klarkkent71

[klarkkent71]

Planning for College

One of the common questions I get from my friends and people within my circle is if I have any advice to give about their kid or kids who wants to go college or If I’ll call and talk to their child about what it takes to succeed in school.  My first question usually is “do your kid wants to go to college” followed by “what you have done to start enabling them. Talk to your child and feel out what careers that would possibly be interested in and explain the processes of what steps are needed.  I told my parents initially I wanted to be a lawyer and they told me that college would be needed to make that happen.  My mother was a teacher and college graduate and was easily able to walk me through the process and set everything up but I know that not thing for all kids.   From my past experience I have a one bachelors, three masters, one doctorate, and I’m currently pursing a bachelors in biology with the intent of doing law school or medical school once I get out of the Army.  Of the last 18 years that I been in the Army I have been a full time academic student in college for 11 of those years.   My first bachelors I performed average and started to excel later in the degree program when I really understood how academics work but as a graduate student I maintained mostly all A’s earning a 4.0, 3.94, 3.92, and 3.87 with the other degrees.  Below is my general advice by topic that I discuss with parents.  I just want to point out that I am no expert but I have plenty of experience being in academia so long. 

High School

My advice for any kid any high schooler who wants to go to an average state college will be to maintain atleast a 2.5 GPA.  You don’t have to put pressure on your kids to be perfect, but they should atleast be passing and you as parents should work with them to identify their weaknesses.  The next thing is that most college admissions require the results from a standardized test whether it’s the ACT or SAT.  Those scores matter because in some states that have programs such as TOPS in Louisiana, you’ll need a minimum score to receive additional aid with tuition.  Also, some schools might make their final decision of accepting your child based on their test score.  Have your child take a mock test and see how they score.  Once you recognize what areas they need to improve in, hire a tutor or enroll them in some programs so they can fill in those gaps of knowledge and score higher on the real test.  It its plenty of affordable online programs and personal tutors that would proudly take on that challenge.  My next advice is to learn the system of what it takes to apply to college which will include requesting transcripts and how the process works with applications and financial aid.  It is plenty of online article and youtube videos to help.  As a last resort If you cant find them, message me and will get you going in the right direction. 

Cost

The typical bachelor’s program in Louisiana requires the completion of 120 credit hours.  At $325 per credit hour tuition alone will cost you $39,000.  Also remember that the prices of classes increase with the economy.   If you want your child to experience life living on campus and getting the full experience to include having a meal plan and all you are looking at roughly an additional $35,0000 to $45,000.  If you don’t have a good college fund saved up, no educational benefits such as those that come with the military, or no scholarship offers for your child it will add up and can get extremely costly.  For the most part, you will have to apply for some type of financial aid.  During my first semester of college in 2005, my tuition, meal plan, and dorm cost $3100 dollars for just the fall semester.  I had $1600 in scholarships from my church and family but knew that I wouldn’t have those scholarships going forward.  My parents had the money saved up so I easily was able to pay the difference but I did not want to be a financial burden to them as they entered retirement so I joined the Army who paid for the rest of my tuition and paid all my student loans off.  During school I also worked a job at the library and was in ROTC who paid me a stipend as well. 

Acceptance and Balance

Once your child get accepted into college, find out what their career objectives are and draw out a path to achieve them.  College open the doors for plenty of jobs in many sectors so ensure they enrolling in the right major.  Once identified you will have to instill in them that academics come first while in school.  During college students are truly experiencing freedom for the first time where they could stay out all night if they wanted and realize that going to classes are not mandatory.  The consequence of staying out all night and not attending classes though will most likely be a poor letter grade in school, low GPA, and most likely academic probation.  It takes a certain level of maturity to make it in school.  The importance of maintaining a decent GPA is that If your child wish to pursue a graduate degree later which could help open up more career opportunities, then they would need to maintain a decent GPA to get accepted into most programs.  The next part of the conversation I would have is to maintain balance as a student.  If possible, attend the first session between your child and their academic advisor who will mostly likely enroll them in their classes.  You want your child to have a balance of regular classes and electives.  Also, it is ok to do the minimum hours required until your child have a feel for how the academic system work.  Do check ins and ask how things such as grades are going.  Schools have additional resources such as tutoring to help.  Teach your child about the drop system and to let them know when to withdraw from the course to save their GPA.  Also, If school is not initially working it is ok to leave school, get some real world experience, and come back.  Taking a break to mature have benefits as well.  At the end of the day, you can do so much to set your child up for success but It is their life that they will have to live. 

From my experience I did not care about GPA until I wanted to be a Kappa.  That’s when I learned how a GPA and calculated and how quality points play a role.  Because of the desire to want to pledge I went from being average to constantly maintaining a 3.0 or higher in my following term because I had to drive to want to know how the system work.    

[klarkkent71]

Europe, Returning to America, Upcoming Move, and Future Planning :)

4-26-2024

I haven’t blogged or just had a moment of peace to really share my thoughts buts since I was released early today from work and pretty much have a free day, I figured now would be the perfect time.  Since my last upload from here I just returned from Europe but never really shared anything so I’ll just break everything down into sectors.

Europe

Last year I spent 5 months in Europe as part of my job and it was blessing because I was exposed to so much.  I had the opportunity to be TDY there which included having my own car, living in a hotel and making $100 extra a day to cover my food expenses.  Of course, my priority was always on work and doing the best I could but I took advantage of every opportunity I could outside of work which included some awesome travels to other country.  I was able to check Paris France off my list which always been on my dream list and visited Germany, and Prague as well.  Poland was also an awesome place to live.  The food and activities there were cheap and the local population were friendly.  I enjoyed going out to explore and interact with people and I valued how easy-going things were over there compared to life in America.  At restaurants tipping isn’t expected a norm there but I did it anyway.  When eating there the restaurants are not trying to rush you and you can literally sit and enjoy all day If you want.  The public transportation was also great and you’re able to take a train or plane to many places without having to spend a lot.  The only thing I hated about most the places I was able to go was the language barrier.  It’s only a handful of people that could truly speak English good but it was great interacting with others using mobile apps.  Maybe I’ll share photos and videos of my full European experience one day.  With the extra income I was able to buy my life membership into Kappa and continued to build up on my savings and stock investments.

