Now if you are about to read this I suggest you sit down first...OK here it goes...I have my clearance! I know I was as shocked as you are right now. Except for those of you who already know which is pretty much all of you who read this. I found this out yesterday. I really didn't expect to get my clearance while I was in the navy. I am shocked and glad that it is finally over. I will never again have to deal with DON-CAF. They are the ones behind the madness. Knock on wood of course. I'm still not pro-navy. What I had to go through to get my clearance is unacceptable in my eyes. So now I will go going back to my shop, even though I don't necessarily like the work, I like the people I work with a lot. So I guess there's that. Till next time...

Let me just start off by saying that my back is killing me right now. I don't know what I did to it today at work, but ouch. If it is still killing me tomorrow when I wake up then I might go to medical and get it checked out. Ok that's out of the way.

Not a lot is going on with me. I work in yet a different place now. I will only be there for less than a month. What a waste. I am getting my last two wisdom teeth removed on Friday. I am cool with that cause I am supposed to have duty that weekend, so now I don't have to go. I think that is pretty sweet. Also I am paintballing a lot lately. It is really fun, but I have a crappy gun. Really it's all I can afford. I'll get a new one when I get to Japan. That is of course if we don't get screwed with per diem a.k.a. extra money when your on "det". If you are confused by any of these terms, just find some former or current military friend and ask them. Anywho, that's about all that's happening here.

Now on to some more important stuff. I'm taking a cue from my good pal Ryan and gonna post some stuff that's going on inside my head. That's really what journal's are for anyhow. So here it goes.

The navy....

I honestly see not a chance in hell that I'll re-enlist. I'm tired of feeling screwed day in and day out. I missed making third class for the third time and why you ask. I could of studied a whole lot more or studied at all true. But I have worked more out of my rate (job) than in it. Let me put it into your language. Let's say you go to college to be a zookeeper, or major in zoology. So when you get out you want to work in a zoo or something like to to work with animals right? Well lets say you get lucky and get a job at OKC Zoo, but instead of using all this knowledge you just got going to college and studying your butt off to get there, they send you to the administrative part of the zoo. So now you're a bookkeeper with a zooology degree. Now I didn't get that much school, but you get the point right? The navy spent all this money on me to learn how to be an Avionics Tech, and instead I've been a delivery boy and a logs and records keeper. Now how much sense does that make? I think none, but what do I know.

Another beef I have is with this whole security clearance fiasco. It took them 2 years to figure out that I couldn't work in my rate until all was finished. I must not be that much of a security risk if it took them two years to figure it out. Security clearances must not be that much of a big deal if it takes them that long to do all clearances. I don't see the big problem here. I indulged a little in high school. Sadly, most people now a days have. I mean for christ's sake people in the navy used to smoke pot during work. They would do all kinds of crap, but oh no, now you smoke a little pot and it's like you got caught conspiring with commies. Now I know I'm exaggerating a bit, but that's what it feels like. I have lost all motivation when it comes to the navy. I used to be all gung-ho navy. But now I hate it. I know the smartest thing to do is stick it out and retire after 20 years, but there is no way after these first 2 and a half years. Well I'm done with this subject moving forward.

Woman.....

Now I don't know if you all know this but in my 21 years of living, I've had one real girlfriend. Even then I'm sure I was just a rebound guy. I am not good with the women. My friends know this, I know this. I'm great with the friendship part. I can make friends like it's nobody's business. But the whole romance thing...I have not a freaking clue. Plus all I've really seen is bad, horrible relationships minus my dad and sister. I see the worst of everything. My parents divorce, my mom's second divorce, the multitude of my friends screwed up relationships. I'm afraid to get like that. I can't stand fighting over nothing, so I don't. That's probably why my first one failed. I had no backbone or initiative. That and I was the worst at finding stuff to do i.e. dates. I would love to fall in love with a great woman and have kids and all that. I'd love to be a dad, but I have to figure out the first part. Now I might be overeating. Most guys would say, "geez you're only 21. Go have fun screwing around, blah blah blah" But I'm not that kind of guy. I don't really know what kind of guy I am, cuz I have nothing to base that off of. Again this is just some crazy crap that goes on inside my head some of the time.

