In case you all have been missing my regular postings on this blog over the last week and where wondering what the heck happened. I have not fallen off the face of earth and I have not been lost in the wilderness of British Columbia. It was more serious than that. At least it was for me.
On Wednesday of last week my computer decided that after eight years of loyal service he had has enough and fell into a coma. It happened right in the middle of writing a rather important email too. No matter what I did the computer refused to come out of its coma. It’s not dead yet, there is still some life in it but not enough to let me open the dam thing up.
Due to my hectic work schedule I had no time to drive to the next town to buy a new computer until Saturday afternoon last week. Losing my computer caused me considerable emotional pain. I couldn’t care less about the computer but all the stuff that is on it. Regular readers may remember my article “Why I got involved with the Outdoor Bloggers Summit.”. There is a line in that article where I talk about how great humans are at procrastinating. Well I am one of them too. For weeks I have been saying, “I’ll back up my work to the external hard rive tomorrow.” I am sure you have an idea what I am going to tell you next.
You guessed it right. It is likely that I have lost a lot of material, pictures, and websites in progress, articles and a lot of other stuff permanently. I say likely, because there is a slim chance that my wife – she is a computer wizard blessed with the termination of a lioness protecting her offspring – can find a way to get on the computers hard drive and extract the files. Don’t ask me how she does it. To me computers are what for the average North American Chinese is. I have great fait in my wife, knowing that she single handedly has extracted files from a dead hard drive before, it took her several days and nights but she did it somehow.
The upside of this miserable experience is. After my wife was done lecturing me on the importance of backing data up on a regular schedule (in her case sometimes twice per day). Plus, just to be on the safe side burn it also onto disks, she took pity on my grief and found that she had to spoil me a bit.
So it came that after we purchased the new computer my wife drove to the local gun store announcing. “I am going to buy you the new rifle you planned on getting for some time now.” She caught me completely of guard and all I could mumble was “Say what Honey.” Before I knew what happened we stood in my toy store looking at different rifles. Finally, after an hour of talking to the gunsmith I made my mind up on a Weatherby Vanguard .270. It was a hard decision between the Weatherby and my personal vaforite the Savage Model 111FXP3. The reason I have never owned a Weatherby is because I don’t like the Monte Carlo stock and because I always have been impressed by the accuracy and very competitive price of Savage rifles. Reason why I chose Wheaterby over Savage this time was that both offered a rifle package that included a scope. Savage, oh what disappointment, has put a cheap Simmons scope on their package rifles, while Weatherby managed to throw a Bushnell Elite Pro into the deal.
I am looking forward to the coming Saturday when I take delivery of my new rifle that has been customized with a Timney Trigger and a Limbsaver Recoil pad . As soon I get the time to put that new rifle through its paces at the range you’ll be the first to read all about my findings here on this blog.
Hearing other hunters complain about their wife and the grief they get every time the hunter buys another tool or gadget or when they spend weekends away from the family, I feel truly blessed. Not only does my wife accept the fact that I am a hunter but she fully supports me, and my dedication to the hunting legacy and wildlife conservation. For that I am very grateful.
Over the next few days I’ll have a lot to catch up to. There are several posts I had prepared prior to the computer going into a comma. Now I have to rewrite these articles again, but I don’t mind because I these articles contain valued information about many aspects of our outdoor heritage and will help others to get more exposure on the Internet.
Tags: Computers, Blog, Firearms, Weatherby Vanguard Rifle, Savage Model 111FXP3, Bushnell Rifle Scope, Limbsaver Recoil Pad
18 comments:
I'm so glad you're back Othmar. I was afraid you'd disappeared because you were working too hard.
Well working in the computer field I can relate to yours and yours wife's side of things. I've been on both ends for quite some time. Also can relate to having an understanding wife when it comes to our passions. She recently forced me to buy a new bow that I had put off for years! Love having her and grateful she understand and participates in what I love!
