Somehow along the line, I have been splitting into the different parts that make me, me. I am going to have to change my blog roll again because the blogs of interest keeps growing. I am currently torn between adding a bunch or splitting up a few in different categories. The problems are not everyone fits into a nifty category.
I am mean look at this blog, what category do I fit in?
I could go into specific examples on why this blog is this way or that way, I am declaring LIFE is the category. Now that I am done with myself it should be downhill from here, right?
I figure there is a heads, a tails, and that other side that is all ribbed or smooth. The side that seems to change from one type to another or evolves over time.
Either you just understood what I said or you didn't. Regardless, in the next few days I will be rearranging some stuff and changing the blog roll somehow.
Suggestions are welcome.
Monday, December 31, 2007
I Looked into the Mirror
Boy, am I ugly.
I made it.
It is 2008.
Yea. Can you feel the excitement pouring out my skin. The surreal, the bliss of it all. No?
Well, I watched the Air Force Academy get their asses handed to them by Cal Tech during the change over. There were a few cheers on another TV and those watching it, to which was a little humorous since we have a lag of five minutes out here on most programing that boasts a live show.
There some sort of revival at one of the DFACs which I didn't go, food topped my priority, so I ate instead. A few of the other SNCOs (Staff Non Commisioned Officers) got a burn permit(we do that out here too) and had a little fire. I stopped by, it just wasn't the same. It was hot and bright as fire is supposed to be, but there was something that just didn't feel right to me.
I am "happy"...we are ending our deployment soon. Until my foot touches American soil, my year is not over.
I made it.
It is 2008.
Yea. Can you feel the excitement pouring out my skin. The surreal, the bliss of it all. No?
Well, I watched the Air Force Academy get their asses handed to them by Cal Tech during the change over. There were a few cheers on another TV and those watching it, to which was a little humorous since we have a lag of five minutes out here on most programing that boasts a live show.
There some sort of revival at one of the DFACs which I didn't go, food topped my priority, so I ate instead. A few of the other SNCOs (Staff Non Commisioned Officers) got a burn permit(we do that out here too) and had a little fire. I stopped by, it just wasn't the same. It was hot and bright as fire is supposed to be, but there was something that just didn't feel right to me.
I am "happy"...we are ending our deployment soon. Until my foot touches American soil, my year is not over.
The End of 2007
Here we are at the end of 2007. What a year it has been. I don't want to reflect on the year, not because it was "oh so bad" or because I have been deployed for approximately ninety-seven point three, six, two percent of it. No, I want to reflect on the December 31st's that have transpired for me over my adult life. This post is my comparison.
I have had years where I was a designated driver for a people who didn't need a DD because they did drink anyway or for some who really needed a babysitter not a driver. I have had few while married, some were good, some were bad and one was bliss. I have had many alone. I have spent my evening in bars, bedrooms and bathrooms. There have been years when I was too drunk to make it and didn't see the ball drop. I have been on duty. I was in a bar fight once during the change over, it is one I would like to forget. I have had a new year celebration while on a ship while we were transversing the Adriatic Sea.
As the year changes over into the new year here, I will most likely be eating my lunch and if lucky a football game will be on in the DFAC. The day will transition into the next without skipping a beat and no change in the "feeling" of the day, month, year will actually take place.
While for me, tomorrow will be just another day; for you, may freedom ring.
I have had years where I was a designated driver for a people who didn't need a DD because they did drink anyway or for some who really needed a babysitter not a driver. I have had few while married, some were good, some were bad and one was bliss. I have had many alone. I have spent my evening in bars, bedrooms and bathrooms. There have been years when I was too drunk to make it and didn't see the ball drop. I have been on duty. I was in a bar fight once during the change over, it is one I would like to forget. I have had a new year celebration while on a ship while we were transversing the Adriatic Sea.
As the year changes over into the new year here, I will most likely be eating my lunch and if lucky a football game will be on in the DFAC. The day will transition into the next without skipping a beat and no change in the "feeling" of the day, month, year will actually take place.
While for me, tomorrow will be just another day; for you, may freedom ring.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Art, A One Part Series Set in Al Asad
In the left hand corner, it looks like it maybe the artist's name. In the right hand corner, I placed two bills for size comparison. You can see a happy pilot in the cockpit.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Liar's Dice
I have been tagged by DCup for seven untrue facts about yours truly. Of course this concoction has been derived from Splotchy. Was there a question in your mind? In addition, because I can't say no, literary genius aside, call it charity to the minds.
1) Yesterday morning I awoke with trumpets being sounded and was escorted to work on top of giant elephants covered in jewels and a processional of forty two jaguars that had a slight touch of gray in their coats.
