Hey you zombiefiles! Sorry it took me almost TWO months to whip out H1Z1 chapter 10 - it's been a rough summer, to say the least.
In brief, I am suffering a debilitating back injury and it's been rough making my way through not only the military medical system, but the struggles of narcotic painkillers, muscle relaxers and depression iincluded in no longer being able to lift even my cat (and she's a little damned cat).
I am trying very hard to keep my positive (or at least pragmatic and probably a bit sarcastic) outlook and learn to deal with my newfound disability. Hopefully, I'll bbe able to get surgery and fix this so I can re-start my zombie survivalism training.
But, no matter what, I'll keep pluugging away at the H1Z1 saga 'cause, damn it, we need to be prepared when H1N1 mutates and people start re-animating in search of fresh human brains!
Showing posts with label Rants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rants. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
So now what?
I got a phone call a little while ago. A phone call I was not very pleased with.
Looking at my cell, the number was familiar only in that it was the base switchboard. I always hate answering these calls because they are almost always either my boss needing me to come back in or the clinic calling to tell me how many ways my body is rebelling against youth and good health.
It was the latter.
"Mr. Guhrilla? This is 'Nan' from the base Clinic calling you to tell you that you have a referral to Orthopedics."
"What? Why do I have that?" I asked, fighting that 'wonderful' feeling of my stomach clenching as I tried valiantly to keep it from crawling up my throat by way of my spine. My eyes actually began to tear up. A referral.
"They didn't tell you?" This, she asked with just as glib a voice as the one she used to announce to me that I had been "referred."
"No ma'am, they didn't."
"We got the results from your MRI and you have a bulging disc."
Now I ask you, who, in their right mind, calls an almost middle-aged man who has been suffering with extreme lower back pain for months (at this point) and tells him, over the phone no less, "Oh by the way, you're on the path to life-long pain, discomfort, eternal physical therapy and we might be able to throw in repeated surgeries, too! YAY!"
I could almost visualize Miss Super Happy jumping up and down and clapping as she dropped what, to me, felt like a virtual death sentence in my lap. I swear I heard her office-mates blowing on those obnoxious party whistles and the rustle of confetti in the background as she dumped an uncertain but constantly painful future square in my lap.
I realize a bulging disc isn't the end of the world, but you have to realize, I have always been the guy who, when no one else in the shop could pick it up, would simply walk over, lift the offending item and nonchalantly ask, "Where do you want it?"
Now I'm the guy who limps and hunches over a little because his back can't stand to stand straight and take long steps. I can't sit in one position for too long, I can't stand for too long - heck, I have to take a painkiller and a muscle relaxer just to be able to sleep fitfully and wake up miserable.
Always been strong as a horse - always. And now this. Is this the punishment I deserve for growing one more year older? Is this the curse I deserve for wanting to be that strong, virile man for ever and ever?
Well, damn it, I am NOT going to take this lying down. No. I am going to fight. I am going to win, too. It is MY body, damn it, and I refuse to let it tell me how to survive. I am going to find a way to fix this doggone disc, even if it means a rusty X-acto and a mallet! I refuse to let this break me!
Now, where's that box that needs to be put up on that shelf. I'll ...
go lie down and rest and then supervise my son as he puts it where it belongs.
Damn.
Looking at my cell, the number was familiar only in that it was the base switchboard. I always hate answering these calls because they are almost always either my boss needing me to come back in or the clinic calling to tell me how many ways my body is rebelling against youth and good health.
It was the latter.
"Mr. Guhrilla? This is 'Nan' from the base Clinic calling you to tell you that you have a referral to Orthopedics."
"What? Why do I have that?" I asked, fighting that 'wonderful' feeling of my stomach clenching as I tried valiantly to keep it from crawling up my throat by way of my spine. My eyes actually began to tear up. A referral.
"They didn't tell you?" This, she asked with just as glib a voice as the one she used to announce to me that I had been "referred."
"No ma'am, they didn't."
"We got the results from your MRI and you have a bulging disc."
