september:
03rd
dallas, tx (depart)
waco, tx (arrive)
04th
FAIZA's b-day
07th
waco, tx (depart)
san antonio, tx (arrive)
10th
AMY's b-day
11th
JESSICA's b-day
13th
JUAN's b-day
san antonio, tx (depart)
san benito, tx (arrive)
20th
KRISTINE's b-day
KRISTINE's b-day
JOLENE's b-day
21st
DIANE's b-day
san benito, tx (depart)
san antonio, tx (arrive)
26th
san antonio, tx (depart)
san benito, tx (arrive)
30th
NADA's b-day
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WEDNESDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER 2005
11:42-PM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling."
-- 01 PETER 04 : 08 & 09
I received some good news courtesy of a future coworker in Korea. I can email him right now and get a reply since it is 12:23, Thursday afternoon. I emailed last night and received a quick response but didn't check my email until this morning. Anyway, he said that I had a room to move into, I'd not have to share, and for the most part it looked like I'd not have to move anytime soon. That is good news indeed since I wasn't too thrilled about having to possibly move as soon as I was settled in a room. Of course, things could change, but for now, I have my own room. And the funny thing is that I think I'll be in the very same barracks I was in three (03) years ago. I hope so because it was right around the corner from the PX and commissary; and even though a lot has changed at Camp Humphreys, the new facilities which were being built as I was leaving were in the same area as well. He also said (wrote) workdays were pretty much 9:00 to 5:00 (of course the actual "Army day" is longer since I'm up for PT much earlier) so that is good news too and it will most likely remain that way since when I arrive, a few others will arrive around the same time. So maybe work will not be as hectic as it was threatening to be a month or so ago. I'm not worried about the "regular" workday though. That I can always handle, even working late. I just want to get there and get the gist of the "unexpected". Impossible, sure. But I'm anxious to get in there and meet the new leadership and get a feel of the climate and pacing of things with the unit there in Korea.
I am starting up classes again now that my leave is quickly coming to an end. My English course begins near the end of next month and my Anthropology course begins a couple weeks before Christmas. I expect to knock my English course out pretty quickly. It should not be a problem whatsoever. But now that I think of it I may have not planned too wisely when it came to selecting my Anthropology course. If everything goes as planned and my leave is approved, I want to head to the Philippines to visit LEA. And so, with my course going on I'm not sure I can swing getting away for two (02) weeks. I may have to plan on visiting LEA sometime in early 2006. But we will see how things turn out.
Right now however, it is time to get some sleep. I'd like to finally get to the post office to mail a box off to myself tomorrow morning. And JESSICA invited me to her house for lunch. So getting up before lunch time is definitely a must tomorrow.
All for now.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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MONDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER 2005
3:26-AM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
"For the word of the LORD is right and true; He is faithfull in all He does."
-- Psalm 33 : 04
"Think Of Me"
MARK schultz
Packing my bags this morning
Was the hardest thing to do
But packing my bags was so easy
Compared to standing outside your door right now
to say goodbye to you
Think of me
I know you've never seen me cry
Think of me
But it's so hard to say goodbye
Think of me
What can I say to show you
I'll never give up on you
I will be waiting for you
I will be there when you call
I will see you through it all
And even in your darkest hour
I pray that the Lord we found
Will set you on solid ground
I know that is feels like leaving
Is a part of letting go
But I'm praying with hope and believing
That I'll see you once again down this road
I hope that it won't be long
Think of me
I know GOD brought you as a friend
Think of me
I know He'll bring you back again
Think of me
What can I say to show you
I'll never give up on you
I will be waiting for you
Think of me
I know you've never seen me cry
Think if me
But it's so hard to say goodbye
Think of me
What can I say to show you
I'll never give up on you
I will be waiting for you
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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SUNDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER 2005
10:19-AM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
"The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."
-- JOHN 12 : 25
I have not officially begun the day just yet; I have not showered or anything like that. Having a laptop means I can not only compute in my boxers, but I can compute in my boxers without even getting out of bed. In this case however it means not having to get up from the floor. The floor is my sleeping place of choice when visiting CHRIS. It is plenty comfortable for my taste. It is still quiet. I highly doubt he is up yet. And I'll most likely putting off rising to shower for at least another hour or so. Ah, I have truly been spoiled while on leave. But that is as it should be indeed. There is much work awaiting me when I get to Korea. And besides my schooling and the work at the shop I should not have much time for much else. But that is fine by me. All I hope is that I can write a little, work out my game plan to finish my Bachelors degree and go on to acting school (or something of the sorts) when I get out, audition for an Army acting troupe, and do a bit of traveling. So okay, I suppose the extracurricular things I want to do donot exactly amount to things I can squeeze in here and there.
In a nutshell I'll be extremely busy for the next year, maybe two (02). And if I can survive the time, while at the same time really getting those things accomplished, I think I'll be okie dokie to get out a year and a half later and make that transition from Soldier to civilian for good.
Yes, the Army has an acting troupe which tours around called Bravo. It is not to be confused with the Army Soldier's Show. That is run by the same organization but it involves more cast members and is a musical type show. This would be a troupe of maybe eight (08) and involved acting. Sure, I suspect there will be singing and dancing and tat stuffage too, but the focus is on acting. I wanted to audition in the past but since I was preparing to head to Alabama I knew I could not head there for a special assignment only to turn around and ask to audition for something which would whisk me away to tour. But now that I'm finished in Alabama and not working for CSM Lunn, it looks like I'll be able to audition. Of course it is going to take getting the approval of my chain of command and powers that be when I get to Korea. But the worst they can say is that I can not do it. Obviously that is not what I'll want to hear, but who knows, stranger things have happened. I'd have never guessed that I'd be assisting a Command Sergeant Major for an entire year, much less be promoted to Staff Sergeant and knock out the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course. (Yes, 2005 has been extremely good to me so far!) So yes, I could make a couple audition tapes, get the approval to audition, be selected to audition in person at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, be selected, and be on my way to tour as part of an acting troupe.
To be able to do something like that would be awesome. It would mean I'd be able to act and be in that environment while at the same time doing something for Soldiers, all while still being a Soldier myself. I'd even have tapes of my acting and some more experience on record when it comes time to apply for acting schools and academies and the like. So it seems like the ideal thing for me to do. And very much like the lottery: I can not win if I do not play, and eventually, someone does win, ... so why not me. So an audition tape will be in the works too.
This tour in Korea will inevitably prove to be the complete opposite of my "cushy" job in Alabama. While I worked and put in some long hours, all in all, everything was pleasurable. I'll be back in the "regular" Army now doing early morning physical training with other, doing field exercises, sitting through mandatory training sessions, taking care of Soldiers, ... plus trying to do the necessary things I must to work towards my personal goals and aspirations. And it is all coming at me in a few days.
