I hope that title doesn't sound too Dooms-Day, because really its Happy-Days, no not the show the reality of days that full of happy, or happiness if you prefer. If I was keeping track, which of course I'm not, then I could tell you that I have 23 days left in the Army before my leave starts and that of those 23 days only 8 of those days are working days. However, as I said before I am not keeping track of that kind of stuff so I don't really know how many days I have left. I must say that leaving the Army is an exciting proposition. I no longer have to deal with insane bosses that have control of every aspect of my life. I will agree that there are most likely there are insane bosses outside of the military as well, however I think that there is a qualitative, if not quantitative, difference in the insane bosses here. It must be that the Army attracts people who like to be able to have a great deal of control with a fairly limited amount of oversight and a population that has little say, few rights, and less knowledge about their rights. I don't want to say that I have hated all the time I have spent in the Army. I would say that there have been some good times and some experiences that I would not trade. The Army has allowed me to be financially independent, has paid off my student loans, has gained me a Masters degree for free, has allowed me to purchase a house, two vehicles, have a baby (again for free), and do things that few people get to do. I feel blessed to have had this opportunity. That being said I am not re-enlisting. To be fair I am getting a commission. Let me explain a little the difference between an enlisted soldier and a Commissioned Officer. An enlisted person performs the menial labor to middle management of the Army. At its most basic level the enlisted soldier is the guy marching, shooting, fighting, dieing, and training every day to do what the Army does. The NCO (what I am currently) supervises and makes sure that the day to day tasks are completed and that the soldiers are able physically an mentally to do what they need to do. The NCO should be a self sacrificing individual who puts the needs of his soldiers above his own, who ensures that his soldiers are held to strict rules, but is fair in applying corrective actions. The Officer is the management and planning. They develop the goals the NCO's implement, they decide what the goals for the unit are and develop the standards of the unit. Officer's are the white collar workers, Enlisted are the blue collar workers.
As I said I am taking a commission, but its in the reserves. I like to think of the reserves as doing the Army as a hobby. Right now I do the Army as a job, but in the reserves I get to act like a soldier one weekend a month, couple weeks a year, you know like a hobby. But like with all hobbies, there is the possibility that I will have to it professionally for a time, 15 months or so. I talk a lot about the Army on this page a lot I guess. Mostly I think its because there is so much interesting culture that is specific to the Army, and the Military in general. As it so happens I now am leaving, and am very happy to being doing so. My last few weeks I get more time off to take care of the things I need to do and to set myself up for the next step in my life. I have been fortunate in the Army, more fortunate than most, and get to leave intact in body, mind, and soul. Thanks Uncle Sam, and thanks for stopping by.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
C'est le vie
That's life. I was thinking earlier about life, and what people do in life. When I started to define what it is in life that matters, and when I look back on my life the things that make me happy are the memories I have of events, of conversations, of places I have been and amazing things I have seen. I guess what that means to me is that I don't often look back on my life and smile with fond recollection that specific sitcom I saw three years ago and think how great it was to sit on my couch and watch it while slowly sipping my flavored soft drink.
The more I think about what counts in life the more I realize the value of activity. There is a certain immediate gratification in watching TV and being lazy. It allows you the comfort of inactivity. You say to yourself "I'm relaxing, and I need to relax because what I do is hard work and I need to not work hard all the time." That's okay I guess, I've seen some stirring movies and would consider some to be art and was glad for the time I spent watching them, but I have also seen Rush Hour 1 and 2.
I think about the time that I have wasted and feel a little bad, there have been so many opportunities in my life for a quality experience that I chose not to partake in or did not go out of my way to find. Then I think of people who do less than I do and it makes me feel bad for them, even worse I guess. I'm not trying to say I do everything great and that other people are huge retards wandering around being stupid (though there may be a certain element of truth to this). However people seem to consistently choose not to be involved in things of meaning and not to find experiences that will fulfill them in some deeper way. I don't expect that everyone ought to go rush off and see the Eiffel Tower, tour Europe, or see the Bridges of Madison County (the real things not the movie, though I understand the movie is good too (good job Clint)), but I am sure that there is some wilderness out nearby every ones house, or at least within a relatively short commute. Go to it and look around. Yes there will be bugs there, yes sometime you will sweat But if you live the entirety of your life with the sole purpose of avoiding sweat and bugs then you have had a sad existence. There is too much life to live and sweat, blood, tears, laughter, joy, sorrow, and pain all make up life. I don't think you need to go around being a masochist or anything but at least once I think we all ought to go on an adventure. Whether the adventure is alone, with friends, or with family I don't care but a life without some excitement, without some challenge or danger is not a life. In art, and in life, contrast is important. If there is not enough contrast you can't make out what it is your looking at. If you don't have the contrast of sorrow with joy you will never know how good joy feels. that's just my two cents, thanks for stopping by.
