Homecoming king and queen

We got home on Friday and it's been a pretty good weekend. Jen came up and met me right as evening colors was sounded. Everyone stopped and rendered honors to the flag as it was lowered from its half-mast position and then we all went back to our happy reunions. She'd made arrangements to have our babysitter drop the kids off at home with a friend and when we got home, she went in the door first. The kids came to say "hi" to her and stopped short when they saw me in the doorway. Trey was great. He shouted, "Daddy!" and grabbed my neck. Leah stopped short and looked at Jen. I heard my wife ask, "Who is that?" and she pointed at me and said very matter-of-factly that it was, "Da-ee" and then gave me a big hug. It was great.

The reception this morning at church was equally enthusiastic. All in all, it's been a great weekend. I learned that my parents and sister will be coming out to see us in a couple of weeks and they'll be able to stay for about a week. That's good. The new car is good. It has a very good turning radius and it's got TONS of room.

The only thing that would've made my weekend tip-top would've been if the Eagles had been able to beat the Saints yesterday. As I type, the Chargers are taking care of the Patriots, but the game is far from over. The Bolts just downed a punt on the 2 yard line, so if the Patriots are going to take the lead, they're going to have to move a long way down the field to score. Anyway, I need to concentrate on this game. ;-)

Hope your new year is off to a good start. I'm doing pretty well. I've got some resolutions to work on. How about you? Did you make any resolutions? Have you resolved to not make any resolutions? I need to go around and read some blogs, but that'll have to wait until this game is over. Have a great 2007 and I look forward to getting back to "normal."

Merry Christmas

Twas the Day before Christmas (back in the States)
But here in Japan, Christmas would not wait

The day started dreary and rainy to boot,
But there were presents to open and cookies to loot.

He unwrapped his gifts and got a good laugh
When he unwrapped the odd movie, “Mars Attacks”
There was also a book, about his home base
Which he read with a smile on his face.

Then it was time for chow, the mess hall was open
He was looking for good eats and plus he was hopin’
There’d be a game on TV that he could watch for a bit
And as he sat down, just his luck would have it
That the Chargers were playing, but down by four
With 2 minutes to go and needing a score
A field goal won’t do, since that’s only three
And no timeouts left, you can’t just hand off to LT.
Still, with a play that made the place roar
Jackson caught a long pass and the Chargers did score.
They won the game by the hair of their chin
I hope they don’t get that dramatic again.

On the other side, the Broncos hosted Cincy
With a win, the Bengals were still in control of their fate
And when they scored a touchdown with no time to waste
It seemed assured that the game would go on
As soon as the extra point was tacked on.
But wait, what’s this? The snap was a flop
And to 8 and 7 the Bengals did drop
Now they need help to make the post season
But the help they need is almost beyond reason
Am I calling it quits on the orange and black?
No, but it’ll be hard for them to come back.

Now I have the rest of this day
It’s raining and chilly, but still I will say
Merry Christmas to all of my web friends out there
And may your Christmas be filled with good cheer
I’ll call my wife and kids in a few
And wish them a Merry Christmas too.
There are only a couple of weeks left on this deployment
And then I can go home and begin the enjoyment
Of having Christmas all over again,
Playing with my kids and seeing my dear Jen.
Until that day
Not too far away
I must be content with email and the phone
To pretend that I’m actually home

Still, this is what I do and for what I get paid
As a warrior, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Still, as a family man, I’d much rather be
Chasing the cats out of the Christmas tree
That’s the downside to this career path I’m on
And the down side to this little holiday song.

For that I am sorry and I’ll end this with cheer.
Merry Christmas to All and a Happy New Year!

not too sure about this

Okay, so apparently, Blogger has a new format. I'm playing around with it a bit (obviously) and I'm not sure if I like it or not. I don't seem to have as much control over the template as I used to with the older format. I guess, if I need to, I could always kill this blog and go exclusively with my blog on MySpace, but I can't figure that one out either. This could get frustrating.

welcome back my friends to the show that never ends

We're so glad you could attend. Come inside, come inside...

