Somehow back

All,

First, I want to explain my absence from the blog community. Being on a deployment means utilizing Defense Department computer systems. Currently, there is a massive effort in place by The Man to keep our mouths shut and block access to all blog-related sites and personal email accounts (hotmail, etc.) while in forward locations. The reason given for this ban is Operational Security (loose lips sink ships!) but we all know it's complete bullshit. For a short while, I was able to use proxy blockers, but after our visit to Singapore it seemed network administrators could smell the foul and managed to stay one step ahead of everyone. This was really, really bad for some people who are addicted to myspace. whatever, I'm back.
There's a lot to say. the deployment went well and I'm back in one piece. We had eight people killed and more than 130 wounded. Aside from that, I personally had a lot of success. I had a few articles that made "mainstream" political rags, including the National Review, and I also had a photo published in LA Times that was called a "Pro-Iraqi War Icon." It was of a Marine reenlisting during a medevac.
Coming home has been a crazy experience. Franklin has "developed" beyond reason and surprises me everyday with little things like sitting, eating and making noises. He likes to eat "big boy" food like egg sandwiches and pizza.
Missy has done very well raising him during my absence, and it makes me feel a little less guilty about leaving.
That stuff said, I'm looking forward to the FUTURE, including a sweet trip to MINNESOTA THIS MONTH!!
Snow, food, boots, salt, cars, family and friends. Shopping, Christmas, presents, drink and debauchery. Duluth. The Sword. Valient Thorr!
Jam sesh?
Peace.

Welcome to Singapore!

Although we haven't actually reached Singapore yet, there is quite a lot of 'buzz' around the ship. This will be our second 'liberty call' during the deployment, and possibly the last stop before conducting operations in Iraq.
Singapore is a beautiful city. We visited it during last deployment and I had a great time. Singapore, however, carries very strict laws for "routine" crimes and even some menial violations. For example, it is illegal to chew gum. It is also illegal to "outrage the modesty of women" (i.e. make inappropriate gestures or eye contact). Drug violaters are often sentenced to death. Many common crimes carry tag-on sentences of caning (see Michael P. Fay).
In light of this severe stance on crime, an article was published in one of the ship's mock newspapers. It is as follows:
"Hello and welcome to beautiful Singapore! We hope you enjoy your stay. Singapore is a beautiful island full of culture, beauty, and wonder like you have never experienced. You can experience bustling city life, laid back beach life, a wild wilderness and a rolling farmland all in the same day! Enjoy our fine cuisine in our many world renowned restaurants. The restaurants range from fancy and high class to laid back and low key, each offering friendly service and delicious menus. (We only ask that you do not spill any food on the floor, if your are found spilling food on the floor, we will fine you $2000 and you and your family will be thrown into the streets through the front window.)
Aside from the delicious dining, you can experience the old time fishing culture by taking a stroll on our many beaches. There you will see a bustling fishin industry that has been honed to perfection through the generations. (We only ask that you do not try to steal any of the fish, if you steal a fish, you will be set on fire and thrown from a moving car.)
You can then head out for a brisk hike in the mountains. The air is fresh and the wildlife nearly untouched by modern society. (we ask that if you do go hiking in our pristine forests, please leave only your footprints. If you leave more than your footprints you will be covered in honey and thrown into the bear pit at the zoo armed with nothing except your own tears.)
Singapore is also known for its swingin nightlife. we have discos, pubs, clubs and bars to fit every taste. If your are going to drink, please recycle your cans or bottles afterwards. (if you are caught mixing recyclable items then you will be properly punished and a local high school baseball team will hold batting preactive with your face as a target.)
There are many tourist attractions you simply cannot miss. An ancient temple where wild monkeys live has proved to be a Singapore favorite. A world class water park is also a big hit with travelers. (We only ask that you do not butt in line when getting on the water slides. If you butt in line you and your family will be thrown in jail for life and all your worldly possessions will be sold and the proceeds will go to support televising spelling bees.) The city is the cleanest in the world. Take a stroll and enjoy our local shopping. We have many brand name designers as well as many local treasures that your are sure to enjoy. (please do not take more than 3 items at a time into the fitting room. If you do you will find that the fitting room floor will open beneath you sending you into a cave full of your own nightmares.)
When you are done shopping you can relax in one of our many very comfotable hotels. We offer a hotel for every taste and you will feel right at home with our hospitality. (We only ask that you do not steal any of the towels. If your are caught stealing a towl you will be stripped naked and shot out of a cannon into a cactus feild.)
All in all we Singaporeans live a laid back lifestyle and are very tolerant of the behaviours of others. We would suggest though that you do not chew gum, spit, skip, litter, sing any song we find annoying, eat in public, make eye contact with anyone, or forget to flush a public toilet. We regret to say that all of these offenses are taking seriously can can result in serious punishment, fines, or even death. ENJOY YOUR STAY IN SINGAPORE!"

