may:
11th
military spouse's day
12th
MEIGH's b-day
MOJA's b-day
14th
mother's day
19th
CHRISTINA's b-day
armed forces day
20th
TABITHA's b-day
28th
memorial day
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MONDAY 28TH MAY 2007
5:51-AM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"One of you will say to me: 'Then why does GOD still blame us? For who resists his will?' But who are you, O man, to talk back to GOD? 'Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, 'Why did You make me like this?''"
-- Romans 09 : 19 & 20
I was supposed to head to the gym, meet up with PINKY and do some cardio for forty-five (45) minutes or so. Waking up at 4:00 wasn't a problem at all since I'd done it all of last week. In fact I woke up at 3:45, before my alarm sounded. I wasn't especially tired but I didn't have the will to hoist myself out of bed and make the trek to the gym. So I continued watching an episode of the Twilight Zone which I'd stopped last night before bed. It was about three (03) astronauts who found themselves stranded in the desert. It was odd though because they were in military uniforms and not "space suits". Anyway, one (01) went crazy and killed the other two (02) guys for their water. In the end he ended up walking for miles and miles before coming upon power lines and a gas station. A nearby sign read "Nevada". It turned out their spaceship never left earth, it's just crash landed in the Nevada desert. It was a neat twist at the end and an episode I don't ever recall having seen before. I'm three (03) discs into the first season. So I have twenty-five (25) more discs to go and around one hundred forty (140) more episodes. And I haven't even checked out the special features and bonus discs!
My platoon leader leaves today. he was supposed to leave at a few hours ago this morning, but I suggested he go back into the terminal and ask for a later flight. He's fast asleep on a cot. Since he had to stay into today anyway and he's flying on standby, having him take a later flight wasn't really a big deal. He saw what he needed to inventory and is taking some equipment and records back with him. All and all it was a successful visit. He was able to talk to the guys and pal around a bit. In about an hour I'll wake him up to see if he's interested in heading to breakfast. And of course it's Monday so that means I have my maintenance meeting. But we'll return from breakfast with plenty of time for him to make his flight and me to make my meeting. SSG Frasier's going to escort him to the passenger terminal since I'll be at the meeting.
Apparently there was a dust storm last night. The wind sounded fierce outside my window and I think I heard my platoon leader say the sky was orange. It knocked out power or something because SGT Adams' transformer started whining in the middle of the night. It's doing it now too. It's not as bad as it was weeks ago. Then it was constant. It sounds like a little car engine struggling to start. This morning it's just doing it every so often. But nonetheless it's still an annoyance. At first SGT Adams' refused to turn it off. Even when he wasn't in his room using his television or electronics he'd leave it on. One (01) night however a few of us were in Smith's room watching a movie and it was whining away. I mentioned that he should go turn it off since he wasn't in there but he said something or another; basically it was some weak excuse. Not fifteen (15) minutes later however, he sprang up to turn it off because it was getting to him as well. Ha! I think something just needs to be restarted; that was the case the last time.
Well, PINKY is probably disappointed I didn't show up. But she owes me because I showed up once and she wasn't there. But I'm sure I'll get scolded a bit. I plan to go tomorrow though. More Twilight Zone and then breakfast, and after that another work week will be officially under way.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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THURSDAY 24TH MAY 2007
9:35-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"'Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.'"
-- MATTHEW 24 : 35
Mail! And I didn't receive mail I was expecting. Well, okay, strike that, I did receive the deluxe edition of Kutless' "Strong Tower" album; two (02) additional packages however were nice surprises: The first was a book with a few goodies accompanying it from a woman who'd read my post at a books for deployed Soldiers website. The return name and address didn't ring a single bell when I took it from the mail clerk so I was instantly curious. Who is this person and what are they sending me? Surprise, a book. I should really post requests for a few more books as I've already received the two (02) I posted I suppose it was back in March.
The second box was from my church youth group back home. I parceled out the Jolly Ranchers, as I'm not much of a hard candy eater; and I gave away the Slim Jims, and jelly beans. The rest I ate and stowed in the cubby hole below my books. I officially have plenty of lotion and sunblock. I'd prefer soap to sunblock as I use the former twice a day, but don't use the latter at all. I'm currently using Irish Spring. It's blue. I'm sure it's supposed to smell of the ocean or something. And not the actual polluted, rotten fish smelling ocean, the ocean in all the commercials that's always fresh and blue and o revitilizing.
My first sergeant was supposed to arrive this morning but cancelled due to flight complications. Bummer. He likes to get up here to visit whenever he's able and needs a break. My LT (lieutenant) is supposed to be up here soon too, althougth I don't know when. It'll be the first time my platoon leader has been up here without my platoon sergeant, SFC Morris. I believe SFC Morris will return from leave in a couple of weeks but I'm not totally sure. In any case my LT is coming to inventory some items. No biggie.
It's bed time. I just have two (02) more early mornings to go before Sunday. I'll sleep in Sunday morning, but it'll probably only be until 7:00 or so. Of course that is "sleeping in" since my morning routine has had me up at 3:50 the past week. And this Sunday will be the first day I'll be out of the shop for two (02) solid weeks. Of course if I need to be in for an out of town customer then I'll come in and most likely get caught up doing something which will keep me here doing this and that for the better part of the day.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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WEDNESDAY 23RD MAY 2007
9:27-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law."
-- Romans 13 : 08
I should really be in bed right now. Well I'm in bed, I should be sleeping. I woke up and headed to work even earlier than I'd planned. I'm still working on the database corrections so I turned my alarm on yesterday evening so I'd be up to head to work before the sun rose. It went off and I hit the snooze button before turning it off and on again so the alarm wouldn't go off again after five (05) minutes. I felt rested but something was a bit "off". I couldn't put my finger on it until I opened my laptop and glanced at the time. Three o'clock! I figured I must have advanced the time an hour yesterday morning in an attempt to turn my alarm off. I figured if I went back to sleep intending to wake up an hour later it probably wouldn't happen, so I went about quietly dressing and moving out as I did yesterday morning, only an hour later.
I treated myself to a blazing fire once I arrived at work. There's a fire pit outside the bay we're in. We use it to burn all our sensitive and classified documents. In the mornings I'll use it for that purpose but also as a morale booster. Ha! I like to watch things burn. Today I brought some cardboard boxes I had in my room to burn. We're instructed to remove address labels from boxes we receive. It's just for precautions out here. I thought, instead of tearing them off and ripping them up I'll just throw the entire box into the fire once I arrive at work. And I did just that. I've compiled more boxes than I'll need when the time comes. Since I've ordered books and CDs out here I'm going to have to box them up and ship them off before it's time to leave. And I think I have enough boxes between the couple I have in my room and some I'll be able to acquire from the shop. So, I've boxes to burn!
The particular updates I'm doing involve my filling out customer data sheets and emailing them to a point of contact back in America. This morning I arrived thinking they were completed; I even received an email confirmation from the person who does the changes. However, when I downloaded the file and executed it on my production control computer, the info didn't show up. I tried it several times before emailing someone to inquire. As it turned out I didn't take into account the fact the computer which stores the master files takes an evening to update. So the updates were completed, but not processed and what I downloaded wasn't the updated file. But no worries the updates should show up when I get in to work about seven (07) hours from now.
SSG Frasier brought me a couple pieces of barbecue chicken and a cheeseburger for lunch today. That's totally the wrong answer for someone who started their day at 3:00 in the morning in the heat of the desert. It's hot. (It's approximately 43.2 degrees C these days.) And it's only going to get hotter. But I love the heat. I can remember being super cold and absolutely hating having to do anything in it; no, sweating like a pig doesn't bother me in the least. I love it! Love!
I figured I needed a good walk to work off my lunch and in order to stay awake so SSG Frasier and I headed to the education center. He wants to take a class and I wanted to inquire about taking a College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exam. It paid off. The next CLEP tests will be given on 08 June. They didn't have any study materials but I can get a hold of some online for free. So tomorrow I'll return to sign up for a college algebra and an analyzing and interpreting literature CLEP subject exams. And if I can get some good study material I should be good to go. And out here there's no pre-exam, it's just self-study and then you sit in for the actual exam. Back on installations in America you'd usually have to take a pre-exam and then wait for the real exam; and of course, both had to be scheduled and it was a huge pain. But this is going to be nice and smooth. I'll sign up tomorrow, find some study materials, and head it on 08 and 09 June to see if I can score high enough to earn credits.
Tomorrow will be another early morning. This time I'll fix my alarm so I'm roused at 4:00 instead of 3:00. But I should be looking good as far as progress goes. I should be finished with the major changes by Friday. Then I'll need to send the "little" changes. So about this time next week my database here should be looking pretty much flawless. Well okay, maybe not flawless, but a whole lot better than it used to look. To make a long story short my team wasn't getting all the credit for the work it was performing and reports I'd send up weren't accurate as a result. So, I'm having to go in and change things. That about the long and short of it without detailing the changes I'm making. I'm fixing it though, one (01) thirteen (13) hour day at a time. Ha!
