Back in the HD

Arrived back in Heidelberg. I'll put up some info about my brief Romania travels sometime in the next couple days.

Arrived in Constanta

Arrived in Constanta (well, a small base a little outside of Constanta). There's not much to look at, nor much to do, but hopefully I'll do some good work for a few servicemen and women while I'm here. I'm hoping to get off post to do a bit of site-seeing too, but that depends on someone chaperoning me. I'll keep you posted.

quick update

A couple things to share...

First, while I transition to my new job in military justice on 16 April, I've already started work on a case to begin my training. I can't get into the details online, but it's relatively straightforward; regardless of how simple the facts are though, the learning curve will be steep.

Second, I'm heading on a business trip to Romania this week. There are a few Soldiers and Seamen stationed there who need some legal assistance. I'm hoping to do at least a little exploring while I'm there. Expect a full report when I return...

Finally, the guest bedroom now has a bed! I hope to put it to good use in the months and years to come. Any and all are invited. I hope to see you all soon!

We built a "structure" -- that's about the only way to describe it -- to take furniture out over the balcony, by-passing the narrow spiral stairs that led up to my old place. Enjoy the photos -- also included are a few of the new place.

Burgenstrasse

"The castle road." It runs from Mannheim to Prague, although today we only traveled from Bad Wimpfen back to Heidelberg. This stretch runs along the Neckar. With a fresh dusting of snow, it was gorgeous.

New Year's Eve with friends

New Year's Eve was a little more low-key this year. Courtney and I went to our boss's house for dinner -- he and his wife are both young JAs and we really enjoy spending time with them. The most interesting part of the night was the fireworks. It wasn't your typical production, just the townies out having a good time. But it seemed like everyone had bought fireworks to set off. It was amateur hour for sure. The real surprise though, was the townies who brought out their handguns and gleefully fired them in the air. I hope the bullets landed harmlessly in one of the nearby vineyards.

Movie reviews have value.

Courtney and I saw "Law Abiding Citizen" today at the garrison theater. It was atrocious.

It was unnecessarily bloody and violent. It lacked thematic consistency. It reeked of cliche and absurdity at the same time, and I didn't even know that was possible. The only thing that I found more disturbing was the parents who brought their young children -- young enough to throw a minor temper tantrum during a particularly disturbing, gruesome murder.

I wish we had looked on Rotten Tomatoes before going. "Consensus: Unnecessarily violent and unflinchingly absurd, Law Abiding Citizen is plagued by subpar acting and a story that defies reason."

Sorry for the brief rant.