An new, old thing

   Many of the young'un's in the "tactical" arena may not remember the dark days of the 80's and 90's - when there weren't three thousand dealers of various nylon bags, pouches, accessories and the like, in everything from black to the latest Unobtanium-Camouflage shades, all at the click of a web button. Yes, at one time your choices were straightforward issued gear, or doing some work with a needle and thread on your own - or if you were super lucky, paying the local Asian laundry seamstress or the nearest parachute rigger to modify something just a bit.

   Yes, some of you may not know it, but many of the designs you take for granted today such as the "three day/assault pack," the "dump pouch" or "modified chest rigs" were born out of a guy somewhere going "I like this but damn I wish it had X... what can I do?"

   And then came the dual scourge/blessing of the internet and a prolonged military conflict. Now anyone with a heavy duty sewing machine and a few ideas could sell his varied wares to folks world-wide; and the consumer had not just one or two gear choices, but a plethora which would make anyone dizzy to truly comprehend. Packs in this and that color. Belts with or without accessories. Clips and straps and dangles and dongles and the latest in technology because you know that unit is using it, I read it on a web forum from a guy who's cousin knows another guy...

   I was just as guilty. You can ask my wife how many packs I've gone through over the years, or how many different little pouches I ordered because "this one is just a bit different and does something better." The standing joke in my old community of "900 pounds of lightweight gear" certainly applied - I had packs, pouches, bags, attachment points, rails, do-dads, thingamajigs and the like pouring out of bins. Because, by God, if I was going downrange on a live device, or making entry on a really bad situation I wanted everything to not only solve the problem at hand, but to also rebuild a civilization, construct a space program, and style my hair while doing so. Anything less would be a waste of all the work that was put into developing the "high speed low drag" kit that was out there.

   But over the past few years, something subtly changed. I got tired of having so. much. crap.  Having to haul it in my truck, carry it on my body, and deal with it when working. Part of it being getting older, not in the condition I was twenty years ago, and physically not the same man. But most of it being a slow mental realization. I don't NEED every available tool right on my body. I can often accomplish the same stuff going old-fashioned with some simpler tools. And I can't say I don't like it. I think the kit I wear on bad calls now is probably half the weight of five years ago, and yet I feel I am probably 200% more effective.

   Which leads to this. Again, I have been victim of pack/rig/nylon of the week fetish as much as any other. But - in so many cases, things would be just "not right." Missing one accessory I wanted. Or overburdened with something. So I'd make do, and just wait for the next big thing to come out and solve the problem.

    But it never did. And with the prices of the quote "specialized" items I often need, that kind of adds up.

   And somehow, about a month ago, something happened. I was looking at one piece of my bomb gear that I "liked" but I didn't "love" - thinking out loud that if it just had "this" it would be much more effective. And, instead of writing them, or Googling and finding someone who might come just that fraction closer, I did something different.

   I picked up a set of scissors, a needle and thread, and some nylon, and I made the changes myself.

   It wasn't the prettiest work in the world - but I used it on a call the very next week and was so much more pleased with the results.

   And it got me thinking. And working. Because, despite what my house looks like, I am slowly working to simplify. So, in the time since, I've tweaked my daily pack to be just that bit better and have what I need. A few more pieces of work stuff. And I'm trying to think through my other things in terms of what needs to go or stay, or to be modified by me instead of someone getting to charge tons of money for the right outsourcing. And it's kind of nice.

   Don't get me wrong. My work certainly isn't lovely enough to sell. And I'm still willing to buy someone else's project should they build the better mousetrap. But, I think it was important for me to remember that I'm capable of my own fixes - and that sometimes, instead of relying on others to "build the perfect tool" it might be better to just head on to the workshop myself.

A new one

Despite what many people think, we don't often hear original insults or commentary in law enforcement. Yes people, the "He's over here, arrest him!" joke when we walk into a business and you point at a coworker thing got old about ten minutes after Sir Peel published his doctrine.

