Owen

Love is...

2010-12-27T08:56:00.000-08:00

...what I got.

Remember that.

-Owen

Lamesauce.

2010-11-16T23:57:00.000-08:00

This blog is terrible.

Sure.

2010-09-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

I sit by this field so clutched by change
Green in the summer, wet in the rain,
Brown and dry and barren and white
In the deepening suns unbroken array

I sit pleasantly with joy induced grief
Though pastel colors adorn each leaf
This wooden bench basking in sunset
Orange cuts blue as winters corset

And in the fall my song's depressed
No longer in summer's ardent eyes
Only cold december wherein winter lies
Spring's ethereal blossom's are duressed

It's so late...

2010-07-30T01:44:00.000-07:00

LVIII

The sage lectured brilliantly.

Before him, two images:

"Now this one is a devil,

And this one is me."

He turned away.

Then a cunning pupil

Changed the positions.

Turned the sage again:

"Now this one is a devil,

And this one is me."

The pupils sat, all grinning,

And rejoiced in the game.

But the sage was a sage.

Time travelling rockets!

2010-07-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

I copied this whole just so you could read this one tiny paragraph in context, however, those villagers from 1710 must have been pretty impressed to see an AT-4 and then probably immediately upset... You'll get what I mean when you read it...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Snipers firing from the shadows slowed the advance of U.S. Marines and Afghan troops Monday as the siege of the Taliban-infested town of Marjah entered its third day.

An Afghan general claimed the allies captured almost all of Marjah and that the Taliban were on the run across theHelmand Province.

"They are under our control," Gen. Aminullah Patiani told Agence France-Presse in an interview far from the front lines.

Evidently some of the Taliban in Marjah did not get that memo.

Several gun battles erupted across the town of 80,000, slowing the troops' advance.

"In many parts of Marjah, we have seen very little opposition. There are areas where Marines have met with stiff resistance, but they are making steady progress throughout the area," Marine Capt. Abraham Sipe told Reuters.

"There's still a good bit of the land still to be cleared," he said. "We're moving at a very deliberative pace."

Soldiers foiled an audacious Taliban attack Sunday night by when a group of insurgents firing rocket-propelled grenades tried to storm a temporary Marine base. After firing RPGs, three men rushed the base but the Marines inside threw grenades at them, killing all three.

"The enemy is trying last-ditch efforts," the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Cal Worth, told the Washington Post.

Troops recovered hundreds of pounds of explosives, and CNN reported they discovered $8.7 million worth of raw opium.

The largest military operation in Afghanistan since the U.S. invaded in 2001 suffered a setback on Sunday when two American rockets went 300 years off course into a house outside Marjah, killing a dozen civilians.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan, apologized to Afghan President Hamid Karzai for inadvertently taking innocent lives.

The blunder was a blow to U.S. attempts to win local Afghans to their side as they root out the Taliban, the Muslim hardliners who sheltered the al Qaeda terrorists behind the Sept. 11 attacks.

On Monday, airstrikes in the Kandahar province killed five more civilians who were mistakenly identified as insurgents. The strike was not related to the operation in Marjah.

The Marines have had to contend with a fierce sandstorm and hundreds of booby-traps as they fight Taliban guerillas from house to house.

Also, the Marines can't just open fire on suspected Taliban fighters. Under strict new rules of engagement, troops cannot fire at people unless they fire first or show hostile intent.

"I understand the reason behind it, but it's so hard to fight a war like this," Lance Corp.Travis Anderson, 20, told the Associated Press. "They're using our rules of engagement against us."

Fifteen thousand allied troops began storming Marjah and the district of Nad Ali just to the north on Saturday morning.

While the Allies have faced fierce skirmishes, the organized Taliban resistance they expected has turned out to be mostly a mirage.

Afghan officials said 35 insurgents had been killed in the operation. Two NATO soldiers have died in the offensive - an American and a Briton.

NATO hopes to secure Marjah, set up a local government and rush in development aid as the first test of the new strategy.

hkennedy@nydailynews.com

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/02/15/2010-02-15_marines_afghan_troops_dodge_sniper_fire_as_battle_to_control_marjah_rages.html

Friends, Romans, Countrymen...

2010-06-06T06:36:00.000-07:00

Anyway, I just packed up my car with dang near everything I own and set it in the equivalent of the tigris river... the car being Moses. Moses being led by my two younger brothers, except instead of down the river it's back to Utah. Trailing behind my parents, they're good kids but let's face it, I don't trust me to drive my stuff across the country... and they're younger.

Oh well, I'm now sitting in my stripped down room (oh my) and I realized that I'm not really that bummed, or excited yet. But it is all coming down to the wire. The next few weeks I'm going to be finishing up working at the Pentagon, starting to out-process and all that because exactly one month from now I'll be hopping on my bike, putting on my big boy pants, and driving myself back to Utah.

That being a picture of Utah.

I hear what I'm proposing is preposterous, well maybe it is a little crazy to hop on a 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 500R and go across the country, maybe. But I'm doing it anyway. I've always wanted to do this, ever since I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Not that I'm very zenful, nor am I too amped about the maintenance part but I am excited at having this experience rapidly approaching.

