Handguns and Heartaches

Apparently, John the roommate, thinks somebody was shot in the neighborhood the other night. He heard a gunshot, lots of screaming, saw lots of people running and then lots of cops showing up. All signs would lead me to believe this is what happened as well. The second time in two weeks cops have been called to the same house across the creek. The second time they've been in the neighborhood with guns drawn...

Before talking with my roommate last night, I've been thinking about purchasing a handgun to exercise my 2nd Amendment rights. I've got three picked out, now I just need to decide which one I want to get. Here's the three I have picked out. I'm going to list them in my order of top to bottom.

Springfield 1911




Springfield XD 45



Glock 23


The Glock I saw at Cabela's has the Glock Flashlight attached to it. It is about the same price as the other two, and they are all right around $530.

Both Springfield's are .45's and the glock is a .40.

The one thing I don't like about the 1911 is there is no rail system to attach a light to. I can't come up with any reason why I would ever need that, but it would be nice to have in case it is ever needed.

Other than that, I'm kind of at a loss for which one I'm going with. The 1911 has so much history in those pistols. They are battle proven and reliable.

Anyways, if you have any questions, comments, concerns or emotional outbursts, let me know.

Going to the Wild game tonight

I am very excited for my first Wild game tonight. I hear about it all the time and how much fun people have. I'm going to be a part of the team of 18,000 tonight. That's exhilarating.

bumper stickers

I saw a bumper sticker that read: Hunt with your kids, not for them. I was confused by this because does that mean people lose their kids? Hunt for them the way they hunt for the remote or car keys? Maybe they send them out to the woods and then hunt them as though they are animals. Do you understand my confusion?

Right after a quick discussion about that, my friend and I listen to a comedian who does a bit about bumper stickers. Here's the clip:

Update on the haircuts

I almost forgot to write about the bad haircut epidemic...

I got my second bad haircut in two tries. What a pain. Except this time the only way to fix it was to shave my head. Not with the clippers, but the Mach 3. So, I've got an officially bald head. I don't think it is that bad, but I like it for the intimidation factor. Seems to be working. People are scared of me.

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Now playing: Aesop Rock - The Substance
via FoxyTunes

Nothing exciting...

Nothing really interesting happening here. I just thought I would sit down and write something while I've got the chance.

Last weekend Grandma and Grandpa came up with more firewood for the fireplace. And they brought food. You know that's always a bonus. No cooking for me, but the food is glorious...

We also cut down the city's tree in my backyard. Technically, it was on the easement to the creek, but whatever. It was dead and now I have more than three winters worth of firewood. I'm going to run the fireplace all winter long.

Work has been interesting lately. I'm getting grumpy with having to cut hours at the end of the week (Thursday and Friday) because those are big nights. I work on Tuesday and Wednesday, and those hours cut into my big nights and tips are smaller if I don't stay until bar close.

So, trying to get to four 10-hour shifts, hopefully that will help with all of that.

Cop Bar

While checking out craigslist this morning, I stumbled across this amazing post for casting a new show. Sounds interesting a little bit so I figure checking out the website can't be that bad, but I was dead wrong. Cop Bar's song might just be something that would make me not want to watch the show at all. Check it out for yourself. I even did you a favor by embedding it here on my blog.

Casting for "COP BAR" TV Pilot / Actors and Actresses (Minneapolis)

Open casting now occurring for actors and actresses for new TV Pilot called "Cop Bar".

We need all types! Cops, crooks, hot chicks, you name it, we want to see it!

Set in NYC in the mid 1970's, "Cop Bar" is a cross between Barney Miller and Cheers.

MAKE SURE YOU GO TO COPBAR.NET and see the trailer featuring several well known actors from "The Sopranos" for an idea of the cast types we are looking for before sending your pic.

If interested, send headshot to: EpilepticArson@gmail.com for more information.

