Deployment Journal - Days #113-120

So, we left our home yet again, in an attempt to break up this deployment a bit - and avoid solitude (and crummy weather) over the holidays.  Leaving was no small task.  I was so relieved to be on the plane.  We were both giddy for most of the flight.

But, we arrived amid a crazy slew of baby showers, birthday parties, reenactment festivals, and several dozen people wanting to see us immediately...

  
Husband, being ever kind and smart, sent us flowers.  Partially for MY birthday.  Partially out of pure sympathy.  

We're very tired at the moment, and trying find our new rhythm - in someone else's house.  Unfortunately, sleeping in the new place isn't working so well for Little One.  Wish us luck.  All children really will sleep eventually... uh, right?

Deployment Journal - Day #112

 [10:31:44 PM] Hubby: How is your Book review?

[10:31:53 PM] Hubby: Did you like it?

[10:32:02 PM] Hubby: Oh wait... it's only Tuesday night for you.

[10:32:12 PM] Hubby: Do you like it?

[10:32:33 PM] Me: No  =(  I not like it

[10:32:34 PM] Me: It is boring.

[10:32:37 PM] Me: Very drab.

[10:33:00 PM] Me: I'm trying to improve it, but I've just started to add completely unnecessary adjectives, heh

[10:33:02 PM] Me: So, I stopped

[10:33:04 PM] Me: And tried again

[10:33:16 PM] Hubby: *chuckle*

[10:33:43 PM] Me: But I just helped Dad finish tearing our old CD player apart - the CD changer malfunctioned and ate four of Mom's CD's, so he bought a new one but she wanted the lost CDs back so... yeah.  Lotsa screws on the floor now.

[10:34:17 PM] Hubby: LOL!!!!!

[10:34:22 PM] Me: I think a weekly demolition project would do me good

[10:34:29 PM] Hubby: HAHA!!!!

[10:34:33 PM] Hubby: That's kind of funny...

[10:34:37 PM] Me: I need a tree to hack or something

[10:34:42 PM] Me: Heh, yes kinda

[10:34:46 PM] Me: Funnier a few hours ago  =)

[10:34:54 PM] Hubby: Ah....

[10:35:07 PM] Hubby: Ok. I'll buy you a log and a hatchet.... how's that for a compromise?

[10:35:19 PM] Hubby: You can go out and hack at it for a few minutes every day. =)

[10:35:43 PM] Hubby: I'll make it a thick log so it lasts a while...

[10:36:01 PM] Me: It cannot roll away

[10:36:15 PM] Me: I think I might lose my mind, chasing a log, when I needed to axe it...

[10:36:25 PM] Me: Maybe you can bolt it to the ground  :P

[10:38:06 PM] Hubby: Or I'll get you a square log....

[10:38:09 PM] Hubby: =)

[10:38:13 PM] Me: That'd work.

[10:38:21 PM] Me: Or maybe just a tree stump

[10:38:34 PM] Hubby: *pictures [me] chasing logs trying to hack them....*

[10:38:44 PM] Hubby: That will make for a funny dream tonight....

[10:39:04 PM] Me: Ha

[10:39:18 PM] Me: I wonder when my boring review will feel done

[10:39:25 PM] Me: I'm not sure, shy of "good" where to quit?

[10:39:53 PM] Hubby: Is Kitten in bed?

[10:39:58 PM] Me: Oh yes

[10:40:02 PM] Me: Since... 9:15?

[10:40:09 PM] Hubby: Ok. Then you should be in bed too.

[10:40:16 PM] Me: Uhm, book review

[10:40:23 PM] Hubby: Uhm. Sleep deprivation.

[10:40:30 PM] Me: Hello, I HAVE to turn this in first

[10:40:39 PM] Hubby: Can you turn it in tomorrow?

[10:40:45 PM] Me: No

[10:40:48 PM] Hubby: You probably don't want to.

 [10:40:53 PM] Me: It won't work

[10:41:05 PM] Me: Shall I review my daily morning schedule for you, with a small child?!

[10:41:06 PM] Me: :-P

[10:41:13 PM] Hubby: No. No. I get it.

[10:41:16 PM] Hubby: I'm just concerned.

[10:41:19 PM] Hubby: Send it to me.

[10:41:22 PM] Hubby:  I shall read.

[10:41:33 PM] Hubby: Let's get this done quickly so you can sleep.

[10:41:44 PM] Me: I don't have a final sentence... ugg

[10:41:48 PM] Me: Must keep rewriting it

[10:41:56 PM] Hubby: Email. It. To. Me.

[10:41:59 PM] Hubby: =)

[10:42:06 PM] Hubby: *stern knightly voice*

[10:42:23 PM] Me: I don't want to send an unfinished draft!  It's bad enough to send a draft

[10:42:24 PM] Me:  :-(

[10:42:40 PM] Hubby: *hugs his princess* But, you're stuck. I shall help.

