The Narf Mark

Taking Chance

2009-01-28T20:39:00.002-06:00

There is a movie called Taking Chance that I have to see. It is based on the true story of Michael R. Strobl (Marine Corps Liutenant Colonel) and his experiences escorting the body of Chance Phelps (Marine Corps Private First Class) home. I found the journal of the trip here, and I had a hard time not tearing up. Oh, what the hell, I cried. I felt the same uncontrollable emotions I feel when I visit the Vietnam War Memorial. I have always felt a kinship with those that have been in the military. Maybe being in the Army has been in my blood...
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At any rate, I am going to see this movie. Without seeing it, I recommend it to you. Think of it as a tribute to all those that have fallen in defense of what they hold most dear.

Get in the choppa'!

2009-01-22T21:25:00.005-06:00

The Convoy Ops day of training can be a long day for both the warrior unit (the people we train) and the trainers (us). We go through everything from the planning, pre-combat checks and inspections, to the actual convoy operation. They deal with warring factions in the same village, searching hostile villages, IEDs, and even getting wounded soldiers onto a medevac chopper. The video is of the UH-60 coming in for a landing.

We don't always get the chopper, and I've never been out on the lane when it comes, so I figured I get some video of it. It was pretty cool, especially all the snow from the prop wash. Oh, wait. That was actually really cold. Anyway, I'm sure the kids will really enjoy it.

Home for the weekend (kind of)

2008-12-08T18:49:00.004-06:00

So I had a couple days off to go home. I got Sunday and Monday rather than the actual weekend, but I'm not complaining. What I am complaining about is that due to weather, I had to cut my time at home short. Hooray for winter in the midwest. The roof outside my window has a good six inches or so of snow (that's with an inch from a prior snowfall), and the snow is still falling.

At any rate, this was the weekend that we set up the Christmas tree. It was fun, especially with how much the kids can help now. Even the little one helped. Much joy (and arguments) for everyone. Here's a few pics of the occasion:

Haircut

2008-11-16T19:45:00.002-06:00

My dear, darling daughter got a haircut this weekend. She had been growing her hair out because she wanted to donate it to Locks of Love. Well, it was finally long enough, and we took her to the mall to get it cut. Her hair was down to her waist prior to being cut, and I had a hard time beleiving it was her at first. She really looks like a seven year old...

Happy Veteran's Day

2008-11-11T15:37:00.002-06:00

Happy Veteran's Day to everyone, both military or not. For me it's a little thought provoking (as it has been for the past couple years). I saw a couple of comics that reminded me about why I have such a hard time with today (comic 1, comic 2). My definition of what a veteran is has had to change, partly because I am one.

See I don't see myself as a veteran. What have I contributed? I haven't even left the US. Then there are those that I've talked to that have gone over but where only in Kuwait (his words, not mine). He left the country, but seemed to have the same mentality that I did. I have also talked to some that have been to Iraq or Afghanistan (or both). Some of them had the same problem. "All I did was drive around and get shot at. What's the big deal?"

I wonder sometimes if all veterans have this problem. Who am I to get special benefits, why should people honor me of all people. Sometime today, I finally came to grips with it. It's not so much honoring the person, but what they have provided for the big picture. What they have sacrificed to do so. Some of us are trainers. Without our training, replacement troops would go in blind and probably not last long. Some of us are ammunition specialists. Without us, troops in the thick of it wouldn't be able to fire back. Some are drivers. How do those supplies get to where they are so badly needed.

All veterans have given something. Time; time away from their loved ones, and especially for kids, it is not time that can be regained. Livelihood; some of their families have to live paycheck to paycheck, as they earn nowhere near what they did before they were called up. Dreams; how many have had to leave college, or jobs, and everything has to placed on hold? Health; limbs lost, eyesight and hearing lost. Every single one has sacrificed something, and no matter how big or small, it has affected that veteran, or their family and friends somehow.

Happy Veteran's Day.

Rewarding

2008-10-15T18:24:00.002-05:00

Despite being wrestled to the ground, pushed around, yelled at, having weapons pointed at me and being "shot at" (blanks), it has been a rewarding day.

I hear you asking, "how could you consider it rewarding being abused like that?" Well, we trained ~180 troops yesterday and the day before in Urban operations. How to enter and clear rooms. Taking on both compliant and non-compliant personnel. Detaining EPWs (enemy prisoners of war). It's all pretty involved stuff. Two days of training (a full day each for two separate groups) with a company that has, for the most part, never done this kind of thing before. It was rewarding to see how well they did with it when we threw them into a situation.

Or maybe I like getting beat up?

Um, no.

Knowledge and Usage

2008-10-09T16:46:00.002-05:00

So we had a CLS (combat life saver) recertification yesterday. All drill sergeants are CLS certified these days. A regular class is a 4-5 day course, but the recert(ification) is only 8 hours. We get to go over combat casualty care (try to take out the threat FIRST, then go get the wounded soldier), methods of transport, bandaging and tourniquets (the CAT is a nifty device and generally applied first). We also are taught how to relieve a tension pneumothorax, and achieve a saline lock. The saline lock is basically putting in the catheter for an IV, but not attaching the fluids. It allows us to be able to set up the IV ahead of time, because they are really hard to put in once things start going south.

This is only my fifth time putting in an IV, and only once have I had to do so in an actual emergency situation. It's good to have these skills, but I am always afraid to actually apply them, as I use them so rarely. Well, here's hoping I never need to use the majority of what I've learned.

Getting Closer

2008-10-07T18:47:00.003-05:00

Ah, October. It's getting cooler, and my time on active duty slowly grows shorter. We're done come March, though our replacements should be here in January. We're already starting to put together a continuity book (basically everything we do and how we do it so the incoming unit can pick up where we left off), and streamlining our request processes.

So last month was interesting. Our scheduled unit didn't get the necesary funds, so they couldn't get orders. That left us with a month of finding stuff to do. That included running the confidence course (a kind of obstacle course), going to the rappel tower (using the skid, not the wall), and not quite doing a 6-mile road march.

Let's see, in the past month or so I have been a bus driver, a range safety, a range NCOIC (non-commisioned officer in charge), an urban ops instructor, a CLS (combat life saver), an "Iraqi national", and an insurgent. I have instructed, guided, blown stuff up (40 mm high explosive grenades), shot at troops (blanks), been shot at (also blanks), been detained, interrogated, driven, and helped heal. Let me tell you, this is not a boring job (when there is actually something going on).

Mmmmmmm. Burger...

2008-07-12T19:40:00.003-05:00

I get to go to Georgia in two days. I get to be a drill sergeant for the next two weeks. I am really looking forward to it despite the early wake up and long hours (wake up for the troops is 4:00 AM most days, with a 14 hour day on average), the pressing responsibility (anything they do can get ME in trouble if I don't catch it in time), and the stink (60 18-year olds in Georgia heat all day, and a handful that for whatever reason, decide not to shower).

Well, at any rate, I'm also looking forward to a little something called a Ranger Burger. Found at the Four Winds restaurant, it is a meal you have to make sure you have room for. Ranger burger, fries (included in the meal!) and a real southern sweet tea. Think candy in a glass, that's how sweet it is. The sugar is normally added while it's brewing, so it's super-saturated. Yum.

Prep Time

2008-07-07T22:16:00.001-05:00

It's nothing but run, run, run.

So I get back from Kansas in time for the 4th of July. Everyone got a 4-day pass for it, so I get home just in time to say goodbye to the family (they're going to spend some time with the grandparents). So after they left, I spent a couple of days with my parents and siblings.

So now, I have a week, then I'm off to Ft. Benning to push troops. I'm both nervous and excited about it. I've been trained in how to be a drill sergeant, I've heard the stories, I've been a "sidewalk drill", but I haven't been in charge of a full platoon in basic training.

It's not the yelling or the "corrective actions" that I'm looking forward to. It's the chance to actually be a part of the training of our future soldiers. Taking a brand new recruit and molding him (Ft. Benning is a male-only environment) into a soldier that can do his job and keep himself and his buddies safe. Training that they receive at basic can mean the difference between living or dying in a combat situation. Just a little responsibility to lay on a drill sergeant, huh?

Done!

2008-06-26T15:29:00.002-05:00

I'm finally done with BNCOC. We "graduate" tomorrow (which means show up in civilian clothes, collect your 1059, listen to Chief congratulate you, then leave), and then it's back home. I have spent the past month learning my new job. Other than learning AC repair, I've learned about running a maintenance shop, to include the appropriate management software. I've learned how to do overlays on maps (all those cool little symbols that tell you where the friendlies and hostiles are, perimeters, movements, etc.), I've learned about the new maintenance structure. It's been a really interesting time.

All that aside, I have real issues with the way NCO schools run these days. I realize that we have a numbers issue (problems bringing in new recruits and even more keeping the ones we have), but in one of these schools when you emphasize quantity over quality, bad things are going to happen. For example, in the Army it is required that a soldier be able to pass a physical fitness test (APFT) twice per year. it used to be that all schools required you to pass an APFT before continuing with the school. You didn't pass? You got sent home. Not anymore. now a failure will get you a retest near the end of the class, and of you fail that, you get a "marginally achieved" on two categories of your 1059 (like getting Fs on your report card) and still graduate. How does a new recruit look up to his leadership when they can't pass an APFT. WHy would you want to, if they don't have to?

I fear for our NCO corps in 5-10 years if this kind of policy continues. It's situations like this that prompt the good NCOs to get out, and the bad ones stay in. Why leave if you can do bare minimum (or in some cases below minimum) and still get a steady paycheck? What kind of Army are we looking at that has enough soldiers, but their leaders have a "well, that's good enough" mentality.

Still here

2008-06-22T10:14:00.002-05:00

Wow. Unless you want to spend a lot of money, there is very little to do here. I mean sure, it is a military friendly place with discounts all over the place (half-off at certain restaurants when in uniform, matinee prices all day with ID at the movie theatre etc.), but it still adds up. I end up spending a lot of time hanging around the barracks/hotel. They finally got the internet working in the rooms, so that helps, and there is always cable, but hanging around in my room gets old fast. How sad is it that I want to get done so I can go back to "my" hotel room back in Wisconsin?

