faster

Well, I'm done with my weekend work. The nightstand is doing well, I mounted a power strip and secured the wiring. Also, I managed to put my DVD collection onto my Macbook. Sadly, I'm at 599 titles (minus the duplicates) which goes to show you how sad my life is.

As high I might have been this weekend, at least I wasn't this stupid. So if you have money for bail, wouldn't you have money for McDonald's? I mean, I seriously doubt you can post bail in weed. There is a box marked "Other" but I don't think that's what they had in mind.

OK, I want to understand this correctly because I'm not understanding what the controversy is. Is it that they took first graders to a lesbian wedding? Cuz I don't remember much but I don't think I went on a field trip in the first grade, and if I did I probably needed parental consent. So what's the problem? Maybe it wasn't written out on the consent form, I can see the controversy in that.

Hey, this is offensive. It's not like Gitmo, there isn't a black room. I have to wonder though, how does the father know what Gitmo is like. I mean, the only people that know are US military personnel and the bad guys. If he wasn't US military that means he was a bad guy. *gasp* He's a terrorist! Or not.

Bahahahaha. I love South Park in the news. You know, I watched the premiere and thought, "Oh my God. Jews are raping Indiana Jones." OK, so I thought the crystal skull idea was a bit different from the previous movies but still. Plus, I thought the whole "China Probrem" was much funnier. Especially since Butters was shooting everyone in the groin which is a male faux pas. 

weekend kumite

 Well, this weekend I attempted to clean my bathroom.  It was more like a full-contact fight because I haven't "cleaned" my bathroom except for the random trash taking out. In anticipation I spent some money on the necessary items. Scrubbing Bubbles, scour pads, and power tools. OK, I didn't buy the power tools since I already owned them but I did bring it into the fight. I was tempted to bring in the circular saw to end it all but I think that was a bit too extreme. Still, the point of the power tools was to help me disassemble some things in order to clean them better. I know what you're going to say, that's it's a bit extreme but that's my OCD.

 I tried my best, but I was set back by the poor air circulation of my apartment. I had to take a number of breaks and I needed to get other things done. So I ended the match in a draw. I managed to clean the big items (toilet, shower, sink, floors, walls) but I didn't hit all of the details.

 In addition to cleaning my bathroom, I put the varnish on the nightstand that W helped me build. Of course by "help," I mean he only measured out the pieces, cut them out, screwed them together and I helped him. I wired up a power strip to the nightstand for all of my daily electronics (phone, camera, & iPod). I also began the difficult task of inputting my entire DVD collection into my Macbook. This other task would be helpful except for the fact that I own over 590 titles. I am discovering that I have several duplicates, which I'm not proud of; plus there are a few DVDs that I didn't even know that I owned.

you are all diseased

Never had I done so much in a weekend and gotten absolutely nothing accomplished.

It all starts Thursday, when I got word from my unit that I was definitely going to fly out to Utah in order to try and get into training. OK. Fine, I fly out Friday morning. How hard is it going to be for me to pack up everything I'll need for the next 6 weeks without a packing list? Not hard. Call around to friends to see if I can get a ride to the airport the next morning too. No luck, so I called a taxi.
Taxi ride from home to airport: $50.

Friday morning was like any other morning I guess, except for the fact that I had to get everything else ready. Pack up my computer, wash clothes, wash & put away dishes, finish cleaning apartment well enough so nothing grows in 6 weeks, and turn AC onto 76 so it's not stuffy when I get back. Check. Not bad for two hours.
I fly from Indy to Minnesota. Ya. Sure. You betcha. Got a nice 1.5hr layover. The St. Paul airport is nice, it's almost hard to tell if it's an airport or a mall. I mean, they have a Harley-Davidson store (not sure if I could purchase a motorcycle or not). Had a quick lunch at uh, I can't remember the name, something like The Maui Burrito. Whatever. I didn't realize that Maui had burritos. I had something called the Lahaina.
Airport lunch: $10.

I arrive at Salt Lake City a little after 5pm. The shuttle runs from 11am to 4pm. So I have to get a taxi.
Taxi ride from SLC to Army post: $68.50

I get to the Army post at around 6pm. I spend the next half hour trying to find the building I'm supposed to report to. Meanwhile, I'm hauling a duffel bag and one of those large wheelie bags along with my small carry-on. The building I'm supposed to report to has a sign that says I'm supposed to check in at another building, but that building's closed for the night. I knew I shouldn't have arrived so late on a Friday.
Finally, I locate an office that's open and contact the people I'm supposed to meet and check in with. When they show up, I'm informed that the class if full. That was to be expected. I was on the wait list. They did tell me though that they did take some people from the wait list, but did not have a lot of equipment in. That too was to be expected. They could take 3 more people, unfortunately, I was #4. That wasn't expected.
So now I'm stuck in Utah because I'm not scheduled to leave for another 6 weeks. Great. I have to find a place to stay until I can call the booking agency and get a flight back. There's only a slight chance of getting a flight that night and so I decide to postpone until the following morning. In the meantime, I'm allowed to stay in the barracks.
One night in the barracks: $6.00

Well, being the military, we're all one big family. I find two other guys in the class that are going into town to explore. I tag along. We end up hitting the bars. Had a good time. I have to say this from cruising around. Some of those Mormon girls are HOTT. Religion does a body good. Yum!
Anyway, we find a club and apparently we've ended up crashing some sort of pre-wedding festivities. Not like they rented the club, but they were there, we helped some of them get in for free (there's some sort of membership to enter any club in Salt Lake City) so we all hang out.
I end up talking with some girls, they were Kappa Kappa Gamma's. Being a fratnerity man I had to cozying up to them.
Clubbing out in Salt Lake City: Price unknown.

Ended up drinking until out midnight and had to head back to the base, sans girls. Woke up at approximately 5:30am because my roommate wanted to get up at that time. Call the military's travel agency and got a flight. Yes, it leaves in a few hours. Luckily, I haven't unpacked. Nor have I taken a shower or changed clothes. I may want to do that before I'm stuck out on another flight for several hours. Some other guys (not the ones I partied with) give me a ride to the airport so I don't have to spend money on the taxi.
For the return trip, there was some weather they the plane avoided, costing me almost a connecting flight. I make the connection with only 10minutes to spare. Not 10minutes from the boarding time, but 10minutes from push off. Luckily, Dallas/Ft. Worth airport has a rail system in place now because my flight got in on the northeast side of the concourse and my connecting flight was on the southwest side of another concourse on the complete opposite side of the airport. It would've taken me probably an hour to get there (with running through security again) and I wouldn't have made it.
Make it back to Indy at about 9pm. No one I've called can help me. I haven't called a few friends because they live just a little too far out of the way and I'm not willing to call them to pick me up from the airport. I finally get through to one of my friends that lives nearby and he agrees to pick me up. I'm home again.

