Kelly Smith Weblog Aficionado: Just a guy vs. Life

My Inner Captain... Get up Lieutenant! I find that I am in need of a lot of self-motivation lately because of some of the obstacles I am facing. The best way I motivate myself is to picture myself in the position that I want to be in, and I talk to myself as if I am already there, or as if I am "that person." I know, rather strange but it helps when things seem hopeless. If I deploy with the BCT, then I could perhaps make Captain within the year, but I have a lot of correspondence and physical conditioning to do before I would even attempt to put a promotion packet in. Some mornings when I am laying there, and I feel sooooo tired, I really want to just say, "to hell with it." But, I have to call on my inner Captain.... Inner Captain: "Get up Lieutenant." ME: "Go to hell..." Inner Captain: "Damnit! You are talking to a Captain, Soldier!" ME: "Go to hell...Sir?" Inner Captain: "Wrong freaking answer, you! Get out of that ra...

Bad Granny.... Apparently a 36....yes, I said it....36 year old Grandmother left her granddaughter in a car to perish in sweltering heat. I was shocked that someone could be 36 years old and have a grandchild. What was even more shocking was this woman's photo. Just by looking at it, it would appear that she had kept a daily regimen of Jack Daniel's, methamphetamines, and truck stop waitressing to achieve this look. Damn. The woman is a year older than me! This is amazing!

The "N" word..... Unbelievable use of a derogatory word by of all people....a high school teacher. The N(igger) Word [More to follow....]

The Study Session... My wife was up studying last night for a test in one of her night school classes. I tried to get my daughter settled down for the night so Renee would not be interrupted. As usual, Alex rebelled with an incessant cry of, "But I don't wanna go to bed!" I let Alex go downstairs to give Renee, "Hugs and sugars.", and I didn't hear anything for a while. I went downstairs and discovered this sight. Pretty cute, huh?

Valley of the Wolves, Iraq... What are Billy Zane and Gary Busey thinking about? Movie Trailer Apparently the Turkish film industry has spent the largest amount for a movie in their history. Approximately 10 million dollars. The movie is about a "savage" group of American Soldiers. The Soldiers kidnap people randomly, shoot up a wedding, and take people to Abu Ghraib prison and stack them like cord wood. After that, a Jewish-American doctor played by Gary Busey, removes their internal organs and sells them. Apparently some of the prisoners are actually Turkish citizens who are not guilty of terrorist acts. One of the Turkish guys kills himself to preserve his honor, not before sending a desperate plea to some larger-than-life Turkish intelligence Officer. In steps a gravelly-voiced, smartly-dressed guy who basically annihilates the Americans. OH! The Americans, I forgot, their commander is none other than Billy Zane, who doesn't wear a uniform, but wears some kind of a du...

Rest in Peace Coretta Scott King....

I'm TDY again, and I am in my room listening to the State of the Union Address. I just heard that Cindy Sheehan is the invited guest of Lynn Woolsey and has been arrested. My first thought was, "What has that jackass done now?" But, I am going to reserve further comment until I hear the whole story.

Being an Officer...a Black one.....is sometimes hard. [Howard Rollins from "A Soldier's Story"] Sometimes being an Officer is difficult....not because of hard tasks, short timelines, or all of the worries involved in the care of your Soldier's, but the aura of professionalism and objectivity that you must display at all times. There have been many times that I have wanted to make a comment, yell, cuss at someone, or otherwise let my personal feelings be known about a subject, but unfortunately I could not because of my position. Let me tell you about two incidents that bothered me in particular. I was in Dallas Ft. Worth airport waiting to catch a flight on the last leg of my TDY trip to help a returning unit at Ft. Sill. As I went to my gate, I saw 4 Sailors in their black uniforms gathered at the gate...one was large and white, the other three were black. There was very little room, and many of them were standing intermingled with civilian airline passengers...

Journalist Abducted... Unfortunately this is not such an unfaniliar and shocking headline. A journalist from the Christian Science Monitor has been abducted in Iraq. I hope she makes it out of there alive.

Path of Neo.... I beat the game man. Well worth the worn out thumbs and the $49.99.

Gee thanks, Pal..... I responded to a web log post from Grouchy Old Cripple In Atlanta in which he lampooned the urge to be so politically correct about saying, Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas. I thought it was pretty funny myself, and I think all of the flap about what is "proper" to say is much ado about nothing. However, someone left this message in response to his post. Hey Democrats, have a shitty Christmas...oops X-Mas...and a horrid 2006. You're all a bunch of traitors.Posted by Paul at December 22, 2005 03:58 PM I responded with this post: Paul, In response to: Hey Democrats, have a shitty Christmas...oops X-Mas...and a horrid 2006. You're all a bunch of traitors. Merry Christmas to you, too. And thanks for not making sweeping generalizations about Democrats. Just a question, were those Service Members that died in Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001 who were registered Democrats traitors also? To everybody, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hop...

Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas everyone. This morning didn't start as early as I thought that it would. The kids slept until about 8:30 which was a huge surprise. At this point we are trying to get it together to hit the road and go to Lexington. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday Season, and I hope the coming year is a blessing for everyone. "Pope Benedict XVI said in his Christmas Day message that signs of hope in Iraq, the Holy Land and Lebanon need to be reinforced by actions on the ground. Benedict also urged protection for those suffering "tragic humanitarian crises" in Darfur, Sudan, and other parts of Africa, and called for the settlement of "dangerous disputes" in Asia. It was Benedict's first Christmas "Urbi et Orbi" message -- Latin for "to the city and to the world." I sincerely hope that in this, the holiest of the Christian Holidays that there will be as much peace and happiness as possible for our S...

December 22nd, 2003... Two years ago my Mother-in-law passed away after a brief battle with cancer. She passed not too long after her birthday, and not long before Christmas which made it all the more tough. If anything, my mother-in-law and I had the atypical son-in-law, mother-in-law relationship. I really loved her, she was one of the most kind, endearing, and selfless people I had ever met. I thought about the date of her passing on the 22nd, and I sort of felt bad for not making mention of it to my wife. On one hand I was glad that she was in good spirits and went about her days without mentioning it. I suppose that perhaps this means she is ready to remember her mother's life more so than she is the moment or time of her death. My mother-in-law got to see and spend time with our youngest daughter Alex, but she never go to see my nephew, Xavier. I have always had a wistful feeling about that. All of the children loved Annette, and despite her claims to the contrary she loved t...

Despite what some Americans think about other Americans and their viewpoints about this war, I hope that we can all remember that though they seem broad, the differences between us are very small. America....love it or leave it.

Phone Tap? Perhaps I am naively ushering in the new Imperial Forces, but I am really not worried about the government secretly recording any of my email or voice transmissions overseas. This article is talking about what Bush is doing presently. Its not that I think that the government should intimidate people, but I just have to think that , "If you aren't doing shit wrong, then what do you have to worry about?" So long as they are only looking at things that are wrong under the civil code you shouldn't worry about it....besides, only a dumbass would use a chatroom, cell phone, or letter when planning illegal activity. We ought to lock them up for their own protections.

34..... Not such a huge number, but one that looks strange to me. I didn't approach this birthday with any trepidation whatsoever. I never have been like that. I don't dread birthdays..hell, having a birthday beats the alternative. I was a lot more excited about last years birthday, but this one just seemed to be like any other day. Last year I swore that I would let everyone know what I accomplished during my 33rd year on this earth. I thought I did a pretty good job, but for the most part it seems like I am lacking in one way or another. Oh well, I am happy to have my health. Things could be much worse, I suppose.

Currently I am: playing.... The Path of Neo Reading... and... and... Great stuff so far. I'll give you all a review of "The Path of Neo" after I beat the game.

Veteran's Day/Armistice Day Lloyd Brown was a teenager serving aboard the USS New Hampshire when the World War I ended. He distinctly remembers Armistice Day, and the happiness that Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines had when the war was over. At the time, who knew that there would be another Great War at the time? The day is no longer called Armistice Day, it is called Veteran's Day as a tribute to those who have donned a military uniform, and given up some of their individual freedom's so that we can perpetuate this idea called liberty. Veterans Day, always celebrated on November 11th, is the day set aside to thank and honor ALL those who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime. Veterans Day is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served - not only those who died - have sacrificed and done their duty. I hope...

Gubernatorial and Mayoral races around the country..... I would say that the elections around the country are probably going to be heavily influenced by the President's popularity.....or lack thereof. VA is in, and Tim Kain (D) looks like he is going to be the winner. I am not going to be able to stay up and watch what is going on, work is too early in the morning for me. As a military man, staying up late is not a good thing. We only do more before 9:00 a.m. because we get up so freakin' early. Check out the progress at this link: Race coverage Virginia is a veritable bastion of Republican Strength, and an upset loss during the mid term could be a harbinger of many more disappointing things to come for the Grand Old Party. I will post more about this later on. Good night all, I have a full day tomorrow.

Corruption...... Corruption, greed, opportunism, all things that have no place in American Governmnent, but when politics get nasty they inevitably happen. I am trying to recall if things were this bad under the previous Administration. Read more here....... From the playbook