^H

What’s the best place for brunch in the city where you live? When did you last go?

I wrote this prompt thinking of a couple of places I went in DC. Norfolk doesn’t have anything close, really, unfortunately.

I blame a scarcity of real restaurants, along with Virginia’s backwards alcohol laws. (Thank you, DPVA for keeping ABC around!)

I think my pick is probably No Frill Bar and Grill. (http://www.nofrillgrill.com) There have been some others that were decent, too, but nothing standing out like Belga Cafe in DC. Mmm. Beer and waffles. Stupid Flanders.

People in Virginia Beach will be surprised to learn that there aren’t leftovers to use making brunch from those plastic bags at Max ^ TGRobyChilibees.

We haven’t been to brunch in awhile. This summer, sometime, maybe? That’s easily attributable to my health, employment (or lack thereof…).

With the prompt out of the way. I could rap a bit about what’s ahead for me this week. It’s another week interrupted, as I’m not working Tuesday, on account of a visit with the white coats. Next week, of course, is Thanksgiving. Then….?

Of which libations do you partake? When were you last drunk? What’s in your glass now? What will be later?

There’s nothing I really favor in particular, though I will say I don’t drink very much wine. To me, it tends to be about appropriateness with whatever else I’m going to eat or drink along with it. The chances of me having a glass of chardonnay with a steak are pretty low. Lower, still, would be having a glass of chardonnay with a black fly. Is that ironic? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jne9t8sHpUc)

Last night, I had a gin martini, then a beer as dessert. (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22783/63699/)

I really don’t remember the last time I was drunk. I don’t like getting completely sloshed. With the frequency with which I drink, there’ve been a few times where I’ve cut myself off, but, completely blitzed? It’s been a long time. Maybe Shmoocon 2010, where I spent most of the night on the nice cold bathroom floor in the hotel room?

Since I went to prison, my consumption has dropped considerably. I don’t have my own fridge, or stash, or …. Listening to my young coworkers discuss what they’re drinking also serves as a deterrent. Bottle service at a casino, and you ordered Vodak? Really? (And I’ll skip the whole rant about vodka being unfinished gin.)

Nothing’s in my glass right now. There is Coca-cola in the can next to me. I think if i was drinking before 8:00 Eastern, someone might say I have a problem.

This afternoon/evening, I’ve been kind of craving a Manhattan, after hearing the pols talk about Kentucky Bourbon. (Obligatory: RAND PAUL)

Of which libations do you partake? When were you last drunk? What’s in your glass now? What will be later?

There’s nothing I really favor in particular, though I will say I don’t drink very much wine. To me, it tends to be about appropriateness with whatever else I’m going to eat or drink along with it. The chances of me having a glass of chardonnay with a steak are pretty low. Lower, still, would be having a glass of chardonnay with a black fly. Is that ironic? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jne9t8sHpUc)

Last night, I had a gin martini, then a beer as dessert. (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22783/63699/)

I really don’t remember the last time I was drunk. I don’t like getting completely sloshed. With the frequency with which I drink, there’ve been a few times where I’ve cut myself off, but, completely blitzed? It’s been a long time. Maybe Shmoocon 2010, where I spent most of the night on the nice cold bathroom floor in the hotel room?

Since I went to prison, my consumption has dropped considerably. I don’t have my own fridge, or stash, or …. Listening to my young coworkers discuss what they’re drinking also serves as a deterrent. Bottle service at a casino, and you ordered Vodak? Really? (And I’ll skip the whole rant about vodka being unfinished gin.)

Nothing’s in my glass right now. There is Coca-cola in the can next to me. I think if i was drinking before 8:00 Eastern, someone might say I have a problem.

This afternoon/evening, I’ve been kind of craving a Manhattan, after hearing the pols talk about Kentucky Bourbon. (Obligatory: RAND PAUL)

What are your plans for the weekend?

Since my wife is getting close to the end of the fall semester, I’ve been informed I’m probably going to be ignored quite a bit. I’m okay with that; I’ve been ignoring her while I’m up in jail.

1. Unwind. Really, this job is seriously kicking my ass. I can’t sleep when I need to. I’m tired all the time. Being in what is essentially a prison every day isn’t working for me. Hell, prisons might have more sunlight piped in than this place does.
2. With number one, Drink. I seriously want a Manhattan. And beer. With what I asked my wife if we had leftovers in the freezer for dinner, red wine might enter the equation, too.
3. Watch football. Not that there’s any games I particularly care about, really, but, it’s what I do.

