Deus Ex Machina

Still Alive

2009-06-16T10:14:00.001-07:00

In a week's time I am leaving home again. This time it is to change my Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). 5 months in Augusta, Georgia, while my wife births our daughter here in Texas. I am not paticularly happy with the situation, but she IS, so I guess thats whats important.

My family seems to be doing its usual ups and downs, which for once, I am not along for the ride. This is good, stability is good. A new job is good, a new kid is good, right? All this new and good stuff, you'd think I would smile more. I don't. Its ok though, as long as she does.

I am excited that I will be starting a new phase in my life. Pissed that I was dumped unceremoniously from my last one. Truth be told, I really do feel like the last 2+ years of my life have been a tremendous waste of time for me, in all phases of life. I am actually worse off then when I came here, in many ways. Better in some too.

In short:

Dear Texas,

Thank you for the opportunity you have given my family to grow. We are grateful for the life and support Diana has developed here. In the interest of keeping a happy home, please give Daniel back the things you have taken from him, namely a life, friends, music, a clean house, a burgeoning career, a knee, and good barbecue.

Love,

The Prestons

A-salma-fuck you

2008-01-26T03:11:00.000-08:00

Alright, down to meat and potatoes. The internet is up and running in my room, so I have (a little) less censorship and certainly more availability.

2007-12-03T05:02:00.001-08:00

I havent been able to blog because the internet is scarce these days, and I have to pay by the minute, for now anyway. Combine that with Big Brother watching me, and it adds up too: not much to say, and not willing to pay to be watched to say it.

But for those interested, I have made it safely into the heart of Mosul. We have taken over some very challenging work, and I look forward to being able to make a difference. Those that know me know I have had some professional issues lately, but I am hoping it will blow over. It doesnt look good, but false hope is better than none. We may or may not get internet in our rooms eventually, but again, it is heavily censored, so pictures are an iffy subject. I have to get them approved before i put them on the internet for "security" reasons. I think BB doesnt want pics of IEDs exploding up on Youtube, but I dont get paid to think.

I hope you all are well, and I will write more when I can, this just cost me $2.12

Austin

2007-08-11T10:39:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, der frau and I went to Austin to check out the capital.

It was HUGE!!!!!

And I spent all day walking, which was great! Sorry the pics are fuzzy, cell phone camera......

We also went to the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum, which was very lame.

A good weekend, this weekend I am brewing, check out Sarges Tavern for beer stuff.

I can sorta ride my motorcycle again. Since I can bend my knee about 100 degrees. I just have trouble shifting.

Diana had training for being a substitute teacher, which I think is great.

Should be a hard week for me, since I will be acting as 2/3 ACR Rear-D 1SG for two weeks. I can handle it, but it will probably be a headache.

ADD post #317

2007-08-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

Im not all on track right now, so I will just give you the finger as I go down the list:

Diana's home! 4+ weeks apart felt like an eternity. 16 hours home, and we're squabbling away, just like the good old days. Ah, I missed her! She doesnt realize, nor do I think most folks do, how an injury can change your perspective. Its for the better that I become more proactive in our lives, even if it means she has to take a few steps back in the power department. Shes too stressed. Thats no way to live, IMHO. Being hurt has taught me a great many things, not the least of which is the importance of staying busy. I love idle time, but filling your life with fulfilling things is vey important. We all are going to die someday, soon in the cosmic sense, why not live your life without trepidation or regret? She'll learn. If it costs me a nut, she'll learn.

Speaking of hurt. I am off crutches! I now sport a highly stylized mahogany cane, sans robot brace. I didnt realize that I had forgotten how to walk, and this was made painfully clear after my therapist corrected me. My knee is now throbbing and sore, the most discomfort I have felt since surgery. But I am healing veyr well, and we are ready to bring the hurt. I welcome it with open arms, because it brings me one step closer to being healed.

Speaking of healed, I have been fortunate enough, through judicious use of personal skills, and Preston innovation, to secure a win-win situation for myself. I reveal to you: MY MASTER PLAN (wholly contingent on my recovery)
- My old unit is foaming at the mouth to get me back. All I have to do to be allowed back, is get down to a P2 (no running) profile. My PT says i will be back to trying to run in late Sept early October. Those that know my situation know that this puts me very close to another timeline. If I go, I face career progression and money, in exchange for another tour.
- If i do not go, I am promised/guaranteed a promotion within the year, as well as AMPLE time to get my computer certs, and attend schools. This puts me in a veyr good position, because when the dust settles in 18 months, I will be very close to the end of my service (should I desire)

So, if I go, money and a bright future in the Army, if I stay, education, and a bright future in the civillian sector. Win win. What would you do/ hope for?

Speaking of beer, my Octoberfest is settling nicely, though it is a bit darker than I wanted. Diana and I are going to Austin this weekend to see the town, and buy more supplies. I was thinking of a rasperry hefeweisen to celebrate the fall/winter harvest, but also have a fiending for an American amber pale ale.

What would you brew
?

BEER!!!!!!

