Well, for those who keep up with me via the blog and no other means, here's the tale......
Saturday night, Ziggy and I go to bed around midnight. 3AM, sharp, I feel this bit of fluid escape me, thus I am awake. I go to the bathroom, thinking maybe my bladder let go a little. Nope....I lose a little more fluid. I'm thinking, "Uh-oh. Calling L&D, just to be on the safe side." L & D says to go to the Navy hospital, as the Langley hospital doesn't deal in premature baby care. Ok, that's fine, it's closer to the house anyways. So I wake up Ziggy and tell him that I have to go to the Navy hospital, that I think my water broke. I found this part amusing, he says"In bed?" I say yes. He says, " Did you leave a puddle??" I say no, and stifle a couple giggles.....
We get to the hospital finally(the place is a freaking labryinth), and they check me to see if my water had broken. The doc(visions of Doogie Howser, as this guy looked 19, tops - he was 27, with 4 kids, come to find out) says that he doesn't think my water broke, and the thought going through my head, is that he's wrong(cause I was leaking more at that point). So they wait about an hour and check again. Yup, water had broken, and I've dilated 2 cm more than I was the first time they checked.
MiniMachine was born via C-section at 1130AM on Sunday. 5lbs 7.5 ozs, 18 inches long. She had to stay in the NICU because she was so early, and they wanted to make sure that she was doing good with maintaining her body temp, and eating well, etc.......So far, so good, and she may get to come home tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006
Early birthday present
Come to find out, my good friend Chris Daugherty is heading over to Iraq for his deployment. He's passing through Norfolk, VA, and I have an opportunity to see him. So, I'm taking leave next Wednesday and Thursday to hang out with him. That alone is birthday gift enough.
I went to my first Chemistry class last night, and I think that class is going to be a good deal easier than I had thought. That's good, as I can afford to concentrate a little more on Anatomy.
I am tired of being pregnant, and more than ready to be done with the whole ordeal......
I went to my first Chemistry class last night, and I think that class is going to be a good deal easier than I had thought. That's good, as I can afford to concentrate a little more on Anatomy.
I am tired of being pregnant, and more than ready to be done with the whole ordeal......
Monday, August 21, 2006
Ziggy and Gramps, or why we end up with the person in our lives
After 58 years of marriage, Gramps succombed to leukemia and renal cancer, peacefully, in his sleep. I cannot fathom what it is to wake up knowing you will never see your spouse again. How Gram gets thorough each day, I can't imagine. Family coming by to see her, friends checking up on her, all of it is nice, I am sure, but I can't imagine going through every day thereafter and not going nuts without Gramps there.
Ziggy is my concrete reality in this crazy world, he is my rock. When we are apart, we call atleast twice a day. Sappy, I know, we are just that way. I can't go a night without hearing his voice before I go to sleep, he calls wanting to know how the morning went, was MiniZiggy fussy when he got up, did Scout get a move on like he doesn't like to do, etc. I know what it is to willingly do away with the married state, to electively be single again, as I have been divorced. But to lose the partner of your life, that you are happy with, I can't fathom that at all. I can't imagine the loss Gram feels, nor the disappointment of turning around in your own home, and not finding that person there, when they have been there for so long. I can't imagine my life without Ziggy, so I have no idea how Gram handles it everyday. I would crumple up and want to die right along with Ziggy, for the world pales without him in it.
Why do we end up with the person we share our life with? When I was 15, I met the man I figured I would end up with eventually. He was 18 at the time, and had just enlisted in the Marine Corps. As always, life is what happens when you are making other plans, and 4 and a half years later, we split up, and married other people. I still hear from him from time to time, we chat about our kids(he has a daughter by his ex-wife) and how work is, etc. I met Ziggy when I was 24, still married to Psycho, and fresh in the military. Little did I know that the man that was sitting 2 seats from me would be my husband in 2 and a half years' time. Gram and Gramps were childhood sweethearts, and the story goes that Gram told Gramps, at the ripe age of 12, "Douglas Sloan, I am going to marry you when we grow up." I can't say I had an inkling of that type of thought when Ziggy and I were dating. I wasn't so sure we were going to date for very long actually, for 2 reasons. 1, the man hated my dog with a passion. She was a lovely Siberian Husky, and would rub against his legs trying to get him to pet her. And left white hair on him everytime. 2. He was a bit rough around the edges, and I wasn't sure we'd last long before he'd tire of me. So why the man I met in the military rather than the one I met at 15 years old? Was Ziggy the man for me as an adult, rather than as a teenager? Possibly, I guess. Guess I'll never know......but I wouldn't trade him for the world.
Ziggy is my concrete reality in this crazy world, he is my rock. When we are apart, we call atleast twice a day. Sappy, I know, we are just that way. I can't go a night without hearing his voice before I go to sleep, he calls wanting to know how the morning went, was MiniZiggy fussy when he got up, did Scout get a move on like he doesn't like to do, etc. I know what it is to willingly do away with the married state, to electively be single again, as I have been divorced. But to lose the partner of your life, that you are happy with, I can't fathom that at all. I can't imagine the loss Gram feels, nor the disappointment of turning around in your own home, and not finding that person there, when they have been there for so long. I can't imagine my life without Ziggy, so I have no idea how Gram handles it everyday. I would crumple up and want to die right along with Ziggy, for the world pales without him in it.
