Windy City Cat

A NEW CHAPTER

2006-04-05T12:44:00.000-05:00

I'm gonna be a father.....

It's Been Awhile...

2006-01-30T22:01:00.000-06:00

Do you know what I really miss......I miss making love to a woman. I've been having these deep introspective moments for the past week about my sparse love life since HS. It's funny how I still think about those moments like they were yesterday and It's hard realizing that it's been seven years since I've really deeply loved a woman. I've been with a couple of women in the last seven years ( just a couple ) but I wasn't deeply in love with them. Don't get me wrong...I really cared about them but it just didn't work out.

Good Friends.....The Cereal

2006-01-24T06:56:00.000-06:00

So I was in the cereal isle the other day and I came across the new box of "Good Friends" which for some reason has the funniest pictures of couples everytime. I remember some of the last boxes featured great couples such as the "inter-racial lesbian couple" or the "60 yr. old asian man with 30 yr. old white woman couple".

Well I'm there and I'm looking for my usual cinnomon LIFE cereal which is some of the best cereal in the world and I saw the new box of "Good Friends" and I let out this loud hearty grand pa laugh...you know... the ones that last like 25 seconds. Then all of a sudden I became alarmingly aware of the numerous sets of eyes all over me. I looked around to meet glances of uncertainty, curiosity, and a hint of fear. Oh well. I don't care. If they knew what I was looking at then I'm sure they would be laughing too. Hahahahahaha

Where have I been?

2006-01-24T06:42:00.000-06:00

I know I haven't updated in a long time and there really isn't much of an excuse. I just realized that I haven't posted since before New Years. Oh well, that's what I get for being lazy. I think I'll always remember that night without having to write it down. Just ask me about the well off Arabian and the woman who looked like Eva Longoria. She was amazing....I would make love to her.....10 bucks says I like it too.

Not too much going on in my life. Just goin to work and trying to get a little more ahead everyday. I'll be going to Yuma, AZ for the months of March and April for some training. Which is going to be kinda nice. My parents are originally from Arizona and my dad just moved back there a few months ago. Hopefully I'll get some time to drop by and see him.

The Last Big Bang

2005-12-12T18:36:00.000-06:00

Well that was it. I'm finally 25 years old! I think of 25 as the last big bang. If you really think about it....18 is gambling and voting, 21 is going out to all the good clubs and bars, and 25 your insurance goes down. Other than that there's no more hoo-rahs. Of course there is 65 when you get to collect your social security but I honestly do not believe that system is going to be around when I grow old. It's already in shambles and I still got 40 years to go. With my luck It'll go away when I'm 64 after I've paid into it my whole life.

But to tell you the truth........I don't want to live that long.

Ride Along

2005-12-12T18:25:00.000-06:00

Thursday night I got a taste of what the police life would be. It was a simple intro really. One of my good friends is a cop in a small quite suburb. Well I guess I couldn't call it small and quite. It's surrounded by alot of other communities and everything is well mashed together so it's only a stones throw away between small towns and big towns.

Anyways my friend invited me along for an 8 hour cruise to see what it's like. It was a good time and all but once again I feel like it's too structured for me. I need a little time after the Corps to live my life without a leash. All in all it was a good time. I still have plenty of time to think about what I want to do after the Corps.

Strange Dreams

2005-12-08T06:48:00.000-06:00

Lately I've been having some really strange dreams. Best part about them is that they're really long and theatrical. They're like little miniature movies. I'm actually beginning to look forward to sleeping at night just to see what I'll dream next.

The one that 's really sticking out in my mind is the one from 3 nights ago. Some strangers and myself were cruising around in outer space in a 78 lincoln continental. We were looking for a particular planet that was home to a particular breed of rabbits known to roll the best cherry cigars in the galaxy. So somehow we finally get one and we're all sitting there watching this rabbit but all it keeps rolling is blunts.

Funny thing about the whole dream that I realized later that everyone was afraid to grab the joint. They just kept throwing it away and telling the rabbit to roll another one. What's funnier is that I didn't even grab it. I haven't done that stuff in years. I'm a guy cruising arount the galaxy in a space ship shaped like a 78' lincoln continental.....like I'm getting piss tested in space.

Gas Leak

2005-11-21T12:00:00.000-06:00

My washer decided to play a joke on me and crap out mid-wash the night before an important event. I didn't think the joke was very funny. The next day I decided that I was going to buy a new washer and dryer. There was nothing wrong with my old dryer but I bought it used and it was like 20 years old. I really didn't want a new washer in my house sitting next to this rusty old dryer. Just didn't think it would look right.

Anyways, I figured because I installed this gas dryer myself, I would be able to uninstall it too. Problem is that my house was built in the 50's and all the pipes in that house are falling apart. So I had the dryer pulled out and I went to turn off the gas and the line breaks and I can hear the gas just hissing. I'm surprised at myself how I reacted. First thing I did was reach up and kill all the circuit breakers in the house and kicked everyone out. I also opened every door and window and told my neighbors that my house might explode and since their house is connected to mine that they might want to evacuate too.

This familly must be a familly of rocket scientists because she asks me "how will I know if the house explodes?" I tell her that she will know because she'll hear it. Then she asks the golden question: "what will it sound like?" What I really wanted to yell in this ladys face was that it would sound like a house exploding. What I ended up replying was...well you'll hear a loud boom. Really come on, could she be serious with these questions? "What will it sound like?" I seriously wanted to slap this lady in the face and pull her whole familly out of the house. Even after the warning they never came out of the house. Not even when the two fire trucks showed up with two police cars and lights and horns screaming. They just stayed in their house because it was cold outside. It probably wouldn't be so cold if she would to have caught fire. People will never cease to amaze me.

Da Bears

2005-11-21T11:47:00.000-06:00

The Chicago Bears contacted the USO here at Great Lakes and asked if they could have 20 members from each service come and stretch out a 100' by 50' flag onto Soldier Field before the game on Sunday. It wasn't too bad. The only thing that really sucked was that it was like 20 degrees and the wind was blowin 40 - 50 mph. Which is ideal weather when you're stretching out a 100' flag. I know what you're thinking...he's being sarcastic and you're completely right. So we ended up doing it anyways and a few of the smaller people damn near went flying in the air. We had to call in people on the sidelines to come and help out because we were afraid the flag was going to take off but it all worked out in the end.

Afterwords they gave us all tickets to enjoy the rest of the game but I didn't stay long becasue it was just too damn cold.

It was real funny because there was 20 members from all the other four services but the Marines were the only ones getting all kinds of props from the crowd. There were thousands of people walking by and patting us on the back. There were all these little kids walking up to us and asking for our autographs which is kinda funny. It was also kinda sad because there were 80 other service members there and nobody was saying anything to them. Oh well that's what they get for not being Marines.

Remembering Marc

2005-11-03T20:07:00.000-06:00

You know what I'm tired of?

Finding obituaries in my inbox when I go to work in the morning. I miss so many of my friends that I've met in the Corps.

...and it hurts so bad knowing that I'll never bump into them again later on down the road.

I love and miss you Marc..you were a damn good Marine and an even better friend to me. Maybe someday we'll be in the same unit again.

Sgt Marc John Kaliszewski
22 Apr 1982 - 31 Oct 05

Pay Attention!

2005-10-27T12:46:00.000-05:00

Now I'm not a completely insensitive person or anything but I'm sick and tired of almost everyone who was born in the last 30 years having all this "disorders" and "diseases". Seems like every time I turn on the radio or happen to be watching TV (which I almost never do) there's some shmuck on there talking about some new breakthrough medicine or therapy that can change your life. Humans have been plauged by simple little problems since the beginning of time so it's nothing new. Someone can't fall asleep and all of a sudden it's a crazy disease which requires a radical new and expensive pill and which will take years to correct.

I understand that there are legitimate cases out there and what not. What's really bugging me is drugs like Vicodin and Valium and Ridilin...etc.

Hey parents! Here's a little tip. Most kids are loud, obnoxious, and a bit uncontrolable at times....Doesn't mean you have to shove a Ridilin down his throat and send him to take a time out. Figure out and set up a system of discipline and you'll be okay. In laidmans terms....DO SOME FUCKIN' PARENTING!

For you people that always have some new and exciting ailment. You'll never be cured becuase by the time you are...your little brain will have convinced you that you suffer from something else. Suck it up. You might enjoy life a little more.

Realizations Of A Rough Childhood

2005-10-21T06:30:00.000-05:00

By no means is this a pity party for myself and I don't expect any response from this blog. This is something that I've been thinking about and I just had to put it down on something.

