Month: August 2025

August 22, 2025 – Boundaries, Chapters 15-16

August 22, 2025 /

I am on the ragged edge, I finished reading this week’s reading with one day to spare last week. I technically had time to complete this entry but I was too busy to be able to write. It is funny that three weeks ago my mind was occupied with organizing my sporting goods and backpacking area and planning my hunting season to the only thing I can think about is this bathroom refresh. It has caused me to be thinking, scheming and working all of my waking hours. Because my mind was consumed, I had to do a heavy refresh on the content.

In theory, we have made it through identifying what boundary issues look like and what those issues are. This week we have moved on to doing something about it. Of course, before you can do something about it then you have to understand why you would not. Chapter fifteen is all about why you would not or struggle to set boundaries.

I haven’t been in this exact situation so I am using speculative language. But imagine that your partner is an abusive alcoholic. What might be preventing you from putting up boundaries is fear of repercussions. What if they hurt me? What if they hurt themselves? It is a pretty compelling excuse not to push boundaries.

The book breaks these resistance reasons into categories of external and internal. External resistances are things that others do as a result of us wanting to set boundaries. Those would be things such as anger, guilt, consequences and physical resistance. Internal resistance would be things like human need, guilt and fear of the unknown.

I know that I have been guilty of both internal and external resistance. The first and most significant hurdle for me is always internal. I do a lot of thinking before acting and that has a habit of building up in my head. I also tend to be way more passive then most others and I rationalize that I will ‘put up’ for a certain amount of time. What I don’t really realize is that action of ‘put up’ also tends to build up. It also feels like after I have put up for a certain amount of time that it then seems insignificant or too late to bring up boundaries. What a mess.

It is all well and good to have a bunch of new information and potential skills, but how do we know that we are making progress in our new boundary filled lives? This is what chapter sixteen is all about. I would simplify the chapter by saying that there is a progression of life becoming happier and more fulfilled. To be a slight more succinct, you find yourself gravitating away from the boundary violators and more toward like minded people. While boundaries are becoming solidified you start moving towards more personal freedom and satisfaction.

I often wonder why I have a tendency to live and let live. In contrast, there are others in my life that insists on intervention and confrontation. Both have their virtues for sure, but I am probably way too laissez-faire. On the other hand, I find this other person way to contentious. But, when the two are effectively combined, probably the right outcome. The way that I rectify my attitude is that my boundaries with others are well established. And what I mean by that is that I am content with where I am at.

This is not to say that I have a good grasp on all boundaries. Because I am hands off and this other person is confrontational, it often leads to conflict. While I have previously seen it as borderline bullying, I have come to understand that I have not setup good boundaries with this person. The confrontation doesn’t come from a bad place but a place that is comfortable and normal. Effectively communicating better ways to address issues is really on me. As you can see, I put up with it until the situation is over and then we move on again, not solving anything.

There is an old folk saying that I will paraphrase. Never measure with a micrometer that is marked with chalk to be cut by an ax. Setting boundaries is one thing but seeing them in motion and feeling better takes time. Many times we are often so busy fighting the battle that we don’t even realize that we have made progress. We have to use the right tools and perspective for the situation. That also requires some grace.

End Your Programming Routine: Now that we are 2/3 of the way through Developing Healthy Boundaries (section 3), I feel like this section is a bit of a misnomer. Chapter fifteen was all the reasons that we struggle with boundaries and I feel like a lot of this was covered earlier. Chapter sixteen was a mythical outcome of successful boundaries. I am no expert but I suspect that the path can take many forms and still be successful. Next week we will finish Boundaries and the following week we will be starting Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.

August 21, 2025 – Would You Do This?

August 21, 2025 /

Another reason that I got behind last week was something completely spontaneous. My wife learned from friends that there was couple walking across America and looking for an over night host in out town. I really didn’t give it two thoughts and considering we were later down the line then others, but it turns out that we were selected to host them overnight. Their names are Torin and Paige Rouse.

I didn’t know anything about them really until I started to look for some video to add to this post. Then, I found their website which had a lot more about motives and past. I am not sure that what they wrote really translates well so I will probably add a little based on the conversation that we had. Don’t be surprised if we end up on their social media as well (In fact, we already did).

