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2006-09-15T21:09:00.000-04:00

Under Construction and what not...

hello hello!...i just got internet out here folks so gimme a day or two and i'll have somethin for ya!...working on a little wrap-up piece to post that will hopefully cover the last two months or so of the world'o'finch...hoping to post a bunch of photos as well...stay tuned and keep it gangsta! fo shizzle!...word...

2006-08-01T20:08:00.000-04:00

Breakin' ankles...

I think I actually broke this dude’s ankle this morning playing soccer…most of ya’ll are at least a little familiar with an Iverson “cross-over” – well this dude is now familiar with the Finch cross-over – yep, I just patented it, right there…it’s official…

We play a fenced in version of soccer on a basketball ball court with little goals every Wednesday for PT in the morning – we played basketball for a long time, but this is something that damn near every Korean is good at, thus more fun…anyway, we play the engineer section nearly every week and this being my final Wednesday here, there was a bit of a build up I guess for this game…

So usually I get passed guys by running the ball up the sides and using the fence to pass the ball by a defender and quickly run around the poor guy…kinda like hockey....well – they’ve now figured this out…that being said I have to bring the ball to the middle a little more…

Well this dude came out on me in open space and I broke his ankle – fake right, drag the ball quickly back to the left, then faking back to the left with the ball never leaving my right foot – (or somethin' like that) - he was down on the ground – it was awesome…he just crumbled – it was, as they say in the soccer world – Brilliant!

Alright maybe not broken – but it’s definitely a nice sprain – he left the court…removed his shoe and sock and eventually went to the medical place…I don’t know why that gives me some sort of enjoyment or feeling of fulfillment…it was just one of those – wholly-crap-did-I-just-do-that-moments…

Anyway – just thought I’d share that…and we lost 2-1…selah!

2006-07-16T04:59:00.000-04:00

WW III...
I just wanted to take a second to give a big THANK YOU shout out to all the homies in Isreal and those wacky wonderful Hezbollah folks from Lebanon...just kinda get the feeling like we're on the brink here folks - and these crazy bastards are showing no signs of slowin' down SO - in the spirit of the season - here's a wonderful link that you will all surely enjoy/relate to...ROCK!

End of the World!

2006-07-12T08:15:00.000-04:00

Robo - ILL!

PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA—Responding to mounting pressure and increasingly confrontational rhetoric from the outside world, North Korean president Kim Jong Il unfolded into a 70-foot-tall, 62-ton giant robot Monday.

"The DPRK's nuclear program is very much its own business, as is its right to determine its own path of security," said Kim, his torso splitting along ventral seams as clusters of Taepo-Dong ICBMs rose from his shoulders. "Any attempt by Washington to decide our fate will surely result in a sea of fire being unleashed upon them."

As his arms and legs sheathed themselves in bulletproof Mecha-Muscle telescoping outward from his chest, Kim reiterated his refusal to bow to international demands.

"Constant criticism from outside indicates mistrust of our promise to refrain from missile tests," said Kim, speaking over the mechanical shriek of wingblades sprouting from his back. "Only trust from the U.S. that we will keep our word can prevent World War III."

"The imperialist West is holding my country to standards which it does not see fit to meet itself," continued Kim, his voice now a metallic, digitized boom emanating from somewhere within the titanium helmet sheathing his head. "This does not surprise me, as they are well-famed for their lies."

"Pyongyang Dynamo Power Punch!" added Kim, as he released his fist-modules skyward with twin robotic uppercuts.

While the Bush Administration remains publicly confident that a diplomatic solution can be reached, top officials admit that the situation has become more complicated.

"If we add Kim Jong Il's transformation into a giant robot to his already defiant isolationist stance and his country's known nuclear capability, the diplomatic terrain definitely becomes more rocky," U.S. envoy James Kelly said. "Kim has made it clear that, if sufficiently threatened, he will not hesitate to use nuclear weapons or his arm-mounted HyperBazooka."

Added Kelly: "We are also forced to consider the possibility that Kim may attempt to robo-meld with other members of the Axis of Evil, forming a MegaMecha-Optima-Robosoldier. Kim would make a powerful right arm—or even a torso—for such a mechanism."

During a visit Monday to the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Korean peninsula, Kim stressed that his transformation was not an act of aggression, but rather an attempt to defend his nation's autonomy.

"The DPRK must not be subject to the whims of an international coalition with no regard for the welfare of the Korean people," said Kim before stomping the ground with his foot, unleashing a devastating ring of energy that vaporized nearby reporters and military vehicles. "Catastrophic Valiant Kim-Chee Earthquake Stomp-Kick!"

for more gems like this one visit www.theonion.com - "America's Finest News Source!"

2006-07-10T06:53:00.000-04:00

Typhoon season...
You just know it's gonna be an interesting 24 hours when an email like this hits your inbox:

Subject: RE: Destructive Weather SOP

ALCON,

Due to forecast of weather conditions PT is cancelled for tomorrow. Everyone should report to duty at regular work call hours (0900 HRS).

...I have to say - I’ve NEVER received an email like that one before...(SOP stands for standard operating procedures, by the way) it appears that the season's first typhoon is headed to run right through Seoul, we're expecting about 5-8 inches of water in what will apparently be a rather short and quick period of time - FUN!...I guess it's all a part of the Korea experience...

...As for the photo above - that is a shot of the parking area/drive on the front side of my office back in August (I think) of last year when I first got out here...it rained for MAYBE 20 minutes...having just arrived and not seen anything like this before (Katrina hadn’t even hit yet) - the word apocalypse immediately came to mind – that and boat…you could literally sit there and see the water rising…anyway – no apocalypse…just Korea…and that wasn’t even a typhoon – just a shower…should be an interesting next couple of hours out here…

Anyway – so apparently we’re supposed to “remain indoors during periods of the storm” or something like that – thanks…I need a four-star general to tell me that folks – seriously…he felt the need to explain to us that water can be dangerous and that a lot of water in a short period of time can cause flooding and thus be a dangerous situation…wholly crap – for reals!?

Thanks for the heads up! Damn…

Moving along…this thing is supposed to run through our little piece of “home” between now (9 p.m.) and sometime before sunrise…so here’s hoping I can at least sleep through the rain and the 30 mph gusts of wind! If not though – trust that I have purchased the necessary provisions for a typhoon scenario: beer, water, food, and some beer…

ROCK!

UPDATE: not a drop...woke up this morning and not a single drop of rain...birds were chirpin' the sun is shining and the skies are blue...the lesson here of course being that we can somehow track missiles and what not, but have yet to truely figure out how to track the weather! awesome...

2006-06-22T05:49:00.000-04:00

BACK to the future...

With obvious more important issues developing around the world I'll merely touch on this briefly...

Lemme start by saying - i'm not mad that Miami won (moreso that Dallas Lost)...I like Shaq - and Wade is incredible...good for them...BUT,

That was one of the absolute most horrendously officiated series in the history of the NBA - all six games were obscene...the final phantom foul on Wade in game 5 is still unbelievable...BUT when he throws a forearm into Dirk to push off and get separation towards the end of game 6 AND DIRK gets called for a foul...I mean seriously - at least in the Super Bowl the officials were a bit more discreet...anyway - I’ve heard a lot - and read even more about various reports, accounts and opinions on the series and I’d say somewhere in the 90% area are baffled...anyway - there were a bunch of "questionable" calls in game 6 BUT the Mavs still blew two separate 14 point leads in the first half - which is inexcusable...I honestly just think the passed to games crushed them...that shot in Game 3 by Gary Payton was the "nail" as they say...BUT, when the chick from NBC came up to interview Wade at halftime the other night and stuck that mic right in his face - I honestly was waiting for a ref to run up and blow a whistle on her and give Flash some free throws... Anyway - shitty series...BUT - D-Wade is the Truth...that's not even up for conversation - he's great...LeBron better step it up 'cause Wade is about to take the entire league over - wait 'til he starts getting those sort of foul calls in the regular season next year...shit...dude was putting up 30 easy without it - he'll average close to 50 next season with 17 to 20 free throws a night...AND, AND - AND he doesn't have to worry about a lot of injuries 'cause dude wears pads - seriously (look it up) he wears pads on his thighs like a running back and a pad on his chest...so I will say this - at least Jordan never had to wear accessories… Anyway – I’m just disappointed that it wasn’t a good series…the reason why people look[ed] at the Mavs v. Spurs and Mavs v. Suns series as being two of the greatest in recent memory is partly because of the lack of controversy…but really it was just great basketball being played and it was exciting – just let ‘em play…Dallas was clearly the “better TEAM” but in the end that’s just not enough in the NBA…Many true fans of the sport were excited about a rebirth of the NBA because of teams like the Mavs, Spurs, and even the Pistons – good, quick, athletic all-around TEAMS were going to be the future of the League…
and now we have what amounts to, as Bill Simmons (the Sports Guy) appropriately wrote: “A tragedy... Nothing against Wade -- after all, it isn't his fault his team sucks and he has to play this way -- but seeing an individual triumph over a team YET AGAIN would erase every positive outcome from the 2005-06 season. Basically, the team with LeBron or Wade will win the next 10-12 titles, and it will come down to which guy made more 20-footers with two guys on him and which guy got the most cheap calls from the most spineless referees. That's not basketball, it's a star system. When my wife was asking why I was so ticked off after Game 5, it wasn't because I had money on the game (I didn't), or because I liked one team more than the other (I don't). If Miami wins, we may as well go back to box haircuts again, because it's going to be 1991 all over again -- the "New and Improved" NBA will have been defeated, and the Old-School NBA will reign supreme.”

Remember - when nobody could really give a damn about the NBA...i mean come on - those were the Ewing years folks...if you lived outside of Boston, San Antonio, L.A., Philly or Detroit you stood a very good chance of not even realizing there WAS an NBA...
“Here's what happens if Miami wins the title: New Jersey will say to themselves, "Hey, maybe this could happen to us with Vince Carter"; Washington will say the same about Arenas; Boston with Pierce; G-State with Richardson; the Lakers with Kobe; New Team X with Iverson. And so on and so on. But that's just the thing ... we went through this last decade. There was only one MJ; the formula couldn't be replicated. Same with Dwyane Wade; only LeBron can match him. And everyone else will fail trying, which means we can look forward to another decade of perimeter scorers going 11 for 32 in big games, teammates standing around while stars dribble at the top of the key waiting to challenge two defenders at once, and refs deciding every big game (like in Game 5) by how they interpret contact when the same guy is recklessly driving to the basket over and over again. Does any of this sound fun to you?”

and just when I thought I was becoming a fan...selah!

2006-06-20T07:08:00.000-04:00

ROCK!ets…
Just in case the hole you’ve been living in has kept you away from the television/radio/newspaper – things out here are going spectacularly! Just superb…

Nothing like getting to prepare for the possibility that our crazy-ass neighbors to the north out here might just push the fucking button…I mean – wow – it’s just awesome…knowing that if it hits the fan, me and 10 million of my closest South Korean homies will go up in smoke here in the lovely city of Seoul…

Yeah, yeah – the missile is pointed out over the Pacific – that’s all fine and good, but as soon as we blow it out of the sky we’re basically, for all intents and purposes, “at war” with North Korea…which is, in the words of the BummbleBee guy, “No es Bueno!” especially here in the capital city not too terribly far from those wacky North Koreans and there millions of forces waiting on the border – FUN! God Bless 2nd Infantry Division…

Anyway…we went over packing lists today – 6 socks…CHECK…6 underwear…CHECK…Gas Mask…CHECK…and so on and so forth – awesome!

Meanwhile we’ve gotten a couple very new Korean Soldiers into our office in the last couple of months and the looks on their faces after our little “briefing” were priceless…it’s not so much The Fear that’s got them – it’s more about the complete uncertainty of the whole situation…well that and a bit of The Fear I guess…

Anyway – that’s all from South Korea – no one knows what the heck is going on...so we’re standing by! Hoooah!

2006-06-18T03:50:00.000-04:00

REAL - Fantasy Sports...

I currently manage two fantasy teams… A football team – the ILLs (after Kim Jong-Ill, ‘cause I’m in Korea after all), and a baseball team – Rick James (‘cause that shit is just plain funny!). Along with that, I also serve as the commissioner for the leagues that my teams are in – the League Sanchez (football – yes, as in Dirty) and the Human Growth Hormone League (baseball – for obvious reasons).

The ILLs were my first go at the whole fantasy sports thing. You hear so much about it and I was a bit intrigued. I love to compete and I figured that it would be a good way to keep in contact with the friends that I’ve come to know around the way. Thus, League Sanchez was born. Mostly friends from back at Fort Knox who have since spread out to various places, some family – my Uncle and his son, and even some folks that most of us didn’t know – just to keep it interesting.

And it basically works like this – you name your team, rank the players that you want on a draft board and then have a draft. Now you have your team’s “players” filling up the requisite positions. Each week you insert who you think will have the best games of the week in to your starting line up and you receive points based off of their performances – Larry Johnson goes off for 4 touchdowns and a 200 yards – I get 6 points per TD and a point for every 50 yards (and Tom cries enough tears to fill the Nile!) or you draft Duante Culpepper as your franchise quarterback and he proceeds to single-handedly ruin your season – and so on and so forth…Each week you match-up head to head against someone in the league and in the mean time and between time you talk shit, check injury reports, scouting reports, talk shit, check defenses, and basically talk more shit…or whine about how this or that isn’t fair and bitch about why the hell they refuse to throw Randy Moss the Damn Ball!, but I digress…

ANYWAY, it’s fun – football apparently a bit more so than baseball – you have to really be FAN of the game to pay the necessary attention to the ebbs and flows that can go in to a 160-game season – which can make or break your fantasy club…football is a little less tough – less games, more time in between games, less stuff to keep track of – yada yada yada…

Now, I’ve taken many a jab or two for my new found enjoyment of the world of fantasy sports. I was already addicted to sport in general, and ESPN, and loved to compete – so I guess it was really only a matter of time…Sounds a bit ridiculous – fair enough…

However, the “fantasy” will soon become reality for the fans of the Schaumburg Flyers – a minor league baseball squad 30 miles or so outside of Chicago’s city limits.

The Flyers, an independent team playing in the Northern League, are scheduled to hand over managerial duties over to their fans – via online voting – beginning in mid-July.

YES – you read that right…in a joint venture, dubbed “Fan Club: Reality Baseball,” will be an “alliance” of sorts between the teams’ owners and fans, the production company LivePlanet and MSN.com, according to a recent story on ESPN.com.

LivePlanet will be responsible for the behind-the-scenes storytelling of the team, it’s players, family and history, while MSN.com will display “everything from the team’s day to day statistics to video highlights and eventually live streaming video of games.”

Sound Crrrrrrrrrrrrazy – sure! Sound exciting and intriguing – Damn skippy!

There’s an obvious market for this sort of thing, with millions of people already planning their days around making sure their FANTASY-fantasy teams are up to snuff – checking and triple checking to see if it would be good to drop a floundering Dontrelle Willis or if there’s any trade potential for Alfonso Soriano…

There’s a bit of a premise here as well. For the last four years a football (soccer – they’re European duh) club in Northern France dubbed the Web Football Club, has been surprisingly successful as the “entainautes,” or web-surfers, there have decided everything from starting lineups to game tactics. And each year the team has improved as well as moved up a division based on its’ success.

The interesting thing for the Flyers of Schaumburg is that they play in a minor league system that splits its’ season into two halves, with the winner of each half meeting in the playoffs…the fans will take over in time to take over day-to-day operations from game one of the second half of the season, which means that they will, in turn, determine whether or not the Flyers make the playoffs.

As for the team in France - there they now have more than 13,000 registered entrainautes from around the globe who are dedicated to “supporting the club.” The players there apparently love it due to the fact that they are being rewarded strictly for their effort and play on the field and that promotions and playing time aren’t being divided up based on things as trivial as being friends with the coach.

That being said – something of this nature would obviously not work for a major league team where contracts and money rule the game regardless of the actual effort on the field itself – BUT for the minor league squads like the Flyers it definitely seems feasible…these teams aren’t locked into million dollar contracts where certain players WILL play no matter what – they are teams filled with young up-and-comers, journeymen and others just trying to catch a break – all of whom will give their all every time they have the opportunity to hit the field…and for that – at least in Schaumburg – they will be rewarded…

2006-06-16T13:00:00.000-04:00

Sport...

You gotta LOVE sports if for no other reason than the EVERyday things that can occur...The Mavs suddenly went from possible sweepers to easily beatable...go figure - classic Mavs eh?!...a dude that got hit in the FACE by a fastball (plays for the Marlins) comes back to go yard (a home run duh) the very next day...all the while the team from England is looking very sharp in the World Cup...as Big Ben from the Steelers is suddenly an advocate for helmet wearing - go figure...meanwhile - the South Koreans are officially in a tizzy (no idea what that actually means) over their World Cup team...honestly I will Love it if the South Koreans can do something big in this year's competition...Much like back during the World Baseball Classic - these folks KNOW what the heck is going on and truly understand the sport...which makes it MUCH more fun to watch and cheer with them...there were roughly over a million South Koreans outside in the capital center of Seoul (where I live) watching their first game of the cup...everyone dressed in red sporting tiger emblems, jerseys and devil-tiger head gear...it's exciting and fun - and it all can't help but make a sports fan smile...these folks are anything BUT passionate from day to day, but when it comes to competing on the WORLD stage they're ALL up and ready...it's amazing and a bit surreal to see an entire country put themselves - all of themselves - behind a TEAM - just because that team is THEIR TEAM...very refreshing - and I'm about to go ahead and grab a South Korean jersey and hang out in the crowd...fun is FUN after all!

2006-06-14T13:02:00.000-04:00

It's Mullet-Time!
25 years folks -and here we are!

2006-06-12T08:40:00.000-04:00

Hack-a-ShaQ...

The fun thing is that the Mavs are beating the piss out of the "Heat" without even breaking out the machetes!...good stuff...had this conversation with my Sergeant Major this afternoon after the game...

(me) "hey SGM, you catch the beating this morning?”

(that's when the games are played Korea-time)

(him) "Ha - yeah - I'm kinda kicking myself right now..."

"Why's that SGM?"

"Well I was tempted at going the "under-dog route" and put a couple 100 bucks on the Mavs pulling the sweep on Miami...Now it looks like I coulda made bank."

Awesome...just quality stuff there!

I still got Dallas in 6...at this point more so that they win the championship on their home floor, as they have yet to win a series at home this year...although - I will still be satisfied with a sweep...

wow – wholly crapsheit - I can't even believe this right now - I'm talking about the Dallas Mavericks possibly sweeping the NBA Finals...simply amazing...

Story time: 10 years ago I was asked to write a "journal entry" in school about whatever I wanted- I was wearing my old green Mavericks Mashburn jersey, Cuban had just bought the Mavs, Don Nelson was just named the coach and there I was, pissed at what could have been with Jamal Mashburn (whose jersey i still have) Jimmy Jackson and Jason Kidd, the fact that Nelly was gonna fuck it all up and that the new owner was fucking insane for hiring him...which - just for the record - appeared to hold true for the next 6 or 7 years or so…they broke up the J’s…added Steve Nash in the draft and got Dirk (by trading “Tractor” Traylor (he played college ball at Michigan for those of you who have no idea who the heck that is)– perhaps one of the best trades in the history of the league) and leaned heavily on the veteran shoulders of Michael Finley…

They came close year after year, but without a viable center – Shawn Bradley and Christian Laetnner just aren’t going to cut it – they never made it over the proverbial “hump”…then they quietly began to revamp towards the end of last year as Nelson began to let Avery Johnson take more of a leadership role as a coach…they made some quiet trades and picked up Dampier (a “viable” center) and snuck in Diop (a future “viable” center)…got rid of journeyman Antawn Jamison and picked up the now best-sixth-man-scorer in the League Jerry Stackhouse…stole Jason Terry from Atlanta...Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels came in to their own in last year’s playoffs and they grabbed Van Horn just for good measure – and with Harris coming in to his own - suddenly the Mavs can rotate 10 or 11 guys and can apparently adapt the roster to any type of team in the league…

All that to say this – 10 years ago I wrote a B.S. nothing piece because the teacher told me too …a couple days later she (the teacher) came and talked to me about possibly joining the school Newspaper which she was in charge of…she was really the first teacher to say – “hey, you’re good at THIS dickhead – you should do it more”…so I tried…and now – 10 years later – I’m a noncommissioned officer in the U.S. Army, a published journalist and photographer, an award winning editor, and magazine designer, a world traveler, a veteran of the War in Iraq, AND the Mavs are on the verge of winning the first ever Championship in team history…

I guess I’d like to thank Mark Cuban for being an insane genius, Don Nelson for not being as bad a coach as I thought, and – more importantly – Mrs. Huff for telling me to pull my head out and encouraging me to try and write…that little bit of what appeared to be nothing at the time has actually taken me places that I could never have imagined...

Word up…

2006-06-08T06:41:00.000-04:00

Fo' Shizzle...
First of all - for those of you who know what this used be (my chest - ouch - HA!)...enjoy!...I know I am! it's healing up nicely and there's a bit more shading than can be seen in the photo...Second of all - check out the link for the last/latest issue of the ROK Steady...I wrapped it up before I went on leave and just hadn't posted it or the link...overall a decent training issue with great photos from folks all over the peninsula...that and of course some outstanding concepts, layouts and designs! HA!... as for writing an actual post...I'm workin' on it, just kinda lazy lately while trying to figure some things out - some of life's questions and what not...anyway - hope all as well with all of you...and of course: Go Mavs!

2006-05-17T02:56:00.000-04:00

As the Finch turns...
What a wild week…on leave at “home”...doctors tell papa that the cancer is no where else in his body…I got financed (by myself & on my own two) for my vehicle…spoke to a great friend who is serving in Iraq…had the opportunity to see, and hear The Logo (Jerry West) speak at my best friend’s commencement ceremony at The - West Virginia University…and have watched some of the best NBA playoff basketball in the history of the league…just quality stuff all around…

By the numbers:

- I’ve been on leave since last Tuesday – wholly crap that’s a long flight and a bunch of travelin’ – perspective: my plane left Seoul at 10a.m. and arrived in Atlanta at 10:45a.m. and I still had a connection to make…all in all it was roughly 24 hours of straight travelin’…not recommended folks…

- My grandfather was recently notified that he had cancer in his lung…booooo!...however – he’s the strongest, most positive person that I’ve EVER known and has already started a new form of Kemo and the docs have told him that the cancer doesn’t appear to have spread to any other parts of his body…regardless of what happens I’m sure he’ll still be out on the golf course five or six days a week – just an example for us all…

- I bought a car – a Jeep actually…I recently purchased a blue (duh!) Jeep Liberty Sport…more importantly though – I financed it myself, with no co-signer, and will be able to even further my growing credit rating…five years ago I couldn’t have given a damn about that – but with age, as they say, comes a bit of wisdom – so here I sit…with a slightly above average score moving in a very credit-licious direction…hooray for good credit! – and for Jeep for that matter!

- Talked to The Josh on the phone…just happened to answer my mom’s phone and suddenly there’s Josh…in Iraq…weird…good stuff though...prayers and thoughts are with you bro…just weird cause I haven’t been on this side of that phone call before…the tempered excitement and the urge to want to MAKE you be home safely is rather surreal…especially being that I’m IN the Army…makes me hate even more doing “that”(being there) to my mom…Godspeed Josh…no doubt!...

- Had the “pleasure” to go to Morgantown, West Virginia to attend my Best Friend/token little brother’s commencement/graduation ceremony from West Virginia University…there was obviously much Pomp and Circumstance – culminating with a speech by The Logo (he’s the silhouette, so you know, of the NBA’s logo) and West Virginia University graduate Jerry West…he spoke very poignantly and at times rather emotionally about life and it’s decisions and the importance of staying focused, having clear goals and maintaining an equal level of Physical, Emotional and Spiritual sturdiness…

- Meanwhile, I’ve had the opportunity to see some of the best playoff basketball in recent memory…the “MVP” and his squad holding off teams that are clearly better than them…Bron Bron holding it down against arguably one of the greatest assembled teams ever to exist in the League…scores of players playing through injury in order to take their teams to the next level…and most importantly – Dirk averaging close to 30 a game and 10 rebounds a night leading the Mavs to a 3-1 lead in the West…just highly enjoyable stuff folks…

And, in closing – I would just like to say – gambling issues and what not included – Charles Barkley is priceless! Hail hail Sir Charles…word!

2006-05-08T04:23:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Mom!

2006-05-07T01:14:00.000-04:00

The Octagon!...

Here we go folks, let’s get this thing rollin’…

LLLLLLaaaaaaaaaadies and Gentlemen – Welcome to The OCT – ta – Gonnnnnnnne!

Scheduled for four quarters with no TKO – the loser goes hooooome…

~ lights dim ~

IN this corner…in the purple trunks – from points unknown…standing 6 foot 6, weighing in at 220 pounds…the self-proclaimed BLACKKKK MAMBAaaaa – Ko-BEeeee BryyyAnttt…

And in this corner – in the white trunks – all the way from St. Croix, Virgin Islands…the 6-5, 210 pound man who needs NO nickname – YOURrrrrrrr RrrrrrrrrrrrrAJAaaa Bellllllll…

And with that – well, somethin’ like that – we were underway in the deciding Game 7 at Phoenix’s lovely U.S. Airways Center…

- Steve Nash: Giving hope to short white folks for nearly a decade! …comes out knocking down threes and kicking in easy pick and roll lay-ups – and even though it’s only a few minutes into the game we’re already seeing the “why didn’t we close it out at last F*#@ing Game!”- face on Phil Jackson – 16-6 Suns lead…

- So apparently when Smush Parker (real name) is on the floor for the Kobes (lakers) – Nash has opted for the less traditional “Matador Defense” in which he refuses to even acknowledge Smush’s existence – it seems to be working like a champ as Smush continues to miss open shot after open shot…

- First foul on Raja “takedown of the year” Bell…Am I the only one hoping that the halftime show consists of them actually bringing out an octagon and Kobe and Raja work out there differences…ending of course with Raja sitting quietly in the center of the floor gnawing on Kobe’s lifeless arm…oops – nevermind!

- OK – the NBA needs to mandate just how many neck beards are allowed in the league…Tim Thomas’ growth – while very Lebron-esque – is just too much…as the Sports Guy said in his Friday piece – Lebron’s neck beard stands out solely for it’s “atrociously atrocious atrociousness. When did people start shaving everything on their face but their neck? How could this possibly catch on?” Amen brotha…

Although, I guess Thomas gets a pass for now if for no other reason than the fact that he wasn’t even in the league two months ago and now he’s knocking down a series saving three – fair enough…waite – did I just start argument with MYSELF?

