Reunion Thoughts

A pic from Wise County Virginia which always shows up in a Wise county search






• We went to the WC Reunion last night after nearly passing. I'm glad we went.







• Carnies still fascinate me.







• The company providing the rides still gives goldfish as prizes for the ping pong ball toss.







• An incredible amount of dust still gets kicked up around that place. They should cover everything with shredded tree mulch.





• See how smart I am? Problem. Solved.







• The music was by Ryan Ready.







• The shoot out the star BB machineguns are still based on the model 1928 Thompson. I would have guessed they would have updated to an M4/M16 type- and in fact, the overwrought airbrushed pic on the side of the trailer had a Rambo looking guy blazing away with an M16.







• I would never eat from a place like that.







• I mentioned last year seeing an old friend who the last I knew prior to that night was involved in some multiple department stand off. To be clear- he was doing the standing off. He was talking to himself last night and looked tired, but he's alive and soon to be retired from an OK job he had since high school. I was questioned regarding referring to him as a friend. We aren't the friends we were years ago, but yes I still call him a friend and would do anything in my power I could to help him and I wouldn't care who knows I've considered him a friend in spite of his troubles. What happened to him was not purely his fault nor mine and he's not done a thing in this world to hurt me- why would I not call him a friend?

Joe Paul Nichols

Joe Paul Nichols died Wednesday 27, 2011. My parents would go see him every chance they had so some of my earliest memories are associated with him. It was a different world back then so it was nothing for parents to go to dance halls and clubs and turn the kids loose to play while they danced.

One of his last public performances was my moms funeral.

He was a kind, decent and good man.

These Old Eyes Have Seen It All

Friday's Dispatch

Woody's- the sign says The Best Burger In Texas! The sign lies.

• After hearing about how great the hamburgers from Woody's in Mineral Wells are for literally the last 20 years I finally had one this afternoon. It must be a drinking thing- as in if you had sat around drinking all afternoon in that smoky bar then had one, it might seem great. It wasn't the worst thing that ever happened to me in my life, but it was very far from the best in Texas as the sign in front promised. It was somewhere between a school cafeteria burger and a Dairy Queen Hungerbuster. Any fast food burger except for a Big Mac is as good or better. My friend felt so bad after he talked us out of Mesquite Pit to go to Woody's he gave me the money I gave him for my part of the bill back.


• I felt so bad- I took it.


• The reviews I found online said things like,"Great lunch stop. Some of the best burgers in Texas!" and "burgers are the best you've ever had!" It's impossible that they were not written by the owner/workers- either that or people really need to get out more often and come to Weatherford and eat at Skinny's or Chad's.


• It was a very odd experience.


• Zachary disappeared from me in that clothing outlet place- literally. As in I turned and he was gone. I screamed and hollered like a crazy person until I remembered the ride toys out front in the foyer...


• My guts are still in a knot from the adrenaline dump of losing him for that maybe one minute two hours ago.


• The Wise County Reunion is going on this week. I'm looking forward to it less than normal for some reason.


• I'm drinking more Cokes than ever before and exercising maybe 10% of normal- a recipe for success if there ever were one.

Wednesday's Digressions

Zachary explains how the cicada comes out of it's exoskeleton and also how the unlucky ones get straight up murdered by the cicada killer wasp in the foreground.

• Kat Von D and Jesse James Break Up. This was a headline for my news browser. How/why could we possibly care? I weep for the species.


• I have MREs (Meal Ready to Eat) for myself, Zachary and big brother to eat soon. When I first enlisted in the Army the rations were called C Rations. They came in a little cardboard box and would have something like a can of spaghetti, crackers, jam and a little accessory pack. The new MREs have vegetarian choices and fajitas.


• We called MREs Meals Rejected by Ethiopians- even though they're really good.


• Zachary is eating a Little Debby Swiss Roll for the first time. I think it's making him high.


• I recently saw a guy who resembled a dead friend so much I kind of thought he must have been the brother whom I know exists, but I've never met. I could not recall the exact cause of the friends death (he suicided with prescription drugs- I did not recall the type) so I called another friend who the first thing said,"You're not going to believe this, but I saw a guy who looked just like him in the mall the other day. I nearly spoke to him."


