clayton86

Went out this morning it was dead calm Lake Ontario only had 5mph S winds I guess it was. The lake was glass hardly anything was flying. Ended up getting 1 bufflehead and a coot, I’ve never shot a coot glassed it and IDed it then looked up to double check that it was okay to shoot. only have 1 day left of the season here in the western zone in NY. Planning on going out tomorrow for last day hunting off shore if wind will let me since I hunt diver/sea ducks from a kayak.

My fiancé snores loud I fall asleep easy though the first time and am usually hard to wake up. I always wake up in the middle of the night doesn’t matter what time I go to bed can be 830-9 or midnight 99% the time I will wake up 130 2 then again at 330 and so on every hour hour and a half I wake up sometimes I can get back asleep easy other times I will lay awake mind going a million mph in thousand directions. Usually that’s what keeps me up not her snoring but there are times her snoring is unbearable and I usually go to the couch or guest room if available since we always have some one crashing with us.

Been out almost every weekend. beginning of the second split had numbers but no quality birds so just sat and watched them decoy and fly off again. Last weekend was good my taxidermist bill grew A LOT lol. Got a nice stud hooded merganser then around 9 got sick of ducks in my lap pretty much getting a pass because they were hens or juveniles I said to my partner next ducks that come around the break wall if it flies it dies because my daughter and fiancé were making comments how I’m always hunting and not bring anything home. Had a triple hook around the break wall and fly right into the spread giving me an easy 10 yard shot. Heard a drake old squaw do there what ever noise and I instantly perked and focused more zeroing on the long tail and folded him up. Happened again on the next group that came in. So got 3 nice stud drakes that day all headed to the taxi. 2 squaw and the hooded. I also got a hen squaw one handed while out retrieving haha.

I have a Hornady one I use it for reloading and gun parts that fit in it. I use the Hornady solution mixed with distilled water like it calls for.

I like to think I have a strong work ethic. Growing up my mom always said you go to work or school unless on your deathbed didn’t matter if sick or hurt you went to work and school. I’ve held a job since I was 12 so the last 24 years I’ve always had a job. Never late or missed days and always do my best on said jobs it took me getting hit by a truck while on the job to get me to miss work haha. Granted I’ve changed professions a few times in my adult life since college I always jump right into what ever path I’m going down. My boss just said the other day I need to make mistakes that’s how you learn and I’m not making any mistakes. Not that I’m a wiz at doing this new job I just ask a ton of questions and 2nd and 3rd guess/confirm before I execute task so it’s done right the 1st time. My fiancé always tells me to call in when I’m not feeling well or my hips bothering me(see hit by truck haha) but I always go and then hear it from her later when I get home and I’m limping worse.

My Tacoma was built in Texas

What do y’all use to stream or listen to music? I currently use Pandora since my free Sirus/Xm expired that came with the new truck. I either have pandora playing or I buy music on iTunes and have several play lists depending on my mood but that can get expensive. I know a lot of people like Spotify and I’ve been thinking about downloading it.

Blood and needles don’t bother me. I remember in basic and when to my unit in the CLS class I was giving myself IVs and letting others try on me since I had “good” veins. Other people’s blood and what not doesn’t bother me to much. If it’s some one close to me I can handle it at the time it’s happening but it haunts me later I guess. My father for example when I brought him home from the hospital a few days before he passed puked up blood and chunks of something some how when on a liquid diet shortly after getting to his apartment. I asked him if he wanted me to take him back to hospital or call ambulance he chuckled and said no he’ll go the next day when he wakes up which he did. my boys are like me I suppose getting hurt doing young boy stuff and football just shake off the injuries and press on. My daughter on the other hand freaks out haha. She stepped on a tack the other day and it just “hurt” to walk on so she was favoring that foot and we looked at it and she saw it was bleeding a little and you’d swear she was just told she was gonna die had a complete melt down over 1 drop of blood on her foot.

I don’t like any holidays really. Fiancé tried getting the corner we put the tree up in the other day cleared out and started out side decorations but didn’t happen with the tree. I made my comments about not even thanksgiving yet no tree or decorations. Our daughter wanted to do it so I caved a little and went outside and helped stake a snowman thing to the ground and said I would do lights the next day since it was like 9pm when doing all this. Mother Nature been on my side with rain and wind so I haven’t been able to get on the roof to do the lights I’m in no rush till the 7 year old boss brings it up again haha. For me Christmas is by far my least favorite holiday. Thanksgiving is my favorite only because of the food though that’s it.

Drove my fiancés car tonight since we needed room for more kids than my truck fit and her front brakes are howling. I just did her rear brakes about 2 weeks ago and now her fronts are growling when you stop. Sounds like she sheared another pad like she did on the rears. I swear actually I know I do, I put brakes on her cars every year I think the longest she’s had brakes last is 13 months which would be these ones I’m changing tomorrow. It blows my mind she gets the brakes to metal on metal every single year with every vehicle she’s had in the 9 years we’ve been together. I got quite grumpy driving her car out to dinner about needing brakes again and she made the comment how my truck needs brakes also. Which I commented that yes the dealership did mark they were needing changed soon and they were amazed that I’ve got them to last 5 years since it still has original brakes the truck came with in 2017. She didn’t see how that’s any different that I get brakes to last 5 years and she barely a year. Anyone else’s womens vehicles need more maintenance than usual?

Yeah that’s what I told em. They called me the terminator for surviving it haha

Well I got the second job I interviewed for above. They are matching my base pay with loomis for 90 days then moving me up. I shadowed them on a few jobs last week and seemed something I’d really like. They already hired me a grunt so to speak said they hired a 18yr old kid with “a good head on his shoulders” to do all the manual lifting for me. I told them the accident was 4 years ago I’m good now just weather changes bother my hip for a bit when I wake up. They said they want to hopefully make me and the kid a crew doing the installs and what not while the lead guy now does more sales and trouble shooting I guess. this will be my last week with loomis since I’m doing the “right” thing and gave them 2 weeks. They are going against their own company policy though with me still as an AST in one man trucks after giving notice. Once you’ve quit your not supposed to handle any money. They are so short staffed though they can’t afford to make me a driver or just on the vault crew. One guy calls in they have to cancel runs or cram tons of stops on other runs making long days which they avoid at all costs not wanting to pay OT. counting down days to start this new career path. Thursday will be last day at loomis and we don’t work on Columbus Day so short week for me.

My fifth grade teacher was also head of safety patrol or what ever it’s called. Was going over being to our post or what ever on time said “if you show up early your on time, on time your late and if you show up late that’s unacceptable” that’s stuck with me ever since for the last 25 years I’ve always been one to show up ahead of schedule.

Don’t hunt much for game meat anymore. I duck hunt heavily but divers which I turn into dog treat jerky. My one dog won’t touch it and don’t blame her haha the other will eat anything. I keep saying I’m gonna get back into deer hunting especially lately with meat getting expensive and kinda hard to find the selection isn’t what it used to be. I’ve got land I’ll always be able to hunt that’s “family” land my best friend has a farm I can show up in unannounced around dinner time and they will urge me to stay for dinner and make me a plate so I’ve got their farm to hunt. I just get so incredibly bored deer hunting so I haven’t in almost 7 years now. used to pheasant hunt in HS my buddy’s dad used to raise them and release them we’d go out and hunt them. Could always tell the wild ones from released between the tails being considerably longer and they would flap twice and go distance of the field with ease. Released ones would flush and flap wings like crazy and only go a short distance to give you another shot. I remember my mom used to make chicken cacciatore but with pheasant so I guess that would just make it pheasant cacciatore and it was delicious. done squirrels but nothing sticks out about being tasty probably the way I made them as a kid(14). now frog legs if want to consider them those were delicious.

I just use the one it came with I rarely carry the lcp I just have it as an option. Was gonna try doing my qualification with it today but instructor just wanted to hurt up with range portion since we only had 12 shooters and the LCP isn’t a duty gun heck not even a acceptable caliber(.22)

I keep a LCP in my truck for when I don’t have my EDC on my hip. The LCP is a nice pocket carry piece. There’s times I gotta run into a store on way home from work and can’t open carry like I do for work so the vest and gun belt come off and my duty piece goes in the console vault and the lcp slips into my pocket. the console vault is great I’ve got the 4 digit lock for it and it bolts in the center console of my truck.

I bought some Lehigh defense Xtreme defense bullets to load up for my 45acp. They are 190gr I haven’t done any loads with them yet I’m to lazy to switch over from doing my 9mm plinking ammo. Doing mass quantities plinking ammo with a single stage press is a lot of work especially when you shoot every week like I do.

I used to build model cars and planes every weekend I went to my dads. I’ve still got a lot of the cars we built on display in my man cave. None of the planes survived all the moves I had growing up but the cars were all wrapped in news paper and in a tote most made it. Last week while at Walmart I saw they had a few models again so I picked up a ‘69 charger to do. Models and the supplies went way up in price from what it was 25 years ago when my father and I did them. So as far as collecting goes I do collect models as well. I’ve got a bunch of knifes my grandmother bought me for my birthday every year since I collected the ones with wolf or bear heads and murals on the handles I think they were Franklin mints I think but maybe not idk. Then there’s my gun collection. When going through some boxes my mom dropped off when she was cleaning out her apartment I found my old stamp collection.

I thought that might be sorta the reasoning also but we could still have set days and time. There 15 different routes no need to tell us what route we’re on just be here at X time and we could find out what route and truck were in when get here. There’s been lots of times it works that way because guys call in. We cover a very wide area. Based in Rochester and go out to Syracuse area, buffalo area, down into Pa. I’m 90% the time in down town Rochester corner bodegas in the hood. In fact it’s Wednesday so I’ll be doing the sams mini mart I did last week the guy was running his mouth about what he carry’s will go right through my vest. I laughed as he was running his mouth which he didn’t find as funny as I did. He was right with this vest won’t stop what most hood people probably have since it’s probably FMJ stuff so will go right through. At the same time the way he was dressed and probably carrying I would have beat him on the draw and would have been game over for him not me. They don’t pay enough to deal with the threats and stress for me to stick around much longer the way people are getting towards us. Last week had the guy running his mouth and Monday this week another guy making threats both at like bodega stores.