Returning to America

Coming back to America was great and it’s truly no place like home.  When I arrived back, I took some personal time to regroup and I proceeded to attend two events.  One was my college homecoming which I missed out on for a few years and seeing my friends and peers from college is like a family reunion.  The second event I attended was Carnival in Miami.  It’s nothing like dressing up and just enjoying vibes with people from across the United States and Island.  You will be on your feet walking for a while If you join a band but I’m glad I was prepared and knew what I took to survive in hot environments. 

Upcoming Move-Thoughts of Retirement

In July I will be moving to my next duty assignment.  I have 18 years of service altogether and 14 years of active duty.  In those 14 years of active duty, I have moved 8 times and I am truly numb to it by now.  I look forward to just enjoying the vacation time at home but these moves never get easy.  But the time I really start to get settled I have to be uprooted from my job and start over somewhere else.  I have also come to the realization that I am on the downturn of my career.  I will probably serve anything from the next 5 to 8 years and that will be it for my time as a servicemember.  The Army has truly been great to me but I look forward to the next steps in life.  I’m still torn between getting out and going to law school at home in Louisiana, starting my own logistics business, or taking on a job as a contractor or government employee.  As long as I stay out of the trouble the sky is truly the limit.

Financial   

For the first time since 2009 I am debt free and do not owe anyone or any business a thing.  I was able earn educational degrees and was getting paid the whole time to it.  I had multiple angles as a service member to not pay any student loan back and the first one finally came thru and wiped everything away.  I also have no vehicle payment either.  My last car and truck I bought off the showroom floor and had it financed but, in the future, I plan to just pay everything upfront and shift my focus on enjoying life experiences vs having a really nice vehicle. 

The next time I blog I will be settled in at my new home and settling in my next job.  I just ask that ya’ll continue to leave me in your prayers and I will be doing the same for all of yall.

[klarkkent71]

The Army is Family Business

The military is a family business.  I failed to really realize what this meant as a child but when I grew up the saying truly had more meaning.  With Veterans Day approaching this year I wanted to discuss my father James Thompson and both my grandfather’s John Thompson Jr. and Tillma Davis who was all drafted in the United States Army and went on to deployed to a war.  I want to break this post down into sections and share what I know about each of them.

James Thompson

James is my father and was one of my biggest inspirations to want to serve.  Growing up on random Sundays we would visit grandparents house and in the back room where I would usually play and watch TV was pictures.  The one picture I used to always stare was this colored picture of my dad wearing Sergeant ranks.  At the time I had no what that really meant or what my dad saw.  All I know was that he was in the Army at one point in time.  It wouldn’t be until I was an adult and already serving in the Army that I would truly learn his story.  After high school my dad moved to Kansas and worked for my aunt before moving back to Louisiana and starting college.  During this time the Vietnam War was already taking place.  My dad was a part time student pursuing a business degree and also worked in factory.  Because he was part time, he was drafted at 19 years old in the US Army as an infantryman.  He completed both his basic and AIT at Fort Polk and because of him being a good Soldier and showing great potential he was later sent to Georgia to go to NCO school from there my dad would eventually deploy to Vietnam.  While in Vietnam my dad was involved in plenty of patrols through the jungles that would lead to different ambushes or fire fights.  Even in his elderly year he could tell you how it was getting off the helicopter and the experiences of living out in the woods.  He still remembers ambushes that his Squad conducted and he have memories that will stick with him a lifetime.  During one engagement he was able to duck from bullets that went through his shirt and hit his radio.  That fractured his rib and he was eventually placed on light duty until his deployment was up.  My dad later went on to become a plumber and live what I would describe as a great life.  Although the horrors of war affected him and he was exposed to chemicals such as gang green he would always be in good spirit and as a Veteran he his happy and pride that he served his country.  To this day he’s involved with plenty of Veterans and Blind organizations.

John Thompson Jr.

I would not learn about my grandfather serving until his funeral which occurred in high school.  My grandpa passed away from prostate cancer.  What I do know is that he was honored with military honors at the service.  I would later learn from different family members that my grandpa was World War 2 veteran.  My grandpa served during segregation with honor and pride.  Even in Louisiana when the United States got involved in World War 2 it was frowned upon as a young black man to not serve.  My grandpa was drafted and answered the calling.  My grandpa served as an Engineer and was deployed to the Pacific.    As an engineer my grandpa would help build roads and land stripes for planes.  My grandpa was even exposed to combat as his unit shot down Japanese planes in the area.  Once my grandpa time in service was over, he move back home to Louisiana and worked in a steel mill.  My grandpa would eventually marry and have 5 kids. 

Tillma Davis

Mr. Tillma is my mother father and I know very little about his service.  I had opportunities to see him growing up but he really wasn’t involved in my mother life until way later when his time on this earth was up. I can’t really put nasty family business out there so I’ll choose to be respectful in this writing.   What I do know though is that he served in WW2.  I plan to one day reach out my uncle and other relatives that were close to him to get the full story of his service.  What I do know is that he served honorably and would eventually go on to lead a happy life in Mississippi.

[klarkkent71]

Preparing to Move Again-Life

I feel like it was just yesterday that I arrived in Texas and now it's time to move again. Because my focus here was on completing KD I opted for only two years here vs the original 3. Once my time here is complete I would have spent at 1/3 of my time away from home. This adventure of my life has already been much more different including spending time where I lived in Europe. During this adventure I also came to the realization that my time in the Army is eventually coming to an end and I am on the downslope of my career. I'm starting to put more thougt into what I want to do next in life and review what occupations my skills will transfer to.

