Sand Gets In Every Crack

Everyone keeps asking about the sandstorms and what it is like or what they look like, so here are some photos that I hope with answer most of your questions.

Now, like I have posted before sandstorms do not only happen during the day, they also happen at night. The big difference is at night there is no warning. It just happens. And pictures don't turn out like these did.

Side note: Bicycles do not like sand either. Bad sand. Bad. Bad.

Peanut Butter and Jelly

I love a PB & J sandwiches. A key ingredient is bread. I hate healthy bread. When someone offers a PB & J sandwich with healthy bread I take it and eat like I would normally, but I really enjoy it with white bread. I have had a jar of peanut butter and jar of grape jelly for about five months now. Every now and then I take a spoonfull of each and savor it. It would have been great to make a sandwich. I have no way to store bread for any length of time and there is no bakery down the hill so it isn't even a request that I can entertain. Just sometimes, I wish I could have a PB & J.

Clock

Same clock, same place.

Is it strange that it changed or that I took a picture?

Nerd

Originally saw this at IdentityMixed's blog and figured what the hell. Who knew?

Preferred Mode of Travel

This is my mode of travel throughout most of the base here. The headlamp and reflective belt are mandatory items for night riders such as myself. The rear lamp in my opinion is a must for night riders. Your day gets progressively worse if you are run over by a convoy of 7-tons (big truck that weighs seven tons empty and with no armor) or water trucks.

The next souls to occupy the base will need to buy some new bikes. I have been through eight front wheels, three frames, four back tires (repacked the bearings twice), six pedals, and two seats. Parts have become hard to come by. I have modified a few parts to get me to the end of this deployment and I would be happy to get five bucks out of it by the time I leave. Rear tires are the scarce piece, so if you would be coming this way I would bring two back tires from a junk yard, so you could keep one for yourself and trade the other for the rest of the bike.

I am sure I look funny when riding down the boulevard with my interceptor vest(the "bullet proof" thingy) and Kevlar (helmet). There are few of us that travel with bikes.

Christmas for Everyone

If in the giving mood to a soldier, Sailor, airman, or Marine please consider donating to one of the charities on my sidebar.

USO (United Service Organizations)
Soldiers' Angels
Operation Gratitude
Any Marine

There are many more but I am partial to these, since these are the ones that brought home to me and my Marines while we have been deployed.

12 Days of Christmas

I had some down time today, so being the curious person I am, I researched what are the twelve days of Christmas are and what was so special about it that someone wrote a song about it.
Well, turns out there is a lot of stuff going on about it. I know all of you can look it up for yourselves via Snopes.com or HowStuffWorks.com or Wikipedia and find all sorts of stuff. I am including what I thought was interesting, the symbolism of each day. Enjoy.

A Partridge in a Pear Tree - Jesus Christ
Two Turtle Doves - The Old and New Testaments
Three French Hens - The three virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity
Four Calling/Collie Birds - Four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Five Golden Rings - First five books of the Old Testament
Six Geese-a-Laying - Six days of creation before God's rest on the seventh day
Seven Swans-a-Swimming - Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
Eight Maids-a-Milking - Eight Beatitudes
Nine Ladies Dancing - Nine fruits of the Holy Spirit
Ten Lords-a-Leaping - Ten Commandments
Eleven Pipers Piping - Eleven faithful disciples
Twelve Drummers Drumming -Twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed

Hypothetical Solution to Everything

I have solved the problem with government. Selective service. Everyone 18 or older will be put in a hat, then once every two years a new name gets picked for each respective position.
The beauty is everyone gets to fuck up the country, an equal opportunity environment. I figure there is no difference with what we have now and since opinions are like assholes this will work well. The people who say 'you can't let so and so run the country' there is an opposite person named so and so who also say the same thing about the first people. A + B = C and B + A = C

Think about it like this, the person who is a president for a village board for some town in middle America has what qualifications. Probably has a steady job and once a month meets with others like him who were elected to "run" this town for like an extra two grand a year. Probably not a lawyer and most of the people in this town probably don't even know what he looks like. This guy doesn't do it for the money, he does it because he thinks he can make a difference in making lives in that small town better for everyone.

Why is "big" government not this way?

Power Curve

While I write about little things in life that are not always important and I throw my humor into almost everything I write, I always feel I am behind the power curve somehow.

The world I live in has free people, they are walking around everywhere. And you've guess it men and women. You could say it is a lottery winner bonanza. Everyone here has won.

Okay, so you are saying the world has free people in it? I am saying Americans are free, so not to confuse the audience, in this post I am referring to the good ol' American public. So now that is out of the way let us continue.

In the area I work in, there are lots of tough times that require some tough calls. Nothing is personal but feelings can get hurt if you are not a thick skinned individual. I grew up in a world of sarcasms, so if you would meet me and I come off as an asshole, I probably am. I didn't join to make friends.

