Post vacation ramblings

One problem with coming back from vacation is there are too many thoughts running around to blog about. So i will just do my normal rambling blog. Hang on, this one may be longer than usual. 8)

One thing of interest (to me) is the show Jon & Kate Plus 8. I was a late comer to this show but i enjoyed the real life depiction (well, as portrayed and edited by TLC) of the day to day life of a family trying to make it through life. For me it was starting to get old when they moved into their new $1m house. It was becoming less and less like an "everyman" type of show (which is why i think i like Deadliest Catch more. I am saddened (for lack of a better word) by what is happening between the parents Jon and Kate. For the record i am siding with Jon, but he is not without sin in this whole situation. One thing that bothers me is that during the interviews you see Jon sitting to one side of the chair, leaving room for someone else to sit down (or maybe it's just the way he likes to sit in sofas, etc.), but when kate is being interviewed she sits center, or to one side with her feet propped up taking up the whole seat. A petty thing on my part, but for some reason it bugs me. I am praying for a miracle there... For a long time i've enjoyed American Chopper on TLC. The tie in is the resent crossover between Jon & Kate Plus 8 and American Chopper. I love how the guys at OCC can just take a picture in their mind and then fabricate it and make it 3-dimensional. But i've also liked motorcycles since i was a teenager. For a long lists of reasons i've never bought one. I've ridden them, and loved the experience. I may get one if i ever experience a mid-life crisis, but i think i am destined to never own one of my own. I have been itching for some NFL Football lately. I am still nervous about the Panthers chances this year, but it is only 62 days until the Panthers first pre-season game against the NY Giants. 47 days until "summer-camp" opens. 9-7 is all i ask from the Panthers this year. Anything more than that will be gravy. Recently it seems my beloved and i have been exposed to a lot of deaths lately. People that we know losing a husband, or a co-worker passing away suddenly. Last night we found out that our dental hygienist that we have known for over fifteen years was murdered Monday. There is one thing that every human being on earth will do... and that is die, but it still kind of shakes your world a little when it happens in close proximity to you.

Recently i was tagged in a note of a friend on facebook on a list of first. Here were my replies:

1. Who was your FIRST prom date? ~~~ Prom? I was not cool enough to even consider going to Prom, which was a requirement back in my day. 2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love? ~~~ I married my FIRST love... if you're talking about infatuation... then no. 3. What was your 1st alcoholic drink? ~~~ Beer. I was made to sip it before bed time when i was very young to supposedly keeping from crying in my sleep. Must be why i can't stand the stuff now. 4. What was your FIRST job? ~~~ Paper boy. I loved walking around with my dog (a corgi), Lord Spaz. 5. What was your FIRST car? ~~~ Was some beat up, non-functional, Datson. The first car i ever got on the road was a '72 Plymouth Satellite. 6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today? ~~~ The day is still young. 7. Who is the FIRST person you saw this morning? ~~~ Rob, co-worker. 8. Who was your FIRST Kindergarten teacher? ~~~ Um... i barely remember my college professors names. 9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane? ~~~ I believe it was to Chicago to visit my Grand Father. 10. Who was your FIRST best friend & do you still talk? ~~~ Billy, and no. I haven't seen him since i was 13. 11. Where was your FIRST sleep over? ~~~ See 8 above. 12. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today? ~~~ Does praying to God count? 13. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time? ~~~ My own. I was asked to be the best man at my brother's first wedding but i turned him down. LONG story. 14. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning? ~~~ I'd rather not say. 8) 15. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to? ~~~ Jethro Tull, Baltimore 16. FIRST tattoo? ~~~ Has yet to happen. 17. First piercing? ~~~ Are we counting stitches? If not, none to date. 18. First foreign country you've been to? ~~~ Germany, i flew over to visit my brother at Christmas time. 19. FIRST movie you remember seeing? ~~~ The Big Bus with my dad. 20. When was your first detention? ~~~ See 8 above, but i do know it was a frequent occurance 21. What was the first state you lived in? ~~~ I believe it was New Jersey, but i was born in Washington DC and lived there a spell. 22. Who was your FIRST roommate? ~~~ Besides my brother as a kid, David. Not Dave, his name is David, and God used him to teach me a lot of things. In many ways i miss him. Our personalities may not have been 100% compatible, but we were real brothers in Christ. 23. If you had one wish. What would it be? ~~~ Ooh, tough one... right now it would be that i could have enough money to pay off my mortgage and then be able to set up self sustaining funds in order to be able to give often and generously to a decent list of charities and friends. 24. What is something you would learn if you had the chance? ~~~ I would LOVE to learn how to play the Irish Whistle. 25. Who do you think will be the next person to post this? ~~~ Not a clue, but i am interested in reading some of them.

And last, but not least for today...

