Wanderings

Mmmmm, Deployments Are So...

2009-02-23T17:05:00.007+09:00

So...I definitely didn't post yesterday like I said I would, but what's new there? I'm just going to pretend like everybody understands that I am really unreliable with blogging and assume that you don't hold it against me. That way I don't have to go thru the whole 'making excuses' thing and skip to the good parts! I will mention my ridiculous anti-social behavior; I wish I could explain it but I can't. I also won't be making any apologies, so I'm sorry if that's what you were looking for...wait...um, never mind. Just know that I'm okay, I'm not trying to hurt anyone, and I mean no disrespect. I'm following my feelings and that's all I can give you right now.

Ok, a little of my life circa the recent past/present. At this present moment Beth and I are 1.5 months into her deployment so things have been a little left of normal for me. I've been eating the heck out of some chips and salsa. Herdez makes the most aMAYYYYYZING salsa in the whole wide world(besides homemade of course!)! I'm learning how incredibly lonely coming home to an empty house every day can make me. I'm watching a TON of the TV show Veronica Mars, it's a great show and also never fails to teach me a lesson on humanity. I've been GLUED to hotmail for the past 6 weeks...if you want to get a hold of me quickly, THAT would be your best bet. I wouldn't expect miracles though, Beth takes priority and let me tell you, that girl can write a WICKED email!! Our apartment is a disaster area. I SWEAR I'm in the process of hoeing out, but would understand if you were reluctant to believe me on that one. I've been doing the most random things at the most random times. Like starting to empty and

clean the fridge two seconds after walking in the door from work, still in uniform, boots and hat and all. I reserve this right to randomness in accordance with the Deployed Significant Other Handbook. Oh, you've never heard of that handbook? Well I'm sure it's out there and I'm sure THAT is in there! For the most part chaos reigns with intermittent times of semi-normalcy, like during Beth and my almost weekly multi hour video chats on Skype, returning for much too quick visits. Well, I don't want to bore you so I will wrap it up. That was just a small sample of my life over the last few endlessly quick weeks. It's really been an enlightening time of my life and I've been SO thankful for it, regardless of my distaste for chaos.

As an honorable mention in this blog about deployment, I have to introduce our new camera!

The exquisite Canon EOS 50D that I have only a vague idea of how to use...I'm learning though! You point it and you shoot it, right?? Yea, not quite so easy there feller. Here are a few shots I took on Sunday when I was supposed to be blogging...I have to work on my composition mucho.

2009-02-22T09:44:00.001+09:00

I will be blogging later today!

2008-07-09T13:52:00.004+09:00

Here's some pictures from leave, and the modifications we've made since being back! Enjoy!

Here is a shot of this pace in Central Washington near The Gorge! It was breathtaking!

Here is the view of what is directly behind the above picture! They call these the feathers for some crazy reason...

Beth and I on our last day with her Mom and Kevin

Me in New Mexico shooting Daniel's Glock!

Beth's target

My Target!

Beth and I on my last day of leave having fun cutting off my beard

Our new living room arrangement!

Our new items, the mirror and the tv!

A good view of the living room!

The Mountain that Never Stops Growing...

2008-05-01T18:37:00.004+09:00

Today is the day I am supposed to be a Staff Sergeant but unfortunately I am unable to because I have to graduate from Airman Leadership School first. Yes, my time has come to be tormented by evil instructors itching to drive you to the breaking point...ok, that may be a little melodramatic but it sure seems that way sometimes! Beth got her turn, and she had to go thru this when I was deployed so I really shouldn't be complaining. She has been incredible and I am very lucky to have her here for ME since she knows exactly what's going on! She cooks me food, listens to me complain, tells me to deal with it(haha!), and puts up with my grumpy stressed out-ness, and this is only day 6...YIKES...good thing there's a pay raise at the end of this class!!

This is just some of the homework I have for today...!!

(one of)The Purchase(s)!

