Steve Geida

I decided to take advantage of an opportunity to visit Steve Geida on my most recent trip to Colorado Springs. I spent a few hours tonight with the Geidas chatting about life in general, investments, and life after the Air Force. I enjoyed a cold Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (Steve's last, unfortunately) while his kids devoured some fudge squares.

To my dismay, Steve has decided to pack his bags, leave the Air Force, and move his family to either Illinois or somewhere back East. I don't know exactly where he'll end up, but I wish him the best of luck. By the way, Steve was one of my suite mates at Officer Training School, and we spent 12 weeks in Alabama living in deplorable asbestos-plagued, practically condemned, 1950's-built hovels. We both ended up in the Space & Missile Career fields. I went space; he went missiles. His follow-on assignment led him through space training at Vandenberg AFB. The above photo was taken upon completion of Steve's training.

Steve, I'll miss you buddy!!!

LAX Encounter

LAX Encounter
It was today that by chance I ran into a friend. Tony Schmidt happened to be boarding the same plane as me, and although I didn’t sit immediately next to him on the flight, we were able to chat for a few minutes after we deplaned. It turns out that Tony was on his way to an overseas deployment. For purposes of exercising good OPSEC, I’ll not disclose the actual location. Apparently his family had already moved to San Antonio to be close to relatives during his one-year hiatus. I’m prompted to write about this chance encounter because of the emotions that I faced seeing him disappear into a crowded terminal at LAX. How would Tony’s family deal with Daddy being gone for a year? With kids similar in age, I asked myself how my family might be in the event of my prolonged absence. Could this be the last time I saw Tony? What if it instead of Tony, it was Ed Harris languidly marching through halls of LAX, headed to an uncertain place, a strange place? It could just as easily be me.
Suddenly, it dawned on me that Tony was going off to secure my freedom, to defend the liberty of his wife, and to preserve the privilege of his children. His departure made me better appreciate those men and women who are in the direct line of fire. I, for one, consider myself fortunate to “NOT” be among them. To the macho-minded, the latter might sound like a pusillanimous remark, but presented with the same circumstances, I too would walk in Tony’s shoes. For now, I am grateful to be able to put my kids to bed, hug them, kiss them goodnight, and enjoy a Starbuck’s Ice Mocha with my wife. Thank you Tony for your sacrifice, and best of luck to your family.

Disgusting filth!

There aren't many news stories that move me. I dare say that the violence in Iraq has somewhat desensitized me over the years. I'm posting in response to an article in CNN.com today (read full article).

A five-year-old Iraqi boy, Youssif, was playing outside when several masked men doused him with gasoline and set him on fire. As a human being, I am aghast. As a parent of a five-year-old boy, I am angry. What kind of animals would commit such a horrific act upon another human being, especially a child? Although grim stories continue to surface from Darfur, it is difficult for me to fathom a more barbaric crime against the innocence of a child. What do such acts say about a mob's cultural beliefs; such disrespect for humankind? I am angry! I am angry! I am angry! What are we dealing with in Iraq? Such culprits are not worthy of life. Calling them savages is too generous. I am ravenous...My rage benefits no one. Instead, help me focus on what we can do to help little Youssif.

CNN.com has posted a link to a charitable organization that will accept donations in Youssif's behalf. I ask that you please open your hearts and consider assisting this precious boy with whatever monetary gift you can provide. I pray that a smile can someday return to Youssif's face. For the love of life, for the love of a scarred child, please open your hearts...

You can make a donation at the foundation's site by clicking here. There's a drop down menu under the "general donation" area that is marked "Youssif's fund."

A day of Tennis

We spent the early afternoon riding our bicycles to the nearby tennis courts. Having free reign of the court, both Chase & Grayson tired themselves out. Grayson made significant strides with his forehand while Chase was content chasing down my service balls (for about two minutes). We stopped at a community park on the way home where the featured obstacle was a set of monkey bars. It's amazing how much strength that kids have. Both Chase & Grayson went what seemed tirelessly back and forth. Feeling pressure to show off my physical prowess, I too was successful in my attempt to make it across (once).

Preseason Football

Cowboys win!

Dallas 31 - Denver 20

O.K. So it is only the Preseason which precedes the Regular season,
which precedes the Post-season. That's what is great about the NFL;
that it's always in season.

Running partner

It appears that I'll have a friend joining me for the Long Beach Marathon on October 14, 2007. After a bit of coercion, Greg Reed has agreed to train with me. The Long Beach Marathon will mark Greg's first 26.2 miler and my second. The course is flat compared to the San Francisco Marathon so we're both enthusiastic about having decent run times. For strengthening, we're still planning on tackling some hills. We've got a 10K run planned for Monday. Needless to say, I'll have to do without Burger King for lunch.

Sprinting

I'm excited to report that today, for the first time, I broke the 20-minute 5K barrier. My official time was 19:58. I suppose that my sprint workouts are starting to pay off. On an different note, for lunch I had a BK Bacon Double Cheeseburger, substituted a side salad for fries with a touch of ranch dressing, and drank a Diet Coke. Yummy!

Rock Climbing

We attended a group picnic today. The kids had a lot of fun in a jumping castle, but the real treat came as we were about to leave. Not thinking that they would allow children under the age of 6 on to a rock climbing wall, we had decided to head home, but not before getting a close-up look at the wall. To the kids' delight, there were harnesses of all sizes available. As you might guess, the kids gave it a go. Unwilling to risk a panic attack associated with my fear of heights, I quickly passed up the opportunity.