UPDATE: Stick the Pig

I've had the chance to put both the Camillus Carnivore and Gerber Gator machetes to use, so it's time for an update with my first impressions after some pretty heavy use. It should go without saying here that either of these will make mince meat of tall grasses, cat tails, soft weeds, soft vines, etc. I've been putting em through more intense workouts. I still plan to do a long-term review on these after a season or so of thrashing them.

Real reviews.

One of the reasons for the revamp to the site here stemmed from a point of frustration for me. Often times, when I go to look up something on the intarwebs to do a little research, especially to get info on a product, I get irritated with the lack of actual info. Too many, and I do mean way too effin many people will put up a "review" (I'm saying that word with a sarcastic 3rd grader nyah-nyah voice) of a product, and I'll be damned if it isn't just some crummy video of them taking the damned thing out of the box, and holding it in frame, spinning it around slowly like Vanna White while they basically regurgitate the marketing propaganda from the company that made the stinking widget to begin with. That is not a review, ya buffoons. On occasion one of these chimps will be honest with us all here on planet Earth, and label the video as an "unboxing." Jesus. How bad off are we now, as a species, that we actually want to go online and watch videos of other people opening a box with something we want to own inside it?? Damn.

So I got pretty fed up with clicking on a review, only to find that it had no useful information in it. I don't need a video to simply show me what an item looks like. Not many people were actually testing products or services, and then giving feedback on the experience. You're reading the result now. If I can get my grubby mitts on it, you can bet you'll have a write up in front of you before too long. Hopefully, at least one of these tips, articles, or actual really-real reviews will be helpful to you. And I promise you that you will never see an unboxing video from me. Ever. You have my word.

-Owen

Breather

New articles are on the way, I'm just taking a temporary breather to work up some new content. Things have been very busy both at work and on the home front. I've got several exciting things in the works to release in the coming weeks. Thanks for your patience.


-Owen

Tune in

You might have heard me mention that my neck of the woods recently got hit by a hurricane called Isaac. Despite the media, including weather related channels, preferring to focus on the New Orleans area primarily, these storms do actually hit other places. Alot. All the time, in fact. And more of this storm and its' never ending rain hit my state than Louisiana. But this isn't a complaint letter, so let me get to the point.

Bright idea

One of the things that I like to keep in my Camping/Bail out Bag that some may think is overkill came in handy recently. When the hurricane Isaac hit the Landmass that I live in, known as Mississippi, we were in for some decent storms. We wound up losing power for around 10 hours at my house, and my wife's phone went dead overnight, with no way to charge it. Fortunately, I had a solar USB charger for just such an occasion. About 15 minutes on this little jewel and she had enough juice to get her to a plug at her office.

F.A.Q. You

The F.A.Q. has been updated, you might wanna take a gander at some of the changes and additions, or go check it out for the first time if'n you've never glanced that way.


-Owen

Let there be lights

I have several "passions" in my life. I love knives, guns, cars, motorcycles, gadgets, music, and the list never ends. One of entries on the list is a bright idea: flashlights.

I've kept flashlights on hand for decades now. I keep a nice, big, powerful D cell Maglite with 3 watt LED conversion in the house for the super-duty jobs. It is bright as hell and runs for forever. LED bulbs run on a few flea-power, versus the sucking drain of a conventional bulb, even the Xenon type. Suffice it to say, I much prefer the LED type of light whenever I can get it. I also keep smaller LED lights in the glove box of vehicles, saddlebags of bikes, inside toolboxes, in an office desk drawer, on the nightstand, etc. I keep em anywhere you might need your hand on a light in the event the power goes buh-bye, or if an uninvited guest comes into your home in the wee hours and needs to have his corneas seared out of his head while you snuff out his light, if you will.

Awww SNAP!

If you are into shooting sports, and like centerfire calibers, I'm going to talk about a product you might be interested in. While alot of gun manufacturers will tell you that your centerfire firearm is safe to "dry fire" (pulling the trigger with an empty gun cocked, so that there is no cartridge for the firing pin to strike) many people are paranoid about doing this. I'm not going to try to tackle that particular debate.

.45 Auto Snap Caps.

Snap Caps are a swell little product. These are machined, correct size for caliber, aluminum anodized dummy rounds that serve a couple of purposes. For one, they have a polymer "primer" which will take the impact of the firing pin safely, without causing damage. This alleviates the fear of dry firing. Secondly, they allow you to function test the action of the firearm for feeding and ejecting, without the use of live ammunition. Safety is never a bad thing. These rounds feed, load, and eject just like the real thing. Finally, they are great for training purposes where use of live ammo is not desirable. Want to teach your woman how to use a gun, including loading and cycling the action, but live ammo might be dangerous? Have a new gun in the household that everyone needs to get used to before feeding it the boom pills? Snap Caps can do the job smartly. You get around 5 rounds in most calibers, and they have several calibers available. The machining is very good, and the rounds are pretty durable. I've seen a bit of the coating come off my .45 rounds, but that is mostly due to a defective magazine I loaded them into that was grinding them on the rear of the feed lips, and therefore stripping the base of the case. I have since taken the magazine back and have not had any other issues. I've seen prices from $12-$20 for a set, depending on caliber size and location. I've used them for both a .40 and .45, and have family members that use others with the same success. Check them out, you might want to give them a try.

Packaging.

-Owen
Owen McGoogie does not claim or accept any liability from any injuries sustained by individuals upon reading this article. Use product at your own risk. Exercise caution. Safety is your own responsibility.

