1200 dry fire
1230 pack up truck and head to range
1430 head home from range, clean up
1500 rest. review practice. work on Tactical Journal article
1600 head to airport to pick up Gordo and SS
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
CQI
Continuous Quality Improvement. What are you doing, all the time, to get better? In the realm of my shooting world this is what I did to get better today.
-Tore my D1050 totally down, cleaned it and installed new parts. Adjusted it for the bullet I like and will be using all year.
-Did physical exercises for strength and some stretching.
-Dry fired for one hour at a good pace working on skills I on which I need improvement.
-Developed a load for the bullet from my notebook and set it aside for accuracy and chronograph testing.
The weather also looks like it is getting a small break, so I'll probably go to the range soon as well. USPSA Optics National Championships in a few weeks.
-Tore my D1050 totally down, cleaned it and installed new parts. Adjusted it for the bullet I like and will be using all year.
-Did physical exercises for strength and some stretching.
-Dry fired for one hour at a good pace working on skills I on which I need improvement.
-Developed a load for the bullet from my notebook and set it aside for accuracy and chronograph testing.
The weather also looks like it is getting a small break, so I'll probably go to the range soon as well. USPSA Optics National Championships in a few weeks.
Monday, March 6, 2017
Fla...... Cu.....
So I've been in Florida the most of the past 5 days, with a one day detour to Cuba. I went to Florida to shoot their state IDPA match with a friend from CA.
I've only been to Florida for tourism once before, Universal Studios for two days. Being there a few extra days this time was nice and I thought of going to the Everglades and see alligators and other wildlife. Or go to the Keys and just see that area. Maybe even do a half day of catch and release shark fishing.
What ended up happening was some going out to eat, the match for 3 days, going to the movies, going to the Keys for an afternoon and a whole day in Cuba.
There seems to be a lot of worry and misinformation about going to Cuba as an American in 2017; so let me share my experience and research with you.
-Flights are out of Miami or Fr Lauderdale. You can go on Delta, Jet Blue, American Airlines or regional Latin American based carriers. Flights are cheap, anywhere from $115 to $200 at the most. The flight isn't even two hours.
-Going for tourism as a US citizen is technically against the law. You are supposed to go for one of the 12 reasons. The most nebulous is "Support for the Cuban People". The only time I was asked to state this was during the electronic portion of printing my boarding pass. No one in America in either direction personally asked me about this. Cuba didn't at all as it's not a Cuban thing, but US.
-Lots of Americans are going there. My day, it looked like most where part of a tour group who did things such that there was a well defined connection to one of the 12 reasons, like "Person to Person Cultural Exchange". Trust me, they were still tourists. Visas are variable in price depending on when and where you buy them. $50 from online vendors well in advance to $100 at the airport gate before take off.
-Nothing there is cheap. The tourist money you use, a "CUC" and pronounced like "kook", is 1:1 with a dollar. Want to buy stuff like food or trinkets and they'll be cheap-ish but not super cheap like say, SE Asia. Lunch will be $10. A tshirt the same. The taxi ride from the airport to downtown Havana is $30. You can only get CUC in Cuba as an American. If you can get Euros before you go, do that. About $2-300 per day of your stay is a good conversion. You will not be using your plastic AT ALL except in less than a handful of places. Never out and about.
-If you don't speak even a little Spanish it's not as fun. There are tons of Canadians there as tourists, hell cruise ships dock in Havana so English can be had. But walk half a step off the path and you better have some Spanish. Or good confidence.
-It is like a third world country. And you will have no wifi, no internet, no cell service with anything you brought from the US and definitely not at all outside of a few hotel that cater to foreigners. Prepare to unplug.
-It felt safe. No one was anit American. Beggars and such were very very rare. Prostitution was apparent. General infrastructure is run down.
-There are a lot of museums, galleries and performance spots. Into any of the arts and you'll find all sorts of things to appreciate. Food in Cuba is simple, sparse. I don't smoke or drink so can't comment on Habana Club or cigars.
-Retail places are very few and far between. It is difficult to buy goods.
-Get Global Entry. I got back into the USA in 30 minutes versus 3 hours!! Seriously.
So go. Walk around. Be respectful. Reduce your "USA! USA! USA!" clothing and attitude, you'll get farther with the locals and they'll know where you're from quickly anyways. Get there before there are McDonalds and KFCs in Havana. Before there are Hiltons and Marriots. Go to Havana. Go to the beach. Eat fish. Talk to people. Spend money. Get your passport stamped and come back knowing you went first, before it became another Jamaica.
I've only been to Florida for tourism once before, Universal Studios for two days. Being there a few extra days this time was nice and I thought of going to the Everglades and see alligators and other wildlife. Or go to the Keys and just see that area. Maybe even do a half day of catch and release shark fishing.
What ended up happening was some going out to eat, the match for 3 days, going to the movies, going to the Keys for an afternoon and a whole day in Cuba.
There seems to be a lot of worry and misinformation about going to Cuba as an American in 2017; so let me share my experience and research with you.
-Flights are out of Miami or Fr Lauderdale. You can go on Delta, Jet Blue, American Airlines or regional Latin American based carriers. Flights are cheap, anywhere from $115 to $200 at the most. The flight isn't even two hours.
