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| Yet another recap of what I did this year. Wish I could say it's getting more interesting as the years go by... January
--Met Paul Byrd at a New Years' Eve/Day party at Kelly & Larry's place.
--Began doing ride-alongs with IOPPD. Received my cruiser and weapon.
--Made my first trip back to Chattanooga since moving into the new house. February
--Ran into a parked car on Front Beach in a police car. Felt like a complete dumbass.
--Had the parents visit towards the end of the month, to include a trip to the IOP Dog Show w/ Ellie.
--Began the SC Criminal Justice Academy...
--Turned 28. March
--Passed the Driving portion of the Academy. Looking back, it was really fun. At the time, I was nervous as hell.
--Attended the SoCon tournament and watched a shameful performance from UTC.
--Saw Mike Weathers accidentally fire a shotgun into the air and the awesome expression on his face. April
--Graduated the SC Police Academy and officially became a cop. Jimmy Ryan played bagpipes for the ceremony.
--Celebrated said graduation with a burger at the Windjammer with Cammi and my family (minus Warren)
--Permanently welted at the Crisis House... May
--Got sprayed with OC (again!). Hated it just as much this time around. Ugh.
--Took the wife to Myrtle Beach to see Natasha Bedingfield. She had a great time! (even said so)
--Went on a Charleston harbor cruise w/ Cammi then dinner at Oak Steakhouse for...
--Our 2nd Anniversary.  June
--Cammi began traveling for work, meaning she was gone all the time. Had to find ways to self-entertain.
--Worked quite a lot
--Tim spent a weekend. Found out an amusing surprise after running his info through dispatch. July
--Spent a weekend with the nieces! Went to the waterpark less than a mile away.
--Cammi's friend Kevin visited from Cleveland. She dropped us off at a strip club with money...
--Made my first DUI arrest. And another. And another.
--Got released from FTO training. Two hours later, had my first dead body to deal with. Yay. August
--Went to Myrtle Beach for the Live concert. They regained their form from the 90s. Awesome.
--Attempted a beach rescue. Unfortunately, man was already dead when we found him.
--Already tired of the electoral process a full 3 months prior to the actual election. September
--Had a lovely time with Tropical Storm Hanna. Flooding on the island lasted 2 weeks.
--Got called an asshole by two different drunk people in one night. I love my job. October
--Now lived in Charleston for a full year.
--Adam, Josh, and Maria came down to visit for a long weekend. Much fun was had.
--Arrested a guy in a wheelchair. Became subject of ridicule from 2 people whose names rhyme with Maldrick and Byan.
--Took Cammi to see the Browns beat the Jagulars. Stopped off at Parris Island on the way back. November
--Got drunk while watching election returns. Yelled at TV. Frightened dog.
--Made an arrest while Cammi was riding along. Reckless driving...
--Saw the Titans beat the Jaguars in Jax. Awesome B2 Stealth flyover beforehand. Crowd was pumped!
--Trapped a chicken I found running around in my backyard. December
--Was an extra in a movie (Dear John). Will most likely blend into the background or be a silhouette after edits.
--DUI #4.
--Have now lived in our house for over a year. Not a huge fan of the mortgage, but so it goes... Obviously, the bulk of what I did this year centered around my new occupation. Most interesting job since Silverdale, must fun job since the Marines (which was only occasionally fun. Sometimes it was downright shitty). Hope everyone has a great 2009! Obama's about to be inaugurated, so very shortly none of us will have to work or pay taxes ever again. It's a wonderful life... | | |
| ...because we're hotter when we don't give a damn.
------------------------------------------------- Go ahead and accept the fact that my posting is few and far between. I get there eventually, this by request of 520's LAR. Figure that one out... Once again, it's certainly been a while. I blame me, really. I could have posted, but I chose to do other things. Many, many other things. Such as... Cammi and I spent Oct 26-27 down in Jacksonville, FL. Got Cammi tickets to see her Browns play the Jaguars, so I took the Sunday off and we drove down there that Sunday morning. Arrived about 30 minutes prior to gametime to find out there were LOTS of other Browns fans in the area (or, for whatever reason, actually willing to travel to watch the Browns play). 
We got pretty good seats (on a budget), sitting in the 3rd row of the upper deck on about the 7 yard line. Cammi was thrilled for the 1st half, with the Browns finding a way to go up 17-7 at the break. 
