Gunfighter: A Modern Warrior's Life

My Summertime Top Ten

People make Top Ten lists all the time, don't they... so sue me for joining in.

These are the things I love about summer.

1.  Long days (especially on vacation)

2.  The strong Virginia heat (or Florida heat when we are on vacation)

3.  Watching Soccer girl swim (which I enjoy even more greatly when we are on vacation)

4. National rugby teams on summer tour

5. The Tri-Nations tournament

6. The Festival of American Folk life (which takes place just weeks before vacation)

7. My fantastic lawn (although I worry about it when I am on vacation)

8. Cooking on the grill, while sipping a pint of Arrogant Bastard Ale (you're not worthy!)... which I don't do while I am on vacation

9.  Relaxing on the beach at St. Simon's Island (where we take the first part of our vacation)

10. nearly three weeks of concentrated family time when we are on vacation in Georgia and Florida.

What say you?  What do you like about summer?

Before Eighteen

Bloggy pal Los Angelista has tagged me for a meme.  This one is called "Before Eighteen"

Here are the rules:

1. Post these rules before presenting your list.
2. List 6 actions or achievements you think every person should accomplish before turning 18.
3. There are no conditions on what can be included on the list.
4. At the end of your blog, choose 6 people to get tagged and list their names.
5. People who are tagged write their own blog entry with their 6 suggestions.
6. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged.

Wow... 6 things that people should do before turning eighteen, eh?  Here goes:

1.  Learn ALL of your options before listening to military recruiters.

I'm not suggesting that my recruiter lied to me at age 17... not at all.  What I am saying is this:  If you are planning to go to college, make sure that you explore all of your options before buying into the whole "well, the insert branch of service here will pay for it, if I enlist"  Here's why:  in most military endeavors, you won't be working nine to five.  You'll be in the field, or at sea or deployed, or on temporary duty away from your classes.  If you have some notion of going to college after high-school, work it out, and be informed.

2.  Read.

Read alot.  Never go ANYwhere without a book.  Literacy means more than being able to write "see spot run"  True literacy Will give you broad horizons and show you the world, even if you live in a tiny place that is light-years from anywhere.

3.  Learn and live your faith. 

Your religious studies (if you have a religious background) are important.  Being firm in your faith will keep you on the straight path, give you discipline and keep you out of trouble.  Learning about your faith more deeply will give you historical insights on today's world that you might not find from other sources.  Living your faith will keep you grounded, and will make you an example for others to emulate.

4.  Install Your Moral Compass.

This goes along with number three, but works even if you don't come from a specific religious or spiritual background.  Learn what is right and what is wrong.  Learn about good, decent, and honorable behavior.  Your parents are usually a good place to start looking for this, but if you can't get the right direction about right and wrong from them, find a mentor... an older person who can be your example of right behavior.  Believe me, you'll need it.  Especially if your family is as dysfunctional as mine was.  Your mentor can even be a character from literature. 

5.  Have a goal.

When I was a teenager, I had a goal... but it wasn't a life-goal.  When I was seventeen, all I wanted out of life was to shake the dust off my feet, and leave Union, New Jersey for good.  Well, when I graduated from high-school, that's what I did... I probably should have planned better, because I was rather aimless for a long time after that.  I am not suggesting that a teenager needs to know the plan for their entire life by age eighteen, but by then you should be adult enough to have some notion of a long-range plan.

6. Become Tough

I have news for you.  The world can be a tough place.  You'd better get tough, too.  I don't mean callous.  I don't mean insensitive.  I mean tough.  You need to have the mental toughness to not fall apart if you fail.  You need to be strong enough to take a few personal blows and stay on your feet.  You need to be strong enough to face the world like an adult.  It wouldn't hurt if you learned how to fight, either.  Today, we live in a violent society... we always have, really, we're Americans.  However, these days, we see more and more kids (especially boys) who reach age eighteen who have never had a fistfight... most of these young men can't be expected to be able to defend themselves.  A man that can't defend himself, can't defend a family.  Figure it out.

High School Memesical 2

Well, since we have already done a meme about Senior year... let's go back even further.  Let's talk about your freshman year. 

THINK BACK TO 9TH GRADE…

Who was your best friend?

Kevin H.

What sport did you play?

Tennis... but I wasn't worth a damn at it.

What was your favorite class?

Mr Amato's Social Studies class.

Did you go to the dances?

No.

Did you think you were cool?

Nope.

Describe your outfits.

I don't really remember.  I was no fashionista, though, believe me..

Did you even have a cellphone?

There were no cell phones, then.  No internet, we didn't have VCR's, either.

What was the best about 9th grade?