Why do we end up with the person we share our life with? When I was 15, I met the man I figured I would end up with eventually. He was 18 at the time, and had just enlisted in the Marine Corps. As always, life is what happens when you are making other plans, and 4 and a half years later, we split up, and married other people. I still hear from him from time to time, we chat about our kids(he has a daughter by his ex-wife) and how work is, etc. I met Ziggy when I was 24, still married to Psycho, and fresh in the military. Little did I know that the man that was sitting 2 seats from me would be my husband in 2 and a half years' time. Gram and Gramps were childhood sweethearts, and the story goes that Gram told Gramps, at the ripe age of 12, "Douglas Sloan, I am going to marry you when we grow up." I can't say I had an inkling of that type of thought when Ziggy and I were dating. I wasn't so sure we were going to date for very long actually, for 2 reasons. 1, the man hated my dog with a passion. She was a lovely Siberian Husky, and would rub against his legs trying to get him to pet her. And left white hair on him everytime. 2. He was a bit rough around the edges, and I wasn't sure we'd last long before he'd tire of me. So why the man I met in the military rather than the one I met at 15 years old? Was Ziggy the man for me as an adult, rather than as a teenager? Possibly, I guess. Guess I'll never know......but I wouldn't trade him for the world.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Just when I thought things had levelled out
........I get thrown a curveball. So I'm at the office today, all pressed(ok, maternity BDU's look like ass regardless.....so I was looking a little less like ass today) and shiny boots, to go see TheMan today at 130. About 1230, his secretary comes over to my desk and tells me that the meeting is off, TheMan doesn't see a need for me to come talk to him(at which point WTF starts flying through my mind) at this point in time. So I'm going, "Hunh?!!?!?!?!" I'm officially lost at that point. About half an hour later, the Chief sticks his head in the office and asks if I have a few minutes to chat with him. So I troop into his office, and the whole conversation is over in say, 6 minutes, and at no point do either of us sit down.
The Chief tells me that TheMan has decided that now is no time to talk about my EPR( to which my thought process runs along the line of, "Well if course not, it doesn't affect him in the least!"), as, and I am quoting here, "There is no EPR." I tell the Chief that there is definitely an EPR, I have it on my desk. He looks mildly surprised and says, "Oh, so you've already got it?" At this point I am wondering what happened to the communications up to that point, since I felt pretty sure I had made it clear that I already had the filthy rag of a document in my possession. Yea, yea, digression, I know. What he tells me, in the way of it being a message from TheMan himself, is that I need to research any way to pursue my retraining without a 5 skill level. I get asked all these questions that I don't have immediate answers to, but I know where to go to get the answers. And I tell him all this. And for the most part, from what the Chief said, is that TheMan wants to find a way to go back and approve the retraining that I had been disapproved for 24 hours prior. At which point my WTF meter is pegged out.........so Monday I get to make lots of phone calls and go see people to find answers to questions.
The Chief tells me that TheMan has decided that now is no time to talk about my EPR( to which my thought process runs along the line of, "Well if course not, it doesn't affect him in the least!"), as, and I am quoting here, "There is no EPR." I tell the Chief that there is definitely an EPR, I have it on my desk. He looks mildly surprised and says, "Oh, so you've already got it?" At this point I am wondering what happened to the communications up to that point, since I felt pretty sure I had made it clear that I already had the filthy rag of a document in my possession. Yea, yea, digression, I know. What he tells me, in the way of it being a message from TheMan himself, is that I need to research any way to pursue my retraining without a 5 skill level. I get asked all these questions that I don't have immediate answers to, but I know where to go to get the answers. And I tell him all this. And for the most part, from what the Chief said, is that TheMan wants to find a way to go back and approve the retraining that I had been disapproved for 24 hours prior. At which point my WTF meter is pegged out.........so Monday I get to make lots of phone calls and go see people to find answers to questions.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
More of the same
Yea, so I'm elbow deep(and that's pretty deep, considering I'm 5'3") in writing this whole package arguing why I'm not a referral 2 EPR. I'm polishing it all up, backing up my statements with documented facts, the whole nine yards, right? Everything is going swimmingly.........cue the JAWS music right about now. Well, before I can go talk to TheMan(squadron Commander) about it, pitch him my side of the situation, I have to go see 2 key people, a first seargent(hard to explain his function, other than a go-between for the enlisted corps to the officers), and the Chief of the squadron. The Chief is even harder to explain, since by his own definition, he's not in the chain of command. Ima leave that statement alone and continue with the days' events. So, like a good little Airman following the protocol, I troop into the Chief's office, folder of evidence in hand, ready to pitch my whole side to this man. I don't get the chance to open my mouth before I am told, and I am going to summarize here, that he is very loyal to TheTroll, who is a retired Chief himself, and that he fully supports anything that TheTroll has said, authorized, etc. He then goes on to tell me that pregnancy is a choice, that I wasn't hired to have kids, on and on. And then he drops the other shoe, saying in a nutshell, that nothing I can justify with all my documentation is going to change anything he already thinks. So, I sit back and let that rattle around in my head a moment, and then I ask him straight out if I'm understanding him correctly, that nothing I can say or show will change anything with the EPR outcome. According to Ziggy, I have, at that point, just called the man out on his own statement. All of a sudden, it's as though his whole mindset changed. He starts asking me questions about time frames and why I am doing such and such, and what the hold-ups are that are keeping certain things from happening, etc, etc. He starts giving me suggestions as to what to say to TheMan, what to show him, all of these things that 30 seconds beforehand, I am being told are null and void to the situation. All of a sudden, he's all helpfulness. I'm sitting there rather stunned, actually, at his transformation, all the while, trying not to let my thoughts cross my face.
