the kernals are poppin

... back in business ... kinda

2008-02-16T19:34:00.003-06:00

well i finally got internet in my 6 by 10 foot living space ... i just love these barracks ... anyway i have alot of catching up to do and seeings how i have 4 straight days off i shall be doing all the catching up i can ... be back soon ...

one disturbing thing though ...

while in the dfac eating a meal (i dont call it food but apparently the army does ... btw i HAVE to spend $250 a month to eat the dfac ... ) they had the news on ... some marine civilian person came out and said that they are finally buying in to the MRAP's for iraq (IED proof trucks for soldiers) ... they said that they hadnt adopted the MRAP's earlier cause they cost too much ... COST TOO MUCH!!!!!! the leading cause of deaths / injuries are IED's ... and you say that it was too expensive to buy IED proof trucks ... so basically you are saying it cost to much to try and keep the soldiers safer in iraq ...

i almost threw up right there on the spot ...

this is getting old ...

2008-02-02T22:05:00.000-06:00

Thank you again everyone for sending well wishes my way!!! I cant thank you enough!!!

So from the moment I stepped foot off the plane back home up until the moment I step foot back on a plane to texas, I can say that I couldnt of had a better time here at home. I had the chance to see alot of my family and friends, I attended some hockey games, and I ate and drank like I hadnt had real food in over a year ;) ... so I knew that I had to go back to texas and I can honestly say that its going to be almost as hard to leave tomorrow as it was when I was going back to Iraq.

All these goodbyes are getting old. Being home for so long I was able to get back into a grove and live like a normal person (thats not in the military) ... and now I have to leave it again to head back to the stupidity that we call the greatest army on the planet (it is, but i still hate it) ... all I want to do is wake up one morning and not have to be in the army any more ... its getting old ...

I am going to try and treat tomorrow like just a normal day ... like its not a big deal ... I already have my next trip back home planned ... but once I get on that plane and put on my head phones its gonna hurt ... and thats getting old!

by the way ... georgie boy approved our pay raise ... let me tell you its a good thing he did!

HOME SWEET HOME!!!

2008-01-06T22:26:00.000-06:00

It feels sooooo good to be home!!!! Sorry for not posting a little earlier but I needed some chill days with the family ... as soon as I catch back up with the 21st century I will be back in full blogger mode ...

I wanted to thank everyone who emailed me and sent me well wishes ... it really means a lot to get emails from people who are supporting you and it really helped me get through one of (if not the) toughest years of my life ... I really cant thank you enough!!!!!!

again, thank you everyone out there for keeping me going and I will be back in full blogger mode soon!!!!!

Happy Belated New Years!!!!

back already

2007-06-09T16:59:00.000-05:00

well i have found myself back across the pond already ... my time home was short ... but it was sweet ... i thoroughly enjoyed myself ... it is hard coming back though ... you get back into the rhythm of not being here ... it was nice ... now i get to look forward to seeing if we are going to get extended for sure and to see if i hit the jackpot and catch a duty station close to home ... i just wanted to say thank you ... i have been lucky as to having a great family and friends base and i consider all of you my friends ... i thank you for your support and words of wisdom ... it really helps ... well thank you again ... i will check in later after i get back into the soldier frame of mind ... once again ... thank you!!!!

home sweet home

2007-05-27T07:26:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that i am currently home for a couple weeks ... its a nice needed break ... although too short ... not that i take much for granted but i have found that i really miss all those little things ... driving a car without having to wear body armor ... being able to walk into walmart and get whatever i want ... being able to see my friends and family ... being home everyone always asks "hows everything over there" "what do you think of the whole thing" ... the general questions that everyone asks ... but the conversation always ends something along the lines of them saying "well i thank you for what you do ... we truly thank you" ... and i usually end it with "thank you ... we couldnt do it without you guys ... you keep us going" ... for the first time i am truly going to realize what memorial day really means! so everyone enjoy themselves alittle extra for the troops that wont be able to ... i however have to drink roughly a 30 pack for all the "drink ones for me" ... but i figure its the least i can do for my fellow comrades ... happy memorial day

couple weeks later ...

2007-05-07T05:27:00.000-05:00

couple weeks later ...

i thought i would never say this, but i am really glad to just be here watching the sun try and melt the sand. Its been a rough couple of weeks. Having to be in a lot of places at one time, enough paper work to last a lifetime, and of course having to please everyone. But i have finally been able to just find this spot and relax. And let me tell you if anyone bothers me while i am getting my swedish massage in my 1.3 million dollar bungalow i am going to get really pissed. Dont worry the bungalow came with a suite at the hard rock hotel and casino in las vegas.

Its been about 3 weeks since i hit the lotto and i havent been able to really enjoy myself since. Having to get my lawyer and accountant situated, getting my investments set, making sure everyone is taken care of is alot harder then it seems. but finally my friends and i came to the conclusion that the hard rock hotel was going to be our vegas home. the sand bottom pool surrounded by beautiful women made the choice very very easy. not to mention the hositality the hotel has shown since arriving. we got the royal treatment since entering this place, we have been soaking up every second.

i was able to use the "business center" of the hotel for my meeting with one of my best friends. he has his masters in architecture. he has so kindly designed my new house. i have always wanted a castle. now i am going to get what i have always dreamed. i was able to purchase 80 achers of river front land in my home town. i simple donation of 160 achers was needed to arrange that. i was glad to not only get the property but help protect my town from too populated too fast. my castle isnt going to be a real castle, but it will look like one on the outside. it will have gargoyles on the roof, a "mans lounge" with walk in humidor, bar, pool table, card table, and a projector set up on a 60 inch screen, and the house will also contain a pool with a gratto (playboy mansion style). along with those goodies next to the pool will be a barbaque pit, volleyball court, and a basketball court that will be easily converted into a roller hockey rink. those are the more important neccessities that were included but the house will be nice with plenty of goodies to come. i had to make sure though that the study/library contained a bookself that opened up to a secret room containing my vault and walker was more then welcome to include that in the blue print.

for doing such a fantastic job on the prints walker was more then welcome to join us in vegas and enjoy himself a massage as well. we are relaxing this afternoon because tonight was going go get crazy. the concerierge at the hard rock was more then welcome to arrange a VIP club tour of vegas. everything was set up from our stretch limo to our designated tables at club playboy and the ghostbar at the palms, club RA at the mirage, and club tyrst at the wynn. the only thing was that we were going to have to end our tour at spot in the hard rock, but that was an easier decision seeings how they are going to pretty much rope off half the VIP section for us. the only real thing that was missing was the fact that we had to find some ladies. but spotting scott over at floating bar surrounded by ladies pretty much took care of that. i looked over at walker with his shit eatting grin and said "tonight is going to be nuts". "i know" he replied, followed by a quick clank of bud light bottles and a puff on the montecristos. tonight was going to be nuts.

finally ...

2007-04-08T11:28:00.000-05:00

i have finally been able to log into my blogspot ... i have been able to surf around but for some reason i couldnt log in and comment or post ... after trying for 30 mins tonight i have made it in ...

things here are pretty much the same ol same ol ... we have been alittle down because our red headed step headquaters unit (4ID ... we share ft hood at the moment ... they were supposed to move to ft carson) is coming back early ... im sure you have read in the news ... when they leave to come back they would have only been home for 7 months ... 7 months and they are coming back ... these soldiers are my friends ... and let me tell you they arent happy ... this is where its gonna get really bad ... start sending troops over here after being home for a short amount of time ... they didnt even have enough time to really recoup ... much less fix their vechiles and equipment ... this is going to pay a major toll on families ... it is really sad ... because i saw 4ID leave ... and now i am going to see them come back ... like i mentioned ... they were supposed to move to carson ... but they werent even home long enough to do that ... i am just saying ... things are going to start going down hill even faster ...

but i am really looking forward to going home for R&R ... i really need a break from here ... i need to recharge ... everyone is pretty much at nerves end around here ...

i think in another life i was rich ... i say this because well i was writing about hitting the lotto (btw i have tried to write another blog on that ... nothing good ... so i didnt post ... brain is kinda friend) ... i am fascinated with "luxury things" ... trips, cars, boats, houses ... i am not a materialistic person ... but i dont like to think that "only the rich do that" ... just to let you know i will enjoy a week stay at some remote Fijian island ... anyway i am starting to ramble its kinda late here ... hopefully i will be able to log and surf around on my day off tomorrow ...

Happy easter to everyone out there in bloggerland ... oh and i got promoted!!!! im a specialist now ... my mom was happy for me ... but she let me know that i was always special hahaha ... night bloggerland

more not understanding ...