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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TUESDAY 22ND MAY 2007
7:12-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"The LORD GOD said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I'll make a helper suitable for him.' The man said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man.'"
-- Genesis 02 : 18 & 23
I woke up at 4:00 this morning. It was brought to my attention by the powers that be that the reports I'm sending are erroneous. To make a long story short, my team isn't getting all the credit for the work we do as far as the reporting reflect. Units have codes which we use to identify them. When they deploy their codes follow them because they are the same unit. However, the unit code is associated with the calibration support team at their home station. So when they get out here, I have to send paperwork up for them to receive a temporary unit code which can be inputted into my system. So for work done here they'll use the temporary code which has my team as the performing calibration support team.
These changes weren't made for a lot of units and so their regular calibration support teams were getting credit for work my team did. So I spent the early morning hours doing customer information sheets up to send back to the States. The requests will be entered into the master file which I'll download from a site so I may update my system. And of course there's plenty to change. I'll be up at 3:30 to do this, while I can concentrate in peace, at least until I get a better handle on it and my reports look a lot better.
And since I came into work Sunday and last week seemed like a long week due to my splitting the team into two (02) shifts, this week is going to seem like it's never ending. Ha! But no worries, I don't shy away from hard work.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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MONDAY 21ST MAY 2007
8:12-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."
-- Psalm 23 : 04
Three (03) years ago I wasn't only in the coldest place I've been, I was fighting a stress induced cold too. Well, the cold wasn't stress induced but I was told that because I was under a lot of stress, my immune system wasn't able to fend off the cold. It was weird. I haven't been sick (cold, sore throat, stomach ache, flu, "bug") since then. I suppose it's because of all the immunizations and shots I've had courtesy of the United States Army. Maybe I have an immune enhancing reaction to all the anthrax vaccinations they've pumped into me. But nope, not since this day three (03) years ago. I believe it lasted for three (03) days, the remainder of the week.
FRIDAY 21ST MAY 2004
9:25-PM-(UTC/GMT -5 Hours)
Listening - "FAITHFULLY"-The Katinas Roots
I wish I could say I'm all better now. I'm not. I have been sleeping for the better part of the time I have been cooped up in my room here. The extra rest is doing me good but every time I wake up I still feel pretty down and out. I just hope I'll be feeling closer to 100% soon. The medications are working though, surely a good thing. I just took another pill a few minutes ago: Doxycycline. It is supposed to be some great antibiotic. I suppose it does not hurt much to try and kill any bacteria in me. I think it's working. I mean, I do feel better than I did Wednesday morning. My fever has gone down and my head is not constantly throbbing. Acetaminophen for the muscle aches, Cetylpyridinium for the sore, scratchy throat. I'm still getting used to drinking excess amounts of liquid. I'm not used to drinking much of anything ever so this is a drastic change.
I think I'll be well enough to face next week. And next week will be busy indeed. We are having to move stuffage around in the shop and some equipment out into a truck in order for the shop floor to be redone. After that we are going to have a technical inspection done by some regional folks. After that the new commander and first sergeant are going to pay us a visit from Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. I may have those two (02) things backwards. in any case, I'll be absent for one (01) of the two (02); on 07 June I'll have my wisdom teeth removed. It's an afternoon procedure that I'm told will take about two (02) hours. I'll have local anesthetic used on me so I'll be able to feel all the grinding sensations and pressure. That'll be good fun I'm sure. But after the procedure I'll have to take it easy. I'll most likely be put on lock-down once again here in my room. I'm not sure how long it will last but I've heard it's usually a week followed by another week or so of light duty and no PT. So I expect to be doing this number again during the week of the seventh.
May has been a very busy month and June will be even busier; ... July will probably be just as busy or even more so. It just doesn't stop here at Fort Drum. It's insane. I don't know about other Army jobs but in this particular MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) things can be drastically different from post to post and from team to team. The way things go is pretty much determined by the team chief. And well here, of course, there are fierce winters and nothing much to do in the surrounding areas. But there is so much more to do other than just calibration. I haven't really calibrated on a consistent basis since I have been here, and that's been almost two (02) whole years. Now it just seems as though a lot of busy work gets thrown at us. I'm pretty sure we are the complete opposite of the team stationed in Hawaii. They have beautiful weather and little mission; and I'm sure they don't work their fingers to the bone dealing with the unit they are attached to and training and motors and such. I don't know for sure how things are done there but I'm pretty sure for the most part days are not always so stressful as they are here.
I've taken my medication now. I need to take the others too. I'm getting achy and my head is starting to pound so it's time for me to call it a night and crawl into bed. I only have a couple more days to rest up and recover. I wonder what my first morning as a civilian will feel like. I think I'm ready to embrace a whole different set of (civilian) stressors about now. But I suppose I'll get my taste of those when the time comes. I just need to hold on a little while longer and prepare for March of 2006.
I recovered just fine. Fortunately I was only down for three (03) days, the last three (03) days of the work week. Nice! I suppose my body gave out to let me know it was time to slow down. I can't quite remember what was going on. I'm sure if I read a month prior and through the beginning of that month I can get a feel of what was going on. I'm sure it was just the regular day to day annoyances associated with being at "lovely" Fort Drum. But truly, aside from that little bout I can't remember the last time I've been sick since 2000 or 2001. Weird. I'm thankful of course, but it's just strange. I can be around sick people and I just don't catch anything.
Shortly after my three (03) days off I had my wisdom teeth extracted. I would use the term "removed" but that sounds so simple and easy, so smooth; no, my teeth were extracted, as in ripped from my head. Fort Drum doesn't put patients under at the dental clinic. So instead of gas I received half a dozen shots in my mouth to numb it up before the pulling, twisting, yanking, and prying began. Included was a shot directly into the roof of my mouth which was wonderfully painful. As the plunger injected the numbing agent a tear rolled out of my eye. I could feel my teeth being pulled out of my jaw bone. It wasn't a pleasant experience as I didn't know whether to pull against it, or go with it. And every second I was just waiting to feel the pain. At one (01) point the dentist was bracing himself on the chair and just wrenching away. All told I was in the chair for right around three (03) hours. And if I wouldn't have had all four (04) extracted that day I'd never go through it again.
Afterwards I ate pudding and apple sauce. SHAMAL brought me a nice supply for the few days I was recovering in my quarters. The sockets in my mouth became dry and I experienced sharp pain in my mouth each time I breathed in cool air. The pain was a dull throb all the time, punctuated every once in a while with a sharp pain which shot right to my brain. It was bad. It took me at least an hour to get comfortable enough to get some sleep. And even then the throbbing would sometimes wake me up. Once I thought everything was okay (I was n pain killers of course.) so I made a sandwich. Needless to say when I opened my mouth I experienced incredible pain. But since i didn't want to waste the sandwich I tore it into small pieces, placed each piece at the back of my throat and swallowed it. I didn't taste it, but it was just such a good-looking sandwich. ...
In June, when my commander and first sergeant visited I was offered to be put on what I would later discover was a very short list of candidates to go to Redstone Arsenal to drive for the commanding general. I wouldn't leave until a month or so later. I was there for a year and it was probably the most rewarding year I've spent in the Army so far. In fact, it was. The most challenging will have to go to my second tour in Korea which culminated in my being a platoon sergeant for the latter half of the tour.
And what do you know March 2006 has now been in the history books for over a year now and I'm still wearing the uniform. And while it's no longer the Battle Dress Uniform (BDU), but the Army Combat Uniform (ACU), I'm still in the service of my country. My exit term of service (ETS) date these days is June 2009. Will it be my last ETS date? Who knows for sure? I don't even know for sure. But these days I'm not really counting down.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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SUNDAY 20TH MAY 2007
9:42-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
Listening - "YOU ARE ON OUR SIDE"-BETHANY dillon Waking Up
"'Do not be afraid,' Samuel replied. 'You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.'"
-- 01 SAMUEL 12 : 20
"You Are On Our Side"
BETHANY dillon
The orphan clings to Your hand
Singing the song of how he was found
The widow rejoices
For her oppressors are silenced now
And You sit at the table with the wounded and the poor
You laugh and share stories with the thief and the whore
When You could just be silent and leave us here to die
Still, You sent Your Son for us
You are on our side
The runaway falls at Your feet
You are what he has searched for
And the rich man is broken
When he stands beneath a sky full of stars
And You sit at the table with the wounded and the poor
You laugh and share stories with the thief and the whore
When You could just be silent and leave us here to die
Still, You sent Your Son for us
You are on our side
You sit at the table with the wounded and the poor
You laugh and share stories with the thief and the whore
When You could just be silent and leave us here to die
Still, You sent Your Son for us
You are on our side
Still, You sent Your Son for us
You are on our side
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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SUNDAY 20TH MAY 2007
6:19-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"'Do to others as you would have them do to you. ... Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.'"
