All-Star Nascar Race Event 2013 - My Day

It's that time of year again, tailgating, grilling, and hanging out with friends. I happen to live in Concord, NC, where the speedway is. That's right, the Charlotte Motor Speedway is in Concord, NC. Not many people know that. I also take my son with me. Before even getting to the race we began with the preparations. This includes drinks, chips, suntan lotion, chairs, camera, video recorder, cooler, ear plugs, jackets, and ponchos. I also had to buy what I was suppose to bring to the tailgate for the food, which this year was 30 some hamburger buns and around 40 hotdog buns.

Before ice.

After ice.

We met up around 12 o'clock in a parking lot and then convoyed over to the speedway. We always park beside the speedway where the parking is free and the first thing we do is set up the canopies. These are great for keeping the sun or rain off of us. This year it was the rain. We then began to start grilling as soon as the canopies were set up. This year we had ribs, hamburgers, brats, hotdogs for the meat along with many side items and chips. For games we had cornhole and ladder ball.

Nicolas relaxing.

There was a party bus that parked near to where we were staged, we didn't think much of it. The guys and girls at the bus were heavily drinking. They had a beer bong and were going to town. Then we notice a girl puking. You would think this would be a sign to stop drinking. Nope, she would drink, puke, drink puke, drink, puke. A couple of times she was even sticking her finger down her throat. Eventually one of the event coordinators came over and asked for some water to give to her. She is not going to feel well in the morning.

It did eventually start to rain after we were there about 3 hours. Luckily the rain was pretty light. We just moved our seating to the canopies. When the race was nearing we took a bus to the track, we hadn't did this before. While we were on the bus (standing due to the crowdedness) there was a 21 year old (I'm guessing by his looks) that was not feeling well at all. He wanted to know how he could feel better. My friend told him to stop drinking, lol.

Our view from turn 1.

The race itself this year was relatively boring. The initial race was delayed about 45 minutes. The 1st pre-race determines who gets into the final race. 1st and 2nd place gets to move forward. Then there's the fan vote. Danica Patrick won that, surprise, surprise. The final race is broken down into 5 segments. Four 20 lap segments and a 10 lap shootout. Due to a new stipulation, the field was shuffled in order of their average finishes in the first four segments before the mandatory pit stop (Wikipedia.) Kurt Busch won the 1st and 4th segment while Kyle Busch won the second and third. Jimmy Johnson won the last segment and the $1 million dollars. I was not thrilled about that. We did have a 45 minute rain delay during the 1st segment. I was glad I went to the Dollar Store and grabbed 2 ponchos.

Nicolas and I. Taken with my phone (doesn't do well at night.)

During the 3rd segment my son started to fall asleep. I knew this was going to be terrible. If he goes into a deep sleep he is a zombie when you wake him up. He is literally incoherent. You can tell him to do something and he'll just stand there in a daze. This would make the walk back to the car terrible. I had just the plan to keep him awake, I handed my video recorder to him. A little know fact is that he loves to record videos and narrate to them. He recorded the last 2 segments and most of the walk back to the car. The plan worked!

Oh no. My son is sleeping.

Breakdown
Pre-race - 1st and 2nd place move to final race.
Fan Vote - Danica Patrick won.

All-star Race
1st Segment - 20 laps - Kurt Busch won
2nd Segment - 20 laps - Kyle Busch won
3rd Segment - 20 laps - Kyle Busch won
4th Segment - 20 laps - Kurt Busch won
Final Segment - 10 Lap Shootout - Jimmie Johnson won - Million $$ Winner

Final pitstop.

After the race was over we made our way back to where we were tailgating. I don't even know why people try to leave immediately after the race. You literally just sit there for an hour or more. We actually fire the grill back up and have a little after race tailgate until the traffic subsides. Nicolas went to the truck and fell asleep. As we were leaving there was an early 2000s Ford Mustang nose down in a ditch. It look like whoever was driving tried to take a shortcut and didn't realize it was a steep ditch. They just left the car. I ended up arriving home around 2am, due to the rain delay that had delayed the race.

