Anonymous Confessions of a Lunatic Friend [entries|friends|calendar] Nathan [ userinfo | livejournal userinfo ] [ calendar | livejournal calendar ]

Payback... [02 Jul 2008|06:39pm] [ mood | Evilly cheeful ] [ music | "When You're Evil" - Voltaire ] It's not something I've talked about alot, considering my family got run from Texas because of the situation at Microtune, but, while the rest of my family is trying to take the high road about this announcement, I'm feeling more vindictive. "SEC charges former Microtune CEO, CFO with options backdating" http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2008/06/30/daily25.html?ana=yfcpc May the prosecution's case prosper... 1 comment|post comment

Coming Home... [27 May 2008|08:04pm] Just found out that my next report date is 10 Feb, 2009 to Fort Detrick, Maryland. So, as one who never lived east of the Mississippi, except for Basic, and no one considers that living, I'm wondering if anyone has any survival tips for dealing with the East Coast. You don't know how good it is to come back to the States and meet American women that are neither military or military spouses. Both become a special kind of crazy over here... post comment

Space Opera and Red Shirts... [20 May 2008|06:44pm] [ mood | lazy ] [ music | USS Make Shit Up, Voltaire ] Just signed up for John Ringo's Red Shirt contest. This means that some version of me has a chance to die screaming and quite messiliy on an alien world in one of his books. Since he's my current favorite trashy sci-fi writer, I'd love to win. I'd love to be a part of either the "Paladin of Shadows" or the "Voyage of the Space Bubble" series, but that assumes I get picked to begin with. But hey, if an entire shift of Hooters can be immortalized in a fantasy novel, I've got a chance to have my guts sprayed all over the landscape by rampaging crab-pii. Gory, gory, what a hell of a way to die... Quite a good time for space opera, which is what I seem to be craving. New Battlestar Galactica, a new Macross series, and Ringo's "Voyage of the Space Bubble." Alles gut. ^_^ Of the three, I currently like the Ringo stories best, although Galactica is pretty frakkin' cool. Ringo has a certain sensibility about his that could be best described as "the monkeys are rocking the space lanes." There's a certain gleeful boyish feel to it, even when the ship takes massive casualties over and over. The good guys win, but they also have their asses haded to them. And while there are some moments cribbed from the USS Make Shit Up, er, Star Trek, he has a doctor of physics working with him to keep the "deus" out of "deus ex machina." Plus there's a sense of absurdity that only comes from familarity with the military. Just don't get too attached to any of the characters. Most of them get grapped the maulk up. It ain't High Art, but it's fun. 251 days and a wake up... 3 comments|post comment

Whom the Gods Destroy.. [12 Feb 2007|02:27am] ...they first give an advance readers copy of 1634: The Baltic War, by Eric Flint and David Weber... So much for sleep... post comment

Moving Down in the World... [11 Feb 2007|02:15am] I finally got recommended for Sergeant. My promotion board will be in April or May, which means that by September or so, by the Grace of God and the Army's poor judgement, I will be a Non-commissioned Officer. Two years and three months of hard work finally paid off. I've earned the chance, now it's time to earn the promotion. 3 comments|post comment

Honi soit qui mal y pense...* [22 Jan 2007|11:51pm] On being a gentlemen, some quotes and stolen thoughts. Feel free to comment. I'd love to hear opinions, but I'm mainly saving this to my pile for storage. "I think that any self-respecting individual should take the time to ensure that their grooming and apparel standards are up to snuff. Nevertheless, I categorically reject the idea that an obsessive concern with the latest fashion trends is the hallmark of gentlemen. That is the hallmark of a fop. Remember, the concept of the gentleman comes the tradition of chivalry, which was itself an ethical system for fighting men, not fashion models." - Major Legget "The essence is to bear arms, in defense of country and civilization. That is the real thing, the root of the tradition. The arms may be symbolic, or they may be actual. The defense must be devout. " Grim; http://www.blackfive.net/main/2006/12/to_be_a_gentlem.html "The True Gentleman is the man whose conduct proceeds from good will and an acute sense of propriety, and whose self-control is equal to all emergencies; who does not make the poor man conscious of his poverty, the obscure man of his obscurity, or any man of his inferiority or deformity; who is himself humbled if necessity compels him to humble another; who does not flatter wealth, cringe before power, or boast of his own possessions or achievements; who speaks with frankness but always with sincerity and sympathy; whose deed follows his word; who thinks of the rights and feelings of others, rather than his own; and who appears well in any company, a man with whom honor is sacred and virtue safe." - John Walter Wayland (Virginia 1899) *"Shame to him who thinks evil of it" post comment

