Even though I didn't drive my new car because I still have to insure it first, I had an amazing day.
Another good sermon, this time talking about how we should live, knowing that the Lord could return anytime, and the first thing Paul mentions is Patience. The pastor first showed us with scripture how important patience is to God, and how it's something that we need God's help with, since it isn't natural for humans (I can attest to that!). The sermon really opened my eyes to the issue in my own life. It's a good thing that the Lord is patient with us.
Right after chruch, I had to fly to meet Natalie at the U for a morning of canoeing, because I was way too optimistic on how early I could meet. It was a wonderful day for canoeing. There were no clouds, and the water was calm, with only a very slight, refreshing breeze. There are a bunch of wetlands all around Lake Washington near the UW. We saw many ducks of various kinds, a few turtles on logs and swimming in the water, and a great blue heron fishing for breakfast. I adore canoeing, and especially loved that Natalie was doing the steering so I could just paddle and not think about anything but our conversations.
After we made it out of the water without getting wet, we headed up to the Ave for lunch and settled on a nice, sit-down Mexican restaurant called Don Eduardo. Mmm. It was my second time there.
Apparently, school started on the 24th, so she had to get back for some study time. That's one thing about being graduated that I don't miss so much. I say that a week before my class starts! Eeek! So the Seattle Public Library had a sale this weekend at Magnuson Park on Lake Washington (an old NAS from 1924 to 1970) in an old aircraft hanger. I found a history of flight (appropriately), a biography of Churchill and a different book of his later war speeches, a couple more histories and biographies, the first Hornblower book, several children's books, and only paid $7, because it was the last two hours of the weekend sale, and everything was half-price (and it wasn't overly crowded either)!
I then headed over to Becky's place for a couple games and a wonderful movie. It was 'Ladies in Lavender', a 2004 British film set in 1938, Cornwall, England. It was just gorgeous! It made me wish (again) that I lived then. The plot was odd, but interesting. I didn't mind at all! The acting was phenomenal - the lady that plays James Bond's boss played the main role, and I didn't realize it was her until we watched the interviews after the movie. Holy cow! They were all great.
And then we went to a late, fabulous dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory and parted ways so we could get to work in a timely fashion the next day.
I haven't packed this much into one day in a while!
Sundays are just great! Especially cool, sunny ones.
Jp
Monday, September 29, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Big, BIG, News
Old Red, and my new one, Big Blue!I bought the car!!! Oh, it was a really good deal! And I did a lot of driving it back and forth between my mechanic in Kirkland and the dealership in Seattle, but it was a good thing I did! The mechanic pointed out a few important things that needed fixing, and also suggested bringing in a cashier's check for under what I wanted to pay, and the dealer included all those things fixed, plus the taxes and tabs and licence, all for less than the asking price! So, I ended up with a beautiful, blue 2003 Subaru Forester with around 80k miles on it. Whoo-Hoooo! This is a way better deal than I would have gotten on the green one last week. The Lord is generous.
I just got back from this week's band rally at the U. It was wonderful fun. We play sets for three of the dorms, and we stop and play 8 or 9 times in the Greek system, and then come back to the main square on campus (called Red Square, because it's paved with brick) and play a set for whoever followed us there. We had quite a big crowd tonight because all the students are moved in for the start of classes this week. It's an hour and a half of playing, so the chops are tired by the end, but it's a blast of a time.
Pictures coming tomorrow... [they've come... 9/29/08]
Off to bed.
Jp
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
just notes
Today I went to Jazzercise again - it's been kinda hard to get up on Mondays - and Mary was teaching, replacing Sarah for a day. The leg and ab routines were killers.
I took the doggie on a walk tonight - something I haven't done in a long time. When I got back, Mom trimmed my hair for me - it was getting a little out of control.
Pardon my boring notes... I love recording everything. It's like writing a journal, only creatively. This is the only journal that I've been faithful in writing in for more than three days. Hence, my skepticism in my very first post. LOL
Jp
I took the doggie on a walk tonight - something I haven't done in a long time. When I got back, Mom trimmed my hair for me - it was getting a little out of control.
Pardon my boring notes... I love recording everything. It's like writing a journal, only creatively. This is the only journal that I've been faithful in writing in for more than three days. Hence, my skepticism in my very first post. LOL
Jp
Deja Vu
... well, hopefully not completely.
There's another Subaru Forester available at a different dealer, and again, I have an appointment to pick it up Friday after work to take it to the mechanic. Hopefully it won't be sold between now and then. :) I think I will like this one better anyway. I was a little ify on the tan interior of the green car. This one is a rich, royal blue with black interior (and has less miles on it). We'll see... it's in the Lord's hands.
Last night, Mom and I watched an old two-part biography called "This Reporter" on Edward R. Murrow, as told by lots of people who knew him, most notably by his television partner, Fred Friendly and his wife, Janet. There were lots of nice interviews and lots of footage and sound bites of the man himself as he covered the Anschluss in Austria, the London Blitz, bombing missions to Berlin, Buchenwald, and stories across America. It covered his entire career and highlighted his character with excellent reporting, just as he was famous for.
I'm proud that he grew up in Washington! Even if he did go to Washington State University. LOL! Can't wait to find time to watch the other discs.
Jp
There's another Subaru Forester available at a different dealer, and again, I have an appointment to pick it up Friday after work to take it to the mechanic. Hopefully it won't be sold between now and then. :) I think I will like this one better anyway. I was a little ify on the tan interior of the green car. This one is a rich, royal blue with black interior (and has less miles on it). We'll see... it's in the Lord's hands.
Last night, Mom and I watched an old two-part biography called "This Reporter" on Edward R. Murrow, as told by lots of people who knew him, most notably by his television partner, Fred Friendly and his wife, Janet. There were lots of nice interviews and lots of footage and sound bites of the man himself as he covered the Anschluss in Austria, the London Blitz, bombing missions to Berlin, Buchenwald, and stories across America. It covered his entire career and highlighted his character with excellent reporting, just as he was famous for.
I'm proud that he grew up in Washington! Even if he did go to Washington State University. LOL! Can't wait to find time to watch the other discs.
Jp
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Goodbye, Summer
This morning it was really chilly for the first time. Besides my cooler-than-normal room, I could tell by the crystal clear sky and the condensation on the cars outside. I broke out my heavy jacket for the first time since March, and was thankful for it. By the time I got outside, pinks and yellows were blending into a beautiful sunrise. My job-site is located on the west side of Willows Valley, between Kirkland and Woodinville to the north and Redmond to the south. When I came to the crest of the hill overlooking the valley, the hazy blue Cascade mountains were topped by the before-mentioned sunrise, towering over the valley filled with low-lying misty clouds. Ahhhh, I love the valley.
J
J
side note
Well, I didn't find a car today, but I did find an authoritative history of Pittsburgh on the Internet for less than $9 dollars, including shipping. My gosh, I love the Internet. That and Abebooks.com.
Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City,
Fifth Edition, by Stefan Lorant
Can't wait!
And then my sister and I watched at least 5 episodes of Dick Van Dyke on netflix.com tonight... which one was it... where I cried with laughter... oh, yeah. "Don't Trip Over That Mountain". LOL!!! And then we watched the one where they get married, and the one where they get married again, another one where Rob witnessed a runaway witness to a robbery, and one where Laura takes down an annoying guy in a bar with Judo after he punched Rob in the nose.
