Deception

     For those that know me you know that I have four little boys and that they mean the world to me. There really isn't anything that I wouldn't do for them. I enjoy the time I get to spend with them and I like to believe that I am an okay father. I do what I can to teach them right from wrong and I tend to be heavy handed when it comes to making sure they know the difference. I don't beat them for those that are wondering. When I say "heavy handed", I mean that I can be strict when it comes to their actions.
     
     Yesterday was obviously Monday so of course I had to go to work. The boys didn't have school so they were home all day being children. I spent most of my morning cleaning (you all know this to be normal for me) and I had them helping me some because I am just one person and I am of the mindset that I can use the older boys to help clean. At their age(8 and 6), I believe that they can do a little bit of chores and help around the house. Stop me if you think I'm wrong. I accept all forms of advice. Just leave it in the comments section below after this is posted. Back to the story from yesterday. 

     I spent the day cleaning and getting things organized. It's what I do. I tasked the older boys with cleaning up the toys. A simple task really. Take them maybe 10 minutes total to do this. Not today, oh no, not today. In fact, I spend most days fighting with them about it because they find cleaning boring. I don't blame them. I don't like cleaning either, but between work and home, I'm constantly cleaning. I got used to it. So I had them pick up toys. Took them a total of about 20 minutes because I had to fight with them the entire way. Once they had finished that task, I let them play and goof around so that I could do some other things around the house. 

     Lunch time rolled around so I took to the task of getting food for everyone. They finished lunch and I got around to some more cleaning and getting ready for work. Things kind of started to go downhill from there. Carter asked if they could play outside. He was told no and that it was a little chilly outside. We had guests in the house, so being a good host, I entertained like I typically do. Carter decided to open the back door. The dogs were no where near the door. When asked why he opened the back door, he response was, "I wanted to see if the dogs wanted out." Remember, the dogs were no where near the back door. As the dad and previous 8 year old that I once was, I tend to know what the kids are thinking and I know what they are trying to do. After explaining to Carter that I know everything that goes on in the house and that I know where everything is in the house, he got mad because I figured him out. 

     I went to work like I normally would believing that the kids could behave and not cause too much grief for their mom, who is still recovering from her most recent surgery. She had help at home, don't worry. I spent the most of the night at work and finally managed to return home around 930ish. I did my normal routine of turning off lights and things before I headed upstairs. As I was ascending to The Tomb (stolen from +Chuck Bisbee), I heard little voices coming from the big boys' room. I poked my head in and stated that I was pretty sure that they were supposed to be sleeping. Carter, of course, threw his hands in the air like I had done something wrong. I told him that I had just gotten home and that his attitude, should it continue, was going to piss me off. Tone it down, lay down and sleep. Upon further investigation, I noticed Eli wasn't in his bed, so I surveyed the room. Once I located him, I told him to return to his bed (they have bunk beds) and go to sleep. The night pretty much ended after that and I headed to bed. 

     What is sad is that it has taken just a little over two days to finish this post. Things have been hectic for the past few days. The thing is though, the issue that we are dealing with now are a lot worse than what we thought. I will leave that for another day. I have to get some things done before I give you guys the inside scoop.

Until next time,

Wickid

*Giggles* He said 69.....

     Welcome once again to The Arena and the Monday that it is associated with. I'm over here giggling because as of right now, once this is posted, we will be on issue 69. I'm still a little childish when it comes to this number. Sue me. It can't be helped.
     This morning was supposed to be a busy one, but with one child getting sick and no school today, my morning has been relatively free. The kids are watching cartoons out on the couch with my wife and I am in the kitchen listening to musics and talking to you guys.  I'm working through the puzzles in the paper even though the crosswords are starting to get to the better of me right now. Since things have been kind of quiet today, the only real worry I have today, is getting myself to work on time. It's been awhile since that has happened. Lunch time will be coming soon for the children and maybe even some nap time. If I'm lucky. Depends on how I feel. I definitely did not want to get up this morning.
     I think it is a psychological thing. Monday is just one of those days where your mind knows that it is going to be a slow day and tells you, "You will not like today." So, of course, no one likes Monday. I don't like Monday. Then again, I have never really liked Monday. I think there needs to be an extra day in the middle of the weekend. I would endorse it. Have an 8 day week? Who wouldn't want that? I guess it depends on who you are. Some people don't want extra days to work or whatever. The idea kind of reminds me of an old episode of the cartoon "Doug" that I used to watch as a kid. On one episode, they made a "Fun Day" to go between Saturday and Sunday. Sounds like a good idea, but will the practice actually be as good as it sounds? I know that I sometimes wish there was more hours in a day so that I could do more, but that might lead to less sleep than I already get.
     Have you realized that we are almost through the first month of the new year? It's insane right?!? This month has just flown by! Why is it that time dictates how we feel sometimes? Like, when you are waiting for something that you either want or need, time seems to move slower and when you aren't paying attention, time flies. Like the old saying goes, "Time flies when you are having fun." You never really notice how quickly things move when you don't pay attention to them. For example, when I start a new issue for you guys and I get to typing, time flies out the window and I get lost in the way the words just start flowing. It's like everything else calms to a dull roar as I lose myself to the words and getting them onto the screen. It is very therapeutic. Something serene about it all.
     Sometimes I think my wife is an undercover Navy Chief. She comes into the kitchen, "Why aren't you cleaning?" or some other form of question that results in wondering about what it is I am cleaning. Like really? I don't remember being on a boat. I'm pretty sure I'm standing in my kitchen. Unless...... Did I take the red pill?!?! Who decided that was okay?? I don't remember any of this!!

     Wow! I can't believe that I never actually finished this post. I shall continue in the new one that is coming soon.

I'm out!!

Wickid

Radio Silence

     It's Sunday Arenians and today has so far started out to be a great one. I have my coffee that I am sipping on and the replay of last night's +B2K Radio show pumping out through the speakers. Due to some unforeseen circumstances last night, the government computer I was logged into locked me out of the live show so I was unable to get the tunes fresh as they were played. I was bitter about it last night. Today, not so much. I prefer to get the music as +Chuck Bisbee is playing it, but a replay works for me. I actually ended up listening to last week's radio show replay while I was on watch. I started it promptly at 7:15 after exhausting all options in trying to get the live show. It definitely made the rest of my watch go a lot faster.
     I ended up not getting home until almost midnight though. I got relieved by my Monster Hunter buddy and we ended up talking nerd for about an hour while watching YouTube videos about the game. He got to the office a little after 10 but I didn't walk out until he looked up and was all, "Yo, go home dude." It was then that I realized that I still needed to go to the store before I went home. In the last three days, I have gone to the store 3 times. The first day was a two-fer visit because I was an idiot and didn't make sure I had a way to pay for what I was buying. Two trips later that day and I was home. Although, I did get a little bit of faith in humanity restored that night while I was out and last night while I was in the checkout line. After my second visit to the store, I was putting my cart away in the cart return place when a gentleman stopped me, shook my hand and thanked me for my service. Same thing happened last night while I was out. It's weird to me because it normally doesn't happen to me. When someone takes 10 seconds out of their day to thank a service member, it really does boost our morale and puts a smile on our faces. It helps us to believe, in some of the darkest times, that what we do really does make a difference and that people appreciate the sacrifices we make. Now, I'm not saying that nobody makes sacrifices, I'm just saying that people notice some of the sacrifices we make.
     Today will be spent cleaning since last week was just so busy that everything got put on the back burner when my lady had emergency surgery for the second time in 2 weeks. She is doing much better now and she is resting. She doesn't like the bed rest that the doctors put her on, but she knows that it is for her benefit. So, I get to spend my one day off this weekend cleaning as much as I can before it all starts back up again tomorrow. I definitely spent more time off last week than normal though. Monday is a given because it was a holiday. Tuesday and Wednesday were because of my lady and her being stuck in the hospital. I finally got to work on Thursday and Friday. Hell, I almost missed Friday because she had to go back to Urgent Care. I did go to work though. Then, of course, I had the watch last night so that to me counts as a day of work. I think I overdid it with the energy drinks though. Three of them in an 8 hour time span. I bought two and was gifted the third one. I started the watch with the gifted one, a little 8 oz can of Monster, and finished the watch with two Limeade Kickstarts. It might explain why 1:30 this morning ended up being my bedtime.
     As the musics play and I type this out, I feel the motivation to get things done flowing through my system. I just have to make sure one kid does his homework while the other three leave him alone. I also have to keep a watch on the little kids to make sure they don't destroy a mostly clean living room. There isn't really that much that needs to get done, it just seems like a mountain of work to fit into one day. I'm probably not going to get it all done today, but I would like to hope that I could. With that being said, it is time for me to go and leave you wondering with anticipation for tomorrow's issue when I reveal whether or not it all got accomplished like I set out to do. This is almost like a book. Do I have you on the edge of your seat? Yeah? No? Well get up and walk around, you have things to do too.

I'm out!!

Wickid

Where did yesterday go??

