Oh yes. It tasted just like my mom and grandma’s. I just didn’t use as much garlic as I usually do.

Currently making lasagna. The best part about lasagna is, even if it doesn’t look good, it’s still lasagna.

Putting aside the justification, I have a theory that there’s a kind of psychological and moral catharsis going on among American military people that can tie this current Russia-Ukraine war to the botched pullout of Afghanistan. I’m still working on it, but basically, 20+ years of fighting morally questionable counterinsurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan (with actions more akin to a police force than a military force) made people within the American veteran and military communities feel…

Every month I get $10 for tracking my running on a fitness app and I choose an Amazon gift card.

This month's haul: I've never had this flavor before, so of course I buy three.

There is a certain irony of veterans and national security people who bemoan the civlian-military divide getting angry at civilians because they don't share the same vested interest in the Afghan withdrawal as they do, and thus have different reactions to it. *you* might be hearing from friends and colleagues in Kabul, but most people aren't.

The fact that their level of interest or concern isn't at the level yours is shouldn't be an excuse to further that divide by talking down to or scolding them.

https://twitter.com/MartinKulldorff/status/1430184119749681153?s=19

Was bored and wanted something to watch on Netflix and I turned on some UFO "documentary" with "unclassified" reports and...jeez...UFO conspiracies are so, so dumb They even mentioned a guy who said aliens told him they were from Venus.

It's 867 degrees on Venus. Ain't no aliens living there.

I'm not somebody who likes change, but I'm somehow also completely fine when it happens.

I think that's why I made it through the army, which is a fairly large cultural change from being a civilian.

If covid caused major permanent lifestyle change I'd adapt with no problem. But clearly many wouldn't.

Coincidentally, those people are also most likely to be like "I woulda joined the military, but..."

Last month I went to Wal-Mart with a friend. He wore a sidearm on his hip, which has been doing for the past few weeks.

I asked him why and he said someone yelled at him in the Wal-Mart parking lot last time he was there.

I knew he owned guns, but he never carried before. He's undergone a rather stark change not just since I knew him in the army, but since I've moved here to Indiana in 2017.

He started listening to Ben Shapiro and Steven Crowder. He freaks out about Captain Marvel and SJWs. He rants about transgenders in the military.

Memorial day is always a conflicting time for me now.

I was fortunate, very fortunate, in my deployment that we didn't have anyone killed. A few got injured, but nobody died.

Then in the eight years since we've been back a half dozen guys I served with took their own lives. And I know that Memorial day is supposed to be about honoring those who died in war, and also recognize that not every veteran who takes their own life does so bc of factors directly related to service.

Veterans can take their own life for the same reasons civilians do.

*Dispatches from Operation Faithful Patriot*

[Day 1]

"Dearest mother, I have arrived at the border. Solitude and dirt surround us. The men are in high spirits. We have been told our deployment will be short. I dug a trench today. I saw a lizard. Will write again soon." [Day 9]

"Dearest mother,

It's been over a week. We haven't seen a single migrant. We set up C-wire. I dug a second trench behind the first trench in case we get overrun. It's lonely here. My battle buddy keeping singing 'All my exes live in Texas' over and over. I miss home."

It's absolutely heartbreaking & stomach-churning to read these stories of abuse from women in my TL.

I'm unfathomably lucky I was born a man & never had to spend a second of my life worrying about being alone in a room with a guy.

I have only a small story to share abt this. The Kavanaugh-Ford story reminds me a little of something that I was apart of 18 years ago.

I had just started dating my now-ex wife. She had confided to me that she was raped at the college she used to attend in Vermont.

The attacks 17 years ago are the only traumatic event I can think of that people constantly urge others to remember.

I envy the kids too young to recall it or have an emotional connection to it.

Those who lived through it don't need to be told to #neverforget

How could they? If you want to teach kids about something to #neverforget how about never forgetting that we're still involved in the war that sprung from those attacks, 17 years later, with no end in sight.

We've rebuilt ground zero, but we haven't rebuilt our interest in foreign incursions.

What do you call an Egyptian with a rare flatulence disorder?

Toot Uncommon.

Okay guys, here's my report on week 2 of my Cultural Awareness class.

The class required for anyone pursuing a degree in criminal justice. Before I begin, if you missed my thread from last week to provide context, you can find that here:

https://twitter.com/JasonKirell/status/1032344641713135616?s=19

Okay, time to talk about what happened on my second day of classes.

This isn't nearly as funny or absurd as what happened on the first day. So at the end of last semester I signed up for a class that sounded interesting - Cultural Awareness.

I only found out on Monday that this class falls under the criminal justice program and is required for all those who are going to pursue a career in criminal justice.

Okay, I'm going to call this story "Crow-Call Conner & The Interpersonal Communications Class Disaster."

Gather 'round, kids. Just to catch people up, today was the first day of classes for me. Usually the first day of classes is spent going over the syllabus and introducing ourselves to each other.

This was no different, except for how the professor of this communications class chose to go about it.

First day back at class.

Trying to make friends like First class - intro to psychology.

25 women. 4 men.

Alright folks, time to deep dive into the director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven.

Its gonna be a long one, so if this doesn't interest you, just mute this thread now. Before I get into it, a little backstory:

Some of you may have seen this movie before. Its not on cable often, so it's probably been years. It was released in 2005, right when the Iraq war was going all to hell.

The allegory between the Crusades and the Iraq war weren't subtle.

Ever notice how nobody ever says women aren't smart enough to be in the infantry?

Men can slide by with an IQ somewhat on par with a chimpanzee.

Imagine how much better the military would be if it raised its intelligence standard instead of obsessing over just the physical. "But Jay," you scream as your medium Grunt Style t-shirt that should be an XL slowly traps the blood above your neck, "what happens when you need someone to hump a tank up a mountain. What then smart guy?"

Mets are leading the Yankees 2-0. When the Mets have a 2-0 lead, deGrom on the mound and he strikes out the first batter with a 97mph fastball.