Who – you might ask – is Carolyn? She has a blog over at taleweaversramblings.blogspot.ca and writes about a bunch of topics that I find interesting. So the other day I was catching up and to my surprise found that she had posted some questions to various bloggers in response to some questions that had been asked of her. A little confusing I know, but go to her blog if you want the whole story.
Basically I answer eleven questions and pass on eleven questions of my own to eleven others. I think this is kind of a cool way for bloggers to get to know each other on a more personal level. I’ve corresponded with other bloggers before – probably my favorite couple is Joe and Laura over at preppingtosurvive.com. I’ve also written back and forth with Leon Pantenburg who I respect as a fellow outdoorsman and hunter a few others out there who have good sites. I’ll list the ones I like below and see if they want to get involved in this little “forward the questions” game.
So, here’s a cut-and-paste of Carolyn’s questions from her site:
1) What prompted you to start and maintain a blog?
2) What makes you smile?
3) What is your favorite season of the year?
4) Zombies are coming! What’s the first thing you do?
5) Are you a tea or coffee kind of person?
6) What hobbies do you have, if any?
7) Do you watch television or read books predominantly?
8) Would you classify yourself as a deep thinker?
9) If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
10) What do you think is the healthiest habit one can have?
11) If society were to go BOOM tomorrow, what would you miss the most?
Without further ado here are my answers:
1. This is actually Ranger Man’s blog, but we met through writing and I was honored when he asked me to sign on as a writer for him. I believe in the prepper “movement” if you will, and anything I can do to help spread the word is very satisfying to me.
2. My kids. Mrs. Jarhead. Being in the woods with friends or by myself. Chuck Norris jokes.
3. Fall. I like waking up in a tent on a nice cold fall morning – 25 degrees at least – more than just about anything.
4. Hmm, check my defenses and weapons. Check my escape routes – both the one in my vehicle and the one on foot. Get with the neighbors and get a neighborhood watch set up.
5. I’m an insane coffee drinker. Seriously, I drink it by the gallon.
6. My hobbies include reading, writing, drawing, playing guitar, hiking, camping, rock climbing, ice climbing, cold weather camping and snow shoeing, scuba diving, computer stuff, ice skating, hockey, and a little light boxing. And I exercise a lot, but I’m not sure I’d consider that a hobby.
7. I am a book reader (and lately a Kindle Fire reader.) We don’t turn the tv on much at all here at the Jarhead residence.
8. Sometimes. I’ve spent much time studying human aggression, the universe, quantum physics, string theory, and I love reading stuff by Stephen Hawking and other great thinkers like that. Lately I’ve been reading a lot of Dr. Seuss though. My kids like him a lot.
9. I like it right here in Maine. If anything I’d move further north where there are less people. I’m not antisocial, but I do like it quiet.
10. A good balanced diet, exercise including aerobics and weight lifting or a mixture of both such as Crossfit, and making sure to get Dr.’s checkups – especially as you start to get older.
11. Refrigeration.
Ok, so here’s my eleven questions to others:
1. Who’s your favorite author?
2. What would you do if you woke up and someone was burglarizing your house?
3. Do you believe in using firearms to protect you, your family, and your property?
4. What is your favorite prepper movie/book?
5. You’re going back in time to visit. What’s your favorite era?
6. Have you ever thought about homesteading or living off the grid? If so why haven’t you done it? (Or maybe you have!)
7. What do you like to do in your off time?
8. If you could have your dream job, what would it be?
9. Why do you prep?
10. Have you ever been in a survival situation or practiced wilderness survival on your own?
11. What’s your biggest beef with the government?
And here’s a list of people I’d like to see answering these questions:
Leon Pantenburg at survivalcommonsense.com
Joe and Laura at preppingtosurvive.com
Koryn at http://blog.emmt911.com/
MilleniumFly at http://rethinksurvival.com/
GA at http://www.survive2balive.com/
Dakin at what used to be The Bison Survival Blog but is now James M Dakin (I like Dakin’s site ’cause he just lays it out there and to hell with you if you don’t like it.)
