June 2005

I'm Clearcube'd out

June 28, 2005: But you all really could care less, and frankly, so could I. So I'll just say that Windows XP SP2 has been removed and all is well with the world again. So can we talk about other things please? Sheesh, you and your demands are getting out of control! (Am I losing my mind? I fear I may be.)

So reading my friends' websites lately has led me to the conclusion that I am fortunate enough to have truly insane friends. And that is a complement of the highest degree. You guys make me laugh every time I go to your site, whether it be Michancy ranting or bragging about something (her yard-of-the-month post on her website made me cry) or Sgt Jenny threatening me with violence and making sure I keep Shmofield from eating all the food at her memorial service or Gendy regaling us (with amazingly graceful writing which one day I'd love to emulate) about crazy old men telling her what she needs to do with her life. Robbie's updates are few and far between, but when he does write, especially his stories about others and telemarketers, it's comic gold. I want Squirrel to get back home so he gets away from mortar fire - that's too damn freaky. But his website provides a great view of what's going on in Iraq, at least from an Air Force Comm Officer's perspective. And I'll comment on Alan's site to say it's fun to read what he's doing, but he never responds to my guestbook entries on his site, so he sucks.

I watched Bad(der) Santa this weekend, and then watched Orgazmo yesterday. Those movies are so damn funny, Bad Santa especially. It's hilarious to see Billy Bob Thornton as this completely drunk, foul-mouthed (and I mean foul-mouthed) mall Santa who screws everything that walks. And Orgazmo, which was made by the same guys who make South Park, was fairly stupid, but still entertaining to watch as you see a goodygoody Mormon become an accidental porno star.

And with that, I'm out. Two Alaskan beers in me and I'm feeling fine.

LATE UPDATE: Happy Birthday Byron!!!!!! Stay Safe in Baghdad! We miss you back in the States!
What's New? The 3rd page in my Alaskan section, showing pictures from the time when we were on the ferry for an entire day without any stops. That's a long time to be on a boat.

Completely lazy

June 26, 2005: As you can see, my updates for the Alaska trip, not to mention my journal, have been scarce. It's been quite tough coming back from two weeks of leave and coming back to a job that I just.... love. But the week finally ended. I slept like shit this past week, and this weekend I've ended up sleeping in nearly till noon both days. It feels good, but when you lose so much time to do so stuff, it kinda sucks. My uber-laziness is also why I haven't left my apartment at all this weekend - and I even had plans. So my complete apologies to those I stood up - I don't mean to be like that, yet it does tell a lot as to why I have no friends, doesn't it?

So on Friday, I went to the retirement ceremony for a man I don't even know - but I work with his wife, Lisa (who works in Eglin, but she's such an awesome lady that I went for her mainly). Yet sitting there listening to the praise being heaped upon him made me almost sad. The man has been in for 32 years, 14 years as enlisted (he made it to E-8 before jumping to the officer side), and listening to him was incredible. It made me realize that I really wish I had some sort of mentor like that - as it is, I haven't found one. My bosses have all been pretty blech, and never has one seemed very interested in my career development. Perhaps I'm not worth it? But this leads very much to my not wanting to stay in the Air Force. I've never felt like anyone really gave a shit about my future, and it almost hurts when I meet people who do have those mentor-types in their careers. What am I doing wrong?

So, while that may sound like a depressed lament, it's really not. It is just an observation. I'm still stoked about going to Colorado, and my laziness will eventually leave. It always does. In fact, you can now see the second page of my Alaska journey!

And on this weekend's theme of DVD watching, it's been all about the disaster movies! I just finished watching the Towering Inferno, and now I'm right in the midst of the Poseidon Adventure, the part where they're climbing up the Christmas tree to get to the galley. In mere minutes, those damn fools who listened to the purser are going to be regretting that!!!! Anyways, have you heard that they're remaking the Poseidon Adventure? With today's effects, they can probably do the ship-turning-over thing a lot more believably! They have to give Shelley Winters a cameo though!

Guess where I'm moving this fall!

June 20, 2005: Well, I finally got my assignment notification. It actually waited for me to return from Alaska, funnily enough. I was actually just joking around with my boss when I asked him about my assignment, but he responded with a cryptic "We'll see..." as he left the room. He came back with a printout in hand and announced I had an assignment. I immediately crossed my fingers (I almost said eyes....that would have been an interesting moment to be sure with me and my eyes crossed waiting for him to say where. Perhaps that would have changed things...?) and chanted to myself "Not the Dakotas, Not the Dakotas, not New Mexico...." and then he said, "I hope you like bats". Which meant absolutely nothing to me. He continued, "because you're going to be working in a cave", which amazingly, provided absolutely no illumination as to where the hell I was going. He then came clean: Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs. Not too shabby, I must say. It was just kinda shocking to finally get the news! And a relief. He actually asked me if I was okay, as I was just taken aback. I didn't put Colorado down at all on my dream sheet. At all. Not that I'm complaining mind you, as from what I've heard and what I remember when I went to the Air Force Academy for a rifle drill team meet, the area there is amazingly beautiful. So I'm headed to the Mountain! It's a base completely inside a mountain - hopefully you can figure out why. Remember WarGames, the movie? That's it. "SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?" Hells yeah, beyotch!!! It's called, when the fuck can I get out of Las Vegas? But alas, I am cheating, as I know the answer to this too, as my report date is 10 Dec, which hopefully I can arrive earlier than - say.... August? So I'm stoked. I'll be able to go skiing much, I plan on FINALLY buying a house (as the real estate market is still affordable there apparently), and it's not that far to move. So, I'm stoked and excited. Oh, apparently I'm tentatively a deputy flight commander in the 721st Comm Squadron out there. But I think as the time gets closer, more details will be revealed.

