Be A Survivor

Equipment Review: Eton FR160B

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:07:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

Well, Christmas came and went and I got a few goodies that I will cover with you. The first is an emergency radio. I received an:

Etón FR160B Microlink Self-Powered AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio with Flashlight, Solar Power and Cell Phone Charger (Black)
In fact, I got two of them. One for the car and one for the house. I have had many cheapo radios in the past that were crank and solar powered. They never worked right, especially the weather portion and cell phone charging ability. This one actually doesn't suck. To my surprise it worked quite well and seemed to be pretty high quality.

Reception with the antenna up is great, the weather band works great once the right channel is selected (my area is channel 7). The solar charging capability worked great as did the hand crank charging. From my experience a few cranks will give you about 10 minutes of radio...the longer you crank the longer it will last.

It also includes a built in LED flashlight and cell phone charging capability (using crank). When charging a phone please read the instructions because if you do it wrong you could theoretically damage your cell phone battery. The flashlight is acceptable in a pinch and is quite bright.

The controls are straightforward: volume, tune, and band selector. There is a button at the top to toggle the flashlight on and off near the solar panel. The crank is on the opposite side of the radio and controls. Lastly, there are inputs for an ear piece and cell phone on the back of the device.

All in all, the Etón FR160Bis a great little radio for emergency situations, in the house and car, and would be a great addition to a bug out bag.

...that is all.

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New Years Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:55:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

It is the time of the year when everyone says they will do “X”, turn over a new leaf, or make a change in their lives. I have no idea when this tradition started or why it caught on; one thing I can say is that a majority of people fails miserably when it comes to sticking to these “resolutions”.

In keeping with this tradition I have committed to myself to make some serious changes in my life. I am going to work hard and do the very best I can to make sure these are not empty promises. I am going to share some of these resolutions I have made with you, please don’t laugh because some of them may seem a bit odd to some of you.

1.) Quit Smoking – I actually got a head start on this one as I actually stopped cold turkey in October in anticipation of falling off the wagon a few times. I have cheated exactly three times since then, each time smoking one cigarette. That is pretty good I think and I am super committed this time so I anticipate complete success with this one.

2.) Stop biting nails – this one some people will find disgusting but when I am stressed I sometimes take it out on my fingers. Since January 1st I have taken nary a nibble, so far, so good.

3.) Teeth – I have always been anal with my teeth. I go to the dentist twice a year like I should and brush and use an antiseptic mouthwash at least twice a day. I have always struggled with flossing. My resolution this year is to brush and use the mouthwash at least three times daily and floss at least once a day (at night). I also plan to finally get the three wisdom teeth I have taken out (I have been avoiding this for a few years, they don’t hurt but they are superupting).

4.) Lose weight and exercise – HA, you had to know this one was going to be on the list. I plan to cut down on the calories and actually USE the gym membership I have been paying for religiously. I plan to take the slow approach, no fad diets, just cut down and make some healthy changes like more veggies and water and less carbs and sugar. My goal is to lose 5-7 pounds a month, which seems like a small amount but adds up over the course of a year. For the record I could stand to lose about 40 lbs.

5.) Take a chill pill – I have been told I can be quite intense. My goal this year is to better let things roll off my back. I am not going to let work, school (Masters degree), or family get me agitated. It is just not worth the stress and health problems it causes. Work will still be there…school will work out…and the problems of every member of my family aren’t always mine to give a shit about or get involved with.

...that is all.

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Quick Update On Life

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 17:33:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

Just some quick updates on life here...I have finally graduated from college with my Bachelors degree in Information Technology. I am actually starting a Masters program next week. I have had a grand total of two months to enjoy a school free life. Back to the grindstone.

My wife and I were rear ended (AGAIN) by some 18 year kid texting on his phone. I really hate driving at this point. People really need to put the fucking devices down and pay attention to driving. I believe if you are screwing with your phone and you kill someone with your car you should rot in jail for a LONG time. It is no different than drunk driving...your driving ability is IMPAIRED. So pay attention for Christ's sake. AT LEAST consider hands free or a headset for talking and don't TEXT AT ALL!

Insert small plug for Progressive Insurance - they have been great throughout all our encounters with idiots that can't drive.

I may just do a post on dealing with accidents seeings how I have so much damn experience with them.

Other than that the family is doing well right down to the pooches, I have done some preparations for hurricane season but other than that I have been enjoying my time off from school and relaxing.

I got a good deal on a case of flashlight and have them strategically placed around the house and in the car. Can never have enough flashlights.

...that is all.

