If you have been following me on Twitter for awhile you know that I have been absent. Since about the first week of April until today I have been wide open with bits of time in between that I used to catch up on living.
I started off in April planning to work 7 – 10 hr day’s a week for 1 month and then move to 6 10′s for 6-7 weeks. Well that didn’t work out exactly as planned. In the world of Carpentry contract work the job only lasted 4 weeks before labor cut backs. So then I got day jobs a couple times a week in the same place for other companies for the next few weeks. Then without notice I got offered a really good job doing electrical work with a commercial construction company. Since being laid off from the initial job back at the first of March I have made a couple one day trips up and down the East Coast. At the electrical job I have managed to work quite a few hours and been very busy on the weekends catching up on things I missed during the Spring Work triathlon.
Speaking of triathlon I managed to loose about 10-15lbs and started to get some muscle tone back after having office jobs for the last few years. Work seems to be leveling off now and I have what I hope is a job for the summer and possibly even further with a good company. Things should be returning to normal around here for me soon.
The end of the week I will be shooting in the Alabama State Tactical Carbine Championship. Since I have not been practicing or even fired a weapon in a couple months I’m not sure I will be ready. After this weekend I’m sure to have plenty of ideas for post and catch up in all the goings on in the world. The debate over 2nd Amendment rights is heating up recently with the attachment of carry laws in national parks to a credit card bill. So the summer is looking pretty good from where I sit as a blogger but kind of rough and action packed as a 2nd Amendment Supporter. I am sure I will have more on that in the future.
Life is often about the simple things. Over the past few months I have been doing some personal testing on different products that I believed would make life easier and more comfortable – mostly for no good reason. The economy is down and most Americans are feeling the effects.
I changed from having a desk job to working in the field doing construction (something I never dreamed I would be doing again). One of the biggest changes and something I didn’t remember was that construction was hard work, I mean real hard. I went from being a relative couch potato to being a professional athlete overnight. I don’t mean I became athletic – my job did. I went from wearing Suits to Boots. I’m no stranger to hard labor – but if you haven’t done it in awhile…
Trading in my argyle socks for a pair of boot socks wasn’t easy. My first day of work I threw on a pair of white cotton socks and came home with blisters! Who knew that such discomfort would make me miserable. I did some testing and found the perfect pair of socks, 5.11 Tactical ® 9″ Socks.
I tried a couple different brands and styles and found the 5.11 Tactical 9″ Socks to be the best for my needs. I wanted a moisture wicking and an over the calf sock to keep my pants from sticking to me when wet. They also must be comfortable and durable.
I work in extreme industrial settings and anyone that has ever worked in heavy industry knows that the term “industrial strength” is a joke. Sure it maybe a little tougher but nothing will last with hard use. In a recent 10 week Power Plant outage I broke two 1/2″ ratchets and wore out a pair of work boots. But something that made it was the 5.11 socks. I was surprised considering all the abuse my boots took. I bought the 3 Pair Special and they are going on the next job with me.
If you noticed I did keep track of the country of manufacture. I have been trying to only buy American when it is possible. 5.11 Tactical ® Socks is that the socks are imported.
A down sides to these socks- The fire retardant or ANSI specs are no where to be found. Yeah Yeah! Who cares right? If you have ever seen poly clothing stick to someone after getting burned you would think differently. Kind of surprising considering they market to first responders and fire-fighters. I work around potential flash fires and extreme heat. You get to wondering about what would happen if that 2000 ° Steam Vessel cracked. I happen to like my skin and feet and do what I can to protect them.
If I find a comparable pair of socks Made in the USA that are rated I may switch. But for the moment the best Pair of Socks I have found are the 5.11 Tactical ® 9″ Socks.
So occasionally you will find someone that is brave enough to human test a bullet proof vest! Imagine as part of an interview if you had to be shot with a .38 special round wearing a Bullet Proof Coat?
Today when I was cruising The Firearm Blog when I stumbled across a video of someone testing a Miguel Caballero Jacket, the designer of”bullet proof” fashionable clothing. According to the Firearm Blog Miguel “requires all new employees to be shot while wearing one of his ballistic vests!” If that isn’t nuts the next video is even worse.
Don’t get me wrong I am intrigued by body armor and know very little about it or the testing. But the next video is just down right dangerous no matter how you slice it. Pay no attention to the people on screen and just watch it. I also learned about this video from the Firearms Blog when a guy gets “Shot at Point Blank with .308 and 44 Magnum“.
If you have been following me on Twitter for awhile you know that I have been absent. Since about the first week of April until today I have been wide open with bits of time in between that I used to catch up on living.
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