O'Club Pasta & Mucous-y Noodle

OK!

Everyone was back to school and work today and I had a Totally Normal Day!! Wooo-hooo! After 9 days of no gym (which I can't totally blame on The All Encompassing Flu From Hell, because, let's face it - if I had REALLY wanted to get out there, I would have found the time), I returned to Yoga Class with my prerequisite 1-Mile-Warm-Up-Walk-And-Talk with Rachelle. This is where we do our much-needed catching-up from the previous day. It also serves as Therapy (what with us having to share houses with mondo Type-A husbands and all...) and it's Free!

The kids and I took Hiroko out tonight for her Birthday Dinner. It was Pasta Night at the O'Club. Generally, I try to stay away from the kitchen at The Club, but Hiroko has only been a couple of times and, really, where in Japan was I going to take her that could actually be considered a treat? So, in we went and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised! It was buffet-style and you got to pick out some veggies and some pasta to give the Sautee-Guy and he sauteed them up right in front of you with a little garlic/olive-oil combo and then, if desired, they had 3 different sauces (meat sauce, tomato sauce, and alfredo) to slather it all up in. But I like my pasta with olive oil and garlic only. And a little parmesan cheese. At least I chose some vegetables! Noodle, on the other hand, chose plain pasta (yes, sauteed - baby steps!). No veggies. She did have a side of the shrimp and bacon toppings. Not mixed in, like regular people, but on the side. The WAY-side. A whole different plate. Now, sit for a moment and try to imagine me explaining this to the Japanese Buffet Guardian...

Yeah. Not easy. I finally just gave her her plate containing 3 shrimp and a teaspoon of crumbled bacon and told her to run like the wind!!!

Oh. And there was a salad bar. With foccacia bread.

By the way, Noodle is a shit. You know how, when kids are sick and they are So Horribly Busy that they don't blow their noses? And so they keep sniffing up a ginormous wad of mucous so as to not have it drip off their chin? (Because while kids ARE, by definition, Gross, they do have SOME standards.) Well, THAT. DRIVES. ME. INSANE. That gurgling, snuffling, snotty booger-dance makes me sick to my stomach. The sound of it and the mental image of it sliding down and then being sucked back up makes me want to vomit.

So she does it in my ear.

Just to tease me.

So while I'm yelling at her to blow her nose, I can't help but laugh, because that is just what a 9-year-old thinks is freakin' HILARIOUS.

She gets it from her dad.

Toaster vs. Toaster Oven - Vote Now!

Brace yourself for a Big Freakin' Surprise.

Noodle is home from school today.

So. Just a recap here:

Fever Monday. Seemed to get better and then came back Monday night.

Low fever Tuesday morning. By lunch she felt pretty good, (and there was a choir party after school) so she went to school. She came home at 3:30 after the party with a 104.4-degree fever, which went up to 105.6 and hovered there all night.

Now it's Wednesday morning, she's home again, and hovering around 102.5.

I don't hardly know what to do about her.

In the Selfish Category, I haven't been to the gym in over a week. I keep saying that I'll go at 3:30, when D gets home and can watch her, but at 3:30 I just don't FEEL like going to the gym.

ALSO (in the Selfish Category), I love my Tater-man but when he comes home at 7pm, 3 hours earlier than normal, it throws off my whole schedule. I have gotten into the habit of sending the munchkins* off to bed and then writing an entry. When he comes home I don't do that. I sit and talk to him. Not that that's a Bad Thing, just not in my Schedule of Evening Events.

*Can I still call my kids "munchkins" when one is 5 inches taller than I and the other will pass me up in a matter of a year or 2???

I've got to go. It's 10:30 and I'm sitting here as if I don't have a thing to do all day long. On the other hand, the longer I sit here, the longer I'm not balancing my checkbook...hmmmm.

Our toaster broke. It just doesn't toast anymore. Not even a little bit. So now I have to order one online because I refuse to give the Navy Exchange any more of my money. (If they can't have cold medicine when I need cold medicine or milk when I need milk or computer paper when I need computer paper, then I will take my business elsewhere. Unfortunately that means taking it an entire country away and not getting anything for 2 or more weeks, but I don't care. They are NOT getting any more of my money!) ...sooo...the question now becomes: toaster or toaster oven? I have never had a toaster oven. But it seems like such a handy little appliance for, say, cheese toast. Or garlic bread. I hear they don't make that great of actual toast, but on the other hand, it does 2 (or more) things whereas the plain-ole-toaster only toasts. If anyone has any opinion on this matter, please leave me a note as I have to make a decision in the next day or 2 so as to receive it before summer.

HRH Mackenzie is calling. She doesn't like to watch movies (she's watching Pretty Woman) alone when she's sick, Maybe I can balance my checkbook while watching the movie with her - kill 2 birds with one stone... And, I really don't need to see it for the 25th TIME!

Disembarking the Carousel-of-Death

Noodle's sick.

No surprise there...

She woke me up at 5:00 this morning. All I had to do was touch her to know that she wasn't ok. She was burning up.

To the tune of 104.4 degrees.

Poor baby. She was so miserable. Coughing, and runny nose and fever...

Until about 1:30 this afternoon. Then she was fine. Her fever broke about then and she has been her normal, perky self, albeit a bit sniffly.

Will someone please stop the ride? I want to get off! I don't remember buying a ticket for this never-ending, germ-infested, insane carousel-of-death. We just keep passing some creepy bug around and around and around...

And I don't think it's just us. The Commissary and the In-Convenient Mart are both out of cold meds. This place is a damn petrie-dish.

This weekend I started wiping down, every day, all light-switches, doorknobs, toilet handles, faucets and hand-rails in this house with anti-bacterial wipes. I'm wondering if I'm chasing my tail in vain.

We can't even be funny and crack jokes here (as if we even have a sense of humor left) because once we start laughing, up arises a chorus of coughing and phlegm (sorry about that). And quite frankly, a few seconds of jubilation is not worth all that.

Maybe we can wait until after cold-and-flu-torture season to be funny again.

If we remember how.

CD's & Locked-Up Knees

What a DAY!!

I don't think I mentioned it, but about 2 weeks ago, Noodle came home with a note from her Japanese Culture teacher. It was a call-out for any 3rd-6th grader to audition for a "temporary" choir for a special event. The kids were offered the opportunity to participate in recording a CD of 2 songs written by a famous Japanese jazz musician, Sadao Watanabe, for the 2005 World Exposition, to be held in Aichi, Japan. Those who made it would have 2 weeks to prepare for the recording session and would have to practice for almost 2 hours every day after school.

Well, she tried out, she made it (along with 23 other kids) and today we rode a school bus for the 2-hour trip up to Tokyo to record the songs. They were AWESOME! It's an incredibly difficult song, almost entirely made up of impossibly high notes. They recorded a slow version and an up-tempo version.

Getting ready ...





There were 8 of us moms there, and they let us watch the recording of the slower-tempo version through a sound-proof window. About half-way through the 2nd take, another mom looked over to me and said, "Is Mackenzie ok?" She looked like she was about to cry. It was really hot in there, she's exhausted by her Brownie, and singing, and ballet schedules, and she's been fighting a cold for a while, but she looked way worse then she should have, even considering all that. Then, after the 3rd take, the Japanese Culture teacher (who's been the temporary choir director) ran over to her and pulled her out of there just in the nick of time. She was about to faint. Poor thing. She started crying and crawled up on my lap. No one ever told her not to lock up her knees. So they did the 4th take sans-Noodle, while she and I rested outside in the cool breeze for a bit. We got a rice-ball and a juice, I gave her the scoop on the knee-locking-up-situation, and I made a deal with her: If she went back in there and recorded the up-tempo song, then she could skip CCD (Catholic Religious Ed) tomorrow AND, I'd take her to buy doughnuts.

WHO says bribery is not a good parenting tool???

99 Things

1. My favorite color is orange.
2. I am obsessive about crosswords. Therefore, I try not to even start them.
3. I’ll argue the Pro-Harry Potter view to the death.
4. My favorite show of all time is M*A*S*H. (And I understand how dorky that is.)
5. I like my hair either very long or very short. Right now it's too short.
6. I am a Hoosier and a Boilermaker.
7. I have Rosacea - it flares up when I'm stressed out.
8. I went to college 3 miles from my kindergarten.
9. I have been to 31 states and 7 countries.
10. I don't like to be alone. (Thanks, Dad!)
11. I am short, but big-boned. (Thanks, again, Dad!)
12. I am a Macintosh convert.
13. I can recite all 50 states alphabetically.
14. I am the “big” sister to one “little” sister...
15. I call her “Baby”.
16. I believe the Best Job Ever is "Mom".
17. I love Crown Royal & Diet Ginger-ale.
18. I also love liver & onions...
19. but won't drink milk or eat cooked carrots.
20. I have 3 tattoos.
21. I have 4 kids.
22. I’d rather stay home than go out.
23. I have great parking karma.
24. I can wiggle my ears...
25. and make an origami crane.
26. I lived in Japan for 4 1/2 years.
27. I am twice divorced.
28. I despise Queen Anne Style furniture.
29. I played golf from 6-16 when I stopped cold turkey.
30. I love flannel sheets and hate silk ones.
31. I have bungy jumped and would do it again.
32. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats.
33. I am 41.
34. I am a Leo.
35. My oldest child is 20.
36. I have mild OCD.
37. I know all the words to the song, “American Pie”...
38. and taught my kids.
39. I have read all of Daphne du Maurier’s books...
40. “Rebecca” was my favorite.
41. I love to garden.
42. Loud sounds hurt my ears.
43. I hate to make phone calls...
44. almost to the point of phobia.
45. I make awesome lasagna.
46. I can NOT sing.
47. I saw a glacier in New Zealand. It looked like dirt.
48. I am a Master Procrastinator.
49. I love blue jeans with white t’s. My sister calls it my "Uniform".
50. I’ve known my oldest friend for 34 years. Her name is Karen.
51. I married my parents neighbor. It was Fate.
52. I was born during the Summer of Love...
53. which, now that I think about it, explains a lot.
54. My Myers-Briggs score is ESFJ.
55. My eyes are a weird brown/green/yellow tie-dye.
56. I make my own jewelry.
57. I don’t really like kids...
58. except my own.
59. I wear t-shirts to bed.
60. I lived in San Diego for 6 years...
61. and never swam in the Pacific.
62. Yet I lived in Florida for 2 years...
63. and swam in the Gulf of Mexico tons. (It was warmer.)
64. I hate clowns.
65. I had a baby in college.
66. Clutter makes me physically ill.
67. I love Diet Vanilla Coke, which they don't sell anymore.
68. I have a BA in Psychology...
69. and one in Criminology...
70. but I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.
71. I love to cook but hate the clean up after.
72. My toenails are always painted...
73. usually red.
74. I hate working in retail. And property management.
75. I’ve been stung by a jellyfish. On the butt.
76. I won a poetry contest in 5th grade.
77. I refuse to wear pantyhose. Ever.
78. I was homecoming queen.
79. I never had braces.
80. I broke one of my toes as a child. It's been crooked ever since.
81. I lived in DC for 2 1/2 years.
82. I can order 2 beers in Spanish...
83. and apologize profusely in Japanese.
84. My dad calls me “Short”.
85. I was never a cheerleader...
86. or in a sorority. But am frequently accused of both.
87. I hate to iron.
88. I don’t scrapbook...
89. or sew. Even buttons.
90. When people say “anyways” it drives me crazy.
91. I hang up on telemarketers.
92. I can drive on the left.
93. I hate 2nd hand stores and yard sales...
94. but enjoy antique stores.
95. I’ve read “Roots” twice.
96. My parents are still married.
97. I don’t like scary movies.
98. I do yoga.
99. I love spring in Alabama & fall in Japan.

