Pictures of a Retired Officer

Major John was very kind and took a few photos of me at my last National Guard drill. My unit gave me the Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) as a career award.

I also earned an Army Commendation Medal for my efforts during the Warfighter Exercise we attended in January of this year.

Major John also gave me the very generous gift of the uniform in the photo. Officers have to buy their own uniforms and although the theory is for an initial issue of a complete uniform change (like changing from BDUs to ACU) the officers are supposed to get an issue or a uniform allowance, they will field the ACUs to deploying units, then enlisted and then officers. I don't expect they would have gotten to me any time soon. MJ says now I have a complete set of uniforms (BDUs, DCUs, ACUs, Greens and Blues) for my "Mr. Incredible Room."

I was also given a pair of cigars by the one and only Illini5 of Salerno. He is known by many names, The Man from Salerno, Mayor Webb, Webbie and The DIS.

I am very grateful and now, as a soldier at least I will "just fade away."

I have been reading The Glorious Cause by Jeff Shaara. It is the story of the American Revolution and I am inspired. I must find some way to continue my service to my country. I'll keep you posted dear reader.

SO Much to Talk About

Well, on Mother's Day Saturday I refereed again. I haven't posted on it because I have had a very lot to do. I'll get into all of that.

I reffed in a tournament in Fox Valley (IL) and I did one game. My heels were healed enough and they didn't give me any trouble. The game was between the Chicago Dragons and Oconomowoc (WI). Oconomowoc won 57-0. There were a little shenanigans, but mostly it was a cleanly played game and nobody got hurt. I was a touch judge for a couple of other matches. I don't know if I am improving or if my abilities as a ref are entirely based on how difficult the game is to ref. Anyway I'm done for the season. I may be done forever. We'll see.

I'm trying to write a mystery short story and get it published with the help of friends at Miriable Visu. There is a password only section there so we can read, discuss and critique each others' work. If all goes well I will be able to sell my story to a large market magazine and make a few pennies.

I went to National Guard this past weekend. This is where the real meat of this post is and may need more than this post to work out. This was my last drill. I had submitted my letter requesting transfer to the Retired Reserve, from the Active National Guard as of 21 May 07.

Barring WWIII I will probably never be in the active service of our country again. This is the part that really feels funny. We are in a war. You may not look at it that way, but I do. There are folks out there that are being deployed 4, 5, 6 times and I've only gone Federally once. It seems like I'm not pulling my weight. I made a promise to Mrs. Prop that I would never go again, but that doesn't make me feel any less guilty.

Don't get me wrong, I am VERY glad to be done with that. I don't feel old because I'm "retired" and I will not miss it. I never LIKED doing it.

I felt a sense of pride, patriotism, and duty, but I NEVER did it because it was fun. I did it to pay for college, I did it for money, I did it to help end the Cold War, I did it to help flood victims, guard against potential rioters, to help hurricane victims, to defend liberty and to make this a better world. I did it for my country, for my comrades, for my children, wife and my family.

I started as a helicopter mechanic when I was 17 and still in high school. I finished as a Major and I think I was well thought of and could have continued to get promoted if I had stayed. My goals when I entered the service were to pay for college, to become an officer and to stay in for 20 years and retire.

I received tuition for four years at the University of Illinois and earned a BA there. I was commissioned on 8 Jul 89 after five years of trying and three commissioning programs. I received my letter stating that I had 20 years completed when I was deployed to Afghanistan and on stop loss. In the end I had 23 years, four months and seven days.

I now have to find a new way to serve.

Busy, Busy, Busy

I had a Girl Scout camping trip this weekend. I have a Rugby game to ref next Saturday, I have a contest story I have to do for MV and I signed up for a summer writing project for MV, for which the first draft is due by Sunday. Can't go into any details right now, but I'll try to inch my way along with the Empire Beyond Mars serial...



In the meantime check out this badge I made (in about two minutes). I'm going to send it over to Anotherealm (for which I just re-registered also) and see if they adopt it.

Empire Beyond Mars 1

This is a new story serial I'm starting. I'm going to add to it as I write it, so it should build and build, I hope.

Let me know how you like it. It's sort of Space Opera meets Burroughs.