So basically, I flew out to Salt Lake City to party one night with a bunch of girls and then flew back. It wasn't a bad way to spend a weekend, however, it was not productive because the reason to fly wasn't for that purpose.
Although I have to admit that it is like the military in the sense that I spent the entire weekend doing something and got nothing accomplished. I spent most of Sunday unpacking and doing homework from the last two weeks that I didn't think I had to do because I was going to drop the quarter in order to participate in the training.

put a fork in me

My friends Bill and Sabrina have been married now for almost a week. Although they've acted like a married couple for at least two years. So, I'm waiting for pictures from the photographer via the married folks, in order to post some. I've got a couple of pictures, but I found it difficult to take pictures because I was in the wedding.
So me and friends arrived late Saturday night and for us drinking starts shortly after arrival. Not heavy drinking mind you, it was late. Eventually, we all headed off to bed and an inflatable bed was pulled out for me. I get to bed about 2:30am, yes, it's early but we have to get up to do some last minute stuff. Of course do you know what time I get up because the puppy is running around and runs over me, discovers its me and wants to play? Oh, about 4am. Then the sun floods the room at about 5:15am.
By about 10am, we're all up and eating breakfast (McD's provided by groom) and drinking beer. Of course we're not just drinking, but we're doing last minute stuff. Setting up lighting in the tent (Darius & I get that lovely honor) and doing sound checks, some rehearsals with and without music. We're also setting up the "open bar" and testing it out.
As far as music goes:
Prelude - Classical Music (i.e. Bach, Chopin, etc)
Processional - Enya
Recessional - Top Gun Anthem
Dinner - Sinatra
Garter - "The Stripper" David Rose
Bouquet Throw - Mission Impossible Theme
First Dance - "Eternal Flame" The Bangles
Bride/Father - "My Girl" The Temptations
Groom/Mother - "Moondance" Van Morrison

Music wasn't the problem. There were no big glitches in the whole thing which I thought wasn't possible. Oh, and it turns out that me and my fraternity brother Tim were the only two single people to show up. Look, had I known, I would've brought a date. But it's a wedding. You don't bring a date to a wedding. That's like bringing a deer carcass hunting.
Also, there was still no clear cut assignment of Best Man between me and Darius. We attempted to figure this out between us. Uh, let's see. Darius got to escort the MOH, carry the ring, and would go on to do the toast. While I had to plan the bachelor party, pick up the tuxes, and do the music. Of course going with the theme of the party, Bill didn't tell us we had to do a toast until the dinner. Ha. Darius was good on his feet and I just stood there like a mannequin.

Since we didn't know where they were registered, Wes and I got them a Top Gun poster (which we ironically got for them before the music was selected). Bill bought the guys in the wedding party, all gigantic beer mugs which we used that weekend. Also, Bill and Sabrina got me a Jack Daniels zippo, which is awesome because if you had to describe me in three words that'd be it. Or Lego Star Wars.

It was a good weekend even if I had a little too much to drink and ended up doing my best impersonation of a supermodel. Pictures to follow soon.

try it again

OK. I was going to do this whole blog thing where I was going to talk about my friend bringing over an Easter keg but I nixed that idea. Instead, I decided to do a quick blurb of my life in the last few weeks.

*inhale*
Went to go spend some time with my dad up in Cleveland. He's doing better, got to meet one of his doctors, got more info about his condition, and saw the improvement.

Then I went to my Reserve training, everything was FUBAR. Taking orders from a WOC (Warrant Officer Cadet) and cadets aren't in the chain of command. Don't get me wrong, I've known the guy for over two years and respect him, but from a legal standpoint it isn't legal to follow his orders. I also had to deal with a Sgt. that likes to flip-on his authority whenever it benefits him. Afterwards, the WOC decided to do some reorganization putting E-4s' into positions of power. Unfortunately, that meant that I lost my squad. I thought I was a good squad leader, but whatever, looks like I'm getting out in a few months and my replacement I've been training has to take charge a little sooner than I planned. What sucks though is all of the training I lined up has been disrupted because of the reorganization and re-planning.

During my Reserve weekend we went to the range down at Ft. Knox. Last year it was awesome, we got to qualify at a new facility with acoustic sensors and computerized displays. We qualified 90% first time go's, where previously we were qualifying low-20's (due to crappy ranges). So we went again, but this time with one of our sister units. Instead of the high-tech range, we went low-tech. Super low-tech. Paper targets. With old cardboard, no staples, no staple guns, and a ton of rain.

We started the range 2-hours late, we had to go to the store to get staples and staple guns. Then around 9am it began to rain. Rain + Paper targets = soggy targets. Then, as if nature said, "Screw you!" it added wind. We were forced to shut down the range an hour early (4pm). I had to zero and qualify in the rain, before it got bad. Instead of going back and chillin' I stayed out to help others zero and qualify. I almost spent the entire time we were out there in the rain and cold. Of course I didn't realize how close I had gotten to hypothermia until I got back and into dry clothes. Others (the non-commissioned officers) got to stay warm and dry while I did their jobs and helped train soldiers, but then I get chewed out by one of those warm/dry NCOs about one of my soldiers, that he was in-charge-of because they were back at the barracks and I was soaked at the range.

Now I'm in the 3rd week of the quarter. Catching up on missed homework. Lots of fun. Going to classes is getting harder.

Went out drinking on St. Patrick's Day. Ended up at Wal-Mart at 2am (amazingly not that drunk) and bought almost $80 in Lego Star Wars pieces.

Life is boring, even with a keg in my living room.

what kind of day has it been

I haven't been feeling well these last few days. Not sick, but a few days ago I did a family visit to one of our fallen soldiers. He was a guy in our unit, assigned only for a few months and then deployed with another unit but it doesn't make it any better.






This should cheer me up some.
That would freak me out if I had a kid. A third nipple? Frickin' baby acne? Just more things to worry about when you have a kid.

Castastrophic engine failure? It fell off! Yeah, I'd need a change of underwear after that. I'll admit it, I ain't ashamed of it.

Hugs lead to other things? What is this? Footloose? Eh, if it's been on the books for 10 years I say let it ride! Plus, what really gets me is the fact that the school's mascot is the Indians. I think that's offensive to Native Americans.