2007-07-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

I am going to relay, to the best of my ability, my very first partial mash experience, concluded abuot 20 minutes ago.First, some disclaimers:- I am on crutches from a nasty motorcycle wreck, this hindered my mobilities somewhat.- I brewed alone. (what is a?) my SWBMO?? was away for the week- I made many mistakes, some I will admit to, others, I hope you will point out so I may learn from them.- By now I am a bit ****faced off of my blarg batch of bockbier (if you could call it that)I received my missing yeast this afternoon at 3 o clock, and immediately smacked the pack of Wyeast 1005 German Ale, and set it in the fridge.In the meantime I set out about warming two pots of water (2 gallons 180 degree sparge and 5 quarts 168 degree mash water. Time passes and I see the yeast packet rising, signalling a "GO" to me, so I tie the grains in the provided muslin bag. Maintaining a steeping temp of 152-ish, i soak the bag for an hour, checking temp and stirring the bag/liquid every ten minutes. By now the house is filled with the amazingly sweet aroma of steeping grain. I am in awe.When I go to move the bag into my collander for sparging, it sticks...... the bag has burnt to the bottom of the pot. After some scrambling, an spatula-ing, the bag releases, along with maybe 1/8 of its grain-guts, which i leave in the bottom of the pot, thinking it harmless.I then sparge with 2 gallons of 180 degree water, bring the wort to a boil, and mix in my dry malt and a packet and a half of German Spaltz hops. (maybe 1.5 oz)I boil for 45 min, stirring regularly before adding my 4 lbs of liquid malt and the rest of the hops packet, which i then stir, return to boil, and let cook for another 15 min. I then took the pot of wort and placed it in an ice water bath, cooling to room temp (about 70 degrees).I then added the wort to my primary, added my pitched yeast, and rocked the bucket back and forth on a skateboard, while covered without an airlock.After 10 minutes of rocking out, I added an airlock and set it in a homemade evap cooler with a reg temp of 70-ish, where it sits now.- When placing the airlock in the fermenter, the gasket punched out, and fell in. I saw no choice but to stick my sanitized hand in and get it back.- Did leaving the burnt muslin bag portion in the pot, was that a bad idea?-What about leaving the grain-guts?and the kicker-------My wife neglected to tell me that my thermometer had a protective sheath, which I discovered at the end, which insulated my readings by 10 degrees. Meaning my temps were hotter than I thought (thus the burnt bag)How bad is my brew gonna be?I finish with saying that I feel born again. Brewing extracts is NOTHING compared to the zen satisfaction I felt after todays 8+ jour brew session. After breathing in the hops, and the fresh wort, all beer tastes different now, even my own extract concoctions. Good or bad, this batch is mine, and I WILL NEVER DO ANYTHING LESS THAN PM AGAIN!!!!!Thanks for your input!!!SG - 1.060

Hi Mom! Bye Wife!

2007-07-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

So I am sitting here listening to Neil Diamond, waiting for Ragingmom to arrive in Killeen, and I realized I havent updated in a bit. (Sweeeeeeeeet Caroline.........)

I have been feeling a lot better. A LOT better. I had my staples removed, so now I have virtually no pain all day. It itches a bt though. I tried to bend it yesterday. Nope, not happening. So I am in for some excruciating physical therapy on Monday. But its the road back!

With any luck, well, there are a lot of things that are possible. I could deploy, but its doubtful, maybe a few months after they've left. I might get to do a different job, which is what I would like.

Diana leaves tomorrow, and will be gone for 3 weeks. It will be weird, not having ze schneehase around, she has been around all day every day, kinda my rock through this all. But she has to go fight some demons of her own. Goodluck honey, I will miss you. We finished a bockbier, should be drinkable in a few days. What do you guys think of this for a label?

I will be starting classes to become Microsoft Certified fairly soon. I guess of all the things in my life, getting trained officially in computers makes the most sense because I am always on them. Hell, last night I set my computer to stream media over to my Playstation 3 so I could watch "borrowed" movies on my TV without having to burn DVDs. I have been bugging Diana to get a second computer so I can rig this one as a Linux box. I am a computer dork, I admit it. But a cool one. I ride motorcycles and brew my own beer, so fuck the Geek Squad. Overcharging cock weasels.

Here are the gruesome accident photos I promised!!!!This didnt stop bleeding for a long time. I will let you guess what the chewy white stuff is.

An overhead view of the collateral damage.
My first time seeing my leg post-op. It was a sick pale-yellow and twice its normal size.
Quite possible the coolest scar ever. Fuckers didnt even need to make it. Turns out the only needed to operate on the PCL, which is arthroscopic, not open. oh well, these photos were taken with a camera phone!!!!

So long, and thanks for the shoes

2007-06-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

Previous post deleted in lieu of retardation (open mouth, insert foot.)

2007-06-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

I feel like maybe I came off a little too woe-is-me last post. I just get frustrated, thats all. With all thats going on, we still try to keep a pretty positive outlook. So much so that my wife actually made a joke at my expense. If thats not shocking enough, it was FUNNY!

