Powerbar For Dinner

It's not really a powerbar. It's a Kashi GoLean! Protein and Fiber bar.

I went hiking in Tustin this morning. I saw the derelict hangers where my dad used to maintain helicopters (2nd link). They really should renovate those structures and turn them into an Air and Space museum or something. It was way too hot to be out hiking and myself and my two companions complained a lot.

Afterwards we went to Denny's and had breakfast. Then I went home and showered, slept for 7 hours.

I was hungry when I woke up and after I put my laundry in the washer I had my protein bar for dinner. I really wanted to make pasta or something but it's way too hot to touch the stove.

I Must Be Living In A Cave

I've been looking for an appropriate Father's Day gift and I stumbled across it today. Turns out they released the Space: Above and Beyond DVD set a while back, and I just found out about it. I remember watching this show with my dad when it first aired, and being really sad when it was cancelled. (Thanks FOX!) I also remember when they re-aired it on the Sci-Fi Channel and my dad and I had a system down where we would tape the episodes to cut out the commercials (this was before TiVo).

One of the many great things about the series was the memorable music composed by the late Shirley Walker. I just found out today that she passed away last November, and that the Academy failed to recognize her during their "In Memoriam" segment of the Academy Awards this year. And I thought Hollywood was big on being liberal and recognizing minorities/rarities in industry.

After watching and enjoying the Firefly series (recently for the first time - I was away in college when it first aired), I think it's sad how many great shows get cancelled before their time, while some shows (Enterprise, anyone?) drag on way past their expiration date.

Did I mention I ended up buying two copies of that DVD set? One for Dad, and one for me. It'll be nice to rewatch all those episodes again.

The Commandant's Own

I had a real treat today; I drove up to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena to watch the Marine Corps Battle Color Ceremony be performed by the Marine Corps Drum & Bugle Corps (The Commandant's Own), the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, and the Marine Corps Color Guard.

I was most impressed with the Drum & Bugle Corps "Music in Motion" presentation. These Marines not only perform great music, but they change formation at the same time! Pieces they performed included: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, a James Bond Medley, You're Beautiful (James Blunt was a captain in the British Army), and Stars & Stripes Forever. They also performed the Star Spangled Banner and the Marine's Hymn.The Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon was very cool to watch, but not as impressive as the stuff in the film "A Few Good Men". Still, they have some great tricks. One of my favorites is this rifle toss, during the fancy rifle inspection sequence of their routine.
Also, while I was close to the field, I wasn't nearly close enough to catch the precision movements on my digital camera. Bummer. (And yes, bayonets are attached to those M-1s!)After the Battle Color Ceremony the crowd was invited onto the field to meet the Marines in the Drum & Bugle Corps and the Silent Drill Platoon. What this really meant was that parents could drag their children down for a photo-op. It was really cute. There's something really charming about children and military men, especially Marines.

Black Ice In Iraq?

US Military Looks To 'Black Ice'

I had enough fun driving on black ice when I was living in the frozen North. Can you imagine what those poor Iraqis will be thinking when they drive on this stuff, which has no equivalent in their environment?

"Hey Ahmed, WTF is this s***?!?"

On the Eve of the USMC's 230th Birthday

I was originally not going to comment on this subject at all, but I made the mistake of finding this Slate article and the book the author of that article wrote. And that opened all sorts of old wounds and reminded me of that hollow I have yet to fill again with some other crazy dream.

There's something that fundamentally connects me to the Marines. And the sorrow that I can't be part of that culture really tears at me. The fact that they don't want strong-willed, independent, motivated people in their organization for the stupid fact that they can't run fast enough is beyond me. I remember that, when I was sitting in sick bay after I fell out of the run, the corpsman dabbing iodine on my knee said to me, "I've seen you out there. You're one motivated candidate." Motivated. The highest compliment you can give to a Marine-in-training. And then they sent me home. Their loss.

I remember, as a toddler, getting up at 0430 in the morning so I could eat breakfast with Dad before he left for work. I remember helping him lace his boots up before he left. I remember missing him so much when he was deployed for six months out of every year, leaving in June and returning in December. During the first Gulf War, I remember he didn't return home until April 17 because they sent his replacement squadron to Iraq. Dad later told me that if that conflict had dragged out any longer he would have been sent there as well.