Growing up for me was a real strange experience...especially looking back on it in retrospect. I always felt that MOST people grew up like me and that it was normal the way we were raised. This is all stemming from an event a few weeks ago with my brother and I. I had grounded him for a week because he had done something real stupid. When he first moved in with me I told him from day one that I would not tolerate him getting tough with me or trying to tell me off like he did his parents.

Long story made short, Jules tries getting tough with me and I told myself that If I let him get away with that behavior even once that I would lose control of him so I squashed his bad attitude quick fast and in a hurry. He tried to back talk and I smacked him (not hard at all) across the face and I completely lost my temper and started yelling at him like (what probably seemed to him) a monster. Afterwords I felt this powerful sense of guilt and it bothered me for days afterwords.

I kept telling myself that I didn't go overboard because that type of discipline is normal and acceptable. This is where I get my reasoning from. Growing up, I finally realized that my brothers and I were disciplined in a very extreme way. My dad had this big brown leather belt and he wouldn't spank us....he would beat us. One day my brothers and I thought we would be smart and hide his belt. Dumb move on our parts...he beat us with the vaccum cleaner cord. Even if we fell on the ground screaming he didn't stop hitting us. The whipping that most sticks out in mind was the time that my dad took a garden hose and cut about 5-6 feet off and whooped us with that. Damn were those some good times.

So now that I'm raising a young man myself and have to do the disciplining. I ask what the hell did we do as kids that rated that type of discipline. I don't really ever remember being that bad and out of control. I don't think I'm going to hit my children as they grow up like I used to think I would.

Listen to me. Am I getting soft????

Fuckin MARINES!!!

2005-09-28T22:20:00.000-05:00

So I had to go back to Camp Atterbury for the 2nd month in a row. This time however was 10 times better than the last time. I was part of the support staff instead of the shooting team this time. It was the best time that I've had in a while. We went out every night to the E-club on base until that damn place closed down. Best part of it was that there were no other Marines for hundreds of miles.

Our support staff was only 10 strong and we had to go down to Indiana a day early and stay a day later. Best part of it was that there were no officers with us so when the shooters left we were completely off a leash. We were finally able to do what we do best and be Fuckin MARINES. There is only two words for our behavior....Ruthlessly Vulgar. It was worth every damn minute of it too. I have to admit though, I pushed my body to the physical limit in some aspects. I woke up every morning with the sorest abs like I had done a huge workout the night before but it was actually from laughing so hard.

I can't actually go into detail about most of this trip because I'm afraid that someone I work with will read this and rat me out so I'll have to refrain from the specifics.

BTW, I'm known in Indiana under 2 aliases. I was telling all these people that my name was Bucky Goldstein...Cowboy Rabi. Not too many people went for it because they were like.."you look hispanic". So I changed my alias to Fernando Godstein....Rabbi Matador.

Cubs (2)

2005-09-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

Cubs (2)
Originally uploaded by windycitycat55.

First Cubs game with Jules

Holy Hill

2005-09-28T22:10:00.002-05:00

Holy Hill
Originally uploaded by windycitycat55.

Holy Hill (10)

2005-09-28T22:10:00.001-05:00

Holy Hill (10)
Originally uploaded by windycitycat55.

Holy Hill (11)

2005-09-28T22:10:00.000-05:00

Holy Hill (11)
Originally uploaded by windycitycat55.

Holy Hill (15)

2005-09-28T22:09:00.000-05:00

Holy Hill (15)
Originally uploaded by windycitycat55.

Holy Hill

2005-09-28T21:28:00.000-05:00

This was an awsome weekend to be riding. The weather was great and the skies were clear and blue in Wisconsin. We took a trip up to this place called Holy Hill. There's an old church up in the little hills of Wisconsin that must be pretty old. I didn't read too many of the signs that were strewn about the place. We went up there with a group of 15 riders. It was pretty much all couples with a few stragglers.

I'm not a man of the church but I was fairly impressed with the place. There's a tower that contains 178 steps. At the beginning of the staircase is a sign that says "178 steps...good luck". It wasn't that bad at first but what made it so bad was that there were so many people going up and down and it was only wide enough for 1 person. So if someone was closer to the bottom than you were from the top, then you would have to walk down to the last landing and wait. They were also extremely steep. If you were to slip then it's probably a good thing that you were in a church because your chances of survival were thin.

Anyways here are some pics of the trip.

Poker Face

2005-08-23T23:32:00.000-05:00

I've never played Texas Hold'em poker before at the tables in the casino. I've played with my friends in the barracks and stuff like that when I was in Japan. However, I've never had the courage to sit down at a table in a casino and play. So I was in down south this weekend at a buddies house to spend some time on the road with our bikes. It was only supposed to be a Thursday night thing but I ended up staying till Sun.

I didn't know it but he's big into gambling. So he convinces me to head to the casino with him. It was 3 a.m. too and we were coming back from the bar. So we go in and usually I would be nervous but I was so tired that I didn't really think about it. I set my limit at 100 bucks so if I lost in in 20 minutes then oh well. I didn't know how I even did it but I end up taking a 200 plus pot within a few minutes of playing. Most of the money belonged to the guy sitting next to me so he gets all huff puffy. My friend tells him to settle down and he wasn't havin it and starts wining to the dealer about how the hand shouldn't count. The guy turns out to be some Army Ranger...whoo hoo.. So my friend and I let him in on the fact that he was starting crap with 2 Marines. Yeah....he didn't stick around very long at all.

My buddy ends up talking to these 2 girls at another table and invites them over to the house for some poker. 2 things about these chicks. First of all...they turned out to be lesbians. Second of all they also turned out to be damn near professional poker players. My buddy is really good himself by the way. By the end of the night I ended up taking everyones money and by the end of the weekend I was up 500 bucks for a couple hours work. Not bad for a rooky and his first time eh..

Camp Atterbury

2005-08-23T12:39:00.000-05:00

Don't ever go to this base. It's a little hell hole. We spent this past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Indiana at Camp Atterbury for the rifle range. We get there and it's like 100 degrees outside and there's no cloud cover plus we're in the middle of an open range of course. It was so hot and sweaty that you could take off your shirt and ring it out and it would be soaked again like a half our later. Now that's a good time.

Afterwords we headed back to the barracks which was an open squad bay. This place is like a hundred years old and it's probably condemned. Which is also a good time. We left the doors open becuase it was so hot and humid and it didn't smell too good either but that didn't really bother me. The only thing that was getting to me was the insects. The whole place was crawling with wolf spiders and black widows and praying mantis'. They kept crawling on me the whole night. I couldn't fall asleep cuz they kept biting me and trying to crawl in my mouth.

All in all the whole thing turned out to be a good time. I got some pics of me and the boys down in the pits. So I'll have to post them later to my flickr account when I get some more time.

3 weeks!

2005-08-23T12:27:00.000-05:00

Let's see..where have I been in the last 3 weeks???? I have no clue.

I knew the day would come and it finally has. Jules has come back from spending the summer with his familly and friends. From what I hear he was a good kid for the first month then he strarted turning back into a little scumbag. Oh well, I finally convinced him that he needs to come back to Chicago with me before he falls back into his old ways. Which turned out to be successful.

I gotta admit. It was hard saying goodbye to my freedom. It's been nice for the last couple of months to be alone in the house. Don't get me wrong, I missed the kid and all but it's nice to be able walk around the house or cook breakfast completely naked and not worry about anything. I don't care what anybody says either...cooking breakfast naked is a liberating experience...and a dangerous one too might I add.

Milwaukee

2005-08-02T22:35:00.000-05:00

My first official biker rally came and went this weekend. I went up to the Milwaukee Mile Speedway where they held the rally in the middle of the speedway. It was cool cuz when you first come in you actually get to ride the track for a half mile before getting to the area where they were staging the bikes. There had to be a couple thousand bikes there.

For those of you who don't know, Milwaukee is the home of the great Harley Davidson factory where they build all the Harleys. So obviously 99 percent of all the bikes there were Harleys. It was a pretty good time. I took a whole bunch of pics of Some of my favorite bikes. There were alot of vendors there selling this and that. There was also about ten custom bike building companies there advertising there bikes and the styles that they build customly so people had a chance to see if they could even afford one. Some bikes get up in the 50 thousand dollar range..but that of course is for internationally know bike builders like Orange County Choppers.

I'll be posting some pics of my favorite bikes on my fliker account.

