Lazy days of summer...

Time seems to be alternating between languid and rapid if that's possible. The days are drifting by with no regiment but the number of them is dwindling. I signed out of the Army going on two weeks ago and I still have 5 weeks before I go back to work. No concerts this month but September will be a busy one. Besides exercising and some practice, productivity has been non existent.

2010 Summer Concert Series

is shaping up to be a good one. Iron Maiden & Dream Theater in Dallas tomorrow. Tool in Georgetown on June 22nd. Rush at Red Rocks (Denver) on August 18th, Asia at the Paramount in Austin on August 22nd, Billy Idol in Dallas on August 24th, Rodrigo & Gabriela in Austin on September 3rd, Tommy Emmanuel in Austin September 16/17th, Rush in Houston September 25th.  July is rather bare at this point but hopefully something will come up worth seeing that month. I'm especially looking forward to Maiden, Dream Theather, Tool, & Rodrigo/Gabriela since these will be first time shows. It goes without saying that Rush, BIlly Idol & Tommy Emmnauel will be great. This will be our 7th/8th time seeing Rush, my 3rd time seeing Billy Idol, our 4/5th time for Tommy.  This will be the 2nd time we've seen Asia but this should be a longer set than last time when they opened for Yes in Fort Worth.  The Rush shows should be great since they'll be playing two new songs as well as Moving Pictures in its entirety. 

Book Review - The Name of the Wind

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - go ahead and get the flatulence jokes out of the way, you'll feel better. Now, a brief review of one of the most promising first novels to come out in the Fantasy realm in many years. This is the story of the hero Kvothe, through his own eyes.  The story begins with Kvothe, many years after his most famous exploits, under personal exile as a tavern owner. He is recognized by a traveling chronicler who convinces him to tell his story and the telling is where the bulk of this story lies. It's an interesting story device since the juxtaposition between "now" and "then" actually works on multiple levels, slowly revealing important points while adding to the suspense since although we know he must have survived the "then" story, we have no idea where the "now" story may finish.

Kvothe begins life as member of a traveling group of actors and minstrels.  He possesses a tremendous gift for learning all manner of things quickly and is well trained in a variety of disciplines by his parents and other members of his troupe. His troupes chance encounter with a former member of the Arcanum (a higher order within the University, the realms highest center of magical and scientific learning) exposes young Kvothe to a wealth of new knowledge, some of which is very dangerous. Partially learning the "name of the wind" is one of the most difficult and dangerous bits of knowledge he is exposed to by the Arcanist.  His idyllic childhood is abruptly interrupted by a tragic event which will shape the arc of his subsequent life. He eventually finds his way to the University and the story concludes with him still a student. Along the way are many trials and tribulations, friends, enemies, arcane knowledge, scientific discoveries, all told in a first person narration style that draws you completely into the story.

This is one those books that you read in a few sittings and decide to skip television and the internet for a few days until you finish it. Sadly, the second novel isn't due for release until March 2011 which means it will probably be 2015 or later before the series concludes. This is just a very satisfying read; Kvothe is a very appealing character who is equal parts brilliant, brave, funny, shy and ultimately is a very convincing, complex character that isn't the typical cutout hero. Fans of George R.R. Martin and Robert Jordan will eat this up and even J.K. Rowling fans who want something more adult will enjoy this as well. Highly recommended.

Polishing things up...

The site is almost back to where it was before the change to squarespace/godaddy although I need to re-upload some media that got lost in the shuffle. Then I can get back to actually using this thing on a regular basis. Comments about broken/missing links or anything else are welcome and encouraged.

Mostly transitioned

I have finished most of the hard lifting for the site transfer. I had to go back and manually change the date stamps on all the entries going back to 2006. I'm now messing with templates and fine tuning and will be getting back to actually blogging in the near future.

Site Transfer

I am moving to a new web hosting service, and the domain transfer/site update process is not exactly going smoothly. I have to copy/paste all my old entries and update the date stamps for each. This means that the site is completely skullduggerized in its chronology at this point. Hopefully I'll have it fixed within a few weeks given time.

Still Breathing

What can I say, it’s been a busy 8 months or so. The site definitely needs maintenance and updates to make it a valid blog. Lots to come if and when I have time. I’m on the cusp of retirement (what comes after the cusp by the way?) and will be busy at work and other assorted events in the near future. I have lots of updates on the home life and a metric crap ton of gear updates. On the gear front, I can only say that I am much closer to gearvana than ever before (if such a thing is possible) For those wanting a hint I can only say: Fractal Audio, Roland, JBL, Presonus, Charvel, Maton, Mesa.

Back in the USA

I’ve been back going on 36 hours now and I’m quickly transitioning into the stateside way of living again. The next few weeks will be comprised of required training and processing as well as an adequate amount of time off. I’m still trying to adjust my circadian rhythm back to central standard time and that will probably take another week or so.  Life is really good now with the feeling I won’t have to participate in any extended Army vacations again since I will be retiring in October of next year.  I’m just enjoying being home with Aeyoung and our dogs right now.