Keypads and Whiners

You gotta love a new computer and all, but this keyboard is kicking my butt. For the last 5 years we've been using an ergonomic keyboard and the Mac came with a really pretty, but not-so-ergonomic keyboard and I'm making SO many mistakes and having to backtrack so much that I'm thinking about connecting the old keyboard, but I can't do that because it's UGLY and not white and it doesn't match.

So I just have to stick it out. In time, I'm sure I'll get used to it. (And about that time, Apple will probably come out with an ergonomic one...)

Tater is home again today. He is really sick, bless his heart.

But SUCH A BABY!! He can't say anything without reminding me he's sick or he hurts or he can't breathe...

He's really no fun.

But I love him anyway, and I will love him more when he is well and ornery again.

It's a Recurring Theme

I'm feeling much better tonight (only a stuffy nose and sore joints now...). I probably stored up some pretty good antibodies when I was sick last month so this time it didn't take me down too badly. Tater, on the other hand, has just gotten his ass kicked by the NASTY flu-bug. He never gets sick, but when he does, boy is it miserable. He is not a good patient. So I just try to stay out of his way.

I can't stay and play now. I still have tweaking to do on my new journal. It should take a few days before all the links are up and running correctly...

The Flu, Redux

For Christ sake.

I'm sick again.

Sneezing, runny nose, headache, stiffness, sore throat, upset stomache.

Dillon is SO grounded.

But in the Two-Points-For-Me Category, I've got this computer in a headlock and I seem to be gaining the upper hand.

What Else? The Mac.

I know!!!

I know you people are getting tired of hearing about the new computer, but...

A) I don't care. This is MY journal.

and

2) I seriously have nothing else to talk about.

This computer-situation has completely monopolized our entire 3-day weekend. We never even made it out for our scheduled Valentine's Dinner because we were so excited to get it set up. It's 8pm now and Tater is still goofing around with it. He's connecting the 5 (yes, 5!!) surround-sound speakers as we speak. Yes, I realize that is completely uncalled for, but it's the one thing he didn't consult me on before he placed the order. Sneaky.

Today I spent the day tackling iPhoto and trying to organize our pictures. Unfortunately, we didn't have any idea what we were doing when we transferred our photo files from PC to Mac, and we did it REALLY inefficiently. It took us HOURS to organize them. It's still not great, but I can at least live with it. We can start fresh from here.

In other news, Dillon is sick again. It appears to be a nasty-ass Cold/runny nose/fever/upset stomach thing. Sound familiar?

Ok, munchkins (who should be in bed) are invading the kitchen. I better go wrangle 'em up...

Mac Is Winning

Oh. My. God.

I'd love to leave a coherent entry, but the Mac, the computer, not the daughter, is kicking my ass across the pacific and back. SOON, soon, I tell ya, I'm gonna get the upper hand and put this over-priced bitch in the mother of all headlocks.

I WILL WIN.

But right now it's 1am & I have to go and get my rest for what I am sure will be a showdown of royal proportions tomorrow

The Day the New Mac Bitch-Slapped Me

The New Mac Has Finally Arrived!!!!!

And I am typing like a 1st grader on this new, not-so-ergonomic keyboard.

And I keep trying to do PC-things on it...they don't work.

And it took me several-damn-minutes to figure out how to find the Internet.

And I don't get this mouse. (It's very pretty, but useless.) Only 1 big, click button (no right-clicking going on here) and the great wheel to page-down is missing, and there is no "back" button for my thumb. It's very boring for my hand, and we'll be switching back to our old, cordless mouse ASAP.