• Zachary is blowing bubbles- in the house.


• Life is too short to get worked up about some things.


• Foster The People- Pumped Up Kicks

Elephant Ears And Cannas

camera setting experiment

Monday's Missives

I have no idea- however, let's assume the artist is no fan.

• I still feel goofy when a nurse or aide in a long term care facility passes it along they like me and send me their number through somebody.


• If the theory of evolution is true why are there so many physiological and chemical processes in place that helps ease the dying experience for humans?


• I think I have an answer but, it made me think a little the other morning when a patient who could hardly breathe for the fluid in her lungs rapidly dumped 1200 mls. of urine that was produced by a diuretic hormone in response to her body's stress- which pulled the fluid off her lungs allowing her to breathe easily.


• My death date is if I remember correctly November 23, 2038 on the deathcalculator. I would like to have posts scheduled out to that far so there's something here until then if I die early or lose interest and it can autopilot.


• Stay tuned- some gold is posted way out there already.


• A girls bicycle was abandoned down at the pond for days- gave me chills every time I passed. Empty children's wheelchairs in a pawnshop, antique store etc. do the same.

Wednesday's Digressions

Magnet used to disable the internal defibrillator in an expiring patients pacemaker.







• Just finished the 1997 Pierce Brosnan Robinson Crusoe movie. It's on HULU. Watch for the modern beach rules sign at about 1:02. 20. I read reviews bagging on it for not being faithful to the novel. My impression was the opposite- it was the closest adaptation I've ever seen.


• If I could only have one mid ranged priced, chain restaurant to eat at for the rest of my life and eat there every day for every meal it would probably be Olive Garden.


• I would say Logan's, but I'd have a heart attack in a years time since I would have steak, grilled shrimp, sauteed mushrooms, mac and cheese and about 4 pounds of their bread every single meal.


• Zachary is playing outside with his dump truck and little shovel and I'm sitting on the steps watching him.


• The only way it could be any better is if I were sitting on a big bag of money.


• When a patient has a defib type pacemaker we usually disable the defibrillator as the person is expiring. This is done by placing a magnet to the patients chest over the pace maker. We often have trouble getting the magnet when we need it so we always try to keep it for the next patient. Oddly, an old memory is the family who wanted to keep the magnet and in fact got a little perturbed when they realised the nurse had removed it after the death and placed it in his backpack. I'm still perplexed over why they wanted it- as was the nurse who asked me,"Why on earth would they want that?".


• The 60 gallons of water I used today for bathing would after I used it be much cleaner than the water to which 2 billion people on the planet have access for drinking.


• People could really make a bundle/go broke if they had water to supply the cattle who are being sold at fire sale prices by the folks who do not have water.

Marine Snipers

• Marine snipers at work in Helmand

More Oniony Goodness

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—After decades of coddling young children, Johnson & Johnson unveiled its new "Nothing But Tears" shampoo this week, an aggressive bath-time product the company says will help to prepare meek and fragile newborns for the real world.
A radical departure for the health goods manufacturer, the new shampoo features an all-alcohol-based formula, has never once been approved by leading dermatologists, and is as gentle on a baby's skin as "having to grow up and fend for your %##@^& self."
"We at Johnson & Johnson have been making bath time a safe and soothing experience for far too long," company CEO William C. Weldon said. "Years of pampering have left our newborns helpless, feeble, and ill-equipped for the arduous road ahead."

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/johnson_johnson_introduces_nothing

I Learned About Empathy From That Part 5

Prior to my transport to my room from the ER I got a morphine and phenergan shot together and was as close to pain free as I'd be for the next month and since my body was naive to narcotics I was feeling a little high. Also, since I was so volume depleted my body had already shunted blood away from my extremities to save my organs so I was feeling sort of disembodied.

