Take Care of Your Health in Ten Easy Steps

The foundation of preparedness is making sure that you yourself are prepared (meaning your body, your mind, your health, your attitude, etc). Here's ten easy steps to get in top shape:

1. Have a complete annual physical to make sure you are well and/or to give you a baseline for improvement.
2. Make sure all of your vaccinations are up to date.
3. Have a complete dental exam and fix any problems found.
4. Exercise daily and eat right (simple but effective advice).
5. Take care of chronic health problems (ie: if you have diabetes, take your medication or insulin but exercise as well to bring down your blood sugar numbers).
6. Check out your environment and remove any hazards (this could be everything from home safety hazards to hazardous friends to bad health/wellness habits).
7. De stress. Stress causes any number of health problems. If you know how to de stress you will reduce the possibility of these problems.
8. Have health and wellness goals to aim for, whether it is running a marathon or being able to walk around the block. Keep raising the bar as you meet your goals.
9. Try new things that will help you get in better shape AND teach you something useful. Learning to kayak is a good way to exercise. Knowing how to kayak if you become stranded on a desert island, even more beneficial.
10. Encourage others to get healthy. If your life depends on your friends or family in a SHTF situation, don't you want them to be as able as possible to come to your aid?

When it comes to preparedness, many people focus on the big exciting things such as firearms, a cool bug out vehicle, or having enough camping equipment to shelter an entire platoon. The fact is, when it comes to a disaster, you may only have yourself to rely on so you need to be in tip top shape to be able to respond accordingly. Now go out and get active.

10 Cuts You Can Make In Order to Bulk Up Your Emergency Fund

If you don't have an emergency fund, you need one. If you "just can't find any spare money to put into your emergency fund", here's ten cuts you can make that will allow you to build up your emergency fund in record time:

1. Stop eating out. A $50 restaurant meal is a high price to pay when that same $50 could buy you food for a week.
2. Cut cable. If you have every cable station know to man, consider cutting cable all together, a $10 NetFlix subscription or watching TV shows online can save many hundreds of dollars per year. If you really can't part with your cable TV, consider cutting back to the most basic plan available.
3. Stop shopping. Unless you need a very specific item (ie: toilet paper, shampoo, or something else you absolutely can't do without) don't go shopping. You won't be tempted to spend your money and you can bank it instead.
4. Cut your cell phone bill. Virgin Mobile has a $25 per month plan which includes unlimited text messages, unlimited web, and 300 minutes a month. p.s. An iPhone is NOT a necessity. Either is a $100+ per month calling plan.
5. Cut your transportation costs in half. That might mean driving half as much as you do now, buying a monthly pass and taking public transportation, car pooling, riding your bike to work, or a mix of all of these.
6. Cut out (or cut down) a vice. Whenever I look at the price of cigarettes, I am thankful I don't smoke. I also don't drink which saves not only the cost of alcohol, but the cost of DUIs, marriage counseling, rehab, etc.
7. Don't do things that cause added expense (ie: take out a PayDay loan which has outrageous fees, use credit cards which charge interest, break the law which causes fines and court fees, etc).
8. Don't buy stuff you don't need. A jet ski is nice, a big emergency fund is nicer. An H & K 45 Compact is nice (really nice), but a big emergency fund is nicer. You get the idea...
9. Sell a car. This could save you thousands in a matter of month. A family only usually needs one good car. The second car can be a cheap beater until you get the emergency fund bulked up AND you have saved enough to pay cash for a better secondary car.
10. Spend like a maniac on your kids. The kids won't suffer permanent psychological damage if you decide that they won't get ANYTHING from you (besides food, shampoo, etc) until the emergency fund is completed. They may, however, be motivated to help you bulk up the fund via garage sales, eBaying stuff, etc. if they realize that the Bank of Mom and Dad will reopen sooner that way.

Bottom line, you need an emergency fund because, even though I don't know you personally, I do know that you will be facing an emergency of some sort in the future. It's a very nice feeling to have the cash on hand to deal with these random emergencies.