On the plus side, we went to go see The Love Guru. That movie is absolutely hilarious. I laughed the entire length of the movie and was a little sore around the ribs at the end. I highly recommend it.

Well, back to my boredom.

HVAC?

2008-06-19T23:46:00.003-05:00

Thanks to the Army, I now have a certification for, and the appropriate skills to fix air conditioning. For only a couple thousand dollars, I can fix car A/C.

I'm still not too sure what to do with it, but it's a skill that I could definitely earn money with.

Hooray Kansas

2008-06-16T22:35:00.003-05:00

Well, it's only been about 4 months since I've updated. Aren't I the timely one. Anyway...

So here I am updating from Kansas. I'm at an Army school learning my job (my ORIGINAL mechanic-y job) and how to be in charge of a maintenance shop. All fun stuff that I won't need until I'm done being a drill sergeant. Yay.

Kansas isn't too bad, but I have way too much free time. Class from 8-4, then free time until the next day. There's only so much I can do before I start spending too much money. And I'm getting a bit tired of hanging ot in my room every night watching movies (the front desk at the barracks/hotel place has a nice DVD library to borrow from). Did I mention that I've been here two weeks and have two more to go? All sorts of fun.

At least this past weekend I got to see my sister-in -law, who had a weekend off and only live five hours away. We took a trip to Wichita, then came back and had incredible burgers at a little walk up place. After that we played what had to have been the fastest game of mini-golf ever (darn mosquitoes). That was a nice way to spend a day.

I'm so looking forward to getting done and getting back to Wisconsin. I've gotten used to seeing my family once a week, and I'm going through a bit of withdrawal. Well, two more weeks is all I have. Wish me luck!

Day Off

2008-02-16T18:06:00.002-06:00

We had a day off yesterday, and decided to head out to the coast. It was an interesting drive through the passes and out to Coastal Highway 1. Little to say, lots to show:

Positive Reinforcement

2008-02-15T21:32:00.000-06:00

So traveling to California was not fun. Leaving Wisconsin was the problem in that we shouldn't have. Our flight was one of only two that left that morning. We landed in Chicago and about 30 minutes later, our connecting flight was canceled. Our flight is then rescheduled for 8:30 the next evening. So long story short, it took us three days to get to California (without our luggage, but that's another story).

So we get to California, and it's a two and a half hour drive to the post. We are directed to get a hotel room for the evening, which no one is about to argue about. The next morning we get up and go to breakfast at the Denny's right next door (all in uniform except for those of us that are missing luggage). We're all sitting there talking after ordering and these two men walk up. They say that they'd like to thank us for our service and would like to help pay for our meal. After thanking them, they leave and we look at the money they put on the table. They had dropped $160 on the table! We all fumble for a bit as this sinks in. In the end (after the manager took 10% off for our being military), it paid our whole meal and was about a $50 tip for the waiter. We couldn't in good conscience just split what was left and leave with it.

That's the kind of thing that doesn't happen often, and nobody really expects it to. It was just a really good feeling to be on the receiving end of such a gesture.

Almost, but not quite

2008-02-07T15:05:00.000-06:00

I'm supposed to be in California right now, taking notes on what my job will be in the coming year. Instead, I'm in O'Hare, waiting for a flight.

My flight was one of three that managed to leave the airport yesterday morning. We get to O'Hare and an hour before our connecting flight leaves, it gets canceled. Lucky us, 2 hours from home with a snow storm going. Well, we get stand-by seats for a flight in the morning, and confirmed seats at 8:00 at night. We decide to skip the morning flight (four empty seats the day after a snow storm? Riiiight). Now we have about five more hours at the airport before our flight leaves. Hey at least we have the USO.

Hey, at least we're getting paid to sit around in hotels and the airport...

Learning to save lives

2008-02-04T11:31:00.000-06:00

So the past four days I've been in a Combat Lifesaver (CLS) recertification class. It's really interesting seeing all the new tools and procedures we have at our disposal when it comes to saving life and limb. We were getting CLS, not medic training. The difference is that our job is to fight first and save later. My buddy goes down next to me? He'll have to wait until the coast is clear...

Oh, and I can give IV infusions, too. Heck, I managed to give one in a guys wrist this last time. Yes, I'm bragging, but I've only done just inside the elbow (like most people get) before. Plus I didn't sweat all over the guy while doing it this time. It's more nerve-wracking giving the IV than it is getting one from someone that hasn't done it in at least a year.

Snowy!

2008-01-22T12:25:00.000-06:00

Last week we got some nice snow. Nice, wet, heavy snow. Backbreakingly heavy snow. But it was pretty. These are shots from work, and if you look carefully, you can see the snow falling.

If you look carefully some more, you'll see the footprints some crazy running people left behind.

That could be painful

2008-01-15T10:30:00.000-06:00

Sunday started off normal enough. Up way too early so that I could play Army. Now, by playing Army, I mean we sat around almost all day waiting to do paperwork, or doing paperwork. It was long, uneventful, and extremely boring. I'm glad I brought a book.

At any rate I'm on my way home and I'm about 15 minutes from home when I get a phone call. Apparently I need to meet my wife at the hospital. I start to worry when she tells me that my 4-year old son has a cut on his nose and needs stitches. So off I go to the hospital, busting into the ER in uniform (including drill sergeant hat!). After some coaxing and prodding we finally manage to get out of him that he was running to his bed with a book, when he tripped. He hit his nose on the edge of one of the drawers (which is rounded, by the way). I ended staying with him while the topical worked, and then going in and having the stitches done.

He did a great job (with myself and two nurses distracting him) while the stitches were put in, though he really didn't like how they looked when they were done. We asked for a bandage for it, and he was better after that. 5 stitches. Not too bad for a cut about 1" long.

Even more official

2008-01-07T09:54:00.001-06:00

Without having orders in my hand, I don't think anything is official. However, I am being tapped to be on a kind of advance party for our mission. Train the Trainer, they call it. We get to spend two weeks in California (in February. NOT in Wisconsin. I really can't complain TOO much) learning our mission from the guys that are currently doing it. Then, we come home and train the rest of our unit before we start mission. I LIKE to train, I'm good at it (supposedly).

The big issue is going to be letting the kids know. My wife is ready (for the most part) for this, but we haven't told the kids, just because we didn't want our daughter freaking out over it for too long. Now that I have only a month left, I think we need to tell them. We got Talk, Listen, Connect from our Family Readiness Group last month, so we're going to use that to help.

Again, I've got mixed feelings about the whole thing, but it is my duty.

Unofficially Official

2007-12-03T12:18:00.000-06:00

So it's unofficially official (or officially unofficial). It looks like select members of my unit are being mobilized (myself included). It's going to be for a year right here in Wisconsin training troops to send overseas.

I'm not sure exactly how I feel about it. On the one hand, I'll be leaving my family for another year. I've already missed a year of two of my kids' lives. On the other hand, I love my military job. I don't know what it is, but the Army has always appealed to me. My wife often wonders why I didn't just go active duty a long time ago.

I'm really going to miss my family. I know my daughter, having already been through a mobilization and being able to remember it, is going to take it hard. The middle son might get it as I get ready to leave, and the little one won't understand until I've been gone. Hopefully I'll have that regular day off that I can visit them, but we'll see what the training schedules look like.

All in all I'm both saddened and excited about this. It'll be a change of pace that I tend to need every so often, plus I'll have some freedom. Problem is that that freedom comes at the cost of not having my family there. I have a few months to worry about it, so we'll see when we decide to tell the kids.

An eventful weekend

2007-10-15T15:14:00.000-05:00

Army weekends come in two different flavors; fun, and boring as heck. There really isn't anything in-between. I'd categorize this last one as fun. Now granted, not everything went as planned. Our trip to the obstacle course got cancelled due to rain (safety concerns), and some of the training could have been better, but overall a fun weekend. Though I think I had the most fun traipsing in the woods Friday and Saturday.

We did land navigation, which basically amounts to orienteering. Find some posts out in the middle of the woods using only a map and compass. No problem. Then we did it in the dark. That makes it completely different. Not to mention my group was attacked by some turkeys while trying not to go rolling down a hill. Like I said. Fun.

Fun with doctors

2007-10-05T10:08:00.000-05:00

So my daughter has been having tummy pains. We have taken her in a number of times and the doctors are stumped. We've pretty much ruled out acid reflux, Celiac, Crohn's, and a number of other wonderful sounding ailments. We seem to be down to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), which is a lot better than any of the alternatives.

We just had some tests done this week. She had an endoscopy, which they thankfully put her under for. Then they wanted to do a CT scan. I had left after the endoscopy, so I didn't get to deal with what turned out to be a wonderful fight. They contacted the doctor to see how badly he really wanted the scan. In the end, it came down to bribery. Not something we do often, but this was for her health.

Still sore

2007-08-15T09:28:00.000-05:00

Ah, it's nice to be back. We've been gone for about two weeks, though only one for vacation. We visited my sister-in-law in her new home in Nebraska. It's REALLY nice and it made me realize how much I've always wanted to live in small-town America. There would be two main complications to moving out to someplace like that; a job for me and finding a nearby Reserve (though I might be able to go National Guard as well) unit. Hmmm...

So, about last week. We had to cut our vacation short by about a day as I discovered completely by accident (good thing I got to chack my email) that I had orders to go to training for eight days. The course, you ask? Combatives Level II. Combatives is the new Army hand-to-hand program, and it is great! It is based upon Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with some other additions. The general plan is that the entire Army will be level I in about ten years. Anyway...

Level II has more advanced techniques including more arm bars and chokes, plus more training in takedowns (taking a standing fighter and getting them on the ground). It is an intense and draining course. Heck, my wrists and elbows are still sore. I'm not sure exactly how I managed to come out of it without more bruises or a black eye. But, I'm back, and I'm glad to be able to sit down without worrying about someone attacking me...

