Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Peace on the Earth. Goodwill towards men.
Author: hsoi
Get over it
I have an elderly neighbor (she’s in her 80’s). She’s capable: she totally lucid, drives herself where she needs to go, and you can tell she’s got her pride — she wants to be self-sustaining and not be a burden on anyone. We do help her out as she needs, but again you can tell she does NOT want to burden anyone and only comes to us for help when she’s exhausted all options. I respect that, and am always happy to help her out when she asks.
But let’s face facts. She’s in her 80’s. She moves slow. She’s fairly frail.
She is vulnerable.
I admit, I think about her vulnerability. Some days ago I was over at her house helping her set up one of those “medical alert” systems. She knows her state in life (thus why she got the system for herself). But it still weighs on me. I often find myself thinking about her vulnerability, and if there’s anything I can do to alleviate it.
Then I step back and think about greater issues.
Our neighborhood has recently had a rash of break-ins. Thankfully it’s mostly been cars, but I do know from time to time homes are broken into.
I cringe at the thought of her home getting broken into. And let’s face it. Most break-ins are not random. The criminal has stalked and monitored and determined ahead of time what houses are good targets.
What can she do? Some 16-35 year old male breaks into her home. How vulnerable she is. What can she do in the face of such a threat?
She’s not like Mayor Bloomberg, with her own “private army”, which she can enjoy in her own retirement. She’s not so privileged as to have to have a security detail. What can she do?
There’s so much big talk about “leveling the playing field” in so many other areas of life, but what about here when life itself is at stake?
Anti-gun mantras ring hollow with me. If you’re going to throw worn arguments at me, I say you should look her in the eye and tell her the same. Think about how your actions to deny our society’s most vulnerable citizens with a means of an equalizer actually serve to hurt them more than help them.
Because that’s what a gun is: a force equalizer.
It allows folks like her to tell some evil person bent on hurting her, on destroying her life, to stop and go away.
Can you look her in the eye and deny her?
I’ll even take pro-gun folks to task.
There’s so much rah-rah about guns, calibers, and what’s acceptable for personal defense. It’s not just internet message board bravado, but it’s even things like how Texas law requires a certain “big caliber gun” (.32 caliber or greater) to pass the CHL test. You could carry a .22, but you can’t test with it. Yes, I understand why they required things in this way… but it still kinda bothers me.
I think about my frail neighbor.
Could she fire such a gun?
Pull that trigger weight?
Manage that level of recoil?
I don’t know, but given what I’ve seen of her frailty, I’m not sure.
But because of her condition in life, why should she be denied?
For sale: drum set
Live in the Austin area and looking for a last minute Christmas gift?
I’m selling a 5-piece Pearl drum set. Makes a great starter set.
Contact me if you’re interested.
You go down, you stand up
Exercise is good for you.
I exercise because I sit in a chair behind a computer all day, and refuse to let myself become decrepit. Of all the exercise in the world, only two have ever really appealed to me: martial arts, and lifting weights.
I would still love to actively study martial arts, but schedule doesn’t permit.
But I can lift weights.
I have lifted on and off since I was a teenager, but most all the lifting I did in the past was more bodybuilder-style, and well… it never really panned out. I would lift, then something would make me lose interest. It often came from boredom and lack of progress. But since I started lifting again about 3 years ago and discovered things like Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 program and EliteFTS, there’s been no boredom. It’s been a lot of growth, and growth in the areas of physical strength and muscle mass has probably been the least of it.
You’d think it’s just “lifting weights”, and a stupid and unengaging thing mentally and emotionally. But this go-round has been anything but. I have found myself constantly challenged, and achieving things I never thought I could do.
I think the biggest thing for me to date was squatting 315#.
It’s not just that I squatted 315. I mean, that’s cool and all. But what really gets me is the achievement and what I overcame to get there.
