An Infintesimal Insight into.... stuff.

2003-09-11T13:14:00.000+09:00

#25 - well hello, its me again. i'll bet you thought i'd forgotten about you, but fear not.... ive just had better things to do. but as my leave winds down and i find myself with more time on my hands, i figured i would take some time and reflect on these glorious last 30 days.

i returned home on a humid friday afternoon, where i promptly was met by my parents and a few close friends. the next day my father had a party for me at his house, and even though it seemed like no one was going to show (i believe it was just darren and i at 6pm) we rounded up about 30 people, and ended up having a pretty good time. sunday i moved my brother into his new apartment in san antonio, where he is begining his freshman year of college. darren assisted me with the move, which made the trip a bit more fun. the next week was spent relaxing and seeing old friends.... i even tried buying a car, but that didnt turn out as i expected. i decided to put it off for a bit while i enjoyed myself. that weekend i headed up to austin and stayed with darren and john, and met some new friends, including tyler and sky, who play a pretty mean game of poker.... sometimes. not much went on, but all in all it was a great time. the week after that was pretty boring considering everyone had started school, and i was back in katy. i spent a lot of time sleeping and watching tv.... and trying to find a car. my dad promised me he would hook me up, so i played it cool while he worked it out. i didnt have much time to worry about that though, because on friday i flew out to seattle to ::gulp:: meet my girlfriends family. i spent a week in the gorgeous state of washington, and things couldnt have been better. i went to a mariners game, went up the space needle, visited the aqarium and the zoo.... and her mom LOVES me. who could ask for anything more? i stayed with my aunt and uncle who had just moved there from alaska, and it was great seeing them, since it was the first time in about 10 years. unfortunately i had to come back.... i would have stayed longer, but that damn rental car cost an arm and a leg. coming back, i found my father had indeed come through on the car, and monday i purchased a 2001 toyota camry, which is pretty sweet. i know its a moms car and all, but its nicer than your car, so shut the hell up. so that brings me to today, where i sit... very bored. i hung out with davizl yesterday which was tikky tight, and played poker with my stepfather and uncle tonight. im driving up to austin on friday and seeing a show with the d-rizl at emos.... and finally on saturday i will rejoin the army at fort hood. gasp... has it already come to this? anyway, i know thats a pretty vague run down, but thats all youre getting. typing all the crap thats gone on would take forever, and the only person i know who types that much is jared. BAAH!

2003-08-13T11:38:00.000+09:00

well this will probably be my last post from the exotic land of korea. yes folks it is finally happening, my flight leaves on friday. i have only one thing left to do, and thats to pick up my personnel records. that means, along with my medical and dental records i have already picked up, i will be traveling with my entire military life in my bag. hope i dont lose it. anyway, a neat thing happend yesterday, which just happened to be my birthday (a shout out must go out to my brizl d-man for puting that nice note in his blog). i woke up and got going yesterday, still a little PFC (private first class).... and keep in mind, they have been telling me for months that i was going to be promoted. anyway, i walked into the orderly room to see if i need to do anything proactive, and my platoon sergeant handed me this paper. on it was my personnel action for promotion, effective august 1st. isnt that funny. and even better, it was signed a month ago. thanks for telling me. assholes. see, korea wouldnt have been NEAR as bad if the company i was in didnt constantly have their thumbs up their asses. not only did my promotion take FOREVER to process, i wont get my award (which i worked my ass off for) for at least 2 months.... they promise to send it to me when its done. anyway, that really bothers me, but what can you do? i come home in 2 days, and i cant wait. i hope some people will make it out on saturday; it will be great to see everyone. anyway, im going to go finish things up now, and look to be hearing from me in person soon. HIZZY

2003-08-11T20:16:00.000+09:00

#23 - hello again to my friends and followers... i apologize for the lapse, but things are rapidly heading towards my departure friday, and i'm just trying to keep up. i finished clearing post today, which was no small task. one of the hardest things to do is clear CIF (central issue facility), the place that issues your rucksack, kevlar (or helmet for you civilians) sleeping bag (comes in 3 parts, each costing around 200 bucks... dont lose a piece as i found out the hard way) and various other army crap. the problem is, they issue this crap to you, then you use it for a year. we go to the field (like camping on steriods) and play in the mud... its not pretty. well then these idiots expect everything back, but cleaner! they sent me back 2 times today because my poncho "smelled bad"... i was like, "its a fucking poncho, it ALWAYS smelled bad". anyway, i got that headache over with before lunch, but still had a bunch left to do. i went to the arms room, where they keep our weapons (the always trusty m-16 a2 rifle)... and it turns out some shmuck was issued my weapon for the range last week, and DIDNT CLEAN IT. so who had to waste an hour of his day? no no... i didnt kill the poor kid, but i sure wanted to. well anyway, the day is over and i am finally done with EVERYTHING. all i have to do now is pick up my personnel records on wednesday, and catch the bus to the airport on friday. i cant believe how close it is... finally. many thanks to the d-man for shouting out about the partay on saturday. he'll be the point of contact on that, so feel free to get in touch with him. its not like he has much else to do... what with no friends and all. anyway, thats about all from here... its my birthday tomorrow, but im not going to be able to celebrate untill this weekend. bummer eh? HIZZY

