White Party and Flaunt

Anyone who has the opportunity should walk in a fashion show. Flaunt was a great experience. Al Wilson's Birthday party during Club Vinyl's White Party in Denver was pretty cool too.

Fabric

Look for my upcoming role in the independent movie "Fabric", a docu-drama about gay and lesbian issues. It will be showing in film festivals around the country.

Flaunt!

I am going to be walking in the Flaunt Fashion show in Colorado Springs presented by Veda Salsons and Idoru Clothing on September 7th. Come Check it out! The proceeds go to benefit Futureself.

Fabric

Look for my role in Fabric, and independent film directed by John Marquez and produced by Marcorp Productions, at select film festivals around the country.

Maximum Talent!

I got an agency! Check out my agency profile at Maximum Talent.

My Echo Chamber

By neglecting my blog for so much time I have effectively created an echo chamber. No matter. Everybody (I suppose I should say "nobody") wish me luck on the written suitability exam for the Denver Fire Department.

Welcome to WhoisIdaho.com!

Welcome to the new web page!

The Evil Empire Lives

On numerous occasions America's supposed ally, Russia, has taken stances that would seem odd for an ally of the United States or any free Western country.
For instance, Russia sells arms to Iran, Venezuela (ruled by a notorious enemy of American interests, Hugo Chavez), and China, whose totalitarian communist regime oppresses more people than the rest of the enslaved world combined. See these links: Sales to Iran, Russian arms sale to Chavez irks..., and Secretary Rice Concerned about arms sales to China. Russia continues to sell weapons to people that we consider to be our enemies. I don't know about you but if someone publicly threatened me or one of my friends, I would consider someone who armed him to be my enemy. Russia has done just that.
Russia goes further. They give comfort to our enemies. When Israel and the US threatened to cut off funding to Palestine if the Hamas-ruled government continued its belligerence, who invited Hamas to their capital? The Russians did, of course. Who always sides with our worst enemies in the UN? Russia does, of course. Who is sheltering the wife of a Serbian war criminal who is herself a criminal? Who is rushed to investigate the same war criminal's untimely if deserved death? (In the last linked article note the comment from one of the four Russian doctors who examined the results of the autopsy of Slobodan Milosevic's death.)
What I want to know, is why do we consider Russia an ally? Can you name one positive thing Russia has done to help the United States?

Sergeant Edokpayi

After two months of relentless paper-pushing I was promoted from the rank of Specialist to the rank of Sergeant. I've been anticipating this promotion my entire military career due to the fact that I have always been a Specialist. I won't go into the details of how I've suffered because PSB (Personnel Services Battalion I believe it stands for) lost my promotion paperwork. I won't even mention that PSB loses everybody's' promotion paperwork - which begs the question whose paperwork do they not lose? The obvious answer is their own. I will talk about the actual promotion ceremony.
The Army has a long standing tradition that when an enlisted soldier is promoted his superiors "pin" the rank on him in turns. (The "him" is doubly appropriate since I am willing to be that female soldiers don't undergo similar treatment for fear of discrimination or abuse charges) By "pin" I mean "pound" or "grind". What normally transpires is that the commander and the first sergeant remove the old rank and pin on the new as the XO reads the promotion orders. The command group will congratulate you and allow you to say a few words (or in my case, recite the NCO creed) and turn you over to the tender mercies of your colleagues. What happens next can be excruciating. Everyone who knows you and outranks you may then walk by and pin your rank on again. Pin-on rank has two sharp prongs that are meant to pierce the fabric of your uniform and are normally encased in "dammits". During promotion ceremonies NCO's use these prongs to pierce the flesh of younger NCO's. I have seen people leave with blood trailing down their uniforms.
I was planning to subvert the tradition by taping padding to my shoulders and collar bones where the damage is normally worst. I had made it through 95% of the ceremony with a few faux grimaces for the benefit of my audience when one of my fellow medics discovered my ruse. Gnashing of teeth followed immediately after. Those who had been cheated of their bloodletting returned for their rightful due. I stood and writhed with an occasional groan.
The best part is that I get to do it all again tomorrow morning.