Sadly, netflix isn't going to let anyone watch them online starting in October. I suppose we'll just have to invest in them.
In the mail today, I received an advertisement for a play about Nixon in Owensboro, Kentucky, at the RiverPark. I can't really think about that place without a very fond memory or two :)
Jp
Pittsburgh: The Story of an American City,
Fifth Edition, by Stefan Lorant
Can't wait!
And then my sister and I watched at least 5 episodes of Dick Van Dyke on netflix.com tonight... which one was it... where I cried with laughter... oh, yeah. "Don't Trip Over That Mountain". LOL!!! And then we watched the one where they get married, and the one where they get married again, another one where Rob witnessed a runaway witness to a robbery, and one where Laura takes down an annoying guy in a bar with Judo after he punched Rob in the nose.
Sadly, netflix isn't going to let anyone watch them online starting in October. I suppose we'll just have to invest in them.
In the mail today, I received an advertisement for a play about Nixon in Owensboro, Kentucky, at the RiverPark. I can't really think about that place without a very fond memory or two :)
Jp
Monday, September 22, 2008
Zoooooooooo!
Sunday:
After a good sermon that included a description of the Christian perspective on history, Becky and I headed over to Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, for nearly six hours of fun. I hadn't been there in over ten years, so many things were brand new for me.
My favorites were the lions, the giraffe barn, the African elephant, the budgerigar room (where we were able to hand-feed them with little seed bunches glued to a stick) and especially the Komodo Dragon. I've always been into dinosaurs and dragons, ever since I was a kid; I have nearly the entire Carnegie Dinosaur Collection.
http://www.carnegiemnh.org/
I think my interest must have been sparked by going to those Creation conferences with my parents as a kid. Creation science helped my mom understand Christianity for the first time since she had been very confused on the macro-evolution issue when she did wildlife biology in graduate school. So we were often exposed to fun facts about dinosaurs and the like. Very cool stuff.
We were able to take in the entire zoo. The weather was great - there were a few drops, and many clouds, but after a couple hours the sun broke through and it felt like it really was fall! What a glorious day! It was probably around 60 degrees. I must be some sort of an animal nut. The zoo store is incredible! I got a realistic-looking stuffed elk and a few plastic models, along with a couple patches.
When we returned, we picked up my sister at home and went out to a fabulous dinner at a family owned and operated Italian restaurant in our neighborhood, called Pizza Bank (the building had previously been a bank). I had spaghetti with clams in clam sauce and it was delicious. Especially when they add that huge hunk of garlic bread and that yummy home-made salad! Mmm! What a day.
Jp
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Tell Us Mr. Weatherman...
Well, after several glorious weeks of bright sunshine, the rain (in Seattle, "rain" means light mist) has finally come back. It is refreshing to have a little cool again, but I also don't like never-ending clouds. My sister and I put in a short trail ride yesterday before the mist started misting heavier, and today I've decided to go nowhere at all for a change.
But I'm also trying to think of a way to fit in a day trip to those aquariums in British Columbia before the end of the year. I have a problem with not being able to really relax when I'm doing nothing. Too many things I want to do! Ugg! Sometime I want to ride in a balloon, I want to go camping or hiking or both more often, I want to see more aquariums (Sea World in October! Whoo-Who!), then there was hiking at Discovery Park, and then photography's starting in a couple weeks, and there's a lot of things to write, and innumerable books that I should read. Where to start?
I'm done venting now, I'm going to work on some history.
Jp
But I'm also trying to think of a way to fit in a day trip to those aquariums in British Columbia before the end of the year. I have a problem with not being able to really relax when I'm doing nothing. Too many things I want to do! Ugg! Sometime I want to ride in a balloon, I want to go camping or hiking or both more often, I want to see more aquariums (Sea World in October! Whoo-Who!), then there was hiking at Discovery Park, and then photography's starting in a couple weeks, and there's a lot of things to write, and innumerable books that I should read. Where to start?
I'm done venting now, I'm going to work on some history.
Jp
Dissapointed
Well, yesterday I had figured on buying a car. There was this forest green, automatic, 2003 Subaru Forester with only 94,000 miles on it for 9 grand. When I was just on my way to go pick it up to take to my mechanic for a look-over, the dealer called to tell me that they sold it on Wednesday. Well, nuts! But then he also told me that they were getting more 2003's in on Monday and that he'd let me know about them as soon as he could. I appreciated his promptness in calling.
I've been seriously considering a new/newer car since March. My '91 Ford Escort wagon has been acting up a lot this year, getting worse and worse. It stalls on many occasions, after I start out again after breaking. It's a little dangerous to drive, so it's well over time for a new one.
At least my search for what make/model I want is over. Among others, I went through a period of wanting a Mazda3 hatchback for a long time, and then either a Kia Rio or Kia Spectra hatchback. But a Subaru Forester will better fit my lifestyle and needs, and be able to be driven anywhere (with AWD) and will nicely adapt for whatever changes might occur in my life in the near future, unlike those little sporty cars. I'm trying to go for something that will last me quite a while, Lord willing.
We'll see.
Jp
I've been seriously considering a new/newer car since March. My '91 Ford Escort wagon has been acting up a lot this year, getting worse and worse. It stalls on many occasions, after I start out again after breaking. It's a little dangerous to drive, so it's well over time for a new one.
At least my search for what make/model I want is over. Among others, I went through a period of wanting a Mazda3 hatchback for a long time, and then either a Kia Rio or Kia Spectra hatchback. But a Subaru Forester will better fit my lifestyle and needs, and be able to be driven anywhere (with AWD) and will nicely adapt for whatever changes might occur in my life in the near future, unlike those little sporty cars. I'm trying to go for something that will last me quite a while, Lord willing.
We'll see.
Jp
Thursday, September 18, 2008
movies movies
(The posting time on this is incorrect somehow.)
Thursday night we tried out Space:1999 from Netflix, since my sister is an avid Mission:Impossible fan. Although the idea behind the show was a little out there (literally), and the technical effects were old, we both thought that it was pretty darn good. Also, the look of the ships and the doors and the uniforms were very original for pre-dating Star Wars, and as a bonus, the acting was super.
Becky then came over after work, and we tried out an old Disney movie called "Summer Magic", which I had never heard of before. It was alright, but there wasn't much to the plot. It seemed like an excuse for Haley Mills and Burl Ives to sing songs.
As the next episode of WENN is "Don't Act Like That", we thought it important for Becky to see some Roddy McDowell movies before we continue. We watched "That Darn Cat" and had a great time as ever! I adore that movie! Next up will probably be "Bullwhip Griffin", for our continued Disney viewing pleasure.
Jp
Thursday night we tried out Space:1999 from Netflix, since my sister is an avid Mission:Impossible fan. Although the idea behind the show was a little out there (literally), and the technical effects were old, we both thought that it was pretty darn good. Also, the look of the ships and the doors and the uniforms were very original for pre-dating Star Wars, and as a bonus, the acting was super.
Becky then came over after work, and we tried out an old Disney movie called "Summer Magic", which I had never heard of before. It was alright, but there wasn't much to the plot. It seemed like an excuse for Haley Mills and Burl Ives to sing songs.
As the next episode of WENN is "Don't Act Like That", we thought it important for Becky to see some Roddy McDowell movies before we continue. We watched "That Darn Cat" and had a great time as ever! I adore that movie! Next up will probably be "Bullwhip Griffin", for our continued Disney viewing pleasure.
