I'll never forget the time prior to my deployment to Iraq and the time I spent there. In all, I can honestly say that I went through it and actually enjoyed it. By that, I mean that I enjoyed the people I worked with, the people I worked for, and the mission that we were on. The food was better there than in any of my other deployments and the living conditions really were not that bad. To say that I enjoyed Iraq is a bit of a misnomer. I didn't enjoy the fact that there were people dying there,...

I'm writing this as an awareness for any veterans that may stumble across this as it relates to your GI Bill Benefits. For those of you who do not know, today it was passed into legislation that the "New GI Bill" will take effect in August of 2009. All that has to happen is the Supreme Court needs to sign it and President Knucklehead has to put his stamp of approval on it. It is expected to pass without any problems.

This new bill is a reversion to the old days of the GI...

I turned on the TV today for the first time in a while. When I normally do watch TV it is usually something informative such as the History Channel or National Geographic. Today, I just scrolled through the list of what was on "regular" TV to get an idea if there was something else to watch.

What absolutely befuddled me is the massive amount of garbage shown not only on cable but on the local channels as well. Reality TV. Pffttt! Reality, my arse! Reality TV seems to have...

I received a birthday present from a friend of mine today. My wife and I were taking the dog for a walk and we checked the mailbox on our way out the door. Inside was a brown envelope slightly wrinkled and I could tell immediately, based on the size and shape that it was indeed a book. How pleasant. As an avid reader, I am always happy to have more to digest.

And so, without opening the package we continued on our walk around the neighborhood with me holding this mysterious book in...

Sometimes I like to sit on my back porch and look at all of the things that nature has going for it. The birds swooping down through the trees to peck and swipe at bugs in the grass. The sturdy oaks swaying in the wind. At night, I sometimes hear the owls hoot and the coyotes cackle and howl. I see rabbits scamper across the road and I even see caterpillars in the spring. I see spiders spinning webs and I see mosquitos buzzing around looking for a meal.

I sit here and I look at it...