Talk about a boon for the aspiring PCT hiker that I am. I got a chance to ask them gear questions from people that have literally spent two years walking in the last five. I asked about travel distance and pack weight as well; it was very informational to me. Plus, Torin has already completed some long (200 miles) hikes on the Colorado Trail. So, it is not just America’s sidewalks that they can discuss even though they are very closely related.

They arrived at our home approximately 5 PM on Sunday. They had come from the neighboring town about 11 miles away. When discussed, they said that was a pretty typical distance for them. They claim that walking longer than ten miles a day not only increased fatigue but also the risk of repetitive motion injury which they have suffered through the journey. Given that they are half my age, it doesn’t bode too well for my goal of being able to do 20 miles a day.

We talked about footwear and they didn’t seem to be too keen on anything in particular. That is the bravado of youth I guess. But they also said that they have not found any shoe that they liked or would recommend. That makes me feel a little better about my struggles to find the right shoe.

I also found it both refreshing and disturbing that they have not gotten completely comfortable with the forty plus pound packs. To me, that means I have done nothing wrong, but I also know that this will be a grin and bear it expedition. They also informed me that anything inflatable like my Nemo sleeping pad is bound to develop holes and recommended foam pads instead. It was their claim that thorns find their way everywhere. I am not doubting that but maybe because I am not going out for weeks at a time, I might not have the same experience.

I have developed a fondness for the water bladder. It allows me to drink without having to take my pack off. They had never used one but they said they had one that already had a hole in it. I am still going to use one, as you might remember I was planning on carrying a second one so that those one mile walks off the trail to a water source would only happen once.

It seems to me that their reasoning for the walk is more etherical and personal than the story that they tell online. The official line is to spread kindness throughout the United States. But, it was my personal conversation that opened more insight. It was Torin’s initial hike on the Colorado trail that cleared his mind from the world and he sought that as inspiration for life. It doesn’t hurt that their ethics orient toward a less material living.

There were other hints at motives for the trip. They told me that they lived in a van for a couple of years. Because they were living in a van, they felt it was the next logical step to get rid of that as well. Part of me envies the freedom and I wish that this hadn’t been so spur of the moment because I would have loved to interview them on my podcast. Unfortunately I really didn’t think about it until I was writing this.

End Your Programming Routines: This is not something that I would have ever done. In fact, I didn’t have much to do with it other than saying OK but I am glad that I did. I also am glad that I didn’t know anything about them until they left because I feel like my experience would have been more guarded and biased. While I appreciate their neutral vibe at an intellectual level, I think in their position it is the best and safest policy relying totally on strangers.

August 20, 2025 – Introducing My Mistress

August 20, 2025 /

I know, I just kind of dropped off of the face of the earth. Most outages are planned and I try to make some kind of announcement. But, I just got overwhelmed and hyper-focused with what I had to do. My wife has set my deadline at August 31 which I should comfortably make. But, you would be surprised at how many steps go into this seemingly simple process.

I should also mention that in the middle of last weekend, I also had to redo the front brakes of my Lincoln Navigator. I needed the Navigator to go get sheetrock so that I could continue making progress on this project. I was forbidden to drive it unless I fixed the brakes. Add that to the list of reasons why I was not able to write.

I know that I have already written about this once and will possibly show the finished product in a week or so. When I casually said, I can do that, I had no idea what that really meant. It has also been really helpful that the finished vanity is right behind me so I can take measurements. For instance, because I did a mock-up, I realized that the backsplash was going to hit the switch plate cover. Rather than trying to modify the cover, I decided to move the electrical box up so that it would clear the backsplash.

I was already doing electrical work to add the new light fixture. While I would have preferred to eliminate the round junction boxes for the old lights, the wiring was just too complicated to fix without ripping out the ceiling and re-wiring the bathroom fan as well.

Speaking of old electrical work, those junction boxes turned out to be antiquated. They are 3 1/2″ round which is a size that is not made anymore, at least I didn’t run across it. By proxy, I was not able to find paintable covers, except for one. I tried all of the local hardware stores and both box stores. Ordering was the only way to get something that would work.

