The Shocking Revelation
Alright. It's Monday, and I've had the weekend to collect myself and get the new computer squared away. There are a number of things to catch up on.
* * *
Let's start off with the biggest item: I'm not going to Iraq. I had hinted at something over the last few weeks, but I didn't want to mention anything until I had something conclusive.
During the last full week of September, I was contacted by a representative from Aegis, a company that I've written about in the past on this blog. It's the current business endeavour of the semi-legendary Tim Spicer, the retired lieutenant colonel in the Scots Guards who wrote An Unorthodox Soldier. The next day, I interviewed for a position in Iraq, and was invited by the close of that week to schedule an interview at the company's American office in the DC area.
I scheduled the interview for their first available day, which was 05th October. Regular readers may remember that I was negligent in blogging for a couple of days, and the reason was that I was in the DC area overnight for the interview, and to meet with several friends in the surrounding area. Without going into detail, I was given a number of reasons to believe that the interview had gone extremely well, and that I would be more competitive for the position than the other candidate who was selected for a second interview. Once I left the office, I was standing by, with the understanding that I would be updated as appropriate.
About two weeks ago, I got an update that I was still being considered for the position, but that the company had not yet been able to meet with the other candidate for the second interview. I E-mailed again on Thursday, inquiring about the situation and mentioning a further qualification that I had neglected to mention during the interview. I received a reply on Friday morning indicating that the client had placed a hold on new hires. My contact said that he doesn't believe that the position will be filled, but will keep my information on file in case of any future opportunities. It sounds like standard business speak, but I have reason to believe that he's being straight with me, and I'll contact him sporadically for the purpose of keeping me on his radar.
The position in question would have been a perfect fit for my background, interests, and goals - tailor-made for yours truly - and I would have been thrilled to work for this particular company. I'm unquestionably disappointed that the opportunity fell through, but the bottom line is that I'm glad to have a final answer. For the last month, I'd been living my life on hold, and this answer allows me to get back to the projects that I had been working on previously. Getting upset and losing myself isn't my style - fighting harder for what I want is.
So, for those who hadn't seen the news on Facebook, and for any regular readers who may have been curious what's been going on over the last few weeks (other than the unrelated trouble with my laptop), that's the answer: I was within a proverbial stone's throw of going to Iraq, but it's not going to happen for the time being.
* * *
A couple of weeks ago, prior to learning that I would be paying nearly $700 for a new computer, I made a couple of orders from the Stuff Fly Wants list.
UDT/SEAL Team Swimmer Trunks (2) - $71.90
TAD Gear Pathfinder Zip Hoodie - $117.70
Except... It's not that simple. Okay, so with the jacket, it is. And actually, I decided that I'd rather have the jacket, as opposed to the "hoodie" - I really hate that word, by the way. I have a few points of disappointment with the jacket. First, I thought that it would have spots for velcro patches on both arms; and second, I thought it would have pockets on both arms. Instead, it has one of each - not a problem, just not what I'd expected. The third issue is that the pocket on the arm, which is intended for use with an mp3 player, appears to be too small for mine (and mine isn't particularly large). Overall, though, I'm pretty pleased with it.
The UDT trunks are a different story. Now, for those who aren't familiar with UDT trunks, they're worn by the Navy SEAL teams in training and on operations, and the design goes all the way back to the Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) of World War II. They're not fancy, but they're great swim trunks. They run small, and even if they fit, they're pretty tight. Now, the $32.35 price tag didn't really jump out at me, but I decided that the time had come to get a pair in order to facilitate my swim workouts - my board shorts are fine, but I prefer the UDT trunks.