     Welcome back Arenians!! *substantial amount of time passes* Sorry guys and girls, making coffee and loading up the dishwasher. You know what that means? Yes, it means I am back in the kitchen coming at you live, in your face, with a writing style that really doesn't have a name. I don't even know if it is an actual style, but I would like to believe that it is. 
     Now that we have the niceties out of the way, where the hell did Friday go? I seemed to have lost it somewhere from the time I got up to the time I went to bed last night. I think I misplaced it in my other pants. I should probably find those. *looking around* Yep, can't find those pants. Must be nice that my pants have decided they wanted to leave. Yesterday started the usual way. Get up, take big kids to school, come home, take sister to work. Typical morning. I also had to add in the time it took me to go to duty muster. That kind of threw off my whole day. When I finally got home, I literally walked in the door and got the message from the sister telling me she was done at work. I told her she was fired. I went to check up on my lady to make sure she was doing okay and then I went and got the sister from work. After she took forever to finish up and clock out, I had to rush home and quickly make lunch for the little kids before one of them went to school and one of them had an in home visit from the ABA lady. Needless to say, one kid had to scarf down his food, which is very difficult for him, and then out to the bus. I ended up finishing his lunch. The ABA people showed up and took to playing with Lucas. I had to make lunch for the lady and get everything ready for me to go to work. I had been in my uniform for about 4 hours at this point. I made the mistake of sitting down in the living room to catch my breath. 45 minutes later, I was kind of startled awake because the ABA lady, Court, needed me for something. Then I realized I needed to get dressed and go get the children from school. During that time, we found out that my wife needed to head back to Urgent Care so that they could have another look at her. She has still been experiencing a large amount of pain. The doctors said that she shouldn't be feeling so terrible so they wanted to see her. I had to get the children home and get her into the car and to the Urgent Care Center at the hospital by the house. I eventually went to work because I had to. There was no other way around it. I spent most of the night there. I had to clean the shop and there was a little bit of paperwork to do. Luckily, I had music replays from +B2K Radio to listen to. It definitely made my night easier. 
     Today, I get to spend 8 hours staring at a computer in a little office with a horrible view of the pier while I sit staring at the phone, waiting for it to ring. I will get to listen to the live show tonight though because the Navy hasn't blocked the web site +Chuck Bisbee uses to play his show. I am very excited that I get to participate tonight. I will even jump on and chat with everyone. Just keep it Disney PG at least. We don't want the Navy to ban the site. It would make me sad. 
     Now that I have spent most of my morning with you guys and gals, listening to musics and typing out this most awesome issue, I must bid you adieu and go finish the rest of my tasking before I have to get showered and shaved before work. I hope that you peoples have a good Saturday!

I'm out this bitch!!

Wickid

Lost Time

     Welcome back to the Arena and this gloomy Thursday morning. I'm only saying that it is gloomy because of the grey skies and light rain that we are receiving over here on the left coast. Typical Thursday morning here in the House of Wickid. I have 3 days of work to do and only 6 hours to do it in. I now know the feels of being a "Stay-at-home Dad". I'm not always at home, but when I am I'm always doing chores. Well, at least that is the way I feel. Good thing I have coffee because I don't know how I would get through the day. The sad part of this though, I just opened the last box of coffee. Guess it is time to hit the store and pick up more. I'm not really a grocery store shopper. I'm more of a go in, grab what I need and leave. Unlikely that I can actually go shopping. I would shop everyday because I kind of despise going into a store. I guess I need to suck it up and get the shopping done. I do have to make a list. Add that to the list of things that need to be done. 
     I have been slacking these last couple days. I pretty much have been doing the bare minimum to get me by chores wise. I have been distracted. Like today, I'm standing here in the kitchen listening to music, typing to you peeps, and reading the Sports-ing section of the newspaper. There is an article in there today about the New England Patriots under inflating 11 of 12 of their game balls for the AFC Championship game. The Indianapolis Colts have been apparently complaining about this for months. Well, more like they noticed it in November and didn't say anything until the Championship game. Upon investigating the balls (I'm laughing right now at this), the officials found that 11 of the 12 game balls from the Patriots were under inflated. Referees say that it is cheating. Some of the former referees say the same thing. Like Richard Sherman put it (quoting from the paper), "I'm not sure if anything will come from it, honestly, whether it's true or it's not true. It didn't have much effect on the game. And if it did - if it's against the rules, then it's against the rules. But you'll see that it's not going to have any effect on this game. Nobody is going to get suspended, nothing is going to happen. They're going to play this game. Whatever they did - the risk-reward was greater. They were trying to suspend Marshawn for gold shoes. That really affects the game if you suspend Marshawn for gold shoes. But then you got balls being deflated, and that's an issue." (End quote)
     I think he actually hit this right on the head. Nothing is going to happen and if something does happen, it is more than likely just going to be a fine. I watched the entirety of the AFC Champ game. I felt like there was nothing that the Colts could do to score other than the only touchdown that they actually got. Andrew Luck wasn't as accurate as he normally is, the receivers didn't seem to have the concentration that they usually have. There were many aspects of that game from the Colts perspective that were just lacking. Now, you ask, "Does this mean you condone cheating?" The answer is simple: No, no I don't. I don't believe cheaters should get rewarded, but I am also of two minds about this. At work, we always joke that if you aren't cheating, you aren't trying. This usually doesn't affect others because we are doing something so menial that it really doesn't matter. When there is a big game on the line and an opportunity at being a part of history, whether it is your own or a bigger picture, there is no place for cheating. With that being said, the past is the past and the event has already happened. The thing that gets me the most though is that the specified range of proper inflation is 12.5-13.5 pounds per square inch. They sited that the Colts' balls were up to 13 pounds when inspected at halftime, but they never mention to what pressure the Patriots' balls were inflated to. It begs the question, "What were your findings? Give me numbers!" because if you don't give out the numbers, I could easily assume that the balls were pumped to 12.5 lbs/sq. inch, which by their rules is within standards. Maybe it was between 12.6 and 12.9. Is it so wrong for the balls to be inflated differently that the opposing team? As long as they are within that range, I don't see a problem with it. If you don't provide me numbers, I will just assume the balls were within standards and your case is null and void. Provide the evidence and the numbers before everybody gets all up in a tizzy about someone cheating. Don't give me one side of the story. I like cold hard facts with numbers.
     Enough of the sports-ing talk. I'm just a little heated with the lack of facts. The radio show was great last night and on Saturday, it will be even better. I get to listen to it from the confines of a small office with a crappy view while I sit on watch for 8 hours. It will make the last half of the watch go by a lot faster though. I even got to put the site out there on the chat last night. I might have added a few viewers to the list. +julia metrokas said she would check it out. I looked this morning at the stats before I started typing out the new issue and noticed that yesterday's addition had 8 views! I got super excited. It means that the word is getting out and I have you readers to thank for that. I'm sure she will be surprised that she got mentioned in today's issue. It just so happens that I like letting people know when I appreciate them. So, thanks Julia!! and keep reading. I feel like +Chuck Bisbee because I am usually always on here or on the Facebook. I really should limit my time on that site. I always see so much drama and stuff there, but that is a story for another time. I gots stuff to do!

I'm out!!

Wickid

A Much Better Day

     Welcome back to The Arena and I hope that you have having a great Humpday. Today has gotten off to a much better start than yesterday. My beautiful lady is home and recovering in bed. The kids are off at school and I am home in the kitchen typing this and cleaning. Wow, I feel like I write this everyday! Anyway, back on topic. She had a teratoma removed along with her ovary and fallopian tube on her left side. She is in pain, but it is manageable. Bed rest for her for the next week and she can return to work in roughly two to three weeks depending on how she feels. I personally think that she should take the three weeks, but that is just me.
     Since she is bed bound, you know what that means for me. That's right! Daddy controls the house and everything done in it until she is back on her feet. I have to handle all of the household chores and caring for the children. Something that I can easily accomplish. At least that is my belief. I do get frustrated easily so hopefully the kids cooperate and make things easy on me. I already have to talk to my older two about stealing the brownies the decided to eat this morning when they got up. I don't know who did it so both of them will be in trouble. I do not enjoy this so don't think for a moment that I do. Rules have to be followed. Some can be bent, others broken. My rule about stealing food however, can't be bent or broken. It's just how I am.
     I did happen to get both of my B2k Radio shirts last night in the mail, but with all of the excitement, I was only able to let my uncle know that we got them. I am washing them at some point this week since I have a huge laundry list of chores. See what I did there? Once everything calms down and I get situated, I will get the pictures up here on the site so that everyone can see the support. For now though, I have to haul ass and get stuff done. Just wanted to give you guys and gals the quick update.

I'm out!!