Feeling Froggy

Thought I'd toss out an update on the old Frogg Toggs. I've had a chance to use the whole suit now, since we got slapped around by hurricane Isaac recently, and other than that, have had the typical summer showers down here. I've used just the jacket on more than one occasion, either with the hood over a ball cap, or with the hood stowed and my boonie hat. I'm happy to report that the suit kept me nice and dry on all occasions. It does breathe fairly well, although on a muggy, hot, humid day, you will not be overly happy about wearing it, but if the rain cools things down a bit as it falls, you will actually get more comfortable in the suit.

UltraLite 2 suit.

It has worked so well in fact, that I recently picked up another suit for my camping/emergency pack. I grabbed the more compact and lightweight UltraLite 2 set. It packs up super small, and weights a paltry 12 oz. I'm not sure if this suit will be as durable as my original set, but it is for emergencies, etc. so I doubt it will get the use and abuse to kill it off any time soon. It features alot of the same innovations as the full blown suit, and is much lighter than vinyl rain gear for the same affordable price. If you are looking for an inexpensive and light set of rain gear, I'd recommend these in a heartbeat. Maybe I'll have an update on them soon too, who knows?


-Owen

Charged

Here's a quick tip for your camping/Bug out Bag. You will likely have something in your pack that runs on batteries. If nothing else, your emergency flashlight will likely run on batteries, as will your emergency radio, unless both have the hand crank option to power them. While the manual crank is a great idea and keeps you from needing batteries, it's a good idea to keep some in your bag.

Battery bundles labeled for size, with storage bag.

Start with freshly bought batteries with a long shelf life; these will likely be stored for a while before they are used, so you want to make sure you get super mileage right outta the gate. To keep them stored safely and organized, bundle them together in small groups. Bundles of 8 to 10 for AAA, 4  to 6 for AA, pairs of  9V, etc. work very well. Tape them together in a tight pack with masking or painters tape. A few wraps side to side and top to bottom will do the job. The point here is to keep the batteries tightly together so they don't roll around and get lost, and also to protect the contacts from touching metal and draining the cell down while it is stored. Then label the sides of the pack with a permanent black marker to designate what size the batteries are.

Finally, take the entire lot and put them into a freezer type zip up plastic bag, making sure to squeeze all the air you can out of the bag as you seal it up. You may even want to put some silica desiccant packets in the zipper bag just to soak up any moisture that wanders in. Label the zipper bag with the month and year you packed the batteries up, roll it up into as small a shape as you can, and stow it in your pack in a water resistant place. All done.

All ears

When dealing with firearms, safety is important. We're not just talking pointing the gun in a safe direction here. While I won't go into all of them in this article, there are dozens of things that need to be upheld for total safety, including hearing protection.

On the edge

If you own any kind of knife, whether it be a toy or tool, weapon or eating utensil, you will need to keep it sharp. Otherwise, it won't do its job. Now I realize that the "art" of knife edge sharpening, to the average person, is a terrifying concept, or a process that gets neglected in its entirety. Truth is, it's not that hard nowadays, with all the great sharpening systems out there.
I'm not going to get into all the whiz-bang super duper high-tech multi-edge sharpening systems that are out there, not for this article. Instead, I want to keep it simple for you, since some of you have never tried to sharpen any of your knives before at all. If you fall into this category, especially if you don't know how to do it, read on.

Soaking dry.

Crack. Boom.

I don't really mind the rain, usually. For a while this year, in the early part of the summer, we were strangely devoid of rainfall where I live in southern Mississippi. A humid state most days, we get pretty decent rain at the onset of summer, but this year we damn near went through a drought. When the rains finally did come, it was like something out of a Discovery Channel African safari land documentary! The rain cools things down for a while, till the water begins to steam up and make everything muggy and more humid. It keeps the grass green, although I don't wan't my grass growing anymore once I cut it. And I love the sound of a good thunderstorm; puts me right to sleep nearly every time. Sometimes just standing in the beginning patter of a light rain is just what the soul needs to recharge. Sometimes.

Stick the pig...

Now, I'm no "authority" when it comes to bladed instruments, tools, or weapons, but I love a good pig sticker. I've got more that a few knives that I use everyday as tools, and rotate out on occasion as my EDC (every day carry) piece. I also like to keep a longer bladed tool on my Bug Out Bag/Camping bag. Hell, I may have even more sharp shineys that I haven't even mentioned, you never know....

Commentary

Just a quick note for those of  you out there that actually come here and read this filth. Feel free to leave comments or questions on any of the articles here. I think I have it left completely unlocked at the moment, so fire away, but please keep a civil tongue in your head. Questions, comments, suggestions, etc. are all welcome for now. Lemme know what you are thinking, and have a great day.

-Owen

They turned into canoes.

Where I live, in southern Mississippi, it is pretty hot and humid. During the summer, we have a weather pattern of very rainy days. We get into a spell of daily "pop up" showers, usually between 4 and 5pm, short lived, that dump a decent amount of water, and then cease. The after effects, since the sun comes right back out with mighty vengeance, is a hot, humid, steamy afternoon with wet roads and grass. This year, for some reason, the rainy streak was late. Very, very late. We damn near had a drought condition upon us, and then, the proverbial bottom fell out. Last count had fourteen, count em-fourteen consecutive days of rain, showers, and soul-blasting, turd-floating, frog-strangling, ark-sinking volleys of dihydrogen monoxide. That's hard rain for a bloody fortnight folks. We have had more flash floods in the last two weeks than we get in an average year around here. I touch on this in another article about rain gear, so I'll get around to the point.

