For most of my adult life, I’ve been overweight and out of shape. Every now and then I get a bug up my ass to do something about, and I do. It doesn’t last, want to know why? It’s because I’m generally getting in shape for a specific reason due to my chosen profession. In the Air Force, we are expected to maintain a certain standard and have to pass an annual physical fitness test which involves running for 1.5 miles, sit-ups, push-ups, and a measurement of your abdominal circumference. All of these items are tallied up and you have meet a certain minimum. My test happens to take place in October, and almost every year, I decide to take a break. Each year, I tell myself that I’ll only take a week or two off, but that week or two ends up stretching until February or March. During that off time, I typically destroy all the progress I made throughout the previous year and I have to start over from scratch.

Well, fuck that shit.

This year is going to be different. (I know, you’re probably rolling your eyes and saying, yeah right, and I don’t blame you.) This year I’m going to keep up the workout routine and there will be no time off. This year, I’m going to focus on strength training and general fitness throughout the winter months so that when February rolls around, I’m not a big ball of dough. Why? Because I can’t afford to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m getting older and it’s getting harder and harder to bounce back. I know I’m not that old, but a couple of years ago my metabolism decided to give me the finger and walk off.
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This is all fine and dandy, but it brings me to my next problem. I like to eat. I like tasty, tasty foods that taste good in my tummy. It’s a mental thing for sure, and I can do OKAY at eating healthy MOST of the time; however when I fall off the wagon, I fall into a big old pile of cheese, meat, and deep fried goodness. Because of all shenanery, my weight loss has been slow going. Over the past two months, I’ve lost about eight pounds (not too bad, but not where I need to be). So what amI going to do about it? I’m going to invest in a jumpstart program of protein powder and supplements and I’ve narrowed my choices down to two different things.
 
Now you might be rolling your eyes again and saying, what the hell Cody? Just put in the work and make it happen. Good talk, but I think there is something to be said about forking over some hard-earned cash for some product, and I know that I stick to the product program that I’ll lose weight. I’m not looking for a full-time thing, I’m looking for a springboard. The two programs are the Wilderness Athlete 28 Day Challenge, and the Mountain Ops Get in Elk Shape. 

Wilderness Athlete says, “The 28 Day Challenge is about providing people with solid nutrition,” said Mark Paulsen, the Founder of Wilderness Athlete and the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the University of New Mexico. “Exercising is extremely important when you want to lose weight but eating the proper diet is crucial for Muscle Management. Our 28 Day Challenge promotes a healthy diet by providing supplements and meal replacement products that offer sound nutrition. Combine these products with exercise and people can quickly lose weight.” It’s 200 dollars.

Mountain Ops says, “Any weight you put on in the off-season will work against you once you step foot into your hunting unit. Most hunters want to lose weight, and some want to put on muscle or do both. The Elk Shape Combo is designed to aid in your nutritional needs.” It’s 215 dollars.

They are both pretty similar, so I’m wondering if any of you out there in Googlewebs land have tried any of these products or have any experience with them? Either one I choose, I’ll be doing a review and a progress report of how things are going. Mainly I’m looking to jumpstart the weight loss and get into a healthier style of living. I’ve been working out since January this year, but it’s been slow going. I need to get in shape and stay in shape not only for my job but for my own health and to be an example for my two girls. Train hard now so you don't suck when it matters. That's what I need to do.

I generally try and steer away from political hot topics, mainly because I don’t want to get bogged down in the muck and the mire of the moronic comments and such (because let’s face it, the Internet is chock full of stupidity which seems to quadruple when something goes viral). However, in the wake of the recent tragedy of the Orlando nightclub shooting, I think this post may be appropriate. I’m not writing this to point fingers, do he/she said this, or why didn’t they do such and such, this is merely education.

Mass shootings, murders, and general assholery is a major problem these days. I’m not going to get into the reasons why (because as I mentioned above, I don’t want to go down that road of ridiculousness). I want to give you some tools that you can use to help survive certain situations should they arise around you. In the Air Force, we’re trained to respond to active shooters with Run, Hide, Fight. I’ve seen a similar mantra tossed around in different circles, but they all seem to use the same concept.

First, if an active shooter is around you, run. Plain and simple Try and get as far away from the douchebag as fast as you can. Help others around you, but get away. Don’t get cornered in an office or another part of the building if you can help it. This isn’t the time to be a hero; it’s the time to save your skin and others if possible. Run. Run fast. Your life depends on it.

Second, if you can’t run, then hide. Barricade yourself in a room, lock the doors and be as quiet as possible. Do everything you can to separate yourself from the shooter or shooters. Be aware that bullets go through drywall and doors easily, so know the difference between cover vs. concealment. A shooter can spray a room from the outside and it can be deadly. Also, silence any electronic devices you may have on you. Nothing will ruin a hiding spot quicker than a phone ringing or vibrating. It’s a very distinct sound and can draw the shooter’s attention.