I will leave here tomorrow around noontime and once I get back home I'll have to pack up some things to mail off ahead of me, get my car storage stuffage situated, see about canceling my cell phone service, and going over my mental checklist of things to do before I leave the country once again.
Work. I'm going to be busy for months and months and months. It is making me exhausted just thinking about it all. I think I'll crawl under my blanket again and hide from responsibility for a few hours more.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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FRIDAY 23RD SEPTEMBER 2005
3:19-PM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
Listening - "THE BEST SONG EVER"-CHRIS rice Amusing
"Keep me safe, O GOD, for in you I take refuge."
-- Psalm 16 : 01
Here's another look "back in time". This time it is from a year ago. A year ago I suppose I could have still been considered as "fresh" as far as being at Redstone Arsenal. I'm not sure if I was already working with CSM Lunn or not. Right now I'm too lazy to look back at the rest of the month. It seems like I was still going to replace SGT Gola as the General's driver but I can not be totally sure. And I'm too lazy to go back and do the reading it will take to figure it out. I just do not think I was officially working under CSM Lunn just yet. Anyway, a year ago I was just settling into a new place and a really new environment. And now, a year later I'm preparing to move again and settle in at a not so unfamiliar place outside of the United States, Korea. A lot has changed since I was last there, but no matter really, I'm going with a lot more rank so the changes abound. Anyway, a year ago:
THURSDAY 23RD SEPTEMBER 2004
11:48-PM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
"Then JESUS declared, 'I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty.'"
-- JOHN 06 : 35
Contrary to popular belief I do not have a journal. I do not really regard my website here as a journal but I suppose it is exactly that. I do not have a spiral notebook or a nice leather bound book of parchment pages which I lie with in bed and write in for an hour before I lay me down to sleep. Nope, the only writing I do these days is what you are reading here. There were times when I did have a journal. Back in high school I did. I needed to get a lot of stuffage out and writing was a natural way for me to express myself, ... essentially it was the only vehicle I did use to express myself. Most of the people who knew me then can attest to the fact I was a rather quiet soul, and PRECIOUS can definitely attest to the fact I tended to express myself through words and writing almost exclusively.
But now what I post here are essentially the things I'd be posting in any journal. Journals are places we can use our private voices. We are unburdened, kvetch (How is that for a word of the day?!), take bounds of fantasy, talk from the heart, from the soul, say things that we would never say out loud. I approach this site in the same way. When I sit down to write I do not cater to a certain person or group. Surely, I do write about certain things sometimes in the hope I can spark my readers to reexamine themselves, friends, ideas, the world around them, but never do I say to myself that I should not write a certain thing because of what this person or that person may think. And while I'd never attack anyone or slander, all in all this is my place on the web and if what I have to express is not appreciated, well, I know for a fact Internet Explorer, Netscape, Firefox, etc all have "back" buttons. Feel free to move right along.
Lately I have been getting feedback about how what I write here effects those of you who visit from day to day. This pleases me for one (01) because I'm flattered I have regular readers. That is kind of cool, but also because you accept what I have to say as my own opinions and respect them. Also many have let me know that the things I have to say are interesting, thought-provoking, encouraging, and effect them in positive ways. And well, I could not as for much more as a writer, or a person to be able to effect readers in a positive way. So thank you for sharing that with me, those of you who cared to email and tell me so.
There are a few kinds of people out there with web sites. We who maintain blogs or journals or web sites come in a few flavors. I have been told I for the most part have taken a little of each and created a website here that is a mixture of all these flavors. I have used this site as a place to simply list my daily events, a place to comfort (myself and others), a place to just think and type as my stream of consciousness flows, a place to vent, a place to speak of myself and other; I have posted lyrics and poems and quotes, ... Things here just are not what I did over summer vacation posts, nor are they simply how I'd like everything to be posts. She agreed that she "has not seen such a sporadic yet focused personal website anywhere with so much of it is author's heart and soul interred in it is words." But of course ALYSSA is an English and drama student so she tends to get carried away! Although she has a point. Whatever is on my mind when I sit to write pretty much guides my fingers and ends up right here.
And I always get a kick out of looking back. There was a time when I had found old posts from high school when this place looked very, very different. Those were interesting to read. I wish I still had them, I'd post them here. But most were a broken record with the same old sad love song playing. And there was a stark difference in what I was writing in a journal when at Redstone years ago for training. That stuffage was the complete opposite of what I have been churning out here in the past few months. So as my life has changed this site has changed. Obvious right? Right. So hopefully in the years to come this site will remain and you will be able to continue to follow me and my thoughts, adventures, failures, mistakes, successes, and joys.
So again thank you all for caring and a big thank you to those of you who have said I make some sort of difference or impact in your daily life. I'm only me but I'm not naive enough to believe that one (01) person cannot make a difference, ... too many people in my life have made such a huge difference in my life. One (01) person, one (01) smile, one (01) phone call, one (01) "I just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you," can at certain moments mean a world of difference, improve a life, and in fact, quite possibly, save it.
Thanks.
Well, I still do not have a "traditional" journal. I'll probably never have one (01). This domain is still good through 2010 I believe so unless I learn to live without internet access, it is very likely I'll continue to maintain this domain for another four (04) years, and probably for years after that as well. But no, no bound pages covered in my scrawling will be shoved under my mattress anytime soon. This is working for me just fine.
I don't know exactly who visits here. I have a pretty good idea. For the most part visitors just stumble on in here out of curiosity after having searched for some word or phrase. It is not the hundreds of people who are here for just a couple of minutes which intrigue me though, it is the ones who stay thirty (30) minutes, forty-five (45) minutes, and those who hang around in access of an hour who interest me. Who are you? And for that matter who are the ones who bookmark my site. One (01) month I had more than twenty (20) people bookmark my site. This month I believe it is up to five (05). And while the program I use only states it is an estimate, there has to be something used to track it or it would not be a statistic. For some reason though I can not believe that at least two (02) people bookmark my site each month on average and just about a hundred (100) have since I began to track and view statistics over a year ago.
"Anyway, if you visit leave me a message or email sometime, I'd love to 'meet' you."
Looking back through these posts is fun indeed. Sometimes I dedicate hours to reading back posts. Now I know most of the people who visit here do not go back and read much of anything but the most current post here on this main page. However, I do have friends who actually venture past this page and surprisingly a few friends have insisted (more than a few times) that they have read everything I have here and check up on me several times a day for news and updates. I think that is pretty surprising, but very, very cool too.