Hi Guys coming from Western Australia I thought you may like to know I found the blog via "Wildlife Conservation" search as we are hunters from way back, my husband since a young lad with rabbits....now offer a tourism accommodation property set in a 100ac conservation sanctuary. Protected with a predator proof fence and have been breeding endangered native Aussie species. Our website is http://www.yelvertonbrook.com.au or our blog on wildlife happenings - http://www.yelvertonbrok.wordpress.com
Many years ago we did allot of hunting together mainly rabbits, goats, pigs & kangaroos (for dog food). Just had a camping holiday up north and revisited some old happy hunting grounds.
Regards Joy & Simon
Othmar, glad you are back! I just backed up on Aug 3.
My wife, a retired computer exec with a large corporation, hunts and fishes with me and, last week said, "Sweetheart, why don't you buy you a new camera with a good telephoto lens?" My next trip to Houston or Dallas, I just might do that!
Kristine – I am glad too to be back. I got a lot ofother stuff done but I missed my blog.
Arthur – For me computers are like a Pandora Box or a map written all in Chinese. In short I haven’t got a clue. Having a wife that pulls on the same end of the rope makes for a happy marriage and brings people closer together. Of course I also show an honest interest in everything my wife does too.
Woylie – Thanks for you visit. I checked your blogs out and have to say they’re very interesting. Wildlife conservation is very important and very near to my heart. All good hunters are also wildlife conservationist. Keep the good work up down under.
Jon – I have been nagging my wife for many months to spoil herself and buy that camera she keep eyeing for. Finally when we purchased the new computer she looked at it again and I went. “Go ahead buy it I know you want it.” That did the trick and she has now a new camera, a digital SLR that will take all her lenses from 17mm to 800mm. I am very happy for her.
- Othmar Vohringer-
How cool is that? A new computer AND a new rifle!
Welcome back, and remember... to err is human. To back up can be divine.
You know, that Weatherby would love a visit to the Weatherby home near Paso Robles, CA. There's great pig hunting right there, and I have a friend who might even be able to introduce us to the Weatherby management.
Phillip – I learned a hard lesson about back ups. The reason I am not posting an article on my blog today is because I am busy creating a new filing system on my computer and in the external drive.
Funny you should mention pig hunting. I have been thinking of putting my new rifle trough its paces on a hog hunt. Whatherby visiting Weatherby sounds very good to me. Let me hear more about it.
-Othmar Vohringer-
Glad to see you are back and getting organized.
Hey Othmar,
Weatherby's corporate headquarters is down here in the Central Coast. My friend, guide and outfitter Deedy Bryson has contact with them on occasion. She also happens to have an excellent hog hunting operation on her place, with comfortable cabins and close access to the hunting grounds.
If you were to plan a trip down this way, it may be possible to arrange a visit with the Weatherby folks at the same time. I don't have direct contacts with them myself, at least not yet, so not sure how likely this is... but it's a thought.
Perhaps the old computer might be suited as a target for the new Weatherby?
Robert - Funny you should suggest that. That is exactly what my wife said too!
-Othmar Vohringer-
Phillip - Very interesting, you have peaked my interest. Expect an email from me in the next few days. ;)
-Othmar Vohringer-
I hope you give us a write-up on the Vanguard after you field test it. I fingered one a few weeks ago next to the Deluxe V and I gotta say I was torn between the Vanguard's price and the Deluxe V's looks.
I most certainly will do that Robert. I am looking forward to sight my rifle in at the range and then go to a few boxes of ammo shooting in simulated hunting conditions. This is something I do with all my new firearms and bows. Ones sighted in I get off the range and do all my shooting like I hunt.
-Othmar Vohringer-
That's right: Test them like you use them.
Robert – You got that right. I always shoot like I hunt. In past I have known more hunters than I care to remember that were hot shots on the range but in the woods couldn’t hit a barn door 20 yards away. Shooting at the range and in the field are two completely different pair of shoes.
-Othmar Vohringer-
I might would intentionally crash my computer if I thought it might result in my wife buying me a new rifle! Congrats on a new rifle and a great wife!
Darrell – Thanks Darrell. Yes I feel very fortunate to be married to a person like my wife. I got very attached to that computer even if it was over ten years old, which as computers go is Stone Age. But it never gave me any problems whatsoever. Mind you the computer my wife handed me down makes more than up for the loss of the old one. It’ a very powerful beast!
-Othmar Vohringer-
Post a Comment