Excessive? ... I prefer 'Extreme'

 I've been called Excessive at times.   Heard "hoarder" jokingly over the last few years. Definitely 'messy.' ... no matter how one looks at it, I'm wired a notch different from the average person .. I've always known that.  Good or Bad, I've prided myself on it.  Never been one to just go along with the flow .. the group.

 

As I found myself thinking of this today .......  found myself wondering .. when did it begin?  When did the trait expose itself? At a minimal/low level, I'd have to say when back when I was 13, it started.  Funny when I think about it .. because in someways .. I show it, other ways I don't.  As an example, I've talked about how when I was 13, I got blindsided by two HS Seniors and ended up with a broken jaw. After that, I began lifting weights and taking martial arts.  In some ways I was excessive, other ways I wasn't.  I mean I devoured literature on the subject of weightlifting and nutrition, but didn't always follow it. I took Akido and Kenpo Karate, but didn't progress far in it.  I got what I wanted from them and leveraged from it as I saw fit.  In the area of bodybuilding, was aggressive in that area for the next thirty years, extreme compared to 99% of those I knew .. but never took it to ultimate level (competition).  I considered it, but ..that wasn't my end-game; quality of life was. To this day, I still lift and aware of my daily nutrition .. but ...  don't take it to the 'next' level.  Maybe I should ... never too late?  Still ..it has consumed my life. Before moving to Texas back many moons ago, I had a full gym in my basement.  I should have kept it but sold it off.  Six years later, I'd build a full blown commercial gym in my building that I have today and continue to add to.  Maybe... a lil' more extreme than most?

When I went into the military, I had a different angle than many.  I was in great shape and considered all of the branches; well not the Coast Guard.  I didn't realize that was one of the services back then and an option but even if I had wouldn't have pursued that one.  With the military, going in enlisted I wanted more than to go in to learn and have the opportunity to kill people (to the point!). I considered the Marines and Army, but I didn't see the upside after a stint. What was I going to do?  I considered the Navy for their schools, but months out at sea didn't appeal to me.  That left the USAF.  Great schools, jobs and bases.  I wanted to have something (skills) to leverage after my 4 years and believed their electronic schools would allow me to achieve that.  Point being, at 18 years of age, I was thinking outwards on how it'd affect the rest of my life.  Now, when I actually enlisted things went a lil' sideways since the career field I wanted wasn't available, but I saw a path.  Signed up for six years vs four, went into Security Police for 3, then retrained into what I wanted.  Long story short, got to go play 'Army'  and play with all the guns, then .. spent years.. and years.. in training .. that would pay off after my twenty years in the USAF. Along the way, got a Bachelors Degree but chose not pursue a commission. Turns out that decision which was probably made for the wrong reasons, but was the best I've ever made.   My whole time in the military .. I was always thinking about ...   what's next?  What's after it all and one gets into the 'real world?  Drove my decisions throughout my career. Now many would say .. what's the big deal?  Why talk about that here? Well.. .most I know... weren't thinking along those lines.  They had zero idea where they were headed and weren't doing much to help themselves in the present.  It was all mostly planned by me... I spent way too much time thinking about it all. But.. paid off in my opinion.  Compared to most of my peers, especially in retrospect .. I'm not sure the right term is 'extreme' .. maybe .. focused.

When I got out I went into my current career which is mostly about 'data storage' via bits n' bytes. Where's the extreme part here?  When I left the USAF, for months and months I read anything and everything on the subject of RAID, FC, NAS, SAN .. you name it.  I immersed myself into it all to the point that within months, I had more knowledge than the vast majority of my peers.  Then on the 'sales' side .. I read book after book.  Took classes .. training.  Most of my peers had been doing this for well over a decade... sometimes.. two decades.. and I was way behind the power curve.  Still after a few years of crazy long weeks, late nights....  it all paid off.  In my mind, I caught up to folks that had been doing this for two decades while I was in the military.  But  ..  I had a double edged sword at my dispense.  I had my technical training/knowledge from the military coupled with my new found sales expertise.  Point of all this ..  I went into 'extreme' mode for years and years along the way.  Lived it day and night.  Years and years of crazy long hours. Fast forward to today ... been there done that.  I have no plans on doing it again... I'm almost retired damned it!

