The Trip Begins....

This will be the last "Life In The Muck" post. I am gonna make a new one for my new adventure!

So, I found out several weeks ago that I got the position at the Pentagon. there was a lot of typical Forest Service feet dragging, so a departure date was not announced until last week.

Kai hooked up a going away lunch, and it was nice to have all the people there that showed. I really thought no one would show, but I am amazed at how many people I touched while I was here.

The other day, Annie, my roommate and her daughter gave me a hand made card to say good-bye! I cried when they left.....

So, yesterday was my last day. Yes, the day after Thanksgiving! I closed the shop, and I was sad to turn out the lights, and lock the gate for the last time. I am really gonna miss CNIDC.

So, I left and drove to Beatty. Stopped in the truck stop there to sleep.

This morning, I drove to Vegas....One of my most favorite places! There was a gun show at the Santa Fe Casino, so that is where I went.....Not a really good show, but I did get some more magazines. So, I took some money out, because I had no cash on me. On the way out, I decided to play one last slot machine in Vegas. I did not have time to really settle in to the craps tables, so I dropped a 20 in the Monopoly machine. Lost it....So, I went around it to another, but there was a Spanish person playing it.....So I thought, one more. I went back. Dropped another 20, and played for a couple minutes.....Boom! Bonus round after getting 5 diamond ladies for 10 dollars.....Hit the bonus for 40 bucks, and figured I would play down to that and be even. Boom! Bonus again. Left that machine with 60.

Got up to go find a redemption machine, and noticed that the Spanish person was gone......I thought, play 20, and your still even.

Played three rolls, and BOOM! Bonus...So, its doing its thing, and all the bells and whistles start.....after all said and done, $300!!!! So, I spent no money at all, and got the magazines for free!!!!!!

So, off to the east...Via Kingman, Az....

I took 3 HOURS!!!!!!!!!!! to get from Boulder to the Arizona border and the dam!!!!!!!!!!!AHHHH!

So, here I am in Flagstaff, writing.

I already miss my staff, Kai, Boyd and the entire family!! Its been a long time I felt for my team like this. I hope they miss me as much as I miss them already...

A new adventure begins!

Trip to Eureka!

So, we leave early to go to Eureka for a meeting.

My bosses boss, calls me a traitor when he gets in the truck.

The meeting was long, boring but we did get some solid work done!

We ate at a local place called the Owls Club. Food was okay and the service was less than desired.

On the front door, there is one of those High School posters that has sports pictures on it, and the schedules of the sports....

What is the mascot of the Eureka High School? THE VANDALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAAAAA!! Vandals! Thats crooks to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I must have laughed for 15 minutes at that!

So, we are on our way back, and my bosses boss is a Nevada Trivia master. He points out every landmark, has stories about everywhere and so on.

We take a side road back, so he can show us this pond that has LOTS of fish....Yes, in Nevada...

So as we approach an area with a one lane road, my bosses boss asks if that is a car around the bend up ahead....Yes, yes it is...

So as we approach, it is a Volkswagen Jetta with tinted windows. As we get closer, the back of the car is bouncing up and down! I mean, BOUNCING UP AND DOWN!!!! First thought to cross my mind is, hey, this is not right, my boss is Mormon!

My boss is driving. He honks, but the car keeps bouncing. He honks again, nothing...Man, they are into it! He gets a little closer, honks again....The car stops bouncing, and the brake lights flash.....The car starts moving......They find a turnout, and pull in it, and we pass by, laughing our asses off......Oh, they looked to be in their mid thirties!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a trip!

So...

So, yesterday....You all have heard the good news!

So I am letting my staff know what is going on. I ask everyone to not say a word to our boss, cause I want to be in the office alone with him (Boy, that did not sound right!) to break it to him.

We finally get ALL of the employees performance evals done....I know he has to go to the office, so I get him out the door....

About two hours later he comes back. Hands me a CNIDC jacket he purchased for me to ride Pearl in the rain with...(Like it rains here!).

He then goes into the office.

Since he and I spent the entire day in the office evaluating all the employees, I was taking this particular time to catch up on my regular work....

On my Forest Service computer, a message pops up from my boss titled "????????"...

I open it, and it says "So when is your release date?"

My stomach dropped to the floor. So I stroll slowly into his office, shut the door and ask who said something?

He would not tell me. Finally he told me that my Forest Boss told his boss, and he did not know that my boss did not know....AHHHHHHHHH!

Anyway, at this time, all is well, but he is upset that I am leaving.

I will write about today, later, we just got back from a meeting that was a three hour drive each way!

