Thursday, September 29, 2005
SouthBendTribune.com: Television reporter witnesses execution
As the last of a series of injections was administered, Hart watched Matheney's final movements from 15 feet away. "He seemed to take a deep breath," she said, "then gasp and then lie perfectly still."
Such a pleasant peaceful death for such an evil man. I can think of a lot more fitting ways to kill him. I remember when he killed his ex-wife back in '89. She was killed, if I remember correctly, very near where I was playing little league at the time.
Well, onto other news...everything is going ok, nothing too exciting. The new little puppy is doing good. He is walking pretty good on our walks, and is pretty cute when he runs. He runs with his body sideways with his tongue hanging out. Unfortunately, he yipped most the night last night, so I didn't get much sleep. Amanda has read that it may take a week for him to be better at night...geez...I hope it doesn't take that long, if it does I might be sleeping with my iPod on. Ok, time to go watch Survivor!
As the last of a series of injections was administered, Hart watched Matheney's final movements from 15 feet away. "He seemed to take a deep breath," she said, "then gasp and then lie perfectly still."
Such a pleasant peaceful death for such an evil man. I can think of a lot more fitting ways to kill him. I remember when he killed his ex-wife back in '89. She was killed, if I remember correctly, very near where I was playing little league at the time.
Well, onto other news...everything is going ok, nothing too exciting. The new little puppy is doing good. He is walking pretty good on our walks, and is pretty cute when he runs. He runs with his body sideways with his tongue hanging out. Unfortunately, he yipped most the night last night, so I didn't get much sleep. Amanda has read that it may take a week for him to be better at night...geez...I hope it doesn't take that long, if it does I might be sleeping with my iPod on. Ok, time to go watch Survivor!
Monday, September 26, 2005
Well, the first full day with the puppy went pretty good. He slept through the night without a hitch. That was nice! At least he has a somewhat normal sleep cycle. He is pretty playful, and he loves to be outside.
We also got our high definition cable installed today. Let me just say WOW! The picture is incredible...it blows the traditional picture out of the water. It looks almost 3D. Well, it's not a great update, but I'm pooped.
We also got our high definition cable installed today. Let me just say WOW! The picture is incredible...it blows the traditional picture out of the water. It looks almost 3D. Well, it's not a great update, but I'm pooped.
So, we finally got a dog. Not sure what the name is yet, Amanda has picked a few out...
We picked him up at about 7pm and took him home. So far, so good. We was good in the car on the way home. We stopped at PetSmart to pick up some more stuff and he was good there. He was really playful at home, and when we put him in his kennel he had about 10 seconds of whimpering. He then fell fast asleep. We let him sleep for an hour or so and we woke him up to take him outside. When we brought him back in he played some more, then we put him back in his home and he went right to sleep.
The cats were the big variable in all of this. They are keeping their distance, and seem to be more afraid of him than anything. Even big 'ol Zoe at 12 or 13 lbs is scared of the little teeny tiny puppy. To be safe tonight, we are having him sleep in the bathroom, in his bed. That way we have a better idea of how the cats are going to behave with him in the kennel. Heaven only knows we don't want the cats to beat the little guy up his first night here.
All right, I'm tired and heading to bed!
The cats were the big variable in all of this. They are keeping their distance, and seem to be more afraid of him than anything. Even big 'ol Zoe at 12 or 13 lbs is scared of the little teeny tiny puppy. To be safe tonight, we are having him sleep in the bathroom, in his bed. That way we have a better idea of how the cats are going to behave with him in the kennel. Heaven only knows we don't want the cats to beat the little guy up his first night here.
All right, I'm tired and heading to bed!
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Is the average 14-18 year old doomed?
Lately, in my never ending quest to expand my horizons and meet some interesting online people, I have stumbled upon some teenagers blogs while looking at various blog rings, particularly the ones that I'm a member of.. Now, I would normally post a link to let you read some of the examples that I've found...but that wouldn't really be right. It would be wrong to single out individuals, when this is a larger issue. Let me use the wonder of Xanga to illustrate what I'm talking about. Xanga, recently added the ability to search all the Xanga sites...post by post, it makes things interesting. So lets do a search for "sup" and "ne1" in a single post. Check out these results:
http://search.xanga.com/searchxanga.aspx?q=sup%20ne1
Now, "ppl" and "pizzed"
http://search.xanga.com/searchxanga.aspx?q=ppl%20%20pizzed
I could go on like this all night, but I think that this illustrates my point. Now, I'll buy the whole Internet lingo which originated to save typing in chat rooms and on IRC is convenient in that sense...where time is of the essence, but to type like that in a post to your blog? So what exactly does that mean?
Well, possibility number one, is that it means that this Internet slang is actually part of this young generations mind now. They subconsciously are able to write ne1, brb, lol, ppl, etc without thinking about it. Are their teachers seeing this on tests and quizzes? If they are asked what the opening of the Declartion of Independence says, does their mind instantly think "We da pp"? How deep does this go. It's really quite frightening. These people aren't stupid or dumb, they are actually probably bright, so they will probably find themselves in college shortly. What are the professors going to say? I know that in some of my classes, I was ripped, and I have pretty good grammar. While I am not one of these English language grammar correcting freaks, I sure as heck pity this Internet generation when they get older!
Now, anyone else ever notice how a lot of people really have trouble with proper grammar and punctuation when they write on a blog? It's as if the shift key and the little punctuation keys would require an exorbitant amount of effort to type. Well, who knows...it just doesn't look good.
Maybe another possibility why these kids do this is that it's "cool" to type like that. Well, that is pretty scary too! If it is cool to post in all Internet lingo, then that means that eventually possibility 2 will come true. What an evil, evil cycle that might be. Am I uncool because I type in complete sentence and don't use a lot of Internet lingo? Is that why I have a lack of high school kids reading my posts?
Possibility 3, these kids actually think that by typing in internet lingo, actually manages to save them a considerable amount of time. Well, I'll buy that they might save a negligible amount of time, but in all honesty, how much are they actually saving? Probably not very much, that is unless the majority of these kids have a faulty pinky fingers and they are unable to reach the SHIFT key when they touch type to use capitals. That could explain a lot...perhaps the pinky in humans is slowly weakening as thumbs grow stronger from video games and typing text on cell phones. Is the humans pinky going to be eliminated by natural selection? Ten million years from now, when the pinky is nothing but a small piece of skin a 1/2" long hanging off the side of our hands with no bones and no muscle, just a little cartilage...will the medical community classify the pinky as in the same class as the appendix and tonsils? Something left over from evolution that now has no purpose?
A couple of weeks ago, I saw someplace an add looking for people with bachelors degrees to grade standardized tests essays. Well, while that may be a little ironic...a standardized essay test (which is a post all by itself) but the thought of grading some teenagers essays was pretty scary. I know that I would have trouble being objective if I actually saw someone write Internet lingo on a test.
Well, enough complaints about youngsters...I'll talk a little bit about my day. I was lazy! Heck yeah...I didn't do anything overly productive. I did try to watch "XXX2: State of the Union" but fell asleep. I might give it another go around, but it didn't seem all that good. I guess the opening sequence just ruined it from the get-go. These super soldier ninja like dudes were invading this underground complex, and place this little 2' diameter mine on the ground. This mine then proceeded to drill down in the ground and into this underground complex. It made a perfect hole that the super-ninja folks could then slide down into. Sorry...but that is a little too far fetched. Then, a few minutes later they talk about their car. A '67 GTO with 1000hp. Sorry...but that's a little out there by itself...but then add the missile launcher on the car and you have something totally in left field.
I know...I'm being too critical of movies. Amanda really hates it when I'm like this. She says I should just watch the darn movie and not try to figure everything out. Sorry...but this just all goes into the reasons why Hollywood is hurting right now. It has nothing to do with movie downloads either. It has to do with too many movies being made and many of these movies being terrible. Movies with scripts this bad would not have been made by a major studio 20 or 30 years ago. The movie would have been made by some low rate studio at the same time they made their other B or C movies.
Whenever I go the the theatre and watch a bad movie it makes me question going to the movies. A trip to the movies is just way too expensive for absolute junk! It's like 8 bucks or more to go a movie, so for the price of two tickets I could either buy the movie when it comes out, or pay for a month of Netflix! Yeah, that's right...Netflix all the way. Thankfully Netflix has saved me from buying these terrible movies. Even better yet, Netflix has saved me from even paying the $4 or whatever it costs to rent a movie. Netflix, you truly earn your keep when it comes to bad movies. That's three movies in a row now...Alexander, Ring2, and now XXX2. So, if you have not tried Netflix do it now and save yourself from supporting the crap the movie industry puts out!
Ok, I'm out!
Lately, in my never ending quest to expand my horizons and meet some interesting online people, I have stumbled upon some teenagers blogs while looking at various blog rings, particularly the ones that I'm a member of.. Now, I would normally post a link to let you read some of the examples that I've found...but that wouldn't really be right. It would be wrong to single out individuals, when this is a larger issue. Let me use the wonder of Xanga to illustrate what I'm talking about. Xanga, recently added the ability to search all the Xanga sites...post by post, it makes things interesting. So lets do a search for "sup" and "ne1" in a single post. Check out these results:
http://search.xanga.com/searchxanga.aspx?q=sup%20ne1
Now, "ppl" and "pizzed"
http://search.xanga.com/searchxanga.aspx?q=ppl%20%20pizzed
I could go on like this all night, but I think that this illustrates my point. Now, I'll buy the whole Internet lingo which originated to save typing in chat rooms and on IRC is convenient in that sense...where time is of the essence, but to type like that in a post to your blog? So what exactly does that mean?
Well, possibility number one, is that it means that this Internet slang is actually part of this young generations mind now. They subconsciously are able to write ne1, brb, lol, ppl, etc without thinking about it. Are their teachers seeing this on tests and quizzes? If they are asked what the opening of the Declartion of Independence says, does their mind instantly think "We da pp"? How deep does this go. It's really quite frightening. These people aren't stupid or dumb, they are actually probably bright, so they will probably find themselves in college shortly. What are the professors going to say? I know that in some of my classes, I was ripped, and I have pretty good grammar. While I am not one of these English language grammar correcting freaks, I sure as heck pity this Internet generation when they get older!