But all this I mentioned isn't what got to me thinking about this subject. Trying to zero in on when things really happened got me to thinking about it all .... inner traits that contribute. At some level I see a trend. What got me to where I'm at today with it all.  My attitudes.. my ... Habits?

Computers.  The USAF gave me the knowledge, but I still wasn't one of those .. computer nerds. I made jokes about 'em to be honest. We all know who they are.  But as time progressed and PCs became more mainstream...   I was tempted.  While in Panama, i got into dBase programming and did a lot of high level things for the squadron in the area of Mobility.   Folks around me were spending crazy money on PCs with 286s.. then 386s ...   but .. I didn't see the value.  Yet. Few years later I'm in Omaha, the PC craze is going .. and .. I injured myself.  I was down for a few months so ... here we go.  I decided to buy a 386 and ...  truly figure this stuff out.  I purchased a book on the DOS OS and ... devoured it.  Then purchased a book on the Windows OS ... and .. devoured it.  I'm now hooked and really into all this when ... a buddy of mine shows me a 3D first person shooter game called "Wolfenstein" .   I was amazed at the cool graphics... but...  it all seemed sort of senseless to me .. what was the point of it all?  Kill a few Nazis .. .a wolf .. whatever.  Seemed a lil boring.   Then... the same company (Id) whom did that .. came out with ... DOOM.  God help me.  Extreme? Ha.. I'm thinking ..... OBSESSED!  This damned game completely hooked me!!!   I think it had something like 30 levels.  Anyways .. that'd probably be the end of the story but... then ver 1.2 came out.  That upgrade allowed two people to play AGAINST each other via a modem.  Now, things really got crazy.  I found myself playing hours and .. hours. Into the wee hours of the morning.  It was crazy competitive and I friggin' loved it. It was starting to take a toll on my marriage so it didn't help when ver 1.4 came out. NOW .. we could play on a LAN with FOUR people!   We started having LAN parties where we'd carry our computers to, and all setup.  I learned how to also use the Mouse along with the keyboard and my expertise level grew and grew.   Then new games came out.  Doom 2.  Duke Nukem.  Quake.  This crap literally consumed me for the next several years. I still can't believe the hours I put into all this gaming crap.  And the fact that when I emerged from it all four or five years later, that I still had a wife.  What a friggin' blur!  To this day, I'm careful about playing these games never wanting that to happen again.  I've played a few along the way .. but..   really keep it all in check.  I have no desire for more 'extreme gaming' in my future.

