Month: June 2021

June 16, 2021 – Greenhouse Experiment: Finally, Something Interesting

June 16, 2021 /

My greenhouse experiment is still ongoing. I have learned enough that there are definitely some changes that I want to implement. I will give a little rundown of what I have done over the years.

I remodeled my garden shed in 2017 mostly because it was rotting. The entire south side siding, framing and floor was in bad shape. I also wanted to move the door from the south side to the west side to take better advantage of the layout and make the most use of the space. Instead of replacing the siding. I wanted to change it to glass and make a greenhouse out of it. I compromised with my wife and instead of just replacing the bad framing, I bumped it out two feet as well (I cant find the pictures I took of that process now.)

In 2019, I built a potting bench and I have plans to build a growing shelf but haven’t got there yet. My first experiment was a lemon tree that I bought. It did live through the winter, but barely. By the time that I took it out last year the thing was on hospice care. I got probably 5 lemons off the tree but it clearly wasn’t happy.

There were two things that I learned from that. The first was that I don’t think it got all of the proper nutrients that it was suppose to have. But, the second an more important thing was that I don’t think that I watered the plant enough over the winter. When the sun comes out in the winter time, the temperature inside the greenhouse will get over 80 degrees. I think I only watered it two or three times over the course of the season. My bad.

Last year, when I tore out my garden beds (remember that I was supposed to move them to the front yard?). I saved a nice bell pepper plant that only gave me one pepper over the season. That was largely because I was in full remodel mode and didn’t give any of the plants the attention that they needed. They got in the ground very late, got overrun with weeds and didn’t get frequent watering. They were lucky that they didn’t get trampled with all of the activity.

Since Bell peppers can last for years if they don’t freeze, I thought that I would save it for this year. I learned from my lemon experiment and took some care of it. I watched the sun and opened the door when it was warm so it wouldn’t cook. I watered it at least once a week and sometimes once a day depending on how warm it was. I noticed that it was blooming a couple of weeks ago and now there are three small peppers coming on.

Despite the fact that I remodeled in 2017, there is some maintenance that needs to happen. I have had a tarp on the roof since last fall. I need to re-roof as the flashing ripped of in a strong wind and pulled up a bunch of shingles with it. A couple of the poly-carbonate roof panels are also broken (I don’t know how that happened).

As to the upgrades, I want to install a thermal fan that comes on so that I don’t have to open the door when the sun comes out. I also want to add a 400W solar setup so that I can have some lights, charge some tools and light electrical work. I added a gutter so that I could build a rain barrel, I would like to get that installed as well so that watering is more convenient.. I have also debated trying to build some thermal mass but so far getting too cold does not seem to be a problem.

End Your Programming Routine: Knowledge of food production is something that takes time. Your setup, habits and experience all play a role in how successful you will be with the process. Gardening is something that I have an interest in but it almost never is my first priority. If I am going to continue to delve into it, I need to make changes that make my life easier and more likely that I am going to succeed with it.

June 15, 2021 – Am I in a rut?

June 15, 2021 /

Trying to come up with new things to talk about in a meaningful way everyday is sometimes difficult. It is not necessarily that I don’t have ideas but I am weaving this endeavor into my day and it takes a level of prep to do good work. I need supporting photos and videos ready to go when I sit down to start writing.

Sometimes when I get ideas, I queue up article stubs and then when I am looking for something to write about I go to the well of things that I have already put some effort into. Sometimes I have the week entirely planned out before I start. Not this week.

A large part of the reason is that I am focused on the drywall finishing of my office. It is not something that you casually pick at. It requires blocks of hours at a time if I ever want to get this project finished. Another analog is like painting with a roller. Once you get paint on the roll, you are committed to going until you have to stop because it takes so much effort to clean a roller that it is not a casual start and stop process.

Hence, it feels like I have hit a rut here. Monday some sort of opinion, Tuesday is a project update, Wednesday is a grab bag, Thursday is Tacticool and Friday is the 1984 analysis. I am definitely planning on not keeping it this way, but it is convenient for the moment while I am pre-occupied.