Often while viewing others thoughts via the web I get an impression that that I don't live in a free society and then I feel bad. Why would I, the asshole, feel bad you may say. Well my job is directly related to the free America.

I have been trying really hard to "enjoy" the holiday season, but it seems when looking to the states for news and encouragement, all I get is resentment and distaste.

RevGals Friday Five: Rejoice

Mother Laura for RevGals writes, Can you believe that in two days we'll be halfway through Advent? Gaudete Sunday: pink candle on the advent wreath, rose vestments for those who have them, concerts and pageants in many congregations. Time to rejoice!
Rejoice in the nearness of Christ's coming, yes, but also in the many gifts of the pregnant waiting time when the world (in the northern hemisphere, at least) spins ever deeper into sweet, fertile darkness.

(Side note: I have no idea what Mother Laura is talking about I just go with the flow on these.) (Side note to the side note: I may have a little idea, but my knowledge on these matters has lots of cobwebs.) (Side note to the side note of the original the side note: I have cleaned up most of the cobwebs by regualr field day but I am not the expert.)

What makes you rejoice about:
(Let me do a word game with this, I am going to put down the first word or phrase that comes to mind.)

1. Waiting?
Really?, How about...Surprise!

2. Darkness?
Peaceful

3. Winter?
Calming

4. Advent?
Billboards
(I still have no idea about advent, I would have to say that since I have researched it and have read some explainations, none of them have really stuck in my head.) (Heathen.)

5. Jesus' coming?
1975 and going strong.
(Don't expect anyone to get this, but if you do your brain probably works like mine.)

Belly Growth, Part III

Part of the belly growth can be attributed to Cow Tales. I received a box with them inside and they are very good. There was also Junga Bunga, never had it before but basically it is like injecting my body with sugar.

~

My Cow Tales were carmel apple and my Junga Bunga was Safari Strawberry. Slightly different.

Christmas Three - A Meme

PS tagged Jan who tagged me for this Christmas Three meme, and she also "gave" Jan a picture !

What are your three favorite Christmas songs and who sings them?
Does "Did you see the Thirty Pointer?" by Da Yoopers count?
Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer written by Randy Brooks. Sang by everybody.
Frosty the Snowman by Gene Autry

What are your three favorite Christmas foods?
I am cheating on this one go here.

What are three Christmas Secrets?
Mistletoes are poisonous.
Santa was made up as a marketing ploy in New York in the early 1900s.
Christmas trees were originally part of the German Christmas celebrations.

What are your three favorite Christmas movies?
Again I cheating on this one, go here.

This is where I tag someone, but since everyone that I have been tagging lately is upset at the extra typing required since this is a busy time of year or something like that, so I won't but if you do feel the urge to do this meme put a link in your comment so others can enjoy in your meme expressiveness.

Fun with Navy Medicine, Part II

I am basically falling apart. My left wrist has been in constant pain for about seven weeks now. Today finally like the an epiphany came over the corpsman they say lets get some x-rays. "We" do not have any cool do-dads or gizmos, I have to go over to the Army get my x-rays and I have to say they do have some nifty stuff. Didn't stop the Army soldier from contorting my wrist in funny positions though.

According to the radiologist report nothing is bad. So that is good. The problem lies with the pain factor. Navy medicine only has Motrin, I have been taking Motrin for seven weeks and guess what the pain is still there. This should come as no surprise to anyone who actually knows what Motrin is used for. I and yes, it is not healthy to take Motrin for that long. It would have been better for them to give me a sugar pill and telling me it was Vicadin.

On a side note, the above picture is a copy of my x-rays from this morning.

The Good Book, Part IV

The good book is my autobiography so I will take criticism on the title I am okay with it. I am sure you are thinking 4? how can you be on four already? One, two, three and now four. The thing is what i have been struggling with lately is how to separate all this junk I can my life. I already figure the chapters I call "wife one, two and three," will be popular one way or another. I am thinking about grouping idea together instead of by time. Like religion is one topic and women a completely different one. No matter how I end up doing it, the fluidity will be an issue.

Why Are Not You Happy?

You. This is defined as the person reading this post.

You are here
~a) by accident
~b) purposely
~~ i) by conscience choice
~~ ii) by way of links of another post elsewhere on the web
~~ iii) by way curiosity

So no matter which way you may be here for, why is it when I have good news you can not be happy?

Is your life so bad that you cannot even fathom what it would be like to happy?

Being happy is why I must finish writing my book, because I have learned over the years when I talk about my life everyone else feels happy. (Usually because their life is so much better.)

Permanent Progress

For whatever reason most bloggers seemed to have missed this report. I knew about here and then saw it reciprocated by Fox News.

Major General Gaskin said: "I think that the positive trends are permanent."

That says it all. I am happy I have had hot showers everyday for almost five months now. If that doesn't say progress, I don't know what does.

Money, Part II (a) - Death and Taxes

When Ben coined the phrase who knew it it would be so true today? Appartently the fact that I don't pay taxes in a combat zone upsets people. Who knew? ( I think it is funny that the money I made in my first year in service didn't throw up red flags.)