Link Round-up: Radical Self Improvement Edition

I like self-improvement in its many forms. I like radical self improvement more.

• Why Barbara Winter is Unemployable (basically the same reasons I am too).
• Karol's Productivity System (which is my system too, you get a remarkable amount of things done when you just do them instead of plan to do them).
• Why you need to imagine your ideal reality (this actually works!)
• The Minimalist Guide to Saving Money (if you want to be able to actually afford your future, do this stuff).
• You Should Get What You Want...Sometimes (too true).
• Mistakes to Avoid When Pursuing Your Dreams.
• Finally, 25 All Around Life Lessons.

10 Ways to Avoid Trouble (At Work)

On the heels of my last post, I realized (due to an incident in the office today) that the last bit of advice I gave about staying out of trouble works for staying out of trouble in general, but at work, you need another list. Here it is:

1. If you have an issue with someone, take them aside in a private place and work it out. Seek a mediator if needed.
2. Don't gossip. It will get around and people will be leery about working with you if you are known as the company gossip. Famous last words..."don't tell anyone I told you this but..."
3. Put nice things in writing. If you have something not nice to say, say it to the person in private. The first thing I was handed today when I went into the office was a copy of an email, a not really nice email about someone, that was supposed to be a private rant and was subsequently forwarded to apparently half the people in the city. I'm surprised it wasn't posted on FaceBook. Not good.
4. Don't make threats. At the least, you may have to eat your words, and at the worst, they could be used against you in a court of law.
5. Keep your private life relatively private. It is hard not to share details of your life with your coworkers because you are often around them more than you are with your own family, however, you don't want your private life to become fodder for gossips.
6. Don't be a slacker. While there are some tips and tricks that will allow you to make your mid day tee time without people missing you at the office, many people just plain slack off (ie: come in late, leave early, miss project deadlines, need to be reminded about work they need to be doing, etc). Don't be that person.
7. Always take the high road and don't do anything that could even be perceived as shady. Many an embezzler has started out raiding the petty cash fund, intending to pay it back. Once you justify one lapse, it is easier to justify bigger, more illegal, things.
8. Always think safety and preparedness. I am amazed at how many people leave their iPhone, purse, wallet, etc. laying out on their desk in an office full of people where strangers came and go as well. That is just asking to be ripped off. Even though you are in your office as much (or more) than you are at your home, your office is not your home and you still need to exercise a good deal of safety and preparedness precautions.
9. Do not, under any circumstance, use your work computer/cell phone/etc. to access porn or other NSFW stuff. It will come back and bite you in the ass.
10. Don't stress yourself out at work. You can't avoid the occasional stressor, but if you are continually on the verge of a nervous breakdown at work, you either need to change your attitude or change your job. You don't want to give yourself an early heart attack or end up going postal. Bad stuff.

Staying out of trouble, no matter where you are, is really not that hard once you set a standard for yourself.

p.s. Set your standard fairly high.

10 Ways to Avoid Trouble

Our fair city has, unfortunately, a fair number of shootings. Some are domestic violence, some are gang-related, and some are officer involved shootings. Many of these events, however, have some common denominators that, should people have chosen to avoid trouble, could have been prevented. Here's some tips for avoiding trouble (and the violence that often accompanies trouble):