2007-03-05T01:02:00.000-06:00

First I would like to say that I have been trying to get on here for some time ... it seems that there is something wrong on my computer ... well the something is that I am having trouble logging on this site ... I have "forced" my way on ...

well today was supposed to be my "day off" ... I say "supposed to be" because my commander was knocking at my door this morning telling me I had to go to the office to fix some shit ... it was nothing big ... but since it deals with computers everyone just throws their hands in the air and screams for my name ... I have a "backup" person but their response is "ummm i dont know" ... so that does me no good ... but I fixed the problem and I have returned to my 5 by 5 living space ... on the walk over I was in a vegetative state ... just numb ... I dont sleep well ... so I am tired, physically and mentally ... I received my smallpox shot last week and I went into the doctors office the other day to get it checked out ... I figured that since I was there I would ask about my sleeping problem ... pretty much the doctor told me to try some things ...

1) if you cant sleep get out of bed and do some crossword puzzles or something to make you tired ... ummm doc ... if I get out of bed I'm in my roommates bed ... there is no where for me to go ...

2) if there are loud noises in your area, turn on your tv to a low sound to try and drown out the noise ... WE ARE IN IRAQ ... mortars, helicopters, asdkja;dfalkfja;df AHHHHHHHHHHHH

3) if there is some light seeping into your room, try and fix it ... well doc these high constructed living quarters have light coming in at all directions ... i would physically have to tape myself into my room ...

bottom line all I wanted was some ambien so I could sleep good ... but instead I got a list of 12 things to try ... needless to say after getting to the third thing I ripped up the page and threw it away ...

but anyway ... so I am here surfing the net on the couple hours I have to myself ... and I stumble across this http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17458428/ ... pretty much it says there is no plan B for iraq ... the marine gen said "and Marines don't talk about failure. They talk about victory." ... look buddy I dont know where you have been for the last 4 years ... BUT THIS IS A FAILURE!!!! there is no backup plan ... I dont even think there is a "good" plan A but geez ... lives are at stake and trillions of dollars ... there should be some kind of plan ... at least 5 backups ... i dont get it ... i really dont ... sometimes I think I missed something along the way ... like there is something I didnt get ... because this is all already gone to hell ... its only worse ... its not gonna get better ... i mean the Iraq president guy just said he was going to fire his cabinet in 2 weeks ... WHO GIVES SOMEONE 2 WEEKS NOTICE THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE FIRED ... i mean come on ... you re giving them time to wrap up loose ends and finish business ... and now we have to start all over again ... that means we are here longer ... now we have to get a whole new cabinet appointed and caught up to speed and its going to take forever!!!! funny i found this on another bloggers site ... http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20070124&articleId=4579 and they say we aren't going to be here forever ... but yet we are building a city here ... hmmm ... great ... money well spent ... gives off the impression that we really want to hand things back over ...

you know our country went through alittle something something back in the day ... the civil war ... we had to fight it out ... it was a sad moment in our history ... but guess what ... one side won ... and because of that we have now have what is the united states of america ... we went through it ... i think we should just let Iraq fight it out ... its gonna happen anyway ... why put us in the middle ... but the funny thing is ... THEY HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS ... so it will never end ... ever ...

it hurts sometimes ... trying to figure this out ... i have been warned that trying to make sense of this could drive me insane ... but seriously ... how is this all happening ... why ... why wont they listen to themselves and the people and stop this mess ... hmmm and we want to start a democracy over here ... turns out we have a tyrant back home messing it all up ... thanks george ... thanks

2007-02-27T12:59:00.000-06:00

Dick Chaney took a visit over here the other day ... not that I wish harm to anyone ... but I find it funny that at the sound of explosion he ran to the nearest bunker and there was a huge media storm making sure he was ok and blah blah blah ... ask any solider there ... they probably slept through it ... again ... it sucks it happened and I dont wish harm ... but geez Dick ... you cant let them see you scared ...

On a good note ... TUA sent me a link to a story saying that some generals are prepared to resign if we attack Iran ... I am glad to see that some brass are growing "brass" ... it wont stop until someone stops Bush ... he has already given the finger to everyone and has stated that he is the commander in chief and he can do whatever he wants ... he laughed at congress for trying to stop him ... he just laughed ... I have a very bad feeling about this whole Iran thing ... I cant really say much ... I just dont like it ... and I really hope someone does something fast to stop it ... or at least get as many soliders as you can out of here ... cause once it happens ... its not gonna be good ... you thought it was bad now ... just wait until we are stretched even more thin ... dont like it one bit ...

on a lighter note ... started my little story telling ... i might change up the way its written so if you see some changes ... just go with it :P but more to come ... good night blogger land ... I have some outgoing to sleep through ...

day one ...

2007-02-27T12:55:00.000-06:00

*thump* *tud* I started to stir from my sleep, but I have grown accustomed to these sounds in the night. It’s funny what you can become used to when forced to deal with something. Being in Iraq has forced me to become accustomed to a lot of things. Then I heard the sound of some dog tags clinging together, the sounds must have woken my roommate as well. Then it dawned on me, "I’m not supposed to be here anymore". A cold sweat started to form on my skin, had it all been a dream I asked myself. Another *tud*. I stumbled out of bed and found the closet wall and looked for the light switch in a panic. It can’t be I said to myself, I'm not supposed to be here anymore. Then it clicked, the lights popped on, and what I thought were dog tags of my roommate where in fact dog tags, but to my Shi Tzu bosco. I sat on the edge of my bed and chuckled to myself. bosco still happy to see me, came and gave me a good morning lick to the face. Then I smelled it. Grandma was in the kitchen making coffee and that’s when I knew I was home.

As I walked up the stairs from my basement room I shielded my eyes from the morning light. Bosco ran past me in hopes of getting a treat from grandma while she was in the kitchen. It was a little after 8 am. Hey that’s sleeping in as far as I’m concerned. I was greeted with a kiss and hug from grandma, as well as a fresh cup of dunkin doughnuts coffee. I addicted to coffee, I just don’t feel right without it. I sat and chatted with my grandmother for a little while, most of the conversation was about how glad she was that I was home and safe, as well as what I was going to do next. You see no one really knows how I got out of going back to the sandbox from R&R, except her. She helped me so that no one else would know; she helped me so that I could get this done in peace and quiet. Not even my mom and dad know that I don’t have to go back, for all they know I leave this afternoon and head back over.

But today I am going to give them the good news. I don’t have to go back and in fact today is the first day. The first day to the rest of my life. The first day as a millionaire. The first thing I did when I got home for R&R was buy some lotto tickets. The jackpot was up around 450 million since out of the 8 states participating, no one had hit the jackpot in about 9 months. I figured since the army had a clause about lotto winning and big inheritances, I could get out on an honorable discharge and be set for life it I won. Turns out that during the commercial of American idol channel 5 news happen to run the winning numbers of the lotto, low and behold, I won. Grandma helped me get in touch with a lawyer, accountant, and helped me straighten all this out while leaving my parents out of the loop. I wanted it to be a surprise. We worked out a deal for the cash in hand lump sum with very little publicity. I’m just glad my dad skipped page 8 of the post that had my name as the winner. Anyway, last night before I went to bed and checked my account, there it was. My world savings account was 150 million dollars large. Turns out I was going to have a good nights sleep.

Well I sat there chatting with grandma and then it really hit me. I took a sip from my coffee and I looked at her and I said, "Grandma, from here on out I can do anything. Things that "only the rich and famous can do". That’s me now. That’s us." "Just take a lot of pictures for me, randy. Have fun and take pictures. That’s all I want" she said to me. Little did she know I had a shinny new car already picked out for her. I don’t think she'll mind. Just then as I was flipping through the life section of the post when I came across an add for Las Vegas "come stay for the week and you'll never want to leave". I just smiled.

The rest of the house started to awaken. My little sister had already made her way down to the couch in the living room and had the Saturday morning cartoons on. My mom had just walked in the kitchen and sat down next to me. She was happy that I was home but you could see it in her eyes she didn’t want me to go back. "Don’t worry mom. I have a feeling things are going to be ok." she replied "I hope so. Just promise me you'll be ok". With a smirk on my face "promise" came out with ease. I need to get moving though. I knew that the longer I sat there the more of a chance there was of my spilling the beans. So I got up and grabbed the keys to the truck. "Where you heading this early, you know you leave today" my mom shouted. "I gotta go see Scott before I leave. I have some things to take care of" I shouted back. From the sound of it my dad just turned off the water to the shower. I knew that I had to get going, or else I was going to be able to use the truck.

On my drive over to Scott’s the world seemed to be lifted off my shoulders. I didn’t have a care in the world. It could have taken me 6 hours to travel those 15 miles and I would have minded one bit. I pulled up to his driveway, well his parents’ driveway. Scott is not only one of my best friends but he is also my business partner. He moved in with his parents much like I had, to save money while starting SMF. That’s what lead my to join the army, I was broke and had no self confidence. Turns out I got some change in my pocket and I plenty of self confidence now. But he was understanding and always said that there was a spot for me when I get back. Well I’m back, and I got some capital to put in the business.

things ...