Epileptic/Arson Productions.

www.copbar.net



"COP BAR" video by Jimmy Lloyd from jimmylloydsuperstar1 on Vimeo.

College... Is it too late?

Yesterday, as I was shopping for a good handgun, I decided to be grumpy about the fact that I'm 27, have no degree and valet for a full-time job.

This morning, I got up, jumped right on the computer and filed my application for Metro State University.

What's that? You've never heard of it? Well, I'll share with you that it is merely a school of convenience. At this point, I'm thinking the path of least resistance is more important than prestige of schools.

I can always go get a master's degree if I want from a school more recognized. Basically, I'm thinking school is a formality.

That doesn't mean I'm going to take the opportunity to actually learn. I am not putting down the education and what a degree means, but right now I need to do it in a manner that is most expeditious.

Questions, comments, concerns or emotional outbursts?

Hair cuts. Who needs them?

No matter how much I try to explain exactly what I want, that the person who cuts my hair seems to mess it up. I guess it should sound something like this... So, what do you do for a little off the top? And how long have you been doing that to trim up the sides? I'm guessing if you ask them the small talk questions with subliminal messages it will turn out better than: I'd like a number two on the sides, blend it up and leave the top about an inch long.

I'm just going to shave my own head from now on since I had to go home and fix the haircut I received from Great Clips.

Maybe that was the problem. I got my hair cut at Great Clips. Well, it could be worse. I could not have any hair.

Things I've been thinking about

I've had my first Vegas trip, and while there, I've been thinking about some things that I realized there.

It is pretty interesting how quickly people tell you a story, pitching a line to you in the first minute of meeting you. Everybody has a great little hook. Recently divorced, estranged spouse from the state you are, and some sort of family trouble. Those were the common ones. It is amazing what some people will do to get money.

The other thing I had to deal with was traveling on airplanes. What a pain that is, and I really don't miss doing it. Not that I fly a lot, but I have done it enough. I was just grumpy on the plane because it is crazy how much people really fight over armrests and the small coveted space there is on a plane.

I was the guy who as lucky enough to have the person in front of me lay their seat back as far as it would go. This isn't terrible, unless it is coupled with that person leaning forward on their knees to sleep. What an idiot.

Then on the way back I got stuck in the aisle seat, and I don't have to tell anybody how terrible that is when you don't have a person you know sitting in the middle. You don't have anywhere to lean, and you don't want to be the person who leans their seat all the way back. It gets even worse when the old bird next to you plays sudoku and steals your armrest in the process.

Yeah, I had the 70-year-old who gangstered my armrest. I had to sleep sitting straight up, and hopefully not snoring. I would punish anybody who wasn't wearing headphones with my snoring. I had a friend ask who was trying to suffocate Chewbacca the first night we were in our hotel.

The other thing I've realized is how awesome you have to be at writing to get published. And I don't mean on your own blog, because there were no prerequisites for me to start up my blog. All I needed was some basic internet navigation skills.

I am reading a book titled IV by Chuck Klosterman. It is hilarious, and I figured out the secret of writing. You have to be able to pack three times the wit into one sentence than your average writer. That is a sure fire way to get you published. Not only that, but you have to land some pretty crazy interviews. By crazy I mean very high profile.

I'm guessing I'll really have no way of getting there, but I know that I could writer for some silly little local newspaper and do just fine. I've always wanted to be a struggling journalist.

MN, not NC

I've been back in MN, and I've successfully found a job. I'm pretty excited about that, at least I can say I have a job.

Other than a few small hang ups, things here in MN are okay. I was planning on getting back to some sort of Marine Corps job here, but it just won't happen. It seems as though everybody who wants to stay in has trouble. However, they have no problem involuntarily recalling some people who are not wanting to be back in the Marine Corps.

To me, this is a little crazy, but what do I know?

Since I've been back, I've attended a wedding, had a birthday and caught up with some family.

