deerslayer

Haha...was wondering what the rest of the deal was. I stopped by Hero Gear on my trip from Florida to Manchester, and met gcrookston, Joe, and DanO. Nice place with lots of candy for kids like me. Joe is hands-down one of the nicest fellows I've ever met. Dan, on the other hand...

The little green Glock 19 brought home ANOTHER 2nd place plaque (SSP/EX). I think I finished 11th overall. I did beat all but one SSP Master, though. I dropped 43 points--as usual, I shot too fast but not so accurate. To hell with it, I'm getting a 34--I need that sight radius. Scott Hammond will be getting bumped up to Master--he beat all 7 SSP Experts plus all the SSP Masters (you get bumped if you win and beat 10 at/above your classification).

See everybody there tomorrow. I'll be the goofball in the TGO hat trying to make Master with a Glock 19.

I wouldn't call Givens a "class act," but he certainly knows his stuff. If he teaches the class, it's definitely worth the price. He's a bit opinionated and vulgar, but he's also a hoot. When I took Combative Pistol back in February, his first words to us as he walked in on day two were: "All right, ya'll shut the f#%k up." My kind of guy...

IMO, the MotoGP boys have stones 8 times bigger than anybody in NASCAR. Anybody who complains about G&R must be the anti-Christ.

I kicked the cable habit 9 years ago and never looked back. Not sure about Knoxville, but if you live in Memphis and prefer spotty service, incorrect bills, and rate increases every other month, call Comcast. I've had Directv for 9 years, and am happy with it, even though I watch tv about one hour a month (until football season).

Nope, you'll get paid the same. The insurance is there if you want it; if not, don't sign up, but you'll still be paid the same.

I think it was about $80-$90/ month back then (1.5 yrs ago). I think they have since gone up, but offer different "packages." Krav stresses staying on your feet. On the street, this is sometimes a bit optimistic. IMO, some training in striking (Krav, Muay Thai, etc.) combined with grappling (judo/jiu jitsu) will result in a more well-rounded toolbox for hand-to-hand self-defense. The Krav guys talk about grappling and how to avoid going to the ground, but rarely train for it. As one advances in Krav, grappling, avoiding being taken down, etc. become a little more prevalent in training. Lots of advanced students were always ready to train for it, but we felt like they were leading us on a little. All we really did was kickboxing. The attitude in Krav seemed to be that grappling was a good skill to have, but really not necessary. I think this is a flawed way to approach self-defense on the street. Also, the owner seemed to become more interested in making it a commercial venture and less a training center for fighting and self-defense. I like him; he's a great guy and a terrific instructor (when he was there), but the place seemed to gradually take on more of a "health club" type atmosphere, and drift away from the "fight club" mentality that it had when I started. Fees for everything began popping up. Full-contact "fight classes" became fewer and farther between. Some of the weapons defense classes disappeared, only to return in a seminar that could be attended for a fee. I think it was more useful than what you would learn in a typical karate or TKD school. I would probably go back, depending on the prices and what instructors were still there. Who knows, their midtown location may be totally different from what I saw developing. They did some training that you may never see in a karate or TKD school, such as how take take away a gun (in certain situations), how to break chokes, etc. If I were still going, I would probably be 10 pounds lighter and probably wouldn't be eating these damned baked cheddar and sour cream chips between each keystroke!! Hope this helps a little. PM me if you want to talk about Krav in more detail.

Maybe at another company, but if there is anything UPS is good at, it's saving money and getting huge discounts, especially if the company is footing the bill. Finding a better deal in certain areas is probably possible, but most would waste their time by shopping for cheaper insurance.

+1 A friend works for Frito-Lay and tells the same stories. They treat their vendors like dirt because they're Wal-Mart, and they can. Don't like our retarded policies? Fine, we'll find someone else and sign a huge contract with them, and then not honor it. I guess that's the free market system at work, but sooner or later, you'll reap what you sow. He won't set foot in one (at least, as a customer).

What's the difference?

Yes, technically it is part of their overall compensation package. Whichever way you slice it, they are well-paid and don't have to pay deductions for insurance. Many people consider that to be free.

+1 I'm 5'10/185, and the BMI says I'm overweight? If I drop 10 lbs., I'm still overweight. On a side note, a friend who is originally from San Diego has his own theory on why so many Southerners are overweight; he says it's too hot to do anything down here.

I took it for about a year here in Memphis...it has its ups and downs, but overall, it was a positive experience. I learned quite a bit. I already had problems getting off work early enough to go, and then they moved to midtown, and that was all she wrote. If they were still out east, I'd probably still go. The guy who owns Krav in Memphis opened the new one in Nashville, I believe.

Not true. UPS is also a major employer in the US, and most UPS employees get free insurance with great coverage. And they earn it.

The main reason I hate Wal-Mart is that they are so damned crowded. Go during the day, ten people are in each line. Go at night, the aisles are full of pallets for the stockers. Not to mention that it's always a great place to pick up a couple new door dings--they won't ever clear the damned baskets off the lot. Having said that, they do have a good price on 9mm WWB.

Depends on the ammo. If you carry pretty hot 9mms, but use moderate .40s, you'll barely notice the difference. I started shooting IDPA w/ a Glock 23 and wanted to switch to a G19 for the same reasons. I was pleasantly suprised to find that there was very little difference between Winchester white box 9mm in the G19 and WWB or UMC .40 in the G23. I'm not a big fan of the hottest, highest velocity ammunition offered in a given caliber, so practice with the 9/carry the .40 works well for me. Try it for yourself--if it's a big difference, you won't take much of a loss selling the aftermarket barrel on ebay or gunbroker. P.S. Practicing/competing with a 9mm 229 and then carrying a .40 229 is still much more practical than shooting and carrying two totally different guns (for example, a 1911 being your favorite range gun, while a J-frame serves as your primary carry gun).

and den he say "Woo woo..." No joke, one day about five years ago I was delivering behind a Headstart. The "teacher" had all the chiluns out on the playground and they were playing "Simon Say." Told my buddies about it at lunch that day and we all laughed so hard we probably lost five pounds each. Life without ebonics would be so boring.

Why you do be racist?

With the Heine sights, THAT was a STEAL It is looking more and more like I will have to get a G34 if I am ever going to make Master in IDPA.

speaking of Alabama... [ame] [/ame]

But how are the transmissions?

LOL, I'm so exciting that I'm surfing TGO and checking weather for tomorrow, which should be more interesting. If no rain, we go to the lake. If it rains, I'll go ride motorcycles with some IDPA knuckleheads I shoot with. Nobody ever accused me of being a genius.