Now, anyone else ever notice how a lot of people really have trouble with proper grammar and punctuation when they write on a blog? It's as if the shift key and the little punctuation keys would require an exorbitant amount of effort to type. Well, who knows...it just doesn't look good.
Maybe another possibility why these kids do this is that it's "cool" to type like that. Well, that is pretty scary too! If it is cool to post in all Internet lingo, then that means that eventually possibility 2 will come true. What an evil, evil cycle that might be. Am I uncool because I type in complete sentence and don't use a lot of Internet lingo? Is that why I have a lack of high school kids reading my posts?
Possibility 3, these kids actually think that by typing in internet lingo, actually manages to save them a considerable amount of time. Well, I'll buy that they might save a negligible amount of time, but in all honesty, how much are they actually saving? Probably not very much, that is unless the majority of these kids have a faulty pinky fingers and they are unable to reach the SHIFT key when they touch type to use capitals. That could explain a lot...perhaps the pinky in humans is slowly weakening as thumbs grow stronger from video games and typing text on cell phones. Is the humans pinky going to be eliminated by natural selection? Ten million years from now, when the pinky is nothing but a small piece of skin a 1/2" long hanging off the side of our hands with no bones and no muscle, just a little cartilage...will the medical community classify the pinky as in the same class as the appendix and tonsils? Something left over from evolution that now has no purpose?
A couple of weeks ago, I saw someplace an add looking for people with bachelors degrees to grade standardized tests essays. Well, while that may be a little ironic...a standardized essay test (which is a post all by itself) but the thought of grading some teenagers essays was pretty scary. I know that I would have trouble being objective if I actually saw someone write Internet lingo on a test.
Well, enough complaints about youngsters...I'll talk a little bit about my day. I was lazy! Heck yeah...I didn't do anything overly productive. I did try to watch "XXX2: State of the Union" but fell asleep. I might give it another go around, but it didn't seem all that good. I guess the opening sequence just ruined it from the get-go. These super soldier ninja like dudes were invading this underground complex, and place this little 2' diameter mine on the ground. This mine then proceeded to drill down in the ground and into this underground complex. It made a perfect hole that the super-ninja folks could then slide down into. Sorry...but that is a little too far fetched. Then, a few minutes later they talk about their car. A '67 GTO with 1000hp. Sorry...but that's a little out there by itself...but then add the missile launcher on the car and you have something totally in left field.
I know...I'm being too critical of movies. Amanda really hates it when I'm like this. She says I should just watch the darn movie and not try to figure everything out. Sorry...but this just all goes into the reasons why Hollywood is hurting right now. It has nothing to do with movie downloads either. It has to do with too many movies being made and many of these movies being terrible. Movies with scripts this bad would not have been made by a major studio 20 or 30 years ago. The movie would have been made by some low rate studio at the same time they made their other B or C movies.
Whenever I go the the theatre and watch a bad movie it makes me question going to the movies. A trip to the movies is just way too expensive for absolute junk! It's like 8 bucks or more to go a movie, so for the price of two tickets I could either buy the movie when it comes out, or pay for a month of Netflix! Yeah, that's right...Netflix all the way. Thankfully Netflix has saved me from buying these terrible movies. Even better yet, Netflix has saved me from even paying the $4 or whatever it costs to rent a movie. Netflix, you truly earn your keep when it comes to bad movies. That's three movies in a row now...Alexander, Ring2, and now XXX2. So, if you have not tried Netflix do it now and save yourself from supporting the crap the movie industry puts out!
Ok, I'm out!
Good morning everyone! So how was your Saturday? Mine was pretty busy, although it was pretty darn good! It was one of those Saturdays that you do so much it feels like it was a couple days long...boy...I love days like that!
All right...here goes. We woke up pretty darn early for a Saturday. I was up before the alarm clock (about 5:50am) the alarm was set for 6, so I just decided to get up anyways. Well, we got around and left the house and headed up to Walkerton about 6:40 or so. We stopped and grabbed some McD's for breakfast. We got to Walkerton a few minutes before 9, when my little sisters soccer game was supposed to start. I have never went to a soccer game before and I left mystified.
I just don't get the draw of soccer. Maybe it's the fact that I was raised All-American with football, basketball and baseball...but soccer just doesn't seem as exciting. The only thing that I can figure, is that soccer allows everyone that plays to feel like they get in on the action, because they were able to kick the ball away. Maybe that's the case...but it just doesn't seem as fun as the sports that I grew up playing. Yeah, baseball was boring 90% of the time, but every couple of innings you got to bat. I don't know...maybe it's the skill level. Watching the soccer players you can see the different skill levels, but it seems like in soccer, the lower skilled people have more of a chance to stop the skilled players. In basketball a skilled player can dominate over the unskilled...the same holds true in baseball. In football it's not quite as easy since football is so dependent on the team concept. Maybe it's because youth soccer just feels politically correct.
Yes, I said that...a sport feels politically correct. The league that my sister is in is coed, which is totally fine with me. 6th grade boys and girls are pretty much on the same level physically, and it was obvious watching the game. It also feels politically correct, because so many kids play for so long. In baseball you stick your weak kids in right field, and they don't do much. In soccer the weak kids still get to kick the ball and have fun, whereas that same kid playing in right field sits back there and picks grass and is bored. It's also politically correct because it prevents kids from being singled out as not as athletic. In baseball you have a kid bat, that is not very coordinated and he is singled out as not very athletic. In basketball it's obvious when they shoot free throws or shoot and pass. Then in football the unathletic kids never play that much, and then...with the game decided all the 2nd stringers come out of the woodwork. So, am I really in any stance to judge soccer since the extent that I played it was in gym class? Naw...I'm sure that it is fun to play, but as your friendly local political scientists, I am in the position to tell you that I see a lot of politics behind the popularity of soccer in today's society.
Now, that being said, watching soccer wasn't that bad. It was fun, and I got some pictures. Unfortunately, while my camera is 6.1MP, it also only has a 3x zoom. So, some of the pictures turned out a little small...that's ok though. So, for your viewing pleasure here they come. My sister is the one in the purple shorts:
Well, after the game Amanda and I went to say hello to my grandparents. After that, we went back to my house with lunch from Subway. We then took Katie and headed to South Bend to look at animal shelters for dogs. It also gave us something to do. Well, let me just say, that the humane society is disgusting. We were in there for maybe 1 1/2 minutes before we left. The place reeked, and all the dogs looked pitiful. It was like we were walking through death row and all the prisoners knew that their time was about up. It was pretty bad. We also went to a pet rescue place...one of those private kennels that is no kill. That one was a lot better, but we didn't see anything we liked. Interestingly, when we went into where the grown dogs were they recognized us as not being a worker and all the dogs went crazy jumping and barking. They weren't angry, they just wanted attention and a home. It was kind of sad, and reminded me of those scenes in prison movies where the inmates throw crap out of their cell on fire and yell and make a bunch of noise.
Well, after that we went back to Walkerton to my Grandparents for some food. On the way back to Walkerton, we were listening to music and I asked Katie if she had the CD that was playing. She said no, so I ejected it out and gave it to her. Well, I ended up giving her every CD that I had in my car (about 20). Then she said that she needed to get a new CD case, so I then gave her the CD case that I had. Hopefully she enjoys some more music!
We then got back to Walkerton at my grandparents, we ate over there and visited with family. We had a good time, then decided that we would head back to Indy earlier rather than latter so we wouldn't have to drive late. Well, we left and went back to my house to drop Katie off and visit with my family some more. The ND game was on, and luckily it wasn't too close of a game so Dad was able to talk and visit! If it would have been close that would have been a lost cause. After visiting for a while we left for home.
Well, we were enroute to Indy when we decided that we should stop and say hi to C and F, since they were in town and we haven't seen them for awhile. Well, we stopped and visited, then decided that we should go get some dinner and watch a movie (yes, that would be meal #4 for the day). The cleaned up and we headed to the Applebees in Plymouth. We ate some food (I had the appetizer sampler) and visited. After dinner we headed on over the theatre behind Wal-Mart that is only a couple of years old. Well, the movie wasn't playing there, it was playing at the old fashioned one downtown. Well, I haven't been to that theatre since like 95 or 96. We get there, and it just blows my mind that they can still be in business! They charge 6 bucks a ticket, which is about the same that the new theatres in South Bend charge, they only take cash, and the place was kind of dirty. Well, we were there, so we said what the hell. We took our seats and settled in to watch "Flight Plan". Well, after we sat down another couple sat down behind us. The guy kept commenting on everything during the first 10 minutes or so of the movie. I mean that...talking about every little thing "Wow, first class is larger. Jodie Foster looks old. Her kid looks like her. That airport is nice. I wonder what the inflight movie is. The sky is gray." It just went on and on. Amanda gave them some looks and the women with Talker told him to be quiet. Well, I figured that Talker would take a few minutes and would shut up. Boy, was I ever wrong. He kept going and going. I just wanted to sit, in the dumpy theatre, in the 1950's seat, take in the aroma of mildew and watch the damn movie. This yokel kept talking though and I kept getting more and more irate. Well, unfortunately my self-control got the best of me...and I started to feel my eyeballs pulse like they did before I fought back in my youth. Well...when I got to that point I couldn't do anything...because I probably would have gotten in trouble. So, it looks like as I've gotten older, I've developed some self control. I wish that I would have said something early on though, because he was annoying. I also wish that I would have had one of my Surefire flashlights with me...because 60 lumens of light at 4 feet in dark movie theatre would have hurt...and would have shut him up. Ugg...
Well, after that we went back to Walkerton and headed home. I lasted driving for an hour or so, and then Amanda took over. I was really tired, and the gas station in Argos didn't have any coffee...so she took over. I woke up pulling into the apartment.