Well, enough pondering the past for now.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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THURSDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER 2005
11:39-PM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
Listening - "TICK TOCK"-CHRIS rice Amusing
"... Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD YOUR GOD will be with you wherever you go."
-- JOSHUA 01 : 09
Surprisingly CHRIS and I both were up before noontime. He went to get his Ford Escape's tires rotated and aligned. When he returned he said he was told that he needed a new tire. So later in the afternoon we headed to the nearest Discount Tire and he purchased a brand new set. We went to Wal-Mart while we waited and I picked up some wiper blades for my baby since heading up here was like driving through a constant shower of butterflies and any other insect you can think of. I ran out of wiper fluid about an hour into the drive so the remainder was a bit of a challenge with a gut splattered windshield. So tomorrow morning I'll get them installed and be in business to head back home on Sunday or Monday. Yes, I'm not sure when I'm to return. I'd like to get up to Austin, Texas to visit my sister before I leave the country. And earlier I caught ERIKA online and she wants me to try to get up to Waco, Texas (just over two (02) hours away) while I'm this close before I leave the country too. I fell in love with the phrase "leave the country" while up here. I should have been using it since I began my leave; it sounds so very romantic, as if I'm to become an expatriate and am to spend my days writing in foreign coffee shops among foreign people and other travelers. Yes, soon I'll be leaving the country.
After errand running we returned to CHRIS' place. I was anxious to get back here to play my new game. I was playing spider solitaire in the morning. MOM and DAD play that a lot and since I have my new laptop here but no internet connection I played a few hands and now know why they play often; it's fun factor is not super high but it is just high enough to make the game addictive. But I wanted a poker game to play so we headed to Target while out and I picked up a poker game based on the World Series of Poker. It proved difficult at first, but I have since been winning hands and earning some substantial money. I also bought a virtual pool game. But it is looking like I have to be double jointed to play. I'll need a little more patience in order to learn how to play it. It is just awkward now. Of course I'll have plenty of time to tinker with it say, on a fifteen (15) hour flight to Korea maybe. And I bought CHRIS rice's new album, which I'm listening to right now. It is different but it is still good stuffage from Mr. Rice. And it will really grow on me once I pop it in for the drive to Austin or Waco or both, ... but I have to get home so it will definitely be the soundtrack to most of my drive home.
JULIAN called and about twenty (20) minutes later CHRIS, JULIAN, MARY, and I were off to a sushi spot. When JULIAN arrived he asked if CHRIS knew any good sushi places; this was funny because he had called CHRIS and asked him if he would like to go out for sushi. He didn't mention the fact he really didn't have a particular place in mind. It was good food. We had fun. In the parking lot I wished JULIAN good luck with everything and used the phrase "if I do not see you before I leave the country," and it hit him that I probably will not be Stateside for the next two (02) years. ... Then CHRIS realized it too. Ha! I told them that yes, it was real. Of course I'll admit it has been nice to be as close as Alabama. Even though I didn't exactly get down to Texas every other weekend it just "felt" a lot closer than I have been in the past because well, it was closer. I really wish I had had my baby during Christmas, it has been great being so mobile and able to visit friends and family. It has been great indeed.
I think tomorrow CHRIS, GLORIA, and I are going to try to get to the miniature golf course to finish what we started earlier in the month. Hopefully we will not have to again quit on account of rain. Of course with this hurricane coming, who knows what the weather will do exactly. I'm not really following the news because I do not own a television and just never got into the habit of it. But it looks like the hurricane will hit near Galveston and Houston. First hurricane KATRINA and now hurricane RITA. Too much. Hopefully this will be it for the season and for a couple of years. So now not only is Texas helping and harboring evacuees from the areas hit by hurricane KATRINA, Texas is now harboring its own in anticipation for hurricane RITA. I think it is supposed to hit Saturday. Hopefully I'll still be able to fly out come 03 October. While it seems like a nice idea to stay on vacation longer, I'd get antsy having to cancel and try to change flight arrangement. And anyway, it is time to get back to the Army. I had a great break for a year in Alabama doing work which was much different, and I had a great time on leave. Now it is time to get back to physical training and being around many more Soldiers, training, pulling duty, getting back in great shape, etc. It is back to the normal Soldierly grind with me! Time to keep moving on.
CHRIS is in his room playing the computer game he bought. Yes, we both indulged in cheap, marked-down computer games. Nothing serious, just a couple to amuse us. I need things to do on the flight after all. GLORIA is a few feet away on the couch watching a movie and I'm at the table typing away at the keyboard of my new Averatec laptop computer, which I'm very, very pleased with so far. I juts know I'm going to really appreciate the mobility factor. Anyway we are all in chill mode in our respective worlds. So okay, back to some poker.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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WEDNESDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER 2005
8:09-PM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
Listening - "THINK ABOUT IT"-CRYSTAL lewis See
"Unless the LORD had given me help, I'd soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, 'My foot is slipping,' your love, O LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul."
-- Psalm 94 : 17 - 19
Time is winding down: Just eleven (11) more days. Once the morning (5:45) of 03 October hits I'll be in the air on my way to Houston, then Atlanta, then Seoul. And after maybe three (03) days I should be reporting to the shop and my second tour in Korea will have officially begun. But, that time is not quite here yet so I'm going to squeeze a little more downtime out of my vacation. And pull down one (01) more paycheck as well. Ha!
I am at CHRIS' place. Yes, I made the drive from San Benito, Texas up to San Antonio, Texas. I left around 2:00, and made it here in approximately three (03) hours and forty-five (45) minutes, give or take ten (10) minutes. I made pretty good time heading up Highway 281. When I head back to San Benito (probably Sunday or Monday) I'll take Highway 77. So that will have me having traveled the three (03) routes from San Antonio down to the Valley: "16"; "281"; and "77".
While at lunch with JESSICA I almost changed my mind about coming up here today. I was going to cancel the drive today and head up tomorrow. Since I made it here in one (01) piece and am chilling in CHRIS' apartment, waiting for him to finish up with class, I'm glad I decided to make the drive. Oh, and I'm using my brand spanking new laptop to type this entry. And yes, I love my new toy. I don't know why I waited so very long to purchase a laptop. I just know I'll make good use of the added mobility. And now I get to be one (01) of those people at the airports who must open up their laptops for the inspectors. Ha!
CHRIS should be back in about an hour. We willmost likely head for something to eat. I think he wants to go see Lord of War so eating may not happen until after the movie. I get a tad concerned when it comes to time management and movies. I like to arrive within a certain window, not too early, but definitely not too late or right on time. And if it is going to be a close call I'd much rather arrive very early and wait several minutes (I have sat in a theater for an hour waiting for a movie to begin.) rather than risk arriving too late for previews or too late to claim my seat of choice. Suffice it to say I'm very particular when it comes to movie going.