And my friends are afraid I'm never going to leave my house again.

And there is no-erase-while-you-backspace button so obviously-located just above "enter".***

I have Stuff to do....later.

***Update***3 minutes later***I'm an Idiot. It's there, it's just called "delete". I didn't even try it, it being so inappropriately named, and all.

Lord, Give Me the Strength

My girlfriend called last night from The States. She got an emergency call here, from her mom Tuesday night that her dad wasn't doing too well and was in the hospital. By Thursday morning she was on a plane for home and last night she called to say that the diagnosis is cancer. They gave him a couple months. He's not even 60.

I wish there was more I could do for her. I am praying for her constantly, and I'm here whenever she needs to talk, but I wish I were there. To hold her hand. And hug her. And drive her to the hospital. And cook her dinner. And listen.

I've never lost a parent.

About 5 years ago, we were faced with the possibility that Mom had cervical cancer, a notoriously unforgiving cancer. I remember thinking, over and over, until there were no other thoughts in my brain, that I still NEEDED her. That I wasn't done needing her in my daily life. I didn't know how I could face life without her and how my kids could grow up without knowing her. I remember not knowing how my dad would carry on without her.

I know that's how my girlfriend feels. It's a pain too big to wrap your brain around. And a load to heavy to shoulder alone. Your parent is supposed to die old and decrepit, when you are middle-aged and self-sufficient. Not when you are young and still need him. Not when he is young and still needed.

Lord, give me the strength to hold her up, and the words to ease her pain.

It's Time to Parrrrrrrtay!

Hey!!!

I can't play right now...We're having ANOTHER party so I have to go vacuum.

And make Pigs-In-A-Blanket (gross).

And select tunes.

And drag down bottles of liquor.

And find some lip gloss.

Nite!

The Pointless Rambling Post

What happened to yesterday????

Has anyone seen yesterday???

Last thing I remember it was morning and Rachelle and I were at the gym where the treadmill was kicking my ass (but I got 3.1 miles out of it before it finished the job and served me up, wet and panting on a Weight-Watcher's Platter*).

(*I totally just made that crap up and I have no idea what it even means...)

Then, we showered and headed to Zama, to fulfill our promise to ourselves of standing in the tanning booth at least once a week to avoid the inevitable Translucent-Pastey-Whiteness of February. Well, we don't even listen to OURSELVES - we've been averaging every 2 weeks and at this point we're just wasting our money because by the time the 14 days have passed, any cancer-infused-fake-sun we have applied has faded and we're starting from scratch again.

But for reals...starting NOW we're going to go every week.

We did lunch, which we usually do after the fake-bake, but this time we actually chose a way-healthy and yummy salad at the Chief's Club. We usually go to Popeye's or Burger King on Zama Base (realize here, people, that our choices are brutally limited and after 4 years of Japan-land, we're tired of dining on the economy, making the Previously-Stated Restaurants seem acceptable) but this time we drove all the way back to our base and actually sat at a table, with real linens to dab our pouty mouths and fresh iced tea to drink, and solved many world-issues while eating our self-assembled salads. (My only complaint was that they didn't have my green peas on the salad bar yesterday. They had Rachelle's tuna, but not my green peas. How rude.)

I came home and did "stuff". I don't remember what, but it seems like I did a lot of "stuff" (But not the laundry. For God's sake, The Laundry (!) - it's grown tentacles and is expanding right out from under the cute wicker lid that's supposed to keep it from sight of the general audience...guess what I'm doing today)...and the next thing I knew, it was 9:30 and Tater was walking in the door, a full 2 hours earlier than normal and I hadn't even responded to my emails or written in my journal yet. If he is going to come home early (as if 9:30pm is early) then he should call me and tell me to expedite my evening rituals so as to have them completed by the time he comes home and I have to get up and discuss our daily goods and bads.

