Orange Whip?

There's a first time for everything, but I think this is the first time that some part of my life has made it into, of all places, Wikipedia.

"The term orange whip is also used by the military in Afghanistan as a slang term to ask if someone would like to go to the mess hall to eat or is at the mess hall eating. Used in a sentence: "The CJ5 FUPLANS section is out orange-whipping."

The part it left out was my adding "TWO MINUTE STRIKEWARN" to let people know we were heading out in two minutes, but that's completely separate from the "orange whip" warning order.

Awesome.

6.42mi, 53:59, 25 NOV 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Above and Beyond feat. OceanLab, "On A Good Day"

WX at 0900: 19.9 (-6.7) DP 10.0 (-12.2) BP 30.02 (1016) NNW 12 RH 65

Odometer 3: 137.9mi

Z4.
Average/max heart rate = 169/187

First run in a while. Today wasn't a workday and I got enough sleep to warrant a run. I don't have much else to do other than eat and entertain family.

Today was fast going downhill, slow going uphill. It was cold, but that contributed to the speed. Winter's coming. I can feel it. The OceanLab song remains a useful mantra when I'm sucking and I want to slow down. Then I take the pain and work through it.

I'm not sure if it's disillusionment or just malaise I feel this year, but I've been really feeling fucking crotchety lately. Fortunately, I have a can of Four Loko (pre-reformulation) to fix that shit in case I'm in a Home for the Holidays kind of mood.

Yes, I've seen that movie on the big screen.

No, I won't mix Four Loko with Glenfiddich, which is the special munition of choice lately, since Jeremiah Weed goes down hard and I can afford to drink for quality.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 07:58 07:58 07:58 07:58 1.00
1.00 16:18 08:20 08:20 08:09 2.00
1.00 24:32 08:14 08:14 08:11 3.00
1.00 33:19 08:47 08:47 08:20 4.00
1.00 42:13 08:54 08:54 08:27 5.00
1.00 50:49 08:36 08:36 08:28 6.00
0.42 53:59 03:10 07:32 08:25 6.42

The Coolest Thing Ever

"A guy who came to Fight Club for the first time, his ass was a wad of cookie dough. After a few weeks, he was carved out of wood."

So you want to be a historian?

Oh jesus fucking airborne christ, I laughed so goddamn hard I almost pissed myself. Yes, I am a doctoral student, in history.



Since history is a humanities discipline, I'm adding the other screed about being a humanities graduate student while I laugh my ass off.



A huge shout-out to Dr. Nick Sarantakes of the US Naval War College for these videos.

My guilty pleasure

Although I eschew stereotypes, certain ethnic stereotypes conflate people who look like me with techno music. I'll admit when I stop listening to classical, metal, hardcore, new age, and some occasional power-pop that I listen to some trance.

I get a bizarre sense of equanimity from watching this video. The fact that the lyrics are a statement of refusal to give into the demons that one faces are perhaps more apropos than they should be.

5.56mi, 50:07, 21 NOV 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Above and Beyond, "Alone Tonight"

WX at 0800: 61.0 (16.1) DP 55.0 (12.8) BP 29.78 (1008) SSW 21 RH 81

Odometer 2: 256.6mi

Z3 start, Z4-Z5 finish.
Average/max heart rate = 156/183

What started as a fairly steady state run (albeit over extremely hilly terrain) turned into a chance to get in some max VO2 work. The last major downhill had me going 7:00/mi at the downhill, so I decided to see how long I could hold the pace. I held close to that for another half mile and then hung on for just under 8:00/min in the remainder half mile. That was hard but rewarding.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:52 08:52 08:52 08:52 1.00
1.00 18:35 09:43 09:43 09:17 2.00
1.00 28:42 10:07 10:07 09:34 3.00
1.00 37:48 09:06 09:06 09:27 4.00
1.00 45:41 07:53 07:53 09:08 5.00
0.56 50:07 04:26 07:55 09:01 5.56

2.38mi + 4,000m on Concept2 Model E, 20:41 + 17:00.5, 19 NOV 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Bear McCreary, opening credits music to Caprica

WX at 0600: 39.9 (4.4) DP 32.0 (0.0) BP 29.99 (1015) S 22 RH 73

Odometer 2: 251.0mi equivalency

Z3 run, Z4 high erg.
Average/max heart rate = 158/181

For some reason I woke up earlier and easier than I thought. I don't think it was just because I decided to move up from Hamm's to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale either.