So I walk out of the office and get my appointment to see TheMan tomorrow afternoon. Lunchtime goes by and I am on the phone with Ziggy, recounting the conversation with the Chief. Ziggy tells me that the Chief is one of those senior enlisteds(he's the highest paygrade that an enlisted can get to in the Air Force, the top 1% of the enlisted force) that is very used to people bowing to his stripes and not questioning what he says, regardless of if he's blowing smoke or not. From what Ziggy said, in my questioning him, it told him that I was really paying attention and saw through his smoke and mirrors, putting him into a position where he had to do something of substance rather than the company diatribe. I'm still a bit shocked by the encounter.
Then the bomb hits me after lunch, about 1PM. I get an email from the personnell agency of the Air Force, stating that my Commander has already recommended that I be disapproved for retraining, before I can get to see him and plead my case. So there goes my chance at retraining, straight down the toilet, more or less. It pretty much seals the coffin on my chances that I'll get it. Which has me rather down, since I was rather hopeful at the idea of pleading my case, having him hear my side of the story, etc. And here I am with this appointment to see TheMan tomorrow afternoon. Why am I still going to see him? The EPR, mainly, since the retraining bit has gone to hell in a handbag for the most part. Maybe I can fight that and come out a little better.
So I walk out of the office and get my appointment to see TheMan tomorrow afternoon. Lunchtime goes by and I am on the phone with Ziggy, recounting the conversation with the Chief. Ziggy tells me that the Chief is one of those senior enlisteds(he's the highest paygrade that an enlisted can get to in the Air Force, the top 1% of the enlisted force) that is very used to people bowing to his stripes and not questioning what he says, regardless of if he's blowing smoke or not. From what Ziggy said, in my questioning him, it told him that I was really paying attention and saw through his smoke and mirrors, putting him into a position where he had to do something of substance rather than the company diatribe. I'm still a bit shocked by the encounter.
Then the bomb hits me after lunch, about 1PM. I get an email from the personnell agency of the Air Force, stating that my Commander has already recommended that I be disapproved for retraining, before I can get to see him and plead my case. So there goes my chance at retraining, straight down the toilet, more or less. It pretty much seals the coffin on my chances that I'll get it. Which has me rather down, since I was rather hopeful at the idea of pleading my case, having him hear my side of the story, etc. And here I am with this appointment to see TheMan tomorrow afternoon. Why am I still going to see him? The EPR, mainly, since the retraining bit has gone to hell in a handbag for the most part. Maybe I can fight that and come out a little better.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Oh I am so tired.......
MiniZiggy and I have been trading back and forth on a cold for a few weeks, and I think it's getting the better of the little guy. I went to pick him up from daycare today, and they told me that he's been a bit sad, fretful and cried a good bit today. Not like MiniZiggy at all. When we got home, it was more of the same, didn't want me far out of his sight, wanted to be held, etc, etc. So I think I may have to break down and take him to the doc next week some time.
The shots I was given on Monday and Tuesday have me feeling all flushed and very thirsty. I hope this wears off soon, as it's going to be more annoying than it already is.
I need a vacation.....
The shots I was given on Monday and Tuesday have me feeling all flushed and very thirsty. I hope this wears off soon, as it's going to be more annoying than it already is.
I need a vacation.....
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Quarters
I was in Labor and Delivery yesterday, for most of the day, having contractions. They gave me a shot of steroids to help mature MiniMachine's lungs, a shot to stop the contractions, and ran an IV through me. I had to go back today and get another steroid shot. Fun fun.
Ziggy left early this morning for Washington, for his grandfather's funeral. Hopefully MiniMachine will stay put atleast until he gets home. So, I have 2 days to do laundry, cleaning, and such. Fun. Ok, not really. I'm feeling a nap coming on....
Ziggy left early this morning for Washington, for his grandfather's funeral. Hopefully MiniMachine will stay put atleast until he gets home. So, I have 2 days to do laundry, cleaning, and such. Fun. Ok, not really. I'm feeling a nap coming on....
Friday, August 11, 2006
Joe Lieberman
I'm sorry, guys, I have to comment on Joe Lieberman. Nothing about him losing the latest election, just a small commentary on the man's looks themselves. Why does he have that dumb-but-happy-and-clueless smile on his face any time you see him here lately? It reminds me of senior citizens without dentures in, and then they smile (cue the mental images of my mom)......
I'm sorry, but he just looks so dopey with that smile slapped on........had to comment, please continue with your day.
I'm sorry, but he just looks so dopey with that smile slapped on........had to comment, please continue with your day.
Thus it begins
...the end of my less-than-stellar Air Force career. 5 years into my enlistment, Vehicle Maintenance is giving me the nails that seal my coffin to kick me out. Within a year of my projected out date. Various things are cited, all of which I could answer, if I have my training records, which the Troll won't give me until he 'reviews' them. Pardon me if I don't wait with bated breath.
