Everyone is on our thoughts and prayers.

My Life in New York

Wednesday:

I’m still very much freaked out by the pictures I see coming into our newsroom and on the Internet of the devastation Sandy has left in its wake and I am thanking God for sparing me. It’s hard to remain “stoic” during all of this when it’s in your own back yard.

I didn’t sleep so well again last night. Went to bed with a splitting headache. I think I worked with a clenched jaw most of the day and night.

My coworkers are getting tired. The party-like atmosphere at work is rapidly changing as fatigue is setting in. Many have suffered damage to their property and have issues with transportation and child care. Our crews are stretched to the max, working very long hours. Those of us inside the Broadcast Center are being treated well, we have hot meals and the camaraderie of each other. The crews out…

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Expectations

In life, there are things that you can expect to have happen to you.

You’re going to fall in love,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

get your heart-broken,

 

 

 

 

 

have bills to pay,

 

 

 

 

get your shit tossed and destroyed in a hurricane, etc…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, not all of us will get our shit tossed or destroyed in a hurricane, but some will. It sucks. I know this. I fill bad for you, to a point. The reason I say to a point is because once this happens to you I feel bad, but the moment it happens again I just give, hmm, what’s that saying? Oh yeah, two shits. I could give two shits because you decided to stay and rebuild. Now this is your decision and by all means, do what you do.

What gets me is those who make this decision showing off their true colors (you know, the dee ta dee’s) on the news. Crying about how they were just devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and it isn’t fair that they are getting another one. News flash folks!! Mother Nature doesn’t care about what you think is or isn’t fair!!! If you think she does then let’s just ask her.

Me: Mother nature, do you give two shits about what people feel is or isn’t fair when it comes to what you unleash on them?

Mother Nature: Me? Give two shits? What in the hell makes them think I care about what they feel?

Me: Well, some people think it is unfair that you are hitting the Gulf Coast with another hurricane. You did some serious damage with Katrina you know?

Mother Nature: Of course I did some serious damage with Katrina. It was a hurricane dumb-ass. It is made to do significant damage. What did you think was going to happen? Roll up to the coast and say SIKE?! Get the hell out of here with that crap.

Me: You know, this hurricane could cause those who suffered before even more suffering.

Mother Nature: Let me tell you something. I don’t care. They should have learned their lesson the first time around. I caught them with their hands in the cookie jar and they still came back for another cookie! They should’ve moved somewhere else where getting a cookie was safer. Simply put, you don’t build homes or businesses near a coast above and especially below sea level where I can hit your ass with a hurricane. Silly humans; you never learn.

See? I told you she could give a rats ass. Here’s my point folks, if you went toe to toe with Mother Nature and you came out on top or iIf you were on the Oh shit list and decided to stay, I don’t want to hear you bumping your gums about how this sucks or isn’t fair or any other bullshit. You chose to ignore the warnings the first time around (i.e a fucking hurricane) so spare us your whinny, feel sorry for me, five minutes of fame bullshit.

 

 

 

Gods of War

This weeks Weekly Photo Challenge: Merge

Warriors of the Sky

 

Thoughts of Home

Potato soup. That is what I came up with. When you are deployed you will always hear conversations about “What is the first thing you are going to do when you get back” or “What is the first thing you are going to eat”, among other things that I will not mention. Sometimes you find yourself getting dragged into these discussions. Wow, some of the things Marines discuss to make them feel closer to home, even if for a minute.

Needless to say, I got yanked right into a food discussion. Food. That was the last thing I wanted to talk about considering our current variety of sustenance. Never the less, the mind warping fury of thought was now underway. What was the first thing I wanted to eat once I get back home? All of a sudden, the taste hit me.

Baked Potato Soup

No one got it. They didn’t understand why I would choose such a dish to be my welcoming home meal. Of course they wouldn’t, they are not me. Sure, a nice steak would taste delicious and be very fulfilling, but it just isn’t appealing to me as the love that my wife puts into her potato soup. The care you see her adding to her already tasty dish makes the enjoyment of savoring the flavor even better. I wish I could see the smile on her face when I told her that the first meal I want when I get home is my favorite one, her potato soup.

