Army Cupcakes and Cakes

This past Drill I had 2 soldiers retire from my unit (one SSG with 29 years of service and one SFC with 35 years of service). Check out the awesome cupcakes and cakes that one of the Soldiers (who was also leaving, though she was just ETSing) prepared for the "Hail and Farewell" party we had at the end of Drill. She did an awesome job (and the cake/cupcakes tasted as good as they looked).

Taste of the Nation

So yummy!!!!
So full!! (I woke completely full this morning, after passing out from a food coma)

There were so many tasty treats that it is hard even to start. Lots of favorites (Co Co Sala had some awesome stuff), lots of new places and some really great drinks (tried the mixologists drinks.... no wonder they are so popular if all their drinks were as strong as the one the poured last night. As well as good friends like the belgian beers). A very pleasant way to spend an evening (and the best part was that most of it went to a charity).

National Capital (Half) Marathon.

What a nice morning for a run! I completed the race (13.1 miles!! This is actually the longest run that I have ever completed in a race. As part of Operation Run Fatboy Run this is the first of series that I am running (next weekend is MCM Run to Register 10K, so that I get my spot in the MCM next fall) in just a shade over 2:20(so basically around a 11 minute mile).

The good:

• Pretty course. I can't think of the last time I have been through some of these neighborhoods and it was a really great way to see DC
• Overall a fairly level course
• Good crowds. I liked the one neighborhood where people had beer available to the runners (I did not partake. I had been contemplating having beer at the end, but my body disagreed).

The bad:

• Wow, DC roads are in bad shape. There really is no point where you are not looking at the ground making sure that you have good footing
• Running out of cups. Really people.... this is race management 101. Having people take water/poweraide from gallon jugs was just plain awkward.
  
• Not training enough. I was destroyed after the run. Like by the time I made it to the Metro with CupcakeGirl? I was warming my hand in her hands. For those of you that know me, that is unheard of. By the time I made it back to Courthouse? Teeth chattering, slight nausea.... I am only feeling human now, some 5 hours after the race.

yes, I am a fashion disaster when I run....

Kindle 2

So I have been an e-book reader for a long time. Way back when I was pounding through e-books (mostly DRM free stuff from my favorite publisher, Baen... Anytime I can buy 5 books for 15 dollars and use a device I had already (normally a Palm or MS PDA) it is a great thing). I decided to join the Kindle wagon with the release of the Kindle 2. 2 weeks (due to a bad zip code on my package) it arrived. I happily loaded the 177 DRM free ebooks that I already had and was ready to rock and roll.

And less than 24 hours later? This....

But I will give Amazon credit. They had the replacement in my hands in barely 24 hours!

Watchmen and other Recent Pop Culture stuff.

The GF (who now bears the name of CG, Cupcake Girl) and I went to see Watchmen on Friday.
All I can say is whoah! That is a whole lot of blue penis.... (there may have been blue balls (hehe...) but in the standard hetero manner all I saw is penis and I then had to reframe what I saw of the scene). They may as well call it the blue penis movie....

After that it was off to drill (oh yeah, I am in a good mood this week... nothing like 2 workweeks sandwiching a weekend where I am under even more stress than while at work.). I didn't even get back until around 10 PM since for some reason we decided that it was a good idea to run a land navigation course from 1300-1700 on a Sunday afternoon, so of course it ran long.

Some of the shows on my hot watch (shows that do not sit on my Tivo for any period of time)

• 24 - The wait was long but OMG.... this season has been awesome! Is it wrong that I want to see bad things happen to the Senator (Red from That 70's Show) and Janeane Garofalo(who joined the show because she hated Jack Bauer!)? Nope, not really..
• Lost - It really has picked up this season. I watch it every week with CG and the twists and turns are a lot of fun!
• Life on Mars - Poor show. I liked it. At least it gets a chance for a graceful exit.
• Chuck - Please do not cancel it. This show is great TV!
• Gossip Girl - Another fun series. I am so not in the target demo, but it is still entertaining to watch.
• Dollhouse - Love it! Like all Whedon shows, it takes a bit to "burn in" and establish itself.

SNOW!!!

God I love snow! We get it so rarely here in the DC region that I think I am always in shock when we actually get it here.

So anyone want to take bets the Prez makes another snarky comment about DC not being able to handle snow? The over/under here at the office is very much in favor that he will. I am so sorry that the DC region decides that it is not a good fiscal investment to have the same level of snow removal capability as locations that are more like to get his fine white stuff.

Oh well, at least I got my 2 hours (no g-d 7 AM teleconference).

Well that took all of a month

And the gun crowd? Not shocked in the slightest.

Obama to Seek New Assault Weapons Ban

The best part of this (and pretty much all anti-gunner drivel?), they can't even get their story straight. How does banning the import/manufacture of semi-automatic rifles here in this country affect the Mexican gangs using, "Grenades and automatic weapons." I have never in my life seen a live grenade for sale anywhere in here in the US and automatic weapons? Really expensive (price of the weapon plus $3000 transfer stamp? God no) and not all that common. AG Holder looks like a moron to anyone out there with a spit of common sense. (Really, this is not the way to sell this to the American public, "I think that will have a positive impact in Mexico, at a minimum." This builds up exactly zero sympathy from a majority of the public)

Orders for those evil high cap magazines? Have been placed... It may be the best investment I have made in the past year (they will probably appreciate to 2-3 times their purchase price in the next couple of years...).

Blogger HH

So I decided to convince my GF, H, to come and meet the people whose stories I was always forwarding to her. Not too hard since we didn't have anything planned for Friday night and there is always the fascination to put the in-person face of the people that are writing these stories.

We made a night of it, heading down to U Street early to grab dinner. H made the mistake of offer 2 choices, and for me? When I am presented with a noodle place it is hard to pass up. So after getting off the wrong exit, we had a nice stroll over to DC Noodles. I really like my choice (the seafood Spicy noodle soup. Just a touch of spice (its hard to outspice me) and all the stuff in there was really pretty good). We started off with Pumpkin Empananas and Meat dumplings. Overall I was quite pleased and would happily eat there again.

Then over to Marvin's for drinks. I liked the choice, because overall it was a neat bar with a fantastic selection of drinks (I worked my way through the 5 beers on draft, all mostly Belgian beers). The bar itself was really neat, I liked the outdoors component (the heat was a great plan to keep it available on this very chilly night).

After looking around for a bit (I told H that if I was a cop the criminals would be very safe, since while a number of the bloggers had pics, I had only really met 2-4 of them).

I am glad I got the chance to talk with 2 of the hosts, Lemmonex and Arjewtino. I had a great DC/Soccer chat with I-66 (because there really is a lot to talk about right now, with the stadium and of course US Mens National Team WC Qualification).

We had a great time and got to chat with a bunch of awesome people (further reassuring H that not all bloggers are dorks like myself)

• Big Money Tony of Big Money Tony
• Franco Beans (and his GF) of http://francobeans.com/
• Deutlich of Speak on it
• maxie of i hate so much
• Jo of Attention Span of a Fly

Great meeting everyone and I hope that the fates align and I (as well as H) can make another one in the near future!

Freedom takes another hit.

Virginia Passes Smoking Ban
While I personally appreciate the fact that I will be able to come home from VA bars and not smell like I rolled around in an ashtray (given that I do not, now, in the past or in the future, smoke) I kind of appreciate it.
However......
Whatever happened to personal responsibility (no one is forcing me to go to these bars)? Or, y'know, pesky things like property rights (those owners of the establishments should decide what goes on there. A number here in Arlington are smoke free already by choice (choose... yes, I like that word, choose). They decided to see if the market was right for them, and offered a choice to the consumers.

I know that a lot of y'all are celebrating this, but in this Libertarians world? I am seeing another spark of freedom being extinguished.

Lotsa Food!

So this week is Restaurant Week! And I love trying me some new places to eat.

I am going to include one that did was not RW dining experience.

