I have noticed over the years that people are now more in a hurry than ever before. I've also noticed that peoples driving habits have gone downhill. They drive more aggressively and speed a lot more. Drivers also seem to be getting into a lot more accidents.
I'm not the best driver out there but I don't take risks I see other drivers take. For example, I go the speed limit or about 10 over at the most and other drivers will pass me like I'm sitting still. Another example I see is drivers change lanes more frequently in heavy traffic just to get ahead 1 or 2 cars. Another example is drivers rely on their brakes more often, waiting till the last minute to use them. Some of them get in to accidents because of this.
Just thought I'd put this out there to see if this is the case where you live. I don't know if this occurs just in the city or do some of you living in the rural areas also see this happening?
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013
What Happened To The Basic Work Ethic
How many of you know what a work ethic is? How many of you have a good work ethic? I ask you these questions because my wife and I have observed over the years that peoples work ethic have declined.
I define a work ethic as this " Doing what is needed and going beyond that to ensure a particular task or whole job is completed on time or sooner". This takes dedication and my wife and I have observed a lack of this dedication from people just starting a job or who have had a job for a while.
My wife works in the food-service industry and she has observed over the years that a lot of people (especially the younger generation) do not want to do manual labor. They just want to stand or sit their texting on their phones.
I work in the construction industry and have observed this myself. I may not be the best worker and my boss may think I don't have a good work ethic and that is fine. I however don't sit on the phone when something needs to be done.
If TSHTF the people who have a poor work ethic will cause all of us to suffer, at least until the school of hard knocks teaches them. As we all know after TSHTF we will probably have to do a lot more physical labor of which they will not be used to until taught the hard way.
I just thought I'd let you the reader know this and ask if you or someone you know has observed this work ethic trend. I know there are still a lot of dedicated workers out there and this post is not directed at them or any one person. All this post is about is my wife and I observing a trend that seems to be going on.
I define a work ethic as this " Doing what is needed and going beyond that to ensure a particular task or whole job is completed on time or sooner". This takes dedication and my wife and I have observed a lack of this dedication from people just starting a job or who have had a job for a while.
My wife works in the food-service industry and she has observed over the years that a lot of people (especially the younger generation) do not want to do manual labor. They just want to stand or sit their texting on their phones.
I work in the construction industry and have observed this myself. I may not be the best worker and my boss may think I don't have a good work ethic and that is fine. I however don't sit on the phone when something needs to be done.
If TSHTF the people who have a poor work ethic will cause all of us to suffer, at least until the school of hard knocks teaches them. As we all know after TSHTF we will probably have to do a lot more physical labor of which they will not be used to until taught the hard way.
I just thought I'd let you the reader know this and ask if you or someone you know has observed this work ethic trend. I know there are still a lot of dedicated workers out there and this post is not directed at them or any one person. All this post is about is my wife and I observing a trend that seems to be going on.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Stereotypes and Culture Clash
What is a stereotype? What is culture clash? What are the answers to these 2 questions and what do they have to do with prepping and TSHTF? I will give you my answers to these questions based on how I see them.
Regarding stereotypes my answer is like this. A stereotype to me is you the individual putting a label on another individual based on how they act or look. We all stereotype people, myself included. Stereotyping is a necessary evil but can get out of hand very easy. We do need to stereotype people we first meet until we find out more about them. This is an unfortunate and necessary part of life which usually keeps us safe. If you look throughout history and look at people you see in your daily life you will notice that how a person or group acts will help you determine if your life is in danger. How a person dresses or looks may not be a good indicator of whether that person will harm you but you never know. Where it gets out of hand is when we make our stereotype view of an individual publicly known and don't change that view after we find out more about that person. I know stereotypes are also put on groups and the above (out of hand) statement applies there too.