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RangerSquirrel

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:05:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

Our old friend RangerSquirrel is back blogging, check him out (not specifically about any topic in particular).

JamesIsRunning

...that is all.

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Couple Forecloses on Bank - This Is Just Awesome.

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:52:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

Link to article: http://www.digtriad.com/news/watercooler/article/178031/176/Florida-Homeowner-Forecloses-On-Bank-Of-America

Text of article:
Collier County, Florida -- Have you heard the one about a homeowner foreclosing on a bank?

Well, it has happened in Florida and involves a North Carolina based bank.

Instead of Bank of America foreclosing on some Florida homeowner, the homeowners had sheriff's deputies foreclose on the bank.

It started five months ago when Bank of America filed foreclosure papers on the home of a couple, who didn't owe a dime on their home.

The couple said they paid cash for the house.

The case went to court and the homeowners were able to prove they didn't owe Bank of America anything on the house. In fact, it was proven that the couple never even had a mortgage bill to pay.

A Collier County Judge agreed and after the hearing, Bank of America was ordered, by the court to pay the legal fees of the homeowners', Maurenn Nyergers and her husband.

The Judge said the bank wrongfully tried to foreclose on the Nyergers' house.

So, how did it end with bank being foreclosed on? After more than 5 months of the judge's ruling, the bank still hadn't paid the legal fees, and the homeowner's attorney did exactly what the bank tried to do to the homeowners. He seized the bank's assets.

"They've ignored our calls, ignored our letters, legally this is the next step to get my clients compensated, " attorney Todd Allen told CBS.

Sheriff's deputies, movers, and the Nyergers' attorney went to the bank and foreclosed on it. The attorney gave instructions to to remove desks, computers, copiers, filing cabinets and any cash in the teller's drawers.

After about an hour of being locked out of the bank, the bank manager handed the attorney a check for the legal fees.

"As a foreclosure defense attorney this is sweet justice" says Allen.

Allen says this is something that he sees often in court, banks making errors because they didn't investigate the foreclosure and it becomes a lengthy and expensive battle for the homeowner.

CBS News

...that is all.

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How to Survive Switching to a Mac

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Fri, 27 May 2011 14:16:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

I have always been a Windows person, I know Linux, UNIX and many other operating systems but I always came back to Windows. Recently I decided I had had enough of Microsoft and decided I would make the transition to a Mac. OS X is based on the BSD flavor of UNIX so I was already comfortable knowing I would be able to learn anything I needed quickly.

One thing about Apple, they are really proud of their computers, they are expensive as hell, but works of art. I decided to go with a 15” MacBook Pro, I sprang for the anti-glare screen (I hate those shiny glass screens that seem to be the standard on laptops now a days), and 8 gigs of RAM. I placed the order online and waited, I was supposed to be out of town but plans were scuttled so I called Apple about possibly upgrading the shipping (standard shipping was free), they upgraded me on the spot to expedited shipping at no charge!

The laptop arrived a few days ago and I was immediately pleased with my choices. The body of the MacBook Pro is milled out of a single piece of aluminum, just gorgeous. The setup was ridiculously simple and in ten minutes I was surfing the net.

In order to ease the transition I researched ahead of time the programs I use, mainly MS Office, Eclipse (a Java IDE for development), and Quicken. All of these programs had equivalent Mac versions. MS Office for Mac was available to me free because of my Technet subscription, Eclipse is free, and Quicken was $49 bucks.

I connected an external drive, copied all my files over to my Mac, reformatted that spare drive and set it up with Time Machines (Apple’s backup software). I did all this in like an hour, which I found incredible.

I also installed many of the other programs I use like Firefox, Skype, and I purchased Transmit (a quality FTP program to be used with my web site stuff). I now have everything I need and haven’t touched the PC since I finished my last task, which was importing several years of Quicken data into the Mac version of the program (no issues).

Despite what the Apple fanboys say about not needing AntiVirus (Malware) on a Mac I downloaded and have been running Sophos (the free version) on my computer with no issues. Mac’s are becoming very popular and will be targeted more frequently in the future. The Mac Defender scareware making the rounds is more of a nuisance but why take chances. One thing is for certain the design of OS X is inherently more secure that that of Windows.

I used to think I would never make the switch because of gaming, PC’s still own the gaming arena…but I have an Xbox360 and I haven’t played a game on the PC in a few years. The game thing put me over the edge and sealed my decision to switch over to a Mac. My wife saw the MacBook Air in Best Buy and now may soon become an apple convert herself. I will let you know how that goes!

Stay tuned as I will be putting together a list of resources to help you transition should you choose to do so...

...that is all.

