Random Thoughts: Inflation, Scotch and my Field Survival Load

Today I realized that commenting has been a bit light which lead me to look at the main page and realizing I haven't written in a couple days, whoopsy. I have been working through the errands and logistical needs required for us to settle back in here and spending a lot of time with Walker. Really just trying to get settled here so I haven't tried particularly ambitious stuff on any front. Here is some random stuff that has been going on or I have observed.

I filled up our fairly large Earth hating SUV today. It cost about $10 more than I remember. Not a huge deal as we do not drive much but it was interesting.

A bottle of J and B Scotch Whiskey has gone up two bucks in price. This is my house scotch. It is solidly enjoyable but reasonably priced so I don't hesitate to pour a glass on Tuesday if the mood strikes me. I love me some single malts but they start out expensive and go up in a hurry.

Along those lines I picked up a Glenmorangie 10 year and it is quite enjoyable. It is goes down mildly and has a pleasant, slightly spicy aftertaste. I may have to finish the glass and have another to confirm this.

I started putting together my level one survival load. My plan is a small pouch that I can slip into my cargo pocket. Depending on my level of motivation to dig around our stuff to find the right pieces it should be finished in the next few days or so. More to follow on this later. The only piece I am kind of up in the air about is the fire starter. I will go with a Zippo in the short term because I have one lying around (somewhere). However I would like to purchase a Butane lighter, like the kind you can use to weld thin metal or smoke crack underwater. Thoughts or input are appreciated on a specific windproof and or waterproof lighter you have had positive experiences with.

So that is what's going on right now.

Self Defense Steps for Women

Mountain man invades remote cabins, tasting occasional luxury

Read the story here.  My thoughts are as follows:

This reinforces why I carry a pistol on me and keep a long gun handy in the woods..

If the idea of a cabin or "retreat" that is fully stocked just waiting for you to leave urban/ suburban life to ride out tough times has not already been sufficiently discouraged this may help.

Why does he have to be a survivalist, couldn't he have been a dimented vegitarian or a PETA nut or something?

Be careful if you spend time in rural Southern Utah.

Quote of the Day

"Just because you're an old guy doesn't mean you have to sit around drooling in the corner"
-George Bush

Fun with Walker

Our little tough guy has been up to some delightful things recently:
He can now simultaneously run away from you and yell "help".
His vocabulary includes the words truck, yuck and duck so needless to say we are watching our mouths extra closely!
And my personal favorite.....
Yesterday there was a worker doing some stuff in our residence and Walker attacked him with a frying pan. He did this repeatedly.

New Years Update

Not a ton to report for this year. I have pretty much been stuck in a deployment time warp. Consequently pretty much nothing happened toward most of my goals. We got out of debt which was cool. Also we bought a nice used all wheel drive SUV that Wifey is very happy with. In terms of my various preparedness goals I saved some cash but since communications are difficult and it is generally a hassle I didn’t make any substantial purchases. When I go home and get around to it I will figure that all out. After doing that I will see where things are and set some new goals. I have something big in mind so a lot of the little stuff might reappear on this years list. The rest of the stuff on my list just really didn’t get done. I was kind of busy with this whole war thing and in my off time it wasn’t a priority.

In any case for 2012 I have three simple resolutions that I may be able to stick to:
-Make up for lost time with Wifey and kiddo.

-Continue a structured physical fitness regimen outside of standard Army pt stuff.

-Don’t give unsolicited advice to anybody, ever.

As for preparedness I have got to do some thinking on that one. I do however have an overarching goal.
I am going to organize our gear and equipment into modular systems to meet a variety of needs. We’ve got the gear and supplies but I am slightly ashamed to say our systems have fallen into a state of disrepair due to repeated moves and lack of upkeep. I plan to fix this and get the right stuff properly organized and packaged in a thought out manner. I will fill in small gaps as they become evident but most of the stuff is already there.  I may tweak or otherwise address this goal in a future post.

Just Do It

There is a saying in running that “the hardest part is putting your shoes on.” I go through it about every other time I run; it is wet/ cold/ windy/ hot and I am sore/ tired/ busy with work/ have lots of stuff to do so maybe it would be better to just run tomorrow instead. Most of the time my motivated side wins and I do in fact go running. About 95% of the time that is the right decision.

I am coming to see that most things are a lot like running in that regard. It is always easier to start dieting tomorrow, start saving next paycheck and go train at the range next weekend. Today you can have a double quarter pounder with cheese, this paycheck you can buy some junk and this weekend you can vegetate on the couch.

My advice is to just do it. Tomorrow/ next paycheck/ next weekend it isn’t going to be any easier.
Most of us are inherently lazy in our personal time. After a long day at work we just want to relax. However sometimes our current lazy side needs to take a back seat for the long term goals we have for ourselves. You will not be in better shape in a year if you don’t do anything different. If you don’t save you will keep living paycheck to paycheck. Why people keep doing the same thing and expecting different results is utterly beyond me. IIRC it is the definition of insanity.

While I gave some examples here and I do give advice in other posts telling you what to do is not my goal. Maybe you want to get better at long distance shooting and gardening or sewing and mechanical repair, or cooking with staple foods or whatever. My point is to start doing it. Don’t be that guy who buys the same “how to get 6 pack abs” edition of mens health  (versus the other two issues “how to get huge arms” and “how to add 40 pounds to your bench press this week”) and reads it to then eat a whole pizza and wash it down with a 6 pack. Be the guy who buys the magazine, starts eating reasonably and running, the guy who might actually trim down his stomach.

Don’t just sit around waiting for things to change, do it.

What is the Best Weapon for Home Defense?

Check out Box of Truth's recent post on the matter. In their typical fashion the BS is cut through using facts and real world experimentation/ analysis. Also they touch on a lot of myths.

Skipping to the conclusion for those who don't feel like reading: Rifles > Shotguns > Pistols.

Small Solar Setups

I got an email about this today. It mentioned those solar yard lights as an idea. In my personal experience and from what I have read they are not an impressive product. They are a great idea but it just doesn't seem to work. Personally for a budget alternative energy setup I got some rechargeable batteries and a solar charger for them. I think the cost was somewhere around $200-250. For lighting I would use them to feed a couple of LED lanterns and some flashlights. In a couple years when I upgrade I will get a couple solar panels, some deep cycle batteries and a few LED lights.

Anyway those are my .02 cents on that.