Excuse me?

Most unlikely words to hear coming from the mouth of a NOW representative:

The president of the National Organization for Women, Kim Gandy, acknowledged that disputes over unintended pregnancies can be complex and bitter. "None of these are easy questions," said Gandy, a former prosecutor. "But most courts say it's not about what he did or didn't do or what she did or didn't do. It's about the rights of the child."

Since when has the National Organization of Women cared more about the rights of an unborn baby than an adult's rights?
I think everyone in the abortion debate is pursuing one person's interest exclusively at the expense of everyone else's. All NOW apparently cares about is that the woman gets to do whatever she wants. All the men in the story care about is avoiding responsibility. Then Ms Gandy wants to buttress her position from attacks by the men's group by developing a sudden interest in the rights of an unborn child who if you listen to NOW every time before this had no rights! I don't think NOW wants equality, they want to dominate culture - to feminize modern culture. Men are getting fed up and want to get back at women by giving them equality only with consequences women did not intend or foresee. Women may win eventually but their won't be any worthwhile spoils for the victor to collect.

Looking Back

I just returned from a brief field problem with the line company I am assigned to as a medic. Going to the field while not my favorite thing to do reminded me that there are aspects of the job that I enjoy. I like being a medic. I like people depending on me. I like performing under pressure, racing the clock to save precious blood - to save life. It's a rush.
It's coming to a end though. I joined the Army to hit the "reset button". I wanted to do something fun, challenging, and meaningful. It wasn't always fun, but it was always challenging, and I think my overall contribution was meaningful. Two out of three isn't bad.
I won't go so far as to say I would never serve again. I think every American would benefit if everyone served, although I am against mandatory service. I think everyone should volunteer. I do know that I need to try to get out and accomplish other things. There are so many opportunities outside of military service.
I'm proud of what I did and am doing. I just want to do other things.
Internet Explorer sucks.

Ten Miles in the snow

When some people tell their children they walked ten miles to school in the snow over hills in the darkness, they will be lying. If I tell the story about walking to school I will be lying also. If I say I walked ten miles (or more, I wasn't counting and sometimes you get lost in the dark) in training for the Manchu Mile I will be telling the truth.
Walking in the dark with 50+ pounds of military gear on one's back is punishing work. It something we do routinely in the First Battalion, Ninth Infantry Regiment of the Second Infantry Division. We're tough (and or crazy) like that.
Uncle Sam seems determined to get his money's worth out of me before I get out of the Army.

Iraqi Dinars

I just saw a Google AdSense ad for Iraqi dinars on my page. Don't buy them! I won't say it's a scam and that Iraqi dinars will never increase in value. I will say that military personnel are disallowed from speculating in Iraqi currency and even those who are allowed would find it difficult to collect even if the Dinar gained value.

The world is coming to an end

I spend a lot of time reading about negative trends in society - dystopia amuses me. I believe that mankind is going to hell an in a hand basket because:

• Natural resources will soon be depleted. Industry is dependent on cheap oil and mineral resources. Oil production has peaked and no new energy sources are forthcoming. Scientists are also beginning to sound alarms about running out of commonly used metals like copper and aluminum. People should realize that nearly everything is made of plastic, copper, or aluminum now. No oil and we have no plastic. No plastic and we have no electronics, or consumer goods. No copper and we have no electricity. No aluminum and we have to stop manufacturing cars and airplanes. We might find ourselves in deep dodo sooner than we realize.
• The world is awash in unrest fomented by religious fanatics that hate freedom. Islamic religious fundamentalists do not desire religious freedom. They want to kill all the infidels - hint: if you are not Muslim that means you - wipe Israel off the face of the Earth; and establish a world wide caliphate - a backward world where women are viewed as chattel, religious freedom is banished, and scientific education takes a back seat to memorizing the Koran. What is amazing, is that the world still refuses to take the threat seriously. Russia just invited Hamas, a terrorist organization, to Moscow for talks.
  
