Intro Thread

[BigDanInTX]

Hey, guys...  Figured we could use an intro thread.  Let's use this to introduce yourself if you're new and welcome those coming in.  =-]

I'm Dan and I'm a Software Developer living in Round Rock, TX.  33, Married, 2 kids (6 and 3).  I'm CHL and have some firearms experience, but no rifle experience yet (AR's almost fully built).  Still kind of new to the preparedness thing, but I have a working knowledge of what I need to get done and I'm taking weekly steps to get there.

I've been listening to Jack since around episode 10 or so.  Before listening to his prep podcasts, I was in a mad panic to "catch up", however after listening to his advice, I quickly shifted gears and am now doing a little bit each week.  I had been leery of his more political topics, but decided to give them a chance and I've been really glad I did.  So many people try to shove what they believe down other peoples' throats.  Jack doesn't do that and that helps his message even more IMO.

I'm glad all of you made it in here and I hope we can all help each other to get ready for the rough ride ahead!  =-]

EDIT: Others were talking about wife's support.  For me, she thinks I'm crazy, but she's willing to "play along".  She rolls her eyes at me when I buy something for preps, but I think she may start thinking I'm right about this stuff.  The Hurricane Ike aftermath, with my grandparents without power for 6 days may have opened her eyes to some things.  Also, her eyes used to glaze over when I mentioned economy stuff, but she's seeing enough of it in the news that she may actually be turning a corner.  That, and she didn't get upset when I bought silver without "permission".  lol

EDIT: Also, be sure to let us know if you are coming in from another survival-oriented board.  I'm coming from Zombie Squad myself.  =-]

[jeremya]

Hey guys! I am Jeremy. I am a Development Manager in Austin, TX. ( I actually live in Cedar Park). I am 32 and married.

I am still pretty new to fire arms, but I am in the process of getting my CHL.

I am also new to Preparedness and like Dan before I found Jack's podcast I was, admittedly, paralyzed by the daunting task of starting from zero. Now I am working with my wife on a plan for 2009. I am hoping to set goals for several levels of preparedness and slowly day by day work or way towards meeting the goals. When I get my list together I will put it in a post.

Speaking of my wife she is, for the most part, on board. She agrees we should be prepared, but she's a worrier so she prefers not to think too much about "What if" scenarios. She's been a First Aid Kit nut for a long time ( I guess it goes along with the fact she is always hurting herself. ) so I am putting her in charge of the first aid kits and training.

-- Jeremy

[dreadstalker]

Hi I have been into prepping since the id 80's and into primitive survivalism since the mid 70's.
Served with the USMC as an 0311on a mardet aboard an aircraft carrier. Good duty, it allowed me a lot of extra training and was able to do a few things that isn't exactly on the books.
Construction pays the bills around here but I consider myself to be a jack of all trades.

[Patriot:Ex Machina]

Howdy Folks, I go by the handle of "Patriot Unknown".
 Im in my late 20's and have been into preparedness off and on since I was a teen. It's something my stepfather ( ex-Army) has burned into my brain, "Hope and pray for the best, but prepare for the worst".
My wife is about 80% on board with the "prepping" although she as accused me from time to time of "going a bit tin foil hat".
I found out about The Survival Podcast through the Hi-Point Forum . I've really enjoyed the show and it's become a staple of my daily "web surfing".
I work as a parts clerk at the local Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep dealership.
I've been using firearms since I was old enough to pick up a .22LR, but learning something new about them every day.
My firearm interests lean toward that of AR's AKs and Mosin Nagants as well as the SKS.
In my spare time I like to shoot (of course  ) read, and I love music. 
Just glad to be here.

[DrGonzo]

Hey all, DrGonzo here from Seattle, WA.  I've been interested in preparedness from a pretty early age, starting with a long stint in the Boy Scouts.  I worked all the way up to Eagle Scout, and it set the framework for how I look at the world.  After a few years of college, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as a 0612 Field Wireman and served with Field Artillery Unit in Iraq.  I've since been running a small satellite phone distribution and billing company in Seattle, all while trying to set up a new home, with a new fiance, and a finishing up my bachelor's degree.

I've been active on the Zombie Squad boards for the last couple of years, and they have been instrumental in opening my eyes to the preparedness community, which led me to Jack and his podcast.  Personal preparedness and disaster survival has gone beyond a hobby or paranoid activity for me, I'm actually considering going into the Emergency Management field as a career.  No, I don't want to work for FEMA!