Preparations

2007-07-23T14:21:00.000-05:00

Yes. I know. I am horrible at updating. I update a couple of times then disappear off the face of the earth. *sigh*

Anyway, we're getting ready to deliver items to Nebraska. We'll be taking Leanne's items to her new place (and job!) in Nebraska. It's only nine hours from here in Wisconsin (give or take a few since we don't leave the state via Interstate), which should be fun with the three little ones. Pauline has already bought some binders that'll be filled with travel things like coloring books and puzzles and such. We had purchased a replacement DVD player too, as the old one finally gave up the ghost. I don't know. Road tripping isn't as horrible as I let on. It can be fun...

So to add a little something to my long delayed post, here are the two older ones showing off their Lego airplanes. Don't mind the mess, this was taken after a hard afternoon of playing...

Fun in MS

2007-05-29T21:35:00.000-05:00

Here I am in humid Mississippi. I'm currently attending BNCOC (Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course. Pronounced B-Knock) here and luckily I'm able to use Netzero through a local number. It's a leadership course to teach us how to be good leaders. It's not bad, but there is a lot of work involved, including homework. It's about half-and-half classroom time and practical evaluations (we get evaluated in how well we march troops, give PT in the mornings, conduct risk assessments, etc.). Tomorrow I get to give a briefing that has to be 6 minutes long. It doesn't seem that long, but you need to get as close to 6 minutes as possible. Should be fun. I'll have to start taking pictures later this week.

Well, I should go, as I REALLY need to practice my briefing.

Good training

2007-05-16T10:28:00.001-05:00

Well, I spent last weekend at Ft. McCoy. Most of my time was spent as a safety on a rifle range. It wasn't that bad. When I first got there we were all staying out at the FOB (Forward Observation Base). It's basically a permanent tent city with a handful of permanent structures (mostly guard towers and firing points in the berm around it). This is basically a replica of the bases being used in Iraq. It was an interesting experience.

We did get to do some interesting training. We conducted a mounted patrol (ambushed three times, and found an IED) and managed to get back with only two wounded soldiers (simulated, of course). It's difficult getting used to mounted tactics (we rode a couple of HMMWVs), when all we've ever practiced is dismounted (good old infantry maneuvers). We also got a change to go through some room clearing training/practice. There is a facility there at Ft. McCoy that is also used by state troopers and SWAT teams to practice the same thing.

Let me tell you, room clearing is stressful. Even practicing. Going from one room to the next and not knowing what is in the next room is nerve-wracking to say the least. We had two teams of four leapfrogging from room to room, so we had a little time in between encounters. My team dealt with a hidden shooter, and what appeared to be a husband and wife (she had a baby) in one room. We lost one team member to the shooter before dispatching him, then had to search the man and woman. We ended up finding a cache of weapons in there. After the other team found explosives in the next room (they managed to disable the trigger man before he set them off), my team found two shooters in a tiny dark room. We managed to survive that one intact and then we were able to move out of the building.

All in all, it was a pretty good weekend. Next, I go to Mississippi!

...a new car!!!

2007-05-07T15:25:00.001-05:00

So we finally find out Friday that the van is totalled. After almost two weeks! Since I have Army time taking up most of my weekends this month, we figured it was best that we went shopping for a new van right away.

Well, we ended up getting a KIA Sedona. Not to mention we got a 2006 with only 20,000 miles on it. Oh, and we paid less than $20,000 for it. Plus new tires a full tank of gas and a free oil change (still need to use that). I'd say that we got a good deal. It has the LATCH system (no more tag teaming a child seat into place!), seats for everyone, more space than the old van, and keyless entry. I have a remote (as soon as I replace the battery)!

We definitely did not want to have to move as quickly as we did, but we had to, as buying a new car is really not something that anyone should have to do alone. Particularly with three kids in tow.

Kite flying!

2007-05-04T08:38:00.000-05:00

It was really nice a couple of weeks ago so we went kite flying in the field behind the house. I thought some pictures might be a nice update.

Looking for a new vehicle...

2007-05-03T20:25:00.000-05:00

*sigh*

So we need a new van. What happened to the old one, you ask? Accident, is the quick answer. For those that don't already know, here's the rundown:

Pauline had just picked up our daughter from preschool and was heading back home. There's a T intersection right there by the preschool that she needed to turn left at. At that time, there was a large vehicle in the parking lane turning right, and she didn't see anyone behind them and starts turning left. At about that time, a fast moving car comes around the vehicle turning right and hits the van. Luckily Pauline saw it coming at the last moment and was able to stop. If she hadn't, it would have hit the driver's door and lord only knows what would have happened to Pauline.

As it was, the driver's side front tire got hit. According to the body shop, the entire front suspension is shot which is fairly easy to tell when you look at the damage. There is apparently some frame damage as well, though they are still trying to figure out how much. Either way, we'd all feel better with a new van. This one is jinxed or something (2 accidents in as many years). Ah, well. It's things like this that keep life interesting, right?

Right.

What a waste

2007-04-19T10:03:00.001-05:00

Listening to the radio this morning really put a burr in britches (I have never actually used that term. I don't think I will again...). Apparently, Wisconsin spends $176 million per year to promote abstinence-only sex education. Now, while the whole idea of abstinence only education really annoys me, this is an excessive amount to spend on an inneffective program. Recent government reports have stated that of 2000 students, 25% had had sex with three or more partners. Now mind you that 1200 were abstinence-only, and the other 800 were traditional sex-ed. Apparently kids today are starting to have sex at age 14.9 (I love numbers from studies) regardless of what kind of sex education they are receiving.

[rant]
It just boggles my mind how these administrators think that withholding information from teens is going to make them healthier and safer. Maybe it will change their perceptions and make them want to wait, but that is more the parent's job than the school's. What if they don't decide to wait? Well, then they are ill-equipped to make the correct decisions on how to best protect themselves. Parents take responsibility for your own children! It is not the schools' job to raise them for you!
[/rant]

May should be fun...

2007-04-16T15:25:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was a warmup for May mission. We had our own weapons qual(ification) up at Ft. McCoy, and after we were done, we then ran the ranges for some other units that needed to qual.

Now, running those ranges for these other units was hard work. Now, we only qualify twice a year, and many of these soldiers were WAY out of practice. Luckily the weather was nice and not extremely hot, as we were standing out there pretty much all day for two days. It makes me glad that I'm only going to be there for 4 days rather than the whole 2 weeks.

How did I manage that? Well I have BNCOC (pronounced B-knock) scheduled for later this year, and as much as I wouldn't mind the active duty pay, taking a month off from work would be a little hard to swing...

Duck-duck!

2007-04-07T09:32:00.000-05:00

It didn't take long before this duck got a name. He'll go around telling us he has Duck-duck, and giving us his rendition of quack, quack...

Quick update

2007-04-05T08:42:00.001-05:00

So I was going to start with that ex-blogger comment again, when I realised I had already used it. Oh well...

Anyway, we all had to go to Janesville this week to pick up a prize. A prize, you ask? Well, we had been shopping in Janesville last weekend and we ran into a store's Easter Bunny. While I was trying to keep the kids from either 1) smothering or 2) bolting from the bunny, Pauline was entering the kid's names in for some prizes. Well we got a call Tuesday saying we won a duck. So Aiden won a plush duck that is almost as big as he is. It's cute.

So while we were shopping, I took a few pictures of the kids with my phone...

2007-03-20T08:37:00.000-05:00

*sigh*

So it's been a little while. I remember reading somewhere that there are a lot of ex-bloggers. Well, I am apparently one of those. I need to get back in the habit, as this is the best way to share pictures of the kids...

At any rate, I am alive, as is the family. We're doing quite well, with the youngest's birthday coming up. The other two have already chosen their gifts for him (it's fun shopping with a 3 and 5 year old, they look for what THEY like...). We're having a little party this weekend with family. I should have pictures from that...

Apple 'pickin!

2006-10-10T15:04:00.000-05:00

So we went apple picking this past weekend. It was actually really fun. We got Katie and Colin out there, and strapped Aiden into the backpack and off we went. It was a nice orchard. They had sheep at another part, but we decided that by the time we were ready top head up to that part, the kids had had enough. They had fun, anyway. Katie and Colin both got to pick apples, and Aiden, well, he got to go for a ride.

Updates

2006-10-03T14:06:00.000-05:00

I am so bad at this. I used to update almost regularly. Anyway, changes:
Katie: My lovely, intelligent, ENERGETIC daughter continues to test us. While she absolutely loves going to preschool, she gets a little shy when asked to read around anyone else. We're hoping that she isn't trying to hide her intelligence.
Colin: Ever the laid-back child, he has begun tormenting his sister becasue he knows it annoys her. Being an only child, I never saw any of this, and it's really fascinating (if a tad annoying) . The potty training had been going great for a while, but has since run into a snag. We're being patient. Or at least trying to be.
Aiden: This kid has all sorts of surprises for us! He's getting around pretty darn quick, and already getting up on his feet by himself. He is already trying to get to me when I get home so I can give him a hug (like the other two that run over when not already distracted). He eats two meals a day as well as nursing, and is almost 20 lbs.
Me: I'm looking forward to doing my Army weekend this weekend. I'll be attending with my new unit. I'm excited, as I'll be with a BCT (Basic Combat Training) unit. This means that for the summer, I get to be a real drill sergeant unlike at my last unit where I was a mother hen. They already have me scheduled to give a couple of classes. No getting eased in here, I have to hit the ground running. Oh, and I joined Facebook. Darn that Westra and her social networking sites. Darn me for being so easily involved.

Below are a couple of shots of the kids. Aiden showing off his standing skills, and the three of them playing with the train set. Well, Katie and Colin playing with it, and Aiden trying to catch the engines...

Solemn day

2006-09-11T10:37:00.000-05:00

I saw this in the news section of CTL+ALT+DEL, and it struck a chord. The quote is from the Gettysburg Address, but it fits.

He eats! (late)

2006-09-06T14:21:00.000-05:00

Aiden was probably ready to eat before we went to get him babtised, but it would have been a hassle carrying extra food etcetera. So we fed him the first night we were home. Granted, it's been about three weeks, but I'm trying to get caught up...

