ericjohn
Enlightened
or those out there who don't know, there is something that plenty of people do on a daily basis-they EDC. There is even a forum about it http://edcforums.com EDC stands for everyday carry. It is a item or set of items that a person carries with him or her everday, everywhere. Some do it for their jobs. Some do it for their hobbies. Some do it just to be prepared. Some do it for all those reasons. Items that may be carried are things like: a flashlight, a pocket tool or knife, a mobile device, a PDA (yes the electronic device this time), netbook/tablet, pens/papers and medication. Someone might carry some or even all of these There are additional items that are not in my short and quickly fabricated list. I EDC. I don't/can't necessarily carry all of those, but I do carry some. What I can't keep in my pockets; I carry in a Swiss backpack (that I got on clearance for $25.) I hardly ever pay retail price for the items I buy.
This is about what I carry and have carried.
Ever since the age of 7; I always had an EDC bag. It's one of my quirks.
Ever since the age of 18, I always had a flashlight on me-even when I am sleeping. I have always been drawn to flashlights-ever since I remember myself. AND Just for the record, I have a childhood memory so vivid that I remember events before the age of 1...Back to flashlights...I carry them because I like to be prepared and I think they are so cool. The rest of the world would too if people would brand and label each other so much. From the age of 11 to 18 I was conscious of what people might say or think if they knew I carried a flashlight. Then I made up my mind that I would carry one anyway. I have never once been insulted for having a flashlight in my adult life. In elementary school I was slightly harassed, but that is a different story for another day. There is a forum for those who like flashlights. http://candlepowerforums.com We are called flashaholics, by the way. I especially like to bring my flashlight with me to the movies. Thugs and gangsters have been known to place HIV contaminated needles in the seats as an initiation ritual, so I always check the seats. Not to mentioned, there are plenty of people who are either impressed or get a good laugh when I light up the dark room
For a while I carried a knife: My soon to be best friend and I were volunteering at a local rodeo, cooking hamburgers among other things. There was a bag of frozen potatoes (curly fries) that needed to be opened. He handed me his knife and I proceeded to open the bag. Not being used to knives at the time, I accidentally slit my finger and bled slightly. This made me realize that I could protect myself with a knife, should the situation ever arise. The fact that I was 18 meant that I could now legally carry a knife. A few days later, I was in Wal Mart and was looking in the hardware department at the razor knives. None of them caught my attention and I only had a $10 bill on me. (I didn't have a checking account or credit card either.) I decided to check out sporting goods. After looking at the knives under the counter, I almost gave up. They were either not big enough or out of my price range. I went look at the camping supplies and there I saw it, hanging on a hook in a carded package. It was Winchester pocket knife with rubber grip and ~ 2.x inch, surgical blade. I saw the price; it was only $7.xx. I called my friend and he told me to get it. There was a girl at church whom I had a crush on. I wanted to go out with her and be able to protect her, but nothing ever came of it. I still continued to carry the knife, except to school, of course. Everywhere else I went, however, rest assured I was carrying. Whenever I held it in my hand, I felt such a surge of power. I no longer carry knives since I am frequently in places that are weapon free zones.
I carry a portable radio scanner in my backpack, in case I decide to go chase (just watch) trains. People who do that, by the way, are known as "foamers." Not everyone knows what a radio scanner is nor do they even know such a device exists. There is a forum, by the way, for scanner listeners http://radioreference.com but that is not what the bulk of this is about. To be brief a scanner is a radio that can intercept people having a conversation of most two way radio systems. This means that in most cases this device can intercept police, fire and ems communications , railroad operations (my personal favorite), aircraft, business band (like Wal Mart employees talking about customers on their walkies), mariners, and even children at play. It is also capable of picking up the government funded weather broadcasts when I cannot get weather information from any other source. Yes, there is such a service available [AND FREE] and people in general are not very aware of it. http://nws.noaa.gov is their website.
I carry my Asus Eee PC (that I have had for almost 5 years, Praise God) in my backpack if I know that I will be away from home for a while. I never know when I am inspired to write (or read) something or if I am in the need of any information (God bless the inventors of WiFi.) I have been wanting an iPod touch for years now especially since a character in one of my stories uses one.
I carry a TI30XA calculator for in case I need to do figuring that goes beyond pencil and paper.