This project has grown more refined since I started. Originally, I wasn’t going to finish the drywall. I also wasn’t going to cover the ceiling or the ductwork. One reason that I did it was that it is going to be dark in there and wanted as much reflective surface as possible. In terms of cost, It added may $30, it is more the time that it is going to take to finish the project. I am still on the fence about molding, The cost is again minimal but it is more time and time is something that is pulling at me.

End Your Programming Routine: I should probably set a date to toward and be finished. So, I will arbitrarily pick July 1 to be moved in. If I feel like it, then you probably do to. For now, I am going to power through and keep going.

June 14, 2021 – Never Quit, Unless You Want to be Happy

June 14, 2021 /

This was graduation weekend last weekend and my nephew got his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. I love graduation, I think it is the best feeling weekend of the year. There is so much hope, optimism and genuine happiness, particularly at the higher level. Most of the graduates are in their early twenties but if you look around there are many non-traditional students as well. Everyone is smiling and celebrating. And unlike high school, blood and treasure was expended to get this degree; it was earned.

Since he lived with us from eighth grade through high school, this was close to a child graduating. Normally, I don’t write about other people but I will make an exception today for the graduation speech that should be given. For simplicity sake, I am going to use his first name, Isaac.

Obviously, if he ended up living with us then not everything was as good as it should have been. He had the dream and capability but he needed the structure and support to reach full potential. He dreamed of helping people when he entered the world and to him it was becoming a police officer.

During the course of studying criminal justice, Isaac enrolled in the cadet program with a local police department. In the program, cadets perform auxiliary support for events like crowd control and get exposed to the life. It also puts them on a list to be hired if an opening appears and builds the resume with practical experience. So, it is a good step in goal setting and achieving the dream.

Somewhere along the way in the last year, dreams change. Isaac moved into the our little house in the back that I remodeled last year with his girlfriend of several years. Early in the calendar year, he decided that he wanted to go into a different direction and work in the social services area, not being a police officer. So, he quit in a sense.

Now, we are going to slight shift. I am pretty open minded but I try to stay arms length at other’s relationships until I know that it is going to progress into permanency. It looked like this one was going to but there were some things not quite right. You have to understand that when someone lives in your backyard, I notice a lot. And, it is not because I am watching and waiting, but I see the body language and the coming and going.

For instance, they didn’t appear to have anything in common. She had friends but they were not really his. They didn’t really do anything together, some of that was circumstantial because of school being a priority. There was a vibe that this was progressing seriously but couldn’t sustainably. I will make a long story short in that they broke up right before graduation.

The graduation party that we held this last weekend had some unspoken temperance and somberness to it. It didn’t have the unbridled exuberance that it should have had because of course, emotion was raw. When a life is built on one premise and that suddenly changes so do the dynamics. Finally, to my point.

There is a saying “When is the best time to plant a tree”? The answer is ten years ago and the next best time is today. When you quit a relationship that isn’t working or a career path that doesn’t fulfill, you are free to pursue one that does. And, ultimately isn’t that the path to true happiness?

Failing and quitting are not quite the same thing. Failing is in the act of whereas as quitting is in spite of. Our culture does hold those two things in different regards. One might be celebrated while the other might be admonished. We have all heard ‘Quitters never prosper’ but is that really true? What are they quitting? Is is toxic or soul crushing, it it preventing true happiness?

While the timing was less than ideal, we are planting a tree here. Isaac being in his early twenties is a good enough time to get started. Life is transitioning in the biggest way possible at this time. This is when he is truly moving out and up.

End Your Programming Routine: I want to say that quitters will prosper if they are looking for a better replacement or at least trying something out. There is no way to know if a career path is a good fit without trying it. If you pursue things because of sunk cost fallacy or to please someone else then you risk being miserable in the process.

We always have a choice. It may be that the cost is deep and the effort is high but that is not no choice. There is a smart way to quit, so don’t be stupid. Ask for help and support. Have a rough idea of a transition plan and hope for the best. After all, this is your life at stake.

June 11, 2021 – 1984 2:5

June 11, 2021 /

Interesting how reflecting impacts your views and potentially changes you. I quickly read this chapter while I was waiting for my son’s Boy Scout meeting to end. It’s short, only ten pages long so it took me 15 minutes to read through it.

