Ok, 2005 was a big year for me: I was transferred from Colorado Springs to England, and from there I deployed for 140 days to Qatar (though that actually finished up in 2006). I said goodbye to two really great friends in Colorado (Clint and Phil who may never actually see this), spent some time in St. Louis, and then it was off to England, where I didn't have a place to live let alone Internet access for a few months. England is great - I love the history and tradition and pastoral scenes and quaint villages and mighty castles and so on... I got settled in to my new job pretty quickly, and I really enjoyed it until I deployed in late summer. Deployment was rough; I'll leave it at that. This is by far shortest year blog-wise because of my lack of Internet access in the spring and deployment in the fall. No doubt you'll manage to hold yourselves together, though.

Friday, 22 July, 2005

I'm in Charlottesville, VA, for a couple of weeks for the contracts course at the Army JAG School, and then I'm off to Shaw AFB near Sumter, SC, for a deployment orientation course. I'll be back in England on 13 Aug. I may or may not be able to update my page very much while I'm gone. Friends, I did receive some emails before I left but did not have a chance to respond since I accidentally killed my computer a week ago. Oh well. Also, I was not in London when it was bombed, so I'm ok. BTW, I'm deploying this fall, leaving in early September and returning in late January.

Friday, 15 July, 2005

Attention: A Christian is a follower of Christ - that is, one who accepts Him as Lord and Savior, one who serves and obeys Him - Christ as revealed in the Bible. Those who believe something other than this (or who believe something in addition to the Bible) should not refer to themselves as Christians. Thank you.

Saturday, 9 July, 2005

I went paintballing today - woohoo! Tons of fun.
I thought perhaps I had coined a new phrase when I said, "Easily gained; lightly esteemed." But after a bit of research, it turns out Thomas Paine (speaking of the Revolutionary War) put it rather more eloquently: "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated. ..."

Tuesday, 5 July, 2005

I'm home after a good time in Latvia and a great time in Lithuania! More than you ever wanted to know will be posted when I get around to writing the story.
Travel Tip: When ordering from a foreign language menu, order something from the mid-range of prices. Too low and you get something you wouldn't want; too high and you get a local "delicacy" you really wouldn't want! The mid-range is something everyone in the country enjoys (and if you don't, at least you didn't break the bank for it).

Thursday, 30 June, 2005

Well, tomorrow I'm off to Latvia and Lithuania for our 4-day weekend!
No doubt you've already noticed that I added a new travel story to my Writings page.
Happy (early) Independence Day! Light a bottle rocket for me!

Sunday, 26 June, 2005

Woot!  I'm back, and this time I've got DSL! Not that it will help me post more frequently than dialup, but - no, wait - I think it actually might. I think I will use my computer more often with DSL than dialup, and if I'm using my computer more often, I am more likely to post more frequent updates.

So, I'm having a good time in England; more to follow soon. Really.

Monday, May 30, 2005

Ok, here's the deal: I do not yet have Internet access at home and probably won't for at least a couple more weeks. This means I have to update my page at work (a no-no) or at the library (quite difficult). That's the holdup. I would get Internet access more quickly if I could. But I can't. I'll be sure to shout it from the rooftops when I do. In the meantime, you could check out some vintage Matt. Or read a book. Also, I just took a trip to Estonia for the 3-day weekend and had a great time.

Sunday, February 6, 2005

Well, I'm packing up my computer tonight for the movers who come on Tuesday. So, this could be my last entry until my stuff arrives in England sometime in mid-April. Or I may update it from time to time from other computers between now and then (this seems likely). Also, my last day at Peterson AFB is Friday, 11 Feb, and I drive home to St. Louis on Monday, 14 Feb. Then, I'll fly to England on 25 Feb 05. Friends in Colorado, I will miss you.
Also, I won an office chili dog eating contest on Wednesday.

Saturday, January 29, 2005

I was on tv this week! I was in the field commanding troops on an exercise, and two television news crews showed up to report on the exercise. I was interviewed by local news channels 5 and 11, and I was on the evening and morning news! I was only on answering a couple questions (Wednesday night and Thursday morning), but for the rest of the week, people came up to me saying, "I saw you on tv." It was fun. I should be able to get a tape of it next week.

Friday, January 21, 2005

I won my case on Wednesday! I got everything I asked for (4 months confinement, a bad conduct discharge, and reduction to E-1), and the judge said I made an outstanding argument! Huzzah!

Sunday, January 16, 2005

Well, Jeanine is driving to St. Louis from DC today and tomorrow. Right now she's in western PN staying in a hotel for the night while praying the snow clears up tomorrow.

Tuesday, January 10, 2005

"Hey, someone signed this post "god's gift to hotpants.'"
"Hm, I doubt if that's true."
"I agree."
And so on...
"Dr. Kasza defeats his nemesis Supercrap and makes the kitchen safe for utensils once again."
And so forth...

Wednesday, January 5, 2005

Hi all; it's cold and snowy in the Springs and very busy at work. I had a great time at home, and now I'm starting to (slowly) wrap things up here. I'm still being transferred to England, but I can be diverted at any point until I'm actually at my new office (at which point I could still be transferred elsewhere, but it's usually too much of a bother).

I think you can probably figure out these links on your own:

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