Finally Got A Race Gun!!!

For years I've desired a top quality competition pistol, but such a specialized firearm has just never been high enough on my list for it to ever happen.  Well that's no longer the case... I give you the Walther PPQ M2 Q5 Match Steel Frame Pro!  I bought it as an early birthday present for myself this past February & since today's actually my birthday, I thought I'd post about the firearm that I've been so very happy with. It's only the 2nd full-sized pistol that I've ever owned & quite possibly my last, unless I someday decide to quench my lingering thirst for a real-deal non-replica 1911 chambered in 45 ACP. 

Right out of the box & with very few upgrades, it performed beautifully at the range!  I've never in my life grouped any rounds as tightly as I can with the Q5... for me, it's a very natural pointer & the shorter grip of the Q5 (that so many complain about), couldn't fit my hand any better than it does.  The grip length, in conjunction with the flared magwell, creates just the right amount of downward force needed adequately counter-balance any perceived recoil for quicker on-target follow-up shots.

Now that I've had it for a bit I've gotten around to obtaining higher capacity (17-rd) magazines & added a Lok grip, dynamic performance trigger, threaded barrel, Optic plate/RDS, weapon light/laser, as well as an extended magazine release, optic/suppressor height front night sight & DPM recoil reduction spring.  I got a great deal for this PPQ Q%, now that it's replacement, the 5" PDP is finally offered with an all steel frame.  I like the PDP & even carry a compact 4" polymer version as my primary EDC option, but it just doesn't feel like a competition pistol to me, as I tend to view it more as a duty pistol, much like the standard PPQ or P99.

Shot Clock

Guess who's getting married? This guy right here... a couple weeks back I proposed to my live-in girlfriend of the past 5 years & she accepted! So now we'll be spending the better part of the next year planning various events to celebrate our pending nuptials. My fiancé & I are both water signs, so we'd really like to have a ceremony on the water... hopefully, that'll still be a reality once we begin to crunch some of the numbers. I've got a buddy who will soon jump the broom in a couple a months, so I've been bouncing a bunch of ideas off of him in recent weeks.

The engagement ring I selected is rose-gold, with a blue-ish aquamarine primary stone surrounded by white diamonds. I really wanted her ring to stand-out from other traditional platinum or white gold rings with that same-ol' solitary diamond setting. I'd actually been contemplating marriage since the beginning of the year & special ordered the bridal set about a month prior to popping the big question. Waiting for that perfect moment to make it happen was absolutely agonizing! I constantly asked myself things like... "Will she like the ring? Will we have to re-size it? Hell, will she even say yes???" Granted, I wasn't truly worried about that last one, but hey - nothing in life's a sure thing, right? As it turned-out, she loved my selection. My super-secret detective work paid-off too, because I sized the ring down to the perfect fit!

As far as the wedding... I, myself, would prefer a small, low-key ceremony (truth-be-told I would have settled for a trip to the justice of the peace just to get it all over with)... but the lady has plans far grander in scale than anything I'd ever imagined, so we'll just have to see how far down the rabbit hole I get pulled over this next year of planning. Trying to rein her in will certainly be a challenge, plus she & her planning committee are already hard at work, guess I might as well get used to the idea of some sort of a fancy-smancy affair.

#BankBlack

Over the past few years, or so, I feel like I’ve really gotten away from patronizing black-owned business... for various reasons running the gamut from sheer convenience & lower price points to extreme angst over poorly run business operations & customer service practices. 

But earlier this week, I decided to simply get over myself & do something about it. I opened new accounts with 3 black-owned & operated banks in an attempt to #bankblack & keep it trill in whatever small way I can. Sure, there are certainly banking options outside of my community with branches on every corner, account opening bonuses, higher interest rate yields, so on & so fourth… but to me, it’s an important time for my people to circle the wagons. 

How could I ever successfully impress upon others, things I think they should be doing, if I myself am not an avid practitioner of those very same strategies. With that in mind - I’ve decided to move my money from their house to our house, in hopes that my people will likewise, consider the same.

I choose now to actively seek-out black-owned businesses offering similar services & products that I buy regularly, with a reinvigorated mindset… simply put, I help my own community so much more with each & every dollar spent there instead, moving foreward I intend to do just that.