Tuesday, June 26, 2018

gear queer 2 of 2


GEAR QUEERS 2
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Every time you used to read about a survival arsenal ( now, mostly, you watch about on the computer ), it was the same old crap.  Probably advice pilfered from Tappon or Clayton.  Battle rifle, assault rifle, shotgun, pistol and rimfire.  Now, you all know my views of this.  I stick with battle rifle, pistol and rimfire, and the pistol wasn’t obligatory.  What I would question today is why all the extra?  Why do you think you need a half dozen different types of weapon?  Yes, you need extras of each weapon ( One Is None ), because only a damn fool goes into the apocalypse with one single solitary wiz bang wunder weapon.  But you don’t need so many damn different kinds of weapons.

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The biggest issue I have is the perceived need to have both a battle rifle and an assault carbine ( that was my takeaway from the generic HK91 video.  “My primary weapon is the AK-47 but I love my C308” or very similar words ).  Why do you need both?  Well, you indignantly gasp at my obtuseness, obviously I need a close in Spray And Pray and a quasi-sniper for long distance.  Which is usually the excuse folks give for the AR.  “Oh, well, you know it is like super effective out to five hundred yards”.  Okay, so you have the equipment you need to hit further than you can shoot effectively.  Why do you need that thirty caliber? 

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And if you do have that thirty cal, why again did you need the assault carbine?  Since you are a Semi Simian, you don’t just have a bolt action 308 but rather a full on battle rifle.  You already have the means to rapid fire at short or long distances.  Why do you need the carbine?  Well, since carbines allow better handling from less recoil and I can carry more ammo, I need a carbine.  But I need a battle rifle because I need extra punch.  Okay, so how are you going to carry both?  Well, see, you explain, if I’m on patrol I have a carbine and if I’m hunting or sniping I’ll bring my thirty cal.  And if I’m ambushed I have my nifty semi feature.

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So why not just use the battle rifle, period?  Oh, silly, it’s because ammunition is twice as expensive.  Well, okay, how about firing slower, to compensate for the extra recoil and the extra cost?  Oh, Jim, you magnificently coffered moron, I need suppressive and cover fire, and I can only get that with twice the mags and a much faster mag swap time than any of those poorly designed battle rifles can achieve.  Okay, how about having a designated marksman on the team with the battle rifle and others carry the carbines?  Well, of COURSE, then you don’t have magazine and ammunition compatibility!

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But you won’t have that compatibility when it is battle rifle day, will you?  So you might as well all just stick with the carbine.  So why have a battle rifle?  Well, it is for hunting.  Yeh, that’s it!  Hunting.  You need a semi for hunting?  Well, in case I get ambushed, right?  So, why not all just have battle rifles?  Right, suppressive fire.  But then I have to wonder, why can’t you just shoot that unicorn that magically survives the woods being hunted out by day three with a 5.56?  By this point you could give a crap about harvesting meat humanely, right?  Wound it and run it to ground.

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Don’t get me wrong, I think a carbine is crap compared to a battle rifle.  But those are my preferences.  If your preference is a carbine, by all means go for it.  I just have a hard time understanding why you think you need both.  If your terrain is friendly to carbines, why do you need a battle rifle?  And if your terrain calls for longer range, why handicap yourself with a carbine?  Pick ONE.  Having both only delivers a marginal gain, at a very dear cost.  It really falls into Gear Queer territory.  You are just owning a gun to own one.  Don’t you think you should question your ability to master both, when mastering just one is problematic enough? 

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Now, why do you have a shotgun and a pistol, or a shotgun and a carbine, or a carbine and a pistol?  Or all three?  No, one does not do the job of another, but having all three is also not necessary.  If you have a shotgun for heavy forest or an urban environment, why do you need a carbine?  If you are inside the home with a pistol, why do you need the shotgun?  Oh, for better stopping power?  So, why include the pistol?  For backup rounds.  So, why doesn’t a pistol with extra mags not make more sense than a shotgun?  You certainly don’t need a carbine inside, do you?  Oh, that is for firepower.  But, in what house do you have rooms that are longer than your pistols effective range? 

