Keep the Change

I'm glad that 9/11 really didn't affect the country as a whole. I think back to history class when the Japanese cut themselves off from the rest of the world. That could have been us. We could have went to a complete lock down situation and our lives might have never been the same. Fortunately our resolve is strong and we did not let terrorists dictate our lives and have us living in fear. The lives of many were definitely changed to some degree but they were strong and kept fighting forward and everyone that lost a loved one that day are the strongest because they fought back the hardest, they were unwilling to change their everyday life in the wake of 9/11. The U.S. will never given into the demands of cowards and extremists.

http://www.theblackday.org/ - this site is dedicated to all those who lost their life in the tragedy

Myrtle Beach

I'll be leaving for Myrtle Beach on Thursday morning for vacation. I can't wait to get away for the five days. I haven't had a vacation since last summer. If I'm not in school, I'm in work and if I'm not in work... no I'm probably in work. Going down for five days of golfing, beach activities and night clubs. I can't wait to just be able to sit back, relax and watch someone else squirm for about five minutes because they aren't doing what I'm doing... That's terrible but I really do need the break. The only bad part is I've ever been on a plane before, plus side is its only a forty minute flight.

www.MyrtleBeachGolfCourses.com - this website has all your Myrtle Beach golf courses and packages for all of them. If you like to golf... This is the way to go.

Jarhead Part 2

This book deals with a lot of trust issues and it is mentioned and shown through various happenings in the book. I personally like this aspect of the book because if I was away from as long as some of these guys had been and didn't know what was going on back home with my family and girlfriend I would start to lose my mind. The fascinating part is that different platoons within the USMC don't trust each other or would not do anything for another group. They are all fighting the same war against the same enemy and yet they all still can't trust each other. I don't know how could be angry at my girlfriend back home if I found out she was cheating with all the shit that they obviously do with the local women wherever they're stationed. It seems a bit hypocritical. If your girl can go without cheating for that long why can't you keep it in your pants.

Jarhead

Coming from a little military background in my family, and actually having two marines in the family I can someone relate them to this book thus far. The two family members that served were not involved in the Gulf War but were both Marines. They both served in World War 2 and were Marines. Most of everything that they went through in this book so far I heard as bed time stories from my grandfathers. They were both very much not for war so much but they both loved the idea of doing what they did best and that was kill. These men are trained to kill you with a popsicle stick and that's not an exaggeration, a marine could kill you with a popsicle stick. Swofford had many similar experiences in the marines from the drill seargents to the working out almost every second of the day. The only change that I would see is when Swofford spoke of the fear that ran through these men that are expecting to die. My grandfathers said that they were not allowed to show any type of doubt or fear while serving, even though they may have been. One thing that even Swofford talks about that my grandfathers would agree on is that it would be something to die a marine. "You die, I'm going to die a marine." is the slogan I believe and they held very true to that. Even though they went through all the misery and pain and torture and they haven't even fought the enemy yet, they were still proud as hell to fight and kill for this country. As my late grandfather put it best, "I'm just doing my job, accept my pen is a rifle."

Where I Was

When the planes struck the buildings in September, I remember at first thinking that our high school was on fire because the smoke was billowing in through the Chemistry Lab windows. When I found out that the towers were struck by two planes, I was a little shocked because we were in Briarwood a very safe distance from the towers and the smoke was still coming into the building as if it were happening right across the street. When the announcement came over the P.A. system that the twin towers had been struck by planes, I have never seen so many joyful faces turn to sorrow and anger. Some of the guys of Arab background had it very hard over the next year or so. I just remember thinking about my dad who works just across the harbor. I didn't know the full story and i didn't know what the extent of the damage was if any debris may have flown across the harbor. I was expecting the worse, but received good news as soon as I got home from school which was immediately dismissed after the announcement. I also remember everyone crying as I left school and I was the only one with no emotions on my face. I felt bad, sure, but I did nothing and did not know how to show how I felt in this situation. I remember an overwhelming confusion over the situation, not being able to fathom what some of my friends and classmates had lost on that day. And I truly to this day will never know how that feels. I just felt empty for a long time after that day.

www.tdi-dog.org/disaster.html This is a link to a group of people dedicated to helping those affected by 9/11

Snowboarding Approaching

With the snowboarding season approaching very rapidly, I am getting very hyped. I can't wait to take to the slopes for another season of snowboarding. For anyone who has not tried to snowboard before I suggest investing in this sport. Everyone can do it, even if it does hurt the first few runs. I have been boarding for about two years now and it gets better and better every time i go out there. You learn something or try something stupid with each new run. At the end of last season I started to go into the freestyle park at Mountain Creek and got a little to brave for my own good. I took a jump that I was not ready for and partially tore my MCL after my board got stuck in the snow and I kept on rolling. Even though it could have been a lot worse I can't wait to try my luck on the same jump this season. I'm healthy and ready for anything. I suggest that everyone go out and try this at least once, because I know you will be hooked. There is just an adrenaline rush that cannot be matched by any other sport. I would equate to the rush you get from riding a motorcycle but a lot safer... Just give it a try and you might surprise yourself and find a new hobby.

Season passes are on sale right now at Mountain Creek -
http://www.mountaincreek.com/ticketsandpasses/seasonpass/index.htm

Another Angle

The story behind 9/11 has changed many times and there are so called conspiracies involved with what really happened on 9/11. i think to fully understand any situation you should have a grasp on every angle of an incident so you can make your argument that much stronger. This video http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6529813972926262623, The Great Conspiracy will show you another angle on the 9/11 stories. I am not saying I believe this or not but it is worth taking a look at because there are some valid points that are made but there many points that fall short of real evidence or just hear say. It's just something interesting to look into.

The Lives of 9/11

This class being focused around how this single incident, and how it changed the way people write forever is very interesting. This almost seems very close to the point that was being made in "The Mercy Seat". Now, I believe there is a larger observation that must be made in this situation or a question of sorts. Why has writing changed? Is it because someone saw an opportunity in this incident and it will help book sales down the road because someone is wrting on a very controversial issue, or do these authors actually have some place for the victims in their heart and they want people to be very aware of how this happened and came about in the first place. they also have to ask themseleves what will this do to minority communities in the U.S.? Will it cause racially motivated attacks or discrimination? I truly believe that this subject needs to be discussed and written about, but as a part of history so the future generations are educated and do not make the same mistakes we have. I know this is a hard subject because even if you did not know someone who died that day, you knew someone who lost a friend, a realative, a brother/sister, or a parent. It just does not got any easier and it shouldn't be.

The Mercy Seat

This was an interesting play written by Neil LaBute. I did enjoy the story somewhat but in the wake of what was going on in the world , the setting of 9/11, I was very surprised about the egos of the main characters especially Ben's. It just seemed that the arguments were petty and there was no true love between either of them. Their relationship was an even bigger lie than Ben's marriage. I did not like the fact that these two people seemed like they were somehow bigger than the tragedy. That their lives were somehow bigger than this tragedy and it just seemed ridicculous. And to end my dissatisfaction, the fact that someone could see any potential at all in the situation and to lead his own family to believe that he was dead is a complete crock of shit because no real man, no matter how bad their life is would ever dream of doing that to their family, especially having two children.