Today I decided on an “active” rest day. My “active” part involved a little run to the highest point on the northern area of Camp Pendleton. It was probably the most awesome little journey I have ever done. It took me a little less than an hour to get all the way to the top, mainly due to me stopping to take pictures. Here is a little photo-documentary of my journey.


Here is the camp that I work with as I start up the trails that will lead me to the top.


Here is the first of several fairly steep trails. Yeah…this might suck.


Oh…look! Another steep and hardly noticeable trail! YAY!


Here is the camp I work at getting smaller and further away.


If you look to the top left of this picture you will see my final destination…and I swear those crows laughed at me when I passed.


The brush was getting a little thicker, and the air a little thinner…


Here is a sign for the more adventurous cross-country runners. Isn’t it nice that they give you a choice of how much you want to cry.


The end is in sight…now to get to the top of that biotch.


So close…yet so far.

I finally make it to the top! As I come up to the final fire-break, I am stunned when I unexpectedly find this.
It seems that a unit (3rd battalion 1st Marines as I found out later) has made a secret memorial to their fallen warriors.


Another view of the memorials. On the ground in front of the crosses the words USMC and SEMPER FI are spelled out in rocks.


This is the point that all the pain in my legs and wheezing in my lungs ceases as I realize I am extremely lucky to be feeling those pains…the Marines that these crossed represent will never have those feelings again.


One last view of the memorial, with the valley below it. This was worth every step of the way up the mountain.


A panoramic shot of the camp I work at from the top! Mission accomplished.


The long, STEEP road home. I spent the first 1/4 of it sliding down on my butt.


This was truly an awesome day. Every once in a while people have days that bring a lot of humility, reflection, and appreciation to the surface. This was one of those days for me. Thanks for sharing!

Let me know what you think in the comments! Have a great weekend everyone.

For Christmas I received a pair of Galileo 12x50 binoculars. They are wonderful. I have only been able to star-gaze a few times since unwrapping them due to poor weather conditions and the like, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the times I have been able to peek through them. Of course I have peered at Orion and the Seven Sisters (or Pleiades as Doorgunner uses the technical words), I have also taken some looks at Cassiopeia and her bouncing Hubbs, Cepheus. But tonight I got a chance to look at the most beautiful object in the sky: The Moon. It was huge tonight and bursting with light, I had to! It was the closest I'd ever seen it, and it was amazing. I didn't quite know what to expect, but it was truly blissful. I could make out the maria and terrae so clearly!

It absolutely, positively, without a doubt made my entire evening.

That's all. I just wanted to share.

Am I the only one that has a strange affinity for these videos? They're stupid, but smart. Dumb, but entertaining...I love them.

This is probably their best one....

You can find the rest of them here.

but........college is a waste of time and money.  My last course was 'business ethics'.....and this current one is 'research and presentation'.  WTF?!??!?!?!?  I have to pay someone to tell me how to do something that I've been doing my whole live?  Ok, trying to be positive and not bitch to much........I'm going to try to learn something and be open minded, yet, everything I've wasted my money on in college I've learned in the workforce all these years.  I will try to learn though.....and be good, yes, you will receive another update when this class is over in 10 weeks.

As far as other things are concerned, this is a year for change in my life.  I am going to make a list of people that I have lost contact with.  I am going to give them all my information from email, phone number, home address...etc.....and see where that goes.  I will give them all 3 chances.  If I hear nothing after contacting each of them 3 times throughout the year, then I will no longer keep in touch with any of them.  I will let each of them know when I break connection with them.  It's not fair to me to waste my time and days and thoughts trying to keep in touch with people that I shouldn't. 

Day 8 of no chew.  Why am I keeping track?  Because it's getting harder to keep my temper in check knowing that I'm going through withdrawls.  2 more weeks and everything should be good.  Just like the other 3 times I quit........about 3 weeks and life was normal.

I'm digging GOW2.  Don't know why I didn't like the first one, but this one is pretty bad ass.  I'm going through it on the easy mode, but it's nice after battling through COD5's last level yet on Veteran.  No, I still haven't beat it.  My guys like to trap me next to boxes while I'm in cover.  Not really a good idea to try to get through this while withdrawls are goin on.......but it does keep my mind off of it.

We're expecting another 6-8 inches of snow tonight.  I'm kinda siked about it and hope I get no calls tomorrow.  I wanna start drinkin early......working 5 days in a row has been a pain in the ass.  lol

Anyways......positive thoughts bitches.......life is pretty good even if you think it sucks.  And if you think it sucks that bad.....go fuck yourself that'll make it better!  ;)

MJ

I just found out that Electronic Gaming Monthly will no longer be published.  This is a sad day.  I've been subscribing to EGM since I was in Junior High School.  I looked foward to reading it every month.  It was a reliable source for unbiased reviews and had a great sense of humor.  I know that you can get all of this stuff online, but call me old school, there was just something about having it there to pick up and read anytime.  Its not easy to use the laptop while youre in the can.  I can't believe it's gone.  Cancelled in a very un-ceremonious fashion by being bought out by another company.  It didn't even get the proper send off it deserves.  It truly sucks!  you will be missed EGM.

Hi all,

I thought it would be a cool idea to start a blog regarding my adventures, or misadventures regarding being a father for the first time.  Since we are naming our daughter hope, I thought it would be cool to name the blog: having hope.

Please follow the link, and let me know what you think.  http://havinghopeandfaith.wordpress.com/

Also, if any of you have facebook, please add me, or let me know what your info is.

My name is Andrew Peterson, and located in Sarasota, Florida.

Thanks!