Then, instead of studying for his JPME in the living room, leaving me to do whatever I want, he needed to study his JPME off the computer via some files he downloaded and kicked me off.

Again, how RUDE! (Of course, I was just dicking around killing time and he was actually working on a professional course he has to pass ASAP, but really!)

So I shlumped myself upstairs to bed with a book - "The Sweet Potato Queen's Big-Ass Cookbook", (which I had been saving, because it's actually #3 in a series, right after "The Sweet Potato Queen's Book of Love" and "God Save the Sweet Potato Queens" - or vice versa- and I've read one but not the other and have been holding off until such a time as I could get to an American bookstore (don't hold your breath) and find said unread book or just remember to order it next time we place an Amazon order. But last night I just decided that it's not really a chronological-type story and it wouldn't really matter if I read them in order or not.)

.....Please hold while I go back up and find what the hell I was talking about in the Whole Entire First Place........

Oh yeah, in bed with a book...got tired by 10:30, so I turned off the light and was asleep within minutes. It is the earliest I have been to sleep in MONTHS! I got over 8 hours of sleep!!! WOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOO!

But now, HRH Noodle is home sick with a nasty-ass Cold/Sore-throat/Fever-Thing, which is different from her nasty-ass "Mystery-Fever/Sore-throat/Bloodshot Eyes-Thing" from 2 weeks ago. But she DOES have to go to choir practice this afternoon. Hope she's feeling better by then. Drugs, that's the ticket!

Oh, and I made a Spinach-Cream Cheese Quiche for my students Tuesday night and may I just say, "YUM!!!!!"

Friday Five For Tuesday

The Friday Five.

Yes, I realize it's Tuesday night, but I don't have much to say. So here you go!

1. What's the most daring thing you've ever done? - Christmas 2002, Tater, D and I bungee jumped into a gorge, from the Kawarau bridge in New Zealand.

2. What one thing would you like to try that your mother/friend/significant other would never approve of? - I seriously can't think of a thing. Maybe get another tattoo. (Right now I have one. Pooh on my hip.)


3. On a scale of 1-10, what's your risk factor? (1=never take risks, 10=it's a lifestyle) - I think my husband would disagree, but probably a 7-ish.


4. What's the best thing that's ever happened to you as a result of being bold/risky? - I married Tater when I was 24 and D was 2, 10 months after getting divorced.

5. ... and what's the worst? - I married husband #1, after dropping out of college at 20 and moving with him 700 miles from my family. Divorce. No surprise there...

......................................

Ok. Now it's 9:30pm and I'm back with something to say. Along with half-a-zillion other people, we started watching American Idol a couple of weeks ago. And, quite frankly, I couldn't care less about any of them.

Except for the "She Bangs" Guy, William Hung from Hong Kong. I haven't been able to get him out of my head since I saw him flail about on that stage. So tonight, our Fox Channel in Armed-Forces-Land replayed the LA Auditions. The only reason I watched this show again was because I couldn't remember where William auditioned and I couldn't bear to pass up the chance to see him "Bang" again. And, sure enough, there he was. He just might be the cutest thing ever to wear a pocket-protector. He wiggled his way into my heart when Simon (who was just doing his job) told William how painful he was to watch.

And all William had to say was:

"I already gave my best. I have no regrets at all."

He was respectful and humble and I think we could use many more "Williams" in the world today.

Electronic Schizophhrenia

I'm taking a break.

As if I don't have a mondo To Do List, I decided that today would be the day that I audit our 400-CD changer. I know that there are poor lost-soul CD's in there that aren't programmed in, I'm pretty sure that 3 years ago we put our friend's "Romy and Michelle's HS Reunion" Soundtrack in there and haven't seen it since, and on top of all that, we've got CDs programmed in there that no longer exist - they've been carried off and abandoned somewhere...mostly D's room, I think. But by far, the most embarrassing situation concerning our CD-changer is that we have...

Milli Vanilli in there.