So if you want to read it from the IRS click here. Other wise here is my explanation.

Public Law authorizes Combat Zone Tax Exclusion for all Service Members receiving Hostile Fire Pay in Iraq and Afghanistan. A Service Member who is present, however brief, in this area, including airspace, and is on official duty qualifies for Combat Zone Tax Exclusion for that month. All pay for both enlisted personnel and warrant officers is tax exempt for the months spent in the Combat Zone Tax Exclusion area.

The cool part is the death gratuity was raised to $100,000.00. When I first entered into service this was six grand. So what is a death gratuity? It is a lump sum gratuitous payment made by the military to eligible beneficiaries of a member who dies on Active Duty. Nifty, huh?

The death gratuity payment is $12,420, and is non-taxable. For those whose death is as a result of hostile actions and occurred in a designated combat operation or combat zone or while training for combat or performing hazardous duty, the
payment is $100,000.

So if I had died in '96 my folks would have been lucky to have bought a tombstone with that money, but now they could definitely buy the tombstone, casket, plot and some flowers.

Money, Part II

I did an earlier post about how much I make and wanted to know a some comparisons. Kind of like for shits and giggles. When ever I have a bad day, like today, sometimes the money thing makes me feel better. Like I get paid to get my ass chewed, type feeling. I know doesn't sound good does it? Well, it looks like I was right on the money(ha ha) when I said a I was going to make about 37 thousand this year. Because I was feeling not myself, I looked up my first year, I made seven thousand eight hundred twenty-three dollars and sixty-seven cents. So if you did the math in a little more than a decade my pay increased by more than 500 percent! I am trying to make myself feel better can you tell? The key to high pay is I am not getting taxed this year. The number would be much lower if I was and my first year total is the gross as well.

Nobody's Fault But Mine

I don't know what it is called so I will give an example and rant from there.

Scenario #1
When the senior says "I am going to go home for the day" and you ,the junior, says "don't worry I have it." Then later when someone comes looking for the senior, the junior says "he doing blah and blah," not mentioning he's at home and then calling or letting him know so and so is looking for him. What is that called?

Scenario #2
When the senior says "I am going to go home for the day" and you ,the junior, says "don't worry I have it." Then later when someone comes looking for the senior, the junior says "he's at home since this morning" and not doing anything extra . What is that called?


I call scenario number two, throwing someone under the bus or dropping dimes on someone. Either way the senior man is going to be in trouble later.

Some similar to the second example happened to me earlier in the day, so tomorrow morning I will be standing in front of the "boss" explaining why I wasn't where he had liked me to be. The job was still getting done, I was just not in the capacity to answer questions at the moment to the "boss" directly. It pisses me off when the junior guy completely lied to me about having control. (The junior guy is just junior to me, he has a bunch of rank.) The crappy part is not even fifteen minutes later I was back in the workplace, but the boss had already left for the day.

Flicker, Part III

I want to make a set. Seems simple enough. Maybe I am behind too many firewalls. I can not get to "OrganizR" it just says it is loading.

This where I am thinking about deleting the whole thing again. Remember, box of rocks. Not shiny.

How I Was Infected

As you can see it can be clearly documented how I repeatedly received the Splotchy Virus. I have successfully ridden myself of the virus and given it back to its maker. Hopefully, the strands will not mutate anymore and I will be in the free and clear. Only time will tell.

Wacky Meme of the Month, Part II

I've been tagged again and for me it was CDP, who was tagged by the brilliant Whiskeymarie, by way of Splotchy, who writes:

"This has probably been done before, but that is not stopping me, oh no.Here's what I would like to do. I want to create a story that branches out in a variety of different, unexpected ways. I don't know how realistic it is, but that's what I'm aiming for. Hopefully, at least one thread of the story can make a decent number of hops before it dies out.If you are one of the carriers of this story virus (i.e. you have been tagged and choose to contribute to it), you will have one responsibility, in addition to contributing your own piece of the story: you will have to tag at least one person that continues your story thread. So, say you tag five people. If four people decide to not participate, it's okay, as long as the fifth one does. And if all five participate, well that's five interesting threads the story spins off into.Not a requirement, but something your readers would appreciate: to help people trace your own particular thread of the narrative, it will be helpful if you include links to the chapters preceding yours."

