New ink!

Coming soon.... In full technicolor.

Hebrews 4:12 For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Awesome new posts and stuff.

Hey, go check out Project 86.
There an awesome band, and about to release a new album. They are one of my all-time faves! And really, who can say no to free music?

An Economical Microcosm

This week has been interesting, to say the least. My perspective on my finances has changed significantly. As most of you may already know, I am living in Dubuque, IA this summer. I am sharing an apartment with a good friend of mine, Jason Bowling. This is the first time I have truly been 'On my own' with no true safety net. I have to support myself. The Army isn't coordinating anything, My mom isn't doing my shopping. I figured it wouldn't be too hard. it got off to a slow start- Jason has been gone for most of the last month and a half, I spent two weeks in fort McCoy on Army pay.

Then it got interesting. I came back from Fort McCoy to find the job I had lined up for the summer didn't have work for me for two weeks. So I sat around, being a bum. I donated plasma a couple times, but otherwise had no source of income. I slowly burned through my reserves of cash. (I don't touch credit cards.) I wasn't worried too much, I was going to be working soon, and making pretty decent money, too. I started work, going steady at 40+ hours a week for two weeks. Then came this week.

I attracted an inner ear infection at some point, causing me dizziness and light-headedness when I move around. Well, the boss sent me home(can't have me falling off the scaffold or anything...) before we even started on Monday and I spent the day resting. My symptoms didn't go away, so i made an appointment Tuesday to have myself checked out. (I got hit on the head last week, so i wanted to be sure it wasn't a concussion. He gave me his diagnosis and told me to rest up for a couple days. So it is Thursday. I haven't worked in four days. I also did not get my check this week, because I haven't gone anywhere. My paycheck next week will be nothing or next to nothing, depending on how I feel tonight/tomorrow morning.

All this to say, I can hear my bank account shrinking. Every bite I take, every time I look at the clock, I hear it. My perspective on money has changed. I realize now that I shouldn't be going and buying a new t-shirt from ThinkGeek every month. I may have to save the Bailey's brand coffee creamer for special occasions. I have to be more discerning with the cuts of meat I purchase. (they can add up quickly.) I may now have to do price comparison between the store brand and the name brand. these are just a few of the observations I have made in the past couple weeks. There may be more on this adjustment later.


*P.S. This is not me in any way asking for money. God has provided for me so far, I believe He will be faithful to continue to do so.

Sunsets

Beautiful sunset just south of Peosta, IA. I love my state.

The Green Dragon

Sushi! Best presentation I've seen of a roll yet. Had it at Cool Basil. Can't remember what was in it, but i'll try to get that for next time.

To His Coy Mistresss (Redux)

This is one of my school projects, based on 'To His Coy Mistress' by Andrew Marvell. The original was from a genre common in the 1800's (I believe) in which the speaker was basically trying to convince a woman to have sex with him. Great literary progress, eh? (Oh, those saucy victorians...)

Well, anyway, the point of the assignment was to re-write in 200 words or less, one of the poems we had read for class. In doing so, we were to use words and phrases from the original text, as well as our own words, to highlight a specific aspect of the poem or character. Somehow, my brain translated that into 're-write this how you would have said it.' So, the following was scrapped, and another was put in it's place, but I like this one better.

This is also the first time I've done a poem in full rhyme, and not just free verse-whatever pops out of my head.

Also! You probably want to read the original first, to give context. I linked it. Up there.^

‘To His Coy Mistress (Redux)’

Had we but time,

Coyness were no crime.

We would walk,

Pass love’s long day with talk,

And I would love you,

Till the Lord comes hitherto.

Foregoing such as my demise,

I would take years to praise thine eyes,

So too, for every part,

Until at last I exposed thy heart,

For truly you deserve no less,

But alas, I would address,

The shrouded spectre at the end,

The hourglass I come to dread.

Time stops for none,

Not till it’s done.

So I do implore,

Fair maiden I adore,

Come, know what is my mind,

Take us two and forever bind.

Place your hand in mine,

Entwine my heart with thine.

Hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think. 

Better than fiction.

So I come to the most random realizations sometimes.

I was watching Chronicles of Riddick with some female friends last night, and they were remarking on how muscled and studly Vin Diesel is(Yes, it was awkward.). So I asked if I could make similar comments about the women in the film. Well, they said it was different because they are girls, but they did give me permission. But at that point I was struck by a realization. I really didn't find any of the actresses that attractive. And I suddenly related the reason for this to the Ontological argument for the existence of God(Strange, I know, but bear with me.) One of the major facets of this argument is that Reality is inherently better than anything created by our imagination(That's not the whole argument, that's for another post sometime.). So, a real apple is inherently better than the apple I'm thinking about. I may think that an actress is pretty, or that her character has a great personality, but that image on the screen or in a magazine or on a billboard will never be as attractive as the girl sitting across from me. Simply from the fact that the girl sitting with me is real. (And, you know, because she's actually sitting with me, and not thinking I'm a creeper or something. lol)

So... that's my thought for the day. I hope you enjoy.

-JK

Oh, and comments are great! Really. They help me know I'm not just sending this to the oblivion of cyberspace. Feedback is essential for writers. Not so much for musicians.(See... that was a joke! Haha)

Travelling Man

Maybe you've seen me talking about applying to be an RA, maybe not. Maybe you're thinking 'Hey, you'd make a great RA' or maybe you think I'd be terrible. I think I could do it well, and have a lot of fun. But I have another option for next year that is a considerably bigger opportunity.