Decompression [08 Oct 2006|02:22pm] [ mood | rejuvenated ] [ music | December of Cambreadth - Heather Alexander ] The two months of Hell are over. Thankfully, I don't have to shoot at the next marksmanship range, which allows me even more time to relax...when they aren't teaching me to shoot left-handed because my eyes can't make up their mind as to which one's dominant. Seriously, after the last two months of inspections and fields, I'm glad to have a somewhat normal Army life, or as close as I can get in this job. Still, here's a short update of things that have happened. -I'm up for an Army Achievement Medal for my performance for an earlier inspection. -I won Soldier of the Month for August, but lost the Soldier of the Quarter board -I'm hurt, again, with an overuse sprain in my left knee. -I got said sprain by completing the Heidelburg Volksmarch Marathon. Yes, that's right. The same kid who dropped out of PT at Evangel because he didn't want to run, walked and ran 42 kilometers over mountains in 6 hours and 50 minutes. It would have been less, but we had to search for Sergeant Kivelehn, who got lost. -Still don't have a girl, but the one I thought would be the girl got reassigned to Belgium days after her orders said she'd be coming to our sister company. She's four hours away, and I suddenly have a reason to visit Belgium. -8 hours in full chemical protective gear is teh suck. Sleeping in said protective gear is worse. -I'm up for a very important class for my career progression as a controller. Details are classified, but it's what we call in the Army, "cool shit." -Still losing weight. I'm down to around 200 pounds and 22.7% body fat. Considering that I started the year at 225, this is good news. -I guess I'm part of a jam band now, complete with its own MySpace page. Look for the Drunken Poets. And, no, I did not pick the name or even realize Joe was taping some of our jams. Personally, we're nothing special, just a drum track, a humble bassist, two guitarists still learning the basics, and a keyboardist still trying to remember what he forgot after he stopped playing. However, we did create a whacked out funk/trance version of "Fur Elise," and some of the newer stuff is actually turning pretty decent. Unfortunately, Joe's leaving in 2 months, but that's not stopping him from putting out a DVD. post comment

Leek and Finnish Scat... [27 May 2006|04:28am] Sometimes I just love the internet. Where else can you find Finnish music set to anime on a British Muslim's website? Actually, the anime side isn't interesting at all. She's a boring, stereotypical character in an anime by the numbers type show. And having Orihime spin a leek throughout the song gets old quick. The music, on the other appendage, sounds like scat singing, even though it's a traditional Finnish song. I've saved the link just because I love the music on it. Here it is, if you wish to give it a shot. http://knd.org.uk/files/loituma__.swf Since I'm in a good mood, here are some T-shirts I bought with the Army in mind. A message to my recruiter. Nathan's Opposing Force Special. Unfortunately, I don't think I can wear the first one arround my company and not get dropped. 6 comments|post comment

Safety Kill... [24 May 2006|08:47am] Okay, class, what we learned today is as follows: If you are escorting someone as a guard, make sure the fucker walks in front of you. If the terrorist bastard has your commander hostage, shoot them both. That's why we have XO's. (And I had a good shot too...) A courtesy patdown means put the fucker you're searching on his face. Hard. If his head doesn't bounce off the ground, it's not hard enough. And finally, never, ever forget the lube whenever the OPFOR decides to anally rape your company during the annual security exercise. I mean, you're still going to get fucked, but you might as well enjoy it. If you couldn't tell, no, Nathan is not having a good day at the office... 2 comments|post comment

Bo Didley, Bo Didley, haven't you heard... [11 May 2006|06:37am] ...I'm going to drop from a big iron bird. I'll be training with a local helicopter medical evacuation team today. So, while I might not be dropping from a chopper, hopefully under open parachutes, I am going to have a chance to fly in a Blackhawk and practice medevac skills most people won't. This is why I joined the Army. Definitately not to look at a computer screen for 12 hours on end. post comment

I Ain't Dead... [26 Apr 2006|08:08am] [ mood | tired ] [ music | Chase the Kangaroo - The Choir ] Fanboy points to whoever picks out the title reference. Well, I'm working like a dog because I'm on the lard-ass program here in No Such Barracks, so I haven't been posting or trying to get ahold of people the way I should. Just letting people know I'm not dead, or in the Sandbox (Iraq). I've got some posts on the radar, including the long promised Cirque blogging. Until then, here's my top three current free time wasters: School Rumble Mythbusters Livy's History of the Roman Republic Later... post comment