The Day Off Dilema

2005-07-28T06:27:00.000-05:00

So here's the deal. I've been on duty for the past 24 hours. I had to be up at 0400 this morning so I could open up the compound this morning. Well tomorrow (friday) I'm receiving the day off because I came into work one day that everyone else had off.

Here's the dilema. I got invited by a buddy of mine to take a 6 hour ride up to Wisconsin for some biker rally at his parents' familly owned biker bar and restaraunt. It sounds great and all but the group I'm going with is only going to be there for one day and I gotta be up by 0400 again to meet them by 0600 in Miliwaukee.

Honestly, I don't want to wake up that early on my day off just so I can ride 6 hours up to WI and then turn around the very next day. Also alot of the group is also leaving from the rally to head over to Sturgis, SD. For all of you who don't know what Sturgis is. It's like the biggest gathering of bikers in the country. We're also talking about almost a 1000 mile ride. I rode for 8 hours last weekend and that itself takes a toll on your body. Unless you have a touring bike. Which would also mean that you have like 20-25 grand in your pocket to blow which I don't.

Oh well I have until tonight to make up my mind. If I decide not to go it will be fine cuz there's another huge biker rally going in Miliwaukee on Saturday (The Harley-Davidson factory head-quarters is located there) just a little FYI.

The Morning After

2005-07-28T06:19:00.000-05:00

Well I ride outta the hotel and everyone heads their separate ways. I had to stay in the city and had 2 hours to burn becuase I was headed to my first Chicago Cubs game. So I headed down to Wrigleyville and had lasagna at this nice little italian restaraunt like 3 blocks up from the stadium.

Long story short, I met up with my friends at the game and it was a great time. We had real good seats right behind the Cubs dugout. 2 fly balls came in our area but not close enuf. The Cubs smashed the other team too. I don't remember who they played though. That was a real long day and the whole ride back wasn't much fun either. All in all it was worth it.

Overdue updates

2005-07-28T05:41:00.000-05:00

Per usual, so much stuff has gone on and I've been too lazy or busy to write.

July 10th was some of the most fun I've had in a while. 5 Marines and myself were selected to do a sword ceremony at a wedding for a boot luitenant at a real nice church and reception. It was a good time. The only thing that I didn't like is that it seemed that the crowd was really intimidated by us or something. Nobody really said much to us. Oh well, that wasn't the good part.

We left the reception early because it started getting lame and all. We also dropped one Marine cuz he had to go home and babysit his kids while his wife went somewhere. Now we're down to five. So the luitenant, as a thank you, reserved us 2 hotel rooms at his expense at the Congress Hotel on Michigan Ave. I didn't know what to expect until we arrived at this fancy-smancy hotel. Oh yeah, SSgt Daniels and myself didn't want to change out of our blues after the reception just to put them back on when we reached the hotel so we rode our motorcycles across Chicago in full dress blues. There were people coming up to us at stop lights with their camera phones and taking pictures and saying stuff like "no one is going to believe this". It was all funny.

Anyways, we finally arrive at the hotel and find out that they overbooked. So they upgraded our rooms to one of their suites for free. Each of their suites runs for 500 bucks a night and they aren't just a room they are basically 3 bedroom apartments.

So we get all tidied up and we all head down to the bar in blues for a drink before we go out. We end up staying in the bar all night. The bar got so packed that you could barely walk around. None of us had to buy his own drink the whole night. For instance, I had around 12-15 scotches on the rocks. I went to the bar with 60 bucks and some how left with almost 70. How that happened I don't recall.

Toward the end of the night there was this one civilian who was drunk and being a smart-ass (there's always one) So I told the guy in front of his buddies that I was going up to my room, changing into civies, then I was going to kick the crap outta him. So I'm headed upstairs and my friends stop me and talk me outta it. One of the last things I remember was heading up to my room and realizing that I was lost so that was a good time. I ended up finding my room later and I crashed.

The next morning I wake up and the whole crew is waiting for me in the lobby and they all go "hey look it's Muhammad Ali" which I didn't think was very funny. It was a good time. There's some other things that happened that night but they're only reserved for times when all the boys are sitting around and we're telling stories about good ol' times.

Remember...

2005-05-31T22:09:00.000-05:00

I meant to do this earlier this weekend..I feel bad that I had forgot and didn't get around to it until now. It still makes my hair stand up when I see his picture. I knew and worked with Sgt Lord for a few years and even on occasion had a few beers with him. I wouldn't say we were boys or anything but we knew and were respectful to one another. It's just weird seeing his name on a list of people who have been killed in the war and you think to yourself...I really have nothing to complain about.

To any patriotic american who reads this.....whether you agree with bush or not...go to CNN.com and take a look at the people who have perrished in the last few years over in Iraq. Believe me..There's a few gripes I myself have about the way this war is running over in the sand. But the politics behind it all shouldn't take away the honor and glory of the men who have gave their lives to do a job that their country has called them to do. Remember...........

Sgt. Richard M. Lord
24
1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force
Jacksonville, Florida
Died from injuries received due to hostile action in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on August 18, 2004

The Green Mill

2005-05-31T21:52:00.000-05:00

So I went out with a friend the other week to this place called the Green Mill. This place is supposedly reputed to be the oldest jazz club in the world. I also heard that the likes of Al Capone and some of his more memorable thugs used to hang out there alot.

Anyways we went and we had a great time. My friend got a little too trashed and she did this crazy elephant walk all the way back to the dorm. Actually we got lost downtown for like 3 hours and because she couldn't find the right subway entrance. So with our luck the way it is...it ends up raining on us and the wind starts blowing. Then to top it all off it starts hailing. Woohoo! Let me tell ya....hail in the windy city kicks ass.

Finally we make it back to the dorms at like 5 a.m. and she had to be up at 6 a.m. because she had a concert to play first thing in the morning. I kept telling her to stay but she had to go because she was getting paid like 50 bucks to do it. All in all that was my Green Mill night. It was a good time and I hope to be doing it again this weekend.

Ball Game 001

2005-05-31T21:51:00.002-05:00

Ball Game 001
Originally uploaded by windycitycat55.

Most of the squadron went to the White Sox game the other day. They gave all of us free tickets as some military appreciation type thing. It was a good time. If you can't tell I was up all night and had 30 minutes of sleep. A familly friend stopped bye and we ended up talking and drinking till 5 a.m. Good times.

My New Wheels

2005-05-31T21:51:00.001-05:00

My New Wheels
Originally uploaded by windycitycat55.

This is one of my new bikes. This is my pride and joy right now. The best thing is rolling down the freeway going 80 - 90 mph and people are still zooming bye at 100 - 110 mph and you feel like you're riding the line of life and death. It's such a rush when you feel huge trucks tailgating you and you're thinking: if I hit a pothole and fall off then they'll kill me instantly and it just makes you go faster. This thing is going to be the death of me. But oh well...she handles like a dream.

Kittay-Kittay

2005-05-31T21:51:00.000-05:00

Kittay-Kittay
Originally uploaded by windycitycat55.

This is my little kitty....his name is kitty and he's a badass.

Long Time..Many things...Bad memory.

2005-05-31T21:23:00.000-05:00

So anyways I realize that I haven't posted for awhile. So now I'm tasked with the simple but hard chore of remembering what all has happened in the last month. I just opened a Flickr account so it'll help me tell the saga that has been CAT for the past month.

Long Time No write

2005-05-08T20:38:00.000-05:00

So much has been going on with me lately. I've been accused many times over the last 8 months of not really having a job and that I don't work very much at all. Well the last 3 weeks have definately made up for it. However It will eventually simmer down and all will be well.

For the good news. I have finally got my new motorcycles. I got a nice black on chrome cruiser for myself and a red 4 wheel atv for Jules and myself as well. Problem is that we don't have very much time to go riding it very often because I'm always at work. Anyhow I'll clean them up soon as I buy a shed for them and then I'll be posting some real nice pics.

2005-04-21T21:50:00.000-05:00

It's funny that I actually wonder why I intimidate women. Do I really look mean?

2005-04-21T21:49:00.000-05:00

I look like a smart ass..thank god I'm not hahahaha

2005-04-21T21:48:00.000-05:00

Me with my highbeams on!

2005-04-21T21:47:00.000-05:00

Somethings Never Change

sleepy, tired, exausted and completely awake

2005-04-21T20:49:00.000-05:00

I've found myself in one of those ruts again. I'm back to being completely ready for sleep but doomed to tossing and turning all night. Laying in bed I find myself running short movie clips in my head behind the curtains of my eyelids of things passed and present and future. I question myself at the end of these little clips and I find me asking why and why and why.