 

Irene’s Unwanted Visit

Hurricane Irene decided that she wanted to visit the East Coast over the weekend. Needless to say not a lot of people enjoyed her company. Luckily for me and my family she wasn’t much of a problem. The only thing she decided to do to us was make us mad by turning our power off for a day and a half. For other people though, they were not as lucky. Here are some photos of her visit to North Carolina:

 

Procrastination vs Domination

       What is procrastination? Procrastination is the art of not doing what needs to be done until the very last-minute when you have no room for errors. If that is the case then I assume that domination is also an art, but instead it is the total opposite; knowing what needs to get done and getting out there and knocking it out ahead of time.

      Well I guess if you looked up procrastination in the dictionary then you would see my smiling face right next to it! I just got done finishing a nine page essay for my history class that is due Sunday night. “If it is due Sunday night and you finished it today then how is that procrastinating” you say? Well let me explain.

   I knew this essay had to be done this Sunday four weeks ago (oops). Considering I am in North Carolina and we have a hurricane breathing down our necks, I would say that I was taking a HUGE risk of not being able to get it completed because if the POWER goes out then I cannot get on my computer! Besides that, if my wireless goes down then I cannot submit it! Hmmmmmm…

    I had four weeks to ensure it got done and I decided to put it off until this week. Mother nature decided to throw me a curveball (probably because she knows I must be an idiot) this week. Since I am stationed here at Camp Lejeune, what do you think I was doing all week until late? I was preparing the my work area for the approaching essay killer!! Needless to say I have not been able to start my essay because I still had my house to prep.

    I finally was able to get off of work early today so that I can come home and finish prepping my house. Thank god my 15-year-old son is able to assist me with that. Once we got finish with it I decided that I HAD to finish my essay TODAY and turn it in for fear of power outage and being totally SCREWED!! I busted out nine pages on my LAST essay of the semester and got it turned in. I know it is not my best work nor is it what I wanted to turn in, but I will at least pass it and get a decent grade.

    Now that I got my essay completed and turned in, it must be time to actually relax and enjoy my house being blown down around me right? WRONG!!! I realized that the essay was not the only thing due Sunday!! So was my FINAL EXAM and discussion postings!! AAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!! I finally got all of that finished and turned in. My semester is over and now I can relax and pray that the POWER does go out or else I will be PISSED for sending in such rushed work because of my stupid last-minute self!!

-Frawg

 

School Open House or School Open for Chaos?!

Well tonight was open house night from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. for my oldest sons school. I kinda figured it would be pretty organized and controlled. BOY WAS I WRONG!!! I mean holy hell fire!! I felt like I was thrown in the middle of a teen stampede. Trying to maneuver through the halls was like playing in traffic and the game operation all at the same time. Trying not to get ran over or touch anyone was nearly impossible. I am lucky I made it out alive or without killing anyone.

I mean seriously, how hard is it to organize an open house with some control? How about organize it to where everything is clearly marked on what you need to do or where you need to go. Ensuring that safety and order should definitely be priority, especially when there are parents there who brought their smaller children.

Speaking of parents who bring their children, how about the parents who brought their teenagers to open house in order to meet their teachers actually make them go meet their teachers instead of letting them run around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off?! Maintain some control and discipline among your offspring who represent you!! Open house is not for them to go and hang out with friends or scope out the guys/girls. Oh, and be sure to go ahead and let them dress like a bunch of buffoons while you are at it. Great first impression for the teachers. Bunch of jack waggons!!

Let’s get back on this school subject real fast. If you are going to have an open house, how about making sure the teachers are there so that we do not go to a locked classroom with a not saying “Will not be here. Sign the sheet.” I mean what in the world is that?! I came here to meet you and allow my kid to meet his teacher. You are the one who gives us the class supply list; you are the one who tells me and my child what you expect out of him. I NEED TO TALK TO YOU NOT A DOOR!!!