I enjoy the outdoors, skiing, shooting (mostly long guns, but I don't hunt), exploring the local music scene, reading and films.  One of the most fun activities I've been involved in is the formation of a local Zombie Squad chapter, ZSC-005.  We've generated quite a bit of local interest, and we've been hosting meetings and events for the past few months.  It's amazing how many different types of people you meet who are interested in becoming more self-sufficient, be it the most hardcore 2nd Amendment defender, to the most die hard environmentalist.  The preparedness and disaster survival communities deal with issues that affect every person, not just supporters of a particular party, religion, or dogma. 

This is one of the main reasons that I enjoy Jack's podcasts so much, he's not a right winger or a left winger, or any of those labels we've been taught to apply to every person in America.  His point of view into what's really important in our country has made me take a harder look at my beliefs, and my view on how this country operates.  While I may not agree on every single point he makes regarding politics or our economy (it is, as he says, "one man's opinion"), he presents his opinions in such a way that you really have to take a hard look at what we're being spoon fed  by our "betters". 

Any Pacific Northwesters out there, shoot me a PM, we'll grab a beer and gripe about the world! 

[Tactical Badger]

Hi!  I'm TB and I enjoy long walks on the beach and...oh, sorry.  Not THAT kind of intro. 


Also came over from the Zombie Squad board.

I haven't been at the whole "Preparing" thing all that long.  But, I do remember the wife and I stocking up for Y2K. 

I got really serious about it after running across the ZS board and meeting up with some really great people here in Ohio.

I've got my little 5 acre lot in the country and a healthy desire to become a LOT more self-sufficient.  The wife's on board with most everything.  Although, she doesn't quite see the need I do to spend so much money on guns.

We've actually had a couple of near-misses around us that have really driven home the need to be prepared.  And like DrG, preparedness has gone way beyond a hobby and is now a lifestyle.  While, I'm not ready to make a career out of it, I did complete my county's CERT program and am active in that.

And yeah...Jack's a raving Libertarian!!!  Gotta' love that!

[Patriot:Ex Machina]

Tactical Badger wrote:

And yeah...Jack's a raving Libertarian!!!  Gotta' love that!

That's the best kind!! 

[spartan]

Hello, Spartan here, another one of the crew who came over from the Zombie Squad.

I have been into preparedness since my days as a Boy Scout.  It all came together though in my early 20s, nearly a decade ago already, with a martial arts instructor who taught that being prepared for a conflict was more than just knowing how to hit the other guy, but also understanding that sometimes your best bet is to run. His ultimate goal for his students was for each of us to be able to control any situation in life so the we could mitigate the impact it would have on us. 

My take on preparedness has evolved from those simple days when I figured a few cases of MREs, a BOB, a sidearm, and a rifle would get me through the worst of it.  Now I have a lifestyle that supports preparedness in the form of a budding homestead and a network of individuals who have their own pursuits that makes them useful within my longterm planning.

I am fortunate that my wife is completely on-board with the idea and is very supportive.  Our older daughter is in because she works with horses and sees a large homestead as her best opportunity to raise and train them without having to buy her own farm. 

Though not Luddites by any stretch of the imagination, I am writing this on a modern laptop not sending it to the web through the wire as individual dots and dashed hashed out on a telegraph, we do take a position that requires minimal external energy other than food to feed us, wood to provide heat, wax to provide light, and plants and animals to give us clothing.  If the power goes off, it is of little consequence.  We live without it enough days out of the year that we need not worry when it will come back on for a while.  Eventually it will not matter if it ever does.

My current profession is what my friends and wife like to call a Foodist.  My interest is in food from the ground it grows in or grazed upon to the point that it reaches the plate ready to eat as well as the libations of beer, wine, and mead to make the meal and combine the company in a common place.

[SwampMonster]

An intro? You really want to know about me?

Lets see, I'm 32, living on the coast right in the middle of hurricane central. I have ridden out Katrina, Ivan, Cindy and, Dennis. I have learned much from each. I work for the government trying to protect the environment. I have a MS in Environmental Science and a BS in Chemistry. Mainly my work is in the swamps doing wetland mitigation and restoration projects.

My survival instinct was instilled upon me by my father, his idea of fun was to get me lost in the woods and see what happened. Kinda like the swim or die approach.  I really don't see the end of the world coming during my life, I mainly prepare for a few weeks of discomfort. I am a bug in kinda guy but have three bug out locations if needed.