Jp
Bits & Pieces
Just two notes of interest this week:
I finally put together my scrapbook from my China trip on Tuesday the 16th. I usually save most things like tickets and stickers and programs and name-tags from my trips and put them in books when I get back. Along with my music and all those usual things, I arranged all of my China posts into Word format so I don't have to rely on the Internet for safekeeping. It also made it easier to read, being in order from the top down, and made the book complete. Mom read the last half of it for the first time. She doesn't like reading off the Internet much.
Last night, the 17th, I went to a meeting for a drama co-op that was just starting out. The director and lead actress from my chruch's Christmas play in 1996 were leading the group, so it was much fun to see them again. I also found out that the lead actress then, was my age now. I think my life is flying by me; at least, so it seems. I'm just worried that tomorrow I'll wake up and find that I'm 35.
I was a backstage hand for that play, and remember getting to know Tracy (the lead actress)pretty well. We all did, really; my oldest sister was stage manager, and my other sister was some sort of understudy or assistant to the director. The director of the play had in her past worked with and learned from Alfred Hitchcock himself, so needless to say, she was an excellent director.
Jp
I finally put together my scrapbook from my China trip on Tuesday the 16th. I usually save most things like tickets and stickers and programs and name-tags from my trips and put them in books when I get back. Along with my music and all those usual things, I arranged all of my China posts into Word format so I don't have to rely on the Internet for safekeeping. It also made it easier to read, being in order from the top down, and made the book complete. Mom read the last half of it for the first time. She doesn't like reading off the Internet much.
Last night, the 17th, I went to a meeting for a drama co-op that was just starting out. The director and lead actress from my chruch's Christmas play in 1996 were leading the group, so it was much fun to see them again. I also found out that the lead actress then, was my age now. I think my life is flying by me; at least, so it seems. I'm just worried that tomorrow I'll wake up and find that I'm 35.
I was a backstage hand for that play, and remember getting to know Tracy (the lead actress)pretty well. We all did, really; my oldest sister was stage manager, and my other sister was some sort of understudy or assistant to the director. The director of the play had in her past worked with and learned from Alfred Hitchcock himself, so needless to say, she was an excellent director.
Jp
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Well, What Do You Know!
This one is worth a visit.
http://www.creativealternatives.net/bettewes/index.html
I was just minding my own business, doing a quick look around for
"radio + pittsburgh + 1940" and what do I get? I love Google. LOL
J
http://www.creativealternatives.net/bettewes/index.html
I was just minding my own business, doing a quick look around for
"radio + pittsburgh + 1940" and what do I get? I love Google. LOL
J
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
New computer
Ah, and my old one actually had a cool serial number... 1789 makes me think of Ireland and France and the Enlightenment, but all that 2277 makes me think of is... nothing. I do like the new monitor better, but I had to remap network drives and printers as well as set all my settings again. I can't tell that it feels any faster, but you know... when in Rome...
J
J
Monday, Sep. 15
I missed posting on Monday by "that much".
Tonight after dinner and heading to Micheal's to buy a frame for my silk picture, the family sat down to watch 'The Shop Around the Corner' which had arrived from Netflix a few nights ago. I don't think I'll ever want to watch 'You've Got Mail' again - and I thought I liked that movie...
Jimmy was as amazing as ever! It was simply sweet and smart and silly, filled with slow scenes of great dialogue, the kind that are missing from nearly every modern movie. They take the time to talk in old ones. Something, I fear, my generation almost can't understand. I liked it as much as I like 'Phone Call From a Stranger'. Although that's a very different type of movie, it also has slow, beautiful scenes and an ending that knocks you off your feet.
Jp
Tonight after dinner and heading to Micheal's to buy a frame for my silk picture, the family sat down to watch 'The Shop Around the Corner' which had arrived from Netflix a few nights ago. I don't think I'll ever want to watch 'You've Got Mail' again - and I thought I liked that movie...
Jimmy was as amazing as ever! It was simply sweet and smart and silly, filled with slow scenes of great dialogue, the kind that are missing from nearly every modern movie. They take the time to talk in old ones. Something, I fear, my generation almost can't understand. I liked it as much as I like 'Phone Call From a Stranger'. Although that's a very different type of movie, it also has slow, beautiful scenes and an ending that knocks you off your feet.
Jp
Monday, September 15, 2008
Sunday, Sep. 14
With lunch and cake and presents for a mutual celebration of my niece Rebekah's 4th birthday and my friend Becky's birthday (september 9th and 10th respectively), my aunt and uncle and grandma - who is 94 this year (I really should write down her history) - came over to celebrate with us. My poor grandma! It's so hard for her to hear and she gets dizzy when she walks. It doesn't help that she is strong willed and tries to go much faster than her body will let her. I think her hearing bothers her the most. I can't imagine what that would be like... to have to wear a hearing aid with screaming kids and barking dogs... to just try to hear normal conversation. :( We all spent a few hours together, but they had to leave after a while to get her home.
Becky stayed a while longer, and so we caught up on some more Remember WENN. We made it through Radio Silence along with the next two - INPYMAWA, as I now affectionately call it, and Newsday - however this couldn't last forever either since tomorrow was another working day for Becky and me.
In a sudden crazy frenzy of WENNish thoughts about time-lines and plots, I simply had to stick in Magic/Small Hours. I couldn't wait for it any longer. Mom says that they are the best episodes of the series, and I think I agree. (it really is hard to pick just one favorite - or pair of favorites) I remember watching the end of Magic for the first time and having goosebumps when she walked down the hall... and all of the stories that it generated... my sister and I had to share a room in those days, so every night for gosh, however long it took until Small Hours premiered, my sister told me short WENN stories at night, finding a different solution to what actually happened. We came up with a formula: was it to be set immediately after or on the next day? was it just like they were telling it or was it completely different? oh, what times we had. She always told me that I couldn't laugh quietly enough. LOL! Haha! Anyway, mom and dad sat down with the two of us and we watched them again. Ah, what sweet television. There is nothing else like it - ever. I can't stand how romantic and dramatic and well acted and well shot that last scene is. And then to cap it off with Scott's hilarious lines... (she curtsies to Rupert) Thank you, from the bottom of my romantic heart. (I mean that in all sincerity, with hilarity)
Okay, I'm done talking about WENN for one night. I think.
And Becky, I did make it to bed by midnight, like I promised. LOL! And I can't wait until we make it through all those awesome season two episodes to end with Magic, where I will make you wait at least one night until we watch the next one. J/K! I'm just bitter because I had to wait months for it to come out... haha... Okay... that's it now. I promise this time.
I'll be surprised if anyone has the patience to wade through this entire, silly post. LOL
Jp
Becky stayed a while longer, and so we caught up on some more Remember WENN. We made it through Radio Silence along with the next two - INPYMAWA, as I now affectionately call it, and Newsday - however this couldn't last forever either since tomorrow was another working day for Becky and me.
