Tell them you would like to be referred to as an EPS = Emergency Preparation Specialist <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />.

Pete

We live in Florida......after Charley, Francis, Ivan, Jean, Wilma.......and oh ANY other one......no one asks why we do anything anymore.......

The inlaws use to think we were 'over the top'. Not any more..... since the hurricanes, things changed

They can call me whatever they want just as long as the don't call me late for dinner!!

Seriously, I find there is a great freedom in folks thinking I'm a little weird. It gives me a lot of freedom to experiment with different things (like walking around with a maxpedition fatboy in public all the time) and they just ignore it.

The folks in my neighborhood and at work are used to me being eccentric and some of my coworkers often pick at me being "preparedness man" and with the same breath will tell me "that's a good idea, I want to do that at my house!".

The folks that would have a problem with my preparedness hobby tend to leave me alone, and that's cool because I don't like them either.

Good point. After watching FEMA's response to Katrina you would think the odd balls in our society would be those who aren't into in preparing. But then we must factor in human nature which tends to believe things will never happen to them.

From reading these forums I see it pays to be socially invisible. In my congregation I have earned a reputation in first aid. Outside of my family, the house of G-d and friends, I don't stand out as prepared. All that people see are my purse and bottled water. Beyond that people will not know what I have in my car or home unless I some how draw attention to it.

As for a purse, a close equivalent for a guy would be a book bag or an urban style back pack.

Jeanette Isabelle

I have 2 sizes of these. They are my "man purses". Always packed with stuff i may need. Including some Nomex gloves.

Everybody can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think at this website you can say "God" without being censored, as long as you don't go all preachy on people. At least that's the way we've always played it... <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

In some beliefs people spell His Name with a dash or an underscore out of reverence.

Jeanette Isabelle

Fair enough. I did not want you to think you had to here.