ME: Maybe you should get one of them dual purpose bikes so we could take it off road?
Diana: Why dont you just take your Yamaha off road? (chromed cruiser)
Me: There is no way I am ever taking my bike off road.
Diana: You already did!

Hahahahahahahah ha ha ha ah hah............. ser spass sonnenhase

I was bummed because I came up with this great idea for an invention, turns out its been done already. A mailbox that springs back up if you run it over. :(
I have a feeling surgery aint gonna go all daisies, but I wont die, so you can rest asured. Thats all for now. Guten nacht, mit dich sprechen spater.

2007-06-13T18:13:00.000-07:00

I'm about sick and tired of not having a fucking camera. All this jibba jabba about not having pictures pisses me off because all my cameras are broken. We are accepting donations for replacements at Le Chateu De If.

For those of you who are sitting on pins and needles for the latest in Texan Drama, you can relax. Diana and I have hired an attorney to represent our interests in the case of what is apparently going to boil down between Preston vs The Army (and friends). This was probably the best thing for us to do because there is a finite amount of money involved in our case, and we need as much help as possible, though we have been advised that it could take more than a year to resolve the case.

I go under the knife in a week. I was disheartened by my doctor's sudden change from opto to pessimistic, but I met two gents this week who had similair surgeries and bounced back. (both were middle aged civvies, so how much bouncing, i wonder) which boosted my outlook a bit. Since I will likely not post until post-op, please refer your telephonicly transmitted concerns to meine Deutche sekraeterin.

I wonder what's going to happen to me? By the time I will recover, to whatever degree, I will have about 1 year left in my service contract. The carrot on a stick of life outside the Army grows more golden, and draws me like a moth to flame. Every time I talk to my buddy John in Az, he makes it sound doable. Of course, i have the Bavarian Canary on my other shoulder reminding me of all the worries seperating would cause. It might not be my choice. These are some possibilities, with afterthoughts in bold.

1) 100% recovery with deployment in the Fall. Not bloody likely.
2) X% of recovery, with a year spent on rear-d Another way to say this is: Career Suicide
3) MMRB (change jobs to support, not combat) Not a bad idea, very tricky to work well.
4) MMRB (medically discharged) Boy that would really piss me off.
5) Re-enlist for job/duty station crap shoot, options change monthly.

I have pretty much figured out that Diana and I are depressed. We have been through a whole shitload in the last year, from my arrest, to Diana's mother passing, to our house not selling, to 2 different moves in 16 months, to my accident. Its not fair to us, because I can honestly say its too much for one couple to endure in such a short time. This is not living, this is going through the motions, praying for clemency before the axe falls. More than that, its not us. We are fighters, and we live life to the fullest every day. We have a carving we hang over our door that is our mantra: "Live well, Love much, Laugh often" Life is crushing and suffocating us, and we deserve better.
I dont mean to whine, but I'm sayin'

Pictures Will Come Later

2007-05-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

I was riding my motorcycle in the left lane of a one way street, headed west on Old Ironsides Rd. Sure, I was going 5 over the 30 mph over limit. Dividing Old I and her eastbound sister, Hell On Wheels Rd, is a large stretch of parking lots, where soldiers park their cars for the duty day. As I neared 42nd St, I noticed a white truck poised to enter or cross Old I, leaving the lot, but stopped. He must have sen me, right? As I neared this intersection, maybe 15 meters away, he began to dash accross the road to continue northwards. (think of a 4 way, without signs, and one direction being right of way) I had enough time to pucker my happy hole and literally say aloud "Oh fuck......" before his right front fender struck me dead on in my left knee.
The rest is a bit blurry.
I know at one point, I was upside down, because I saw chunks of purple (my bike's color) flying down the road. I know I landed more or less on my ass, and rolled into a sitting pright position, with fire running up my left leg. I was clear and aware, and did a mental self check. My head was fine, my hands, chest and back felt fine. Just my legs. Oh shit, was I paralyzed? I couldnt feel anthing other than pain, they had to be broken? I heard voices, there were lots of people nearby. People were calling out to me, telling me to lie down, let them do their work. Ft Hood is full of medics, I was lucky enough that the first guy on scene was some captain who was trauma certified. They patched me up, and I rode the ambulance to the nearby hospital.
When I got to the hospital, I got a much better sense of what the damage was. They finally let me take my helmet off, but the shock was wearing off too. They medicated me with morphine. There was a bunch of road rash on my shin, and a HUGE laceration just below my kneecap, that was steadily oozing blood. They eventually stopped the bleeding 9 hours later. After many doctors came in, a younger one came in and started taking me through some range of motion excercises. Convinced nothing was broken and that MAYBE I had just dislocated my knee with no issues or complications, he had me lie flat on m back and bend my knee at a 90 degree angle. I swear the lower half of my leg seperated from the upper, at the knee. I began screaming in pain, and spraying arterial blood everywhere while the doctor tried to figure out what he had done to me. If nothing was hurt before, it DEFINITELY was now.
I was shipped to another hospital, a civilian one, in Temple, where they got more done in one hour then they did in 8 at an army hospital. I was taken to a private room, to await more doctors. I guess I was an interesting case, because so many specialists came and gazed in wonder at my Xrays, MRIs, and to ask me questions. I had exploratory surgery the next day, where they discovered all my injuries: ACL, PCL, LCL tears, Meniscus tear, tibial fracture just above the kneecap. The next two days until my discharge are a morphine induced blur.