I am not going to Washington, and surprisingly enough, Ziggy's not arguing about it. I'd be an extra wheel anyways, and Kat and his family will be more than enough to help him through anything he may need out there.
Just goes to show more of what my parents told me as a kid is true........I've been worthless all my life, and always will be.
I am not going to Washington, and surprisingly enough, Ziggy's not arguing about it. I'd be an extra wheel anyways, and Kat and his family will be more than enough to help him through anything he may need out there.
Just goes to show more of what my parents told me as a kid is true........I've been worthless all my life, and always will be.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
The remarkable inability to sleep
As though I don't have enough on my plate, I totally spaced and forgot to clean house today, since my uncle is coming to visit tomorrow. I took a nap instead. Didn't buy the plane tickets to Washington, either. Which means that they will cost even more as of tomorrow. Peachy.
So Ziggy and I troop to bed. Me to read, and him to sleep, as the last couple of days have caught up with him. I read, get drowsy, turn off the light, and my mind starts going a million miles an hour. Thus, keeping me awake. My week has been rather rough, even without Gramps dying and all that. Professionally, life sucks. Things are coming to a head to when decisions are being made, and as this is happening, I am supposed to be going to Washington for Gramps' funeral. And as things currently stand, I am going to have to participate in the fun of all this professional bit going on. My input is going to be critical, and on a time table that will be largely taken up by the trip to Washington, if it all comes down the way it's in the works to come down. Failure is not something I deal with well, and failing at the 6 years I have been in the Air Force is a serious blow to my self esteem, which has never been awfully high to begin with. I see this as yet another failure in a long stream of them, and it throws my equilibrium into chaos to think of the future. Ziggy keeps telling me to think positive, and I wish I could. After so long of being beaten down by a system, I have a hard time seeing any kind of positive in the situation, or seeing how I can convince my commander of anything else other than what is being said about me. It's happened in the past, and I just see it repeating itself all over again.
Part of me wonders if I should go to Washington or not. Ziggy's truck is in the shop, not due to be repaired until Monday, we have no one to look in on the cats while we are all away, all the work mess going on, plus baby issues, on top of school getting ready to kick back on for me, and Scout will be coming home soon. I don't do funerals, so all I'd be doing would be going all the way out there to watch MiniZiggy while everyone is at the funeral. And honestly, I can do that at home. That and part of me sees myself as intruding on the rest of them during all this. Ziggy is doing much better with the whole thing than I thought he would, and I don't think he's as dependent on me to get him thorough this as he may have thought in the first place. Plus, he will have Kat and all those who know him better than I do to be there for him. I always feel out of place when that happens, as though I am a 5th wheel and kind of forgotten until needed for something. I don't think Ziggy will need me for anything out there, anyways. I am not good at making folks feel better about death, nor am I good at making nice to people for the sake of their feelings, or my standing in their eyes. I'd do better to stay home, watch MiniZiggy, and go about work and such like normal.
So Ziggy and I troop to bed. Me to read, and him to sleep, as the last couple of days have caught up with him. I read, get drowsy, turn off the light, and my mind starts going a million miles an hour. Thus, keeping me awake. My week has been rather rough, even without Gramps dying and all that. Professionally, life sucks. Things are coming to a head to when decisions are being made, and as this is happening, I am supposed to be going to Washington for Gramps' funeral. And as things currently stand, I am going to have to participate in the fun of all this professional bit going on. My input is going to be critical, and on a time table that will be largely taken up by the trip to Washington, if it all comes down the way it's in the works to come down. Failure is not something I deal with well, and failing at the 6 years I have been in the Air Force is a serious blow to my self esteem, which has never been awfully high to begin with. I see this as yet another failure in a long stream of them, and it throws my equilibrium into chaos to think of the future. Ziggy keeps telling me to think positive, and I wish I could. After so long of being beaten down by a system, I have a hard time seeing any kind of positive in the situation, or seeing how I can convince my commander of anything else other than what is being said about me. It's happened in the past, and I just see it repeating itself all over again.
Part of me wonders if I should go to Washington or not. Ziggy's truck is in the shop, not due to be repaired until Monday, we have no one to look in on the cats while we are all away, all the work mess going on, plus baby issues, on top of school getting ready to kick back on for me, and Scout will be coming home soon. I don't do funerals, so all I'd be doing would be going all the way out there to watch MiniZiggy while everyone is at the funeral. And honestly, I can do that at home. That and part of me sees myself as intruding on the rest of them during all this. Ziggy is doing much better with the whole thing than I thought he would, and I don't think he's as dependent on me to get him thorough this as he may have thought in the first place. Plus, he will have Kat and all those who know him better than I do to be there for him. I always feel out of place when that happens, as though I am a 5th wheel and kind of forgotten until needed for something. I don't think Ziggy will need me for anything out there, anyways. I am not good at making folks feel better about death, nor am I good at making nice to people for the sake of their feelings, or my standing in their eyes. I'd do better to stay home, watch MiniZiggy, and go about work and such like normal.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Death of a good man
Doug Sloan, Ziggy's grandfather, passed away this morning, around 3AM, in his sleep. Ziggy has recovered a bit from basketcaseness, and we are probably going to Washington State next Tuesday, for the funeral.
So passes a good man, father and grandfather. He was a teacher, a sailor while in the Navy, and a community figure that folks looked to for wisdom, and a devoted husband. He taught Ziggy to be the man that he is, and I will always be grateful to him for that. May he rest in peace.
So passes a good man, father and grandfather. He was a teacher, a sailor while in the Navy, and a community figure that folks looked to for wisdom, and a devoted husband. He taught Ziggy to be the man that he is, and I will always be grateful to him for that. May he rest in peace.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Here we go
Recall a bit back about Ziggy's Gramps? Well, Ziggy makes a phone call home today, and is surprised to learn that his Mom is home. My MIL is a workaholic. ANywhooo......
They've put Gramps on morphine now, and are installing an IV so that the hospice folks don't have to come give him shots, they can just do it in an IV drip. Being as I have a medical background, I know very well what all of this means. And I keep quiet, as I have to hold Ziggy together. Basically, it's very very bad now. Morphine is to keep patients comfortable at this point. And Morphine is bloody good at it's job. My MIL believes that tomorrow's dialysis treatment will be the last one. I can't argue that, I am not God by any means.
Ziggy wants his Mom to call the Red Cross at the crucial moment and have all of us sent to Washington. My MIL is worried that I shouldn't be on a plane, 7 weeks from my due date. Actually, it's more like 4 or 5 weeks, as the airlines have a restriction on how far a woman can be before they won't let her fly. So, that kinda puts Ziggy in a quandry. Does he call his dad, who does this type of thing for a living, or does he wait for his mom? Me? I say Ziggy calls himself and gets us pulled, but then again, what do I know, I am the wife that's been called home on Emergency Leave before, my experience counts nil at this point. So, I am seriously tempted to take matters into my own hands and call my FIL anyways. Ziggy is emotional, he can't think straight, this is where I come in as the stronghold. zSo I have Ziggy pretty much going to pieces on me(Gramps raised Ziggy), and saying that he can't go out there alone, he can't handle it, I have to be with him, cause I hold him together. Sweet, huh? I thought so, no sarcasm. No pressure, either, note sarcasm. I'm going to have the entire family on my hands, and me trying to hold them all together. Isn't there a disclaimer somewhere that says wives are only miracleworkers to their spouses and kids???? No?? Damn.....I could use that about now.....
The bad side of this, other than Gramps dying, is that my way of handling grief is bound the chafe my brother in law. I don't do funerals. I prefer to remember folks as alive, not made up in a coffin. Just my way. I have been to 2 funerals in my life, and I hardly knew either person, which also goes to say that I didn't especially care. This could bode badly for me and the BIL....
More to come, as always.....
They've put Gramps on morphine now, and are installing an IV so that the hospice folks don't have to come give him shots, they can just do it in an IV drip. Being as I have a medical background, I know very well what all of this means. And I keep quiet, as I have to hold Ziggy together. Basically, it's very very bad now. Morphine is to keep patients comfortable at this point. And Morphine is bloody good at it's job. My MIL believes that tomorrow's dialysis treatment will be the last one. I can't argue that, I am not God by any means.
Ziggy wants his Mom to call the Red Cross at the crucial moment and have all of us sent to Washington. My MIL is worried that I shouldn't be on a plane, 7 weeks from my due date. Actually, it's more like 4 or 5 weeks, as the airlines have a restriction on how far a woman can be before they won't let her fly. So, that kinda puts Ziggy in a quandry. Does he call his dad, who does this type of thing for a living, or does he wait for his mom? Me? I say Ziggy calls himself and gets us pulled, but then again, what do I know, I am the wife that's been called home on Emergency Leave before, my experience counts nil at this point. So, I am seriously tempted to take matters into my own hands and call my FIL anyways. Ziggy is emotional, he can't think straight, this is where I come in as the stronghold. zSo I have Ziggy pretty much going to pieces on me(Gramps raised Ziggy), and saying that he can't go out there alone, he can't handle it, I have to be with him, cause I hold him together. Sweet, huh? I thought so, no sarcasm. No pressure, either, note sarcasm. I'm going to have the entire family on my hands, and me trying to hold them all together. Isn't there a disclaimer somewhere that says wives are only miracleworkers to their spouses and kids???? No?? Damn.....I could use that about now.....
The bad side of this, other than Gramps dying, is that my way of handling grief is bound the chafe my brother in law. I don't do funerals. I prefer to remember folks as alive, not made up in a coffin. Just my way. I have been to 2 funerals in my life, and I hardly knew either person, which also goes to say that I didn't especially care. This could bode badly for me and the BIL....
More to come, as always.....