Now I ask you, who, in their right mind, calls an almost middle-aged man who has been suffering with extreme lower back pain for months (at this point) and tells him, over the phone no less, "Oh by the way, you're on the path to life-long pain, discomfort, eternal physical therapy and we might be able to throw in repeated surgeries, too! YAY!"
I could almost visualize Miss Super Happy jumping up and down and clapping as she dropped what, to me, felt like a virtual death sentence in my lap. I swear I heard her office-mates blowing on those obnoxious party whistles and the rustle of confetti in the background as she dumped an uncertain but constantly painful future square in my lap.
I realize a bulging disc isn't the end of the world, but you have to realize, I have always been the guy who, when no one else in the shop could pick it up, would simply walk over, lift the offending item and nonchalantly ask, "Where do you want it?"
Now I'm the guy who limps and hunches over a little because his back can't stand to stand straight and take long steps. I can't sit in one position for too long, I can't stand for too long - heck, I have to take a painkiller and a muscle relaxer just to be able to sleep fitfully and wake up miserable.
Always been strong as a horse - always. And now this. Is this the punishment I deserve for growing one more year older? Is this the curse I deserve for wanting to be that strong, virile man for ever and ever?
Well, damn it, I am NOT going to take this lying down. No. I am going to fight. I am going to win, too. It is MY body, damn it, and I refuse to let it tell me how to survive. I am going to find a way to fix this doggone disc, even if it means a rusty X-acto and a mallet! I refuse to let this break me!
Now, where's that box that needs to be put up on that shelf. I'll ...
go lie down and rest and then supervise my son as he puts it where it belongs.
Damn.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Digital Natives
This is what my children are - digital natives. Think about it - my generation, "Generation X" - we're the first settlers in the newly discovered digital world. We grew up with satellite TV, satellite communications, the very beginnings of the Internet, and pretty much every home eventually had a computer in it - our first was an Epson that had a tiny 4-inch green screen and folded up into a suitcase.
My parents were missionaries in the digital environment. My mother worked for a while as a computer networking technician for Alaska Pacific University. She set up computers in villages the Alaska bush, which were networked to the University in Anchorage via satellite, and then to the central hub for the company which was running the program, Control Data. These are the very basic underpinnings of the tool we know and share on a daily basis, the Internet.
Mom's parents, my Grandparents, were the discoverers of this amazing new digital world. Grandpa ran the program at APU (nepotism, I know). People of his generation built the first actual computers - from ENIAC to the invention of the microchip. These were the Columbus's of their time - those who dared posit that the world was not flat at all ...
Which makes me and my generation the proud parents of the first generation born fully immersed in the ever-changing world of digital technology.
Think about this: since my daughter was born in 1991, cell phones have shrunk from the size of a walkie-talkie almost down to the size of a credit card. The computer has shrunk from a box the size of a suitcase and a monitor the size of a house to a thin notebook which you can fit in an envelope or a hand-held device 1,000 - times more powerful than that first Apple IIe I was so very proud of in the 7th grade. For her, technology ebbs and flows like the tide does for us, and she's used to instant information, instant entertainment and instant gratification. Why not? All she has to do is Google it if she wants to find something out.
The problem with this - and I see it as a generational problem from which even my generation suffers to a degree - is that in learning that she can find it now, she has failed to learn the PROCESS. She doesn't understand, and we're, as a generation, as two or even THREE generations, failing to teach, to train her generation in how the PROCESS is as important as the RESULTS.
Why learn to exercise when you can get liposuction or lap-band surgery? Who cares about learning to take care of ones self when all one has to do is get a pill to fix it?
Why learn how to perform long division when you can just pull up your calculator on your laptop?
Why balance your checkbook? Why even HAVE a checkbook? Just log on to the bank and look at your account balance!
But when they don't understand the need for Process, the need for learning the steps, they don't truly learn the hows and whys as to the way the world (OUR FAULT, not THEIRS), they feel entitled to the benefits of that process even though they didn't go through it.