It has been a little hectic because I've been trying to make sure I find a job and secure the income source while still trying to have fun. I'm not really sure which one I'm better at. I found the job in less than a week.

It's nothing to shake a stick at by any means, but it is still a job so I don't have to tell a future employer I've been unemployed for months on end.

I've got some potential employers and also a little help in that area. I'm pretty excited.

Just a waiting game... Got to love it.

Photo time

There you go, the official photo of me.

Bad decisions

I know there are times that everybody makes bad decisions, but then sometimes people just decide like a week in advance to make a bad decision.

We've all been there before. Standing around talking to our friends when it hits like a slap in the face. You look at your friends and say, "Next Friday, I'm going to make a decision I'll probably regret. There, it's settled."

I'm not saying I've been making bad decisions lately, it just came up in conversation. Talking about past decisions and some that I should have run 100 miles the opposite direction, but didn't. Good news is, I'm doing okay, but the bad news is some of those decisions are still around.

One decision in particular was drinking before a night at the club when I was still in Duluth. It was early in my illustrious two semesters at the University of MN, Duluth. I said it was time to get drunk... Great plans always start this way when you're 19. That's a promise.

Well, it just so happened I was the only person who knew where we were going. Good thing my sense of direction is on point when I've been drinking. We end up at the club, amazingly enough.

Somehow I stumbled past the door guy who put on my underage bracelet. I can't remember if he was laughing at me or not. Not important. I'm doing good though, paying my entrance fee, which some call a cover charge. I think it is an entrance fee to act like a fool. Whatever...

I can remember the black lights highlighting how I always dump my laundry detergent on top of my clothes instead of putting it in before the clothes. That's awesome. There's nothing like a big white glow in the dark stain on your jeans that happens to be the same place as specific human anatomy. (I still don't put the detergent in before my clothes and fell victim to the same embarrassment recently.)

As soon as I got past the doors into the actual dance floor part of the club my world fell apart. I lost track of all time, motor skills (which I blame on the lights) and the ability to just exist amongst the crowd.

I figure the best place to hide is the bathroom. I barely make it in there, knowing I'm being watched by everybody who has some authority to escort the too drunk to function people out. I'm in the bathroom for what seems to be ages. This was probably only a mere 30 seconds, but who's counting. I couldn't have counted to 10 at this point. I come out of the bathroom, right to the guy who says it is time to leave.

I'm surprisingly okay with this. No argument or anything. I'm actually happy I get to leave. Saves me from falling all over the place.

First, I tell them to page my cousin, he's in there. Hopefully, he will come outside just to make sure nothing happens. As you can guess the classic excuse comes out of his mouth the next day, "I didn't hear them call my name over the loudspeakers when they stopped the music and clearly stated I was needed outside." A big thanks goes out to him...

So, here I am, 19, crumpled and drunken on the sidewalk. I asked numerous times to page said cousin. Nothing. I pass out, or black out. Take your pick.

The next thing I remember is being picked up by friends from the sidewalk, and one of them is crying. She's balling her eyes out, and I'm saying, "Why are you crying? Seems silly you'd cry because I got kicked out."

She says to look at my hands, and as I look down I see something fall from my face. Red, thick consistency similar to blood, weird. I see my hands and they're covered in blood. My first instinct is to think it belongs to somebody else. WRONG!

Congrats, Cody, you got your ass whipped and you don't even remember it. Classy.

Not a whole lot of remembering after that. I guess I was hilarious at the hospital. My friends were nice enough to take me. (Still no sign of immediate family.) One of the things I do remember was the doctor "testing" my threshold for pain. My nose was broken and my teeth hurt like hell, but that didn't stop him from pushing and pulling on both.

By the way, even through all of this I am told I gave them all my information including driver's license number without ever taking my wallet out of my back pocket. Don't ask. I was too drunk to get dressed by myself. Thanks to a friend, he got me dressed and back to my room. (Found said family member, asleep in bed.)

