Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

So, I had resolved yesterday to do *something* everyday to further The Cause Of Zero. SO, how’d that go? Not bad. I re-inventoried the clothing I have stashed away in the bunker and, in a fit of efficiency, vaccuum sealed it all..each item with its own little label. Why vaccuum sealed? Couple reasons..for one thing, there were a dozen pairs of wool glove/mitten liners and the last thing I need to do is be freezing to death, open the box, find twelve bands of elastic and a six-pound moth. It also compresses things nicely so they take up less space. And, of course, it protects them from damp and water…so if I have to haul that box to a waiting vehicle in the middle of a heavy rain or snow and I trip and the box goes flying, scattering its contents…no prob..its all still clean, dry and safe. Multiple redundancy is the name of the game.

So that was yesterday…today, I’m printing out a small list off of my Excel listing all the clothing that is contained in the box and affixing that list to the outside of the box for easy sorting.

While I was at it, I did some re-arranging of things in the bunker as well. I had alot of 6-gallon buckets sitting around getting underfoot so I moved them around, consolidated a few items into milk crates, that sort of thing.

I think todays Deed will be fairly simple…move to the bunker all the things that I’ve let stack up in my living room that Ive been meaning to take down there and put them away.

I’ve been slacking off in my duties as Cmdr. 0 lately. Sometimes its tough to be motivated… when the power is on and theres food in the fridge and the sheeple are quietly doing their own thing it is difficult to stay focussed on preparing for Der Tag. I mean, I can spend $7 and pick up a couple DVD’s and a frozen pizza or I can spend three hours cleaning and refueling stoves, lanterns and heaters…mmmm…tough choice.

But, this sort of thing *isnt* supposed to be easy..or cheap. If it were, there wouldnt be sheeple and there wouldnt be LMI’s.

Maybe thats what I need…spend some time with the LMI’s chatting about gear and scenarios. Thats usually a good motivator. (So is watching ‘Red Dawn’ or re-reading ‘Patriots: Survivng The Collapse’ or even ‘Atlas Shrugged’. Maybe watch some LA Riots footage or something…)

Its early enough in the year that I should make some resolutions. So be it. Resolved: Everyday I will do at least one thing towards adding to the security, safety, well-being and liberty of me, mine and the LMI’s. Be it reading a TM or FM, buying food, organizing stockpiles, loading ammo, learning a new skill, or making plans.

All those in favor? The ‘ayes’ have it.

New “HQ/Sportsman’s Guide” catalog arrived today. Some goodies in there. Perusing the catalog won’t count as my Zero Deed For The Day, but I’m sure theres no shortage of things to do. As an aside, theres some seriously nice gear in the catalog. I love Swiss milsurp…quality, quality, quality.

In other news, I received a really, really slick apple corer/peeler in the mail today. This thing cores, peels and then spirally slices an apple all in about thirty seconds. A real jewel. A quick slice with a knife and I have perfectly uniform thickness apple rings that are gonna go great in the food dehydrator. (Because part of being Cmdr. 0 means having frou-frou kitchen gadgets and knowing how to use them.)

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

I’ve been slacking off in my duties as Cmdr. 0 lately. Sometimes its tough to be motivated… when the power is on and theres food in the fridge and the sheeple are quietly doing their own thing it is difficult to stay focussed on preparing for Der Tag. I mean, I can spend $7 and pick up a couple DVD’s and a frozen pizza or I can spend three hours cleaning and refueling stoves, lanterns and heaters…mmmm…tough choice.

But, this sort of thing *isnt* supposed to be easy..or cheap. If it were, there wouldnt be sheeple and there wouldnt be LMI’s.

Maybe thats what I need…spend some time with the LMI’s chatting about gear and scenarios. Thats usually a good motivator. (So is watching ‘Red Dawn’ or re-reading ‘Patriots: Survivng The Collapse’ or even ‘Atlas Shrugged’. Maybe watch some LA Riots footage or something…)

Its early enough in the year that I should make some resolutions. So be it. Resolved: Everyday I will do at least one thing towards adding to the security, safety, well-being and liberty of me, mine and the LMI’s. Be it reading a TM or FM, buying food, organizing stockpiles, loading ammo, learning a new skill, or making plans.

All those in favor? The ‘ayes’ have it.

New “HQ/Sportsman’s Guide” catalog arrived today. Some goodies in there. Perusing the catalog won’t count as my Zero Deed For The Day, but I’m sure theres no shortage of things to do. As an aside, theres some seriously nice gear in the catalog. I love Swiss milsurp…quality, quality, quality.