1. Stay far away from gangs, gang members, and gang involvement of any kind. These people seem to have an invisible "shoot me" target on their backs.
2. Stay away from the drug scene. Yes you can cruise the "drug areas" of town and probably score drugs with little incident but being in these areas ups your chances of being caught up in violence tremendously.
3. Nip domestic violence in the bud. Letting a domestic violence situation escalate ('awww he seems like such a nice guy most of the time and he apologized for hitting me') is nearly a guarantee that there will be further violence. Dating someone who has their own personal violent stalker ex will cause the same type of problems for you.
4. Leave the bars before closing time. As it gets later and people get drunker and more belligerent, there is an increased chance for violence.
5. If you are stopped by the police, comply. Immediately. You can always file a claim against the department later. Escalating violence with police officers is a no-win situation.
6. Look at yourself in a mirror and see if you could be an attractor of violence. Everything from wearing the wrong colors in known gang areas to the looks you give other people can lead to violence. Confidence but not arrogance is a good rule of thumb.
7. Stay away from trouble makers. You know who they are. The people who have a rap sheet as long as your arm, the people who always complain about being targeted by the cops, the people who actually like getting in fights...the list of trouble-making characteristics is long; if you note these attributes in the people you hang around with, decide to stay away from them.
8. Mediate and mitigate problems as soon as they occur. Whether it is an issue with a co-worker or an issue with a neighbor or friend, fixing the problem instead of escalating it because 'you know you are right' is a better option. Would you rather be right or be effective? Life is too short to be weighed down by drama.
9. Do the right thing. Most people have a pretty good moral compass, they just need to listen to it. Being involved in any kind of shady dealings whether it seems insignificant or not (ie: embezzling just a little bit of money from work, shoplifting a couple of small, inexpensive items, fencing items you think are probably stolen) can be a gateway to larger and more violent stuff.
10. Remain in control of yourself at all times. Being drunk, being on drugs, being so blinded by anger or revenge that you can't see straight are all situations when you are out of control. Being out of control usually doesn't have a good outcome.

Avoiding trouble is relatively easy if you take a minute to look at where trouble is and decide not to be anywhere near it.

Summer Activity Ideas from the Boy Scouts

When I was a kid, the Boy Scouts were THE organization to belong to. I'm not sure how popular the organization is these days although last week I met a young man who appeared to be a rocker kid (long hair, piercing, etc) who gave me the run down on his recent Eagle Scout project (which just goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover!). Chatting about the Scouts gave me an idea for a blog post.
If you (and/or your kids) have some spare time this summer, why not participate in a few Boy Scout projects whether you are a scout or not? This website lists all of the Merit Badges that Boy Scouts can earn. Each badge link gives a very clear explanation of the steps to earning the badge, along with resources, books, and other useful links to help you successfully accomplish the project. Just glancing through the list, camping, carpentry, emergency preparedness, gardening, path finding, rifle shooting, tracking, and signaling stand out as skills, that EVERYONE should know whether you are a teenage boy, a seven year old girl, or a 70 year old man.

Social Media for Fun and Profit

Obviously if you are reading this blog, then you have dipped your toe into social media. Whether you use social media to entertain yourself, keep up with friends, or to make a bit of cash on the side (via AdSense or affiliates on your blog), it's nearly impossible these days to avoid it. Here's my two cents on your social media options:

• Blogs. I happen to like blogs because they are free, simple to set up, allow you to easily add revenue-generating ads to your site, and with a bit of HTML-tweeking, you can modify them to your heart's content. It is important, however, to keep your blog content fresh which means posting often. If you want to set up your own blog, go to http://www.blogger.com/.


• Twitter. I use Twitter occasionally to send out quick updates. Other friends use Twitter to broadcast their every though and movement which is a bit much in my opinion, but, to each his own. I decided I liked Twitter more when I read this article.


• FaceBook. Hate it. Just my opinion however as there are approximately 400 MILLION FaceBook users who disagree with me. Although FaceBook provides a good opportunity for marketing and finding old friends, I am opposed to a program that vacuums up all of the contacts in my email address book then spams them until they join FaceBook. Plus the people I know who use FaceBook appear to be addicted to it whether they are playing FarmVille or updating their wall CONTINUOUSLY through meetings which is a huge pet peeve of mine.


• Tumblr. I like this platform which is kind of a hybrid between short Twitter "tweets" and longer blog posts. It's easy to update on the run but doesn't have the heavy social network emphasis that platforms such as FaceBook have.


• FourSquare. Maybe it's because I am old or maybe it's because I am a bit paranoid, but I don't see the value in broadcasting your every move including exactly where you are at and exactly what businesses you frequent. Creepy.