The more I think about what counts in life the more I realize the value of activity. There is a certain immediate gratification in watching TV and being lazy. It allows you the comfort of inactivity. You say to yourself "I'm relaxing, and I need to relax because what I do is hard work and I need to not work hard all the time." That's okay I guess, I've seen some stirring movies and would consider some to be art and was glad for the time I spent watching them, but I have also seen Rush Hour 1 and 2.
I think about the time that I have wasted and feel a little bad, there have been so many opportunities in my life for a quality experience that I chose not to partake in or did not go out of my way to find. Then I think of people who do less than I do and it makes me feel bad for them, even worse I guess. I'm not trying to say I do everything great and that other people are huge retards wandering around being stupid (though there may be a certain element of truth to this). However people seem to consistently choose not to be involved in things of meaning and not to find experiences that will fulfill them in some deeper way. I don't expect that everyone ought to go rush off and see the Eiffel Tower, tour Europe, or see the Bridges of Madison County (the real things not the movie, though I understand the movie is good too (good job Clint)), but I am sure that there is some wilderness out nearby every ones house, or at least within a relatively short commute. Go to it and look around. Yes there will be bugs there, yes sometime you will sweat But if you live the entirety of your life with the sole purpose of avoiding sweat and bugs then you have had a sad existence. There is too much life to live and sweat, blood, tears, laughter, joy, sorrow, and pain all make up life. I don't think you need to go around being a masochist or anything but at least once I think we all ought to go on an adventure. Whether the adventure is alone, with friends, or with family I don't care but a life without some excitement, without some challenge or danger is not a life. In art, and in life, contrast is important. If there is not enough contrast you can't make out what it is your looking at. If you don't have the contrast of sorrow with joy you will never know how good joy feels. that's just my two cents, thanks for stopping by.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
ARMY ARMY ARMY ARMY ARMY!
I have talked about cadence in the past. The mysterious semi-singing form of communication that keeps soldiers a-truckin. I was once told a story that at a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) school a guy was told to do cadence to march the platoon someplace. He responded "I don't know any cadence." They told him "make one up." So he said "A is for Army, R is for Army, M is for Army, Y is for Army." Followed by "ARMYARMYARMYARMYARMY!" At the top of his lungs as fast as possible. This story has nothing to do with why I am writing today.
It was 0300 and I was sleeping on my couch. You see on Thursday I had discovered my toe had become infected, it was black and horrible. I went in to the ER and the Dr. sliced it open and gave me some drugs and told me not to go to work the next day. I was also supposed to keep my foot up. That was why I was on my couch. So there I am sleeping peacefully on my couch when my phone begins to humm its gentle melody. So I answer the phone, as has become my habit. "SGT Crozier, you need to go to the AOD desk and report to the SDNCO ASAP, one of your buildings is unsecured. I tried to call your counterparts but they were unavailable so you will need to go in until they relieve you."
"What?"
"You need to get in ACU's and go to the AOD, now!"
"I'm on Percaset."
"Are you trying to pull a fast one on me? Because you're slip said you were off of duty for 24 hours and its been over 27 hours, so you should have no excuse not to be able to go into work."
So here I am. An AOD is like the Hospital's night watch. They mostly sit and answer phones. The SDNCO is the Staff Duty NCO. They wander around post and make sure all the buildings are locked. As it turns out, one building was not locked. So, because this building was unlocked I was asked to go and sit in it until someone came to lock. I didn't have a key, but I am a soldier with a damaged foot. Right now it is 0530, on a Saturday and it is raining outside in drought ridden North Carolina. It is times like these that I am glad that I only have 2 more weeks of work as an active duty United States soldier. Don't get me wrong, the Army has been good to me and I have been pretty good to the Army. However these are the times when I think how stupid some of the things we do are, and how petty people can be about things we have no control over.
