Being thankful, Day #17

Today, i am going to share how i am thankful for my Tilley.  I know, this is a little silly, but today is the last day of the Fall soccer season for me and my family, and i am sort of known for wearing "The Hat".  Maybe it was in the military i grew used to wearing a hat, but i have found that hats are extremely handy.  A brim is great to keep the sun out of your eyes, or from getting a sunburn on my neck.  The problem with baseball style hats is that the brim is only partially useful, it can only point in one direction at time so if you want to use it for both the next and eyes, you have to keep flipping it back and forth.  I have a similar problem with the sun visor in my car, but i digress. Hats are also really useful to keeping one warm in the winter, and cool in the summer.  It also has a huge feature that an eyeglass wearer like me really needs, a cover to keep the glasses without spots in the rain.I am not sure my Beloved gets it though.    I wear the hat, pretty much any time we are going to be outside for more than a few minutes.  So, i wear it anytime i am at one of our children's soccer games.

I bought it when she went in to the hospital for gallbladder incident. I had been on the fence for a while, especially because Tilley Hats can be a tad pricey compared to the hats more easily available, but i assure you they are well worth the difference.  I first heard about Tilley when i was at Hershey Park, but a woman who owned one.  The hats are guaranteed for manufacturing defects for life, and insured for loss for up to two years.  If you lose your treasured possession in the first two years after your purchase - for any reason - you can purchase another at half the cost.

I purchased the LTM06 AirFlo design and have never regretted it.  In the winter it keeps my head warm (even with the air flow vents), in the summer it keeps me very cool - and when i really need a boost - i stash ice in the pocket and let it melt (another trick i learned in the Army), the all around brim keeps the sun (and rain) out of my eyes and off of my neck and ears.  I love my Tilley. If it gets sweaty and dirty, i just hand wash it and let it air dry. I told my Beloved, "we've been married twenty years, but you are just going to have to get used to it".   Because the hat plays.

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Random Dozen Wednesday - 20100811

My Blogging Friend Linda over at 2nd Cup of Coffee has restarted her Random Dozen questions for Wednesdays... i liked the concept Wicked Wednesdays has, but i am a faithful type of person, and Linda's was my first regular meme so...

1. When was the last time you laughed until you cried?

Whew... i can not honestly remember when... or even what it was about now.

2. If you found $10 today, what would you do with it?

Bossman has been very generous of late, having taken me out for lunch at least 3 times in the past month or so.  I would take him over to the Japanese Steak House near our work, on me.

3. Do you volunteer anywhere?

I used to be a member of the Army National Guard.  I know you get paid for drill weekends, but if you A) average it out over the number of hours you are on-duty it is less than  minimum wage, and B) There are a lot of times you are doing things for/with the Guard that you do not get paid.  You are also not your own person any more.  You become a piece of equipment that is used to accomplish some mission.  I also really enjoyed serving in times of National and State emergencies (flood duty, y2k readiness, Katrina, etc.).  I recently restarted volunteering my blood for the Red Cross, and i am exploring how i might be of use in our Youth Ministry at church.

4. What is your favorite summertime veggie or fruit, and how do you eat it?

Watermelon! I can eat that for breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack/midnight snack whenever.  I do not get it all that often because i have an aversion to making a mess and these things are a handful to cut up.  But once i commit, PIRATE and i can down an entire watermelon all on our lonesome.

5. Is your social sphere (circle of friends) small, medium or large?

Size is a fairly relative term, and while i have over 200 acquaintances on facebook, i would say my circle of friends is rather small - less than 20 including spouses of friends.

6. When was the last time you attended a family or school reunion? How did that go?

My family does not do reunions, and the people in my school didn't care to associate with me back then so...  However, my beloved's family has done a reunion for her Grandmother's 80th birthday.  We've also attended two High School reunions of hers, but she doesn't want to go back.  It's been a while.

7. When you're feeling blue, what is the best way someone can cheer you up?

Music is the surest, and fastest way to lighten my mood.  That and just be there with me.  We don't have to talk or do anything, just be there with me and hang out - preferably listening to some music.

8. Have you taken a vacation this summer?

Being under new management i recently lost ALL of my vacation time.  While i've not been able to take a traditional week long vacation, i have hit the beach with the family for a long weekend, and i took a personal day to travel with the family to Hershey Park.  My vacation will have to wait until i clear the "probationary"period here.