I now know that the Rock Band series is better than Guitar Hero: World Tour. After playing some GH:WT...here are my observations/complaints (mostly about drums because that's my instrument of choice...and I'm an amateur drummer on the side):

• What is up with all of the non-English language songs??!? "Antisocial" when covered by Anthrax was a pretty good song, but the original by Trust?!? In FRENCH?!? what the heck? What about the songs in Spanish where I would guess a majority of the people playing the game have never even heard of?!?
  
• The drums are a little harder on Expert in my opinion, but maybe it's because I don't know HARDLY ANY of the songs. Is that my fault? But I also think it's because of some of the ridiculous stuff that the programmers have done. There are some songs where you are either playing notes on the drums that don't really exist in the song (at least I can't hear 'em), OR the opposite happens where stuff is going on in the song but you are not playing it!
  
• This one's not a gameplay issue, but it's just something I noticed. Rock Band's animated band members (in the background) actually look like they are playing and hitting every note, whether it's guitar or drums. But, in GH:WT it looks more like a music video on MTV or VH1...there's no synchronization.
  

I haven't finished a career yet so maybe I'll change my mind. But right now, its Rock Band FTW!

What's your opinion??

With the shooting on the BARC and the outcry that has now started, I have to wonder why people still have trouble understanding what is justified anger and what is just plain insanity.  There have been so many incidents of Police abuse and then there are indeed ACCIDENTS.  Looting, burning, assault on folks that had nothing to do with alleged and actual abuse by police is NOT in any way defensible or warranted.  I hear cries of racism from many when I bring this up and say "how is it racist to comment on attacks of innocent people for no reason other than to be an anarchist"?  The lashing out at innocent people many miles from the incident ( Barc, Rodney King, etc. ) just because they can makes them even worse than those that perpetrated the crimes in the first place.  I am not saying police are innocent, nor do i say those who are caught up in situations with police are innocent.  Perfect example, I was in NY visiting friends ( who are black ) last February and we where out in the Bronx.  Well there was something going on, a kid was being arrested and one of the cops told us to move along.  So I start to move along, why wouldn't I?  Well my friends want to see what is happening and a crowd is gathering and the cop is now getting a tad spooked with so many people crowding the scene and starts to yell for everyone to move along ( for all I know the kid had a gun on him or drugs and they just wanted to cuff him and get him in the car ) so again I start to cross the street and my friends ask me what I am doing.  I say I am listening to the cop who has a gun and is getting pissed off.  They start with the democracy and free country and they don't have to move since they are not doing anything wrong, etc., etc.  So I say who cares, lets leave and continue on our way.  Well long story short, my friend is pushed, words are exchanged and he could have ended up in jail, but I was able to just talk him down and away we went.  Night is ruined and I spend the next 3 days talking about race and bullshit.  Is common sense in short supply?  It just hurts me a little inside to see so many ignorant people who carry so much hatred and mistrust.  Trust me kids, cop says jump you say how high and argue your case when it is appropriate...that comes from my next door neighbor who is a cop...and also black.  Game On!

I found this on Craigslist and....I LOVE IT!!! How true!!

(Author unknown)

"After two long years of being on a waiting list for an agility dog, we have been notified by the breeder that, at long last, our number has come up and ...WE ARE HAVING A PUPPY!!!

We must get rid of our children IMMEDIATELY because we just know how time consuming our new little puppy is going to be and it just wouldn't be fair to the children. Since our little puppy will be arriving on Monday we MUST place the children this weekend! They are described as:

One male - His name is Tommy, Caucasian (English/Irish mix), light blonde hair, blue eyes. Four years old. Excellent disposition. He doesn't bite. Temperament tested. Does have problems with peeing directly in the toilet. Has had Chicken Pox and is current on all shots. Tonsils have already been removed. Tommy eats everything, is very clean, house trained & gets along well with others. Does not run with scissors

and with a little training he should be able to read soon.

One female - Her name is Lexie, Caucasian (English/Irish mix),

strawberry blonde hair, green eyes quite freckled. Two years old. Can be surly at times. Non-biter, thumb sucker. Has been temperament tested but needs a little attitude adjusting occasionally. She is current on all shots, tonsils out, and is very healthy & can be affectionate. Gets along well with other little girls & little boys but does not like to share her toys and therefore would do best in a one child household. She

is a very quick learner and is currently working on her house training - shouldn't take long at all.

We really do LOVE our children so much and want to do what's right for them; that is why we contacted a rescue group. But we simply can no longer keep them. Also, we are afraid that they may hurt our new puppy.

I hope you understand that ours is a UNIQUE situation and we have a real emergency here!!! They MUST be placed in rescue by Sunday night at the latest or we will be forced to drop them off at the orphanage or along some dark, country road. Our priority now has to be our new puppy.

Of course this is a joke but this sounds just as ridiculous when you have to "rehome" your dog!! They love you and are want to stay a part of your family. I do not understand how someone can raise a puppy and then just give it away to a complete stranger. I do understand sometimes things do come up and their is no way possible you are able to care for your pet anymore, but most of the time that is not the case. I for one, could never and would never be without my 2 dogs and cat. There are many places that let you have a pet, you just need to look. So many people want to take the easy way out and in the end it is the dog who suffers.....and for what. All he did was love you. As for having a baby that is no excuse for rehoming your pet. You just need to teach your kids how to treat the dogs. An animal does not attack for no reason. "

^ year old was diagnosed with strep yesterday.  Wife calls and says she is taking the 5 year old to the doctor.  Turns out he has strep and the wife has a sinus infection.  Its going to fun around my house this weekend.