I had a dream of insetting the medicine cabinets into the wall. That is just a better look to me, but it meant that I needed to take a critical look at the framing given that was a structural wall. I took a good chunk of drywall out to do the wiring and see what I could see with the framing. No dice there, the vent stack ran right where I wanted to inset the medicine cabinet and I was not about to re-plumb all of the drain pipes to make it work. I would have been possible but not without a lot more time, money and effort.

When I committed to the project, I didn’t give any thought to the plumbing. Well, only a little. I figured plumbing was there so it should work. I thought that I would tee off of the existing shut-off valves to each fixture. That was before I learned that each fixture should have a shut-off. Since I had to modify the rough plumbing, I might as well make it so that I had to modify the cabinet as little as possible.

I also learned the copper flux can go bad. After hours wondering why I couldn’t get the solder to work, I finally decided to change the only variable that I hadn’t changed which was the flux. Pretty soon I had one joint completed in five minutes instead of 15 minutes on the torch and $20 of solder on the bench top. That stuff has gotten crazy expensive at $41 for a half pound roll.

All that was child’s play when it came up against the drain plumbing. I thought that I was going to add a p-trap to each sink and then out the drain until I was wondering if the pipes needed some pitch. It turns out that I needed a whole new setup. I was scratching my head with a whole bucket full of pieces wondering if I got the right stuff. I am still not sure until I get to the point of doing the work.

I haven’t done a serious project like this since I remodeled the little house in 2020. I was telling my wife, image if someone didn’t know what they were doing and had to call a plumber, electrician, drywaller and painter. This would would be a serious financial investment. The vanity wasn’t cheap to begin with but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was $20,000 job.

End Your Programming Routine: On the surface, it seems simple, replace one vanity with another. But, boy oh boy going from one sink to two is an exponential dynamic. It’s good though, it flexes some muscles that have atrophied. I know that it is going to be something that I can be proud of because I was careful and did everything right.

August 14, 2025 – Ken Burns: The Vietnam War

August 14, 2025 /

I did it. I Figured out how to watch this without paying $20 per episode ($200 total) to own. I was able use my library’s free streaming service. Granted, it is slightly limiting. You are given 10 credits each month and each movie or episode is 1 – 4 credits. This took me spanning over two months to have enough credits to watch the whole mini-series. But that is OK because I started late in July and so August came quicker than I realized.

I have been a Ken Burns fan for a long time. When I was in middle school, I recorded each episode of his Civil War series. That was so long ago, I don’t really remember that much about it other than I felt pretty satisfied on the subject when it was over. But, it was already a subject I had studied pretty extensively, so most of it was not too revolutionary.

Ken Burns: The Vietnam War was a powerhouse documentary. When I was growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, that war was in the American psyche. Heck, when I was born the US had not even completely and formally evacuated Vietnam. When I was a youngster, most Vietnam Veterans were less than ten years from their service. We are now twice as far away from 9/11 then we were from Vietnam when I was a kid. You betcha it was a sore subject in this country.

I used to believe that the US could have won the war, we just did not fight it in a way that would have. I no longer believe that. It was based on nothing but a sheer belief that Team America had to be the best. Now that I am older and wiser, I can see my naivete was just sheer ignorance. At almost 17 hours, this review probably deserves more than one blog post. I am going to try and get it in one long one.

I have questioned a lot of things about my country in recent years. I am as anti-communist as they come. I believe in personal accountability and yielding the merits of my own work both good and bad. The reason I am against permanent, social safety nets is that I believe that they de-incentivize personal accountability. That being said, I can understand the American desire to contain Communism in the 1940s.

President Truman sent military advisors to Vietnam in 1948. They were to bolster the colonial ruling French and beef up the South Vietnamese efforts aiding the French who were fighting Chinese backed, North Vietnamese Communists. The North Vietnamese wanted two things: to get rid of French rule and to unite the country. A ceasefire in 1953 drew the Vietnamese De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) directly resulting in France’s withdrawal from Vietnam.