• Co Co Sala - H and I went there on a Friday night (for V-Day, since she had to work the next night). My this is a yummy place. We started off with 2 delicious drinks (I had a MMM (Malted Milk Martini... it had Bailey's so of course I couldn't resist) and she had a Disia (Lychee Puree)) then ordered 4 Coco Bites (everything is small plate nowadays). My god they do good Mac and Cheese (we ordered one of each) as well as 2 sliders. We followed of course with Chocolate, going with the Aztec Experience with an extra order of tiramisu. So full and satisfied after that evening.
• Georgia Browns - My RW Dinner. We went with beers with this meal. I went with the Black Bean Soup (meh.. it was okay), Sassafrass BBQ St. Louis Ribs (with Mac and Cheese.... this was so yummy. It just about fell of the bone) and Chocolate Pecan Pie (Good god this was good... chocolate with pecan pie. Who would have thunk it). H had Duck Spinach Salad (pretty good actually), Blue Cornmeal Fried Chicken (I liked it, also really good) and Coconut Cake (really good but not as good as the pie). Yet again, I left stuff. The breads (Cornbread stick and buttermilk biscuits) with Peach butter was fantastic!
• Pinzimini - I took my Mom to lunch here. Not sure what to expect but it is a really nice modern restaurant. We both started with the asparagus crepes (big portion and really tasty), I had the pizza (all Italian meats) and my mom had the fish (Sole, breaded), both were very tasty and the portions were overly generous. We followed it with the tiramisu.

Also in the past week a number of us went to the DC Food and Wine Festival at the Reagan Building. So many wines. It further confirmed my love of German wines (so sweet).

Deployment

In the interests of allmighty OPSEC, I will be circumspect about my unit, exactly when I am being mobilized and where we are going...

But that said, in the past 2 weeks it has come to light that sometime in 2011 (general enough OPSEC gods?) my Brigade will be heading to foreign lands. I kind of had an inkling before this, though I would have more likely bet on 2012 or 2013, but based on accelerated fielding of systems to my unit and others started to lead me to other conclusions. Which were confirmed on a recent trip where I was with senior members of the Brigade and they let slip the information. So I played the clueless LT and tried to see what other information I could get. Based on the information gleaned from that trip and the information from the senior officers, I really could deny it no longer. Daniel now has a date and destination for me to heading off to war.

So after a bit of personal coping mechanisms (see item (a) and a couple of his friends below) I slowly began the reachout. Of course I shared it with my fellow officers who are in the unit that is deploying, then one or 2 friends who are way off and I never get to see in person. Then began the planning of how to tell people this little factoid.

I am a big fan of the FTF (no one wants to learn about this in an email or FB status update). I had drill that weekend so after that? Began the task of letting people (everyone from my parents to my lovely GF) know the general details.

Obviously it is surprising, but also not (it's something that I had to kind of expect in the post 9/11 world). Luckily they are getting things more straightened out and the deployments are only for 12 months (3 months of workup, 8 months in theater, 1 month demob). But it is also more than 2 years away so obviously things may change in time. (as my standard response goes, "Obama will fix it"....)

Makes me glad I picked a field that will keep me far away from the bad guys.

Since it is so far away I am just rolling with the flow now... It is something to keep in mind for my planning, but overall isn't going to impact my daily life (at least for another 12-18 months... then I might really be stressing... I am somewhat of a homebody and the thought of being away from my place, with my things, my family for that long is really hard to contemplate).

Item (a) - $3 for a Liter of Shiner Bock

And now for the denial, where I try to pretend this isn't going to happen (hopefully I can keep this phase going for a good year or more before I can't deny it anymore).

Friday Night - Fox's Slot of Death for SF shows

So I am somewhat concerned... An interesting show with an awesome show runner (Joss Whedon) and a great actress, Eliza Dushku, has been slotted in what I call "The Death Slot." (Alternatively titled the slot that only "The X-Files" survived) I fear for Dollhouse....

I know Fox thinks it is clever to put 2 SF shows (the show being "The Sarah Connor Chronicles") in that slot (since, y'know, geeks/nerds don't go out on Friday nights..) but this really has never worked in the past. As noted, only one show has really survived this slot, and given that Fox is steadily becoming the master executioner (a momentary dip and onto the scrap heap you go) it is not looking good for either show..

Busy, Busy....

Lots of wearing of the uniform this past week.... I am pretty much done with it for another couple of weeks (assuming I don't get tasked to attend another Army conference next week). We are getting a lot of new equipment in the next 12 months (yes... I am slightly suspicious of this...).

Last Monday to Friday I was out in Austin (I am in shock.... The Army sent me to a place where I wanted to go... I better not get used to this). I love Austin. It is plainly an awesome town.
The running/walking paths around the lake (I was in the Radisson downtown, right next to the infamous bat bridge) are just top notch. On the 3 days that I ran I got in 16+ miles of running (which is important given that I have a 1/2 marathon in only another month or so). Everyone there seemed to be out running/walking/biking... There even were water coolers set out for everyone to use in the parks.

I also availed myself of the fun on 6th Street (very cool, on Thursday they even block off the street to traffic and you can walk down it). And of course BBQ (The County Line provided another fantastic meal).

Then I got back on Friday at 1300 (in Richmond), drove back to DC, spent some time with the GF and then was heading down to my unit (3 hour drive) at 4 AM the next day. We didn't wrap up until 8PM Saturday night, then off to dinner together (officer and senior enlisted bonding time). I didn't get to bed until 1030.. I was so dead. It's funny that as an Officer I never got to spend any time out in the fantastic weather, instead having to see the occasional FB post on it.

I was so wiped after everything that Monday was a serious Mental Health/Physical health (I was seriously wiped and the travel left me with a tickle in my throat). Hope y'all had a good day.

Like tank treads..

Yes, that is how I describe them. My trusty Yak Trax. This lovely little gift from my Mom 2 years ago has prevented me (a person with questionable grasp on walking in the normal times) near perfect traction in days like the past 2 days. I all but aim at the most imposing terrain, certain that these sweet little shoe coverings will save me from myself. While the first pair that I got is just about ready to be DX'd, a new pair is waiting in the wings. When the weather gets cold, these handy little pieces of metal and plastic get tossed into my commute bag, taken out only when I believe that the weather has returned to the safe side.

PS.... Mr. President. I have seen your mocking of the way that the DC area handles storms. I view this more on the side of thrifty-ness. To waste money on a snow system that would get all the side streets safe enough to drive on would be extremely wasteful. The reason we handle it so badly is because of that and the fact that we don't just get snow. We get the god-awful wintery mix (a little snow with sleet/freezing rain) that is very hard to handle and often lures less observant drivers to their doom.

PPS Mr. President... yes, we saw you try to use the window as a door. This is why I know that the press is on your side, if President Bush had done it the mocking would have been merciless(actually he did have some door issues, and the press in fact ate it up).

Snow!

Now I see the advantage of the cold temperatures... It allows the wonderful snow to stick!

Glad I walk to work, hope everyone stays safe out there.

PS and fingers crossed, maybe we will get an early dismissal!

Vegas!!!!

Really? What is not to love?

I did spend a lot of time at the poker tables (I won't bore you other than mention this one hand where I got quad 9's on the river and took in an almost 300 pot!!). I actually left Vegas with more cash in my pocket than when I left (so while I had budgeted more than $600 for gambling I used up none of it... all told with meals and whatnot the trip cost less than $500).

Coolest part of the trip? I went to the Penn & Teller show and got picked from the crowd to be part of their gun trick (shocking I know for anyone who knows me). Still working on exactly how the trick works, but it is pretty cool. My brother, D, wanted to kill me when I stuck my hand up and volunteered to get up on stage... it was pretty funny! It was pretty cool to be up there (Army has taken care of my fear of crowds and public speaking... and embarrassment...).