-Going for tourism as a US citizen is technically against the law. You are supposed to go for one of the 12 reasons. The most nebulous is "Support for the Cuban People". The only time I was asked to state this was during the electronic portion of printing my boarding pass. No one in America in either direction personally asked me about this. Cuba didn't at all as it's not a Cuban thing, but US.
-Lots of Americans are going there. My day, it looked like most where part of a tour group who did things such that there was a well defined connection to one of the 12 reasons, like "Person to Person Cultural Exchange". Trust me, they were still tourists. Visas are variable in price depending on when and where you buy them. $50 from online vendors well in advance to $100 at the airport gate before take off.
-Nothing there is cheap. The tourist money you use, a "CUC" and pronounced like "kook", is 1:1 with a dollar. Want to buy stuff like food or trinkets and they'll be cheap-ish but not super cheap like say, SE Asia. Lunch will be $10. A tshirt the same. The taxi ride from the airport to downtown Havana is $30. You can only get CUC in Cuba as an American. If you can get Euros before you go, do that. About $2-300 per day of your stay is a good conversion. You will not be using your plastic AT ALL except in less than a handful of places. Never out and about.
-If you don't speak even a little Spanish it's not as fun. There are tons of Canadians there as tourists, hell cruise ships dock in Havana so English can be had. But walk half a step off the path and you better have some Spanish. Or good confidence.
-It is like a third world country. And you will have no wifi, no internet, no cell service with anything you brought from the US and definitely not at all outside of a few hotel that cater to foreigners. Prepare to unplug.
-It felt safe. No one was anit American. Beggars and such were very very rare. Prostitution was apparent. General infrastructure is run down.
-There are a lot of museums, galleries and performance spots. Into any of the arts and you'll find all sorts of things to appreciate. Food in Cuba is simple, sparse. I don't smoke or drink so can't comment on Habana Club or cigars.
-Retail places are very few and far between. It is difficult to buy goods.
-Get Global Entry. I got back into the USA in 30 minutes versus 3 hours!! Seriously.
So go. Walk around. Be respectful. Reduce your "USA! USA! USA!" clothing and attitude, you'll get farther with the locals and they'll know where you're from quickly anyways. Get there before there are McDonalds and KFCs in Havana. Before there are Hiltons and Marriots. Go to Havana. Go to the beach. Eat fish. Talk to people. Spend money. Get your passport stamped and come back knowing you went first, before it became another Jamaica.
Sunday, March 5, 2017
2nd from the right.
Squad from this weekend's match in Florida. Signed my first autograph this match.
I wasn't even close to winning, making 8 mistakes.
Observe, analyze and reinforce before USPSA Optics national championship in two weeks.
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Friday, March 3, 2017
They didn't ask...
I went to Cuba Thursday during a lull in my Florida trip with DO. It was easy and I was never hassled.
Please go and do it as well before the first McDonald's or Hilton shows up.
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Monday, February 27, 2017
Caring
Dr visit went well. Pharmacy called and has an armful of drugs for me. And by this time next week I'll know if I have Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
And when I got home and had two huge breakfast burritos at 10am well I'm kinda beyond caring what I'll have for lunch.
But I do care about going to get some live fire practice in on a few skills before leaving Wednesday for Florida State IDPA championships and Cuba.
And when I got home and had two huge breakfast burritos at 10am well I'm kinda beyond caring what I'll have for lunch.
But I do care about going to get some live fire practice in on a few skills before leaving Wednesday for Florida State IDPA championships and Cuba.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Soothe
If you have bug bite itchy skin I TOTALLY recommend taking a warm bath, soaking in it with coconut oil and baking soda.
You will have calmer skin and be itch free for 12 hours. Trust me, I live in bug kingdom and get bit all the time.
Rowdy's Review
I moved to Arkansas the first week of April. So I'm very near to having been here 11 months. I think I can do an initial review now of some things without having to wait a year exactly.
-I haven't made any friends here in the way I'm used to. No one to train with. No one to ride motorcycles with. Nunca. I'm pretty isolated here, physically and emotionally.
-All of the promised sponsorship things have failed to appear. No training sessions, no travel, no match stuff, no regular job. Pretty much left to my own except by my holster guy. Who is awesome. But the things I wanted, the intangibles to make my shooting better and raise my professional profile weren't delivered. What I have gained is membership at a place I can practice in a way I never could in CA. I'm not panicking, but I am disappointed about this.
-Bugs here are crazy. Not even in SE Asia or the Middle East have I been attacked by bugs like this. Bugs are the real rulers of AR.
-Mexican food as you're used to from S California absolutely does not exist here. But there are other things. The issue is good places are rare. Trying some place new on a whim here more often than not leads to regret.
-I love having seasons. I don't really mind the heat and humidity. The two days of snow were interesting as well.
-People are nice here. But there still is a strong racial divide in the South. Race does mean something here, in different ways to different people.
-The roads are good for motorcycling.
-Almost everything cool you've seen about AR or the outdoors is in NW Arkansas. Not around Little Rock. So a two hour drive away.
-Things in general cost less, except going out to eat. Prepared food here is way more expensive than in CA. Silly. But gasoline, houses and utilities are dang cheap here.
-If I'm still living here in 2019 I'll be very very surprised......