9. What is the most unnecessary item you carry with you all the time?

I've done a complete mental inventory of everything i carry on a daily basis, and they all have a purpose.  But the one least used, i hate to say, is my library card.  I don't get to the library very often as i rely heavily on the internet for things to read and listen to.

10. What is the best summer flick you have seen so far?

Despicable Me was a lot of fun and pretty family friendly.  Not a huge Steve Carol fan, but he does some really good work in this film.

11. Describe a perfect summer day.

No alarm, but still up around 8ish (so that assumes not a really late night the night before), a casual breakfast out with my beloved.  After breakfast we head to a nice park and enjoy a walk.  From there we might go catch an early afternoon movie, and then some "Linner".  Both the movie and the Linner are to avoid the heat of the day.  Afterwards we enjoy the evening on the deck, preferably playing some card game.

 
12. Please a share a favorite photo from the summer so far!

This was taken on our family trip to Hershey Park earlier this summer. My favorite sister-in-law and her two girls were in from overseas (on their annual trip to horse camp) and were able to come out and spend the day with us.  While the day was sticky hot, we all had a great time.  Hershey Park is our favorite Theme Park and family vacation spot.

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Ramblings of the Geek kind...

Although my life  is not nearly as interesting as most (if not all) of the Tilly Hat testimonials, i really like my Tilly hat.    My beloved is not as enamored with it as i am, but after over 15 years of trying to find a hat that we both liked i had given up.  We were at Hershey Park and the sun was brutal.  I had tried several other full brim hats but the only thing she seemed to concede to was traditional baseball style hats, but i got tired of repositioning it every time i moved in relation to the sun.  Well, just about the time i was getting increasingly frustrated with my ball cap i saw a woman with a really nice hat, so i asked her where she had gotten it.  That was when i was first introduced to Tilley hats.  Fast forward a couple of weeks and i am exploring Tilley's website, and i order my hat.  Me beloved just smiles and shakes her head.  I've told her, "Oh, the hat plays!" Fast forward to this past Friday, and we are back at our favorite amusement park (that we can afford, and travel to relatively easily), Hershey Park.  The heat was incredible.  We had just gotten there and walked to where we usually start our visit (out towards the Fahrenheit), i was just sitting there waiting for THUMPER, and the sweat was just dripping off of me.  Eventually i couldn't take the heat anymore... i took the ice from my cup of ice water and filled the map pocket.  This created a cool "pocket" (no pun intended) that kept the head cool, with both the slowly melting ice and evaporating water really kept my noggin cool, which in turn kept the rest of me cool.

There is something about the smell of a computer room.  The A/C and the unique smell of warm electronic equipment "humming" along in a constant struggle to maintain a cool temperature, the vibration of the various fan motors stirring the air to sustain this conflict.  Even walking on an elevated floor knowing that probably literally miles of cable all snake between various points to allow every computer in the building to not only interact with the other computers, but the various servers.  And not just "in house", but with other offices not just several miles, but states, and even other continents via the WWW.  I think my affinity for such things, and the fact my mind can (sort of) picture data flows and how it interacts with configurations and hardware, is why i really enjoy the Matrix and Tron movies.  I think it is also why i like shows like Johnny Mnemonic and Max Headroom, even though i have NEVER played, games like Cyber Punk and Shadowrun.

Speaking of TRON, i am getting geek giddy over TRON: Legacy due out in December. This movie has been literally decades in the making.  TRON: Legacy, in its current form, was first presented to Disney by way of a "Concept Trailer" which was then shared at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2008.  Once Disney saw the reaction from the fan base there they agreed to finance the project.

So, then however movie making companies, like Disney, go forward writing and filming began to take place.  Then at last years Comic Con Disney really stepped up their 'viral marketing campaign'.  Several Encom marketing press conferences, a new trailer for the movie, and several other web pages.  To be honest i have lost track of them all, but it has been impressive.  The New York Time recently wrote an article on the changing dynamics that studios have to go through to market movies and even TV shows.

Disney even kept up the fanbase, and the movie marketplace, gently fed with rumor and pictures, and other eye candy.  I know my friends on facebook are beginning to get concerned about my apparent obsession with this movie.  I know it is just a movie, and even when finished will not be near in epic in scope like the Lord of the Rings movies, but this may be the first 3D movie i ever see in theaters.  I am already planning on having a "guys night" planned.  perhaps catching the movie on Saturday afternoon and we all head out for steaks afterward.

I am really enjoying the visuals and the sneak peaks that have been put out for this movie.  I think Disney will have a success with this movie... but only time will tell.  I even enjoy the geek toys like the keyboard and mouse set up, as well as several of the toys being planned.