That was my big day...pretty exciting! Now, it's time to get on with my Sunday! I'll leave you with this truck that we saw in South Bend.
All right...here goes. We woke up pretty darn early for a Saturday. I was up before the alarm clock (about 5:50am) the alarm was set for 6, so I just decided to get up anyways. Well, we got around and left the house and headed up to Walkerton about 6:40 or so. We stopped and grabbed some McD's for breakfast. We got to Walkerton a few minutes before 9, when my little sisters soccer game was supposed to start. I have never went to a soccer game before and I left mystified.
I just don't get the draw of soccer. Maybe it's the fact that I was raised All-American with football, basketball and baseball...but soccer just doesn't seem as exciting. The only thing that I can figure, is that soccer allows everyone that plays to feel like they get in on the action, because they were able to kick the ball away. Maybe that's the case...but it just doesn't seem as fun as the sports that I grew up playing. Yeah, baseball was boring 90% of the time, but every couple of innings you got to bat. I don't know...maybe it's the skill level. Watching the soccer players you can see the different skill levels, but it seems like in soccer, the lower skilled people have more of a chance to stop the skilled players. In basketball a skilled player can dominate over the unskilled...the same holds true in baseball. In football it's not quite as easy since football is so dependent on the team concept. Maybe it's because youth soccer just feels politically correct.
Yes, I said that...a sport feels politically correct. The league that my sister is in is coed, which is totally fine with me. 6th grade boys and girls are pretty much on the same level physically, and it was obvious watching the game. It also feels politically correct, because so many kids play for so long. In baseball you stick your weak kids in right field, and they don't do much. In soccer the weak kids still get to kick the ball and have fun, whereas that same kid playing in right field sits back there and picks grass and is bored. It's also politically correct because it prevents kids from being singled out as not as athletic. In baseball you have a kid bat, that is not very coordinated and he is singled out as not very athletic. In basketball it's obvious when they shoot free throws or shoot and pass. Then in football the unathletic kids never play that much, and then...with the game decided all the 2nd stringers come out of the woodwork. So, am I really in any stance to judge soccer since the extent that I played it was in gym class? Naw...I'm sure that it is fun to play, but as your friendly local political scientists, I am in the position to tell you that I see a lot of politics behind the popularity of soccer in today's society.
Now, that being said, watching soccer wasn't that bad. It was fun, and I got some pictures. Unfortunately, while my camera is 6.1MP, it also only has a 3x zoom. So, some of the pictures turned out a little small...that's ok though. So, for your viewing pleasure here they come. My sister is the one in the purple shorts:
Well, after the game Amanda and I went to say hello to my grandparents. After that, we went back to my house with lunch from Subway. We then took Katie and headed to South Bend to look at animal shelters for dogs. It also gave us something to do. Well, let me just say, that the humane society is disgusting. We were in there for maybe 1 1/2 minutes before we left. The place reeked, and all the dogs looked pitiful. It was like we were walking through death row and all the prisoners knew that their time was about up. It was pretty bad. We also went to a pet rescue place...one of those private kennels that is no kill. That one was a lot better, but we didn't see anything we liked. Interestingly, when we went into where the grown dogs were they recognized us as not being a worker and all the dogs went crazy jumping and barking. They weren't angry, they just wanted attention and a home. It was kind of sad, and reminded me of those scenes in prison movies where the inmates throw crap out of their cell on fire and yell and make a bunch of noise.
Well, after that we went back to Walkerton to my Grandparents for some food. On the way back to Walkerton, we were listening to music and I asked Katie if she had the CD that was playing. She said no, so I ejected it out and gave it to her. Well, I ended up giving her every CD that I had in my car (about 20). Then she said that she needed to get a new CD case, so I then gave her the CD case that I had. Hopefully she enjoys some more music!
We then got back to Walkerton at my grandparents, we ate over there and visited with family. We had a good time, then decided that we would head back to Indy earlier rather than latter so we wouldn't have to drive late. Well, we left and went back to my house to drop Katie off and visit with my family some more. The ND game was on, and luckily it wasn't too close of a game so Dad was able to talk and visit! If it would have been close that would have been a lost cause. After visiting for a while we left for home.
Well, we were enroute to Indy when we decided that we should stop and say hi to C and F, since they were in town and we haven't seen them for awhile. Well, we stopped and visited, then decided that we should go get some dinner and watch a movie (yes, that would be meal #4 for the day). The cleaned up and we headed to the Applebees in Plymouth. We ate some food (I had the appetizer sampler) and visited. After dinner we headed on over the theatre behind Wal-Mart that is only a couple of years old. Well, the movie wasn't playing there, it was playing at the old fashioned one downtown. Well, I haven't been to that theatre since like 95 or 96. We get there, and it just blows my mind that they can still be in business! They charge 6 bucks a ticket, which is about the same that the new theatres in South Bend charge, they only take cash, and the place was kind of dirty. Well, we were there, so we said what the hell. We took our seats and settled in to watch "Flight Plan". Well, after we sat down another couple sat down behind us. The guy kept commenting on everything during the first 10 minutes or so of the movie. I mean that...talking about every little thing "Wow, first class is larger. Jodie Foster looks old. Her kid looks like her. That airport is nice. I wonder what the inflight movie is. The sky is gray." It just went on and on. Amanda gave them some looks and the women with Talker told him to be quiet. Well, I figured that Talker would take a few minutes and would shut up. Boy, was I ever wrong. He kept going and going. I just wanted to sit, in the dumpy theatre, in the 1950's seat, take in the aroma of mildew and watch the damn movie. This yokel kept talking though and I kept getting more and more irate. Well, unfortunately my self-control got the best of me...and I started to feel my eyeballs pulse like they did before I fought back in my youth. Well...when I got to that point I couldn't do anything...because I probably would have gotten in trouble. So, it looks like as I've gotten older, I've developed some self control. I wish that I would have said something early on though, because he was annoying. I also wish that I would have had one of my Surefire flashlights with me...because 60 lumens of light at 4 feet in dark movie theatre would have hurt...and would have shut him up. Ugg...
Well, after that we went back to Walkerton and headed home. I lasted driving for an hour or so, and then Amanda took over. I was really tired, and the gas station in Argos didn't have any coffee...so she took over. I woke up pulling into the apartment.
That was my big day...pretty exciting! Now, it's time to get on with my Sunday! I'll leave you with this truck that we saw in South Bend.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Hell yeah, it's the weekend!
Well...let me just start by saying Hell Yeah, yep, that is supposed to be capital! I am so glad it is the weekend, that if I was standing up right now I would do a little happy dance or something. This weekend is semi-full, but it should be fine.
Today, after work I came home and did pretty much nothing. I did go to the grocery store and get stuff for dinner, including the overly priced cereal that Amanda wanted. Have you guys bought cereal lately? They think that gas is expensive.....cereal is seriously increase in cost per serving than the equivalent measurement for gasoline.
Well, after the shopping experience, I cooked up some dinner. We had taco's, which were good as usual. While we at we watched Gilmore Girls. After that we went up to Pendelton for Amanda to drop off some projects at the Marsh store she has spent the last month at. After that we came home to watch "The Ring Two".
Let me just start by saying, that when I heard that they were coming up with a sequel for The Ring, I wonder how they were going to do it. Well, after watching about an hour of the sequel...I am still wondering how you make a sequel to it. The Ring Two is terrible. Don't even waste your time or you money trying to watch this terrible movie. It was that bad...well...I'm off to bed.
Well...let me just start by saying Hell Yeah, yep, that is supposed to be capital! I am so glad it is the weekend, that if I was standing up right now I would do a little happy dance or something. This weekend is semi-full, but it should be fine.
Today, after work I came home and did pretty much nothing. I did go to the grocery store and get stuff for dinner, including the overly priced cereal that Amanda wanted. Have you guys bought cereal lately? They think that gas is expensive.....cereal is seriously increase in cost per serving than the equivalent measurement for gasoline.
Well, after the shopping experience, I cooked up some dinner. We had taco's, which were good as usual. While we at we watched Gilmore Girls. After that we went up to Pendelton for Amanda to drop off some projects at the Marsh store she has spent the last month at. After that we came home to watch "The Ring Two".
Let me just start by saying, that when I heard that they were coming up with a sequel for The Ring, I wonder how they were going to do it. Well, after watching about an hour of the sequel...I am still wondering how you make a sequel to it. The Ring Two is terrible. Don't even waste your time or you money trying to watch this terrible movie. It was that bad...well...I'm off to bed.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
This will be fast...this week has been really busy, and for a change I have not found myself at my computer for a couple hours an evening, not to mention I have been trying to go to bed earlier...all resulting in less posts. Next week should calm down, or so I hope! So here are the highlights of the last few days.
A monster hurricane is bearing down on the Texas coast. Millions of people evacuating....so here my prediction. Galveston will be wiped out...there will be nothing left. Houston will sustain heavy damage with some of the sky scrapper eventually having to be destroyed. The storms effects will reach as far east as New Orleans where the levees once again rupture and some of New Orleans once again floods. The refineries suffer major damage and subsequently gas shoots up to $3.75 a gallon, once the depth of the damage is realized gas climbs to $5+ a gallon with major shortages. The nations infrastructure grinds to a halt with no fuel to power the airlines, semis, personal vehicles. Natural gas shortages lead to high prices with many deaths from the cold in the typical places like Chicago. Inflation climbs to 25% because of the fuel costs. We won't enter a depression, but rather a new reality for the next 8 months. This reality has people sleeping at their jobs only to return for the weekend, mass transit the only means of transportation, carpooling and housepooling. Housepooling is a new concept where people share the floors and other sleeping areas of their home in order to offer people a place close to work. Ultimately this all lasts for the next 12 months, because as the rebuilding starts not only in Galveston, New Orleans, and Houston money is being pumped into the economy much like the New Deal. We emerge from this crisis with more fuel efficient cars and other ways to have cheap energy.
Well....that's definitely a worse case scenerio, and it probably won't be anywhere near that bad...but it never hurts to lay it all out.