Wickid

Bad Start

     Today has started off so bad that all I want to do is head back to bed and hope that this is all a dream. It actually all started late last night and it has just continued into today. New Years Eve started with an emergency surgery and here we are, almost three weeks later, dealing with another one. From the sounds of it, the wife has a problematic left ovary that may have some calcification on it. From what the doctors and nurses told me, they are taking it out. Removing it. It will be gone forever. They believe that this is what will help stop the constant pain and suffering that she endures on a daily basis. I'm not really sure what that means to her or to me for that matter. As you guys might have read in previous issues, her and I are in negotiations for planning for one last pregnancy. One last shot at having a girl. I seem to have been blessed with producing only boys, but one last shot won't hurt. Will this change things for us? More than likely. This might put a damper on our plans. We still haven't even come to a decision as to what we want to do. With this new surgery, it looks like we have had our decision made for us.
     A lot of you may think, "You have 4 already. Why try for one more?" Because we can. It's our decision not yours. We know what to expect and we are prepared to deal with it. Nothing against you guys at all. I'm sort of lashing out because I'm angry, I'm hurt, a little lost with a sense of fear. I don't mean to lash out. If you feel that way, I'm sorry. I truly am. I don't mean it. This is probably the safest place I get to be where I can rant and most won't judge.
     I have music going and yes, I am standing in the kitchen again. Lunch time for the little two. I have a plethora of dishes to do, yet I can't focus enough to do them. I'm lucky to even be focusing enough to do this. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday right after I dropped her off at Urgent Care. I've had a cup of coffee and I'm working on a glass of water. Eating doesn't sound good. Nothing sounds good. I think I am just super worried about her since I am at home with the children and she's there without me. She's a big girl and she will be fine. Her mom is there instead of me.
     I have been able to focus long enough to finish the Sudoku puzzle, and halfway do two crossword puzzles from the paper today. I am here typing this out to you. I don't have to work today, which I feel bad about, but at least they understand and shore duty is all about family. Like legitimately. I wouldn't be able to do this if I was on a submarine. The mission is important to them, family comes second. I understand that and so does she. Luckily I married such an awesome woman. I still don't know what I would do without her. She is my rock. Hopefully, I will be able to focus better once I know she is out of surgery and awake. I may even post an issue later today to let you guys know. My friend is coming over after supper tonight to come hang out and play video games with me. He is bringing Diablo 3 so that I can cut down the demons of the game. I could play Destiny, but right now I need some adult human interaction.
     I must leave you guys here since I have a child to get ready for school and other tasks that need my attention. Thank you guys for being here and being an output for the things that weigh heavy on my mind. I still haven't gotten my B2k radio shirts, but once I do, you guys will see them. Have a great Tuesday. Hopefully yours is better than mine.

I'm out!

Wickid

Weekend Finale

     Welcome back into The Arena my fellow Arenians! It is Monday and it is time to start another week of fun and excitement here in the House of Wickid. We are here today, typing live to you from the kitchen. Pandora is pumping through the speakers and the dishes are in progress. The events of yesterday are about to be retold. For all of the football fans out there, how crazy was yesterday?? Who would have thought that the Seattle Seahawks would have overcome so much adversity to propel themselves into their second consecutive Super Bowl apperance? In a game that has been dubbed an "instant classic", it was also probably one of the biggest comebacks in NFL history. I was floored by the way that game turned out. By the time the third quarter started, I felt defeated and was about to turn the game off. I'm actually glad that I didn't. I felt nothing but utter shame for the home team because of the way they came out and played. It wasn't until the fake field goal that turned into a touchdown that I started to believe again. There was so much heart and so much belief in themselves that made their victory happen. I will admit however, that Green Bay should have won that game. I don't know what they were thinking or if they just assumed that they had the game in the bag, but I was really disappointed that they didn't close that game. Seattle just played some rough and tumble football. I even told my sister-in-law Meagan that if the Packers won, I would find a way to obtain a cheesehead and wear it next season and root for the Packers all year. I was even going to post pictures. No trash talking or anything. I would have made good on my bet too because that's just who I am. I wouldn't have liked it, but I would have done it.
     Before any of you get it twisted and call me a "bandwagon fan", I would like to remind all of you that I am a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan through and through. I bleed red and pewter. I am loyal to my team. With that being said, my wife and I have two teams that we root for every season. The same teams every season. I root for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots. I have been a Patriots fan since the mid 90's so don't think that I bandwagon them as well. She roots for the Houston Texans and the Dallas Cowboys. We have a little competition each year here at the house. Just a friendly one to see who can reign supreme. I won for two years straight. She won last year and this year. The final total was her, 22-12, and I ended 16-18. I forgot to add my two playoff wins for the Patriots in. No matter what happens in two weeks, I will still lose this year. I'm okay with that.
     Later on in the day, the Indianapolis Colts went into Gillette Stadium to face the New England Patriots for the AFC Championship Game. I went into this game believing that New England could win it with no issues. I was right because the final score was Indy 7 and New England 45. The Patriots finally took Brady out of the game to let his back up play. They have to keep him healthy because in two weeks, he will be going up against Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks. I can only imagine how that game will play out. Before you ask, I will be rooting for the Patriots. It's just who I am.
     We had a good dinner last night that my wife happily made. Something else new that we tried. Chicken Piccata and tortellini. I will admit that I am not a fan of the sauce that is on the chicken piccata, but I did try it and I ate most of it. We also got Carter back from his dad last night. I got the joy of bringing all of his clothes down from his room so that he could try them all on. Let's just say that I will skip this topic because of how angry it makes me.
     The wife and I have decided to move into a healthier direction in terms of our eating. We are going to be getting fresh foods and I get to learn how to cook all of the new stuff. I'm really excited to do this. I know that it won't be easy for all of us because we tend to snack out a lot and eat a lot of processed foods. We got the older boys these crunchy salted green beans from Trader Joe's the other day. I gave them to Carter and Eli last night with their supper. I'm not sure what is going on with Carter, but it seems like he is refusing to eat things that we put in front of him. There is nothing wrong with the food. He just says that all of the healthy stuff is "gross". I can't force him to eat the food but he will definitely take the 8 bites he is required to take whenever he tries anything new. It's a rule we have here at our house. If you don't like it after you try your bites, then you don't have to eat it again for a while. We always wait a month or two before we have the kids try the food again. It is very frustrating when they try to tell me that they don't understand the reason why we make them try the food.
     I am very happy to know that we are getting ready to do a family trip sometime next month. We are going to be taking the kids to The Great Wolf Lodge for a couple days. It should be lots of fun for everyone. That is a story for another time though.

Go forth and do great things today!! I'm out!!

Wickid

Why So Serious?

     Sunday is here and we are on the couch this time enjoying some pregame analysis and waiting for the football game to start. A friend of mine is actually at the game and going to be enjoying the crazy weather and the roar of the 12th man. I hope that he has fun. I kind of wish that I was there instead of at home with the boys, but someone has to do it right? Besides, I sometimes like being in the warm comfort of my own home on my comfy couch with screaming boys running around. I do enjoy having them around. They make my days brighter. Things are about to get serious up in here though because of the teams that are playing today. You have Green Bay taking on Seattle in roughly five minutes. Indianapolis is taking on New England this afternoon. Out of the four possible outcomes, I really hope that it is New England and Seattle heading to Glendale in two weeks. The predicted score of the early game is 20-17 with Seattle being victorious. In roughly three hours, we will see. 

     Last night, the wife made a new recipe that she found on the interwebs. Its a three cook time crock pot recipe that involves a little rice and tons of flavor. Honey Sriracha Chicken is very delicious. It takes roughly 15 minutes to prepare and it takes 3 hours to cook.

Here is your recipe so that you can try it:

Ingredients:

     1) Six (6) Chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite size pieces

For the Sauce:

     1) 1/2 cup water

     2) 2-3 Tbsp Sriracha (adjust to taste)

     3) 5 Tbsp Soy Sauce

     4) 1 Tbsp minced garlic

     5) 1/4 cup brown sugar

     6) 1 tsp salt

     7) 2-3 Tbsp honey (adjust to taste)

     8) 2 Tbsp corn starch

     9) 2-3 Tbsp water

   10) Rice, cooked

For the Garnish:

     1) Lime wedges

     2) Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

     3) Toasted Sesame Seeds (optional)

Instructions

For the Sauce:

     1. Combine the water, sriracha, soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, salt, and honey and stir. Mix cornstarch and water to make a slurry and add it to the other ingredients; whisking whisking until the sauce is well blended.

     2. Add chicken pieces to a slow cooker. Cover with the sauce and stir to coat. Cook on low for approximately 3 hours.

     3. Serve over warm rice.

     4. Garnish with lime wedges, crushed red pepper flakes and toasted sesame seeds. 

And that is it! Just a semi-quick and simple dish that tastes so delicious that I ended up having two bowls of it last night. I recommend that if you like it spicy, add some more sriracha to the mix and enjoy the kick of flavor. We would have had fresh greens beans to go with it last night, but I messed up and I out the fresh green beans the wife bought into a cabinet instead of the refrigerator. She wasn't too happy about that. It really didn't matter because the entree was so delicious. 

     It really is hard to focus while trying to watch this football game. Lucky for me, there are commercials in which I can look down and type out a bunch of stuff before the game comes back on. I don't know what I am going to do on Sundays when there is no more football. I don't watch the NASCAR races anymore because they tend to get boring rather quickly. Unless it is at Talledega. I can watch that race. There is always a HUGE crash during that race. I like watching those. I don't know why though. I don't like seeing people crash because I worry about the safety of the people, but the crashes and the carnage makes me giddy. I'm weird I guess. 

