Well, that's that!

As previously stated, that's that. I'm done. Done with BNCOC. Finally... I never thought this day would actually come. It's hard to believe that I've been here since February 17th. A lot has happened since I've been here, and it's crazy to look back on it. Now begins the long journey home. I don't know what time I'm supposed to get my "diploma" tomorrow, so I don't know if I'm going to get on the road tomorrow or just stick around for another day, get some rest, and then head out on Saturday. I'll probably stick around in Ohio for a day with the family then head out on Sunday and go back to Tennessee. I'm looking forward to getting back, but it's going to be bittersweet. I really don't have a whole lot to talk about tonight, except that I'm done with this stupid ass school...My wit is drained today, so no funny quips for you. Goodnight, everybody!

That long black train....

There's a long black train coming down the line feeding off the souls are lost and crying. Rails of sin, only evil remains. Watch out brother, for that long black train...

Well, that's me on my soap box of music. Josh Turner, in case you weren't aware. I recommend you look up the song if you're unfamiliar...

Well, I'm winding down the last few days of school here. We test out on Thursday and graduate on Friday. I may not leave here until Saturday. But the new development is that I'll probably have to drive to PA to pick up Duke because Joe (my father-in-law) is going ape-shit because he has so many dogs at his house. Yes, I know...my fault. But how can you deny the sweet sweet face of a fawn boxer? He's a great dog and I only want the best for him so I'll go up there and bring back home to Dixie. I'll just have to figure out who's going to watch him while I'm gone on trips and rotations because I refuse to give him away...he's apart of my family.

To my loyal followers, I apologize for my absence of the blogging world. These last few months have been...off. Most of you already know my current situation, so I won't go into detail, but I'm back in full force. Thank you, to all of you that still stand behind me and call me "family". I know we all make some huge mistakes in our lives but if I could go back in time and take this one away, I would.

In any case, I'm doing just fine. Virgina is a different sort of state. They call it a "Commonwealth", but I tend to lean towards "Communist". Sorry, Walt. You're my brother-in-law and I love you as such, but this state is a bit off. It does offer many museums for the viewing public and a very scenic countryside but the law enforcement here is much different then most Americans are used to. I should know. I've been pulled over here more times than my entire 8 years of driving. I actually had to go to court and pay fines...3 points on my expired license, ladies and gentlemen. I know what you're thinking..."Kyle, break the law?!?! NEVER!" Yes, I broke the law and received a slap on the wrist for it. That was just the start...pulled over and given a "fix-it" ticket for a burned out headlight. WHO DOES THAT???? Just tell me it's broken and I'll fix it!...In any case, these last few months have been really really rough.

Well, just to let you know on the haps of the next few weeks, months, and years...I'll be back in TN sometime this week/weekend. I'm going to start with the painting in the kitchen and dining room. I'm planning on laying some hardwood throughout the dining room, living room, and hallway. Mason's nursery will hopefully be completed and I'll start adding all of the baby accoutrements along the way. If anyone has an decorating tips for me, I'd greatly appreciate the advice. Well, that does it for me here. I leave you with this...I'm fucking hammered. Good day folks!

Not so smooth operator...

Well, the pressure has been on to finally post another blog...Currently I'm sitting in Walt and Lisa's kitchen while everyone eats pancakes, bacon, and eggs. For obvious reasons, that I'm sure most of you know there haven't been many postings coming from "this guy". If you don't know by now, just ask someone else in the family as I really don't want to get into details as to my current situation. For those that know, I'm not proud by any means of what has happened and I will do everything in my power to make it right again...

Caroline and Mason are doing just fine. He's a kicker! The doctors forewarned Carrie that he'll be a bit of handful. He is, however, very healthy and looking forward to his release from the womb. His Daddy is definitely looking forward to meeting his new son...Mason Joseph McKee.

I'm still in BNCOC. I FINALLY graduate next week. Thursday is our final exam and then I'll get my "diploma" on Friday. Seeing as how I would prefer to not travel through the night again, I'll probably stay an extra day and then leave out on Saturday. This school has been a living nightmare and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. I've spent the last 3 months more or less relearning my job, staring at computer screens, and reading manuals. A complete waste of time, if you ask me. I never thought I'd ever actually look forward to going back to work. But then again, my job is pretty freaking sweet and once I get back I'll get to finish my quals and start getting into the rotation of things to come. That's something I'm looking forward to, even though I'm sure most of you probably aren't.

As for me, I'm going to go home and start doing some home improvements. I'll probably start with the easy stuff, like painting and then move into some more difficult projects such as hardwood and tile. At some point I'll start posting some pictures of the house for all to see. Well, that does it for me.

Fame. What's a Name?