There is still a part of me that does not understand why God made me this way.  I struggle to make friends IRL.  I think i have more cyber friends than i do flesh and blood ones.  I don't get a lot of social cues - but i have learned a lot and have come a long way since High School (fellow Aspies out there take heart).  I struggle to maintain eye contact, or even to sit still when agitated for any reason (makes having 'intense' discussions with my Beloved very difficult).  I have trouble remaining focused on any one thing, even during prayer.  And yet, the way God has made me... i can literally visualize data streams and how they flow.  Sometimes down to the packet header level.  At times, i have been called to break it all the way down to the bit level.  I also do not seem to have too much difficulty putting the various pieces together from throughout the Bible.  While i am far from perfect, i am enjoying who i am.  A person who likes to wear hats, who enjoys sitting at the feet of God, who enjoys the Cyberpunk and Post Apocalyptic genres, who loves his Beloved bride, and all of the "packaging" i continue to struggle with in order to be conformed into the image of my Savior, Jesus Christ (Rom 8:26-30). 

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. [1] Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. (Psalm 139:14, ESV)

Last night my Beloved came home from THUMPER's last basketball game of the summer and saw me watching the original TRON movie.  She then proceeded to ask me, "would you please stop telling people on Facebook that you like this movie!"  I told her, i can't do it.  "I am who i am, and i can't be anything else." She will just have to take me as i am, Tilley hat wearin', TRON watchin' socially flawed person that i am.  Because God has seen me as i am, taken the initiative to reach out to me, and has been slowly working to transform me into the image of His Son... and with the exception of these things possibly being an idol in my life, i do not think it matters in the overall scheme of things.

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Duck and Cover

Today is another one of those days where my attention is constantly shifting. Tis a good thing i have kept a few notes of some topics to ramble/blog about. 8) Earlier this summer my family and i were at Hershey Park and enjoying a wonderful day. My only "issue" was that the sun was blaring pretty hard and my neck was getting toasty. In the past i've work a simple baseball style hat, but even then i would have to turn it front to back and vice versa to keep the sun off my face or neck. Going even further back i once picked up an inexpensive fedora-like hat, but my beloved kept telling me that she didn't like it. Maybe not in a straight forward manner, but she would effectively convey a dislike for the whole idea. Well, this past summer i decided that in this case... i no longer cared about her impression of the hat deal. I enjoy hats, i like hats... i'm getting a hat (this being decided after toasting my neck and face at Hershey park). We were on our way out of the Boardwalk when i saw the "perfect" hat. I stopped the person wearing it and asked about it. "It's a 'Tilley'", she said. I thanked her and hastily scribbled the web site on my 'palm-pilot' (i.e. the palm of my left hand). Now, before i go on i want to say that my beloved is not against me wearing hats. She just is a little self consious of people's impression of me - something of which i care not - LOL. So, after a little on-line searching i found the "perfect" hat for me. The LTM6 AIRFLO^® Nylamtium^® Hat (pictured to the left). It is lightweight, allows air to flow across the top of your head, has a chin strap for windy days, and has a lifetime manufacturing warranty! They are a tad pricey though. But in the end, when it arrived, i knew it was "my hat". Since then i wear it whenever it rains, whenever i am at a soccer game, or whenever i am just going to be outside for any length of time. I love it. My beloved still struggles with it though. In the end i've told her that it is now a part of me. To love me is to love the hat. I've told her, "the hat plays". 8) Now all i have to do is finish my walking stick that i've made. It is sanded down, decorated. All i need to do is put a thick layer of something on it. lol