     I am so ready for the day to be over though. I have had two cups of coffee and I am still feeling sluggish. I have at least gotten the laundry put away and most of the dishes done. The kids have been fed. I am waiting on pizza to show up and sitting here typing to you guys. Today just seems like one of those days where I just need about another 2 hours of sleep to make me feel better. I won't get it until later tonight when I go and lay down for the evening. We even get Carter back tonight after the wife gets off work. Where is he at you ask? Oh, well he is at his dad's house for two weeks out of the month. The whole split custody thing that they have going on. I'm okay with it except for when it comes to certain things. He is such a drama queen that it drives me completely insane. Like honestly, it makes me so angry. I can raise my voice just a little bit for something and he starts crying. Even if it is something as simple as telling him no, he starts crying. I don't play that shit in this house. I'm not a dictator or anything depending on who you ask, but I do ask that you follow the rules. They are even posted on the back door in big poster form letters. How hard is it for you to follow those rules? I know that he is 8 and he will do things to test me, but at 8 years old, he should not be crying over every little thing that I say. My wife says I need to stop being mean, but sometimes she just doesn't get that I am not being mean. I am just trying to stay consistent in enforcing that rules that I have been enforcing since day one. Maybe its just something that I don't understand. It also helps when his dad isn't trying to just be a friend. I'm am of the mind that I am the parent first and then the friend later. I have 18 years to mold him into a functional adult to prepare him for the rest of his life. Not to mention that at 8 years old, he weighs over 100 pounds. "He's not obese" his dad says. Wrong Bucko! When the doctor, who has a medical license, tells you that he is overweight, you should probably listen to him/her. Carter will never be stick skinny, but he shouldn't weigh that much at his age. He shouldn't weigh that until his teen years. 

     I should probably get off this rant before it makes me super angry and I stay grumpy for the rest of the day. I definitely don't need that because I can pretty much guarantee that my lady is having a shitty day at work and she doesn't need me to make it worse by being a grouch. Off I go to do things around the house while the game is on. The joys of being a functioning adult.

Catch you on the flip side.....

Wickid

Holy Rusted Metal Batman!!!

     Can you believe that it is now Saturday?!?! I know! Where did the week go? Mine got lost somewhere between Tuesday and Thursday. Maybe it was because I spent all of Wednesday and Thursday at home. Wednesday was understandable because I had duty that day, but Thursday was kind of unavoidable. I intended to go to work, but other things got in the way of me doing that. One of the many things that I am going to miss about not being on a boat. Saturday, Saturday, Saturday. What am I doing today? Oh yeah, I'm cleaning except this time, I am coming to you live from my bedroom! I know! The change of scenery is shocking even to me. The majority of the time is spent typing these out from the kitchen. I figured since I was going to be upstairs cleaning most of the day, I brought the computer up to have the tunes and decided to take sporadic breaks between doing things to type out a new issue for you guys and girls. Ah, Avenged Sevenfold. How you drive me to do some of the greatest things. I thank a good friend of mine for introducing me to that band. So much awesome and rock. There is just something about the heavy guitar and angry lyrics that make you want to smash things. I mean, uh, clean and other... stuff.... Ahem. Moving on. It's Saturday again folks, like I have stated numerous times already, and you know what that means. Tonight, in your very own home, apartment, trailer, or whatever it is you live in that has an interwebs connection, you can tune in FOR FREE to the glorious sounds that will soothe your speakers and your soul. Go check out that B2kradio.com for some of the freshest remixes that you have every heard. I have heard rumors that that +Chuck Bisbee guy is an awesome guy and he plays some good tunes. In fact, I have it on good authority. I have an inside source. I'm just good like that. Not to mention that I am related to the guy.
     I still haven't received my shirts from the mail, but I should be getting them soon. Don't fret Arenians! The pictures will come I promise. All I have to do is get the shirts. My Saturday is moving kind of slow which is unusual in all respects. How many times have you realized that it was Sunday evening and went, "Where did the weekend go?" Usually, the weekend moves rather quickly and you are at Monday before you know it. I know that my weekend will spend up soon so I am trying to enjoy what I can while I can. At least Monday is a day off. I know that a lot of you aren't getting Monday off or you have to work over the weekend. I know that my wife has been at work since this morning and she doesn't get the weekend off nor does she get a three day weekend. The perks of being an assistant manager at her store. It does pain me to know that I spend more time at home than she does, but all of that will change next year when we swap spots. I believe that she intends to keep working even after I go back to a boat, which is nice, but I do hope that she gets a better and different job that allows her to spend more time at home with the boys.
      The end of the football season is upon us as well. Tomorrow marks the AFC and NFC championship games in which only two teams will move forward to the Super Bowl that is being held in Glendale, Arizona. Luckily, the Pro Bowl is going to be there as well next week before the Super Bowl. I'm excited to see who moves forward even if they are teams that I might not like. I mean, I hope New England goes so that I can at least root for one of my teams. Tampa Bay hasn't seen the playoffs since they won the Super Bowl back in 2002. I'm still a fan though and I wear my Vincent Jackson jersey when it is clean. I show my support like any other true fan. I don't bandwagon. It's not cool, but I do know when to cheer for a football team when they are doing good. I like when other people succeed. It gives me that little bit of inspiration that keeps me going to achieve what it is that I set out to do.
     It is after lunch now and I have no children here or awake. It's nice to have the little prince take a nap and the bigger two are with their Nani on their way to Target. For some strange reason, Damen loves going to Target. It is probably his favorite store in all of the world. We don't mind it because it isn't Wal-Mart or some other store. I now have to go figure out my lunch and finish a little bit of cleaning downstairs. The wife is making supper tonight and it is something new that we haven't tried yet so it should be interesting. If we do enjoy it, I shall share the joy and the recipe with you guys so that you can try it.

This is the end of today's issue. Please tune in tomorrow for more exciting adventures brought to you by the one and only Wickid.

Wait! That's me. I'm that guy. Wickid is out!
   

Friendly Friday is here!

     It is that time of the week again Arenians! Friday is upon us and the weekend is expected to come rather quickly. I know for a fact that I am very excited to have a nice long weekend this weekend. The time off will be much appreciated and give me ample time to do some extra stuff around the house.
     I titled this the way I did because I believe that being friendly needs to be paid forward. So I shall be friendly today just like I am pretty much every other day of the year. For those that don't follow along with most video game releases, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate had their demo codes released yesterday to the United States. I was sad because not only have I not pre-ordered the game, but I didn't get the happy email like most of the people that I know who play this game. A friend of mine, a fellow hunter, gifted me a demo code yesterday for the free demo download. He has been my Monster Hunting Mentor since he convinced me to start playing the game again. The greatest thing about the newest Monster Hunter is the fact that I can play online via my 3DS with the multitude of players around the world. With the current game, 3U, that is only possible when you are playing via the Wii U. I don't have that console so I have been local playing whenever I get the opportunity to visit my friend to hunt at night.
     I feel pretty good today. It must have been the sleep on my new bed that I got last night. Our new bedroom stuff got delivered last night to the house. They were even nice enough to set it all up and put it all together. After they left, everyone pretty much spent the rest of the night upstairs cleaning and playing. The bedroom is almost done and I have to finish the big boys room so that I can get the rest of the stuff out of the upstairs hallway. Steve Miller Band rocks by the way. The Joker just came on and I instantly started singing and swinging to the music. Of course I'm in the kitchen doing this. It's lunch time for the boys and I stay in here so I can keep an eye on them. It's the little two boys that are home with me for now. Both of them have autism so I try to keep a careful watch on them during meal times. They like to get up and play instead of eating. Trying to convince two small children to eat is very demanding and frustrating because they have so much energy and their attention span is rather short. Luckily, today is a good day and they both finished their lunch with no hassle. I am very grateful for that. I know that I can't really force them to sit down and eat, but encouraging them is okay.
     I totally had to skip out on work yesterday. So many appointments yesterday that I had to call in and tell them that I couldn't make it. Right before I made that call though, I received one from my LPO telling me that I needed to start working on my evaluation since my next exam is coming up in two months. I also got told that it looks like I will be high up there in the rankings. I guess that means I am getting an EP (early promote) to help add points to my final multiple for when the results come out. I just have to get to work and get it started. Hopefully, by the end of the night, I will just have to worry about the editing that will take place once I submit it to my LPO. He wants me to write it so that he can edit and see if he can make it look better than what I intend to do. I'm not very good at evaluating myself because I tend to be hyper critical when it comes to something like this. Yeah, I can joke that I am awesome and that I am the best, but when it actually comes down to putting it onto paper, I tend to freeze up and grade myself harsher than most people. Luckily I have a good supporting cast fighting for me so that I can make this easier on myself. I even got told to make myself look good. That is very hard to do since I am already a handsome devil but we won't mention that to anybody.
     Friday is here and you should go enjoy it. Finish reading this and then hit the little X in the top right hand corner. That will close out the screen for you to go out and enjoy yourself. Get you some "me" time tonight. Do it. Like right now.

This is SPARTA!!