-I haven't made any friends here in the way I'm used to. No one to train with. No one to ride motorcycles with. Nunca. I'm pretty isolated here, physically and emotionally.
-All of the promised sponsorship things have failed to appear. No training sessions, no travel, no match stuff, no regular job. Pretty much left to my own except by my holster guy. Who is awesome. But the things I wanted, the intangibles to make my shooting better and raise my professional profile weren't delivered. What I have gained is membership at a place I can practice in a way I never could in CA. I'm not panicking, but I am disappointed about this.
-Bugs here are crazy. Not even in SE Asia or the Middle East have I been attacked by bugs like this. Bugs are the real rulers of AR.
-Mexican food as you're used to from S California absolutely does not exist here. But there are other things. The issue is good places are rare. Trying some place new on a whim here more often than not leads to regret.
-I love having seasons. I don't really mind the heat and humidity. The two days of snow were interesting as well.
-People are nice here. But there still is a strong racial divide in the South. Race does mean something here, in different ways to different people.
-The roads are good for motorcycling.
-Almost everything cool you've seen about AR or the outdoors is in NW Arkansas. Not around Little Rock. So a two hour drive away.
-Things in general cost less, except going out to eat. Prepared food here is way more expensive than in CA. Silly. But gasoline, houses and utilities are dang cheap here.
-If I'm still living here in 2019 I'll be very very surprised......
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Acres of diamonds. No not the book!
Arkansas has a park where you can dig for diamonds! Couple people a week find one so it's worth the shot every once in awhile.
Solve it.
I like problem solving. I just have to remind myself which problems require a slow approach and which are worthy of focus and rapidity.
Getting my AR10 to shoot good groups has been a problem. Just because I am aware of it though doesn't mean I should move it to the top of the list.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
BR
I wish I had a reason to dress nice as everything in Banana Republic looks awesome to me right now.
Secondly I bought another, my second, bow tie today. I had no idea they were $50 and there were so many patterns!!!
Fun
My service as a Cub Scout den leader is challenging for sure but those moments are all outweighed by the fun ones.
Gun Daily
So I handle guns on a daily basis, either for work or sport or personal reasons. I have a CHL/CCW and carry a pistol about half the time I go out in public.
I've never had to pull my pistol out or even feel assured it was there the entire time I've been in Arkansas. But man if I sure don't see a shooting, robbery or murder every dang day when I check the news for the state. Crazy, I don't understand it.
And I hope to not be a part of it. But I don't drink or do drugs. I am not out after 11pm. I don't live in an area with a lot of people or with a low socio-economic level. So pretty much the gas station or the atm are about the only places I need to worry....
Still, just always is surprising to me to read the news here and see the level of this kind of crime....
I've never had to pull my pistol out or even feel assured it was there the entire time I've been in Arkansas. But man if I sure don't see a shooting, robbery or murder every dang day when I check the news for the state. Crazy, I don't understand it.
And I hope to not be a part of it. But I don't drink or do drugs. I am not out after 11pm. I don't live in an area with a lot of people or with a low socio-economic level. So pretty much the gas station or the atm are about the only places I need to worry....
Still, just always is surprising to me to read the news here and see the level of this kind of crime....
Monday, February 20, 2017
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Friday, February 17, 2017
A
Well I made A class in Limited division this week, so that's good. And off shooting the classifiers, not just 'cause I'm M in Production. I had a couple in the 80s and a couple in the 60's. Gotta get more in the 80s!
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Where to move to next?
That's really the biggest question in life right now. Well at least after how much will be owed in taxes this year. That's immediate question number one. Looming larger though, is where to move next?
Arkansas is OK and all, but about one year in I can tell it's not the place to be forever. Or even 5 years. Probably 3 on the outside.
In my scheming world it would go something like the following. Part of this I guess is with the caveat that I don't succeed at my goal of turning shooting into some sort of real paying gig. Or at least more paying for itself and I make money off it in a secondary way. Should that really happen then I don't know what to think or where to move........ Somewhere in Texas?
Putting that aside in my mind it goes something like this:
Jan-Jun 2016. Live in Little Rock and do as planned.
Jul-Dec 2016. Live in Little Rock and do as planned. Do more research on prospective US cities and areas for future move.
Jan-Jun 2017. Live in Little Rock. Look at making house a rental property. Begin arrangements for 3-6 month sabbatical outside the US for Super D.
Jul-Dec 2017. Do extended stay/sabbatical somewhere. Spain is first possibility. Enroll language class in Madrid or Salamanca.
Jan-Jun 2018. Somewhere in the US. Probably AR still, depends. Location and job search Super D.
Jul-Dec 2018. Implement change from AR to new location. Though moving to a place in winter is unpleasant.....
So, what makes a good, new place to live in the future?
-it's not someplace I've already been or know I won't like.
-Super D gets a big pay day.
-an international airport within less than 1 hour's drive.
-a population greater than 400,000 people in the area.
-multiple seasons, with winter not being the predominate one.
-a place I feel comfortable with my values and religion.
-drive time of less than 4 hours to a family member.
-the other stuff. food, culture, motorcycling, education etc.
It's hard to draw up a list of place that I think in 2019 will fit this bill. I guess if the 4 hours to family is a strong criteria then I need to look at that first. So I need to draw a circle with a 250 mile radius centered on one of these place:
-Georgetown, Round Rock, Austin Texas for Super D family.