2007-02-08T11:21:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to say that its crazy the things that you can used to when you have too ... while over here you "live" in certain moments ... you just go through your day hoping for the next one to hurry up and get here ... but you there are moments when you have to just zone out and be "normal" again ... those moments for me are when i get packages in the mail ... emails from friends ... letters you get from people you dont even know ... those are the moments when you just remember where you came from and where you are about to go ... i just wanted to thank everyone for giving me those moments ... a simple blog post ... an email just to say hi ... a package of goodies ... i thank you for giving me a chance to just sit down and be normal again ... it means more then you can imagine ... thank you!

an idea that might help ...

2007-02-01T13:05:00.000-06:00

I came to realize (awhile ago but I am finally caving in) that I tend to think on the negative side of things since arriving in Iraq. I think i am entitled to it, but none the less its not really helping my situation. So to spare your eyes on reading more ramblings of how I think things are "jacked up" around here (don't worry, this isn't a promise to totally stop) I have come to an idea that might help me in a couple ways, as well as provide an enjoyable read and maybe some good ideas. As per prior posts I have mentioned that I don't sleep well. Mostly in part that my brain doesn't stop thinking and creating ideas. Recently keeping me awake are dreams that almost everyone has had. Hitting the big one!!! Yes folks that's right, winning the lotto. I am hoping that by posting my ideas and thoughts will help me sleep easier but yet also take me away from my current residence.

Hopefully everyone will get a kick out of my adventures as an instant millionaire and maybe chime in once in awhile with some good ideas as well. So I figure in the next week I should have settled with the state lotto, cleared taxes, and paid off my lawyer and I can begin my adventure. Ahhhhh I have a feeling that I might sleep a little easier tonight ;)

stay tuned

day off ...

2007-01-30T07:01:00.000-06:00

I was lucky enough to have a "day off" ... i still have to go in the office and make sure all the computers worked and they really didnt need me ... felt good though to just lay around and unload ... just let the mind wonder off and see what it cooks up ... i apprciate everyones inputs and words of wisdom on here ... its always nice to get a unbias oppinion ... i just cant wait to go home on r&r though ... to see my family and friends ... not be here for a while ... thats pretty much where my mind wondered off to ... it was nice ... another good thing is that while on my day off i didnt have to sit in the office and read or hear about the goings on ... sometimes we all need a break from that as well ... especially after the news we recieved the other day ... we do business with some iraqies ... pay them for jobs they do around base ... for the most part they are alright to deal with ... just like you or me ... we had one guy who was especially nice ... very polite ... spoke english well and could do or get anything you need ... turns out someone found out that he was working with us and executed him in front of his family ... needless to say we knew things like this happen ... it just hits hard when the guy was in our office just 2 days prior ... he was a good guy ... so i guess this day off had some good timing ... let me think and dream about things ... but things are calming down around us at least ... we are in our groove ... days are flying by ... time is just melting away ... its almost feb!!! ... just a couple months away from going home for a while ...

i hope all is well out there in blogger land ... i thank you all for reading and posting ... it really gives me something to look forward too! ... you guys make it easier ... thank you ...

one day ...

2007-01-21T11:48:00.000-06:00

One day ... one day I'll wake up ... wake up and be able to live again ... live and do what I want ... make my dreams a reality ... hope and pray that I dont feel like I am crazy for being one of the only ones that think rationally ... I just want to wake up and not feel like this anymore ... I want to walk with that step ... like there is nothing that could stop me and I know it ... like the weight was lifted ... I want to hold my life in my hand and be able to mold it the way I want ... because I know I can ... I'm tired ... physically and mentally ... I'm tired of some guy just controlling his army and government like a kid just doing what he will ... for crying out loud he cant even put more then two sentances together without the help of a team ... I'm tired of the drones who cant think or do without being told ... I'm tired of hearing, "just do it, I know it doesnt make sense, but some guy that is golfing in kuwait said we have to do this" ... I'm tired of not being able to sleep ... but one day ... one day I will awake ...fully rested ... rested and ready ... one day ...

i'm back ....

2007-01-17T14:00:00.000-06:00

well well ... sorry for the delay but i finally have paid the $65 a month and had hadji run me some internet ... so here i am back in the blogging world ... i would like to first thank everyone out there, you just dont now how far an email or listening to be blab about stupid stuff goes ... thank you again!!!

But as for me its just another day ... they have me once again running around doing something else everyday ... it is however making the days go by ... well its late and if i start typing i will start running my mouth about bush and his idiots and then next thing you know it would be morning ...

but anyway i will be roaming around the blogs to see whats new ... hopefully pictures and things to come ...

again THANK YOU!!!

well well

2006-12-15T09:48:00.000-06:00

so far qatar is boring ... but i'm taking full advantage of sleeping in and doing nothing ALL day ... its a much needed break though ... well email address was wanted ... randall.barletta@iraq.centcom.mil ... for anyone that would like to keep in touch ... i am going to look into hadji net when i get back to my FOB ... hopefully i will then be able to update this whenever i want again (and post my rants and raves ... ) ... but all in all so far so good ... i'm looking forward to christmas ... it wont be the same (obvisouly) .. but its the last day our detachment will have off together ... we are just gonna sit around open a couple presents and laugh ... its just gonna make next christmas that much better!!! but i am going to head back to the couch and watch whatever movie is playing ... but like i said hopefully when i get back i will have internet so that i can read and share some stories and pictures ...

sorry for being away for so long

2006-12-12T09:47:00.001-06:00

i'm back ... well only for the day ... turns out that i cant access any "blog type" websites because they are "message/club boards" ... military is funny about somethings i guess ... but i am in liberty for the night ... i'm heading to Qatar for my 4 day pass tomorrow ... should be fun ... we can drink and they have different things we can do there ... hopefully on the way back to Taji i can hop on here to let you know how it goes ...

but all is well i guess ... they have me doing 800 different things everyday ... it drives me crazy sometimes ... they have me doing computer work, contracting, imputing, supply, mail (i like this one), messing with humvees ... i'm sure there is one or two things i'm over looking ... i'm pretty much the bitch of unit ... but its making the days fly by ... although days are flying by, it always feels like monday!!! which is not good ... but i do have my own office were i can run and hide for a couple minutes and make my own coffee ... that also helps get me through the days ...

its not really the work that drives me crazy ... its the no respect i get ... its the "oh he's a PFC so he can do it" ... when really its ... you dont trust anyone else to fly to baghdad and pick up 3.2 million dollars ... which by the way the movies have it all wrong ... ITS HEAVY!!!! ... its funny because people are starting to realize that i am smart and that i did start a business and that i really want to get back to maryland and continue it ... oh i got something good ... someone had sent us a forbes magazine in the mail ... well i was like oh cool i'll read this ... please believe me when i finish this story ... someone said "hey whats that magazine", "oh its forbes" i replied ... *confused look appears on the face of a fellow worker* ... someone else chimes in "oh thats a smart peoples magazine ... you wouldnt understand it" ... then they turn to me and ask "you really understand what they talk about in those magazines" ... i just had to walk away ...

but thats what i have to deal with on an everyday basis ... it just hurts sometimes to think that i'm stuck in the army and a great oppertunity is passing by ... i'm gonna do my best to PCS to maryland so that i can work on my business while still in the army ... so we will see about that ... i just talk to the CSM for a brief minute and she said that she would look into it for me ...

outside of work there isnt much going on ... we have started going to the gym after work and we have joined a flag football league ... we are undefeated!!!! there is a game tonight but i wasnt going to pass up my 4 day trip to qatar for a flag football game ... thanksgiving was ok ... we got out of work early ... and we get off for xmas so thats cool ... but anyway i added my anysoldier link to my links site ... if you would like i'll leave you with my email address ... well i hope all is well out there in blogger world ... i wish there was more for me to write but i didnt think i would get a chance to post ... so i dont even know what to say ...

again i will try to get back on here while passing through back to taji

sorry for being away for so long

2006-12-12T09:47:00.000-06:00

hey quick check in

2006-10-18T09:29:00.000-05:00

hope everyone out there is doing good ... im in kuwait now and we have a couple more days until we head up to iraq ... its pretty hot down here!!! but nothing to really report just kinda doing this and doing that ... staying hydrated ... right now the coolest thing i have seen so far is a heard of about 100 camels ... other then that we are just hanging tight and playing jokes on each other ... oh and spades ... we play alot of spades in our off time ... but anyway i just wanted to say hi and i will report once i get up north ... take care and again i hope all is well with everyone ...

T Minus hours ...

2006-10-10T18:08:00.000-05:00

well we are leaving in the morning ... EARLY morning ... sorry for not posting but I have been doing the last minute things and taking care of business ... I hope all is well out there in blogger world ... Next stop ... Iraq ...

ps - I am going to sign up my detachment for the anysoldier ... Ill have a link on my page for anyone interested ... thanks for everyones support and I will do my best to throw a quick post if I can to let you know I made it ... again ... Thank you!!!

Setting in for the grind ...

