Just can't sleep.

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No, I didn't get to a thing, again, today.  Sat.  It's the way it has to be sometimes.  It's not like getting busy helps me sleep though either.  It often kicks the ball further down the field than resting does.  I never did make that call, either.  I guess I'll know when I wake, or if I hear the phone, if a call comes in.  We'll see.

My first set of books arrived today.  One is "Wilderness Navigation" by Bob and Mike Burns.  I do need to pick up a number of 7.5 series maps, and maybe a few 15 series, with probably an even larger general map.  Still, I can begin reading this, tinkering with various of my compasses, and just making a few notes to self.  The other book will also cover orienteering, and I may review that section as well when I begin tinkering out of doors.  The second book is "Mountaneering: The Freedom of the Hills", the 8th edition.  The name says it all.  It has very solid reviews and many purchases.  That last should be a serious resource for summer or winter exploration, travel, camping, and perhaps more serious hikes should I get that far.  Nothing is as good as an experienced guide, and teacher, on the mountain.  But, barring that, and as a beginning, this will do.  It covers climbing, of course, and the various forms of it from roping to frozen waterfalls to simply climbing to a peak however is needed.  It also covers so much more.  It has a section on knots in which I found a knot I knew, roughly, but couldn't remember well enough to replicate.  Nor could I find it in extensive searches, other knot books I have, and I simply could not remember the name.  They call it a 'rewoven figure eight', but we called it something else.  It's a tidy way to put a figure eight into a system that doesn't allow other forms of tying such.  Yeah, I... just had to see if they had that.

I'll be reading and playing with these books as I can.  Since I can't sleep, actually, and now that I remember, I may hit one or both yet tonight.  Okay, so I have poked my head into both books already.  While I lay some claim to having done some things with these topics in the past, that is in my alternate reality memory.  I... don't know what, if anything, I really know.  But I will say...  I suspect my skills are beyond the basics, as to orienteering, from what I read.  Now, there are holes in my knowledge, things forgotten from hands long unfamiliar with the tools and techniques.  So I will go slow, flesh things out.  But, honestly, I think there is much still there.  Just under a bit of rust.

On a side note, one of the good things about learning orienteering is that it will help with some of the concepts of long range shooting.  There is, from what I have seen so far, a LOT of crossover, if you are into the more technical aspects of both.  Some of it is more peripheral, such as using an altimeter and inclinometer, but for varying reasons, along with some crossover reasons.  Some of it is exactly the same.  Ranging, location, triangulation, and some other things.  Yum!  And they do involve math, if the lower forms of it.  But, finally, some functional math!  Yeah, I'm... geekish.  Sue me. 

One of the things many books and guides don't discuss is that, when out there, it is really easy to begin believing you are going the wrong way, or have gone too far.  Your mind can, and does, play tricks on you.  Especially as you near exhaustion, as you get hungry, when you get cold wet or both, and as other factors play against your psychic nerve.  I have what it takes to set that aside, and rather than panic, if anything, sit down, take a load off, catch a bite, maybe a nap and some water or something warm, then do a check.  But, if pressed, that isn't always possible.  So... learn to trust your equipment over your mind.  Just make sure you have good equipment.  Some people can't be trained to deal with that, and will always panic.  Take the average cityfolk, even townfolk, out into the bush.  It can get ugly.  So, yes, I do have that.  That I know, it's been tested and relatively recently.  One might even say often.  It's not perfect, but nothing is.  But it ain't too bad.  Even wounded, going in and out of shock, I do fairly well.

On another topic, the vanities I am thinking about are more along these lines, here and here.  These aren't, really, all that close to my vision.  Simply they are closer than what else I have seen.  Either skeletonized open, or a small, wall hung, off the floor drawer or cabinet set.  Though probably a bit larger than these, as well.  Still... it's the idea, give or take.  Now, I would be making them, somehow, as I honestly don't like the "quality" of storebought.  If it is good, and I mean just good, quality, starts at $1k.  But that often isn't worth what they are charging for the usual stuff.  I understand, if you have money but no time, you are stuck.  I have the time, tools, and some of the talents and want to learn more.  If I could just figure out how to make some of the other things on the list.  And... I may be thinking about that, and looking around.  Medicine cabinets, for example, might be eminently producible.  Fixtures... not so much.

Oh, well, I suppose I should go read.  Later or good night.