I'm in a new section today and it's pretty interesting. My partner is someone I've never worked with, but so far things are working out pretty well. She's been in the Navy a bit longer than I have so she calls the shots and I just sort of sit back and let her do all the talking. She doesn't like the section very much and wants to switch out to a different one, but somehow I think she's a bit to valuable for our section leaders to let go.

Some friends and I at the Cherry Blossom Festival.
I'm the big square jaw in the background.
The quality of this pic isn't the greatest, but you can see it's actual size HERE.

My grades came back and I passed my English midterm!!!
The actual grade doesn't matter so much as the fact that I passed. I was somewhat sure I would, but you never know. The reason I was worried is that it composed 40 percent of my grade for this class and only consisted of one question. To further my anxiety, the question they asked related only vaguely to what we've studied in the class so I had to guess at what they were looking for in an answer.

In an unrelated topic, have any of you read The Great Gatsby? If so, do you think that he did or did not personify rugged individualism, or that he tried at it and failed?

Had an interesting day yesterday, one of the bases I work at held an Easter Egg hunt for residents of the town it's located in. The day was pretty nice, so a lot of people turned out for it, we'll have another one today that is strictly for the families living on base. I have to say I am a bit puzzled as to why they didn't host them together as it would have been a great opportunity for some intercultural relations. In the end, I suppose it came down to a limited space available for the event or something else along those lines.

It was a long day for me. About halfway through it, something tragic happened. It occurred in a town a bit north of my home town and all I could think of was that I knew a person who worked there and probably knew a lot more who were going to be affected by it.
I live in Japan and so am not as plugged into the community as I once was, never the less my heart and prayers go out to the whole area as this will undoubtedly have a powerful affect on everyone on Northern Minnesota. If you pray, please remember these people.

-Ace

Well, I've officially posted my truck for sale.
Things are looking pretty promising too, already a couple of people who know me have noticed the signs on the car and asked about it.
I'm only asking 1200 for it, but that's because it's registration is running out toward the middle of this year and it costs around 300 bucks to renew.

Lots of homework lately and haven't really been able to do too much online. I have a major exam behind me now, and all I have left is a month or so of my online classes and I'm freeeeeeee! Until I register for more classes that is.

At any rate life is good.
Ace

I'm working at a base tonight that is supposedly haunted. I say supposedly because I don't think it is, but everyone else swears they know someone who's seen a ghost. I've got to admit that a lot of odd things happen here and more than a few people have reported seeing headless bodies in thier rear-view mirrors. Still, I can't help but feel skeptical.

To make a short story long, I was double dog dared to go out to this back gate and walk through the haunted wooded area (about 3/4 of a mile) in the dark on my own. They wanted me to sing the words "Here Ghostie Ghostie Ghostie, All you Ghosties can suck my !@#!!" as well, but to be honest I would have felt more than a littl e foolish doing that.

So, I guess if I never post again you'll know that there really are Ghosts in Japan, and that I'm probably dead, but I'm sure that it'll all work out for the best.

  If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or clanging cymbal.
  If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all the mysteries and all the knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love I am nothing.
  And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love it profits me nothing.

    -Paul


  Paul is talking here about so much more than physical love. He's talking about adding the compassionate, unconditional forgiveness type of love as a motivating factor to actions in our daily lives.

  I know it all sounds altruistic and boyscoutish, and I'm not saying I've done a whole lot of this myself, what I am saying is that maybe I should be.

I was working tonight when YN1 (my departments yeoman) came through the gate and I bent her ear for a second. As it turns out, when I'm scheduled to leave Japan for good and when they want to fly me out are two different dates. Rather than scheduling me to fly out later than my rotation date, which is what they want me to do, I asked her if there was any reason I couldn't fly out earlier.
To make a short story long, she asked me to pick a date and said she'd make it happen! I know I shouldn't count on anything until I have the travel papers in my hot little hands but still I can't help but smile.