When i retired from the National Guard last summer there were two other "old timers" who also retired within a month of me. We had decided to try and keep in touch and started meeting for breakfast every other month or so. Well, since then it has grown from the three of us to over thirty invites being sent out. But, more importantly, other "old timers" from within my old battalion have organized an association to help keep the history of the the artillery in MD alive. They have formed the "Maryland Regimental Artillery Association, Inc." to accomplish this. While i am not a member yet, i am hoping to perhaps join in the near future. Although it is a sad occasion, i am looking forward to the deactivation ceremony in August. Of my twenty two years of service in the Army National Guard, the last nine years that i served in the Artillery were the ones i enjoyed the most.

Catching up on my TV watching

For the next forty eight hours my work schedule is going to be shifting slightly. Due to coverage needed at my place of employment i will work my normal schedule today, and then burn the midnight oil tonight and again tomorrow. Not a big deal, but it messes with your sleep schedule s last night my beloved encouraged me to stay up (much) later than usual so that when i get home this afternoon i can take a nap until i have to go back in. While it messes with my family time i was able to catch up on the TV shows i like to watch but never seem to have time for. So, after my beloved fell asleep i scooted back to the "computer room" (really just a converted "formal" dining room that is much to small to be formal for anything) to check up on how my last minute preparations for April Fool's day were going. All scans and updates were complete so i went over to CBS and Fox's websites to watch my shows. For whatever reason the past two weeks CBS has allowed their Sunday schedule to slide some - probably because of the NCAA tournament - and the last half of The Unit was cut off early. I didn't even bother to start watching the DVR session i have set up to record the shows. During the NFL season i got used to CBS doing this so i just recorded the shows after the time slot too. Anyway, with time to waste i watched both 'Flesh and Blood' and 'Best Laid Plans'. I have to say... i am not liking the newest member of the team: SSG Sam "Whiplash" McBride. He gives me the creeps. And then the little reveal i saw last night, his apparent infatuation with WO Bridgette "Red Cap" Sullivan. Not endearing himself to me. I think there's going to be something in the story line real soon about him. Look, i like this show... i know it's not in prime TV real estate being parked at 2200 on Sunday nights, but it has a good on-going story line and the characters are well along the path. CBS - in the unlikely event someone from your staff reads this - please keep this show going (I'll send along a more official plead later). I am curious as to how the new woman in SFC Charles "Betty Blue" Grey's life plays out... but i am more interested in watching how they get all of those "leaked" passports back. Then, once i was all caught up their i realized that i was not very tired, and just a little bit hungry. So after grabbing some animal crackers and some milk (that just sounds so odd in this context...) i pulled up the latest episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. This show really has been getting better and better every week. The episode starts with Cromartie playing with Savannah Weaver. An interesting display of the A.I. of what could become the future Skynet learning and adapting... a computer program learning that it does not have to "play by the rules". Then he gets hacked! Which terrifies poor Savannah. This little story line presents some interesting plot twists because of the influence James Ellison appears to be having on both Cromartie and maybe even Catherine Weaver as well. The writers did a good job when they split up the core of Sarah, John, Cameron, and Derek. It helped further the story lines regarding the tension and relationship between Derek and Cameron. In a way i think it helped deepen the trust - which is tenacious at best. I also enjoyed getting to see Sarah's relationship with John expand beyond the earlier series set up of primary protector. John is definitely getting beginning to stand on his own. This show has never skirted around the possibility of characters being killed off, and this week saw it executed (pardon the pun) very well. The trailer below elaborates how this show is using it and not in a gratuitous way. This show has only two new episodes left... and i am on the edge of my seat wanting to see where they all go from here. Fox, just like i pleaded with the other network above... keep this show! At least for one more season. Friday night is not the best night (IMO, and definitely not for me), but perhaps it is good for the demographic you are shooting for. I am encouraged by the number of post air night replays on-line i've heard about. This show is getting much better and needs at least another season to flesh out the story line. If you must... pick it up for a set number of shows and tell the writers that it needs to be wrapped up by such-n-such episode. Last but not least, i would like to congratulate Bethsoft's Fallout 3 for winning yet another game of the year award. In this case they've won the Game Critics Award for game of the year. This fills me with hope that they just might release a "game of the year" edition that will include all of the DLC - since i am not willing to use my laptop on the WWW i am unable to use Microsoft Live. But that's ok, even if Bethsoft does not release a special edition. I am enjoying the game so far as is.

"Brothers"

A little over a year ago my Father-in-law asked me if I had ever watched "The Unit" (CBS, Tuesdays at 9 PM et/pt), and to be honest I hadn't up to that point. So, the next time it was on I made sure I was sitting down to watch it. In between bath time, and getting kids to bed (I am very grateful for DVR) I was hooked by the time the preview for next weeks episode came on. I was so hooked that I asked for the season-1 set when it came out, for Christmas (and I've asked for season 2 this year).

For those who don't know, the show is based off of the book "Inside Delta Force" by Eric Haney. The episodes cover a team of Delta Force operators and their wives.