And that's my bike all geared up for a trip... two summers ago I think. I drove to ocean city and back. Pretty fun stuff. I also made a long trip down to GW national forest, I also made a trip up to pennsylvania, I can't remember if I actually made it to philadelphia or not. Probably not. I didn't see the statue dude, anyway.

Well both of you that read this blog, I hope the text... plus the pictures, which were contextual this time, make up for some of the however-many-months-ness that I've completely ignored this. I like reading your blogs though, how about some updates huh? You lazy people... geez. :)

-Owen

There ought to be a "Thatbored.com" methinks.

2010-06-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

Why?

Because I'm that bored.

Sorry for leaving you all hanging, here's a drawing of a duck.

2010-04-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

Stormy Weather

2010-02-05T21:33:00.000-08:00

Sometimes God calms the storm , sometimes He calms the sailor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We sent out the S.O.S. call.
It was a quarter past four, in the morning
When the storm broke our second anchor line.
Four months at sea. Four months of calm seas {only}
To be pounded in the shallows off the tip of Montauk Point.

They call 'em rogues. They travel fast and alone.
One hundred foot faces of God's good ocean gone wrong.
What they call love is a risk,
'Cause you will always get hit
Out of nowhere by some wave
And end up on your own.

The hole in the hull defied the crew’s attempts,
To bail us out.
And flooded the engines and radio,
And half buried bow.

Your tongue is a rudder.
It steers the whole ship.
Sends your words past your lips
Or keeps them safe behind your teeth.
But the wrong words will strand you.
Come off course while you sleep.
Sweep your boat out to sea
Or dashed to bits on the reef.

The vessel groans
The ocean pressures its frame.
To the port I see the lighthouse
Through the sleet and the rain.
And I wish for one more day to give my
Love and repay debts.
But the morning finds our bodies washed up thirty miles west.

They say that the captain stays fast with the ship,
Through still and storm,
But this ain't the Dakota,
And the water's so cold,
{We} won't have to fight for long.

-Brand New

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Don't know why
There's no sun up in the sky
Stormy weather
Since my gal and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time
Life is bare
Gloom and misery everywhere
Stormy weather
Just can't get my poor old self together
I'm weary all the time
Every time
So weary all of the time
When she went away
The blues walked in and then they met me
If she stays away
That old rocking chair's bound to get me
All I do is pray
The lord above will let me
Just walk in that sun again
Can't go on
Everything I had is gone
Stormy Weather
Since my gal and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time
Keeps raining all of the time

-Frank Sinatra

...Two feet of snow here on Fort Myer and it's still coming down. Fantastic.

Art of Manliness

2010-02-03T18:56:00.000-08:00

New blog sensation, check it out.

http://artofmanliness.com/

Popularizing being a man. And not in the "I guzzle beer and get with chicks gah! I don't have an original thought in my head..." sense of being a man. But a "Oh the car is broken, I got that taken care of, no worries." And the "Son, this is how you build a fence/mow a lawn/change a tire/make a model airplane."

I literally went out and bought a suit because of this website. Pictures soon. Oh and latest and greatest is a social club, not a motorcycle club although... what's more manly than a classic style bike with that old throaty purr?

-Owen

I know you'll get me right...

2009-12-14T19:35:00.000-08:00

Wow...

2009-12-12T19:32:00.000-08:00

I might have to start with one of these...

Change is in the freakin' air.

2009-12-12T15:20:00.001-08:00

We're gonna take this...

Take off the farings

Take off the rest of the plastic

Put a new gas tank on

Put a new seat on

Install new lights

We'll keep the engine

And the tires...

We're gonna aim for a look like this...

Let's get some things straight before I get old and uncool...

2009-11-28T18:30:00.000-08:00

Heh, I almost titled it "Rules for my unborn son" but I figured that would cause a stir. Basically I'm blaming this website for this - http://rulesformyunbornson.tumblr.com/page/51

It's wicked smart.

-You can never overdress.

-If you're going to wear a tie, commit and button the top button.

-Memorize the bill of rights and your favorite poem.

-An hour with your grandparents is time well spent.

(Or as the Godfather would say, "A man that doesn't spend time with his family is not a man.")

-Learn how to fix a flat and change a belt, everything else take it to a garage.

(Or as Dad told me "Son make a lot of money so you can pay other people to do this for you.")

-Men with facial hair have something to hide

(I'm gonna disagree, but I wanted to put it up to appeal to the Frank Sinatra side of me, or the James Dean and Paul Newman side, there is something to be side about a good close shave.)

-Absolutely no tattoos or piercings... unless you're in the armed forces.

(Mom, Dad, I might get a tattoo. I hope you'll understand.)

-If you absolutely have to fight, punch first and punch hard. Aim for the nose.

-Compliment your mom's cooking, better yet, compliment anyone who's willing to cook for you.

(It's not hard and it'll mean a lot.)

-Never side against your brother in a fight. Ever.

-Push-ups and sit-ups are all you'll ever need to build muscle.

-Nothing good happens after 3 am. I promise.

So that's just a small selection, but I thought it was pretty freakin sweet and bodes more thinking on. Well, until next time then.

-Owen

It's November.

2009-11-17T13:42:00.000-08:00

Just in case you didn't know.


TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;	5

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,	10

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.	15

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.	20
-Bobby Frost

Case and point about kilts and their masculinity.

