Real Men Sleep on Cots
Hey folks!
As many of you know, I recently got my tax money back. This weekend, I decided to knock a few items off of the Stuff Fly Wants list. I put in orders for the following items on Saturday.
Cabela's Outfitter XL Cot
Garmin eTrex H (gift for Captain John in Orkney)
Grundig Mini 100 PE (two of them)
Quigley Down Under
Now, I've been intending to get all of these items, although the GPS wasn't on the list because it isn't for me (I already have one, and love it). You may be asking yourself, though: "Fly, why would you buy two radios?" Well, the answer is fairly simple: they're getting very tough to find. You can still find shortwave radios, but the Grundig Mini 100 PE features analog tuning (which I prefer) and a relatively flat line on the top. Comparable models have a big antenna protector sticking up out of them, which makes it difficult to conveniently stash one in a pocket; and they're pretty much all digital. So, having found them at a pretty good price, I figured I'd get two. I'm still hoping to get mine fixed up, as it has a short or something.
Oh, and on Saturday, when I was at the grocery store, I bought a shower sponge that looks like a rubber ducky. Why? Because I'm that awesome.
* * *
On Friday, much to my surprise, I ended up getting roped into helping Furious D move. He was quite clear in trying to prevent me from doing so, but I insisted. My feet are still killing me (they've been having issues lately), but it was well worth it. Furious D, myself, and moving go back to my first and second years of college, during which time I was goat-roped into helping him move stuff on several occasions. I've never minded, as I always enjoy spending time with him, Mrs. D, and now the two little D's. I never let him hear the end of it, though.
It's been very interesting to see several people on this side of the country, despite the fact that I'm a world away from my home, and the location where I met these folks. In particular, it has been bizarre to have seen Furious D several times, prior to his move; the two of us ended up moving within six miles of one another, after having seen each other only once since early Summer of 2004. It was really surreal. There have been a number of times since arriving at Van Dieman's Station that have found me wondering, "Where am I, and how did I get here?" This was one of those times. How did I get three thousand miles away from my home and everything I know, helping Furious D to move one more time? Very bizarre, but it was excellent to spend four or five hours with him before he left for the next phase of his own life.
* * *
It appears that I may have stumbled into some part time work, doing the same type of thing that I was doing for a living while I was at Zoo Station. This is something I'm exceptionally excited about, as it will help me to keep developing some of the skills that are slowly withering away at my current desk job.
I'm gotten back to the task of planning for my eventual exodus from Van Dieman's Station. Ever since I graduated from university, I've wanted to go back to England for about six months, and then spend another month travelling around Europe. This obviously takes money, and I'm fairly fiscally responsible (read: cheap). Part of the justification behind buying the GPS and the shortwave radios on Saturday is to eliminate them as items that I'll ultimately have to purchase in order to head back to England. This reduces the overall amoung of money I need to earn in the mean time.
Now, I'm definitely not committed to spending so much time in England. My first choice, once I've completed the things I need to complete here at Van Dieman's Station, is to seek employment somewhere a bit more austere, in the service of the Department of Defense. However, both of my job searches have demonstrated to me that hiring doesn't just happen, particularly on one's own schedule. Also, I have a difficult time believing that Senator Obama is going to be elected in November, but if he is, life for those who support the military may get fairly lean. Needless to say, I'm not exactly in a position to walk away from my current position until I have something concrete, but one of the options is to head back to England.
Operations in Iraq are winding down; I believe that we will retain troops in Iraq in diminishing numbers for some time to come, as we have in nearly every theater of war we've operated within: Germany, Japan, Korea, the Persian Gulf, even the Balkans. Even so, whether Senator Obama is elected and effectively surrenders, or Senator McCain is elected and we press on to victory, the number of American troops in Iraq will either slowly or quickly wane. Afghanistan, on the other hand, continues to heat up, and I have set my sights on it accordingly. As such, here's the second of five installments with the Royal Marines in Helmand Province.
I'm committed to being here at Van Dieman's Station for a while; but like Zoo Station, this is only for a season of my life, and I'm committed to looking forward, not staying sedentary and complacent. As I continue to accomplish the goals I've set for myself here at Van Dieman's Station, I'll continue to keep an eye out for opportunities to move on. Whether this means Afghanistan, or England, or perhaps somewhere even more nefarious remains to be seen.
* * *
Last week, I saw an article about amateur astronomers who were able to determine the orbits of spy satellites. It's worth having a look at.
That's it for today. Have a great day, folks, and stop in again tomorrow.
