The small brown lump rolled off the hill and into the hole below. Did I feel bad for taking a life? Did I feel remorse at having made who knows how many orphans and widows with a single .17 caliber rifle round? Not at all. Anything that carries the Bubonic Plague and undermines anything and everything around it deserves to be shot. I don't care how cute you think prarie dogs are, they are vile.

Daniel and I wasted about ten of the blighters before we were satisfied. Unfortunately they had the last laugh as we struggled for 30 minutes to un-stuck our truck from the muddy road running along the field.

Yes, life in Colorado is a lot of fun.

Its 9 o'clock and almost bed time here on the Qualls farm, so I will make a quick list of what Ive done so far, and what I hope to do.

-Horseback riding up in the foothills of the Rockies
-Shot a sparrow out of the sky with my Ruger 10/.22 Carbine
-Shot Prarie dogs
-helped fix a Windrower (tractor for cutting hay)
-Learned to use a blow torch and sliced a bolt off said tractor
-Drove a 1973 GMC 6500 truck (still purrs like a kitten)

Still on the agenda...

-Go horseback riding in the snow
-shoot more prarie dogs
-get a job (already have some leads)
-finish my book "Cook & Peary" (only 850 pages to go)
-go on a hike a la Bear Grylls
-shoot more prarie dogs
-go to a Nuggets game (when they are playing Phoenix)
-shoot more prarie dogs

things are good here. how are they there?

Cheesy, with mixed metaphors and some incongruous thought, but not too bad for a dumb kid's first speech in front of 600+ people. I dont even remember saying any of this.


Welcome to Florida College. I have been given the
privilege to speak to you at the start of this school
year. I don’t want to tell you what Florida College is
all about or what clubs to join or who to hang out with
or what to stay away from in the cafeteria. Rather than
advertising and telling you about Florida college, I’d
like to welcome you to Florida College.

I welcome you because we are beginning something
grand. We are, this very day; about to set out on a
path that marks one more chapter in our lives. The mass
of people sitting before me right now is part of that
chapter.

I am reminded, as I look out on this sea of faces, and
as we are standing on the brink of a new venture, of
another mass of people standing on the verge of
something great: The masses of troops waiting in the
south of England in the summer of 1944 for the invasion
of Normandy. That day when men, many not any older than
us here, prepared to go forth into the cold grey fog of
the early hours of June 6th; to embark on an enterprise
that would be the climax of that day and age. The
biggest thing they would ever do; the event that would
shape their lives. And perhaps it is demeaning to that
grand operation to compare it to ourselves and our
little school, but the similarities and the insight we
can gain are invaluable.

All of the soldiers at Normandy had a role. And as I
look into this audience I see each one of you has a
specific role to fulfill. And I can’t but wonder what
part each of you has to play. I wonder who are the
paratroopers and the combat engineers and who will fly
in the British gliders, and who will storm the
beachheads and which of you will be on the tank crews.
All varying in purpose but not in importance. All
functioning to the good of the greater whole, to the
fulfillment of a common goal. And we have our goal, my
friends, we have the obligation to live our lives as
best we can and in this context, to make this year
worthwhile.

Carpe Diem, we must seize the day. I warn you
freshmen, the year goes too fast to waste any of it.
You must take advantage of opportunities and grasp the
chances you have. Study for tests, meet new people, go
to the talents shows, be a part of Florida College, and
I can promise you that your time here will not be
wasted.Guys, I encourage you ask out the cute girl that
keeps smiling at you. She’ll probably say yes. And even
if she doesn’t, keep askin girls out. Even if only 3
out of 10 say yes, you’re still batting .300. The risk
is worth the possibilities.

And today is the start of endless possibilities. My dad
used to write me little notes in my lunch in elementary
school and junior high with philosophical phrases on
them. I caught a lot of flak for that sometimes from
the other guys, but there was one I remember that I
think all of us have heard: “Today is the first day of
the rest of your life.” I never understood that until
now. We have to get excited about living and breathing
and playing catch on Sunday afternoon with a friend, or
hanging out in the cafeteria for hours at a time, or
drinking whole milk. We need to be excited about the
infinite possibilities each day holds. We have to be
excited for the race we are about to run.