In other news I finally bought the new TV that I have wanted for years! YIPPEE! I've wanted a TV since I worked at Best Buy, but since I worked there I never had a way to pay for it. Well, now I have a new one!
Amanda is almost done with her current rotation, then she starts driving downtown again...I don't miss that any!
This weekend I'd like to go North, and I'll put the likelihood of it about 85%, but we'll see!
Oh yeah, last night was the season premeire of LOST, and it did not disappoint! I love that show, and it looks like the mysteries, cluse, and intrigue continue for another season. If you haven't watched this show, pick up the first season and watch it...I promise you will not be disappointed!
Ok, that's it for now.
A monster hurricane is bearing down on the Texas coast. Millions of people evacuating....so here my prediction. Galveston will be wiped out...there will be nothing left. Houston will sustain heavy damage with some of the sky scrapper eventually having to be destroyed. The storms effects will reach as far east as New Orleans where the levees once again rupture and some of New Orleans once again floods. The refineries suffer major damage and subsequently gas shoots up to $3.75 a gallon, once the depth of the damage is realized gas climbs to $5+ a gallon with major shortages. The nations infrastructure grinds to a halt with no fuel to power the airlines, semis, personal vehicles. Natural gas shortages lead to high prices with many deaths from the cold in the typical places like Chicago. Inflation climbs to 25% because of the fuel costs. We won't enter a depression, but rather a new reality for the next 8 months. This reality has people sleeping at their jobs only to return for the weekend, mass transit the only means of transportation, carpooling and housepooling. Housepooling is a new concept where people share the floors and other sleeping areas of their home in order to offer people a place close to work. Ultimately this all lasts for the next 12 months, because as the rebuilding starts not only in Galveston, New Orleans, and Houston money is being pumped into the economy much like the New Deal. We emerge from this crisis with more fuel efficient cars and other ways to have cheap energy.
Well....that's definitely a worse case scenerio, and it probably won't be anywhere near that bad...but it never hurts to lay it all out.
In other news I finally bought the new TV that I have wanted for years! YIPPEE! I've wanted a TV since I worked at Best Buy, but since I worked there I never had a way to pay for it. Well, now I have a new one!
Amanda is almost done with her current rotation, then she starts driving downtown again...I don't miss that any!
This weekend I'd like to go North, and I'll put the likelihood of it about 85%, but we'll see!
Oh yeah, last night was the season premeire of LOST, and it did not disappoint! I love that show, and it looks like the mysteries, cluse, and intrigue continue for another season. If you haven't watched this show, pick up the first season and watch it...I promise you will not be disappointed!
Ok, that's it for now.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Feds aid search in clerks' killings | IndyStar.com
The U.S. Marshals Service has joined the search for a man who remained at large today, a day after authorities believe he fatally shot two women working at a northwestern Indiana convenience store and a 13-year-old girl near Cincinnati.
Senseless, motiveless killing in a small town... That is why I believe whole heartedly in the 2nd Amendment. Thugs like this bastard are going to kill with or without a gun...but I am happy as hell that I am able to own guns, and happy that Indiana allows her citizens the ability to carry them and use them in defense.
The U.S. Marshals Service has joined the search for a man who remained at large today, a day after authorities believe he fatally shot two women working at a northwestern Indiana convenience store and a 13-year-old girl near Cincinnati.
Senseless, motiveless killing in a small town... That is why I believe whole heartedly in the 2nd Amendment. Thugs like this bastard are going to kill with or without a gun...but I am happy as hell that I am able to own guns, and happy that Indiana allows her citizens the ability to carry them and use them in defense.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Michigan St. Stuns No. 10 Notre Dame in OT - Yahoo! News
Jason Teague took an option pitch 19 yards for a touchdown in overtime to give Michigan State a 44-41 victory over No. 10 Notre Dame on Saturday, the Spartans' fifth straight win at Notre Dame Stadium.
Good game ND! Way to live up to your reputation. Everyone thought that this was going to be the year let me be the first to say HAHAHAHA. Sorry for all you ND fans out there, but try living by ND while growing up and hear nothing bout Notre Dame this, Notre Dame that. Yeah, my whole family loves the Fighting Irish, my dad usher's up there, and every family gathering in the fall had the ND game on.
Lets just face the cold, hard, bitter reality...ND and the Cubs are not going to see success as long as they are poorly managed. ND has not won a National Championship since what...89 or so? The days of the four horsemen are long gone, Knute Rockne is a distant memory, and Rudy was an over rated movie. See, it's the same disease that the Cubs and ND has...it's the bitterly loyal fan base. The fans are there come hell or high water which means that the GM/owner/AD/etc. can have a crappy team and still fill the seats day in and day out.
Now, I'd like to see ND win a championship. I'd like to see them do good, but I also love to see all the fans become washed over with disappointment. You see, I wasn't always like this. I use to watch the games, go to them, and cheer the Irish on all the time. Over time though, I got smart and realized what was happening. ND would always blow it against a sub par opponent. It just sucked because everyone wants to beat ND. It's their big game of the year, because everyone is rivals with ND.
Well, on the rest of the day. Well, I worked in the morning and then came home. Amanda's dad and step-mom came over and we sat around and watched TV for a while. I cleaned up and then we hit the malls. After the malls we went to eat at Sapporo and then the left. Dinner was really good like it always is there. Thankfully we finally had normal people as Hibachi-mates. That was a relief, because we have been stuck with some strange ones. After we were sitting down some guys in mullets and Colts jersey's came in...that is the type of people that we normally get stuck with.
Not sure what the rest of the day has in store. I wouldn't mind going to see "Lord of War" since I love Nicholas Cage, but we'll see. There is a lot of stuff on the Replay TV to watch, so we could do that.
Just wanted to pass along a little turtle update. Cliff, isn't dead yet, but he still has not ate any food! How crazy is that. He still doesn't move around much, but at least he is moving. It took him like 1 1/2 weeks to finally move and crawl around. Amanda seems to like him, she takes him out and lets him crawl around on the floor. The cats aren't really too interested, but Stormie is probably a little jealous since she is always jealous of anything that does not involve her.
My quest for a dog is not going very good. It doesn't look like Amanda will let me get the breed I want, so I might as well stop looking.
Oh yeah, I went the Apple store at the Fashion Mall today to check out the new iPod Nano. It is very sylvette and very sharp. It's impossibly tiny and light, it's really amazing. I'm also going to stick with my opinion, that while its really small, it's too flat and loses the durability factor. I have been carrying my mini around in my pocket, and I'm just afraid that the Nano would torque and bend/snap. I did get really annoyed at one of the reps though in the store. There was this one guy inquiring about the Nano and how it is only USB. Well, his apple laptop only has firewire and USB1.1, and she told him that it was not compatible since it was USB 2.0. What a crock of crap! Whenever I sold stuff I always prided myself on knowing as much as I did about the products that we sold, and that was in a huge department...this was a lady at the Apple store, and they probably only have 60-80 SKU's in that whole place. Well, after that guy gave up and walked away I went to him and explained the truth. That yes, his laptop would work, but the transfer would be 40x's slower because of the 1.1. He seemed happy, I just hope that he does not buy it that day, and waits so another rep can get the commission.
Speaking of iPods, I'm still using mine everyday. I received the silicone case I ordered off of e-bay today. It isn't too bad, not perfect, and it wasn't exactly like the description and picture but it will work. I'm happy that it has the arm band, so that means that I can run with it now. I think that it will be a pretty big hair/lint/dirt collector...so I may have to eventually look at a hard plastic case or something for it.
I've been downloading podcasts to it, so far I have found one that I like...many of the other one's that I've tried were either stupid or boring...and sometimes both. Podcast is definitely a neat idea, and should continue to revolve over the next few years. Ok, that's it for now, time to find out what the rest of the night has in store.
Jason Teague took an option pitch 19 yards for a touchdown in overtime to give Michigan State a 44-41 victory over No. 10 Notre Dame on Saturday, the Spartans' fifth straight win at Notre Dame Stadium.
Good game ND! Way to live up to your reputation. Everyone thought that this was going to be the year let me be the first to say HAHAHAHA. Sorry for all you ND fans out there, but try living by ND while growing up and hear nothing bout Notre Dame this, Notre Dame that. Yeah, my whole family loves the Fighting Irish, my dad usher's up there, and every family gathering in the fall had the ND game on.
Lets just face the cold, hard, bitter reality...ND and the Cubs are not going to see success as long as they are poorly managed. ND has not won a National Championship since what...89 or so? The days of the four horsemen are long gone, Knute Rockne is a distant memory, and Rudy was an over rated movie. See, it's the same disease that the Cubs and ND has...it's the bitterly loyal fan base. The fans are there come hell or high water which means that the GM/owner/AD/etc. can have a crappy team and still fill the seats day in and day out.
Now, I'd like to see ND win a championship. I'd like to see them do good, but I also love to see all the fans become washed over with disappointment. You see, I wasn't always like this. I use to watch the games, go to them, and cheer the Irish on all the time. Over time though, I got smart and realized what was happening. ND would always blow it against a sub par opponent. It just sucked because everyone wants to beat ND. It's their big game of the year, because everyone is rivals with ND.
Well, on the rest of the day. Well, I worked in the morning and then came home. Amanda's dad and step-mom came over and we sat around and watched TV for a while. I cleaned up and then we hit the malls. After the malls we went to eat at Sapporo and then the left. Dinner was really good like it always is there. Thankfully we finally had normal people as Hibachi-mates. That was a relief, because we have been stuck with some strange ones. After we were sitting down some guys in mullets and Colts jersey's came in...that is the type of people that we normally get stuck with.
Not sure what the rest of the day has in store. I wouldn't mind going to see "Lord of War" since I love Nicholas Cage, but we'll see. There is a lot of stuff on the Replay TV to watch, so we could do that.
Just wanted to pass along a little turtle update. Cliff, isn't dead yet, but he still has not ate any food! How crazy is that. He still doesn't move around much, but at least he is moving. It took him like 1 1/2 weeks to finally move and crawl around. Amanda seems to like him, she takes him out and lets him crawl around on the floor. The cats aren't really too interested, but Stormie is probably a little jealous since she is always jealous of anything that does not involve her.