Being the good sport that I am, I felt I couldn't let the readers down. So just as the world turns so does this:

I woke up hungry. I pulled my bedroom curtain to the side and looked out on a hazy morning. I dragged myself into the kitchen, in search of something to eat. I reached for a jar of applesauce sitting next to the sink, and found it very cold to the touch. I opened the jar and realized it was frozen. (Splotchy)

I was used to the house being quite cold in the mornings, as the night log usually burns out around one AM when I am dreaming cozily under my covers, not
normally waking to put a new one on until morning. I was surprised because on the rare occasions that it actually had reached sub-freezing temperatures in the house, I had awakened in the night to restart the fire. I would have been worried about the pipes before P-Day, but there hadn’t been running water in two years and that was one of the few advantages to being dependent on rainwater, no pipes. (Freida Bee)

I rummaged around in the kitchen and found one of the few things that hadn't frozen overnight to eat- an expired granola bar. "Better than nothing", I muttered to myself as I tore off the wrapper and took a bite, trying to not chip a tooth in the process.I thought I should go out to the shed and bring in more wood. The mind-numbing cold snap that had set in over the last few days seemed to be in no hurry to leave. Pulling on my heavy coat and wool hat, I considered for a moment what lay ahead for the day. Normally I would spend much of the day making any needed repairs to the house, cleaning, reading various newsletters, cooking, and just trying to keep busy in general. With no job to fill my time anymore I have found my new found "freedom" to be both a blessing and a curse. Ever since P-day, the only job most of us have is to sit in our homes and find something, anything, to pass the time.Well, that- and to stay alive. (Whiskeymarie)

I reached the woodshed I’d built from the remains of our fence, and heard a rustling. Fearing one of the wild dogs that now roamed the neighborhood, I crept back to the house for the gun my husband left with me before he volunteered to join the fighting. My hand was shaking so badly, I didn’t think I could pull a trigger, so I also grabbed an old broomstick to use as a club. My son tried to follow me, and I ordered him back inside; he obeyed, frightened by the harshness of my tone. He seemed not to sense how terrified I was and I was glad. Inching toward the shed, glancing backward every few steps to be sure the children were staying inside, I heard the rustle again, accompanied by a very human cough.“Who is it?” I shouted, in as angry and menacing a voice as I could muster.No response.“Damn it, I know you’re in there! I have a gun! Come out with your hands up, or I’ll just start shooting!”“Don’t shoot!” said the voice, and(CDP).

~
I woke up hungry. The room was white, small and seemed to not have any doors. That is when I realized I was naked. I had a thin sheet of plastic over me and some machine making beeping noises to my left.

I started to rise up that is when I noticed the cuffs holding me to the bed. I started to scream.

A large booming voice came over a loud speaker, " Calm down, calm down Mrs. Peabody."

I bellowed out, "Who are you?! Why am I chained down?! Where are my children?! "

The voice replied, " There has been an accident, everything will be fine. There will be someone to assist and answer your questions shortly."

Then there was silence. I yelled some more but nothing. No response. Then suddenly, I a creaking sound. To the right there was a door opening, it was......
(Wyldth1ng)

Gotta love cliff hangars. I doubt I will find anyone who will continue this one, but I will tag some more people and see if it goes anywhere or just stops at this.

Splotchy
FranIAm
Mathman6293
PrincessMindy
and the last one will be you the person that has always wanted to be tagged but hasn't. This is your chance to make this story a masterpiece.

History of Women Marines

An excellent source for Women Marine history is the Women Marine Association. Here is an excerpt of the answer to the question that has arisen from my previous post.

How did my mother serve in the Marine Corps during WWII?

"In 1918, the Secretary of Navy allowed women to enroll for clerical duty in the Marine Corps. Officially, Opha Mae Johnson is credited as the first woman Marine. Johnson enrolled for service on August 13, 1918; during that year some 300 women first entered the Marine Corps to take over stateside clerical duties from battle-ready Marines who were needed overseas. The Marine Corps Women's Reserve was established in February 1943. June 12th, 1948, Congress passed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act and made women a permanent part of the regular Marine Corps. "

Thinking About Presidental History

Being the history fan that I am, I was thinking about US Presidents in history. Who are the Presidents that we remember?

We remember the ones during war and the ones that were assassinated or both. Really, think about it for moment.

Why is that? Why do we as Americans forget the Presidents in between our wars or the ones that lived beyond their presidency?

I always enjoy asking people if they know their four generals that became Presidents and which ones are on our legal tender. You would be surprised to find out that most people I ask can not come up with the answer. The responses are usually two of the generals and can think of only one who is on our money.

Here is a couple of questions and an answers for everyone:
1) President Truman signed an important piece of legislation for women in 1948, what was it?
2) Who was the first President to fly in a helicopter?
3) Which President was the only one to earn a PhD?
4) Which President delivered the shortest inaugural address?
5) The "Baby Ruth" candy bar was named for which President's daughter?
6) Which President slept in pajamas with five stars sewn on to the shoulder?
7) Which President from the 20th century is on Mount Rushmore?
8) Which Presidents signed the Declaration of Independence?
9)Who was the only Rhodes Scholar amongst the Presidents?
10) Which President was the first to have been a POW(Prisoner of War)?