That was a waste of 1 1/2 hours out of my life that I will never get back. Next time just send me my kids crap in the mail!!!

I would like to here from any parents who feel the same or have better experiences than I just had. I wouldn’t mind hearing the thoughts of some teachers if there are any out there.

-Frawg

 

American Indians vs Sports Mascots

Considering I am going to college online and I have to write essays for my history class, I figured I would post the essay that I just got finished with. It has not been graded yet and I am sure that it probably sucks considering I suck as a writer. It is about the ongoing battle between the American Indians and sports mascots.

 

“The American Indian community for over 50 years has worked to banish images and names like Cleveland’s chief wahoo, Washington redskins, Kansas City chiefs, Atlanta braves”.¹ The American Indians may not be fighting bloody battles in the name of peace or their homeland, but they are still in a battle none the less. They are battling an assault of insults on their Native peoples. This assault comes by the way of using Indian names and likeness as sport team mascots. I feel their complaints are legit considering it is their race and culture that is being portrayed in a way they feel is wrong. Who am I to say they are wrong about this? It is not my people who are being put on display here and paraded in the public’s eye. The sports teams are wrong and they need to respect the wishes of the American Indians. The Indians have lost many battles that were raged against them. It is time we started to respect their heritage and culture.

There have been many instances where the media has portrayed Indians in a negative way. These ways were meant to encourage the sports teams with Indian names, but they never took into consideration the image that they have portrayed against the Indians. One year New York played against Cleveland and the New York Post put “Take the Tribe and Scalp ‘Em”² as the headline. This was never meant to be taken as an insult, but so many Indians took it that way. Can you imagine how you would have felt after reading such a headline? I would have been a little insulted myself. This type of behavior is one of the reasons that the American Indians get so offended when mascots are named after them. They are misrepresented in so many ways. Back in 2002 American Indians from the University of Wisconsin-Madison protested the University of Illinois for the use of Indian mascots. “The Madison Indian community has deep concerns about the offensive caricatures of Native peoples in popular culture, particularly within the nation’s educational system”.³ The battle to change how the public views American Indians is a hard one to win unless they can get the image that the sports teams create done away with. This is a hard battle that still rages one.

Even though the battle still rages on, there have been some notable upsets on the American Indian side, such as the case with the Washington Redskins. Resolution 14-262 was passed on November 6, 2001 to change
the team name because it was offensive and hurtful. Unfortunately for the Native Indians, the US Supreme court ruled against them. “The action lets stand a decision by a federal appeals court in Washington that the native Americans had waited too long to bring their challenge to the Redskins trademark, and thus forfeited any right to sue”.⁴ This was a major blow to the Indian community. A loss that will not bring them down; only motivate them to continue their fight for justice.

Not all outcomes of these battles are unfavorable towards the American Indians. Take Wisconsin for example, they initiated an “End of Native American Mascots in School”. “The law, the first of its kind in the country,
allows the public to file complaints against race-based mascots and the like with school districts”.⁵ Ever since this law has been in effect there have been a few schools that have dropped their Indian mascots or symbols. Take a school district in Green Bay for example, “On Oct. 8, the Kewaunee School District in the Green Bay area dropped the name “Indians” after a retired teacher named Marsha Beggs Brown complained about the moniker used by the district since 1936”.⁶ They changed their new name to Storm. There have been about 30 school districts in Wisconsin who have changed their school mascots or symbols due to this law. Even though the American Indian community is not winning them all, they are least winning a few.

As you can see the battle still rages on. The American Indians have been battling this injustice that has been bestowed upon their heritage and community for over 50 years. I foresee this battle lasting even longer. They will not win them all, but at least they will be victorious in some. Only if we could all see it the way they see then we would know how it feels; we would know their pain; we would understand their suffering. The Supreme Court
may not agree with the American Indians, but at least Wisconsin does.

