The Best (and Worst) of Bonnaroo

It's been about three days since I got home and I am just now starting to feel somewhat normal again. After doing this for 5 of the last 6 years, I'm not sure if I'm getting better (preparedness!) or worse (old age!) at it, but either way it is truly the best of times and the worst of times. As I described it to a first time Renegade, it's like childbirth....you forget how terrible it actually is and want to do it again once the memory of the pain recedes. Yes, I just compared a music festival to childbirth. Here are the highlights and lowlights...

The Best of Times

Randy's Renegades Reunited!

In our sweet team shirts. Honestly, these kids are effing awesome/ridiculous/hilarious. It pains me that we are all together only once a year.

ARCADE FIRE

although Kristin and Eddie would disagree

The Flavor Savers

Honestly, what's not to like about these guys?

Riding the Train

The picture doesn't do this late night, campground traveling C'mon Ride It (The Train) party justice. We literally had strangers join in and horse cops were jealous that they couldn't. 

Fish Tacos

Seriously, they were delicious, healthy, and uber cheap.

Old Crow Medicine Show

We spent this set talking about all of the naughty things we'd do to Ketch if we were single ladies. Fiddle playing has never been sexier!

Drinking beer at 11am

And Eric wearing my shorts.

3am Campsite Dance Parties

Slash Backstreet Boys/Ke$ha sing-alongs

The Worst of Times 

Oh Em Gee, the HEAT

I don't think a photo can accurately convey just how hot it was. Drew likened our tent to sleeping in an easy bake oven. We were using 85-100 SPF sunscreen and still got crazy tanned. Without tent fans and a camp shower, we might have died.

The wait to get in

Us in the Walmart parking lot (about a mile or two from the site) waiting for the others to arrive around midnight.

Our fearless leader

The sun rising as we were STILL waiting in traffic to get in

Drinking too much Red Bull and thus getting so nauseous I had to go back to camp instead of seeing Gogol Bordello. I'll never forgive myself.

The Dirt Boogers

Thanks to the dust, unless you wear a bandana like a bandit the whole time, everything that comes out of your nose is black. Unfortunately, it is too hot to be a full time bandit. Drew:"If I picked my nose as much in real life as I do here, I would have no friends."

The Port-A-Potties

(no picture required)

Pottying atop 1000 strangers' poop is never a pleasant experience. Neither is finding a urinal full of vomit. Or opening an unlocked port-a-potty to find a dude pooping/exposed penis.

The drive home

Though the ride there is equidistant to the ride back, you are far dirtier and drained and sad and ready to die on the way back. This is us after making the 10 hour trek back to Virginia. To quote Drew once more, "I'm glad you can't smell this picture." To top it off, she and I still had 3-4 hours of travel ahead of us.

CANKLES!

This was taken roughly 4 hours after the picture above. I twisted my right ankle the night before, but it only hurt all day instead of swelling. Then I took a shower, and, BAM, Cankle City, USA. Don't worry, they're gone now.

Merry Bonnaroo Eve!

RENEGADES!

It's almost here! Tomorrow morning, the husband is driving me to Richmond, where I'll be meeting my friend, Drew, who is taking the train down from DC. From there, James is picking us up and taking us to his dad's house in Charlottesville, where we will meet up with Kristin, load the SUV, and make the journey to Tennessee, converging with three other carloads of friends (including a friend flying in from San Diego) along the way. I was really good this year. Usually I start geeking out long before the festival, but managed to keep it pretty contained until this weekend (most likely due to this crazy PCSing thing  being in the forefront of my brain). But now I have to do this...SQUEEE!!

We packed the car (minus the cooler) this evening and the trunk is full. Though I am not exactly what you would call outdoorsy, I am somehow the one in our car who owns the most camping equipment, so I'm providing the tent, multiple sleeping bags, three air mattresses/sleeping pads, two camp chairs, giant cooler, camping fan, etc. And I must say, our tent is PIMP. It's a nine person tent with a closet and a screen door (you know, like the ones on front porches), and only 3-4 people will be sleeping in it. It shall be luxurious.

I was really hoping to convince the husband to come this year, but, alas, it is not his scene and he has much out-processing going on this week. I'm so excited to be reuniting with the Renegades (partially pictured above) though, as the vast majority of them were unable to attend last year. Also excited to introduce Drew to the madness (she's been talking about coming for years, and my impending move convinced her to actually do it this time). She is not excited to be using port-a-potties, but who ever is? I am mostly hoping to avoid developing the cankles that randomly appeared last year.

Cankle City, USA

I'll be back in a week, sunburnt, tired, (mostly) unwashed, and sad that I'll have to wait at least a year to do it all again. Cheers until then!

Those water bottles on the cooler? Moonshine.

(Pre) Moving is Hard

Confession: I was (am) a pack rat. In under eight years I have lived in nine different apartment/houses in four different cities (plus a month+ stint of couch crashing circa 2006). Despite these frequent moves, I still have Rubbermaid containers of random stuff (including things I had in high school) that I've hauled across that state of Virginia for the past decade. But I am determined NOT to transport it to the other side of the country. I'm turning brutal. I'm sucking it up and tossing/donating things. I will not let our next guest bedroom turn into a room filled with useless junk.

This weekend, we embarked on the task of getting rid of the stuff we never use. Though I remember making a large deposit at the neighborhood Goodwill at least thrice in the past year, we have entirely too much crap to sort through, including: a notebook of doodles dating back to pre-2004, an overflowing binder of college papers and blue books, multiple 80's prom dresses from college costume parties, a giant pile of ultra scratched up cds, old magazines, books that I haven't read since I was a teenager, countless bits of concert paraphernalia (ticket stubs, posters, shirts), and more. And that's not even counting the husband's own assorted collection of gizmos, doodads, and more power, A/V, and ethernet cords/cables than any one person will ever need in a lifetime. We made two trips to Goodwill, filled multiple garbage bags, took a grocery bag of books to the book swap shelf at the base library, and fed so much paper into the shredder that it filled up twice and overheated.