2003-08-06T16:41:00.000+09:00

anyway, its another day another dollar here in the land of not quite right. ive spent the last coupla days clearing this post.... and i have to say it feels good. i'll be done with it by friday, and then i can just sit back and relax untill i leave. i get back just in time to help my brother move up to san antonio, where he'll be attending UTSA for a year or two... and then on to UT or something. that should be fun. then the next week i plan on jetting up to austin for at least 3 days, where i will do whatever i damn well please. i cant wait. by the way, my dad offered his house for a party on saturday the 16th, for anyone who will be in the houston area. im sure darren and dave will be around, but anyone else who can make it out, would be cool. and one of these days darren will answer his cell phone so i can solidify some plans, and then we'll know more. untill then i must bid you all a fond adeiu. HIZZY.

2003-08-04T18:08:00.000+09:00

#22 - hmm, thats funny. i turn 22 next week. strange to think that i joined the army almost 2 years ago. where did the time go? i can distinctly remember going to UH games with cougar brass crew (much shout outs to the coogs) and chillin with dave. summers hangin with the old crew, playing bball or just chillin. then somehow everything changed.... really fast. i finally had to become an adult... and trust me you guys, its overratted. somehow i lucked out though... i have a great job (albeit a tough one) a steady girlfriend and a pretty bright future (current pay for an imagery analyst in the civilian world = 70+grand a year, without a degree.... THEY send you to college) so i guess my nine lives are still working for me. my mom always said i had someone watching over me, since i always seem to come out of the worst situations with out a scratch.... usually i end up benifiting. but i would just like to take this time to thank all my friends and family, from katy to austin, to good old pasadena... i couldnt have made it without your support. i know i sound kinda corny, but its the truth. i cant wait to see all of you... hopefully now i'll have the time to make up for what ive missed.

and ps.... when you all meet my girlfriend (for those of you who dont know, we're getting stationed together) remember, i was ALWAYS this cool. HIZZY

2003-08-01T09:18:00.000+09:00

hey everyone... i really must apologize, its been a long few days, but thats no excuse to ignore my adoring public. anyway, i moved back to camp humphreys on tuesday which went pretty smoothly except for one point. i came back expecting to downgrade, but the room they put me in was beyond that. its a 10ft by 10ft box, with a damn mattress. no bed no wall locker no nothing. what the hell is that all about? well i got over that, and am adjusting to being back in the real army. i start outprocessing on tuesday, which is a great thing. also, i picked up my tickets yesterday and am flying on a commercial carrier, which is much better than the military airlift. ive been able to see much more of my girlfriend, so thats real nice... we also have reservations in seoul for next weekend (before i leave) which is outstanding. anyway, i am getting more and more excited by the day... i cant wait to get home. i hope all is going well back in the stizates, and i'll be home before you know it. well now ive got to run... a full day in the motorpool awaits me. yeyah.... or something. (what in the fuck is yeyah?)

hizzy

2003-07-27T13:27:00.000+09:00

#20 - well hello there pilgrims... welcome to another addition of usless ramblings. im your host cody aka the rizl dizl powell, and i'll be your captian for this sojourn into obscurity. im sorry folks, i dont know what came over me. anyway, yesterday was my farewell, which involved a big barbeque, lots of friends, and a keg of course. now dont get me wrong, i cant wait to get out of this country, but i will truly miss the friends ive made here. when they gave me my plaque (its a going away thing... a picture of us with the U-2, and everyone signed the border) some of the team leaders i have worked with got up to say some nice things, and sgt benson recalled the very first thing i had ever said to him... a year and 2 months ago. it was great. anyway, after that there was good food, and good times. then we all went out on the town.... which was madness, pure madness. all in all it was a great sendoff for me and i will never forget this place. i'll write more later, if your lucky.

2003-07-24T23:13:00.000+09:00

the 19th hole

well its closing time. i was just hanging out in my room tonight when i got a call from some friends that live across base. evidently there was some drinking to be done and some halo to be played. needless to say i made haste getting over there lest i miss out on the taco dinner. well i must say i had a great time, although mike (at work he is SGT benson, my supervisor) was pretty drunk by the time i got there... it not a side he usually lets me see. anyway, we proceeded to lay waste to our fellow haloers (as well as more margarittas than i can remember) and almost started a fight. it was awesome. anyway, i had to head home a bit early, since its only thurday and the cabs dont run after 11pm. it was raining and i realllly didnt want to have to walk home. so i was just surfing the ol web when i ran across john's website, and i must say... i am so envious of those guys up at UT. i cant wait to get home. the pictures from the birthday night were great... i want to go out like that when i come to austin... my 22nd is on the 12th, right before i get home. anyway, im tired now.... and should probably head off. i'll be around yall. HIZZY.