Can you say "The Pentagon"?

Well, my background checks came back, and the federal government once again feels that I am safe enough to work for DOD!!!!!

The Pentagon called, and they offered me the job, after my pee test came back negative and my background check back with nothing in it except everything I told them would be in it!

I have no report date yet, but it appears since I am at the beginning of a pay period, that we would use this one and the one after as my notice which would place me back in the DC area no later than the 14th of December!!!!

I am stoked!

I keep pinching myself.....


Gotta get back to work!

New President....

Well, it seems that America has made its choice.

Here are my thoughts.........Gee, thanks PA and Oh! And yes, I could not believe that Nevada with all of its gun owners, and bible owners....Must be all the Kalifornians that moved over to Reno and Vegas.....

I think I should take my money out of the bank now, cause I am not going to get any hand outs.


I am now looking at selling all my stocks, cause they are gonna tax them.

I need a gun safe now. Cause they are NOT taking my weapons.

Polosi was just on the news saying she has another "Stimulus" check in the pipeline.....Did anybody catch the new term for welfare? "STIMULUS"!

Congresswomen, WHERE ARE WE GETTING THIS MONEY FROM? Joe the plumber?

President Elect Obama says he dislikes NAFTA. PLEASE CHANGE THIS!!!! Get rid of it! That is why our jobs go to Mexico, China, India and such....

Will Black America finally stop saying that "The White Man keeps us down!"

Is the Black Panthers going to be the "New Civilian Militia"? (Did you see what happened in Philly?)

What is the definition of "New Civilian Militia"? Gestapo? (Hitlers Civilian Militia.) Republican Guard? (Saddam Husein's Civilian Militia.)

We have a civilian militia, but it is grass roots, sorry to say, mostly white, and wants to overthrow our own government.......Wait, so do the Black Panthers.....

Change is here, good or bad, it is here.

Good luck America, lets see what happens.

Boise, Oregon and Voting...

Can I just tell you that I had a HELL OF A GOOD TIME in Boise this past weekend.

Good partners to officiate with, good beer and food Saturday Night after the High School Tournament....I cannot wait until the weekend of the 15th!

So, knowing that you cannot pump your own gas in Oregon, plus the fact that gas along US 95 in Or. is, get this, $4.19/ gallon......I got gas both before I went up, and as I left.....

The speed limit in Oregon is 55. That is supposed to be it, no exceptions.....Guess you could not tell that to the hunters! I did 62, passed a few officers, and nothing was done....

So, I get up early to watch the fiasco we call elections.....As suspected, the Democrats are intimidating voters in Philly, Chicago, Miami and so on......Can you just imagine the outcry if Republicans were doing that ......I mean, BLACK PANTHERS in Philly with nightsticks......PLEASE!

So, I left or work early to go to the Community Center to cast my ballot......No lines...But, who do I run into when I open the door...............................................................................................................................................................................The old people!!!!! AHHHHHH!!!

They were nice, they had treats and such.....Nothing like the beer and body piercings they were offering at some polling places on the east coast!

Boise Officiating!

So, I am here at work, listening to Obama and his GIVE-GIVE-GIVE-GIVE speech, and getting more upset that I and others like me are gonna pay for all of the lazy people of all sexes, shapes, colors, nationality and so on.....AHHHHHH!

Anyway, I am leaving at 2pm to head to Boise....I forgot that there is a 1 hour time loss going up there! So, on Saturday night, I will actually gain 2 hours (if I do not change any of my clocks! HA!

I am really stoked about getting back on the ice.......Lisa is happy too, cause she knows how much I miss it.

So I am sitting here doing some paperwork, counting down the hours.......I just have to remember that I loose an hour when I get into Oregon........

Meet The Candidates Night!

So, since this will be the first election I have voted in here in Nevada, I went to the Grass Valley Community Center (the little center down the street from my house) for Meet The Candidates Night.

There were about a dozen cars there when I drove up.

As I walked in, I forgot that I had my Glock on my side, so I decided to go back to the truck and put it away.

As I approached the front door, I noticed a lot of mature adults....(Yes, I am being politically correct, yes, me!).....

My first thought was, how do I always end up with the old people?????

As I go into the center, the first thing I notice, FOOD! They had a very nice spread of cheese and crackers, cookies and other snacks!!!! But, being as I have never been to one of these here, I forwent the food........I grabbed an agenda and found a seat in the hallway (yes, they used the hallway) at the back.

As soon as I sat down, the lady two rows up said "HEY! Your the new guy, arnt you?!" With that, all the old people turned around to look. I said "depends on your definition of NEW GUY"....She said "your the newest registered voter in our precinct and I remember you from the primaries"...I told her that would then be me, THE NEW GUY.....