Lots of good food (breakfast in Paris, last dinner in Mandalay Bay's buffet). Best find of the trip? Ellis Island Casino. They have this fantastic meal where for 6.99 you get: a imperial pint of beer (their own brew), a salad (big and not adorned by anything other than dressing and croutons), a side of garlic green beans (not a fan of green beans mostly, but these were fantastic), a potato and a 10 oz steak (very good). It was right around the corner from Paris (if you went the quick way... not so around the corner if you choose the wrong direction).

O'Sheas Casino has beer pong!! Pretty cool!!

Goodbye Mr. President

I think only time will tell how your work during these crazy years is evaluated. We do not have the perspective to evaluate your performance in doing what may be one of the hardest jobs in the World during one of the more tumultuous times in history.

Thank you for your service and may God bless you in your coming years.

The Italian Store

First of a bunch of reviews of places that I love to eat (generally corrosponding with me eating there the night or day before):

God I love this place. While I of course have my Arlington bias (notable since I can often go a week or more and not leave my beloved A-town), The Italian Store is one of the best places for 2 notable items in the area:

• Hands down? The best NYC style pizza in the area? Whatever they do, its so close to a good slice in NYC that it defies description.
• Great classic subs. Awesome bread (I always do hard so I cannot comment on the soft), quality ingredients, and top notch meats and cheese.

I had the pleasure of dining there (or picking up for a night in front of the TV with some gread subs and some good TV(finished True Blood) and a great girl to watch them with). We got a classic slice, the Tradizionale, (just cheese) and a slice of the supreme, Pizza Suprema (tomatoes, pepperoni, onions, italian sausage and black olives). Then we got subs to go with them, The Capri (Prosciutto (a delicately cured ham) blended with genoa salami, provolone cheese andspiced capacola ham) and Philly (Genoa salami, capacola & Danish ham, and provolone, on a hard crusty roll finished off with lettuce,tomato, onions, peppers, oregano, & our famous olive oil dressing).

I think I am still full today.. We didn't even have room for the dessert that we picked up there.

They also have an excellent selection of wines and pretty much everything else you need to make a delicious Italian meal.

I consider that I am lucky that I live so close to this awesome store. And other people seem to share that opinion since the wait to get a sandwich at the prime times are impressive, somtimes exceeding 30 minutes.

The Italian Store
3123 Lee Hwy
Arlington, Virginia 22201-4207
Phone: (703) 528-6266

I still have to wait another 4 days til Vegas?

Darn. Though I will enjoy the coming days since my GF will be back tomorrow from her work obligation.

I am so pysched. Not only that, I get to avoid the commotion that surrounds this coming event (where the crown and sceptre are bestowed and the throne is sat upon... they had to get them specially made for this event).

On the running note? I am now registered for the National Marathon (the half version), the Marine Corp Race to Qualify (to lock me in for the MCM) and the Fredericksburg Historic Half. Nothing like races to motivate you to get out there.

Operation Run-Fatboy-Run is in effect

So I got lazy... I enjoyed the food a bit too much, slacked off on a few workouts. I have basically treated the time since I got back from my Army training as a bit of a vacation. I put on a few lbs that I can ill-afford to put on (both from my health and in terms of what I as an Army Officer should allow myself to be). So back to watching my diet, increasing my workouts until I return to my better weight. While I can still run long and hard (I did 8 miles on Sunday), I just need to focus a bit more on the other side of fitness as well, the diet.

This is the year of the running. I will make my second attempt on the Marine Corp Marathon (with a better plan and more time spent in training beforehand) and I will succeed this year.

Next race on the agenda? That I already have signed up for? The National Half Marathon on March 21.

Vegas Baby!!!

What to do when you want nothing to do with the coronation, sorry, inauguration mess that is about to descend on your hometown?
Head far away to the land that is American Capitalism at its best and worst.

From the 18th to the 21st I will be living it up at Paris and enjoying all that makes America great!

Lets go Hokies!!!

Hokies 20 - Cincinnati 7. This game kept me on the edge the whole night!

Really!! What a great way to start out a new year!!!

So worth it to stay up late (though I should be in bed catching up on sleep after the New Years Eve revelry).

2008

What is a year without a recap? The theme of 2008 is Army.... Given that I spent 5 months on active duty for my Army training this Summer, combined with the trepidation before and recovery from it been the prime factor for this year.

Obviously I feel great relief that I finally went to and completed BOLC II/III (though of course it now leaves me open to being grabbed for a deployment, though that is pretty low priority right now given my states current plans). I got to meet some great people, have some fun times (and lots of VERY boring times (I played a lot of video games, watched a lot of TV, saw a hell of a lot of movies and drank a crapload of alcohol)). Interesting note? My BOLC II/III post

Relationship-wise I have a lot of ups and downs. Lots of first and second dates, lots of emails written and lots of anxiety and talking about myself (well, I do have a blog so obviously I like talking about myself and sharing my opinions). I got the "friend zone" speech twice and, as the icing on the cake, basically got "dear john'd" (or Jodie'd as we would say in the Army) this Summer. I am on an "up" right now, with my Match profile happily deactivated and no concerns about the midnight kiss tonight.
I can't have a blog with a title like mine and not go into my favorite subject, Movies, TV, Video Games...

• Movies - Quite a year. I think I saw more movies in the theater this year (thanks Army) than I have since 2000. My choice for movie of the year is simple, my brothers would not be surprised given that he has always been one of my favorites, Iron Man. Really, of all the movies this year this is the one that stood out.
• TV - Sigh... The damage that the writers’ strike wrought on this industry is still not easily calculated. So many freshman shows from last year took irreparable damage, including my much beloved Pushing Daisies. I think the damage will still reverberate for a while (Chuck and Terminator).
• Video Games -
  Big news was that I bought a Wii and wrought destruction on my parents house. Best game? Shocker I know... Left 4 Dead I mean, c'mon!! Zombies, teamwork and fun? Really no question. Most novel? Endwar. Fascinating user control (controlling the units with voice? sooo coool.....) and of course gives me a good Army fix.

Well, I am going to keep it somewhat short. I think I touched on the high and the lows and I am ready to move on to the next year....

Happy New Years everyone! I will be partying it up with my GF at the Gaylord at some big party this evening. I hope you have a great night and an even better New Year!

I need a vacation after my Christmas Vacation...

oh wait, thats right... the next thing up is New Years.... That will be relaxing.

I hope Santa was good to everyone. I know that I have no complaints (though I could get nothing and just be happy to be around the family. It's not like I can't purchase most everything I want anyway).

I had some late nights hanging with friends the past few days (4AM on Friday and in my best (read least) decision, 2 AM last night....) I know that I am dragging a bit right now. But it was worth it.

Time to stop now and start contemplating this year that seemed to shoot past (except when it REALLY dragged, like when I was doing my Army training).

Merry Christmas!!

I hope everyone out there has a fantastic Christmas! I know that I am looking forward to spending time with my friends and family the next few days.

The Universe is Random

One of the contractors in my Division was struck by a car.... while in a clearly marked pedestrian crosswalk.... wearing bright, obvious clothing in early morning daylight... at around 30mph (apparently she flew some 10 ft in the air when hit).
Luckily she was not killed (though 2 hip bones and her femur were busted. She was in surgery the next day to have pins put in).

It does make one pause. That sheer dumb, random chance that will strike you, even if you do everything right and still have something bad happen to you. I think this one of the most frustrating things about the world we live in. That luck plays such a factor (not that I am one to complain... I would say that I am a pretty lucky guy).

The funniest thing is that so few people are even willing to acknowledge that luck plays a factor in their lives. So many people claim that their rewards/results were from hard work, dedication and their own skill. But when it comes down to it those items just facilitated an environment that enabled them to fully exploit the opportunity that was presented to them. If they didn't return that call, reply to that email, get that workout in (or heck, get born to the right parents or get the good DNA).. then the opportunity passed them by. But we as humans like to believe that we are in control, so we minimize the fact that there is so much out there that is out of our control...


BTW, the coworker? Just got out of the hospital today... And promptly slipped and fell again. (nothing major, still went home)

Royalty?