My Hobbies include quail/duck/dove hunting. I will deer hunt if i need the meat. I work as a part time quail guide during he winter(lets me hunt for free).  I currently shoot NSCA(National Sporting Clays Association) and try to shoot 300-400 targets a week. Looking to take up three gun but need more practice.

I am married and she thinks I'm nuts, but has no problem having plenty to eat in the house.

Swamp

[DeltaEchoVictor]

DeltaEchoVictor here.  DEV are the last three letters of my HAM call sign.  I'm a ZS'er as well & The SP is a regular on my Nano.   The boring specifics are 36yo male living in the Ozarks of Missouri.  Been married 12 years & the little lady is down with the preparedness sickness as well.  No kids, five furbabies.

Been hunting & fishing the hills around here since I was a little kid.  I've been doing the hunting with a recurve/longbow for the last few years.  I make my own equipment.  We do organic gardening & various other things to remain as self-sufficient as we can. 

I'm excited to see this venture get off the ground. 

Edited, 'cause I can't freakin' count.

[stevebluff]

Steve Bluff here, 42, married, 4 kids, boy 17 in college, young lady 15 last year of secondary school, girl 4, boy 2. Live in the South of England, rural Hampshire, but originally from the Kingdom of greater Yorkshire (a northerner, that's important!)!  15 years British Army, started as a boy scout and it just went from there.  Worked in governmental, military, public safety and security comms and solutions as well a enterprise solutions,  across Europe, middle east and Africa.  Lots of friends in the the industry. Was an out doors pursuits instructor, enjoy reading, forums (do now), survival skills/prepping, off road/4x4, bushcraft, and love shooting!  Desire:  to be free from debt slavery and live as much as possible in a self reliant way, providing a healthy fulfilling life for my family and I (and get more hunting in!)

arte et marte

[Lee]

Greetings everyone!  And a big thanks to Jack for furnishing this forum, I think it is a fantastic idea!  I listen to the podcast almost daily, and have downloaded and listened to all of the archived shows.  I think Jack is a "voice of reason" in the Patriot/Survival community.

I am 54 years old and retired....which sounds great, but I am actually busier now that I ever was during my career in public safety communications.  I live in rural, western Texas on 50 acres with my wife and two dogs.  We have 2 grown kids and 4 grandkids.  I was born and raised in far West Texas, and spent most of my working life moving East...first to the Midland/Odessa area, then to Dallas and on to Virginia, where I worked for 7 years before I retired in 2005 and made the move back to West Texas.

My wife and I have been, what you would consider "survivalists" - or at least "preppers", for years.  My dad actually got me started thinking about this stuff many years ago.  He was 14 years old in 1929 and had vivid memories of the depression.  He always told me that "it would happen again, since the government sold out to the bankers and our money was worthless paper.".  It's certainly looking like you were right again, Dad!  Our goal is to make our lives as self sufficient as possible, which is always a challenge in the area we live in; the Eastern edge of the Sonoran Desert.  While we do have plenty of relatively shallow well water, it is extremely salty and is not suitable for growing any sort of food crops.  My current project is 5000 gallons of rainwater storage collected from the roof of our 2000 sq ft barn, just so we can have a garden.

I hold an Extra Class Amateur Radio license, and worked in the two-way radio business for almost 30 years and still do quite a bit of contract work in public safety/disaster communications.  If anyone has any questions about radio communications, I can probably help you out.  I am also a certified EMT and can help out some in first aid/emergency medical topics.

[DeltaEchoVictor]

Welcome aboard guys! 

[Patriot:Ex Machina]

A special welcome to the international members like Steve Bluff!
Thanks again for the thread on UK Gun laws. I emailed that to several friends.
Very insightful!

[tinfoilhat]

Hello all,

I'm looking forward to being a part of this forum community.  My husband and I have been listening to Jack's podcasts since maybe August (?) and have caught up on just about all of them.  I appreciate Jack's passion for the community he is building and enjoy the format of the show. 

We have been working slowly towards self-sufficiency since a little over a year ago when we decided to follow Dave Ramsay's plan to get out of debt (which we're still working on, but getting there).  I've had an uneasy feeling about this fall/winter since last spring so we've spent time trying to get things in order as much as we can and just trying every day to make our lives better "if times get tough, and even if they don't."

