Things I didn't know about my dad...

Today I got to hang out with my dad. We were taking some trash to the dump since the trash men skipped our neighborhood. Apparently, many other people had the same idea, so we had about 45 min to wait in the truck. It was cool though because we got to talk about stuff. I was asking him about his navy days and i discovered that my dad is about 10x sweeter than i thought (if that's even possible). He was telling about how when he was in the subs there were a few nuclear subs and many diesel subs in use at the time. The nuclear sub guys were called nukes (much like I am by my colleagues) and the diesel sub guys were called "sewer pipe sailors". My dad was the later at first although eventually every sub and sailor went nuke (including my dad). He said that the nukes would see them and start sniffing or say "smells like a sewer pipe sailor" and a fight would usually ensue. Im gonna get dinner I'll tell you more later.
Happy Boxing Day.
[update]
He also just told me about some of the guys he ran with in the navy. It was kinda like reading Catch 22. Nearly everyone had a nickname and the nicknames were almost always something meant to pick on the person to the nth degree. My dad supposes his nickname was "war baby" because of when he was born, and that he was younger than most sailors. He told me about a guy named "duck". Duck was fat and waddle-y and spoke with a lisp, and had a propensity for getting drunk and throwing up. Once while on a train, Duck was sitting next to a woman on the inside of the aisle and had to puke, so instead of getting up and finding a bathroom he pulled the neck of his shirt over his mouth and threw up in his shirt. Also he once tapped on the glass of a resteraunt window until he got everyones attention and then proceded to puke.
Some other fellow who's name I can't remember once rented two lockers from a YMCA. One for his clothes, and one to sleep in. The reason he slept in a locker was that when the sub was in dock in the winter and they were charging the batteries, something about the process of charging the batteries would make the sub temperature below freezing. My dad would get in his car and start it up until it got warm and then turn it off and try to sleep. He'd sleep until the cold woke him up and he'd start the process over again. Of, course, this was only so bad durring a battery charge.
He told me about a training simulation where you are placed in a scale model of some part of the sub that has all the same stuff in it. They called it Buttercup. Then they would spring a huge leak on you and you would have to do your best to fix it (all while the water level is rising). Some guys would freeze up and never get on a sub again. Aparently the leak was gushing like a fountain too, not some tiny drip.
He said he got to see Mt. Fuji through a periscope.
I can't even remember everything he told me. Anyway, I just thought i'd tell you about my dad, since he can and will beat up your dad.

still sick.

this feels awful... especially in the mornings. bleh.

Jimmy and Carbomb are the best for realz.

TO: Charlie
FROM: Jimmy and Carbomb
Go Here

Jimmy and Carbomb... I love you so much. Lets hang out soon.

Family

Merry Christmas!

Well, the drugs seem to work. Im feeling better. I saw the movie "the good shepherd" today. I did not care for it. My mom liked it, but she grew up durring the era in which it took place. I felt like it jumped around a lot for no particular reason. Today has been a very chill day of family time. It feels good. I only wish i had my own bed. im kinda a baby about this. Merry Chirstmas Everyone! Watch for photos!

Darth Mall.

Today, or rather, yesterday, didn't start off so bad. I had breakfast with the family, and then I decided I would check out the mall... malls... 4 malls. what a great idea. Except that I have insisted on wearing these new shoes I bought even though they are too small for my feet. Its been a while now and they aren't stretching like i'd hoped. Shoes aside I trecked thorough Chesapeake Square Mall, then The MacArthur Center in Norfolk, then Greenbriar Mall , then Lynhaven Mall. I went to BJ's Wholesale first and some other shops in an outlet mall, but that doesn't really count as a mall. In any case, I was fairly tired when I finished up, and I didn't have much to show for it either. Mostly cramped feet. However, ever since yesterday morning, I have been developing a deep chest cough. I couldn't say where it came from, but as soon as my parents showed up, I was coughing like i wanted my lungs on the outside. It has persisted and now I have the dry soar throat and a frownie face. :( It is now about 6am, and I decided at about 5am to go to walmart and get me some day-quil and ny-quil. Say what you will, call me a wus, but dry heaving at 5am is not my thing. I have often found these fine products to quell my symptoms at least. Plus i like the taste of day-quil. The way it make your throat momentarily feel cool. Mmm. I suppose, I should take this moment to wish everyone a Merry Christmas since it is Christmas Eve. In the near future I plan to post some excerpts from a booklet i just read that was published by a Duke Physics professor on the mixture of Science and Religion. It was a short booklet, and I hope to get most of her ideas on the board here. She and I used to go to the same church before I left to go with a daughter (now, sister) church. She has some interesting things to say. Pray for me, wish me well, whatever it is you might do. I do not like being sick.
Luke 2:14
"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."
NASB

Home

To be honest, i think home is where my bed is. I love to sleep in my own bed. However, I am currently at my parents house, and I am sure that I will be referring to this as "home" in my daily speech. With all the physics done for the rest of the year, I will be reporting from here for the next week or so. It will be a welcomed vacation. for now, that is all.

deal of the century!

Today was a good day. Not only were there no repercussions for sleeping in and not going to work, but I happened to find a great deal. I need somewhere to store my motorcycle while I am gone home so that it is safe from being stolen or damaged by cold weather. I had found a storage locker which was large enough and would have cost $85 a month which i though to be resonable. However, my roomie told me there was another place that is closer to our house which i had overlooked. As it turned out the other place was having a special where your first month of renting the locker is only $10 !! Can you believe it? It actually cost me more money to buy a lock for the locker than the locker itself! The contracts are month to month so if i am out of there by Jan 20, I am all set. Even if I wanted to keep it in there for another month (which would cost $95) it would average out to ~$50 a month for the two months. I can't imagine i'd need it more than 3 months and with all this global warming on, im sure i'll be riding again soon. Anyway, on the heels of this is the news that I don't need to go into work again until the new year. Tomorrow is payday! Now if only i can get my car working enough to get home i'd be totally set. Turns out my alternator is messed up. I went ahead and replaced the battery since the one in there was old pretty dead, but the battery light still comes on so it must be the alternator... no wait... to really be all set, i'd have to set my car on fire and push it off a cliff onto a bunch of terrorists. that'd be sweet. then will all the reward money from killing known terrorists, i'd buy a new car. That would be a christmas story worth starting my own holiday for. Also trying, but failing, to wreck my day (besides my car that is) is my computer. Trying, becuase the mouse button is not popping back up like its supposed to... thats how it starts. First it won't pop up- then next thing you know there's money missing from your dresser and your daughter's knocked up. I've seen it a hundred times. Failing because I have the super dell warrenty that lasts for another month where they will fix my computer even if i tried to flush it down the toilet after having tried to eat it and pass if though my digestive system. I think i might just see about extending that warrenty. So lets see the score: sleeping in; +1, No work; +1, No working car; -1, Having johnny drive me around all day; +1, having to buy a battery for my car; -1, still needing an alternator; -1, Finding the deal of the century; +2, computer problems; -1, having it covered; +2. That makes today at least a +3 day.

ouch.

For Auld Lang Syne