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January 04, 2008Final Post"I am leaving this message for you because it appears I must leave sooner than I intended. I would have preferred to say this in person, but since I cannot, let me say it here." "Only the dead have seen the end of war." This is an entry I would have preferred not to have published, but there are limits to what we can control in life, and apparently I have passed one of those limits. And so, like G'Kar, I must say here what I would much prefer to say in person. I want to thank hilzoy for putting it up for me. It's not easy asking anyone to do something for you in the event of your death, and it is a testament to her quality that she didn't hesitate to accept the charge. As with many bloggers, I have a disgustingly large ego, and so I just couldn't bear the thought of not being able to have the last word if the need arose. Perhaps I take that further than most, I don't know. I hope so. It's frightening to think there are many people as neurotic as I am in the world. In any case, since I won't get another chance to say what I think, I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. Such as it is. "When some people die, it's time to be sad. But when other people die, like really evil people, or the Irish, it's time to celebrate." "And maybe now it's your turn What I don't want this to be is a chance for me, or anyone else, to be maudlin. I'm dead. That sucks, at least for me and my family and friends. But all the tears in the world aren't going to bring me back, so I would prefer that people remember the good things about me rather than mourning my loss. (If it turns out a specific number of tears will, in fact, bring me back to life, then by all means, break out the onions.) I had a pretty good life, as I noted above. Sure, all things being equal I would have preferred to have more time, but I have no business complaining with all the good fortune I've enjoyed in my life. So if you're up for that, put on a little 80s music (preferably vintage 1980-1984), grab a Coke and have a drink with me. If you have it, throw 'Freedom Isn't Free' from the Team America soundtrack in; if you can't laugh at that song, I think you need to lighten up a little. I'm dead, but if you're reading this, you're not, so take a moment to enjoy that happy fact. "Our thoughts form the universe. They always matter." Believe it or not, one of the things I will miss most is not being able to blog any longer. The ability to put my thoughts on (virtual) paper and put them where people can read and respond to them has been marvelous, even if most people who have read my writings haven't agreed with them. If there is any hope for the long term success of democracy, it will be if people agree to listen to and try to understand their political opponents rather than simply seeking to crush them. While the blogosphere has its share of partisans, there are some awfully smart people making excellent arguments out there as well, and I know I have learned quite a bit since I began blogging. I flatter myself I may have made a good argument or two as well; if I didn't, please don't tell me. It has been a great five-plus years. I got to meet a lot of people who are way smarter than me, including such luminaries as Virginia Postrel and her husband Stephen (speaking strictly from a 'improving the species' perspective, it's tragic those two don't have kids, because they're both scary smart.), the estimable hilzoy and Sebastian of Obsidian Wings, Jeff Goldstein and Stephen Green, the men who consistently frustrated me with their mix of wit and wisdom I could never match, and I've no doubt left out a number of people to whom I apologize. Bottom line: if I got the chance to meet you through blogging, I enjoyed it. I'm only sorry I couldn't meet more of you. In particular I'd like to thank Jim Henley, who while we've never met has been a true comrade, whose words have taught me and whose support has been of great personal value to me. I would very much have enjoyed meeting Jim. Blogging put me in touch with an inordinate number of smart people, an exhilarating if humbling experience. When I was young, I was smart, but the older I got, the more I realized just how dumb I was in comparison to truly smart people. But, to my credit, I think, I was at least smart enough to pay attention to the people with real brains and even occasionally learn something from them. It has been joy and a pleasure having the opportunity to do this. "It's not fair." "They didn't even dig him a decent grave." I suppose I should speak to the circumstances of my death. It would be nice to believe that I died leading men in battle, preferably saving their lives at the cost of my own. More likely I was caught by a marksman or an IED. But if there is an afterlife, I'm telling anyone who asks that I went down surrounded by hundreds of insurgents defending a village composed solely of innocent women and children. It'll be our little secret, ok? I do ask (not that I'm in a position to enforce this) that no one try to use my death to further their political purposes. I went to Iraq and did what I did for my reasons, not yours. My life isn't a chit to be used to bludgeon people to silence on either side. If you think the U.S. should stay in Iraq, don't drag me into it by claiming that somehow my death demands us staying in Iraq. If you think the U.S. ought to get out tomorrow, don't cite my name as an example of someone's life who was wasted by our mission in Iraq. I have my own opinions about what we should do about Iraq, but since I'm not around to expound on them I'd prefer others not try and use me as some kind of moral capital to support a position I probably didn't support. Further, this is tough enough on my family without their having to see my picture being used in some rally or my name being cited for some political purpose. You can fight political battles without hurting my family, and I'd prefer that you did so. On a similar note, while you're free to think whatever you like about my life and death, if you think I wasted my life, I'll tell you you're wrong. We're all going to die of something. I died doing a job I loved. When your time comes, I hope you are as fortunate as I was. "What an idiot! What a loser!" "Oh and I don't want to die for you, but if dying's asked of me; Those who know me through my writings on the Internet over the past five-plus years probably have wondered at times about my chosen profession. While I am not a Libertarian, I certainly hold strongly individualistic beliefs. Yet I have spent my life in a profession that is not generally known for rugged individualism. Worse, I volunteered to return to active duty knowing that the choice would almost certainly lead me to Iraq. The simple explanation might be that I was simply stupid, and certainly I make no bones about having done some dumb things in my life, but I don't think this can be chalked up to stupidity. Maybe I was inconsistent in my beliefs; there are few people who adhere religiously to the doctrines of their chosen philosophy, whatever that may be. But I don't think that was the case in this instance either. As passionate as I am about personal freedom, I don't buy the claims of anarchists that humanity would be just fine without any government at all. There are too many people in the world who believe that they know best how people should live their lives, and many of them are more than willing to use force to impose those beliefs on others. A world without government simply wouldn't last very long; as soon as it was established, strongmen would immediately spring up to establish their fiefdoms. So there is a need for government to protect the people's rights. And one of the fundamental tools to do that is an army that can prevent outside agencies from imposing their rules on a society. A lot of people will protest that argument by noting that the people we are fighting in Iraq are unlikely to threaten the rights of the average American. That's certainly true; while our enemies would certainly like to wreak great levels of havoc on our society, the fact is they're not likely to succeed. But that doesn't mean there isn't still a need for an army (setting aside debates regarding whether ours is the right size at the moment). Americans are fortunate that we don't have to worry too much about people coming to try and overthrow us, but part of the reason we don't have to worry about that is because we have an army that is stopping anyone who would try. Soldiers cannot have the option of opting out of missions because they don't agree with them: that violates the social contract. The duly-elected American government decided to go to war in Iraq. (Even if you maintain President Bush was not properly elected, Congress voted for war as