Suburban Survivalist at Suburban Survivalist
M.D. Creekmore at The Survivalist Blog
The Suburban Survivalist
That’s only eight, but I’d like to get you – dear survivalist reader – involved too. If you’re inclined to answer any or all of the above questions please lay it out for me below. I’d love to hear from you and because I haven’t quite got enough information to come stealing your preps yet. Maybe this will help me out. (That’s from an earlier post if you’re wondering what the hell I’m talking about.)
Sound off!
-Jarhead Survivor
18 comments
trust me. I’m even more obnoxious, but less interesting in real life.
some things are better left to the imanination.
(that was supposed to be “imagination”)
1.Who’s your favorite author?
I really enjoy Tom Clancy novels, although lately I have been reading Rawles.
2. What would you do if you woke up and someone was burglarizing your house?
I would utilize whatever force necessary to eliminate the threat. My wife stays upstairs (armed) and dials 911 to provide details to emergency personnel.
3. Do you believe in using firearms to protect you, your family, and your property?
I am a firm believer in the 2nd Amendment and believe it is our God given right (not that of the federal government) to own firearms for personal protection, hunting, and sport. But, it is also the responsibility of the gun owner to ensure safe operation of these valuable tools.
4. What is your favorite prepper movie/book?
Movie – The Road
Book – Survivors by Rawles
5. You’re going back in time to visit. What’s your favorite era?
Late 1800’s to early 1900’s as there was still plenty of frontier and wilderness but some modern conveniences, such as medicine and electricity.
6. Have you ever thought about homesteading or living off the grid? If so why haven’t you done it? (Or maybe you have!)
I think about it all the time and wish I could, but I only have a very short time left to full retirement. We have plans to relocate to a very rural area in the southeast and have already started the process. It will not be totally off-grid but we will have the ability to be very self-sufficient.
7. What do you like to do in your off time?
Workout (7 days a week with a nice blend of resistance and running). Surfing, hunting, and fishing.
8. If you could have your dream job, what would it be?
Self-employed or rather self-sufficient to the point that I would not need to have a traditional “job”. Or maybe an outfitter.
9. Why do you prep?
I have worked in public safety in South Florida for 26 years. I originally started preparing for hurricanes. This is where I have to give Kudos to Jarhead and Ranger Man. I came across SHTFBlog.com a few years back. It was the very first prepper website I ever checked out. Sites like yours, and others, helped open my eyes to issues regarding the economy, man-made disasters, and other natural disasters. I don’t necessarily prepare for an event. I prepare for the human reaction in a post-event environment. I believe this will cause the most danger.
10. Have you ever been in a survival situation or practiced wilderness survival on your own?
Yes, as often as possible.
11. What’s your biggest beef with the government?
The erosion of personal liberties through regulation and executive orders for the stated purpose of our security and safety. And, the continued lose monetary policy that continues to reduce the purchasing power of the US Dollar.
Jarhead – thanks for thinking of us…with your permission I would very much like to reproduce this on our site as well.
These kind of memes can be a lot of fun, Jarhead. I’m putting some thought into these and will post a follow up shortly.
Thanks!
Joe
Here are my answers and eleven more questions.
http://preppingtosurvive.com/2012/09/10/11-questions/
Thanks Jarhead; this was fun.
Joe
From a Southern Hemisphere, Democratic, Western, English Speaking perspective!
1. John Birmingham, George RR Martin, Matthew Reily, Clive Cussler and Wilbur Smith.
2. Chances are the missus would be out of bed before me and heading down stairs sounding like a freight train or wild rhino on the move, call the cops asap, as New Zealand doesn’t look kindly on the use of firearms as a deterant.
3. Yes, but as mentioned above this country I live in doesn’t do firearms use as a deterant very well. Chances are I would have more jail time then the person robbing my house or threatening my life.
4. Have none.
5. The late 1800’s (victorian england), sail giving way to steam power?
6. Yes and to both, problem is self sustainability takes time and money, of which money is the issue: set up costs, paying of the debt to the bank, purchasing land, keeping a job, Its not that easy just to up sticks and change.