Hazards of the paperless military
So I have my Tuition Assistance in hand and troop down to the Norfolk campus of Tidewater Community College to hand it in before the deadline of tomorrow. I hand in my TA to the Business Office and the woman tells me that all that form is, is the application for TA, not the approval. To which I politely show her the approval and the seal at the bottom of the page. Then she tries to tell me that the form isn't correct. (I'm starting to see a pattern here)....So I tell her that TA is done online now. She tells me that they can't accept that. To which I have to remind her that I'd just told her that online is the only way to get TA in the Air Force. She gives me this blank look, to which I give her a smug smile. Now, I am standing there at her window, in uniform, so it's not as though she could claim that I was trying to commit fraud or something. Then she informs me that they'll take it, this time, but that if there are any problems, they'll call me. To which I have to stifle laughter, as it was so ridiculous that I nearly laughed in her face. For crying out loud, you're getting money, DON'T BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU! Never underestimate the power of human stupidity, it never fails to amaze.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Wheeew
Well, grades came out from summer semester. And, though I didn't make the C that would have ensured that I didn't have to take Chemistry next semester, I didn't fail. I made a D. And that was by fighting tooth and nail for it.....I am just very glad that the semester is over.......now I can concentrate a bit on getting ready for the new baby to get here.
Oh, and that 'Tax Free' sale that Virginia did this past weekend? Total rip-off. I bought a little over $1o0 in school supplies( list in hand at the store to prove it was actually required) and was told that the items(about 3) didn't qualify as 'school supplies' so I was charged sales tax regardless. What a total bogus deal. But then again, I have grown used to it from the Communist Commonwealth of Virginia.
Oh, and that 'Tax Free' sale that Virginia did this past weekend? Total rip-off. I bought a little over $1o0 in school supplies( list in hand at the store to prove it was actually required) and was told that the items(about 3) didn't qualify as 'school supplies' so I was charged sales tax regardless. What a total bogus deal. But then again, I have grown used to it from the Communist Commonwealth of Virginia.
Friday, August 04, 2006
A little update, and a little commentary...
So I go to the Radiology department at Langley AFB hospital yesterday, for yet another ultrasound. Still a girl, and still just one, much to Paul's chagrin. He'll get over it. Anyways,
my amniotic fluid(the cushion for the baby) is still low. So, I'm wondering what they are going to do with me now. This ought to be interesting.
Alright, my commentary. Being a servicemember, you're bound to get the occassional comment from folks(regardless, I might add, or whether or not you have spent any time in the war zone, OR whether or not the person commenting to you has a snowball's chance in hell of knowing what they are talking about) about The War. And I am sure that everyone is intelligent enough to realize that there are as many opinions on the topic as there are people commenting on it. Now, officially speaking, the members of the armed forces in the U.S. are not allowed to represent their own opinions as that of the military entity. But, I would like to educate the passersby to my blog, a little about the military, from a first-hand perspective, and a little insight into the minds of those of us who serve our country by wearing the uniform.
I come from a LONG, long line of military servicemembers. My grandfather served in the Army, in the calvary, when his primary mode of transport( a horse, yes, a living, breathing animal) was issued to him by the Army. My uncle parachuted into France at D-Day, and lived with his legs permanently blackened from being shot in the air on the way to the ground(that's illegal nowadays, but wasn't then). My dad was drafted during the Korean war and was stationed in Germany, and ran a grocery store that was on a train, for the Army. My oldest brother was drafted during Vietnam, and based on his looks(yes this is done in the military), was made an Intel guy. He was a Psychological Ops guy, meaning that he went in and collected intel in places that he blended in well with. For him, his area of the world was Central and South America. Anyone recall Panama in the 80's??? Yea.....my brother can't tell me what he did, or specifically where he was, but I know he was there, as he took his weapon with him, and let's just say that a 'visit' to Cancun doesn't include taking along uniforms and an M-16A2. My other older brother went into the Navy during Vietnam, and was a Corpsman(medical tech in the civvy world). I have 2 cousins in the military, plus me......so prick me, I bleed Army Green. So I joined up, and went into the Air Force.
I have been in the military, on active duty, for a little over 5 years. I have served in Iraq, at Balad AB/Camp Anaconda, something like 50 miles(depending on who's driving) from Baghdad. I was the first woman to go there and armor the trucks that go on the convoys. I've been shot at by people I never saw or met, simply because I was an American servicemember. I lived in fear of hearing the impacts of the mortars hitting the ground, and feeling the ground under my feet shake like an earthquake when those same mortars got close to where I was. I've sat in the bunkers outside the shop I worked, and talked with the guys I worked with about what meal I wanted to eat when I got home, and we'd describe it, too....in detail. What we wanted to drink, the things that we take for granted and complain about while home, those things are a source of comfort to those being shot at. Like mowing the grass, or pruning my rose bushes. It allows the mind to rest for a bit from the stress of hiding from the things that go bump in the night. I've woken up disoriented, as my mind would dream of home, and wake to the reality I wasn't there, and it becomes disorienting. I've been asked, by Scout, my 10 year old son, if I had to shoot anyone while I was in Iraq. I have a medal and the shellshock to prove I am a war veteran.
The American media, let me say, is terribly biased and terribly political. They report what they want people to believe, not what is happening. And most of the American people follow what they report, believe what they are told to believe, like cattle. It's no wonder that the public hates the war, believes that there's no good coming out of Iraq, etc, ad nauseum. So much for being able to think for one's self. Like animals led to the slaughter, the American media leads people to believe what they want them to believe, without the thought ever crossing their minds that the report might be biased, or not researched, etc. It's gospel truth cause it's on TV, right? Tommy Lee Jones was sooooo right when he talked about the difference between 'people' and 'a person' in the movie 'Men In Black'. I'll let you look it up and see what I am talking about. Talk to a servicemember, they can tell you what good is coming out of Iraq, you'll never hear it out of the American media.