Another successful year! It was fun hanging out with friends and grilling. We'll be there again next year!

Unemployed and the Effects - My Story

You always feel bad when you hear of someone being laid off and hope you never have to experience it. I was one that thought it would never happen to me. I mean, we are past the whole recession of 2008 and 2009 aren't we? I had survived 2 layoffs at the company I worked for. Not only that, it was always rumored that the business unit I worked for was going to move to where the corporate headquarter is located. That rumor was squashed when the CEO of the company said we weren't going to be moving.

I always thought that I was pretty secure in my role because of all the responsibilities and training that I had received since I had been there. I was the safety champion, sharepoint champion, as well as the Windchill champion for my business unit at my location. They had spent thousands of dollars on other training that I had also received.

One week in March we started hearing rumors that layoffs were going to happen, but didn't really know when. Of course I started to worry and others told me I didn't have anything to worry about. When I had first started working for the company I was a contract worker. I was suppose to have a 6 month contract on a project and was cut short just a month in. I was laid off the day before Christmas at that time in 2008.  I ended up coming back on 3 months later for an unlimited contract. Five months later I was hired on full-time. That was back in 2009.

As the time became closer we started hearing about closed door meetings and it finally came down that we were going to hear something the following Monday. I came to work as usual and didn't think much of it. Work had been a little stressful because of all the rumors anyways. I observed HR (we'll just call the person that) walk into the building and knew what was going to happen next. I wasn't there 5 minutes when my director told me to follow him and asked how my days was. I told him it was ok (but knew it was about to be bad) and he proceeded to lead me to a meeting room where HR was located. I knew what was up at  that point. He said "Sorry to do this to you" and told me to take a seat with HR.

At this point a million things are racing through your mind and everything HR says sounds like Charlie Brown wah wah, wah wah wah. I have a house payment, I am a single dad (almost divorced), I had so many summer plans with my son, what am I going to do? I signed some papers and HR told me I couldn't retrieve anything from my computer or desk at this point. I walked back to my desk to grab my tablet and phone in a daze.

I start to walk out the door telling people I was let go along the way. I received the strangest reactions from people. Most of them thought I was kidding and they looked shocked as well. I was the first one let go at my location. Not too long after I get down the road I start getting a million text. I start to hear the names of everyone else that's also being laid off.  You feel just as bad for those people, some of them have kids and are your friends.

I had 3 weeks vacation at this point in my career. I had my whole summer planned. I was wanting to take my son to Legoland in Florida for a week, as well as take him to the beach again this year, All-star race, Carowinds, and other things as well. I normally take another week of my vacation and use it around Christmas to visit family. Being laid off cancelled all those plans. I lost all my benefits and had the option to take a different health care package that cost more than I was paying before (and I thought it was high.)

I started my unemployment and had a little compensation to help out. It is so stressful being unemployed. The first thing I did was pull my son out of his daycare to save money. I now walked him to and from school. The other issue I had is that my job skills are pretty specific. I have a 2 year Electronic Engineering degree, 4 years Security Forces in the Air Force, then my previous job's experience, which are all unrelated.  I found some jobs here and there that matched my experience, but were too far away. I didn't care for moving since I own my house. I also needed to stay with a job that was within an hour of my son's school because I have to get him from school by 6pm.

I placed my resume on several sites on the internet and called several recruiters to let them know I was searching for work. I had them call here and there about jobs that were usually a little out of my league or too far away. Since I'm a single dad I needed a first shift job, which eliminated others. You worry everyday about finding work and it's extremly stressful. It seems like most companies are looking for a specific set of skills.

Luckily about a month later I did find a job where the first 6 months is contract.  It's completely different that what I was doing before, but hey, a job's a job. I don't guess I'll be taking a vacation this year. My month off was far from seeming like one.I still miss all the people that I worked with at my last job. It was a blast and I'll never forget all of the good times we had.

