So often people talk about how they will be so busy if things get bad. For most (by number and likelihood) situations I could not disagree more. Think about it. In all but a genuine long term collapse Mad Max scenario you are not going to all of a sudden start producing your own food, “Gee there was a hurricane, I have to plant carrots in the back yard so we can eat tomorrow” doesn’t make any sense. You have food stashed away, already in production, can trade/ barter for it or you are SOL.
The next thing we think about are guard shifts. While some neighborhoods or individuals have decided to visibly guard their property/ neighborhood during riots and natural disasters this is probably the exception to the rule. While being armed and somewhat aware is a good thing you don’t need to have a 24 hour guard posted in the fighting position in front of your house because a lot of wind and rain damaged some stuff.
The cold hard reality is that most situations are boring. The power goes out so you don’t have TV/ Internet and in real bad situations local radio stations are down (immediately or as they run out of fuel for the gennies). For a normal situation like a power outage the answer is often to just hang out. Many people find this as a decent time to sit around and have a few drinks. There is a reason hurricane party is a common phrase. There isn’t a lot to do and often you can’t use vehicles because of implemental weather, roads blocked or just no place to go so why not. The only exception I can see to this is the case of a civil disturbance or some sort of elevated crime level. Normal neighborhood/ community/ area and a generic power outage, cook some dinner then have some drinks while playing cards or board games until you get tired. However if robbery and looting is going on I would substitute coffee or iced tea or just plain boring water for beer or booze. Of course a drink or two won’t hurt you but staying on your toes is probably wise.
Books, old fashioned board games and decks of cards are good ways to kill time but still be semi aware. Like I said before, for anything less than a completely insane situation sitting somewhat facing the front window and glancing up now and then is good unless you are a Korean Grocer in South Central during a riot.
Have grid down plans to entertain yourself both in common situations and somewhat more dangerous ones.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Book Review: Atlas Shrugged
Late last night I finished Atlas Shrugged. The day before yesterday I sort of got muddled down in "The Speech". Yesterday I intended to at a minimum get through "The Speech". I finished it in the evening and then talked with Wifey for awhile. I read a bit more and at about 11 I had 50 pages or so left. I decided to stay up and finish it. By about midnight I saw how it played out and got to THE END. Now it is time to review it. I will do my best not to spoil anything but still do a meaningful review.
A real quick description of the story. Basically Atlas Shrugged follows 3 groups of people: some big business type industrialists, people who think others should give them stuff who are called moochers, and those who use force to take from others who are called looters. It follows these 3 groups of people through an increasingly regulated and socialist society. As the situation deteriorates things get more and more interesting as these philosophies as personified by the characters clash.
The Good: It made me think a lot about politics, my thoughts and values. It didn't fundamentally reshape anything for me as I pretty much was a heartless libertarian (though with a grasp on reality so I have some Republican leanings) but it did support and deepen my thinking on some issues.
The Bad: I found it bitterly ironic that while Atlas Shrugged talked about how people should be free to do whatever they want (socially and economically) it also had decisive elements of judgment. The attitude was "everything I do/think is perfect" and people who do otherwise suck. Interestingly the judgments were almost all social and in some ways conflicted with the actions of the characters. That a woman who could ramble for 70 pages about how people should be economically free can toss out random glib and superficial judgments of various social behaviors of others really bothers me.
The Ugly: Have I mentioned that this book was long. I mean ridiculously long. I guess Ayn Rand found art and beauty in pages of rambling about how a skirt layed on the legs of a character while she smoked a cigarette or how some trees looked or whatever. It wasted a ton of my time and drove me completely nuts. At a couple points it picked up but books shouldn't be boring multiple times for a couple hundred pages. What people who write Paladin Press books do to get from say 75 pages to their requisite 120-140 (unnecessary repetition and just needless rambling) Ayn Rand seems to have done, except it took the book from say 700-800 pages to over 1,100. This book puts a lot of people off because it is really long, in my personal opinion the book didn't need to be anywhere near as long as it was. I feel like a lot of my time was wasted.
Thoughts?
A real quick description of the story. Basically Atlas Shrugged follows 3 groups of people: some big business type industrialists, people who think others should give them stuff who are called moochers, and those who use force to take from others who are called looters. It follows these 3 groups of people through an increasingly regulated and socialist society. As the situation deteriorates things get more and more interesting as these philosophies as personified by the characters clash.
The Good: It made me think a lot about politics, my thoughts and values. It didn't fundamentally reshape anything for me as I pretty much was a heartless libertarian (though with a grasp on reality so I have some Republican leanings) but it did support and deepen my thinking on some issues.
The Bad: I found it bitterly ironic that while Atlas Shrugged talked about how people should be free to do whatever they want (socially and economically) it also had decisive elements of judgment. The attitude was "everything I do/think is perfect" and people who do otherwise suck. Interestingly the judgments were almost all social and in some ways conflicted with the actions of the characters. That a woman who could ramble for 70 pages about how people should be economically free can toss out random glib and superficial judgments of various social behaviors of others really bothers me.
The Ugly: Have I mentioned that this book was long. I mean ridiculously long. I guess Ayn Rand found art and beauty in pages of rambling about how a skirt layed on the legs of a character while she smoked a cigarette or how some trees looked or whatever. It wasted a ton of my time and drove me completely nuts. At a couple points it picked up but books shouldn't be boring multiple times for a couple hundred pages. What people who write Paladin Press books do to get from say 75 pages to their requisite 120-140 (unnecessary repetition and just needless rambling) Ayn Rand seems to have done, except it took the book from say 700-800 pages to over 1,100. This book puts a lot of people off because it is really long, in my personal opinion the book didn't need to be anywhere near as long as it was. I feel like a lot of my time was wasted.
Thoughts?
Sunday, March 27, 2011
The concept of boats has come up recently. Both the teaser for Matthew Brackens upcoming book and our good friend Mayberry's Blovel have involved them. Before I go any further there will be one significant disclaimer. I do not have a lot of experience with boats. Thus I will stay away from all but general thoughts on prices/ sizes and specs for boats.
I will start by saying that this idea is sexy as can be. I mean on a preparedness sexiness level where 1 is doing a household budget and a sweet new M1A with an EBR stock and a great optic is a 6 this is a 9.5. The world goes to heck in a hand basket and you just cruise the world in your awesome boat. Catch and eat some fresh seafood most nights of the week and regularly have fruity drinks with little straw hats. I like the idea of lobster for dinner while watching the sunset a lot better than fighting the neighbors to keep my cereal. Seriously stop for a minute to think just how awesome that would be. OK, now that your minute has passed lets get a bit more practical.
The massive and continual need for fuel narrows our discussion to sail boats for all but the shortest GOOD/ cross the river when the bridges are down type of discussion which would be another topic all together. Basically we are talking about sail boats. Also we are probably talking about people who live in reasonable proximity to open water (though maybe the Great Lakes are an exception) because a sail boat doesn't do somebody in a landlocked state much good for anything but a great Saturday at the lake/ reservoir. Boats have a good combination of being transportation and something you can live in. A comparable role to RV's or Travel Trailers but obviously in the water.
We do need to narrow down exactly the sort of scenario where living in or out of a boat would be a decent option. Boat living would be very bad in almost every possible situation for a full on Mad Max scenario. A lack of space would be a real issue first and foremost. That alone puts you at a major disadvantage over anybody with a house and a garage or shop. Other issues such as weather, security and maintenance are area specific and beyond my depth of knowledge but to varying degrees would probably make a land based plan more realistic. However as we note from time to time a Mad Max scenario is by far the least likely scenario you would face. As FerFal so eloquently points out often countries go down the tubes in relative isolation. When one country really starts to suck you just go to another one. This is a niche where a sailboat could come in handy.
