Amazed!

Here I am again. A few days ago temperatures have started to drop and the feeling of fall is in the air. I must say it has been over a year since I felt cold weather. But now as I post the temperatures started to climb up. Normal for October to have both. Sometimes very hot while other years we get our first snowfall.

Been playing board games and doing puzzles with Natalia and she loves to do puzzles. I have managed to get some really good games thanks in part to the videos at the Dice Tower. Also in the sloooow process of putting together an all around game room downstairs.

Also, back to drill this week as I now find out am able to go due to this false case my ex-wife brought against me (see below). I will say I am very disappointed on this unit and its structure. Lots of new faces and I quickly saw many rather sit around and do nothing. I being the way I am found myself conducting many procedures with the very few hard workers of the unit. Also word is the Navy is changing to where units may deploy together.I know find myself deciding if I should re enlist another two years and continue to serve. Sadly seeing how the state of California treats single fathers let alone members of the military. For the welfare of my daughter, I may not be able to continue to serve. Sadly another will have to be courageous enough and have the commitment to step up.

Went on a nice hike on Camp Creek Trail (1W09) but after an hour of hiking downhill decided to head back and didn't make it to Bear Creek. This is a tough trail and will be more ready next time. Yuli did great and had no problems. A couple of water breaks for Yuli and lots of sweating for me. Very scenic and next time I want to make it to the creek.

Enough small talk! Many know on the tail end of my deployment I was served through email less than 24 hours notice to appear in court for what I came to find out later was accusations of sexual misconduct against my father as well as accusations that my father was a convicted felon among other stuff. My command was rather shocked not of the case but that a service member could be served like this and what a few days later find out the case was not pushed but ruled upon against federal law (Service Members Civil Act). But I was not surprised since living in California I already knew service members are not thought of highly. When I finished my deployment and started to investigate the matter it became apparent that my ex-wife had lied and in a sense paid of a psychiatrist to write a bogus story and lie about evidence. Fast forward to October 8 and I finally get my day in court after spending thousands and being treated like a criminal. The truth comes out where my ex-wife and her attorney (Steven Becker) pointed fingers at each other blaming the false accusations. I am still amazed two adults act in such a way and the legal system has no punishment. In the end I wasted 4 hours of another day on this and never was heard in court or had the pleasure to stand in front of the judge to get an apology. What happened was 20 minutes behind closed doors between the attorneys and judge and I go home. No idea what happened or outcome. I am guessing they realized the law was violated and the other attorney got to lie more and save face. I am amazed anyone can make such false claims and I be treated guilty and have to prove innocence. In the end not only did I find out everything was false since the supervisor at the mental health clinic told me and in his report stated my daughter was shy and not talkative. And the person whom they claim my father was is another person still in jail at this time. Both my ex-wife and her disgraceful attorney lied about this whole thing. Or as they said - "It was his/her idea". To put a 4 year old child through all this and a service member serving this country through these lies and no repercussion. I know am in the hopes that in public record there has been some action against this and again I will have to spend more money and time in court to hope to get some kind of punishment to these people for their actions or as they put it "idea".

It Has Been A While

It has been a long time since I last sat down an wrote an entry. I am home and been taking a few months off from work since I was given so much time. In the meantime working around the house and doing the many projects I have been wanting to do and the rest of the time watching old shows. I am very lucky to not have broadcast TV and see all these stupid shows and commercials and be fed the propaganda. I just watch old shows and have no clue on whats new in media or ads. I get all my news from No Agenda so I don't fall for the lies and propaganda being fed by the big media.

In a few weeks I again find myself in court answering to yet more lies and bogus accusations. These will never end. Also will be making a big decision in a few months as to whether I should re-enlist or not. I really want to keep serving but sadly it is and will affect my custody with Natalia. It couldn't be any clearer that the state of California sees military service as a bad thing. I however have not been drilling but have had to show up for requirements and I will be honest and say I do not like what I have seen lately of the unit and the new people that have arrived. Lots of bodies doing nothing and sadly this is the attitude taken in the real job thus putting more on the other more disciplined and dedicated corpsmen.