First Oboma's recently vacated Senate seat goes up for bidding.....
Now Caroline Kennedy is being mentioned for the replacement of Hillary Clinton's Senate Seat.

Ah, the Kennedy family. Pushed into greatness by primarily by the death of a mediocre President (reference, Vietnam escalation, Cuban Missile Crisis). Most recently trying to get acclaim for Ted Kennedy (*cough* killer *cough*). Lately bemoaning the fact that with Ted soon to leave the Senate there won't be a Kennedy in the Senate for the first time in 50 years..

Really, the Kennedy's are the Democratic royalty. There is very little that they can do wrong and very rarely criticized.

Now along comes Caroline. Its hard to find an article that doesn't speak reverentially about this plan to place her into Clinton's seat. Words like "legacy" and "aura" are all tossed about. But really, lets use the correct word... "connections", "nepotism", "crony-ism"... This woman has no place in Senate. She has never served in public office or ran for one in her life.

So NY, (in particular Gov. Richardson), it seems that the media has crowned another of the Kennedy clan to public office. So mote it be.

I think it's funny that Americans seem intent on recreating the House of Lords here in the Senate.

Courtesy...

Really people? Whatever happened to the one of the best underpinnings of society? Treat others as you yourself would like to be treated. (Or, “Do unto others as you would want done onto you”) This rule seems badly fraid in todays world. Where things are pretty much all about you… To take the time to pause for a second and contemplate what you are doing and the effect on others around you…. Saying “please” and “thank you”

But C’mon…. This rule should be even more in effect when it comes to the workplace, where there are even more protocols in place. Let me give you the jist of a conversation that took place yesterday afternoon… And let me preface this by making the positions of those involved
Me: Federal Employee with significant responsibility (branch/section chief with 30 contractors working for me)
FBG-SA (Formerly Big Guy, Still Asshole): Contractor who works for one of my peers in another division in the same Office
Also present, my Divisions Program Manager – COG (Cool Old Guy)

Me – (coming in and asking questions about the topic of the day that interests our Office Director)
FBG-SA – What are you doing down here? (without even standing up or making any effort to talk FTF)
Me – (ask legitimate business related)
FBG-SA – (eventually provides answer to question… in most pompous, arrogant manner possible)

Never in the conversation was any attempt made to talk with me or COG like we were people… at all times the most condescending tone and mannerisms were used. Implications about other personnel in the office were made in dismissive manner.

I wouldn’t treat anyone this way. Not a peer, not a subordinate and most definitely not 2 people who are higher in the chain than he was. While I stayed on target, COG was definitely stewing and stuff like that (getting someone senior to you PO’d at you) is not good for your career, no matter how technically capable you are (or at the very least it will limit how far you will go).

Savoring...

I look forward to and also dread the Wednesday nights. Because on those nights I get to experience 2 emotions at the same time, happiness and enjoyment from one of the best shows to grace the TV in a while, "Pushing Daisies." However that pleasure is bittersweet when it is combined with the grim knowledge that soon this experience will end, and not even in a satisfying manner.... just abruptly killed because the 13 episodes were already shot when the notice came that there would be no more episodes.

RIP Pushing Daisies... Unfortunately very soon there will be no Piemaker to come by and give you a reprieve, even for 30 seconds.

Schadenfreude

Watching the twist of pain about this whole selling of Obama's Senate seat...
Seeing the networks being "shocked, shocked I tell you" in their reporting on corruption in Chicago/Illinois politics.

I just am eating my popcorn and enjoying the show......

Netflix on Tivo!!!

You got Tivo in my Netflix. No... You got Netflix in my Tivo.

So while I was always kind of interested in the Netflix Watch Now option, I must confess that I haven't really used it too much. Then they put it on my Xbox360... and I was impressed. Then it appears on my Tivo... and I am estatic that it is there. (I of course had been following these plans for a while, ever since they were announced.).

Though I must say that I am now somewhat disappointed.... I played around with it for all of a 15 minutes before it crashed... and then it crashed again. Very disappointed that Tivo would release something that so reeks of "beta".... This is not a polished product if it has crashed (luckily a "soft crash" where it boots me back the main menu, not rebooting the Tivo (which can take upwards of 5-10 minutes)) both of my Tivo's (a Series 3 and a Tivo HD) as well as my brother's Tivo HD. Not cool. Hopefully they are using the data from us 'chomping on the bit" early adoptors and are getting a fix ready shortly. Because overall, from the few minutes that I saw? Really cool.....

Exhausted

Everyone else out there yawning their way through their Monday? I know that me and caffeine have been good friends today.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I know that I did! Lots of food, lots of family (yep, I am a lucky one... I love spending time with my family. They are the greatest), lots of friends, lots of booze and lots of video games (see previous post for that). And as an extra bit of fun, my Hokies won on Saturday, gaining them a shot at the ACC Championship (I would not have bet on this happening this year).

My brothers and I ran the PWBA Turkey Trot through Del Ray on Thursday (a little pre-eating penance). I shocked myself with my sub 9-minute miles for the entire 5 mile race. Given that I hadn't been training much for the past 2 weeks that was nothing short of miraculous. I love that race, it’s a lot of fun and just the right distance.



Now get back to work!

Wii's are dangerous...

As has been widely reported, Wii's have accounted for any number of injuries (mostly to property as the Wiimote is not properly tied to the users wrist).
Another key item to keep aware of? What is around you when playing the game.....

Scene: My parents living room. After Turkey day food has been consumed. I brought the Wii over to play with my brothers over the holiday.
Situation: A very engaged game of Wii Tennis. After a bit of warmup into the game everyone finally had the hang of the game and the play turned more vigorous. After a ball comes to my play I decide to overhand (very much like a serve) the ball back. Not accounting for the light fixture that was immediately over my head.

The remains of the light fixture, after some of the lingering light bulbs (completely shatter had been removed with the expedience of a sweet potato... as all the other potatos had been converted into mashed potatoes) had been extracted.

45 minutes of cleanup later, I would say some 99.8% of the glass was finally recovered and removed. Consider this a lesson learned.

Hope everyone had a fantastic Turkey Day!

Casualties..

First they killed Lipstick Jungle, and I said nothing.
Then they killed the Ex-List, and I was unhappy.

Now they have killed some shows near and dear to my heart, some of the best shows to come out from last years debacle of a TV season have not been told to make any more episodes than the ones already in their original 13 episode order:

• Pushing Daisies - Really? Big mistake! This may have been one of the better TV shows on the air! This is a tragic loss for television viewers (or at least those craving more then the next top-whatever or something more than your regular murder of the week).
• Dirty Sexy Money - Another tragic loss. This show was all that was good about drama shows. The over the top characters and acting, the crazy plots... this had it all. Very sad.
• Eli Stone - Fun and creative. You never knew where this show would head and it has such a clever premise.

And yet, such fine shows such as Private Practice and CSI:Miami remain on the air.... It's embarassing...

Game Overload!

Okay, I know that game developers love to have new titles available around the holidays, but....
Are they trying to turn me into a social hermit? In the past few weeks the following games have entered the scene:

• Dead Space - really, there was no way to avoid this game.... Zombies in space! You cannot play this game in the dark, way too creepy.
• Gears of Wars 2 - Like this game
• Endwar - This game may have the coolest way of commanding your units in a RTS game that I have ever seen. And it actually makes playing RTS's on the Xbox 360 feasable. Though you do look kind of dorky yelling at your xbox through the voice controller.
• Fallout 3 - Love me some PIP Boy. Can't believe that it took ten years to get the sequal to this awesome series.
• Call of Duty: World at War - Very cool. Obviously when I have more time I will look forward to delving deeper into this game.
• Left 4 Dead - Zombies!!! Really.... 'nuff said.

And because appparently since I feel that that I have too much free time, I bought a Wii last week (impulse buy when I was in Best Buy shopping for a PS3, I saw a few behind the desk and asked if I could get one). I managed to get my parents to play it for a hour and a half on Saturday night. And yes, I will probably still buy the PS3 (gets me a Blue Ray player and a game system).

