Motorcycle

So this wasn't on my list of things to do for this year, but it was fun anyway. I rode a motorcycle! And though it was a little nerve-wracking, I think I might look into getting one of my own. My brother-in-law, Chad has a bike and was trying to get it to run. We tinkered with it for about a day and finally, made a really simple change it got it started. So we took turns driving it around the block to get it tuned in. I've driven four-wheelers, but never a motorcycle. So it was a lot of fun. I'm thinking about getting the "M" classification added to my license. We'll see.

30 years

I turned 30 today. I haven't written on this blog in years. But today seems like as good a day as any. We live in western Maryland now and have a beautiful 22-month old boy named Eli. I'm hoping this year to complete some really cool things that have been on my list for a while. Maybe I'll use this blog to track my progress and post photos. So here's a brif summary of the list: 1. Kayak Acadia National Park 2. Bike the 184-mile C&O Canal Path. (and possibly the Greater Allegeny Path as well) 3. Go on at least 5 camping trips- at least 2 of which includes bringing Eli 4. Take the kayaks out at least 5 times this year. 5. Bike at least 500 miles. 6. Hike at least 100 miles 7. Read 36 books. (I'm already running behind on that) 8. Read the whole Bible 9. Start volunteering in the community somewhere. 10. Work out/exercise at least 3 times per week. So that's not the whole thing, but it's a start. Basically, I want to look back at the end of the year and see that I didn't just cruise through the year.

OK, I know I was just here, but I think I have an idea: I'm going to address some of the topics that I've seen raised on Yahoo! Answers. And there are a lot of them. So the first one is going to be gun control. I just can't resist. So, first, I'll just say that I am against most forms of gun control. Just so everyone knows and there isn't any misunderstanding.
But here's why: I know it does not work. Notice that I didn't say, "I don't believe or I don't think". I know. And how? Because of this: http://www.nbc4.com/news/14364137/detail.html.

So this is a complicated story, but here's the gist: A 14-year old boy gets shot by an off-duty police officer who says he went looking for his stolen mini-bike and found the boy, DeOnte, riding it around. According to the officer, he confronted DeOnte, who started shooting at him. He fired back, killing him. Now let's ignore for a moment the fact that (1) They haven't found DeOnte's 45 that he supposedly fired (2) DeOnte was shot in the back of the head and (3) There was no gunshot residue on DeOnte's hands. So now, there's this other kid, 19 years old, named Clifton Coleman who claims he saw the incident. His stories have varied, but what I find interesting is that he is currently being held because he shot his 15-year old girlfriend. When he was arrested, they found two handguns, one a 45 caliber, the same caliber of the bullet holes found in the side of the police officer's car.
But wait, DO NOT LET ALL OF THIS DISTRACT YOU! This is Washington, DC. This is where you can't even own a handgun in DC, even legally. You can't own one, possess one, or hold one; even in your own home. And even if you could, there isn't a state in the union where you can purchase or own a handgun under the age of 21! So with all of the gun controls put into place by the District of Columbia, how did this 19-year old end up with two of them! And worse yet, not only did he have them illegally, he used them illegally: he shot his girlfriend and not out of self defense.
Check out this site: http://www.examiner.com/a-995885~Source__Teenager_killed_by_off_duty_police_officer_had_fired_2_shots.html.

Maybe, just maybe, the gun control laws didn't work because as someone who ignores laws and desires to use a weapon, any weapon to break other laws, Mr. Coleman wouldn't hesitate to break a gun control law. The weapons he had certainly couldn't be legally registered to him. They weren't his to begin with.
So making a law that restricts everyone from owning a legal, registered, and licensed firearm simply, by definition is designed to keep law-abiding citizens from owning firearms. Because we see time and time again that criminals will simply ignore the law. And until there is total and unequivocal respect for the law, lawful citizens will need to be able to protect themselves from those who chose to break it.
More on that later!

Long time, no blog

So, it's been an inordinately long time since I last wrote anything. Actually, a year! So, I'm going to have to find some sort of topic or focus to write about and go for it. If anyone out there has any ideas, let me know. I'm leaning towards current events, politics, and just things that piss me off in general.
Another ranting blog! Sweet!

