SUNDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER AD 2011

2324L MDT

Hi, all. Yes, it has been awhile since I had the discipline to blog. It's been over a year, really.  What has happened since my last post? You mean with me? It's very nice of you to ask.

I am still working. I continue to workout at least 3 to 5 days a week. I enjoy it very much. My family and loved ones are all well. The economy sucks. The space shuttles have stopped flying and are headed to museums (yay, NASA and President Obama). We are still at war, losing the best of my generation. There was an earthquake near Washington, DC. Yada, yada, yada.

Since I last posted here, I have found other venues which I have found to be much easier than going through the process of logging onto Bravenet, searching for my blog application, going through and deleting spam comment posts, and then taking the time to regurgitate my thoughts here. I have both Twitter and Facebook accounts. I have been updating my web sites more often. I have a Bodybuilding.com web page. I am on the web in a good amount. Realizing that fact, I am also aware that identity theft is one of the most prevalent crimes out there. Therefore, I will not be posting much about me except stuff that I have purged and think to be harmless. If, for example, you try to friend me and I have no idea who you are, don't be surprised if you don't hear from me. Just saying.

Um... Yeah... Well, I pretty much posted what I was thinking about tonight. Be well and happy and I look forward to talking to you again soon.

Chuse!

SEMPER EXCUBITUM

MICHAEL B. SMITH

TUESDAY, 27 JULY AD 2010

1442L MDT

Doviye, no proviye.

It's obvious everyone has forgotten those words except for Rush Limbaugh and me. It's Russian meaning, "Trust, but verify." Those words the Gipper used to help bring the Soviets to the bargaining table. I don't think it's a stretch to say those words and "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" helped destroy the Soviet Union.

Today, trust is missing. I think it's because most of our institutions have abuse and misused the trust we have lent them. They also don't trust us at all. They think we are stupid, ignorant, or lazy. I think we are gonna prove them wrong. Just sayin...

I posted on my Facebook page today a plea that I am gonna post here. Little three year young Delaney Wadworth has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, something the doctors called diffuse pontine glioma. If you can find it in your heart to do something, please read the article posted here yesterday in The Greeley (Colorado) Tribune, visit her Facebook page, and pray for her and her mom and dad. Anything else would have to come from your own heart.

I have more to say, but that can wait for another time.

That is all.

SEMPER EXCUBITUM

MICHAEL B. SMITH

SATURDAY, 5 JUNE AD 2010

1210L MDT

...On a few things.

Like BP and the ruptured oil well? Okay. I don't know that much about oil drilling, except people a lot smarter than me are involved in this mess, both in guvment and business. BP has responsibilty in that it's their oil well that's gushing like... like... Okay, I can't think of a witty analogy. They need to fix this like yesterday. Then there's guvment. Completely and totally inept, irresponsible, and incompetent. They need to be fired.

Like Arizona and the enforcement of illegal immigration enforcement? Seems to me that if Arizona feels that the federal guvment isn't doing their job enforcing laws (you decide), then it's their responsibility to take care of enforcement of laws. I don't need some corrupt politician from us of m telling me my fellow American citizens that they're stupid doing this, and having nimrods in Congress stand up, applaud and cheer that statement. Take care of your problems down there. Oh, and by the way, the Mexican-American War was fought back almost 200 years ago. Haven't there been improvements since then?

 Oh, by the way, have a nice day.

SEMPER EXCUBITUM

MICHAEL B. SMITH

SUNDAY, 9 MAY AD 2010

1120L MDT

HAPPY MOTHER"S DAY!!!

That's at all you moms out there, especially to my Mom back home. God bless y'all.

That is all. Dismissed.

