Tobiasly’s Blog

My dad let me know that this site got cut off when printing pages out. That should be fixed now… when printing a page, then entire left-hand menu will be removed, allowing more room for the content.

I’m getting much closer to having my online photo album completed, at which point I should have lots of new pictures ready to go!

Well, I just got back in last night from my 6 days of R&R leave to Germany. Needless to say, it sure flew by pretty quickly.

Elizabeth took lots of pictures, so I’ll get those up soon (after I sort through and polish them a bit). Rather than try to describe a lot about the trip here, I’ll just be sure to put lots of descriptive captions on the pictures.

Tonight, I’m taking off for a week of leave in Frankfurt, Germany! Elizabeth flew over yesterday; she’s staying with some friends and will be meeting me at the airport when I arrive.

Just the thought of actually being with her for a whole week is rather mind-boggling right now. Not to mention a real bed, food, shower, and bathroom!

I’m just hoping that this week-long respite doesn’t make it even more unbearable once I have to come back to the desert, but I think another two months shouldn’t be too bad.

I’ve added a few categories to break down my postings a bit further. Although most of my posts are about my military deployment, I will also post on other topics from time to time. If you don’t want to see the other stuff, click “National Guard” from the menu on the left.

So here’s a shameless plug for my favorite new toy. It’s a Neuros MP3 player (or, as they call it, a “Digital Audio Computer”).

They have a few different versions, but I got the bundle that comes with two “backpacks”… one that has 128MB of memory, and the other with a 20GB hard drive. The first is small and good for jogging or clipping on your belt to take pretty much wherever, while the second one can hold hundreds of CDs worth of music.

It’s a little bigger than an Apple iPod, but has a ton of cool features like broadcasting music through a nearby FM radio; identifying unknown songs you hear on the radio by “fingerprinting” them; MP3/WAV recording from the built-in mic, line-in, or radio; and upcoming support for the superior Ogg Vorbis audio format.

If you’re in the market for an iPod or similar device, you owe it to yourself to check out Neuros. I absolutely love mine, and they’re constantly updating the firmware and sync software based on user input. Their customer support is also superb.

After each item I post, you’ll see a link you can follow to read others’ comments, and add your own. You can leave comments anonymously, or leave your name and/or email/web address.

You can post pretty much anything you want, but because I have lots of different people reading this site, I’ll delete anything offensive. Of course, you can always send me an email by clicking my name at the end of each item.

Today our company was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge for our participation in the combat phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This is a rather prestigious award that is highly regarded throughout the U.S. armed forces.

This award is especially significant for us since my battalion (1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry) and our sister Indiana National Guard battalion (1st Battalion, 293rd Infantry) are the first two National Guard battalions to receive this award since World War II, when it was created.

It’s hard to describe to anyone not in the military how much of an honor it is to receive this award. We left our wives, families and loved ones for who knows how long; endured living conditions that few will experience in their lives; and put our lives on the line for a little decoration to put on our chest. I would have thought it was pretty silly myself just a few years ago, I’m sure.

I’ve been working quite a bit on the website since revamping it yesterday. It seems like everything is up and running now.

I’ve also finished importing some recent emails I’ve sent about me and my National Guard compatriots who are over here in the middle east. Hopefully I’ve given a bit of an angle into life over here that you can’t get from CNN.

Now that the front pages are taken care of, I’ll next focus on my photo albums — cleaning up the ones that are already there, plus posting a couple new ones. Here’s one that can’t wait though — my “puppy” Aloysius (he’s the Black Lab) with a newfound friend (her name is Rosie, a Yellow Lab that belongs to an aunt and uncle of Elizabeth’s)

Hi everyone… I am updating my website to include a blog, plus easier access to the photo albums.

So what is a blog, you ask? The word blog is short for web log, which is basically a periodic posting of whatever I feel is relevant, noteworthy, or interesting.

As most everyone who knows me knows, I’m currently deployed in the middle east with the Indiana Army National Guard, in support of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. I’ll be importing some emails I sent out earlier in the year regarding my deployment and the fun we’ve been having over here.

Stay tuned!

My name is Tobias Lee Johnson, although I go by Toby. I am 29 years old; I have a wonderful wife, Elizabeth, and spastic Black Lab mix, Aloysius.

I live in Southern Indiana in the U.S.A. I work as a programmer for a large human resources consulting firm. I have always loved computers and gadgets, and although I have a minor in Computer Science (I have a B.S. in Chemistry), most of what I know about computers is self-taught.

I am also a first lieutenant in the Indiana Army National Guard (A Company, 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry Regiment). I am a platoon leader currently deployed to the Middle East. For the time being, this blog mostly concentrates on my experiences during this deployment (naturally!).

You can view many more photos in my online Photo Gallery.

The name of this site, “Tobiasly”, is simply a play on my first and middle names. An online friend of mine used it as an adverb, as in “I need some tobiasly advice”; I liked it, and kept using it.