Defense Update: Anxiety increases survival, Choose a 9mm

Anxiety increases survival
This confirms what anyone with sense already knows.  Imagine a cat and most of you with cats know that most of them, especially outdoor cats are in a constant state of war.  They are rarely surprised with attacks and don't waste time when a threat arises.  A human that has a heightened awareness brought about by stress with often react more rapidly than a very relaxed individual.

Dressing for the cold weather
We all know layering right.  I'll recommend the article linked above for some great ideas on this.  My own approach is to wear flannel pajama pants under oversized pants as a good compromise over the more field effective wool and breathable water repellent shells.  It all depends on your daily risk and for someone not going to the field but just dealing with cold and not wet conditions it is easier to wear clothes more suitable for civilian encounters.  As for a top, I'd wear a wicking material such as poly and layer flannel above that and then a waterproof shell jacket of some kind, usually dark color though not camouflage style that screams military.

Why mine is a Nine
Good article.  I prefer nine as well and have since the 1980's when Glock came out with the Model 17.  High capacity, lower recoil, lower training costs due to cheaper ammo price, and .22 conversion kits available for the Glock and some other brands such as the CZ75B make it a very cost efficient training tool.  Discernible differences in stopping power claimed against the 9mm are negated by the faster follow up shots that come with a 9mm.  Many police agencies are going back to 9mm for the reasons of cost and officers having trouble with the greater recoiling weapons.  I don't like the bite of a .40 and as I age it only gets more pronounced, so I've sworn it off completely and the same with .45 except in revolvers for sport shooting or black powder guns.  Other than that, the .45 is too expensive, too heavy, and too big.  Any gained stopping power is lost in lack of capacity.