CJ Gone to Africa

Check out CJ's blog: http://thenuttytraveler.blogspot.com/ She is on a 3 month mission to western Kenya to record oral histories of women dying of HIV/AIDS to leave a legacy for the orphans left behind.

I am proud and nervous at the same time. She went on this journey by herself as part of villagevolunteeers.org, whereas I am used to going overseas with my regiment, armed. At least she has a cell phone (coverage is great there, believe it or not!) and we are in daily contact. Living in a hut and using an outdoor latrine is quite a strecth for a girl that had never been camping before. She is a trooper!

Keep her in your thoughts and prayers and check out her site when you get a chance. The picture posted above is of her crossing the Kiminini River Bridge.

World's Fastest Indian

CJ and I watched the movie "World's Fastes Indian" starring Sir Anthony Hopkins as Burt Munro, a Kiwi that devoted his life to going faster on his 1920 Indian Scout Motorcycle. I was inspired by his efforts and tenacity. He exemplified the indomitable spirit of the human being.
It inspired me to grow old by striving each day to do more, be more and push the envelope. "Some people live more in 5 minutes than others do in a lifetime." -Bert Munro

Home for the Holidays

Merry Christmas and Happy Channuka! My friends know which one applies to them.

CJ is home for the holiday break with 2 As and a B+. Amazing what age can do for grades. The more you mature, the harder you work for good grades. Now she focuses on prepping the home for Christmas.

I am glad to be out of Iraq this Holiday. Last year was a memorable time, midnight service in the Chapel in full body armor.

prayerful thanks to the President, his Cabinet, and most of all the soldiers, sailors and marines currently overseas. Oh yeah, and the airmen too.

The Great White Hunter

I am not making any comparisons of me to the great President Teddy Roosevelt. I greatly admire his career and leadership style and his joi d'vive. I have hunted once so far this season. It was very hot and there were no ducks near enough to shoot. Although I could see BILLIONS from where I sat in my muddy little blind. The General blew the calls and the Dog sat there with a look on his face that said (if dogs could talk) "You are the anti-duck. You jinx me everytime you hunt with me. Why don't you take target practice or stop hunting altogether?"

So I have the fever now. Eagerly awaiting my next chance to hunt something, anything. So I will confess now that at the ripe old age of 34 I have NEVER hunted deer. Amazing to have grown up in the South, surrounded by the best hunting in the world and not to have gone. What can I say, Daddy didn't hunt, so I didn't hunt.

But a guy I work with is taking me this Friday to hunt a deer. Guarantees I will get one. As long as the Dog doesn't go to pass his silent judgement on me, at least I will get in the woods and out of the office.

"Haw! Somebody shoot up amongst us, one of us needs some relief!" Marcel Ledbetter (Jerry Clower)

The Female of the Species

I have a four day holiday with CJ. It can be a crap shoot as to how CJ will judge with her critical eye, the state of the manor in her absence. Which reminds me of a Rudyard Kipling poem written by his enlightened hand in 1911. The first stanza goes as thus,

"When the Himalayan peasant meets the he-bear in his pride,
He shouts to scare the monster, who will often turn aside.
But the she-bear thus accosted rends the peasant tooth and nail.
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male."

Common People like James T. Kirk

Heard a song last night featuring William Shatner about common people. It is off his album "Has Been" I laughed my butt off as I listened. There is something captivatingly comical about his ability to parody himself. His___ a- BIL-ity___ to SPEAK____ in a way that is JERKY and ___ serious. It is like he is always Captain Kirk playing William Shatner instead of the other way around.


