Since Josh Requested it...

Her husband has to be one of the luckiest men alive.

...far be it from me to not adhere to the request of one of the few people who actually takes a gander at this blog every now and then. However, I must lead off with my personal favorite. Kate. Rhona does take an extremely close second, though.

Dammit, Rhona has the goods, too.

That look tells you something, doesn't it?

Sexy chicks with guns are bad ass!

How 'bout them apples, Josh?

It's Friday...

...and where am I? At freakin' work, is where I am! Imagine that. Me...at work.

This is a trend that has steadily trudged along for the better part of 8 years now. I'm close to pulling out all of my hair. I am consistantly missing all kinds of events for my kids and family. Not to mention all of the good games this year happen on weekends that I'm supposed to work. I've had to schedule vacation for the Florida game and make a swap for the weekend we play Alabama, which happens to be the same weekend that my 20 year reunion is happening.

Getting my Masters Degree becomes more and more important to me with each event that I've been missing out on. By this time next year I'll have that MS in Occupational Safety and Health and hopefully have some additional career opportunities available to me. My current course that I am enrolled is called: "Advanced Industrial Hygiene" What the Hell? I haven't even muddled through the remedial version of this course, and I have to finish an advanced one. I guess getting a master's is supposed to be harder, huh?

Anyone out there reading this please comment or email me. I don't know if I can keep this thing up when no one out there is reading.

Waiting for some Foosball?

Are any of you out there anxiously waiting for football season to begin? I know that I can't wait until the Tigers kick-off against Washington on the 5th. I don't know what I'm going to do with little miss purple tiger, because she usually gets tired and goes to bed around 9:30 on the weekends. My wife and I were thinking about going to my sister's house to watch the game. I know the little one will want to go see her 'Nannie' that night, so I just might have to take a chance that she'll play with her cousins late into the night. Anyway, to anyone out there reading all I have to say is: GEAUX TIGERS!

BTW, I found this picture while looking at The Smoking Gun website. I thought that I would share it with you. The cops involved were fired for their participation. I sure hope one of those guys got more than a picture for his efforts.

National Fricken' Champions

Take this bitches!

Hot, Hot, Summer

It is freakin' hot here in South Louisiana. To make it worse, it hasn't rained in a couple of weeks, which makes everything that is not normally dry, well...dry. I had to get out this morning to water the plants in the front of the house because Mrs. Purpletiger is worried that they will die. To be quite honest, I wish they would die so that we could do something else with that space. But wait...that would mean I would have to go outside to work on something. Shit on that! I'm enjoying my time off from work, recovering from knee surgery.

I'm having a pretty good time on Tigerdroppings.com as well. Those cats on that site post some pretty funny shit about, well, everything. They talk about LSU stuff, but other things as well. If you haven't gone over there, it is very worth your time.

I know that I haven't posted very much for the last few months, but I hope to get in the groove by writing more.

BTW, GEAUX TIGERS! Take the CWS crown from all of those clowns. Man, I wish I was there!

Rhona Mitra

Francoise Boufhal

Wow, just Wow. I don't think I need to say anything else.

One of the funniest Marketing Campaigns EVAR!

Man, you guys have to check out this advertising campaign by Gatorade. It is called "The Quest for G" If any of you are fans of 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' then you will truly appreciate this video. The link is: http:

//missiong.com/video/The-Quest-for-G

Let me know what you think.

You can also click on the title of the post to jump to the video.

I wish I could embed the video, but I don't think it is an option from Gatorade's site.

Teh Social Network

I was one of those people who, not so long ago, wondered, what benefit could Myspace or Facebook be to me? "Hottest Girls of Myspace," notwithstanding. (Google it, trust me.) Then, I began wondering about my 20 year class reunion. I was struck with a revelation. Kinda like a ton of bricks. (BTW, thanks Tyson for pointing me in the right direction!) Why not try one of the social networking sites.