So today was a decent day! Unfortunately there's no more pictures of Alaska for the time being. I just went to the grocery store for the first time in forever and I am now back and exhausted. I hate grocery shopping with a passion. It's absolutely no fun. But it's finally over, and I can have breakfast and dinner again without paying for it! Yeehaw! Although I will still indulge in pizza one night a week, as why shouldn't I? I LOVE Pizza Hut dippin strips pizza, especially with the ranch dressing. YUMMMMMMMM.

I hope to get some pictures up by Wednesday. Tomorrow I actually have plans to go play some craps, and you know I CAN'T pass that up. Let's hope the luck keeps coming.

Do I Hafta Go Back?

June 19, 2005: Being gone for two weeks from work was brilliant. The part of my plan that has backfired is that I have to go back. And since so much has happened, based on what people have told me, it really sounds like it'll be F.U.N. See how I spelled fun in capital letters? That's because it'll be LOTS of fun. Or not.

So since I've been back, I've done absolutely as little as possible. I went to lunch with the gang from work to send off Matt back to Eglin. He has helped us out during our manning shortage at work. He'll definitely be missed. But during this weekend, I did close to nothing. I went to Outback with the Schofields which is always fun. Played LOTS of Jedi Academy on my computer and procrastinated heavily on working on Alaska pictures, as there are so damn many pictures to go over. I've determined there's no way I can put them all up - so the best will go up. Today I went on a DVD marathon - I'm currently watching the Byron-heartattack movie "Joy Ride", which is so frustrating to watch: the Steve Zahn character is so damn annoying - he alone gets them into the jam they end up in. I also watched Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Ruthless People, and The War of the Roses (which you can tell Mr. and Mrs. Smith borrowed from a little bit). DVDs rule.
What's New? The Seattle section of my Alaska pictures are up.

Hang On a Little Longer!!

June 16, 2005: I have returned safely from an outstanding and awesome trip up North. I saw all sorts of Alaskan and Canadian scenery while traveling with my best friend, and it was totally cool. I could go on and on about what we did and where we went, but then you'll never visit the page I create for the trip. I'm going to work on getting everything done before the weekend is up, but seriously, there's a TON of pictures to go through. I took 400 myself, and Jason took a freakin' boatload as well. Obviously won't be able to put them all up, and frankly, not all of them are worthy as it is. So we'll see how it goes.

I'm Off to Alaska!

June 5, 2005: Yes, I'm off on a fun-filled roadtrip from Seattle to Anchorage, Alaska. I'll be meeting up with Jason tomorrow morning after flying up to Seattle from Vegas; we'll spend the night in Seattle; next day, we get on a ferry that takes us to Juneau (4 days later....); spend the night in Juneau; next day, get on another ferry to Tok, Alaska (wherever the hell that is); I think we arrive the next day in Tok, spend the night, and then drive the 800 remaining miles to Anchorage, getting there on Wednesday and then me taking off Thursday morning at 0130 to get back to Vegas by plane right at lunchtime on Thursday. Should be fun!!! You'll see the pictures when I get back.

This past weekend has been fun. I won $250 on craps, and mostly due to my own good rolling of the dice, amazingly. I think I rolled about 35-40 times in a row. Awesome. Then I got my new dining room table on Saturday, and it's awesome. Although a glass table is a bitch to clean - I had to clean the bottom AND the top! Needless to say, I immediately went to Target to get some placemats so that I NEVER touch the glass. Then on Saturday night I went to the Hofbrauhaus with Shadwick and the Schofields, and another awesome time was had. I took lots of stupid pictures, and when I return I will be sure to post them. The front page has a picture of me and Shadwick pointing at something that only Schofield can tell you. And then today, I just putzed around the house, getting ready for a long vacation. Sweet. Fingers crossed that everything goes well!

See you when I get back in about 11 days!

Oh, and here's some links to keep you entertained while I'm gone:
First, a video of the coolest Air Force academy cadet ever.
Second and finally, a video that all Home Depots should aspire to.