And now the government is following through and entitling their entitlement. Let's bail out the economy! Let's socialize medicine! Let's tax the rich and give to the poor not because they deserve it, but because we CAN.
We no longer have to work to earn our living - we can be guaranteed housing, medical care, food - why bother working? We are ENTITLED to these things, according to the president. We needn't EARN them!
I, for one, am going to teach my children how to EARN what they need, and how to protect what they EARN. It's the only way we, as a society, are going to survive - the way our forefathers built this nation, and something we need to return to.
My parents were missionaries in the digital environment. My mother worked for a while as a computer networking technician for Alaska Pacific University. She set up computers in villages the Alaska bush, which were networked to the University in Anchorage via satellite, and then to the central hub for the company which was running the program, Control Data. These are the very basic underpinnings of the tool we know and share on a daily basis, the Internet.
Mom's parents, my Grandparents, were the discoverers of this amazing new digital world. Grandpa ran the program at APU (nepotism, I know). People of his generation built the first actual computers - from ENIAC to the invention of the microchip. These were the Columbus's of their time - those who dared posit that the world was not flat at all ...
Which makes me and my generation the proud parents of the first generation born fully immersed in the ever-changing world of digital technology.
Think about this: since my daughter was born in 1991, cell phones have shrunk from the size of a walkie-talkie almost down to the size of a credit card. The computer has shrunk from a box the size of a suitcase and a monitor the size of a house to a thin notebook which you can fit in an envelope or a hand-held device 1,000 - times more powerful than that first Apple IIe I was so very proud of in the 7th grade. For her, technology ebbs and flows like the tide does for us, and she's used to instant information, instant entertainment and instant gratification. Why not? All she has to do is Google it if she wants to find something out.
The problem with this - and I see it as a generational problem from which even my generation suffers to a degree - is that in learning that she can find it now, she has failed to learn the PROCESS. She doesn't understand, and we're, as a generation, as two or even THREE generations, failing to teach, to train her generation in how the PROCESS is as important as the RESULTS.
Why learn to exercise when you can get liposuction or lap-band surgery? Who cares about learning to take care of ones self when all one has to do is get a pill to fix it?
Why learn how to perform long division when you can just pull up your calculator on your laptop?
Why balance your checkbook? Why even HAVE a checkbook? Just log on to the bank and look at your account balance!
But when they don't understand the need for Process, the need for learning the steps, they don't truly learn the hows and whys as to the way the world (OUR FAULT, not THEIRS), they feel entitled to the benefits of that process even though they didn't go through it.
And now the government is following through and entitling their entitlement. Let's bail out the economy! Let's socialize medicine! Let's tax the rich and give to the poor not because they deserve it, but because we CAN.
We no longer have to work to earn our living - we can be guaranteed housing, medical care, food - why bother working? We are ENTITLED to these things, according to the president. We needn't EARN them!
I, for one, am going to teach my children how to EARN what they need, and how to protect what they EARN. It's the only way we, as a society, are going to survive - the way our forefathers built this nation, and something we need to return to.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Robots of war
.Military’s killer robots must learn warrior code
Creating devices to do our dirty work for us, in my opinion, would create a particular heartlessness that I believe would actually INCREASE our proclivity for violence. If all I suffer is a robot destroyed while you lose villages and people, what difference is that to me? My people didn't die, my land was not over-run ... It seems a dark road to travel down.
As it is, human suffering, ours and theirs, gives us, the U.S. reason to think twice before sending in the troops - at least, I hope it does. In my mind, if a situation could be avoided by diplomacy then it is worth far more to pursue that avenue than to send in the military. That being said, there are certainly good reasons to send in the military - with the understanding that it will cost us, most likely as dearly as it will cost "them".
But if we were to send in machinery to do the dirty work, where is the cost? Money for more machines. Where is the human suffering? Not in MY hometown ... Who would benefit? The contractors who build the robots and their employees - hell, it would be a boon to the economy. But what would stop us or any other nation from pursuing war as a solution when we don't stand to lose much at all? And what IF those machines develop "minds of their own"?