2003-07-23T21:45:00.000+09:00

"You've got this silly way of keeping me on the edge of my seat..."

yes, i know im not original, but who is? i finally got a chance to sit down and check my email for the first time in a week today. suprise suprise i had 2 emails, both spam. arent i popular. anyway, ive been busy this week, running around trying to get my shit together for the upcoming month.... just for your information in the next 30 days i will have to move back to humphreys, outprocess (for those of you NOT in the military it is a panfully long and arduous process), fly back to the states (a 20 hr trip) see as much of my friends as i can before i fly to seattle to meet my girlfriends family (God help me), fly back, and report to my next duty station, where they'll probably send me to iraq or something. talk about a run on sentance.... but nevermind that. the point is everything has to go just right, or my perfect plans could be dashed on the rocks. anyway, so here i am finally getting a moments rest. lemme tell you whats been bothering me lately.

so im watching the news this week, and i keep seeing reports from democrats whining about how Bush "lied to America", and how we were duped into going to war... yakkidy smackidy. they are sooo pissed off about this war, they hate bush SOOOO much, that the fact that he did the right thing is beyond them. it doesnt matter that countless lives have been saved, or that countless atrocities have been prevented... it only matters that Bush is "evil" and they would rather eat their own intestines before they would admit that he was right. for those of you who might agree with this i have only this to say... imagine you look out your window one day, to see your neighbor beating his wife, right in the front lawn while his children watched. what would you do? most would say "call the police", and i would agree. but what if the police said it was none of their buisness, its a family affair? what then? go to the other neighbors for help... right? but they look out there windows at you, and close the blinds. and now the wife isnt moving anymore, and the man moves toward the children. HOW MUCH do you have to see before you stop him yourself, by whatever means necessary? there is a country now free of that terror BECAUSE of men like President Bush, but all the critics can do is bash he meathods. too many soldiers have died.... its not safe... where are the WMD? well you know what? as a member of this country's armed forces, i can personally attest to the willingness of EVERY man and woman serving their country to die protecting it. we all signed on the dotted line, willingly. those soliders over there never questioned their orders, and every day they risk it all to complete them. it is so easy to criticize sitting in your comfortable, plush houses, but why dont you save it for someone who gives a damn?

so... now that ive got that out of my system. i am really looking forward to being home.... darren has mentioned some killer bands i cant wait to see live. ahh to finally be able to see a band LIVE. one of the many things i have truly missed. although today i heard the most catchy korean techno song ever... i just wish i knew who made it. alas i will never know. and my thoughts and prayers have been with Mrs Hipp all week, i hope she came through ok.... anyway, thats about all fro now. i'm hizzy hizzy out yall.

2003-07-21T18:20:00.000+09:00

hello once again... i write to you now in that little known place called limbo. not really belonging anywhere, i drift from osan to humphreys as i please. its kinda nice, but im getting sick of all this nothing ive been doing. anyway, im at humphreys at the moment, but am returning to osan to take care of the last few things on my list. i promise to post something of value at that time. anyway i must be going, time waits for no man, and evidently my girlfriend doesnt either!

ps- i called darren, and yes i forgot his birthday... but did he mention the fact that he doesnt remember mine either? "isnt it, um, like august 16th?". close but no cigar, ya tool.

2003-07-17T14:05:00.000+09:00

16 to the izzo....

anyway, its been a while i know, but ive been busy so deal with it. i worked my last day on tuesday which was GREAT, since they (the powers that be) have now decided that we dont work enough. now granted we only work 4 days a week, work consists of 9-10 very busy (and stressful) hours and then we go home. job well done. now they say thats not enough, since the rest of the military works a 48 hour workweek. we must now work 12 hour days, which means staying 2-3 hours after we're finished, just sitting there... or cleaning. how gay is that? pretty gay if you ask me. anyway, im done thank God. the movers came yesterday, and i must say they were awesome. i had a considerable pile of stuff, and they were in and out in 15 minutes. my girlfriend is pissed at me because i didnt ship my golf clubs, but im playing tomorrow so i kinda needed them. oh well. because of all this moving and stuff, you all probably wont hear much from me untill i get home. next week i'll be making the move back to humphreys, and from there i'll finish clearing. i fly on the 15th, upon which i will have everyone who can make it over at my parents house for a small get together. only four weeks to go.