You remember that class I took in January? The one in New Orleans? The one that I graduated as honor grad? Good. Well, the certificate I received from that class qualifies me to be a Field Support Representative(FSR) for Tapestry Solutions(a Boeing company) in Afghanistan. Well, in the US, Germany, Kuwait, Korea and Japan, too. But that's not important right now. What is important is that if I were to be hired for this, it has the potential to be a huge boost for my career. To be a contractor at my age is pretty big. Not to mention the paycheck, and the experience for my resume.I believe God gave me the skill to do as well as I did for a reason. Anyway, all that to say I'm considering applying for that position, and I'm looking for wisdom, advice and opinions regarding this. So pray for me, friends.

Thanks,
-JK

EDIT: Bad Stuff(Possible)
-Postponing my college education yet again(Though I could take online courses)
-Imminent Danger
-I might decide I like it and stay there
-May have to quit the Army
-uhhhh... that's all I can think of.

Dovah-think

Alduin helps Dave think. Lord knows he needs it.

Let There Be Food!

Finally! One of the main things I wanted to share with this blog was my adventures in the kitchen. And now I've actually had time to cook something up.

I made up some chili-mac for my friends last night. They all liked it a lot. Way more than I expected. It's a family 'recipe', if you can call it that. It's not precise, just a collection of ingredients mixed to taste.

The simplest way to make this is to take leftover chili and mix it with macaroni and cheese. I didn't have any leftover chili, so we used Hormel brand from the store and browned up some extra hamburger to give it more beef. (Haha)

Tips and tricks...
Use plain macaroni and add Velveeta to the sauce.
Use lots of garlic.
I use ancho pepper and chili con carne fro Penzey's to season the beef. These both have little heat, so they provide a good base flavor and you can add chili powder to the sauce later.
Garnish with cheese and sour cream. Because why not?

If you'd like a more comprehensive list of ingredients, let me know!

Vandals!

My board is the outlet for all my floor's graffiti.

Gemini

At the Maquoketa Caves State Park in eastern Iowa.

Weathered

Overlooking the Cedar River in eastern Iowa.

Storm Front

This was a summer storm from my friend's farm in Indianola.

Life

Some of you know that life and I don't get along very well all the time. A lot of you know that I am often frustrated that I see my friends(read: y'all) living or getting from life what I've always wanted.

Now, let's stop the train right there. Because, really, I've wanted two different lives. On the one hand, I'd kill for what I see(in my mind, this is not a judgement on anyone) as the 'average' life. Go to college, meet a girl, settle into a career, happily ever after, blah blah, blah. You know that story. That's what I saw myself doing when I graduated High School. That has not happened. The other life i wished for was to be someone wild and adventurous. You know, a bounty hunter, or a war hero, or a US Marshall, or something else that's super awesome. That didn't happen either.

So i sit here in this life I'm living, and I envy my cousin, who starts Army Special Forces selection today, and I envy all my friends who are getting engaged and married and buying houses and all that other stuff I wanted. While I look at my life and say 'what the hell?' because I'm nearly 23 and I live with my parents, I'm a freshman in college, I'm older than most of the seniors at my college, etc.

But.

Then i get a friend who hits me across the face and says 'look at it this way.' And he shows me that While I haven't gotten what I wanted, maybe I got what I needed.I learned life skills- I can make espresso, I can fix most things on an automobile, I know basic and some advanced first aid, I can reliably use most any firearm, I know about supply lines and logistics and how to be prepared, how to evaluate risk, respond quickly and effectively in stressful situations, and probably a bunch of other stuff that I can't even think of right now. The work I did overseas would probably get me a better than Entry Level position with any company that deals with supply and/or shipping. I have established my name as a capable soldier in more than a couple high-level Army circles. I have volunteered, served, led, planned, organized, executed, succeeded, failed, been praised, been reprimanded, and I have always taken responsibility for my actions, whether there results were good or bad.

My life was not what I would have foreseen, and definitely not what I would have picked for myself, given that ability.It has been an adventure, full of twists and turns and surprises, And I would change very little of the past 5 years.

So i raise my glass to you, life. Let us see what you have in store, for I am not sitting still.

Evening Glory

The view from my room on the last night in Louisiana.

Eeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwww........

Or at least, that's what my friend said when she saw what I had for dinner last night. This was my first time having sushi in the traditional manner. I went with the two guys from my unit who went to class with me. One of then had never had sushi before, and the other is a connoisseur. So Potter, having the experience ordered for all of us, trying to get a good range of stuff to try. I liked everything we had, it was really good.

By far the strangest thing was the two rolls in the upper right- salmon roe. Which is really just a fancy way to say caviar(which, in turn, is a fancy way to say eggs). It had a very strange texture, but was very good. It had a very strong salmon(not fishy, but actual salmon) flavor, was pretty salty, but I would recommend you try it if given the chance.

-Kapp

Fires of War

Art from Halo 3: ODST, manipulated by me.

Those of you who've known me for a while know that I enjoy photomanipulation as a hobby, so expect to see more of these here.

To infinity and beyond!

Ok, so this post will probably be pretty short, as I'm posting it from my phone. A rather inauspicious way to start a blog, but it's a start. First, attached is a picture of a VSAT, or Very Small Aperture Terminal. It's a satellite system the Army uses, and which I learned how to set up this week. Yeah. I connected to space. How awesome is that?

Okay, now I'd like to give a basic idea of what you can expect to see here. I've created two blows to run for 2012(and possibly beyond). This is the public one. The other is somewhat more personal and will have a more limited audience. But anyway! This blog here will be host to just about everything. My thoughts, my forays into cooking for my friends at school, highlights of our shenanigans, pictures, links, all of it. No holds barred. I hope you're ready!

-Kapp