Rambling Monday

The past week or so has flashed by so quick that i can scarcely remember what day of the week it is. I know it's Monday and all, but it feels more like a late Thursday or even a Friday. My family and i took a mini-vacation this past weekend. We ran up to Lancaster, PA for Friday night and Saturday, then we headed up to Derry Township (more commonly known as Hershey). It was nice to get away, but as everyone knows, such trips are not very restful. DS1 was also particularly ornery this weekend as he seemed to want to see how far he can toe up to the line of his boundaries. We love Hershey Park, Derry Township, Chocolate World, the Lodge, etc. For me it has more to do with the admiration of Milton S. Hershey than anything else. Here is an original philanthropist. Shortly after his wife (Catherine, aka "Kitty") passed away in 1915 Mr. Hershey signed away his entire stake in the company he worked so hard to build not two decades after he started it - over $60 million dollars to the Hershey Trust Foundation to make sure that his legacy would be to entrust the future of his and his wife's School for boys (girls were later admitted and are now 50% of the students). I do not think i could do this man justice in trying to describe all that he did for others, but i would highly encourage anyone who happens to read these few words to pick up a copy of his biography. While away i had a couple of ideas for the next set of short stories i would like to write. One is a continuation of the series i've started and posted over on my short stories 'blog', so i hope to have some more updates for there (my first in late April of last year), and the other is a sort of prelude to the book i'd like to write. In actuality they will be the same story, but told from different points of view. When we got home yesterday afternoon i rushed to unpack the car and whipped out my laptop to jot down the notes. But life has different ideas, LOL. I had to run to the store for much needed groceries, there was homework to get done, i had to buy new printer cartridges, etc. I also got side tracked with various notes for the main charecter of the story - who is one of the points of view for one of the short stories - so i never did actually get around to starting either of them. *sigh* But i am excited to have some ideas for more material. Is it normal for a writer, who will probably never be publlished, to get so excited about story ideas or storylines - or even just ideas for various characters? I think it is, but since i work in sort of a vacuum i was curious. I had a song all lined up for today, for my "Music Monday" series, but it turns out i've already used it, so i will have to pass for this week. Sorry,i didn't havea backup in the wings. :-)

In Lieu of my regularly scheduled program...

I have decided to blog about my weekend getaway instead of music today.

The more I learn about Milton Hershey, the more I am impressed with him as a man, as a Christian, and as a husband. Ok, I know he never walked on water and that he failed several times before he succeeded, but he never gave up. And when God granted him success he did not hoard it for himself. I will not go into it all here, but I would encourage everyone who reads this humble little blog to read some on Mr. Hershey. He is a man who did a lot of good, and his legacy still helps those (a lot) less fortunate than himself over 60 years after he died in 1945. If you are ever fortunate enough to go to Hershey, PA (which by the way is not an incorporated town) I could not encourage you enough to take the trolley ride that leaves from Chocolate World just outside the amusement park. This was a man who did not build himself the biggest barn, but gave back to his workers, his community, and his neighbor.

My beloved and I hit the road around lunch time on Friday to head to Hershey, PA for a romantic getaway for just the two of us. I had been saving for this trip for almost 18 months, and I have been planning it for the last 6. It's hard not to be disappointed by how short such a trip is when so much effort was put into it. Although I am not happy with how short it was, I am very happy with how great a time we had.

We stopped for lunch at Friendly's and then got into town fairly early. We checked in and found out the trolley rides ended at 2:30 on Friday afternoon so we decided to just catch a matinée. We saw "Vantage Point" with Dennis Quaid and Forest Whitaker (and many others). A pretty good movie that keeps the audience's attention (IMO), and we had the entire theater to ourselves! :-) After the movie we headed back to the Hershey Lodge and just relaxed in the lobby for a little while. When we checked in, I made arrangements for some chocolate covered strawberries to be delivered to the room, at 8. But when I ran our coats upstairs just before dinner I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had been delivered early. Now, those of us who are planners, this can normally be a "nightmare", but because I am married to a woman who is impossible to surprise this was a good thing. That meant I did not have to worry about being back in the room by such-n-such a time. I could just relax and enjoy the afternoon and evening with my beloved.

Eventually we went to the 'Bear's Den' for a light dinner and then headed up stairs where my surprise was a huge success! She had not expected, or suspected, a thing! \o/ And those strawberries were awesome! At one time my beloved jokingly told me that if I ate the piece of chocolate that fell from one of her strawberries that the marriage was over! I laugh because I know it was not a serious threat, but it was a comment on how much she was enjoying them! They really were delectable!

The next morning we slept in all the way until 8AM! LOL We took our time getting ready, and then headed out to a local diner for breakfast. The parking lot was packed, and not a single out of state license plate. It was great. From there we headed over to the Park so we could catch the trolley tour. Now we make it a point to try and go to Hershey Park at least once a year, but we had never taken this tour. This is where I learned a lot more about Milton Hershey's true legacy - the Milton Hershey School. We then did a tour of the Hershey Museum and Chocolate World before going back to the Lodge once more. Our original plan was to lounge around the lobby some more and read, or maybe go and take a quick swim. But when we found out that Chef Carlos Gomez was going to do a quick demonstration of a few appetizers we quickly changed our plans! We enjoyed his creations so much that I had to change our reservations for dinner at the Forbay.