-- LUKE 06 : 31 & 36
Sure enough, just as I figured, I stayed at the shop from 7:30ish to just after 3:30. Yup, I pretty much put in a full day of work. Seven (07) day work week. Check. Tomorrow will be consecutive workday number eight (08). No biggie though, a lot of units are on a seven (07) day work week. But it's different when you're used to a day off. But no worries, I enjoyed my time at the shop. The two (02) customers arrived just before 9:00 and were pleasant. We joked around and surprisingly enough they had everything in order.
I stayed longer to check my email and get things done. I started a tasking which came down from the powers that be regarding my customer database. It took me a few hours and another "I'm not sure how to fix this," email but I think I'm finally on the right track and can jump in head first tomorrow to work out the kinks. It should take a while to straighten out but I had an epiphany as I stayed to do other little tasks and I think I'm all over the solution. Tomorrow morning I should get the "thumbs up" email and then I'll pour my efforts into making all the corrections. I told the guy who emailed me with help that I'm a quick study and downright stubborn; I'm the kind of person who will put in an extra day to figure something out. And if my thoughts concerning all the problems in my database are correct, I'll spend all day working to fix it.
SSG Frasier came by in the early afternoon with steak and shrimp for me. I had to decline. I'm sure he doesn't matter since he usually gets food and puts it in the 'fridge for later. I thanked him of course but the hunk of meat didn't appeal to me. Firstly, I'd headed back to the room around noon to fetch the Subway sandwich I'd bought yesterday and stowed in the 'fridge, and secondly, I'm not really a steak fan. I'll take a nice piece of chicken over a slice of beef any day. A big juicy gourmet burger is my "steak". It's the way I prefer to ingest my red meat. Yes indeed.
I'm out of cotton swabs. This means I'll have to put up with water in my ears after tomorrow morning's shower. I should write it down right now so I don't forget. I don't think I need anything else so I'm bound to forget to get them and enter the never ending cycle of remembering twice a day when I've showered and then forgetting, moments later, for the remainder of the day. I have a bag of clothes ready to be carried to the laundry point tomorrow. It's easiest to carry it to work with me and then head to the laundry point either during my lunch break or right after work directly from the shop. It becomes difficult to leave the comfort of my comfy room once I get back. And if I've already removed my boots staying in is a done deal.
Most of the time I take care of laundry after the work day. Last week, while I had my Soldiers on half-days SSG Frasier would bring me lunch when he came in at 12:30. I still have them on half days. I'm not sure when I'll change back to a "normal" schedule. They'd love it if I kept things the way they are. They wouldn't let me know, or say thank you, but that's not what it's about. And besides, who doesn't like four (04) hour work days? Plans may change however if the work load increases. If I see that we can't keep up, then I'll mix things up again. Regardless, since we're now six (06) and will be until we leave, I'll never have everyone working at the same time, it's just not practical to have PFC Smith and I in the shelter doing our jobs and four (04) technicians in the truck working on equipment. And besides there are personalities which just don't jive. And as long as I can keep everyone "happy" I'm going to do it. I don't have to order them to work together because the workload isn't that great. So I have no problem honoring wishes and keeping certain personalities from bumping into one (01) another. Too easy!
I'm tempted to rant and complain just a little about the quality of my Soldiers here. I think I'll hold my tongue (er,finger) though because if I started now I'd probably be punching the keys until morning. It's coming though. And it's nothing horrible I suppose, just observations and yours truly getting a tad bit irked.
Here's to yet another day down. A lot of mortars and rockets have been coming our way. The airfield has been hit numerous times, most recently at the top of last week. Today I heard small arms (rifles, machine guns) fire out towards the town. But so far I've managed to remain safe and in a single piece, thank GOD. No worries!
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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SUNDAY 20TH MAY 2007
5:52-AM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"A friend loves at all times, ..."
-- Proverbs 17 : 17
Okay. Okay. I'm up. I went to sleep pretty early last night since I have a couple of customers coming in tomorrow morning. Okay, I didn't exactly fall aleep early, but my eyes were closed and I was in a restful state. The Soldiers I live with stay up pretty late and talk a lot. It doesn't really irk me too much. I've come to terms with letting everyone just do there own thing and be as inconsiderate as they want to be. Ha! Well, not really, but I can sleep and get rest amidst all kinds of chaos. So it's not a huge deal. Anyway, I slept enough and now I'm up and ready to hit the shower.
Okay, so, shower time and then off to work for the seventh day in a row. Yes, it's ironic how I have my Soldiers on a half day schedule and here I am going in on my day off. Tsk. Tsk. I sense myself going into workaholic mode.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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SATURDAY 19TH MAY 2007
6:24-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"'Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him so that your Father in Heaven may forgive you your sins.'"
-- MARK 11 : 24 & 25
Several nations of the world hold an annual Armed Forces Day to recognize, venerate, and honor their military forces. It is similar to the Veteran's Day or Remembrance Day. In the United States, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May, this year it's today, 19 May. On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department, the Department of Defense. Each of the military leagues and orders was asked to drop sponsorship of its specific service day in order to celebrate the newly announced Armed Forces Day.
According to a New York Times article published on May 17, 1952: "This is the day on which we have the welcome opportunity to pay special tribute to the men and women of the Armed Forces, ... to all the individuals who are in the service of their country all over the world. Armed Forces Day won't be a matter of parades and receptions for a good many of them. They will all be in line of duty and some of them may give their lives in that duty."
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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FRIDAY 18TH MAY 2007
5:05-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life."
-- Proverbs 22 : 04
"MARILOU, ...
...hey big sister. Thanks for my continued Tagalog lessons, free of charge. You're a fine tutor! How's the bead business coming along? Let me know when you've made a whole bunch; I might have to invest in your little business venture. Ha! You'll have stalls all over the islands before you know it.
I trust work is going well. I'm still not completely over your "I now work at the zoo" trick. Of course I believed you, why wouldn't I have. Ha! I could see you feeding hunks of meat to the lions. I'm actually disappointed, I was looking forward to a behind the scenes zoo tour some day. Pity. Well, keep doing your bead thing, working hard, and taking care of the family. *squeeze* You're in my thoughts and prayers. Love ya bunches MARILOU!"
"JENNY, ...
... my hard worker. I smile every time I think of you having to wake up "early" now and head to work instead of sleeping in past lunch as you used to do. Ha! Continue to work hard. And save whenever you're able. I know a lot of things have changed and not everything is super great, but hang in there."
Stand by the decisions you've made in the wake of heart-felt thought and prayer. I know the changes are rough and that they seem like weight on your shoulders, but the feelings will pass. You'll begin to feel better about things and yourself and before you know it you'll be smiling non-stop again. So hang in there and hold on. You'll get through it. I just know you will. I love you bunches little sister! You're in my thoughts and prayers. *squeeze* Oh, was your camera fixed?"
"MELODY, ...
... you want to see my angels books? Um, I can send you a link to the website where I ordered them. But no, I won't send them, they're mine and I haven't read them yet! Ha! How are you? You'll have to save me a seat on one (01) of your trips to the beach someday. I need an 'always invited' pass so that if ever I'm 'in the neighborhood' I'll be allowed to tag along with you and your group.
I want to be on your work soft during the weekdays, play hard during the weekends schedule. Ha! Beach bum. Balai resort again soon? *squeeze* Love ya little sister."
"KALEN, ...
... a house for you and your boyfriend. How exciting. You've grown a lot since you two (02) have been together. I trust he continues to make you and better you and you do the same for him. Relationships should be all about learning from one (01) another and being beneficial to one (01) another's lives. I wish you and BILLY nothing but the best. And congratulations and good luck on your house venture.
I hope you're able to get MILLIE the help she needs; it's very admirable you're standing by your beloved pup. You should prove to be the best employee PetsMart has ever seen. I hope that goes well for you too. You're in my thoughts and prayers. Continue to stay motivated and positive KALEN dear. You're doing so very well for yourself. You have too many reasons to be proud of yourself and so much potential within to ensure your happiness and success. I'm a big fan! *squeeze*"
"EDELWEIZA, ...
... don't freak out about the new job sister. It's just more change and transition. It happens to me each time I move from Army duty station to Army duty station. I have to make the acquaintance of an entirely new set of people. And I've had to do this approximately nine (09) times in the past six (06) and a half years. Yup. And the personalities I've had to work with, for, and have work for me. Goodness.
You're personable and have a bright, infectious personality. Just focus on work, do your best, ... you'll just naturally make friends. Give it time. But believe me, you have nothing at all to worry about. I haven't even met you in person and I know I'd enjoy being around you, so see, no worries. *squeeze* You're in my thoughts and prayers. Love you bunches. I'm glad to see you updating more often. I hope we can talk sometime very soon. I could use an EDEL fix and I want to know about what else might be new in your life."
