It doesn't get much better than this, swapping stories with a group of fellow ETSers over beer and fried pickles.



Left to right: Kmat, Librarian, Librarian's husband, Blast, Wildman800's wife, Wildman800, Kuovonne, ClarkTX's wife, ClarkTX

Apparently we entertained more than just ourselves. The bar's owner bought us a round of beers!

-Blast

Great Pic Blast.

Thanks.

What's going to happen if someone chooses to post their picture here? I seem to recall that Mr. Ritter uses his photo as his avatar, haven't heard of anything bad coming from it.

Unless you're wanted for something or just don't like to see yourself online, I fail to see the harm.

I wish some of the more rabid posters on some of the "survivalist" webforums would post their photographs, lets one know who to avoid at all costs.

John E

P.S. Blast, turn the flash up a little bit next time !!!

You guys are having too much fun.

From the background of the picture it looks like Fudrucker's. I think they serve fried pickles.

Smash,

My blog has already made me somewhat known in the area. I've been stopped by strangers a few times asking if I was Merriwether . I've learned to deal with the risks of fame.

-Blast

We met at a place called "Hydes" in Old Town Spring. It's an authentic version of all those "crap-on-the-walls" wanna' be joints. They pride themselves on having the slowest service in Houston!

-Blast

Are you???

Link fixed.

-Blast

Great pic Blast! Too bad you don't make your way over here to PA.

and we are stuck here in fogland with a cranky grandson! wish we were there...

Just worked for me

Blast,
Thanks for posting that picture , I can now finish my dartboard.

Stu

Smash, you bring up very valid points. Certainly all of us know the merits of keeping a low-profile and not drawing attention to oneself. When it comes marketing oneself on the internet, though, a certain amount of “accessibility” is necessary. Blast has a great blog and wild edibles classes to offer, keeps everything PG-rated, and the personal things he posts about his life (including photos) only make him look friendlier and more easy-going. Those are huge pluses for a teacher. Besides, as a guy, Blast doesn’t have to worry as much from the internet weirdos as he would for his wife and kids (and he takes precautions with them especially).

Trust me on this, too: in regards to the internet weirdos, you simply cannot control what gets them all riled up (no matter how benign your material is) or how deep their weirdness goes. It's a personal assessment whether the risks outweigh the gains. I say this as a children’s book illustrator who absolutely has to maintain an internet presence for professional reasons AND as someone who has been the obsession of an individual for the past 5 years. I just wish they’d buy one of my books already!

Great picture!!!

I don't worry so much about posting pictures other than causing the women-folk to swoon (yeah, right) ... its the address, phone number, etc... that would concern me more. I don't post my last name because its VERY unusual, but still, if you search hard enough you'll find it. :-)

I've come to really enjoy the folks on this site. Its one of the best controlled environments I've seen (Thanks Chris, Doug, and Martin) and has some mighty MIGHTY knowledgable people.

Now my suspician about their drinking issues has been confirmed ... at least in Houston.

BTW, what's that pile of papers on the table? Maps??

My photo used to be viewable at any post office.
They took them down.
that staged shootout at the San Jose biker Bar must have worked.
I feel bad for the missionary though.

Christina,

I'm sorry to hear of your troubles. I've wondered about the problems faced by women (and maybe men too) whose professions require them to have an on-line presence. That stinks big time.

Ken

Looks like a fun evening.

Re: online privacy
As others have suggested, there is a continuum of anonymity and openness, of risk and benefit, when being online. Complete anonymity is nearly impossible to achieve, especially if one wants to interact with others online, let alone promote/market one's books, blogs, classes, products, etc.

I will note that a few months ago a person posted on this forum, indicating his entire family's upcoming travel plans and also mentioning a collection of valuable items in his house. It seemed imprudent, and as a test, I looked online for about five minutes, searching on his name (which was uncommon) and his city (which was posted in his public profile under "location"). I quickly found his house address (along with aerial photos of his house and neighborhood).

Now, in my neck of the woods, home invasions seem to happen with little more preparation than gathering fellow thugs, a gun and a getaway vehicle rather than online surveillance. Still it seems better to reveal less rather than more about certain personal details when posting online.

That said, I appreciate the openness and good will of folks like Blast, IzzyJG99, Christina et al who share their thoughts and lives with us.

This is very true. One thing I'm very careful about is annoucing future trips. I know I can be tracked down and I know I have a beautiful wife and kids. It sometimes worries me, but I also have a lot of people watching over them when I'm not around.

