Author: hsoi

Why I’m carrying a Ruger LCR .22 LR

/ hsoi / 12 Comments

I’ve been carrying a Ruger LCR .22 LR since November 2022. Why? Necessity, then interest.

Necessity

September 5, 2022 I was dumbbell bench pressing the 95s. I start going down for rep 7 and something felt weird in my left wrist. I immediately stopped. I don’t know how to describe it, but… something… shifted? All those little bones in your wrist (carpal bones); if you know what the carpal bones look like, just imagine something… shifting, getting compacted by 95# of steel. Yeah. Makes you wince, doesn’t it?

I went shooting soon thereafter. Shot my P365XL with the Wilson grip and inserts. After 100 rounds I couldn’t stand it – the pain was too much.

I’ve been hangin’ with a few guys into revolvers (GuG, Hizzie). I mean, “the underwear gun” is a thing. And with the stuff Rhett‘s been doing. Well… I figured now’s a good time detour and play with this concept.

Yes, the LCR is hard to shoot it because it’s lightweight with a heavy-ass trigger, craptacular snub-sights. But I can shoot it… a lot. I can even shoot Federal Punch (my defensive load) and not feel bad about the money.

My wrist is getting better. No, I don’t think it will ever be the same. In fact, as I write this, something happened and getting up from the dinner table last night the wrist complained hard at me. But I can wrap my wrists and lift weights (straight pressure is ok, it’s angled-wrist – like I could do a push-up from knuckles not palms. Getting up from the table had a bent wrist). And I could probably shoot my other guns but… I’m kinda enjoying exploring this.

Interest

Not gonna lie. I just don’t always want to wear a gun. That whole “a gun’s supposed to be comforting, not comfortable”? Well, sometimes I want to be comfortable (don’t you?). A big-ass Roland Special in my crotch isn’t the epitome of comfort. 😂 But I get it. As I said, underwear gun is a thing. Mark wrote:

A reliable gun with a trigger I can use, sights I can see, with a weight that can be held by a pair of drawstring gym shorts, and with support gear that doesn’t require a belt. Caliber is irrelevant for this gun.

Definition of an Underwear Gun – The Evolution of the Underwear Gun

Drawstring gym shorts. Dude… that’s what I wear all day. I’m on Zoom all day – pants don’t matter. 🙂

Federal Punch. 14.85 oz.

There’s things about the LCR .22 that appeal to me:

  • I can shoot it without pain (.22 LR, negligible felt recoil)
  • It is small in size – unobtrusive on my body, in feel and appearance.
  • It weighs about a pound, full loaded… a smidge more if in a holster (and every ounce matters in this context)
  • It has a capacity of 8 rounds, which is pretty good all things considered.
  • Modern ammunition like Federal Punch change the game for .22 LR.
  • I like the “plastic” construction. It’ll hold up better to sweat and stuff, which is a thing with Texas summers.
  • I have no real attachment to the gun, it’s not some treasured heirloom nor will it ever be. It’s made to be a functional machine/tool (see comment about sweat).

And so, I’ve been carrying it. In fact, I’m now looking at picking up another. I have been carrying it in a City Special. I just ordered an Enigma Express for it, as well as an Apollo.

Playing around with grips. Don’t care for finger grooves. Rubber hangs up clothing. Rogers is great (minimal grooves, pinky, textured yet smooth hard plastic), but it’s a little big, especially for pocket carry. The Hogue Black Rubber Bantam Boot Tamer Cushion Grip without Finger Grooves contains my acceptable trade-offs: slim, small, conceals well in pocket or on torso, no clothing hang-ups, ok no pinky but it is .22, can still shoot the gun acceptably.

Factory. Rogers. Hogue.

Look… I’m at a point in my life where I’m not so interested in hunting. I just want people to leave me and mine alone. One block I loved from TacCon23 was Darryl Bolke’s “Mousegun Mindset”. Darryl frequently refers to guns of this type as “rule 1” guns (i.e. what’s the first rule of a gun fight? have a gun.). His block provided excellent perspective on tools, modes, and mindsets of carry with regards to so-called sub-optimal guns. It resonated well with where I’m at. For example, my wife will never go hunting for bad guys, but getting the rapist off of her is another matter.

