Nor long remember.
Still here. Thanks to those who sent along their thoughts, hopes and prayers. It is appreciated.
Leaving tomorrow for Norfolk (again: sigh). Back in a cuppla. Hopefully will have summat cheerful or at least worth reading on the return.
Went to church today. Don’t remember any of the lessons, nor really the sermon itself although I do believe it was a good one, Father Steve being a good man with the scriptures and the words. Even if every other sermon or so has someone dying prematurely or unrepentantly. Felt better after though. There’s a hardness can fill my heart at times, but there’s something about that place makes it soften up again. Love your neighbor as yourself, we are instructed. Among other things, but that’s at least the half of it. I reckon family fits in there somewhere as well.
Your mileage may vary of course. Free minds, and all that.
But I’m a better person for it, after.
Oh, here’s a pleasant thought, entirely unrelated to the first: Had a flight physical on Wednesday last. A long form, for those of you keeping score at home. On account of my superannuation, you see. Grabbed a bottle of water on the way out the door from home, thinking to myself, “For the urine.” I’m getting close enough now to the end of the naval road to find the idea of drinking water just so I can get get rid of it again an hour or so down track faintly amusing.
But only faintly.
Thanks for the link to the story about SNO. Somehow I missed that one the first time around… “That’s not gonna be big enough.” ROFL! Very cute.
P.S. Glad to hear about church…
Lex,
Thanks for the post,
I am a dad who is very lucky. My wife and my 3 year old daugher were in a very bad auto accident three weeks ago. They were both flown by seperate air med copters to two different trama centers.
They are both now home and recovering but I wanted to give you credit for teaching a Utah dad how to handle this. I have read your blog for quite a while and your positive upbeat under all adversery attitude really really yes one more really helped me cope.
thanks and please let me know how I can start to pay you back.
Brent
Cap’n
Welcome back! I echo FbL’s thoughts, especially about church.
Lex – no pity here I promise. Just so damn glad you are still with us in the blog-world. Understandable if you had left us, but SO much better that you didn’t have to. Use us as you need to – to vent, unload and, as always, to educate us on “how it’s done” with such grace and eloquence.
This is for you Bud!
http://www.wimp.com/altitude/
Enjoy!
How was the probe?
Yeah, that probe
Jarhead Dad – THAT link was AWESOME!
JHD, another great video….almost as good as Magic Carpet Ride…thanks and all the best to Da Grunt and crew.
Great to see you posting, Lex! Norfolk ain’t all THAT bad, at least according to Number Two Son. But, there’s light at the end of his tunnel so that probably makes him kinder towards Norfolk than most.
And…JHD…great vid, to be sure. But: The FRENCH?
Big Hugs to ya, Lex!
That vid was wild, JHD! Holy cow….
My boys are young, but I see my oldest making poor decisions quite often, and it’s so disheartening. I just keep reminding myself that I can only do so much to help him make up his own mind, and Lord knows I’ve tried to help.
oh yeah!
Forgot to tell you….
The whole “peeing in a cup in front of the Corpsman” was a major factor in me *not* joining the Army. I tried.. I really did. But I just couldn’t do it. All I had to do was get a doctor’s note about some simple surgery I had recently and pee in the ding-dong-dangle cup, and I couldn’t do it. *sigh*
Kinda funny… ok- VERY funny… but now that I’ve had two kids, peeing on demand is NOT a problem!
haha!
Kevin-
I think you get the “finger wave” when you actually see a Flight Surgeon (who could be a gynocologist, GP, cardiologist, podiatrist, brain surqeon etc. by training). Lex probably got the part I which is lab work, eye tests, xrays, etc.
And we all hope he gets the petite female flight doc not the ex NavAcad basketball player flight surgeon who stands 6′ 7″ and can palm a BB like we hold a softball! Right Lex?
Glad to see you out & about son.
B2
Heh! Even Da Phrench can fly on the deck!
Yeah, I can imagine someone’s butt in a sling if they took low altitude video and put it on the internet from our side! Now watch, I’ll get a hundred sent to me! sheesh!
Does help to make the visualizations of Lex’s low altitude stories more vivid though!
Thanx Greg, spoke to Da Grunt the other day (as in really, really, really early!). It was not the best of circumstances but we got some serious sat phone time out of it. He was just back in and standing on top of a roof somewhere. Smelling the violet fragrances of Iraq wafting across a frozen tundra!
It was great to hear his voice. We’re lucky to hear from him every few weeks this time around. It was seven weeks when they first went in ’til we heard from him. Kinda’ busy.
The Boyz of Company Golf are good to go. I think they all got sick from the bags of candy for Halloween. Not to mention all those rub off tattoos that come in the old style bubble gum that we sent. Those things ended up everywhere! Kids! Sheesh!
Didn’t have time for Thanksgiving. Wait ’til they get a load of the Operation Santa boxes! Patrols ought to be interesting with all those Santa hats hangin’ out from under kevlar all over the AO!
Lex, My family did not survive intact from a medical tragedy. Truely, truely hope this is not your situation. I will not elaborate more in public, but you have my email address if you ever want to chat.
As one who’s filled a sample bottle or two, I judge that SNO link as one of the funniest things I have ever read. I have little tears squeezing out the outboard sides of my eyes!
Hope another post is soon to follow. Have a good trip in VA… maybe like your last trip when you remembered the old Virginia you know… Go ahead… listen to Take Me Home Country Roads by the Mr. John Denver himself… and just drive around enjoying the charms of Virginia as you have described them.
And holy crap… that post about SNO at the physical… CLASSIC… Must have been before I started finding your site and missed it in the archives!
Hopefully the lady in the white Cadillac was paid her dues!
Glad to hear you back up on Guard frequency. Keep the faith.
Aye, the long form. Makes you walk funny and be glad not JP made it into the bug juice.
(ps Welcome back. Next time you are in Norfolk, go to dinner at Cora’s off 21st Street. Best Southern cooking outside Crooks Corner in Chapel Hill, NC.)