-the corridor between Denver CO and Cheyenne WY for two of my siblings.
-northern Utah, southern Idaho for more of my immediate family.
I'm not sure places near southern Oregon, New York City or New Jersey fit the majority of what I'm looking for though I have family in those locations. This is all very interesting to think about, especially with the current opinion that I have of Arkansas not being "it" for anything but the short term, 3 years, future.
But could this really all go out the window if I get some sort of shooting job offer? What if I get sick? What if I really decide to go back to school and start a different career? Then can I meld those goals and events with a move? What does Super D want?
Arkansas is OK and all, but about one year in I can tell it's not the place to be forever. Or even 5 years. Probably 3 on the outside.
In my scheming world it would go something like the following. Part of this I guess is with the caveat that I don't succeed at my goal of turning shooting into some sort of real paying gig. Or at least more paying for itself and I make money off it in a secondary way. Should that really happen then I don't know what to think or where to move........ Somewhere in Texas?
Putting that aside in my mind it goes something like this:
Jan-Jun 2016. Live in Little Rock and do as planned.
Jul-Dec 2016. Live in Little Rock and do as planned. Do more research on prospective US cities and areas for future move.
Jan-Jun 2017. Live in Little Rock. Look at making house a rental property. Begin arrangements for 3-6 month sabbatical outside the US for Super D.
Jul-Dec 2017. Do extended stay/sabbatical somewhere. Spain is first possibility. Enroll language class in Madrid or Salamanca.
Jan-Jun 2018. Somewhere in the US. Probably AR still, depends. Location and job search Super D.
Jul-Dec 2018. Implement change from AR to new location. Though moving to a place in winter is unpleasant.....
So, what makes a good, new place to live in the future?
-it's not someplace I've already been or know I won't like.
-Super D gets a big pay day.
-an international airport within less than 1 hour's drive.
-a population greater than 400,000 people in the area.
-multiple seasons, with winter not being the predominate one.
-a place I feel comfortable with my values and religion.
-drive time of less than 4 hours to a family member.
-the other stuff. food, culture, motorcycling, education etc.
It's hard to draw up a list of place that I think in 2019 will fit this bill. I guess if the 4 hours to family is a strong criteria then I need to look at that first. So I need to draw a circle with a 250 mile radius centered on one of these place:
-Georgetown, Round Rock, Austin Texas for Super D family.
-the corridor between Denver CO and Cheyenne WY for two of my siblings.
-northern Utah, southern Idaho for more of my immediate family.
I'm not sure places near southern Oregon, New York City or New Jersey fit the majority of what I'm looking for though I have family in those locations. This is all very interesting to think about, especially with the current opinion that I have of Arkansas not being "it" for anything but the short term, 3 years, future.
But could this really all go out the window if I get some sort of shooting job offer? What if I get sick? What if I really decide to go back to school and start a different career? Then can I meld those goals and events with a move? What does Super D want?
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Happy Valentines Day
My dad tried to teach me that love was putting someone's needs before your own. That action, even more than the idea, is what love is in the long term. Emotional love versus physical love. I can dig that. Want to show love? Then put the other person first by what you do and say.
Then a college girl friend had me read the 5 love languages book to gain some self awareness. (lots of girls in this time frame tried to get me to do a bunch of self improvement stuff.......... humph! where are they now?) Over time my idea on this has changed that I'm now pretty sure my love language is quality time. So for me, I don't need to feel like you've put me first. But I do need to feel like you want to spend time with me. Doing stuff.
Happy Valentines Day! Reflect on all the different types of love in one's life and think about what you can do to share, grow or improve it. Love for yourself, a family member, God, country, fellow man, your enemy or the person you want to be with forever.
First and cutest
Got to go to the cutest little girl's first birthday party this past weekend. I love this little nipper soo much!
Friday, February 10, 2017
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Trevails of Travel
I have quite a bit of logistics to deal with in the next few months. Well actually most of this year! But in the closer future it goes something like this:
today:fly to slc,arrive midnight, get rental car, spend night at parents
feb 10: go to family, get hotel, misc
feb 11-2: family
feb 13: return lr
feb 14: pick up mysterious at lr airport 5pm
feb 18: return mysterious to lr airport 10am
march 1: fly to miami. get car, drive to homestead
march 2:fly cuba and back same day
march 3-4:shoot fl state idpa match
march 5: return lr
march 8: jojo simon arrive lr airport 5pm
march 14: return jojo and simon to lr airport noon
march 23: fly to orlando, get car, drive to lakeland
march 25-26:shoot optics nationals
march 27: return to lr
march 28: fly to las vegas, get car, drive to st george
march 29-30: shoot Area 1 match
march 31: drive back las vegas, fly to lr
April, May and June look similar with two to three major matches I have to fly to in each and family travel mixed in as well. July could possibly be a vacation in Greece for my month off. That'd be nice! Just me and Super D driving around Greece for two weeks at our leisure during the summer.