Some Daily June Pictures June 2005
1 June: My wonderful Masters diploma from UoP!	4 June: Cash-ola winnings from the Boulder Station craps tables	5 June: Picture of my new cool glass table with colorful placemats

Explosions, Heat, and no Wetness to be felt

June 1, 2005: Yeah, that title was to see how many of you pervs thought it was going to be about something else. But it actually does have relevance to some of what I'll be discussing with you today. So sit, grab a brewski (I've got my Wahrsteiner in hand - and Wahrsteiner is NOT a euphemism for that) ((although I must admit it's not a good idea for me to have a beer I believe, as I just managed to pour quite a bit of my water bottle all over me as I managed to completely miss my mouth with the bottle - amazing...or just sad)), and read. Hopefully I won't go on too long. But you know me.

So anyways, on with the Explosions. Have you READ Byron's website lately? Good GOD! I really thought that where he was it wasn't going to be all that bad - sure, it would be hot, and you'd hear all the crap that's going on in the city of Baghdad, as hell, it is war over there, but to read that the freakin' PX/BX was hit with a rocket attack is unreal. And to hear that Byron just missed being near those areas is too close. Come home, Byron!

And that Heat. It's damn hot here in Vegas. It's managed to cool down a little, and it's even windy right now. But it certainly makes you want to really consider if it's that important to go out and do something that requires traveling outside. I hate even going to the other building on the other side of the parking lot from where I work. And my black car, I love her to pieces, but winter weight BDUs, leather seats, and having it roasting all day do not a good combo make. Anyways, that no Wetness bit was just to reference that there's been no rain, but that comment is a lie, as every time I get out of my car, I'm plenty soaked in sweat. It's quite unpleasant.

So have you all heard? Ms Jenny is coming out to Vegas for her first farewell tour! Just like Cher! She's even bringing backup so she doesn't get in trouble and talk to her ex. Wouldn't it be messed up if he was at the Hofbrauhaus when we were there? Just kidding, Robinson! I definitely wouldn't do that. But you better watch that Shmofield.

Didn't do anything remarkable on my 4-day weekend. I started thinking it's quite pathetic that I did nothing, but then I realized, hello, you're going to be going on a 2-week vacation in nigh a week. So relax, get drunk, play video games like the geek that you are, gamble a little (I actually gambled quite less than I expected - go me!), buy some stuff (and boy did I - details below), and relax...again. And I did. Although Monday morning I woke up with one of those headaches that is TOTALLY uninvited but not unexpected, especially when you've been drinking a tad much the night before. It woke me up at 6am and the apartment was ablaze with light. I nearly felt like a vampire, cursing the evil torch of the sun for hurting my eyes so. Then I realized it was not only bright, but my head was pulsing with pain. I HATE HANGOVER HEADACHES. They make me want to cry. But I didn't. But I wanted to.

So I bought stuff. I finally bought a new dining room table to replace the ghetto one I bought when I was a new 2nd Lt in San Antonio. Back then, I had no furniture at all except a ghetto desk and lots of books and a computer and some other odds and ends. I only had a one-bedroom apartment, so I didn't need to get much, but even though officers allegedly make tons of money, it's really not the case as a new 2nd Lt. Especially having to set yourself up on your own for the first time. I ended up going to a Furniture rental store that also sold their used stuff - it was cheap and it worked for me. Hell, I still have the stuff, so I got my money out of those things. But I really don't like the dining room table that much anymore, especially with all the other nicer things I've been able to get to furnish my place. So I drove like a crazy person all around Vegas on Friday, when I should have just went to the 'largest furniture store in Nevada' in the first place: Walker Furniture, which is right there at the intersection of the 95 and 15 freeways. That place is freakin' incredible. The huge selection blew me away. The first floor didn't have anything dining related, and I began to worry, but the salesman showed me upstairs, and literally, that is nothing BUT dining room tables and sets. Awesome. I will post a picture on Saturday of the new ensemble as that is when it gets delivered. It's sweet. Glass table top, black metal frame. Black leather chair backs. Sweet. Cost me a decent penny, but it's worth it. So I'll get my table just as I leave for two weeks. Oh well, it'll be like a surprise when I get back.

I gotta say it's been a pleasure typing these past few minutes. I highly recommend you all check out the first season of Scrubs on DVD. That show is pure brilliance, and is so funny. And not a laugh track in sight.

Alright, that's it for my blatant plugs and that's also it for this entry. Hobie needs to make his steak and corn and get fit. I've actually been working out, and amazingly, I actually am seeing results. Go me. I ran my ass off this morning at Runner's World, and it felt great. I got a new MP3 player, and it is very small and very cool. Holds 5 GB of songs - it's the Rio Carbon, for any interested out there. Okay, now I'm done.
What's New? Like I said on the front page, what, you want a pony every time you show up at my site? puhlease!

Shoot me an email if you want to. I may respond. (okay, you know I will - what else have I got to do?)