Wickid

Thursday Fun

     Another day of the week is upon us and you are fortunate enough to spend it breathing just like me. I hope that everyone has slept well and that their day is going in the direction they want it to. Mine has progressively moved forward since I have been up this morning. At some point today I might make it into work, but I highly doubt it. I have spent my morning cleaning out most of the furniture from my bedroom. Yesterday afternoon while I was at home doing things around the house, my lovely wife went out and got us a bedroom set. It will be the first time in a few years since we have had an actual bed frame for ourselves. Our mattress has been on the floor for too long. Normally, it isn't an issue, but both her and I have been having trouble getting out of bed in the mornings. Mostly because we are tired, but we aren't as young as we used to be and the pains are starting to come. An eight inch memory foam mattress is nice, but I think we are going for a change of pace with a pillow top mattress. Later this afternoon is when all of the items should be delivered. I am excited because I don't have to put it together. I even get to sleep on it tonight so there is something else to look forward to.
     I spent some time last night after the B2k radio show playing on the PS3 before bed. Destiny hasn't left the console so I played some more of that. In the roughly two and a half hours that I spent playing, I leveled up twice and got some pretty cool weapons. I look forward to playing more of it tonight. Also got word last night that the newest Monster Hunter (MH4 Ultimate) is coming out next month. On the 13th to be exact. I'm not sure why they would release such an anticipated game right before Valentine's Day, but then again I don't run a video game company. There will definitely be some newly single people that day because of how much they will be playing the new game. I have Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and it gets me in lots of trouble. For those that don't know, it is probably one of the hardest games to play and to get into. The perpetual grind that you have to do in that game is quite enormous. I have spent roughly over 250 hours playing this game and I have come no where close to being done. I have destroyed the same monster over and over again for one item that has like a 2% drop rate. I know the feels of the desire sensor saying "FUCK YOU" and laughing at me as I continuously struggle for that one last piece I need. I have learned so much about things that I didn't think were possible. I have praised others for doing good for themselves and I have been on the jealous side of not being able to do or get something that someone else can. I have spent many battles cursing at the screen or barrel rolling my 3DS because I got comboed by a monster and died. One of the hardest things about this game is that you don't get a health bar for the monster you are hunting. You have to just wail on it until it starts limping and shows you that it is near death. The joy that comes with that is just amazing. I have yelled "Give me that tail!" as I have watched the tail of a monster flip off its body knowing that it was all me that did that. There is just so much about this game that is rewarding and makes you feel like you are actually accomplishing something. In most normal RPGs, you complete a mission or you get an achievement for doing something. In this game, your reward is knowing that you finally conquered the monster that was giving you issues or you finally got the monster part that you have been grinding the hours away for. Nothing more satisfying then that.
     I come to you from the kitchen, yet again, to bring you this lovely issue of The Arena. There is just something about the kitchen that inspires me to drop the issues to you and to keep you reading. It's like a magical forest with fairies. You never believe it until you see it and pretty much every issue this year has come to you while I have been standing in the kitchen doing something or other. I can't be like any normal person and sit at a desk to do it, or sit on the couch and type it out. Nope, I have to be the weird guy and type to you while I stand in the kitchen, listening to music, and doing other things. It seems quite relaxing though so I might have to continue doing it. Most of the things I do around the house involve music being played at a high level and me actually knowing the songs so that I can sing along. I'm not a great singer mind you, because I can barely carry a tune, but I damn sure try. My phone is also usually on some type of mobile game that can play itself semi automatically so that I can do other things while satisfying the need to play a video game without feeling guilty about not getting anything done. It seems weird to you probably that I am always talking about being able to justify my video game time. Let me enlighten you: I'm a 28 year old married man with four little boys under the age of 9. My wife works WAY more than I do and I spent most of my time at home instead of at work. One of the perks that I will miss once I go back to a submarine. So, in order for me to enjoy some time for myself where I block out everything and get sucked into a fantasy world, I find it is easier to do some things around the house to make the wife happy and be able to say that I accomplished something besides moving up in the game that I am playing. There are days and times where I just don't feel like doing anything during the day and that tends to bite me in the ass more often then not. Like right now, my wife is at work and I am here with you guys and girls. I'm sure that I could be doing a little bit of the dishes and making myself lunch since I haven't eaten anything since yesterday. I could be doing that, but instead I am here, getting myself into a little bit of trouble. Totally worth it though because I kill two birds with one stone. I get some me time and I get to put out a fresh issue for you to peruse and enjoy.
     I'm not sure how many of you actually read the issues or who it is that actually reads them. The only thing that I do know it that sometimes you guys throw up a +1 every once in a while and that the number of views tend to increase. I do appreciate the fact that you guys have a look and hopefully enjoy what you read. I want you to know that I am open to suggestions about topics of discussion and things that you guys want to see from me. I know I'm not as cool as most websites that you might visit, but hey, the blogging world is a difficult one. It takes time for your work to catch people's eyes and stuff like that. Keep doing what you guys are doing and I will keep doing what I'm doing. It's a mutual thing.

That is all from the kitchen of Wickid.

This is SPARTA!!

Wickid

Hump Day

     This issue comes at you from the kitchen in the House of Wickid. I have an energy drink running through my system, there is music streaming through the speakers, and the phone is AFK-ing through a mobile game as I move back and forth between the computer and the living room while I clean my heart out today. Luckily, today happens to be a day where I don't have to go to work. Probably one of the biggest perks about shore duty and working swings. One thing that I didn't expect to happen was missing the time to call in for my muster this morning. Since I normally call in to tell them that I am still alive I try to be awake between 0515 and 0520 so that I can make that 2 minute phone call. Unfortunately, I missed the call this morning so next duty day promises to have a watch scheduled for me. Theoretically, I should be able to get the watch I want if it happens to disagree with my schedule. This is the first time that I have missed calling in so it isn't too bad for me. I got upset, but what can you do? It happened and there is nothing I can do about it. No sense in being upset for too long.
     Now that I have thoroughly enjoyed my morning that was spent watching Lucas play with the other little ones in his play group, I stand here in the kitchen (always the kitchen) to tell you about the morning and the rest of the day. I know that the rest of the day hasn't actually happened yet, but it is fun to know that I have plans for the rest of the day, even if some of them fall through sometimes. Dinner will happily be eaten somewhere other than the house. I will get the living room all nice and clean, children will be gotten from school and maybe if I'm really lucky, I will be able to get some time in on Destiny. Yes, I do like trying to plan out my video game time because that is usually the only time I get it. I try to utilize it as often as possible since the only time I do get to play is after the children go to bed. Usually only leaves me with about two to three hours, which for me is a lot of time to get a lot of things done. I try to be efficient when I play. This is also one reason why I am constantly cleaning. It justifies my reasoning for sitting on me arse for a few hours doing nothing except getting lost in the wonderful world of whatever it is that I am playing. Pause for a moment since the coffee is finished brewing. Must want to make my heart hurt today because the caffeine overload will be tremendous. It is delicious though so it is hard to pass up.
     Hard to believe that we are almost halfway through the first month of the new year. Things have been moving rather quickly for the most part. The wife and I have been looking at houses to either purchase or rent, we are still deciding on what we want to do, and we have been discussing the future of my career. I won't go into that since we kind of did that yesterday or the day before. I will spare you the pain of me repeating myself. For most of you, this weekend will be a three day weekend. I know it is for me and I can't wait to start it. I might even leave early Friday from work to get a head start on the weekend. Enjoy your weekend if you do get it and if you don't, we'll enjoy it for you.
     Wednesday is typically a very hard day to get through. Most people think that it is Friday because all you want to do is get to Saturday so that you don't have the responsibilities of going to work. Unless you work retail, then Saturday sucks for you. I know that once I make it through Wednesday, my week tends to speed up and things move at a much smoother pace. It means that I am one step closer to enjoying time at home with the familial unit doing things that I like to do. I don't have to get up early to take them to school. We can "sleep in" and stay up late. They love having their late nights on the weekend because I can put them in their room and the only requirement they have is to be quiet and play or go to bed if they are loud. It is actually a good system for them because it usually wears them out enough that they tend to sleep later than 0630 on a Saturday. The only real downside to it all is that the older boys do tend to be little terrorists when they are awake the next day. I sometimes spend most of the day yelling at them over the way they behave.
     I had a legitimate "Oh Shit!" moment about 45 minutes ago. I got so busy cleaning and talking to you guys on here that I almost missed going to get the kids from school. Lucky for me, I can move rather quickly when needed. I even still managed to get a decent parking spot at the school. There is something about the way they made that parking lot that just angers me. It was not very well designed when they rebuilt the school. The looks nicer now, but the parking lot sucks even more than it did before. Now that the kids are home, I am limited in what I can do in regards to cleaning. At least I can enjoy the little bit of time off before the wife gets home with her sister from the doctor. We still have to decide on supper and when we plan on going grocery shopping. I think tomorrow will be a good day since there are no appointments and the little kids don't have to worry about school or anything. I won't be going since I still have to worry about the sister and getting her home from work. For now though, it is time for me to head out and go do what I need to do. Don't forget that tonight is Wednesday night so there is a possibility for the live B2kradio show starting at 10 p.m. EST. Again, do your own math for when the show starts in your area. The only reason the show won't be on tonight is if American Horror Story is on and +Chuck Bisbee is watching it. I have to look to see if it is on tonight or you can do that yourself and figure it all out. I will be busy doing my thing in hopes that the show is on tonight. I plan on chairdancing my way to happiness tonight, even if I have to listen to a previous show. He puts up the live shows into neat little replay packages. Check that shit out and turn that bitch up a notch! Go to www.B2kradio.com to get your fix. Chuck is in your ear!

