etool_deux's Xanga

In Iraq

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 12:19:37 GMT

Quick note because the internet here is suuuuuuper slow. I'm doing ok, holiday was nice, if not busy. Need more sleep. Work is good. room mate is annoying b/c he's on night shift and I'm not...

Lessons learned so far...

spear-chucking contests are best not directed at doors, lest they fly open when someone walks into the room... don't kick full 155's, they hurt. the toesies...
Route clearances are best when you break something...

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. More may follow.

If you realllllly want to e-mail me, Cindy has the addy. Ask her. :P

Ethan.

NOT Depressed!

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 05:15:07 GMT

So as I read through these last few posts (can't really call them recent can I?) I realized that I sound like one morose dude. I'm not depressed, it just seems like in low points I like to write about my seemingly pathetic existence. So you'll excuse the patheticness of my whinings.

Anyway, so the world continues to go around and around. Each day comes and go's bringing me a bit closer to deploying. Kinda looking forward to deploying, haven't been to the big sandbox for a while now, and I'm developing the "itch"... no not the same one you get in the desert after sweating in body armor all day. I love my work, I love doing the things I do. Even the unpleasant aspects of my job I enjoy, because one way or another it's all about helping people in a way that very few others can do.

It's also a lot of fun to drive a robot. << Totally random thought of the day.

I got new mag pouches for my vest. Now I'm waiting on name tags for my vest, and I'll be set! At least I'll look the part.

I have to pack another bag which sucks because I didn't want to lug it around. Oh well, I may find another way to get it done.

This is starting to ramble, but what do you expect at 5am??

Laters YO

Hopeless and helpless...

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:23:53 GMT

Wow, it's really been a long time since I last updated. Well, lots has happened I suppose. First and foremost, what started as a journal of sorts turned into one of the crappiest ideas of my LIFE. And like 90% of the things that I start, it slowly drifted to the wayside, taken over by many many other "more pressing" things. Crazy stuff has happened since my last blog. I got tasked to deploy again (will be leaving on the 8th of November... think there's a song about that). I will most likely be re-enlisting there. I need the money, b/c i suck when it comes to money management.

I've found that my life is rediculously empty dispite the plethora of activity that fills it. Every time I try to pursue things that make me happy, I'm thwarted at every turn. When something good and decent DOES come along, I fuck it up royally to the point that it just keeps going, giving me the finger as it disappears leaving me empty-handed yet again. I'm so confused. I know what I want, just not how to get it. And when it seems to be in my grasp, I manage to knock it away like a 5 year old with a pinata.

I started a rediculous relationship, and I'm fairly sure it's gonna suck in a few days when it'll end.

I tried to quit smoking, and it lasted 4 hours.

I tried to start a semi-normal relationship, and got shot down sorta. Now I'm floating in limbo wondering what the hell is going on.

I moved to a new apartment.

Sad, bored, lonely, and confused. That's my life right now.

Drunk

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 03:35:26 GMT

Remember Josh Mattero... great man, great tech. I don't think I can take another. But I said that last time. Drunk. Why God do you let these things happen? Why do I get to live when other, greater men die? Josh was my friend. He is my hero. The pain this war has brought is like no other. I wanted to see war. I have. Now, I just want it to end. Screw the Iraqis, screw the middle east. They wanna fight, WHATEVER. let them. I'm dopne caring. FUCK 'EM. Sorry for the strong language, but I'm drunk.

Bulgaria awaits!

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 21:59:51 GMT

So I'm leavin on a jet plane, don't know if I'll be back again...

In case you've been following the news, you know el presidente (that's spanish for the man) is in Europe touring around trying not to make everyone hate us United Statesians. However, some peope just are natural born haters, so he needs protection. Thusly tomorrow I am going to Sofia, Bulgaria. I will be rather incommunicado (or however you spell it) until the 12th, or I come out of hiding. Whichever comes last. Alas, this means that there will be no updates until said even occurs. However, this does not mean that people won't come by this my little piece of the internet to see that indeed nothing has changed. I still have a stupid look on my face.

In other news, I pissed off a colonel today. Was pumping gas into my gas hog-em-mobile when retreat played. For those of you who don't know what retreat is, it's the time of day (typically 5pm) when they end official business hours, retire the colors blah blah blah. It's signaled on base by the playing of To the Colors, and then the National Anthem. (As a side note, in foreign countries, their anthem is played before the US anthem. This makes for some really tired shoulders as I'm pretty sure that the Italian national anthem is about 3 days long) Anyway, so proper courtesy says you face the music, stand at parade rest, and when the anthem plays place your hand over your heart (when in civvies... in uniform you salute like a normal schmuck). So it starts playing and this guy just keeps washing the windows of his car. After it was all over, I looked at him and said, "Are you in a hurry man?"

he says, in a huff, "What's it to you??"

I said, "well you couldn't stop for a 30 second bugle call and a 90 second anthem. So I was just curious."

So he says, "Do you know who I am???"

I say, "Nope, not a clue"

He says, "I'm Colonel so-and-so (name changed to protect the retarded)"

So I say, "well what kind of example are you setting???"

He "harumph"s and leaves.

Victory is mine!

... and then I found 5 dollars.

Goodbye all!

