Spiritually Starved

I was recently introduced to duck hunting by a seasoned hunter. I went out three times this year with my friend and the first two times were a bust. The third time was a charm and with three of us there we all got our limit.

I have a great appreciation for nature and the preservation of wildlife. I enjoy being out in nature and there is a spiritual connection between the food and the hunt. I believe one is not good without the other. I am grateful for the opportunity to hunt for my own food instead of going to the store to buy my meat from the slaughter house. I feel much more connected to nature and my life on this earth when I am hunting for my food in a respectful manner.

I think it’s pure ignorance to fault a a person for being a hunter and it’s hypocritical to fault a natural instinct as long as it is performed sustainably, respectfully and with gratitude.

It doesn't make the cut

I recently made the switch from a typical multi blade razor to a traditional safety razor. What drove me to make the change was the bigoted political ad portraying the masculinity of a man as being negative. Masculinity is not toxic. A masculine man in my mind is a true gentlemen and if he is not a gentlemen he is not masculine.

My first try at using the safety razor was not very safe. My face looked more like a meat ball. After watching a few shave tutorials and with a little patience I have finally learned the technique. It’s almost like a lost art-form. I couldn’t be happier about making the switch. As a masculine man I feel that my face is baby butt smooth. I get a closer shave with less irritation and it’s something I look forward to each day.

My current kit includes:

• Merkur Futur Razor

• Klar shaving soap

• Small Rein Dachs badger brush

• Proraso pre shave cream

• Solingen Timor Blades

• Schöne Stainless Steel Shaving Bowl

All from amazon.com

In-flight electrical failure

This occurred on April 17th 2018 while I was training towards my private pilot license.

During today’s flight lesson I encountered my first electrical failure. We began our preflight checks and everything was going as expected with no problems. During our run-up the ammeter needle was working as it should and displayed a positive flow. We taxied to the designated runway and proceeded with our flight. 

Our plan for the day was to work on some landings along with a go around at Twin Oaks airport. After overflying Twin Oaks we entered the traffic pattern and performed a go around. Immediately after as we started to gain altitude my flight instructor noticed that the ammeter no longer had a positive charge. At that point our GPS started to flicker on and off. It was obvious at this time that we were experiencing a mechanical failure and we immediately started back to Hillsboro. The next thing we  did was to contact tower and upon doing so our radio was beginning to cut out. We were luckily able to let tower know of our situation before the radio cut out completely. Tower gave us priority and we were able to land with no problems. Once on the ground we waited for tower to give us the light gun signals to taxi back to HAA. 

During the days flight experience we dealt with the situation at hand and things worked out in our favor. If we were not able to contact Hillsboro tower due to our electrical failure the next step would have been to divert to the nearest uncontrolled airport. Once on the ground we would have called dispatch and would have gone from there. Due to this experience I found that it is so important in these types of situations to remain calm and use the three most important phrases in an emergency situation, Aviate, navigate, and communicate. This flight lesson was unforgettable and very educational.