I'm out!

Wickid

Why oh why

     Tuesday you have failed me miserably. How could you allow me to stay awake for the first two and a half hours of your beginning? Why would you do that to me? I didn't do anything to you. Why you punish me?

     In case you can't tell, I didn't get much sleep last night. I don't know what it was about me being in bed and trying to sleep that kept me from sleep. I wasn't doing anything that would have kept me from sleeping. I stopped playing Destiny sometime around eleven o'clock last night to go upstairs and go to bed. I laid down and shared my space with Lucas and the fat dog Chloe. Beverly was watching Friends on the TV and Luke was sleeping. She went to bed shortly after I got upstairs and then I just couldn't fall asleep. Do you ever get those nights where you sit on the couch yawning every five minutes or so and then you go to your bedroom to lay down and sleep and the second your head touches the pillow, your body wakes up and says, "No sleep for you tonight sweetheart. Not going to happen." Does that happen to you guys? Happened to me last night. I was tired and ready to go to bed and when I did, I was told it wasn't going to happen. Oh well I guess. These things happen. Now to the meat and potatoes of the day.
     It started pretty much like every other day. Get up, kid off to school, sister off to work, home to care for children. Got yelled at today because the lady was supposed to go to training this morning and even though I attempted to wake her up, I still was at fault. If I wake you up or attempt to wake you up, then get out of bed. I gotta do it so I think every one should be able to do it. Even when I don't want to get out of bed, I still do. Nothing is going to get done if I stay in bed. Not sure how late she was, but I hope that she wasn't too late. Driving all the way out to Port Orchard with morning traffic probably sucked. I at least got some morning game time in since the boys were playing quietly together. It's nice to see them do that. I took the liberty to enjoy myself a little this morning. I did however, empty and refill the dishwasher, got it running, and did some dishes as well so if asked, I can justify playing for an hour or so this morning. I have been playing Destiny and I must say Bungie might have outdone themselves. In a very futuristic, apocalyptic wasteland much like Borderlands, with an environment that may be a little sluggish at first, is the realm in with you, the guardian, are found and handed a weapon to fight the darkness.
     Fight the darkness you say? Don't we do that with every video game? We might, but have you ever stopped to think about it or were you too engrossed with the fact that you have a new game that you wanted and are super excited to play it? This was actually this game's second chance play by me. If I die a very gruesome death within the supposed tutorial level, I tend not to pick it back up again. I will get rid of you and go find something else. I have a few friends that have played this game and they all have said it was good. So, after talking to my buddy Mike from work, I decided that last night I would try again for the sake of the game. Booted it up and really haven't looked back. I got through the first area without dying, found my first ship, and moved up to the tower. I even got a weapon from the postmaster in the game from an "unknown benefactor". Not sure where it came from, but it is at level 20 and I just got to level 6. It might be awhile before I can use it. So far, I think I can find a way to enjoy this game. Guess I should look at getting the expansion that has come out for it so that I can do even more cool stuff once I get to it. I started out as a Warlock, but I can start the other 2 classes when the need arises to start fresh and new. I do like my special ability to throw out this void blast that completely disintegrates the enemies that it hits. So much awesome.
     I was so fast that you guys have no clue that I got the second child off to school and that therapy starts in a few minutes for the youngest king. Not really fast because I just stopped typing and nobody but me really knows how long it takes me to type these out. It doesn't seem like it takes that long to type out all of these random thoughts as they come to my head, but when I look at the clock on the stove and twenty to thirty minutes have passed, I start to wonder if I go into some cosmic vortex or something because I lose all track of time. I still have the living room to pick up which shouldn't take too long since it is mostly toys and they are all pretty much contained to one area. I seriously don't want to go to work today though. I have that lag from the leave period that has stuck with me a lot longer than it should have. Usually after about 3 days of being back at work, I get back into the swing of things and work doesn't seem like such a chore. I had to be a delivery boy last night for about twenty minutes. One multimeter for some beef jerky. Still not sure who got the short end of the stick in that deal, but I really don't care. My task was complete and then I got to come home and watch TV with my lady.
     I guess I really should start enjoying what is left of my shore duty though. This June will be the final year of this duty station before I move on to the next submarine that will consume my life and soul. It's not that I want to spend the countless hours that will be spent there, but it is something that has to be done. One more summer at home with the kids, One more Thanksgiving and Christmas without fear of being on the boat for them, One more New Year spent at home with my lady. One more anniversary that as long as my rotation works out correctly, I will get to be home for. This time has actually flown by and a lot of things have been missed. I shall cherish these last 17 or so months where I get to be home on a nightly basis.

Now I really should get to picking up the living room and eating my lunch before I have to leave to get the children from school and such. Off I go.

This is SPARTA!!

Wickid

Monday Morning Post

     Welcome back to The Arena and it is now officially Monday! I am currently sipping on some really deliciously hot coffee and listening to the Pandora. Pandora surely doesn't compete with B2kRadio, but it is good in a pinch. I have a pile of dishes behind me and a tornado has gone through the living room. I know that most of you are thinking, "Wickid, you are forever cleaning my man. How can you possibly always have something to clean everyday?" I have one simple answer for you. Children. Children, as fun as they are and the love they bring into a home, are messy as all get out. I wouldn't change my life for anything. There are aspects of my life that I would change, but I wold never change my life or the course it has taken. You may have noticed that the last couple posts have come from the confines of my kitchen. No, I'm not pregnant and I definitely have shoes on. Plus, I'm a dude and last I knew, dudes couldn't get pregnant. Although, I have seen it happen. It's just that I spend more time at home right now than my wife does, so I get the joys of doing her chores along with my chores. She spent time as a stay-at-home mom for a few years and she always had a clean house for me to come home to and dinner on the table and whatnot. I have yet to master everything like she has, but I feel like I am close enough that a few misses here and there are okay.
     First and foremost, I need the coffee to start working or I need a yellow Monster: Rehab. Either one will get me into a cleaning rage and I just start going nuts and get all focused and cleaning actually gets done. Most people drink coffee or energy drinks to stay awake. This guy right here, drinks them to get the cleaning juices flowing. It is pretty bad because I am always cleaning it seems like, but I do make time for myself on occasion. Like right now, I'm taking time out between tasks to type this out to you, the people. I don't know who actually reads this, I just know that people view the page and see the post and some of you +1 it or you just skim over it. Either way, I know that the issues are getting out there. You may tell your friends or you may not. Doesn't bother me either way. I do however, owe those of you that do read the issues a huge thank you for coming out to read what I have to say.
     In roughly 8 months time, this guy right here will be looking at submarines to return to. There are so many things that I have to consider when I start having to decide what to do with my career. Yeah, it is my career, but I also have my family to think about. It isn't just me moving to a new place. I also have to tow everyone to the new duty station. I have been contemplating going to a new class of submarine, the SSGN. Just like an SSBN, except that I get to do cooler fun stuff than what I think I do when I'm on a strategic deterrent patrol.There are so many debates within the submarine community as to who is the most important group of people on board. In all reality, EVERYONE is important. I'm a little biased since my job involves the safety of the entire crew once we are submerged, but I wouldn't be able to get there without the help of the rest of the crew. As my fellow brothers and sisters can attest to (women are on submarines now if you don't know), everyone is important and we all have very important jobs. It is probably one of the best career choices I could have ever made in my life. Not many people can say that they have pooped far beneath the surface of the ocean or watched movies from the calm environment of the depths. You don't need gills to breathe, but you do need some nerves of steel to hang out with the big kids. There is so much pressure to maintain the level of professionalism that is required to keep yourself and everyone around you safe.
     A lot of you will say, "Wickid, how hard could your job be? It's just like every other job on the planet." This is where I have to unfortunately tell you that you are wrong. Can you drive your car without your eyes? Can you tell when you need to turn to avoid hitting something? I know for a fact I can't, but I know that I can avoid things underwater without being able to see it by using only the sound it produces. There are so many aspects about my job that make it more difficult than a normal job. So much math and science that I still can't believe that I have to use it all of the time. Yeah, I'm on shore duty and I don't have to do it right now, but in a very short year and a half, I will have to retrain my mind and body to do it all over again. I talk about watching movies and the discharge of fecal matter from my awesome legend of a body, but that isn't the important part. The important part of my job is my ability to keep the rest of my crew mates safe from harm. How many other 28 year olds do you know that can do this without question and do it effectively? If you have friends or family in the community, then you might know a few, but other than that, you don't really know anything. There is so much random knowledge of things stuffed into my head that it is a surprise that I haven't cracked yet. I have to prove to my Captain that I can do my job and do it without endangering everyone on board. I keep mentioning that and you are probably wondering, "How dangerous could it be?" Look up submarine collisions on Google and tell me what you find. The San Francisco, the Greenville, the Hartford. Look at those ships and you will see how dangerous my life as a submariner can be. You want a butthole puckering job, come join me among the elite. Come to my realm of seawater trying to invade the people tank every second of everyday, enemy submarines trying to find you and shoot you. All of these dangers are very real. Safety is paramount and we take our job seriously. I am very passionate about my job if you can't tell and I enjoy every minute of it. There is nothing like falling asleep to the gentle rocking of the boat while it is at periscope depth, or the split second of weightlessness as the boat broaches the surface during an emergency blow, or that feeling you get when a fire breaks out and you have to respond to it. I'm not just a sonar technician. I'm a fire fighter, flood stopper, technician, mechanic, mathematician, strategist, and a pilot under the waves. I'm trained to do it all and I love it.
     Wow, that escalated quickly. What can I say? I love my job so it is with careful consideration that I take to make the best choice for the best of my family. Could I end up back in Georgia? It's possible. Could I stay up here in the Northwest? Very likely. What do I want to do? Whatever I can to better my career and keep my family happy and healthy. I have 8 months to make up my mind. * months to discuss what will be best with my wife. The only requirement that she has now is to go someplace that we can all live. The real question that I have for myself is, "What platform do I want to go to and how fun do I want my job to be?" My job is always fun to me, but I want to do something that is satisfying in the long run. Do I want to deal with all of the politics of an SSBN? Done it twice already and I can do it again. Do I want to make the attempt to better myself and go to an SSGN where the sonar is newer and there is stuff for me to learn and do? Never done it, but it does sound appealing. If I do go back to an SSBN, I can easily requalify everything that I was qualified before. I can go back to being a Sonar Supervisor, leading my watch team to success. If I go to an SSGN, I have to start all over again at the bottom and hopefully, quickly work my way back up to the top. It's not that I don't want to start over again, it's just that do I have the ability to learn what I need to learn and retain it to get back to the top. I have tasted the freedom that comes with being a supervisor and I like it. I want to keep it that way. I only like being an operator when there is something for me to track with my expertise. Sometimes I do miss being in front of the stack and operating it, but I can do that anytime I want to as the supervisor. I can have someone relieve me so I can refresh myself when I need to. I prefer to train others to be as good as me. Yeah, I'm tooting my own horn because I have earned the ability to do that. I rarely miss a torpedo shot and when I say rarely I mean that I have a 99% accuracy. Sometimes one slips, but I'm okay with that. I'm not perfect, but I definitely strive to be.
     This was definitely a lot more than what I intended to do today on this issue. See what happens when I start talking about my job? I get all excited and I just start rolling with it. It is with this passion that I am looking at writing a book, a submarine book, that is as factual as I can make it without revealing to much and with enough fiction to keep you hooked. I will definitely let you guys get sneak previews once I get it started and some of the pages typed. Excerpts will be coming to you from the source. For now though, it is time for me to take my leave of you and return to the task at hand. I must finish some stuff around the house before I get into trouble with the lady.