No, we still aren't done. I still need to talk myself into letting go of my (vintage!) My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake sleeping bags. I should probably part with a few more pairs of shoes and more clothes. And we need to find a container big enough to hold all of the husband's Legos...I can't tell you how guilty I felt when I asked him to break down all of his giant Star Wars Legos to try to fit them into an 18 gallon container that turned out to be too small to hold them all. It's going to take forever to put those back together again.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #42

I'm back! I wasn't able to do last week's fill-in and Blogger disappeared #40, but then it reappeared three days later. This week, I wasn't able to log in to Blogger for the past three days, but it mysteriously started working when I logged in via Google Chrome. Hopefully there will be no more issues. On to the fill-in!

1. Do you think civilians, in general, understand the meaning of Memorial Day?

I know that some of them do. However, there is also a massive chunk of the population who are like, "Wooo!!! Three day weekend, let's drink some Bud Light!" followed by "Of course I can drive, I'm not that drunk!" They just happen to be louder, and thus they are the Memorial Day stereotype.

2. What are your plans for the Memorial Day Weekend?

Well, the husband is very excited about a Sci-Fi yard sale (sponsored by the local Star Trek fan club) that is being held down in Va Beach on Saturday morning. I can only hope there are Comic-Con worthy costumes for sale. Then we are hopefully stopping by my friend's mom's annual Memorial Day Field Party.

3. What skill/talent do you wish you had? submitted by The 3 Turners

I still need to learn how to knit. 

4. Which came first: the chicken or the egg? submitted by I married into the Army

The chicken. Thanks, interwebs.

5. What is the best thing about your base? The worst? submitted by Randomly, Robyn

Are we talking the actual base or are we including the area around the base as well? Best thing for me: location/proximity to family. Best thing base specific: Commissary is large and open every day. Multiple gyms. Best thing including surrounding area: Near the beach. Lots of shopping options. Trader Joe's.
Worst: Traffic. Oh, how I loathe the traffic. And the heat/humidity. It was 90 degrees yesterday and it isn't even summer yet. I'm almost looking forward to the damp and cool of Washington.

As a bonus, here is the mysterious disappearing/reappearing Fill-in #40 that never got published.

1. Which was the best day of your life - Wedding Day or Homecoming Day? submitted by Pink Champagne, Gatorade & MREs

I'm going to have to go with neither. Our wedding day consisted of walking down to the courthouse, and me going to my Rise and Fall of Nazi Germany class a couple of hours afterward. Homecoming Day was exhausting. While both days were happy, we have had many other days that are far more deserving of the title "best day of your life."

2. Were you a part of the joining the military question or did you sign up for the relationship when your man was already in the military? submitted by Cammo Style Love

He was already talking to a recruiter and setting up a MEPS date when we started dating. Prior to that, when we were mere friends/co-workers, I definitely tried to talk him out of it (what can I say, I'm a big hippie). Obviously it worked out, and I realize now that it was a good decision.

3. What is your favorite Disney movie and why? submitted by Raising Roscoe

This is hard. Despite having no children, we immediately buy every (classic) Disney movie as soon as it is released on BluRay. I'll go with The Little Mermaid, solely based on the strength of the song Part of Your World. It is my ultimate sing-along song. 

4. What is your favorite family activity to do on the weekends? submitted by Destination: RN!

We like to geocache.

5. Where do you secretly with you could be stationed with your SO's line of work? submitted by Wookie & Co.

It's no secret, I want to go to Ramstein or Aviano. The husband got to live at both when his dad was in the Air Force, now I want a turn!

Road Trip Deux

The pre-PCS busy season has officially begun. Last weekend, we went with the husband's family (parents, two brothers, a girlfriend) for the husband, brother-in-law #1, and mother-in-law's birthdays (which are all within a week of each other). While we didn't get as crazy as the other people on our floor, who were "Woooooo!!!!!"-ing in the hallways at 5am, it was a good time. At one point I was up $15 (I pretty much only play the penny/nickel slots) and then I had another drink and was broke in under 5 minutes. We squeezed in a lunch visit with the husband's uncle and an IKEA stop on the way home, and, most importantly, I drove a grand total of 4 hours over the entire trip. I love that my husband is afraid of my driving :)

Here is the most important thing I learned during this trip: for the love of God, never see the movie Sucker Punch. Brother-in-law #2 is still in high school, so we tried to do some suitable (aka non-gambling) activities with him. This movie was quite possibly the worst two hours of my life. I've never walked out of a theater before, but I was seriously considering it. I think I'd rather have teeth pulled than have to see it again. The only redeeming qualities were the approximately 3.5 minutes featuring Jon Hamm and the fact that we were able to discuss the horrible qualities of the movie for HOURS on the ride back down south.

So now, just when I think I've finally recovered from Atlantic City (those hotel beds did a number on my back), it's time for another out of town trip. When the husband gets off work this afternoon, we're heading to my hometown for a family reunion, which is probably the last time I'll be able to visit for a good long while. We halfway packed the car yesterday with boxes of my grandma's silver and china. When my mom gave it to me a few years ago, she claimed she didn't have space for it. I asked her not to give me in the first place because I didn't want to have to haul it all over the country/have it shattered by movers. Then she got this weird look and asked what I meant. That was when I had to explain to her that the husband wouldn't be stationed in Virginia forever, most likely no longer than 4 years. She had to have known this deep-down, but I think she was in denial prior to that. But she made me take it anyway, it's been under our bed for two years, and now we have to lug it back.

Today we still have to pack our clothes/toiletries/gadgets. I still have to prep deviled eggs for 40, shower, try to tidy up (there is nothing worse than coming home to a mess) and dose up Sicily with her holistic kitty valium. We bought a new, larger carrier for her this week and set it up in the living room. She seems to like sitting in it/on top of it, there are screens on all four sides that she can see out of, and there is room for a tiny litter box. We can only hope she still likes it when she realizes it's her new traveling home that she will be spending nearly two weeks in come July.

Speaking of, the husband officially got his orders yesterday (woo!). We have to stop by the office before we leave town to see what else we have to give them to get out of the lease. Next Wednesday we have a short PCS briefing to attend, then it's on to deciding when we're actually moving out of the apartment and setting up movers. And a few days ago, I prepared our official 11 day travel itinerary, complete with pet friendly hotels, sightseeing, and Man v. Food approved dining choices. I felt so accomplished. Does anyone know if the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame worth stopping at?