EMPIRE BEYOND MARS

"It wasn't really broken, just unsnapped. I snapped it back. It should be fine now."

"Thanks ever so much Rusty," Janet Brewer cooed as Rusty Ferguson shimmied his way out from under the BMW convertible of the captain of the cheerleaders.

Rusty would be the first to describe himself as a "lump." He was large and soft, red and freckled. Janet was just the opposite, small and firm, dark and smooth.

"You're better than a brother Rus," she reached up and hugged his neck while pecking him on the cheek. "Hunter gets out of football in only an hour and I had to make sure I got him a new shirt. That boy needs two mothers."

Rusty nodded while he wiped his hands on a rag.

"Can I give you a ride anywhere?"

"No thanks," he said reluctantly. "I have to get to work and DDI is the opposite direction from the mall."

"I'll see you in band tomorrow morning then," she said as she slid into the driver seat. They both played clarinet and sat next to each other.

He waved until he couldn't see her and then went and unlocked his bike from the rack. He had had to build his bike from spare parts left from his four older brothers, but it was still pretty good.

Rusty worked after school at Diversified Dynatechnics International. DDI had been established and was owned by Doctor Ares Greene, MD who started the company a dozen years earlier to further the studies of his own favorite professor. The building itself was a one-story facility in a semi residential neighborhood of Chicago with a small parking lot big enough for only about a dozen cars.

When Rusty arrived he saw Dr. Greene on the roof. They waved to each other and Dr. Greene called him by name.

Dr. Greene's being on the roof was not as strange a sight as it might have been. The DDI building was a green building. The bricks were especially made to be environmentally friendly, the south-facing wall was angled so that the solar panels on it could collect the maximum amount of energy and the ceiling was planted with grasses and shrubs that fed the goats that lived there. There were also several windmills and some other features that Rusty suspected, but was unsure of, like the building may have been tapping into and using geo-thermal energy.

Inside the lobby Rusty stood aside as several of the full time workers departed. Three women and two men who all worked in the administrative side of the company went through the scanner and wished him a good day.

Two guards operated the scanner. They were very large and very stoic. Although Rusty knew their names were Bob Montgomery and Kent Cox he also knew that speaking to them about anything except security was worse than a waste of time.

"Are you taking you bag with you?" Bob asked, as one of them always did.

"No, I can check it," Rusty handed his school bag to Kent, who put it through a scanner before locking it in an airport style locker behind the guard desk.

"Step through the scanner please," Bob said.

Rusty went through the scanner. This was not an ordinary metal detector, but the most sophisticated piece of security equipment invented by the staff at DDI itself. The scanner did scan for metals, but also for anything with a density high enough to be an effective weapon. It also scanned for health signs, similar to a lie-detector. His DNA; retinal scan; ears; finger and toe prints were on record. They were all scanned in the time it took Rusty to walk the two meter length of the machine. Once Bob and Kent were satisfied that the subject was an employee they would issue an ID. The ID had a photo from that day and was actually a computerized transceiver that let the guard force know where the subject was and what he was doing at all times.

Rusty clipped on his ID, hazarded a, "have a nice day" and walked briskly to his lab.

Prop on Pope, Again

I posted a story about Pope Benedict XVI earlier today on Miserable Donuts, but that wasn't the first story I saw about the Pope today.

The original story that drew my attention Vatican-way was the one that Daddy Ben (I don't think he likes me calling him that, but I wonder what the translation services would do with it, don't you) is approving a "study" that has concluded that we really don't know diddly about Limbo and therefore babies and really nice non-Christians who never got the chance to get baptized (like Moses and such) may actually be able to get into Heaven.

I couldn't actually read the report since I don't have a subscription to the journal (Origins Online, I won't include a link there since you can't get in any more than I can) in which it was published, but it seems a bit, oh I can't remember the technical term, so let's just call it, goofy.

The idea was "originally" that JC came to free us from Original Sin (that Adam listened to Eve in the Garden of Eden when she listened to the snake). Everybody is a sinner and the only person who was even born without the sin of the original father was the Virgin Mary (the Immaculate Conception). Original Sin was a "Mortal Sin."