A friend once told me long ago that the reason we can't sleep is because we don't have a clear conscience at night. As I get older I feel it's getting easier to forget about the bad moments in my past. Perhaps it's just a phase in growing up. I know I have alot more of that to do. Someday I feel I will completely forgive myself for my actions as a young man. It's just hard at first accepting who you really are and who you really were behind it all....the masks and strings.

Jules and myself are getting along great lately. It seems he is genuinely getting used to being around me. When we talk none of it feels forced or awkward anymore. He's becoming quite the popular kid (especially with the ladies). He's gone after school everyday with all kinds of friends and he seems happy lately. I really am proud of that kid. He has come so far and sometimes I find myself forgetting about that. No matter how good someone is doing you always find yourself picking out all the negative things about them. That was one of our problems in the beginning of this whole thing. I always was wondering why he wasn't more like me. Now that I think about it in a different light I thank god that he's not.

Right now I'm listening to Bob Dylan (Mr. Tamborine Man). It's my "I can't sleep music". Jules and I watched a whole episode of "leave it to beaver" the other night over dinner. I've come to the conclusion that there are few greats of our time left.

Whatever happened to Lennon, Johnny Carson, Doo Wop, Steel Cars, white shirts, blue jeans, and leather jackets....whatever happened to the radio, Native Americans, and the Corps? I feel sleep wearing on...

Old Friends

2005-04-15T23:32:00.000-05:00

Something I"ve noticed alot lately in my life. You know how when you're friends with someone for years and in the midst of the friendship you both think to yourselves...wow we are going to keep in touch for the rest of our lives. You're making a genuine connection with that person and you think that no matter what happens you'll keep in contact..and you'll both grow older and life will take it's courses and someday they'll be married with children and their wives will hang out with your wife and you'll all be friends who visit each others houses during the summer for beautiful BBQs and their kids will create friendships with their kids and you'll all live in the same neighborhood. Maybe it's just me and my friends but all that happy horse crap doesn't seem like it's really going to happen.

I have found myself really negative on the whole idea of life lately. I want out of this little fishbowl that I've been living in for the last 8 months. For some reason I feel a drastic shift coming on. I don't know if it's going to be effecting me directly or what but I just have this weird feeling. Maybe I'm just being silly.

2005-04-10T22:01:00.000-05:00

Facial hair doesn't look right on me does it.

2005-04-10T21:59:00.000-05:00

Yay or Nay

Accomplishments

2005-04-10T21:39:00.000-05:00

Yeah so I've been off for the last 7 days and I'm so disappointed in myself. I really didn't get too much of what I wanted to accomplish done. To tell you the truth I didn't get anything done. There was alot of just lounging around and sleeping 12-14 hour days. Which is good once in a while I think. Other than that it was all good. I feel rested and alot of the anxiety and stress has receeded back into it's dark little corner of my mind.

Also while I was off I decided that I would grow a some facial hair as an experiment to see what I would look like. I'll post the pic.

What the...

2005-04-01T20:40:00.000-06:00

Have you ever woke up in the morning and lined the face of your razor with tooth paste? Then almost put it in your mouth to brush your teeth.....me neither....just seeing how many of you dumb-dumb heads actually do it. hahahahahahahhahahah...jokes on you dummies.

Paint Ball

2005-03-27T21:12:00.000-06:00

I was on the way to the barber shop this afternoon and I got this urge out of the blue to do something cool with Jules. So I decided that Jules and I were going to buy paintball guns and have fun all afternoon. So that's what we did. It cost $395. 65 for the guns and equipment. However, the store ran out of CO2 to fill up the air tanks. So we called every store in the area to which just about every one of them was close and the ones that were open had broken CO2 rechargers. I spent 400 bucks on equipment but couldn't get 4 dollars worth of canned air. I swear this is the story of my life.

RAY

2005-03-27T21:03:00.000-06:00

I watched the movie "RAY" last night which is based on the true life story of Ray Charles. I don't have any shame saying it but that movie almost made me cry on 10 different occassions. If you watch this movie and don't feel a lump in your throat at least once then you need to call Jesus and tell him that he short changed you a heart cuz you don't have anything in your hollow tin chest. Anyways I thought it was the best movie I've seen since Hidalgo. Jamie Fox is an awsome actor. If you read this post you should go out and BUY this movie. No point in renting it because you're just going to want to own it anyways.

2005-03-24T19:57:00.000-06:00

Me and Craw in Henoko

Photos

2005-03-24T19:45:00.000-06:00

Hey I finally figured out how to post photos. I couldn't figure it out for the longest time because Hello wouldn't let me log in but I figured out that my firewall was blocking me from posting pics. Anyways...yeah.

2005-03-24T19:44:00.000-06:00

Time Square

2005-03-24T19:35:00.000-06:00

Macs Wedding 2

2005-03-24T19:33:00.000-06:00

Macs Wedding

Is this what it has really come to?

2005-03-24T18:25:00.000-06:00

So I actually sat down and filled out an online profile for one of those websites where people find the love of their lives. So as it stands I already feel like a huge embarrassing failure in the love department. However if in three months I haven't had any dates or even responses then I'll still feel like an even bigger embarrassing failure except I'll be out fifty bucks that I paid for this subscription.

Wow!!!! I just wrote that first paragraph and proof read it to myself and now I feel I should be in a corner with my nose against the wall and wearing a dunce hat. I AM NOT COOL!!!!!

Those days

2005-03-24T18:15:00.000-06:00

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel like you should just excuse yourself from some peoples lives? Not that you don't care about those people or anything and you're never going to talk to them. It's just that they are completely on different tracks of life than what you're on so it just seems like going away for a little while is the best thing to do.

Macs Wedding

2005-03-20T22:19:00.000-06:00

Last night I went to a wedding and a reception for one of my friends that just got out the Corps. I showed up that the wedding in my blues and they were tearing up my neck so bad. I ended up stopping at the mall on the way to the reception so I could buy a shirt and tie. That is the first wedding I ever went to and I have to say it was pretty good. I think I'm a fan of weddings now. I thought that I wouldn't like them because all the women get emotional and mushy but everyone kept their cool.

Everyone kept giving me a hard time about the shirt I was wearing. I bought this blood red shirt with a black slacks and a matching black and red tie. It looked good and all but I stuck out like a sore thumb. I also danced a little but then soon realized that I wasn't drunk enuf. Not that being drunk improves my dancing..It is just easier to ignore everyone laughing at me when I do dance. I really didn't care much for their little insults either. At least I went on the dance floor for a few minutes.

Playing Catch Up

2005-03-20T21:38:00.000-06:00

I realize that I haven't wrote on here for a while. I wish I would have done a better job of it in the last few weeks cuz now I have the tremendous task of REMEMBERING.

Well I went to NYC on the 13th and stayed till the 17th. It was a pretty good time. I stayed with an old buddy from Okinawa for a night. We had a blast. He's now a NY fireman. Anyways we relived the old days and talked till 0400. It made me think about an old saying. "I wish that I was where I was when I wished that I was here".

I saw the basics while I was there. I of course saw Ground Zero. There are few places in this world that you can just stand and lose your breath. I got a whole bunch of pics of the city. I also saw Grand Central Station, Time Square, Madison Square Garden, and the Empire State building. All in all though I really don't care for New York. I really don't care for any of the big cities.

ATV

2005-02-28T13:05:00.000-06:00

My dad has decided to by my bro a 4 wheel motorcycle. I did my best to argue with my dad about the fact that the kid really doesn't need a bike right now. First of all his grades aren't that good. It's hard enough to get the kid to concentrate on his grades and I doubt it's going to be any easier if daddy buys him a new bike. I had an argument with my dad. His combat was that you're only a kid once and he should have a motorcycle....True...I agree. However, my argument is the kid isn't performing all that great. He can have a motorcycle no problem but he's really going to work hard for it. I don't think he should be rewarded for a semi-effort. So I don't know. Am I right or is he right. Maybe it doesn't matter.

Either way I know my dad is going to do what he wants with his cash. I guess I'll be scoping for trailers this weekend.

Bubbles

2005-02-23T12:10:00.000-06:00

My window sill smells like watermelon bubblicious....I love looking out that window.