I have been wearing my New Balance sneakers this summer, as my waterproof 5 year old work boots don't breathe well, and I wanted to keep my feet from getting all sweaty and uncomfortable. Except that they keep getting wet from all the rain, since the shoes are almost like tissue paper as far as water repelency goes. So, I decided to just break out the old work boots so that my feet would stay mostly dry.
Around 9:30 this particular morning the rain decides to come down, and my new rain jacket is keeping me nice and happy (read:dry) during the downpour. I'm fetching things from the work truck, in no particular hurry since I'm now impervious to waters' wetting effects. After slogging back towards the building I was working in, through the pond that used to be the parking lot, I paused under an overhang out of the rain for a moment. Before I hit the threshold of the door, I noticed my feet were very cold. Then I heard the unmistakable squishing soggy sound of soaked socks. My boots, feet, socks, and very soul were waterlogged.
Having not had rain for a while, and having not worn the boots since the heat showed up this year, I got to find out the hard way that "waterproof" was no longer listed on their resume. The combination of years of hard wear on the leather, cracks along where the sole meets the boot, and various cuts, gashes, scrapes, and punctures were enough to make the boots pretty porous. Hooray for our side. I also had to replace the insoles or inserts or whatever the hell they are called inside the boots last season, as mine were worn through, with a pair of Dr. Scholl's gel thingies, which don't really fit right. But I can deal.

It took forever to get things back to a tolerable state, given my conditions and workload. I couldn't exactly go barefoot in a doctors office with a remodel going on, while my boots and socks slowly dried over the campfire in the corner of the new X-ray room. It just figured that the day I finally decided to get the boots back out, to protect me from the water, would be the day they failed me. I haven't been able to laugh about the situation yet, I'm still too pissed about having to shell out cabbage for a new pair of uber-sealed work boots, and from having to break in the new boots. I hate breaking boots in.
At any rate, the old boots are still fit for yard work, random chores, and riding the bike with, so I'll give them a chance to redeem themselves. I guess the takeaway here for me is to check my boots if I put them away for a time. Hmmmm.

-Owen

Want some juice this morning?

As my bike sat up this past winter, when it was too cold for my skinny ass to go riding, something happened. Slowly, I think, the little electrical heart of my beloved Harley faded away, heading towards the light.
The first warm-ish day we had, and I went outside to fire the old girl up and let her run for a good while, and I was rewarded with the click of death. Dead battery. Oh well. I can't complain too much, as the battery was six years old, and was the original that came with the bike from the factory. Having said that, I wasn't willing to shell out the huge fee for an official HD replacement. I know, I'm a bad Harley owner, ooooo. Sue me.

I made a trip to my local auto parts store, told the guy behind the counter my make, model, and year, and gave him a little description of the battery as I could see it from outside the bike. He hemmed and hawed over which size to fetch, and finally settled on the right one, which he had in stock. He brought it up front, and rang me up for a good deal less than the HD shop could do for me. Sorry boys. I took the cell home, broke out the sockets, and took off the side panel from the bike. Following standard battery removal instructions and procedures, I removed the cables in the right order, failed to electrocute myself with a dead cycle battery (hey, don't doubt I could do this), and pulled it out of the bike without too much trouble.

When I opened the box for the new cell, I noticed the trouble. The new battery was about 10% bigger than the old one. Great. So I run it back to the store, explain the issue, and get it swapped for the actual, real-deal, true and correct size for my specific bike, no fooling. I haul that thing home, and proceed to try to put it in. It fit no sweat at all, but was impossible to wire up to the battery cables. This was because the positive and negative terminals were completely positioned wrong on the battery. A grand master of Feng Shui with a Ph.D. in contortion, blessed by the Buddha himself, could not have pulled this off. So, I take it back to the store, again, and try to get the battery built the right way round. Of course, I still haven't learned to bring the old battery with me for reference, cause I'm a genius. Alas, this particular, specific, exact battery is not in stock, and will have to be ordered from another store. I try not to growl too loudly, lest the poor sap behind the counter thinks it's wrongly aimed at him. Just like with a gun, I'm always careful where I aim my growls, and I don't point 'em at someone unless I plan to use it on them. Moving on. The battery will be showing up in about three days time. Fair enough.


When I finally go get the new, correct size and shape cell, and get it home, all looks to be right. I get the cables bolted back on the right way, and then comes the hell of trying to thread the negative cable back through the frame, towards the top of my crankcase, without actually letting the cable touch the frame at all, which is a big no-no for some explosive fuel reason. I finally had to wrap the end of the cable in the plastic baggy the battery came in, just to maintain some kind of control and insulation over the damn thing. I finally got it situated and bolted the damn thing down to the case. The positive wire was so easy it doesn't bear mentioning, really.

I got everything tightened properly and bolted back together, and turned on the gas. The bike turned right over, and once the fuel was in the carb, she purred to life. Well, maybe there was a wet cough and sputter or two, and some hacking maybe but the bike was running again! I hope you enjoyed hearing this tale as much as I enjoyed going through it, it's another thing I wish I had documented with photos. Maybe one day I'll learn. Yeah, prolly not.

-Owen

New posts

No, I haven't forgotten about the site. I've just been very busy lately, and it can take a while to get an article ready. I also usually like to get a good backlog of content worked up, which takes even longer. I'm working on several posts currently, so look for new stuff in the coming weeks. Thanks for hanging in there.