I would stress never to get too settled in and think you can't lose your job, it may just sneak up on you.  Keep your resume updated and have a Linkedin account. A Linkedin account is a great way to stay in touch with people you've worked with in your past. You may even find job openings at places they work. Not only that but recruiters and many companies use Linkedin to find employees.

Best Burger Joints Around Huntersville, NC

I have to admit I love burgers. It's definitely not the most healthy thing, but it's an American pastime  I'm going to list my favorite burger joints and give a little review of each. Some of these burger joints are located in other places besides Huntersville, NC.







1. Bad Daddy's
You talk about a good burger, I would argue that they have the best burgers I've ever eaten. You do get what you pay for because they are a little higher in price than your normal burger joints. They have about every kind of burger you can think of. My favorite burger there is the Bacon Cheeseburger on Steroids. It consist of a basic burger seasoned with bacon salt, 3 pieces of jalapeno bacon, 3 pieces of applewood smoked bacon, topped with Monterey Jack  cheese, housemade bacon mayo, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, onion & pickles served on a bun. It is so delicious. There are only 4 of these places in NC. I'm going to miss this place since I don't work in Huntersville, NC anymore.

Menu
Website

2. Five Guys
This is the only place where you get a dripping bag full of fresh cooked fries. It's literally several pounds of fries. Their burgers are pretty good too. Everytime I eat here I feel so stuffed.

Menu
Website

3. Cookout
Where else can you get 2 sides with your burger at no extra cost? I typically get a cookout style burger, fries, and a corn dog. For the prices on the menu, you can't beat it. They also have the best milkshakes that include over 30 varieties.  Within those varieties you can also mix and match. My favorite shake is the Caramel Cheesecake, which is a meal within itself.

Menu
Website

Do you have a favorite burger joint you want to make a shoutout to? Leave it in the comments.

Ruger SR9c Review - Great Gun!

Now for my long anticipated Ruger SR9c review. I have never been so anxious to get something like this. The delays made it that much more exciting to receive. I ended up paying around $450 for it from Grice Gun Shop in PA after the FFL transfer and shipping cost. You can read about my delay here.

At the time I ordered the Ruger SR9c I had ordered some ammo from the internet. Initially I called every location locally that carried 9mm rounds with no luck. I found 50 rounds of Winchester 115 grain full metal jackets at The Kentucky Gun Co. website. They were on back order, which was going to take 3 weeks to be filled.  I then found 25 rounds of Hornady 148 grain Custom XTP at Midway.com to fullfill my self-defense needs. All my ammo ended up coming in before the pistol did.

Unboxing Video
The first thing I did when getting my Ruger SR9c home was to load 17 rounds of the Hornady Custom XTP 148 grain ammo for self defense. Next I headed to Walmart to pick up a cleaning kit and cleaning solution. I've read in multiple forum threads where you need to clean out the striker channel when you first get your Ruger SR9c. The factory tends to apply too much grease to the striker channel from the factory which may give you light strikes. When I disassembled it there actually wasn't any buildup of grease at all. I proceeded to go ahead and clean and lube the striker channel as well as the rest of the gun. Disassembly and cleaning is a breeze.

Holster - $12.99

I mainly just wanted to get a cheap holster to hold my SR9c to keep it from getting scratched when being moved around. It's also nice to have when shooting. It came with a metal belt clip that I removed, I prefer the nylon built-in belt loop. The gun fits snug in the case. The build quality is great, I was expecting something much cheaper feeling.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B4XZ35E/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Gun Case - $16.95

I bought a  Plano gun case from Amazon to store ammo and carry my gun when I go to practice firing. It's foam padded and works well. The foam makes everything nice and tight in the case so that nothing moves around.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014VXJY8/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cleaning Kit - $8.97

I bought a cheap cleaning kit from Walmart called Outers Universal Cleaning Kit. It contains the basic cleaning brushes, patch loops, jags...etc.  It is pretty cheap with some of the parts made out of plastic, but it works fine. It's made for multiple calibers.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Outers-Universal-Gun-Cleaning-Kit/20703052

Lubrication and Cleaning Solution

I'm using Hoppes Number 9 Solvent and Hoppes Elite Gun Oil purchased at Walmart to clean and lube my SR9c. It cleans and oils well. Ahh, the smell of gun cleaner, it brings me back to my military days of cleaning my M4.