If you've read previous posts you'll get this next reference. Lo and behold (cue Monty Python animated interlude from "Holy Grail") there are people whom I have completely lost contact with. Even some that do not live very far from me, but with the same issues I have with limited time for contact. I am very pleased to note that all I have to do is click my mouse and I have a friend. Man, is this cool or what? But wait, there is this strange box which I have to type the words EXACTLY as they are written or some sort of error pops up. What the hell? Dude, I thought this 'Friend' thing was supposed to be easy. However, I am just clicking away requesting friends all over the place. Hopefully, I can get off my lazy ass and restore some sort of contact with these people I find truly interesting and intriguing.

If any of you guys are out there reading this, please feel free to comment here and drop me an email. I am forever looking for more than two people to visit this posting per week. If I can increase readership to three, I might even post more often. Please don't let that threat chase you off, though.

I truly miss all of you and wish to talk with each and every one of you whenever possible. I am also excited that I will be able to introduce Mrs. Purple Tiger to all of my friends that I have lost touch with. Hey guys, don't hold it against her that she graduated from St. Amant, she does have some redeeming qualities. She has become a HUGE LSU fan. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I was able to cultivate a kernal of interest in LSU into a full blown LSU, bleeds purple and gold woman. It can't get much better than that.

Other than she puts up with my bullshite more often than not. Hey, drop me an email and we can talk. I'll try to keep the blog up better in the future.

Later everybody,
Chet

UPDATE on Previous Post

I have been following the blog from a previous post for some time now. It is absoulutely indescribable what these individuals are going through. To be deployed for 12 to 18 months, become discharged, move on with your life and. . .BOOM! Some envelope shows up on your doorstep to let you know that you still owe them some more time. That is straight up BULLSHIT!!! Those people that signed on the dotted line performed their duty when they deployed. If their enlistment is up, then let them go. This is a crime against the individuals who are performing a service to our country. This is the update that Alex wrote about:

A Man at Sunrise
For the past month I've been writing about my best friend Steve. He had been out of the Army for more than a year before he was ordered to report for medical screening and inevitably a deployment to Iraq. Having done more for his country in three years than the sum of whole organizations (I'm looking at you, College Republicans), Steve was once again called upon to do the work so many have shunned over the last eight years. I am more than relieved to report that today his exemption from involuntary mobilization has been granted and his orders canceled. Many people congratulate you when you get out of the Army like you're getting out of jail, but getting out of the IRR is like leaving purgatory behind. So many congratulations for Steve. Your future is back in your able hands. Now squeeze that GI Bill for all its worth!

As for the many more veterans in the IRR, I'm not giving up on this plight now that my friend is safe. There are still daily injustices that must be corrected, not only dealing with recall but the other back door draft of stop loss.

Thank you all for your e-mails and comments of support for Steve and others in his unenviable position. I truly appreciate it.

If you haven't visited his blog. Go there and take a look. It is an interesting take on things.

The New Alex Box Stadium

Man, that new stadium looks sweet! I wish I could have attended that game Friday night. I remember going to the old Box with my family at the time when the entire stadium was general admission. Skip had taken over about 2 years before. Little did I know at the time, but we were in for a great ride. During this time in LSU Baseball, they sold 'Family' season tickets. A family of 4 could attend the Friday night game and the Saturday double headers for one price. My dad purchased these tickets for quite a few years, until they made the grandstand at the Box reserved. It priced my dad out of the tickets because he was still buyin season tickets for football.

I have so many memories of the old Box. From Will Clark tagging a home run across Nicholson to Lyle Mouton slamming one on top of the married housing behind left field. It made me sad that I couldn't afford season tickets to LSU Baseball, and I couldn't get tickets to the games this weekend. I will take my family to a game this year somehow. I look forward to watching this team this year.

Please Read This Post From an Eloquent Veteran

If you want to read the entire post with comments please click on the title of this post. It is amazing what some people out there will say to these guys that have served us all.

