Schools Out FOREVER!

I am done, finished, finito!  I just turned in my final comprehensive exam for my Masters in Public Administration.  Four years of school work through four deployments, too many late nights, scores of papers and books, and hundreds of hours sitting at the computer, and I am done.  And it feels good to be done.  (of course, I'm going on the assumption that I pass the final exam, but I expect I did, and I really don't care if it's a "pass" or "pass with distinction")

Now I get to put after my name "MPA"!!!

And its time to enjoy life again.

On Out ~ Eunuch

 

A*Teens Lyrics
School's Out (featalice Cooper) Lyrics

Hash vs On After

Yesterday, we had a great combined hash down in Portsmouth, with the Hobo folks and the Ft Eustis hashers.  Great trail, and we were able to do all this to celebrate Barking Spiders, Oral P and Mr Hashercrasher's birthdays.  Unfortunately, drama had to rear its ugly head...

Ft Eustis hash took care of all the normal hash stuff (bringing beer, soda, water, gatorade, making sure circle happened, etc) and then the On After was at BG's house. 

Somehow, wires and information got crossed, becasue as circle ended, I called out "Last call for hash beer!" as is normal for us, but there was no beer for the party.  A few people, not people that normally hash with us, got a bit upset that I was taking the only beer away.  My reply was simply "the hash is over, this isn't an event, and thus the beer for the hash goes away."  I actually got retorts from people "Well, this isn't the way we do it at Tidewater" which I quickly said "this isn't the Tidewater hash."  I even got the best one "Eunuch, this is just WRONG!"  I took the coolers, and put them in my car.  Some people took a collection and made a beer run to the Food Lion half a mile up the road.

This is the kind of crap that really pisses me off.  In fact, it bothered me so much (and the dirty looks I was getting from some people) that I left the birthday party, not even eating anything.  There were a few people that openly supported my decision, and most people just kept quiet - that ol' silent majority - but it's the people that voiced their displeasure that bothered me.  There were 40 cans left in cooler at the end, and EVEN if I had left that out, people would have started to bitch in about 45 minutes when those were all gone, and they still would have had to do a beer run. 

It's not the thing with the beer, its that people were griping about publically, and making it into my problem that I was taking the coolers away.  There is a definitive break between the hash and an on-after/party afterward.  Hashers pay $5 for pretty much an afternoon of fun, exercise, and drink, and when circle is over, then the hash coolers go away.  Whatever happens after that is up to the host of the party, or going to a pub, its a pay-as-you-go thing.  There have been plenty of times I've had gatherings at my house after the hash, and I pay for all the food and drink out of my pocket. I'm not in the habit of subsidizing other people's drinking habits with hash beer after the hash is done.  And obviously it bothered me so much that I left the party, even while many of my friends wanted me to stay and have fun. 

OK, there are a few other hashers that read my blog.   In the case of last night, I made the right decision, and stand by my decision...what do you think?

On Out ~ Eunuch

North, To Alaska!

Now, at least I’m back from Alaska, but my two-and-a-half weeks there were great, busy but great. My first time to Alaska! And even though I was working very long hours for the PM shift, it was nice. The people I worked with were great, most of them asking if I would be back again in June for the next iteration of the RED FLAG exercise. Anyway, at that time, it would actually be green there…not the constant white of snow I had while I was there. We had two full days of weather cancelled conditions, no aircraft flying. Kind of expensive way to run an exercise, with your jets and pilots just sitting there, not able to practice their primary missions. And 11 degrees can be very chilly on the flight line too!

But fortunately, these days off did allow me to go see the sights and people of the other great white north! I spent some time in Fairbanks (some great microbrews available!). Fortunately, the city is one of the best locations to catch a glimpse of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which I was able to walk up and touch. Kind-a cool! I actually think it’s one of those 10,000 Things to Do Before You Die.

