Peace Prize?

Really? Maybe you should, I don't know, actually do something before they award it to someone. He should mention GWB in his acceptance speech, since in many ways this is a "Congrats for not being GWB" award.

I thought it was a joke when I heard about it this morning (my first thought, it is not April 1). But this is the same org that gave the award to a renown terrorist, Yassar Arafat, so I pretty much discount everything it does, this is just the the sprinkles on top of the icing..

So apparently I am a racist....

Whatever..... because I have the nerve to disagree with the President (wasn't that patriotic last year?) on issues that I care about and am concerned about. Obviously the big subject now is the whole health care issue (public option? No thanks... I have dealt with government controlled health care and is frustrating and annoying). I think it can all be handled a lot easier with these 3 items:

• Tort reform.... not on the table... given that so many of the people making laws are lawyers, it does not surprise me that this remains off the table. But it is one of the biggest factors for impacting our service... the insurance to protect against some of these insane lawsuits is crazy.
• Multi-State Portability - competition is good. Forcing a company to only operate in one state or creating sub-companies for each of those states? nasty inefficiency.
• Eliminating the concept of pre-conditions. If you are eligible for insurance by employment or purchase? You should be able to buy insurance. Now there needs to be some controls, in particular for those people who through their behavior or decision didn't sign up for insurance.

So I am sorry if people seem to find any disagreement with the President to be disrespectful (most of my adult life has shown me that not to be the case, from both parties) or racist, but I just do not find the current plans to be acceptable and I am not afraid to voice my disapproval.

Texas.

How odd is it that it is cooler here in Texas than back in DC?
Last week me and the GF (Cupcake Girl.... she keeps shooting for a new nickname but that is not happening) drove from DC to Ft. Hood Texas.... Not too bad of a drive actually... lots of good food along the way (the main fast food/chains that we hit was Sonic and Cracker Barrel... all the other meals were local places). 36 hours, 1400 miles (at a good 45mpg) and we finally got in, got a place to stay for the night and then hit Austin for a whirlwind tour. One nice long walk and an awesome brunch (very Texas with lots of bbq).

Sadly the material I am learning here is very basic by my standards. Stuff that, while I never really learned it (like the ins and outs of IOS (Cisco's operating system for its routers) has never really been in my required learning sphere and is really meant for a lower tier technology type person... why half the class is officers (8 Commissioned, 2 Warrants and 6 enlisted) boggles my mind. All I know is that this stuff makes me look like a genius (because while I don't know the material I understand the foundations and have learned a lot of OS's, shells and programming languages over the years, this is just another one). That and things like binary arithmetic are pretty much second nature at this point. Oh well, hopefully I will get something out of this course that is costing me so many opportunities (I cannot even bring myself to mention them since I am still so angry that I am here and not taking advantage them).

BTW, my favorite line that I have uttered about Army bases? Me to CG - "You will never see so many uterus's in use in any other place other than around a major army base."

Politics...

So as the minority here in the blogger-verse (in particular the DC blogger-verse), it is hard to describe the amusement that I am getting in the pure act of flipping channels as of late (flipping between Fox News and CNN). The sheer outrage that I am seeing from the Left is heightened by the fact that the Right (in particular the group that has been so often silent) is having the sheer audacity to use the same tactics that Lefties have been using for decades (and vehemently defended that they are tactics of a vibrant democracy) are now suddenly anti-democratic and a hindrance to the entire process (maybe because they have the nerve to dress well and take a shower more than once a week). Ah, it is pure comedy gold.... You can taste the hypocrisy. Congress in particular is finally getting the attention that it deserves.

PS, does anyone else out there wonder what dirt Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has on the President? He is so stupendously awful that for once in my life I am actually noticing a press secretary. When I find myself thinking that I could almost do his job as well as him, that says a lot. But I do heartily encourage BHO to keep him on, he is doing an awesome job of making his message become garbled and provides constant amusement to TV watchers.