My mother tells me on regular basis that we have no business sending 'our boys' into the Middle East. She neglects to recall her oldest daughter was there. But such is my mother. I've seen comments to servicemembers asking why we don't, for lack of a better way of putting it, negotiate our way our of going over there, why we go anyways, since 'we all know it's an illegal war'. Let me explain this a little bit. 2 May 2001, I put my right hand in the air, and took an oath that I would follow the orders of the President of the United States(regardless of my own opinion or what party he was from), and the officer and non-commissioned officers appointed over me. Meaning, that until my contract was up, or I was kicked out or killed, I would go where I was told, and do what I was told to do while I was there. nowhere, NO WHERE in there was there a clause for 'if I agree with the order' or 'if it's the right thing to do'. Let me make one thing very crystal clear......the elected officials, aka the politicians in the United States make the policy for the country. That is their job. The military is merely an enforcer/defender of that policy. THE MILITARY DOESN'T MAKE POLICY - IT'S NOT OUR JOB. So, 1 May of 2005, when I was handed orders sending me to Iraq, I had my opinions. And yes, I voiced them. But I went anyways. Why? Because it was an order. The military isn't consulted in whether or not we want to go to war. It's our job to fight the wars, that's why we are the military and there's no more draft. We volunteer for this job. We willingly sign up, wear the uniform, and go places others don't want to go. We don't have to like it, we just have to do it. The military falls under a whole additional code of laws and regulations, called the UCMJ, the Uniform Code of Military Justice. And violation of that code brings punishment ranging ffom extra duty and loss of pay to imprisonment, and in certain instances, death. Things like not paying your bills are punishable under that code, and you can be kicked out for that. In combat, we fall under the Laws of Armed Conflict, which dictate what we can bomb, who we can kill, and in what circumstances. For instance, your local church....in itself, according to the Laws Of Armed Conflict, can't be bombed, as it's not a military target. But, if folks use that church to store bombs and such, then game on....it's also policy that we don't represent our opinions as the opinions of the military. So that ought to tell you why we don't negotiate our way out, blah, blah, blah.....
My bottom lines for this are simple.....for one, know what the hell you are talking about before you start questioning servicemembers about why we do things like go to war. Research, know what you are talking about. Don't take everything on TV as gospel. It's not. Don't hate the military for following our orders. We do it so you don't have to. Think of it like that. Don't protest my fellow servicemembers who died. For one thing, they don't notice you, they are dead. For another, show some freaking respect for the dead. Protest the war to those who decide to send the military, not to the military itself, people are wasting their breath and time thinking that the military is going to change whether or not we get sent. Efforts are totally misdirected.
As one last little bit on this, let me say this......if someone breaks into your house, holds you and your loved ones at gunpoint, and you have a gun as well, are you going to negotiate your family loved ones out of harm's way? Not me, hell no. That person will die, and by my hands. I will defend my family as I havedefended my country, for we should love both the same way.
my amniotic fluid(the cushion for the baby) is still low. So, I'm wondering what they are going to do with me now. This ought to be interesting.
Alright, my commentary. Being a servicemember, you're bound to get the occassional comment from folks(regardless, I might add, or whether or not you have spent any time in the war zone, OR whether or not the person commenting to you has a snowball's chance in hell of knowing what they are talking about) about The War. And I am sure that everyone is intelligent enough to realize that there are as many opinions on the topic as there are people commenting on it. Now, officially speaking, the members of the armed forces in the U.S. are not allowed to represent their own opinions as that of the military entity. But, I would like to educate the passersby to my blog, a little about the military, from a first-hand perspective, and a little insight into the minds of those of us who serve our country by wearing the uniform.
I come from a LONG, long line of military servicemembers. My grandfather served in the Army, in the calvary, when his primary mode of transport( a horse, yes, a living, breathing animal) was issued to him by the Army. My uncle parachuted into France at D-Day, and lived with his legs permanently blackened from being shot in the air on the way to the ground(that's illegal nowadays, but wasn't then). My dad was drafted during the Korean war and was stationed in Germany, and ran a grocery store that was on a train, for the Army. My oldest brother was drafted during Vietnam, and based on his looks(yes this is done in the military), was made an Intel guy. He was a Psychological Ops guy, meaning that he went in and collected intel in places that he blended in well with. For him, his area of the world was Central and South America. Anyone recall Panama in the 80's??? Yea.....my brother can't tell me what he did, or specifically where he was, but I know he was there, as he took his weapon with him, and let's just say that a 'visit' to Cancun doesn't include taking along uniforms and an M-16A2. My other older brother went into the Navy during Vietnam, and was a Corpsman(medical tech in the civvy world). I have 2 cousins in the military, plus me......so prick me, I bleed Army Green. So I joined up, and went into the Air Force.