I hope to be able to use this forum as a way to build community with like-minded people from all over, and I'm excited to see how many people are already participating.

[Trusty Mutsi]

Hi folks!

I'm Harold from Pennsylvania. I'm a graphic designer/cartoonist. I just published my first comic book, which is also a webcomic. You can see it at mimescomic.com. I've been bothered by the typical american lifestyle for years. My wife and I have been very good about staying out of debt, but I still feel we have more than we need (specifically our house may be bigger than we need, but she disagrees). I'm hoping to get a firearm for home defense soon, and will be implementing the 24 hour drill (shutting off power, throw keys in the drawer, etc..)

I think that's a good starting point for me, but I'm a bit overwhelmed on what to focus on next. Where do I buy bags of rice? Should I learn to survive in the wild? Should I buy land next? Should I find a new job that's closer to the country? How do I learn more about politics, enonomy, from an absolute beginner's point of view?

As you can see, I've got a lot going on in my head, but I want to focus on a few things at a time.

I love the site, the forum seems great, and I hope I can somehow help in the future. My only real skills I can offer is cartooning. If anyone wants to do some survival cartoons, I'd love to work on some in the future.

[archer]

Hello all,
 I'm Steve from San Jose, Calif, I am 43 yrs young. I found jack and his great podcasts from whenshtf.com.
 I'm a systems/network engineer (which means I am a computer/network babysitter). I've been 'prepping' for about a year now, slowly since my wife mostly ignores me on this. I want to move out to a more rural area so I can have a larger garden, raise chickens, keep bees, etc. I'm try to do a little more prepping every week.

[zula]

Hello from Amarillo Tx. I'm ZULA

[stevebluff]

Hello all,
 I'm Steve from San Jose, Calif, I am 43 yrs young. I found jack and his great podcasts from whenshtf.com.
 I've been 'prepping' for about a year now, slowly since my wife mostly ignores me on this.

I know the feeling, i just keep getting those looks!!

[Patriot:Ex Machina]

Hello all,
 I'm Steve from San Jose, Calif, I am 43 yrs young. I found jack and his great podcasts from whenshtf.com.
 I've been 'prepping' for about a year now, slowly since my wife mostly ignores me on this.

I know the feeling, i just keep getting those looks!!

Women, wives especially, are good with those "Looks". They'll make you feel crazy as hell about what you're doing if you let them. I've just started ignoring my wife's "looks". Much to her frustration.

[kuzushi]

Not sure how I found this site, but I just started listening to the podcast over the weekend. Nice job.
Cheers.

[javaguy]

Hello from Minnesota!

Excellent work here - I really appreciate all of Jack's hard work to get this up and running.   This podcast has been a blessing - I will be burning copies for friends and family who don't have ipods.

I am married with 3 kids, 3 cats, I am a software developer, live rural, and got started in preparedness before y2k.  My wonderful wife is on the same page.  My brother and I challenged each other at the time to take consistent, positive steps toward being self-sufficient and prepared for whatever might come - I quickly realized there was more to it than buying an extra few cans of food at the store - although even that was better than nothing.

Over the years, we have maintained a level of preparedness, but I had begin to get careless about it.  That has all changed.

It very exciting to be part of a community of like minded folks to discuss, learn from each other regarding what works and what doesn't, and encourage one another as well.

Gotta Love Jack's rants - especially when those other drivers cause trouble 
Keep up the good work
Chris

[Bighorn]

Hey All
I am from middle Texas. 41 and married. The wife is coming around to the preparedness thing. She wasnt to gung ho at first. We put in a garden this fall. And we got a chicken coop so we will be getting chickens soon.

I know we showed up late to the dance but we are here now and ready to party.

Tony

[DeltaEchoVictor]

Welcome aboard everybody!  Glad to see the community is growing.

[millerized1]

Hi, I'm Jim and I'm an alcoholic.....ooops, sorry.  Got Tuesday and Thursday mixed up

I'm in WV, where I've lived for the past 8yrs.  In 2000, picked up a small (by todays standards) home on 3ac, called it home and stayed.  I've been prepping since late 1998 when my brother asked me about Y2K.  He quit prepping in 2000, I never stopped.  Currently setting on a prepardness nest egg of about 2yrs of food/fuel/fluff just in case.  I've got it divided at about 70-30% between my place and my parents in PA. Figured either family has a chance of relocation, and I shouldn't need as much back home (farming community) as I do if I get stuck down here (extended suburbs of DC ). Only lacking water storage, but there's a year-round stream on the back of the property and I've got a pile of filters for my Berkey.

