GermanWrench's Xanga

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:26:48 GMT

Still haven't heard from the wife. According to the squids I work with she might not get a phone call for a while, but I should look in the mail for a postcard with her address at basic training on it. She didn't leave me a list of people to whom her address goes, but I assume that if you can still read her blog she trusts you enough to know her real name and location, so leave a comment with your email address and I will get in touch with you.

And now I'm going to clean up this sty. Ten days of bachelor living and the place has degenerated into a filth palace. My wife would not approve.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:33:57 GMT

Got a phone call from the lovely wife today. She could only talk for about ten seconds, long enough to tell me she was okay and that she loved me. She didn't sound especially happy, but looking back on my own basic training experience, no one enjoys the first week. And those squids don't even have to low-crawl through a half mile of mud balancing an M16 on their forearms while explosions and gunfire are going off everywhere.

And thus ends the update.

Enlistment

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:35:20 GMT

My lovely wife is, at this moment, most likely lying in her new barracks bunk bed and wondering what the hell she's gotten herself into.

More to follow.

They look like they're high-fiving.

What American is to me

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:42:19 GMT

    I have to say, the past year, as I've been gearing up to enlist, I've been thinking a lot about patriotism. Why am I putting myself in a position where I could lose my life, just to serve a piece of land?
     And here's the conclusion I think I've come to. America is not perfect. We never will be. We're a nation of imperfect people who are even worse than Israel when it comes to obeying God. Our church is apostate, our politicians are rudderless, our dollar is a joke, our social politics are a study in class warfare, we kill generations in the name of convenience and we let rapists and murderers walk in free society. And the kicker is, it will only get worse.
     But I don't love America because I expect America to be perfect. My husband is very imperfect; I won't list the ways, but suffice to say, I might be eternally married to a perfect Bridegroom, but my Earthly husband doesn't live up to that perfection. Does that mean I shouldn't love him? Of course not. Because love that is earned can't be love. We love most truly when we love in spite of imperfection. And true love requires sacrifice. I love America not because America is perfect, or because I expect her to be. I love America because she is mine to love -- that, maybe, by my love, she may be made more lovely.
     I don't expect everyone to share that view. Part of what I love about America is the fact that all beliefs -- even the ones that are socially frowned-upon -- are upheld by law as our rights as Americans. Many people don't love their country. But I believe there is a reason that more people come here than any other nation on Earth. There has to be some fundamental difference between Us and Them. And I fear that if we lose that, we lose our identity as a nation -- not as the leader of the free world, but as "an asylum on earth for civil and religious liberty." (Sam Adams) Maybe that's not important to others; it's important to me.
    Maybe I've got it all backwards, maybe there's a better, safer way to look at it. I don't know. I know America is not my home; Heaven is. And America doesn't even have that strong a grip on my heart; Israel does. But while my citizenship is not of this world, the Holy King of Israel has designed that I should be an American. That's good enough reason for me to love this country, with all her faults.
    Happy 4th, everyone.

Beautiful

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 15:20:07 GMT

This is probably the most beautiful video I've seen on YouTube, ever.

Scratch that last

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:28:47 GMT

    Yup, I'm still here. People flaked out so I guess I won't be doing anything before I leave. Which I guess is appropriate, since my whole time in Texas has pretty much been one big null.
    Y'know, I don't mind when people care about you but can't make the time to spend with you. Some people really are busy and just can't always work it out. But when you get blown off for nothing in particular by people you consider friends, and especially if you're the type to not keep a "hierarchy" of friends, it just sucks. Especially when you know you'll likely never see them again.
    Oh well. I can't change others, I can only change myself.

Private eyes...

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:37:30 GMT

I'll be switching to private tomorrow -- I'll be gone all weekend (Addy's taking me to Sea World before I leave, because he's a good husband =-D), then, as of Monday, I'll have one more week here before shipping off....
Please excuse me while I crap a brick. I can't believe I'm just over a week away from being demoted from civilian to seaman.

Let's get one thing straight

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:40:40 GMT

    If Obama is elected, he will NOT be the first black president; he would be the first black/white bi-racial president.
    Calling him "the first black president" is a total insult to every bi-racial person who's ever felt forced to pick between one ethnicity over another. There are thousands of kids who beat themselves up every day for not being "black enough," "white enough," "Mexican enough," whatever-enough, without having to be told that the first valid bi-racial candidate is actually a black man.
    Isn't it enough that he's the first viable bi-racial candidate without picking only one side of his ethnic heritage to celebrate?

What would you say?

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:44:07 GMT

   Say you meet a man at work who says to you, "I'm an Atheist." So you say, great, would you like to come to my house on Sunday to watch some football? He replies, "No thanks, I'm going to church." You think this is a bit odd, but regardless, you let it pass and continue the conversation, which meanders to the topic of money. You tell him that you and a bunch of other people are going to the new casino in town, and invite him along. "I would, but I can't. I'd have to dip into my thithes and offerings for that." Perplexed, you ask him, "What religion did you say you are, again?" He tells you, "Why, I'm an Atheist." You shake your head in amazement, but don't press the matter. You ask him if he's going on the company trip to Bali, but he says he can't -- he has a missions trip to go on.
    You begin to talk about family, and tell him you have a cousin who's very attractive and is looking for a sex buddy, and offer to share her number. He says, "That's nice, but I'm abstaining from sex outside of marriage." At this point, you're just completely confused and don't even bother to question his motives. You've spent a few hours talking, and are both quite hungry, so you go out to lunch. After your waiter brings out the food, your new "Atheist" friend bows his head and says grace over his lunch. You exclaim, "That's it, there is no WAY you're an Atheist!" "Why not?" your new friend asks. "Because you live in every way like someone who believes in God!" you reply. "You can't be an Atheist and live like a Christian!"
    The Pew Research Center has completed a survey of religion in America, and found -- to everyone's amazement except for Christians -- that those who call themselves Christians do not believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, or that faith is terribly important at all. This is a collective shoulder shrug from the American Church.
    So the question is, should we respond in the same way that we would respond to our Atheist friend? Or do we relax our shoulders and our doctrine, embrace ecumenism at the expense of the cross, and just admit, once and for all, that God, well, really isn't terribly important?

Survival tools for living in West Texas

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:39:44 GMT

The most important survival tool for living in the deserts of west Texas is an ice cream machine. It is, hands down, the best thing Addison has gotten me since our wedding (and it plays a close second to my engagement ring). I made a batch of coffee ice cream (inspired by Believe or Doubt, and his unfortunate chocolate allergy) last week, but I can't seem to find it anymore... oh well, perfect excuse to make some more!
Aoife's coffee ice cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup 2% milk
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 TBSP plus 1 tsp instant coffee granules
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Sprinkle of nutmeg/pumpkin pie spice (optional)

Heat the sugar, salt, coffee, and dairy over low heat, and bring just to a bare simmer. In a separate bowl, whip the eggs till lightened in color. While whisking, add the dairy mixture, a half a cup at a time, till eggs are same temperature as dairy base. Add egg mixture back into dairy, turn off the heat, and add the vanilla and nutmeg/spice (if using).
Rest mixture in the fridge overnight, then turn according to ice cream maker's instructions.