The Urban Survival Chick turns into a Matchmaker!
I outgrew my clubbing phase about 15 years ago. In fact I think my clubbing phase only lasted a few months back in my early 20’s. Now my idea of a hot date is sending some lead downrange on Friday nights at my favorite gun club. I was lucky enough to find a man that feels the same way I do so I don’t have to look for love anymore.
That got me thinking though, if you are still into the bar scene and you like chatting people up how do you screen your potential mates? What makes someone a good candidate to share the rest of your life with? How do you decide who is the ideal person to have a meaningful relationship with at your local happy hour?
I have heard of speed dating as a way to do have a quick conversation with someone without the pressures of enduring an awkward long drawn out yawn fest. After a couple minutes you change seats and talk to your next potential soul mate.
So what kind of questions should you ask? What is your sign? What do you do for a living? Or are you going to get right to the money and ask what their “go to” firearm is and do they know how to shoot like a tactical operator?
If you are nervous and don’t know quite what to say here is a sample of how you can filter out the keepers from the whiny sheeple who need the boot.
I hope this speed dating screening tool helps you find love. Stay safe out there and let me know how it goes.
To Your Surviving and Thriving,
MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick
What is The Urban Survival Chick’s Idea of a Hot Date?
Don’t struggle with ideas on where you should go for a nice date with your man or woman anymore. Keep it simple and just go to the shooting range.
This post is to inspire you to have fun and grow as a couple with your mate. Your quality time together should be a moment to relax and enjoy each other’s company, AND help you take your relationship to the next level. When you both know how to shoot well and work together tactically against a threat, you can truly have each others backs. Going to the shooting range for a date is a fun way to learn a valuable skill and show your love to your partner.
How do you make it fun? Well for starters shooting guns is fun even if you are by yourself. My favorite range, Oaktree Gun Club, actually has a nice lodge with a great restaurant. They serve good food and beer. We often reward ourselves with a romantic dinner by the fireplace after we are done at the range. But, you can make things interesting and challenge your partner with a little competition . For instance, the winner is the one who gets the most consecutive shots on your steel targets. The winner could be the partner who gets the most accurate head shots or does the fastest reload. The loser gets to give the winner a back rub when you get home. OR… the loser has to clean the guns when you get home.
I’ll let you guys decide on what motivates you to sharpen your shooting skills. Hey, a little competition never hurt nobody.
Me and my man train together at the range every chance we get. All our friends joke with us and say they would never want to break into our house. I take that as a compliment. We are stronger as a couple because we chose to not to let anyone mess with our family. We can do that better as a team.
Let me know if you have any questions or stories on going to the range with your partner.
To Your Surviving and Thriving,
MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick
What is Custom Stippling and why Should You Get on Your Firearm?
Stippling is an enhancement on your firearm where a soldering iron is used to burn dots into the polymer frame of your handgun. The dots leave a raised surface that gives the frame, fore end, or anywhere else you chose to stipple your gun a nice texture.
Stippling can be done with tiny dots or with a more aggressive pattern like I have on my Glock 19 in this picture. Before you ask, yes it is pink. My buddy Anson Beck of Falcon Operations Group did a special custom 2 tone pink paint job for me. I also have plain black, as well as olive drab and coyote brown paint jobs but this pink one is my favorite.
I believe you should be able to shoot well with a stock gun. However, there are a couple of enhancements that I do like and stippling is one of them. The pattern stippling leaves really enhances the grip and the feel of reference points on your gun. In case you didn’t know, a solid strong firing grip is essential to getting good consistent shots on your target. So if you have been on the range and your hands get sweaty or wet because it is hot or raining outside, then stippling will really help you.
I get stippling on all my handguns. The pattern I get as you can see in the picture focuses on the right side of my grip which is great for concealed carry. I shoot right handed and leaving the stippling on the right side of the grip ensures it doesn’t rub on my clothing when I carry on my body.
Once you start stippling you will not want to shoot a firearm any other way!