- End of the 1st: Suns shooting 70% - Lakers just shooting…Phoenix is up 32-15 …and leading up to the buzzer this gem from the tv dude: “Smush Parker is absolutely KILLING the Lakers.” Just high comedy here folks…

- Barbosa knifes through the lane for an easy duce…cuts around a screen for another easy two…knifes through again and misses what would have been layup number three…spots up for a three in the corner…and gets punched in the face by Lamar Odom…just quality Lakers defense…

- My main question as I watch Mamba come down and knock down another three with two defenders in his face, is that given the obvious fact that he can apparently score whenever he wants to right now – why doesn’t he just take over for a while and get his team within striking distance?...just sayin’

- As Mamba gets to the free throw line – “KO–BE Sucks” is being chanted throughout Suns-land – I love it…Viva El Mamba!

- At the half Phoenix is halfway to 120 with no signs of lettin’ up – and on that note – I’m gonna run some pre-leave errands…

- I make it back with 8 minutes left in the fourth...the Kobes are down by 25…and Leondro Barbosa is a man on FIRE! 22 points on 9 shots…

- Now with five minutes to play – I KNOW Phil Jackson is this basketball zen-master guy, but I’d like to point out that the Suns have been using roughly three plays from their set offense the entire game – the same ones, over and over and over and over…and nearly every time they end up with an easy layup or a wide open tre in the corner – EVERY TIME…I’m just sayin’ – after six and a half games against the same team that only runs 6 or 7 guys – you can’t figure out a way to stop a Nash-Diaw, Nash-Bell, Nash-Barbosa pick and roll? Seriously? No?

- And another thing – whose idea was it for Kobe to only take three (3) shots the ENTIRE second half? Was this by design Zen man? I’m painfully confused at this point…I mean – are they trying to save him for Game 8?

- Meanwhile, the game is over – and random fans are being allowed to come on the court and shoot threes – which they’re making! Just great…final: 121-90…series over…

The lesson here of course is: KO–BE SUCKS! Sorry – I couldn’t help myself…

Somebody please wake Dirk up from his week long nap – it’s time to shoot tomorrow! Go Mavs!

2006-05-01T19:25:00.000-04:00

Richmond...

Seven days folks...this time next week I'll be headed back to VA...fo' shizzle!...and around 4:25 or so driving right accross the bridge in the background of this picture...sweetness...keep a beer cold for me peeps! word...

2006-04-25T07:26:00.000-04:00

Through the grapevine...

So before a game Barry Bonds approached John Olerud, who plays first base and chooses to wear a helmet (as apposed to a regular cap) while playing the field, and said to him something along the lines of – dude, you wear a helmet to play first, I used to play with a guy who wore a helmet at first base - wierd…to wit John responded by saying – yeah, I used to play with a guy named Bonds who had a much smaller head and was skinny and fast, weird huh…

Ok, I made that last part up, but the first part is true – apparently the human growth hormones are a detriment to long term memory…

Anyway – smart money says that Barry will retire sooner than later – I’m talking before this year’s all star break…it’ll be the best for baseball and the best for him…and he’s no doubt under a lot of pressure to shit (hit a bunch of home runs) or get off the pot (retire and disappear until it comes time for the Hall of Fame) from the Baseball Gods…

In other news – me and my major get along fabulously…probably the best working, professional relationship that I’ve ever had – RESPECT – both ways – a beautiful thing…anyway – we shoot the shit randomly throughout the day…from my stories about my young life, my fiascos within fantasy sports, or me giving her nonstop shit about George Mason beating the crap out of UNC in the tournament – we have a good time…

Meanwhile, she has a lot of college stories – she’s a University of North Carolina grad (probably one of the reasons we get along so well) – and she’s pissed me off more than once – whether it be her meeting and watching a game with the DEAN himself, Dean Smith, or the autographed picture of Roger Clemens that she randomly pulled out (he happens to be my baseball Jesus) or the stories of her husband playing pick up ball with Mike (yeah- that one)…anyway – the other afternoon we were in one of our sessions and she started in on a “have I told you this one before” stories…

(A bit of a prelude here – UNC (Dean Smith) has (had) a reputation as not only a school that would recruit and pull some of the best players in the country, but would graduate them as well…I’d say, percentage-wise, UNC (Dean Smith), had more than 90 to 97 percent leave Carolina with a degree…whether it be a regular four-year degree or a player left school to go to the NBA and then returned (in the off-season) and eventually graduated – basically he put degrees in these kids’ hands (taking care of the man and not just raping him for his basketball talent)…which is lovely…)

Now on with the show…

My major attended UNC during Marion Jones’ pre-steroid years, and while Rick Fox (real name Ulrich - seriously, look it up!) was there during his pre-shitlock hairdo days…anyway…so she goes on to tell me about how the Dean was able to ensure to so many degrees (which look GREAT to mothers of potential recruits)…he apparently had a “contract” or at least some sort of gentleman’s agreement between the players that if they left school early then he (“the university”) would get some percentage (something like 10% is what she said) of that player’s yearly contract until they graduated…talk about incentive…but the proof – as they say – is in the pudding…

While in her final year there, one of her friends who dated/knew Rick Fox, happened to see him on the campus during summer semester…what the hell are you doing back here was the obvious question and the nappy head himself spilled the beans and basically said I’ve gotta hurry up and get this degree so coach’ll stop takin’ my money…

Yet another reason why Dean Smith is a shining example of what college athletics should be about…or something like that…ha!

2006-04-21T07:05:00.000-04:00

On my way…

Back to the States folks…hooooray! – I bought my tickets this afternoon – two words – Bling Bling! – wholly crap is it expensive to fly back to the EastCoast from here…you’d think I was all the way on the other side of the planet or somethin’! ha!…I can’t say when I’ll be there ‘cause it’s a secret to some – but I will say that I ain’t coming back to Kimchi-land ‘til June – bong!

Anyway – I’m freggin’ exhausted…been a looooong week…just one thing after another – nothing major – just a bunch of little annoyances AND I’ve gotta make sure I knock the magazine out before I fly…here's some of the goings on from the land of the morning calm...

Monday morning I was up around 5a.m. to get ready to go to the range and shoot my M16…good stuff – you’ve got to qualify in order to be “allowed” to take leave so I’ve been trying to get on a range through my unit for a couple months now…never seen such a jacked up situation as how they run the ranges in this unit – simply amazing…anyhow – coordinated with the Special Reaction Team (A group of high-speed military police personnel who are there to shoot to kill and what not at a moments notice) and they let me come out and shoot while they were there – simply put – the BEST and easiest range experience BY FAR that I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing since I’ve been in the military… I got there – qualified – and was back before lunch…had I gone to a regular range with my unit – I’d probably STILL be there…good stuff…

So that afternoon I took my new range qualification scorecard up to the unit along with my leave request to turn it in…and they kicked it back…apparently 12 days before I return from my leave my PT test will have passed six months and I would then become “out of tolerance” (while I was still on leave) and this dickhead handed me back my leave form and said I had to take a PT test – fucker…

It wasn’t so much the fact that he told me I had to take one – it’s just the apparent attitude that I couldn’t pass one or that I was somehow trying to jump the system and get over…whatever…

Tuesday morning formation and physical training was cancelled due to the treacherous Yellow Dust…this shit apparently is blown in from the deserts of China and will “fuck you up” – it even made the front page of the paper in D.C. as being one of the worst “Dust seasons in recent memory” - so we were all advised to stay in doors and minimize outside activity…done and done…nonetheless, that night one of my Soldiers goes to the freggin’ hospital because the she apparently developed an allergic reaction to the Yellow Dust causing conjunctivitis – or “eye shits” – and they put her on quarters for 24 hours…amazing…

Wednesday it rained, which was great because it killed all the murderous yellow dust…meanwhile I’m (we’re) in an ongoing pissing contest with a commander from one of our subordinate commands about what I’m going to run in our magazine…he wants his unit’s stuff in the ROK Steady because he freggin’ cancelled the funding for his magazine and now needs pages in ours – to which I respond to my boss with a forceful - yet professional - “fuck that ma’am” ...fair enough…

People all over the Peninsula send me stuff all the time – I read it – look at the photos and give it fair consideration as to whether or not it’ll fit within our pages…the ROK Steady ain’t Rolling Stone or anything, but I do hope to at least maintain the level that we’ve established with our placing in the last Army level competition…that being said – what his unit is submitting is utter crap…like I said “fuck that ma’am”…and she supports my decisions – which is nice…hell, he’s only a one-star general! Ha!

Thursday I made a lot of progress with some layout things in the magazine – I think I like it – not sure – but I think I do…we shall see…it’s training, training and more training – some of the best photos in one magazine that I’ve ever seen and I think it will go over like a champ…anyway – around four o’clock I’ve got an entire office of Soldiers sitting around with their proverbial fingers up their butts (Thursdays are usually a slow afternoon throughout the entire Army)…so I tell them to go home…oooops…

Not six minutes later my major is freakin’ about nobody bein’ in the office…hasn’t needed anything done all day and suddenly at four the sky is falling…so I bring EVERYONE back in – for what basically amounted to them re-inserting their fingers into their respective anus’s…whatever…in turn – the hours of the public affairs office will now be strictly enforced and adhered to…word! In other news – the beatings will apparently continue until morale improves…

Friday I woke up to take a PT test so that I could finally get my leave signed – bastards…I’ve got to do 42 push ups in two minutes and 50 sit ups in two minutes and then run two miles in 16 something minutes…I got down there and knocked out 80 (no shit!) push ups – I did 64 and a half in the first minute (really surprised myself on that - good stuff)…and then slowly pulled off 72 sit-ups…I can’t imagine what would happen if I actually worked out…scary! Ha! – oh, and I passed my run…(shut up)…

So I’m on my way folks – back to the States for a while…should be interesting – especially since it will just be a prelude to when I move back in a couple months…word up! Mahalo…

2006-04-17T07:26:00.000-04:00

Yummmmmy!

I actually planned on writing a nice post today – but alas, I lost my motivation and said screw it for now…here’s another photo of your’s truly to hold you over – that’s me enjoying some of the tasty goodness that is the South Korean cuisine while out in Seoul with some of the Korean homies - yeah Chop stick kung fu grippa style - take the piece of fresh lettuce - then add the rice - and then the freshley grilled strips of Bagogi (beef) simply marvelous! HA!…anyway, should end up being an informative post – PT Test, Range Qualification, a Letter from the Command Sgt. Major at the War College, and an interesting story about University of North Carolina basketball…oh! AND yellow dust - hooray!...stay tuned!

2006-04-12T06:38:00.000-04:00

me (skinny white dude in the middle) workin' Kung Fu Grippa style with Mrs. Ha, our Korean "PAO" lady...Rock!

2006-04-06T07:08:00.000-04:00

HA!
got this email tonight...BONG!

SGT Fincham,
You are on orders for the War College in PA, congratulations. You are also in your reup window and a category that I am really struggling on. By any chance, would you be willing to do a 2 year reup? It would put your ETS date at April 2008. Once you get to your next duty station, you will not be able to reup for anything due to the Time On Station requirements. Please give me a call.

MSG Andrew D. Bevil
Senior Career Counselor
HHC, USATC-K

2006-04-05T07:25:00.000-04:00

Finch is off to college…
Well - A - college anyway…

Everyone in my shop that could be put on orders HAS been put on orders in the last week or so…Fort Bragg (Iraq), Fort Sil (Iran – oops – Iraq), an extension here in Korea… so today I went on the Army’s human resources command website and logged in to see if I was on any sort of orders…hehehehehe – and sure enough – I’m on orders to report on the 10th of September…hehehehehe…to where you ask?

To Carlisle Barracks, PA…that’s where…home of the U.S. Army War College…

It boasts being “The premier institution for strategic leadership and for the study of landpower.” – and if that doesn’t describe ME in a nutshell – well – then shit…HA!

And NO, I’ll not be attending the Army War College – jeeeze…that’s for General Officers – basically ANY AND EVERY high ranking leader that will one day very soon lead not only this country’s Army – but the Country itself…

For me though (besides being in a posistion to potentially impress or make good with someone with clout that can hook me up with steps towards my future - of which i have done a bit of already! ha!) I’m thinkin’ – Pirates games, Phillies games, Eagles games, Steelers games, Phlyers games, Soul Games, Sixers games, New York City, Atlantic City, Close to Mom in Richmond, close to friends in B-More, being in Tim and Brietta’s wedding in Kentucky…and ETS in June...Muuuuah! peaces!...please be true…please, please, please, please!

Needless to say (see, I said it again!) I’m very excited…which leads me to this…it HAS to be too good to be true or something…I mean…Finch and “excited” just hasn’t happened in a very long time now…this is a blessing and my honest first reaction (besides smiling until my face hurt) was to just stop for a moment and say thank you to the big homie in the sky…I just pray that this is his handy-work and not some keyboard slip made by someone in Washington who will soon realize the mistake and send me back to the desert…selah…

Very happy, and very excited right now…a wonderful opportunity and a glorious turn of events that the word unexpected cannot begin to adequately describe…so here’s hoping…

OH YEEEAAAH!

2006-04-01T01:15:00.000-05:00

Minister goes into "Dodgeball Rage"

This is wonderful...just classic stuff here...
LIBERTY, Missouri (AP) -- A youth minister was charged with assault for allegedly knocking down a 16-year-old boy and kicking him in the groin after taking a head shot from the teen in a dodgeball game.

David M. Boudreaux, 27, was charged Wednesday with one count of third-degree assault. According to court documents, the incident happened in February at Crescent Lake Christian Academy.

Authorities said the teen missed Boudreaux with one throw but then knocked the youth minister's glasses off with the next.

The boy apologized, authorities said, but Boudreaux pushed him backward, and when the teen got up again Boudreaux kicked him in the groin and left.

The teen suffered whiplash and post-concussion syndrome and had blood in his urine after being kicked, according to court records. Boudreaux later apologized, prosecutors said.

Jeanne D. Hewitt, administrator of Crescent Lake Christian Academy, said Boudreaux had been placed on administrative leave.

2006-03-30T06:12:00.000-05:00

Meanwhile, across the
Korean Penninsula this week...

A Blackhawk en route...

Now at the destroyer...

Landing to refuel...

Korean Army Soldiers parking a large tank on a little train...

A beast of a plane - a C-5 Galaxy...

No need to fear - the Strykers are here!...

And the mighty 2nd Armored Cavalry! wahooo!...

Marines take the beach...errrrr!...

2nd Infantry Division blows some stuff up...

And ME - about to jack this lady for her sandwhich at Quiznos! ha!...

2006-03-26T07:38:00.000-05:00

Busy, busy!...

me...at the "exercise"...yippie...

2006-03-25T06:48:00.000-05:00

Arrrrrmy Trrraining Sirrrr!

Some background: The Army is always preparing for events/conflicts that may or may not occur in the future…we call these preparations “exercises”…these “exercises” take place in what we call “the field” which is a place that we “go to” in order to play “war”…Here in Korea we must remain vigilant and prepared to face the mighty forces directly to our north…so without further ado…

I wake up at 6am to be there by 7am for my 12-hour shift which starts at 7:30am…awesome!

Beginning the day/shift by eating breakfast and catching up on a couple news articles after which I reluctantly begin the only mission I have for the day – to ensure that the laptop works and to hook up the external hard drive and ensuring that it works as well…ten minutes later my mission is complete and I’m on break...or whatever…

The computer is “up” and the hard drive is functioning – pheew and it’s barely closing in on 8am…

At some point a major comes up and asks me something I’ve been pondering for two days – “so what exactly are you doing here?” he asks half sarcastically – to which I can merely respond with – whatever my major needs me to do Sir…

The fact of the matter is my lack of a current security clearance has even made that comment a bit of a stretch…

Basically I’m here because I was told to be here…as far as functionality goes though I really don’t exist in this “exercise” they’re attempting to conduct…I can’t go in certain places that they “need” me to go to and can’t see certain things that they “need” me to see…

And for a brief moment myself and this Sir shared the thought and feelings of – then why the hell make you come out here all day…especially on a Saturday…

Alas, it does not matter what common sense suggests – common sense has been overruled – we must all simply “play the game” as it were – and knowing this – the Sir and I grin at one another, nod and continue on about our business…him to his computer and secret squirrel power point slideshows – and me to devouring a book: Rammer Jammer YellowHammer: A Journey into the Heart of Fan Mania…

I guess when the North Koreans get here I’ll just hold up the book as a shield of sorts and let them know – Don’t shoot, I’m a noncombatant!...I really need to figure out how to say that in Hongul…

Here’s the thing – THEY know I’m not doing anything and I KNOW I’m not doin’ nothin’ – I make no qualms about this fact…but the fact remains: they want me here – so here I be! The phrase: an exercise in futility comes to mind…

So today I read, and I read, and I read, and then I took a piss, ate some food and then read some more – I am now on page 188 of my book…hell – at least it’s a good book…gotta look for that silver lining eh!

And so I drag myself back to the crib 12 hours later and get to do it all again tomorrow…word up!

Selah…

2006-03-15T05:06:00.000-05:00

For those of you who aren't aware - the Stars and Stripes is the military's main form of a "local" newspaper...one in Germany, I think two out here in the Pacific theater, one in Afghanistan and one in Iraq...ANYWAY...below is what they ran on the bottom half of the front page of today's paper...Looking closely you will see everyone's favorite skinny white dude (me) hard at work (leaned back in the chair) taking in the whoopin' by South Korea...it was a good time though watching the game with my korean homies...we ordered a bunch of pizzas, and pretty much shut the shop down for a couple hours to watch the game...they had a blast and are proud as hell of their guys...here's the trick though - in South Korea all males must serve at least two years in the military after high school...the majority of the baseball players on this team however, have yet to fulfill that obligation...I found out yesterday - while questioning how a team that any single player on the American team could buy and sell ten times over could possibly beat us - that if the South Korean team makes it to the final bracket of the World Baseball Classic they will not have to join the military...and there you have it...

here is the short story that they put together on the inside of today's Korea edition...the photo is of the gigantic TV that we have in the main part of our office for some reason - which is apparently to watch baseball...I can deal with that...

2006-03-13T07:08:00.000-05:00

Some thoughts…
HA! A beautiful day – I was awake around 3:30 this morning for absolutely no reason at all, but couldn’t fall back asleep because my mental has been going into overdrive…so many conflicting emotions and thoughts and images of SO many things – from a horrible person who I once gave my heart to – to… - well someone else who I once gave my heart to…to Duke – to University of Texas – to realizing that it’s now officially the start of March Madness…to the stifling amount of work that I have in front of me this week – right before we go to the field for two weeks…

So around 4 or 4:30 I gave up falling back to sleep and watched the end of the ACC Championship where J.J. was shooting lights out and then on the Texas game that P.J Tucker (Texas’ own guard) shitted on…and then off to formation and off to the office around 6:15… (all the while wondering if a certain so-and-so would pop up on the yahoo messenger before I left)

Needless to say – so I’ll say it (what a horrible phrase huh? “Needless to say” yet it’s always followed up with saying IT – I swear I’ve brought this up before) – I was exhausted by 11am with no end in sight…got So much done today though and just did whatever it is that I do and accomplished about four things at once well ahead of when they were expected to be done AND got to catch the end of the USA baseball team cheat the hell outta Japan (at the hands of an umpire and then SURPRISE SURPRISE – Alex Rodriguez…fun all around) and then I got to see the South Korean team handle the Mexicans – oops – the Mexico team…

Oh, by the way, I’m talking about the “World Baseball Classic” that’s happening right now…the Cubans and Dominicans are pissed due to getting throttled at the hands of a well constructed Puerto Rico team (which apparently is VERY serious in the Hispanic world – the only thing worse would be if all three of the aforementioned were massacred by the Mexicans - oops)…

Anyway – now South Korea and the U.S. team are 1-0 in the second round AND in the same bracket…awesome – EVEN BETTER THOUGH – is that they’ll face off tomorrow – or today if you’re in the States – whatever…

I just found it awesome that the “Classic” has done exactly what it set out to do in initiating a World interest and World competitive spirit with regards to Baseball…I know, I know – nobody back in the States really gives a damn yet – that is until the U.S. almost got knocked out in the first round by the Mounties from Canada…it’s weird how the American culture is so attuned to only getting excited over the possibility of a crushing defeat and massive failing as apposed to supporting THEIR team throughout just because it’s THEIR team…weird…

Anyway it kinda struck me – and now I know that the “Classic” is accomplishing it’s mission…I’m sitting in my office watching the Korea/Mexico game when the Korean pitcher throws a wild pitch which allowed the runner to advance to third…so it’s the top of the 9th with a runner on third and the Mexicans down by 1…strike two…and then a smoothly thrown strike three to end the game – the best part for me though was suddenly hearing a rousing YELLLL from out in my hallway where our big screen was showing the game and a nice sized group of folks had gathered…

It was great - American Soldiers next to Korean Soldiers and civilians whoopin’ it up watching a true World Championship of baseball knowing that our respective teams would play each other the following day for the overall number one seed in the tourney…just good fun folks – at that moment I realized how lucky I am to be able to share this perspective on this experience…unique – no doubt…

Some of my Korean Soldiers who’ve never mentioned any sports related anything around me are suddenly enthralled at the chance that THEIR team could beat the U.S. and possibly win the “Classic.” That’s great – regardless of what happens…and, more so, THAT was the idea behind this mid-march “Classic” – to spark interest and a bit of worldwide camaraderie...so – all that being said – me and my Korean homies are looking forward to tomorrow – we’ll all no doubt set aside regular missions to stare at the TV screen rooting for OUR teams…

It just sucks for them that team USA will thrash mercilessly upon the poor unsuspecting Korean team! – but I digress…Ha!

In other news: the first bracket that I worked ended up with West Virginia, Kansas, UCONN, and Boston College in my Final Four with UCONN winning it all over Kansas...Needless to say (HA!) I'll be working on another "official" Finch-bracket...I'll post before the tourney starts so you can all bask in my glory! rock!

2006-03-11T06:02:00.000-05:00

POOF!...

now just go away...damn!

2006-03-06T05:46:00.001-05:00

Tooting of the horn...

Well peoples...this is the latest of the ROK Steady Magazine presented by the 8th U.S. Army Public Affairs Office - of which I happen to layout and design - and "edit"...anyway, I'm rather pleased with it overall and can't wait to start getting feedback from all of the dedicated readers of the ROK Steady...ha!

And speaking of feedback - what a segue eh! – the results of this year’s Major General Keith L. Ware Journalism Competition were released late Sunday for you folks stateside which meant first thing this morning for me here in Seoul…the competition is an annual event where the best submissions from various major command areas across the Army (ie: Korea, Europe and a number of regions in the States) are sent to the Department of the Army level competition in Alexandria, Va. There a panel of 22 professionals from the commercial media, academia and Department of Defense Public Affairs community review more than 400 entries in print and broadcast categories.

And – though we didn’t win – I am VERY pleased with myself…er-the magazine-whatever…ahem: in the Magazine Category the ROK Steady pulled in 3rd Place overall out of the entire Army…very pleased indeed…

And not to toot my own horn or anything – fuck it TOOOOOOOOT! – but considering that the mandatory submission that we turned in (you have to turn in one from the date that THEY pick and then one issue that you think is your BEST) considering that it was less than stellar – check it here…I would have to say that a large blame for the strong finish would have to be laid squarely on the pages of the Winter Edition which I tirelessly worked on and was barely able to get printed…So YES…I toot my horn with self-satisfaction…I worked hard and put in a lot of extra hours – even while learning new software on the fly – but it feels good to get a bit of recognition from the almighty “professionals” of our career field…

And hell, the way I figure, if I can help squeak out a third place after only being here for a couple months and on one issue alone – I figure we should definitely be in the running for a 1st Place in next year’s competition if I manage to stay out here ‘til I get out of the Army…just keep plugging away and buildin’ that moneymaking’ résumé…ha! Somethin’ like that anyway…

Previously on the list of Keith L. Ware results for me include a 2nd Place overall at Army-level for when I was the editor of The Monitor newspaper while at Fort Bliss; a 2nd Place in Europe while I was the editor of The Sustainer magazine while out in Germany; and last year I was lucky enough to be on a wonderful staff of the 2nd Place newspaper at Army level – the Turret at Fort Knox…word up!

Maybe I can go out on top this time next year with a 1st Place before I get out of this crazy gig…here’s hopin’! BONG!

(for those of you waiting for the Wnter Edition to arrive in your mailbox you should know that for a while we actually ran out of copies and sent six of our last ten - at the time - to the competition...that being said - you should recieve both the Winter Edition AND the Jan-Feb issue at no extra cost!)