As Christina said, balancing security against self-promotion is tricky. If I were impossible to find the Houston-area Boy Scout Council couldn't have contacted me about setting up a program with them (Woo hoo!). Luckily other than are old friend ChaoticKlown I haven't had any problems (Blast kisses foot of his St. Barbara icon).

-Blast

I guess I missed that story?

I wish that I could type this without coming off as a complete jerk, but I fear that it will be interpreted that way. I don't mean to be a jerk, I just want to give you all a hard reality check.

First of all, your expressed reticence to put an image of yourself on the internet is based on, dare I say, an inflated sense of how interesting you are to others and also a bit of a naive perspective on the nature of a networked society.

In a culture where 20% of teens have sent nude photos of themselves to their boyfriend/girlfriend/classmates and where the population of Facebook (the world's largest photo-sharing site), exceeds that of most nations, and a culture where home-made pornography is considered to be a viable source of extra income for over 4 million people,an image of some middle-aged folks sitting at dinner is hardly a triggering event for a nefarious stalker determined to snatch you or your loved ones.

Further, the availability of public records via the internet is probably wider spread than you think. I went here http://www.opcva.com/watchdog/RECORDS.html and got Colin Powell's Social Security Number. 113-28-4024.
Yes, THAT Colin Powell.

In terms of difficulty, getting what you think of as "personal" information is trivial. Hiding behind a "handle" on a forum such as this presents almost no obstacle at all to connecting the dots to a real person. I know that I personally de-cloaked an abusive poster here once, tracking them down in a matter of an hour, which included time to make a sandwich.

If someone wants to find you - they will. If someone is unconstrained by the 4th Amendment, they will find you all that much faster.

Privacy is a concept that has existed only for a few generations - it seems like it is a natural right, and indeed, having a Constitution that delineates boundaries for the government in terms of search and seizure is a clear indication that the basic right to something like privacy needed to be described and protected. But that's only the last 230 years or so, and in the last 12 years, we've seen the vary nature of privacy systematically gutted - both by the citizenry who decided that giving up their personal data to win fabulous prizes and to get lines of unsecured credit was worth sacrificing their privacy and by a government that decided that the 4th and 5th amendments didn't really apply in all cases.

Depending on where you live or work, you are photographed and video taped hundreds - even thousands - of times a day. If you drive a car, if you go to almost any store or ANY mall, if you visit an office building - your image has been recorded.

If you have ever bought a car or a house, if you've ever gone to a doctor and paid with insurance, if you've ever had a driver's license, if you've ever had a bank account, a credit card, or any form of investment - data about you can be obtained by the public, free and anonymously or for a nominal fee - and you will never know it.

So what of it?

We hear about identity theft, we hear about stalkers, we hear all these horror tales. The real news is that these things are, as a percentage of the total population, trivially small. Individually, awful, but percentages are all that really matters in risk assessment, and I'd worry more about the meal those guys ate as a real risk to their well-being, not their picture online.

Look me up on Facebook. Plenty of pix of me there.

Actually Martin, I think I read on CNN that it's closer to 30% of teens have "sexted." I only wish we had camera phones 10 years ago ... when I knew a few girls that probably would have done that.

That's funny . . . . . Until you are the father of a 13 year old daughter that has the measurements of Marilyn Monroe only a little thinner at the waist and has boys of 18 thinking she is about 16-18 on looks alone. Thank God she is severely body modest.

yup. this new world is great for teenage boys with raging hormones, hell for parents of both sexes...

If I may add one very important detail:

I'm not middle-aged!!!

I'm only 40...oh crap, that is middle-aged. When the hell did that happen?

-Blast

"...When the hell did that happen?..."

it happened while you were too busy having fun yo notice...

Wait, you sure you're not my girlfriend's father? I think she's a looker, but I don't think she has anything more revealing than a crew neck T shirt - both of you must be doing something right. For what it's worth I never dated until college, so all those girlfriends were 18 or older.

As for your daughter... uh... I guess my condolences? Sounds like puberty got a jump start, and hopefully she's level-headed enough to survive the teen years without too much damage from older guys. I don't envy your role as Dad with her. I have to say, if I ever get a daughter, I hope that she's super plain until she hits about 25, when her brain has been working for a few years and most guys' are just starting to come on-line. Then she can hit puberty

Thanks Blast! I turned 30 back in October and was in quite a funk. Glad that I still have 10 more years until I get "over the hill."