In a sudden crazy frenzy of WENNish thoughts about time-lines and plots, I simply had to stick in Magic/Small Hours. I couldn't wait for it any longer. Mom says that they are the best episodes of the series, and I think I agree. (it really is hard to pick just one favorite - or pair of favorites) I remember watching the end of Magic for the first time and having goosebumps when she walked down the hall... and all of the stories that it generated... my sister and I had to share a room in those days, so every night for gosh, however long it took until Small Hours premiered, my sister told me short WENN stories at night, finding a different solution to what actually happened. We came up with a formula: was it to be set immediately after or on the next day? was it just like they were telling it or was it completely different? oh, what times we had. She always told me that I couldn't laugh quietly enough. LOL! Haha! Anyway, mom and dad sat down with the two of us and we watched them again. Ah, what sweet television. There is nothing else like it - ever. I can't stand how romantic and dramatic and well acted and well shot that last scene is. And then to cap it off with Scott's hilarious lines... (she curtsies to Rupert) Thank you, from the bottom of my romantic heart. (I mean that in all sincerity, with hilarity)
Okay, I'm done talking about WENN for one night. I think.
And Becky, I did make it to bed by midnight, like I promised. LOL! And I can't wait until we make it through all those awesome season two episodes to end with Magic, where I will make you wait at least one night until we watch the next one. J/K! I'm just bitter because I had to wait months for it to come out... haha... Okay... that's it now. I promise this time.
I'll be surprised if anyone has the patience to wade through this entire, silly post. LOL
Jp
Football - Week 3
Saturday, September 13
You might call me an optimist if I say I had a great day.
The Huskies got slaughtered 54-14 by the Oklahoma Sooners.
However, I had a great day. I played in the regular Alumni Band for the first time, entertaining fans all over the parking lots at six different locations before the game started. We probably had to walk two miles to get to all the different places we played at. I was the only mellophone player that I had seen before, but there was a very nice lady named Emily, who was a Husky Band mello in the '99 and '00 seasons, and her boyfriend Victor from Chicago. They were just visiting for the weekend since they live in LA. I wish that wasn't the case, though, because they were both great players and both very nice to get to know. Victor was a great sport about learning the choreography - it can be very difficult! After explaining the sideways "W" that we move our horns in during a certain song, he said, "Oh, that's what that was!" LOL! That reminds me so much of my reaction during my rookie year, not too many years ago. He didn't see how we were supposed to be able to play at the same time. LOL!!!! I think it took me 3/4 through my first year before I could master the one we're talking about.
My chops were shot after 2 hours of playing for the fans. I guess it didn't matter though, since the Alumni Band really didn't play much during the game, because we were sitting in our regular spot in the west endzone next to the Sooner Band "The Pride of Oklahoma"(I was surprised that they came in their full marching uniforms), which played quite often for the sea of red-decked UO fans. (They also had a lot more to celebrate about) It was very relaxing to just sit and watch, eat a sandwich, chat and watch the Varsity Husky Band. We got to play 'Vict'ry' twice though: one after each touchdown. (she shakes her head in shame for her poor team.)
During half-time, after the marching show, we all went out on the track that separates the crowd from the football field and played 4 or 5 tunes for fans on the south side of the stadium. I have to say this: Oklahoma fans certainly appreciate bands, no matter what school. They certainly live up to their name of being one of the more polite groups in NCAA football. I say all this because a few of the UO fans that were sitting there stood up to clap for us after each song.
I suppose I just like entertaining fans, and don't care much for football scores (but what other option do I have? hmm...)
So, I had a great time on Saturday.
Jp
P.S. to Blogger.com: try adding Mellophone to your dictionary. Gosh!
Suggestions given for correcting it: cellphone, cellophane, megaphone, telephone, xylophone.
Uh, no.
You might call me an optimist if I say I had a great day.
The Huskies got slaughtered 54-14 by the Oklahoma Sooners.
However, I had a great day. I played in the regular Alumni Band for the first time, entertaining fans all over the parking lots at six different locations before the game started. We probably had to walk two miles to get to all the different places we played at. I was the only mellophone player that I had seen before, but there was a very nice lady named Emily, who was a Husky Band mello in the '99 and '00 seasons, and her boyfriend Victor from Chicago. They were just visiting for the weekend since they live in LA. I wish that wasn't the case, though, because they were both great players and both very nice to get to know. Victor was a great sport about learning the choreography - it can be very difficult! After explaining the sideways "W" that we move our horns in during a certain song, he said, "Oh, that's what that was!" LOL! That reminds me so much of my reaction during my rookie year, not too many years ago. He didn't see how we were supposed to be able to play at the same time. LOL!!!! I think it took me 3/4 through my first year before I could master the one we're talking about.
My chops were shot after 2 hours of playing for the fans. I guess it didn't matter though, since the Alumni Band really didn't play much during the game, because we were sitting in our regular spot in the west endzone next to the Sooner Band "The Pride of Oklahoma"(I was surprised that they came in their full marching uniforms), which played quite often for the sea of red-decked UO fans. (They also had a lot more to celebrate about) It was very relaxing to just sit and watch, eat a sandwich, chat and watch the Varsity Husky Band. We got to play 'Vict'ry' twice though: one after each touchdown. (she shakes her head in shame for her poor team.)
During half-time, after the marching show, we all went out on the track that separates the crowd from the football field and played 4 or 5 tunes for fans on the south side of the stadium. I have to say this: Oklahoma fans certainly appreciate bands, no matter what school. They certainly live up to their name of being one of the more polite groups in NCAA football. I say all this because a few of the UO fans that were sitting there stood up to clap for us after each song.
I suppose I just like entertaining fans, and don't care much for football scores (but what other option do I have? hmm...)
So, I had a great time on Saturday.
Jp
P.S. to Blogger.com: try adding Mellophone to your dictionary. Gosh!
Suggestions given for correcting it: cellphone, cellophane, megaphone, telephone, xylophone.
Uh, no.
Friday, September 12, 2008
What a Day!
Today I crawled out of bed just in time to make it to Jazzercise at 6am. This was my first Friday class in a long time, and I always love Mary's sessions! She's the teacher on Fridays. I got to work early, since Friday hours are 8am to Noon, and started by scanning my co-worker's data books. I finished my how-to guide that I was tasked to write this year that goes through and explains all my job functions in one of my departments, and my boss was impressed with the format I created for it. She paid me the ultimate compliment by asking me to proof-read her paper for her class she's taking (she's finishing up her bachelor's of business degree). I love helping out and I hope my comments helped her, although I only had about 15 minutes to give them. Work is fun when most of what I do is write... I'm going to miss working on my assignment, even if it was only a technical report. Anything is better than processing an already processed Usage Change Request.
When I got home, I ate a quick lunch and then my sister and I headed out for Carnation to ride our horses. We tacked up and went out for a short trail ride. Roo was wonderful with his new shoes, until he decided to hop around weird and hurt his back leg again. I think he pulled it when he does those little dances when he freaks himself out. Oh, Roo. We did some trotting and unexpected cantering, so that made things exciting. We also had an issue with standing still when I was re-mounting, but we got through it alright. I love riding out there! It makes me feel like a country girl for a little while at least. It is a nice respite from the city.
After we finished riding, we were invited into our friend's house for a few games of Nertz (Dutch Blitz, with regular decks), none of which I won, but some I did well on. I played the exact same number of cards as Susan did on several hands. That was a little extraordinary. When we finished, I took the opportunity to lay down on the couch for a moment while everyone else talked. I was wiped out, and I fell asleep for a while. It was most refreshing! When I woke up it was time to go home. We stopped at McDonald's on Redmond Ridge, and I had a Big'n Tasty, a small fry and a dollar side-salad. By the time we got home, I had just enough time to change my burnt-out headlight and take the dog for a walk before it was time to run over to the University for the first rally of the season.