1a) Women's Armed Services Integration Act, which authorized women to serve in the organized services(military).
2a) President Eisenhower
3a)President Woodrow Wilson (John Hopkins 1886)
4a) President George Washington, 135 words
5a) President Grover Cleveland, Ruth Cleveland
6a) President Dwight D. Eisenhower
7a) President Theodore Roosevelt
8a) Thomas Jefferson and John Adams
9a) President William Clinton
10a) Andrew Jackson, Revolutionary War

Thank You My Heroes

I have received this letter and many similar like it and I feel that I do not deserve the niceties these people and others have shared with me and my Marines. The majority of the boxes contents, expect for a book and a couple of Starburst, will be going to my Marines and several other Marines that are deployed farther out from me.

I can't help but feel choked up when I read a letter like this one from Eve. I have never thought of myself as a hero and probably never will. I have always thought that everyday people with their acts of kindness are the heroes.

Thank you.

All of us, thank you for taking the time and effort to send a piece of your home to our "home" here.

Heathen

I am what you would call a heathen. This is why:

I am divorced. (3 times)
I have lied in the past. (A white lie and 2 fibs)
I have had sex out of wedlock.
I have been gluttonous.(I weigh about ten pounds over my healthy weight.)
I drink beer. ("In heaven there is no beer, That is why we drink it here.")
I have purposely tried and succeeded to hurt people. (They were all bad.)
I have used the lord's name in vain. (for both pain and pleasure)
I have taken items that were not mine. (When I was five I took a Tootsie Pop from the store without paying.)
I do not attend church services regularly.
I do not give ten percent to any church. (I instead invest ten percent for retirement.)
I have worshiped other gods. ( I have dabbled in many other beliefs.)
I have had envy for other people. (American society helps that sin to the nth degree.)
I have never truly confessed my sins to God, but I have to one woman who scorned me.
I am an extremist when it comes to my belief in the Corps.

I do not ask for forgiveness, I do not ask for grief, I do not ask for justification.
This is who I am.

Belly Growth, Part II

As promised more stick figures. As you can all see from this diagram, I started this deployment as a stick figure and I will be ending as balloon with needles sticking out in funny directions.

Knocker

My last wife received a knocker for Christmas one of the years we were married. I write it like that because when the marriage dissolved she took the knocker. Luckily, I received one just like it the following year. I would love to put on my front door. I seem to be missing a front door, at the moment. I bring this up for a few reasons, one for it being Christmas time and this was a gift. And of course, it looks just like the photo above.

Wacky Meme of the Month

Okay, so Fran tagged DCup who then tagged me with a nifty story building meme that was started by Splotchy who wrote...

Here's what I would like to do. I want to create a story that branches out in a variety of different, unexpected ways. I don't know how realistic it is, but that's what I'm aiming for. Hopefully, at least one thread of the story can make a decent number of hops before it dies out.

Whomever I tag at the end of this, if they chose to accept the mission, will most likely be in another circle altogether. I probably should not be the one linking the two but we shall see.

I woke up hungry. I pulled my bedroom curtain to the side and looked out on a hazy morning. I dragged myself into the kitchen, in search of something to eat. I reached for a jar of applesauce sitting next to the sink, and found it very cold to the touch. I opened the jar and realized it was frozen. (Splotchy)

"That's strange," I said out loud to no one in particular. My fingers slowly reached towards the jar again. My body experienced a wave of apprehension as weighted blanket covering me as I did so. The jar was completely frozen.

I picked it up and stared at it, my fingers stung with little knives of chill. "What the..." again I spoke aloud. Then I realized what had happened with a shock. Suddenly the jar flew from my hand. It shattered creating a collage-like mixture of frozen applesauce and glass shards on my kitchen floor, the lid lazily rolling to a stop across the room.(FranIam)

I stood for a moment considering what all this meant. Oh, I knew what it meant, I didn’t need to waste time thinking about it. He was back. And he was mad.

I ran down the hallway and flung open the door at the end. I was immediately hit with a blast of cold. I took a step back as I tried to catch my breath. I bent over, hands on my knees panting. He always had this remarkable effect on me. After so much time, it no longer scared me, but it was a shock nonetheless……

“You know,” I panted, “There’s no need to break things to get my
attention.” (DCup)

I woke up hungry. I rolled out of bed smacking my alarm clock that was singing Carly Simon and thinking to myself I have to stop eating pizza right before bed and then sleeping till noon. I must remember to change that station to something that will actually wake me.

Stubbing my toe on my boots on my way to the kitchen, I glanced sideways down the hall and caught the dead body out of the corner of my eye. (Wyldth1ng)

I hope I pick at least one person out of five that will continue the story. So without further hesitation:

Will Blog For Food
The Village Carpeter
More Cows Than People
LadyBurg
Jan

Daemon Wagon

I have not read the books as of yet, but from the website I have gathered a general idea. This Daemon thing I saw on Songbird's blog then I saw it on More Cows' blog. I have decided to join the fray and this was the result.

For the next twelve days or so you can interact with my results here:http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/?588009

But did you expect anything else?

