Escape from NY

I've reached out to several of you on the job front, and I have been buried under leads. Amazing. :-)

I got one callback already, and had a great conversation with the HR lady - but the job in question wasn't going to be in the pay range I need.

We're still looking at options and both expanding and refining our search a bit.

I just sent the following to my state representative and state senator, both of whom voted against the travesty that was passed last week:

Mr. O'Mara/Mr. Palmesano,
I appreciate your "no" vote on the anti-rights bill this past week. Unfortunately, Governor Cuomo felt it was important to sidestep the legislative process and force unconstitutional laws upon the law-abiding citizens of New York.

I was born and raised in central New York. I love this area, for the seasons, the scenery, and the multitude of outdoor sports I have been able to enjoy - not just hunting, but fishing, kayaking, skiing, swimming, etc.
My wife and I purchased a house in [redacted] County in 2009 with dreams of building a small farm - both to provide for ourselves and eventually for our community.

This farm would have paid taxes, preserved the environment, and likely created several new job opportunities. Within ten years, we'd hoped to expand into agri-tourism on a small scale.

My wife currently works at [redacted], and I work for [redacted] as a 911 dispatcher. I have spent the past ten years of my life serving my community as a volunteer firefighter, and my wife as a youth hockey coach.

Thanks to the foolish legislation passed last week, we are in the process of putting our house on the market and applying for jobs in states that respect our rights as Americans. We will be gone from New York by the end of the year - taking our education, the hundreds of hours of professional training, and the taxes we'd have paid over the coming decades with us.

To be clear - the latest bill is not the only reason we're leaving, but it was the final straw. I look forward to living in a free state, with lower taxes, a healthier environment, and a better quality of life overall.

Please feel free to contact me.

lost it...

Yesterday was kind of a black-letter day. Hell, strike "kind of". It was.

I woke up and popped open news, as is my habit, and nearly hurled my coffee cup when I saw the shenanigans the NY Senate had pulled. (Midnight vote, no public comment period, text of the bill published 20 minutes prior to the vote beginning.) The only thing that saved my favorite mug was the fact it was nearly full of fresh joe.

I've thus far managed not to call Mr. Skelos and cronies and tell them exactly what I think of traitors.

After being ready to face the world, I spent several hours of my morning helping at/observing a PD training. Good times, and I'm heading back there shortly for another few hours. There was some lunchtable discussion with them about, "Who's going to enforce it?" - and the resounding answer was, "Sure as hell not me."

I spent my evening working a console, finding jobs, working on my resume, and getting things moving a whole lot faster than I'd intended to.

By the time I left work, I had gotten more than a dozen leads on jobs, and two offers of crash space for myself and MrsZ.

Both of the people who have offered me space ... have never met me in person. One is a regular on #GBC, and the other reads this blog. That's it.

I came home and showed the information to MrsZ, and I lost it. Stress, exhaustion, anger ... and then relief. Tears. Not many, because Boys Don't Cry, but a few.

I can't thank all of you enough. Readers and commenters, facebook friends, fellow GBC denizens... you guys are the best. If I don't get a chance to thank you individually for something, please don't take it personally.

I got some sleep (need more!) and now have coffee in me, and I'm still kind of dazed ... but I'm motivated. Gonna blow this pop stand.

Following up

... to my post of Jan. 9.

Because MrsZ wanted to tell some people in person, I haven't made anything publicly official yet... but she's telling them now, so here it is

We're leaving NY.

It's not just about guns; it's about taxes, opportunity, open space, and nanny-state crap. The latest legislation should tell you all there's a problem: closed-door discussion, no public discussion period, and criminilization of gun owners everywhere. This isn't about any one thing; it's time for us to leave a diseased state.

We started making serious moves in this direction the day after Cuomo said, "Confiscation is an option."

We'll be putting our house on the market in the next few months. We've started applying for jobs in many places, and will likely go to wherever one of us finds a job that can pay the bills. Salt Lake City is a strong option, but nothing is set in stone yet.

If you're in a free state and see something that might tweak our interest, please let us know (zercool/gmail). I've got 8 years of 911 dispatch and 5 years of tech support prior to that; MrsZ has an Ivy League degree in Animal Science and five years of DNA lab experience. There's more, obviously, but that's the high points. Wish us luck, and good thoughts/prayers won't be turned down.

Let the adventure begin!

Fire Mission

Seems that someone noticed http://www.senatorfeinstein.com wasn't registered. It is now.

Similar things have happened to:
http://www.senatorchuckschumer.com
http://repjohnyarmuth.com
http://congressmanmccarthy.com

I like this. A registration is $10, another $7 if you want the private registration, for a year.

Have an anti-gun rep who hasn't spent the $10 to protect their name?

 HIT IT.

Put up a one-page pro-rights blurb, or...

Redirect it. NRA, SAF, JPFO, GOA, your state-level organization (NYSRPA, VCDL, CCDL, Florida Carry, etc) - pick one.

Simon Jester was here.

It's that time

Not much to say. I can't quite give up on this entirely but I really don't have words to express things properly.

For now, an image:

To quote Jay:

That is all.