My quest for a dog is not going very good. It doesn't look like Amanda will let me get the breed I want, so I might as well stop looking.
Oh yeah, I went the Apple store at the Fashion Mall today to check out the new iPod Nano. It is very sylvette and very sharp. It's impossibly tiny and light, it's really amazing. I'm also going to stick with my opinion, that while its really small, it's too flat and loses the durability factor. I have been carrying my mini around in my pocket, and I'm just afraid that the Nano would torque and bend/snap. I did get really annoyed at one of the reps though in the store. There was this one guy inquiring about the Nano and how it is only USB. Well, his apple laptop only has firewire and USB1.1, and she told him that it was not compatible since it was USB 2.0. What a crock of crap! Whenever I sold stuff I always prided myself on knowing as much as I did about the products that we sold, and that was in a huge department...this was a lady at the Apple store, and they probably only have 60-80 SKU's in that whole place. Well, after that guy gave up and walked away I went to him and explained the truth. That yes, his laptop would work, but the transfer would be 40x's slower because of the 1.1. He seemed happy, I just hope that he does not buy it that day, and waits so another rep can get the commission.
Speaking of iPods, I'm still using mine everyday. I received the silicone case I ordered off of e-bay today. It isn't too bad, not perfect, and it wasn't exactly like the description and picture but it will work. I'm happy that it has the arm band, so that means that I can run with it now. I think that it will be a pretty big hair/lint/dirt collector...so I may have to eventually look at a hard plastic case or something for it.
I've been downloading podcasts to it, so far I have found one that I like...many of the other one's that I've tried were either stupid or boring...and sometimes both. Podcast is definitely a neat idea, and should continue to revolve over the next few years. Ok, that's it for now, time to find out what the rest of the night has in store.
After 55 Years, Vet to Get Medal of Honor - Yahoo! News
I was only staying alive to get that medal and now I'm going to enjoy it," said the 76-year-old Rubin, who now lives in Garden Grove. He was nominated four times for the medal, the nation's highest recognition for bravery in battle. But some believe the paperwork was never submitted because a member of his chain of command discriminated against him for being Jewish and born in Hungary.
What a great story, I'm so glad that he is finally getting the recognition that he deserves. It is men like him, that is willing to put themselves on the line to help others that makes me proud to serve in the US Army. It also saddens me that his chain of command, could have possibly denied or slowed the recognition that he deserved. I can say, that as an officer, that if I ever see anything like this around me, I will squash it with whatever means necessary. There is no place for discrimination in society, and I may not be able to discipline bigots, racists, sexists, and other people from the cellar of society in my normal every day life...but in the military I sure as hell can. That is really one thing that the military has always emphasized, just look how the military led the charge for desegregated units following WWII.
I just wish society was over old habits and thoughts, but no matter how many advances I think that we are making, there is always fresh news to bring all of us down to reality.
I was only staying alive to get that medal and now I'm going to enjoy it," said the 76-year-old Rubin, who now lives in Garden Grove. He was nominated four times for the medal, the nation's highest recognition for bravery in battle. But some believe the paperwork was never submitted because a member of his chain of command discriminated against him for being Jewish and born in Hungary.
What a great story, I'm so glad that he is finally getting the recognition that he deserves. It is men like him, that is willing to put themselves on the line to help others that makes me proud to serve in the US Army. It also saddens me that his chain of command, could have possibly denied or slowed the recognition that he deserved. I can say, that as an officer, that if I ever see anything like this around me, I will squash it with whatever means necessary. There is no place for discrimination in society, and I may not be able to discipline bigots, racists, sexists, and other people from the cellar of society in my normal every day life...but in the military I sure as hell can. That is really one thing that the military has always emphasized, just look how the military led the charge for desegregated units following WWII.
I just wish society was over old habits and thoughts, but no matter how many advances I think that we are making, there is always fresh news to bring all of us down to reality.
Friday, September 16, 2005
So, I get home from the movies and see this e-mail:
hey man. I know you dont know me, but i saw your post on "43 things" about the needles. I also noticed that you went through Army boot camp. I have thought about enlisting for quite a while. I have heard the barrage of needles during the "Reception" is pretty overwhelming. I just wanted to know if you could remember how many shots you had to get and how bad they were. I would appreciate any input or advice you have about boot camp and so forth. Thanks
Me being the nice guy that I am decided that I'd tell 'em the real deal, so here it is. I'm putting this on here because it is entertaining and educational. Maybe after reading this Amanda will stop chasing me around the damn apartment with the little finger pricker for blood sugar. Not because I have to be tested, but because she thinks its fun!Well man, how do I begin. I am a huge needle phobe and still am. I've always passed out and had a ton of trouble with needles. I think it all goes back to having blood drawn when I was a little kid. I've read up on needle phobias and what to do for it. Basically, everyone has some type of input, but they don't know what it's like to have a real honest to God phobia like this. The stress and fear is enormous when that little piece of metal comes by me it's overpowering. From what I've read up on needle phobias its one of the only phobias that actually kills people every year. I've seen some various numbers ranging from the hundreds to tens of thousands a year. Basically it gets you two ways, the most obvious ways is people refusing to get normal medical care and treatment because of needles. The second is that the physiological response that needle phobes actually has is crazy and can kill. All that being said, I'm affected both ways.
I've been injured and refused a pain shot and just took other pain relief. I've had a root canal with no Novocaine. I still haven't had my wisdom teeth removed. I put off my tetanus booster in high school until I was injured. The list goes on and on. Needle phobia is serious, and anyone that tells you to tough it up has no idea what it's like. I also believe that a needle phobia is not going to go away...it will always be there, you have to just learn to deal with your body and take precautionary measures like lying down, looking away, and not being rushed to get up afterwards. I know that it doesn't hurt, and I actually have a high pain tolerance, but it doesn't make any difference. I'm a big guy 6'4" and 220lbs or so, but a needle will bring me to my knees. It's strange though, I can pop blisters with a needle and I could probably stick myself with no ill effects, but I've never tried.
Ok, now...on to your question. I'll be honest with you, and tell you what happened, there will be no sugar coating from me. I went into basic training not having any idea of what to expect. I wasn't close to anyone in the military, and was nervous about what to expect. I knew that there would be shots, but I had no idea! The Army no longer uses those air guns to inject, I guess they spread microscopic blood drops, they just use good ol' syringes now. Well, on like day two in reception we had shot day. We line up in the hall way, roll up both of our sleeves, and each of us is given a silver pressure syringe thing of benicillin that is ice cold. We have to hold it to warm it up, to help it go into our butt (yes, this is the notorious "butt shot").
Well, I was 4th in line and we begin walking forward. I come around the corner and into the doorway...there is a medic on each side of the first person, and they are ramming needles in like crazy. That is the last thing that I remember.
I awoke to be dragged into the shot room. If you have ever been in a high school wrestling room, that is what this is. The whole room is padded because people pass out...it's a given...even those that do not normally have a problem. Well...even though I was semi-concussions they propped me up and hit me with two shots in one shoulder and one in the other. I passed out. I awoke a few minutes later to a TB test in my fore arm. I passed out again. I awoke a little later to a flu shot in my shoulder. I then awoke to being moved (dragged) to the blood draw chair. I passed out again...and it was bad. I was bruised bad from moving or slipping in the chair. I once again was dragged onto the floor. Once I came to they rolled me over and hit me with the butt shot in my hip. After that I was semi conscious for the next fifteen minutes or so. It was hell on earth, but it was the last time that I've passed out from a shot.
What a true needle phobe goes through in basic training is the equivalent of taking an someone scared of spiders and having them sleep in a bed full of them. It's like taking a claustrophobic and locking them in an elevator with 30 people for a week. It's making someone scared of falling bungee jump. It's just hell my friend...but it's a hell that you have to do. The Army Medical Corps is second to none. They are professionals through and through. They deal with needle phobes every day. My advice is be honest with them, tell them you pass out. It will save them trouble, and save you from breaking your face. I've had blood drawn, and I can deal with it if I'm laying down.
So, if you want to be in the military, don't let the needles hold you back...I promise you it's worth it, and I promise you that you will not be the only one to pass out. So yes, I'm still a needle phobe...I'm not a blood donor but there will be no more Novocaine free root canals for me.
As for the rest of boot camp it's the best experience that you'll ever do once. Go into it with an open mind, don't try to sneak contraband in, keep a low profile, and remember that millions of people have went before you. You'll get through it just fine.
I've been injured and refused a pain shot and just took other pain relief. I've had a root canal with no Novocaine. I still haven't had my wisdom teeth removed. I put off my tetanus booster in high school until I was injured. The list goes on and on. Needle phobia is serious, and anyone that tells you to tough it up has no idea what it's like. I also believe that a needle phobia is not going to go away...it will always be there, you have to just learn to deal with your body and take precautionary measures like lying down, looking away, and not being rushed to get up afterwards. I know that it doesn't hurt, and I actually have a high pain tolerance, but it doesn't make any difference. I'm a big guy 6'4" and 220lbs or so, but a needle will bring me to my knees. It's strange though, I can pop blisters with a needle and I could probably stick myself with no ill effects, but I've never tried.
Ok, now...on to your question. I'll be honest with you, and tell you what happened, there will be no sugar coating from me. I went into basic training not having any idea of what to expect. I wasn't close to anyone in the military, and was nervous about what to expect. I knew that there would be shots, but I had no idea! The Army no longer uses those air guns to inject, I guess they spread microscopic blood drops, they just use good ol' syringes now. Well, on like day two in reception we had shot day. We line up in the hall way, roll up both of our sleeves, and each of us is given a silver pressure syringe thing of benicillin that is ice cold. We have to hold it to warm it up, to help it go into our butt (yes, this is the notorious "butt shot").
Well, I was 4th in line and we begin walking forward. I come around the corner and into the doorway...there is a medic on each side of the first person, and they are ramming needles in like crazy. That is the last thing that I remember.