[klarkkent71]

5 Things I Love About Being in the Service

With recruiting as one of the biggest focuses right now when it comes to the service, I decided I’ll do two separate blogs about the 5 things I love about being in the service and 5 major considerations anyone should think about before joining which will come at a later time.  I want to start by expressing that everyone experience in the service is different and I can only share things from my view from my career.  I am currently an Army Officer with 17 years of service where I hold the rank of Major. I started my career in 2006 by enlisting in the Army Reserves to help pay for school and had no idea it would be my first professional career after college.    In 2008 I switched over to the Louisiana National Guard where I was able to respond to various state emergencies such as Hurricane Gustav (2008) and other events within Louisiana.  In 2010 I graduated from Northwestern State and commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant where I have been an active-duty Soldier since. I’ve been deployed to Afghanistan and had a chance to see the world throughout my time of being in.      

Educational Benefits

Since graduating high school, I completed 5 college degree programs where the military financially contributed to. During my undergraduate years I served in the Army Reserves for 2 years and the National Guard for 2 years.  I took advantage of every opportunity that was available for education and was able to collect on benefits such tuition assistance, the GI Bill, the addition $350/monthly kicker, along with my monthly drill pay.  As an undergraduate student, my educational benefits alone were able to fund my monthly bills.  When I started my professional career in the Army after graduation, I was able to collect tuition assistance to fund my 1st graduate degree.  When going for my Doctorate I was able to use my GI Bill and when I completed my last degree in Kansas the Army paid all the costs since it was a part of the course I was attending.  Because of all my years in the service I qualified for programs where any loans I took out were forgiven.  My advice to anyone whether you go to college or a trade school is to have the service support whatever goals you have in mind

 Financial Stability, Retirement, and Career Potential

The Army gave me that experience of graduating college and immediately working in a career where I could support myself financially.  I didn’t know it at the time but the annual salary for an officer who started their career fell within the top 19% in the US at the time.  Because I served 4 years as Reservist/National Guard Soldier before starting my active-duty career I was making an additional $1,000 monthly compared to my peers who were just starting.  In 2010 as a 2nd Lieutenant, I made $60K and by 2015 I was clearing 100K. The other benefit I is that with more rank that is earned and with every year of just serving we get a raise to help us keep up with the economy.  Also, based on the cost of living in certain areas could determine increased benefits such as a higher housing allowance. The base pay of all service members along with benefits is public knowledge online and allows predictably in the future. The Army also have one of the best retirement systems where you can earn a percentage of your salary for the rest of your life at the 20-year mark along with collecting on VA benefits.  Also, when getting out and starting my next career it’s 6 figure jobs that I qualify for so the potential of having 3 checks monthly and a financially comfortable lifestyle is possible in my post military career. It can also help when wanting to start my own business or wanting to go to law school which is still a goal of mine.  

Medical Benefits

During my time of being in service, I never had to pay for a medical or dentist appointment.  I also never had to pay for any prescription medicine.  Anytime I had a medical emergency when being away from home, the Army worked with me to get help from the hospital that was close by so I could be seen.  I had various procedures conducted and get annual checkups where doctors help me monitor various conditions that run in my family.  With highly blood pressure and glaucoma as things I should look out for, I am able to get some of the best resources and information on things I should be on the lookout for to better take care of myself.  Because of my benefits I am to get free therapy sessions which really supported me mentally and helped me adjust throughout the years. I was also able to help peers out who were in the service too by sharing resources.  

 Relationships and Comradery

Being in I’ve been able to come across some great people and build relationships that will last for the rest of my life.  It’s a great feeling knowing that I have friends all over the world and people that would help me in time of need when I’m not living close to my family in Louisiana.  With moving so much I’ve been able to improve my interpersonal skill and blend in with all types of people.    I’ve been able to work with people from all walks of life and gain valuable insight of their story.  I’ve also been able use my various networks such as being in a fraternity and had it grow times 10 along with my membership in other organizations.  I been able to connect with community leaders and be of services in places that I’ve lived along with impacting the lives of those I served with.  If yall talk to any veterans most of them would probably tell you that one of the best things they enjoyed about being in is the people.

 Travel & Experiences

Before joining the Army, I never been on a plane or had travels outside the south.  The only times I would ever leave Louisiana would be to either to visit my mom side of the family in Mississippi or attend family reunions.  Since joining I had the chance to travel all over the world and experience other cultures.  I’ve also had a chance to travel all over the United States.  Since going active duty in 2010 I’ve moved a total of 7 times and took advantage of every move.  Also, with joining the military came unforgettable experiences.  I’ve shot and trained with weapons that others could only dream about.  I’ve had the opportunity to jump out of planes and helicopter over 20 times, and participate in training that was just downright fun.  I was also able to make the best of time in service by attending various military schools that included learning how to jump from planes, packing parachutes, and repelling from helicopters.

 Life:  Currently I’m supporting training in California but I look forward to coming home to Shreveport at the end of the month for a few days before going back over seas.  I l cant wait to just eat good food and catch up with my parents and friends.  One thing I’m learning is that other states have decent food but nothing comes close to the food or feelings of just being home 😊.      

  .  

[klarkkent71]

Depression and My Experiences

1-14-2023

DEPRESSION

With social media being mostly a highlight reel of people lives I’ve noticed that I never really shared my vulnerabilities or opened up with things I struggle with.  I decided now that I want discuss something that I’ve been fighting since age 14 and that’s depression.  You can’t really use one definition when defining depression but I’ll try with the use one website explanation.  Depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think, and how you act.  Depression causes feeling of sadness and loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. Depression is a common mental disorder and affects roughly 10 percent of the adult population.  The exact cause of depression are not clearly understood but some are believed to be chemical imbalance in the brain, childhood experience, life events,  genetics, physical health problems, mental health problems, and medications.  