I thought this past weekend was truly a great one for just about every reason. First and foremost, I got to talk to my wife a couple of times on the phone. The biggest difference between calling from here and calling from the war zone is the time delay. I'm not talking about doing the math to figure out if she's awake. I'm talking about an actual delay on the phone. From here, there isn't one. She could be in the next room from the way she sounds on the phone. That's also good if you're trying to talk to your children, like I did. They're doing so much growing up (especially my little one) and I'm not there to be a part of it. I honestly feel bad for families whose children are teenagers before Dad retires from the military. They must hardly know their father. Fortunately, I can retire in about 5 more years, which means Trey will just be 10 and I'll still be able to guide him into his manhood. I'm reading a book right now on the various stages of manhood according to the Bible, and I've got some good books at home as well.

Of course, I also thought this weekend past was just outstanding for my favorite active sports teams. To start, Troy Smith won the Heisman trophy for the Big 10 champion Ohio State Buckeyes.

Here's a shot of Troy in last year's Fiesta Bowl.

Wait a second... didn't the Buckeyes win the 2002 National Title in the Fiesta Bowl? I think I've already said this, but Ohio State could make an argument to open a satellite campus in Tempe, AZ based on how many times they've been there in the past few years. What is this, five of the last six Januaries have seen the Buckeyes playing in Arizona? How awesome is that?

Also, in the professional ranks this week:
The San Diego (Super)Chargers clinched the title for the AFC West and though the Bengals and the Eagles are still in danger of being eliminated from the post season, both teams still have wild card hopes. This is after Donovan McNabb is lost for the season on the Eagles side and after all the shenanigans of "Ocho-Cinko" Johnson on the Bengals. If the Bengals go to San Diego for a playoff game, let's just say I'll be very bummed because I don't know if I'd be home for that yet, and even if I was, I could never afford the tickets. You better believe I'll be trying to watch that game though, wherever I may be in the world.

Last, but certainly not least, it's finally advent season! For those of you who may not know what that is, it is the four weeks leading to Christmas when the church prepares for the coming of the Messiah. I love this season because I love candle light. I love the idea that we can be cleansed of our impurities by the gift of a little baby who would grow to become the Lamb of God. And this year, I love that I'll be reunited with my family shortly after this holiday is over. I can hardly wait.



My wife is so cool that she sent me cookies literally straight from the oven I think. I opened the tin and these cookies were still soft. She'd made my favorite (peanut butter balls with Hershey kisses pressed into the center) and her favorite (sugardoodles (?)) and enclosed a card that said in this way, if no other, we could be together this holiday season. Isn't that great? I'm just about done with my Christmas shopping. I'd tell you what I bought everyone, but they all read this too and that would ruin the surprise. It's hard to believe that 2006 is almost over. What have I done with the time God's allowed me to have? What am I going to do with the time in 2007 that He has ordained for me? What about you?

Finally, on a house keeping note... I think I'm tired of this nautical theme. I may be in the Department of the Navy, but I am definitely not a sailor. Stand by for some more template changes over the next few days or so.

give thanks

If you ask my wife, she would tell you that I am not a big fan of PBS as a source of news. However, I was browsing for pictures to share with you this Thanksgiving, and I came across this article about the food we eat on this particular Thursday, and I found it interesting enough to share with you. If you are like Rocky Balboa and think that today is just another Thursday, then I am sure there is at least one turkey out there who thanks you for that. :-)

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving, and try to not trample anyone at the mall tomorrow, okay?

King Neptune has spoken

At 0800 this morning, after being ritualistically cleansed of the city sludge and dirt of the land, I have been declared a Shellback by King Neptune and his royal court. The ship's captain came over the intercom just after 1000 to announce that we had just crossed the equator on our way back to port but since the cleansing had not been completed for some of the crew yet, we had turned to a new course (270 - due West) to avoid actually crossing before the ship had been purged of slimy pollywogs. The final count was that over 1500 sailors and Marines were declared to be "Trusty Shellbacks" and welcome to King Neptune's Realm. Trust me, the article I've linked to here today discusses things that were way worse than the stuff I had to do this morning, Mate. Arrrrrrr!

11-0!