2) The occasion was trumped when the President of the Federation of Planets arrived via her flying Yugo. She announced that she is stepping down to let me pave the way as the new PFP. I know you are all ecstatic about his new development.
3) My first act as the PFP was to decommission Mars. The Martians upon hearing the great news decided to send Earth a fission bomb as and act of kindness. Knowing full well that Earth is not big enough to handle a fission bomb, I plucked it out of the atmosphere while flying in my Yugo and ate it. The indigestion from the fission bomb was horrendous; luckily, for me China has developed a new antacid from lead that does the trick every time you eat a fission bomb from Mars.
`
4) During lunch, news traveled fast of my appointment as the PFP, an assassination attempt was made on my life from the Plutonians. I saw them coming far ahead before they got to me, since Earth isn't filled with cartoon dogs. I gathered them up with the help of my right-footed trolls and put them in my trunk of my flying Yugo.
5) Mid-afternoon I received a medal of distinguished service as the PFP from the planet Saturn. It was presented for my long and illustrious service as a PFP.
6) Tired from the long day, I declared three in the afternoon official nap time and napped we did. I laid to rest atop my bed of elongated buffalo nickels enchanted with fairy dust. The fairy dust came from the fairy I have mounted on my wall of trophies. It is famous in thirty-four galaxies and a honorable mention in two universes.
7) After my nap, I borrowed Mathman's TARDIS, unfortunately it needed some maintenance and has left me stranded inside core of Mars, which I have decommissioned and unable to leave via the TARDIS. The Martians know this and have replaced my body on Earth with a Martian clone to take over the Federation of Planets and eventually decommission Earth.
1) Yesterday morning I awoke with trumpets being sounded and was escorted to work on top of giant elephants covered in jewels and a processional of forty two jaguars that had a slight touch of gray in their coats.
2) The occasion was trumped when the President of the Federation of Planets arrived via her flying Yugo. She announced that she is stepping down to let me pave the way as the new PFP. I know you are all ecstatic about his new development.
3) My first act as the PFP was to decommission Mars. The Martians upon hearing the great news decided to send Earth a fission bomb as and act of kindness. Knowing full well that Earth is not big enough to handle a fission bomb, I plucked it out of the atmosphere while flying in my Yugo and ate it. The indigestion from the fission bomb was horrendous; luckily, for me China has developed a new antacid from lead that does the trick every time you eat a fission bomb from Mars.
`
4) During lunch, news traveled fast of my appointment as the PFP, an assassination attempt was made on my life from the Plutonians. I saw them coming far ahead before they got to me, since Earth isn't filled with cartoon dogs. I gathered them up with the help of my right-footed trolls and put them in my trunk of my flying Yugo.
5) Mid-afternoon I received a medal of distinguished service as the PFP from the planet Saturn. It was presented for my long and illustrious service as a PFP.
6) Tired from the long day, I declared three in the afternoon official nap time and napped we did. I laid to rest atop my bed of elongated buffalo nickels enchanted with fairy dust. The fairy dust came from the fairy I have mounted on my wall of trophies. It is famous in thirty-four galaxies and a honorable mention in two universes.
7) After my nap, I borrowed Mathman's TARDIS, unfortunately it needed some maintenance and has left me stranded inside core of Mars, which I have decommissioned and unable to leave via the TARDIS. The Martians know this and have replaced my body on Earth with a Martian clone to take over the Federation of Planets and eventually decommission Earth.
`
So since this is a tagging game, I tag:
I figure since I had to come up with seven fibs which almost doubled my current tally, I would give this gift to seven others.
Who Are You?
I am know who I am.
Most of you know who I am.
Some of you think you know who I am.
Since we all know who I am please do not use my name, meaning my "real" name when commenting. I know you are talking to me because you are here, on my site, to read this discombobulated text written by me.
I know there is no point in being anonymous in this world, but let's pretend. Let us all pretend together. So then we can be merry.
You want to be merry don't you?
Great.
I am glad we are in agreement.
Now stop using my real name.
I mean it.
I may send my imaginary army of left footed trolls after you, if you do not heed my warnings.
Okay, then.
Most of you know who I am.
Some of you think you know who I am.
Since we all know who I am please do not use my name, meaning my "real" name when commenting. I know you are talking to me because you are here, on my site, to read this discombobulated text written by me.
I know there is no point in being anonymous in this world, but let's pretend. Let us all pretend together. So then we can be merry.
You want to be merry don't you?
Great.
I am glad we are in agreement.
Now stop using my real name.
I mean it.