And now my poor Tivo's are feeling neglected.

Veterans Day

I hope everyone had a great day off (its sad that a day devoted to the masses who protect and defend this country is less observed than days devoted to individuals).

I think this day means more to me since that day 3.5 years ago when I raised my hand to joing the Virginia Army National Guard. In the years since then I have the honor and pleasure of meeting and serving with hundreds of individuals. More than any other point in my life I know more people that are out there on the front lines, placing their lives on the line executing the orders of the government (no matter how you argue it, we are out there executing our missions per the oath that we all took, to protect the Constitution and to follow the lawful orders).

I hope that everyone takes the chance to think about about those Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines that are out there every day, placing their lives on the line to protect this great country (and you). I had the pleasure of thanking a Veteran while out for a hike earlier today, its a great feeling to acknowlage their service. It is a great feeling.

Peering pensively ahead....

So America spoke, that’s democracy. In 2 short months America will have a new President (I actually thought that the odds are that we would see a Hispanic President before a Black president, in particular given the current trends in demographics). The wheels of our peculiar system continue to roll, and time will tell whether this selection is a good one or a poor one. Am I am a little cynical of a populace that while screaming "Change" also turned around and re-elected perhaps the most ineffectual Congress in the history of the US (really, their biggest feat is that they managed to be have a lower approval rating than GWB).

So I will continue to peer pensively into the future. Hoping for the best (maybe, against the odds Obama will drift into the center like Clinton) but fearful and concerned for the course that my, our, country is on with him at the helm. I know that the first referendum will occur in less than 2 years... and of course I know that I and countless other people will continue another course of actions that make this country great, dissenting, dissecting policy and making our opinions known.

So congrats President Obama (yes, as I stated I will not play the word games that the other side plays, he is our country's President and I will not pretend that he is otherwise (i.e., no "he is not my President")). You ran an excellent campaign (McCain really only found his game right at the end, way too late in the game). By now you have received your first Presidential Daily Brief (it’s a scary world out there... I am so glad I only have an inkling of it) and are starting to realize the the true depth of the situation that we are in. This will be the most important 4 years of your life and I hope and pray that you make the right decisions.

I voted.

Go McCain!

I officially will be fully entitled to whine/bitch/moan/pontificate/editorialize for the next 4 years if my candidate does not win (god help us...).

Go VOTE!!

And if you are undecided (how you are I have no idea), vote McCain. You cannot go wrong with voting for a true American Hero who has a long history of leadership and excellence.

Remember, if you don't vote you can't complain. Slaves keep quite. Citizens vote and let their voices be heard.

Fallout 3

Dear mister stick in the butt (SITB), (reference Opinion Letter in the Washington Post)

I would say that I am sorry that you are offended, but I am not. Mr. SITB, that is the wonderful thing about this country, that people can say/do things that you find offensive and still do them. Freedom of speech does not mean that you are entitled to go around in your little bubble and demand people remove anything that offends you...

The ads in Metro Center for Fallout 3 are some of the most clever that I have seen (since mostly adds just blur into the background) in a long time. The way that all the ads, well, add up to present the product are very effective and somewhat entertaining.

As a lifelong resident of the DC area, I know that this area is constantly under threat... you know what? I and everyone around me continues to live our lives... I am probably more happy that my city will get a good representation (given that the producers are in Bethesda, I expect it will be so)... and so what if it is in a post-apocalyptic world?
I for one am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new game, Fallout 3. I loved the first 2 and look forward to playing this game, considering it has been almost 10 years since the last.

So much for giving new shows a chance

One of my favorites of the new shows, the Ex-List, got pulled effective today.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117994775.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&nid=2630

Maybe we will be able to see the other 7 episodes in burn off time sometime in the future.

Guess the main character will be doomed to a life of singledom.

MIA

It has been 2 weeks since my last post (why does this feel like Confession?).

Yep. So I have been busy. Dating, working, working out, drilling (3 day Army drill this past weekend. God was I wiped on Monday), and just plain vegging. Nothing too exciting so I simply fell back on following other people lives and living mine.

I tasted Georgetown (very tasty, FYI), had a couple of cupcakes, ran a convoy (10 vehicles, 26 Soldiers up 110 miles (taking 3-3.5 hours)), shot some rounds (qualified with my M16, 31/40), been on a couple of dates, ran a bunch of miles (after taking a bit of break after the Army Ten Miler), went on 5 dates....

What I am watching? Love, Love, the Ex-List! I really think Heroes has turned around. Still watching Fringe and am fascinated with Life on Mars.
What am I playing? Braid (thanks G, thats a bunch of hours I will never see again) and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of Dead Space to my door (good god there are a lot of cool games coming out right now). And I am torn as to purchase the new Portal maps (how I loved that game).
Well, enough for now.

Hooah!

Army Ten Miler - This is the 6th time that I have run it!

Really, I don't think you could ask for a better day for a race. Quite a contrast from last year’s "hell race" which actually killed someone. My time this year definitely reflected the awesome weather, a very respectable 91 minutes (obviously a 9:10 pace... gotta love the easy math).

The crowds, the attitudes (everyone was in a pretty good mood), the course (such a pretty course) and even the weather all combined to make it a great morning for a run.

And really! The wounded soldiers making the run? It makes the heart break to see them injured but it also causes my heart to swell to see them come out and run. I know that I and most of the other runners would definitely give them a quick word of encouragement or cheer (I of course went with the ubiquitous, "hooah!").

Now I need to rest my aching body one more day and then it is back to the routine.

Push

Neither one stuck their foot in their mouth. Very much not up to expectations.

Though I guess that technically is a win for Palin, since she hasn't exactly had a stellar time in the media as of late (not that Biden has exactly been stunning people). She most definitely outperformed expectations.

I still stick with my status from Facebook, "Dan is I suppose I should be a good DC person and at least watch the debate... though who really cares about the VP? I vote for the President, not the VP."

Let's Go Hokies!

I was lucky enough this past weekend to attend the VT/Nebraska game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.

It was quite an experience. 88 thousand people were in attendance, maybe all of 6-7k of them were Hokie fans. But we represented, almost all wearing Orange (some wearing the more camouflaged Maroon) and apparently we were far louder than any visitor team that any of our neighbors could recall (my family was sitting almost opposite to the Hokie corner and you could clearly hear the cheering and chanting from across the ginormious stadium).

Really, the game was a sheer, grip the edge of your seat game. While the Hokies grabbed the lead early with a Safety and a quick TD from an interception, there was no moment that night that that I felt completely comfortable with victory (probably due to my having seen the Hokies blow it so many times at this point when they do get ahead).

I will say that I have nothing but good things to say about the Nebraska fans. We were sitting deep in their territory and answered many questions (the most popular being of course, "What is a Hokie?") and other questions (I think overall they were impressed that so many people traveled so far for this game). They were also very gracious in defeat (it was such a close game they could be angry at their own team but not us... particularily since there really is no bad blood between VT and Nebraska), I even was given a brand new Nebraska hat as we were leaving the game

Other than the football game I was quite impressed with Nebraska (not that I would live there or anything... far too pedestrian unfriendly for my taste) but it has been 11 years since we went out there. I saw a number of relatives that I haven't seen since then and was actually pretty impressed with the way that they have developed downtown Omaha.

New TV Season - Sundays

A good way to prepare for the new week.

• The Amazing Race - Only Reality show that I really love. Travel, adventure, action and intrigue. What is there to not like?
• Most of Fox - Simpsons, Family Guy and American Dad (just not a fan of King of the Hill)
• Brothers & Sisters - Another great show.
• The Unit - Hooah!
• Valentine - Gods? Why not, seems worth a try.
• Easy Money - will try most anything once.

New TV Season - Fridays

This is a rare night. One channel, 3 shows. I can hear my Tivo's sigh in relief about this evening.

• Ghost Whisperer - Yeah... I like JLH.
• The Ex List - will give it a few eps
• Numb3rs - Good interplay between the cast. Like the application of Science to real problems.