Finishing, so that I was a year closer to leaving home.

Do you miss it?

Not at all.

High School Memesical

I got this from the very cool Madame Meow.  I couldn't resist. 

Look, memes are my secret shame... they are sort of like reality T.V. for bloggers... and just for the sake of full disclosure, I never miss American Idol.

This meme is about your high school experiences.  If you decide to play along, answer these questions about your SENIOR year of high school.

1. Did you date someone from your school?

I did.  More than one, actually... but not at the same time.

2. Did you win anything in Seniors ‘Who’s Who’?

No, I was basically off the radar screen of any of those yearbook-type people that did that stuff.

3. What kind of car did you drive?

Car?  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  I drove my feet.

4. It’s Friday night…where are you?

At a party... one within walking distance of my house... which was usually a guarantee.

5. Were you a party animal?

I was.  I'm a very social person, and I liked being around other people.  I probably shouldn't have partied quite as hard as I did, though.

6. Were you considered a flirt?

No.  I didn't really have the confidence to be a flirt.  My, how things change!

7. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir?

We called it Chorus, and yes, I was... every year.  I still love to sing, although I don't do it particularly well.

8. Were you a nerd?

Yes and no.  I was this super history geek... but that was the only subject that I really excelled in... that and the Junior ROTC.

9. Did you get suspended/expelled?

No... I wasn't really a trouble-maker.

10. Can you sing the fight song?

"Stand up and cheer, stand up and cheer for Union Hiiiiigh school!"  (I Suppose this doesn't really count, as those are the only words I ever knew)

11. Who were your favorite teachers?

Mrs Deusinger (History), Ms Roberts (History... and hot, hot, hot), Mr Caliguire (History), Mr Consales (Chorus)

12. Where did you sit during lunch?

There were two cafeteria areas, side by side, that were served by one kitchen.  The White kids ate on one side, the black kids ate on the other.  The white kids who were shunned by the cooler white kids, sat ate in "our" cafeteria... but by themselves.

13.What was your school’s full name?

Union High School

14. School mascot?

A guy in a goat (ram) suit.  Our Mascot was "Willy Butt", and our sports teams were "The Fightin' Farmers"... no, I'm not from a farming community.

15. Were you on homecoming court?

No.  I never went to any homecoming events... even today, I'm not sure what it is supposed to mean.

16. If you could go back and do it again, would you?

Why in the name of God would I want to go through that crap again?

17. What do you remember most about graduation?

The incredible feeling of relief.  I graduated from high school on June 25th, 1981... and I knew that in 6 weeks, heading off to boot camp.  I was leaving Union, New Jersey, and I would never live there again... and by the grace of God, I haven't.

18. Where did you go senior skip day?

HAHAHAHA!  Belmar Beach!

20.Were you in any clubs?

No.

21. Who was your Senior prom date?

Her name was Marjorie.  She wasn't my girlfriend... she was a girl that I knew from church.  She was pretty, and she was kind of cool, but she was nice.  I picked her up, went to the prom, took her home, had a goodnight kiss that lasted about a nanosecond, went home and watched Saturday night live.  To tell you the truth, I thought (and still think) that proms are an incredible waste of time and money...  I went because my mother would have had a fit if I didn't.

22. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion?

I didn't go in 1991.  I didn't go in 2001.  I thought, briefly, about going in 2006, but I didn't.  It's likely that I won't be going to the next one, either.  No one I need to see in that town anymore.

23. Do you still talk to people from high school?

Very rarely.

____________

Well.  That was fun, wasn't it?  I'll tell you what... it was more fun than actually going to high school. 

High school wasn't what you could call "fun" for me.  I know people who think of those days with some sort of nostalgia that I just don't understand.  I couldn't wait to leave school.  I couldn't wait to leave home, I couldn't wait to leave that town.

Anyone else planning to play?  If so, tell me.

GF

100 Things - Revisited

I Wrote this in July of 2006... I decided to look at it again and see if it needed an update. It did.