This chapter begins with the unexplained disappearance of Syme who first emerged as a character in 1:5. It remains pretty high level in the style of most of the first section of the book where it covers the activities and attitudes of ‘Hate Week’. A smaller part of the chapter is Winston and Julia’s interaction at the antique store apartment.

Real Understanding Requires Context or Experience – There is a conversation that happens between Winston and Julia where he is trying to convince her that history is being changed. It is hard to tell whether she just doesn’t understand or is being coy with her true intentions. But if we take it at face value, Julia just doesn’t seem to understand the concept that the facts as presented change constantly. And by proxy she doesn’t recognize this is the root of the mistrust in any source.

Winston chalks it up to Julia being born before the revolution and not knowing anything other than facts not being facts. I can buy that to a point however Julia seems to be pretty switched on to many of the other moving components of the movement. So, this lack of understanding is a little bit puzzling. The concept is still true; I think that we have all had conversations with the ‘book smart’ people that can recite the facts but not have a clue about the the emotional or mental impact of an event.

Not ever going through a hurricane, I remember people telling me stories of what it was like when Hurricane Hugo landed (1989). When I lived in South Carolina (2001-2004) there was still damage that lingered from the event. At that time, I think that it was still the second most costly Hurricane to hit after Andrew (1992). With over 100 related deaths and the monetary damage, I am sure that lives were changed forever, but I could not really understand what it was like to go through the event.

Living begins when there is no future – This is the one that intrigues me. Winston says that he feels like he is already dead meaning he knows that he has crossed the line and it is only a matter of time before it catches up with him. Because it seems that it is a foregone conclusion that he is going to get caught and there is nothing he can do about it, Winston is going to live in the moment.

My wife has accused me of living in the future. I know that there is at least a degree of truth to that. For instance, if I spend my entire life preparing for potential disaster, I ignore or miss the events of the present. It is the same concept of the bucket list or even the terms “smoke ’em if you got ’em” and “live like you are dying”.

We see the benefits of Winston’s change of philosophy. His physical health has improved as his mental outlook has changed. I am of course not there yet, but we hear stories about peoples acceptance of mortality and it changes their experience of the present.

It is a hard habit to change. I have always had the saver, delayed gratification mentality. It is the reason I worked from the day school ended to the day that school started (seven days) during the summer. It is the reason I dream of tolerating my circumstances so that one day I will be free to pursue what I want to do. It is the reason I am interested in preparedness. It is the reason why I think before I speak. Heck, it is the reason that I have faith.

You can call it ‘in your head’ if you like. I think that it is mostly harmless and defines my character, but there are times that my not being in the moment effects other people, particularly in relationships. That we are not really going to get into today, I just wanted to point out that there can be consequences to that mindset.

End Your Programming Routine: 1984 continues to reveal more than just a cautionary tale. I don’t think that I have done this kind of analysis since college. Not just that, this was a book that I wanted to read and analyze on my own accord and not assigned or graded. It is kind of like rediscovering something revolutionary. The final thing that I want to say today is analyze your behavior to make sure that you are putting the proper emphasis on today versus tomorrow and definitely yesterday.

June 10, 2021 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

June 10, 2021 /

I took a stroll through all of my posts on this subject before deciding on what to write about. My intent was to write more on the firearms area when I started doing this. But, since I haven’t been doing much in that area in the last year, I have lost some of the mojo. It is why there have been posts on preparedness and mindset.

Did you know that you can have hypothermia in the middle of the summer? It is not likely, but possible. If your body temperature drops below 95 degF for whatever reason, then you will begin to experience hypothermia. In this scenario, it would be be from extended time in the water where the temperature of the water is below normal body temperature 98.6 degF.

Today, I thought that I would talk about sleeping bags and staying warm. Have you ever been really cold? It makes for a long night for sure. The last time I decided my sleeping bag was inadequate was a snowy night where the temperatures dropped down into the 20s. Fortunately, I had a wool blanket as well that kind of made it bearable, but I was still cold.

Here’s a picture of a few of our bags. Sleeping bags come in a wide variety of choices and prices. A lot of what you pay for is performance and weight. Starting in the upper left corner, that is a cheapo $15 bag that works for a temperate nights (no colder than 45 degF for sure). Below that is an ‘generic’ bag that was purchased at Amazon and rated for 30 degF. I haven’t used it, but my son says that it doesn’t perform to that temperature. Next to that (red) is a bag that was purchased at Costco. One son said that it works fine in the snow, the other says no. To the right are the performance and more costly sleeping bags rated to 20 degF.

