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...

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.

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)

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....

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.

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.

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.