• The World's economies are doomed to failure. Every major economy in the world is based on a fiat money system which inherently has a finite lifespan. Under a fiat money system, the central bank holds an essentially unlimited store of money - governments can print the money as they please. Fiat money loses its value over time since it becomes necessary for governments to print more and more money. Economic distress creeps up social brackets starting with the poor who can least afford for their money to lose its value, than the middle class who usually have the ability to borrow large amounts of worthless money, than finally ends with the rich who profit the most because they control the flow of money. See this post for a better explanation of why I think the global economy will be in trouble.
• Hunger will spread from Third World countries to developed nations. One word: overpopulation. Developed nations have recklessly destroyed farmland and grown unsupportable population centers (shopping malls!) where farms once stood. Urban sprawl will starve us all. Also, corrupt governments in Third World countries prevent the populace from ever developing the ability to feed themselves - which will increase the strain on the soon-to-be hungry Western nations.
• Disease and pestilence will kill those whom terrorism and hunger spared. Doctors are warning the public that overuse and abuse of antibiotics has developed drug resistant strains of bacteria. Soon we will have a "super" bacteria with no treatment that will sweep the nations' hospitals leaving doctors helpless in its wake. Also, the world is even more vulnerable to a pandemic virus due to advanced transportation networks and inadequate public health safeguards. The current bird flu scare being a prime example of the horror to come.
• If Iran or North Korea is allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, we shall all die. Do I need to explain why it is bad for crazy people the most powereful weapons on the planet?
  

I would say that we are all going to die, (facetiously of course) but I think the lucky people will die. I think we are all going to suffer instead.
Isn't the future bright?

Out of the Army in 80 Days

Barring further catastrophic occurrences in the Middle East, war with China, war with Russia, war with both China and Russia, or Armageddon (although war with China and Russia would most likely be Armageddon) I am not going to be subject to a stop-loss order. I will be separating from the Army in less than 80 days. 68 days actually, I just happen to be a bit of a Jules Verne fan. Also, I was busy when the 80 day mark passed.
The Army makes an effort to prepare soldiers for civilian life. To that end I spent the majority of this week in ACAP meetings. ACAP is an acronym describing the organization that guides the soldier in his transition. What ACAP stands for would be easy to look up if I actually cared to expend the effort. The meetings were informative, if a little dull at times. I confess to repeatedly succumbing to the siren song of the Sandman.
The people I met at the meeting were interesting - one was a high ranking officer who dealt with secret research projects, a couple were retiring Command Sergeant Majors (the highest enlisted rank in the Army excluding the Sergeant Major of the Army. I wonder what his ACAP meetings would be like!), but most were young soldiers like me. What we all had in common was our eagerness to be free. We were instructed to use first names and wear civilian clothes. Most were only to happy to comply.
Instruction was aimed at re-integrating us into the job force. We learned how to dress, how to speak, how to compose a resume, how to look for a job, and how to network among other things. We also learned about the benefits we were entitled to because of our military service and how best to take advantage of them.
I learned several things:

1. My resume is a haphazard, slovenly mess.
2. Employers will probably hire me anyway, eventually.
3. Certain women think I am Drop Dead Gorgeous. (DDG TM)