SEMPER EXCUBITUM

MICHAEL B. SMITH

WEDNESDAY, 21 APRIL AD 2010

0049L MDT

It was great to see that the space shuttle Discovery landed safely with its seven crew members. As of late, I have paid very scant attention to the news of late. As a kid, I was absorbed in anything NASA did. Now that HOPE AND CHANGE is getting rid of the manned space program (oh that's right, instead of going to the moon, we're going to an asteroid, yippee) there is really no reason to be excited about any of it at all. Except...

Except that I plan on going to see the last shuttle flight in September. I saw a couple of launches in Florida, one in Palm Bay and one about a couple of miles from launch complex 39. Both pads had shuttles on them!!! That was the coolest event I've been to up to the present time. When that big beautiful bird took flight it shook the ground and my innards. It was GREAT!

It's hard to find a silver lining in the dark clouds that are gathering today. The silver lining I see for us is that we're Americans. And we can do anything, anytime, anywhere.

SEMPER EXCUBITUM

MICHAEL B. SMITH

TUESDAY, 20 APRIL AD 2010

0045L MDT

AUGGHH!!!

What has happened to me???

First I go off leaving my web sites, michaelbsmith.net and hrhsmith1.com, alone and uncared for for two years.

Second, I have posted blurbs upon this blog, friends, that few people ever read.

And thirdly, I have a rather slow computer that reached the tender age of ten on September 2009.

The explanation is rather simple, yo. Life has taken a big ole two by four and whacked me upside the head. I have had some kidney stones, and they are a ton of fun, let me tell ya. I had recuperated rather nicely I thought. I then got sick on Christmas Eve with a sinus infection. To top it off, I had finally been able to shake a terrible "cold" that hung on for about nine weeks.

Since I had a case of gastric reflux in August 2008, I have been working out. No, really, I have. I have a page on Bodybuilding.com that I have been updating more often than I have updated my web sites. I have done my first 5k and am working on planning to do someday a real triathlon.

Except for being ill for Christmas (ho, ho, ho) I had a really good holiday. Thanking God all the time, I spent a few days with the Hughes clan near Chicago. What a bunch of really cool peeps!!! I keep saying, "Nothing good comes from Chicago." Well, in this case, that ain't necessarily so. There are good people there as there are everywhere. Just don't ask me to buy any HOPE AND CHANGE stuff, 'cause I ain't doing it.

I spent more time with Mom and Dad for the holidays, which is always good.

In January, I did an indoor triathlon. 15 minutes of swim (no stopping), 15 minutes of bike (ditto), and 15 minutes of run (are you listening).

I watched the Colts lose the super bowl. That sucked on ice.

I shoveled lots of snow and worked my toukas off at work. Okay, a quarter of my toukas.

Little miss Scooter is almost ten years old. Maybe I'll put some pics up.

Oh yeah. I'm on that evil, evil, thing known as Facebook. Now you, too, can be my friend without really trying. How many games are on that thing, anyway?

I am glad that the Daily Source Code is back online, for iTunes is another bad thing as well.

I've read about a hundred pounds of books, from the first four books of George R. R. Martin's great series to Bury Us Upside Down, a history of the Misty pilots in Viet-nam. I might do a write up or even an audio bloop so you can decide for yourselves whether to invest your time in them. If you can't wait that long, go the Brothers Judd web site. They are probably the best in book reviewing that I know of.

I need to tell y'all (that's a little southern talk for ya) that I be posting a little more frequently. I have hooked up a wireless router so I can access the internet from anywhere in the house.

The best reporter that didn't get a Pulitzer is Michael Yon. He truly deserves your support. Read his posts and you'll know I'm right.

Wow. I didn't expect to shoot all that stuff at you like that. I'm sorry. I'll let you get some sleep.

Later. Much.

SEMPER EXCUBITUM

MICHAEL B. SMITH

TUESDAY, 27 OCTOBER AD 2009

1654L MDT

I have been listening to the news. Struck by the availability of information by paper, radio, television, internet, and the spoken word, there is a tidal wave of data that assaults us daily. This causes me to place a serious question for your consideration: Where have you placed your trust? The follow up question is who do you trust?

