Well. I’m undertaking a new scientific endeavor. In the name of science. And stuff.
OK project time GO:

Right now, I’m working on crafting myself a full face helmet. Because it’s a prototype, it’s only going to be fiberglass and resin, because I’m not dropping the dough on kevlar. Later on, I’ll get into those things; testing the density/weight of kevlar and fiberglass weaves, to find the strongest combination. REGARDLESS. Full face, wrap-around-da-head helmet. Going to put some small fans up down by the chin, aiming upward, to keep the person inside cool. Because them shits get hot. Put a small voice-amplification device in it, perhaps with a coaxial output to a PRC-117 radio for comms -because I know how hard it is for people to understand me with a gas mask on, and this helmet will probably be worse.

Then I’m going to wire in some other useful electronics, without sacrificing its light weight or comfort. Honestly, that’s the part where it gets tough; there’s a lot of tech I’d want to include. I mean, sniper detection systems are getting smaller and lighter, might be able to squeeze one of those in there. It would be nice to know where you’re getting shot from. A HUD would be easily implemented. My goal is to make the perfect helmet for the battlefield soldier; so many of these projects are currently going on in the private military sector, but what’s to keep me from trying my hand at it? Maybe I’ve thought of things nobody else has.

The main problem is, the DoD is trying really hard right now to be able to improve on the survive-ability of men in combat, while still keeping well within our budget. Usually, it winds up being that the budget takes priority, because honestly, our lives aren’t even worth that much -400k, to be exact. But seriously, do you know how much less it would cost to test, field, and produce a newer, safer, more efficient combat helmet, than it would cost to pay the death gratuity for 39 men killed-in-action? That’s how many of my fellow service members have died this month, in case you were wondering. 39 good men. That’s over 15 million dollars that the gov’t has paid out to mourning families because their son/brother/husband/father is dead, when they probably could have dropped five million on R&D to get some better body armor.

That’s why I’ll just do this R&D myself, with my own wages.

Hey there my tumblreses… People. Last weekend I moved to Oceanside, California, and I’m finally getting settled in to the place. It’s not bad! Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is huge, though, and I’m still figuring the installation out. ANYWAY. Any of you know of some good tattoo shops and artists in the area?

No, this isn’t about the cartoon show -which looks cool, but I’ve never seen an episode, because, you know, I live under a rock and shit.

NO, my friends and followers, this is about my NEXT BIG ADVENTURE.

ER, my CURRENT BIG ADVENTURE!

I’m driving from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (my hometown, where I was hanging out during my PCS leave) to Camp Pendleton, California (my next duty station, where I’ll be a mindless peon for 1st Intelligence Battalion) and I’m making a TIME LAPSE VIDEO of the entire trip, using my super awesome HD video camera.

So yeah, in a week or so, expect to see that shit all OVER the internet, because I’m going to pimp it like my name is Slickback. 

I’ve been waiting to come home to south Florida for the last two years, and now that I’m finally here… my feelings are mixed.

It’s  great to see old friends again. The hugs, the handshakes, the rekindling… The nostalgia. But I feel like there’s something missing. It’s just odd. I had a fantastic night last night at my good friend Will’s place, partaking in the famed “Beer Night” for which his abode is well known, as well as the spontaneous trip to Sonic that we used to embark upon often so many years ago… But then I awoke this morning, drove home, walked in my door to an empty home -and felt so very alone. I had nothing to do, nobody to see. I’m not used to this!

I need some kind of balance and structure in my life, something or someone to give me a reason to wake up in the morning -and until I need to report in to my next duty station, I’m scared that I won’t be entitled to that. Everybody either has a job or educational obligations, and here I am, a man on vacation in his own home.

Where is my motivation.

So this is my last Tuesday on Okinawa. Pretty rad. I’ll be flying out of here sometime on Saturday morning -I’ll know precisely when that will be as soon as I pick my tickets up from the IPAC tomorrow.

Kinda’ freaks me out. I’ve been on this rock for the last two years of my life -April 24th, 2010, to be precise, was my exact date of arrival with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. I don’t really know the proper way to express how I feel about all of it. I’ve changed so much as a person/Marine/nerd, and it’s improved me greatly as a whole. The experiences I’ve had were incredible, and though at times it was shitty beyond description, the good times far outweighed the bad.

I was in the Philippines before and after Typhoon Megi, and I saw just how badly the forces of nature affect countries that aren’t as prepared as the US is, technologically, for such natural disasters, and how well equipped the people of the Philippines are to surviving.

I served, in part, as an ambassador to the people of Hong Kong, and was afforded a rare chance to take in the culture of their society.

I visited Thailand, and experienced both the raw life and unchecked indulgence of Pattaya, and the surreal lifestyle of the Buddhist monks in Bangkok -and the rich diversity of the same city.

I witnessed the true power of nature as theTōhoku Earthquake in 2011 laid waste to most of mainland Japan. The ship I was serving aboard was moored in Malaysia at the time, and we were immediately recalled to head full-steam towards Japan to participate in Operation Tomodachi. The resilience and resolve of the Japanese people is incredible, and I truly don’t think anything could prevent them from doing what needs to be done when the journey of life becomes difficult.

I had the vacation of my life in Bali, Indonesia, and enjoyed both the thrill of white water rafting through a dense jungle, and the excitement of club hopping in the Kuta and Legian districts.

These are just a few of the occasions that stand out among the rest, and it would be impossible for me to mention them all. The Marines I’ve had the honor of serving beside have also been some of the best friends a man could hope to have -and sharing the experiences with them made them all the more memorable.

However, that is now the past, and I have an incredible future to look forward to! Exciting career opportunities, new friends, new relationships. Going back to America will be like being reborn as a new man. Two years in the womb we call Japan is a long time to grow -and now I’m ready to experience what else life has to offer me. See you all stateside.

Stormtrooper OUT. 

I know I’ve posted something similar to this before, but I think it merits restating -I really don’t like dependents. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of dependents that I do like. The wives and offspring of the Marines I’ve had the pleasure of working beside were some fantastic people. But there are some that are just awful, particularly in the other branches. All the wives that think they merit their husband’s rank, all the kids that think they’re entitled to the world -it all pisses me off to no end. Just because your husband or your daddy works his ass off and wears the uniform doesn’t mean you rate the same respect he does -and you certainly don’t have the command that he does.
I’ll probably wind up getting married while I’m in the Corps, and if my wife ever feels like she rates some PFC standing at parade rest while he talks to her…