We had our customary halftime snacky-food (Cammi loves nachos, I always try to find Dippin Dots) and while in line, Cammi found a fan who dressed up a LOT more for the game than she did:
Anyhoo, after the half the Browns forgot how to play D, giving up 2 quick scores that tied everything up 17-17. Cammi was decidedly nervous -- so much so that she even forgot how to tell time. There was 8:23 left to go in the game, which she saw on the scoreboard and said "Wow, it's a lot later than I thought." (it was about 6:30pm) I love her so. Sorry honey, had to share that one.  Two quick field goals later, Cleveland had a 23-17 lead with very little time left. Garrard launched a long pass from about the 40 with no time left that Northcutt caught in the end zone, bobbled, caught again...and had smacked out of his hands. Cammi and the 400 or so Browns fans in the stands went nuts! I loved that I got to take her to a game, moreso that it was an exciting one, and the best part was that her team won. Afterwards, we stopped in at a Chicago-style pizza joint for some VERY tasty pizza. It wasn't quite like Giordano's, but it was actually fairly close. It was so good we ate...one slice apiece. They were HUGE! So yeah, that became snack food for the next day to come. Sleep came quickly at the Embassy Suites we were staying in (for free thanks to Cammi's points for all the hotels she stays in while on her business trips). The next morning we got up early and headed over to the Jacksonville Zoo.  Got to see lots of animals not exactly common to the Carolinas, most of which the wife asked if we could take home. No to the following, Wife: Lions, Jaguars, Bobcats (other than the one already here, who is good), Cheetahs, River Otters, Sea Otters, Hippopotamuses, and Giraffes. This list is not all-inclusive. There are others, which I will continue to ban on a case-by-case basis. After we were all zooed out, we got in the Camry (which contained a Browns flag in the back that fortunately no Jags fans saw and decided to injure the car...) and began the 4 hr trip back home. As we got near to Beaufort, it occurred to me that we were near Parris Island. 
We decided to go have a look around, and I'm very glad we did! It was great to see the place that caused me so much pain in the past. The MP at the front gate asked Cammi our purpose for entering the base, to which she responded: "a trip down memory lane." He actually wrote that on our parking pass.
When you first arrive on the island on the bus or van that brings you and however many other mostly-terrified new recruits they send along with you, the first thing that happens upon stopping is to have two Drill Instructors jump on the bus and scream at you. They tell you things you never knew about yourself and, for some of us, about our mothers. I didn't think before then that at some point my mom had dated a drill instructor -- but he seemed believeable -- and who was I to argue? After the yelling subsides, they get you off the bus and everyone lines up on these yellow footprints right outside the Receiving building. More yelling, name-calling, and then they hurry you inside to begin the whole process. A large sign above the receiving building reads:
"Through these portals pass prospects for America's finest fighting force - United States Marines." Motivation from the get-go.
3rd Bn, Lima Co. My barracks while there, on the 2nd deck. We were the only unit in the building, and were told we were taking the second deck to keep passers-by from seeing us getting "slayed." Wonderful. In the foreground is our pit. Those of you who have been here before know of the fun that can be had there...
The rifle range. We spent two weeks out there -- the first week in the outdoor classroom, then would fire on the range waaaay back in the background on the second week. If you look closely (very), you can see the individual target numbers down there. But not likely, since this is over half a mile from the targets. This was one of my favorite times at boot camp, since there was very little punishment doled out.
After the Crucible, a ridiculous 54-hour event with next to no sleep, very little food, and lots of marching with a 45lb pack, you arrive in front of this statue, the Iwo Jima Memorial at the main parade deck. Prior to sunrise that morning, you begin a 9-mile march that ends here. As soon as everyone arrives, the Drill Instructors hand out Eagle, Globe, and Anchor emblems to each recruit and congratulate them, calling us Marines for the first time. They play Proud to be an American while doing so, and there's not a dry eye in the house. I bawled like a little girl.
One more thing I'd like to add -- the Marine Corps has a sense of humor, albeit a good bit more odd than most. This is the sign you see as you leave the island:
Hilarious. I love these short weekend trips with Cammi -- in fact, we're going back to Jacksonville on Nov 15-16 for the Titans v Jaguars game. Yesterday and today, I was in Myrtle Beach at a seminar put on by Calibre Press exclusively for Law Enforcement called Street Survival. I highly recommend it to anyone in LE. The training was invaluable, though you do see many people die on video, most violently. Aside from the training, the other good part was the far-too-nice-for-police-officers hotel/resort they put us up at: The Marriott Village. We even had an Oceanview room. I left the sliding door to the balcony open all night to fall asleep/wake up to the sound of the ocean. I also recommend that. One thing that did suck, however, was all thanks to Kraig: he decided that we should just walk around the main part of the city last night to try to pick out where we were going to eat. So we started out walking down Ocean Blvd, which he said was where the restaurants were. Never saw any. Kept walking, figuring it was good exercise and we'd get there eventually. We got to the point where we'd gone so far, we kept assuming there'd be something around the next corner or just beyond the hill. Long story short, we realized we were off by about 2 blocks; the main street was actually Kings Hwy, about a half-mile from the road we were on, running parallel. According to mapmyrun.com, all told we walked a total of 8.1 miles last night.  Ok, ok, I'll mention it: I'm upset about the outcome of the election, but that's the way things are. Can't exactly change that. I will say, however, that this past election has made me realize that if someone like Obama can become president, maybe there's a chance that a white guy like me could become president too! I can dream... | | |
| Howdy. How's everyone doing? Many apologies for not posting in a while, I feel I've been quite busy. Even kinda feel that way on my off days -- either that or just really don't feel like taking the time to post a blog. Cammi and I celebrated our two-year anniversary on May 27th. Hard to believe we've already been married two years and neither of us has gone to jail for beating the snot out of the other.  I kid. We took an hour-long cruise of the Charleston harbor, to see our city from the water.  