well.) As a soldier, I have a duty to obey the orders of the President of the United States as long as they are Constitutional. I can no more opt out of missions I disagree with than I can ignore laws I think are improper. I do not consider it a violation of my individual rights to have gone to Iraq on orders because I raised my right hand and volunteered to join the army. Whether or not this mission was a good one, my participation in it was an affirmation of something I consider quite necessary to society. So if nothing else, I gave my life for a pretty important principle; I can (if you'll pardon the pun) live with that. "It's all so brief, isn't it? A typical human lifespan is almost a hundred years. But it's barely a second compared to what's out there. It wouldn't be so bad if life didn't take so long to figure out. Seems you just start to get it right, and then...it's over." I wish I could say I'd at least started to get it right. Although, in my defense, I think I batted a solid .250 or so. Not a superstar, but at least able to play in the big leagues. I'm afraid I can't really offer any deep secrets or wisdom. I lived my life better than some, worse than others, and I like to think that the world was a little better off for my having been here. Not very much, but then, few of us are destined to make more than a tiny dent in history's Green Monster. I would be lying if I didn't admit I would have liked to have done more, but it's a bit too late for that now, eh? The bottom line, for me, is that I think I can look back at my life and at least see a few areas where I may have made a tiny difference, and massive ego aside, that's probably not too bad. "The flame also reminds us that life is precious. As each flame is unique; when it goes out, it's gone forever. There will never be another quite like it." I write this in part, admittedly, because I would like to think that there's at least a little something out there to remember me by. Granted, this site will eventually vanish, being ephemeral in a very real sense of the word, but at least for a time it can serve as a tiny record of my contributions to the world. But on a larger scale, for those who knew me well enough to be saddened by my death, especially for those who haven't known anyone else lost to this war, perhaps my death can serve as a small reminder of the costs of war. Regardless of the merits of this war, or of any war, I think that many of us in America have forgotten that war means death and suffering in wholesale lots. A decision that for most of us in America was academic, whether or not to go to war in Iraq, had very real consequences for hundreds of thousands of people. Yet I was as guilty as anyone of minimizing those very real consequences in lieu of a cold discussion of theoretical merits of war and peace. Now I'm facing some very real consequences of that decision; who says life doesn't have a sense of humor? But for those who knew me and feel this pain, I think it's a good thing to realize that this pain has been felt by thousands and thousands (probably millions, actually) of other people all over the world. That is part of the cost of war, any war, no matter how justified. If everyone who feels this pain keeps that in mind the next time we have to decide whether or not war is a good idea, perhaps it will help us to make a more informed decision. Because it is pretty clear that the average American would not have supported the Iraq War had they known the costs going in. I am far too cynical to believe that any future debate over war will be any less vitriolic or emotional, but perhaps a few more people will realize just what those costs can be the next time. This may be a contradiction of my above call to keep politics out of my death, but I hope not. Sometimes going to war is the right idea. I think we've drawn that line too far in the direction of war rather than peace, but I'm a soldier and I know that sometimes you have to fight if you're to hold onto what you hold dear. But in making that decision, I believe we understate the costs of war; when we make the decision to fight, we make the decision to kill, and that means lives and families destroyed. Mine now falls into that category; the next time the question of war or peace comes up, if you knew me at least you can understand a bit more just what it is you're deciding to do, and whether or not those costs are worth it. "This is true love. You think this happens every day?" "Good night, my love, the brightest star in my sky." This is the hardest part. While I certainly have no desire to die, at this point I no longer have any worries. That is not true of the woman who made my life something to enjoy rather than something merely to survive. She put up with all of my faults, and they are myriad, she endured separations again and again...I cannot imagine being more fortunate in love than I have been with Amanda. Now she has to go on without me, and while a cynic might observe she's better off, I know that this is a terrible burden I have placed on her, and I would give almost anything if she would not have to bear it. It seems that is not an option. I cannot imagine anything more painful than that, and if there is an afterlife, this is a pain I'll bear forever. I wasn't the greatest husband. I could have done so much more, a realization that, as it so often does, comes too late to matter. But I cherished every day I was married to Amanda. When everything else in my life seemed dark, she was always there to light the darkness. It is difficult to imagine my life being worth living without her having been in it. I hope and pray that she goes on without me and enjoys her life as much as she deserves. I can think of no one more deserving of happiness than her. "I will see you again, in the place where no shadows fall." I don't know if there is an afterlife; I tend to doubt it, to be perfectly honest. But if there is any way possible, Amanda, then I will live up to Delenn's words, somehow, some way. I love you. *** [A note from hilzoy, the friend he asked to put this post up: people are leaving their respects to Andy here, here, and here.] Posted at 11:18 AM · Personal · Comments (0) · TrackBack (0)
February 08, 2007Choices"For a warrior there is no other end to the journey." -- Alyt Neroon, Babylon 5 Geez, I'm sick for a few days and I miss a thread where I'm actually a featured player. I'm going to lose my egotist's society membership card if I'm not careful. Fortunately, I'm firmly of the belief that it's never to late to talk about myself, and since the thread dovetailed rather neatly with some thoughts of my own that I've been kicking around for some time, I just couldn't resist. As many readers are probably aware, the court martial for First Lieutenant Ehren Watada began on Monday (although it has since been delayed due to a mistrial and is now scheduled for another attempt in mid-March). 1LT Watada will be on trial for missing movement and conduct unbecoming an officer, the first for his decision not to deploy with his unit to Iraq, the second for comments he has made about the President in the course of his arguments against the war. 1LT Watada is something of a hero among many who oppose the war for his refusal to go to Iraq; he says that the war is illegal and that he is justified in not going because he cannot legally be ordered to fight an illegal war (which is true if the war is illegal). I respect 1LT Watada's willingness to risk jail and a dishonorable discharge for his beliefs. It takes courage to stand up for a position that, among Watada's peers, has to be incredibly unpopular. Still, as Bob McManus pointed out, if enough soldiers would refuse to go, it would eventually force the United States to end the war for lack of manpower. While the war is not illegal, it is, in my opinion, a disaster that is almost certainly going to end with the U.S. leaving Iraq to work out its problems on its own and with the aid of its neighbors. Isn't it worth it, then, to work to bring that about sooner rather than later by doing what we can to stop the war? To some degree, I think the answer to that question is yes. I respect the willingness of those who attend protest marches and who harangue their Representatives and Senators to do more to bring the war to a close. But I cannot bring myself to join those ranks. The writers of the Constitution were very careful to establish civilian control over the military. They were well aware of the dangers of a standing army, dangers I believe we would do well to remember today, and they wanted to make sure that there would be no Napoleons making mischief in North America (note to pedants: yes, I know Napoleon hadn't yet caused any mischief when the Constitution was written, but he serves to make the point better than some lesser-known figure). Even during