From The Arena,

This is SPARTA!!

Wickid

Another Sunday

     Welcome back into The Arena! It is Sunday again and that means only one thing here. FOOTBALL! Two more playoff games are being played today with only the winners advancing into the Championship games. Out in Lambeau, The Dallas Cowboys are taking on the Green Bay Packers in the Ice Bowl II. The last time Dallas entered Lambeau for a playoff game was the 1967 NFL Championship game where Dallas scored 17 points to Green Bay's 21. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are looking to win the rematch and head out to Seattle where they lost in Week 1 36-16. Dallas is looking to move forward in the playoffs and return to Seattle where they beat the Seahawks 30-23 in Week 6. There is so much on the line for these two teams as the Divisional Round of today's playoff game is about to start.
     In Mile High Stadium this afternoon, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos look to move forward into the Championship game as they go against the Indianapolis Colts for their Divisional Round game. The season opener in Denver found a victory for the Broncos as they played the Colts. In the 31-24 win, Peyton Manning looked primed to lead the Broncos to another playoff run. Here we sit, just 19 weeks later, looking at another game between these two formidable teams. This time however, the season is on the line. Will it be another Brady/Manning bowl in which Tom Brady has the winning record, or will Andrew Luck's luck hold strong to help him to victory? By the end of the day, all things will be decided as the winners move on to their respective division title games. New England and Seattle have both secured their spots in their Championship games with convincing wins yesterday. Only three weeks left of this season. On February 1st, two teams will appear in Super Bowl XLVIII. Will the Seahawks do a repeat run and make their third appearance? If they do, who will be their opponent? There are so many outcomes that can happen that it is too difficult to predict. Either way, it promises to be a great game. If it does happen to be a Denver/Seattle rematch, hopefully it will be better than last year when the Seahawks demolished the Broncos 43-8.
     Now, on to other events. As I sit here watching the football games with my sister in-law on Skype and my wife's computer pointed towards the TV so she can see it, I am reminded that tomorrow is Monday and I have to go back to work. At least I get to enjoy my Sunday with my kids and watching football. Theoretically, we will actually have work starting next week so that I will actually be busy instead of just waiting for it. At least the weekend has been somewhat kind to me. I got to spend time at home with my wife and kids, I spent last night listening to an awesome radio show provided by +Chuck Bisbee and his magical land at B2kradio.com, and I even spent time playing some video games. If you haven't yet, I suggest that you go check out www.B2kradio.com next Wednesday night or Saturday night. 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time for when the show starts. Do your own math on where you are at so that you can catch the show when it starts. For me out on the west coast, I have to be ready to chairdance starting at 7 p.m. my time. I even got to pick out 2 shirts to help support the radio station. One for me and one for my lady. Once they arrive, you guys will get pictures of me and the lady sporting the shirts.
     As I get ready to leave to go retrieve my other sister in-law from work, I'm upset because I have to leave and miss some parts of the game. The joys of being a responsible adult. So with that being said, I leave you guys to go enjoy what is left of your weekend. Check out the new issue that is here and look forward to starting your weekly grind tomorrow.

From The Arena,

This is SPARTA!!

Wickid

Saturday!!!

     Good morning Arena peeps! It is the start of the weekend and you know what that means. Time to get that rest and relaxation right? Wrong! It is time to get the stuff done that you couldn't do during the week because you were so busy with work and errands and appointments, the list can go on and on. Now that you have arrived safely at the weekend, it's time to get off your ass and get moving towards the betterment of you! Get those chores done that you have neglected for the entire week. Drink a cup of coffee without having to rush through it so that you can savor the delicious taste of the peppermint chocolate truffle creamer that has been carefully blended with caramel drizzle gourmet coffee that has been expertly brewed from the Keurig coffee maker sitting in your kitchen. Wow! That last sentence was a mouthful. Turn on the radio or music channel or internet radio station and feel the power flow through you as the motivation to get moving radiates through your veins. Spend the morning meticulously combing through the debris that is scattered about your living room because you have small children running around the house. If you don't have any children, you can skip this step. It's okay, I won't tell anybody. Soak the dishes that have been sitting in your sink for the last couple days because you have been too tired after dinner to rinse them off and slip them quickly into the dishwasher. Put the laundry away that has been sitting in the basket for the last three or four days because the busy work week has kept you from getting the baskets up the stairs and the clothes distributed to their appropriate locations. Follow all of this up with some lunch and maybe a few minutes for yourself before you locate the vacuum that tends to hide like a ninja and vacuum the floors since that hasn't been done for about a week or so. While you are vacuuming, make sure you take a few minutes to think about what you are going to make everyone in your household for supper. That might take longer than a few minutes depending on how many people you have and what they like to eat and whatnot. I always find it hard to decide because I have such picky eaters in my house. One day they will outgrow it. I hope. Follow up the dinner with some family time or whatever it is that is your favorite thing to do. DO NOT FORGET though that tonight at 10 p.m. Eastern time (do a little easy math depending on your time zone) is the start of B2kradio. You know, that guy +Chuck Bisbee does a lot of work to bring you some of the best music that you have ever heard on a Saturday night. Download the mobile apps, get on your computer, download them to your tablet, whatever it is you need to do to get tuned in, do it! Don't miss one of the best radio shows you will ever hear in your entire life. Go to www.B2kradio.com at the appropriate time for you in relation to when the show starts, and settle into the chair and surf the interwebs while your ears feel like they are taking a well deserved spa day. They'll thank you for it.
     Seriously, check that shit out and in the words of my Uncle (yes, I'm related to the guy), "Turn that bitch up a notch!" Chairdance your way to happiness while you listen to some great tunes. You can do other things that you need to do if you forgot something during the day, but just try to enjoy the musics.


     Like how I did that up there? Basically described my entire Saturday by telling you guys to do it. You probably won't actually do that, but I figured that it would be fun to try something completely different. Also, I did some quick advertising for my Uncle. How sweet is that?!? He is my favorite person in the entire world. No, seriously he is. I love that young/old, but mostly young dude, to death. He always finds a way to make me smile. He was always there when I needed to get away from the parental units. Well, for the most part. They kind of hid him from me for most of my teenage years. I'm still not sure as to why they did that, but it happened. When I did find him again, that one Christmas when mom said take this and go to this address, it was something so special that it would make for a great family movie moment. That moment when you are just so happy that a few tears escape unknowingly from your eyes and you have an inner cheer fest because it is just that damn good. He also gives some of the best hugs in the world. Just ask him. He's all modest and whatnot, but trust me when I say that you haven't been hugged by anybody until you've been hugged by him.

