Random Thought Thread

bluemax_1 said:
Despite the fact that the risk/chance of something happening is low, when it comes to the safety of the kids, I'd at the very least, require the nanny carry pepper spray (and get an extra canister to have her practice using it, so she's familiar with deploying it, aiming it, and the usable range).

I recommend Fox Labs 2.0. The 2oz canisters are conveniently sized, and there are holsters available for ease of carry. The stream goes further, and has less chance of blowback, but needs more practice aiming and spraying it accurately. Quite effective on both 2 and 4-legged attackers.

Sudecon decontamination wipes are always a good idea to carry with it, for accidental contact.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this. I’ll get on it.

I literally worry every time she has them out. But most people don’t and I worry it’s me being paranoid because of my past and personal experiences.
 
JustinFournier said:
Thanks for this. I’ll get on it.

I literally worry every time she has them out. But most people don’t and I worry it’s me being paranoid because of my past and personal experiences.
Click to expand...
Better to be paranoid, than filled with regret.

One thing I thought about, and decide long ago: when it comes to safety, a basic rule of thumb is, if ONE mishap could have a serious negative impact for life, better safe than sorry.

I use this rule of thumb with anything like PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), like eye pro, ear pro, helmets (condoms :p), as well as learning critical things before I need them, like self-defense, basic First Aid, how to swim and basic lifesaving (especially if you're around water often), outdoor survival/woodsmanship for folks who venture outdoors etc.
 
bluemax_1 said:
Better to be paranoid, than filled with regret.

One thing I thought about, and decide long ago: when it comes to safety, a basic rule of thumb is, if ONE mishap could have a serious negative impact for life, better safe than sorry.

I use this rule of thumb with anything like PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), like eye pro, ear pro, helmets (condoms :p), as well as learning critical things before I need them, like self-defense, basic First Aid, how to swim and basic lifesaving (especially if you're around water often), outdoor survival/woodsmanship for folks who venture outdoors etc.
Click to expand...

I’m more of a “I live my life a quarter mile at a time.” kind of hero with my own safety. I’ve been known to take some pretty big risks. I do what I can to mitigate in most circumstances.

But my kids, that is a different story. My son had a helmet for his push bike. I don’t think I had a helmet till I was a teenager and I was already covered in scars.
 
JustinFournier said:
I’m more of a “I live my life a quarter mile at a time.” kind of hero with my own safety. I’ve been known to take some pretty big risks. I do what I can to mitigate in most circumstances.

But my kids, that is a different story. My son had a helmet for his push bike. I don’t think I had a helmet till I was a teenager and I was already covered in scars.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I can understand being a bit of a daredevil when you're younger. Different story if/when you have people depending on you.

I've personally known 4 people who suffered head injuries without adequate protection. 2 turned out OK.

The one when I was in middle school, went from being consistently one of the top students in his year, to somewhere around 2-3 year old intellect (and one side of his face is paralyzed). The other, in college, went from a 3+ CGPA, to dropping out of college. Couldn't keep up in classes, and even his personality changed.

I don't take TBIs lightly anymore (unlike in my youth), or any unnecessary risks where one mishap could mean being messed up for life (eg. being complacent about wearing eye pro, helmets etc.).
 
I dunno what happened but the 'How many times did you stab the dog' was a bit distressing. I know I would know what to do if I needed to stab a person and not feel a thing but I hope I never need to fight off a dog, that would be sad. And maybe that statement makes me sad. Oh well.

On a way different note. I spent about 5 years being pretty hardcore into bonsai trees. I don't care much for the perfected Japanese green helmet trees but there are some American artists like Dan Robinson doing great things. I got whacked in the head at work, had seizures, couldn't drive, and spent a summer not living at my house while I had my trees under an automated watering system and the batteries went out so all my trees died and I up and quit. It was a couple thousand dollars over several years which wasn't bad but a LOT of time. My bonsai trees dying got me into sucking at making knives which got me into not sucking at leather work so it all worked out.

I dug up a couple elm trees from mom and dads' pasture last year and collected 3 hackberries (Celtis occidentalis), 8 more elms (Ulmus pumila), 1 privet (ligustrum chinensis), and one tree that may be a hophornbeam (Ostrya viginiana if I'm lucky) this year. I didn't want to take time away from sheath making but generally the safest time to collect a tree is when the buds start to wake up and before they start to push out (green up). In a couple weeks the leaves will start to harden off and build the waxy surface and all work has to be done before that. It's a very limited window but I think I did well this year. I was actually looking for morels the whole time but didn't find shit and took what I could get.

