Petraeus picked to lead Central Command

(Source: CNN.com)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has been tapped to become chief of U.S. Central Command, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday.

Petraeus replaces Adm. William Fallon, who said last month he was resigning. Fallon said widespread, but false, reports that he was at odds with the Bush administration over Iran had made his job impossible.

Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno will take over for Petraeus as commander in Iraq, Gates said.

Petraeus was picked in January 2007 to replace Gen. George Casey as the chief commander in Iraq, and won Senate confirmation that same month. He previously served as head of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and as a commander in Iraq and was one of the main writers of an Army manual on counterinsurgency efforts.

When your rack of medals look like a Soviet General's, you know you kick serious bootay.

The vanquishing of finals.

Well, exams and essays and everything naughty is over with.

I can now take a full week off. I'm headed home in a few hours, staying until Thursday or Friday, and spending next weekend in Toronto attending the fantabulistic Frankie Manning workshop. It should be most awesome. (If you don't know who Frankie Manning is, shame on you! That being said, look him up.)

It'll definitely be good to not only be able to sleep as much as I need to (several weeks of mild-to-severe sleep deprivation have made me... different) but to be home, away from all the craziness that grips RMC this time of year.

Anyway, I have yet to pack all my stuff, so it would probably be a good idea to get off the intertubes, yes?

I'll post some more tonight or tomorrow.

Les Blogues

vu par Rogatien !

Hilarant !

Good attitude a bad thing?

I gotta admit, I had a bit of a bad attitude for a while. Or rather, I didn't keep my mouth shut when I should. Ah well, that's mostly in the past. (Everyone has bad days, sometimes, right?)

What's funny is that during SPT (mandatory training, four days a week) I got in trouble a few weeks ago for being a little too loud about my displeasure. It was a bit of a kick in the butt and I started--that very day--to work harder than before. Moreover, I've been pretty vocal, but in a positive way this time around. I joke around, mostly, but I also encourage people who I get along with--mostly people who run faster than I do normally, and who I start catching up on. ("You're dragging ass! I'm right behind you! What's wrong?!") I also worked hard enough to be very close to puking, on a couple occasions, and even ended up puking once--the first time ever I've pushed myself enough to actually puke.

Anyway, last week, one guy stopped training, came over, and bitched at me for being positive. Apparently, in his mind, you can't be positive, loud, and hard-working at the same time. I guess anyone who's having fun training isn't training hard. It's rather annoying, because there are people who are fairly negative--though not too loud--and who don't try very hard... if they try at all. Some don't even break a sweat on most days.

The funny part is, yesterday, the CWC (Cadet Wing Commander) told me people had noticed I'd turned my attitude around and was working really hard, and they were really pleased with me. Of course, I have a whole lot more work to do, but I'm losing fat fast (enough for my mom to notice and comment on it) and I'm definitely feeling the difference, although I'm still struggling with the 20 meter shuttle run.

Strangely, the thing that was pissing me off the most--the change of schedule whereupon SPT will be at 0530 on Tuesdays and Thursdays--isn't bothering me quite as much. Of course, getting up at 0500 will suck, but what can you do?

I also got my hands on a copy of the Army Fitness Manual (I know, I know, it's Army... but we don't have a Navy Fitness Manual, for obvious reasons), so I'll try and get my own training going on top of what I do at SPT. I'd like to go back to going to the weight room after supper, as I used to do in high school, but cardio and bodyweight stuff is more important right now. I can get HYOOOOOOOOGE again after I get good at running. I could probably have figured out my own training without the AFM, but I'd rather have a good reference to base myself on--I'll just adjust as needed.

One thing that's bothering me--though it's a good thing, I guess--is that while I'm getting leaner, I've more or less stopped losing weight. I'm down to 215-220lbs, from a high of 235 after the holidays, but it feels almost disappointing; I'm much leaner, but I'm not progressing towards my goal of dropping under 200lbs. Losing that extra 20-ish lbs would definitely help raise my score and, most importantly, pass the shuttle run.

I don't know reading week will be--it's a bit hard to run in our barely-plowed streets/sidewalks, and the -15C and under weather (with my luck, it'll get down to -25C plus wind chill) tends to kill my lungs--but at worst we have an eliptical machine, and I can definitely do pushups and situps and such in my mom's living room. Not quite puke-inducing, but better than nothing.

Sorry for not being too interesting, but right now my life is pretty much sucking in terms of excitement. I go to class, train, study, write papers, and go to more classes.

In other news: I've reached 6000 hits. Thanks, dear readers!