No race is more famous than that undergone by Henry V
troops at Harfleur in Shakespeares play. Henry rouses
his men to such a vigor and emotional height that they
just cant wait to get into the battle. They are itching
to get underway.




I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:


This should be our passion for the start of this year.
This should show the fervor in our chest at the
opportunity to learn and meet people and come a few
steps closer to who we will be for the rest of our
lives. And when God hands us those few scraps of paper
every morning when we awake and tells us to write a
little more of our life, we need not throw those scraps
away. Every corner of the page could hold so much. Run
this race with fire in your hearts and luster in your
eyes, because it won’t be long before the race is run,
and I hope none of us are still standing at the
starting line.

We are standing in the slips. The shot
will be fired and the gates will open and we will
choose how swiftly we will run. We will decide what we
make of our lives, of this school year, of this week,
of this day. Take advantage of everything. I say again
to you, my friends, welcome, to Florida College.

Im reading a book right now about Rangers in World War II. Pretty interesting, especially for those of us with particular academic inclination to that era.

The Rangers fought in almost every major campaign in the ETO (European Theater of Operations) in WWII, from North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, to France and the invasion of Normandy, all the way to the end. Perhaps most famously they are credited with the assault on Point Du Hoc; a sheer cliff face towering 100 feet over the tempestuous waves of the English Channel and, most importantly, the strategic cynosure* of battle between Omaha and Utah beaches.

The Rangers used grapnel-guns mounted on their LCVPs (Landing Craft: Vehicle/Personnel) to shoot ropes to the top of this heavily defended position which they could climb to begin their assault. The three companies involved in this attack suffered heavy casualties but through perseverance and excellent training completed their mission: destroying the devastating German artillery that rained death down on the helpless American infantry on the beaches below.

This is just a short chapter in the incredible history of the Ranger Battalions in World War II.

Curiously, the 1st Ranger Battalion formed in England in 1942 was only meant to be a training tool. Volunteer Men (both enlisted and officers) from Infantry units would train under the British Commandos and participate in combat actions with them, then return to their original units to share their knowledge and experience. However, the American public was so excited to have their own soldiers striking a blow at Hitler's troops alongside the Commandos (while the rest of the military was still in training) that political pressure helped keep the Rangers around a little longer. The men themselves performed so well as an elite unit in North Africa that Patton became a Ranger supporter, which was a big name to have on their side.

Soon more Ranger Battalions were started in the States, in Tennessee, and although many high ranking officers wanted the Rangers disbanded and reincorporated into their units, the Ranger Battalions just wouldn't go away.

Today, Ranger School is one of the most "prestigious" schools in the military, and all Special Forces soldiers and infantry officers have to graduate from this execrable* 9-week ordeal. Maybe some of you who know more about it than me can use some better words to describe it. The best description I've heard is from Tex Turner, the School's most notable graduate. He remembers one night waking up in a cold sweat, scared stiff, fearful he was still in Ranger School, but was relieved to remember he was just in Vietnam.

Although Neglect has probably rendered this blog totally abandoned by the faithful few readers who actually have humored me in responding to the drivel I fill this patch of cyber-space with, I will further indulge my loquaciousness* with a short update of both the physical and intellectual realms I occupy.

Physical Realm:

Dunking - I have never dunked a basketball. I have expressed that on this blog before in the shape of an item on a "List-of-stuff-to-do-before-I-die." Well, I'm working on achieving that goal presently, through a series of jumping/strengthening exercises. Why? Because it is a dream of mine to dunk and I will not rest until I have accomplished that very thing.

