When we PCS’d from Germany, my parents bought me this game: Buck Rogers and the Planet of Zoom for my 10th birthday. This was the first time I had seen a game cartridge.

Understand, this was back in the day when we still used a tape deck to load programs onto the computer — it took about 30 minutes to load a single program. We hadn’t gotten a disk drive yet (the venerable 1541). You would type LOAD “PROGRAM NAME”,1 to load from the tape (LOAD “PROGRAM NAME”,8 for the disk drive).

After my presents were unwrapped and we were done celebrating my birthday, I obtained permission to play my new game. Oh I was so excited. A Buck Rogers game! I couldn’t wait to play it! So, I turned the computer on and plugged the game cartridge into the slot on the back.

The game did not appear on the TV (black & white) that the computer was connected to. In fact, there was a whole lot of nothing on it. I turned the computer off and back on again. The game still didn’t work. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I had destroyed the game before I ever had a chance to play it by plugging it in while the computer was turned on. I did not get to play the awesome Buck Rogers game. Young Anonymous Soldier was a sad little boy.

Fast forward to today. I’m over on Macupdate.com to see if there’s any software I want to try out. I spot a Commodore 64 emulator. This isn’t the first time I’ve had an emulator for the 64, but it is the first one I’ve used on the Mac. So I’m playing around with it and poking around an FTP site for old games that I remember playing, when I FIND BUCK ROGERS!

Of course, I had to try it out! I wasn’t able to play it when I first got it twenty-two and a half years ago, but I sure as hell was going to play it now! Anonymous Soldier became a happy man! I launch the emulator. I load the cartridge file. The game starts! I begin playing! Yay!

Then I very quickly realize that I would have enjoyed this game much more twenty-two years ago than I do today. The graphics and game play are horribly simple — even for the standards of 1985. Jumpman and Lode Runner (the next two games I’m going to download!) had better graphics and game play than Buck Rogers did.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not disappointed. I knew that it wouldn’t compare to what we have today. After all, this was back in 1985, and it’s now 2008.

But I played Buck Rogers

As soon as I get that resolved, I should be able to bring registrations back online.

Time passes very quickly here in Iraq, which is a factor in my not having posted anything since 3 Oct 07. My day consists of a twelve-hour shift, after which I’m tired and not in much of a mood for doing anything beyond chatting with friends and family. It’s been nearly 7 months since we deployed and there are still 8 more to go. The upshot of that is that my bank account is very happy.

Big Update!!
I made cut-off this month, so I will be promoted on 1 Mar 08. It’s been a long time coming and I’m looking forward to it. Saturday just can’t get here soon enough for my taste.

Politics:
I’m very disappointed in this year’s crop of candidates. McCain is going to be the Republican nominee. Ugh. We may as well have a Democrat in the White House if, God forbid, he gets elected. The only one of the three that I would rather have in the White House is — brace yourselves — Hillary.

Here’s why: McCain is a Democrat in Republican’s clothing. McCain-Feingold (assault on freedom of speech), opposed President Bush’s tax cuts, will take us into Iran… I could go on.

Obama: Socialist. Need I say more?

Hillary is a devil, yes. But I say, “the devil you know…” I no longer believe that she will win the nomination, which will leave the race between McCain and Obama. I will vote for neither man. I think I’m going to write in Condi on my ballot.

Security:
As I’ve noted before, I’m fortunate to be in a relatively peaceful area. We’ve lost only a few Soldiers (last time the brigade was in Iraq, it lost many) since September. The security situation here is stable and improving. Improving slowly, but still improving.

The locals are wonderful people. My interactions with them have only been positive, and they genuinely want a better life for themselves. They disagree amongst themselves how to go about that, of course; but then again, so do we. It’s the terrorists that are making life miserable for the Iraqi people.

Miscellaneous
I had a Soldier talk to me about an issue regarding his orientation this evening. I had no idea that he was queer as well, but I think I allayed his concerns. I also passed him the link to here, so he might show up. Show him a warm welcome if he does.

The writers strike is finally over and now I’m finally able to get season 2 of Jericho from iTunes. It’s two episodes into the season, and so far it’s an interesting turn of events; although I wish they had concluded the battle between Jericho and New Bern rather than start the season off the way they did. Oh well.

