...making time

If any of you haven't heard, I'm MARRIED! (must have had your head somewhere else for a while to miss this one...) Decided I better make my presence felt here, even if it is just for a short post. Haven't been online that much to blog... time flies and I just need to get use to catching little moments like these here and there. Hope everyone is doing well in the blogging world.

Note: we are still waiting on more pictures of the wedding to come in so for now all the pictures can be found at Lala, Grammy, and Pop-Pop's blogs. I'll be sure to post a big group shot of the pictures on my site for all to see.

Thanks for all the well-wishes from so many people through the above mentioned blogs as well.

Ciao.

Gone unpunished?

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How are acts like these left unpunished?

A Russian military vehicle rolls past a house set on fire by South Ossetian militia in the Georgian village of Kvemo-Achebeti.

A Russian soldier walks by the same house set on fire by South Ossetian militia.

An elderly Georgian couple escaping from their house set on fire by the South Ossetian militia.

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(pictures by REUTERS/Denis Sinyakov 18AUG2008 outside the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali)

Some more REMI action for ya!

Just another stumble...

FOOT 2008 (REMI GAILLARD)

This is CRAZY!

Use firefox... and stumble.

Can't sleep

I find myself unable to sleep tonight. Its tough. I drank a little white wine tonight to ease myself to sleep (just a little... I promise) but no luck. I find myself unable to sleep lately and I think I am starting to figure out why. At first I thought it was because I might be nervous for the wedding this weekend; nervous how my life will be forever changed and that I might not be able to handle it. As time went on, though, I realized this wasn't the case at all. I have been looking forward to this since before I first proposed to Lala last Christmas on the cruise with her family. I've never felt something was so right for me (even with all the things that got messed up along the way, I still felt like the timing was the only issue that needed work).

While Lala was here helping take care of me, we started doing something that I think will forever change our relationship: we read the Bible together before we would sleep. One of us would read selected chapters to the other and then we would discuss it or re-read it to try to find all meaning that was placed there by our Creator. It was an awesome sensation to come to realize that Lala isn't someone who is supposed to complete me (as in a soul-mate) but rather compliment me so that together we might love the Lord more fully. We all see differently through our own eyes but when we are able to sit back and enjoy the love from above, the sensations become overwhelming. This is but a taste of what I have begun to experience with Lala as we would read together.

I know I have a thick skin and more often than not, a thick skull... this sometimes make me put up walls and I jump to conclusions or make myself seem like I understand something when I may not fully comprehend the significance that is presented. The last few times Lala and I read to each other, I have tried to just open myself up to the possibility that I knew nothing about what we were reading beforehand, but rather treat it like it was the first time I was hearing it... and in essence, this turned out to make a world of difference because I was able to hear more clearly a simple nature speaking through the words. I've never slept more peacefully than I have after our readings together.

So, to step down and get back to why I think it is that I am unabe to sleep is simply the preparation for what lays ahead. I want to offer her a life as free from hardship as can be but I know this is unrealistic. I mean, I'm an officer in the United States Navy... hardships will be around every corner. Deployments and workups and refreshers and everything else that can and will keep me from home and from the one I will be devoting my love and life to will tear me apart.

I want this ceremony to be perfect for her... even if it is something small this time around. I know the first attempt we made at this would have been perfect... big, bold, and unforgettable. But this time around I just don't get the same feeling about the ceremony. The meaning is still the same (if not, stronger); the people, while smaller in number, all mean the most to us... and this may be the saving grace with this factor: the people we do have coming have all been good influences in our life together or have all been an unwavering support to us. We know there are many more who we wish could spend the day with us, but we are planning on having receptions back in our respective hometown areas so as to allow us to celebrate with more family members and friends close to us... of course, more information regarding this will come at the necessary times.

Tonight, to help my worried feelings of being unprepared, I've been going through music online and trying to get enough in "stock" for when Lala gets here with her mother so we can all go through the music, etc. I hope it will all help as I really realy do want this to be perfect for her. I've listened to almost all of them (all the way through) and am making playlists to go over later with Lala.