Natalie, Erik and Alex were already there when I pulled into the Husky Union Building parking lot. It was a great revival of fun, as Natalie was wearing her t-shirt that I found for her in China, along with a bright purple wig. Oh my! What a good time was had by all! There were at least 15 mellophones there, including 4 of the 5 new rookies. I was able to meet them all, and it looks like they'll have a great section this year. They made very slight changes to some of the choreography this week during drills. Natalie said it was the hardest drills that she ever had, because this time they're not doing Band Day tomorrow, but doing a regular marching show for halftime instead. It sounded like it was intense! I can't wait to WATCH the halftime show for the first time in FIVE years. Ahhhh. I was also able to get my hands on a free parking pass for tomorrow, so that was nice too. The rally started at 8:45 and finished up at the regular spot in front of Suzzalo Library on Red Square at 10:20.
Beat the Sooners tomorrow!
Jp
When I got home, I ate a quick lunch and then my sister and I headed out for Carnation to ride our horses. We tacked up and went out for a short trail ride. Roo was wonderful with his new shoes, until he decided to hop around weird and hurt his back leg again. I think he pulled it when he does those little dances when he freaks himself out. Oh, Roo. We did some trotting and unexpected cantering, so that made things exciting. We also had an issue with standing still when I was re-mounting, but we got through it alright. I love riding out there! It makes me feel like a country girl for a little while at least. It is a nice respite from the city.
After we finished riding, we were invited into our friend's house for a few games of Nertz (Dutch Blitz, with regular decks), none of which I won, but some I did well on. I played the exact same number of cards as Susan did on several hands. That was a little extraordinary. When we finished, I took the opportunity to lay down on the couch for a moment while everyone else talked. I was wiped out, and I fell asleep for a while. It was most refreshing! When I woke up it was time to go home. We stopped at McDonald's on Redmond Ridge, and I had a Big'n Tasty, a small fry and a dollar side-salad. By the time we got home, I had just enough time to change my burnt-out headlight and take the dog for a walk before it was time to run over to the University for the first rally of the season.
Natalie, Erik and Alex were already there when I pulled into the Husky Union Building parking lot. It was a great revival of fun, as Natalie was wearing her t-shirt that I found for her in China, along with a bright purple wig. Oh my! What a good time was had by all! There were at least 15 mellophones there, including 4 of the 5 new rookies. I was able to meet them all, and it looks like they'll have a great section this year. They made very slight changes to some of the choreography this week during drills. Natalie said it was the hardest drills that she ever had, because this time they're not doing Band Day tomorrow, but doing a regular marching show for halftime instead. It sounded like it was intense! I can't wait to WATCH the halftime show for the first time in FIVE years. Ahhhh. I was also able to get my hands on a free parking pass for tomorrow, so that was nice too. The rally started at 8:45 and finished up at the regular spot in front of Suzzalo Library on Red Square at 10:20.
Beat the Sooners tomorrow!
Jp
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Seven Years Ago
When I first heard about planes crashing into things in New York, it was over the radio. I was a brand new senior in high school, doing my morning job at General Dynamics, downstairs in the yellow book room. I didn't think much of it when I first heard it because I didn't understand the scale of what had happened. I just went along with my work, which was re-labeling hardware drawings, until I left for band at Juanita High School. Mr. G had the TV on in the classroom and we really didn't do anything else that day but watch it. It was then that I understood how terrible this was. One of the other horn players asked if I knew anybody in New York, but I didn't. I then came home and watched some more news with the family. We were all pretty much in shock.
J
J
Random News
Holy cow! Three strikes on the last frame of my bowling game last night! It was a come-from-behind, 2nd place win. Let's just say that that's not what the rest of the game looked like... mostly 7's and 8's. I don't think I've EVER bowled 3 strikes in a row. Everyone kept telling me to bowl again... I didn't know you got one more shot if you bowled a second strike.
Also in random news, my WENN facebook group is continually growing (up to 38 members), and I'm excited about all the discussions that are going on... talking about the characters - what else? LOL, good times!
Jp
Also in random news, my WENN facebook group is continually growing (up to 38 members), and I'm excited about all the discussions that are going on... talking about the characters - what else? LOL, good times!
Jp
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
old tv!
I went to Half Price last night, and my sister found a cool collection of old TV shows for a couple bucks... so when we got home we watched Combat! (which was one of my dad's favorites), Fury (which was one of my mom's favorites), the pilot of Mannix (done by a lot of the same people as Mission: Impossible), and finally an episode of Mister Ed (that I specifically remembered half-way through it - the one where everyone thinks that Mr. Post is sick because of wills and pills, when really it's all just for Mister Ed). What a deal! They also have some Dragnet and Lassie that I'm looking forward to seeing again, and a bunch of other things that I'm unfamiliar with.
I then put my room back into some semblance of order. I hung my poster of the Great Wall and my silk picture of the Koi from China. Threw stuff out, put stuff away, and then finally felt like I could sleep with a clear conscience. LOL! There are too many things to do! Too many books to read, too many movies to watch, too many things to write... I'll never make it through life! LOL
Jp
I then put my room back into some semblance of order. I hung my poster of the Great Wall and my silk picture of the Koi from China. Threw stuff out, put stuff away, and then finally felt like I could sleep with a clear conscience. LOL! There are too many things to do! Too many books to read, too many movies to watch, too many things to write... I'll never make it through life! LOL
Jp
Monday, September 8, 2008
Back in the Swing
For the first time in over a month (because of China and breathing problems) I went to Jazzercise this morning! It can be a lot of fun when a bunch of the songs are new, as well as some of the moves. And the instructor that just started out teaching regularly in July, is now doing much better and is more relaxed and confident. It's amazing what a month can do! When I got up early this morning, after a night of bad dreams and (cough) not enough sleep... (shocker, I know) I almost threw in the towel, but ended up doing the best thing by going. Morning workouts usually put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. I suppose the bright sunshine didn't hurt either.
J
J
Football and Movies
That sums up Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The Husky game against BYU was a joke at the end: the referee flagged our QB for celebrating in the end zone after scoring the touchdown with TWO SECONDS LEFT IN THE GAME, that brought us within one point of tying the game. WHAT?!!!! All he did was drop the ball and jump around with his friends. So, that put us out of reach of the 2-pointer to win, and then BYU came up and blocked the extra point kick. Ugg.
I'm okay now, I promise.
It was very much fun to march the pregame, and the halftime show went off well, except for the fact that the guest drummers thought it was cool to throw minuscule confetti the size of glitter all over the field. The band pretty much got blamed, and after the game we spent a lot of time trying to pick some of it up with our fingers... didn't work so well.
Even after all this jazz, I still love marching band, and half of me is sad right now that I'm not at the before-school, week-long band camp that's going on right now. It's affectionately named "Preschool Drills". But the other half of me is glad that I don't have to do Vict'ry down the field at 1,000 beats a second any more.