The Sears Tower

2005-02-22T08:01:00.000-06:00

Jules and I went down to the city yesterday just me and him. It was a good time. I made the mistake of driving down to the city cause I wasn't sure of the train routes so we just took off in the truck. It was kinda spare of the moment thing. Anways it was 25 bucks to park for like 2 and a half hours. So that wasn't fun. Anyhow we ended up at the top of the Sears. It wasn't a very clear day so you couldn't see past the city or anything. They say you can see four states. Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Afterwards, we went back down and walked down the street a little ways and found this italian restaraunt that boasted having some of the best pizza in the city. We ordered a stuffed pizza to see what the big hype was about. It turned out to be really good. It just could be some of the best pizza that I've ever had. I had some of the fried mushrooms for an appetizer and got really sick.

Next weekend we're planning a trip to either the Field Museum, Planetariam, or the Aquarium. I don't know, maybe it'll happen and maybe it won't. I'll let you all know.

Oh yeah and I really need to start writing in my blogger a little more.

NUCLEAR WEAPONS ALL AROUND!

2005-02-10T20:55:00.000-06:00

Big news!

I heard over the radio this morning on the way to work that North Korea has announced that they do infact possess nuclear weapons. I hope as I am watching the news right now that the people who claim to know what the hell they're doing when running this country really know what they're doing. If this situation is not handled just right I fear that we'll find ourselves in the midst of a nuclear war.

To make things even worse is that Iran is basicly getting really ugly with the whole international committee. They themselves haven't admitted that they have nukes yet but the whole international community is almost positive that they do. I myself am sure that they have nukes. Iran has also promised that any army to try to come through their borders will suffer a fiery death.

I don't mean to be pessimistic but I think there are some dark times in the future for us all. One thing I am sure about is that we sure as hell shouldn't go banging on Koreas or Irans doors and punk them out like we did with Iraq because each of those countries are far more prepared and viscious that if we tried it, they'll start launching nukes just to prove a point.

Sweet dreams

Nice Couch

2005-02-10T20:42:00.000-06:00

I got another couch today. One of the guys I work with is getting out of the MC and getting married so he has no use for his couch. So he hooked me up with a damn near new couch for a 100 bucks and it's 10 times better than my other one.

Problem now is that I have my new black couch in my living room and my old white one right behind it. So it's getting a little crowded up in here. But all in all I'm pretty happy about it. I'm getting the matching loveseat from him as soon as he buys a new couch shortly here in the future.

Relax

2005-02-08T07:37:00.000-06:00

This weekend wasn't bad at all. I spent almost this whole three day weekend at home. Curled up on the couch and watched movies and the Super Bowl. Last night I finally set up the surround sound in my living room. It's funny that I finally did that because I'm 5 days shy of being in that house for six months. Usually I'm right on top of stuff like that. Anyways, my girlfriend and I watched "The Grudge" together. That has to be one of the freakiest movies that I have seen in a long time. Jules wouldn't watch it, he sat at the computer and played command and conquer. He could still hear the movie though and that was enuf for him.

After the movie we head off to bed and I noticed that Jules left his door open. So I asked him why he did that and he says that it gets stuffy in his room. My girlfriend and I start laughing at him and I said it's because you're scared huh and he says man I hate that movie. It freaks me out just listening to it. So we're all laughing and jokingly I said hey there's some candles in my room if you need one. Really fast he stops laughing and he gets this serious look on his face and he says I'll take a candle. So I take my girl to the door and wish her good night and everything and I head back to my room. I pass by Jules' bedroom and I see his door half open and his little candle burning and It made me realize how young he still is. It was kinda neat though.

Now I Do

2005-02-02T01:30:00.000-06:00

First of all I realize that it has really been a long time since I have written in my little blogger here. Well not too much has been going on with me. I finally got a washer and dryer. The washer has worked for the last couple of weeks but the fuse has blown in the dryer so I have to put a new fuse in. Everything else works pretty good though.

So this weekend my girlfriend, myself, and another couple go out to the club. On the way out I overhear some fat nasty civilian telling some chicks that he's a Marine. I knew just by the way he was talking that he was lying. So I go up to the guy and ask him some general questions in basic military lingo. He immediately knew that he was busted so he tries to BS his way out of it. Unfortunately he doesn't know anything about the military and he ends up looking like a jackass. My girlfriend who is also a Marine starts asking him questions too and his answers just start pissing us off so we almost end up kicking this guys ass. Anyways we thought that he had enuf so we let the guy off the hook.

We really weren't trying to start anything but I just won't tolerate some guy who is completely unsat by his very appearance claiming to be one of us. Because the people who actually believe his crap associate him with us. So when he's out there acting an ass people will look at him and think that's what all Marines act like. I know some Marines do go out in public and make an ass of themselves but if the MC gets a bad wrap...so be it..but it will come because of a fellow Marine. I don't want a bad image from the public that stems from a civilian who claims to be a marine just so he can make a few girls at the club go oooh and aaaah.

Anyways that's how I feel about it. I thought someone out to know.

I Don't Need A Washer That Bad

2005-01-20T07:27:00.000-06:00

So I'm on craigslist.com and I forget to click on the Chicago area link and so I'm browsing the San Francisco area. Anyways, I see this washer that I really like and so I give them a call. I should have noticed that the area code is the same as my uncles who lives in Vegas. So I call this number and it turns out to be a couple of chicks. So I'm talking to her and she's like when can you come and get it and I tell her that my boss will let me leave work a half hour early to come pick it up. I ask her for her address and she gives me the street and the zip code. I'm looking at the zip and I'm like this is weird. I said is this zip code in Illinois? She goes, no I live in Oakland, CA. I felt like such an idiot. Best thing about it was that everyone in the shop heard the whole conversation and started laughing at me. To top it all off I started crying and then some cat was walking by and got annoyed so he kicked me in the shin and I died :(

Progress??

2005-01-19T07:50:00.000-06:00

Let's see..What have I really got accomplished in the last week??? Nothing really, this last holidays goal was to veg out for one day. That didn't happen though. I helped pack up someones whole entire house on a Sun morning and didn't get done to Sun night. So that's really fun and stuff. I finally bought Doom 3 which is a game that I have been waiting to come out for 2 years now. It's a really good time..It scares my little brother.

Oh yeah, Jules had a dual meet on Mon so I took him and we sat there for 3 hours. In the end the kid he was supposed to wrestle wimped out and said that he didn't want to wrestle Jules so we had completely wasted 3 hours of our life. That was my day that I said that I was going to veg. Well I got half a day in so I guess I can't bitch too much.

Another Holiday

2005-01-13T07:55:00.000-06:00

Not that I have a problem with time off work or anything but how do my bosses expect me to get back into the swing of things when we have time off work almost every week. I haven't worked a full week for a month and a half I think. This week was a 3 day work week and next week is a 4. I have no idea why I'm complaining. Maybe I just want to whine about something. I guess if things were the other way around I would still be complaining about working too much.

BITS

2005-01-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

I got back from Pasadena on Saturday afternoon. Overall it was a really good time. I didn't get to see any of my friends out there cuz we had to leave too early so that sucks. Anyways, I had got a little too drunk the night before we left and I ended up waking up late and forgetting my new poker set that I had also bought that night as well. I also at at the Macaroni Grill for the first time while I was out there too. It was really good and now I have to find a Macaroni Grill near me cuz I'm going to it this weekend.

I don't want to be back here at work but I am. I think we have another short week. To tell you the truth we have had so much time off over the holidays that it's kinda making me sick. But then again this unit is lame and I wouldn't feel like I'm missing anything at work either. I feel like I have some void in my life and my job definately doesn't fill it right now. I'll quit bitching now. :(

Pasadena

2005-01-07T10:35:00.000-06:00

Well I've been here in Pasadena all week. I was really looking forward to seeing one of my good friends from my first unit. He's a Sgt with the "fighting fifth" as well as a couple good friends around this area as well. But as my luck goes I gotta be up on Sat at 0530 in the morning to make my way to the airport and head back to Chi-town. The weather has been great down here. Well, great compared to a January day in Illinois. That's about it, I'll write more details about the trip when I get back.

Indo-Cali

2005-01-04T08:45:00.000-06:00

One of my good friends wrote me an E-mail this morning telling me that he's on his way to Indonesia to help out with the tsunami relief effort. I got to admit that I'm kinda jealous right now. That is the kinda stuff that I joined for. To travel the world and help out those in need. To one day tell my children that dad was in that special place and time that they read about in their history books. Either way I think it's a great opportunity for him to get out and see a little more of the world and participate in an effort that is really making a difference to millions of people. So hats off to my friend Mike and the best of luck to him.