By the way, if you ever want to talk to someone who's into bonsai trees.. here's the lingo 101. Bonsai= Bone sigh. It's not pronounced 'ban-zai'. Bonsai- Bone sigh. Bone Sigh. I don't know why but it's a big deal for people, it'll save you some bad juju. You're welcome. Ban zai is the thing you say before you charge the fortified position. Anyways..

Qp4rOoXl.jpg


0S30JYzl.jpg


QSBZb4Ml.jpg


Tg8xnPhl.jpg


I'm not even next generation for this land, I'm the generation after, and that's if we're lucky and property taxes don't steal all the value. Land is so exhorbitantly expensive here and we lose SO much ground to plowing and tilling and the following erosion. Farming earnings are based on using every tiny piece of land you have and it's made for terrible land management, and that's led to huge erosion and runoff. I keep trying to talk dad and grandpa into more sustainable things like fencing the ravines off for goats and planting the outer row of the crop fields with land grabbing undergrowth like choke cherries but every year the margin of profit is so thin it can't be done. I've pitched ideas like cutting it off entirely from farming and using it for something stupid like an executive retreat camping ground just because there's such a huge bubble in farming real estate value. Give it 10 years under a transportable value, do a fudge ton of terraforming and terracing, and hope and pray it pays off in the end. Otherwise it's sell the family farm that's been around for 110 years. And that, as far as I'm concerned, just ain't a viable option.

1bjIH0Xl.jpg

Qp4rOoXl.jpg

IFEJ2IKl.jpg
wOUoyFql.jpg

h9QzvXPl.jpg
 
bluemax_1 said:
Despite the fact that the risk/chance of something happening is low, when it comes to the safety of the kids, I'd at the very least, require the nanny carry pepper spray (and get an extra canister to have her practice using it, so she's familiar with deploying it, aiming it, and the usable range).

I recommend Fox Labs 2.0. The 2oz canisters are conveniently sized, and there are holsters available for ease of carry. The stream goes further, and has less chance of blowback, but needs more practice aiming and spraying it accurately. Quite effective on both 2 and 4-legged attackers.

Sudecon decontamination wipes are always a good idea to carry with it, for accidental contact.
Click to expand...
The Fox labs stuff is legit .. I have 2 canisters of the fog/cone pattern
 
razor-edge-knives said:
The Fox labs stuff is legit .. I have 2 canisters of the fog/cone pattern
Click to expand...
Yep, it's good stuff. I like the fog/cone for how quickly it can choke targets out, but there's a far higher chance of blowback if the wind is wrong.

In Justin's case, the stream is a better idea to minimize the chance of blowback.
 
bluemax_1 said:
Yep, it's good stuff. I like the fog/cone for how quickly it can choke targets out, but there's a far higher chance of blowback if the wind is wrong.

In Justin's case, the stream is a better idea to minimize the chance of blowback.
Click to expand...

very true... and I gotta get some of those wipes, do they work well? didn't even know they existed, when I got sprayed in law enforcement they just had us use dawn and water lol
 
razor-edge-knives said:
very true... and I gotta get some of those wipes, do they work well? didn't even know they existed, when I got sprayed in law enforcement they just had us use dawn and water lol
Click to expand...
Yeah, the Sudecon wipes are about the most effective thing I've found. Better than the wash Sabre makes.

Still not magic though, but it cuts down recovery a lot. Hint: if you get any pepper spray in your eyes, you can squeeze a fresh towelette to drip some of the liquid in your eyes. Helps going from not being able to open your eyes, to at least being able to open them and see.

P.S. buy the Sudecon wipes in batches. Even if you don't ever use them, open one every 3-6 months to ensure they're still good. They keep fairly well in the sealed pouches, but they can dry out over time. Open one new, so you know how wet they're supposed to be. When you notice they're drying out, replace the remaining ones. Would suck to need them and discover that they're dried out.
 
Last edited:
When we came out of the gas chamber in Basic Training, we didn't have wipes...:confused: We only had snot hanging from our nose touching the ground. I've never seen so much snot in my life! It was CS gas, so I don't know how that compare to your basic self-defense spray.
 
91bravo said:
When we came out of the gas chamber in Basic Training, we didn't have wipes...:confused: We only had snot hanging from our nose touching the ground. I've never seen so much snot in my life! It was CS gas, so I don't know how that compare to your basic self-defense spray.
Click to expand...

I guess that was just a random thought, but at first I thought you were describing how emotional the UF news made you. lol
 
Yeah. Clem(p)son on the other hand, they might give you a good contest.

I saw where Spurier was offered a coaching job for a goofy new football league team in Orlando. He said Tebow would be welcome if baseball doesn't work out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top