 
The last one is Ft Sumter, where the first shot of the Civil War was fired. History lesson, free of charge. You're welcome. Afterwards, we used a gift certificate I'd received earlier to have a very nice dinner at the Oak Steakhouse downtown. Had a bacon-wrapped filet mignon there that was nothing short of awesome. Had quite an interesting past week. Our nieces (Cammi's half-brother's kids from just outside Columbia, SC) stayed down here from Tues-Thurs, and we had quite a good time showing them around. I introduced them to the fun that is Wii, and think I've developed an addict (the same could be said for Tim when he came down here to visit, though at least neither of my nieces threw a tantrum when they lost at Wii Tennis). On Wednesday, we took them to the water park that's across the highway from our house, about 3 minutes away. We all had a lot of fun on the few slides they had and the wave pool, though I got an extremely bad sunburn that is still providing me with pain today. Before Nikki and Holly left, Cammi decided to utilize their help in shaving Bob the Cat... 
The argument could be made that Bob was not a happy kitteh, but he recovered quickly. 
Nikki thought about helping out, but spent all her time texting on her cell phone. 
After the nieces left, I had to work the 4th of July weekend out on the island. Let's just say I'm really glad it's over with. Made the boneheaded mistake of leaving my car unlocked while responding to a call, and the chief found it and moved it on me. Guarantee you I'll never do that again... We ended up taking quite a few people to jail, none more interesting than the woman I had to transport last night. We were standing outside the Windjammer when we saw a woman stumbling her way out the door. By some miracle, she actually made it down the stairs and onto the sidewalk. Our supervisor told us to go get her, so we walked up and stopped her, grabbing her by the arm. Not knowing who we were, she spun around like she was ready to fight. Needless to say, she acquired a new set of bracelets at that point. She proceeded to lay down on the sidewalk on her face and scream, shaking her head from side to side. So we got everything written up and I put her in the back seat of my car to take her to the jail. She took her seatbelt off and started banging her head on the window bars, so we had the tactical team at the jail meet me when we got there to drag her in. She even tried to fight them, which didn't work out so well for her. The coolest part of last night, however, was something I'd never seen before. At about 1:30 am we found a female Loggerhead turtle laying eggs on the Eastern side of the beach. Couldn't put any lights on her, so we could just make out her outline in the moonlight, and it was amazing. 300 lb turtle, approx 4 ft long. I felt like a little kid seeing an animal at the zoo for the very first time. Really cool experience. 
Their eggs look like pingpong balls and produce tiny turtles about this big:
 At the beginning of June, Cammi began working a new facet of her job, now working Outside sales instead of Inside. Rather than setting up the meetings, she'll be the one heading out to various hospitals to attempt to close them. While this is really good for us financially (she'll get commission for any deal she can close), it does kinda suck that she's gone as often as she is. She was recently out of town from June 16-27, and is leaving tomorrow morning for a few days for more meetings. Guess that's just the way it is. Hope everyone had a great 4th of July off, now it's my turn to actually have a few days off. Take care. | | |
| Current temps in several places I've lived throughout my life: Charleston, SC: 73
Chattanooga, TN: 46
Goodfellow AFB, San Angelo, TX: 63
Monterey, CA: 50
Toronto, ON, Canada: 47
Camp Lejeune, NC: 68
Baghdad, IZ: 38
It's just warm enough not to be hot...think if it hits 80 I'll be spending a good amount of time indoors. Well, the city of Isle of Palms saw fit to issue me my cruiser and my weapon over the past few days -- they even pay for my gas and all maintenance associated with the car. Check out my new ride: 
Good stuff. Of course, for the time being, I'm only allowed to take it from my house directly to work and back, then (for January) I get into Jake's car and am an unarmed observer with him. I wear civilian clothes and have a badge that I clip to my belt. The only times I can't get out of the car are traffic stops and actual crimes in progress, due to my not being allowed to carry my weapon for now. Once February rolls around, I'll be in uniform, carrying my weapon, and riding along with a Field Training Officer (our resident Filipino), who will be monitoring everything I do and writing a daily observation report on me until such time as I go to the academy (Feb 24). I've got the weekend off, and will probably use the time to do nothing...watching football and movies with Wife to be pretty much the extent of it all. Hope everyone has an equally uneventful weekend!! | | |
| Well, another year's come and gone. As with most years past, I'm going to attempt to recap some of the more interesting events in my life in 2007: January
--played beer pong at Billy Corn's birthday party for the first and possibly last time ever
--was introduced to Deadwood by Adam. Quickly became a fan.