RevGals Friday Five: Preparation

Sally from RevGals has decided to make us do essays this week on how we prepare.
Here then is this weeks Friday 5:

1. You have a busy week, pushing out all time for preparing worship/ Sunday School lessons/ being ready for an important meeting ( or whatever equivalent your profession demands)- how do you cope?
As a Marine, I accomplish the mission, then ensure troop welfare.

2. You have unexpected visitors, and need to provide them with a meal- what do you do?Three discussion topics:
a) Open up a box of menu A of MREs
b) Open up a box of menu B of MREs
c) Find an Any Marine package and share

3. Thinking along the lines of this weeks advent theme; repentance is an important but often neglected aspect of advent preparations.....
I really don't understand what I am supposed to do for this question/statement.

4. Some of the best experiences in life occur when you simply go with the flow.....
Take charge and secure the hill.

5. Details are everything, attention to the small things enables a plan to roll forward smoothly...
That is why you called the Marines.

Bonus if you dare- how well prepared are you for Christmas this year?
Better prepared than a Swiss Army knife.

Day of Infamy

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked......

I Q

A while ago(a few years) I had this "head mate"(shared a bathroom) that made a bet with me that he was smarter than I. We were and are fierce competitors and drinkers of fine beer. So this the short of this story.

The gamble was loser pays for dinner meals for a month and will always be considered not as smart(dumb as a box of rocks) amongst the players. The verification was a test proctored by a member of Mensa also a good friend of ours (at the cost of two hundred fifty dollars each). We were serious about this. The night prior we went drink for drink. This where the challenge came into play and you could say that was not smart. We were both late to the test. Since we were the only ones taking the test(at a local college) they waited. I will give props to my friend who finished this test two minutes before me. I scored one point higher than him.

I did not qualify for Mensa. But who cares, I got free meals for a month and he will always be as dumb as a box of rocks.

I want to leave the show...

I am sure the headaches has something to do with my thought process lately, but I am ready to leave this place. I truly believe if I could get a beer once awhile and a day off every so often I could handle it out here for a much longer time. There is a song by Pink Floyd when Roger Walters was singing that says something like, " take off this uniform and leave the show." It has one of those nifty echos added to it. Hence the title of this post. Or maybe when Agent Smith is talking Morpheus in the Matrix about getting out of this place. I don't know how to explain it any better. I suppose those to idea are extremes on either end of the spectrum. Do not misunderstand what I am saying, I am just saying I have been out here a while(month twelve) and would like a break. I see the same people everyday. Everyday. This is day 340 I believe, give or take a few days. There are people here that do the same stupid mistakes everyday. Everyday. Not everyone, but some people (the 10 percent) get on my nerves everyday. I try to avoid them as much as possible. With the type of job I have I interact with many(ranges from ten to eighty) people everyday. I have the type of job where you don't give good news very often and a lot of tough calls are made to get the job done.

I feel I may be losing the audience here, you can call it whining if you want to. Regardless of how much I may bitch, I am still doing the job to the best of my ability.

Cluster Headaches

I am a sufferer of cluster headaches. The easiest way I can explain it is like a migraine(it actually is) that everyone associates with but it doesn't last as long but happens more often. For me, medically, this is listed as chronic. (Yeah, isn't that great!) I have been really well lately, until very recently. The last few days have been terrible.

The real reason I post this so if it seems my chipper self is not in the last few posts or it doesn't seem like I have visited your blog lately, I am sorry. Being alive just hurts.

Snow Globe

Not just any snow globe, this has Frosty and his date, Miss Snow Woman of the Year, with him. The flurries are abundant as they trek to vast far away lands with a decorated tree in tow. They have reach the top of a hill, the hill of decorated trees of ornaments and garland.

Yep, life is good.

Flicker, Part II

Okay it looks like I got the Flickr thing on the sidebar to work alright. Thanks to the help of DCup. Plus my IT guy here said that the firewall here may have problems with it and that might have been the problem for me as well. Either way it seems to be functioning. I will add some photos not sensitive over the next few days after I finish my FitRep(fitness report).

News Junkie, Part II

I wrote a lengthy post about the news I read, this one won't be. Lengthy that is. I like reading "news" blogs as well as hit the headlines. One of my favorites to read has got to be Ollie North. He has a section on Fox called the Colonel's Corner. This week's post is as intriguing as ever.

I like the way he writes and expresses his opinions. I don't expect anyone to be swayed just because I like to read him. I am just letting you all know, that I like reading the colonel.

The End is Over

Becuase I hate to be picked last and DCup has left an open invite for anyone to do this transistion of email to blog post and my brain is hurting so the random silliness is not flowing as nicely as it should be, I decided to perform the following:

The rules:
1. Put your music player on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT(this is in capital letters, so it is very serious.) (It is so serious someone wrote that it is, serious.)