As for me I'm getting on a plane this morning as well. I'm headed to Pasadena, California for 11 days to do a little special assignment for another unit. It should be a good time and good training from what I understand. Hopefully they'll have internet in the hotel that I'll be staying at. I'll hopefully keep you all updated from there.

TAD

2004-12-30T14:10:00.000-06:00

I just got designated for an assignment in California from 4 Jan thru 15 Jan. Well that's the plan so far. There are a few quirks but they're working them out right now. It might be even pushed back. I really do want to go though. I like traveling plus I've never been to Pasadena. I also have a couple of boys over in Pendleton and two-nine that I would like to see. Well I'll write more when I have the final scoop on things.

The Unit

2004-12-30T07:50:00.000-06:00

You know what... I really don't care for this unit at all.

My Christmas Break

2004-12-29T08:10:00.000-06:00

I think my Christmas was a rather pleasant one. On Xmas eve I dropped my little brother off at the airport. On the way home I stopped at the local movie store and picked up Hero with Jet Li. I was pretty impressed. I like those chinese movies that are set in ancient chinese times. I like how there is so much wisdom and moral guidence in them that it makes me feel like a scumbag when I can't accomplish simple acts of willpower. Speaking of lack of willpower, I decided that a few drinks wouldn't hurt but without realizing it I had drank a fifth of gin. I honestly don't feel there's anything wrong with that either. I mean, I'm alone on Xmas and I was bored. So I had a good time, watched a great movie, and I poured one for Baby G. How can you beat that????....Good movie...Good Drink...Me and Baby G....Damn Good Times... Couldn't Beat It With A Stick!

On the day after Christmas one of my really good friends came down to visit from Michigan. There's nothing better than sitting down with buddies from old units and just telling stories about new faces and new places that they've seen. My buddy just got back from Iraq not too long ago and we'll be going together this summer. So hopefully I'll bump into all of them out there. We also went to see that 'Meet the Fockers' movie. It was pretty good, I thought it was just as good as the first one. I want that RV that Rober DeNiro drives in that movie.

Today is the first day back at work for me but it's only a two day work week. We're off for another 5 days after that so that's all good. Hopefully it's as exciting as this last break. Actually I did a whole bunch more stuff than just this but I wouldn't publish it to my blogger. I don't know about your skeletons but my skeletons love closets...hahahahahahaha.

It's So Cold :(

2004-12-15T13:00:00.000-06:00

This morning I had to put gas in before I went to work and it was so cold that by the time I made it to $5 the cold had defeated my efforts to fillup. I was like, 2 gallons will get me to work and that's all I need.

This is going to be a miserable winter.

Glove Compartment

2004-12-15T08:23:00.000-06:00

Hey guess what I now have in my glove compartment that no one in the world has......give up???? I got a pair of gloves. I don't think that I've ever opened up a glove compartment and seen a pair of gloves. I've seen old gum, candy, handguns, ammunition, lube, toilet paper, watchbands, and porno magazines (lube). But never have I seen a pair of gloves. Except for my glove compartment. I'm the first one in the world.

I WORSHIP FRIENDS!!!

2004-12-14T08:22:00.000-06:00

Almost 2 years ago when I first got to 4th Mar I remember that we were asked to update our SRB through the new MOL. I completely forgot but when it came to the part to choose religion, I noticed there was like 200 religions which is ridiculous when you really think about it (remember kids..Jesus is the only God). Anyways, I saw that FRIENDS was listed as a religion that the MC recognizes.

I think it's great that some people take religion as serious as I do......Haaaaaaaaaa!

Peterson is going to DIE...Hahahahahahaha.....Hahahahahaha

2004-12-14T08:05:00.000-06:00

I saw it on TV last night. One down and about 10 million to go. The system is still too soft if you ask me though. I would have more respect if they had daily televised executions. Do you think that they could make enuf money to pay for the war if they put executions on pay-per-view? In this sick country....you goddamn right. I would be the first one to subscribe too.

Powershot A80

2004-12-09T08:06:00.000-06:00

Here's my little dilema. I bought a Canon Powershot A80 in Japan. However I got it a little wet and it never worked again. The next day my 200 dollar waterproof case arrived in the mail (story of my life by the way). So I bought another one because getting it wet isn't included in the warranty. However, while I was on leave this summer my crack head cousin stole it out of my luggage and sold it for enuf to get high. I love my familly.

So now I took the old one to a cannon repair shop. The dilema is that if they can fix it the cost will be a flat 150 dollars. However if they can't I can pay 150 dollars or less and get a new more advanced Powershot. However, I would be stuck with a 200 dollar waterproof case that isn't worth anything. Thing about canon that I love is that all their Powershots are relatively the same. Except that they offset the buttons slightly so none of the waterproof cases can be used with another model. Isn't that great. They aren't even making the A80 anymore. God I love how the system works. It's like a giant web of poop and I'm a little fly caught in the middle.

Words of wisdom: Don't get caught in poop and don't ever ever ever poop your pants!

Burn Peterson At The Stake And Put It On T.V.!!!

2004-12-07T14:27:00.000-06:00

You know I just don't get it. What is wrong with American justice nowadays??? Where did we go completely wrong and why are we so damn soft? I was on CNN just a few mins ago and I saw that Scott Peterson's (the one on trial for murdering his wife and unborn son) 8th grade junior high teacher took the stand and testified on his behalf with these words:

"He is a fine citizen"? WHAT THE FEEDUCK! By the way the trial is in the 5th day of the sentencing phase. They are deciding whether he should be put to death (sit on deathrow for 30 years) or spend life in prison.

Am I the only one who thinks that this testimony is completely retarded. Not only that but his highschool principal Marvin Threatt also took the stand with this emmy award winning line:

"Many students would not come back to school on time. The thing I recall mostly about Scott is that he did always come back on time. He was never late."

Gee Marv thanks for the info. I think that he should definately be allowed to live. I mean he showed up on time for class....WOW!!

I've come to the conclusion that I should run for office. I really mean that. I think that we should clean up alot of society starting with some of our most outstanding citizens who somehow wrongly end up in our state and federal prisons. I'm tired of all this shit about serial rapist and serial murderers and child molesters and just flat out sick bastards who go to prison for the rest of their life. I know prison isn't a walk in the park or anything but look at this way you get clothes, three hots, and a cot. Offer that to some of these people who live on the streets of New York, L.A., Chicago, or Detroit. Try keeping warm with grocery bags duct taped to your feet. I bet they would rather live in prison where they would have a gauranteed 3 squares and a cot and a blanket every day.

Call me sick in the head if you want but this is the core of my beliefs. If you murder, rape, molest or cruely violate someone else's rights. Then you deserve to have your rights as a human stripped from you and have someone else cruely violate you. I'm not talking about this sorry ass deathrow crap we have now. I'm talking about nailing somebody to a wall, painting a dartboard on their chest and throwing steel darts at them so they can bleed to death slowly. All the while I'll be kickin back listening to them scream and having a beer. I have a million great ideas. I really do. Here's one. How about tearing out a perfectly healthy strong tooth with a pair of vice grips...or how bout this one....Build a rink similar to a hockey rink but instead of ice it will be a giant frying pan. You have the sides made of crystal clear bullet proof glass 20 feet high so no one gets out but everyone else on the outside can enjoy all the fun on the inside. You throw 50 of our most deserving inmates in the ring barefooted.....You let them get to know each other for about an hour....Then you turn up the heat to about.....(what does chicken cook at hmmm)....oh yeah....375...and you just watch. One guy will kill another with his bare hands just to stand on his back. Then another guy will do it...then another...ooooh it would be great. Just to see the look of despairon their faces...You know that look someone gets when their whole entire world collapses all around them and they realize the end of their life is going to be horrid. God I think I got a hard-on just thinking about it all. Don't worry I got so many more ideas. Just ask and I'll share them with you.

OH YEAH....VOTE FOR CAT...HAHAHAHAHA

Still Sick

2004-12-01T11:04:00.000-06:00

I've been sick for 9 days now. I finally broke down after 7 days and went to see a doctor. He asks me what's wrong and I tell him that I've been coughing up ugly things and that my nose has been bleeding for a whole week. He gives me some sudafed, cough syrup, and some asprin to take away the headaches that the cough is giving me. Wow, and people ask me why I don't like going to the doctor. Military doctors are worth about as much as dirt most of the time.