You may not know that I served 12 years in the Louisiana Air National Guard, but I have witnessed examples of what Alex writes about during my tenure in the Guard. I, by no means, have the experiences or the struggles that this guy has gone through. He has done his duty and should be rewarded for this service. I truly feel for these people who have the added stress, along with this shaky economy, of worrying if they will be recalled after their discharge. Truly a disturbing policy.

Alex Horton writes:




Monday, February 09, 2009

Keeping the Faith: A Letter to President Obama
Dear President Obama,
This letter comes to you from an unlikely supporter: a young Iraq War vet from the blood-red state of Texas. As an Army recruit in basic training, I cast my vote for George W. Bush in 2004 because I felt he was the best choice for a responsible prosecution of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Five years and a combat tour later, I have come to understand the consequences of that decision. Last November I pulled the lever for you after hearing about the refreshing notion of a new era of government accountability that never existed in my adult life. I was sold when you promised to end the practice of involuntary mobilization, a program that reactivates veterans out of the service and sends them back to war. Given the new era of responsibility ushered in by your administration, it is imperative that you keep a promise made to the tens of thousands of veterans across the country.

I am writing to you on behalf of Steve Lewey, one of Illinois' bravest sons. Steve grew up in a working class family not too far from your old stomping grounds of Chicago. He did well in high school and went on to college to study architectural design. After realizing he and his parents could not afford to continue his education, Steve enlisted in the United States Army at the age of nineteen. He did so not only for education benefits but to satisfy the intense need to serve his country in a time of war. As an infantryman, Steve completed a fifteen month tour in 2007, distinguishing himself in the Battle of Baqubah, the deadliest battle of the surge. In one instance, after an insurgent attack claimed the life of our comrade, Steve completely exposed himself to enemy fighters by climbing on top of a Stryker vehicle and firing at three insurgents, killing them instantly. On a dirty and blood-soaked street in Iraq, no one seemed to notice the kid from Chicago in an act of remarkable gallantry. Many of my fellow soldiers are walking examples of his bravery - without his incredibly selfless act, more American soldiers would have surely fallen in that battle.

With his GI Bill in hand, Steve left the service after an extended combat deployment and headed back home to Chicago in the winter of 2007. Filled with the fire of discipline and motivation he found in the Army, he settled into a job and waited patiently for the new GI Bill to become law. He wanted to finish the schooling he started so many years ago. That dream came to an abrupt end late last month when he came home to find a thick brown envelope on his doorstep. Inside were instructions on where to report for medical screening for a deployment back to Iraq.

The IRR has been used in the past as an emergency pool of trained soldiers to augment forces overseas, but recently history has shown it has been badly abused following 9/11. The link between Iraq and the Global War on Terror is tenuous at best, yet the Presidential Reserve Call Up Authority still exists to mobilize and deploy inactive soldiers even in cases of non-emergencies, Iraq being a clear example. Though repeated and lengthy deployments are causing a terrible strain on active duty soldiers, there was no concern on the part of your colleagues to expand the size of the military to meet the rigorous demand of two wars. Instead, the Department of Defense has overindulged on inactive soldiers meant to fix temporary problems, not become long term solutions. Though you seek to draw down forces in Iraq, Mr. President, the recalls continue in the twilight of a six year war.

For combat veterans, the task of integrating back into society has been a difficult journey as old as war itself. From Odysseus to eighteen year old soldiers coming from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, the path to normalcy is wrought with post traumatic stress and a disconnect between soldiers and their civilian counterparts. The added weight of a potential involuntary recall is more undue pressure on the fragile mind of combat veterans. Army career counselors exacerbate the duress with threatening phone calls and ominous visits to the homes of veterans, suggesting recall is a certainty if they don't join the Guard or Reserves. For Steve and over 20,000 inactive soldiers across the country, their worst fears have been realized in the form of mobilization orders. For them it's another crushing defeat in an already burdensome mission to find peace after war.