Song Time

Hmmmm, well I originally posted this on Thursday, but Blogger got all weird on us and disappeared some posts...

It is Thursday, which means two things: one, we are leaving for Atlantic City this afternoon for a birthday extravaganza, and two, it is song link up time with Goodnight Moon.

Once upon a time, I was considering having a wedding. The husband and I had already gotten married, but we did it sneakily and didn't tell most people, as at the time we were still planning on getting wedding-ed (side note: while I have never actually frequented theknot.com, from what I hear, ladies who are already married and then plan on having a wedding are majorly frowned upon in regular wedding planning circles). In the end, we decided not to get wedding-ed, as between me and the husband's shyness, my lack of caring to plan for such an event, and the redonkulous cost of the whole fiasco, getting wedding-ed just didn't seem important, since the legal part was already done. However, before that decision was made, I did plan for little bits of the ceremony that never happened.

This song was going to be the recessional, specifically the song starting at minute 1:21. And I really liked the idea of fake mustaches and fake elephant noses as favors during the reception (which I was thinking of having in a barn, while wearing a not-white dress). I'm sure my dear, sweet, traditional mother thanks Jesus every day that I did not have the wedding-ed event that I wanted in my head.


P.S..... the action post 3:45 looks like an excellent party to me...

Sad Face

Tonight was the husband's ALS graduation dinner. We got to dress up and it was fun (at least as fun as these sort of things can be), considering I knew a grand total of two people there. I was excited to wear a pair of shoes I had only worn once before in the five years that I've owned them, and by the end of the night my poor aching feet helped me remember why I never wear them.

Then we came home and I got on The Facebook (yes, that is what I call it, like an old person) and saw that an old friend of mine died today. I was friends with his older sister in high school and we met at a Halloween party she threw, where my Spice Girl costume (it was 1998) roused his amorous intentions. He and I "went out" for roughly three months, at least as much as a barely-14-year-old boy (I guess I've always had cradle robbing tendencies) and 15-year-old girl can date. He introduced me to Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, and, though he was not my first kiss, he was my first real make-out partner, my first spoon, and the first boy I broke up with.

But as of the last nine years, we hadn't been in contact. The last time I remember hanging out with him was when we were 16 and 18 and he unsuccessfully tried to teach me to drive stick shift on his old VW Beetle in an elementary school parking lot. I found out a couple of years ago that he had a brain tumor and a blog about it, but, based on his blog updates, he seemed to be kicking its ass. Eventually, the blog wasn't updated very often and I ended up rarely visiting it. But apparently the last few months were bad ones.

Despite not really knowing him for the past decade, this is giving me a major case of the sads. He was a handsome barely-26-year-old, had a long time girlfriend that he had recently proposed to and had spent the last two years battling a brain tumor, a battle that seemed to be going phenomenally well compared to others with a similar diagnosis. I can't imagine the grief his family, especially his fiance, is feeling right now. It's just effing heartbreaking. Gah.

Let's Have a Hoedown

Once again, I'm linking up with Goodnight Moon for What's Your Song?
I love Old Crow Medicine Show. They make me want to go to a barn dance.



Two words: Critter's sideburns. Delightful. And check out the lead singer, Ketch. Isn't he adorable?
Bonus fun fact that makes me like them a little bit more: Ketch and Critter (um, awesome names btw) started playing together in my beloved college town (though it was long before I arrived there) and their songs frequently name drop places in Virginia.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #39

1. Have you and your spouse agreed to live in separate locations (a geographical bachelor tour) knowing that the short-term inconvenience would have long-term benefits for your family? How did it work for you? submitted by When Good People Get Together
I said no at first, then realized we actually had. Sort of. I was still in college when we sneakily got married, so he was three hours down the interstate. But we weren't living together prior to that, since he was away at basic/tech school/etc so it wasn't a big change from what we were already doing.

2. What is your favorite thing about being a MilSpouse? submitted by Sarah Ruth Today
The potential for awesome travel/living abroad. I want to go to fun places.

3. If you could still have your spouse and your family, but take the military life out of it...would you? submitted by Trust, Love, Believe, Bake
I haven't really experienced enough of the military life to say one way or another. It hasn't had any kind of drastic, life-changing effects on our lives yet. Get back to me in a few months when I'm across the country.

4. What have your homecoming experiences been like after a year long tour of separation? submitted by Army Soldier, Army Wife
Erm, not entirely applicable. When he came back from the 4 month deployment, I was exhausted from the will-he-be-here-or-won't-he run around - over the course of 3 days, I was told a different eta every few hours (and I had to prepare since I was picking him up at BWI - nearly 4 hours from home). After spending the day in DC with a friend, the husband called around 10 pm and said he'd be at BWI in 2 hours. A little while after I started driving to the airport, he called back and said he wouldn't be in until the next morning, so I tried to turn around to go back to my friend's house, took a wrong exit and was lost in downtown DC for an hour. By the time I was able to get back in touch with my friend and have her try to lead me back to her apartment, I got another call - he would be arriving that night after all. I got to BWI and neither the arrival signs nor any of the few people working (it was well after midnight by this point) had any idea where to point me. After another hour and a half of trying to nap/wandering around an empty airport, I suddenly saw a mass of camo at the far end of the corridor. How the hell was I supposed to pick him out?! He made it easy and found me first (only about 3 people were leaving from there, the rest were flying out again the next morning). We didn't get out of the airport until around 3:30, and at that point, he decided he just wanted to go home instead of doing the logical thing and getting a hotel, so we got home after the sun came up and immediately passed out since we'd both been up for over 24 hours at that point. Probably the least romantical reunite ever.

5. If you have a child(ren) why did you choose their name(s)? If not, why would you name your child something? submitted by Tiara's and ACU's
We have no younglings, but have unofficially agreed on Anja for a girl. I like the German-ness, as it would go well with the husband's last name. With me being saddled with the same name as 10% of the other girls born in the 80's, I will not go near anything on the "most popular" lists - I once worked with 5 other Ashleys...it got confusing/annoying. And we don't want to go for the other extreme of making up/horribly misspelling a "regular" name, as the in-law's left a letter off of the end of the husband's name to make it "unique" but that just ended up making people misspell/mispronounce his name his whole life. I'm going to make an educated guess and say that we will probably agree upon not insane sounding sci-fi related names.

