US Navy: 1 Satellite: 0

There was quite a bit of hubbub at work yesterday.  As a Naval Officer working for the Air Force, I always relish every chance I get to fuel the fire of inter-service rivalry.  Having to rely on the Navy to shoot down a satellite was just one more chance to poke a friendly finger in the chest of the guys I work with... 

Haunauma Bay

So my buddy Tony and I dove Haunauma Bay on Monday, Presidents day- it was pretty cool.  The outer reefs have some of the most pristine I've seen yet here on Oahu.  We did two dives- saw the standard stuff- Turtles, a Moray Eel, a couple of flounder, which were pretty cool, but no sharks this time.  The last time we went though, Tony spotted a smaller shark (as in baby) underneath an overhang of coral.  Just as he was going in to investigate it, a much larger shark (presumably mother... ) swam in from the side.  I got it all on tape... at least my hasty exit.  Tony, being the NOAA officer, is somewhat of an expert on marine life, and told me it was just a white tip shark, which are generally pretty harmless, but in my eyes, it was still a shark.  No thanks.  No sightings this time though.  It was fun- Haunauma Bay is a pretty nice place to dive and snorkel- although it can get quite crowded for the snorkeling set...

Dos Gringos...

So when you are a flier... and you aren't flying... you are pretty lucky if you are stuck with a bunch of other fliers who aren't flying... such is my job these days.  It's not too bad, because I'm stuck in Hawaii... and of course, fortunately, we've got these guys to keep up our morale while we wile away our days in front of computer screens and simulations...

These guys capture what I love... flying... and put it into something else I love... music. 

My favorite songs?

Two's Blind

Jeremiah Weed

The Legend of Shaved Dog's Ass

I wish I had a Gun just like the A-10

I want to take off from a Carrier

and for the politically challenged yet correct Air Farce:

Last Song on the CD?

We used to listen to these guys while drinking at night at Iwo Jima while doing FCLP's ramping up for cruise.  What a freakin' great time.  Imagine sitting in a room filled with smoke, loud music (the above), the smell of beer, poker game in the corner, multiple games of beer pong in the middle, and guys walking in covered in mud after doing some un-authorized 'sight-seeing' through the caves of Iwo Jima at night... drunken laughter, the smell of cigars, and great stories from cruises and port-calls gone by.  It's hard to find a better time than that...

*** these are not family oriented lyrics.

Friends of mine...

My old squadron lost a jet this week...

Fortunately they all got out... this was an eye-opener for me... I knew and flew with 3 of the 4.  Not to mention in this jet many a time... Thank God for the Parachute Riggers... those guys get Beers.  Lot's of them.

RIP 504...

My Nike+ Runs

This little widget tracks all of my runs... Murphy requires quite a bit of running, (which is good for me) so we spend quite a bit of our spare time with our running shoes on... The drop in pace on the runs are typically when the Murphster has to take a 'break' if you know what I mean... a dogs' gotta do what a dogs' gotta do... oh- in case you are wondering how I get this data on the Internet, well, I have an iPod Nano that has a Nike+ attachment- basically  it's a step counter that calculates distance, pace etc., etc., after you've calibrated it.  There's a little transmitter that goes on your shoes... I think it's great because it keeps track of my distances and pace and whatnot... a little better than just running in my opinion... Murphy and I typically average about an 8'30" mile, except when nature calls...

Amateur Bowl...

So I was supposed to go to the  Pro-Bowl here in Honolulu today.  A friend of a friend had an extra ticket, and that friend through a mis-communication didn't save the ticket for me like he was supposed to.  So I watched it on TV.  No biggie... I was really looking forward to going though.  Anyway- not much going on this weekend.  Although my friend Rob and I walked down Kalakaua last night (the main street in Waikiki) where they had closed off several blocks for the 'Pro-Bowl Block Party' - it was pretty cool- I took Murphy with us... he made some friends with some Japanese Cheerleaders who spoke very little English... and of course, the standard old lady tourists that always like to say hello to him... well, off to go eat dinner with Rob... looking forward to some good grub tonight.

YourSpace or Mine?