And Sunday was excellent fun! Becky came over after church. We had Subway at home, watched episodes 12 & 13 of Remember WENN (I hope she doesn't mind all of our discussions during it - Meggan thinks that Scott was just about to leave the station between his "it's sorta out of my hands now" and his hearing the fateful broadcast from London - so maybe the Germans saved Scott Sherwood! I kinda agree with her). We then watched the Shaggy D.A., with Dean Jones (this was my first time through as an adult - which is always surprising! It makes it much more fun when you understand everything the adults say...), then we went for a walk in the beautiful afternoon sunshine, and then we came back and played Yahtzee and finished by watching Pollyanna. I'm introducing these movies to Becky, and I'm extremely thankful to her, because if she had seen them, we probably wouldn't be watching them again! And we have lots more to go! Weeeee!
There is something special about older, live action Disney movies.
Particularly the ones from the 1960's.
:)
Jp
The Husky game against BYU was a joke at the end: the referee flagged our QB for celebrating in the end zone after scoring the touchdown with TWO SECONDS LEFT IN THE GAME, that brought us within one point of tying the game. WHAT?!!!! All he did was drop the ball and jump around with his friends. So, that put us out of reach of the 2-pointer to win, and then BYU came up and blocked the extra point kick. Ugg.
I'm okay now, I promise.
It was very much fun to march the pregame, and the halftime show went off well, except for the fact that the guest drummers thought it was cool to throw minuscule confetti the size of glitter all over the field. The band pretty much got blamed, and after the game we spent a lot of time trying to pick some of it up with our fingers... didn't work so well.
Even after all this jazz, I still love marching band, and half of me is sad right now that I'm not at the before-school, week-long band camp that's going on right now. It's affectionately named "Preschool Drills". But the other half of me is glad that I don't have to do Vict'ry down the field at 1,000 beats a second any more.
And Sunday was excellent fun! Becky came over after church. We had Subway at home, watched episodes 12 & 13 of Remember WENN (I hope she doesn't mind all of our discussions during it - Meggan thinks that Scott was just about to leave the station between his "it's sorta out of my hands now" and his hearing the fateful broadcast from London - so maybe the Germans saved Scott Sherwood! I kinda agree with her). We then watched the Shaggy D.A., with Dean Jones (this was my first time through as an adult - which is always surprising! It makes it much more fun when you understand everything the adults say...), then we went for a walk in the beautiful afternoon sunshine, and then we came back and played Yahtzee and finished by watching Pollyanna. I'm introducing these movies to Becky, and I'm extremely thankful to her, because if she had seen them, we probably wouldn't be watching them again! And we have lots more to go! Weeeee!
There is something special about older, live action Disney movies.
Particularly the ones from the 1960's.
:)
Jp
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Concerning the Military and America:
After reading "Making the Corps" by Thomas E. Ricks, I've been quite interested in this topic.
I found this on a facebook group, and I thought it was insightful and well written.
THEIR WAR (AN EXCERPT)
Less than 1 percent of the U.S. population serves in our military. In a time of war, what should that mean to the rest of us?
By Kristin Henderson
Most Americans seem to take their luck for granted. Even September 11, 2001, didn't motivate a surge of young people to enlist the way Tuyishimire's bitter experience in Rwanda motivated him. In the six years since, with America's wars dragging on overseas, the military services have struggled to meet recruiting goals. The Army recently widened the door to admit recruits in their early 40s.
"Warriors," bellows a sergeant on the firing range, "don't forget to hydrate!"
In the outside world, civilians tend to use the word "warriors" only when they're describing the fighting men of ancient or primitive cultures. But within the U.S. military establishment, "warriors" is a common form of address, even an e-mail salutation, as in this automatic message sent by a Marine public affairs officer: "Warriors, I will be out of the office until Monday."
The difference in the way the two groups, military and civilian, use this word reflects the growing gulf that yawns between them. Many of the soldiers and Marines interviewed for this article mentioned that when civilians try to connect with them and affirm their military service, the civilians often echo the Army's "Be all you can be" pitch: You'll learn valuable skills . . . It'll be a great résumé builder. It's as if, looking in from the outside, these civilians just want to see tidy uniforms and high-tech gadgetry, as if soldiering is a modern-day job like any other.
Infantrymen, on the other hand, learn that the military's basic job is to break the enemy's will by killing him, or threatening to. Looking at their training from the inside, infantrymen conclude that their job hasn't fundamentally changed since the days when naked men threw spears at one another to protect their families. It's an ancient role, and they're proud of it.
But these days, that part of the job apparently makes America's civilians uneasy. World War II headlines celebrated accomplished military killers and called them heroes. Second Lt. Audie Murphy mowed down dozens of attacking German soldiers, won the Medal of Honor and went on to become a movie star. Today, U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan who win medals for successfully doing their jobs while obeying the laws of war might get local coverage. But the brightest national spotlight is reserved for killers who are war criminals, such as the alleged perpetrators of the Haditha massacre, or heroes who are victims, such as prisoners of war. American civilians no longer seem comfortable labeling a soldier as both a killer and a hero.
In fact, they're not particularly comfortable with the military in general.
Less than half the civilian population believes military leaders can be relied on to respect civilian control of the military, according to surveys by the Triangle Institute for Security Studies, an academic think tank in North Carolina. Never mind that 92 percent of military leaders still insist their civilian masters should have the final say on whether to use military force. And while nearly two-thirds of military leaders believe they share the same values as the American people, only about one-third of their civilian counter-parts agree. The vast majority of civilians believe service members are intolerant, stingy, rigid and lacking in creativity. More than 20 percent report they'd be disappointed if their children joined the military. Before the invasion of Iraq, the editorial boards of major newspapers endorsed the use of force, yet a search turned up no calls for Americans to join up to support the effort. President Bush urged civilians to go shopping.
"The military is at war, but the country is not," warns University of Maryland sociologist David Segal. "And the military resents that."
VIETNAM WAS THE TURNING POINT.
In the heat of an unpopular war, decades of social trends boiled over: the development of relativistic theologies, growing legal emphasis on the rights of the individual and the emergence of the teenage years as a time free from both parental restrictions and adult responsibilities. These trends empowered and united war opponents with a moral certainty that surpassed anything seen during previous conflicts, as described by Frank Schaeffer and Kathy Roth-Douquet in AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America's Upper Classes From Military Service -- and How It Hurts Our Country.
In Vietnam, Gen. William Westmoreland lied about body counts, and American soldiers massacred women and children at My Lai. Vietnam taught its generation to distrust the military. The collective memory of Vietnam's luckless, disadvantaged draftees, forced to fight a politically polarizing war, and the certainty of the protesters that they were right to oppose it, still shape civilian American attitudes toward the military. While pre-Vietnam generations saw military service as an apolitical civic duty, Schaeffer points out that today's civilians tend to see it as a career choice for the underprivileged, a choice that also depends on whether they approve of the policies of the moment.
"The new excuse is, I'd never send my son to fight in Iraq," says Schaeffer. An author with no military background who lives in an affluent area near Boston, Schaeffer also blames the lingering priorities of the Me Generation. "My class are dismissive of anything other than the glittering fast track of money."
Statistically, recruits are less likely to come from affluent Zip codes such as those in many Washington area suburbs. Some claim this is because military recruiters target the poor. But recruiters are not welcome in most affluent neighborhoods.
When recruiters began approaching the teenage sons of Montgomery County peace activist Pat Elder, he turned his energies to counter-recruiting. He and a few other parents were upset that recruiters had free access to students during lunch period at Walt Whitman High School. They succeeded in restricting recruiters' visits to the guidance office, where interested students now must make an appointment.
