"The Hell That Is New Jersey"

AKA The Prowler Challenge

RE once asked me if I do some of the things I have her doing (at the time she was pushing the Prowler) and I answered in the affirmative. I'm my best guinea pig. So, today, in the spirit of credibility (and not wanting to get fat) I brought back the Prowler. 8 trips of 30 yards alternating between the low and high handles with 60 seconds rest between sets with 140 pounds. After the final trip as I staggered around the parking lot trying not to look too winded, the same smart ass who cracked wise about AA making him look bad last night, cruised by and dropped the same line on me; "You're making us look bad again." To wit, I gasped back (in my best manly voice), "it's what I do. You want me to leave it (the Prowler) out for you?" He declined. I wobbled away.

Today is a kind of a melancholy day for me. One of my dearest friends, LCpl. "Cosmo" Buckman, USMC, heads back to North Carolina and then to Iraq. I am sorry to see him go. As he has pointed out to me, it's his job and his time and he wants to go. Every time I look around and think the world is a crappy, screwed up place, I think of Cosmo and the other young people in the services that I have had the honor of knowing, and I can breathe a little easier. They give me hope for the future of a country that I love. Our way of life is only possible through their sacrifices. He is one of the most squared-away people I have ever met, especially when you consider his age. And I have had the privilege to get to know him and call him my friend. God bless you Cosmo and come home soon. Now go kick some ass!

Semper Fi, mac
Ed T.