Monday, November 10, 2008
Damn Myspace...
...has been causing me issues. I guess all this new profile 2.0 BS has slowed the postings for blogs. In any case, I think I like this idea more. Only people really interested in what I have to say will venture out past their myspace page to read my blogs. Right? I guess we shall see.
good, bad, happy & sad
Good- Mel loves her new school (or so she tells me). She's had tons of people, teachers included, ask if she speaks Chinese. Her History AP teacher (yes college level courses) is a little dry and carries a thick Texas accent. Something that she's not heard in too many years. She stopped a kid in the stairwell just to take a picture of his clothes. She said she asked him to stop, she snapped a pic and when he asked why, all she could say was, "Really?, I mean seriously??" Funny thing is, he probably looked like half the kids at her school. He was wearing Wranglers, cowboy boots, a button down collared shirt and the belt buckle.. Ahh, the belt buckle. I huge silver circle with a cows skull in gold, I later clarified that it was a longhorn. And the "horns stuck out from the circle!"
Aside from the cowboys, there are normal kids and there are even drugs there. Some kids asked her if she smoked, she just stared at him, he then clarified, do you smoke pot? She said in a horrible Japanese accent, "I don'ta speake Engrish." Apparently not many people thought she'd be able to. What a crazy adjustment for everyone. As much as things sound great for her, it was so hard to hear her talk about things going so well. That and her talking about people asking about why she was there. We miss her so much; it's just not the same here.
Good- (ish) Derrick reported back to work today, yes on Veterans Day. Nothing like making him come in on a day intended to celebrate- uhh HIM (and all other [war] veterans). He went in and was home early enough to join the boys and I for a late breakfast. We were able to hang out and just relax for awhile before things went from good to sad. We knew that over his predeployment leave that there was a chance his team would change. From what it seems, only his team remained the same. So that too is a good thing. These guys have been working together for the past few months and have formed a bond, separating them and placing them in a combat situation with people they don't know and haven't formed that trust with can be a deadly mistake. So while I'm really happy that Derrick's team has remained the same, I know too many others who have less than 2 weeks to come together and bond before they are completely dependent on each for the next 9 months.
Along with that disturbing news, Derrick gave me his leave window (the timeframe in which he will leave). :( After he did that, I had to call some friends and cancel our early Thanksgiving plans. I understand that things change and after so many deployments this should be easy. Operative word is should, because it surely isn't.
There is more- but with more come more emotion and the whole opsec issue. I worry, and for the first time in 12 years and 6 real world deployments I feel fear. What makes it scary as hell is it's a fear that shared.
Aside from the cowboys, there are normal kids and there are even drugs there. Some kids asked her if she smoked, she just stared at him, he then clarified, do you smoke pot? She said in a horrible Japanese accent, "I don'ta speake Engrish." Apparently not many people thought she'd be able to. What a crazy adjustment for everyone. As much as things sound great for her, it was so hard to hear her talk about things going so well. That and her talking about people asking about why she was there. We miss her so much; it's just not the same here.
Good- (ish) Derrick reported back to work today, yes on Veterans Day. Nothing like making him come in on a day intended to celebrate- uhh HIM (and all other [war] veterans). He went in and was home early enough to join the boys and I for a late breakfast. We were able to hang out and just relax for awhile before things went from good to sad. We knew that over his predeployment leave that there was a chance his team would change. From what it seems, only his team remained the same. So that too is a good thing. These guys have been working together for the past few months and have formed a bond, separating them and placing them in a combat situation with people they don't know and haven't formed that trust with can be a deadly mistake. So while I'm really happy that Derrick's team has remained the same, I know too many others who have less than 2 weeks to come together and bond before they are completely dependent on each for the next 9 months.
Along with that disturbing news, Derrick gave me his leave window (the timeframe in which he will leave). :( After he did that, I had to call some friends and cancel our early Thanksgiving plans. I understand that things change and after so many deployments this should be easy. Operative word is should, because it surely isn't.
There is more- but with more come more emotion and the whole opsec issue. I worry, and for the first time in 12 years and 6 real world deployments I feel fear. What makes it scary as hell is it's a fear that shared.
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