2006-09-24T18:28:00.000-05:00

Well it was nice to see the family one last time ... Not much to do around here so it was kinda boring ... Just more of a lets just hang out weekend ... So I got one more week to recover ... I should be busy ... gotta get the passport started, take a placement test, movers are coming, pack, clean, and get the head right ... recovery is going very well and food is starting to go down a little easier ;) ... anyway just thought id say hi ...

sorry for the absence ...

2006-09-18T09:33:00.000-05:00

well my tonsillectomy went ok ... i guess ... its been a couple days and it still hurts to talk ... i did however get two weeks of leave :) so i am not complaining too much ... the pain isnt all that bad ... just very uncomfortable ... lots of icy pops!!! anywho ... i need to get back to bed ... i didnt sleep well last night ...

2006-09-11T08:01:00.000-05:00

randoms ...

2006-09-09T20:46:00.000-05:00

sometimes when the sun shines
its as dark as night
and sometimes when the clouds are dark
rays continue to shine my way

-

i'm licked up so tight
so tight it hurts
i'm looking for the key
or any reason in sight

-

a smile when i walk in the door
a sigh of relief when i hold her tight
a giggle from a corny joke
a look ... a look that says everything

-

in my dreams i see it all
the life i want
the world i need
when it all wears off
and the beep fills my head
i shed a tear
and await for the following night

-

a heart to give
a world to make
a place of happiness
is all i have of me ...

amazing how things turn out sometimes ...

2006-09-07T19:04:00.000-05:00

sooo we had SRP today ... and so I get to the medical section and they start asking some questions and up pops the trouble I have been having with my tonsils ... let me tell you I got a scare ... she starts talking about non deployable this and non deployable that ... and sends me straight to the ENT ... well ... let me tell you I got seen and I have my surgery date set and I will be non deployable ... but for only two weeks so i'll be able to deploy ... pretty crazy ...

ps - even though I'm still on profile ... I am starting to do pt and let me tell you ... HURTING!!!

not much going on ...

2006-09-06T12:11:00.000-05:00

I have completed all my computer tests and recieved my memo so that i can get finger printed for my security clearence ... other than that we have SRP and color casing ceramony this week and then hopefully they will start giving us half days so that we can start wrapping up loose ends ...

ps - I am going to start up another blog for my family and friends ... if you are interested i will post the link on this blog ... i only ask that you comment on this blog so that no one could follow you here ... none of my friends or family read this blog and i would kinda like to keep it that way ...

pss - my mom is a sneaky person and would stay up all night reading everyones blogs and peoples blogs that posted on your blogs, etc ... i dont need her finding this blog

love it ... just love it

2006-08-30T16:59:00.000-05:00

sooo i was picked for duty ... cq duty that is ... it pretty much just entales me staying up all night after a day of work to man the phone and do some random odd jobs ... well i found out it sucks ... and after being up from 6 am to 9 am you get pretty tired (i did get today off though) ... but what i really love is getting a cold and then coming up to my room to find out my laptop monitor isnt working ... argggggggggg ... now i must eat dinner ... i havent eatten all day ... then more sleep ...

alittle bit of free writing ... (actually wrote all of this down and thought I would share)

2006-08-24T20:39:00.000-05:00

The dreams seem so real

the sun will set
the moon will rise
hope I get the chance
to see it in your eyes

thoughts run through my head
don't know where they go
or from where they came
as I lie here in bed

does believing in something or possibly the thought of something really help us, does thanking a patron saint or believing in a mythological bird get us where we need to go, do you let it hear everything and let it go only to go sleepless at night if it doesn't come back, or do you keep it in only to know that it was safe to let it out, can we have something to do with fate and destiny, does always doing or at least trying to do the right thing really get you anywhere, I mean I know there are things beyond our control, but at any point in time can I have a say, time ......... Crawls when I need it to go, and runs faster then jack himself when I need one more second, can I have feelings that really eat me up inside even though its the same dreams that help me sleep at night, can I want and believe something so bad that it happens, or do my hopes crash like always, I know thing though, I'll rise from my ashes, I'll hold on tight, I'll smile in my dreams, I'll kick fate in the balls, and I'll be the best damn person I can be, time will bend and potential will be reached, cause I want it that bad, I'm not a figment of your imagination, I'm exactly what you have been looking for, funny how you cant see it but you say it everyday, it's not fair because I'm the one in the hard spot, and youre the one that might not make it, one day it will be real and not words but touches and goosebumps, either way I feel the tide changing, and I'm finally gonna get my pass, I might pay for it but it will be worth it ...

how is it that people get through life not knowing what is going on ... I mean completely lost ... I know I have hit on this before I for real ... how can you do something everyday and then when someone looks you in the eye you say I don't know ... and believe it ... drives me mad to know that some of these people will have to "watch my back" ... I quote that because I don't see them actually doing that from the tuck tail and run position ... baffles me ... how can people do so wrong so often and yet nothing happens but yet doing right gives you more shit ... I'm about to set myself up with a great spot so I am starting to see the light at the tunnel ... not the big pay off ... but some change to keep me along the way ... again I find myself in deeper than I probly should be and for some reason this time I think its might be ok ... sometimes I don't ... but I guess we will see ... it makes me heart beat and stop all at the same time ... Silliness I tell you ... (all this was added ...) ... the obvious is to be said ... while reading this it was simply a put pad to paper and lets see what comes out ... well here it is uncut ... so although some thing I would refine or correct ... I thought I would have done myself an injustice to do so ... yeah ...

god bless the army medical staff (sarcasm to be noted) ...

2006-08-24T18:40:00.000-05:00

so I call the E.N.T. ... They have never heard of me and were very quick to tell me to call my health clinic and hung up on me ... So I call my health clinic and they assured me that they sent the referral but to be on the safe side they would send it again ... So I call back to the E.N.T. ... Not that the lady was any nicer but at least I was in the system ... soooo the earliest date they could give me was mid sept ... That just wasn't going to cut it ... Needless to say my det sgt didn't get too much further than I had ... Apparently there are two E.N.T. Doctors on this entire base ... They take care of all the active duty soldiers, national guard soldiers that are here, reserve soldiers that are here, all dependents, and all retired soldiers ... I understand that not all of these people are seen or need to see an E.N.T. ... But still TWO DOCTORS!!!! Come on people ... Ridiculous ... Good thing my captain has an in (hopefully, keep your fingers crossed) ... So tomorrow I will let you know if I was able to get something in the works ... Oh almost forgot ... When I do see the ENT ... If I need my tonsils out (I'm sure that's the case) ... There is a three month surgery waiting list ... But if "they are bad enough" I might have a shot at moving up the list ... But I did find out I get two weeks for recovery :p ... Again fingers crossed ... I'll report tomorrow ...

almost forgot to mention ...

2006-08-23T19:18:00.000-05:00

sooo yeah I had my follow up at the medical clinic ... again had to see a different doctor ... he takes one look at my tonsils and can only say "wow, they are really bad ... wow" ... like this is what I needed to hear ... anyway ... he did write up a referral to the ENT, gave me 30 more days of antibiotics, and 10 days of another steroid ... so this is all good news I guess ... turns out I have to call and hound the ENT to give me an appointment and tell them I am deploying because they will wait months to schedule me in ... idiots ... so upon telling my mother all this is consults with the doctors she works for ... they tell her that I should see a special disease doctor ... I don't think I am going to do that unless the ENT does something stupid ... I am just afraid that going to a S.D. Dr will make me non deployable ... so we will see ... btw ... washed the phone number to the ENT in my uniform ... lol ... silly me ... peace out for now ...

thank goodness i'm a computer dork ...

2006-08-23T06:07:00.000-05:00

turns out that the female that they were going to make s6 (computer person) doesnt really want to do it and someone over heard me speaking nerd ... i am now the newest memeber of the s6 shop ... so i am excited to do doing that in iraq ... i enjoy it and will get some good experience out of it ... not to mention i am applying for a security clearence :) ... im hoping all of this helps in getting me back to md after iraq ... i figure the more i got under my belt wont hurt ... not to mention when i get out of the army ... ok well i have to head into work and get cracking at all this paper work i have to catch up on ... peace out for now ...

finally its over ...

2006-08-16T19:35:00.000-05:00

my armor class that is ... a 3 hour final exam ... it was a tough one but i pulled through and got my certificate ... lord help me if i failed and had to take that over again ...

thats all

ps - my bad for complaining in my last entry ... but i felt so much better ...

I'm tired ....

2006-08-15T20:50:00.000-05:00

I'm tired ... I'm tired of being sick and feeling crappy ... I'm tired of the armor class that I am in ... I'm tired of stupid people ... I'm tired of dealing with immature soldiers ... I'm tired of not having a car and being broke ... I'm tired of going to sleep every night by myself ... I'm tired of having someone that wants to be with me and they are hundreds of miles away ... I'm tired of waiting to go to Iraq ... I'm tired ... I'm tired of having to take medicine to get a good nights sleep ... I'm tired of waiting to get my tonsils out ... I'm tired of my desktop not working right and my laptop running out of space ... I'm tired of being tired ... I'm tired of not having a normal life ... I'm tired of feeling like I'm not living to my potential ... I'm tired of not getting ideas anymore ... I'm tired of not having my dog around ... I'm tired of being hundreds of miles away from anyone that really knows me ... I'm tired of being hundreds of miles away from people I really know ... I'm tired of not having total control over something so extremely important ... my life ... I'm tired of it being hot ... I'm tired of stress and what stress does to me ... I'm tired of texas and not being in maryland ... I'm tired of complaining ... I'm out ...

thanks for listening ...

sorry for the absence ...

