How I'm Preparing - Learning Odd Skills

I was fiddling around with my Youtube vids, looking for something else, when I saw this video that I put up back in 2007 - before I started blogging. It's pretty short, but it illustrates a couple of things that I think are important.

1. As the title of the video suggests - you have to look at the steps you're taking to secure yourself and your property in general, in light of who you're dealing with. For example, I have padlocks on the gates into my back yard. They are pretty simple affairs. Their job is to keep my Rotty from nosing the gate latch open and letting himself out when he's in the backyard. It's also to discourage a casual trespasser from entering the backyard where they have no business.

I don't, in any way, expect those locks to keep out someone who wishes to enter my backyard bent on performing serious mischief.

2. I think this is a great time for us to take the time to pick up some uncommon skills that might prove useful in the future. The time to learn how to do anything - is BEFORE you find that you really need the skill. I learned to pick locks, not because I intend to pursue a career in cat-burglary... but because it can sometimes be to my benefit to not be constrained by a simple lock. I've picked padlocks on farm gates while responding to loose livestock calls, in order to have a way to get the animals out of traffic and back into a pasture they've escaped from. Having the skill to pick padlocks made it possible for me to do this without having to destroy the lock/chain.

Picking deadbolts and doorlocks can be more complicated, and it takes me longer. I did successfully pick my own front door lock after accidentally locking myself out of the house one time. This led me to do two things. I replaced my entry locks with more "pick resistant" locks, and I stashed a spare key outside in a hidden location :)

As well, it's easy for me to carry a simple set of picks with me all the time. They sit tucked away until the time comes when I need them. How often do you carry around a bolt cutter or sledgehammer? Yeah... me neither. A little tension wrench and a couple of slim picks are much more convenient.

In my state, it's not illegal to carry lockpicks - as long as you're are not engaging in an illegal activity.

There's plenty of info available online if you want to learn to pick, so I won't waste space and time repeating it here. At the very least, it's an interesting thing to learn the basics of.

Note: The video below has a rather raucous soundtrack, and may include a profanity, or two - or twelve. If this bothers you or you're at work you 'prolly should put off looking at it. - Or at least turn the sound way down.