Why is the color so important?

Serenpedity. The movie. Kate Beckinsale... Yum.

A world record? For what? The world's dumbest man? I'd believe it, more so because he's from Texas.

Wow, it's bad when Fabio calls someone a diva.

let's sit

OK, so I'm procrastinating... Big deal. I'm supposed to be coming up with some presentations for the classes I'm instructing for my Army thing. Of course I couldn't stop at the two classes I'm giving next weekend, nope, I had to go ahead and do the other classes I'm doing over the next few months. Stop there? Why? I'm on a roll. Back in the day, on active duty, we used to have a huge training book. If you ever had to "teach" a class on any particular subject you just needed to pull out the book and pull the material you needed from it (return it afterwards). Poof. There's your class. My current unit lacks such a grand idea and in my infinite wisdom (or lack of a steady job) I've decided that would be my legacy. Put together this huge book. Or at least start it. The plan is to write the necessary outlines for instructors, a hard copy of a powerpoint presentation, and a cd with all the powerpoint classes. How well that goes, I'm not quite sure...


This weekend I got bored and watched into the CVS store near my house. The intention was getting one of those travel soap holders of a certain design. Why? Not because I'm planning on traveling, but a rather practical purpose not related to soap. It can be used as a cigarette pack holder. Getting back on track; I'm looking at the supposedly helpful aisle signs. I say supposedly because I locate the aisle I need but am curious as to the other signs in the store. I understand the concept behind them, they help shoppers quickly locate what they need. "Dairy" has dairy products. "Beverages" has an assortment of drinks, alcoholic and non. "Pharmacy" is the drugs. "First Aid" is the first aid. I'm curious though as to why anyone would come to a CVS for "External Pain." I'm going back tomorrow with my digital camera, but for now I'm wondering how someone can come up with this sign and not think that it's weird.






Not to make light of this story because I too used to hunt for dinosaur bones with my cousins when I was younger, but Texas is the ranked #2? Who's #1? Does this include subways?

If there's something, in the neighborhood. Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters! I suppose this is more for homeowners... you know, just in case.

Hahaha. Ginger Neanderthals! For more on the term, please click here. How cool is that Wikipedia redirected me to the red hair page from typing "gingers" in the search parameters?

See, I think this is how Mary Poppins really ended, but Disney had to give it a happy ending.

You know, if it didn't endanger other people's lives, I'd say let her do it.

Truer words have never been spoken.

standard options

Weekend recap: Helped my friend Joe move on Saturday. He didn't move very far, just to the other side of his apartment complex. Still had fun, and worked for food. I need to go back and fix his surround sound. Keeps cutting out for no reason.
Most of Sunday was spent with family in Ohio. Had my cousin's local wedding reception. Lots of family. Lots and lots. Met some of the new family too. Then got to see some of my newest cousins. Good fun, a little tired from running around with the kids.


Represent! 5.17lbs of wings! Geez! On a good day I could eat maybe 20. There's no way I could eat 173. In fact, I don't think I've had 173 in the last few years.

I'm worried about when the media focuses so intently on a particular subject. Not to say that it is a subject that doesn't merit concern, but to put it one after another? The psychology of it (to me) just screams that there's a rampant problem. Like they all got together at the annual convention and decided, sure let's all do it at the same time! Conspiracy?

Is it PC to call them terminally-ill? How about life-challenged or health-impaired? That's cool, but do you really think they want a camp? Wouldn't that money be better spent on... oh, say A CURE?

Steal a bridge? That seems like a cheesy plot from a James Bond-type movie. Maybe Austin Powers?

video killed the radio star

In this case though, the video iPod killed the radio star.

OK, so let's just say I'm feeling old. I've spent the last week (and more) working to deploy this unit. Taking care of lots of kids, it's like I'm a babysitter. Most of these kids are 18 or 19 years old. Now eight years is not a lot of time, but I guess it's difference that makes all of the difference. I was their age when I joined. When I was that young (and dumb) they were 11 year olds! Middle schoolers, at best, when I was joining the Army. How does that all happen? When did I become that old war vet sitting at the end of the bar talking about "the war" and how "all these young pups are in for the shock of their life."

I'm enjoying my time though. Even if it is in Columbus. I still want to go. Like I said, these are kids. I've taken them under my wing. Still trying to go, but it doesn't look good. Last week I went through RFI (Rapid Field Issue) where we got some cool stuff. New undershirts, some cold weather gear, and the new helmet. The ACH (Army Combat Helmet) is weird; I've seen the studies the internal padding helps with traumatic brain injury (but isn't any brain injury traumatic?) and the new 4-point harness helps with keeping the helmet stable during movements, but what I don't understand is what's with the velcro? Sorry, hoop and fastener system. What is up with it? Do I really need it?

The coolest thing I got though was the Oakley sunglasses. Now this is what your taxpayers' money is going to. They are sweet! Of course I was sweet too, I gave my pair to another soldier. She didn't heed one of my warnings and when getting issued cool, free stuff never admit you wear glasses. Otherwise you never get all the cool stuff. So I helped her out, not that it's the first time I've helped her out. Yeah, her being cute is a weakness for me. Long story short, I've ran into a semi-busy road to chase after said girl (drunk) to keep her from possibly getting hit from oncoming traffic. Just goes to show that I am incurably stupid.

I'm going back next week and the week after too. It's like I won't work my regular job for the rest of May.

