dad. veteran. corpsman. geek. human resource. patriot.
"Life's is not about how hard you hit, but how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward"
I am Natalia's daddy! My latest happenings as well as my lil' girls happenings will be posted here as I live them.
I like to read science fiction, fantasy as well as classics and comics. Always looking for recommendations. Like to play video games and board games. Love to watch old movies and shows, as I find them relaxing and entertaining. Last but not least. like to feed the birds and do some gardening.
Proud to be a US Navy Corpsman veteran and part of the Southwest Region Funeral Honor Guard.
" . . . and on the 8th day the Lord created the Corpsman and the Devil stood at attention."
"In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex . . ."
"Tell your story. That's the secret of immortality. The one true way to live forever. "
"We live as we dream. Alone"
"Courage is being scared to death...and saddling up anyway."
Short work week and starting to warm up this week as we enter summer. I am not liking it and hope it cools off just a little bit. Natalia got a some water guns. Wait! Guns for a 3 year old? Isn't that forbidden now? No! She is having much fun with them. I will not dwell in any politics or rants this time around. I lock myself up on my cabin and tune the world out. Simply so much nonsense out there lately. Even a nice little house way out in the corner of Apple Valley would be nice. Well, maybe not with this heat.
Went to see World War Z with Roisin and found the movie entertaining. I knew it was not going to be like the book as the book took a whole different approach to tell the story. Had a great time getting a tour of Apple Valley, the Town of Apple Valley and the movie. Below is a small video clip of what a World War Z movie would be if based on the book. There is already word on a sequel to World War Z, but I don't see a reason for it.
Finished reading A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and found it a nice read. More of a look at two societies and how the 19th century is being developed in the 6th century England to "develop it" by changing religious views and moving out religion from being the leadership role. My next read was Animal Farm by George Orwell. I much liked 1984 as it applies to today and found Animal Farm another book I feel everyone should read. A short read and makes some points about humanity and society. After hearing the Joe Haldeman interview from Sword & Laser and him being one of my favorite authors I decided to read Camouflage after he talked so much about it.
Thus far quiet days with my ex and at home, just the way I like it. I want to wish Roisin and her father a great day as he is 80 years old. It was somewhat of a sad day but one has too step back and admire the amount of things people that age have seen and experienced. It always amazes me the stuff people have gone through. Now imagine an immigrant whom left his home and made the journey to a new and different place. That alone is to admire. Sadly me and my generation will not see nearly as many changes and events as our parents and grandparents. Maybe one reason why I joined the Navy to maybe get a hope of experiencing world changing events even as small as our current events.
Finished reading State Of Fear by Michael Crichton and I highly recommend this book and I feel is a must read for everyone. I decided to stay with Crichton and read Next. I liked Next as it pointed out many things about gene manipulation and gene patents. Coincidence that Crichton died early in life from cancer. Hmmmm. Another must read book for everyone. My next read I decided to finally buy Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. This book may be the very first book written about time travel but it was used to point out society from that era and Twain's time.
I was slowly looking to get my upgrade before I leave and it seems cell phone companies are again screwing consumers. Amazing how they price fix and raise prices even more. Amazing how some cell bills are the same as car payments lately. Now you are paying full price for phones on top of the cell bill itself. No more subsidized phones. I guess I will keep my old phone and when I get back turn it into pre-paid. These companies are going to loose customers once people realize this. Now I hope cell phone companies start to lower the prices of devices as they are too high.
I have to go on a minor rant on a big subject and that is Edward Snowden and this administration treating him like a spy. Funny how they trash his background yet hire him to run the computers that spy on us. Now this administration is eager to catch him to shut him up. An administration whom promised to be transparent and to help whistle-blowers yet they persecute them. On the other hand we we have Holder and the administration providing guns to Mexico causing so much havoc and now Syrian rebels which in turn will be pointing those guns at our military. Yes your sons, daughter, wives and husbands will one day be on the other end of a gun provided by our government. So much secrecy with the IRS and Benghazi to begin with and we are concerned about a guy whom just pointed out what he did. Please, we need to wake up.
Microsoft has decided to change its policies on the new XBOX One after so much backlash. It will no longer require an internet connection and games can be traded as before with no restrictions. However the Kinect sensor and its capabilities are still an issue. Sony however right now ahead with its lower price tag advertised. Also to note I got the urge this week to play some video games which I haven't played in weeks. Wanted to download State of Decay to find out it has been having issues downloading. So I never got to download it to play it. Thanks Microsoft. Playstation on the other hand has released Last Of Us and it looks like game of the year already. For some reason Sony tends to back and put forwards awesome story telling games.
Finally went out to see my brother on Friday. As usual we left late but it was a nice day overall. Natalia doesn't see her uncle often but amazing how much she remembers and likes being around him. Saturday I was back in front of my smoker and cooking all day. Pulled pork again with different rub (mustard based) and apple wood for the smoke. However still didn't come out good. I will now need tips. Maybe higher temps? Better quality meat? Wrap it? Help!