As for culture clash I answer it like this. To me a culture clash is one cultures way of life (what they do, how they act and what they believe in) does not go along with another cultures way of life. This is the boiled down, straight forward answer. When 2 or more cultures clash wars can start. Usually these wars stem from one culture trying to impose their views and way of life onto another culture. Until one culture can get along with and learn about another culture they will continue to have petty fights and wars. A culture clash is nothing more than stereotyping on a very large scale.
I probably opened a can of worms here by saying all of this but I felt it needed to be said. As for how this relates to prepping and SHTF survival is like this. Throughout your life you will meet many people and different cultures. Each of which will look, dress, and act differently than you do or may be used to. Right now you have the luxury of privately stereotyping these individuals or cultures but when TSHTF you may not have a choice but to interact with a person or group you see as a certain way. Keeping a stereotype in check and reserving judgement until after you have interacted with that person or group may mean the difference between life and death.
Keep an open mind and keep learning. Your life may very well depend on it.
TDI
Regarding stereotypes my answer is like this. A stereotype to me is you the individual putting a label on another individual based on how they act or look. We all stereotype people, myself included. Stereotyping is a necessary evil but can get out of hand very easy. We do need to stereotype people we first meet until we find out more about them. This is an unfortunate and necessary part of life which usually keeps us safe. If you look throughout history and look at people you see in your daily life you will notice that how a person or group acts will help you determine if your life is in danger. How a person dresses or looks may not be a good indicator of whether that person will harm you but you never know. Where it gets out of hand is when we make our stereotype view of an individual publicly known and don't change that view after we find out more about that person. I know stereotypes are also put on groups and the above (out of hand) statement applies there too.
As for culture clash I answer it like this. To me a culture clash is one cultures way of life (what they do, how they act and what they believe in) does not go along with another cultures way of life. This is the boiled down, straight forward answer. When 2 or more cultures clash wars can start. Usually these wars stem from one culture trying to impose their views and way of life onto another culture. Until one culture can get along with and learn about another culture they will continue to have petty fights and wars. A culture clash is nothing more than stereotyping on a very large scale.
I probably opened a can of worms here by saying all of this but I felt it needed to be said. As for how this relates to prepping and SHTF survival is like this. Throughout your life you will meet many people and different cultures. Each of which will look, dress, and act differently than you do or may be used to. Right now you have the luxury of privately stereotyping these individuals or cultures but when TSHTF you may not have a choice but to interact with a person or group you see as a certain way. Keeping a stereotype in check and reserving judgement until after you have interacted with that person or group may mean the difference between life and death.
Keep an open mind and keep learning. Your life may very well depend on it.
TDI
Make Paper Copies of Information You Deem Important
Some sage advice from Patrice Lewis @ http://www.rural-revolution.com/
Make hard copies of all of your important information. Just having electronic information (either on your computer or in the cloud) is not good enough. If you loose electricity or your computer doesn't work for one reason or another how will you access much needed information?
Your goal here is to make copies of all your important info and sort thru it later.
Here is a link to a post from Patrice Lewis giving you a good reason why you need hard copies:
http://www.rural-revolution.com/2013/09/a-project-thats-never-done.html
Make hard copies of all of your important information. Just having electronic information (either on your computer or in the cloud) is not good enough. If you loose electricity or your computer doesn't work for one reason or another how will you access much needed information?
Your goal here is to make copies of all your important info and sort thru it later.
Here is a link to a post from Patrice Lewis giving you a good reason why you need hard copies:
http://www.rural-revolution.com/2013/09/a-project-thats-never-done.html
Monday, September 16, 2013
LInk From Another Website That Goes Along With My Post on Unruly Kids
Below is a link to an article I found on another website dealing with kids and prepping. This I believe goes along with my unruly kids post.
http://www.prep-blog.com/2013/09/15/how-old-should-a-child-be-to-start-prepping
I believe as the author of the article does that you need to teach kids about prepping at an early age. The way I see it is teaching them to be ready for just about anything bad that could happen will give them the proper mindset to deal with almost anything that could harm them.
http://www.prep-blog.com/2013/09/15/how-old-should-a-child-be-to-start-prepping
I believe as the author of the article does that you need to teach kids about prepping at an early age. The way I see it is teaching them to be ready for just about anything bad that could happen will give them the proper mindset to deal with almost anything that could harm them.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Dealing With Food Allergies After a Collapse
The reason I am writing this is because my wife has food allergies. She is allergic to fresh tomatoes and pineapple. I know these are not the common ones of wheat, soy, peanuts, milk eggs and seafood but she is allergic to them non-the-less.
As for tomatoes she is deathly allergic to them. I have witnessed this firsthand. She was cutting a fresh tomato one day and some of the juice got on to her lip. She cleaned her lip with water but her lip still swelled up like someone had punched her in the mouth. This happened in less than 15 seconds.
What's interesting is she can eat cooked tomatoes. She can eat canned tomatoes, salsas from a jar and ketchup with no effects. Just the fresh tomatoes will kill her if eaten.
Right now we have safeguards in place to help people figure out what manufactured/processed foods they can eat. But what will people with food allergies do after a collapse? The reason I ask this is most if not all of the safeguards used to help us determine what we can and can't eat will be gone after a collapse.
During and after a collapse desperate and hungry people (non-preppers) will do practically anything to stave off hunger. This includes eating whatever they can find, even if there is no packaging showing the contents of a packaged product. We as preppers have however seen the signs of an impending collapse and stocked up now for it.
Now after the collapse we preppers have food to last us until society starts to rebuild. However our food stockpiles are limited. Even if you have a garden there will be some years where it will not produce much. What if the rebuilding process takes longer than we anticipated and our stockpiled food runs out? It can happen.
We will have to go out in search of more food to replenish our stocks. This means going out into a hopefully somewhat stable society and barter. As stated earlier in this article most if not all of the safeguards protecting us from food allergies will be gone. The raw foods we can deal with when it comes to food allergies. However we know people like to make their own recipes and package/can them to sell/barter. These packaged food products probably won't have labels. It is these packaged and unlabeled homemade products that should concern us if we run low or out of food before society is completely rebuilt.
Even though what someone is selling to us (food wise) looks familiar we know people like to modify and add their own unique ingredients to a basic recipe. If the person we seek food stock replenishment from modified a recipe how do we know what we are getting from a particular person won't be harmful to us?
We have to rely on that persons honesty. This trust factor will more than likely not be there during and shortly after the collapse. It may not be there long after a collapse either. We know trust has to be earned and it takes a long time to earn a persons trust. This is just human nature.
I know there will probably be some pockets of stability while a collapse is happening however most of society will have collapsed due to lack of trust. This lack of trust is what triggers a collapse and we are seeing this firsthand or in the news.
I wrote this article to let you the reader know of a possible scenario that might happen. Right now societies all of the world are collapsing and we nor they know how long it will be before stability returns.
Stay Safe and Stay Stocked
T.D.I.
As for tomatoes she is deathly allergic to them. I have witnessed this firsthand. She was cutting a fresh tomato one day and some of the juice got on to her lip. She cleaned her lip with water but her lip still swelled up like someone had punched her in the mouth. This happened in less than 15 seconds.
What's interesting is she can eat cooked tomatoes. She can eat canned tomatoes, salsas from a jar and ketchup with no effects. Just the fresh tomatoes will kill her if eaten.
Right now we have safeguards in place to help people figure out what manufactured/processed foods they can eat. But what will people with food allergies do after a collapse? The reason I ask this is most if not all of the safeguards used to help us determine what we can and can't eat will be gone after a collapse.
During and after a collapse desperate and hungry people (non-preppers) will do practically anything to stave off hunger. This includes eating whatever they can find, even if there is no packaging showing the contents of a packaged product. We as preppers have however seen the signs of an impending collapse and stocked up now for it.
Now after the collapse we preppers have food to last us until society starts to rebuild. However our food stockpiles are limited. Even if you have a garden there will be some years where it will not produce much. What if the rebuilding process takes longer than we anticipated and our stockpiled food runs out? It can happen.
We will have to go out in search of more food to replenish our stocks. This means going out into a hopefully somewhat stable society and barter. As stated earlier in this article most if not all of the safeguards protecting us from food allergies will be gone. The raw foods we can deal with when it comes to food allergies. However we know people like to make their own recipes and package/can them to sell/barter. These packaged food products probably won't have labels. It is these packaged and unlabeled homemade products that should concern us if we run low or out of food before society is completely rebuilt.
Even though what someone is selling to us (food wise) looks familiar we know people like to modify and add their own unique ingredients to a basic recipe. If the person we seek food stock replenishment from modified a recipe how do we know what we are getting from a particular person won't be harmful to us?
We have to rely on that persons honesty. This trust factor will more than likely not be there during and shortly after the collapse. It may not be there long after a collapse either. We know trust has to be earned and it takes a long time to earn a persons trust. This is just human nature.
I know there will probably be some pockets of stability while a collapse is happening however most of society will have collapsed due to lack of trust. This lack of trust is what triggers a collapse and we are seeing this firsthand or in the news.
I wrote this article to let you the reader know of a possible scenario that might happen. Right now societies all of the world are collapsing and we nor they know how long it will be before stability returns.
Stay Safe and Stay Stocked
T.D.I.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Dealing With Unruly Children When TSHTF
Just to let you know my wife I have no children of our own. However the oldest nephew on my wife's side of the family has issues and I'm seeing those problems firsthand.
A little background before I ask the question.
My wife and I have been married for 10 years now and 9 of those 10 her sister (my sister-in-law) and her family, husband and 3 nephews,were never in our lives. Her sister and family are yet again no longer in our lives, but the oldest nephew has decided to stay with my mother-in-law. My wife and I live close to my mother-in-law so I'm over there a-lot. For the 2 years that my sister-in-law was back in the family I have noticed why she was not in the family for a long time. She and her mother (my mother-in-law) don't get along.
While my sister-in-law and her family were here I have noticed things coming up missing. Most of the things missing were found in their possession but other things were not able to be located. I believe my sister-in-law and brother-in-law stole a lot of what is missing. As for the 3 nephews the 2 youngest ones seem to have no problems but the oldest however is acting like a gangsta and doing/making drugs. He is also not going to school although he said he would give it a try. Since he is acting this way now I just wonder what he will be like if TSHTF.
I give you the reader all of this information for the following reason. Children are very impressionable no matter what age they are. Anybody's mindset can change at any moment, especially children's since they process information differently than an adult. My question to you is this. If TSHTF and one or more of your children becomes unruly during and possibly because of this event would you be able to handle this along with what is going on around you?
A little background before I ask the question.
My wife and I have been married for 10 years now and 9 of those 10 her sister (my sister-in-law) and her family, husband and 3 nephews,were never in our lives. Her sister and family are yet again no longer in our lives, but the oldest nephew has decided to stay with my mother-in-law. My wife and I live close to my mother-in-law so I'm over there a-lot. For the 2 years that my sister-in-law was back in the family I have noticed why she was not in the family for a long time. She and her mother (my mother-in-law) don't get along.
While my sister-in-law and her family were here I have noticed things coming up missing. Most of the things missing were found in their possession but other things were not able to be located. I believe my sister-in-law and brother-in-law stole a lot of what is missing. As for the 3 nephews the 2 youngest ones seem to have no problems but the oldest however is acting like a gangsta and doing/making drugs. He is also not going to school although he said he would give it a try. Since he is acting this way now I just wonder what he will be like if TSHTF.
I give you the reader all of this information for the following reason. Children are very impressionable no matter what age they are. Anybody's mindset can change at any moment, especially children's since they process information differently than an adult. My question to you is this. If TSHTF and one or more of your children becomes unruly during and possibly because of this event would you be able to handle this along with what is going on around you?