anyway, enough about my assinine day to day blather, on to other things. i too have finished the new harry potter book, and i for one have to agree with jared. why in the world they decided to make harry a whiny spaz artist is beyond me. other than that though, it was a great book. certainly not for children anymore. which brings me to my question for today... why did she (j.k. rowling, the author... ess?) change format after 3 books? if you havent read the series yet (and i certainly recommend it) the first 3 books are pretty light.... definately kid-friendly. then comes the fourth book, an astouding 700+ pages with bad words, adult situations and death. not exactly something a fifth grader will find easy to get through. and as ive just finished the fifth book, which is longer, darker and much more adult friendly, i wonder what those poor kids are thinking. that chick uses words I (underline the "i") dont understand. dont get me wrong, they are great books, but i though she was writing them for kids, and now im not so sure.

well im still finishing up things here but am looking forward to getting back... i'll try to stay current on this thing, but make no promises. feel free to email me with any questions. peace out.

2003-07-13T20:04:00.000+09:00

geez, what a crappy day. it rained all morning, NOThing went right at work today, and on top of that, i think im getting sick. wonderful. anyway, i heard a great quote today from a friend of mine.... "the sum of the parts is not greater than the whole when some of those parts are negative". i love it... it describes our team soooo well. most of us are pretty sharp and take care of buisness, but we're constantly picking up the slack for a few people (higher ranking i might add) which just drives me nuts. today i was supposed to train a staff seargent how to R&V (review and validate), which involves reading and correcting 300 reports a day. now this isnt a job for a brain surgeon, but its not easy either. it helps if you f-ing PAY ATTENTION. i wont brag, but im one of the best people in the office when it comes to speed and accuracy, so i know what im talking about... why must people make shit so difficult? plus i finally quit smoking about 3 weeks ago, and for some reason the irritable phase is just now hitting me. oh well, 3 more days of work and im done... thank God.

so i was bored off my ass today and decided to brush the dust off my SNES (yes, and it works too) and play zelda. one of the disadvantages of having an ancient gaming system is the lack of game availibility. anyway, as i was beating zelda for the umteenth time, i decided the game i REALLY wanted to play was "secret of mana", this old rpg my brother allen and i used to play alll the time. so i went on ebay to find it, and low and behold people are sellin. would you believe theyre asking about 40 bucks for it? guess its kinda rare. anyway, maybe one day i'll give in and purchase one of those new-fangled contraptions (ie ps2, xbox) but for now i'll settle for something relatively cheap. i cant wait to get back to the states, where used game stores will have an answer to my gaming woes. well thats about it for this installment of useless rambling, tune in tomorrow for more of the same. PEACE.

2003-07-12T20:49:00.000+09:00

i apologize for not writing these past few days, but ive been enjoying my days off. played in an outstanding golf tournament yesterday, in which my team placed fourth. it was a best ball scramble tourney, with 30 foursomes playing... so at first i had no thoughts about winning. but as the day progressed, and we pulled out birdie after birdie (including a 40ft putt for eagle made by yours truly) i figured we had a chance. we came in at an amazing 11 under par, but some how 3 other teams came in at -12.... each stacked with korean pros. we were pissed, but what could we do? we played our hearts out, everyone contributed, and we had a great time. today i just stayed in and finished the fifth harry potter book, which was outstanding. im sure some of you are thinking how childish that is, but i can assure you that the last two books have NOT been for kids. swear words, adult situations and people dying.... quite entertaining. anyway, its been a lazy few days.... i start my last week of work tomorrow. wednesday the movers come, and the week after that i outprocess osan. we'll jjjuuusssstttt be missing that exercise i mentioned earlier, which doesnt hurt my feelings at all. i cant wait to get out of this place. ive been working on a get together when i get back so i'll need to know if people can make it back to k-town, or if i need to make my way up to austin. i was planning on coming to austin anyway, but who knows exactly how things are going to play out. if you all could, let me know what works for you, and i'll put something together. anyway, thats about all for now, im going to get ready for bed. night all

2003-07-10T20:37:00.000+09:00

lucky #13 - well im back, with yet another week under my belt and a few more "to-do" things checked off my list. i went up to humphreys yesterday with every intention of coming back last night (theres a rule about spending the night in the female barracks) but those of you who know, a girl gives you a certain look, and you'll do just about anything she says. now get your mind out of the gutter, cause nothing like that happened (she does have a roomate) but her bed is more comfortable anyway.