It does not seem like my birthday is approaching. I suppose with everything that is happening, I just have not really thought too much about it. And well, I think subconsciously I'm realizing I'm only getting older, which means another year gone by during which I have not been involved in or with something I truly love. And while I'm not saying that finding a job (or lifestyle) that I'd love will be easily obtained; ... okay, I'll keep it simple: I need to move out of the Army and on with my life as a civilian. Yes, when 2009 rolls around I'll be ending this chapter in my life and beginning another. I'll have eight (08) years and ten (10) months under my belt of government service as a Soldier in the United States Army. That will be enough.
When that time comes I'll be twenty-seven (27) years old. Not old by any means but I'd have liked to have started my pursuit of an acting career a bit earlier. That is the dream now, so I figure I should give it a shot since well, it could happen and maybe, just maybe, I might be able to make a good go of it. So when I head to Korea I'll work on ironing out some wrinkles in my plan and then doing some serious research and planning to give myself the best chance at being successful when I transition out of the Army. I hope to finish my Bachelors degree before I get out so that I can use my GI Bill and Army College Fund monies to pay for an acting program or a Masters degree. Furthermore, I need to also keep stashing money away, California is where I'll set my sights. And California is pretty expensive living. So to make it happen I need to plan and do what I have to do to set myself up for success. And sure it will be tough but anything worth attaining is worth putting up with the struggle. And if it were just handed to me, what would be the point.
Enough bantering for now. I'll go a little more in depth with all of this at a later time. When I get to Korea and get settled in (which for a Soldier takes about three (03) days) I'll be able to sit down and really work things out. It is high time I really sat down and outlined what is, could be, and what I'd like to be so that I'll have direction and a plan every step of the way instead of just wanting this or wanting to be there with no idea of how to get it or how to get there.
CHRIS has returned from class; now it is time to go get something to eat.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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SATURDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER 2005
11:52-PM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.'"
-- MATTHEW 25 : 40
Fifteen (15) days left now. I'll be bound for Korea on 03 October (twenty-seven (27) days before I turn twenty-four (24) years old) for at least a year. Since I have been receiving emails from a couple of guys already at Camp Humphreys and getting word of how much of a workload we have, I may just decide not to extend for an additional year. Ha! No, I'd never run away from work like that. The workload at Camp Humphreys is part of the charm and part of the reason I wanted to go right back where it all began. If anything I'd be more apt to extend for two (02) additional years rather than just do a single year. I know, that seems crazy since I just said that I didn't even want to do two (02) anymore. But right now I just want to be somewhere I can "be" for a while.
Before Alabama I was in upstate (Fort Drum) New York for almost two (02) years. It would have been two (02) years if I had stayed until October 2004, but it wasn't meant to be. Before that I spent a year in Korea, before that I spent a year in Alabama for training, before that I spent approximately twelve (12) weeks in South Carolina for training. So I have not exactly been in a place for very long. And actually, since I was deployed to the desert in 2003 from New York, I wasn't there for the entire twenty-two (22) months. So if I extend in Korea, it will be my longest stay at one (01) place since I graduated from high school in 2000 and joined the Army that same year. I'm antsy and am ready to settle for more than just a quick year. And well, I'll have no choice but to settle in at Camp Humphreys in Korea since I'm contracted for a year, so the chances of my extending for an additional year to take advantage of the extra three hundred (300) dollar a month incentive are pretty high. In fact, right now you would not be a fool to put money on it.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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FRIDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER 2005
11:52-PM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
Listening - "ROLLERCOASTER"-KENDALL payne Grown
"Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble."
-- Psalm 41 : 01
Today was a long day indeed. I decided to wake up and head to my high school. My phone's alarm woke me at 7:00 and somehow, after going back to sleep, I awoke an hour and a half later. By about 9:20 or so I was off "to school". The majority of the teachers that had been there five (05) years ago before our class graduated had retired or just moved on but there were a handful who were still around. One (01) had her class clap for me for being in the military and for some reason also told them I was an excellent student in her class, and apparently I had learned a good deal of Spanish. Ha!
I probably spoke with eight (08) teachers in all, the principal, and a couple librarians who I had known when I attended. I spent most of the day there and a good while in a PE class watching the students play some kickball and baseball hybrid and do horrible pushups during their warm-up. At noon I had lunch with a friend's mother who still worked in the computer department there. I called RUDY shortly after and let him know that I might be heading back up to San Antonio on Wednesday or Thursday. Coincidently he lives right around CHRIS, so when I head back up there next week I'll try to drop in on him as well.
Just about every teacher I saw asked me about my writing, if I was published, or something to that affect. I guess if I didn't have a reputation as a writer before my senior year, the writing and performing of "Seven Stories" probably cemented the fact that I dabbled in the craft from time to time with the students and faculty. But realistically I have no real excuse for not having been writing and trying to improve for the past five (05) years or so. These days I do wish I had some writing to show for over five (05) years of intentions. It seems I have spent most of the past eight (08) years trying to put myself in a position to do what I really want to do. And while I'm still trying to get a handle on exactly where to start, fortunately in the past couple of years I have realized that the stars will never align perfectly and that I'm going to just have to start at the beginning with whatever I have. And that pretty much goes for other facets of my life too. And come to think of it, nothing has made me realize this more than spending time in the Army.
Everything (well, more or less anyway) I have done Army wise I have pretty much done well. And there is not many things I'll not get done when it comes to the Army. It is more than my job, it is my lifestyle. Even when it is 1:00 Monday morning and I have procrastinated all weekend, I'll knock out the things I have to do before the Army day really begins. Because well, I can not forsake the things I must do as part of my Soldierly duties. And this was amplified even more so while in Alabama working directly under the Command Sergeant Major. In fact when I get to Korea as a Staff Sergeant, it will continue. Sure I'll not have to prove myself to anyone, but I have found by just being me and doing things the way I see fit, staying out of trouble, and not complaining, I have just naturally impressed those around me. So that I'm not some punk kid who was promoted too fast, but more so a kind of mascot or role model for other young Soldiers. Because after all, although I have been in for going on five (05) and a half years, at first glance I do not look like I'd be anything but maybe a Specialist, and in the right environment, a Private. And even if you would know my time in service, the assumption would be made that I'm maybe a young Sergeant. But a Staff Sergeant? That assumption will not initially be made. But I'll keep doing what I have been doing and keep doing me and I have a feeling that I'll be just fine these next few years.