the American Civil War, when there were calls for American generals, particularly George McClellan, to set themselves up as dictator to win the war, no general ever gave it serious thought that I am aware, and in the 20th century the extremely popular General Douglas MacArthur did not attempt to defy President Truman when Truman relieved him. This does not mean that soldiers do not or can not be permitted personal opinions; as a survey of milblogs today or a review of soldiers' diaries from past conflicts can quickly reveal, American soldiers have always had their own strongly-held views about what the government ought to be doing with them. But when push comes to shove, they shut up and do what they're told. It has to be that way. Nobody in their right mind wants to go into combat for the sake of going into combat. While I cannot speak from experience, I believe I am on safe ground in saying that war is a horrible, dehumanizing, degrading experience that does terrible things to all who experience it. Given a choice, many soldiers would opt out of combat; indeed, even during truly existential wars in our history, our government has had to rely on a draft to muster sufficient combat power to win. Today, however, all of our soldiers are volunteers, and except for perhaps a very thin slice of them, all have had the opportunity to opt out of the service since the war began. Why they have not done so varies from individual to individual. Some may have been tempted by the large reenlistment bonuses available to them. Others may enjoy the military and are willing to suffer the occasional deployment as a cost of that life. Others may not want to let down their comrades in arms. There are probably as many reasons as there are soldiers who have made those choices, in fact. And I have no doubt that one factor that prevents more people from bailing out when the time comes for them to deploy is the knowledge that they would face legal charges if they did so, as they should. As has been noted many times before, the United States is not a democracy. It is a republic. We elect men and women to make decisions for us. As long as they make those decisions in accordance with the framework we have set out, we are bound by law to respect those decisions. It doesn't matter if someone personally believes that the income tax is unconstitutional: our system has determined that it is, and if you choose not to pay it, you will suffer the consequences. This system works, in large part, because we all implicitly agree to it. There are many more citizens than there are police and soldiers; if enough people disobey the law, it is almost impossible for the government to enforce it (see speed limit laws as a textbook example, where enforcement is generally used more as a fund raiser than anything else). Of course, if enough people choose not to go along with it, the system breaks down and we all get to start over again. Given that Adams and Madison are long dead and I can't think of a single modern politician who stacks up to either of those gentlemen, I'm not overly enamored of such a result. I happen to think that, for Congress to meet its Constitutional requirement of declaring war, they ought to have to formally declare that a state of war exists between the United States and whatever nation or group we're supposed to be fighting. But I cannot be the arbiter of what is constitutional, because if I can, than we all can and we no longer have a constitution. We have to subordinate our own beliefs to our system or the system simply doesn't work. And while I am libertarian in many of my beliefs, I am not of the belief that we can get by without government at all. The system only works if we agree to be bound by it. Therefore I, and every other soldier who volunteers to serve, have to be willing to abide by the results of our system. And our system, our government, says that this war is a legal war and that we must fight it. I suspect that some will argue that there are some things that are worth tearing everything down for. I concur with that belief, but I do not think it obtains in this case. Our situation is not yet so grim that we need to tear down the very foundations of our republic in order to set things right. Perhaps it will yet come to that. But we're not there yet. I hope we never reach such a point. Until then, I cannot escape the conclusion that it is the duty of soldiers to obey their orders and fight where and when their government tells them to fight. Posted at 08:14 AM · Personal • · Philosophy • · War · Comments (3) · TrackBack (0)
December 18, 2006Andrew of ArabiaIt seems that the situation in Iraq is worse than I thought. The Army has accepted my application to active duty and is sending me to Iraq as commander of a battalion MiTT team. That means I'll embed with an Iraqi battalion and I and my team will attempt to train and assist that battalion to be able to stand on their own and serve the Iraqi government. Yes, I'm aware of the inherent difficulties in that mission, so you needn't fill my comments with wry observations about what you think about the Iraqi Army. In about six months, I'll be able to provide some firsthand experience, and we'll see what comes of that. Posted at 09:25 PM · Personal · Comments (19) · TrackBack (0)
November 11, 2006GettysburgGettysburg is an impressive battlefield. Despite the fact the battle took place west and south of a village of some 2,400 people that has only grown in the intervening 143 years, most of the battlefield belongs to the National Park Service and has been remarkably well-preserved. The Park Service is even clearing away trees to make the battlefield more true to how it looked on July 1-3, 1863, although that process has some ways to go. A few highlights:
This is the stone fence where Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine defended the Little Round Top. It's a bit different from the movie, unsurprisingly (only a few scenes of the film were shot on the battlefield); the slope is not nearly as steep as you might think, and the regiment took remarkably few casualties considering it withstood repeated assaults from the 15th Alabama before launching a bayonet charge against Colonel Oates' exhausted men, capturing some 400 prisoners and ending the threat to the Federal flank.
Here we look down from the top of Little Round Top into the Devil's Den. General Hood's division managed to take this position and assault the front of Little Round Top, but it was brutal fighting. The small creek running through the Devil's Den is known as Plum Run, but after the battle it was called Bloody Run, for its waters ran red with blood for days.
This is a view of the objective of Pickett's Charge, looking across the fields crossed by the men of Pickett's Division and Pettigrew and Trimble's brigades. On the right is a small copse of trees, surrounded by a fence today, and on the left is Ziegler's Woods. The area as a whole was where Pickett was to break the Federal lines and win the battle for the Army of Northern Virginia, and some of his men did succeed in breaking the lines, but there were no Confederate forces available to follow up the success, and Federal forces were quickly able to seal the gap. 15,000 men charged across this ground, and roughly 7,000 came back.
This is where the charge broke: the bloody angle. Confederate forces under Brigadier General Lewis Armistead got across this stone fence at great cost.
And this is where Brigadier General Armistead was mortally wounded by troops of the Union II Corps under Major General Winfield Hancock. Hancock was wounded in the charge, but remained on the battlefield until his troops turned back Pickett's Charge, at which time he was carried to the hospital. Hancock and Armistead had been best of friends prior to the war.
This is east of Gettysburg, where Major General Jeb Stuart's cavalry attempted to get around the Federals' right flank and strike them in the rear. Federal cavalry of the 2d Cavalry Division under Major General Gregg met them here and fought a long but inconclusive battle. This monument is to the 1st Maryland Cavalry. Note the inscription: "Maryland's Tribute to Her Loyal Sons." There are very few monuments to Confederate units at Gettysburg, whereas there is one to just about every Federal regiment. This is because the battlefield was controlled by veterans of the Army of the Potomac, and they had no interest in permitting their enemies to put up their own monuments. In more recent years, every Southern state was permitted to place a memorial to veterans from their states, and there are a very few regimental memorials for Southern troops, but that's all. Because Maryland had soldiers fighting on both sides, all Maryland memorials we saw noted that the memorial was to her loyal sons, AKA, those who fought for the Union.