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Comment Moderation

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:51:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

I used to only moderate comments on posts older than 90 days but I have been getting to many "Great Post...buy my shit" type comments.

Therefore all comments are going to be moderated going forward.

Thanks and sorry to the legit folks out there.

...that is all.

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Guest Post: Maria - DIY Cleaning Supplies

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:03:00 +0000

By Maria

When SHTF, who’s going to clean your clothes? No, not the cleaning lady; she’s hiding in a bunker somewhere. Nope, not your mom in New Jersey. Just you and your trusty homemade cleaning supplies.

That you need to buy thirty different products for your face, hair, kitchen cleaning, and laundry is a big commercial lie. You end up wasting money, creating waste, and slowly poisoning your body with nasty chemicals that stay in your fat cells for longer than it takes for the actual stuff to run down the drain and ruin some poor fish’s life. The truth is that you can make most of your cleaning supplies with these basic and cheap ingredients:

• Water
• Vegetable-based soap (Dr Bronner’s is fair-trade, vegan, cruelty-free, and already infused with moisturizing jojoba oil and other good stuff)
• Antibacterial essential oils like tea tree oil and lavender
• Vinegar
• Washing soda
• Borax

These ingredients collectively last longer and are cheaper than the thirty bottles of sprays and suds you get from the grocery store. You’ll save money now and know how to survive later.

DIY Disinfecting Cleaning Spray
This is for everything from cleaning the kitchen counter to wiping down door handles during flu season. Tea tree oil debuts in this recipe; a recent study in Italy has concluded that the stuff actually inhibits growth of the dreaded H1N1 virus, so it’s an effective antibacterial agent. No need for bleach here. Combine the following ingredients in an empty spray bottle, shake, and spray.
• 4 cups water
• 6 tbsp liquid soap
• 40 to 60 drops of tea tree oil

DIY Laundry Detergent
• 1/3 bar vegetable-based soap, grated to a powder
• ½ cup washing soda
• ½ cup borax
Put the grated soap in a sauce pan, adding 6 cups of water over heat until the soap melts. Add washing soda and borax and stir until consistent. In a bucket, pour 4 cups of hot water (not boiling) and then the soap mixture, stirring until consistent. Add 6 more cups of water followed by a gallon. Stir again and then let it sit (with a lid) overnight or over 24 hours. The mixture will turn into a soupy gel and you can use ½ cup of it for a full laundry load, even with a high efficiency (HE) washer. Soap is low-sudsing, so it won’t turn into a 5th grade volcano project.

DIY Fabric Softener
Just add ½ cup of white vinegar at the start of your washer’s rinse cycle. This way, you can line-dry your clothes to save money on the energy bill.

DIY Shampoo
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup liquid vegetable-based soap (some of Dr Bronner’s stuff comes already scented, so it’s a good choice yet again)
• 1 tsp jojoba oil for dry hair, lavender oil for oily scalps
• Optional ½ cup of aloe vera gel for added moisture
Mix these ingredients in an old bottle and shake before use. The concoction is soupy, but don’t let it fool you—it lathers surprisingly well. Apply directly to hair. Bonus: this mixture doubles for shaving cream.

DIY Hair Conditioner
Combine ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar with 2 cups of water in an old bottle. It smells bad, but it’ll go away when you rinse it out. It leaves your hair soft, shiny, and dandruff-free.

DIY Body Soap
Combine 1 cup of liquid vegetable-based soap with ½ to 1 cup of water with a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Tea tree oil and lavender are both antiseptic and good choices.

You can make body soap from the little bar soap scraps you leave in the drain, too. Put them all in a pot of water, about 1 cup of water per 1 tbsp of soap, and heat until thoroughly mixed. Add a few drops of essential oil and put in a bottle. Shake before use.

Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she writes about education, online degree programs, and what it takes to succeed as a remote student in online schools. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

...that is all.

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Yes I Am Alive But Only Through The Grace Of God

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:44:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

My friends, I am sorry for having been quiet recently. My Christmas vacation was less than ideal to put it mildly. The wife and I traveled to NJ to visit relatives (we drove). Everything was going according to plan until we left.

We were driving on the NJ Turnpike which most folks familiar with the area know sucks big time. The Turnpike is always crowded and they charge an arm and a leg to drive on it.

We were sitting in standstill traffic when all of the sudden I looked in the rearview mirror and what I saw something changed my life...a semi barreling straight at us (probably 30-35 mph) and I knew he wasn't stopping.

I didn't even have time to warn my wife before the impact. I have NEVER, EVER, EVER experienced something so violent in my life and I pray I never do again.