2006-08-11T10:07:00.000-05:00

but I have been in the unit armor course ... pretty much I am learning how to take apart/fix/ (hopefully) put back together weapons ... its a long and boring class so I have found myself getting home late and being so tired that I dont even get on the computer ...

but its a training holiday today and I have found some free time ... I am recovering from a night of drinking at the ball that we had last night ... I ended up having a great time until a capt decided that since we were having such a good time and had a DD that she made us leave with "assigned DD's" ... what I dont get is ... we planned this last week that my buddy's wife was going to drive us ... so she didnt drink ... we got hammered ... and then the capt made me leave with someone else ... whats the point in tell us that we had to get a DD in the first place if you were going to force me to ride home with someone else ... I wanted to kick her in the face but being that I was hammered I would have surely fallen down ... not to mention trying to hit an officer wouldnt have gone over well ...

but aside from that I had a really good time and got to spend some good fun time with people before we deploy ...

hope all is well out there in blogger land ... 2 more weeks and the tonsils come out ...

gearing up ...

2006-08-01T20:58:00.000-05:00

well ... orders are here ... count down has begun ... as you know i am really looking forward to going, so it was nice to get the orders so we arent guessing when we were going to leave ...

so i have been packing and gathering up things i think i am going to need ... (ps walmart has coffee makers for 10$) ... so its been kinda crazy lately ... not that its busy just everyone is starting to get the nervous feelings ...

my R&R dates have been reassured so my european tour is one step closer ... also some good tips have been given to me ... ryanair.com ... SUPER CHEAP FLIGHTS ... germany to dublin ... 20 euro ... my passport is going to have tons of stamps!!!!

more to come later ... super tired ... turns out i still have the mono bug ...

good, bad, indifferent?

2006-07-28T19:58:00.000-05:00

The perfect world ...

In the perfect world
the stars would always align
the weathers always perfect
and life never leaves you behind

the moon is always full
the tide is always right
it always works out
even without a fight

distance isnt a problem
true love isnt hard to find
when she looks in my eyes
i know shes all mine

but the sun comes up
the moon goes down
time flies by
and i find myself down

this world we live
comes to fast
I'll keep on going
as fate kicks my ass ...

blah ... bored ... lonely ... empty ... damn fridays with nothing to do and no one around ... thank god tomorrows saturday ...

ugh ....

2006-07-25T19:55:00.000-05:00

well as you know im back and in the swing of things here in texas ... i had yet another appointment with the great army doctors ... this time they gave me a steriod that i asked for in the first place (my mom told me one that i had to take before) ... and the doctor promised that if i'm not better in 30 days ... tonsils are coming out ... he promised ... as for the virus that i have lurking in my system ... i have to take it easy and just rest alot ... which sucks because i cant afford to not work out ... so we will see how this goes ... i am just glad that i can finally get my tonsils out ... with that aside its back to training for iraq ... we have to start packing as well ... i just want to get there and get back (which shouldnt be a problem) ...

i have just become very impatient and i am afraid that i could lose something perfect without even having the chance make it work in the first place ... again if anyone happens to see fate kick him in the nuts for me ...

but we will see ... life has a funny way of working itself out ... in the mean time ... i got too much free time wondering what might have/could happen ...

back in the lone star state ...

2006-07-24T19:55:00.000-05:00

well i made it back in one piece (after a battle with myself at the departing gate of bwi) ... i am not only home sick but bored as hell ... after being with family and friends doing something every night, i come back to the place where there is nothing to do ... so i have alot of time to think ... i really need to go to iraq so one ... i can bank some money while helping other soldiers out and so that i can hurry up and come back ... too much running through the my head to put it all down on here ...

ps- if anyone runs into fate ... kick him in the balls for me ...

i really didnt think this would happen ...

2006-07-20T19:00:00.000-05:00

So tomorrow is the day i have been dreading for the last couple days ...

Since i've been home i have seen almost all of my friends and most importantly alot of my family ... i had the chance to hang out and party and enjoy my time home ... in fact a little too much ...

while partying with my friends that i have known since middle school and just seeing everyone having a good time ... a friend of a friend came up too me ... he simply said thank you ... i replied "no problem glad you could make it to the party" ... he said "no, thank you for allowing us to do this with out having to look over our shoulders" ... then he just walked away ... in theory i understand what he was saying, and it made me feel glad that people (as small as a percentage it is) think that way ...

the bad part to all of this is that i realized that i really miss my friends and family ... being in texas i was used to not seeing everyone ... being home i realized how much i really miss everyone ... not to mention that i met someone ... i have poor timing!! good news is she cant wait until i come home in june ...

speaking of that ... i am no longer doing a european tour for R&R ... my best girlfriend is getting married and promised (awhile ago) that i wouldnt miss her wedding for anything ... apprently she remembers that and being in iraq falls under anything ... this will also give me a chance to see family and friends and a certain someone that will be waiting ...

just sitting here with the family watching tv ... dreading getting on my flight to texas ... i wish i could just stay here and fly out of baltimore to iraq ... but i am on a countdown until next year ...

home sick and i havent even left yet ...............

ahhhh home sweet home ...

2006-07-11T10:05:00.000-05:00

made it home in one piece ... its great to see everyone ... i will post again in a couple days to let you know how things are going ...

really quick though ... if you could pass this info around ... one of my Sgts told me about this program that really helps over in iraq ...

http://www.anysoldier.com/

just thought i would post this and hopefully it gets around ...

... peace out for now!

bored ...

2006-07-09T16:14:00.000-05:00

well things here at "the great place" are pretty boring ... not much going on ... although the good new is that I will be going home for two weeks tomorrow ... I am really excited and nervous at the same time ... nervous that this is going to be the last time that I see a lot of people until sept '07 ... I know that I will do my best to keep in touch and that friends and family will be awaiting my return ... it just makes you think ... I guess with all the down time recently I have just begun to think about the future ... think about how things have come about ... how things have happened ... and how things are going to/could happen ... its funny as a kid you never think about the future in realistic terms ... now as you get older you want to fast forward to it (stopping at all the fun spots ;) ) ... I guess I am just impatient and need to just soak it in ...

"I know it hurts. But it's life, and it's real. And sometimes it hurts, but it's life, and it's pretty much all we got. " - Garden State

Next blog to come from home ... ahhh home!

wonderings of my mind ...

2006-07-02T17:35:00.000-05:00

before you read this I would like you to know that I think of myself as an ordinary person ... an all American guy that has common sense and no better then the next ... good or bad that's how I feel (until I realize that you are an idiot and should just sit down and get out of the way)

saying that I realize that people have started making me mad ... not on purpose but the light is shining on people I work with and its starting to scare me ... I went out with my buddy the other day and we got to talking about our deployment. he made me realize that the other soldiers I am going to deploy with scare me ... they don't understand what they are about to do ... and even more ... they don't care ... simple tasks made difficult and drawn out because they don't do the right thing ... they know what the right thing is ... but they don't do it ... now ... they don't get in trouble or even spoken too but yet ... someone (me) does the right thing, the proper way, and nothing as well ...

now my squad leader has brought to my attention these facts as well, but he gives me words of encouragement to keep up the good job ... but he is leaving in a month ... so I am back to no one recognizing what I am doing ... I don't really care about that ... but I want to catch a waiver down range and I keep getting this feeling that I wont ...

what really ticks me off is that they don't care that they are about to head to Iraq to relieve another soldier so that they get to go home ... they don't care that because of us soldiers get their money and fix pay problems (a paid soldier is a happy soldier) ... btw ... I should have received a c.o.a for my work on our last field exercise ... I got nothing ... not even a good job ...

don't worry ... my efforts will not be compromised and I will continue to be the best soldier I can be ... I just hope that some of these knuckleheads wake up ...

on that note I have found myself wanting to settle down ... not necessarily a wife and kids ... but I want to know who is going to be my wife and whatnot ... I want to move into that phase of my life ... I mean ... I am turning 25 this week ... biological clock is ticking ;)

please have fun this weekend ...

2006-06-30T14:14:00.000-05:00

i hope everyone gets a chance to relax this weekend ... take the time to rest up and spend time with family ... please keep the soldiers over seas in your minds and hopefully soon enough i will be able to relieve some soldiers so that they can come home and spend time with their families ... so be careful and have fun ...

ps - fuel prices are driving plane tickets sky high ... $406 to fly home ... geez

pss - im glad with one of our most important holidays as a county coming up that george w had the chance to take a tour of graceland ... time and money well spent ...

rants and raves ...