Tonight's title brought to you by Bowie. I realized I haven't been keeping up with this thing recently so I figured I'd throw out a little line to my "followers". There's still not a whole lot shaking or moving on this end. I'm in Virginia right now and will remain here until May for the aforementioned school. So far it's been one ridiculous day after another full of formations, marching, and death by PowerPoint. Carrie is hanging in there back in Tennessee. She had a doctor's appointment recently and said it went very well. The baby sounds healthy and has a heartbeat of I believe she said 156 beats per minute. She's working and trying to fight her nausea. Thankfully they gave her meds for that recently, so hopefully she'll get past it all. As for me, I'm living the dream...not really. I get up at 4 a.m. to make it to physical training by 5:50 and generally get back to my hotel around 6 everynight. It's pretty much some of the most ridiculous time I've passed in a long time. I'd almost much rather go back to survival school again then have to do this. But, I guess it could be worse. As far as the rest of it, it goes.


P.S. Just thought I'd throw a little tasty bit of information: The nation's Goldenboy (Barack Obama) has decided to purchase 28 new presidential helicopters at the cost of $11.2 billion. As for quick math, that's $440 million per aircraft...This must be the "change" we've all been waiting for. GOODNIGHT AMERICA!

Bin-Cock!

Also known as BNCOC. Basic Noncommissioned Officer's Course, for the non-acronym speaking types. Yes, it's that time for Kyle. Time to head off into the wild blue yonder that is the future of my career. Professional development here I come. As I've gone to these types of courses, I've found that there's very little actual professional development, just a bunch of NCO's going back to their roots and acting like a bunch of privates. Oh well, I guess we'll see how I fare in this whole scene. But it is 2 1/2 months of TDY and I stand to make money so I guess I can't really complain all too much. Sidenote, I will be approximately 1 hour from Walt, Lisa, and Henry, so hopefully there will be some family visiting going on as well.



I'm finding it hard to keep up with this whole blogging thing, but fear not, I'm trying. I recently received a written threat that if I don't keep up with it, I will be deleted from their "watched" blogs. This person asked to remain anonymous, so we'll call them "Doe". Apparently this "Alpha" female is the matriarch of the blogging community in the McKee family. Should you not keep up with your writings, you'll be fed to the wolves...knuckles. I guess I've been told "Whaddup". So, as promised, I will make every attempt to keep up with this thing and keep you informed as to the whereabouts and happenings in my life. Moving on...



This weekend was mostly uneventful. Carrie and I went to file our taxes today...oh happy day. Apparently when you call H&R Block and ask "How much?" and the response is "Our services start at $55.00..." the sky is the limit. I'll spare you the gory details with how much the grand total was, but I will say this...the government may give it back but they'll take it back anyway and anywhere they can. I think I was walking a little differently when I walked out the door.



I was going to go on a rant about NObama, but I opted against it for the time being....With that, I leave you this: All I've ever wanted was an honest weeks pay for an honest days work.

I can't put my arms down!

Well, I've been trying to keep up with this blog thing. I find it difficult to come home and rant and rave about...well, nothing really. Work is generally the same. I'll spare the complicated details and sum it up like this: Each day is generally 5 steps forward and 10 steps back. It feels like we make great advances in everything we do, and then a wrench gets thrown into the whole thing and it all falls apart. So we come in the next day and start it all over, but somehow by Friday, everything seems to come together and work out. I can't complain on the aspect however, because if it didn't we'd be working through the weekends. Although, after some of the nights I've worked through I think I'd much rather just have to finish up some projects on a Saturday morning. Other than that, I really can't complain. If you know anything about where I work and who I work for, then you'll be relieved to hear that things have gotten increasingly better. I'm just about 2 steps away from making my qualification and then it's off to another school. At least my qualification is almost done, I can move on to the next big thing.

Work aside...Caroline and I are doing fine. She's managed to move back into this morning sickness slash (yes, I typed the word slash) overall nauseous thing again. I don't know where it came from, all I know is that she's a bit unhappy about it. The baby however, seems to be doing fine. She's starting to get a cute little baby bump thing going, even though she just claims that she's getting fat. We did take a "first trimester" picture the other day, so I'm sure they'll be posted somewhere online for your viewing pleasure, shortly. Aside from that, we are doing just fine. The dogs continue to rule my home in one way or another, but I still claim that I am king. With that, I leave you with this little gem: Sloan Kettering is not a real person, however it is a cancer research center.

Um, what?

Well, I'm not sure where to even start...It's been an interesting...month, I guess. Obama takes office and is already creating an interesting little mess, if you ask me. I'm not one to get wrapped up in politics a whole lot, but come on...the guy is an ass. I don't care how charismatic or black he is. How do you give the first live interview from the White House to a Muslim tv station OVERSEAS?!?! And why is there suddenly talk of releasing or moving all the murderers in GITMO? Last time I checked, they were there for a reason. I know that I personally moved a few of them to holding cells, and I can tell you that they weren't just there for the ride on a helicopter. I think moving them to the states is only going to give them the gall to ask for American rights and for some liberal left-wing activists to protest that they get those rights. I said it before, and I'll say it again...Too many people voted for Obama for all the wrong reasons. Too many people want to be a part of living history and it's ridiculous the lengths they'll go to to achieve it. How do you expect a man who has no more than 6 months of experience in the Illinois Senate to run the entire country? But then again, maybe he'll prove me and a million other nay-sayers wrong. Time will tell, and we'll see.

