I miss Hawaii quite a bit. I was watching some Video blogs tonight.

I want to go past just taking still photos even though I love it and go to video. My next big purchase will be towards my own camera and equipment.

Well once money is saved up for my return home then I can focus on getting my own gear.

I have been on Myspace less than a month.

So far the thing I really like is how many people are on.
I have found so many people on here.

Now the things I wish to God Myspace would improve on...

I hate how slow it can be and how often parts of the site are unavailable.

I hate posting an entry and then being told there is an error.

I wish you could customize more.

It's not like BK, and I can't have it my way. Hell you can't even get that at BK.

It was hot like a Mofo, today.

I think it was somewhere higher than 100 degrees.

I got a story in the post paper today. Finally a story.

I only got a photo last week. Hopefully I am back on track.
I was hoping to have 2 stories, but I am not sure my 2nd one even got submitted.

It brought up a sore subject that soldiers are vulnerable to heat injuries.
Sure the machine wants everyone to think they are invincible, the truth is they aren't.

I really want to bring some frank and honest stories forward, it is not going to happen if I can't even get them sent in. My friends tell me I should send them outside the army on my own.

I am not sure my job would really allow me to do that. Maybe once I am out I could do that.

A soldier from Hawaii died here at Fort Polk during land navigation training.

He wasn't appart of my brigade but was appart of a reserve unit that was training here.

I really don't know what was the cause of death was and I won't really speculate.

What I really love about this post paper, it put this story in the middle of the paper next to my story. Actually mine came before it and it was about a Dig Excercise.

I took Newspaper layout and I think that is a much more interesting story. Instead of putting this death in the beginning they first lead story is about increases to life insurance.
Instead they bury this Majors death in Middle of the paper next to my sorry story.

There is so much rhetoric that we have to put in these stories we do.

If a soldier dies, I have to write, " The incident is currently under investigation." I have to write as little as possible. "

The military journalism course taught us that the best way to combat negative stories is to face them head on. Yet the reality speaks to the opposite.

Most of all if the incident is negative, I can't just say it. I noticed in another article, where we had a double murder on post.

Two people were found dead in post housing. From what I have heard, the wife was having an affair, which is common here. Oh God don't get me started about that subject that is a whole nother story.

Anyways, the husband returns from being deployed, he finds his wife is having an affair and kills his wife and then commits suicide. Whether or not this is true, who knows. I know I wasn't there so i really don't know.

The story they report gives no indication of anything other than 2 people popped up dead there. What kind of publication reports nothing?

I really wish they would take the army's hands off us and let us do more ground level work. The person who designed my job is a genius.

Make me a reporter and public relations person. Therefore since I have to represent the army I can never really focus on the negatives.

I feel like a contradicition at times.

Honest...yet not.

All in order to battle those "Evil Doers"

What an image orientated world we live in. Nowadays War is such a PR campaign.

If anything so far, that is what fascinates me the most. I see 2 armies. The one army that wants to go in and do the job of war. I see the other army that is all politics and image. I honestly think the Army is far more political than it has ever been.

I have sat in the lectures and the classes given. I listened to speeches given. Everything is geared towards steering cattle, whether or not they drive them in for slaughter or not seems purely inconsequential as to how it plays out on the news.

Most soldiers don't know there is a job in Public Affairs in the army, but we are supposed to be their players in this media game.

I often feel like a vistor to a real soldiers life. I went through the same basic and do the same things. I hit a lot of the dead ends, yet my job allows me to roam about and see different areas.

Living a soldiers life is a very interesting. I take that for granted sometimes.

What I have experienced so far has really opened my eyes and is constantly reshaping my ideas.

That was my purpose to be here. I wanted to take in this experience and gain more insight. I am not all knowing, but I definetly feel I know more and have felt things firsthand.

Finally on another subject...My hate for my roommate continues. I am going to talk to him.

He came in tonight all drunk and harassed a friend I had over watching a DVD with me.

He is underage and can get in serious trouble if I ever made it an issue.

So i am going to go to him and tell him, he better get his shit together. I don't want a fuckin wasted drunk for a roommate any longer and if he doesn't stop I am going to stop covering for his ass.

This point no more mit gloves here.

He wants to drink and get wasted, do it somewhere else I say.

This guy is annoying sober and drunk. I never thought I'd say this, but Alcoholism really disgust me. I think back about my childhood and it makes me wonder why do people always fall? Why can't we be stronger and pick ourselves up and see where we've allowed ourselves to fall?

I am so tired of having to deal with others inability to cope. It seems like I've had to battle people battling with substance abuse my whole life.

I don't have a drinking problem but as early as 3 or 4 I have had to witness people drink themselves away. My first memory is of my mother and grandmother drinking so much they were passed out drunk. My mother paid with her life for it and it makes me angry to see more and more people just fuck their lives all up.

I am tired of having to see other people's problems.

One thing life has taught me. Your problems always seem to somehow become my problem.

People are wrong when they think their actions don't affect others. They do.