The last realization came during casual conversation with some buddies from my Battalion who were also in the class. What led to the stunning relevation (stunning for me anyway) was a casual discussion about wayward wives and how best to deal with them. In one case in particular, I recommended that a fellow soldier "Check that **". Somehow I reached a level of candor and openness with the soldier I was talking to that he felt comfortable saying, "My wife wants to **** you."
I stammered the wittiest reply I could, and then immediately demanded an explanation. Knowing a coworker's wife desired carnal knowledge (while flattering) was unsettling. He explained that her stated desire to perform the horizontal wild animal tango stemmed from an incident at a local nightclub last Fall. A local radio station was holding a sexy pajama contest for tickets to a Ying Yang twins concert. Believing the prize to be one hundred dollars I entered out of a naked desire for cold hard cash. Dressed in a black tank top, Old Navy pajama bottoms adorned with American flags, and Homer Simpson slippers borrowed from a helpful cook, I stole the collective heart of the female attendees at the club. It probably helped that I somehow lost the tank top in the course of the contest. (The stupid thing wouldn't stay on!)
So my buddy's wife saw me there and told her husband. He told me.
Oh and the Ying Yang twins never showed up at the concert. DOH!

OOGA CHAKA

Is this why David Hasselhoff is famous in Germany? Because he stars in ridiculous, amateurishly shot, although wildly entertaining music videos? I could do that.

This blog as a thermometer

I thought that when I returned to the United States that I would be free to talk about everything I did and everything going on around me in the Army. I am not. I can't tell you what is happening in the battalion formerly known as the proud 1-503D INF. REGT. I can tell you I am sad.
My battalion has always had a reputation for wildness but certain things that have occurred since we returned have crossed the line. Behavior that was acceptable or even expected in Korea just doesn't fly in the United States. I've always said that people in the battalion where going to have trouble adjusting to be in a regular unit after being in Korea and Iraq, and I was right.
I can't talk about what is happening, but not because of OPSEC. I can tell you that this blog is most useful to the military families at home as a thermometer - as an indirect measure of unit morale. When posts are few and far between, and generally negative in character, overall morale is probably low. When I can write freely and openly about events in the unit, business is good. When post are few and far between and maybe a little confused, morale is very good - I've been out partying too much to post to the blog.
On a happier note, I have a tidbit of information to dribble out to certain interested parties. Stop-loss orders, unless I am grossly mistaken (which has happened more than once), only come down ninety days before a deployment or deployment availability. Regular readers of military newspapers have a good idea of when 2BCT, 2ID is available for deployment. If your soldier is hoping to separate from the Army or move to another unit it should be a simple matter to count back the days and decide whether stop-loss orders are likely to interfere. I, for one, have nothing to worry about (I get out of the Army May 6th). My life became much easier when I realized that I could stop listening to the rumors about stop-loss and plan for the future.

Workout Dissatisfaction

My schedule changed recently and I have less time to devote to my workout schedule. I decided that I should start working out twice a week. I began searching for a two day a week workout, maybe with an optional third day. Google led me to this workout on AskMen.com. On the face of it, this workout seems like it would be perfect for what I am proposing. But only on the face of the situation - for whatever reason the bench press is one of my weakest lifts, so I need more than three sets of bench press in a week to feel as if I am doing any effective upper body work.
I think I am going to try something like this POWERLIFTING. The caps lock thing was an accident but it seemed appropriate. I've done some cursory research and I am impressed by the anecdotal tales of athletic prowess among Olympic powerlifters - 42 inch vertical leaps, out-running sprinters at 25 meters, and a 6'3" 325 lbs man dunking a basketball. If I weighed 325 lbs I wouldn't be able to tie my shoes much less dunk a basketball.
From now on I think my workout routine is going to look like this:

• Barbell Bench Press 6-8 repetitions, 3 sets.
• Squats 6-8 repetitions, 3 sets. (substitute leg press or Smith Machine if knee pain increases)
  
• Deadlifts 6-8 repetitions, 3 sets.
  
