Honestly, My focus this year has been on working on me more than anything, and by that I mean taking better care of myself physically. I’ve often thought that if you’re going to carry a gun to protect yourself, you also need to keep yourself in some sort of decent physical shape. What’s the point in carrying a gun, if you’re going to have a heart attack when things get physical?????

I realize that not everyone is in the position to just fix the problem. There are folks who have physical ailments which may prevent them from taking care of certain weight related issues. I don’t think that’s the case for most of us. Most of us choose not to. I’m fortunate. I don’t have any health issues other than my cholesterol is a bit elevated. But my family does have a history of diabetes, and some family members have had heart issues. I’m not quite 40, but I realize that my window of opportunity to correct this problem, because I WANT to, is closing. I would rather do it now at the time of my choosing, rather than because the Dr. is going to tell me I’m dead in 5 years if I don’t.

I’ve always been a bigger guy, and I’ve never felt like my size has prevented me from doing anything, but had a couple incidents last summer and fall that got my butt in gear to fix the problem. Nothing health related, but just little things that made me feel like my size was starting to have an impact on my being able to do things. That sucks. And I have no one to blame but myself. I lifted that fork every time and stuck it in my mouth. No one else.

I had been working out at a gym for the better part of a couple years, but my results have been less than meaningful mostly because I really didn’t know what the heck I should be doing. I’ve tried running, lifting weights, and a combination of the two, but just wasn’t able to make anything happen. When my contract expired, I took advantage of an opportunity to hire a trainer to show me what I needed to be doing.

I won’t tell you that it has been easy. It hasn’t. After I burned through my initial sessions with the trainer, I found out he was leaving for another gym and wanted me to come along. I really hadn’t seen any results, and the amount of money it was going to cost me was more than I was willing to spend. But we negotiated prices, and he asked for one month and that I do the things he asked me to do outside of the sessions. There were a couple times I thought he was full of crap and I was wasting my money. And it probably took a month before I saw ANY results other than just extremely sore muscles. Fortunately, I can be a stubborn ass when I put my mind to it, so I stuck with it. I really wanted just a routine that I could go do. “30 minutes on the treadmill 3 times a week, and then do these machines at these weights. And then when you reach this point, do this… etc, etc, etc.” Well, that’s what I had been doing on my own, and it didn’t work, for me anyway. Thankfully my trainer stubbornly refused to give that to me. He instead introduced me to Crossfit. It may not be for everyone, but it certainly fit with me, and the kind of challenges I like.

It’s been 5 1/2 months and here are the results

I’m down almost 50 pounds, with perhaps another 25-30 to go. There has been very little change to my diet, other than cutting out snacks, and just making better choices in the things I do eat. It’s just been a matter of being more active, and having more productive and challenging sessions at the gym. Desk jobs will kill you, especially if you combine it with stress and poor eating habits and no real physical exercise. If something is going to kill me, it’s not gonna be a desk, and certainly not with out a fight. My trainer has worked very hard to equip me with the knowledge of proper lifting form so that I can function properly on my own in a gym and not get hurt.

I realize losing weight is a hard issue for a lot of people. Don’t look at it like you have to loose 50-60-70-80-150 pounds. You only have to lose 1 pound. And when you’ve lost that one, move on to the next one. Just like you gained it…one pound at a time.

So that’s my story so far…. thanks for checking in!

But since my fans are begging for my return (all two of you), here goes….

The other day at work our training coordinator scheduled a session on how to deal with a violent work situation. Anyone who knows me, knows that my response is simply “bang”. No, actually, “bang-bang-bang-scan-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-drop mag-scan and reload” is more accurate. That’s 15 rounds from a Glock 19 for those of you keeping score at home.

Unfortunately, they were covering violent situations at WORK, not how to handle those situations in a free environment. Since I work in a non-permissive environment, complete with the gun free zone billboards posted at every entrance, I was very interested in hearing the company line…..

Are you ready? I wasn’t.

First we covered what to do when you hear gun shots. That’s obvious. Get the hell out, find cover and then call the police. Tell them everything you can. They even told us the best place to hit our windows in case we had to use that as an exit. Help the folks that can’t move as quickly or are handicapped, but avoid the shooter if at all possible and get out. Ok, Good. I can agree with this.