A sailboat would work well on the southern and gulf coast of the US. If a personal (crazy stuff can happen), social or economic trigger point is reached then pack a couple duffel bags, top off of fuel, water and food then cast off. The Caribbean and Central/ South America are chock full of quiet countries that are often very discrete. Also the South Pacific has some darn nice spots. If you get bored or want to seek other opportunities just go somewhere else. For the right person in the right situation with a pinch of luck this could work out well.
The biggest roadblock is that boats are expensive. A boat you could potentially use for a long term residence is going to be significantly more than a little day sailor. Being able to cook and sleep in the cabin would be essential. I hesitate to say you would need a boat of X length because the amount of occupants and the scenario you are talking about would be factors. That being said Wifey and I lived in a 40" RV and it got pretty claustrophobic for just us and 2 cats. While the RV didn't have a deck as a second story we also did not need to store a lot of fresh water and food. Size and features would drive cost significantly. Figuring somewhere between the price of nice used car (say 10k) and an average house (150k) is probably reasonable. Of course like anything else the sky is the limit. A family of 8 that planned to live self contained (infrequent trips to shore for resupply) on a boat long term would need a lot more space and amenities than a single guy who planned to sail down to a friendly country and use his boat more or less as a studio apartment. We are definitely not talking chump change here.
The next reality check is that in any situation where a boat would be a valid option you are going to need money.You will need money, in some form or another when you get to the quiet and relatively unaffected port of your choice.Slip rental, fuel, food, repairs and other costs of living are not something I have the experience to estimate but are probably higher than most would like to admit. Even for somebody who had a wad of cash or a tube of gold coins if this is something beyond a temporary trip you will need to earn continual income. Having some plan to earn a continual income would be essential. After all as much as we would like it is not practical to choose bits and pieces of different scenarios to make our ideal one. A scenario where you don't really need money but the security situation isn't horrible is a wonderful idea but not realistic.
Having a skill that can earn money in a discrete manner anywhere would be helpful. Then again that sort of skill would be helpful anyway.
It is also worth noting that even the lovely Caribbean has some dangers. Now and again a nice couple with a boat vanish and not in the happily ever after sort of way. Also for various reasons people can get into real trouble by running afoul of the local law enforcement. Personally unless you have stuff you like drugs or guns [Guns could get tricky for this one. In fact if the you choose to not declare firearms they could become a real serious problem. Almost every country you could visit will have laws (on the books if not consistently enforced) that are far more stringent than the US. Some have serious (3rd world jail time) penalties for breaking these laws. Having a couple of relatively politically correct guns could be a reasonable answer.] or other things you are not supposed to have I wouldn't be too worried about local law enforcement. In general countries worth visiting try not to bother tourists who spend money.
If serious about this sort of plan you probably want to learn Spanish.
If we ever have the cash I would love to own a nice sailboat that we could take out for the weekend or potentially longer. However a sail boat is at the low end of a long list.
I will start by saying that this idea is sexy as can be. I mean on a preparedness sexiness level where 1 is doing a household budget and a sweet new M1A with an EBR stock and a great optic is a 6 this is a 9.5. The world goes to heck in a hand basket and you just cruise the world in your awesome boat. Catch and eat some fresh seafood most nights of the week and regularly have fruity drinks with little straw hats. I like the idea of lobster for dinner while watching the sunset a lot better than fighting the neighbors to keep my cereal. Seriously stop for a minute to think just how awesome that would be. OK, now that your minute has passed lets get a bit more practical.
The massive and continual need for fuel narrows our discussion to sail boats for all but the shortest GOOD/ cross the river when the bridges are down type of discussion which would be another topic all together. Basically we are talking about sail boats. Also we are probably talking about people who live in reasonable proximity to open water (though maybe the Great Lakes are an exception) because a sail boat doesn't do somebody in a landlocked state much good for anything but a great Saturday at the lake/ reservoir. Boats have a good combination of being transportation and something you can live in. A comparable role to RV's or Travel Trailers but obviously in the water.
We do need to narrow down exactly the sort of scenario where living in or out of a boat would be a decent option. Boat living would be very bad in almost every possible situation for a full on Mad Max scenario. A lack of space would be a real issue first and foremost. That alone puts you at a major disadvantage over anybody with a house and a garage or shop. Other issues such as weather, security and maintenance are area specific and beyond my depth of knowledge but to varying degrees would probably make a land based plan more realistic. However as we note from time to time a Mad Max scenario is by far the least likely scenario you would face. As FerFal so eloquently points out often countries go down the tubes in relative isolation. When one country really starts to suck you just go to another one. This is a niche where a sailboat could come in handy.
A sailboat would work well on the southern and gulf coast of the US. If a personal (crazy stuff can happen), social or economic trigger point is reached then pack a couple duffel bags, top off of fuel, water and food then cast off. The Caribbean and Central/ South America are chock full of quiet countries that are often very discrete. Also the South Pacific has some darn nice spots. If you get bored or want to seek other opportunities just go somewhere else. For the right person in the right situation with a pinch of luck this could work out well.
The biggest roadblock is that boats are expensive. A boat you could potentially use for a long term residence is going to be significantly more than a little day sailor. Being able to cook and sleep in the cabin would be essential. I hesitate to say you would need a boat of X length because the amount of occupants and the scenario you are talking about would be factors. That being said Wifey and I lived in a 40" RV and it got pretty claustrophobic for just us and 2 cats. While the RV didn't have a deck as a second story we also did not need to store a lot of fresh water and food. Size and features would drive cost significantly. Figuring somewhere between the price of nice used car (say 10k) and an average house (150k) is probably reasonable. Of course like anything else the sky is the limit. A family of 8 that planned to live self contained (infrequent trips to shore for resupply) on a boat long term would need a lot more space and amenities than a single guy who planned to sail down to a friendly country and use his boat more or less as a studio apartment. We are definitely not talking chump change here.
The next reality check is that in any situation where a boat would be a valid option you are going to need money.You will need money, in some form or another when you get to the quiet and relatively unaffected port of your choice.Slip rental, fuel, food, repairs and other costs of living are not something I have the experience to estimate but are probably higher than most would like to admit. Even for somebody who had a wad of cash or a tube of gold coins if this is something beyond a temporary trip you will need to earn continual income. Having some plan to earn a continual income would be essential. After all as much as we would like it is not practical to choose bits and pieces of different scenarios to make our ideal one. A scenario where you don't really need money but the security situation isn't horrible is a wonderful idea but not realistic.
Having a skill that can earn money in a discrete manner anywhere would be helpful. Then again that sort of skill would be helpful anyway.
It is also worth noting that even the lovely Caribbean has some dangers. Now and again a nice couple with a boat vanish and not in the happily ever after sort of way. Also for various reasons people can get into real trouble by running afoul of the local law enforcement. Personally unless you have stuff you like drugs or guns [Guns could get tricky for this one. In fact if the you choose to not declare firearms they could become a real serious problem. Almost every country you could visit will have laws (on the books if not consistently enforced) that are far more stringent than the US. Some have serious (3rd world jail time) penalties for breaking these laws. Having a couple of relatively politically correct guns could be a reasonable answer.] or other things you are not supposed to have I wouldn't be too worried about local law enforcement. In general countries worth visiting try not to bother tourists who spend money.
If serious about this sort of plan you probably want to learn Spanish.
If we ever have the cash I would love to own a nice sailboat that we could take out for the weekend or potentially longer. However a sail boat is at the low end of a long list.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Basics
When it comes to defensive and tactical stuff I think it is so important to focus on the basic stuff. If you really look at the difference between successful individuals and organizations and unsuccessful individuals and organizations it is the basics. For example people don't generally lose gunfights because they are unable to do some cool move you saw on an action or instructional video. They lose then (at least in a CCW scenario) by being unable to fluidly and rapidly get their weapon into play and accurately engage targets. Reloads and rapidly clearing malfunctions are sure handy too. When it comes to rifle stuff it would be moving tactically in a variety of situations, engaging targets, reloading and clearing malfunctions. These aren't particularly complicated things to do and it is probably more important to be able to do them with minimal flashiness and a lot of muscle memory than anything else. For example I could show 4 guys how to clear a room properly in a few minutes. The only difference between them and the best entry team out there are a few SOP's (standard operating procedures: just a fancy way of saying little things they do in a standard fashion.) and hundreds or thousands of repetitions of practice. The kind of practice that lets them work out all the kinks and develop muscle memory. The kind of muscle memory that will let them fluidly and properly clear a room when they are mentally and physically tired and under the worst possible conditions.