2006-03-03T09:04:00.000-05:00

831 Words...

Well…I guess the first thing that comes to mind is that I – once again – have nothing to specifically to write about…so you all know what that means! – dribble, gibberish and random thoughts/gripes/issues from the Finch…awesome…

First off, iTunes radio is a wonder full thing…I kick it on either at the crib or at work and I can just rock out…anytime…no question…the killer is that if I haven’t heard the song that’s playing I tend to be entranced…and other than that I’m listening to things that I’ve either heard or most likely own and just haven’t dug out in a long time…good stuff…

Which has, of course, led me to get back on track with putting all of my CDs on to my laptop…I’ve been subconsciously putting this off - and putting it off, but have now been forced to travel back through some of the music that has taken me through my time here on earth – more specifically – my time here in the Army…needless to say – so I’ll say it – memories can be great as well as be a bitch…I attempt to deal with both and just reminisce…mmmmmmm

So here’s some quick recommendations – regardless of what you “listen to”: Bahamadia – fo’ shizzle – the only hip hop female voice that will put you in a trance…then of course the Roots, Talib Kweli, Common, High Tek – duh…and then some other stuff…whatever – you’re gonna listen to whatever you listen to anyway – right…

On another topic…a few posts back I voiced my disappointment, or confusion, by my leadership’s decision to tell me to wait on putting the next magazine together…I was on a nice schedule and then told to hold it for a month…well – last week I was told to “go ahead and get it done – NOW!”...BONG!...so suddenly I have half of a 44-page magazine sitting in my lap that is supposed to be “done” all of a sudden…ROCK!...
So late nights and a Sunday spent in the office later – it’s done…very stressed and very worn down by the sudden crunch and toll taken on my mental state and creative section of my brain – I looked forward to a nice respite…alas – it was not to be…

Today – no shit – today, as I put the finishing touches and last “corrections from the command” on the ROK Steady I was informed (by a phone call from my major who called ME via my Staff Sgt. so that he could be there to make sure I didn’t start burning the building down when she told me) that I was now responsible for my soon-to-be-former commanding general’s 50-page “Scrap Book”…oh and that it needs to be done by the 17th…of March…in 14 days…and we haven’t even started yet…HOORAY FOR…well something – but it ain’t anywhere near me folks…

So, after icing my balls for a while, (the kick in the groin stung for a while) I now get to spend my weekend coming up with a “plan” to fill 50 pages with nonsense to make a scrapbook that looks presentable for a three-star general in the U.S. Army…awesome…

Meanwhile, I had decided that I may as well just extend my time here in Korea to match up with my end of term of military service obligation – June 9th, 2007 – rather than go to Fort freggin’ Bragg and deploy back to Haji-land…I’d rather be stressed out by deadlines and request from folks who think that I do good work as apposed to getting shot at by the Haj for merely trying to ensure their safety and the well-being of their country…but hey – that’s just me…but I digress…

The trick here is that in order for me to extend and stay here (which everyone in my leadership – slash – people who my good work makes look good – thinks I should do) I have to go to the shooting range and qualify on my weapon (which I have honestly seen five times and touched maybe three since I’ve been here)…the trick is that I was going to go sometime this coming week – BUT – the general’s scrapbook supersedes all that stuff so Finch ain’t shootin’ nuthin’ for a while…so though they want me to stay and to continue to do the “quality” work that these folks seem to think that I do – the work that they will continue to give me will actually end up preventing me from staying…awesome – and THAT my friends is how the Army works – in a nutshell…enjoy…

In other news: a good friend of mine’s sister very recently died of cancer…WAY to young…I remember almost getting arrested (in my own neighborhood even and subsequently getting grounded ) with her brother on our way to visit her at VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) for her 19th or 20th birthday…she – and her whole family – is good peoples…(for people back in Richmond that happen to read this I’m referring to HappyAnne – Chances’ sister)

Please keep HappyAnne's family in your thoughts and prayers….Please light a candle to represent the Light, which is HappyAnne…

2006-02-22T05:54:00.000-05:00

Belated…I’m such an ass – wrapped up in the nothingness that has become the majority of what I do out here, I didn’t even realize that it’s been a year since the passing of the late great Hunter S. Thompson…oddly enough, I’m reading the collection of his columns that he wrote for ESPN.com’s Page2 (check the right column) which is exactly where I ran in to the good Doctor when I got back to my place after work…they had a little picture of Dr. Gonzo and his wife, Anita, had written a short letter about spending the Super Bowl without Hunter…check it: Anita’s Column …it’s weird cause the book they grabbed to read and reminisce about him is what I’m reading now…and the court case she’s talking about is one thing that has constantly intrigued me since reading it in I think “Songs of the Doomed” and now in “Hey Rube” - felony murder folks - look it up - it's very Bush-esque…anyway gotta respect the man (the Doc that is)…and he always stood for SOMETHING and refused to idly stand by… he lived HIS life the way HE wanted…and, as Anita writes, “as he always said, ‘It’s wrong when it stops being fun.’” Well said Doc…

2006-02-19T09:29:00.000-05:00

Follow up...

Thank you ALL for your prayers and good thoughts...Angela is doing as good as can be expected and is recuperating out in Kuwait...again - thank you all...

2006-02-19T09:18:00.000-05:00

You tell ME...

"Finally, tonight, the Winter Games. Count me among those who don’t like them and won’t watch them ... Because they’re so trying, maybe over the next three weeks we should all try too. Like, try not to be incredulous when someone attempts to link these games to those of the ancient Greeks who never heard of skating or skiing. So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world’s greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention. ...for God’s sake, let the games begin."

This from Bryant Gumbel…one of the whitest black dudes you’ll surely EVER see. He’s made no efforts with regards to race relations that I’m aware of and suddenly he’s spouting off about how the Winter Olympic Games are racist due to the lack of black athletes…suddenly he’s “taking a stand.” – Good for him...

Meanwhile a guy from the city of Chicago was busy fulfilling his dream…winning Gold in the 1,000 meters…just a regular guy who worked hard, practiced daily, dreamed nightly and merely smiled and gave a quick wave when he accomplished it all…Shani Davis, after no doubt suffering through years of mental torment and “teasing” because of his choice to try and skate faster than anyone else in the world despite his blackness…Hell, he’s supposed to be playing basketball right? Catching a football or something – right Bryant?...don’t be confused here folks – while he no doubt took a lot of crap from young white kids he most certainly heard the loudest criticisms from what should have been some of his loudest supporters - and friends for that matter - young African Americans…

This racial nonsense just boggles me…a respected young black television personality like Gumbel sits on his rather popular sports show on HBO lamenting the lack of black athletes in the Games rather than taking an opportunity to highlight the Gold Medal potential an athlete of said race…Rather than show the difficulties and struggles Davis went through just to stick to his chosen sport, and rather than highlight the fact that Davis was shooting to become the FIRST African American gold-medalist EVER – he chose to try and steal a couple headlines (which he did) and in my opinion try and label everyone participating in or endorsing the Games as a bunch of racists…I just don’t get it…

About a month or so ago I happened to catch Morgan Freeman sitting down with Ed Bradley on an installment of 60 Minutes…two prominent, well respected Black males…I watched as they touched on many topics and was intrigued by how REAL both of these men were…just regular people while they sat and talked…then, just like sports, or acting or the presidency – race came up…I remember being struck by how poignant and straightforwardly the subject was approached…a line that I’ll most likely remember for a long while came from Freeman… “the best way to deal with race, and racism, is just to stop talking about it.” In essence – the more we talk about it, or throw it around like a weapon of sorts – the more we perpetuate the overriding issue at hand…the more we sit here and use it a reasons or excuses for everything, the more and longer this cloud is going to rest over ALL of our heads…

I guess that’s why all this race stuff just makes me frustrated, confused and PISSED off…frustrated that this crap is still going on - confused that people STILL can't just get passed something so trivial - and pissed that it's just accepted as apart of our daily lives...

And even more so when I watch a young successful black athlete reach his goal while another successful black man is on the other side of the world sitting in his posh home with his white wife trying to suddenly act like he is a voice for the “plight” of the black man when he had an opportunity to highlight the skater’s merits and triumphs…

No doubt though, that as soon as the Games are over Gumbel will bring Shani Davis on his program to wax poetically about what a shining light he is for all the hopeful young black athletes who wish to take part in the Winter Olympics one day…

In other news – a 7-foot-tall white-dude from Germany just won the NBA three-point contest…

2006-02-13T03:48:00.000-05:00

Angela…
I found out this afternoon that someone very near and dear to my heart will have to undergo surgery Tuesday…Angela, my beautiful former fiancé, is currently deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (no she wasn't hit by an IED or anything like that)…after a series of doctor visits it has been determined that she will need to undergo surgery to avoid a worse scenario in the future…while it hurt to hear - and know that I’m stuck so far away and can do nothing – I didn’t know what to say…getting off the phone though I realized that I needed to leave the office and go “home”…I became aware as I was leaving that my soul hurts…

It’s a very deep – almost hidden – kinda pain that you know is there, but it slides upon you when you least expect to grab hold…it was all I could do to walk all the way back to my place without crying uncontrollably…kinda like pain that comes along with a bruise…you know it’s there…and when something hits it, it starts throbbing and hurting like crazy…and you try to remember to try harder not to hit it on anything ‘til it’s completely healed…I’m very worried for her, I know this is very hard for her…and it kills me that I am way out here…I owe her much and can do nothing but sit here…but I’m getting away from the point…

Angela is most likely scared, and most certainly going through some pain that my wounded soul cannot compare to right now...you are though, the strongest person I've ever known and I know you'll get through this…I just wish that I could do something for you…I hurt very much right now for not being able to do SOMETHING to make it better Beautiful…

So, for what it’s worth, I ask that all of you (whoever reads this stuff that I write) say an extra prayer for her today, tomorrow – the week for that matter…pray for a successful surgery and a speedy and painless recovery…pray that she overcomes this as admirably as she has with so many other things that she has been forced to cope with throughout her life…

Thank you…

2006-02-10T09:49:00.000-05:00

Words…

Well – it’s been nearly a week, and while I wish I had something compelling to say or talk about – I don't…so here goes yet another post about random topics that slip in to my head...enjoy...

The winter games’ are apparently taking hold with such wonderful participants as Bodie Miller, who would be the poster-boy for his sport – that is if his sport actually warranted a poster…and Michelle Kwan who couldn’t even legitimately qualify for her “sport’s” event…whatever…

Yippie…here’s hoping the Olympics are employing the same tactics as the Super Bowl in order to keep people talkin' – that is – hiring worthless officials who will undoubtedly make insane judgments to infuriate everyone but the victors…that’ll keep it interesting I guess…

As for me…it’s freggin’ cold…I posted a while back something about how cold it was and I went on and on about freezing and life suckage – and yada yada yada…well – it is now officially COLDER…damn…it suddenly snowed Tuesday morning and didn’t stop for quite a while…the fun part is, that after it snows here we all know that the next couple days will undoubtedly bring well-below-freezing temperatures, thus turning all snow in to treacherous ice…the fun part is that this ice is EVERYWHERE…

You will walk to nearly everywhere you go here in Korea…driving is a bit of a “luxury” especially as a Soldier…so you’re guaranteed to walk at least a mile through the course of any given day...this fact – coupled with the fact that I live FAR from my office and have to walk up steep steps and down a big hill (or vice-versa to get back) just to get to work – I busted my ass – yes, I made it nearly all the way to the office and while walking across what appeared to be clear pavement I found a lone patch of unseen black-ice and busted my ass…quality…

You all know that feeling…

It happens and you get up as quick as possible…quickly glance around to see if anyone saw you…and whether they did or they didn’t - you move out quick – nothing to see here folks…

Quality…

Korea in February ladies and gents…don’t bust your ass…

Meanwhile – after putting in some late hours (and three or four days) coming up with an innovative cover for the next magazine – I’m casually told yesterday that it’s probably gonna have to change…that – along with the fact that I’ve set a nice deadline, and schedule for the next edition to keep my writers focused – I’m told it’s probably gonna get pushed back…no decent reason – just, “we may need to do this.” I love it…

So – I stopped caring and left at three Thursday and Friday…piss off…

What else, what else….oh – I’m standing outside of my Lt. Colonel’s office this afternoon after compiling some (what I think) were high-speed questions for the Army Lt. General in charge of personnel (he decides who goes where and who does what)…my Captain walks in and smiles/laughs weirdly at me and points…to wit I say – “what I do?” – and he smartly responds “it’s not what you DID, it’s what you’re gonna DO.” And then proceeds to go in to the Colonel’s office, hand him something and shut the door…CLASSIFIED – I’m told…

Slowly I watch as the leadership in my office learns from each other what is going on – and I keep casually asking – “HA! Hey, what’s up sir – throw me a freggin’ bone!”...nothin’…CLASSIFIED...even my Staff Sergeant who is my direct supervisor (only one rank up) knows now, but “can’t tell me too much”…

Anyway – from what I gather, the department of the Army needs someone of my rank, in my career field, located where I’m at, to go somewhere, at some point in the relativley near future, to do something that is currently a classified…

It’s not like I’m going in to snipe Osama – I’m just a "journalist"…but I’ve done MY share of SHIT already - it's sombody else's turn…the three trips to Kuwait, one to Saudi, and my time in Iraq should count for somethin’ right? Damn…anyway…

Even went and had a beer with my Staff Sgt. and he REALLY can’t tell me…which REALLY freaks me out…there’s nothing I’ve NEVER been able to hear or at least get outta somebody…hell a year before we even left for Iraq I heard about where our unit was “scheduled” to be once things kicked off…and I never had to even go inside the tent…So THIS is kinda freakin’ me out a bit – I have the shitty feeling that I’m headed to Baghdad(or something equally not enjoyable), because I think that if it was anywhere or anything BUT Iraq, my Staff Sgt. would have told me…the thing is – he KNOWS that I’m scared as fuck to go back there…

Whatever it is, it’s apparently not for long from what I gather – but it’s certainly for somethin’ and he know’s what - and for how long - and where - and he apparently knows HE's not goin' – and he's apparently not going to tell my ass…

So – I just text messaged my NCO because I’m now driving myself insane…no response - he usually always responds...and I got nuthin’…stay tuned folks...should be interesting...

2006-02-06T00:18:00.000-05:00

One for the Thumb...
(finch's note: i posted a brief thing Saturday with my pick where i not only had the Steelers winning 24-17 - explaining that the four point pre-game spread was nonsense and that earlier in the week i had told my buddy Ian that i would take the Seahawks WITH 17 points...however - that post has been inexplicably deleted by blogger...anyway - i ALSO mentioned in the post that i would be taking Kobe to outscore both teams combined this weekend...he had 35 against the Hornets Saturday evening...well - the Seahawks not only failed to cover the spread they also failed to beat Kobe...please make all checks payable to CASH!...so without further ado)

So the Super Bowl started out here at around 8 in the morning…Me? I started about quarter to 10…oh yeah!…by the way – here in Korea we are given a “training holiday” (day off) for Super Monday as it is…anyway…I woke up to see the score at a paltry 3-0 with Seattle on top…at least I didn’t miss anything…

About this time the Steelers were backed up to a third and 28 or something like that and Ben scrambled away, stood at the line of scrimmage and fired the ball to Hines Ward on the three…a couple plays later Ben “fakes” the hand off and heads for the touchdown – only he looks to have suffered from a sudden occurrence of Caucasian-itis (the inability to jump, brought on by the fact of being a white dude)…there’s NO WAY that that was a touchdown – hell the line judge didn’t call it ‘til after he pulled the ball out and pushed it in to the endzone…whatever – touchdown Steelers…

The Seahawks then demonstrated their inability to manage the clock and run an effective 2-minute drill…halftime score 7-3 Pittsburgh…

I quickly jumped in the shower and then ran down the hill to grab some provisions from the shoppette and some Taco Bell and got back just in time to miss Willie Parker break one for 75 yards to put them up 14-3…and now – a running diary thingy...(all times are from Seoul)

10:38a.m. – 10 minutes after the Parker TD Madden is STILL attempting to explain to us “How he did it…”

10:40 – 3rd and long and the Seahawks give the ball to a back up full back who actually gets the first down…hold on…isn’t Shawn Alexander supposed to be the League MVP? Wouldn’t THIS be a prime situation to use the “best player in the league”…isn’t THIS just another example that Alexander isn’t even the most valuable player on his own team let alone the whole league – just a thought…

10:43 – yet another missed field goal…Seahawks’ kicker Brown apparently went to the Jay Feely school of kicking…awesome…

10:46 – Bus rumbles for 13 yards to just outside the 10…if HE scores you can just chalk up the “W”…the Seahawks already appear to be hanging their heads a bit…isn’t it a little earlier to quit?...it is the freggin’ Super Bowl after all…

Which brings me to this…Does this even FEEL like a Super Bowl? You’ve got Madden and Michaels (how does this happen) jabbering on and on about random things that have nothing to do with anything…and Seattle is playing with all the intensity of a week 5 regular season game…

10:50 – TADA! Happy Valentine’s Day from Ben, who short-arms a pass to Seattle’s Herndon…the receiver was open…oh well – my only question is – how do you not run that interception all the way back for a TD?...no excuse…

10:54 – Doesn’t matter – now we’ve got a ballgame – Stephens in the endzone for 6…

10:57 – Somebody please either take the Liquor or the Pen from Madden…he’s drawin’ a map of something all over the TV and just circled a dude sitttin’ on the bench…jeeze…

Quick question – why are Michaels and Madden standing? – For that matter, why do ANY announcers have to stand? The NFL folks couldn’t spring for two decent chairs for the game – hell, even a stool or something…this has always bothered me…

11:05 – 3rd and 15 – the team with the MVP gives the ball to WHO? Strong again…I confused…

11:08 – Ben just knocked the hell out of a Seahawk linebacker…awesome…then on a similar play to the one that was intercepted earlier on Ben’s short arm throw – he OVER THROWS it…deeeeep breath Ben – you got this man…

11:14 – At the end of the 3rd quarter Kobe is still easily ahead by 11 points with just 15 minutes left to play…easy money…

11:17 – Pitt needed a stop on 3rd and 5 and they leave Bobby Engram wide open…? Suddenly Hasselback looks very much in control of this game…

(cue the jinx)

11:20 – A B.S. holding call against Seattle…dude – they’re already covering the spread – let ‘em play…now a sack – just another case of the refs sucking the momentum from a team…two plays later an interception and then a B.S. 15-yard penalty…when have you NOT been allowed to tackle someone at the feet?...anyone?...answer this please…

11:25 – after seeing a third replay I have to ask – has ANY call this game gone against Pittsburgh? ANY? – you’ve got the Ben “touchdown” in the first half…the phantom holding call just a bit ago…and this below the knee call which just kills you…whatever…

11:28 – TRICKERATION ALERT…these are the things that you can do when half of the players on your team are QBs…just awesome…

11:39 – a little more than six minutes left on the clock and Seattle kicks the ball in to the endzone giving it back to Pitt on their 20…HOW can you just settle and give them the ball back? You’re down by 11…everyone’s fired…and so it was written…HA!

11:44 – 3…2…1…0…0…0…timeout…no delay of game?...yet ANOTHER call for Pitt…this is just boggling me… I guess it’s a bunch of make up for the Indy game…fair enough eh!?

-Madden just pointed out that Charlie Batch was looking through his playchart for a good play to give Ben during the timeout…doubtful John – highly freggin’ doubtful…

11:49 – Ben “fakes” the hand-off and runs for the first down – that looked like the second play that Ben just said “screw the play called, I’m taking this myself”…just good to see…he’s the MVP right now…

11:52 – Now is when the horrible clock management at the end of the 1st half just kills you…instead of working the clock and getting into good field goal range, they screwed themselves and ended up missing a 50-plus yard kick…now they’re down by 11 and that just doesn’t seem very likely at this point…

11:58 – MVP!!...MVP!...MVP?...MVP?????– was Alexander even on the field…?

12:01p.m. – So it’s 3rd and long and so of course you throw short to your tight end who has dropped five passes today – of course NOW he not only catches it short of the first down – he manages to stay in bounds to keep the clock goin’ – good stuff…Seattle has apparently NEVER RAN a 2-Minute drill…simply amazing…the fact that one facet of the game (not being able to execute a hurry-up offense and manage the clock) can just crap on your entire season…

12:03 – Hooray for Bill Cowher – Hooray for Jerome – Hooray for Pittsburgh…good to see…it’s been a long time comin’…Hooray for Ian too...screw you to Tom - you're not really a Steelers fan...

- At this point the MVP of the game either has to be Ben, Randle El or the Seattle offense’s 2-minute drill…

- Shot of the day goes to: Pitt owner Mr. Rooney congratulates Joey Porter who, rather than shake the man’s outstretched hand, attempts to give the 80 something year old what can only be described as bumping fists or “dap” if you will…AND THEY PULL IT OFF!...simply outstanding – in the words of Manny Ramirez – “it’s just destination!”

- The only thing that would have made the presentation better would have been if Cowher (aka Sgt. Slaughter) pulled a Stone Cold Steve Austin and standing on the edge of the podium began screaming for people to start tossing him cans of beer – followed by him catching them, slamming them together and taking them to the dome…THAT – would have been GREAT!...

- Now I have to go make sure that my Soldier – a Seattle native – isn’t laying in a ditch somewhere out here in Seoul…mahalo!...

2006-02-03T09:30:00.000-05:00

Battle hardened...

This cartoon apparently ruffled many a feather over the last couple of days...it was sent to me by my sergeant with the note “what do you think of this?”…fair enough…

A “Soldier” with his/her legs and arms completely gone, while a “doctor Rumsfeld” casually (and obliviously, callously, un-caringly) charts the damage up to nothing more than being “battle hardened”…

Funny? – not so much – but poignant – yeah, I’ll give it that…

Attached with the email was the letter “from” an outraged Joint Chiefs of Staff signed by all the services’ respective representatives…they’re all apparently pissed…

“Using the likeness of a service member who has lost his arms and legs in war as the central theme of a cartoon is beyond tasteless,” they wrote. “We believe you owe the men and women and their families who so selflessly serve our country the decency to not make light of their tremendous physical sacrifices.”

Outstanding…yet another fine example of MISSING THE POINT…

The cartoon was depicting the helpless VOLUNTEER SOLDIER of today having been maimed by the horrible hazards of our country’s war on terror while the leadership (ie: Doc Rumsfeld) stands by dispassionately…that was the POINT…

Meanwhile – the very leadership that the cartoon was jesting over ignored Doc Rumsfeld and merely saw a ruined Soldier and took offense…

To ME this letter to the Post merely helped reinforce what the cartoon – in essence – was saying…that not only has the leadership not shown that they care – but that they are completely oblivious (or at least refuse to acknowledge) what/how the troops actually feel…

I’m most likely not allowed to say ANY of this, but I was asked by my leadership what my opinion is – so HERE you go…it’s just very frustrating…

In my honest opinion – when a Soldier, Marine, Airman or Navy personnel becomes crippled after proudly serving their country, the leadership (including Doc) are more worried about how they’re going to recruit the next person to replace said cripple rather than what type of life this volunteer combatant will now be forced to live after serving his/her country honorably… but hey –that’s just ME…

2006-01-30T03:28:00.000-05:00

SAIPAN...On the other side of the Island was this chill spot where people were taking advantage of yet another beautiful day...

A shot of me and my tan Oakleys...I am rarely without some sort of eyewear when out and about...trying here for the whole artsi-reflection photo-whatever...

This is the sunset after the first day there...as it happens, this was the first really nice sunset that they had, had in quite a while...apparently it had done nothing but rain for a week or two and stopped just the day before I got there...awesome...

This is Day2's evening display...much diffrent than the first, but nontheless beautiful...very, very peaceful times...

This is what is known there as "Bird's Island"...this is also about the time that my current illness was beggining to take a forceful hold on my body... while it is a beautiful place, I swear I don't remember seeing ANY birds...

Caught site of some cows (in the foreground) on the way back to the hotel...luckily my volunteer guide drove a convertible so we were able capture this shot of the cows...just a great shot of cows...and the coastal view isn't bad either HA!

And when it was all said and done - thumbs up indeed...Saipan is the shizzle fo' rizzle...probably the most beautiful place that I've ever been...all the people were great and happy...hell, my freggin' bartender from the hotel ended up taking me all over the island the last day I was there...WHERE would that EVER happen? Just a good, relaxed place...I could definitely see myself disappearing there for a year when I get out of the Army...I highly recommend giving this little island a visit...although, I may be a bit biased seeing as how the Army paid me to go here...I just got the check (direct deposit) from them for the trip...$1200 bucks...awesome...

2006-01-25T07:38:00.000-05:00

Cough, cough...cooouuuffffff...

Sorry for the lack of posts or anything people...still sick..coughing right now as I type this...pain...had an alert this morning at aroung 5a.m. which helped - to not make me feel any better - and i've got CQ (24hour duty) this Saturday which no doubt will KILL me...which is very unfortunate...it's like I have to pay back my couple days of trying to smile...as if it wasn't enought that for every moment in Saipan that I felt happy I kept beating myelf up inside because it didn't feel right - feeling happy without HER...every moment of happiness was matched with a moment of (for lack of a better word) pain...it just didn't feel right creating any sort of worth-a-damn-memory without HER by my side...it just didn't seem to mean anything without HER...but I guess I digress...anyway...still sick...thanks Lope...I Love you Angela...stay safe...I'll get to a photo or two when I start to feel better party people...word up!...mahalo!

2006-01-21T09:45:00.000-05:00

[Expletive] back...

Yes, I’m back from the island…wow…more to come in the next week or so on all that…but yes – wow…an astonishingly beautiful place…may have to live there for a year or so…like I said though – there will be more to come on that in the coming days… still catching my breathe – both figuratively and now physically too…

As for right NOW…I spent my first day back laid up in the hospital here…yup – the hospital…I feel vaguely reminiscent to the shit-storm that hit me in Iraq, but after two “popped” veins, two IV’s, chest-X-rays and numerous inquisitive looks from the doc I was released with nothing more than the standard Army bullshit…even after recounting my “medical history” of ALWAYS having the same crap and ALWAYS getting worse because the docs never fix the ACTUAL problem until it becomes horrible…but I digress…

I walked outta the hospital looking like an addict with holes up and down my arm, a bottle of “Sore Throat Spray”, Cough Syrup, some throat lozenges and a thing of Acetaminophen…that’s right people – all that to leave an Army hospital with nothing more than the stuff that most people have, or can at least get a hold of, on their own…

The best thing they gave me was a print out explaining what a viral respiratory illness is…I, according to the sheet, have an upper respiratory illness caused by a virus…ALSO, according to my hand-dandy piece of paper, should return “promptly” if any of the following occur: cough with lots of colored mucus, chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing or difficulty breathing, severe headache; face, neck or ear pain…

Hold the phone – I ALREADY HAVE ALL THAT…that’s why I was there in the first place…ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…

The thing about this mysterious illness is that I’m positive that I got it from Loper right before I left for my trip to the Island…the bastard showed up to drink a couple brews last weekend and started coughing crap all over the place saying how it was no big deal and that he’d had the cough for so long and this and that…to which I responded by being very (understandably) pissed off that he would bring that shit into my place knowing that I was about to head off to Saipan…dick…anyway…the good part is that it waited to hit full steam until the last day there…the bad part is – well that I’m sick as hell now duh!...thanks Lope…

Can’t wait to get back to Saipan…

2006-01-17T02:36:00.000-05:00

Bound for Saipan...

Well peeps...I'm off to the airport in a few minutes to catch the first thing smokin' to the Island of Saipan...forecast is calling for highs in the 80's and lows in the upper 70's...a welcome change from the cold that is Seoul...the beauty of it all is that they're paying me to do this...ha! awesome...well - that's all for now...

2006-01-15T11:30:00.000-05:00

Note to self...

Just so it's down and in writing...