So thats my accident. Let me take a few minutes to summarize the logistics side of this.
There are 3 insurance companies involved, my Auto (Progressive), his Auto (USAA), and my medical (TRICARE prime). The other driver's Auto has formally accepted full liability. Here is the issue. His policy is up to $40K, I went through that in my first HOUR. My Under Insured Motorist (UIM) covers up to $25K, this leaves TRICARE to pick up the tab for all my medical expenses, which are WELL into the hundreds of thousands, and after my surgery and rehab, should be closer to high 6 figures, maybe seven. TRICARE is going to recoup its costs from the other guys insurance, as is their right, but their policy will leave nothing for me. My Auto has sent me $2500 of PIP for lost wages and temporary medical expenses, but since TRICARE is refusing to pay for the ambulance ride to Temple I was forced to take, they already want $1000 from me, almost half my PIP!!!! So it sounds like at the end of the day, I will be left with a handshake and a "Glad you're not dead kiddo..." unless I take legal action, right? Well here's another kick, Active duty servicemembers cant sue each other. So I would have to go after his insurance company if I wanted to see any money, right?
This is all in addition to the problems this accident causes me professionally and personally. Diana will have to postpone settling her recently deceased mother's affairs until I can walk again, or at least take care of myself. (mid-july, maybe?) I probably will not be walking unassisted until around my birthday, so will I go to Iraq with my unit in the fall? Will the army try to chapter me out? Will i be on permanent profile, thus hindering my promotion and growth chances?

Lots of questions, few answers. I will post pictures when I can.

The Cask of Amontillado

2007-04-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

Trapped.

I am trapped.

Pinned down, and squirming as my life pulls off my legs.

As I conform and adjust to my new life in a new place, new things become clearer in new lights. Where I am has become a shining beacon of right and sense. My purpose now succinct and defined, appropriate. Fear and abatement make way for grit, and the air of heroes.

But still I suirm.
WHOWHATHOWHWY? This unmistakeable jib-jive we call prosperity at the hands of mating leaves me dry. Dry and dead suppos-ed.

No hope except pain.
No redemption save through sacrifice.
No happiness lest we cast aside our embryos.

At the cost of freedom a young man is hung by his entrails and left to be gutted by a society of jackal smiles and the carnivorous leperous. A mistake? Nay, endulgences, committed in a time of frailty.

WHATNOWWHENHEREAREYOUSURE? This place, this mark that the side of the other cheek's hand stands branded, burned and spurred.

A pale, sticky, wet glaze, over one wasted bone.

A carapace breaks to the trumpets of brave rifles. What I cannot pay for in pain and blood, I do so in suffering silence.

I look to the east for my Sun.

Vacation Photos

2007-03-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

During the "this is how you get into a lifeboat if we sink" drill

Embarkation and Fun Day at Sea

Docked in Nassau, Bahamas, and a very cool town about 45 minutes out of Columbus

Diana has a thing for fish. Paradise Isalnd Hotel, nightime

Same Hotel, Daytime

Final Post for Awhile

2007-03-16T07:10:00.000-07:00

I embark for my 5 day cruise to the Bahamas on Monday.

This will be my final post until the Texan Relocation Project has been completed. At least I think so. 22 days of leave might leave me a little bored, but this SHOULD be it. Today I final out, and I have had some time to reflect on the last year I have spent here in Ft Benning. This can best be described as a learning year. Most times I learn things the hard way, its just how I am built. It has been the best of times and the worst of times. I have made many mistakes, and learned many things, so I do not consider the year a total loss. The biggest mistakes I have made and the lessons I have learned:

- DUI on the 4th of July. This cost me my ultimate hook-up sham job, and ultimately earned me my ticket out of here. It shamed me professionally, and cost me personally. I learned that living life like there is no tomorrow will ultimately be a self fulfilling prophecy.

- Reckless spending. Playstation 3, home gym, gear, toys. These financial fubars are a constant threat. I am a man who likes toys. As an ADHD affected person, I have a vast range of interests, and they can be expensive. As of now, my hobbies are: computers, video games, home brewing, home recording, fitness, and now motorcycles. I have learned that a single income family cannot afford to be in as much debt as we are.

- Professional malaise. Ever since Iraq, i have been so lazy. I dont want to do anything other than what I have to do to get by. I have shunned opportunities to go to schools I severely need to. Granted, I have done college, but this has left me very far behind in the power curve for my job and rank. Its too late now, but I learned that I need to always be training.