Why???????? Why do I have to be the center of attention at this stuff?????? But then again, I do like it sometimes.

So, they read the minutes of last meeting, had a few discussions about "Water Rights", "sub-divisions", roads, and then, the big topic of the night, the school board!

Then, it was time for the candidates to speak.....They started with the Judges.....Here in Nevada, judges are elected, not appointed. What did I take from the candidates for District Judge? They are PRO 2nd Amendment, they are ANTI ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, one has history with the legal system via his family.

One person asked them about their view of the 2nd Amendment and actually said, I am not making this up............."I am glad to hear your support, because I am a bitter bible holding gun holding American........"

To which the one candidate replied "We here in the west have different views than those in the east....We carry our guns with us everywhere we go, we use them to defend ourselves, feed ourselves and for recreation". "People in the east just do not understand".

I WAS READY TO VOTE FOR THAT GUY RIGHT THEN!!

Should have just kept my Glock on my side!

As mentioned, the big topic was about a BOND for the school board. There is a bond for the schools that is expected to expire in 2011. The concern was where that money was going after it sunsets.

After about forty-five minutes, the board members finally stated what everyone already knew.....The money does not get refunded back to the tax payers in a tax cut, it goes into the county general fund and continues to tax the residents.

All the school board wants is to keep that bond from setting on the school board. With all the cuts and all this year by the state.

After they said that, the residents were more forgiving....Honesty is all it took.....

With that, a few more comments were made and the meeting adjourned...

I made a "b" line for the cookies and a water.....Grabbed some pamphlets and was on my way. A older man asked me on the way out the door if I learned anything....I told him yes, and that I now have a clear vision of who I want to vote for in this county...

Oh, and I got home just in time to watch a re-run of Two and a Half Men!

Its about time!!!!!!!!!!

As most know, I am a USA Hockey Ice Hockey Official.

To look at me, you would never guess, just like the wife of one of my co-workers said last night "really, you referee hockey?", "We would love to see that!".

Well, I finally found a referee association, be it in Boise, but I found one that had people I could talk to!

BTW, when I left Cleveland, I flew back to Vegas......On that Saturday, was the USA Hockey Officials Seminar! So, I had my equipment with me to take the class!

So, no after talking to a few of the officials in Boise, I am going up there next weekend to officiate a womens hockey tournament!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I AM SO STOKED!!!!!

I have been off the ice since two weeks before I left to come to the "Muck".

So, wish me luck, cause I know I will look like a beginner!

Wedding Part 3......

So, now we are on our way......

As is the case in the east, its raining!!!!!!!!!!!

We follow my family into Pittsburgh........Being a lifelong Clevelander, its so hard to keep from making comments about all that yellow and black......AHHHH!

Anyway, we get to the wedding.

I go to the back to see Charli, and as I guess with any wedding, the place is a mad house!

I exchange pleasentries (sp) with Wendy, and I make my way to find Charli.....There is this guy in a powder blue suit with a radio microphone in his ear.....He is moving around quickly, and barking out instructions.....Hmm, I think....A male wedding planner.......Could be, why not? I make a mental note, and go to the back to have a few pictures with my daughter and her mother.....

I return to the front and sit down with Lisa....I explain to her what I saw in the "wedding planner"...I laughed.....

I then start making jokes about everything from the flowers to the humidity to the clothes people are wearing.....I think Lisa was scared to laugh, cause she kept knudging me....

I will say, they had this really neat REAL pipe organ in this church!

So, some music starts playing, and out from the back comes the male wedding planner, followed by the Groom and his Groomsmen........I make a joke about the male wedding planner leading them out.....He stops in front of the alter and the groom and part all turn towards the friends and realitives in the church....

Then Charli makes her appearance! She looked beautiful....

Well, the male wedding planner starts speaking, and thats when I realize, HE IS NOT THE WEDDING PLANNER, HE IS THE MINISTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I laugh, Charli's step dad turns and gives me a "hairy eyeball"!

So, the minister is doing his thing, and then he starts talking about how marriage has a lot of baggage (BOY DO I KNOW THAT!).....He talks about the positive baggage and the negitive....then he trys to draw an analogy to packing for a cruise.....He says "If you forget to pack something that you will need on the cruise, once you get out to see, that is it, you just do not have it".....I leaned over to Lisa and said "Bullshit, have you ever seen the concessions on one of those cruise ships? They have everything!". To which, several people whom I thought could not hear me, turned and looked......

