Name Your Age

Errr... did you mean Futility?
Del

Explosion of the population.

As a member of the 'X' generation (a moniker I for one have always found abhorent) I have to say that while I in part agree with your assessment I do feel compelled to point at the 'Y' generation as a more accurate group for this sentiment... While we (the X's) enjoyed the birth of MTV and were raised on cable tv we mostly lacked the sense of entitlement that so thoroughly pervades the following generations. We remember a time without cell phones or home computers, when social networking involved going outside, dialing a phone involved a dial and color TV was bonus (if the president wasn't on). For Generation Y, MTV stopped playing Music; I think this is significant...

Also, I watched the demise of education first hand as a student and know that my generation is better off for the last few remnants of school discipline that hadn't been crushed by sentimentalism and political correctness than are those who followed us through those sacred halls a mere 4 years later (like my sister)... One of the reasons I get so riled up anytime someone posts a thread on our education system is because I was there for the death throws, and a lot of my generation didn't have the skills to propel themselves out of the mediocrity being bred in our schools at that time... it has only gotten worse.

Of course, since the term "Generation X" is purely a fabrication of the Media it doesn't really matter what I think.

pocket change?

Hey, what's "pocket change" Fred? LOL

I'm so far into the "poor house" this Christmas season due to the Mrs' spending spree last weekend! same same every year....time to take away the debit and credit cards and cut 'em up! ACK!

I started a new job, so will have a bit for xmas..... besides, I don't think she would appreciate if I cut up her cards... it is her money after all...

I have found that bah humbug and turning the hose on anyone who thinks they need a present from me also saves a pile every year.

Gee, that's exactly what my ex used to say...

Until the bills arrived.

Hooker

Hey Chris, congrats on landing the new job! I hope it's your "dream" job and everything you desire!

For myself, I'm starting to look into finding one....want on get off this dang Social Security Disability and back to working....have lost 140# (with more to go...) this past year resulting in lower blood sugars and hypertension...the Diabetes is starting to melt away finally! Yeah!!! I may forget doing the Lap Band surgery altogether. .....hate going under the knife, hate needles, and then there's laying on an operating table and being in the hands of some surgeon! ACKKK!!!! Last time I was in surgery it was not a very pleasant experience with the Army Docs digging grenade frags outta my right leg (Grenada...Op. "Urgent Fury" back in '83, some 27 years ago). Well, I could always crank up the consulting office again, but what with this lousy economy it's a big crap shoot.

Thanks Mark.

its working as a coordinator/job scheduler in a high end custom kitchen cabinet manufacturing shop. (www.contempokitchensonline.ca)

my brother went through exactly the same scenario as you with the weight loss and diabetes... good work!

I never know whether to say 'sorry' about the injury, or praise you for your service... but it is a big deal taking frag for your country. at least i think so.

I am sure I have a similar aversion to hospitals, pills and surgery as you... :) I'm not sure what lap band surgery is... I know what lap dance therapy is though!

good luck.

chris

Thanks Chris!

Looks like a great company to work for, from what I could see from the website. Again, congrats are in order! I know you'll do a great job for them there!!!!

Well, the diabetes battle is far from over, but I know I'll persevere eventually. I caused the huge weight gain by overeating. MY BAD!!!! See, my X was a terrible cook and I did most of the family's cooking, but I was also very active back then too. . But during the 5-year divorce battle and living a small apartment I unfortunately choose the wrong foods to eat and was less active as well + sitting behind a desk too much pushing out engineering reports and studies......then I met my current wife who is a RN and a tremendous cook & baker. She really did miss her true calling and should have been a chef instead! Within 5 years I pounded on over 200 pounds eating all the wrong stuff, resulting in my health going to hell in a hand basket quite quickly. GOOBLE GOOBLE GOOBLE! HEHEHEHHE In hindsight a very bad move on my part. It has now taken over 7 years to get rid of the diabetic ulcers and get finally healed-up. Now I'm active again and shedding the weight, thank God! More to come though....I want to get down to my old Army weight of 155 (which is what I weighed when I returned from Desert Storm/Desert Shield in June of '91 ith my Reinforced Engineering Company. Hard to believe that's nearly 20 years ago. Time flies!!!!

