Thoughts and a Matter of Fact Letter

My reading of _Collapse_ continues. He's blown through the Anasazi and the Maya now. He's discussing the Norse colonies. He touched on the Orkneys, Faeroes, Iceland, Vinland, and is now talking about the Greenland colonies. I am still reserving judgement. It's a good read. I have to wonder about the accuracy. While I am not up to date on the latest on the Anasazi, there seems to be some differences in what I remember and I have walked the ground on a lot of sites there (since I grew up as a teenager in New Mexico). Some of what he says makes sense, some of it doesn't jive. We'll see. I'm almost half done with the book.

Aurora keeps Lyuda (my wife) on her toes. She seems to take talking to her as a sign that its time to play. We started a family tradition that I would talk to Aurora when it was bedtime. Way back when in that first trimester, it seemed to make Aurora calm down and let Lyuda sleep. Unfortunately, it has the opposite effect now...and those kicks are amazing. I am surprised Lyuda can surive them, really, over a prolonged period like she has. Increasingly, I am thinking that "The Miracle of Pregnancy" is surviving it.

My wife and I went looking at new apartments on Sunday. We found some we like. We actually found one we really like, but we're going to have to see if we can bid a move in sooner than another couple. We found this rather nice place that seems like a resort, but will save us about $600/month. With a baby and a new car coming, that's nontrivial money for us. Also we'd like to be able to save for a house. Given the cost of housing in the Bay Area that might be a tall order to fill.

Speaking of the house, I've been tinkering with a design for one for some time. I keep playing with new designs and working them into what I'd consider finished enough to turn over to an architect. The basic styling is taken from Byzantine Empire Church architecture, esp the churches and monastaries from the Mystra style and from Thessalonica. However, there is a lot of bits stolen from elsewhere: Art Nouveau and the Adirondack lodges contribute nontrivial amounts. There are also some oriental influences, but not too much. The one I am working on now can be built is stages. If we do it here in Cali, then we're going to have to do that. Land is about $200k/.5 acres. :S

On a very different note, my brother spent 14+ months in Iraq. He was a part of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. He was a cavalry scout and rode around in an armored Hummer. He was involved in partoling Sadr City and then he was sent in at Kut and Najaf. He was promoted twice Over There. He was seriously wounded at least twice that I know of and even had his picture in the ~Oct 28th edition of Time: he was mourning a friend that died in an ambush.

I remembered an old letter he sent me. This is a year and change ago. It was a very frank admission of what soldiers feel in combat. Or at least he did.

What's up big bro? How have you been? I hope as well as I have been (ha). My little camping trip was cool as sh*t. We found tons of weapons! We captured a bunch of Feydayeen dudes to include a two star general and kill some people that were a part of Bin-laden's group. On a down note we had many bullets, RPGs, and even 11-14 mortar rounds dropped on our camp (that sucked), had a chain of IEDs (bombs, 120mm mortars) blow up next to us on the side of the road. Damn that was a rush (it was just like the movies. Shit falling from the sky. Everything goes dark with all the dirt in the air. The shockwave tosses you like a cannonball hit you. All sound stops for 15 seconds, possibly the L O N G E S T 15 seconds of my life! Its hard to put on paper how it really was. I'll tell you about it when I see you but all in all (other than getting knocked out a few times) it was good shit! I had a great time! But now we're back in gay ass Baghdad where all that ever happens here is every once in a while an ied or firefight.

God, listen to me, I sound like a psycho! I don't know. The intense feeling one gets when engaged in combat is unparalleled by any other - the rush, the elegant chaos your self in opens your eyes, reveals a different world where all fear falls away, leaving you wuth the acceptance you could die while in this strange equilibrium of understanding, allowing you to move out and execute with divine prejudice. Its a different platform, level if you will, no sympathy, no tenderness, no compassion, no mercy, you're only left with yearning the pure desire to violate, disfigure, fracture, deface, sever, to force the union of your enemy and his timely death. It's really hard to say what I mean. In short, it's a good feeling. Well, I guess, it leaves the rest of your life seeming sooooo uneventful Ok, so maybe I am a little nuts :)

Now he's back, married and even out of the army. His wife is finishing her degree in teaching - she has a semester or two left. My brother is thinking about taking up a life in the wine making business. They live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I hope that he has a more peaceful life from now on, but I truly hope that he remembers his service though with pride. I am very proud of him.