I only refused one mission, but I had too much ‘history’ with that mission, and I wasn’t going to re-live it again.

you learn a lot things when you train as an interrogator that can make you very successful in social situations, but you also learn more than you really want to know if you are attempting to build a relationship. It feels like cheating in some ways, and you can’t tell if they are reacting to you as a person, or as a trained professional. It’s not something you can turn off.

It would have been more accurate to say “I could tell you what I do, but then I would go to prison.” The military provided us with an elaborate explanation of the ‘correct’ response to that question, but it was so obviously absurd that I knew I couldn’t repeat it without laughing.

When I was in the military it was major hassle if you got serious, because they wanted to do a background check on your intended, and that is a major problem. With so much time overseas, the military wasn’t at all happy with foreign nationals, and in the US who knows what your girlfriend or her family have gotten up to. The access to information is nice, but there is a price.

I was told that we got the insane jobs because they had spent millions on our training and it was what we got paid for. *shrug* 😆 I have some citations and awards, but I’ll never see them, neither will anyone else. My Mother received a medal and citation that my Grandfather won in WW1, 85 years after the event, and 7 years after his death. He was a sniper in the Welsh Fusiliers. He talked about some of it with me, and I learned a lot about how it all works from him. 🙂

Funny thing for me about picking up women, the job made it both easier and difficult! 😀 It was easier because I had a ton of confidence, was fit as a racehorse, could talk to anyone about anything, and was an expert in body language and observation. We took my best friend to a nightclub for his birthday, and we were having a drink when I spotted two very attractive women walk in. I watched them and when they looked our way, smiled and raised my glass. They looked at each other, one shrugged and they came over. My friend asked what was happening, and I said “we are going to get lucky.” He asked how I knew, and I said “The one on the right is married and pissed off, and is looking for a one nigher, probably as payback. look at her ring finger, it’s white where she had her wedding ring. It hasn’t been off for long. And she’s walking as if she has a lot of anger and aggression in her. The other is her best friend along for support and to help out.” I talked to the pissed off woman, discovered that I was pretty right in my assessment, and gave her lot’s of sympathy and offered to help her husband *see the light* and behave. Anyway, we eventually went back to my place and she went home with a big smile. I helped her gain some confidence and suggested how to confront her Husband and sort it out. 🙂 (and that’s all I’m gonna say about that!) I have to admit that afterwards, I did feel like a bit of a rat, even though we both got what we wanted and felt good. Still, I decided not to do that again, next time might not work out as well. It’s not that hard to spot a married woman, or a single available one. 🙂

I found that when you use the line “I could tell you what I do, but then I’d have to kill you.” doesn’t really work. They usually think you are full of crap and leave. (I’ve never personally tried it, but I heard about others that did). 🙂

The old fella is still working his ass off even though he’s in his 80’s! Typical of the old farmers here. 🙂 They work until they drop. They are the toughest people I know. 🙂

I was recalling the best moments I had doing the job, and they would make absolutely no sense to anyone who didn’t do the same kind of work. When you deal with complex systems, finally being able to predict when and why a specific event will occur and what that event will trigger is a big deal, but only if you know that the system exists and being to predict how it works is vital.

If you have never done the job how in hell would you really be able to understand what it takes to do it right, and if everyone does their job correctly, no one knows it happened. Medals usually indicate that there was a failure along the way and people had to improvise, although some indicate that people already knew before it was launched that the mission was more than slightly insane, but there would be a huge payoff if it could be pulled off. You don’t do crazy stuff for glory, you do it because it is the only way to do something you believe is necessary. There’s no point in talking about it, because the people who would understand already know.

As for picking up women – the job was the biggest impediment I can think of to a real relationship. If you can’t talk about what you do for a living, can’t tell someone when you will be gone or where you’re going, relationships tend to dissolve. As one of my first sergeant’s said the single guys should do the marriage counseling because they are the only people in the squadron who haven’t been divorced.

It is always a good thing to find a mentor for any new interest. It’s a lot easier to learn from someone else’s mistakes, than making them on you own.

LOL Yeah… Official Records! 😉 Funny isn’t it? Everyone who finds out the kinds of things we did (or think they know), are really impressed. But the ones who did it, aren’t at all and just wish everyone would STFU about it! 😆 Nobody I know who was actually in the *biz* ever used it to try to pick up women, so when I used to hear someone try it at a bar or whatever, I knew they were bogus as hell (or, if they were in the biz, they were a backroom paper pusher)! 😉 😀 This is the only place I’ve ever really *talked* some about my past, and that’s only because of you. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t bother. 🙂