New TV Season - Thursdays

The only other, all 4 recorders running at the same time day!

• NBC Comedy block: My Name is Earl, Kath & Kim, The Office and 30 Rock.
• CSI - It will be interesting to see how Grissom disappears from the show
• Grey's Anatomy - Yeah I watch it. You got a problem with that?
• Supernatural - Back from Hell!
• Life on Mars - I am intrigued. The British version was fun, I will be interested to see how the American on will be.
• Eleventh Hour - Will give it a try.

New TV Season - Wednesdays

This is a much more relaxing night, though it makes up for it with quality by having 3 shows that I love!

• Pushing Daisies - Yes, I love this show. Quirky, funny, romantic, and just plain clever. I eagerly await the return of the Piemaker and his motley crew.
• Dirty Sexy Money - Delightfully sinful. Willing to take every cliche and hyper-extend it. I can't wait to see more of the Darling's exploits.
• Bones - Love Bones. The interplay of the characters is fun. The season opener in London was entertaining ("lets get out of here before someone else dies").
• Knight Rider - Will give it a shot
• Private Practice - Why not, just as background TV
• CSI:NY - Same as above.

New TV Season - Tuesdays

Hopefully today goes better than the disaster that was yesterday.

Tuesday is a bit less busy than Monday (what day isn't this season?)

• NCIS - Yep. I watch it and enjoy it.
• House - Fun.
• 90210 - On the bubble about this one. Currently use it as a background show.
• Priveleged - I LOVE this show. by far the best of the breed.
• Fringe - Looks like it has everything. I think that it just needs a bit more to "click"
• Mentalist - I will give it a look. Deep six otherwise.
• Eli Stone - cute show. Definitely low tier but fun to watch.

Car Free?

I went car free yesterday, though for me it isn't that hard. During the week my car will probably move 2, maybe 3 times (grocery store and maybe gym). When you live 3/4 mile from work and have a gym that is 1/2 mile away there can be many days where you can do without a car.

Ironically I do this and I have one of the most efficient cars out there, a Prius.

Disaster!

Dear Verizon FIOS... Perhaps changing the location of all the channels on the first day of the new TV Season was NOT a good idea. While I appreciate the additional HD Channels (SF Channel HD!!!) I do not appreciate that my poor Tivo's were very perplexed by this change. Read that as, I will be d/l-ing every show that was on last night since I was out of the condo yesterday evening (and I don't generally watch live TV so I was very perplexed when I saw no new shows on my Tivo's when I got back).

New TV Season - Mondays

And now to ignore all the political stuff and focus on what I find very important, the new TV Season! A bit late given the early start by the CW and Fox, but now that the teeth of things are starting:

What I will be watching (I am going to break :

Monday - Holy crap this is an awesome night (thank god for my Tivo Series 3 HD boxes, 2 channels per box)

• My Own Worst Enemy - should be interesting to see how it plays out. Slater looks to be a good addition to the TV lineup and the story sounds intriguing.
• CBS - pretty much the entire night. This may be the best night for comedy on. Big Bang Theory, How I Met your Mother, Two and a Half Men, and the new show Worst Week.
• Samantha Who - Loved the show when it was on earlier!
• Boston Legal - the last year. I will miss it when it goes off the air. I predict that the ending scene will be the Alan and Denny drinking scotch on the balcony. It would be fitting.
• Heroes - Looking forward to seeing how they can redeem themselves this season.
• Chuck - really looking forward to the new season.
• Gossip Girl - good for the images (what can I say, I am a guy and there are some fine looking women in this show) and for the teen drama.
• CSI Miami - I will have it on the background while doing other things. This is the show that I dump if I start running low on space (maybe after watching the first few minutes for the "Horatio Gaze." (which is absolutely hilarious to me))- I will have it on the background while doing other things. This is the show that I dump if I start running low on space (maybe after watching the first few minutes for the "Horatio Gaze." (which is absolutely hilarious to me))

Yes... I am a TV whore. Good old DVR's allow me to have a life though. Must... resist... temptation... to buy more storage capacity for my Tivo's......

Arr!

Gotta love Pirate Day! Anything to distract me from this election....

Anyone who disagrees with me can go walk the plank.

The Theme of the Day

I had my 9/11 moment earlier this week (though the flags flying everywhere definitely do pull at my heart this day):


Driving back on 395, a long, busy weekend. Finally almost home at 10PM (after leaving at 4AM on Friday), wearing my Army uniform and ready to see my parents and head to bed.


But as I cleared the turn that brought me right past the Pentagon from the HOV lanes all of that popped from my head.

Yes, it struck me... to see that flag there, in the foreground (not seen here) the lights representing those who lost their lives that day. In my hometown –Arlington, VA.

9/11 is and always will be personal to me. While I was immensely lucky to not lose anyone in the events of that awful morning, everything about it strikes a chord with me and my life:

• The poor, brave souls on UAL Flight 93. As someone who has flown so often in my life, I have little trouble imagining the terror and confusion on the plane that morning. People just like me that were traveling for business or pleasure and expected the greatest inconvenience to be dealing with the cramped seats, bad food and delays of air travel, but instead faced a horrible situation where the passengers rose to the challenge to protect their country.
• The civil servants, military personnel and contractors working in the bowels of the Pentagon to keep this country safe. Having been a contractor, serving as a National Guardsman and also being a civil servant, these were my people. My coworkers (in the grander scheme), comrades and peers who lost their lives in an unprecedented attack.
• And of course the lives lost in the WTC. I have lived in NYC, worked in the high-rises and consider it my second favorite US city. My family works there, my brother lives there.. Really, nothing can compare to the horror, terror and anger I felt at this violation and senseless loss of life that these attacks resulted in.

So, yes I slowed (not safe I know but I did look and there was no traffic at all behind me), I felt myself finger the flag that sits on my right shoulder of my ACU's and tossed off a short salute as I drove past. 9/11 was one of the impetuous for me to join the Guard and driving past in uniform like that was fulfilling a promise of mine to not feel as helpless as I did 7 years ago.

Juliana Hatfield rocked!

(or is "pop-ed"? She seemed confused as to whether she was pop or rock) All I know is that I really enjoyed her show.

A confluence of events led me to seeing her concert last night, an random click-around on Facebook that brought me to her fan page, the fact that the show was at Iota (a scant 15 minute walk from my place) and a date that ran short (nice girl, just not enough in common to make me think much of anything will happen. biggest hint to myself that I wasn't interested was that we were wrapping up and I glanced at my phone and thought, "cool! I can still make Juliana's show")..

Interesting note, I was standing next to some guys and this one was saying that he remembered that he had seen her a decade ago in southern VA, the other one then said that it was probably at Virginia Tech, probably in 1993. This caused me to pop in that I could definitely place it in 1995, since that was when I first saw her perform. This is funny because the 3 of us (and I have no idea who these guys were) were probably 10% of the audience at that show... It is a small world...

Man can she sing and play that guitar! I love her lyrics, they definitely are deeper than most. And at 41? Couldn't guess that, she is hot!

A well spent $15!

With great power comes great responsibility

So my Company (military unit, not commercial entity) has a new commander. With that came the discussion of having the Company sound off with a slogan when the come to attention.

Me, being the smart-ass that I am, promptly suggested (purely in jest, I swear) that we should go with "Can you hear me now?" We are a Signal (radio and computers to you non-military types) Company so that brought a few chuckles and then we moved on to other items of discussion.

That was until a couple of hours later when I was heading to the drill floor to see final formation and lo, what do I hear my platoon sergeant telling my Soldiers to sound off with? Yep, you guessed it, "Can you hear me now!"

Yes, I cringed.. and was still cringing the next few times that it happened. Hopefully (and it looks like it has some buy-in) we will be moving on to my next suggestion, "Signal Strong!", by the next drill.