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I’m not arguing a pistol can competently do the job of a shotgun.  I’m asking why you need both when one can do one task really good and the other task adequately.  Isn’t accepting adequate and not carrying extra weight, not worrying about the cost ( mainly in the practice, not the gun purchase itself ) nor the training a good trade-off?  Now, if you did accept all of that, then you just pull out the Sunk Cost theory.  Oh, I already bought it, I might as well keep it and ammo it up and train with it and stockpile for it.  Right?  Well, perhaps.  But wouldn’t it be better to choose your best ones and sell the rest and buy a butt ton of ammo? 

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I know, I’m just like you.  I bought a revolver thinking I needed it and I haven’t sold it.  Mainly because an ex stepbrother in law ( is that a thing? ) Christmas gifted me 800 rounds of 38 and I already owned two hundred of 357, so I figured the gun was ammo-upped and it just didn’t seem worth getting rid of.  I won’t be wearing it on patrol, however.  Mainly it is just a bedside gun ( which, realistically, can almost be handled with a knife and dog ). 

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I’m sure you have similar stories on guns and why you don’t get rid of them.  And as long as you have sufficient ammo for all, I guess it doesn’t matter.  But if I didn’t have thousands of rounds for every firearm I would get rid of that gun unless it is a back-up duplicate ( everyone varies but I‘d stipulate that a thousand per revolver, 3k per semi auto pistol or bolt gun and 6 to 9k per carbine are minimums ).  As I said, I’m marginal on the AR at much distance, so the accuracy is lost on me.  I can’t shoot shotguns for crap ( mainly due to lack of rifle sites ) so I got rid of that.  I got bottom of the barrel SKS’s so those were no loss ( can‘t hit dingus ).

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It is painful to get rid of a gun ( strangely, I didn’t weep over dropping the 45 from my arsenal, but that got me here in a much better location so it was a exponential gain ).  It will be more painful to not have enough ammunition for the guns you do have.  Nut up, make the sacrifice and trade excess guns for more ammunition.  Stop buying extra guns and buy extra ammo.  Ammo is your Weakest Link.  Plan accordingly.

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47 comments:

  1. Why have a shotgun too. Well , to equip the neighbor/ future tribe member whom have little experience with weapons.
    I'm not a shotty fan either, but am proficient with one and actually own a .410, 20 & 12 guage pumps. The .410 is a break open single with a .22 barrel above it.
    Then too , I'm old and have been collecting good deals a long time.
    My various revolvers , being necessary for the same reasons to serve as backup and spares for those on my team.
    Have a few semi pistols too lol

    I guess that I kinda break the Bison rule of thumb for arms.
    Got the required amount of ammo for each tho heh heh
    And I hate AR's...
    But I have peaked out on the gun thing, nothing out there I want anymore. Until some idjit comes along and offers a deal too good to pass on.??

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    1. I can see your revolvers for another reason, a better reason. Ninja bow hunting/ambush, and you need a firearm for emergency use. Seems like we just talked about that. Is it me or does time fly, even worse than ever? Impatient for the apocalypse, or just hurdling towards the grave? Anyway, I bring it up for minions sake.

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    2. We're all headed for the grave...just Don't want some bastid, deciding when for me to go.

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    3. Spud - you say you've peaked on buying Gats. But do you have anything in 577-450? Because, you know. Zulus

      Martini actions are my current fancy

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    4. I'm amazed at the flood of certain arms in other nations we see nothing of. The Kunucks have Chinese SKS for cheap, and a weird WWII Soviet semi 7.62x54r, for instance.

