Our friends at Bill Webb Studio were kind enough to get our Plebe Summer video going, but now it’s time to test Jay’s skills. Is he bright enough to post a video all by his lonesome?
Let’s find out. We’ve got some kiddie footage taken in Grammy’s back yard. Fun in the leaves! And then…well…we have a little fun at Pop Pop’s expense.
But he’s got a birthday coming! We’ll make it up to him!
Enjoy –
(Original post 10/22/08 — repost 11/8/083
As many of you know, Karen, Paris and I were recently in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania for six days. I planned on taking a ton of pictures and video, but we got so wrapped up in the “enjoying” our company part that we didn’t really shoot much footage of any of them. This is especially true with Kristin and Cameron (the two we should have shot most!).
I do have some video I’ll try to piece together, and Sami was busy firing away with his camera. Maybe he’ll share?
In the meantime, I received a DVD in the mail today from USNA courtesy of the Parents’ fund. It’s a video detailing the fun known as “Plebe Summer”. This is a generic USNA piece…it is not the video I expect to receive soon that will feature more of Mark. But! At the very beginning of this Plebe Summer video, you’ll see footage of our young man humping that damn zodiac he thought was so funny (until he had to carry it, row it and carry it again). He may appear a couple of more times as well, but any of you that have searched through thousands of photos (like I have) know that “they all start to look alike”…
This thing is 18 minutes long. It’s “okay”…it’s not going to rock your world, but it does offer some insight into the USNA experience and Plebe Summer. If you have a chunk of time and you’re in the mood to learn about the madness, hit the “play” button.
Enjoy –
I’m trying to get away from the need for a YouTube link. YouTube doesn’t play nice with videos over 10 minutes long, and I thought the quality was just so-so. Since I’m on a Mac, I picked Quicktime as my default video player. My website host also prefers Quicktime. For you Windows Mediaplayer freaks out there…sorry. You probably have Quicktime on your machines anyway. If not…it’s free to download.
Make sure the video loads a bit before you hit “play”.
We’re using flash video now courtesy of our friends at Bill Webb Studio (no relation…sorry). We owe them our thanks! And I owe them some money…
Chris’s senior pictures are in! Mark, Kristin and Cameron often seem reluctant to share, but our nephew steps right up and gives us the goods! We’ve got a couple of great ones here –
I like the casual shot best. But some of you traditionalists will prefer this!
Important disclaimer: I picked the shots I liked best out of a pool of about 18 or so. I’m betting Chris and I would agree on my picks…but you may prefer something different. That’s okay! Stephanie (Chris’s Mom for those of you in the extended family) will be more than happy to share the others with you.
Chris, in a few years when you’re busy setting the world on fire, look back on us with favor…pssst…checks are okay…
Only a few short months to go! Congratulations Chris!
Okay! First off, some of you don’t wait for the infamous “Update!” email to arrive before checking in at Trunzo.com. Normally this would bring tears of joy to my eyes.
But we live in an imperfect world, and I don’t claim to be an expert at this stuff. So…some of you that checked in found a post that wasn’t behaving…
For those that don’t know, I tried like crazy to post a video of Plebe Summer courtesy of the Academy. I had it working (well), and then it stopped cooperating. I’ve taken the post down because it was preventing the entire site from loading in a timely fashion. That’s the bad news…
But there’s good news! I have an expert looking into our “issues”, and once the problem is resolved, I will get the post back up! The video in question is “okay”, but we need to get this working. Real videos are coming! We want to make sure we’ve got all of our ducks in a row!
Let’s talk October! As many of you know, Karen, Paris and I were in New York, New jersey and Pennsylvania earlier in the month. Some of this is covered in the post that’s now down, but play along here, okay? Anyway, one thing you can’t do in Florida is play in the autumn leaves. Being a good Mom, Karen promised Paris that we’d go back “up North” this Fall to do just that! And we got lucky! We had some leaves, and we had some cousins, and we had neighbors, and we had fun!
Paris, Stephen and Troy after Poppop fired up the leaf blower! But wait! More leaf fun!
Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures of Grace! There was a lot going on…maybe she was busy helping Grammy or something? Grace! We need pictures!
Oh! Speaking of pictures…
We met Crissy and Kirk for brunch on Sunday morning. Kristin and Cameron joined us too…Nina’s! Everyone’s favorite spot for brunch! Karen and I pull up to the parking area, and what do we see? We see someone dressed in the exact clothes Karen is wearing. Karen is laughing hysterically…apparently this happens often whenever she and Crissy go anywhere together. They swear there’s no planning involved…no phone calls…anyway, Kristin popped this on her cell phone –
Trust me. Even the damn pants and shoes were the same.
Speaking of “looks”, the beginning of October marks the Naval Academy’s changeover in the world of fashion. Gone are the Summer Whites (that so many of us kinda don’t like) — in come the Dress Blues! The blue is actually black, but who’s going to argue with the Navy? Check out the look (another cell phone shot):
Mark on the left (could you tell?), Susie, Alyssa (Susie’s sister), and of course…Cameron (green shoes and all). That was taken on Columbus Day weekend when the mids had TWO overnight liberties courtesy of the most incredible, most awesome-est, best-ever, coolest damn Commandant on the Face of the Planet…
Captain Klunder! Here he is with Mark and friends –
In case you’re wondering, he’s the guy with all the gold on his hat…
Captain Klunder is a true leader. He’s certified qualified to fly somewhere in the neighborhood of 41 aircraft, he’s done the whole carrier thing, and he’s even been filmed in “compromising” positions for YouTube videos just to boost morale. The mids will throw themselves under a bus for this guy. I, for one, will give him a bug hug and a kiss when I see him next.
[UPDATE} 11/3 3:48 AM Mark sent this insight about Captain Klunder after reading the original post:
Dad — Really cool update about Capt. Klunder:
USNA had its Halloween concert in the chapel this weekend It sold out within two hours of tickets being on sale. It’s that good. Anyway, Captain Klunder went to the Friday showing. Mr. Houck (my squad leader) stayed after on Saturday night to help clean up the miles of cables and the mess. As he’s backing up blowing confetti up to the wall, he bumps into someone. He turns around to apologize, and he sees Capt. Klunder on his hands and knees in sweatpants cleaning the floor. Capt. Klunder didn’t even go to the Saturday night show. After he put his kids to bed that night he headed over just to help clean up. That man is awesome. The Commandant of Midshipmen is on the ground cleaning the floor. He is probably the best Commandant the Academy has ever had. Mark
Halloween!
So, a lot of you think that Florida is full of “old” people that shuffle around and hit the early bird dinners. Some of you even think we’re nuts for moving here. Wellll…
Let me tell ya’. Our sleepy little town of Venice was packed with kids trick-or-treating the local merchants on Halloween! It was literally elbow-to-elbow on the sidewalks, and everyone was having a great time! Here’s some afternoon downtown action:
That was the “slow” end of the street. Paris was just tuning up.
So. What was she? C’mon! She was a Monster Bride! Here’s a better look:
And check this out! These next two pictures Paris took herself. She was “trying on” her costume a few days before Halloween, and she decided to help herself to my desk, my chair, and my computer. Kids today are amazing, and she has no trouble firing up my Mac’s iSight camera and having some fun. She did this all by herself…I found these on my computer two days later:
She did the effects by herself too. Not bad, right?
Back to Halloween. “Old” people need to stay young too, and I say this with only the utmost affection…but these two were older than dirt. But they’re having fun!
Seriously…her costume made her look younger…
We had a great time! Paris hit downtown, then she hit the neighborhood. I followed her and a friend around in the limo (i.e. golf cart), and when they wanted to get soemwhere fast, they hopped in and I hit the gas. Karen and the friend’s Mom even jumped in every once in awhile (with Karen riding the back like a caddy…priceless!).
Happy Birthday Arlene! Enjoy the day!