I awoke to be dragged into the shot room. If you have ever been in a high school wrestling room, that is what this is. The whole room is padded because people pass out...it's a given...even those that do not normally have a problem. Well...even though I was semi-concussions they propped me up and hit me with two shots in one shoulder and one in the other. I passed out. I awoke a few minutes later to a TB test in my fore arm. I passed out again. I awoke a little later to a flu shot in my shoulder. I then awoke to being moved (dragged) to the blood draw chair. I passed out again...and it was bad. I was bruised bad from moving or slipping in the chair. I once again was dragged onto the floor. Once I came to they rolled me over and hit me with the butt shot in my hip. After that I was semi conscious for the next fifteen minutes or so. It was hell on earth, but it was the last time that I've passed out from a shot.
What a true needle phobe goes through in basic training is the equivalent of taking an someone scared of spiders and having them sleep in a bed full of them. It's like taking a claustrophobic and locking them in an elevator with 30 people for a week. It's making someone scared of falling bungee jump. It's just hell my friend...but it's a hell that you have to do. The Army Medical Corps is second to none. They are professionals through and through. They deal with needle phobes every day. My advice is be honest with them, tell them you pass out. It will save them trouble, and save you from breaking your face. I've had blood drawn, and I can deal with it if I'm laying down.
So, if you want to be in the military, don't let the needles hold you back...I promise you it's worth it, and I promise you that you will not be the only one to pass out. So yes, I'm still a needle phobe...I'm not a blood donor but there will be no more Novocaine free root canals for me.
As for the rest of boot camp it's the best experience that you'll ever do once. Go into it with an open mind, don't try to sneak contraband in, keep a low profile, and remember that millions of people have went before you. You'll get through it just fine.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Well, I wasn't really planning on updating today since I'm beat, and I was falling asleep on the couch at around 10 today...but I'm drawn into this evil abyss of blogging. There is just something therapeutic typing it up on here. I think its because my brain likes to cognitively link thoughts together. What fun!
First...the daily recap. I got up and around and left for work. I stated to work 30 minutes earlier this week (7:30) to help avoid some of the traffic congestion. As long as I leave no later than 7 it's pretty easy to get there. Any later than 7:04 or so and it's busy. It's crazy how traffic picks up. One nice side benefit is that I gain an extra 30 minutes in the evening, and traffic is generally better coming home.
Work was all right, nothing earth shattering. I was pretty busy though. One interesting thing happened this afternoon. My phone rings and I answer it. It was this student loan intermediary trying to collect payment. Well...needless to say I ripped the guy pretty hard core. The idiots were sending me letters last month and while I was gone this summer. They are calling on a loan that is paid off (since I consolidated). The previous guy that I talked to said that there was like $.70 remaining and he would correct the problem. Well needless to say, he didn't fix it. I think that I scared the guy calling today, because I ripped him and told him that if he or his company called me I was going to tell the attorney general they were harassing me. I was kind of mean, well screw that, I was really mean...but it was so darn therapeutic! I was almost tempted to take my phone number off of the "do not call" lists just so I could yell at telemarketers more often!
After work I went home with a guy that I work with so that I could look at his computer. I was over there for two and half hours or so and then started the Great Pizza King Hunt 05. Amanda has been feeling kind of down because of Music Hell, and I thought that some Pizza King would cheer her up. Well, I ordered a pizza at a Pizza King in Carmel and went to pick it up. Well, the place had moved locations, and I couldn't find the place To top it all off it was raining like crazy! Finally, after driving around way too long I called the place and got the current address. I picked up the pizza, which was W A Y too expensive for Pizza King, and came home.
Amanda was pretty happy though, so it made the expensive pizza, the hard to find location, and fighting the weather all worth it. On a side note, it also means that I won't have to eat Pizza King for a while...it isn't that bad, but it isn't that good either!
So, tonight was the first episode of the new season of Survivor. I didn't think that it was all that good...kind of a big let down. I'm thinking that Survivor has maybe another season left in it before it is done. Hopefully this season picks up, because this episode wasn't very good.
So, it looks like Britney finally had her kid...does anyone care? All that I know is that her kids initials are PMS. Thought that was quite funny! I don't know how Amanda can stand reading about celebrity dirt and gossip, it just starts to bug me after a while. I'm really sick of a lot of the celebrities bull crap. They think that they deserve a pedestal because they are famous, and because they are famous everyone should listen.
Here is a good example for you. Kayne West, in an event attempting to get donations for Katrina relief, decided that he would be moron and voice his opinion about Dubya. Well, not only did it make him look like a fool, it also probably stopped quite a few people from donating money. Now, lets look at another celebrity...Faith Hill. Faith went on her own accord and bought up water, food, and other necessities and escorted it down to Mississippi. She refused interviews and photo ops because she said she wasn't looking for recognition, but rather just wanted to help. There are other celebrities that took this same route and I really admire what they did.
So, today in the mail I got a $20 gift certificate to a restaurant downtown! How cool is that...it appeared to be a mass mailing junk mail thing, good thing that Amanda didn't throw it out, that would have been sad!
I'm so glad that tomorrow is Friday! I can really use a day off. I'm going on 12 days in a row now. I forgot how much a drill weekend throws a wrench into everything. I also could really go for a vacation. I think that I have 3 weeks or so saved up, plus a half dozen or so personal days...I should use some. This weekend I have no idea of anything exciting going on. It looks like Amanda's dad is coming down Saturday to bring us a new filing cabinet (4 drawer one) to replace our smaller one.
Ok, I'm outta here.
First...the daily recap. I got up and around and left for work. I stated to work 30 minutes earlier this week (7:30) to help avoid some of the traffic congestion. As long as I leave no later than 7 it's pretty easy to get there. Any later than 7:04 or so and it's busy. It's crazy how traffic picks up. One nice side benefit is that I gain an extra 30 minutes in the evening, and traffic is generally better coming home.
Work was all right, nothing earth shattering. I was pretty busy though. One interesting thing happened this afternoon. My phone rings and I answer it. It was this student loan intermediary trying to collect payment. Well...needless to say I ripped the guy pretty hard core. The idiots were sending me letters last month and while I was gone this summer. They are calling on a loan that is paid off (since I consolidated). The previous guy that I talked to said that there was like $.70 remaining and he would correct the problem. Well needless to say, he didn't fix it. I think that I scared the guy calling today, because I ripped him and told him that if he or his company called me I was going to tell the attorney general they were harassing me. I was kind of mean, well screw that, I was really mean...but it was so darn therapeutic! I was almost tempted to take my phone number off of the "do not call" lists just so I could yell at telemarketers more often!
After work I went home with a guy that I work with so that I could look at his computer. I was over there for two and half hours or so and then started the Great Pizza King Hunt 05. Amanda has been feeling kind of down because of Music Hell, and I thought that some Pizza King would cheer her up. Well, I ordered a pizza at a Pizza King in Carmel and went to pick it up. Well, the place had moved locations, and I couldn't find the place To top it all off it was raining like crazy! Finally, after driving around way too long I called the place and got the current address. I picked up the pizza, which was W A Y too expensive for Pizza King, and came home.
Amanda was pretty happy though, so it made the expensive pizza, the hard to find location, and fighting the weather all worth it. On a side note, it also means that I won't have to eat Pizza King for a while...it isn't that bad, but it isn't that good either!
So, tonight was the first episode of the new season of Survivor. I didn't think that it was all that good...kind of a big let down. I'm thinking that Survivor has maybe another season left in it before it is done. Hopefully this season picks up, because this episode wasn't very good.
So, it looks like Britney finally had her kid...does anyone care? All that I know is that her kids initials are PMS. Thought that was quite funny! I don't know how Amanda can stand reading about celebrity dirt and gossip, it just starts to bug me after a while. I'm really sick of a lot of the celebrities bull crap. They think that they deserve a pedestal because they are famous, and because they are famous everyone should listen.
Here is a good example for you. Kayne West, in an event attempting to get donations for Katrina relief, decided that he would be moron and voice his opinion about Dubya. Well, not only did it make him look like a fool, it also probably stopped quite a few people from donating money. Now, lets look at another celebrity...Faith Hill. Faith went on her own accord and bought up water, food, and other necessities and escorted it down to Mississippi. She refused interviews and photo ops because she said she wasn't looking for recognition, but rather just wanted to help. There are other celebrities that took this same route and I really admire what they did.
So, today in the mail I got a $20 gift certificate to a restaurant downtown! How cool is that...it appeared to be a mass mailing junk mail thing, good thing that Amanda didn't throw it out, that would have been sad!
I'm so glad that tomorrow is Friday! I can really use a day off. I'm going on 12 days in a row now. I forgot how much a drill weekend throws a wrench into everything. I also could really go for a vacation. I think that I have 3 weeks or so saved up, plus a half dozen or so personal days...I should use some. This weekend I have no idea of anything exciting going on. It looks like Amanda's dad is coming down Saturday to bring us a new filing cabinet (4 drawer one) to replace our smaller one.
Ok, I'm outta here.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
So, I just want to expand a little bit about what happened and what I'm feeling. She (the lady from Music Hell, responded to the e-mail and came off as a total bitch...I'm a little glad that we are finding out now how the place is ran).
I'm mad as hell right now and feel like going off the deep end about what happened...but I'm trying hard to be calm. (LOL, Winamp just randomly kicked up Rob Zombie...definitely not the mellow music that I need...time to pick something quieter, no...Saint Elmo's Fire is not going to work, it's too happy...John Popper "Say Goodbye", I don't even like that song!...Limp Bizkit "Rolling", wow this is not it...Big and Rich "Deadwood Mountain", NEXT...Weezer, NEXT...Beach Boys, NEXT...Georgia Satellites, NEXT....Wangsta, NEXT...Dixie Chicks "Cowboy take me away"...that's just about right). Whew, that was exhausting....just to get a song that was ok. So back on track!