The girl who was to transport me was beautiful, sweet and new to the hospital. On the way to the room we went through a construction area where they were remodelling the hospital. The stretcher ran over something- maybe an extension cord causing me to yelp. Then it hit something like a missing tile causing me to call out again. I was miserable. "Oh my, I'll take it easier. I'm so sorry." she cooed. Looking up I thought she was an angel with a halo, but then she moved to the side causing the light behind her head to burrow into my skull. I moaned, pulled the sheet over my head and turned to my side.


"I think we're lost. I'll call back to the desk." she said as she turned to an empty room to use the phone. As I lie on the stretcher beside the open door of another patients room I could hear some very hick people discussing a lawsuit related to the care of granny. One of the hillbillies became aware of the presence of the stretcher I was on and came to close the door. The next thing I heard was,"Good Gawd amighty. You aren't gonna believe this. There's a dead body out here in the hallway! I ain't even believin' this. What kind of place is this?" a voice said after I heard another person shuffle to the door. They slammed the door. It felt like my head was in it.

We went to an elevator that was out of order. We went to another corridor that was closed. We went up to a floor that was a women's services unit and then came back down until we finally found the tower that held my room.


To be continued.

Friday's Dispatch

• Recently while I was cleaning up after supper woman known as woman came up behind me and started rubbing around on me. I turned to see her with a volleyball under her shirt, her hands cupped under it like it was a pregnant belly.


• "You'll be stopping that right now." That's what I said. What she said- Oh come on- you know it's funny. It may be many things, but it's very far from funny. You see here's that." I said pointing to her fake baby bump, "and here's funny way, way over here." which was said while my other arm was stretched out as far as I could get it in the opposite direction.


• Did I say I was cleaning up after supper? I mean I was gutting a deer and rebuilding a carburetor.


• Yeah, that's the ticket.


• I have only eaten a crayfish once in my life- as in, one crayfish, one time.


• My eldest needed a backpack for his pre Army training. I went and got him a really good one- the same one I would have bought for myself. I did alright until I started looking for the jump wings, Ranger tab and handbook I wanted to put in the pack to remind him of his goals. It wasn't a good scene for me. I nearly started bawling. He'll be good. He'll be OK, but I'm afraid the nights will be long when he goes downrange.


• The Serbian Lazar MRAP is a good looking vehicle that appears very adaptable.


• The Misfits cover The Ramones Blitzkrieg Bop

Thursday's Thoughts

They rubbed a hole in my chestal region and ruined many T shirts, but I felt this hardware kept me a little safer. All came from different friends except one that came from a chaplains assistant. The pic reminds me of a persistent military urban legend people often repeat that dog tags were initially made to be driven between the teeth of a dead soldier by stomping with a boot or driving in with a hammer etc. This legend never happened and is profane and bizarre. It should be an obvious legend since it goes so far against the grain of practicality, human nature and experience, but people believe it and have repeated it for decades.






• When Zachary is he here he always sleeps with me. I like it, but never sleep well.


• An example of a perfect song that's been one of my favorites for most of my life: Gerry Rafferty Right Down The Line.


• GF posted some things about me on her Facebook which caused comments like, "No way- there's not any guys like that left!"


• Guess I'm an OK BF.


• How hot is it here? Yesterday it was just too hot... to be in the swimming pool.


• Zac loves swimming at night.


• I still puzzle over how superstitious I was during the war. Honestly, I didn't have any superstitious habits prior to deploying and found them annoying in others, but they somehow hardwired pretty quickly and were difficult to leave behind when I came home. Some of the ones that come to mind: I felt like as long as I treated everyone well I engaged I would be OK- like no bad karma would come down on me. Although we teased each other often about getting killed, Hey man, if you get blown up today, can I have your laptop? I never did this at all with the 3 youngest guys in my platoon (who were also often my crew) nor did I allow others to do it around me. The religious medallion that I passed up when offered does not exist. There's 4 crosses and 2 saint medallions on my dog tags. When guys would see my dog tags the question often was,"Oh, are you Catholic?"


• No, I just wasn't taking any chances.

Raising Zachary

If I'm not supposed to go into the pantry- then why is there a doorknob on the inside?

Wednesday's Digressions

Slithering omelet anyone? Probably bull or rat snake. Eggs were dutifully placed in similar nesting arrangement after being disturbed knocking down a dead tree. Oh- 47, in case you're wondering.

