Mah Birfdeh Jus Fer Meh

I’ve been reading up on LolCats a bit much of late. 
Pretty durned funny stuff, though.
Lolcats ‘n’ Funny Pictures - I Can Has Cheezburger?

Anyway.

It’s my birthday today.  I had a good one.

Specially Thank You to My Sessie and Girls who caught me right away this morning (after their LONG day of mass Tea Party business).
And too, Thank You to Lib for the Great Card (I’ll tolerate the spankin-please don’t spit on the cake but don’t feel too bad if you do since I won’t eat it anyway-and I’ll come looking for the eye-poppin-hug soon).
And all you guys who didn’t get to it, you still have a whole day ahead of you to remember since I’m WAY ahead of you (lucky me, I get more like 48 hours of birthday instead of the normal 24).

The coolness that you see on Paperscreams (did you see the button JavaScript magic yet?) is a lot of what I did.
Took the day off work (of course), but will have to make up for it tomorrow.
My boss is gonna take me out for dinner (and a movie!) but he’s not cute and his name isn’t Anika, so it won’t quite be perfect.  He just called and we’re going for STEAKS!  Haven’t had a steak since I left the U.S.A. many moons ago.

Here’s an update on my last few days of activity.

I have been reading a very odd combination of material this past week.

I read Ender’s Game twice in a row (yesterday and today), just to make it sink in (government, leadership, military and teaching philosophy).
I read Starship Troopers yesterday (government, military, leadership and teaching philosophy).
I read sections in Deuteronomy from the Bible (government, leadership and law).
Earlier this week, I tripped through Joint warfighting concepts by a retired Major General from the Army (senior mentor’s group for the Joint Chiefs).
I also have been studying Maritime Operations Centers philosophy (headache and a half).
I am dreaming of another military book (30 bucks at the store), called “Rethinking the Principles of War”.

The first two books I listed are in the Junior leadership section of the Navy’s Professional Reading program.  I think they’re above the level for some of the people we consider junior right now.
The last one, “Rethinking” is on the Senior leadership level (the big dudes).  I’m drawn to those professional writings far more than to the “entertaining” war stories and attempts to teach via entertainment.  I read technical documents.  Why?  Dunno.  I think I might have issues.

But I find that I understand carefully laid out discussions and diagrams better than absorbing the same concepts from a fictional story.  My favorite parts of fiction (Heinlein and L’amour are masters of it) are when the writer goes didactic.  I’d rather read a well-spoken storyteller teaching me something than just cruise along with the characters.

Orson Scott Card, who wrote “Ender’s Game” is not so teachy, but his methods are pretty well thought out.  I think he has a very good mind for process, and it’s attracted me to all the other books I’ve read of him as well.

But back to the “Senior” leadership stuff.  I’ve always loved it.  I love reading “heavy books.” Technical, didactic, in-depth studies get me all sorts of happy.  Drives Anika nuts, I’m sure, especially when, at the same time, I can’t stand Tolstoy and all them long-winded European/Russian writers.  Weird?

I hope I can get into one of those hard-hitting leadership schools someday.  I’d love to take some college courses on the rough stuff, too, like in the war colleges and military studies stuff. 

But, on the other hand, what good is it going to do if I get all versed up in this stuff?  This is the heaviest question on my mind.  I see how powerful this knowledge can be, and how far it can serve in the military or in important organizations, but I’m not that guy?  Am I?

Anyway.  I’m having a happy birfdeh.

What I’d like most right now is:

Kisses from my girls
Hugs from my girls
Seeing my girls
Eating dinner with my girls
Sleeping with my girl
Playing with my girls
Sitting around, doing nothing with my girls

Yeah, that’s what I’m getting for Christmas.  Haha.

Final Update:  My boss was the BOMB!  We went and shot a couple rounds of pool at Sherlock’s (a great pub) and I had a superb Guinness (tap, of course) and then we went to the Factory for dinner.  Prime Rib 500g with mashed potatoes and Amstel (tap again, of course).  It was heavenly.  I haven’t had that quality (or quantity) of a steak in a very long time.  I’m fat, dumb and happy.  We talked, ate, ate and talked and I am more than well cared for.  I’m almost excited to go back to work tomorrow.

Thanks, Boss, you da man.

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