Depression has been with me a long time.  I was diagnosed in 2013 and it’s just something that haven’t left me and is capable of coming up at any time.  If you’re on the outside looking in, my life and accomplishments look great!  I’m at a point where I became my idea self by working myself up in a business where I’m financially well off, crushing education and career goals, and just having confidence in everything I do.  For those that know me my demeanor is mostly calm and level headed at all times.  Over the last couple of years, I earned a promotion at work, earned a Master’s Degree, graduated from a school reserved for the top 50% of Army Officer, had a joint news story with my dad in my hometown, had a proclamation naming a day after me in Shreveport, gave speeches to the youth, been a guest speaker at other major events, been a part of many networking & volunteer events and the list of other awards and achievements go on and on.  While all these major things were going on could you imagine at various times, I was masking how I really feel with a smile while going through depression.  I was isolating myself from many things and only opening up to a few people of how I was really feeling.

On what could be seen as some of my best days I was truly being torn apart on the inside.  I still find myself at times fighting sadness, fighting this feeling of constant hopelessness, going through social withdrawal, having a lack of energy, going through sleepless nights where I’m still only averaging 4-5 hours of quality sleep a night, and going through moments where I think how peaceful things would be If I moved far away and cut off all ties with everything.  I am not suicidal so please do not get that idea from things I’m admitting in this blog but for educational purposes suicidal ideation is associated with depression. I found myself being triggered by many symptoms associated with depression.  I live in a world where my environment is going through continuous changes and moves (7 moves in 12 years to be exact).  I struggle with mild forms of PTSD from experiences in my work and personal life.  I struggle because I feel so alone even when being a socialite in a room full of people and getting lost in my mind.  I struggle with deaths in my family knowing I can only send flowers and not be there in person.  I struggle because I feel like I’m constantly missing out on things that are going on at home.  I struggle with things I see on the news along with my views on the world.  I struggle at the thought of feeling behind at 36 and not having a wife and kids.  I still have a hard time when people ask me when I’m getting married and having kids not knowing the number of failed relationships I’ve had and hopes of wanting children and experiencing multiple miscarriages with my partners in the past.  Going through that reinforced why I never ask others when are they having kids or starting a family.  I struggle at feelings of being overlooked and used by people to include friends and feeling overlooked for opportunities which still plays a part of me wanting to try so hard to be successful. I struggle with just a list of ongoing issues that people won’t see or notice about me.  If you look at some of my best highlights you can see the fatigue in my face and how I tried covering it up with a smile when I was highly depressed. By no means am I looking for any kind of sympathy because as people we all struggle with something!

Even with depression the one thing I repeat to myself is to keep fighting no matter what. Constant talks that I have with myself is reiterating that it’s okay if I can’t make every event or help out, that it’s fine to leave early when I feel overwhelmed, to enjoy resting and sleeping when I have time and that it’s not a sign of laziness to just recharge, and that seeking help isn’t a weakness and more of a strength.   There are many myths and misconception about depression to include people thinking it isn’t a real illness, that it only effects women, that you’ll need medication for the rest of your life, that talking about it make things worse, and that depression will go away on its own just to name a few.  I advise anybody that don’t know about depression to get educated on the myths and take in articles about how to deal with people to include loved ones who have depression which is only one google search away.  It’s way more complicated than just telling someone to just shake it off and that things will be just fine.  To those who also have depression I just want to say “Keep Fighting” and seek help when you can!  To my fellow brothers and just to anyone in general I want to highly recommend therapy or profession counseling. Psychotherapy and antidepressants are listed as the main factors in helping others overcome depression.  You never know what you truly have buried inside you.   I’ll leave everyone with this saying and that “You can get through this and that it’s fine to open with how you feel!

 Life Update:  I’m actually taking time and enjoying things in El Paso, TX and happy that I’m finally living out west for once.  If you can read between the lines and understand though I’ll be far away from TX for most of year and ask that yall keep me in your prayers.  I work a job that I truly like and plan to do updated blogs in the future of how things are going.  

[klarkkent71]

[klarkkent71]

Father-Son News Article

[klarkkent71]

Farewell ASUs

18 May 2022

With the Army Services Uniform (ASU) being phased out soon along with the introduction of the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) which would be the new official dress uniform all I could do is reflect on all the great memories I’ve had wearing the ASUs. For those that didn’t know I joined the Army when I was a freshman in college in 2006 and have 16 years of service in total.  Since joining, I witnessed the Army change the service dress uniform twice and now getting ready to wear my 3rd different dress uniform.  At boot camp, I was given the Army Dress Green Uniform which was my first dress uniform.   Once I graduated college and was commissioned as a 2LT in the Army I was wearing my greens and will attach a picture in this blog because I still own that uniform too!  The significance of the ASUs to me was that it was my first major purchase as a professional and my first-time spending over $1000 of my own money for anything. When I moved to Virginia in 2010 to start my career as an Army Officer, I knew that I would have to purchase the newest dress uniform promptly to fit in with the rest of my peers and not stand out negatively once I arrive at my next unit.  I remember I was going to just buy my uniform from the clothing store on the post but my two roommates at the time suggested I buy my uniform through a company called Marlow White since their uniforms were made of better fabric, looked better, and will last longer.  I’m honestly glad my roommates suggested that because for twelve years my ASUs held strong without one single issue.  I still have my jacket, pants, and dress shirts and they still fit me. My ASUs lasted for three different promotions, various military balls, formal events, and speeches that I had to give and I felt I looked good every single time.  While here at the Command and General Staff College where Marlow White is physically located, I was able to get fitted and purchase the Army's newest dress uniform along with a Dress Mess uniform which is the equivalent of the tuxedo and is used for formal or black-tie events which cost well over $2500 altogether.  As I enter this new era of uniforms and phase of my life of being a field grade officer all I could do was reflect and smile on the good memories.