But tonight I heard a new one, from a customer who was drunk, under the influence of narcotics, and with mental health issues - yet still put together numerous times in her string of insults "You burned pieces of fried bacon cops" - we were all quite impressed.

Hadn't heard that one before. Kind of made the whole night worth it.

Health Hazards

As my partner and I took care of a bomb call at yet another house this week which made most landfills look sanitary and pretty, he pointed out that we're far more likely to die of some zombie flesh eating plague we get from some hoarder's home than we are of an actual device.

You just can't make this stuff up...

I present to you the following example of a recent call:

"Complainant advised she found a suspicious metal object in the middle of the roadway. She picked it up to prevent a car from hitting it, thinks it looks strange and that it may be an explosive object inside. Complainant has taken the object to her house but is afraid to put it in the trash because she doesn't want the trash can to explode. Requests someone to come look at it."

This is why I'll always have job security.

Video killed the EOD star...

Tonight my six year old daughter got into an extensive debate with me that the pictures I was showing her from work COULDN'T be real explosives, because they didn't look like the TNT in her video games...

Crossover skills

To my coworker who called at 9 tonight...

Yes, I do take apart bombs for a living. That doesn't mean I necessarily know how to diagnose and rewire your water heater.

Just saying.

An observation

If your organization holds training for supervisors and leaders on things like "Team building," "Morale Workshops" and the like, you may rest relatively assured they have lost the root concept of actually fixing such problems.

I'm so proud

My daughter's latest Lego creation?

She made a gallows... to put in the town square of the town she built. Because it needed one.

She wasn't born on Halloween like I had hoped, but she's still my spooky little girl when she wants to be :D

Sometimes you just shake your head

   So recently we were "volun-told" that a few of us would be making an appearance at one of our local housing projects "police community day."  Keep in mind that this is the sort of project that strongly dislikes the police in general, that is a high crime and drug area, and just generally isn't a great place to hang out in. It was clear well in advance that the majority of attendees would be there for free food or giveaways, and not really interested in better community/police relations unfortunately. But, the politicians had decreed to the administration had decreed to us... so off we went on a Saturday. My role there was to hang out for a couple of hours with the vehicle and me visible, and to do a dog demonstration for the attendees at some point. Which brings us to the amusement phase of things...

   Keep in mind that for the vast majority of people (particularly on the thuggish end of things) there are only two sorts of police dogs they think of - patrol dogs, which chase and bite people; and drug dogs, which do the obvious. The fact that we have bomb dogs rarely if ever comes to mind unless you specifically point it out to them. And, I won't deny there have been a few times I might have let people presume one thing when talking to them - but that's a separate story.

   Anyway, here I was on my day off, and all set for my demonstration outside. A five minute talk about the dog, show him finding something and that was the plan. So they make the announcement inside that there is a dog demo outside, and a small crowd of attendees wanders out to watch. And, as soon as I turn and start walking towards the group and they see my partner is a Labrador retriever, and obviously NOT a patrol dog - literally 80% of them turn around and make a beeline back inside. Not even subtly moseying - it was blatantly obvious that they didn't want to be anywhere near that detector dog. Even the upper staff who were there noticed and were dumbfounded. As I just laughed and let my boss know that was pretty much what I had expected to happen...

   And if this doesn't tell you something about the state of things than nothing will.

Just some bits...

- Still a work in progress, but I'm ok. Good days & bad but overall I'm in a better place than a few months ago.

- Finally took a couple of afternoons this week and did some serious yardwork I've been neglecting for years. Trimmed trees and bushes, raked up old crap and all that - and that's just the front yard. Now to slowly tackle the back.

- While "grilling season" never really ends here, with the warmer weather it has become more frequent and also involves letting the kids eat outside on the repaired picnic table as well as marshmallow roasts. To say they are happy is a big understatement.

- Have a birthday coming up this week - not sure yet what I think about that. But at least I made it another year.

Anyway, still alive here. Maybe have something to write soon but felt it needed an update.