As another example of lifetime things to do, I was able to get out to Denali National Park, with a beautiful sight of Mt McKinley. It’s about 2 hours away from Fairbanks, and the journey was just as spectacular as the destination! Unfortunately, couldn’t drive up very far into the park due to an avalanche on the main road up the mountain and to glaciers, but still spent a nice amount of time there. And as you can see, I was proudly supporting my own hash attire!

Of course, getting out to a new city means that I do my best to get to the local hash, and fortunately, the Frozen Chozen H3 was exactly what I expected! Based in North Pole, they are a smaller group of mostly military or retired military, but no complaints here. Normally, the group hashes every other week, but because I was a visitor, they had a special hash; it was one of the kindest gestures of a hash group for a visitor I’ve ever been a part of. Most of them even knew the one and only hasher that was at my naming in Sarajevo. Her name is Frozen Lei, and she and her husband are stationed in Seattle now, but she made sure to sow questions for me for the hashers, most notably “how you got your name.”

So, for my next trip? I’m thinking St Louis…especially since my wife will be moving from there in the next couple of months, and you know, it’ll be nice to see her again! At least the distance isn’t as far as 4600km!

On Out ~ Eunuch

Keep your fingers crossed

I am SO FAR BEHIND, I’ll have to keep this simple...

M has found out that she is definitely moving to Virginia in July, so
we’ll actually be able to finally live together!  Not bad after being
married for over six months.

Knock on wood, my next deployment will be starting in September for six
months to FT MONROE!  Yes, that little Army installation 15 miles from
my house!  So not only will I continue to be in the local area (mostly),
but M and I will be able to actually see each other regularly!  Now
THAT’S good news!!

On Out ~ Eunuch

Put me in Coach, I’m ready to play...today...

Actually, that title might be a bit misleading, since now I'd say my non-existance pitching career is over following my little bicycle accident last Friday night.  Yep, you read that right, my bike accident. 

Let me put this into perspective...last Friday's weather was perfect, so before the snow moved into the area, I decided to get one last ride in for the week. I'm out riding, crossing a major intersection, and someone decided to make a right turn directly in front of me. I swerve to avoid, slam on my breaks, miss the car, but go head-over-handlebars, landing squarely on my right shoulder and then my hip. And then my racing bike landed on top of me.  Ouch.  The guy at least stopped to make sure I was OK, but other than being battered and bruised, I still had my head and both arms and legs still attached (I figured I'd check everything else later).  Yes, my shoulder hurt like hell, but I was alive.

I still had five miles left, and it was the shortest distance to get home, so I went home, and started slathering Icy Hot on it, and popping Motrine by the handful, that wonderful cure-all for aches and pains.  I'd live. 

And I did live...I went through trail on Saturday with a busted-up shoulder, Ft Eustis H3 AGM, and the rest of the long weekend.  But it still was bothering me for the workweek, and I finally got an appointment to the doctor on Wednesday.  I had bruised soft tissue in the shoulder area, particularly at the joint. 

...guess what I was proscribed?  You guessed it, Vitamine 'M'.  Haha!  "800mg Motrine, stretching daily, no lifting for two weeks, and if it's still bothering you in two weeks, come back."  So, now I'm popping prescription strength Motrine three times a day, and still slathering Icy Hot on there as needed.  Wonderful. 

But it is getting better...so we'll see.

On Out ~ Eunuch

What's my name again, what's my name again?

What Kristopher Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are influential and persuasive. You tend to have a lot of power over people. Generally, you use your powers for good. You excel at solving other people's problems. Occasionally, you do get a little selfish and persuade people to do things that are only in your interest. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

What do you wear under your kilt?

I just got back from an amazing show at the Ferguson Center at Christopher Newport University. It featured the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and the Band of the Coldstream Guards...as I already said, an amazing show! Extremely enjoyable, I so wish I could share it with everyone. It featured a pipes and drums band, and a full brass band.

The two historic bands (both date from the eighteenth century) performed a spectacular rendition of Amazing Grace, which was just hauntingly beautiful as it echoed throughout the auditorium...and it received a standing ovation, of course. I did end up buying a CD of the performance.

All in all, a great evening. Thank you!

On Out ~ Eunuch