L4 saves the day! Sorta...

I was over at a friend's house last Wednesday and as everybody was about to leave, somebody said he lost his keys. Well, he has a habit of locking them in his car, so he was just about to go out and look for them when he realized that he needed a flashlight, which is where my L4 comes into play. I whip it out (the flashlight, you perverts /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif) and hand it to him. He, and many other people, pretty much asked in unison, "Are you a boyscout?" and gave me a weird look for having a light on me. I told them no (do boyscouts carry flashlights all the time or soemthing?). Anyway, he found his keys locked in his car and called AAA. As he was waiting outside for AAA, I saw bright flashes on the lawn moving towards the house. The door opens and one of my other friends starts flashing everybody in the room with the L4 saying, "This thing is bright!" Of course, everybody wants to see it so it goes around the room and finally back to me. The general consensus was that the L4 was cool (and I totally agree /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif).

So my L4 saved the day (actually, night), but it wasn't any kind of life saving thing. The sad thing is that somebody actually asked me why I carry a flashlight around after it helped the guy find his keys; I just looked at him and said, "You know the guy who just needed the light? Well, that's why I always carry one around. You never know when a light will be needed." I didn't think he gets it, but oh well, one day he will see the light (pun intended).

i was staying over at a hotel a week or two ago, and my friends were sleeping so i could'nt turn on the toilet lights (which were connected to the main power switch) so i had go in the dark, and my arc LSH came in very useful. it got loaned out a few times to some friends, of which one said that my habit of carrying a flashlight with me was "odd, but very useful" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

The Boyscout Motto is "Be Prepared". That is probably why the reference to Boyscout.

"odd"??? WTF is wrong with some people??? I've heard all the different responses from sheep when they see you whip out a knife or see someone openly carrying a firearm, but to respond that way to a FLASHLIGHT????

Jesus H. Christ... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif

Drjones: Do you post on The High Road or used to post on The Firing Line? Because I remember your name from somewhere...and because only pro-gun people would use the term "sheep" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Yessir, I do post on THR and am a proud TFL Alumnus. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I take it you frequent those places as well?

Well...I used to frequent those boards a lot...before Bush attacked Iraq. I've always been a gun nut, and still am, but I could no longer bear myself to see all of the liberal bashing because I happen to agree with them on a lot of stuff. Before that, politics was mostly left out and the term "liberal" was mostly just interpreted as "anti-gun", which I could live with. But when the war started and politics heated up, and I just found myself reading the posts and getting angry with everyone, obviously because the board is overwhelmingly conservative. You could call me left-libertarian, but I'm mostly a liberal...on everything EXCEPT gun control. I wish I could belong on a gun board like THR but no one has a paradoxical political view like me...Strange isn't it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Oh, and sorry SarcoBlaster, for going off topic /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif...L4 rocks! But show them a Space Needle II /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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FlashlightOCD said:
The Boyscout Motto is "Be Prepared". That is probably why the reference to Boyscout.

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Cool, thanks. I didn't know that was their motto.

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hawkhkg11 said:
Oh, and sorry SarcoBlaster, for going off topic /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif...L4 rocks! But show them a Space Needle II /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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Lol, don't worry about it. I'm afraid that if they got their hands on a Space Needle II, they might spend the whole time blinding each other. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

As for sheep/sheeple, I don't get it. I always carry a knife with me and whenever somebody (usually a friend) asks if I have a knife to help them open something, I take it out and get the same response(s)... "Why do you need to carry a knife?" and/or "What are you going to do with that thing? Kill somebody?" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon6.gif

I figure it's not worth explaining this to anybody, so I simply tell them that I don't have a knife on me whenever I'm asked. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

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I figure it's not worth explaining this to anybody, so I simply tell them that I don't have a knife on me whenever I'm asked. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

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That's funny, but I can understand. You have to realize that anything other than keys, money, and wallet is not EDC for the majority of the [male] population.

Yeah, but why is it always that the person who asked to use the knife in the first place asks you why you carry one? I always want to say: "The question isn't why I'm carrying a knife. The real question is why you AREN'T carrying one and still borrowing mine. Why do I carry a knife? Because sometimes I find it necessary to open boxes (cutting tape and/or twine). Why do I carry a flashlight? Because it is dark once the sun goes down and it is even dark indoors during the day if the lights go out. Please use your brain and give serious consideration as to why someone might require and use certain tools before wasting my time with your idle inquiries."