And Color Me Badd.

And Michael Jackson.

And Neil Diamond.

All mixed up with the Hootie, Uncle Kracker and Outkast, Barbara Streisand, Blink 182, and John Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas.

I hear my system needs therapy.

Red Wine TKO's Brandi

Hungover.

Too much red wine is NOT a good thing. If I'm not mistaken, back in October one night, Dainne, Monica and I killed several bottles and then swore it off the next day. Apparently, I forgot how crappy that felt.

Duh.

AWOL Husbands and Fingers On Fire

Friday night, 11pm, my date is still at work.

Therefore, it was a quiet night at La Casa de Pooh. Noodle and I watched "Survivor", which I never get to see because Tater and I go out virtually every Friday night (though since all of our friends have moved, I guess his second choice to going out is staying at work. If I didn't have such a strong self-image, I would have drank this ENTIRE bottle of Shiraz. But I only had one glass...)

ANYWAY, I couldn't have cared less about "Survivor", but was totally psyched to watch "Crime Night" on cable...Can you believe that for the ONE NIGHT I was actually HOME, it wasn't on!?!?! How does THAT work? I have a combo degree in Psych/Criminal Justice, and crime shows are WAY my favorite. There were a couple random crime shows on, but I had already seen them. (Except for the one about Dawn Swan in 1973 Michigan -a rape/murder - they found her killer and conviced him just a couple of years ago. HA!!! Go DNA!)

D got home from school around 5pm and kicked me off the computer (where I had been sitting, literally all day, organizing my music files and giving "unknown" artists and titles names) to play his new "Civilization" computer game that he just got in the mail (thanks, Mom!). I believe he would have stayed on here until deep into the night if I hadn't kicked him off for my turn. I'm seriously starting to re-think this no-internet- access-in-his-room-thing. If he's not playing a game, he's reading his friend's journals or chatting with them on MSN IM. I can't blame him...all his friends have moved too and that's the best way to keep in touch with them.

My friend Angie let him borrow her guitar this week because his hasn't come yet (gotta love that international shipping!) and he was getting anxious to start learning. Well, I've been practicing too, and can I tell you that the tips of my fingers are SCREAMING with every keystroke. Those steel strings are such a bitch! And C major is kicking my ass! I'm thinking that if I can't even get that one down then I might be a lost cause from the start... (I am pretty good at E and A-major, tho. Are there any songs I can play with only those 2 chords???)

Well, 11:28 and The Big T just walked in the door. Night!

Vanity or Guilt?

So here's the issue:

I'm wondering WHY I go to the gym 3 or 4 times a week and run 2 or 3 miles each time....

So I can stay in shape and look better?

Well, I've gained 15 pounds in the last 4 years (I blame it on "Japan" - not the excess eating and drinking) and have spent the last 4 years exercising MORE than I have since high school (maybe a year or 2 in college...).

First of all, the gym simply pisses me off. The best time (and quite frankly the only realistic time) to go is first thing in the morning. Well, unlike some of you smiley, sing-songy, perky, sinfully cheerful, bright-eyed-freaks, I do not "do" mornings well. And to have to give up my coffee, get dressed, yank my hair into a ponytail, and expose myself to the downright freezing temps (hey, 45 degrees CAN be freezing to some people - it all depends on your perspective!) by 8am puts my happy-meter into a serious funk.

Then, I'm at the gym, on the treadmill, and in 20 minutes am sweating profusely, and coughing and wheezing because my Exercise-Induced-Asthma has kicked in, and I'm flailing about, while meanwhile, some bouncy, clothes-matching, perma-smiling, skinny-ass cheerleader type is running next to me, non-stop, for 45 minutes without breaking a sweat. (I hate her.)