Grumble

2006-08-24T12:21:00.000-05:00

What is it about windshields lately. We just had it replaced on my car about a month ago, and now I got hit by another rock. I didn't even have a chance to get it patched this time, as it hit so hard it started spiderwebbing right away. There goes another $300...

Trips

2006-08-21T15:31:00.000-05:00

Summer can be so hectic around our place. Not the least of which is thawt we schedule out our weekends forever. The Army takes one of my weekends a month, but sometimes they are only two weeks apart, leaving little time for much in between. On other occasions, it's just the way things fall. Take July and August...
The first weekend of July was spent at a family reunion in Minnesota (it was actually really fun!), of which I had just returned from Ft. Knox earlier that week. The next week was spent going to the doctor for pretty much all of the kids AND Pauline. That weekend was used for recovery. The third weekend was an Army weekend, and the last weekend of July I worked Saturday. Then the next weekend was spent as recovery from my procedure (a vasectomy for all those not in the know). I spent most of the weekend fighting the urge to get up and do something. You know how it goes, you're perfectly content to take a little time for yourself, until someone TELLS you that you can't do anything. Anyway, after that, we took our trip to New Mexico for the baby's baptism. This was followed immediately by another Army weekend.
*sigh*
Alright. I'm done complaining. I'll go and get pictures put up soon.

She's dancing!

2006-07-27T13:10:00.000-05:00

My daughter has been in a ballet class for the past 8 weeks. She has really enjoyed it. We can also tell that she has a little more balance/bodily awareness. Not to mention it lets her burn up a little energy. At any rate, last night was the last class, and thus the kids got to have a little "recital." It was cute. She did really well (except for getting herself in the back. Makes it a little harder to get pictures...). Her teacher suggested that we put her in tap classes (something that will beneficially use all of her excess energy). We're seriously condsidering it.

I need to transfer

2006-07-20T10:16:00.000-05:00

So last weekend was bad. Well, maybe not bad, but REALLY annoying. Well, we'll hit the good parts first.

For the first time since we had the baby, the whole family has gone to my dad's for my drill weekend. That was nice, as everyone (including BOTH brothers) were there. As an added bonus, two of my cousins from my dad's side were there as well. I haven't seen them in a few years, and it was nice to catch up some.

On to the annoyance. I was in charge of giving two classes, Land Nav (or How Not to Get Lost in the Woods!) Saturday afternoon, and Combatives (Army hand-to-hand. Fun stuff!) ALL of Sunday. Saturday wasn't too bad, other than not really being able to get the materials I needed until the last minute. Sunday, however, was a mess. As a matter of fact, I never did get to give my class that day. I had to take over running a PT test first off and that took most of the morning. Required admin took the rest of the morning. After lunch we had to take a survey (among the questions: drinking and smoking habits, illegal drug use habits, stress issues, etc. One of the most bizarre surveys I've ever taken) that was 169 questions. It took about an hour for me, but some people took almost 2 hours to finish. As long as things were already disrupted, more admin. GRRRR!

On the plus side, I started my transfer paperwork. I'll be going to a BCT (Basic Combat Training) unit. I get to really be a drill sergeant there! Granted, it takes about three months for that paperwork to go through, so we'll see when I finally get over there.

Some days...

2006-07-14T08:12:00.000-05:00

Some of my days feel like this.

Last week

2006-07-05T11:27:00.000-05:00

Due to demand, I am finally getting to the hectic week we had last week.

So, I get back from two "fun-filled" weeks at Ft. Knox Saturday afternoon. Sunday evening we all get packed up and head over to the Emergency Room due to my wife having chest pains. Three hours later (and minimal testing) they say that it is acid reflux and send her home with some Prevacid. On my way to work Monday, I drop off the van because we're planning on taking it for the weekend to Minnesota, and it's having problems. We don't hear from them until the end of the day and they say they can't find anything wrong. There is something obviously wrong with it. Unfortunately I have already brought it home. So, I need to take off on Tuesday. On Tuesday, my lovely wife needs to go to an optometrist for what turns out to be a problem with her current contacts. She has to go back to wearing glasses for at least a week. I also drop off the van again at the dealership (after going with them for a test drive, they decided to take it to another dealership), but at least they gave us a loaner. Tuesday night we head back to the emergency room for more chest pains. This time they do more extensive tests and it still comes down to acid reflux (hey, better paranoid than the alternative, I keep saying).
Now I also need to take off on Wednesday because she needs to go to the doctor to figure out what to do about the reflux. Along the way, I also take my son the doctor for what looks like an infection on his *bleep*. Luckily it is something else, but I don't want to take chances. Also the dealership finally gets a hold of us and lets us know what they are doing with the van (plugs and wires! Why couldn't THEIR diagnostic have picked that up?) and that we should be able to pick it up tomorrow.

Thursday I go back to work. All is fun and happy as I get training for another job that will most likely occur alongside my original one. Oh, and I get to pick up the van and pay $240 or so after they refund some of the cost for the first failed diagnostic.

And then we got to leave for the weekend. Yay!

Oh yeah!

2006-07-03T13:31:00.000-05:00

Colin had a LOT of fun. This is him near the end of the day...

A great (but short) weekend

2006-07-03T13:25:00.000-05:00

After a rather hectic week (again, I'll get to that later) we went out to Minnesota for my wife's family reunion. Other than being a REALLY long trip, it was fun. I got to meet more of my wife's family (a very friendly and personable group), spent some time at an incredible lake house, took a couple of trips on one of their boats and of course, ate lots of good food. In all it was an enjoyable time. If it weren't for having to work today, we would have gone back yesterday for a second day. We might have gone swimming in the lake or gone tubing.

There was another younger child there, and she happened to have a fishing pole. It only had a rubber fish on it for practice in casting, but that was enough. Both the kids got their change to cast for a while, but Katie really got the hang of it! I need to get a fishing license so I can take the kids fishing for real. They really enjoy it.

I'm really glad we went. It was fun meeting family, plus it was nice to get away from everything else.

Fun at Ft. Knox

2006-06-29T15:21:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, I've been back almost a week and no entry. Well, it's been a hectic week (which I will cover later). Suffice it to say that I was supposed to work 4 days this week. I've worked 2.

So anyway, Ft. Knox was fun. It was a completely different experience than Ft. Benning was 2 years ago. Granted it's all glorified babysitting, but at Ft. Knox the drill sergeants do all of the processing. It was babysitting with a purpose.

Now, I know that the Army is having a hard time finding quality troops, but I'd like to think that when I was a new recruit, I was a little smarter. It was like working in a quarry, every single soldier was a rock (approximate IQ). How many times do you have to tell someone that they will get a chance to use the phone later (granted "later" can mean in two days). Why do I have to remind them that they need to drink water (when it's been 90+ degrees every day this week with 80% humidity)? I hope that most of these either develop a brain somewhere in training or get out after three years.

Attempted update

2006-06-08T09:12:00.000-05:00

Well I tried to update a couple of days ago, but apparently Blogger was having a few issues... But anyway.

Last weekend was productive. We got some of our landscaping done and got to caulk the shed. We've been meaning to do both for quite some time. The trim around the front and the side of the house are looking nice. Pauline planted a bunch of flowers and I dug a hole to put in a rose bush. We bought the rose bush for only $1.00. Granted, we then paid 1bout $15.00 for special dirt and food, so I'm hoping I didn't kill it while putting it in.

I did get Monday off. I didn't exactly plan to do so either. See, our main water shut-off valve in the house was leaking. By leaking, I of course mean spraying water profusely. If I hadn't gone to check the water heater (wow, that water sounds loud in there), I'm not sure what owuld have happened. In the end it cost us about $600 for the repair. Which in itself, is a lot better than the $2500 if just replacing the valve wouldn't have worked. Not the best way to get a day off.

More frogs!

2006-05-31T10:49:00.000-05:00

I had a post about frogs last year, and they are just a really cool subject. This time though, we had apparently gotten one in one of the sandboxes.
The sandbox got full of water from all the rain we've been having, and apparently the frog decided it was a nice place to stay. Or it got stuck. Either way, the kids (fine, so did Pauline and I) got a big kick out of it.

Bratfest!

2006-05-31T10:25:00.000-05:00

Yes, Bratfest was last weekend. I'm still catching up. It was fun (and delicious). You can't go wrong with Johnsonville brats for only $1. We all went Friday evening and listened to some music, sat the kids on some cows and generally had fun.

There was someone there doing balloons for kids (you know, the long skinny ones), but after waiting in line for about 15 minutes, we find out he doesn't do them for kids under three. So we had to leave without any, and to try appeasing Katie (who after thinking it over, REALLY wanted a ballon hat), we went to Ella's Deli and got them a carousel ride and ice cream. Yay!

Fowl and Birds

2006-05-15T12:44:00.000-05:00

Just an odd little bit from my drive in to work this morning.

First, I saw a whole group of wild turkeys (what DO you call a group of turkeys?) in a field. By itslef, that isn't that big a deal, but usually I only see female turkys. This time I saw a male as well with its tail feathers all spread out (you know, like in all the Thanksgiving decorations...). Not to mention, it looked like he was getting all the females riled up.

Secondly, not 2 minutes away from the turkys, I saw a game of ping pong. You know how some birds are always darting low over roads? Well this one miscalculated and got hit. It got hit and flew straight up in the air, then on the way down, got hit again by traffic in the other direction. Thankfully this time it flew up and then landed on the side of the road.

Yes, this is a macabre thing to talk about, but This is the second time in my life that I've seen it's like.

Grumble Grumble

2006-05-11T00:03:00.000-05:00

Well, so much for the warranty.

I just had to write a check for $200 to replace my windshield. That by itslef isn't so bad. The problem is that last weekend we also had to get a new lawnmower (the old one died), and a new multi-function printer (again, the old one died). Luckily it seemed to happen like the old adage: bad things come in threes. Well, maybe not luckily, but at least there's no more.