Some happy times have occurred too. I miss Germany, and will go back in a heartbeat, but coming back to the states was very nice too. I got to be in a band again, and we played a show and recorded. I am very proud of the work we did there. Diana and I grew as a couple, and have become stronger than ever. We are trying to get our family started, and have raised 3 very stupid dogs. We have made a house a home, and lived a life that I could never dreamed of. She is an amazing woman, and incredible influence on my life for the better, my best friend, and I am very lucky to have her. I have grown professionally through the mentorship and friendship of some great NCOs. From the delicate art of the "cussing out" to the subtle skill of the triangle choke, I have learned so much, and am very greatful to them.

I know some of the pictures are reprints, but they are the best I have, and are worth reposting

Hello, Douchebag

2007-03-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

If you are curious, this is the real estate agent we fired. She falsely led us into a sense of confidence that we could sell our house for 5-10K more than it is worth. We had an open house a week ago sunday, wherein we had some friends play secret shopper. She spent 2 minutes vaguely describing our house, and another 20 trying to secure their business for whatever house they wanted, even if it wasn't ours. She basicly wasted 8 weeks of our lives, and cost us who knows how much money. We are looking into another group, and likely renting the house out. A bit of a hassle, yes, but I can be a mogul now.

My wisdom teeth are gone, I am fine. The tornadoes didnt hit us too bad. Um, we lose our furniture March 29/30....lets see, what else.....

Nah, cant think of anything. I start clearing tomorrow, go me!

Kosher Dill Pickles

2007-02-20T11:39:00.000-08:00

Sam Adams is hosting a home brew contest I was thinking of entering, but I will wait until next year, when I have had time to really get the craft down.

I rode dirtbikes for the first time in my life on Sunday. I cant belive i went 25 years without ever doing that. It was a lot of fun, I hope to own my own one day.

School is almost over for this term. Thats good. Im pretty sure I paid 0% attention all semester. The beauty of open book, non-proctored online tests, is that I dont have to study much, if at all. I DO have to write a paper comparing Aeneas to Beowulf. Pretty easy.

A week from Wednesday, I am due to get my wisdom teeth pulled. I was lucky enough to only have the bottom 2 show up, but one of them is impacted 90 degrees under my tooth. I am nervouse, but I will be glad to have the pressure relieved. I am told I will not be put under, but given an IV of drugs that will "make me forget it ever happened" and "awesome pain meds". I have never had surgery in my life, but this does not sound like it is going to be much fun.

Sorry to get your hopes up, but i think I will be using my vacation time to go on a trip with Diana. Stresses and the ho-hum life have made us roommates, so its time to get away for awhile. I'm sure you understand.

The FINAL COUNTDOWN!!!!!!

2007-02-13T08:10:00.000-08:00

March 19th. Thats when I sign out on leave. I will be on leave for 22 days. What ever shall I do with my time?

I am mainly taking leave to get away from work. It's stupid to the point of giving me headaches, so enough is enough. The big gripe is Family Readiness Group stuff. A while back i got pencil whipped into being the FRG Liaison (a volunteer position, not a "Hey you") I hate the FRG. But I am a good soldier and do what I am told. Our unit is very unique in that we are not a real unit, so an FRG is damn near impossible. Everyone expects me to know how to set one up, but doesnt want to help. Having a new commander coming who tries to run it like it IS a real unit doesnt help either.

But 33 days from now, the madness ends. I have been doing a pretty good job of getting in shape, but the next month involves a lot more running. I hate running. I may also be convinced to hop a Greyhound and come visit someone. BE WARNED: You will be competing with Der Frau for me. We are nervous about our house selling. 1.5 months and only one drop in. I know the market is slow, but what the fuck? Our agent says lower the price. Well shit, we're only profiting about a grand on this shit, probably less. She suggests "bribing" local agents with a $1000 gift card or some shit. WTF is that? How about you do your fucking job, you stale cunt.

Life's been good to me so far

2007-02-09T07:24:00.000-08:00

My life in photos:

I cheated, after 5 days, I cracked a bottle (or 4)

The Munich Dark Lager, is delicious!!

Full bodied, very hoppy, with a smooth finish.

As you can see, there isnt much head, but give it another week in the bottle, and it will have an almost guiness-y head. You will also notice my X-men comic, $180 from donating plasma, and Gonzo in the background.

The wifey rocks the scrubs. This is the hottest things since autoerotic electrocution. She JUST DON' KNOW!!!! Make it Ninja Turtles, and you wouldnt see her for a week, damn sure ;)Ah Mickey, bane of my existance. You have a fan club here at work, you know. Most people can't belive you once looked like a Rottweiler. I hate you.

My wife and kids.

BTW, they have released Guitar Hero 2 for Xbox 360. I will be buying one. Prob today. Sorry Diana.

Do they proofread this shit?

2007-02-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

Who hires these dumb fucks to deliver our news?

Retards.

Chopper Down: Now What?