The door is open folks...If the Steelers can find a way to get passed the Colts they may very well find their way in to a Super Bowl Championship...they match up VERY well with the Broncos and while I don't think that they will beat the Colts - I have to say that IF...wow that's an IF...if they beat the Colts the Super Bowl can be their's for the taking...Like I said - I don't think they'll beat Indy, BUT if they do I feel confident that Big Ben will be making someone A LOT of money in Vegas come Super Bowl Time...just so it's down, and in the record... blah...!

2006-01-14T08:45:00.000-05:00

2006-01-13T10:53:00.000-05:00

FRIDAY THE...

Fridays are Wonder-FULL…

Especially when it’s the 13th…this one though I didn’t’ realize until late in the afternoon…when it all started to make sense…

For some reason this morning it was raining…not snowing…hmmmmmm…0530 - sure enough it was raining…PT was “cancelled” for my guys….bong…

An extra two hours of sleep later – I’m on my way to the office…there’s a cab…sweet – gotta ride…basketball is on TV (on my computer screen) – wonderful – pistons spurs and then the Kobe’s vs. the LeBrons…sweet…

But then d-r-a-m-a…

And suddenly I’m volunteering to go on this trip because one of the Soldiers can’t…there’s no possible way they paperwork can be done in time though…

Or is there…

Yes…yes there is…

A four-day weekend this weekend for Martin Luther King and then my first day “back” I’ll be in the middle of the Pacific on a little island called Saipan…

The things I do for my country folks! HA!...awesome…

2006-01-06T08:58:00.000-05:00

OK it’s a little more than 24 hours removed from the jubilation, the greatness, the triumph – THE game that will undoubtedly go down as one of – if not THE – greatest championship game EVER…certainly one of the greatest athletic performances by a single human in the history of organized sports…and I’m STILL catching my breath…

It’s moments like these (and the apparent unending corruption that is finally being uncovered in Congress) that makes me wish that the late great Dr. Hunter S. Thompson was still here with us on this earth…selah…

I just finished spending some of the best two bucks I’ve spent in quite a while on the 24 minute video compilation of the Rose Bowl brought to us by the good people at Apple and Itunes…I now HAVE the game…forever and ever…I can now take it anywhere and shit on a USC fan – or any non-Texas fan in the world…I can bring this video to Anywhere in Texas and it will bring INSTANT joy...it is simply a wonderful thing…

The elation that I felt when Vince somehow ran it in with 18 seconds left could only have been made better if I had EVERY SINGLE person that matters in my life here with me to experience it with…I don’t think I could have survived that though (spontaneous combustion and all) and I will continue to be happy with the fact that I was able to see it at all…it’s not often that something labeled “The Greatest EVER” not only involves “your” team, but also ends with “your” team coming out on TOP…I can’t stop smiling…

Here’s an email from a buddy to further demonstrate the magnitude of this:

One for the ages! When I awoke this morning I sat straight up in bed and told myself it was just a dream. I scrambled for the TV in search of the hung-over truth as to what actually happened. It was then that I realized that THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS was indeed the 2005-2006 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS. What a feeling - I have waited all of my life for this moment…National Champs, that seems to make the hang over and the pounding in my head seem meaning less. The feeling that I felt last night and how I feel right now will probably be matched in the same mile stones of my life: first born, first kiss, first beer, and my First experience of watching the TEXAS LONGHORNS win the game I have waited for forever. It was everything I had ever hoped for and then some. One of the things in my life that I wanted to see was this! I have a few more things on the to-do list but this was a big one. Now if I can only find that cat that crapped in mouth I am going to kill it.

Now when I shared this email with another buddy of mine he scoffed, basically saying that “it’s not THAT serious” and the whole – “it’s just a game” and this and that…

I can agree with that mindset to a certain extent, but I am obviously biased…there are things in all of our lives that we will look back on and either smile with fondness or attempt to erase in contempt…the happy times, the “I can’t believe that just happened” times, the “I just felt a missing piece connected inside of me” times…(Boston Red Sox Times here people)…those can - in an instant - change an entire person’s being…a pure smile for ANY reason is a beautiful thing on ANYONE, and happiness breeds confidence and confidence breeds success (right? Somethin’ like that)…I’m not saying the homeless will now become millionaires or anything but for at least the next week/month (perhaps longer) or so Longhorns fans are indifferent to anything negative…WE are happy…we feel unstoppable and sure…and that IS a good thing…for Texas anyway…but I digress…
If nothing else, I’m sitting in my room here in Korea all by my lonesome at 12:30 or so in the afternoon watching the Longhorns that I’ve rooted for, for as long as I can remember, play against what EVERYONE was touting as THE BEST team EVER…I’m wearing my beautiful-burnt-orange-Vince-Young jersey and throw on my burnt-orange-Longhorns cap (the same one I wore when they won the Baseball Championship back in April or so), basically curled up in a little ball with my knees in my chest on a chair backed up against the wall staring at my tiny little TV...hoping…doing math and all the various point calculations in my head (if they score, and a two pointer, or if they get a field goal and kick an onsides kick, or…)…

Then with a little more than six minutes left the Trojans are up by 12 and the math is still screaming through my head…a quick pass to Thomas and then a few plays later Vince is somehow in the endzone – I’m at a loss…I’m shaking…I don’t know what to do…I don’t understand why they would be allowed to come THIS close only to fall short…I try not to get excited…USC ball…3:20 to play…and they easily move in to Texas’ part of the field – it’s over…but wait – it’s somehow 4th and one and a half, but WE haven’t stopped White ALL NIGHT – NOT ONCE – as soon as it said fourth down I said to myself “you’ve got to go for it to close the game”…and it’s true that play would have sealed it – you don’t NEED Reggie…White had pounded the crap outta Texas all night…so I curled up tighter into my little ball of me…hoping…

THEY STOPPED HIM – THEY FREGGIN’ STOPPED HIM…breathe, breathe – still gotta score…I can’t believe they stopped him…breathe…face mask – first down…another first down and outta bounds – BREATHE, BREATHE…1st down, nothing’, 2nd down, nothing, 3rd down, nothing, wholly crap this is IT…26 seconds, 4th and 5 from the 8…at this point I have now squeezed myself in to such a tight ball that I can no longer be seen by the human eye…

A few seconds later and I just remember him standing in a crowd looking confused and for the first time EVER, being humbled, and well – whatever other emotion describes what he possibly could have been feeling at that moment – watch the tape folks…he’s bewildered…it’s like as soon as he crossed the goal line this sudden moment of clarity came over him and all at once he realized what had just happened…it was beautiful…meanwhile I’m screaming and jumping around my room like a crazy person who just got there first hit of speed since turning clean…

3 minutes to play and they were D-U-N – done…3 minutes later THEY were National Champions…

I went jacketless today in sub 25 degree temps with my Longhorns’ sweatshirt on and the hat - oh the looks I got… I either got the “freggin' bandwagoner look” - Even got a comment from a Staff Sgt. about "bet you didn’t wear that before yesterday" and then even got a Hook'em Horns sign from a distance followed by a yelp…I got the sense that nearly “everyone” wanted to say SOMETHING…it was grrrrrreat…haters…ahhhhh...

They’re playing the “Eye’s of Texas” on Leno right now…and uh…Oh yeah, by the way, I’ve got this video to show you real quick…HA!

Hook’Em Horns!

2006-01-05T21:48:00.000-05:00

Best Game Ever?!...

It's gotta be up there. Simply amazing. Anyway, I said that I would do a running diary, but that not only took a backseat to enjoying the game during about midway through the third quarter - turns out BILL SIMMONS WAS DOING HIS OWN DIARY for the game which includes such gems as:

8:37 -- Keith Jackson on Vince Young: "As an old defensive coach once said, 'He ain't got no handles,' but he led the country in passing this year."
(Um, does anyone on this plane speak jive? What just happened there?)

AND...

9:04 -- Reggie Bush just makes me happy. I think I have a man-crush on him.

AND...

9:48 -- Just thought of something: Where do you think O.J. Simpson is watching this game? Something tells me he doesn't have the Marcus Allen/Ronnie Lott sideline pass. And yes, it's always fun bringing up O.J. Simpson to USC people -- almost as fun as meeting a rich person from Brentwood, playing dumb when they say where they live, then excitedly saying, "Hey, wasn't that where O.J. lived?" One of the underrated perks of living in Southern California. I'm telling you.

AND...

11:07 -- All right, this wasn't just the highlight of the game, it might have been the highlight of my life. Here's an actual transcript of Keith Jackson reading an "Emily's Reasons Why Not" promo (10 minutes after I wished for it):
"Don't miss the season's premiere of 'Emily's Reasons Why Not.' [Mumbling to someone off-camera.] 'Emily's Reasons' ... I don't know. [Back to the promo.] Starring Heather ... Graham. A new comedy about love, laughter and life, premiering at Monday, 9 central, followed by an all-new 'Jake' ... [prolonged pause] ... in Progress,' starring John Stah-mos."
(Note: That was 10 times funnier if you imagine Stamos flipping out in his living room, screaming, "It's STAY-mos, you old fart! STAY-mos!" before flipping over his 40-inch Sony Wega, breaking a coffee table and finally being consoled by Dave Coulier and his publicist, Lewis Kay.)

AND...

12:21 -- Young runs for the 2-point conversion. I now have him ranked above every NFL QB except for Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer. Good golly. We also had this exchange right after the conversion:
-- Jackson: "Only 19 seconds to play ... clock didn't move on that play."-- Fouts: "That's an extra point, it's probably not going to ... "

AND...

So what did we learn? Three things ...
1. Not only is Vince Young the best player in college football, his Rose Bowl performance following the Heisman Trophy ceremony ranked at least an 8.3 on the Vengeance Scale. It's nice to see an athlete back up his own words, isn't it?
2. If your season potentially rides on one first down, and you have a Heisman Trophy winning running back on your team ... well, you might want to have him on the field. It's a little unorthodox, I know. But it's probably a good idea.
3. Pete Carroll will always be Pete Carroll.

2006-01-04T08:58:00.000-05:00

11 hours and counting...

phew...you could cut the tension with - well some sort of cutting utensil…I brought a jersey, a hat, a t-shirt, and even a cooze to the office today to adorn the walls around my work area…fuck ‘em – that’s what I say anyway…one guy had the NERVE to ask “hey, what’s up with all the Texas stuff?” – I then proceeded to pee on his shoes…it’s time folks – that’s all I had to say to anyone that came into the area today…OH YEAH…it’s time…for good or ill - it’s time…the day is upon us…it’s been building for months – nay – a year – since Vince and his homies were last in Pasadena…ahhh fond memories indeed…we shall see though…either way I’m excited…AND – either way you’re getting a running diary a’la’finch, outta this thing…a completely focused, play-by-play, snap-by-snap, great play-by-great play finch version for your reading pleasure…alright – maybe just the last part, but hell it’s free folks…word up…HOOK ‘EM HORNS!

10 minutes later I needed to add this:

After I wrote this I wanted to be sure and add the fact that I am literally HORRIFIED that the 'Horns will show up for the game in thier grotesque black jerseys with orange numbers…these are the SAME horrendous looking things that the basketball ‘horns showed up in to take a big dump on the game against DUKE a month or so ago…I know that the football jersey equivalent exists, but I’m holding out hope that the Longhorns show up in their beautiful WHITE ON WHITE uniforms (that suit them so well by the way)…I will say this – if they show up in black, I’m simply going to go back to bed or work for that matter, because if they pull that nonsense they will surely lose by 30 or more…mark the words of the Finch…that being said – if they respect tradition AND my eyes I stand by my earlier 35-24 prediction…we shall see…

and 20 minutes later I spewed this out:

I’ve read damn near everything currently out there from either the folks at Sports Illustrated o the good people at ESPN about the Rose Bowl matchup…USC is the “best” offense EVER…Watch out for the ‘Horns O’Line ‘cause they’re quick and they hit…Reggie Bush is the second coming…the running backs at Texas are hungry…LenDale White is the “X” factor…the Texas D is too fast (yeah I said that twice – they’re quick!)…but for me, at this point, one thing is the “IT”…

Well two things actually…

Vince Young is the Truth folks…that and Mr. Leinhart is college football’s Tom Brady…

There’s so much practice leading up to this game, so much scheming, so much planning so much preparation for the opposition…the fact remains though, that these two guys CAN’T be prepared for…they either ARE or they AREN’T…and hell, even if they aren’t ON they’re still hard to stop…

Vince tends to try and pull a Mike Vick and try and force a run/scramble…Matt can tend to try and keep looking for the BIG play and end up holding the ball too long and wasting downs…Vince has a habit of not tucking the ball when running into/through traffic and putting it on the ground…while Matt happens to at some times look like a wounded duck lost in a collapsed pocket…

HOWEVER,

Vince has a knack for seeing SOMETHING open deep in the secondary…and Matt has this keen sense to somehow briefly look like Brett Favre on a scramble before toppling to the ground…then again Vince is quick to pull a Houdini and have a group of defenders confused as he saunters in for six…while Matt – well Matt has this tendency to just be a great pocket QB…

Do Not be mistaken though…regardless of all the planning and all the scheming and all the preparation for both of the teams’ OTHER weapons – these two – Vince and Matt - will decide the outcome of this year’s Rose Bowl…whether it be in the Leadership category or the Performance category one of these two collegiate athletes will raise the championship trophy Wednesday night…and their teams’ will no doubt know who to credit for the victory.

2006-01-03T06:24:00.000-05:00

Well I wish I had something new and compelling to say about the upcoming “Game to End All Games” and even the New Year for that matter, but I really don’t…

As for the New Year – I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday celebration…I was safe, but happy – not so much…

I was aroused from my post next to my toilet at around 2a.m.-ish by my NCO bidding me a happy New Year…I apparently had eaten some rather disagreeable food the night before and was relegated to either sitting on or standing over the toilet for much of the evening Saturday…a fitting end to a rather crappy 2005 if I do say so myself…that being said – the food – and 2005 – are now out of my system…so here’s to a joyous and magnificent 2006!

As for the Game…well I think I’ve pretty much covered it…I just had the urge to play around with good ‘ol Photoshop and came out with the above image…whatever…I’m excited…burnt orange is pretty much all I’m wearing right now…tomorrow will be the only day I have to work this week because I’ve put in a pass for Thursday and Friday so I can enjoy the game, which comes on about 10a.m. out here, and then have a reasonable time to “recover” either from the pissed-off-edness or revelry that will surely follow this year’s Rose Bowl…

Other than that, I’ve got some exciting things in the works, but I will not dare jinx them by blabbering on quite yet…let’s just say that it will ideally involve many hours of flying followed by MANY hours of happiness…that’s all you’ll get out of me at this point…

So here’s to 2006…many moments, hours, days – hell an entire year of happiness…and let’s not forget HOOK ‘EM HORNS! Oh Yeah!

2005-12-29T00:12:00.000-05:00

The Magazine...

well here it is...this finally hit the stands last Friday - which is great timing with everyone on the entire peninsula ON LEAVE somewhere else...whatever, I'm just happy that the damn thing is finally done...and now on to the NEXT issue...whenever the hell that might be - I just love the organization of things here...it's simply amazing that ANYTHING gets done...anyway - enjoy the latest issue of the ROK Steady (Winter 2005) – of which I will only take credit for all of the layout and design and anything that you like about the thing…any errors you may find were obviously someone else’s department and anything you don’t like – well – whatever, it’s free so there…

2005-12-25T10:34:00.000-05:00

Omnes lagani pistrinae gelate male sapient…

All frozen pizzas taste lousy…

So we had tacos fool!...and they were stupendous…Merry Christmas to all and to all…

A Taco…and so it was written…

Slept in ‘til around 11 and pulled myself from the bed in search of sustenance and solace…I found the former quickly in the form of a healthy bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch followed up by a monster of a ham, turkey and cheese sandwich – with ALL the fixin’s this year…yummie…

I then found the latter around three in the afternoon when I called my buddy/NCO to find out what the deal was with the Christmas Tacos he had spoken so highly of a few days prior…and after a stop at the store for a bottle of “BeefEater Gin” (he asked for Gin so I got him Gin…and who could resist something so brazenly named BeefEater – it’s from London – which makes sense I guess) and a six-pack for me…and me and my cab were on our way in to Iteawon...

He told me to meet him at the McDonalds…easy enough…until I got out of the cab…“wanna by some of this”…“you need suit”…“blah blah buy this blah blah”…apparently EVERYTHING is still open on Christmas Day here in Korea…it’s all good though…I’m cheery and out and about and what not…“what’s up suit-guy” I inquired…and just as he started in on his spiel I realized that I was right in front of a rather large shoe store…I saw various Nike swooshes in all sorts of colors and immediately forgot that suit-guy even existed…

Briefly in awe – moments later I was removed from the paradise by my buddy – and then confronted by the suit-guy I had so rudely blown off minutes earlier…I took his card…I’m supposed to call him James next time I’m around there…neat…

So we’re not at homeboy’s crib for 10 minutes when the power goes out…“fuck” I say – it’s my Christmas touch of Death again…sorry dude…I should go…BUT…

Hong Kong Phooey was on the job and within twenty minutes or so everything was back on - beef cookin’, lights on music rockin’ – yeah…

Now I guess this is where I would be talking about all the other folks there and how it was a raging party and all that – naw…the other people that were supposed to show pulled a Finch and just stayed in…oh well…me and homey ate up a bunch of tacos, drank some beer and just shot the shit (talked about life and nonsense) while some Marvin Gaye played and Smokey Robinson was busy seconding that emotion…very chill…

and then we decided to head over to another guy’s apartment on the other side of Seoul…

Venturing outside for the first time in a couple hours, it was noticeably colder since I had arrived…ignoring that, we walked in search of the elusive trustworthy-cab…and we were on our way…

This guy is apparently a pimp in disguise – to EVERYONE – but himself…which is fun (for everyone else) to say the least…He always wants to wear suits and when we showed up he was actually attempting to pull off the Hugh Heffner look - sans the Bunnies of course…which, ya know, I’ll give him an E for effort…lots of cool stuff in the crib though, and a very chill place on the 12th floor of this building overlooking the river – VERY CHILL...

Not having had a beer in nearly 45 minutes he quickly poured me a glass of “Cass” (laugh it up Ian, Tim, Tom – haha - bitches) which I would shortly learn was the first, last and ONLY beer on the premises…

We laughed it up and even popped in an old Jerry Lewis movie (The Nutty Professor) …this is when dude started fast forwarding and explaining how much of a Pimp he thought ‘ol Jerry was as the suave professor…lines like when she tells him “you’re impossible” and he quickly replies with “ well hurry up and grab you some impossible baby – you’ll love it” – awesome…and suddenly his whole existence was becoming clear…stupendous…so fun! – you can’t buy this kind of entertainment!...

Anyway…after discussing what I recall as plans B through G for New Year’s Eve we again were off…

A quick stop by the U.N. Club – which is nothing like what the name might suggest…then a snagging of some “chicken on a stick” – which may or may not have been actual chicken…but was scrumptious nonetheless…and then a stop by somewhere that turned out to be somewhere else…and then I proclaimed that my night was through and once again we set out to find a reliable cab…done and done…

A fairly nice evening all around I must say…not nearly as much drunkin’ debauchery as I had expected – which was nice – and a lot of good conversations and some surprisingly good music…so I say to everyone!…Tacos for ALLLLL!

Honestly though, a nice quote that I stumbled across this evening pretty evenly sums up everything right now…

Omnia mutantur nos et mutamur in illis – All things change, and we change with them…

Merry Christmas everybody – hope all is well with You and Yours…muuahh!

2005-12-23T08:09:00.000-05:00

Christmas Past...

Alright…so here we go… Christmas Past…at least the Army ones anyway…here’s a quick re-cap for some of you…

Left for the basic training and Fort Knox in August of ’99 shortly after both turning 18 and graduating high school…went on to school at Fort Meade, Md. to learn how to be a “military journalist” before heading off for my first duty station which was none other than lovely Fort Bliss, Tx. all the way down in El Paso (yes, that’s sarcasm)…left there on my way to Wiesbaden, Germany in 2001…left Germany for Kuwait (my third trip no less) in late February/ early March of ’03…hit Iraq in May (a couple days before Mom’s birthday)…got back to Germany in February ’04…became retarded around June right before I reenlisted for three years under the premise that I would be going to stay at Fort Knox for a while…showed up here in Seoul in August of ’05 – so much for Fort Knox...

So heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere we go…

Christmas ’99 – This is a time early on in a young military career that should send off all kinds of flares and warning signals telling you that things are not always as they seem...after recently getting out of basic training, I’m up at Fort Meade in Md. only about 2 and a half hours from home, which was nice…anyway – come Christmas-time the Drill Sgt’s start enforcing upon everyone that YOU WILL GO HOME YOU BASTARDS…and that if you didn’t – they would do things to you that would make hell seem like a Baskin Robins Shop on a warm Sunday afternoon…oh we left folks…and why wouldn’t we – hell we were told we “had to” AND we’d get to go home and away from these crazy bastards for a while…little did we know that it would be a LONG TIME before we would be able to take leave again…taking that much leave, you see, put us all “in the hole” as they say, and we technically “owed” leave days to the Army because of our “forced” vacation…anyway that’s another story for another time…tricky tricky those drill sgt’s…

Well, I can’t remember how I got home – my father no doubt picked me up and brought me south to my mom’s house in the neighborhood…I probably don’t remember much of any of this because of the shock that was occurring throughout my system at seeing things “outside” of what had been my environment for the last five months…anyway, got home kinda late…happiness abounded and all was wonderful…things quieted down and I went off into the night in search of the homies…

Got home very late, or very early – depending on your point of view…and proceeded to pass out…knock, knock, knock…knocK, knOCK, KNOCK…

And suddenly something is a happening…my mom – in the darkness of my room – was asking me if I would go with her somewhere…what…will you ride with me she asks…and I’m thinking I’m either in a dream or she is…so I kinda say loudly WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT…will you ride with me to go pick up your bother…pick him up? WHAT are you TALKING ABOUT?...

…from the Police Station, she said softly…as she turned to go get him…

Christmas ’00 – I’m at Fort Bliss in the middle of El Paso, or North Jaurez (mexico) as I call it…I’m fairly certain that everyone went home to family and I stayed back at Bliss…it was my choice…I had pushed for, and been given, the opportunity to redesign the post newspaper which hadn’t been done in quite some time as I recall…so I spent the non-holiday days working with our civilian publisher and layout designer extraordinaire Val…and with our powers combined - we managed to create a very clean, airy, flowing design which I think everyone was pleased with when it debuted headlining (and scooping everyone else) the new Army slogan – ‘An Army of One’…ahhh good times…anyway – for Christmas I remember getting a sweet drawing of a drunkin’ Santa searching for his deer (and I’m certain something else with it) from Aaron and Dawn – ‘The Thackers’ – which I actually still have and laugh at from time to time…and on Christmas day I think it was around 65 or 70 degrees and I went out and played a little basketball against myself – I won! Ha!...

Christmas ’01 – I got to Germany right around the middle of December…BAD MOVE…I’m 19 in a new country – blah, blah – and so my NCO picks me up at the airport gets me to the unit…I “meet the first sgt.” and get a room…I’m a “senior specialist” so I’m upstairs with my own room – sweeeeet!...then pooof…everyone’s gone…everyone went home back to the states – including my NCO…

So I’m new in Germany, by myself in a room, in a practically empty building, AND my heat is out…not sweeeet…BUT, I call my homeboy – my old roommate from Fort Meade who happens to be married and living with his wife down in Heidelberg…he comes and gets me and I’m gonna spend the holidays with him and his peeps down there…a day and a half later – a day before Christmas – we’re sitting in the barracks room of some dude on leave that he knew – my buddy’s wife had kicked him out…awesome…so on Christmas we enjoyed ham sandwiches and mustard (‘cause we forgot to get mayonnaise) and drank a couple 40oz. Beers while playing NCAA Football on Playstation2...