And there you have it. If you're bored, shoot me an email at hurtaj@bonhomme-richard.usmc.mil

s-pore and guamtrex

Dear Blogianites and blogiennes,
A late night indeed. Current time: midnite 30. Current time in U.S.: eight 30 a.m., 1 day prior. Yes, I am living your tomorrow. I'll let you know if anything happens. Until something big goes down, lemme rap the basics at ya.
Today, the sun rose. It went down some time later. Set o'er the horizon, which is clearly visible from the ships point of view, still somewhere in the middle of the ocean.
We've come from Guam, a chossy little eruption on the Pacific Rim. Sure, there are some intersting things to say about the island, like it was the site of some battle during WWII. And the fact that, although the island's highest geographic peak is only 1,300, that same peak, if measured from it's base (the bottom of the Marianas Trench) would be the highest mountain in the world (38,000ft?). BUt the non-interesting items are perhaps the most appealing. For example, did you know in Guam there lies such luxury goods stores as Louis Vutton, Tiffany & Co., Rolex and more? Yeah, they're right there next to the massage parlor (er ... whore house).
But life goes on.
The ship steams ahead to our next port, another Southeast Asian clime called Singapore. Since I've been to Singapore before, I have mixed feelings. I take solace in the fact the S-pore is WAY nicer than Guam, and there are more activities brewing in the local flavor. Did you know it's illegal to chew gum in Singapore? It's true. With any luck, I'll get some sporting done. I've spent most of my last days here googling skate scenes in Singapore, but it's difficult because you have to constantly fight the stange Asian domains (.sg).
Not much else to say. Keep checking back!

Bad Religion

It's been too damn long. Here's the scoop: I was unable to remember my account information and the web connection here is bum-diggity.
We've been on ship since the 10th of April. Twelve days now and it's taxing. I'm working the nights and sleeping the days away. My theory on working nights has always been "you get to work to days at once," so it puts everything into fast forward.
Our exercise in Thailand has been cancelled, so we won't be stopping. It looks like our major destination is going to be a violent little nest in the Middle East that starts with "I" and rhymes with "Attack." Yay!
Wow, what to say? You shouldn't have found this page if you weren't interested in me thoughts, innermost and whatnot. Here it is ...
I miss home. I miss land. I miss family and friends. Life at sea, man. Life at sea.
There ya go. I've been keeping busy, updating the Web site nightly and playing guitar quite a bit. I run on the flight deck in the mornings which provides a glimpse at tranquility amidst the chaos of day to day ship life. Throughout the journey, a careful eye can closely observe the crushing of human spirit as lifely priveliges are revoked - namely sunlight. There are people on this ship that haven't seen the sun for two weeks. Line-standing is also a common aspect to life on ship. There are lines for breakfast, lunch and din-din. For the night crews, there is 'mid-rats', basically the days' leftovers served at midnight. You have to have a special pass to wait in that line.
On the bright side, I'm (as discussed above) playing guitar a lot and taking a college class and listening to music and reading and running. They say a routine is paramount in passing the time, like prison. Well, it's true. My routine is as follows (note: times are given in 24-hour format):
2100: wake up, shower, shave.
2230: check in at the office, check email. Think.
2300-0000: eat midrats, drink coffee, talk to people also on night shift.
0000-0530: work, play guitar, surf the web, think, watch movies.
0530-0600: eat breakfast, drink coffee.
0630-0730: run on flight deck
0730-0800: look at sea, watch for flying fish
0800-0830: conduct final email checks, prepare for sleep.
0930-2100: sleep. Usually I don't actually fall asleep until noon or so. I read until then.
Be good everyone. Now that I can login, I'll write more.

