Category: Home

Anniversaries

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date June 11, 2020

It’s Thursday June 11TH 2020, and weekends begin on Thursdays here at #CountUp. This is the start of another weekend of blogging for me. Tomorrow (Friday) it’s RETRO, and I’ll check-out my life and times via music from this weekend 15 years ago in 2005.

I’m observing a series of personal anniversaries during this first-half of June. I graduated from high school 35 years ago last weekend. I attended all 4 years (1981-1985) at Langley High School. YES – That’s the same Langley that is also the home of the Central Intelligence Agency. Many of my classmates were sons and daughters of CIA agents, and many others were sons and daughters of senators and congresspersons. I was an odd one out there. I wasn’t rich. I wasn’t cool. Nobody remembers me from high school – aside from perhaps my Spanish 1 teacher from 1981-1982. I actually follow him on Facebook, and he sends me “Happy Birthday” greetings each year. I wonder if he really remembers me ?

35 years ago tomorrow is my official 35TH Anniversary in the United States Air Force. It’s the day that I left home for a new life and adventure. It unexpectedly became my career. It’s been a pretty good career. There were some bad years including a 13-year pit of despair (1994-2007). But that’s been followed by a 13-year peak (2007-2020) that I hope continues on until the day that I retire and move away from here.

Speaking of moving away from here – I moved in to my current home 25 years ago this Saturday (June 13TH). It’s the longest I’ve ever lived in a single home in my entire life, and it’s not even close. I previously lived in the same home for 5 years and 9 months (1975-1980) as a kid in Lanham Maryland. I moved in to my current home as a 28-year-old who had never set foot in or even knew of this neighborhood’s existence until a few days before I actually moved in. A local Real Estate agent showed me this home, and she didn’t have to show me any other. I accepted it. It’s one of the best decisions of my life. I rented it for 6 years, and then I bought it.

So that’s where I am during this 2ND week of June of 2020. I hope that you’re having a better June than was your March, April, and May. We’re getting back to normal after an unexpected season in hibernation. Let’s root for each other. Let’s cheer each other on. Let’s be nice to each other. Let’s love our neighbor.

Tags Blog, Christian

Blogging Driving Food Home Life Travel

My New Normal

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date June 4, 2020

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began – or more specifically since Friday March 20TH 2020 – I’ve driven a grand total of 367 miles over the past 76 days. That’s an average of less than 5 miles per day. (Generally I average 28 miles per day over the course of a year including road-trips.)

Over the past 76 days I drove 0 miles on 47 of those days. #SaferAtHome

I haven’t driven more than 3 days in a row since March 17TH to 20TH (4 days in a row).

I filled-up with gas on April 27TH – 48 days after the previous time I filled-up. I still have more than a half-tank remaining.

All of this ends later this month when I embark on a 1,600+ mile road-trip. That 1,600+ miles will occur during an 8-day stretch in which I’ll visit longtime friends along the way, and spend quality time with family. #Excited

I finally got a haircut for the first time in over 4 months. Usually I get one after a little more than 2 months. My hair was out-of-control. I was starting to look a lot like disheveled “Younger Me”.

This Friday June 05TH is my birthday, and I’ll be enjoying a nice delicious Lunch inside a popular local restaurant for the first time since March 15TH. I’ll be eating out a lot during this month, as I take advantage of lots of free birthday delights !

It’s Thursday June 04TH 2020, and this blog post goes LIVE at 3 AM EDT (U.S. East Coast time). It’s the start of a fresh new weekend of blogging for me. I’ll be back tomorrow (Friday) to go RETRO – back to a previous birthday from 49 years ago. #1971

1990s Career Computers Home Military Travel

My Last 2 Years On Active Duty Air Force

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date May 21, 2020

National Military Appreciation Month continues on this 3RD Thursday of the month with my own appreciation of my 35-year career with the United States Air Force. It’s no secret that I’m currently in the greatest 13-year era of my career. It started at the end of July of 2007, and it continues to this day. But there’s a runner-up to this great era, and that’s January 1991 to February 1993.