I may send my imaginary army of left footed trolls after you, if you do not heed my warnings.
Okay, then.
Friday, December 28, 2007
I Have Been Blessed
I truly do not think I qualifiy to be blessed and I shouldn't be the one blessing other people. You can read about me being a heathen here. But in the spirit of the gesture, the following is the roots:
Steve, a blogsphere friend, has blessed me. To which, I can not thank enough.
I bless:
Rogue Gunner
Random Thoughts of an Aspiring Expat (Jan's daughter)
Inner Dorothy*
The above people/blogs all need a blessing. Whether they know it or not. Each have there own struggles with life and if grace can be wrought through them, then all can be well in the world.
I am supposed to say a prayer with my explanation, but I feel my explanation is my prayer.
The idea… it’s a game of tag with a difference, rather than looking inwardly, we look outside ourselves and bless, praise and pray for one blog friend. By participating in this endeavour we not only make the recipient of the blessing feel valued and appreciated, but we are having some fun too. We’re going to see how far the bloggin’ blessings can travel around the world and how many people can be blessed! Recipients of a bloggin’ blessing may upload the above image to their sidebar if they choose to. If you recieve a bloggin’ blessin’ please leave a comment on this thread here so that we can rejoice in just how many blessings have been sent around the world!
Steve, a blogsphere friend, has blessed me. To which, I can not thank enough.
I bless:
Rogue Gunner
Random Thoughts of an Aspiring Expat (Jan's daughter)
Inner Dorothy*
The above people/blogs all need a blessing. Whether they know it or not. Each have there own struggles with life and if grace can be wrought through them, then all can be well in the world.
I am supposed to say a prayer with my explanation, but I feel my explanation is my prayer.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
So You Are About to be Deployed
So you're about to be deployed for seven, nine, twelve or fourteen months to some barren waste land on the other side of the globe with no Wally's World or Mic Dicks within MRAP distance. What can you bring to make your time more enjoyable?
I am so glad you asked, I have some suggestions. (The following are just that suggestions that worked for me or for the ones I work with. No guarantees on your experience.)
Condoms - No not for sex, because "no one here is allowed to have sex," condoms are great for stopping unwanted particles entering your rifle through the barrel or the magazine chamber when not outside the wire. Also, ladies, condoms help keep your vibrators stay nice and clean.
ID holder - I used the one in the link, but you may want to use an armband version, either way you will want to use something that is handy to carry your ID, a little cash, a key and can be secured to your person somehow.
M9 Holster - You can find some leather holster out here but you may want to find something that is more comfortable to you and your equipment. There are some who are content with what they were issued, most use an after market holster. The style in the link is the most common.
MP3 player - Whether it is an iPod or Zune or something else, tunes always make the day go by a little faster.
Video Game Consoles - If you are one that is not going to be outside the wire constantly, this is a good time waster. I brought a laptop, but almost everyone has something.
Alarm Clock - Just because some days you don't want to get up.
Ziploc bags - The "color seal" is nice to have and a kind of guarantee that it is closed. Ziplocs are handy all the time. It won't take long before you realize what a gem they are.
The three things I always deploy with are: a feather pillow, sleep mask, a cotton blanket. Call me crazy, but to me it is the essentials.
Good luck with your adventure.
I am so glad you asked, I have some suggestions. (The following are just that suggestions that worked for me or for the ones I work with. No guarantees on your experience.)
Condoms - No not for sex, because "no one here is allowed to have sex," condoms are great for stopping unwanted particles entering your rifle through the barrel or the magazine chamber when not outside the wire. Also, ladies, condoms help keep your vibrators stay nice and clean.
ID holder - I used the one in the link, but you may want to use an armband version, either way you will want to use something that is handy to carry your ID, a little cash, a key and can be secured to your person somehow.
M9 Holster - You can find some leather holster out here but you may want to find something that is more comfortable to you and your equipment. There are some who are content with what they were issued, most use an after market holster. The style in the link is the most common.
MP3 player - Whether it is an iPod or Zune or something else, tunes always make the day go by a little faster.
Video Game Consoles - If you are one that is not going to be outside the wire constantly, this is a good time waster. I brought a laptop, but almost everyone has something.
Alarm Clock - Just because some days you don't want to get up.
Ziploc bags - The "color seal" is nice to have and a kind of guarantee that it is closed. Ziplocs are handy all the time. It won't take long before you realize what a gem they are.
The three things I always deploy with are: a feather pillow, sleep mask, a cotton blanket. Call me crazy, but to me it is the essentials.
Good luck with your adventure.
The Center of the World
Sometimes I would like to think that I am the center of the world but I know better. Through some of my travels I made it to the Center of the World. I talk about it more here.
