Brandon's Status

Deployment

2008-09-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, three months since my last update! If you are still checking this site out than you must really have not much to do.

Anyway, I'm posting this from Bahrain on my way to Iraq. Yes it's time again for another deployment. I'm looking at six months supporting special operations forces in various parts of Iraq. With that said, there won't be much I can say or many photos I can show from this deployment so don't expect too much. I will however try to keep posting something regularly here so that you know I'm still alive and well.

The three months or so leading up to this deployment have been pretty busy. We started out with five weeks in Hawaii covering RIMPAC '08 and then returned to San Diego to finish up our work-up cycle training. Once that was finally done, I had about two weeks to take some leave, relax a bit and pack. And now I'm here.

One thing that I was able to accomplish other than work, was setting up an online photo account with Picasa. Below is the link. Please feel free to check it out. I have found that to be a better avenue for posting things like vacation shots and happy snaps than this site. I will be posting some photos from my recent vacation on there soon.

http://picasaweb.google.com/brandon.raile

Been a little while...

2008-06-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

...since I've posted anything here so maybe it's time for an update.

There's not really been a whole lot of exciting stuff going on here, just a lot of training getting ready for the next deployment. Actually a lot of it's exciting to me but probably not so much so to anyone else. Lot's of range time, night vision training and testing new gear. The cool part is that all of the toys are the brand new, high speed kind of toys that you need to have in order to play with the cool kids. For those of you who know where and why I'm deploying next, you'll understand what I'm talking about. For those of you who don't, I'm not going to get into it here.

Since my last post, I spent a week exploring Denver and surrounding areas with Cheryl and Screaming Monkey (pics will be posted as soon as I have a few minutes to sort through them all). The most important piece of information you need to know about that trip is this; don't EVER go to Wyoming! Seriously. Just trust me on this one.

The next stop for me, prior to the deployment, is Hawaii for a month. Strangely, I find myself looking forward to the trip. Looking forward to catching up to some friends who are still on the island. Oh yeah, and looking forward to not having to wear contacts or glasses! Oh yes, it does appear that I will soon have better than 20/20 vision thanks to the wonders of modern medical science... and lasers.

NAB 2008 - Las Vegas

2008-04-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

I'm back in Vegas this week for the big National Association of Broadcasters 2008 convention. It's an interesting trip so far checking out new cameras, software and various other gear for work. I've gotten to do a few cool things so far though. Went to Hoover Dam for the first time yesterday. As much of the west coast as I've seen, I've never seen it except for in the movies. As the week goes by I'm hoping to check out the Neon Graveyard and the Shelby Museum. All that and all the cool things at NAB... you have to love this job!

You can follow some of my NAB adventures at View from the Dock.

Post Deployment/Post Vacation

2008-02-23T22:27:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am back in San Diego now. Haven't really been in touch with anyone since I spent basically an entire week trying to enjoy some peace and quiet and do some site seeing around southern/mid California. I finally got to visit Joshua Tree and made it about 16 miles into Sequoia National Park! Unfortunately, a incoming blizzard up the mountains dissuaded me from going any further. The Hemi just wasn't made for snowy, icy, mountain roads with no guardrails to prevent multiple thousand foot drops off the side when the back end ends up in front of the car! Anyway, got to take the car and go somewhere cold and green... That's all I wanted!

Back in the States!

2008-02-10T10:47:00.000-08:00

I have more important things to do right now that write stuff on here!

Screw you guys... I'm going home.

2008-02-06T23:05:00.000-08:00

Yep, still can. How is that?

2008-01-21T23:04:00.000-08:00

Just 'cause I can.

2008-01-13T23:03:00.000-08:00

Shhh....

2008-01-03T23:02:00.000-08:00

By order of the Board of Health, this web site is closed until further notice.

Have You Had Your Break Today...

2007-12-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

...at McDonald's?

Why yes I did actually! But not today. It was actually two days ago in South Africa. I don't even really like McDonald's but I have to admit that having not had any for four months, it was quite good.