That's about it for now. These things are pretty constant in my head. Just keep me in your prayers. I'm good, I'm not depressed or anything, just dissatisfied with my current situation is all. Also keep my best friend Robby in your prayers also. Most of you know him, but if you don't just know that he is yet another going over to Iraq. He leaves tomorrow(Thursday). He's an engineer so he's not on the front lines or anything, but still. Sorry if I went a little to deep this post. It happens from time to time. Just know that you will get to see me soon, and also some awesome pictures from Japan in the near future. Goodbye for now.

Ok, here is my seven things.

Seven Things I want to do before I die...
Also visit Italy
Work at a job that I love
have a family
learn Italian
spend a week in vegas, as in stay in a room on the strip
sky dive
own some land in Oklahoma

Seven things I can't do
bowl
sew
have the patience to learn how to play a musical instrament
at times control my temper
talk on the phone for a long long time about nothing
be mean and rude to people i don't know
run

Seven things I say most often
sadly curse words. i blame the navy
can i go home
when are we getting off
i can't, i got duty
how's it going sir
that's what i'm talking about
i'm tired

Seven books or authors I love to read
victor gischler
mafia books
hunter s. thompson
calvin and hobbes
foxtrot
thomas harris
i think that's it, i don't read that much

Seven movies I watch over and over
Dazed and Confused
Garden State
The Girl Next Door
The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy. none are movies, but i watch them a lot
Goodfellas
Back to the Future
Star Wars (all of them)

NEW Seven Things I love to do
Paintball
Play poker
hiking
play football
listen to music
drive
walk around vegas

some of those were hard, but there u go.

Check out my background at work. It's a collage o' baby!

Also I officially have a ticket to come home, thank you daddy, and I'll be there from December 24 - December 31. I can't wait!!

Guess who's at work right now...me. Yes I do so little, that I have time to tell you all what is going down this month on The Island.....

First things first. I am not going to Nellis(Vegas). I was on the list, but someone from above denied me. I am really disappointed, but I guess it is all for the best finacially. Speaking of which I am flat broke right now. Bills aren't a problem, its just that I buy too much food instead of eating at the galley. I would like to eat at the galley more often, but the food there just isn't that great. But now I have to eat there, so I am suckin it up. Also Japan is a go. I am excited to go there. Finally over 2 years in the navy and I get to go somewhere. I will be there for like 3 months or so. I leave pretty much right after I get back from Christmas leave. I am really looking foward to coming home. I haven't been home since last Christmas. I can't wait to meet Theo for the first time. It is going to be a nice leave before Japan. Although Japan is going to be really fun also.

Well that is the happenings with work. I have started paintballing. I even bought a paintball gun. I haven't used it yet because I had duty last weekend and I am poor. I'm going to try and save me some money while in Japan. Hopfully I can get a good chunk of money and pay off a lot of my car. It would be nice not to have a 225 dollar car payment every month. Well that's about all from me. Can't wait to see everyone.

I'm 21!!! Well in the wee hours of my birthday I went to not one, not two, but three bars, before i could find one who didn't know washington state law. apparently in washington you aren't leagly 21 until your birthday of the next business day. so oct 13 at 6 am. so me and my buddy chris played, "who knows the law?" we got to the third bar and they didn't know. so i bought me a crown and coke and we left. happy birthday to me. finally i have no age limitations. it feels great.

Well yet another week here on the island is coming to an end. Not a lot has happened as usual. But I guess I'll fill you all in on what I've been up to.

Work is just work. I still haven't gone anywhere, but that might soon change. Word is that we might be going to Japan for 3 months or so. Pretty sweet huh? And if we go to Japan, that means that before we will have to go to Nellis, AFB. Which if you didn't know is in the great city of Las Vegas, NV!! I already told my Senior Chief that he better take me or I'll cry. haha. I'll also be 21 by then. Only 3 more weeks!! I can't wait. The final age. After this I have no restrictions. I never thought this day would come, but alas. Anywho on to another subject.