In the picture, the prices range from $15-$180. The smallest and lightest is the Kelty (and most expensive) and the heaviest is the most inexpensive bag. As performance gets higher, so does the specificity of application For instance the North Face bag is marked as a Women’s bag making is shorter and smaller inside. I have not used it, but getting in it, I think it would work fine for me. It is also purple, but that doesn’t bother me either.

Why do we have so many sleeping bags? That is because we started with cheap ones and keep adding to our collection as needs dictate. My boys are in Boy Scouts and we are occasionally upgrading as the trip dictates. Having extras is nice when there is an occasional sleepover or even having options. A 20 degF bag can be too much during a casual summer overnighter, especially if you have a penchant for being hot at night.

I am not going to get technical but you can buy natural or synthetic materials as options. The naturals tend to have higher temperature ratings but are heavier and are less water resistant. They also are expensive. Unless you know exactly what you want, in which case you won’t need my advice, you will probably have a synthetic bag.

You generally get what you pay for. Not only are better performing bags more expensive, but they tend to be way more durable. Most of our $20 and under bags have broken zippers and straps. I still keep them around because they make a good insulation layer, or they are good to put down for a dirty dog in the car and things like that. But I have gone through and culled some of the worst of the worst in the last year.

End Your Programming Routine: You can never go wrong with quality. But, you may not want to toddler that wets the bed in your $200 bag. I think that there is a role for having different bags available if you are going to use them. Going to an authority on the subject like REI can give really helpful and insightful advice if you are a novice. If you think that you are going to run off into the woods to live when the SHTF, you better have some protection from the environment to keep you alive.

June 9, 2021 – How are my estimating skills doing?

June 9, 2021 /

Today is the last day that I am going to be able to see inside the office space without going inside. All of the insulating and drywall has been done on the other three walls. It is going to go pretty quickly because it is actually the simplest wall as well. It is exactly 8′ long and only has three protrusions to fit.

I thought that I would take a look at my hours estimate and break down where things are at.

ActEstCompleteDescription
24Xclear out holiday area
22Xremove west floor system, cleanup
42Xremove drywall
44Xinstall interior sheeting
88Xbuild floor
48Xframe east wall
48Xframe west wall
3.58Xframe south wall
48Xframe north wall
8.58electrical
8.58insulation
138interior drywall
8paint
28exterior drywall
28install door
69.5100

If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that things are on track to finish right around the total estimate. What isn’t as accurate is the distribution of tasks within the breakdown. I think that there are some reasons that I will talk about now.

First, I finished framing in about half of the time. I attribute that largely to buying a framing nailer. I can do all of that by hand and I nailed the platform by hand, but there was a significant savings when I started using the new tool.

From what remains, insulation will be done in two hours or so. I still need to terminate all of the electrical. If I were to guess, I would say that is going to be 4-6 hours. The drywall I way underestimated. The out of level floor and walls plus all of the box cuts has taken a lot of fitting to make work. I still have all of the finishing to do as well, which I know is going to take some time. I would guess that I am 8-16 hours remaining.

Hopefully, you can say that I have learned from this to make better estimates in the future. If this were an actual bid, I would have spent more time breaking down the tasks and applying an extra contingency factor to compensate for unknowns. Maybe something like this.

EstCategoryDescription
4Prepclear out holiday area
2remove west floor system, cleanup
2remove south side drywall
4install sheeting
8Framingbuild floor
8frame east wall
8frame west wall
8frame south wall
8frame north wall
6electricalrough electrical
6finish
Prep10
Framing48
electrical15

Hopefully, when you do this enough, you start to develop a proportion of scale. Something like Prep 10%, Framing 25%, Electrical 15%, Finishing 50%. That is when you start to develop a skillset of ‘this feels like a two week job’. From there, you can start to make assumptions based on one element.

Too often people either don’t know what to do or don’t put the effort into breaking down all of the small tasks (like me). I just threw the numbers out based on what seem like an arbitrary guess like I could do this on a Saturday. So, I didn’t spend the time to break down the tasks very well. But I am not getting paid for this, I just wanted a rough breakdown of how long I was going to need to work on the project.