This will be the first of a handful of posts covering new material, material I should have covered but haven’t, and just good old fashioned quick blurbs. This is a quick blurb…
We got some text messages from Mark last night. The veil of silence is lifting for the Plebes, and that means Plebe Summer is winding down. The rule of thumb goes something like this: one third of the pain suffered at the Academy happens during Plebe Summer. One third happens during Plebe year. And one third happens in the final three years. Kinda’ gives you an idea of just how great the summer was, right? One third down…
Anyway, Mark hit the Physical Readiness Test (PRT) yesterday. This is important stuff, folks. Fail it, and you’re subject to remedial physical training. Fail it a few times, and you’re subject to “separation” (i.e. being tossed from the Academy).
Mark is not a big fan of sit-ups. If he’s got a weakness in the PRT, it’s sit ups. He managed 68 in two minutes. Weak (sorry Mark), but he’ll improve.
He did 90 push ups in two minutes (almost a max score), and he did the one and a half mile run in 8:12 (max score). Overall that’s an 85.2 %. The PRT score is combined with his grade point average (and other factors) to determine a “cumulative” index that’s used to determine his Order of Merit (class rank). The higher your Order of Merit, the more choices you have as your career progresses. He’s well on his way to a high number.
Plebes also got a chance to hit a local minor league baseball game. Check out the swarm consuming seats:
About 1,200 plebes and 250 detailers must take just about every seat, right? The funny thing is…in other pictures I saw, the rest of the crowd hardly gives these guys a glance. The Baltimore locals are used to seeing Navy boys and girls running around…
We’re hoping to hear from Mark at some point over the weekend. Details soon…
We’re experiencing technical difficulty here, so for a moment, there will be a slight delay in the posting of additional USNA stuff, Paris’ birthday pix, and highlights of Cameron’s first visit to Florida.
Okay…it’s not a technical issue. It’s a severe case of “dumb ass”. Let me explain:
Some of you have already heard, but for those that haven’t…I had a brief run-in with some fire ants yesterday and lost the battle convincingly. I’ve been stung by bees before (who hasn’t?), and two weeks ago, I even managed to step on a colony of fire ants living in the seam between the sidewalk and the curb. Who worries about fire ants on the damn sidewalk, right? They gave me a good chomp, and I survived. A little annoying itch and discomfort for a few days, but nothing serious.
Yesterday’s fire ants must have been bionic. Genetically altered. Freaks of nature! Here’s the deal –
Cameron and I decide to play a few holes of golf. I execute an excellent shot, but as any golfer knows, the Golf Gods love to make life miserable, so my excellent shot went a wee bit too far. I find my ball sitting amongst some palm trees, saw palmetto, big grasses, and other detritus.
No biggie. I climb into the slop (looking for snakes, scorpions and fire ants the whole time), and I make another excellent shot to escape the slop. I go on to par the hole (for the record).
Anyway, Cameron is congratulating me on my golf prowess, I’m walking back to the cart, I climb in, look down, and “Oh Shit!”…my right leg is set on fire. Cameron claims I used a lot of foul language — I don’t recall. I’m covered from the knee down in fire ants. Where’d they come from? I looked! I was careful!
Well, I get those little bastards off of my leg, and I’m thinking “Lord Jesus, please bring me that chemical foam shit that puts out big fires. I need it real bad on this-here leg.” Jesus did not answer my call for help. My leg remained engulfed in flames.
Cameron asks me if I’m okay. I do my best “sure…no problem” smile and off we go. As mentioned earlier, I par the hole. On to the next one…
I’m standing on the next tee, and I swear to God it feels like those little monsters are still on me, and they’re climbing into every orifice on my body. Every…single…orifice is starting to itch and burn. My ears are closing up, my throat is getting a little funky, and my nose is starting to run. I won’t go into details on other orifices. I’m starting to turn very red, and I’m developing these bubbles on every inch of my skin. Cameron asks if I’m okay. Of course I’m okay…I’m Dad, right?
We make it to the green. Cameron pulls off a couple of nice shots. I’m looking for a sign. Any sign. I need a sign that will help me understand that God is not trying to strike me down. The sky is dark. Lightning flashes. Not a good sign.
Cameron suggests we get the hell out of Dodge. “Dad, I don’t like lightning, and you don’t look so good.” I insist on playing one more hole. Why? Who knows? Musta been another symptom of the bites…see earlier comments about the severe case of “dumb ass”. I had it bad.