Today was productive. Yay. But chilly and breezy as shit.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.17 11:02 11:02 09:26 09:26 1.17
1.21 20:41 09:39 07:59 08:41 2.38

Distance: 4000
Time: 00:17:00
Avg/500m: 02:07
Drag Factor: 114
Per Mile: 00:06:50

3.88mi, 34:02, 18 NOV 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Bear McCreary, Theme from Dark Void (Main Finger remix)

WX at 0700: 32.0 (0.0) DP 30.9 (-0.6) BP 30.38 (1028) Calm RH 95

Odometer 2: 247.3mi

Z3.
Average/max heart rate = 156/171

I need to run more. At least this morning went well, in spite of my temptation to sleep in.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:42 08:42 08:42 08:42 1.00
1.00 17:26 08:44 08:44 08:43 2.00
1.00 26:32 09:06 09:06 08:51 3.00
0.88 34:02 07:30 08:31 08:46 3.88

We do not fire people out of embarrassment...

As I read today:

Way back in the long ago when the Internet was new, at DISA they created a team of reservists and tasked them to find threats within the DoD "web presence". After about a week the O-5 assigned as the team lead discovered how to remotely find porn on the hard drives of the networked desk tops. He developed a smile that far surpassed any smile that could be smiled by any crocodile or even several crocodiles smiling together. Before the month was out the team project was shelved, the LTC got a Legion of Merit and was given a long tour in a capacity where he was freed from having to review the networked systems.

Awesome. Makes me wonder whether the pr0n he found was on the computers of senior leaders...just saying.

Awesome. Only Awesomer.

ONLY in response to a Defense Technical Information Center does a query for the TRADOC monograph From Active Defense to AirLand Battle get turned into From Active Defense to fairyland Battle.

I chortled. A lot.

5.0mi, 43:32, 13 NOV 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Oceanlab, "Satellite"

WX at 0900: 39 DP 34 BP 30.08 (1018.9) 13G22 RH 82

Odometer 2: 243.5mi

Z3 high.
Average/max heart rate = 159/179

Today was okay, but better after warming up. I've slept in because of being out of gas in the mornings, not for any particularly good reason. Looking forward for graduate school to wrap up since I'm also combining that with the crush of teaching in the fall.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:28 08:28 08:28 08:28 1.00
1.00 17:07 08:39 08:39 08:33 2.00
1.00 25:57 08:50 08:50 08:39 3.00
1.00 35:09 09:12 09:12 08:47 4.00
1.00 43:32 08:23 08:23 08:42 5.00

4.25mi, 37:02, 10 NOV 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Oceanlab, "Satellite"

WX at 0600: 57.9 (14.4) DP 48.9 (9.4) BP 29.81 (1009) S 21G29 RH 71

Odometer 2: 238.5mi

Z3 high.
Average/max heart rate = 157/174

Today's iThink was a consequence of the general confusion resulting from watching this before running today. Then I indulged my basic schadenfreude and thought about misadventure. It took my mind off the general friction of trying to start on a morning when I wanted to sleep in.

For as warm as it was, I was too cold at the outset (owing to the wind) and only after a mile and a half had fully warmed up where I took off the sweatshirt with which I'd started.

By mile 3 I was fully geared up so today was productive. That, and I had to compensate for the Hamm's beer and Cape Cod piss n' vinegar chips I had last night.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.00 08:31 08:31 08:31 08:31 1.00
1.00 17:11 08:40 08:40 08:35 2.00
1.00 26:07 08:56 08:56 08:42 3.00
1.00 34:55 08:48 08:48 08:44 4.00
0.25 37:02 02:07 08:28 08:43 4.25

2.4mi + 3,000m on Concept2 Model D, 21:34 + 12:37, 8 NOV 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Saxon Shore, "Amber, Ember, Glow"

WX at 0600: 51.1 (10.6) DP 34.0 (1.1) BP 29.88 (1011) SSW 14 RH 51

Odometer 2: 234.2mi equivalency

Z4/Z5.
Average/max heart rate = 167/178 run only. Average HR for row probably closer to about 170.

The road to recovery is on, I think. I didn't work out yesterday and was a little sore but not too much. Today marked the first time on the Concept in a while, and it was rough going, even as low a drag factor as I had today.

Everything was okay for the first 1500m. The remainder turned into a grit festival as my upper back, deltoids, and trapezius were all having to work unexpectedly hard after getting a month and a half of unwarranted rest time.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
1.19 10:30 10:30 08:49 08:49 1.19
1.19 21:34 11:04 09:18 09:04 2.38

Distance: 3000
Time: 00:12:37
Avg/500m: 02:06
Drag Factor: 100
Per Mile: 00:06:46

5.1mi, 42:51, 6 NOV 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink:
Bear McCreary, "Capricoperatica"
Bear McCreary, "The Collapse of Saint Francis"

WX at 0900: 35.1 (1.7) DP 25.0 (-3.9) BP 30.3 (1026) S 7 RH 66

Odometer 3: 131.4mi

Z3.
Average/max heart rate = no reading

First premeditated workout since going to Quantico almost a month ago. Goddamn it's been a while.

Surprisingly, I didn't feel as bad as I thought I would, but running 8:30ish/mi for 5 miles was okay. The truth will be tomorrow to see how it feels.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
5.10 42:51 42:51 08:24 08:24 5.10

My lack of physical exercise continues...