Among the units engaged was the 1st Maine Cavalry, a unit near and dear to my heart as one of my ancestors fought with the Maine cavalry (although I've been unable to determine if it was the 1st Maine Cavalry).
This is a shot of the field and barn where the Federal and Confederate cavalry and horse artillery clashed. Much of the fighting centered around the barn in the picture; Federal cavalry fought around the barn's right, Confederates to the left.
This is the National Military Cemetary at Gettysburg at sundown. The small white markers are graves of unknown soldiers. The monument is to one of the regiments who fought at Gettysburg, as the markers extend even into the cemetary (which, of course, wasn't there prior to the battle).
And this is the Lincoln Address Memorial, which commemorates Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address. While Lincoln was not the featured speaker that day (that honor fell to Edward Everett), his speech remains one of the most stirring and memorable explanations of America known. It was a great day, and I only regret not getting more chances to see the entire battlefield. While we went to just about every spot on the field, we didn't always get out to look around, and there is so much to see that even though I thought we'd seen everything, I can think of several places I hope to visit tomorrow before we leave. Update: Welcome, Pajamas Media readers. Don't forget that there's plenty of more interesting stuff on the main page. Posted at 08:26 PM · History • · Personal · Comments (0) · TrackBack (0)
November 10, 2006Heading EastWe're heading to Baltimore, and from there to Gettysburg to visit the battlefield. I've got the camera, so tomorrow night I'll try to post some pictures from there. Until then, enjoy your day. Posted at 06:14 AM · Personal · Comments (0) · TrackBack (0)
October 11, 2006Five YearsI was there, at the dawn of the age of the blogosphere. It began in the Earth year 2001, shortly after the al Qaeda attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. Yes, today marks the fifth anniversary of this site. One month after the attacks of September 11, having discovered blogs on that ugly day, I decided to throw my own hat into the ring with mixed results. It took about two months for things to really get moving, but by the end of 2001 I'd bought the domain name and started blogging in earnest, generally posting at least once a day for the better part of four years. I took a hiatus in year four before coming back when I decided that I still had more to say (or, perhaps more precisely, I had found new ways to say the same old thing). It has been a fascinating experience. Over the years some really smart people have stopped by to comment (and some really dumb people, but you take the good with the bad), I've had the chance to do things I might never otherwise have done, and I get to pretend I have a voice in the grand national dialogue we rarely actually have in the United States. Along with my work on the Iraq Report over at Winds of Change and my brief stint at Obsidian Wings, I think I at least got my voice out there from time-to-time, and perhaps even made someone think once or twice. There have been frustrations as well. Building an audience for a blog is hard work, and as someone who believes the cream rises to the top, the lack of popularity of this blog has been a great ego check. And not all the people who've come by have been particularly welcome, of course. But those have all been minor things when balanced against the fun I've had doing this over the last five years. Thank you to my readers (hi Dad); I really am honored that you find my work worthwhile enough to read. I hope I can keep things interesting over the next five years. The blogosphere certainly isn't our last, best hope for peace, but I think it's a damn valuable tool when it's used right, and I plan to do my best to contribute a little to that right here. Posted at 06:13 AM · Personal · Comments (2) · TrackBack (0)
September 20, 2006Smart PeopleA quick congratulations is due to my sister-in-law, who yesterday successfully defended her PhD thesis. As I understand it, that does not involve a steel cage match, but it still seems pretty darn impressive to a guy who can barely spell PhD. More seriously, congratulations to her and her husband on an impressive achievement. Posted at 07:58 AM · Personal · Comments (2) · TrackBack (0)
June 13, 2006On the Road AgainI have deployed forward to scenic Fort Riley, Kansas. Unfortunately, internet access is not what it might be where I'm staying, so posting may be more sporadic than usual. I'll do my best to keep the site up, but I can make no promises until things out here settle down. Posted at 01:11 PM · Personal · Comments (3) · TrackBack (0)
May 12, 2006Two Cheers for AppleBack in January I picked up an iPod, a decision I've been thrilled with ever since. I listen to it almost all day, with earphones when I'm working out in the morning, over my car radio thanks to a nifty plug-in, and at work through some portable speakers; it's a terrific product. Unfortunately, on Sunday mine died, possibly due to hard drive failure. Not wanting to be without it for any longer than necessary, I went to the web site (the iPod actually had the address on the screen, as well as a symbol diagnosing the basic problem) and went through the troubleshooting procedures. Those quickly came to the conclusion I needed to send it in for service, so I went through the service request process until it hung on step four of six. Annoyed, I called the tech support line. The tech told me that I was not eligible for tech support, but when I explained my problem with the web site to him, he put me on hold to talk to his supervisor and then took the information himself. Wednesday the box to ship it back to Apple arrived, and yesterday I put it in a DHL box. When I got home from work today there was an email waiting for me to tell me my iPod had arrived at the support center, and a link so I could check its progress. Looking at about 5:30 my time, it told me the problem was being diagnosed. No surprise, since it just got there. I checked again around 7:00 to make sure that the link I'd saved in My Favorites would take me back there and now it tells me that the issue has been identified and that product replacement is pending. While I'm sad that the iPod apparently has died, I'm pretty darn impressed with Apple's product support. Other than the hangup trying to get the service request processed on the web site, the entire experience has been virtually painless, and I can't help but be impressed with the speed with which Apple has addressed the problem. If only Apple made a tablet PC, I'd be darn likely to return to the Apple system. Posted at 07:39 PM · Personal · Comments (0) · TrackBack (0)
February 19, 2006Silly Political Tests
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April 27, 2005The Thrill is GoneIt's been a while, for which I apologize. I'm afraid that life has become rather busy of late, as we have a vast number of units preparing to come through Carson for various missions and my battalion is involved in training many of them. Given that we're training them to go to war, I suspect we can all agree that the training has to be a priority. But the truth is that I could probably maintain at least a daily level of blogging if I chose to do so. I simply choose not to any longer, simply because blogging isn't fun any longer. This is not a lament or a complaint; blogging is something I do, not what I am. I've blogged for the past three-plus years because it was something I enjoyed doing. For the past few months, however, it has become more of a chore than a joy, and so I see little reason to spend my time in that fashion. When I took the past week off, it felt pretty good not having the specter of the blog hanging over me. Does this mean I'm retiring from blogging? Probably not. I suspect my innate need to write will draw me back from time to time, particularly as the baseball season peaks and Battlestar Galactica's second season begins. But daily writing will probably not be the norm here for some time, as I choose to focus my efforts in other areas. I would like to thank my readers for their patronage, and especially those who left insightful comments over the years. Fortunately for all of you, there is a vast world of great writers out there, so my reduced schedule will hardly leave you with nothing to read. Enjoy. Posted at 07:55 AM · Personal · Comments (8) · TrackBack (0)