Yet.

Smiley!

2006-05-10T12:14:00.000-05:00

Of course I would be working when he starts smiling...

Doesn't it look like he's smiling about something that we don't know about?

In charge

2006-05-04T12:46:00.000-05:00

I wanted to talk about this sooner, but I never got around to it. My last drills was up at Ft. McCoy for weapons qual. I had gone up with advance party (the group that arrives first to set up housing, prepare classes, etc.). Someone else was in charge, and despite there being four othe personnel of the same rank as myself, some with more time in, I was essentially second-in-command.

Now, I've been a drill sergeant for a few years now, and being in charge is nothing new. However, I had some strange feelings about being in charge at that particular place. It could be those ATs (annual training: that "two weeks in the summer" you always hear about) that I spent up at Ft. McCoy when I first joined. It was just a little odd to be the one waking everybody in the barracks, or having other people get me names for a detail. Making sure that people had what they needed and then making sure that they did a good job cleaning. It really made me stop and think about how far I've come in my 11 years in the Army.

Hmmm. Maybe being a First Sergeant isn't such a far-fetched idea...

A fun Saturday

2006-05-02T11:12:00.000-05:00

Sure, I had to work a half day Saturday, but we made the most of the rest of the day. After I got back, we headed downtown. We hit the library first. It's been a while since we've been there, and the kids have been asking for weeks, but we're still recovering from Aiden. Though I did manage to get the latest book in the Wheel of Time series. Now all I have to do is find the time to read it.

After the library we walked down to one of the local stores (sorry, don't remember the name), where we needed summer clothes for Aiden. Pauline found a lot of great stuff for him, plus the kids got their faces painted (I would add a picture here, but Blogger seems to be having problems with their image server). After trying to keep them occupied while Pauline paid, we headed to the bakery for doughnuts.

All in all, a fun afternoon...

Cybereyes!

2006-04-27T13:37:00.000-05:00

I used to play a role-playing game in high school and college called Shadowrun. It's an interesting mix between cyberpunk, fantasy, and technology. Anyway, in the game, you can have surgery to have cybereyes implanted. Cybereyes can simply improve vision, or they can include everything from night-vision, thermal vision, built-in cameras, etc.

Well, meet one of the first people to have cybereyes today!

Update!! Update!!

2006-04-27T12:18:00.000-05:00

Yes, I have returned.

It's been a tad busy, both at work and at home, so updates have been, well, difficult to put together...

The biggest news is that child number three arrived! Aiden Lee Santiago arrived on Mar 25th, 2006 at 8:45 PM. He was 7 pounds, 14 ounces and 19 inches long. Mom was happy and healthy, and is now trying to keep her sanity amid fatigue, the other two (rambunctious) kids, and caring for a friend's 3-month old. I'm helping as much as I can.

There are cute pictures of Pauline reading to the three kids, but they are forthcoming. I'll do my best to update more regularly.

Snowman! pictures

2006-03-08T09:57:00.000-06:00

Snowman!

2006-03-08T09:40:00.000-06:00

So I stayed home from work Monday (Babywatch. Long story) and it snowed. It actually snowed some on Sunday and then more Monday, but anyway. It was perfect packing snow. Probably the only good packing snow we've had all winter. So we got the kids all packed up and took them outside to play. Katie had been asking to make a snowman, so I figured we could give it a shot. The kids helped, of course. Thinking about it, I think that this was their first snowman! Not to mention my first snowman in years.

Pictures to follow!

Goodbye Hawkeye...

2006-03-01T11:07:00.000-06:00

No, Alan Alda has not passed away. However, the Army is shutting down the MASH unit. They are phasing them out and replacing them with the CSH (Combat Support Hospital). All they are really doing is changing the name, though there is one major difference. Where the MASH was a rear echelon unit, the CSH can have parts detached and sent to forward areas. Like sending a surgury or primary care unit to where the severly wounded are. The idea behind this is that they can have these units available during the first 60 minutes, which can increase the chance of a soldier surviving their wounds.

Well, at least we have the Hallmark Channel and DVDs...

My belief

2006-02-28T11:07:00.000-06:00

These are my feelings on the subject almost to a T. There are those that say that war is never an option, but at some point, it becomes an option of last resort. There are those that absolutely cannot be reasoned with, and trying past a certain point is useless.

That isn't to say that I think the current war is completely justified.

Charged for a "loss"

2006-02-24T09:52:00.000-06:00

Only in the military would you have to pay for something that was destroyed due to biohazard contamination (it had his blood on it). This kind of thing is atypical, but it boils down to one person not keeping on top of his job. I can understand why the Army wants to keep track of it's equipment like this, considering the trouble they are still having with "war souvenirs"

Reminds me of a story I heard once (whose veracity I'm still unsure of). There were a group of rangers out on a live-fire excercise when the guy carrying the SAW (Squad Assault Weapon, or M249 for you gun guys) gets jammed. He tries a few things and the jam will not clear so he plants the butt of the weapon in the ground and starts kicking at it. On one particularly good kick, he pulls the barrel towards himself just as it goes off. The round goes through his kevlar (or helmet for those not versed in militarese) at such an angle that it follows the interior curve, cutting his scalp all the way around.

Now the moral of this story is that not only does he get charged to replace the kevlar, but he doesn't even get to keep it! And the others, once they check him to make sure he's not dead, laugh at him, because he was being an idiot.

Good Weekend (last weekend)!

2006-02-16T13:18:00.000-06:00

So the weekend retreat was wonderful for many different reasons. Pauline was able to get away from the kids (competely!) for the first time since Katie was born. This is a bonus as Katie is a rather high-maintenance child. She's intelligent, loving, and very crafty. She'll try to find the wiggle room in anything she is told to do (or not do).

There was a lot of good information and things for Pauline and I to use to enhance our relationship. We definately appreciate each other more, and I'm working on being more considerate and less forgetful. It was really nice to spend a weekend alone with Pauline. We had a chance to get reaquainted a bit better than with the kids around.

And the hotel we stayed at? It was nice. There was a comedy club, and two restaurants IN the hotel, plus a bar. Actually, lounge is more what it was. Our room was nice: king size pillow-top bed with a down (though more likely polyfill) comforter. The TV had the usual cable channels, including TLC which is what we ended up watching if we were in the room.

In all it was a very enjoyable weekend. Pauline even got to meet Nathan Staff, one of the guys I was at APG with. We're thinking of maybe getting together this summer sometime. Have the kids play together, that sort of thing. Fun indeed.

The weekend cometh

2006-02-03T13:15:00.000-06:00

Another drill weekend comes along. I'm going by myself, however, as Pauline wants to save her energy for next weekend. That's no big deal. I'll just drive in Saturday morning, stay the night at Dad's, and drive home Sunday night. It'll be a bit rough Saturday morning seeing as how I have to leave by 5:30, but I've managed it before.

This weekend we hash out more of the specifics about April. We have a weapons qual(ification) up at Ft. McCoy that we leave on Friday for. By we I mean most of the rest of the battalion. The advance party is supposed to be up there WEDNESDAY. Of course, I am a member of the advance party, so I need to figure out if I want to take vacation for it.

Along with the weapons qual, we'll be doing a lot of WTT (Warrior Task Training) as well. This is a lot of the things that the Army discovered every soldier needs to know like how to search a vehicle, how to detain prisoners, etc. It should be a fun weekend.

Certified!

2006-01-31T14:26:00.000-06:00

Yes, yes, I'll take the shot that I'm certifiable.

But anyway. As of sometime this morning that I can't quite recall, I am Network+ certified! First off, it feels good to know my studying paid off. Second, I'm happy that I didn't waste over $200 to fail a test. And to sweeten the deal even more, apparently the exam fee is reimbursable through the tuition reimbursement program at work.

Now I can go home and network the house in a certified manner...

Study study..

2006-01-30T15:07:00.000-06:00

Boy, if my tests in college had been like certification tests, I might have done better. (Who am I kidding? I paid HOW MUCH just to go to classes?). I have my Network+ Certification Exam tomorrow morning, and I'm doing my best to study. At $218 a shot, it's a test I DEFINITELY don't want to take more than once.

Wish me luck!

Milestone!

2006-01-23T09:37:00.000-06:00

My daughter is smart. Pauline and I knew that, of course, but we got some wonderful and surprising proof last week. My wonderful 4 year-old daughter started reading! We've had one of those Dick and Jane Reader collections for a while, and it got brought out on Thursday. Katie was so excited when I got home from work, that she had to read to me right away.

That is one of those moments that make being a parent worth it. Seeing how proud she was of herself that she was actually reading to her parents. Knowing that we've portrayed reading as something that is fun.

Have I mentioned how much I love being a parent?

Short weekend

2006-01-16T11:08:00.000-06:00

Most people talk about weekends being short because there is so much to do, and not enough time. For me it was short because I only had one day. I had drills this weekend, but it was only on Saturday. That's no problem in itself, but we have a hard enough time getting a months worth of work done in two days let alone one!

So our new BC (Battalion Commander) mentioned to us at first formation that we should take some time and read an article in the latest Army Reserve Magazine. It's a rather short article, but it's about another Reserve activation. Over 700 soldiers from the 80th Division (IT) are being sent to Iraq. By the way, (IT) stands for Institutional Training, not Information Technology. They are going to replace another IT Division that has been there for a year. Their mission? Why, to train the Iraqi Army of course. Oh, by the way, have I mentioned that I'm a member of the 100th Division (IT)? From the sounds of it, I have at least a year to worry about it. From a little searching that I've done, there are at least 7 or 8 other IT divisions and I'm not sure how many have already been over.

Moving on... After drills on Saturday, I took Mom out for dinner for her birthday. We went to Applebee's and had some nice conversation. I don't get to see her all that often, and it was nice to just sit down and chat. It's kind of hard to believe that she's 54 already. I just hope I can be as spritely as she is when I get to be that age.

Ideas

2006-01-13T08:33:00.000-06:00

Seeing as how I've been so good at updating the blog, I need to come up with a way to remember to update it. I'm thinking of making it more of a journal. That might prompt me to be a little more consistent.