the joker

Since mid-March I've been getting ready to deployment. The basics, getting my bills in order, buying personal items and equipment I want/need, and settling my affairs (whatever we mean when we say affairs). I've spent time writing post-mortum letters to family and friends, in case of something. In doing so I've come realize that it's really morbid to try to write those. I'm still in the drafting phase. The funny part of this whole thing is that they didn't tell us much (they can't, legally speaking) except that we should prepare to get ready to deploy. ??? - That's what I thought, but they'd tell us at the next drill date.
So I'm guessing you're wondering what happened this weekend at drill right? Well, I get there and find the tentative list to deploy. Scan, scan, scan... scan some more, re-scan the whole thing. Huh, my name's not on it. And after all this time I've been getting ready?
Yes, some of my friends and family is happy that I'm not going. Problem: I'm not happy. I'm not happy. I can't explain why, I just know that I'm, but I'm not miserable either. Caught between the two I guess.
Maybe I'm sort of war-junkie and that I need the thrill of combat to justify my life and give me meaning. I don't know, I don't think I can make an objective observation. I will, however, tell you what I do know about myself. My job doesn't hold my interest (evident by my hours of blogging at work), the only reason I stay is because it pays the bills. My life pretty much sucks because I only make enough to pay the bills. My friends that live nearby are moving up and on with their lives, leaving me exactly where I was when I met them. I feel like I'm too old to make new friends (sort of like Randall in Clerks II).
Reasons to deploy - Over the last eighteen months I have gotten to know my unit, the people in it. I know what to expect from them and they know what to expect from me. Yes, they're my friends but much more than that too. The last couple of months my section has gotten more soldiers, brand-new, fresh, young faces. I've been assigned to mentor them, teach them how to survive, what the Army is all about, and hopefully, live long enough to enjoy a long and fruitful life. That's what makes me happy. To come in one weekend every month and have a dozen or so soldiers to mentor. Most of the veterans stick to their own groups, but we've been integrating them into our groups. I float around abit. I spent two weeks training with the MPs, I spent the first six months in the supply section helping them getting squared away. I am a fully capable intel analyst with field and combat experience doing my job and several others. NCOs respect the fact that I know what I'm doing and that I'm not just a dumb private with a bad attitude. I'm motivated, dedicated, and apparently not going. Plus, there's the fact that I can re-enlist out there for six years and a $20,000 bonus (tax free).
How exactly can I train soldiers for combat when I won't even go with them? They know it's not my fault, but I can't stand it. There's still so much more that I can teach because there's only so much you can learn from stories.
The Army, in its infinite wisdom has deemed me unworthy to go. There are other soldiers that are not going and some of them have good reasons but some refuse to extend their contracts (6x2, 6 years on active reserve, 2 years on inactive reserve) even though they have the time on their contract anyway. I'm at the end of my contract, 300 days out (you need 400 days from the day of deployment) and I still want to go.

roll out

Two weeks ago I did my taxes and did the whole eFile thing, according to the rumor it takes 6-9 days to get your federal tax return. Good, because I actually got a sizeable refund this year. So last week in anticipation of getting my tax refund I decided to spend the little cash I had on some items that I was going to get when I got my refund anyway. Problem = front speakers of car as old as car, do not work. Solution = buy new speakers. Well, after debating what size the speakers were (the book says they're 5 1/4, but I bought some and had to return them because they're the wrong size) we just took them out and carried one into Best Buy. After locating a set of speakers the right size and probably they right depth we go back. Uh-oh, not quite the right size but the speakers do come with a spacer so it made it OK. So what else could go wrong with this seemingly simple project? Oh, the speaker doesn't line up with the cradle so now the wires come loose from the speakers willy-nilly. Argh. So I was going to fix this problem on Saturday. Was actually going to re-wire all my speakers. Small projects to slowly replace the aging equipment. Only thing that could stop that? Rain delay. Now I don't mind the constant rain but it was very sporadic showers. One second it would be pouring down rain then next thing I know the sun's out evaporating the rain on the ground and it looks clear. Just as I collect my stuff to go work on my car it pours down again. It did this for several hours, but I gave up after the first time it did it to me. Had a good weekend though, good enough to take most of Sunday to recover.

one thing leads to another

Do what you say, say what you mean. I'll just say it. The weather here in Indiana is just plain weird and I dislike it. I've lived in various parts of this country and I've never quite encountered weather patterns like this. In the morning I got up, it was kind of dreary but I still went out and ran my errands. When I got back the weather was beautiful so I decided to take advantage and work a little on my car. I've been putting off some maintenance for some good weather like this. One of the things I attempted to repair was my front bumper. It sits in front of the hood instead of behind it. The knucklehead ripped it out but stopped about 1/10 of the way through and put it back together. By rip out, I mean actually rip out. Regardless, I managed to correct the problem. In my efforts, I had to remove some parts to gain access to the part I was repairing. Once removed I realized that I should probably clean it off, 16 years of crap buildup is extensive so I used more extreme methods. My cleaning method required that I repaint it, no sense in this metal part rusting on me too. It went from a dirty white/pearl to gunmetal gray. Of course the bolts were still white so I repainted them too, black this time. All in all, this took about 5 hours of my day. Just as I'm going down to my car to install the part, dark clouds take form overhead. Once my tools were out and I was in position it starts to rain. A few drops here, no big deal but I hurry up anyway. Don't want to be caught out in the rain with my hood open. My primary concern was lining up the two mechanisms that lock the hood down and release it. With the assembly complete it starts to rain harder. Dedicated to my work and knowing that God was laughing at me I knew that I hadn't aligned the two parts correctly and that my hood would be locked. Sure enough, I went to pop the hood and heard nothing. It's raining pretty good at this point and I manage to temporarily fix the hood problem. Rain delay. Will finish the rest after a good night's rest.

OK, I don't understand this, but apparently stupidity is bigger in Texas too. I lived there for the better part of two years and I really don't see how a $500 incentive helps. Yes, I admit 75,000 abortions is alot. However, that's not that simple. I wish it were, but it's not. It's not a solution. It doesn't address the problem. It's just stupid. Yeah it could potentially save 3000 lives. And to the "critics" it's not buying babies, it's saving lives. That'll be spending $1.5 million that could be better spent on other things, like say, sex education. *gasp* And what about the women and the families that already have decided on adoption as an alternative? I guess they should just walk into a clinic just for the $500. I'm sure that'll drive up the cost of the program. To be honest, it sounds like a political move to gain voters among the pro-life camp. It'll get shot down in appropriations.
To clarify, I'm not pro-life. However, it may be crueler to everyone if a baby is brought up in an unsuitable environment with inadequate funds. I just don't know.

release me

This weekend, to be different my friend and I went to an indoor shooting range. In was inside of a gun store. Don's Guns and Galleries has been a staple of Indiana for many years. I decided that before going with more friends this weekend I'd go check it out for myself. It's small, but its got a nice selection for rent. I went for the Glock40, magazine-fed, air cooled, semi-automatic weapon. Oh yeah baby. I did OK, but I could've done better if my hand wasn't all worn out by loading my own rounds right before firing. Still, it was a lot of fun. The only thing was that I ended up spending like $66. The usual price is $45 but I decided to fire off two boxes of ammo (100 rounds). Not bad though, I plan on trimming down that price next trip because I'll bring my own hearing protection and eye protection.

Ah. More teachers going that extra mile with a student. Well, at least this kid was a senior in high school. And really, I think it's the wife that deserves to be shot in the head, not the kid. *shrug* Someone needed to get shot.

