blog

Need to just vent

Fri, 11 May 2012 02:02:55 +0100

Warning this post is mostly a rant (mostly about religion [you can't discuss religion with most of the people here as they are not at all open minded and just get mad if you say something that contradicts what they believe] so you are forewarned)and is not ordered very well.

This past Tuesday NC had their primaries. On the ballot was an amendment (Amendment One as it's known) to change the state constitution to say the one recognized domestic relationship in the state is marriage between one man and one woman basically. I voted against it but it still overwhelmingly passed.

What gets me is the fact that gay marriage is primarily a religious issue and according to the US Constitution religious laws are not to be passed. If you point this out to the people here they say this country was founded on christian values and that there should not be a separation between church and state.

This country's founding may have a ton of christian values intertwined with it but if they founding fathers had wanted us to become a religious state they would not have come up with the first amendment. They saw how most European countries treated people (most at the time we church states) and how well that was going and they wanted to ensure that it did not happen to our country.

Then I point out that the Bible (which is the religious book of Christianity) has a whole ton of shit that people are not to do. Don't believe me read the first 5 books of the old testament. Many of the things God told us not to do are done by christians the world over on a daily basis. My opinion on that and how it relates to gay marriage is if you are going to pick and choose which parts of the Bible you are going to obey and which parts you are going to disregard you can't really persecute people who disobey the parts you obey. For instance I am going to cheat on my husband, steal from my former company and make my mother my puppet by telling her if she makes me mad I won't let her see my kids again but homosexuality is against the bible so you can't get married and you are going to hell. Um FYI adultery, stealing and being a douche to your parents also violate the Bible. In fact your three are all against the 10 commandments which most Christians at least in NC believe are the only 10 laws of the Bible you have to abide by (except homosexuality) whereas homosexuality isn't even mentioned in the 10 commandments. You can't pick and choose and then oppress people who also pick and choose but have different choices.

I am not talking about murder and stealing and other crimes like that as there have laws on the books about criminal acts for thousands and thousands of years. Those are common sense and religion has nothing to do with that.

The way I feel about this amendment is that okay homosexuality is against the Bible but laws about it are religious based. If we are going to start passing laws and amendments based on a religion we need to ban everything which is banned in the Bible and everything banned in any other religion in the world. That means for men haircuts are illegal and shaving is illegal. We can no longer eat pork or rabbit or beef and any other food banned by any religion. Clothing blended of 2 or more materials is now illegal. Lying: illegal. Treating aliens from other countries badly: illegal. Pre-marital sex: illegal. Alcohol: illegal. Tattoos: illegal. Smoking: illegal. Caffeine: illegal. I think you see where this is going.

The other thing that pisses me off about the amendment is that NC has statutes banning gay marriage already. Most crimes are not mentioned in the Constitutions of any state. By passing this amendment NC as a state has told the world that gay marriage is worse than any crime not mentioned in the constitution. I honestly believe most people realize it isn't worse so my suggestion here is that we need to pass an amendment that includes every criminal law in the state to the constitution.

Well it's bed time so I will go but I may rant more later. One final note I am ashamed to live in NC.

