Old Habits Are Hard To Break

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by Seacowboys, Mar 27, 2011.


  1. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    I was thinking about the most productive hunting and trapping methods and realized that they each take advantage of the prey's habits. Extending that logic into a division of the "haves" and the "have nots but willing to kill you to take it", made me want to inventory my personal habits to see which ones a silent stalker could take advantage of in a SHTF situation.
    My wife used to sit under the gazebo every morning doing crossword puzzles and smoking cigarettes. She quit the smokes and doesn't sit there any more but for years, she was an easy predictable target.
    What habits do you have that might make you a victim?
     
  2. RightHand

    RightHand Been There, Done That RIP 4/15/21 Moderator Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Great question SC. Most of us have a routine. We go outside for the newspaper and mail at the same time every day, leave for our jobs and travel the same route, come home about the same time. We're fairly predictable and as such, easy targets
     
  3. Clyde

    Clyde Jet Set Tourer Administrator Founding Member

    I am out of town every other week....when my car is not in the driveway, neither am I at home. I miss my 3 car garage.
     
  4. Brokor

    Brokor Live Free or Cry Moderator Site Supporter+++ Founding Member

    The only habits I have are the ones I choose to have. I like knowing where my "potential" enemy is at all times. ;)
     
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  5. Grape Ape

    Grape Ape Monkey+

    I dont know if it counts as a habit... more of a condition.
    I snore like the world is coming to an end. ppl claim they can hear me for blocks.
     
  6. TXKajun

    TXKajun Monkey+++

    Grape Ape, have you ever been tested for sleep apnea? That'll make you snore like a chainsaw......but you quite breathing several times each minute, and that puts a major strain on your system....and can even cause death.

    Kajun

    P.S.
    I know bout this cuz I used to snore so loud I'd get calls from folks in hotel rooms around me.....I'd wake them up! Got to where I felt really terrible, was putting on weight, could fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Had severe sleep apnea. Got on a CPAP, now I no longer snore, still sleep well, blood pressure's down, feel great. It took me 3 years to go in for the test.....3 lost years, basically, cuz all I'd do on the weekends was sleep.....and get more tired!
     
  7. STANGF150

    STANGF150 Knowledge Seeker

    Traveling the same route isn't necessarily a BAD thing. It means you can get used to how things are & notice any changes. At least as long as you don't get too used to it & slip into condition White!!!
     
    VisuTrac likes this.
  8. Grape Ape

    Grape Ape Monkey+

    I recently got tested for sleep apnea... I have the CPAP but I cant use it yet because the doctor still has to adjust some settings.

    Its getting bothersome though im 6'2 and over 300 pounds... the more I diet and exercise the more my weight goes up. I've estimated im gaining around 10 pounds a week atm. I'm sure theres a heart attack in my near future at this rate.
     
  9. Pax Mentis

    Pax Mentis Philosopher King |RIP 11-4-2017

    Try to avoid it however you can.

    I've had 4 now and they really aren't as much fun as they sound like...
     
  10. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    I have had Sleep Apnea, and a CPAP machine for over two decades now, and I can attest to the fact that it DOES get better, and you will feel MUCH better, after you start sleeping good at night again. I was 6'0" and at one time weighed 360#. I am not 5'11" and just under 290# and losing about 5-10# a year. So take heart, and do what is required, to get this issue under control. You, and your family will be much better off with you being around longer, than shorter, and Sleep Apnea can, and will, KILL You, if left undiagnosed and untreated. ......
     
  11. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    First time I've ever had a thread high-jacked with fat people snoring?[dunno]
     
    ditch witch likes this.
  12. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    :lol: I was wondering if we were getting a bit off topic --

    One habit I have that doesn't get broken is night time lighting patterns. Lamps on timers is part of that. From the outside, you can't tell if I'm home or not, day or night. (Unless I'm outside.) The vehicle is never out of the garage when home, and the garage door isn't open unless going in or out. Grocery store runs are irregular enough, too, that movement is unpredictable. There are two ways up this hill, and which one I use is subject to whim, so a watcher would have to be a pair, one on either end where I can't see them. (A single that could tell which way I go would be visible from my drive, either way.)

    Eating is about the only thing I can think of that might be varied to throw a watcher off. My stomach says, "No, that will NOT do." :D That said, if the alert level goes red, that will be done, too.

    [ghrit]
     
  13. Tracy

    Tracy Insatiably Curious Moderator Founding Member

    [LMAO] @ hijacking

    I used to drive the same route, until Mr. asked me about my variable routes. Now, I take one of several different routes so that I'm familiar with each of them just in case the need arises to not be driving on a main thoroughfare.

    I do what I can to NOT be a victim. Though, admittedly, I do have a (country-girl) habit of unlocked doors and opened windows.
     
  14. Wolfgang2000

    Wolfgang2000 Monkey++

    I was always taught to vary my travel routes. Just remember that (especially when going to work) your starting place and ending place is the same.
     
  15. Tikka

    Tikka Monkey+++

    Driving to and from work has a known start and destination which is not a good thing.
    If you are avoiding others; you shouldn't use the same routes. Avoiding others is less of a vulnerability issue than working the land or tending animals.
     
  16. Nevin

    Nevin Monkey+

    I'm trying hard to get rid of a lot of bad Habits, so many I can't even list. I'm still new to prepping and everything related.

    I always wonder if it's a bad habit that when I get scared or think I see/hear/sense something I freeze. It probably is but I freeze to think and reason with myself.
     
  17. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    It has been my theory, that the Freezing Action, is a natural consequence, in Startle Mode, for most mammals. The reason is, that the entity needs to identify the cause of the of the Maximum PRIORITY Interrupt, that caused the Jump to the Startle Subroutine, in the first place. Once Identified, then that information can be acted upon, very quickly, and the issue really is, how long it takes to initiate Action, after the cause is identified. The better trained, the entity is, in making that decision, the faster the interrupt can be cleared, and action be commenced. So, in general, You can't really shorten the Startle Subroutine, as it is a very Basic low level routine, but what gives you a leg up over other entities, is the processing time it takes to identify the cause and then act on that information, which can be resolved by training. YMMV....
     
    tacmotusn and Nevin like this.
  18. cornmonkey

    cornmonkey Monkey+

    Travel in a rural area only two ways to get here to there. No option there but i don't like to be a same old every day thang, most folks as said are on a one track because i think they do with out thinking. Feel very comfortable with a routine and don't want to change it.
     
  19. KAS

    KAS Monkey+++

    yes it can kill you and it is happeneing more often everyday...Im about to get tested for it !!! im another heart attach waiting to happen and im very young !!!!
     
  20. KAS

    KAS Monkey+++

    my house is full of hbad habbitts... everyone knows wen my truck aint in the driveway im gone for long periods of time and there is a woman and child in that house and a 150 lbs rottwieler ...I believe the dog is the only saving grace....
     
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