Jake’s Life

Well, last night was interesting. Most of my shift was boring. Not that there wasn’t anything to do, but just in the fact that it was small stuff. Boring calls. Around 11pm we got a call from an apartment resident saying that there was a burglary in progress in the vacant apartment above her. As my Lieutenant and I were about to leave where we were talking and fly down there smoke started billowing from his hood. We popped it and there was a slice on the underside of the radiator hose, something the shop just curiously cleaned that morning. Two others meet me at the call, and my Lt. shortly after taping up the hose. Well, to make a long story short, nobody was inside and the caller had a sign on her door that said “Psychic Readings Available.” Enough said.

I already had to pee pretty badly, and our usual spot is a gas station/convenience market in pretty much the center of our areas. I go up there, head inside, lock the deadbolt, and enjoy some real refreshment. Then, I turn the latch on the deadbolt…won’t engage the lock. I kid you not, I was locked inside. The following is what I remember from the conversations that followed:

(There are three others outside the gas station talking.)

Me: “Paul-4, Sam-2!”
P4: “Go ahead.”
Me: “[Name], get in here dude I need you.”
P4: “Uhhh…okay.”
Me: “I’m locked inside…the deadbolt’s not unlatching! It stinks in here!”
P4: “Okay I’ll be right in after everyone’s done laughing.”
Me: “Get in here!”
I can hear laughing as they walk inside…
P4: “Habib’s getting the keys should be here in a second.”
Habib arrives and find the keys aren’t working either. I figured I’d try to get the screws off the deadbolt with my pocketknife but he kept trying the key and spinning the knob.
Me: “Quit it! Just hold the deadbolt against the door so I can unscrew it!”
He fiddles with the key again.
Habib: “It’s not working boss! It’s stuck boss! What are you doing?!”
Me: “Stop it! Just hold the deadbolt against the door! Like a young, fresh goat on your honeymoon! Don’t let it move!”
Customer comes in and Habib abandons me.
P4: “Dude…you okay?”
Me: “It smells like piss and shit in here. Hold the deadbolt.”
P4: “I am but it keeps moving…”
Me: I’m getting the screws out of it, so hold it down! Harder [name], just ram it in here. Don’t be shy.”
Command Staff: Laughing…”This is being recorded you know, I’m gonna tell this story for weeks.”
Me: “Fuck you! If you’re not gonna help go away!”
After a few more minutes I got out and gave the cashier the deadbolt and walked outside to four others who were laughing at me.

And that’s what I have to deal with at work.

A few folks have e-mailed me lately and asked what tools I use on my blog. Well, on top of the visible ones, being Wordpress and Windows Live Writer (I’ve blogged on how much I like WLW before), I use a lot that may be invisible to my readers. This post will be dedicated to them (and how free they are).

ScribeFire: A great blogging tool I haven’t talked much about is ScribeFire. It’s a Firefox plugin which embeds a blogging app into your browser and makes certain things a lot easier. For example, when a tab is open and you create a new entry, go to insert a link and the URL of that page is automatically there for you. It gives you a WYSIWYG editor as well as a raw HTML code view. Control your previous entries and Wordpress categories from ScribeFire as well.

Paint.NET: Paint.NET is something I’ve used for a while now. I have Photoshop, but if all I need to do is create a thumbnail, modify a screenshot, or crop a photo, Paint.NET is much faster and more streamlined.

WebShot: If all I want is to grab a quick screenshot of a particular web site I usually use WebShot. It’s a very small app that lets you grab a screenshot and output it to a certain size. The great thing about it is that it will grab the entire page, not just one monitor’s worth, but everything from top to bottom.

I had to restore Vista to a factory install last week due to a nasty set of viruses I contracted. Luckily my 300GB external drive had plenty of free space to backup my files. While rebuilding my bookmarks (the only file I forgot to backup) I found some other web services that are worth mentioning:

Wiki-send: A simple file upload service which allows unregistered users to upload files which are “alive” for ten days. Registered users are able to password protect and manage the life of their files.