• News. I've been too busy lately to feed my news addiction but when I want to know what is going on in the world, I go to a couple of news aggregators which basically list everything newsworthy that is going on. PopUrls is a great site that captures both social network news an regular news. AllTop lets me catch up on the top links in specific categories.
• Speaking of AllTop, they have a "social media" news aggregator page here.


• YouTube can be entertaining. Although I have never posted a video to the site, there's plenty on the site to keep you busy watching no matter what your topic of interest.


• I never knew there were so many social networking sites until I checked out this comprehensive list.

Whether you use social media for business, keeping up with friends and family, or pulling together your survival network, taking advantage of these useful, and often free, services is a great way to keep in touch with others.

The Problem With Scientists...Or Should I Say, The Problem IF You Are a Scientist

The problem that I speak of is that a fairly long list of the leading scientists in our country (and others) are dropping dead of unnatural causes. I'm not sure how this ranks statistically speaking, but by their nature, and I know quite a few scientists, they are not your garden variety risk takers. I'm also not sure why more people aren't freaking out about this and the reporting has been left to the "conspiracy theorists", but it seems like more than random chance that many of the most knowledgeable scientists in the world are being, as one writer put it, "Vince Fostered". I tend to keep conspiracy theorists at arms length, but these seemingly random coincidences appear to be happening too often to be simply coincidences. Here's some articles to bring you up to speed:

• Dead Scientists Do Tell Tales
• List of Dead Scientists (I posted this as a Daily InSight link but thought it was so important, I should write a blog post about it thus the double posting)
• Statistical Mystery of Dead Scientists and Microbiologists
• An Interesting Discussion Thread

You Need to Be Able to Take Care of Yourself

If you read the above headline, you probably thought duh, that's what this whole blog is about so why remind us... The reason is that I have been in more than a half dozen meetings over the past week. These have been Board/Council meetings for government entities, NGOs, social service agencies, and businesses large and small. The main topic at ALL of these meetings, especially those that rely on any sort of government funding/taxes/etc, is that many of these organizations are literally running out of money.
I've sat through budget meetings for decades and aside from small blips, there was always more money coming down the pike. Entities could pretty much count on having a stable source of funding on which to base their budgets and five year projections were almost always on the positive side with income climbing nicely, right along side the growth in expenditures (especially the cost of labor and benefits). During the '70s there were, of course, some segments which had varying degrees of financial meltdown (especially in Texas if I remember correctly), however in my memory I have never seen this type of across the board, everyone is damn near out of money, situation. Scary.
So as I sat in today's meeting with a bunch of government types who were wringing their hands over their next fiscal year budget that has more holes in it than Swiss cheese, it made me wonder how close to financial devastation the American people think we are. For many people, there has always been some savior whether it was a government program, a corporate "bail out" or bankruptcy followed quickly by new offers from credit card and mortgage companies. My admittedly foggy but often accurate crystal ball tells me that the next few years will be unlike anything most of us (those who remember the Great Depression notwithstanding) have ever had to deal with.
So what do you do when your town, city, state, federal government, collection of social service agencies, school district, hospital, police department, and any other number of agencies/businesses that you rely on daily, are of the verge of financial collapse?
Basically your guess is as good as mine but I have some ideas about how I will be preparing:

• Fewer police on the street due a decline in tax revenue which leads to budget cuts means that I may not be able to call the police when I need them (or they may not show up as quickly as I need them to) which means I will need to be able to protect my home and family. This doesn't just mean being armed. It also means taking home security seriously, avoiding problem areas/problem people/problem situations, and making myself and my family a "least likely target".
• For my income, diversification is the key. This means not only diversification with local clients but extending my business tentacles across the US AND across the world. Unless you offer a service that is required to be local (ie: you are a plumber) then competition for your job and for the money you could be earning is not just competition from local people but from highly skilled, highly educated people from anywhere in the world. Outsourcing, in sourcing...your economy is not just local anymore, it is global.
• Multiple streams of income is the corollary to the point above. Live it, learn it, love it.
• I use cash only and don't carry debt. When TS could hit TF at any time, it is best to be in as flexible a position as possible. Having cash, using cash, and not being saddled by debt is one way to do this.
• I don't rely on government programs. Period. My granddad taught me this and my mother reinforced the lesson when as a single mother, she would work two or three jobs instead of taking a penny of welfare. When you rely on others (whether it be a government welfare check or an alimony check), the support could be pulled at any minute and you would be left with nothing. When you are the master of your own destiny, this doesn't happen.
• Our needs are minimal. I like nice things and I buy nice things but if my income was suddenly reduced to a fraction of what I make now, then we would just ratchet back our expenditures as needed. The less you want and need, the better off you are during uncertain times.
• I don't plan to use Social Security as my retirement plan. It will be a nice bonus if it happens to be available when I retire but my assets are diversified (there's that word again) and I plan to fund my own retirement when the time comes.
• Building a social network is worth the time and effort. When I need something, whether it be news, information, or a hand with a project, I rely on my network of friends and family before I look elsewhere. Building these networks now may pay off quite well in an uncertain future.
• I know where to look for the material goods I need. First stop would be the garage which has quite a stockpile of stuff (food, water, disposable goods) but I also know where to look for water (stored in the garage, the rain barrel, a near by stream, etc), food (besides the freezer, we have a garden, I know all of the wild food sources within a 10 mile radius, and if necessary I can hunt and fish), and anything else we may need (store, thrift store, garage sales, dumpster dive, make it myself, etc). Acquiring the stuff you need is a part of life. Being creative about how you acquire it...priceless.
• Medical and dental care is a necessary part of life. Besides having insurance, should this go away for some reason, I have friends who are doctors, dentists, and specialists; I have a bit of skill in the medical field so I can take care of most small problems myself, and first and foremost, I try to maintain and improve my health with exercise and nutritious food so that hopefully I won't need to use the medical system much.
• I continue to learn. Things change fast. Sometimes on a daily basis. There are always new options for communications, new technology, and new information to learn which can be extremely beneficial. Continuing to learn, and continuing to adjust your course based on the latest information, is something everyone should do.

The bottom line--my plan is to be able to do as much as possible for myself and my family, live as minimally as possible, and be able to respond in as flexible manner as possible (both in attitude and physically) no matter what happens. I'm hoping you will do the same. If everyone did this, our economic condition would improve overnight.

Another Workplace Shooting

Once again, another workplace shooting occurred today. Read about it here.
Unfortunately, when you have an unreasonable person who wants to kill someone and doesn't have something as compelling as their own safety to worry about (since they don't mind killing themself after the deed is done), preventing these kinds of incidents is not an exact science. Not even close. Here's some links on the topic:

• FBI Workplace Violence: Issues in Response
• Workplace Violence Articles
• OSHA Workplace Violence Prevention
• USDA Handbook on Workplace Violence

A couple of ideas for preventing this type of situation (from yours truly):

• Work for yourself (in a location/situation of your choosing)
• Don't have employees
• Make good personal choices (such as choosing significant others who aren't violent/crazy/have major personality disorders)
• Be ultra aware of your surroundings at all time
• Get in the habit of safety (locking doors behind you, etc)
• Always be prepared to defend your life if necessary
• Be consistently inconsistent
• If you are aware of a threat situation (ie: a relative involved in a domestic violence situation) take planning steps/action immediately
• Don't rely on the police/a protection order/a video camera to protect you. The only thing that will stop a homicidal maniac is firepower. Period.

The bottom line is that these situations are random and unpredictable, however there are usually plenty of warning signs ahead of time. Don't dismiss these warning signs.

It's Freakin HOT Outside

...at least that has been my mantra for the last couple of days. While we aren't suffering in our area like they are on the East Coast, the temps did top 90 today and us Pacific North Westerners just aren't used to such extreme weather. Here's how to stay cool and relatively healthy during these hot summer days:

• If you must exercise outside, do it early before the temperature starts to heat up. I saw a guy jogging down the street today at 3pm and he looked like he was going to keel over. Yikes.