I love this country

"I've got liquor, cash, food, ammo and weed," she said as she floated out of sight. MSNBC

Other than the last one I can completely understand. I guess it all depends on where you live down there.. I know that I have a few relatives riding it out in NO (their place is well above sea level and was perfectly fine during Katrina).

Uniforms

As noted I have some issues with the new Uniforms (mainly the new one that doesn't have a jacket).
But compared and contrasted, I like that we went with the Blue uniform.
Old Class A
New (or Old Dress Blue. Main difference will be no bow tie, just a regular one)


Anything that doesn't have me wearing hospital scrubs green wins... And given my branch, Signal, gotta love the Orange (there is VT bias).

Final Thoughts on Signal BOLC III

I have to be a little careful on this one.. The Internet can sometimes take a wrong turn and have this pop up on the wrong screen. And there is more than enough information in this blog for it to be traced back to my real life (it has happened before).

But here is my final take-away..

The course, overall, served it's purpose. People such as myself had to muddle through basic material that we already knew (hello... MS in Computer Science with 10 years of industry experience) but there were a few things that I didn't know (mainly radios).

One interesting trend throughout both BOLC II and BOLC III was how keyed the course is at the Active Duty side. We are constantly told statements that start with, "when you finally get to your unit" or "the first time you are in front of your platoon." Very useful advice for the AD folks, not so much for those of us in the Guard, since most likely we have been doing that for at least 6 months, longer for some. We just roll with it and roll our eye's (exchanging glances with our fellow Guardsmen).

The field problem could use more relevant equipment, since it uses old stuff that no one, not even the reserves, uses anymore. But given that the priority is equipping the field units that obviously will take a backdoor until everyone else is equipped (though I am not sure Iquite agree, since it would make training much more useful). Though I guess it does a good job at giving a bit of a feel for things, though it depends on which track you went through how useful the training was.

Alright, that is it. No more talking of Army training for a couple of more years. Thank god I am done with TRADOC, after basically being under them for the past 3 years (minus a little break where I was with my unit).

Back at it

5 months is a long time to be away from work. I actually was back at work the day after graduating from SBOLC, Thursday.



Seeing a lot of my coworkers (and my boss... a pretty good guy that shares my somewhat off sense of humor), meeting new coworkers, seeing how some projects have proceeded and, well, it felt good to be needed (the past 5 months left me somewhat feeling like a cog...). People were happy to see me, willing to listen to my input and it was interesting to catch up on some events. Hopefully it will be a while before I am not excited to go to work, because right now it's a pretty exciting prospect.



Nothing like being away to give you new perspective in life.

Excellent Decision

Ever since I heard her name mentioned as a distant possibility for VP, I had been hoping against hope that McCain would make the right decision and go with her. And against all the pundits arguing for Romney and all, I was right.

McCain/Palin!

I am vain...

I just caught myself polishing the German Badge that I was awarded last night as I walked past it...

That big badge on left (my right) above my name tag is the Gold Badge.

I think I will post a comparison photo later in the week as a pictorial example of why I like the above uniform so much better than the current Green Army Class A/B. The only issue I have with the uniform above becoming the standard is the new class B Uniform, which makes our Soldiers wearing it look like TSA Baggage handlers (see below)

And on another completely unrelated note, I got me some dates lined up! After the unfortunate slow communications fade that was pulled on me by the girl I was seeing before I left for this Army stuff (really, if you have seen someone for more than a month... can't you at least send a note saying it is over? I just find it really cowardly to do that and actually lowers my opinion of those that do it) I am back into the dating pool... yah... (note my enthusiasm)

As a nice corollary for the slow fade I have been told that the girl got back with her ex from 1 year ago and that they just got married... (It's been less than 2 months since I last saw her). Very soap-opraish.... Not like me at all.

Signal BOLC III Field Training Exercise (FTX)

Saturday

The first day of our FTX. We started off with a formation at 0430 (which, yes, means that I had to be up around 0400... so ready to go home, these early wakeups are a bitch). We then slapped our helmets on and went off to an undisclosed location to draw our weapons (back to the old M16A2), masks and sundry other items (magazines, cleaning kits, blank firing adaptor). We got some breakfast and then it was off to the offices in the motor pool to begin planning (we had to backbrief the Battalion Commander at 1500). We then loaded up and rolled out to the site we would be heading to so that we could complete our training. Lots of sitting around afterward (there was only one computer so even with people's laptops there was only so much that could done by everyone), a MRE for lunch and then back to work. We made sure that everyone knew the plan and presentation because they had the habit of selecting random individuals to present to the commander. This was good as later on during the presentation I was called out to present 2 sections. Then we rolled right into preparing for the Rock Drill the next day at 0800.

Unfortunately about 1600 I had a headache coming on, followed by intense nasuea by 1800 after I had dinner. By 1945 I abandoned a presenation and ran for the bathroom. I vomitted and looked horrible (pale and disoriented) and the sargeants decided that I would be visiting the ER. Another round of vommiting there and then some bloodwork and for whatever reason I was admitted (I got to bed by 0445. This was supposed to be a good nights sleep since we were sleeping in the motor pool and I was hoping to get a good 8-9 hours in). Many poking and prodding later and I obviously did not get this benefit.

My view that night... I didn't even have a book on me.

Sunday
By 0730 I was awakened for more bloodwork, visits by Doctors and breakfast. At least I was able to watch some television and keep myself somewhat entertained (as it seemed like every time I was about to drift off to sleep someone came in). That continued until they finally decided to release me at 1300 to go back to the field problem. I was then tasked to work in the NOSC (Network Operations Support Center) until they could get me out to rejoin my unit. Most of the work involved monitoring the radios and making sure that the reports were updated on a number of big boards. They finally let me sleep for a while around 1800 and then for whatever reason I was shunted out at 2300 to join everyone in the field. I then crawled into an open cot and promptly fell gratefully asleep.

Monday
A moderately late start (0700), personal hygene and then breakfast. Then we fell into our routine. We had a couple of classes that we had to qualify on and the permanent party (about 6-7 soldiers and NCO's that are there to operate the equipment and also serve as drivers when we have to conduct movements) started running us through those classes. In addition we had 3 positions that had to be permanently staffed, one in the TOC (Tactical Operations Center) to monitor the radios and 2 on the ECP (Entry Control Point). Based on the rules of the exercise we initially had to create a 360 degree permineter but after that was under control we just had to protect one entry point. Additionally one squad was always on ready alert, our QRF (Quick Reaction Force), who would be ready to sally forth and engage the enemy (or at least hold them off until everyone else was ready).
The standard meal cycle was hot food for Breakfast, MRE's for Lunch and hot chow for Dinner. We quickly settled into the routine, taking care of classes, PLENTY of downtime (Suggestion for you high speed types that are pulling this up searching for Signal BOLC III or OBC (that or BOLC II are probably 70% of my traffic).. bring playing cards! Many games of Hearts and other card games were played).
We did have one notable attack. In a simulate mortar attack we had our comms knocked out and the sleep tent gassed... yes, gassed. Industrial grade, anti-riot grade CS (tear gas). This is why we have the masks... I think I set a new personal record for getting that sucker on (I don't think it even had the chance to hit the ground before I was all masked up). I hadn't been gassed since Basic Training but that was more than enough incentive to move quickly... Except for a tingling of the skin I had to ask people if the grenade had really gone off....

The Sleep Tent aka Home Sweet Home

The rest of our encampment. On the left under the Camo netting is the TOC and all the MSE equipment, on the right is our 5 ton truck.

Tuesday
Not too much sleep overnight (between attacks and shift work). We expected that we would be jumping sites today (packing up everything and then setting up at another point). We received word to perform a recon and stand by for a jump (which meant mainly taking down cots, packing bags, taking down tent and camo netting). After performing the recon we then waited for word to jump. It came and then we moved out. Everything was ready to go in short order, we collected the brass that was laying around and made sure we reset the site as well as we could. Then we moved out to the other site.
I would say that this was the most impressive part of the FTX. We had done some pre-planning and had everyone ready to assault and clear the next training area. We were told that we did a pretty good job (given that we hadn't practiced that much as an infantry unit before) and cleared it in short order before our HMMV's and Truck rolled in. Then in a little over an hour we had the radio antenna, the CP tent, all the HMMV's shelters wired together, the sleep tent and the chow tent all set up.. It's amazing what can happen when everyone is working together and with an overarching purpose.