General Douglas MacArthur said, "I know war as few other men now living know it, and nothing to me is more revolting. I have long advocated its complete abolition, as its very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a method of settling international disputes."
How true is this? I think of what the ramifications would have been had we sent robots into Iraq - machines have no conscience, no compassion, simply a mission. If robots overthrew Saddam, drove out insurgencies and dismantled the Iraqi military, who would help rebuild the country? I think it would be naive in the extreme to say, "We would."
No, we wouldn't. We already spent x-numbers of billions of dollars sending our robot army over to do our will. Mission accomplished, regime overthrown, now what? We ship the robots home. We vote not to extend our time "over there" or keep wasting our tax dollars "over there". We withdraw from our neighbors and into ourselves and any time someone pisses us off, we simply launch our robots.
And let me ask this: if "THEY" have robots, too, and the robots fight the robots - WHO WINS????? What would be the point in the first place? We'd fall back on the diplomatic routes and eventually end up sending humans, or worse, using bigger weapons (nukes), because, "Hey, 'Kreblakistan', we don't like you, so we're sending our robots to beat up your robots" just doesn't make any sense! The whole point of war, or a fistfight, for that matter, is, "I don't agree with you, so I'm going to beat you until you submit or until you beat ME and I HAVE to put up with your point of view."
I am all for defending those who are suffering and standing for freedom and democracy. I feel that the current war(s) are and were justified and that we will have, ultimately, done some good in this world. But if we start doing that "good" via remote control, we lose yet another piece of our humanity, and if, as the linked article mentions, those robots develop a "mind of their own" and decide to turn their programming and abilities back on their creators, we've done nothing but develop yet another form of human suffering and warfare.
Let's use robots to disarm roadside bombs, fly reconnaisance missions and conduct deep strike missions. But when it comes to feet on the ground warfare, we need to remember that it's the humanity of the mission that keeps us from escalating and ultimately destroying ourselves.
Creating devices to do our dirty work for us, in my opinion, would create a particular heartlessness that I believe would actually INCREASE our proclivity for violence. If all I suffer is a robot destroyed while you lose villages and people, what difference is that to me? My people didn't die, my land was not over-run ... It seems a dark road to travel down.
As it is, human suffering, ours and theirs, gives us, the U.S. reason to think twice before sending in the troops - at least, I hope it does. In my mind, if a situation could be avoided by diplomacy then it is worth far more to pursue that avenue than to send in the military. That being said, there are certainly good reasons to send in the military - with the understanding that it will cost us, most likely as dearly as it will cost "them".
But if we were to send in machinery to do the dirty work, where is the cost? Money for more machines. Where is the human suffering? Not in MY hometown ... Who would benefit? The contractors who build the robots and their employees - hell, it would be a boon to the economy. But what would stop us or any other nation from pursuing war as a solution when we don't stand to lose much at all? And what IF those machines develop "minds of their own"?
General Douglas MacArthur said, "I know war as few other men now living know it, and nothing to me is more revolting. I have long advocated its complete abolition, as its very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a method of settling international disputes."
How true is this? I think of what the ramifications would have been had we sent robots into Iraq - machines have no conscience, no compassion, simply a mission. If robots overthrew Saddam, drove out insurgencies and dismantled the Iraqi military, who would help rebuild the country? I think it would be naive in the extreme to say, "We would."
No, we wouldn't. We already spent x-numbers of billions of dollars sending our robot army over to do our will. Mission accomplished, regime overthrown, now what? We ship the robots home. We vote not to extend our time "over there" or keep wasting our tax dollars "over there". We withdraw from our neighbors and into ourselves and any time someone pisses us off, we simply launch our robots.
And let me ask this: if "THEY" have robots, too, and the robots fight the robots - WHO WINS????? What would be the point in the first place? We'd fall back on the diplomatic routes and eventually end up sending humans, or worse, using bigger weapons (nukes), because, "Hey, 'Kreblakistan', we don't like you, so we're sending our robots to beat up your robots" just doesn't make any sense! The whole point of war, or a fistfight, for that matter, is, "I don't agree with you, so I'm going to beat you until you submit or until you beat ME and I HAVE to put up with your point of view."