2006-06-27T08:17:00.000-05:00

i think good ol mother nature is telling us we need to start taking better care of her ... these are some nasty rains going on the east coast ... hope everyone is ok ... its nice to see back home on tv ... just sucks its in a bad way ...

it kills me that the govt cant come up with a time table on a withdrawl of troops ... i mean dont get me wrong i want to go (i get to almost triple my pay and get a free ticket anywhere in the world ... of coarse all of this is second to helping my battle buddies) but they need to start a plan on getting soldiers back home ... Gen Casey is trying to get something started but its almost the same plan that just got shot down in the senate ... i know its not as easy as, "ok everyone pack your shit its time to go home", but at least show some signs that you are trying ... and bush ... you better not make a plan to withdrawl troops just to help your party in the next election ... cause you already screwed that up for them, withdrawl troops cause its what needs to be done ... but just remember ... we leave and stuff gets crazy again ... we cant go back, the people wont let you do this again ...

side notes ... saw the doctor on friday ... i actually got some medicine and a follow up appt ... thats huge around these parts ... problem is i dont think the medicine is working yet ... i get to go home july 10th!!!! cant wait ... i turn the big 2 - 5 july 6th ... man im getting old ...

quick questions ... anyone here work for fox news? if not ... someone from dc fox news was browsing around ... man this statcounter this is cool ...

gotta jet ... motorpool here i come ...

oh so tired ...

2006-06-19T20:02:00.000-05:00

well i forgot how much a girlfriend hurts the wallet ... This weekend was really nice, we scored some free tickets to a rangers baseball game from MWR ... now being a huge ... HUGE ... redskin fan, it pains me to say that i enjoyed my time in dallas ... we crashed with my girls friends house and was able to do some touristy things ... we did the whole kennedy assasination museum tour ... very cool!!!

other than that i was able to relax and enjoy some time with my girl ... im looking forward to going home for a couple weeks ... nothing but sleep, fish, crab, and riding the jet ski ... ohhhh i cant wait!!!!

... mondays kill me ...

2006-06-12T17:26:00.000-05:00

I think it might be the fact that I have been having some good weekends of late ... cause mondays are really killing me ... I mean I go into work and it seems like I am the only one working sometimes and then people that aren't doing anything throw more shit at me ... dont get me wrong ... its not a hard job ... but its the principle ... DO YOUR OWN WORK ... needless to say I was not popular this morning with the co workers ... oh and work they wanted me to do was wrong anyway ...

I might change the R&R plans to a trip to Rome, Venice, and then Greece ... hopefully I can convince a certain someone to meet me out there ... we'll see how that goes ...

and stupid people piss me off ... in everyday life ... people on the news ... it baffles me that people are that stupid ... I am not the smartest person, please dont get me wrong ... but the lack of common knowledge these days is crazy ...

quick notes ... glad to see dick chaney hasnt shot anyone else, bush is more worried about gay marriage then iraq, iran, or anything else going on, 2 to 1 odds the crap on the mexican border gets finished before new orleans is back to normal, and final note ... just because you are a mega star athlete doesnt mean you can do stupid stuff on your motorcycle, but I hope big ben gets well soon ...

TGIF!!

2006-06-09T12:24:00.000-05:00

well its friday ... had some boring class on something that we will never use ever ... now we have to go out in 100 degree heat and do some convoy ops, this we will need ... i had a pretty stressful week at work so this weekend will be rest and relax as much as possible ... hopefully i will be able to make it to austin for a day out and about ... but tonight will be a nice cigar, pool, beer, and most importantly friends ...

on a side note ... i'm pretty happy that we killed Al-Zarqawi ... hopefully we can get to more of these leaders of the insurgents ...

back in the grind ...

2006-06-05T07:55:00.000-05:00

well its monday moring and the run today almost killed me ...

nothing really new going on ... other then i now have a girlfriend ... she is ETSing in 3 weeks so that sucks really bad ... but i am having a great time in her company so i cant complain too much ... saw the movie the breakup ... it was good ... the ending was kinda bad but it was worth seeing ... this is going to be crunch month before deployment ... all i have to do is make it through june and the rest should breeze along until deployment ...

more to come later on this week ... peace out ...

update ... update ...

2006-05-31T21:05:00.000-05:00

roommate has ordered cable and internet for his new room ... he has also started packing his things ... i am counting the seconds until he is gone ...

other news ... the commander broke us off the other day ... and i have this bad feeling that he is going to do it again tomorrow ... this weekend is going to be spent resting my body!

another day ... another ... dollar?

2006-05-30T22:23:00.000-05:00

well da vinci code was pretty good ... i mean the book was a lot better but thats always the case ... but i always like to see how the movie goes on the screen compared to the movie in my head ... go see ...

update on the roommate situation ... my det sgt has set the ball in motion to get orders cut so he can move out ... and hopefully that is soon ... recent developments is that he might be crazy ... i had a friend come over and watch "last comic standing" ... she has a friend on the show that makes it but she doesnt have the cable to watch the show ... well my roommate goes into laughing fits (from what we thought was the show) from some stupid ass movie he was watching ... he continues ... for about 3 hours to laugh and talk to himself ... my friend now realizes why i hate him so much ...

getting down to deployment time ... we are getting dates set up to go back home for block leave and eventually R&R while down range ... i really think that i am going to be ok and have a suprisingly good time ... i am going to buy a video camera so clips and pictures will be posted from down range ...

weird thing ... that girl that slept over the other night (again nothing happened) ... seems to have taken a liking to me ... shes pretty hot so i am really excited ... down fall is that she is moving to the windy city july 1 and i deploy in sept ... bad timing ... have fun while you can i guess ...

note: old school tricks are still in use today ... the yawn and stretch at the movies ... apparently is now a must ... i guess i am starting to get old ... i thought about it ... then i was like she is going to think im a retard ... no ... she was disappointed it didnt happen ... knowing is half the battle ...

Mid weekend report ...

2006-05-27T11:26:00.000-05:00

First of all I am really glad to be back to "normal" scheduled life and thank you to everyone out there listening ...

Its only Saturday and I have had one of the best weekends ever ... so we had a half day on Thursday and our commander and det sgt bought us lunch and thanked us and really told us what they thought about our field exercise (it was all good) ... then my buddy and I ended up going out to relax and just bs ... well some of my other friends met up with us at the end of the night and they brought along an extra friend (female type :) ) ... needless to say it had been a while since I had a nice conversation and woke up next to a beautiful girl (nothing happened, really) we woke up, drank some coffee, watched some tv and she left ( I got an aar [after action review] which is going to lead to another night out Sunday ) ... but just that feeling of holding someone in your arms before you fall asleep is one of the best feelings in the world (especially if you have true feelings for them)

So Friday kicked off nice with that wake up ... called my buddy up to start wondering around town looking for something to do (btw his wife is out of town so he has a weekend pass) ... we ate lunch at a nice sandwich place and then went to see xmen (won the coin toss ... di vinci code Sunday night or Monday, I will post review as soon as I get home) ... xmen was a little disappointing but was filled with action ... then ... we went to the tattoo parlor ...

50 mins and two hundred dollars later I got my tattoo ... I am very happy with the turn out ... the next adventure ended our night ... we picked up some nice cigars and chilled at the gentlemans club for about two hours (my first time to one around here, suprisingly clean and nice)

today is going to involve laundry and end the night at someone's house that is getting the UFC fight ... other than that I am going to do my best to keep up the greatest weekend I have had in a very long time ...

back ...

2006-05-25T07:49:00.000-05:00

oh man ... I am going to spare you the details but ... this "training" exercise was horrible and not properly planned ... it turns out we were getting "certified" on a pay system that no one has been really trained on ... so you can draw your own conclusions on that ... but it involved confusion, yelling, staying up till mid night for some 2 am for others, no eating, and my soul was taken by this new pay system (dont worry ... I will get it back this weekend ... we have 4 and half days off in a row) ... but on a kinda good note ... our full bird was around inspecting with the ltc and 4 csm ... anywho they pretended to be customers and I showed them how I use the system ... yada yada yada ... I get praised for knowing what I am doing (btw I balanced all 3 days and had no serious problems) ... so on their way out of our "fob", the full bird asked a customer (someone who really had nothing to do with this training except to come in and play dumb customers) what they liked about the training exercise as a whole ... and her response ... "well the male cashier (me) was horrible the first day ... but is doing good today" ... first of all I was good all 3 days ... and she was a bitch!

but i'm back now ... we have a half day today and we have off till tues ... my plans include drinking (responsibly), getting a tattoo, sleeping, and hopefully going to the movies to see xmen and da vinci code (I loved the book) ...

B out!

field ...

2006-05-18T22:05:00.000-05:00

right now i am so upset at what has happened over the last couple days, "preparing" for the field ... i wont be back until thurs, but its in time for a four day weekend ... then its go crazy time ...

ps - i see the border patrol thing is already making the news ... lets see how bush spins this one ...

interesting problem ...