I woke up the next morning, in time to go to my 9:15 class. Wouldn't you know it, somebody saw what happened. I wore a hat, and kept my head down to hide the mess I called a face.

I guess, some large Native American fellow took offense to something I must have said. He used the cast for his broken hand to readjust my nose, teeth and some of my jaw structure. Then he proceeded to rummage through my pockets, taking the last dollar I had on me. Somehow this story gets better and better.

At least I know that's why it looks like somebody used a cheese grater on my face.

That's my story of the bad decisions. I decided I was going to get drunk, and indeed I did. Luckily, I didn't get hurt beyond repair. I was doing some Marine Corps Martial Arts Program training, got popped in the nose and it is straight again.

I guess what I'm getting at in all of this is, take heed when making decisions in haste. It can get messy. Oh, and make sure you're with friends who will a) bail you out b) come find you or c) take you to hospital and dress you because you can't do it yourself.

Sounds of the Marine Corps

There's a glorious sound, and it is live-fire machine gun ranges. I heard them for the first time since being back to Lejeune tonight, and it was wonderful.

Hearing the difference between a 240G or M2 .50 caliber is like punk rock and blues. 240G's are fast and thrashing while the .50 cal is more like a slow pounding blues song, driving its pain home.

The other glorious sound around here is helicopters in flight. I don't get to hear them enough, but when I do it is a sound that sticks with you. The best part of it is to be able to not even see them, but still know what kind it is. I learned the difference in Iraq, when they would be taking off at night, and you couldn't see them, but could you could tell if there were two rotors or if it was an attack helicopter. Outstanding!

Hurrican time... job update...

Last night I had the pleasure of hanging out in my barracks room because of Tropical Storm Hanna. It was really more of a big rain. There was not a lot of damage done to the base or anything like that, so that is good. I guess we're lucky. We didn't get pounded by the storm, but maybe Ike will hit us harder. Keep an eye on the weather...

I've got news about a new place of duty! I should be going to Virginia, to a little base called Ft. Story. I'm pretty darn excited about it. I'll be doing public affairs for a new unit called Marine Corps Training Advisory Group.

That's why I had to write my bio. I've got to give them something to bring to the commanding officer to say, this guy might be able to help. Not to mention, I have to have a picture of me in service "C" uniform for them to tell if I have appropriate military appearance. I'll post that picture as soon as I get it taken. Should be pretty exciting.

Keep your fingers crossed. I'm hoping they like what they hear and see.

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Now playing: Millencolin - Mooseman's Jukebox
via FoxyTunes

New Truck

For those of you who know, and those who don't, here's a picture of my new-to-me, a.k.a. used, truck.

Marine Corps Bio

This is kind of strange, because I didn't realize how much (or how little) I've actually done until I had to write a bio. After going through and touting all my accomplishments, this is what I came up with.

This is very light reading. I'm not promising you anything. In fact, if you printed this on a sheet of paper, it probably wouldn't be fit for starting a fire.

THE BIO:

Sergeant Cody Yard enlisted in the Marine Corps from Hartland, Minn., Oct. 15, 2002. He attended boot camp in San Diego, graduated MCT and went directly to the Basic Public Affairs – Writers Course at the Defense Information School, Ft. Meade, Md.

Private First Class Yard reported to Camp Lejeune, N.C., July 1, 2003 as a Combat Correspondent for Headquarters and Support Battalion, Marine Corps Base. There he wrote stories and took photos, writing for external release, but also for the base’s newspaper, The Globe.

On Feb. 1, 2004, Lance Cpl. Yard began to work as the Military Editor for The Globe. As the Military Editor, he was in charge of filling the Mainside and A section of the newspapers. He was also charged with reading all sections of the newspaper to ensure proper AP Stylebook usage and format were consistent throughout the paper.

While on the editorial staff, Yard won a Public Affairs Merit Award for Best Metro Format Newspaper in the Marine Corps.