Again, the ceremony was beautiful! I really enjoyed it......

Keeping with my "happy go lucky" attitude, when the minister presented Mr. and Mrs. Craig Foster for the first time, I rubbed my hands together in a creepy Boris Karloff way and said to Lisa "My duties are finally complete!". Of course, I was only joking, cause in my head, even though I have had two failed marriages, and became a total "whinny ass creme puff" with someone I thought cared about me, I know that my daughter will call on me for honest advice about her life ahead. And of course, I will always be honest with her, SHE DESERVES IT!

So, after MANY pictures, off to the reception!

We arrive, and there is my family, in the corner, having drinks and snacks! We immediatly join in!

After a short period, we move to the reception area.....We find a cozy table for 6 along the wall, kinda out of the way and the MEN head for the bar!

If I could remember all of the jokes, I would post them, but it is impossible....We laughed, we cried (Well, at least I did, I was laughing so hard!)......We think we even met Dee Schneider!

Charli looked beat at the end, and after she and Craig left, and we played on the dance floor a little, we too left.....

What a day!

Charli's Wedding, Part 2.......

So, I get to Maryland.....It rained the entire time I was back east....

On Friday, we go to On Target, to shoot the 44 and the Glock! Lisa had a great time, as did I, but her arm started after about 50 rounds....

I also learned another thing I do not now like about Maryland....The guy at the range said that if I have loaded magazines on my person, not in the weapon, that Maryland considers that a deadly weapon! OH PLEASE! Only if I either throw the bullets or the magazine at the perp. NEVER AGAIN WILL I LIVE IN THE PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF MARYLAND!!!

The wedding is on Saturday, so we try and go to bed early....NOT!!!

We try and get up early, NOT!!! We finally got on the road about 8:30.....We were hungry, so we stopped at the Waffle House in Hagerstown......Boy, did I forget how "hick" Hagerstown is....I thought for sure I would run into someone I knew, but thankfully, that did not happen!

So, I need to back up just a little.....Lisa's brother gave her a "Tom Tom" GPS device. So, we programed it for the hotel that my sisters decided to get us in, and away we went......

Okay, so we get on the road. Becky had left a message on my phone while we were in one of those areas with no cell service......They had arrived....

So, following directions, we get off in Pittsburgh......Follow the directions. At this point, there is no airport in the urban area we are in.....

We drive around for what seemed like hours.....See some things we probably should not have, but I was not worried, cause I had protection in the car.....

We finally found the place, 20 miles south of where "Tom Tom" told us....

We get into the room, and the reunion had begun!

I was talking up a storm, Matt and Ward were telling great jokes, all the while, everyone was getting dressed.....I thought this a little funny, but did not think anything of it....

Then the phone rings.....Its Wendy, Charli's mom.....No hello, how you doing? No hey, how you doing? The first words out............Are you coming to your daughters wedding?

I said of course, we just arrived in town, and the wedding does not start till 7. (It was about 3pm at this point).........I hear this, "the wedding is at 5 dumb ass!". Now, I am used to that, cause Wendy and I have a pretty good sense of humor......I look at my family, notice agian that they are all dressed and just about ready to go, and who feels like the odd man out? ME!

SO, we start getting ready, and off to the wedding we go....Ward in the lead......

Charli's Wedding Part 1 of Many!

Okay, left Nv for the Mid-West a couple days before my daughters wedding.

Left work at 3p for Vegas. Drove through the "High Desert" for about six hours, pulling Pearl on the trailer.....Arrived in Beatty, Nv.

Had dinner with my boss and one of the Fire Specialists from Battle Mt. What a ball.......

Arrived in Vegas at about 1am, flight is at 7:40 am.....

I needed a few toiletries (sp) so I stopped at a Super Wal-Mart....(One of about 50, no lie, in the Vegas area)....Got what I needed, and left for the Motel 6 on Dean Martin Blvd.......

Checked in at the desk, and confirmed with the counter person that I could leave Pearl and my truck there till I came back.....She said I was good to go, and I went back to the truck.....

I figured that I would get a couple hours of sleep in the Rodeo until it was time to go to the airport........HA!

First, there were the sirens from the police cars, then the sirens from the ambulances and fire engines (which of course I do not mind!)..The drunks yelling, the couples fighting.......Then, the hookers!!!!

They were coming and going and making so much noise, I do not think I slept at all......

So, I get up, go to the counter and ask the employee if she had a number for a cab......She said yes, wrote it down for me and I left.........Now, there was a cab there a few minutes before, but between the loudmouth ass that got into it and the hooker screaming at him, I missed the phone number.....

