Much Ado About...
...things here and there. After finally getting this campus wireless thing to work, here I am blogging on campus. Hello world.

School has started. Oh the wonders of the semester system (blah). Graphic design is going to be the one class that will make or break me. The other class that will also take up a lot of time from me is color photo (both film and digital). Graphic Design is a great field of study. In fact, it baffles me at how applicable it is to different areas in work. However, it takes up a LOT of your time. The culture here is that if you aren't losing sleep, something is qrong with you. That's no joke at all.

On a related note. I'm in the market for a digital SLR. Many ppl have recommended the Canon line. Any thoughts? I'd love to hear it.

On another note, I've had an epiphany that sometimes I can be really cold and very exacting in how I deal with people. Interestingly, sometimes it is personal and sometimes it isn't. I realize now that I need to be more forgiving and less icy in my interactions.

I gotta jet. I need to help out with an exhibit. Later.

Yet Another Random Scene (in the Life of Geoff)
When I'm at the computer, you may find me singing along to my ecclectic stash of music I have here. Such notables are Steven Curtis Chapman, Gin Blossoms, and Frank Sinatra. Yes, the door is closed when this happens. The windows too.

Random Thoughts (part Deux)
Here we go again:

-Sometimes I wonder if I'm more of a lover than a fighter. At times, I can be a bit of a romantic. I don't know if this is good or bad, but it's true nonetheless.

-I notice that I'm not much of a person who's hell bent on making a lot of money. If that were the case, money would be my ultimate bottom line and I'd be a very different person as a result of it. I'd prefer to make less but do something that I'm driven to do. Passion is the watchword.

-It bothers me how some people don't seem to want to improve themselves. By this, I don't necessarily mean pursuing further education or improving on their occupational skillsets. I mean improving on how they relate to people or at least even try to think about what other people may be thinking.

-On a related note, I wonder why so many people in this world are so quick to lecture others and yet they don't seem to listen to them. In a backhanded way, it's condescending. I'd like to go into this but I've already written nearly half of a thesis on this (in a personal journal). Consider the power of active listening. Just think on this will ya?

-Some people in this world can't even acknowledge that they are sheltered in some way. How are we to go into this world as a light if some of us are terribly naive of it? You can be in this world, but not necessarily of it.

-I realize that I am not a perfect man. I will never be as long as I'm alive. In our hearts there's a constant war. In this war, battles rage on. Sometimes we win some battles. Sometimes we lose. By the grace of God, my hope is that the less than desirable parts of me are remedied. My hope is that there is victory within.

-The heart is like nuclear power. It can drive us to do monumentally great things if we keep it in check. But used carelessly or with malice, it can do destructive things.

-I'm always looking at the future. Always.

-How come we don't have flying cars now??

Random Thoughts
Many things have been going on as of late. I'll write it down as it comes to me.

-Lately I've been smoking myself silly on the weights. My max on the bench was a little over 200lbs at the beginning of summer. Let's hope I can get back there.

-A wise Colonel told me this about my multi-facted interests: There's nothing wrong with having a large list of stuff that you'd like to do in your life. But you should also remember that you can't always do everything at once. Some things stay. Some things go. Otherwise you spread yourself thin and then everything suffers. I took that to heart.

-I'm trying to catch up on my reading list. Here's what's currently on the queue: The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, Teeth of the Tiger by Tom Clancy, and Duty, Danger, and Disillusionment:The Worldview of Los Angeles Police Officers by Joan C. Barker.

-Amy's B-day wasn't too long ago. Happy Birthday, Amy!

-Taking stock of of my life I realize that I can't do everything that I want to do in life. It is however interesting to look back, though. From when I was knee high to now (and not in chronological order), I wanted to be: a superhero, a police officer, a pilot, an engineer, a business exec, a news reporter, a counselor, a foreign service officer, a multimedia guru, an artist, a search-and-rescue specialist, a soldier, an officer of soldiers, a guitar player, a singer, a federal agent, a husband, and a father. I'm not lamenting or anything. In fact, I've either tackled some of these or I'm in the process of doing so. I guess I see deep fulfillment in all of these things I've listed here. I see it more so of the last two.

-I need to have less distractions around me sometimes. I guess I'm distracted because there are often welcome distractions that make my life grander. I should still not lose focus though. =)

-Why am I up so late? Do I always have to ponder about everything in the universe?

-A prayer to stay the course. . .

Possible Career Avenue
Just a thought here...Dark suit, starched shirt, serious tie, comfortable shoes (with a high shine), Ray-Bans, customized lapel pin, earpiece, a SIG-Sauer at the hip, a five-pointed star in one pocket, a hunter's disposition, an attitude that speaks of consummate professionalism and gravity. I wonder...