2006-05-15T22:34:00.000-05:00

i think its kinda hard to organize your own thoughts about something that only you know what are really trying to say ...

here fishy fishy ...

2006-05-14T21:29:00.000-05:00

well bush is allocating guard troops to the border ... we are going to send help to new england with this flooding (hopefully in time to help) ... i just hope we dont spread ourselves thin here at home ...

... on another note ... i'm lonely ... when i get back from iraq i am going to be on a mission to find myself a girl!!! (or maybe my idea will kick in and i will find myself a movie star girlfriend ... mandy moore watch out)

drum roll please ...

2006-05-14T14:53:00.000-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen ... *trumpets sounding* ... the roommate has been reassigned to a new unit ... he is going to help with another aspect of our job with the main unit we support ... I would like to thank everyone for listening to me complain and I would also like to thank everyone in my office that told him, "this is going to be a great opportunity" ... [they were all pulling for me ;)] ... its gonna take just a little while longer till he gets new quarters ...

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!! I was a good son/grandson ... made the phone calls today ... was glad to hear everyone is doing great ... to all the moms out there ... thank you!

Its funny ... they tell us that we are going to iraq ... we all knew it and have come to accept it ... our familys pray that we dont go ... now its to the point where I am looking forward to going and my family has come to accept it and then we get the word ... so far no orders, but prepare to go still ... why would you tell us that ... why ... I want to go now I am going to be disappointed if I dont go ... I would have rather you told me as I was about to get on the plane ... more dramatic that way ... but needless to say ... I am going to keep preparing like we are going ...

speaking of which ... the army is going to pay for me to go ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD for R&R ... right now I have germany and Italy as my destination ... open to suggestions ...

told my mom of my idea ... she said I was crazy ... she said she wouldnt watch her own son if he was on tv ... I don't blame her ... not that I am a bad kid or anything .. but would you want to watch your kids on real world ... I don't know ...

bing bing ... i'm telling you just like that idea add on ... I gotta write this one down ...

I think its been said (i'll have to look it up) ... but really smart people, super creative, etc ... are on the verge of being crazy ... kinda like if someone is kinda crazy ... maybe they are just really close to being really smart ... not saying I am super smart or crazy ... but ideas flow through my head like a sickness ... sometimes I run with it ... sometimes I try to make it stop ... this leads me to something ....

my friend here ... call him ... george ... well anyway george is probly my "best friend" here in the army ... we are different enough to not really get bored but we are always on the same wave length ... and we were talking ... and we both agreed that what we are doing here I the army is great ... the opportunity that has been provided ... the chance to go to iraq and help our fellow soldiers ... but in the same way ... we are kind of ... how do I say this without being taken the wrong way ... being held back ... as in ... we don't use our brains ... we don't really have to think ... and its kinda like a smart kid in a average class ... bored ...

physically the army pushes you I guess ... I find myself pretty good at that ... not in the best shape but in good shape ... its the mental challenge that gets to me ... cause there is none ... and I think thats why my brain always runs with these ideas ... trying to keep itself sharp ... its like my brain is its own self ... <---- i am joking ... i thought that would be funny to put there ... ok back to being a complete waste and watch some tv ... later peoples ...

2006-05-10T17:22:00.000-05:00

"There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting" - Buddha

I really think Bush had something to do with this one ...

2006-05-09T21:25:00.000-05:00

So I think I need to stop reading the news ... today I read and find out that Cuba is going to allow oil drilling off their coast ... remember ... you can pretty much see Cuba from Florida ... soooo what does the US govt say when some US companies where given the oppertunity to bid? The big NO ... said that no US companies can bid on that project ... I mean dont you agree ... its kinda like why get milk delivered to your doorstep when you can pay more and walk down the street to get it ... so seeing all this happening what took place next you say? China ... China is going to buy up these contracts ... excuse me for a second ... "Hey Dick! Who teamed up with Russia after you pissed them off and said you are going to find ways to bypass them on the whole energy food chain?" ... "Ummm China I think ... cant quiet remember" ... "Thanks Dick!" ... ok sorry I'm back ... sometimes I just stand up in my office after reading the cnn.com and just applaud ... my commander looks at me funny when I do this but I think he is afraid to ask ...

my big idea keeps growing ... i keep organizing ... now i just need some advice now how to get it in the right hands ... anyone know how to get ahold of an agent?

quick notes ...

2006-05-09T07:48:00.000-05:00

Well its true ... someone pointed out to me that chaney is just running his mouth and messing everything up ... no russia is all pissed off cause not only did he bash them about human rights ... but then chaney goes and talks to a county that HAS NO HUMAN RIGHTS and talks about cutting russia out of the energy loop ... but have no fear china is backing russia up in this little stand off that one russian official said "could lead to a second cold war" ... geez thanks again dick!

meanwhile my commander told me that I will be staying with bravo for the deployment ... I am really happy about this ... he had some other encouraging words of wisdom for me ... he told us kinda where we will be ... but I cant pronouce it [even if I was aloud to tell you] and if I tried I would be way off ... I'm actually getting kind of excited to head over to Iraq ... we have been told that we are going to have a lot of down time for school and lifting ... two things I am going to do religiously over there ... come back all smart and buff :) ...

... roommate still sucks ... but I am going to refrain for complaining about him ... I have been doing that alot lately and I think that when I stop someone will get him out of my room ... ok really quick .... HE SHOWERED AFTER PT FOR ONCE!!!! [I guess thats not really complaining] ...

if anyone out there can get me an [talent/tv] agent's email address, I have some questions I would like to ask about a project I have started ... any help on this would be grateful ... thank you in advance

quick rants ...

2006-05-06T00:24:00.000-05:00

MI:3 ... it was ok ... entertaining ... same ol same ol ...

soooo until the other day I was able to say, "at least Dick Chaney isnt running around saying whatever he wants" ... and then the other day he had to go and run his mouth about russia ... just what we needed at this very moment in time ... thanks Dick!

so I think aol should hire me as a consultant ... I have some good ideas that could turn them around ...

another chapter in my roommates pathetic life ...

2006-05-05T20:31:00.000-05:00

sorry I really dont like to be complaining about his guy ... but he just doesnt stop ... he called up and spirint and started complaining because they blocked porno websites from his phone ... and when they told him that they dont allow those sites on their network he hung up on them ... he was really mad ... WHAT A LOSER ... then he asked to use my computer and he got a very strong NO!!!

I hit the submit button :O

2006-05-03T21:09:00.000-05:00

... so I think that my idea is a good one. I actually wrote it down, started organizing my thoughts on it, and have actually done a little research on it. Now, usually I get a good idea and I immediately blow it off because I could never implement my ideas. Well I thought to myself "Self! This is a pretty good idea and I think you should at least do yourself some justice and attempt to submit it!" So I have done just that (really I emailed someone at the writers guild and asked them some simple questions. BUT ... its a start).

So I sit here after hitting the submit button on their "contact us with a question form" and I feel kinda scared. I mean what happens if they email me back ... or even if they email me back and they give me some encouragement and good advice that ... I could possibly pitch my idea? That would be just too crazy ... but who knows ...

ps - anyone know a good way to tell my mom that I will be taking mid tour leave to germany (and then possibly Italy from there :)) instead of MD? I dont think she is going to take it well anyway I put it but I am accepting ideas ... thanks in advance!

pss - I caught my roommate going through my drawers ... I think thats grounds for moving out ... either that or I will cash in on my promise to rip his head off if he even steps foot on my side of the room :) night

santana and steven tyler ...

2006-05-01T20:48:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, I know
Part of me says let it go
Everything must have it seasons
Round and round it goes
And every day's the one before
But this time, this time

I'm gonna try anything to just feel better
Tell me what to do
You know I can't see through the haze around me
And I do anything to just feel better

And I can't find my way
God I need a change
And I do anything to just feel better
Any little thing that just feel better

I think its a sickness ...

2006-05-01T06:22:00.000-05:00

I couldnt fall asleep last night ... finally was able to close my eyes for the night around 2:30 am ... going on 3 hrs sleep ... all because my head wouldnt turn off ...

thoughts ...

