I did like #7

Found this while having a look around the internet today. The whole article is worth a read but here's an extract:

Here are Courtley's 10 ways to think and act like a Seal and survive, as told to ABC News:

1. Early Preparation

"Survival is all about preparation," he said. "You start in your mind, start getting mentally tougher. You start rehearsing mentally situations you might find yourself in, so that when you find yourself in that situation, you're able to deal with it."

2. Practice "battle proofing"

Both mentally and physically rehearsing for a dangerous situation is what the military calls "battle proofing". "Imagine closing your eyes and getting your seatbelt on and off, or closing your eyes and rolling your window up and down," he said. "If you do it enough times you can do it without even looking down. It just happens."

3. Confidence is Key

"If you feel like you know how to handle a situation, whether it be a boss at work who is a pain in the butt or now I'm upside down in a car and water's coming in, if you feel confident, this thing is going work a lot better," Courtley said.

4. Practice "Combat Breathing'

"You breathe in for four seconds, you breathe out for four seconds, and it's something as simple as that," he said. "Not only are you getting oxygen but you're giving this thing a chance to like, okay, bring it down. I use combat breathing when I'm driving and I get cut off."

5. Have a Will to Live

If you find yourself in a dire situation, it helps to focus on something to motivate you to live. "Create a trigger. What is the most important thing in your life? It could be a family member. I want to see my son tonight. I'm going do whatever it takes, whether it's crawling out of a burning car, fighting a guy twice your size in a back alley, you flip that trigger."

6. "Rule of 3"

"You think of three options that you will have to get out of that situation … option 1, option 2, option 3. Do a quick pro and con of those three, and then just pick one and go with it."

7. Do Something

The worst thing you can do is nothing at all, and don't wait for someone to come and rescue you. "You can't wait for somebody to help you out. You can't expect somebody will be there to assist."

8. Don't Be Paranoid

"I would never preach being hyper-vigilant, being paranoid, because that's no way to live," Courtley said. "That goes back to the confidence of knowing, 'OK, I'm ready, I've thought about it, I prepared for it, now I'm going to live my life because I know if this happens, I will know how to handle it.'"

9. Have a Survival "go bag" in the Car

Have a "go bag" in your vehicle. Items can include a water filtration system, a multi-tool, water resistant pouches for documents and electronics, three days worth of prescriptions, first aid items and a poncho.

10. What If You're in the Car During a Disaster?

"Do you abandon the vehicle or stay put?" Courtley said. "It depends on the situation. What is the first thing that's going to kill you?" In an avalanche, the best thing to do is stay in the car, but if the car is on fire, then you will want to get out as fast as possible.

Science Fair Day

Today was the girls' science fair. They have both spent a lot of time working on their projects and they enjoyed the challenge.

I was very impressed at the range, quality and standard of the projects on display (kids from years 4 to 7 took part).  I was also very impressed at how articulate the children where when asked about their projects.

Well done all!

Catch up ...

I know it's been a long time since I wrote anything here (and I'm not sure if you've all given up waiting and have left the room).  However, it's not because nothing has been happening!

The first bit of news I have is that Miss 11 is all sorted for High School next year.  I finally got all of the paperwork that I needed to confirm her acceptance of the scholarship and place at the local catholic high school (blogged about here).

She did end up getting an offer of a place in the Gifted and Talented Extension program offered through the state school system and while she was happy about this, she (like us) felt that the other school had more to offer her.

So that is sorted!  Bit weird to have my daughter going to high school next year!!! EEKKK!!! (Yes, they do grow up fast).

Other than that I've not managed to get out shooting for a couple of weeks.  BUT I did get a new scope (um, is a Bushnell .. more than that I don't remember) and it's FANTASTIC - I can actually see what I'm aiming at rather than a brownish blur somewhere in the general vicinity.  With the new scope I managed to get a goat and a couple of foxes - so very happy and hopefully I'll get up to the farm to do some more shooting in the near future.

Work has been busy - ended up going to Melbourne for a couple of days a fortnight ago to do a requirements gathering exercise and since then I've been working from home head down in Excel VBA.  Part 1 of the project is completed and awaiting customer feedback and then I'll start on part 2.  I like working from home, but I'm not as keen on the coding as I am on training.  But it is very nice not having to deal with city traffic every day.

The girls are going well.  Both have been up to lots of things.  I'll try and sort out some photos to put up in the next couple of days.