Trouble is, Limbo is a bit like Purgatory. Purgatory, the nuns used to tell us, is the place you go to burn off whatever Venial Sins you had on your soul when you died, before you could get into Heaven (anyone except infants with a Mortal Sin would get a one-way ticket to furnace-ville). You could get out of Purgatory (my grandmother used to tell us) if someone on the "outside" (still alive) offered up Graces they earned to your salvation. This led in the middle ages to the sale of a certificate that you had devoted your Graces to a particular loved one, otherwise known as Indulgences (remember old Marty Luther and his tacky list on the door).

Well, I figure that if babies don't get baptized they only way they can get into Heaven is by other people's Graces (actually I think they don't go anywhere since I don't believe in Hell, Purgatory or Limbo, but that's another story) or the whole thing collapses. I mean if they'll let any old (or very young) punk into Heaven, Original Sin or not, then why the heck do we need Jesus anyway?

Also, and I think this is a much more real "danger" it opens the way to the Church giving the nod to abortion. In far future 'studies' I they'll say it's okay to kill the fetus if the mother prays really hard and she was going to die if she didn't get the abortion.

I wonder if they really want to open that level of hell?

I Failed to Fail!

There it is in all its glory. I am now the proud owner of a USA Rugby Level I Referee certification!

I told you I wouldn't post again until I got it and I have. It even has my correct name on it.

Mrs. Prop will be so proud, no scratch that. She will be relieved, happy that I am not going to spend anymore time on that silly thing (this year).

As you may know, I have already reffed one game and TJed (Touch Judged) another. That may seem like the cart being before the horse, but I agree with you. I don't understand, but it did seem to work out.

I actually won't have a rating until I have passed the test (which I have) and been evaluated while reffing a game. I don't know exactly how that works, but that next step will have to wait at least another week as I am going to my little brother's Naval Retirement Party tomorrow.

Na Ah Not Gunna Do It.

Wouldn't be prudent so I won't post again until I here back from the testing folks at USA Rugby. I'm going to send my third and final try at the Rugby Referee Level 1 test in and I'll get back to you later.

I'm also not going to tell you that I'm working on a new serial. It will be called Empire Beyond Mars, but you won't know that until I actually write Episode I and post it. It wouldn't be prudent to say something like that with no product to back it up.

I am currently writing a Horror SciFi story for Apex and then I'm going to write another for Alien Skin's new contest. Along with that and the officially unannounced Empire Beyond Mars, I'm going to edit "Lest Too Light Winning Makes the Prize Light" based on input I got at Mirable Visu.

So, nothing much on my plate right now. I'll get back to you when I have something solid.

Failure, Failure and More Failure

Failure seems to be the theme for March. I failed the Rugby Ref test and then sent in corrections and still didn't pass yet. I did find out that one of my answers wasn't wrong so now I only need two more right answers out of four and I'm really sure I know the answers.

I also failed to do 50 hours of editing on my book, Guya Principal in March. That was part of NaNoEdMo. I'm really disappointed in that. I've got loads of excuses, the above-mentioned Ref test, two-three day drills with the National Guard and on and on. The point is I didn't do it. Now I have to keep going and my plan was to start working on new stories and submitting queries with the book. That's on hold.

I'm not doing so well with my New Year's Resolutions. I planned on submitting 12 short stories to PAYING publishers. I haven't sent one yet. I planned on making 6 queries with my book. It's not ready yet. I planned on swimming 100 miles (not that hard if I had a chance to swim at all, it's just two miles a week).

I also planned on retiring from the Guard at April's drill. They're having a hail and farewell and a bunch of awards handed out next drill so I would have been there anyway. I might as well get paid, but this means I'm not out yet.
Let's hope next week shows an upturn. I'm optimistic.

We Did It!

I refereed my VERY FIRST EVER RUGBY MATCH yesterday.

I am very pleased. I was unsure of how I would do. I'd been having trouble with the test and any practice quiz I could find on the web and I couldn't understand why I couldn't put it all together.

My biggest fear was that I would be so confused and present such a useless pressence that the players would take the matter into their own hands and start retaliating for things I didn't call or didn't call correctly.

Well, that didn't happen and it went rather well. I was asked to come back which is always a good sign.