I am all for defending those who are suffering and standing for freedom and democracy. I feel that the current war(s) are and were justified and that we will have, ultimately, done some good in this world. But if we start doing that "good" via remote control, we lose yet another piece of our humanity, and if, as the linked article mentions, those robots develop a "mind of their own" and decide to turn their programming and abilities back on their creators, we've done nothing but develop yet another form of human suffering and warfare.
Let's use robots to disarm roadside bombs, fly reconnaisance missions and conduct deep strike missions. But when it comes to feet on the ground warfare, we need to remember that it's the humanity of the mission that keeps us from escalating and ultimately destroying ourselves.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Since when?
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D963IPR81&show_article=1
Since when did we start expecting our elite athletes to be elite humans? It doesn't work that way -- we're all just human and we all make mistakes. Whether it's Michael Phelps loading up a bong or a Catholic Bishop caught having an affair (or worse), people whom society tends to place a higher set of characteristic and behavioral expectations on almost never fail to let us down.
I am certain that part of the issue is the fact that media is now instantly accessable - we can see the exploits of our "heroes" almost as it happens - people are posting photos and video to the Web from their phones in near-real-time, giving a judgemental media ability to instantly condemn or praise their actions and send the word out world-wide. The pressure that this creates on public figures has got to be overwhelming, and the expectations of a public whom understands only what the media shows them of a person - who only gets a two-dimensional view - well, one can only assume that that creates a crushing weight.
So what do we do as responsible citizens? Point and cluck our tongues, wagging our heads knowingly? Disassociate ourselves from any fan-dom or reverence of said transgressors? Shove it in the backs of our minds and try to ignore it? What do we do when one of our children comes up and asks us why their hero decided to smoke pot?
I don't really have an answer except to explain that Mr. Phelps made a poor decision and let's learn from his mistake and not do it ourselves. But it certainly does raise a few questions.
Since when did we start expecting our elite athletes to be elite humans? It doesn't work that way -- we're all just human and we all make mistakes. Whether it's Michael Phelps loading up a bong or a Catholic Bishop caught having an affair (or worse), people whom society tends to place a higher set of characteristic and behavioral expectations on almost never fail to let us down.
I am certain that part of the issue is the fact that media is now instantly accessable - we can see the exploits of our "heroes" almost as it happens - people are posting photos and video to the Web from their phones in near-real-time, giving a judgemental media ability to instantly condemn or praise their actions and send the word out world-wide. The pressure that this creates on public figures has got to be overwhelming, and the expectations of a public whom understands only what the media shows them of a person - who only gets a two-dimensional view - well, one can only assume that that creates a crushing weight.
So what do we do as responsible citizens? Point and cluck our tongues, wagging our heads knowingly? Disassociate ourselves from any fan-dom or reverence of said transgressors? Shove it in the backs of our minds and try to ignore it? What do we do when one of our children comes up and asks us why their hero decided to smoke pot?
I don't really have an answer except to explain that Mr. Phelps made a poor decision and let's learn from his mistake and not do it ourselves. But it certainly does raise a few questions.
Friday, January 30, 2009
You have GOT to be fucking KIDDING!!!
http://www.peta.org/sea_kittens/
Our friends at PETA have begun a new campaign - to rename fish "sea kittens" because, "nobody would hurt a a sea kitten!"
Seriously ... sea kittens?
Heh ...
I kill "sea kittens" for sport - although I guess you'd really have to call them "River kittens" or "Creek kittens" or sometimes "Pond kittens." Trouble is, when you throw an actual kitten into one of these bodies of water, people frown on you and try to attack you!
I think PETA's stupidity could breed additional stupidity as people will be so confused over which kitten is which that they'll try to throw all of 'em into the water, causing the Great Kitten Civil War and destroying the nation in a paroxism of kitten-defending/dunking gunplay.