When Frank Schaeffer's son John enlisted, Schaeffer himself wasn't sure it was such a great idea. The other parents at John's exclusive prep school reacted with horror. Schaeffer recalls: "One of them, a professor at Brown, went to the headmaster and demanded a special meeting of the board and faculty to look into what went wrong with John Schaeffer. They were worried: Is this contagious?" At graduation, another parent commented about John, "What a waste."
There's clearly some self-selection going on, too, because nearly half of all Army recruits are following in the footsteps of a parent who has served. We seem to be creating an American warrior class.
To some degree, the gap between the military and the people has been masked by one of the other lessons of Vietnam: Don't blame the soldiers for the military misadventures of our civilian leaders. Today's peace marchers generally take care to chant that they support the troops, not the war. But Segal worries that the military's low visibility in American society is leading to estrangement. "People say they support the troops, but I don't know how long one can sustain that if one doesn't know what a soldier is."
In a nation of more than 300 million people, less than 1 percent serve in all the armed forces combined, active duty and reserve. Compare that to previous wartimes: 4 percent served during Vietnam, 12 percent during World War II, 11 percent during the Civil War. Today, in many neighborhoods, civilians can go about their lives without ever crossing paths with someone on active duty. Even in military towns, connections are hard to sustain -- active-duty service members move every three years, on average. "They're coaching youth soccer, serving as deacons, volunteering in the schools," Segal says. "But if they're deployed, you lose your deacon." Meanwhile, rootless military children are always the new kid, rarely graduating from the same high school where they started as freshmen.
More and more in America, civilians have no contact with the people who do the fighting, yet civilians are the ones who decide when and where those people fight. What happens to a democracy when its civilians live in one world and its warriors in another?
For now, America tucks the tiny tribe of people who still do its dirty work out of sight of most civilians, on and around scattered military installations. There, service members and their families live and work -- and mourn -- behind guarded gates and barbed wire.
On Camp Geiger, the Southern sun glares down on a cinder-block building painted a blinding white. This is the School of Infantry's headquarters. From here, Col. David Close watches over the training of Marines such as Tuyishimire.
"When I think of patriotism," the colonel says, "I think of selfless service. I think of the people that are dying." Suddenly, his eyes redden. His mouth quivers. "I have a hard time with the families left behind." The words stop coming.
He's a tall, rangy man, hair bristling gray. He looks like a man who should be carrying a sword, not fighting tears. When he speaks again, his voice shakes. "The word patriotism rings hollow with that. There are no words for it. It can't be explained."
His voice steadies as he describes a scene that movies have made familiar: a recent death notification on the base, the official car driving through a neighborhood of enlisted family housing on a Saturday morning, the young women who were outside setting up a yard sale all going still, waiting to see where the car would stop.
"That's patriotism," Close says. He acknowledges that outsiders, those who haven't lived this iconic moment, can hear about casualties and feel sad and make the connection between the policy decision and the end state. "But the families give up the one they love for their country. It's the families, the way of life. If you don't serve, you don't understand."
Kristin Henderson, who is married to a Navy chaplain, is the author of While They're at War: The True Story of American Families on the Home Front. See the article for the full text:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/18/AR2007071802785.html
I found this on a facebook group, and I thought it was insightful and well written.
THEIR WAR (AN EXCERPT)
Less than 1 percent of the U.S. population serves in our military. In a time of war, what should that mean to the rest of us?
By Kristin Henderson
Most Americans seem to take their luck for granted. Even September 11, 2001, didn't motivate a surge of young people to enlist the way Tuyishimire's bitter experience in Rwanda motivated him. In the six years since, with America's wars dragging on overseas, the military services have struggled to meet recruiting goals. The Army recently widened the door to admit recruits in their early 40s.
"Warriors," bellows a sergeant on the firing range, "don't forget to hydrate!"
In the outside world, civilians tend to use the word "warriors" only when they're describing the fighting men of ancient or primitive cultures. But within the U.S. military establishment, "warriors" is a common form of address, even an e-mail salutation, as in this automatic message sent by a Marine public affairs officer: "Warriors, I will be out of the office until Monday."
The difference in the way the two groups, military and civilian, use this word reflects the growing gulf that yawns between them. Many of the soldiers and Marines interviewed for this article mentioned that when civilians try to connect with them and affirm their military service, the civilians often echo the Army's "Be all you can be" pitch: You'll learn valuable skills . . . It'll be a great résumé builder. It's as if, looking in from the outside, these civilians just want to see tidy uniforms and high-tech gadgetry, as if soldiering is a modern-day job like any other.
Infantrymen, on the other hand, learn that the military's basic job is to break the enemy's will by killing him, or threatening to. Looking at their training from the inside, infantrymen conclude that their job hasn't fundamentally changed since the days when naked men threw spears at one another to protect their families. It's an ancient role, and they're proud of it.
But these days, that part of the job apparently makes America's civilians uneasy. World War II headlines celebrated accomplished military killers and called them heroes. Second Lt. Audie Murphy mowed down dozens of attacking German soldiers, won the Medal of Honor and went on to become a movie star. Today, U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan who win medals for successfully doing their jobs while obeying the laws of war might get local coverage. But the brightest national spotlight is reserved for killers who are war criminals, such as the alleged perpetrators of the Haditha massacre, or heroes who are victims, such as prisoners of war. American civilians no longer seem comfortable labeling a soldier as both a killer and a hero.
In fact, they're not particularly comfortable with the military in general.
Less than half the civilian population believes military leaders can be relied on to respect civilian control of the military, according to surveys by the Triangle Institute for Security Studies, an academic think tank in North Carolina. Never mind that 92 percent of military leaders still insist their civilian masters should have the final say on whether to use military force. And while nearly two-thirds of military leaders believe they share the same values as the American people, only about one-third of their civilian counter-parts agree. The vast majority of civilians believe service members are intolerant, stingy, rigid and lacking in creativity. More than 20 percent report they'd be disappointed if their children joined the military. Before the invasion of Iraq, the editorial boards of major newspapers endorsed the use of force, yet a search turned up no calls for Americans to join up to support the effort. President Bush urged civilians to go shopping.
"The military is at war, but the country is not," warns University of Maryland sociologist David Segal. "And the military resents that."
VIETNAM WAS THE TURNING POINT.
In the heat of an unpopular war, decades of social trends boiled over: the development of relativistic theologies, growing legal emphasis on the rights of the individual and the emergence of the teenage years as a time free from both parental restrictions and adult responsibilities. These trends empowered and united war opponents with a moral certainty that surpassed anything seen during previous conflicts, as described by Frank Schaeffer and Kathy Roth-Douquet in AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America's Upper Classes From Military Service -- and How It Hurts Our Country.
In Vietnam, Gen. William Westmoreland lied about body counts, and American soldiers massacred women and children at My Lai. Vietnam taught its generation to distrust the military. The collective memory of Vietnam's luckless, disadvantaged draftees, forced to fight a politically polarizing war, and the certainty of the protesters that they were right to oppose it, still shape civilian American attitudes toward the military. While pre-Vietnam generations saw military service as an apolitical civic duty, Schaeffer points out that today's civilians tend to see it as a career choice for the underprivileged, a choice that also depends on whether they approve of the policies of the moment.