The moral of the story: If you are in the Army and they have not issued you a phone, don't answer it when it rings.
It was 0300 and I was sleeping on my couch. You see on Thursday I had discovered my toe had become infected, it was black and horrible. I went in to the ER and the Dr. sliced it open and gave me some drugs and told me not to go to work the next day. I was also supposed to keep my foot up. That was why I was on my couch. So there I am sleeping peacefully on my couch when my phone begins to humm its gentle melody. So I answer the phone, as has become my habit. "SGT Crozier, you need to go to the AOD desk and report to the SDNCO ASAP, one of your buildings is unsecured. I tried to call your counterparts but they were unavailable so you will need to go in until they relieve you."
"What?"
"You need to get in ACU's and go to the AOD, now!"
"I'm on Percaset."
"Are you trying to pull a fast one on me? Because you're slip said you were off of duty for 24 hours and its been over 27 hours, so you should have no excuse not to be able to go into work."
So here I am. An AOD is like the Hospital's night watch. They mostly sit and answer phones. The SDNCO is the Staff Duty NCO. They wander around post and make sure all the buildings are locked. As it turns out, one building was not locked. So, because this building was unlocked I was asked to go and sit in it until someone came to lock. I didn't have a key, but I am a soldier with a damaged foot. Right now it is 0530, on a Saturday and it is raining outside in drought ridden North Carolina. It is times like these that I am glad that I only have 2 more weeks of work as an active duty United States soldier. Don't get me wrong, the Army has been good to me and I have been pretty good to the Army. However these are the times when I think how stupid some of the things we do are, and how petty people can be about things we have no control over.
The moral of the story: If you are in the Army and they have not issued you a phone, don't answer it when it rings.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Investing like a fool
I don't want people to think that I'm some retard here who's just prattling around about money and whatnot. I have an MBA and I had a focus on finance. This means I'm a retard with a degree. That aside I think the idea of people investing in stocks unassisted is silly. Here is my problem; investing is a competitive venture, it is also (to a certain extent) a gamble. Of course the more diversified your portfolio the less risk you have by nature of the beast, but it is still a gamble. When I say it is a gamble I don't mean like roulette or blackjack, or even a slot machine, those are games that the house has a percentage on every time. No I'm talking poker, and professional poker at that.
The reason I say this is because there are people who invest for a living. That is there one and only job, they wake up and keep close tabs on the market and they make money. As a private investor you think "I can invest just as well as some wall-street jerk!" and you choose to enter the game. The problem, much like with a poker hustler, is that you can win. I say this is a problem because by getting a few good picks you think your smart stuff, in much the same way that any one can be dealt a winning hand and beat the pro you have beaten those wall-street jerks.
The problem becomes that in the long run you don't have the time to invest in keeping up with day traders because you have a job, or don't have the resources to get the information they have. So here you are trying to compete with the best and the brightest in their field because you have Internet access and a program that "tells you when to buy and sell". It's ridiculous.
What I say is get a professional, sure do your research make sure that your investment adviser isn't an idiot (much like you would want to make sure you have a competent doctor, attorney, or drug dealer). If you have a competent person working for you they will be able to do professionally what you do as a hobby, and in the end I think you will be happier with the end result. The reality is if you purchase stock on your own or with an adviser you will have to pay commission fee's, there is no way around it. So why not pay commission fee's to someone who is invested in helping yo to invest?
The reason I say this is because there are people who invest for a living. That is there one and only job, they wake up and keep close tabs on the market and they make money. As a private investor you think "I can invest just as well as some wall-street jerk!" and you choose to enter the game. The problem, much like with a poker hustler, is that you can win. I say this is a problem because by getting a few good picks you think your smart stuff, in much the same way that any one can be dealt a winning hand and beat the pro you have beaten those wall-street jerks.
The problem becomes that in the long run you don't have the time to invest in keeping up with day traders because you have a job, or don't have the resources to get the information they have. So here you are trying to compete with the best and the brightest in their field because you have Internet access and a program that "tells you when to buy and sell". It's ridiculous.
