25 posts from October 2007

I honestly think I will be seeing the commander again with one, if not more, of my troops.

My supervisor just about nailed one of my troops the other night after he saw the kid walking around without gear or a weapon.  This is the same kid that was recently reprimanded after accidentally discharging his weapon.  The last thing he needs to be doing is pissing off my supervisor.  It was the third time in two days that I have had to talk to my troop about his behavior.  He just does not seem to have common sense.  I hope he turns it around, but I am beginning to think that he is going to be my first real problem troop.

Another troop ended up in my cross hairs after he gave me some attitude.  The troop mentioned above evidently left his gear in this guy's car and never thought to get it out, despite the fact it is getting colder at night.  I told him after shift the other morning to make sure the other troop got his gear back.  This kid decides that he does not want to and tells me that if the other troop is not smart enough to retrieve the gear, then it is not his problem.  I reminded him that I was not requesting that he give the other troop's gear back; I was telling him to, or giving him a direct order to.  I find out tomorrow night whether or not it actually happened.  We will see.  I have a feeling this troop will be a handful if he continues to think he can say and do whatever he pleases.

Over a million iPhones have been sold.  Have you: bought one, considered it, or decided it's not for you?

I have considered buying one, but my current cell phone is working just fine, so it will be a while before I actually decide whether I want to buy one, or not.

Dr. Randy Pausch, diagnosed with terminal cancer, delivered a last lecture on life lessons that has been viewed online over a million times.  What would be in your life lessons lecture?

This is a good question.  I have been thinking of how to answer this.  I have come up with a couple, but let me see what else I can think of as I write.

Keep your family close.  This does not mean you have to like them.  I do not like my brother, but I still have a decent enough relationship with him while we happen to be in the same room/house/area.  I have seen too many people disown families over mild stupid things.  I can understand if one needs space from a certain family member that wronged them, but letting it drag on for years can do more harm to other family members.

Learn to forgive.  I am not suggesting to lock whatever wrong away and pretend like it never happened.  Forgive the family member of the wrong they did and seek to reconcile.  If that family member is not interested, you will at least have the comfort knowing that you are the better person.  Eventually, time does make things better.  Will you trust the person? No.  Will you like them? Maybe not.  If nothing else, do it for your peace of mind.  Do not dwell on every wrong a person has committed against you.  It only makes life worse.

Give people another chance.  I am talking about the first time they goof up.  Everyone makes mistakes and goofs up.  Some people just do stupider things than others.  I give my troops that goof up another chance to proof to me their screwup was just a momentary lapse of judgment or common sense, even if it was a great one.  Some people turn it around after a nasty dose of reality.  Some of the best people I know in my job goofed up early in their careers and turned it around.  People who came after they got in trouble and dealt with the consequences of their actions found it hard to believe they screwed up.

Do not be so quick to judge.  I have a few friends that people tried to convince me to give up.  Rumors about these friends were obnoxious and unfair.  Yes, a few of them had some issues they needed to work out.  However, some of these people have been the best friends I have ever had.  They were much more willing to listen and come to my aid than other people I knew, perhaps because I took the time to get to know them, rather than listen to what everyone else was saying about them.  Is it an easy road to walk with these people? No.  It is not.  I butted heads with more than one person over a friend I had in England.  I refused to back down, and they eventually had no choice but to back down themselves, because what I said turned out to be accurate.  Sometimes, all these people need is just one person to stop and listen.  After that, their lives turn around for the better.

Do not dwell on the past.  The wrongs, the mistakes, the regret, and the sorrow.  Do not forget them.  Do not let them run your life, though.  It is a downward spiral that can quickly get out of control.  Learn from the past, and move on.

What are some things that are worth (and not worth) spending money on? 
Submitted by pinejar.

This varies widely for me.  Things that I think are worth spending money on comes and goes with my mood.  For example, I bought food for two troops the other day because they did not have cash on them.  Both would have had to work a twelve hour shift without anything to eat or drink.  I have done that before.  It is not fun.  I do not even care if they pay me back.  Taking care of the troops under me is my job, and I will do it, especially since some supervisors will not.  I like going out and eating with friends on a regular basis.  I definitely enjoy spending money on books.

Things I do not think are worth spending money on also vary.  For example, expensive clothes.  Why should I buy some expensive shirt or pair of pants when I can get something similar for at least half the price? Another thing is alcoholic beverages.  Now, I am not saying I do not go and get some every now and again.  That is fine.  I work with people whose lives seem to revolve around the beer can.  I do not see the point in getting drunk.  What is the point? I consider it a waste of money, and a good way to get in trouble.

I will be glad when I get that three day weekend off later this week.  I am exhausted and spent.  Troop issues are compounding on each other, and now I have some other things going on outside the job.