April 12, 2005Book MemeI'm not sure what this means, but I've been tagged by Rook, which apparently obliges me to answer five questions regarding books. So, here goes. Question One: If I was stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do I want to be [saved]. That's a very difficult question, as I can't imagine only being able to have one book. I probably own over a thousand, and I buy many more every year. (I even read some of them.) Still, if I could only have a single book, I suppose I'd have to save We Were Soldiers Once, and Young by LTG Harold Moore and Joe Galloway, although there are several others that could easily claim that prize as well. Question Two: Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? This claims to be a book meme, and I don't believe I've ever had a crush on a character in a book, so I'll answer no. Question Three: The last book I bought is? Technically, the answer is Passporter Walt Disney World Resort 2005, since we're heading to Florida on Saturday. However, the last book I bought for the purpose of reading was Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. And for the record, while it's a terrific book, I don't think I'm quite to stress-free yet. Question Four: What books am I currently reading? I just finished Michael Crichton's State of Fear and haven't started a new volume yet, so I'll use this meme as an excuse to start a new book: Truman, by David McCullough. Question Five: What five books would I take to a desert island? Clearly We Were Soldiers would be there, plus The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, The Lord of the Rings, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Politics of Glory. Apparently I'm now supposed to tag someone else with this. That makes me a touch uncomfortable, as it smacks of a chain letter. (I don't mind Rook tagging me at all, but I don't know if anyone I tagged would feel the same.) So I think I'll leave it to my readers; I have several regular blogger readers; if any of them are interested, I'm confident they'll take up the challenge. Posted at 03:08 PM · Personal · Comments (1) · TrackBack (0)
March 13, 2005Where Have I Been?Via Will Wilkinson, a quick bit of information about me that doesn't really mean anything. (For the record, I only cited states as 'lived in' if I was actually stationed there, so trips to the NTC and Basic Training were not counted as having lived in those states. Kentucky is borderline, as I only lived there for two five-month periods for the basic and advanced courses.) Apparently this was inspired by Matt Yglesias's recent admission that his trip to Virginia was his first visit to a red state. (And they say red staters are parochial. ;) bold the states you've been to, underline the states you've lived in and italicize the state you're in now... Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C / Go HERE to have a form generate the HTML for you. Posted at 08:41 AM · Personal · Comments (5) · TrackBack (1)
February 02, 2005As If You CaredMy interview with Jennifer Larson is now up at her site. I recommend her entire interview page, as there are some quite interesting ones up there. Posted at 10:25 AM · Personal · Comments (5) · TrackBack (0)
January 21, 2005Interview TimeJennifer of Jennifer's History and Stuff will be posting an interview of yours truly in roughly two weeks. Before the interview can begin, she needs questions, which is where my faithful readers come in. If you have a question you're dying to ask about me or the site or really anything related to those things, please email them to jenlarson(at)gmail(dot)com by noon on January 27. I'll let you all know when the interview is complete. Posted at 04:35 PM · Personal · Comments (2) · TrackBack (0)
January 14, 2005For Your EntertainmentYes, everyone's doing it: put all the music on your computer in a playlist, shuffle, and list the top ten songs. Submitted, for your approval: Buddy Holly by Weezer Part of Your Life by The Outfield You Are the Girl by The Cars Voices of Babylon by The Outfield Shock by The Psychedelic Furs Against All Odds by Phil Collins Suffer the Children by Tears for Fears Sooner or Later by Madonna One of These Days by Michelle Branch Rock Me by Liz Phair I won't testify to how representative that is, but I don't consider it a bad selection off the top.Posted at 07:43 AM · Personal · Comments (1) · TrackBack (0)
January 12, 20052004 For the RecordVia Vodkapundit I see this questionnaire about 2004, so I've decided to throw my own answers in because, let's face it, if you don't care you just won't read the answers. 1. What did you do in 2004 that you’d never done before? I went to El Paso, Texas and spent over half the year there (and counting). 2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Most of my resolutions were overcome by events: it’s hard to climb Pike’s Peak when you’re not living in Colorado anymore. Those that I could have kept, however…let’s just say they’re still on the list. I have made new goals for this year, however, and we’ll see how that works out. 3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No, I hang out with people who live by the Seinfeldian dictum of a barren, sterile life that ends when you die. 4. Did anyone close to you die? No. 5. What countries did you visit? None. I haven’t even made it over the border into Mexico. 6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004? More time with my wife and family. 7. What date from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory? June 21: the day I came to El Paso. (What, you were expecting something momentous?) 8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting a job as a battalion S-3. 9. What was your biggest failure? Tough choice, as there were many, but I’ll go with I didn’t write enough. 10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Just my toothache. 11. What was the best thing you bought? Frederick Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom. 12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Curt Schilling’s. 13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? I was somewhat appalled by what I saw as Gary Farber’s descent into partisan hack, but it didn’t depress me. 14. Where did most of your money go? Books and DVDs. 15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The Red Sox. 16. What song/album will always remind you of 2004? We Are the Champions, Queen 17. Compared to this time last year, are you: • Happier or sadder? Happier. • Thinner or fatter? A little thinner. • Richer or poorer? Richer. 18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Looking for a better job within the military. 19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Accepting the status quo. 20. How will you be spending Christmas? Too late. 21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with? My wife. 22. Did you fall in love in 2004? Yes, with the 2004 Red Sox and with Amanda (again). 23. How many one-night stands in this last year? None, bringing my lifetime count to…none. 24. What was your favorite TV program? I don’t watch TV. The TV show I saw the most of was Babylon 5. 25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No. 26. What was the best book(s) you read? Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom. 27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Bowling for Soup’s 1985 28. What did you want and get? Christmas at home and a Red Sox pennant. 29. What did you want and not get? More weblog traffic. 30. What were your favorite films of this year? Spider-Man 2 and The Incredibles. 31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I don’t remember what I did, but I turned 34. 32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? See #6. 33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004? Many more Red Sox t-shirts. 34. What kept you sane? My wife. 35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Virginia Postrel 36. What political issue stirred you the most? Probably Abu Ghraib and its continuing aftermath 37. Who did you miss? My grandmother. 38. Who was the best new person you met? Virginia Postrel 39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004. Success is up to you. 40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. “I live as I choose, or I will not live at all.” Free to Decide, The CranberriesPosted at 11:59 AM · Personal · Comments (4) · TrackBack (0)