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Alternative Housing During or After a Collapse
I'm putting out a hypothetical question here. Do you or your family have alternative means of housing during or after a collapse.
All of the things going on in the world such as Syria, the wildfires out west, earthquakes, and floods got me thinking.
Let's say, god forbid, that some natural disaster happens in your area while the world around you is collapsing, forcing you to evacuate, Would you have another means of shelter for you and your family?
Or let's say, god forbid again, a terrorist attack or a societal collapse comes knocking at your door causing your home/retreat to be destroyed, would you have an alternate means of shelter for you and your family?
Just posing these 2 scenarios as something that could possibly happen in the future. I have seen a part of a documentary on Syria showing what a terrorist attack or war does. Just to let you know I have never been in the military so I have no first hand accounts of the ravages of war.
Here is a link to the article and video I have read and seen, but be for-warned now and while reading the document that the video shows very graphically what happens during a war or societal collapse.
http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/lessons-in-urban-warfare-people-will-die-in-huge-numbers_09072013
Your comments or suggestions about this article may just help someone else. Please use OPSEC and do not give out any information that will harm you, your family or your friends.
All of the things going on in the world such as Syria, the wildfires out west, earthquakes, and floods got me thinking.
Let's say, god forbid, that some natural disaster happens in your area while the world around you is collapsing, forcing you to evacuate, Would you have another means of shelter for you and your family?
Or let's say, god forbid again, a terrorist attack or a societal collapse comes knocking at your door causing your home/retreat to be destroyed, would you have an alternate means of shelter for you and your family?
Just posing these 2 scenarios as something that could possibly happen in the future. I have seen a part of a documentary on Syria showing what a terrorist attack or war does. Just to let you know I have never been in the military so I have no first hand accounts of the ravages of war.
Here is a link to the article and video I have read and seen, but be for-warned now and while reading the document that the video shows very graphically what happens during a war or societal collapse.
http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/lessons-in-urban-warfare-people-will-die-in-huge-numbers_09072013
Your comments or suggestions about this article may just help someone else. Please use OPSEC and do not give out any information that will harm you, your family or your friends.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Pill Popping and Pain Mangament After a Collapse
I am writing this post because I know a few people who take pain and antidepressant medications. Most of them pop them like pez candy. I believe all of them can't cope without the pills.
My wife also has severe pain issues but she has learned to deal with it if necessary. She does take pills for this but doesn't eat them like candy. She takes them like she is supposed to.
The reason why I'm writing this is because some of the pill poppers keep asking her for pills. They found out she takes the same or nearly the same pills as they do so they keep bugging her for them. My 2 part question to you my readers is this: Do you know of anyone who can't function in life without taking a pill or pills? and What do you think might happen in your neck of the woods if the pill poppers can't get their medications when a collapse happens?
Just wanted your thoughts on this.
My wife also has severe pain issues but she has learned to deal with it if necessary. She does take pills for this but doesn't eat them like candy. She takes them like she is supposed to.
The reason why I'm writing this is because some of the pill poppers keep asking her for pills. They found out she takes the same or nearly the same pills as they do so they keep bugging her for them. My 2 part question to you my readers is this: Do you know of anyone who can't function in life without taking a pill or pills? and What do you think might happen in your neck of the woods if the pill poppers can't get their medications when a collapse happens?
Just wanted your thoughts on this.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Managing Chronic Health Problems Now, During And After a Major Event
A disclaimer before I start. I am not a doctor nor do I claim to be one. This article is just for information only. You and your medical doctor are the only ones qualified to manage and treat your chronic medical condition.
I am writing this post because I have a chronic health problem. My condition is called Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH for short). It can be categorized as a mild form of Addisons Disease. Both conditions have to do with the stress hormone cortisol and are usually treated the same, by taking oral medications for life, usually a cortisone pill and possibly an mineralocorticoid. Here are two links (one for each condition) to get further information about each:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001448/ . This is for CAH.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000378.htm . This is for Addisons Disease.