The same thing could be said about combatives, navigation, physical fitness or just about anything else. People always want to do the cool high speed stuff, especially when it comes to anything defensive or tactical. What they fail to realize is that not only do you need to master the basics before you can do the sexy stuff but that doing the basics very well magically turns into a pretty darn sexy package.
The same thing could be said about combatives, navigation, physical fitness or just about anything else. People always want to do the cool high speed stuff, especially when it comes to anything defensive or tactical. What they fail to realize is that not only do you need to master the basics before you can do the sexy stuff but that doing the basics very well magically turns into a pretty darn sexy package.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Balance
Something that comes up far too often is people only thinking about one scenario. They get tunnel vision and only focus on how something is good or bad in relation to that scenario. These scenarios generally seems to be either a total economic meltdown or a full on end of the world as we know it type. I believe this to be fundamentally flawed.
The thing is that just like in preparing our bodies with physical training we do not know what sort of scenario we will face. We can look at what has happened in the past or what is likely to happen in the future but at the end of the day those are just guesses. If someone from the future told me the only scenario I needed to worry about was an economic almost hyperinflationary melt down in 6 years I know how I would prepare. I would invest in precious metals and real estate as well as some foreign currencies. I would also borrow (at a fixed rate) as much cash as I could get shortly before this disaster and put it into the above mentioned 3 areas. The same way that if that all knowing future me said all I needed to physically worry about is being able to throw a great right cross to take out a strong arm robber during that melt down I know how I would prepare. I would start immediately taking boxing classes to improve my striking as well as lifting heavy (compound and explosive movements) and spending a lot of time hitting speed and heavy bags.
The thing is that we don’t have a magic friend from the future to help us out. Let us say that I took the above mentioned physical fitness plan. After 6 years of focused heavy lifting I would be easily 25 pounds heavier and pretty darn strong. Thanks to the boxing and lifting I would hit pretty darn hard. But what if a different scenario went down? Say I needed to run 10 miles or climb a big wall. Maybe I would be able to do these and maybe I wouldn’t. In any case if that happened I would sure be wishing I had spent a bit less time power cleaning and a little more on the track. Instead of trying to get my body weight/ muscle mass as high as possible I would probably be wishing I’d stayed closer to my normal weight.
Apply that same logic to preparedness efforts. By planning only for a certain scenario I put myself at risk. If things went a different way and things didn’t melt down then (even because of interference) metals prices dropped significantly. Through an amazing form of oddness metals were low and there was lots of unemployment and property values went down the toilet. My 6 years of focused effort put me into a bad spot without any particular other bad scenario happening. That is not to even mention the bunch of money I borrowed and dumped into those same two losing vehicles of PM’s and property.
The thing is that just like in preparing our bodies with physical training we do not know what sort of scenario we will face. We can look at what has happened in the past or what is likely to happen in the future but at the end of the day those are just guesses. If someone from the future told me the only scenario I needed to worry about was an economic almost hyperinflationary melt down in 6 years I know how I would prepare. I would invest in precious metals and real estate as well as some foreign currencies. I would also borrow (at a fixed rate) as much cash as I could get shortly before this disaster and put it into the above mentioned 3 areas. The same way that if that all knowing future me said all I needed to physically worry about is being able to throw a great right cross to take out a strong arm robber during that melt down I know how I would prepare. I would start immediately taking boxing classes to improve my striking as well as lifting heavy (compound and explosive movements) and spending a lot of time hitting speed and heavy bags.
The thing is that we don’t have a magic friend from the future to help us out. Let us say that I took the above mentioned physical fitness plan. After 6 years of focused heavy lifting I would be easily 25 pounds heavier and pretty darn strong. Thanks to the boxing and lifting I would hit pretty darn hard. But what if a different scenario went down? Say I needed to run 10 miles or climb a big wall. Maybe I would be able to do these and maybe I wouldn’t. In any case if that happened I would sure be wishing I had spent a bit less time power cleaning and a little more on the track. Instead of trying to get my body weight/ muscle mass as high as possible I would probably be wishing I’d stayed closer to my normal weight.
Apply that same logic to preparedness efforts. By planning only for a certain scenario I put myself at risk. If things went a different way and things didn’t melt down then (even because of interference) metals prices dropped significantly. Through an amazing form of oddness metals were low and there was lots of unemployment and property values went down the toilet. My 6 years of focused effort put me into a bad spot without any particular other bad scenario happening. That is not to even mention the bunch of money I borrowed and dumped into those same two losing vehicles of PM’s and property.
Monday, March 21, 2011
A Note From Lucky Gunner
For all you 'Battle Rifle' folks. Our friends at Lucky Gunner have got some good deals on .308 ammo going right now. They are also offering a deal for $30 off on a case of Magtech .308 ammo. The code is “Magtech308-$30OFF “ and it is good until Friday the 25th.
Homework Assignment Of The Week
One night this week I challenge you to entertain yourself without electricity or electrical/ electronic stuff. Not saying that you need to flip the breaker, cook dinner on the coleman stove and all that (that would be another assignment). Simply your assignment is to entertain yourself and your family for an evening without TV, computers, the internet, cell phones, etc.
Read a book, play cards, bust out those old board games or just talk. You might even enjoy it.
Read a book, play cards, bust out those old board games or just talk. You might even enjoy it.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Something that comes up far too often is people only thinking about one scenario. They get tunnel vision and only focus on how something is good or bad in relation to that scenario. These scenarios generally seems to be either a total economic meltdown or a full on end of the world as we know it type. I believe this to be fundamentally flawed.
The thing is that just like in preparing our bodies with physical training we do not know what sort of scenario we will face. We can look at what has happened in the past or what is likely to happen in the future but at the end of the day those are just guesses. If someone from the future told me the only scenario I needed to worry about was an economic almost hyperinflationary melt down in 6 years I know how I would prepare. I would invest in precious metals and real estate as well as some foreign currencies. I would also borrow (at a fixed rate) as much cash as I could get shortly before this disaster and put it into the above mentioned 3 areas. The same way that if that all knowing future me said all I needed to physically worry about is being able to throw a great right cross to take out a strong arm robber during that melt down I know how I would prepare. I would start immediately taking boxing classes to improve my striking as well as lifting heavy (compound and explosive movements) and spending a lot of time hitting speed and heavy bags.
The thing is that we don’t have a magic friend from the future to help us out. Let us say that I took the above mentioned physical fitness plan. After 6 years of focused heavy lifting I would be easily 25 pounds heavier and pretty darn strong. Thanks to the boxing and lifting I would hit pretty darn hard. But what if a different scenario went down? Say I needed to run 10 miles or climb a big wall. Maybe I would be able to do these and maybe I wouldn’t. In any case if that happened I would sure be wishing I had spent a bit less time power cleaning and a little more on the track. Instead of trying to get my body weight/ muscle mass as high as possible I would probably be wishing I’d stayed closer to my normal weight.
Apply that same logic to preparedness efforts. By planning only for a certain scenario I put myself at risk. If things went a different way and things didn’t melt down then (even because of interference) metals prices dropped significantly. Through an amazing form of oddness metals were low and there was lots of unemployment and property values went down the toilet. My 6 years of focused effort put me into a bad spot without any particular other bad scenario happening. That is not to even mention the bunch of money I borrowed and dumped into those same two losing vehicles of PM’s and property.
The thing is that just like in preparing our bodies with physical training we do not know what sort of scenario we will face. We can look at what has happened in the past or what is likely to happen in the future but at the end of the day those are just guesses. If someone from the future told me the only scenario I needed to worry about was an economic almost hyperinflationary melt down in 6 years I know how I would prepare. I would invest in precious metals and real estate as well as some foreign currencies. I would also borrow (at a fixed rate) as much cash as I could get shortly before this disaster and put it into the above mentioned 3 areas. The same way that if that all knowing future me said all I needed to physically worry about is being able to throw a great right cross to take out a strong arm robber during that melt down I know how I would prepare. I would start immediately taking boxing classes to improve my striking as well as lifting heavy (compound and explosive movements) and spending a lot of time hitting speed and heavy bags.
The thing is that we don’t have a magic friend from the future to help us out. Let us say that I took the above mentioned physical fitness plan. After 6 years of focused heavy lifting I would be easily 25 pounds heavier and pretty darn strong. Thanks to the boxing and lifting I would hit pretty darn hard. But what if a different scenario went down? Say I needed to run 10 miles or climb a big wall. Maybe I would be able to do these and maybe I wouldn’t. In any case if that happened I would sure be wishing I had spent a bit less time power cleaning and a little more on the track. Instead of trying to get my body weight/ muscle mass as high as possible I would probably be wishing I’d stayed closer to my normal weight.
Apply that same logic to preparedness efforts. By planning only for a certain scenario I put myself at risk. If things went a different way and things didn’t melt down then (even because of interference) metals prices dropped significantly. Through an amazing form of oddness metals were low and there was lots of unemployment and property values went down the toilet. My 6 years of focused effort put me into a bad spot without any particular other bad scenario happening. That is not to even mention the bunch of money I borrowed and dumped into those same two losing vehicles of PM’s and property.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Redneck Engineering
Yesterday I had the opportunity to practice some redneck engineering. A couple of my soldiers were trying to improve a structure we were using. There was a real big hole in it and rain/ wind were coming in like crazy. I don't recall what their plan was but it was not very good. I immediately snapped into action. Using the always useful piece of scrap plywood I stopped the rain from dripping in. Next we got some plastic bags to use as a liner to cut down on the wind. They were held in place by lot of 100 MPH tape.
This solution took me about 30 seconds to devise and 10 minutes to impliment. It is amazing how city people, with their apartments, building codes and active/ totalitarian building inspectors don't know how to do this sort of thing. Short of a person who grew up in a slightly technological part of the third world.
Dry Fire
Recently I was witness to the aftermath of a tragic accident that stemmed from dry fire. As is so often the case it hit a vital area and killed a person the one with the gun loved. Seriously a sad thing. That got me to thinking about the topic of dry fire.
It is one of those things that should be completely safe but like so many things in life, reality doesn't quite work that way. It is one of those low probability high impact events where the margin of error is very low. I don't know why negligent bullets fired by decent people are far more accurate than shots fired by anybody in anger but they seem to be.
I am hesitant to throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater because dry fire is a great, free training technique which can be done most anywhere. I guess that leaves us with managing the risk. I hesitate to say anything cut and dry because absolutes often don't measure with reality. If I were going to do regular dry fire practice, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to do so, I would look pretty hard for a backstop where worst case I destroy some thing (vs someone). A basement wall would be great. The back wall of a rural home would be good. Conversely the thin inner wall which separates the bedroom from the living room where your family are gathered is a very bad backstop. This is probably the biggest thing. Next I would establish some sort of routine that gave a definite beginning and end time for said dry fire. As Gabe Suarez (I believe) said just going and getting a drink of water from the bathroom before and after would work. If you only dry fire in the certain place figured out above and clear, get drink of water, clear, practice, then get drink of water, reload and be done the risk should be greatly managed. The real key is that once you reach the stopping point you actually stop, every time, no matter what. If you want to start again you go to the beginning, every time.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Alternative Lifestyles
The Army has seen fit to stop blocking social networking sites. The last couple days my work has been kind of light so I have been fiddling around watching stuff on YouTube a lot. Off The Grid: Life On The Mesa looks interesting to me. I will fiddle around and see if I can find it for free but otherwise I will probably just buy it. I also enjoyed the Les Stroud piece on his move Off Grid. Also saw a lot of interesting stuff on people living off grid, riding the rails, being homeless s and generally existing in a manner that is pretty far from the norm. This has been pretty interesting.
I find this sort of lifestyle worth looking at because these folks have some valuable skills. They are able to travel and exist on very limited resources. Also they are able to travel in a low profile manner. Folks who participate in these kinds of lifestyles get there for many reasons. Some of them are capable and at least semi intelligent folks who for whatever reason choose these lifestyles. Others end up there by various poor choices. These folks are able to get by because they cut their lifestyle and expenses down to the bare minimum. In halfway decent weather you can get by just fine with a blanket or a sleeping bag and a little tent or a tarp. Instead of a spending a lot of money (relatively speaking) at a restaurant you can have a can of something or some rice and beans. For entertainment instead of going out to a show or a club you can sit around a campfire playing cards and BSing with friends. While less enjoyable, cheap booze does get the same job done.
Having seasonally appropriate clothing sure makes things more comfortable. Wide brimmed hats and sun screen are good for everybody, especially pale folks. I am not sure where the balance between having enough stuff to sustain yourself and too much to haul around is. Suppose just like a series of long hiking trips you get a pretty good idea what you would need. This would be a lot easier if you have a home or a place to keep stuff. For example being able to stash winter gear for the part of the year it is unnecessary would be nice. I've heard that hobo's often have multiple caches with clothes, gear and maybe weapons. I think that is a pretty sound policy, especially for someone who doesn't have a "home base". This could be a more traditional cache buried in the ground or just a buddy who lets you leave a duffel bag with a heavy sleeping bag, jacket, hat and gloves or whatever during the spring and summer.
This sort of lifestyle has some real danger. Instead of a lovable albeit lazy and semi drunk hobo of yesteryear reality is a mix of idealistic counter culture type youths and some legitimately dangerous folks (personified by the FTRA) Any time you interact with sketchy people there is a legitimate risk of them acting in a sketchy manner. Personally if I had to interact with these sort of people I would be wearing some old dirty clothes. An old garage sale backpack with some spare clothes, a beat up aluminum pot and a Sterno stove might be about it. In the winter a sleeping bag, a tarp and a poncho would be added. I would carry nothing of value except a concealed handgun.
I would probably still stand out but obviously wearing a $70 watch and carrying a $200 backpack would be a good way to find trouble.
I have no desire to live this sort of lifestyle. As our friend James Dakin has mentioned people who (Initially I find it interesting that a significant amount of these folks are, even if they are not keen on admitting it, on the dole. Some folks are on disability or social security or welfare legally and others are getting government money fraudulently.) exist somehow or another at the very bottom of society fail to realize what will happen if your current fairly solid social network really fails. If homeless shelters close and food banks put their energy toward generally productive locals who have fallen on hard times these folks could go from sort of cold and hungry to freezing and starving.
I find this sort of lifestyle worth looking at because these folks have some valuable skills. They are able to travel and exist on very limited resources. Also they are able to travel in a low profile manner. Folks who participate in these kinds of lifestyles get there for many reasons. Some of them are capable and at least semi intelligent folks who for whatever reason choose these lifestyles. Others end up there by various poor choices. These folks are able to get by because they cut their lifestyle and expenses down to the bare minimum. In halfway decent weather you can get by just fine with a blanket or a sleeping bag and a little tent or a tarp. Instead of a spending a lot of money (relatively speaking) at a restaurant you can have a can of something or some rice and beans. For entertainment instead of going out to a show or a club you can sit around a campfire playing cards and BSing with friends. While less enjoyable, cheap booze does get the same job done.
Having seasonally appropriate clothing sure makes things more comfortable. Wide brimmed hats and sun screen are good for everybody, especially pale folks. I am not sure where the balance between having enough stuff to sustain yourself and too much to haul around is. Suppose just like a series of long hiking trips you get a pretty good idea what you would need. This would be a lot easier if you have a home or a place to keep stuff. For example being able to stash winter gear for the part of the year it is unnecessary would be nice. I've heard that hobo's often have multiple caches with clothes, gear and maybe weapons. I think that is a pretty sound policy, especially for someone who doesn't have a "home base". This could be a more traditional cache buried in the ground or just a buddy who lets you leave a duffel bag with a heavy sleeping bag, jacket, hat and gloves or whatever during the spring and summer.
This sort of lifestyle has some real danger. Instead of a lovable albeit lazy and semi drunk hobo of yesteryear reality is a mix of idealistic counter culture type youths and some legitimately dangerous folks (personified by the FTRA) Any time you interact with sketchy people there is a legitimate risk of them acting in a sketchy manner. Personally if I had to interact with these sort of people I would be wearing some old dirty clothes. An old garage sale backpack with some spare clothes, a beat up aluminum pot and a Sterno stove might be about it. In the winter a sleeping bag, a tarp and a poncho would be added. I would carry nothing of value except a concealed handgun.
I would probably still stand out but obviously wearing a $70 watch and carrying a $200 backpack would be a good way to find trouble.
I have no desire to live this sort of lifestyle. As our friend James Dakin has mentioned people who (Initially I find it interesting that a significant amount of these folks are, even if they are not keen on admitting it, on the dole. Some folks are on disability or social security or welfare legally and others are getting government money fraudulently.) exist somehow or another at the very bottom of society fail to realize what will happen if your current fairly solid social network really fails. If homeless shelters close and food banks put their energy toward generally productive locals who have fallen on hard times these folks could go from sort of cold and hungry to freezing and starving.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Thoughts on Insurgencies Three
Thoughts on Insurgencies # Something
1) Occupiers or liberators (depending on which side you are on) can only have limited success when they willingly ceede terrain to the freedom fighters/ guerillas. If the Cong or Taliban are able to come into the village at night the occupiers will never be able to keep the populace safe or deny access to them to the guerillas.
2) If you are a guerilla or a partisan or really have picked any kind of side then keep it to yourself for a long time. In WWII parts of Europe (Holland and most of Russia come to mind) changed hands repeatedly. It would be very bad to have been loudly bragging about all the Germans you killed and how much stuff you broke to then have the tanks roll back in. If I was in a situation where some partisan shenannigans seemed appropriate I would certainly conduct them alone or in a very small group of people I trust deepy and would probably take them to my grave.
3) If you are anything except an occupier or a strait up hiding in the woods Red Dawn style partisan then be as grey as you can be. Grey will keep you alive.
4) American forces and to a lesser degree our allies that have been involved in the GWOT have learned some interesting skills. They have gotten really good at searching houses and structures. They are also using some very interesting technology in terms of biometrics. Getting a big enough database makes population and resource control very easy.
5) UAV's are suprisingly ineffective in weather that is less than ideal. In particular low level cloud cover and wind are issues for them.
Well that is all for now.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Ryan on Being Debt Free
Ryan isn't able to post while he is deployed, so yesterday he asked me to write up something about being debt free. Today he asked me to post his thoughts on being debt free as well.
Recently we achieved the big goal of being debt free. We paid off my student loan about 3 years before the scheduled payoff date. To do this we put a bit more than 1/3rd of our take home income towards aggressive principal payments for about 13 months. It started right after we stashed the emergency fund.
There are big things that (at the risk of tooting our own horn) a lot of people talk about being worthwhile and few people actually do. I've came to see that most things which are worthwhile are somewhat difficult and relatively few people do them. You don't say "hey buddy good job at drinking beer on the couch" like you would say "hey buddy good job climbing Mount Suicide".
In the past 2 years or so we have stashed a solid (3 months income, 5-6 months expenses) emergency fund and became debt free. Part of the reason we were able to do this is that when I got promoted and we got a nice raise we didn't increase our lifestyle. Otherwise it would probably have taken 3 years. Doing this has taken significant but not punishing sacrifice. It has meant we lived pretty tight instead of being able to spend freely. At times it has pretty much sucked. Kinda like Army schools or deployments it sucks a bit, however it sucks a bit for a REALLY LONG TIME. Now we have a very solid footing for whatever we decide to do next.
So what comes next. Right now I am deployed and Wifey is home so our living costs are pretty low. We are going to get a gently used 4 wheel drive SUV and then stash some cash. Mostly we are looking to save a downpayment for a house as well as a couple smaller things. In the longer run we are going to increase our lifestyle a little bit. A few hundred bucks difference will make a fairly tight budget be a bit easier to live within and have some more flexibility. One of those things where the cost is vastly outstripped by the gain.
We plan to stash 20% of a homes cost. We plan to buy a pretty modest home. Something where a 15 year note will be less than 25% of our takehome. Then we tennatively plan to continue saving at our current rate and when we have extra money throw it into the mortgage.
It is just so true that finances are a slow cooker concept in a microwave society. It is kinda like fitness. It doesn't matter so much what you do but how regularly you do it. Working out for 3 hours today doesn't get you in shape. Working out a few times a week coupled with a reasonable diet for a long time does however get you into shape. Pretty much anybody can do some good things if they apply themselves consistently.
Apply yourself consistently
Monday, March 14, 2011
Debt Free
Today we became completely debt free. The only debt that we had was Ryan's student loan and we made the final payment this morning. We started a ridiculously aggressive payback plan almost a year ago. There were lots of months when we were tempted to just make the minimum payment but we stuck to the plan completely and it has finally paid off. It feels like a weight has been lifted, we're free!
It is interesting to me that people sometimes call the AK-47 the Glock of the Rifle world. I would say it is expressedly the opposite that the Glock is the AK-47 of the pistol world. First of all the AK-47 came first by about 30 years. Secondly there have almost surely (don't have google right now but I would bet a good bottle of Scotch on it) been more AK-47's and direct dissendents (Not even getting into Galil's and Valumet's and Siaga's. I'm talking different makers, folding stock vs fixed, etc) than Glocks. I appreciate both of these guns because they are utterly reliable, rugged, widely distributed and easy to operate. Last and almost best of all they are both, if not cheap, then certainly at a very competitive price point for all of their other great attributes. Also of special significance for those who like to keep a good amount of magazines and spare parts those are affordable too. The difference between a $20 mag and a $50 mag is significant if you plan to purchase 20 of them. The cost of equipping some weapons well with mags and spare parts would be ruinous to all but the biggest budgets. You will not find a gun that has all of their positive attributes at anywhere near the price of the Glock or the AK.
For example I have long been wishing for and am more recently starting to plan (ie save for) an M1A. It is not particularly practical (because of price) and the cost to equip them is quite high. For the cost of an M1A with 20 mags, a few spare parts and a case of ammo I could almost surely have TWO like sets of AK's. I'm not purchasing this gun for a deal (it is the last rifle I REALLY want) but for those who are trying to get equipped on the cheap an AK for you and the Mrs. with plenty of mags and ammo.
For example I have long been wishing for and am more recently starting to plan (ie save for) an M1A. It is not particularly practical (because of price) and the cost to equip them is quite high. For the cost of an M1A with 20 mags, a few spare parts and a case of ammo I could almost surely have TWO like sets of AK's. I'm not purchasing this gun for a deal (it is the last rifle I REALLY want) but for those who are trying to get equipped on the cheap an AK for you and the Mrs. with plenty of mags and ammo.
Homework Assignment Of The Week
Take your spouse or family shooting.
+2 points if they shoot the defensive weapons kept accessible in your home.
+2 points if they shoot the defensive weapons kept accessible in your home.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Small Spaces
There is an element of voluntary simplicity required to live in small spaces. Since you have limited quantities of stuff it is best that the stuff is pretty generalized. Your one rifle shouldn't be a custom varmit rifle with a 40 power scope. Your two or three jackets will need to cover a lot of scenarios. A big bookshelf might have to be replaced by a few heirloom and preparedness paper books and a kindle.
