Well, it's only been 9 years since my last blog, but a lot has happened since then.
  I lost my job as director of security due to a 2 1/2 year meth binge; I was pretty much homeless staying at a friends house, when I met a girl.
 She took me in like a stray puppy and got me into the plumbing trade. After 5 years of schooling I am a certified union plumber.
 I don't know if I like it though....
 Sitting at home for the last 2 months from a back injury will do that to you I guess, hence the reason I returned to the old blog, to rekindle my passion for writing.
 I'm not very good at it so we'll see where it goes.
 Do I have an idea of what topics I want to focus on? Nope. I'm just gonna write and see where it takes me.
 I'm over my previous military service, so I probably won't go there much.
 My posts will likely be uninteresting stuff like plumbing or raising 2 girls, things that I consider myself to be proficient at.

MCAS Miramar Marine Corps Ball

Well, I got to go to another Marine Corps Ball this year with my brother in law, this time for the Miramar air station. To sum it up, good food, definately good drinks, and something I'm still not used to.....Female Staff NCOs. One in particular was just running around like a chicken with her head cut off! As a Staff Sergeant in the Marines, you are calm under pressure, and think ahead. This woman was none of that. Watching her stress about a seating arangement that was not emailed to my brother in law, had no name tags, and basically did not make a good god damn bit of difference, was the funniest thing I saw that day. Her statement regarding this every 15 seconds was "I'm not trying to be rude....." Brian, my brother in law, finally told her she was being rude and was also ruining the night for everyone. So that was funny. I don't really like or respect female Marines, because basically they are just cock holsters and tits in uniform.

That being said, I'm glad I was in the Infantry, where women were only around on the weekend or after hours and not involved in your work life. I don't think I could stand a woman trying to be a hard ass grunt. As soon as I left her ass behind on a hump, her rating in my mind would decrease.

The night did turn out very nice, and I won 60 bucks in about 10 minutes of gambling.

Maddy had a rough evening though.....

FIDO

So I was Writing a letter to someone special explaining the acronym FIDO, and I decided to post on it being that it is a useful term that anyone can lead their life by. In fact I have used it to get through many a bad time in my life.
FIDO Simply means Fuck It, Drive On. To go into detail, when things are shitty, the chips are down, you've been dealt a bad hand, or when life is just plain miserable, you just keep going. When I was stuck in Mexico at 17 with no money, no clothes, and no friends worth a shit, FIDO! When I was in Marine Corps boot camp hating life, being harassed constantly, in pain, and feeling no hope at all, FIDO! When I was 10 miles in on a 20 Mile Hump, 60 pounds on my back, hung over, dehydrated, and wanting to quit, FIDO. In a Military holding cell freezing cold, with wet socks, no food for two days, facing more trouble and NCIS interrogations, FIDO! In a Norwalk jail cell after a drunken night out being pulled over for a DUI, FIDO! Facing the judge who tells me I have to pull $1500 out of my ass for my fine or spend 47 days in county Jail, FIDO!
I hear you right now,"It's not that easy, asshole!" I'm here to tell you, "yes it is, shitbag!" I'll break it down for you.

Fuck it: You have no control over the situation. You cannot do anything about it. What friggin good does it do to worry, you silly Shitbag?

Drive on: Are you really going to just give up you loser? Why? What good will that do you? Keep moving! Keep pushing! Whatever you do don't friggin stop! Like the country song says," If you're going through hell, keep on going.... You might get out before the devil even knows you're there."

So there it is, class is over, Fuck It Drive On!

Good times great life! Whateva

Well after all my down falls, life seems to have taken a turn for the better. After my last posting I was promoted at work to Security Director at an account in El Segundo, leaving me in charge of about 30 security officers. Funny thing life is... now I run around in a suite, acting all buisness like, going to meetings, and being all professional and that kind of bullshit. Little do the people I deal with know I have tatoos all over my arms, love pain and dirt, curse like a sailor, and can out drink most sailors. Now it's "No problem Mrs. Property Management person, my security proffessionals will look into that promptly!" and " regarding that situation last week, you are hereby notified that you are on probation for 90 days." or "There seems to be a trend in Automobile break-ins during this time of month by looking at the incident comparison chart from last year." What I'm actually thinking is "Fuck your Problems property management bitch, my people are over worked and under paid, what do you want you stupid whore!" and "Hey shit bag, you better straighten up before i shit can you." or "Yeah you stupid fuck, people break into cars in the summer, where do you think we are, Heaven!"
Life is funny. But if the Marine Corps taught me one thing, it's that you have to adapt to survive, and that's what I'm doing. Adapting and overcoming. Whoever made up suicide is an idiot. Life is a ride. An odd ass ride, but still a ride!

I am the baddest mother fucker in the valley of the shadow of death.... Oh shit!

So, a funny thing happened the other month. Following my rules for wiskey PT, I somehow lost my USMC invincibility force field! Back when I was still a hard charging Marine, I was an invincable motherfucker. I would drive drunk as hell, get into fights, climb apartment buildings 6 stories high to retreive a lighter, drive drunk as hell, snorkle with deadly sea animals, and drive drunk as hell. Looks to me like that force field that had protected me from civilian law enforcement has finally been lost in a drunken stupor. Drinking with my old USMC Armorer buddy Cpl. Arillano, I decided to pass out at the bar, and wake up stupified. I ended up driving my truck home, recieving a night in jail and a DUI.
That was last October, and the last 5 months have been complete hell. I was demoted to a non driving position at work because of my 4 month licence suspension, had to go to court, pay a 1300 dollar fine, and go to a 3 hour class and 1 AA meeting one time a week each for the past 3 and a half months.
I got my Supervisors position back, and completed the dreaded classes, but I still have a lot left on the fine. I just couldn't afford it with my work demotion, and am just now starting to pay it. I have 2 months left to do so, but I will overcome this problem, I always do. Funny thing that Marine Corps Invincibility force field.... it gave me a false sense of security. One more struggle in life's path and I am learning some lessons along the way. I actually learned things in the DUI classes too, but I just can't think of them at the moment. Don't worry mom and pops..... one day I will be a grown man!

Life before the Corps

A few years before the Marine Corps, I fancied myself a cowboy.















Then as a....well figure it out.



















Then i ran off to Mexico to be Poncho Villa















I finally came back from Mexico.....














And decided to become one with nature.














Then I said "Fuck Nature" and joined the Corps!




















Ain't Life grand!

USMC birthday ball

It's been almost a month now since I attended the one best event I've been to in the last 5 years. The last time I attended a Marine Corps Birthday ball celebration was Nov. 13, 2000 in Prim Nevada, just under a year before I was to get out of the service on not so great of terms.

This year I had the privilege of being able to attend the MCAS (Marine Corps Air Station) Camp Pendleton USMC 230th birthday celebration, at the Flamingo Casino in lovely Laughlin Nevada.

I remember the balls of years past with fond memories. While in boot camp I had the incredible luck to be a "little friggin nasty recruit," and at the same time see the birthday ball ceremony and all the Marines that participated in the MCRD San Diego Birthday Ball. It was an uplifting experience to see how sacred this celebration was to the Devil Dogs, and that I might be able to attend one as a full fledged Marine one day.

My next birthday ball was in Okinawa Japan at camp Fosters NCO club with Combat assault Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. The preparation for the ball was extreme to say the least. My buddies and I were able to get drunk as all hell, causing a nice ruckus and did not get reprimanded for it.

The next time I attended the Ball was in Prim Nevada at the Prim casino. My buddy Dave and I got thoroughly smashed and drove the back roads from 29 Palms California, stopping an uncountable amount of times before arriving there to piss in the middle of the deserted desert highway, and also spent that ball drunk as fuck, thrashing boots and having a merry old time.

There are differences I noticed between the MCAS Ball and an infantry units ball, but the basic Idea remains the same. The Marine Corps ball is a time where you Honor all those who went before you in the Corps. You celebrate all that is right with the Marine Corps; the discipline, Honor, Courage, and Commitment of the Corps. The Marine Corps Ball is basically the party representing getting through the year alive, Honoring fallen brothers of past and present, and of demonstrating your love for the Corps all in one unforgettable night. You get drunk as all hell, harass the boots, eat good food, and tell stories of how it was when you were a boot, even though every one knows them already.

I attended this last ball with pride, and did so in typical Marine Corps fashion.

This is the Guest of Honor, a retired infantry Colonel after he gave me a wet kiss on the head. He was a great Marine, Four purple hearts and numerous other medals.

This pre flight check list is a little different from a pilots. It consists of various types of Rum, including Bacardi 151, and some Crown Royal.

My Brother inlaw and Don sharing in "Marine Corps Love"

My Girl and my brother in law Celebrating the birth of the prestigious Marine Corps.

And Finally my sister and brother inlaw in proper celebration of the 230th Marine Corps Birthday.