From the Trenches 8/12

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Source: Dave Cummings


Dave Cummings

From the Trenches by Dave Cummings, Porn Star Aug, 2012

Time speeds by, sometimes very rapidly. Heck, this summer will soon be over, and before we know it we’ll be dealing with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Xmas, and the start of yet another new calendar year, Again! As I’ve gotten older and older, the time seems to jet by faster and faster. (Note to self, start taking some time to do “nothing”).

While on the staff and faculty at West Point during four of my 25 years of military assignments many years ago, I was involved in Professional Development/Management/Leadership; and, among many other duties, I actually lectured other West Point officers on effective time management; but now, it’s ME who needs to more efficiently practice professional personal time management to maximize my need to make the best possible utilization of my available time.

I’m simply overwhelmed with my “To Do” list and encroachments into my time by others and their priorities for my time. Admittedly, sometimes priorities in my personal time management involves sex, something I need much more now that piracy has caused diminished bookings for porn performing. I’m totally unwilling to let sex ebb just to take care of other time matters; and that includes masturbation which is a “plus” in my daily productivity. (Note to self, start saying “NO” to demands by others for my time.)

So, time matters. Sex matters. I matter, if only to myself. Of late, I’ve been more apt to say “Not now thank you, but maybe later or at some swinger event” to women wanting quickies, or men approaching me to “do” their older and sometimes overweight wives so they can be free to scout the swinger pool party for some sweet young woman to play with. I’ve also cut back on unnecessary breakfast or business meetings with associates; they might have some free time, but I don’t.

Now, family comes first, always! Just last week, due to a sick babysitter, my 9-year old granddaughter (Arianna) called to see if she could hang out with me for the day while her mom attended an all-day seminar related to her paralegal profession. I quickly postponed an afternoon dermatology appointment and made a note to myself to bring extra sun block for Arianna and I to plaster on us at the beach amusement park rides, and the beach boardwalk.

I drove up to get Ari, after which we stopped at a beach café for breakfast, and then headed to the roller coaster and some other somewhat scary rides. In the afternoon, Ari and I ran some errands, including a stop by the Marine Corps Air Station to buy her some new sneakers for her start of school later this month. She thought it was cool how the Marines saluted us since my vehicle has an officer’s registration sticker on the windshield to expedite entry to the base.

F-18 fighter jets were practicing touch-and-go activities on the main runway, so I took her to the flight line for a soda and so she could see the F-18s better. Yup, she thought it was cool, especially when two Marine aviators said hi to her as they were walking by on the way to their aircraft. Yes, we had to stay and let her watch “Her Marines” taxi to the runway and launch. Candidly, though I’ve seen it all, it was still thrilling to see and hear the take-offs.

I had a blast hanging out with Ari and her refreshing view and excitement about life as a nine year old; Upon leaving the base, we stopped by the VA cemetery where the day before I was a participant in the Patriot Guard Riders (Google it!) group honoring an Army Sergeant killed in action earlier in the week in Afghanistan.

I had promised his family after the funeral that I would stop by the gravesite the next day and make certain that the headstone had arrived and been properly placed. It was there. I mentioned to Ari how powerful the feelings of sadness were at the funeral when the rifle volley salute happened and when the bugler played “Taps” as we saluted.

Concerning the KIAs funeral and burial, he was an Army paratrooper, like me. We had both Trained and graduated from Jump School at Ft Benning; he was deployed to Afghanistan subsequent to a Ft Bragg assignment; after a two-year assignment in Berlin, I was reassigned to Ft Bragg and deployed from there two years later to Vietnam, including an assignment as the Commanding Officer of a company-sized unit of the 4th Infantry Division during the enemy’s Tet Offensive.

At his funeral, some of his Ft Bragg associates who had previously served with him attended in uniform and supplemented our PGR Honor Guard. I stood there at attention with the PGR, as they rendered their final salute to the Sergeant, and touched his casket as it was being lowered into the ground. As the soldiers turned, tears were evident on almost everyone, me included. (Note to self, life flies by, so live it making good use of time on Earth)

Use sun block, have fun, enjoy family, be nice to people just for the sake of being nice!

Dave Cummings