2009-10-24T14:33:00.001-07:00

Farewell Pearl

2009-08-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

There's a man going 'round, taking names...

2009-08-23T12:19:00.001-07:00

I love Utah, I'm missing it like crazy, it's comfortable. My valley, reminds me of being in a sweet fort as a little kid. You know? I miss it that much. As I near my one year mark (officially september 5th) I'm invariably drawn to a few conclusions, they are as follows...

I've lost a lot of my creativity. Or feels like I have.

College money!!!

Phew, didn't get shot. Yet.

I'm never leaving Utah again when I get home.

They'll bury me and fill my grave with dirt from Green Canyon.

The weather is better in Utah, this place feels like a sweaty armpit.

And smells like it too.

Motorcycle, check.

Car, check.

When I drive around I pretend like I'm driving around Cache Valley.

Ah, there's the island... First Dam is up the road there...

I think I'm gonna start doing that with everything.

"Owen, where are you?"

"I'm in Utah."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh utah, how do I love thee...

Ah man...

2009-08-03T18:11:00.001-07:00

I never finish anythi

Well I guess this is growing up...

2009-07-15T21:20:00.000-07:00

Yeah, this is growing up. Come back from California, all of us here in florida, are starved for your attention, yeah we're starved for your attention... this airplane is a ribbon... tell all my friends I'm dead, I'm leaving you, this time it's for good... failure's not flattering... you used to captivate me by your resonating light... don't you dare, speak for someone you don't know... they'll feel it in the back of their throats... and I've been spending all this time composing letters... some girls are crazy, you gotta watch out for the beautiful ones...

My buddy's bike and a streetlamp.

2009-06-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to point out that my photography skills are vastly inferior to my basketball skills. And my basketball skills suck.

I never realized...

2009-06-07T17:07:00.000-07:00

How good my life actually was until I saw a dude that looks like this guy on post today.

Thanks mom and dad for teaching me self-respect and dignity at a young age.

All the pictures I took on my motorcycle ride today with my camera

2009-06-07T14:54:00.000-07:00

I went riding today, generally heading west pretending it's a year and a half from now and I'm going to Utah. I took along my camera in case I saw anything cool or just to take a picture of myself standing next to my bike in front of some random town's name before turning back.

But it wasn't meant to be. I left my micro SD card safe at home still connected to my laptop.

C'est la vie.

Don't mess with me Megan, my Oblivion character could kick your Oblivion character's butt.

2009-05-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

I was happy to be home...

2009-05-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

2009-05-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

Nedrecking...

2009-05-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

Look at that face!

2009-05-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

...And Jayci's cute too!

I'm now a Specialist in the United States Army

2009-05-02T07:55:00.001-07:00

Go me.

Feels like I'm in Eqypt.

2009-04-23T14:07:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I really like my life.

2009-03-31T14:33:00.000-07:00

A picture, not my own.

2009-03-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

"...Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? - - Carpe - - hear it? - - Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary."

Get it? It's a smiley face, made with bullets.

2009-03-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

Back in the saddle again...

2009-03-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

The long road home... well if I had driven another 35 hours or so.

2009-03-08T17:07:00.000-07:00

"Pops"

2009-03-02T15:34:00.000-08:00

Well anyway I came here to talk about pistachios. That's right. Some of my favorite memories of being a kid were going in to Dad's room after he got home from work, he'd be watching TV or reading and most of the time he'd have some sort of peanut or pistachio or something weird, anyway, a whole bag of them. Funniest Home Videos, we watched a lot of that. After dinner I'd usually stay as long as Mom did at the table, huge gouts of laughter from the bedroom would normally lure myself and anyone within a couple miles radius towards the TV and the crowd.

But I digress.

So I've got this huge memory surge everytime I get pistachios. I see Monday Night Football or my Dad laying on his bed reading, the bag of pistachios on his chest, just relaxing. Well there I was in airborne school with my own room because no one else was assigned to mine. Which was sweet. Anyway I made the trek to the Six about a mile from where my barracks were.

For you civies that don't know what a Six is, it's like a gas station or convenience store. Military people love Sixes because they contain booze.

Anyway at the Six they had this huge bag of pistachios for like five bucks so along with two or three mountain dews I figured I'd be set for the weekend. There's nothing to do at airborne besides play video games and when that gets old, play arcade games and when that gets old you sleep. Because unless you've got a car, you're screwed.

I got my loot and headed back on that long freaking walk to the barracks. Later that night I was sitting in my bed, reading a book, the bag of pistachios on my chest and it hit me, I stopped mid-air with a pistachio in my hand.

"I'm just like my Dad."

And that made me feel pretty good, because I like that guy. I actually called him up later and told him this whole story. Now why did I bring it up here? That's easy, I love pistachios.

Meh...

2009-02-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I just don't feel like posting photos, consider this just like a week long black... something. That describes my week. In general, of course.

Curse you Virginia.

Can you smell what the Morrill is cooking?

2009-02-23T20:12:00.000-08:00

I'm lazy today.

2009-02-22T16:02:00.000-08:00

The Stereo Effect

2009-02-21T14:48:00.000-08:00

BEFORE

AFTER

You'll notice Dashboard's playing Screaming Infidelities... every new cd player I've got I play that album before I play anything else.

Fight off your demons...