Finally, if all else fails, and there are no other options, you must fight. Find anything you can to use as a weapon and be as violent as possible when you attack. If you’re in the final part of this Run, Hide, Fight process, there are no other options, so you must give it your all. A pen can make an effective weapon or a fire extinguisher. Use numbers in your favor and attack en masse. You might be saying, well if I go to attack and expose myself, I might get hurt or killed. True. You might get killed. But if you do nothing, you might get killed anyway. As I said, fight is the last option. Below I’ve linked an interesting article on using a tactical pen. I've also linked a video that explains these steps in a little more depth.
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Everyone is different and reacts differently to high-stress, life-threatening situations. You never truly know how you will react until you find yourself in said situation. Reading a blog post on the subject isn’t going to be the end-all-be-all of surviving a bad situation. However, you can perhaps increase your odds if you think about it, make a mental game-plan, and train. Train for self-defense. Train for disarming attackers. I’m not a fan of using violence to solve problems; however, I do truly believe that sometimes violence is the only answer.

http://survival-mastery.com/skills/defence/how-to-use-a-tactical-pen.html

What do we as a culture fear at any given time? I’ve been giving this a lot of thought and I keep coming back to the same conclusion: we fear the unknown. H.P. Lovecraft said, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” Think what you will of Lovecraft, but he had a profound effect on horror and literature, and his own fears of the unknown leaked into a lot of his stories.
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If we move throughout history, we can see the face of horror changing slightly, at least the exterior of horror. For example, let’s look at Bram Stoker’s Dracula and dig deep into the subtext of that story. Deep down, it was a fear of sexuality, alien outsiders (think race, not cosmic), and a fear of barbaric or degenerative ideals. Bottom line, the culture didn’t understand these things, and they were unknown to them, therefore, the fear of something different arose.

​Moving forward, we can look at the werewolf, Mr. Hyde, and even the Hulk. These characters represent a fear of losing control and letting “the beast” take over, or giving into our base desires. Loss of control is a constant fear with mankind and it was characterized by these creations, where, given a certain set of circumstances, the darker side of an individual was pulled into the light for all to see, always with dire consequences. But if you were to get down to the root of the situation, people didn’t know what would happen if they gave into those desires, and we’re right back to square one, fear of the unknown.

​Fast forward again and take a look at the zombie uprising which is probably one of the newer popular phenomena. Zombie epitomizes that loss of control, they also characterize a fear of pandemic or disease. They represent the breakdown of society and structure, but really the whole sub-genre of zombie apocalypse works because we just don’t know what would happen in a situation like that. Fear of the unknown.

​Fear of the unknown permeates almost everything horror related, it’s why alien movies work (cosmic this time), it’s why slashers work (where is the killer now?), it’s also why movies like Paranormal Activity work (what will happen next, why is such-and-such happening). Fear of the unknown simply gets reskinned to fit the topic du jour.

Sometimes the shit might hit the fan when you are away from home. Carrying a full-size bug-out bag may not be an option for whatever reason. That's why I carry a get-home bag in my vehicle. It has all the basics necessary for me to survive short-term, just long enough to get home. The picture above shows everything that's in there. I'll break it down even further and give a close up.

I've got four of the five C's of Survival covered in this bag. The first C I'll show you is cutting. I have a multi-tool and a fixed-blade knife. Between those two, I should be able to tackle most situations. Also featured in this pic, is my flashlight, and some food.

Here is the second C--cordage. I pack a small length of para-cord with me. Para-cord is great because there are smaller strands of cord inside which are easy to pull out, giving you something to make lashings if need be.

I have a bit of water stored away, as well as some purification tablets. Not featured in the picture, is the third C which is my container. I have a water bottle which has a built-in filter. Between these three items, I should be able to stay hydrated while getting home. In the left hand corner is a first-aid kit so I can take care of any small wounds.

Here's the fourth C--combustion. Between the lighter, matches and the magnesium match, I should be able to make a fire. I have a small notepad (featured in another picture) that I could use for fuel if need be. The only other C that I'm missing in this kit is cover. I noticed that fact when I pulled everything out to take pictures. I need to dig through my stuff and find my emergency heat-saving blanket and put that in bag. With one of those, I could make some quick cover if need be, or at the very least, conserve body heat.

Here it is all packed up. Depending on where I'm going, I may or may not have a pistol packed away in the bag as well. It's not much, but it could be enough to save my life if I get caught up in the wrong situation. What's in your get-home bag?

Bottom line up front, I need your help. I started a Thunderclap campaign to help spread the word about the special edition release of my book, Consequence: A Novel in the Dark Tyrant Series. I know if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter you're probably tired of seeing images of the book or getting spammed with promotional updates. I get it, I really do. I don't like marketing or promoting, but unfortunately, if you want something to do well, you need to get the word out. Only a few more days until the book launches, then things will get back to normal. Until then, it's promotion time. I decided to go with a Thunderclap campaign, which, if I can get the right amount of supporters who click on the link below and say they'll join me, then on June 10th, a message about the book and how to get it will get blasted from everyone's social media and the stars will align! Hence, the Thunderclap. It doesn't cost you anything other than a few moments of your time, and you would be helping me out. So please, help an author out and click on the link below to support the mighty Thunderclap campaign!

​http://thunder.me/2guBsJ

The book is a dark urban fantasy with some Lovecraftian undertones. It's about Tobias Evard Warner II who is out hunting with friends in the Utah wilderness when the demonic apocalypse occurs. The event awakens all sorts of evils as well as latent magical energy in the protagonist. Tobias will have to survive nightmares both living and dead to make it back home to his family. Consequence is a fast-paced novel where angels, demons, ancient cosmic beings and even a dimensional traveler clad in a trench coat of duct tape collide. I like to think of the book as if Stephen King, Jim Butcher and H.P. Lovecraft had some sort of psycho baby.