In other news, I received a really, really slick apple corer/peeler in the mail today. This thing cores, peels and then spirally slices an apple all in about thirty seconds. A real jewel. A quick slice with a knife and I have perfectly uniform thickness apple rings that are gonna go great in the food dehydrator. (Because part of being Cmdr. 0 means having frou-frou kitchen gadgets and knowing how to use them.)

Hmmm…cold and snow. Pretty much typical for this time of year. I was thinking last night that I need to get another kerosene heater specifically for keeping in the basement so that if the power goes out the pipes will not freeze. Fortunately, keeping a room comfortable and keeping a room above freezing are two completely different things…fuel requirements should be easier for one than the other. I’m going to go with kerosene since its already what I power my lamps with and I like the stability and long-term shelf life. I’ll hedge my bets though and get a propane heater as well. (And maybe even a Coleman catalytic that runs on Coleman fuel.) I like the multi-fuel option…this way if things get ugly, I can use whatever fuels I can scrounge.
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Found a very cool storage container at Lowes the other day. (info) I like this. Fifteen bucks, heavy-duty, modular, stackable and not made in China. (Althoguh its made in the *other* Socialist country that starts with C and ends with A – Canada) I’m thinking this would be a good box for storing my clothes, spare blankets or similar gear. At fifteen bucks a throw I can get a dozen for not a lot of money.
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One nice thing about this bone-numbing cold….its a good opportunity to find out what gear does and does not work in sub-zero temps. Amazing what bitter cold does to batteries.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Hmmm…cold and snow. Pretty much typical for this time of year. I was thinking last night that I need to get another kerosene heater specifically for keeping in the basement so that if the power goes out the pipes will not freeze. Fortunately, keeping a room comfortable and keeping a room above freezing are two completely different things…fuel requirements should be easier for one than the other. I’m going to go with kerosene since its already what I power my lamps with and I like the stability and long-term shelf life. I’ll hedge my bets though and get a propane heater as well. (And maybe even a Coleman catalytic that runs on Coleman fuel.) I like the multi-fuel option…this way if things get ugly, I can use whatever fuels I can scrounge.
==============
Found a very cool storage container at Lowes the other day. (info) I like this. Fifteen bucks, heavy-duty, modular, stackable and not made in China. (Although its made in the *other* Socialist country that starts with C and ends with A – Canada) I’m thinking this would be a good box for storing my clothes, spare blankets or similar gear. At fifteen bucks a throw I can get a dozen for not a lot of money.
==============
One nice thing about this bone-numbing cold….its a good opportunity to find out what gear does and does not work in sub-zero temps. Amazing what bitter cold does to batteries.

I have an utterly crappo memory, so when I travel, I tend to forget the URL’s to the various websites check with in my never-ending battle against…uhm…well, whatever it is Im doing battle against. So, Im going to make a page on the website with my personal links so I can have them wherever I go.
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Hey, befpre I forget, I wanna wish a happy New Year to the LMI’s and wanna-be LMI’s. Its an election year and the year the assault weapons ban sunsets….keep your fingers crossed.
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Im the first to admit, I was surprised that, as far as the media is letting us know, no one pulled off an incident during New Years. Just as well…I dont need things going to hell in a handbasket when Im a couple thousand miles away from all my gear.
————
I got my DVD copy of “The Omega Man”…say it with me: if its the future, and its bad – Charlton Heston is there!

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

I have an utterly crappo memory, so when I travel, I tend to forget the URL’s to the various websites check with in my never-ending battle against…uhm…well, whatever it is Im doing battle against. So, Im going to make a page on the website with my personal links so I can have them wherever I go.
———–
Hey, before I forget, I wanna wish a happy New Year to the LMI’s and wanna-be LMI’s. Its an election year and the year the assault weapons ban sunsets….keep your fingers crossed.
————
Im the first to admit, I was surprised that, as far as the media is letting us know, no one pulled off an incident during New Years. Just as well…I dont need things going to hell in a handbasket when Im a couple thousand miles away from all my gear.
————
I got my DVD copy of “The Omega Man”…say it with me: if its the future, and its bad – Charlton Heston is there!

Hmmm…the available armaments to me at the moment are a Sig .40 with 150 rds of ammo(two mags), a Sig .380 with 250 rounds of ammo (one mag) and a 12 ga. with no ammo. Not quite naked, but not nearly my first choice for being in a major target city like Chicago. On the other hand, Louis Farrakhans place is about a dozen blocks from here so I could always loot his compound ’cause you know he’s gonna have some hardware there for him and his Fruitcakes of Islam.