2009-02-19T17:14:00.000-08:00

This is the most exciting thing that happened to me today...

2009-02-18T20:07:00.001-08:00

Let it green, let it green, let it green...

2009-02-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

Wanna start a revolution?

2009-02-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

I know you doubt it but I actually meant it that time...

2009-02-15T21:57:00.000-08:00

That would be his eye.

2009-02-15T19:42:00.000-08:00

That's how I roll...

2009-02-14T17:09:00.000-08:00

2009-02-13T22:53:00.000-08:00

Curse you to Oblivion...

2009-02-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

I see green...

2009-02-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

2009-02-10T08:58:00.000-08:00

2009-02-08T18:32:00.000-08:00

2009-02-08T00:58:00.000-08:00

I split it.

2009-02-06T15:56:00.000-08:00

Bull...

2009-02-05T19:11:00.000-08:00

...shit

Ah... I bent my wookie.

2009-02-04T18:35:00.000-08:00

Epic Fail

2009-02-03T14:27:00.000-08:00

Link to page picture was taken from.
http://cc.usu.edu/~A00317761/a.html

Time for a little good-natured roasting.

Steven, I don't know what an "Experiene" is, but it sounds like fun.

Now I know finding out how to make a webpage is a really thrilling experiene, in fact that kind of experiene you could really draw from later on in life. Like if you wanted to be a web designer, they pretty much expect you to have that kind of experiene.

A lot of people know how to change the link deal so it says "Click here" instead of http://cc.usu.edu/~A00317761/a.html but I'm not one of them. See what I mean, that's good experiene to have under your belt.

:D

Steve, brother, I love you man.

-Owen

2009-02-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

Mmm... one month closer.

2009-02-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

2009-01-31T09:08:00.000-08:00

Friday Nights

2009-01-30T19:01:00.000-08:00

2009-01-29T19:50:00.000-08:00

Number 5

2009-01-28T11:47:00.000-08:00

$4...

2009-01-27T09:41:00.000-08:00

Tres speedy...

2009-01-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

Dos

2009-01-25T12:36:00.000-08:00

1

2009-01-24T20:53:00.000-08:00

Why wait?

Odi et amo; excrucior.

2009-01-22T00:17:00.000-08:00

You've gotta do what you've gotta do. And even that's a poor excuse for why we do the things we do. Let's say it's the culmination of haves and needs. And Sam, I still maintain your mom has no idea what she's talking about when it comes to that.

That's not what I wanted to talk about at all.

I wanted to talk about life, refreshing, clear water, cool headed, warm blooded life. Sweet epiphany. Blatant disregard for care or cause life! The state crying in existence, not over it. Or being in the moment instead of calculating what the moment means as far as short and long term... blah blah blah...

Or in yet other words having an artistic soul. Being reckless, being able to afford really behaving like you want to. Truly, to be free. Now, being free does not mean being above the rules. Being free is having submitted yourself to law, religion, hope, faith, art, soul. Life. And, in being submissive, you're able to be free. It gives you all the license you need to operate in any of those environments because you're a subject of that environment rather than a dissenter.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

That and everyone wang chung.

But seriously, I've heard artists are able to create their own moral universe' but maybe it's just that artists can so ingratiate themselves into the moral universe itself, they become a thing of the universe instead of a dissenter that they run part of that universe instead of trying to revolutionize it from without.

Think of it as putting a firecracker on your open hand. Yeah it may sting a bit but that's it. That's trying to revolutionize from without and you'll get that much of an affect, it'll sting for a bit then it'll be forgotten.

Now put a firecracker in a closed fister, that will sting something fierce.

Protesters of any sort, be it the picketers or the hippies banging their drums and sticking flowers in the barrels of guns, or the businessman that's against a certain politician. All of them are kicking at a wall in frustration, with no real power to make really any sort of change. That change comes from within the closed fist.

But that's the thing, most people besides a negligent effort or cursory word here or there, don't really want to do the work to make the change happen. They could put it in their own realm of control to where they could honestly make a difference but it takes time and real effort and most of us are just pissed off at something distant that somehow impedes our own little... well, whatever, plans.

Try thinking of it this way, a lot of people try the whole diet thing, sit around and take a pill, eat a bar, eat a certain meal and BAM! You'll get skinnier. And sometimes maybe, maybe that helps. But everyone knows that diets are mostly hype and can help but they probably won't be the end all of your obesity. Now everyone knows that if you eat less, eat healthy, drink water and exercise your ass off you will get skinnier.

Kicking the wall of the Pentagon and telling it to move, even with all your hope and wishing it would move, you dirty hippie, is not going to make it move. As far as I know. That's you taking five minutes, throwing some money at your problem and then getting frustrated you aren't losing any weight.

Now we all know what it would take to move the Pentagon, an act of God or a whole lot of construction dudes putting days and days into moving it. That's the honest truth of it, as far as I know to move that thing.

Another branch of this is to think of things beyond what you know. Now right before this I said "As far as I know" that's because there could be another way to move that building but I don't know it.

The artistic spirit has to do a lot with things outside of reality, the parts of us we know we have but they're inside, or they're the ones we take for granted. Things related to love, honor, faith, all those principles and self-guiding attributes we have within us. Some of what people would call paranormal is in this as well.