"The new excuse is, I'd never send my son to fight in Iraq," says Schaeffer. An author with no military background who lives in an affluent area near Boston, Schaeffer also blames the lingering priorities of the Me Generation. "My class are dismissive of anything other than the glittering fast track of money."
Statistically, recruits are less likely to come from affluent Zip codes such as those in many Washington area suburbs. Some claim this is because military recruiters target the poor. But recruiters are not welcome in most affluent neighborhoods.
When recruiters began approaching the teenage sons of Montgomery County peace activist Pat Elder, he turned his energies to counter-recruiting. He and a few other parents were upset that recruiters had free access to students during lunch period at Walt Whitman High School. They succeeded in restricting recruiters' visits to the guidance office, where interested students now must make an appointment.
When Frank Schaeffer's son John enlisted, Schaeffer himself wasn't sure it was such a great idea. The other parents at John's exclusive prep school reacted with horror. Schaeffer recalls: "One of them, a professor at Brown, went to the headmaster and demanded a special meeting of the board and faculty to look into what went wrong with John Schaeffer. They were worried: Is this contagious?" At graduation, another parent commented about John, "What a waste."
There's clearly some self-selection going on, too, because nearly half of all Army recruits are following in the footsteps of a parent who has served. We seem to be creating an American warrior class.
To some degree, the gap between the military and the people has been masked by one of the other lessons of Vietnam: Don't blame the soldiers for the military misadventures of our civilian leaders. Today's peace marchers generally take care to chant that they support the troops, not the war. But Segal worries that the military's low visibility in American society is leading to estrangement. "People say they support the troops, but I don't know how long one can sustain that if one doesn't know what a soldier is."
In a nation of more than 300 million people, less than 1 percent serve in all the armed forces combined, active duty and reserve. Compare that to previous wartimes: 4 percent served during Vietnam, 12 percent during World War II, 11 percent during the Civil War. Today, in many neighborhoods, civilians can go about their lives without ever crossing paths with someone on active duty. Even in military towns, connections are hard to sustain -- active-duty service members move every three years, on average. "They're coaching youth soccer, serving as deacons, volunteering in the schools," Segal says. "But if they're deployed, you lose your deacon." Meanwhile, rootless military children are always the new kid, rarely graduating from the same high school where they started as freshmen.
More and more in America, civilians have no contact with the people who do the fighting, yet civilians are the ones who decide when and where those people fight. What happens to a democracy when its civilians live in one world and its warriors in another?
For now, America tucks the tiny tribe of people who still do its dirty work out of sight of most civilians, on and around scattered military installations. There, service members and their families live and work -- and mourn -- behind guarded gates and barbed wire.
On Camp Geiger, the Southern sun glares down on a cinder-block building painted a blinding white. This is the School of Infantry's headquarters. From here, Col. David Close watches over the training of Marines such as Tuyishimire.
"When I think of patriotism," the colonel says, "I think of selfless service. I think of the people that are dying." Suddenly, his eyes redden. His mouth quivers. "I have a hard time with the families left behind." The words stop coming.
He's a tall, rangy man, hair bristling gray. He looks like a man who should be carrying a sword, not fighting tears. When he speaks again, his voice shakes. "The word patriotism rings hollow with that. There are no words for it. It can't be explained."
His voice steadies as he describes a scene that movies have made familiar: a recent death notification on the base, the official car driving through a neighborhood of enlisted family housing on a Saturday morning, the young women who were outside setting up a yard sale all going still, waiting to see where the car would stop.
"That's patriotism," Close says. He acknowledges that outsiders, those who haven't lived this iconic moment, can hear about casualties and feel sad and make the connection between the policy decision and the end state. "But the families give up the one they love for their country. It's the families, the way of life. If you don't serve, you don't understand."
Kristin Henderson, who is married to a Navy chaplain, is the author of While They're at War: The True Story of American Families on the Home Front. See the article for the full text:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/18/AR2007071802785.html
Friday, September 5, 2008
Anniversary
Two years ago today...
I was hired full time at my current job, as an associate data analyst at Aerojet. Data center, material review board, building books for customers, salvaging non-conforming material, the list goes on.
If you're interested: http://www.aerojet.com/home.php
Well, here I am, and we'll see where I'm at a year from now. This is not exactly what I though I'd be doing when I was going to college, but it has turned out to be a great job so far.
J
I was hired full time at my current job, as an associate data analyst at Aerojet. Data center, material review board, building books for customers, salvaging non-conforming material, the list goes on.
If you're interested: http://www.aerojet.com/home.php
Well, here I am, and we'll see where I'm at a year from now. This is not exactly what I though I'd be doing when I was going to college, but it has turned out to be a great job so far.
J
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Last two days
Band, band, band! That's pretty much it. 3 hour rehearsal last night - and a 3 hour rehearsal a couple hours ago. The show for Saturday against BYU has a full-fledged pre-game, where we play eight songs with five formations and a couple intricate transitions thrown in for good measure. That was pretty much all we did the first day, along with reading through the three tunes we have for halftime. The halftime songs and charts are pretty easy, because the main feature of the show will be our guest artist, a all percussion rock group called "SMASH".
Other than that, I've been staying up way too late again, so I think I'm going to head to bed so I can make it to work on time tomorrow without being to groggy.
So, tomorrow it's work (for 6 hours - one hour to make up because of the weird holiday schedule, and one to make up because I fell asleep again after my alarm got me up this morning) and then to the dentist, and then 3 precious hours with nothing scheduled, and then more band, and then the viewing of the 100th episode of Monk. Sounds like good times to me... we'll see.
Jp
Other than that, I've been staying up way too late again, so I think I'm going to head to bed so I can make it to work on time tomorrow without being to groggy.
So, tomorrow it's work (for 6 hours - one hour to make up because of the weird holiday schedule, and one to make up because I fell asleep again after my alarm got me up this morning) and then to the dentist, and then 3 precious hours with nothing scheduled, and then more band, and then the viewing of the 100th episode of Monk. Sounds like good times to me... we'll see.
Jp
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
New story...
Oh, I forgot! New WENN fanfiction... it's not much, but I wanted to fill in a hole, and it turned out better than I thought. I like Hank pretty well - almost as much as I like Paul from my finale. Writing is fun!
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4512330/1/Passage
Oh, and happy VJ Day.
J
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4512330/1/Passage
Oh, and happy VJ Day.
J
Pictures and Stories
Labor Day!Oooh, all day with the family yesterday! My grandparents are still here from North Carolina, (they go home tomorrow morning) and my sister brought over their brand new batch of baby bunnies! They had six little ones this time around, and they are adorable!
After going to bed too late, working on a project, I slept in until 9! Gosh, it's nice! That morning after breakfast, I was able to figure out how to get all of my China pictures onto the right card, and I figured out how to use the AV cable right, so I did a slide show on the TV off of my camera... I'm too slow at these things. I was nervous about how long it would take, because of the number of pictures I took, but I went through them just fine. I then showed off my Chinese money, and fans, and straw hat, and books, and then donned my glorious orchestra band uniform, and it was quite funny.
We had pizza for lunch, and strawberry shortcake for dessert, and lots of time together.
Well, back to normal for a while, sort of. Tomorrow rehearsals start for the next VA band game... but this is the last one this weekend. Other than this for the rest of the season, I'll just be showing up on certain Saturdays (that I choose), playing at the game and going home. No more rehearsals! Whoa!
Jp
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