The semi plowed into us and crushed our vehicle between it and the cars in front of us. When the dust settled I looked over at my wife and saw she was alive and I knew I was alive so I immediately had happiness in my heart.

I then remembered we had TWO dogs (our children, we don't have any real kids) in a crate in the back and I slowly turned to see a mangled crate in the rear of the vehicle BUT both of them were ALIVE!

Somehow our little dogs squeezed through a gap in the destroyed crate and was in my lap before I knew it. The bigger dog had to be cut out of the crate by the tow truck driver with bolt cutters.

They took my wife to the hospital but I stayed with the wreck because the NJ state troopers (I wasn't happy with them or the ambulance folks, who were more concerned about me signing a waiver then ever taking a glance at my injuries.) wouldn't tell me what was going to happen to my dogs if I went to the hospital.

Anyway we sustained some injuries but it could have been a lot worse.

We were WEARING seatbelts and the airbags deployed which I believe helped keep our injuries to a minimum. The Ford we were driving had a 5 star front and rear impact rating and crumpled where it was suppossed to. That poor truck is totaled but we receieved a fair settlement from the insurance company on it (they believe it or not, have been great).

I am healing up nicely, my wife's injuries are a bit more complicated (knee). The dogs, remarkably, are fine, just shaken up. ANOTHER LESSON...if our dogs had been free roaming in the car they would be DEAD, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The crate they were in saved their lives so think about that when traveling with your pets.

...that is all.

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Merry Christmas Everyone!

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 16:12:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

Just wanted to wish everyone a safe and very Merry Christmas!

...that is all.

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EDCdepot Running a Special

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 22:59:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

EDCdepot who is a sponsor of this blog is running a special, use the coupon code: turkey to get 12% off of your order.

This offer expires 11/30/2010.

...that is all.

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Some Tips On Decluttering

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 19:22:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

I have been working to clear up my office and the garage. I have become fascinated with decluttering.

During this process I found some nice articles I thought I would share...

18 Five-Minute Decluttering Tips to Start Conquering Your Mess

10 Ways to Remove Clutter from Your Life

Declutter Your Life Blog

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Get Out And VOTE!

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:32:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

No I am not dead...just been busy. I figured I would give you folks a quick update on my life...First...

AMC has a new series premiering tonight called the "The Walking Dead", I have my DVR set so make sure you check it out. I watched the trailer and it seems like it will be decent.

Second...

Tomorrow is election day and you should get out there and do your civic duty...VOTE!. Whatever side you are on your opinion mean squat if you don't vote. Also if you don't vote I don't want to hear you belly aching how everything is messed up.

OK, so I have been working a lot and I am almost done with my Bachelors degree, for those of you keeping scoring a few years back I had nothing. I now have a A.A. in Information Technology and I am damn near getting my B.S. in Information Technology.

I already have a school picked out for my Masters program...looks like it will be UMBC, they have an online MIS degree that should take me going part time around 3 years to complete.

I have been traveling a lot been all over the Carolinas for work and have headed out to Ohio a few time as well. All the traveling gave me an idea for an upcoming post so hopefully I get a chance to get that put together soon.

On the prepping front I picked up a few more flashlights, you can never have enough of those, and a few cases of water to replace my aging hurricane stock which I am now drinking.

About to start Judge Andrew Napolitanos book Lies the Government Told You: Myth, Power, and Deception in American History,I'll let you know how it is once I get through it.

I did pick up the Amazon Kindle 3Gand I will do a review of it soon. I like it so far, with all the traveling I do it has been a Godsend! The books are cheap and the device is impressive, the screen actually looks like paper, it is kinda freaky.

Anyhow that is my story and I am sticking to it, hopefully I will get some more posts up soon for you guys. Thanks!

...that is all.

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Ready.gov

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 23:55:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

Received the following email and decided to share:

Greetings:

I am writing to see if I can interest your blog in a topic for September – emergency preparedness.

National Preparedness Month (NPM), sponsored by FEMA’s Ready Campaign, is a national campaign during the month of September to increase emergency preparedness across the U.S. I am currently reaching out to emergency and disaster-related blogs to ask for help in encouraging Americans to take steps toward preparedness. Slightly more than half of Americans say they have taken steps toward preparedness, and your blog would be a great place to encourage the rest to get prepared.

You can find information about the Ready Campaign and National Preparedness Month at Ready.gov, and I can provide you with additional information or answer any of your questions. This is such an important, yet often forgotten task, not just during National Preparedness Month, but year-round. We would be delighted if your blog would consider supporting preparedness.

Thank you in advance for your support,

The Ready Campaign
Office of External Affairs
Federal Emergency Management Agency
npm@dhs.gov

...that is all.