I'm an Engineering Technician for the FEDGOV, designing access control and monitoring systems, along with most low voltage systems you'd find in a commercial or residential environment.  I cross over the 22yr FEDGOV line in December. Wife is FEDGOV as well, same organization, same site, different building.  Sharing the ride saves gas, but I have to listen to her for 15 minutes....so there's a trade-off for the convienence .

Started out as an aircraft mechanic in the Army, then helicopters, then electronics.  Military from 1983 to 1994, I've been a Facility Manager for a major defense contractor after working for 2 other acronymic FEDGOV agencies where I took care of entire building systems from plumbing to electric, HVAC to security, from parking lots to the building itself. I'm your one stop shop.

Married 10yrs , 12 cats, no kids.  Hobbies include anything and everything that a set of hands can do: woodworking, welding, electronics, computers. Reloading and building AR15's lately has kept me occupied when motorcycle riding can't.

[Serellan]

Hi Guys,

I'm Christian, and I live in the Northwest.  Married with a 2 1/2 year old.  I work in software, as does my wife.  Been married 13 years now.

I'm former military, serving 4 years active duty in the USMC, then another 5 1/2 years in the Army and Air Force National Guard.

I'm an 03 FFL firearms collector, focusing on Cold War era semi autos.

I grew up in Alaska, on a mountain, so I have always been "survival minded" in the being prepared for emergencies.  I've always had a lot of survival gear to be prepped for earthquakes, floods, etc.  Recently I decided to focus on it a bit more and look at it as a hobby. I'm definetly not a "tinfoil hat brigade" member, but I am a libertarian and hate the route our country has taken both from the right and the left.  I vehemently hate the two party system (what I call the dual party system, since I consider them all the same party that manipulates people into demonizing one wing against another).

I've already posted up some equipment reviews, and I will be doing a few more as I look at different items.

I'm active on the SKSboards.com, they have a good subsection of survival oriented discussion, you guys should check it out.  Some good freedom loving guys on that board.

[RedneckFur]

Good to meet all of ya. 

I'm new here. I've been listening to the podcast for a few weeks now, uasually at work or on the road.  So far, I've enjoyed every episode and I feel that I learn a little from each one.  I'm really looking foward to making some biltong. Sounds tasty.

About myself, I'm a forest ranger who lives in a rented apartment in a small town.  I grew up on a small farm in hurricane teritory, so I'm used to making disaster preperations.  Apartment living still feels a bit strange to me.  My dream is to have a few acres for me and my life partner to enjoy and live on.  I think thats a few years down the road.  I grew up canning vegetables, gardening, and hunting in the fall.  Living in town has its perks but its not really home, if ya know what I mean.

I'm very intrested in firearm of all types.  I currently have my C&R license, and i'm working on getting my concealed cary handgun permit.  I recently finished a legal conversion of a saiga 7.62x39 carbine to an AK clone that accepts military mags.

I hope to learn alot here and mabey even share some info here and there.  I'm not new to the survival mindset, but I'm fairly new to the comunity.

[susan1957]

Hi everyone... I'm a 52 year old grandma from West Tennessee.  My husband and I have 3 grown children, Oldest son in the army, daughter that is housewife in Austin, and our youngest still lives at home and is starting his own business. (he's 20).  We are also raising 3 small children ages 5,6,and 8 that is my husband's great neices and nephew.  So we stay busy.    We both work for the same company that sets up and builds tradeshow exhibits all over the globe.  Work is never boring.
I've enjoyed the podcast and I started this as  Jack say's "to live a better life if things get tough and even if they don't."  Some people think I wear a tin foil hat but it's really gray hair.

[Serellan]

I'm Christian, and I live in the Northwest. 

Just a follow up.  Christian is my name, not my religion.

[The Wolf]

Hi everyone,

My name is Kevin, and I work at a military academy in North Carolina.  I've been listening to Jack's podcast only recently, since about episode # 40.

I'm new into the preparedness lifestyle and I appreciate the way Jack presents his thoughts and ideas on living a preparedness/survivalist lifestyle.  The motto of the show makes sense and is a lot more inviting as a preparedness motivator than any doom and gloom messages that I've heard.  I look forward to participating and learning as I move my family into a more secure and prepared way of life.