But until then I gotta road warrior this stuff out, stay on top of training and win win win.
today:fly to slc,arrive midnight, get rental car, spend night at parents
feb 10: go to family, get hotel, misc
feb 11-2: family
feb 13: return lr
feb 14: pick up mysterious at lr airport 5pm
feb 18: return mysterious to lr airport 10am
march 1: fly to miami. get car, drive to homestead
march 2:fly cuba and back same day
march 3-4:shoot fl state idpa match
march 5: return lr
march 8: jojo simon arrive lr airport 5pm
march 14: return jojo and simon to lr airport noon
march 23: fly to orlando, get car, drive to lakeland
march 25-26:shoot optics nationals
march 27: return to lr
march 28: fly to las vegas, get car, drive to st george
march 29-30: shoot Area 1 match
march 31: drive back las vegas, fly to lr
April, May and June look similar with two to three major matches I have to fly to in each and family travel mixed in as well. July could possibly be a vacation in Greece for my month off. That'd be nice! Just me and Super D driving around Greece for two weeks at our leisure during the summer.
But until then I gotta road warrior this stuff out, stay on top of training and win win win.
Television Me
So I watched the pre release version of the first episode of the TV show I'm on today. Funnily, I do not look 10 pounds heavier like I'd always heard.
It's weird seeing myself on tv, that's for sure!
It's weird seeing myself on tv, that's for sure!
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Freedom isn't free.
Everything, let me repeat everything, you do on the internet for free you are paying for it with your personal data and loss of your privacy.
Drew League
There's a pretty elite basketball league in s central LA, the Drew League. While I'm not really into basketball their slogan is awesome. No excuses, just produce.
No excuses, just produce.
No excuses, just produce.
Trust Comedy
I remember hearing a comedian doing a routine where the set up before the punchline was "Never trust a.....". This week the joke of "Never trust a fart when you have the flue", has been played on me ffaaarrrrrrr to many times.
It's not funny any more.
It's not funny any more.
Fowl most foul
I noticed a dead owl by the side of the road in my neighborhood and thought I'd like to preserve its skull. So I took its head and brought it to the house and thought about different ways to do it. Well I started on it today and had to stop, it was just too disgusting of a smell and process.
Maybe if I'd started the moment after it was killed but weeks later was far tooooooo late. Gross-a-most!
An hour later and I can still smell that yucky smell. Barf.
Maybe if I'd started the moment after it was killed but weeks later was far tooooooo late. Gross-a-most!
An hour later and I can still smell that yucky smell. Barf.
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Chick Fil A
Employee A to Manager: There's a dog on the dining patio. I think it belongs to a homeless guy.
Manager: OK.
Employee B to Manager: There's a homeless guy in the bathroom. He's been in there a while I think.
Employee A: I don't think it's right to have a dog on the dining patio unattended.
Manager to Emp B: Go to the bathroom, get the homeless guy out bring him up here. (the front counter)
Emp B goes to bathroom and brings Homeless Man to front counter.
Manager to Homeless Man: Hey, what can I buy you for lunch? A chicken sandwich, fries and a Dr Pepper? What will your dog eat?
Homeless Mans reply is to quiet for me to hear.
The manager gets him lunch, he was treated with respect, they even looked after his dog. Everyone was nice and respectful. It really touched me as an example of Christ-like service.
Manager: OK.
Employee B to Manager: There's a homeless guy in the bathroom. He's been in there a while I think.
Employee A: I don't think it's right to have a dog on the dining patio unattended.
Manager to Emp B: Go to the bathroom, get the homeless guy out bring him up here. (the front counter)
Emp B goes to bathroom and brings Homeless Man to front counter.
Manager to Homeless Man: Hey, what can I buy you for lunch? A chicken sandwich, fries and a Dr Pepper? What will your dog eat?
Homeless Mans reply is to quiet for me to hear.
The manager gets him lunch, he was treated with respect, they even looked after his dog. Everyone was nice and respectful. It really touched me as an example of Christ-like service.
Monday, February 6, 2017
Up up and away!
There are soooo many travel things I need to book and confirm this month. I feel they're getting away from me and I'm going to have made a terrible mistake in oversight.
-rental car and hotel for utah for this weekend
-flight, hotel, car, cuba flight for Miami first weekend in march
-flight, hotel, car for central Florida third week in march
-flight, hotel, car for Utah last week of march of Area 1
-rental car and hotel for utah for this weekend
-flight, hotel, car, cuba flight for Miami first weekend in march
-flight, hotel, car for central Florida third week in march
-flight, hotel, car for Utah last week of march of Area 1
Strange R Things
In the 1970's I had swine flu at the end of that pandemic. I remember being very very sick. During the early 80's I remember the Alar apple scare, the killer gas radon in your basement and the Tylenol poisoning deaths. Heck, in middle school I bit into a Twix candybar and there was a paperclip inside it. Laying perfectly flat between the cookie and the caramel where some factory worker had laid it in jest while bored at work.
So I was sick once in a flu pandemic and got to experience some early food tampering. Strange yes, but what's that got to do with today? I don't know. I just know I have a horrible sinus cold/infection and I'm totally laid up, unable or unwilling to do many of the things I wanted to do today. And probably tomorrow.
It's going to be slowwwwwwww going this week.
So I was sick once in a flu pandemic and got to experience some early food tampering. Strange yes, but what's that got to do with today? I don't know. I just know I have a horrible sinus cold/infection and I'm totally laid up, unable or unwilling to do many of the things I wanted to do today. And probably tomorrow.