Thoughts on Camp
Driving back, I've had plenty of time to think of Advanced Camp (now called Warrior Forge). All in all, I have some rather mixed feelings about it. Now, before I launch into my diatribe, let me at least temper my decree with a little objectivity and some background. I'm a prior-service guy who did Basic at Ft. Benning and AIT at Ft. Bragg for a rather challenging MOS. At the time, I had already had my BS from Davis and I had over 3 years of working in a fortune 500 company. To boot, I also had a high proficiency in the use of firearms. That's my deal.

Well, Camp was ok for the most part. However, there were things about it that rather irked me. For starters, if you're a prior-service guy going in, you may find yourself getting a little annoyed or frustrated from time to time. With more than half my squad being prior-service, I knew I wasn't alone. We had one guy who was a Marine Sergeant. Once was a Sergeant in the 25th ID. My bunkmate was a former 2nd Ranger Bn and EOD (Explosives ordnance disposal) technician. One was a transportation guy in the Kentucky Guard. We can all tell you that putting yourself back into an environment where everything that you do is micro-managed sucks. It feels like you're chasing after a demotion with a pay raise.

And with the abusive attitudes of some of the event cadre (we called them "drill privates"), it took a lot of restraint for us to not jump out of the file and strangle some of them. Gee, if only they knew.

Now to the other folks who are coming in as civilians, I'm sure we came across as cynical or unmotivated. But truthfully, I think a lot of us are just world-weaary and we just don't get high on false motivation and all sort of other rah rah rah type talk. I guess that's probably why we didn't take it too seriously.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm more than certain that there was something learned in all of this. Be it about ourselves or about how we do things, that much I'm certain. But I swear to you that there is a great difference between how the Army does things in a training environment as opposed to how things are in in a "real world" scenario. Trying to divorce the notions of how things are done "down range" can be very different than that of the "school solution." I felt a little dismayed how some people held so steadfast to a textbook solution than that of an improvised one. We were graded on the former. argh...

In addition to this, I was surprised at what would be said behind other people's backs. I was surprised at how far some people will do to get a sparkling eval, belittling others in such a dastardly way. I refused to take part in any of this. I guess that's why I would keep to myself and a small crowd during the down times. I guess in a way, this hurt me in my peer evals. Whatever...I'm not one to compromise on my principles.

Whatever the case, not all of it was bad. For those who were truly selfless, we helped each other out as best as we could without any expectation of a quid pro quo. I'm gonna remember these folks for a long time. Also, Camp helped me to re-evaluate some of the goals that I have in life. That is to say, some were validated, some were discarded. Funny how in such environments, some things stand out quite clearly.

Drawing to a close, I'm very happy to be done with Camp. I didn't get a shining evaluation but it wasn't bad either. There were a few unlucky souls who would quit or be disqualified and had no intention of coming back. I guess I should count my blessings in that regard.

Home at Last
Finally, I'm home. It's kinda hard to imagine, but I was in Vancouver, BC just yesterday. Basically, we took I-5 all the way from the US-Canadian border through Washington and Oregon. We stayed overnight in Eugene, OR (I rather liked this quintessential college town). From this morning, we crossed into the Cali border and made our way back to San Jose.

Let me say, for starters, that I'm glad to be home. The task at hand now is to report in on Monday to turn in my evals from Camp. I have to decide for sure what my #1 branch pick is. I put down MI but some part of me still entertains the notion of aviation. Dilemmas..

The other task it hand is to get back into shape. Time in the field can do a number on a person. As of right now, I'm still popping blisters and nursing a few mosquito bites. Can't be too hard though. I was still able to run 4 miles after donating a pint of blood.

I guess it's time to kick back for a bit.

Still in BC
Well, I'm still hanging out and having some fun out here. But before I forget, let me start out by thanking everybody who's written to me while I was out in Ft. Lewis. Some of your letters arrived while I was out in the field and at times, it made all the difference for me as far as morale was concerned. I love mail.

A lot has happened in the past month but I'll refrain from writing about it here (I'd never stop). I'll be home later this week!

Out of the Blue (and out of the rain)
Well, I'm done with Advanced Camp. Some of it was cool. Some of it sucked. But if anything, I think I learned a lot about myself. Some of what I learned, I didn't like. But never the less, such are growing pains. Otherwise, we never will get stronger. I'll talk more on that later.

Right now, I'm vacationing with my folks in Vancouver, BC. As always, it's a beautiful city.

Well, time to hit the town again. I'll try to write later on. If anything, I'll be back in the Bay Area this Saturday.