Stupid navy leadership strikes again

Sun, 02 Jan 2011 21:38:46 +0100

I just saw this article and video on the internet about the current CO of the Enterprise when he was the XO. It's about the videos he made to entertain the crew. Here is the link http://hamptonroads.com/2010/12/raunchy-videos-starring-enterprise-skipper-come-light. I personally didn't find the video offensive. Stupid yes but offensive no. I can however see how someone could see them as offensive. I am not here to write about how offensive or inoffensive the video is. The bigger problem I see I when he says people complained about the videos were gutless and didn't tell him face to face. Watching that video it makes me think that if I was offended and went to tell the XO he would just sit there and belittle me to my face. I don't know if that is true as I have never met the man but that is the feeling I get and apparently others felt that way as well and they didn't complain to him personally. That means they probably complained through the Command Managed Equal Opportunity (CMEO) office on the ship. That is the office set up specifically to deal with problems like this. It was pretty obvious to me what he thought of non-aviators which takes it to the realm of EO. But the chain of command did nothing to reprimand him when they got complaints about the videos. In fact he makes a new video calling the complainers gutless and says if they are offended do not watch. We had a similar situation on the George Washington as far as the command not listening to complaints about senior leaders on board and just brushing them aside. That type of situation does not help morale at all as people know they are not being listened to when they have a problem. Had they taken the complaints seriously they could have taken care of this on the ship level without everybody on earth finding out about it. As it stands now it makes the Navy look like a bunch of assholes who don't give two shits about anyone who has a different opinion from leadership (as a former sailor I know that is true but now the rest of the world can see that also). On the GW it reached the point where several of us decided no one on the ship was listening to us and we all started writing congress and they stepped in saying certain people in Reactor were not being treated in accordance with navy regulations. I would like to see what the navy has to say about these videos made on the Enterprise. I may use the same language as him on this blog such as if you find me offensive leave my site but I would never tell my subordinates if you find this video offensive don't watch. That makes it seem like there are so many things to watch on the ship. No there's not much. You have a few AFN channels then the ships channels and when videos made by the chain of command come on the usually shut off the AFN and play the command videos on all the ships channels so they didn't have much else to watch. Plus the fact that it said some of the videos which are played pre-port call (the article says that but I think it may not be 100% accurate) which means, at least on the GW, the ships goes on lock down for the duration of the video and you aren't allowed to walk around...You are supposed to be sitting in front of a TV watching the video so you know how to act in the port you are about to visit. I suppose that that is the problem I see. Videos that anyone can see will offend some people are made and the entire crew is supposed to watch them. So the argument of they didn't have to watch them will stand up pretty well to the general public who has never set foot on a ship but in reality there isn't a lot of choice. Well Time to go. I could keep ranting but I don't feel like it right now.

Sorry about the neglect

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 20:49:41 +0100

Well it's been a few months since I did anything to my blog. But I assumed no one read it and it was mainly a means for me to vent and whatnot. Well today I found out I have subscribers. That was quite surprising. So I figured I would do a little update.

Crystal is pregnant again. We found out a bit ago that it is a boy. He is due 1/11/11. Hopefully he is born at 11:11:11 am because that would be awesome.

Been working at Dupont since May 18th. Life is good out there. No duty, 8 hour days, no going to sea, and overtime. I haven't had to work overtime yet but if I do I get paid. It was a bit of a change going from the Navy's definition of safety to their definition of safety. The navy is more like pseudo safety where stuff is done to make you think you are being safe but not really.

Oh found out this week that Matthew is going to Iraq for a year as a civilian contractor. Hopefully nothing happens to him over there. On the bright side he should get paid enough over there to finish his degree when he gets back.

I'm sure there is more going on but meh.

Update on post Navy life

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:20:53 +0100

So since getting out of the navy life has been pretty busy. I have filed for unemployment and applied for numerous jobs. I have taken a test for a job at DuPont. I have been gardening and started a new bonsai then my old bonsai died. All my herbs and most of my peppers have sprouted. But the thing that has lifted the most weight off my shoulders is yesterday I had my interview with DuPont. There was 3 applicants and we got a tour of the facility followed by a panel interview. This morning I was laying in bed when the phone rang. It was the hiring manager offering me a job. I start in 2.5 weeks. I was a little worried about supporting my family even though I knew before leaving Japan I had this job interview but I still had the underlying worry of what if I don't get the job. After talking to people at the plant yesterday and all the looking into DuPont it looks to be a great company to work for and the people seem really nice. Also this is the company that invented Kevlar which is used by our troops in combat and I will work for any company that develops product to keep our troops, police and firemen safe. Well I think that will be it for now as it is dinner time. Also Sophia is keeping me entertained by chasing the cat around the house.

Finally out

Sat, 13 Nov 2010 17:00:18 +0100

So I finally made it out of the navy. I honestly can't say whether I would do it again given the chance. Yeah it wasn't especially fun but it has helped me in ways outside of the navy and it helped me be a great judge of character but again I had to deal with a whole ton of BS for the last 4 years of it. I am definitely glad to finally be done with it. I have one other thing to say in case a certain person ever googles his name. MMCS Thane Allan Douglas... I Won. You are stronger than me neither mentally or physically. You had zero effect on the outcome of my career. I was discharged as a second class petty officer from the US Navy at my EAOS Honorably. I would change my ways if I was you. Karma's a bitch and she will catch you eventually and there is a lot to make up for.Oh and stop putting up the tough guy facade we all know it's fake and it isn't scary so just stop. Contact me at my email if you would like to contradict any of this