End Your Programming Routine: It feels good to be back in the saddle, almost too good. I would definitely rather be working on this project than what I am supposed to be doing for my job. It seems like that siren song keeps pulling at me. For now, I can afford to dream about what could have been different and live vicariously through my projects. I would definitely recommend tracking your time if you are ever interested in learning how to make accurate estimates.

June 8, 2021 – Am I a Fan Boy, Do I Have a Man Crush or Is it Just Respect?

June 8, 2021 /

I have talked about my dabbling into social media in the past. I check LinkedIn almost every day but I don’t interact much because I don’t get any real value from it. I find Nextdoor to be largely busybodies that want to complain about their neighbors and identify speeders with blurry pictures. I also have a MeWe account that I made in 2019.

One of the podcasts I listen to made the entire switch from Facebook to MeWe last year due to privacy and Cancel Culture risks. I initially thought that I was going to push this blog more into interaction in MeWe in an attempt to build this enterprise. But, I just get turned off every time I log in. I am not interested in memes and snark all day long. If Instagram was not tied to Facebook, maybe that is more along my lines.

I want to see people doing cool and inspirational stuff, that is really it. I find that these platforms attract an echo chamber of whatever flavor of ‘room’ you happen to be in. Today, I made my first ever contribution to a post on MeWe that someone else made because I wanted to. It happens to be a group for a podcast that I joined. I have been listening since probably 2012 and the podcast has ebbed and flowed with the times.

The podcast is Harvest Eating. The owner is Keith Snow and he has had a cookbook (which I own) and a TV show (which I haven’t seen). But in the end, he is just a man that I seem to have a lot in common with. He is a about my age with a family is about the same age. We seem to share values about food. faith and politics. People that have lived in my house know his name because he has inspired me to cook things that I might not otherwise, like sauerbraten.

I can’t remember what ‘holiday’ it was but one time my wife ordered some olive oil from him (for me) and he threw in some seafood seasoning because the shipping was so expensive. While that may not be the best business move, it shows that he cares about his customers. It is that kind of caring that has made it difficult to reconcile careers in the corporate world, which I think we both share. We care about the impact that we have.

I suppose another reason that I like and identify with Keith is that he is spontaneous to where he doesn’t just stay in the food/recipe box. I feel like even though I have a formula here, I do wander around and change things on a whim. The basic thrust for my style was influenced by his podcast because I have just enjoyed it. I liked knowing what his kids were doing or hearing a rant about poor cookware or the infamous ‘Chinese Chair’ as long as the I always got some value out of the overall episode.

I have waivered a bit about how much food content I want to have. There are already so many resources and competition out there that I don’t want to be another me too. Plus, I have too many other interests. But, I do want it to be my mixture topics. So, I am going to try and add back more along the food front. Ultimately, I would like it to be once a week.

Over the years, podcasts have come and gone. From Harvest eating, I have learned about and tried sauerbraten, migas, palak paneer, olive oil, crepes with mascarpone, butter, rye bread, fondue, german potato salad and steel cut oats to name a few things. I have improved techniques like a better Thanksgiving turkey, more perfect grilled steaks and Mise en Place. More than anything else, it has sparked my interest in quality ingredients and the effort that goes into them. It probably prompted my involvement into the culinary book club for a whole new perspective and certainly other podcasts.

End Your Programming Routine: I don’t know if I solved my initial question. I have been accused of invoking Keith’s name too often at times. I guess that what I would say is that this podcast pushes all the right buttons for me, it entertains and educates. I am really glad that he has come back to focus on his own business which means more podcasts. I cant say if this will tip the social media scales for me but if you are interested, join us at https://mewe.com/join/harvesteating

June 7, 2021 – Un-masked

June 7, 2021 /

This last weekend we were our and about. We started out Saturday morning at the local Saturday Market. Then we went to Costco, the local grocery store and then to the local brewery for dinner. I didn’t put my mask on for any of it. This state is still trying to waffle through it’s desire to control the population and the reality that it is eventually going to loose.

As policy is evolving, the current trend is vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks. Additionally, the CDC recommendation is that you no longer need to wear a mask …outside… alone …or not, but still remain socially distanced. I want to take a side detour on opinion first.

