A New MOS, Missing Wifey, and I'm BAAAACK!

Well hey there. It's been a while, hasn't it? Yes, I missed you too. So here's the story.

I'm not a cook anymore! I'm now an AFATDS (Automated Field Artillery Tactical Data System) Specialist. Basically, I tell the gun bunnies which direction/elevation to shoot.

I've missed Wifey a LOT over the last month. We're both really glad I'm home. She almost couldn't convince herself to get out of bed and leave me for work this morning!

Unfortunately, I'll most likely be leaving again fairly soon. I'm thinking I'm going to go to South Dakota for a few weeks in July. There's an Officer Candidate School that's asking for volunteers for instructors, OPFOR (playing "bad guy" for training), and other logistical type stuffs. Wifey and I decided we could use the extra cash right before our Hawaii trip in August. So we're going to sacrifice a little time together so that other time can be a little more fun and worry free.

As far as a deployment goes, I really wish we would get a mobilization order or they would just let us know that we aren't going. We were supposed to get one by March 15. That was the magic, six-months-out date. So they pushed the deployment date back two weeks in order to wait for a mob order. Well, that deadline is tomorrow. And still no order yet.

Anyway, enough complaining about that. I'M HOME! Let's play, k?

Something to which I can look forward...

On Feb 24, good things will happen.

I'm going with a friend to see Alkaline Trio.

This pleases me.

For one thing, I've never seen these guys before. And they're playing with Cursive, who I've been meaning to get into for some time.

But also, I'm excited to spend some time with Raisor. We've known each other for almost 4 years now but have just recently started hanging out a little more. The more we hang out, the more we find in common (not that it was hard to find in the first place or anything).

Anyway, to celebrate, I'm putting up one of my favorite Alkaline Trio songs. It's one that makes me glad I've never been through a rough break-up and glad to know I'll never have to.

Also, I'm not editing this one at all.

---
Radio

Shaking like a dog shitting razor blades
Waking up next to nothing
After dreaming of you and me
I'm waking up all alone
Waking up so relieved
While you're taking your time with apologies
I'm making my plans for revenge
Red eyes on orange horizons
If Columbus was wrong
I'd drive straight off the edge
I'd drive straight off the edge

Taking your own life with boredom
I'm taking my own life with wine
It helps me to rule out the sorrow
It helps me to empty my mind
Making the most of a bad time
I'm smoking the brains from my head
Leaving the coal calling the kettle black
And orange and red
This kettle is seeing red

I've got a big fat fucking bone to pick
With you my darling
In case you haven't heard
I'm sick and tired of trying
I wish you
Would take my radio to bathe with you
Plugged in and ready to fall

Shaking like a dog shitting razor blades
Waking up next to nothing
After dreaming of you and me
Waking up all alone
Waking up so relieved
While you're taking your time with apologies
I'm plotting out my revenge
Red eyes on orange horizons
If Columbus was wrong
I'd drive straight off the edge
I'm seeing red

I've got a big fat fucking bone to pick
With you my darling
In case you haven't heard
I'm sick and tired of trying
I wish you
Would take my radio to bathe with you
Plugged in and ready to fall...

---

Sweeeeet...

That is all.

Eureka!

Guess what? So, you know how this isn't quite the greatest read ever? I mean, it's not bad by any means, but it could definitely use some work right? Well, I've figured out just what I need to do in order to make this the best thing you can read every day.

Ready?

I need an interesting life!

That's all. Once my life is totally rad*, this thing'll write itself.

Here's what I mean.

I read/read (respectively pronounced "reed" and "red" 'cause one's past tense, of course) a few different bloggies and I've noticed a distinct difference between the ones that get 76 brazillion comments per post and mine which might get read every couple of days. The people writing them have stories happening to them much more constantly than me.

One author had a tag devoted to things that happen to him on the subway. And one for the gym. Etc. I don't go to the gym. I don't go places. And when I do (like campus, for instance), I'm usually wrapped up in whatever musics are swirling around my head. I don't notice the strange, interesting things happening all around me every day. And I don't ride the subway. Partly because it's scary and smelly, but mostly because I live in Cowtownville, Utah. And even if we did have any use for a subway, I only really go to work and it's a 3-5 minute commute, depending on the lights I hit. And again, I'm usually paying attention to my iPod**.

Another author talks about her exploits and adventures. Traveling around the country, moving on a whim, and other things I'm not allowed to do because I have a job, and a wife*** and responsibilites. I can't get up and leave just because I think it's a swell idea. I have to plan these things. Get time off work. Make sure it doesn't interfere with a drill weekend. Clear it with Wifey.

In addition to these things, I have some other things I can do to enhance the interesting factor in my life. Start drinking again. Develop one or more mental illnesses. Sleep around. Ignore trespassing signs. Start crap with complete strangers over something I would normally ignore. Vandalize restaurants. Disregard my personal safety and the safety of others.

...frick...I had a point I was going to get at, but my brain just died. If I come up with it later, cool. If not, well, hypothesize or something...

That is all.

*: There's really nothing wrong with my life. I promise. It's comfortable, simple, and easy to manage.

**: Don't worry, I pay attention to the road while I jam out.

***: I absolutely, whole-heartedly, and ridiculously LOVE my wife. I want that to be perfectly clear. She lets me get away with crap for which I imagine most guys would get smacked. Or at the very least, eyes rolled at them.

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.