Savages

Word.

I have a lot on my mind right now so let's get right down to it. But first, let me warn you that I don't have much time and this may become a little disconcerting - nay, repulsive. Stand the fuck by.

Just kidding. Seriously however there is a ton of stuff going on. Currently I wait in my office after having drawn a weapon from the armory. Today we board the ship for the third at-sea period, our final test of operational capability prior to deployment. This should be swift, only ten days mates, followed by some good ol' fashioned (lit-rally) debauchery in the form of guests and merriment.

It's very hard to have to leave the family at this point. Franklin is getting bigger everyday, talking more and grabbing stuff and taking bigger poops. I love him so much. The only justification I can conjur for leaving is the hope that maybe I'm doing something to make the world a better place for him someday, so he doesn't have to get involved in this sort of thing. At the same time, Missy has become an amazing woman, wife and mother. I'm in constant awe of her strength day-to-day and while I feel confident that she'll carry on nicely in my absence, I feel guilty that I grant her the sole responsibility of watching after Franklin. It's not an easy job but she handles it with amazing grace.

I had the opportunity to watch Franklin on my own recently while Miss went to a meeting one night. I struggled, no lie, but we got through it and I gained a new respect for the constant watch and tender care Miss keeps with baby everyday. For those of you lucky enough to visit this month, you'll see what I'm talking about.

Depressing reality aside, I landed a frontside 180 last night on my skateboard. My nieghbor helped me learn the trick. I also learned nose stalls on a box the dude built. With luck, these could turn into some sweet slide varials and such. In other sports news, I went surfing twice last week, wednesday and saturday. Wednesday was small and gentle, a pleasant end to a hectic day. Saturday was big and fast - a great start to a great weekend. Be it known the water temp lingers right around 59 degrees, the perfect temp to make your unprotected testicles ascend into your abdomen, lest they be insulated.

In response to Joe's blog focused primarily on song lyrics and Wolf bands, I've written my own little lyrics.

"Kazoo conundrum
dainty bootie
placing golden minds a slumber
played out silly
sunday picnic
can't stop the tiny dancer's hands"

I guess there's a corn factor of 8.1 in there.

Lastly (time is of the essence now), I'd like to lay out a small glossary of terms we use with the baby so everyone is not confused whenst visiting.

Boom Boom: pacifier.

Boom Boom Suit: Baby clothes, usually one-piece future suits with built in feet make of soft, towel-like material featuring winnie the pooh patches or dinosaurs.

Dooder: This is a general term, referring to anything baby. Sometimes his turds, sometimes spit-up. A dooder cloth could be a burp rag or bib. "?"

Toothers: The baby is currently getting these, causing him to drool and complain sometimes.

Boppy: This thing is like an orthopedic donut used to support the baby while breastfeeding.

Onesie: self-explanatory, a common article of baby wardrobe.

Chubbers: The baby's cheeks (upper or lower).

Fingies: The baby puts his fingies in his mouth quite often. He gets his whole fist in there sometimes too. Babies love to do this, it's really comforting for them.

House: The T.V. show. Franklin loves it! Maybe it's because we watched it the day he was born at the hospital. Babies love T.V.

Snuzer: nap.

Zuzer: The cat (his name is actually cougar(or coogs or coogie(the cat spells his name coogr)))

That's it man. I'll try and keep up with ya on the ship.

Reading: Anything by Dwight Boyer. CHECK THIS GUY OUT!!

The Party

I'm super excited for our gathering the last weekend of this month. Joe, Mollusk, Arlo, Dwyer, Tiffanex, etc. shall be indulging in the sacrament of friendship and harmony prior to the next deployment. Anyone else is welcome to come. Here's the flyer for the party.

