Fish out of Water

It Josh again.

So many things are happening here in Hamilton that I don't think that I can explain them all. So much class, running, studing, little sleep and way too many gadgets. Yes, there are so many gadgets that I am getting that my locker here is getting stuffed full of too many way cool items. We got our body armor in yesterday. I have to say that it is a little menacing to put that vest on and have to wear it around on a daily basis knowing that it was designed to stop a bullet. Still pretty dang cool tho.

So we have been studing and learning all sorts of wildlife law, rules, regulations and proclimations. But the latest of these topics that we have learned has been commercial fishing regulations. This applies to all fishermen who want to catch fish in order to sell them as a business. But it also includes people who want to buy them and restraunts who want to sell them. So I am not from the coast (which is where this happens) and I don't know much about the coast. So here I am, this panhandle boy, sitting in a class listening to a guy talk about these 80 pages of rules that strickly apply to saltwater. I am so lost that I can't even see straight. There is one thing that I have learned through all of this. Pray to be placed in the Panhandle!!!!!

They were talking about all the saltwater equipment today and there were several times that I had to actually stand up and ask what something meant. So out of place in the whole salt water senario. But needless to say I should probably try to learn some of this stuff, becuase with the McCrary's luck I will probably get the coast. I can just hear all of the commercial fishermen now, "I hope we get another one of those panhandle boys, they don't know a black drum from a black bass."

So with all of the frustration of trying to learn stuff that I have no clue about, I find the best way to deal with things is to make "funnies." So the oyster regulations come up and all I could think about was, the panhandle doesn't have oysters that look like rocks, but we do have Rocky Mountain Oysters. I guess the salt water rules don't apply to calf fries???? But the class still got a laugh out of it. Laughing has been a great stress releiver for me here. There is so much that it is impossible to be able to learn it all extensivly. So I learn what I can and laugh about the things that I hope I never have to know.

On a much lighter note: lens is coming down to see me this weekend. Actually she is flying into Austin and we are going to go to GT distributers. That is a place that sells to law enforcement agencies and they have the best prices on guns and neat gadgets. So I am taking lens and we are going to go check ou this place and spend the rest of the weekend together. Should prove to be very interesting.

Next week we go over more saltwater rules and regs, and actually get to get some hands on experience with measuring oysters and nets and such. Then on Friday we leave to go to the coast and are scattered out down the coast for 4 days. My group is going to Hankamer Texas. Not only is this place on the coast it is about as close to Louisiana as you can get. So I am not only going to the coast, I am going to east texas AND the coast!!! Well, I guess if I like it there I will be good to go anywhere on the coast, because it can only get better. Hankamer is the other side of Beaumont. We will be checking fishermen and duck hunters. As much as I don't like east texas or the coast, it will beat the heck out of sitting in the classroom.

Thats all for tonight gotta go study.