Motorcycles.  Anyone that really knows me, knows I'm off the deep end here .. I mean... extreme .. lol.  I've owned bikes since the early 80s.  I've been riding for around forty years (crap .. I'm old!).  But as I've written before, I started off slow here.  Got my first bike when I was 23. Then moved on to a bigger faster one at 25. Sold it a few years later; mama got me a bigger one (1100cc) for fathers day probably six years after selling the previous. Sold that one after I moved to Texas then ... few years later got a bigger 1500cc.  I barely rode that the next 7 years..    just a lil here and there... then it happened. I went into extreme mode.  Now in all fairness it'd been incubating for about a decade.  I'd dreamed of owning a Big Dog back just before I retired from the USAF.  I was drooling over V8 bikes from Boss Hoss.  I was in love with look of the Gilroy Indians... but.. I was still in my 'extreme work' mode as I discussed earlier doing crazy hours on the job .. and didn't have the time nor funds to really pursue it.... but .. I was scheming.  Well, around '09 I'm thinking .. it's time...   things in my life are lined up pretty good and ..  I'm thinking .. Boss Hoss!.  Well, a twist of fate occurs and I'm soon selling my 1500cc and buying an ... Indian!   This is the beginning of the next "extreme" phase of my life that is still ongoing .. but maybe .. slowing down a lil.  Just a little.  After I got my Indian Chief  in '09.. ..  I soon also got a Big Dog Chopper.  Then came across a Gilroy Chief on Craigslist.  Then another . and another .. and anther.   To say I went off the rails is probably an understatement.  To this day, I'm not sure what has driven me down this path but I've embraced it and enjoyed every second of it.  I still can't get enough of riding bikes. Along with the way, we've gone to dozens and dozens of Big Rallies.  Events.  Fundraisers.  You name it.  But, I've been pulling back as of late.  We're selling our big Toy hauler RV so no more 'camping' and partying at the rallies as we have in the past.  I opt to either ride in and mama fly in to meet me, or we trailer in .. and stay at the nicest hotel in the vicinity.  I haven't bought a 'new' bike since 2015, though I've purchased two older Indians (sold one of them) since then. So, I guess I'm slowing down. I look at the new models but.. can't make myself do it.  So, yep... I'm slowing down.  Extreme .. .well.. I was.  Well, still in some ways.  My Hangar Cave (buddy of mine calls my man-cave that) has to be cleaned up .. straightened up. I've got so many posters that need to be prepped and hung. So many things that need to go on the shelves.  Needs to be .. organized!  Soon... then ....  then .. maybe extreme doesn't apply?  Nah..... not slowing down .. yet.   Got an Iron Butt ride on my schedule for the summer.

NASCAR.  Man, what a run that was.  I didn't get into NASCAR until around 2006.  Buddy of mine took me to Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) for a race. We rented an RV and headed out to the north side of Fort Worth for an experience that was life changing for me.  I couldn't believe we were staying in an RV parked close to so many others.  Couldn't believe we were going for the extended weekend. But, I was told "you'll understand when you get there" or something along that line.  I'll never forget the view on that Friday when we came over the last hill and I could see approximately 15,000 RVs all parked next to each other with the Speedway in the background; lost my breath at that view.   Once we got parked, the party began.   Though RVs were all around us, we had our own lil' compound area.  Not only did we all bring excessive quantities of alcohol, it seemed like everyone else did as well, and most were willing... wanting.. to share!  Food was in abundance, music was always playing somewhere.  This was a party like I'd never experienced before.  Then we had 3 days of racing which I slowly acclimated to and all the nuisances of it.  This is more than just about 43 cars going in a circle. Soon I'd own headsets, radios, specific race coolers. After another year, I'd buy an RV to take out.  We'd soon own Season Passes for the seats and RV spots.  Then in '08 a bigger '40 hauler RV (got that for the motorcycles, but leveraged it here).  Now, I had room for 6-8 people easily in that thing to camp out.  Then traded up to another RV.. .then another.  Our group would grow to 12 RVS (few dozen friends) eventually which got crazy with the logistics that I had to figure out every year.  Then all the paraphernalia.... the flags, clothing, jackets, model cars... crazy amount of money spent. Then the various tracks we visited around the US.  Extreme?  That's probably a good word for it... then ... after about ten years .. started slowing down.  Folks in our group quit going.  Didn't renew the season passes.  Quit buying the die casts.. .after buying .. LOTS!  Time to move on .. but ... damned.. over a decade of great times .. great party's.  Compared to he average person .. extremism?