1. I love to read.
2. I read alot.
3. I usually read sci-fi or military/nautical fiction (and theology).
4. I have lots of books.
5. I don’t have as many books as Mrs GF.
6. Despite my tough-guy image, I am a romantic at heart.
7. I sometimes get choked up during sappy movies.
8. I avoid sappy movies like the plague.
9. I spend a lot of time wondering what my life is supposed to mean.
10. I haven't found it yet.
11. I like what I do for a living, but am now thinking of the next phase of my life.
12. I am disgusted by the agency I work for.
13. I teach Sunday School to first through fifth grade. It is incredibly rewarding.
14. I speak German fairly well, and can get around in Japanese and Spanish.
15. I'm a history geek.
16. I coach youth soccer.
17. I love children.
18. I love going to WalMart.
19. I love dogs.
20. All dogs.
21. Especially retired racing Greyhounds.
22. I want a new dog.
23. My neighbor has an sweet pit-bull named Darla. I love that dog… and she loves me.
24. Rugby is my favorite sport.
25. Rugby is the best sport in the world.
26. A good back scratch is almost better than sex. No... I’m not joking.
27. I'm too fat.
28. Terrorism is NOT caused by a hatred of freedom.
29. My maternal grandmother is my favorite person. She is a saint.
30. I think that Aaron Burr is a misunderstood historical figure.
31. Put down that bloody phone, and drive the friggin' car!
32. I think I'm an intelligent man, but, I regret my lack of formal education.
33. I have an educational inferiority complex.
34. I am proud of my military service.
35. I will not encourage my children to serve in the armed forces.
36. I was married to a woman that I had no business being married to.
37. I hope she and her husband are happy.
38. I have been married for nearly 14 years now, to a brilliant historian.
39. Who is scary smart.
40. She is also a great mom.
41. I recently passed up a promotion. The extra money wasn't worth the extra grief.
42. I love my bloggy friends. Really.
43. I think that boys and girls should be educated separately.
44. I’m a good boss.
46. I always look forward to family vacations.
47. Ozzy Osbourne is wierd, but seriously talented.
48. I have two tattoos, and will have another by spring.
49. I can be obsessive when I start to study a new area of interest.
50. I sometimes think that I should enter the clergy, but I probably never will.
51. I think that Angus Young and Slash are as important to rock as Jimi Hendrix.
52. I'm not ashamed to be a Tom Jones fan.
53. I like to dance.
54. I’m not a very good dancer.
55. Not being a good dancer doesn’t keep me from dancing.
56. I like to sing. In the shower, in the car... wherever
57. I like to sing hymns.
58. I like headbanger music, or hadn't you noticed?
59. I think invading a nation that isn’t threatening you is criminal and immoral.
60. I make rosaries and prayer beads as a hobby.
61. I'm a good cook... which is probably why I am so fat.
62. I believe the biggest threat to The United States is China.
63. I don't believe that any of our politicians have the stones to do what must be done about that.
64. I believe that terrorism is a minimal threat to our security.
65. I don't believe that any of our politicians have the stones to do what must be done about that, either.
66. I enjoy my life of contradictions.
67. I want to make a difference in the world. I worry that I won't.
68. I like teaching.
69. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a history teacher.
70. I like award shows.
71. I think Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I could have made those shots fairly easily... they were less than a hundred yards!
72. I enjoy British television.
73. I want to visit Australia some day... New Zealand, too.
74. I have travelled quite a bit.
75. Some of those places I’d like to see again, especially Vancouver, BC
76. I have a soft spot for Canadians.
77. I have a conformist's job, but I'm a bit of a rebel.
78. I enjoy good beer.
79. Especially malty, hoppy American made beers.
80. I’m very sociable.
81. I crave human contact.
82. My wife doesn’t.
83. I reckon that is part of the reason that I blog.
84. It works for me.
85. Socializing takes a lot of time.
86. I’m exceptionally opinionated... not that you'd notice, right?
87. I like take-out Chinese food.
88. I think Dick Cheney should be imprisoned for shooting that man in the face.
89. Eating pizza from Dominoes is a sin.
90. I’m respected in my career field.
91. I find basketball, baseball, and football intensely boring.
92. I wish our professional sports leagues weren’t havens for felons.
93. I wish the same about Congress.
94. I frequently wear a kilt, I can get a way with it.  Being a big guy helps
95. On my deathbed I will achieve total consciousness, so I've got that going for me.
96. Which is nice.
97. Racism, sexism, and homophobia bother me. They haven't gone away, people.
98. I like expensive Scotch.
99. I smoke the occasional cigar, but I don't consider myself to be "a smoker".
100. My name is Gunfighter, I’m pleased to meet you.

Meme!

Blog pal Wholly Burble has tagged me for another round of the eight random things about me meme.

I wonder if I can come up with 8 more things to say about myself. Oh, who are we kidding, you all know that I love to talk about me.

1. I think there is nothing funnier in the world than the Three Stooges (Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk!) and I am laughing as I type this.



2. I have decided on the design for my next tattoo... and I have already started to sketch it out. It will incorporate these three crosses (and some scripture in Greek):


The Jerusalem Cross


The Cross of St John (The Knights Hospitaller)


The Cross Moline (Knights Templar)

3. Every year, during the Christmas season, we go to the Smithsonian Museum of natural history, to see The Polar Express, in the Imax theater.



