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.

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.

I will find you... I will submit you...

Dear Terrible Parkers of Logan, Utah:

I have a new hobby. And that is taking pictures of crappy parking jobs and submitting them here. I've only submitted 2 so far, but I'm now on the lookout, keeping a keen eye for those of you who choose to say, You know what? I'm so awesome that I feel like parking like an asshat today.

You are not awesome. But you provide me with hobby-fodder. And for that, I thank you. As for that ding in your door, don't park so farking close, knob gobbler.

That is all.

PS: If you want to see mine, just look for the ones from Logan, UT. So far they're Sep 10 and Oct 3. I'll keep updating with new ones!

Let's play catch-up, shall we?

So, it just occurred to me that I haven't done a What's-Going-On-In-My-Life blog since maybe...April or so. When we got Charlotte. I'm here to rectify this problem.

(I just read a blog that used this same storytelling format and I liked it...so here goes.)

Apply at Chrysalis. Get interview. Don't get called back. Find Dog. Get a different Dog. Finish semester. Watch Wifey graduate, wonder if you ever will. Go on honeymoon. Be somewhat disappointed, but have a generally good time. Return to work. Hope Wifey finds a job soon. Work. Tolerate it. Work. Dislike it. Work. Begin to actively resent it. Go play army for three weeks. Miss Wifey TERRIBLY because this is the longest the two of you have been apart since you MET. Hear more deployment rumors. Come home. Enjoy time with Wifey. Start school again. Be excited for it. Get behind on homework all too soon. Get alerted for deployment. WIFEY FINDS A JOB! Consider quitting your job and find some menial, easy, part time job. Wifey leaves job a week later. Scrap part time plans. Continue to dislike job. Sink farther behind in homework. Come across opportunity to switch to Utah National Guard as a linguist...

So that's my Late Spring/Summer/Early Fall for this year. Short, yes. But with everything you really need to know.

But here's the stuff worth pointing out. I'm continually slipping behind in school. I know I'm smart enough, but I just don't have the time. Well, technically I do. But when work is factored in I just don't have the time to balance between homework and Wifey. She gets enough time stolen from her because of all the extra shifts I've been picking up at work; most of them graves... So homework gets sacrificed.

Meanwhile, I'm not enjoying my job. It's not the environment. It's not the coworkers. Heck, it's not even the clients, really. It's the field. I came into this job by chance, having no prior interest in Human Services. It turned out I was damn good at it though. So I stuck with it. Now I'm beginning to realize I really don't enjoy it though. I've stayed here for others. Not for myself.

On the topic of the army... Well, we got our alert message on Friday, the 4th. What does this mean? It basically means we went from being likely to deploy to being more likely to deploy. Nothing is set in stone. We may not go.

But do I believe this? No. I'm fairly certain we're going. And it sucks, but what can you do? Oh, that's right. Transfer to the Logan unit. And no, not so I can get out of a deployment. So I can be a linguist. I want to be an interpreter some day and I think this would be a good step to take in getting there. First I have to take a test to measure my proficiency at learning a new language (easy-peasy, I think), then, pending my passing the test, I have to write a letter of intent to my commander. A little scary for me, yes. But he came down to talk to us at drill this weekend and said that we're over-manned and if anyone is wanting to do interstate transfers, do 'em.

So that's my life as of now. Hope yours is less cluttered.

Monday Mix-Up #10!!!

Well, I've made it 10 whole issues. Go me! I'm going to give myself a pat on the back. And at this point I wonder if I have it in me to keep this thing going every week...I guess I'll let this week's song do the talking...er, singing.

Song: Should I Stay Or Should I Go (The Clash, Combat Rock, 1981)
Covering Artist: The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.



After that, I think I'll stay for a while :)

That is all.

Monday Mix-Up #9

Hiya, kids. So sorry for the unannounced hiatus. I came back from AT and neglected to find more videos. But last week I found this one. Enjoy!


Song: While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles, The White Album, 1968)
Covering Artist(s): Tom Petty, Prince, Other people...I think the scrawny kid next to Tom is George Harrison's son...

BONUS GOODNESS!!!