Solvent - http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hoppe-s-Number-9-Solvent/16816078

Oil - http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hoppe-s-Elite-Gun-Oil-with-T3/16816080

I finally was able to shoot my new Ruger about 1 1/2 weeks after receiving it. My dad has the perfect location in Salisbury, NC out in the country. The gun feels very nice in the hand and the trigger pull is perfect.  I shot 57 rounds through it because that's all I had for now. It did shoot a little low and to the left but on target. I've read in several forums not to adjust the sites until I've fired at least 500 rounds through it. They've seen where it tends to fire more towards the center once it's broken in. I would definitely recommend this gun to anyone that wanted to carry a weapon or have one for home defense. Once of my next goals is to get my conceal carry permit. I love my Ruger SR9c!

One last thing I'd like to mention is that my Ruger SR9c, cleaning kit, holstier, oil, and solvent were all made in the USA. I thought that was pretty neat.


Shooting Video

Ways to Follow Home Tech Dad

There is no shortage of ways you can follow www.hometechdad.com to keep up with my post if you have a smartphone or tablet. It can be an iPad, Android, or Kindle Fire. Here is a list of a few:

• Flipboard
• Google Currents
• Feedly
• Bloglovin
• Facebook
• Google+
• RSS Reader
• Email

Flipboard

You can follow hometechdad.com in Flipboard from the RSS feed, Facebook, or Google+.  When you open Flipboard, click on the red search icon in the upper right-hand corner. To follow the Facebook or Google+ page type in hometechdad in the search. You'll see the Facebook Page and Google+ user. You can add either of those. To follow the RSS feed directly you can type in http://www.hometechdad.com/feeds/posts/default. Then click on the RSS feed in the results.

http://flipboard.com/

Google Currents
Open the Google Currents app and  click on the add subscription button in the left menu. Now type homtechdad.com. Then click add for free.

https://www.google.com/producer/currents

Feedly

Open the Feedly app and click on the search bar in the upper right hand corner. Now type in www.hometechdad.com and click on the  + button. Feedly is also a good browser based way to follow other feeds.

http://www.feedly.com

Taptu
Click the add button at the top of the app. Now type in hometechdad.com in the search bar and add the feed. The only thing to note with taptu is that it'll only show one picture from the article and some of the formatting may be a bit off. There is a link within the article to "view in browser." I use this app more than any other.

https://www.taptu.com/

Bloglovin
Click on the Follow Bloglovin icon on the right hand side of the page and sign up to follow. Bloglovin will send you updates via email when there is a new post. There are iPhone and Android apps for this as well.

http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4813629

Facebook
Click on the Facebook icon under Follow By Social Media on the right column. Now click the "Like" button. Updates will appear in your feed.

https://www.facebook.com/HomeTechDad

Google+
Click on the Google+ icon under Follow By Social Media on the right column. Now add the Home Tech Dad page to your circles. Updates will appear in your feed.

https://plus.google.com/113401686540938630906/posts

RSS Reader

You can type in http://www.hometechdad.com/feeds/posts/default in any RSS reader to get the RSS feed.

Email
You can sign up on the homepage to get email alerts when I have new post.

You can also use most of the ways to follow above to also follow other blogs and sites. The three I use the most are Taptu, Flipboard, and Feedly. If you have other ways you follow be sure to leave a comment and let me know. Enjoy!