To tell the truth, my day-to-day isn't so interesting. Anybody can see that. I know there are those that like the pictures of the kids and would like more of them. I'll try to work that in. Really, the times that I actually have interesting things to write about are when I have drills (I'm sorry *battle assembly.* If you could only hear how I said that in my head...) or my two weeks with the Army. Hmmm. I'll need to thnk on that.

In the meantime see if you can't find yourself here. (not recommended for dial-up)

Just thinkin'

2006-01-06T11:03:00.000-06:00

So I'm sitting here in a momentary lull going over last year. Corny, I know, but it is a new year after all.

Unfortunately, the biggest thing to happen last year was my mobilization. Well, the second half of it anyway. Spending that time away from my family made me really appreciate them when I got back. I try to spend more time with the kids than I used to, as I have a year to make up. Actually, expecting our third child would have to be the biggest. It was a pleasant surprise, and I'm looking forward to our new addition. Also last year was the decision that I will be retiring from the Army (joints willing). It's really only 10 more years. Is that really so long?

And as I look forward to this coming year, I see a number of things that need to be done. I need to go back to school and try for an Associates degree. I need to be ready to help even more as our third child joins us in March. I need to be wary of February (I can officially be mobilized again February 2nd). I need to start going to a doctor regularly (I don't get sick that often, but I have a few minor issues). I need to go to BNCOC (Basic NCO Course. Pronounced B-knock), so I can start preparing for my next promotion. I think 2006 is going to be a busy year, and I'll need to try making it as smooth as possible.

An interesting combination

2005-12-30T14:18:00.000-06:00

Pauline and Leanne got these Crochet Pattern-A-Day calendars for Christmas. They were going through them when they came across an interesting (HAH!) pattern for February 13th. It was a thong (as in the underwear...) pattern. Now, it seems to me that no matter what quality or weight of material used, crocheted underwear (especially a thong!) would be rather thick and uncomfortable to wear. Well, I thought about that yesterday when someone at work was talking with a client that had found an odd underwear item on a shopping site. I can only imagine someone wearing both of these for a special occasion. Don't you think they would go well together?

Christmas

2005-12-30T13:28:00.000-06:00

It has been quite some time since I've updated this site, hasn't it? I know, I've been a little lax, but things have been a bit busy. This past week has been fun, though. Pauline's parents and sister stayed with us for Christmas. The kids absolutely loved it. They missed their grandparents (and who wouldn't after spending a year with them), and had a ball having them around again. And having Aunt Leanne around was like icing on the cake. It's like Pauline and I weren't there, they had so much fun with everyone else. I'll need to find the pictures that were taken and I can put them up. Now, to look forward to Epiphany...

In for the long haul

2005-12-13T07:44:00.000-06:00

Just about everybody knows already (considering it happened last month), but I reenlisted. Indefinately. Which in Army speak is until I decide to retire or my body decides to give out on me (my right knee specifically doesn't sound so good). It's a decision that didn't come lightly, as it had to be made with Pauline's consent. But I figured that I've already put in 11 years, and getting out now would just be a waste of those years. I like the Army. It's different than what I normally do, and I have so much more responsibilty. Other than the year away from my family, the Army has never been bad to me. Granted, I've had my fair share of bad commanders, bad supervisors, and bad ATs (Annual Training - the two week summer stint), but never anything thta has made me regret joining up.

Like I said, it's been a month, but looking at my LES (basically a military pay stub), shows that my ETS (Expiration of Term of Service: when I can get out) is now 2036. 2036! While it shows that I have 31 years left, I can get out as soon as I get my 20-year letter. I'm only 10 more years away from that, but we'll see how long I'm actually in for.

Who'd have thought that I would become a career Reservist?

I'm back

2005-12-06T15:21:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's been a while since I've posted. I've been a tad busy. Or tired. Or something. I'm not sure. But here we go. Since I don't have a whole lot to say right now, I'll leave you with a diversion.

Remember how you used to make snowflakes in school? Fold the paper just so and then cut it up some before unfolding it? Well, somone made it a lot easier, though you cant print it out... It's at SnowDays. Enjoy.

Gun stats in Iraq

2005-12-06T09:20:00.000-06:00

This is an email that has been making the rounds. The technical stuff is cool, but I find the comments at the end about morale rather interesting. Keep in mind this is written by a Marine.

Which Guns Suck, Which Guns Rock

Which commonly used weapons in Iraq do our brave soldiers give the thumbs up to and which do they thumb their nose at? Here is a review.
------
1) The M-16 rifle: Thumbs down. Chronic jamming problems with
the talcumpowder like sand over there. The sand is everywhere. [The Marine] says you feelfilthy 2 minutes after coming out of the shower. The M-4 carbine version is more popular because it's lighter and shorter, but it has jamming problems also. They like the ability to mount the various optical gunsights and weapons lights on the picattiny rails, but the weapon itself is not great in a desert environment. They all hate the 5.56mm(.223) round. Poor penetration on the cinderblock structure common overthere and even torso hits can't be reliably counted on to put the enemy down.Fun fact: Random autopsies on dead insurgents shows a high level of opiate use.
2) The M243 SAW (squad assault weapon): .223 cal. Drum fed light machinegun. Big thumbs down. Universally considered a piece of shit. Chronic jamming problems, most of which require partial disassembly.(that's fun in the middle of a firefight).
3) The M9 Beretta 9mm: Mixed bag. Good gun, performs well in desert environment; but they all hate the 9mm cartridge. The use of handguns for self-defense is actually fairly common. Same old story on the 9mm: Bad guys hit multiple times and still in the fight.
4) Mossberg 12ga. Military shotgun: Works well, used frequently for
clearinghouses to good effect.
5) The M240 Machine Gun: 7.62 Nato (.308) cal. belt fed machine gun, developed to replace the old M-60 (what a beautiful weapon that was!!). Thumbs up. Accurate, reliable, and the 7.62 round puts 'em down. Originally developed as a vehicle mounted weapon, more and more are
being dismounted and taken into the field by infantry. The 7.62 round chews up thestructure over there.
6) The M2 .50 cal heavy machine gun: Thumbs way, way up. "Ma deuce" is stillworth her considerable weight in gold. The ultimate fight stopper, puts their dicks in the dirt every time. The most coveted weapon in-theater.
7) The .45 pistol: Thumbs up. Still the best pistol round out there. Everybody authorized to carry a sidearm is trying to get their hands on one. With few exceptions, can reliably be expected to put 'em down with a torso hit. The special ops guys (who are doing most of the pistol
work) use the HK military model and supposedly love it. The old government model .45's arebeing re-issued en masse.
8) The M-14: Thumbs up. They are being re-issued in bulk, mostly in a modified version to special ops guys. Modifications include lightweight Kevlar stocks and low power red-dot or ACOG sights. Very reliable in the sandy environment, and they love the 7.62 round.
9) The Barrett .50 cal sniper rifle: Thumbs way up. Spectacular range
and accuracy and hits like a freight train. Used frequently to take out
vehicle suicide bombers ( we actually stop a lot of them) and barricaded enemy. Definitely here to stay.
10) The M24 sniper rifle: Thumbs up. Mostly in 308 but some in 300 win mag. Heavily modified Remington 700's. Great performance. Snipers have been usedheavily to great effect. Rumor has it that a marine sniper on his third tour in Anbar province has actually exceeded Carlos
Hathcock's record for confirmed kills with OVER 100.
11) The new body armor: Thumbs up. Relatively light at approx. 6 lbs. and can reliably be expected to soak up small shrapnel and even will stop an AK-47 round. The bad: Hot as shit to wear, almost unbearable in the summer heat (which averages over 120 degrees). Also, the enemy now goes for head shots whenever possible. All the bullshit about the "old" body armor making our guys vulnerable to the IED's was a
non-starter. The IEDexplosions are enormous and body armor doesn't make any difference at all in most cases.
12) Night Vision and Infrared Equipment: Thumbs way up. Spectacular performance. Our guys see in the dark and own the night, period. Very little enemy action after evening prayers. More and more enemy being whacked at night during movement by our hunter-killer teams. We've
all seen the videos.
13) Lights: Thumbs up. Most of the weapon mounted and personal lights are Surefire's, and the troops love 'em. Invaluable for night
urban operations. [The Marine] carried a $34 Surefire G2 on a neck lanyard and loved it. I can't help but notice that most of the good fighting weapons and ordnance are 50 or more years old!!!!!!!!! With all our technology, it's the WWII andVietnam era weapons that everybody wants!!!! The infantry fighting is frequent, up close and brutal. No quarter is given or shown.
Bad guy weapons:
1) Mostly AK47's The entire country is an arsenal. Works better in
the desert than the M16 and the .308 Russian round kills reliably. PKM belt fed light machine guns are also common and effective. Luckily, the enemy mostly shoots like shit. Undisciplined "spray and pray" type fire. However, they are seeing more and more precision weapons, especially sniper rifles. (Iran,again)
Fun fact: Captured enemy have apparently marveled at the
marksmanship of our guys and how hard they fight. They are apparently told in Jihad school that the Americans rely solely on technology, and can be easily beaten in close quarters combat for their lack of toughness. Let's just say they know better now.
2) The RPG: Probably the infantry weapon most feared by our
guys. Simple,reliable and as common as dogshit. The enemy responded to our up-armored humvees by aiming at the windshields, often at point blank range. Still killing a lot of our guys.
3) The IED: The biggest killer of all. Can be anything from old Sovietanti-armor mines to jury rigged artillery shells. A lot found in [The Marine's] area were in abandoned cars. The enemy would take 2
or 3 155mm artillery shells and wire them together. Most were detonated by cell phone, and the explosions are enormous. You're not safe in any vehicle, even an M1 tank.Driving is by far the most dangerous thing our guys do over there. Lately,they are much more sophisticated "shape charges" (Iranian) specificallydesigned to penetrate armor.
Fact: Most of the ready made IED's are supplied by Iran, who is also providing terrorists (Hezbollah types) to train the insurgents in their use and tactics. That's why the attacks have been so deadly lately. Their concealment methods are ingenious, the latest being shape charges in Styrofoam containers spray painted to look like the cinderblocks that litter all Iraqi roads. We find about 40% before they detonate, and the bomb disposal guys are unsung heroes of this war.
4) Mortars and rockets: Very prevalent. The soviet era 122mm rockets (withan 18km range) are becoming more prevalent. One of [The Marine's] NCO's lost a leg to one. These weapons cause a lot of damage "inside the wire". [The Marine's] base was hit almost daily this entire time there by mortar and rocket fire, often at night to disrupt sleep patterns and cause fatigue (It did). More of a psychological weapon than anything else. The enemy mortar teams would jump out of vehicles, fire a few rounds, and then haul ass in a matter of seconds.
5) Bad guy technology: Simple yet effective. Most communication is by cell and satellite phones, and also by email on laptops. They use handheld GPS units for navigation and "Google earth" for overhead views of our positions.Their weapons are good, if not fancy, and prevalent.
Their explosives and bomb technology is TOP OF THE LINE. Night vision is rare. They are very careless with their equipment and the captured GPS units and laptops are treasure troves of Intel when captured.
Who are the bad guys?: Most of the carnage is caused by the Zarqawi Al Qaeda group. They operate mostly in Anbar province (Fallujah and
Ramadi). These are mostly "foreigners", non-Iraqi Sunni Arab Jihadists from all over the Muslim world(and Europe). Most enter Iraq through Syria (with, of course, the knowledge and complicity of the Syrian govt.) , and then travel down the "rat line"which is the trail of towns along the Euphrates River that we've been hitting hard for the last few months. Some are virtually untrained young Jihadists that often end up as suicide bombers or in "sacrifice squads". Most, however, are hard core terrorists from all the usual suspects (Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas etc.) These are the guys running around murdering civilians en masse and cutting heads off. The Chechens (many of whom are Caucasian), are supposedly the most ruthless andthe best fighters. (they have been fighting the Russians for years). In theBaghdad area and south, most of the insurgents are Iranian inspired (and led) Iraqi Shiites. The Iranian Shiia have been very adept at infiltrating the Iraqi local govt.'s, the police forces and the Army. The have had a massive spy and agitator network there since the Iran-Iraq war in the early 80's. Most of the Saddam loyalists were killed, captured or gave up long ago.