If you want to know how to get in touch with my friend who does this fine work for me or any other questions about how stippling helps my training let me know by leaving your comments here.
To Your Surviving and Thriving,
MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick
Upgrade Your Survival Supply with Natural Immune Boosters.
If all you have stored for food in your earthquake kits is beef jerky and a roll of life savers it is time for you to upgrade your supplies. You should definitely have some seasoning, herbs, and natural remedies in addition to canned goods, freeze dried food, water, etc.
I came across this graphic and wanted to share it with you. It lists the health benefits of lemon, ginger, and garlic. They call these ingredients “Nature’s Miracle Trio.” This power trio is super healthy and it will make your MRE’s taste better.
It is important to treat your body as a temple and feed yourself healthy foods and nutrients like lemon, ginger, and garlic. Healthier people can outrun zombies and outlast sheeple in a SHTF scenario.
To Your Surviving and Thriving,
MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick
What Jacket does The Urban Survival Chick wear out on the Range??
There is a saying that gun training community lives by and it goes like this, “If it Ain’t Rainin’ it Ain’t Trainin’.” That means when you go out to the range for a firearms class you don’t just quit because there is a little drizzle. You train rain or shine.
That being said you will need a good jacket to keep you warm and dry out there on the range.
My favorite jacket to wear out on the range is my Condor Phantom Soft Shell Jacket.
I got this one from my friends at Falcon Operations Group years ago and I wear it everywhere now. In fact I love it soooo much that I got it in black because I like to color coordinate my outfits. What can I say, an Urban Survival Chick’s got to accessorize.
This Condor Jacket is not only comfortable but it has a “Breathable Shell Technology” that keeps you dry and circulates body heat. It comes in olive drab, tan, black, navy, and foliage. As a bonus it is super easy to clean. Just put it in the washing machine inside out on low temperature, and tumble dry on low. I am all about making life simple.
Here are some of the jacket’s cool specifications straight from Condor’s website:
– Vertical chest pocket
– Two hand pockets
– Two sleeve pockets
– Two 4″ x 4″ shoulder patch panels
– Two internal pockets
– Full front double zipper
– Underarm vent zipper
– Double layer reinforced forearm
– Drawstring waistband
– Adjustable wrist cuff
– Full front YKK zipper with double zipper pull
You can do some more research on the jacket here: www.condooroutdor.com.
Hope this tip on range attire helps you find the right gear to keep you performing at the shooting range in style!
To Your Surviving and Thriving,
MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick
Female Firearms Training Advice!
One of the questions I often get asked by women is “MaryAnne, as a woman can I really handle a gun? Can I learn to shoot a firearm just as good as my husband?
The answer is……..Absolutely YES. Many women have the misconception that they are not strong enough physically to shoot or handle a gun, or that home defense and protecting the family is the man’s job. That is ridiculous. When was the last time you spent every waking hour with your husband, boyfriend, or father? How many single mothers or single females are out there living on their own? What about when you send your daughters off to college? Will daddy or mommy be there to protect them? No. You only have yourself to count on in any given moment. Besides what man wouldn’t think their woman is sexy when she can have his back in a dangerous situation?
Here is a video of me shooting steel targets on the range at 25 yards with my Glock 19.
As you can see I like to have fun on the range. I wasn’t able to shoot like that overnight. When you have a good mentor that can teach you how to shoot the right way you will have a great time at the range too.
Women ask me “Will I be strong enough to shoot the gun well?” YES!!!! When I train with my firearms my training runs anywhere from 8 to 48 hours. I spend a lot of time standing, running, changing positions, doing drills on the move in awkward positions, and at times under extreme weather conditions like very hot and dry desert climates. It doesn’t matter what size you are or how old you are, I can teach you how to use your body effectively to properly hold the firearm and handlee the recoil. You must learn to use your body the right way to maximize your efficiency and conserve energy so you can shoot over several hours or days with frequent rest breaks of course. Your body and eyes naturally fatigue after a few seconds of consistent practice. Besides, if you ever have to face a threat, and I pray that day never comes, chances are the gun fight will only last a few seconds and with adrenaline pumping through your body I know you will summons the strength to fire off a couple of effective rounds to stop your attacker.