Musical Funtimes

It is link up time with Goodnight Moon. I'm quite pleased that I remembered to do this before three days from now. Yay me! Every time I hear this song on the radio (like I did yesterday), I find myself unconsciously humming it for a day or two. Also, I want this chick's hair. And I wish high school picture day was this cool looking in real life.

A Late-ish Musical Link-Up

I usually forget to do this, and I am several days late, AND I'm too late to actually link up with Goodnight Moon for What's YOUR Song? Week 9, but I'm posting this anyways. Wah wah.
My musical selections for the next 7 weeks will most likely represent my upcoming Bonnaroo extravaganza. Gogol Bordello is this week's pick. I've seen them once, and, oh, what a gypsy punk dance party it was. If there is one thing that defines my musical tastes it is this: if you can have a hoe-down to it, be it country, Irish, gypsy, or folksy, I love it.



Things I love about this video:
The opening quote: "Remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants." -  Franklin Delano Roosevelt - It's so true.
Eugene Hütz's superfly mustache.
The pictures of old-timey immigrant mustaches. 
Eugene Hütz's crazy-eyes and gold tooth.
The tiny little country maps showing where everyone in the video is from - this is a 9 person band that represents 8 countries. Hello globalization. 
The Mexican Guy (minute 2:52 and 3:46) who looks like Saddam (you must admit...that's a brave look to try to pull off)
Sergey Ryabtsev's violin throw down(starting at minute 3:12)

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #38

1. How many pets do you have? And what type? submitted by Life and Times of a Displaced Jersey Girl
One polydactyl kitteh, Sicily. Though she was born in the mountains of Virginia, we like to imagine that she is at least partially a Norwegian Forest Cat. Her tail isn't as huge, but she has the wooly undercoat and massive head, chest and leg fluff (especially in the winter). We hope to bless her with a canine sibling after we reach the west coast.

Norwegian Forest Cat

Sicily

2. What are your favorite projects to do while hubby is away? submitted by my-inspired-nest

Is road tripping/concert going considered a project? Cause that's what I do. I am also more motivated to go to the gym while he's away.

3. What are the must-haves in your deployment care packages? submitted by Christine's Little Blog
Peter Pan Honey Roasted Creamy Peanut Butter. And Jim Melton's Beef Jerky.

4. If you could star in any TV show, which would it be? submitted by Just A Girl
Does being a contestant on Jeopardy! count as "starring" in a show?

5. What was the biggest hurdle that you faced during your significant other's first deployment? submitted by The Pavlik Perspective
The time lag via Skype. Our conversation would start out all well and good, but then it would get to the point where we couldn't hear what the other person was saying until 45 sec-1 min after it was said. It got a little frustrating. Oh the horror, right?

Bad Blogger!

 That's me...It's just that at the moment there is literally nothing going on. The husband is in ALS (Airman Leadership School) for the next few weeks, so he's on base longer and then has massive amounts of reading/outlining/speech writing to do when he gets home. I have been occupying myself with errand running, streaming Netflix and reading (lots of reading). I've had A Game of Thrones lying around since Christmas and finally got around to finishing it the day after the show premiered. Then I started the next book in the series, A Clash of Kings, and finished 40% of it in two days, so that's an improvement. I must say, though the story started out a bit slow, these books are pretty bad-ass, and I love that they made a show of it so I can put faces to the characters. They have even made me appreciate the husband's Kindle. I'm old school and actually prefer turning pages and having bookmarks and such, but I'm also too impatient to wait a week to have the actual book shipped to me, so the Kindle has been a life saver. I should probably take a break, as the storyline has invaded my dreams, but I'm an addict at the moment.  

                                

I spent a bit of time researching our future home as well. I'm still at a loss on the finding a place to live front, but I'd rather make that kind of decision once we are there and can see for ourselves if there are crack houses on the other side of the block. I have discovered that their are multiple base libraries that appear to be better stocked than both the base and county libraries here, there is an indie art house theater nearby, and *drumroll* the base has a WOMEN'S ROLLER DERBY LEAGUE. I've also learned that the I-5 is a veritable parking lot (boo) and there is an app for local happy hours (yay!). All in all, it doesn't look so bad. I feel as if I should be more prepared though, since we'll actually be there in 3 months, but this whole PCS-ing thing is new to me so I'm not sure how to go about being more prepared. Maybe I should go clean out a closet or something...

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #37

1. With PCS moves happening every few years, do you take the time to paint and decorate your home? submitted by Life as Mrs. JPT
We've lived in two apartments in two years here (we didn't find out how ghetto the first one was until we had already signed the lease). We've had stuff on the walls in both places, but I wouldn't call it decorated. Since we should be in Washington for 3-4 years, I think I'll go for it and try to make wherever we live seem homier. I'd love to have some color on the walls. And maybe actually get a dining room table that isn't a folding card table...

2. If you could live in any home on a television series, what would it be? submitted by Standing By Him
Oh my, can I just pick pieces of different TV houses? I dig Carrie Bradshaw's closet on SATC. The Greystone's house on Caprica was pretty tricked out, but most of the awesome stuff in it (um, robot butler? yes, please!) doesn't exist in this universe. I really love the exterior of Cam and Mitchell's house and the living room/kitchen of the Dunphy house on Modern Family. And the guys on The Big Bang Theory have the best geeked out decor. So if we can just mash these all together, I'll be happy.

3. What inspired you to start your blog? submitted by Pink Combat Boots
One, I figured it was a way to keep a few friends updated on the impending cross country move. And two, I wanted to fill out Friday Fill-ins :)

4. What is the weirdest thing you've ever seen on base? submitted by Adventures in Life
I've thought long and hard about this and I honestly cannot come up with anything. I'm sure I've seen a weird thing or two on base, but none of them stuck to my brain.