• Power Cleans 3-5 repetitions, 3 sets.
• Push Press 3-5 repetitions, 3 sets.
• Dips/Pullup Supersets 10 repetitions, 3 sets.
• Squat jumps 3 repetitions, 3 sets. (never more than 50% of one rep max)
  
• Incline Crunch 20-30 repetitions, 5 sets. (or variations to target obliques)

This routine would limit rest between sets to 1 minute and I should probably start using weight belts and wraps. I would start with very light weights in all the new lifts. I would never do this routine on consecutive days, but I would attempt to go to the gym as many times during a week as possible. Of course, if I didn't have the energy I wouldn't bother. I'd do a five minute warm-up and a short cool-down. I'd try to run on my off days. I'd also try to finish everything in an hour and fifteen minutes.
It's worth a shot...
Or I could get fat and blame it on the training I am doing as a line medic with Able Company again.
I am also including a link to power lifters amazing athletic feats.

Ad Sense

Astute readers will note that I've enabled Google Adsense on the blog and done it in a big way. I chose to as an experiment and I am hoping that my readers will not find them annoying or offensive shouldn't feel pressured to buy anything to make me money, (BUY! BUY! BUY! Buy expensive stuff!) but if a visitor should happen to see something he/she likes than I do make a little commission from the sale. Thus far, I have made $0.20. WooHoo!

How I would solve The Iran Nuclear Crisis

Soldiers are speculating that Iran's insistence on developing nuclear capability could lead to an invasion of Iran. In fact, we speculated about it when we were still in Iraq. I am not in charge nor do I ever plan to be, but if I were I would basically do what we are doing now. It makes sense - negotiations either work and the nuclear threat ends or they don't and the international community join forces to obliterate Iran. The beautiful thing is that building nukes isn't easy so everyone can afford to spend time on probably fruitless negotiations. (What we can't afford is to allow the loons in power in Iran to actually use the nukes.) In the course of negotiations we could impose sanctions over time and pressure China and Russia to cease arms sales to Iran.
The odd thing that people don't realize is that "the transformed" US Army would make short work of the Iranian army. Guerilla warfare is hard, standing armies are easy. All the things we can't do in Iraq we could do to Iran. Also, one would hope that the lessons learned in Iraq would prevent similar problems from cropping up in Iran.
Mostly, I am peeved at Iran for agitating the whole time I was in Iraq. And if they do force a conventional military invasion I am going to be more peeved if I get called back to fight.

Isaac Mizrahi is my hero

Isaac Mizrahi is my hero. It's that simple. I don't care that he's gay. I don't care that he babbles inanities on cable television. Isaac Mizrahi is my hero because he felt up one of the world's most prized bosoms on television.
I often think of doing similar things. Often, I can barely restrain myself for reaching out for a handful of female flesh as I watch women pass by in nightclubs; but what Mr. Mizrahi did is something else. He must have no impulse control. I aspire to have as little as he did.
The expression on Scarlett Johansson's face interests me as well. I can sympathize because the only group of people who are more likely to get away with copping a feel than gay men, are straight women. I've had women feel my arm coyly, fondle my chest temptingly, slap my buttocks wantonly, and grab my crotch brazenly. As much as I appreciate female attention, much of the attention I receive results in awkward situations. There isn't much one can do other than smile.
I know I smiled when I saw her smiling.
Watch the video.

Poverty is Good For Me

I've discovered that relative wealth is bad for my waist line. So, I suppose I am saying that I am like the vast majority of Americans who lead the globe in fatness despite the constant parade of beauty queens and body building muscle men on television. Even so, I am not fat, as many people are quick to remind me when I complain of needing to lose two inches on my waist. The difference between me and the average Joe is that I lose the inches so that grown women weep for joy when they gaze upon my chiseled frame. Many of my fellow Americans fear that if they don't lose weight that they will soon forget what their feet look like.
So getting back to the wealth angle, I've noted that I am usually thinner when I am poor. Before I joined the Army I weighed 175 pounds and sported a lean, hungry look. I actually was hungry - I often suspect that I joined the Army because my recruiter fed me every time she saw me. In Iraq, food was in short supply, and I spent a lot of time and energy scheming to acquire as much food as possible. I was so successful that I gained 20 pounds, but the austerity of the conditions there also made it easy to cut back and trim down to achieve that chiseled look. At one point, I am sure I was eating fifty dollars worth of canned tuna and protein bars a week.
Now that I am home, restraint has gone out the window. In fact, as I type this I am eating leftover roast beef from the Blackeyed Pea. Perhaps, when I leave the Army I'll stop drinking all that high calorie beer during weekends and start a poverty diet while I search for employment. It might be good for me. It will at least be lower calorie.