2008-04-08T07:23:00.007+09:00

I enjoy throwing darts! I find it relaxing unlike most sports or other forms of entertainment. That I am halfway decent at darts helps of course. Since I learned to throw dart I have always played with whatever darts I could get my hands on, I didn't feel like I was worthy to own my own set of darts or I couldn't justify spending the money on them because I didn't play enough. Really though it was just because the only place I tended to play, a japanese bar called Mets, had house darts that I threw really well. Unfortunately though those darts fell prey to wear and tear and are now all but extinct(I knew I should have swiped a set when they still had them, haha). The last few times I have played there I haven't been able to scrounge 3 of the same darts that I used to play with and have had to throw other inferior darts and that is just unacceptable. So I finally broke down and bought my own! We ended up paying about $100 for them, and I have high hopes for them! One of the first times I threw them I ended up throwing a hat trick(three bullseyes in one round!)! I will need to get used to them but I know they will improve my consistency which has always been my biggest struggle.

Ps. Sorry for the long absence, time flies so fast if I'm not careful before I know it I've not posted for a month but it seems like a week. Crazy how that happens...

End of a LONG Week!

2008-03-15T12:47:00.007+09:00

Friday was the last day of our week long Operational Readiness Inspection which we have been preparing for for the last 2 years!!! It has been a VERY long and stressful week, and we won't know how we did on it until Wednesday, but the hard part of this ORI is OVER!

Beth and I had to do something a little different this week for lunches. The people in charge of the inspection make all eateries off limits and we couldn't go to the chow hall for ridiculous reasons so we made our own lunches. Beth went to the commisary and picked up some food stuffs and then every night before we went to bed we would put together our lunches(so we didn't have to do it before work at 4:00 in the morning). We had ham sandwiches with swiss cheese and honey mustard for the main course the first few days. Beth would have a few Luna bars, some yogurt, some Sunkist fruit snacks, and a piece of fruit for snacks throughout the day. I would have some trail mix, some fruit snacks, some Sechuan barbeque rice chips(they are AWESOME!), a piece of fruit, and a couple of cookies! We also made some chili for dinner one night and had a TON left over so we had it for lunch too.

We were usually pretty wore out by the time we got home at night, plus Beth had class, so I would make something very quick and easy for dinner. I was having some trouble once we ran out of leftover chili until I looked in our cupboard and saw that we had some pesto sauce all ready to go(just add the cheese)! So...about 16 minutes later dinner was served! It really was actually pretty good and quite filling, too.

Friday night we were both not feeling like cooking anything but I was hungry. After pulling everything out of the fridge that could possibly be eaten and some serious debating, we finally decided on an omelet(which ended up turning into scrambled eggs because the pan was kinda small). This omelet had some of everything in it, let me tell you! First we sauteed some garlic and onions, then added turkey(I pulled a pre-made sandwich apart for that, ha ha!), spinach, portobello mushrooms, cilantro, broccoli, and sun dried tomato's! After we heated all that up we threw in a couple or 3 eggs, added a few twists of pepper and salt, then topped it off with some sharp cheddar cheese!! I can't even describe to you how good it smelled! Honestly, I couldn't believe how delicious it smelled, and the pan we cooked it in was the perfect size, I just kind of plopped it out onto a plate, and this is what it ended up looking like:

If only pictures could capture smell as well!

I know its pitch black outside. That's because it was 9:30 at night, and what better time to make scrambled eggs than 9:30 at night?!

Had to capture this from ALL angles!

I don't know if you can tell but I was seriously restraining myself right there! I couldn't WAIT to bite into it! It was delicious! One of the best dinners I've ever had! It may have been because I was pretty much starving, though:)

Not a lot of time:(

2008-03-11T18:37:00.004+09:00

Sunrise from the front porch! They are ALWAYS amazing!

Sorry I haven't updated, we are on overtime this week for a readiness inspection at my base.