So I'm listening to this guy on the radio talk about his out of body experiences as a child, then later on he saw some guy get a vodka bottle to stay stuck to his forehead even when he moved his head around the bottle didn't fall.

Now I know what you're thinking because I thought it as well. But as soon as that thought crossed my mind I banished because who I am to discard someone's beliefs just because I find them a little absurd. A lot of people would find my beliefs absurd. So what's fair is fair, I don't want people to disregard my beliefs so I'll not disregard theirs, no matter how outlandish. Really the crazier the better. There really are things beyond us out there. I don't understand it but I do understand that I'm one very very small piece to one huge puzzle.

I don't even know what's going on with my bosses at work, trust me, the more I learn the more I realize I don't know anything.

To a certain point I think if I did understand half of that paranormal/faith type of stuff I'm pretty sure it'd blow my mind. A lot of people just want peace of mind, reality in itself is a chore enough by itself, to take on an entire unseen world is something completely different.

So I guess really the whole "Man is that he may have joy" thing means make the world what you will. It's ours as much as anyone else's down here. Some people may have authority over us, or power to do us harm but when you get right down to it stripped of titles and muscle, guns and forces, we all put on our pants the same way. As far as I know we all bleed when we get cut. I guess the rest could just be luck.

Like being at a rock concert. If you wanna get to the front you just start leaning forward. The whole jostling and moving of the crowd, you'll find a way to the front. You'll be covered in sweat and whatever other horrible ...stuff, but hey, you wanted the front right?

These guys, leaders, dictators, poets, revolutionaries, great people. The movers and shakers of the world were the ones who just made the effort of moving forward into and past the crowd. The rest of us, beyond our peace of mind and personal safety, don't really care so long as we can live and laugh and love.

So in all this chaos we've got everyone from the "I don't care's" to the "Follow me's" and the "Get out of my ways" to the "My Cause Is Right" and everything in between. But in the good old US of A you can do and be whatever the hell you feel like and there are men and women here that will defend your right to that with their very lives. That's because what we don't protect for others we can't expect to have protected ourselves. That's what a society means.

To kind of tie this all off, I know it's been a long one, life right? Pure, unadulterated God-given, clean air, fresh grass, girls smiling, sunshine and laughter kind of life is what I wanna feel. And every once in a while the clouds part and there it is again, but mostly it's a jumbled train ride through whatever, up and downs, long hard climbs, grating stops and starts, lots of yelling, cursing, loving, and horrible rain-slogged nights, but those long ranged vistas of sunrises, crowning the top of a mountain as the sun lights the valley beneath it and literally makes it glow, girls laughing. That's what you just think about, calculate in your mind, shrug your shoulders and keep going with because life really is that great. If nothing else because it's ours and because we're free. And if that's all we had we'd still be happy.

Peace, love, mormonism and dew.
-Warmest Regards, Owen

2009-01-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

This has to be shared with the world

2009-01-06T15:52:00.000-08:00

I received a letter that I need to share.

I wish I was better at editing blogs, because this is cooler than anything else I've posted.
Who's awesome. You're awesome.

For my good friend back home, you know who you are.

2009-01-05T15:41:00.000-08:00

Megan, hey. How's life? Looks like you got some sweet new cabinets. I'm pretty bummed I didn't get to help out on that, it would've been fun. Box or two of mountain dew (that rhymed) and a bunch of black paint, sounds like a party.

So I actually went grocery shopping, I know, you don't believe me, just like you probably don't believe I actually wash my sheets. But I do. I really just got the essentials. Burritos, cold cereal, and mountain dew. So now when my midnight munchies hit I'll at least have a burrito and a dew, unlike the last two weeks where I just sit in my bed and wish I'd bought food.

I get out of the army next summer. Weird to think that but it's true, my official date is Sept 4th but I'll be home before then because of how the army works. You already knew this but I figured I'd tell you again. I get home next summer. Not 2011, not 2012, next m-f-ing year. That's 2010 baby. 607 days from today. SA-WEET!

Anyway, hope you and Steve are having a good time there in the frozen wastelands of the west. Below freezing temperatures, feet of snow, ice, frozen extremities, car crashes from black ice, not a freeway within 30 minutes from you OH MAN! I miss Cache Valley. But more than that, I really...

Really...

Rea-he-heh-he-eally...

I mean really miss...

Oh, nevermind, found one. Ah dew...

Oh, no wait, I meant you. I swear, I meant you. :D

For a pessimist I'm pretty optimistic...

2008-12-25T10:40:00.001-08:00

As we get to the end of another year I realize that I've once again complained a lot on here about everything. Sure some things just suck, life doesn't work out exactly the way we wish it would, I made mistakes and had to learn some things the hard way (the only I know ;) but I'm sitting here on christmas day thinking; well I decided that even with all the stuff that went so horribly wrong this year (sarcasm) it was actually one of the best years of my life.

I'm not saying everything's going to go good from here on out but seriously I've had it so good I'm gonna start to get worried if my luck holds up like this for very much longer. Anyway, that's what I was just thinking about. Life's good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA2zwldojL0

Merry Christmas everyone...
-Owen

Merry Christmas...

2008-12-23T16:28:00.000-08:00

Oh man...

2008-12-04T16:34:00.000-08:00

You know, someone once said you can't hate something unless at one point you loved it.