Shelving and containers to maximize the space you have are very important with minimal floor space. It is just so important to keep things clean and orderly.
In a wierd way it is almost worth it to put a bit more time, thought and money into the things you are going to have. A good wool pea coat or a comfortable chair are items you can get a lot of mileage out of.
Staying busy helps a lot and at times is almost a necessity. This isn't a bad thing. You can work, pursue various projects or whatnot outside your place. That could be hard in real bad weather if you have young kids. Personally I could spend a lot of winter evenings in front of a fire in a small cabin (or whatever) talking with Wifey and reading. Kiddo wouldn't like that much. I guess in that situation you make the best of it and be happy you are warm and dry.
Thoughts?
I have got a lot of time to kill today. On the bright side there happens to be a laptop with an external hard drive full of DVD's here so at least I have some entertainment. Just got finished watching the A Team. As I am trying to multi task and get some posts written for a future time I am away you are going to get a review. Anyway here we go.
The Good: It was an enjoyable movie. Maybe I am a sucker for action movies but it was entertaining. Plenty of action, some funny lines, explosions and of course a really sweet van. You would probably enjoy it also. I think it also lead to some interesting thoughts. I think people who live certain kinds of lives would be well advised to have some sort of contingency plans. As noted in a previous post sometimes bad things happen to good people. Having a plan is a darn good start. Of course you need to consider what sort of scenario you might fall into. For instance I know a guy who knew a guy that happened to unintentionally (he got ripped off and had their stuff) for a bunch of drugs. He moved a thousand miles the next day and didn't tell anybody. The guys who were unhappy with him would certainly kill him if he came back and was having beers at a local establishment but if he stays gone he is fine. Other situations may be more complicated particularly of the individuals you are making unhappy happen to have access to digital databases and or legitimate legal status. Regardless having a stash of cash would really help the situation. It certainly won't solve all your problems but some greenbacks will help. A bag you would be happy living out of for awhile and a handgun could be sound ideas also. That way you at least have time to make a plan. Someone into some really crazy shit might want to consider some sort of alternate identification though that is illegal and I would never suggest it. If that ID happened to have a vehicle which is properly registered vehicle in it's name that would really be a start. Unless you are the FBI top 10 or some sort of elite paramilitary organization is after you that will probably be sufficient. The idea of moving to a whole different place might be daunting but in some situations it could be the only really valid idea. While it is the basis of many a good action movie killing all sorts of people, blowing things up and redeaming yourself through revengs is a great movie. In real life if you can manage to get clear of things, maybe as John Smith and find a boring job and build a new modest life you are doing great.
Also the movie had Jessica Biel which is always nice.
The Bad: At a few points the movie was downright cheesy and rediculous. I found myself thinking 'this is just stupid' more than once.
The Ugly: Nothing ugly. It is what it is. A fun action movie with some cheesy parts.
Your wife will probably not like it but it is good for a night with the buddies.
The Good: It was an enjoyable movie. Maybe I am a sucker for action movies but it was entertaining. Plenty of action, some funny lines, explosions and of course a really sweet van. You would probably enjoy it also. I think it also lead to some interesting thoughts. I think people who live certain kinds of lives would be well advised to have some sort of contingency plans. As noted in a previous post sometimes bad things happen to good people. Having a plan is a darn good start. Of course you need to consider what sort of scenario you might fall into. For instance I know a guy who knew a guy that happened to unintentionally (he got ripped off and had their stuff) for a bunch of drugs. He moved a thousand miles the next day and didn't tell anybody. The guys who were unhappy with him would certainly kill him if he came back and was having beers at a local establishment but if he stays gone he is fine. Other situations may be more complicated particularly of the individuals you are making unhappy happen to have access to digital databases and or legitimate legal status. Regardless having a stash of cash would really help the situation. It certainly won't solve all your problems but some greenbacks will help. A bag you would be happy living out of for awhile and a handgun could be sound ideas also. That way you at least have time to make a plan. Someone into some really crazy shit might want to consider some sort of alternate identification though that is illegal and I would never suggest it. If that ID happened to have a vehicle which is properly registered vehicle in it's name that would really be a start. Unless you are the FBI top 10 or some sort of elite paramilitary organization is after you that will probably be sufficient. The idea of moving to a whole different place might be daunting but in some situations it could be the only really valid idea. While it is the basis of many a good action movie killing all sorts of people, blowing things up and redeaming yourself through revengs is a great movie. In real life if you can manage to get clear of things, maybe as John Smith and find a boring job and build a new modest life you are doing great.
Also the movie had Jessica Biel which is always nice.
The Bad: At a few points the movie was downright cheesy and rediculous. I found myself thinking 'this is just stupid' more than once.
The Ugly: Nothing ugly. It is what it is. A fun action movie with some cheesy parts.
Your wife will probably not like it but it is good for a night with the buddies.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
OPSEC
OPSEC is a heck of a thing. It cuts to the core of survivalism. We tend to have at least several guns lying around, generally some of those evil and easy to sell semi automatic military pattern types. As we saw not so long ago the wrong people seeing or hearing about a decent gun collection can lead to getting capped in the dome. Also if you are into precious metals those are really easy to sell compact high value items. Of course if the world ended somebody might care about stuff like food and fuel also. The key is not telling people, or letting them know what you have. Not mentioning things in conversation or letting people see stuff is also essential.
The core is about preventing anyone you don't want to know what you have from knowing what you have. It is way more important than you might think.
The core is about preventing anyone you don't want to know what you have from knowing what you have. It is way more important than you might think.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Homework Assignment Of The Week
Take the whole family out and get some exercise. Go for a long walk, a hike or even if everybody can handle it a nice run. Most everybody can use a bit of cardio and without a variety of electronic entertainment you might even end up talking with each other.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Guest Post- Accounting For LGOAWKI
This was left as a comment from an anonymous reader. Ryan thought it was particularly interesting and asked me to post it. Enjoy.
Prepping for TEOTWAWKI doesn't account for LGOAWKI (Life Goes On As We Know It). Imagine the impossible: the economy improves; things get better; we enter a new realm of prosperity. And here you are sitting in your bunker still waiting for the bomb to drop--like those guys from the 50s who were just as certain that we were on the precipice. And what happened? No nuclear war. No bombs falling. The 50s led to the 60s--an unprecedented time of social progress and awesome music. The fallout shelter of the 50s was a useless expense--one that might have been better spent on a home, a second home, a second car, an incredible vacation, or just about anything else. Instead of prepping for TEOTWAWKI, which you won't survive no matter how many beans and bullets you've amassed, try prepping for a limited period of instability instead. You know, something like a hurricane or a flood. Do what smart investors do and hedge your bets. Assume that things might actually
get better and that all your preps will never be used. The alternative is that one day you'll find you're an old pack-rat with all this stuff in your home--the accumulation of decades of prepping--feeling mighty jaded that you never got a chance to kill a single zombie. And all the time and money you "invested" in all those preps might have gone toward... living.
By Anonymous on Does Preparing For TEOTWAWKI Cover All Other Scena... on 3/3/11
Hi Anon, I disagree with you on a few points. It seems you don't actually read my blog with any regularity. I save for a rainy day, invest and travel. I also very expressedly do not consider preps (beans, bullets, whatever) as investments.
I try to keep in mind, and live, so that if nothing at all happens I will be happy with how my life has gone. I spend as much time as I can with the ones I love. We travel, dine out a bit and enjoy some other modest entertainment. We are saving for Walkers college education which is very important to me. Over the last year or so we purchased a nice TV and have acquired some other cool gadgets. Generally we try to live a fulfilling life. So if when I eventually kick the bucket, hopefully 50-60 years from now my kids and grandkids get a bunch of stuff and none of them have to buy shelf stable food for a year it won't make me feel bad.