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Brewing Your Own Beer

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 18:10:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

I recently made my first foray into the world of home brewing and I must say I am thoroughly enjoying the experience.

I decided to go with a starter kit I picked up from homebrewers.com. It came with a fermenting bucket, bottling bucket, hydrometer, siphon, racking cane, bottle brush, sanitizer and several other odds and ends.

The process was fairly simple. I used steeping grains in a big pot of water, right before the boil, I removed those and added the malt extract, dextrose and hops. Boiled the mixture for an hour.

One that was done I sanitized the fermenting bucket added the mixture I boiled (called wort) added enough cold water to bring to 5 gallons and added the yeast. I aerated the bucket, sealed the lid and added the airlock on top.

The airlock started to show visible signs of activity (C02 being released) after about 48 hours.

Once fermentation completes all I need to do is transfer the brew to the bottling bucket, add priming sugar, bottle, cap, and in two weeks I should have nicely carbonated beer. I will take some pictures when I am bottling and of the final product when carbonated and ready for consumption.

Brewing is pretty fun, pretty easy, and definitely something that will be useful after the SHTF and Budweiser doesn't exist anymore.

The homebrewers.com website has some nice videos that should peek your interest and they have pretty much all the equipment you would need, including ingredients.

...that is all.

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Political Correctness

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 02:17:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

This will be short and to the point.

Political correctness, I don’t even like the way the words sound as they roll off the tongue.

The country is going to hell in a hand basket and the primary reason is because of political correctness. I usually stay away from the politics stuff but if you’re conservative, trying to have a conversation these days is tough because things are “off-limits”. PC doesn’t affect the liberal community as much because that’s just the way it is…you are all adults I’ll let you stew on it.

We need to call them like we see them. Trying to pussyfoot around stuff only exacerbates a situation.

If I disagree with someone who happens to be a different color than me, that does not make me racist, no more than visiting Hawaii makes me Hawaiian. The issue today is we are so afraid to say what we are thinking because we may be branded something that we aren’t. We all know that once that genie is out of the bottle; there isn’t a way to stuff his ass back in there.

This being America we always think we can make things better by throwing money at it, the best example of that is our educational system. We throw billions at it and our kids still can’t pass basic proficiency tests. The schools in my area just reported results on performance and they missed the goals. You will be shocked to learn the goal ONLY required 58% of students to perform at a satisfactory level, and WE MISSED THAT!! I mean are you fucking kidding me? Stuff like this makes me think about home schooling if we ever have a kid.

No amount of money is going to fix this political correctness issue, people will just have to scream they are tired of the BS and say what they want. The only way to change the brainwashing we have all gone through since this crap started is to say enough is enough.

...that is all.

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Survive Yardwork

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

When doing yard work, safety should be the first thing that your routine starts with. I recently had a close call while doing the weed whacking and it just reinforced my commitment to safety going forward. I was doing some edging with the weed whacker and something shot up and hit me in the face right below the eye and actually drew blood. If this piece of debris was about an inch higher I cringe to think what could have been.

The most important safety item when doing almost any kind of work is safety glasses. Mine were sitting on my workbench when the incident happened, great place for them eh? Needless to say that was a wake-up call and they are on my face anytime I am using tools or doing work from here on, I promise you that.

Next item on our safety list are a pair of work gloves. These very inexpensive items will protect your hands and knuckles from getting busted (I stuck that in for Ornery Bastard). Gloves will keep your hands from getting cut, your fingernails from getting filthy and will keep items from slipping out of your hands should you be sweating (which we do a lot of in South Carolina).

Hats are important especially if you have short hair and the sun is blazing. The hat will serve multiple purposes by protecting you from the sun and sucking up sweat and keeping it from dripping into your eyes. I usually wear a military style boonie hat when I am doing yard work because it also protects my neck from the sun.

Work shoes! I caught my wife mowing the lawn in flip flops one day and I wanted to scream at her. You need to wear work shoes of some type to protect your feet and toes from flying debris. While boots may not completely protect you from the lawnmower blade while it is running unless they are steel toe, flip flops won’t do a damn thing to protect you. Proper foot wear will also keep you from twisting an ankle while you are concentrating on your work.

Lastly you really should wear jeans when doing yard work to protect your legs from the sun and all the flying debris. I am guilty of not doing this and I have the scars on my shins to prove it. The debris coming off the weed whacker is so fast that if it hits your bare legs you will bleed.

Well that is it folks these are some simple tips you should follow when you are doing yard work at your house. Your skin, feet, and eyes will thank you if you follow it. Be safe!