I was sent to war (Operation Desert Shield / Storm) as 1991 began. I didn’t volunteer for it. I’m actually quite antiwar. I was sent as punishment by my supervisors at the time. They didn’t like me, and they made life miserable for me. I threatened to report them for harassment. Before I could take action on that they sent me away to Saudi Arabia.

As it turns out my deployment overseas into the war zone turned out to be the turning point of my career back then. I was scared over there due to an uncertain future, but I also made new friends with fellow airmen from other bases, and I matured quite a bit in “Tent City” in the desert. I flopped at building fuel tanks, but I exceled at building bombs.

When I returned home to Homestead AFB after the war I was immediately sent home to my family near Washington D.C. for up to 30 days of uncharged “rest and recuperation” leave. When I returned to the base I met my brand new supervisor. You see my previous supervisor, and a few others as well – were relieved of their duties and sent away while I was away. I wasn’t informed of the specifics, but the outcome was great. There was even a reorganization of our squadron and flight structure. We even moved to a different building down towards the other end of the airfield. It continued the peak of my career at that time that started at wartime.

And then Hurricane Andrew destroyed the base. I became a “refugee” at Andrews AFB Maryland. I picked that base because it was my hometown base at the time – closest to my family. I really liked my supervisor and coworkers at my new base. They treated me nice. They respected me. I respected them. I informed them quite early on that I would not be reenlisting for a 3RD 4-year term in early-1993, so they had me for about 6 months to do what they wanted with me. They had me teach them everything I knew about the computer system and database that we managed and utilized in my career field at that time. They were so impressed that they had me teach the rest of the base as well. I was essentially a teacher for my 6 months there. They gave me a bunch of awards for my work during my short stay there – the most prominent of which hangs on my wall just above my computer workstation here.

My last duty day was the same day that the World Trade Center in New York City was bombed the first time around (Friday February 26TH 1993). We found out about the bombing via overhead TV sets at Pizza Hut where we had my farewell luncheon. I went on “terminal leave” for a month after that, and at the end of March I was officially out of the Air Force after nearly 8 years, or so I thought …

gray plane inside hangar — Photo by Kelly Lacy on Pexels.com

Tags Air Force, Military

Animals Bible Christian God Home Ministry Scripture

Sunday Scripture

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date May 17, 2020

Boots On Guest Bed

This was my little feline buddy ‘Boots’. I met him in 1994, and we officially became housemates on New Year’s Day 1995. Over the years Boots developed my personality in a cat’s body. He was the smartest cat I’ve ever met. I talked to him, and he understood me, and he responded to me.

Boots’ favorite hobbies included greeting me at the front door all the time, following me everywhere I went, watching my every move, eating with me, sleeping with me, and (for fun) pushing geckos off the back porch screen in order to “save my life”. If Boots saw a gecko climbing on the outside of the screen it would only take him mere seconds to jump up and push that gecko off the screen and tumbling 15 feet to the ground below. Once he did that he’d look back at me for my instant approval (which I always granted).

Boots was with me for 12½ years – the toughest 12½ years of my adult life. Exactly 13 years ago last night on May 16TH 2007 was a horrible night for Boots and I. He was in agonizing pain (due to the effects of various diseases), and he could no longer hide it. He was screaming all night long. He could no longer walk. He lost the ability to purr. I knew that was his last night of life.

The next morning I made the ultimate decision to put him to sleep to end his terminal pain and suffering that he was enduring. I was with him at the very end at the animal hospital, and he meowed at me one last time as if to thank me for loving him for all of those years. His eyes slowly closed after that, and I cried.

His doctor said it was my final good deed for him, and that he probably lived much longer than he should have – due to the love that I provided to him over the years.

Boots On The Couch