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    5. Enfield 577-450 is anything but cheap. The one I *really* want is one with Southern Rhodesian Gov markings from 1887. But it costs 105 hours of pay. Then you've got to reload for it because it's an obsolete calibre and the reloading die is 17 hours wages. Then you have to buy brass, 5 shells for 2 hours wages and reloading is a actually a bit more finicky because it's black powder (or so I understand).

      Have you seen the martini enfields in .303? That's got my eye as it fires modern cartridges. There's an artillery carbine available a few hours drive away for 70 hours wages... ouch. That's only 119 years old. LOL

      Seriously though the .303 martini would be an option. Reloading those isn't as fast as a bolt with stripper clip. But it's not slow either. No magazine (or stripper clips) to lose. It takes a bayonet (a big f off one). Solid wood for braining unruly natives. It's just a shame I'm already sunk cost with my Mauser & 30-30.

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    6. Well, there is always a better gun out there, right? Just like a wife. You could always upgrade but it is usually a bad idea and never works out as well as you hope.

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  2. You brushed this a little, but I thought I would emphasize it a little more.

    Why have 4 different types of weapons if you only are good with using one? Like you said, why have a shotgun if you can't hit anything with it. I personally have a fair amount of experience using shotguns and rifles, but very little with sidearms, so while I see a use for one, my need for one is way down on the list. Use what you know how to use. Carbines are another story. Even living in the SE, I want a full powered round. When I hit something, the only thing I want to see a a pair of smoking boots. Not pull the trigger 3 times and they still keep coming

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    1. The M4, when you absolutely have to keep firing into a Skinny for target practice. Still, it IS the defacto long arm, absolutely everywhere, so there is that. But I do share your dislike for the round. I'd rather rely on the Commie Carbine for the stopping power.

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    2. Might be the defacto weapon Jim, but that Doesn't negate its being a POS and just a poodle shooter.
      That marketing stuff works well on the masses eh.

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    3. I look at it as the VHS victory over Betamax. It was a worse choice, but you could now borrow a buddies machine or movies. Or, look at it like domestic beer. Putrid swill, but cheap and everywhere.

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    4. The M1 carbine was another turd. AKs are definitely better, but you still have to send a lot of lead downrange to get the job done.
      With a 308, even if they are wearing body armor with plates, they are going down and not getting up for a minute, by then you can be gone

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    5. The M1 was another turd that worked wonderfully for the soldier ( backed by arty and other wonderful explosives, or at a minimum, your squad ), NOT the survivalist, just like the M16. I agree the 308 is preferable. The SKS/AK are only acceptable compromises.

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    6. "The M4, when you absolutely have to keep firing into a Skinny for target practice."
      Please remember that this often happened when the shooter was a soldier limited to FMJ ammo. A good soft point round in the AR and AK/SKS platforms changes everything.
      In my AR I practice with inexpensive FMJ but keep some Hornady TAP ammo around for serious work. Pricey, yes, but I figure I won't need that much of it before the odds catch up with me...

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    7. What is the general issue round? If the 35cent rounds are all FMJ, that is the de facto round for the prepper. I hear what you are saying, but in practice this is exactly what will be used.

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  3. Yeah, I collected-horded (it can become a sickness) firearms as a hobby and took advantage of being employed in gun shop. I was presented opportunities and deals never to be seen by the layman. The firearms if quality brands and of a mainline military/leo type will hold a store of value, so won't go to zero like old appliances. I may be getting too old to be playing wolverines but can keep my own compound secure. Minions that have overindulged in guns can at least be the armorer-custodian to hand out to tribe members. Having a variety of tools does give flexibilty to the task or mission.

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    1. My golden period of buying guns I didn't need was in Oklahoma in the mid 90's. Potmetal Sat. Night Specials, Russian and Wally shotguns, military surplus, $99 Chinese SKS. Lots under $50, everything under $100. Didn't keep one of them. Total waste. I ( mostly ) stuck with quality or quantity after that, having gotten it out of my system.

