well im back in port Norfolk.

we were out for the yearly ESG-EX. drills and exercises with the ships we are going with for next years deployment. except only two of the 5 other ships actually came out. the rest were "broke down" in port, or so we were told. even then we only did one VBSS drill with one of the ships that actually came out! the rest of the time we did amphib ops with the marines.
we were also supposed to stay out till this Friday. but one of our main engines got a condenser leak at the gasket and flooded the space out. rumor had it at knee level at one point. so the engineers had to shut down the engine and lock the prop. we were then told to head back for repairs, so we made the long, slow trip back from Onslow Bay to Norfolk; 10 knots all the way on one engine. it was quite interesting.

anyway, the next operation to be carried out is Operation: Turkey Blast. Steve will be home and i dont have to work thanksgiving day or the day after; AND i happen to not have duty that whole long weekend! so im making a comeback. except ill fly this time.

also, memorial day weekend i might head back. i have to check the schedule.

if this engine thing isnt fixed soon, we might be in port for longer than expected!

Operation: Weekend BS was a success. almost.



apart from the barn sale this year being a disappointment, apart from the rocket set having what we thought was a "broken" controler when we tryed it; turned out to be a safety button that needed to be pushed in before it could launch, and apart from only seeing Catherine for a few hours in the wee morning the day i had to leave, it was good. any break is good though.
my next homecoming goal: Thanksgiving!

well ive done it.

i have accomplished a goal.

i took my bike to a bike park, and have jumped it off some professional ramps!

it was a little intimidating at first, but i did it, and wasnt too bad it.

kindda fun. what have i been missing out on?

i went with julio, noe, mark, and dave. they all brought their mountain bikes and where using the ramps too. it was funny to see them jumping that type of bike. david even tryed to jump a real steep ramp,and came down real hard, bending his back rim and taking some skin off his knuckels on his right hand. he was alright, and we straightend his rim. itll be a sweet scar though.

i will definetly be going back next time im in town!

well well well. day three. so far: so good.

went to the Barn Sale with Mark yesterday. this year has been a disappointment. really nothing there. but i bought a rocket set. we are scheduled to launch it today. should be fun.

me and steven rode our bikes along the bike trail, both sides of the river. it was about a 5 or 6 mile ride. good quality brother-to-brother time.

tonight i might be hanging out with Catherine. got to give her a call.

day 1 of Operation: Weekend BS!

came in last night around 2am. got up this morning, went to bfast with the parents, afterwards we walked around by the river. then i tuned and tweeked my new BMX; which kicks!!!
now ima waiting for dinner.

one more thing:

found out last night Kyle leaves for Iraq October 13th.
hard to believe its so soon.

THIS JUST IN from CNN:

-- President Bush will announce this week plans to cut U.S. troops in Iraq by about 30,000 -- to pre-'surge' levels -- by next summer, a senior administration official confirms to CNN.

cool. maybe steve wont have to go back next year!

and even though it is now September 12, its been six years of Never Forgetting the 11th.

it still gets me sometimes when i watch those shots of each of those events unfolding on that day in 2001. a horrific day it was.


Operation: Weekend BS is still a go, though some people arent happy to see me go. Rob and Phil leave that monday; my last day home. so i wont see them after tomarrow! good luck to them both.

cant wait to get my bike assembled and begin riding again. thats one highlight of this weeks operation. its going to be a family oriented four days. im turning my cell phone off the whole time. the only visit i am committed to is seeing Catherine. other than that, i am invisible to the world....

i was surfing the net, and found this cool site dedicated to tying shoe laces and different styles of lacing and tying.
haha so i looked through and choose a style for both.

its awesome!

http://www.shoe-lacing.com/shoelace/index.htm

check it.

SUCCESS!!!

i have just finished ordering my new HOFFMAN RHYTHM EL1 BMX BIKE!!!!

got it in Punky Peach like i said i would; actually got a deal on the order too!
i used one of the promo codes i found and got 10% off!! i also contributed $6 to a
Stephen Murray foundation; a rider who suffered a career ending spinal
accident. i got a foundation wristband, and a free DansComp sack thing for spending over $100.

not a bad deal? nope! the order wasnt more than $250!! woot!!!

hopefully it will get to my house while im home this weekend so i can put it together and RIDE!!

oh its good.

a few things.

i rolled 50,000 on the truck the other day! woot.

also, saw Rob Zombie's Halloween. that was pretty good; nice and gorey, like all his movies.

next, last night i hung with lee and rob and phil at lee's dad's place. we drank, played beer pong, ate food and chilled. it was pretty fun.

i have to work this weekend, but tomarrow is my last day as an FSA. celebrate that!

since i have an unbelieveable amount of time on my hands, i have compiled a list of all the Operations i have done thus far, and a "yay" or "nay" on their outcome. take a look!!

Operation: Visit Freedom (2/16/06 - 2/19/06) - success!
Operation: Homeward Freedom (5/23/06 - 6/1/06) - success!
Operation: Go-Time (12/13/06 - 12/26/06) - huge success!
Operation: Alcohol Liberation (1/13/07 - 1/15/07) - huge success!
Operation: Weekend Home Relaxation (5/15/07 - 5 /28/07) - cancelled
Operation: D.C. Fun Weekend (5/24/07 - 5 /28/07) - success!
Operation: Homecoming Of Best Friends! (7/3/07 - 7/16/07) - MAJOR success!
Operation: A.C. Extrava (9/1/07 - 9/3/07) - success!
Operation: Weekend BS (9/13/07 - 9/17/07) - TBD

well i finally updated my AIM. got the new AIM 6 version. its all right. nicer looking than the last. got some nifty new features too!
im a happy consumer.

the Op is over with, but the weekend sure isnt! hanging out at robs now. A.C. was off the hook!!
its true: im going back sometime soon!!
drinking; gambling; girls girls girls...what more could i possibly say! we stayed at the Tropicana hotel. quite a view! we drank and gambled; i won $5.25 on a slot machine!! my first time gambling and i won. i was happy.
Jeff's cousin was in a dinner play we all saw; Tony 'n Tina's Wedding. it was hilarious!! they interact with the crowd; you could dance with the performers and theyd stop by the tables and converse. it was a blast. after the show jeffs cousin took us to a couple clubs where we danced and drank with some of the actors and actresses. i dont think i got more than five hours of sleep the whole three days we were there!! but i cant wait to go back soon.

anyway i definetly cant wait for the 13th. not only do i take the 2nd class test, but i leave for home.
grand!