The last couple of weeks has been extremely tough. At least that’s what I tell myself. The truth of the matter is it is mainly time. I just do not have enough time. I have just enough time to do the things I have to do and that is about it. Everyone always makes excuses. I try not to do that, but it is inevitable. I wake up, usually by 0600, shower, make my lunch and I am in work by 0700. I am home by 1600 (4 pm), start to get dinner ready, play with my dogs for a bit, play with my 2 year old, yell at the 14 year old and hug the 11 year old. Then it is dinner, cleaning up, bath time, bed time then finally by 2100 (9 pm) it is my time….to do homework.

I’ve always procrastinated when it came to writing papers and recording a lot of the research. It has always helped me to do things like bookmark pages, highlight , etc. I always do my best work, when I can just start writing, look up some of the information I have read and recorded, then get to the point. Doing all of the research stuff beforehand without typing anything other than the introduction has only caused me to then get overwhelmed.

Doing an outline though is what I have done ever since I was in middle school. By middle school, I am talking about when the Original Jurassic Park came out 28 years ago. So I am there right now, after six weeks. The paper itself will be fine, I know it. The work leading up to it is what causes the problems and the lateness. I just wish I had more time.

So the last two weeks has been tough. We had the snow, which I absolutely love.  I really do.  People get on my case all of the time because I really enjoy shoveling, snow blowing, and all of that stuff.  What I do not enjoy though is the extra stuff that comes with the shoveling and the snow blowing. Cleaning out my shed to get to the snow blower.  That sucks.  Wheeling the snow blower from the shed across my backyard to my driveway.  That sucks too.  Getting started and realizing that the gas can is still all the way back in the shed.  Now I am getting mad.  Ok, I filled it, it starts, I am now ready to go.

First fifteen feet the shear pin breaks and I am only using one half of the auger blades, let’s keep going.  The thrower mechanism can not keep up with only one side of the auger running so it is clogging up an awful lot now.  I stop, clean it out and curse a few times. Now I got nothing.  It just stopped.  The engine is running fine, but now nothing.

Oh will you look at that I am now that guy.  The one in the middle of the snowstorm sitting in his half shoveled driveway, trying to do small engine repair, knowing full well that those pins and screws I am taking out are not going to be easy to find when they fall in the snow.  I stomp in the house to get a bowl to put the screws in, along with a couple tools and find out the power is out.  Actually it has been out for over an hour.

What I am getting at with this is I enjoy the snow.  I also enjoy writing papers.  The actual writing of the paper is like when the snow blower works and I am just moving along with my ski goggles on, listening to some Rolling Stones or Pre-Uber Political Bruce Springsteen. Like Born to Run Bruce Springsteen, That is how I feel when I am writing the paper, after all of the BS is done.  The stuff I am trying to do now, is the unenjoyable BS, like dragging that effing snow blower around only to find out that…oh yeah there they go.

I knocked over the bowl of screws and bolts.

I do love the snow though.

I would agree with Connor in that it has also been a light week for me in doing research.  I tried to do a bit when I thought my topic was going to be how and why veterans chose their professions.  Then a good point was brought up that if I did all veterans, then I would have to do the research on what was available to returning vets at different times.  That was not something I thought about and it pretty much threw a hand grenade into my plans.

Like a typical Marine, I have improvised, adapted and overcame the problem—ish. I started to narrow down the topic into what veterans of my time are doing.  Those guys that came back from Iraq and Afghanistan are for the most part still trying to figure that out.  So I have decided to go with the ones that figured it out, did it and are now retiring.  I am almost positive that I am going to focus mainly on those returning from Vietnam.

I think this will work for me, because these veterans are the ones who came back and really needed to do something.  WW@ vets were treated like heroes and almost given jobs.  Same with Korean War vets.  The guys returning from an unpopular war had to go out and make something of themselves.  Much like the guys my age now that are still trying to figure that out.

Hey everybody.  My name is Joe Fonde.  It is pronounced Fon-DEE.  That is something I have had to do my entire life.   I have had people suggest that I use an accent mark on it, add another E, spell it with a “y” instead.  Obviously I have done of that and I just say it just like that whenever I meet somebody for the first time.

I am 39 years old.  I am the father of a 14 year old son, Joey.  I have an 11 year old daughter, Gillian and a 2 year old son, Elias.  They are my entire world.  I was in the Marine Corps for 8 years from 2000-2008.  I deployed to Iraq twice in that timeframe.  I got out of the Marine Corps and got a job.  It was a good Job.  The type you could retire from.  Problem was I got fired from it.  Long story-short.  It was personal.  It got me in school though and on to what I really want for myself.  To teach. I know I’ll be good at it because I am passionate about it.

It was my time in the Marine Corps that got me really interested in History as a profession. The Marines are big on history and tradition.  From 1775 until now, the Marines have been kicking ass and taking names.  You can ask the lowliest Private or the senior most general what is the most important thing to them being Marines. We all will say tradition and history.

I learned that if you are passionate about something you can not NOT be bad at it.  I love my kids and I know I am a good dad.  I loved every single second of being a Marine.  Even the shitty times, I still look back and miss it.  I was a good Marine too.  I know I will be a good teacher.

My capstone project will be related to that feeling.  I plan to research how and why members of the military chose their professions after serving the country.  My current path is one of necessity, but I know plenty of others who have barely eked out a living to some who have prospered quite nicely.