Christmas ’02 – I went to a club in Germany (yes a club was open on Christmas Eve…and yes I of all non-clubbin’ people went to it) and we stayed out ‘til it closed… and my buddy got laid with my friend’s friend… and I let a girl (my friend) from Wuerzburg that wanted to get with ME sleep in my bed while I took the couch like a “gentleman” because I was oblivious to the fact that she was smitten with the Finch…I’m so lame…

Christmas ’03 – This was the day that I was supposed to get medi-vac’d out of Iraq and back to the Hospital in Germany…I was apparently dying which honestly sucked as I recall…I showed up at the hospital almost a week prior (thanks to the lovely Angela) after being sick for a couple days…at this point I couldn’t get up and I was very scared which was a shockingly new symptom…I got to the hospital around 9 or 10 p.m. and had a blood pressure of something in the neighborhood of 30 over 70…not quite sure what that means but from the way the doctors and what not reacted, I think I had just about had it…spent the next several days on an IV, high fever, constant blood tests, chills, medicine time, high fever, a little sleep, chills (they called this cyclic fevers which also, apparently, is a bad thing – I could honestly look at the clock and KNOW when the bastard 103 fever was gonna hit two or three times a day…very scary stuff folks…WahOOO!) the worst part was – besides the fact that NO ONE knew what was wrong with me – that I didn’t want anyone to call my mom ‘cause I didn’t want to freak her out…which worked out because one day my fever missed it’s appointment and I began to get my strength back (much thanks to the lovely Angela) and low and behold they released me on Christmas Day…I still sucked for about a week or so but at least I wasn’t still dying in the hospital…

And if you haven’t read the blog from yesterday – go ahead and get your fill of Christmas ’04…

And for the record – I’d like to say that this is in no way an attempt for sympathy or a way for me to whine and bitch about whatever…I’ve been thinking about the last couple Christmas’s for a week or two now and I just felt like reminiscing a bit…that and I needed to write...that and I wanted some sympathy… and to whine a little bit…shut up…

2005-12-22T05:57:00.000-05:00

The Finch that lost Christmas…

Yup – it’s official…I’ve lost Christmas…I thought I had gotten it back last year for good, even with a few crazy and unexplainable what-the-hell-just-happened moments…the Happiness, the Love, the Beauty that the holiday can, and should, Be…

When the Thought IS what really matters, because the Thought is to try and put the purest of pure smiles on your loved-one’s face(s)…that moment when the paper is torn apart and the gift you gleaned to find – the perfect gift – is revealed and your heart is filled with the joy of your loved one…their happiness fills you with a warmth that can only occur right then and there at that place and at that specific moment in time…

It’s funny ‘cause while I’m writing this gibberish I’m thinking about what my family went through back when Christmas was still Santa and his Elves for me and my convict of a brother (gotta give you shit bro)…how they must have nearly shanked their own eyes out trying to figure out what to get, or how to get it, or how to make THIS YEAR special…simply because they Cared about seeing that Moment – that pure happiness – and feeling that Warmth that comes with it…whoa - that was weird…

I remember one year my Uncle Gene (Forrest as he is now commonly known as) and my Aunt Diana (still Diana!) came down to Richmond…this was back before they had their now High School-aged children (jeeze – that’s weird)…it was so fun – I mean this was MY uncle – STILL IS DAMMIT! HA! – and I loved whenever he was around, so this being Christmas time, was even better…both he and Diana treated us like we were their own ‘cause well - like I said – they didn’t have THEIR OWN yet…I remember one year (it may be part of the same, I can’t remember) they got us a Nintendo (which had just come out and we didn’t know what the hell it was) not JUST the Nintendo though, the whole deal people, the PowerPad, the gun, some games – put it this way – even WITH my Xbox360 I STILL find time to play the original Mario Bros. every now and then…but while me and my brother were mystified by the technology I swear I recall Gene and Diana repeatedly snagging the controllers and “showing us how to do it” and havin’ a blast…anyway I digress…

…This one year they came down and the last present was these strange puzzle pieces that they had no doubt painstakingly created which, when put together, was a map of clues to our last present…I remember being so damn impressed with the fact that these people were able to create a couple homemade puzzles…anyway, I think my clues led me outside to the front porch to a new bike – which seemed kinda lame (the front porch aspect) when we deciphered my brother’s puzzle…

You remember those Bigfoot things for kids…the battery powered things shaped like a monster truck that little kids could drive around and stuff…well yeah that was his present…the thing was, is we looked at that damn puzzle for awhile – I mean I found mine pretty quick ‘cause I mean – it’s on the freggin front porch duh!...but we’re workin’ it and we work our way into the bathroom of all places and me and my brother are baffled at this point (yes, I’m helping dammit, what are older brothers for – that and I was genuinely curious)…low and behold there was a Bigfoot in the bathtub…I don’t remember who pulled the curtain back but sure as shit – there it was…I think he actually peed himself – either from sheer excitement or happiness, but bowel control was certainly a concern (hell the kid used to run to piss every time the Pink Panther cartoon came on because he got so excited – it was like clockwork)…

But THAT is Christmas in my mind…I cannot begin to imagine the warmth that my parents and my aunt and uncle felt at those moments…yes, it’s also about religion and celebrating Christ, but more so I like to think of it as an opportunity to press reset on the year and for a day, a week, a month – whatever – for everyone to be happy and move past all the nonsense…a chance to stop working to put smiles on our own faces, but to try and make sure that the people we care about KNOW that we care and how important they are to us…which religiously speaking – if you’re in to that sort of thing – is all done IN celebration of the Baby Jesus…so there…I’m losing track here though…

Anyway, last year I ran out and bought a fake – but lovely – full size tree and a bunch of ornaments and a star for the top and lights and - well yeah, I bought a tree…my lady was coming to town – my fiancé at the time and I wanted it to be Christmas…I shopped…I ordered stuff…I asked people for advice on good gifts or other Christmassy ideas…bought some diamonds for her (ooooohh yeah! Momma ain’t raise no fool) wrapped a bunch of stuff – she sent me wrapped presents in the mail so I had them under my tree in my one-bedroom crib back at Fort Knox…hell – my 42 inch plasma screen (roughly the size of a fireplace) sat on a stand basically on the floor and I picked up this DVD of a fireplace which I thought – while corny – was a lovely touch…

Then it even snowed – this was gonna be perfect…but then it kept snowing and snowing and snowing and snowing and the morning I went to pick her up at the airport I had to get two guys in the parking lot to help push me out…

She was jet-lagged when I got to her but was amazed the whole way back to Knox by the snowiness…then the tree…and then we stayed up late Christmas Eve and opened our presents at 12:01 a.m. Christmas morning…basking in the glow of my “fireplace”…

I finally – after four years of sucky December 25’s spent alone and away from home – had Christmas back…and we were planning to get married, and all Christmas’s future looked to be wonderful and glorious…the Warmth people – I once again had the Warmth…

But alas…that was 362 days ago…and things change…and Warmth cools over time…

I’m now, as you know, in South Korea…and, as you don’t (didn’t know) there will be no marriage…and I am once again relegated to spending another so-called Christmas in the Army… alone and somewhere FAR, FAR away from family…far, far away from any semblance of Warmth…

Wow, this really took off in a whole different direction than I had originally intended…
This time of year always brings about an opportunity – for good or ill – for reflection…so that’s where I’m at right now…I’ve been thinking about posting a nice Christmas Past post about my Christmas’s since leaving home and doing the whole Soldier thing…if for no other reason than in hopes of keeping some poor bastard who accidentally reads my post from putting himself through the same beating…

More so though – just want to write some stuff…keep my brain busy…that and after I post the Christmas Past thing I can then post a Christmas Present thing…which apparently will include tacos and alcohol…so stay tuned – and Merry Christmas!...

2005-12-09T11:27:00.000-05:00

While I may be described as a slut becuase of this review, I stand behind my opinion of this game...fun does not begin to describe the overall allure of this game...so here's what I wrote for Amazon.com:

I'm not a "gamer" folks and hopefully will never claim to be, but this game, in my book anyway, has to go down as simply one of the best that I've ever played.
The story is pure (true to the subject) and when showing it to a history buff Major of mine in the U.S. Army he was amazed at the ability to almost relive some of the most brutal and amazing battles that have ever takin place. From a young Russian sharpshooter to a tank-commander to a british line-man to a U.S. Infantry Cpl., this game and its' story takes you through the War.
The graphics are exceptional and I'm saying this even though being stationed in Korea I am unable to play on my high def plasma screen. I honestly can't wait to see this thing on that coupled with my surround sound speakers. It's actually the ONLY game that I would recommend so far (I own Ridge Racer6, Madden 2006 and NBA Live 2006) that I would say warrants the 60 dollar price tag.
The online play may be a bit suspect right now (but keep in mind that only like 100 other people in the world own the system right now) but that's bound to be fixed in the near future. I CAN say that one of my measures of ANY game at this point (keep in mind, that I'm NOT a "gamer") is that if I actually am able to "beat" a game that I should feel somewhat disappointed.
With that in mind, I can assure you that if/when you complete everything in this game you will wish that the story would JUST KEEP GOING... If you're looking for a fun shooter, with some real-life attributes, mixed with a lot of "WoW moments" - this is the game you're looking for.

...I'm such a whore...

2005-12-06T19:57:00.000-05:00

The blending of days that became Tuewensday...

5:30am - Tuesday morning: dark, COLD, alarm is going off -uhhhhg - snooze button...

6:04am - oh crap - GOTTA GO!...layers are placed over my body and I'm off for glorious physical training which of course is preceeded by 15 to 25 minutes of standing around outside in the sub 20 degree weather waiting...for what we never quite figure out...

7:40am - walking EVERYWHERE sucks...still cold outside...slipped on ice - ice sucks TOO!...back from PT phew...time to start the day...

9am - at work...yippie! time to rile up the troops!...or not...

work, work - bullshit a bit - a little more work...

4pm - time to go to work AGAIN...report for CQ...and this is the start of my DUTY from 4pm til 9 in the freggin morning...there is nothing happy about this...yes people, after rousing me from my pleasant slumber at what I like to refer to as the ass-crack of dawn and then completing a FULL regular duty day - it's time to go to work AGAIN...

6pm - eat some food - awesome...

9pm - walk around all the buldings in my area of operations...usually makes for about a 25 minute roundtrip...gotta make sure all the soldiers didn't burn the barracks down or anything...i love it!...nope - not burned down...all is quiet - everyone is going to bed early for fear of an early morning work call - word on the street is that we're supposed to get the call around 3am for everyone to report ready to be hooah and what not...either way - still got 12 more hours to go...

10pm - nothing
11pm - nothing
12pm - nothing
1am - uh oh...sleepy...here comes the pain...
2am - eyes hurt...wanna go to bed - not allowed...i love this...
3am - oops - think i was out for a bit...nothing going on - waste of time...
4am - no phone call to alert the troops...huh...brain hurts now...legs gettin wobbly...
5am - nothing
6am - people...go away - just want to go home...tired...cranky...uhhhhhg...
8am - call for a cab to get me in an hour and take me to my crib...to far to walk - to cold to walk - to tired to walk...walking sucks...
9am - released (yes, that's what they call it - how fitting huh?!)...
9:05am - no cab...very tired now...

9:07am - still no cab...getting mad...

9:10am - no cab - screw this...gotta suck it up and walk...

9:20am - halfway to the house and the phone rings - "you call fo' cab?" - i hate you...click...

9:25am - "home" what a great day(s)!

2005-12-04T07:36:00.000-05:00

2005-12-02T06:01:00.000-05:00

Holly CrapShiet!...

Well judging from my recent posts, or lack there of, you’ve all probably gathered that I did get my Xbox360…and I’m certain that a collective sigh of relief (or a collective something at least) has been let out now…

They called me at about 8:45 in the a.m. as I was (dropping the kids off at the pool) before heading off to work…my phone was in my pocket and on vibrate which always makes me freak out “oh shit I’m vibrating” every time anyone calls…I didn’t recognize the number, but hesitantly (I was dropping “the kids” off after all) answered it…and before he got half a sentence out I realized what was happening and quickly informed him that I would be there in “7 minutes”…which ended up being false because I left in such a hurry (yes I at least took the time to wipe-jeeeze) that about 100 feet from the entrance to receiving my prize I realized that I had left my ID and wallet back at the crib…needless to say (so I’ll say it) I only run THAT hard for a PT test…

The timing worked out though, and I arrived about three and a half minutes before THE GROUP of 20 or so other ME’s in search of the same objective…one bastard tried to cut in front of me and I almost had to remove his penis…this thankfully, was unnecessary and I rolled out with my new toy! Yippie!...I was so happy with myself I nearly peed all over me as I happily walked (half ran) to work)…hell it was all I could do not to show everyone I passed on the way my new prize…and yes…I am now a dork – don’t you judge me!...

Anyway…this is why posts have been nonexistent for the last week or so…sorry (not really though – I’m having a blast with this thing)….I woulda posted earlier that I got it, but I was hoping on having a really nice (funny) picture to put together for the I GOT IT post…it will happen though, but without the same impact…whateva…

I just kept getting sidetracked with trying to finalize a 44-page magazine that I am now the editor of – which may not seem like a lot unless you think about the fact that I’m not only deciding what goes in to the damn thing, but I’m also charged with laying everything out in a creative design, organizing it all so it works together, copy-editing every story, coming up with styles for certain aspects (bylines, photo credits, etc.) and then having to put it all together all while learning completely new software – well then you’d understand that my brain is FRIED…

There’s that, and my Soldiers are keeping me busy…I’m an NCO now after all – a noncommissioned officer for those of you not in the “know” – which means that part of my daily duties in the Army is to be a – in a word – leader…we even have a creed, which while it can seem corny, actually helps me sometimes remember why I’m still in this thing and why I wanted to be promoted and have this responsibility –

“No one is more professional than I. I am a Noncommissioned Officer, a leader of Soldiers.” And it goes on to reinforce that we, as NCO’s are what keep the Army rolling (the backbone).

Basically, I’m supposed to not only KNOW the standard, but enforce the standard, and at all times BE the example – and that’s MY standard…those of you who know me in the military might find this crazy and almost like I’m tryin’ to b.s. my own people, but honestly I don’t think any of you would see me the same if you saw me here…I wake up early – I’m on time or early for everything (even first formation!) and even though there are other NCO’s senior to me in my office I at least attempt to set the standard for the Soldiers around me on a daily basis…it’s good shit – the neat thing is that I have not forgotten all the shit that I went through (or put my NCO’s through) for me to get to this point and that comes through with a lot of the guys that I have out here…

Many new/young/junior NCOs fall in to the trap of turning into assholes or at least completely different people when they get promoted, which in turn causes their Soldiers to see that, and thus lose ALL respect for them as leaders… anyway I’m rambling…and I was an asshole before so it’s no big deal!

ANYWAY - This week I recommended one of my Soldiers for nonjudicial punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (fun stuff, I have three, which is still a record in my last unit!) because he just wouldn’t fix HIMSELF…late, late, late, late, late, and no excuses…the kid kept accepting that HE was WRONG, but just refused to fix it…and thus I was left with no other recourse…I feel like such a bastard, but deep down I KNOW that he deserves it and more so - I KNOW that HE knows that he deserves it…it’s just weird for me and that’s the main reason why I got off on this tangent here…I was always on the OTHER side (his side) of this process and it’s awkward…fact of the matter is that I emailed my old NCO from Germany just to say thanks and APOLOGIZE for everything – all the stress and EXTRA nonsense I caused her…wow…does this mean that I’m growing up? –

Screw that – I’m going to play my Xbox360! HA! Take that!

2005-11-26T08:22:00.000-05:00

Xbox360 Day5…

Well after much ado and excited anticipation – I still have not been able to experience the glory that surely is the Xbox360…

I marched down to the PX today ready to start some rawkus with somebody only to find myself shocked, amazed, appalled (and probably three or four other adjectives) at the site of Americans gone bat-shit crazy…apparently some alarm went out to signal to everyone that it is now time to SPEND MONEY…

The odd thing for me was that in my mind I was there strictly for one purpose and one purpose only (alright that’s a lie – I had to grab some more socks and some toothpaste) to get the pearly-white beauty of a 360-Box they call ‘X’ – so I bullied through the crowd and couldn’t help but laugh at these poor bastards…

As I neared the electronics section, the nerves had kicked all the way in – part of me trying to expect the worst - them having already sold the damn things - and thus building up the anger so that I could lash it out on some poor, undeserving, un-prepared store worker…and part of me hoping that they just hadn’t called anyone yet and the consoles would be waiting patiently behind door number two…

So I turn the corner and to my confusion the sign that had once proudly proclaimed the “Xbox360 on sale Nov. 22 – Delivery Delayed” was gone…whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?...and I can suddenly feel the fury inside of me – my thinking being that if the sign has been taken down then they must have gotten them and sold them all – REDRUM…REDRUM…REDRUM!

But, cooler heads prevailed – I took a breathe and walked to the back wall where the games are shelved (just to SEE) and sure enough Madden ’06 the 360 version along with FIFA (soccer) and Tiger Woods (how is this a video game?)…so I grabbed a copy of the Madden and walked over to the Korean lady I recognized as being some sort of manager-type from the DAY1 of this whole fiasco and flashed the game – “what gives?” to which she responded by trying to ring me up for the game(hurry up and bye!)…”no, no – what happened with the Xbox’s?” I asked more compellingly…”they no come yet…we no know,” she explained… “so you’re still gonna be calling off the list?” - “oh you on list? – yes, yes – we call you…” and there we have it…

They call me…

Honestly though, these gaming consoles are undoubtedly being sold on the black market in downtown somewhere here in lovely South Korea – but hey – that’s just one crazy opinion from a guy who realizes that these bastards could get at least a thousand bucks for one of these Xbox’s on the street – it’s like a new heroin…

I feel so dirty…

2005-11-24T07:14:00.000-05:00

Hooray for Turkey!...

2005-11-23T02:51:00.000-05:00

Xbox360 Day 2...

nothing NEW to report - "we will call you..." - that's all I got today...so it's lookin' like Friday may be the day 'cause I'm fairly certain that they're closed for Thanksgiving...at least I was able to find four really good cd's while hanging out waiting for the damn thing...just casually glancing over the cd’s my eye caught these four gems:

"Think Differently Music: Wu-Tang meets the Indie Culture," which is surprisingly well done...a little box set type thing with three discs(for only 12 bucks) of "MC-Funk," which is genuine old funk - very fun to listen to while trying to think at work...an old Common cd called "Can I Borrow a Dollar?," which was his first LP from way back in '92 - some REAL gems on here...then to round out the four, I found a compilation done between the DJs DangerMouse (who wears a mouse head) and MF DOOM (who always wears a metal face mask) called "Danger Doom" - Danger Mouse is the guy that took the accapella version of Jay-Z's "the Black Album" and the instrumental version of the Beatles' "White Album" and made the underground classic "the Grey Album" - anyway, awesome hip hop, awesome beats, and absolutely hilarious...they have all the folks from the Space Ghost Coast to Coast show and some of the party people from Aqua Teen Hunger Force...what's more fun than Space Ghost trying to get a group of characters to quickly read I am Sofa King retarded...quality stuff - and more proof that I AM sofa king retarded...

Anyway - here's the lead in to a very well written piece by ESPN Page2's Patrick Ruby who is "scared" of the NEW and "improved" gaming..."You can see the stitching on his jersey. Rivulets of sweat running down his neck. Zoom in a bit more, and it's even possible to make out the glimmering reflection in Michael Vick's digital eyes. In terms of lifelike, photo-realistic detail, the newest version of Madden football, "Madden NFL 06," -- released today along with Microsoft's uber-powerful XBox 360 console -- trounces every pigskin video game to come before it, like the Indianapolis Colts running roughshod over the hapless Houston Texans.So why does the virtual Vick seem so off?Maybe it's his stilted throwing motion. Perhaps it's the awkward way his lips move when calling audibles.Either way, I feel like an ingrate. A decade ago, football games didn't have players with faces, let alone moving lips. The first time I saw the "Madden 92" ambulance roll onto the field to pick up the fuzzy blob of pixels that was my injured quarterback -- running over a half-dozen other players en route, of course -- I nearly wet myself in quivering awe"...here's the link for the whole article...

as always - stay tuned...

2005-11-22T06:56:00.000-05:00

Xbox 360 Day 1...

Well today was the day...it's been a long time comin'...so I woke up, did PT, showered up and was off to the Post Exchange for some pimpalicious 360 wireless, high-definition goodness...

The PX doesn't usually open 'til 10 so I figured I'd get down there, grab some grubbage and get a haircut before heading into the main store. But, to my surprise, it's opening up at 9 this week - outstanding - things appear to be going well and I'm feeling rather optimistic as I stroll through a nearly empty store on my way to the electronics section...

There's a couple guys who are obviously there for the 360 so I give 'em the head-nod to establish contact and communicate that we are there on the same mission…I ask what the good word on the Xbox is, which is answered by all five of them at the same time with all different versions of the same answer – it’s not here yet, dunno when it’s supposed to get here…so at least I’m there before THE RUSH – and am feeling pretty confident that I’m going to be setting up for some glorious 360 action later on in the evening…sweet!

Should be on the next truck – the shopkeeper guy assures us – it’s already a little after 10 and the “next truck” should be here shortly…during the wait we shoot the shit a bit, making small talk and what not – the funny thing is that I’m not really a “serious gamer” – this fact was thankfully reinforced while conversing with the other waiters of my group – their spitting out facts about the system, the latest online gossip about the 360, they’re talking about computer games and their various online conquests – a few times I found myself both laughing a bit and at the same time feeling strangely awkward and uncomfortable…

The play of the day though was yet to come - walking into the PX I was honestly feeling a little like I was wrong as hell for going to try and buy a video game system, in uniform, during duty hours, and I’m a Sgt. – a freggin’ Noncomissioned Officer – I swear when I first walked in I was waiting for someone to randomly give me shit for not being at work…when I reached the group of “gamers” though some of that went out the window – in the group we had three of the five guys in uniform – a Chief Warrant Officer, a Master Sgt, and another Sgt. like me…THEN the most Army-thing-EVER happened – a Command Sgt. Major (that’s pretty much the cream of the crop and highest ranking Soldier on the enlisted side of the house) walks through and DEMANDS that a list be started NOW – cause “I ain’t got no time to be waitin’ ‘round here.” – and the manager said OK (even though it’s against normal store policy) and brought out a binder – the BEST part though was that the Sgt. Major (who hadn’t even been waiting there with us) grabbed the binder and put his name at the TOP of the list next to #1…I just thought that pretty much summed up everything that the Army is in a nutshell – simply a priceless moment and one that I will remember always! – but I digress…

When the list appeared I hesitated briefly – thinking that I should let the gamers who had been there before me sign there names in first – then something in me woke up and followed the Sgt. Major’s lead…I, my friends, was #3…exxxxxcellent…

Many of them stayed to wait out the delivery trucks and have their emotions ebb and flow with the opening and closing of the warehouse doors – I however left three contact phone numbers and headed off to the office…I checked back during lunch and then again around three…nothin’ - more people were waiting, but no Xbox’s…finally the last truck of the day arrived and while nothing of any importance to me and my counterparts was on it, there was some good news to be had – for me anyway…

Apparently this PX is only getting 40 of these things – that’s it…and apparently they’re going to honor this list when the shipment of the 40 arrives sometime this week…the plan is for them to call the first 40 names in order - everyone then has 24 hours to come get their box or forfeit it…The beauty of it all is that one, I’m #3 on the list and two, my dwelling and my office is about a 10 minute walk from the PX while many had to take buses from different installations to get there today…

So that’s it for now – stay tuned for more Xbox 360 updates…

2005-11-18T08:28:00.000-05:00

Nothing to write about…

I just don’t really have anything that’s gripping me to pontificate on to the masses…all work and no play make finch a dull skinny white dude…

So I’ll give a couple quick notes:

- took a PT (physical fitness test) today. Took it at two o’clock in the afternoon which was interesting considering that the million or so other pt tests that I’ve done have ALL been first thing in the morning. The human body is funny like that. When you do certain things (like regular PT) at certain times/intervals, your body is prepared for said activity at certain times. So, obviously the 2p.m. start time was odd to say the least…you don’t want to eat a lot ‘cause you don’t want a bunch of stuff on your stomach when you’re about to try and do as many push-ups, sit-ups that you can in two minutes and then run 2 miles…but then again my skinny ass needs to eat food to have energy…so, yes, I ate…and while I didn’t do as well as I could have – I passed – which is really all that matters in this man’s army…72 push-ups, a mere 68 sit-ups(which I WILL chalk up to the food ‘cause I did 60 in only one minute just a couple days ago) and a 14:40 2mile…I’ll take it at this point – it’s cold, the air is crazy-filthy and I don’t do a lot of PT…

- Samurai Jack (the picture at the top) is the best cartoon out there right now – he is the MAN…just thought I’d throw that out there – don’t you judge ME! – ha! It’s really one of the only new bread of cartoons that you can watch without any sound and still not only understand what the story is, but actually enjoy the imagery as well...that, and he's got the BEST theme music ever...check it out…

- After the PT test we have to weighed, and measured – I now, according to the Army, weigh 134 lbs – which, for those of you who know, is me getting’ FAT – I’ll drink to that!

- Everyone is telling me that I’m black…for many reasons that many of you are well aware (baggy clothes, hip hop music, baggy clothes, newport cigarettes, baggy clothes) – but right now because I’m so ashy…weird huh…it’s finally gotten rather chilly out here…the air is very frosty, but also VERY void of any moisture what so ever…that coupled with the heat being turned on everywhere, drying out the air in every building I’m in has turned me into a cocoa butter lathering fool…it can actually be very painful – the cracking of the skin and the constant irritating itching…so I cocoa butter up…does this make me black? Ha!

- FOOP! Is a really odd book so far, – apparently time travel has become such a regular thing that a company is taking groups of people BACK on tours of events that have occurred in the past…the problem is that certain people are not satisfied with merely being able to see historic events take place – people wanna be heroes – so on a tour back to see old Abe get shot in the head – homeboy disappears from the tour group to go and impede Mr. Booth from executing his assassination plot…so the company has to “frame” Booth for the shooting (so that the future is not changed - duh!) – the whole scenario is portrayed MUCH more effectively in the book itself – and that’s just through the first 20 pages or so…check it out…

- In other news: my buddy Josh’s latest couple posts have been nothing short of BRILLIANT…I highly recommend checking them out over in the “links” portion of the ‘ol blog, and click on “The Josh”…maybe I just think they’re good ‘cause I’ve been there (not just Iraq, but almost the EXACT situations that he’s running into) but I think it’s really quality writing...

- and the XBOX 360 goes on sale tuesday - I've been given the morning off that day in order to attempt to stand in whatever line may be at my local post exchange to try and buy the thing...a running diary may come outta that...stay tuned...

2005-11-13T12:29:00.000-05:00

We're ALL apparently racists...

I don’t wanna write this…I really don’t…and it will probably all come out as some incoherent gibberish – but hey, it won’t be the first time – and most likely – not the last…

It’s been brewing in my head all night and as I flipped onto ESPN.com – “Jesse Jackson calls T.O. suspension ‘much to severe’ – was the straw that broke the camel’s back…that is, if I were a camel and there was well, hay involved…

Look I actually like T.O…not so much what he says or does off the field…but credit where credit is due people…this dude is money on the football field…

The fact of the matter though, is that while the Eagles hired him for what he can do ON the field, they (as an organization/ team/ COMPANY) have decided that what he does OFF the field far out ways his God-given ability…that’s their right…it’s a business…this dude is getting paid millions of dollars to be a member of the Philadelphia Eagles football organization…and while he’s more than competent on Sunday’s – he’s a tumor the other six days of the week…

Granted, the Eagles could have dealt with this in any number of other ways…give him his own locker room…staple his mouth shut Monday through Saturday…murder Drew Rosenhuas (his agent)…but in all honesty none of these things SHOULD be necessary when you’re paying a guy MILLIONS to play a game that nine out of ten human males would play for free every Sunday…But, I am merely regurgitating things that have been talked about all week by countless REAL sportswriters ie:

As the Terrell Owens Era wound down in Philly over the past week, one thing stood out over everything else: Every single media member agreed that Owens deserved 100 percent of the blame. Some went further than others, but the message was always the same.
T.O. is a selfish jerk. T.O. is an idiot. T.O. needs help. T.O. is the worst teammate who ever lived. You can't win with a guy like T.O. He's not just a cancer, he's like a flesh-eating Ebola virus. We might need to institute the death penalty for sports and give him the electric chair live on ESPNEWS.

…one interesting angle though, was taken by ESPN’s Sports Guy, Bill Simmons here…

Now, all that being said, next up on the NFL Today show is an ‘in depth’ look in to where T.O. came from – a poverty sticken, southern boy named Terrell Owens…blah blah blah…this coupled with people screaming about how UNFAIR this suspension is and the outcry from Jesse “freggin” Jackson is – is, in a word– retarded…the man is under contract to perform the duties stipulated in said contract…and yet all year it’s been non-stop whining from the T.O. camp and constant distractions to the Eagles run at any sort of chance at a championship…

Let’s look at this in terms of real world scenarios…if I signed a contract to say, serve in the Army (crazy as that sounds) – I couldn’t very well go up to my senior supervisor (my coach if you will – we’ll call him Andy Reid) and tell him to Shut up and to speak to me only when he’s spoken to…that shit wouldn’t fly…and consequences would surely follow…

Now say, I’m getting paid at some office somewhere to do some sort of menial task – now for weeks I’ve been constantly antagonizing my coworkers and then one day I walk in and start fighting with some dude – I’d probably get fired right? No?