Good news is that I am going to the hospital in a few hours so they can take a look at me. If I'm lucky they'll tell me that I have 12 sec to live, then I can just die and get this whole being sick thing over with.

Couldn't Help It

2004-12-01T09:31:00.000-06:00

Am I sick in the head for noticing this or does this sound really wrong to everyone else. Maybe I'm wrong for simply bringing it to everyones attention. I was on CNN and there was this article about this young girl that was killed by accident. The papers interviewed the uncle and asked for a comment.

This is what he said: "She never had a chance to enjoy life or spread the love that I know she was going to spread to everyone."

I know he meant well but it just doesn't sound right. For some reason it made me chuckle though, but then I felt guilty. Which made me chuckle some more because let's face it, I'm not the one who said it.

Flying First Class

2004-12-01T08:31:00.000-06:00

This is how funny my dad is. It cracks me up when he tells the stories that he does. I booked him a plane ticket for Sunday the 28th through priceline for a couple hundred bucks. When he showed up at the airport they told him that he has a first class ticket. First of all I know that I didn't book him a first class ticket. Second, I don't think you can even fly first class for only a couple hundred dollars.

So he calls me up and he's like "why the hell did you fly me first class"? I'm sitting there wondering to myself why he's even complaining. He tells me that they put him in first class with all theses businessmen who are wearing suits and trench coat and reading the Wall Street Journal while my dad's sitting there in his Harley Davidson t-shirt with cutoff sleeves. He tells me that he felt all embarassed because the stuartist came around every five minutes for drinks and everyone was ordering fancy smancy teas but he had no idea what the hell they were. So when the stuartist came to him he said tea as well because he didn't know what else to say.

The stuartist asks him what kind and my dad says "tea with sugar". The stuartist looked lost so my dad says just water would be fine. Anyways, the funniest part is the stuartist kept coming by every couple of minutes and asking what else he wanted and he got all self conscious so he faked being asleep for the rest of the flight so she would quit asking him questions. My dad rocks. He does the funniest things. I just had to write that down cuz it's the funniest thing I've heard in a while.

All Kitties RTB

2004-11-28T21:05:00.000-06:00

The Thanksgiving 120 is over and i'm kinda relieved too. Now that I think about it alot has went on in the last five days. First dad flew in so that was pretty cool havin the old man around. My other kitty came back as well. I missed him so much. He doesn't move from the couch though, he's so lazy.

On Friday I went to Target to get some kitty food. After I walked out and got in my truck I noticed a big van parked next to me. All of a sudden I see 3 guys with big jackets running for their lives toward this van but the van took off like crazy squeeling his tires. For a second I thought somebody stole their van but then I saw that the 3 guys were being chased by 3 security gaurds. The van whipped out onto the highway and stopped a hundred yards up the road. It was funny because all kinds of stuff was falling out of their clothes as they were running. I think it was a bunch of CD's . That's kinda sad now that I think about it. These guys had to be 30 or near 30 years old.....still stealing CD's from Target. If I ever had to resort to such measures I think I will just kill myself. That really is sorry. I could maybe feel compassionate if it was food or something but CD's. Like that's a huge must have to survive.

Anyways, I just dropped off my dad at O'Hare and I guess it's time to get things back to normal.

I ALMOST FORGOT. I PICK UP SERGEANT ON THE FIRST OF DEC. WOOHOO!

Bombs Over Baghdad

2004-11-24T07:29:00.000-06:00

Last night I dreamed that I was in the middle of a fire fight in fallujah. I was trapped in a room and the enemy started throwing bananas through the windows and they were exploding like grenades. It's funny because everyone else in the room died but I was just fine and the only one not hurt. I think it was because I was the only one throwing the bananas back at them. My friend Jenny was there and she was a news reporter following me. Now I'm wondering why no one was throwing fruit at her. Thought I'd share.

Damn Ragheads and their stupid exploding fruit.

I gotta couch

2004-11-23T08:21:00.000-06:00

Oh yeah I forgot, last night between dropping and picking up my brother from wrestling practice a woman called me and asked if I was interested in her couch that I saw on Craigs list. I said yes of course and she was like come over right now. I asked her where she lived and how to get there and she totally annoyed me. If I had a gun at the moment I probably would've shot my own foot so I could get my mind off of what she was saying to me. She tells me that she doesn't know the names of the roads and that she gets places by going off of landmarks.

Holy fuckin jeez lady! Who are you....Rainman? It turns out that I lived 10 mins away from her and she couldn't tell me how to get to her house. Now granted I realize that in a large city you can walk 20 mins from your house and be completely unfimiliar with the area because it's so big. However, we in the burbs don't have that luxury. Anyways, I find the house and she shows up and she's pretty hot so I let her little dum-dum episode slide. She shows me the couch and it's very nice for the mere sixty dollars that she was asking for it. It's a full size white couch with a queen size sleeper in it. It's great, I slept on it last night cuz my dad slept in my bed. So it all worked out. Now all I need is a computer desk and a dining table but I really don't think there's any room for them. I need a bigger house.

Oh yeah.....my cat sucks!

Stowaway!

2004-11-23T08:08:00.000-06:00

I picked up my dad this morning from O'Hare at 0100. It was funny because I passed by the package store on the way home and I told my self to get a six pack for my dad but I totally forgot about it. So I pick my dad up and everything and the first thing he asks soon as we get in the truck is "did you buy me a six pack"?

I felt bad but I ended up making him a gin-tonic. You know, something to snack on at 0230 before he went to bed. My dad's funny like that. He'll have a complete meal at midnight and then go to sleep for seven hours. Well it's going to be me dad and little bro for the next 6 days. Tomorrow morning all I have to do is show up for 30 mins then we're free to go for the next 5 days. It's funny how they make us drive all the way to work for 30 mins instead of just letting us call in. I guess it would make too much damn sense if we did it that way.

..........................

2004-11-22T13:42:00.000-06:00

I......AM..........SO..................TIRED.........JUST........LET.............ME...........................DIE!

1 Down, 1 To Go

2004-11-22T08:13:00.000-06:00

This weekend turned out pretty good. I got to hang out with new people on Friday and Sunday. I was supposed to go and hang out with a bunch of people Saturday night but I ended up just hanging out at home. It was just too much to drive into the city and go bar hopping with a bunch of people who I barely know and then drive home when the sun started rising. It was all good though.

Two good bits of news. Tonight at 0100 my dad is flying into Ohare so I'll be picking him up. I wish he wasn't coming in so late but I'm so stoked that he's going to be here regardless. Also, when I got out of the shower this morning one of my little kitties was waiting for me. They've been missing for 5 days but at least one is back. Too bad it's the one that I don't really like but isn't that the way it always goes. Hopefully he comes back someday too. I really miss my black kitty :(

Sore Muscles

2004-11-18T13:24:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I ran a PFT and when I woke up this morning, I was so sore that I cant' even walk without looking like I just had a homosexual experience the night before. Which I didn't!!!! :( Gay sex makes me sad. I'm really tired too and feeling kinda loopy too.

Oh yeah, last night I got done building and repairing my neighbors and my computers last night. On his way out the door my cats ran outside and wouldn't come back. They didn't come back home last night or this morning so now I'm a big cat with no little kitties :( This week is has been kinda crappy for me. I don't care. I'm so sleepy I think I'll just fall asleep at my desk.

Don Juan

2004-11-16T10:04:00.000-06:00

I've come to the conclusion that I don't want to be alone forever or I at least want to meet some new friends. So I've decided to pursue a dating life and hopefully meet women via the internet. For some reason I always thought that it was a cheesy way to meet people but now that I'm here it seems like the only plausible ways to meet women. I sure as hell don't want to meet them in a bar or some equally tacky place....I'm looking for a real woman you know. Well this is it. I'm now going to be one of those guys who's at home sending pics and using cute little chat room lingo. AAAHHH how far I've sunk. If this doesn't work I think the only alternative would be to stand outside a college and hold up a sign with a sad little look on my face. :(

Wish me luck!

GET BACK TO WORK!

2004-11-15T07:30:00.000-06:00

Well it's monday and my little vacation is over so here I am. I don't feel good, actually I haven't felt good for the last couple of days. I'm so looking forward to going swimming today though. I don't want to run that damn PFT on wed. I'm just not in the shape to run a PFT right now. Oh well.