It’s just a blast here…

at sunny Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. I’m into my third week of conducting post deployment health assessments on returning soldiers and otherwise trying to get the time to pass as fast as possible (which it isn’t).  Just to keep things exciting we had a rocket attack two nights ago that killed two soldiers and injured six others. This was the most deadly attack in about two years at Bagram. The rockets landed about a quarter mile from where we sleep so they woke me up but it was basically over by the time I realized what was happening. Just the thing to keep us on our toes for the next few weeks. I’m due to leave around the first or so of July.

Drawing Down

It’s June and most likely the last calendar month for yours truly in good ‘ole A-Stan. I’ve got about another week here at beautiful FOB Blessing and then I’ll be headed to Bagram Airbase for a couple of days or weeks (depending) to take care of medical outprocessing. Mentally I’m already back at home playing my guitar at loud volumes.

Recent developments

Time is slowly chugging along here at FOB Blessing. Nothing of great import has transpired since last update with the exception of my removal from ADVON which means I will be coming home in late June or early July as opposed to late May. That change has its pros and cons with the main negative being more time away from home but almost everything else is positive. The ADVON providers have to setup the medical footprint and get everyone at home ready for the return of the brigade so it’s a lot of coordination that can be somewhat of a pain. The other positive is that it will be one or two more months of the extra combat pays so that will come in handy.

Of most significant import on the musical front is that yesterday we got tickets to see Yes with Asia (Steve Howe will be pulling double duty) July 15th at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. Of all the concerts and musicians I have been able to see over the years, there are still a couple of my all time favorites that I have never seen live and Steve Howe is at the top of the list.  I was able to catch Yes on the 90125 tour with Trevor Rabin (a fantastic show and I was very happy to see that lineup) but I have always felt I missed a great opportunity to see Steve Howe with the classic lineup, playing the more classic era song list. Unfortunately (depending on your viewpoint) Jon Anderson & Rick Wakeman have both had some medical issues that have kept them from performing so Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Alan White have enlisted the duties of Oliver Wakeman (Rick’s son) on keyboards and Benoit David (a Yes tribute band member) on vocals. According to reviews from a short tour last winter, David sounds like the Jon Anderson of the 70’s and does an incredible job on the old tunes. Another benefit of this lineup is that they can perform tunes from Drama which Jon Anderson always refused to do. So it’s possible this set list will be about the most varied and interesting they have performed in a long time. I’m fairly sure they will perform Close to the Edge in entirety and that’s worth the price of admission alone. I’m really looking forward to Machine Messiah or pretty much anything from Drama.

But if that wasn’t enough, they are being joined by Asia with the original lineup and they should be able to draw tunes from the first two albums as well as the most recent studio album “Phoenix” which was released a couple of years ago. Asia comes from a unique genre in that it’s the closest thing to Progressive Pop, definitely the most successful next to the 90125 Yes of that era. The nice thing is that the “Phoenix” is actually a great album in their catalog and it seems like the album they should have released after the first two. Asia had many forgettable lineups and albums in the intervening years between “Alpha” and “Phoenix” but this tour is shaping up to very promising.

In fact, Germany it isn’t…

After much discussion, Aeyoung and I have decided that parting ways with the Army (at least the active duty portion) is the best decision for us.  I was really on the fence but when I pressed her to state her real preference she was strongly for retirement.  Now that we made the decision I realize it’s the best move.  I have asked my branch to send me to San Antonio where we plan to spend my last year in the Army settling into a new house and looking for my first new job in 23 years.

19 years

Aeyoung and I have been married 19 years today. It has gone by so fast. It really seems only yesterday that we drove around Seoul, Korea to get all the required paperwork signed & stamped to make our union official. Another not uncommon aspect of this anniversary is that we are celebrating it apart from each other. Thanks to good ‘ole Uncle Sam, I am currently on an extended vacation to another part of the world. We’ll celebrate appropriately when I do get home and hopefully this will be the last anniversary that we spend apart.

Germany it is

Shortly after receiving the last sentinel event email, I received another one of those “check the calendar and make sure it’s not April 1st” emails.  My branch followed up the Germany offer with a note that the OH position at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii was also going to be vacant at the end of the year. Aeyoung was even more excited at the prospect of Hawaii so we seriously considered that job for about twenty four hours before deciding on Germany. Hawaii would be great at least for awhile, but the cost of living is prohibitive and we both felt that the novelty would wear off after awhile and we might feel stuck there.  Having been to Europe and always wanting to go back to travel, I was confident that we would both love our time over there.  There are dozens if not hundreds of places in Europe that immediately spring to mind when I think of travel.  Not to mention that I love the European vibe : history, culture, food, architecture, women, wine, song, lions, tigers, ligers, etc.