I gotta go to sleep soon(and eat, and take a shower, and all that fun stuff) but I just want to say, once again, that it is SO nice to be home! I would so much rather be on overtime here in Japan than in Afghanistan! Over there it is cold, windy, no friends/girlfriend, no color, no normal people, and its just plain miserable. Here it is somewhat warm, there are friends and girlfriend, a kitchen to make YUMMY food in, and its getting even more green outside! Yes there are dogs that whine incessantly sometimes, bad traffic, phone calls from work in the middle of sleepytime, and more overtime, but trust me, its ALL worth it to be home!

Anyway, thats what is still on my mind even after being home for 2 1/2 weeks...I know it's kinda pathetic but I do love it here!

I will catch up with you later!

How to: Life

2008-03-05T05:19:00.002+09:00

Sometimes I wish I could go to Barnes and Noble and pick up a book titled 'Dave's Ideal Life-Here You Go Dummy'. It would make my life so much easier! Just think: I would never make a mistake again, never take the wrong college course, never make a bad career move, never miss out on good opportunities, always be happy, confident, and successful! I would never have to make a tough decision again. Sometimes I think I'd pay a small fortune just to have a quick peek at that book.

Then I grudgingly remember that life isn't so much about where you are going as much as how you get there. I know that has been said much more eloquently, by people much more educated than I, but the fact that I consider that every so often when I make a bad decision or lose sight of my goals is incredibly comforting for some reason. Remembering that making mistakes is a big part of how I learn can be somewhat depressing at times and downright daunting at others.

I tend to be much more hard on myself, much less forgiving of my mistakes, than anyone else in my life and that makes things difficult at times. Forgiving myself for my mistakes is something I never really learned how to do and that includes even the littlest things. When I learn to accept the fact that I will make mistakes and learn to let go of some of my pride and ego I know I will be much better off in this life.

Where to Begin?

2008-03-02T10:55:00.008+09:00

Ok, I know I said I was going to try to keep this blog thing going and I really meant it, I did! Problem was I didn't have the means to keep it going. I've been held back by a few small issues like...not having a computer, not having a camera, going to school and working full time, and getting deployed.

I know, excuses excuses, but I love them and they really are valid, for the most part. Now, as of yesterday, all of those excuses are invalid and the first thing I am doing is blogging so that should show my commitment was/IS for real, right?

Updates are expected, naturally. Well here you are!

1) The big update! I'm back from Afghanistan!! I am back at Kadena and loving life, everything is so GREEN! I really had no idea how much I was going to miss the people and places, but the hardest part by far was missing Beth. I know we were lucky it was so short but it doesn't matter, no one should have to go through that.

View from the apartment!

2) Beth and I now have a camera and a computer that aren't ancient and actually work like they are supposed to! We bought an iMac yesterday after much consideration. I have to say we have been extremely impressed with the simplicity of Apple and its operating system! We have very high expectations and are pretty sure we made the right decision. It is a one piece computer so everything is built into the flat panel monitor so its a great space/clutter saver! I absolutely hate Microsoft and Windows and everything to do with that whole system and finally was fed up with it enough to do something about it.

This is the iMac, its a 20" screen and you can see the CD/DVD drive on the side. The speakers are on the very bottom, and that is really all there is to it. The bottom picture is our iMac.

3) My finger is doing better every day, it still doesn't have much feeling and I don't have full range of motion in it, but it is definitely healing up! I would post a picture of that too but I will refrain because not everyone wants to see that I'm sure. If you would like to see it I'd be happy to email you a picture, just let me know.

Thats all I can think of right now but I will be able to do this more regularly now so check back soon! I have a week off(last week didn't count because it was considered work time for in-processing) so that should give me plenty of time to get real bored with not working.

Thankful Thursday(on a Tuesday!)