so im back in osan now, reading my new harry potter book, which finally arrived this week. and low and behold there on the box, was the notice, "please deliver on june 21st".... well i guess not, huh? a minor irritation i know, but when i preorder something 3 months in advance, you'd damn well better get it to me as promised, or expect me not to bring my buisness your way again.... so anyway. now i have to start organizing my stuff for the movers (who come next wednesday) so they can easily pack everything. you would think this would be an easy thing. i mean, i showed up in korea with one duffle bag of clothes, a tv, and stereo... and now i have SO MUCH more crap. anyway, i have to send just about everything, because the airlift only allows two bags on the flight home. flight home.... doesnt that sound nice? its been two years since ive been back in texas for longer than 3 weeks, and im really starting to look foreward to it. my friends and family have continued their lives, and ive been forced to watch..... and i just want to get back in the game. my brother has decided to go to UTSA, accepting a deal with UT austin that basically says if he maintains a 3.25 gpa for a year he can go to austin. so with him in san antonio, and just about everyone else in austin, i'll finally be able to hang, chill, and be a part of things once more. tikky tikky tight. ive really enjoyed this blog thang, allowing me to rant about the little things and letting my friends see my day to day shtuff. and whats more, you guys actually read it! astounding. anyway, i know it sounds cheesy, but you are all still a large part of my life, and i cant wait to be a part of yours again. well thats about all from korea, im playing in a golf tourney in the morning so im going to get some rest. HIZZY.

ps- when did darren and jared become english majors? im in the army, youre lucky i can spell at all.

2003-07-08T17:22:00.000+09:00

aloha. im home and still tired, but quite happy... for i only have 3 days of work left and over a month before i leave. i have tomorrow-saturday off, and work sun-tues. then im done. wednesday my household goods are picked up, and on the 26th i go back to humphreys.... which is great. being in osan makes it quite difficult to see my girlfriend on a regular basis. going back there means i'll be able to at least see her every day. i just got off the phone with her, which was great as always... we talk once or twice a day, and see each other every week or so. i cant wait to get to fort hood, and be with her every day.

which brings me to my topic of the day. a friend of mine seems to be in a quandry when it comes to the inner workings of relationships. well i'll be the first to say that i am NOT the authority on this issue, but i do have a few things to say, and a couple tips for the wary traveler in preparation for the intense journey into the female physche. ive heard the words "looking for" and "searching" in regards to a meaningful relationship, and i must say that this would account for 90 percent of the average 20 something male's stress. so much pressure is put of finding the right girl... how pretty how nice how this how that. our own friends lay that pressure on when we meet someone.... "you gonna call her?" "did ya get those digits?" "when you gonna make your move?".... its amost impossible to avoid it. a year ago i was struggling with the same problems. still pineing over two girls who had never wanted me, nursing self esteem that was at an all time low. and a good friend gave me some advice that i will never forget... and that was to STOP looking. when you are actively looking for a girl, no matter how hard you try, you wont be yourself. yourself will never be cool enough, cute enough or funny enough for YOU. and that insecurity can hurt or even destroy chances. so there i was, tired and alone, when i was teamed to work with this girl during an exercise. she was so out of my league that it never even crossed my mind to hit on her. for 3 weeks we worked together for 14 hours a day. after the exercise was over, we kept hanging out.... for some reason we just clicked. and still i didnt even bother looking for the more meaningful relationship. it just didnt seem possible. but as we both got closer, and fought against the urge to have a fling (for anyone who knows me knows im a long term guy) true love bloomed. she was the one who ended up making the decision to get together (i had asked her out a month before, but she said no)... and somehow we made it through. i bought her a promise ring last month, and am going to meet her family in september. i would have never guessed it could happen that way, but i found if you let things happen, they WILL. but you will never be able to force them... no matter how badly you want to. i believe we are all destined for happiness, but some have longer roads to it than others. most of my friends have had poor luck and i know its tough to keep the faith, but as long as we all stay true to ourselves the future is bright.

2003-07-08T06:17:00.000+09:00

hello again... its morning and im up, which is never a good thing. yesterday i had to be up at 0430, go to work, and then i decided to play nine holes of golf. not a great idea.... im sooo tired. anyway, i just wanted to post something to let everyone know im still alive... i'll be away for a few days. tonight im sleeping, and tomorrow i have about one million appointments up at humphreys, and i'll probably stay with my girlfriend that night. she works on thursday though, which sucks cause its my day off, so i'll be pretty bored... expect to hear from me. friday im playing in a golf tournament, which i think my team has a good chance of winning. my friend dean hits in the mid 70s consistantly, and the rest of us play low 90s to high 80s, so by playing best ball, i think we'll put together one heckuva round. anyway, im off to work now....

HIZZY.