LENT - The Musical

All right, so Lent is approaching really, really fast, and although I'm not really that religious, I want to try and give up some stuff... Kinda like 40 days 40 nights, but I really don't get laid often enough for it to be that big a challenge.

So, I decided to give up my two biggest loves in the universe: (beyond my mom; I'm so totally a momma's boy)

Pop (Coca-Cola being the biggest loss)

and

my iPod.

The only exception will be with my iPod: I cannot possibly train with the s**t music they play at the gym--it just kills any motivation I have to push myself--so while at the gym I'll be destroying my eardrums with my iPod. Beyond that, I will not use my iPod when going around, or while at the computer lab, or, generally, anytime I'm not at the gym working out. Just because I know my devious mind will crave some kind of musical entertainment while I'm at the computer lab, I'll also stipulate that unless I'm actively watching a video on YouTube or something such, I won't play music videos in the background--that would be cheating.

I'll also be limiting my facebook usage to the minimum: only responding to messages/wall posts and the like. In short, I'll be using facebook as a messenging service rather than a very potent timewaster service. Still, I don't include it in the list of things I'm giving up on, because I'm not really giving up on it, just limiting it, and that doesn't count.

If you're wondering why I put "The Musical" in the title.. well, first off, you should know me better. Seriously though, I just figure I'll be singing a lot to make up for the iPod loss. Definitely gonna be bringing out all the good songs I know! "Oh, I just can't wait to be kiiiiiiiiiing!"

It's gonna be tough... then again, I do believe that's the idea.

Next year: I'll get myself one of those things the albino in Da Vinci Code wore around his thigh.

Shortly after I originally posted this on facebook, CNN announced my withdrawal from regular facebook usage and reports are coming in of people dancing in the streets of most major cities in the Western hemisphere.

Casse-couilles Part II

Partie I est ici.

Sachez, qu'il s'agit d'une analyse dont l'unique but est de m'amuser.

J'ai été surprise de voir tout ces évènements qui démontre dès le début de cette relation un grand mépris pour l'homme qu'elle prétendait aimer. JAMAIS au cours de cette relation a-t-elle été capable de mettre sa petite personne de côté pour donner un peu de place aux besoins de l'autre.

Au tout début, lorsqu'il a de la peine et qu'il ne sait pas trop comment dealer avec la mort-née de sa petite soeur, il court vers elle pour un peu de réconfort. Celle-ci le repousse (après quelques minutes) prétextant que l'École a besoin d'elle.

O.k., on peut dire que pour l'époque c'est louable d'avoir eu une conscience professionnelle, mais dans les faits, qu'auraient été les vraies conséquences si elle était resté quelques minutes de plus auprès de lui ?

Pas étonnant qu'il a sacré son camp dans l'bois.

Il prend tout de même le temps de lui écrire et lui dire qu'il fait ça pour eux : Ramasser de l'argent pour qu'ils puissent se marier à son retour.

Que fait-elle pendant ce temps ?

Comme elle est fâchée que son animal de compagnie soit parti, comme elle ne croit pas du tout en lui, comme elle est une égoïste hors paire : elle se fiance avec un autre !

Fait qu'elle ne lui a jamais avoué en plus.

Lorsqu'il revient, pour lui, c'est clair que c'est pour la marier. Dans sa tête, se qu'il a écrit dans sa lettre, c'est s'qu'il a fait. Pourquoi aurait-il eu besoin d'écrire des centaines de lettres ?

Encore là, elle n'est pas contente.....

Et c'est comme ça tout le long de leur histoire. TOUT se que le pauvre yiable fait, n'est jamais assez bon pour elle. De plus, même sachant qu'il est un «gars de bois» elle insiste pour qu'il reste auprès d'elle, et pourtant, lorsqu'ils sont à Shawinigan, elle n'hésite pas à le sacrer là toute l'été parce qu'ELLE s'emmerde en ville et ce malgré qu'il lui ai dit qu'il s'ennuyait d'eux à mourir lors de leurs absences.

Lorsqu'ils sont à Shawi, il trouve un bon boulot. Il est le SEUL boss Canadien Français dans cette usine ( oubliez pas qu'on parle ici du début des années 1990 ) Il travaille fort, indeed, mais rapporte tout de même du gros cash à la maison.

Pis kessé qu'elle fait notre Émilie ?

Ben 'a chiale parce qu'il travaille beaucoup, et la pôôôvre petite fleur s'ennuie.

Les p'tits sont presque tous à l'école et elle est éduquée....elle aurait pu se trouver quelque chose à faire....non ? Des courts de rattrapage à la maison, de la couture, écrire un bouqin. Pas les idées qui auraient dûes manquer là !