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    2. Sorry, should have been "quality OVER quantity" not OR.

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    3. I like the BTN then upgrade strategy. With firearms if you're going to stick with a calibre then you've got a back up (the BTN) to your upgrade, or it can be the loaner AND you don't have to worry about buying ammo for each gun

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    4. I think sticking with minimal calibers helps more than upgrading to a theoretical "better" gun. Isn't that one of the main arguments with the AR over others? Everyone has that ammo, and it ain't the best caliber.

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  4. The cuteness about having a few different guns/types is you can stand in the doorway of the vault pondering to yourself for minutes on end which one of your lovelies will get selected to be used to smoke that p.o.s. neighbor, scum bag, etc. Come game time. The subject is on the list, awaiting the timing, now got to decide which tool in the shed to use, quite the quandry sometimes.

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    1. I like the binary choice. Ammo Worthy? Or make them suffer from the bayonet? :)

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  5. "Why do you think you need a half dozen different types of weapon?"

    There's that silly word "need" again. sigh
    I never intend to speak for other folks, that's their job, I only speak for me.

    I have only purchased 1 firearm in the past 15 years and that was the AR15 I built from scratch last year. So why do I "need" the other 13 guns in my collection? As I seen on a bumper sticker long ago: "Cause I wanted em"

    Do I "need" any of them?
    So far, no.
    I have not found myself in a situation where a gun would have benefitted me. Why? Because I mostly practice Remus's rule: "Avoid crowds", and I cant stand most people.

    But I like to shoot guns and always have. I don't hunt animals but may in the future.

    Most of my guns were purchased long before there was any significant signalling that this bitch was going down. 95% of my "preps" have been done in the last 10-12 years, starting with getting the hell out of Dodge. My view is, there is little point in stockpiling beans, bullets, and bandaids if you live right around the corner from what's going to kill you. No matter what hardware you have in that locale you will be overrun, raped, tortured, and killed after you watch the same thing happen to the other members of your family.

    I have guns that will reach out to 3000 yds or more down to a pocket .22 that has to put right up against the attackers belly and emptied. Cause I wanted em. In the past few years I have been schooled by some of the country's finest and by spring of 2017 I came to the conclusion an AR15 was necessary as part of my preps. I spent years studying all the other options and the AR15 was the only thing out there that fit the bill. Yes I can list the valid reason and dispel all retorts. I have all the back-up parts, I know the internals intimately cause I bought and inspected all of them as I assembled it. I shoot it weekly and after 2000 rds it seems like an extension of me. I have shot it in daylight, night time, rain, and in snow. Left hand, upside down hanging from a tree limb, laying down, laying down on my back, every which way I can, at targets out to 300 yds. Always the same brass ammo which I have over 5,000 rds and keep acquiring about 500 rds per month.

    No matter what gun you have if you don't use it regularly you are almost as useless as someone that has nothing. Especially if it is a bolt or pump or lever which require some manual dexterity to operate properly. Don't kid yourself. When danger is right before your eyes you'll find out immediately how awkward it is to cycle that old surplus WW2 bolt that has been poorly maintained. Yeah, welcoming death is all cool and everything I guess but suppose they have other ideas for you first? Got Prep H? When I have exhausted all 30,000 rds and they are still coming I will shove the white hot barrel right up their ass and slit my throat with the Becker. But I'm hoping they'll find everybody else before they come way back here in the sticks.

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    1. My, my; you certainly are a self-described tough guy.

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    2. Or, let's be fair, you can be confident from your training. GS and I will never see eye to eye on semi's. That's okay. As long as we are each comfortable with our choice. He doesn't have to approach things from a frugal standpoint-another thing we do differently, frugal living and prepping. I'm right for me and many minions, but not right for all. I'm happy I can appeal to the other type also.

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    3. Exactly,you don't have to imitate any philosophy to a t.
      Extract what applies to or what u can use.