My mom once got a letter with a posthumous award for me for service in Vietnam during a campaign in ’69. She phoned my (as I was living in Sydney at that time) and I could tell she was amused (I get my sense of humor from her). We chatted a bit, and then she said “Oh, by the way, congratulations.” I said, “What for?” and she said “You won another medal.” I said “Aha. sure Mom.” and she said “No, you did. You know, for when you saved those men in Vietnam in ’69 and were KIA” and she laughed, and I said “Very funny mom. *sigh* OK, Give me the details and Ref number. I’ll sort it out.” And she said “Mo. you should keep it. Might come in handy. You always did look too young. You might be able to impress a nice woman and finally get married!” To which I relied: “Yeah, thanks a bunch Mom! You’re gonna be having fun with this for years aren’t you? I really hate those morons in Canberra!” And we both laughed! 😆 I miss her… 🙂 FYI, I was 11 in ’69. 😉 One of the (minor) reasons I was asked to work for DIO was that my real name is quite common here (I even have several cousins and uncle’s with the same birth name, and one cousin I know of that even has the same DOB). It helps us get lost in the *noise* if things go FUBAR. 😀

Yeah, I like this old rancher! I’ve had a couple chat’s with him now, and he is a wealth of real knowledge and funny stories! 😀 He’s coming in more often now, and I buy him a beer and we chat. It’s really good. 🙂 And very useful… Timing of things is funny sometimes… 😉 Right? 😀

Oh, yeah, ‘official government records’ 😈 My records are filed under the Fiction section of the library. My Dad recognized bogus orders when he saw them with comments like “that’s where they want people to think you are going”.

It was even more fun after the wide-spread introduction of computers and I received the first print-out indicating I had been awarded all kinds of campaign medals from World War II. As I pointed out to the people in personnel my birth date rather negated any possibility of my having taken an active role in that war.

The horse advice is a lot like the methods used by real interrogators to get real information from people, and certainly a lot safer for all involved. It makes sense. That’s how you get to be an old wrangler rather then a disabled middle-aged wrangler.

Yeah, the US has nothing on the old Soviet Police State. I do love irony!

I was talking to an old cattle farmer who comes into the pub where I live regularly, and it turns out, he used to catch wild Brumby’s and break them. 🙂 I told him what I was thinking, and he said it was good if I could really catch and break a Brumby. So I described the process I learned, and he gave me some tip’s I’d noy heard before (for eg. He said the fastest and easiest way to break a Brumby, was to tie it too a tree with nobody around but you, and stay with it and talk to it often. After a day it will get used to you and you just feed, water, talk calmly and pat it, and after 3 days it will be docile enough to walk, and within another day, you can get it used to a harness, and then a saddle. 🙂 He also said that a Brumby would be the best Horse for what I’ll need. So… there ya go! 😀

I saw the shrink today. She agreed that it had been a good idea to hold off taking the antidepressants because she felt the GP was starting me on too high a dose, and she’s not convinced I need them. 🙂 So, I did a DAT test, which apparently will give her an indicator of my levels of depression, anxiety, stress, etc. So, I guess I will see. She also said that waiting 18 months to have someone look at my knee to even find out what the problem is exactly is just ridiculous. She’s going to see if she can make them see sense. She said that if they knew what the problem was, and knew it could wait, that would be different, which was my argument exactly!

So, appearances are that I am finally getting the help I need. I am now waiting for the other shoe to drop, ’cause I know it will. Welcome to my World! *shrug*

Oh! She is interested to read my comments here (I told her we’d been chatting about my getting away and healthcare etc.) I told her she may learn more than is healthy for her, or she’d want to know about me! 😆 She already has learned some of it as she tried to get my military medical records and psych eval’s, and was told that she didn’t meet the security requirements and, *no way in hell*! I said she could either spend the next 6 mth’s getting the required clearance, or wait until 2017. 🙂 She said she was impressed (and I could tell she meant it), and I said “Don’t be. It’s all bullshit!”

It is sad to note that in the US surveillance state wanting to be alone is considered suspicious activity, so it is monitored. It is very expensive in the US to be truly on your own.

The difference between the US and Australian system is that you know you will receive the care at some point. Millions of Americans know they can’t afford to seek any medical help. I have a neighbor who needs some surgery but it hasn’t been done for two years because they want an extremely high copayment up front before they will schedule it. He is saving to have it done, and hopes that he will still have insurance when he gets the copayment together. He has already borrowed all he can afford to pay for the diagnosis of his problem, so he didn’t have the money to pay for the cure. That’s why the US system sucks, even if you have some kind of medical insurance.

Yes, as I said above, I am very lucky here. Huge country, small population. And an abundance of natural resources. Aus has the broadest range of mineral and other natural resource wealth in the world, and some of it is easily accessible. I was talking to my councilor about it today. 🙂

I was feeling good, then I got home and had a letter from the Hospital waiting. It was a reply to a referral request my GP made over a month ago to an Orthopedic specialist review for my bad knee. The letter started that I had been placed on the waiting list, and that it could take up to 18 Months!!! WTF?? I can’t bloody wait 18 mths, I can’t wait another 3 months, to get my knee looked at! Jeez… and you say our health care system is better than yours??? Oh, really?!

I think I’m gonna need more than antidepressants! I am very annoyed!