Lately been playing lots of board games with Natalia and reading history books. Natalia loves to play board games and we already have a nice sized library with a few favorites. I have to recommend the Dice Tower videos as I have gotten many great recommendations there thus giving enjoyment to Natalia and me.

My reading has slowed down drastically due to the traveling and stress but I am lately on a history book "kick" and wanting to know the truth behind major American events. So that is always hard to find the real story. I can already see that history tends to repeat itself and if more leaders would learn history they can see how some events seem to repeat itself and mistakes be done multiple times. I can imagine 50 years from now what will be written of the so many conflicts today. I can tell you that to read the truth may be impossible.

Finished reading a book on the Crusades and a history everyone should be aware. It shows that in the year 2014 there are certain areas in that region that have always been debated over and the birth of such brutalities we see now days. Also finished reading the popular 1776 book and found it good but very narrow on its scope. This just leads to others. Now I am reading 1775 which will hopefully give me an insight on what lead to the revolution. I will also be seeking in the near future books on the civil war and the reasoning behind it in particular.

 Also back to riding my mountain bikes but only once  a week with the "AARP" group. I truly like to ride with these guys and gals. When that is not possible I slowly started to run again and keeping up with my 10 km distance in hopes on extending that.

Natalia has been going to pre-school with me and liking it and staying at home and ton all the time. Haven't been going to as many hikes as I have been wanting with Yuli. Oh Yuli! She is our new addition. I finally decided to have another dog and after much hassle and looking at local shelters I found a puppy and now she is part of this family. I do hope she likes the snow.

I hope to now be back to normal slowly and post more here.

And I'm Back!

I am back in the mainland and the last stop before getting home. I got the extended stay in Norfolk and with four days off here I decided to take the trip of a lifetime and visit and walk the many historic sites around. Sites from the revolutionary war to the civil war. My trip here started with a day spent in downtown Norfolk where I visited the McArthur Memorial, walked the Freemason district and spotted mermaids all around town. My historic road  trip started in Yorktown and the visit of the battlefield and the town nearby. From there went over to Colonial Williamsburg where a threat of rain was above all day thus cancelling my trip to Jamestowne. The road between these towns is the Colonial Parkway and I must say a very scenic and beautiful road.

The following day I spent the night in the outskirts of D.C where I made my way through Baltimore to Ft. McHenry where the birth of our national anthem and I got the honors to hoist the ceremonial flag that morning for colors. It was amazing. From there I made my way through Maryland and the back roads through Pennsylvania to Gettysburg and must say those roads where beautiful and scenic. Drove around the town of Gettysburg and walked some of the battlefield and the cemetery where Lincoln made his historic address. That afternoon I made my way to Antietam and drove around the battlefield.

"He who does not work does not eat"

- John Smith, Jamestowne 1609

On Day 3 of my trip I spend the previous night in Manassas and woke up to a cool breezy morning in the Manassas battlefield. This one is all walking through the grassy fields and saw a few people going to run it. I wish I did this as it would have been a run to remember. Here I also saw the site of the battle of Bull Run. From there I made my way back across to Mt. Vernon and walked the whole grounds and visited the inside of the mansion. I was impressed at its beauty and simplicity. Also impressed to see where George Washington passed and his resting place. From there I made my way to George Washington's birthplace. and was kind of surprised this site was not as glamorous as Mt. Vernon. The house built in the 1930s to represent the Washington house was found to be the wrong dimensions a few years later. The original house was much smaller.

Day 4 and last of my trip I made it to Jamestowne and the first landing of the Virginia Company. I found Jamestown very interesting in its history and timeline. Amazed still how such a small group with so many threats around them managed to survive and spread through out this nation thus giving birth to what we now know as this great nation. The small fort built and a few years later the town spread outside the walls. The first landing site I was amazed to see in the "back corner" of a military in Ft. Story. This to me predating the landing of the Pilgrims and being the landing place of the group responsible for our birth.