5. Which historical figure (politician, writer, artist, scientist, actor, etc...) would you like to have dinner with? submitted by Army of Two
I'll go for the obvious here and say Jesus. I'd like to see what he really looked like (cause you know he wasn't blonde haired and blue eyed) and what he'd have to say about things going on these days (particularly some of the hateful things done in his name).

The BSC Will Save the Day

Yikes, I have been terrible on the blog front this week. And it's not that I've been busy or anything. In fact, the exact opposite is true. I've done nothing but be a good little hausfrau all week - cleaning the kitchen daily, laundry-ing, being a helpful sous-chef (because I still can't cook). I did have a meeting with my former manager, in which he told me that he wasn't mad about anything, I'm awesome and he wanted me to come back to work, but since my stress level has decreased to next to zero in the weeks since the evil-customer incident, I declined. I'd been telling myself forever to get out of there, and now it is done. Granted, I could have picked a better time to become unemployed...

Aside from house-wifery, I've been spending entirely too much time reading lots of depressing shit about the government shut down. There isn't much I can add that hasn't already been said about the fuckery going on in Congress. For a while I was thinking, "Nah, this won't actually happen," but now that it is closing in on zero hour, it looks like the husband is only getting paid half of his earnings on his next paycheck and that kind of makes me irate. We have *some* money in savings and no kids to feed or anything, so we'll be okay for the time being, but it's the principle of the thing! I can only imagine the feelings of those whose significant others are in fucking combat and won't be getting their appropriate amount of pay. Congress needs to stop acting like moody teenagers and drop the bullshit of tagging on disagreeable provisions onto bills that would allow the military to get paid on time, especially considering that when these asshats go out to campaign they can't stop prattling on about how much they support the troops and just how amazingly patriotic they are. Yeah, nice way to show it. Support the troops, my ass.

On a far more lighthearted note, I have found a wonderful remedy for the all-kinds-of-pissed-off that happens after reading about the debacle above. My good friend Pinot Grigio and I get together and read these amazingly entertaining blogs (and there are so many of them!) snarking on my favorite pre-teen lit, Sweet Valley and The Baby-Sitter's Club. Did you know that there is a new (by all accounts terrible) adult novel called Sweet Valley Confidential that follows the now adult Wakefield twins?! And there is a piece of SVH/BSC crossover fanfic over at What Winston Saw that is the most ridiculous thing ever, but I just couldn't turn away. I can't be the only person who read these as a kid and loves having the inanities of these series pointed out. Lame? Yes. But taking refuge in in terribly written schlock is better than focusing on how the government is trying to give me an anxiety attack.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #36

1. What romance movie scene reminds you of your spouse and the LOVE you share? submitted by Simply Sunshine and Daisy's
Really? Okay, I'm going with the Ikea scene from (500) Days of Summer, uh, because we both really like Ikea.

2. If you were allowed to deploy with your husband to a war zone would you and why? submitted by I & J
Dear sweet baby Jesus, no thank you. Luckily, the husband's job doesn't actually go directly into war zones. But if it did, it would be bad enough for one of us to be there, much less both of us. I would think that it would be distracting to the service member to have to worry about their family's safety in such a volatile place. I would definitely prefer to stay behind in relative safety. Besides, someone has to take care of the cat.

3. Have you ever done anything (intentionally, or unintentionally) to embarrass your spouse in front of his military cohorts? submitted by Marrying the Navy
Yeah, but it wasn't anything too dreadful. So the husband started playing Magic (you know, the geeky card game) at lunch with some guys in the lab. Then he started trying to get me to play at home. At first I refused. I mean, I'm a nerd, but am I THAT nerdy? But he finally convinced me and I beat him, nay, destroyed him like ten times. About a week later, I stopped by the lab to ask the husband some random question on the way home from the gym. It was lunch time and he and the other guys were in the midst of their card game, so I shamed him by letting everyone know that I totally owned him at his own game.

4. What is your most irrational fear? submitted by Eights on the Move
I am terrified of birds pooping on me. It has happened twice in my life, once while playing in my front yard as a kid, and again about three years ago. The husband, the bff and I were downtown on an unseasonably warm spring day, looking for a place with outdoor dining. As we waited to cross the street,  I suddenly felt something on my arm. It was bird poop. I started screaming. Of course none of us had tissues or paper or anything, so the husband took off his sock for me to wipe the grossness off. Isn't he chivalrous? We ended up eating lunch indoors. Now whenever we see a flock of seagulls, the husband narrates how they are out looking for me to poop on again. The worst is at the park where you have to cross this long bridge to get to the trails and there is always a family or two feeding the birds. It is always a walk of terror.

5. If you could only live in one kind of climate for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? submitted by Many Waters
After a week of gloom, cold and rain, I'm craving a nice stretch 70-something-degrees sunny days. I just don't even want to leave the house when it's cold and gross outside, so nice weather makes me more productive as well.

How fancy!

It had been a while since I was able to visit my beloved college town, so I made a quick trip this weekend to visit with the bffs (and canine nieces and nephews).

My favorite niece.

Also, after much encouragement, my friend Hillary and I got the bff's boyfriend (pictured below) to finally borrow season one of Battlestar Galactica. The bff has staunchly refused to watch the show, though I have nerdily promoted it, for roughly four years, as she thinks that it is too uncool for her. However, she still wears shirts like this...

There was much wine drinking and dinner partying and bowling and March Madness watching during my visit. Though I typically don't care much for sports, college basketball is the one sport I actually find exciting and, as a Virginian, I must cheer on VCU for bringing it. Even if I wasn't a Virginian, I may have still cheered for them anyway solely based on the way they made the Kansas players cry on Sunday.

Side note: Has anyone ever seen The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia? I saw it at a friend's house this weekend and I OMG!-ed about 300 times in under two hours. It is a train wreck of epic proportions. You just can't turn away. Neither my words nor this trailer can do it justice, so just go stream it on Netflix. You know you want to.



I figured I wouldn't have much time for interneting this weekend, so I didn't bring my laptop with me. I returned home yesterday to find that the lovely Julie from When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground has bestowed upon me my very first blog award, AND readership has EXPLODED (as in, it's in the double digits)! Awesome sauce.