When we went back to the room to relax I passed out and took a short nap (men), but got up in time for dinner. What a fabulous experience. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was just as nice. The only downside was that we both ate too much! For the first time we were stuffed.

Then Sunday came and we had to come back to reality. It's always nice to be home, especially picking up the kids, but I would really have liked to have just one more day for just me and my beloved.
Verse for today:
Luke 12:13-21, ESV
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Everyone's working for the weekend

Well, I don't know if that's 100% accurate. To me the weekends just blend right in with the rest of the week. This morning I had to ask my beloved what day of the week it was! And my work week still has two more days to go before my day off, but more importantly it is a mere two weeks until I take my beloved away for a weekend at Hershey with my "candy savings".
It has taken me almost two years to save up enough to take her away, but it will be nice to just have some one-on-one time. We've already decided what we are going to do to.... sleep! LOL

Well, I am looking at the calender... only 26 more day in uniform. Just under six months. It's kind of hard to maintain your focus when things are getting so short. I was thinking more about way-back-when this morning. Basic was a whirlwind for me. Thirteen straight weeks - OSUT (One station unit training). With the exception of the first two weeks, and the last week, we marched out Range Road Monday morning, and we marched back Friday night/Saturday morning. That gave us time to get our uniforms, and our bodies washed up to turn around and do it all over again. The order of chow was based on barracks inspection. Now, even though we didn't spend much time in them, we didn't do a real good job of cleaning them. We came in 3rd once, 3nd once, and dead last 11 other weeks. But we kicked butt on the field competitions. I guess what they say is true... no combat ready unit ever passed inspection. Well, we were a bunch of trainees... so, that probably doesn't apply. :-)
Verse for today:
Proverbs 29:1-4, ESV
He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck,
will suddenly be broken beyond healing.
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,
but when the wicked rule, the people groan.
He who loves wisdom makes his father glad,
but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.
By justice a king builds up the land,
but he who exacts gifts [1] tears it down.

How many spinning plates are too many?

I think I am stretching myself too thin... here is, what I hope, a short list of what I've been working on lately:

1) I am planning on a weekend getaway with my beloved for next Spring. She has expressed a desire to go to Hershey, PA. We want to get "his and hers" massages, eat out at a nice resteraunt, do a puzzle together, and spend some one-on-one time. When I mentioned to her that the Park would not be open, she told me, "that's alright. We're not going for sight seeing." *sigh* I Love that woman. :) To be honest, I don't want to get my expectations all set up, because it will take way too long for the day to get here, and then the weekend will fly by way too fast.

2) I have at least three short stories running around in my head right now, and I can't seemed to get any of them sorted out and down on paper (or typed up in a Word document). One has to do with a small band of down-and-out sorts who stumble upon an old abandoned town and find out that it's inhabited by zombie-like cyborgs. Another is a back ground piece for a faction within a faction that is "spun off" as a result of a small civil-war. The last one is about a nomad type who wakes up in the middle of an apocalyptic desert with limited knowledge of his past and stumbles across an old something-or-other that contains a copy the Bible. The result is he ends up traveling from shantytown to shantytown spreading the gospel.

3) Keeping my blog up to date... there are times when my real life just get in the way. You'd think it would just give me more material, but... it seems to just confuse me. :)

4) Keeping track of "soldier issues" for my unit. With most of my unit "upstream", and me filling in for the First Sergeant, I have had my hands full of between drill activities. Soldiers to follow up with. "Beans, Bullets, and Bodies" - that's my new job function, and I'm not fully trained as a Platoon Sergeant. I put it this way - it feels like I am being pulled behing a bus and I can't quite keep my feet underneath me. The "funny" thing is, my BC (Battery Commander) is encouraging me to get to ANCOC (Advanced Non-Commissioned Officer Course) next summer. The "problem" is that I would have to re-enlist to go so I told him that "...it's not just one of my life's priorities" right now. But in the meantime I plan on holding down the fort until the real 'First Shirt' gets back to resume his normal workload. Then it's off to the "old Soldier's Home" for me.

Well, look at the time... which I am out of... there's more, but... I hope you all have a blessed day...



Verse for today:
Proverbs 24:3-7, ESV
By wisdom a house is built,and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filledwith all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is full of strength,and a man of knowledge enhances his might, for by wise guidance you can wage your war,and in abundance of counselors there is victory. Wisdom is too high for a fool;in the gate he does not open his mouth.