I left my old high school and headed to CHRIS' house to drop in on his parents. It was around 3:45 so I didn't know if they would be at work or be off. It turned out they were still at work. I called ERIKA to see what she was up to. It turned out she wasn't doing anything too important so I turned around at La Feria and headed back through Mercedes on my way to Alamo to visit her. I have not seen her in a couple years. It was nice to finally see where she lived. I stayed a while because her mom was due back any minute. I met her. And that had been something we had planned literally for years but it just never worked out with me not having a vehicle in high school, being away so much afterwards, and me being on leave with no vehicle most of the time. Anyway, the bottom line is we could never align our schedules just right. She still owes me blueberry pie. the plan was always to visit and have dinner with her and her family. ERIKA mentioned her MOM's blueberry pie so that was going to be dessert whenever we were able to make dinner at her house happen.
After visiting with ERIKA and her mom and meeting her new husband, ABEL, I headed back towards home. I took a detour past the house of a friend I had in junior high. I had stopped by a few days earlier but I didn't see any cars around and it didn't really look like any one (01) was around. This time I saw two (02) cars outside. And sure enough after taking car of the dog, ANDY opened the front door. He said he had seen my baby parked outside my house as he ran to do work at an elementary school at the end of my block; he wondered if it was mine. Sure enough, he was correct. His younger sister said hello and then moved right past me to get into the car with friends. So I stayed with him and we caught up. Since we were both hungry we headed out for Mexican food which was quite good. He was dropping names I had not heard in literally years. It was surreal. I mean I had seen people on this trip I had not seen since high school, and that was over five (05) years ago, but ANDY, I had not really seen and spent time with since junior high. Yes, almost ten (10) years ago. Now that was some serious reminiscing. I didn't get a chance to see his parents again but as he only lives a couple of blocks away, I'll have plenty of time to head over there before heading to Korea. I'm loving the fact I'm flying out of Texas more and more as my departure date gets closer and closer.
So today was a long day. I left in the morning to head to high school and didn't get back in until just recently. And I saw a people I had not seen in years. So all in all today was a pretty good day.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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THURSDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER 2005
1:16-AM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
Listening - "WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING"-Casting Crowns Lifesong
"'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
"EDWINA, ...
... hang in there. I know things are tough for you now and your are still struggling to adjust being so far from anything familiar. But you are learning, believe it or not, and soon your writing will improve and you will be as proud of yourself as you should have always been. You and your ideas and your view of people and life are important and you do not need Columbia to validate that for you. But stick with the program. You have come so far already and who would have guessed that you would be in New York City pursuing what you always thought was a long shot. Well, you are in the midst of the dream EDWINA, do not let a few challenges make you throw it all away.
And as you said, you would regret it for longer than just the day after. So chin up EDWINA. Hang in and hold on. I know what you are going through and I'm pulling for you every single day. Believe me when you begin to produce more polish articles, make a few friends, and get comfortable with taking on things in your new environment, away from home, you will be just fine. It is okay to be a little frightened, and feel a little alone, and to cry, but you have to wipe away the tear stains, pick up, and press on.
And remember, if you miss, so to are you missed. You have not been forgotten about and you are not alone. But we are all pulling for you, wishing you well, and anxious to see you take care of business and finish what you started because we realize just how much it meant and will mean to you. I'm proud of you EDWINA, and I'm certain I'm not alone!"
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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WEDNESDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER 2005
6:56-PM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
Listening - "DOES ANYBODY HEAR HER"-Casting Crowns Lifesong
"Submit yourselves, then, to GOD. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
-- JAMES 04 : 07
Still at home in San Benito, Texas. It's weird, even here I feel like I'm just a visitor. I do not have a room anymore. Ha! But it is nice to see MOM and DAD of course. I try to explain to people that I never really miss my family. And it is not that I take mom and dad for granted or anything; I guess it is some sort of subconscious innate sense of independence. And of course the fact I left high school for the Army. I didn't exactly come home during college breaks and for summers. So I'm thoroughly used to being away from family, and friends for that matter.
I will probably not spend the next couple of weeks here. I'll most likely head back to San Antonio to visit more with CHRIS (And to retrieve the laptop which should have already been delivered to his work.) and Austin to see my sister.
I'd love to "vacation" some more and annoy people by staying with them while they go to work and school. Ha! But yeah, I have to move on and get back to my life in the Army too, ... for at least three (03) years and eight (08) or so months. There is much work waiting for me when I arrive and it is pretty much the complete opposite of what I did for a year in Alabama. It was a nice year long break indeed. And to be honest even though I love working and getting things done I'll not be as enthusiastic about it at first. I'm determined to make a go of things without the Army once 2009 hits and so I have to really get down to business to try and finish my Bachelors and seek out a Masters program or some school offering theater/acting programs and maybe some writing/screenplay stuffage.
Fortunately, even though my work days will probably begin at 5:00 in the morning and extend well into the evening (7:00 or 8:00) for sometimes seven (07) days weekly, being in Korea is the best place to work hard on my degree plan and just save up money. I'll not have much time to spend it or get in trouble either. Ha! That will be good. All I want is to be able to travel a bit: The Philippines during Christmas to visit an ebuddy, Japan a couple of times to visit a friend from New York, and a few trips to places like Vietnam and Australia just for some rest and relaxation. That is not too much to ask in two (02) years is it? I think not. So hopefully we will not be so under strength at the shop that I'll not be able to get some time off here and there. Of course if I'm not comfortable and things do not work out I'll not stay for two (02) years.
Right now I'm contracted for a single year. But since I requested Korea I have intended to extend for another year since the Army offers an incentive bonus of USD$300.00 for each month of the extension period. So I'll net an extra USD$3,600.00. I was paid again this morning. It is great to pull down paychecks while on leave. I'll get another one (01) at the month's end, right before I head to Korea. It should include my back pay since I have not been paid yet as a Staff Sergeant. So I'm owed the "raise" portion of my pay for the months of July and August, as well as for this month. I'm not sure if the month of June is included too since I was promoted that month. But anyway, this next paycheck will be somewhere in the USD$1,500.00 neighborhood; that is if I'm doing the math correctly. Oh, I fly out of Harlingen, Texas on 03 October and will be in Seoul, Korea 04 October. Whew! Yeah, going back soon. I'll be ready, getting back in the Army mode will be like switching on a switch, especially since I was able to go from Private (PVT) to Staff Sergeant (SSG) in such a short amount of time.
