The Collection Is Growing Exponentially!

Over the years I have had various business cards of different designs and for different purposes. Starting in college, I found this to be a great tool when going to meetings, networking events, and when interviewing for jobs. Having a clear, well designed business card has always made a great impression and proved to be a key early on in both my academic and professional careers.

It is actually interesting for me to look back at all of my old cards as I have kept copies from every address and position that I have held over the years. While many times I opted for a very basic design and layout, there are other cards when I used a little creativity to help them stand out. Having recently in the late fall and wanting to change things up a bit, I found myself in a position where I needed to update my cards. While in the past I have always walked into the local Staples to get the work done, this time around I decided to give Vistaprint a try.

The basic templates and stock options were all reasonable and offered a wide variety for just about any profession or service imaginable. While there was nothing with a square and compass I did find an appropriate design with just a hint of blue that I was able to tailor to my needs. With a thick linen stock, these new cards should hold up much better than the last batch and it was only a couple dollars more for the batch of 500.

Designing my personal cards was a little more of an involved process as I really wanted to change things up as compared to the ones that I have had printed in the past. With a stockpile of photos from various trips at my immediate disposal, I decided that this would be a perfect time to use some of my favorite images. So I went with a full color design on the front and back evenly spacing four photos on the front and six on the back. It seems like a lot but it actually worked out and looks fantastic.

Of course, when placing this order I was given the option to purchase an address stamp at a significant discount. With the amount of physical mail that I still send out on a regular basis this was well worth the five dollar investment. When I received the order at work the following week the cards were better than expected but the stamp fell short. More accurately, it was a little off center and tilted. However, to their credit, it took me about two minutes to get everything squared away with customer service and a new unit was in hand by the end of the week.

So now I find myself with quite the collection of active business cards as I have two personal options, one for lodge, one for work, and I am also receiving promotional business cards for each book that I publish. I have two in hand so far with two more on the way and a more that will follow later in the year. By the end of the year I may have a pocket full of about a dozen options. I think I may have a problem.

My Continuing Fascination With Watches

My daily watch... the Hamilton Khaki King Automatic.

Ever since I wrote the post a couple of weeks ago about some of the family timepieces that I have, I have been thinking about the strange (or not so strange) fascination that I have with watches. I guess it all started with the pocket watch that my dad handed down to me. I never gave much thought prior to that about the numbers strapped to my wrist but when I looked at the mechanical movement I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the beauty, engineering, and design that keeps the world on schedule. Contrary to what the Emcee tells you, it is time that makes the world go round.

As I said before, I wear a Hamilton Khaki King Automatic every day. I have never had to worry about the battery dying and it keeps great time only requiring a slight adjustment every couple of months. The only thing that I have had to do over the last near decade is replace the leather band a couple of times. That was definitely not the case before I started my Hamilton as I usually ended up buying a new watch almost every year with the exception of a couple Swiss Army watches that lasted two years.

However, lately I have been thinking about changing things up a bit. There are a lot of different watches on the market which have Swiss automatic movements and many of them can be found at a reasonable price. Of course, there are others that are priced much higher. So I have started looking around at comparable watches on the market to my current timepiece. As a starting point, my current Hamilton is toward the lower range when considering the Swiss automatic watch market. However, there are a number of companies producing the same and sometimes slightly better quality than Hamilton while remaining in the same neighborhood price wise.

So far, Oris, Frederique Constant, Gevril, Tissot, and lightly used Raymond Weil watches seem to be the best options. The offer watches at roughly the same price point but can better accompany more formal attire. Obviously they all house Swiss automatic movements (most of which are mass produced by Swatch) and they all come with leather bands (steel bands for a few dollars more). It is a bigger decision than one would think as these watches are made to last a lifetime and I plan on keeping them just as long. But, in the end, they all hold their value so if you catch them at the right time or pick on up with some light wear you can probably get your money back in the future is needed.

I have never been a proponent of spending a lot of money on a watch like a Tag Heuer, Omega, Breitling, Rolex, and Cartier or on the truly luxury brands like Jaeger-LeCoultre, Patek Philippe, and A. Lange & Söhne. Unless you have the means to do so, these time pieces don’t make much sense to me. After all, these are still utilitarian items in addition to being works of art and amazing pieces of classical engineering. After all, this is one of the best accessories that a man can have regardless of the budget within which they are looking. But, for now, I will keep enjoying my stalwart automatic while the search continues for the right watch.

Firearms Friday: Range Time

I have read and watched countless reviews online on a variety of firearms. Sometimes there have been ones that have piqued my interest while others just seem like the same thing just with a different name. Either way, the internet, especially YouTube, has been a great resource to find new and interesting firearms or simply to find out a little bit more about one that I may already been familiar.

While all reviews generally go over the various features and the aesthetics of the firearm and some even give you an overview of the history of the development or of the company, there are too many that are missing the most important part of the evaluation… performance. Lately I have come across a variety of reviews from multiple sources and in various forms (i.e. print, blogs, and videos) where the reviewer was offering praise to a firearm that they had yet to take to the range. This still seems to be a rare occurrence but what is not are those reviews that offer a final decision based on a nominal amount of rounds down range.