...that is all.

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Wasting Time And Procrastination

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor
People just love to waste time and procrastinate. Why do something now that you can pretend doesn’t exist till tomorrow? Why not spend countless hours in front of the boob tube or playing video games? The answer is simple organization and preparation. The more shit that piles up, ultimately you are that less productive as a person.

I see this at work all the time people wait until the very last minutes to get tasks accomplished and their day quickly becomes a clusterfuck of horrors. The boss gave them something a month ago that is due tomorrow and bammo…emergency happens and the time you thought you were going to use to finish the task is now gone. Guess you better go drop another 7 bucks on a latte as you are going to be working late Daniel-son.

The best thing to do at work and in life is to tackle things as you get them. You get a bill? Take 5 minutes and pay that sucker now and mail it out…don’t wait until there is a stack…mentally is less traumatic on your brain because you won’t see you bank account drop like the bomb on Nagasaki once every month. Those dribs and drabs are easier to live with (even though it is all mental). You get an email, answer it now; you get handed a task, start work on it immediately; you have a chore, do it now. You will quickly see that all of this organization and lack of procrastination will result in two magical things happening, the first being your stress level will drop tremendously, the second is you will have more free time…I guarantee it!

Beware of time wasters, the biggest being the boob tube. Now don’t get me wrong I do watch some TV but I keep to the stimulating stuff like History Channel, Discovery Science, Travel Channel, DIY, etc. Keep away from stuff that is just brain numbing, like Snoki and those asshats from Jersey Shore (makes me embarrassed to admit I grew up there). All those stupid shows should be banned as far as I am concerned. Nothing good can come of your kids seeing some illiterate, promiscuous, fucktard being handed her own clothes line and writing a book about her nonsensical life…they’ll think that is the right way to go in life. Get your kids reading as early as possible and keep them away from all the garbage on TV. Kick there asses outside once in awhile too, our kids are fat but have the strongest thumbs of any nation on the plant from playing non stop video games. Unless thumb wresting becomes and Olympic sport we are screwed.

I know you think I am full of crap but it really does work. I use this stuff at work all the time and in my personal life. Not wasting time or waiting around for a sign from God to finally start working on something will help you live a happier stress free life.

My wife and I have a lot of this stuff down to a science, I made and initial investment of time into managing our finances and now because I have everything documented and in Quicken…bills take a matter of minutes. We plan our grocery shopping and we use list to make sure we stay on target; this has helped us save money. Our preps are in order and all of my equipment is clean and ready to rock should I need it. How did I do all these? Staying organized, avoiding time wasters, and not procrastinating.

...that is all.

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Point Shoot

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:01:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

Received another interesting email and thought I would share with my readers.

"WILL YOUR 1911 END UP KILLING YOU???

Here's an new article of mine that you are welcome to use as you wish. My site is a web-a-blog collection of text, pics, papers, and etc. on Point Shooting and self defense.

Feel free to edit it.

If you use some or all of it, be shure you have a fire extinguisher close by.

My web site is www.pointshooting.com - You are welcome to copy and use most all of the info there.

Best regards,

John Veit"

Flea - So check it out and let me know what you think...

...that is all.

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Entitlement and Discipline

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 23:09:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

The problem with many people today is they want things handed to them on a silver platter. Work ethic, hard work, desire, drive; whatever the heck you want to call it is seemingly gone the way of the dodo bird. People aren’t bashful about holding their hand out for a free ride even if there is a guy next to them who really needs it.

Part of the issue is parents - timeouts, therapy, “we are all winners”, no spankings, and creating new disorders to classify your little monster (and your lack of discipline and parenting skills) have gained us a generation of wussies, for lack of a better term.

We can’t all be winners…no matter hard we try. Second place is the first loser and the sooner your kid realizes that the better off they’ll be. That builds character people, drive, and ambition to win (the right way). If your kid sucks at baseball I am sure they’re good at something else. Berating your kid because he dropped a pass and is only playing football because YOU MADE him makes you look like an asshat and nothing more. Maybe your kid wants to be a boy scout or play the violin, regardless trying to live vicariously through your kid is a recipe for disaster so give it up.

Next, your kid is medically fine…he is just obnoxious because the Dr. Spock bullshit you raised him on doesn’t work. When I was young, if I back talked I got my ass whooped…something magical occurred after I got my ass whooped several times…I stopped back talking. I see kids throwing full on temper tantrums in the store that look like a rabid dog having a seizure…the mom stands there staring at the ceiling. Well guess what, you suck as a parent lady and your kid needs a beating.