Overpic: A picture hosting service which also does not require registration, has multiple upload boxes on its main page for quick uploads, and can share with several social networking and blogging platforms.

My Hours: Straight-to-the-point time records service which allows users to create projects, then track the time and simple expenses while working on those projects. Also provides a variety of reports based on the information you submit.

Me. I know, not very spectacular. 

Things have been going lately, definitely a lot differently than I thought. I’m not going to go into it very much but the break up was reversed. I’m not going to post to the entire world the details I know, but thank you to those who have expressed concern over the situation and listened to what I’ve had to say about what’s going on inside.  

On a different, yet similar note, I’m almost completely broke. The large contract job for the RMS I was working on is waiting for some other things to happen, and in the meantime it’s at an almost complete standstill. I am looking ot pick up other remote web work, so if you happen to know of any “odd jobs” or site redesigns that are needed, pass my information along.  

Man, finally two things together that I love.

Wow it’s been busy lately. Life has been good, but there hasn’t been much time for it to be anything else. Sandro is still doing the school and work thing so it’s hard to spend the amount of time that I want to with him, and not living together makes it even more difficult to see him. We’re okay though because he understands my schedule working nights, and I know where he’s coming from working and going to school (it’s only been six months or so since I was doing the same thing). Blogging has obviously been lacking lately, and I apologize for it, but once things slow down it will happen more

Work is busy. Busy busy busy. The new RMS that I’m working on is going great to say the least, and I’m looking forward to its deployment (and payment from it!). I started this job with equal pay to my last and a lot less responsibility when it comes to overall operations, and with the introduction of a new supervisor that changed a bit. I’m one of three people with the same rank, but I am the go-to guy. I don’t mind it, as with the more responsibility I have the more purpose I feel, so it works out in the long run.

Here’s some lil’ diddies for you guys.

I was on a kick last night with this one, so here ya go.

This post is in response to a few comments and e-mails from a previous post asking for information on firearm handling.

First off, I feel that I would be irresponsible if I didn’t outline the fantastic four before getting to anything else:

1. All guns are always loaded. (This is a mindset you have to get into, not a requirement for your gun to always actually be loaded.)
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target. (Index your trigger.)
4. Always be sure of your target, and what is behind and beyond it.

More safety information. Even more. Read it. Seriously, don’t move on until you review this information if you’re interested in getting into firearms for defense of safety.If you are seriously considering buying a gun or shooting one and don’t already know all of this information, don’t buy one. Instead, go to your local gun range or NRA chapter and take a class. They will provide the handgun while you can provide your attention to learn this in a practical manner.

Now, from here on out I’m going to talk about basic firearm information, and only as it relates to my firearm (a Springfield XD .45 ACP), not tactics or training. You can’t get training from a web site alone, and frankly I don’t feel qualified to impress much more than basics and then some upon people when it comes to firearms. I’m not an instructor, I only have four years experience of carrying a firearm everyday, and don’t get out to the range as much as I probably should. 

This is my gun, which I purchased new about three years ago now. I originally narrowed it down to a Glock Model 22 .40 or the Springfield XD. Why did I choose this gun? After renting both from the range and doing research online, I chose the newer XD for some features the Glock didn’t have.

Choosing a firearm is like choosing a car, or a computer, or even clothes, albeit the extra responsibility.

Would you carry a gun…To church?
A personal web site that asks a big question for religious packers. I know my answer.

Open Carry
The only time I “open carry,” meaning carrying a firearm not concealed, is when I’m at work or at the range. Sometimes when I’m in my car I will if it’s a warm day, but otherwise I would prefer people not know. Still, there’s way more than open carry discussion at this site, along with some great firearm law maps of the US.

XD Talk
A forum made for enthusiasts of the Springfield XD, of which I carry the .45 ACP variety.

Ethics and Concealed Carry
A personal site regarding just that.