In December 2004, Cpl. Yard volunteered for a combat tour to Iraq with 2d Marine Logistics Group. He was sent TAD and deployed in February 2005. Not only did Yard turn out more print stories than his counterparts, he also learned broadcast journalism and began shooting video. Some of Yard’s first work was aired on Fox News, while simultaneously broadcasting a live interview with firefighters from Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, utilizing the DVIDs satellite system. He also filmed footage for an instructional video on setting up a Field Food Service System.

Yard joined convoys, arranged air transportation and billeting arrangements for himself in order to produce his stories and travel to other bases in the Al Anbar province.

For his service and professional achievements while serving in Iraq, Yard was awarded a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medal, and was also recommended for meritorious promotion to sergeant.

After returning from deployment September 2005, Yard was sent back to the Base Public Affairs office where he worked as the Media Chief. He also transitioned back to Military Editor and Press Chief for a team of four Marines.

Sergeant Yard’s personal awards include two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals. He is married to the former Bernadette Shasky, of Champlin, Minn.

I told you I couldn't promise you would enjoy that.

Not as long as before between posts; hooray...

Yeah, the hooray is more for me, and not really for you. I'm excited that I have some time to sit down and write a little bit here. This isn't particularly good for you, the few readers here, but I'm excited about it.

I'm watching the Little League World Series, and I can't help but think if they played the semi-pro team I play on...

I don't want to finish that. You think it over. I'm sure you can guess what I'm thinking.

However, I've always said if I played junior high girls basketball right now, I'd dominate the game!

Enough of this nonsense. I have something that is a bit more of a "You were always right" for somebody.

I've got a guy in my shop who doesn't really like to listen to suggestions. Some of my suggestions should come across as more direct orders, but it is hard when it is part of their personal life.

A little back story for you:
I came to Camp Lejeune June 2. Since I've been here, there has been a truck in the parking lot that belongs to another Marine. Finally, after it sitting there an entire month, I say it is time to either get it running, or get it out of the general's parking lot. I'm pretty sure I said my parking lot, but that's only because in the Marine Corps everything is always "yours;" e.g. my parking lot, my building, my seven day store. It isn't mine, but that doesn't stop me from saying "my whatever."

The truck is running, but only for a few days. On the way home last week, he tells me his truck died on the way home. That's fine, I recently had him put roadside assistance on his insurance because I know how his truck was not running very well. I figure he'll get it towed to a shop, or where ever, as long as it moves. Lesson number one right there. Follow up. This was a Tuesday night that the truck died.

Back to the present:
Sunday, I'm on my way home from a friend's, and I see the truck parked half-assed in the ditch along the road. This prompts me to say something immediately this Monday morning.

Call the insurance company and get the truck towed. See: Lesson number one.

I didn't follow up about the truck. Somehow, babysitting a 24-year-old Marine escaped my mind.

Now it is Wednesday, and I just had a minor disagreement that left me confused and a little angry. The next thing that happened only added to my plummeting mood.

The phone rings, and the other end says, "This is Trooper Dudley and I'm looking for Isi... Is... Isid..."

I say, "(Full name) and this is about his truck isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. I'm fixing to have it towed because I just got a complaint about it."

(By the way, I love the phrase: I'm fixing to... Why is everybody fixing everything? Is everything broken? I know the truck is, but the act of towing is not.)

So, this really just sets me off, because I'm pumped about nothing being done about it Monday or Tuesday. Lesson number one staring me right in the face.

Long story short: The truck gets towed. Now my Marine is out $125 for the towing fees and $25 a day at the impound lot. Don't forget it isn't running, so add more money for the dolley to pull the truck behind another vehicle.

Roadside assistance = $0. There's lesson number two.

Lesson number one: Follow up. An essential part of my new found responsibilities while trying to ensure this Marine is taking care of himself. Amazing. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Lesson learned!