The Wild, Wooly World of Supplements

I recently began a supplement regimen after going cold turkey for the period of four months and I already want more. I purchased something called an "anabolic matrix kit" from GNC. The kit includes various supplements purported to support intense training. Notably, creatine is included. I have resisted taking creatine for some time. Why? Mostly, because I am contrary and stubborn. Also, I have heard some claim that one can achieve the same results produced by creatine from increased water intake alone.
However, I finally did break down and get some creatine into my regimen. When I was in Iraq, I would buy Bodyonics Pinnacle NoX2 Muscle Builder along with Bodyonics Pinnacle NoX2 Xtender Overnight. I grew huge veins in my arms and large muscles all over. People, including my mother, would regularly inquire if I was taking steroids. I was not, and will not. I eschew any kind of hormone supplements, which is why I probably won't take DHEA ever. Anything else is game however.
I regularly take all sorts of amino acids:

• I strongly believe in the use of glutamine. I first took this stuff three years ago before I joined the Army and couldn't believe how fast my body recovered. It was my first experience with supplements and I was astounded by how much I could lift and never feel soreness.
• I took carnitine in Iraq because it is said to aid in burning fat. It seemed to work well enough, but after a while I was taking so many different things I couldn't be sure.
• Because I failed to read the label of the NO2 products I was already taking I also took additional arginine and ornithine. These are the primary ingredients of any NO2 product so taking extra might have been overkill. But then, with everything else I was taking who knows?
• While in Korea I started developing knee pain from all the extra running I was doing so I began taking glucosamine and chondritin sulfate. I know this stuff works because over time the knee pain dissipated without any decrease in my workout load. Everybody should be on this stuff.
  
• As part of the kit I am using now, I take a GNC product called "Amino Burst 3000" - One stop shopping for the discerning/lazy supplement consumer.
  

In addition, I usually take some sort of multivitamin. I also usually eat enough to feed a small Mexican town for a year. I am too cheap to buy protein or meal replacements, although for a while in Iraq I was so hungry that I ate hundreds of protein bars and many cans of tuna. A college friend had told me how his body building younger brother would eat tuna for the protein content. I ate it because I was positive I was on the verge of starving. Tuna has the side benefit of providing Omega-3 fatty acids - good stuff I assure you.
A new supplement I am intrigued by is Endothil-CR. It's made from tomato extract and was originally researched as a way to fight muscle atrophy. Of course, bodybuilders began putting it to other use. I hesitate to use it because:

1. I am broke.
2. It sounds like a pro-hormone or some sort of hormone booster.
3. Did I mention that I'm broke?

The root of the problem is that the supplement market is unregulated and full of bogus claims and products of dubious worth. The majority of available research comes from the manufacturer selling the product and shouldn't be trusted for obvious reasons. There are a few things universally understood to work but the science for even known supplements isn't as strong as I'd like. So where does that leave the average supplement consumer - "where can I get some steroids?"
So the long and short of it is that I am a supplement junkie. In a small way, I live so that I can work out. I work out so I can look like and perform like a superhero. I want to be Batman in an Army green.

New Year's Resolutions

I didn't post this New Year's mostly because I was too busy partying. My first resolution is that I must have that much fun again next year.
My second resolution is to drink more water. Next I want to do a better job managing my finances. Last I want to build a super-hero level physique. I want to look like Batman back in the day with the value pack. (a stomach with so many bulges that it isn't a six pack or even an 8 pack, it looks like the family size case of soda hence the "value pack")