A couple years ago I got the wild idea that I needed to try this Marine Officer thing out. And spent the next fifteen months of my life devoted to that one thing. Obviously, it wasn't enough in their book. I wouldn't say that I'm really bitter about it; I have a lot to thank the Marine Corps for. Without the Marine Corps, I wouldn't be the good Catholic girl I am today (OK, you can blame my friend Charles for that too). Without the Marine Corps, I would be struggling with financing school. Without the Marine Corps, I wouldn't be in such great shape (which I've let slide in recent months) and look so good in . . . .whatever it is I look good in. Without the Marine Corps (and Dad's influence), I wouldn't be so pro-American and devoted to doing something for the sake of national security.

Let's not forget the Marines have the coolest uniforms, and their band is called The President's Own. Let's not forget the Marines were training for urban warfare back in the 80's while the Army was still planning for a mass land war in Europe.

There's all sorts of intangible qualities, like respect, honor, and self-confidence that I want so painfully to incorporate into myself. I knew that I could get those things from the Marines, and I don't know where to find them as a civilian.

So sometime this weekend I'll have a drink to the Marines and the Corps they serve. American citizens owe much to those Teufelhunden, the "Angels of Death" who guard our freedom and the walls that keep us safe at night. Oohrah.



(Yeah, I didn't buy into any propaganda at ALL)

Well That Was Unproductive

After a two-and-a-half hour awkward conversation with this Marine recruiter, I escape his office.

At least I discovered I'm not supposed to be a Marine. That was the vibe I was getting from the whole experience.

Ironically, I wasn't buying the recruiter's spiel on hireability if I get the MOS I want, even though I know TLAs (Three Letter Agencies) prefer people with military experience.

Hmm. Well now what?

(Kill Zombies)

Discernment

I just wanted to take the ASVAB to see if I would qualify for the military intelligence jobs that I'm interested in. Just exploring my options, using the military as a last resort in case the NSA or the CIA don't want me.
And no sooner do I take this test, I have recruiters wanting me to sign Delayed Enlistment paperwork and calling me on the phone. I get done with the recruiting center in town, get a sandwich at Subway, and as soon as I get home and walk through the door I get a phone call.

Me: Hello?
MCR (Marine Corps Recruiter): Hi, this is Staff Sgt. (I didn't quite catch his name), how are you today?
Me: Oh, I'm all right. How are you?
MCR: Great. How was your day?
Me: Long. I just walked in the door.
MCR: So what are you going to do now?
Me: I'm going to have something to eat, play Resident Evil 4 (yeah, I really needed to kill some zombies) and do some homework.
MCR: Resident Evil 4? That's out?
Me: Yeah, it's a lot of fun.

(Minor discussion on video games, with me wondering why this fellow is chatting me up when I know and he knows that he wants to sign me up)

Turns out he doesn't know anything about my previous involvement with the Marine Corps, so I had to explain all that to him, and why I washed out of OCS. He kind of gave me a hard time when I said I fell out of the run, but hey, who called who here? He asks me when I last took the ASVAB (this afternoon), and what my score was (98). I ask him if I can get the MOS I want (he says I can get "intelligence" guarenteed, but didn't say anything about counter-intelligence).

But I have an appointment with him tomorrow about enlisting. I don't even know what or if I really want to do this anymore. I put so much time, effort and heart into the Marines the last time I'm not sure if I have enough manna to get involved with all that again. A part of me really wants to do this, to prove I have what it takes to be a Marine. But another part of me holds back, because it was too heart-breaking to fail the first time. Granted, it's only a four year commitment, with an additional four years on the IRR (Inactive Ready Reserve), which isn't a long time if you're 22.

But there's another test I get to take, a language test to see what languages I'm "qualified" to learn. I hope that I'll be qualified to learn a Level 5 language, which means I can learn Arabic or Mandarin Chinese. (I think we all know what my first choice is!)

I want to talk to the Air Force and the Navy, though, because my cousin (who did counter-intelligence last year in Iraq) was very impressed with the Air Force's OIS program, and the Air Force and Navy tend to have the nerdier jobs.

I'm not even sure if I want to go into the military anymore. My priest says that I need to be patient, and God will let me know what He wants me to do with my life. But God is either sending me mixed messages, or not sending messages to me at all. Or maybe I'm not getting the messages. I wish I knew what to do.