"YVONNE, ...
... you're "back" I was glad to see something new at your website. I was beginning to think you'd drown in all your work. I keep forgetting you work with kids. Every time you mention them it's like I'm learning about it all over again. Are they out for the summer yet? Or is it daycare? See, I totally forget. Ha! And school? How's it going?
I hope all is well. I know things were rough for a bit but I'm thinking you're rebounded and are well into the moving on process. You've been through worse eh? Yup; you're a tough cookie. I can't say when I'll ever get a chance to get up your way and visit, but I'm planning on it. But no worries, I won't show up out of the blue and unannounced. But just know that it'll most likely happen someday. Hopefully soon. Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, you simply must take a picture of yourself wearing that shirt out. You know what I'm talking about. Ha! Keep working hard, studying dutifully, and shining brightly. *squeeze* You're in my thoughts and prayers YVONNE!"
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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THURSDAY 17TH MAY 2007
10:35-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt--darkness that can be felt.' So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days."
-- Exodus 10 : 21 & 22
I don't think I'm going to buy the "A.D. Chronicles" books after all. As much as I can't stand reviews I read a bit on Christianbook and the reviewer mentioned some weak points that didn't make me want to take a chance on the series. Meh, go figure. I am interested in finding another Christian fiction writer whom interests me. Don't get me wrong, I'm a Dekker fanatic but there's room for a few more fiction writers in my favorite column. Hm, I have a favorite column. That's news to me. It was the only thing which came to mind as I was typing.
The week's almost at an end. This week has seemed twice as long and it's not even over. I'm going to stay up all night Saturday and then sleep until late afternoon on Sunday. It just feels weird to have three (03) of my Soldiers on a morning shift and two (02) on an afternoon shift with myself working the full 8:30 to 5:00 duty day. No worries though, I'm not going to burn out and I don't mind it, I guess I just kind of change gears depending on what set I'm working with during the day. So it seems in a way I'm working a double day. Okay, maybe it doesn't really make sense.
I've been having a horrible time getting up in the mornings. And it's not caused by lack of sleep. I'm ending my day around 11:00, which is early for me, and sleeping until maybe 1:00 or 2:00. I'll usually head for a restroom (port-a-potty) break, check to see who's on my Trillian messenger list for a half hour or so, and then get back to sleep. I guess the break in sleep does a number on me. But anyway this morning I woke up at 6:00, decided I had a little more time to sleep, and then woke up again an hour and twenty (20) minutes later when I really had to get up and get moving. Crazy! I need to work on my morning routine in the days to come. I can't afford to cut things so closely in the morning, especially since I intend on heading into work early on the days I don't have to attend the maintenance meeting to brief on the whereabouts of my repair parts. Crazy!
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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WEDNESDAY 16TH MAY 2007
8:45-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"If anyone acknowledges that JESUS is the Son of God, GOD lives in him and he in GOD."
-- 01 JOHN 04 : 15
My angel books have arrived! Approximately two (02) weeks ago I was able to expand upon a story idea I had. Since the idea had to do with angels I quickly turned to Christian Book Distributors to order a few books to use as research material. And a few of them arrived today. I'm still waiting on the last two (02) or three (03) to arrive but with these I'll be able to immerse myself in all things angelic and have a better foundation for my story and the ways in which I might choose to branch out. In other words I want to have a good body of knowledge regarding angels from different sources in order to create my own angel lore for my story.
I'm beginning my "angel education" with CHARLES & ANNETTE capps' "Angels" tonight. For one (01) it's the smallest of the books and it looks like it's a good way to get a nice overview according to the Capps so that I may pick and choose the characteristics of my angels and what elements of my plot I might choose to include. Anyway, blah, blah, blah, ... my angels books arrived, they'll help with my story, and I'm extremely happy about that.
It's the middle of the week. It's also the middle of the month. Yesterday was payday. Out here it seems as if payday comes once a week instead of once every two (02) weeks. I suppose that's odd considering there are less things to think about while deployed. Mail is a big one (01) as well as food. Mail, food, payday, ...
The months are just flying by. It seems as though May just began and now it's already half. Anyway, tonight I will read one (01) of my new books. I've showered and in bed so I'll read until I feel drowsy; after that I'll take my glasses out, fall asleep and do it all again tomorrow morning. Another day means another USD$86.00. At least I think so. I calculated it a couple of months ago and I think my pay boils down to roughly USD$86.00 a day.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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TUESDAY 15TH MAY 2007
5:55-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"Have mercy on me, O GOD, have mercy on me, for in You my soul takes refuge. I'll take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed."
-- Psalm 57 : 01
I didn't want to get up this morning at all. NORMI, JESSICA, and MELODY will bear witness to my laziness as I converted my groans and whines into phrases such as, "I don't want to go to work today, "do I have to go," and "technically since I'm in charge I can just give myself a day off." Yes, the latter was my favorite. But I managed to hoist myself out of bed, dress, and get to work only a few minutes.
Yesterday seemed a bit odd since I'm now working with half of my Soldiers in the morning and then the other half in afternoon. In fact today was odd to and I imagine the remainder of the week will feel just as odd. But I like the fact it's taking a little stress off my guys' minds. I mean with our being extended up in the air and four (04) out of five (05) of them having served past their initialy end of service date, ... well I'm sure they can't help but feel a bit frustrated from time to time. I'm just fine though. When I settled on trying to find a unit which was deploying when I was about to leave Korea, I planned on a full twelve (12) month deployment. Since I wanted to do it as soon as possible I choose to head to Fort Riley, Kansas as they would be in the desert when I arrived but I'd be able to follow on at a later date. I didn't expect to wait as long as I did but it was great to head home for Christmas! So since I'm due to be short a year anyway, I don't mind the extra time. Of course I'm out here with guys who have wives and the majority of which "should have already been out of the Army".
The afternoon went by rather quickly. I'd left my book at the shop yesterday evening but I remembered it this evening. I didn't want to start in on it while at work. I don't really like to be disturbed and I had a good amount of work to do. But no worries, later tonight I'll crack it open and read a hundred (100) or so more pages.
A friend of mine put another podcast on her website. RHIZA's site is one (01) of about twenty-two (22) I have bookmarked that I'll visit at least twice a day. This latest podcast was better than the other two (02); she's improving but she doesn't quite know whether to tag herself a "newbie" still. Ha! I'm thinking I should do a podcast one (01) of these days. I have a headset which came with the Rosetta Stone language software, which I'm not using. I could just plug in the microphone and talk away. But meh, I don't know. Would I do it once a week? Would I just do it on a topic? And that's not even taking into consideration how much I loathe the sound of my recorded voice. One (01) of these days I'll do it perhaps. Perhaps.
Another day down. I wasn't the productive dynamo I was yesterday but I still managed to get somethings accomplished. It's hot and I imagine it's keeping a lot of the customers away. The unit we're sort of under here at Camp Taji is now working in the mornings and the late evenings into the nights. So from noon to the time I leave at 5:00 it's nice and quiet. I like it a lot. So besides the customers it's just SSG Frasier, SGT Adams, and myself from 12:30 to 5:00. Nice. And since they adjusted their hours due to the heat I don't see any reason their schedule won't continue into June, through July, and well into the month of August as well. The heat doesn't really back off until then. After all the way things are going I just might be here to greet the cold once it arrives.
Well work is in the past and I have all kinds of energy now that I'm not lying in my comfy bed and dreading the start of yet another work day. But all in all there's really not much to dread, I don't mind work at all. In fact, I kind of like work. No, I like work.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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MONDAY 14TH MAY 2007
9:39-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness."
-- Proverbs 14 : 22
Today was a very good day. I was the guy with all the answers. Well sort of anyway. The regular barrage of emails met me head on as soon as I turned my work computer on. Apparently the awards I sent in almost a month ago didn't get to where they needed to get to. That's what I initially though when I received an email asking for them with a suspense date of theis afternoon. All told it took four (04) more emails from three (03) other people before they all began to talk and realize they had the awards. But I did need to turn in an award for SSG Frasier since he'll be leaving a couple of months after we get back. Technically I still had plenty of time according to regulations but often times units will have their own due dates for paperwork. But no biggie, I was able to knock out his award after lunch in about a half hour. Ha!
I answered emails, handled phone calls, confirmed this, that, and the other; I even received a couple "pat on the back" emails due to my speedy completion of a pretty bulky task last week and my prompt reply with vital information for a Lieutenant who called desperately needing help and guidance concerning how to turn equipment in to the shop. Oh yeah, it was one (01) of those days! Excellent! Unfortunately, most days don't always leave me so untouchable. Most days I usually just get away with a few small victories and they eventually add up to a pretty good week! But today was all about handling things immediately and with precision. A good day!
