The potential government "shutdown" is a disgrace. It's embarrassing as hell. Each side blames the other for what should never have happened in the first place.
Let us backtrack a bit. When was the budget originally supposed to be finalized? I'll give you a hint: It's due to be implemented before the start of the new fiscal year. Still confused? Try October 1st, 2010. Who was in charge of (had a majority in) both chambers of Congress then? Just thought I'd throw that out there.
Now we find out that our military will stop getting paid. Does anyone else see the absurdity of this? Members of Congress must get paid; it's in the Constitution. Our military does not have that protection, despite the protection that the military provides to those same members of Congress.
Luckily, I have enough savings set aside to get through this mess (for a while anyway), but many young families do not. Many families that signed on for the sacrifices that come with military service are going to be left short. They probably thought that they could rely upon our government to hold up their end of the bargain.
Please write to your representatives, and even your unresponsive Senators, and tell them that they need to get off of their collective asses and do the job that we hired them to do.
It was an excellent time to explain to him something that I occasionally lose sight of: Every human being represents an opportunity to learn a lesson, be it good or bad. Time for me to wax philosophical again...
I've mentioned before that my wife is an amazing woman; I'll go ahead and echo that again here. She's an optimist, and I admire that. I'm woefully short of optimism most of the time, as a result of my more "realist" approach to life (that's the code word for pessimist). She tends to see the good in people at times when I cannot. That leads me into the nucleus of this post, which is that we should value even that which we know is bad; it serves a useful purpose.
We often spend enormous amounts of time griping and whining about those that we disagree with or don't like; that's human nature in its basest form. We don't seem to be very good at stopping and realizing that we should look to the advantage that those people bring us. Instead of saying that you have to work or live with so-and-so, you should be saying that you get to work with them; it's an opportunity to learn.
Some people spend their entire lives as a negative lesson, or an example of what not to do. You've undoubtedly seen the demotivational posters about that, right? Why spend your time complaining about that? Why not spend your time learning from it? So what if you've got a crappy boss; use that as a lesson on how not to lead when you get promoted into his or her position!
If only we could follow that advice, right? That's where my wife comes into play; she's far better than me (and most people I think) at seeing the silver lining in a grey cloud.
I just have to keep reminding myself that every negative person I meet is not a detractor to my life, but a useful addition. Here's to hoping that we can all get a little better at following this simple lesson.
I was browsing through some of the stuff that people post on a particular social networking site, and came across yet another case of terminal stupidity. Dumbassery just doesn't go away these days, since there are endless barriers in place to protect the stupid people from themselves (lawsuits for hot coffee being hot is a prime example).
So a certain person posted something on their site about drivers flicking cigarette butts out of their car windows and how much they are annoyed by that. The original poster's friend then posted a comment stating that we should all call 911 to report these offenders for littering when we see it...Really? 911?
That person votes, breeds, and drives. Comforting, isn't it?
Having written about what I miss in America (and dislike about Okinawa), I suppose it's only fair that I write a bit about what's good about Okinawa. Don't mistake my eagerness to return to the States as disgust toward Okinawa. While there's certainly things that I dislike about this place, there are also many things that I like. Here's the short list:
Low crime rate. There's not much crime here, and the little bit there is can mostly be classified as petty. Okinawans have no worries about letting their small children walk the streets, day or night. Criminal behavior brings dishonor to a person's family, so it just simply isn't done (for the most part). The locals are peaceful, by nature, and very polite. It's not uncommon to see cars and homes left unlocked here, with no real worries of theft. I would worry more about theft on base than out in town. There is a nice display of ancient urns (the type that hold a decedent's ashes) outside of a nearby museum, and they're simply left sitting there unguarded. I remarked to my wife that if they were left out like that in America, they would be stolen or vandalized.