For years, you have spoken extensively about the need for a more robust civil service program in the country. I cannot think of a greater civil service than serving in the military, especially in a time of war. For eight years, soldiers have sacrificed their bodies, minds, and in the most tragic of cases, their lives, to complete the mission. We have stared into the black abyss of war to see an inner reflection of triumph and tragedy. There are pieces of us, physical and otherwise, that are left on the battlefield forever. That is what we gave up for this nation. Now that the war in Iraq is coming to a close, it's time to end the recalls immediately. Every soldier in the military stands ready to report, mobilize and deploy in any corner of the world in 96 hours or less. The abrupt cancellation of the Presidential Reserve Call Up Authority and subsequent orders would seem effortless in comparison to what soldiers stand ready for each and every day.


"Keeping faith with those who serve must always be a core American value and a cornerstone of American patriotism. Because America's commitment to its servicemen and women begins at enlistment, and it must never end."


The words above should look familiar. You said them on the presidential campaign trail as my unit conducted combat patrols in the fifteenth month of our tour in Iraq. It must be realized that above all else, the American soldier is the most valuable thing this country has to offer. The bodies, minds and lives of our fighting men and women cannot be taken for granted. There is too much at stake. Ending the involuntary recalls is a step in the right direction to repair the ties that bind the military to the citizens they stand to protect. You were Steve Lewey's senator in the great state of Illinois, and you are now his President. You must keep the faith with him and the many thousands of veterans that hold recall orders in their hand and uncertainty in their hearts. For more than two hundred years, soldiers have fought to protect this land. Now it is time to ask you, Mr. President, to fulfill your commitment to end recalls and put veterans back onto their long journey to peace and prosperity.

Very Respectfully,

Alex Horton

This letter off of his blog Army of Dude, is truly heartwrenching. Please, if you ever read this blog, please contact your representative or senator so we can get this executive order repealed.

Thank you so much for reading.

I am around

For all. . .well for the one person who continues to visit and see if I get off of my lazy ass to write, thank you very much. In the time that has passed a lot has happened on the home front. No, I didn't win the lottery. BTW, I still think it is rigged against me. One would believe that as much as I have played I would have won at least a couple of dollars, huh? I just can't get past the 'You can't win if you don't play' argument. I can dream though. If I did win the lottery, I'd track down the one reader to this blog and probably give them some money for sticking with this nonsense.

Anyway, I have a new celebrity crush. My wife and I have been religiously watching Top Chef on Bravo for the last few years. Man, is that Padma Lakshmi hot or what? Yes, my wife knows about how I think Padma is hot. She also knows that I am completely and utterly devoted to her. She has her Wolverine, and I switch mine. This month it's Padma.

What the . . .

Believe it or not, it has snowed in south Louisiana. These are pictures from around the house last week. BTW, I missed all of it because I was stuck at work while the kids and wifey got to play all day.

Shadow's Edge

I've read the second book in Brent Weeks' new trilogy and I am excited that I have found a new author to read. The first two installments of Weeks' Night Angel trilogy are great reads. The characters are dynamic and complex. Their motivations fuel the movement of the story and oh, what a story it is! For those who enjoy action as well as well defined characters, please pick up the first book in the trilogy. You may see a picture of the cover in a previous post. Also, Weeks and his publishers are using the last three months of the year in order to complete the trilogy. What an inspired concept. A complete new trilogy may be read from first book to conclusion within a three month time frame. I will tell you, If you are a fan of fantasy/SF just take a chance on Brent Weeks. You will not be disappointed.

This is my card and New Author I Found

You are The Emperor

Stability, power, protection, realization; a great person.

The Emperor is the great authority figure of the Tarot, so it represents
fathers, father-figures and employers. There is a lot of aggression and violence
too.