What I say is get a professional, sure do your research make sure that your investment adviser isn't an idiot (much like you would want to make sure you have a competent doctor, attorney, or drug dealer). If you have a competent person working for you they will be able to do professionally what you do as a hobby, and in the end I think you will be happier with the end result. The reality is if you purchase stock on your own or with an adviser you will have to pay commission fee's, there is no way around it. So why not pay commission fee's to someone who is invested in helping yo to invest?
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
On finance
Now that I've gotten that other terrible post out of the way I would like to wax economic for a moment. People are very concerned about the economy and about the value of the dollar and about all kinds of money things right now. Well I can tell you that its not all bad. In reality things are okay, no they are not as good as they were a little while ago, and yes some people are having trouble. However most people feel that they are doing okay financially, but think everyone else is having trouble. What that means is that most people are not being hurt by the current market conditions. That aside, this is an excellent opportunity for people who felt that the market was getting too expensive to invest. There is really a lot about the economics that I would like to talk about, but it would probably be too tedious to read. So I will talk for a moment about good ideas.
1: It is a good idea to save money. I know this seems silly to say, but when Americans spent more than they made last year it makes me wonder about whether people realize this. I like those feed the pig ads, because the pig smacks the guys hand when he tries to buy a TV (haha). but its true save some money. If you save $200 a month then that would save $2400 a year. At that rate you would (accounting for a certain level of investment) be a millionaire in about 40 or so years.
2: DON'T PUT IT ALL IN SAVING! I know it can be tempting to have a gigantic savings account with all this money straining the seams of your bank account, but don't. This is a mistake more people make than I had realized. Now I am not saying that people need to go nuts and buy every new stock that comes out, but if a person were to own 20 stocks (or one mutual fund account) they would have enough diversification to save them selves from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and be a reasonably wealthy person who could one day retire.
3: ride a bike. I'm starting to run out of advice here, but this seemed like a good idea. If you ride a bike more often you will be a strong person, and have more money not being spent on your 2003 four-door F-150 that drains $300 from your bank account every month...grrr.
Well there you go, I hope you have enjoyed this little tid-bit. This post isn't much better than the last one really...ugh.
1: It is a good idea to save money. I know this seems silly to say, but when Americans spent more than they made last year it makes me wonder about whether people realize this. I like those feed the pig ads, because the pig smacks the guys hand when he tries to buy a TV (haha). but its true save some money. If you save $200 a month then that would save $2400 a year. At that rate you would (accounting for a certain level of investment) be a millionaire in about 40 or so years.
2: DON'T PUT IT ALL IN SAVING! I know it can be tempting to have a gigantic savings account with all this money straining the seams of your bank account, but don't. This is a mistake more people make than I had realized. Now I am not saying that people need to go nuts and buy every new stock that comes out, but if a person were to own 20 stocks (or one mutual fund account) they would have enough diversification to save them selves from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and be a reasonably wealthy person who could one day retire.
3: ride a bike. I'm starting to run out of advice here, but this seemed like a good idea. If you ride a bike more often you will be a strong person, and have more money not being spent on your 2003 four-door F-150 that drains $300 from your bank account every month...grrr.
Well there you go, I hope you have enjoyed this little tid-bit. This post isn't much better than the last one really...ugh.
April Fool's!
This man is a FoolIn this post I will not fool you, or at the very least try not to fool you. Let me say that I will not knowingly fool anyone within the confines of this length of text. I think that it is nice to know that there will be one place you can look to today and realize that what you see is what you get, and that no trickery will be about. I would like to talk for a minute about what April Fool's day is. Or rather that I don't know what it is. Where did this festivity arise from? Why is is here? Why does that man look so stupid. For the sake of integrity, and so that I do not make it seem as though I am trying to fool anyone, I do not know who that man is, and I don't recall where I found the picture. What I can tell you is that it struck me so profoundly in its vivid colors and idiocy that I would have felt remiss if I did not capture it immediately. I am very bad at April Fools day pranks, I will say something like "your shoe is untied april fools." all one sentence without any pauses, and it is not funny. This is perhaps the least interesting post I feel I have written on this page. I think I will stop now before it gets any worse.
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