Back to blogging?

It has been almost a year since I last posted here. Alot has happened in that time, most of which obviously wasn't worth writing about! So here I am a year later, re-evaluating the need to keep blogging. I'm not sure why I even opened up the site. I had almost forgotten my password.

But here I sit. And as I think back over the past year and what actually DID happen that was worth repeating I find that I have a rather uneventful life. So blogging may make me sad! Of course I am looking at my life from the point of view of the man who lived it, so maybe the details will be more interesting to others.

When you stop bloging for a while it is like having a train of thought derailed. I would have to go back and read my own posts to see just what I have already told you, lest I become that old guy who repeats the same stories over and over. So I'll try to avoid that and try to avoid reviewing my own material as well.

So where am I now. I guess in many ways I am revisiting some of the same old ruts: wish I was back in NC, wish I hadn't left active duty, wish, wish, wish. But some things have changed and some neat things have happened: I finally finished Company Command and I got promoted in the Army Guard, I have to travel all the time for my civilian job, my neice is now on her way to stardom with her new TV gig, I survived the big tornado outbreak in Alabama (April-May '11). So things aren't all the same.

I am starting a new round of workouts using P90X. Yes, from the infomercials. Started yesterday. We'll see how that goes. Seems OK so far.

A New Start

Well after 11 years at the same company I am finally making a change. Change can be forced upon you once in a while, as this one was, but it gives you a chance to clean house in the process, reevaluate your goals, and/or start over.

In this case we are talking about a job. My work as a DoD Contractor was thinning out back in April-May. To float me through the summer I took some time on active duty for the Alabama National Guard teaching at the Officer Candidate School (OCS) and just got back on Sunday. I am now back at the office, turned in my 2 weeks notice, and am starting a new gig on 25 August with another company.

In the mean time, I will be enjoying some down time between jobs, doing some honey-do's, swimming in the pool at the sis-in-laws, etc.

I wasn't thrilled to be job searching in this economy, especially with a wife, 4 kids, 2 dogs and a llama to feed. Not to mention bills. Frankly, I do favor electricity when I can get it! But this job came to me. The internet is a wonderful thing even if it is used to spy on our every move. I guess whoever was spying on me saw I needed a job and took pity. LOL!

Drama...always drama

I suppose as I get older I should expect more and more drama in my life. My kids have drama, my siblings have drama, my siblings kids have drama, drama at work, drama at home, drama in the Army...always drama.

I'm so sick of drama. And everyone comes to me to fix their drama (except my siblings). How is it that I have become the great drama fixer? I would have figured a long time ago that folks knew I could give a crap about their drama. My siblings figured it out. They share their drama so we can laugh about it. But nooooooo. I have become the great drama fixer for the rest of the planet.

Maybe it is because I don't give a crap that folks think I can be fair. But if I don't give a crap, why would you expect me to care about being fair? Just no accounting for some folks.

But if I had to pick one type of drama as my favorite, it would be redneck drama. Redneck drama always involves a few things: alcohol and an arse whippin'. Occasionally it involves a 300lb woman at a Waffle House, but even then you can count on alcohol and arse whippins. Redneck drama is what Jerry Springer makes his living off of.

I can sit an listen to redneck drama stories all day. But what I don't like to do is try to solve redneck drama. Trying to solve it is like a monkey solving a calculus problem. It ain't gonna happen. But I'll listen to it just the same.

Getting involved in redneck drama can get you killed, and normally by the person who asked you to help in the first place.

Junior Leader

Well my oldest boy is in Scouts and was selected this week to be a Patrol Leader. He'll find out real soon how hard being a leader can be, but I have faith in him that he'll rise to the occasion.

Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated

OK, so there are no real rumors of my death, but you may have thought so based on my lack of posts. So this is a feeble attempt to re-start blogging a bit.

I won't try to re-cap the last few months of events, but I will say that I have been busy! The kids are in to all new activities such as Boy Scouts and Heritage Girls. I am attempting to be a scout dad and I'll be honest, I'm enjoying it almost as much as the boys are. I have been on two camping trips with the Scouts and it has been great! The other dads and Scout leaders are just way too much fun. We are sleeping on the USS Alabama next month. So that is the up side.

On the down side I finally got a speeding ticket...after 24 years of a clean record. Worst part is that I deserved the ticket. I won't say I wasn't speeding because I was...and for a stupid reason. I just admitted it and took the ticket. I hate humble pie. Tastes like crap!

But back on the up side, my niece may be coming to Alabama for college at Birmingham Southern. Kinda cool in my opinion. It may be nice to have some family near by.

Gator and the Towtruck

I don't really remember just how I got the nickname Towtruck in college. I do know that Gator gave it to me and he is the only person that calls me that. I think it was because of me dragging him out of a firefight during training or something.

Anyway, me and ol' Gator have been friends for just about 18 years. We were able to get together for a very brief celebration and a football game recently. Here are a few pics.

Me and Gator













Gator, Gary, and me.

Victory is sweet- losing stinks

I am helping coach my two sons' soccer team this year. I am the coach yelling instructions on the side lines and firing up the players. The other coach is the strategist and the one planning substitutions and knows all the rules. I am there for motivation.

We got our first win last night. That set us at 1-1-1. It was good for the boys to finally have a win. We celebrated with a milkshake!

Tonight we got killed by a bigger, faster, and more skilled team. We got crushed. I even quit keeping score. It was pitiful. Now we are 1-2-1.