Well, the UDT trunks arrived late last week, and I tried them on. Barely. It was immediately apparent that I'd need to go up a size. I also noticed that, despite only being available on one website, the trunks were made by Tru-Spec - a military clothing giant. After a quick Googling, I found that the trunks were available elsewhere online, for about $15 less. So, at this point, I've ordered two pair - a pair in tan, and a pair in black - from U.S. Cavalry. For $20.99 apiece. Which is much less than $32.35. Seriously, if you figure that $20.99 is marked up a bit, then $32.35 must be, what, a one hundred percent markup? That's just ridiculous. So, since they don't fit, I'm going to try to return them, which is going to be a real hassle, but probably worth the effort.
* * *
I have a week's worth of news to catch up on, so I'm going to triage it and take care of it over the next few days.
Afghanistan:
Too early to send more US troops to Afghanistan: Kerry (Times: Times, AFP) - People are still listening to this turd burglar? Unbelievable.
AFP: Afghanistan's helicopter force takes to the skies
TrueSlant: Are the Taliban trying to recruit Russia and China to their side?
Times: On patrol with the roadside bomb hunters in Afghanistan
Wired Danger Room: Winning Over the Taliban? Fat Chance
Iran Attack:
Iranian Revolutionary Guards vow revenge on Britain and US (Fox, Times
BBC: Iran accuses Pakistan over attack; Times: Rumours of Western support for Iranian dissident militia groups have broad backing
BBC: Soldiers of God: Profile of Iranian Sunni militant group Jundullah
AFP: Iran Guards prestige target for rebels
CNN: Iran mourns dozens killed in attack
General News
Guardian: Dutch MP hails UK visit 'victory'; Times: Protests force anti-Muslim politician to retreat - The British government needs to get over this bizarre idea that people who call out Islamists for what they are should be excluded from British soil.
‘Sufficient evidence’ to charge Libyans over WPC (Guardian, Times)
Guns given to Somali quiz winners (BBC, Fox)
BBC: Kyrgyzstan looks into reviving the death penalty
BBC: Israelis mark Emirates flag debut - How pathetic is it that there is so much hate in the Islamic world that an Israeli delegation to some conference being allowed to display their flag at their table is counted as a diplomatic victory?
BBC: Libya frees 'repentant' Islamists
Guardian: William Shatner should not be beamed back for Star Trek 2
Guardian: Tajikistan, in other words - The BBC has an interesting story about the politics and academic fallout of language in Tajikistan.
Guardian: Michelle Obama, black like me - Focusing on the first lady's ancestry is part of an American obsession with slavery that we need to leave behind
Guardian: The rise of the religious left - Whoever wrote this article is an idiot. The "religious Left"? Seriously? What a load of drivel.
Times: Terrorists plotted mass attack in name of jihad
AP: GPS Causing Truckers to Crash Into Bridges - People who use a GPS to navigate while driving are pathetic.
BBC: BBC dot.life: Reading the Kindle - The BBC has another interesting article about the Kindle e-reader. The Crypto King might be somewhat interested in this.
BBC: Scientists announce planet bounty
BBC: 'Militants' hunted in Tajikistan
BBC: Israel spying devices found by UN
BBC: US drone 'shot down over Somalia'
BBC: China honoured in Central Africa
Guardian: Linking Islam and terrorism is wrong
Times: International Olympic committee to get UN seat - The International Olympic Committee? If the IOC gets a UN seat, the UN has officially given up any trace of legitimacy.
Michael Totten: Patterns of Dictatorship
BBC: In pictures: Landscape photo of the year 2009
Blog: Stonehead - In looking for pictures of Orkney, I found a blog by a "crofter" (small-scale farmer) in northeast Scotland. Fascinating.
* * *
That's probably enough for today. Be sure to check back in tomorrow for more, to include more catching up on the news, and a number of other items of interest. Until then, have a great Monday.
Let's start off with the biggest item: I'm not going to Iraq. I had hinted at something over the last few weeks, but I didn't want to mention anything until I had something conclusive.
During the last full week of September, I was contacted by a representative from Aegis, a company that I've written about in the past on this blog. It's the current business endeavour of the semi-legendary Tim Spicer, the retired lieutenant colonel in the Scots Guards who wrote An Unorthodox Soldier. The next day, I interviewed for a position in Iraq, and was invited by the close of that week to schedule an interview at the company's American office in the DC area.