 Life Update:  I know I've been MIA but school here in Kansas was truly kicking my butt along with life in general.  With the constant cold weather and me feeling so alone out here at first, I was going through it.   Also, with so many graduate papers to write, I could not shift my brain to write blogs as much because I was so academically in the zone.  Of all the graduate degree programs I have been part of and with this being my 3rd Master’s Degree it was hands down the hardest unlike other programs where I graduated with a 4.0, 3.94, and 3.93, I will most likely be leaving here with a 3.8 for this program.  I graduate here in the 2nd week of June, will visit Louisiana for a couple of weeks, and will be starting my next job as a Battalion Executive Officer in El Paso TX, and looking forward to life in west Texas.  I plan at some point to do a full blog about Kansas.    

[klarkkent71]

How I gained 30lbs in 3 months

Being skinny I heard every single joke there was coming up.  One of my goals over time has always been to gain weight and muscles but one of my biggest constrains is that I was born an ectomorph.  For those that don’t know there are three body types a person can be which is endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph Being an ectomorph we are the most resistant to weight and muscle gain because of a fast metabolism.    I grew up being able to eat what I ever I wanted and would not gain a single pound at any period in my life.  In 2016 I joined a gym while stationed in North Carolina and hired my first personal trainer.  I noticed from the start that my muscles were becoming more sculpted and cut but my weight would remain the same.  I would eat the 3 daily recommended meals a day of breakfast, lunch, and dinner and would most days include a protein shake hoping to see weight that never came.  Fast forward to January of this year where I’m stationed here in Louisiana and completely gave up on the idea of gaining any weight.  While working out I expressed the thought of gaining at least 20lbs before moving to Kansas this summer and my trainer linked me up with a dietician friend of hers. In a nutshell my dietician explained my body types, took all my measurements, and created a list of all the food I like and food that I will never eat.  She told me because of my metabolism I would have to start eating 6 to 7 meals.  By meals I was shook up by the concept thinking it’s no weigh that I’ll ever be that hungry but once she broke it down to me, I would eat four main dishes a day which would be breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner and three snacks in between those meals. The first few day’s dieting was pretty rough because I was practically forcing myself to eat but around day four, I noticed my appetite increasing and I was easily able to consume more meal.  I started my journey on 1 February at 194 and today 17 April I weigh 224.  At my 1 month weigh in alone I gained a total of 14lbs.  With the way my schedule is setup I lift twice a week with my trainer and then lift an additional day or two on my own.  I used to run at least 15 miles a week and will still back with more cardio and cardiovascular exercise in May but now I only average around 6-8 a week.  I’m still really good when it comes to being in cardio shape but I am now where near where I was when I was in the 190s.  I’ll share my daily schedule for those that are curious by meal type below:

1.  Breakfast-5-6 egg, one scoop of protein, 4-5 oz of milk, and a banana.  Most days I just blend them all together unless I have time to cook

2.  Brunch-4-5 oz of some type of healthy meat, lite veggies, and 30-40 of some type of carbohydrate

3.  Snack-Protein Bar, granola bar

4. Lunch-4-5 oz of some type of meat, 30-40 grams of carbs

5.  Snack-Protein Shake, Granola Bar

6.  Dinner-Same as Brunch

7 Snack-Yogurt & Dice Fruit or some type of salad, or small food tray.

I only maintain this diet Monday through Friday and on the weekends, I eat what I want so that I won’t go crazy. I usually eat 7 times a day for three days and the other two I take a snack out.  I spread most my meals out and eat every 2.5-3 hours.  For those that truly know me probably know how lazy I am.  I pay my dietician to prep all my main meal, I pay a trainer I work with twice a week and pay somebody to clean my home. My only regret from this journey is not taking a before and after picture because I figured this diet would not work but I was truly wrong. My plan is to get up to 230 and increase my cardio and start cutting back down.

Life Update

Currently we’re in the middle of training a unit here at Fort Polk but recently I found out I have to sign out here in the last week of June and report to Leavenworth Kansas the first week of July.  For those that don’t know I was selected to resident ILE which pretty much mean I’ll be in academic environment for a year learning to be an Army Major and broadening my perspective before going back to a regular Army Unit.  I’m feeling a lot better spiritually, emotionally, and physically, and hoping I can put something together for my birthday and spend time with my friends before moving.  I still have a set of mixed feelings since I’ll be moving and starting all over again but I definitely look forward to the new start :).  I still have more blog from poetry, travels, and other things to catch up on.  

[klarkkent71]

Moving Again :)

One thing I’ve grown accustomed to on this journey called Life is the fact that with my career comes the fact that I will have to move often.  During the last 11 years since starting my active-duty career, I moved a total of 6 times, and that I barely unpack boxes because I know I won’t be living in a location for very long. Back in January, I shared with everyone that I was selected to the rank of Major in the Army which is a huge milestone for me, and with that, I knew that my time here in Louisiana will be coming to an end. I was initially selected to attend Satellite Intermediate Level Education which meant that I would only go to school with my peers for a total of 3 months before reporting to my duty assignment which I planned to move to in November.  Soon as I reached out to my career manager with my plans, she told me that based on my profile that I will be getting moved to the 10-month resident program located in Leavenworth, KS, and that I can expect to move in July which I was honestly excited about because I’ll be back in an academic environment.  The only thing I truly hate is the fact that I ‘ll be moving away from Louisiana and It is no guarantee that I’ll ever move back.  For those that don’t know I am currently on my second tour of being stationed here in Louisiana.  The first time was from 2011-15 and now the second time will be from 2018-21.  One of the things I truly regret is the fact that with COVID going on I haven’t had a chance to enjoy being home this last year because most of my time was spent in isolation at home or working and I can count on my hand how many social interactions had outside of the Army.  The only other thing I hate is that I can’t be home to support my parents as they fight through a private medical problem. With all the negativity I had to go on in my life along with fighting the anxiety of change I truly found myself in a dark place and entering depression.  Usually, when I move, I go through a phase of just cutting everyone off that I met on the current chapter since I know I’ll be starting things completely over and would just leave an assignment without telling anyone or doing any kind of going away event.  After talking with some good friends, I realized how selfish it is just to move like that and I plan to spend time with certain groups even it’s just something simple such as lunch or dinner.  With that being said I do look forward to my next adventure.  Every time I move somewhere, I make friends very quickly and I always take time to enjoy whatever state I moving to.  I plan to take trips to Kansas City and St Louis along with flying to other great cities nearby to explore.  I also look forward to just taking a break from my regular work life and taking advantage of the year of just being in an academic environment 😊.  I’ll just end this blog by stating that change is usually a good thing and we as people truly can’t grow without it.  