Both my interviews today went ok I don’t really want the first one I interviewed for and the second one I think I’ll actually enjoy and could see myself sticking with and growing. first one was to be a guard at the county building just sitting in one room checking people in and out. Part of what I hated about retail was being in the same place all day everyday. What I loved about towing was every day was different no 2 calls were exactly the same. Doing this gig at loomis I’m on the road everyday it might be the same routine but I’m on the road moving every day. The second job I interviewed for was installing security systems for business and some residential. The owner was cool and the instillation manger. Both were gun guys so we chatted about that. When we got to my towing previous employment my accident was brought up and it quickly turned to me being a miracle and celebrity on the news for a month haha. They are willing to match what I make an hour and they do Tuesday-Friday 8-6. Owner was big about having time home with family which is big with me.

I don’t mind the work itself been there a little over a year, 15months. It’s just the whole schedule not able to plan anything or have a outside of work life. The guys that quit the other day coach their kids football, base ball or soccer. So they need to be out at a decent time which we always were before they started this “optimization” crap.

Well looks like it’s time for another career change or at least employer at this point. I was thinking and hoping with the job I’m at now this would finally be it for me something I could stay at long term but now especially this last few weeks I can’t get out of this fast enough. Currently I work for Loomis armored servicing ATMs, banks and commercial stops like grocery stores, gas stations various stores in the mall and casinos. Pay is meh it could be better for what we deal with especially my route but it doesn’t bother me as much as it does a lot of the other guys. I’m normally on route 14 it’s called which covers down town Rochester, NY inner city in the hood corner stores atms I gotta fill. So anywhere between $8k-$180k I’ll be standing in a isle by myself putting the cash into an ATM at a lot of places there’s drug deals going on non stop and people are getting shot or stabbed there. I haven’t had anything happen YET while doing my job but a few instances I got a funny feeling and kept my gun hand at the ready while filling the cassettes with my non gun hand one handed. It’s not that that’s turning me away though. This place is by far the worst managed place I have ever worked. Schedules are only posted 12hrs out if that 1 day at a time. I didn’t have tomorrows schedule till 745pm today and I gotta start at 0740 tomorrow. We only do a 4 day work week and it’s completely random what day we have off. Some weeks it’s a Monday off the next it’s Thursday the following a Wednesday it’s always random. Same with start times Monday I didn’t have to go in till 11am Tuesday I was off Wednesday it was a 07 start then off again today and tomorrow is 0740. So the schedule is my biggest issue with the place we’ve brought it up to management and they say it’s “corporate” that wants it done that way so that’s the way it’s staying. Between that and now the routes are “optimized” that says if you start at this time be on the road at this time do this stop first at this time spend x minutes there then go to this stop at this time your day should take X amount of hours. Since the started doing this 2 weeks ago not 1 person has got it done in the time the computer says it should take and we are missing some timed stops so customers are getting mad they didn’t get their money delivered in time before they close. It’s just a matter of time before enough customers complain and they change the ways back to how it was and worked just fine. Till then though us guards are leaving at a crazy pace. 3 quit yesterday and 2 today. I’m probably be putting in my notice soon as well I’ve got 2 interviews tomorrow so depending how they go. Which brings me to the scheduling thing again. There’s a app they use for time off and time sheets etc. HR says go by what Dayforce says not the paper sheet. Well Dayforce all week said I don’t start Friday till 1430 so I made my interview appointments at 11 and noon. Well when the paper schedule came out that management says go by NOT day force I have to start at 0740. So tomorrow I’m gonna call in for the first time in my 20 some odd year working. I’ve never called in sick or punched in late at any of my jobs. It took me getting hit by a truck to miss work a few years ago. So now I’m really looking for a change. I’ve got the 2 interviews tomorrow 1 doing security kinda like I am now just not involving all the money. The other is installing security systems in businesses and homes. Been filling out applications on indeed every night hoping something pans out. I had a interview today but I don’t think I’m gonna take it. Its a decent pay cut but 40+ hr work week and now I only get 28-35 hrs if I’m lucky. So the $3hr I’d loose wouldn’t be THAT much different come payday. It’s as a security guard at a job corp school for troubled kids but it’s non armed strict hands off policy and I can’t even carry a pocket knife on campus let alone my EDC or duty pistol. I was hoping at this point in my life I'd have a career I could be at and retire but not looking that way bout to be 36 and have to start all over again.

Now that cooler weathers here my fiancé won’t complain and actually make me shepards pie. Never used to like it but she made it a few years ago and it quickly became my favorite thing. That and she does this bacon and chicken spaghetti thing that’s also really good but bacon makes everything good.

Raider popped in last year didn’t he?

Been listening to Tesla a lot lately popping up on pandora to add to the growing list of bands from above