--competed for (hopefully) the last time in the TN Indoor Rowing Championships and didn't come in last. February
--3 inches of snow get school cancelled for 2 days and confuse the hell out of the pets
--Super Bowl party at my folks' place, watch Peyton Manning finally win a big game.
--took Warren out for his 21st birthday. Tragedy ensued.
--Joined the first baseball team at UTC in over 15 years March
--went to Charleston for the SoCon tournament. Decided I was going to live there, and soon.
--traveled to San Diego to apply for their police department. Resisted the urge to go to Tijuana this time.
--went floating down the TN River with Randy & his friends and got very drunk.
--threw a surprise party for Cammi's 24th birthday April
--spent a weekend down at Kelly & Larry's with Cammi, Adam, and Megan for a Marlins series
--got two days out of class thanks to a bomb threat on campus after the Virginia Tech shootings
--welcomed the Mike Btry Marines back from their tour in Iraq
--got called out to a Sonic to pick up a fellow Marine who was laying facedown in their parking lot, drunker than hell. May
--graduated from UTC with a Bachelor's in Criminal Justice (and a whopping 2.91 GPA...)
--went on an overnight cruise to Nassau with Cammi
--failed two polygraphs in a row with the Secret Service and KNOW I wasn't lying. 
--moved for the first of 3 times this year, to Signal Mountain
--May 27, 2007: One year of wedded bliss June
--went out to San Diego to interview again, only to be turned away for not having all my military documents
--Angie Aparo began singing Space Oddity at me while we were at adjacent urinals during his concert
July
--got a job as a Corrections Officer at the Silverdale Detention Facility. Most interesting work experience so far.
--got to play a baseball game at Engel Stadium, and even got a hit (went 1-for-2 on the game)
--won $400 in a free poker tournament at Double Hill Billiards in Hixson, TN.
--LebowskiFest and Six Flags. Freakin' sweet...
August
--sprayed for the first and certainly not the last time with Oleoresin Capsicum (OC, commonly referred to as Mace)
--went to Cleveland with Cammi, saw a Browns game and Indians game.
--broke up a fight between inmates and ended up throwing one of them over a low wall September
--Suicide watch at Silverdale turns into a medical disaster when he decides to bang his head repeatedly into the wall before I can stop him. They put him in the back of an ambulance and that was the last I ever saw him.
--Made the decision to move to Charleston while hanging out in Kelly & Larry's hot tub October
--Moved for the 2nd time this year, to North Charleston
--Did several ride-alongs with IOPPD, all with Jake November
--Got hired as a Police Officer / Patrolman with Isle of Palms PD
--Qualified with the .40 Glock at an indoor range. Kinda like shooting guns in the house...
--Began the gigantic headache that is house-hunting. A very painful process indeed.
--Went to the Lady Mocs tournament with my folks and acquired floor passes for both nights
December
--Closed on our house!!
--Moved, for the 3rd time this year, into said house
--Learned that hearing "63 43 for a code 3" over the radio means someone's about to go to jail...
--Christmas. Uggh. Good times, but waaaaay too much driving. Next year, both families need to come here. New Years' Eve was spent at Kelly & Larry's place in Alpharetta. We drove there and didn't arrive until after 10pm. Upon arriving downstairs, we found a good 30 or so people milling about in front of the bar area and I elbowed Cammi, whispering "There's Paul Byrd!" We only got to speak to him for a moment, but he asked us to come over the next day to talk for a while and that he'd sign some things for us. So we did just that, and he ended up giving us two signed pictures (with snow all around him, the game that got called where he was one strike away from pitching a no-hitter. Spent a good 10 minutes talking about that game with him), a signed bat (for Cammi, which read "Use this if Jim ever gets out of line."), and he even found a game-worn hat of Rafael Furcal's that Furcal signed after being announced as the 2000 Rookie of the Year. But my favorite thing: he found a new MLB ball (funny how many brand-new bats and balls he had in his place) and signed it "Jim - a true Braves fan." 
Back to New Years' Eve: most everyone was drinking, and I brought along my breathalizer. I'm proud to say that my wife ended up with the highest BAC recorded that night: 0.15. Kelly was a close second at 0.13. So now we're back at the house, the Christmas tree is on the curb, and I've been switched to day shift. I'll be riding along with another officer (most likely Chavez) on the 6am - 6pm shift. Will be nice to finally see the sun again... Today's Hot Chick is Kate Austen:  
Hey there, Freckles. | | |
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