-Owen

Round and round?

Not too long ago, my garbage disposal, a device I'm not entirely familiar with, decided to shit the bed. I've only lived in two places that had a disposal, and I was never accustomed to their use, so, as you'd imagine, I mostly ignore them. However, a while back I went to use the bloody thing, and it refused. It made a hum, nothing more. Now I know this contraption is supposed to spin up. No such effort. Something was wrong. Realizing that I don't know jack about these things, I decided to do what any man in my position would do: let the landlord fix it. But then I got to thinking...

What little I do know about these infernal things involves the spinning, or lack thereof that I mentioned, and that lack of spinning is caused by something getting stuck in the mechanism. I keep seeing images from movies where someone reaches down inside for a wedding ring, and the device whirls to life, chewing up the limb in no time flat! I put my hand down there anyway, cause I'm intelligent like that. I decided to man up, use my mechanical prowess, and fix it or die trying. I couldn't feel anything alien, because the whole innards were alien to me. Time to get creative. 

I grabbed one of my super flashlights, and went back at it. This time, I saw what I thought was the culprit. A very small, very thin stamped aluminum measuring spoon. I think it was the one marked "1/2 flea spoon" it was so small. It was just thick enough to get wedged in the workings. Confident of my repair job, I flipped the switch and was rewarded with nothing whatsoever. No hum. No spin. No centrifugal choppity death. Zip. Arright. I made another, more intensive pass with the flashlight and my hand. Nothing I could detect. My Sherlock-sense began to tingle as I caught a glimpse of my breaker panel in the laundry room, while twisting in a most unnatural way to dig around the hellish mouth of this whirligig of death. Hmm...breakers...

I pulled out my hand, while it was still whole, and proceeded to check under the sink. I probed and examined the device, looking for a fuse or breaker switch to replace or reset. What luck! I found a reset button for the internal fuse breaker deal, and gave it an arrogant push. It clicked with satisfaction. Back to the control switch I went, careful to keep me mitts and tools away from the disposal. Damn, the hum was back, but no blade spinning action to be found. Was the thing just trashed from it's recent diet of metal cutlery? Not on my watch. Medic!

At this point, I'm pretty damned committed. It's busted, and I can't see as I can bust it any more than it already is. So I'm hell bent for leather, and start looking as to how this piece of junk is held under the sink. I'm gonna just take the damn thing apart. I figure out how to remove the drain pipe from the sink plumbing, and get the lock collar loose from the sink itself up top. A few grunts and heaves later, and I have this heavy bastard in my lap, unplugged from the AC outlet, just in case Alfred Hitchcock has any ideas. Now that I have the thing loose, I can really see down inside the grinder, and lo and behold, what do my eyes see? Another damn measuring spoon. Same make and model as the first, different size though. Even smaller. I think it must be used to measure something like fingernail clippings from bacteria. At any rate, I pry the thing out with a pair of pliers, remove my hands, plug her back up, and give it a go. After a second or so of the old humming noise, the disposal spun to life! Granted, there was a bit of fuss, but it smoothed out right quick. 

I smiled, mentally patted myself on the back for being such a bad ass, and put it all back together. The right way even. I fired up the hot water out of the tap, flipped the switch, and let it purr away for about 60 seconds or so to really get things flushed out. It's worked like a champ since then.

While you may not think much of this, I was blown away that I was able to jump on this, something I knew next to nothing about, and muddled my way through fixing this appliance without having to call in a pro. It was a good day for me. I wish like hell I had taken pictures.

-Owen

I like a bikini.

A buddy of mine recently showed me something he picked up online. He was so convinced that I'd want one, that he let me borrow it for one week to try it out. He was right, the bastard.

The Micro in Khaki.

I had already looked briefly at the Maxpedition Micro Wallet, but you can only get so much info on it from a web site, and, well, the damn thing is pretty frikkin simple to begin with. It's described as the "bikini" of wallets, because it's hardly there. There's nothing to it. You get a window for your ID, and 3 "card slots" total for your cards and/or cash. That's it. Period. 

It measures a measly 4.5" by 3" and is made of 1000 Denier nylon, which is described as "water and abrasion resistant ballistic nylon." Whatever...it can take a ruddy beating, for damn sure. The little thing even has a Teflon coating to keep the muck off it, and triple polyurethane coating to repel water. How low maintenance is that??

Just enough room.

This is a great wallet for the person who doesn't need or want a big bulky affair that can carry the library of congress inside. If you want to tote your ID, CCW permit, debit card, and a little cash on you, and that's it, then this is the puppy for you. You hardly even notice you have it on you, which can be good and bad at the same time. I used to suffer with my bulky, albeit empty wallet in my back pocked on a longish drive in the work truck. Again, the princess and the pea syndrome that I suffer from. The beauty of this little, um, er, beauty is that you can stow it in a front pocket no-problem, and that helps you keep track of it on roll call, without it getting in the way. Secure with a small footprint, what's not to love?

While some folks have complained about too much slack in the ID window, I haven't had any problems. I have an insurance card behind my ID in there, but even before I did that I had no issues. My license stayed put just fine. 


My friend was right, I've ordered mine already. Should be here by the time this post goes up. Course, at that point, I will get nervous. People will finally have a reason to steal my wallet, despite the fact that it's empty-it will actually be worth something.


Overall, if you are looking for a super thin, super small, bare-bones wallet that can take a hell of a beating, this is the one for you. Best part is, you can get them for around $10 plus shipping.