More and more females are entering and dominating the fields of competitive shooting. The percentage of women in law enforcement and the military is increasing. Women are also being portrayed in television and film as lead action heroines that know how to fight and shoot. So gone are the days of Susie homemaker stay at home mom that bakes pies all day and wears an apron.
The new face of today’s woman is prepared for battle and can handle herself in dangerous situations. Besides most of my students have been female and they are better shots than men on their first time at the range. Women are great students and don’t have anything to prove to anyone but themselves. Of course men are allowed to train too if they are up for it. Most of the time men are worried about being the best and fastest and I don’t have time to babysit their egos. If they are teachable and open minded they are certainly welcome to a co-ed firearms class and certainly to my seminars and workshops.
I believe “A family that trains together, shoots together, and prays together…. stays together”.
Click here to see a list of my upcoming Training Events.
So ladies, as sisters in arms we must get trained and support each other. If you have a personal experience where you used a firearm to defend yourself or any questions about firearms training share them here. I hope to see you on the range someday soon.
To Your Surviving and Thriving,
MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick
Urban Survival Chick will be at the Baker 2 Vegas Run April 13-14, 2013!!
It is time for the annual Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay! This big racing event has been called “The longest law enforcement foot pursuit in the world.” It is a big fundraising effort for the training programs led by the Los Angeles Police Revolver and Athletic Club.
The race happens this April 13-14, 2013 and goes from Baker, CA all the way to Las Vegas, NV. It covers 120 miles, 20 stages, and has over 8,000 runners from all over the globe competing to be the fastest team.
Actually all these teams are in pretty good shape, so it is safe to say you don’t want to start trouble in their hood because they will chase you, track you down, and catch you without even breaking a sweat!
This is last year’s group picture with my team from the Malibu Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station.
The rows are not perfectly straight but yours truly is standing in what I would call the 3rd row about 5 people in form the right hand side. I am standing next to the handsome Mexican guy with the beard.
The most important reason for being at the race is to make sure all the runners and event staff are safe and healthy. These determined men and women run along the highway in the desert heat, under the sun, against the wind, and over challenging terrain.
The race legs don’t always have cell phone reception so the race team members set up radio antennas so we can communicate with each other using our radios. Over 200 running teams and 20,000 volunteers come together to make this event happen.
I use my HAM radio to help coordinate the exchange of the baton between runners at each stage of the race and communicate the runners’ progress to our command center.
If you don’t have something like a Baker To Vegas Challenge Cup Relay Race in your area look for another law enforcement organization you can support. They do really important work for our communities.
If you are looking to get your HAM Radio License and you are in Southern California I have a great resource for you. Just send a message to Mary@UrbanSurvivalChick.com and I can get you details for the next class.
To Your Surviving and Thriving,
MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick
Essential Items to Include in Your Grab & Go Bag and Bug Out Bag!
Better safe than sorry. A major emergency or national crisis could happen at anytime and when you least expect it. Don’t be an unprepared victim! Here are the categories of items you should have in your “Grab and Go Bag” or “Bug Out Bag.”
The good news is you can prepare by getting a grab and go bag or bug out bag together. But where do you start, what should you pack?
I do an in depth presentation on this in my workshops but here is a quick and dirty run down of what you should include in your BOB to get you started.
At the bare minimum you should have something to cover what I call the “Survival Seven: Food, Water, Fire, Shelter, First Aid, Security, and Communications.”
1. Food should come in nonperishable form like canned goods, MREs or meals ready to eat, protein bars, meal replacement shakes, nuts, trail mix etc. The food you pack should give you enough calories every day to sustain your energy so your brain can focus on what you need to do to stay alive and get back to your family.
2. Water can be carried in bottles, little emergency packs, or you can use hydration packs like the “Camelback”. Your water should be portable. If you don’t have water on hand at least have containers to carry water ready so you can fill them up later. Also, make sure you have ways to purify your water like some type of filter, a fire source to boil your water, or bleach.