4. I could eat fish for dinner every day and never get tired of it.

5. I have read nearly a hundred books over the past several years, based solely on a random question that Mrs. Gunfighter once asked me. These are just some of them:



The Horatio Hornblower novels (there were around fifteen)



The Richard Sharpe novels (I believe there were twenty)



The Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin novels (there were twenty)



(and I believe that Russell Crowe really rocked the role of Jack, despite the idiot critics)



The Richard Bolitho novels (there are twenty seven, but I stopped at twenty four)



The Honor Harrington novels (there were seventeen and 6 spin-offs)



6. I would really like to go back to Germany for a visit.



(my old barracks is the bldg. on the right... I was on the second floor... the third window from the left)

7. I wish I had learned to play the violin, the cello, the guitar, and/or the piano.

8. My darkest fear is leaving this world unremembered.

I'm supposed to tag people at the end of this... but I know that many of you don't like these things... so, any one of you who are left handed (and therefore superior) should consider yourself tagged.

The Middle Meme

Some of you hate memes... some of you don't. Generally they don't bother me, and they are usually fun, especially because I usually get to talk about one of my favorite subjects: Me.

So... this meme is about middle names. Please see the rules below.

Here are the meme rules. I didn't write the rules, someone else did... so don't shoot the messenger, OK? (besides, he might shoot back)

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.

2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.

3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts.

4. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Are you ready?

My middle name is Vincent, which is from the Latin (or something like that), for Conqueror. You know... my name is so me, it isn't even close to being funny.

Here we go:

V - Vacation. Which is where I am now. We have had some lovely days on the Georgia beach. Swimming, seeing some old friends, eating good coastal Georgia cuisine. Ahhh!

I - Interesting. At least, I think I am interesting. Hey! Wake up!

N - Nice. Sure, it might be trite, but it's true.

C - Cook. I can really bang them pots and pans. It's why Mrs. GF married me.

E - Evangelical. I proclaim the saving gospel of the crucified and resurrected Christ.

N - Non-Judgemental. Hey, do your own thing, and don't hurt anyone else while you do it.

T - Tactical. Adjective: Of or relating to combat tactics.

Now, I get to tag seven people. I choose:

The First Seven People That Read This. Honor system, people!

GF, now with deeper tan lines

8 More Random Things

I have been tagged, by Paige, To do the "Eight Random Things" meme. You may remember that I have done this before... but what the hell.... I can think up eight more things about myself, can't I?

So here goes:

1. I tore a hole in my uniform trousers this morning. No, I didn't do it intentionally.

2. I haven't eaten anything in about 15 hours... as soon as I finish this, I will rectify that situation... probably with food that I shouldn't eat.

3. On Saturday, we had dinner at the new Chinese restaurant near our house. It was really good!

4. I have every intention of going to see the Transformer movie while Mrs. GF and Soccergirl are in Wisconsin later in the week.

5. I'm going to teach Sunday school starting in September (quit that laughing, there!)

6. Despite being around firing ranges since I was 17 years old (I'm 43 now) I have exceptionally good hearing.

7. I resemble a milk chocolate-colored Jabba The Hut.

8. I'm roasting a chicken for dinner tonight.

I'm not tagging any of you, as I already did that a week or so ago.

Aren't you glad you did this, Paige? No, the OTHER Paige... and how cool is it that I have two readers named Paige? I always thought that was a great name

This Blog Has Been Rated...

Mingle²

Apparently, my blog is rated R because of the words: Hurt, Pain, Knife, Ass, and Asshole.

I always thought I kept the place fairly neutral... ah, well.

I've Been Tagged...

...again. This time, by more than one of you.


The Rules:

Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.

* Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.
* Players should tag eight other people and notify them that they have been tagged.

Clear? Let's roll.

1. I am back on the treadmill this week, literally.

Cortisone. Is. Good. (yes, I know I am not healed... I'm taking it easy).

2. At the moment, one of my colleagues is listening to the local "Easy Listening" Station in the office, he was a little bothered when I started singing along to Bette Middler's "The Rose"

3. We are going on vacation in 43 days!

4. Planning is under way for a DC/Northern Virginia blog Happy Hour

5. Local 4th of July parades can be VERY interesting.

6. The Governor of Virginia isn't very tall.

7. I am making a chicken and fish stir-fry for dinner tonight.

8. I am going to start a new rosary tonight. I'll have pictures for you soon.

I tag the following (And I don't care if you have already done this... do it again!)

Jodifur, my newest local blog pal.
Mammaloves
Cathouse Teri
SMID
Jenn In Holland
Desert Songbird
Kateastrophe
Rebecca S. James

Have Fun!