Hello Again! & Part 1

Hi there! Since nobody ever read the other two blogs I posted a long time ago I guess I'll be starting over in a sense. My last entry was two years ago and much has happened with me in that time. I guess the biggest thing happened last year. Right around this time in 2009 I was preparing to go on the biggest adventure of my life, a deployment to Afghanistan. My unit was all finished with training and now we were just hanging around at Camp Shelby, Mississippi waiting for word to come down that it was our turn to leave. The day finally came the morning after the Super Bowl. Everyone piled onto charter buses and headed to the Gulfport Airport. Once we got there most of us had to pitch in and help load all of the baggage into the belly of the plane. That took the rest of the morning and half of the afternoon. Once that was accomplished we were all in our seats, the plane lifted off and nobody knew where we were going to land 1st. We knew though when we landed. I still don't know what Goose Bay Newfoundland really looks like because when we were there all you could see was the snow. I've lived in some pretty chilly places but I can say that I have never seen as much snow as I did at that re-fueling stop. I think it was the coldest place I've ever been too. Brrrrr! At least they had good hot coffee in the terminal. In a couple of hours we were back on the plane heading to our next stop. We landed in Iceland next and all I remember about being there was the fact that I really wanted a cigarette. Unfortunately the terminal didn't allow smoking and to make matters worse, we were not allowed to go outside! If I never go to Iceland again I won't feel bad I assure you. The next part of the flight really took a long time and I was glad when we landed in Leipzig, Germany. At least I could smoke and stretch out after being cramped in my seat for hours. So far every stop we had made sense to me and were at least slightly interesting because I had never been to any of those spots before. I couldn't really figure out the next one though. We landed at this airport in Romania and the whole surrounding area looked pretty desolate. There was no heat on in the terminal and we seemed to be the only people there at all. Eventually we got back on the plane for the last leg of this part of our journey. When the plane touched down for the final time we were at a military air base in a place I never dreamed of being in, especially since I had begun my time in the Army back during the Cold War. We were in one of the breakaway republics from the old Soviet Empire, Kyrgistan. All I could think of was that all those decomposing commies from Lenin to Breshniev must be spinning in their graves. The place wasn't bad, either, since our Air Force had come in and obviously renovated the place. Sleeping on a cot in a big clamshell tent wasn't the greatest, but the food in the dining hall was really good and the weather was tolorable considering it was February. Now all we would have to do is hang out for a couple of days or so until we take our next flight into Afghanistan. Stay tuned for Part 2!

Why I think the Super Bowl is like New Years Eve

It's that time of year again! The 1st weekend of February is fast approaching and we all know what that means, don't we? The biggest game of the year will be played on Sunday, this year starring The New England (I wish they would stop winning so much) Patriots and The New York (even though they only play in that state if they have to travel to Buffalo for a road game) Giants. My only interest in the whole thing this year is the fact that New England is poised to make sports history if they win. That's the only thing that could make me really interested since I am not a fan of either team. 19-0 in one season is a remarkable achievement in the NFL and since it's never happened before I hope it does because I like seeing history as it happens. I won't actually be watching the game, mind you. I have to work that day and the game will be going on during my shift. I really wish they would make Super Sunday a paid national holiday and I think it would be a great idea to move the game itself to Saturday also.
But back to my original theme. Yes, I think the Super Bowl is like New Years Eve. Why? Because just like that end-of-the-year celebration The Super Bowl brings out all of the amatures. Not only do the people (like me) who live and die with each NFL season get wrapped up in all the hoopla, but many folks who have little or no idea about what is actually going on on the field suddenly become interested in the game. They show up at Super Bowl parties and sports bars and make the atmospheres at these places more crowded than they would be without them. And they drive the real football fan crazy, asking inane questions, chatting about work and their kids rather than focusing on the game and blocking everyone's view of the TV reaching for the nachos and dip. And of course they even try to root for one of the teams (even though they probably couldn't name any of the players involved normally, Tom Brady notwithstanding). And if the team they have decided to cheer on happens to win, they become a fan of that team, at least until the next season starts or till the start of the next Super Bowl week.
Now really, is there anything wrong with these one weekend a year football fans? I don't suppose there is. They aren't really hurting anybody and it's only one day out of the year. So go ahead all you fly-by-night football fans, whoop it up with everybody else and have a good time! Just make sure you have a good designated driver! Besides, I am not a fan of college basketball, but I will be submitting my brackets on a few sports pages come March so who am I to talk, huh?

Hello World!

Hi there, Everybody! I am brand new to the blogging world and I feel like I am flying by the seat of my pants doing this. I am the kind of person that learns how to do something better by actually doing it, rather than just reading how to do it. I have a number of interests and I have opinions on many subjects just like the rest of you. Any tips or suggestions you can throw my way to help me get this thing off the ground would be greatly appreciated.