Pass The Brass

Got 600 bucks in the bank to “stimulate the economy”…I’m pondering what I should buy. Might put it into the car…or save for another car when I get home..which brings me to a lil debate I’m having.

What would be more appropriate for a 4 seasons area bringing in gas prices and the size of the CDA area into the decision making process…should I go for a 4×4 truck/SUV/tank or should I put into something that eats less gas but might have a lil more difficulty in the winter months?

So after a year and a half, I am finally able to go home for a few weeks!! I can’t tell you how excited I am to break away from this nonsense!

There’s only so much one can take of the same job day in and day out. Granted I’ve had my 4 day weekends, and the occasional 1 to 2 week training, but never any vacation time. Just this whole environment has become hostile now. HAH! I hate to say it, but I feel more at war here than I did deployed.

Odd how outlooks in life can change.

So I was just going over some food plans with the mother figure. I am SO ready for some home cooking. I need a break from Top Ramen and PB&J with the occasional microwave burger. Aaannd the fast food isn’t exactly healthy or cost effective for that matter. When you gots teh billz to pay, it really puts a dent in the uh…”quality” of your daily meals. Normally I would give myself a once a month bonus at the Outback or someplace nice. This month’s been pretty bad in that I’ve hit the big restaurants a few more than my alotted limit, so I now I gotta cut back on some other spending. Maybe I’ll just not eat for the next few days and that should even out the cash flow. eh heh heh heh.

I was told today by someone that they had a son that moved out of Idaho because there were too many rednecks there…even more affirmation that I will be retiring and hopefully dying in Idaho with my rifle in my hand and a ZZ Top beard on my face. Oh and a PBR in my other hand.

So after a discussion with a few mechanically inclined coworkers of mine, I decided to actually work to repair my car instead of giving up all hope on it and leaving it to rot in the parking lot before I ETS.

As it is, my water pump is ded, so I gotta buy a new one of those things. Aaannd then theres list of other parts that I “might as well” replace seeing as it’s an old car.

But I’m thinking of dropping a Hemi in there. Any suggestions?

Maybe throw some Headers on…

Kids these days…

Language Warning….

Ok, Ill admit that my first mistake was taking it to Firestone to begin with. Dangit. Stupid corporate mechanics. As if they weren’t bad to begin with, you get the big dawgs who get so much money that they really could care less how they work on your vehicle. And like the dupe I am, I signed away, trusting their work was legit.

Now my car doesn’t start. And don’t even start with that “It’s a piece of crap” nonsense, because this vehicle was anything BUT a POS. And anyone who knows anything about cars will tell you that the engines they put in these models was a good engine with plenty of life in it. Besides, I wasn’t having any starting issues at all until a few days after I had Firestone work on it. The bastards.

So don’t take your vehicle their if you can help it. I’m not even the first person to come out of Firestone with issues. I know one guy in particular had an ‘07 that he had some work done and they bent his drive shaft somehow. Don’t ask me how, I couldn’t even imagine what kind of irresponsible mofo’s they put behind wrenches these days.

I think I’m gonna go into a few mechanics classes after I get out so I can just figure stuff out myself instead of dealing with this nonsense. Not to mention the price they charge for labor is absolutely ridiculous. And I’m a sucker for payin it….

My poor, poor lil hoopty…*sob

Well I wouldn’t call it no bowl of lemon’s that’s “fo sho”. I think a more appropriate term in relation to my own would be a bowl of delicious Granny Smith apples…and buried deep within the pile is one very rotten, very disgusting bad apple infecting all those around with a zombie-like rottenness that spreads like Bubonic Plague! Uggh.

It’s like they say, “there’s always one.” Apparently I am “that one guy” though. Dangit.

So the other day I had a thought as I was simultaneously searing my lungs with smoke. (Don’t worry I’m quitting. Just send some prayers my way to keep my mind off of it.) I was thinking to myself what one of the hardest things of transitioning is going to be. And it occurred to me that I might run into a bit of difficulty in the outside when it comes to getting things done.

For the past 4+ years I have done everything by command. There’s always been that 1 of 25 bosses to tell me what to do and on occasion how to do it. I won’t have that for the most part when working in your everyday civilian world. I wonder how this will affect my working habits. I brought this up with the person who was out there at the time and they simply assured me it’ll be very much different once I get there. I just nodded my head in feigned agreement as I continued my self destructive habit of smoking. Such a sad, sorry story we all tell. I’ll kick it before I go home.

So I just repeat to myself what I have been telling myself for the past few months, “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.” To be honest, I really couldn’t tell you whether or not that lil’ quip is either a short stint of genius or absolute garbage wrapped in a nice little package of words to make it sound like some clever saying.

And so he resumes his journey down the long road of life carrying his burden with him, much like Christian did, in a Pilgrim’s Progress, praying for liberation while looking to his feet when his true salvation lie just before him on the Mount of Calvary…

…he blindsides everyone with some random update to his Flickr page!

WTH is a CD MeMe??

Check it Out

They say it like it’s a bad thing …BWAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!

Gas going to restaurant: 7 bucks (stoopid recession)

Cost of meal: 45 bucks (with a tip of course)

Spending time with a war buddy whom you get to hang out with once a month: Priceless

No matter how much a meal costs or where we end up going, I put absolutely no monetary value on relationships forged in fire.

So here’s to my good friend, Jordy! May we always remember the good times both abroad and near! Cheers, bro.

I have less than a year left in the Army.

Just wanted to get that out there. It’s therapeutic, heh heh.

What I look forward to the most upon my ETS:

- Mullets
- Long Drunken Nights With No PT in the morning
- The ability to go get a job at a fast food chain…just to tell them you quit.
- Self prescribed profiles…own pace and distance exercise anyone?
- No more “Barracks Rat” lifestyle…now its just “House Rat”, but I prefer “Pale Kid”
- Job Hunting…oh wait
- Paying for Dental and Medical…aw dangit
- Health insurance fees…sunuva!
- Taxes…crap!

Ok ok ok, so you lose a lot in the transition. But at least I’ll have my VA Loan. Interest free house payments anyone? Yes please.