2003-07-06T19:05:00.000+09:00

#10 - so im back, and i feel like ranting today. i was watching the news this morning, and they were doing a segement on some of the recent hollywood stars and their sudden love of what they call "free speech". this prompted a discussion at work this morning, and i believe we all came to the same conclusion... that YES, we are all endowed with the right to free speech, but we also have the ability to GIVE UP that right. and i think that being in the public view and having an impact on public opinion means taking that right very seriously. now take any one of us... and say our parents make a tough decision for the family. what if you disagree? do you run over to their best friends house and tell them your embarassed to be related to them? that your are sorry they are your parents? do you automatically forget the protection the provide, the roof over your head, and the food on your table? will you pack up and move to your friends house? what in the FUCK are these people thinking? it must be easy to forget the blood and grit it cost to give them that right if theyre willing to make such a mockery of it. anyway, i suppose im pretty biased, being in the military... but it doesnt matter.

so another day is gone, and its another day closer to my homecoming. i found out today that i will be promoted before i leave, so thats pretty cool... another 150 bucks on my check each month. i only have two weeks left of actual work.... once i leave osan i'll be mainly outprocessing, so i wont be working. thats tizzzy tight. yeah, so i have to be up at 0430 in the morning, so im going to start gettting ready for bed. isnt my life interesting?

2003-07-05T16:12:00.000+09:00

hello again, im in for the night after a great day out in the sun, soaking up the rays and enjoying the home style bbq... a great day indeed. i think the best thing about it was the korean air force folks we work with that showed up. we shared our food and beer, and they brought soju (the korean version of vodka... much smoother though) and we all had a great time. a korean lutenant showed me the korean tradition of drinking with a senior, which was very detailed and interesting... and then i spent about an hour talking to senior master sergeant (very high ranking) yang, who told me about his experiences in ranger school and how he became a SERE (survival and evasion) instructor. very cool guy. sitting with him, struggling to understand him as he was certainly struggling to understand me, i realized how wonderful the korean people are. sure there are the few that want us out of here, but the vast majority truly appriciate and support us. i took a cab to humphreys the other day, and on the way, the cabbie and i had a great conversation about the new korean pitcher for the rangers... chan ho park. i thought it was so cool that he was trying so hard to make conversation, and was enjoying it so much. if theres one thing i will miss about korea, it will be the people, their quirks and all.

anyway, i got my plane tickets the other day, and my household goods are getting picked up next week. looks like im actually going home, and i cant wait. i plan on having a rather large get together when i do return... probably on the 16th of august. what i need are some ideas of what to do, and maybe a place to do it. i know darren will help, but if anyone else can offer assistance, get in touch with me. and spread the work, aight?

2003-07-05T10:47:00.000+09:00

#8 - so its been i couple days, but i want you all to know that i didnt forget about you. its just that i work a 4 on 3 off schedule, and when im off, im off. usually i head to camp humpheys and spend the time with my girlfriend, ambre. however this weekend was the fourth of july, and also our 7 month anaversary, so i planned a little something special. we came out to osan and went to a fabulous dinner at this new restaurant out in songtan (the city outside the air base) called Puffin. its a pacific northwest style place, and the food is outstanding. after a wonderful meal we went bar hopping, just her and i for a bit, after which catching a heathly buzz, ran into a crew of my friends i work with, and proceeded to get blixxed. we had a great time. speaking of blixxed, for those of you who dont understand.... i had a friend (he just left) who would always yell "im gettin HANS BLIXXED!" when he was drinkin... so some of us decided that it would be cool to make a shirt. i just got mine the other day, and it is awesome... on the front is pictures of some of the guys i work with in the most ridiculous poses, with thier alteregos.... and on the back is a picture of hans blix, looking very drunk. i know its stupid, but who cares.

well im about to go to another barbeque, but i'll probably get back on tonight... i have some links i need to add and other stuff to do. HIZZY.

2003-07-01T19:42:00.000+09:00

well it seems the comments link is in fine working order... darren has been able to insult me not just once, but twice! how convienient. anyway, im home for the evening, watching the nothing that streams into my television every night... you would think the government would hook us up with something a little more extensive, but thats what you get for thinking. ive been apartment hunting online for places in the fort hood area (thats killeen the and copperas cove area) and have found a few good places. reasonably priced, good location, washer and dryer (very important). but none of them were furnished! well a single phone call to my fabulous mother fixed that problem, and i am now the proud owner of a gently used couch and love seat, a fridge, desk, and bed. whoda thunk it? if you have anything you'd like to donate to my apartment, give it to me dammit. i aint rich.

ps- chemical engineering isnt even a real major.... its like the special ed of college. fyi

2003-07-01T09:02:00.000+09:00

#5 - hello there all you tricks and hoes.... im coming at you from work this time, taking a minute out of my busy schedule to let you all know that I, cody powell have successfully added the comments function to my blog. if you look at the bottom of each entry, there is a link labeled "shout out". all you do is click this little web wonder, and you can gripe about my gripes. fun huh?

ps- i heart the small chirping birds that live outside my window and start at 4am.