Squats always intimidated me. Squats are hard. If you can’t lift the bar off the floor or drop it while deadlifting, it’s not that big a deal. Dropping a bar while benching is potentially fatal, but yet, somehow that doesn’t come to mind (maybe all the male “how much ya bench?” ego?). But something about squatting and getting stapled to the floor… or getting hurt coming back up… or whatever. I dunno… maybe too much worry from my teenage years, Mom’s voice of worry still ringing in my ears? Who knows. But I always hated it.
Then this go around I got stuck at 230# for a long time. I couldn’t overcome it, and I know a lot of it was mental. Yeah, getting deep in the hole can be a scary thought, and it doesn’t feed the ego either. And so lots of things would run around in my head, which only served to drive me down the road of continual failure.
Then… I missed a squat and had to dump the bar.
Oh sure, it hurt. When the bar rolled off me, over my head, yeah, I was sore for a few days. But that failure was great, because it didn’t kill me. In fact, I knew what failure felt like and it wasn’t all that bad. Sure, it wasn’t great and I don’t strive to seek out the experience again, but geez… once you fail, how the pressure comes off you! Yeah, failing isn’t something I’m good at. It’s part of how I was raised, it’s also something that keeps me from doing some things, because sometimes I’d rather not do something than risk failure.
*sigh*
Hate admitting that, but it’s truth.
But I failed. I dumped the bar, and lived to tell the tale. In fact, I dumped it again another time and still lived to tell the tale.
And then I got smarter. I paid more attention to things. I started to study more. Read more. Listen more. Learn more. I changed up my lifts to focus on what I perceived as weak-points. Sometimes I was wrong, but I knew I could be wrong going into it and that whatever happens I should just do what I do and see what changes as a result; learn, adjust, continue.
But even bigger was I started to silence the doubt in my head.
Oh sure. I can still freak out about the weight on the bar. I might start to plan how to bail out, or ensure I walk-out far enough so that dumping the bar will dump cleanly and not into the rack. Heck, when I was working up to my 315# PR, because I was having knee troubles and did fear injury (knee gives out half-way up and I totally collapse), I even found myself positioning my phone in such a way and place that I could drag myself over to it so I could dial 911 (instead of where I normally perch it atop the rack). I mean, yeah, there’s still doubt and future-planning driven by doubt, fear, and insecurity. But I found it was more about an ounce of prevention (because if my knee did give out, I would be really screwed if I couldn’t reach my phone), not just pure intimidation and fear.
The biggest change?
I stopped thinking about things too much.
I just kept telling myself: you go down, you stand up.
That’s it. Oh sure, that’s not a way to teach the squat. It’s not proper form, it’s not right technique (tho some try to pass off squatting as being that simple). But at least mentally, that’s all it is.
It’s not a chattery voice of doubt.
It’s not the spectre of deep-seated fears rising up.
It’s just squatting.
Yeah, it’s a big weight on your shoulders. Yeah, it’s going to be heavy. Yeah it’s going to scare you. But you willingly heave it onto your shoulders. You get comfortable with it. You embrace it. And while it will drive you down, you will remain strong, tight, unbending to it. And you will stand up. You will conquer. You will be triumphant. You will overcome, and take yourself further than you thought you could.
As I work up, the only voice I (try to) let in my head is one saying: you go down, you stand up.
And that philosophy is spilling over into other areas of my life, which I’m happy for. Yeah, I may be an older fart, certainly heading into my afternoon years… but I’m still learning and growing, still overcoming.
Oh I know. This isn’t some huge overcoming of things, because I know there are people in this world that overcome far greater things that are far more meaningful. Still, I learned a lot.
You go down, you stand up.
Who would have thought squatting would be so deep.
Sunday Metal – Orange Goblin
Inspired by the Orange Goblin show in Austin September 2013….
This is Orange Goblin with “Time Travelling Blues” (recorded live in San Francisco 2013). One of my favorite songs by the band.
What are you getting into?
Greg Ellifritz recounts a recent experience that has some good lessons for concealed carry holders. You need to read his article to fully understand what I’m about to say.
But in summary, in case Greg’s article disappears, you have a situation like this:
- woman and man rolling around on the ground, punching, kicking, something ugly going down.
- woman is screaming “rape!”