The Emperor naturally follows the Empress. Like an infant, he is filled with enthuiasm, energy, aggression. He is direct, guileless and all too often irresistible. Unfortunately, like a baby he can also be a tyrant. Impatient, demanding, controlling. In the best of circumstances, he signifies the leader that everyone wants to follow, sitting on a throne that indicates the solid foundation of an Empire he created, loves and rules with intelligence and enthusiasm. But that throne can also be a trap, a responsibility that has the Emperor feeling restless, bored and discontent.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

How cool was that? I didn't even have to pay Sister Chloe to tell me my tarot card was the emperor.

Anyway, you guys and girls need to check out a new author that I found last week. His name is Brent Weeks. Even though some of you all may not be into that sort of novel, give him a try. He's a very good writer with a clever story. BTW, he even admits in an interview he likes to keep the reader guessing, a la George R. R. Martin, whether this character or that one will be eliminated or seriously hurt next. Several times during the novel, I was nervous about characters that I liked kicking the bucket. He keeps you guessing. The name of the book is The Way of Shadows available now in stores. BTW, the second and third books will be released within one month of each other. Unlike other authors out there who may take years to publish several books in a series. Great read Mr. Weeks. I'll keep on reading your stuff! I'm going to link his web page to the blog, if you're interested.

Denied

I've written about my search to get out of shift work before. Well, I've received the my company's reply to my application:

Thank you for your interest and time in seeking employment with Purple Tiger Chemical Corporation. We have carefully reviewed your qualifications. While your credentials are impressive, we have made an offer to an individual whose past experience more closely meets our needs at this time.

Again, thank you for your interest in employment with Purple Tiger Chemical Corporation and wish you success in your employment search.

Well, that was nice of them to reply wasn't it? Just don't bullshit me. If this candidate has no previous plant experience, I'm going to be pissed!

Hurricane Season

I recently went through hurricane Gustav and I can honestly tell you, 'It sucks a bunch!' I've grown up with the threat of these storms for years. Until recently, I did not take them too seriously. That asshole, Gustav, scared the shit out of me.

I live in a small subdivision out in Ascension Parish. My power went out around 7AM the morning of the storm and did not come back on for about 9 1/2 days. I know that is not nearly as long as some other hurricane victims, but the old adage is spot-on, 'you don't know what ya got till it's gone.' Man, do I rely on electricity or what? My youngest daughter had a mild asthma attack the night of the storm while trying to sleep next to us. That scared me almost as much as the storm. You see, if the medicine doesn't work, where do you bring them? The hospital was probably overwhelmed (sp?) so we were on our own. Thankfully, Mrs. Purple Tiger was on the ball pre-Gustav to get refills on all the medication. So, everything turned out OK that night.

I quickly decided that my wife and kids did not need to face the days without any electricity. I packed them up on Tuesday evening and brought them to my mother-in-law's house in Houston. I left the next morning so I could come back to work. I can honestly tell you that leaving them in Houston was the most difficult thing I had to do. I really did not want to leave, but I thought there were guys at the plant who needed to be relieved and go home themselves.

I do have some pictures from Gustav and it's aftermath locally, and I'll post them as soon as I get off my lazy butt to put them on my computer.

BTW, thanks for coming to visit Colleen. It's nice to see someone comes over once and awhile.

Some Information. . .maybe

Look, for the one or two people who come back here, whether to torture yourself or to actually see if I got off my ass and write something worthwhile, there is a website you need to check out. (Whew, runon sentence over!) I haven't been posting lately due to the classwork for my masters degree, my job and my new part-time job. BTW, I don't really have time for all of the tomfoolery that I partake in, it's just pretty cool to have someplace neat to write my thoughts. Anyhoo, check out And The Valley Shook. Click on the title of the post to jump.

OHHHHHH Scarlett

This is one of my wife's female crushes. I don't think she could have picked a more attractive woman to get 'hot and bothered' over.

BTW, she is one of my favorites as well. Not on the level of Kate, but she has potential to move up!!