Yet again, the Man With The Plan's got my back.

OMG! A Scanner Darkly the movie!!!

If you've never read this book you don't know what you're missing.
It was writen by one of the greatest sci-fi authors to have ever lived, Philip K. Dick. In addition to this adaptation, a number of other films are based on novels he wrote, among these are Blade Runner, Minority Report, Total Recall, Paycheck.

Those movies are good, in and of themselves, but if this adaptation of A Scanner Darkly does the actual novel any justice then it will hands down be the best out of all of them.

Speaking of which, Robert do you still have my copy?

Just when you think you've seen everything, Shower Shock Caffeinated Shower Soap appears on the horizon to brighten your morning.

Also, remember 20 questions? Here's a version that is smarter than you might think, and much like one of Robert's bots, it learns each time you beat it. Maybe you'll fool it, but probably you won't.
(i did)

I had lunch yesterday at a CoCoIchi's, which is a curry place. They sell the stuff in levels from 1 being hmmm I know it's in there somewhere, to 10 being DEAR GOD I'VE FOUND IT!
I say this because everybody gets the lower levels, and if you're an extremely adventurous soul then maybe you order the 6, but yesterday I was feeling downright foolhardy so I sat down and ordered the 9.
"Honto!" (really!)
"Hai, Honto." (yes, really.)
"Wakata Kyu?" (not nine?)
Here she held up nine fingers and arched an eyebrow.
"Hai, Kyu." (yes, nine.)
"Verrrrry Dangerous." (you're gonna burn the crap out of yourself.)
"Hai, Daijoubu." (it's my mouth i can do what i want to it)
"Number nine is verrrrrrrry spicy, verrrrry hot."
"Daijoubu." (it's ok)

She then took my friends order and left for the kitchen. I'll be honest, the strength of her warnings kinda scared me a bit and I half expected her to return to the table with a waiver of liability, but instead she brought the curry and was very careful not to mix up mine with my friends. (He had ordered a 3)

This Guy finally started a blog, but hasn't posted much. I've been pretty busy trying to catch up on my homework and was almost there until I found the last copy of Star Wars KOTRII. Now it's a battle just to type up my paper without turning on the Xbox. O well, it'll still be there in the morning, I've got to finish this paper.

Ace

My partner and I busted a DUI last night. It was her birthday, and since she was on her way to a restaurant to meet some friends.
The penalties for DUI over here are pretty stiff, and while money won't be involved, she does lose her license for two years, and maybe her job too depending on how the command she works for feels about it.

She was very polite the whole time and kept apologizing for having tried to drink and drive. I wish they were all that easy.



This is not my partner, but he is an old friend from back in the day.
His wife's web log can be found here.

It's been a long week.
Bought an Ansel Adams print the other day.
It's called Pacific Vista, and is part of a photo essay he did in California back in the mid 60's.

Other than that, not a lot is going on. I'm studying for an advancement exam, two midterm exams, and my road supervisor's qualification. Man I hate homework. I should be out snowboarding this Sunday, but have to stay back to finish an essay on Faulkner' "Light in August".

Life revolves, this too shall pass.
Soon enough I'll be done with these classes and on my way back to the states!

It's that time of year again... No I don't mean the opening of tax season, although I did file today, it was my B-day and here are a few E-cards that mum and pop sent my way.

Turned 30 take 1
Turned 30 take 2
Turned 30 take 3
Turned 30 take 4

I'm not normally one to do something like this to a nun, but I swear this one was asking for it...

No excuses here, I just felt like clowning... (He was probably asking for it too...)

It's been a long two days.
For some reason, odd accidents have been happening lately. A woman dropped her baby on it's head tonight and it took the ambulance almost an hour to respond. Apparently there was some sort of mixup between hospitals about who should be sending the ambulance. There were a couple of other odd things that occured, but I shouldn't really talk about them yet, so I won't.

If only my skills at photoshop
could match his flair for the dramatic.