So....I call......The dispatcher says there is one of her cabs there already...I told her he left....She said, no he is their....I told her to call him to come back....She hung up.....AHHHH!

So, I pack my guns into the "TSP Approved" aircraft carry case, pack the ammunition......Do a walk around of the trailer, making sure Pearl is locked down, and I find an empty box of rubbers.......Got to love Vegas!

Okay, the cab comes back......The loudmouth gets out, and screams at the hooker that is getting into the cab. She then gets out, and points at me.....Now, I have not said a word to her.........The driver hollers "you call for a cab", I say yes, and the next adventure begins....

So, I load up into the cab.....We start towards the airport.....The driver asks me if I noticed the hooker. Duh! He said he took her "John" to MGM......the "John" asked him to wait.....He came back out with a "guy", and they do a "Coke" deal in the back of the cab......Its about this time I realize that I left my Day Runner along with my tickets in the truck......A quick u-turn in front of Excalibur, and we are on our way back.......The driver is telling me that he does not mind that they did the "deal" in the back of the cab, but the "John" decided he was only gonna give the driver a 50 cent tip....He said he "jewed" up to $5.......I was just shaking my head......

So, I get to LAS (Airport Code for the Airport in Vegas).......I head to the Southwest counter.....The idiot at the line asked if I had to check bags.....Now, I am pulling a suitcase on wheels, with another bag on top of it, and carrying a backpack......DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He then asks if I have already checked in online....I said yes....He said to go to the counter.....Remember, this is at 5am........

The girl at the counter asks if I had signed in on the computer behind me....I said no, the "Doorman" said to come straight here.....She said I needed to sign in on the computer......I smiled, and said, no problem......

So I did.....As my name popped up on her computer, she called my name....REMARKABLE....

So, I throw the big bag on the holder, and announce to her that I have weapons that need to be checked......Without blinking an eye, she says okay! We do the TSP paperwork, I show her my unloaded guns, gives me my paperwork and 10 minutes after TSP inspects my bags with the guns, I am on my way to the gate! I love Nevada!

I would like to thank the "Towel Heads" that flew the planes into the Pentagon/World Trade Center and Pennsylvania for the high food and drink prices in the airports! $8.79 + tax for a breakfast meal at Burger King!!!!!!!!!!!!! The same meal at your regular BK is $2.89 + tax......Hmmmmmm

The flight to Chicago was uneventful, cause I slept the whole way, and listened to my 24.5 hours of music on my Ipod.....

So, (Becky will like this) when we take off from Chicago, we cross the lake, then fly over some land....When I sit by the window, I really like to try and identify land features (oh, and I love to watch the planes that cross over and under us while we fly....(You would be so suprised if you knew how close other aircraft are when you are flying.....Lets just say, most of the time you can read the names on the side of the aircraft.)

As we pass over land, I see we are along the Indiana Turnpike.....I know this, cause there next it is Notre Dame Stadium.......

then we pass over Lake Erie.....I see Toledo, Perry Nuc plant and other stuff as we get closer to Cleveland....As we approach "The Mistake on the Lake" as so many of my "non-Ohio" friends call it, I notice that there seems to be a lot more condos along Rt 2 than when I lived here....Hmm..

Since I was a kid, and we lived in Elyria/Lorain/Sheffield Lake and Avon, I knew the traffic patterns of aircraft going into and out of Hopkins........So as we travel over Brook Park and Parma (I love that name, Parma!), I notice the familure looking houses that all look the same, and the empty Ford/Chevy/Dodge plant parking lots........Boy, times must really be tough in C-Town, but I will write more on that later.....

As we land, I see the HUGE NASA hanger at Hopkins and I now know, I am home......!!!

Now to baggage claim.....I was really impressed at how quickly our luggage was onto the belts...My guns arrived with me, so off to explore NE Ohio........

After scaring the rental car attendent to death when I pulled out my Glock 23 and loaded it,
I travel quickly via I-480 past all the familure landmarks of my youth....Cranking WMMS as I go......I stop at Southeast Harley for a quick look around, then I do my normal drive through Northfield/Macedonia......My, each time I go back, I just shake my head.....

So, a few weeks before my trip, I get the catalog from a cycle accessory dealer in NE Ohio.....They are near Burton.....I forgot about the Amish.....For my friends and family from PA, they are like the Menonites, but different......That is all I am gonna say....So I traveled through Amish country and stopped at a couple of Amish Farms....