On to other things that won't cause a rise in blood pressure. This week has been pretty uneventful. Carrie and I are supposed to be going to Gatlinburg tonight to stay in a mountain cabin with some friends coming down from Ohio. I don't know how it's going to happen now since the people that were supposed to watch to dogs backed out in the last minute. So much for counting on your neighbors. I guess we'll see what happens with that, but I doubt it.

For those of you wondering, Carrie is not really showing in pregnancy at all. She is however past a lot of her morning sickness and overall nausea. Every now and then it gets the best of her, but she's doing much better. We're trying to get an ultrasound before I go to Virginia in February so we can show off our sea monkey, but I don't know if it's going to happen. Other than that, we're both doing just fine.

As for me, I've just been working a lot of long hours lately. Between flight time and general maintenance, the days and weeks have been dragging along. Going to school will be a nice change of pace, so I guess I'm looking forward to it. Well, that does it for the old Nutcracker today. I leave you with this little gem: "People who live in glass houses sink ships."

THERE WAS A FIREFIGHT!...of piss

I find it hard to blog when you really don't do anything exciting over the weekends. Carrie and I bought a new vacuum cleaner on Saturday. Now that I've physically typed that last sentence, I think it's pretty sad that I think buying a new vacuum is exciting. It is, however, a Dyson...so I guess the name alone might incite riots of excitement in those that love vacuuming, talk about vacuuming, or enjoy watching others vacuum.

I guess the real excitement was last night when we went to the house of the mother of a woman that Carrie works with (did that make sense?). The house was immense. There are 2 people living in a house that pushes 6,000 square feet. Apparently they built the house with the premise that their grandchildren would be coming to stay with them...always. I don't even know where to begin to describe this place other than the master bathroom and the movie theater. That's right, I said movie theater. Complete with reclining stadium seating for 16 people and a surround sound system that would put IMAX to shame. On to the master bath. I think the actual square footage of the bathroom with walk-in closet attached was over 1,000 square feet. They bathed this place in tile and gave it a venetian bath house look. The shower dimensions are 10x15 and there is a raised whirlpool tub that would fit 3 people...even though there are only 2 people living in this house. Weird? It was a nice visit complete with a pretty kickass spaghetti dinner, so I won't complain when there's free food involved. After dinner we watched an Al Pacino movie called "88 minutes". If you've never seen it, I highly recommend you watch it. I'll leave it at that.

This weekend I learned how the Vietnamese were able to build their intricate tunnel systems throughout Vietnam and Cambodia during the Vietnam War...weiner dogs. If they didn't use them, then they should've. Charlie, our adopted weiner, has taken the name "tunnel rat" to literal terms. For quite some time, our dogs have been coming to the back door with toys that I know I have not purchased. I counted 6 tennis balls, some kind of rope thing, and a few of what I think are actually children's toys in my backyard yesterday. For a while I've just blown it off as the kids next door throwing their things over the fence in some strange way of trying to play with my dogs. Well, I was wrong to think that my sweet little defenseless animals would ever think about burrowing under the nice protective privacy fence that encloses my backyard...dead wrong. There is not only 1, but 4 holes dug under 3 sides of my fence each large enough for a small black dog to fit under. Coincidentally, I own 2 small black dogs. I guess this summer will be spent not laying in a hammock and sipping sweet tea, but back-filling the excavations of my wonderful pets. With that being said, I'll stop rambling and leave you with the famous words of Bob Barker: "Control the pet population and have your pets spayed of neutered...because if you don't they will have marking wars in your house and dig holes under your fences". OK, I added that last line, but it works anyway.

What a pain in the ass...

So I decided last night, after reading Patti and Lauren's blogs, that I'd try my hand at this thing called blogging. I think calling it "blogging" is probably just a way of offsetting the fact that it is , in fact, a diary but I'm not required to start each entry with "Dear Diary, today at school..." so therefore it is less gay. I will say, however, that setting up this electronic diary was a big pain in the ass and I'd much rather contract a curable STD than to have to ever do it again.

All bitching aside, hopefully this will help some of you that are not in the communications loop as much gather much needed information as to my whereabouts and happenings. I will say that my language tends to be somewhat, I'll say "colorful"...? Dad, if you want to go ahead and field this one for me... So if you're like some of the people I work with and offensive language and/or phrases offends you, this blog is not for you. But then again maybe you'll learn some new words and phrases along the way like my mom sometimes does in some of our conversations. With that, I will leave by saying, "I just farted." Discuss.