Aiming High in the Air Force: 2006, Part One: Moving Up and Out
As 2006 opened, my friends brought me along to a New Year's party on the Strip, to help get my mind off everything that had happened over the past year.
New Year's on the Strip
The weekend, of course, brought new challenges to the brand new year. My dorm room shared a bathroom with the room next door, and my neighbor and I hosted a small party in my room. He, unfortunately, had too much to drink. When he insisted on trying to drive one of the girls back to her dorm, two blocks away, she and I both told him that he wouldn't be driving anywhere that night, and took his keys away to make sure of it. His thinking process was clearly impaired, because his response was to dive headfirst off the second floor balcony at the end of the hallway where our dorm rooms were located.
Aiming High in the Air Force: 2005, Part Two: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
In August, not long after I'd returned from summer camp with the Boy Scouts, the annual Las Vegas Star Trek Convention came around again. This would be my third year attending the convention, and this year, I would enter the costume contest.
Me at the convention with Menina Fortunato, who played an Orion Slave Girl in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Bound"
Wearing a custom-made and fitted uniform from the movie era of the original Star Trek--specifically, the 2280s and '90s, as seen in the films Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan through the first act of Star Trek: Generations--I made my way to the Las Vegas Hilton. The contest wasn't until later in the day, so I wandered the convention area. I'd tried to make the costume as accurate as possible. Heads turned everywhere I went. People wanted to get their photo taken with me. Some people even thought I worked at Star Trek: The Experience.
Aiming High in the Air Force: 2005, Part One: I’d Like a Mulligan
The events of the last two months clearly illustrated to me that my supervisor and superintendent were, most assuredly, not on my side. In fact, they were actively trying to find an excuse--any excuse--to build a case to force me out of the military.
Airman Harlan, 2005
I couldn't figure out why. The most plausible explanation, according to another senior sergeant that I worked with, seemed to be that they felt threatened by how much more I knew about our job than they did: my supervisor wasn't even from our career field and had never been trained for our primary job, and my superintendent had been in a headquarters position for several years, and the job had changed significantly in that time. Whether this was true or not, I'll probably never know.
Aiming High in the Air Force: 2004, Part Two: Crash and Burn
The Vegas Strip, seen from my office on base
The year had been rough so far, but with only two months left to go, the worst was yet to come, with only brief moments of excitement to shake things up.
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-08-08
- Duct tape is like the Force: it has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together. #
- Letter of Eligibility from VA for new GI Bill (finally) arrived today! Need to take to school's VA office to finish paperwork & get money #
- Got B's in both of my classes. Expected, though I'd hoped for A's. GPA dipped a bit from 3.33 to 3.31. Want to keep it high for xfer to CSUF #
- via @Tymethief A non-twittering friends take on NK: I know he took care of it but really, sending Clinton to pick up women in North Korea? #
- RT @GammaCounter Bookstore window t-shirt: "Don't judge a book by its movie." #
- Prices are going up all over... even the 99 cent store has raised their prices... everything's 99.99 cents now #
- I made a spreadsheet listing every Star Trek story (films, tv, books, comics, games) in chrono order. Let me know if you want a copy. #
- Oh, that doesn't bode well: RT @LATimes Paramount won't screen 'G.I. Joe' for print or broadcast media critics http://bit.ly/So8B0 #
- Would get $11K/year with old GI Bill, will get $33.5K/year w/ Post-9/11 GI Bill. Vets check out GI Bill calculator: http://bit.ly/luYba #
- Drunk Pedro knocked on door, said I owed $135. Showed him cleared check. Math, alcohol don't mix: friends don't let friends derive drunk #
- Met w CSUF transfer counselor, planned out Fall schedule. Now off to deliver GI Bill paperwork to campus VA office... #