Prepping for TEOTWAWKI doesn't account for LGOAWKI (Life Goes On As We Know It). Imagine the impossible: the economy improves; things get better; we enter a new realm of prosperity. And here you are sitting in your bunker still waiting for the bomb to drop--like those guys from the 50s who were just as certain that we were on the precipice. And what happened? No nuclear war. No bombs falling. The 50s led to the 60s--an unprecedented time of social progress and awesome music. The fallout shelter of the 50s was a useless expense--one that might have been better spent on a home, a second home, a second car, an incredible vacation, or just about anything else. Instead of prepping for TEOTWAWKI, which you won't survive no matter how many beans and bullets you've amassed, try prepping for a limited period of instability instead. You know, something like a hurricane or a flood. Do what smart investors do and hedge your bets. Assume that things might actually
get better and that all your preps will never be used. The alternative is that one day you'll find you're an old pack-rat with all this stuff in your home--the accumulation of decades of prepping--feeling mighty jaded that you never got a chance to kill a single zombie. And all the time and money you "invested" in all those preps might have gone toward... living.
By Anonymous on Does Preparing For TEOTWAWKI Cover All Other Scena... on 3/3/11
Hi Anon, I disagree with you on a few points. It seems you don't actually read my blog with any regularity. I save for a rainy day, invest and travel. I also very expressedly do not consider preps (beans, bullets, whatever) as investments.
I regularly bring this point up when folks call preps investments. If we are going to talk about this non financial (well it costs money but you know what I mean) activity in financial terms I find insurance much more meaningful.
I have insurance on myself as a driver and on my car, partially because the law requires it, in order to limit my liability should I be in an accident. I have insurance on my property to limit my liability if there is a fire or a robbery.
Along those same lines I think it is worthwhile to insure myself with skills, equipment and supplies. You could call a few bags of rice, pancake mix and pasta, a huge shelf full of canned goods, a coleman stove with fuel, a water filter, flashlights with batteries a handgun and a shotgun with ammo pretty good personal hurricane insurance.
You said "Do what smart investors do and hedge your bets. Assume that things might actually get better and that all your preps will never be used." This is another comment that shows you have probably been here once and read maybe a couple posts. I have, relative to my overall financial position, hedged my bets better than anybody I know. I am like Charley Sheen, I am bi winning, I win here and I win there. I got tiger blood man. Pop culture reference aside that is actually what I do. To the best of my ability I look to profit from the stock market, hedge myself against inflation or worse with precious metals and lastly be able to take care of my family if things get bad.
As for waste. Most of the stuff I purchase, or at least spend any real money on is either stuff I regularly use or stuff that doesn't go bad. For example some day when I die a few adults and their kids will get to argue over guns, coins and all sorts of cool stuff. I try to (and am getting a lot better at) purchasing foodstuffs of the type and amounts we will actually eat. What we can't (and this is hard for a military family as we move often and over long distances) consume ourselves is given to food banks or neighbors. Worst case if I end up tossing $50 in rice, beans and pancake mix every couple years it is certainly not going to break me. The only other things that go bad which we stock in any significant quantities are personal hygiene stuff and batteries. Both have real long shelf lives and we use enough that they don't go to waste.
I certainly agree that you should not put all your resources, time and energy into prepparing for an unlikely scenario. Personally (and I should probably do this) we put significantly more money into savings, investments and our general financial future than towards potential doom and gloom prep. I also agree that you should focus more on the far more likely regional disasters. There is no guarantee of anything so I try to prepare for a variety of outcomes. My take is this.
I certainly agree that you should not put all your resources, time and energy into prepparing for an unlikely scenario. Personally (and I should probably do this) we put significantly more money into savings, investments and our general financial future than towards potential doom and gloom prep. I also agree that you should focus more on the far more likely regional disasters. There is no guarantee of anything so I try to prepare for a variety of outcomes. My take is this.
My lines of effort (lets say life, financial stuff, preps, etc) tend to move forward, not necessarily with the same energy (allocation of time and resources) but with the same general momentum. I think it has a lot to do with balance. A guy who makes 18k a year, has a relatively stocked pantry, a couple guns in the closet, a couple grand stashed for a rainy day and every year or so takes a 500 mile trip to camp at the beach with some friends for vacation has balance. A guy who makes 40k, has a decent stock of food, a modest IRA, etc and takes a trip to Hawaii every couple years has balance. It's when you have $500 in the bank and 4 grand in guns or have 3 years of food and haven't been on a vacation (or whatever your relaxing hobby thing is) since '88 or tens of thousands of dollars in gear and no retirement savings that in my personal opinion things are out of whack.
A Common Goal
Lots of folks have talked about how to get the spouse onto the preparedness page. While this is good of you have been married for a decade and all of a sudden want to get a gun or free up some closet storage space for food and water it does not deal with the big stuff. Exposing a spouse to your fears, concerns and such might help them come to terms with a pump shotgun in the hall and some spare food in the pantry but probably not with major financial/ lifestyle/ regional changes.
One thing that Dave Ramsey (I believe and thus will give him credit) talks a lot about is getting onto the same page as a spouse. Having a common goal is essential for anything big to happen. In this respect preparedness and finances are comparable.
Note that I did not say, how to get your spouse to buy into your goal. So often I hear someone who just can’t understand why their spouse doesn’t want to radically change their entire lifestyle in order to pursue a goal they have absolutely no interest in. Go frickin figure.
Expecting the spouse to dive head first into whatever goal you have is just not realistic. I would not be willing to radically adjust our budget/ financial plans for something I have absolutely no interest in and neither would anyone I know. If you would not be willing to put a lot of your money into say, training your dog to obey commands in Chinese (just to make an example) why would you expect a spouse to be willing to do the same for private party assault rifles and junk land?
Fundamentally relationships work when (among other things) two people seem to magically have entirely the same interests and goals (very rare) or they have relatively similar goals and can compromise. For example if I was not with Wifey (which is truly a horrible thought, I would be completely SOL) my sights would be set on about a 20x30 cabin (I know the exact floor plan) with a basement absolutely in the middle of nowhere. I would probably build it myself and just sub out wiring and plumbing. Wifey would probably lean towards a very normal home just far enough out of a medium sized city to have a few horses. Somewhere in the middle is where we will end up.
Note that I am not banging my head against a wall and getting mad at her because she doesn’t want to live in a wall tent while I build a cabin (which she might call it a shack) fifty miles from anything. I would like to live in a cabin far from anything because I am anti social, paranoid and a bit crazy. Wifey is none of these things which is good because it keeps me grounded. Anyway back to the point.
Lots of studies and stuff say that couples do better financially than single people. I think a lot of this has to do with the kind of people who enter into and stay in long term relationships as well as the elimination of duplicate expenses/ increase of household income. Also being part of a couple (unless the spouse is bad with money then heaven help you) also has the benefit of having their motivation to attain the common goal as well as someone else to be accountable to. A couple can make great sacrifices to meet a common goal and it is ok, heck it is kind of fun, because you are trying together to get to where BOTH OF YOU WANT TO GO.
How do you get to a common goal? Fundamentally you and the spouse are going to have to come up with some solution that leaves you both reasonably happy and your finances support. Much easier said then done. Just try to prioritize what is really important to you and be flexible on the other stuff.
The thing is that people thing of it sort of backward. They think anything less than the spouse fully and totally supporting whatever their dream happens to be is a loss. Try looking at it the other way. Simply put I do not believe that any major goal is going to be accomplished without both partners buying into it, thus making it a common goal. It isn’t that you are losing out on something by compromising; it is that something will actually happen. You’re not going to radically change finances, move, etc without the spouse buying into it.
But what do you do if there seems to be deadlock? This seems to happen when a couple are living a fairly normal middle class type life and one person (typically the man) gets into preparedness and all of a sudden wants to radically change things. I have empathy for both parties involved but that doesn’t get anything done. I think the biggest things in this scenario are first to not get absolutely focused on one specific goal and second to make the discussion cooperation, not opposition. Find something that you and the spouse can agree to and afford. Get creative and think of options the spouse might like and figure out a way to pay for it without cutting something they feel is important.