As we were leaving our home, my wife and I had a discussion about this. My position was that for private property reasons, I would comply with mask mandates like Costco has had in place for the entire year. But, if it wasn’t required for entry I wasn’t going to do it. Part of the reason was I wanted to see if anyone was going to say something. But, the other bigger reason was that I wanted to set an example that we do not need to be scared or shamed into the false premise. Based on the numbers I have seen, it sounds like more people are vaccinated than not. My experience last Saturday, it was more like 10-20% of the people were going mask-less.

Our first stop was Saturday Market. They had controlled entry and exit points and a directional traffic flow. The sign at the entrance said “Masks are strongly suggested”. Here we go. We walked in and I flipped down my sunglasses so I could read peoples faces before anything went sideways. Some vendors and some patrons were enjoying freedom but I got no hassle at all. My guess is more people were wishing that they had the gumption to take the mask off. Although, this is the Saturday Market and therefore this is probably an higher compliance demographic.

Next, we went to Costco. I walked into the return counter while my wife went to the bathroom. I saw probably one out of twenty people leaving the store without a mask. When I went into the store, the people that check your card asked me “Are you vaccinated? Do you have your card on you?” I said yep as I pushed the cart past them. A quick aside: No I am not vaccinated so of course I do not have a card. I have had the best vaccination which is the actual virus. The gray part of this is that they don’t really care about safety, it is about limiting liability. I knew that they were not going to force a showdown over proving that I had a vaccine card. It seemed like the longer I was in the store, the more people were not wearing a mask. My theory was that once people saw that enforcement was letting up, they started taking their own masks off.

After we put all of the groceries away, I went to the local grocery store. The sign on the door said that masks were required. I walked right in and right past the store manager. He didn’t say a word. I picked up the few items and checked out. I saw one other person not wearing a mask in the store.

Finally, we went to the local brewery for dinner and a couple of beers. It has been common behavior to have your mask on until seated for the last year. This time, I walked in to the counter to order without a mask. The Brewmaster wasn’t wearing one either, so I knew that we were going to be fine here. Only a handful of people were wearing masks following the wear it until seated protocol.

There are numerous ‘conspiracy theories’ about all of this behavior. But, we are bombarded with propaganda constantly. As I am writing this sentence, the radio is playing a song glorifying the virtues of vaccination. The best one that I have heard as of late is that the real power elites do not benefit from centralized power i.e. one nation leading the world. Therefore, by disrupting the economy and group dynamic this country has become unstable and consolidating power at the top, regardless of geopolitical boundaries.

You can choose to believe that or not but look at the mask mandates are a perfect example. 1) No, not going to work 2) You must wear them 3) If you are vaccinated, you no longer need to wear masks. I saw a couple days ago that e-mails from Fauci are being ‘leaked’ that he never believed in masks (of course he did say it himself last March so I don’t know why anyone would be surprised sources altf4.co, 11/17/2020). Get ready for his fall, he has performed his useful idiocy role in the consolidation of power.

It wouldn’t surprise me is mask wearing becomes the next racism analog. It is easy visible and will be a sign of your affiliation to the issue. I have heard and I believe it that some people will never go back to mask less. They are just too scared to do so. I think that is perfectly fine, I guess we will have to see how the political winds blow for the two groups.

End Your Programming Routine: I could probably write about this for another couple of hours. However, I am not going to change the world. What I can do is help end the fear and give people the courage to start acting human. If more people start asserting themselves, this thing will finally be over.

June 4, 2021 – 1984 2:4

June 4, 2021 /

Sorry all you 1984 fans, I kind of punked out last week as I had this stubbed out already. I just kind of gave up in the middle of the week. I thought about doing this Monday, but I thought I would get too out of cycle. So here we are.

In this chapter, we have Julia and Winston taking up a more permanent residence at the antique store where Winston bought his diary and paperweight. My grandfather would have said ‘playing house’ or ‘shacking up’ because it is not really fully committed (of course circumstance has a lot to do with it). The old term ‘flop house’ might be a better description.