Airshow

Mon, 21 May 2007 12:12:24 GMT

The airshow was boring. We were in a hanger all day and drove the robots around. Kids liked that, we played battle bots until the batteries died. Only broke one robot too. Then we used the robots to check out women, and scare small children. I walked around outside for a while w/ a robot tailing me. Had one girl convinced it was voice activated and had the entire unabridged dictionary programmed into it so it was smart enough to respond to questions. It scared her when Dave (looking through the camera) said her name which was on her shirt. Some people are so gullible. Other than that, I walked around w/ the bomb suit on, not bad w/ the breeze that blew all weekend. had my picture taken w/ the red bull girls... What fun.

Goin to Bulgaria next month, dropped a grand on car audio in my car... and I just picked a massive booger out of my nose. Life update complete.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 16:50:32 GMT

Hokay so,

There is nothing new to report. That is all.

No really, nothing new or interesting has gone on since I last posted.

I swear! Nothing worth putting into bytes has happened! My life is rather boring right now!

Stop asking!!!!!!

Nope, nothing yet.

I promise as soon as something happens, I'll tell.

QUIT READING THIS!!!!!

Good bye!

Over There pt.2 and other things

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 20:39:49 GMT

Hokay so, been a long time since I wrote those words. So I've finally finished watching the Over There series I wrote about last time, and it grew on me a little bit (like a bed sore). There are some parts that genuinely capture what it's like to be "over there" and others that bring the reality of life "over there" and how much different it is from "over here". They almost make it worth the watch. But...

There are parts of it that are rediculous, ludicrous, and just silly. The one thing that I hate about shows of this ilk (drama) is that they feel the need to be overly dramatic all the friggen time! Seriously. Not all spouses cheat (all but one did on the show, and the one didn't get a chance b/c her husband was hurt very early in the deployment) That irked me. I realize they need to make drama, but I swear that being the spouse of a deployed member has plenty of drama. I just HATE watching a show thinking "so what idiot mistake or choice will these people make now??" Same thing w/ the FX show... oh wait they're both FX shows... coincidence??? Anyway, the FX show Rescue Me, I have NEVER seen a firehouse w/ so much drama. In the beginning I thought, wow I feel sorry for this Tommy guy, the main character. But now, in season 4, I'm so sick of his stupidity I can't even watch the show for the good parts. Oh well.

Anyway, speaking of stupid drama, I bought The Guardian on DVD. Great movie, really enjoyed it every step of the way... until the end. What is up with movies killing people in the end? Do they feel they can't make drama without killing the protagonist in the end? Why can't people live out their lives to be happy old men or women instead of dying crusty crotchety old bastards? I don't get it. They filmed an alternate ending where everyone lived, but in the intro, the director said that it didn't do well in focus groups. WHAT THE HELL KIND OF PEOPLE DO THEY USE??????? Are people so jaded and old and crotchety themselves that they can't stand to see a happy ending on film, much less in their own lives. Geez people, get a friggen grip. I'm sick of it. Ladder 49, great movie, main character dies. Gladiator, decent movie, main character dies. I'm not asking them to go back to being honkey dorey by the end of the movie, because life isn't all roses. Just don't freakin kill them. geez. Movies are so stupid now. When critics are critical of happy endings in all genres but comedy? (and even then they call them "fluff endings") It's stupid.

*get's off soapbox and bows. Exit stage left*

Over There

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 21:52:41 GMT

So I bought the first (and only) season of the FX TV show Over There. Don't watch it. It's pathetic. Discounting the inaccuracy about the military in general, the writing, directing, and acting sucks... but the cinematography isn't bad. Don't buy it... don't watch reruns, don't tvo it. It sucks.

Welcome to the Suck... Again

Sun, 14 Jan 2007 00:23:23 GMT

Well if you haven't noticed, I've been rather remiss in updating my life for public consumption. And in case you didn't know, I have a good excuse... well a few really.

To begin with, I went to the super sucky place called the desert, sandbox, haji-ville, whatever. So that's where I've been for some of August, all of September, October, November, and most of December (like I got back on the 30th) Since the AF doesn't want anyone being "social" they decided to block xanga from use. So, no updates from the land of the suck. Yeah, suck numero uno.

Suck numero due, when we flew into BWI, no one was there to meet us. Fortunately, my buddy came down from NYC to welcome me back, so I decided that, since it was going to be the new year, I was going north with him. But I couldn't get a hold of anyone at my unit, because some president decided to croak that same weekend, and thus everyone had to work to provide all the warm-fuzzies possible for the dignitaries. So that's where they were. I leaved a message with the fire department alarm room, but do they relay it? Of course not! So for a few days they wondered where I was, and I was drunk so I didn't care.

Suck numero tre. January 7th, a week from going home, a very dear friend Liz Loncki was killed along with two other Air Force EOD techs near Baghdad. Liz and I go back to EOD school, she was my record maker. It was a big deal for the senior students to try and see who could get the noobs in from the indoc course to break phase fastest. She was my record at 21 minutes flat. Rather proud of that. Anyway, she's from New Castle, DE, so today we got up early, put on our uniforms and drove up for her funeral. Welcome to the suck.

SrA Elizabeth A. Loncki
447th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight
Baghdad, Iraq
KIA 7 Jan 2007