Chocolat

Monday 9 April
1930

I had a very nice Easter Sunday. It was the first full day off I’ve had in about a month. Between various projects we’ve had going on, I’ve been in every day for quite awhile, and it was very nice just to have a day to myself.

By and large it was a housekeeping day, which I spent doing laundry, cleaning my room, cleaning my boots, and cleaning off my hard drive and backing up my computer. I was down to less than 15% free space on my hard drive, so I had to move some files to my external drive, and then reorganize everything and conduct a backup from scratch.

I also spent quite a bit of time reading James Michener's book "Hawaii", which is fascinating. Not only is it a very good book, but I have a personal connection to it as well. Since my girlfriend was born and raised in Hawaii and is half native Hawaiian, I feel as though I am getting to know her better in addition to enjoying an entertaining historical novel.

The only frustration of the day was getting on the internet. We recently got an internet connection in our barracks, but it was acting up yesterday and wouldn’t let me stay on for more than a minute at a time, all day and night. So I never got to talk to anyone or chat with them on the internet as I’d hoped to do. I managed to squeak out a couple of emails, but that’s all. I’m not sure if it was just too much traffic, or stupidity or carelessness on the part of whoever’s running it. Given some of my experiences with TCN contractors lately, I’m inclined to believe the latter. I am guessing that something went down and nobody bothered to fix it.

But notwithstanding that, it was a very nice day. I have noticed lately that things have become greener than I have ever seen them here. There are more flowers and plants cropping up here and there, and the cultivated plants look very green and vital, as opposed to their usual dusty greenish-tan color. I suspect that it is because we are at the juncture between the rainy season and the hot season. We’ve had a fair amount of rain over the past couple of months, and now it has just begun to get hot again. A couple of days ago it hit 95, and I’m sure it will be over 100 and climbing before much more time goes by. So this is probably the height of Springtime in Kuwait.

I have taken to walking down the median between the rows of bushes and palm trees when I walk to the main PX. It’s not much, but walking on wood chips (chopped-up cargo pallets) between rows of green plants beats walking on the concrete sidewalk between concrete barriers and bare sand. Yesterday I actually even caught an elusive “green” smell. When I closed my eyes as I walked I could almost imagine I was in the woods someplace. There must have been some pollen in the air or something. Anyway, it was nice.

I topped the day off by watching one of my favorite movies, “Chocolat”. This is my official Easter Movie. If you haven’t seen it, you should – it’s delightful.

The Cliff Notes version is that a woman comes to a small French village to open a Chocolaterie during Lent. This offends the town’s mayor, and they get into a battle of wills for the hearts and minds of the townspeople. The movie operates on many levels, but essentially it’s about people’s view of life and how they approach it. She is vivacious and unconventional, whereas the townspeople, under the influence of the mayor, are very conventional and closed-minded.

I love the sermon by the town priest at the end of the movie, when he says: “I don’t think we can go around measuring goodness by what we don’t do, by what we deny ourselves, or by who we exclude. We’ve got to measure goodness by what we create, what we embrace, and who we include.” The movie ends with a Chocolate Festival in the town square on Easter Sunday, with all parties reconciled and the village experiencing a “lifting of the spirit” and a renewed sense of life.

Watching this movie always has exactly that effect on me as well. How fitting is that for Easter, or for springtime in general? :-)

New Holster

Sunday 8 April 2008
1130

My new holster finally arrived!

When I got here I determined that I wanted to go armed at all times, as I do at home. It is an option in this command, although many people choose not to. I did not, however, want to wear around a web belt or a shoulder holster all the time. So I decided to get a concealment holster for my issued Beretta M9.

The holster I really wanted is hand-made and has at least a five month wait to acquire one. So I ordered a DeSantis inside-the-waistband holster. It is a typical off-the-shelf holster, well made but not especially well-designed. It's a simple leather holster with a metal clip that goes over the belt. The gun rides low in the waistband, so it is well-concealed if you have a loose shirt hanging untucked over it, but the grip is not well positioned for a quick draw, and once the gun is drawn, the holster collapses so it is hard to replace.

I also ordered a clip-on magazine pouch from DeSantis. I hadn’t brought any gunleather with me, since I do not normally carry a large double-stack automatic like the M9 as a concealed weapon at home.

My normal carry weapons at home are a Heckler & Koch P7M8 (a single-stack 9mm which was a revolutionary design when introduced, and which I still think is one of the finest pistols ever made) and a Seecamp .32, a tiny pocket auto which was also revolutionary when it was introduced in 1985 and which still serves well after 21 years in my pocket.