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Second, If you can’t get out, take cover. Hide yourself. Get someplace where you can lock the door, turn out the light, barricade it if at all possible, and get behind hard cover. Also if you are in a room with more than one person, spread out, don’t huddle together because it’s easier to shoot a group of people than it is one person at a time. I have to admit that I was just flat dumbfounded at this point. Someone is actually thinking here.

Third, You’ve tried to get out. You’ve attempted to find cover. Both have failed. You are face to face with the shooter. What do you do?

Prepare your mindset NOW to do WHATEVER it takes, for however long is required to protect your life. If you don’t plan now, if you don’t practice, you will have a much harder time overcoming your fear and moving towards action.

Seriously. Was I dreaming? I fully expected to be told to sit still, don’t make any sudden movements, and fully cooperate with the shooter.

Once the video was done, we went on to discuss various improvements to the overall building security to hopefully prevent such an act. They were also quick to acknowledge that no solution is 100%, and that they wanted to make sure we had the information we needed to prepare accordingly. Which is good, because there is nothing in place to stop the person with badge access to the building. I’d much rather have super sonic lead pills at my disposal, but it’s still a good exercise to go through because there are just going to be situations where you cannot be armed 24×7. Fact of life.

I truly believe that some people are starting to take to heart the hard lessons of Columbine, Virginia Tech, and United Flight 97, and even a couple situations locally. We’ve seen far too many times where compliance in these scenarios will take you, and that non-compliance can save lives. It’s sad we had to lose those lives in order for people to start thinking with some sense.

So think about it. Think about where you work. What would you do? Where would you go? Where are the exits? How are you gonna bust that window? Where is the cover? Which jackass co-worker are you gonna grab as a human shield (don’t judge me, you all have a name in your head too)

And what are you gonna do if you are confronted with the shooter. What tools do you have at your disposal? A trash can, a fire extinguisher, a computer, monitor. Scissors perhaps? How about that pot of coffee? We know that rapidly deployed coffee can buy you a few precious seconds.

Just remember, preparing ahead of time does not guarantee your survival. But if getting shot in the back feels the same as getting shot in the front, wouldn’t you rather take the chance?

In the last 10 years,

• I’ve had 2 kids (actually my wife had them, I just… never mind….),
• bought a house,
• changed jobs 6 times,
• lost 2 grandparents,
• lost a brother,
• parted company with some friends,
• gained new friends, some of which are like brothers to me,
• gained a bunch new in-laws and a ton of nieces and nephews,
• watched as we were attacked on our soil and wept at the sight of American’s jumping to their death,
• wondered more than once what the hell was wrong with us as a country,
• looked at other countries and knew what was right about us,
• watched with pride as my children grow up, how proud of them I am even on those days they push my patience to its limits,
• brought 2 dogs into my house, and managed to keep one of them,
• realized I was well on my way to financial ruin if I didn’t make some changes,
• paid off all my debt with the exception of one car and my house without the help of a bailout from anyone,
• remodeled a bathroom,
• taken some fun vacations,
• finally found some hobbies that I really enjoy,
• and managed to not run off my wife in the process of it all (she’s obviously a keeper and must think I am as well).

Some of these events I’ve handled better than others, but I’ve learned something from each of them, but not have they always been fun lessons. Through it all, I feel that God has blessed me very generously. I may not have all that I wanted, but definitely have had all that I needed, and I cannot ask for any more than that.

Anyway, I wish all of you a happy 2010, thanks for stopping by.

Happy New Years!

An opportunity fell in my lap a few weeks ago. Without going into too many details, I’ve been offered a position to manage a group that I have been working with as a contractor for the past few years. I’ve tried a time or two to move in this direction at other companies, but it seems that I do my job a little too well. Yes, I’ve been told that. While this job may not sound exciting to anyone, keep in mind, I have NO (and by “NO”, I mean zero) formal management experience. Sure, I’ve managed small projects and small groups of developers, but nothing like this. I don’t know if I’ll like this job, or if I’ll even be good at it. The technical aspects, I can handle without issue, and have for many years, it’s the management stuff that has me a bit perplexed. I don’t even know, what I don’t know.

So, in a market where jobs are tight, and salaries are dropping, a company comes along, offers a job to someone with no experience but a willingness to try anything once, without taking too big of a pay cut plus gaining paid vacation and holidays…. Sign. Me. Up.

It’s going to be an interesting ride…..

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Now that I have this, I can start working on getting the approvals to start teaching classes to help folks get their Missouri Concealed Carry permit. I’ll post more as the process progresses…..

