7 Quck Takes Friday

1.       Inspired by the excellent Conversion Diary, I’m going to give this a try (because my attempts at regular series have been so successful that I feel perfectly comfortable adding another one).

2.       Last weekend I went down to the local gun-store to purchase my carry pistol (my CCW hasn’t come in yet, but I figured I might as well get ahead of things). Unfortunately, they didn’t have the gun I was looking for in stock. Somewhat on impulse, I compensated by purchasing my dream gun; a Mossberg 590 12-guage pump-action shotgun with an 8-shell magazine (depending on the shell size) and ghost-sights. A little pricey, but I’m planning to pass this thing on to my grandkids some day, so I think it’s a good investment. Since I haven’t had a chance to go out to the range and try it out yet, I’ve held off buying any ammunition, so it’s currently just sitting in its case in my closet being quietly awesome. I occasionally take it so that I can match up what’s in the manual to the gun itself (I’m reading the instructions very carefully so that it doesn’t blow up when I use it), and just to get something of a feel for it. So far I’m loving it, but I’m taking this relationship nice and slow, aware that we haven’t hit the really rough patch where it starts kicking me yet.

3.       On a related note, I have never received better customer service than when I was buying that gun. The guy who sold it to me was extremely helpful; he answered the questions I had about the gun, packed it up for me, then unpacked it so that he could measure it against the case I was buying to make sure it fit (it’s a tight squeeze, but it works), ran through a list of things I needed and steered me towards the best value items. At one point, looking at a cleaning kit, he picked one up, but then said that he thought there was one more or less the same for a lot cheaper…and found it! He didn’t pressure me to buy anything I didn’t need at the moment, and was friendly as could be the whole time. Really, I love that store!

4.       On Tuesday I was officially inducted into the Knights of Columbus. It was a very moving experience; it almost felt like a rite of passage and taking my place in the company of men. All the men there were very pleasant to be around, and I’m looking forward to joining in this community. I’ve already signed up for some charity work this weekend! (It also means that I don’t have to buy a new Rosary after all; my old one was falling apart a little too often. This new one seems to be made of sterner stuff).

5.       Wednesday afternoon I came down with a bout of bad stomach cramps. No idea where they came from, since I didn’t eat anything out of the ordinary that day, but they were an on-again-off-again torment most of the afternoon and evening. One minute I’d be thinking “Oh, I’m fine; I really should go to karate tonight…” then, a short while later it was “thank GOD I didn’t go to karate tonight!” Fortunately, they tapered off towards bedtime and they haven’t really returned since. Weird.

6.       I think I have a new item for my Bucket List: to be invited to speak at Comic Con, an NRA function, and a Catholic Men’s Conference (which reminds me: I need to start a new Bucket List. They keep getting edited out of existence).

7.       My diet for the last week or so has largely consisted of either eggs-and-bacon or pancakes (with or without bacon), occasionally supplemented by either sausages, canned soup, or take-out from the local Coney Island. I have some frozen pork-chops and kielbasa, but I keep forgetting to pull it out the night before so it can defrost. Plus, honestly, I just get lazy a lot. On the plus side, my snacking is now mostly either almonds or carrots-and-peanut-butter, so I’ve got a fairly healthy diet going on that front. I tried Vienna Sausages the other day; they were incredibly revolting and shall have no place in my bomb-shelter.

Day 10

"What do you like to do alone and why are these solitary activities?"

Bad question, since I'm usually alone, and so practically everything I do I do alone. This is partially due to a quiet, solitary temperment, and partially due to the fact that I don't have a whole lot of friends (at least not nearby). So, sad as it is, I'm alone most of the time.

Most things I'm more comfortable doing alone, but don't mind doing in a group. A few things I much prefer to do with someone, and a few others I much prefer to do alone.

Reading is an obvious one. When I'm with someone, I like to talk or actually do something to emphasize that "hey, I'm with someone now! Better make the most of it." Reading, therefore, is a pretty much solitary activity for me, since it seems rude or at least odd to be with someone and have your nose buried in a book.

Exercise I much prefer to take alone. I don't want to be comparing myself to someone else while I'm working (though, admittedly, I can think of some exceptions).

Writing I definitely prefer to do alone, since I'm easily distracted and it takes a good deal of focus to get in "the zone."

Practicing my violin, though this is more a case where I think everyone else would like me to do it alone, since it gets pretty ugly sometimes.

Praying. This may make me a bad Catholic, but I much prefer to pray alone in private, or at least not specifically with someone. That is, I've never really enjoyed it when someone says "come on, let's pray together." I prefer to "wrestle with God" privately, rather than in a group, and I tend to experience His presence better that way. This doesn't apply to Mass, obviously.

Finally, when I'm stressed or upset I typically prefer just to retreat from everyone else and let it 'drain out' of me. Sometimes, particularly for really major problems, I like talking it out with friends, but more often I just prefer to back out and let it run it's course in private.