2007-09-17T13:25:00.000+09:00

Have to toss out a thank you to my friends here on Okinawa. When I left my last base I thought I would never meet people I could connect with as well as I did there. I was wrong! I have met some incredible people in the year and a half I have been here! Also I have to say thank you for sushi, I love it more than life itself...almost!

The crew: from back left; Bala, Caz, Fusaro, me, Fergie Ferg, Hodgie, Mason, Frank(somehow Masons had a knee spasm at this exact moment...), a girl who's name I cannot pronounce, and Yuri(Caz's girl friend).

Caz is leaving us this weekend for a year tour in Korea but he will be returning here next September! We will miss him!

Daniels Burgers

2007-09-16T16:48:00.000+09:00

Azra loves Daniels Burgers!

My brother-in-law just happens to have invented the worlds tastiest burger! Not only did he invent it, he was nice enough to put the recipe up here, http://sgtandmrshub.blogspot.com/2007/03/hamburger-helper.html
for everyone to enjoy! I make them on a regular basis for my friends and "family" here on Okinawa and they are definitely a hit! You don't even know how many phone calls I have gotten that go something like this: "Hey Lambchops! What's up man?! Hey, we're having a party this weekend and I was wondering if you would mind cookin up your bro-in-laws burgers?" Everybody usually just grills up the pre-packaged, pre-formed, and and pre-ruined junk you can buy at the grocery store, so when they get a taste of Daniels Burgers they can't believe how good they are! Needless to say its been a bit of an ego boost for me! Even Azra, my good friends Mike and DDs daughter(the pickiest eater ever!), tears them up! Bottom line, go make the burgers and don't be surprised if you never look at a burger the same after this!

Some random stuff

2007-09-16T16:37:00.000+09:00

Just thought I would give my car a shout out! She has been so wonderful to me for the year and a half I have been on Okinawa. When I first got here I went looking for cars and she caught my eye immediately. I didn't even care how much it cost or anything I just knew it was the car for Dave! Believe it or not it is a 1996 Nissan Gloria(you can only get them in Japan) which is the predecessor of the Infinity M45! I have had only a few little problems with her but nothing major and it has been SO nice! I'm really rough on my cars(I tend to follow the saying "drive it like you stole" sometimes depending on my music selection) so I am very thankful that she is holding together!

Thankful Thursday!!

2007-09-13T13:18:00.000+09:00

I am thankful for many things in life:

For my family, ya'll keep me afloat( while keeping my ego in check, haha)

For my health, I take it for granted most times but I'm doing much better!!

For the paycheck I get every two weeks, I take that for granted to much as well.

But mostly I am thankful for my best friend, Kalen keeps me going when all I want to do is give up. Her randomness puts a smile on my face and always keep me guessing. She has been my rock since the day I met her and I know she supports me unconditionally( and I you!). Thank you for the faith you have in me, it means more to me than you could ever imagine. Hang in there Kalen and don't stop believin'!

There's much more but thats all the time I have.

2007-09-11T10:14:00.000+09:00

For all of you who don't know...

...THIS is my happy face:)

I hope ya'll are having a happy day!

2007-09-11T08:30:00.000+09:00

Sometimes I wish I wasn't such a good test taker. I may have a big smile on my face in this picture...

...but I wasn't thinking about what my next rank respondibilities entailed at that particular moment. See I made the rank but I haven't actually put it on yet, I will have to wait until april or may for that, but my shop doesn't have very many people in it so responsibility only has a few shoulders to rest on. Consequently I have been forced into the role of Staff Sargeant( a mainly supervisory role) without any experience in that position. Needless to say it has been frying my nerves! The worst part is that I know everyone of the supervisors above me has their eyes on me just waiting to see how I handle the different situations that come up. There is a part of me that wishes I would just mess everything up and let them put me in some other position where I won't have so much responsibility, but the other part of me doesn't want to let those supervisors down. I know they like me and they think I am the right guy for the job, but they won't hesitate to replace me if I am not doing what I need have to do. This is the first time I have ever been in a position like this and I never realized how tough it can be! I definitely never gave my past supervisors enough credit and I never really realized what they did for us when I was just a worker.