I scheduled the interview for their first available day, which was 05th October. Regular readers may remember that I was negligent in blogging for a couple of days, and the reason was that I was in the DC area overnight for the interview, and to meet with several friends in the surrounding area. Without going into detail, I was given a number of reasons to believe that the interview had gone extremely well, and that I would be more competitive for the position than the other candidate who was selected for a second interview. Once I left the office, I was standing by, with the understanding that I would be updated as appropriate.
About two weeks ago, I got an update that I was still being considered for the position, but that the company had not yet been able to meet with the other candidate for the second interview. I E-mailed again on Thursday, inquiring about the situation and mentioning a further qualification that I had neglected to mention during the interview. I received a reply on Friday morning indicating that the client had placed a hold on new hires. My contact said that he doesn't believe that the position will be filled, but will keep my information on file in case of any future opportunities. It sounds like standard business speak, but I have reason to believe that he's being straight with me, and I'll contact him sporadically for the purpose of keeping me on his radar.
The position in question would have been a perfect fit for my background, interests, and goals - tailor-made for yours truly - and I would have been thrilled to work for this particular company. I'm unquestionably disappointed that the opportunity fell through, but the bottom line is that I'm glad to have a final answer. For the last month, I'd been living my life on hold, and this answer allows me to get back to the projects that I had been working on previously. Getting upset and losing myself isn't my style - fighting harder for what I want is.
So, for those who hadn't seen the news on Facebook, and for any regular readers who may have been curious what's been going on over the last few weeks (other than the unrelated trouble with my laptop), that's the answer: I was within a proverbial stone's throw of going to Iraq, but it's not going to happen for the time being.
A couple of weeks ago, prior to learning that I would be paying nearly $700 for a new computer, I made a couple of orders from the Stuff Fly Wants list.
Except... It's not that simple. Okay, so with the jacket, it is. And actually, I decided that I'd rather have the jacket, as opposed to the "hoodie" - I really hate that word, by the way. I have a few points of disappointment with the jacket. First, I thought that it would have spots for velcro patches on both arms; and second, I thought it would have pockets on both arms. Instead, it has one of each - not a problem, just not what I'd expected. The third issue is that the pocket on the arm, which is intended for use with an mp3 player, appears to be too small for mine (and mine isn't particularly large). Overall, though, I'm pretty pleased with it.
The UDT trunks are a different story. Now, for those who aren't familiar with UDT trunks, they're worn by the Navy SEAL teams in training and on operations, and the design goes all the way back to the Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) of World War II. They're not fancy, but they're great swim trunks. They run small, and even if they fit, they're pretty tight. Now, the $32.35 price tag didn't really jump out at me, but I decided that the time had come to get a pair in order to facilitate my swim workouts - my board shorts are fine, but I prefer the UDT trunks.
Well, the UDT trunks arrived late last week, and I tried them on. Barely. It was immediately apparent that I'd need to go up a size. I also noticed that, despite only being available on one website, the trunks were made by Tru-Spec - a military clothing giant. After a quick Googling, I found that the trunks were available elsewhere online, for about $15 less. So, at this point, I've ordered two pair - a pair in tan, and a pair in black - from U.S. Cavalry. For $20.99 apiece. Which is much less than $32.35. Seriously, if you figure that $20.99 is marked up a bit, then $32.35 must be, what, a one hundred percent markup? That's just ridiculous. So, since they don't fit, I'm going to try to return them, which is going to be a real hassle, but probably worth the effort.
I have a week's worth of news to catch up on, so I'm going to triage it and take care of it over the next few days.
Afghanistan:
Iran Attack:
General News
That's probably enough for today. Be sure to check back in tomorrow for more, to include more catching up on the news, and a number of other items of interest. Until then, have a great Monday.
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