The government is just like a new age parent who thinks they know best, well guess what they don’t. I personally believe that other than protecting me from the invading militaries of Mexico and Canada the government should stay the hell out of my life. I don’t think there should be unemployment benefits (look around the world there are plenty of countries that don’t have them) or social security for that matter. Live your life within your means and save money for when a bad spell hits. I guess I am just a heartless bastard.

All these handouts reduce the will of people to work hard. Back in the day…yeah they worked hard before all this new deal BS. Your ancestors all worked their asses off to make ends meet. Now we sit around and call sending a few resumes on Monster.com a job search (oh I worked hard honey I sent out three resumes today). Listen you take what you can get, if I lost my job as a IT person and couldn’t get another one…I would work first shift at McDonalds and second shift at Burger King if I had to, in order to support my family. It isn’t my fault you are paying $500 a month for a car and $2500 a month for a house you can’t afford.

The point is people; time and time again it has been proven that hard work WILL get you somewhere, it may take a while but if you are persistent you will be successful. Failing is part of living, if we take that away from our kids we take away a fundamental building block of character and this country is doomed. I want to see every one of you make it, be all you can be, and have the life you want but I expect all of you to work for it. I am sure my readers all have earned everything they have as you guys know this stuff, but we do the get occasional new person here, so I got to say it. :)

...that is all.

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OPSEC Refresher

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

I have written about OPSEC in the past but some people are truly dim when it comes to protecting their shit. What I am talking about isn’t necessarily goods like food, guns, and gear. I am talking about your identity.

People will sign up for the stupidest stuff to get a free tee shirt, coupon, or some other worthless piece of hermit crab crap. If someone wants information from you in return for some trinket, tell them to hit the highway. Nothing is worth giving up information about yourself that could possibly be used for nefarious purposes. Keep your information close to the cuff and only use it when absolutely necessary.

The less information out there in out there in the wild about you, the better it is for you. A fun exercise is to go to Umbrella Corp…err uh I mean Google and type in your full name and see what interesting tidbits pop up. Hopefully not a whole hell of a lot because once the genie is out of the bottle there ain’t much you can do about it.

One of the first things you need to do is if you have a Facebook page keep that set to private and “Friends Only” don’t allow those bastards to publicly index your page. God I hate Facebook but how the else I am supposed to see pictures of the people I love doing stupid stuff. Not to mention the family arguments and knock down drag out fights I get to witness played out for all your friends to see…those are priceless. Better yet don’t have a Facebook page under your real name…or at all for that matter.

Eliminate as much physical mail as possible from being delivered to your address. There are even organizations out there that can help get you off marketer’s lists, just make sure you use the reputable ones (it should be FREE). Those pesky meth heads love driving around and stealing mail from mailboxes, especially outgoing mail so they can wash your checks (look it up) and fund their Dexter’s Laboratory of horrors. They are like roaches, in fact there will probably only be roaches and meth heads left after the big one hits.

Speaking of paying your bills online (well how the hell else you gonna protect yourself from the aforementioned meth heads?) Get yourself 3 programs for your computer: antivirus software, a firewall, and a good spyware program, all can be had for free “just Google it” (GOD I hate the F’in phrase). The main thing is to stay away from the porn sites….yeah I know none of you do that but in case we get a new person here I have to say it. They are a cesspool of malware, viruses, and other stuff that even a shot of penicillin won’t cure.

Don’t pay for shit online with your debit card. The big difference between a credit card and a debit card is the money comes right out of the bank with a debit card. If there is an issue and you get charged $2,000 instead of $20.00 because some dipshit missed a decimal then guess what?...your screwed. SURE you’ll eventually get your money back but do you really have an extra $1820 lying around??? So between the meth heads cashing your checks and the porn site charging you $2000 instead of $20.00 you can see how this can quickly spiral out of control.

And for crying out loud do not sign up for those bullshit services like LifeLock. Todd Davis, yeah the dumbass with his SSN# on the side of the truck…well what they don’t tell you is his identity has been stolen at least 13 times already (Google it). All the stuff “they do” for you, you can do yourself (namely place a freeze on your credit by calling the credit reporting agencies).

The main thing people is to just be careful, don’t do anything stupid and if something seems too good to be true than it most likely is, period.

This discussion is to be continued…I could tell you when but then I would have to kill you.

...that is all.

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Quote Of The Day

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on."

- Robert Frost

...that is all.

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Positive Mental Outlook

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:16:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

I laugh everytime I see the Geico commercial below. The reason being we have become a nation of fat and depressed losers. I laugh at the commercial because what R. Lee screams at the guy, that is what I want to scream at people sometimes.