PresbyFruit & The Village Carpenter
The Village Carpenter & PresbyFruit sent me a nice care package with all sorts of goodies in it. Thank you both for the box. The card is awesome!
This is another example of how small the world is.
This is another example of how small the world is.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Top Ten Posts Read of the Year
The following is a list of what YOU, the reader, felt is the most interesting ramblings of a wretch like me. The numbers in parenthesis are number of hits for the last 365 days.)
10) I.Q. - December 6th, 2007 (75)
9) Five of My Favorite Gifts of All Time - November 27th, 2007 (84)
8) Letters - The Answer Expanded, Part II - November 30th, 2007 (86)
7) Green Bay Packers Tops My List - Semptember 1st, 2007 (101)
6) 1st Week Sergeant's Course - January 6th, 2006 (150)
5) Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - September 07, 2005 (189)
(The title at the post redirects you elsewhere.)
4) How I Was Infected - December 11, 2007 (190)
3) The Marines' Hymn - November 9th, 2007 (210)
2) Quit Smoking: Day 3 - January 30, 2007 (265)
And the number one post:
1) Let me tell you about TPS Reports - June 07, 2006 (558)
10) I.Q. - December 6th, 2007 (75)
9) Five of My Favorite Gifts of All Time - November 27th, 2007 (84)
8) Letters - The Answer Expanded, Part II - November 30th, 2007 (86)
7) Green Bay Packers Tops My List - Semptember 1st, 2007 (101)
6) 1st Week Sergeant's Course - January 6th, 2006 (150)
5) Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - September 07, 2005 (189)
(The title at the post redirects you elsewhere.)
4) How I Was Infected - December 11, 2007 (190)
3) The Marines' Hymn - November 9th, 2007 (210)
2) Quit Smoking: Day 3 - January 30, 2007 (265)
And the number one post:
1) Let me tell you about TPS Reports - June 07, 2006 (558)
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
To the Top..
I figure my WIIFM might be answered here.(Bonus points if you can guess where this photo was taken.)
Calling Mom.
I stood in line to use the phone for about three hours and then suddenly the network was out. So no signal. Unpredictable these things are, says the guy working on it. So I waited around for another half hour and the guy working on it says he has no idea how much longer it will be. So I figure that means it will be awhile. I go back to work and relieve my counterpart for awhile. He comes back and says he just used the phones to call home and the line were "not long." So I go back and the line is longer than the three hour line I stood in earlier. I will figure something out or I will have to wait until tomorrow.
Update: I talked to Mom about an hour later.
Update: I talked to Mom about an hour later.
WIIFM?
As the day is closing, I can't help but wonder the WIIFM. (We, military people use acronyms for everything.) The WIIFM is What's In It For Me. I know there are many like me.
You just have to love the holidays.
You just have to love the holidays.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Christmas Morning
I have never seen the sky look as it looks now. I have been trying to get a pictures but my camera is cheap and does not take night pictures.
The above is a representation of what is in the sky. There is a circle of clouds around the moon and are illuminated with mars slightly to the east.
I asked someone else about it and their reply was they saw the sky like this before, well I haven't.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Packers - Bears Game
I unfortunately will not be able to watch the game tonight. I will try to get my updates via the web as often as I can. It is a big game. Always is and most likely always will be.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Something Quick
It is relatively warm so far today. I came into work and it is in the low forties. Predictably the temp doesn't drop more than fifteen degrees fro the time I arrive to the time I leave. There are exceptions to that rule though. I am listening to Turn to Stone by the Electric Light Orchestra at the moment. My boss is writing up my "evaluation" this weekend, we call them Fitness Reports or FitReps.
I received some Christmas card in the mail today, from the Fauls, Hansons, Langs, Youngs, Dice and Singhs. Thank you for the cards. If I already didn't say mail will be rerouted here shortly so please do not send anything more this way, to prevent the delay.
I myself stood in line in the post office for a couple of hours today and didn't get seen because sleep was becoming more important. I will try again in a few days, after Christmas, it then may be better.
I thank eveyone who comments on this blog, the little interaction here helps. And it is the little things.
I received some Christmas card in the mail today, from the Fauls, Hansons, Langs, Youngs, Dice and Singhs. Thank you for the cards. If I already didn't say mail will be rerouted here shortly so please do not send anything more this way, to prevent the delay.
I myself stood in line in the post office for a couple of hours today and didn't get seen because sleep was becoming more important. I will try again in a few days, after Christmas, it then may be better.
I thank eveyone who comments on this blog, the little interaction here helps. And it is the little things.
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