Plus, it’s a new challenge. Something different to pursue. I know revolvers are becoming hip again. I don’t care about that. I was provided an opportunity (my wrist injury) and I’m answering the door, opening it to exploration. So far I dig it.

That said, I haven’t been putting in the work. Re-reading Mark’s writing provided me with some direction. While I do have access to the KR Training A-Zone Range, it’s still an hour drive. There is a small indoor range in town, and something like working Dot Torture from the ready is do-able and beneficial. I need to take better advantage of this. As I settle more into the new job, I may have the flexibility to make this happen.

It’s also been interesting to TEACH with this on my hip. I generally always teach with and for semi-auto since that’s 99.9% of students. It’s been surprisingly non-issue.

I’ll see where this goes…

TacCon23

/ hsoi / 5 Comments
📷 Tim Reedy; making me look good during my AIWB Skills block.

My third TacCon has come and gone. What a marvelous time!

What made it extra special for me was Mrs. Hsoi joined me, as a guest of Lynn & Tom. As we embark on 27 years of marriage, to have TacCon23 as an anchor and milestone in our journey of “just the 2 of us” is a heck of a way to start!

Professional

I presented 3 blocks: 2 AIWB Skills (2-hour live fire) and The Aftermath (2-hour lecture, with Lee Weems and Erick Gelhaus). Beyond that, I was at the Mrs’ disposal. We took classes with Tom Givens, Massad Ayoob, John Holschen, Darryl Bolke (who really perked the Mrs’ interest on the topic of “Mouse Gun Mindset”), Lou Ann Hamblin, Erick Gelhaus, Lee Weems. All people well worth learning from. I will call out Darryl’s block, because yeah… having your head screwed on right is primary. It was a game-changer for the Mrs.

Karl and I have revised our book: Strategies and Standards for Defensive Handgun Training for 2023. We sold out of the first print run at TacCon, with more on the way!

Talking with John Farnam about the Barami Hip Grip. 📷 Jamie Meyer.

I’m still carrying the LCR .22LR in a City Special on an EDC Belt Co. Consequently I didn’t compete in the match. One, I didn’t want to complicate things for Martin and Julie. Two, “leave the Mrs alone on the sidelines” was not in my SOP for the weekend, dig?

I proposed to Karl that we do a joint class (lecture and/or live fire) at TacCon24… we shall see.

Personal

This was Mrs Hsoi’s first TacCon – into the deep end with the Rangemaster Family!

She was understandably nervous about attending. Lots of people-ing, with people she knows because I have spoken their name to her. Lots more gunfire than she’s used to hearing. Being away from the house, being comfortable. Being able to sleep (sometimes my snoring is too much; I booked a double-queen suite to try to help). Lots of stress and worries. As the event grew closer, she flipped her script, adopted a “I get to spend time with my honey” mindset, and while a lot of work, it was good. We took the van because there was a lot of stuff to pack and bring (including Spam… 😋).

AIWB Skills live fire. 📷 Jamie Meyer.

The rain on Day 1 didn’t help, but it also was cute because she had a head-to-shins-covering vinyl rain coat in her signature yellow. Caleb & Lisa Causey (familiar faces) were joking about mustard and “Did you get that at Academy?” “No… Prada.” 💅 All of the hugs and laughter helped her feel welcome. And Kristin… oh, you and the Mrs. bonded in a unique way. 😂 The welcome, open, and loving arms that immediately embraced her, taking her in. The inappropriate jokes, the voracious laughter, the abundance of hugs. It was jumping into the deep end, but hey… she got Tim Chandler to almost snort his drink out of his nose! I think she can hang. 😂

It was special on another level. We continue to embark on a new phase in our life, of it being about “just the 2 of us” (Bill Withers singing). This was the first time in ages we have taken an excursion just the two of us. Life’s been about the kids and the whole family for… ever. Oldest recently moved out. Daughter and Youngest in the next 1-3 years. So, we are doing more together. It’s a shift, a good shift, but a shift nonetheless; it requires work, commitment, dedication, flexibility, iteration. But hey, I get to do it with her, and that’s alright. It’s a lot of fun. Adventure is out there! 😎 To have TacCon23 as a milestone, even an anchor point in our continued journey through this thing that they call life? It’s pretty fucking cool. I love you, B. Thank you for being the biggest part of my life.