 Life Update

I know my blogging has been little to none but with the news, I got about moving soon and the shortage of people in my unit I truly haven’t had any real personal time to enjoy my hobbies or people that I have in my life.  I find myself just working a lot and placing what energy I have left in the wrong places.

With that being said though I do have a lot that I can talk about and inspired to develop new poetry based off of current event.  I still have blogs that I just haven’t released or finished too.  The next blog I truly look forward to typing is how I put on 26lbs in 2 months and along with increasing muscle mass.  The only mistake I made was never taking any before or progress pictures.  I look forward to my upcoming trip to Georgia though where I plan to upload pictures on my IG and share the adventure.  I always look forward to having the month of May and June off to enjoy catching up with everyone.    

[klarkkent71]

[klarkkent71]

You’re Not Behind!

17 December 2020

With the holidays approaching one topic I see fit to discuss is that “you are not behind”.  During Thanksgiving and especially Christmas one of the topics that are always brought up when visiting friends, family, and coworkers is why I’m not married yet and why don’t I have kids.  Usually, it starts with the fact that I have a lot of positive things going on in my life from school to my career and then leads right into the topic, some people begin to even speculate crazy ideas that I’m even trying to hide something because I’m not married with kids at this point.  I’ve heard it all from being called gay, a player, to sex addict which I just laugh at.  I always smile when people highlight the fact I’m not married and let people know that God's timing is different for everyone and that as people we are blessed at different times and should not base a lifetime decision on a set timeline based on what others would think.  Of course, I want to get married and enjoy some time with my wife before eventually having kids but I want everything to be at the right time when we are ready.

If you are one of those people like me who are 30 and up and you feel behind just know that life is just beginning and that it’s a lot of benefits that you have at this moment. 

I spent my 20’s with education and my career as a priority never felt behind because I knew I was getting myself more established in the world.  When I was born my mom was 33 and my dad was 37 and looking back I can truly say I enjoyed being raised by mature parents.  I used to look back on weekends as a kid and thinking my parents were truly boring people at the time because they rarely stopped out but it was the life they enjoyed of just staying in and having peace.  Whether you know it or not we live in a changing society that branches off from traditional views and it is more common and acceptable to start families at a later age.  Even your favorite celebrities and politicians from Jay-Z, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and even our first African American vice president Kamala Harris did not get married with some having kids and others becoming a step-parent until a later age.    

If you were married and had kids at an earlier age that is great and has a bunch of benefits too but I want to now highlight some of the benefits of getting married later and why you should truly not feel behind.

You have Life Experience

By the time you’re 30 & up you have some dating experience and understand what works for you and things that don’t.  You’re able to easily identify what values you have and what things you are willing to compromise on with your partner.  

You’re more likely to be established

At this point, most people who completed college or some type of graduate program are established at their job and career and those who went straight into the work world without school are more structured in their work life.  With this also comes to the fact people are more financially stable by then. 

You have a stronger sense of self

In my 20’s was when I was truly finding myself from the time I spent in college to transition to a professional career and back to grad school.  I traveled the world, gained all type of life experience, and I’m way more mature and confident now vs where I was when I was in my 20s.  

When in a time where more things are socially acceptable

 We now live in a time where it is more acceptable to simply just be you.  You can move in with a partner, have kids at a later age, and decide to never get married or have kids at all and it is more acceptable now vs decades ago.  We see it through everyday life and TV that people get to live all kinds of ways which is just fine.

In conclusion, you should never feel discouraged about where you are in life and should not fall into the pressures of society telling you what to do.  We are now in changing times and you’ll be fine whether you stick to traditional views or not.

[klarkkent71]

Just Blogging Life

6 December 2020

It’s truly been a while since I blogged anything or put any effort into any type of writing to include articles and my poetry.  These last few months I had a lot going on in my personal life and my work life and I found myself becoming mentally exhausted to the point I didn’t want to do anything productive.  Usually, I’m always optimistic and chill even during the worst type of situation but one thing life always teaches us is that at some point we are bound to have our low moments.  One of the first gut-punches I went through was hurricane Laura flooding the first floor of my townhouse causing me to lose materialistic items and leaving this unbearable smell along with killing our electricity for a week.  With it still being the high point of summer then I found myself losing sleep from it being so hot at night and not being my ordinary self at work because we had to maintain a vigorous schedule.  The other thing that was slowly starting to kill me is that we’re still in a pandemic.  I feel like every month I lost some family member or friend from this virus and every time I watch the news it just always seemed to be no end in sight.  With me being the free spirit I am, I started to feel caged in because I could barely go home to visit my parents unless I got tested and I had moments of just truly feeling alone and isolated.  With everything I had going on I found myself at an all time low to where I stopped working out and had a horrible weight gain.  The best thing though about hitting my low though is realizing that the only direction I can move is up.  Instead of complaining all the time about what the storm did in my place, I realized it was others around me who lost way more and donated over thousands of dollars others who lost everything which helped me feel good on the inside. Instead of just staying caged in the house and I took the time to socialize and enjoy drinks with a friend.  One instance of just having drinks with a friend opened the door to a life treasure I now have in my life.  Another positive thing that went on is that with me being weighed down by work it only made me a stronger employee at my job and better prepared me for my move this summer.  I’m also excited because in January I believe the promotion list will be out and I will be seeing my name on there!   With me being on a two-month break I definitely plan to get more active in the gym now and even though my international vacation trips had to get canceled I plan to make the best of traveling in Louisiana and Texas and being productive.  So far, I was able to see the Light Festival in Natchitoches which just made my heart smile from start to finish, and were back to jumping from planes at work again. I also had crawfish and other dope new experiences in my local area.  I know this blog is pretty much vague but I’m just glad to be writing again.   The last thing I'm starting to smile about is that with the new leadership elected I truly believe as a society we will have this virus under control.  If I don't post again before January I want to wish you all a happy holiday and Happy New Year!    