OK…say I do all these things and STILL haven’t been fired…say, my bosses tell me, if you do this or that and apologize and what not we’ll forgive and forget and let’s all move on…and then I basically say Fuck That!...well that would be that…right?

Now say I’m a black athlete, with tons of talent, but no respect for anything or anyone, who has a history of telling everyone around him to go to hell, getting paid millions to do nothing more than play a game…

It’s suddenly racist…and we've got shysters like Jesse Jackson screaming from the rooftops how unfair any type of punishment is…for God’s sakes people…how can you feel sorry for this guy…

I’d rather hear less about how “unfair” we’ve all been on T.O. and hear more about how a guy like Steve Smith can go from crawling off the field in agony with a completely shattered leg and ankle to the NUMBER 1 receiver in the league after the doctors all told him he would NEVER play again…playing simply for the LOVE of the game…and EARNING respect…

all that being said - word on the street is that the Dallas Cowboys may be the only real player in the T.O. sweepstakes...and i would almost, definetly, without hesitation, possibly think about getting a T.O. jersey the day they signed him...yet another shining example that I am an insane...

2005-11-10T07:47:00.000-05:00

Some random thoughts:
as much as i'd like to keep the picture of me and my South Korean homies at the top of the page ...

I think: That every boy grows up dreaming of two things – EVERY BOY…one is of course playing a professional sport…usually beginning with baseball as that is the sport of choice for young adolescents, but can often morph as a youngin’ finds a particular niche in say, football, basketball or in some rare cases even hockey(travis!)…in any case the dream is there – a game-winning hit, last second touchdown, buzzer-beater basket, shoot out goal – whatever…it’s in the genes…the other dream - I think - is to fall in love with a beautiful girl… and while I never had much success with the former – I have been lucky enough to fully experience the latter…
Yes – as many of you are aware I’ve been in love for quite some time now with whom I hope to one day marry – a one miss Angela…a beautiful lady that I happened to meet in the middle of a desert surrounded by bombs and the ever-present fear of death…kinda surreal huh!?...
The thing about these dreams that WE have is that they always seem to manifest at the most odd times and ultimately require some of the most strength and determination to bring to full potential…life is such a strange (and many times) beautiful journey…

I want: the t-shirt that reads “Gay-Rod” which of course plays on the Yankees’ “slugger” Alex Rodriguez…that one and the one that on the front reads – “Yankees Suck” and on the back says (of course) “and Jeter Swallows”…I would wear these at every opportunity…hook me up!

I’m fairly certain: that no one really cares that France is burning itself down…

I’m positive: there are way too many games played in the NBA - we're talking more than eight months of basketball...that's a bit rediculous...much like major league baseball, they really should think about shortening the season or at least cutting back on the number of games played...it's just hard to get excited at a 5-o start for a team when you know they've still got 300 more games to play...anway...

I’m very close to: deciding that I am done with the Army…I’ve been thinking about writing a piece on the bloggage for a couple weeks now, but simply haven’t felt the push(if that makes sense)…I’m really not sure what to do at this point and that in itself is rather scary at this point…24 years old…a Sgt. in the U.S. Army…been overseas and away from family for the majority of my adult years…done a year and change in Iraq and have been to Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia on separate occasions…and even ventured around Europe as a Soldier…six years and some decent experience as a military journalist…NO SCHOOL though(which I will accept some of the blame)…quite the quandary…
If you’re keeping score at home – we’re NEVER leaving IRAQ…we may move in to other countries, but I really don’t think we’re ever going to leave – which means they’re gonna keep blowin’ shit up and killin’ young American boys and girls sent to fight for something that they never asked for in the first place…hell – I’ll defend freedom all day – but you start askin’ me to give up my life for SOMEONE's desire to send countless troops on a wild-goose chase – and because now that we’ve dug ourselves into such a deep hole we literally can’t dig ourselves out...sorry homie – not really my cup ‘o tea…

As it stands: I’m in Korea until at least August of next year…at that point I’m currently scheduled to depart from here and head to “lovely” Fort Bragg N.C….home of 82nd Airborne or “America’s Army”…now if you’ve owned a TV over the passed two years or so you may recognize the name of that unit/place – yes they go EVERYWHERE & ANYWHERE…upon my arrival there I would have a little less than 7 months left on my enlistment – which, according to my math, would be just enough time for them to stop-loss me (not allow me to ever leave) and deploy me wherever in the hell they want to…again – not really soundin’ like my cup ‘o tea…

So I may: just extend to stay here for the last few months and then call it a day…I’ve been looking in to some schools (including UT Arlington because I just love Arlington!) and, along with the aforementioned Angela, have been looking in to using my VA Loan benefits for purchasing a little casa down there in lovely Tejas!...

BUT: No decisions have been made, and only time will tell of course…things will transform in to whatever they need to be over time…it’s all part of the BIGGER plan right?…I just thought I’d spit out some random thoughts for everyone to ponder…

2005-11-08T05:27:00.000-05:00

Me and my Posse!...

Dirka, Dirka Bitches!

2005-11-06T05:27:00.000-05:00

What a waste...

Well it's Sunday already and after getting off at nine this morning my skinny ass was definitely feeling all 24 hours of no sleep...I actually think that I drifted into oblivion at some point because the phone rang and scared the hell outta me…oh well – nothing was going on anyway…

The weekend wasn’t a total wash though…word on the street (in the office) is that they (the bosses) are planning on making me (me) the new full-time head of the magazine…which would be wonderful because it would give me something productive to do rather than checking up on my fantasy team and fending off the forces of the command in their never-ending quest to break the spirit of my troops with crazy missions, invented requirements, and 5-mile runs at 5:30 in the morning…but I digress…

As much as I enjoy my job in the military as a writer/photographer-guy, I really enjoy doing layout and design…that’s been the case since I started this whole thing back at ‘ol Fort Bliss where I stayed there while everyone went on leave for Christmas and worked with our civilian printer to come up with a revamped new design for the post paper The Monitor…good times…

Anyway, this is a good opportunity which should give me some much needed experience with some of the newest desktop publishing software…long story short – I’m looking forward to the chance to breathe life in to what will now be a regular 50-plus page magazine…

With that in mind, I spent the majority of my 24 hours on duty toying around with some new ideas for the magazine on my laptop…and now my brain hurts…

In other news: Texas destroyed Baylor 62-0 and the icing on the cake was Miami finally showing up for an entire game this season and whooping up on an-overrated Virginia Tech team 27-7…young Vick threw for a couple interceptions and couldn’t stop dropping the ball all over the field…much like when Texas Tech arrived in Austin a couple weeks ago – it’s amazing what happens when you actually play against a top-tier TEAM…hell at this point I’ve got five bucks that says VaTech loses to UVA in a couple weeks…now everyone can shut up about who the top teams in the NCAA are, and baring any unforeseen collapses by either Texas or USC we will have a genuine championship game at the Rose Bowl in January…

2005-11-04T07:07:00.000-05:00

Moving right along...

Well the weekend is finally here again...and I've got CQ duty from 9a.m. Saturday morning until 9a.m. Sunday morning - CQ for those of you not directly involved in military nonsense is basically a detail(job) where you sit and wait for something to happen...hopefully nothing bad goes on during your shift and you're good to go...throughout the day and night my responsibilities as the dude in charge is to walk around every so often to ensure that none of the junior Soldiers are killing/raping/stealing from/ or doing anything else that would be horrible thus causing me more freggin work/stress/paperwork/ and otherwise challenge the balance and stability that IS the U.S. Army...basically I'm babysitting and personally - I'm Excited! not really though...

Anyway might try and pull a running diary about it - maybe not though 'cause that's 24hours of nonsense...either way though - yippie for me!

In other news...the NBA season has started up again - and in a mere 18 long months it will finally crown another champion...

One question that has dominated the media (actually I’m making that part up – I honestly have no idea of what is “dominating the media”) is the ongoing saga and racist implications of the new NBA dress code imposed by the league’s commissioner (yet another example of why baseball’s commissioner is an idiot and should be strung up – he brings nothing to the table to help the game). David Stern – in his infinite brilliance – decreed that all NBA players will dress professionally when coming to and departing from games and while sitting on the bench when not playing…holly sense making batman! – yup it’s true…no mo' Bling-Bling...I only wish that this new rule didn't apply to Allen Iverson, because part of his being as an NBA force somehow lies in his off-court appearance and the fact that he IS just HIM - on AND off the court...while others are obviously just trying to be "gangsta" and "down"...

The method behind Stern's madness is this simple, according to the Sports Guy -

Why did the NBA institute a dress code? Because David Stern is a genius, that's why. During the busiest sports month of the year (October), the NBA managed to steal mainstream media attention away from the baseball playoffs, the NFL season, college football, the NHL, "Survivor," "Amazing Race," the debut of the "Adam Carolla Project" on TLC, Franz Ferdinand's new album, Kate and Tom's immaculate conception, the first photos of the Federline-Spears baby, Jimmy Snuka's triumphant return to the WWE ... you name it, the NBA dress code overshadowed it. You couldn't ask for better publicity heading into a season.

Which brings me to my point: They could have announced this decision in July, August or September. Instead, they waited until October ... as if they didn't know it would turn into a racial issue (what isn't a racial issue at this point?), or that some players would react poorly, or that millionaire dopes like Marcus Camby would demand a stipend for new clothes, or that Cuban would dress like a homeless man in retaliation. Come on. It was brilliant, it worked, it got people talking and it's just another reason why David Stern should be running the country some day.

(Imagine Stern as president after the New Orleans debacle? You know he would have come up with some convoluted way to knock FEMA off the front pages, something like "President Stern announced today that members of Congress would have to wear white wigs when they were in session like everyone did back in the late-1700s, explaining, 'It's time this country went back to its roots. ... what, you have a problem with America celebrating its roots?'")

And that’s all I’ve got for now…if you’re lucky I’ll be bringing you 24 hours of CQ bliss in the coming day’s post! Here’s hoping…

2005-11-01T07:32:00.000-05:00

Defining Irony?…

Over the course of the last week or so, much of the Nation has taken time out to pay tribute to and remember the late Rosa Parks. The former seamstress became the first woman to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda – an honor that has traditionally been reserved for the nation’s highest leaders.

Outside, thousands waited to pay their respects to the civil rights pioneer who helped spark the modern civil rights movement simply by refusing obey a ridiculous law and give up her seat to a white man in 1955. This started what would end up being a 381-day boycott led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and helped change the face of America forever…

Or at least that was the plan anyway…

Walking through my office today I stopped for a minute to see what the talking heads on the news channels had to tell me. To my surprise there was Ray Nagin, the mayor of the city formerly known as New Orleans. How he was still able to be “mayor” and pontificate his outlooks on anyone was beyond me – so naturally I was mesmerized and wanted to hear what he had to say NOW…

At a town hall meeting with small business owners, Mayor Ray Nagin said on camera: “How do I make sure that New Orleans is not overrun by Mexican workers?” Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?

No shit, true story…Now my initial reaction was to look at one of the officers and the sergeant major (both of whom are African American) that I work with and say “Are you serious – thank God he’s not some WHITE GUY sayin’ that!” I continued to watch simply out of sheer curiosity to see WHERE they were going with this story…of course the story HAD to be asking how can a “prominent” black politician spout off such demeaning statements against another race…

Nope…they were headed in a whole DIFFERENT direction with this…

Here’s part of the transcript and link of the report filed by CBS’s Byron Pitts:
Byron Pitts: New Orleans' distinct American culture, threatened first by floodwaters,
is now threatened again, say locals, by a flood of a different sort. Sunrise to
sunset, both legal and illegal immigrants arrive here by the busload, brought in
by big corporate contractors like Halliburton. While tens of thousands of New
Orleans residents are still scattered across the country, the crescent city's
newest occupants are fed, clothed, and housed in makeshift living quarters
around the city.
"Nuevo New Orleans," they call it, where construction work
and day labor is plentiful, unless you were born and raised in New Orleans.

In disbelief that a report like this was not followed up with outrage over the obvious racial bigotry being demonstrated by Mr. Nagin (and the report itself for that matter), I quickly recalled that last week or so, the headlines out of the very same city were that there was PLENTY of work, but no one willing to do it…not that people there COULDN’T do it – it was that the people there WOULDN’T do the menial labor necessary to clean out a city that was completely ravaged by water.

The pay is low, the work is hard and the people of New Orleans were basically sayin’ “FUCK THAT…I’ll be back when everything’s done – HOLLA!”

So companies were bringing in cheap labor and people willing to do the dirty work…and yes Mayor Nagin…these PEOPLE happen to be “Mexican”…Two months after the hurricane, Hispanics – both legal and illegal – have shown up to clean up and restore YOUR city. So shouldn’t you just be grateful? The fact of the matter is the people of New Orleans weren’t doing it and the rest of the country, for the most part, didn’t agree that it was OUR responsibility to foot the bill. Rather than showing your thankfulness though, you, and some of the citizens of your city, chose to lash out and shed light on what appear to be some rather substantial racist tendencies.

For more than a century, people in this country – black and white – have worked to erase hate and prejudice. And 50 years after the start of the modern civil rights movement a black mayor stands on camera and assertively attacks another race for working to rebuild HIS hometown.

While so many people are afforded the opportunity to do so many things because of so much work over the years, I’m actually very curious to know if THIS is really how far we’ve come.

And more so – where’s the social unrest over THESE comments…like I said at work – can you imagine if some white dude had said this? Kanye’d be back on TV in a flash…

One does have to wonder why there is no outrage over these remarks.

So while we lay a woman to rest who represented SO much of what this country has been able to become socially and morally and "gave every ounce of her devotion" to fighting racial inequality, Nagin and his ilk have apparently missed the point.

I’m eagerly waiting though, for Kanye’s latest proclamation:
“Ray Nagin Hates Mexicans!”

2005-10-28T09:32:00.000-04:00

Well, a couple days removed from the END of the series I guess I should say SOMETHING...Yeah, yeah, yeah congrats to the White Sox blah blah blah…the fact of the matter is, that out of the two teams in this year’s series – they were the one’s that were SUPPOSED to be there – so good for them for doing what was expected of them…(and yes, I’m a little bitter)

Anyway, that being said, I thought – though short – it was actually a pretty decent set of games…14 innings here, a shut out through 8 in another, all one and two run games that EITHER team could have won…the Sox just got it done – plain and simple

While everyone is pointing the finger at Phil Garner for leaving Roy Oswalt in too long or for not pinch hitting for Willy Taveras – whatever…Roy was his guy and Roy just collapsed – he pitched brilliant and then the wheels just came off – it happens – that’s why they play the games…wow that’s cliché…as for Willy – you don’t pinch hit for your teams hottest hitter – period.

Fate is a tricky little character and it was clearly on Chicago’s side throughout the postseason…there’s little one can do to challenge fate and this year’s Astros did all they could, alas it was not enough…honestly though – they’re still the Champions of the National League and while they didn’t win in their first ever World Series appearance remember – Rome wasn’t built in a day (unless you ask young Mr. Bush).

If you MUST lay blame however, it can be squarely put upon the shoulders of one Morgan Ensberg (which honestly ended up being apart of one of the weirdest aspects of the series – we were beaten by a guy who can’t even spell his own name right “Geoff” while our hopes were let down by a dude with a girls name “Morgan”) He came up to bat with a chance to win the game with nothing more than a base hit at least three times in that 14 inning game and left more runners on base than I care to count over the course of four games…if anybody shoulda been getting pinch hit for it shoulda been Morgan…but I digress…

I’d also like to point out that while past World Series headline stories slammed fans for interfering with the play by either reaching in to the field of play or not allowing the players to reach in to the stands to play a ball, this year “sports people” are slamming the Houston fans for not giving the business to Uribe when he ventured in to the stands to make what would prove to be one of the final outs of the series…and they’re right I remember watching and immediately asking my Korean homie “where the hell is the FAN INTERFERENCE jeeze-us”…some may call it good sportsmanship but I’ll call it lack of payin’ freggin attention to the game…It’s something I’ve said about Houston fans since the days that the Rockets won a title in the NBA – their fans are some of the weakest in the country…while they do rally around the Astros teams of the last two years, they’re still just lazy, half-hearted fans…(I’m speaking of the majority, of course there are the few that care and the few that will forever cherish just having the opportunity to take their kid to a World Series game with the hometown team playing)

That being said, another great example of the feeble fan support in Houston was in the 14 inning game the ‘Stros and Sox played…game three and a game that could get the ‘Stros back in the series (a rather big game right?)…up and down – up and down…a great baseball game…9th inning-tie game…10th –tie game…now look, I’m all the way in freakin South Korea, I’m watching this game during work (it started at 9:30a.m.) and at this point I’m in this game for the long haul…lunch pssht whateva…bring me something back…can’t leave – this is a great game and I’ve invested too much into it at this point…11th inning…12th....i’ve got work to do, COME ON SOMEBODY HIT THE BALL! 13th…14th – ahhhh crap…back to work…the point is – I STAYED WITH IT EVEN HALF A WORLD AWAY…the stands in Houston though were quickly emptying from the 9th inning on – absolutely unforgivable…don’t believe me? – look at the tape…

Word on the street is though, that the Rocket is coming back next year, Biggio signed a one-year extension, and Bagwell may have a shoulder by then…Berkman will be back, Taveras, Pettitte, Backe, Lidge(bless his soul), Everett, Ensberg, Burke, Ausmus, Lane, Palmero – Hell the whole squad should be back next year! Shit – Who’s up for another RUN AT IT? Go ‘Stros!...

2005-10-25T18:33:00.000-04:00

MLB & Bud Selig pull the roof from over the 'Stros heads..

In yet another example of why Bud Selig is the worst commissioner in all of sports - he has stepped in and made HIMSELF a part of this year's World Series by ordering the Houston Astros to open their retractable roof at Minute Maid Park...with the roof closed Minute Maid is deafening - with the roof open it's an inconsistant, wind swirling mess...
This time of year each team's home field advantage is critical (ie: the home teams have won about two thirds of the games this postseason) and now in the biggest stage and the most important game of the Astros' season, someone who shouldn't have ANYTHING to do with the outcome of the game itself has stepped in and basically changed the rules in the middle of the series...I don't recall Selig forcing the games in Chicago to be played during the day because it's too cold for the Astros at night in the Windy City...

(AP) HOUSTON -- Major League Baseball pulled the roof out from over the Houston Astros' heads.
Over the objections of the Astros, the commissioner's office ordered the roof open at Minute Maid Field for Game 3 of the World Series on Tuesday night and said all games in Houston this week are likely to be played outdoors.
"It is a gorgeous day," baseball commissioner Bud Selig said. "In Milwaukee, you don't get a day like this until July Fourth…"
…The Astros like playing with the roof closed because, among other things, it increases the noise. They were not thrilled with the decision.
"They had the opportunity to close it in the division series, they had the chance in the championship series, they didn't say anything then," shortstop Adam Everett said. "It surprises me they're saying something now."
Solomon said that the forecast is favorable for the rest of the week and that the roof is likely to be open for all games in Houston. The Astros played their first five postseason games this year with the roof closed. Solomon said the temperature was over 80 degrees for all except Game 3 of the first-round series against Atlanta.

2005-10-24T07:43:00.000-04:00

Quality Television...

Clicking through the TV before heading off to sleep I came across CNN just as the hurricane of the week was blowing through south-Florida...I have to say that while you're not really learning ANYTHING from these idiots "braving" the storm it's great fun to watch...
It's like a new sport or something - Hurricane Reporting - and the teams are already broken down - CNN, FoxNews, the other people...it's great...
I've got two guys on a roof holding onto each other in their red-CNN team jackets while their homie is hangin' in the split screen out in some open grassland...basically just praying...literally holding on to a sign for a bit of leverage…
The camera swirls and we’ve lost the shot on the roof…wait, we’ve still got audio…
"He's fine he's fine," they say - "he's just adjusting, he'll be fine, just give us a minute."...
So we've lost CNN team1 and the lone member of team2 is borderline scared shitless and has given up his position...this should be negative points or something
...The best part is that the guy back in the studio is giving out directions to these poor bastards - FROM THE STUDIO! –priceless…
I guess he's like the coach...yeah that fits...
"You guys should really try and get to your fall back position..." he instructs them…
"No, No we're fin---sdlafjdslkajfsdkjfalsdjkfa (static)"
Team1 is down - are they throwing in the towel here?
"I think we may have to head inside..."
Coach just instructed them all to "take a 10minute break" too which they responded by with a weak "OK"
What's great is that every now and then these guys keep saying – “yeah I think this may be the worst of it right here” and then the signal goes out - you can't see or hear them so the coach just tries to go to the other team...What if one of these bastards blows away or gets diced up by some debris?
Coach don't care bitches - MUAHAHAHAHA!
This is great - coach is such a trip shouting instructions and asking "Am I gonna need to get you outta there?" I wish one of them would yell back - "yeah dickhead - come on down and get me outta here...you bastard..."
And then the inevitable coach moment – “Are you crying? ARE YOU CRYING? There’s no CRYING!... You make me sick!” followed by a thunderous bitch slap – talk about must-see-TV!

2005-10-21T07:44:00.000-04:00

Gibberish...

First off... I Love the fact that two teams like the 'Stros and White Sox are playing in the Series...seriously...it's very refreshing...two great stories of teams succeeding in years that NO ONE IN BASEBALL ever gave them a chance to even make the playoffs...Hell every five minutes on Baseball tonight Kruk is reminding us that he called for the Astros' to be "disbanded" early in the season...
Then you've got two teams with REAL baseball players...quality players like Bags, Biggio, Everett, Ausmus - Podsednik, Pierzynski, Crede...and the pitching - ohhhhh the pitching - is it possible for every game to end in a tie and for the series to be ruled a "push?"...honestly...any starter on either team could walk out and be a starter at an All Star Game...Hell with this year's series there's a shot that any one of these guys could throw a no-no, shut out, or the dreaded perfect game...dun-dun-duuuuuuuhhhh (maybe excluding Backe but he's still a great young gun)
And then you've got two managers who are as much a part of their teams as they are managers of their teams while still being complete polar opposites of each other and have both done things that were thought impossible with teams made up of guys who supposedly couldn’t win you a championship - it's great...you've got the low-key Phil Garner who is as much a part of the TEAM itself as any player there (biggio and bagwell of course, are on a different level of astrodom) but you gotta remember that Garner came in last year in mid-season and managed to somehow, with a little trade help, turn around a team that was playing horribly and had them one game away from the World Series...he's done something in that dugout to get these guys to believe and to come together and just "buy” into his system…
Then you’ve got Ozzie who I will profess my love for right now…I think he’s awesome…throughout the season he’s been great…when skeptics in Chicago started acting surprised at the Sox’ winning and good play he took it in stride basically giving the bastards one of those “yeah we're winning – duh!” responses – “we’re good – stupid” that’s great…he is who he is – a baseball guy through and through and that’s great for the game – Bud Selig’s punk ass could stand to learn a few things from Mr. Guillen…the great thing about him (being a TRUE baseball guy) is that even as arrogant as he seems/sounds/looks/is he respects other teams, other players, other organizations as a whole…and more so he respects and understands the game…I just watched him gush for five minutes about Andy Pettitte – while Clemens is being touted all over ESPN Ozzie knows the deal – Pettitte is arguably the best postseason pitcher in a long while – we’re talking consistency here…he shows up… (i'm sorry Roger - you know i love you! - i can just see my uncle's jaw dropping when he read that last thought that seemed like i ws nocking Roger...i'm not nocking him - i''m just sayin')
And honestly I love the contrast of this series…as far as the confidence factor goes you’ve got the back to back to back to back complete game pitchers and the loud confident arrogant manager going up against the low key grandpa figure type manager with a group of players who almost seem to be treating each game with an “alright let’s get back to work” type attitude…all season the White Sox were SUPPOSED to be here while the ‘Stros were 15 games under .500 to start the season…they lost the bats (and defense for that matter) of Carlos Beltran and Jeff Kent (both sell-out punks who are sitting at home watching this on TV – just thought I’d point that out)…and yet here they are…
I can’t believe that I just spit out 600 words of nonsense here – it took me almost day just to write a simple counseling statement for one of my Soldiers today…
Anyway, now for my predictions, which for the record, I should have been RIGHT ON with my Cardinals v. Astros series prediction-damn you Pujols. If you look back a few posts you’ll see that I had the ‘Stros winning 4-1 with Pettitte closing it out at home…fucking Pujols…
Honestly though, this series is weird…neither team has really seen each other which makes the pitching that much more insanely great…but, I’ve said this all day and will stick by it…Astros in 6 with Pettitte closing it out on the road in Chicago…Go ‘Stros…

for more on the 'Stros check out the Sports Guy's take and being the accredited(sp) journalist that he is - i feel as though his take gives a bit of validation to my earlier post regarding the fall of the 'Stros...for all intents and purposes it SHOULD have happened...alas it didn't - and we're (i'm) much happier...Go 'Stros...

2005-10-19T23:55:00.000-04:00

Houston, we have a Pennant...

Did you hear that?...Yeah that was my huge sigh as I leaned comfortably back into my chair - arms raised and smiling like an eight year old...
Yes, I'll admit it - I'm an idiot...after watching last year and now going through nearly the exact situation I didn't want to put myself through it again...
But it’s like crack man, and there I was watching every pitch...every swing...every freggin' Pujols homer highlight…every why Houston CAN’T win...and just kept hoping...
And it feels sooooooooooooo goooood...
It wasn't the erupting-jump around-screaming happy...the joy is more inward - more heartfelt maybe - it feels good...
This is kinda the way it SHOULD feel with this Astros team...more reserved, less in yo' face - more heartfelt...these guys came from 15-30 at the start of the season...they hung in, played fundamental baseball and took the entire National League by surprise...
Did I mention how good this feels right now?
To sum up the Astros - Bagwell and Biggio - class acts...and it really seems like their quiet, unflashy demeanor's have rubbed off on the rest of the team...They were standing next to each other in the dugout when the final out was made...now remember in these days of free agency and the go where the money is philosophy that is baseball, these two guys have stayed in Houston through all the good and more of the bad...more than 2,000 games they've waited...so now, headed to their first World Series ever, how do they react...
A bright smile, a handshake, and a hug...
Ladies and Gentlemen...I present the National League Champion - Houston Astros
Awesome!