So my new schedule for the Soldiers began today. They all liked it but SSG Richardson found something to complain about: Apparently he is convinced 1st Maintenance Company is going to ask for Soldiers from my section to head to Camp Liberty to be added to detail rosters. I haven't heard a single thing about them needing any of my personnel down there, not even a polite request. So yet again he's bothered by the fact he's sure I'm going to send him to Liberty if given the opportunity. It's almost as if he wants to go. So anyway he said that he'd much rather work ten (10) hours a day so as not to give the impression there are expendable personnel here. The rest of the day after he took me aside as he normally does, "You have a minute," I thought that I should have told him he was welcome to stay and work the remainder of the day. Needless to say he left at 12:30 according to the schedule I outlined. I figured with 1st Maintenance Company having a organizational (fun) day today and 512th having a few of the same kind of days here I'd treat my guys to some time off. And besides we're not swamped with work at the moment. So for at least the next week I'll have two (02) techs come in during the morning hours and two (02) in the afternoon, with my production control clerk doing mornings as well and myself covering down for him in the afternoons. Wouldn't you know, I'm only asking that my guys work four (04) hours a day to give them a break and I have one (01) Soldier complaining. Crazy! But yeah, he didn't hesitate to do an about face and walk away for the day at noontime! It's not going to last forever, but I'm all about giving Soldiers downtime when down time is deserved and can be given. Work is on it's way; in fact I'm welcoming a lot of work and expect it to come on in come next month. And it's not to have us working like crazy people, it's just to get the mission accomplished and provide quality customer service to incoming units. We've enjoyed a couple of months of light work and once the heavy work comes along I want my guys to be well rested and prepared to recieve it without feeling burned out.
I should be getting paid shortly. Yup, pay day. I'm being really good about my spending. For a little while my eating habits and spending habits were both hurting because of the food court. The dining facility wasn't exactly putting out anything great so Pizza Hut, Subway, and Burger King were supplying me with lunch and dinner. Yes, horrible, I know. It's so great that the military has helped American fast food spread worldwide. Super great. Ha! In fact today I had a double Whopper for dinner. But it was the first time in a few days; I'm getting back in the swing of eating at the dining facility, good or not, ... and it's mostly not. Cheese bread did make it's return on the sandwich bar though so it's always a great fall back. And while I've been enjoying warm brownies and ice cream for dessert, it's not exactly breaking my spending habits since it's free. So there's balance in that. Ha! But I do need to get disciplined again as far as my eating habits are concerned. And a little (read: a whole lot) of exercise would help too. Well, exercise period. In my defense though I do walk instead of catching buses and when I'm on the move alone I walk very quickly.
Okay, it's time for a shower and some down time.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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SUNDAY 13TH MAY 2007
5:43-AM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"O righteous GOD, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure."
-- Psalm 07 : 09
"SARA, ...
... tough break on the whole test results. Bummer. So Florida's on the table huh? Maybe? Where else? Are you "shopping around" for openings? Is there anything in the Northwest? I know you had thoughts about living in the Oregon/Washington area. And heading back to school is an option too? A master's degree perhaps? But what. Boy I'm asking a lot of questions. But I have to because someone *ahem* doesn't email or anything often. Yeah, you. See I can always fall back on the ole, "just come here and read" but not you, nope.
Are you heading home anytime soon? A week or two (02) or three (03) this summer. You should; spend some quality time with the parents. I'm planning to head to Texas this Christmas. Naturally it all depends on when I get back to the United States. But if I get back anytime before Christmas, I'll be planning to make the drive then to be "home for the holidays". But cheer up. I know it's going to be tough leaving your first school and all the faculty and students, but something else will come your way. Keep our focus. Love you bunches big/lil. *squeeze* See ya when I see ya."
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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SATURDAY 12TH MAY 2007
8:10-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."
-- Proverbs 04 : 23
SSG Frasier showed up at the shop this afternoon. I had no clue he was on his way. When I returned from lunch PFC Smith said he'd get in either this evening or tomorrow. Sure enough, he walked in a few minutes later after having walked a good ways with his gear and bags. I'm sure he lost at least a pound making the trip in this heat. It's really heating up over here. It's good to have him back. The gang's all here now; he was the last to go on leave. I won't be going; I just want to stick it out and get this deployment through and over with. There's still no official word on extension for our unit. A couple of days ago it looked like a "yes" and then yesterday I saw info which looked like "no". Go figure. Some units will extend while other units will not. No worries, I'm game either way, but I'm fully prepared to be here into late Autumn.
So now that SSG Frasier is back I'm thinking about "mixing things up" as far as the work schedule for my Soldiers. Last week went well with everyone having a day off. I think next week I'll do something a little more drastic. The company we're attached to is going on a different schedule to keep their Soldiers from working in the afternoons, the hottest part of the day. While I'm not heartless I don't think it's all that hot. I mean if you drink water and eat properly, you'll be just fine. The new schedule I'm proposing has nothing to do with the heat factor; I just want to give my Soldiers more time off since things are quite manageable in the shop.
Since I have four (04) technicians I think I'll have two (02) come in each morning from 8:30 to 12:30 and two (02) come in each afternoon from 12:30 to 4:30. PFC Smith, my clerk will do the morning shift and I'll slide into his spot taking care of customers in the afternoons since I can basically operate in any position in the shop. Oh yeah! The only change will be their work habits. I'll need work to begin the minute they arrive since they'll only be there four (04) hours per shift. If they can work hard and not play around I'll see about switching shifts for the next week and having the afternoon two (02) come in during the morning hours. I'll probably still keep PFC Smith on mornings though. This will give each shift a half day off. Crazy I know, but as long as the shop runs smoothly and they can manage the schedule without the quality of work going down, I'll keep it going. After a couple of weeks though I'll probably think about going to an extra evening shift as I was planning to do once the work load picked up and SSG Frasier returned. I'll probably start that the last week in May or the first week in June.
I've decided that instead of breaking down and buying a new laptop, I'll treat myself to something else. SSG Frasier showed me his new Sony laptop and didn't hesitate to tell me I should get a new machine too. But no, I'm staying strong. However, I'm going to treat myself to something I've wanted for a very, very long while now: The definitive collection of "The Twilight Zone". Yes! It's about USD$800.00 to USD$1,200.00 cheaper and is guaranteed to deliver in both the enjoyment and replay departments. So while everyone is enjoying new computers and video game systems I'll be curled up in bed, headphones on, enjoying episodes of the "Twilight Zone" along with the special features in the box set. So that's ordered and on it's way. I can't wait. Well, I can wait, and I will, but I'm very excited to say the very least! And I even decided to buy a slightly used set resulting in a savings of almost USD$60.00. In America the Science Fiction (SciFi) channel runs a "Twilight Zone" marathon each New Year's Day. So instead of trying to wish away a hang over or nurse a firework induced injury from the festivities the night before, I'm usually engrossed in episode after episode of ROD serling's mini masterpieces. MOM, DAD, and I will try to guess which episode will be played next and we'll talk about our favorites. The television stays on and we'll wander in and out of the room to see which episode is playing. Soon I'll have all one hundred and fifty-six (156) episodes to watch over and over and over and over again, … and again and again!
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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SATURDAY 12TH MAY 2007
12:10-AM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what GOD has done from beginning to end."
-- Ecclesiastes 03 : 11
"MEIGH, ...
... happy birthday little sister! How are you? I've been missing you. I know you're still "around on the 'net" but I miss your site. I don't have a multiply account so I can't comment on our multiply page. I still have your site's link on my favoriteslist and still click it hoping that something will pop up. Maybe some day you'll decide that you need another website. I hope so. I need a MEIGH fix like you need coffee.
I trust you're well these days and especially this day. Happy MEIGHday! I miss your friendship but I know you're still the same girl I talked to so I know that you're still spreading your unique brand of cheer with your smile and infectious personality. Though older you're always going to be young at heart. Have a great day. And if you're reading this drop me a line or comment. I'd like to hear from you. I hope the words gets back to you that I still remember, still care, and still very much count you as a dear, dear friend."
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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FRIDAY 11TH MAY 2007
11:54-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
-- Romans 12 : 21
Same time zone, differnt country. My first deployment happened four (04) years ago, destination Kuwait. And here I am once again in GMT+3 in the hot desert. But this time I'm in Iraq.
SUNDAY 11TH MAY 2003
9:33-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 Hours)
I found SSG Weber's key yesterday. I was approaching the door of my trailer and looked down; there it was, slightly wedged underneath the two (02) steps leading to the door. I saw the blue tab connected to it. I said to myself "that's the key" and it was the key. SSG Weber came to pick it up an hour or so later. I was pretty pleased. And to think I had stepped over it each time I came back from looking for it the other day. I searched the streets, parking lots, and in the sand. When it was too dark to search any longer I came back to the trailer, coincidently and without my knowledge, stepping over it.
