Back from the funeral. Was more upbeat than I thought it would be and more reflective than depressing. I guess the funeral director was a friend of the family or was just very understanding because Thursday night he let a group of us stay with Jason's coffin at the funeral home. There was about nine of us that used to go out on the weekends...
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vellin:
It's a sad honor but it truly is an honor. I really like reading your blogs. You're so well versed and open. I always feel like I have to censor a lot of what I want to talk about. And your parents' house is beautiful 
love_darrow:
Haha, as funny as bring your Chewbacca to a War Zone day sounds, I agree that I don't think it'd go over too well.
I had a bunch of shit hit me hard last week. My brother has been in Afghanistan for a week and he has already been ambushed twice and then late last Tuesday one of my best friends was killed when trying to help a couple that was getting mugged. From what I understand Jay went out to dinner with his fiance and when they where...
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vellin:
That's such a sad but heartwarming story in the end. Thank you for sharing such a difficult time in your life with me.
Had a great weekend. Drove up to New York to tailgate with my friends and one of my adopted Moms. That's what I love about military families, you're a good friend with one of the kids and when you meet their family you get accepted like one of their own. I now have families in Cali, Pennsylvania, Washington, Texas, and New York that treat me...
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love_darrow:
Gorgeous pictures.
And a few members of the cast of BDS and Troy Duffy did a promo tour after the second movie came out, and they had a stop in Michigan, so we went.
It was a lot of fun, but I was under 21 when it happened.
And a few members of the cast of BDS and Troy Duffy did a promo tour after the second movie came out, and they had a stop in Michigan, so we went.
It was a lot of fun, but I was under 21 when it happened.
chrysis:
That was incredibly nice of you! I was hoping to pick something up this week .. I don't know if I mentioned [probably, but I just write things and don't really read them] that I bought some beginning equipment and some of it just came in today -- and so did the book!
Really. That is incredibly thoughtful and it really does make my week -- I don't know how to thank you other than .. try to make something for you or something. We will see. :]
And. I know that you're right, and that there are people here who are .. available. In that way. I wasn't necessarily feeling that no one cared -- contrarily, people have showed an incredibly amount of support and caring and nurturing when I've needed it, in the short time I've been around. But I started to feel very weird and, like. Kind of like I didn't match. Black-sheep-ish [which is funny, I know, considering the nature of the site and that it'd be kind of hard to stick out in any extraneous way]. I felt like there just wasn't a -spot- for me, or the things I feel compelled to say sometimes.
I think it was a phase. I think I needed to just distance myself. So I'm doing that at the moment.
Really. That is incredibly thoughtful and it really does make my week -- I don't know how to thank you other than .. try to make something for you or something. We will see. :]
And. I know that you're right, and that there are people here who are .. available. In that way. I wasn't necessarily feeling that no one cared -- contrarily, people have showed an incredibly amount of support and caring and nurturing when I've needed it, in the short time I've been around. But I started to feel very weird and, like. Kind of like I didn't match. Black-sheep-ish [which is funny, I know, considering the nature of the site and that it'd be kind of hard to stick out in any extraneous way]. I felt like there just wasn't a -spot- for me, or the things I feel compelled to say sometimes.
I think it was a phase. I think I needed to just distance myself. So I'm doing that at the moment.
So the Army finally figured out that theycan't make me go to a psychologist, so instead they made me take Army courses in how to be a "tramatic experience and grief counselor." Which means that now I am not only the cute guy who listens, but I now know how to help people cope. A.K.A. I'm automatically gonna be deep in the friend zone with...
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xanderj:
That's completely true, but what I was trying to say was that there is now a generation that can't deal with day-to-day personal stress. The Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma has a study that states, "Trauma is a sudden event that dramatically explodes into our daily life and changes the way in which we perceive the world. A traumatic event is often life threatening. Examples of traumatic events include terror attacks, the illness of a close family member, or a motor vehicle accident. In contrast, stress is a reaction to less dramatic and often daily events such that are perceived as threatening such as a job interview, deadlines, or worries related to the security situation."
You are correct in saying that I shouldn't compare my experiences with those of these kids, I keep calling them kids but they are all 18 or 19, because they are two separate things.
I'm not sure if it is the "Kinder Gentler" ideology that the Army has adopted or the basic fundamentals of child raising in the US have completely changed, these kids don't have the basic level coping skills that people our age have, and our levels are much lower than those of our parents and grandparents.
You are correct in saying that I shouldn't compare my experiences with those of these kids, I keep calling them kids but they are all 18 or 19, because they are two separate things.
I'm not sure if it is the "Kinder Gentler" ideology that the Army has adopted or the basic fundamentals of child raising in the US have completely changed, these kids don't have the basic level coping skills that people our age have, and our levels are much lower than those of our parents and grandparents.
reuben:
Haha yeahhhh I'm pretty sure this was set up though and he totally knew what he was getting into...
And it was nowhere near as fast as the car in the accident
And it was nowhere near as fast as the car in the accident
I dont' think my family is going to be in one place at the same time ever again. My brother's Afghanistan deployment date just got moved up to a week before I go home on leave for Thanksgiving. I haven't seen my parents for about a year and a half, the last time I saw my brother was in 2008 for twenty minutes, in Iraq....
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I have been hating Jersey ever since I came here, but this weekend changed that. Saturday I was pulled over at 1 in the afternoon in a busy downtown area in Red Bank for a suspected DUI. I hadn't had a drink in 12 hours; all that happened was I had dropped my iPod and when I reached for it I swerved a little. The...
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chrysis:
The first half of that made me so sad.
The last part? TOTALLY redeemed. :]
The last part? TOTALLY redeemed. :]
vellin:
incredible use of a spoiler 
that sign fucking RULES!!
we have the last pic of "retards" at my work on the wall
that sign fucking RULES!!
we have the last pic of "retards" at my work on the wall
I finally was assigned a task that I will enjoy. The British Army Football team is going to be staying on our base for a few weeks and I was assigned as their liaison. The sergeant that gave me the assignment almost got punched in the mouth because he told me I was the best man for the job because I was from the same...
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vellin:
is this american football or european football? what they have no rugby team?!
i will never say anything bad about coffee again
Thank you again
i will never say anything bad about coffee again
Thank you again
xanderj:
the original football, only Americans would be arrogant enough to make up their own game and give it the same name as the sport the rest of the world plays. We do have a rugby team coached by an Aussie, but the Brits didn't deem them good enough to play against.
The nightmares have returned and I am now affected by the same insomnia that kept me awake for days last time. I thought I had handled this shit when I came back from Iraq and yet these images keep returning. I think it has to do with the fact that my brother and some of my friends have just headed back over for another deployment...
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And you like Red vs Blue?! You're just gaining my respect crazyfast.
There's too many RvB quotes to pick favorites... Everything they say is great. ("Chupathingy" is one of my ringtones, though.) And I'm so jealous that you got to meet Geoff and Gus! Fuck.
I'm so, so glad you called the Random Starbucks Shit Talker on his poorly worded slur. I already can't stand when people pick unwanted political fights with strangers [there's a time and a place, if you're to be taken as anything but an asshole]. But this whole new idea that Communism / Socialism / Fascism a.] are the SOME-fucking-how synonymous, and b.] can just be applied to people you disagree with, like you'd do with any -other- "bad word?" NO. USE. A. DICTION. ARY.
UGH.
Anyway.
You are severely outnumbered, my friend. But one at a time is all you can do.