It's going to be slowwwwwwww going this week.
Friday, February 3, 2017
Must. Not. Destroy.
I've broke 5 tools today at a cost of $40 to unsuccessfully remove and replace a $3 part on my $1,800 reloading press.
And I feel like I'm getting a cold.
Questions/Preguntas
I spend a fair bit of time on different forums related to competition and shooting. Some questions can only be answered by someone with more or different experience than yourself. But honestly, I'd say 60% of the questions asked could be answered by just reading the rule books.
So read the rule book.
So read the rule book.
You're shipping me....
For most of my online shopping life, it's been delayed shipping that's caused me more irritation than anything. Evidently this is not going to change.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
$65
Did every store I visited today just want at bold $65 dollars from me today? All but Dollar General!
Petsmart, yep. Dillards nope but only because they didn't have what I wanted. Target, yep. Toys-rus, nope my desired not in stock there either. Kroger of course they did. Haircut was only $5, so that felt like a bargain! Which a $5 haircut you don't have to apologize for most definitely is!
I didn't get the face sunscreen/moisturizer I wanted at Dillards so I bought something else at Kroger. I didn't get the primer tubes I wanted at Bass Pro because they didn't have any so I also put back $75 in impulse stuff I'd picked up while looking.
Basically I spent 4 hours driving around doing errands and such to spend $200 today.
OK, I did get a free sandwich at ChikfilA and it was great! And most of a free dinner at Outback tonight, thanks to a sponsor's gift of a gift card!
Petsmart, yep. Dillards nope but only because they didn't have what I wanted. Target, yep. Toys-rus, nope my desired not in stock there either. Kroger of course they did. Haircut was only $5, so that felt like a bargain! Which a $5 haircut you don't have to apologize for most definitely is!
I didn't get the face sunscreen/moisturizer I wanted at Dillards so I bought something else at Kroger. I didn't get the primer tubes I wanted at Bass Pro because they didn't have any so I also put back $75 in impulse stuff I'd picked up while looking.
Basically I spent 4 hours driving around doing errands and such to spend $200 today.
OK, I did get a free sandwich at ChikfilA and it was great! And most of a free dinner at Outback tonight, thanks to a sponsor's gift of a gift card!
Aren't I a little short...?
Like the famous line goes, "Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?" Well, I probably am at only 5' 7". But for a Star Wars themed Cub Scout thing we're having I am dressing up in another person's stormtrooper costume.
They're my height, which is nice. Sadly they are twice my weight. So not only am I too short to be a stromtrooper evidently I am too thin as well.
And of course I'll post some pictures for you!
They're my height, which is nice. Sadly they are twice my weight. So not only am I too short to be a stromtrooper evidently I am too thin as well.
And of course I'll post some pictures for you!
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
$68
Sixty eight dollars to replace every spring in my 1050. If you think about how much I reload per year, that's not too bad of a deal.
If I wish...
If I were to have a magic wish that would change one thing about Arkansas I would eliminate all bug the bite people. I'm really tired of always having some sort of bite from a creepy crawly.
Princesa y the pea
02:54 and I'm awakened by the cooling fan for the dvr box and my tummy rumbling from a fairly large dinner of Mexican food for Taco, or in my case Tamale, Tuesday.
I wish I wasn't such a sensitive sleeper. It has to be completely dark and completely silent and still for me to sleep solidly.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Balance point.
I've never been super awesome at wheelies on a motorcycle. And now at my age the idea of throwing myself on the ground for fun is less and less appealing. I mean, I'll take it as a matter of course in doing something and it happens, but not going in knowing it will.
So instead I will be perfecting my bicycle wheelies instead. As I kid I could ride a wheelie around the block on my bicycle. Today I'm lucky if it's a few bike lengths.....
Should be a fun diversion while it's kinda chilly outside and I'm inbetween training evolutions during the day.
-I do have pictures of me doing wheelies on a motorcycle and a pedal bike, just on my phone, not on my computer where I published this from.
So instead I will be perfecting my bicycle wheelies instead. As I kid I could ride a wheelie around the block on my bicycle. Today I'm lucky if it's a few bike lengths.....
Should be a fun diversion while it's kinda chilly outside and I'm inbetween training evolutions during the day.
-I do have pictures of me doing wheelies on a motorcycle and a pedal bike, just on my phone, not on my computer where I published this from.
Fun!
Fitness isn't really essential for my sport. Like bowling I guess, hahaha.
But fitness never hurts and makes the rest of life more fun.
And I think push bikes, to use the UK term, are fun. And if you're a new reader I was a bike mechanic for years as a part time job before college and later during a transition.
It's 68f during January, the sun is out and I have access to a bike. The fun makes itself!
Highest of highs and hardest of hard
Ahhhh, a picture of the time I climbed Mt Whitney; the tallest mountain in the 48 states.
What a grueling day it was for most of us in our party. A rowdy epic for sure.
Monday, January 30, 2017
Killing Time
Since I've killed all my social media stuff I'm still in the habit of being on the computer or my phone for like 4 hours out of the day but with much different things during that time. Eventually I'd like that time to be cut in half but until I make that happen here is how I currently kill my time while on my phone or online
-Wordfued game on my phone. I have like 6-8 games going all the time. I'm pretty good, if you want to play me it is "rowdstar" when you want to add me.