[06 Apr 2006|11:26am] [ mood | awake ] [ music | Winterborn - Cruxshadows ] Sometimes I forget that I'm in the geekiest job in the entire Army. My entire squad's going through the Wheel of Time series, World of Warcraft is an epidemic, with Dungeons and Dragons Online shaping up to be the next infection, I'm getting manga drawing lessons from one of the sergeants, and my new squad leader is a Kingdom Hearts geek just like me. Damn it, I'm worried. I'm supposed to have the lock on the Piro from Megatokyo stereotype, (although I'm lacking the romantic interest he has). I swear, if someone here turns out to be a To Heart or Kanon fan, I'm going to freak. At least there's some musicians here, even though I outstrip them when it comes to theory and composition. Of course, that sounds like damning myself with faint praise... In other news, a new Cruxshadows song has entired the rotation, but I'm saving those lyrics for something special. Say, twenty months from now. Skip Von Neumann's War when it comes out. I got ahold of an advance reader's copy from Baen's Books, and, frankly, it's the worst mix of the faults of carnography and hard science fiction I can think of. And it falls victiom to the same problems as Independence Day. I mean, who would have thought that Windows was a universal OS? Same with the iPod format. Nevermind. This wasn't worth the $15 I paid for it. John Ringo should settle down and work on the five series he already has before launching a new one, especially since this reads too much like Into the Looking Glass but with different aliens and a fresh coat of paint on the characters. Considering the number of errors that creep into his work, especially in his Council Wars Series, I think it would be good advice. That makes some of my major goofs on SC #49 look like typos. Until next time. post comment

War and Music... [03 Apr 2006|07:42am] [ mood | tired ] [ music | Citadel - Cruxshadows. ] One of the few true benefits of reading the admittedly carnographic writer John Ringo, has to be the introduction to some damn good music. After all, music and war go together like sex and food (I'm working on my cooking). First, there was the March of Cambreadth by Heather Alexander. Then there was Winterborn (This Sacrifice) by the Cruxshadows. Be sure to check out the original and the Subway to Sally remix. Now there's Citadel, also by the Cruxshadows. Quoted without permission: Languid waves of desperation Fall before the rains A vanguard to approaching war Is borne upon the sea The icy breath of cyclones bent On waging our destruction Drills hard against the hearts of heroes Called here to defend I see storms on the horizon I see the tempest at the gates I see storms on the horizon And a citadel alone Clinging brave defying fate And I will stand here at the gates to face the onslaught fighting Without surrender or defeat With Troy besieged by tyrants' greed - (tyranny) In Hector's memory, God willing We shall save this victory Without surrender or defeat Sudden silence - I realize Breaking teardrops in the rain With every breathing moment The pillars are sustained Waking hands attached to nothing Tightly clutching close Each sleeping vision speaks unheard And heaven only knows (exactly why) Paris' arrow landed true Paris' arrow landed true Paris' arrow landed true Down upon your heel... This Troy She will not fall again This Troy She will not fall Even with all the crap I've waded through reading the Paladin of Shadows series, even with staring headlong into some of my demons by reflection as I read, finding the Cruxshadows was worth it. Highly recommended, which is more than I can say for the Paladin of Shadows series. I think it's because Rogue catches the emotions and resolve behind the protector and defender and I associate with that more than the "how many can we make die" of the March of Cambreadth. post comment

[30 Mar 2006|07:45am] [ mood | calm ] "Fortunately, he'd spent plenty of years as a smith. And he'd dealt with taking over defeated armies before. The first thing that you did was you got them to know you as a person, somebody that they could trust and serve. You bonded to them as the carbon bonded to the iron. "Then you lowered the hammer." From Against the Tide by John Ringo. Welcome to my life. While I wouldn't consider myself a defeated army, I am pretty broken as a soldier. They call the learning/repair process "moulding." Bullshit. I call it getting hammered on an anvil by a blacksmith. And no one asks the steel how it feels when it glows white hot and the hammer strikes. Yet this isn't the displaced malice of the drill sergeant. Hell, the only way to survive this seems to be to adopt the mix of skill, mischief, showmanship, and cockiness that my AIT drill sergeant, DS Irvin, embodied. Of course, that means making damn sure you have something to be cocky about. On the plus side, my markmanship skills seem to be improving, which means I might not be as broken as I think. I'm not going to be the same after this year, I can already tell. But if you would excuse me, the hammer's about to strike again... post comment

[21 Mar 2006|01:11pm] [ mood | cold ] Wet, cold, and breathing CS riot gas is no way to spend a day. Oh, and I passed my CTT test. Mind you, I don't know how. I only did well in First Aid. But a "GO" is a "GO," even if I should be out on the refresher in 3 months. At least I got to watch complete and total id-, er, hardcharging NCOs compete to see how long they could stay in the CS gas-filled room unmasked before they ran out of the room with crying and with snot-sicles. Of course, the room was set to the "extra spicy" setting. The record: 33 seconds. Later. post comment