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    4. Well, it appears Miss Panties has come out of her lair again, all scared and pissing all over herself. Maybe you, pisswilly, think I'm a tough guy but I really don't give a shit what you think.

      Jim, as I explained before, I am far more frugal than you give me credit. I buy less than I need and waste as little as possible, and am constantly on the look for improving both. My overall view though is that I am going to try to acquire as much money as possible while its possible to do so for in a little while that possibility might not exist.

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    5. I understand you live below your means. I just don't understand how someone can live for money and still train for when that all goes away. This could be a failure of imagination on my part, to be perfectly fair.

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    6. You've only been self employed, and thus 100% in charge of all your time, so you haven't learned all the ropes yet. But you will. That's not meant to be a slam, in case Miss Panties takes it as such. I've been self employed since 1986 and over those 3 decades have learned how to never become bored for long. I always find something to do, and much of that something is helping others, and sometimes I get money for it. At heart, I'm not a business man, for all the usual reasons. Mostly I just don't like to be around other people. But people are the only source of money, until I figure out how to make my own ;-) , so I have to deal with them at some level. No way around it.

      Because the train wreck is just up ahead and I have a little time to prepare I am grabbing as much as possible while I can for it might be the last chance to do so. I see no point in living in the dirt BEFORE I have to. I did that, in the army, and don't like it. So I will do whatever I can to be a little bit better than that. Money is a tool, maybe the best of tools for it facilitates the acquiring of other tools, and when properly controlled is a very valuable resource. The key is proper control. Most people never learn that part.

      I made a huge vat of $4 spaghetti last night, yes, with ground beef - the most expensive part, and me and the ol' lady will eat on that stuff til its gone. Maybe 3-4 days. Do the math. Do you know anyone on the planet that can eat til they pop for less than $1 a plate full? I don't. But I'm working on it. (yeah, we had salad too so that's not included in that $4. but some of it came from the neighbors garden)

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    7. Yeh, the Army ruined camping for me :) I think you are right on the key of proper control with money.

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  6. I may not need any weapons, but I just might. I cant carry a shotgun or carbine in the grocery but I can carry my pistol. I cant hunt quail or pheasants with my pistol but can with my shotgun. I can't hit 200 yard zombies with my pistol or shotgun but I can with my carbine. Sometimes it helps to have the right tools for the job.

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    1. Granted. I hope it is understood this was all from a frugal budget standpoint. If you HAVE to minimize and the ammo budget is tight...

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  7. Back from a long hiatus. I think the last time I read your stuff you riding a bike in the snow to work at Walmart or something. Glad you didn't quit writing. Here's the thing about 5.56...In my combat experience one to two well aimed shots almost always does the trick. I know you said you sucked with an M16, but I will blame that more on your "eccentric" attitude and the Army's general lack of decent fire arms training. Not to mention, Chechen rebels ruined a lot of Russian tank commanders' day with a .22, cheap scope and beer can "silencer". That was in an urban environment as well. I guess if I had to pick only one gun I would stick with my AR or 10/22. At the end of the day I think it all comes down to what you're more comfortable with. When you're jacked with adrenaline the weapon you're the most comfortable with is the best one to have. The caliber debate typically turns into a bunch of bloviating nonsense.

    JeSteR

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    1. Granted on the caliber debate. It should be used as the criteria to get you to that gun you'll become good on. If you already have that gun it serves no purpose. It has to have been a minimum of 3.5 years you read me, as early 2015 I moved into town with the New Old Lady. And it wasn't Wal-Mart ( insulting! ), it was the food bank :) I don't work there anymore. Dumb ass chicken molesting scum ass whore boss really got to me, so now I'm Genteel Poverty living just on my writing income ( the NOL is flexible with rent, which is really just me helping with utilities. I'm also the House Bitch and the Handyman ). That should get you caught up, mostly. You SHOULD notice my articles have improved-less stress, more time to focus.