Now I'm looking back on these 5 days that I had off and realized that I didn't do much at all. I did go and see that movie "The Incredibles". I love that movie! I'm going to buy it when it comes out on DVD and watch it every night for the rest of my life. It was just a really good movie. Other than that what did I do...............hmmmm? I built my neighbors computer. That was fun.....Yeah that was my whole vacation. These really are the best years of my life. This unit still sucks!

Kitty Names

2004-11-10T07:38:00.000-06:00

I've decided to change the names of both my cats to kitty. Mainly because I don't call them by their names and just call them kitty. I really don't think that it makes a difference what I call them. There's no scientific evidence but I'm sure it doesn't matter to cats what you call them, I think it's more the way you say it. I bet that if I replaced Salem with the word......dirtbag, he would come running with a big smile on his face. Oblivious to the fact that I just called him a dirtbag.

Anyways, he still gives me dirty looks and stares at me for like 20 minutes without turning away. Maybe he's on to my replacing his name with dirty little insults game. Sometimes I get bored so I have to improvise to entertain myself. If kitty doesn't like my insult game then he's really not going to like it when the pranks start. I'm gonna start hiding his shoes.....exploding cigarettes....laxatives in his food. Wait, I guess the laxatives in the catfood joke would really be on me huh. I haven't taught my cats to change their own litter box yet. I will someday though, I"m gonna teach them how to wash their own clothes...do their own dishes...and cook their own food. I'm not going to do EVERYTHING, what kinda joint they think I'm runnin...Lazy Bastards!

Goin on a Holiday!

2004-11-09T13:41:00.000-06:00

It's Tuesday and all is well. The Bulls game turned out pretty well. I got into an argument with one of the civilians who was running it because she kept trying to boss marines around and talk to us like we were below her so I gave her attitude. We didn't get to meet any of the players which didn't really bother me cause no one really famous plays for the Bulls anymore.

After our little show they gave us our tickets which were on the upper most level of the United Center in the back. The Bulls were totally getting their asses handed to them the whole first half. They were down by almost 30 points but made a comeback late in the 3rd quarter. They ended up losing in double overtime but it was still a pretty cool game.

The MC Ball was on Saturday night and that wasn't as fun as I had hoped. Warning, don't go stag to the MC Ball when you are at a reserve unit because you will be one of the "Few and Unproud" as I was. I didn't even think about how most people at reserve units are married and have families. So I felt so alone there :( So that was that.

Today is our only workday this week. I don't think I've ever had six days off in one week without taking leave. So I will be home for the whole week enjoying my little vacation.

Kittay Kittay!

2004-11-09T13:07:00.000-06:00

Oh Yeah I forgot! I got two new kittys on Saturday. I went to the animal shelter type place here on base and I was only going to get a kitten but I ended up walking out of there with two full grown cats. I got this huge solid black male named Salem and he looks like the cat off of Scary Movie 2. He's really creepy when he stares at me because he doesn't stop and he does it all the time. The other one is this long haired gray and white female named Vanessa and she's a little sweetheart. Salem is a meanie because everytime she comes around he hisses at her. I guess he'll get used to her after time.

Daaaaa Bulls!

2004-11-05T11:36:00.000-06:00

Tonight is the Bulls game. I have to get ready in like 2 hours. I love when I have to show up like 4 hours early for something and then just wait around for the event to start.

This morning kinda pissed me off. I had to show up for a working party at 0845 this morning but I thought it was on Saturday morning for some reason. Anyways, the Master Seargent invites to take the shop out to breakfast at 0830. Then half way through breakfast he asks me "don't you have a working party to be at right now"? Well top I guess I would be at it if I wasn't here having breakfast with you.

Anyways I show up 5 minutes late to a working party that took less than 10 minutes. It was so gay, but you always have that one little bitch who wants to pout that Cpl Cat was late and talk trash in the background. Fact is, no one has said anything to me at this unit thus far. I even didn't get a haircut for 2 weeks and no one said a damn word to me. It was amazing, and I'm glad they didn't because I know if one of these reservist tried to say something to me it would be like a civilian trying to square me away and I know I'd blow up in their face DI style. I know it will happen because there have been moments where I thought someone would say something and I started going through scenarios in my head about what I would say and it's pretty ugly.

I just had to vent. I'll fill you all in on how the Bulls game went tommorow morning if I get the chance.

Ride As One

2004-11-02T07:58:00.000-06:00

I don't know what's wrong with me lately. I'm just not happy here. For some reason I feel like the only person I can really talk to is me. The days seem dark and gloomy all day long. I get the faint taste of defeat in my mouth everytime I sit down and just think. I feel like I'm running on a track and not going anywhere. The only one running the race.
I want to go back to Oki where I can just do my work and then afterwards I can just go and jump in the ocean. Float around with all the little fishies and be totally at peace. No one can bother me there. Except for the occasional sea urchin in the foot. Maybe this is just a bad week and I'm just thinking too deep. Something just doesn't feel right. I feel defeated.

When Doves Cry

2004-11-01T08:33:00.000-06:00

So it's holloween night and I'm running around cooking dinner, passing out candy, and getting my brother ready in his little costume. Then it hit me and I realized Holy jeez I'm a mom! Then that song by Prince popped in my head where he says "maybe I'm just like my mother". It was sad :(

Navy Pier

2004-10-25T09:33:00.001-05:00

This Saturday I went to the USO ball at Navy Pier in downtown Chicago. It was a good time for the most part. Gary Sinese (Luitenent Dan: Forest Gump) showed up and hung out. One of the best parts of the night was when Miss America walked up and asked myself and a couple other NCO for a picture. Later on that night my boss showed up and we both got a picture with her too. I'll post the pic as soon as possible for those of you who don't believe me.

A couple of us also grabbed our covers and walked down the pier. It was cool because so many people came up to us to give us little compliments and stuff like that. We also got asked for autographs and pictures by little kids. So that was all neat. We went back to the ball later to see how trashed everyone was getting. There was around a thousand people who showed up. I talked to a drunk navy SEAL who is a vietnam vet. That guy was awsome! Security had to talk to him a couple of times because he kept smoking in the ballroom. He gave the the security a hard time because they thought they were all bad with their little flashlights. He was like get outta my face, I was a SEAL in nam, you don't scare me. It was great.

That was pretty much my night. We didn't get everything broken down and put away till like 0200 so we didn't get home till like 0230. Anyways that's about my weekend right there.

Sneaky Bastards!

2004-10-21T08:42:00.000-05:00

Have you ever noticed that when you drop something purposely and kept your eye on it (like a coin) it doesn't go far. It maybe gets a couple of bounces then just lays there or it will roll like a foot away. But if you don't watch it, that bad boy is gone. It happens almost all the time. I rarely drop something that rolls and find it if I'm not watching it.

Final thoughts...If you drop something and it's rollable. You better be watching because they are some sneaky...sneaky...little bastards.

Holy jeez this soup is hot!!!

2004-10-20T14:24:00.000-05:00

I just burned my tounge :(

BAAAAAMMMMM!!!!!!

2004-10-20T13:15:00.000-05:00

So I just got pimped out by the command to a Chicago Bulls game on 5 Nov. I guess one of the team spokesman called and said he'd like 8 marines to come out and unfurl a giant flag on the court during the game. We also get to hang out and watch the game and meet the players. They said they're also hooking us up with dinner which is the only reason I agreed to do the whole thing in the first place.

So here's the most current schedule.

Oct. 23-USO ball at the Navy Pier Ballroom. (Blues)
Nov. 5- Chicago Bulls game. (Blues)
Nov. 6- MC Ball (Blues)
Nov. 9- Dog and pony show for a bunch of civilians in full combat attire (ugh)

It's a good thing I bought 2 sets of blues.

Orange????

2004-10-20T09:45:00.000-05:00

So while I'm working throughout the day, I am randomly plaugued by weird questions that come to me to be answered by my infinite knowledge and wisdom. So here's the question that popped into my head. Help me out if you can.

Q: Was an orange named after the color or was the color named after the fruit?

Keep in mind that I already Googled the problem and came up empty handed. Maybe someone else will fare better.

HAL 9000

2004-10-20T07:52:00.000-05:00

So I finally got my computer up and running. I've spent close to 3 grand on this machine and for some reason it burned up $500 of ram. I finally figured out the problem. It turned out to be the 40 dollar power supply. So I took the thing apart and realized that this isn't the PSU that I purchased from the company so I called them up. I explained to them that their crappy power supply caused me months of frustration and $500 of ram. They figured the best solution to the problem would be for me to go and have fun with myself because that's what they pretty much told me to do.

God it's good to be back in the states. There's no business like American business.