This is my favorite song from John Michael Montgomery:

My Dear Son, it is almost June,
I hope this letter catches up to you, and finds you well
Its been dry but they’re calling for rain,
And everything’s the same ol’ same in Johnsonville
Your stubborn ‘ol Daddy ain’t said too much,
But I’m sure you know he sends his love,
And she goes on,
In a letter from home

I hold it up and show my buddies,
Like we ain’t scared and our boots ain’t muddy, and they all laugh,
Like there’s something funny bout’ the way I talk,
When I say: “Mama sends her best y’all”
I fold it up an’ put it in my shirt,
Pick up my gun an’ get back to work
An’ it keeps me driving me on,
Waiting on letters from home

My Dearest Love, its almost dawn
I’ve been lying here all night long wondering where you might be
I saw your Mama and I showed her the ring
Man on the television said something so I couldn’t sleep
But I’ll be all right, I’m just missing you
An’ this is me kissing you
XX’s and OO’s,
In a letter from home

I hold it up and show my buddies,
Like we ain’t scared and our boots ain’t muddy, and they all laugh,
‘Cause she calls me “Honey”, but they take it hard,
‘Cause I don’t read the good parts
I fold it up an’ put it in my shirt,
Pick up my gun an’ get back to work
An’ it keeps me driving me on,
Waiting on letters from home

Dear Son, I know I ain’t written,
But sittin’ here tonight, alone in the kitchen, it occurs to me,
I might not have said, so I’ll say it now
Son, you make me proud

I hold it up and show my buddies,
Like we ain’t scared and our boots ain’t muddy, but no one laughs,
‘Cause there ain’t nothing funny when a soldier cries
An’ I just wipe me eyes
I fold it up an’ put it in my shirt,
Pick up my gun an’ get back to work
An’ it keeps me driving me on,
Waiting on letters from home

So, stay tuned — I’m back!

Before I leave, however, I will ensure that I have a copy of Unsilence’s source code so that I can update the site and fix the blog registration bug. I haven’t been able to do that due to how extremely busy I’ve been, but I will fix it before the year is out. I’m probably going to have to have someone else upload the new code, but it’ll be in place so that we can start accepting registrations again.

I will be in Iraq for the next 15 months and while I do know where I’m headed, I’m not going to say. One, because that would violate OPSEC; and two, because that would be giving too much personal information. By the end of the month, I’ll be in Iraq; and the next time I post will be from Iraq. I plan on posting as often as I can without getting caught with an unregistered blog, but I first have to see what the network situation is down there. I may end up having a trusted person do the actual posting for me if it seems that I could get into trouble for not registering An Army of 1 in 10.

See you guys on the flip side!

No, I won’t post any spoilers here, because I would like to be able to live long enough to deploy to Iraq.  I will however, say that the book is very good and is a fitting end to the story.  The tale of Harry Potter, in my opinion, is more than a children’s story; it may have started out as one, but Rowling has nursed it into one which transcends the generations.

In this, the final chapter of the saga, people do die — characters who have been around since the beginning (and not just human characters…) as well as those who were introduced later in the series.  As for whether or not Harry Potter dies, all I will say is that Voldemort uses avada kedavra against him.  Draw your own conclusions or read the book.

SPC Kube was killed by a roadside bomb as he manned the gunner’s turret in a humvee on its way to a meeting between religious rivals.  His platoon sergeant, SSG Byron-Griffin remembers him, “What are you doing here? You’re a baby.’ He looked me straight in my eye, with his chest poked out like he does, and he said, `I’m 17, and I ain’t no baby. I’m a man.”‘

May this young hero rest in peace.

Christopher D. Kube:  b. September 7, 1988  d. July 14, 2007

This week is going to be a short work week for me because I’m currently on quarters for 48 hours due to having oral surgery yesterday.  I don’t go back to work until Thursday.  And I go on leave on Saturday for two weeks.  Man, I’m getting a lot of time off!

I’ll need it though, because it won’t be long until I deploy for 15 months to Iraq.  I still haven’t figured out how (or if) I’m going to post to A1in10 while I’m downrange.  I’m sure that I’ll figure something out  which won’t compromise my identity.

I still need to update the site’s codebase to fix the registration issue, and I will get that done before the end of July. I plan on leaving the site in a self-managing state before I deploy in case I’m not able to do so downrange. Once I deploy, I’m probably not going to be able to do any updates or add any new features, so if there are any wordpress plugins you would like to see on the site, now is the time to get your suggestions/requests submitted.

Oh yeah, I’m still looking for a webcomic viewer — anyone know of any?

Here’s what I need:

• a stand-alone program capable of running on Vista
• easily configurable to add comics
• has the ability to download past comics
• maintains an archive of comics
• small, doesn’t suck up resources
• free

I’m taking suggestions and recommendations, so please post them here.

Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox and Peter Cullen are signed on for sequels. Soundwave will be a new major character.
Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura has said he plans for a sequel, though it will depend on the film’s box office success. The plot of the sequel is being planned, but Bay has not signed on to direct, saying “I’m trying to keep some leverage for the negotiations.”

Sweet!

Okay, I’m sure that all you guys who grew up in the ’80s (like me!) are either a) aware of the new Transformers movie or b) are eagerly anticipating it.  Either way, there’s a new trailer which shows more of the movie than previous trailers… and it’s gosh-darned-tootingly awesome!