Please excuse the griping about work. I know; I should be happy to have a job, etc.. I’ve heard it all before. That said, I really wish the twenty-some agencies I have outstanding applications with would get around to making a choice before I try to bite hard on another contract slot.

I used to think the four-letter was horrible; it looks like a cakewalk, now. And, maybe, those oh-so-awesome anger management classes they made me take have paid off. Or I’m just out of my element, and don’t know for sure that the things I’m being told to do are wrong.

Now that we’ve talked about being sick, what medications and/or supplements do you take? Why do you take them?

Oh, let’s see….

Morning: Tecfidera, Lisenopril, Prevacid, Vitamin D3
Evening: Fiber, Tecfidera:
As needed: Ibuprofen

I really don’t have a lot to say today. I’m tired, and my body is doing strange things. Nothing too out-of-the-ordinary, but still strange. Almost feels like a cold coming on. Maybe it’s just the weather.

The weather is getting cold. I could really go for a strong beer to make me feel relaxed, warm.

Today is Veterans’ Day in the US, and Armistice Day everywhere else in the civilized world. 2014 is the hundredth anniversary of “the great war.” Write what you know about World War I. Do you have any relatives who served in the military? Anyone currently? Do you have to work today? Go to school?

Oh my. I was trying to figure out what I should write about, here. I’m glad to see World War I getting attention this week, again. It still affects so many things in the world. I heard someone say that it really wasn’t over until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. While I initially agreed with that assessment, look at what’s gone on with the “Arab Spring,” and other places in the Middle East.

So many of the things going on are due to division of the spoils between the British and the French during and after the war. Why is Iraq even a country? Syria?

But, back to the prompt. At least one of my great-grandfathers was an Army officer during World War I. My great grandmother had some interesting stories about how pretty much everyone in his Company went and married during their time (a week?) between training and deployment to France. They were married nearly fifty years.

Neither of my grandfathers served in World War II, both being too young. Both were in the Navy in the late 40s. My maternal grandfather left the reserves after my mother was born. As a merchant mariner, my paternal grandfather was still a reservist during Korea.

My dad turned down an appointment to the Merchant Marine Academy, in favor of an Army ROTC scholarship. I found out, recently, that this was part of the rift between them, and played a role in my grandfather’s absence at my parents’ wedding. I didn’t notice that until a few years ago, when my wife was looking at photos my maternal grandfather had.

My dad was commissioned in the Army right at the end of Vietnam, and served until 1997, retiring as a Colonel.

As for relatives, the only one who is currently serving is my sister-in-law’s husband, who is in the Navy.

As for me, I earned an Air Force ROTC scholarship in high school. Since I didn’t have perfect vision, they weren’t going to let me fly. They were also going to select my major for me. Yes, I had some influence in the selection, but the decision ultimately would not have been mine. After four years of ROTC, I would have been expected to serve four years active duty, but they could have extended that to eight. When I finally got off active duty, I would spend four years in the reserves.

Because of my dad’s active duty status when I graduated, finding an undergraduate school was odd. I was technically a Mississippi resident, but I’d been born in Florida. I tried to get in-state tuition at several Florida schools. The only one that approved me was the University of West Florida, which considered me in-state on account of their proximity to my Mississippi address. They didn’t have Air Force ROTC. Florida State, who’d accepted me, had Air Force ROTC, but wouldn’t give me in-state tuition.

So, as a seventeen year-old kid, I’m looking at paying more as an out-of-state student than taking something here in Virginia, where I qualified for in-state tuition because my mother had worked for two years…. I wasn’t exactly amped about devoting the next sixteen years to the Air Force. So, off to CNU, and try to win an Army ROTC scholarship. Of the around seventy cadets, I think one got a scholarship. Since it was apparent that I wouldn’t get one, I left ROTC as a sophomore.

With a third of the month passed, what are your plans for the rest of the month

Keep writing. Obviously, I think that I do derive some benefit from it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t continue doing it year after year..
Eat copious amounts of food towards the end of the month. Thanksgiving. Duh. At the same time, I have been getting heavy again, and I’m not sure why, exactly. The only thing I can see since I started this latest job, is that I’m drinking a lot less alcohol. Now I want a beer.
Fall more in love with me wife. The one thing I don’t really have to think about.
Find a new job. Seriously. What the fuck was that today? JFC. SANITIZE!