Ah, some news on the "groom shooting." Some police officers were indicted and yet somehow they feel that it sends a bad message to the police. How exactly does putting 50 rounds into a guy not send a bad message in itself? Learn to shoot guys. You especially, Oliver. 31 rounds? That's reloading twice, firing two full magazines. What the hell were aiming at? I admire you for firing off that many rounds in such a short period of time, but still, you got to know that enough is enough. And they are calling this police racism? How exactly is that? Three of the officers were blacks too, that sounds more like black on black violence. Just to be racist though, I'm going to say this; Bell was being black. *shrug* What can you do?

OK. No more violence news stories. I think I've got it out of my system now. So I think it might be an indication of school funds when this happens. Look, you're hard up for some cash but that? That's just crazy. He said that they didn't charge him the $2 transcript fee. I bet that put it on his record though and will charge him for it the next time he visits. It's a bit much to wait 30 years for $13, and I'd probably call him long before then to collect.

Yup yup yup. Can't sack me just because I'm a Reservist. Although it's sad that they actually has to be a federal law to enforce this. It's a bit much but I guess necessary in this day and age of business. I've had this discussion with my employer on several occasions because I work in a small business and the chances of my deployment have increased recently. He quotes Indiana state law, while I quote federal law. Still, I understand where he's coming from but he doesn't see (or at least hints that he can) my point of view. The whole thing is complex, but it works in favor of the Reservist and their families.

standing outside the fire

Let me tell you about my weekend! Whew! Never has so much gone wrong that all amounted to nothing. OK, well, my weekend started Thursday after work. I got off an hour early because I didn't exactly know how this new "Super 70" construction would affect my travels and I wanted to be prepared. So obviously, there would be an accident on I-465 just a few miles after I get on it. OK, not bad, it's four lanes so you can avoid that usually if it's just one or two cars. Eventually I get off 465 and onto 70. Yes! I get on 70 right at the edge of construction, it doesn't even pertain to me. Woo! La-la-la. Driving at a steady 80mph it takes me over an hour to reach what would usually be my first stop. Well, I ain't stopping today. I'm making good time, I've got plenty of gas to reach my destination, and so I keep on truckin'. Now there's a ton of construction going on in both Indiana and Ohio on 70. Still, I make good time until I reach the I-675 junction, about two miles from the exit to my relatives'. I'm listening to my CB, apparently two Synder drivers decided to have a race and see who was stupider. It ended in a tie. I think 4 or 5 cars got caught in it too. So my whole side of 70 was at a dead stop. Ugh. It was stopped for awhile before I got there and I sat around for another 40 minutes for them to clean up the mess. Well, there goes all of my lead time. Of course by now no one is letting anyone over and I'm in the far left lane. So I miss my exit and I have to take a back route to get to my aunt's place. It's cool though, the way I ended up taking had lots of gas stations and I could take my pick. I pull into the Speedway and some lady is working the fuel cap on her car. Originally I stop but then it's taking her awhile so I end up circling the station to get another spot. I fuel up and just as I finish the same woman comes over and asks me if I know anything about those locking fuel caps. "Not really, but I'll take a look." I say, she gives me her keys and I take a look. Now, there's three (3) keys that make up her set of keys. One obviously looks like a car ignition key. The one she handed me <- (that's important) is like a mailbox or door key. The third has "GAS" in raised letters on it. So I use the "GAS" key to open up the "GAS CAP" on her car. Viola!
Yeah, that was a lot of work to get to that point. Still. So Friday, I have to wake up around 0100hrs to get dressed and start my car by 0130 and drive off at 0200. Yes! Get there at 7pm and just getting up in a scant 6 hours. No, I didn't over sleep. I wake up on time. Get dressed. Start car at about 0120hrs, I figure if I leave earlier then I can go stop for some coffee and water, and gum. Heading up back to the house I get to the front door and turn handle. Uh-oh. It's locked. My cell phone(s) are inside. My lock picking tools are inside. Ring doorbell, bang on door, ring, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, Ad nauseam. OK, don't panic, you've got your pants and shoes, keys to the car, just go to your cousin's, he's got a key to this house. Doh! He's not home. I get back around 0149hrs and the door is open. My aunt explains that she thought I was packing or something that was loud so she didn't want to be rude and interrupt. I'm laughing though because I really didn't know how else to react. I mean, I couldn't even explain this to my Army superiors. Still, I was on schedule-ish.
Well, I get to the unit on time and we get on the buses. "Umm, aren't this buses supposed to move to get us where we're going?" I ask everyone. Someone tells me what's going on. Two new soldiers came to the unit and weren't told that this was an overnighter sort of deal. They didn't have clothes or basic hygiene stuff and so they went to Wal-Mart to get it. The only problem was that they weren't from Columbus and they didn't know how to get to Wal-Mart, let alone navigation the streets at 3am. Then I'm told that it's one of my soldiers. Ah crap. Hey, I didn't know I had another new soldier! Nobody tells me anything until they mess up!
I ended up doing much of nothing all Friday. Oh, well, I cleared two jammed weapons (with live ammo in them). OK, to be honest, it was the same weapon that I cleared twice. Somehow, "Don't fire this weapon" translate into "Wait five minutes and try again." Ugh. People always trying to kill me.
Saturday was my bread and butter. The weather called for showers throughout the day. Still, "if it ain't rainin' we ain't trainin'." Wake up is 0430hrs to have formation at 0515 to go to chow at 0530. Be back by 0630 to go out to the range. It takes about 30 minutes by bus to get to the range. So what time do you think it would start? 0700? or somewhere around there? Nope, 0900hrs. I sit around more before 9am than most do all day! Just before 9, it just starts to pour down. Woo! Aww, it's easing up now. We get our brief and I get on the first firing order to zero my weapon. Since it's been raining for about 20 minutes now, 10 of them heavy, all of the fighting positions are just puddles of water. Sweet dude! "OK firers. Lock and load one 18 round magazine. Rotate your selector switch from 'safe' to 'semi' and watch... your lanes." Pop, pop, pop (pause) pop, pop, pop (pause) pop, pop, and pop. OK, zeroed in 9 shots. Not bad, usually it takes 18. Go sit back in the bleachers. About thirty minutes later they start letting us qualify.
"Go ahead firers and take up a good prone supported position. Lock and load one 20 round magazine. Rotate your selector switch from 'safe' to 'semi' and watch... your lanes. OK firers, push your sandbags to your right. Get in a good prone unsupported fighting position. Once you're set go ahead and lock and load one 20 round magazine. Rotate your selector switch from 'safe' to 'semi' and watch... your lanes.
I didn't do as well as I would've liked, 35 out of 40. On one of my shots, the little display off to the side that tells us how to zero nearly fell on my and I panicked for a second a pulled my shot to the right. Also, I just plain didn't see one of the targets pop up so I didn't fire. Otherwise I would've shot expert. And apparently if you qualify once they don't let you try again.
After we find out our scores it stops raining. Yup. For the rest of the weekend. God felt that it was necessary for me to qualify in the rain. I look at my watch, it's now 10:20. Great. I just zeroed and qualified in less than an hour and a half. What to do now? Go qualify on some other weapons? Nah. Fired them. Not as much fun anymore. After awhile it became clear which soldiers needed help so I offered to coach them. As I was coaching one, I saw someone else that needed my help. The person I coached qualified. And so I moved on to this guy. Hardesty, one of our medics. He shot a 16 (out of 40). So I went through and showed him what he was doing, pointing out what was right and wrong, and how to shoot better. We go back out a little later and he qualified with a 37 out of 40. Damnit! He did better than me! He did better than about 98% of the company. He did better than about 99% of the battalion! What the hell? Still, I was proud.
So not to ruin the rest of my day, I went back to the barracks after that. What? You got to end your day on a high-note! Look, it don't get better than a 105% improvement with just a few minutes with Coach Dan. And I wasn't about to have my record sullied by some crappy shooter. No, no, no. Of course by going back to the barracks I left two of my soldiers out there that needed help. I sort of felt bad until I hit my bunk. That was a nice guilt-free nap.
I didn't do anything Sunday except clean-up and sit around joking with friends. Cutting each other down and sometimes ourselves, trading stories, jokes, and the likes. Some of the new people are integrating well. Got up at 0430 Sunday and I didn't get home until 10pm that night. It was a 5hr bus ride back to Columbus. So where exactly did the other 12 hours go? Sitting around. Sitting around. And more sitting around.