Thanks, Julie!!!

So now I have to think of 7 random facts about myself.....

• My hair has been just about every (naturally occurring) color there is, from bleached blonde to black. Red was my favorite, but I'm not sure if I can pull it off anymore. 
• I am less than six degrees from Kevin Bacon. In high school, I dated Travis, whose dad was an extra in a movie with C. Thomas Howell, who was in The Outsiders with Matt Dillon, who was in Wild Things with Kevin Bacon. Bazinga!
• After watching The Walking Dead, I'm fairly certain I wouldn't last long in the zombie apocalypse. 
• I'm an only child, and thus solely responsible for satiating my mother's overwhelming and extremely vocal desire to have grandchildren. I tell her she should have thought of that before making me an only child.
• I've worn glasses since 2nd grade. Technically, I should wear bifocals. Only in the last five years have they become attractive, sexy-librarian glasses.
• Jon Hamm is at the top of my Freebie Five.
• I am filled with random, and mostly uninteresting, historical facts.

The rules of the award are as follows...

1. Thank and link to the person who gave you the award.
2. Tell 7 random facts about yourself.
3. Pass on the award
4. Tell them the rules.

So, here are the people I am passing this on to....

Alana @ Miss Alana's Miscellany

Jess @ Just a Geek Named Jess

Jessica @ I&J

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #35

1. What is your must have gadget? submitted by Flying High With My Flyboy
While I do love my MacBook, if I had to choose just one gadget, I'd go with my iPhone 4. Although the touchscreen keyboard and I still don't get along that well, it is a constant source of entertainment/keeps me connected to everything. I am an addict. Although, if the husband lets me play with his new (older version) iPad anytime soon, this answer may change.

2. How does you adulthood compare to what you imagined it would be like when you were a little kid? submitted by L to the Third
Honestly, I don't remember much about what I thought adulthood would be like. I do remember picking out wedding and bridesmaid dresses from my grandma's JCPenney catalog when I was a little kid, then I grew up and went off and eloped sans dresses and attendants. I'm pretty sure I never imagined that I'd marry a military man.  I also remember thinking that if people weren't married with children by, like, age 24 they were WAY too old. That part definitely changed.

3. What is your favorite chocolate recipe? submitted by Our First Deployment
A. I'm not terribly into chocolate (crazy, right?)
B. I'm not much of a cook.
But I do like to "make" Pillsbury Simply...Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are made with real ingredients (aka no "corn sugar") and always turn out perfectly.

4. How do you deal with military life when it gets to be too much or too hard? submitted by Combat Boots And Pointe Shoes
I have no answer because I don't think I've been faced with that yet. I'm pretty lucky in that the most bothersome things about the husband's job and/or my experience with military life in general (thus far) are rather trivial and petty in comparison to the stuff other spouses have to deal with (aka loooong deployments, pseudo-single-parenthood, etc).

5. What piece of advice would you give a new military spouse facing their first deployment? submitted by The Albrecht Squad
Once again, stay busy! Don't count the days. Have a pet to keep you company. Go do something fun. Drink lots of wine.

What's Your Song?

I'm linking up for the first time (for week 5) via Goodnight Moon.

Since I quit and/or got fired this week (honestly, I'm not sure which happened yet, but either way, I'm not working anymore), I've had much more time to pick up on my hooping, and thus I have listened to this song roughly 25 times. Though my living room is small, I've been able to carve out *just enough* space for it to work. Hooping, by the way, is an excellent source of ab exercise and it is actually fun. Get on it!

Though the video is tiny bit of scary (White lipstick! Tori Amos-like red hair! Blue ladies with huge bouffants! Balaclavas!), this song is perfect. It's primal. It's mod. It makes you want to move. And you can see her uvula in this video. She's playing at Bonnaroo in June and she is on the top of my MUST SEE list.

Dog Days Are Over by Florence + the Machine (partial)
Happiness hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her stuck still no turning back
She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled
With every bubble she sank with her drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink

The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run

Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind
You can't carry it with you if you want to survive

Minutes 2:03 and 2:50 are where is gets amazing.

the end of an era (I hope)

So I have worked at America's favorite Australian themed restaurant for a long, long time. It saw me through my formative young adult years. As in since I was barely legal. As in nearly a decade. I can honestly say, I would not be where I am today without said craptastic workplace. I would not know a great majority of my near and dear friends. I would neither know nor be married to the husband if not for said restaurant. So in that respect, it has rewarded me greatly.

However, that place has also been the bane of my existence. I have (several times) sworn to never work there again. I was arbitrarily "fired" during college because the boss didn't like me. Seriously.....the reason given for my "firing" was actually something that a co-worker did and freely admitted to doing without punishment....yet I was still "fired." When the other manager (the one who didn't fire me) found this out and offered me my job back, I quit out of principle.

I worked elsewhere for two years and, after I graduated from college, I hoped to never work at the corporate-whore pseudo-Australian restaurant ever again. And then I was unemployed in a new city for nearly 6 months. I gave in. I went in for the "transfer" hire and have been there for a year and a half. Well, my friends, that might be ending soon. No, not because I have an awesome new opportunity on the horizon. And no, not because I'm moving in the somewhat near future. I may potentially be getting FIRED because of one (rude-ass, redneck asshole) pissed-off-for-a-nonexistent-reason customer. Someone who cursed at me for no reason and lied to me. Then complained to my manager because I reacted in a pseudo-concerned way, that she took as me "trying to be funny."  And now (even though I almost want them to release me from this purgatory of restaurant hell that I seem to be trapped in) my job is in limbo. REALLY? Yes, really.

Customer service sucks balls. I have played the "the customer is always right" game for like a third of my life and, to tell the truth, I am fucking sick and tired of it, because 75% of the time, the customer is trying to scam you to get free stuff. Hint to anyone trying to scam the system: If you complain about ANYTHING, even stuff that didn't happen, at a corporately owned restaurant, you will get stuff for free. They would rather give you free stuff than have you give bad press to your friends.