[10:45:35 PM] Hubby: ... hallo?

[10:45:42 PM] Me: I sent it

[10:45:43 PM] Me: Horrid thing

[10:45:50 PM] Hubby: *chuckle*

[10:46:14 PM] Me: **imagines herself hacking dumb book review with an axe**

[10:53:25 PM] Me: ... you there?

[10:53:37 PM] Me: Are you reading it?

[10:53:39 PM] Hubby: Yes. I’m reading it. =)

[10:53:51 PM] Hubby: And trying to think of things to help make it better.

[10:54:02 PM] Me: … Is it bad?

[10:54:21 PM] Me: I had this delusion you'd tell me "It's fine, you're crazy, just post it" - but I feel like it's ick

[10:54:32 PM] Hubby: I don't think so. =) But I'm reading this from the angle of "You don't like this."

[10:54:52 PM] Hubby: "She doesn't like this, so how can I help her like it."

 [10:55:05 PM] Me: Maybe I am just tired?

[10:55:06 PM] Hubby: Blah....

[10:55:13 PM] Me: Will editor lady think it is blah?

[10:55:17 PM] Hubby: I don't think it's as bad as you're making it out to be.

[10:55:28 PM] Me: But it's kinda bad?

[10:55:28 PM] Hubby: Rather... I don't it's bad at all.

[10:55:33 PM] Me: The chapters were BORING  :-(

[10:55:40 PM] Hubby: *chuckle*

[10:55:42 PM] Me: So I think I had trouble not feeling negative, while writing about them

[10:55:54 PM] Me: Maybe I am just feeling negative, because I am tired

[10:55:55 PM] Me: I dunno

[10:55:58 PM] Me: It exists

[10:55:59 PM] Me: It's coherent

[10:56:13 PM] Me: It's still better than the other girls' reviews... but I like ALL my stuff to be GOOD

[10:56:14 PM] Me: :(

[10:56:29 PM] Me: DOES it seem flat?

[10:58:16 PM] Hubby: I think it's a fine review. It's not as peppy as some of your other ones... but hey. The last one touched on a subject that was near and dear to your heart... so this one may seem a little less energetic. But, is it objectively flat? I don't think so. It's just more journalistic.

[10:58:28 PM] Me: Huh.

[10:58:30 PM] Me: Hate journalism.

[10:58:35 PM] Hubby: LOL!

[10:58:41 PM] Me: This is why I didn't do journalism

[10:58:48 PM] Me: I got A+’s on every assignment

[10:58:51 PM] Me: The wannabe-journalists hated me.

[10:58:57 PM] Me: But, I... no likey journalism.

[10:59:08 PM] Me: So blah.  So boring.  No impact.  Just facts.  Facts so boring…

[10:59:10 PM] Hubby: *chuckle*

[10:59:22 PM] Hubby: You're funny. *grin*

Deployment Journal - Day #111

There's a particular Facebook group I belong to, where discussions spawn exponentially - where a few hundred women chatter with amazing openness about birth stories, and house hunting, and food budgets, and clothes, and coupons, and spouses, and children, and home life.

Yesterday, the discussion turned to voting.  And to who was voting for whom, and why.  This was probably a bad idea, but I had nothing to do with starting the battle, so I merely watched with sleep-deprived curiosity.

I have definite opinions of my own about this year's presidential candidates, but I didn't feel very tempted to share them until one woman announced:

"Well, I'm just not going to vote this year."

This one always gets me.  Honestly, I will defend your right to not vote, since I really do believe that much in democracy (and philosophical consistency), but it miffs me a little when people carp from the sidelines, without participating.  

Still, I wasn't going to grab the dog's tail until she continued:

"My husband is [in the military], so he knows more than most people about politics, and he isn't going to vote, so I'm not either."

... Soooo, I'm no feminist.  Really, I'm not.  But, I nearly screamed when I read this.

(a)  What if your husband is wrong?  You're really just going to take his word for it?  I mean, I'm all for mutual spousal submission and agreeability, but holy macaroni, lady - do you realize how blindly you're following another imperfect human here?

(b)  Do not cite the military as your reason NOT to vote.  Ohmygosh, I wanted to personally message her, and inform her that I resented the insinuation that military members, who fight to preserve our ability to vote, should advocate NOT VOTING in the name of, uhm, being military.

(c)  No one has the moral high ground here, or (dare I say) even superior intelligence about our nation's inner workings.  Military members vote both directions, politically, and there's a lot of uncertainty about who even makes which decisions in Washington - and at Langley.  So, don't tell me that your husband is the grand oracle.

(Aside: Let's be real.  If someone like that exists, bet they're not announcing it.)

... It took all my will power to ignore her, and let her use her liberty to... be dumb.

Deployment Journal - Day #110

Yesterday's bright spot: My daughter, the cutest elf EVER, eagerly waiting for neighbors to come...