I personally would have an easier time living off the land in Louisiana. Many of my relatives still largely do. Water and fuel are not issues, but population density is an issue there too. Everything is owned by somebody. You can squat, but not with infrastructure — too many people, some of whom aren’t nice people (see the movie “Southern Comfort” :lol:) and will personally take up the task of removing you and your infrastructure from their land with extreme prejudice (hint: those signs that say “No Trespassing / Survivors will be prosecuted” aren’t kidding). Meaning you have to be somewhat furtive / covert. Not the way I like to be.

So while I am more than adequately prepared for disruptions of services caused by natural disasters, I’ll leave the full-time bush living here in the U.S. to those who have, well, issues. And with that I’m out of here for the next couple of weeks :).

Well, as you’ve seen in the news in recent years with bush fires destroying hundreds of thousands of acres within a week, thanks to the *moronic* green’s (as opposed the the sane and sensible ones), fuel isn’t an issue. 😉 as I discovered when on bivouac in the Scouts, and during my advanced SERE training, there is a plentiful supply of fuel, even in the desert. And water also, if you know how to read the signs. Big hint, if there are dead fauna near a watering hole, or other water source, the water is bad. 😉 😀 Birds are especially a good indicator here because they can tolerate a higher dose of arsenic than man can, so if there is enough to kill birds… it’s not gonna do humans any good (Oh, tip #2. Neither will the flesh of the bird or animal!) 😆

There is a lot of flora and fauna here that will kill a man, and not just when it’s alive! But, I learned from my Aboriginal instructor all about that. They are past masters at living off the land here in Aus for thousands of years. The thing here is, for all the *bad* out there, there truly is an abundance of *good* also. The problem is. most people can’t tell the difference. I can. 🙂

But, I am not talking about going back to the stone age. As well as being a (true) survivalist, I am a very good engineer and general *Jack of all trades*. I have some good ideas… I can get power here from a variety of sources and means. For example, one way is to utilize the mountain stream/waterfall to generate power. I’m not looking to provide power for an entire city, just me. 🙂 also, there are many small deposits of coal or shale, many small reservoirs of gas, etc. Too small for any mining/energy company to bother with. But more than enough for me. There are Iron, tin, copper, etc, etc. deposits also. And during my time working for the Gov, I made copies of the *real* geologic survey charts and data (real as opposed to the *watered down* versions available publicly). 😉 I have been thinking of the possibility for a long time. The necessity for survival. The signs have been there for a long time, and I saw them as part of my job. As a successful project manager with several Queen & Industry awards, I tend not to leave things to chance, or take anything for granted. Of course, problems will arise, but look where I am now! The problems *civilization* are now causing me are increasing daily. The kinds of problems I would meet *out there* are nothing compared to what I have to deal with now. 🙂

And I do understand you badtux about not wanting to live without the things you have become accustomed to. 🙂 I suppose for me, those Mod Con’s have actually become part of the problem, part of the anchor dragging me down. In the early 90’s, after my BMT when I discovered that the drugs I was being given were slowly killing me. I escaped for more than a year to Sth Italy. The only mod con’s there were fan’s, refrigerators, and phone’s (and the occasional TV and radio’s). That virtually pure, natural environment saved my life. My biggest mistake was leaving, but I don’t regret it. My mother was ill, and I had to return. She passed away about 5 years later. I considered returning to Calabria, but friends convinced me to start a Security company. Another mistake. 🙂 I have made far too many judgment errors the past decade or so. Almost all because I thought more about the needs of others, than myself. Time to change that. I am dying, and that is a fact (well, we all are of course! LOL I’m simply accelerating the process currently). 😉 Death itself bothers me not one iota. I met Death face-to-face on several occasions since I was born (it’s one of the reasons I so love Diskworld Bryan. Except I can assure you he doesn’t ride a horse called Binky (or any horse for that matter), or carry a scythe! ) But I like the *idea* of that ‘Death’! 😆 Don’t ask me why, but I truly have faced it many times, and I am still here. (one theory I have is that it proves there is a God, and he doesn’t want me at all!) 😆

Ahem. So, basically… I’d like to be on my own for awhile, perhaps a long while. But that doesn’t mean that I will go back to the stone age. 🙂 For example, i used to belong to the Society of Model Engineers. We built many Steam driven devices, from engines to lathe & drill press, and other steam powered tools, and I even designed a Stirling Engine. 🙂 And I know where some good hot springs and other steam vents are, just as an example. It’s a starting point. Who knows, If I live long enough… I may go all the way to a nuclear reactor! 😆 (I know where the Uranium is, and I know how to use it. But, that may be a little grandiose for my needs.) 😉 😆

Heh… No,I wouldn’t have a problem. And who knows, If I come across any like minded individuals, who I believe I can trust (and I can spot con or a selfish SOB a mile away)… *shrug* Who knows? Anything *IS* possible! (Though, not necessarily probable!) 😉

It is a comfort knowing that if it is necessary, I can do it because I already have.

Yes, it is indeed.