I say that "we" did it becuase I was impressed with the way the young men and coaches of both teams, Lake Forest and UIC knew the game and conducted themselves. They made my first game much easier than I had expected. A big thanks goes out to them.

The result? Well Lake Forest (home) won 48-0.

I was questioned once on a call, at half time and the player turned out to be right (I checked my lawbook which was close at hand). I told both teams what the law really was and that we would play it that way after that. I was also asked by one of the coaches to watch the lineouts for not throwing straight. I think I cleaned that up pretty well after that.

So everyone had an enjoyable game of rugby and no body got hurt through mallace. I think there were a couple of concussions, but that's nothing really. This is Rugby.

One man did have a broken jaw and I hope he gets well soon.

Still Editing

I learned that Editing is not the same as Proofreading and that Proofreading should happen only after Editing.

Editing is moving stuff around and adding stuff to make the story stronger and increased emphasis where you want it. That takes me sitting down for longish periods of time to get into the story.

Proofreading is just checking spelling, grammar, word usage and continuity. That's easy and can be done in as little as 30 second chunks.

This makes things a whole lot harder. I'm having trouble getting enough time together unfettered so that I can get into the story and be productive. Please wish me luck.

I FAILED!

I failed the Rugby Ref exam.

I don't understand how I am not capable of understanding this stuff. I got an 81% and you need a 95%. I would have sworn I had gotten a 100% as I put the page and law reference by each question in my book.

I get two more chances, but if those references aren't right I don't know what could be the right answers!

On top of that, how am I supposed to be able to make instant decisions on the field if I can't figure out the laws in an open book test?!

I know I'm not stupid. Is there some sort of trick to this?

It Has Started

Well, I started NaNoEdMo. I'm going to try to do 50 hours of editing this month before it's through.

This means that there will be even less blogging around here. You can help me though. Please comment on the chapters that appear here of Guya Principal. That's the book I'm working on right now (see the post immediately preceding this one for links).

I got some good comments earlier from an anonymous poster that I am already using in my editing. You could be a part of it too.

Thanks.

New, NEW, ALL NEW!

I have a new PDA, a new NaNo, a new email and a new image.

New PDA - My old Tungsten T5 died and I bought a new Palm Tungsten TX.

New NaNo - I joined NaNoEdMo (National Novel Editing Month). I will be attempting to do 50 hours of editing on my latest novel, Guya Principal. Wish me luck.

New Email - I have a new email address and I finally got DSL. HOORAY! I can finally work on-line at home! Let me know if you need the new address, but for now the old one will forward your messages.

New Image - The University of Illinois, my and Mrs. Prop's Alma Mater has cowtowed to the NCAA and outlawed Chief Illiniwek in all his aspects. Well, they can't make me bend my knee to non-sensical Political Correctness. We are going to continue to use the name Illini here and the image of the Chief (as inaccurate as it is) will continue to be honored here.

ADDITION: If you click on the word "Addition" it will take you to a site that has a petition to try to stop Alumni donations in ways that benefit Athletics. I think this is a great way to put our money where our mouths are and to try to get other people's money in our mouths too.

Happy Feast of Saint Valentine

Today is the Feast of Saint Valentine, or St. Valentine's Day. I want to take this opportunity to say publicly that I love Mrs. Prop. I know that's not much of a Valentine, but I got her some cards too.

Did you know that St. Valentine had nothing to do with romance or lovers, but that in the middle ages the saint's feast day became associated with romance, because in England February 14 is when the birds mate?

By the way, how come gansta's now-a-days don't have enough class to name famous inter-gang exchanges after famous days. The St. Valentine's Day Massacre sounds so poetic don't it?

I think if we put it up along side equivalent current situations (drive-bys and such) that we would see if for what it was, not something romantic, but something low-down and criminal.

Hooray for the Cops and I'll say a prayer for you.

PS: I just found out that my Roman Catholic Lectionary for Mass says that today is the feast of St. Cyril, Monk and St. Methodius, Bishop. What? I never heard of those guys? I think the Catholics are missing the boat today.

Happy Darwin Day

Wow, what a day. It's Lincoln's AND Darwin's Birthday. I didn't know they were the same day. It's kind of ironic you know.

I guess if you don't care about American presidents, or the United States as a singular entity, or the abolition of slavery in said country, then you can celebrate the other day, or not.

