Introduction: How We Survived The Zombie Apocalypse

So, this was originally a dream I had a few months ago, which I wrote down on paper, which I intended to post as a short story.

That's not going to happen.

Unfortunately, my overactive imagination gets the best of me, and I start adding things that originally weren't in the dream, so they make more sense. This in turn makes the story longer, and before I know it, I've gone from a short two-page story, to a twenty page digital book. This means two things:

1. Cut content to make it back into a short story

2. Keep it the same length, but split it into chapters (or episodes, if you prefer), that will be released weekly.

I choose the second option.

My Every Day Carry (EDC)

One of the things Nemesis got me into was the EDC blog. If you don't know what it is, I'd encourage you to clicky the linky and find out for yourself. I won't bother explaining here, because EDC can do that better than I.

So, here's mine!

Review: Maglite XL50

About a month or two ago, Nemesis and I were talking about EDC flashlights and candlepowers and such. The only flashlights I owned at the time were a 2-cell LED Maglite that sat in my truck's door pocket, a 3 or 4 of cheap-o LED lights that you find at parts stores on sale 2/$5, and a bright yellow Never-ready that came in a "severe cold weather vehicle kit" that I got as a door prize from a car show a few years back. I wasn't completely sure if any of these lights had good batteries in them, and the thought that I might need them in an emergency situation never really crossed my mind. I mean, I always checked to see if my Maglite was working, because it has come in handy a couple times in the past - but what if I needed a light, and my truck wasn't nearby? Also, what would I do if someone broke into the house at night? I had intended to purchase a weapon-mounted light for my M&P (review soon to come) just for that purpose, but what if the noises I heard were my grandparents? I most certainly wouldn't want to be pointing a loaded gun at either one of them just to get enough light to identify them.

These questions really made me start thinking about investing in an EDC light of some form, so I took to doing some research.

Right then!

I really need to get cracking on the updates!
Here's an idea of what's to come, in no specific order:

An EDC post (AKA "pocket dump")
Review: Maglite XL50
Review: Droid 2 Global (along with comparison to the Droid 1)
Review: Smith & Wesson M&P compact (as soon as I finish filming and editing the video review)
Review: Holsters - N82 Tactical and Blackhawk CQC Serpa
Review: 1994 Isuzu Trooper (yes, I am serious)
Short Story: How we survived the zombie apocalypse
Introduction: A yet un-named Sci-fi series I'm currently writing
Opinion: Why driving tests should be harder

And finally,

Random Thought! Everyone has thought at some point or another what they would do if they had X-amount of dollars. I've thought of it multiple times. Buy every random toy you can think of, donate some of it to church or charity, give some to your family, etc.

Have you ever sat down and tried to see how much you could with what you have now?

I took the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class not too long ago, and some of the things he stressed was budgeting, saving up for emergency funds, retirements and investments, and ditching your debt. Since then, I've been trying to live pretty tight with my minimum wage income. I'm not even "making it" by today's standards; I live with my grandparents in their house, I sometimes get my bills paid on time, and a good third of my paycheck goes straight to my truck's fuel tank. I can think of only one other time in my life where I made less money (being unemployed doesn't count), and yet I'm never completely broke. Haven't been for months.

Know why?

Planning! One of the first things Dave hammers into your head is that you have to make your money work FOR you. When I did my first budget, I was almost disgusted with how much money I was hemorrhaging - and I never realized it until that point.

So for today's random thought, I say this: If you find yourself asking where all your money went, try to sit down and write everything you've spent down on paper.

I will not lie, it's INCREDIBLY boring, and I promise you'll ask yourself why you're wasting your time at least 15 times... minimum. Do it anyway. Your results will probably surprise you, and you'll start thanking yourself when the bank stops sending you overdraft notices.