Lesson number two: I remember people telling me to be proactive when I was younger, and just take of some things before they ended up costing me more money in the long run. I didn't listen because I knew everything. So, yeah, I get it. I'm sorry for being stubborn when I was younger. That's a recap for lesson number two.

You know the saying, "It's easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission"? Well, that's all used up.

The good news for you: He's still around until March, so there should be more stories. Hopefully, I'll get better at writing and they'll be even funnier.

I'm a hundred miles away, son. Ready to strike.

More effort, not worth the trouble

When you buy a new vehicle in a different state, how do you retain the license plates you already have?

I know, I asked myself that question just the other day because it is a question I had earlier this week. I found out exactly what it would take for me to transfer the license plates from my car to a vehicle bought in North Carolina. I want to keep my Minnesota plates because they are Iraq War Veteran plates. Plus, I had to pay extra to get those versus regular plates, which seems weird to me anyways. Whatever, I don't ask where my taxes go, but I'm beginning to think I should start.

Anyways, I e-mailed the Department of Vehicle Services yesterday. This is what I asked: Comment/Question: I may be buying a new vehicle in North Carolina, and would like to keep the plates I currently have. How would I transfer those to the new vehicle? Would I have to re-register the vehicle in MN after registering it in NC? Any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. (Currently stationed in NC, active-duty military)

Here is the answer I got:
Thank you for contacting Driver and Vehicle Services.

As long as you register the new vehicle in Minnesota, you may transfer the plates by completing a special plate application. We recommend submitting it at the same time as the title and title application. If you're currently out of state, you may apply by mail.

We'll need:

The out of state title (or MSO) signed over to you.
If there's a lien holder listed on the title, we'll also need a lien release.
MN title application
MN special plate application
Fees

Here's a listing of fees that we'll charge:

Registration tax: Based on the year, make, and model of the vehicle.
License plate transfer fee: $5.00
Wheelage tax (if applicable): $5.00 - Due only if the vehicle is mainly kept in one of the following counties and registration tax is purchased: Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Scott or Washington.
Public Safety Vehicle fee: $3.50
Transfer tax: $10.00
Title/transfer fee: $8.00
Lien fee: $2.00
Excise tax/Sales tax: (6 ½%)
State/Deputy Filing fee: $8.50

The forms are available on our web site. You may find them on the following link: http://www.dps.state.mn.us/dvs/PDFForms/motor%20vehicle%20forms.htm

Sincerely,
(Operator's name/number)

Check out the fees I'd be charged. What I really like about the fees, is the title transfer fee, license plate fee and sales tax. I'm already paying those taxes here in NC, what would be the point in giving MN the same taxes? How lame. This is a great way for them to just grab a few more dollars for the state to not use on things they should be used for, like ensuring the infrastructure is sound and everything is up to code...

Enough of my ranting. I hope you never buy a vehicle from out of state and try to bring it back to MN. What a pain in the bum.

My rant about Obama

It's been a couple days, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you about baseball practice like I said I would.

Here's the thing: Practice is going awesome, but we have more important issues. I'm going to piggy back off a writer's commentary I saw on CNN.com today.

Glenn Beck wrote about the press coverage Obama received for working out. I'm glad I know what he wears, just as Beck was, because it is a high priority for me to know what a man who has no chance of being elected wears when he works out.

At least for me the decision is clear. If I want to keep my current lifestyle, simple or extravagant as you may perceive it, as a member of the military, John McCain gets my vote. Not only is he going to ensure service members continue to get a pay raise, he's going to ensure we can maintain our current lifestyles.

I know this sounds funny to most of you because you know how little the military gets paid. If Obama is elected, there's no way I'd be able to continue living the way I do. His plan to raise taxes would hit most military members pretty hard. Could you imagine having to pay capital gains tax on your house when you have to move every three years?