-Owen

Wardrobe malfunction.

Recently I had to go buy some clothes for work, as my old ones were getting too small or too worn out. It seems to come in spurts and waves, fits and starts. I'll lose three pairs of pants in the same week, and then wind up needing four shirts six months later. I work in the service industry. The kind of work I do varies, but it can be thought of as light to medium duty construction type stuff most days. When I first started with the company, I made the mistake of wearing normal type clothes. Sneakers, tee shirts, blue jeans. Nuh-uh.


I finally figured out that I was not dressing for the occasion. Prematurely wearing out jeans didn't clue me in right away. Getting less than ideal mileage out of shoes wasn't a tip-off. I'm slow sometimes, what can I say. So years ago I figured out, "you are working for a living, you should probably wear work clothes, dummy."


For those of you that think that work wear is just overpriced clothing aimed at folks who want to look rugged or butch, don't be so hasty. In my experience, work wear is designed of much more sturdy materials, and designed for heavier use and abuse. Here are some things to look for and keep in mind about heavy duty work wear if you are in the market.


Cotton duck-this is one of your best friends. Basically canvas, this stuff is hellaciously tough, fairly lightweight, and used in everything from pants to jackets to tool bags. Easy to care for and break in.


Insulation-sometimes your work is not in a comfy office. Having good insulation to keep you warm is a good idea, just make sure it won't strangle the life out of you if you happen to venture inside for a few minutes while wearing it. I personally like to layer up. I use a few layers of lightweight to medium insulation under my jacket. If I get too hot, I just start peeling off layers.


Jackets-the good old fashioned work jacket can not be praised enough. It is protection on so many levels. Protection from sharp objects on a job site, protection from cold, protection from sparks and metal shavings, protection from the rain. Hell, I've even sat on mine on a hot-ass roof once.


Work-pants. From carpenter pants, to painters jeans, to dungarees etc. Good work pants made of solid materials with tough stitching will keep you comfortable, protected, hold your tools, and last for years. Don't forget to check out the belt loops, make sure they are up to the job. Don't want your pants bailing out on you halfway through the job.


Boots. You will likely be on your feet all day, so comfortable footwear is important. Picking up a quality pair of long lasting, purpose built work boots will keep your feet happier, which has more effect on the soul than most realize. Make sure you give proper consideration to the type of work you will be doing in them. Get a tread pattern that will best serve your environment. Get insulated boots if you will be in cold weather alot. Get moisture-wicking, breathable, or sweat friendly boots if your feet like to drown your footwear. You might also want to consider waterproof, although this can reduce the chances that the boots will breathe worth a damn. Warm, dry, non-achy feet are worth a million schmuckers. 


This is just a basic simple list, but overall you should consider some of the more purpose built work wear if you do any type of contractor/construction/service work. Durable and comfortable work clothes will pay for themselves.




-Owen

Power!!

Power tools. Fun to use, they help the working man or do-it-yerselfer get the job done a little quicker, hopefully with a little less effort. I love my power tools. I use them almost every day at work, and could not get by without them.

I've always been partial to DeWalt tools. I like the design, function, features, durability, and reputation they build into their products. In 1999, I bought my first DeWalt cordless drill, a wimpy little 9.6 volt. In 2004, I picked up a little corded 1/4 sheet sander. Since coming to work for my current company, I've acquired a sawzall, drills, and an impact driver. All of the latter are of the cordless variety.

These tools have been babied. They have also been abused. They have seen light duty, and the worst of job sites. While I generally take very good care of my belongings, tools are just gonna get roughed up. They should be made for it. DeWalt might not be the tippy top of the tool world, but they make some pretty damn tough tools, with some nice little whistles and bells, for not too much money, in the grand scheme of things.

If you are in the market for a new power tool, consider the following before making your purchase.

1. Budget. Checking out a $600 circular saw does you no good whatsoever if your budget is $70. First figure out what you can spend comfortably. Then, after going over the rest of this list, if the tools in your range are falling short, bump up your budget and save up some more dough. 

2. Corded or cordless? Will you need to take the tool places where you won't have an A/C outlet? If so, and you go cordless, make sure you stock up on charged batteries. If you aren't near an A/C outlet, your charger won't be either. This also applies if you just want to go with cordless for the hell of it.

3. Brand. This may or may not matter to you up front. Make sure to do some research, get a little familiar with the brands in your budget range. Unless you like tossing your moolah out the window, go with a reputable brand with durability.

4. Icing. This will likely influence the brands you look at. Consider what toys you want/need on the tool. LED illuminators, belt hooks, bit holders, four position blade clamps, pivoting heads, self-sealing stem bolts, whatever tickles your pickle.

5. Accessories/Kit/Finish. What goodies come with your new tool? A bag or hard case? Charger and batteries? Bits/blades? What goodies will you need to buy? Keep these in mind when working up a budget. A gun's no good without ammo. Make sure that the doodads you grab are designed for the job, and will take years of punishment.

6. TOOL. Lastly, make sure you are looking at the right tool for the job. A cordless screwdriver is worthless for drilling. A hammer drill is overkill for putting plates on a lightswitch. Most decent hardware/home improvement stores will have at least one knowledgeable tool guy. If you see a grizzled old feller with more callouses than hair, that's your guy to go to for tool advice.

-Owen

If you build it...

they might not come. If you are building a house, or thinking about building a house, contractor-friendliness may be a key component you have overlooked. 