The rare Army post

Now that I am finished training you may notice that I am less likely to talk about the Army (for various reasons, ranging from the ever present OPSEC to the near certainty that someone will eventually read my writing (I remember 2 people in BOLC II commenting that they knew about my blog in the parking lot one evening... they thought it was cool since they could point their relatives toward it and not have to describe things in minute)).

I am proud to say that I finally am no longer a "butter bar"!!

Though leave it for the Army to let me know by posting the document in my online file and not notifying me otherwise. I think my CO is going to do something but given that it is pretty much a time in grade promotion I am not making a big deal out of it. Now when I get my Captain bars? Maybe a little party.

Other than that things have been quite on the Army front. I rolled a critical fail on dodging from a task that will have me out at Ft. Hood TX for 10 weeks starting mid-August where I learn the details on the new communication system (can you say lots of time playing video games and working out (good since I have the races in October)? Me and my Xbox 360 will resume our relationship down there.

I also got bumped up to becoming the Executive Officer (XO in military parlance) for my Company so that is going to suck up more time.

The rumor mill continues to mention the possibility of a deployment sometime in 2011, but I am choosing to not address it until I see something concrete.

Honduras.

Really, in the general scheme of things? I could barely point this country out on a map, not a country that enters into my consciousness at all..

My first reaction was, "oh, another Latin America coup? Shocking, not." But since it was a slow news day I took a closer look at the reporting. And started to get angry. At my government and the news. First clue that we were on the wrong side? Chavez was taking the same stance as us. Then you get down to the facts, the guy, Zelaya, was in a feud with both his Congress and the Supreme Court there. He seemed intent on violating the rule of the land and install himself as President for life, circumventing election laws and ignoring the law.

What I think really has me cheesed off? Multiple references to a military coup...... Um... The military acted at the direction of Congress. No military leaders were placed in charge, the president of their Congress was selected to act as President pro-tem.

And from the opinion polls? Barely 30% wanted Zelaya in office. Basically it comes down that the geniuses who came up with the Constitution did not put in an impeachment capability.

Zelaya wants to violate the Constitution (at least 8 parts of it), ignored the rulings of the Supreme Court and (this is just me) is guilty of having some bad allies (Castro, Chavez, and others of his ilk). The US is in the wrong here. We should back off and let them take care of their own problems.

Forgiveness

It continues to amaze me the amount that we, as a society, are prone to let slide in those with talent. Be it sports (too many to count, in particular in the NFL and MLB arena), music/art (really, this is the only field where it is expected that the most skilled are expected to be addicts of some type), politics (sexual improrities as well as financial abound) and (to a lesser degree, which says something about our society) business. We just seem too be horribly accepting of their (massive) flaws and let it slide as though their skill was an excuse. In particular when the individual has recently died (human nature to not speak ill of the dead I guess).

I and at least one other blogger friend have been less than understanding about the national/international mourning for the loss of Michael Jackson... CG actually said, "I have never seen someone hate child molesters as much as you." There are few things said about me that I am as proud of as statement like that... I just cannot understand the amount of sadness/mourning for someone who has shown himself to be such as despicable human being. Rot in hell Michael.... Every bit of good will that was earned for your skill in music was lost for your depicable behavior.

Iran

Dear Iranian protesters. Good for you. You guys have more balls than I do (and definitely more than the long haired protesters here in the States). To step out like that and protest something wrong, when the potential consequences for you can be so grave? I admire and respect your bravery and determination.

I am embarrassed that my government remains silent in your struggle (we get so much flack from your government even when we remain silent. We might as well say something that deserves condemnation. Really, silent or speaking, we can do no right in your governments eyes. We might as well just issue words of encouragement to you to, supporting something that we hold so dear.). I apologize on behalf of my country.