[klarkkent71]

Poems from the Heart

Soul Ties(The Fall Off)

Soul ties, the day you hit me up checking up on me my heart smiled for a second but at the end of the conversation it felt like my heart was ripped out my chest and my soul died.  

So many years I put off the inevitable, I just let my soul lie.  

Traumatized by everything that happened in my life from the storm I couldn’t even let my soul cry.

As much as I wanted to ask for one final closure talk, I couldn’t even let my soul try.

We are now in two different worlds now searching for our way In life so we riding a soul high.

Thank you for everything.

 Treasure

When everything started to fall apart, in reality that mean other things are coming together.

I did not think anything good would go from this storm but in reality I’m glad I started to find my rainbow in all this bad weather.  

To think this all started from having random drinks with a friend.

Its crazy I had the wrong identity of who I was talking about but it’s so dope at how it all worked out in the end.  

I’m grateful for the Instagram messages, the late-night calls and all our texting.

I love seeing how deep your soul goes with life questions and truly think you’re a blessing.  

In your day job you take care of others in their time of need.

And it’s dope that you work so hard but at times still find moments to just fit me in and check on me.

You live up to your name and I can’t wait until I can take a deeper look into the real you.

Until then I’ll just focus on this first face to face and how I’ll try to find us the best view.

[klarkkent71]

Coping With COVID19

This month I wanted to talk about ways to cope with COVID19 and techniques I been using to deal with the stress caused by this and other recent current events.  I am by far no expert and understand that different people cope with events in different ways but I wanted to talk about what works for me. For most of us, this is considered our first real health pandemic of this proportion and I do not feel the need to describe what COVID19 is because it’s simply everywhere from the news to social media.  When this pandemic started, I was truly in a feeling of disbelief and self-denial that we were losing people we know left and right.  As a black man I was hurting more because here in Louisiana at the peak of this disease, 70 to 80 percent of those victims were black.  When you tie that into events such as black men losing their life on camera for the world can see it truly enough to drive conscious individual crazy.  I found myself in a state of depression and was fighting off that feeling of cabin fever. It was so bad at one point I would stop answering my phone and started to sink my mind more thinking traps.  My old laptop had a bad virus so I could not write and express myself and write.  The only interaction and things that kept me sane was the fact I could play video games online with my friends and workout daily.  It was during isolation and my worst moments that I started positive reinforcements in my mind and started to think to myself that even though the world is going through so much I can push myself to spot out one positive thing that happens.  I started to think to myself that I’m truly blessed because I still had a job during this, that I was blessed to simply just wake up every day with life, and started to build a plan on completely removing myself from those negative thinking traps.  Next, I’ll cover the techniques that worked for me.

CUT BACK ON THE NEWS AND SOCIAL MEDIA Anybody who truly knows me, knows that I love keeping up with current events and news that is going on in the world.  Most nights I put it on CNN or MSNBC and the TV will just watch me go to sleep.  I’m also big into browsing on social media to keep up with friends and families even though I rarely post for personal reasons. Over time this started to weigh in on me because the daily number of positive cases would rise.  I found myself being obsessed with all the negative articles and failed to realize that I had friends posting the positive news of them beating COVID19 when they once had positive results.  I started to cut back on the news placed that energy into other places that yielded positive results. 

  TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH Before COVID19 became I pandemic I just got back to Louisiana from a military school and was on cloud nine because I was in the best shape of my life.  I was feeling good mentally and physically because I just overcame a tough military course but once I found myself in those negative traps, I stopped working out and expanding my mind.  I found myself overeating and my weight went from 190 to 210 in two months.    It wasn’t until my friend invited me to join his book club which had a run challenge on the Nike app included that I started to get back into running.  My townhouse also opened the gym back up which helped me.  Working out again along with expanding my mind through reading and studying vocabulary flashcards had me feeling a lot of better.  Also, be aware of the foods you’re eating and take vitamins If you can.  The reason I was gaining weight is because I was eating out every day and was not eating the healthy options.  When you tie that into the fact it was crawfish season, I was a ticking time bomb for a health disaster.  I started to switch my diet up and would only eat meats and cheat meals on the weekend.  That along with working out daily easily helped me return to myself

MEDITATE-PRACTICE YOUR RELIGION One thing that helped me feel better was the fact I was attending church online and was able to continue to practice my faith.  Before the pandemic I just started attending church in person here and once everything started I found myself isolated and questioning my faith.  I’m grateful for technology because once I started to watch services online I instantly felt better.  I was able to attend my church along with other friends services who would live-stream their service.  I also started to mediate daily for 30 min.  I have never been a person that was big into yoga or mediating but started to learn the positive benefits by actually practicing.  Meditation helps to reduce stress and improve sleep which were benefits I needed at the time.   START A HOBBY/CONTINUE ON A PROJECT Having so much time and the ability to work from home was a benefit that I overlooked. My project during this break was reducing the amount of things I had in my townhouse.  I watched this documentary on Netflix titled Minimalism and came to the reality that I have way more to much stuff that I don’t need.  I was able to reduce close space and donate my things towards a good cause.  I also started to play this battle royale games on Call of Duty which meant that I got to interact with my friends daily.  I made it a hobby to get better and the gamer community as a whole helped to uplift me.  