Life in DC

Well, I have been inspired to write again by reading a blog from a guy who has nine kids.
Julie and I are settling very nicely here in DC. Her art is skyrocketing, which is incredibly exciting. Every time she goes to a market, she meets all kinds of people and they tell her how great her work is and how talented she is. And they're right. I tell her all the time, but she thinks I have to say that. The same with her beauty.
We've made a couple of friends in the past couple of months. Two of the people I've gotten to know at work are leaving now. Figures. One, Bob, is moving back to Ohio. He's had enough of the city. And I can't say that I blame him.
I see hundreds of people in the 30 minutes of travel that I do to and from work each day. I don't know a single one of them. Sometimes, surprisingly, you'll see someone more than once and recognize them. But noone ever actually says anything to anyone. Well, actually, some people do- the homeless always say something: "Help me. Can you spare some change? You got any money? I've got diabetes and need money for dialysis." I often think of retorts to these pathetic attempts at duping me out of my hard-earned money. "Help you do what exactly? Spare change? In this city? Yes I have money, what of it? Do you have money? Can I have it? Diabetes huh? Dialysis, really? So you're hoping that begging will supply you with the money for regular dialysis treatment?
But the people you want to hear from never say anything. There are so many interesting-looking people around. So for all the people I see all the time, I still feel like I'm alone until I get to where I am going.
Anyway, things are going well. I hope that if there is anyone who actually reads this, that you are doing well too. Yes, you.
God Bless.

Wow it's been an insanely long time since I posted. I doubt anyone who actually read these is still doing it. But on the offchance you are, I'm doing well. Obviously a lot has happened. I got married! Which is awesome! I also got a job in Washington DC. Since commuting there wasn't an option, I also moved there! So now I live in Washington DC! What a year it has been! I could go into the details of it all, but that would take too long.
I'm on myspace now, so you can check things out there, hopefully I'll be a little more vigilant about it than I have been in the past. It doesn't hurt that Julie's a myspace fanatic. So blogging is encouraged in our house!

Engaged!

Wow, it's been over a month since the last time I wrote, and like any other such time, a lot has happened! I am engaged to the most wonderful woman in the entire world! Julianna and I decided just five days after my last post to get married. I didn't get to "propose" although I will take that opportunity when it presents itself sometime after I get home. And better yet, we decided to get married on December 30th of this year!
Things are coming together absolutely amazingly, and we only have God to thank for that! It is incredibly exciting and despite all that is going on around us, we are incredibly happy! I can't wait!
We are doing well here in Iraq. Can't give details of just how well or they might take me out back and well, you know, yell at me! Speaking of getting yelled at, I got yelled at yesterday- not for revealing classified information, just other bad stuff.
The family is doing pretty well. Dad had knee surgery again, so hopefully he will be feeling well very soon. Giod knows he'll be right back at work, so let's hope it gets better.
I have taken over 1000 photos here already, which is more than I took in the entire 8 months that I was in Kuwait two years ago! It's the fact that it's digital, I don't have to buy film, and I can tell immediately whether or not I got the shot I was looking for. If I didn't I just shoot it again until I do. I am pretty excited about the photos that I got, just not about paying for their printing- lol.
There's not much else going on that I can really talk about. It's just exciting to be going home soon.
Oh, we had a revival here a couple of weeks ago! It was totally awesome and inspiring! God really has moved in my life in the past two and a half months! He has provided me with the kind of people I want to surround myself with for the rest of my life!
Well, that's about it for right now. I'll keep in touch hopefully a little more. But I doubt it. LOL

Fourth Week in Iraq

This will be my fourth week in Iraq. I am doing fairly well. I think it's because I have such a wonderful woman back home to support me and be there when I get back. That's always such an awesome thing to have. Not so lonely.
Last week was a very busy week. We finally finished cleaning up the shop and making it look like an actual shop. Now we can do work on aircraft component without spending an hour looking for a place to do it, the parts to do it with, and the tools to do it with. It's nice. We have everything organized and know where it's at.
I worked on my first Apache the other day. That was pretty cool. Nothing complicated, but it was still neat. Now I've worked on every airframe the Army has. That's pretty cool. And I got to do it out on the flightline, which I've never done before either. You'd think I hadn't already spent six years in the Army, but for some reason I've never had to work out on a flightline before. I've worked on helicopters directly before, but they've always been in a hangar. So that was interesting. It was hot as hell though. Nothing like being out in the middle of the day on a black helicopter, just soaks up the sun. Haha!
I'm going to church too, which is a change from the last deployment. But they have more option here. There's actually a contemporary service here. I went to it last week and it was pretty cool, so I'm going again.
Just like I have a hard time keeping things up to date on this journal, I've been having a hard time keeping up to date on my handwritten journal. Yes, there are still people who keep handwritten journals, and I am one of them.
Well, it's almost time for me to head to church. Be back soon hopefully.