Polite people. The people here are very polite, and quite helpful. I'm not saying that there are no polite Americans, but let's be honest; if you go to any city in America, you are bound to encounter rude people. That's not the case here; the only rude people you are likely to encounter here are Americans. It's sort of embarrassing actually; we're perpetuating our own stereotype.
Great local cuisine. There are a couple of restaurants that I'll certainly miss when I leave here. One place is a little izakaya near our house (like a neighborhood bar and grill) that serves a variety of Okinawan and Japanese cuisine. If you want good sushi, there's no substitute for being in Japan! I'll also miss the "sushi-go-round" restaurants when we leave; they have little plates of individual pieces of sushi circulating the entire restaurant on a little conveyor belt. You can just reach out and grab the dishes as they pass by your table. That way, you only have to purchase one piece at a time; if you don't like what you grabbed, you've only spent a couple of bucks on one small dish.
Amazing scenery. I'm living on a tropical island; the scenery here, particularly the beaches, doesn't get much better. The towns and cities are appalling, but the rural areas and beaches are absolutely beautiful. I'm talking postcard perfect tropical views. The buildings here ruin many views, since they're all drab concrete structures (even the smallest houses are concrete), but that's the price you pay when you live in typhoon alley.
Living here has been a positive experience in many ways, and I'm glad that my family and I have had this opportunity. I'm particularly thankful that my kids have had this experience. I am, however, more than ready to head to my homeland.
Having spent the last six years living in Okinawa, Japan, I have been compiling a list of things in America that I miss. The amazing thing about my list is that so many of the items on it are things that I took for granted while living in our great nation. Now that I'm in a place where I cannot have or experience these things, I truly miss them. How many of these things would you miss if you couldn't have them for a while?
One of the most overlooked luxuries in our country is the wide open space that we enjoy. Living on an island teaches you the value of space in a big way (pun intended). Everything here is small: the roads, the cars, the houses, the stores, the people, the towns...The list is endless. Most of the people on this island cannot fathom looking across a never-ending landscape with land from one horizon to another. Don't get me started on the tiny roads and ridiculously low speed limits! I can't wait to hit a truly "open" road again, or see the mountains, deserts, and plains. Here's a few more items from my list:
-Food and restaurants. I never thought I'd say that I miss various fast food joints, but I can't wait to get back and get me some Arby's and Carl's Jr. Good Mexican food? It's non-existent here. Real barbecue? Forget about that in Okinawa. A decent steak? Nope. Fresh ingredients that are actually recognizable? Not here. Well, that's not entirely true, but for the most part, you cannot find fresh produce like you can stateside, and the meat here sucks too. The fresh stuff out in town is ok, but the selection is very limited and quite expensive. I will say, however, that the farmers' markets in town are MUCH cheaper than on base! We just have to go on the internet to try and figure out what some of the produce is.
-Considerate drivers...I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong. Keep in mind that there's a difference between being rude, and being inconsiderate. American drivers might be rude, but they're not nearly as inconsiderate as Okinawans. Okinawan drivers are not only disgustingly unskilled, they are the most inconsiderate drivers I've ever encountered. They are completely oblivious to other vehicles. It's routine to see a little bongo truck puttering along the highway at 30kph (about 20 mph) with 20 or 30 vehicles lined up behind it, unable to pass. Pull over? Nope, not here. Okinawans are very polite, but they are not considerate of others. They might smile and wave, but they'll do it right before they pull out in front of you, stop in the middle of the road, or take half a day to turn through an intersection. I'll take rude American drivers over this in a heartbeat. That punk American kid might flip you the bird, but he'll at least get down the road at a reasonable speed.
-Reliable and speedy mail or shipping. In America, we gripe if we order something online and it takes longer than two days to get to us. Over here, it's not a matter of days, but more like weeks (or even months) before that small package from Old Navy gets here. If a company ships via UPS, forget about it. Letters and packages to and from family are a crap shoot.
-Digital cable, and high definition broadcasting. I was blown away when I visited my parents and saw HD programming on their television. The crappy, snowy picture on our TV here is downright annoying. Old VHS tapes play a better picture than our cable company does. I don't watch much television, but it sure would be nice to count on a real schedule, and be able to make out all of the details of a sporting event. I'm also looking forward to enjoying the football season again; I just can't bring myself to get up at 2 AM on Monday morning to watch the games on my crappy cable here.
-Shopping choices. My wife and I have become real pros at shopping online; this has grown out of necessity, not choice. We pretty much have one place we can shop, and that's the base exchange. Shops out in town are interesting, but not of much use. Neither my wife nor I can fit into the clothing that is sold out in town, and we wouldn't really want to anyway (they'll slap Hello Kitty on anything over here).
-Vehicles that don't feel like they'll crumple in a strong breeze. Vehicles that meet American safety standards will be nice to experience again. Our tiny little cars here were a novelty when we first arrived, but now they're just crap. You can't even find a pickup truck here. What kind of country doesn't have pickup trucks? I know what you're thinking, but Toyota seems to only market their pickups to other nations. The 4Runner is what's popular here (called a Hilux Surf here).
-More than one radio station. We have exactly one radio station that broadcasts in English, and that is AFN, or Armed Forces Network. Depending on the day of the week, or time of day, they might be playing rock, country, or R&B. There are no other choices for radio programming that can be understood. There aren't even any decent Okinawan stations. There's a couple of Okinawan AM stations that seem to be talk radio, but that's about it.
There are certainly more things that I miss about America, but this is the short list. If you think your neighborhood sucks, or that you don't have much to choose from where you're at, try doing without all of it for a couple of years!
I hope that everyone I know is enjoying a long weekend. This weekend is very special, and I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to those that have served our nation in one of the most demanding ways possible. If you get the chance this weekend, thank a veteran for their service.
I have read and received a few messages of thanks for my own service, and they are warmly appreciated. I cannot, however, neglect to say thank you to those that have supported me in my own endeavors over the years.
I have to give a warm thanks to my wife and kids. They have put up with so much over the years that there is no quantity or value that can really be placed on that. Their sacrifice has been real, and I want them to know that I appreciate it. The love and support that they have given me is immeasurably important. I don't know how I could have made it as far as I have without them. My wife has been a rock of support over the years, and her patience, love, understanding, and sacrifices have been truly noteworthy.
To my parents, I say thank you for everything. I don't have enough room to write a complete list of the things they have done for me, but they certainly did a great job of raising me. Despite my faults and stupidity over the years, I think I turned out pretty good. Thanks Mom and Dad; you've always been there for me in many ways. I also must say thank you to my dad for his service during the Korean War. Yep; he's a vet too.
To my sister, I say thanks and remind you that you are an amazing woman. I've not stayed in touch with all of my fellow Marines that I fought alongside during the war, but I have vivid memories of many of them saying things like, "Hey guys, staff sergeant's sister sent another box!" She even put special things in there that she knew my driver liked; he didn't smile much, but she brought a smile to his face during some particularly dark times. She's a good friend, and I'm lucky to have her as family.
To the rest of my family and friends, I say thank you for being there. There is no good way to quantify the love and support that I've been blessed to receive over the years. Just getting a nice email, a letter, or even a phone call can often make a bad day forgettable, or help the push toward getting the job done. You never know how much somebody might appreciate your efforts. Thank you all.
One of my favorite cousins is a teacher. I think being a teacher is one of the most thankless jobs that you could possibly have. To make matters worse, she actually cares about the kids that she's teaching. Can you place a dollar amount on that?
She expressed some distress about the fact that a couple of her kids wouldn't stand up during the Pledge of Allegiance. She then went on to express her distress over the school's focus on nothing but test scores. Don't get me started! I admire her patience for not smacking those kids or, more appropriately, their parents.
