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.