It has only been like, what, a hundred years?

Wow. When I started this blog, I had no idea where it would go, or where I would be at. I know I have been off the grid for a while, and I apologize to you, my faithful readers (all two of you). A lot has happened in the stretch of time since I last put fingers-to-keyboard. I am still working at the crazy little science lab, but no longer doing testing - nope, I got legitimate and moved up the food chain... into a position that seems to have no real job title or any real boundaries as to what I really do.  I call it "ethereal employment". You need something done, you call me. The Reserve-thing is still spinning along. Looking for another job. Yeah, all is ut semper omnia.

Right at this moment, though, I can't really complain. Last night, as I was driving home, I was just in a lot of physical pain; it had started in my back like I had wrenched something, then eventually spread to my ribs, like I had separated some of them, then I had trouble breathing. Just not fun.  Woke up this morning, and it was all gone.  I attribute it to stress, and probably sleeping at a weird angle.  The good thing about my job is that I get plenty of physical exercise (no being chained to a desk for me!), and keeps me on the move. The bad part? Well, sometimes I move in a direction that a part of my body objects to and, Voilà! Une profonde douleur.

Outside, the world has turned green again, and that is enough to make all feel well. Now, all I need is to brew up a cup of Tim Hortons, and this will be a really good day indeed.

Memorial Day redux

Howdy, howdy, howdy! Well, yesterday's ceremony went a little different than expected. I showed up in uniform expecting to stand in the audience, but got asked to help raise the national colors - nice! It was hot, and despite wearing my khakis, it was like standing in an oven (not quite like the Middle East, but pretty good for May in the American mid-west). I was paired with a Captain from the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), and met a Marine who was a veteran of the Korean War (He was wearing his original issued dress green uniform - the short-lived "Vandegrift-style" short waist-length jacket, and his sergeant cheverons were the 1950s style without the crossed rifles underneath). He had a Purple Heart (among other awards), and he was very nice to a Navy J.O. - I look forward to speaking with him again in the near future! There was a Marine Corps Color guard, VFW and American Legion color guard, Fire Department and Police department Color guard and the CAP color guard to boot. We had current active duty folks and reserve and National Guard (many of whom have served in the Sandbox). A local school band played (they did a really nice job), and we had a lot of folks from the community who turned out. We had veterans from all the services there (including the Coast Guard - go Coasties!). I am constantly impressed by the events and the support by such a small village as this for their veterans and the folks who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Memorial Day - 2012

Hey there, loyal readers! It is Memorial Day weekend, and the weather has been especially kind to those of us here in the western-most suburb of the great mid-western metropolis where I call home. What can I say? We missed a hellacious rain storm which just hit north of us, and the temps have been bordering between cool and summerish hot. A very nice blend indeed! Went to an art street fair in a community just north of us (that is where we learned how close we dodged the weather bullet - apparently they endured a rain storm of epic proportions - and the further north you went, the worse it got - basketball-sized hail et al!). Tonight the local village is having an all-night vigil at the veterans park (outside the village hall) - I will make an appearance later on to offer support. Tomorrow at 1100hrs there will be a ceremony (going in uniform), and it will be a good time to relect on all the folks I have met over the years (some still here, some not). This will be my 14th year of military service, and honestly it never occured to me that I have served this long until someone asked me about it recently. I hope they will let me stay on a little bit longer, but if not, that's cool - it has been an honor and a heck of a ride to be able to have served. Anyhow, got some cookouts planned, and some beer chilling in the fridge. Life is good! Have yourselves an awesome weekend - here is to a great summer - Cheers!

P.S. if you want an idea what I do in the Navy, the cartoon above gives a fair idea (minus the conga line, though).

You're messin' with the J.G., pal!

I guess we'll put this in the "what-the-hell-were-they-thinking?" category. Big Navy seems to think that I am good enough to be promoted, so now I am no longer an Ensign, but a shiny new Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG). This is a good thing.