Don't just be concerned with the dwelling's interaction with contractor-types while it's being built. You also need to consider down the road, several years later when you want to add your frangible whoseewhatzit or wire for a oscillating framus. Walls that are impossible to fish wire within after completion of the house are no good. An attic that is the bane of electricians is to be avoided.

Keep in mind, a house that isn't installer friendly will cost you more money. Longer install times, aggravation fees (where applicable), and difficulty finding a willing company to do the work in the first place are all possible.

Wide open attics with walkways, walls that are easy to run wire in, windows and doors that are serviceable, framing that is pipe-friendly. All gigantic plus signs. Just sayin.

-Owen

Belly laugh.

I enjoy some good stand-up comedy every once in a while. Normally, when something is funny to me, I don't really laugh, per se. I maybe sort of sniff loudly and chuckle. It's brief, but very noticeable. On occasion however, someone gets me to actually, really, fully guffaw. Not because I am some sort of stiff or comedy stuck-up. I just have a jacked-up laugh protocol. Point is, if I am bellowing and cramping and pissing myself, you will likely be put in a coma. Recently, I was flipping through Netflix, looking in the stand-up section, and found some new stuff, well, new to me anyways. So I thought I'd share with you some of the comedians that I find funny. (This means you should check them out.)


Dana Gould. Apparently, he writes for The Simpsons, but is also a stand-up comic. Very funny and original. His timing/expressions are impeccable.


Tom Wilson. Played Biff in the Back to the Future Movies. This is one funny hombre. He can play guitar and sing, gets very animated on stage, and is family friendly.


Lewis Black. Oh man, this guy is one of the best insane "ranters" I've seen in a long while. FYI, I use the term "ranter" to describe guys like Dennis Leary or Dennis Miller, or anyone else named Dennis, apparently.


Patton Oswalt. Genius. Alcoholic. Nerd.


The Amazing Johnathan. Part magician, part comic, all entertainment. More than worth it.


Eddie Izzard. Duh.


Carlin. Super-duh.


Louis C.K. Very funny guy. Original, but "everyman" at the same time.


Christopher Titus. Brilliant all around. I've watched a few of his acts, and this guy gets me to actually laugh loudly for several minutes. Repeatedly. Any of his stuff is extremely funny.


Stephen Lynch. Folk/kids songs gone horribly, horribly wrong. Probably one of the most original in a long while. Super talented, demented, timing is spot on. NOT family friendly. At all. Ever.


There are more that I wish I remembered at the moment, I'll append the list as I remember/discover them.


-Owen

Are you screwed?

It can be hard sometimes. Screwing, I mean. I mean, dammit, screwing a screw into something that needs screwing a screw into! Mind outta the gutter folks.


Sometimes that screw just doesn't want to cooperate, no matter how much you cuss and hiss and spit. Turns out, it may not be the fastener, it may be your choice of bit! I'll wait for the gasps and murmurs to die down. Compose yourself, you lot!


Now, if you have the unfortunate luck of dealing with the cursed slotted screw, or "flathead" as it is sometimes called (for obvious reasons) then you are pretty much shit out of luck. Move into the 21st century with the rest of us. Mr. Graham Bell will forgive you. I promise.


If you are using a Phillips head, like most of the sane, free world, you are in luck. Let's say you are using, for example, a drywall (or sheetrock) screw. You are having trouble getting it to go into the drywall, or wood, or plywood that you are working with. The bit keeps skipping and hopping around the screw head all day long, while you round the head out and make the fastener useless.


Or perhaps you are unlucky enough to have a Phillips head self-tapping screw, rather than the hex head that a rational man, a man who knows what he is doing, would use. Get a hex head driver and some screws, you buffoon, this isn't the dark ages. Ahem. To continue...if you are using a Phillips head self-tapping screw, and it just keeps popping off your bit, falling down past your 12 foot ladder to go "pink pink terpink" on the floor, never to be seen again, we might have a solution for you.

#2Reduced bit on the left.

Most Phillips head screws are of the #2 size. Which is OK, except when you are trying to actually drive them, in which case, it's impossible. If you try a Phillips #2 REDUCED bit, you will have much better success. These can usually be picked up individually or in packs at hardware stores for around $1.00 each. The bit is a tiny bit smaller in overall diameter, and focuses more on the actuall, uh...."bitty" part of the bit, the bit that bites on the screw head that cooperates with the bit of the bit that, oh for Pete's sake. 

It grabs on to the screw in a more positive fashion, with much less wiggle and play. The result is more traction, much less screw wobbling, and a faster sink on the fastener. I've even had success using these bits with drywall screws and no guide sleeve, into wood no less. 


If you are having the bit-hopping woes, take a look at something simple like bit size versus screw type. It is a very often overlooked, minor but important detail of fastener work. Hell, I've been as guilty of it as anyone. Hope this helps, and happy screwing! You filthy beast....

Closeup of #2 Reduced, on left.

Going blind.

It seems that we are losing sight of something important in this country: the working man.


I'm not really sure when it was, exactly, that working hard for a living (read:manual labor) became a sin. We have been focusing on, preaching the value and necessity of a "four year degree" for so long now, with such zeal and fervor, that we have neglected a very valuable and needed section of our workforce. Think about it; if everyone went to college, got a degree, became an architect or doctor, lawyer or chemist, who would do the work?