Nope, PETA's true goal here is clear: to undermine the government by confusing stupid people, thus causing the war. I say we tie PETA in plastic bags and throw them over bridges - that way they can go play with their "Sea kittens."
Our friends at PETA have begun a new campaign - to rename fish "sea kittens" because, "nobody would hurt a a sea kitten!"
Seriously ... sea kittens?
Heh ...
I kill "sea kittens" for sport - although I guess you'd really have to call them "River kittens" or "Creek kittens" or sometimes "Pond kittens." Trouble is, when you throw an actual kitten into one of these bodies of water, people frown on you and try to attack you!
I think PETA's stupidity could breed additional stupidity as people will be so confused over which kitten is which that they'll try to throw all of 'em into the water, causing the Great Kitten Civil War and destroying the nation in a paroxism of kitten-defending/dunking gunplay.
Nope, PETA's true goal here is clear: to undermine the government by confusing stupid people, thus causing the war. I say we tie PETA in plastic bags and throw them over bridges - that way they can go play with their "Sea kittens."
Monday, January 26, 2009
Um ... Yer kidding, right?
FLOTUS duds get backlash
Alright ... this is ridiculous. The first lady didn't wear clothing by a black designer so she's "snubbed the African American community?"
Give me a freakin' break! She wore clothing by non-caucasian designers - pointedly so - and SHE is black! OK? You're missing the freaking point here! It doesn't matter what the fuck she wore! SHE IS BLACK!!!
Someone shoot these morons, please?!!?!?!
Alright ... this is ridiculous. The first lady didn't wear clothing by a black designer so she's "snubbed the African American community?"
Give me a freakin' break! She wore clothing by non-caucasian designers - pointedly so - and SHE is black! OK? You're missing the freaking point here! It doesn't matter what the fuck she wore! SHE IS BLACK!!!
Someone shoot these morons, please?!!?!?!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Thursday, December 11, 2008
#$%@!!@^#!~!
Nothing can make me curse more bitterly then when my damned dog does something stupid!
Luckily, she's ok, but I have to put up new fences now.
Stupid dog.
Luckily, she's ok, but I have to put up new fences now.
Stupid dog.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
You have no personality. You are military.
"You have no personality. You are military."
From my civilian supervisor, I get this. You are military. You have no personality.
Nice. Using that logic, since I am no longer authorized to exhibit my personailty, I must no longer perform my duties with any sort of passion. My passion is a part of my personailty. But no longer will I apply that particular passion to my work. I will simply come in, punch the clock, do my time and leave, and to hell with the people who I swore to protect and defend because that very OATH was based in a passion I contain, a zeal, a love for my nation and the willingness to sacrifice my time, my family, my very freedom for some jackass who tells me I am not authorized to have a personality.
No longer. I won't use my personality, because if I DID use my personality, then I would have to give a shit. And I will tell you right now, the soul-crushing attitude of a supervisor who tells an overworked, underpaid non-commissioned officer that he is not authorized to have a personality is the kind of person our enemies NEED.
No wonder we have such a rampant problem with PTSD soldiers coming back from the war - they're not allowed personalities, and yet, because they are human, they HAVE personalities, and it's the soul-wrenching schism between their own humanity and the system's adamant denial of said humanity which has broken their spirits and their minds.
No personality.
Fine. See if I bust my ass to make you look good for NO reward of any kind anymore. From here on out, you get the bare minimum. I'll waste my PERSONALITY on my family and my home life. Fuck you, fuck this place and fuck the service. If you don't care for the well-being of your personnel, America, then your personnel, your servicemembers, YOUR SOLDIERS, will turn their backs on YOU.
THEN where will you be?
From my civilian supervisor, I get this. You are military. You have no personality.
Nice. Using that logic, since I am no longer authorized to exhibit my personailty, I must no longer perform my duties with any sort of passion. My passion is a part of my personailty. But no longer will I apply that particular passion to my work. I will simply come in, punch the clock, do my time and leave, and to hell with the people who I swore to protect and defend because that very OATH was based in a passion I contain, a zeal, a love for my nation and the willingness to sacrifice my time, my family, my very freedom for some jackass who tells me I am not authorized to have a personality.
