Erik88

I can now officially say I can ride a motorcycle. I passed the MSF at Pellissippi State today. It was a great two day class and definitely worth the $250. A few of the people in the class already have motorcycles and said they still learned a lot.

I got a tracking number for the new light they are sending me and I have no plans to send my old one back. I'll just stick it somewhere it won't accidentally turn on.

When we met 12 years ago she said that she would never tell me what I could or couldn't do except for the issue of having a motorcycle. She asked that I never get one because she had two uncles get killed on bikes through no fault of their own. I never had any interest until recently so it wasn't an issue. So she has every right to be angry at me since I had swore I would never get one. She's pretty awesome so I'm trying to decide next steps.

I like it. My nightstand gun is a Glock 21. Hard to argue with 13 rounds of 230 grain Gold Dots.

Smart move. My wife is furious that I want to buy a motorcycle but I've not found a way to hide it from her. I have woods behind my house. Considering parking it there and throwing a camo tarp over it.

From Wikipedia. His Medal Of Honor citation is incredible. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_E._Stumpf For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. SSG Stumpf distinguished himself while serving as a squad leader of the 3d Platoon, Company C, on a search and destroy mission. As SSG Stumpf's company approached a village, it encountered a North Vietnamese rifle company occupying a well fortified bunker complex. During the initial contact, 3 men from his squad fell wounded in front of a hostile machinegun emplacement. The enemy's heavy volume of fire prevented the unit from moving to the aid of the injured men, but SSG Stumpf left his secure position in a deep trench and ran through the barrage of incoming rounds to reach his wounded comrades. He picked up 1 of the men and carried him back to the safety of the trench. Twice more SSG Stumpf dashed forward while the enemy turned automatic weapons and machineguns upon him, yet he managed to rescue the remaining 2 wounded squad members. He then organized his squad and led an assault against several enemy bunkers from which continuously heavy fire was being received. He and his squad successfully eliminated 2 of the bunker positions, but one to the front of the advancing platoon remained a serious threat. Arming himself with extra hand grenades, SSG Stumpf ran over open ground, through a volley of fire directed at him by a determined enemy, toward the machinegun position. As he reached the bunker, he threw a hand grenade through the aperture. It was immediately returned by the occupants, forcing SSG Stumpf to take cover. Undaunted, he pulled the pins on 2 more grenades, held them for a few seconds after activation, then hurled them into the position, this time successfully destroying the emplacement. With the elimination of this key position, his unit was able to assault and overrun the enemy. SSG Stumpf's relentless spirit of aggressiveness, intrepidity, and ultimate concern for the lives of his men, are in the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.[1]

My biggest fear is my Protech auto opening in my pocket and slicing my pecker. I can't afford to lose any length.

Yeah that's not normal. Makes me just want to toss mine.

It was confusing. There are three options and I asked for a replacement but will try to keep both if I can. My concern if they get this hot is it catching on fire. I keep one in a kitchen drawer and don't want to burn down my house if the button gets accidentally pushed.

Fair points but I don't think one should expect to get 2nd degree burns from an accidental flashlight activation. I plan on keeping mine as well but I guess I'll avoid pocket carry.

No problem. I'm glad you had luck because I've not had success so far getting my info to go through. They made this difficult to get an exchange.

From the article: If you own one of these recalled flashlights, please immediately stop using it and contact Olight for store credit, a replacement flashlight, or a full refund,” Olight wrote in its recall notice. “We apologize sincerely for this situation. Thanks for all your continuous support.” To date, Olight received 127 of the flashlights turning on and overheating, resulting in 22 reports of burn injuries. Three of those consumers reported second-degree burns. https://gearjunkie.com/news/olight-flashlight-recall-m2r-pro-warrior-mini https://m.olightstore.com/article.html?id=1498597352846782467&sscid=31k6_e874x

Having a motorcycle helps your insurance?

Thanks. I haven't settled on a specific model yet but I've got a few in mind. Either the Honda I mentioned above or the Kawasaki KLX that Hozzie bought. Or really any dual sport around 300cc.

So I've been researching different bikes. Apparently the motorcycle market is just as jacked up as trying to buy a new or used car right now. I have yet to find any "deals" on Facebook marketplace. I've seen a few people selling the Honda CFR300L Rally for more than they cost NEW. Other than Facebook, where else should I shop for used bikes?

I could not have been more wrong. This is the most snow I've seen in Knoxville in many years and still snowing. Measuring almost 7" on my back porch.

I have a hard time believing it's going to stick. It was 65 here today. My phone is still showing 55 degrees at 2330.

The say Peppermint oil helps keep them away also. Might be worth a try.

About once every week or two, someone on the Tundra forum reports having massive wire damage caused by rodents. Sometimes it's bad enough to require insurance to pay for it. How do you feel about getting an outdoor cat?

I don't see us making any necessary changes or investments until we are absolutely forced to. By then, making those changes will be a lot more expensive and difficult. It's hard not to feel discouraged when I look at the problems that we're facing. Our inability to agree on anything is going to cause us to fall behind other nations. Interesting times ahead of us I think.

It could always be worse.

You have this backwards I think. Oil prices and oil production decreased after the pandemic started. By mid 2020 oil refineries in the US were laying people off because of decreased demand. It makes sense that they slashed production because you aren't going to just keep pumping oil you can't sell. Then in 2021 demand started to increase and so did prices. That production doesn't always ramp back up at the same pace. I'm sure much like every other industry facing a worker shortage, some of those employees went to new industries outside oil and gas.