2007-02-07T06:02:00.001-08:00

February 6, 2007 -- WITHIN two weeks, four choppers go down in Iraq. Shot
down. By ene mies who previously couldn't hit the Goodyear Blimp. Attack
helicopters and transport birds, military and contractor aircraft went down.
Crews KIA (in one case, executed). Did the bad guys just get lucky? No.
They have new weapons. And new training. And a new strategy.
First, the strategy: In Iraq, helicopters serve as our taxis, moving
personnel quickly and - until now - safely above the carnage on the ground.
Attack helicopters provide quick-response fire support to the grunts, giving
us a huge advantage. Limit our freedom to fly, and you not only reduce the
ability of Apache gun-ships to kill our enemies and save friendly lives, you
force us onto the roads. And the roads are where bombs and ambushes can
further restrict our movement. The insurgent/terrorist/militia strategy is
to lock us down, to slow our responses - ultimately, to paralyze us. Our
enemies not only seek to level the playing field, but to tilt it against us,
practically and psychologically.
Good strategy. Can they make it work? Not without help. Those birds appear
to have been knocked down by a combination of shoulder-fired, surface-to-air
missiles (SAMs) and gunfire. Gunfire's always been a threat, but aircraft
are surprisingly tough to hit unless you know what you're doing. Man-pack
SAMs require some basic training, but find their targets much more reliably.
Unless these shoot-downs were a weird blip, foreign powers are involved,
providing the missiles and training - probably outside of Iraq. Our intel
services either already know who's lurking behind our enemies' new
capabilities or will confirm it soon enough.
And who might those third parties be? Iran? You bet. Even though those
claiming responsibility for the shoot-downs register as Sunni Arabs, the
Iranians are perfectly willing to aid their long-term enemies to defeat us in
the short term, calculating that they can deal with the Sunnis later. If we
have proof that Iran is supplying the missiles, there's no substitute for
sending Tehran an exploding Valentine. But the targets chosen should be
training centers near the Iraqi border or facilities otherwise associated
with Tehran's subversion efforts: Make it hurt, but spare Iran's regular
military and infrastructure - for now.
Why? Because we need to continue to make every reasonable effort to show the
people of Iran that we don't regard them as our enemies, only the regime that
they themselves despise. Hit the guilty, not their victims. The same goes
for Syria, the next thug in the lineup. If proof emerges of its involvement,
the Damascus regime needs a dose of therapeutic punishment. And no,
get-their-attention airstrikes won't "lead the Syrians and Iranians to back
our enemies." They already do. They've been at it since 2003.
So much for the simple stuff.
Iran and Syria may supply surface-to-air missiles to our enemies, but they
don't build them. They buy them. From Russia, above all. Oh, SAMs and other
hi-tech weapons are on sale from France to China. But source No. 1 for rogue
regimes is Vladimir Putin's personal empire. For all of the Bush
administration's unpardonable errors in Iraq, the blame on this particular
count goes back to "Gutless Bill" Clinton. Russia needed tough love. The Clinton administration volunteered
unconditional love. Later on, with the worst damage already done, President
Bush "looked into" Putin's soul. Optical illusions aside, there wasn't a soul
to see. Now Moscow sells nuclear technology to Iran and blocks our efforts
to support freedom and protect human rights at the United Nations - all while
using its oil and gas as weapons to bully struggling democracies. Putin's
security-state kills journalists at home, assassinates critics abroad and
puts businessmen in jail for suggesting that all may not be perfect in the
realm of the grim new czar.
Oh, and Moscow's rooting for every enemy likely to embarrass the United
States - partly from frustrated ambition, partly from resentment over the
Soviet defeat in Afghanistan and our Cold War triumph and partly from sheer,
blockheaded, Russians-can't-help-themselves stupidity. And the Russians sell
arms to anybody.
Iraq isn't just about Iraqis. They're in it, we're in it - and the Iranians,
Syrians and Russians are in it. Saudis, Turks and a virtual United Nations of
terrorists are players, too.
What can we do? Come down hard - finally - on our enemies in Iraq. That's
Gen. Dave Petraeus' job, and he's fixing to do it (if Congress doesn't stab
him in the back).
And Iran and Syria need to be punished. That means military action from the
air. And no, it won't lead to an Iranian invasion force landing at the
Hamptons. Resolute force is the most-underestimated tool in our geopolitical
arsenal.
As for Russia, we simply need to return to sensible policies. That means no
more pretending that Moscow's an ally. Employ a carrot-and-stick policy,
cooperating when Russia behaves, refusing cooperation when it doesn't. We've
got to stop acting like prostitutes who pay abusive clients.
The saddest part of this mess is that our leaders made so much of it
themselves. From Bush I through Clinton (I?) to Bush II, our leaders
succumbed to the advice of foolish, arrogant men who rejected reality in
favor of ideological fantasies, left and right. Our entire political class
failed.
Back in Iraq, we'll change out tactics to frustrate our enemies and keep our
'copters flying. And our enemies will change their tactics again. It's the
endless back-and-forth of war.
But the foes of freedom beyond Iraq's borders raised the stakes significantly
by providing deadly new weapons and training to the insurgents and
terrorists. They're confident that they hold the winning cards. It's time we
taught them how to play for keeps.