Although I feel kind of bratty for complaining about my job (while I'm still technically employed), while so many people are out of work, I don't know if I can take it anymore. It is literally the most stressful aspect of my life right now (a life that includes an impending cross country move). It sucks that I NEED to be employed until we PCS in July. Even if I don't get fired, I'm considering taking my expensive and unused college degree and working at a grocery store or something just to make a few dollars and escape where I am now.

In closing, for the love of God, be nice to the people who wait on you - at the post office, in restaurants, in retail, at Jiffy Lube - because they have probably dealt with ten people before you who treated them like shit. Trust me.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #34

1. What are some of your ideas for staying connected with family...you know, those people we moved thousands of miles away from? submitted by Live it. Love it (or not). Write About It.
Well, I started this little blog here to stay in touch with a few close friends. I don't think that I'm going to out it to the family. There is always Facebook and I'm teaching the parents how to use Skype before we move.

2. What's the most romantic gift you have GIVEN? submitted by Painting My Canvas
I'm not really a romantic gift giver. It's just not our style. I give the husband awesomely nerdtastic gifts though. Examples:

3. Would you encourage your child, if they came to you and wanted to join the military? submitted by Perfectly Imperfect
Hmmm, well I won't be faced with this possible scenario for at least another twenty years or so, but I'd like to think I'd support their chosen career path (you know, unless they wanted to be a stripper or reality show whore or something). Besides, growing up in a military household, I would think that they'd have a better idea than most as to what they were getting into.

4. What is your least favorite bill to pay and why? submitted by A Little of This, A Little of That
Now that the credit cards are paid off, I am responsible for only one bill: the dreaded student loan payment(s). They are paid ahead and one should be done in under six months, but the other one...well, it'll be around for a long, long time. Even though I pay it every month (sometimes twice), it seems like the remaining balance just doesn't shrink enough. Every time it goes down another $1000 is a small victory, but it's still WAYYY too high for my liking. At least I have a fancy piece of paper hanging on my wall to show for it, right? : /

5. What is the proudest moment you've had as a military spouse? submitted by Our Okinawa Life
The husband seems to win awards nearly every quarter and got Airman of the Year for his wing last year, so there are ample moments to be proud of him.

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

I woke up this morning to the Dropkick Murphys blasting in the kitchen and I immediately knew that the husband and his brother were having Irish Car Bombs for breakfast. The jerks didn't even invite me and I am far more Irish than they are! Rude. I'm sure I'll make up for it later today. And don't worry, we have an automatic designated driver in the youngest brother-in-law who is old enough to drive, but not old enough to drink. Perfection.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all! Don't make too many bad decisions.

ABC's of Me

I'm linking up with A Little Piece of My World for this one...

{a} age: 27

{b} bed size: Queen, but I’m looking to upsize.

{c} chore you hate: vacuuming. It’s so noisy!

{d} dogs: I want a Corgi sooooo bad!!!!!!!

{e} essential start to your day: I MUST brush my teeth before I do anything.

{f} favorite color: Black

{g} gold or silver: White Gold

{h} height: 5’4

{i} instruments you play: I can play Mary Had A Little Lamb one-handed on a piano and the first few chords of Come As You Are on a guitar.

{j} job title: Wait Person

{k} kids: None yet, planning to pop one out by the time I’m thirty (assuming I will ever feel grown-up enough to do so)

{l} live: In the state of my birth, Virginia.

{m} mom's name: Betty

{n} nicknames: Assy Poo (don’t ask), Ash Browns, Memurs

{o} overnight hospital stays: I’ve only stayed part of a night in a hospital, when I wrecked my car at around 10pm, and was out of the ER by 3am.

{p} pet peeves: People who drive giant SUVs and think that driving said giant SUV means they don’t have to follow the rules of the road.
People who are shitty tippers.

{q} quote from a movie: From the delightful movie Amelie:
[Mme. Wallace is reading an old letter from her long-deceased husband.]
Mme. Wallace: "When my sweet little weasel appears at the station…" Did anyone ever write you like that?
Amélie: No. I'm nobody's little weasel
and
Amelie to her indifferent father - “I had two heart attacks, an abortion, did crack... while I was pregnant. Other than that, I'm fine.”

{r} right- or left-handed: Lefty!

{s} siblings: I used to pretend that my stuffed animals were my siblings since I have no human ones.

{t} time you wake up: on average...8-9ish.

{u} underwear: I wear them. Typically hipsters.

{v} vegetables you dislike: I hate everything about celery.

{w} what makes you run late: Stupid traffic.

{x} x-rays you've had: Teeth and upper body.

{y} yummy food you make: Chicken casserole with egg noodles.

{z} zoo - favorite animal: Alpacas! And this camel from the Louisville Zoo....

Tongue-tied Tuesday

Weekend Getaway

The pseudo-weekend is about to begin! Since the husband just recently worked two weeks worth of twelve hour days (including weekends, oh the humanity!) he is taking leave beginning at the end of the work day today and we are heading down to the Carolinas when I get off work tonight. It's not really a vacation, as we are just going to the in-laws' so that the husband can fix their computer, but it'll be a nice relaxing few days of hanging out away from home.

In the past week or so, I have read multiple blog and message board posts about awful in-laws, specifically psycho-crazy mother-in-laws. These posts make me feel like a lucky lady. My in-laws are a delight. I've felt totally welcomed by them since the first time we met. They're kind of youngish on the in-law spectrum, barely pushing fifty. The mother-in-law and I share an affinity for white wine, get the occasional pedicure together, and I have rocked her hand-me-downs with no shame. Not to mention, she has 24 years of MilSpouse experience under her belt and still works for the Air Force, so she is filled with lots of useful information for military-illiterate people such as myself.

We're also using this trip to try out new, less-stress-inducing travel methods for the cat. When we had our old car, she was a roam-free-in-the-car-kitteh, which worked out rather well for us. Then came the "Pooping in the Passenger Seat Incident of 2010"(and YES, she had a litter box in the back seat), which was very closely followed by the purchase of a new car with stainable fabric seats. Now she travels in a kitty carrier, which has turned her into a very unhappy and yowl-y traveler. We went to PetSmart a few days ago and procured some kitty calming spray that we intend to douse the backseat and carrier with, so hopefully she will calm down a bit for our drive this evening.