I have been in the military, on active duty, for a little over 5 years. I have served in Iraq, at Balad AB/Camp Anaconda, something like 50 miles(depending on who's driving) from Baghdad. I was the first woman to go there and armor the trucks that go on the convoys. I've been shot at by people I never saw or met, simply because I was an American servicemember. I lived in fear of hearing the impacts of the mortars hitting the ground, and feeling the ground under my feet shake like an earthquake when those same mortars got close to where I was. I've sat in the bunkers outside the shop I worked, and talked with the guys I worked with about what meal I wanted to eat when I got home, and we'd describe it, too....in detail. What we wanted to drink, the things that we take for granted and complain about while home, those things are a source of comfort to those being shot at. Like mowing the grass, or pruning my rose bushes. It allows the mind to rest for a bit from the stress of hiding from the things that go bump in the night. I've woken up disoriented, as my mind would dream of home, and wake to the reality I wasn't there, and it becomes disorienting. I've been asked, by Scout, my 10 year old son, if I had to shoot anyone while I was in Iraq. I have a medal and the shellshock to prove I am a war veteran.
The American media, let me say, is terribly biased and terribly political. They report what they want people to believe, not what is happening. And most of the American people follow what they report, believe what they are told to believe, like cattle. It's no wonder that the public hates the war, believes that there's no good coming out of Iraq, etc, ad nauseum. So much for being able to think for one's self. Like animals led to the slaughter, the American media leads people to believe what they want them to believe, without the thought ever crossing their minds that the report might be biased, or not researched, etc. It's gospel truth cause it's on TV, right? Tommy Lee Jones was sooooo right when he talked about the difference between 'people' and 'a person' in the movie 'Men In Black'. I'll let you look it up and see what I am talking about. Talk to a servicemember, they can tell you what good is coming out of Iraq, you'll never hear it out of the American media.
My mother tells me on regular basis that we have no business sending 'our boys' into the Middle East. She neglects to recall her oldest daughter was there. But such is my mother. I've seen comments to servicemembers asking why we don't, for lack of a better way of putting it, negotiate our way our of going over there, why we go anyways, since 'we all know it's an illegal war'. Let me explain this a little bit. 2 May 2001, I put my right hand in the air, and took an oath that I would follow the orders of the President of the United States(regardless of my own opinion or what party he was from), and the officer and non-commissioned officers appointed over me. Meaning, that until my contract was up, or I was kicked out or killed, I would go where I was told, and do what I was told to do while I was there. nowhere, NO WHERE in there was there a clause for 'if I agree with the order' or 'if it's the right thing to do'. Let me make one thing very crystal clear......the elected officials, aka the politicians in the United States make the policy for the country. That is their job. The military is merely an enforcer/defender of that policy. THE MILITARY DOESN'T MAKE POLICY - IT'S NOT OUR JOB. So, 1 May of 2005, when I was handed orders sending me to Iraq, I had my opinions. And yes, I voiced them. But I went anyways. Why? Because it was an order. The military isn't consulted in whether or not we want to go to war. It's our job to fight the wars, that's why we are the military and there's no more draft. We volunteer for this job. We willingly sign up, wear the uniform, and go places others don't want to go. We don't have to like it, we just have to do it. The military falls under a whole additional code of laws and regulations, called the UCMJ, the Uniform Code of Military Justice. And violation of that code brings punishment ranging ffom extra duty and loss of pay to imprisonment, and in certain instances, death. Things like not paying your bills are punishable under that code, and you can be kicked out for that. In combat, we fall under the Laws of Armed Conflict, which dictate what we can bomb, who we can kill, and in what circumstances. For instance, your local church....in itself, according to the Laws Of Armed Conflict, can't be bombed, as it's not a military target. But, if folks use that church to store bombs and such, then game on....it's also policy that we don't represent our opinions as the opinions of the military. So that ought to tell you why we don't negotiate our way out, blah, blah, blah.....
My bottom lines for this are simple.....for one, know what the hell you are talking about before you start questioning servicemembers about why we do things like go to war. Research, know what you are talking about. Don't take everything on TV as gospel. It's not. Don't hate the military for following our orders. We do it so you don't have to. Think of it like that. Don't protest my fellow servicemembers who died. For one thing, they don't notice you, they are dead. For another, show some freaking respect for the dead. Protest the war to those who decide to send the military, not to the military itself, people are wasting their breath and time thinking that the military is going to change whether or not we get sent. Efforts are totally misdirected.
As one last little bit on this, let me say this......if someone breaks into your house, holds you and your loved ones at gunpoint, and you have a gun as well, are you going to negotiate your family loved ones out of harm's way? Not me, hell no. That person will die, and by my hands. I will defend my family as I havedefended my country, for we should love both the same way.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Funny, though true, things about pregnancy....
Dedicated to CrazyGirl!!!!!
Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough .
Q: I'm two months pregnant now. When will the baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.
Q: What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
A: Childbirth .
Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's borderline irrational.
A: So what's your question?
Q: My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right?
A: Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.
Q: When is the best time to get an epidural?
A: Right after you find out you're pregnant.
Q: Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?
A: Not unless the word "alimony" means anything to you.
Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.
Q: Do I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby's diaper very quickly.
Q: Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
A: When the kids are in college.
Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough .
Q: I'm two months pregnant now. When will the baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.
Q: What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
A: Childbirth .
Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's borderline irrational.
A: So what's your question?
Q: My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right?
A: Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.
Q: When is the best time to get an epidural?
A: Right after you find out you're pregnant.
Q: Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?
A: Not unless the word "alimony" means anything to you.
Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.
Q: Do I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby's diaper very quickly.
Q: Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
A: When the kids are in college.
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AFeskimo and Ziggy