7. Read, watch movies/ tv (50/50 on both), garden, spend time with the family, swim, spend time in the sun and relax.
8. I have served in both the Army (reserves while at UNI and for a few years after) and the Navy as an Officer up until 6 years ago. I am now in the maritime shipping industry. yet I still wish for the age of sail/steam and the chance to be a smuggler/gun runner/pirate of the late 1800’s.
9. I live in New Zealand, a country of active volcanos and earthqakes. the city I am in (Auckland) has over a dozen dormant volcano cones. I grew up in a town (Rotorua) which has active geothermal. You need to always be prepeared when the earth starts to move. Lately we have also had large storms which cause flooding, power outages, snow dumps affecting transport movement. Being prepeared for any eventuality!
10. 1995 volcanic erruption spread ash over most of the north island of my country, 2011 earthquake in Christchurch (my old university city, 100+ died). The army/navy taught me to survive and fight to keep what I have.
11. The politicians here bend to the will of a minority time and time again. No one takeas ownership or responsibility. If the government had the jewels to say “look you cannot hold us to ransom, you cannot stop progress, we are going to just do this and live with the consequences” then I would be much happier and not living in a nation that needs major infrastructure work (should have being done 10 yrs ago).
Ok,(1) Robert Hienline (2) Kill them(3)See two(4)Don’t have one (5)18th century ‘though I’d REALY like to go on a mamoth hunt (6)B.T.D.T.G.T.S (7)Make moccisins/sew/do leatherwork/knap flint/garden/play with my kid/make arrows/hunt boar with a spear/fish.(8)Being a Good husband and father,best job I ever had,and the hardest.(9)See 8 (10)YES (11) I cannot see any use for “government” at all.
Chuck Norris can’t have a heart attack because it would be foolish to attack Chuck Norris.
Chuck Norris was once arrested for “Attempted Murder”, but they had to let him go because Chuck Norris never “Attempts” murder.
If at first you don’t succeed, you’r not Chuck Norris!
1. Who’s your favorite author? LT Col (ret) Dave Grossman
2. What would you do if you woke up and someone was burglarizing your house? (see 3)
3. Do you believe in using firearms to protect you, your family, and your property? Yep
4. What is your favorite prepper movie/book? Patriots
5. You’re going back in time to visit. What’s your favorite era?
The end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th
6. Have you ever thought about homesteading or living off the grid? If so why haven’t you done it? (Or maybe you have!) No
7. What do you like to do in your off time? There is off time?
8. If you could have your dream job, what would it be? The one I have Firearms Instructor
9. Why do you prep? For something I hope never happens, same reason I train in firearms
10. Have you ever been in a survival situation or practiced wilderness survival on your own? Yep
11. What’s your biggest beef with the government?
It’s intrusion in to everyone’s daily lives
just went to the james dakin site- waste of time, i have been to a few of the other sites recomended above and they are much better.
1a vince flynn 1b niven/pournele. 1c robert b parker ….douglas adams. 2 repell by all means w/ consideration to Cooper’s rules. 3 yuppers. 4 lucifer’s hammer. 5 garden of eden. 6 yes it’s coming along should have started sooner. 7 getting out in the woods, fields, lakes, streams, mountains… 8 self-sufficient homesteader. 9 storms, unemployment, economic collapse/instability, ALIENS !!!!!! 10 yes. 11 excessive regulation/ excessive taxes/ excessive spending/ excessive entitlements/ excessive stupidity.
Hello Jarheadsurvivor,
Thanks for the tag, below are my answers.
1. Who is your favorite Author? I read a lot and it’s hard to name a faverate so I’ll name “a” favorite – Joe Abercrombie.
2. What would you do if you woke up and someone was burglarizing your house? I’d investigate with a firearm in hand.
3. Do you believe in using firearms to protect you, your family and your property? Yes, yes I do. I wish we had more leeway in that regards. Often the criminals seem to have more rights then the rest of us.
4. What is your favorite prepper movie/book? Favorite movie is actually a TV show, Jericho. Favorite book is The Change series by S.M Sterling. It mixes in a little fantasy but man can that guy wreck a world.
5. You’re going back in time to visit. What’s your favorite era? The kid in me would love to bring some guns back to midevil times.