• My friend only made it to mile 50 in the Peach Pedal ride. I don't know what was wrong with her- it was only 103 degrees.




• Zac rarely has to be told to brush his teeth. He just knows it's the last thing he's supposed to do at night and the first thing in the morning.




• My eldest has started pre Army training. They run 5 miles with 30 pound packs. He ran 10 night before last unburdened.




• Your Warfighter pro tip: If it's worth putting a bullet in- it's worth three.




• Bonus: If a building is worth entering- it's worth preceding your entry with a hand grenade.




• Zac is napping as I write this- looks good, I think I'll join him.

Next Blog Button Foray

"just shut down, drive away, run or hide and simply just go about being a person with a plan, on schedual making sure were ALL on pace.Im tired of being a zombie.take me out of this constant day by day routine.im ready for change, and i see it coming around the corner.But as i look at the good, why does the bad want to creep up, why when my hopes are up does somthing bad happen. i reach out for more when i just get taken from.I just want to know what you want from me. where do you want me. with whom do you want there with me. whats the master plan and when are you going to fill me in.Just running through my mind.I went through the clouds today, and i saw your promise in the sky a rainbow just hovering over the metal mass i was in. i know your out there somewhere out there. i just need your help.This vacation i was on with shaun and my family was total chaos.I am the black sheep, is that bad? or is that good?i just feel so drained and in this state of mind that is sooo melancholy.someone cheer me up.Im human just like everyone im not always happy. but boy do i wish i was."

From blog I stumbled across- sorry I didn't link to it or record the title.

I Learned About Empathy From That Part 4

Soon a patient care tech. who was not even assigned to the area I was in heard me beating my head against the door as she went by. She gasped as she opened the door and saw me lying with my upper body on an exam table my lower limbs sagged on the floor covered in blood. The floor had bloody footprints all over it. I can only imagine what a sight it must have been and how badly it must have smelled.


She ran past me, hit the emergency light and started popping gloves out of the dispenser.


When other staff appeared one said,"What the F happened to him?


I don't know this is the way I found him.


Sir, were you stabbed or in a wreck?


No, I'm sick." then as if on cue I started dry heaving. She still lifted my gown and rolled me front to back looking for wounds. "Don't leave him- I'm going to get something for the nausea."


I fainted again.


"Do you have any allergies? I'm allergic to ______. OK good then, we won't give you any of that." She popped me fast with promethazine into my IV. Really- I don't know how she got it in there that fast. My arm felt like it was on fire. I felt the fire crawl up my arm. I was about to come off the table. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry- next time I'll push it slower. I was trying to get this under control. It will be better in just a minute." She reached up and opened the IV. About the time the burn stopped my mouth went dry and had a funny taste. The nausea stopped and I turned on my side and went to sleep.


I awakened in a different exam room and saw my wife on the phone her eyes swollen from crying. "I don't know, we don't know anything yet- he's waking up now. I'll call you later."





To be continued

Saturday Morning's Alright For Blogging

A famous poster commissioned by a Ranger Regiment Colonel. The Killer Man quote is supposedly from R. Reagan although I've not heard or read it from any other source.

• Chevelle Closure A great version of one of my favorite songs.





• There was a Biography show about a famous country singer on this morning. An old girlfriend ended up with him after she left me.





• My car blew up two days after getting it out of the shop- I can't win for losing.





• Whaa- call me a whambulance.





• Owning a dog doesn't interest me at all and it seems among owners their dogs are way more trouble than they're worth, but the owners won't admit it.





• Luckiest dudes in the world: fighter pilots and train engineers.





• From the early 60s to the late 80s (even early 90s) a US soldier/Marine would have no trouble adapting to a return to service- there were minor changes, but by and large he would recognize everything he would need to fight a war. Today, if you transported a Vietnam era soldier from there to the battlefield of today it would be like expecting one of us to make a showing of ourselves on the Battlestar Galactica. Not that he couldn't learn, but it would be very overwhelming for a long time.