Sure that makes sense, for instance I love my computer when it works and generally I'm pretty relaxed, however; this laptop is gonna die for what it's been putting me through. I honestly thing it was just like "Eh, it's been a week, I guess I'll start working again." What a piece of crap.

Turning 21, time to be a man.

2008-11-20T14:09:00.000-08:00

My latest and greatest...

http://retrorazor.com/
Yeah, I bought a safety razor, some mug soap, one of those brushes, and a styptic pencil online. Once it arrived I went to the shop on post and bought a mug and I was set.
My first attempt at shaving like a man was pretty spotty, I mean I knew that was coming, all I got to shave off was my five o'clock shadow and whatever my old electric razor didn't get this morning. I guess I still haven't got the hang of shaving because my neck and my chin still feel really rough. However, I did get to use the styptic pencil, I could feel manliness in that sting.

There were more red dots than I thought. As you can see in this picture.

You know in home alone when he slaps on the aftershave and screams. It's based off of fact. That stuff stung worse than that pencil thing.

However, the pain paid off, now my face has a pleasant aroma. I'm confident that taking the extra five minutes each morning to perform this ritual of manhood will somehow please the manhood Gods. Up there wearing plaid, cutting down trees, killing mountain lions with their bare hands, fighting ninjas, and riding across the deserts, shooting stuff. Yeah, I know they're proud of what I did today.
Clarification.

-Owen "I'm changing my name to Paul in honor of becoming a man" Morrill

My First Day in the Big House

2008-11-17T13:38:00.000-08:00

Pentagon

duh...

Yeah so I went to the Pentagon. I ate lunch right there in the middle, they've got this little place with just about anything you could want to eat or drink. Since I was hungry but I was thirsty... I must've drank at least sixteen mountain dews.

Heh. Sweet.

Dashboard good, rock band bad.

2008-11-01T15:37:00.000-07:00

DASHBOARD SHOW

That's right, I broke my two year long crappy record of not seeing Dashboard. Last time I went was with Steve and Meg and Meg drank her code red too fast and got sick. Plus the awesomeness of Dashboard playing live almost blew her mind. But we persevered and had a good show. Even though Chris had taken to wearing a fedora-like hat, had trimmed his sideburns and somehow lost his F-ing jacket. Lame. I'm talking about the one he wore the night I saw him play at Brick's in Salt Lake, with Steve,

Sidenote, Steve, any show you're not at sucks.

That show in Bricks cost us $13 a person. I paid $40 this time. Another Lame deal. Oh and I'm never playing rock band or guitar hero again. Ever. And here's why, Dashboard didn't headline. Yeah, Panic did. I'll never forgive the rock band hosers for that.

Dashboard good, Rock Band bad.
But I did get to see Dashboard live. And afterward I took a picture of the empty parking lot with Rogge's camera. I'll eventually have to put that up with a "No one likes Rock Band" underneath.

Chris had his faithful fedora again this time around. Sideburns were trimmed even higher to where he was almost unrecognizable. What gave it away was when he began singing, and since it was a lame front for Rock Band and not a real show they played all their most mainstream songs. I was holding out for a reall quiet moment to yell out "DROWNING!" in the hope that they'd take pity on me and play the song. Alas, they actually were done so fast I was left wanting. But I understand, all hail Rock Band and not Dashboard. Psh, yeah right. I had to be physically restrained from attacking the best buy dude that was there. I also blame Best Buy.

So, voice hoarse and spirits much improved, we jetted before the horror of watching something as lame as to call themselves panic, which although appropriate because I, in fact, do panic when I hear anything from them come on. We got ourselves out and just in the nick of time too. And after Dane sat and talked on the phone to a girl named Samantha in Germany... no kidding, I'm not making that up, we finally headed home blaring a mix we made a few months back and me singing myself even hoarser. This morning when I woke up I could barely speak and my voice was all gravelly. It was cool.

That's about it, had a good time, Rogge's good company. And I guess about the whole fedora and rock band and 13 year olds and crap, well, Bob Dylan said it when he wrote "The times, they are a changin'." Yeah Bob, they are. They sure are...
-Owen

Armageddon

2008-10-31T11:56:00.000-07:00

I just had a quick thought, if you take the world I live in, take away my option for prayer in schools, hell, tell me the world is going to end if so and so gets elected. That global warming is going to kill us.. blah blah blah... I got a response for you.

I can pray anywhere at anytime, if you cut out my tongue I'd pray with whatever I have left. If so and so gets elected the world won't end because I'm here, I've got friends and that elected official better do his f-ing job because if he doesn't me and my friends are going to don red sashes and forcibly make things right again. I'm an American, I've got my own conscience about what's wrong and what's right. So don't tell me horror stories or get worked up over who gets elected because I have no fear that if things did actually get that bad I would stand the hell up and try to make them right again and I guaran-f-ing-tee you I wouldn't be alone.

So calm the hell down, we made this country, you could destroy every last building, home, take away all that we've got and I'd get out tools and start building again. That's what it comes down to, for all of you people who are insecure about the future I'm telling you, that f-ing future better be afraid of me. And hell, I guess I wouldn't mind a good fight, even if I lost I'm pretty confident I'd take a good number with me.