2006-04-30T21:31:00.000-05:00

I guess when you have friends for 10 years, and some for even 15 years, its not that you learn to put up with you friends ... its that you are part of your friends. I guess thats why we all always got along, sure there were disagreements and arguments ... but for the most part it was always dandy. My friends and I had the perfect balance of being alot alike but being very different, we knew how the dinner table was going to be set ... but we all brough something different to eat. I say all this because everyone is so different and weird I cant seem to really relate to anyone ... sure I mean I have made friends ... but now when I want to run to my room and hide from these people cause they all getting on my nerves, I now have to deal with the person that erks me the most!!!! and I have no where to hide from him ... he talks to movies he watches, laughs out loud, I know assume he is partially def from the volume he had it on, and he talks to the little guy on his shoulder ALL the time ... sometimes it scares me ...

when you read your horoscope does it come true cause you are looking for it to ... or does it not come true cause you are looking for it not too ... i guess its the half empty/full question ... good thing is ... if its a bad horoscope it doesnt have to come true ;)

I now have to sit through 3 straight days of briefings on iraq culture ... sure I mean there are some things we should know ... but for the most part its self explanatory ... treat them like human beings ... theyre people ... but since you have to relate to the lowest iq in the room ... and the army has some really low iq's ... they have to spend 3 whole days on telling us what to do and not to do when we deploy ... so these next couple days I might have some random blogs because I should have about 30 hours to zone out and think of some crazy things so that I dont fall asleep ...

since there is a clause in the army saying that if I hit the lotto I get discharged ... I think I am going to start playing ... and if I win I can travel around the world to cool places ( since I have done nothing today I have come to the conclusion that I want to travel )

this brings me to my first huge business proposal ... since reality tv is the trend, when I hit the lotto I am going to sit down with MTV ...

goals ...

2006-04-30T15:25:00.000-05:00

in no paticular order (after I ETS)...

Back to my business and be successful, own season tickets to my hockey and football teams, gain military business, make a major move in the business world, be worth a million dollars, have all the components of my business successful, start a family ... more to come

some thoughts ...

2006-04-29T09:47:00.000-05:00

Joke of the day ... Putting President Bush in charge of Gas prices is like Putting Dick Chaney in charge of Gun Safety!

Btw ... I know that I am to "respect" the commander in cheif ... but seriously ... he goes out and puts this illegal immigration bill out there to make like 20 million people instantly legal immigrants. Most of them hispanic. But then he comes out and says that americans are to speak english and the national anthem is to be sung in english only. I mean make up your mind. u make 20 MILLION hispanic immigrants legal ... THEY ARE GOING TO SPEAK SPANISH and there isnt much we can do about it (not that it really bothers me if they sing the anthem in spanish, he atleast they know it!).

Ding Ding this just in ... Mr let me help with the gas prices just REJECTED a tax on the oil companies and said that "he expects those companies to re-invest those profits into alternative fuels and new energy technologies" - note: oil companies' record profits fueled by high oil prices (i'm at a loss here)

I just dont understand ... a foreign company was rejected from buying our ports (which i agree with, specially cause they would have had the bmore ports), so president Bush lets them buy a defense contracted company that supplies the pentagon and military ... ;akdjaalsdkf .... i cant even begin to comment on this ...

sorry for the ranting and raving about the gov't but it just had to be done ...

on another note I found out that I have a really good chance of staying with B company for the deployment and they are not going to be running FST missions (missions that would require me leaving the base). That makes me feel alittle safer. we are also getting a new det sgt ... thank god!

well thats all for now ... im alittle hurt to find out that my favorite baseball team got voted as one of the worst franchises in america ... damn you petey!

addition ... there are alot of differences between the iraq war and the vientnam war, I think the most important is that the people of the U.S. are behind the troops on this one ... and I thank god everyday that they have our back!

yet another brilliant idea ...

2006-04-27T21:06:00.000-05:00

ok I understand how it works ... hot girls in bikinis, some hot guys wearing the "latest thing", and the rich telling you how to get richer ...

but seriously ... does anyone take these mens magazines seriously. dont get me wrong ... I take some advise they give and every now and then they have some articles I find useful. But what if there was a magazine that was actually made for the everyday man ...

Thats right ... advice that normal guys can take in and use everyday ... investing that a blue collar guy with a wife and three kids can partake in ... and the fashion ... use normal guys ...

I'm not saying that they have to be fat guys or no models at all ... but throw in some regular joes ... and ACTUALLY TAKE ADVICE FROM A GIRL NEXT DOOR ... not some supermodel that doesnt know what they are talking about ... dont get me wrong ... keep hot girls in bikinis and scantly clad wear ... but use real normal girls sometimes please ...

Of coarse everyone would call me crazy and say i'm retarded ... thats until someone else gets this idea and puts it all together ... then thats when i'm really the retard ...

"don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter"

arg ...

2006-04-27T09:04:00.000-05:00

By far the worst week ever! Not to mention I am sitting here waiting for "top" to come by and check my room. Now I am a 24 year old GROWN MAN! I know how to live properly, but god damnit if I want to leave a pair of sweatpants (btw why is it a pair but its really only one thing?) on my bed then damnit, I want to leave sweatpants on my bed.

ps - the new roommate I got ... didnt take a shower after PT this morning! he said he didnt sweat enough ... NASTY!

"Rule #76: No excuses. Play like a champion! "

I need a shot to the head ...

2006-04-25T21:32:00.001-05:00

I still cannot get a full nights sleep to save my life. Its like the movie Insomnia with Robin Williams and Al Pacino, execpt I want to tape up the blinds in my head. I acctually had to write stuff done the other night so that I could at least start to fall asleep ... good ideas gone to waste once again. A combination of no sleep and mono with a sprinkle of stress makes for a horrible special of the day! Top it off with a side total privacy invasion and its just the worst day ever! But the great deal about all of this is that there is not a damn thing I can do but count down the days until this shitty menu gets revamped ... until then nothing but complaining appetizers and maybe some thoughtful desserts!

pop .... pop pop ...

sentanced to 4 yrs ...

2006-04-20T21:15:00.000-05:00

with no chance of parole! I sentanced myself to this jail with no chance of getting out until late '09! Its kinda like when a crook gets put in jail and learns to turn his life around and become a productive citizen, thats me ... fixing my life and turning it around to become the person that I should be.

Now I know how an addict feels ...

2006-04-19T21:39:00.000-05:00

or the "crazy" person with thoughts that dont stop running through their heads. Today I went through what I thought was a flashback, when really it was a series of seminars that fed the monster that eats at me everyday. It was exactly what I was doing before joining the military and it just made my thoughts go 100 miles an hour. The great thing is that I still get the ideas that I think sets me aside from the rest of the joes out there, but the bad thing is that I cant make the ideas stop. I came up with an idea that I might persue in some way shape or form while in the military ... I figure if I am stuck here for 3 and half more years then I might as well make an attempt to ease my addiction. Now I just have to worry about when the hunger is going to be too much to handle and I acctually have a mental break down. For now ... i'll just sit here and wait for my next fix ...

Sometimes ...

2006-04-16T20:39:00.000-05:00

- I wonder if anyone out there really listens, I mean I am sure they are "listening", but do they understand ... its hard to find someone to really confide in, I really dont know the friends that I have made here. I go from having friends that I have known for 14 years to having friends that I have known for months ... they dont get me ... they wont understand ... so I just deal with it, keep things to myself and just truck on ... 3 and a half months left until I can return to where I belong ...

... along those lines ... dreams ... ever have the gut feeling, the itch in the heart, or that thought that just wont leave your brain! I continue to have this feel/dream no matter where I am at or what I am doing ... in my sleep I dream it ... while awake I day dream about it! while getting lost in this thought it feels like I am supposed to be along that path ... like its where I am supposed to be ... I actually feel a pain in my chest when I get rolling with ideas and plans but there is nothing I can do about ... i've been told by family members and friends of family that there was always something about me and that I was meant to do big things that no one in my family has ever done ... I was starting along that path and realized that I had "cut corners" and that set me back ... now I find myself retracing steps to fix my path and I dont know if I will be where I was at ... but the dream and thoughts just eat at me ... like there is something stronger saying "what the hell are you doing here! u need to be over here doing this ... this is what you are meant to be doing!" ... and yet I find myself here ... locked in ... not being able to get out ... so I just deal with the pain ..............

right now things that are urkin me ...

2006-04-11T21:43:00.000-05:00

... people that cant make up their mind, dont get me wrong sometimes I am not the most decisive person out there but damn ... stop having to consulate with EVERYONE under the moon about the simplest of things!

... stumbling into an office that is so poorly run that you now know why the army is broke, and I mean broke in two ways here people. Broke as in spending too much money because people cant do the simplest of tasks the first time so it requires them to do it five to six times and broke as in not organized in the least bit. But I have been reassured that it will only get worse the closer we get to deploying.

... my alarm not waking me up the first five times it went off!

alright here we go

2006-04-10T22:38:00.000-05:00

So I'm here in texas and bored out of my mind ... so I figured I would do this whole Blog thing. So far from what it seems is that alot of people use this blog thing to post some pretty useless information ... so here I go ...

Ever woken up realizing that you just relized that you have put yourself in a position that kind of belittles yourself ... dont get me wrong, the whole patriotic thing, going to iraq so that a soldier can come home to his family is the greatest thing that I have ever done ... but all this other bullshit that comes with it really sucks ... not to mention the government owns me for 3 years and change. BTW, if I get a sunburn ... they can give me an article 15 (take money, punish me) for destruction of gov't property ..... yeah .... back for more later ... peace out

first of many to come

2006-04-09T22:06:00.000-05:00

Just signed up for my blog ... i guess you could say I am behind in the times ... check back for content very soon!