If the goal is to actually make something happen then I strongly suggest finding a compromise that both parties can live with.
One thing that Dave Ramsey (I believe and thus will give him credit) talks a lot about is getting onto the same page as a spouse. Having a common goal is essential for anything big to happen. In this respect preparedness and finances are comparable.
Note that I did not say, how to get your spouse to buy into your goal. So often I hear someone who just can’t understand why their spouse doesn’t want to radically change their entire lifestyle in order to pursue a goal they have absolutely no interest in. Go frickin figure.
Expecting the spouse to dive head first into whatever goal you have is just not realistic. I would not be willing to radically adjust our budget/ financial plans for something I have absolutely no interest in and neither would anyone I know. If you would not be willing to put a lot of your money into say, training your dog to obey commands in Chinese (just to make an example) why would you expect a spouse to be willing to do the same for private party assault rifles and junk land?
Fundamentally relationships work when (among other things) two people seem to magically have entirely the same interests and goals (very rare) or they have relatively similar goals and can compromise. For example if I was not with Wifey (which is truly a horrible thought, I would be completely SOL) my sights would be set on about a 20x30 cabin (I know the exact floor plan) with a basement absolutely in the middle of nowhere. I would probably build it myself and just sub out wiring and plumbing. Wifey would probably lean towards a very normal home just far enough out of a medium sized city to have a few horses. Somewhere in the middle is where we will end up.
Note that I am not banging my head against a wall and getting mad at her because she doesn’t want to live in a wall tent while I build a cabin (which she might call it a shack) fifty miles from anything. I would like to live in a cabin far from anything because I am anti social, paranoid and a bit crazy. Wifey is none of these things which is good because it keeps me grounded. Anyway back to the point.
Lots of studies and stuff say that couples do better financially than single people. I think a lot of this has to do with the kind of people who enter into and stay in long term relationships as well as the elimination of duplicate expenses/ increase of household income. Also being part of a couple (unless the spouse is bad with money then heaven help you) also has the benefit of having their motivation to attain the common goal as well as someone else to be accountable to. A couple can make great sacrifices to meet a common goal and it is ok, heck it is kind of fun, because you are trying together to get to where BOTH OF YOU WANT TO GO.
How do you get to a common goal? Fundamentally you and the spouse are going to have to come up with some solution that leaves you both reasonably happy and your finances support. Much easier said then done. Just try to prioritize what is really important to you and be flexible on the other stuff.
The thing is that people thing of it sort of backward. They think anything less than the spouse fully and totally supporting whatever their dream happens to be is a loss. Try looking at it the other way. Simply put I do not believe that any major goal is going to be accomplished without both partners buying into it, thus making it a common goal. It isn’t that you are losing out on something by compromising; it is that something will actually happen. You’re not going to radically change finances, move, etc without the spouse buying into it.
But what do you do if there seems to be deadlock? This seems to happen when a couple are living a fairly normal middle class type life and one person (typically the man) gets into preparedness and all of a sudden wants to radically change things. I have empathy for both parties involved but that doesn’t get anything done. I think the biggest things in this scenario are first to not get absolutely focused on one specific goal and second to make the discussion cooperation, not opposition. Find something that you and the spouse can agree to and afford. Get creative and think of options the spouse might like and figure out a way to pay for it without cutting something they feel is important.
If the goal is to actually make something happen then I strongly suggest finding a compromise that both parties can live with.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Getting Ready
As part of my pre deployment preparation we have been getting our financial house in order in case of something bad happening to me. We have gotten a general power of attorney for Wifey. Most folks don't need this but if you are going to be gone for a year something will likely come up. We also have a couple special powers of attorney specifically for random Army stuff (finance to do pay inquiries, etc and for her to get a new ID card if she needs to).
We are making sure that Wifey can get to all of our money and knows how to do all the usual financial stuff. She of course is on every account and can access the generic household checking and savings. However a couple of the other accounts I have handled up to now. We are going to go over how to get to them and conduct our normal transactions.
The smart money people say to have about 10 times your income in life insurance. After looking at everything we decided to purchase some more life insurance on me. We were close to 10x but since I am the bread winner and a couple other factors we decided that wasn't sufficient. It will get finalized tomorrow.
One somewhat unusual thing is that I/ we do not have a will. We talked to a lawyer about it. He he said that if you have significant assets, a blended family or don't want your posessions to go to your next of kin you should definitely have a will. Otherwise you don't really need one. Wifey and I talked about it some. We should get a will in case both of us get waxed. However since Wifey is headed home and I am going to Afghanistan the odds of us both dying at once are quite slim. We have a lot going on right now and this can be put off. So a will goes on the list for vaguely in the next few months.
I started going over running the blog with Wifey. She is smart and unlike me knows HTLM so she will do awesome I am sure.
This is all probably good stuff to have taken care of anyway.
We are making sure that Wifey can get to all of our money and knows how to do all the usual financial stuff. She of course is on every account and can access the generic household checking and savings. However a couple of the other accounts I have handled up to now. We are going to go over how to get to them and conduct our normal transactions.
The smart money people say to have about 10 times your income in life insurance. After looking at everything we decided to purchase some more life insurance on me. We were close to 10x but since I am the bread winner and a couple other factors we decided that wasn't sufficient. It will get finalized tomorrow.
One somewhat unusual thing is that I/ we do not have a will. We talked to a lawyer about it. He he said that if you have significant assets, a blended family or don't want your posessions to go to your next of kin you should definitely have a will. Otherwise you don't really need one. Wifey and I talked about it some. We should get a will in case both of us get waxed. However since Wifey is headed home and I am going to Afghanistan the odds of us both dying at once are quite slim. We have a lot going on right now and this can be put off. So a will goes on the list for vaguely in the next few months.
I started going over running the blog with Wifey. She is smart and unlike me knows HTLM so she will do awesome I am sure.
This is all probably good stuff to have taken care of anyway.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Spare Mags
Last time I was home I had decided that carrying a spare magazine was significant. I rock a Glock 19 which holds 15+1 so ammo hasn't been a big issue for me. Unfortunately our world is getting more and more violent. All things being considered a reload might be nice. Seeing as I choose to concealed carry though it is legal to OC in my home state where to carry a mag is sort of an issue. I really need a damn batman belt concealed under my shirt about as much as I need another hole in the head.
Eventually after some consideration I came up with a good alternative. Outside of work I wear khaki cargo pants or shorts depending on the weather. I decided to just stick a spare mag in my off side cargo pocket. It certainly isn't going be the kind of reload that would win a shooting competition. However it is a heck of a lot better than not having a reload on me and running like hell for the car where I do have one.
I think that when it comes to concealed carry we need to be real with ourselves and what we will actually do. It doesn't matter what an 'expert' says but WHAT YOU WILL ACTUALLY DO. Personally I will regularly carry a Glock 19 and will put a reload wherever it is most convenient. If I find myself wishing I had more gun (unlikely, cept wishing I had a rifle and 39 friends with rifles) or more ammo well that will suck. However a Glock 19 and a spare mag beats the heck out of a full sized handgun and 3 spare mags in the car or house.
Eventually after some consideration I came up with a good alternative. Outside of work I wear khaki cargo pants or shorts depending on the weather. I decided to just stick a spare mag in my off side cargo pocket. It certainly isn't going be the kind of reload that would win a shooting competition. However it is a heck of a lot better than not having a reload on me and running like hell for the car where I do have one.
I think that when it comes to concealed carry we need to be real with ourselves and what we will actually do. It doesn't matter what an 'expert' says but WHAT YOU WILL ACTUALLY DO. Personally I will regularly carry a Glock 19 and will put a reload wherever it is most convenient. If I find myself wishing I had more gun (unlikely, cept wishing I had a rifle and 39 friends with rifles) or more ammo well that will suck. However a Glock 19 and a spare mag beats the heck out of a full sized handgun and 3 spare mags in the car or house.
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