I'm not claiming everyone in the military buys and sells a house every time they move, but some do sell their current house. Wow, that would sting you right in the pocketbook. Planning to use that money on the next house and you lose most of it right to the "company" you work for? That's an awesome plan.

Or maybe we should discuss how Obama's taxes would hit most military families and effectively push them closer to the poverty line.

One of the most interesting things I've seen is WIC and EBT signs in the commisary. The commisary is the on-base grocery store. Could somebody please tell me why we have military families struggling to make ends meet to the point where they are on government assistance? Doesn't that seem a bit absurd to anybody else?

Money is the main focus for everybody now. All I can think of are the Marines in Calif. who drive nearly 40-50 miles a day, one way, to work.

Think for just one minute about how those families are dealing with the gas prices and whether or not they can afford the neccesities at the grocery store.

Yeah, now all of a sudden your "plight" doesn't seem so bad...

Oh, and don't forget those guys are doing 9-15 month deployments, coming home for eight months max, and going right back out there.

So, I say to all of you who support the military, but vote Obama, thanks for destroying our simple way of life and turning it into a struggle for every military family who defends your right to vote.

No worries, I'm sure Obama will still be able to wear his T-shirt, ball cap and black sweatpants while working out and not have a minute's worth of stress over his decisions.

Back to the commentary and what I loved about it.

"But all of this points to a larger point: We've become a country that continually chooses the sizzle over the steak. McCain may not get my vote, but he gets my admiration for at least offering some substance and new ideas when he speaks. Obama, meanwhile, is like the rock star who's realized that he can just scream unintelligible words into the microphone between songs, and the entire stadium will still scream. When your fans already love you, there's no reason to risk it by offering anything that might be controversial. Remember the Dixie Chicks?

As candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain are ironically a lot like the way the media treats them: Obama is the glitzy magazine cover that screams for people to buy the issue, and McCain is the fact-filled article buried inside that makes you glad you did."

Read the entire commentary here:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/23/beck.obama.media/index.html

That's my two cents for the day. I hope I didn't bore you to death. Off my soapbox and back to the mop and bucket I go. I have field-day inspection in the morning. I love the Marine Corps.

So, it only took me four months to put up a new post, but I'm in a different state, so it should be super cool!

I'm finally back in the Marine Corps, have been for a month and a half, and I'm loving every minute of it. Even though my patience is tried sometimes, I do what I can to deal. Either way, I'm having an awesome time.

I don't have a camera yet, but I'm working to remedy that problem.

Right now, I've been invited to a birthday party, but I've got baseball practice in the a.m. That seems to be more important than getting drunk and acting stupid.

Which brings me to another point...

Let's talk baseball. I'm playing for what you can call a semi-pro team, which has been a ton of fun so far. We're a real small ball team. You could compare us to the MN Twins; manufactured runs and playing good solid defense.

I just got a new baseball glove, which how I got it is for another post, but I love it. I love it as much as I love the glove I have played with since 10th grade.

I put it on for the first time tonight, and it felt like I'd worn it for 5 years. Amazing!

Shoeless Joe gloves, you can't beat them in my book. I'll let you know how practice goes tomorrow.

I think this is good for now. I have a funny story to post about the pets I "get" to keep, and/or have to put up with...

first, hopefully not last...

Okay, so everybody has a new blog these days. I can post to myspace, but I think I would rather have this out there. It just seemed right at the time.

That's what I'm going to tell people when they ask me about my blog. "It just seemed right at the time."

Let's talk about that. Probably a phrase that can get you out of most situations ever presented. It's like saying, "I'm just saying, that's all."

Your significant other asks your opinion about a new shirt. "That shirt makes you look fat. I'm just saying, that's all." Perfect. You can't argue with that. They can try to pick a fight, but you said you were just saying. There's no way they can get mad at you. You're being honest, nothing to worry about.

Well, maybe I'll write more later, or I've officially tied up a great name for a blog.

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