I do not really get worried about the future, I'd admit to being cautious though. Ha! I think that is a better word. Maybe. I know I want to act and write. And I also know it will be very difficult to go from being an electronics technician/Soldier in the Army to getting out to pursue something totally different in the civilian sector. I mean if it was business or international relations or something more "academic" I'd be pursuing a BA/BS in that area, probably plan to stay in until retirement at thirty-eight (38) and have a BA/BS and a Masters well before that time comes. And then I'd have retirement money and benefits coming in and still be able to do something new because I'd still be that young. But I want to follow my heart and shoot for the dream. (I probably should have pursued it right out of high school, going to college and getting my butt in gear with auditions and writing and stuffage like that.) But what can you say of the "what ifs" in life really? I have been doing okay. You just have to do the best with what you have and try not to think about past choices and mistakes if you are not thinking about them to recall lessons.
So until I get out in 2009 I'll be trying to focus diligently on putting money back, schooling, writing, and researching possible programs and schools to get into when I get out. I have requested Fort Carson (in Colorado) and Fort Hood (in Texas) as my return assignments when I complete my overseas tour in 2007. Hopefully I'll get one (01) of the two (02). But yeah, I have a lot of work ahead of me. I have always been a complacent soul too, too much of a thinker. I have been trying to change and become more of a doer so that I can do just that, "do". Because it will take a lot of doing to do what I want to do.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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TUESDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 2005
9:22-AM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
Listening - "OUT OF MY HANDS"-MATTHEW west Happy
"My flesh and my heart may fail, but GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
-- Psalm 73 : 26
I will be on the road in a few hours. I expect to leave no later than 1:00. I have to make sure I gather everything, even though I expect to return to San Antonio shortly. The laptop I had ordered before I left Alabama has not arrived here. I figured I'd send it here so that by the time I arrived in San Antonio it would be waiting for me. That has not been the case however, as CHRIS didn't return from work with it yesterday and I just have a feeling he will not today either. Of course it would be just my luck to get a call from him when I have reached home that it did in fact arrive this afternoon. I'd probably wait until the weekend arrived to drive back up here in order to fetch it.
A month from now I'll be in another country, up to my neck in work, and have plenty of other things to deal with; ... this has been a nice and much needed vacation indeed. And while it is not at an end just yet, I'm already looking forward to again visiting my friends sometime in the future. One (01) more hop and I should be finished. At home is where I'll unload my bags and clear out my car. When I drive back up here (and if I head up to Austin or Dallas again) I'll only take enough for the duration of a weekend or short visit. And when October rolls around I'll have shipped what I can not pack for the plane ride, ahead of me, and be ready to make the journey to Korea.
I am off now to shower and consolidate my things for the drive home. Later.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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SUNDAY 11TH SEPTEMBER 2005
2:54-AM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
"Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you."
-- Deuteronomy 04 : 02
I am still overjoyed about changing my flight arrangements. A savings of USD$200.00 and hassle. I'll check my baggage when I board the plane in South Texas (Harlingen, Texas) and will not have to deal with it again until I'm in Korea, many, many hours later. Many hours.
Well the three (03) of us ended up heading to the miniature golf course. At hole seven (07) it began to rain. This was just after GLORIA and I hit a hole in one (01) apiece. But I had messed up on the third hole I believe, accepting a six (06), so I was trailing. After waiting out a power outage we headed back on the course but then it began to really rain so we were forced to call it a night at the golf course and accept rain checks. it turns out CHRIS and I were tied up with twenty-two (22) strokes apiece and GLORIA was leading with a commanding seventeen (17). I'd have definitely caught her. After all, I was robbed early on. I should have sunk the ball on my third attempt instead of my sixth. So she should have only had two (02) strokes on me. But anyway, it does not count since it was rained out.
LOURDES never called so the Pictionary game was set up the same as it was months before. We forgot the timer at CHRIS' apartment. The plan was to get to GLORIA's place, switch vehicles and have her drive back to CHRIS'. But since the rain had not let up a bit I think we all pretty much silently agreed that it would not be so bad playing without it after all. It was great fun. There were the really difficult things to draw and the easy. As always some seemed impossible and were guessed in a few seconds and some were very simple but weren't guessed correctly. I choose the word "wild" once and just had no idea how to even begin drawing.
Needless to say CHRIS didn't guess it correctly. But I didn't give him much to work with. It was the third game though, him and I against GLORIA and DAVID. ENERO was sitting out because her stomach was bothering her. But once again, Pictionary with friends didn't disappoint in the least. I wish though LOURDES would have been free to join us. But it is not like she was just sitting around at her house not wanting to come, she was volunteering and helping people in need, all with a broken little toe. but next time, if there is nothing on her plate, I'll get her to show up.
LUKE will be in Korea. LUKE, a friend from high school who went on to attend West Point and trained to fly Blackhawk helicopters at Fort Rucker, Alabama as a Second Lieutenant in the Army, will head to Korea. The funny thing is that we didn't see a whole lot of each other living a few blocks away during high school, we saw none of one (01) another living four (04) hours away (for an entire year) in Alabama, but now that we are heading to Korea we have the best chance of all to see one (01) another.
I have a feeling we will link up on several occasions to visit with one (01) another. I do hope so anyway. And speaking of people heading to the "Land of the Morning Calm", MIKE, another friend from high school will not be headed that way. In an attempt to get some world travel under his belt, and to maybe do a little "finding of self" he was looking into heading to Korea to teach English to students there. I'm not sure of the particulars of the program or company the job is associated with but as it turns out Korea is not going to happen for MIKE. He had heard some things about the program in that region which swayed his opinion. So now he will be off to Prague very soon. Yes, Prague. I trust he has done his research and that the people in the program already there will be good influences and can get him settled and going in the right direction. So all the best to MIKE as he ventures to Prague for a year to teach English.
Well that's all for this morning. I'm rather tired.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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SATURDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER 2005
7:09-PM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
"A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?"
-- Proverbs 20 : 24
I was able to change my plane ticket. There were some minor complications with how to get me to Korea. And while I was in Dallas visiting with REUBEN, KARLA, ALBA, and RANI, I was emailed and called and the last word I received was that I'd have to get back to Huntsville, Alabama to fly out. That wasn't too bad since at one (01) point during the planning and phone calls I was going to have to get all the way to Fort Drum, New York in order to fly out, since it was the personnel branch at Fort Drum which cut my orders.
Anyway it does not matter now. Ms. Bone said that there was a possibility I'd be able to change my ticket and just pay the difference. Well, a ticket from South Texas to Huntsville, Alabama was no less than USD$200.00. I figured I'd call Delta and try my luck. DEENA was more than helpful. And although she was the fourth person I spoke to in a string of "let me connect you with blank department," she was more than happy to, and able to help me out. And as it turns out she saved the government a whole USD$80.00. So now instead of having to purchase a ticket to Alabama I can fly out of South Texas, make a connection in Houston, and head to Georgia to fly out to Korea. So forty-five (45) minutes or so on the phone saved me USD$200.00 and added hassle. Truly my ticket change will be one (01) of the highlights of my little vacation.