He looks like a bitch

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

“I had the dumb idea [and thought] hey, this guy looks robbable. He looks like, no offense, a b—-. I got a knife and drill, so why not? Like, if anything is possible, why not do something bad? But it backfired, and things didn’t go the way I wanted them to because he had someone else with him,” she was quoted telling police. 

The woman has been charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.

Facebook Marketplace seller attacked with knife while trying to sell PlayStation

There is much we can learn.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin police have charged a 19-year-old woman with a felony for allegedly pulling a knife on a man Tuesday after she agreed to buy his PlayStation 4 on Facebook Marketplace, according to police documents. 

Austin. There’s your first clue.

19-year-old woman. Not what comes to mind when you think of someone willing to knife and kill you over a fucking game console. Your life is worth that little to her. 19-years-old. Woman.

The victim arrived at the agreed-upon location with a friend, where he found the interested buyer. The victim put the product on the ground, and moments later, the buyer pulled a knife to his neck. A struggle to get control of the weapon ensued, and the victim’s friend exited the vehicle and attempted to help. 

The three were entangled in a struggle when the friend saw something that looked like a gun. Fortunately, the friend realized the “gun” was a drill. It was at that point that both the victim and his friend fled with his PlayStation, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. 

Good he brought a friend.

Entangled fight… with weapons in play. I thought that shit never happens on the street…?

Fortunately… I guess? But still, from the attacker’s own mouth she knew it was a drill but was counting on the fact it’s gun-shaped. Intent.

When the PlayStation seller returned home, he realized that the woman who allegedly attacked him dropped her wallet in the Playstation box during the altercation. He called the police and reported her, the documents said. 

Lucky for them. And lucky for us, because we get gem quotes like this:

APD took the accused into custody and asked why she attacked the PlayStation seller. 

“I had the dumb idea [and thought] hey, this guy looks robbable. He looks like, no offense, a b—-. I got a knife and drill, so why not? Like, if anything is possible, why not do something bad? But it backfired, and things didn’t go the way I wanted them to because he had someone else with him,” she was quoted telling police. 

The woman has been charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.

She knew it was dumb. But obviously, this notion has crossed her mind in the past. She’s been evaluating people for a while. She’s not dumb, just naive and fresh.

And she played predator and evaluated prey. The dude looked like a bitch to her. Let that sink in.

Why did she do it? For the thrill for it all.

Your life is a game to her. Robbing and killing you is a “hit of dope” to her. It’s not even worth $200 for a Playstation.

But it shows that interrupting or flipping their script is an important element of gaining advantage. This happened when the 19-year-old pulled the knife, then when the victim’s friend jumped in. Work to gain advantage (process focus).

She will eventually be back out on the streets… will she do it again? and again? and again?

As Dr. Aprill would say, “They are not like you.”

Stay dangerous. Be strong.

(h/t JJ for the article)

Learnings from the Wichita Falls stabbing

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — A man, who Wichita Falls Police said got into an argument with a store clerk and then stabbed a customer who tried to intervene, is in custody.

Full Story

There is much to learn from this story.

Let’s start with the opening line: got into an argument with the clerk and stabbed a customer who chose to intervene. As Tom Hogel says to me, “No good deed goes unpunished.” I addressed this topic in last week’s Personal Tactics Skills class. Intervention isn’t always the right answer; in fact, most times it’s the wrong answer. I understand the urge, the drive to respond – especially when you see an injustice committed. I’m not saying to not respond. What I am saying is you need to know where your line is drawn. What are you willing to die for? Are you willing to die for a rando store clerk? Maybe you are, maybe you are not. This is a personal decision. I don’t care where you draw your line (it’s your line, not mine) – I just want you to ensure you have a clear, well-defined, articulable line. If you don’t have one right now, you need to get one right now. Because if you intervene, you risk death – what are you willing to die for?