Well, I'm angry to say the least. I talked with the big boss man at work today since he has been in business a long time and probably has some advice. He pretty much said that our time was better spent finding a new place than messing with lawyers. I agree, even though I want to talk to one just to make Music Hell nervous. I called one place today, the guy never called me back. What a great lawyer!
We already have some appointments to go see some other reception sites around town, I'd like to see 4 or 5 next week, and put the deposit down on one before the end of the week. No more surprises for us.
Amanda is taking a nap right now, she is bummed out about this whole situation. I sent her flowers today at work. It was the fastest delivery ever since I just had them sent from the grocery store she was working in. I hoped that it would cheer up Amanda a little bit. If I really wanted to cheer her up I would go pick up Pizza King for her, but maybe there is another place that has some comfort food for her to make her feel a little better. I'm just not a big fan of Pizza King, where I come from pizza has full size pepperoni on it, not any of that little chopped up crap that Pizza King uses.
Yesterday I ordered a case for my iPod off of ebay. I've been really cautious with it, but I know that it's only a matter of time before it gets dinged up. I ordered one with an armband, so I'll be able to run with it. I looked at some of the local stores around here, but they wanted WAY too much money for it. I think that I ended up paying around 8 or 9 w/the armband for it. Hopefully it is nice...I forget what color I ordered. Well, I ordered black (just checked my e-mail). That should be either sharp with the white contrasts, or it will look like crap. I guess we will find out soon enough.
Did I mention that we are possibly going to get a dog? How crazy is that? Yeah, it's pretty crazy. We have talked about it for a long time but I think we are getting somewhat serious now. Amanda wants a teeny tiny dog (Yorkie, Maltese, etc), I want a larger dog though. So, in doing all my research (remember it is me!) I came across the Cairn Terrier. I think that they would be ideal! They are a big dog in a little dogs body. They are tough little dogs that love to play and won't get beaten up by our cats. Unfortunately no one has any for sale that I've been able to find. I did find one kennel in southern Indiana that will be ready around the end of October to go to a home. That seems pretty promising.
Ok, it is time to decide on dinner. Oh, jeez, I almost forgot...today is the season premiere of Survivor! That is great...I should order pizza, because that is our Survivor food!
I'm mad as hell right now and feel like going off the deep end about what happened...but I'm trying hard to be calm. (LOL, Winamp just randomly kicked up Rob Zombie...definitely not the mellow music that I need...time to pick something quieter, no...Saint Elmo's Fire is not going to work, it's too happy...John Popper "Say Goodbye", I don't even like that song!...Limp Bizkit "Rolling", wow this is not it...Big and Rich "Deadwood Mountain", NEXT...Weezer, NEXT...Beach Boys, NEXT...Georgia Satellites, NEXT....Wangsta, NEXT...Dixie Chicks "Cowboy take me away"...that's just about right). Whew, that was exhausting....just to get a song that was ok. So back on track!
Well, I'm angry to say the least. I talked with the big boss man at work today since he has been in business a long time and probably has some advice. He pretty much said that our time was better spent finding a new place than messing with lawyers. I agree, even though I want to talk to one just to make Music Hell nervous. I called one place today, the guy never called me back. What a great lawyer!
We already have some appointments to go see some other reception sites around town, I'd like to see 4 or 5 next week, and put the deposit down on one before the end of the week. No more surprises for us.
Amanda is taking a nap right now, she is bummed out about this whole situation. I sent her flowers today at work. It was the fastest delivery ever since I just had them sent from the grocery store she was working in. I hoped that it would cheer up Amanda a little bit. If I really wanted to cheer her up I would go pick up Pizza King for her, but maybe there is another place that has some comfort food for her to make her feel a little better. I'm just not a big fan of Pizza King, where I come from pizza has full size pepperoni on it, not any of that little chopped up crap that Pizza King uses.
Yesterday I ordered a case for my iPod off of ebay. I've been really cautious with it, but I know that it's only a matter of time before it gets dinged up. I ordered one with an armband, so I'll be able to run with it. I looked at some of the local stores around here, but they wanted WAY too much money for it. I think that I ended up paying around 8 or 9 w/the armband for it. Hopefully it is nice...I forget what color I ordered. Well, I ordered black (just checked my e-mail). That should be either sharp with the white contrasts, or it will look like crap. I guess we will find out soon enough.
Did I mention that we are possibly going to get a dog? How crazy is that? Yeah, it's pretty crazy. We have talked about it for a long time but I think we are getting somewhat serious now. Amanda wants a teeny tiny dog (Yorkie, Maltese, etc), I want a larger dog though. So, in doing all my research (remember it is me!) I came across the Cairn Terrier. I think that they would be ideal! They are a big dog in a little dogs body. They are tough little dogs that love to play and won't get beaten up by our cats. Unfortunately no one has any for sale that I've been able to find. I did find one kennel in southern Indiana that will be ready around the end of October to go to a home. That seems pretty promising.
Ok, it is time to decide on dinner. Oh, jeez, I almost forgot...today is the season premiere of Survivor! That is great...I should order pizza, because that is our Survivor food!
Drama w/the reception site...more to follow later. Put it this way, I'll be calling an attorney today. Here is what Amanda wrote the place last night...I'll let her do the talking in this post....
Kelli,
Kelli,
We met with you on Thursday to get an estimated total for the venue. We knew that we were going to be booking with you. We did not know that we had the option of holding the date before we received the proposal. There has been no doubt in our mind about where we were going to hold our reception since we first viewed the venue on June 28. We were unable to move forward with the process until approximately 2 weeks ago since Jason was in Washington doing military training.
You did not tell us that there was another couple interested in the date. If you had, we would have given you the deposit on Thursday evening when we met with you. When you did tell us, it was via e-mail. By the time we were able to VIEW the e-mail (and proposal that we received 4 days late) and respond, you had already promised it to someone else.
You told us that we would receive the proposal on FRIDAY. Had we received it on FRIDAY as you stated, you would have had our deposit THAT NIGHT. However, you did not send it until 4 days later (after I had to request it AGAIN). You did not call us to inform us that it was going to be sent later than originally stated either. If you had done this, AND told us that there was another interested party, we would have given you the deposit immediately (as opposed to the other party, which finally made their decision today and is still waiting until Friday to make it "official").
You e-mailed Jason at 3:55 pm on Tuesday. He got home around 4:45 and opened his e-mail to find that the proposal was finally sent to us. He called me at work and I told him to go ahead and have you hold it. Following this conversation, he sent you an e-mail requesting the date (only ~8 minutes after receiving the proposal). This e-mail was sent at 4:53.
After this, you sent an e-mail to MY ACCOUNT, rather than to Jason's, whom you had sent the proposal. This e-mail stated that another couple had already reserved it. We did not receive this information until 8:45 pm because I was at work and you sent it to my e-mail address instead of the same one that you had used to correspond with earlier.
Had you given us the proposal on Friday as originally stated, you would have had the deposit that night. Had you CALLED us to tell us that we were in competition with another couple, we would have reserved it then and there and brought the money to you immediately. Instead, you sent us an e-mail that we were not even able to read until 7 minutes before you told us it went to someone else.
So, you DID NOT tell us that there was another party interested and when you finally DID tell us, it was via e-mail. We reserved the date 58 minutes after you sent the proposal, and approximately 7 MINUTES after we were able to view the e-mail (again, 4 days after we were suppose to have received it). If you were going to offer it to someone else BEFORE EVEN KNOWING THAT WE HAD RECEIVED THE PROPOSAL VIA E-MAIL, then why didn't you CALL US and speak with us concerning the situation?
How long did the other couple sit on the proposal? We were ready with a deposit 58 minutes after you sent us the proposal and 7 minutes after we read it. We also DELIVERED the deposit 3 days before the other interested party is even planning on delivering it.
We have been interested since June. We were delayed 4 days in getting the proposal (NOT our fault...but now WE are being penalized). The facility was "given to someone else" at literally the EXACT same time that we were able to READ the proposal that you sent us. You should have contacted us concerning the urgency of the situation rather than sending an e-mail that you had no idea when we would receive.
In your e-mail that you sent at 3:55, you stated "...as is the case in any scenario, whomever places a deposit down does get the date...." As of 9:15 pm, August 12, we have placed our deposit (it was dropped off with Celeste). Therefore, according to your e-mail we should get the date. Not to mention the delay in sending us the information, sending information to multiple e-mail addresses, and letting someone else reserve it 58 minutes after you even sent us the proposal and warned us that another couple was interested. You didn't even give us a chance to GET the e-mail concerning the proposal and how to reserve the venue before you gave it to someone else. How is this fair? How is this good business practice?
I know this is long, but I am really upset right now. We have gone through so much trying to get this wedding underway, changing things due to family, military, school, etc. We have already sent out "save the date cards" since 95% of our guests are from out of town. Now you are telling us that we are out of luck because we only had 58 minutes to receive the proposal and get back with you?
According to the documents on the venue website,
"...all holds are unofficial for two weeks until a deposit has been received..." (from the FAQ document). Therefore, the "hold" that you allowed this other party to take before we were even notified of the proposal is UNofficial until a deposit has been received. Since you were apparently "on the phone" with the other party at the almost the EXACT SAME TIME that we sent you the e-mail requesting the venue, I would venture to say that it is only fair to give both parties an equal hold at this time. However, we have dropped our deposit off already and the other party has not. Additionally, I can be there at anytime Wednesday afternoon to SIGN the contract. The other party cannot give you their deposit or sign anything until Friday.
After giving us the proposal 4 days late, giving us less than 58 minutes to know the e-mail was sent, look at it, and get back with you, and then telling us that we are out of luck because another party reserved it at essentially the exact time that we were reserving it with you via e-mail, the least you can do is make it a fair "unofficial hold" for both parties and make it "official" for the one that gets the deposit to you first (or even gives the deposit and signs the contract).
On the same document it says, "...to reserve the venue for your date, we require a deposit of 25% of your balance due or the cost of the venue alone..." So, according to that statement it is not reserved until you put down the deposit, which we have already done.