Someone's Going to Pay for This... [20 Mar 2006|02:55am] [ mood | amused ] [ music | Sunday Bloody Sunday - Richard Cheese ] I can't believe iTunes put Richard Cheese in the "Rock" section. Furthermore, I can't believe I actually spent money on this. Malinsky's going to pay for this. Unfortunately, I've got to go to Japan to kick his ass for introducing me to this music. Fortunately, in 20 months or so, I've got a 9 in 25 chance of being posted to the same company, and if I've got my SGT's stripes, he's going to be pushing for this. I swear that I don't go looking for stuff like this and the Asylum Street Spankers. post comment

CTT... [18 Mar 2006|02:27am] ...or a living reminder that I am the FNG. This week, I'll try to get certified on the common skills that all soldiers need to know. Of course, my training has been somewhat lacking while I've been learning my primary job, but there's no excuse. I know my position in the team: Speciailist Expendable. If there's a bridge that might break, I'm running across it. If they need to find out how deep a pit is, my ass is getting dropped into it. Need a decoy for a sniper, call yours truly. Hell, even the private on the squad is more essential than I am. So I'll try my best to shut up, do my job, and try to keep my squad from getting "killed." Maybe they'll let me play OPFOR next time if I'm a good little soldier. Ah, OPFOR. Nothing like getting paid to screw with other units and basically cause as much mayhem, confusion, and "casualties" as possible in the name of training. They don't let people in my MOS do it too often, though. SATCOM has a nasty tendency of embarrassing other units. I'm looking forward to living up to that tradition. But first, I've got to master the basics. 5 comments|post comment

Finally found it... [15 Mar 2006|11:35pm] The Commando's Prayer Give me, my God, what you still have; give me what no one asks for. I do not ask for wealth, nor success, nor even health. People ask you so often, God, for all that, that you cannot have any left. Give me, my God, what you still have. Give me what people refuse to accept from you. I want insecurity and disquietude; I want turmoil and brawl. And if you should give them to me, my God, once and for all, let me be sure to have them always, for I will not always have the courage to ask for them. Corporal Zirnheld Special Air Service 1942 Next on the search list: a copy of Erasumus's Enchridion Militis Christiani... post comment

[12 Mar 2006|05:38pm] [ mood | mischievous ] [ music | King Without a Crown - Matisyahu ] SC #49 to the contrary, not all of my current interests are exercises in carnography and bodies, bloody bodies. Currently, I'm finding a couple antidotes to my more carnographic tendencies. Rediscovering Fruits Basket in both anime and manga versions has helped. I forgot how good the series was, almost good enough to recommend to Laura if she's ever willing to take a look. The focus on the interpersonal relationships in the show is humanizing, and quite touching, even if Tohru is a girly-girl. Hana and Uo, though, are worth the read. Also, the mangaka has thrown in some impressive twists in the chapters Tokyo Pop has yet to release. Not that I've read that far yet... ^_- The other little surprise countering the carnographic is reggae, specifically the Hasidic reggae of Matisyahu. At first, I thought it was a gimmick, but the album title, "Live at Stubb's," helped convince me to give the music a serious look. After all, Stubb's is one of my favorite BBQ places and one of the more well-known Austin music venues, so anyone recorded there, it's a sign of legitimacy to me. (Yes, as a musician, I bow and pray towards Austin five times a day. And your point is?) While I don't know too much reggae, the music I did hear was impressive. Oh, yeah, and the bass is pretty damn good. I'm trying to pick up those parts for fun. Well worth taking a look. While I think I've worked out the tendency to the carnographic, a huge part of me wants to write a story investigating the effects of combat, mostly from an immediate physiological side. The psychological effects seem to be based upon a person's beliefs, with the most damage being done by those who have trained themselves to believe that the taking of a life under any circumstances is an evil act. I'll probably use the writings from here as a source. Oh, and before I forget, here are IMAO's top ten U.S. military slogans: 10. We don't like collateral damage, but it helps to stay the @#$% out of our way. 9. Total destruction in 30 minutes of the next one is free. 8. Often mistaken for the wrath of God. 7. We kill foreigners so you don't have to. 6. If everything is exploding around you, that's probably us. 5. Dictator got you down? Ask about our new "regime change" policy! 4. Just point at what you want dead. 3. Willing to win hearts and minds, but willing to splatter them is necessary. 2. When it absolutely positively has to be destroyed overnight. 1. We're from the government, and we're here to kill you. Hmm, kinda makes the military sound like a really hostile pizza delivery chain, doesn't it? post comment

Another Entry in the Personal Clipboard [10 Mar 2006|08:25am] For my own use, feel free to skip... http://www.cominganarchy.com/archives/2006/03/10/truly-formless-5gw/#more-1691 http://tdaxp.blogspirit.com/archive/2005/07/18/go-deep-ooda-and-the-rainbow-of-generational-warfare.html http://tdaxp.blogspirit.com/archive/2006/02/04/5gw-soundless-formless-polished-leading.html OODA loops, 1rst, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Geneational Warfare concepts... Good for the warfighter and the manager. post comment

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