SSG Weber's jeep was taken last night. He called SGT Kosby around 7:45 this morning to let him know. Later he stopped by to get the key to SGT Kosby's jeep so he could drive around and inquire about the jeep. After SSG Weber and I did the mail run we drove around looking for it. I remember seeing lots of little white Jeep Cherokees on post but when you're looking for one (01) there seems to be twice as many.
We found it at the place where vehicles are issued out and turned in for services. SSG Weber stopped, checked his vehicle out, and went into the office, leaving me outside to guard it. Fifteen (15) minutes later he came out and said a medical unit had taken his jeep in for services because they thought it was their own. Apparently the key they had fit the lock and ignition of SSG Weber's jeep and whoever took it didn't realize it wasn't his jeep. SSG Weber had asked when he was speaking with the people at the vehicle issue place about it. They said they knew it was the wrong vehicle. I suppose it never crossed their minds to try and get in touch with the real owners.
At the end of the day though SSG Weber had his jeep back and his twenty-four (24) dollar sunglasses he had purchased at Wal-Mart more than two (02) years ago. He was more worried about getting those back then he was his protective mask he had in the jeep. I'm wondering if this trend of losing things will continue: First a key and now a jeep. I don't know, too many things are going on at once.
I've lost a good many of keys in my life. I remember losing the key to my barracks room at Fort Drum about twenty (20) minutes after it was issued to me. When I reached my room I couldn't find it. Bummer. That room was horribly small; and the white cinderblock walls didn't help to make it anymore inviting either. Horrible. Thank goodness I survived my time there. Between the room and the cold weather, ... I don't even want to think about it.
It's weird to be in charge of my own shop out here. I mean it seems almost yesterday I was a Specialist. SSG Weber was our boss then and now I'm a Staff Sergeant and I'm the boss. I just heard a huge explosion outside. I felt it too so I've no doubt there'll be a new motar hole somewhere outside as it felt close and didn't sound at all like anything outgoing.
I remember that day, tooling around looking for his vehicle. I wish out theft here in the room a month or so ago was just a mistake. But nope. I haven't heard anything concerning all of that since I signed for my stuffage to be shipped as evidence. I wonder when I'll get my camera back and if my hard drive will be in working order.
I should get ahold of the investigators and ask some questions on my own.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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THURSDAY 10TH MAY 2007
5:12-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"'Open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to GOD, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'"
-- Acts 26 : 18
The internet's back up! Well, obviously it is or this wouldn't be here. But it's up and this is here. Today was another great day. It was business as usual I suppose but any day that's nice and smooth and not full of unanswerable questions and impossible-to-solve-problems is a great day indeed. I'm so very thankful things are running as smoothly as they are running. Sure I do very well managing the shop, (Ha!) but there are always "those" problems that arise: failures in communication, misplaced equipment, and other snafus which pop up unexpectedly; basically life happens day in and day out.
SSG Frasier arrived in Kuwait a couple of days ago. I expect him back here at the end of the week or the beginning of next week. It's hard to tell though; it all depends on how high his returning to us is on the company's priority list and how easy it'll be to get a flight for him. No worries though, he's appreciated but we're not hurting without him. I'll give him a couple of days to just rest before getting back into the swing of things here. I know he must have had a difficult time leaving his wife and daughter. But when he gets back and gets integrated back into the fold again things will become easier and the days will begin to once again slip by.
Today I'll read. I'm still going to do a little racing, but for the most part the evening will be dedicated to JOHN macarthur's "The Truth War: Fighting For Certainty In An Age Of Deception" and of course TED dekker's "Skin". Yes, I usually read more than a single book at once. Sometimes I'll read as many as four (04). But I usually don't read more than one (01) type of book; since I'm reading "Skin" I probably won't start another fiction book similar to it.
I devoured two (02) sandwiches (on amazing, soft, wonderfully tasty cheese bread) this afternoon for lunch. I paired it with a bag of barbecue potato chips and capped my meal with a scoop of ice cream over two (02) warm brownies. It was an awesome lunch. Of course walking back to work wasn't exactly "awesome" and then having to put in another couple of hours at work was pretty much the opposite of "awesome"; but I survived another day of work and pretty soon I'll have another deployed day down. I took a to-go tray from the dining facility with another sandwich and a bag of barbecue chips in it. Of course I might not be hungry enough to eat it later on this evening. The two (02) sandwiches were chock full of meat and cheese since I decided to ask for extra of both. It's almost payday again come to think of it. I'm paid every couple of weeks: On the first and the 15th of each month. And if either date falls on a weekend or holiday I'm paid on the last business day before the weekend or holiday. Unfortunately that isn't the case this time around.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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WEDNESDAY 09TH MAY 2007
5:53-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"Praise be to the GOD and Father of our Lord JESUS CHRIST, the Father of compassion and the GOD of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from GOD."
-- 02 Corinthians 01 : 03 & 04
The internet is down. So I suppose after I finish this I'll see if SGT Adams will let me play Need for Speed. Now that he has his new monster of a computer he's put his Playstation 3 on the back burner. Okay by me, I can get in my racing fix while he's playing computer games. I should stay here in my room and catch up on my reading. But I think this evening is going to go to video games.
And sure enough, the week is just flying by. Unfortunately PFC Smith wasn't able to reach the internet guy today. He was still able to enjoy his laptop, but he wasn't able to access the internet. And then the internet was down for so long. Hopefully our connection will be up and running again tomorrow after work.
Okay, off to race.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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WEDNESDAY 09TH MAY 2007
6:22-AM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."
-- 01 Corinthians 16 : 13
I feel unusually groggy this morning. There's a significant amount of eye boogers stuck in the corners of my eyes. I really just want to roll over and cover my head with my pillows. But today's a work day so in the next hour or so I'm going to have to think about crawling out of bed and preparing for the day ahead of me. Fun! Every Monday and Wednesday I attend a maintenance meeting where I brief our ordered parts print. It's pretty simple; all I do is relay information on where the parts my shop has ordered are. I also pick parts up and make sure my technicians get them installed and get whatever piece of equipment needed them up, running, and back to the customer. The meeting begins at 9:00, so Mondays and Wednesdays afford me a little more time to stay amidst my pillows and blankets.
I should start going to breakfast in the mornings. The few times I do I'm always glad I did. Lately I've been really hungry when 11:00 rolls around. And since I don't go to lunch until 1:00 I'm more than just a little hungry by the time it's time to make the walk to the dining facility. Today it'll be worth it though; the dining facility has brought back cheese bread. It's a nice soft roll which they hadn't had for about a month's time. So now I can get a couple of sandwiches for lunch. The other bread options at the sandwich cart just don't cut it. The hoagie rolls are usually hard and the sliced bread is just, I don't know, not good. So I'm already looking forward to heading there for lunch and getting one (01) chicken salad sandwich and one (01) ham and turkey sandwich. Yum.
Yeah, breakfast probably won't happen this morning. I'll head to the shower, return, lie in bed for a while and get dressed right before heading out the door to the meeting. I'll either do that or just lie in bed and waiting until I have just enough time to shower, dress, and get out the door to make my 9:00 meeting. Either way I probably won't be making a trip all the way to the dining facility for lunch. I need to take my laundry to turn-in. Usually I'll grab it and carry it to work so that when it's time to leave for lunch all I need to do is take it with me. The laundry point is a little ways past the dining facility so it works well to turn-in before heading inside the dining facility. Plus I haven't been getting around to turning in after work; it's just convenient to get a lot done at once, especially in this heat.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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WEDNESDAY 09TH MAY 2007
6:02-AM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"GOD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek GOD."
-- Psalm 53 : 02
"Finally Free"
NICHOLE nordeman
No chain is strong enough
No choice is wrong enough
No mountain high enough
That He can't climb
No shadow dark enough
No night is black enough
No road is lost enough
That He can't find
And if the Son has set us free
Then we must be free indeed
Let the chains fall away
Starting today
Everything has changed
I'm finally free
No pain is deep enough
No heart could bleed enough
Nothing but JESUS' love
Can make a way
And if the Son has set us free
Then we must be free indeed
Let the chains fall away
Starting today
Everything has changed
I'm finally free
And if the Son has set us free
Then we must be free indeed
Let the chains fall away
Starting today
Everything has changed
I'm finally free
Everything has changed
'Cause I'm finally free
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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TUESDAY 08TH MAY 2007
7:06-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in GOD, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."