Sure there are people out there with true medical issues and my heart goes out to all of you, but let's face it folks...there ain't THAT many people out there that need to be medicated. The pharma companies and doctors are doping us up faster than a crack head who just hit the lottery. They can't wait to give you a pill to help you handle all that stress that is going to make your brain explode.

Me? I call stress having to go out and find your next meal or figure out how not to get eaten by things higher on the food chain than you. Not getting into the school I want, being able to go on vacation, or having to actually work for a living...that is nothing (ask the people looking for jobs, they know...and I mean REALLY looking, not that half hearted bullshit to keep the wife off your back and the unemployment office happy).

I think it was Josey Wales (great movie BTW) who said "Dying's easy for men like you and me; it's living that's hard..." Living is tough, suck it up and get on with it and don't make excuses for your inadequacies and you'll do fine. Work hard and most of all always keep a positive mental outlook. It could always be worse trust me; just when you think you are down, the old man upstairs plants one square in the wedding tackle to show you who is in charge. The only thing you can do is roll with it and say it will get better to yourself.

I know, you think I am full of crap, it is a proven fact that people fighting things like cancer can increase their odds by maintaining a positive outlook and a fighting attitude. I mean if you call it quits you might as well jump in the hole and throw the first shovel full of dirt on yourself to save everyone the trouble.

Letting crap roll off your back is a skill I have mastered, ask my wife. I don't let shit bother me, I keep it real and tell people to go scratch when it is called for, otherwise I mind my own damn business and get on with my life.

That is part of the problem, we get way too involved in everyone else's business. Worry about yourself and when you are in a ZEN like state (never gonna happen), then you can stick that thing between your eyes and mouth in other folks affairs. And for cryin out loud stop giving advice to people who never listen to it anyway...another pet peeve. If they don't do what you suggest and they screw themselves so be it (you would think they would listen to after that but they never do).

Maintain a positive outlook and you will be rewarded. You will find you are happier, healthier, and ready to face new challenges with renewed vigor.

You don't have to listen to me though, I am sure your doctor can prescribe something to you to take that edge off...ya jackwagon ;)

...that is all.

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Money, Money, Money....MONEY.

noreply@blogger.com (flea) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:57:00 +0000

By Flea - Be A Survivor

Hell, I wish we had more, we all do. The sad fact is that people, even in these uncertain economic times, haven't fully learned the lesson they need to just yet. Sure personal savings has gone up but people just don't get it...I see stores packed with people buying all kinds of useless shit to fill up their McMansions with (those that haven't been kicked out on their rears that is).

My wife are I financially in a good place, thank the Lord, but we are because we save money religiously (wow two references to religion in one sentence, not bad).

Sure we have a boat and some luxuries but we saved money and paid CASH for them. If you took the two incomes my wife and I make and called them 100%, we put 30% of that right into retirement savings (doesn't have to be the stock market). So say for arguments sake (and easy math) we made $100,000 total as a couple per year, we are putting $30,000 away right off the top every year.

That doesn't include the emergency fund or the normal savings account into which we probably put another 30% of our income. This is the money we use to pay for new brakes on the car, buy our little boat, etc.

We put even more away after we pay the bills (of which there are few). We have the utilities which come in every month and the mortgage...that is it. How do we do this? We don't buy shit unless we can pay for it!

My wife decided to go back to school and get her MBA (Master's of Business Administration), no sweat we have the money to pay the tuition in savings. You can make decisions like that much easier when you take the financial uncertainty out of them.

The problem lies with people who maintain a lifestyle that keeps them on the brink. Sure your friend makes $120,000 a year but those two Mercedes, a huge house, designer clothes, eating out every night, 120" Plasma TV that massages you while whispering how good looking you are in your ear cost MONEY. So your friend who could be living a VERY NICE debt free life...chooses (YES CHOOSES) to live paycheck to paycheck. Then cries when Umbrella Corp lays him off and he has to figure out how to pay for all this shit on the 99 weeks of unemployment our dear leader has made sure we all get. In case you don't know max unemployment in SC is around $380 bucks a week.

People need to stop with the bullshit excuses and take responsibility for the fact that they can't balance a checkbook, make prudent financial decisions, or manage money to save their lives.

There is hope, there are several good books out there. Read them and learn how to get your life back under control. You'll be much happier and probably live longer as well.

Some books I recommend:
Debt-Proof Living: The Complete Guide to Living Financially Free (Debt-Proof Living (Paperback))

Smart Couples Finish Rich: 9 Steps to Creating a Rich Future for You and Your Partner

The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness

...that is all.

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