Today (or actually yesterday, based on the time of this writing) was Dooley Day Off here at the local United States Air Force Academy. I got a chance to visit with one of my friends who is a USAFA freshman and I came away with a new amazement for what people go through to have a chance to serve this country in the finest military the world has ever seen. I know, or at least I had read about, the type of punishment these guys take… nothing brutally physical, just quite a few mental games and barriers… but to actually sit down with one of my friends to whom it was happening made me pretty gosh darn proud. After all, thinking that these guys were getting up at 4:30 AM every morning, working out for two hours before even breakfast, and then spending all of their mental and physical energy in a full day of activities… it’s just incredible. I’m sure these guys feel pretty lonely during most of this experience… but I hope somehow, somewhere, someone will help them realize that there are a country full of guys and gals just like them that are amazed and proud at what they have done and will do for us. I think it’s pretty easy to sit here and contemplate this in our air-conditioned offices and 200-horsepower cars… I challenge whoever reads this to go spend 15 minutes doing what these guys do for a vast amount of time more: pushups, situps, pullups, and running… then re-think just what it means to be a man or woman in uniform.

And so, I’m thrilled to be friends with these outstanding guys, I’m honored to have graduated high school next to them, but furthermore, I’m damn proud to be an American. You guys rock. Keep this flame of freedom burning for a world who often seems to care less. We’re with you.

Sleep well tonight, America, you are in good hands.

Here I come Air Force ROTC…

I just returned from college orientation in California. Bottom line: why the heck did I waste four years in high school? College is AWESOME. Seriously, it blew me away. The people, the facilities, the opportunities, the location… can’t think of anything more I could want. I’m really looking forward to the fall.

I’d like to elaborate more on the experience, but unfortunately I’m running short on time at the moment. In the interim, please enjoy the following few excerpts from a forum discussion I was just reading regarding responses to unwanted telemarketers. I think they’re good for a few chuckles:

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this is why i urge you all to observe “the power of four” calling theory.

What is “the power of four”? Let me explain.

When the telemarketer calls so “no”, if he persists hold down the number 4 on your phone. Hold for about 10 seconds. When you release, ask are you still there. if he answers “yes” then hold the number 4 again, this time longer. Repeat vicariously.

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My husband was being bothered at work by a local restaurant faxing lunch menu flyers to him. He called for several days in a row asking them them to stop, but they didn’t.

Finally, after 3 or 4 days, he made extra copies of their flyer, taped them together end to end in a big loop, and pushed send on the fax machine.

After about an hour, the restaurant called and asked him to stop. They never faxed their menu again after that.

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I’ve found that by slowly lowering the volume of your voice til you are almost whispering, the telemarketers have to turn up the volume on their headsets…..and they are really suprised by the airhorn then

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“You’ll have to speak up. I’m wearing a towel.”

Homer J. Simpson

My family used to get calls for funeral plots and family photo packages. My father would use basically the same set of answers for both.

“No, I’m sorry. Vampires have no use of that.”

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one that I have used twice in the past to great success has been (only use this if you know it’s a telemarketer calling):

ring… ring…

Me: Hello, Agent Carrody speaking

Them: umm, hello, may I speak with Mr. X please?

Me: Excuse me, how did you get this number? This is a restricted phone line for the US Secret Service.

Them: uuuh, our computer system automatically dials phone numbers for us.

Me: I need your name and your supervisors name. You are in violation of federal laws by calling a restricted government numbers.

Them: click

Funny thing is I have done this twice on two differnt phone numbers and I never receive another phone call from telemarketers on those lines