I am back in Djibouti now after a week long trip to Botswana. We were asked to come down there to cover a press conference being given by the new commanding general of AFRIC0M. So basically, this involved traveling for 2 days to get there, hanging out for two days while we waited for the entourage to get there, one day of working, and three days traveling back to DJ. The trip back included a 12 hour layover in Johannesburg and an overnight stay in Nairobi. Not too bad a gig.

It looks like I may actually be in DJ for a week or two so maybe i'll actually have a chance to put some of the photos from recent adventures on here. I'm sure you can't wait!

Heading "Home."

2007-11-24T10:44:00.000-08:00

I'm currently on the way back to Djibouti from my little holiday adventure out to the nether regions of Africa. This trip was all about spreading a little holiday cheer to a small group of our folks living at a very austere encampment in Kenya. I traveled with the Command Master Chief and a small entourage to delivery turkeys to this little outpost and help them celebrate in true Navy fashion. In other words... not only did we bring the food... we brought beer. I have to say that it was well worth the four days of traveling for the excellent meal that they managed to put together. In fact, this was, without a doubt, the best meal i've had since last Thanksgiving!

I think I need an update.

2007-11-13T11:46:00.000-08:00

Yes, I do think it is about time for an update because I know that each of your lives are on hold waiting eagerly to find out what i've been up to!
Well, I just got back a few days ago from a month spent in another African country. That's about it. Sorry, I could tell you more but then I'd have to kill you. OK you say, but you've still been back for a few days so why the delay in letting us know. Well, at the end of the secret squirrel stuff, the last plane I was supposed to be on broke down so I had to spend a couple of nights at a beach resort in Mombassa, Kenya while I was waiting for it to get fixed. I know, I know, this deployment has been really hard. That's what I told the British and Canadian tourist girls at the poolside bar as I sipped on whatever I was sipping on out of a pineapple!

Anyhow, then I came back to wonderful Djibouti where I was very surprised, yet pleased, when the ramp came down on the C-130 and I didn't get hit with a blast of oven-temperature air. Instead, I only felt a warm breeze wash over me! Apparently while I was gone the temperature in Djibouti has managed to stabilize in the double digits. When I left, we were still hitting the low 120's so this is a significant improvement although I'm not holding my breath for Christmas morning snow.

So now that I am back, I have been working very hard to get my computer back up and running after the little melt-down incident in Kenya a little over a month ago. I'm happy to say that the repairs are proceeding well. The new hard drive is in, OS X 10.5 is in and running without any issues and I am almost finished migrating all of my applications and data off of my back-up drive. This was a perfect example of why back-ups are important. I have never lost a drive prior to this one but it only proves that it can, and will, happen at the worst possible time.

I have had a few people ask me when I will post more video content onto the site. I do have both the JPAC video and my documentary from San Francisco ready to go, unfortunately I have not been able to find and internet connection with enough bandwith to upload them. Please keep checking back though because I will post them, as well as some of my combat camera videos from here, as soon as I find a reliable connection.

Ohh, one more thing... while I was "off the grid," I received numerous inquiries regarding the safety of the storage unit for my stuff that I call an apartment in San Diego. Thank you for your concern and I am happy to report that everything is fine. Although the fires did get within about 4-5 miles, it was nowhere near as close as they got in 2003. Everything is fine and by all reports I have received, so are the homes of my friends and coworkers. Thanks again for your concern.

With that, I will wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and ask you to please enjoy some turkey for me.

Back in Kenya

2007-10-13T04:05:00.000-07:00

Once again I'm sitting here in a hotel room in Nairobi. We're heading out soon for other parts of the country to do fun stuff for a few weeks, so until then... I'm taking advantage of having internet again.
I thought there was more I was going to say but I can't remember now. Ohh well.

Welcome Back Brandon to the Internet!