Although summer isn’t my favorite season, there are a few things that I do like about it…

1) Summer BBQ’s with pork steaks slow cooked over charcoal and then set to rest in a pan of Maul’s BBQ sauce, oh yeah!
2) Fresh summer vegetables (specifically corn on the cob) and fresh blueberries on my cereal every morning
3) Fishing (which I need to do more of)
4) Daylight commutes to work

But summer is winding down. My kids are back in school, and the days are getting noticeably shorter. I noticed the other day that my neighbor has a tree that is shedding a few leaves and my burning bushes are starting to get a hint of red in them. Fall is on its way. And while this has been a good summer, fall is my favorite season of the year and I can’t wait.

This fall is shaping up to be a busy one, and I’m not sure that is good. But my daughter and wife’s birthdays are coming up, days which need to be celebrated. A trip or two across the river to our favorite apple orchard is also in the plans. Some weekends will be spent out of town but hopefully we can sneak in a camping trip somewhere amongst all the other plans we have to this point.

Deer season is coming up, and I have the bug. I’ve never been deer hunting, but want to go for no other reason than it’s something I’ve never experienced. Growing up, we spent a lot of time outdoors , but hunting wasn’t on the agenda. Quite honestly, I never felt like I was missing any thing. I’m not sure why but something clicked one day and it was added to the list of “Things I want to know and pass on to my kids.” Perhaps it’s the “Provider” in me that wants to know I am capable of putting food on the table without the aid of the local grocery store.

The learning curve seems steep as there are many unknowns to me. But this will be no different than anything else I’ve undertaken in the past. Learn as I go and ask questions where needed. And when something fails to work, take a step back, re-evaluate and try again. While my dad did not teach me how to hunt, he did teach me that not making an attempt because of fear is worse than failure itself. More often than not, failure is not going to kill you. The trick is knowing when failure will kill you and exercising a bit more caution in those areas.

To me it seems that folks make a huge production out of hunting. Maybe it’s necessary, perhaps not. I would prefer to keep it simple, I’m determined to keep it simple. Within the next month or so I should know if I’ve been drawn for one of the managed hunts at a conservation area close to my house. In the mean time, I’ll spend some time reading, studying maps of the area, drag a more experienced friend out to help scout the area, and continue trying to learn what I can in order to make this a successful hunt prior to entering the field on opening day. But much of what I learn well is usually learned from hands on experience, so I think a bulk of my education will come on Nov. 14th.

Well, that’s a few months away, and today is calling. One of the bad things about a nice summer is that I’m still having to mow the grass every week, instead of once every 2 or 3. The green stuff isn’t getting any shorter as I sit here……

The Rifleman’s Creed

I remembered it from the movie Full Metal Jacket. A quick search of the intertubes revealed that it is also the Marine Corps Rifleman’s Creed, which I didn’t know. You would have thought I made the connection when I watched the following clip (I would advise NOT turning this up in the office. You have been warned….):

But I didn’t. I’ve had a hard week. My wife found the cereal in the freezer the other morning after I left for work. That should tell you something. Sometimes I’m a bit slow.

Anyway, this one is mine.

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Built on a Territorial Gunsmith’s lower, with a JP trigger pulling just a hair under 4 1/2 pounds, and a Command Arms Collapsable Stock.
The upper is a Rock River Arms Upper with a 16″ Heavy profile barrel, topped off with an EOTech sight and A.R.M.S flip up rear sight.

It has been a work in progress for the past year or so. And it’s finally finished to the point of being satisfactory in my eyes. At some point, you just have to say enough!

This weekend, the enemy is steel.

I’ve only shot this rifle off the bench a couple times, most of it has been from bench bags. But never clangin’ and bangin’.

Should be a good time. I’m looking forward to learning this rifle.

Here’s some good reading material, in case you’ve never read our founding documents.

I think we’re going to drag the family down to the Tea Party this morning and partake in some First Amendment goodness! Hopefully I’ll have some decent pictures to share later….

I don’t claim to be an expert at this stuff, but this once, I think I’m safe in telling you this….

When you change your oil filter, make sure that the rubber seal on the old filter comes off with the filter.

It you don’t, your driveway will look like the Exxon Valdez ran aground on it.

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The two rubber seals together will not contain the oil pressure. In that short period, I managed to pump out 3 quarts of oil. My van holds 5 quarts normally. I got damned lucky.

I’ve been changing my own oil for 20 years, you’d think I’d know better…….