When WFPD officers arrived at the 7-Eleven at 2012 Grant just after 3 a.m. Wednesday morning, March 1, they said the victim was holding napkins and applying pressure to a bleeding wound in her neck.

7-Eleven – gas stations are the urban water hole, because everyone – good citizen and bad – needs gas for their car.

3 a.m.

Stabbed in the neck. Her neck. Medical skills are important.

She told them she was buying items when [Alejandro Villanueva (27)] came into the store and began arguing with the clerk. The victim and a witness said Villanueva left, then came back and began arguing with the clerk again.

Arguing. That’s not a good sign.

Leaving, then returning to continue arguing. That’s an even worse sign.

Why did he leave, and why did he come back? What did he perhaps get? And if he was arguing, coming back… why is he doing that? High tempers. My dudes, these are signs of trouble – what good can come of this? Big red alarm bells should be going off in your head.

Time to go. Drop your groceries and leave. Be prepared for stupid to go down (and that you might get caught up in it, like it or don’t).

The witness said he left a second time, and returned once more and began yelling at the clerk.

Leaving a second time, and returning a third to continuing arguing. That’s the worst sign.

Why are you still there? It’s either voyeurism or just frozen with disbelief – no plan of what to do, not seeing it for what it is. Third time’s a charm right? Believe what you are seeing. Why it is happening you can try to figure out later (and realize you may never know why); right now it doesn’t matter why it’s happening – it’s happening and you need to act.

The witness said the customer stepped in and told Villanueva to leave, and he began to yell at her. The customer said she told him if he did not calm down and stop confronting the clerk and leave, she would go get her gun in her car.

When in the history of telling people to “just calm down” has anyone ever calmed down? 🙃

If someone has demonstrated themselves not just irrational but irrational and irate, please believe them! Your attempt to apply rational logic and behavior will not be met with the response you are hoping for.

Then he turns his attention to her, increasing aggression. More customer begging and pleading – she doesn’t want to shoot him, she doesn’t want to hurt him. I can understand that, just the approach being taken isn’t (and wasn’t) effective for her to obtain the result she’s hoping for (expecting?). As the late Dr. William Aprill said, “They are not like you.”

A gun. First, why is it in the car? Your car is not a holster. Second, why it is not on her person? A gun you must retrieve is often of little use.

Most of all, why did you do this? The (threat of) introduction of a gun into the equation escalated the situation. She was hoping the threat would end it, but there’s always someone willing to take you up on your offer…

She said Villanueva came at her and began pushing her with his chest, and she pushed him away but he kept coming at her, and that is when she felt a sharp pain in her neck and fell back into the door and ran outside.

I’m sorry that happened. It was preventable. However, everyone has to have a first time, a time to learn. Let’s all learn from this.

Police located a truck matching the descriptions in the 1000 block of Wenonah and found Villanueva standing by it and took him into custody. They said he had a large folding knife with a brown handle on his person.

Officers said he told them he had been in fear for his life because the victim said she had a gun.

Interesting angle there, son. Now, as a “reasonable man”, I would say Ability, Opportunity, and Jeopardy are NOT present if for nothing else the knowledge he possessed about the gun was it was in the car. She didn’t have the gun on her person so it was not an immediate threat, and if she went to retrieve it he would have a window of escape. So nice try son, but it fails AOJ on that alone.

Still, it’s paints an interesting twist. You might feel yourself the “good guy” and them the “bad guy”, but good people can make mistakes, and it could wind up costly. Rare is the self-defense incident that goes according to your notions and fantasies.

I’m sorry this happened to the store clerk and customers. They paid a small price – we can ensure that price was not paid in vain by learning and growing from the experience.

Day 333

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

It’s Day 333 of my 100 Day Challenge.