I don't have ANY sympathy for a school district that focuses more on test scores than it does on the kids and teachers in their charge. My cousin sarcastically asked something along the lines of, "You don't do your homework or study for anything but I'm held accountable for your test scores?" I shout a hearty WTF on that one!
I shake my head in disgust at the piss-poor excuses for parents that keep sending their offspring into our government de-tuned schools. I feel bad for the teachers that care; they get shat upon on a daily basis. To my cousin: Hang in there and keep making a difference!
Since I've been spending a lot more time running lately, I've made a couple of purchases from some specialized stores. One of them is Road Runner Sports, out of California. They specialize in gear and clothing for runners. I was initially disappointed to discover that they didn't offer shipping via Priority Mail (USPS), since that's about the only method that works worth a damn for overseas military. I decided that the wait couldn't possibly be too terribly long with UPS, only to find out that it really can be.
I made a purchase from Road Runner in August, and it still isn't here. I contacted the folks at Road Runner Sports and let them know that I haven't received my order. I also suggested that they offer Priority Mail as an option in the future, since they undoubtedly have more than a few overseas military customers. I received an immediate response to my email informing me that they were sending me a free replacement order via Priority Mail, and apologizing for the slow shipping. Wow! Finally, a company that stands behind their products and provides top-shelf customer service! That seems to be a rarity these days.
I think that in the future, I'll simply phone in my order and ask for Priority Mail shipping (if they don't begin offering it on their website). Either way, it's a pleasant surprise to come across a company that truly values their customers, and goes out of their way to show it. I believe that they've just earned a repeat customer.
This past week was pretty routine, but I need to remind myself that what I find routine, others may (for some strange reason) find interesting. I think it's, perhaps, because I'm a little strange that others may find my goings on interesting. In the past, people would politely refer to that sort of strangeness as being "eccentric." Oh well, such is life.
I'm currently training for a half marathon that I will run later this month. I know I could go out and run the 13.1 miles, but I also know that if I train for it, I'll do much better and not find it unpleasant. I'm enjoying spending more hours on the road, since I find running to be one of the most peaceful things that I can possibly do. When I'm running, my phone will not ring, nobody will walk into my office to ask a stupid question, no idiot driver will pull out in front of my vehicle, etc. With Fridays being my "long run day," I put another 12 miles on my running shoes to start the last workday of the week.
I finished reading a book titled Tai-Pan, by James Clavell. I highly recommend it. Clavell is the author of Shogun, which was wildly popular in the past, and is still a great read. Tai-Pan is based on the history of Hong Kong, and the settlement there of English traders and colonists. I read Shogun some while back, and wanted to read Clavell's other works. The amount of research that he did for his novels is impressive.
My son went to his school's homecoming game last night, and he's heading to the dance tonight. I know that at least one of my occasional readers also lists Kubasaki High School as their alma mater. I wonder how much it has changed since then.
After dropping our son off at the dance, my wife, daughter and I are going to dinner at a place called Sauce Live. We've sampled the food there before and find it quite tasty. Good barbecue with some Southern sides makes for a pleasant meal.
The above picture is unrelated, but I thought it was amusing, albeit a little sad. How was your week?
I'm at a loss as to what I could possibly say on this anniversary of one of our nation's dark moments. I'm sure there will be plenty of "remember when" moments over this.
I have a few more questions to add to the many: Where is the outrage when December 7th rolls around? Is there less outrage because the sneak attack was directed, mostly, toward military targets? Is there less outrage because a lack of current memory has dimmed the vile spirit of the attack? Do our citizens not care because most media outlets don't tell them to?
On this anniversary of the largest attack on our nation's homeland since 1941, I haven't lost my anger over the one that happened before my birth. I doubt that I'll lose my anger over the newer attack, despite what hollyweird and news outlets tell me to do.
This is not an occasion for celebration, but it is an important day. Where are those flags that were flying on almost every house nine years ago? Put 'em back up!
