Born to Hunt...

...because Demon Hunter is awesome.

Are you listening to Sent By Ravens yet? Because they're awesome too. http://www.myspace.com/sentbyravens

Also, I cannot wait for this -> http://www.winterstorm.net/ in 2012. Some of the Best bagpipers from around the world. Less than 500 miles from me. MUST GO.


Also, I've been looking for this item for quite a long while. excited to have finally found it. http://www.boondockstore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=B&Product_Code=710-00-1017

Had enough links yet? Okay then. Onto bigger and better things.

Well, it's Thursday, the 27th of May. Do you know what that means? It means I'm going home tomorrow. Yeah, that's right. I'm going HOME. I am very much excited. It's only four days, but after the experience that has been North Fort Hood, it will be like paradise. I will see so many people in the span of that time, its downright ridiculous. Right now I'm just killing some time waiting for the Xbox to hopefully open up. I wanna get my Mass Effect 2 on. But we'll see. I may just jump into EVE and leave it at that.

So the unit has officially finished all requirements for Validation, and we're just waiting on transportation to hop the pond for the lovely little place the Army likes to call Kuwait. (Okay, so other people call it that too....) Anyway. I caught myself the other day- I almost said "Trans Assets" in reference to the availability of a car. Such things come from eating, drinking, and sleeping Logistics. (Laugh with me, will you? Hahahaha!)

I'm working on my second Character Profile, though this one is harder, as I have to Pseudo-introduce a second character. I'm also still working on my NaNo from last year, hoping to get it finished(I no longer give a rat's behind about word count, i just want to tie the darn thing off) by sometime in September.

Phooey. I'm actually pretty tired today, for no apparent reason. Well, Last, I want to share a passage of Scripture I read this morning that I've been thinking about a lot today.


Romans 11:16-24
If the dough offered as the firstfruits is holy, so then is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back to their own olive tree.

I'm still mulling this over, and I'm not sure why it stuck out so distinctly, but I thought I would share it with y'all. Keep your stick on the ice!

Eve, Pathfinder, a schedule and an update, all rolled into one.

I'm back with another update.... So I'm poking around EVE online, One of the guys here plays and it sounds pretty interesting. Getting very pumped for Pathfinder this weekend, and a little pressured because I don't have the rulebook to create my character.

Next... My theoretical schedule for this weekend.

Friday.
arrive at the DM airport at 940
Go see the chiropractor.
Lunch with whoever picks me up, I imagine.
Drop luggage off at home.
Go to Ankeny, get Int'l Driver's license.
Proceed to WDM, pick up books, visit scheels and coldstone.
Head to Indianola for Sam's Grad Party, then back to Ankeny for Ethan's.
Iron Man 2? Possibly with Polson Family?

Saturday.
Farmers Market(Maybe)
A couple hours to kill at the Starbucks in Ankeny. (pop in and say hello. please.)
Grocery shopping, Home
Pathfinder.

Sunday.
Breakfast with Pastor Jonathan.
Grace Church.
Memorial day dinner with family.
Open after about 1730

Monday.
Some free time, possibly a visit to GONG FU before noon, then back on the road again.

I will be posting on Facebook the exact time I'll be at Starbucks Saturday, if you want to do something Sunday, let me know and we'll schedule it. Same with Monday.

Update.....
Not much to say.
Had a Physical Fitness test Sunday morning, Missed the pushups by 4 and the sit ups by 2, but I got a 15:11 on the 2 mile run. So I'm planning a retake before too long. REALLY excited to be going home for the weekend. Seriously.

NaNoWriMo*

*National Novel Writers Month

I've been asked to dole out some advice/pointers on the subject and, while I'm no expert, I'll give what I can.

First, I'd say start working on what you're looking to do now, rather than wait until November 1st. That's what bit me last year. I woke up to a status update from someone saying they had x number of words already, and I had totally spaced the entire event. But remember, No writing until 0001 on November 1st.