It’s not been good. There’ve been a number of things in life and simply put… life’s been tough.

I feel I’m climbing out. Returning to the discipline of this challenge is helping.

Read every day

I’ve really fallen off here. However, some things are changing that will soon have me reading more.

“Yoga”

I’ve gotten back on this. In fact, I’m writing this post standing at my desk (instead of the default sitting). I wrote out a more complete program for myself, which includes some things on the floor for my lower back.

I’ve also made a rule to myself that I cannot skip anything in the routine. There’s nothing in the routine tho about time or sets-and-reps. If all I can do is a couple seconds in each position that’s fine so long as I get everything moved, stretched, opened up. Of course more time, more sets-reps, making sure I really lean into stretches to actually improve range is all ideal and what I should work to do, but sometimes life’s what it is. Still, I have to do it. If I can do it more than once a day, even better.

I attribute this alone to helping me get to a better place. My body feels better, more awake and alive.

Workout

Gym? No problem. I took a deload off, but it’s all just normal good stuff here.

Dry fire? Live fire? Not much… the toughness of life got me out of things. But TacCon23 is in a few weeks and I teach this weekend – that will help. I’ve been enjoying getting back out on the range, away from the computer, having my mind working on other problems. The wrist issues that continue to plague me haven’t helped either, but the LCR .22 experiment is fun.

Eating

This has been regression. It’s my classic problem of food being comfort, falling back into old habits.

One place I’ve been long unhappy with myself about is my afternoon shake. It’s just 60g of whey, it’s fast and easy to do – and that’s the thing! There’s no excuse for me not getting it down. But yet it happens. Why? Because of day job realities (e.g. wall-to-wall Zoom meetings). It’s not great because I have noticed my body is sensitive to it: missing it leads to missed gainz. I’ve recently been wondering how much bigger/better I would be today if I had been perfectly strict about my food intake over the past 10-15 years. Ah well… second best time is now. Well, this is like the bazillionth time, but try again I must. And so, I’ve been good about the whey and the difference is noticeable. Get your protein in every day!

Overall

I wasn’t doing well, but my monthly reminder to do a “100 day reflection” came up. I’m glad I set that, to keep the momentum going. It’s interesting that 100 days wasn’t enough to really make habit changes – it sowed a good seed tho, and I continue. I just cannot expect perfection, just improvement.

No B.S.

/ hsoi

The other day someone told me a big reason people jive with me is because I keep it real.

There is no other way to be.

For… ever in my website bio I’ve said this:

I’m not one for bullshit. I do my best to not bullshit people, I don’t like to be bullshitted, and I generally don’t put up with bullshit. Life’s too short for games and bullshit. Be honest and straight with people.

Me

I blame my Dad

I grew up the son of a politician – I still am.

He started in politics when I was 4 years old. It was from age 8 to 16 when Dad was a member of the US House of Representatives, but from 4-8 he was still running and campaigning (lost before he won). So from age 4 through graduating high school I had to do the “political family” thing.

Shooting TV commercials for Dad’s campaigns was cool to young me – all the cameras, “I’m going to be on TV!!” – until I had to act. It all felt so… fake, so “put-on-a-show” to me. Here we are supposed to show the world we’re this perfect happy family, when my Mom was just yelling at me, Dad was steamed, the kids were cranky… then the Director yells “ACTION!” and it’s all smiles and happy. SMILE DAMNIT! BE HAPPY!

It was revolting to me. It was such… lies. Lies to the world.

I’m sure that planted the seed.

Verbosity

/ hsoi

People tell me I talk a lot. 

I can.

It’s not that I’m verbose – in the sense that I “run on” (tho I can).

It’s that I desire to share information.

I may “run on”, I may post a wall of text; afterwards you tend to not have questions. You are also filled with more information – historical, contextual – which enables you to make better, deeper, more understanding decisions and interpretations down the line. 

George Carlin once said something like “A soundbite. Just a bite. A morsel. Malnourishment.”

I want you to be nourished.

Things are changing

/ hsoi

This is life. Life is ever-changing. It is in how we respond to change.