Friday's Dispatch

Think about them every day. Pray for them every time you pray. There are infantry units who fought in Afghanistan who engaged the enemy 150 times in their year long deployment. You would have to go back to World War II to find American warriors who could say that- and then maybe.

• "Most guys seem intimidated by me- you weren't at all. Why not?" That's what she said.


• "Because- I'm not scared of no dumb ole girl." That's what I retorted.


• I have never watched a single episode of South Park.


• It's been a couple of days since I shaved my head. My buddy came over to swim and before he said hello his mouth feel open and he said,"Dude, your hair is coming in white- I mean, it's frosty up there!"


• Thanks.


• Found a cicada that died before it came out of it's exoskeleton this morning. Which is strange since they should have all emerged that were going to do so- months ago. They do that often though when it's unbelievably hot and dry.


• It's unbelievably hot and dry.


• They stay underground in the nymph stage in their subterranean wonderland for thirteen to seventeen years and then emerge en masse to reproduce.


• I'm a Doctor of Cicadology.


• In Texas when it is unbelievably hot and dry we either, ride motorcycles hundreds of miles, bicycles a hundred, jump around at an outdoor concert, play football or Frisbee, jog etc. or nothing- do nothing, but soak up the AC and sweet iced tea and we won't be moved. Hey man, wanna...? No, I'm not moving from this couch 'til Monday and I'm not even sure I will then.


• Radiohead- Everything In It's Right Place.


• Sigur Ros- The Nothing Song

Raising Zachary

I want to go fishing and catch a fish. Then I want to pour the water out of it and then put hot water in it then put it in the fire and cook it and then tear a piece off and eat it!

Wednesday's Digressions

Don't ask me- I put in Taqaddum pictures for my search criteria. Marines are weird.






• The Hills Have Eyes 2- what I'm watching. Women have a civilizing effect on men that is lost in their absence which is manifested in their tasteless choice in movies.
  


• Had an odd memory when I saw the actors in body armor on The Hills Have Eyes: I was probably too low key in some ways in my leadership downrange, but some things went all over me and made me act accordingly. One of these things was wearing improperly or not wearing at all protective gear. On ECP (entry control point) duty I noticed a soldier was not wearing his SAPI plate in back of his body armor. This was so unbelievably dumb. We were under frequent rocket attack. Rockets which have no conscience and don't care if you are on a patrol, in your bed or on the relatively lame duty of ECP. Also, although it was his off mission day after ECP duty we were to do a route recon. It would have only taken one guy getting sick or hurt and he would have been going outside the wire in the most dangerous place in the world without his armor to stop fast moving, pointy things from going through his body. I started punching him as hard as I could on the back, "You don't care anything about getting yourself killed. You don't care anything about making me look like an ass do you? What am I supposed to say to your mother- he died because he was dumb? He died because I trusted him too much? What's wrong sarge? he lamely and fearfully asked. You couldn't even have the decency to cut some cardboard up and put in there? I mean you are dumb." I saw an engineering stave lying nearby and just started whacking him on the back with it saying, " I bet you wish you had a plate in there now don't you?"






• A true story.

If We

all truly believed in the constitution, applied reason to our decisions, understood human nature, and acted with a little common sense Ron Paul would have been president years ago.

I Learned About Empathy From That Part Three

He pushed the morphine into my IV slowly. After a second or two I got a strange taste in my mouth and nearly simultaneously a mild, but perceptable pressure behind my eyes. As soon as that passed I felt vaguely nauseated for a moment then felt the edge being knocked off the pain.

He stood over me glancing at his watch. He could tell I was better and asked,"A little better? Yeah, thanks I replied weakly. I hope the best for you, here is your call light. Just call if you need anything. I'm going off duty."

He stepped out leaving me alone.

Suddenly I started spraying bloody vomit out of my mouth- projectile sheets of bright red blood, first in the sink and then in the trash.

"Help me. Help me." I called out weakly. Then black vomit started coming out. After this then just unbelievable dry heaves- crippling. The force of the heaves made blood come out of my rectum. I could not even open the door to get anybodies attention I was so weak.

"Help me." I croaked. I couldn't lift my hands. I banged my head on the door to get attention.

To be continued.