Who is going to collect your garbage weekly? Who will install your satellite? Who's gonna fix that garbage disposal or running toilet? Who will you call when your roof starts leaking, or when you need a new light fixture in the nursery? Who will build the grain silos that hold feed for the cattle we eat? Who will raise those cattle? Who will farm the corn, potatoes, wheat, carrots, cabbage and greens that go so well with them thar beefs?


Who will repair our cars? Who then will sew our clothes together, and dye them such wonderful colors? Who will assemble our HD televisions and Blu-ray players? Who will paint our houses, pave our streets, put up billboards? Who will keep the water flowing at the pumping station, keep the gas coming at the petrol station? Who will keep the damn lights on??


While there is something to be said for the "four year degree" careers, they aren't for everyone. Not everyone is cut out for college. And it's a good thing too, or the world would stop turning, literally. No gas at the pump, no juice at the A/C plug, no water at the tap, no sewage flushing down the toilet, no fries with that burger.


We seriously need a revival in support of the skilled tradesman. Welders, carpenters, mechanics, air conditioning repairmen, electricians, etc. Mike Rowe, of Discovery Channel fame, recently went before congress to make this very observation and plea to support more "Dirty Jobs." You should watch it. And then thank a tradesman, before we become extinct.




-Owen

Ahhhhhhhh....

There aren't many things out there that feel as warm and fuzzy as a new pair of socks. You know the feeling, when they are at their best, their cushiest, best fitting. I love the feeling, especially when you go from a worn thin pair to the new ones. Heaven.


I recently decided to give some extra thought to my choice in foot underwear, rather than just pick up the same old. Now, I'm one of those people that hates a thick, cumbersome seam anywhere on my socks. It's like the Princess and the Pea, times a million. Especially in my work boots. Perhaps it's the way I walk, roll my feet, or maybe I just have overly sensitive feet, but regular socks with pronounced seams just seem to twist on my feet somewhere during the day, and I get a nasty ball-up under my big toe, right under the bone, and a large amount of pain and discomfort. So I learned a few years ago to put a little more thought into socks. I usually go with some of Hanes cushion socks, with their nifty "hardly-there" type seams. These are pretty damn comfortable, affordable, and last for a while, your mileage may vary. 

Best. Socks. EVER.

Last trip to "the store" I checked out everything they had. I was wondering if I could find something a little more sturdy, with more cushion, or at least thicker. I also wanted to try to find something with moisture wicking, as my feet have suddenly decided to sweat like a whore in church, no matter how cold it is inside/outside. I came across several different flavors of "work socks," but decided to try out some Dickies work socks. Sweet. Fancy. Moses. These are the most comfortable socks, not just work socks, any socks, I've ever worn. The cushioning is very, very nice, without being bulky. The heel and toe are reinforced without giving up comfort. The seams are, uh, seamless. Flat. Glorious. They have "compression" areas, just fancy talk for spandexy or elastic like areas of the sock that keep it in place. It works, when you wear these things inside a work boot all day, they really stay in place. No rolling, no turning, no bloody slipping down. The ventilation works really well, so the socks breathe easy. Not so sure yet on the moisture wicking, as my idiotic Hobbit feet tend to sweat even more in new socks, like they are nervous and concious of needing to keep up with the performance of the new gear. Morons. 


I think, given footwear that will breathe appropriately, they would do a good job of keeping your feet dry. Granted, these are not the most high tech of hoof skivvies, so I'm not expecting a miracle of the Sahara. 


So if you are thinking about upgrading your footwear, you might want to give these a go. So far, I'm sold on em.


All this has also (my wallet thanks my brain, Oh-so-much) brought to my attention the fact that I've neglected the respiratory and perspiratory systems of my work boots, which are apparently severely lacking. So I may need to look into a replacement set without the asthmatic clammy-sweats. That's a topic for another day.


-Owen

F.A.Q.

Since the change to the site, there may be a few questions floating out there. I'll try to answer them here.

Q: How do I get in contact with you?
A: You can leave a comment here, or reach me at my super secret email address.

Q: Well? What IS your super secret email address??
A: Oh, right. Nineteen eleven (but the numbers, not the spelled out words) owen at geeemail followed by dot com. All one word, no spaces. Not dumb enough to just write it here for the spam bots to find. Besides, think how proud of yourself you'll feel when you figure how to actually write it!

Q: Why the big change? 

A: Well, for the longest time, the site was disjointed. There was no common theme at all, no regular content updates, no real meat at all. There was no focus or purpose. Now I think there is.

Q: Are you trying to make some kind of statement with the site? 

A: Nope. I'm just putting up my opinion on various things. That and it's a logbook, like it says. It is a blog, you know.

Q: Are you in the military? It sure looks like you are tying to make it seem like you are in the military. 

A: No. I am not currently, nor have I ever been in the employ of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. I have never worked for, or in conjunction with any branch of our military. I do support them, and I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for our Service personnel, and pray for their safety. They inspire me, and protect the freedom that grants me the way of life that I enjoy so much and hold so dear. I would never do them the disservice of "pretending" to be in the Armed Forces. I'm just a patriotic person.

Q: Are you trying to start political arguments? 

A: Hell no. I'm not interested in getting into political arguments on the internet. Don't even try it. You have your view, I have mine. Let's leave it at that and play nice, yeah? :)

Q: Can I send you doodad-x or gizmo-y for you to review? 

A: Sure, that'd be swell. Especially if it's a product type that I'm already interested in. However, I'm not into doing "fluff" reviews, i.e. doing a review that compensates me in some way or will send the item for review only if I give a positive review of the product or service. I'm not for sale. Having said that, I really don't review something if I don't have a positive view on it. No sense wasting time.