-- 01 TIMOTHY 06 : 17
The new computers have arrived. PFC Smith and SGT Adams are quite the happy campers. While Smith's machine is a nice, sleek, slate-gray Sony Vaio, Adams' is an enormous, expensive monstrosity from Alienware. So they're both in their rooms using their new machines and exploring the new Windows Vista operating system. I want a new laptop too! I'd never get the crazy laptop SGT Adams bought. But he's a gamer so he wanted a top of the line system; it came at a top of the line price too. PFC Smith's is something much more to my liking. It's nice and portable, dark gray and just nice. I love the look and functionality of Windows Vista too. I'm glad PFC Smith's computer arrived; now he'll be able to enjoy it tomorrow since it's his day off. And SGT Adams will be able to enjoy his for a full day on Friday.
But as much as I'd love a new laptop I'm trying to stick to my original plan and purchase once I get back. So it'll probably end up being my Christmas gift to me. I'm not sure if I'll opt to get a Mac though. The Sony Vaio has always been a great computer in my mind. And I do very much still want a desktop computer and a laptop computer. So I may just sell the laptop I have now and buy a Sony once I get back to the States. In fact I may sell both and buy a new Sony laptop and Sony desktop. Yeah, I'm a pretty generous gift giver when it comes to me! But I'm being good about my spending habits. My laptop suits my needs out here just fine and I know it's a fighter because it's already survived a years worth of being lugged around all of Camp Humphreys, Korea in a large backpack. It's holding up in the sand too, so I have no real reason to upgrade; well I want a new toy of course, but I suppose all in all that'd just be me trying to "keep up with the Jones'" as they say. So I'll continue working on not wanting so much.
I did receive banana bread from MOM but it was store-bought instead of homemade. It didn't taste too hot so I tossed it in the trash. I'm really not sure if it was bad or if I just didn't like it. The package said banana cream cake so it wasn't exactly banana bread. Anyway it tasted like super glue. Yup, super glue; I don't know, it's just the first think I thought of when I started chomping on it. I have no doubt it just sat around in the sun a few different times in transit from the United States to Iraq.
Now there is no official word on our unit being extended. At first it was everyone, and then we were given the "okay you're being extended" nod, and now it's not exactly official either which way. I'm expecting to be extended though and in fact want to be since I'm fully prepared to do a few extra months. As far as I'm concerned I'm prepared to stay into November and I am staying into November. If that changes that'd be okay too, but right now I don't expect to leave before my twenty-sixth birthday. Yeah, I just figured I'd sneak that in there; I'll turn twenty-six (26) on 30 October 2007. Feel free to email if you need my mailing address!
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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MONDAY 07TH MAY 2007
11:16-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
Listening - "YOU ARE ON OUR SIDE"-BETHANY dillon Waking Up
"For GOD didn't give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."
-- 02 TIMOTHY 01 : 07
And another Monday is down in the history books. Fortunately there isn't too much of a different between Monday and any other day here. Of course Sunday is my day off and Monday is the start of the work week, but there's never anything which makes Monday any worse than any other day of the week. That's definitely a good thing. Earlier in the evening the "Thomas Crown Affair" flowed right into "Snatch" so I'm a bit tuckered out. I haven't done a double feature out here in a while. But it's always nice to escape into a movie once or twice. It's not bad over here at all, but it's not exactly the lap of luxury either. But all in all, no worries, movies keep me going.
I'm giving a day off for each of my Soldiers. I had them choose which day they'd like in between today and Saturday. I suggested however that PFC Smith would be able to have Wednesday as his day off because he's been waiting on his new computer for the longest time. And since Tuesday is a new-mail-pick-up-day, I figured he'd want to spend the next day with his new toy if it arrives tomorrow afternoon. They didn't comment much on the idea, but I'm sure they're grateful for an extra day off. I let them know though that we'll really hang in on Monday and Saturday to get a nice full work day in. We'll all show up on those two (02) days and then have Sunday off if no "out of town' customers have coordinated equipment drop offs. But then again that only affects me. I'll see how it flows this week. If all goes well I'll institute it again next week. However, SSG Frasier should be on his way back soon. I can't really integrate him into the week since Saturday and Monday come before and after Sunday which is the day we all have off. It's kind of unfair to have one (01) person get two (02) days off in a row like that. Of course it'd be different if I gave everyone a "turn" at getting Saturday off. Of course then I'd have to guarantee that the extra day off schedule would continue for at least five (05) weeks straight. And that may not be something I'd be able to do.
I may think about just giving someone Saturday off and cycling an off Saturday through the five (05) Soldier roster. What I'm thinking about doing now it instituting an evening shift from 5:00 to around midnight. The only thing that would prevent this is the lack of equipment in the shop awaiting calibration or repair. A lot of equipment is projected to come in however; a customer is coming to unload just under one hundred (100) pieces at the month's end. And I've been sending emails out to customers who owe us equipment that is already out of tolerance and should be used any longer without first coming here to get tested and worked on if necessary. So hopefully there should be an influx of workload which would serve to justify two (02) to four (04) weeks of an evening shift. But we'll see how it all works out once SSG Frasier gets back and the equipment begins to come in at a more steady pace.
The days and weeks are really flying by. The months on the other hand are dragging just a bit. It seems as if there are five (05) or six (06) weeks in a month rather than just four (04) weeks. That's a weird phenomena to say the very least, but it's a very common one (01) in the Army. I suppose those in the civilian workforce would be able to recognize the phenomena too. It's weird. But the weeks are flying by. Tomorrow's Tuesday and before I know it it'll be Friday again and I'll be excited about tomorrow being the last day of the work week. It's nice to not have to come to the shop on Sunday mornings. Very nice indeed.
It's nap time for me now. Tomorrow's another day and I think I'd like to get in to the shop a bit earlier than usual.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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SUNDAY 06TH MAY 2007
6:11-AM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
Listening - "YOU CAN STILL COME BACK"-KJ-52 Yearbook
"To the man who pleases Him, GOD gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases GOD. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind."
-- Ecclesiastes 02 : 26
I didn't stay up all night playing a video game after all. I guess I retired to my room around 10:45 or 11:00; I stayed up a bit longer but was asleep long before 1:00. What a wonderful day; well, it's nice so far anyway. I've been up for about an hour. I'll head to the shower in a bit and then return to curl up with "Skin". I've been neglecting that novel for far too long so I'm determined to get through at least fifty (50) pages before I officially begin my day; I'll try to do another fifty (50) this evening before I lie down to sleep.
My little story idea is still incubating in my mind. It'll most likely begin to hatch throughout the day and when the time is "write" I'll begin to jot more notes and bring more of my ideas together. Most of the time I don't forget a good idea since I'l just cycle and work it through in my head throught the day. I'll always run things through my mind much like a computer has programs running in the background while you're doing something else. It's a little like that; my mind can multitask and think of things in both the "foreground" and "background". It comes in handy.
So I'll spend a few hours reading "Skin" in a bit after I head for the showers and enjoy the warm water for twenty (20) minutes or so. Then I'll most likely hit up SGT Adams to play Need for Speed. We're doing quite well. The object of the game, besides the obvious winning of races, is to "take over the town" from rival street racing crews. And of course as you complete certain objectives you gain different cars and more custimizations. It's neat. Right now was have a white Mazda RX-8 and a burnt orange Mazda RX-7. They're cool. When we get a third car we're going to sell the RX-8 since the RX-7 has better acceleration and handling. We won't be back tracking to use the RX-8.
I have pizza in the 'fridge so that's what lunch will be. Yes, I remember, I'm trying to get away from getting my meals at the food court, but I couldn't resist yesterday. An all night video game marathon just needs to be coupled with a food like pizza. It's a rule somewhere. It's like movies and popcorn or movies and well, pizza.
Ah, a brand new day, time to get the sleep out of my eyes.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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SATURDAY 05TH MAY 2007
6:31-AM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in Him, whose thoughts turn often to the LORD!"
-- ISAIAH 26 : 03
I need to really sit down and spend some quality time with "Skin". I don't know why I haven't been doing so in the evenings. TED dekker's latest is just sitting below my laptop gather dust. Yes, I need to do that Sunday. Sunday morning will work just fine. And then maybe read more Sunday evening. I'm probably going to order the first few books in BODIE and BROCK thoene's "A.D. Chronicles" series. I'd like to get the books in hard cover but I think because I'm out here I'll opt to get the first six (06) books in paperback. But eh, I might change my mind as I have a few hard covers out here already and am pretty good about preserving their dust jackets.
Well, it's time to head for the showers. Once again since I was playing video games until 10:00 or so, I missed my nightly shower. I'll make up for it in a bit here. I'm trying to determine whether I should head to the dining facility for breakfast this morning. It was a great call yesterday and I have plenty of time but I think laziness might get the best of me. On Saturdays we're supposed to be at work at 9:00 as opposed to our 8:30 work call Monday thru Friday. It's something SSG Richardson put into place; I didn't think it needed to be changed. I suppose since Saturday is the last day of our work week, he thought it'd be a treat to have some extra time in the morning. I never intended on making radical, sweeping changes. Most things work just fine the way they are. Shop operations just kind of flow and since this whole section has been in the Army at least four (04) and a half years apiece we don't have too many problems. Sure some people don't exactly get along on the crew, but so far there hasn't been any regrettable conduct or conduct unbecoming which has caused me to break up fights or start on disciplinary paperwork. And that's a good thing to say the very least.