2005-10-19T05:11:00.000-04:00

Word up Maryland...

Hats off to the great State of Maryland for stepping up to the plate on the whole issue of the government being able to take people's private property.
"Private property is private property," said state Republican Sen. Allan H. Kittleman. "When you own something it shouldn't be taken by the government."
What a crazy idea huh?...If the amendment to the state's constitution goes through, citizens will actually be able to keep the property that they OWN. This comes as a slap in the face to the crazies up in Massachusetts-land where WalMart can sweep in and take your land to build a SuperDooper-grocery/gas/convinience/clothes/shoe-store...right next to the old one of course...and right accross the street from the new Lowe's which now sits on your old nieghbor's house...
This normally obscure issue of eminent domain came to national attention with a controversial decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in June, which established that government could force the sale of private property for economic development.
"This is encouraging the displacement of low income residents," Kittleman said. "It's a reverse 'Robin Hood effect' — taking from the poor and giving to the rich."
Eminent domain should only be used when a legitimate public use can be demonstrated and when just compensation to the property owner can be paid - ie: public parks, schools, roads, hospitals -NOT ANOTHER MINI-MALL or in Florida's insane case: ANOTHER MEMBERS ONLY BOAT CLUB - seriously...
Can we vote to pass a COMMON SENSE LAW?...

2005-10-18T04:02:00.000-04:00

One out away...and other gibberish:
Yep, one out...that's it - that's all they needed to get and they could've punched their own tickets to Chicago for a pitching duel of a World Series...I was leaving the doctor's office when Berkman hit what shoulda been a game winning - series ending - home run...I was the picture of happiness - nearly skipping back to the office to enjoy lunch and the final innings of the game...I wanted to make sure I got back in time to see the final pitch - the final out...I wanted to "feel" IT...
Those of you who know what I mean by IT then you know - and if you don't, that sucks for you, sorry...it's such an excited, happy, eager, joyful feeling...MY team...the World Series(I'm literally jumping around the office now)...one out...beating the "BEST" team in the National League...doing it with their home fans there...two outs(still jumping and now clapping)...how GREAT is this...one more strike and we're home free...damn - base hit...alright no problem(not jumping anymore)...ball four(not clapping)...ok, ok, settle down Lidge...you got this...(Pacing now)
But he didn't...he had nothing...he had a hanging slider down the heart of the plate to the game’s BEST hitter(yeah I said it - screw you Barry, Albert ain't on the juice)...
As Pujols was walking to the plate I looked wearily at a co-worker and commented that “it's almost like somebody was writing this...”
As soon as the pitch left his hands I screamed (yes - in the office) NO WAY...ahhh DAMMIT!
At this point I'm walking outside while pulling my uniform top up over my head...unbelievable...I was a mess - so much so that I was given the rest of the day off...THAT IS HOW BAD I LOOKED...horrible...like a horse just kicked me in the chest...or the balls - whatever...
I hate this...this feeling is one of the worst - yeah, yeah it's just a game blah blah blah - SHUT UP...if you’re a FAN you invest part of your being to trying to help in some way WILL your team to victory...that's why people get caught saying "we" when talking about their teams...it's part of a true sport's fan's identity...going to the World Series is like...well…never mind...I wouldn't know anything about that now would I?...
As for the rest of the series - I honestly think the tide has turned...and we're talking a HUGE tide here...the Cardinals had one foot on the bus headed home while the 'Stros were one strike away from going to their first World Series EVER...at home with the best closer in the league on the mound - they couldn't close it out...just like last year...they left Houston up 3 games to 2...and came back to Houston for yet another disappointing winter...
If I was a betting man I’d have my money on the Cards in seven…it hurts to say, but that Pujols homer just felt like it closed out more than just that game…this sucks…
To top off the copious amounts of suckage...I returned to the doctor's office (on my way to the house) to pick up my perscription and recieve a shot to relieve the tightness/pain in the tendons and muscles in my shoulder and side of my neck...the best part of course, is that the needle was plunged into my ass...that, coupled with the fact that it hurt like wholly hell (and my shoulder is still tight) can simply be described as the perfect ending to the perfect day...

In other news: Apparently the word in the Black community is that the government “blew up the levees in New Orleans.” Now I know I get the news way out here in South Korea land and what not, but someone please tell me that Farrakan’s crazy ass isn’t REALLY peddling this nonsense…someone please tell me that I didn’t REALLY hear this a minute ago on the Bill-I’m a pompous ass-O’Rielly show…insane bastards these people are…

Also: I would just like to take a moment to discuss my only objection/point/argument against this Miers lady being on the highest court in the land…I HAVE AS MUCH EXPIRIENCE BEING A JUDGE AS SHE DOES…that is all…

2005-10-14T10:30:00.000-04:00

'Stros v. Cards: GAME II:

Screw it, I'm gonna do it anyway - you're not the boss of me! ha! (see previous post)
This is why it's basically cheating for me to write the game one post - because I already had the outcome of game two - but I had the ump from the Sox/Angels game who said no but then mysteriously saying YES...so I ran with it - ha! lame pun! AWESOME...
I didn’t get to watch this game (for the most part) because I was sent to cover a nonsense story for my office which meant that I had to travel an hour away to take pictures of a ceremony and miss what would be a classic Roy Oswalt pitching performance…
And while I should be upset and feel cheated – it’s all good…they won…Roy was great and Bae had nothing to say…bong…
The trick to the game – for ME – was that, for game one my hats on the TV were parallel and facing the same direction – ‘Stros lose…
This game however, right before I left the residence, I rotated the hats so that they were at an angle and facing each other…AND I DIDN’T WATCH THE MAJORITY OF THE GAME…
This crazy scenario might sound strange, but it’s the same one in which the ‘Stros won the 18 inning epic and now, worked for the game that evened the series to one game a piece…
I’ll take one game a piece leaving St. Louis…seems fair enough…hell they’re supposed to be THE BEST team in baseball…we don’t stand a chance right?
Houston did what it did all year though…good pitching, good hits where they counted, good base running (the white sox would be up an easy two nothing if they were awake) and Brad Lidge…That’s Houston Astros baseball folks…clean, simple and to the point…nothing fancy – just get it done…
Everyone on the lineup comes to play…case and point rookie Chris Burke…5-8, 4 RBI, in three games…
Just good team ball – and it’s lovely…
How scary is that to MLB honchos, a team that JUST plays baseball with no flash – aside from the pitching of course…who’s gonna watch that?...
I’ll be there – count on that…Go ‘Stros...

2005-10-14T09:16:00.000-04:00

'Stros v. Cards: GAME I

I meant to write this right after Game I so I could do a; Game I, Game II, Game III type thing, but couldn’t actually post on the army system and then was way too lazy to actually put forth any effort to write anything once I got off of work…shut up…
So here’s a “Game I” thing from me – the Finch –
I’m watching this in my office at work with my Korean Hommie – Sgt. Bae (who will be forever referred to simply as Bae) who is THE biggest baseball fan that I’ve ever actually met…seriously – the bastard knows stats from two years ago and tendencies that have accumulated throughout the season. It’s actually rather incredible when you think about it…here’s a dude all the way in Korea who loves baseball so much that he’s damn near more knowledgeable than any stateside fan…needless to say (which means I’m gonna say it) he makes it more fun…
To start the game he puts an action picture of Chris Carpenter as the wallpaper of his computer screen – fucker…he will go against ANY team I root for – fantasy teams included…the bastard…I think I might actually hate him sometimes...I know he's doing it on purpose...
Then he laughs at every strike Carpenter throws…and then Pettitte comes up and puts a PHAT pitch down the heart on a 1-2 count with two out…anybody explain that one –
HA HA - Yes as a matter of fact – they can – He SHOULDN'T have been pitching in the first place…
After the game, which was well played baseball and the Cards won on the field…I’ll give them that…after the game I (we) learned that during batting practice Andy took his swings, as is customary, and then ran the bases, also customary…during said trot however, he was inadvertently struck hard, by a line drive directly on the inside part of the right knee…ooooouuuucchhhh – you might say…
Ouch indeed – this happens to be the leg that Pettitte lands on, on every pitch…
Anyway THAT phat pitch landed in the left field stands and put the Cardinals up to stay…
As I’m watching the game – not knowing about the batting practice snafu which was only brought up AFTER the game – I’m rambling to Bae about “why would that pitch be THERE…blah blah blah…and that was really the main story of the game when it came down to it. THAT one pitch set the tone. Non baseball people might not get it and jabber on about 9 inning game and what not...that pitch was supposed to be a hooking inside cut fastball, which 8 times out of 10 will break a batter's bat leading to an easy out...THIS however, completly started the Astros off on the wrong foot and they never really picked up their step...if you watched the game you know what i'm sayin'
The issue for me is this: You start Oswalt instead of an injured Pettitte, you’re not down going into the 3rd down two runs… you’re attitude is different, you’re bullpen setup is different etc, and your hitters don't feel like they NEED to go yard to get the game back…
Still though…there were opportunities in the game…On both sides...
For the ‘Stros to come back, but also for the Cards to shut it down…good game - whatever – shut up – damn it…

2005-10-10T11:58:00.001-04:00

No sleep...must watch...base...ball...
Well I'm slowly weening myself back on to "regular hours" out here...back to work on Wednesday so i think I'll make it...been getting up at 6 or 7 in the afternoon to watch the games this weekend (they start around 1 or 2 in the morning)...dying around 7 this morning while the Astros marathon was going on...thought the game was over and just happened to flip back to it from the cowboy's massacre of the eagles when Ausmus came up - no shit...home run (barely)...and then i couldn't get away from the TV for a couple hours...i honestly didn't want to move or adjust the way i was sitting when he hit the homer to tie - not that i believe in jinxes or anything...and how sweet it was...unbelievable..."they're" calling it possibly one of the greatest games EVER...
Now the Astros must face the powerhouse that is St. Louis, but for those of you keeping score at home it is worth mentioning that while St. Louis are 11-5 against each other this year, that the 'Stros did sweep the mighty Cardinals in a two game set at the end of the season...i'm predicting 4-1 series victory with Pettite closing it out at home in game five for Houston...but that's just ME...
Now as far as football goes...I give up...what a very, very inconsistant group of teams...no way to really tell WHO is going to show up each week...hell Green Bay put up 52 really quickly while mighty Eagles couldn't even move the ball ten yards for a first down against Da'Boys...And then I finally get a decent performance out of a QB and my ILLs have they're biggest loss yet - i grabbed some Henderson guy on the Saints cause he was supposed to be put in to the #2WR slot (which obviously didn't happen as he had 0 catches), Detriot puts up an astounding 35pts but Roy Williams apparently broke his leg or something(2catches for 24 yards), and somehow Westbrook got less carries(6) than he did last week - oh, and the Broncos picked this week to switch from Anderson(34yds) to Bell(127yds/2TD) - wonderful!...oh well...i'm currently trying to figure out how i can get the Astros starting rotation and all the "B"ees (Biggio, Bagwell, Berkman, Burke, Brad) put into my lineup - and Lidge in as my starting defense - for next week...couldn't possibly hurt...go Stros!...

2005-10-08T17:11:00.000-04:00

Red River Diary...

Well, I slept most of the day in preparation for tonight’s (2 a.m. here) festivities – Texas vs. Oklahoma ladies and gents…And as if the game isn’t going to be enough to keep me occupied, I will be making my first attempt at a running diary for this year’s Red River Shootout.
For those of you not familiar with the running diary, I’m stealing it from ESPN Page 2’s Bill Simmons A.K.A. the Sport’s Guy. Could be good – possibly funny – hopefully culminating with a big W.
It’s the 100th edition of the century old rivalry and should be less of a shootout and more of a blowout in favor of the beautiful burnt orange of the Longhorns – should be…
The Horns will have to do better than they have in the last five years. Five games that Texas had an amazing 19 turnovers. Five games that have ended in five consecutive losses to the Sooners – A sixth may be the LAST for Mack Brown.

11:36 pm – more than two hours to kick off…I swear Lee Corso picked Oklahoma to win on Sportscenter and now he just picked Texas on GameDay…????? Ha! He’s old!

12:55 am – GameDay Picks – Corso: Texas, Herbstreet: Texas

2 am – windy, rain, 72 degrees? Wait no this is the Virginia/BC game…

2:05 am – STILL waiting for this to kickoff…Adrian Peterson blah blah blah, Sooners need to blah blah blah…let’s get it on…

2:09 – kickoff to Texas…FUMBLE - oh shit…whew we still got…breathe dammit breathe…

2:10 – I’m actually very nervous…had to stand up and do a small lap around my room…my buddies back at Fort Knox know this maneuver well after last year’s Astros’ playoff run, North Carolina’s final four and Texas’ College World Series…

2:13 – Vince and the other Young are killin’ with their play fakes all year…they just faked out the announcer…good stuff

2:15 – THE GAME JUST WENT OUT – YOU’RE KIDDING ME – SERIOUSLY – STATIC – Freaking out, FREAKING OUT!!!…

2:19 – And we’re back…jeeze

2:20 – First play back – TOUCHDOWN – WHO CAN’T THROW? Yeah baby…The Eyes of Texas are beautiful…aired out beauty of a pass caps an 80 yd drive – cue the band

2:23 – Adrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiaaaaannnnnnnn?????

2:28 – FUMBLE - Texas gets the ball back and Vince is just chillin in the pocket – la di da – he fell on it though – jeez

2:40 – Brown declines a Sooner penalty and this little bastard comes out and squibs a 52 yd field goal – 7-3

2:43 – FUMBLE AGAIN – holy shit this is insane – they have fumbled every time they’ve touched the damn ball – and now we have our first Adrian Peterson sighting – boooooo

2:47 – Texas blitzes for the first time and OU has to settle for another field goal 7-6

2:50 – Draw play to Charles…missed tackle…GONE…80 yards…TD…cue the band…14-6

3:00 – they just announced that the Angels’ victory over the Yankees has been postponed due to rain…How nice will it be when both the Red Sox and the Yankees are out of the playoffs…Granted – it was nice to see them win last year, but for God’s sake – enough already…

3:17 – It just feels like Texas is just refusing to grab HOLD of this game. OU’s not blitzing and they’re just kinda goin’ through the motions. That and Vince seems to be having issues running and cutting…

3:22 – QB draw? – out of an OU timeout the Sooners run a QB draw? And someone is getting paid to make these play calls?

3:27 – INTERCEPTION OU – Texas has run out of the shotgun for more than half their plays, but scored on an 80 yard run…why not try running the damn ball?
3:28 – Texas is bailed out on a BS interference call – and of course Texas is right back n the shotgun…

3:43 – 1 min left in the half…it will be interesting to see if Texas tries to get the ball down the field to grab the momentum…

3:48 – Yes they do…could someone please cue the band…24-6 pretty touch pass from Vince hits Pittman in stride for a 64 yard TD…

4:23 – Texas is really trying to grab the game by going for it on 4th down early in the second half…Meanwhile I’m on some website checking out Texas fight songs to put on every time I use the phrase cue the band – good stuff

4:33 – Cedric Griffin will now be taken off the field for attempted murder of OU’s Broman…

4:38 – Vince throws a yard short of the first down…hold the phone…roughing the passer – 1st Down TX – what a dumb play for both teams…

4:41 – He doesn’t even try to throw these passes…he’s just putting the ball nicely in the air for his guys to get them…with Vince yawning it’s now 31-6…cue the band… Has anyone seen the “real” Vince Young?...14 rushing yards so far…

4:47 – TRICKERATION – fake punt – no dice – TX ball…

4:50 – Never mind – replay this year – OU first down – SHUTUP

4:51 - The attempted murder charges have been droped as it is now apparent that the Sooner QB is actually trying to kill HIMSELF...

4:52 – GREAT INTERCEPTION – just great

4:56 – note to TX players: tuck in your damn shirts

5:00 – Dan Fouts and Kieth Jackson are now attempting to jinx Vince by randomly beginning to discuss the various possibilities of Young getting injured if he stays in the game – why? Why do announcers ever do this? EVER? Just shut up and call the game…

5:05 – Selvin Young – TD – Cue the band and somebody wake up the second string – 13:06 left and we’re officially in garbage time…lovely…for those of you scoring at home that’s 31 unanswered points…

5:28 – 315lbs of Brian Robinson just murdered Broman – laughing hold on – this hit hurt ME – laughing again hold on – WOW – TD TX – cue the band and start the buses – game, set, match

W

2005-10-07T07:35:00.000-04:00

Jeeze...

I'd just like to say that I in no way intend for this to become a weekly update type of thing...I realize that there are those of you who look here regularly for some updates of the Finch and I can imagine that you may have been rather disappointed upon finding that my lazy ass hasn't written anything - AGAIN...sorry...
Here's the thing, I'm a noncommissioned officer in the Army and I have responsibilities and what not now...some of which happen to be Soldiers and KATUSAs (Korean army soldiers) who are in some way depending on me for answers and direction...see I'm still figuring out my leadership "style" as it were and have only been here for a little more than what - two months now...the trick is that the office that I came to - which had a sergeant major and another NCO above me - has now dwindled down to ME, while they are hanging out ("working") in D.C...
I'm competent - don't get me wrong - it's just a lot to take in, in the blink of an eye...it's all good though, and after this passed week I think I have a much better handle on what is actually going on from all the various angles that goings on may come from out here...
All that being said – it has been a rather interesting week out here – in the “Land of the Morning Calm”– whatever…
Josh deployed to start the week and is now at Camp Anaconda –a place where I happened to be one of the first one or two hundred Soldiers on, way back in Iraqi Freedom One - and now Angela (my fiancé) is sweatin’ it out down in Kuwait at some place that wasn’t there when me and her were there the last time – ahhh memories – imagine meeting the love of your life in one of the world’s biggest shit-holes (no offense) – if that’s not irony than well…it’s not ironic…
all I know is that I miss her terribly…it’s very hard and I’m amazed and very happy that we’ve made it this long through everything…I can’t imagine my life without her…but I digress
HERE though, we were busy – or at least attempting to appear busy enough to go to lunch or call it a day and head ‘home’…missions are limited and usually insane or at least unnecessary and of course are on the weekend…this leads to five days of sitting around looking at each other and bitching about having to work on yet another weekend, followed by an early wakeup Saturday or Sunday to go ‘cover’ an event that will never be published and should never have been covered in the first place – for those of you not accustomed to this (ian and josh – you can stop reading HERE) someone asks an officer IF someone can come to “this” and said officer excitedly says yes and tells a Soldier that he/she WILL “cover” whatever nonsense that will make said officer look as though they performed some type of favor for said asker – it’s absolutely horrible and, as a matter of fact, goes against actual Army Regulations…but I’m just a Sergeant…
See I look like I’m 12 so, in the eyes of some of these ‘leaders’ there’s no way that I’ve been in the Army for going on seven years and have ACTUAL experience in nearly every aspect of this career field(army-wise anyway) so they won’t check with me on anything dealing with the Soldiers that I’m responsible for…either that or they know that I’ll just tell my guys to sign out a camera to said asker so they can take whatever photos they want their selves…but I digress again
I went on a tour yesterday of some areas around Seoul…I hope to post a picture spread in the next few days…got to go to an OLD palace which was absolutely amazing…the colors, architecture and the whole place itself was really curious and neat…I’ll most likely go back just cause they didn’t really give us an opportunity to walk around and venture out on our own…could be some great pictures…then we rushed off to somewhere way one the other side of Seoul and had lunch – then to a place filled with thousands – seriously – of little Koreans all dressed in bright crazy insane colors to separate each class or school or group or whatever from each other and teachers with whistles and loud voices to keep them together and EVERY SINGLE LITTLE KOREAN is yelling HELLO, HELLO, HI, HELLO, HI, HI, HELLO, HELLO…at you cause while they’re there to learn about the history of their country (much like you and your group) YOU happen to be a WHITE KID and they’re in AWE…all good kids and it had to put a smile on my face simply for the pure innocence of it all…I actually had the conversation with someone in my group about how much more polite the young children are then the adults and elder Koreans…whateva...
Then we went to the war museum for like three minutes-rushed to dinner with the minister of defense-had it got on the bus-and that was it…all in all I’ll give it a 7 outta 10 just for the palace and the beautiful day alone…
Well, I look forward to a busy weekend…the way I like it…Texas vs. Oklahoma is the flavor of the week...The Astros are in Houston for the Braves and close the series out at home…and the ILLs need a win against the damned GirlScouts I’m 1-3 (I mis-spoke when I said I had won two in a row – shut up)…these will ALL most likely bring on raving nonsense posts from me due to the fact that I don’t have to be back to work until Wednesday...that and the extended weekend wil no doubt lead to a heavy indulgence into alcoholic beverages…BONG…

2005-09-30T11:13:00.000-04:00

SORRY...

The image is from a t-shirt design offered at t-shirt hell.com which I may or may not be known to have purchased a shirt or two (five). The story though, which is much more relevant, comes from CNN... This guy obviously missed a couple days (the last 60 years) of class...simply amazing -
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Congressional Democrats blasted former Education Secretary William Bennett on Thursday for saying that aborting "every black baby in this country" would reduce the crime rate, and demanded their Republican counterparts do the same.
"This is precisely the kind of insensitive, hurtful and ignorant rhetoric that Americans have grown tired of," said Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Illinois.
Bennett, who held prominent posts in the administrations of former presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush, told a caller to his syndicated radio talk show Wednesday: "If you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose -- you could abort every black baby in this country and your crime rate would go down.
"That would be an impossibly ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down," he said.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, called on President Bush to condemn the comments by Bennett, who was anti-drug chief in Bush's father's administration.

Simply amazing...

2005-09-30T07:29:00.000-04:00

OBEY GIANT...

Jeeze, it's already been more than a week...I'm now battling the Korean sludge flu...broke down and got TV hooked up - it's only 27 bucks a month...been through my first alert here in Korea...now the acting NCOIC (HMFIC(theBossGuy))...pulled CQ(24hr duty)...worked late...came in early...Josh left for Iraq (that's "The Josh" in the links)...Angela's is about to head to the desert...Ian lost ANOTHER game in Fantasy Football (that's The Ian" in the links)...I have now won TWO in a row HA! GO ILLs...My bro's in Jail...dad moved again...oh and I got this book called "Post no Bills" which in terms I’m familiar with basically means don't "front"(fake, act) basically keep it real - stay true to you...I've always tried to stand by that...anyway this book is by a guy name Shepard Fairley who runs around with his crew putting stickers and pictures, billboards and graffiti art of - yes you guessed it - Andre the Giant(it's actually a very interesting project called Obey Giant) check it: THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE -
"context is crucial to the Obey Giant project, most importantly that it exists in the public space competing with the signage and advertising... To encourage dialogue, not anarchy or the reckless vandalism of property, is the goal of Obey Giant... The project is designed to make the viewer curious about the images and how they relate to their surroundings, therefore bringing the surroundings into question as well. An important factor in this process is the application of the materials, also known as the "the medium is the message" principle. The fact that the images are placed in public without permission brings control of the public space into question. That the person responsible for the images was passionate enough about their perpetuation to take the associated risks, compels the viewer to question their role in the environment. The confrontational nature of the work on the street as well as the slogans "Obey" encourage an honest and unpredictable reaction difficult to achieve in the academic or gallery setting where viewers often affect an immunity to devices used to seduce "the bewildered herd." This brings up the issue of the politics of art and the gallery curator. Obey Giant completely bypasses this system and avoids the need to cater to art world trends to find a forum for exposure. Obey Giant attempts simultaneously bring the viewer to question propaganda absorption and to encourage a democratization of the use of public space in a spectator democracy."
(snap snap snap snap)
Now I've never been to any class that deals with psychology or the principle of the medium is the message, but flipping through the creative pages of this artistic display leaves me with this: these images leave people saying "what the fuck." Normally a "bad" thing I think that is the intended reaction. What is this doing there? What does that mean? What the Fuck? Exactly...go a bit deeper and you should be looking at every piece of nonsense on a billboard, wall of a building or poster in a subway and thinking the same things...and if nothing else the purpose is a beautiful and oft less used one - Getting people to actually think about the things around them - as apposed to just inhaling the neverending jibberish that surounds us each and every day... but that's just me...
...golly gee - what a difference a week makes huh...shizzle...And for a lack of complete motivation to write anything creative I leave you with an interlude off of Clinton Sparks'(he's white like me) album...there's definitely something to be said for a guy with a bit of humility..."I won't stop until you're playin' a video game that I'm in, while drinkin' a drink that I developed...while wearing a sneaker that I designed @ the same time listening to a record that I produced - on a radio station that I bought - soon to be released on an album that I'm droppin' - off a record label I run - that you purchased off an online music store that I own...

And there you have it...

2005-09-20T09:15:00.000-04:00

Peace, Love and Frosted Flakes...

So I lost again in this week's fantasy football...even though - I'd like to point out - that I scored more points than all but two people in the entire league...alas, one of them was the dude that I was actually up against - by 1 fucking point...I had the Dallas defense to pull the victory out for me and I was there...again and then they just collapsed - it was all over in less than two minutes...but fuck that - there'll be more about that to come...for now...I checked my email a moment ago and there was an odd address from some dude whose name I do not recognize...dreaded SPAM?!!...nope...See, I was up late last week and was listening to my recently purchased DJ Z-Trip cd - "Shifting Gears" - and I decided to rummage around on the internet...I eventually landed on the Z-Trip site...there of course they had the latest tour information on the Shifting Gears tour...cool I thought, I wonder where he's gonna be...and after noticing the complete lack of shows that would be anywhere near me - I'm in freggin Seoul - I decided to utilize the "contact us" link at the bottom...you know which link I'm talking about...it's the one that sites such as this have that you write a bunch of whatever you think and leave it at that - most cases you cold actually give two-shits whether anyone reads it or not - you got out what you wanted to get out and a couple hours from then you most likely won't remember what you said anyway...
Ho, Ho! not so fast...
This strange responder to some forgotten email that I had sent to what I thought to be some BS contact us link was non other than Z-Trip's tour manager responding to a brief rant that I sent out Friday...which basically said that they really need to come do a couple shows out here... To which they responded with this:
Chris, I’m Z Trip’s tour manager.We would love to get down for you all! It is simply a matter of timing and travel. What information can you provide me to help me get this ball rolling?
Thank you,
Joseph Lucchese
Event and Tour Management
So now I feel obligated, and actually a little encouraged, to go and look into this...MWR, USO, BOSS all these folks will need to be probed - and prodded if that's what it takes! I just think that that's a real stand up kinda thing...I'm probably just a sap...and having a little knowledge on the Army concert tour and MWR work it's most definetly a long shot to get ANYBODY out here...either way though I have much respect for Z-Trip and the way he and his folks are doin' business...word!