Why do I just not get MySpace?  I don't know why, but this was a cultural phenom that happened while I was floating around in the Pacific, and I just don't get it.  Is that bad?  I mean, I have an account because a friend of mine from flight school's girlfriend told me to join it so I could see their site- this was like over a year ago... but I never, ever log on... or more accurately, very, rarely log on... I guess I get the principle behind it... I mean look at me typing my thoughts into a blog... I actually had my first blog in 2005... before MySpace was created... anyway- it just befuddles me... I signed up for it just so I could see one persons space, and still, random people find me... I mean, I have no personal info on it, I mean nothing, everything is default, no picture or anything, and just tonight, I got an email saying someone had contacted me on MySpace... so I logged on, and low-and-behold... a friend from 4 years ago... who'da thunk?  Anyway- so if you are reading this and you have a MySpace page good on ya- I mean, even my Aunt, who is 60 this year, has one.  (She is rather progressive mind you, but still...) and people go crazy on there- with graphics and backgrounds and songs and this and that and the other... it's a great creative outlet I'm sure... I just haven't cracked the code myself, or really had the drive to do so.  I don't even have my picture on mine... what gives?  That is one cultural phenom that has passed me by... at least I can say I have a blog... alright- bed time... the Murphster is curled up at my feet enjoying his post-walk nap... I just realized tonight how much that dog loves getting brushed!  That is one good thing that came from the trainer- when he left, he hated his daily brushing- today he actually walked up to me, wagging his tail when he saw me holding the brush.  He was such a good dog, I figured I'd capitalize on the opportunity and cut the hair growing out in between his paw-pads... bad idea.  It was back to the early days with the brush.  The wild look in his eyes as I was holding him down, and attempting ever so gently to groom the little guy's feet was primal.  I think he thought I was going to cut his feet off.  The audible stimulation set him off as well.  Just the sound of the safety scissors cutting ever so gently through the hair made him jump.  Anyway- I'm rambling.  But at least Murphy's sleeping... I'll have to put it on MySpace...

Murphy the 2nd... (M-squared)

Well, here he is, at 4 months of age.  He's all of 30 lbs soaking wet, but will get to be quite bigger than that.  Anyway- the little guy is a big hit wherever he goes.  He went to 'Boot Camp' for obedience for about 10 days while I was on the mainland and it helped quite a bit!  He is generally pretty obedient... although, someone told me he should do the dishes and make dinner twice a week after training that much... he's not quite there yet, but we're working on it!  He was bred in Australia and his actual Australian National Kennel Council (their version of our AKC) name is Notnyl Neva Forget.  His parents are Reno and Morgan both Australian Irish Setter Champions.  He was born on October 3rd, 2007.  He enjoys fetching his tennis ball, chasing birds and cuddling up to unsuspecting sweet old lady tourists on the streets of Waikiki.

Is it February already?

Well, here I sit... in my condo in Waikiki... after a 5 month hiatus from blogging, has it really been 5 months?  Wow... well, I've settled into a pseudo normal life here in Paradise.  I've gotten settled into my new place, settled into my new job, and well, settled into a sense of normalcy that is quiet, enjoyable and well, consistent.  No deploying for now, just life in paradise.  It's a good feeling... anyway- I've felt like starting to communicate via this blog again recently, so tonight, here goes... I bought a new computer... a sexy 24" iMac... it's incredible.  And it does everything... you should get a Mac if you are looking for a new computer.  They take a little getting used to, but once you get past the learning curve, they are smooth as butter.  Let's see, I suppose I should highlight some significant milestones I've had in the past 5 months...

- Moved into a condo in Waikiki- it's small, but it's perfect for me- I'm a 5 minute walk from the heart of Waikiki, so people watching, one of my favorite activities, is quite easy.  I'm also about a block from the Hilton Hawaiian village on the beach, so, well, you can imagine how easy it is to get to the water... although, I haven't been swimming but once in Waikiki.

- Bought a Nissan Pathfinder.  I absolutely love it... it's the new body-style and has lots of room and power.  A far cry from the Accord I had in Japan.  I got a steal on it through someone selling it on Craigslist.  I even splurged on a Multi-Media system for it... it's got a 7" in-dash touch screen, DVD, iPod, plays movies and music from a portable hard drive in the glove box and even has a rear-view camera that turns on when I'm in reverse.  

- I've visited Guam, the Big Island of Hawaii, Vegas and DC... more traveling than I anticipated, but it's been good to see some new places, although Guam wasn't really a highlight as I've been there multiple times before.

- Got a new 4-legged roommate- a great lil' Irish Setter pup named Murphy the 2nd... he's quite the crowd pleaser.  I take him running all the time in Waikiki... I don't really have a choice... having a large dog in a small condo requires that he gets lots of exercise, but it works well for us both.  Fort DeRussey, a large ample park is a 2 minute walk away, and it's like Murphy's backyard.  He definitely makes sure the local bird population gets their exercise from his stalking and subsequent chasing.  The park is so large, that I generally let him off leash while we do a couple of laps around the perimeter in addition to walking and/or running around Waikiki.  He absolutely loves it.  There is also a loosely organized group of dog owners that meet each evening around 5PM, so typically we'll meet up with them so he can chase the little ankle-biters around.  Large dogs aren't the norm, but there are definitely some here in the city.  We probably see one a day, compared to 10 or so lap-dogs.  He's all elbows and ears right now so he looks pretty funny lanking around chasing the little guys, but he loves it.

- Work is good... I've got a great group of guys that I work with.  Working with other aviators definitely takes the monotony out of not flying.

-  I've also met quite a few other folks here in Honolulu, not work related, through a group called meetin.org.  

I suppose those are the high points of my life for the past few months.  Finally moving to Paradise, adjusting to life here, and loving every minute of it.  I suppose I will have some more introspective dispatches to come, but I just figured I'd update those of you that read this thing on occasion.  Thanks for reading, or as they say here in the islands- Mahalo Plenty!