Glad to see that your brother tackled it and won! It's not easy to readjust your eating habits and lifestyle + exercise properly on a routine basis.

You're welcome. Like you I was a military brat too. My little brother (a retired USAF and NJANG F-16C pilot...LT. Col.) and I are the 7th Generation to serve our country. My brother was the second to break with family tradition and joined the USAF.....my mom's brother, a USAF fighter pilot, was the first He flew F-105G Wild Weasel missions during Nam....we lost him on his 89th sortie during his 3rd tour over the North over Route Pac 6b......all others have served in the Army on both sides on my family. My late dad retired a full Col. in the active Army, Army Reserves and finally the NY Army National Guard after 27 years service...seved in the Korean War and 3 tours of duty in Viet Nam, with his last posting with the 42nd Infantry Division (Rainbow Division). My Paternal Grandfather and all of his brothers (all 8 of them....big Italian family) fought in WWII serving in the Army, mainly in the ETO.

My bro served in Desert Storm flying F-16's with the AF, and later on over Bosnia flying out of Aviano AB, Italy

All of my siblings (including my sisters) and I grew up shooting long rifles as well as pistols since we we 6 years of age. My dad made damn sure we knew how to operate and handle a weapon properly, safely. Summers were spent at my Great Uncles dairy farm and occasionally plinking woodchucks with a .22 or scoped 30-06 Remington rifles so that the very expensive dairy cows wouldn't break a leg or pelvis by stepping into a "chuck hole". No matter what we did we couldn't entirely remove the chuck hole threat, and "Unc's" usually lost a few milking cows in any given year. Also, we used to deer hunt in the Fall on that farm as teenagers with my Great Uncle and his boys (my mom's 1st cousins) as well as my other Great Uncle (they we identical twin brothers married to twin sisters! wild, eh?!!!!) and his boys who had a similar dairy farm located across the country road. It was huge farm of well over 2,500 Acres located near Hamilton NY south of Utica......lots and lots of nice hardwood forested areas. rolling hills and several deep and wide running streams there! Beautiful place, and now wish I owned it!

Thanks Chris. Taking the frags in the leg while on Grenada was the least of my worries at the time.....same grenade KIA 3 of my troops, including my RTO and platoon Sargent. Their loss still weighs heavily on my mind, even after 27 years. Some things you never forget. Let's say I have no love lost for Cubans, their system, their military, and their idiot leaders.....well almost any Commie for that matter. I spent nearly one half of my adult life training and fighting Commies and their client states. Still, I prefer peace over war any day...it's such a waste and so so distructive and counter-productive. But we still serve to keep the peace as a deterent....then there's the scumball terrorists to finish off! Payback is such a bitch but it needs to be done.....exterminate the bastards sooner or later before they finally obtain a nuke or other WMD from the GD Iranians or the Paki's and use it on a western city like NYC, LA , DC, London or Paris.

I can just imagine the "fallout" I'm about to receive from the PC crowd in this here forum...so be it!!! Doubt that many, if at all, ever served their nation in it's defense, period!

DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY!

RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!

thanks Mark.

well... you are pretty enthusiastic about the military...lol I'm a pacifist generally... but I do tend to take in a lot of military history... and I'm still undecided about killing. I guess you don't know what you will do if you end up in a life-death struggle until you get there. this is a condition and dilemma of the entire human race, and won't end anytime soon. been going since the beginning....

I'm convinced that fighting weight is also an eternal battle, as the body tends to slow its metabolism with age.. requiring less food, but forgetting to decrease appetite.. or sensitivity to the attractions of great food.. (smell, taste, texture, dating etc)

cheers,

Chris