Fair winds, my friend, and following seas

It's been a while since I've written, I know. First off, I have had my hands full with the bundle of joy known as Franklin. He's been a real Hep Cat, and I wonder what life has in store for this little guy.
Secondly, our unit is preparing to deploy again this spring, and training has been a real bitch. Currently, I'm stuck at sea.
But I want to dedicate this writing to Chase Korte. A dear friend of ours who was killed recently in a violent car crash. The horrifying details of the incident do little to mar the bright memories I have of my dear friend, and I'm simply glad to know I was able to be part of his short and amazing life.
I got the news of the accident almost immediately as details unfolded. I may have been the second or third person to find out and took it upon myself to break the news to a handful of friends I had phoned earlier to find out if they knew Chase's whereabouts. This was an incredibly difficult task, and listening to the hearts break and jaws drop repeatidly over my phone that cold evening took it's toll and I went to sleep weary and sad. Perhaps in some way I did the right thing.
With my training schedule at full steam, and the priority of our mission, there was absolutely no way I could have flown to Minnesota for the memorial service. For this, Chase, I'm sorry. I coordinated with Dwyer that he read some comments for me, if he received them by email. I haven't yet found out if my words were spoken, but I hope they were. I've decided to post them here as well:

"I'm sorry I couldn't attend today and be here for my brother who was always there for everyone. I was fortunate to live close to Chase these years of his in Hollyweird. Needless to say, adventure always lurked where Chase was near. A true friend always, Chase was often excited about giving me a glimpse into his movie star lifestyle, living day-by-day in a chaotic metropolis with fellow actors, roaming the Sunset Strip and Venice Beach, cruising down the Coast Highway through Santa Monica and Beverly Hills with his window down and his hair whipping with the spring Pacific winds.
On occasion, Chase would drive down to San Diego and we'd hit the bars in Ocean Beach or party at my house. Never a stranger in a crowd, Chase stood out amongst many and was never less than the life of the party. At work on Mondays, people would approach me and ask about my "actor friend" and how his thousand-mile hike was going.
After my son was born, Chase and Jaime were some of the first guests to visit. Chase was a natural with the little Franklin, and some of the child's first giggles were with Chase's shining eyes.
I'll miss Chase for everything he was, smiling, funny, smart, loving, passionate, dramatic, strong and warm.
I have to mention that Chase and I were scheduled to get together briefly the day after the accident so I could get my Ray-Bans from him. They were in his glove box and the last time he came over we forgot to grab 'em. So … Chase, I hope you like my sunglasses bro. You're in a much cooler place now and you're gonna need 'em. Say hi to Jim Morrison for me.
Love Always,
Andy, Missy and baby Franklin".

The sunglasses thing is true. I'm glad they went with him.

I'm not sure the first time I met Chase. In seventh grade, we'd hang out on the pole vault mats with Taylor. In eighth grade, we hung out with mutual friend Dwyer. In ninth grade, we got stoned at Trunnels' and demanded mac and cheese. Here's a list of things that I will always remember about Chase:

Wrestling parties when everyone chipped in for WCW pay-per-view events.
Everything Piano.
The libertines (Chase, I still have that CD. Thanks. It's weird but everytime a friend dies I have one of thier CDs. I still have Clint Martin's Battle For Los Angeles)
His two shirts, one denim (that was his Dads) and one faded Army shirt.
The hat I wore at senior prom (which Chase paid for)
Isis.
Ishtar (a wierd Dustin Hoffman movie he insisted I watch)
Bingo
Intersection - a game in which kids slide down a snow slope and brawl after their sleds collide.
Absinthe - at my greaser party, Chase took two shots of this godawful stuff. It was 190 proof, no kidding, and Chase said he was hungover for two days.

Aghh. I wish I could convey everything but I can't. I can only hope as time passes, I can share more with friends who knew this guy. Krasean said he was beat, and damned if he weren't one of the beatest beats that ever did beat.

Ari and I and Matt Holly had a night on the town Tuesday before the memorial service and before we had to board the ship. We went to a piano bar and I sang "Golden Slumbers" for him. Later we went to Ari's place and played "Isis." Ari played guitar and I jammed the harmonica. It was reminiscent of just two weeks earlier when, at my house, we jammed the same tune, with Chase singing because he was the only one who knew all the words.

Fuck man.

Jaimie, I hope you're okay. Thanks for calling me as soon as you did.

That's it for now.

dipping: snuff

listening: RHCP - stadium arcadium disc one "jupiter"

reading: "strange adventures of the great lakes"