Patriots - I for one would love to see the Pats win on Sunday. They are amazing as a sports team, an athletic organization, and as a franchise. 19-0 is sweet, and I want to be able to tell my kids in thirty years when another team is going undefeated about the greatest team in football history. Besides, Eli hasn't thrown an INT in the playoffs. Some say he's playing great, I say he's long over due.

Aerosmith - Been listening to S. Tyler and his band for a couple days now, and I really like 'em. Blind Man, Cryin' and Deuces Are Wild are all great listens.


Intellectual:

I recently read a play for the first time called Cyrano De Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. Anyone who loves swashbucklers, chivalric codes and good humor will love this. This excerpt from the end of the play is a beautifully written finale for (in my opinion) one of the greatest tragic heroes in literature. Cyrano is a brilliant poet, swordsman, and romantic. But he is cursed with a huge nose. I won't tell you more than that. Just know it is amazing. As Levar Burton would say, "You don't have to take my word for it."


Cyrano:

What's That? It's pointless?
Whoever fought because he hoped to win
Hopeless odds make the beauty of the thing.
Another thousand of you? Very well.
I know you all, all my old enemies.
Lies! Take that! Ha! Compromise, Spite,
Cowardice! [Thrusts at the air]

Will I come to an arrangement?
No! Never! Ah, here comes Stupidity!
I knew you'd get me in the end, but still
I'll go down fighting, fighting, fighting...
[He whirls his sword in great circles around his head, then stops, gasping for breath.]

Yes, you can take it all: the poet's crown,
The lover's garland, yet there's something still
That will be always mine, and when today
i go into God's presence, there I'll doff it
And sweep the heavenly pavement with a gesture -
Something I'll take unstained out of this world
In spite of you...

[The sword drops from his hands, he staggers backwards and falls into the arms of Le Bret and Ragueneau. Roxane bends gently forward to kiss him on the brow.]

Roxane:

What, dearest?

Cyrano [recognizing her and smiling]:

My panache*.





*denotes sweet SAT words

I am in Tampa right now, visiting friends and family, playing basketball, working, and having a good time. Its good to come home after an extended absence and see all one's good friends with whom many fond memories were made. But living in Bowling Green has its drawbacks in this regard. I can only really express this sentiment through the words of Greg Allman, one of the greatest American rock artists since Bobby Darin. I usually feel cheap using another's words to vocalize mine own very personal feelings, but this song runs through my head constantly while I wander the streets of Bowling Green Kentucky and wonder where the cowboys all have gone...

Everybody wants to know where jimmy has gone
He left town, I doubt if hes coming back home
Well tony got a job, three kids and a lovely wife
Working at the commerce bank for the rest of his life

(chorus)
Nobody left to run with anymore
Nobody left to do the crazy things we used to do before
Nobody left to run with anymore

Im gonna hit the road, adios my friend
Go someplace and start all over again
Dont know where Im going, like a gypsy out on the road
Ill go someplace and join a traveling show

(chorus)
Nobody left to run with anymore
Nobody wants to do the crazy things we used to do before
Nobody left to run with anymore

Nobody left to run with anymore
Nobody left to run with anymore

I think jimmy must have had the right idea
Packed his stuff and he got right out of here
I dont know where hes at but Im sure that hes ok
Now I realize what jimmy was trying to say

(chorus)
Nobody left to run with anymore
Nobody wants to do the crazy things we used to do before
Nobody left to run with anymore

Nobody left to run with anymore
Nobody left to run with anymore


On a different note, I compiled a rough draft of a list I've been working on for a long time. This is a countdown of ten of my favorite things in American History. Remember, its still rough, but it should give you some idea of just how eclectic I am. (You might have to wikipedia some of these things to know what they are.)

10. Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery
10b. Rush's Thunderbolts9. Dogs Playing Poker
8. Root Beer
7. Johnny Cash
6. "Brook's Caning" of Charles Sumner
5. Teddy Roosevelt's gunshot wound during the Bull Moose campaign of 1812
4. Playing Catch (with a baseball)
3. Sanford & Son
2. Mel Blanc
1. The Colt 1911 .45 caliber