Bad Guy Tactics:
When they are engaged on an infantry level they get their asses kicked every time. Brave, but stupid. Suicidal Banzai-type charges were very common earlier in the war and still occur. They will literally sacrifice 8-10 man teams in suicide squads by sending them screaming and firing
Ak's and RPG's directly at our bases just to probe the defenses. They get
mowed down like grass every time. ( see the M2 and M240 above).[The Marine's] base was hit like this often. When engaged, they have a tendency to flee to the same building, probably for what they think will be a glorious last stand. Instead, we call in air and that's the end of that more often than not. These hole-ups are referred to as Alpha Whiskey Romeo's (Allah'sWaiting Room). We have the laser guided ground-air thing down to a science.The fast mover's, mostly Marine F-18's, are taking an ever increasing toll on the enemy. When caught out in the open, the helicopter gunships and AC-130 Spectre gunships cut them to
ribbons with cannon and rocket fire,especially at night. Interestingly,
artillery is hardly used at all.

Fun fact: The enemy death toll is supposedly between 45-50 thousand. That is why we're seeing less and less infantry attacks and more IED, suicide bomber shit. The new strategy is simple: attrition.
The insurgent tactic most frustrating is their use of civilian non-combatants as cover. They know we do all we can to avoid civilian
casualties and therefore schools, hospitals and (especially) Mosques are locations where they meet, stage for attacks, cache weapons and ammo and flee to when engaged. They have absolutely no regard whatsoever for civilian casualties. They will terrorize locals and murder without hesitation anyone believed to be sympathetic to the Americans or the new Iraqi govt. Kidnapping of family members (especially children) is common to influence people they are trying to influence
but cant reach, such as local govt. officials, clerics, tribal leaders, etc.).
The first thing our guys are told is "don't get captured". They know that
if captured they will be tortured and beheaded on the internet.
Zarqawi openly offers bounties for anyone who brings him a live American serviceman. This motivates the criminal element who otherwise don't give a shit about the war. A lot of the beheading victims were actually kidnapped by common criminals and sold to Zarqawi. As such, for our guys, every fight is to the death. Surrender is not an option.
The Iraqi's are a mixed bag. Some fight well, others aren't worth a shit.Most do okay with American support. Finding leaders is hard, but
they are getting better. It is widely viewed that Zarqawi's use of suicide
bombers,en masse, against the civilian population was a serious tactical mistake.Many Iraqi's were galvanized and the caliber of recruits in the Army and the police forces went up, along with their motivation. It also led to an exponential increase in good intel because the Iraqi's are sick of the insurgent attacks against civilians.
The Kurds are solidly pro-American and fearless fighters.
According to [The Marine], morale among our guys is very high.
They not onlybelieve they are winning, but that they are winning decisively. They are stunned and dismayed by what they see in the American press, whom they almost universally view as against them. The embedded reporters are despisedand distrusted. They are inflicting casualties at a rate of 20-1 and then see shit like "Are we losing in Iraq" on TV and the print media. For the most part, they are satisfied with their equipment, food and leadership. Bottom line though, and they all say this, there are not enough guys there to drive the final stake through the heart of the insurgency, primarily because there aren't enough troops in-theater to shut down the borders with Iran and Syria. The Iranians and the Syrians just cant stand the thought of Iraq being an
American ally (with, of course, permanent US bases there).

Katie's Birthday

2005-11-15T14:10:00.000-06:00

I know, I'm late (by about two weeks), but here they are. Katie's birthday at Dad's.

Results are in...

2005-11-10T10:02:00.000-06:00

We went in for Pauline's ultrasound yesterday, and got some news. It is NOT twins. I was almost getting used to the idea of two, but I won't complain. Oh, and it is most likely a girl (darn umbilical got in the way, so they couldn't be more optimistic about that). Come the teen years, I'm going to go insane. Hopefully Colin will help me out...

In unrelated news: I also reenlisted yesterday. Turns out that this is my indefinite reenlistment. Basically that means that I'm in until I retire or otherwise am unable to perform my duties (think medical discharge). Hey, I've got 11 years of military service, and getting out now would just be a waste of all that time. The Army's been good to me (for the most part), and I can't come up with any compelling reasons to get out. Sure, there's Iraq, but if it happens, it happens. I have faith that everything will turn out as it should.

In charge

2005-11-08T12:34:00.000-06:00

Along with Katie's birthday this weekend, I also had drills. Saturday was rather uneventful (other than finding out that I would be giving a class Sunday, and being asked to conduct PT 3 minutes before it started). Sunday, however, left me in an interesting position. I became the acting First Sergeant (1SG) for a day. 1SG is a minimum of two ranks above where I am currently, and meant that I was in charge of the company. Granted, the company consisted of a whole 7 people (including myself).

Basically, my current 1SG was out due to surgery recovery, and the senior drill sergeant was attending a class at a different location. That left me as the most senior NCO. It was a challenging day, making sure that everyone was gainfully employed while I ran around trying to get things done (gather lists of people who were signed up for classes, conducting a Sexual Assault Prevention class, etc), and other fun. Actually, I DID consider it fun. It gave me some of the leadership experience that I'm looking for before I put in for my next promotion.

Hmmm. Does my future have a CSM wreath and star in it?

Colin's Birthday Pictures

2005-11-07T16:10:00.001-06:00

These pictures were taken by Mom with her Palm Zire 71. I haven't really had a chance to go through the ones we took, so these are interim pictures. Katie's Birthday Pictures are on the way, too...

Birthdays

2005-11-07T16:10:00.000-06:00

This gets to be a busy time of the year, not just due to holidays. In the span of about 27 days, we have two holidays (Halloween & Thanksgiving) and four birthdays. With Katie and Colin's birthdays only four days apart, we're trying to keep them separate. Pauline and I think that it's important that they get their OWN birthday celebration. At least until they get older. It makes things difficult, but it was worth it.

Collin's birthday (on Halloween!) was celebrated at our house. Dad, Mom and my sister Julie were in attendance. Pauline made and hand-decorated the cake (Colin doesn't seem to be afraid of clowns...), which disappeared rather quickly. Colin had a blast opening up his presents. He's got the hang of the whole rip-and-pull procedure. He now has a Buzz Lightyear to go with his Woody doll. A "Shout Elmo" (yay), more clothes that he really does need, and some cheap army guys later, we're having all sorts of fun making sure Katie understands that these are COLIN'S new toys...

Katie's birthday was on Friday, but we celebrated it Saturday at Dad's house (I had drill this weekend so it all pretty much worked out). Everybody was there this time, so it was even louder. Pauline baked and decorated a 3D Care Bear cake that Katie had been begging for. She spent about 3 1/2 hours decorating it (the extra 1/2 hour was due to my driving...), and it looked great! The "sharing" of gifts this time was easier, as Colin had his own toys to play with. Katie got some REALLY nice clothes, Ants in the Pants (the game...), a porcelain tea set, a vanity set, and a DVD/Book reading/learning thing. I can't remember what it's called, can you tell?

All in all, it's been a hectic week, but getting to see the kids reactions to their cakes and presents was worth it.

Nicknames

2005-10-27T17:17:00.000-05:00

Everyone has a name. Not everyone has a nickname. These people had nicknames. I've had a lot of nicknames (with a name like Nerzhin, how could I not?) and I know that most often, they become more than just another name you are known by. They have a meaning, be it silly or serious, and can become more of an identity than the given name. Heck, even my wife and in-laws still call me Narf!

I had a hard time getting through the article. I could see them in my minds eye , and it honestly choked me up. Despite reading articles like this (and knowing that I am never more than a phone call away from going myself), I feel that we have a job to finish in Iraq. While I will agree that the reasons for going in in the first place were pretty contrived, it's a little late to argue about that. We're in, and we have to try leaving the country at least a little better than we found it.