Remember, you're as only as old as you let yourself be. I love my "older than dirt" patients that are still fiesty and scrappy.

Before I say more... I hope that the doctor is right that we are having boys. After seeing these statements have me second guessing my wife's idea of trying to get pregnant again!

This is me shooting my Socom 16. AKA EBR (Evil Black Rifle)



Gotta get some optics for that bad boy.

Welcome to the club!!

Hey, maybe Desperado can borrow that?

I have that all wrapped up. 17 and 18 year old sons handle low level threats. For long distance I have an M21 Optics. Intermediate distance M1A NM Iron Sights. Closer "Urban" distances SOCOM 16 (supposedly Christmas). Remington 870. In your face distances any number of .45ACP's. Mostly one of John Browning's finest creations.

If the young man is lucky it will be very quick. I really don't like getting my hands sore.
Did I mention I am rather fond of the M14 series of rifles? Looks like the M21 may be sold to a deserving LEO in Oklahoma though.

It's all the damn hormones in the chicken. I kid you not, I have had to step back to someone in a local mall and advise them of her age and relationship to me. I promise that perv was at least 25-30. It is kinda sad for her really. One day your a normal 11-12 year old girl and in an amazing "no-time-at-all" change latter none of her clothes fit and all of her friends are jealous. I do not remember it being like this when I was in school, but it is assumed due to her appearance, she is automatically a slut. She is really paying the price now for what she will appreciate in the future.

Her one comment to me once was prophetic: "At least I won't have to buy my boobs like these other girls will dad".

All this from a 13 y/o.

Wish you well in getting your Christmas Present.



BTW I'm a Mossberg fan

Hmm. Well, to each his own. I worry more about other stuff.

me drooling (in a total whiteout on the grapevine)...

Ready for you to shoot anytime Sir.

Damn it! I turn 40 next year...

I still think my mind is in the 20s tho...

Hey Smash

I am in the picture and I didn't think twice about your post. I am a recovering Xenophobe so I see both sides of the story.

And besides... as Voltaire evidently did not say "I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." We should all remember that maxim when we're perusing the forum.

I think Martin's response was nice for healthy debate. If you look at his history he has a way of extrapolating from what people say and commenting on it. (like he did in response to wildman800). The subsequent information is generally useful, if not entertaining. He's a good resource, and don't take it personally if he sees fit to educate you on the details.

Personally, I am a recovering Xenophobe. Partly due to the fact that I have worked from home for 6 years and I don't have any co-workers on this continent. I have, in the past, even asked for people to blur out details in photos that they posted online of me.

However, I have come to accept the same conclusions that others have posted and am trying to adopt a healthier perspective on humanity.

And in a breakaway behavior when I was in California this week, I made friends with my Sikh cab driver, visited his temple, and went to his house where his wife made some awesome Indian food for us. So I won't be attending my Xenophobes Anonymous meeting this week.

Interestingly, in the 5 months I've been hanging out here I have noticed that I find the posts of people who use their own picture as their avatar to be more "on target" for me than those of people who use other graphics (~kaoticklown is the poster child here). This is not an absolute thing of course, just noticing a trend. Please don't be personally offended by my point of view. There are many exceptions to this (I've already mentioned Martin) and its only a trend for me personally. (insert long dull flame reduction disclaimer here)

Blast that happened about 5 years ago, you just overlooked it.
If I could find a decent pix of me it'd be right up there next to Blasts

BTW I'm 46

Mike

Ok, I gotta ask, was there more to the "kaoticklown" story than the original posts about his alleged trip? I've read several references to him recently and thought he was pretty much a non-entity, is there more to his story?

JohnE

And pants. Trust me on this one, Texas State Troopers treat you much better if you are wearing pants.

-Blast

The boy also had some real anger issues judging from the e-mails he used to send me...

As expected, he never did actually go on his walkabout.

-Blast

Oh wait, I just found the solution to the problem. It is the AA-12 Combat Shotgun. The good part starts 46 seconds in.

"...Trust me on this one..."

I haven't read your entire blog yet, is this story in there somewhere???

Me



I'm on the left.

As Christina said, I keep my blog PG-13.

I'll say this though, the look on his face when he realized where I had keeping the ID currently in his hand strongly indicated the rest of the evening was going to go downhill. Luckily some in the group were skirtless rather than pantless and...

-Blast

Man, the guy on the left and the guy on the right must be related. They have the same genetic abnormality. Look at those damn ears! That just isn't normal. Might they be zombies???