Summer TV

Even though Summer is the slow season for TV affictionado (my list of shows on my Tivo's is rapidly shrinking as I watch though some of my second and third tier shows that were accumulating) it definitely has changed a lot since the time of my youth. Good god it has changed for the better. Thanks to cable (which pretty much owns the summer) there are a number of great (or interesting) shows that are on now or coming on soon:

• True Blood - HBO finally booted something out of the infield. Looks like they have a home-run here. I got addicted to it last fall and was eagerly awaiting the new season. And based on the one episode I have not been disappointed.
• Burn Notice - It has Bruce Campbell in it. Do you really need any more reasons? If you do, these should cover it; Good plots, engaging characters...
• In Plain Sight - My new favorite basic cable show. Mary and her crew are just fun, with each episode being able to stand on its own rights but skillfully interwoven.
• Pysch - Still watch it. Still entertained.
• Eureka - SciFi Channel (I am going to ignore your new name since it looks like the product of the marketing retards), you consistently produce shows that I really do enjoy watching (BSG, SG, SG:A). The average joe surrounded by the big brains? It just makes for fun TV.
• Warehouse 13 - Color me intrigued. I will definitely be giving you a shot. I eagerly await the chance to see this story expand.
• Nurse Jackie - I liked the first episode. I am amused that it already has been renewed.

It is also the time for the burnoff. We have already seen the end of Pushing Daisies (those last 3-4 minutes felt so rushed but at least they offered a little closure) and the upcoming burnoff of some of the cancelled shows (Cupid, etc). I do look forward to the handful of episodes of Better of Ted (so happy that show dodged the axe).

And I would be remiss to not mention my 2 favorites of the summer network reality shows: Wipeout (god I love the big balls... I so, so, so want to do this show... though I think my little brother D may try and kill me if I do) and I Survived a Japanese Game Show.

Rhodeside Grill

Ever been to a place that does something (in this case, brunch) pretty well and thought, "maybe I should try them for dinner?" I did and I was sorely disappointed.

I truly think that the brunch at Rhodeside is pretty solid, some original dishes and nothing to really complain about. And of course most everyone knows that it is a pretty good place to get a beer (very solid selection of them) because of it's kickball notoriety (at least in Arlington). But I made the mistake of hitting them up for dinner recently.

We started off with calamari. Bleh. Rubbery, the sauce was about as bland as can be, the breading was seriously meh... We did not clean then plate like we would for a good meal.

Then on to the main course.. Rack of ribs for her, Fish and Chips for me. Fries were not well cooked, lacked taste and more than a few were cold. My first sign that things were going to be bad for the main course was the fish and the onion rings had the same breading as the calamari. And darn if I wasn't right. The fish itself was ok. The breading was bad. The ribs were cooked right but they were overwhelmed by the tangy sauce that tasted as though it came from a bottle of KC Masterpiece. There was food left on my plate at the end of this... which for those of you who know me, means that it was bad.

Rhodeside, I will miss you for the brunch, the beer and the convenience, but I will not miss you for the food other than brunch (Rhodeside Grill is on the chopping block due to expansion of the Teachers building that is adjacent to it).

Family Weight Loss Challenge

So I have joined my brothers and my father in a little Biggest Loser B Family style.
I definitely need to lose some weight, in particular with the races I have coming in October...

263lbs at the weigh in, target is 235. I wish I could have pushed it back to after this weekend (I have a wedding to head to with my ex-roommate). So hopefully next time (in about 2 weeks) I can show at least some forward progress...

Upfronts: Fox

Sad

• Really only one sad note. Poor Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Good show. I would have liked to have seen it play out a bit more

Glad

• Dollhouse. Really, it still is a a happy note, even now... A pleasant surprise. A rare survivor of the "Death Slot" aka the slot that Fox sends SF shows off to its early death.
• Fringe. Really good. Took a bit to catch but I really enjoy it now.
• 24 - needs to redeem itself for the meek ending of the last season
• Bones - solid fun TV
• Human Target - could be interesting
  

Meh

• Family Guy - seems to be on a steady decline.
• All the new shows. As always, the jury is out. Will I watch them? Yes. Will I give them much of a chance? Nope....
  

NBC Upfronts

Excitement

• Chuck. I know kung-fu.... 'nuff said!!
• 30 Rock and The Office. Solid comedy.
• Heroes. I want to see how this goes. It got a lot better in the second half of the season.
• Day One. Intrigued am I...
  

