Stump'd...

I've got an iTunes gift card. And I don't know what to get with it. I've tried taking suggestions,

but here's my problem. I like certain bands. Not necessarily certain genres. So when I say I like this band, and someone says I would like that band because if it, I often don't.

My top 5 (in no particular order):

Get Set Go

Reggie & The Full Effect

Oingo Boingo

The Dresden Dolls

Ben Folds (& Ben Folds five)

See, with the exception of The Dresden Dolls and Ben Folds both being piano rock, none of those have anything to do with the other. Shoot, I don't even know what genre I'd assign to Get Set Go...

A band can't just be Rock, or Punk, or Electronic or whatever for me to like them. They have to grab my ears and swing me around the room a little. I haven't figured out just what it is about these five bands in particular that did this for me.

I just want some rad new music. Is that too much to ask?

That is all.

Something about memories and the future or something...

It's just after 12:30 on January 1, 2010. I'm at work with a headache and three caffeine pills in front of me. But that's not what this is about. This is not for ranting about being tired at work. Because that's not news. C'mon...it's me we're talking about here. No, this is about, as the title suggests, memories and the future or something.

I'll start with something I did last year. I did a review of each month in one phrase. So I'm doing that for 2009 now.

January - School

February - School

March - School, thought about counseling

April - School

May - BAHAMAS!!!

June - Work

July - Work, started Annual Training

August - Annual Training

September - School

October (here's the interesting stuff) - Started counseling, wanted to go apshizz on a guy who totally deserved it but wasn't able to, Swine Flu

November - One Year Anniversary!!!

December - Finished the semester, BEST CHRISTMAS I CAN REMEMBER

---

Yeah...2008 was a LOT more eventful in general. But 2009 was pretty dang good. I did a bunch of school. I worked a lot more than I wanted to. Wifey and I had some hard times, but ended up closer after each of them.

2010 is looking interesting. I'm going to MOS-Q school at the end of February, through almost all of March. May will the the first of 2 Annual Trainings this year. I don't have any drill in June, so Wifey and I are taking a vacation before I have to leave. August is the second, and longer, AT. After that, we're slotted to be deployed, "...but it's not for sure..." Yeah, we keep getting jerked around on that. But come what may, I'll be ready.

May your New Year be just as awesome for you as the last. Unless it wasn't awesome. Then I hope it stomps the crap outta last year.

That is all.

Merry Christmas to All...

I'm here at work, having just watched Nightmare Before Christmas (Yes, it IS a Christmas movie - it says so right in the title) and am feeling all Christmasy.

So I'm listening to Nightmare Revisited. Specifically, Town Meeting Song by The Polyphonic Spree. Freaking rad. Here.

I'm a lot more exctied for Christmas this year than I usually am. It's not that I'm not ever un-excited. But this year I've been tearing my hair out waiting for it. I want it now.

Sure, I want my presents. And sure, I want to see how excited some people are when they see what I got them. But aside from that, I'm just really feeling it this year. I started (willingly) listening to Christmas music long before Thanksgiving and didn't want to hurt any small creatures. Wifey and I sang together in the car on the way to her parents' a couple weeks ago. And it was GREAT!

I don't know what's changed. I'm thinking it might be that there's a good chance of me being away next year. Yes, I've been away once before, but this time around, it's going to be different. I have Wifey to miss. She wasn't around last time. Shoot, she was still in HIGH SCHOOL last time. Haha.

I'm looking forward to spending some good quality ('cause it definitely won't be quantity) time with my family tomorrow. I'm getting off work at midnight and Wifey has to be back for work 24 hours later.

I wish everyone the Merriest of Christmases. And Happiest of Hannukahs (yes, even though it's over, I hope it was lovely). And Kwaziest of Kwanaas.

That is all.

PS: If I offended you with that last line, here's what I want you to do. Close your browser window and don't read this again. The end. It's that easy.

PPS: Yeah...I knew I couldn't keep my cynicism out of this for long :P

Let the Baby Seal Punting Commence!

Let me take you way, way back. Back to a more innocent time. A time when people could sleep worry-free, without fear of violation.

May 2008.

See, at this time, the lock on my car's driver door wasn't all effed up. In June it started being all wonky and making me jack with it for about five minutes before actually unlocking.

What did I do about this? Well, I asked my friend to take a look at it to see just what I needed to get it fixed. After a couple hours of dissecting my door, messing with electronics and testing this and that and the other he came to his conclusion: It was necessary to aquire a new door.

So what did I do about this? Since I live in Logan, freaking, Utah I just stopped locking my door.

