Strick's Ramblings

Another month is almost past.  Tomorrow is Halloween.  It doesn't seem like it has been a year since the last Halloween.  This year we're having a Halloween Party at the house.  Inviting some girls from Hatchinohe and some people from the shop.  Planning on burning some stuff on the grill, handing out candy, etc...  Cathy will walk the neighborhood with the kids so they can trick-or-treat.  This year, I'm staying at the house handing out candy.

Today was better day, when I got home from work, my head wasn't pounding.  It's now 7pm and I'm about to go to bed and get ready for another fun day at work tomorrow.

Alarm PINK -- MOPP 100

Blahh... another friggin' Monday here at work.  More reasons for me to love the miltary.  Guess we have to be here for 12 hours today for no reason what-so-ever.  But, that's ok, I'll just get time and a half... wait, I work extra but get nothing. 

Today we went out exploring/trail riding in the mountains in Norther Japan.  This was an awsome ride and I posted pics & videos on my website.  If you want to download the video's they are in .avi & .flv format here.  Pics are temporarily here for download.

Another weekend is upon us.  The year is creeping by.  Northern Japans short summer is in our rear view mirrors as the we pass the welcome sign for winter.  Icy temperatures are upon us as the lows are getting in the 30's now.  I'm not sure how we're going to have fun trick-er-treating this year if it's this cold.  The kids will have to have jackets on covering up their costume.  But that's ok... I'm sure the kids will have fun just the same.  We're planning a cookout this halloween and are inviting some filipino friends from Hatch over.

I haven't been writing in here as much as I want to lately.  My mind has been clouded with lots of stuff that's going on in my life and with the Military.  I do not want to get into any detail until things come to a head.  So much is going on... the Military has changed alot, and I'm not convinced it has changed for the good.  Enough about that.  I'm supposed to be going out this weekend... but we'll see how I feel.  I know since I have to be at work by 4 in the morning, I know I want to try to catch up on some sleep. 

That's enough for now... I'm at work, and I need to open excel or something to make it look like I'm working on something important.   A putty window with nano and some colored code doesn't look good when you're a truck driver...

They say we learn something new everyday. I'm right at 32 years old (in a few weeks), and I have never -- ever -- had roller skate on. I have, however, tried ice skating before. Anyway... today I took the kids to Skate Night. My buddy Juan talked me into putting some skates on and giving it a shot. Neither of us could skate, so I reluctantly agreed and put some roller blades on. It took about 20 minutes to get from the counter to the place where you skate.  Once in the "skating cage" I kept falling and well... to make a long story short... I'm not a skater, so I'm not going to skate.  I did make several rounds before finally quitting.

But the kids had a blast!

Another Friday is here.  It seems like time just cruises along at turbo speeds.  It’s hard to believe that I have been living in Japan for 14 months now.  It seems like it was only last week I was at the Passenger terminal waiting on our bags to get unloaded from the plane.  A lot has happened within these 14 months.  I have traveled all over the Country, seen lots of stuff, made new friends, and most importantly explored a new culture – a culture rich in traditions and history.

Speaking of history.  Today is my oldest brother’s birthday.  He was killed in a car accident Christmas of 1997.  So today my thoughts are with him, and his family.  I was stationed in Korea at the time.  I remember my 1st Sergeant giving me the call.  I ended up not going home for the funeral.  Looking back, I probably should have went, but that was going to be several thousand dollars out of pocket.  The military don’t pay for your plane tickets if there’s a death in the Family.  But there is help available.  The Air Force Aid Society will lend you the money but I would have had to pay it back, and I didn’t want to do that.  I know it sounds bad, but that’s the decision I made.  Anyway, Happy Birthday Brother!

It's Wednesday now... the week seems to be going by fast.  The weather is staying cool, they hot days are over.  It's around 50 degrees in the morning.  Maybe we'll have a cold winter this year.