2005-09-16T07:57:00.000-04:00

Taking care of Soldiers...

So yeah, I'm told yesterday that they need me to do an interview today at 1 on something called the Patriot Express ending starting Oct. 1st...neat, a story I thought - no problem...aahh, then i looked into it...and then came the interview...a sit down with one of the General's lackeys...right this way sir...and as we sat down in an empty conference room I immediately wanted to punch him in the neck...
Why, you ask, well the Patriot Express just happens to be the flights that leave out of Osan Air Base Korea every Tuesday and Thursday headed back to the States - free of charge to military members on leave on a space available basis...That's how troops take mid-tour leave here and can afford to fly around the world to go see their family once a year...a justifiable resource some might say...
Not these folks though...fuck that...we're (DoD) is losing something like $67 million a year on this because, get this, the military branches are buying their service members tickets on commercial airlines as apposed to putting them in the seats on the Patriot Express which the government has already paid for...thus leaving the Patriot Express flights flying across the ocean practically empty (not really but there's "usually a lot of empty seats according to homeboy")
A sensable solution to the problem would be - granted I'm only a simple-minded noncommissioned officer - to go back to the system that worked so well for so many years, and was the reason that the Partiot Express was created in the first place: make it mandatory for servicemembers PCSing (changing duty stations) to fly to and from Korea on the government chartered flights...again - I'm just a junior NCO...
But, because of the lack of logistics intelligence and a complete inability to do what makes sense...they're canceling the contract for Patriot Express and there will no longer be Space-A (free space available flights) for service members to take leave back to the states...
Look it up folks - we're looking at between $950 to $1500 just to get to the west coast...good thing I’m not a brand new private who's never been overseas and NEED to take mid tour leave...too bad however, that I'm from the east coast, which nearly doubles the cost home...
It just kills me that they're doing things like this to troops (who are mostly Soldiers)...and yet, they're boggled at why the fuck no one stays in and why no one is signing up...
Alas, the story I write will have ventured its' way through at least two or three handlers before eventually making its' way into print so the troops will no doubt think that Sgt. Finch is a puppet of THE MAN after the fluffy little "this is actually GOOD news" spin that will no doubt be put on it...
I found it funny today when a certain senior person in my office today realized what I was plotting (an actual news story to get Soldiers' attention, and maybe even stir some people up) and i was then assured that "everyone already knows that this is happening," and that I'm, "just reiterating it now that the time is closer"...riiiiigggggghhhhhht...yessa boss, isa unda stan...I'll be on the toilet if anybody needs me...

2005-09-15T07:31:00.000-04:00

Curiouser and curiouser...

AP/CHICAGO — Chicago on Wednesday became the nation's largest city to urge the Bush administration to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq at once.
The resolution, approved 29-9, seeks an "immediate and orderly" withdrawal. The City Council has 50 aldermen.
Chicago joins other cities — including San Francisco and Santa Cruz, Calif., 50 communities in Vermont and the Chicago suburb of Evanston — in calling for the withdrawal of troops.
The vote followed an hour of emotional debate, including an impassioned speech by Alderman Burton Natarus, who fainted afterward.
"It's time to call a halt to the bloodshed," he said. "It's time to load up the ships, load up the planes and welcome home the troops to a ticker-tape parade in New York and a ticker-tape parade in Chicago."
During the debate, Alderman Bernard Stone said he had backed the invasion of Iraq but changed his mind as the death toll of U.S. troops climbed.
"Do you think we can make the citizens of Iraq accept democracy by having our troops killed in the roads?" he said. "We're not supporting our troops by having them killed."
Alderman James Balcer voted against the resolution, saying he was demoralized by anti-war sentiment while serving as a Marine in Vietnam.
"I know everyone in this council wants our troops home, but I can tell you this (resolution) does not help our troops nor does it help the war on terror," said Balcer, who followed his "no" vote during the roll call with "Semper Fi," the Marine Corps motto.

-I just wanted to post this because I had absolutely no idea that major cities in the America were actually having members of their governments voting on this...I just find it interesting and even in some ways reassuring if only for the fact that it means at least the leaders in these cities have not forgotten that the troops are still over there...Not really sure about the Marine guy though, the vote was clearly pro-troop which is A-OK with most of the folks that I've been around...most - and this may just be my CRAZY opinion here - Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, and Sailors really just want to get the fuck out of that place...

2005-09-13T08:33:00.000-04:00

And Here I Sit...

All the way from the brink of victory, the mighty Jong ILLs fell this passed weekend to the Bombers of Texas...I should, of course, start by saying I should have known better than to hold out hope that I could stand a small chance of defeating the LUCKIEST man I've ever known - My Uncle - the man WON yes WON tickets to the Super Bowl in which God's own favorite team(yes - the hole in the top of Texas Stadium is so that He can watch his team play on Sunday) crushed the Steelers, and while there enjoyed a day of his winnings meeting a famous NFL organizer and then subsequently officiating a nationally televised flag-football game(which I actually happened to be watching) made up of Hall of Famers - including Tony Dorsett...there's more, but I will tie off the tourniquet there...
Yes my ILLs that are Jong truly lived up to there name and left me completely ILL for my Monday morning wakeup call to go play Soldier...Culpepper cut me, he cut me deep...three interceptions? yes three... but not to outdo himself he finished the day by adding more astounding stats and coughing it up twice...this coupled with a complete inability to see a single receiver (even though they were those bright-ass PURPLE jerseys) and get them the ball...and fuck this talk of Randy Moss - Hell he's ILL and he got me 19 points...but more relevantly, fuck all this talk about Daunte and the Vikes can't get it done without Moss...they did it last year - he was injured or taking OFF half the time...oh it's do-able - so don't gimme this easy answer cop-out BS...
He/they just didn't come to play...they didn't show up PERIOD!...
But it's only one game, as they say, and I'm sticking with him - for good or ILL (HA!)
Honorable mention for the debacle that occurred this weekend (my team had 35 points going in to Sunday off of three players, the rest of the team managed a meager 15 and I lost by an even 20) goes out to Cowboys'(my team, always and forever) quarterback Drew "Freggin" Bledsoe and coach Tuna for forgetting that they have one of, if not THE best tight-end in the league on their team - one catch, 12 yards...AND to the masterful performance of one Joey Harrington -
I liked you in college...I really liked you for the Hiesman...I wanted you to do well in Detroit...so why must you torment me so?
...he hit Pollard for a score yes, but Mr. Pollard was resting comfortably on my BENCH (please read previous post - reference DAMN YOU JOEY HARRINGTON about halfway in) moreover, he failed to hit up pro-bowl receiver Roy Williams cept for a measly 13 yard reception...
Very, very, very frustrating - made more so because every move - except for switching Leftwhich (who showed up huge) to replace Daunte - I actually thought about making...I mean REALLY considered...I honestly had an URGE to put Fitzgerald in(21 points) and I really thought about (see post) putting in Pollard for Witten, the thought process being that San Diego has THE best tight end so they'll surely know how to stop one...alas I didn't pull the trigger...can you imagine being a REAL general manger...? the joke is on them huh?!
Good thing it's not MY money! HA!

2005-09-11T08:39:00.000-04:00

HOOK 'Em HORNS!

Fuck! Shit! Ass!...my turrets is acting up again...so the stress of Texas vs. Ohio State is gone, well worth waking up early to catch the end of the game - ah and what an ending it was... and now back with this fantasy nonsense...anyway...i've got five web pages open right now perusing the lastest before finalizing the opening Sunday roster and word is out from philly (yes, I'm even reading the Local papers, ESPN knows much, but the beat reporters that follow teams day in and day out have the REAL story) that the Eagles brass has told Brian Westbrook to, in essence, Fuck off...and that they're not paying him anything HA! great...so now i'm back to Mike Anderson or do I cast my die and stick with Westbrook in hopes that he goes out and puts up Huge numbers in the face of the owners? Of course I also now have to take a closer look at who i'm gonna go with at tight end 'cause Bledsoe - through preseason anyway - appeared oblivious to the mere existance of Witten - but Pollard has space-case Harrington throwing at him into a GB defense in what local reports out of Detroit are dubbing THE game of the season for the Lions...then what will become of 'ol Roy Williams, a lock in my mind to play every week on draft day, but now - LOOK AT ME NOW!!!- Damn You Joey Harrington! Damn You! So do i play two tight ends - Witten and Pollard in hopes that Williams will be too deep and too covered; stick with 'ol Roy in hopes that he's pumped after the Longhorns victory; hope Parcell's calls Witten's number early and often; and for God's sake what to do with this damned Mike Anderson - a week ago I knew not who you were and now, mere hours before kickoff you bastard, I keep hearing of your accolades and how it "may be a smart move for fantasy owners to take a long look at anderson this week." Too much, too much indeed...at least the Longhorns did not disappoint and either way I can stand tall through the week knowing that there's still hope down in Austin...and hope in Pasadena for that matter! ha! Hook 'em Horns...

2005-09-09T11:49:00.000-04:00

When "Fantasy" becomes Reality...

So it’s a little after 12 here in lovely Seoul, South Korea and I’m chillin’…a night in ‘cause that’s how I’m rolin’ right now – dolo…perusing over some websites…reading some of my buddies musings on their blogs, checkin’ in on ESPN just to see what I’m missing – to make sure I don’t miss it – enjoying a couple of icy brews while taking in some of the best DJ Shadow has to offer (check him out, guarantee you’ll like it).
I have come to the realization though, that I have a problem…shut up you…
I’ve started a fantasy football league with some buddies, family, friends, and even some of their family…thus my problem – I love competition, and this damn thing has consumed me…I’m honestly surprised that I have had the fortitude to pull myself away from stat sheets and match up schedules to put this down.
Seriously…I check it when I wake up to see if anyone has posted any new “smack talk”, I check it at work for the same and to see if any moves are taking place…then I’m on and off it at night just ‘cause – hell it took me the last four days to decide whether or not to have LaMont Jordan as my starter or go with Mike Anderson of the Broncos...the inner me was saying “come on his name is freggin’ LaMont – you’re good”…while the other half is saying “dude, the Broncos are playing the Dolphins and LaMont’s up against the vaunted Patriot powerhouse” (FUCK TOM BRADY) sorry that’s my turrets…
Alas, I went with LaMont – who hooked me up with 11 fantasy points topping me out at 35 off of 3 players before the weekend even started…sigh………
I guess my point to this rambling is that I really had no idea that fantasy football could possibly be such a big…what’s the word…FIX…
I’m competing against some folks whom I very honestly respect and for those of you that have ever competed for sport, you know in your hearts that beating people that you respect is better than a shut out against some peon you could give a crap about…so I guess this is my sport right now – for better or for worse…
So I’m going to ramble on for a minute…I’m looking at week five (this is when I fully realized the depths of my problem – it’s not even really week one yet) thinking about possible trades or free agents signings that may need to happen due to four of my top players being on a BYE that week. But I’m up against Amos and his Girl Scout Troop 69 team who – honestly – should be sucking ass at that point. But, alas, I’m setting up, if need be, for things that may or what may not need to happen – it’s all about preparation in this game they call FANTASY…
Then, though I’m looking forward to weeks 12, 13 and beyond, which is when the playoffs begin, and at team match ups and what not, to see if holding on to certain players may hurt in the near future, but help in the long run – or vice versa…this whole thing is insane…so I’ll stop for now…
This week me and the Korea Jong ILLs – I’m ILL Bitch! – are up against the Bombers of Dallas (my uncle) and we’re looking good…35 points already and I think I have a much superior line-up going in to the weekend – time will tell of course…Go ILLs…I should really get a jersey made…no?

2005-09-08T07:13:00.000-04:00

THE LINK:
http://media.putfile.com/Kanye79

Awesome...absolutely priceless...I mean, I love the man's music and he's also one hell of an artist - painter, sketch, you know art in the more classical sense - but come the hell on man...If you're going to have the balls, neh, the audacity to put your own personal views and opinions out on a live television broadcast which is trying to raise money for victims of a natural disaster the least you can do is ACTUALLY HAVE THE BALLS to come out and say what you feel...I mean, he sounds like a scared, ignorant little kid sneaking in a couple of words behind the teacher's back...if your gonna do it, stand by it...say what you feel and let it be that...please spare me a poor thought out, inopportune rant about something you clearly don't sound to strongly about anyway...The ROC is in the building! Holla!

2005-09-05T13:41:00.000-04:00

I Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

IV Amendment: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

With everyday throwing more NEWS in our faces, it becomes more and more difficult to step back from IT all and breathe…really grasp where we ARE and where we’re GOING. With this in mind I ask that momentarily, as hard as it may be right now, we step back and look at things outside of the gulf coast. Something big is going down right NOW…the hour-glass has suddenly sped up and the changes that are soon to come, will, or in any case may very likely, affect generations of Americans.
Our president now is in the improbable position of being faced with two Supreme Court vacancies…
I’ve been reading more and more Thompson – hell, I should be considering the sizeable tattoo on my leg – and reading the stuff during the Clinton campaign, and more relevantly – the appointment of Clarence Thomas by the elder Bush in Thompson’s “Better than Sex – Confessions of a Political Junkie.”
Not too much detail in there, but – while not having significant knowledge on politics – these brief pages related to the current “appointment process” with Roberts and opened up my “third-eye” as it were, to what was taking place around me and the importance of paying attention.
Now with another opening the Nation’s highest court may be very different, very soon…
My point with all this is simply – we all need to pay as much attention to this as we are to the tragedy down South. These are the folks that make our laws and ultimately decide how we, as Americans, are going to be living our lives day to day…and with two wide-open vacancies in such a short span of time, our president is in a position to possibly change the face of the High Court for an entire generation(s) – ie: going right, going straight, or going waaaayyy left (and to be honest I don’t even know what that really means, but I’m pretty sure the supreme court isn’t supposed to “waaaayyy” anything)…don’t forget, these are “for life” positions…and if you don’t think that while young George is flying over New Orleans today he’s not salivating at the thought of being the man that changed the face of the American Supreme Court...
I leave you with this from the good doctor’s book; he has seen them (politicians) from all sides, angles and vantage points:
In politics, there is no honor.
- Benjamin Disraeli

I pity the Fool...

2005-09-04T12:13:00.000-04:00

that doesn't have one of these...

Mr. T has a way with words -- HIS way. If Mr. T says "Shut up, Fool!"
chances are you're gonna shut up... and quick.
This electronic device contains digital samples of six MR. T SAYINGS
I Pity The Fool
Don't Gimme No Back Talk, Sucka
Quit Your Jibba Jabba
Don't Make Me Mad (groan)
First Name Mister, Middle Name Period, Last Name T
Shut Up, Fool!
When the situation calls for it, just press the appropriate button and let
Mr. T handle things in his Mr. T way.
Mr. T himself recorded the sayings for Mr. T In Your Pocket, so you know you're getting the real thing. Batteries are included so you can put this to work right out of the package.

So Quit Your Jibba Jabba and buy one, sucka!
http://www.stupid.com/stat/MRTP.html

Fear & Loathing no more...

2005-09-04T10:12:00.000-04:00

In case you missed it: The ashes of journalist Hunter S Thompson were fired from a cannon August 21st. The 150ft cannon was mounted inside a permanent 53ft high monument of Thompson's trademark "Gonzo fist."
The 67-year-old journalist was speaking to his wife on the phone when he put down the receiver and shot himself in the head in February. He had been suffering from a series of health problems including a broken leg and hip replacement.
In a statement, Hunter's wife Anita and son Juan said: "It is entirely fitting that Hunter, as a master of politics and control, chose to take his life on his own schedule by his own hand, rather than submitting to fate, genetics or chance."
"Though we will miss him bitterly, we understand his decision. Let the world know that Dr Hunter S Thompson died with his glass full, a fearless man, a warrior."

2005-09-02T01:50:00.000-04:00

How was there NO PLAN?

"This is a national disgrace. FEMA has been here three days, yet there is no command and control. We can send massive amounts of aid to tsunami victims, but we can't bail out the city of New Orleans."
- this is from Terry Ebbert, head of New Orleans' emergency operations, as he watched the slow exodus from the Superdome and said the Federal Emergency Management Agency response was inadequate. The chaos at the nearby New Orleans Convention Center was considerably more hostile than the Superdome, with few options for refugees to leave the scene.

This stuff is just making me angry. Angry that these poor folks have to go through this; angry that there was no plan to get people out and where to put them - even after CNN, the Weather Channel and every news network in the country made sure everyone, which includes the people who would make plans for such a disaster, know that something along these lines was going to happen. Hell I'm angry that the people that are trying to get out can't because some worthless bastards are down there shooting at volunteers and rescue-workers...I'm angry that some defensless women are probably going to die after they were raped while waiting for someone to evacuate them...I just don't understand...How was there NO PLAN!?

2005-09-02T00:32:00.000-04:00

Crazed ramblings of a confused Soldier

I haven't really watched television since before Katrina actually hit aside from about 15 minutes of ESPN at the post office on AFN out here in Korea. I've checked the internet when I could and I knew things would be bad. Seeing the outer shell of the roof on the Super Dome - probably one of the more "sound" structures in the area - almost completely gone was an interesting emotion of bewilderment. Then trying to imagine - not that it's possible - how all those people...I mean what were they supposed to do now and how bad it must be to be THERE.
...Now, a couple days later I've continued to rely on CNN and FoxNews and what not, to be informed and updated - my emotions have - and are still for that matter - running wild inside me...I can honestly barely complete a full sentence or complete a thought without stumbling in my confusion.
(I just erased 500 or so words that I wrote and am attempting to start again - I swear)
I don't want to offend anyone and I don't want to come off as some sort of jerkface army guy...I'm not some insensitive prick...I just don't get it and I don't really know how to explain what all is running through me...No I don't know what it's like to have family there and have them be missing...no I don't know what it's like to be there and not know where to go or what to do or when I’m gonna get to eat or have a sip of water...I just don't know, and I can’t imagine - now with that said...
The first thing that really got me off about this situation was when the mayor (or governor) down there said "this is our Tsunami"...I'm sorry - come again?! A couple HUNDRED-THOUSAND people died in the Tsunami right? correct me please if I am incorrect...hearing this really bothered me that they would begin to compare this to that...those folks had no idea that a tsunami was coming their way...there was no time for them to evacuate...cnn wasn't showing the incoming waves warning people in all of the living rooms in India...
I'm in Korea and I knew the hurricane was headed toward the gulf coast…New Orleans or not - I'd like to meet the one person with access to a computer or television that didn't see Katrina on radar headed towards the coast...you didn't say damn that's a really massive hurricane - maybe I should really try and get the hell outta here - maybe even somewhere ABOVE SEA LEVEL??
"Fuck that I'm riding it out...fuck that I'm stayin' at the Superdome...fuck that - barkeep another round!"
What?
Now tens of thousands are stranded for the foreseeable future on the outskirts of a city that never should have been in the first place...it's always been under water - that's why people didn't used to live there, and didn’t build million dollar homes on the beach - folks would vacation there; have a little shack to stay in near the beach. Hell if it got ruined, screw it build another cheap little shack. It’s not like in the last six months New Orleans suddenly sank below sea level...
Which brings me to this...it's not the people's fault - that's not what I'm implying - it was however, their choice to live in a place where this stood a REAL possibility of happening. But it is definitely not their fault that they are in this situation right now. This was supposed to happen years ago right? 1998 with George’s? So how in the heck was there no plan, either at the federal level or the state of La. level? Everyone knew that this could happen, and now everyone is in shock...I just don't understand that. And there is no excuse.
Now, I just read a headline asking "where are the troops?" and "La. demands 40,000 troops"
Good luck with that...where are they? - I'll let Saddam or Mr. Bin Ladin answer that one...all the national guard (see how that makes sense now -those troops are for the NATION) troops are overseas fighting the good fight for freedom and democracy...Yes lady's and gentlemen we do still have troops fighting in Iraq and yes even Afghanistan. Hell I just ran in to two guys headed to the Balkans (Kosovo) for a six month rotation...and they demand 40,000! Smart money says we're gonna be coming up just a bit short on that figure - but time will tell at least that's what I’m told...
Lastly, the thing that makes me furious and sad and confused at the same time is the way many of these people are acting in New Orleans... I can't say it's the majority but there's enough to where it's not just the few and far between looting, pillaging, raping, shooting, murdering, robbing, car jacking and spreading the fear over the streets of a city that is already reeling in agony. What is wrong with these people? honestly anyone - I mean one cop was shot in the head - dead - point blank - when he confronted some looters of a clothes store or something...steal water, take food, take what you need to live until you can be evacuated, but come on, these people are robbing footlockers and jewelry stores - what the fuck...then you've got the people who are taking shots at hospital workers trying to evacuate local hospitals and people shooting at volunteers who were bringing their personal boats into the city to try and get people out…some dumbass people shooting at Chinook helicopters that are bringing in food and water and trying to air lift people out...you've got mobs running the streets wielding Ak-47s and randomly robbing folks...and you've got guys raping women in the bathroom of the convention center which is supposed to be one the safe shelters for people to come to...
This is America?
We didn't hear about these types of things in India after the Tsunami? They weren't running around raping, robbing, shooting at innocent, defenseless people...and this is America?

2005-08-27T14:54:00.000-04:00

On the heals of ESPN2's "You play better than you write" installment, to end today's stuff I leave you with "Sports Guys'" (Bill Simmons) take on one of the single greatest moments in sports - and for that matter - sports writing...well worth ten minutes of your time:
Lawdy, Lawdy, He's Great"

That brings me to this week's sports book. Back in 1975, two things happened:
1. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier had the greatest fight of all time. With all due respect to Hagler-Hearns, Leonard-Hearns, Foreman-Lyle, Castillo-Coralles and everything else, for sweeping drama, clashing styles, mutual hatred, historical significance and sheer brutality, the third Ali-Frazier bout in Manila stands by itself. Nothing comes close. Neither guy would ever be the same.
2. Writing about that same fight in Sports Illustrated, Mark Kram submitted the greatest on-deadline sports story ever. It's a masterpiece. Nobody has ever done better."Lawdy, Lawdy, He's Great"

Joe Frazier said that of Muhammad Ali, but so fierce and unsparing was their confrontation that the phrase could have applied to them both.

By Mark Kram

It was only a moment, sliding past the eyes like the sudden shifting of light and shadow, but long years from now it will remain a pure and moving glimpse of hard reality, and if Muhammad Ali could have turned his eyes upon himself, what first and final truth could he have seen? He had been led up the winding, red- carpeted staircase by Imelda Marcos, the first lady of the Philippines, as the guest of honor at the Malacaûang Palace. Soft music drifted in from the terrace as the beautiful Imelda guided the massive and still heavyweight champion of the world to the long buffet ornamented by huge candelabra. The two whispered, and then she stopped and filled his plate, and as he waited the candles threw an eerie light across the face of a man who only a few hours before had survived the ultimate inquisition of himself and his art.

-you can read the rest here

2005-08-27T14:10:00.000-04:00

Vive Aruba

So i've been checking out some other "blogs" that apparently have the same interests that i've put down on my profile...curiousity and all that - you know...the wierd thing is, is that the majority, if not nearly all, of these haven't posted in quite a while...they all seem to have stopped and just disappeared. My mind is telling me -hell they just got caught up in other stuff...they thought a blog would be cool 'cause well you know it's trendy and what not, but the other half of me is thinking- what happened to these people? Did they just vanish? I mean, shouldn't we be looking for these folks ?...they just suddenly fell off. did something happen? are they wanting to post and tell us something and can't...did something horrible happen...are they just locked in the bathroom and can't get to the computer to let someone know...hell, these people could be hungry and tired layed up in the bathtub...someone should look in to this...not me - no...too busy - got to try and put every album i own on to my new toy (and those of you who have seen my extensive collection of music know how time consuming this process will be)...no it must be someone else for sure...but it needs to happen though...where have all these people gone and are they OK? I mean how can we just go about our days acting as if everything is alright when "Karl B" is tied up in the basement somewhere?

2005-08-27T12:15:00.000-04:00

Don't Mess With Texas

From ESPN's Page 2 "Daily Quickie"...this pretty much sums it up on the man who has single-handedly done more for a sport (positively that is) than anyone else in athletics right now. A word to the wise: Don't Mess with Texas...Especially if your France -

Two Words For You:KING. LANCE."There's a setup here and I'm stuck in the middle of it ... I absolutely do not trust that laboratory."Lance was brilliant to take his case Thursday night to Larry King, the refuge of choice for the scandalized. Check out more of his rhetorical genius:"A guy in a Parisian laboratory opens up your sample, you know, Jean Francois so-and-so, and he tests it -- nobody's there to observe, no protocol was followed..."That's good: Throw a little Francophobe jingoism in there. U.S. fans don't need much of a nudge to discount claims from "Jean Francois so-and-so.""And then you get a call from a newspaper that says 'We found you to be positive six times for EPO.' Well, since when did newspapers start governing sports?"Here he's showing uncanny media savvy: If U.S. consumers don't trust any source right now, it's newspapers. Let alone French newspapers."A samples," "B samples": Fans have never shown interest (or expertise) in the scientific details. Ask fans who World Anti-Doping honcho Dick Pound is and they'd probably think you're telling a joke.So often, fans see athletes bungling scandal management, mostly by staying quiet in the face of wild claims.Sure, the accusations are discounted because they (a) come from France, (b) are 6 years old and (c) take on the reigning king of U.S. sports.But the most important factor is that Lance has stayed aggressive this week, and that's really why he's winning this PR battle.

fresh tattoo

2005-08-26T13:00:00.000-04:00

Photobucket

2005-08-26T12:58:00.000-04:00

This is a test post from Photobucket.com

2005-08-26T12:04:00.000-04:00

Well here it is ladies and gentlemen...the long awaited posting of the finch's blog and yes that was me in the third person...deal with it...it's late i'm tired and this whole process has consumed much more time than i had anticipated. Nothing special here - so far - hopefully this will be a tool for which i can better stay n contact with the good folks that i have come to know all around the globe...word up