I am letting this post set for a week and I'll give you my views on 6 NOV 2009.

SEMPER EXCUBITUM

MICHAEL B. SMITH

FRIDAY, 23 OCTOBER AD 2009

1143L MDT

I have finished a reading a book on Tuesday and working on a second. I am currently reading the book A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. As I read, I am taken by the motto of the Stark clan: Winter is coming. The fact today is winter is coming in many ways. Here winter is a matter of weeks away. Snow is already falling in much of Colorado. Are you ready for winter? The ice, the snow, and, worst of all, the biting, biting cold.

Not just the fact the seasons are changing, but the fact that the institutions that we have had to rely on are changing makes me think we are in for a long, hard winter. It is hard to believe in anyone or anything without having to verify their words and deeds before trusting them. When two of the three American car companies are sitting in the White House, when many banks have the stamp of approval of the US government, when the government is growing by leaps and bounds, it is time for you to evaluate yourself and what you believe. Can people rely on you? Can they trust you? When things get bad, are you one of the valiant ones or one of the followers?

Winter is coming. How will you fare through it?

SEMPER EXCUBITUM

MICHAEL B. SMITH

MONDAY, 20 APRIL AD 2009

1835L MDT

Okay. Maybe I'm not the most rivetting guy on the planet. Perhaps not everyone wants to read my point of view.

Hmmm. That's all valid.

Since this is the time for HOPEANDCHANGE, let's get started with the first blog of the year. Normally, I'd put this all in one of the pages of the nebulous web site hrhsmith.com, which will always be around. Let me throw up all this stuff all over you.

First, I don't like HOPEANDCHANGE. In nearby Greeley, the Democrats put up a billboard touting several of their candidates, most of whom are now part of the ruling class. Their sign ended by saying, "Vote for change. Change is good." I'm like Dilbert. If change is so good, you go first. Many of these folks are saying that capitalism is bad. To a large extent, their criticism is valid. Just look at the profits that the oil companies gained when gas prices topped 4 bucks a gallon. What people don't talk about is that government gained just as much of the largess of capitialism as buisness does. What is more heinous is that government usually doesn't earn it. It takes. And takes. And takes. Capitalism may be bad, but all the other systems are so much worse. I almost wanted to shred that crappy copy of Newsweek that said "We're all socialists now." Like that's something to be looking forward with glee? Negative, Ghost Rider. Hey you clods at Newsweek!!! Some of still believe that capitalism is a good thing and will not take this sudden change of economic philosophy lightly.

Second, what does HOPEANDCHANGE mean to my profession, the military? Almost certainly, budgets in the military are gonna get cut. When Democrats rule, the military deals with the old adage "Do more with less." As people I work with point out, you can't do that. You do less with less. And where does those trillions of dollars go?

Finally, I think the USA will weather this storm. It may take months or years, but we will get through it.

Glad to always be an American,

SEMPER EXCUBITUM

MICHAEL B. SMITH

SATURDAY, 15 NOVEMBER AD 2008

2108L MST

So there I was, 37 feet under water, saying to myself, "Self, why are we doing this again???" Sucking of the precious air that was all but forced into my lungs, they had turned of the lights topside in the crater at Homestead Resort in Utah. I thought I would be afraid, that I would panic. Panic is bad. Very bad and very deadly.

I hovered there with three of my classmates and my instructor from A-1 SCUBA in Englewood, Colorado. Breathing in and out, in and out, in and out. Never hold your breath. Keep the regulator within reach. Watch what your instructor does. Take care of your buddy. Never dive alone.

I am doing this because I turn 41 tomorrow. I am doing this because I love it. I love the new folks I meet. I love the skills that I learn. I love the sensation of being weightless and floating. I love the confidence it builds within me.

I will be an advanced open water SCUBA diver tomorrow. I love that, too.

SEMPER EXCUBITUM

MICHAEL B. SMITH