Inspired everyday…

New job. New apartment. New life essentially. Video blog detailing both coming soon…

Hey all, been awhile since I updated I know. Started to do a new video blog the other day but I found myself with a lack of suitable and/or interesting things to talk about, so that’ll have to wait. In the meantime however, I finally got around to scanning some sketchbook stuff, nothing profound or that great but in any case…also, some newish school work.

Quick update regarding my New Year’s resolutions. Enjoy.

Decided to try a video blog this time around. It’s been awhile and I thought it might be easier to update on the goings than to try and organize good legible paragraphs. Anyway, feedback would be great as this is my first time doing such a thing. It’s somewhat structured, though I probably could have benefited from a list of talking points. Oh well, next time, for now…enjoy.

Went to the Texas Air Fiesta this weekend and snapped a few photos. I went to two air shows last year and ultimately figured out that my current lens isn’t suited for far away action shots of planes in mid air. So, this year I decided (as hard as it was) to take more close up shots of the planes while they were still on the ground. I ended up taking mostly pictures of the tails, dunno why, just like em…the tail says a lot about the plane.

Unfortunately, there was an F-15 demo scheduled but it was cancelled due to an incident that has all F-15’s grounded until they figure out what caused the failure. It was a disappointment but as a bonus two F-16’s from the Texas Air National Guard flew in to kick off the day’s events. They did two flybys and parked for the rest of the day sadly, but it was still nice to see them up close once they were on the ground.

Anyway, enjoy.

“Nice manpurse.” That was the girlfriend’s first impression regarding my new school/every day carry bag. It’s a CountyComm EOD Bag that in my opinion is a steal for $16.99. Not one to leave well enough alone I had to take advantage of the PALS webbing that covers the bag and add a few things to the outside:

- CountyComm padded knife/multi-tool case

- Spec-Ops Medium Medic Pouch

- CountyComm Diplomat Organizer

- CountyComm MPCC (multi-purpose carry case)

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Been awhile, hadn’t really thought of anything good or profound to write about. Though it’s not for lack of anything going on, just been busy the last few weeks. In any case, went down to Lajitas, TX 2 weeks ago (?) for my sister’s wedding, was a great time and now I’ve got a new broseph in-law. Took some there and back pics with my little fisheye camera. I’m still experimenting with different film types to see what it likes best. The following were shot with Ilford HP5 ISO-400, got a few decent ones I thought, quite a few shots from the plane ride back (you know how I love planes). On a side note, I think I need to study up on writing, I write in fragments quite often…oh well, I’ll save that for next post. ON WITH THE PICS!

Ever since I read The Hatchet in 3rd grade I’ve been interested in survival and survival techniques. For those unfamiliar with the book, in short, it’s about a kid who finds himself stranded in the middle of nowhere after the pilot who was flying him to see his Dad has a heart attack at which point the plane crash lands into a lake. Throughout the story the main character survives and manages to live with only his clothes and a hatchet that his mother had given him as a parting gift just before taking off.

Now, for those who haven’t read it I won’t spoil the book but the premise of the story stuck with me for years and made me wonder, if ever there were a situation where I would have to go for an extended period of time with only those items I had on me, how prepared would I be?

These days I’d be a little better off than our main character, if not by just a hair. The following is what I carry on a normal everyday basis.

1. Doug Ritter designed MkII Photon Micro-Light, handy for everyday use but also has 4 signalling modes including an SOS mode.
2. Swedish Fire Steel, 3 in. long flint that produces a shower of 3000 degree sparks, mainly used for fire starting but can also be used for signaling, lighting gas grills and it works in the rain or snow.
3. 550 cord bracelet I made out of boredom, can be untied if necessary to provide 8 feet of cordage.
4. Bic Lighter, nuff said.
5. P38 can opener, ya never know, also doubles as flat head screw driver.
6. Gerber PR 3.0 folding knife, should be obvious why this is useful.
7. Bandana/Handkerchief, outside of wiping sweat from my brow it could also be used as an impromptu bandage, tourniquet, etc.
8. Sanyo 7050 cellphone, in the event of an emergency this could prove to be the most useful of all, and this particular phone has gps capability as well.
9. (Not pictured), my watch, a Casio G-Shock G2300B-1V. Tells time, has a solar powered face, and watchband compass if phone gps fails to work as expected.

It seems like a lot of stuff I’m sure, maybe even unnecessary but I’m a nerd, you don’t have to tell me . In any case, I feel that were I without my car or stuck somewhere and unable to get home that I’d theoretically be able to improve my situation using some or all of the items above. You know what they say, “Proper planning prevents piss poor performance.” What’s in your pockets?