I hope tomorrow is a better day than today in terms of pain. I will be going in to the flight doc as soon as I am able to go long enough off of my prescription Percocet to drive in. Still no signs of the stones passing and I am still experiencing the pain in my lower abdomen and right-hand side at times (most noteably after I am done in the bathroom for 20-30 minutes following). I am also having pains in my jaw now, near my left ear. My body is just being stupid and seeming to want to fall apart on me. Not good timing, Body... not good timing at all. I want to go back to flying and getting qualified. I study during the days so as to keep myself going and not feeling like I am falling too far behind. UGH... we'll see how this all pans out soon.

Ok, well now I feel like I better do a little bit of last minute editing of the playlists and then its off to sleep as I lay here in bed. Thanks for staying awake long enough to finish this. :-) Wish me luck.

Cheers.

Been a long time

So most people don't come here anymore because I use my new website to host my blog. I guess I'm just indecisive when it come to this. I like the ease of use of blogger but it doesn't always give me the options I want for specific instances. I've tried using a few other blog sites but haven't found anything I like quite like blogger. I will be creating a new blog soon using blogger and when I do, I will be redoing my own website to include my blog for ease of use and so more and more people can get to it via the method they've grown accustomed to. I hope this doesn't inconvenience too many people and just hope they see it as me trying to find a way to express myself... which is after all, the real reason for Blogger.com to even exist.

Christmas Leave

So I know its been a while since I've last even looked at blogger. I must not be a true follower of the blogging arts... Well my life has been quite hectic lately. I have been spending most of my time on the base, adjusting to the new squadron, and just getting used to the idea that I get to see my girl in a couple weeks! Now if thats not awesome, I don't know what is.
Today I have off... not really sure why though. I purchased a card reader online so I could use my military ID with my computer and check my squadron's daily schedule from home and thus keeping me from having to drive in just to see the schedule. It helps out a lot now and I'm sure it will come in quite handy in the years ahead too.
I'm not sure how many people will be reading this because of my non-serious blogging ways, but I've read on my Lala's blog about how I recently worked my butt off to negotiate my changing my Christmas leave. The story behind that goes back to when I first checked in to the squadron...
I showed up on the first day and had it on the tip of my tongue so whenever anyone talked about Christmas leave I would immediately point out that I had set dates that I needed off. The set dates having been set up by Lala and myself back in August as I made the long drive from Florida to Georgia, Georgia to Wisconsin, then finally Wisconsin to Washington State. I remember the very spot I made the reservations with Lala: my transition from I-94 in Montana to Hwy 200 in the town of Glendive. We had a "patchy" conversation at this point because cell phone reception wasn't the greatest throughout Montana but we made do. We purchased our tickets through priceline.com. (Later events prove this to become a major ordeal with flight changes and making sure we had seats next to each other... we'll be buying our tickets together from now on, no matter how much I have to shell out.) Back to my checking in to the squadron... As the topic of Christmas leave came up, I immediately interjected the dates I needed off so it was out there. Well, come to find out, the dates they were giving off for leave were in two separate blocks... one before Christmas and another after by a couple days... and as my luck would have it, I was scheduled for the second block along with the other guys that checked in to the squadron when I did. So to make an already long story short, I have been dealing with 4 different people in the squadron trying to get my individual schedule changed so I can go on the cruise with my girl and her family and then enjoy the holidays with her family in New York and my family in Wisconsin... all of which Lala will be with me! :-) Along with getting the dates changed, I also had to make sure the two squadron watches I was scheduled for during my leave time were covered, which now involves favors and covering other people's watches for them. Whew, lots of work. But, come to think of it, none of it seemed like work while I was doing it and it still really doesn't seem like work looking back because of the reason I did it. Being with her on Christmas is what I want the most. Not so much just Christmas... but the "being with her" part.

One more thing... I thought I would pass this on to everyone, just in case... I am planning on moving my blog. The original will stay here on blogger but I think that it will be easier to put my blog on my website where I can edit it while I am offline during the cruise. We'll see when I actually move it, but for now here is the address: http://www.nfoav8or.com. Hope to see you all there and enjoying yourselves.

The man in the monastery...

A guy joins a monastery and takes a vow of silence. He's allowed to say two words every seven years. After the first seven years, the elders bring him in and ask for his two words. "Cold floors," he says. Seven more years pass. They bring him back in and ask for his two words. "Bad food," he says. Seven more years pass. The elders bring him in again for his two words. "I quit," he says. "That's fine," the elders say. "You've done nothing but complain since you got here."