That's what I have to say to that, yeah it might sound a little fatalist, but why not? Bring it, that's my motto, that and everyone wang chung tonight...
-Owen "I'll F You Up" Morrill

The Idea

2008-10-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

So I couldn't fall asleep last night. After one day back in the swing of things I was absolutely sure of two things; First, I can't wait here another two years with a way out like I have, re enlisting. And Second, I need to do something that'll mesh my present to my future. Some career that I can really wrap my head around.

Nothing, I went back and forth, roaming the internet for some sort of "Oh yeah, that's it right there!" Not the case. I looked at every job the US Army has to offer and yeah, I was interested in a few, and I knew I could do them pretty well. But, I don't wanna stay in the military and I don't wanna work on helicopters the rest of my life.

Oh, the pictures? They're just there because the last two posts didn't have any.

Anyway, it's past two o'clock in the morning and I'm still as restless and crapped out as I was around nine. I have to get up at five thirty and I'm gonna be pretty busy all day. Then bam.

National Geographic.

Ah! So that thought drops into my head and it's like I struck oil, everything I know about national geographic points towards it being a good time. It's like part journalism, part anthropology, archaeology, photography, travel, history. It's the mother-flippin world! Right?

So that's the plan for now, I'll probably re-enlist and become a journalist for the army just to get some sort of experience for later on in life. And BAM! like I was just telling Megan, now I've got short term AND long term goals.

And here's a picture of me getting totally had by the squirrels and chipmunks of the Thompson wildlife management area in Virginia. Lame.

My Y button isn't working like it should... lame.

Peace
Owen

If you thought parachuting was cool...

2008-10-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

Dude, up until this week I was certain that it'd be hard to top going parachuting but no. Hardly a couple weeks later it was outdone. By Steve and Megan.

The piano joke on saturday after going to the movie and before going to dinner that had me laughing so hard I couldn't breathe definitely outdid jumping out of a plane. I'm not lying, it was that great. I'd relate to you how great it was but alas, unlike my last post, this one you'd just had to have been there. Some things can only be experienced.

My week was improved even moreso by the appearance of Ben, Sarah, and Jayci who had been in colorado til sunday night. Getting to see Jayci was another big highlight, last time I saw her she was Meh, didn't really mind who was holding her, basically still a baby and all. This time was different by leaps and bounds, I'm surprised she wasn't on her cell phone/late for a class, she just looked older, she could immediately tell that I wasn't a regular around the house.

So for the first few minutes I stared at her and she stared right back. Which was alright with me because then it was pretty much fair, you know, I bet she gets stared at alot. So anyway, we all went to dinner with Steve and Meg, Mom, Dan and Chris, Kayla and her friend. Shardon and Sam came along as well.

I haven't put any pictures up because I'm on my parents computer, so pictures will come later.

I've blown a good couple hundred dollars on ammo since I've been home. Can we say Glorious. Capitalized and all. It was awesome, but no, I won't tell about them til I can put pictures up. Steve, Meg, it's all good, I'll be back soon. I mean I'm not leaving right now. That goes for everyone, in fact in a mere like... 682 days I'll be back for good. So don't sweat it, I'll miss you guys too but years are flying by faster and faster for me, if you don't stop and smell the gunpowder every once in a while, or watch something get blown to bits and pieces, you're gonna miss ...stuff.

...where'd I put my rifle...
-Owen

What parachuting feels like...

2008-10-02T17:26:00.000-07:00

So I waited for five hours all rigged up, my helmet, parachute, reserve parachute, rifle case under my left arm, rucksack dangling off my beltline in front of my knees. The harness shed where all four hundred and sixty something of us sat and waited in near silence. I say near silence because we were supposed to be quiet and weren't supposed to sleep, we did both a little bit but pretty much followed the rules.

It finally got dark outside, seven thirty at night the C130 fired up out behind the shed, props catching all that air and everyone on my bench grew smiles because we knew that meant we were close to our last jump. I smiled and nodded at my buddy, we both looked outside and tried to think of what it was gonna be like jumping out of an airplane with nothing but the moonlight to see by.

We finally filed out to the plane, bright eyed despite being about fourteen hours into our workday already. The prop blast walking behind the plane was awful, tasted like fuel and dirt and burned the back of my throat when I breathed in. Got inside and jammed our way to our seats, no room between the benches facing each other, the black hat had to run across our rucks strapped on our laps to get to the back and count everyone out. I was number 3 on the second pass.

After we flew for an enormously longer amount of time than the previous four jumps they finally called out the ten minutes mark. I smiled pretty big, the green lights in the plane reflected off of helmets and men and gear and I was about to hurl myself out of a plane going about 120 knots 1250 feet off the ground.

We stood up after the first stick had jumped, I was close enough to the door that I could see tiny dots of orange lights, streetlamps, passing pretty quickly beneath us. The red light on the jump door was glaring. The green light was even more so.

"GO!"

And we went, one, two, three, then me. I planted my left foot on the ledge, jumped off it and kicked with my other leg. The prop blast grabbed me and threw me behind the plane, the moon jounced and flew all over my field of vision and then bam... I was floating hundred of feet above the earth, a nice green canopy above me. I could see the drop zone sliding away to my front and left so I slipped towards it hoping to stop me from swinging back and forth like I was. The wind was steady but nothing crazy.