C'est se qui me dépasse......Comment une auteur peut nous flouer ainsi. C'est fort pareil, nous faire croire que c'est Èmilie l'opprimée dans cette histoire ?

Je n'enlève rien à la série là. Au contraire, c'est un chef d'oeuvre. Les prises de vues, l'intensité des personnages, la musique, l'innovation ( on parle d'une série qui date de 17 ans quand même).

Mais j'me demande, Arlette Cousture est-elle une féministe frustrée qui a profité de sa plume pour transposer ses propres malaises ?

;-)

P.S : Suis-je la seule à avoir remarqué que Berthe est probablement lesbienne et c'est pour ça qu'elle s'en va au cloître ?

On nutrition

Or: Holy crap, junk food doesn't taste good anymore!

Okay, so I wrote something similar a while back. The thing is, the feeling is entirely different this time around. Last time I experienced the whole not-liking-junk-food deal, it was physical, as it just made me feel sick. This time around, I feel fine (although a little sluggish) if I take in a lot of sugar/carbs at once, but not sick. I just don't enjoy it. At all. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'd rather have water than pop, but I'd definitely go for plain milk (I prefer 3.25%, but here they only have 2% and skim...) or some Crystal Light™. Speaking of water, though, I sometimes find myself craving it--and I don't mean being parched. I just randomly feel like drinking water. Sick, I know.

My nutrition has been a bit odd lately; I try to take in mostly good foods, but I tend to let myself go post-workout, and take in some Sprite™ (I crave the bubbles...) or, better, chocolate milk, and even dessert sometimes. What's funny, though, is that even when I go for pizza and fries with a side of Sprite™, I tend to skip dessert.

The thing that's surprising me is that it's not a conscious decision, really. I don't think "oh, this is healthier, I'll eat it," I just don't feel like eating crap, most of the time. Even when I do buy junk food--out of habit, really--I eat it but it just doesn't feel as good as it used to. Heck, I bought some fudge and, although it was very good fudge (at least for the store-bought kind) I only barely finished it. Same with drinking pop; I get a glass or two from the machine in the mess, but I end up taking a sip and leaving the rest.

I'm hoping I won't be jinxing myself with this, and I definitely don't expect to eat perfect all the time. Or even the 90% "my" nutritionist (or, rather, "my" team of nutritionists) recommends. I just want to "eat healthier," even if it means hitting the "perfect" mark only 70% of the time. Besides, I'm still at the point where slight adjustments still end up paying back major dividends. When I get lean enough to see my abs, or my veins (they're popping up on my forearms again) then maybe I'll focus in on chiseling the last of the "bad stuff," but until then, I'll just grab the pickaxe and hammer away.

I would have liked to go for something extreme like the Velocity Diet, but between having to pay for the mess anyway (something like $400 a month) and having to buy supplements (about $500 for a month), and the simple fact I couldn't keep doing everything I'm doing while on that diet, it'll have to wait, if I ever end up doing it at all.

I lost a ton of weight already (an insane amount, that most people would qualify as "unsafe") and I've only been back for a few weeks--and the "success" on the last PPT has only heightened my motivation to keep training hard and eating right. There's nothing quite like getting results to get you to go at it harder.

Also, for the psych majors out there, here's a "little" tidbit you might find interesting. Like a lot of "big" guys (I was up to 245lbs at least, at one point, and thought I was "HYOOOOOOGE") I've always had the problem of being somewhat scared of losing "that"--even though it was misguided and "that" was, instead of the mountain of muscle I envisionned, a mound of blubber with a few muscles hidden underneath. Still, most "big" guys start losing weight and get scared. After all, we've worked so hard to get HYOOOGE, what are we going to do if we end up small?

As was explained by someone (I don't remember who, or in exactly which article, but it was on t-nation), when you start losing weight, you generally get smaller (duh) but you don't really look any better. For big guys, used to being big and strong-looking, looking smaller but still not looking better nekkid is scary. After all, we go from having at least one part of the puzzle, to having the worst of both worlds: we're both weak-looking AND fat!

Eventually, you start seeing results, but it can take a long time. Even when you realize your pants fit better, or that the shirt you wore five years ago and kept around "for when I get lean" actually fits properly again, or whatever, you still think, "yeah, but I still don't look that great nekkid." (Let's face it, most people who train do it to look good nekkid.)

Anyway, the whole point is that somehow I got over that, and although I still get a little scared when I look in the mirror and realize my arms have "shrunk" while my belly still looks more like Buddha's than Brad Pitt's, I know that it's all coming along.

Well, I think that's enough of an update on my mental state and the state of my nutrition. Now, if only the mess offered GOOD, HEALTHY food!

TDV!