If you don't want to read all of the info, here is the rundown. CAH doesn't produce a necessary enzyme needed to produce cortisol. Addisons Disease doesn't produce enough cortisol.
If you have either one of these conditions you need to manage your stress, both physical and mental. You also need to keep from getting sick or physically hurt, as much as can be prevented. Since these conditions require medication you may not be able to get them during or after a major local or world event. As for me and my CAH I have learned to self-manage it. I only take my medication when i get really stressed. You however SHOULD NOT STOP taking your medication unless instructed by your doctor.
As stated above I have learned to self-manage my condition. If however a major event happens and you can't get the needed medications the following may help. I drink GATORADE to replenish my electrolytes along with removing myself from the stress causing my CAH to act up. If you don't like GATORADE you still need to stay hydrated any way you can. With either of these conditions just the act of sweating can be enough of a trigger to cause it to act up. If you get sick to the point of severe diarrhea or vomiting you need to seek medical attention immediately, even if a major event is still going on or has passed. If your sick enough to not hold anything down you will need to find some other way to get the medication in you, this is usually an IV solution with an cortisol injection thru the IV.
As for other conditions, of which I know very little or nothing about, I will let you the reader chime in.
The above was just for information only. Any suggestions I have given are just that suggestions. Please follow your doctors instructions for condition management. Only use the suggestions as a last resort, if no help can be obtained. If I got anything wrong or you have other information or suggestions please let me know.
I am writing this post because I have a chronic health problem. My condition is called Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH for short). It can be categorized as a mild form of Addisons Disease. Both conditions have to do with the stress hormone cortisol and are usually treated the same, by taking oral medications for life, usually a cortisone pill and possibly an mineralocorticoid. Here are two links (one for each condition) to get further information about each:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001448/ . This is for CAH.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000378.htm . This is for Addisons Disease.
If you don't want to read all of the info, here is the rundown. CAH doesn't produce a necessary enzyme needed to produce cortisol. Addisons Disease doesn't produce enough cortisol.
If you have either one of these conditions you need to manage your stress, both physical and mental. You also need to keep from getting sick or physically hurt, as much as can be prevented. Since these conditions require medication you may not be able to get them during or after a major local or world event. As for me and my CAH I have learned to self-manage it. I only take my medication when i get really stressed. You however SHOULD NOT STOP taking your medication unless instructed by your doctor.
As stated above I have learned to self-manage my condition. If however a major event happens and you can't get the needed medications the following may help. I drink GATORADE to replenish my electrolytes along with removing myself from the stress causing my CAH to act up. If you don't like GATORADE you still need to stay hydrated any way you can. With either of these conditions just the act of sweating can be enough of a trigger to cause it to act up. If you get sick to the point of severe diarrhea or vomiting you need to seek medical attention immediately, even if a major event is still going on or has passed. If your sick enough to not hold anything down you will need to find some other way to get the medication in you, this is usually an IV solution with an cortisol injection thru the IV.
As for other conditions, of which I know very little or nothing about, I will let you the reader chime in.
The above was just for information only. Any suggestions I have given are just that suggestions. Please follow your doctors instructions for condition management. Only use the suggestions as a last resort, if no help can be obtained. If I got anything wrong or you have other information or suggestions please let me know.
Suggestiions And Modifications to Blog
I just want to thank Patrice Lewis for showing me how easy it was to start a blog. I also want to thank her for suggesting I add pictures to the post's to break up the constant reading along with using the pictures to show you the reader what I mean in each post. Bear with me as I try and find a camera I have at home to hopefully take decent pictures with, if not I will be buying one.
If the camera I have does not take good pictures can anyone suggest a decent camera to buy?
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
P.S. I will be modifying the previous post's as necessary with pictures so look for some changes in the coming days.