No longer. I won't use my personality, because if I DID use my personality, then I would have to give a shit. And I will tell you right now, the soul-crushing attitude of a supervisor who tells an overworked, underpaid non-commissioned officer that he is not authorized to have a personality is the kind of person our enemies NEED.
No wonder we have such a rampant problem with PTSD soldiers coming back from the war - they're not allowed personalities, and yet, because they are human, they HAVE personalities, and it's the soul-wrenching schism between their own humanity and the system's adamant denial of said humanity which has broken their spirits and their minds.
No personality.
Fine. See if I bust my ass to make you look good for NO reward of any kind anymore. From here on out, you get the bare minimum. I'll waste my PERSONALITY on my family and my home life. Fuck you, fuck this place and fuck the service. If you don't care for the well-being of your personnel, America, then your personnel, your servicemembers, YOUR SOLDIERS, will turn their backs on YOU.
THEN where will you be?
Monday, November 03, 2008
Election eve predictions
OK, I have striven to remain SOMEWHAT apolitical in this blog and, actually, this post is not biased in any way - it is my prediction of the outcome of the 2008 presidential election, but not quite what you think it is.
First, a small bit of background: I work at U.S. Northern Command, which is charged with two primary missions: Homeland Defense and Defense Support of Civil Authority.
My first election prediction: You will hear MUCH more about USNORTHCOM within the next six months. Here's why:
If McCain wins, there will be riots, riots akin to the Watts Riots in L.A. during the last century. USNORTHCOM will come in to the news when local and state governments request federal assistance in quelling said riots.
If Obama wins, after the repeal of the Patriot Act, the hands of government agencies charged with assuring that terrorists never again attack on U.S. soil as they did on 9/11 will be completely tied. All the interagency cooperation which has gone in to ensuring that another large-scale attack, or another attack, period, not occur will be thrown out the window. USNORTHCOM will be called upon in its DSCA role to respond to another major terrorist attack.
No matter who wins, I will be busy. Either way, I'd rather NOT be busy, because, quite frankly, if you hear about USNORTHCOM in the news, other than that we're conducting a training exercise, in my opinion, we're not doing our job right.
First, a small bit of background: I work at U.S. Northern Command, which is charged with two primary missions: Homeland Defense and Defense Support of Civil Authority.
My first election prediction: You will hear MUCH more about USNORTHCOM within the next six months. Here's why:
If McCain wins, there will be riots, riots akin to the Watts Riots in L.A. during the last century. USNORTHCOM will come in to the news when local and state governments request federal assistance in quelling said riots.
If Obama wins, after the repeal of the Patriot Act, the hands of government agencies charged with assuring that terrorists never again attack on U.S. soil as they did on 9/11 will be completely tied. All the interagency cooperation which has gone in to ensuring that another large-scale attack, or another attack, period, not occur will be thrown out the window. USNORTHCOM will be called upon in its DSCA role to respond to another major terrorist attack.
No matter who wins, I will be busy. Either way, I'd rather NOT be busy, because, quite frankly, if you hear about USNORTHCOM in the news, other than that we're conducting a training exercise, in my opinion, we're not doing our job right.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Brakes - holy shit
So I called C-4 and asked if she wanted to play cars yesterday. I had been having some difficulties with my brakes - in fast, there was this horrible grinding noise that sounded like certain death was imminent, so we started tearing in to the truck, pulled the wheels off, opened the hubs, pulled out the bearing in front and installed new rotors ...
We got to the back and I discovered the REAL culprit, though ...
Here's what the piston looked like:
Not good. Here's what it did to the back side of the rear right rotor:
And here's the culprit; a little metal plate that rests on the back side of the brake shoe and must have shaken itself loose to wreak pure havoc on my brakes!
Big ups to my ninja C-4 for letting me invade her garage and helping out with the grease-monkeying!!!
We got to the back and I discovered the REAL culprit, though ...