Hopefully, you get the point. It would be a wise idea for everyone to take part in this activity. If I ever need to leave for any reason; I just grab my backpack and go. This is especially good since I live in hurricane prone Louisiana. If there is any other disaster (natural or man made) and evacuations are ordered; I am ready to go at a second's notice. This is a part of my world-and the world of plenty other people who I have come across. Maybe someone will take this advice to heart. If I have caused just one person to start edcing, then I have made a difference.
This is about what I carry and have carried.
Ever since the age of 7; I always had an EDC bag. It's one of my quirks.
Ever since the age of 18, I always had a flashlight on me-even when I am sleeping. I have always been drawn to flashlights-ever since I remember myself. AND Just for the record, I have a childhood memory so vivid that I remember events before the age of 1...Back to flashlights...I carry them because I like to be prepared and I think they are so cool. The rest of the world would too if people would brand and label each other so much. From the age of 11 to 18 I was conscious of what people might say or think if they knew I carried a flashlight. Then I made up my mind that I would carry one anyway. I have never once been insulted for having a flashlight in my adult life. In elementary school I was slightly harassed, but that is a different story for another day. There is a forum for those who like flashlights. http://candlepowerforums.com We are called flashaholics, by the way. I especially like to bring my flashlight with me to the movies. Thugs and gangsters have been known to place HIV contaminated needles in the seats as an initiation ritual, so I always check the seats. Not to mentioned, there are plenty of people who are either impressed or get a good laugh when I light up the dark room
For a while I carried a knife: My soon to be best friend and I were volunteering at a local rodeo, cooking hamburgers among other things. There was a bag of frozen potatoes (curly fries) that needed to be opened. He handed me his knife and I proceeded to open the bag. Not being used to knives at the time, I accidentally slit my finger and bled slightly. This made me realize that I could protect myself with a knife, should the situation ever arise. The fact that I was 18 meant that I could now legally carry a knife. A few days later, I was in Wal Mart and was looking in the hardware department at the razor knives. None of them caught my attention and I only had a $10 bill on me. (I didn't have a checking account or credit card either.) I decided to check out sporting goods. After looking at the knives under the counter, I almost gave up. They were either not big enough or out of my price range. I went look at the camping supplies and there I saw it, hanging on a hook in a carded package. It was Winchester pocket knife with rubber grip and ~ 2.x inch, surgical blade. I saw the price; it was only $7.xx. I called my friend and he told me to get it. There was a girl at church whom I had a crush on. I wanted to go out with her and be able to protect her, but nothing ever came of it. I still continued to carry the knife, except to school, of course. Everywhere else I went, however, rest assured I was carrying. Whenever I held it in my hand, I felt such a surge of power. I no longer carry knives since I am frequently in places that are weapon free zones.
I carry a portable radio scanner in my backpack, in case I decide to go chase (just watch) trains. People who do that, by the way, are known as "foamers." Not everyone knows what a radio scanner is nor do they even know such a device exists. There is a forum, by the way, for scanner listeners http://radioreference.com but that is not what the bulk of this is about. To be brief a scanner is a radio that can intercept people having a conversation of most two way radio systems. This means that in most cases this device can intercept police, fire and ems communications , railroad operations (my personal favorite), aircraft, business band (like Wal Mart employees talking about customers on their walkies), mariners, and even children at play. It is also capable of picking up the government funded weather broadcasts when I cannot get weather information from any other source. Yes, there is such a service available [AND FREE] and people in general are not very aware of it. http://nws.noaa.gov is their website.
I carry my Asus Eee PC (that I have had for almost 5 years, Praise God) in my backpack if I know that I will be away from home for a while. I never know when I am inspired to write (or read) something or if I am in the need of any information (God bless the inventors of WiFi.) I have been wanting an iPod touch for years now especially since a character in one of my stories uses one.
I carry a TI30XA calculator for in case I need to do figuring that goes beyond pencil and paper.
Hopefully, you get the point. It would be a wise idea for everyone to take part in this activity. If I ever need to leave for any reason; I just grab my backpack and go. This is especially good since I live in hurricane prone Louisiana. If there is any other disaster (natural or man made) and evacuations are ordered; I am ready to go at a second's notice. This is a part of my world-and the world of plenty other people who I have come across. Maybe someone will take this advice to heart. If I have caused just one person to start edcing, then I have made a difference.