As an aside, my other two favorite pistols are my 9mm Brno CZ-75 (original Czechoslovakian Combloc manufacture, customized by a German gunsmith) and my .45 ACP Colt Combat Target (factory stock except for an exquisite trigger job by Marianne Carniak). Both of these are large-frame autos which I shoot in PPC competition but rarely carry concealed due to their size.

My normal carry holsters are all custom-made. For the Seecamp .32, I have a custom pocket holster I had to wait a full year to get. I don’t have the manufacturer information over here, but it was worth the wait. I also got a pocket magazine pouch from this manufacturer which holds one magazine each for the Seecamp .32 and the P7.

For the H&K P7, I have a Milt Sparks Versa-Max II. This is the same holster I ordered for my M9, and which just arrived this week. For my money this is the finest concealment holster made:
http://www.miltsparks.com/VM-2.htm

(The pistol at the top of the photo is an HK P7. Interestingly, it is an original P7 PSP with the European-style magazine release on the heel of the butt, not the later-model P7M8 with the single-handed magazine release near the trigger guard. I have one of each, and strongly prefer the one-handed magazine release, even though the original P7 is a somewhat sleeker design).

The holster is worn inside the waistband on the strong side. It is handmade from the finest materials, with outstanding workmanship. It has all the features you would expect of a top-end holster. Custom-molded to the particular gun, it has a steel spring clip around the top to retain the holster’s shape when you draw. This makes it easy to re-holster the gun one-handed. It also makes it easier to put on your pants, since the gun does not have to be in the holster when you fasten your belt. The pistol rides high in the holster, with the grip well above the waistband so that you can get a good firing grip before drawing. A leather flap extends upwards from the back side of the holster, protecting the pistol from perspiration and protecting your waist from sharp edges. (I wish the magazine holder had one of these - the corner of the baseplate digs into my waist and the blueing has already worn/rusted off the edge despite daily cleaning.)

It comes with two fastening systems for holding it to your pants. The first is a set of typical leather loops which fasten over the belt and snap at the top. This is fine when wearing a jacket or loose untucked shirt, and works fine with ACUs (Army Combat Uniform).

The other fastening system is the really unique and attractive feature of this holster, and is the main reason I chose it above all others. As an alternative to the leather loops, it has a set of Kydex (plastic) clips which fasten onto the waistband of the pants, under the belt. These clips are S-shaped, and go up over the waistband, down inside the pants, and back up to where they attach to the holster. This creates a space between the holster and the waistband into which you can tuck your shirt. Once a loose-fitting shirt such as a button-down Oxford is tucked in over this holster, it is invisible to all but the closest scrutiny. It allows you to dress normally, without any of the tell-tale signals (such as a multi-pocket vest, fanny pack, or untucked shirt) that scream “GUN” to a trained observer.

I broke in the holster using the leather loops, as recommended, and last night installed the Kydex clips. While this pistol is not as concealable as my P7 because of the double-column magazine and consequent bulkier grip, it is still very difficult to see unless you are looking for it, and is by far the best solution to the problem of concealed carry, permitting a nearly invisible gun with a reasonably fast draw.

Of all thing the things I miss about being in the USA, my collection of vintage military firearms and regular shooting are near the top of the list. I can go to the range and shoot my M9 once a week if I wish, but it’s just not the same as having my own guns and being able to go to the range whenever I want. Plus I just plain miss having them around to handle and admire. I took a look back through some of my old photos and found this one of my room at home:


My Rifle Rack
Originally uploaded by hkp7fan.



2004 Camp Perry
Originally uploaded by hkp7fan.




Medals
Originally uploaded by hkp7fan.


*Sigh*. I do like this life, and am very much enjoying being a soldier again. But in addition to missing my family and the woods, from time to time I miss the pleasures of everyday life as well.

I think that my longing for some of these familiar pleasures is the source for at least part of the delight I’ve felt in receiving this holster after such a long wait. It may seem silly to derive so much enjoyment from such a trivial thing, but in the absence of the beauty of the well-rubbed walnut and parkerized steel of my military rifles, the comfortable heft and feel of my pistols, and the familiar smells of oil and gunleather, the traditional craftsmanship embodied by this holster is a little taste of home.

Mood: Good
Music: North Sea Gas, Gallowa Hills