Q: Wow, it looks like you are spending a ton on all the things you feature or review here. You must be rich!
A: Actually, a good bit of the stuff that I review, unless I specifically say I bought it, is either a loaner or test unit. I borrow stuff from buddies, and as evaluation units from companies on the rare occasion. What I do buy I save, scrimp, and find a drastic sale for. I also do a good bit of "horse trading" to swap something I don't need anymore for something I do need or want. Trust me, I'm not a rich man.

Q: Are you a gun nut? 

A: No. I am a firearm enthusiast. Always have been. I got it honest from my old man, who is also a firearm enthusiast, and a retired LEO. And former firearms safety instructor. And hunter. And Captain of the PD Pistol Team. I am also a firm believer in, and supporter of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. 

Q: Are you some kinda "end of the world" nut? 

A: Again, no. I am interested in the art of survival, and also in disaster preparedness. I also like camping. So, combine these interests, and this is what you get. Having been through hurricane Katrina, and being very, very poorly prepared for it has altered my mindset to a degree. Preparing for a disaster or emergency doesn't mean I expect or hope for one. Anyone who does might have a loose screw or two, but to each his own.

Q: Do you have something against people who work "behind a desk" for a living? 

A: Absolutely not. It takes all manner of working folk to make the world turn. Right now, I "work behind a desk." I do, however, have something against the mentality that everyone needs to get a four year degree in a professional employment capacity such as architecture or physical therapy. College ain't for everyone, and someone has to come pick up the trash, unclog the toilet, etc. Nothing wrong with breaking a sweat to earn a living.

Q: Why don't you use your real name on here?
A: First of all, this is the world wide intarwebs. That should be answer enough. Second of all, I am a somewhat private person, so I like a little bit of anonymity. In addition, I want to be able to separate myself to a degree from what goes on here, and not have it completely govern my life. These are my thoughts, not my boundaries. 

Q: Who is your hero?
A: My Dad. The greatest compliment anyone could ever pay me would be to look me straight in the eye and tell me, "You're just like your father." That would make my day. He's the benchmark I try to shape my life by, the guy I try to be like and that I look up to. If I've become half the man he is by the time I check out of this old world, I'll be right proud.

Q: How can I get in contact with you?
A: Well, you can either drop me a comment on one of my posts with your question and/or info, or you can reach me at my email address.

Q: Where are some of the old posts? There used to be more, some with videos...
A: Some of those are gone, deleted, or permanently archived. Some have been taken down for one reason or another and may be put back up later on. The short version is that they either don't really fit with the site anymore, or the video was lost when Google got Blogger and the built-in video player was changed. Another site I was using to host some of the videos also shut down, so the posts were removed since they were useless. 

Q: What makes you an expert on any of this?? 

A: Not a damn thing. I never said I was an expert. My old man used to ask me, "You know the definition of an expert? Well, break it down. 'X' is the unknown, we learn in algebra. And a 'spurt' is a drip under pressure. Therefor, an 'expert' is an unknown drip under pressure."

Q: Did you really expect us to read down this far? 

A: Shit no! Are you really still here? Wow, I'm not sure if I'm flattered, or...

Q: Is there anything else useful in this thing? 

A: Uh....

Q: Hello? Is this thing on? 

A: [crickets]

Update-a-pated...er...something.

The site will soon be changing. Expect a new view, a new sound, and new perspective. Expect to see some previous posts disappear into the ether. Some of the old ones may stick around. Who knows?

I hope that what we will bring you will appeal to you, and you will enjoy the change. If you do, tell a friend about the site. If not, well, it's a big internet out there. :D

-Owen

Travel Log Part 1

I should have known. I have the worst luck ever. Some people have told me that I have the luck of Job. My fiancee and I decided that since we had never taken a vacation anywhere together, and neither of us have actually taken a vacation in years, that it was high time to rectify the situation.

Of course our trip would have hiccups. Started off that way. Thankfully, I've learned to just laugh most of it off. Makes you appreciate it more when shit goes your way, right?

On the short trip to board our dogs, the new puppy got nervous and decided to drop ass in the car. He left us a little present in between the seat and console that we had to pull over and take care of. Yay. After that, finally underway.

We went to the Battleship Park in Mobile, AL, where the U.S.S. Alabama battleship is on display, first. We had a blast, the sub U.S.S. Drum is especially awesome. I could spend an entire day just on the submarine. The battleship is nice too, but it was too hot to climb around inside that behemoth. We got some great video and photos all over the park, dispite the windy conditions. We got there a little late, and only had about 2 hours to tour the whole place, so we had to move at a good clip, and missed some things, but had a great experience overall.

When we left we were starving, so we decided hit up an interesting looking little joint called Felix's that we passed on the way in. It has a very distinct look about it. The food was very good as well, they focus on seafood and it was done very well. Nice atmosphere inside, but a stark contrast to the exterior of the building. You'll see what I mean when the pictures are up.

When we got back to the parking lot after dinner, we saw disaster in the making. An extremely nasty storm was rolling in. True to our luck, this bastard was heading the same direction as we were, so we decided to pass on the fun park in Orange Beach and make straight for the hotel in Pensacola. Good thing too, the storm is intense, and turns out we are a little tired.

Tomorrow we plan to hit the Naval Aviation Museum, and see what else we can get into, weather permitting. Fingers crossed. More later...

-Owen