• Keep hydrated. The hotter the weather, the more important it is to drink lots of water (not coffee, soda, beer or other "thirst-quenchers" which really aren't...scientifically speaking).


• Go where it's cool. In our house, it's the basement. In our city, it is any number of large public buildings (library), shopping centers (mall), or other public places (movie theater, etc).


• Break out the fans and air conditioners. If your home has central air, you are golden. In our area, most homes don't have central air simply because the temps only get super hot in this area for a week or so each year. This means we need to bring out our fans and room air conditioners; we generally keep one room air conditioned and try to minimize our time in other parts of the house during the hottest part of the day.


• If you don't have/can't afford/don't want to hang out at the mall or set up your own air conditioner (or like some people in our city who experienced a power outage during the hottest part of the day today), here's some "old fashioned" tricks for keeping your home cool. Years ago we had maybe one fan and no air conditioner and no malls (yep, that was a long time ago). What we did when it got hot was open all of the doors and windows in the morning to let the cool air into the house then when it started to heat up, we would close the doors and windows and close the curtains on the "hot" side of the house in order to try to keep the cool air in. The one and only fan would be set up over a try of ice which would add a bit of coolness to the air, and often if it wasn't too sweltering outside, the whole family would sit outside under a shady tree (with a book or something, remember this was a long time ago...no computers). People who had to work outside (most of us since this was farm country) would head out as soon as it was barely light in order to get work done before the heat of the day. We would then come back for lunch and take a nice long "siesta" until it started cooling off and we could go out and work again until sun down. Of course spending the afternoon fishing under a shady tree was another option...


• If you must be outside, be sure to cover up (hats, long-sleeved light-weight shirts) and wear sunscreen.


• Never leave pets or kids in the car. In this high heat, a car can turn into an oven in minutes.


• Make sure to keep the kids and pets well hydrated as well.


• Check on your elderly neighbors and relatives. The elderly often have a difficult time regulating their body temperature and can overheat without even knowing it. This can lead to coma and death. Make sure the elderly have a cool place to shelter and ensure that they stay hydrated too.


• Many communities set up "cooling shelters" during the hottest summer days. These places are definitely a good option if you have no where cool to hang out and your home feels like an oven.


• Head for the beach or mountains. Local beaches, lakes, and rivers have been packed the last couple of days around here. Obviously take precautions such as wearing sunscreen, and swimming only in safe swim areas (note that fast-flowing rivers look inviting but can be deadly because, in our area anyway, they are often cold, fast, and have plenty of snags on the bottom). Hypothermia and exhaustion also disproportionately impact swimmers in our area which can lead to drowning. At the ocean, tides and rip currents are dangers that swimmers need to be aware of.


• Eat light. Eating a huge meal during the heat of the day is not such a good idea which is why salads and lighter fare is often preferred when the temperatures rise.


• Get prepared for the next time a heat wave hits. I still see people running to the store and buying out all of the fans and air conditioners available during the first couple days of hot weather. Didn't these people remember the heat wave last year? Make a note that if you do need to buy fans or air conditioners, to do so at the end of the summer season when these items are on sale. Store the items over the winter, and you will be all set next summer and won't have to run to the local Walmart with the hoards of other unprepared people.


• Take a cold shower if necessary. Since I live in a colder climate but travel often to equatorial areas where it is HOT, I often end up taking a cold shower two or three times a day until my body gets acclimated to the hotter weather. It works.


• If you don't know what the signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion are, find out. Also find out how to treat these problems.

Eventually this too will pass but it makes sense to make yourself as safe and comfortable as possible during the hottest days of summer.

A Quote to Remember

The movie "Swing Vote" is playing in the background this evening. I was barely paying attention to is as I generally read online or read books in the evening while the spouse watches TV but when I heard this quote, my head snapped up.

"All the world's great civilizations have followed the same path. From bondage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to complacency, from complacency to apathy, and from apathy back to bondage. If we are to be the exception to history, then we must break the cycle, for those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Um, I think we are pretty much towards the far side of the cycle and I hope enough of us will work to break the cycle. Soon.