Guns ... everyone's fav?  This is an interesting one for me.  As a kid, I went hunting with my dad a few times out in Barstow, California .. .but .. that was about it.  About a decade ago, went hunting on a business trip.  One time hunting in Arkansas with family.  That's it.  Period.   I'm a lil' envious of many of my family and friends that do some serious hunting ... so .. I live vicariously through them on that subject.  As for guns in general, when I was in the military I did a LOT of firing with the M16 and M60 my first several years.  I was on a competition team where we fired the M16 weekly for a few years.  On Fire Teams, I carried the M60.  My first two years, the M16 was my daily weapon.  My third year, had a 38 on my hip. Nothing but good memories.  I fired expert with the M16, 38 and later the 9mm.  Always.   Then the next fifteen years or so ... nada .. zilch. I was in a different career field and rarely touched a gun.   When I got out, I'd inherited a few guns from my Grandfather. I picked up a cheap 9mm handgun that I later sold to a friend .. picked up a .22 for varmint here in the woods.  But.. that was about it.  Then my neighbor called me .. .must have been over a decade ago ... "hey my son bought an AR .... he wants to get a different version and wanted to know.. do you want to buy his?"  Gave me the specifics and I was like .. "HELL YA!" ... Then .. I had to convince mama and her response was sort of like " what do you need that for???"   Really ?  hahaha.   Well, as in motorcycles.... that set things in motion.  Took it to Arkansas where my Dad and I put it through it's paces.  Felt like I was back in the military .. felt good!  I'd also picked up a couple of pistols ...  After that, gun shows in Mesquite called my name.  Atwoods here called my name.  Academy Sports .. I could hear my name  .. haha.. .. and the list goes on and on.  Since then we've discovered a half dozen online stores that have great merchandise and ship to one's local FFL.   Lets just say .. I'm hooked. Off the deep end!!!!  When all this Wuhan Virus and election related crap is behind us, looking forward hitting the range... often!    However ... too bad...   about the accident?

Whoops

 

Investing.  I've written about this lately here.  I had multiple false starts over the years (sadly) but as of recent I've been going 100mph.  Every morning I log in and check numbers.  Cringe once awhile, smile much more often.  The good news is I've got mama on board. She's very uncomfortable with the stock market and understandably so.  Our 401k over a decade ago got decimated and took years to get it back where it was and growing again.  I was invested too heavily in PII few years back and wasn't on the ball when it dropped from $150 to double digits. So, she's heard me bitch and moan.. but .. unless somebody's  a real estate tycoon....  the stock market is where we make our money.  Still, it's become my obsession.  Once I get done with my work emails and morning calls, I'm logged in and tracking the stock market.  With a small portion, I've found myself 'day trading' for no better words.  I've come up with a system for 'bottom feeding' that overall  .. has worked pretty well making me double digit percentage short term gains.  Tax time is going to hurt.. but damned I'm having fun.  I'm buying stocks that I never dreamed of before.  I'm in various brokerages to diversify in case one of them goes down the tubes (highly unlikely).  Have some accounts that are managed by others.  I find it interesting to see how my picks and gains compare to theirs. I'm in front of this computer approximately 40 hours a week and I'm spending a good chunk of that time... flipping between the screens buying, selling, investigating.. learning.  Why the hell wasn't I doing this forty years ago?  As of recent, I'm testing the water with digital currency... I get the concept, but damned it still makes me nervous.  PayPal allows you to purchase it now, so I dipped my toes in the water there.  What about Gold and Silver?  Watch enough TV and seems like the easy path to beating inflation.  NOT!   What goes up, has come down.  Still, I'm buying a lil gold and stashing it a the bank.  Lil' silver as well.  Can 't help but wonder what happens if the world goes to shit?  Gold and Silver could be great .. but.. investing in 'bullets' might have a better outcome?  Just Saying!   Still, investing .... man that's a story in itself, with three or four false starts along the way for me. But today ... it's got my focus. Few times a month, I pull up the retirement calculators and spreadsheets and attempt to convince myself to pull the plug now. But, what I'm doing now still trips my trigger.  Still making a few bux.  Still having fun.  

 

 Got to admit .. if there is one area I'd like to flip the brain back into .. spend my time .. my effort...  get EXTREME .. is back in the gym. I've tried unsuccessfully over the years to flip that mental switch back on.  I've got the bandwidth. I've got the gym.  I've got the knowledge.. for some reason....   just haven't rekindled that 'fire' again.  Haven't found that extreme mental state. Hell, until then ...   I'm busy elsewhere.  Heck.. maybe it's time to back it all off ....    be more normal?

Naaaaah.. just kidding!   Hell... maybe I'll even start a new Blog specific to the journey?