And, honestly, my threshold is very low in comparison to many people at approximately 300 rounds. Usually, by the time you reach this figure all of the “breaking in” factors have been mitigated and the reviewer can have a reasonably good feel for the firearm. This is particularly true with firearms that have unique features, grip angles, operations, enhancements, etc.

This is the primary reason why I have yet to write any reviews myself… I don’t have the time to do performance evaluations. A review without that key component is essentially useless. This also applied to modifications made to a firearm that are supposed to improve performance. Without a good round count there is no way that someone can offer a solid opinion on a firearm/modification and either recommend or not recommend the purchase thereof.

It all comes down to range time. Whether reviewing or practicing, you need to put enough rounds down range so that you are comfortable and familiar with the firearm that you are using. Keep in mind that the 300 round figure above is only for the review side of things… one trip to the range to get a decent impression for review purposes. For those of you who are going to rely on your firearm, 300 is nowhere near the number of rounds you need to become proficient.

Thousands upon thousands of rounds are essential to know your personal firearm and training is another key component to obtaining proficiency. You have to remember that you are not just doing a review or determining a first impression, you might need that firearm to save your life and protect your family. Reviewers have a responsibility to provide fully informed reviews while firearms owners in general have a responsibility to be proficient with their personal firearm.

Firearms Friday: The Calm Of Cleaning

As I have written before in the past, I am not a fan of cleaning. It is definitely not a secret. I like having a clean and organized space but I could do without the process by which that is achieved. I know for certain that I am not the only one that feels this way but, like many things, there are always exceptions.

I have found that there are many people like myself that dislike cleaning in general but actually enjoy the act of cleaning when it comes to firearms. You would be amazed, well at least those of you unfamiliar with this set of tools, at how many cleaning products the average gun owner has at their workbench or in their cleaning kit. There seems to be a solution for ever kind of grime, a brush for every surface, and a new product coming out every few months that is supposed to make the process easier.

While I have limited the supplies that I have and use on a regular basis every once in a while I will try something new. While those solvents and cleaning tools are fine for a little while I find myself reverting back to the old way of doing things. It is a time consuming process no matter how you approach it but it is one of those things that lets you just tune things out for a few minutes. No other form of cleaning has the same effect.

Maybe it is the detailed work that is involved in making sure every corner is cleaned. Maybe it is the importance of making sure that everything functions properly. Maybe it is the appreciation for the engineering, design, and overall beauty of the workmanship as the carbon is removed. I actually think it is a little bit of each of those things.

And I know that I am not the only one. I have had this discussion many times over with people I know are not the tidiest human beings but their firearms are impeccable. It is one of the oddities that is within many of us. I guess it is similar to the person that frequently washes and polishes their car but that could care less if the dishes are piled up in the sink. I am sure that there are other examples but that is the one that comes to mind and that seems to most closely parallel.

Of course, I have also seen those people who just don’t clean anything or actually have the opposite situation… they keep everything in their world neat and organized but they never clean their firearm. I have seen many accidents and witnessed beautiful pieces of engineering ruined by this neglect. In the end, there are some cleaning projects that can be put off and there are others that can’t be postponed.

Maybe the enjoyment that many of us have in the process of cleaning will slowly grow and include many other aspects of our daily lives. You never know, it could happen. Until then, I will just focus on the small things and continue looking forward to the end results of others to motivate myself in getting it all done even if it is sporadic at times.

Time For Some Change!

Have you ever given some thought to the change we deal with every day? Sometimes you can find yourself in a situation with a lot of change and sometimes with very little if any change. You can even come across some people who refuse change (this happened to me at the State Archives this past weekend in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania). But, you can’t deny the fact that no matter who you are, what you do, or where you live you are going to come across some kind of change.

While it bothers some people change is a good thing. It can be cumbersome at times but that has never really bothered me. Of course I try to minimize change and I have eliminated it, for the most part, from my daily life. But, when I do come across change I do my best to appreciate it. Have you ever taken the time to look at change closely? Have you ever thought about the history of change? Have you ever considered what change means to others and those who live in other countries?

Occasionally, I find myself admiring change looking closely at the design and details. But what really gets me thinking is the history of the change in front of me. Sometimes the thoughts are of a grand nature as the history of change in this country while on other days it can be the story behind the change that is staring back at me at that very moment.

Remember, all change has a story and the more you know about it the better understanding you will have of this country and of any country for that matter. It can illuminate the stark contrasts that exist between people especially the value they place on change. Also take a look at how people embrace change and the influence it can have especially when we all work together. Change can tell you a lot about a person and people in general.

Of course, there is a subjective aspect to change. Where one person sees immaculate design someone else will see something that is over complicated and heavily laden with details. This is just one of the debated aspects of change that seems to have picked up steam especially in the United States as the government seems to be making changes every few months.

In the end, the purpose of this post is to get people to take a closer look at change before embracing it or discarding it. Change is sometimes fleeting and we all need to take a minute or two and appreciate it. So the next time you break a dollar don’t just stuff the change in your pocket or purse, take a minute to think about the value of change, the design, how it has shaped our country, and who we have decided to honor. If you use plastic for all your transactions then take a look at my change and let me know what you think?