Thinking back to a conversation I had way back in 2001 with a co-worker (as we crossed the bridge in Ochanomizu in Tokyo heading back to our office), where I laid out my ambitions on going for a Navy commission - right now it seems like a million years ago, but everything has come about almost exactly as I had hoped. How often can you live the dream? It hasn't been easy, and there have been a lot of ups and downs over the past eleven or so years, but if you are looking for evidence that perseverance can pay off, let me reassure you that it can.

Today's Lesson

"I and the public know
What all schoolchildren learn,
Those to whom evil is done
Do evil in return."

Veterans Job Fair

Howdy, howdy, howdy!  I know, it has been a looong time since I updated this blog (nothing new - just the same ol' stuff...), but things have been getting better. 2012 (Mayan-predicted doomsday aside) has already been infinitely better, job-hunting-wise than the previous two years combined. Maybe the economy is getting better?  Anyhow, went to a big veteran's job fair today, and it was a positive experience. Been getting some good feedback recently - this might be the year that I finally break the curse of bad employment. The current job has been on a terminal glide path to nowhere. But, life is good.

Update: Veterans Day 2011

Just returned from the village hall and the town's Veterans Day ceremony. More people than I expected. It was very cold this morning, but it didn't seem to affect the turn out. Overall, a very nice experience.

Mark it Zero - Veteran's Day 2011

I have nothing to say right now. I will be back later...

Interstate 76 Intro

Good lord, but if this isn't a blast from the past. I don't know what happened today, but for some reason I had a sustained flashback of epic proportions (music, video games, et al), and this vague memory popped into my brain of having played this game a loooong time ago. Great intro!

Operation Bear Drop

My Canadian relations simultaneously love and dread this video. It is tragically hilarious (the bear is dazed, but apparently okay). Seems to personify the adage about the road to hell being paved with good intentions (I personally love the shot of the two cops looking at each other just before the bear slips through their rope harness - "Shoulda tightened up that one end, eh?"). Kudos to National Geographic for putting just the right amount of breathless spin on this!

汚い - 危険 - きつい

I haven't written in a while - and I have held off on writing about Japan (with the current situation) due to my waiting to see how things were heading. But right now, with a better-than-average chance that something radioactive is on the horizon, and my friends in Japan scrambling for some sort of safety, all I can say is that I am really, really worried. Ibaraki, my old home, is in danger - Tokyo is becoming more and more like a ghost town - and Japan itself is taking bodyblows at a time when it could ill-afford even a good-natured backslap.

I honestly do not know what to say - it is depressing. The Navy is making faint rumblings that we might be activated to do something (last week I got an official email asking if I spoke any Japanese...). I have advised all my friends and family in Japan to clear out (or, if that wasn't possible, to head south - far south). A long time ago, when I still lived in Japan, I spent a weekend trapped in my apartment due to a small nuclear accident (which has slipped into the fog of memory). Since then, I developed a slight cynicism of Official Japanese pronouncements of the "all is well - stay calm" variety. Ganbatte, Nihon, ganbatte!

Welcome to 2011 - Meet the new boss, same as the old boss

Howdy, howdy, howdy!  Well, I wish I could tell you that there are major things afoot this new year, but, unfortunately, it looks like all the plans (even the sure things) have all gone kabloowie. Uh huh - the more things change, the more they stay the same. I could sit here and type a lot of whining about how life isn't fair (why does this always happen, blah, blah, blah), but instead, I am going to focus on the positive! I have a lot of things to be thankful for - and even if things haven't exactly been peachy, at least they haven't been rock-bottom bad (knock on wood). I will continue to strive for betterness, while trying to dodge bitterness. Onward and upward!

Little Lebowski Urban Achiever Certificate of Achievement

Little Lebowski Urban Achiever Certificate of Achievement

Leads

Um... well, still no word on those jobs. The ball is still up in the air, but there is a slim chance that we might get some word this week. It is a statement on the world we live in, I suppose, that it takes so long these days to find out such things. Somehow, I do not imagine that in the past that it took this long to find out about employment (come on people, this round-robin has been going on for years!). Yet, we must try to cultivate some Dude-esque calm (if only for Donny's sake). As soon as I hear something, I will be sure to pass it on to you. In the meantime? Screw it, let's go bowling!