Bumblebee…
Optimus Prime (yay!)…
Starscream…
Soundwave (?)…
Megatron (?)
and a new one!

Check it out and  remember your childhood!  Remember the first Transformers movie?  How many of you cried when Megatron killed Optimus?  I know I sure did.  I was worried when I found out that Michael Bay was directing it, but the trailer looks great… and besides, it’s the TRANSFORMERS!

The movie opens July 4th.  I haven’t been this excited about a movie since Transformers:  The Movie was released back in 1986 and I can’t wait to see this one (sequels? pleeeeeease let there be sequels!) in a few weeks.  I just hope Optimus doesn’t die in this one.

16 pieces of crow breast meat (no bones) (8 crows)
16 pieces of green pepper
16 cherry tomatoes
8 button mushrooms
8 ears of sweet corn
1 1/2 cups of Teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup melted butter
8 kabob skewers

Preparation

Cut each piece of crow in half and place in a covered bowl with the Teriyaki sauce over night. Clean and cut each ear of corn into 3 pieces. Cook in boiling salt water for 10 minutes. Alternately put corn (3 pieces), green peppers (3 pieces) and cherry tomatoes (3) along with 4 pieces of crow meat on each skewer. Use 1 mushroom to top each skewer. Brush with melted butter and place on preheated grill for about 4 minutes. Flip, butter again and place back on grill for another 4 minutes. Repeat one last time for a total of 12 minutes or until they appear done. Serves four adults.

Internet
My ISP still hasn’t reconnected my internet connection. What a crappy company. I’m currently at a new net cafe that’s opened on post, so at least I can now get on for a short while (at a monetary cost). I should be able to get the registration bug fixed soon … please be patient.

Deployment
I’ve also learned that my brigade has been place on notice for deployment. We don’t know where or when we’re deploying yet, but it’s probably going to be during 4th quarter. With the new 15 month deployment, I’m going to have to figure out something in regards to the disposition and maintenance of the site. I may have a trusted person post my entries for me and make updates.

On the bright side, that means I’m going to come home with a lot of money in the bank. Since I’m single with very few bills, the deployment will be pure profit for me. And with the 15 month deployment, that’s also going to mean an additional $3,000 for serving in combat over 12 months. All tax free. Yep, I’m looking forward to it.

Discuss.

Now motionless, Casey drifted upward until he bumped against the ice.  His crimson jacket became starkly visible through the ice and he heard a faint voice shouting from an unimaginable distance as his consciousness ebbed away with each passing moment.  His eyes stared blankly at the silhouette above him frantically clawing at the barrier which separated them.  He felt strangely warm, as if the frigid waters had suddenly been heated.  Above, the shape was frantically pounding on the ice, the dull thud of each strike permeating his last moments of consciousness.  The darkness finally closed over his eyes and mind and he began to sink.

On the surface of the frozen lake, screams pierced through the wintry air.  A thirteen year-old boy’s face was flushed with exhaustion and determination as he hacked at the thick ice with his pocket knife, which was woefully inadequate for the job he was asking it to do.  Sweat ran down Shawn’s face in rivulets.  He could see Casey right there.  Casey was only three inches from him, and yet he may as well have been a mile away.  The knife blade snapped in half and Shawn screamed in frustration, a frenzied howl he prayed someone would hear.

On the shore, Casey’s younger brother raced toward the lake with a heavy rock.  The small boy could barely lift the stone, let alone carry it; yet he was managing to run at a full sprint with it.  He had run to find something to bash through the ice with the moment Shawn and him had spotted Casey’s red jacket several yards from the spot the ice had given way.  It was unusually cold this winter, so their mother had insisted that Casey and Leo wear their boots — the very boots which had doomed Casey.  These boots were designed to protect against severe weather and were much heavier than the shoes the boys were accustomed to wearing.  Casey’s skill at swimming was no match for the weight of these boots and a waterlogged winter jacket.   The twelve year-old had sunk very quickly, his attempts at swimming to the surface merely serving to propel him from the hole in the ice.

Leo ran across the ice, nearly slipping more than once on the slick surface.  Reaching Shawn, he  thrust the rock at his brother’s friend.  Shawn took it and began bashing it against the ice, ice which had moments before been unyielding and surrendering only a few chips.  The thud, thud of granite striking the frozen surface of the lake reverberated up the boy’s arms as the hole he’d started with his knife enlarged rapidly.  His plaintive sobs and Leo’s screams for help echoed across the park as Casey began to sink out of sight.  Suddenly, the rock broke through the ice, the frigid water splashed over Shawn and he watched as Casey’s face vanished into the murk.