2007-02-01T10:17:00.000-08:00

I know its been hard for you to go a week without my prevailing wisdom. I havent forgetten you, I actually work sometimes, you know. But I somehow some way, keep coming up with funky ass shit nearly every single day.

First up:

Thinking about switching my phone to this little number. It uses the Sprint network for voice calls, and the Nextel network for Walkie Talkie, and since I am still under the trial period, should be able to do it for free. I'd be missing out on a camera and Bluetooth (I dont use it anyway). But I would be able to PTT my Illini family everytime I get shitfaced. Its not getting rave reviews, and most folks are saying wait a year for the high speed one. We'll see.

Second:

I have been getting paid some change to let a plasma bank inject me with this shit again. (Anthrax)

$200 twice a week for ten weeks starts now. I could use the money, but DESPISE being prodded with needles just so my family can live comfortably.

Next: I have been working out like a machine. Im fucking tired all the time, but I am starting to see results, so yay for me. I started a new batch of beer, a Munich Dark Lager. Thats really going to be it for me until Texas.

Speaking of which, I found out my buddy got his orders revoked and he will be reporting to Hood the same time and place as me, which says one of two things to me. Either we are filling ranks for a returning unit, or we are last minute additions. I have probed and heard both are equally likely. I do hear that 3rd ACR is a good place to be, regardless.

Havent had ANY hits on our house. No one seems too interested in buying it, or our agent sucks, or its just a slow market. I dont know about the last one, because people are still making offers on houses in our neighborhood. By my house, bitches.

And I dont remember if I said it or not, but I am more than a little upset about what the pundits are saying about my Midway Monsters. 5 point underdogs? Are fucking serious? Sheesh.......

Does everyone forget Indy's stinky run D? Their undersized lineman will be paper for Benson to shred. If Jones stays up the middle, they are money. Make the shaky Colts D respect the run, work the PLay Actions to Berrian and Muhammad.

Seriously, the Bears get no love. Seattle and New Orleans were supposed to have beaten them, and they showed up to play great football both games. Manning will probably tear our secondary up a bit, but not enough to win. Im calling Bears W 27-17.

BUt if we had to lose to someone, better the Colts than the Pats or the Roid-Chargers.

Yes Sir, Fuck the Bird. Please

2007-01-23T07:07:00.000-08:00

Daniel,

My name is Adam Cook. I am the General Manager here at the Columbus Ga
location. I am following up on the concerns of yours the last time you visited our store. I would love to talk to you and get some more information on what happened. We will use this to better serve you and other guests in the future. Please give me a call because we want to treat you and every guest like gold.

Thank you for your time.

Adam Cook
General Manager
706-649-6419
540-818-1302 Cell

Fuck You Bird!

2007-01-22T11:05:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, my wife and I went to the new Red Robin in our town. I have been a loyal customer for years, and was very excited that they were coming to Columbus. It was very busy, which is expected for a saturday, but we were seated promptly (15 minutes) and our server, Miracle, was right there to get our drinks. That was the last of things to go right. Rather than bore you with details, I will simply cite my complaints.

- We ordered cups of soup with our burgers. Is it Red Robin policy to bring soup out WITH the burgers?
- My wife had taken literally 2 bites of her burger when our waitress dropped our check off. Thats pretty rude.
- Miracle then came back maybe 5 minutes later, and asked if we were ready to close out, or if we wanted cake. We were still holding our hamburgers!
- She proceeded to ask again 2 more times, until my wife and I had had enough, and left.

Look, I have had bad service. I dont mind, I have been a food worker, and it can be a very hard job at times. That was the worst service I have ever had. I will not be returning to Red Robin again, which is sad for me because i liked your food. Colleagues of mine have reported similair instances, when I let my frustrations known. I hope you do something to remedy the situation in that store.

Regretfully, and now, hungrily,
Daniel Preston

2007-01-22T06:09:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Hope everyone had a great weekend. Judging from my reader base, you must have. Lets get things started:

All week long I read and heard about how the Saints were destined to beat the Bears and win the Super Bowl. I calmly repeated every time "Just you watch, it will be an embarassment. Bears will crush, 42-17" My spread was on the money. Since everyone will watch Sportscenter all week, I'll just make a few points.

- What was Reggie Bush thinking about, taunting God's Linebacker for the last 20 yards of his 88 yard touchdown? He IS from San Diego, you know..... land of class. (Shawn Merriman's hometown) He is singlehandedly responsible for Marquis Coulston getting the stuffing beat out of him.

- I will be honest. A few of those fumbles were bullshit.

-Already the talking heads are picking Indy to win it all. I dont see it. Why is the country so anti-Bear? Do I think the Bears will win? I dont know yet. I'll get back to you. But sheesh, give them some credit.

In other news, this piece of shit wants to be

our president. I'll ignore all the obvious jokes

and get to the meat and potatoes of my issue

with this. I do not trust a woman to run the

world's most powerful military. Period.

Never mind about equal rights and all that shit.