In a subversive way, France drew the United States significantly deeper into the conflict by playing on the US weakness for stemming expanding communism. But, they were smarter than us and when France abandoned Vietnam, the left the United States with the bag of supporting South Vietnam as it was now called. Puppet elections and widespread corruption left a completely dependent country on foreign support both militarily and financially.

Clearly, hindsight is 20/20 and the Domino Theory of Communism advancing did not happen. The question that I keep asking myself is ‘why is it that America thinks it is our business to get involved in other nation’s affairs’? Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and finally Nixon all knew that we were not going to win this war and yet the first three kept escalating the war. I strongly believe that Nixon would not have ended it if it were not for his utter fear of total revolution. He had no choice. But it still took seven years for that to happen.

For those of us who did not live it, we may think that of all of these events in sort of one big, grab bag called Vietnam. As an example, there was always protests and civil unrest. It was the Tet Offensive of 1968 that really changed the country’s mind. Due to the US getting completely surprised and most of the South Vietnamese soldiers on Lunar New Year break the illusion was shattered. How could the US be winning the war and yet they needed to double the troop size from a quarter to half a million men? Clearly we were being lied to about what was happening and the country got mad.

Out of that grab bag also came Watergate. While my impression was always Nixon was a slimy POS, This film gave me a whole new perspective. When it was apparent that Nixon was going to win the 1968 election, Nixon started negotiating with North Vietnam and the Viet Cong going outside of the official government channels basically signaling that there was going to be a change in US policy focusing on peace with dignity. We know this because Johnson had bugged Nixon’s phone lines. Knowing that was illegal, Johnson never divulged this information nor that it was happening at all.

I tell that anecdote because it was my impression that it was only Nixon who was a crook. But, what it really told me was that corruption was already in place for both sides. Just like they were fighting a war that was already known to be unwinnable, they were playing the public as fools with almost everything they were doing.

What all of this has ultimately crystallized to me from all of this was that this is the true legacy of the GI generation. From a remarkable victory in World War II to a stalemate in Korea to an utter defeat in Vietnam. Granted, I know that this is way more complicated and mixed, but it was the GIs that fought in World War II, advised in Korea and lead in Vietnam.

The best I could say about all of this is ‘travesty’. Americans lost around 58,000 soldiers the North Vietnamese lost 2.5 million people. That is just killed, then there is wounded and invalid and there is nothing to say of the psychological effects. It is true the country was united in government and boundaries but they were as divided as ever. Vietnam struggled to thrive economically under communist policies.

End Your Programing Routine: For what? What was this all for? This war was an homage to arrogance and resulted in futility. I have been to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and stood back and watched in solemnness as the tears flowed while names are traced of friends and loved ones that were killed. It was powerful and humbling to realize that now over almost thirty plus years some people were still struggling to move on. What can you say, possibly it is worth $200 to watch.

August 13, 2025 – I Know That You Love These…

August 13, 2025 /

Look and what do you see? Yes, the ammo can, but what is on it? It is a sticky note of course. I put that note on the can in 1996. And while it is not like I open it every day or even every couple of months, it is still firmly attached almost like the day I did it. I can’t say if a new note would stick as well, but I guess what impresses me is that I do periodically get into the can. I would never have guessed that an impromptu label stuck on an ammo can would still be holding on strong.

The can started off in my life in 1990. Obviously it is surplus. I am thinking that I paid $5 for it at a local farm store. But, it got used as a dry box for rafting. I had multiple trips like a five day Willamette River float and a five day John Day float where it held my wallet, camera, book and playing cards and anything else I didn’t want wet.

As my Boy Scouting days wound down, it found a new use as a place to put my limited shooting and hunting stuff. There were things like lens cleaning cloths, I had an old 22lr scope in there that kept falling off my rifle and a special dowel that was the diameter of a 9mm. I had purchased a 40 S&W and some reloaded ammo that the bullet got stuck on my second shot. Talk about disappointed, I had to hammer that bullet out and it should have been a warning of things to come with that pistol.

1996 was my senior year in college. I had no money and so I stuck that sticky note on the can as a label. It is not like I really needed a label, I only had one ammo can and that was it. But, when I purchased some more ammo cans, the label inspired me. I put other sticky notes on my new cans to denote their contents. They did not last as long, not because they fell off but that I used my thermal label maker to replace the sticky notes when I re-organized the contents.