Leaving Japan

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 08:44:29 +0100

I should be leaving Japan finally on Thursday the 18th. Then I get to spend a week and a half or so in Bangor, WA before the navy flies me back to Idaho. I will be in ID for a few days before finally returning to my family in Winterville, NC. Things are really looking up for this branch of the family tree. I have a very good job opportunity which I should interview for shortly after returning home but if I don't get that job I will just start school this fall with the GI Bill. If I get the job I will do some night classes more than likely depending on the schedule. I haven't smoked for about a month now so I have to say this Chantix is really working for me. I have only had a few urges to smoke lately but I just know the nicotine won't hit me so I don't smoke. I can't wait to get back home to Crystal and Sophia. I miss them so much. Oh I also picked up some souvenirs yesterday I think people will like them but time will tell. For all my locksport friends out there the return to NC also means the return to lockpicking for me so I will finally be back to work on the Protec and trying to get it opened a second time. I haven't made a new pick yet but by waiting not only will I be back to the original pick I made but I will have full access to my tools which means I can try a tip design I saw on LP101 and see if that will make this repeatable.

Global Warming, Ice caps melt people die!!!!!! or not?

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:31:24 +0100

So I had just finished cleaning rooms at work today and was sitting in the office on a break when I had my first stoke of brilliance that I knew I needed to write down since about 2005 or 2006 and here it is:
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As ocean levels begin to rise when the ice caps melt the people of the world should grab any plastic container with a seal-able lid they can find, the bigger the better. These containers are then filled with water and sealed. After the sealing you just bury the bottle underground. Everyone should continue doing this until either A) global warming ends and the ocean levels stabilize, B) the ice caps fully melt, or C) humanity runs out of containers. Next we shall discuss the theory behind the solution.

The earth is approximately 70% water and 30% land. Which means that for every foot we get the global water levels to drop the elevation of all the land on earth will go up approximately 2.4 feet. This number is actually higher because I am not accounting for the volume which is occupied by the plastic and the air pockets between the containers. So even if there is not enough containers to collect water the entire time the ice caps are melting the substantial increase in elevation of all the continents should more than negate the level the ocean rises preventing flooding.

One argument that came up is there may not be enough soil on land to cover all this plastic. There is an easy fix for that. Just dredge the oceans and use that soil to bury the containers. This will do three things for us: 1) this will make the oceans deeper meaning there is more room in the ocean for water without flooding, 2) it will provide something to get hide the inherent shininess of many types of plastic (if we don't get rid of the shininess nothing will ever get done because as we all know people are very a...ttract...ed....to…ooooo look shiny), and 3) the volume of the dirt dredged from the ocean will help increase our elevation faster saving some plastic for man-kind which as we now know cannot have a meaningful life without easy access to bottled water. We could also use the spare plastic to pollute the earth even more since when all is said and done we have eliminated the threat of mass extinction caused by ocean levels rising sue to Global
Warming.

If the government is still concerned that we will all die a horrible death of drowning then we can just not increase the elevations of useless places (e.g. uninhabited islands, China, Wyoming, Great Britain and other equally uninteresting places).

Since we have now effectively stopped the threat of global warming you can just sit back, through plastic in the regular trash (full of water of course) and enjoy that icy cold bottle of Evian…you've earned it.
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All that I edited between the above version and my handwritten version was minor ordering of words and changing shorthand to longhand. I admit it may not be up to par with the winching the moon to the earth to end world hunger that I figured out and drew up plans for back in 2005 or 2006 but it's up there.

On a different I am almost 1 week cigarette free. Well I took 2 puffs on Saturday or Sunday but couldn't stand it so I threw away the cigarette and went back inside. Today I noticed for the first time that I am actually starting to feel more like my old self (before the ship) than I have in a long time (and by that I mean more optimistic and though not any less sore than usual I just feel better), most of it is caused by the fact that I get to leave Japan very soon and I think part of that is the nicotine working its way out of my system. I can not wait to leave Japan and start the journey back to my amazing wife and beautiful daughter. I miss them so much but just a little bit longer and I will be home for good.

