posted @ 20:35...

Well, it's getting close to 2006. We're in a town about 10 miles south of Amarillo, after driving from Castle Rock, Colorado this morning. This whole trip (New York to Indiana, to Montana, Colorado, and finally to Texas) we've been keeping track of our gas mileage. We averaged 20 mpg across the northern states, and then it shot up to 25 & 26 the past few times we filled up. What is it about Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas? Long, straight runs, I suspect.

Cheapest gas for the entire trip was Somewhere in Wyoming, at $1.95 a gallon. I wish I could remember what town. But the rule of thumb is: fill up in Cheyenne, whether you think you need it or not.

Oh, before I forget, Happy New Year!

posted @ 19:26...

My wife is my hero. That sounds silly, I know. But she saved my son's life the other day when he choked on a grape. My beautiful toddler son started making a gagging sound and then waved his arms up and down with a terrified look on his face. I, the Combat Lifesaver-certified war veteran just sat there in disbelief as my wife jumped up, flipped the boy over and hit him on the back a few times. Out popped the grape and his cries resounded throughout the Chinese restaurant. I beat myself up for a while that I wasn't the one to take care of business. But it really happened so fast, no one had time to think. By the time any of the rest of us could think about what was going on, the woman had already dislodged the offending fruit. Wow. I'm sure glad I married her.

posted @ 05:27...

You know those little blue signs on the highway that tell you which organization or company has "adopted" that stretch of road? What purpose do they serve, other than to pat the organization on the back? As I drive along, I think I'm about to see a sign with something interesting on it, such as which restaurants are at the next exit, or how many miles I am from Wall Drug... and it turns out to be just another "Adopt a Highway" sign.

Speaking of Wall Drug, that place is awesome. And by "awesome," I mean "one gigantic gift shop." Really, it is pretty neat. It was started back in 1931 as a place for thirsty travelers to get a drink of water, and they still have the water. It's cold, and it's free, but my wife and I found that it doesn't compare to Dasani. One of the great things I had remembered about Wall Drug was the back yard, but that was closed for the winter. We still enjoyed all the other stuff, like the 5-cent coffee, the art gallery, and a big machine with a bunch of real musical instruments in it that played all kinds of songs.

This was our second major stop yesterday, after the Corn Palace, but before Mount Rushmore. South Dakota has a lot of great stuff to see. And now we're in Montana, which I love. There's nothing like coming over that last hill toward Billings and seeing those lights.

posted @ 04:03...

Hermie the Turtle is Dead - Slow news day in Watertown, NY

Why would you bother putting braces on a turtle? I'm glad I wasn't paying for it. What they should have done is find a guy who likes turtle soup. Hand it to him, and say, "Here's one; He's got an overbite, but that shouldn't affect the taste."

posted @ 20:20...

Here's one more sign I'm getting really, really old:

After I gave myself a haircut tonight, I took a shower as I normally do, to clear myself of the many cut hairs, newly shorn from my military regulation noggin... I looked at my shoulder, saw some hairs, and thought, I just took a shower! It was then I realized that this hair on my shoulder was growing there.

Next thing you know, it'll be coming out my ears.

posted @ 10:58...

My wife, my son, and I had a blast in the snow today. We have some nice hills behind our house, and the sledding is always great. We had invited a bunch of friends to come have a sledding party with us, but nobody showed. So this afternoon we get to go the store and return all the disposable bowls and spoons we bought for all the chili we made. Oh yeah, we have a bunch of chili left too... and a Dunkin Donuts "Box o' Joe." Come on over.

You know what I realized later? For the price of the "Box of Joe," we could have bought a coffee maker of our own at Walmart or someplace. But then we'd only get to use it for another week or two. See, we're leaving town pretty soon... for good.

It's going to be an insane couple of months. First we drive to Montana, then we drive to Texas. Then I fly to the East coast for school until April. Then I fly back to Texas, we have a baby, and then drive to the Pacific Northwest. All this hassle in return for our Christmas gift: leaving Fort Drum.

posted @ 12:05...

Thomas Paine quote:
"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace."

posted @ 04:43...

The Vice President is supposedly coming today. I'm not too excited though. Visits from elected officials tend to cause inconveniences because of all the security. Some of the guys went to go meet him and hear him talk this morning. I have no interest in that; they're probably shivering their butts off out there.

There's also talk of prohibiting all movement on the installation for a few hours during the day. That would include the quarter-mile stretch between the battalion and the brigade. Ridiculous. But security is security. The guard who checks ID's on the bus this morning did an especially thorough job. But why? Anyone who wants to do harm to the VP would also enjoy doing harm to American Soldiers. So why isn't security always this tight?