Made employee of the month at work and it really doesn't mean much to me. I go in and do the same work day in day out not looking for recognition. It was funny to get it now as so many pointed out to me I never was recognized while working in my old department where I did so much, took care of so many problems and took on so many responsibilities. But I am happy to see my many associates at the front increasing their numbers thanks to me. No one else takes the time to help them out and care.
I want to quote author R.A. Salvatore in his dedication to his upcoming novel and series as I found it something I live by.
"This book is dedicated to anyone who believes that the hero isn’t the one with the biggest sword, but the one with the biggest heart,
Who believes that doing the right thing is its own reward, simply because it’s the right thing to do,
Who believes in karma, or divine justice, or simply that the greatest reward of all is being able to go to sleep with conscience clear."
Finished reading The Human Division and a bit disappointed at the story. Not as page turner as his previous books. There really was no ending and the story overall seems a small part to a much larger story in the war between the two groups. My next book is State of Fear by Michael Crichton and thus far a page turner. I was hoping to also read Animal Farm but picked up the wrong book at the library. So next week I will go pick it up.
More news on the XBOX One is released and I must say I am an XBOX guy but may not be much longer. Seems they are treating its users like criminals by forcing an internet connection and still not really answering the question about used games but simply going around it like a politician. Not to mention the Kinect will be listening and watching you at all times. Sony is in a real good spot to dominate if it simply does the opposite. I already use my Playstation for all my media and entertainment and now I may go full on to that system.
Drill weekend over and not much work this time around. Again another mandatory Navy wide training. This month we send off Lt. Cmdr. Swearingin (2nd tour to the area) and Lt. Cmdr. Anderson to Afghanistan. More new people to the unit and this batch looks like they are ready to work and be around for a while. HM2 White joined us this weekend and it was great to see him and make fun of him.
Spent one day this past weekend with my grandma and Natalia and it was a nice time. My grandma is doing and looking good as years past and may hopefully end up staying just a bit longer.
Finished reading The Last Threshold and I found it a good story and left me wanting to know more. Eagerly await R.A. Salvatore's next book to see what it will bring as it will be a six book series. My next book was Make Room! Make Room by Harry Harrison and I know I can expect anything from this author. This book was the inspiration for the movie Soylent Green. However the book was not a traditional Harrison book and found it to my liking. I recommend this book to anyone as it was a nice quick read. I then jumped back into Scalzi with his latest novel The Human Division and thus far half way through it and not as catchy and special as his previous books.
Work has been extremely busy. I don't know why so busy. Everyone says beginning of the month as all those government welfare cards get reloaded but I've never seen it this busy. As many know I get irked at the welfare system as I see it abused daily. So many of these cards I see not belonging to the actual buyer and more and more every month being able to cash out their benefits. Seems every store nowadays makes most of their money from the government. Not just Wal-Mart as I see bigger and bigger signs in fast foods places, Target, gas stations, etc... I'm waiting to see a nice white and green one in Starbucks. Even cooked food is now added. Are people too lazy to actually cook their food. Won't be long before anything can be obtained with welfare benefits. We are becoming a welfare state where many are becoming accustomed to believing the government will provide them with anything they need. I understand some people really need the help but it is not what I see. Just recently numbers have started to come out on the figures spent yearly on this program and it has grown substantially over the past couple of years.
Also in the news and finally mainstream Americans seeing how this administration has been spying not only on journalists but in citizens. It is not news to me as it has been happening for sometime now with these huge data centers being used and built to funnel all our cell and internet traffic so it can be scanned and saved. Some amy start to slowly see much stuff online being "blocked" from such popular sites like Facebook and Google searches as these companies clearly are some being used for this. Maybe now more and more people will wake up and see how we are slowly becoming a slave state. The huge push to un-arm us, the push to spy on us, the slow indoctrination of Islam culture being pushed to us, the push to bypass and maybe erase some of our constitutional rights, and the lack of jobs forcing so many of us to become government dependent or just to submit. As our president says many times - "Just getting by" which appears to be the new motto for America. The land of the middle class just getting by. I am very skeptic on the recent attacks in U.S. soil from what we are told are Islam radicals. Seems more and more are happening and never before even through our long cold war, while our administration keeps arming groups in Africa, the middle east and even Mexico. A clear example Americans are seeing now in the Benghazi killings as the truth us slowly coming out, not to mention the current turn of events in Mexico and I dare say the unexplained "deaths" of the many U.S. Navy SEAL sailors. With this all being said I know this administration has definitely flagged my little blog and all is being stored. Hey! President, can I also have some space to store my photo and music files in your servers? LOL
I have a little rant - Why is it hard to get hot sauce at a fast food place? They have too many types. Want hot sauce? Yes. Hot hot sauce. Please just make one and that is the choice. If you don't want hot sauce then don't ask for it. Mild, medium, hot, inferno? Just one, please.