Sons

Oldest has a new job, and thus a new schedule. As a result, Youngest is affected too.

The boys peaked out well on 5/3/1. I opted to change-up and introduce them to more bodybuilding stuff, to expand their knowledge. So I put them on Paul Carter’s Guaranteed Muscle Mass, with some minor modifications (e.g. machine rows for bb rows). It’s a good program, fit their 3x/week schedule, introduces a bunch of new things to them. They’ve done well with it. They’ve actually been progressing faster than I expected: I up the weight expecting reps to drop, but both weight and reps increase! But it’s good: start light, progress slowly, y’know?

Still…

Youngest is going to be simple: keep on the same basic program but with some modifications. For example, do the over-warmup, then instead of a AMRAP + 50% just do 2-3×5-8 RPE 9. Going to work on getting reps into the 5-8/6-10/8-12 ranges, depending on the movement. I also threw in a set of 21s on Upper A day because a little bro-fun. 🙂

Oldest. Providing him with consistent rhythm to his days would be optimal. I’m looking at a 5x/week bro-split: legs, chest, back, shoulders, arms. Each day will be 3 exercises: first is the heavy for 2-3×5-8; second is supportive for 3×6-10; third rounds it out for 3×8-12. For example, back would row, pulldown, hyperextensions; chest would barbell incline, flat db press, dips. Get it done in 45-60 minutes. His choice to do it before or after work, either way he can get in and get out. Consistent days.

Me

I didn’t wear wrist wraps when I was pressing the other day. My wrists have been feeling good, but something about the other day while doing the machine wide chest press… and so my wrist is feeling funny again. Sigh. It’s a hard call, because I don’t want to always rely upon the wraps, but it’s become evident it will be a problem if I do not. Probably just like I used to with the belt: only on the top/hard/heavy sets, and then always on those sets.

Regarding Oldest: I’ve never had to program for this sort of scenario before (5 days, < 60 minutes) – because I’ve only done programming for me and I’ve not had such a schedule. This is an interesting challenge and stretch of my knowledge. I think what I have come up with will work, or at least will be a good MVP. We’ll see how the first couple weeks go.

Slight adjustments

/ hsoi

I’m entering meso 2-3. I’m seeing what is working and what is not. It’s good to explore the new equipment: some is useful, some not as much, some is great.

Good

Love the hack squat. I suck at it, and only one way to not suck at it…

I like the Hammer Strength Iso-Lateral Row (plate-loaded) – good strong, stable, general row (I am using top-handles, pronated grip).

I do like how the HS calf machines have angled footrest because I don’t have to readjust my footing.

There’s something about the HS Iso-Lateral Leg Extension that is great – I think it’s where the weight is in the path/curve, especially at extension for the squeeze.

Bad

Some of the press machines don’t line up well for me. I keep playing around with placements and settings.

I don’t feel I’m getting much from the machine preacher curls.

Cable Y-raises don’t seem to be doing much for my delts.

Changes

I’m going to keep meso 2-3 as written, adding in some intensity techniques. Any changes will come in 3-1.

Upper A: Push emphasis. Keep HS IL Shoulder Press (so long as my shoulders are ok with it). Probably drop the HS Iso-Lateral Incline Press in favor of 30º barbell inclines. I want to get some chest work, but I have to remember I’m wanting to bias delts more in this macrocycle. Drop cable y’s in favor of the incline db y’s – those I seemed to respond to well. Then swap the heavy HS IL Row today for the HS selectorized row (from Upper B day) for 3×8-12.

Lower A: no real change, as I think it’s working well. Hacks are death. I love the leg extension machine.

Upper B: pull emphasis. Make the HS IL Row the opener heavy movement (instead of the selectorized, which is moved to Upper A as mentioned above). I wonder if I switch to a really light but squeezy db preacher curl if that might be fun (instead of the machine preacher). Iso-Lateral Wide Chest is fun.

Lower B: TBD based on how my body is feeling.

So, not huge changes really. I just am finding where things lie and how stuff works for me.