After this trip I spent the last week in lectures helping us "re integrate" back to the world and spend the last few days with those very few left behind. I will miss everyone as we got even closer in the last month since moving back to Tent City in Camp America.We got to share stories that we didn't share while on deployment. Still much is secret! Shhhhh.

Almost Home

A handful of days left to go here and now I really need to get home to deal with legal issues. I saw these coming as I knew my ex would never loose a chance to cause problems and stress. Sadly this time she is making huge false accusations and this has got to stop.

Work is starting to get old and today we got to find out what awards we are given and though I am not surprised I am getting the lowest award. I did see it coming from how this command works. The sub standard work is awarded. Call me stupid for having my hopes up. I would like to decline my award out of principle and for my self being. Without saying much I can say I have done more of the work here than most if not all and no recognition. Sadly this is the new society we live in. I do leave this place knowing I truly worked every area here and got to experience more than most.

"Believing takes practice"

- Madeleine L'Engle

I go home in hopes of seeing Natalia as now sadly it is uncertain how long before I see my daughter. Sadly how a father has to fight so hard to take care and raise his children. Now I can see why so many fathers are alienated. The system tries very hard to cause this and I feel the courts are to blame.

My last few days I have stopped running sadly due to stress and my reading has slowed down. Sleep has become a luxury due to this and work schedule. A time where I was hoping to enjoy my last few days here is not going to be. However I am very proud to have served and done my part for myself. Very few sacrifice themselves and families to serve. We get the lip service but not many truly appreciate and see the sacrifice many put themselves through to serve this country. I have seen men and women of all ages, dads and moms and even grandparents serve. I am proud to see this and be part of the few that serve.

Countdown Continues.

I have 26 days and a wake up left and now ready to leave this place. This last few weeks have been very repetitive and now looking forward to leaving. I've been running my normal 10kms on my days off and it was nice moving to the mainside for more routes but soon I will move back to "Camp A Tent City" for our last days here. Another adjustment but at least it is the last stop here.

Haven't talked with Natalia in a while and nothing I can do about that. I do hope I get to see her at the airport and my time with her continues as before with no problems. I look forward to seeing my home and relaxing there before going back to the real world. Also look forward to seeing those special people in my life.

While here I have wanted to try a cigar and a few months back I made that happen and to my surprise I enjoy a cigar every now and then here. As usual I set up a routine here and by the picture you can see what it is. As many have seen my posts here have been very minimal as I can't talk about my work or much here publicly but I will have some stories to share.

T Minus 50!

So far I have less than 2 months left here and looking forward to getting home. Now back to working the night shift and changing my day to day habits. Also moved locations from where I was staying in Camp America to mainside. I don't like it here as much but at least I now have different running routes. Still running every day off and slowly getting comfortable with the 10km distance and slowly moving it up to 15kms. My days here now consist of sleeping, working, eating whenever possible as schedule permits. Reading, running and catching up in cycling on my days off.

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplismhment"

 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Natalia is doing good from my short contact with her over the months and doesn't seem to be affected. I will see when I return home and hopefully she wasn't affected by my deployment and we can pick up where we left off. I can't wait to go out on hikes with her and play board games and get her into reading.

Finished reading Bitter Seeds and a book I previously read but wanted to read the story again. Also picked up American Gods and will be reading that again as well as I do not recall the story.

Wish I could say more but not much here and can't talk about work but it has been an eye opener and quite an experience for sure thus far.

Happy Birthday To Me

Well, I recently celebrated my birthday here as well as the day after. Why the day after? That was the day my life took another huge change. A day I always will remember. About 70 days left to go here before I make my way to Norfolk for processing back home. Things the same here and in a way wanting to go home but not to leave the simple life here, as you can see from my tiny garden and chair. This is what I've been calling home for over 6 months. The first wave from my group left a few weeks ago and I slowly get new people to train for replacements. I look forward to a few running events coming up and hope to be able to do them as I will be switching back to a night shift.