- WTF? Turned in paperwork to VA office, they tell me I prob won't see any money till November. #
- Great news from IAVA for California veterans who want to use the GI Bill. http://bit.ly/S3Ivm #
- Explains the smoke during the game: Woman dead, daughter critical after house fire in Fullerton. http://tinyurl.com/ltrr5w (via @abc7) #
- It's like the Hand of God: thought I was only getting 1 GI Bill check for summer; just got a 2nd (albeit smaller) one. I can pay my bills! #
- Bills paid, got some groceries, replaced the starter on my truck and it STILL won't start. Neighbors think the new solenoid is defective... #
- Guy next door had his TV blasting so loud I thought there really was a riot building with sirens approaching before I looked outside #
- "Don’t be afraid of death so much as an inadequate life." Bertolt Brecht #
- Off to see GI Joe. I know everyone's either loved or hated it... and knowing is half the battle; we'll see where I fall in a few hours #
- I really liked GI Joe. Don't be fooled by bad commercials - the suits are only on screen for 10 minutes and they're not that bad #
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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-07-25
- Spent 5 hours working on an English paper with my group, but it's done now. #
- Marvel Movie Marathon: watching Marvel Comics movies in chrono order. Blade & X-Men down; watching Blade II. Spider-Man & Daredevil up next #
- @gadgetdoll Having some trouble? #
- OK, we've got Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern... My vote goes for Willem Defoe as Sinestro! #
- Watched the first 5 movies in my Marvel Marathon, spanning 1998-2002; after midnight, calling it a night. Probably watch some more tomorrow #
- Figures. The college dropped phone registration this year, going web-only... and the server crashed from everyone trying to register at once #
- Need to head to school soon... supposed to have an in-class essay today or tomorrow, & a final on Thursday. Speech class ends next week. #
- @BrentSpiner I'd verify my account if it gave me the option. I'm the Harlander... There Can Be Only ONE! #
- @BrentSpiner how can you be sure Harlander isn't my real name? #
- Four more days of English class... starting in 30 minutes. #
- Talked to VA rep on campus; got hold put on my acct so I don't get dropped from fall classes before new GI Bill takes effect. W00t! #
- @wilw Hopefully that's an indication of how small a percentage of hoax believers are in the population at large... #
- Had a very strange dream. In it, I was reading a book. It wasn't even a very good one. #
- @COEDMagazine Never understood how one can "discover" place w/ pop in millions. It's like putting a flag in my yard & claiming it for Spain in reply to COEDMagazine #
- Finished the 1st of 2 in-class essays. Get it back at 4. It's basically the rough draft for the big essay due tomorrow #
- WTF? DHS thinks a strategy guide for a game about giant monsters is a threat to national security?! http://tinyurl.com/kraybk #
- Got an A on my in-class essay today. Got another on Thursday for the final, plus a persuasive speech for my Speech final next week... #
- WTF? Hit with overdraft fees on an acct that wasn't, which caused it to become so, thus more fees... $175 in fees, my balance is now -$150 #
- Used coupon for $1 lunch at kfc. Can hear girl getting job interview. BS detector going off scale #
- English final today. Final essay finished, ready to turn in. Need to pick up a blue book before class though. #
- @BrentSpiner One more reason I should be like Brent. He's got so many assistants. Guten Morgen, Ernst. #
- Finished my English final. Gonna get some lunch and prepare for speech class in 3 hours... That one doesn't end until Wednesday. #
- Think I did well on English final but bombed my speech. I can do some extra credit but my grade's still going to suffer #
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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-07-18
- Finally watched the remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still. WTF? Klaatu as interstellar Greenpeace?! #
- @dannymcguffin You do realize that they make screens for your windows to keep the bugs OUT, right? in reply to dannymcguffin #
- Sitting at Starbucks, paying $8 for Internet & waiting for my group to get here so we can get ourselves ready for the midterm tomorrow #