UPDATE: Okay, this is late breaking, but I had to put this link up, particularly for Mighty Mo: Fake Interviews with Real Celebrities. The post I linked is completely excellent. Enjoy!
As many of you know, I recently got my tax money back. This weekend, I decided to knock a few items off of the Stuff Fly Wants list. I put in orders for the following items on Saturday.
Now, I've been intending to get all of these items, although the GPS wasn't on the list because it isn't for me (I already have one, and love it). You may be asking yourself, though: "Fly, why would you buy two radios?" Well, the answer is fairly simple: they're getting very tough to find. You can still find shortwave radios, but the Grundig Mini 100 PE features analog tuning (which I prefer) and a relatively flat line on the top. Comparable models have a big antenna protector sticking up out of them, which makes it difficult to conveniently stash one in a pocket; and they're pretty much all digital. So, having found them at a pretty good price, I figured I'd get two. I'm still hoping to get mine fixed up, as it has a short or something.
Oh, and on Saturday, when I was at the grocery store, I bought a shower sponge that looks like a rubber ducky. Why? Because I'm that awesome.
On Friday, much to my surprise, I ended up getting roped into helping Furious D move. He was quite clear in trying to prevent me from doing so, but I insisted. My feet are still killing me (they've been having issues lately), but it was well worth it. Furious D, myself, and moving go back to my first and second years of college, during which time I was goat-roped into helping him move stuff on several occasions. I've never minded, as I always enjoy spending time with him, Mrs. D, and now the two little D's. I never let him hear the end of it, though.
It's been very interesting to see several people on this side of the country, despite the fact that I'm a world away from my home, and the location where I met these folks. In particular, it has been bizarre to have seen Furious D several times, prior to his move; the two of us ended up moving within six miles of one another, after having seen each other only once since early Summer of 2004. It was really surreal. There have been a number of times since arriving at Van Dieman's Station that have found me wondering, "Where am I, and how did I get here?" This was one of those times. How did I get three thousand miles away from my home and everything I know, helping Furious D to move one more time? Very bizarre, but it was excellent to spend four or five hours with him before he left for the next phase of his own life.
It appears that I may have stumbled into some part time work, doing the same type of thing that I was doing for a living while I was at Zoo Station. This is something I'm exceptionally excited about, as it will help me to keep developing some of the skills that are slowly withering away at my current desk job.
I'm gotten back to the task of planning for my eventual exodus from Van Dieman's Station. Ever since I graduated from university, I've wanted to go back to England for about six months, and then spend another month travelling around Europe. This obviously takes money, and I'm fairly fiscally responsible (read: cheap). Part of the justification behind buying the GPS and the shortwave radios on Saturday is to eliminate them as items that I'll ultimately have to purchase in order to head back to England. This reduces the overall amoung of money I need to earn in the mean time.
Now, I'm definitely not committed to spending so much time in England. My first choice, once I've completed the things I need to complete here at Van Dieman's Station, is to seek employment somewhere a bit more austere, in the service of the Department of Defense. However, both of my job searches have demonstrated to me that hiring doesn't just happen, particularly on one's own schedule. Also, I have a difficult time believing that Senator Obama is going to be elected in November, but if he is, life for those who support the military may get fairly lean. Needless to say, I'm not exactly in a position to walk away from my current position until I have something concrete, but one of the options is to head back to England.
Operations in Iraq are winding down; I believe that we will retain troops in Iraq in diminishing numbers for some time to come, as we have in nearly every theater of war we've operated within: Germany, Japan, Korea, the Persian Gulf, even the Balkans. Even so, whether Senator Obama is elected and effectively surrenders, or Senator McCain is elected and we press on to victory, the number of American troops in Iraq will either slowly or quickly wane. Afghanistan, on the other hand, continues to heat up, and I have set my sights on it accordingly. As such, here's the second of five installments with the Royal Marines in Helmand Province.
I'm committed to being here at Van Dieman's Station for a while; but like Zoo Station, this is only for a season of my life, and I'm committed to looking forward, not staying sedentary and complacent. As I continue to accomplish the goals I've set for myself here at Van Dieman's Station, I'll continue to keep an eye out for opportunities to move on. Whether this means Afghanistan, or England, or perhaps somewhere even more nefarious remains to be seen.
Last week, I saw an article about amateur astronomers who were able to determine the orbits of spy satellites. It's worth having a look at.
That's it for today. Have a great day, folks, and stop in again tomorrow.
UPDATE: Okay, this is late breaking, but I had to put this link up, particularly for Mighty Mo: Fake Interviews with Real Celebrities. The post I linked is completely excellent. Enjoy!
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