Because Sal and Trust want to be in the blog.

Even tho Sal is Cuban (His words, not mine.  Actually, they might have been Trust's.)

Sal and Trust work the ops desk together at nite.  They have some of the most inane conversations I've ever heard in my life.  Esp when Sal talks because he has no concept of transitions and will just...keep...talking.  Trust is a smart-ass (he's going to take that as a compliment, don't worry) and the two of them together is throughly entertaining.  So, shout out to them.  Hi guys.

Quotes of the however-long-it's-been-since-I-last-posted:

"You and Capt Alford should have a fight.  In jello."

"I'm reasonably certain that if Robin weren't in the Army he'd be a cult leader."

"You have a guy named Tyrone who isn't black and an Asian kid named Kirby White?  I don't even know what to do with that."

So yeah. 

Let's see, what else.  Oh, it's Thanksgiving, and I think I gained 9 pounds today.  They had olive bread and sweet potato pie, I mean, really.  And we had Thai for dinner, because tradtition.  Right?  That's how that goes?  And tomorrow the Christmas music can start!  Yes Anna, still judging.

In addition to family and friends, that is something I'm thankful for - music.  It seriously helps me pass the day and I miss singing so much I can actually feel it.  I have sung offhand a little here for random reasons but I miss REALLY singing.  And maybe in part to remind myself that I can sing for real.

Ben came through!  We were stationed at RAFM together and he's awesome.  He's out in a different area now but he'll be back to visit next week for the conference.

Which, ya know, goes on.  Mini-rant: A pox upon micro management and people who think I care who they are ad they're special enough to not haev to follow the rules.  No people.  It's only partially a joke that I tell boss Colonels around.  I don't care who you are, rtfm and get your shit together.  In the grand scheme of things, who cares about a conference?  It's not life or death I'm annoyed at, it's administrivia.  But I have so little else to do that of COURSE I'm going to want to punch you in the throat when you can follow basic directions and are generally irritating.:  mini-rant over.

And, um...they started a movie list again, of what they think I need to watch.  Two of them, actually.  The ISRD started one and the ISAF SOF guys started one.  So that makes three including the one from IROC.  Apparently I do not get enough cultural references.

We have had some more pilot-y types come through, they continue to be cool.  I continue to try to work out twice a day as my schedule permits.  It's kinda happening.  This week, at least, has been awful when it comes to motivation and energy.  But I figure at least if I keep trying I'm doing something til I'm back to the schedule I like.

Really there have not been nearly enough shenannigans lately.  We need to hijack a gator again or something.

It's getting cold but has yet to snow.  I may miss it completely...good thing Colorado exists.  Speaking of -

Dear Colorado people, I'm coming home soon.  Get up for it.

Dear Maxwell, AL people, I'm headed your way too, in January.  How many of there are you, anyway?

Recent reading:

I finished Redshirts, I forget if I mentioned that.  Then I read Bossypants, which is indeed hilarious, and now I'm reading A Girl of the Limberlost.

On my phone.  The ipad is beyond help at this point.  I could see the cracks sneaking across the screen, devious little buggers, and now I really don't think I can use it without getting teeny tiny glass bits in my fingers.  And quite frankly that sounds unpleasant.

I finished my masters and turned in my thesis and after all that non-guidance and confusing-ness, he gave me an A-.  Well cool!  YAY for being done.

What else? Well, I started mailing things home so I think that means I actually leave soon despite the best efforts of Mac and the flat out denial of Kirby.  And it's good I reused boxes because I totally did not remember my own address.

Anybody want to go to a Flogging Molly Concert in Atlanta in Feb?

I'm actualy much happier than I'm coming across at the moment, just to put your mind at ease mom.  I will even miss people when I'm gone, as much as I'm loking forward to going home.  Rather a bit, cause that's how I roll.

Things we've learned recently:

- I hate making Christmas lists.

- I also hate haggling.

- Said making Christmas lists just encourages me to shop online.  But NO MORE.  Except for other people.

- They blocked this site at work so now I have to actually figure out when to write this thing on purpose.  Hence the delay on this one. 

- How to shuffle.  No, really.  I'm still pretty bad but I can fake it now. 

- The closer I get to leaving the less likely I am to be patient with stupidity.   I need to work on that.

- I also really need to visit Australia.

That is all, I think.  Time for sleeping.

-S.

thumb holes are the best thing that ever happened to long sleeve shirts.

Quotes of the...er...two weeks?  My bad:

"Sarah, why did you come up with this bs workout?"
"Because I hate you."
"Wow, the level of banter in here has almost reached Australian."

"Ma'am, whenever you answer 'how are you' with 'not bad', I feel like I should look for a body somewhere."

This post is going to be significantly weather based.  Because it's been raining all week and it was awesome.   I eventually broke out the sweet jacket and everything.  And it really is a sweet jacket.  Totally worth making my deployment manager write three equipment letters until I was allowed to get it.  And I've got a beanie which keeps my ears warm and will likely be adopted and worn way to much even when I get home. 

However, despite the sweet jacket, I still do that thing where I run around in the rain in shorts and a t-shirt.  And it's still pretty much awesome and no mom I did not make myself sick.  People did look at me funny tho.

And the less I care to focus on work the more tempted I am to shop online.  Particularly when everyone is having sales (Brooks Brothers, Black Fleece, 70% off.  It's a good thing I'm not at home and finding things that fit in person.).  And I do not need more coats! But...I wants it!  I don't have a red one, that's a good reason right?  It's cute as all get out...dangit, modcloth!

Also, since it's started getting cold enough to wake me up at nite, I bothered to push buttons until the A/C worked as a heater.  Now, I don't really have a sense of smell for the most part, just randomly.  But when I turn on the heater at nite now, it smells like the house does when my dad turns on the pilot light of the furnace for the first time when summer is over, and it burns all the dust away or something.  It is hands down my favorite smell and it makes me anxious to be home.

I finished The Beautiful &The Damned.  It's a confusingly depressing book.  Not actually depressing, because I'd say I liked it, but it's not really a happy book.  I've moved on to Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas.  It's entirely different and it hilarious, and dad you should read it.  As should all my nerdy friends out there who know what 'redshirt' means when I say it.

So I turned in my thesis draft and then finally got it back four days before the original due date (he kindly extended it).  And for the first time got actual feedback.  Not all of it was useful but at least it was real, and not "ok."  More interestingly:  Some people did not turn in a draft.  Really people?  Last masters class, and it's a paper with free feedback for you to fix everything to make sure you pass and you don't turn in a draft? 

I tried a thing called Tim Tams this week, which I got from an Aussie for helping them with a computer thing.  They were pretty good.  Apparently they're a big deal.


Random thoughts:

- I've found myself increasingly interested in noticing who doesn't look back when they walk away from someone.

- Leadership that reacts purely based on their mood or emotions at the time is just shite.  It is irrational, off-putting, and is pretty much a way to lose my confidence in you instantly.

- Sometimes the best way to get over wanting to be with people is to be alone on purpose.  Preferably with a good book.

- Dear COLs, I'm a Capt, not a complete idiot.   And I get to tell you no.  Do not keep trying to play me.


Later ya'll!

-S.