Last night I finally was able to watch last weeks episode "Play 16", which was the follow up to "Five Brothers" the week before that. In Five Brothers the writers and producers did something that not many other shows are willing to do... they killed off an integral charecter - they killed Hector "Hammerhead" Williams. Although he was not one of the 'front three' (as I might call them), but he was a team member - and I really liked his charecter. Then in last weeks episode I really liked how the brough him back home.

This show does not have a large budget (I think), but they do a lot with what they do have. The story lines are interesting to me, even the home front side where they sort of talk about what the spouses go through is compelling. The one thing I do not like, and often skip over, is the extra marital affair of one of the main charecter's wife - and their commanding officer of all things!

The Unit kind of speaks to me. It's probably because I 'bleed Army green', and I have a deep respect for the kind of training and drive it takes to do such things. I have come to accept that I am not now, nor have I ever been, that skilled in - well anything. I have not been willing to discipline myself to that level of training and focus. I once began a work out regimine to attempt a tryout for the Special Forces group, but I quit early on because I was tired of being so tired.

Right now I suffer from some guilt. Earlier this year most of my unit was called to active duty, I was only one of four who weren't. I am now a REMF (please don't ask me to spell it out). Grant it, it's an important assignment - and it needs to be done, but when most of the men you trained with are called up - and possibly in harms way, but you are not...

Anyway... if anyone who reads this, who is either a member of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force - or a family member (epecially a spouse of a member) you have my deepest respect.



Verse for today:
John 15:12-17, ESV
"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, [1] for the servant [2] does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

HTML, part II - and a snipet about "Heroes"

Well, even before Susan was kind enough to remind me about how we can either allow others a chance at a blessing (by serving others, even if we are not in need), or we can squelch it - I contacted a friend of mine. I asked him if he does that kind of thing for fun, which he does. I just need to make the time to go meet with him and we can sit down and talk things over. Who knows, maybe I can have a spiffy page like my "blog friends" Susan and Linda. :) I have been keeping up with Heroes and The Unit again this year. With all the stuff going on I rarely watch the shows live any more. Especially because my beloved does not like Heroes - it disturbs her somehow. I've especially enjoyed Hiro and his journey through Feudal Japan (a real surprise, eh?). I'm not sure how many people would have known that "Kensai" means "sword saint", but the charecter is anything but. I do not want to give anything away one way or another. But it has been interesting that several charecters have been in New York - again - after some kind of disaster like occurance. The story is definetly ramping up for another kind of showdown next Spring. The Unit is fun because of my interest in Special Ops - especially military style ones. The producers have done a pretty good job in keeping costs down, while keeping the story lines interesting. I've especially enjoyed the season 2 cliff hanger, and the season 3 opener. Like the guys in dark suits and sunglasses would ever play fair. ;-) Those two shows, along with any NFL game I can get on the tube, is pretty much all I'm willing to watch on TV anymore. Just another rambling blog entry... Verse for today: Proverbs 1:1-7, ESV The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Misc. ramblings

Last night I was finally able to watch this week's episode of Heroes and I think it is one of my favorite already. Ok, I know it is the geek in me - not to mention my keen interest in the Samurai, but I was instantly drawn to the Hiro charecter. To be honest he was almost too meek and geeky for my liking at first, but he has really been developed through the season. I especially enjoyed the swordplay between Hiro and his father. I hope he is not one of the charecters to go. Next week will be an interesting culmination for the experiment that was 'Heroes'. Another show that I enjoy, and one that my beloved also enjoys is, Deadliest Catch on Discovery. There are times when I wonder how or why, but this show is gripping. Why in the world would anyone do that?!? :) One show I am rooting for to be renewed next season is The Unit. I enjoy this one because of my military time - but it is still highly enjoyable. And I like it enought that I actually wrote a note to CBS to let them know of my desire to see this back in the Fall! I think they are the last to announce their Fall lineup so I sit and wait. Mostly I can't wait for Football season! Anyway... that's all I have for today. God bless. :) Verse for today: Psalm 61:1-4, ESV Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah

The arch support

Well, I have a bulging disc somewhere in the lower back. By God's grace I was referred to a wonderful Chiropractor who is not ashamed to proclaim his faith in God. He also is not one to just prescribe medication off the cuff. He worked with me for sometime yesterday. I went home with a back brace that holds cold compresses, a book that goes over the back and the exercises he wants me to perform, and helped me learn why/how I hurt it in the first place. I am still uncomfortable, but I have a better peace of mind. Ok, I don't want this to be all about the back. :) I was able to watch a little TV yesterday and last night. I may have mentioned this before but the FCC rules on profanity on television are confusing to me. You can use the "f-bomb" or the 'primary' word to describe a messy diaper. But they can use the Lord's name in vain without hesitation. It makes me sad. Verse for today: Luke 12:8-12, ESV And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”