Don't let the number of words scare you. Just set a goal for each day and do that. it's not terribly difficult once you break it down.

Write what you want! Don't let somebody tell you not to or pressure you into writing something that doesn't interest you.

Here's the part that really screws me up. Forget the spelling and grammar! Those corrections are for December. November is for the writing.

Just keep going. Little breaks are fine, But don't skip a day. And work ahead when you can. You can put a lot of pressure on yourself for this, and missing a day won't help you.

Well, that's what I've got. If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to post it. And as always, Keep your stick on the ice.

Existence is War

The philosophy/creed of the Adamantine Arrow. I'm coming to understand this view more and more as time goes on. It's especially true for Christians, I think. We must war against our sin nature, peer pressures, and the world as a whole. We must set ourselves apart, take a stance that puts us opposite to everything the world desires. Some of these Wars are more difficult than others. But those are the ones that really matter, the fights that will define us for the rest of our lives.

But enough of my blah-ing. We've been working out at the ASP or Ammunition Supply Point, this week. It's been pretty boring, as we're not really allowed to touch anything. But we've gotten to watch, and it's been a learning experience.

We went through a test today to establish a baseline for reaction times and such, which will then be used to assess any brain injuries we may have after being around an explosion or a crash of some type. Hopefully they never have to use it, but at least it's there if they need it.

I'm really looking forward to going home next weekend, I can't wait to be able to just go and do whatever for a couple days. See (most) y'all then!

Here, have some!

http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=3826

This is a story about the building we commandeered for our validation exercise. thought somebody might be interested. there's another article I'm trying to find, when I do, I'll post the link.

I can't think of a suitably dramatic title.

So the last week was pretty draining. It's been 12 hour days, so I haven't had much in the way of personal time. Got some Bioshock in on Saturday. Interesting game, but I wish I had Lost Planet 2 instead. Watched Avatar again... And I've been reading a whole lot of Sherlock Holmes. I finished up medical this morning- and I don't have HIV. WHOOOOO! Man, I dodged a bullet on that one. I was really worried for a minute.

I figure I can probably give y'all an idea of what it is I actually do for my "job." Most of you know I'm an Ammunition Specialist, or 89B if you wanna Google it. My actual position in my unit is an Ammunition Stock Control Manager. (Or something close to that. It doesn't really matter, it's just fancy words.) My unit is a Sustainment Command. We (Mostly) are responsible for the management of stockage levels of all types of supplies for the entire country of Iraq, or we will when we get there. Obviously, I will deal specifically deal with ammunition. We will likely run 7 1/2 hour shifts once we arrive in country, so I should have more free time in a given day than I have here.

Ummmm... other happenings... PT test this weekend, so prayer would be appreciated, they always make you nervous, no matter how much you've prepared. And there's a lot resting on this for me, so I'm feeling a bit more pressure than usual. We're going to work in the Ammunition Supply Point here this week, to get a little hands on training. Not sure what next week will bring, but next Friday morning I'll be flying home for Memorial day weekend.

As always, comments are appreciated, as are questions. Thanks for reading!

P.S. Comments are open to anyone now. 

NDE.... or not.

So Friday I had a really bad reaction to my smallpox vaccination. I had a fever all day, and I felt like crap. The vaccination site was all swollen and it was just not fun in general. I feel much better now.

Hmmmm.

Not much else has been going on... We got the weekend off. I managed to finish my Character Profile, and I'm now doing some work on my NaNo novel from last year before I start the next Character Profile. (Mostly because I'm waiting on Travis Stewart to send me the bio for his character. So if you like this one, put some pressure on him. Love you, Bud!) I'm linking up with some of the other "Nerds" in my unit, looking at getting involved with a D&D game while I'm in Balad. Which I'm a little excited for, because I've never played.