Sorry for the rant, but it does feel good to say among people who understand.

zackhugh:

Exactly! That happens to me all the time too!

Next time a friend or associate buys a product in one of those hard plastic packages (those almost vacuum-like packages) I want to see them struggle in opening it for a bit. Then I can say, "Now you know why I carry a knife?"

The next time a friend drops their cell phone or keys while at the movie theater I'll sit back for a bit before I say, "That's why I carry a flashlight."

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Screehopper said:
Then I can say, "Now you know why I carry a knife?"
...

"That's why I carry a flashlight."

[/ QUOTE ] And do NOT let them borrow your tools either! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif

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That's funny, but I can understand. You have to realize that anything other than keys, money, and wallet is not EDC for the majority of the [male] population.

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Yep, very true. Like zackhugh pointed out, I just find it strange when they ask you why you carry a knife or flashlight when they've just used the darned thing. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif

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Drjones said:
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Screehopper said:
Then I can say, "Now you know why I carry a knife?"
...

"That's why I carry a flashlight."

[/ QUOTE ] And do NOT let them borrow your tools either! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif

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Lol, that's just plain mean. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

The nice thing about living in Texas is that nobody cares or notices what you've got hanging off you belt or pocket most of the time. Flashlight, knife, gun, bronco'bustin award, animal tail.../ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

Hell, some of these ranch hands come into the hospital with a fixed blade the size of a friggin machette.

The only time that the sheeple seem to comment is when your in Austin or near any other large city. Then starts the questions...

-Jason

Three things that really confuse and or get to folks who ask the "Why do you carry a _____?" question are to reply with 1) "Same reason you don't!" which just confuses the hell out of 'em or to reply with 2) "just more intelligent, I guess!" and finally 3) "When I can't or won't lend you mine you'll realize why!"/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

Just saw a quote recently that made me laugh, cause it made me think of more stupid stuff to say to the knife and flashlight perplexed crowd...."A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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tsg68 said:
"When I can't or won't lend you mine you'll realize why!"/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif


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Haha! But yeah, that would be mean to not lend it to them. I'll tease 'em a bit before I lend or help them with one of my EDC items.

And you can reply, "Don't expect me to be around all the time as your personal Macgyver!!!"

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zackhugh said:
...Sorry for the rant, but it does feel good to say among people who understand.

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Among all my friends, colleagues, girlfriend, family, relatives, there are NONE who truly understand (well, my GF sort of does).

Kind of like being an Alien among Earthlings. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Brightnorm

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tsg68 said:
...."A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." Sigmund Freud /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif


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Hey, I like this quote. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif Gotta remember it for later use. It's not so bad for me, actually. One of my friends is a fellow flashlight and knife nut (I guess that's why we're friends). And he hears more of these comments than I do because he EDCs more lights and knives than I do.

Plus, the other day my Mom asked me for a little light to carry because she dropped something in the car and realized that a flashlight would be a handy thing to have. Sweet vindication!

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brightnorm said:

Kind of like being an Alien among Earthlings. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif



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Yeah, but I guess that makes CPF a gathering of aliens. Over 4000 aliens! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif Ain't nothin' like one of these forums (support groups?) to feel normal though. And to help justify buying another flashlight although personally even you admit you really don't "need" another one. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif

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FlashlightOCD said:
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I figure it's not worth explaining this to anybody, so I simply tell them that I don't have a knife on me whenever I'm asked. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

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That's funny, but I can understand. You have to realize that anything other than keys, money, and wallet is not EDC for the majority of the [male] population.

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Three things I *always* carry: (2-4) flashlights (of course!), (2-3, incl. a keychain SA knife) knives, and a permanent match. (It goes several months between fillings).

Fire, a cutting tool, and light in the dark; among the earliest, and still most useful tools for the human race.

I don't explain my motives to anybody; it's *my* business.

And living in a larger metropolitan area today, a firearm is frquently my fourth EDC item. I don't explain *that* to *anyone*, either, because *nobody* knows I have it. Which is the way it should be, I think. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif