this blog is live!

going to the 'stan in a few days, so i figured i'd start blogging again.

i'm actually looking forward to it.  i did volunteer for this, after all.  i've missed a few deployments through a combination of bad luck and bad timing.  i'd like to think that's the same reason that i haven't flown in 3 years, too (hence the blog name).  my reason for volunteering is that i just want to feel like i've accomplished something during my time in the service.  my first deployment was pretty worthless, and watching all my friends deploy while i was back stateside was pretty rough.  i also have some friends who were pretty badly maimed, and they're still in, fighting the army bureaucracy to stay in and keep doing far more than their fair share.  so it's high time i did something, too.

i'm not going to divulge where i am, or what my mission is, or who i am.  i hope that you all respect that.  not that anybody is reading anyway.  i just want someplace to vent my thoughts, feelings, tasteless jokes and even more tasteless music choices into the void.  when i blogged before, it was cathartic in the same way, though i KNOW nobody read any of that stuff.  but then my command wore on, i got a puppy, and i needed to get a life, so i ran out of time to blog.

i'm hoping this blog will be more upbeat than the last one, and i hope my friends and family appreciate the occasional update.  the 420 characters on facebook isn't quite sufficient to capture what i want to say.  so here i am, all up in your internets.

i'll be posting my occasional 2 cents on my view of strategic and operational aspects of the war, the news of the day back home from my own quirky viewpoints, perhaps some crossfit-related stuff, and, of course, inappropriate humor and music, ala attackerman.  i've found that putting thoughts on paper, digital or otherwise, is a good way to refine and organize my thoughts.  i'm certainly no starbuck, but i figured i'd at least try to emulate him a bit.  we can't have all the contractors have all the good blogs, can we?  nothing here will approach the quality or the professionalism of those guys.  the best i can hope for is to match gsgf, minus all the super-hawt girlie pics.

so that's it for this post. i gotta go before this touchpad eats any more of my thoughts and i give up.  so i'm going off to war, and you know what?