I really ought to have more to say, but I don’t.

Pro sports time — list your favorite teams, along with when you started following them.

My allegencies are all over the map. Blame the Army.

Baseball: Kansas City Royals. My dad was stationed in Kansas in 1985. I was in elementary school. They won the World Series. You figure it out. I’ve been loyal, and I’m happy they were back this year, but I still think baseball’s salary system is FUBAR when it comes to revenue sharing. It’s still almost impossible for small market teams to put together a roster capable of making the postseason, much less winn it all.

Football: New Orleans Saints. *sigh* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHipzGL4dwM It was nice being able, after they won the Super Bowl, to go back and link to what I wrote after their first playoff win in 2001. But the NFL does do it right when it comes to supporting the smaller cities. New Orleans has football and basketball. They could never hope to support an MLB team. Look at how bad the Astros are, and Houston is a much bigger market.

Hockey: I’ve tried, but I can’t get interested. I do cheer for the minor league team here, but haven’t been to a game since something like 1999. I only went to that because I got comp tickets. That was when they were AA. The club is now AAA, and won whatever the championship is a few years ago. Then the parent franchise dumped them, and most of the players and coaches moved somewhere. I still don’t understand why Cleveland and Milwaukee don’t have NHL teams, either. My wife is a big-time Penguins fan. I have friends and relatives who root for the Caps. I see sniping on Facebook, and still can’t find the fuck I’m not giving.

Basketball: I was a Washington Bullets fan when I lived in NoVA. They were iffy, then, and got pretty lousy after we moved. Then the owner changed the name, and I completely quit caring. I guess the Wizards were actually good last season, but I couldn’t bring myself to really care.

I apologize for yesterday’s abrupt termination. As I said, I’d been plunking away on it off and on, but really hadn’t gotten it in condition for posting. And I was absolutely exhausted. I slept harder than I have in an awful long time. Home with my wife, full belly, a beer, and….

Well, on to the prompt: If you attended college, talk about your alma mater. Did you have a good experience? Are you happy with the major you selected? Are there any lessons that’ll stick with you forever? Do you have people you keep in contact with?

I attended Christopher Newport University. When I started there, it was an “open enrollment” school. They had one dormresidence hall. Virtually nobody lived on campus, me included. I only applied because my father had met the new university president in a civic leadership group.

When I enrolled, I was looking at it as kind of a community college experience. I’d knock out my general education requirements, then transfer to a “real” university to finish up. Life had other plans for me, though. While I was attending, I broke in to broadcasting, first at a local TV station, then in radio, and figured it’d be my “life’s work.” I majored in Government Administration, which gave me a BS, and decent preparation for law school. I never got to law school, and ended up in IT. Go figure.

My major selection, while it didn’t turn me into a lawyer handling somewhat hapless clients, did teach me about the importance of being able to back up whatever you do through laws/regulations. With what I’m doing now, there’s supposed to be documented requirements, which finally trace down to specific technical features. Any design artifact should be traceable forward and backward. I had to do the same sorts of thing when I was writing legal briefs; the particulars are different, but the principles are the same.

As for lessons that’ll stick with me forever, there are a few. Certain professors certainly affected my writing. Others drove home points, sometimes in an unsubtle way. (I’m thinking of one final, where I wrote what I thought was an amazing explanation about how to handle an issue as a tort. The comment on the paper was something along the lines of “your reasoning is perfect; you should have used the UCC. C.” Fuck me gently with a chainsaw.)

I also experienced, while dealing with a prestigious university up the road a piece, the disparity that exists between “common people,” and the privileged. I didn’t attend a fancy private school. My family wasn’t “rich.” As I get older, the more I understand, and the more I understand what my parents were dealing with where they grew up. (And now I’m thinking of Dan Akroyd’s Bob Dole impression from 1988 to George HW Bush…..)

I keep in contact with a few people, mainly through various online tools (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn [aka Facebook for self-important professional types], fantasy football, etc.). Facebook tends to show which have married, formed babby(ies), etc. I only know of one person who’s in Federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison. I don’t know of anyone who’s assumed room temperature. This is a marked contrast from high school, where several are dead or incarcerated.

I’m going to quit now, before I go on a rant about my present plight. It’s better that way. As for CNU, I’m still upset by a few things, and I don’t have any money to give you. Sorry.