- Today, amazingly, was fairly productive. Did some gaming, studied for the midterm, did laundry, even got my pirate on and watched Trek XI #
- Midterm debate for English 103 went OK. Speech class in 30 minutes, w/ midterm on Wed; my speech is on zombies in pop culture! #
- @BadAstronomer Let's just ignore the half-dozen instances during TNG when Troi tells Riker she never kissed him with a beard before. in reply to BadAstronomer #
- Bleh. Not feeling up for class this morning. Overslept, running late. #
- Rather surprised that I got an A on my last English paper (the one I turned in late). I didn't put as much into it as I should have. #
- Off to school again in about 15-20 minutes. Midterm for Speech class today. "Zombies in pop culture." Hope I do it justice. #
- Accidentally deleted midterm for Speech 10mins before class while trying to print... Tried undelete but no luck. Prof gave me an extra day. #
- Reading: Glitch hits Visa users with more than $23 quadrillion charge - http://bit.ly/2i4BF #cnn #
- Got an A on my speech! #
- Figures. Get an A on the midterm, and find a dead battery in my truck. Waiting for a jump start #
- Battery was fine. The starter on the other hand... Push started the truck to get home but need to get it fixed asap #
- Dammit. Replaced the solenoid relay and it STILL won't start, even though everything seems to indicate that's the problem. #
- Can't wait til it hits its optimum orbit. (via @BadAstronomer) Apollo landing sites imaged by LRO! Incredible images! http://tr.im/sOCn #
- Went to a baseball game with Darren & Chris; minor league team, the OC Flyers. Had a good time, planning to do it again Wednesday. #
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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-06-06
- Feeling lazy. Don't want to go anywhere or do anthing... wonder if Denny's delivers? lol #
- For those keeping score, that was a lame attempt at a joke. #
- My night is complete. Woken up by the neighbor's 2-year-old crying at 1am just as I was falling asleep... just like every night. #
- Overheard: "I swallowed a bug! Don't you dare tweet that!" #ohatdl #
- Snow White ride attendant: "And don't eat the apples!" So we got some apples and were eating them as we exited the ride. #ohatdl #
- Oh, how appropriate: RT @TheOnion In Focus: Christ Kills Two, Injures Seven In Abortion-Clinic Attack http://u.mavrev.com/6vkn #
- I'm shocked. Was expecting a layoff notice but got a "reasonable assurance of continuing employment" instead today #
- OMG DO WANT! http://thinkgeek.com/bd6f/ #
- Again, glad I dont' live in UK: PRT @LATimes British police target excessive bling. "Too Much Bling, Give Us A Ring." http://bit.ly/bdpyo #
- HAHAHA!! RT @weirdnews Bank robbery suspects' getaway car runs out of gas http://is.gd/OB7Z #
- LOL. I want this on MP3, so I can play it for the kids at work. "Palette-Swap Ninja - Learn to Spell" http://tinyurl.com/p2bo77 #
- Wow. That's taking, like, forever. RT @mashable Google Chrome Comes to Mac and Linux. Sort of. - http://bit.ly/lOhyv #
- W00t! RT @OHatDL Top10 @sofaltis 9 @LadyJE 8 @findingmickey 5 @TheHatboxGhost 5 @harlander 4 @ZiggityZarnBot 4 @coryoconnor 4 @ctxrover #
- Watched some 1964 Dr Who. Granddaughter falls for a guy she's known for 2 days, so the Dr locks her out of TARDIS, leaves her behind. WTF? #
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“Chinese curse” interesting bus rides
I officially had the obligatory “bus ride from hell” today. Again. Which probably shouldn’t be surprising, considering that I ride the bus about six to ten times per week, on average. So what made today’s ride so special? The people, man, the people.
Help feed my caffeine addiction
I am reading
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Random Quote
I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work… I want to achieve it through not dying.
—
- So apparently my school is streaming my graduation this morning at http://t.co/j2bir62y
- So this is happening now http://t.co/B1flb6l4 http://t.co/qHMyUhFU http://t.co/XzmFvrfq
- Done with school. About to see Avengers with a few friends...
- Just turned in my final paper. Tomorrow morning, I graduate. It still doesn't feel real yet.
- 3 classes done: 1 grade posted, 1 known, & waiting on the 3rd. Final paper for 4th class due tomorrow. Graduation in 26 hours... Bring it.