Top of Albuquerque

Another beautiful day in Albuquerque NM. This is on top of Sandia Peak if you take La Luz trail. It's mornings like this that make me truly love my job and my unit 21st EOD.

There are lots of switchbacks and varied scenery on the way. It's a long walk (bring plenty of water) but worth it for the view. Also it's easy to pick your pace and not prohibitively difficult if you prefer to take your time and relax. There are plenty of places to take a quick break on the way.

Near the end I like to get right up to the edge : ) Hang my legs over and catch a breeze. Relax for a bit before doin' the final push to the top parking area.

Final elevation is right around 2 miles above sea level so the air is a tad thin. Be sure to bring plenty of water.

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Heavy Lifting

 Another day in BNCOC (Basic Non Commissioned Officers Course) at good 'ol Redstone arsenal, Huntsville Alabama.We were tasked with lifting a 500 lb bomb, yes it really weighs 500 lbs. It had to be lifted GENTLY and high enough to set it down GENTLY in the bed of a truck OUTSIDE of the barrier created by the pink tape with no one INSIDE the barrier.This was not the final version of this contraption. The legs had to be moved forward closer to the barrier by about 6 or 7 feet so that when the bomb was raised in the air it would swing forward in a controlled manner so we could maneuver it into the bed of the truck.The contraption legs and rear support all had to be held in place with stakes to prevent them from sliding once they were moved forward.The truck behind the tree was used for the heavy lifting while the two lines going to the left are swing control / raising, lowering lines.This did actually work although i really thought some of the ropes would break. Since they didnt i got to swing from them like a monkey when we were done.

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BNCOC Fun

BNCOC is so boring youll do anything for fun.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Well peeps this is where i got to live for 3 months; the building on the right of the image. If only it looked this great all the time. Today was truly a beautiful day though. It is amazing to me that a tree that looks deader than an old chicken bone can can turn into this much fun basically overnight (we had some heavy rain). Well we always gotta appreciate the nicer parts of life eh. Some kickass flowers never hurt.

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BNCOC HO!

Greetings from BNCOC @ redstone arsenal, sigh...

Well it wasnt a bad day at all to be riding around in a hmmwv (High Mobility Military Wheeled Vehicle) humvee or what civvies would call a hummer.

I know it looks like there is a lot of room but there isnt, its an illusion. If you look closely you can see that my knees are in the dashboard / fan housing.

Still not nearly as hot in Alabama yet as it is in iraq.

Definitely enough mud puddles laying around to keep the windshields dirty though : P

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Sigh...

This is what John looks like when he is tired and frustrated; and seemingly going bald. Yes i do realize that my face can be a bit lopsidedand my head a little pointy. No, you're not the first to notice.

BNCOC is seriously not fun; bring pleanty of entertainment. Video Games, books, and a desktop computer barely suffice.

Additionally i find it interesting that we are frequently the cause of the largest problems in our own lives. However there can be meaning for everything in an unseen future. What do you do when you feel as if life is both actively battling you on some fronts and helping you along on others. Is that what destiny feels like ? I seem to be floating towards whatever is the least unpleasant, as waterlike as i can be.

It must be time for me to brush up on my yoga and meditation : )

No Idea

This is an experiment in login free blogging and photo sharing ala google stuff. Im tired of dealing with myspace and facebook logins for viewers who dont want accounts check out my pictures of course im also on myspace and facebook