Also, finding allowances and flow for the new gym.

Radio Daze : 17 – Shedding Skin (I’m writing again)

/ hsoi

I started my blog Stuff from Hsoi – writing about whatever interests me, and maybe you February 4, 2009 – 14 years ago. Not surprisingly, the second post to the blog was So why do this?

I didn’t want to blog because I thought it rather arrogant to think that anyone would give a rat’s ass what I have to say. I still think that. I also know that once you put something out online, it’s extremely difficult to make it go away. In real life if you make a mistake or say something you shouldn’t have, eventually it’s lost into the air and life goes on. But if you screw up online, it can stick around for the rest of your life. What doesn’t help is the world has just enough mean people in it that take great joy in digging up dirt and holding your past mistakes over you. Well, let ’em cast their stones.

I still think that.

Or as I later summed it up:

So what will be in this blog? Whatever the hell I want to write about.

It started as a place to ramble about stuff, but over time writing became a creative outlet. I don’t think I’m a great writer, but I have a Bachelors in human communication, and I enjoy observing how people respond to what I write, including how I write it. The communication cycle is fascinating. The blog’s been a good creative outlet for me in both writing and observing. Humans are… funny creatures.

At one point I had to step away from the blog, and then blogging kinda faded away. I did keep Sunday Metal going for quite a while, but even that I let run out just a little while ago because I was tired and going through some shit. It’s some work to make Sunday Metal happen, including requiring a bit of spark or inspiration as many of my work-sessions of “let’s queue up 6 months of Sunday Metal” desired a theme like “all live” or “all thrash” or “all female-fronted or “all hair” or “shit that’s metal and I don’t really listen to them but they are metal and this is Sunday Metal and I need a content theme so…” or the ever popular “whatever rabbit hole YouTube’s algorithm sends me down”. I just didn’t have the inspiration, gumption, nor cycles to sit down and queue more stuff up. But hey, I published this “Radio Daze” series on a Sunday….

Shedding skin

Hsoi’s Radio Daze started when I was packing my office back in Austin Fall 2020 preparing for our move to Bryan. I dug out a bunch of old memories I’d been lugging around since undergrad and high school. I whittled things down, keeping only a few precious things. I found all of these posters and swag from my radio days. I took pictures of the interesting ones then threw out the posters. I also gave all of my physical music collection (CDs, cassettes, vinyl) to a friend who I knew would give it a good home. As I was packing my office, I realized my office represented essentially a 30-year old me – not the me of now 20 years later. I don’t regret throwing stuff out – physically and psychologically. We shed our skin when we grow.

As I took the pictures, I knew I wanted to blog about them; that’s where it started, wanting to write about the posters. Well, the posters are naturally tied to my time in radio, which is tied to my time in a band. As I wrote an explanation of a poster, it necessarily required additional information for context and understanding. Which made me write about radio or the band, which made me realize the article was going to be too long. So I wrote and edited with the mind of having short single-topic “memories”. That is, it’s not an article or a post – it’s me recounting a memory. My goal is to paint a sufficient picture in the mind of the reader, as eloquently as I am able. I may fail, I may paint an incorrect or poor picture, but I try nonetheless. I strive to help you see AND feel my memory.

It started as a handful of posters. It turned into 18 “memories”. While it wasn’t my original plan, I appreciate just letting it naturally evolve – I think this is better. It’s been a lot of work, especially queuing 18 articles for posting and social media. What’s helped is I have a better outlook in my life, driving more things towards completion. It feels great to get out from the weight of my TODO list, that forever ebbs and flows but I’m seriously getting out of the ebbs and into serious flow, getting ahead of the current. I’m not quite there yet, but I have a better drive these days and shit’s getting done. So just like my black belt may be semi-worthless (or all worthless?), it was more about driving to get it done – showing up, putting in the work, getting it done. Satisfaction.

Even if my writing sucks, I’m still going to write and (probably) publish it. This blog is about what interests me, and maybe you.

Thank you for reading.

Mr & Mrs Hsoi, Sep 2022