Here's what the piston looked like:
Not good. Here's what it did to the back side of the rear right rotor:
And here's the culprit; a little metal plate that rests on the back side of the brake shoe and must have shaken itself loose to wreak pure havoc on my brakes!
Big ups to my ninja C-4 for letting me invade her garage and helping out with the grease-monkeying!!!
Friday, September 05, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Brilliant!!
I don't know who this guy is, but he is THE MAN! I think he should be running the United Nations.
Oh, and physical therapy exercises went well this morning. Looking forward to walking the Hash - I got about three miles in yesterday, too.
Oh, and physical therapy exercises went well this morning. Looking forward to walking the Hash - I got about three miles in yesterday, too.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Ugh
just ugh. I caught a stupid bug and have been miserable all week.
I felt so crappy Sunday I turned down Brownie's offer of a free ticket to see Stanton Moore.
I didn't run Monday, Tuesday at Jack Quinn's or today.
Crap. I am going to run tomorrow, damn it! Maybe I'll work out this stupid cold!
And I'm for starting the Kimchi movie night at Z's Friday - that way we can drink all his beer!!!
I felt so crappy Sunday I turned down Brownie's offer of a free ticket to see Stanton Moore.
I didn't run Monday, Tuesday at Jack Quinn's or today.
Crap. I am going to run tomorrow, damn it! Maybe I'll work out this stupid cold!
And I'm for starting the Kimchi movie night at Z's Friday - that way we can drink all his beer!!!
Friday, December 22, 2006
Lots happening in the Guhrilla kingdom
and forgive me (Catwoman) for not posting more religiously.
Here's the deal: about 2 months ago, my Mother, who lives in Alaska, told me she had to have a lump removed from her breast. It turned out not to be cancerous, which is great.
Monday, she told me she had to go to the emergency room; she has been diagnosed with cellulitis, a serious, potentially fatal bacterial infection.
Wednesday, the infection had doubled in size. The doctors put her on vicodin for the pain and put a port in her arm where they have been injecting major amounts of high-power antibiotics in her blood.
Today, the doctor told her she's got "galloping cellulitis" and they are opening her up surgically to irrigate the infection with antibiotics.
So, if you are religious, please pray for my Mother, Linda. This is a potentially life-threatening infection (but the doctors are NOT using that terminology).
On a much lighter note, please come the the Arctic Brewery's Christmas party tonight! It promises to be a drunk and debauched time for all!
Here's the deal: about 2 months ago, my Mother, who lives in Alaska, told me she had to have a lump removed from her breast. It turned out not to be cancerous, which is great.
Monday, she told me she had to go to the emergency room; she has been diagnosed with cellulitis, a serious, potentially fatal bacterial infection.
Wednesday, the infection had doubled in size. The doctors put her on vicodin for the pain and put a port in her arm where they have been injecting major amounts of high-power antibiotics in her blood.
Today, the doctor told her she's got "galloping cellulitis" and they are opening her up surgically to irrigate the infection with antibiotics.
So, if you are religious, please pray for my Mother, Linda. This is a potentially life-threatening infection (but the doctors are NOT using that terminology).
On a much lighter note, please come the the Arctic Brewery's Christmas party tonight! It promises to be a drunk and debauched time for all!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
I hate this!
1) OK, I'll drink for whining.
2) Been stuck in a motel and classes all week - my workout schedule is SHOT. I haven't run since Saturday's Mall Walker's Hash. I am going crazy.
3) Poop.
4) I hear Brownie is gay.
5) Poop. I think I'll go do the Incline again tomorrow or Saturday morning. I gotta do something, damn it! Back in the office next week and I can get my daily runs OnOn.
6) POOP!
2) Been stuck in a motel and classes all week - my workout schedule is SHOT. I haven't run since Saturday's Mall Walker's Hash. I am going crazy.
3) Poop.
4) I hear Brownie is gay.
5) Poop. I think I'll go do the Incline again tomorrow or Saturday morning. I gotta do something, damn it! Back in the office next week and I can get my daily runs OnOn.
6) POOP!
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