Veterans Day

Well, it has been nearly a year since coming off active duty. The 2009 deployment is still quite fresh in my mind (despite Life's best efforts to distract me!). I still keep in touch with my best buddy, TSgt Mike, and we both still look back at those days in the Sandbox with a mixture of pride (for the job we did) and relief (that we aren't there doing that job!). To everyone out there who has served, or who knows someone who has served, please have a happy Veterans Day!

Mr. Cat's Birthday Message!

...And His Well-Deserved Reward!



Mr. Cat's Birthday Message...














This wonderful message was posted on Mr. Orange Monkey's website by Mr. Rik and Miss Carol for Mr. Cat's Greatest Fan in North America (or, at least that is what we are claiming until an even more enthusiastic fan can be found!).

Thank you all for this amazingly brilliant Birthday message!



"All Things Are Joyful To A Monkey"

The House of the Orange Monkey is a website that I discovered a few months ago while researching something totally unrelated to anthropomorphic stuffed jungle animals (although, I must admit, it has become a weakness of mine...). It is, from all appearances, done by an English couple who received the above-stated orange toy simian, and decided to build a wonderfully intricate storyline based on Mr. Rik's and Miss Carol's travels and interests. 

As taken from Mr. Orange Monkey's bio page:

"Mr Monkey was, apparently, born in China, and brought over to Britain in some form of slave ship. His memories of this period are somewhat confused, and the brand on his label has worn off. What is certain, however, is that he ended up in a box in a shop in Alnwick, surrounded by beanie pigs and cows.
His attempts to escape failed until Mr Rik and Miss Carol came into the shop; while Carol was stocking up on Sloggi's finest, it was obvious that Rik was stalking the front of the shop in search of a birthday gift for her. Recognising this, Mr Monkey used his beanie monkey powers to influence him. This is why Carol didn't get bath foam or an intricate candle for her birthday.
Mr Monkey's manumission was paid to the shopkeeper, and he was smuggled out without Carol noticing. After a couple of days shrouded in paper from an off licence (a period in which he wondered whether he had made an awful mistake), Mr Monkey was unwrapped and was able to take his rightful place as Most Important Monkey in the house."

"It's Ch'o'rnobyl. In Ukrainian it's Ch'o'rnobyl!"

"It was like a Russian party, Arkady thought. People got drunk, recklessly confessed their love, spilled their festering dislike, had hysterics, marched out, were dragged back in and revived with brandy. It wasn't a French salon." *

* Wolves Eat Dogs, Ch.9, pg. 174

"A virtuous man always selects to associate with virtuous people."

August is heading out the door, and September is nearly upon us. Another summer is moving on, and autumn will be soon making an appearance. Once again, another memorable summer - still waiting to see where Another Life will end up - but still, not bad.

Royal Rainbow!

Holy crap, people, the three-initial Government agency is serious! Yep, not only did I get a call-back, but I am going in for a polygraph this Friday. Sheesh, a lie-detector test - this is getting scarily close to possible employment. The really funny thing is that I never (let me emphasise that: NEVER) thought for a moment that I would even get in the front door on this thing. Not that I wasn't qualified, or had some relevant experience (my recent all-expense-paid trip to the Middle East comes to mind), but it has been my experience (since coming back to the USA from Japan) that jobs are not given to the qualified; they are given to relatives, in-laws, friends, or friends of friends (nepotism: learn it, live it, love it) - or political hacks (oh, and don't forget quotas!). Uh hem... yeah, so this has all been rather a surprise, and now I am on the cusp of getting strapped in and asked a whole lot of questions. Folks who I know, who have had a polygraph, reassure me that it will be a straight forward process, and not to sweat it. But I think that we have all been there where someone asks us a question, and we over-think the answer ("Have I ever stolen anything?! Geez, define Stealing..."). Some folks have suggested the old tack-in-the-shoe trick to fool the test. But I have nothing to hide, so, I am going in there with just my integrity... and the Fifth Amendment. Ha ha ha. In any event, the end-game is drawing near - the ball is still up (crikey, the longest field goal in history), but one way or another one of these job is going to land between the uprights. In the meantime, the waiting game continues. Let's play some Katamari!