And Friday night it caught up with me.

I walked out of work to start my car. Whenever I start my car I reach over and turn on my little iPod radio transmitty thingy. Upon doing this I noticed a key element was missing. The iPod. I checked my pockets, thinking I must have taken it in with me. No dice. I looked around my car confusedly. The center console was open and my GPS was no longer snugly nestled therein.

It was at this point that I swore LOUDLY to myself. Several times. Then I started bawling. Hard. Tears freezing against my little cheeks, I ran back inside. There, my much clearer thinking supervisor suggested I call and report it. I did this and after a few minutes I was talking with a cop outside in the parking lot. As I was giving him all the information a call came across his radio reporting another burglary from a car about three blocks away.

Honestly, I don't have high hopes. I'm not too concerned about the GPS. But my iPod was my life support. After one day of listening to the radio while driving I'm already wanting to stab a puppy. And shot-put a kitten. And pile-drive a lemur. And, of course, PUNCH A BABY LAMB IN THE FACE!!!

I guess I'll just play this for now.

That is all.

As I was...

So, all (3) of you can ignore that last post. Turns out I am going to school after all. Yes, I'm still going to miss a month for army training, but I'm only going to do two classes that will work well with me.

I'm taking German 2020. Dr. Tweraser has been really great with my army schedule and when I had to miss two weeks due to illness this semester, he just dropped that whole chapter from my final grade. I love taking classes from this guy.

My other class is from a professor from whom I've never taken a class (yeah, that sounded nerdy and pretentious, but there's a good reason why...keep reading). It's Linguistics 4100 from Lackstrom. I've heard good things. I also emailed him to ask what the curriculum was like and how homework was handled. He sent me back a syllabus from this past semester. The course is graded entirely by exams and all the homework is extra credit. Score!


The downside to this of course, is that I only get about half as much for REAP (Reserve Education Assistance Program). This semester I've been sitting pretty at just over a grand a month from my dear old uncle just for going to school. Oh, well. Wifey's employed and I'll get a nice chunk o' change for my month of army stuff.



In other news, well, I'll probably blog other news later. I like to keep posts topical.



...ok, we all know that's a blatant lie, but I'm tired and about to go home for the night.



That is all.

...and the choice has been made

Remember that time I was wondering what to do as far as work and school next semester? If not, scroll down one post. I'll wait.

Anyway, the decision has been made. It turns out my security clearance has gone through and I'm all signed up to go to FDC school Feb 26-Mar 28. So I'm not going to school. And I'm going to work.

So that's that. It's not quite what I wanted, but it'll be nice to not have to have cook obligations hanging over my head anymore.

Also, that picture has nothing to do with anything. I just needed one for this post to be complete. I liked it. So it won.

That is all.

I fail at this...

So, I'm sitting here the other day, thinking why the crap doesn't anyone on here write anything for me to read? And I realize durr...you don't write anything either, knob. So I'm writing. Or typing. Or shut your face and just read.

Right now I'm trying to make a decision. I have three options. They are as follows:

1) Keep doin' what I'm doin' and work while I'm going to school next semester...

2) Quit work (or at least go part-time) so I can focus on school without that extra stress...

OR

3) Work all next semester and not worry about school until I get back from my possible deployment...

They all have they're ups and downs...

1 would be the best option financially, but would stress me the freak out and I don't know if I can mentally handle that anymore.

2 is the one I want to do the most because I really want to go to school and I'll still make money going, but I don't know if it will be enough without my job on top of it.

3 would let me just work (and maybe get a part-time job somewhere else, too) so I can just live in stasis and get ready for the deployment.

Ok, so in actuality, I really don't want 3 to happen. But at the same time, I do. But really, I want 2 to happen. Becuase I want to not work anyway. If we can swing it so that it'll work out financially, that's what I want to do.

ON TO OTHER THINGS

How was Thanksgiving? Mine was pretty dang good. I got to see my family (minus one step-brother) and give my little sister hugs and make her feel better 'cause she misses her husband (doof went and joined the Marines...), while at the same time worrying that I might snap her in two. She's tiny.

Having a break from school is nice too. Sure, I had one last month (mental issues followed by swine-flu [yes, I know I said it was fake and stupid and I still believe the media hype is...getting sick sucks, but it was no worse than any other flu I've gotten, so nyah!] contributed to that one) but this one is actually sanctioned by the school.

The only crappy thing is how short the holiday itself was. I had it off work, but still came in today without feeling like I missed a day at all. Lame.

So, let me hear some thoughts on my choices. I like to get other peoples' opinions, even if I don't take them into account :)

That is all.