On the Reservations and billing document, it states under reservations/billing "...all events require 25% of your balance due or the cost of the venue alone as a non-refundable deposit to hold the date at the time the event contract is signed..." Again, to "hold the date" the deposit must be put down and the contract signed. We have already delivered the deposit well in advance of the other party. We can also be there to sign the contract on Wednesday.
Jason is available at 317-201-XXXX. We would appreciate your comments concerning everything I have written above. I am hopeful that you will see the unjustness of the situation since we were not given adequate time to respond after receiving the proposal 4 days late. Please contact Jason (via phone) concerning this e-mail.
Thank you,
AmandaTuesday, September 13, 2005
Not going to be much of an update...just returned home from 5 hours of driving. It's late and I have to get up early. Thankfully Amanda drove from Peru home, because I was getting tired...I should have gotten coffee instead of energy drinks, because they didn't do anything for me. I'll probably be up all night going to the bathroom (a red bull, a full throttle, a green tea, and a banana snapple).
That's it...I'm off to bed. <5>
That's it...I'm off to bed. <5>
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Well, stupid ass firefox decided to crash and I lost all I was working on. I'm so close to just going back to IE. Let me cut to the chase...I had a lot typed talking about my first drill this weekend as an officer, but I'm going to get into the meat and potatoes of my post.
This morning I was listening to the news and there was a little blurb on FoxNews about 9/11 and it being the the 4th anniversary today of the one single event that has influenced my life more than anything else. I come home today and look at my typical news sites: IndyStar, South Bend Tribune, CNN, Drudge, ABC News, NY Times, Fox News, and Yahoo News among others. Lets go over the number of 9/11 stories on the front pages.
IndyStar- 2 Stories, one AP, the other a nicely written piece...Kudos you guys...
South Bend Tribune- 1 worthless AP story talking about 9/11 loans
CNN- 3, a small memorial, an article about New Orleans firefighters remember 9/11, and another about ceremonies.
Drudge-0
ABC News- 1 about the families
NY Times- 1 headline which links to "complete coverage"
Fox News- 3 Small blurbs, nothing major
Yahoo News- 2 in the sections that I have displayed.
Hello media!? Have we forgotten already these images?
This morning I was listening to the news and there was a little blurb on FoxNews about 9/11 and it being the the 4th anniversary today of the one single event that has influenced my life more than anything else. I come home today and look at my typical news sites: IndyStar, South Bend Tribune, CNN, Drudge, ABC News, NY Times, Fox News, and Yahoo News among others. Lets go over the number of 9/11 stories on the front pages.
IndyStar- 2 Stories, one AP, the other a nicely written piece...Kudos you guys...
South Bend Tribune- 1 worthless AP story talking about 9/11 loans
CNN- 3, a small memorial, an article about New Orleans firefighters remember 9/11, and another about ceremonies.
Drudge-0
ABC News- 1 about the families
NY Times- 1 headline which links to "complete coverage"
Fox News- 3 Small blurbs, nothing major
Yahoo News- 2 in the sections that I have displayed.
Hello media!? Have we forgotten already these images?
Do these images make you cringe? They tear me up, and people forget these images. These images of a single event that has changed the course for millions of people, and changed the government forever. We are quick to use 9/11 as a reference to terrorist attacks, disasters, loss of life, bravery, beginning of war, emergency response, air travel and a myriad of other things, but 9/11 has begun to lose it's impact on a personal level. The media has stopped showing these images to us...they are reserved for an occasional special or a documentary. We forget what it was like to have that feeling of hopelessness and uncertainty as 9/11 turned into 9/11. We forget how the nation stopped on that day.... radio stations stopped broadcasting music, TV stopped airing commercials, air travel was no more, the stock market was closed, tall building all over the nation were evacuated, school children were sent home early, soldiers wondered who and when they were going to war.
Who, upon going to bed on September the 10th 2001 would have thought that the next morning would forever changed their life, and that of the nation? I went to bed in a two bedroom apartment in Lafayette excited because the next morning we were having our cable TV hooked up. I woke to the cable men knocking on our door...I answered the door to the cable guy saying "We have to hook you up fast, a plane just hit the WTC". They hooked up the cable in a matter of minutes and myself, Amanda, and two cable guys sat in shock as the events of 9/11 unfolded on the TV. It was apparent from the start that this was a terrorist attack. I called my National Guard unit with the images of the towers burning on the TV in front of me. I knew that there would be a call up...we were being attacked.
I had to work that afternoon. I was at Best Buy and it was the eeriest day of work ever. Every TV was tuned to a news network, and there was hardly any customers. There were rumors of attacks elsewhere in the country and threats all over. I left work that day with Amanda. I don't remember how she ended up at Best Buy, but we both followed each other to a gas station to fill up. That was the first time that I paid over $2 for a gallon of gas, and we had to wait in line over 30 minutes to get it. The nation was gripped in fear...the comfort that we had felt was no longer there. We really had no explanation as to why this happened...but from the get go we had a gut feeling who was responsible.
The days following 9/11 are blur...I can't remember specific instances past that first day, but that is enough for me. Sitting in our apartment on Brunswick Drive I knew that my life was going to change, and it has in these past 4 years. Hopefully society remembers the images of 9/11 and that emotion that we felt...because that is 9/11 to me. 9/11 to me is not the dividing line between peace and the war on terror. It's the attack on the US that killed thousands in a few short minutes. It's the months and months of people sifting through the rubble, hopefully we can remember this, and if it's necessary for me to put a few uncomfortable pictures on here to wake people up so be it. The images are not supposed to be pleasant...but they are supposed to remind us.
How my life has changed in these last 4 years:
I was 22, I am now 26.
I was on my 3rd apartment, now I'm on my 5th and can't wait to get a house.
I had dropped out of college, I've now graduated
I was just back from AIT and a PFC, and now I'm an LT.
None of my friends had been to faraway lands like Iraq, Kuwait, or Afghanistan...now they have and many are still there.
I hated cats, we have two now.
I was happy to be working at Best Buy, I'm happy to not be working at Best By.
I had a brother and sister, I now have a brother, sister, sister-in-law and a niece.
I had never heard of an IED...everyone now has.
Iraq and Afghanistan had leaders that oppressed their people, now both countries enjoy more freedom.
Michael Moore was a goofy fat guy...he's still fat but I think he is a liar now also.
Indy was a big scary city, I live there now.
IUPUI was pronounced EWWEPOOE...I have since graduated from there and hated that pronunciation.
I liked Purdue, I'm now glad my diploma says IU.
$2 a gallon for gas was crazy, now it would be cheap!
The list goes on on and on...but some things never change...
Amanda is still in Pharmacy school (well, for a couple more months).
I'm still with Amanda.
Cubs still suck.
Still eat out too much.
Well, that's about it. I know that my life was changed in the morning of 9/11 forever, and I won't forget the feeling in my stomach, the tears in my eyes, the fear on my face, the anger in my gut...I won't forget because I still feel them today.
Who, upon going to bed on September the 10th 2001 would have thought that the next morning would forever changed their life, and that of the nation? I went to bed in a two bedroom apartment in Lafayette excited because the next morning we were having our cable TV hooked up. I woke to the cable men knocking on our door...I answered the door to the cable guy saying "We have to hook you up fast, a plane just hit the WTC". They hooked up the cable in a matter of minutes and myself, Amanda, and two cable guys sat in shock as the events of 9/11 unfolded on the TV. It was apparent from the start that this was a terrorist attack. I called my National Guard unit with the images of the towers burning on the TV in front of me. I knew that there would be a call up...we were being attacked.
I had to work that afternoon. I was at Best Buy and it was the eeriest day of work ever. Every TV was tuned to a news network, and there was hardly any customers. There were rumors of attacks elsewhere in the country and threats all over. I left work that day with Amanda. I don't remember how she ended up at Best Buy, but we both followed each other to a gas station to fill up. That was the first time that I paid over $2 for a gallon of gas, and we had to wait in line over 30 minutes to get it. The nation was gripped in fear...the comfort that we had felt was no longer there. We really had no explanation as to why this happened...but from the get go we had a gut feeling who was responsible.
The days following 9/11 are blur...I can't remember specific instances past that first day, but that is enough for me. Sitting in our apartment on Brunswick Drive I knew that my life was going to change, and it has in these past 4 years. Hopefully society remembers the images of 9/11 and that emotion that we felt...because that is 9/11 to me. 9/11 to me is not the dividing line between peace and the war on terror. It's the attack on the US that killed thousands in a few short minutes. It's the months and months of people sifting through the rubble, hopefully we can remember this, and if it's necessary for me to put a few uncomfortable pictures on here to wake people up so be it. The images are not supposed to be pleasant...but they are supposed to remind us.
How my life has changed in these last 4 years:
I was 22, I am now 26.
I was on my 3rd apartment, now I'm on my 5th and can't wait to get a house.
I had dropped out of college, I've now graduated
I was just back from AIT and a PFC, and now I'm an LT.
None of my friends had been to faraway lands like Iraq, Kuwait, or Afghanistan...now they have and many are still there.
I hated cats, we have two now.
I was happy to be working at Best Buy, I'm happy to not be working at Best By.
I had a brother and sister, I now have a brother, sister, sister-in-law and a niece.
I had never heard of an IED...everyone now has.
Iraq and Afghanistan had leaders that oppressed their people, now both countries enjoy more freedom.
Michael Moore was a goofy fat guy...he's still fat but I think he is a liar now also.
Indy was a big scary city, I live there now.
IUPUI was pronounced EWWEPOOE...I have since graduated from there and hated that pronunciation.
I liked Purdue, I'm now glad my diploma says IU.
$2 a gallon for gas was crazy, now it would be cheap!
The list goes on on and on...but some things never change...
Amanda is still in Pharmacy school (well, for a couple more months).
I'm still with Amanda.
Cubs still suck.
Still eat out too much.
Well, that's about it. I know that my life was changed in the morning of 9/11 forever, and I won't forget the feeling in my stomach, the tears in my eyes, the fear on my face, the anger in my gut...I won't forget because I still feel them today.