Originally, I was thinking that I would put an inventory on each note so that I knew what I had in each can. But then, common sense got the better of me and I figured that if I just filled them up, that would be good enough. It was going to be too much hassle trying to keep track each time I took something out and put something in. Then, I reorganized again and changed the purpose of the cans. Good idea that I didn’t invest too much in the sticky notes.

A word on ammo cans if you please. Ammo cans are fantastic pieces of equipment. They are waterproof and nearly indestructible. Accessories are made to organize them for small part storage. The are stackable, in fact they are meant to be stacked and stable. My only knock on ammo cans is that they are heavy, hence nearly indestructible.

The can I am showing in the picture is 30 caliber can making it significantly smaller than the more typical 50 caliber can. If I had no cans and wanted to get in the ammo can storage game, I would opt for the 50 caliber rather than the 30 caliber can. It is much more flexible in what it can hold. This is why I only have one 30 caliber can and why it keeps getting refined in what I put in it. The third most common size is 20mm and these things are big.

The aftermarket has figured out that ammo cans are useful as well. Now there is all manner of plastic cans made, particularly by a company called MTM. I use some of their products for different applications, mostly in reloading. But, there is also new, replica ammo cans made theoretically to military specification. I don’t have any but funny enough, they are always cheaper than a surplus can.

I am not the only one that thinks ammo cans are really cool. Check out this GMRS radio that is completely housed in an ammo can. This is the frequency that you pay $25 for a license. This guy makes what appears to be the ultimate tactical speaker out of ammo cans. You can even find instructions on how to make your own blue tooth ammo can speakers.

End Your Programming Routine: I know that this post was all about the label and how impressed I was with the longevity of it. I couldn’t help but throw in on some of the interesting applications of ammo cans. It goes to show that when there is a surplus of something, some people will figure out how to do something useful and possibly enterprising with them. The point is, a sticky note makes a low cost and durable label if you need one in a pinch. I am showing the time tested results.

August 12, 2025 – I Must Be Crazy…

August 12, 2025 /

Well not really, it was kind of a deal with the devil so to speak. I had it all planned out, I was going to buy my wife a really nice gift for her 50th but then she asked me if we could redo the bathroom. This isn’t a surprise, she also asked for it for Christmas. I of course said yes because that is what she wanted.

I call is a deal with the devil because this is supposed to be when my summer started. I was supposed to be enjoying the last days by hiking and planting and all the other stuff. Now, I have this large project that I am embroiled in. The truth is that I am being a little over dramatic. I haven’t done a significant project in quite a while and I don’t think it will take too long.

Here is the plan. I am going to change two light fixtures. The vanity is getting changed from 36 inches to 60 inches and from a single sink to a double sink. The medicine cabinet is getting switched from a single unit to two units. Because of that, I have to reroute the electrical to a new electrical box in the center of the everything.

You can see the mock-up from the picture. The tape represents the two mirrors and the vanity footprint. I already have it in my head that I am going to have to tear into the wall, but the trick with the mirrors is that they need to be centered on the sink location. That needs to fit into the existing space appropriately.

I would dearly like to put the medicine cabinet into the wall cavity, but that wall is a structural wall. It is one side of the house as the bathroom is a shed addition as well as holding up the stair case. I don’t really know how much chaos that would cause to do until I open the wall. That will be a to be determined.

Just like pulling a sweater thread, I cannot cut into the wall until I remove the existing vanity. The new vanity was delivered with a broken top so we are waiting for a replacement. It is my preference to leave the existing vanity in place until I can essentially swap the old and the new and minimize the out of service time. But, I may go ahead regardless in the name of progress.

The only part of the process that concerns me is the plumbing. Technically speaking, each sink needs a supply shut-off. I watched some videos online that this can be done outside of the wall by removing the valve, but if I am going open things up anyway, I might as well put them where they should be.

Then there is the waste plumbing. It is not that I cannot stick things together but that I am hoping I can. Plumbing can be a fickle mistress when it comes to head pressure. There must be enough free flowing air so that a vacuum is not created and effecting the drain action. I am going to try once but I may ultimately call a plumber if it doesn’t work right the first time.

