I was depressed last night so I called Lifeline.

Got a call center in Pakistan.

I told them I was suicidal.

They got all excited and asked if I could drive a truck.

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You know, I never cease to be amazed at the things I find on blogs. I’ve been sitting on this link since New Year’s Day, but I still can’t get this amazing story about one of the greatest Americans you’ve probably never heard of, Colonel John Boyd, out of my head. He was a freakin’ modern day Sun Tzu and our nation owes him a debt of gratitude for his steadfastness in refusing to succumb to the Pentagon bureaucracy.

This is not a blog post, it is an extremely well-written essay and if you have any interest in history or military doctrine I promise you will find it well worth your time. Hell, I’ve given you two links already, what are you doing here?

Excerpting won’t do it justice, so go give it a read.

Ok, here’s a teaser to get you started:

This is a story about success and failure. It is a story about Iraq, and of something much bigger than Iraq. It is, perhaps, a small look into what makes victory, and defeat. It is a tale of infantrymen, of brave soldiers in dusty alleys a world away. It is a story of generals and strategies, too.

But to understand our newfound success there, to know a little of how we achieved it and most importantly, how to keep it, we need to move away from that Mesopotamian desert and those boots on the ground, and back to a different desert on the other side of the world a half century ago. For there, a vision was vouchsafed to a most unlikely warrior priest… the kind of insight that comes once or twice in all of human history.

Go ahead, I’ll be here when you get back and we can talk about it in the comments section.

Thanks to Proteus at Eject! Eject! Eject!

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…but won’t immediately recognize. This is truly an amazing display of talent. See for yourself:

Hat Tip: Althouse

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Dart tourney tonight at Bless U Pub. Couldn’t have been much better. Jesse and I took the first round after a slow start. In the second set, I teamed up with Dan and we won again. I also had the high ton in both tourneys. Then I was drawn for the mystery out. So, if you are keeping score, my take on the night was W130,000. Not a bad nights work.

I made a batch of chili tonight this afternoon and I was quite pleased with the result.

Got drunk last night.

And there you have my weekend in a nutshell.

Peace. Out.

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But all the tears in the world aren’t going to bring me back, so I would prefer that people remember the good things about me rather than mourning my loss. (If it turns out a specific number of tears will, in fact, bring me back to life, then by all means, break out the onions.) I had a pretty good life, as I noted above. Sure, all things being equal I would have preferred to have more time, but I have no business complaining with all the good fortune I’ve enjoyed in my life. So if you’re up for that, put on a little 80s music (preferably vintage 1980-1984), grab a Coke and have a drink with me. If you have it, throw ‘Freedom Isn’t Free’ from the Team America soundtrack in; if you can’t laugh at that song, I think you need to lighten up a little. I’m dead, but if you’re reading this, you’re not, so take a moment to enjoy that happy fact.

Andrew Olmsted, Soldier, husband, blogger, American. Killed this week in Iraq. The words he left us with are incredibly moving and thought provoking. Please honor him by reading his final post.

Andy, congratulations on a life well-lived.

“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”

–attributed to Plato

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This is pretty damn funny. The website is in Portuguese, but I’m sure anyone smart enough to read LTG will be able to figure out that you put your first name in the first block and your last name in the second block. The other blocks are optional.

Enjoy!

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Spent the first day of the new year being lazy. Not sure if that bodes ill or not, but it felt right. Too f’n cold to go outside and so I didn’t.

I wasn’t totally unproductive as I plowed through a book in one setting. “for one more day” by Mitch Albom. I had previously read “five people you will meet in heaven”, so I guess I knew what to expect. Well, what can I say? The story was sweet. And Mr. Albom pretty much uses a sledge hammer to pound the moral of the story into your head. So yeah, I got it. I winced in places that struck a little to close to where I live, but I took away no lessons I didn’t already know. Ignoring and ignorance are two different things, after all.

Back to work today and I’m going to have to ramp the energy level up and start getting productive. I am pretty sure its going to be a busy year workwise.

Nothing much else to mention. I’ve got a case of the post holiday blues I suppose, but this too shall pass.

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Man oh man, where does the time go?

Rang in the New Year last night at Dolce Vita. Jim and YJ hosted a great party their regular patrons and dart and pool leaguers. Had some good grub, including wings and various dips, salads and sauces. Lonnie made his con queso dip, which is pretty much all I ate. Yeah, it was that good. My contribution was the tortilla chips and pumpernickel bread. Ok, I got off easy this time. But I am baking blueberry muffins this morning!

Here’s wishing everyone a 2008 filled with good health, good friends, and good times.

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