Notes

1. Teters, Charlene. “AMERICAN INDIANS ARE PEOPLE, NOT MASCOTS” (National
Coalition on Sports and Racism).

2. Teters, Charlene. “AMERICAN INDIANS ARE PEOPLE, NOT MASCOTS” (National
Coalition on Sports and Racism).

3. Bird Bear, Aaron. “American Indians Protest Illinois Mascot” (NAIIP News
Path, 2002),

4. Richey, Warren. “Washington Redskins can keep team name;
Supreme Court refuses native Americans’ suit” (The Christian Science Monitor,
2009).

5. Nittle, Nadra Kareem. “Wisconsin Law Initiates End of
Native American Mascots in Schools” (Change.org, 2010).

6. Nittle, Nadra Kareem. “Wisconsin Law Initiates End of
Native American Mascots in Schools” (Change.org, 2010).

Bibliography

Teters, Charlene. “AMERICAN INDIANS ARE PEOPLE, NOT MASCOTS”, National Coalition on Sports and Racism. http://www.aimovement.org/ncrsm/.

Bird Bear, Aaron. “American Indians Protest Illinois Mascot”, NAIIP News Path. (2002), http://www.thepeoplespaths.net/News2002/0203/BirdBear020318Protest-ILmascot.htm.

Richey, Warren. “Washington Redskins can keep team name; Supreme Court refuses native Americans’ suit”, The Christian Science Monitor. (2009), http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2009/1116/p02s07-usju.html.

Nittle, Nadra Kareem. “Wisconsin Law Initiates End of Native American Mascots in Schools”, Change.org.(2010), http://news.change.org/stories/wisconsin-law-initiates-end-of-native-american-mascots-in-schools.

 

Memories of the Past

Have you ever for a second caught  a whiff of a very familiar yet faint smell that triggered an inner memory of a distant past; a past that you cannot identify? As I sit here on my front porch in my rocking chair, I was reminded of a past that I cannot put my finger on. I do not know of when or where my mind was carrying me, but for what seemed like an eternity my mind was elsewhere.

I enjoy those feelings of the past until the moment that I realize I have no clue of what past place or time that I was brought back to. I rack my brain over and over again trying to figure out where I remember the smell from that triggered this feeling. It had to be a place in time where I was happy and enjoying myself. Sometimes I can remember, but for the most part I cannot recall.

The sad part is that when I snap back to reality I am left with an empty feeling; a feeling of loneliness and despair. I am unsure of why I cannot shake it most of the time. Maybe it is my supressed memories coming through to an extent of triggering these, but not enough for me to recollect the exact time and location for the most part. Maybe it is just psychological.

Does anyone else have these feelings and how do they make you feel?

-Frawg

 

I swear I was just hiking!

Okay. There is something that I do not understand and I wish someone could help shed the light on it for me. Why in the world would anyone want to go HIKING in a hostile area or any area that we have any type of conflict with?? Here in the last few years or so there have been numerous Americans imprisoned by other countries for “espionage” because they were hiking in an area they shouldn’t be in. Is there no more common sense nowadays?

Two gentlemen were captured on the Iraq/Iranian border while hiking. They were both sentence to 8 years in prison for espionage. I am sure that everyone is going to get in an uproar over this because all they were doing is “hiking”. What everyone forgets is the fact that they were hiking in another country!! If you do not want to get arrested and sentenced to prison over “false allegations” then I would suggest not hiking in another country; especially a country like Iraq or Iran!!!

This leads me to all the other idiotic things that people do such as sailing off the coast of Africa knowing that they are in pirate territory. They go at their own risk and disregard all warnings and common sense! Then once something bad happens they want the U.S. to come to their rescue. I say hell no! You knew better than to go hiking or even sailing in a place that is too risky yet you still go?! You went knowing the risk and consequence and I say you pay for it. Maybe then people will start getting the hint.

Before anyone starts complaining that it is wrong, all I have to say is remember that it may be wrong here or we may think it, but you are not here. They do not play by the same rules as we do and they can charge anyone for anything. It is their country and their rules. Always remember that when you leave this country you are no longer on our terms; you are on theirs…..

Does anyone else feel the same way I do and if not, why?

-Frawg