I will be honest, It is not the remodel that I really want to do. I would like to get rid of the tub and move to a dedicated shower. I would love to add a claw foot tub and redo all the tile. The problem is that we got a quote for a shower in a day outfit and it was $40,000. It was a name brand outfit and I am sure it was quality materials but not in the budget.

End Your Programming Routine: Clearly, this is not the worlds biggest project and I have concerns like I think the vanity is too close to the shower. But you know the saying happy wife, happy life. The medicine cabinet is gross and the shelves are sagging and the vanity saw it’s best days in the 1970s. Only having one sink has been a constant limitation for us when I need to shave and she needs to put in contacts. So, I do think it will be a worthwhile refresh.

August 11, 2025 – Is Value Possible?

August 11, 2025 /

The word value in business is thrown around like a dirty pair of socks. It is a huge buzz word in the context of value sells, especially in an uncertain economy. But, does value mean the same to everyone? In fact, I think a lot of the customer fatigue and lack of satisfaction after delivery comes from a mismatch in the understanding of value. I am going to explore the definitions and struggles with the concept of value.

August 8, 2025 – Boundaries, Chapters 13-14

August 8, 2025 /

It is hard to believe but I went from being weeks ahead to almost not making it this week. I really had to buckle down and get these chapters in the book read. Fortunately, my wife had a long doctor’s appointment allowing me to get half of my reading in the other day. That motivated me to finish the second chapter in time.

Even though the whole notion of boundaries is of personal nature, this week is even more so. Chapter thirteen is all about boundaries with yourself and chapter fourteen is about boundaries and God. I know that there is different theology at play here but I believe that essentially there is a lot in common between internal boundary problems and Christian relationship boundaries as they are largely one sided and often occur in private.

We will go chronologically in our review today. The idea that internal boundaries exist is kind of novel and I can certainly identify with that. My wife says that I always live inside of my head. Despite me writing every day and espousing opinions, I would wager that people really know nothing about me.

I am reserved and have a go along to get along personality. What that really means is that I play poker face pretty well. I generally tolerate nearly anything for a short duration with an eye toward the future. That means I may be really not meshing in social settings but I will change that in the next opportunity I get. Meaning I might say that I wish to never be in that position again. That doesn’t mean that I don’t make an effort to be cordial and social for the time being.

Cloud and Townsend claim that there are seven areas where people struggle with internal boundaries. Those would be food, money, time, task completion, words, sexuality and substance abuse. What is revolutionary to me is that they claim we need accountability to change and cannot be done alone. This is a nicer way of saying that there is no such thing as willpower. I have always been in the camp that you can do anything you set your mind to, but I can see this perspective as well.

It might seem obvious, but it is their claim that often these internal boundary conflicts are in response to external boundary issues. It is a form of self sabotage. I eat and gain weight to not be attractive because finding the right partner is difficult. That is just one example.

I believe that this is why I struggle with empathy. I have always believed that internal boundaries are largely within our control. With that, if you are not willing to put in the work, why should I? What was revolutionary to me was that this is a process of try and fail and the accountability partner not only has to understand that but also coach and encourage through that. That can be a very anguishing process for all parties and something that I am not particularly good at.

The steps that Cloud and Townsend say are necessary to change internal boundaries are as follows: identify the symptoms, find the root, identify the conflict, take ownership, ask for what do you need and begin. I won’t spend any more time with that as this is already running long but read the chapter for more details.

This was a great chapter for me. It ended with an opinion on victimization. They define real victims are in circumstance where they have no control. To me, that becomes a very small group of people. Overeating is not being a victim, a child being sexually abused is almost certainly a victim. In today’s diminishing woke world, there were a lot of people stealing TVs in a riot rather than having a boot on their neck. I am just saying that the claim of victimization needs to meet a defined set of circumstances.

Moving on to the next chapter I also got a new perspective. I never considered the idea that we have boundaries and god has boundaries. The chapter uses biblical examples of where boundaries were exploited. The whole idea of asking during prayer is a boundary issue. Is it justified? Have we ‘earned’ it? Is there a greater plan that we cannot see at work?