     Now that the advertisement and the plans of the day have been revealed and you guys get to kick back and read this issue while you are doing other random things across the web and the world, I shall go finish what I have been putting off for the last week because of the wild work week. Again, go check out this radio show I described tonight, that's right, TONIGHT at 10 p.m. EST (do your own math for you) and have some fun.

From the Arena (my kitchen for now)

This is SPARTA!!

Wickid

Wild Week

     When did it become Friday?!?! Where has this week gone? I have missed you guys immensely and without even realizing it, I have gone and missed the last four days of popping up issues here on the site. It has been a very busy and wild week here in the household. So much stuff going on that losing track of time tends to happen quite a bit. Let's see, Tuesday was full of appointments and cleaning and working in the shop. I completely missed Wednesday because that day was also full of appointments, cleaning, and work. I completely missed +Chuck Bisbee's radio show that happened that night. Thursday was spent kind of relaxing and getting the small things done. Spent the day with the kids and wife until it was time to go to work. I got home late each night and spent it attempting to watch the entirety of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I still haven't managed to stay awake long enough to see the movie through to the end. Maybe tonight I can get lucky enough to finish it. It is Friday after all.

     Today starts out with the normal routine of kid off to school, sister off to work, and me being home with the littles. The wife is finally back at work after some much needed time off that she got because of an emergency surgery. Now she is up and mobile. Hopefully, she can make it through a whole shift at work. We will find out today. Luke has started in home therapies four times a week. Two hours a day for him to have fun learning while he plays with toys. It seems to be working. We even had a proud parent moment for Damen last night. Well, Bev did while I was at work. Apparently, Damen ate some broccoli and cauliflower last night. It has been over six months since we have seen him eat his vegetables. Hopefully, we can keep this up because he needs to eat more than just chicken nuggets and hot dogs. 

     As I sit here listening to the kids play while The Emperor's New Groove is on the TV, I am reminded that I need to get the living room and stuff cleaned before I go to work and before the lady gets home. There is still laundry and stuff to put away and a living room to vacuum and dishes to do. Plus, I still have to make lunch for the kids and myself. Not to mention I have to get Damen off to school today. At least tomorrow is Saturday and I get to make time for the radio show before I go to bed. Life is sweet when you have things that you can count on. With that being said, time to get off here and go do what I need to do before I get in trouble for slacking off

This is SPARTA!!

Wickid

Yesterday's Missing Issue

     Good morning everyone! It is now Monday morning here in The Arena and we are coming to you live from the kitchen where I am attempting to multitask the cleaning and the typing. Actually, it is a very difficult thing to do since I am currently glued to the computer and not the cleaning. Any way, today will be a gift from me to you since I missed yesterday's issue. I had that whole work thing going on. So, without further ado, here comes the new issue with the events of yesterday.

     Typical Sunday morning that started way too damn early for me. I had to get up a little after 5 in the morning to go spend roughly 8 hours inside a little office with a crappy view waiting for a phone to ring. Not very fun usually unless I get the opportunity to watch YouTube. Usually, they frown on us watching videos during the day because of the "working hours" and what not, but because it was Sunday, there was a little bit of leniency. Ironically, I got to watch YouTube for the entire watch so it wasn't too bad. I even accidentally dozed off a few times before lunch. I watched 85 Honest Trailer videos in that time and even had a nice lunch. I was much happier when I got relieved so that I could come home though. The rest of the day was spent with the wife and kids playing and watching TV. I got to cuddle up a little bit to the wife and watch the Dallas Cowboys come back from losing and move on to the Divisional Round of the playoffs by beating the Detroit Lions. That made my wife happy since she wants them to go to the Super Bowl. Now that it is January, it just means that it is a little closer to the end of football season. Another long wait until August when it all starts up again. One of these years, I will actually start up a fantasy league on the Interwebs so that I can play against friends instead of just losing to my wife. It does get pretty bad when she has won for the last three years straight. It makes me sad actually.

     Yesterday was kind of a boring day since I spent most of it at work. The same will probably hold true when I get on later tonight to give you the fresh press issue from today. I do have to go back to the daily grind of work and making sure that the kids get where they need to go and things done around the house. Life is always full of fun and adventures here at our house. There is always something that needs to be done and someone has to do it. Keep up with your lives, but make sure that you schedule some time for yourself. Always make sure that you care for yourself. Skipping that step will make you miserable and angry. Nobody likes that.

This is SPARTA!!

Wickid

Challenge Accepted!

     This issue marks the 51st issue of The Arena and I am proud to say that it is quite an accomplishment for me. Normally when I start on something I tend to lose focus or stop doing it all together. Here we are though almost a year later doing things that are so awesome and telling you guys all about it. The recent interesting thing to happen to day happened on our errands this morning. We were doing errands and listening to the car radio. They were talking about some musician wanting to look like Zac Effron with his shirt off. I could probably imagine what it looks like and go from there. I told her that I didn't want to look like Zac, but instead I wanted to look like Channing Tatum with his shirt off. My wife rolls her eyes at me. I asked her if she thought that I couldn't do it. She told me that I didn't have the motivation to do it. So I responded with "Challenge Accepted!" She told me it wasn't a challenge, she just really thought that I didn't have the motivation to do it. So now I am on a mission to get back into shape and attempt to look like Channing Tatum. I probably won't look exactly like him, but I'm definitely going to try. I guess it is time to start researching workout routines and ways to help increase muscle mass. It would help me and on the bright side, I might look a little better.
     It really didn't help my situation tonight though because she made S.O.S. for supper tonight. It is so delicious. Like stick to the inside of your ribs good. I had to take tums to help relieve the pressure. It was so good though. There is just something about her cooking that makes it impossible to pass up. I think she puts something into it that makes it hard to not eat. Either way, I will always eat what she cooks for me.

     This is going to be a short post since I have to be up early tomorrow to go to work. 8 hours of sitting front of a computer screen trying to stay awake. 5:10 comes early and quickly. Good night everyone!

This is SPARTA!!

Wickid

Multiplayer

     It is now day two of the new year and things are progressing as normal. There are very few things in life that are better with a multiplayer option. Most sports are much better when you have multiple people playing. Card games, in general, are much better when you have more than two people playing. Sex is good with one other person. Some people find it better when there are more than just the two players. The multiplayer I happen to be talking about is from the realm of video games. Now, normally, I am the hardcore solo player of the RPG style games. It gives me the sense of accomplishment because I am the one that did it. Me, not anybody else. Nobody helped me get to the next level or beat that boss that was giving me trouble. For the past couple of days however, I have been playing Diablo 3 Ultimate Evil Edition on the Playstation. My friend let me borrow the game so that I could try it out since we tend to talk video games a lot. We happen to be nerds of the strongest variety. Kind of like +tim kimbrough and myself when we get to talking about Borderlands. My friend Steve and I started a new game a few days ago on Diablo 3. I took the Demon Hunter because he just looked awesome from the start and I know that eventually he will look like he does when you first select him when starting a new game. Steve chose to take the Witch Doctor. We had a nice laugh because we grew up playing Street Fighter and the first thing we thought of was Dhalsim from that game. We made jokes about it as we played the game. He has since switched over to the Wizard because the Witch Doctor wasn't really helpful to me and it was getting boring for him. We have successfully made it into Act II of the game, but not before realizing that the more we play, the rarer the loot gets. It dawned on me after the third rare item I got at a low level that playing with friends means that you get better stuff. To test the theory out, I went and started a solo player Monk. I'm right around level ten with him and I still don't have any good weapons or armor.
     I have come to the conclusion that I need to go out and get this game so that he can have his copy back and we can play online via the Playstation Network. Playing on the same console is nice and all because we get to hang out and bullshit while playing, but I know that he wants his characters and equipment from his own games. Once I do get my own copy, we will be starting brand new characters again and reliving the whole Act I again.
     Diablo 3 is a lot like Borderlands 2 in a lot of ways. Anybody here reading this play it? Yeah? No? I'll give you the rundown anyway. In Borderlands 2, ALL of your characters share the Badass Challenges and the Vault in Sanctuary. So once you get to Sanctuary and start doing missions out of there, you can leave some stronger lower level weapons for any new characters that you start. I happen to have a few characters on the game myself with my main character being Zero the Assassin. I haven't played in a while though so I am very rusty when it comes to playing the game. In Diablo 3, it works roughly the same way with a few extras. My stash is for all of the characters that I make and I can store gold to help out each new character. The big bonus that comes to mind is the forge you start from your very first character transfers over to every character. For example, you can level up the forge while doing a playthrough with your very first character. When you start the new character, the forge remains the same level from the previous character and you can forge higher level weapons and armor at the beginning to give you an edge in battle.
     I guess all that I really want to say is that if given the opportunity, I would rather play a multiplayer RPG/Dungeon Crawler with a friend to get the good stuff early on. Not like Monster Hunter 3 because they have requirements for quests. You have to be a certain Hunter Rank before you can take on certain quests, but like Borderlands multiplayer. So get out there and go be a multiplayer!! Get in the game with better stuff and rarer loot. Be a pal!

Until next time, this is Wickid and always remember, "This is SPARTA!"