I have been working with tactical equipment for more than 15 years now on a fairly regular basis. My first exposure to military gear came from my dad. He had a small stock of equipment that he would sell from privately. I honestly never saw him sell much of it. When I joined the Army … Continue reading Kitting Up: Introduction
I Feel Out of Place
A month ago I found myself in New England and while I was there I decided to take the opportunity to visit my hometown of Easthampton, Massachusetts. I have not been to the area since I was 16-years-old. I had a number of tasks I wanted to accomplish while I was there. I managed to … Continue reading I Feel Out of Place
Do not self destruct. We’re shooting our way out.
When I was growing up, I loved Star Wars. I loved anything science fiction, really, but Star Wars was the movie that made the genre my favorite. I never did particularly well academically, so I wasn't technically a nerd. I wasn't allowed to do any sort of sports growing up, so I never really cared … Continue reading Do not self destruct. We’re shooting our way out.
The Future is Coming…
When I started writing this blog I had a lot of things on my mind. Tonight as I look back and realize how long it's been since I wrote an entry, I wonder what happened. Where did my mind go? Why did I suddenly run out of thoughts? Honestly, I don't know. I have no … Continue reading The Future is Coming…
The RPG Analogy
I have an analogy I like to use when deciding if new people are worth investing time in. I call it the RPG Analogy. For anyone who has ever spent time playing either a video game or tabletop RPG, the terminology will be quite familiar. For those that haven't, I'm sure it will be easy … Continue reading The RPG Analogy
My Past and an Overdue “Thank You”
Tonight I find myself reflecting. Usually I do this in one of countless notebooks I have stacked up or stuffed in one of my numerous bookshelves. But tonight is different. In order to give this some scope I have to go into some personal detail. I was raised by Jehovah's Witnesses. It was not particularly … Continue reading My Past and an Overdue “Thank You”
After that, everything changed.
It was dark and relatively quiet. The truck commander and gunner were babbling on about something for the strict purpose of staying awake I would imagine. The rumble of the HMMWV's engine hummed faintly through the sound dampening headset I wore under my helmet that connected me to the vehicle intercom and the troop and … Continue reading After that, everything changed.
Be Still, My Whirring Heart
Back when I was deployed on my second and final tour in Iraq I picked up a sci-fi publication that was sent to us in a care package. It was full of short stories that were a good escape from the landscape I found myself surrounded by. There was one story, however, that has really … Continue reading Be Still, My Whirring Heart
Mythology, Metallurgy, and Monsters
Writing stories with monsters is fun. The common monsters have such varied mythology when it comes to strengths and weaknesses that it can be mind numbing. The first time I was exposed to the idea that vampires are affected by silver was when I watched the first Blade movie some time in the late 90s. … Continue reading Mythology, Metallurgy, and Monsters
Grey Matter Guano 