Just because we are not granted our prayer now does not mean that it is not going to happen. I thought that it was an interesting perspective to present that possibly the asker has not tried hard enough. Imagine what life would be like if every prayer was answered when asked? It is definitely the idea that there is no success without failure. Why is that? Because we need to learn the boundaries of what works and what does not and the variables that play into those situations.

Those of us with children will recognize the crocodile tears scenario. Let them stew for an hour and they will move on. If they don’t give up, then eventually we will come to recognize that this really is something that they want. And at that point we can make a plan to enable what they want like earning money to purchase. Giving up is a certainty that it will not happen. The same is apparently true with prayer. I never thought of it in such a way.

End Your Programming Routines: This week really resonated with me. I know that I have some personal boundary issues. They stem from my inability to confront something, I am not sure what that is yet. It is also really difficult to take a personal problem and ask for accountability from someone that may not even know that the problem is occurring. As I struggle with empathy, it seems like a bridge too far to ask for help. We will see how it goes.

August 7, 2025 – Binocular a.k.a. ‘Bino’ Harness

August 7, 2025 /

I am trying something new this year for hunting. It is called a binocular harness and it straps over your shoulders so that the binoculars are securely stored on you chest. It is the number one piece of gear that is recommended by the Meateater staff. They say that it has revolutionized their hunting. Since they seem to be much more successful than me, I think that it is worth a try.

Meateater is not the only one that has noticed a problem. I have typically left these binoculars in the car because I cannot wear them around my neck and be agile in the woods. I have tried carrying them in my backpack but then I never have them when I want them. That leaves me doing the bulk of my work with mini-binoculars (8×30) which is less than ideal. But even those swing around wildly unless I have a breast pocket to put them in.

Some makers of these packs are also modular. I purchased the Badlands brand and it is. I recently added the rangefinder pocket. It attaches with the MOLLE (MOdular Light weight Load carrying Equipment) system. My rangefinder ran the similar fate as my binoculars, never there when I wanted it and too inconvenient to want it. I rationalized it by using it only when I was sitting to get distance bearings on certain landmarks.

I do plan on adding more accessories. There is a bear spray holster, a multipurpose pouch, a bottom pouch and even holster attachments available through Gunfighters Inc. This way the gear can be setup for recreational hiking, bicycling, hunting or whatever since the chest is typically free space. I do plan on packing it for some practice hiking before the season starts. I think a full, after action report is appropriate in October.

There are lots of cheaper options out there than the Badlands brand. Believe it or not there are more expensive options too. All of them have the same basic premise, mount the binoculars on the chest so it doesn’t swing around. Most of them also have a rangefinder pouch as well. That makes price ranges from $50-250. Of course, I wasn’t able to handle and try on all of the options but it was the Badlands that seemed to be available at every retailer.

The features that I liked were magnetic lids. This makes for a quick and quiet removal of the optic. Each unit comes with quick connect rings and tethers so the expensive things are safe from dropping as well as can be kept out for ready use. But, the quick connect doesn’t keep the optic chained to the harness semi-permanently. It can be removed very easily and quickly for other uses.

They come in different sizes and mine is a pretty stuffed 10×42, size medium. I think that you want them snug because you certainly don’t want stuff bouncing inside the pouch. That being said, it doesn’t leave a lot of room for things like your phone or GPS. This is why the accessory pouches are necessary.

I think another advantage of the Badlands brand is that modularity and their other products. I know for sure that the MOLLE accessories can be attached to their branded packs. I assume that some accessories can go the other way. But realistically, any MOLLE attachment should work as long as it fits the space.

I want to be careful and not fall into toolbox fallacy. You don’t need this to be successful. In fact, most of western Oregon hunting is temperate rain forest and optics are not that useful. The very best tactic is to be out there looking with or without binoculars. But, this year I am hunting the significantly more open central Oregon and I am hoping that having my better optics with me is a tactical advantage.