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

- Oscar Wilde

Now I am running 10kms every day off and getting more comfortable with that distance. Reading is back to normal thus far and just finished an interesting book in The Day After Roswell. Also word is many of us may be moving location and not looking forward to that as I am already settled here and don't want to deal with a move for a few weeks and then another to temp area, but that is the way here.

Natalia is doing good and I get to Skype with her every two weeks. I cant wait to have her next to and to carry her and to have her home with me.

I'm Ready

Well I am ready to go home and still about three months left here. We lost the first member of our close team and already he is missed and I already know he can never be replaced. a few more months enduring the "bullshit" here which has become the norm. The actual job is not a problem. However, I guess it is good because now I want to leave and not really miss the place.

Away from work it is still the same for me. Reading, running and watching the clouds fly by is my normal days off. Last Saturday was a 10 mile trail run where I was able to run it and it went rather well as I didn't mess up my ankle and didn't feel wasted. A decent turn out and I was hoping much bigger for these running events in this place but lots of lazy people around. The trail was very familiar to me and and I felt comfortable on it. In the end I kept my pace and finished in 1h 34m. This month I ran 132kms around this place and hope to make it over 150kms next month.

Still reading my normal pace and finished a rather interesting book in Looking Backward 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy published in 1888. Amazing the views and predictions the author made back in the 1888. Already have a nice stack of books to read here.

Natalia is doing good and our communication, though not often it is good for me to hear her and see her.

Where's Winter?

Not writing much as things here are always the same and I can't talk about work. What I will say is that I am now looking forward to getting out of here. I've done all aspects of the job here and a little disappointed at the command here but that seems to be the norm. Soon we will loose a big part of the team and that spot may be hard to fill. In such a short time I have come to get close with very few people and the time is slowly coming to part ways.

"My greatest skill in life has been but to want little"

 

- Henry David Thoreau 

I am running more and more and hope to maintain that regimen. I am working to 10k with a good pace and slowly upping that distance to 15km. Also doing more trail runs, which are slowly getting boring as not many choices for trails. Reading also has been a big part of my time here and lately re-read Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman as well as Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Now reading one of these popular thrillers in The Fifth Assassin by Brad Meltzer.

Weather here is the same everyday as you can see by the picture. Early February and beach weather every day here. Many like this but I always welcome some kind of change to remind me of the movement of time. As someone put it to me the other day- "It is like Groundhogs day everyday here". I sit outside and read while taking in the quietness and peace while present as this will not always be.

So far everything has been good with Natalia as I try to call her as much as possible considering my schedule. Every time she is having a great time with my parents and I can't wait to get home and see her face and get back to normal.

New Year. New Beginnings. And A Birthday!

Happy New Year! A memorable day for me spent here at work with my awesome crew. This new year I will spend half of it away from family. I do hope for strength to get through the bullshit at this command and hope our team stays together as long as possible to help us through. Resolutions already set and see how this year ends.

Also this week was Natalia's 4th birthday and one I am away from her. I am sure she had a great time and I can't wait to be home to be with her for her next birthday. Her Christmas sounded great as she finally got all the gifts Santa left her at the many places.

Finished reading Ready Player One and found this a very fun book and one I recommend to anyone into gaming and the 80s. Currently reading Neuromancer see the classic it is and the vision it created. Also finally cracked open the Munchkin game and playing that here with another gamer. So far a very fun game.

Things at work are changing a little but as many know I can't go into too much detail. The weather here seems to never change, but for a few brief seconds we had some milder temperatures but we are back to normal heat now. I can see how anyone would get spoiled here by the constant weather. As always I try to get as much running as possible but always seem to fail. Finally ran Skyline trail which is the "big" trail here and though rather short it is a somewhat scenic route with additional off trails to make for a challenging run and some I just power hiked.