MY ANSWERS:

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
Centerfold
by J. Geils Band

2. WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Zombie
by The Cranberries

3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Tennessee Flat Top Box
by Johnny Cash

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
The Zoo
by Scorpions

5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Play the Game
by Queen

6. WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Jeopardy
by Greg Kihn Band

7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Best of You
by Foo Fighters

8. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
Stuck with Me
by Green Day

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Time Warp
The Original Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack

10. WHAT IS 2+2?
Cath
by The Bluebells

11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Island in the Sun
by Weezer

12. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Everyday is a Winding Road
by Sheryl Crow

13. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Man in Black
by Johnny Cash

14. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
The Kids Aren't All Right
by Offspring

15. WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Lithium
by Evanescence

16. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
On the Road Again
by Canned Heat

17. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Right Here, Right Now
by Jesus Jones

18. WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Body Crumbles
by Dry Cell

19. WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thing
by Heaven 17

20. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Waiting
by Green Day

21. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Feudin' Banjos
by Don Reno

22. WHAT SHOULD YOU POST THIS AS?
The End is Over
by Powerman 5000

After further review, on the play list, maybe not all my music choices are good to listen to while out here. Then again, how can anyone go through the day without the banjo song from Deliverance.

Some Clarifications

On my post "http://wyldth1ng.blogspot.com/2007/12/what-i-can-and-may-say.html" please don't confuse me being a Marine and me being in the armed forces. In my statement I was trying to link the two. The fact is I am part of the armed forces. Fact is members of the armed forces while in uniform or acting in a capacity in which it is viewed that "they" are speaking on the behalf of the armed forces is when the line in question appears. Obviously, I am not a lawyer so I can't tell you all the legal mumble jumble that goes with it with out some serious researching.

On the post "http://wyldth1ng.blogspot.com/2007/12/quagmire.html" is where the above statements and corresponding post was supposed to clarify. (I have been trying to not be as a clear as mud.)

As far as the stick figures go, we shall see if I do something more with that.

What I Can and May Say.

This a free country. Meaning the United States of America is a free country. I am in the Marine Corps, I have never hidden that fact. Now, since I am in the armed forces there are some things I am just not allowed to say. As a private citizen I am afforded all the rights that every law abiding citizen of the United States of America (USA) has. As a Marine, there is a fine line of politics that is very easily crossed and I try very hard not to. Since I write on a blog and it is very easily taken out of context, I don't voice on opinion one way or the other. I am not allowed to campaign, speak ill of politicians, nor am I allowed to voice my opinions while in uniform.

So, if you ask for me to answer questions pertaining the "war" or a particular politician, I will most likely ignore it and not answer it.

I like my rank. I would like to keep it. Maybe even pick up a rank, that sounds good. Pick up a rank and have a beer. Better yet, pick up a rank, have a beer, and have friends with me to enjoy it.

Flicker

I have been looking at DCups photos on and off the last few days or so and finally said "what the heck." (Well, it probably was something like that.) I figure sure I can do this flicker thing like her; I am smarter than a box of rocks.

Maybe I am smarter than a limestone but not marble. You get my meaning. I ready to to say fuck it. I mean hell, I have a whole website with hundreds of photos with all sorts of great commentary over the past decade(this where you say, man you are old).

Why can't I get this stupid thing to work? My "home" at Flickr is just pissing me off. I am fixn' to delete the whole thing.

I want to be cool, you know, not get picked last. I am sure it is one piece of code that just sort of disappeared and is eluding me at the moment (half the night).

Quagmire

Not sure where I got this picture, I wish I could say I made it. (You have seen my stick figures, right?)

I would be pissed (but I would get over it) if we leave this quagmire and not get the job done. That is all I am saying.

My Life

My Life is not really like the picture. You can comment, ask questions, or just plain tell me to get bent. Really, you can, I am not even kidding this time. Just know, if I disagree with you, I will let you know. If I think you are an asshole, I will definitely tell you. (I would hate for an asshole to go through life and not know.) It is the mushy shit that I have problems with. I am working on it. It is definitely easier with beer.

God, Part 2b

----I already did a post on God when I first started this blog and I also did a follow-up in which is not posted here on this blog, so when titling this post you can convey the dismay.----

My belief is man (of course enter the appropriate noun for your cranium because it would hurt my fucking feelings that I didn't abide by your fucking stupid word choice that has no bearing on what I am really trying to fucking say here) has four kinds of souls; 2 basic types of souls with two sub categories for each. There is the saved and the damned.

In the saved category you have those that preach the word of their* God and those who by default are saved just because they have lived a good natural life whether they believe or not.

In the damned category you have warriors of God and warriors of evil. If feel there is no point in explained what evil is and who or what God is for the purpose of this discussion so I will continue from here. The warriors of which ever "side" has and does take on the offense to do some deed that will keep this soul from being saved.

Now that I have solved the mysteries of life right here for everyone, let's all pause and have a beer.

Note: If you do not believe in any of the bologna that I just posted that is okay you don't have to. That is the beauty of "free will."