So how about this whole Katrina thing? I say the people who had the ability to leave and didn't got what was coming to them. If they seriously thought they could ride out a CAT 5/4 hurricane in a city that is below sea level, they are dumb dumb dumb! Now for the people who couldn't leave, I feel sorry for. As for the white getting food black looting fiasco.....well that's the press's fault not Bush's or Washington's, or whoever else they want to blame. The press is the lowest form of life on earth, and people should know that by now. Ok, I'm done ranting now.

On to some happier news, I'm playing on my squadron's flag football team. Playing football is something I wish I'd done in high school. So I'm glad I'm doing it now. I'm a tackle, as in I rush the QB. Who would of thought? I even bought cleats. Right now we are 1-1, and we have a game Monday. This is one of the things I really look foward to during the week.

Well that's about it for me. Till next time....

D.C. What a time I had. I saw lots of things that I thought I would never see. One of them being the inside of the White House!! We'll get to that later.

First of all let me just say that American West's pilot's are a bunch of sissys. The "thunderstorm" in Vegas scared our pilot so we went from holding pattern, to landing at another airport to refule, then back to Vegas to sit and wait for a gate to open up. Long story short I missed my flight and took the same one the next night. I killed a day in Vegas no biggy. Walked up and down the strip.

Got to Maryland, and I really don't feel like typing what I did. I'll just post some pictures and they will tell the story.

The Capital. This was the first day in D.C.

Arlington National Cemetary. It was very hot this day.

Here is a marine that "guards" the Tomb of the Unknowns. I bet he's hotter than me.

The White House. I didn't go inside yet.

This is the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy's office. These are his challenge coins. He has a bunch.

Me sitting in the Chief of Naval Personel's desk. He is a Vice Admiral by the way.

Look at me, I'm in the press room at the White House.

Me outside the entrance to the West Wing.

There are more. Email me if you want a picture CD with all of them. It was a fun fun time. I also made a lot of contacts in D.C. Hopfully I can get stationed closer to home. Anyways that's all for now.

So this is my first "blog". I used to be on livejournal.com, but I descided to change. Here I will mostly post pictures of stuff I do while stuck in the navy. Let me just say this about the navy: I honestly don't like it. I am sure I would of loved old navy, but the navy is changing towards the worse. I won't go into detail because most of it is just confusing. So let's just end that subject right here.

I haven't really traveled yet. I went to bootcamp in Great Lakes, IL, 'A' School in Pensacola, FL, and now I'm in Whidbey Island, WA. Bootcamp was uneventful. Pensacola was long and I went through hurrican Ivan. That was an experience. Now I can say that I've been through a hurricane. Now I'm in Washington. I've been to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I have been twice. Just went up to "party" with buddies of mine. Fun, but expensive. I've also been to Boise, Idaho. One of my best "navy" friends lives there. I'll probably go there for Thanksgiving since Oklahoma is so far away and airline tickets are so expensive. His family is really nice. Other than that I haven't gone anywhere with my squadron. I might go to San Diego here in month or so. But again, they might leave me back. Good news is that our deployment is probably pushed back to winter. So that means I won't be in the Gulf during the summer. Thank god for that. It gets to around 120 degrees or so up on that flight deck in the Gulf. So really it's been quiet here on the island. I'll post some pictures of the different views of Washington.

Here is my beautiful car. I love it so much.

Here is my awesome computer. I love it also.

This is a cave that me, Mikey, and Roland found near Deception's Pass. Pretty cool huh?

Here is Deception's Pass bridge from afar. This is what connects Whidbey Island to the "mainland".

Cool picture of the water and trees and rocks.

From atop Mount Erie.

Well I have way more pictures, but they are just different variations of these. I'll post more as I do more stuff. I'm going camping this weekend at Jim Creek with my squadron. It should be fun. Well much love.