After that it was back into the routine, training soldiers on the required training, pulling duty, responding to the occasional intruder, catching sleep when you could and sometimes just not moving (it was hot and humid).
An intense Heart's game

Wednesday
More of the same. Funniest event for me was that evening when we had to bag extra chow (call came in at 2400) so I woke up the guy nearest to me and said that we needed to clean the chow tent. He geared up (we had to wear our gear (including helmet) everywhere except the sleep tent and the TOC) and went with me over there. He was so discombobulated that he tactically entered the tent and said that it was clear. He apparently was so out of it he though I meant the military definition of clear, checking things out and killing/capturing any enemies in the destination area..
Wednesday was also the only day that we had inclement weather. Late afternoon we could see the weather coming and it just deluged us (probably about an inch of rain in an hour). Luckily we all retreated to the tents (since there were reports of lightning) and overall came out pretty dry.

Me with the standard load-out. Rifle, Mask on the left, LBV(Load bearing Vest), Kevlar Helmet and not seen but camelbak.

Thursday
Last Day!! I had my duty that day (everyone was tasked with an additional task to do in the field. Some went to 15th Signal Battalion (AIT Students) and did tasks there. Some had to be leaders of the platoon for that day. I drew the other task, serving in the NOSC and manning the radios, preparing and presenting the Battle Update Brief (BUB). So at 0500 I was up and headed over there. Since we were the last shift we didn't participate but it was very interesting and educational to observe. Shortly after it was over we started the process of getting the 2 platoons back in, sending out Frago's (Fragmentary OPORDs (OPerational ORDers)) to the units to get ready to redeploy. Then we monitored the movements and preperations as well as cleaning up the building that we were in. We rejoined our fellow soldiers around 1330 or so (and immediately began cleaning, getting the rifles and the masks ready to be turned in by 1600 or so). We got back, helped a bit more and then just waited around to finally get released around 1700. Everyone pretty much made a beeline for their rooms and the wonderful showers and beds that lay within. (remember, no showers since Friday evening)

Prepping for the BUB

More preperation for the BUB

And as a parting image... yes, those are Krispy Kreme's. 4 of the 6 days we had these come along in the morning chow run (they are generally available in the chow halls so it makes sense).

..

So tired..

I so want to write down the stories of our FTX (Field Training eXercise) but other desires take primacy... shower (no shower since Friday = beeline for a shower on Thursday evening), food (need for something far different than what was offered, hence the desperate call to Papa John's and the simple smile that comes from remembering that you had loaded the refridgerator with bottles of Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat and they were nice and cold waiting to welcome you home) and now sleep (he abilitity to even keep the eyelids open to compose this post are waning..).

Needless to say I am back, alive (though hospitalized at least for a day), tired, gassed (god, how I hate tear gas) and oh so ready to go home in just 6 days. I now am a fully qualified Signal Corp Officer in the US Army and will be affiliated with the regiment as of tomorrow. Did I say that I am ready to head home now?

Got Gold?

I do!
Today I finished the last event of the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge. I completed the requirements tonight, the final 100m dash. 13.8 seconds when the requirement was 14. Now I have a very cool achievement that I can proudly wear on my uniform!
The final Tally:

• 25K Ruck March
• 200m swim in 5 minutes
• 3000m Run in 13:28
• Shooting 6/6 with a 9mm handgun
• Passing a medic test
• Jumping 5 feet, 4 inches in the high jump
  
• Throwing a shot put 29 feet
• and of course the 100m dash in 13.8s

I am very proud of this! This is something that I couldn't have done a couple of years ago and now I have some very tangible rewards. I will have to post a picture of it on the uniform, it looks huge.

Off to the field, going dark until Thursday.

Week 12 of SBOLC III

Last week of classes!
Monday started early, as we had a weigh in prior to our PT test on Tuesday. This meant that I was tired (dropped caffeine and any carbonated beverages since Tuesday) and somewhat hungry (went on a very precise diet). I weighed in 8lbs less than when I started the course (same bodyfat though). A generous breakfast (gotta have energy for the PT test) and then off to classes. Another exciting day of classes and then a lot of free time (no gym either) afterward.

Tuesday was the Record APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test). I knocked out 60 push-ups in 2 minutes, 56 situps in 2 minutes and ran 2 miles in 15:29. All in all I scored 241 points (out of 300 possible, which was way into the passing range) based on my age and sex, 15 points better than when I took it last time. Breakfast was a combo event, we went offbase to Cracker Barrel and had our SGL (Small Group Leader), Maj Something, give us a short course and brief us on the upcoming field exercise and our roles. Another class in the afternoon and then we hosted a reception/social for the incoming class at the bowling alley (yes, I bowled... won 2 of the 3 games).

Wednesday was the last day of classes. We started the day off with an Outprocessing Brief. They returned some of our records and outlined what we needed to do to go home. Then off to classes. Following that we had the field events for the German Proficiency Badge; High Jump, Sprint and Shot-Put. After 20 attempts (and yes, I mean literally 20 runs at that damn bar.. I finally got a grasp on the style and also tucked my shirt in (yes, I was that close)) I finally cleared the 4"5' pole. However I was so pooped by the high jump that I failed on the 100m sprint, 14 seconds was the goal and my best attempt was 14.4s. The I handily hurled the shot-put for 28-29 feet. The Sargeant-Major offered to let me and a few others retest on the run on Friday. Most of us who tried went to a local steakhouse, T-Bones, for a late dinner.

Thursday began the "Road to War." We started the day with Jagerball (a sort of modified Rugby with you being frozen after getting the ball (no touch, or at least not too much)) which my side handily won even though we were outnumbered. Then we were briefed on the situation and received our Operational Order (OPORD) from higher. For this we are back into our "flows" though now we are calling ourselves Platoons (Red and White). Each days leadership has to put together the requirements and build up the information/planning for the coming time in the field (Sunday - Thursday). Everyone was assigned various positions over time (some as Platoon Leaders, other who had to visit 15th Signal (AIT for Signal Soldiers) and assist their training, or work in NMOC (Central Command Post). I and a few of my buddies get the first shift in the NMOC.

Friday morning I tried the 1000m run, failed it (hate running in the morning and overextended myself). I still felt REALLY sore from the jumping today but was offered the chance to try the 1o0m again in the afternoon. The rest of the day was spent testing and prepping the equipment that we will use and prepping our briefings for the coming days. As noted I passed the run and am good for the Badge!

Early morning tomorrow (0430 formation). Heading to bed soon. Should have some good pictures and stories from this exercise when I get back.

Now I really have the Olympic spirit...

Last night was the German Proficiency Badge field day. First up was the high jump. 4ft. 3in. After some horrific runs on it I finally got the hang of it and after some 15-20 times (and a tucking in of my shirt) I finally got it. Though I suspect that is why I had issues with my sprint.

Then it was the 100m sprint. Target time for my age group? 14 second. My time (and subsequent retries)? 14.4 seconds. I think I hyper extended my muscles jumping (my right butt muscles were sorely protesting even then).

And finally shot put (15lb ball, 24.5 ft target distance).. Some people did all these movements.. me, came up to the line, leaned back and hurled it for 27ft.

Here I was thinking that the high jump would get me and now I have to do the sprint again. I am getting another shot at this on Friday. I will retry the 100m and can also try for the 1000m (target time of 4:10).

I am definitely feeling achy this morning from what I did yesterday evening.

My baby is back!

7 weeks in a crappy PT Cruiser (oh how I loathed that car). $7,500 of repairs, $1200 of car rental (all on the other guys insurance). Took longer than I would have liked but I have it back!

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