-Golf solitaire on my phone. Thanks mom.
-Duolingo on my phone. Absolutely the best language learning app out there!! I'm doing Spanish and Norwegian.
-Blogger app on my phone so I can more easily do this while out and about and at the spur of the moment.
-Shooting and competition forums. Mostly lurking on all but Enos, where I post fairly regularly. Rarely on my phone for this.
-Movie preview, trailer and spoiler sites.
-Genealogy work.
-Motorcycle news, racing reports and reviews.
-Youtube for watching about whatever has popped into my mind.
I swear I go to the same 12 websites for 90% of my traffic on the web. Notice nothing about news, politics, regular sports, music, fashion, travel, money and the other things I think are really big draws for people. I am considering adding Instagram back but I'm not sure.....
-Wordfued game on my phone. I have like 6-8 games going all the time. I'm pretty good, if you want to play me it is "rowdstar" when you want to add me.
-Golf solitaire on my phone. Thanks mom.
-Duolingo on my phone. Absolutely the best language learning app out there!! I'm doing Spanish and Norwegian.
-Blogger app on my phone so I can more easily do this while out and about and at the spur of the moment.
-Shooting and competition forums. Mostly lurking on all but Enos, where I post fairly regularly. Rarely on my phone for this.
-Movie preview, trailer and spoiler sites.
-Genealogy work.
-Motorcycle news, racing reports and reviews.
-Youtube for watching about whatever has popped into my mind.
I swear I go to the same 12 websites for 90% of my traffic on the web. Notice nothing about news, politics, regular sports, music, fashion, travel, money and the other things I think are really big draws for people. I am considering adding Instagram back but I'm not sure.....
Two unexpected things today!
The first, I made a conscious decision without being under any duress or influence of narcotics (which I don't use anyways but it makes it funnier) that my lunch today will be an apple and salad. Oh and mineral water.
That judder you just felt? It's ok, the world is turning again.
Secondly, I received an email this morning asking where to mail my plaque from the Florida State USPSA Championships a few weeks ago. Evidently my 3rd place overall division finish/first A class was awarded something. I'm still very unhappy with third, but this is a pleasant surprise.
That will make going to the mail box in a few days worth the walk.
That judder you just felt? It's ok, the world is turning again.
Secondly, I received an email this morning asking where to mail my plaque from the Florida State USPSA Championships a few weeks ago. Evidently my 3rd place overall division finish/first A class was awarded something. I'm still very unhappy with third, but this is a pleasant surprise.
That will make going to the mail box in a few days worth the walk.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Match Win Video
So the rules radically changed in IDPA for 2017. This was my first match under the new rules. Benton Gun Club has an IDPA match the 3rd Saturday of every month starting at 9am. Come on out if you want to get started in a fun pistol match.
The changes made the shooting a little more fun in my opinion and not worrying about cover calls was a HUGE relief. I was first overall by over 30 seconds and I won every stage. I hope this is validation of my current training regimen. Check out the video and subscribe to my Youtube channel if you want to see more action like this!
The changes made the shooting a little more fun in my opinion and not worrying about cover calls was a HUGE relief. I was first overall by over 30 seconds and I won every stage. I hope this is validation of my current training regimen. Check out the video and subscribe to my Youtube channel if you want to see more action like this!
Friday, January 27, 2017
3 days in.....
3 days in on not drinking any soda and doing alright. And as I despise diet soda if I can stay away from the regular stuff I'll probably make it. And I realize that gatorade and juices are no better either, so I'm not doing it for naught and replacing the soda with too much of something else. Just drinking a ton more water than I used to.
3 days in with all of my social media stuff deleted. Talked with my main sponsor today and they understood and are totally cool with it. That made me very happy as well!! So yeah, Facebook, Instagram, my athlete Facebook, Kik, messenger, Snapchat and all of that is totally deleted on the profile level and apps gone from my phone.
I evidently have an inactive Twitter account and Google+ from my email. But who looks at those?? I have a Youtube channel and that's it. Feels pretty good!
3 days in with all of my social media stuff deleted. Talked with my main sponsor today and they understood and are totally cool with it. That made me very happy as well!! So yeah, Facebook, Instagram, my athlete Facebook, Kik, messenger, Snapchat and all of that is totally deleted on the profile level and apps gone from my phone.
I evidently have an inactive Twitter account and Google+ from my email. But who looks at those?? I have a Youtube channel and that's it. Feels pretty good!
Not what you think....
Success in your match performance isn't who can do the best each and every time but rather who makes the least mistakes. You can win a match not winning a single stage if you don't make any mistakes.
It's better to finish 2nd or 3rd all match than it is to be 1st, 8th, 1st, 10th etc.......
It's better to finish 2nd or 3rd all match than it is to be 1st, 8th, 1st, 10th etc.......
Things I thought I'd never say....
"I ate too much pizza." But oh man, evidently last night I did. When you can't sleep because of the huge boulder of food in your stomach and heart burn all night, well you probably did eat too much pizza. I didn't think it was humanly possible, but I did it. Kinda like running the 4 minute mile. But stuffing my face.