2007-10-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome Back to Me!! Yes, I was absent for a few days. It was a very traumatic experience that I shall probably require therapy for at some point. You see, I recently came back from a week at a golf resort in Nairobi, Kenya. Well, It was all fun and games until my beloved Mac bit the dirt. She flat-lined. At first I tried mouth-to-ethernet port but that didn't work. So, I performed surgery. Here I was, sitting in a hotel room with nothing but a Leatherman and a coke, about to go in. (Yes, I said Coke... no Dew in Africa.) Anyway, the hard drive was completely dead. Nothing I could do except suck up the withdrawal symptoms while I waited to return to Djibouti! So now I finally return to home base and immediately order a replacement hard drive. In the meantime, I break out my other (work's) Mac and set to work trying to get it loaded with everything I need on a daily basis. You see, normally this one is kept loaded only with my video editing software to keep it nice and trim. This brings me to right now. After after three days working on it, I am finally back to somewhere near where I started. Moral of the story is, always back up. Luckily I had done this about two weeks prior to this tragic accident otherwise I would have been especially infuriated and may have had to result to drinking another Coke!

Hooah!

2007-08-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

Dictionary Definition of hooah

hooah (hoo ah) adj., adv., n., v., conj., interj., excla. (Orig. unknown) Slang.

1. Referring to or meaning anything and everything except "no".
2. What to say when at a loss for words.
3. a) Good copy. b) Roger that. c) Solid copy. d) Good. e) Great. f) Message received. g) Understood. h) Acknowledged.
4. a) Glad to meet you. b) Welcome.
5. "Hell Yeah!"
6. a) I don't know the answer, but I'll check on it. b) I don't know and I don't care.
7. I am not listening.
8. "You're stupid; sit down!"
9. Yes.
10. "You've got to be kidding me!"
11. Thank you.
12. Go to the next slide.
13. You've taken the correct action.
14. I don't know what that stuff you just said means, but I'm too embarassed to ask for clarification.
15. Squared away (He's pretty hooah.)
16. Amen!

Why would I post some Army crap on my blog? If you'll read the story found through this link, http://www.navy.mil/media/allhands/flash/ah200707/feature_1/index.html you should be able to guess.

Leave, Doppelgangers, Unlocked Doors & Alarm Clocks!

2007-07-31T16:56:00.000-07:00

Well, got back from Australia a couple weeks ago and spent most of the time since then rushing around getting everything ready for the deployment. Finally got things wrapped up enough that I could take some leave so I took the Hemi out for a road trip. I cruised up to Vegas to spend a couple days there hanging out with Cheryl then continued up I-15 through the lovely state of Utah, finally ending up in good 'ole Pocatello, Idaho for the annual POW/MIA Motorcycle Rodeo. Near the end of that, an unexpected series of events initiated a change of plans leading me to back to Cali via the Bay Area.

So that's it. Nothing left really but to finish packing!

BTW: everybody keeps asking so here's the scoop.... she averaged 21 mpg. That was running on average about 90 mph. Not too bad I guess for a big V8 in triple digit heat with the A/C on.

Australia

2007-06-05T16:56:00.000-07:00

Heading out to Australia very soon for about a month. If you check the link below you should see some of the stuff we are producing.

Scary Ghost and Rice-a-Roni

2007-05-27T16:57:00.000-07:00

Guess it's about time I updated this thing again. Last week saw me in Long Beach... or as my ghetto sibling and sibling-in-law like to refer to it, "The LBC." We decided to take the paranormal experience tour at the Queen Mary. Didn't see any scary ghost but saw plenty of stupid people. It is truly amazing how easily manipulated some people are. All you have to do it present some kind of credentials, wether verified or not, and they say "oh he/she's and expert so they must know what they're talking about and that means that there really are ghost here and I'm a stupid head and will believe anything anybody tells me!"

Now, a week later, I'm in San Francisco. San Francisco is cold.