- carry-holder rolls up on scene, decides to get involved.
Seems pretty clear-cut, eh? If you were the one rolling up on scene, what would you do?
And now, how would your response change if you learned the man was an undercover cop? Which was the case.
Greg’s point:
1) Know what you are getting into. The law generally allows you to use deadly force to defend an innocent third party from what you believe is likely to result in serious injury or death. The key word here is “innocent”. A robber resisting arrest is not an innocent third party no matter how many times she yells “rape”. You can testify all you want about what she said and how you thought she was being attacked. It won’t matter much as you wither under the prosecutor’s questions:
“You claim you thought she was being raped. Were any of her clothes removed? Were any of the “suspect’s” clothes removed?”
“You testified that you drive this route often. How many times have you seen a rape at that location at 3pm in the middle of a busy four-lane road?”
“You testified that you heard the victim yell out “I’m a cop” before pulling the trigger. Do you really believe that a police officer is going to rape a woman in the middle of a busy street in broad daylight?”
“So tell me again why you thought it was justified to kill this off duty police officer? Is it because you believed the words of a convicted robber? Or is it because you got a CCW permit and carry a gun so that you can kill people?”
You see how this is going to play out. Even if you avoid conviction, you will have to take out another mortgage on your house to pay off the lawyer fees. Things are not always as they seem. Don’t be in a rush to save the day when you aren’t fully aware of what’s happening.
We make this point a lot in our classes.
Do you know what the story is? Can you be sure you know? Should you get involved either way?
Yes I understand. We have a hero streak. We have a protector streak. A warrior streak. Whatever you want to term it, but people who tend to go through the trouble of obtaining a concealed handgun license tend to be of that “sheepdog” mentality and wish to be there to protect and defend others; to see justice served; to right wrongs, and all that. No, it doesn’t mean we want to be superheros and cops (tho I’m sure there are some with that attitude), but it’s just that we’re the sort of people with a mindset to want to do right and help others. This is a good thing for society.
Alas, the realities of the situation could throw a big wrench in the works, as Greg points out.
You have to ask yourself: is this worth dying over? is this going to maximize enjoyment of beer & tv? If you get involved and something happens to you, are those other parties going to take care of you? pay your bills? give you a job when you lose yours?
I understand a desire to jump in and help, but you have to be mindful if you’re really going to help or just make it worse… because you may not know the full story. Is it worth dying over? Or ruining your life over? Is the risk worth it?
Part of me hates being that way, because it makes me feel selfish and may keep me from helping an honest person in need. I think an extension of that line of behavior could lead us to a very cold and uncaring society. But on the same token, there’s the reality of how a wrong decision could destroy your life, and then you certainly won’t be able to do much to help better society. Just things to keep in mind. Tread carefully.
2013-12-20 training log
Good way to end the year.
Wendler 5/3/1 program, cycle 26, week 3
- Work Set – Press (working max: 170#)
- 45 x 5
- 45 x 5
- 70 x 5
- 85 x 5
- 105 x 3
- 130 x 5
- 145 x 3
- 165 x 2 (PR)
- Close-grip pulldowns (neutral grip, superset with warm-up pressing sets)
- 75 x 15 x 5
- Press
- 105 x 10
- 105 x 10
- 105 x 8/4/2 (rest pause)
- Wide, pronated grip pulldowns (superset with additional pressing sets)
- 110 x 12 x 3
- Cable EZ-Bar pressdowns (pin the elbows to the side)
- 40 x 12 x 3
- Hammer DB curls (superset with pressdowns)
- 30 x 10 x 3
- Spider DB curls
- 15 x 10 x 2
Press is fun stuff, but I really had no desire to work up to some 1RM like I did the main 3 lifts. My PR was 165×1, so I figured go for reps today. As long as I got 2 I was happy. I got 2, and thought about 3 but just racked it because I did what I wanted and would rather stop while I’m ahead than miss a rep.
Rest of the session was just to work through things and keep me going.
All in all, a fine way to end “the year”.