3. Fire is important as it can keep your body warm to prevent hypothermia. You will need it to boil and sanitize your water, and heat food to the right temperature so it is safe for consumption. You should carry several ways to start a fire. A lighter is great but you have to know how to get old school and use a hand drill or bow drill. What if your lighter runs out of fluid and you missed the ideal high point of the sun’s trajectory to make fire with a piece of glass? The point is to have redundancies built into your pack and practice with all those different methods available to you before you actually need them.
4. Shelter is important to protect you from the elements. It can come in different forms like tube tents and sleeping bags which can easily be carried in a pack and don’t take up much space when they are folded well. You also need to learn to look for natural shelters like an abandoned vehicle, little alcoves or caves, maybe turn a canoe or little boat upside down or on its side for cover. Those emergency blankets they wrap runners in after a marathon also come in the form of an emergency sleeping bag that you can slip your entire body into so you can keep warm and dry. That is what your shelter should do for you.
5. First aid is self explanatory. Not only do you need to have the standard band aids, ointments, gauze, etc but you need to have the training to deal with wounds and emergency first aid. Also carry antibiotics if you can get your hands on them, any prescription medications you might need desperately like insulin or blood pressure pills. It goes without saying that you should get some advanced emergency medical training or tactical medic training. You may encounter injuries or wounds that a basic first aid kit simply won’t cover.
6. Security, well that is one of my favorite topics. In a SHTF situation you will need firearms and ammunition. I would definitely carry a firearm myself for protection. If you are not comfortable carrying guns or using firearms, and you haven’t trained with me or had other good quality training, then you shouldn’t be using guns because you are a big liability. A handgun is a great tool for personal protection. Long guns like rifles and shotguns will be very useful for hunting and putting food in your belly. Other adjuncts like pepper spray, knives, flashlights, are necessary security elements. Of course your mindset and level of awareness are the most important things you carry with you because you are ultimately the weapon. The tools you carry are just tools. They don’t work by themselves.
7. Communications are vital to your survival. You absolutely must maintain a way to communicate with other people and receive vital information. You can have things like FRS radios, HAM radios, satellite phones, battery operated or hand crank radios, and police scanners. If phone lines are down you wont be able to call your loved ones or check the internet for information.
Emergency kits are meant to be portable. By all means don’t use that empty box of copy paper in your office as an emergency kit container. I have consulted with families that put their survival kits together after the last major natural disaster and they bring me this box of disorganized junk. The box is old, falling apart, and has nothing more than a bottle of water, some extra clothes, a single blanket for the entire family, and some beef jerky. That is not good enough for you. Get a good bag of some kind like a backpack or hiking pack with strong straps. Your “Grab & Bo Bag” should have at least three days of supplies because they are meant for quick access in case of a truly unexpected and unplanned emergency. Your “Bug Out Bag” will be a little larger and should have at least seven days worth of supplies. You should place one in your home for each member of your family, at least one in the car and one in your office. Make sure you go through your kits and update them every six months.
Share your thoughts and comments here. If you have been to one of my classes and seen my Grab and Go bag and Bug Out Bag demonstrations let me know about your progress.
To Your Surviving and Thriving,
MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick
If It Ain’t Rainin’ It Ain’t Trainin’!
“If it Ain’t Rainin’ It Ain’t Trainin'” is a popular saying amongst gun training enthusiasts. Rain or Shine you do not cancel a class. Why because training in less than ideal weather all helps your conditioning.
If you wait for the perfect weather to go out to the shooting range for some training you will never find the right moment. You need to be prepared to fight for your life in less than ideal circumstances.
Bad guys are not going to wait until it is convenient for you to be attacked. Criminals do not make appointments with their victims.
So take a lesson from me and add some interesting wrenches like bad weather to your training.
I mean take a look at me and my man. After this particular day on the range we were drenched, but OH SO HAPPY!
To Your Surviving and Thriving,
MaryAnne Morcos, The Urban Survival Chick