"Gray hair doesn't bother me." When I only had one or six of them I just plucked them out. Now I have tens of them and I just accept it. Though it is one reason why I always shave my beard when it finally gets good and long is the two stripes of gray in in running down from my chin.
"I think I'm going to stop drinking soda." It's a lot easier to maintain weight when you're not drinking 2-300 extra calories per day from sugar. I love the taste of sugary drinks though so while better for me, not very fun. I'm slowly learning to enjoy just drinking water most of the day. And funnily enough I notice I also make minimally better food choices during the day when I mostly drink water.
"The new King Kong remake is going to be awesome!" Uh, thanks to Peter Jackson I have hated King Kong for years now. Not even the ride in Orlando changed my mind. But this new movie looks like it will undo all the bad King Kong I've had to suffer from since 1978.
"I'm going to Cuba for the day." Yep, it's set now. When I am in Florida this March, the first time of two March trips, I am doing a day trip to Cuba. Big deal you say? Yeah, you could have gotten to Cuba before, but for many Americans of non-Cuban descent it just didn't seem like a doable trip, until now. Also, I grew up in the Cold War era. Kids today learn Islamic terrorists are the bad guys but when I was growing up it was Communists. And a prime example of Commie awfulness was Castro and Cuba. So it's a little shocking to be going to what was once denied, enemy territory.
"Gray hair doesn't bother me." When I only had one or six of them I just plucked them out. Now I have tens of them and I just accept it. Though it is one reason why I always shave my beard when it finally gets good and long is the two stripes of gray in in running down from my chin.
"I think I'm going to stop drinking soda." It's a lot easier to maintain weight when you're not drinking 2-300 extra calories per day from sugar. I love the taste of sugary drinks though so while better for me, not very fun. I'm slowly learning to enjoy just drinking water most of the day. And funnily enough I notice I also make minimally better food choices during the day when I mostly drink water.
"The new King Kong remake is going to be awesome!" Uh, thanks to Peter Jackson I have hated King Kong for years now. Not even the ride in Orlando changed my mind. But this new movie looks like it will undo all the bad King Kong I've had to suffer from since 1978.
"I'm going to Cuba for the day." Yep, it's set now. When I am in Florida this March, the first time of two March trips, I am doing a day trip to Cuba. Big deal you say? Yeah, you could have gotten to Cuba before, but for many Americans of non-Cuban descent it just didn't seem like a doable trip, until now. Also, I grew up in the Cold War era. Kids today learn Islamic terrorists are the bad guys but when I was growing up it was Communists. And a prime example of Commie awfulness was Castro and Cuba. So it's a little shocking to be going to what was once denied, enemy territory.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Ef El Ay
I have a lot of shooting matches in Florida this year. Most of them are in central Florida and not much I want to stick around and see, especially when by myself.
But in March I'll be with my friend from California, DO down at the bottom of Florida, south of Miami. So I thought of doing things fun together since we'll be there a few extra days. Snorkeling, shark fishing, Everglades air boat, drive to Key West on the Overseas Highway, driving school at Homestead Raceway. You know, rowdy stuff.
Until I saw you can fly to Havana, Cuba from Miami and back the same day for just over $200!! Uh yeah, I wanna go to Cuba!
But in March I'll be with my friend from California, DO down at the bottom of Florida, south of Miami. So I thought of doing things fun together since we'll be there a few extra days. Snorkeling, shark fishing, Everglades air boat, drive to Key West on the Overseas Highway, driving school at Homestead Raceway. You know, rowdy stuff.
Until I saw you can fly to Havana, Cuba from Miami and back the same day for just over $200!! Uh yeah, I wanna go to Cuba!
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Listening to the guy who's been the national champ for what I do more times in the past ten years than anyone else his day is:
Get up 6am and then-
Work out for an hour.
Load ammo for an hour.
Dry fire for an hour.
Shoot live fire for two hours.
Do this every day of the week. 7am till noon devoted 100% to advancing his shooting. To beat him I have to at least equal this. And not for a month, but for years. Years.
Daunting.
And if you haven't seen me shoot in a while, this is what it looks like:
Get up 6am and then-
Work out for an hour.
Load ammo for an hour.
Dry fire for an hour.
Shoot live fire for two hours.
Do this every day of the week. 7am till noon devoted 100% to advancing his shooting. To beat him I have to at least equal this. And not for a month, but for years. Years.
Daunting.
And if you haven't seen me shoot in a while, this is what it looks like:
Delete
I've deleted the Facebook, Messenger, Kik and Instagram apps from my phone. I've deleted my Athlete FB page, my personal FB page and just stopped using the others as I can't access them from my phone, they'll die of neglect.
Social media was taking more from my life than it was giving. I already have enough drains on me in the real world to add others that didn't provide enough value.
I still text, I still email, I will still write here, I'll still play word games on my phone. Other than that, forget it.
Social media was taking more from my life than it was giving. I already have enough drains on me in the real world to add others that didn't provide enough value.
I still text, I still email, I will still write here, I'll still play word games on my phone. Other than that, forget it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
As most of you know, I am learning to swim in my 30's. This got me to thinking about things I should have learned as a male growing up a...
-
This month I'm off to Arkansas for my "far away" shooting match. I want to be in the top 30% of Expert dang it! So lots of pra...