"She came from Greece she had a thirst for knowledge, she studied sculpture at Saint Martin's College, that's where I, caught her eye. She told me that her Dad was loaded, I said "In that case I'll have a rum and coca-cola. "She said "Fine." and in thirty seconds time she said, "I want to live like common people, I want to do whatever common people do, I want to sleep with common people, I want to sleep with common people, like you. "Well what else could I do -I said "I'll see what I can do." I took her to a supermarket, I don't know why but I had to start it somewhere, so it started there. I said pretend you've got no money, she just laughed and said, "Oh you're so funny." I said "yeah?Well I can't see anyone else smiling in here. Are you sure you want to live like common people, you want to see whatever common people see, you want to sleep with common people, you want to sleep with common people, like me." But she didn't understand, she just smiled and held my hand. Rent a flat above a shop, cut your hair and get a job. Smoke some fags and play some pool, pretend you never went to school. But still you'll never get it right, cos when you're laid in bed at night, watching roaches climb the wall, if you call your Dad he could stop it all. You'll never live like common people, you'll never do what common people do, you'll never fail like common people, you'll never watch your life slide out of view, and dance and drink and screw, because there's nothing else to do. Sing along with the common people, sing along and it might just get you through, laugh along with the common people, laugh along even though they're laughing at you, and the stupid things that you do. Because you think that poor is cool. I want to live with common people, I want to live with common people etc... "

"I got my britches on, don't I boy?"

My Great, Great Uncle John just turned 100. He still dips, drinks whiskey and carries a gun. He is the terror of his nursing home. He makes the nurses cringe and the old ladies swoon. He is a hero to the bed ridden and elderly. He is one pretty cool old coot.

He was asked by one of his nephews the other day if he was still packing his little derringer that he ahs carried everyday for the past 3 quarters of a century or longer to which he replied, "I got my britches on, don't I boy?"

Hope I mellow like that when I age.

"We Hate Terrorists"

www.iraq-songs.com "Iraq Unplugged" is a site that every patriotic American that loves good music ought to visit. These young guys Nick Brown and JR Schultz along with their buddy Luke Stricklin singer of "American by God's Amazing Grace" cranked out some great acoustic sounds while serving with the 39th Brigade Combat Team in Baghdad last year. The songs range from poignant to funny to down right knee-slapping good. Please check them out and buy a disc. They are proof positive that combat sometimes brings out the best in people. It certainly changed their lives, and their music might change yours. Or not, whatever. They exercised their 1st Amendment right, which they earned in combat as 11 Bush. You have the right to check them out.

Wet dogs, angry women and Ducks on the water

Ok,
"I want to change my clothes, wash my face, put on a happy mood and read my damn book." I have an acquaintance who will be referred to as CJ when I write. She knows who she is. Anyway the preceding quote is from her. She is in Grad school and nearing finals. Needless to say, phone calls with her can range anywhere from "sweetness and light" to "satan's calling..." So I endured a lot of griping, pissing moaning and beratement from her tonight.

On top of that, I have been out of town and had to do some serious grocery shopping. Well, for me, nothing is serious. I look at trips to the store, or anywhere people are gathered as a chance to meet new people and talk to them. Actually, I ran into several folks I know, so I managed to kill some time and do the shopping. I really hate the shopping, but have fun people watching and talking to folks. Kind of sums up my college experience. Had a great time, but class got in the way.

Anyway... came home to feed my wet dogs (which is why I went to the store in the first place). Holy crap they were wet. It rained today one inch short of Biblical flood. They managed to survive by hiding under my canoe under the deck. Ironic, isn't it? They survive a flood UNDER a canoe instead of in it. But I guess I didn't have to explain that, huh?

So towels, growls and bowls of food later, I can move on to making plans for the weekend. It is duck season here in the Mississippi flyway and I am eager to go. My service to my country has precluded me from hunting fowl for 4 of the last 6 seasons. Sure, I have had plenty of opportunity to shoot towel headed terrorists, but they tend to shoot back at the most incovenient time. Plus, no matter how good looking they were in life, I am not allowed to stuff and mount one on my wall at home.

Back to angry women, I need new duck waders. Mine leak, and when I opined about acquiring a new pair, CJ really pitched a fit. Well, honestly, she pointed out that I can patch them and continue to wear them for at least another season. But I hunt with the kind of people that are too snooty for patched waders. It shouldn't matter, but since I am invited to hunt with them, I ought to strive to keep up with the decor. Okay, I am vain and selfish and want new waders. SO there. CJ was right. I can't stand to not have cool new stuff.

Well, never meant to ramble. But I did. No apologies. The quote is at the beginning of my post this time.