So we play one more hole, and I manage to convince myself that I’m feeling better. Much better, thank you. We head home.
I walk in and Karen looks at me and says “what the hell happened to you?” I’m thinking “Jeez, is it that obvious?” I announce that I’m showering.
I’m getting undressed, I look in the mirror, and to my surprise 8,000,000 mosquitoes have attacked me. That’s what it looks like, anyway. I have bumps and bubbles everywhere. I decide a shower will help. Did I mention anything about a severe case of dumb ass?
Meanwhile, Karen decides to call the hospital. They strongly suggest I stop by for a visit. They ask Karen if I can breathe okay. “Can you breathe okay?” she asks. “Sure”, I say…wondering if I’m having trouble breathing. “I’ll be done here in a minute”.
“The hospital says this could be life threatening.”
“Yeah, yeah, just let me rinse off, okay?” God I’m a smart guy.
We get in the car. Karen does 105 mph down our street. Neighbors hate us. I don’t care. Suddenly, I’m not feeling so great.
We get to the hospital and Karen executes one of those sliding parking maneuvers that dumps the newly anointed Head Dumb Ass directly into the Emergency Room. “Go in, tell them what’s going on while I park the car,” she shouts. I go in.
“Hi, I had a fight with some fire ants. I lost,” I announce. “Have a seat,” says the nice lady at the door. I don’t move.
Apparently it took a few wild gestures and a couple of shouts of “Sir! Sir!” from the nice lady before the Head Dumb Ass mutters “What?”. The nice lady asks “Are you allergic to bee stings or other bites?”
“Never have been before,” I say. She tells me in no uncertain terms to “sit”. I sit.
They take me into some room and jack an IV into my hand. Then they show up with a whole bunch of syringes…”this is the fire ant cocktail” they say with a smile. The syringes are going to shoot the cocktail components into the IV. Oh Joy. I’m thinking it better not burn like the fire ant bites did or I’m going to be kicking some serious ass.
Two of the cocktail components burn. It turns out I don’t care. The burn isn’t like the burn I’m experiencing across my body. The other components make me taste battery acid in my mouth. I still don’t care. Paris wants to know if I’m okay. I show her the IV. I smile. “Now that’s how you do it when you get a shot. Did you see me cry?” I ask.
She mutters something I swore sounded a lot like “dumb ass…”
They ask me if I’m breathing okay. And you know what? I didn’t realize just how much I couldn’t breathe until I could breathe again. “Wow,” I say. “I feel great!” They smile like they’re looking at a very challenged young child. I pass out.
Why did I pass out? Well, one of the cocktail components is benadryl. Did I spell that right? Who knows? I’m not feeling like the smartest guy in the world right now. Anyway, benadryl knocks you on your fanny, and after 45 minutes in the hospital to make sure I was going to stay in this world for a bit longer, they sent me home where I promptly passed out again.
I feel pretty good today. No major itching so I’m avoiding more benadryl (I’d be in a coma). Believe it or not, Zantac has antihistamine properties, so I’m taking that. I’ve got a sheet of steroids to take to keep inflammation down. And I’m now the proud owner of an Epi-pen.
One of our close friends here in Florida carries an Epi-pen, and I know he’s laughing and thinking “dumb ass” as he reads this. But for the rest of you, an Epi-pen is a torture instrument disguised as a means of quickly injecting oneself with Epinephrine. You hold this thing in your fist and slam it into your thigh to inject the medicine. It even works through clothes! For the challenged among us! Epinephrine keeps those of us that do battle with fire ants (and lose) breathing long enough to get to a hospital and order a fire ant cocktail. Great stuff!
So! Why the reaction yesterday when I never had one before? No answer…
Will I always react to a bee sting or fire ant attack like this? Who knows? But…chances are that if I do, the symptoms I experience will be more severe. Hence the Epi-pen…
So that’s what’s causing the delay, folks. Sorry about that. I’m going to get working this evening and over the next few days to get some stuff posted. I need to earn back your respect. Lord knows I’ve lost the respect of my wife and kids…