Live life... laugh.

School 1967 vs. School 2007

Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school. Afterwards, he pulls into the school parking lot with a shotgun in his gun rack.

1967 - Vice principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his own shotgun to show Jack.

2007 - School goes into lockdown, the FBI is called, Jack is hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors are called in to assist traumatized students and teachers.

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Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.

1967 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.

2007 - Police are called, SWAT team arrives and arrests Johnny and Mark. They are charged with assault and both are expelled even though Johnny started it.

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Scenario: Jeffrey won't sit still in class and results in him disrupting other students.

1967 - Jeffrey is sent to the principal's office and given a good paddling. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.

2007 - Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra state funding because Jeffrey has a disability.

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Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.

1967 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.

2007 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has an affair with the psychologist. Billy decides he's gay.

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Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.

1967 - Mark shares Aspirin with the school principal out on the smoking dock.

2007 - Police are called and Mark is expelled from School for drug violations. His car is searched for drugs and weapons.

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Scenario: Pedro fails high-school English.

1967 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English and goes off to college.

2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by local human rights group. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that making English a requirement for graduation is racist. US Civil Liberties Association files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English is banned from corecurriculum. Pedro is given his diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

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Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover Independence Day firecrackers, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up an anthill.

1967 - Ants die.

2007 - Homeland Security and the FBI are called and Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. teams investigate parents, siblings are removed from the home, computers are confiscated, and Johnny's dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

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Scenario: Johnny falls during recess and scrapes his knee. His teacher, Mary, finds him crying, and gives him a hug to comfort him.

1967 - Johnny soon feels better and goes back to playing.

2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces three years in federal prison. Johnny undergoes five years of therapy.

Dona Nobis Pacem

Remember... Don't abuse the privilege of FREEDOM; it comes with a price.

Land, Air, Sea
Its all the same to me.
Support Our Troops.

Another Rainy Day

Today I decided to head outdoors and run down to the marina. I got dressed for a run, expecting it to be colder, so I donned wind-pants with shorts underneath as well as a long-sleeve shirt with another short-sleeve over the top. I also clipped my ipod to my pants and slipped a stocking cap on my head, but the weather I was expecting was a little further from the truth... in the wrong direction: colder. I'm not sure what the temp was exactly, but I do know that while my lungs may have felt like they were burning, my legs and fingers did not. I made it down to the marina ok though... using the nice jogging trail by the bay. When I arrived at my viewing point, though, it started to rain... ugh! just when I thought I could have a nice run. crappy weather. Sorry, no pictures from my run today, but the following pictures are what you could have seen if it were a nice day out. (I took these at an earlier date.)



After my run, I came home and talked to my girl. I also went to the grocery store and decided to buy a few more cleaning supplies while I am off this week. Figured I could get the house looking a little better while I have the time.

One thing to remember about tonight people: Set your clocks back. I'm going to do my happy dance as I waltz around my place setting back the clocks. Yay! an extra hour to sleep! or eat! I haven't made up my mind yet. :-)


PS. 43 days, 16 hours, 19 minutes until I get to see my girl!

Adventures in Laziness

Ok so I know I haven't posted in a while and I know I should feel some kind of remorse for that but eh... who cares right... ?

But in keeping with the name of the blog, I thought I might change it up a bit.

I have a week off now and am sitting around doing nothing. I just recently finished a bit of ground school and my start date for my next ground school isn't for another week so I plan to be a bit lazy. I figure I've earned it... what with all the countless hours of studying going in to the last class. whew! nuts!

I guess lazy isn't the right word for it. I plan on being lazy in the sense that I will not feel bad if I accomplish nothing of importance in the day, but that is not to hold me back from fixing up the condo or going for a run or just sitting here working on this blog. (as you can see I now have a third column... decided to putz with my coding skillz earlier and walla.)

A few weeks ago my desktop computer crashed. I was moving the office previously located downstairs in the lower bedroom upstairs into the dining room area. Not to excited with the move anymore and I plan to move it back sometime this week. I guess one of the screws from the top of the case fell out and landed on the motherboard (which lays on the bottom of the case) subsequently shorting out the motherboard when I plugged it in and turned it on... not knowing this bit of information about the screw. The computer is now useless except for a few bits and pieces which I plan to salvage (ie. my DVD burner, graphics card, wireless card, and possibly some RAM if I can find another system that will take it).