CHRIS, GLORIA, and I went to Best Buy today to browse. I mentioned wanting to buy a video camera to take to Korea with me but elected not to look around for one (01) here since I could pick one (01) up in Korea for less. I bought absolutely nothing though I had several DVDs in my hand and some other things. But when we walked out of the store I was empty-handed, which was a good thing. Here I have money ear-marked for spending and I have not spent any of it except on food. Weird. I suppose it is because I'm realizing I'll not be loading up my baby and driving back to Alabama this time. This time I'll be emptying her out, putting her in storage and flying to the other side of the world with a couple of bags ready to take on a shop full of work, Soldiers, and a new unit, ... and maybe for two (02) years. So to buy anything would mean I'd have to turn right around and pay postage to ship it. So I suppose it's really helping me save. And saving is never a bad thing, especially for impulse shoppers like myself!
The plan was to go play miniature golf with GLORIA and LOURDES but LOURDES was volunteering to help the hurricane evacuees so she declined. CHRIS and I had played the course earlier. It was good. I'm not sure if we three (03) will go ahead and go anyway. I think we should. I'm disappointed though that LOURDES will not be able to make it. She would have made a fourth and four (04) is always better than three (03), especially when two (02) of the three (03) are boyfriend and girlfriend. Of course with CHRIS and GLORIA I've never, ever felt like a third wheel. I love them both so it is like we are just three (03) friends wherever we go, I do not feel like I'm being drug along anywhere or that I'm in the way. And besides, it is not like I'm in town often, so they have to put up with me because they love me. Ha!
Pictionary at GLORIA and ENERO's place was the original hype though. We bought an egg timer too because the little sand thingy just wasn't cutting it. LOURDES was supposed to round out the group so that it would be three (03) on three (03), but again, she will most likely be volunteering. No matter, it will be just as it was last December or January: CHRIS, GLORIA, and myself on one (01) team and ENERO and her boyfriend, DAVID, on the other team. Yes, it sounds unfair. Well, yes, it is. But I'm sure we will not be satisfied playing just one (01) game, so we will have time to switch teams around and such.
It is time to head out.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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FRIDAY 09TH SEPTEMBER 2005
11:09-AM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
"Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself; the LORD will hear when I call to Him."
-- Psalm 04 : 03
Time to take a look back: A year ago today I was still rather new to Redstone Arsenal and Alabama. I had no idea how long my stay there was going to be, and I was slotted to take SGT Gola's place as the Commander's driver. It is tough to think that I finished up there and it is now a whole year later. How time does fly sometimes.
THURSDAY 09TH SEPTEMBER 2004
7:04-AM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
Listening - "HARDER THAN THE FIRST TIME"-Barlow Girl Barlow Girl
"We live by faith, not by sight."
-- 02 Corinthians 05 : 07
Well, I'm up and pretty nervous about driving the boss today. Well, okay, I'm not really "nervous" per se, just concerned. I have a feeling I'll arrive at work and find we are going to leave from his house, this means backing out of his driveway. That proved a bit tricky the last time (which was the first time I drove him somewhere) about a week or so ago. Yes, I didn't post about it. But okay, there you go, I kind of, sort of did a little landscaping work on his lawn with the suburban. I didn't leave any ruts in the turf, though I didn't exactly get out to inspect. So I'm a bit intimidated by his curvy drive. I'm improving though so things should go just fine.
I had another "odd" dream last night. See, how much more entertaining can this get, you get to read all about my dreams. It didn't seem long and now I can only remember just a short segment. But I think that it pretty much all boiled down to what I can remember:
I was in a school. Do not ask me what school or where. I must have been in either a cafeteria or a library but off to the side in an entryway. As I stood in the narrow hallway which led into the open area (cafeteria or library) where people were, I noticed, writing on the large window, which pretty much made up the entire side of the hall's wall. It was done in blue marker. Upon closer inspection I found the writing was messages from people. It looked as if graduates of the school had left messages for fellow classmates or future students. As I read I came upon a message written by PRECIOUS. (If that name is not familiar to you then you are new here, have not been keeping up for the past few years with my website, and/or are definitely not a fellow class member of Med-High's year 2000 graduating class.) Go back a bit through the past months to review her significance to me. Anyway, I read and to my surprise she mentioned me in the message. Apparently I had written "numerous letters to her which meant a great deal to her." I was pleasantly surprised. As I read on I noticed everyone was looking in my direction. Those who could see straight down the hall were all looking right and those who had been seated further into the room had gotten up and come to over to join the gawkers who were sitting.
They all seemed to have very concerned looks on their faces and I could not think of why they were looking on so perplexed. I could only think that they were expecting me to become despondent at the remembrance of her. But I was thrilled she regarded me in a good light.
I'm not one (01) to analyze dreams and I don't put too much stock in them because generally my dreams play out like movies and I kind of see them as entertaining and not so much as prophetic warnings, foretelling, or messages. But if I had to come up with some sort of explanation I'd have to say that I was reminded myself that I mattered to my friends and what I did to ease their pain and help them in any way I was able mattered too. And that they were glad to be my friend and share a friendship. Also that no matter how alone I feel at times and no matter how assured I'm that many of my friends have moved on with their lives and are busy with this or that, on occasion they do remember me. Sometimes everyone just needs to be reminded and remember that they are thought of and remembered, and that those they care so much for, still care for them as well. I know every once in a while I need a little reassurance that I'd be missed by those I hold dear (my friends specifically) if I wasn't around. Now I'm not talking about dead and gone but just out of the loop. I often wonder if this person sees something that reminds them of me and wonders what I'm doing these days. And without a reminder; is someone looking for me and seeking me? Maybe. And furthermore, I wonder about people whom I never thought I'd give a second thought to. ... Might I be a person thought of in such regard by someone else?
I am here. Well, I'm in Alabama really, but I'm here too. It's too easy to "find" me" on the internet. I have found my website while searching the most obscure things and every once in a while (that is to say maybe once every couple of months) someone leaves me a message in my guest book to say he or she found this site and stayed to read a while. So I know I can be found. ... I'd like to think some of the people I miss and wonder about are thinking I'm too busy for them (which is not true), do not think I'd want to hear from them (which is not true), or are just horrible detectives. Because I'm not hiding people, especially not from those I love.
Wish me luck later today. Pray my foot is a tad lighter today. Ha!
