I have pretty much given up on trying to keep up with politics.  The Obama administration is moving on so many different issues that by the time I get the chance to formulate a blog post that isn’t just a recycling of stuff already out there we’re onto the next three topics.  It is heartening to see the breaks put on some of this nonsense.

So my personal life has been rather busy this summer.  Professionally I have the day to day stuff at the data center to stay on top of as well as a major new project we’re bringing together.  I’ve been doing a lot of reading and a lot of learning along the way.  That’s a good thing too.  I think you’ve run out of usefulness if you stop learning and being hungry for more knowledge.

The big event of the summer was taking a much needed vacation.  Twelve days split between Makato, Kansas and Houston, Texas let me see some friends and family and really refocus on some of the important things in life.

First was a stop in Kansas.  My uncle Mac was visiting from South Korea.  A rare event and one I am incredibly glad to not have missed.  A few pictures tell the whole story here.

This is me with my uncle’s SKS.

The biggest and most pleasant surprise to me was how scenic and beautiful the Kansas country side is around there.  The wheat harvest was going on at this time and great weather plus amazing smells from the fresh cut wheat really made me not want to leave.

This is the real reason I was there.  From left to right, Wallace, Melissa, Aunt Sue and Grandma.  That little girl is so adorable.

Then things shifted gears a little down to Houston.

Left to right again Mark, Jojo, and Julie having way too much fun at Dave & Busters.  I’ve met some odd characters on the internet but I love them like family.

I had a great time in Houston.  Got to go to one of my favorite places to eat in the whole world, Fogo de Chao.  If you’re a steak lover then this is THE place for you.  The festival or parade of meat, each more delicious than the next, is just amazing.  There’s something special about Texas.  Even in a place like Houston where the terrain and climate is as unremarkable as my native Florida the people have a way about them that just makes you feel like you’re at home.

Next I was reminded that time stops for no one and it had been ten years since I graduated high school.  The tiny class of 1999 from Heritage Christian School gathered at Universal City Walk to prove that the “Heritage Curse” had no hold on us.

Successful professionals with remarkable families is the story of our class to this point.  A story I found myself a lot more proud to be a part of than that fateful day in ‘99.

The latest news is the purchase of my first handgun.  Living in Broward County Florida with the special kind of stupid that walks the streets here I have felt the need to arm myself for a solid two years now.  Up until recently the cost of living and my income has not allowed it.  My trip to Kansas and the opportunity to shoot my uncle Wally’s very impressive Springfield 1911 Long-Slide made an impression.  The one thing I did not want to do was make an ill informed decision.  I did not think that I should choose the piece of hardware I was going to trust my life to based on a few dozen rounds.

So I set about my research.  I found an excellent gentleman on Youtube who goes by the name of Nutnfancy.  His videos are packed full of awesome information.  Ultimately he has a different focus than I do.  Having no desire to trek through the swamps of the Everglades any time soon I did not see the need to focus on light weight as much as he does.  He however did enlighten me to a more complete way of thinking about the gun purchase as part of a total self defense system rather than just a gun by itself.

So with a predisposed preference to 1911s, a budget, and a clearly defined POU (Philosophy of Use, a term I picked up from Mr. Nutnfancy.) for my first gun I set out to the range to rent some of the leading candidates.  I put 50 rounds each through the Glock 21, H&K 45, Sig P220, and Kimber Custom II TLE.  In that order as well and by design.  I knew I already liked the 1911s so I wanted to leave that one for last and approach the others with an open mind and the idea that one might grab my attention.  In the end they did not.  After the first magazine was run through the Kimber I was sold.

The day I rented the Kimber and made the decision I walked over to the case and saw that they were on sale.  It was a full $150 off the traditional going price for a Custom TLE II and that was just icing on the cake.

Well that brings everything up to date here.  I take delivery of my Kimber next week.  I can’t wait.