If the camera I have does not take good pictures can anyone suggest a decent camera to buy?
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
P.S. I will be modifying the previous post's as necessary with pictures so look for some changes in the coming days.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Your a prepper and didn't know it
Every one of us uses prepping every day but we don't think of it as prepping. I will give you the reader some examples.
What do those of us that have a job do every morning before we go to work? If you are like most working people you wake up to the alarm clock, get out of bed, stagger bleary eyed to the bathroom, stagger to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee and some breakfast, finally wake up after a cup of coffee and a full belly and then get dressed and head out the door to fight traffic on the way to work.
Another example we don't think of as prepping is in cooking. If you make a meal at home, whether from scratch or a recipe, you have to make sure you have all the ingredients for the meal. Then depending on what you are cooking you have to prep some of the ingredients by peeling, cutting, chopping...etc. If your recipe calls for it you then have to preheat a pot, pan or oven. While that is being done you combine some of the ingredients as you or the recipe dictate. You then cook the food for a certain amount of time. While the food is cooking you get the tableware set for you and your family and then serve the food when it is done.
Even if you just eat microwave meals you still have to get the meal out of the freezer, put it in the microwave and cook for a certain amount of time before eating.
One last example of prepping and not realizing it is doing yard work. If you are going to mow your yard you have to get the mower out, check the gas and oil, fill as necessary, and then start the mower to mow the yard.
So as you can see we use prepping thru-out our daily lives and not know it. The only difference between the prepper community and those who don't prep is the people who prep are doing it to ensure that they and their family can survive and non preppers don't. The non prepper will become one of two things if some major catastrophe happens. They will either become a burden on those of us who saw to it to ensure we can take care of ourselves and our families if some major catastrophe happens or the non prepper will become a slave to the government or possibly some other group wishing to take advantage of his or her misfortune.
What do those of us that have a job do every morning before we go to work? If you are like most working people you wake up to the alarm clock, get out of bed, stagger bleary eyed to the bathroom, stagger to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee and some breakfast, finally wake up after a cup of coffee and a full belly and then get dressed and head out the door to fight traffic on the way to work.
Another example we don't think of as prepping is in cooking. If you make a meal at home, whether from scratch or a recipe, you have to make sure you have all the ingredients for the meal. Then depending on what you are cooking you have to prep some of the ingredients by peeling, cutting, chopping...etc. If your recipe calls for it you then have to preheat a pot, pan or oven. While that is being done you combine some of the ingredients as you or the recipe dictate. You then cook the food for a certain amount of time. While the food is cooking you get the tableware set for you and your family and then serve the food when it is done.
Even if you just eat microwave meals you still have to get the meal out of the freezer, put it in the microwave and cook for a certain amount of time before eating.
One last example of prepping and not realizing it is doing yard work. If you are going to mow your yard you have to get the mower out, check the gas and oil, fill as necessary, and then start the mower to mow the yard.
So as you can see we use prepping thru-out our daily lives and not know it. The only difference between the prepper community and those who don't prep is the people who prep are doing it to ensure that they and their family can survive and non preppers don't. The non prepper will become one of two things if some major catastrophe happens. They will either become a burden on those of us who saw to it to ensure we can take care of ourselves and our families if some major catastrophe happens or the non prepper will become a slave to the government or possibly some other group wishing to take advantage of his or her misfortune.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Book Skills vs Life Skills
Just thought I would give you my 2 cents view about book skills compared to life skills. Using a machine at work that I have not used in a long time got me thinking about just reading books to gather information about old and new skills vs actually putting those skills to work in our daily lives.
I did my usual routine in the morning of waking up to the alarm, lay in bed for about 45 minutes, wake the wife up and rush off to work. I get to work and do my usual routine of cleaning the office and deliver material to job sites. I also have to cut and thread some pipe which is the reason I am writing this article.
I gather the pipe needed and cut it to the lengths needed with a portable band saw. I then get ready to use the pipe threading machine and noticed that the thread cutting die on the machine is not the one i need.