December 16, 2004Tactical PauseMy apologies for the lack of posting of late, but I have been moved into a battalion S3 position (that's the battalion's operations and training officer). It's a training battalion, not a tactical battalion, but there's still a great deal of work to be done, because the Army keeps throwing new tasks at us before we can complete the previous ones. Right now we're still trying to validate the training of the 29th BCT so they can deploy to Iraq, but an armor company from Vermont has arrived and we have to start training them on Saturday. This means that I'm currently about two loops back in the OODA(Observe-Orient-Decide-Act) chain with little hope of catching up any sooner than this weekend when we start training. I've got a lot of ideas percolating about Social Security, Iraq, the DC baseball team and the Cabinet, but I can't promise when I'll have time to put pixels to screen. On the plus side, there will be another good reason to visit very soon...Posted at 11:31 AM · Personal · Comments (3) · TrackBack (0)
December 01, 2004The Night ShiftFor the next week I'll be working the night shift in the brigade TOC(Tactical Operations Center). For reasons beyond my understanding, my brigade consistently believes it needs additional officers to fill out the chronically undermanned brigade staff. So my boss offered me up to fill a slot while we run the 29th brigade through its final training exercise, a ten-day brigade FTX(Field Training Exercise) intended to replicate some of the common scenarios they'll face in Iraq. As you can probably imagine, the night shift is generally long and boring, as nobody likes operating at night and they therefore minimize their operations as much as they can. Add to that the fact we're an ad hoc group that doesn't have good SOPs and you've got a challenge. So it promises to be an interesting week. (Especially as it has gotten decidedly cold here in West Texas; the walk to the chemical toilets is brutal.) No promises on how much posting I'll be able to manage, let alone how coherent I'll be after staying up all night. On the plus side, I should have some entertaining stories by the end of the week.Posted at 05:20 AM · Personal · Comments (2) · TrackBack (0)
November 25, 2004Happy ThanksgivingI am thankful for many things today, but first among them is the fact that Amanda has flown down to El Paso to spend the weekend with me. I plan to have a lovely holiday, and I hope that all of you do the same.Posted at 11:02 AM · Personal · Comments (0) · TrackBack (0)
October 14, 2004Sleep Is For the WeakIf there's one thing I have learned about JRTC(Joint Readiness Training Center), it's that people who enjoy their sleep need not apply. As an OC(Observer/Controller), I've got to be ready to roll with the unit I'm covering whenever they get the call to go, which means that I've done a lot of late-night running around of late. (This is also why we come in every few days to 'refit.' Since we're expected to be the extra set of eyes that can help to make sure that the unit is training safely, we can't be as worn down as the unit it.) Tuesday night the unit executed a cordon and search mission. The mission is simple in concept: first an outer cordon surrounds the site to be searched to make sure that nobody can come into the zone. Then an inner cordon is established around the site to make sure that nobody gets out. Finally, the search teams work their way through the objective. This mission was a resounding success, as the unit discovered a major arms cache in the village they were searching, capturing an antiaircraft missile and a mortar tube along with various small arms. However, the size of the cache meant that the outer cordon, where my unit was stationed, was in place from ten at night until almost six the next morning. A long night. Last night we were in bed by two, as the unit was allowed to return to the FOB(Forward Operating Base) shortly after midnight, after a short but intense firefight. Unfortunately, the unit really doesn't seem ready to go to war. I should start off by saying that my opinion is just that: an opinion. I haven't been to Iraq and I don't know that the unit can't handle it. But based on what I've observed so far during this rotation, I'm not impressed. The soldiers are generally motivated and willing to do what is required of them, but they're being let down by leaders who aren't skilled in planning and who aren't able or willing to do the hard things necessary for success in combat. I hope that I'm wrong, but I think the Army is not doing as much as it should to prepare units for war. (And, since I'm in a unit devoted to that, that means I'll have to take a long look at our training model to see how to better prepare these units.)Posted at 11:28 AM · Personal · Comments (3) · TrackBack (0)
October 08, 2004Into the BoxWe roll into the JRTC maneuver box tomorrow morning, and Fort Polk has minimal Internet access to begin with, so the odds are good I'm not going to be posting much for the next few weeks, although I'll try to sneak off to the library when I can. For now, I just plan to see if I can watch at least a little of the Red Sox game against Anaheim; it's been a good series so far, from my perspective, although I have some sympathy for Anaheim in Game Two, as it seemed pretty clear to me the Red Sox got the benefit of the doubt on the called third strike to Troy Glus in the eighth inning. I didn't see the debate last night, nor have I heard anything about it, so I have no observations there. I am getting some good notes about JRTC, though, so I anticipate having some valuable observations about the Army's training plan for Iraq once I finish the rotation. Until then, please feel free to use this as an open thread while I'm away, and I'll pop in to comment as I can.Posted at 02:57 PM · Personal · Comments (3) · TrackBack (0)
October 04, 2004Situation ReportI've made it to Fort Polk safely, where I have already learned all I ever wanted to know about rural Louisiana. I'm spending the night in DeRidder, 20 miles down the road, because the Army is putting us up in open-bay WWII billets and we decided we were willing to pay for a night in a hotel to avoid a night in the billets. If I can, I'll post some pictures later this week. We don't really know what we'll be doing here yet, beyond serving as observer/controllers, and Internet access is pricey, so I don't know how much additional posting I'll be able to do. Until then, the blogroll is filled with good reading. I'll be back when I can.Posted at 07:57 PM · Personal · Comments (1) · TrackBack (0)
September 19, 2004Fort Polk in the FallThe good news is, I'm going to get the chance to get out of Texas for a few weeks. The bad news is, I'll be heading to Fort Polk, Louisiana. The 116th Brigade, having just about completed their training with us at Fort Bliss, will head to the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Polk on or about the 30th of this month to go through a Mission Readiness Exercise (MRX), their capstone exercise before they leave for Iraq. Apparently JRTC is short on Observer/Controllers (O/Cs), so they've asked us for augmentees, and yours truly is on the hook. So it promises to be an interesting October. I should have some interesting stories about lessons learned when I get back, but I don't know if I'll be able to do much posting while I'm down there. You know, I think I'd rather just go to Iraq and get it over with, as the Army seems determined to keep sending me to the worst places in the U.S. as long as I'm not overseas.Posted at 01:49 PM · Personal · Comments (2) · TrackBack (0)
August 29, 2004Gutting Out Those Fifteen MinutesFor those who are interested, I will be appearing on Walking A Thin Line this Thursday starting around seven Eastern. Walking A Thin Line is a radio show based out of Florida, talking about energy independence and whatever else comes up. I spoke with one of the hosts today, and he struck me as an interesting person, so I anticipate an interesting discussion. And, on the plus side, I really don't know anyone in Florida, so if I make an ass of myself, at least it won't be in front of people I know. You can hear the broadcast at the station's web site, if you're so inclined.Posted at 07:03 PM · Personal · Comments (2) · TrackBack (0)