The problem with the latter is I am not quite sure how to approach it yet.  Ever have the feeling that no matter what you do someone is going to be mad or hurt? That is where I stand now.  The only question I keep asking myself is, "How can I get the point across and minimize the damage as much as possible?" Is that even a possibility? The longer this goes on, the more I think that it is not, and that I need to start looking at another alternative.  I do not want to do that.  I pray that I will not have to make that decision.

Back on the subject of troop issues.

I had to talk to one of my troops about showing up to his post on time, letting people know if he was going somewhere for a few minutes, staying motivated about studying for his upcoming evaluation (which I now have date for), and not looking like he is doing something he should not be doing (like sleeping, or goofing around on his cell phone for extended lengths of time).

Another troop decided not to tell anyone he had a suspended license until after he drove one of our patrol vehicles.  That little tidbit came out after another supervisor asked him why he did not have a car.  I should not have to tell people they should not be driving around on a suspended license.  He is lucky that supervisor and my supervisor decided not to take it further.

Yet another troop conveniently missed his firing appointment.  He claims he was never told.  My supervisor says he announced before shift.  That is how two other people who did know about it found out they had the appointment.  I think I am going to believe my supervisor over the troop.  My supervisor does not lie to people.  Plus, the troop is supposed to look at the appointment roster after it is posted.  So now, I have to make sure to remind him of his appointments, and make sure he is checking (and initialing) the appointment roster.

I scheduled the initial exams for two of my troops, and two troops who are temporarily mine until another supervisor can be assigned.  I am not worried about three of them.  The fourth kind of concerns me a bit, but I think we will be able to overcome the issues he has.  If not, I am sure my supervisor will back me up.

I recently decided to join Facebook.  This was after a friend of mine from England invited me to join.  I figured, "Why not?" I actually got in touch with one of my cousins, who I have not talked to much since before I joined the military.  She is a freshman in college now.  Geez, time flies! I feel like it was not that long ago when I stayed with her family for a month during the summer in Pennsylvania.  Then again, I was ten, which would mean she was four, and her little sister was two, and their adopted sister had not even been born yet.  Time goes by too fast!

Moving along.

One of my new troops accidentally discharged the handgun he was arming up with last month.  He and I had a meeting with the commander on Wednesday to hear what his punishment would be.  He got a Letter of Reprimand (LOR) and an Unfavorable Information File (UIF).  Considering the fact our commander told him the maximum punishment is three months confinement and forfeiture of two-third pay for three months, my troop got off pretty lucky.  He may be able to arm up with his rifle tonight or tomorrow.  That will depend on the flight chief (my supervisor).  He will have to do a remedial class on the handgun before he will be allowed to arm up with the handgun again.  I am just hoping this was an isolated incident and my troop will not be anymore of a problem.

Led Zeppelin will finally offer their music online starting next month.   Of the music you buy, about how much of it do you download and how much do you buy on physical formats (CDs, vinyl, etc.)?

I download most of my music these days, through iTunes, of course.  I belong to a music club, so I still get CDs every three or four weeks.  I also have quite a bit of music that I need to burn onto one of my computers, probably the laptop unless I replace the current desktop (I really need to do that one of these days).  One of these days, I should go through Rob's collection and add some of the stuff he has to my collection, too.  ^_^

I went to my unit to outprocess for the TDY, which had changed from Utah to Washington.  The base we were going to in Washington is an hour south of my parents' house, so I was really excited and immediately sent an e-mail after finding out about the change.  However, I soon discovered after walking into my unit's building that they were planning on replacing me.  A flurry of emotions went through me.  Frustration and disappointment were among those to top the list, as one can imagine.  It has been nearly a year since the last time I took leave, or went home.  I can almost feel myself burning out, and it is not a good feeling.  I knew my parents would be disappointed, too.  However, fear also topped the list of emotions.  Why were they replacing me? Did I do something wrong without knowing it? Did they think I did something wrong? Were my troops in trouble? Turned out to be because of a fitness test that is due on Wednesday.  That really frustrated me.  But done is done, and I have been replaced.  So, why do I feel so upset about it?

Do you have a regular workout routine?  What's your favorite form of exercise?

My favorite form of exercise is swimming.  I was active in Taekwondo prior to joining the military, but I have not stayed with it since.  I have been too busy with work to practice on a regular basis.  I also enjoy cycling.  I am far better at cycling and swimming than running, which is what the military prefers to do, unfortunately.  I would be much happier if I did not have to worry about running.

Have you figured out what your (or your kids') Halloween costume will be this year?  What's it going to be?

I may be in uniform.  Every year, the base asks for volunteers from units around the base, especially from my unit, to act as road guards or walking patrols in base housing to ensure the children and parents have a safe and fun Halloween.  I just realized that I have that night off, so I will probably volunteer when they ask for volunteers in a couple weeks.