But wait, I am a little hungry, so I stop at a Giant/Eagle......The sign said they had a deli.......Well, the deli was not what I wanted, but when I turned around, there it was! Standing there all proud, displaying her wares in my face like the hooker in Vegas! THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY TAILGATE PARTY STAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I started humming the fight song, declaring to the sales lady "I have died and gone to heaven!!"

I purchase my OSU Chips, shot glasses, red plastic cups with the OSU logo and leave...I had forgot that I was hungry!

So, I stop at a Subway, get a sandwhich and start on my long journey to MD!

So I am taking back roads until I get to PA......I figure I would get on the PA turnpike after I cross over.......So, I am cruising along, minding my own business, and I approach a toll both......As I continue to find change to through into the basket, I hear this drill sgt like voice scream out "HEY, DO YOU KNOW HOW FAST YOU WERE GOING?" I look, and in the lane next to me, is a PA State Police officer....Dumbfounded, I say, no, why? "YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE DOING! SLOW DOWN AND PAY ATTENTION!!!" I said, "okay", and he sped away....

Welcome back to the east!

I finally arrived at my sweeties house in Pasadena, Md, in the rain (something I had not seen since the snow in May)........I am going to bed, so the stories will continue later........

Passing Friends!

Okay, what is up with the cycle of the world right now?

I was gonna write about how much I love riding with my Ipod, but.......................

Last year, prior to my leaving for the "Muck", a good friend that decided to isolate himself from those of us whom cared a great deal for him, Davy Gilchrest, died. I had read his obituary in the paper, then received calls from a couple of old ambulance buddies. We cried, we laughed. Then, we thought about all the shit we all got into, and wondered where time and our youth went...........

So, I get a call on Sunday night from one of those old friends. She told me that another good friend from the ambulance hall passed. Denny Whittington. She told me that his niece Carol, whom is a nurse at Washington County Hospital (and also used to run with us at the ambulance!) was on duty when the event happened.

What I did not know was that her mother, Vicki, passed last month. What is up with the world?

Well, then, since I live in the desert, and cell coverage is spotty at my house, I get another message at 6:14 this morning.......The son of another good ambulance friend whom I miss, passed. He too, spent time with us on the ambulance, and he was even one of my "probies"!

I miss these people. Its like being a junkie. But I have learned to keep them in my thoughts often.

I spoke with another friend from Halfway Ambulance this morning, and she asked if I was gonna come home for the services. I told her that I cannot. I told her I would be home next week, and that I would make time to stop and pay my respects.

So, thats four friends that helped save others lives, that have passed in the last year.

Not to mention, Frank and Noelle Murray, probably the two next most influential people in my life, next to mom and dad!

Just crazy!

Charli

Well, its about a week before I make the trek back east for my daughters wedding.

I am really looking forward to this!

Here is let my short list as to why (Of course, the wedding is the main reason) in NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

Cleveland!!!!!!!!!!! (I am flying there as my base)
The people closest to my heart are going to be there! Yes, I cannot wait to see my "Little Tick" Lisa!
Perogies in Pittsburgh!!!!
I get to wear my new suit! (more on this later.....)

Again, that is a short list, so please, nobody get upset if I did not mention you by name! (Its tough being in demand) :)

I mention Perogies in Pittsburgh, cause here in the desert, there are no Perogies! Lots of Basque Food (which is the only ethnic food, and since they use lots of garlic, I am all about it!), Mexican food, fast food and frozen perogies at the supermarket. No other ethnic food!

Now, even though I have your typical Cleveland attitude about Pittsburgh (Especially after last nights game!), I am going into town with "Eyes Wide Open". Hell, if my inclinations are right, my brother in law Matt and I may be able to find a "neighborhood" bowling alley to find some "Iron City" beer!

I think my other brother in law Ward will be up to this challenge also!

Did I mention that there was to be alcohol at the reception?

Somehow, I have turned this into a "me" thing....

Its not. Its my daughters wedding.

I am proud of her. She has a better attitude about life and the future, than I did when I was her age. I am proud of the plans that her and Craig have laid out for their lives! She knows what she wants, and is on her way to get it!

I will be there watching, so proud!

Now, about the suit......Everyone knows that I am a jeans and t-shirt guy. I mean, maybe some Kaki pants and a polo now and then.....But I usually have on my Harley Boots (or tennis shoes), jeans and a Harley t-shirt!

Well, for this special occasion, I went out and bought a suit. Not only did I get the suit, but I also purchased a sport jacket with it....I think I got a hell of a deal on it....Oh, and by the way, except for the excess around the middle that seems to never want to come off, I LOOK DAMN GOOD in a suit!

Just wait and see!