I'm up here for a video class on producing mini-documentaries. Apparently while we're here we are going to shoot and produce one. Which leads me to the really exciting cool part. We're going to shoot this week in HD! This will be really cool to see how it works. I'm dying to see how this footage will look and find out how this Intel Mac handles HDV. Yes, I am a very big nerd.

Catching up.

2007-05-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

Well yes, it has been a while. After Korea (A.K.A. working for the Army, AKA ClusterF*#k), I came back and spent some quality time with the car then headed out to Camp Pendleton for a field exercise (almost like playing Marine again). Just got back from that last week and then took of Thursday for a long weekend of Cinco de Mayo festivities up in Simi Valley.

For those who don't know, pictured above are Cheryl and Me. (AKA the Best Roomies Ever!!)

Next stop is San Francisco in a couple of weeks for some video training and then immediately off to Australia!

On the road again!

2007-03-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

Leaving for Korea pretty soon for my first trip with Combat Camera! Can't say much more than that right now. You all know how that goes.

My New Special Something!

2007-03-05T04:58:00.000-08:00

I'm pleased to announce the arrival of my new baby.

"SubLime" 2007 Dodge Charger Daytona.
#552 of 1500.
5.7-liter Hemi V-8.
350 hp / 390 lb-ft of torque.
0-60 m.p.h. = 5.38 seconds (Best so far anyway).

But sadly, I had to say goodbye to an old friend. :(

Now it's kinda hard to tell in the picture but it's much more green than yellow. It's sort of Kermit the Frog green. Anyway, I'm trying to figure out the appropriate license plate for this thing so if you have any ideas, please send 'em my way.

It's about time!

2007-03-05T02:59:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it's been a month... or two!

Of course there's been a lot going on. I got back to San Diego in late January and just barely had time to get moved in before I started SERE school. For those of you who don't know what this is, it stands for Survival, Evade, Resist, Escape. I'm sure you've seen the Hollywood version in the movies before and I can tell you the it's not too far off. Other than that I can't really tell you anything except that it was the best training I NEVER want to do again! Seriously, by the time it's over, you really do feel like you were a POW. To make this point, I will tell you that I, Brandon Raile, lost 15 pounds! That should tell you something.

Anyway, since then I've been trying to recover and get all checked in to Combat Camera. I've only been there a week and half so far but i've already got my first international job coming up very soon. I'll soon be freezing my butt off in Korea instead of Cali! Do that for a couple weeks then I'll be prepping for a big exercise in Australia in a couple months.

So as you can see, it's been pretty busy. I'm hopping to finish getting my household goods unpacked at some point but who knows. In any case, if you're in the area, give me a call. We can try to get together... if i'm here!

One more thing, I think the new JPAC command video has finally been posted on the JPAC website at

www.jpac.pacom.mil

. If you haven't seen it yet, please check it out. There was a lot of hard work, from more people than just me, that went into it and I think we're all very proud of the final result.

-30-

Virginia

2007-01-18T16:00:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how much better things have gone since my escape from the island. As difficult as it was to get out of there everything since has gone very well. All of my flights have been upgraded and even my rental car was upgraded for free! My new apartment in LaJolla is all set and I even got a bigger place for less money! Can't complain about that at all.

I'm in Gatlinburg, TN right now with my brother getting ready to take the cameras out for some shooting in the Smoky Mts. Not as nice without any leaves on the trees but still pretty cool. Will be heading back to Norfolk on Tuesday or Wednesday until my flight back to SD on Saturday so if you're in the area, let me know.

Parole

2007-01-07T16:02:00.000-08:00

Yes, they are finally letting me leave this place. On Tuesday I shall board an aircraft that will take me away from this island. Unlike my previous trips you have read about here, this trip will be one way! I shall soon be enjoying the cool winter air of Southern California once again.

Photos from the Big Island

2006-11-05T16:02:00.000-08:00

Finally got a chance to put together a web gallery for my shots from the Big Island last weekend.

www.cyclicjo.com/WebGallery/BigIsland/index.html

Enjoy!