Shawn lunged for the jacket he could still see and his fingertips traced over its surface as the water claimed its prize.  Casey sank out of sight.  Shawn grabbed the rock and began to enlarge the hole further.  Within moments, he’d made it large enough to pull someone through… or for someone to go in.  Making up his mind, he stripped off his shoes and jacket and jumped in.  Leo screamed.  A voice shouted.

Shawn took a deep breath and shoved himself into the icy depths.  He knew this lake.  He had been swimming in it his entire life and knew that it was not very deep at this spot.  He turned and looked upward to make sure he was still within reach of the hole before scanning the water for his friend.  Casey had drifted a few feet closer toward shore, his limp fingers trailing through the weeds that grew from the lake bottom.  A small fish nibbled curiously at Casey’s hair as it floated around his head.

Shawn swam toward his best friend and grabbed hold of a lifeless hand.  Struggling with all his might, he forced his way back to the hole in the ice and fought the increasingly desperate urge to inhale.  He only needed to make it a couple of more feet, but the weight of Casey’s body kept dragging him down.  His lungs screamed for air and his diaphragm began to pump his chest to force him to take a breath.  He knew he was about to share Casey’s fate and silently said a prayer for forgiveness.  Then he felt a hand grab his shirt and pull him from the water.

He gasped as his head broke the surface and sucked in the sweet air.  He wondered for a moment why he wasn’t sinking, then realized that he was being held by a man.  His second realization was that he still had a grip on Casey.

“Let me go!” Shawn shouted frantically.  “Help him!”  Shawn pulled Casey into view.

The man tried to pull Shawn out of the water but he resisted, insisting that Casey be looked after first.  Shawn held onto the edge of the ice while he watched his friend be dragged from the water.  Then he felt the man’s strong hands take hold of him again and pull him free.  Seeing that Shawn was alert, the man shouted something at a woman standing on the shore, then bent over Casey.

Casey watched the scene from above with mild interest.  He could see his friend Shawn and his brother on the lake.  What were they doing there?  Didn’t they realize it was dangerous?  Shawn was shivering, and Casey noted the large hole nearby and realized that Shawn must have fallen through.  It was a good thing that that guy was there to help.  He tried to call to Shawn, but no sound came from his mouth.  “Why is that man not helping Shawn?” Casey wondered.  Then he noticed that the stranger was bent over another boy.  “Who is that?”  Casey drifted closer, and with a shock realized that the man was giving mouth-to-mouth to him.

Leo was sobbing.  Casey was dead, and Shawn had almost died trying to rescue him.  If he hadn’t insisted on tagging along, they wouldn’t be in this mess.  Casey was dead because of him.  “It’s all my fault!” Leo shouted at himself in his head.  Mom was going to kill him.   He felt someone lift him from the frozen surface.  It was the stranger’s wife.  She was holding him close and he sobbed into her shoulder.  Then he heard a sputter and an explosion of coughing.  He turned to look at the source of the noise, and saw Casey’s blue face slowly regaining a pinkish shade as his brother sucked in air.  “CASEY!” he shouted with immense relief.

Air.  He had air.  He could breathe.  He was cold as hell and his lungs burned, but he could breathe.  Casey shivered under the blanket as he was loaded into the ambulance next to Shawn.  Shawn sobbed in the crash cart next to him.  Casey reached across the gap and grabbed his friend’s hand as the paramedics shut the door and the vehicle began to move.

Shawn looked up when Casey took his hand and saw his friend’s mischievous crooked smile.  It told him everything was going to be all right.

Last month, I was preparing to move when my internet service cut off. This was expected, as I had requested that it be moved to my new location; however, while the phone service was reactivated, the internet was not. I was then unable to access the internet from home, and I’m certainly not going to access A1in10 or SIU from the government network (especially when my login is tied to my CAC). On top of that, I’ve been TDY for the last two weeks (still have a week to go), and my internet access is spotty here.

Hopefully my ISP will have straightened out its act and have my DSL line reactivated when I return home next weekend. If that turns out to be the case, then you can expect me to resume posting on a regular basis then (AND to fix the blog registration bug). If not, then I’ll continue to be offline for a while.

Basically what it boils down to, is this: if you’re worried about my well-being, then rest assured that nothing has happened to me except for a bout of bad luck and bad timing. My career is still safe, and aside from going through internet withdrawal, I’m fine.

I hope to be back online next week.

I know that recruiting is a very stressful and difficult job, but at some point you would think people would realize that if you do something this stupid, it’s going to come back and bite you in the ass.

On the otherhand, everytime I see an article or something about protests at recruiting centers, I have to wonder if the protesters really understand that it’s not the recruiters they need to be protesting. They don’t write the policy. They’re just trying to do the job that the Army assigned them.

The Frontlines: A Recruiter’s Offensive Emails

Beyond the pale: anti-gay, racist emails from Army recruiter

Jersey Journal: text of some of the email exchanges.