2011 Saga

 

 

I last blogged in December & I had thought at the time that I would be back on 2o2p in force.  That was until the Navy told me in January that I would be going on yet another deployment to the Middle East starting on February 2nd.  I spent my last month at home visiting friends & family & preparing myself for another prolonged period of time away from my personal life, continuing my life at work.  And nowhere is there more of a clear line between personal & professional then the military.

I left home in February headed to the Western Pacific.  it wasn't long after we arrived that multiple earthquakes, a tsunami & a nuclear meltdown devastated the island of Japan.  The first United States military ship on scene was the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, the same ship I've spent the last three years aboard.  During our stay off the shore of Japan, we provided search & rescue, food & water, medical supplies & countless donated clothes & toys for the displaced Japanese living in abandoned schools & hospitals.  There wasn't any electricity or heat or running water & it was still snowing outside.  As the nearby nuclear power plant fell apart on itself, we were the victims, along with the stranded Japanese, of radiation exposure.  The Navy deemed our efforts "Operation Tomodachi" or FRIEND in Japanese. 

After a little more than a month, we were in the Arabian Gulf providing direct support for troops on the ground in Afghanistan, otherwise known as Operation Enduring Freedom.  As Soldiers, Sailors & Marines came under insurgent fire, we would send in our attack aircraft to land precision guided weapons on target.  This mission is commonly referred to as "dropping warheads on foreheads" but unfortunately, our strikes aren't always against the so-called evil-doers.  There were times when innocents would be killed & despite our legitimate kills, there wasn't ever any celebrating. 

That was until a day about halfway into deployment when Navy Seals surged into Pakistan onto the Bin Laden compound & killed the man who self-proclaimed to orchestrate the attacks on the USS Cole & the September 11th attack in 2001 that killed more in total than 5,000 civilians.  It was joyous for all of us but for numerous different reasons.  Some were just happy to have finally accomplished what we had been attempting to do for 10 long years.  Others were just anxious to end the war & finally go back home to our loved ones. 

We quickly turned our efforts to finalized an outdraw of our troops in Iraq & helping the country to develop a democratic nation.  This is being called Operation New Dawn & we spent another month providing what help we could over there. 

Pirate activity is at an all time high & even though I'm not able to go into specifics, we've provided a means to an end there as well. 

Finally, the military had it's sights set on killing off the remaining top 20 list of Al-Queda linked terrorists & we conducted an important part in accomplishing that.

We are currently on our way back home & we couldn't be happier.  We've been on this deployment for 190 days & 178 of those have been at sea.  It's been a long, grueling deployment & I'm ready to get back to San Diego, back to my family, back to living my life.

I miss everyone here at 2old2play & especially the great guys & girls in 2old2playWEST.  

Three more weeks & I'll be home.  

Cheers,
Jay 

Posted by jasontroyhimself @ 3:27 pm EDT | Permalink | 10 Comments

A long year..

 It's been a year since I last blogged & nearly that much time since I've visited the site.

Being active duty Navy has kept me away from everything I care about for almost the entire year..  I've been home now for a couple months but in February, I'm leaving for another 7 back to the southern coast of Pakistan.  

So it's tough..  I love my job but at the same time, I've begun to have thoughts about where my life is going.  I'm 30 years old, no wife, no kids & I've pretty much committed myself to my job.  With my upcoming deployment, that just marks another year of being gone..  We'll see.  I've been in for 12 years & as easy as it would be to do the whole 20, I feel like I'm running short on time to build a life for after the Navy.

In happier news, I hope everyone has had an amazing end of the year!  Whether it was Christmas or that Jewish holiday with the candle & spinning top thingy....  here's a CHEERS from me to you.  

Take care!

-Jay

(p.s.  I know the names of Hanukkah & the dreidel, I just thought it was funnier that way.  )

Posted by jasontroyhimself @ 11:20 am EDT | Permalink | 10 Comments

A handful of days left..

Evening friends & fellow gamers!

   I haven't been to see the updated version of "The Day The World Stood Still" but I just watched it through the 360 & I can definitely attest to it's thought-provoking plot.  The world is harsh & at what price will we ever achieve peace, if at all?

  Jessica & I have mutually decided to push our wedding back a few months.  Due to finances & timing, February just isn't the best of times for really anyone in the party.  There aren't any quams with our relationship, just realistic planning.

  We leave for Vegas on Monday to spend the holidays with our families & no one could more excited.  It's been quite a while since either of us saw the family & it's perfect that all of us will be in one spot for the turn of the year.  Our rooms were paid for back in June otherwise we probably would've cancelled to put more money into the wedding fund but there's no worries.  

  All in all, I'm extremely excited about this coming week & I hope all you have the best of times.
 

  In only a few short days, 2009 will be upon us.
  What will you make of it?

  -Jay
 

Posted by jasontroyhimself @ 10:25 pm EDT | Permalink | 3 Comments

My favorite Christmas story..

Merry Christmas Eve to all those who celebrate!   -Jay

How The GRINCH Stole Christmas 

Every Who                                                       
Down in Who-ville
Liked Christmas a lot...

But the Grinch,
Who lived just North of Who-ville,
Did NOT!

The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!
Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
It could be that his head wasn't screwed on quite right.
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.

But,
Whatever the reason,
His heart or his shoes,
He stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the Whos,
Staring down from his cave with a sour, Grinchy frown
At the warm lighted windows below in their town.
For he knew every Who down in Who-ville beneath
Was busy now, hanging a mistleoe wreath.

"And they're hanging their stockings!" he snarled with a sneer.
"Tomorrow is Christmas! It's practically here!"
Then he growled, with his grinch fingers nervously drumming,
"I MUST find a way to keep Christmas from coming!"
For, tomorrow, he knew...