Sparking imagination?

2005-10-25T15:07:00.000-05:00

Just read this article about a museum exhibit in Boston. They have all sorts of Star Wars props, and the science fact behind it, and the steps we are making to get there. Sounds really interesting. Though it seems that a lot of today's scientists were originally prompted to go into science because of sci-fi movies such as Star Wars and Star Trek. Are they trying to ignite the imaginations of tomorrow's scientists?

Don't they have more important matters to attend to?

2005-10-24T13:39:00.000-05:00

Apparently the White house wants the Onion (America's finest news source!) to stop using the Presidential seal in its articles. Now, while the occasional foreign news source might take an Onion article to be the real deal, I somehow doubt anyone could take an article titled Bush to Appoint Someone to be in Charge of Country seriously.

Army Weekend

2005-10-18T08:31:00.000-05:00

I had my first drill (I'm sorry, the official term is now "Battle Assembly") this past weekend. I had 90 days before I had to report back to my old unit, and I took most of it. I started getting a little anxious, so it was time to go back. My 1SG (First Sergeant) was almost ecstatic to have me back. She started going through all of the jobs/positions/projects she could give/give back to me. One project I have taken upon myself is the creation of a Leader Book database to keep track of pertinent information about soldiers I am in charge of. Needless to say, I will be busy on my drill weekends.

I'm a little surprised with myself. Despite not having worked out for several months (basically since I got back), I did really well on the APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test) this weekend. And I didn't just pass either, I exceeded by quite a bit. Imagine if I had been keeping up on it. I'd be a PT stud!

Otherwise it was an enjoyable weekend. Mom decided that she was going to bring dinner Saturday night (usually Dad makes dinner for everyone), Chinese! It was really good food too, though only one of my siblings was there. My brother Josh is spending more weekends staying at Parkside, my other brother Adam was working at a haunted house. Julie was there though, and she had a lot of fun playing with the kids. Drill weekends are basically a monthly family get-together. Mom comes over to Dad and Rita's house and we get to see whichever of my siblings aren't too busy.

Always wanting more...

2005-10-13T14:50:00.000-05:00

The Army demands a lot from it's vehicles; dependability, toughness, speed, versatility. Now they want them to provide water?

They plan on pulling the water out of the exhaust system. Yum.

Officially, No.

2005-10-12T16:33:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally got word from the Wisconsin as to whether I will get unemployment for those two weeks after I got back from active duty. No. It is state law that you can't get unemplyment if you're available for work and your employer has work for you, but you decide not to go in. DUH!

All I wanted to know was if there were any concessions for returning soldiers that did not return to work right away. Why I had to go through the whole hearing process to get an answer that should be common knowledge in the call center (especially these days) just annoys me.

It DOES run in the family

2005-10-11T13:17:00.000-05:00

So Pauline is getting more and more convinced that we're having twins (either that, or she's nuts). It's hard to describe, but suffice it to say that it's more than just mother's intuition. She had an appointment today to check on the heartbeat(s?), and they only found one, but the technician did say she found a larger than normal placenta. Basically, there's no positive proof, but it's not being ruled out. The ultrasound isn't until Nov 9th, so we have to wait another month.

Twins wouldn't be bad. It'd make things a lot more interesting than they already are, sure, but I'll love them just the same. As if we don't have a hard enough time coming up with one name...

Lower standards

2005-10-07T13:42:00.000-05:00

This just pisses me off. The article only talks about education standards, but as a drill sergeant, I've seen the physical standards go down as well. What's next, start recruiting the mentally unstable? Army standards dropping because recruiters can't make their quotas. It just goes to show that the Army higher-ups are more concerned with quantity than quality. What does lowering standards really do, after all? It's like putting a dirty bandage on a wound: it'll stop the bleeding, but will cause problems later on.

Alright, so we have an influx of new, lower quality troops. How many of these will want to re-enlist when their (most-likely) 3-year enlistment is up? Of those that do, how many will be proficient enough in their jobs and leadership skills to be promoted? Granted, the first couple of promotions are based on points, but you have to have passed a physical fitness test and qualified with a rifle. Not to mention, you have to have the approval of the company commander. What I'm seeing, even if we get a whole lot of recruits in the next couple of years, is that the Army is going to be even worse off in 5-6 years as there are more lower quality NCO's.

Unplanned day off

2005-10-06T17:11:00.000-05:00

I was supposed to work today, but I didn't feel well this morning. Add to that Colin's fever (ongoing for two days), which spiked at 103.something at 2:30 this morning. We decided to take him in to the doctor today since I was home as well. He's on Tylenol and Advil (every two hours we switch off) for the fever, Triaminic for his cough, an antibiotic for the ear infection (in one ear), and finally Albuterol for his wheezing. It's not fun, especially since he fights us to take ANYTHING. Even the good tasting stuff (hey, as a parent you take a tiny taste just to see what kind of wrestling mathc you have to look forward to). But, it all seems to be helping, as by this evening, he was smiley enough for the two shots below:

A (supposed) day off

2005-10-05T08:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my day off this week. What did I do? I spent about 4 hours on the road to and from Ft. McCoy. Fun, huh?

Well, it turns out that I may have finally been transferred back to my original unit in Milwaukee, but the unit in Ft. McCoy still had my personnel and medical records. They offered to just send them back to the unit, but I don't trust "interdepartmental mail" in the Army. Seeing as how my 201 file is my entire (11 year) military career in a nice inch-thick packet, it's not something I want lost. It was basically a half wasted day.

When I got home, Colin wasn't feeling well (and still isn't for that matter) so he was a little difficult when not completely lethargic. Teperatures of 101-102 can do that.

Giving equal time

2005-10-02T21:23:00.000-05:00

I've received a few complaints about where Colin was, so here he is. The first is him playing in our tupperware drawer. The other is him down for a nap on the same day. You may notice he has a bobo (pacifier for you English speaking folk), but he only uses it to take nap these days...

Just like her Aunt...

2005-09-30T08:13:00.000-05:00

... Katie loves frogs. Though it could be just that right now she loves anything that walks/flies/hops/crawls. I don't know where these frogs are living, but they tend to come out when it rains.

New dress-up dress

2005-09-30T07:54:00.000-05:00

Well, technically only the dress and gloves are new...

Interesting morning

2005-09-29T15:08:00.000-05:00

Alright, quick background: Before getting done with active duty we had a day-long informational meeting on all of our rights and benefits once we got home. One of the things they said was that we were entitled unemployment from when we got home until we went back to our pre-activation jobs (of which we were allowed 90 days for being on active duty for 6 months to a year). I think to myself, "hey that's cool, I can take an extra week than I orignally planned and get reaquanted with my family." I call up Wisconsin Unemployment to verify and they tell me yes, so I file a claim. After the first week I get mail stating that the claim has been denied. When I call up to ask why, they tell me that I need to file an appeal.

Fast forward to my appeal hearing this morning. I walk into the office I'm supposed to report to and there is my supervisor, his manager, and a corporate lawyer. Boy, was I surprised. We sat there a while talking before going in, and I told them that I just wanted to know if I was entitled to the unemplyment or not (you'd think that someone could have simply answered that over the phone instead of making 4 seperate people miss work and paying a judge to come in). I'm also apologizing to everybody for dragging them down there on a nice chilly Thursday morning. They seemed to agree with me though, but we'll see what the judge (!?) rules.

Political Slant

2005-09-27T08:48:00.000-05:00

Saw this on Westra's blog and decided to try it.

You are a
Social Liberal
(60% permissive)

and an...
Economic Liberal
(31% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Democrat

Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

Come Together

2005-09-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Imagine that. Diversity works... Why is it so hard for people to believe that if you put children of all classes together it helps improve everyone? Though for the record, just placing lower class children in a school with middle/upper class children isn't the complete answer. Their parents must be involved. In my opinion, parent involvement goes a long way towards helping children do well in school. Simply handing them over to the school and expecting a straight-A student isn't going to work...

2005-09-23T09:52:00.000-05:00

The mayor of a small coastal town in Texas is using some interesting measures to get people to leave. You'd think that after Katrina, it wouldn't be a problem persuading people, but these are Texans...

Premier night

2005-09-20T16:46:00.000-05:00

Well, I don't know about any other shows, but it's season premier night for NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service)! I keep telling people that it's a combination of JAG and CSI. I've been waiting all summer for it too, I got hooked on it while I was out in Maryland. I'll probably have to tape it, though, as it's not necesarily something I'd want to kids to watch (actively or passively).

The Narf Mark

Taking Chance

Get in the choppa'!

Home for the weekend (kind of)

Haircut

Happy Veteran's Day

Rewarding

Knowledge and Usage

Getting Closer

Mmmmmmm. Burger...

Prep Time

Done!

Still here

HVAC?

Hooray Kansas

Day Off

Positive Reinforcement

Almost, but not quite

Learning to save lives

Snowy!

That could be painful

Even more official

Unofficially Official

An eventful weekend

Fun with doctors

Still sore

Preparations

Fun in MS

Good training

...a new car!!!

Kite flying!

Looking for a new vehicle...

What a waste

May should be fun...

Duck-duck!

Quick update

Apple 'pickin!

Updates

Solemn day

He eats! (late)

*Grumble*

Trips

She's dancing!

I need to transfer

Some days...

Last week

Oh yeah!

A great (but short) weekend

Fun at Ft. Knox

Attempted update

More frogs!

Bratfest!

Fowl and Birds

*Grumble Grumble*

Smiley!

In charge

A fun Saturday

Cybereyes!

Update!! Update!!

Snowman! pictures

Snowman!

Goodbye Hawkeye...

My belief

Charged for a "loss"

Good Weekend (last weekend)!

The weekend cometh

Certified!

Study study..

Milestone!

Short weekend

Ideas

Just thinkin'

An interesting combination

Christmas

In for the long haul

I'm back

Gun stats in Iraq

Katie's Birthday

Results are in...

In charge

Grumble

Grumble Grumble