Aaaand now I'm being forced to put in headphones because the idiots across the room have the basketball game up too loud. I'm starting into The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 1, put out by Barnes and Noble. I finished Acts today and I'm moving on to Romans tomorrow. I haven't been so good at journaling yet, but I'm working on it. I tried to start Bioshock yesterday, But then a couple guys came in to play, and I didn't feel like being a jerk, so we did some Special Ops on MW2 and Horde on Gears 2. Not a terrible way to burn a couple hours.

Definitely looking forward to my 4-day pass at the end of the month, especially after Brandon Blue expressed interest in running a game of Pathfinder that week. So now I'm just praying he doesn't have to work that Saturday. Then I'll get to see my extended family one last time on Sunday before I leave. I have a lot of things to do, but I'm thinking about spending a few hours Saturday morning chilling at Starbucks with anybody who wants to chill with me.

As always, I love you guys, and I miss you. Please, if you can, comment, But if you don't have an account with Blogger, you can use the guestbook on the right hand side of the page to let me know you stopped by. It's a little dis-heartening when I've only received comments from three people. :/

Happy Day, Mom!

Peace.

Bar Brawl

Marev Terra. I'll never forget the night I met him. The name means "Fist of Earth." And the man who bears that name more than lives up to it's meaning.


He walked into the bar, drawing a stare from every regular within the dingy room. It was a wonder he made it through the door. He was tall, probably six foot five, and he was built like a Mack truck. And he was dressed in the strangest getup I've ever seen. He wore a pair of leather pants and a leather vest, no shoes, a gunbelt with a revolver that could have easily been a cannon, and a pair of metal plated gloves. I didn't notice it at first, but there was a strange looking sword strapped to his back, too. It was curved slightly away from the wielder when it was held, opposite of a scimitar. With his unkempt black hair and world-weary green eyes, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had been raised on a farm. I was sitting at the back of the bar, but I can remember every detail with perfect clarity. His gaze quickly scanned the room as he walked about mid way down the bar and ordered the house ale. He seemed to glide, his gait was so smooth. It was unnatural, watching him walk. He sat down at the bar after he ordered, and pulled a roll of bills from a pocket on his vest and laid a few down on the bar. by this time, most of the other patrons had returned to what they were doing. But I continued to watch.

As he waited, I noticed with more clarity the tattoos covering most of his exposed skin. Most of them were just plain black, but some had a dash of color. there was something primal about them. They seemed to have some deep and ancient meaning, like they were from a long forgotten Indian tribe, or from some arcane ruins in the Amazon. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a deep sigh as the bartender delivered his drink. I returned to my own ruminations after a few minutes of watching- he wasn't doing anything besides drinking his beer. After about an hour, a man I recognized but didn't know stood up from his booth in the corner and walked over to Marev. The crowd had dwindled considerably, it being a weeknight. He laid his hand on Marev's shoulder and said "I know why you're here, Tree-Hugger, but you won't take me without a fight." He then slammed Marev's face into the bar (I swear I heard the crunch of bone breaking.), sending his glass flying. Marev stood up, turned around and simply stated "Solomon Daemes; Magus of the Broken Ladder, you have assaulted the Hierarch and killed a Counselor of this city's Consilium. By that authority, I, Marev Terra, Sentinel and Magister of the Adamantine Arrow, do hereby place you under arrest. Submit now or suffer the consequences." Even with blood streaming down his face, he sounded every bit of that authority. I swear I heard lightning crack in the background, even though there was no rain expected for a week. Unfortunately for us, Solomon did not seem to experience the awe that I did.

