Dodgers Advance to 1st NLCS since '88

I know it won't last long so I'm enjoying it all while it lasts. Dodgers barely made it out of the regular season over .500 and the last time they won a series I was still living in Orange County. 20 years without a playoff win and with the way they played all season I'll be ecstatic if they even make it to the series.

Sorry Warbuff. Sucks to get swept.

GO DODGERS!!!

Senate sets vote on financial bailout

Reuters wrote:

But Senate leaders attached the measure to a package to extend business and energy tax breaks that a number of House Democrats have opposed, which could imperil votes there after Monday's narrow defeat of the original bill.

The country is facing an economic crisis right now and rather than just write a bill, on what is already a sensitive and volatile subject, that could stand a chance of passing, our leaders, once again, decide to attach a bunch of crap legislation onto it. I understand the whole notion of cramming lesser bills onto larger ones so that they get passed while riding on the coat-tails so to speak. But the idea that politicians would continue to do so and thus impede any progress on such a time sensitive issue is appalling. I guess I had always hoped that politicians became more focused and driven to achieve a common goal when confronted with a national crisis. Apparently that's not the case.

Just a little update and wanted to share a couple links. My Coast Guard Recruiter called the other day and said he has a job ready and waiting for me. A boatswain's mate for a port security unit in Tacoma, WA. I've been kind of excited about the perk of being a federal law enforcement officer with the CG (more jurisdiction than the military police) but to actually be a part of a port security unit is a bit intimidating. I really only had in mind doing search and rescue missions or keeping drunk people safe during Seafair. This is a pretty different scenario. They still do SAR but their primary mission is national defense, escort, interdiction, and protecting VIPs. It's a unit mainly comprised of cops. A group of intimidating tough guys of which, despite my training in Chinese Kenpo and the occasional comment from people that say I look like I want to kill someone, I am not a tough guy. It's also a deployable unit which means that they're expected to serve away from home base whether that be somewhere else in the country or overseas - a point which will likely cause my mother much grief.

In short what was once a fairly light hearted weekend getaway keeping party goers in line and saving the occasional stranded seaman, has turned into patrolling for bad guys and carrying a big gun. The Ying and Yang of the Coast Guard as it were. (I'm much more of a Ying man myself.)

It was a pretty big decision to make over the phone and I asked him several questions about the differences between units and job roles. My recruiter said one thing that really swayed me though: better, more tactical training. BMs of port security units know how to handle a boat better than other units. In addition to rescue operations they have to know how to handle a boat in both small and large waterways and maneuver tactically so that the guys with the guns can be in the best position to open fire. I like tactics. Plus, despite the downsides of being deployed to a possibly hostile location, I do like to travel.

This is the unit I'll be assigned to.

And at 0:46 of this video (when it says "National Defense") you can see the kind of boat I'll be driving. It's armed with some kind of small deck gun up front with a couple machines guns mounted on either side.


Better picture of the boat - click for large view

So apparently I can't do "quick." Anyway just had to get some of this out to kind of talk myself through this decision. I don't understand how some people can join the military so casually.