The Many Home Returns

The conversation was brought up about coming home. To me, the lead up and the day of is always the crappiest and most depressing day of my life. This is where you say "why, you just got back from ____(fill in wherever I went this time)" and this is where the story takes place.

I was married for one return, but it was the ending of that marriage, so it may not count. There is by my count three types of returns that Marines have. One, you are in a pine box. Depressing as that may be, that Marine will now be guarding the street of Heaven. Two, you are married or have a significant other and is greeted with cheers, hugs, kisses. All things are forgiven for that day for that couple and everyone is "happy." Three, the single man or very soon to be single man(insert the female nouns/pronouns where applicable) comes home to virtually nothing. No hugs, kisses. There might a hug or kiss from a by-stander but it temporary. Once that Marine finally grounds his gear in where ever he may stay(live) then what. The what is the happening. I have found over the years it is best to find a bar and have a few drinks. Usually only a few is good enough and a cab will be the next thing you see. The worst thing, in my opinion, is to stay in the barracks that day or the next few days, because that is where depression will really kick in. It is best to find someone to be with for at least the next 3 or 4 days. Even if you hate that person it is better than being alone.

So in short, the actual day of return just fucking sucks. All I ever wanted to do is get away of the merry wishers and married people because it all seemed so fake. Great, someone is happy I am "home" but are you going to hold me like lovers do when I drift off to sleep? No, you are not. You don't even know my first name. You may smile and you may hug me when I step off from that plane, helicopter, or bus but you will not be with me for that tender loving care that I really need six hours after.

You are reading this and thinking one of two things. First one, you are thinking,"that is too fucking bad, oh well." Second, is "I am going to do something about it. " The truth is you can't do anything. The truth is you can't give what is needed or wanted. The truth is even after this deployment or the next there will be thousands of men and women that you can't do anything for. And that is where one of the sacrifices that we volunteers of the armed forces have agreed upon. To me, that is okay, I have hardened my life and built that wall around me so my emotions are not a factor. Don't give me that fake smile and tell me you are glad to see me, instead wrap you arm around me and let's sit down and have a beer. We can talk about the good times and the good times to come.

Up in The Morning With The Iraqi Sun

After several promotions this morning this was the sky.

Letters - The Answer Expanded, Part II

Since I am an avid fan of mail (that is not bills) I finished writing my "Christmas cards" tonight. I sent out about two dozen or so. I did something different this year, which I think may be caused by my "new" surroundings this year.

Well, the people I have an address for that sent a letter or care package, will receive a card from me. So not to be left out(my current audience) my year in review is right here. This blog. Even though I have been careful about OpSec (Operation Security) everyone should be able to get the idea what has happened to me and the Marines of MALS-29 REIN.

A Word About Mail, Maybe Two

I cannot express enough in words the appreciation for the letters, postcards and especially the care packages that I have received during this 13 to 14 month deployment. I cannot say if it would have been bearable without the love and dedication I (we) received in the mail.

If you (the person reading this) has my address here in the Area of Operation (AO) please do not send anything else past December 15th.

If you do it reminds me about a letter I was recieved from my Mom 3 years and 7 months late. It was sent to an address similar to the one I have now and did not reach its destination until after I had left and went back to my garrison command. Well, that letter "floated" through the system until it ultimately found me in Arizona. (Which I am not stationed there anymore either.) I still have the envelope it has stamps form seventeen different military posts and international post offices. While it is nice to know the mail system still works even after you leave an AO, it is just better to not test out the system.

RevGals Friday Five: The Grinch Edition

Will smama has included a Friday Five that is right up my alley, the kind you beat with a stick then run it over with your car.

Please tell us(RevGals) your least favorite/most annoying seasonal....

1) dessert/cookie/family food
I do not know what it is called it is white, round has nuts in it, some sort of powdery substance an the outside, it is only seen during this time of the year, whatever it may be called I hate it. Always have. Seems like "old" like to have them in in abundance and when you visit it is in you rbest interest to eat several or you will be beat by a cane. (Or something like that.)

2) beverage (seasonal beer, eggnog w/ way too much egg and not enough nog, etc...)
Eggnog by itself makes me want to hurl, but if you add enough brandy anything can be tolerable.

3) tradition (church, family, other)
I don't have any "Christmas" traditions anymore so maybe that is my complaint.

4) decoration
It is not anyone decoration but the one who is competing with Clark Griswald, those people should be *****. ( I can't really express my feelings on a blog about this one.)

5) gift (received or given)
The one where you receive and everyone in the room knows it is crappy gift but you smile and tell the person who gave it to you, that it is something you always wanted and then give it away at the next year's Christmas party.

BONUS: SONG/CD that makes you want to tell the elves where to stick it.
Bing Crosby's White Christmas - I can't stand it ever since being stuck in a snow drift two stories tall , while in a '79 Ford Bronco which the heater didn't work well, and not very much "cold weather" clothing for the "short" trip to Grandma's house in some Christmas during the eighties and the only song playing "it seems" was that, on the radio.