way of the warrior part one: how to be prepared for any situation

Part of being a warrior is being prepared to deal with any situation with which you may be confronted and emerge victorious.  sometimes the tools you carry can make the difference between success and failure.  sometimes a tool in the hands of one person is not nearly as effective as it would be in the hands of someone more learned in the nature of said tool.
 
"when your life is on the line, you want to make use of all your tools"
- miyamoto musashi, the book of five rings, p15

when i go to the warehouse i usually have an idea of what i am going to be confronted with and i 'arm' myself accordingly.  i carry three knives, two multitools, a ballpoint pen, a sharpie, a crescent wrench and a tactical flashlight.  when you get down to it there is no substitute for having the right tool for the right job.  the job gets done properly and quickly and you can move on to the next job.  the business makes a profit, you get your little cut of it, and at the end of the day you will probably find that all is right with the universe.

i carry one of these: the famous ka-bar usmc fighting/utility knife.  i think everyone should own one of these.

 nothing can slice through a thick band soda lines like this thing.  and when you're gutting a restaurant that has foreclosed and you need to get the hell out of there with a soda dispenser before bankers, attorneys, landlords and other vultures start showing up and claiming ownership, it is good to have something that can do the job quickly, safely and efficiently.  just a small example.  this is also why they call me 'the machete"

"an essential habit for carpenters is to have sharp tools and keep them whetted.  it is up to the carpenter to use these tools masterfully...being a soldier is like this.  this should be given careful reflection."
- miyamoto musashi, the book of five rings, p10

there was one time earlier in the year when sir frederick and i were rebuilding a commercial pizza oven, starting from the outside and working our way in.  frederick is the real warrior in many of these situations, knowing what it takes to conquer the enemy with the least amount of effort. in this case our enemy was a 3,000lb pizza oven covered with an impenetrable layer of emulsified grease, paint, and shit.  

sir frederick requests a blowtorch, a tank of propane and an angle grinder with a course grit sanding disk.  nothing more, nothing less.

six hours later we are covered with a mixture of dessicated pizza residue, dirt, and high-heat paint dust.  we paint it and she looks glorious.  victory was achieved.  all through masterful use of our tools and finding the weakness in the enemy.

stay tuned for part two...