Good news to the story though is that my renters insurance has a computer policy on it and I am currently in the middle of trying to get another diagnostic run on it from a guy up the street who can then fax in to my insurance company the final results of it. My insurance company also said that if it isn't fixable and the damage is covered, they will replace the computer with another comparable computer. Seeing as how this system was custom-built by me to be a screaming-fast desktop, I'm thinking another new computer will be nice to find.

But alas, if only things could work out the way we want. Until then I will be sitting here on the new mackbook I purchased a few months ago (which has again come in handy with the loss of the windows desktop) and type this out to the world.

More good news... I think I've found a church to join. My beautiful girl and I were looking online the other night and I stumbled across the Anacortes Christian Church. I think it sounds promising with all the programs is offers on the side as well as the spiritual foundation to the church. I plan to attend this Sunday to see if it will fit to our liking.

One more thing before I take off for the day...
Fall is now in full effect and this area is gorgeous. I plan on taking my camera with me on a few *cold* bike rides or runs this weekend/week and showing off the area to the world. Its so serene in the morning with the fog banks rolling through the hills and the trees glowing in colors that you've only seen visible in a fire before. Kinda reminds me of the story of the burning bush.

ok, well I'm off now.

Adventures in laziness, here I come!

who would have thought

I know people are stupid but I never thought I would see the day.

oops, one more

ok, so I couldn't help myself this time. I decided I had to put one more up. ha, enjoy


In The Know: Are America's Rich Falling Behind The Super-Rich?

100 days

I decided its been too long since my last post. Things either get hectic or I put it off long enough until I just don't feel like posting to this. I don't see how you all do it all the time. I have, however, been looking up more funny things to post on here and I believe I've found something that I believe no one else should have to see. So... here it is. :-)



So there, now I feel like I've done my part for humanity this evening. I hope you all enjoy.

Don't worry, I'll be back :-)

100 days til I get to see my girl!

Human Tetris and Internet Lingo

Just when you thought the internet couldn't put out anything more stupid... these guys come along.

Quick note to all

I thought it appropriate to place this... I don't plan on posting every day. This is new to me and I will slowly get into it but for now it is an easy way of spending time with my girl and sharing pictures of my life with the world.

I love you Hun.

Rambles

Ok... so life as I know it has never been better. I'm in love with a great girl AND I received my wings about a week and a half ago and am now sitting around doing nothing until I get shipped off. I leave to go to a wedding in almost 5 days. I cannot wait to get out of Pensacola and fly to Atlanta to see my darling. She is picking me up and then we are driving to her mom's house where we will stay for a couple days until we leave to drive up to West Virginia for her step-brother's wedding... more to come on that I'm sure. Anyways, I'll only be gone for 5 days but it will be the best small vacation I could imagine. Not a bad way to get away I say :-) wow... ok, too much.

This isn't going to be a blog about anything really. Just a way for myself to get back into the swing of things and put my thoughts on here (where I hope they will never be lost).

Its 4:15 A.M. right now and I cannot sleep. I ask myself, "what is it about doing nothing during the day that give you so much energy at night" and for the life of me I am stumped. No idea at all. I try to fill my days with movies and video games and I've also started to redo all of my computers. I have three... well, two now. I had a server, a desktop, and a laptop. Now I have a desktop and a laptop. My server died on me last week for no apparent reason. I've diagnosed it a couple times; I think I know a fair amount about computers in order to be able to say that I should be able to detect the flaws. Hmph, but no. Nothing shows up out of place except for when I turn it on. I thought it might be the video card because the motherboard is registering, the LEDs are registering that activity in the HDs is taking place... heck, even the network router port LEDs are registering that activity is taking place between the computer and the network. But I cannot make anything appear on my screen. I tried different video cards... everything (oh, btw, the monitor and both video cards work... I double-checked with my desktop). Enough with that crap...

YAWN... there we go. finally a hint of sleep heading my way. I want to get a few hours in before I wake-up and call in to the squadron to say that I am alive. Ta Ta For Now