amazing

First off, I'd like to thank my friend Wes. Without him, this "miracle" would never have taken place. No really. It wouldn't have. If he didn't get his car stuck on some country road I never would've had to gotten out and pushed it out. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been so tired that I collapsed, spilling the contents of my jacket pocket.
Nah, I'm kidding. Wes was driving along said road and spotted my camera, and my keys. Which I picked up from him today. Look, I wasn't expecting to recover either of them. Lots of snow, lots of rain, both make it likely that it got washed away into some ditch, and then buried under some mud. This didn't happen though. So my keys are a little worse for the wear, 2 weeks in the snow will do that. It's a little rusted but I don't care. What I do care about is of course that I've got two complete sets of keys.
Since I wasn't really expecting to get my keys and camera back, I guess I wouldn't have been surprised if I did get them back and my camera was dead, damage, or destroyed. Huh. Another surprise there. Camera works fine. The lense was a little cloudy but I fixed it right up (wiped it down). I don't even know how it still works, but I'm grateful that it does.
So if anyone is shopping for an indestructible, little digital camera, I suggest the Pentax Optio S. Weather proven. Well, OK, talk to me after I go back to Iraq with this thing. Who knows, maybe it'll survive an IED, then it'll be indestructible.

next ex-girlfriend

Where do I begin? The impending doom that is Valentine's Day? Nah. Oh. How about the mundane things I did this weekend? Uh, let's see. Instead of being outside in the cold changing my car's oil filter for an hour, I opted to pay Wal-Mart $18 to do it. Also, it cost me 2.5hrs of my time. I did get some essential shopping out of the way as well as some non-essential shopping. Then I got a carwash from Mike's. $7 well spent, found out where water leaks through. Summer project is to re-seal car. That should help out during the summer. Ha. Sunday was a completely junk food day. I didn't eat health at all. Soda, chocolate, cookie dough, chips, and a Big Bad Double Cheeseburger.

I don't live in either list but at least I don't live in the fattest city. Hey, I'm getting better, except for a slip this weekend.

Sound advice from a urinal cake. Now I could rip on the fact that I don't take advice well, especially from urinal cakes but I won't go that route. Instead, I direct your attention to the end of the video where one of the phrases spouted by this nosy cake is "Remember, your future is in your hand." Oh come on, do I have to spell it out to you?

I've been saying this for awhile now haven't I? These people are quick like a turtle.

Oh, I also spent more money I didn't have to go watch Norbit with friends this weekend.

tiny dancer

Huh. I almost feel bad, but then I remember that I once was switching channels to old fashion way (channel up, pause, channel up, pause, etc) and I came across her reality show. Anyone remember that crap? So like a train wreck, I was disguised by the horror yet couldn't change the channel. The show actually made me vomit. Not the "threw up a little in my mouth" sort but actual flee to the bathroom photo finish kind. Granted I was sick with a little food poisoning but I still consent that it was the show. Makes it stick more doesn't it? I guess wishes do come true.

I felt good about our 6 inches of snow. To record I think we've had a total of nine here this year, but this is just ridiculous. Teachers aren't working, kids aren't learning, but I bet some people are just having a blast. My friends and I have this 'tradition' that whenever it snows and we can all get together we find an unplowed parking lot. Then all the funness begins. One SUV, one ski rope, and one sled. There's nothing quite like getting pulled through the snow at 20mph, colliding with curbs, and the possibility of cracking a skull. It started back in 1999 when Bill and I attempted this crazy stunt. Somehow I was able to locate every single curb and concrete parking bump in the parking lot, usually with my ass. We also used to propel ourselves into the chain-link fences. A few times we tried to do an uphill pull, but that always ended with us doing a face plow. *gasp* I just had the most brilliant idea (or a new way to kill ourselves). In said parking lots, we spend a little time building snow ramps before we tear up the place. Oh yeah, we're making the news and not in the good way.

I'm not going to make fun of autism because that's just not cool. They can't help it. Yeah, sometimes they do funny things but still to make fun of it outright is cruel. However, I'd like to direct your attention to the bottom of the webpage where CNN gives you the chance to receive "Related Topics" email alerts. Yes, autism is one of them. The other one though is for the CDC. And how exactly is autism a controllable disease and preventable? Unless we take one out of Carlos Mencia's playbook. "If you're Dee, and she's Dee, and you have sex. Your kid's going to be Dee Dee Dee."