Up until now, I would have said that everything in the book has been plausible, how the characters would act given the situation. This seems clearly to be a mistake. No longer is there an only meet at one location twice strategy, this is the place that they will make their stand. It is interesting how the mind works because when I wrote my notes on this, I had written successful risk taking leads to more risk taking as one of today’s concepts from the chapter.

Last night as I was thinking about what I was going to write I had forgotten I had written the above and I thought my concept was going to be delusion becomes reality. In many ways, the two statements are saying the same thing with two different twists. The words in the book didn’t change but my analysis and view did. I suspect that it is influenced by environmental factors.

As we wander way off the path today, I will say that the project I am working on for my job is making many of the same mistakes I have seen other failed projects make. I am not at the right level to influence, nor do I have the social capital to get close. When I do talk at the level that I am at, I am told that it not my concern. As an aside, I am OK with it as I understand my position but I am simultaneously frustrated because I know where this is leading.

Consequently, my outlook on the chapter has changed since I first wrote the notes. No longer am I cautiously optimistic that Winston and Julia are living happily ever after, they have made a Type 1 Error. Because I have read the book before, euphemistically I was in no mood to beat around the bush with what was happening in the story.

End Your Programming Routine: For a little while, there was a podcast for the Gambler 500 which was supposed to explain how to get involved in the event. What it turned out to be was more of the philosophy of the people that started the event and by proxy understanding them would lead the listener on how to participate. They ended every show with ‘ABG’ (Always be Gambling) which is supposed to mean always live by your values.

This is a light chapter in terms of story and concepts. I don’t think that it takes a lot of analysis or relational stories to get across that Winston and Julia are now in dangerous territory because of complacency. Instead, I would say understand that there is always bias in interpretation of the data, know and understand yours.

June 3, 2021 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

June 3, 2021 /

We are starting to get into a tough season. This weekend is the only free weekend we have this month. July has at least half of the weekends claimed already and at least one in August. I love the summer but it is hard to do the things that I want to do.

Since I haven’t been to the range since February, I am very delayed in my planned goals for the year. In my head, I am OK with it because I have shot trap a couple of times and there is no ammunition to refill once it is gone. But I thought that I would share my plan on how to make the most of my time.

I am going to do my best to get there this month. But just in case, I will call it my next range trip plan. I have two 20 gauges. Last year I purchased a shorter barrel and a red dot sight for one. Neither have I ever had on the rifle range to see how slugs would perform, let alone sighted in. I would like to see the difference that a longer barrel vs. a shorter barrel would make. I would like to switch brands of ammunition to verify effect.

Said another way, I plan to sight in the red dot with slugs at 50 yds. Then I plan to check the difference of ammunition. After that, I plan on checking the pattern of buckshot at that difference. Along the way, I am going to switch barrels and firearms to see if I can tell the difference of different variables on the same ammunition. Below is the breakdown of my plan.

870 20 – sight in red dot on 18″ barrel (15)
870 20 – slug test field barrel (5)
870 20 – brand change (5)
R22/20 – test fire on range (5)
870 20 – pattern buck on range
870 20 – field barrel buck pattern
R22/20 – test fire buck

If you look carefully at the picture, you can see that the Remington slugs are 5/8oz and the Winchester slugs are 3/4oz. Reportedly, both are at a muzzle velocity of 1600 fps. It is highly likely that they will not zero at the same point with the red dot. And certainly, the heavier slug will have more drop at distance. This is why it is important to take your check your hunting ammunition at the range.

This is a fairly simple plan. It will likely take a couple of hours to perform. And even at 40 shots at most, it is still $125 worth of ammunition. My dad wants to go as well, so it will probably go a little longer, I would say it will be a good half day,

If the cost (and availability) of ammunition wasn’t so much of a problem, I would also have liked to try more ammunition variations like 2 3/4″ vs 3″ shells of the same brand, standard vs reduced recoil of the same length shell and some different chokes. I would also like to move out to 100 yards and maybe even 200 yards. I would also like to do some similar variations with buckshot as well. I am just not going to be able to get this done at least at this time.

Change Your Programming Routine: When time and resources are limited, planning makes the most of both. Being deliberate with your actions is the most efficient training that you can perform. I don’t know anyone personally, but I have heard through podcasts and radio people that shoot 1000 rounds a session. I have never had the inclination to shoot that much from a cost and time standpoint. I just want to make everything count.