Whew! It's been a long day. I woke up at 0330 as the game was coming on. I'd already set my alarm for later, so I went back to sleep for awhile. I woke up again at 0500 and checked the score. It was 21-2 and nearing the end of the 1st half. I thought, "No problem," and went back to sleep again. When I woke up at 0630, the score was much closer. I think it was 24-21 or something like that. I watched the rest of the game with a little bit of apprehension, especially after OSU lost two fumbles on bad snaps. But the Buckeyes held on. They completed the season with a perfect record and the Big-10 title. They are going to play for the national title, but who are they going to play? That's a good question. The results should be out in another day or two and we will see then. If I were a betting man, I'd guess that if USC beats Notre Dame next week, then they will be number 2 and get a shot at the title.

In honor of the Cincinnati Bearcats playing host to the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers, I thought I would post a survey about being from the Queen City. If you are from the area, or know someone who is, you will probably laugh at most of these jokes. If you are not, then maybe this list will shed some light on all the jokes about Cinicinnati.

You Know You're From Cincinnati When...

Your idea of a three-way is chili over spaghetti topped with cheddar You know what Gaeta is - and you've eaten it You hate Cleveland, but you don't know why, and you've never been there You think Pete Rose and Marge Schott were railroaded You say "Please?" instead of "Excuse me?" You think Northern Kentucky is part of Ohio You've been to California, Wyoming, Coney Island, and Over-the-Rhine in one day There are less than 100 murders a year, and you still think you're in Detroit You think Dayton is a Third World country What groundhog? It's the St. Patrick's Day parade leprechaun that forecasts how much longer winter will last. Losing football teams draw more fans than winning baseball teams. Indiana is about 20 miles away, but it takes about four hours to get there. It's too cold in the winter, and too hot and humid in the summer, to ever stay outside for very long. You drive to Columbus or Louisville to avoid the prices at the Cincinnati airport. City council members hold debates on whether or not they should debate in the first place. Tourists still flock downtown to catch a glimpse of cast members from "WKRP," even though the show hasn't aired on network television since 1984, and the show was filmed in LA anyway. You ask lifetime residents where the President Taft house is, but they don't know either. If you do something -- anything -- in public long enough, sooner or later it will be banned. Your low-fat diet is never low enough to exclude Graeter's ice cream. You get through winter listening to Marty and Joe's broadcasts from the grapefruit leagues. Big Red Smokies are a ballpark treat, not cause to dial 9-1-1. If necessary, the city could easily be sliced into two new cities: East and West, and it would take 20 years for anyone to notice something happened. Chocolate and cinnamon, not peppers and beans, are in your chili. You can drive 30 minutes in any direction to hear a different accent than your own. You can accurately judge people's social status by which Kroger's store they frequent. You can go to any church festival in any neighborhood on any weekend and see at least five people you either work with, went to school with, or dated. Even the slightest mention of former baseball commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti makes your blood boil and your ears steam. If the temperature hits 45 degrees, and the sun comes out in any month between November and April, people walk around downtown wearing shades and no jackets. The top stories on the local 6 o'clock evening news look suspiciously like the articles you read in the newspaper that very morning -- and even use the same quotes. Any carbonated beverage is a "coke." Your favorite convenient store sounds like a labor union. You can't hear the words "Mike Brown" without getting angry. You honestly believe that Pete Rose should be in the Baseball Hall Fame. You have more stadiums, coliseums, and arenas than you know what to do with. It doesn't seem weird to you that everyone has an Uncle Al. Your favorite Coney Island isn't in New York. You like Nick Clooney better than George Clooney. You know how Jerry Springer got his start. You know what a pony keg is. You have friends and neighbors with names like Machenheimer, Guckenberger, Schlottman, Schoenling, and Schweitering. You know that cars (like eggs) are cheaper in the country. An all-boys or all-girls school doesn't seem that odd to you You think a mixed marriage is when an East Sider marries a West Sider. You know the difference between Hudy and "Who Dey." You know what cream ale is, and you think that cream soda should be bright red. You think Kentucky is only slightly more civilized than Afghanistan. You know in which state the Greater Cincinnati Airport is located. You actually understand the word, "CRAVE" and white castle burgers. You can almost name the seven "hills" minus one or two. You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Cincinnati.

Get Your Own "You Know You're From" Meme Here



More cool things for your blog at
Blogthings

You know, Mark Twain once said that if the world were coming to an end, he'd want to be in Cincinnati because everything happens there 10 years later. I don't know what he means by that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go check out this new group called "No Doubt." I hear they're supposed to be pretty good. Have a great week.