Picture

Since I was feeling so down in the dumps, I posted a picture from 1989 of me on a job in Fairbanks......Boy, has time flown!

Gustav

Well, here I sit, at dispatch, watching everything going on with Gustav.

My boss turned down an assignment to pre-stage in Atlanta. I told him he should go, but he feels he needs to stay here. It would be good for him to get away, cause I think he needs time away from Winnemucca, and I can handle everything that needs handling while he would be away, but I think he does not trust me with the "keys to the house".

I sit here wishing I was there (New Orleans). Kinda like when I watched the 9/11 shit on TV. I was an ice rink manager then. Wishing I was back "on the job"!

Being a Forest Service/BLM employee, I have learned that these people are in their own little world, and oblivious to the outside world of emergency services.

Yes, the work we do is important, cause homes, some lives, forest and other wildland should not burn or be destroyed.

Since my trip to the Plumas, I have realized how "Clickish" the BLM/Forest Service is, and how much they will only do things their way. Makes me wonder why so many of them support Obama, cause "Change" is not in their volcabulary.

Anyway, I really do not think my bosses realize my potential, because they are judging me by the BLM/Forest Service standards...

Just yesterday I read where the Elko Interagency Dispatch Center brought on a new assistant center manager, he is a "Broke Dick Firefighter" that had no where else to go, but dispatch.....

While I believe we should take care of "our own", the BLM/Forest Service makes it MANDATORY that if you want any position of leadership in dispatch, you must have been on the line for at least one season. What a crock!

That policy alienates 85% of the dispatch community that would do great in these positions, but like I said earlier, these agencies are "Clickish"!

I feel that I am a great supervisor, I am a great dispatcher, I was a great firefighter, I was a great EMT, and I feel that I am a great person.

I have been doing some extra training, so that I can pass the "Pack" test they give to firefighters every year. I am going to get out next season, and prove to the "click" that they have someone special, do what you can to keep him!

I think back on all the jobs I have been on, the lives I helped save, the wrecks I helped rescue people from, the advice I gave young "fire pissers" whom have turned out to be upstanding adults, the soldiers/firefighters under my command that I treated better than my family and I wonder, did I make a difference? Did I do everything I could? Does anyone care?

I know that I do not think or do in the terms of "I", its always "we" or "us", but right now, I feel a little useless.

My apologies to anyone whom thinks I am a "downer", I just want to help the little guys in N.O.

Denver Convention

Is it me, or did the podium that Barack Obama was standing at during his acceptance speech look like something that the Joker in Batman would stand at to talk to those of Gotham City?

My questions to Barack and the Democrates.....Why do I have to pay for health care and welfare to someone who does not work? Does not want to work?

Barack is blowing smoke, and I know we are gonna hear the same kind of rhetoric next week, but he is promising the world, and he will never be able to pay for it!

Just my $.02 for now....

Driving to California, Plumas NF and Nazi Checkpoints!

SO!

I left work yesterday at 1415...Thats 2:15 pm for those that do not use military time.....

The ride over to Reno was uneventful, as usual with that ride....I talked to my daughter, Debbie from Maryland.

So, I have to make a stop at the HQ of the Forest I work on, to pick what the BLM/Forest Service/Park Service call "Task Books".

In order to do certain jobs in the wildland firefighting world, you have to have completed a task book, showing that you are qualified to do something.....

WELL, the person that does task books for our forest was not there (like he said he would be) so I looked on his desk (like he told me to do) for my newest task book that I can get signed off on this assignment.....WELL, as usual, no book!!!

So, I make a few calls, and find his cell number. VOICEMAIL!

Felling a little like my sister, I stalked his desk! I rifled through every pile of mess he had. NOTHING!

Then, I looked on his printer. There was the cover of the task book! But no book. So, I made a copy of it.

I called my boss, and told him what was happening. (We have had issues with this guy before)

He told me to take the cover, and go. At the bottom of the cover is a web page that you can go to to get the book. AHHHH!

So, I drive on....Off to California....

Do not get me wrong, there are some things I like about California (China Town in SF, Highway 1, wine and Pismo Beach), but really, I would NEVER WANT TO LIVE HERE....You all already know I do not like their gun laws, and, this is the truth, there are some really weird people....