But I found this address from the current Superintendent of the Naval Academy, of all places, remarkably motivating...and I'm not even a Naval Academy graduate, nor am I a member of the Sea Services. What I do find amazing is this crystalline description of what USNA exists for, what it is, and where it's going. Those are the vision statements I have come to expect from the best senior leadership, regardless of service.

In two parts. Part 1, and part 2. Enjoy.

I have to put in a plug for Commander Salamander, which is why I even knew about the speech. Yes, I RSS the US Naval Institute's blog, to which he posts. I don't see similar professional forums like that in the Army. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places, but USNI has been like that since I started reading its Proceedings back in the 1980s.

Some sober reflection

These words were written by another major, and they reflect an essential truth far more profound than anything I will have ever written.

If you are able, save for them a place inside of you
and save one backward glance when you are leaving
for the places they can no longer go.

Be not ashamed to say you loved them,
though you may or may not have always.
Take what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own.

And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane,
take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind.

MAJ Michael Davis O'Donnell, "Remember Them"
1 January 1970, Dak To, Vietnam

4.3mi, 37:27, 15 OCT 10, Quantico, Virginia

iThink:
The Bats, "Courage"
Geoff Zanelli, Hans Zimmer & Blake Neely, "With the Old Breed"

WX at 0600: 50.0 (10.0) DP 39.9 (4.4) BP 29.79 (1008) NW 7 RH 68

Odometer 3: 126.3mi

Z3 high.
Average/max heart rate = no reading

First run in almost three weeks - not counting my PT test. I've had some weight loss from moving stuff around, but it won't last unless I do something about it.

I find it ironic that I can't get a run in unless I'm away from home, but this was worth it.

Quantico is pretty hilly, if this morning's run is any indicator. Still, it felt good to get out there - and the weather was about as good as it gets.

One highlight from this morning's run: brief stop at the USMC Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy building, where there's a small exhibit on GySgt John Basilone, who earned a Medal of Honor at Guadalcanal in 1942, and a posthumous Navy Cross at Iwo Jima in 1945. It makes sense for Basilone to be memorialized at the NCO academy, but it's been my observation that the Marine Corps has always been very good about memorializing its own.

Splits
SGMT AGGRG SEGMT PERMI AVGPC DIST
4.33 37:27 37:27 08:39 08:39 4.33

The joys of moving

The last two weeks have been spent in preparation for this past weekend. Although I'd prepositioned all kinds of stuff at the new house (about 5-6 minivan-loads), most of the heavy lifting was done on Saturday when we hired Two Men and A Truck to move us. Three guys came out from Blue Springs, MO, and did a bang-up job moving us.

It might have cost us just a bit over $1000 (they charge by the hour and their methods are geared towards less breakdown and more moving, which places a greater premium on actually getting things packed properly beforehand), but they were exceptionally professional and were true to their word. Every bit as professional as I would've expected of them.

That doesn't change the fact that a sizeable amount of minivan-portable stuff was still left at the old house, and I spent most of yesterday and today moving stuff.

Good part of it is that almost all of it is minivan-portable. Better part of it is that I've managed to lose some six pounds in the last week, and I don't think it's just water weight either.

Whether I keep that weight off remains to be seen. I am pretty beat and have two books to read in the next two days.

To quote some of my former coworkers from Combined/Joint Task Force 82 back in 2008...

HIGH OCTANE!!!

How to Delete Yourself From the Gene Pool

I cannot possibly think of anything that involves as much deliberate taunting of death as this video.

A. 25-mile commute in Moscow.
B. Yamaha R1 suicide rocket.
C. Gratuitous lifting of front wheel.
D. Monster death wish.
E. All of the above.

Record APFT, 289 points, 6 OCT 10, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

iThink: Journey, "Only the Young"

WX at 0600: 48.9 (9.4) DP 44.1 (6.7) BP 30.26 (1024) SSW 7 RH 83

Odometer 3: 122.0mi

Z4 high.
Average/max heart rate = no reading

The last few weks have been hallmarked by a general lack of physical exercise. The only exercise I've traditionally done is cycling to work and back. As a result, I was pleasantly surprised at grinding out what I got this morning.

I've traditionally gotten 100 in the pushups and situps without much formal training, but I attribute that to a lot of muscle memory. The run was more problematic and I found that I didn't suck as bad as I thought I might. Of course, cycling is better than nothing. I feel vindicated for cycling my way in and out to work.

I'm still going to get taped for body fat percentage since I tapped the scales at 185 pounds. Ha ha.

I did almost as little formalized training for this one as I did for the last PT test I took in May, and the environmental conditions were not much different. Why I did better is a mystery.

My knees did hurt a bit after the run, though. Aging sucks. It also doesn't change the fact that my last deliberate workout was over a week ago. Sad, sad, sad.

Splits
Pushups: 76 in 0:58
Situps: 77 in 1:30
Two mile run: 14:52