This is the weird part though: I've always been very adamant about how I would much rather just work, but since I have been put in this position I'm not so sure any more...its kinda scary.

Weekends are the best!

2007-09-09T13:00:00.000+09:00

I still cherish every day off that I get. After my 2 year stint at my last place of employment, and the crazy schedule I have had since arriving on Okinawa I have learned the value of 2 solid days off. Don't get me wrong, I can work for a very long time with no days off(shout out to all the stay at home moms and dads out there) but I am not so very much fun to be around. I really need those 2 days of not worrying about work to remember why I'm alive and who I am.

Going to the Gym

2007-08-30T09:59:00.000+09:00

I have been uncharacteristically dedicated to working out since I started last October. I made it a part of my life after looking in the mirror one day and being thoroughly disgusted with myself. Ever since that day I have been going to the gym faithfully...up until about a month or so ago. in that month I managed to get sick, live through a super typhoon, sign up for college classes, go to Alaska and back to Japan TWICE, and still manage to cook or assistant cook for Beth and I. Thats not including the usual daily grind. Thats a lot of stuff for a poor guy who usually doesn't have a whole lot of stuff going on. So needless to say the gym has been put on the back burner for the past month. I've just been arguing with myself about whether I am ok with not being able to make it to the gym 6 days a week, because it wouldn't have been ok with me 6 months ago. I haven't decided yet, but I feel great and I know I have never been as cut as I am right now but I feel bad about not going every day. I know it's sounds slightly obsessive but thats how I am about the gym.

War Wound?

2007-08-28T12:57:00.000+09:00

It was a dark and stormy night last night, the wind was slashing knives of hot rain...ok so I'm being dramatic(it was actually a fantastic night last night), but it really was an epic battle, I promise! I was dicing this ginormous onion with a very sharp knife and I had it in full retreat, but unfortuantely I wasn't paying attention to where my thumb was. I'll leave the details to your imagination( I'm not a big fan of blood either) but 2 bandaids and some time later I finished that onion off!

I know what you are thinking: "What a rookie mistake, only a moron would chop his thumb off cutting up onions." But I say to you this...you did not see that onion!

What can I say, I'm a rookie. But I'm proud of my efforts, and gladly take the wounds( to my digits and my pride) knowing that my meager cooking skills can only improve with practice.

ps. Those were the best sloppy joe's I've ever had!

Flying around the world to play poker

2007-08-26T13:13:00.000+09:00

Updates:

I am still trying to get over this cold I've had for the past 3 weeks.

I have decided to actively persue getting a computer and a digital camera

I am trying to decide if I can afford to get a mountain bike. I'm looking at one for $750. Its used but its a very nice bike.

I am back from my trip. We flew 40 hours on commercial jets to get where we were going, and 2 days later we went home. I grew a pretty sweet gaotee while I was there though because we never even went in to work! I was pretty proud of myself. We played alot of poker and shot the breeze alot and then went home.

I'm sorry I can't post any pictures yet but I will as soon as possible.

This is how I roll...

2007-08-21T06:14:00.000+09:00

Not sure if you can tell but those cookies are VERY well done...

I'm just learning to cook. Well I used to know how to cook, somehow, though, after 4 years of eating at chow halls and restaurants, I've lost much of my touch.

Things I've learned since getting back into cooking:

Dave needs much work on his grilling skills...alot
Dave needs to remember to use pot holders
Daves dishwashing skills are seriously deteriorated
Dave has forgotten how to use knives without slicing his hands open
Dave wishes he was in a normal time zone so he could call his mom every time he has a question
Dave is not very good at improvising

There are many more things I have learned but I am slightly pressed for time. I will keep you all updated, though! If you have any pointers or recipes please send them my way! I always welcome ideas!