Belated Ides of March Updates

Well, Folks. It’s mid March here in sunny Afghanistan and we are counting down the days, oh yes we are. Most of the crew here has taken their R&R leave and we are on the downhill slope to deployment’s end. I don’t know exactly how much time I have left but it’s a range of between 45-75 days. I should be heading back to Texas in May so the end is in sight at least. I got one of those sentinel event emails last night from my career manager in which she offered me a job that was often considered just a rumor. Since graduating from the OU School of Public Health I have had my eyes on a position with USACHPPM which is the Army’s Preventive Medicine agency. There are very few active duty slots in the entire organization, and even fewer slots for PA’s. Especially if you didn’t learn the secret handshake (and/or have incriminating evidence against the career manager by which to blackmail). I have been offered the CHPPM PA job in Europe which technically isn’t a real job as they have never created an official position although people have been assigned to those duties for several years. This is as close to my dream assignment as I can get in the Army (until they create an official position that entails testing of vintage guitars, beer tasting, and application of lubricants and other skin products to visiting cheerleader squads). Taking this job will give me a chance to get back into occupational medicine with a focus on research, prevention, health promotion and education. Not to mention that it’s in a very nice part of Germany which will allow Aeyoung and I to travel all over Europe and the Mediterranean for three years.  I’m still anxiously awaiting the new bonus program announcements which are due in the next month or two, but I’m probably going to take this job regardless as it’s worth the investment in extra years from both a personal and professional standpoint. I sign off with thoughts of Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain, England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Russia, etc. dancing in my head…

Updates

Not a lot new to report. We’re getting to the end of February, and it’s been a mostly cold and wet month. I’m on the cusp of “double-digit-midgetdom” which is a state of having less than 100 days left in country. This comes from the tradition that started when I was in Korea in which people refer to themselves as short as they get near their departure date, hence midget. Not to disparage the short of stature, mind. We have now entered into a period of watchful waiting as it will be March or April before I find out about how big of a hit the personnel programs will take under President Obama’s budget. This will have a significant bearing on whether I retire in October 2010 when eligible or if I sign up for the new bonuses that are rumored.

Back at Blessing

I was gone for nearly a month, and a few things have changed while I was away. For starters, they apparently have decided to follow the American infrastructure model by paving the entire FOB.  I exaggerate slightly, but they have laid down about half a basketball court worth of new concrete.  In addition, they opened up a new MWR facility where the mess hall used to be and it’s pretty nice. They have a projector showing movies, several phones and internet connections. The movie area has some plush couches and you can play your own movies on a first come first served basis. This won’t replace movie night at the aid station (got HD?) but it’s nice the soldiers have this outlet now. 

On other matters, I was quite relieved and surprised when I checked my weight this morning after over 3 weeks of complete disregard to my diet and exercise regimen.  I actually am the same weight I was when I left which in some books would count as not making progress, but as bloated as I felt coming back off leave I was pretty happy. I still have a ways to go to reach my end deployment goal, but now that I’m back on Blessing I can get back on track.



Nearly back to A-stan

I’m sitting in Kuwait, waiting for my flight to Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan in a few hours. It’s been a couple of days of false starts here and hopefully we won’t go through another night of “come back in 3 hours” repeated ad nauseum.  R&R was great, but it went by faster than any leave I can remember. The good news is that I have less time ahead than behind in this deployment.

A brief respite

I type this post from the MWR center in Kuwait. It's Saturday, the third of January 2009 and I'm waiting to fly home on midtour leave shortly. I don't know my flight schedule as of yet, but I have to check in tomorrow morning at which time I will get my itinerary. I don't know if that means I'm leaving tomorrow or not. Probably within a few days at the worst.

I spent a night in Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan before flying here and although it's no surprise, these people at the bigger bases have an exponentially higher standard of living than the guys out at the tip of the spear. It's the nature of the beast that the farther you are from the supply hubs, the less comforts you will have but it should be the opposite.  It's nice to eat in a fully stocked mess hall and have access to the PX, Burger King, etc. but it also makes you kind of mad to see what these people have when they have never even heard a shot fired in anger much less been injured themselves or seen one of their friends die in front of their eyes.

I plan to spend a restful two weeks with my wife and our dogs and don't plan on doing anything involving a lot of driving or work…

December milestones and musings…

Hey there sports fans.  For the irretrievably bored (at work, most likely) I'll tick off a few more dates of significance.  December 3rd marked my 21st year in the Army, and December 11th marked the 5th month here in Afghanistan.  Here around the FOB we're trying to get into the Christmas spirit, myself mostly with Aeyoung's help. She has sent alot of Christmas themed decorations and the like and she also sent a couple boxes full of little presents to give to the local kids. I had one of the medics divide the gifts up into boxes for girls and boys and we've been handing them out. These kids love to get anything so they have been universally appreciative.  Here's a snap of a few kids that were in yesterday: