So Come Pick Me Up, I've Landed

I'm here in Okinawa again. The trip taught me three things:

1) An airport is an aweful place to spend a Saturday morning. It possesses all the stale coloring and lysol smells of a hospital, but lacks the walls. Depression sets in almost immediately, both in the blue-grey and torn vinyl seats, and as you think about how you can spend 57 minutes until boarding. 'Buy a sandwich and a water: 15 minutes. Buy a new Magazine: 4 minutes. The time it takes to read until I convince myself it'll be better on the plane: 8 minutes. Then there's 27 minutes of pure waiting for a flight that will last 13 hrs, 27 minutes, and will be plum-full of people that would rather be somewhere else.

2) A good book goes a long way. This time, I discovered Jonathon Foer's 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close', about a boy coping with the passing of his father. He finds a key in his father's closet, and is determined t0 search the five boroughs of New York in order to find what it unlocks. He's a little quirky, since his father died in the World Trade Center buildings.

3) It stinks when your ride is absent without leave (AWOL) in a foreign country where you cannot speak to anyone. Yes, I've been on the island before, but my adventuring only brought me to the OTHER half of the island. I rode a bus for about 5 minutes, until I saw a road I knew, then flagged down a cabby. He didn't know where I was going or what I was saying. We laughed alot. It was late. I basically used hand signals and said "go." Then I arrived at the front gate of a base (not the one I wanted to be at) that my old pal DG lives at. After a 5 minute walk, his dogs were doing more than the doorbell to get him down the steps in his pajamas. I used his phone to figure out where I had a reservation at, and it turned out I knew exactly where it was. He was curteous enough to give me a ride in that big van that I'd borrowed last summer. And then at the front desk, 2 hours after I arrived, stood my ride.

I guess there is one fourth thing I learned, is have some paperwork. I had no orders, which is a requirement when using a military passport. That gave me some hell through customs. Three people arguing with me in Japanese, while I said "NO orders, I'm here for recreation." Total Lie.

No Fish...Boat Problems

Well, I didn't catch a thing. The tides were a little fast, and the water a little cold. I did snap this picture of a pelican. It was nice out there too. Paul's son, Nick, was having a good time. At first his 9 yr old hands were clenched to the seat, just in case his body had a wild sensation of being thrown out. I remembered perching on top of an inner-tube when I was that age. I was deathly afraid of the craw-dad's that were on the bottom of the river we were floating down. After 3 hours of floating, I could barely move. But Nick was braver than I was at that age. He even drove a little.

The boat gave me a scare after we were ready to come in. It didn't want to give me any power. No start. I had to re-drop the anchor and play with some wires. Then it didn't want to find neutral to start. Then it wouldn't start, but would turn over. I'd adjusted the air/gas ratios that morning and threw the whole thing into a tiffy. But finally it ran.

Japan, take 2

Tomorrow I return to Okinawa, Japan. This trip is not under as good of circumstances as last trip. I'm a character witness in a Court Martial. I'll be there for a week, and then come home shortly before heading to Arizona. Today I have the day off, and I'm going to go fishing again. It's beautiful outside. If I have any luck, I'll post some pictures before I leave.

Shark Bait, Woo Ha Hah

Alison's Dad, Dave, and I went fishin' on Sunday. We each caught one of these bonnet-head shark. This thing was NOT as passive as it looks above, because that was after fighting for about 10 minutes. It was a little less than three feet long.

I had lots of fun, and can't wait to go again! Probably won't get to until June though, with my upcoming trips to Japan and Arizona.

Here's one of it fighting...

I Miss My Cat

Losing the Race

Wow. Lately I've come home from work bushed. I have no energy. And the progress around the house is nixed. In fact, I'm even losing the race with daily chores lately. The yard keeps growing. There's still stumps in the front yard that I pulled out but didn't remove. There's a pile of wood in back that needs burned. The dishes even got me last night. Alison knew I was tired and instructed me to go to bed. I said, "No, I have too much to do, like unload the dish-washer."

"It can wait," she retorted. And she was right. I was like a player on the bench after a long game in a losing battle. I was unwilling to give up, but too tired to make a difference.

So I showered and went to bed. (I did unload and reload the dishwasher though, but only so I wouldn't think about it in bed)

I know it's because I've been occupied each of the last 4 weekends. When you stand at the base of the mountain, it looks bigger. If you're already walking, who notices.

Beautiful

I recently re-discovered this picture.

I hope she gets better soon. That 15hrs sitting in a car killed her.

Journey of a Thousand Miles? Better change your oil..