Bleh

• Parks and Recreation. Just not impressed.
• My Name is Earl. Probably should die but this show, like According to Jim, has nine lives and will reappear on another network.
• Jay Leno - Dude.... you just killed like 6 hours of prime time scripted TV. You and your jaw are officially on my shit list. Right above reality TV.

We shall see

• whatever else new. Other than Day One nothing really leaps at me. Hopefully the new comedy on Thursday is better than the drek that was Kath and Kim.... Talk about a low bar....
  

CW Upfronts

Since I am displeased, lets start out with the ugly...
Ugly

• They killed Privileged.... :( Cute show, well written and entertaining. One of the closest sucessors to Gilmore Girls.
• And Reaper... not quite so tragic but still entertaining
• How is One Tree Hill still alive?
• And the same to Smallville.....

Good

• Supernatural got renewed. At least one more year of fun
• Gossip Girl is also coming back. Another no brainer....

Meh, we shall see

• Vampire Diaries. Somehow it just feels like Twilight, the TV Show.....

CBS Upfronts

Yes, I am doing these out of order... It's my blog and I will blog when I want to

Excitement

• Well, Amazing Race got another season. Hands down the best Reality show on TV so that is always exciting, since it always seems to be on the bubble....

No Surprise But Happy that I get more of them

• Big Bang, HIMYM, 2.5 Men, NCIS, the CSI's (more meh than anything, but good background), Numb3rs

Really!?

• Much as I appreciate JLH breasts, Ghost Whisperer needs to crossover into the light.
• Same to you Medium. Time to move on to the next plane.

Meh

• Everything new. I might watch it (and NCIS spinoff will get a real look) but nothing to get worked up over.
  

ABC Upfronts...

Ah, the exciting times for a Media Addict. While we have gotten early confirmation that some bubble shows (Chuck, Better off Ted, Dollhouse) have been renewed it is interesting to see where it all fits together...

Yep, late.... busy at work....
Hm...

Excitement

• Better off Ted is coming back!!
• V, Flash Forward and Eastwick all look like they are worth a look.
• Looking forward to the last season of Lost!
• Jim is dead.... now we cut off the head, sew in Garlic to the mouth and bury it in a crossroads and hope it stays there.

Apathy/no surprise

• Grey's, Private Practice, Brothers and Sisters. And that's pretty much all other than the above that I watch...
• The new sitcoms... I will give them a try, but I am not expecting much...

Sadness

• Samantha Who?.... Cute show. While not tragic,
• Scrubs - Was this necessary? While I love me some Scrubs, this years ending felt like so perfect of an ending that this just leaves me conflicted...

MCM Historic Half

What a difference training can make. Final result time of 2:14:04, a 10:15 pace for 13.1 miles (including the grueling 10-11 mile stretch where it seemed to be constantly uphill). That represents a good 11 minute decrease from the National Half Marathon. And of course it didn't also come with the near shock levels of reaction that I had to the last race (I was in seriously bad shape at the end of the National HM... like sick for 2 days bad).

And what a difference competant management can make. Adequate water, poweraide, and even sports beans at one point. None of this running out of cups crap like at the National Marathon. Strong presense of volunteers, no shortage of medical personnel, and a well organized ending. It was downright refreshing.

Though I could have done with a little less rain. I was a serious drowned rat by the end of the run, with a period intense rain just as I got to the downtown proper area. I literally wrung my pants out a couple of times during the race and my feet were soaked halfway through. I know that on some level I had more confidence on this court because I used to live in (and run around) Fredericksburg so most of the course was known to me. The course itself was nice, relatively flat, plenty of interesting things to look at and (given the hour and weather on a Sunday) a good crowd of supporters.

A very pretty course and I highly encourage people to do it, it was a great race and course.

Really Arlington?

