Well, it's over...

And we went 3-2 today and loss the championship game. So we rounded out the tournament going 10-2 and came in second place. We also received $25 gift cards to Applebees. Not bad.
Next up is volleyball, we'll have to see how that pans out.

Other than that, everything has been going well here. My daily routine of cleaning government buildings has been going smoothly and I am progressively becoming more adept at running floor buffers and dustmops. I guess someone has to do it, or so I'm told.
I am, however, greatly looking forward to returning to Vt. after being away for 5 months. And though I've been in a lot of interesting places and been able to meet people and make good friends, there is truly no place like home. Merry Christmas.

Happy Birthday Job!

To be honest, I'm really looking forward to seeing this bad boy....

Oops! Vt. school's No. 5 rank a mistake

It's every math teacher's mantra: Check your work.
Apparently, Standard & Poor's didn't........

We improved to 7-0 with two victories today.We are the only undefeated team, the second best is 5-2.

My day...

Cleaned, swept, cleaned again, swept again,took out some trash and oh yeah, cleaned again.
A Chief asked me today "What have you done for your Navy?!" I said, "cleaned"

No one know for sure why people hiccup. A hiccup is caused by the diaphragm going into spasms that change our normal breathing pattern.
As you take in more air in the diaphragm, your mouth and throat are trying to keep air from entering. It becomes a battle between the diaphragm and the mouth and throat. The rush of air hits your vocal cords and makes a "hic" sound. When the diaphragm settles down after a few minutes, breathing becomes normal again and the hiccups are gone.

On this day..

1719 - The first recorded sighting of the Aurora Borealis took place in New England.

"I'm shipping up to Boston"

-Dropkick Murphys-

I'm not a big fan of the screaming but the tune is alright.

The Patriots once again prove to the world that they are the best

34-13 over Pittsburgh, 3 more w's for a perfect season

Ninja Parade Slips Through Town Unnoticed Once Again

December 7th, 1941

" A date that will live in infamy......."

The flags flew at half-mast today.

Could it be?

In my time back at Great Lakes Il, I spent vast amounts of time at the local USO. Fine food, drinks and entertainment, all free. God Bless them. Anyhow, one time I wandered into their library and saw this poster hanging on the wall. It was of Navy Lieutenant Bulkeley and his wife on the porch of the Clarendon Hotel back in 1942. Now I don't know who this guy was but he seemed to be a rather prominent person by what they had about him to read there.

The Clarendon Hotel is a large structure with a rather Victorian-era flare about it. Although now it is little more than a warehouse for antiques, back in it's day it was the place to stay at if you were a well-respected or prominent person.


I have tried to do some research on whether this is the hotel listed on the poster but to no avail. If it indeed is I find it rather ironic to find one's hometown in a place so far away.

The Clarendon Hotel

Well, we improved to 5-0 with 3 wins today. Tuesday is the championship. Bring it on.

Well, my predictions were wrong on the dodgeball tourney, although they weren't entirely baseless. Only 1/2 of my team actually showed up to play and we were combined with another team that were short of their players. We played two matches and won them both so we go into tomorrows quarterfinals 2-0 and as the team to beat.

A dodgeball tournament

We are having a barracks dodgeball tournament starting tomorrow. It is one of those "volounteer/mandatory" events. With the team I'm on, I doubt we'll make it out of the 1st round.

On this day..

I haven't done this in a while....

1775 - John Paul Jones hoisted the first seagoing American flag.

1967 - In Cape Town, South Africa, Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first human
heart transplant, on Louis Washkanski. Washkanski lived 18 days with the new heart.

This passage struck me this morning as I was reading it, verse 5 and 6 have been especially helpful to me in the last year.

Proverbs 3
1 "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.

2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil."

In fits of boredom.....

......I took pictures today....

Two of Ireland's Finest.....