Ah yes. Parenting. It's a subtle thing isn't it? I mean, if you ask one group, they'll tell you that fighting is wrong and try to resolve conflicts with diplomacy. Another group will tell you to stand up for yourself and toughen up. This mom though is in a whole different league. Ha, I remember getting my ass kicked in school, then coming home and my mom kicking my ass for getting into a fight at school. Apparently it was a two-for-one day. OK, she didn't kick my ass but she inflicted a good spanking.



Last weekend I had my Army Reserve drill. Sorry, battle assembly. Although we did assemble, it wasn't for the purpose of battle. I got to do my re-certification as a combat lifesaver. Sadly, I've actually used what I've learned in combat to try to save a life. Operative word in that sentence was "try." Batting average? 0-1. Anyway, there's been significant changes to the course since I took it back in 2002. Better or worse I don't know. It does focus more on the things that you'll come across in combat, rather than the civilian world so there's that. GSWs, tension pneumothorax, and that sort.
On the other hand, the training and presentation was developed by the Army. So there's a slide that lists the actions a combat lifesaver should take. Some are obvious, but some are for practical purposes, and some are just flat out stupid. "Return fire, suppress the enemy" that makes sense, but not usually something you'd do in that situation. "Reassure the casualty." Obvious. Then there's "Don't get shot." Flat out stupid. Really? You mean that getting shot doesn't do anyone any good? Brilliant strategy!
Another point of hilarity was when we were learning about the new pressure dressing. Yeah, it's cool and much easier to use (albeit complex at first) but I won't go into its application. Rather, the presentation of it. It was a short video where the guy that made it is demonstrating how to use it. OK, it comes inside of two packages to keep it really sterile. Got it. Oh, there's four notches in the package to facilitate removal. You can use your hands or your mouth. Then he shows how one would use your mouth to tear open the package. *gasp* Amazing! It was like magic. This next part I found incredibly funny. I don't know if it was because I hadn't had breakfast had I'd been up for five hours at this point or what. He removed the bandage from its packaging and said, "it comes in sandwich form." This sparked my interest. Like ice cream, it comes in a cone or 'sandwich form.' You could either apply it to the wound or have the casualty eat it, I guess.


I really don't know if I should comment on this subject, I feel some sort of need to say something. Especially since this is all going on in Massachusetts where gay marriage is legal. Well, more on this later.

back up

Lots of stuff happened this weekend. Let's start with the obvious. Stacy hit 250,000 miles, that's a little scary. I don't know how much longer the engine will keep running. Sunday was a very important day, it was Natalie Imbruglia's birthday.
Oh and for the next year I've got to put up with the fact that the Indianapolis Colts are the Super Bowl champions. Stupid Bears, why did you have to suck so bad?
Also, the Army issued me the new ACU's, the Army's combat uniform. Pictures to follow next month. The fact that Army is giving out new uniforms, assigning new soldiers, and updating our paperwork is kind of scary. Scary good, not scary bad.

a funny thing happened

One of my Sigma Nu brothers got married this past weekend. Now, I hate weddings because I always feel like such a loser. Even amongst all my good friends. Still, it was an open bar so I dealt with it. I got reacquainted with my friend Jack. Jack Daniels. Yup. Started out the night with a Jack and Coke. Five minutes later I was up at the bar again for another. Then the whole evening became a blur alcohol-wise. I don't know how many more drinks I had but if there was a frequent-flyer program I'd be at the top.
Chicken was the main meal. That'll come up later in the story, but for now I'll tell you this. Besides the bride and groom, I was the only person in the room that had a parent there. Nothing like getting totally plastered with your dad there. That would usually be enough to keep me drinking in moderation but apparently Jack thought otherwise. Suffice to say, I was so drunk by the end of the night that I was out on the dance floor (drink in hand) just pulling people to dance. Well it was kind of lame, not a lot of people wanted to dance. Alcohol dictated that I change that. So I'm sure I made a complete ass of myself. No, I know I made a complete ass of myself.
Well, after that, I had to top myself. Not getting behind the wheel of a car though. Pfft, like that was going to happen. No we have a designated driver. Still, you'd think that they would know where to go and not depend on the ramblings of a drunk (me). The hotel was only about a mile away. Down the road, on the other side of the highway. No problem right? We drove around for an hour looking for this hotel. Travelodge or whatever. An hour! There's like twelve hotels in the area, but we're looking for the one that doesn't exist. So we finally end up at La Quinta. Before we reached there though, the effects of dancing and drinking hit me. As soon as I sat down in the car I started to feel sick. We got to a gas station and I just opened the door and leaned. BAAAAAARRRRRFFFFFF. BAAAAAAARRRRRRFFFF. See? I told you that the chicken would come up later.
And of course at La Quinta there's two patrol cars outside, running with their operators inside talking at the front desk. For a split second I got an idea from Varisty Blues when Tweeter drives off in the sheriff's car, shouting as he's running towards the car "Time to go to jail!" But I realize that I wouldn't do very well in jail. So I tried not to act like I was a puking drunk guy stumbling in. So we get a room and I crash on the bed. Good night!