CHECK ON FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND DO SOMETHING NICE. During the middle of a crisis, it is easy for me to just fall into that “me, me, me” mentality that I was failing to realize that others were going through the same thing.  I started to check on my friends and families to see how they were doing and started to feel better.  It also felt good at the same time to just talk to someone and express how I feel.  I also used this as an opportunity to reconnect with people I haven’t spoken to in a long time.  I would message someone whether a friend or coworker I haven’t spoken to in forever and just shoot them a message.  You never the impact you can have on someone day by just sending them a message to check on them.  I also find that doing random acts of kindness for people felt good too.  I was sending certain friends and family members a small Cashapp amount to just buy them lunch or dinner for the day and it truly felt good seeing how surprised they were.   THERAPY/COUNSELOR/CHAPLAIN The last piece of advice I have is to utilize a therapist, counselor, or chaplain.  Reaching out to a professional is a true sign of strength and nothing you should ever be ashamed of.  Throughout points in my life, I truly utilized all forms of personal care from military to civilian counseling in multiple settings, and this time it was no different. Every time I went to therapy in life, I can truly say it works.  The advice I usually give service members is to utilize Military One Source where the military will pay for 12 sessions with a professional off post.  I won’t go into all the befits of therapy because I did that on another blog on my page but I highly recommend reaching out.  

Life Update. This will probably be my last year of living in Louisiana and the south for a long time so I’m making the best of these next 11 months and I started my new job in the Army a month ago which has been going well.  I have a new computer with better software so that I can work from home and work on my blogs. I know I slacked off for two months from writing but I definitely plan to just keep things going now and I constantly pray that all of you are doing well.  

[klarkkent71]

Seattle Travels/Life Updates

12 March 2020

Seattle Blog

Before my recent trips throughout 2019, my only trip to Washington state was in 2010 when I senior cadet at Northwestern State and had to travel there for Leadership Training which was a requirement to commission as an Army officer. After I graduated from Fort Lewis that summer my cadre from school treated me to Reb Lobster and I was immediately on a plane back to Louisiana. Throughout my years of service, I’ve heard great things about Washington but it never crossed my mind to visit there until it came time for work and to visit my friends there. The times I went there it was nothing but incredible and I learned a lot about what the state has to offer. Did you know Seattle is the home of the original Starbucks or did you know that Seattle is the home of both Microsoft and Amazon? Another interesting fact about Seattle is it's known for Boeing Airplanes, some good hiking, fishing, and occasional rain here and there. Being the biased person that I am though when it comes to food I think being from down south, we still have them beat though. When I was able to explore Seattle though I was impressed by how progressive the city and just how innovative and modern the people are vs being home in the traditional south. If you go you’ll see the sky trains and people who are willing to be themselves there. Walking downtown you can run across a lot of professionals from different walks of life and come across a good bit of people in the tech industry who are well off in their careers. You’ll be able to see structures such as the Space Needle and Pike Place Market where you’ll see people throwing fish. As I mentioned in previous blogs my favorite activities are walking and food tours but I’ll run down some of the activities I enjoyed that you might consider adding to your agenda if you decide to visit one day.

Savor Seattle Food Tour

When I was doing my research on the various food tours that Seattle had to offer this spot stood out in the reviews. They offer multiple walking tours from beers to chocolates but the one I decided to buy was there food and gourmet tour which was I enjoyed. To my surprise, the first restaurant we visited was owned by a man from Louisiana who wanted to bring the culture to Seattle and was pretty good. Overall you pretty much get to walk to 6 different locations and enjoy a small amount of food with an alcoholic beverage from wine to beer. Don’t worry though by the time you get to your 3rd or 4th stop you will be full and tipsy lol. My favorite part of the tour was the final stop where we came to a chocolate shop called Frans which is the official chocolate of the Obama Presidency and we had a chance to sample Barrack and Michelle's favorite chocolates.

Pike Place Market

Most movies dealing with Seattle you’ll see this place but to see it up close and person is something different. It located right near the shore but has plenty of shops and fresh markets you can walk and explore. You’ll see people selling all types of things from food to flowers.

Sculpture Park

For those not looking to spend a lot and just enjoy a park-like setting Sculpture Park would be it. It plenty of sculptures you can take pictures with and after a long day of walking it’s somewhere that you can just sit and enjoy in peace.

Space Needle

Known as one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world the tower has a futuristic look where you can walk or elevate up. From here you’ll get a view of the whole city which you’ll never forget

El Gaucho Steakhouse

Anybody that knows me knows I love a good steak made with Oscar-style and El Gaucho did not disappoint. After a previous visit where I went to another steakhouse and paid a fortune, I was pretty upset at the food but coming back and trying the second best-rated steakhouse was the best move. Even though the food is pricey this location was worth every penny from the bread to the main course and drinks. Also, the guy playing the piano was playing all my favorite tunes that night

The First Starbuck/Starbuck Reserve Roastery

While down and doing the walking tour they’ll show you the location of the original Starbucks but later in the day if you want to be marveled by a coffee shop visit the Roastery. There you can try multiple brews with different qualities of taste to satisfy any coffee lover

Explore NightlifeWhen I went I visited the Baltic which was pretty chill and one night I went to Q Nightclub where they had a 2000s themed party Life UpdatesI’ve been slacking on blogging I defintely know.  Recently I just got back from school in GA and it was extremely tough and frustrating especially since only 55% percent of my class made it. I was glad to be of those who did not fail one single event. Now with my uniform, it looks badged out which is pretty cool. Now I’m focusing on losing weight so that I can apply and train up for my next school which will require me to be in the best shape of my life. Also, I start a new job on April 1st where I’ll mostly be isolated away from most of my peers so I’m mentally adjusting to that. By next May I plan to go away from Louisiana so I’m detaching myself from any real connections here and just focusing and physical fitness and trying to be the best at my job. This will be the year where I’ll find out If I made the next rank or not which should easily be a yes for me. I’m also feeling better spiritually because I started going to church again and hanging out more with like-minded individuals. As everyone is going through this virus scare I feel completely at peace for once. I’m looking forward to traveling and exploring more this summer. Do you know within the last 8 months I’ve taken a trip outside of the state for work or fun which been pretty exciting at times. Next week I’ll get to perform poetry again too but that’s all I have for my updates everything is just flowing smooth in life