Your left or my left?

-Blast

Oh Yeah, I'm on the right. Tee hee.

You got it Blast

"...I'm on the right..."

Who's right???

Who's right and who's wrong?

Your right.

Black Leather Coat.

"...Black Leather Coat..."

Kinky

Nice coat!

-Blast

Those posts were quite entertaining! Don't forget to acquire fishing / hunting licenses where required.

"But I'm just walking through..."

It's one thing if you were in survival mode, another if you are through hiking... what a character!

Cool Deal!

The photographic evidence indicates that y'all had a good time and there were no casualties (at least at the time of the photo).

It's a little awkward meeting folks that you've been interacting with for a while on-line, but it can be a whole lotta fun.

What's funny is watching folks trying to decide what to call each other. cyber-space name vs meat-space name.

The Louisiana Folks group on Beliefnet had a crawfish boil a while back and it was pretty cool to meet the faces behind the screen names.


Glad y'all had the opportunity to get together.

Thanks it's a leather M-65 field jacket. US Cav Store.

LOL… “meat-space.” Best name ever!

Although I buy Powerball tickets, think of how your life would change if you hit it big. Burglaries every week, having to hire someone to watch your kids at school so they don't get kidnapped...

I often wonder how the big winners handle it.

I have no doubt that we could have a million or two dumped on us without it changing us one little bit. In fact, I hereby volunteer to be a test case. Anyone want to apply for a federal gran? You could become a PHD over this. PM me for info as to where to send the money...

Now we have a problem...
I received a gift certificate instead of the rifle itself. Which one do I choose another M1A or M4????

The states ought to require winners above a certain amount to submit proof that they have consulted with a financial planner, CPA and attorney, and that they have been thoroughly advised and have financial and legal plans in place, before the money is disbursed.

I also think it is shameful that we resort to state sponsored gambling to fund education. That being said, I do pay the stupid tax regularly, and I win every time. That's because I play entirely for the fun of thinking about winning, usually on my long, boring commutes, and hold zero expectation of actually doing so.

I really don't think my life would change all that much. I'd still work as a firefighter/paramedic, for sure. I would also use my legal skills to do entirely pro bono work for worthy persons and causes. Or I might go do some kind of humanitarian relief work on my own resources. But I don't think I'd move from my current home unless I had to. But more vacations and fancier cars, sure!

Jeff

I saw something interesting in an older study of lottery winners - the ones who keep working tend not to go broke! It seems they just keep living the same life, but don't worry about the bills as much, and typically go on a nicer vacation every year - basically the same ones that they did, but eat in a nicer resturant etc

In short, they don't let the money go to their heads

Perfect example: Young man who was a lineman for the local electrical utility hit it big several years ago. Quit his job and went to buy he and his wife Hummer H1's. She drove her H1 to a plastic surgeons office and shall never drown. He decided to become a custom home builder. He got his job back at the electric company last week, seems he lost his butt, cause he didn't know what he was doing.
I knew this family, and my father and I tried to council him against it. we could see the trouble on the horizon in the business, he just wouldn't listen.

I already have the M1A National Match and the M21. From what I hear about the cost of upcoming med's for potential MRSA, I think I may just set tight for a while and see where this goes.

Here is a picture of me and one of my working dogs, Ferguson, setting up for the off lease obedience portion of a Schutzhund trial:

___________

In the second picture I am "paying" Fergie for doing an exercise correctly during training:

Good looking pup. Almost scary how much he looks like one of my two girls.

Thanks guys. Fergie is a boy. Here is one my girls, Kimba! She is still a puppy in this picture.

Isn't she cute?

Somewhere there is a picture similar to that one with Oklahoma County Sheriff's Department K9 Ben on my arm. At the time my free hand had a grip on the end of the sleeve, and I was spinning in circles. We were locked eye to eye and I swear he was smiling at me.
Two years or so later Ben had to be put down after contracting a blood disease at the site of the Murrah Building bombing. He was a damn good K9 and really good with kids. It was really funny, he would remember the decoy, and after the training come up and "nip" the heels of your boots. It was like he wanted to come back and remind you "HAHA, I won, now pet me or we start again".

Side note: Ben was one of the few "triple threat" dogs in the area. Explosives/accelerants, narcotics and patrol certified.

Oh man, she's a beauty. I've been wanting a dog like that for ages. Sadly, the DW was mauled as a kid and is still terrified of any dog that her cat could be in a fight. I guess that explains why she's not afraid of me.

-Blast