I found the correct thread cutting die to use but this is where I had a problem. I forgot how to change out the dies. I asked my boss to come help when he got a chance but by the time he got ready to help I had figured out how to change the dies. I grabbed a pipe and put it in the machine and started threading it. I got 3 done and the oiling gun used to apply cutting oil to the pipe to keep it cool stopped working. I then had to get my boss to help fix this.
While he was fixing the oiling gun i used a squirt bottle of oil to thread a few more pipes. He finally got the oiling gun fixed and I finished threading the rest of the pipes. This ended up taking most of the day as I had a lot of them to do.
Now that I have said all of this you may be thinking what does this have to do with the title of this post. Well I had to get my boss to help me because I forgot how to do a couple of things because I had not used that machine in a long time.
What I am saying with all of this is no matter how much information or what skills you gather from books, the internet or just talking to someone, you have to constantly put that information or skills to use in your daily lives or you may not know what to do when you really need a particular skill or piece of information. Book skills do you no good until you put that information to continuous use in your daily lives. Just like a muscle, if you don't use it, the muscle will atrophy. With skills if you don't use them you will forget them usually at the worst possible moment.
I did my usual routine in the morning of waking up to the alarm, lay in bed for about 45 minutes, wake the wife up and rush off to work. I get to work and do my usual routine of cleaning the office and deliver material to job sites. I also have to cut and thread some pipe which is the reason I am writing this article.
I gather the pipe needed and cut it to the lengths needed with a portable band saw. I then get ready to use the pipe threading machine and noticed that the thread cutting die on the machine is not the one i need.
I found the correct thread cutting die to use but this is where I had a problem. I forgot how to change out the dies. I asked my boss to come help when he got a chance but by the time he got ready to help I had figured out how to change the dies. I grabbed a pipe and put it in the machine and started threading it. I got 3 done and the oiling gun used to apply cutting oil to the pipe to keep it cool stopped working. I then had to get my boss to help fix this.
While he was fixing the oiling gun i used a squirt bottle of oil to thread a few more pipes. He finally got the oiling gun fixed and I finished threading the rest of the pipes. This ended up taking most of the day as I had a lot of them to do.
Now that I have said all of this you may be thinking what does this have to do with the title of this post. Well I had to get my boss to help me because I forgot how to do a couple of things because I had not used that machine in a long time.
What I am saying with all of this is no matter how much information or what skills you gather from books, the internet or just talking to someone, you have to constantly put that information or skills to use in your daily lives or you may not know what to do when you really need a particular skill or piece of information. Book skills do you no good until you put that information to continuous use in your daily lives. Just like a muscle, if you don't use it, the muscle will atrophy. With skills if you don't use them you will forget them usually at the worst possible moment.
Monday, September 2, 2013
my new blog about prepping and self-sufficiency
This is my new blog about my thoughts, opinions and how I see the world. These are just my opinions and views of the world. You should in no way take any of them personally. This blog will lean toward prepping and self-sufficiency but will also jump around to other subjects not directly related to prepping or self-sufficiency. Even though the subjects may seem to not be related to prepping or self-sufficiency they actually are. I will try to explain how and why each subject I talk about is related to prepping or self-sufficiency.
I am hoping that with this blog that I can get some of you to be more independent and not dependent on others for your well-being. We are all dependent on each other for one thing or another but strive to be independent as much as possible from each other.
If I post some wrong information on this blog please feel free to figuratively knock me up side my head so that I may correct that mistake. Just be nice about it because I am human and am capable of making mistakes.
I am hoping that with this blog that I can get some of you to be more independent and not dependent on others for your well-being. We are all dependent on each other for one thing or another but strive to be independent as much as possible from each other.
If I post some wrong information on this blog please feel free to figuratively knock me up side my head so that I may correct that mistake. Just be nice about it because I am human and am capable of making mistakes.
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