6. Have you ever thought of homesteading or living off the grid? If so why haven’t you done it? Yes I have thought of it but it’s a long term goal and not one I’m sure that I’ll ever get to. One step at a time.
7. What do you like to do in your off time? I enjoy working in the yard, seeing family and working out.
8. If you could have your dream job, what would it be? Well I’d like to make a comfortable living doing what I love, but I’m not entirely sure what that would be at this point in my life.
9. Why do you Prep? I prep because something “could” happen at anytime, not because I believe that any one event is immanent. I don’t want to be one of those people in the Superdome of New Orleans.
10. Have you ever been in a survival situation or practiced wilderness survival on your own? Admittedly no, not really.
11. What’s your biggest beef with the government? I only get one? Hmm… I’d have to say the continued eroding of our constitutional rights.
Jericho was good to a point, BUT… The soap opera parts drove me away. It was a good situational awareness exercise overall.
1. Karen Travis, George R.R. Martin, James W. Rawles
2. Shoot them!
3. Yes unless my bow is closer
4. “One Second After” by William R. Forstchen. Survivors by Rawles a close second
5. Viking age
6. Yes but I first must decide where i want to live and then save and buy the land.
7. Read, Shoot archery and guns
8. Sheriff of a small rural county
9. I can read the writing on the wall
10. Yes
11. Infringement on personal freedom!
I enjoyed answering your questions, but don’t see mine listed – did you get my reply?
Leon
Found it and released it. Thanks for replying!
Let’s try this – apparently my response was sent to a dark hole in space.
1. Who’s your favorite author?
Many favorites, depending on the topic, but if I had to choose one, over-all favorite, it would be a toss-up between Mark Twain and Ayn Rand.
2. What would you do if you woke up and someone was burglarizing your house?
Have the wife call 911 while I grabbed my .45 and flashlight. If my daughter was home, we’d go upstairs to her room and wait for the police to arrive. If the fertilizer had already hit the wind machine, I would catch the burglar at the window/door before he/she could gain entry. The situation would be resolved there.
3. Do you believe in using firearms to protect you, your family, and your property?
See #2
4. What is your favorite prepper movie/book?
“One Second After” is the most realistic prepper book I have come across. “Comes the Fire” by C.T. Stirling is another book that will make you think.
5. You’re going back in time to visit. What’s your favorite era?
This was the hardest question! I like it here and now. But given a choice, I would have gone on the Oregon Trail in the 1850s and seen the West before it was changed forever after the Civil War. That would also have gotten me away from the Civil War.
6. Have you ever thought about homesteading or living off the grid? If so why haven’t you done it? (Or maybe you have!)
I lived in the great state of Mississippi for five years in a house that was wood-heated, had no TV, and fully prepared for off-grid living. It had electricity and indoor plumbing, but also a privy, cistern and surrounding woodlands. Power outages were no big deal – we just didn’t open the freezer or refrigerator. Another cabin was in the woods and it was totally off-grid. I liked it very much.
7. What do you like to do in your off time?
Spend time with my family. Anything outdoors: hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, etc. Before my knees gave out, I had 30 years in Taekwondo. I love playing the fiddle and mandolin in bluegrass bands, and volunteering with the local Boy Scout troops.
8. If you could have your dream job, what would it be?
I already have it. I teach Journalism and newspaper publication at a local community college part-time and I write for SurvivalCommonSense the rest of the time.
9. Why do you prep?
To keep my family safe, warm and fed during potential emergencies. And, it’s stupid not to!
10. Have you ever been in a survival situation or practiced wilderness survival on your own?
I have never been in a survival situation per se. But I have taken several extended solo backpacking hikes and learned what I needed to learn! My end-to-end Mississippi River canoe trip was not through wilderness, but I learned what gear can stand up to constant use. I frequently take a piece of equipment on an overnighter or out to see how it works under field conditions. I don’t publish any survival techniques I haven’t tried out myself.
11. What’s your biggest beef with the government?
There is too much of it.
I think in #4 you ment to say “Dies the Fire” by S.M. Sterling. I agree a super good book. Even for people who don’t like any fantasy at all, read the first book. It can stand alone and has really no fantasy in it at all. It’s really much better written, more realistic and grittier then anything Rawls can come up with.