So, I go north out of Reno on 395, the traffic going out of town is heavy.....But that is to be expected....I am doing about 75, with traffic all around me.....This Chevy Tahoe or the like is trying to get onto the interstate.....I would have moved over to be nice, but I could not, because of traffic.....Besides, like every other freeway in the country, those getting on the interstate are to YEILD to those already on it!!!! I cannot believe that people think the opposite.....This huge SUV slows down, and swerves behind me, then into the next lane, and gets up along side...There are two very GOOD LOOKING young ladies in the vehicle.....The youngest (passenger) looks over at me, and rifles up the old one finger salute! I was like....WHAT????? Being in a government vehicle, I find my urge to return her salute, but control it.....I just continue to laugh.

Their plate was a Nevada plate, Pr1nss......So, they were in the passing lane, tailgating the vehicles and so on....I had gotten close a few times, but figured I would keep my distance......So, what do they do?????? We go about 10 miles, and do what I see far to ofter in major populated areas...........Go from the far passing lane (in this case lane #4) cutting everyone off to the exit lane that is getting ready to take its curve off the interstate.......OMG!!! Its at this point that I am glad I live in RURAL NEVADA where this is really not an issue......

I laugh, shake my head, and drive on to California....

Funny thing about California.....In all of my travels, there are weight and inspections in every state for commercial vehicles......None for regular folks vehicles.....EXCEPT CALIFORNIA!

They have these Nazi Style "Check Points"......It appears that you are to stop and present you drivers license, they ask you where you are coming from, where you are going and whether or not you have any food, coolers and such in your vehicle!!!! WHAT!!!????? Its none of their business......Its America, California.....Not the Pentagon or Fort Knox or the like!

So, as I come up to the (what I am calling) "check point Nazi lady", she sees that I am driving a government truck.....Let me take a second to decsribe her......About 60 years old, long blondish/gray hair (that looked like it had not been washed in a few years)(BTW, I am finding out that a lot of California women do that with their hair!), and since I am still overweight (in the 270's now though!) I can say this FAT! If she was there to aprehend someone, it just aint happening! So, she says "coming from Reno?" I say "no". She says "where from?" I say "Winnemucca." She looks at me for what seemed like a year.......Then said......"well, go ahead."

OMG!!!! Was she going to ask me for my papers, search me....Shoot me?????!! I do not think so!

I drove away, wondering ( and still wondering while I write this) WHY?

So I am once again on my way......Funny thing about those in Northern California....The drive slower than those in Southern Cali......

As I roll into the town of Quincy, it seems like a neat little mountain town.....I pull into the Plumas National Forest and find a parking spot near the dispatch......Out comes a guy, I am gonna try and get a picture of him, with a tie die t-shirt on.....He looks just like Crosby (From Crosby Stills Nash and Young)! I MEAN JUST LIKE HIM!!!!

I meet the people I am going to be working with, and they give me the keys to a house they have rented for the next two weeks! I said a house? They said, yep, you will be rooming with two others, and its a house....BUT its 29 miles away....Oh well, governemnt work time starts when you leave for work!!!!

So, I leave....I figure I better get something to eat before I trek back 29 miles.....I stop at a Grocery Co-Op....Now, I knew this store was there, cause I looked it up.....But low and behold.....More non-hair washing, no bra wearing (which I do not mind) women.....The food was good quality, and plentiful, but the PRICE!!!! I bought a few small things, and went to Safeway!

The house is great, I know one of the guys (he is from Elko Dispatch) and it has cable in the room, but no internet...I can live with out that....

So, I leave for work.....I arrive uneventful at the forest office again......There are more "Tree Hugger" types walking around....You can tell them, I need not describe them.....

As I pull up to a parking space, there is a bumper sticker (and you all know I like to read bumper stickers!)....It says "Tree Hugger, and Don't You Forget It!"

On the car next to that, one says "You will have to pull the tree from my cold dead hands"

NO LIE!!!!!!

OMG, I am in HELL!!!!

With the exception of Safeway, and the Taco Bell (that seems to be the only fast food), everything is "Back to Nature!"

I plan on venturing out into the town (its right outside the gate) at dinner and see what else I can find....God help me.....

I will post pictures and such later.......

Boring Weekend....

Since I was on call this weekend, I did not do anything special except clean the house, change the oil in the Rodeo and on Pearl....

I did go shoot the 44 Magnum yesterday.....WOW!

With no storms in the forecast, my boss asked me if I wanted to go to Plumas National National Forest in California, to work on the fires they have going on there....

So, I am (if there are no government vehicles) gonna ride Pearl over there...Its only 250 miles from here, so it should be easy and beautiful!

I will try and take some pics while riding....

That means 12 hour days for 14 days!!!!!

How about the USA Basketball team??????? Go Lebron!!!

Our Team!

Here is our 2008 team!!

Except for Jack, (next to me), he left to dispatch in he Smokey Mt's.