When I was in OBC I had a friend named Ray from rural TN. One day his parents came to visit and we all went to dinner in their van. At one point Ray said, "Hey, Ma, Bill is an Anthropology Major."

I just knew this was going to be trouble, but I, like Hercules, had to meet my fate.

She said, in a most innocent tone, "Anthropology, do you believe in evolution?"

I replied in the positive. To that she spun round in her chair, put her finger in my face and said, "WRONG!"

I'm just happy she didn't throw me out of the van.

"I was made in God's image," she said, "and God don't look like no damn monkey!"

Well, I didn't debate her (we hadn't eaten yet and there was still a good chance that Ray's parents would buy) but I'd be more than happy to debate it here in the comments.

Unless of course you only admire Mr. Darwin for his study of finches.

And oh, by the way, I agreed with Mr. Lincoln too, so bring on that debate as well.

RUN DAMN IT!

You may have come here from Miserable Donuts where you saw one of the two images that were burned into my little gray cells and here you will find the other one.

These images and two things I have to say will be the last I have to offer on the matter and I will move on and complete the healing process.

RUN!

Thomas Jones got 7.5 yard a carry, but they only ran 19 TIMES! "We're a running team." - Lovie Smith. My butt! If they had established the run they would have won the game. I realize that they were awful in almost every phase of the game, but they were in it for a very long time. Had they run when they had the lead they would never have lost it. Does running work? Ask the Colts, they ran 46 TIMES! And they have Manning!

This point is a little more subtle and maybe only a sub-point of the other one. If they had run the same gameplan that they ran against the Saints I think they would have won.

As I said, they managed to work their way down to being horrible in all phases of the game. They started out good on Special Teams (Kickoff return for a touchdown), Defense (interceptions and fumble recoveries) and even offense (big Thomas Jones run, Grossman actuall had a passer rating of somewhere around 120 in the 2nd quarter when Mannings was only about 85), and then lost it, so there is plenty of blame to go around.

Here is an image however that I think summed the Not-So-Superbowl all up:

It was a Train Rex!

Live from Kansas City (Just Pretend, Awrite?)

[I didn't get a chance to post this while I was away in KS, but I did write it there, so let's set the Way-Back machine to two weeks ago and enjoy.......]

I don't know if I'll be able to get this out, but Major John and arrived here in KC this morning (Tuesday 16 Jan 07).

Nope, I didn't get this out on the same day. Not the next day either, but the point is that I'm writing this in the hotel on my PDA.

You see this is kinda why I started using a PDA in the first place.

I listened to a book on CD (a very DNA thing) called "Salmon of Doubt." It's an un finished Dirk Gently novel by Douglas Adams (DNA). They used the unfinnished manuscript to build a DNA tribute around. In the book there'[ a part where DNA (an avowed technophile) is forced to write an article on an Apple version of a PDA (I forget qhat they're called) in a hotel lobby.

I thought to myself at the time, "wow, what a cool thing. That's excatly how I would use a PDA." Well now I have one and I'm using it just that way. Cool huh?

Well, maybe not but it is what I'm doing.

Welcome to the Party

Yup, Illini6 is 1 year old this month. Hard to believe isn't? Seems like just yesterday I killed Major Thomas and the KBR Design Fairies (remember that blog?)

Well we've been through a couple of philosophies and a couple of projects. We've had two elections and a hostile overthrow. Gee, I guess we've actually done a lot.

I hope you've enjoyed it and I hope this year is even more entertaining.

There was a lot of stuff I planned, but never got to or only did for a while. I won't remind you of those, but I will make you this promise, not only will I not go back and make good on those projects, I will start new projects this year that, despite my best efforts and intentions, I will not complete.

Recession Is in Session

"Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours." -Ronald Reagan

I guess we had a recession today at the major pharmaceutical company where Mrs. Prop and I work because they laid off a bunch of folks. I am so glad it wasn't a depression. I've had two of my own. They ain't fun.

I got this quote from a web site that said it was a funny quote. I beg to differ. Neither recessions nor depressions are funny.

SICK

I've stayed home sick the last two days. This stinks! I've got too much to do, but I get dizzy when I stand up. UGGH!