I'm seriously praying that this works, as we have decided that instead of flying her to the west coast alone after we drive to Washington in July, we are bringing her with us. I really do not like the idea of an unhappy Sicily in the backseat for 10 days/3000 miles, but I like that possibility a lot more than the idea of her stressing out on a plane without us or an airline losing our cat in transit. We'll have to scale back our stops and find pet-friendly hotels (or sneak her in, shhh) but I don't know that any of us would be happy separated for so long. I welcome any and all cat traveling tips.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-in #33

1. During military separations (whether short or long) how do you keep yourself positive and motivated? submitted by Married/Single Parent
This probably sounds too simplistic, but by keeping busy. While the husband was at boot camp/tech school, I was in college full-time, bartending/waiting tables 4-6 days a week, and had lots of friends around to keep me occupied. During his lone 4 month deployment, I worked quite a bit and took trips to see friends/family/awesome bands every couple of weeks. I always had something going on/something happening in the near future to look forward to, so I wasn't only focused on how long it was until he was coming back.

2. What is your favorite concert you have ever been to? submitted by Young but Not (Completely) Dumb
Oh dear, this is a toughie. For much of my young adult life, I was a concert junkie. The first five concerts I went to involved huge amounts of luck/friends helping me pull off a massive cover up so my mom wouldn't find out I was in another city at a "sinful rock concert." I once saw the same band three days in a row in three different cities. I've driven to both Atlanta and Nashville (from Virginia) for a show, then turned around and driven directly back (not recommended). Then there was the time an ice storm turned what should have been a 45 minute drive to a show into a terrifying and slippery two hour drive with poor visibility, but we didn't turn back. In short, I frequently made very bad decisions in order to see really great concerts.
But back to the question. I can't choose just one, as there have been so many epic adventures. My third Tori Amos show (February 2003, Charlotte) was pretty cool, we had killer seats and I swear she made eye contact with me (I was literally leaning against the stage) during the encore when she played my then-favorite song. Radiohead at Bonnaroo (June 2006, Manchester) was once described as the best three hours of my life. I'm not sure if I'd still say that, but I will say that it was a masterpiece. The Flaming Lips at The Echo Project (October 2007, Atlanta) was fantastical. From the second row you're in the center of the confetti storm and Wayne Coyne's giant inflatable ball that he walks over the crowd in rolled directly over me. The Foo Fighters at Virgin Festival (August 2008, Baltimore) was awesome because they're the husband's favorite band and we had a nice view of Dave Grohl. The husband hardly ever goes to shows, so it was nice to go to a concert we equally enjoyed together. And last, but certainly not least, The Flavor Savers at Bonnaroo (June 2010, Manchester). There is just something about watching four grown mustachioed men in matching fluorescent pants singing 90s dance hits whilst busting out some smokin hot moves.

3. What do you miss most about your "hometown"? submitted by A Florida Girl and Her Soldier
My actual hometown is kind of craptastic, but I do miss being able to see my soulmate (and her new baby) on a regular basis. I miss so much about my adopted hometown (aka college town) though...my wonderful group of friends, my school, my favorite little indie restaurants, my super-winning trivia team, the walkability of where I lived.

4. If you could run in any race, which charity would you choose to support? submitted by Wookie and Co.
Either the Alzheimer's Foundation for America (for my Grandma) or the National Childhood Cancer Foundation (because kids with cancer are heartbreaking)

5. You find out Willy Wonka is your father, what 3 course meal do you INSIST he create in that stick of gum? submitted by A{muse}ing Mommy on a Pink Park Bench
Mmmm, because I miss Xenia Kebab Grille so terribly much, I would like their falafel, the Athena traditional Greek gyro, and baklava. Who wouldn't want chickpea and lamb flavored gum? Yum!

Hopped Up on Goofballs

That pretty much describes me right now. I had a bit of surgery yesterday to remove several cysts and I'm not allowed to drive while taking the painkillers I was prescribed. So today I'm hanging out on the folded out couch-bed, eating antibiotics (one of which feels like it is semi-lodged in my throat regardless of how much water I drink) and tylenol with codeine while watching reruns of How I Met Your Mother. Fun times!

I've had similar cysts removed before (they're tricky little recurring bastards), which in the past meant going to the doctor's office for no more than thirty minutes, getting a teeny-tiny injection of local anesthesia, having it cut out and stitched up, then driving away when it was over with. That was before I was seen by military doctors. Imagine my surprise when I was told that to remove them this time, I had to go to the hospital, put on one of those awful open back gowns, get all hooked up to IVs and heart monitors, get sedated and ride a gurney into the OR. This little production took around six hours. I just don't understand why they have to make everything so dang complicated!

I'm an Auntie!

Meet Baby P. He's the brand new baby of my closest, bestest friend of almost 22 years, my hetero-soulmate Becky. You know how some people say they can remember the moment they laid eyes on his/or her significant other  and knew they were "the one"? Well, I remember when, at age 6, I was sitting in a new church my mother and I were visiting. I saw a little girl with big, plastic framed glasses and braids walking down the aisle and I thought, "I bet I can be friends with her." Luckily, my mom decided she liked the church and has gone there ever since. Becky and I became joined at the hip, bound together by our mutual love of Sweet Valley Twins and Baby-Sitters Club books. Together we survived our exceedingly awkward years (we had a longer awkward period than most), high school, terrible boyfriends, and living together for a year in college with an awful third roommate. Now we're old married ladies and she is a mommy.

The picture above is more significant than you may think. See me, holding a baby who isn't crying? That never happens. Babies can smell my fear of them and like to make me as uncomfortable as possible when I attempt to hold them. This dates back to when I was 7 and was forced to hold my giant baby cousin at a family gathering. He immediately started crying and no one would take him from me. Traumatized? You could say that. But while I was back home this week, I got to visit with/hold Baby P on three separate occasions, the first time being when he was a mere 12 hours old. I even helped put on his first non-hospital-issued outfit. He never freaked out once. It was like some sort of miracle. I'm not saying I have baby fever now or anything, but I don't think I'm utterly terrified of them anymore. I am totally excited about getting to be the cool auntie who spoils him (which already started when he was in utero).