Moving your Health Department from the middle of the County(Clarendon) off to a fairly remote corner right by the gates of Ft. Myer? Poor planning. You are removing the following:

• Ease of access. The Clarendon location is right on the bus and Metro lines. The average people you have heading to these services? Not so car friendly.... And it pretty much makes it basically impossible for the employees to use public transportation to get to work.
• Parking. Easily this is what is going to affect both the general public and the businesses that operate in the Clarendon area. This will mean no more free parking after 6 for that area other than the pitiful street parking.

Toss in a snow job of the County board by the County management by forcing this through with little regard to little things like, y'know, review (hmm... this sounds familiar). So much for transparency of Government, at least here in the PRA (People's Republic of Arlington).....

Star Trek.

Really, really good. Go see it.
This is one of the most approachable of the Star Trek series. You could go in with no knowledge of Star Trek and enjoy it (CupcakeGirl is a good example.. she said she liked it). Very action oriented, much more of a "realistic" feel (some things I liked, there was actually things like military discipline on the ships, the tech level felt more believable (engine room, bridge), fights seemed realer (bodies, vacuum)) and was quite a fun night.

I watched this on IMAX, but the theater was so full by the time we got there so we were way up front. I really hate how we Americans fill in a theater, even when it was packed. So much lying (I am saving that seat = my fat ass doesn't want anyone sitting next to me.... I did look back at least once or twice and saw that a number of those "saved" seats were empty... why was I not surprised).

PS, J.J. Abrams, you are officially banned from the lens flare effect... are you kidding me? You just used up a lifetime pass, something like 200+ uses...

Media Notes

Movies

• I Love You Man - saw this while I had freetime at drill (shocking). Pretty entertaining.

TV

• Dollhouse - Still loving it, all the way to the end. Me and CG gasped when we saw the reveal (I called it a little before it was stated). Next week looks... fantastic!!
• Chuck - OMG. I know Kung-fu!!! God, I love this show and really hope that all this bubble talk is just that. I really want to see how this plays out.
• Amazing Race - Really, the editors of this show are great. While there are no teams that I really love, there are a few I don't like (yes, I am looking at you deaf boy.... your mom sooo carried your whining ass)
• 24 - really, I think this may have been the most twisty season yet... Go Jack! Go Chloe (kick Janeane Garafalo's characters ass.. that woman pisses me off so much)
• Big Bang/How I Met Your Mother - This must be just about the best comedy block on TV right now. The season enders/near enders have just been entertaining..
  

I think my external drive for my Tivo is about to die. Already moving some shows off and have a replacement ordered....

Video Games

• I got nothing... a few games of Halo 3 and that is about it..... Rare for me..
  

Piola

So my family (parents, a brother and my GF, CG) decided that it would be a good way to cap off the weekend by taking advantage of a fantastic deal that Piola only run on Sunday from 5PM to 10PM. All you can eat pizza for $15.
Basically they have a set list (for the night, they rotate every week) where they come around and offer whatever comes out of the oven to you.

Let me tell you... it was fantastic!! Luckily there were only 2 pizza with the fungus so CG and I were quite happy. I think I got to try every item on the list (minus the ones with fungus on them) and quickly found my favorites (and ones I didn't like... yeah.... I am looking at you eggplant). Very good deal and a great chance to try some pizza's that you wouldn't necessarily commit to an entire pizza of, sight (and taste) unseen.

Who buys DVD's anymore?

I recently wracked my brain and tried to remember the last time I bought a DVD (or BluRay or HD-DVD... pretty much any physical disc). As you can see above, I used to buy them... A lot.... (I probably have around 1500 disc's.... mainly Anime). I don't count games (since you pretty much have to buy them in disc form) but I think it came out to be the middle of last year (where I bought a collection of my of my favorite TV shows). I also can understand people with little children (who have the ability to watch the same show something like a billion times) or special excemptions for shows that you just love (like women and "Pretty Woman", "Sex and the City", etc).

But with all the options out there (Netflix, Tivo, etc) who really needs those physical discs cluttering up their environment? I know that I (and a couple of people I know that used to buy a lot of stuff) have seen our activity slow to a trickle....

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.