...All the Who girls and boys
Would wake up bright and early. They'd rush for their toys!
And then! Oh, the noise! Oh, the noise! Noise! Noise! Noise!
That's one thing he hated! The NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!

Then the Whos, young and old, would sit down to a feast.
And they'd feast! And they'd feast!
And they'd FEAST! FEAST! FEAST! FEAST!
They would start on Who-pudding, and rare Who-roast-beast
Which was something the Grinch couldn't stand in the least!

And THEN
They'd do something he liked least of all!
Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Would stand close together, with Christmas bells ringing.
They'd stand hand-in-hand. And the Whos would start singing!

They'd sing! And they'd sing!
AND they'd SING! SING! SING! SING!
And the more the Grinch thought of the Who-Christmas-Sing
The more the Grinch thought, "I must stop this whole thing!
"Why for fifty-three years I've put up with it now!
I MUST stop Christmas from coming!
...But HOW?"

Then he got an idea!
An awful idea!
THE GRINCH
GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA!

"I know just what to do!" The Grinch Laughed in his throat.
And he made a quick Santy Claus hat and a coat.
And he chuckled, and clucked, "What a great Grinchy trick!
"With this coat and this hat, I'll look just like Saint Nick!"

"All I need is a reindeer..."
The Grinch looked around.
But since reindeer are scarce, there was none to be found.
Did that stop the old Grinch...?
No! The Grinch simply said,
"If I can't find a reindeer, I'll make one instead!"
So he called his dog Max. Then he took some red thread
And he tied a big horn on top of his head.

THEN
He loaded some bags
And some old empty sacks
On a ramshakle sleigh
And he hitched up old Max.

Then the Grinch said, "Giddyap!"
And the sleigh started down
Toward the homes where the Whos
Lay a-snooze in their town.

All their windows were dark. Quiet snow filled the air.
All the Whos were all dreaming sweet dreams without care
When he came to the first house in the square.
"This is stop number one," The old Grinchy Claus hissed
And he climbed to the roof, empty bags in his fist.

Then he slid down the chimney. A rather tight pinch.
But if Santa could do it, then so could the Grinch.
He got stuck only once, for a moment or two.
Then he stuck his head out of the fireplace flue
Where the little Who stockings all hung in a row.
"These stockings," he grinned, "are the first things to go!"

Then he slithered and slunk, with a smile most unpleasant,
Around the whole room, and he took every present!
Pop guns! And bicycles! Roller skates! Drums!
Checkerboards! Tricycles! Popcorn! And plums!
And he stuffed them in bags. Then the Grinch, very nimbly,
Stuffed all the bags, one by one, up the chimney!

Then he slunk to the icebox. He took the Whos' feast!
He took the Who-pudding! He took the roast beast!
He cleaned out that icebox as quick as a flash.
Why, that Grinch even took their last can of Who-hash!

Then he stuffed all the food up the chimney with glee.
"And NOW!" grinned the Grinch, "I will stuff up the tree!"

And the Grinch grabbed the tree, and he started to shove
When he heard a small sound like the coo of a dove.
He turned around fast, and he saw a small Who!
Little Cindy-Lou Who, who was not more than two.

The Grinch had been caught by this little Who daughter
Who'd got out of bed for a cup of cold water.
She stared at the Grinch and said, "Santy Claus, why,
"Why are you taking our Christmas tree? WHY?"

But, you know, that old Grinch was so smart and so slick
He thought up a lie, and he thought it up quick!
"Why, my sweet little tot," the fake Santy Claus lied,
"There's a light on this tree that won't light on one side.
"So I'm taking it home to my workshop, my dear.
"I'll fix it up there. Then I'll bring it back here."

And his fib fooled the child. Then he patted her head
And he got her a drink and he sent he to bed.
And when Cindy-Lou Who went to bed with her cup,
HE went to the chimney and stuffed the tree up!

Then the last thing he took
Was the log for their fire.
Then he went up the chimney himself, the old liar.
On their walls he left nothing but hooks, and some wire.

And the one speck of food
The he left in the house
Was a crumb that was even too small for a mouse.


Then
He did the same thing
To the other Whos' houses

Leaving crumbs
Much too small
For the other Whos' mouses!

It was quarter past dawn...
All the Whos, still a-bed
All the Whos, still a-snooze
When he packed up his sled,
Packed it up with their presents! The ribbons! The wrappings!
The tags! And the tinsel! The trimmings! The trappings!

Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mount Crumpit,
He rode to the tiptop to dump it!
"Pooh-pooh to the Whos!" he was grinch-ish-ly humming.
"They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming!
"They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!
"Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
"The all the Whos down in Who-ville will all cry BOO-HOO!"

"That's a noise," grinned the Grinch,
"That I simply must hear!"
So he paused. And the Grinch put a hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow...

But the sound wasn't sad!
Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn't be so!
But it WAS merry! VERY!

He stared down at Who-ville!
The Grinch popped his eyes!
Then he shook!
What he saw was a shocking surprise!

Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming!
IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"
And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

And what happened then...?
Well...in Who-ville they say
That the Grinch's small heart
Grew three sizes that day!
And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight,
He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light
And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!
And he...

...HE HIMSELF...!
The Grinch carved the roast beast!

Posted by jasontroyhimself @ 8:45 am EDT | Permalink | 0 Comments

One of my favorite holidays..

Goooood morning 2o2p!

Only 23 more days until New Year's Eve.
What are your plans?  Will you be staying at home or going out of town?
Hanging out with your two best friends, Buck Wild & Buck Naked?

I'll be in Vegas again this year & if any of you plan on heading that way, I'd be more than happy to let you buy me a drink.  =)

-Jay

Posted by jasontroyhimself @ 10:09 am EDT | Permalink | 0 Comments