If I Only Had A Brain...

I had forgotten about this...

2011-10-01T22:33:00.002-04:00

It's amazing some of the twists and turns that life takes. I had almost forgotten that I had created this blog. Not that anyone reads it, but it's a nice way for me to vent. Maybe I'll kick this thing up in the coming months.

What has happened to the Miami Dolphins?

2011-01-02T15:09:00.000-05:00

After the 1-15 season, I didn't think it could get any worse. Well, I can't say that I would ever want for a 1-15 season again, but this season has been extremely painful to endure, and I'm actually looking forward to Black Monday. I hope Mr. Ross is as disgusted with this team's performance as I am. He should really blow up the entire team and start from scratch. Make these guys come into his office and interview for their jobs once more. Granted, the interviews with Dansby, Marshall, Carpenter, Wake, Long, & Soliali should be short, but they should still meet with Mr. Ross. (Mike Nolan, you're safe too, it's not your fault that the 3rd ranked defense in the league has to play across from such a pitiful offense that Henning and Sporano put together). I don't care if Bill "I haven't done anything since I left the Giants, I'm a big fat waste of space, Tuna" Parcells has provided you with a vote of confidence, Mr. Sporano, your days in Miami are numbered. I hate watching you cheer for a field goal. I hate that you decided to rearrange the O-line in camp this year. I hate that you stick up for Henning when his offense is clearly inept and out-dated. You preach accountability but you don't hold your own coaching staff accountable.
I'm proud to be a Miami Dolphins fan, but watching this year's team play the last 4 weeks has made me sick to my stomach. I know exactly how Darius Rucker feels.

VDOT

2010-12-28T14:32:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, Virginia and most of the east coast was blanketed with snow Christmas night, and into the 26th. Well, my parents were headed home on Sunday, and I was going to do everything in my power to get them on their way. After much back and forth between me and my grandmother about the road conditions, we got on our way to Richmond so that my grandmother and mother could catch the train (grandma is afraid of flying).
Here's what I noticed about the road conditions after 8-10" of snow. Hampton Roads cities made zero effort to plow the roads. Everyone north of Williamsburg knows how to plow highways, and keep up with winter weather. It really upset me to see how inept our road crews are here in Hampton Roads. How is it possible for I-64 to be perfectly clear between Richmond and Williamsburg, and then slowly deteriorate as I got closer to my house in chesapeake? It makes no sense. The news agencies are quick to say "Oh, well we don't see weather like this all the time, so VDOT is doing the best they can". I say that's a load of crap. The difference in weather conditions between Richmond and Hampton Roads is slim. How is there a huge difference between how the two regions handle winter road conditions. If anyone has an opinion on this, I would love to hear it...

A Snapshot of Our Society

2010-12-21T03:14:00.001-05:00

Scott Adams has to be one of the most talented cartoonists out there today. He has a way of relating his comic strips to my life in such a way that I sometimes wonder if he's watching me with some sort of secret camera. Maybe it's the fact that his humor is centered around the wonderful life of an engineer who works in a cubicle (hmm...that sounds familiar). Anyway, I was catching up on Dilbert and stumbled across this little ditty.

I think it speaks to what our society has become. How often do the tweeps of the world laugh at mainstream media for their "breaking news" that has already flown around the twitterverse 3 times 20 minutes earlier. Or better yet, when was the last time anyone read a newspaper in its entirety? We have become a society with the attention span of a house fly. If our brain isn't stimulated in the first 7 seconds of an advertisement, or news article, we search for something else.

Hell, I'm reasonably certain that this post is too long for most people.

I forgot about this one, and just couldn't have a post about our society and our values without including this wonderful Dilbert comic. Thank you Scott Adams!

The Repeal of DADT

2010-12-20T04:13:00.000-05:00

So, I've been following the blog of a former submarine officer for a while now, and one of his recent topics was the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. While following the blog, and the comments that ensued, I've come to realize that there are some very, very, very conservative people in this world. I realize that there are also some extremely liberal people on this planet as well. I think I fall somewhere in the middle (as do most americans). What concerns me, however, is that our government tends to listen to the extreme left and right more than the majority. ( I really think they listen to whoever has the deepest pockets, on both sides of the aisle, but that's another topic).
I'm really interested in what other people (outside the submarine community) have to say about the repeal of DADT. Hopefully someone on the internet will read this and provide commentary...

The Dolphins Make Me Cry!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-12-19T16:02:00.000-05:00

We lost to the Bills. This is ridiculous! Check downs with no timeouts. Settling for field goals. Running the wildcat when Henne was finally starting to get into a rythm. I can list the mistakes and poor decisions until I'm blue in the face, but it won't make a difference. The Dolphins are a sub-par team due to poor offensive leadership and coaching. Right now I'm embarrassed to be a fan of the team!

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!!!

2010-12-19T14:47:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned that I like football? Oh, it's only my 3rd post, of course not. Well, I do. At the moment, I'm watching NFL Red Zone. This is one of those great concepts where they show you snippets of every game in progress to constantly keep the action going. This is great for someone like me. (I think I might have ADD or ADHD, or whatever they call it, ooh butterfly...). My only gripe about NFL Red Zone is that they don't show my team enough. However, that's more my team's fault. The Miami Dolphins always find a way to put themselves in a bad situation. It's really beginning to piss me off. I could go on for hours about that, so I'll get off my soapbox. Well, I'm going to get back to watching 10 football games simultaneously.

Who's your favorite team, and why?

Andy Samberg strikes again!!!

2010-12-19T04:39:00.001-05:00

The man never ceases to amaze me! Andy Samberg and The Lonely Island are why I continue to watch Saturday Night Live. Just watch the video and enjoy.

The very first peanut...

2010-12-19T03:15:00.000-05:00

After reading several blogs over several years, I've decided to jump on the Blog bandwagon. I can't say that my posts will be frequent, and I can guarantee that my posts will not always be politically correct. What I can guarantee is that I will do my best to be honest, and authentic. With that being said, let's begin...

With the help of Oprah (my wife watches it, and I occasionally tune in), I decided to start reading Decision Points. Surprisingly, it is very good. Well, surprisingly isn't the best word for it. I figured the book would be interesting, but I honestly didn't expect it to be as good as it is. To put it simply, it's an easy read. The former President takes a critical look at his own life, and the decisions that he has made since becoming a public figure. I highly reccomend it, but I know that my reccomendation is nothing compared to the queen of talk shows' reccomendation!
I mentioned my most recent read to discuss some of the thoughts that it provoked. When I came upon the chapters discussing September 11th, Afghanistan, & Iraq, I was struck with a flood of emotions and flashbacks. (This is really a testament to Bush's writing style). I thought about where I was when I found out about the attacks, and how my entire outlook on life and my job (I was still in the Navy at the time) permanently shifted.
I was fairly young (career wise) when the attacks occurred. I had just finished my training at NPTU Charleston, and was in a class to learn how to be an instructor. I don't remember the exact moment that someone told me that a plane had crashed into the WTC, but I remember bits and pieces of the entire day. I remember how quickly the security posture of the base shifted. I remember the site XO announcing the catastrophe, and the road ahead (the CO was on leave that day). I remember calling my girlfriend (who was in upstate NY) and asking her if she was ok (I wasn't sure if she had gone to the city or not). I remember turning on the TV at home just in time to see the 1st tower fall. I remember leaving for work an hour early the next day only to end up being an hour late to work because of the 100% vehicle and person search.
It's funny. 9 years ago I didn't care about the extra security because I understood the need for it. Today, I get upset if I have to wait for security to turn around a vehicle at the gate to the shipyard. Maybe I shouldn't take security for granted. (I say this sort of tongue in cheek because I've also seen security let a guy through when he holds up a pack of Marlboro reds instead of his badge).

Anyway, that's what I've been thinking about lately. Hopefully, one day, someone will read this blog, and share in my thoughts on life.