End Your Programming Routine: I still have to try out the harness but I think the best use case for this is when you want to be beating the bush with quick access to binoculars. That means that if I was just a hiker, I think just sticking with the 8×30 binoculars and save the bulk. But, I could see serious birdwatchers or nature lovers finding them convenient. They are really purpose built for hunters.

August 6, 2025 – What Everyone Tells You To Do But Never Does

August 6, 2025 /

Imagine that you want to buy a new car. It is easy and smart to go to various websites and look at specs of your short list of cars. After you narrow down the options, there is likely a list of two to four cars that meet the specs but you still want more. So, you go to the dealer and they say ‘these are the cars that you can look at’. The key word is look. I one time looked at a Porsche 911 but the salesman said that I could not drive it unless I made an offer to purchase. How would I know I want to make an offer if I cannot drive it and see it is for me?

As a high school trap coach, I see plenty of new shooters. They may not be new to shooting but most are definitely new to the game of trap. Most of them fit into two categories. There are those that fall into the camp that they purchased a shotgun to participate which is almost always inadequate and those that upgrade their shotgun within a year. The latter group is often the ones shooting dad’s or older brother’s shotgun.

What I can say from experience is that fit is king. I don’t care if you are shooting 20 gauge as opposed to 12 gauge, if the gun does not fit you are going to struggle. A few years ago a kid on the team was shooting a beat up Remington 870 pretty well. He purchased a semi-automatic Tri-star and could not hit the broad side of a barn. After struggling six out of eight weeks with his newer and fancier shotgun he switched back only to shoot season high scores. Neither gun was wrong but the simpler 870 fit him much better and so he scored better.

I recently attended an event that my range put on. This is a new thing; they used to host a fully automatic shoot that was a real hoot. This was intended to bring back a fraction of that fun that no longer can happen due to insurance costs. But the premise was to bring in a number of manufacturers and a whole lot of guns to shoot. Ideally, that would lead to purchases from the sponsor of the event.

What you can see in the picture is about a third of firearms that Sig Sauer brought to the event. There were a number of other vendors there as well. The idea was that participants would purchase tickets that would be presented to vendors for ammunition. Depending on what caliber you chose to shot, a ticket was worth 10 22LR, 8 9mm, 6 45 ACP etc.

In today’s world, semi-automatic handguns are king. In my day growing up, 38 special was the same price as 9mm ammunition. Not so today, 38 special is three times the cost as 9mm. This event was almost exclusively 9mm pistols which is too bad because I don’t own any. On top of that, my tastes are pretty eclectic. For instance when I visited the Taurus bay, I really wanted to shoot a Judge (45LC/410 revolver) but no such luck.

I have heard over and over from multiple sources that first time, gun owners should try a bunch of different firearms before just buying one. But how, where? This event was awesome for handling and shooting a large number of the most popular firearms in the market. In fact, the majority of firearms I have purchase were a surprise in how I shot with them until I purchased them and went to the range for the first time.

I could have shot different exotic things but I did not. I tried three different 22LR, a 9mm and a 45acp pistol. I tried some shotguns that were way out of my price range and also a 6.5 Creedmoor rifle. The pistols were things that I have considered over the years. The shotguns and rifle was just for fun. Nothing I tried is on my next to purchase list but then again they didn’t really have what I wanted to shoot to begin with.

I definitely learned some things. I learned which 22 pistol I liked over the others. I learned that I really liked the 9mm and I learned that I didn’t like how the 45 felt in the hand. The one overall lesson I learned was with the 6.5 Creedmoor. This has become an extremely popular cartridge in the last ten years. I wanted to shoot a rifle that I considered affordable and without a silencer. This particular rifle had a muzzle brake on it.

After firing the first round, it blasted my ears causing them to ring even with ear plugs in. I have heard about this phenomenon before but never personally witnessed it. I found myself closing my eyes on the remaining two rounds which I am sure that effected my marksmanship. If this is how all brakes work, this is a definite no-no for me.

End Your Programming Routine: I am fifty years old and have been in the scene most of my life. There are two places that I can think of that actually rent firearms but you are limited to what they have on hand and the disciplines that they offer. This was a very unique experience to get a large swath of manufacturers of similar firearms together. This is something that you really cannot reasonably do, try before you buy.