Finally Friday!

It is Friday and thank goodness for that. Work was quiet today so I got a bunch of various stuff which has been waiting forever done. The kind of things that you need to do but always linger slightly below more pressing matter. That was nice.

Getting off work at a decent time set things off to a good start. Wifey made enchiladas and spanish rice which was great. There is beer in the fridge, scotch in the cabinet and ice in the freezer so that front is covered.

We do not have any big plans for this weekend. We will probably take Walker for a ride in his wagon both days. He really likes it, a comfortable seat but freedom to move around a bit, a place to put his milk and Dad doing all the work, what is not to like. It is also a pretty good activity to get out of the house when we don't have anything we need to do. Maybe we will go out to lunch or something. The last few things for my Get Home Bag came in this week so I am going to try and get it all put together. You will see a post on that sooner or later.  There are some various blog admin things I would like to do.

Anyway my weekend is off to a pretty darn good start. I hope yours is also.

Welcoming Our Newest Advertiser- Joshua

Today I would like to welcome our newest advertiser Joshua. It is a book about a man and a young boy trying to make it during a long term collapse. The first 5 chapters are available free to read which is pretty cool. The book bears some slight similarities to The Road in that a man and a boy are making their way through a crazy total end of the world type situation but it really ends there. As a distinct difference this book doesn't make we want to drink a bottle of scotch and stick a handgun in my mouth.

 Please go check out the free chapters and see if the book interests you. I do not think you will be disappointed. I will be reading the whole thing once I finish up a couple other books which have been waiting for awhile.

Friday Randomness

Well it seems President Obama's view has evolved to where he now supports Gay marriage. My thoughts on that issue are on the record and I am pretty much ambivalent about this new development. I suspect it is about firming up his base and making Romney look like an evil hate monger.

If you have been waiting to buy PM's at a dip it might be time to pull the trigger.

In case you were wondering 2 year old girl scout cookies taste just fine.

If you are short on doom and gloom there is an outbreak of whooping cough in Washington State. In case you needed any more reason to vaccinate yourself and your children.

JP Morgan lost a couple billion dollars in the last few weeks.

Greek leftists want to stay in the Euro but avoid any sort of austerity.

France's economy isn't doing so well.

I have been enjoying the show Person of Interest lately. It is a bit big brothery and will make you want to delete all social networking stuff then smash your laptop and cell phone but those may not be thoughts worth fighting anyway. There is always action and the good guys win which makes for an enjoyable show.

Dewars Scotch whisky has found a place in our liquor cabinet.  It is smooth and affordable enough to drink whenever the mood strikes me.  It isn't going to be mistaken for a nice single malt but at half the price that would not be a reasonable expectation. One of the downsides of scotch is that a decent blend is the price of a bottle of Crown Royal or a good burbon.

Have a good weekend,

Ryan

What Did You Do To Prepare This Week?

I would like to thank MD Creekmore for coming up with this awesome idea for a weekly post which I have stolen from him. It helps to keep me accountable. Remember, reading and typing about preparedness on the internet doesn't actually make you more prepared unless you put the stuff you learn into action.

This week I stashed a bottle of scotch and a bottle of wine. Neither are necessary but comfort items are a good thing to have around. Also we picked up some granola bars and tuna pouches for the bag I am working on.

We sat down and looked at our finances today. What we are spending, what we are saving for the long term and what we can stash toward our next goal. Nothing bad is going on, it is just that our situation has changed some so we need to look at what we can do then figure out what we want to do. I did some thinking and figured out the next few months planned purchases.

On the downside I didn't get to the gym at all this week. Some stuff happened that made a few days not really work but really I just did not make it happen. Going to tweek some things and try working out at lunch. In any case I will hold myself accountable this coming week.

All in all not a bad week here. We made some progress which is a good thing. What did you do to prepare this week?

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.

Taking Some Time

Currently on vacation at a great place. Having a nice glass of Oregon Single Malt Whisky. Have a nice day. I have lots of thoughts but will write them later.

Enjoy your week

Simplicity

The word simple has gotten a bad rap in recent times. We either think of it as a psuedonym for crappy or ugly or a nice way of refering to the developmentally disabled 30 year old who lives in his mom's basement, rides a bike and does handywork/ semi skilled labor. I don't see it that way.