As a man who has time and again see women

shrink under military pressure, I do not trust

a woman that way. Nor do I trust a man with the name Obama. I'm finicky that way. But it

led to an interesting talk. All things being equal, and issues were unimportant and you had to vote solely on this, would you vote for either a woman, or a black man? If its one thing I know, America loves to pigeonhole our stereotypes. But I think we will see a black president before we see a woman one.

Thats about it for now.

4 Blissful Days

2007-01-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Mine was pretty good.
Lets get the ball rolling!

First off, way to go Bears! While the country was questioning you, I stood by and held fast. And you won! In order to beat Cinderella, you MUST exploit their strong side safeties. (Frank Thomas and Something Cage) Philedelphia embarrassed those boys, and no amount of coaching can fix suck. Bernard Berrian on deep, 2 move routes. I predict an embarrassment. New Orleans' luck has run out. They spent it all on their shady officials Saturday. Could we be seeing a repeat of Super Bowl XX? No, its Manning's year, I think.

Secondly, the Red Ale was fan-tastic! Everything an ale is supposed to be. A remarkable ruby red with tones of amber, and a rich hoppy taste that finishes very smooth. I wish I had time for one more batch before I move, but I really don't. The gear is packed away, so I m on hold for a few months.

And the random-ness:
- I am done with the likes of Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh. They make for entertaining radio, most of the time. The rest of it, they are spouting the same partisan inflammatory shit the left does. Same goes for Hannity and Coulter (though I was done with you a long time ago) And Mr O'Reilly, you are dangerously close my friend. Its not that I disaggree with them, its just that nobody I know can be that angry for that long without it starting to appear like an act. Shock Talk.

-I think Diana needs to rethink her real estate plan.

-Thinking about changing my major to computer science. Might as well, right? But then I would be "that guy". The one whose only friends are ones who keep him around for help.

-The band has unofficially dissolved. There will be no more Life Less Tragic. We knew it was coming, but none of us are happy to see it. My moving, 3 others deploying and one in school. It was a good run, and the best band I have ever been in. Its been real guys!

- Sprint is a bunch of lying cocksuckers. The salesman told us we could talk with Nextel customers via walkie talkie with our Sprint phones. Bullshit. Maybe in the future, but that would reqiure new phones as Nextel is analog and Sprint is digital. Not the way I want to start a relationship with you.

On Bush

2007-01-11T07:22:00.000-08:00

This morning, President Bush is visiting our post. I had an opportunity to attend a luncheon with him and a few hundred other soldiers, but the hitch was: the wife had to come. The conversation went something like this:

Boss: SGT Preston, do you want to go meet the President?
Me: Yeah, that'd be cool.
B: You have to bring your wife.
M: (without thinking) Oh no no no. You dont want that. No. Definitely not.
B: Why? Your wife dont like Bush?
M: Um. She's German.
Office: (laughing) Never mind then.

You cost me a chance to shake hands with a President. Dick.

I saw his speech last night. I kind of liked it. I admit, I was losing faith in the war. The thing he said that perked me up was that "the patience of the American people is not indefinite". Damn right it isnt. I dont mind doing my duty, but come on, 3 years this has been going on now. But he admitted mistakes were made. Good for you, W. You have grown in the last 6 years.

The word on the street is that I will be among those 20K troops going to the big show, with 3rd ACR in an undisclosed time.

Its beer, but not just any beer

2007-01-10T05:25:00.000-08:00

Say hello to Young SGT Red Ale. Should be ready in about 10 days.

This was the Young SGT Winterfest. Only 5 bottles left, but holy ass was it good!

Buy This House

2007-01-09T08:16:00.003-08:00

http://www.realtor.com/FindHome/HomeListing.asp?snum=16&locallnk=yes&frm=byzip&mnbed=4&mnbath=2&mnprice=125000&mxprice=150000&js=off&pgnum=2&fid=so&stype=&mnsqft=&mls=xmls&areaid=31907&poe=realtor&zp=31907&sbint=&vtsort=&sorttype=&typ=1&typ=2&typ=4&x=56&y=8&sid=07DEF5F57568C&snumxlid=1074152435&lnksrc=00003

Buy my house, bitches.

Another Blog, Another Day

2007-01-09T07:21:00.000-08:00

This morning, when I was driving into work, I remembered a time when I was 19-20, and my whole life revolved around the underground rave culture. This girl, nicknamed Strawberry, used to throw these house parties where kids from all over the state would come over and just get completely smashed and have a good time. I guess.

I dont really remember it. I heard from a friend that she died the other day. She died from complications during childbirth. The only thing I wondered was whether or not she ever grew up. Whether or not any of them did. Was Dopey a contractor now? Was TV Mike a manager at McDonalds? Did Shasta ever go to tech school?

I was quickly jerked back to reality by some asshole in a Cavalier who had to cut me off to beat me to that red light. And I cared a lot less.

I am starting this blog to replace my old one on Livejournal. Partly because its easier for my mom and sister, and also to sever ties with old AZ. Friends ask me to come home and visit. I dont want to. You were petty and superficial and I was a druggie. We are both different people and have nothing in common any more.

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said:—Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Percy Bysshe Shelley