I will be taking next week totally off as a deload. My focus will be on a lot of rest, and some rehab stuff (e.g. icing my knees every time I sit to watch some TV, foam rolling everything I can, etc.). I won’t go to the gym, but I do want to keep myself moving and recovering.
Because… there are other things that I’m going to start working on. I’ll write on those later.
KR Training December 2013 newsletter
KR Training’s December 2013 newsletter is up.
Highlights include the initial 2014 schedule, which includes a lot of guest instructors, including Massad Ayoob. Don’t miss that.
Also, the 2014 Suburban Dad Survivalist Conference is almost upon us. Come join me and a host of other excellent presenters for a day of learning.
Looking forward to seeing you in 2014.
That’s how you get a customer – Brothers In Arms
Another story of “this is how customer service is supposed to be”. Actually, this isn’t so much what we think of as customer service — an after the fact correcting of a problem — but rather how you earn a customer in the first place.
This is about a place called Brothers In Arms (Facebook page)
After a short day at KR Training, I was determined on my drive home to find someone selling a Smith & Wesson M&P9c. There are numerous gun stores on the drive home, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to stop into them just to see.
There’s a new store in Bastrop that I’ve been meaning to stop into and check out, so I finally did. It’s a small shop, and while the owner was polite, he seemed stand-off-ish and didn’t engage me much. I looked around, it’s a nice little store, but they didn’t have what I wanted so I left.
Then I learned that John’s Guns closed. I had no idea. I liked going in there when I could, but rarely could because any time I was out in that area I was either there well before opening or well after closing time. But it was nice mom & pop store, but seems John retired… at least, according to the sign in the window, and the fact the interior was being renovated.
Out on TX-71 before you get into Austin, I kept seeing these banners for “custom gunsmithing” and other related avertisement, so I figured that’d be worth a try too.
That’s Brothers in Arms.
Turns out they’re actually a full-fledged custom shop, run by two bothers.
I walked in and Brad immediately engaged me, asking what I was looking for. I told him, and when he said he didn’t have any, he immediately turned to his computer to see about ordering one. His distributor had many in stock, he quoted me a price and delivery time, and we had a sale.
That’s how you do it.
I knew I wasn’t going to be out that way for a few weeks, and I knew I wanted some things done to the gun, like replacing the factory sights and installing an Apex kit. Since they were obviously gunsmiths, I asked if I could order the parts and have them shipped to their store, and then have them install them. No problem. When I got home, I got online, made the orders, and away things went.
I did have some email exchanges with Brad, and he was always prompt in replying. We did have a slight communication confusion about the work and pick up time, but the did right by the customer in the end. They did go out of their way at off time to ensure I had everything done at a time that was convenient for me to do the pick up. When I did, I bought Oldest with me, and they were again open and engaging with him as he asked questions.
That’s how you earn a customer. You engage them, and work to meet their needs. They didn’t need my business (evident by the custom work they do, and the backlog of work they have). They quoted me a good price, were very accommodating, and worked to ensure I walked away happy. I’m more than happy to use them again, and would recommend y’all try them too. Yes, it’s a short drive outside of Austin, but that also avoids the higher Austin sales tax. 🙂 They give fair prices, do good work, and want to earn your business. Can’t ask for more.
Politician: “Let’s treat all homeschool parents like felony child abusers”
As a homeschooling parent and believer in individual liberty (plus a Dad that still thinks we parents should have the final say regarding our children)… I thought this article was spot-on.
Let me try to explain why you should care about homeschooling rights, even if you aren’t a homeschool parent:
Because we don’t have any rights at all if we don’t have the unquestioned and absolute right to teach and raise our own children. In a country where you do not have a right to your own offspring, to what else could you possibly have a right? Your home? Your car? Your body? Not in a nation ruled by bureaucratic deities so powerful that they may deign the very fruit of your loin to be their property. If we forfeit our jurisdiction over our sons and daughters, where else can we draw the line. “Sure, government, regulate how I educate my kids, but you better have a warrant if you want to take a peek in my glove compartment!” We all have to pick a hill to die on, I suppose…
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Stuff From Hsoi 