 

Some of my favorite things are simple. One of my favorite meals is a good steak served medium rare with nothing on it, a potato with some fixings and some vegitables. My favorite drink is Scotch (blended typically but occasionally a single malt if I am celebrating or feeling fancy) with a handfull of ice. In a pinch the ice isn't essential. I like simple guns like AK's, Glocks, pump shotguns and double action revolvers. It is hard to beat a plain black wool pea coat.

 

When it comes to saving and investing simple things make or break you. If you simply live on less than you make and put the difference (after setting some aside for a 'rainy day') into a diversified set of instruments that make money things will go quite well. The way people mess up isn't by (assuming reasonable diversified choices) going with the wrong stocks or mutual funds or whatever but by not putting money away. See it is really simple.

 

I don't think simple vehicles or homes are a bad thing either. A simple reliable vehicle that will run reliable and get you where you want to go is a good thing. Often with reasonable planning you can (GASP) actually pay cash for them. Personally I would rather have a simple home, that I can afford to pay off in a reasonable amount of time and have money to save for the future, fund my child (and his planned sibling yet to be born)'s education and to be comfortable instead of having some cheesy wanna be Mansion which leaves us stretching and straining every month. It doesn't have to be a shack (though a small cabin or cottage if your family situation fits in it) but the idea of a normal modest 3-4 bedroom house with a couple normal bathrooms has slipped away recently. Not that a big house is bad if you can actually afford it but most folks, me included, can't. Why people set themselves up for failure buying stuff they don't need to impress people they don't like escapes me.

 

Simple plans are best too. It is said that a simple plan boldly executed will consistently give good results.

 

My point is that simple things are good. We rarely get ourselves in trouble by doing something in too simple of a fashion. Ever heard of that highly paid doctor who got himself in huge trouble by purchasing and living in a simple little house? I don't think so. Ever heard of an average Joe who got himself in trouble purchasing and living in a McMansion he just couldn't afford? I think we all have to realize that starting with a simple foundation and then, if we are truly able maybe expanding a bit is a prudent course of action. However I think that once we get past the silliness of it all, many folks are pretty happy with simple things and even when able see no reason to move away from them.

Long Day

We traveled back home today. It was a long flight and Walker was suprisingly and remarkably chill, he just slept a lot. Got a bottle of Glennfiddich 15 at the duty free for 30% off which is cool. I am eager to sample it at some point. Other than that it was nice to see some of our old stomping grounds on the ride from the airport. I had some Arby's which I was really looking forward to.

Anyway I just wanted to let you guys know we arrived safely and didn't get stuck in Philidelphia again.

Quantitative Easing Explained

I have seen this video floating around and Saddle Tramp sent me a link to it. Finally got time to sit down and watch it this evening. I suggest a stiff drink. In fact you might want to have a drink before watching this and another for during it.

question of the day

As survivalists and just plain folks living through the worst economic situation in a real long time we are all pinching pennies. However everybody has something that we splurge on. What is your splurge?

Personally I like top shelf booze. For a long time it was Crown Royal but as of late it is single malt Scotch. I don't drink much of it so the cost isn't really an issue. Maybe it is more of the principle of the thing then,  that  I'm getting exactly what I want cost be damned. A bottle a month and I am a happy camper. If I had to I would drink less good stuff than move to lesser quality.

Life is too short to drink anything less than good liquor.

Reading And Life

The day kinda got away from me. I guess over a couple weeks I got out of the habit of writing and am just getting back to it. I had my first workout since the whole pneumonia thing today. It was pretty low key but I didn't cough up a lung so that was good. Had a buddy help me fix the clunker today. Learned a way to deal with at least one old car problem which was good.

Spent some time today catching up on the news. We are still spending more than we bring in. Unemployment is still high and confidence is low. Those evil banks and businesses are still greedily holding lots of cash.  There are some elections going on but until they are over I'm not going to get emotionally involved or think about the implications.

We were going to go to a thing tonight but it didn't work out. After that I had some quiet time with a glass of Glenfiddich and The Witch of Hebron. I am about halfway done with it and while not revolutionary it is certainly enjoyable. I am pretty tired today. The girls are on swing shift waking up well after noon and staying up till 2 or 3. I got close to their schedule over the weekend which made for a really unpleasant 5:40 Monday morning wake up. Think I am going to bed pretty soon.