A lot changed in that year. And a lot has changed now that my year in Alabama has come to an end. I'm currently on leave awaiting a departure date of 03 October to head to Korea for a second go around. I never did stay on to be the Commanding General's driver, but became the assistant to the Command Sergeant Major at Redstone Arsenal; it was a much better fit if I do say so myself. Anyway it worked out great. I believe it was one (01) of the best things to happen to me in my twenty-three (23) years and will be one (01) of the best opportunities I'll have in my life. I'm so grateful that I was afforded it and glad I took advantage of it.
As for dreams, I have had quite a few. Maybe one (01) or two (02) involving PRECIOUS, who since IMed me. She was doing well last we talked. But we have not in a couple months now. I do wish she would "show up" again. I should have asked for her number.
Changes. Changes. It has been nice visiting friends and discovering what they are doing with their lives. REUBEN is working at a non-profit organization. KARLA is number crunching for Lays and hanging out with her sister, ALBA, and friends. PABLO is finishing up graduate work at Baylor. ERIKA is finishing up at Baylor and taking good care of her sister and the rest of her family. CHRIS is still doing well at St. MARY's pursuing a graduate degree and working, ... still with GLORIA; that is probably never going to change!
My friends are doing well. Soon I'll venture down to South Texas to visit more friends and also spend time with my family before I'm off to Korea once again.
Who would have guessed a year ago that I'd now be a Staff Sergeant, doing another enlistment, heading to Korea again (this time maybe for two (02) years), and due to get out of the Army, not in 2006, but in 2009? I'd not have guessed it.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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WEDNESDAY 07TH SEPTEMBER 2005
4:29-PM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
Listening - "WHO I AM HATES WHO I'VE BEEN"-Relient K Mmhmm
"'Because he loves Me,' says the LORD, 'I will rescue him; I'll protect him, for he acknowledges My name.'"
-- Psalm 91 : 14
I'd written while at REUBEN's place and at KARLA's but for some reason had a lapse of good sense and instead of emailing the posts to myself, I saved them on a diskette. And sure enough when I put the diskette in CHRIS' laptop it didn't read and a message popped up asking me if I wanted to format the diskette, a process which would erase it's contents. So unfortunately I can't share in the moment commentary on what went on since I left Alabama. And it's unfortunate, but the show must go on. I'll pick up here and probably make mention of happenings in Dallas and Waco as the month plays out. With that out of the way, we are in the present, just having arrived at CHRIS' place after a few hours on the road between Waco and San Antonio, Texas.
My bonus hit my account today. As if arriving at CHRIS' moments ago made everything just fall into place, I checked my email and discovered Bank of America had sent an email letting me know a direct deposit had been credited to my account. Since payday was 01 September and 15 September is another week away, I instantly knew what it was before clicking the email. So yes, my account increased today; I'm approximately USD$6,200.00 richer.
I wasn't going to leave PABLO's place in Waco until this evening but it was just time to go. Nothing against visiting with PABLO or ERIKA in Waco, and I was very pleased to have met MARY, but it was time to head further south. I suppose it's getting time to head home and see the family. After all, I don't plan on getting back to Texas from Korea in the first year. So yes, I suppose I was just getting weary of being mobile and away from the family. But I had a great time visiting with PABLO and meeting JOHN, a friend of his from his undergraduate days at Austin College.
And ERIKA took time out of her busy schedule to spend some time with me. We went out for a couple of drinks and conversation. She was taking care of family and friends from New Orleans. They'd been hit hard by hurricane KATRINA, so ERIKA and her younger sister, EDITH, were helping them find places to stay and schooling and such. Those are two (02) very brave and very cool girls. Whomever came to stay with them, I know, is in very good and capable hands. I trust though that she is not taking on too much. I think her parents were heading up to help out and take on some of the burden so ERIKA and EDITH wouldn't be so overwhelmed. I wish them all the best.
So I'll be here until Tuesday or Wednesday. CHRIS and I had been planning the big Pictionary match with ENERO and DAVID since we last played during my stay here back in December and January. It should be a lot of fun. We expect LOURDES to play too. CHRIS' girlfriend, GLORIA will make an even six (06) this time. So yes, I'll definitely enjoy myself here with CHRIS. I have had fun since I began my leave but well, CHRIS calls me his best friend. How can you not have fun with another who has given you such a title?
Well, until later.
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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FRIDAY 02ND SEPTEMBER 2005
9:08-AM-(UTC/GMT -6 Hours)
"Everything is possible for him who believes."
-- MARK 09 : 23
"I'm A Believer"
MaryMary
I'm a believer, tellin' you I really believe
I'm a believer, even though I've never seen
I'm a believer, look at my life and you will see
I'm a believer, how can you not believe?
I'm a believer, every word He says to me
I'm a believer, ‘cuz He gave me my liberty
I'm a believer, now and forever I'll be
I'm a believer, how can you not believe?
We got home late one night from service
Something wasn't right, momma was nervous
She said we're staying at your auntie's house tonight
Cuz something in my spirit ain't right
Just as soon as we all went to sleep
Momma got a call from the police saying "your house is on fire"
We were sad, but alive, God spared our lives
I'm a believer, tellin' you I really believe
I'm a believer, even though I've never seen
I'm a believer, look at my life and you will see
I'm a believer, how can you not believe?
I'm a believer, every word He says to me
I'm a believer, ‘cuz He gave me my liberty
I'm a believer, now and forever I'll be
I'm a believer, how can you not believe?
On the highway minding my business
Another car was tryin' to get by
So I put my foot on the brakes and
My car flipped upside down
I cried, "Lord have mercy on me
Take the car but save my life"
I walked away no scars, no pain, nothing broken
Now I can testify
I'm a believer, tellin' you I really believe
I'm a believer, even though I've never seen
I'm a believer, look at my life and you will see
I'm a believer, how can you not believe?
I'm a believer, every word He says to me
I'm a believer, cuz He gave me my liberty
I'm a believer, now and forever I'll be
I'm a believer, how can you not believe?
Somebody, somewhere out there is watching us, and
Taking care of every little thing we need, and
Some people still don't believe, but
I have seen too many things, tell me what will make you see
That He's able to be all you need and more
I'm a believer, tellin' you I really believe
I'm a believer, even though I've never seen
I'm a believer, look at my life and you will see
I'm a believer, how can you not believe?
I'm a believer, every word He says to me
I'm a believer, cuz He gave me my liberty
I'm a believer, now and forever I'll be
I'm a believer, how can you not believe?
Peace be with you always. And may GOD continue to bless you.
Faith & Confidence
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Content on this page © 2002-2009 Ted A. Mueller unless otherwise stated.
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