2003-06-30T17:32:00.000+09:00

#4 - im sure every one of you knows someone who wants so bad to be important and in charge, but the only thing they shoulld be in charge of is wiping their own ass. evidently the military is infested with these parasites, and for some damn reason they have been put in leadership positions. you know, the kind of people that are so busy trying to appease the people they work for, they forget about the needs of the people who work for them.... it can be very frustrating. anyway, work was long today... i got there at 0530 and got out of there around 1600 (4pm), which racked up another 10+ hour day. and of course, the commisary (grocery store) is closed and i have no food, so that sucks. what doesnt suck is the fourth of july which is coming up... my second in the republic of korea. the office i work in is having a big barbeque, and then we'll probably go out to the ville (the korean city outside the gates) and party. it should be fun. so other than that, things are pretty boring... my roomate and i are watching jeparody and discussing the stupidity of one of our coworkers. this chick we work with has to be one of the most irritating people i have ever met. you know those people that have a bit of experience in their job, and therefore consider themselves THE authority on everything? yeah, i hate her. evidently she did a variation of the stuff we do here wherever the hell she came from, and since shes new and cant actually do anything important yet, she gets all up in my kool-aid without even knowing the fucking flavor. oh yeah, and every time i try to tell her shes made a mistake, she comes at me with this "ive been doing this for five years" bullshit, untill i just want to stab her in the eye. and it doesnt help that shes a dungeons and dragons fanatic, and a pagan as well. good GOD does she bug the shit outta me.

but enough about that... i dont mean to complain all the time. ive been dloading alot of new music lately, and trying to get back into the music scene i so dearly miss. im all about the new further seems forever cd, even though its kinda out there. the new singer has a very distinct voice, but it fits. ive also found the funniest arabian rap group ever, called group x. if you have never heard of them, i seriously recommend dloading some of there stuff... such as "you would give me kiss if i were on soccer team" or "bang bang bang". you wont regret it. another hilarious if not somewhat disturbing find is homestarrunner.com, which i added a link to on my blog. im not sure if this site is for real, or just making fun of retarded people, but its awefully funny nonetheless. i suggest you check it out. anyway, ive said about all ive got to say for now, but stay tuned for the next exciting episode. HIZZY.

ps- big heavy poker chips are gay.

2003-06-29T19:32:00.000+09:00

#3 - well it figures that as soon as i got the comments function working on my blog, it would be down for maintenance. damn commies. anyway, another day gone by, i am now at 44 days and a wake up untill i leave the korean peninsula forever.

today at work, my two army collegues and i discussed leaving osan and going back to the hump.... evidently the powers that be want us back. anyway, we're trying to extend our stay here as long as possible, but it looks like i'll be heading back to humphreys on august 2nd. it just so happens that that leaves us availible to play in the upcoming exercise, which is anything but fun. see, korea gets about as hot as houston with about twice the humidity, so when the chem sirens go off (simulating a chem attack) and we have to walk to work in full MOPP (mission oriented protected posture) gear (which covers you from head (mask) to toe (overboots) with a nice hot jacket and pants that goes over your uniform) you bake like a spring hen. not to mention that the building i work in is up a quarter mile hill. FUN! so here i am, writing this and watching barbershop (which is a funny damn movie).... you cant imagine how boring my life really is.

ive been listening to this armor for sleep cd, and i must say it is outstanding. i must give a shout out to my hizomie, darren for giving me all the new music i miss out on here. all i really have access to as far as music goes is the post exchange (a millitary walmart) which carries all the popular crap, and korean music stores which carry the most God aweful korean techno imaginable. i mean terrible. imagine the spice girls singing on helium, in a language you cant understand. oh my lord. just a tangent on how skewed the koreans taste in music is, i took a cab the other day and the driver was listening to a circa 1991 mariah carey TAPE, and SINGING ALONG. try to spend a thirty minute cab ride listening to that and not laughing hysterically. yeah, its not possible. i really hate this place sometimes. i suppose its not korea so much as that i miss the states SOOO much. those little things you take for granted, like driving, or malls...... or restaurants that dont serve RICE. when i get home im swearing off all asian food indefinately. ive eaten enough rice to last me two lifetimes. i'll miss dog though. anyway, thats about all ive got for now, i have to get up at the buttcrack of dawn tomorrow (0430) so its bedtime for bonzo. HIZZY.

PS- honda s2000s suck.

2003-06-29T07:59:00.000+09:00

#2 - well morning everyone, its another day in k-rizl, and im up again much too early. i dont have a whole lot of time (work call is 0830) but i wanted to rant a bit on alarm clocks. im sure we all know someone who sets their damn alarm an hour earlier than they need to for some skewed reason or another. heres the excuse i get... "but it helps me wake up.." fuck off! like it really helps. dont these people realize that for that whole hour your are not really asleep? it takes much longer than 9 minutes to get to REM sleep, and if you dont hit that, you AINT GETTIN REST! my roomate is one of these poor souls, and it is by the grace of God he still breathes. for not only does he lose that hour (which doesnt seem to bother his ass) but I lose it too... and im pretty partial to my sleep, dammit.

anyway, im getting ready for work at the moment... just the usual shit shower and shave, plus ironing my BDU's (battle dress uniform, or cammies) and putting a quick shine on my boots. and i swear i watch more CNN than can be healthy. oh well, untill next time....