August 05, 2004CoolVia Sgt Hook I learn that one of the units we'll be training in October will be a battalion of the renowned 442d Regimental Combat Team. The 442d, of course, was the most-decorated American regiment in World War II, made up entirely of Japanese immigrants [correction: the 442d was made up of Issei (first generation Japanese immigrants) and descendants of Japanese immigrants).] to the United States, many of whose families would spend the war in internment camps while their loved ones fought and bled their way across Europe. (Another interesting change from WWII until now: today we're not even willing to profile Arabs or Muslims, while CAIR screams bloody murder about imagined threats to Muslims living the the U.S. Then, new Americans went to war in huge numbers to prove that their loyalties were with their new country despite their families being penned up in virtual prisons. An interesting contrast.) It will be an honor to work with such a storied unit.Posted at 05:44 PM · Personal · Comments (10) · TrackBack (0)
July 14, 2004Still HereMy apologies for the dearth of posting of late. I've been working on an essay discussing the state of American politics, but with the deployment, it's taking me some time, and this piece is going to be a little more detailed than a typical blog post. So it probably won't be done before this weekend, as I'm hoping that I will actually get some time off on Saturday or Sunday. (Or both...both is good, too.) In any case, I figured I'd offer a few thoughts on two issues that have cropped up recently. First, Vice President Cheney's decision to greet a Senator with a few curses. While I'm far from shy about cursing, I do believe that there is a time and a place for it, and the floor of Congress is not that place. More importantly, a guy who ran for office talking about restoring honor and dignity to the White House ought to consider how dignified it is to act like that. It strikes me as both lacking in class and lacking in dignity. One more reason President Bush ought to find another running mate for November. Second, Joe Wilson. Thank God for his sake the media is so partisan it's not trumpeting the news he's a liar the way it did his accusations about the President. And he's still got Josh Marshall carrying water for him, to boot. The bottom line here seems pretty simple to me: the man has been revealed as a congenital liar, and anything he has to say ought to be circular filed immediately, because there's no reason to think he's honest in any aspect of his behavior. Conversely, that doesn't justify whoever decided to out his wife; that investigation should go forward, and if they can demonstrate that the law was broken, the lawbreaker(s) should be prosecuted. I know you were all dying to know what I was thinking about those issues. There it is in a nutshell. Enjoy. ;)Posted at 07:55 PM · Personal · Comments (2) · TrackBack (0)
July 06, 2004And the Hits Just Keep On ComingRegular readers are aware that I'm currently living in El Paso, Texas, because my unit has deployed here to train a National Guard brigade for Iraq. Last night we were informed that a second brigade is now in the chute for Iraq, and they'll also be training at Fort Bliss. Therefore, since we're already here, the plan is for us to stay an additional three months to train the next brigade, take about ten days off for Christmas, and then start the new year at Fort Polk, Louisiana to support a JRTC(Joint Readiness Training Center) rotation for the brigade before they go to Iraq. Granted, while living out of a motel room isn't much fun, it certainly beats Hell out of a year in Iraq. But aside from a deployment to Iraq, another three months at Fort Bliss is certainly about the worst news I could reasonably have expected to enjoy this year. It was already promising to be a long summer; now it's promising to be a long rest of the year. Just wanted to get that off my chest. ;)Posted at 09:01 AM · Personal · Comments (1) · TrackBack (0)
June 21, 2004Made ItAs the title should attest, I survived the trip (the only real danger being, of course, boredom), and I'm reasonably safely ensconsed in my hotel room outside Fort Bliss. It looks like things have calmed down significantly since it was decided we needed to come down early, so I should have time to settle in tomorrow before things really get rolling. However, I'm thoroughly worn out right now, so I'm going to get some sleep before turning my attention to any of several issues I'm quite interested in at the moment. For now, my congratulations to the crew of Space Ship One for their outstanding performance today; here's hoping the X-Prize is in their hands by the end of July. (Perchance, the 20th?) Thanks to all who wished me luck, and Walter, I'll need some more specific directions to track Chico's down, thanks. See you all in the morning. Update: I see from the now-linked article that Space Ship One had some unexpected problems, so shooting for the X-Prize next month may be out of reach. That doesn't take away from their impressive accomplishments thus far, however.Posted at 09:21 PM · Personal · Comments (0) · TrackBack (0)
West Texas, Here I ComeAmanda and I enjoyed a very pleasant weekend, closing it out by going to see "The Terminal" last night. However, now I've got to hop into the car and make the long drive south to Fort Bliss. This is one of those things that Hollywood loves to show in movies: the soldiers leaving their loved ones behind (although, in the movies, the soldiers are leaving for war), but it seems a lot less glamorous when you actually have to do it. It will doubtless be a long summer. But it could certainly be far worse, as my best friend is getting ready to head to Iraq, while I just have to endure West Texas. Wish me luck.Posted at 06:39 AM · Personal · Comments (4) · TrackBack (0)
June 18, 2004Never a Dull MomentSo I'm getting ready for bed last night and my cell phone rings. I check the number, and it's SFC(Sergeant First Class) Rosenberger, my NCOIC(Noncommissioned Officer in Charge). He's been down at Bliss for just over a week, as part of the battalion advance party. I assumed he was just calling to let me know how things were going. So I pick up the phone, to be told that he and SFC Scrimshaw, my other guy on the advance party, are working like dogs trying to get the ranges ready for the live fires. Despite our having assembled a detailed list of requirements for us to be able to use the range, none of the ranges are in the proper shape for us to begin training the 116th Brigade next month. While SFC Rosenberger didn't quite ask, it was clear that they're going to need as much help as they can get to make sure we get everything ready before the training is supposed to begin. So it is that I'm now getting ready to drive down to El Paso first thing Monday morning, rather than next Thursday as was originally the plan. Not a big deal in terms of time away; three months and three days isn't really any worse than three months, although I know Amanda's not happy about the time being moved up. But it has meant a very busy day, as I have had to make sure that everything is ready for our reserve soldiers while we're away while concurrently getting the car ready to go. I plan to get everything done today, or almost everything, so that I can at least enjoy the weekend with Amanda. We'll be there four days early (originally we were supposed to take two days to drive down), and between the five of us hopefully we'll be able to take the strain of off SFCs Rosenberger and Scrimshaw. In any case, we will get everything knocked out in time for the training. But this does mean that I'll be out of the net on Monday, and possibly more often than not after that, depending on how busy things are at Fort Bliss. So my updates my be less frequent for the time being, although I hope not. In the interim, I plan to enjoy an excellent weekend with my wife, so I will see you all sometime later.Posted at 03:11 PM · Personal · Comments (0) · TrackBack (0)
June 14, 2004Thinking StylesAccording to this test, I am a Logical-Mathematical Thinker.Logical-Mathematical thinkers:I don't know about creative problem solving (creative problem creating, perhaps), but the rest sounds reasonably accurate. Like all such tests, of course, there's no other particular value to it, but it is certainly interesting. Hat tip: Amygdala. Posted at 03:31 PM · Personal · Comments (1) · TrackBack (0)