full circle

It was a boring weekend, I went over to hang out with Bill and his girlfriend. We tried to go bowling but were unwilling to wait approximately an hour for a lane to open up. So we ended back at his place. Bill offered me a beer he had brought back from St. Louis. It was a Ziegen Bock. Now this is important OK? About 5 years ago I was stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas and Bill was a student at MISSOU. Speaking on IM, I told Bill that I had a four-day weekend, he had a three-day. So logically he invited me up. Just then, my other friend, Andy, walked into my room and I asked him if he'd be interested in going up to see Bill. Of course he was, we've never turned down a road trip. I'm not adovocating drinking and driving, but Andy and I had a beer, repeat one beer a piece, so we sobered up. Before we left, Bill asked me to pick up a 6-pack of Ziegen Bock because it was only sold in Texas. On our way out we fueled up at the Class-6 (the military equivalent to a liquor store) and got a pack. This was at about 11pm on a Thursday night. As we're leaving post, the roads are empty there's just a single car moving towards us. I joked with Andy, "Watch dude, we're going to get pulled over." Sure enough, the car hopped the median and turned on its flashing lights. An MP was pulling us over. I also want to add that Andy and I have an agreement, whenever we use my car, he has to drive. Back to the story. My CRX at the time had an electrical problem, the back side marker light was sensitive so it would die when you slammed the door once, but do it twice and it comes back on. So no big deal, the MP pointed it out and we corrected the problem, then continued on trip.
To give you an idea of our daunting trip that started at 11pm, it takes approximately 12 hours to get to St. Louis, Missouri. But the MISSOU campus where we were headed, was out of the way (about 2.5hours). And to get out of Texas from Ft. Hood takes about 6 hours. The trip up there was not a problem, I couldn't sleep very much because it's not comfortable in my car. Andy wasn't sleeping because he was driving and my job became to keep him awake, smoking cigarettes, and paying for gas. We get to MISSOU at about 1pm, but Bill wasn't going to be done with class until 2:45pm. At 2:50 Bill gives me a call and we tell him where we're at. He finds us and we follow him back to his dorm. Well, what was there to do on a college campus at 3pm on a Friday? Ah, happy hour. We find a local watering hole (it's called Heidelberg or something, I can't remember). Andy and I haven't eaten since the night before, so before heavy drinking, we order some food. I start a tab with one of my credit cards (another part of my agreement with Andy, he gets free provisions) and we start drinking and eating. Now I'm drinking Black Tooths like water, soon after that I'm pretty bombed. I remember making some comment about the dart board, it was a racist dart board. Because there's white, black, and red portions but no yellow! It was probably slurred, but I got my point across (to the entire bar). We continue to order drinks, running up a tab of about $300. I guess it was like 5pm because the bar was beginning to get packed and our waitress was coming around a lot less. I sift through my wallet and find all of my credit cards still there. *shrug* "Hey guys, did either of you leave your credit card with them?" I asked, and the response was no. I shrugged again and in true Ranger form I said "Follow me!" Making a beeline for the door, with Bill and Andy behind me we skipped out on the tab. As soon as we got out the door, I took off in some random direction. Now the hard liquor was kicking in, when we got back to Bill's dorm I was broken. So I pass out on Bill's floor. Before losing consciousness, I remember that Andy grabbed my cigarettes out of my pocket. Billl's girlfriend (at the time) was coming over and they were going out again. I needed to sleep it off. When I woke up again, it was about 4am. And I needed a cigarette to get the nasty taste of the alcohol in my mouth. Bill and his girlfriend were in bed, but I woke them up. "Bill, where's Andy? He's got my cigarettes." To which Bill replied that he went out for cigarettes, and I pressed him for when. Bill said that they got back around 2am and he went out shortly after that. It was 4am, it doesn't take 2 hours to get cigarettes, so I go out looking for him. First, I look in the common area. Nope. Downstairs? He wasn't in the lobby. I didn't want to venture outside since you needed a card to get in, so I went back upstairs. Bill told me how to unlock the doors without a card. When I went out the front door, I looked around to figure out which way was the nearest gas station. As I looked around, I saw someone passed out on the ledge. I walk over and realize that it's Andy. He's covered himself up with newspapers, his hat fell over the other side, there's puke all around it but it didn't touch the hat. That was kind of cool. So I pat him down and locate some cigarettes. After getting my nicotine fix I attempt to wake Andy up. He would bounce up, look around with that glossy look in his eyes and then pass out again. He did that about four times before I figure that this method isn't going to work. I had to take a new approach to the problem. I drapped his left arm over my head and carry him back upstairs to a common area. He woke up at the last part before I set him down on the couch, so I went and got him some water which he drank before he passed out. Then I went downstairs to get the rest of Andy's stuff. I'm able to locate his jacket and hat, but his sandals are nowhere to be found. Ah, screw it, I'm going back upstairs to pass out.
We slept in for a few hours. Bill found us and convinces us that we should go to his girlfriend's place near St. Louis. Another one of my old friends, Tim, was living there too. We all decide that a nice night in was just what we needed. We picked up some beer and we went back to the apartment. Pulp Fiction was on, so we got the idea to drink every time a cuss word was uttered. A cuss word was defined as anything that would have been censored on network television. Uh, yeah, we were all hammered within an hour. I can't remember what happened after that. It was a blur.
Another morning was wasted due to sleeping in. So for lunch we go to a diner and have some food. On a whim, I figure it'd be cool if Andy got to see our college, DePauw University since we were only 3 hours west of it. So after lunch we head out. I can't remember what mile marker it was, but it's pretty much the last gas station on the Illinois side. A little town called, Casey. That's where we stopped for gas. I tell Andy that I'll drive, Andy's be driving this entire weekend, so he can get a few minutes of shut eye as I make the rest of the drive to DePauw. That's reasonable right? So we fill up and I hop behind the driver's seat.
'Ah crap! I missed the on-ramp.' So I figure I'll just keep driving straight until I can find somewhere to turn around. Just then, an unmarked white van closes in behind us. Now I'm thinking it's the Klan, come to enforce their color standards on me. So I gun the CRX, trying to outrun these guys, but they keep on me. I see what looks to be a road on my right, so I slow down and cut the wheels over. Now I don't know if I would've made it, but all I know is that it was a gravel road. I slide right off the road and into the drainage ditch that ran along side the main road. In a miracle, there were two poles cemented in on either side of the car. I'm pretty sure they would've ruined the rest of my day. So we're nose first in a ditch, in Casey, Illinois. I sigh. The odometer read 1.1 trip miles. I drove 1.1 miles on this adventure and ended up in a ditch. We agree that I never get behind the wheel again. You're thinking I should call my insurance company to get a tow truck to pull me out right? Well, I would have but uh, Casey is not the technology hub of the Midwest. There was no cellphone service there. Luck shined down upon us (or so we thought) and a car passed by. It was the cast of Varsity Blues, or at least the people the characters were based upon. I swear there wasn't a whole set a teeth between the five of them and that they were related by both blood and marriage. We had a laugh, but they couldn't help us so they take off. A few minutes later, another guy drives by. He's driving a little Toyota pickup truck. He doesn't have a lot of teeth either, but he did have a chain. So we hook it up to Veronica (my CRX back then) and with Andy and I pushing, we unditch.
At DePauw I pick up my friend Katie and all have a meal at the legendary truck stop. I don't know many people there anymore since they had graduated in May. After dinner, we take Katie back and start our journey home. The weekend was hard for Andy and we had to stop for actual rest. I would've continued to drive, but we felt that it was not necessary to ditch the car again. We get home without anymore ditches, and learning our lesson from Casey, we stop for gas elsewhere (and I still don't stop there).
So what's the importance of the Ziegen Bock mentioned at the beginning? Well, remember Bill had asked for a 6-pack. We gave it to him and now, almost 5 years later, he offered me the same ones. Yeah, a 5 year old beer. Let me tell you, beer does not get better with age. Learn from my mistake. Never, ever, drink a beer that's more than a year old. Especially one that's been cooled then warmed, then cooled, and so on for five years.