When the Smoke Clears

Well, the first weekend of drill has come and gone. Interesting.
Actually I was also handed off to my real unit at the end of the weekend and I’m looking forward to meeting up with them and spending time learning about our mission, along with getting prepared to go at a moment’s notice.
But, heh, [...]

I’m back to running. By that, I mean I am sucking it up, getting out there and actually trying to get my running game up again. It hurts.
In high school I was on the track team. I wasn’t super fast but I did alright (1 mile: 5:29) though now, not so good. I still [...]

- Two glowing eyes darting up and down in the pitch black woods: a deer. Two eyes moving side to side in the woods: probably a bear.
- When someone starts yelling, you can try to listen for the underlying message behind the voice, or shut them the f- out if they can’t figure out how [...]

So my arms have been hurting a little since Saturday’s climbing, and probably not the “good” kind of hurt. I held off working out for a couple of days.
Well… it was a tough, rough, p.i.a. kind of day:
What they were saying: whine, whine, bitch, whine whiney whine, bitch, moan, stupid thing doesn’t whine.
What I [...]

It was a Saturday, and provided there are no blown-eyeds* in the vicinity, that apparently means it’s a day to climb.
And so we did.
The original intent was to go out to the real mountains and do some rock face, but rain and threats of lightening inhibited that process, so back to the climbing [...]

This kind of exhaustion isn’t pretty, but I know it’s for a good cause.
My friend, the Wildebeest, intended to come on up for a visit yesterday. He had just gotten the news on Monday he was offered a position with a major international firm in their IT division. As a techie, he will stand [...]

Another challenging week at work. I feel some things are falling behind so I’ll end up working part of the weekend.
On the bright side I was able to have another video chat with ButterBar from an undisclosed big truck in Iraq, and set it up so he could speak privately with one of his [...]

With all due respect, you childish bastards, high school is over.
Six stores yesterday. I traveled to six stores in the city, including a couple of REIs, rummaging through their shelves, dealing with the traffic backups everywhere. You have no idea what traffic does to me. All I was really wanting was shoes. That’s all. [...]

The conversation came at some point last week, probably over food, but the Wildebeest decided he really wanted to go climbing Saturday and I was to be his partner. “It’s a great workout,” he assured me. Sure. Why not?
I’ve already begun trusting the man and warned him of my fear of heights. He understood.
Expecting [...]

The Wildebeest showed again yesterday. That meant work time in the gym. He decided my posture needed some improvement and my Physical Therapist friends couldn’t be more thrilled. So we worked on those supporting muscles; worked them hard. I am walking much straighter today, too, because slouching flat-out hurts.
But the Wildebeest was hurt, too, [...]

Is there a point in life at which our childhood insecurities ever go away completely? And by “a point,” I don’t need someone to come back with a “yeah… right at the time of death,” because how would YOU know?
I’m a guy who has it together. Usually. I think I am a benevolent boss who’s [...]