June 12, 2004SerendipityI've known Stephen Green, at least in passing, for almost two years now. In that time we've lived in the same town, doubtless attended many of the same movies and eaten at many of the same restaurants on numerous occasions. So where's the first place I ever run into him outside of a Blogger Bash? At the Renaissance Festival, of all places. Amanda and I were checking out one of the numerous costume shops when I saw a familiar face pass by: Melissa Green. She pointed the way to Stephen, so I headed to another part of the shop to see the Vodkapundit himself modelling a leather coat (and quite well, I might add, although he refrained from purchasing it). So we had a good little chat before moving on to continue exploring the Festival. Perhaps next time we meet will be a little closer to home.Posted at 08:48 PM · Personal · Comments (0) · TrackBack (0)
May 09, 2004BackWe made it home safely yesterday, although it is a long trip from Orlando back to Colorado Springs. Nonetheless, things went as well as could be expected, and today we're taking the time to relax a little before we go back to work. Unfortunately, our refrigerator died while we were gone, so we had to go out and buy a new one (which won't be delivered until tomorrow, naturally), a nice little added expense beyond what we spent at Disney World. C'est la vie. In any case, we're happy to be home, and regular blogging will resume later today; I've got to post a Winds of War Iraq Update this evening, so that will be first on the list. Then I'll take a look at some of the other hot topics I ignored while I was away.Posted at 11:32 AM · Personal · Comments (1) · TrackBack (0)
May 08, 2004Homeward BoundAs anyone who has been to Walt Disney World is probably aware, a vacation here can seem as much like work as fun, if only because there is so much to do that getting to it all can require you to stay incredibly busy. And so we have been for the past week, continuing to visit all of the parks while also hitting Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, the two water parks here in the World, after it got rather warm this week. It has been a great time, albeit one that is sadly ending today. But we've still got a few hours left to spend hitting a few favorite rides and the like, so we're going to head back out for a little more entertainment before we begin the long journey back home to Colorado. Normal blogging will (probably) resume tomorrow, once I get my feet under me again.Posted at 05:58 AM · Personal · Comments (0) · TrackBack (0)
May 02, 2004Weekend UpdateWeekends at the parks are something of a crapshoot. On the one hand, many people arrive and leave on the weekend, so it's possible you'll have fewer people on hand than you had hoped. On the other hand, lots of locals own annual passes and swing by on the weekend to check things out. So you never know if the parks will be crowded, deserted (relatively speaking, of course), or normal. This weekend was a little of each. We decided to do a little swimming in the hotel pool yesterday morning. Old Key West has multiple small pools, because most of the buildings are too spread out to use a single centralized facility. Ours is a five minute walk from our room, and it's small, but nice. Unfortunately, it gets crowded pretty fast, so we figured we'd jump in right at opening to try and get some laps in before it got too crowded. But it appears they're not too strict about opening hours there, as there were already quite a few people in the pool by the time we arrived. Most of them left after 15-20 minutes, though, so we were able to get in a little good swimming at least. After that we headed over to Epcot. We figured we'd try to work our way through the right half of Future World, so we started with The Living Seas. We had priority seating at the restaurant, which is located next to a large window looking into the massive aquarium. We were seated right next to the window, so we got a really great view of the various fish swimming about. After lunch we headed into the attraction itself. There's no real ride associated with the pavilion, but it does contain numerous places to look into the aquarium (large enough to hold Spaceship Earth) as well as various exhibits about marine life. All very entertaining, especially the manatees. Following that we headed over to The Land. This pavilion is dedicated to food (a personal favorite topic), and normally contains three different attractions. One was closed, however, awaiting a newer attraction later this year or early next year. The main attraction was way too crowded, so we headed for number three, a film called Symbiosis starring Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa from Disney's The Lion King. It's a film about the environment, and while it's rather heavy-handed, it's not as bad as it could be, and the Timon and Pumbaa scenes are always fun to watch. Then we headed to Imagination, a pavilion devoted to...well, you can figure it out. We hopped onto the main ride, Journey Into Your Imagination, first. It replaced an earlier ride that I thought was far superior, but even Disney doesn't hit a home run every trip to the plate, and the new ride isn't bad. After that we headed to the theater to watch Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, a 3D film starring Professor Wayne Szalinski (sp?) and his family from the Honey I Shrunk the Kids films. As with all Disney 3D attractions, you get a lot more than just the appearance of 3D, and this is a pretty big hit. With most of Future World complete, we strolled into World Showcase and headed right into Canada, going by some of the Flower and Garden exhibits en route. Canada hosts a 360 degree film called O Canada, which takes viewers on a brief journey across Canada. It's quite well done, especially if you recognize some of the sites, as we did. With that, we were ready to head back to the hotel and call it a day, although we finished up with a ride on the monorail to the Magic Kingdom and back just to take the chance to check out the scenery. This morning we were at the Magic Kingdom at opening, always the best time. Before our nine AM breakfast time we'd ridden the Winnie the Pooh ride, Peter Pan's Adventure, visited Mickey's Philharmagic again and ridden Cinderella's Golden Carousel with time to spare. Breakfast was a character meal at the Crystal Palace, combining a tasty buffet with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet. We then headed into Adventureland and grabbed Fastpasses for the Jungle Cruise before hopping onto Aladdin's Magic Carpets. Then we headed underground to check out Pirates of the Caribbean before hopping onto a boat for a Jungle Cruise. Jungle Cruise is a dated ride, but the Disney crew keeps it entertaining by not treating it too seriously and instead offering deadpan humor like our guide's final words to us: "If you enjoyed the ride, I'm Don and this has been the Jungle Cruise. If not, I'm Bob and this was the Country Bear Jamboree." We closed out Adventureland with a visit to the Enchanted Tiki Room, then headed for the exit and Downtown Disney West Side. DisneyQuest was far less crowded today than Friday, so we were able to hop onto Buzz Lightyear's Astroblasters right away. This ride puts teams of two into bumpercar-like rides that are fully enclosed. One rider drives the vehicle while the other loads foam balls into a cannon and fires them at other vehicles. If your vehicle is struck on little pink starburst targets, it spins around for a few seconds, taking you out of the fight. And you can always ram your opponents, of course. We then played a few vintage video games before heading up to the Midway on the Moon again to earn more tickets for silly prizes. Then it was time for lunch at Wolfgang Puck's. We enjoyed a flatbread pizza, which I cannot recommend highly enough. They're light and very tasty, as good as any pizza I've ever had and better than most. On the other hand, the price is just as dear, but you get used to that pretty fast at Disney World. Our stomachs filled, we headed back to DisneyQuest for some more fun before returning to our hotel for a break before dinner.Posted at 02:20 PM · Personal · TrackBack (0)
May 01, 2004The Travelogue ContinuesA nominally easy day yesterday, although it still had its share of wearing moments. We chilled out at the hotel for most of the morn |