In preparation for this weekend's return to Indiana, I serviced the truck today.
-Oil Change
-Rotate Tires
-Inflate all tires to 39PSI, spare to 22.
-Air Filter Change
-Reverse Light Bulb replacement
-Steam Clean Carpet
-Rain-keeper-outers for windows (allows ventilation)
-Fuel System Cleaner

And you know what? I feel like it's a new truck. I'm more confident in it now, and more happy with it. All I needed was to give it some attention. I still want to change the rear differential fluid and transmission fluid sometime. New brakepads are in it's future too. But those can wait. None of the stuff above could.

See ya'll on the road.

What We Do With Our Time

Think of a 5 yr old kid being hurled into the pool for the first time. He's in the shallow end, but he doesn't realize it with the frantic flailing he's doing. He's sure he's going to drown. He's meeting his maker soon. And his body's getting more and more exhausted by his panic. Finally his movements slow and he learns that he can move slower and keep his head above the water. He can still breathe. Then he learns to stand in water that's shallow enough. From dying to relaxing was a state of mind.

That's where I'm at both professionally and here at home. I'm a five year old about in the middle stage, where I'm learning that slower movements can still be effective. Smooth is fast.

I still have that overwhelmed feeling, because I know I'm letting details go, and that it'll take longer to reach the edge of the pool if I'm simply treading water. But I'm too tired to keep panicking.

I've had to relax.

Recurring Themes.

1) Too many projects. I've got a laundry list of details to do with the house, and no time, organization, or starting point. Sound like an earlier post? Yeah, well, I still haven't learned the art of completing details.

2) Time away from Alison. I gathered a team to complete in the exhausting and challenging Bulldog Challenge at the Citadel yesterday. Combine that with having to work this afternoon, and it feels like I haven't seen my wife all weekend.

3) Days Go By. On Tuesday a new guy asked what I did prior to this tour. He assumed I was about 33 and prior-enlisted. Am I looking old? Do I just project an 'experienced' persona? If the former is true, am I still attractive to Alison?

And this last number is the cunundrum all of us face in different levels. Ever wake up and stand in front of the mirror thinking, "damn, I wish I had a new face." Or atleast had some different physical qualities? Why do we do that? Because we're not on TV. Not in a magazine. Never going to be. For the most part, I don't feel like that often at all. But when someone assumes your old, and you get your butt kicked by youngsters during a 7.5 mile sandbag run, one wonders: Have I lost my edge?

Another Thanks

Another thanks to Dad is for the recessed lighting fixtures he gave me. I've just installed the first one, over the hall where the laundry room, bedroom and closet combine. I'd always hated that cubby because of its darkness. Now it looks pritty good...

Seven more to install. One in the closet, one or two in each bathroom, and some over the bar/countertop?

Thrilled to the Gills (save the local driving habits)

So for my week's work at Dad's, he surprised me by hiding a check for my utility trailer (I'd been wanting for so long) in my wiring book! Talk about clutch! That made my year. Thanks, Dad. Here's the trailer. I'm sure we'll both get good use out of it.

On a side note, where have all the good drivers gone? I try to make a habit of letting people go (letting them pull out in front of me if I'm stopped, etc). One a day is about my average. But lately everyone that's taken my kindness has snuffed me. They just pulled out as if I were not there at all. No wave. No nod. No looking back. I'll tell you what, Mr and Mrs No-Good-Driver, this is the SOUTH, where you're supposed to nod and wave and say "thanks, ya'll."

Go back up north! Just kidding. But I do understand when southerners get that little chip against the yanks. I'll still let you go next time. And the next too. But just bear in mind, karma's a b%&#^.

The Balcony

I had a good week at Dad's. His bathroom is going to be uber-nice, and I'm jealous. You can't do too much plumbing or remodeling with slab-on-grade houses. I'll never have a huge master-bath. If I did, the sink, toilet and shower would be all close together still. Anyways, I learned a lot at Dad's; I hadn't done recessed lighting, new circuits, tile and grout, etc in a very long time.

Alison's got that pinched nerve in her lower back again. She's laid out and has a fever. We may have to go to the doctor soon. That means she won't attend the Mardi Gras party tonight! I built this faux-balcony from which we'll throw beads tonight. Do you think balcony in New Orleans when you see it?

The Balcony

I had a good week at Dad's. His bathroom is going to be uber-nice, and I'm jealous. You can't do too much plumbing or remodeling with slab-on-grade houses. I'll never have a huge master-bath. If I did, the sink, toilet and shower would be all close together still. Anyways, I learned a lot at Dad's; I hadn't done recessed lighting, new circuits, tile and grout, etc in a very long time.

Alison's got that pinched nerve in her lower back again. She's laid out and has a fever. We may have to go to the doctor soon. That means she won't attend the Mardi Gras party tonight! I built this faux-balcony from which we'll throw beads tonight. Do you think balcony in New Orleans when you see it?