2003-06-28T20:30:00.000+09:00

well, i suppose its the herd mentality, or maybe i'm just bored, but ive decided to create on of these blog things. i figure at least people can look into some of the things i do everyday, since i dont quite lead a normal life. first of all, let me explain where im coming from. my name is cody, and i am a private first class (e-3) in the United States Army (soon to be a specialist). i am currently stationed in south korea, assigned to bravo company, 532nd military intellegence battalion at camp humphreys. about 7 months ago i was selected to join the ground liason team at osan air base, which is about 30 minutes away from the hump. here i work with the air force on various interesting things, which i really cant go into. uncle sam decided to trust me with a clearance (those of you who know me are probaby skeptical) so on work related activities, i have to be pretty vague. anyway, here i am, thousands of miles away from friends and family, protecting your lazy asses.

i suppose that brings us all up to speed.... anything else i'll just add along the way. im about 2 months from leaving this pit, and im trying to get things in order for my glorious return to the United States. (as im sure you've noticed, i'm not partial to using caps.... only the important things will ever be capitolized) anyway, to leave korea i have to have orders, which tell me exactly when and where i have to show up once i leave. my current assignment is to fort hood, in my home state of Texas. now i know im going to hood, but to get ANYTHING done here (as far as getting my stuff moved, plane tickets arranged), i have to have the paper copy of these orders. but being in osan means that everyone back at the hump forgets about you (i mean there's only 3 of us here) and there are over 200 people in my company. so i called my platoon sergeant (the army equivilant of a middle manager) to see if he could fax me a copy, but he tells me "i'll just email them to you". yeah... the idiot emails me SOMEONE ELSES friggin orders. then he goes and makes himself totally unaccessable... and here is my question. why is it that people will expend more energy trying to get out of work than it would take just to do the job right the first time? now im not perfect and will never claim to be, but what example does it set for the younger generation when the senior personnel (not just in the millitary, but ive noticed it in all aspects of society) spend most of their time avioding the work that would go away if they would just address the problem. ive noticed this same problem with people in relationships. some people will expend more energy avoiding a problem, as if the thing will dissapear, than it would take to just address the problem outright and solve it. have we as a society become so timid as to take more pleasure in appeasing others than in our own happiness? just a question.

so i sign up for this tour of the DMZ (demillitarized zone) last week, but as i stated earlier, they always forget about me and didnt put me on the list.... assholes. anyway. my girlfriend is stationed at camp humphreys, so i stay with her on my days off (i work sunday-wednesday) so by wednesday night, im already up there, and it costs about 15 bucks for a taxi. well, for the tour of the DMZ you have to wear a version of our dress uniform, due to the regualtions set during the armistace. (yes, for those of you ignant sumbitches out there, the korean war NEVER ENDED. in 1953 the armistace was signed, and since then we've been here waiting). luckily i remembered my uniform, because at the last minute a spot opened up for me, and i was able to go. people, if youve never been out of the states, this is tough to understand, but i felt COMPLETELY out of place when we got there. the two koreas are split by a 4 km wide millitary demarcation line that spans from coast to coast, littered with minefields, guardposts and fences. the joint security area, or panmunjom, is manned by U.S. sodiers, ROK (south korean) infantry, and north korean army (NkPA, or the north korean peoples army). the buildings are color coded as to what country owns each, and all movement in the area is highly monitored by both sides. from this area you can see the north korean propaganda village, which plays tapes proclaming the greatness of kim jong il (Nk's pres), and invites everyone to flee the tyranny of the west and come to "paradise". it alos flies a north korean flag that is over 32 meters long and wieghs over 600 pounds. the funny thing is, no one lives in the city, its all fake. most of the buildings have the windows painted on, and the power comes on all at once. on the hills around the city, giant signs say things in korean like "yankee go home" and various other anti american statements. for someone who has spend over a year in this country, it was astounding to be that close to the "enemy". you could see the Nk guards... i even took pictures of them. its funny how impersonal things can be untill you put a face to the faceless. im sure most of those people hate that they are forced to live in that country, and its amazing how scared their government is of change and progress. but alas, the tyranny of few can cause pain to millions. its not their fault they were born there, but there they were born, and you do what you have to to survive... i think we all know that. anyway, it was a powerful trip, and i learned quite a bit... not only about north korea, but our role as well.

well geez, i wondered if i would have anything to say on this thing, but look at all that. hopefully someone reads this and walks away not bored. i can be pretty long winded when i get going. anyway, its late and i need to get my shit ready for work tomorrow. so untill then...