I'm off to the shower. Today should be a great day I'm awake and feeling well rested and it's the last work day of the week. I'm planning to get some serious pages read tomorrow and I'm still pretty psyched about the story idea I'm letting marinate in my head. Hopefully PFC Smith will receive his computer and the box containing the Dramatica 4 software. I'd love to start getting my ideas and notes into something like that so I can see the story develop as I brainstorm and try things out. If I left Iraq with even a rough draft of a novel length manuscript, great or horrible, I'd be more than pleased with myself.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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SATURDAY 05TH MAY 2007
2:01-AM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."
-- Psalm 30 : 05
I awoke and had to make a run for the port-a-potties. No, I don't have a toilet to sit on and flush when nature calls. At the end of the building stand three (03) port-a-potties which are cleaned and filled with blue liquid every couple of days by civilians. It's not too bad really. It's becoming annoying now since it's so hot. And it's not quite hot enough to send all the mosquitoes and flies to bug heaven. So stepping into one (01) is like stepping into an oven along with a few dozen flying insects. There are port-a-potties all over the FOB (forward operating base) except for a few places which have actual toilets. There are trailer parks here which have shower trailers and latrine (restroom) trailers within them. So there are some Soldiers living a bit more comfortable than others. PINKY lives in one (01) such trailer park. And by trailer I don't mean the kind you hook up to a trailer hitch and tow behind a car. I mean the kind that just looks like a long rectangular structure.
But yeah, in order to answer the call of nature I must get up, put a shirt on, step into my flip-flops and make a little journey down the walkway. But no worries, I'm used to varying degrees of discomfort and annoyances.
SGT Adams and I played a racing game he'd purchased for his Playstation 3. We probably would have played it all night long if last night would have been Saturday night. I suspect we'll go right into playing it once the work day ends tomorrow. He bought four (04) games I believe. Yup, he purchased four (04) games at roughly USD$60.00 a piece. I bought none. The only game which interests me is the racing game (Need for Speed: Carbon) and since he has it and I can pretty much play it whenever I want, I have it in a way too. Ha! Everyone in the room was playing video games last night. So I'll be just fine with my computer and the books I have. And if I have the urge to play a video game or two (02) I'll always be able to ask. So that works out in my favor.
Since we headed to the PX immediately upon leaving the shop and returned to play the game I didn't get my normal post-work nap in; that being mentioned I need to get back to sleep. The last thing I want to do is wake up groggy and cranky when everything is going so well.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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FRIDAY 04TH MAY 2007
1:26-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"Put on the full armor of GOD so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of GOD, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."
-- Ephesians 06 : 11 - 16
This morning I was doing a good amount of brainstorming about my story idea while going about my daily business. Somehow I missed the other two (02) guys as I left this morning for breakfast. Three (03) of us were going in early to get some work accomplished before the duty day. I'd heard them leave in the morning but once I headed out I didn't see them. So naturally I thought they'd gone ahead to breakfast. That was part one (01) of the plan: Breakfast, then to work around 7:00. I arrived at the dining facility just as it was opening at 6:30. They were nowhere to be found but I did manage to find a group of the loudest females on the FOB (forward operating base). I'm sure they were National Guard by the way they were interacting with each other and I'm pretty sure I heard some first names here and there.
I ate rather quickly, grabbed some breakfast sandwiches for my two (02) coworkers and headed for the shop. As I approached I was surprised to see the door closed and secured. A warrant officer was outside. I then remembered he said he'd be coming in early to turn-in a piece and I emailed saying I'd be in around 7:00. But I still wasn't quite sure what had happened to my guys.
They showed up around 7:30 as I was taking care of the customer. It turns out they were just outside and had missed me when I headed out the door. I thought it was weird when I didn't see them ahead of me. I move rather quickly when I'm heading somewhere solo. But I figured maybe they'd decided to skip breakfast and head straight to the shop instead. So the weird feeling didn't last too long. But nope, they were right outside the room on the other side of the barriers waiting for me. I guess I crept out of the room with my stealth mode enabled.
The morning was pretty calm except for a mini surge of customers right after I'd let PFC Smith, who is our production control clerk, off for lunch. He sits at the computer and handles customers as they come in to drop off and pick up equipment. They were supposed to bring in a good many delinquent items but apparently the "boss" of the particular section who is responsible for most of the delinquent items said that he needed them. That means they are being used without being within calibration. So if something goes wrong with a piece of equipment those pieces were used to fix or test, the fault will lie with whomever gave the go ahead to not have them brought in for calibration. Calibration is basically determining whether or not a tool or a piece of equipment puts out what it displays. For instance if a thermometer reads 15 degrees Celsius, we use a temperature standard which outputs a temperature. If the standard reads 15 degrees as well, we say that the thermometer is calibrated. Of course that's a rather basic example.
There are pieces which require a lot more work than just sticking a piece of glass in a standard. Proper hookups and connections must be made. You have to know what you're looking for. Sometimes power conversions and the like are made too. Sometimes a piece of equipment we use to test has to be replaced with another piece of equipment. And when a piece is broken and requires repair things can really get crazy.
So the morning went pretty well and now I'm on my lunch break, which I've decided to take in my room on my bed. Oh, I ordered a few books on angels. The story I'm working has angels, guardian angels specifically, at it's epicenter. It's fiction but requires a good amount of research. I don't necessarily want to pour a bunch of facts into it; but the more I know of historical accounts and Biblical commentaries and thought the better I can create the mythos I'll need to craft my own tale. I ran it past both SGT Adams and PFC Smith and they love the idea. And I'm really excited about it too. Dare I say this might be the spark I've been waiting for which will ignite the writer within me once again. Soon I believe I just might dare to utter just that. But for now it's nap time.
I'm going to be looking forward to getting my books just as much as these guys here are awaiting their toys. SPC Fowler received his Xbox 360 yesterday but PFC Smith and SGT Adams didn't receive their laptops. Ha! PFC Smith now has all his eggs in the basket that is tomorrow. Hopefully he'll get it. He's waiting on a couple of boxes. I'm excited for him too because he's receiving TED dekker's "Black" (The first book in the Circle Trilogy.) from his wife and I really want to read it again. Also he's getting Dramatica Pro 4. I have it but it's all packed up in Kansas. I don't know why I didn't think to grab it. And now that I have a good many ideas and notes regarding a story idea I'd love to use it to flesh out characters and motivations and such so the story can be organized and structured.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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FRIDAY 04TH MAY 2007
12:09-AM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"But at the beginning of creation GOD 'made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what GOD has joined together, let man not separate."
-- MARK 10 : 06 - 09
"ADRI, ...
... congratulations once again! Thank you so much for always remembering me! It warms my heart to hear from you. The wedding site looks awesome. I didn't know you two (02) met via eHarmony. Wow! You're an eHarmony success story. You should send it in so they'll put you two (02) in a commercial.
Before you know it you'll be whisked away to Norfolk to live with your new husband. I know you're a bundle of nerves but once the big day arrives you'll be just fine. Haha! Well, maybe still a little bundle. I just might be back by early December. I truly hope so but who knows really. So yes, I might be able to trek on over from Kansas to make the wedding. That'd be great!
I'm so psyched for you. I know you must be bursting every morning. But I'm sure the wedding preparations are soon to begin. Keep it together. Ha! I can't wait to meet MATTHEW and see you both as husband and wife. My dear friend is growing up so quickly. I love you ADRI. I'll give you a call just as soon as I'm on American soil again. Ciao for now Miss Mejia. I have to get that out while it's still legit. You're getting married; can you believe it?! Congratulations once again! *squeeze* I'll see if I can get ADAM to come on up then too."
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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THURSDAY 03RD MAY 2007
11:11-PM-(UTC/GMT +3 hours)
"But GOD drags away the mighty by His power; though they become established, they have no assurance of life. He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but His eyes are on their ways. For a little while they are exalted, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others; they are cut off like heads of grain."
-- JOB 24 : 22 - 24
I shouldn't be awake right now. I'm planning to wake up around 6:00 and get to the dining facility for breakfast just as it opens up at 6:30. However I did take a three (03) hour nap earlier in the evening; I think I can stay up a few hours before getting a little more comfortable. I was reading "Skin" earlier but decided to close the book, remove my glasses and roll over to go to sleep. But since I'd slept earlier and taken a shower my brain took off in it's own direction. And surprise, surprise it began work on a story idea I came up with a few months ago.
PFC Smith told me about an idea he had for a comic book storyline. He has a favorite comic book character which he occasionally likes to write new stories about. So the other day he was explaining | | |