What happened next I cannot explain, but it was easily the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. Solomon seemed to decay before my eyes, and dark flames began to flicker over his body. Before I knew what was happening, he had a chair and was swinging at Marev. He turned his head slightly, taking the blow on his shoulder. When he turned back, he had a grin on his face a mile wide. "Good! I was worried you were going to just give up." Marev said as he cracked his knuckles. I sat riveted by this exchange, while the rest of the patrons removed themselves from the premises. I don't blame them. There was something innately terrifying about this confrontation, as if worlds were going to collide. "It's somewhat ironic, isn't it?" Solomon said, his expression grim. "The power of Death, fighting for life, and the power of Life, fighting for death..." I pressed myself further into my corner, without much success. "Life and death are two sides of the same coin. And I don't much care for irony." Marev retorted. It seemed as they were both waiting for the other to make their move. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, Solomon made his move. The shadows pulled themselves from around the room and wrapped a cloak around him so deep I couldn't see anything within. But Marev knew what he was doing. Like a bolt of lightning, he lunged forward, slamming into Solomon, and then into the wall. After that, things happened so fast, I can only attempt to describe it. The first thing I saw, Marev suddenly looked like he had spent the last six months in the grave. I was hit with the smell of decay, but then I witnessed the flesh heal and rebuild itself before my eyes. Marev let out a bestial roar and slammed his gauntleted fist into the mass of shadows. Solomon cried out, his cloak of shadows losing intensity. Then they pulled in tight around him, forming an ephemeral suit of armor. No sooner than that happened, and there was a shadow blade in his hand. He swung the blade down, cutting deep into Marev's shoulder. Marev slammed his forehead into Solomon's nose. This time, I can attest that the nose was broken. The shadow armor dissapated, along with the sword, and Marev slammed an elbow into Solomon's chest, cracking ribs. He stepped back, grabbed Solomon, and dropped the man's face right into his knee.

Marev then laid him out on his back, and crouched over him, hands moving back and forth about six inches above the body. When he was done, he stood up and walked over to the bar. He grabbed an untouched beer and emptied it onto the barkeep, who was huddling behind the bar. "Snap out of it." He said. "Here's some money for the chair and the wall. And a couple shots for the man in the corner." He dropped a wad of bills on the counter. And just when I thought the night couldn't get any stranger, a dark-haired woman stepped through the door and said "Mar, you were supposed to bring him in untouched. What is all of this?" "He told me I wouldn't take him without a fight, and I didn't want to dissapoint him." He said as he shrugged. He reached down and one-armed Solomon up onto his shoulder and made his way to the door. "Come on, you big lug, lets get out of here before the police show up. One of those patrons had to have called them." She said, taking his other hand in hers. And then they were gone. Just like that. Suddenly I realized I hadn't blinked at all during the encounter, and so blinked rapidly to wet my eyes as I walked over to where the barkeep was standing, staring at the door. "Give me some of your best whiskey." I said.

P.P.S.

Email me if you want to send some love via snail mail.I have an address that's good till the end of the month here.

Airborne Ranger, Airborne Ranger....

So, new news- Turns out we might be associated closely enough with the 18th Airborne Corps to get their patch. AWESOME.

 Uhm... here's the part where things get tricky... cuz there's stuff I can't tell you. Or I'd have to kill you. Haha.

Well, Saturday, we started our final exercise for validation. If we don't "pass" we won't actually deploy. But that's not gonna happen(Sorry, Travis). Sunday night I did Night Familiarization Fire with the SAW... which was pretty sweet until we had to wait two hours for a herd of cows to get off the range... but then we pretty much lit the place up. when I was done, my barrel was glowing. So it was pretty cool. And we got to use Night Vision Goggles, a first for me. they were pretty sweet. I want some.

 Otherwise, it's just been work and sleep. Really. I finished the G K Omnibus on Sunday night out at the range, and now I'm reading Creating Unforgettable Characters. I hate to say this, but my life is interminably boring at this point. I'll work on that. Haha.

Decided to have my parents keep my new laptop at home, and I'll pick it up on my 4 day pass. Speaking of which, I'm scheduled to arrive in DM at  9:40 AM Friday the 28th.

 P.S. Oh, the other day I did Laundry and Ran 2.5 miles. And did 125 Pushups. Yup. I'm a stud.