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    2. Ha! Sorry about the insult. I must've been thinking about an article on a sale at Walmart or something. My B. Thanks for the catch up.

      JeSteR

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    3. Wal-Mart. A sale. An oxymoron.

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  8. Jim did you ever get to the Tulsa Arms Show (Wannemacher Gun Show) ? Went last fall for the first time ever, it was a blast.

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    1. Like 22 years ago, so I'm real hazy on details. The building had some huge sculpture in front ( having to do with the oil industry )? Is that the one? I do believe it was the only gun show I ever thought was worth the entrance fee.

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    2. I don't remember the statue, but yes, if we're talking about the same one its well worth the entry fee. Walked two full days and could not get through seeing every single table. Biggest gun show in the world. RSL/WI

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    3. Right, I can't imagine it is any other one. A lot of things I miss about OK.

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    4. Never heard of this show before so I looked it up. WOW
      The statue is called the Golden Driller.

      Bring ALL your plastic, and checkbook, and cash is cool too!

      From the website:
      If all our tables (2800 8ft. and 1300 6ft.) were placed end to end they would stretch 5.7 miles!

      If you spend the whole 18 hours we are open to the public and divide that by 4,100 tables, You will have 15.8 seconds to look at each table.

      http://www.tulsaarmsshow.com/homenoframes.html

      Expo Square:
      https://www.exposquare.com/default.aspx

      Map (see the statue):
      https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tulsa+Expo+Center,+4145+E+21st+St,+Tulsa,+OK+74114/@36.1338237,-95.9317709,137m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x87b6ed2336d202a1:0x15eb5b3202461266!8m2!3d36.1344833!4d-95.9307341

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    5. Okay, the name actually rang a bell, more than the picture of the statue. Weird what we remember. I think it might have actually gotten to be a much bigger event since I was there.

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  9. “The NOL is flexible with rent, which is really just me helping with utilities. I'm also the House Bitch and the Handyman.”


    To be honest, I always wondered how you got around that after the lay off, but of course it would have been impolite to outright ask you. You seem to have decent luck with women, at least in the sense that you seem to find one’s that will tolerate certain situations, that most would not (I’m still amazed that you were able to find a woman that lived in a trailer, off-grid, in the high desert).

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    1. The gal, last wife, that lived with me out in the desert RV, was a lazy slacker. She was when I met her. I'm the one that worked, she stayed home and did nothing ( she was great in bed the first five years of our 15 year relationship ). So she followed me from Florida to Nevada, then from on grid to off grid RV living. Not because she wanted to, but because she didn't want to work. She was really just a useless alcoholic. See above comment about sex. As soon as we moved from FL, mostly her idea, our relationship went to Hell. She punished me every day after that. She might have "volunteered" to live off grid, but I paid for it the whole time. I stayed with her way past her pull date because she had no resources, no place to go. I felt responsible for her, like a cat you take in from the shelter. And, honestly, she was a Better Than Nothing. I was maxed out in activity and stress working, digging the BPOD, writing, and had no energy left to find another one at the time. Sure, I'm a dumb ass, but with a reasonable explanation :) This long winded reply is to say, hey, don't be TOO amazed I had a companion off grid. She was NO picnic. I do have better luck with gals than most-but I learned it the hard way. My son is much smarter than me and a good fifteen years ahead of me figuring gals out.

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    2. Thanks for the explanation. It helps to add some insight to what makes the person that you read on a daily basis, tick.

      For myself, I've decided that bachelorhood is the best route for me. Sure, if I could find an ideal relationship, I'd probably go for it. But she would have to be much younger than I, and it would be understood that we would never marry, never have kids, and never cohabitate together. I don't think that's asking for too much, now is it :D

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    3. What gal wouldn't jump on that deal? :)

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  10. "To be honest, I always wondered how you got around that after the lay off"


    Sorry, I meant to say after quitting the job.

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