Have I mentioned the irony that would occur should things get Really Weird and all my gear and preps are 1500 miles away? Tremendous suckage, that.

So, this just remindsme I need tocome up with a fairly inexpensive, disposable and adequate package of travelguns. The easiest would be an SKS and a .38 revolver. That way if something happened to them Id only be out $300. But I rather like ammo commonality so a 9mm carbine and pistol combo would be very nice….but while I can get a cheap 9mm Ruger pistol, the complimentary Ruger P9 carbine is NOT cheap. And while I could get a relatively cheap KelTec 9mm Sub2000 carbine, the Glock pistol to go with it wouldnt be cheap. A .357 revolver and Marlin carbine would be a great choice, but the marlin is still more than $300.

Other items I travel with…my Gerber Parabellum folder, SureFire tactical light, LED tasklight, and a few other small items that might give me an advantage.

My dad doesnt even have a good tactical flashlight to keep on his nightstand. There may be a SureFire Nitrolon in his future.

In addition to thundertoys, I’d like to pack up a small container of essentials for travel that I’d want around in case things Get Ugly. Some food, water filter, compress bandages, flashlight and batteries, lightsticks, binoculars, body armour, etc, etc. (Hmmm..I should give this some more thought and come up with a list)

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Hmmm…the available armaments to me at the moment are a Sig .40 with 150 rds of ammo(two mags), a Sig .380 with 250 rounds of ammo (one mag) and a 12 ga. with no ammo. Not quite naked, but not nearly my first choice for being in a major target city like Chicago. On the other hand, Louis Farrakhans place is about a dozen blocks from here so I could always loot his compound ’cause you know he’s gonna have some hardware there for him and his Fruitcakes of Islam.

Have I mentioned the irony that would occur should things get Really Weird and all my gear and preps are 1500 miles away? Tremendous suckage, that.

So, this just reminds me I need to come up with a fairly inexpensive, disposable and adequate package of travel guns. The easiest would be an SKS and a .38 revolver. That way if something happened to them Id only be out $300. But I rather like ammo commonality so a 9mm carbine and pistol combo would be very nice….but while I can get a cheap 9mm Ruger pistol, the complimentary Ruger P9 carbine is NOT cheap. And while I could get a relatively cheap KelTec 9mm Sub2000 carbine, the Glock pistol to go with it wouldnt be cheap. A .357 revolver and Marlin carbine would be a great choice, but the marlin is still more than $300.

Other items I travel with…my Gerber Parabellum folder, SureFire tactical light, LED tasklight, and a few other small items that might give me an advantage.

My dad doesnt even have a good tactical flashlight to keep on his nightstand. There may be a SureFire Nitrolon in his future.

In addition to thundertoys, I’d like to pack up a small container of essentials for travel that I’d want around in case things Get Ugly. Some food, water filter, compress bandages, flashlight and batteries, lightsticks, binoculars, body armour, etc, etc. (Hmmm..I should give this some more thought and come up with a list)

Y’know, it seems to me there should be a holiday for the LMI’s. So, since even a convicted kidnapper and torturer can make up a fake holiday and achieve a degree of acceptance (i.e. Kwanzaa), I propose the holiday to be known as “Paratus”. (Thats Latin for ‘prepared’..)

Now, there has to be a gimmick..Jews get a menorah, Christians get a tree, Kwanzites get the menorah-ripoff, etc, etc,…therefore I think the gimmick for Paratus shall be…hmmmm…..man, right out of the gate Im stumped…uhm…well, lets see..what is a hallmark of preparation? Food? Tools? Shelter? Aha! The backpack! Yes, the symbol of Paratus shall be the backpack. You set it up somewhere in your house and people stuff it full of preparedness-themed gifts. Your gifts to them go in their Paratus backpack.

Now..activities…instead of going door-to-door singing Christmas carols you go door-to-door probing your neigbors perimeter for weaknesses in their security.

Since nothing says self-determintaion and individuality like a quality firearm, the traditional token gift shall be ammo. Instead of a card or other greeting you simply hand over a round of .223 or .45 ACp or 7.62×39 and wish the recipient a happy holiday.

Which reminds me…Happy Paratus? Joyous Paratus? Merry Paratus? Hmmm….Good Paratus?

Still havent decided on a time of year….I was thinking something spring/summery since thats the time of year your out in the field. April already has Patriots day (4/19), May is a possibility as is June. July is out since it already has a holiday. Hmmm….maybe sometime in late May.