On top of that, I have these crappy post-gymnast, post-diver, post-ski-accident knees that just THROB after a piddly-ass 3 mile run. It makes me want to lay my butt right back down on the couch and not move for the rest of the day. There is not enough Motrin on the planet to take away the pulsating ache. And then, when I get in bed at night and I'm trying to relax, they really start mocking me with the "ha, ha, you're old and out-of-shape, and we're here to remind you by throbbing you to insanity..."

And then, after all that, I'm STILL 36 years old and only 5'3"... 5'2"... (whatever) with short, stubby arms & legs. (I'm, honestly, only inches away from being a full-blown midget.) I could run my ass off, all day long, every day, and never look like Charlize Theron.

So, I ask myself: Is going to the gym a matter of Vanity...or Guilt?

The Day School Evacuated

Never a dull moment here.

I got a call from Tater today about 12:45. He said the CO just informed him that the elementary school had been evacuated to the base gym and that I needed to go and pick up Noodle for the rest of the day. The story is that there were 2 suspicious men on the playground so they evacuated the kids while it was checked out. This is the 2nd time this has happened since we've been here. The first time, the kids sat at the gym with nothing to do for about 4 hours while the parents were, literally, blocks away and could have picked them up. They didn't inform us.

Anyway, so I rescued Noodle and her friend, Torrey, at 1, and they spent the rest of the day playing and at Brownies. They didn't even have to do homework because they were evacuated during lunchtime and their backpacks were left in the classrooms! What a deal!

The word is that the "situation" has been resolved and the kids will return to school tomorrow.

And all's well that ends well.

Waxing Nostalgic

We're watching "The Real World, San Diego". Ooooooh, it makes me miss SD so much. I really never thought I'd want to live there again, but I am finding that the longer we're away, the more I think of it as "home". I miss the sunshine, the mild temps, the ocean...I miss the people, the casual atmosphere, the sportiness. I miss The Zoo, Sea World, Downtown...Julian, Hillcrest, La Jolla.

In my unconscious mind, when I think about leaving Japan and going back to The States, I instincively think we're going back to SD. Then I remember that we'll be going just about anywhere BUT. It's difficult to know that we'll be leaving Japan in the next 9 months, but not know where we'll next pitch our tent. Every other move we've made, we've known our destination for many, many months in advance. We've been able to prepare our minds for what was coming. But this time is different. Maybe part of it is that I am getting so anxious to get on with the next step in our lives...

On the flip side of that yearning is the knowledge that no matter where we go, we will not find the camaraderie and solidarity that exists within this squadron. It's hard to put into words what happens over here. You arrive, not knowing what to expect, leaving your family and any familiar support system behind, and before you know it, you have made 80 stangers into your family and best friends. Just like in a family, we have our arguments and personality clashes; we have the occasional black sheep, but on the whole, the pilots and their wives within this squadron develop exceptional and unique relationships. It's not a function of "Japan" or even this base; it is unique to this squadron, this bond that we form. We have to look out for each other in the life-changing, as well as the inconsequential situations. There is no one else to turn to. That kind of connection is something I haven't felt since I met my girlfriend Jen in college. In this crazy, ever-changing, Navy-way-of-life, we make friendships knowing that in a year, or two, or three, this person that we have gotten to know so well during this tour or that tour, will slowly slip off the radar screen of our every-day lives. That they will leave and someone new will arrive to fill the emptiness. It's so sad that we realize this and accept it, but it's a part of life for us. It's a coping mechanism. But here, for the first time in 3 tours of duty, I've allowed several closer friendships to form. I didn't even really "allow" it. It's an inevitable function of life within our squadron. And each departure, of each of these special people, has left another little hole in my heart that I must adapt to and ignore, and continue on with my every-day life. It's been a blessing and a curse at the same time, but has left me with an experience that I will treasure for a lifetime.

But it is so very draining. And because of that, I'm ready to move on. I've come to the point that I don't want to make such close relationships anymore. In the immortal words of my dad, "I don't want any more fuckin' friends. I've got enough fuckin' friends".

That's all I'm sayin'.