Covering Artist: Lemon Demon (reworked as While My Keytar Gently Weeps)

Seriously though, check out that Prince solo again!


That is all.

A look into the future

Recently, the TV People brought back a show from my childhood. Now, when I say 'from my childhood', I don't mean one that I watched religiously, often, sometimes, or even at all. But I remember it existing.

Beverly Hills 90210

This fall, the same network will be premiering another re-launch show from around the same time, and along the same topic.

Melrose Place

Which got me to thinking. These were both shows about pretty, rich, white people with problems. Sound familiar?

As a child, I mocked these shows. I thought they were dumb. I thought they were trash. And yes, I still feel the same way about the re-boots.

But I'm really excited that I'll be able to watch new episodes of The OC when I'm 35!!!

Frosting cancels out calories...

I'm trying to be a little more health conscious than I have been in the past, because being healthy is important. Right now, it's as simple as counting calories. So while we were at the store today, I looked at how many calories were in one blueberry poptart, sans frosting. 210Wow, I think. That's kind of a lot. Then out of curiousity I checked the frosted variety, assuming there would be an extra 30-50. Total calories in one frosted blueberry poptart: 200.

I'll repeat that, because it bears repeating...

One unfrosted blueberry poptart: 210 calories.
One frosted blueberry poptart: 200 calories.

I double- and triple-checked to make sure my sleep deprivation wasn't playing tricks on me. I made sure they were both the same brand. Yep, Kellogg's.

SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME HOW A FROSTED VARIETY OF ANY PRODUCT CAN HAVE TEN LESS CALORIES THAN ITS UNFROSTED COUNTERPART!!!

That's effing stupid. I no longer have ANY faith in the FDA and think counting calories is stupid because they apparently just MAKE THE DAMN NUMBERS UP!

That is all.

Ladies and Gentlemen: TheChive...

Every now and then I come across a website that fills my day with glee...

Failblog;

Playlist;

Fark;

And now, TheChive.

TheChive is a magical photoblog-ish site. There are some of the most random, funny, and otherwise amusing pictures there. As such...

and...(I do this too...)

and (my favorite ever)...

I enjoy sites like this because it gives me something to do while on grave shifts at work. I don't have to think about it. I don't have to remember it later. And that's lovely. Because I can barely remember where I live after a grave shift.

Especially a double...

That is all.

Happy as a Fanboy...

This guy:reads my blog.

Who's that, you ask? That, my friends, is Mike TV. Guitarist and lead vocalist for Get Set Go. You know that band I'm always raving about; whose lead guitarist and viola player I kidnapped to play Guitar Hero with; that I stalked to Reno on a whim; that came to Logan and played in my little apartment for free...

Well, he left me some comments. I got all giddy.

I don't know how much he actually reads it. He was just giving me his email address so he could get mine. He owes me a free album.

I'm all happy and junk.

That is all.

Ach, du lieber!

For those of you who don't know, I want to be an interpreter. This is a fairly recent development, although I started studying German 10 years ago. With 3 1/2 years of high school German and 2 semesters of college level German under my belt, I've decided it's time to take this whole language thing more seriously.

So today (on a whim) I took the German placement test up on campus. I scored 519. That's out of 550. So, yes. That's good. Good enough to let me buy out of taking GERM 2010 this semester with an A on my transcript. Good enough to let me buy out of GERM 2020 next semester with a B on my transcript.

I've been giving some thought to this. If I take the buy-out, I can take an extra gen-ed credit this semester. Or, another upper level German class (I'm already enrolled in GERM 4900...it's a German film class...rad) to work toward my (almost) major.

--OR--

I can stay in 2010, get the refreshment I feel I kinda need, and guarantee that goodness on my GPA. See, my GPA needs to be brought up .38 points so I can declare a major.

On a side note: I really hope I can build a linguistics major...my professor said I might be able to...that would be rad. See, I don't want to be a German interpreter. I want to be versatile. My goal is to be fluent in 5 foreign languages.

Here's hopin'...

That is all.

Not today...

Sorry, kids. I didn't get a Monday Mix-Up scheduled for today. I'll try and have one done for next week. :(

That is all.