Crystal I don't know if you read this but I love you!!!!!!!

No smoking please

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:16:00 +0100

So last week I started taking the stop smoking pill Chantix and today is my official quit date where I actually try to quit smoking. I hope this works as I really don't like smoking and it is expensive as hell. The drug works by blocking the nicotine receptors in the brain so you don't feel the effects of the nicotine and it releases a small amount of dopamine (the "reward" hormone) throughout the day to make up for the decrease in dopamine release (nicotine causes your body to release the reward hormone). By doing this the theory is that you will eventually be like "Smoking is doing nothing for me anymore" and you just stop smoking. After reading a lot about the medicine and talking to my doctor this is supposed to be the most effective quit smoking medication on the market today. Even in my week of building up to the full doses I have already notice a dramatic decrease in the amount I am smoking. Last week I was still smoking a pack a day give or take a few cigarettes. Right now it is 9 pm on Thursday and I have only smoked 2.4 packs since Monday morning. Before the medicine I would be starting my fifth pack on this week right about this time. I am hopeful that this works. I know Crystal and I have talked about quitting smoking when I get out of the navy and I think it will be easier for her to quit if I am there smoke-free for only a month and a half to help encourage her not to light up. Well I hope this works. If my next few entries seem angry and extremely bitter don't worry that is just withdrawals. Well I think I am going to go to bed but first I am going to smoke (I know I know its my quit date but I have gone 4.5 hours without a cigarette and for someone who used to average more than 1 cigarette an hour while awake that's pretty good and the cravings are getting strong and I know I am going to get no pleasure from this cigarette and its just a matter of habit). On another note if anyone can think of a hobby which I can carry around with me in a pocket which I can use to help replace the motions of smoking I am open to suggestions. I am thinking of making a couple new picks and getting a kwikset at the exchange so when I need a short break at work or get a sudden craving I can pull them out and start picking.

Stephen King

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 05:28:18 +0100

I just finished reading "Under the Dome" by Stephen King and it made me realize why I like most of his books so much. Most of his books are 99% building up to the climax then 1% resolution and conclusion. He doesn't answer all the questions which leaves the reader wondering the rest and wanting more. It keeps us coming back. I suppose thats the same reason I like Lost and Heroes they spend a season or in the case of Lost, the whole series, building up and conclude at the very end with questions unanswered. Meh oh well just some random thoughts.

Stupid people

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:45:59 +0100

In case no one told any of the people who read this blog. Anything I say about anyone in this blog is my OPINION. If I rant about certain things you aren't good at it doesn't mean you are a bad person and I dislike you I am just saying there are some things that could use some work. I had some people on the ship that I hated working for but outside of work we would hang out without issue but at work there were issues. I love my daughter but even though I have never seen her in a leadership position but I would imagine she is not a very good leader. It's not her fault though she just hasn't been taught how to lead people. Rather than just telling me I am lying take a look at situations from the fly on the wall perspective. I have had quite a few people comment to me in person agreeing with me about my opinions in a certain post so maybe just maybe some of the things I say actually make sense. I also realize that I may share a few traits that I dislike in other people and I am willing to accept that. I will not deny it and call you a liar but I will think back about the past and try to look at what you are saying from your point of view. I refuse to apologize for things that I said that offended people in this blog. It's my opinion and how things look from my point of view. If what I say offends you then you don't have to read it. That's the great thing about the USA I have freedom of speech and you have the freedom to not listen to what I have to say. Oh and this is a response to a certain person: you can't judge a persons leadership ability based on what their uniform looks like you have to talk to people who have worked for them and with them. Most of my opinions about a persons leadership ability are not based solely on what I have seen but on what your subordinates and equals say behind your back so don't call me chickenshit and pussy because I post them on the internet (a public viewing forum). I at least had balls enough to say what I have to say in a public place where you or anyone can read it instead of talking shit behind your back and keeping everything bottled inside where you have no idea what I think like many of the people I have talked to who helped form the basis of my opinions. Again I say things like your ability to lead people have nothing to do with who you are as a person in general. Also the things talked about in this website are opinions and if you don't agree with them and you are just going to get angry and say you want to beat the shit out of me feel free to click here and don't come back here again. But if you are open minded and willing to see what other people are thinking and perhaps try to learn from those thoughts feel free to visit again.