Relatively good I relaxed a little bit, looked out across all the lights and trees and stars and big empty sky, all the other dark forms suspended by green canopies. I looked down and seeing no one beneath me I dropped my rucksack, it fell to the end of the ten foot hook pile tape lowering line, I grabbed for the weapons case quick release... didn't find it, kind of panicked, looked some more, the ground below seemingly getting closer and closer... grabbed some more to no avail.

"Remember if you forget to drop your ruck or your weapons case or in fact, both, pull your two-riser slip and ride it out..."

So that's what I did, however many feet away from the ground I shrugged, let go of the weapons case, grabbed my two front risers and pulled them down to my reserve. They tell you to pull them to your name tape level, well farther down the better I figured, it was supposed to slow your fall.

THUD!

My rucksack hit the ground, I tensed my legs thinking "GROUND" then relaxed when it took longer than a second to hit. I PLF'd (Parachute Landing Fall) like a champ and could only feel the bruise that had been building up on my left side since the first week. I don't remember if I landed on the weapons case, I must have but I didn't sustain any injury from doing so. Oh well huh?

Then I did three things, said "And that's 5" out loud, kissed the ground while my head still hummed from the being in the plane, and lastly thanked God that I'd made it safely through all five jumps. Then I just laid there knowing that I probably wouldn't get to experience this again in my lifetime and that I should take some time to appreciate it. I did.

I gathered all my stuff and then realized I had no idea which way I was supposed to go to get back to everyone. So I found the nearest dude walking and went with him. Fortunately he spotted a set of red lights off in the distance about a half mile away, the opposite side of the drop zone, and we aimed for them, they turned out to be the brake lights on the bus.

It took us a while to get back and halfway there the C130 came flying over, dropping another 30 men to the ground. They drifted right in our direction so we stopped and watched to make sure we didn't get landed on or caught up in someone's chute. A guy was dropping about thirty feet in front of us, my buddy hollered at him to pull his slip.

THUD!

We both kind of chuckled because, we had told him to pull his slip...

"AHHHH!!!"

That went on until we came up on him and asked him what was up, he said he landed all wrong on his leg but it wasn't broken. So we shrugged and he got up, then we parted ways. Hey you gotta do what you gotta do right? And yes, plenty of women made it through jump week, most without injuries, actually I don't think the women that did jump sustained any injuries. I heard one chick was booted from the plane. The jumpmaster told her he was going to sit her down and when she let go of the doorframe he literally kicked her out of the plane. Hey, it worked.

A couple of guys broke legs, one marine officer broke his ankle, there's plenty of people limping, including me. We got to the place where we meet up, I checked in, ate some food then I pulled all my equipment close to me and fell asleep. I woke up around twelve thirty, absolutely freezing, my ankle had taken that time to build up all it's hate and energy at having been abused the last couple of weeks and throbbed like crazy and if I moved it wrong it shot pain up my leg that was sharp enough to kind of irritate me.

We finally loaded onto the bus and headed back to the harness shed. I stowed my gear, checked in my reserve chute then we formed up again and waited for our 2 buses to ferry all four hundred and some of us back to the barracks. It was 2 in the morning when I got back but all we'd eaten the last three days were crappy MRE's and Jimmy Deans so me and my buddies went down to a place called Krystal and ate some really crappy burgers they said were awesome. Dude's, they were crappy burgers. But the company was good.

Around four o'clock I finally got back and fell asleep, still feeling pretty good about my pretty sweet accomplishment.

So as best as I can describe it that's what parachuting feels like...

-Owen

Come on, 2 months is not that long.

2008-09-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

So the last time I wrote on here was the first of august, it's already like my journal, the last post I wrote in there I still spelled all of my E's backwards. But hey, enough about... me, heh, just kidding. It's all about me. That's why you're here again.

Sorry about the wait, I've been busy you know, working... riding my motorcycle... eating... sleeping... playing on the internet. Oh and going to airborne school, suckers. That's right come next week uncle dennis and I can make fun of everyone in the family for being nasty legs. I think I'm going to find him at the wedding just so we can do that, make fun of you guys. I hope you don't mind because there's nothing you can really do about it. I mean really, being airborne is so outrageously sweet your eyes will probably hurt if you get to close.

My ankle is swollen, I kind of don't like admitting that but it hurts and this is my blog. I kept track I've ran a total of almost ten miles on this swollen ankle. I'm not gonna lie if they weren't so slow here I would've been in a lot of trouble.

That's about it for this little update, I've gotta call kayla and say hi before I go to bed.

AIRBORNE!

Myspace, Facebook, now Blogger... My internet career is flourishing.

2008-08-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

You probably can't call this a career but that's the beauty of this being my blog; I can say whatever I want. I just looked through Ben and Sarah's blog and all those pictures of Jayci, she's adorable, no worries Jayci, I'm coming home the end of september. It's been a long wait for me too.

Oh yeah, that picture up there? We went down to Fort A.P. Hill to do some rifle qualification and stuff. Anyway, I was sitting on my bunk putting my rifle back together and my buddy's like "Morrill!" and as I looked he snapped that picture. I like it, reminds me of that one picture of Einstein sticking his tongue out. Sweet tan huh?

Best picture ever.

Well, that's pretty good for a start. Now that you know I'm here, peace.