Hello, 2011.  I meant to see 2010 graciously to the door but was distracted doing something else and missed his exit.  My bad ( Read more... )

Thus far it seems the only advantage of being in the middle of nowhere Missouri is that there has been no shortage of backroads to explore along US 66.

Another backroad, another abandoned service station...


( Read more... )

Read at a minimum two books a month  - Not counting the seven books and three FMs I scoured for my information paper in the space of two weeks, I'm not doing too well here.  I started The World is My Home by James Michener and After Dark, My Sweet by Jim Thompson but have not made any significant progress since the beginning of June.  Fail.

Finish ( Read more... )

Middle East/ Central Asia

The Search for Peace in Afghanistan - Barnett Rubin

Stones into Schools, Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson

Night Draws Near - Anthony Shadid

The Looming Tower - Lawrence Wright

Reading Lolita in Tehran - Azar Nafisi

Mirrors of the Unseen:  Journeys in Iran - Jason Eliot (I read his An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan in ( Read more... )

DVD library unpacked and organized
empty boxes cleared out
Army gear organized and staged in the appropriate closet
DVD player/ surround sound assembled and functions check complete!
BBQ grill assembled and ready (Monday or Tuesday???)
dining table cleared
bedroom furniture purchased and delivery scheduled (completed, sort of... the tall chest wasn't ( Read more... )

Last weekend's spin at Original Sin was way better than I hoped.  Much love and thanks to Shannon, Renee and Tim for giving me the opportunity to share some tunes and move some bodies during their 3rd anniversary of ritual noise!

( Lass Uns Tanzen... )

I think every writer would wish to evoke in a thousand words what can be evoked in a single line of music. - Jack Womack

There was a time when writing dominated almost every aspect of my waking life.  Drifting and dreaming, words, lyrics and music wove the tapestry of perspective that defined the world around me.  In time, the writing stopped though ( Read more... )

Read at a minimum two books a month  - Accomplished for January though like Manna, I'm shifting focus now more on quality and retention and less on the quantity of books read.  I finished American Psycho and A Clockwork Orange (thoughts and reviews pending) and completed a to-read list before my mood shifted to a hardcore sci-fi/ cyberpunk ( Read more... )

I received my official PCS orders to Ft. Leonard Wood today.  I woohoo'd for joy when my OPs NCO brought them to me and subsequently spent the rest of the day in a good mood.  I'm ready for a change of scenery... the Battalion and the commute just suck the life out of me.

Thankfully the rest of this week is short.  I have mandatory fun tomorrow and ( Read more... )

Went to spin class this morning with mannadonn, Tammy and co.

The jury's still out but overall it had a good first impression.  I sweat pretty hard and was definitely walking like jello afterwards.  The only con at this point is the fact that overall, I feel like I should have wound up somewhere for all the furious pedaling that went down.  I think I would ( Read more... )