personal

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Tropical Storm Andrea

I’m actually kind of excited to hunker down in my new abode and ride out the storm with Annie. I do wish my TV was hooked up so I could at least watch a movie, though. I have missed my Big Bang Theory marathons, but it’s looking like we can’t get cable while we’re here.

Everything is based on a 24-month contract, and we can only get satellite since I’m so rural. The provider was very unclear on whether military orders would get us out of the contract – and even if they said yes, the reviews I found indicate they are not honest about it.

Good thing I recently downloaded lots of books to read! 

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All Done…!

… with move #1 of 3 between now and March! It was a longggg couple of days (more like couple of weeks) but it’s done now and nothing went wrong. I did find out that the owners of the old house are ripping out the carpets… AFTER I paid to have them professionally cleaned. There are no coverings on any of the windows – so I feel mildly exposed – and I can’t get internet to work… but inshallah, those sorts of things will work themselves out. I am just grateful I have a place to live in these last months before we head to GA.

In other news, I have reached the single-digits of weeks before Chuck comes home! Nine to go (assuming he comes back the first week of August.)

Also, I got a little sunburn on my beach break yesterday. This is exciting because I hardly ever burn or tan.  It’s nice to see I’m not a vampire after all, and my skin will in fact get a natural glow – even if it’s a little on the rosy side 🙂

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Just found out that the owners of the house I’m moving into for a few months are taking their washer/dryer with them to California. That’s going to get really interesting, especially once Chuck gets back and suddenly the laundry has tripled!

Hopefully the laundromats around here aren’t too sketchy…or I’ll need to learn to do laundry old school – fast!!

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I finished The Great Gatsby last night, and my first reaction was “WTF, that was stupid! What a pointless mess!” But, after thinking about it and absorbing the message some more, I think that’s how I was supposed to feel… and I think I got it!

It was interesting how closely it paralleled some of my own experiences, and the lifestyles I was exposed to in my DC world. I frequented some lavish parties hosted by millionaires and their athlete/supermodel/celebrity friends, in decadent Georgetown and Embassy Row mansions and sparkling yachts.

Someone I know personally matches every character in the book, for better or for worse. I like to think I’m Nick Carraway – a relatively aloof and somewhat bored participant who recognized the emptiness of what we were doing, but participated anyway (albeit from a guarded distance without taking it too seriously, if that makes sense…)

Though I must say, our millionaire hosts weren’t quite as elegantly, mysteriously interesting as Jay Gatsby. There were plenty of rumors of course – but more along the lines of snorting cocaine off 14-carat gold bars just for the heck of it, and bizarre sexual practices with high-end hookers in Cannes or St. Tropez (or DC), and yes, maybe some investment fraud here and there…

But fortunately, no one’s lives were ruined by their extravagance… that I know of. Just reputations maybe… but even those stains disappeared with the relatively anonymous cycle of revelers that go in and out of those kinds of shin digs…

…Can’t wait to see the movie!

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Now I’m Depressed

I just gave notice at my job, that I will be moving away in August. They are having some pretty serious financial difficulties, so I decided to let them know sooner rather than later, so that they can more appropriately make plans (and hopefully save someone else’s position, if it gets to that point.)

But UGH… so sad. I’ve really enjoyed it here, and the people have been so good to me.

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3 Things to Never Say to a Military Wife (Please)

One thing I’ve learned about being a military wife is that people will say all sorts of things with the honest intention of helping me feel better… but somehow it misses the mark. I’ve narrowed it down to the Annoying Top 3:

1) “I could never do it! I’m so impressed you can stay faithful.”

This cheapens my relationship (and yours) to sex. If you truly loved him enough, you could definitely do it. I swear I’m not weird or crazy. 🙂

2) “You knew what you were getting into when you married him.”

There’s got to be a better way to tell me you don’t want to hear me share what I’m going through or about the surprises I encounter… which I thought friendships were for, but whatever, I get the picture.

3) “You’re already at X months? Wow, it’s going by SO quickly!”

This one is particularly awkward for me to hear, and ironically it’s also the most well-intentioned – so I don’t get hard feelings. Seriously though… I’m glad my husband being away/in danger/out of touch has gone quickly for you…but unless I say it first, I wouldn’t go there.

Again, all these things are never meant in a bad way, but having received each in quite a few variations, it just makes me shut up and shuffle away to my corner, feeling stupid. I guess it’s one of those things that people don’t quite “get” unless they’re going through it.

And it’s something I should remember too, when friends share with me. We all experience our own little battles, that’s for sure.

This is me with two of the few reasons I attended my high school reunion over the weekend. Rachel is on the left. She is an accomplished pianist who now teaches and specializes in the Taubman method. She has become a master of homeopathic healing methods. Meredith lives in Boston and is earning her PhD in geophysics at Harvard. She is learning to play the fiddle.

Neither of us were in love with our high school experience, so we bonded over being overall misfits in an elitist school that was the inspiration for the now infamous Mean Girls film. Going back was a combination of curiosity, closure, and of course, reuniting with those who made the experience better.

However, it must be said that the reunion with the rest of the class went pretty well, too. Any event like that will have its awkward moments, but everyone was nice, and hearing what the girls have been up to was inspiring… and humbling. Now that I live in a place where it’s a surprise to learn someone has a college education at all, hearing about all the “Oxford”, “PhD”, “Princeton”, “start-ups”, and other miscellaneous accomplishments made me wish I’ve done more with my education and expanded my credentials… until I plummeted back to reality with the realization that my dad is not the CEO of Motorola, and my mom is not the President of the ABC News Washington Bureau… yay for being the financial aid kid… 🙂

Anyway, the weekend overall was a mind-boggling whirlwind. All my worlds were squeezed into a 24-hour time frame! I met with college, post-college, and work friends, then did the high school thing, then met with family. It was so good to see everyone…. but my head sure is spinning 🙂

Today marks the beginning of Mental Health Awareness month. Today also marks the beginning of my mother’s homelessness.

According to the Mental Illness Policy Organization, people with untreated psychiatric illnesses comprise one-third of the homeless population. My mom suffers from Paranoid Personality Disorder and Delusional Disorder, and she has no insight into her condition and thus refuses treatment. It’s been more destructive to her and to our family than any kind of cancer.

Take some time to learn something this month as we continue to find hope for those who struggle with this every day of their lives.

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Life These Days (In a Nutshell)

– Work is so busy! But in a good way. We have the Elected Officials BBQ coming up, two BizMixes, a bunch of Ribbon Cuttings, and the Safety Awards with the Department of Labor. I am thankful every day I have a job here where I feel useful and valued.

– Monday was Month 3 of deployment! I must say – my days go quickly, but the time on the calendar is dragging rather slowly. It feels like it’s been way longer than three months. In some ways, this deployment is easier than the first. In other ways, it’s harder.

– I’m heading home to DC this weekend, partially for my high school reunion, but also to see my girl friends, since my trips home are generally stretched too thin to see much of them! Should be fun (though I’m still a little nervous about the reunion! And whatever will I wear?!)

– I’m officially moving out of my house June 1, since our realtor is an idiot and screwed up our lease terms. It’s a huge/expensive pain in the tushy, but I’m grateful I found someone willing to rent me their house for 3 months…before we pack up and move yet again for GA!

– My search for cruelty-free beauty/hygiene products continues! As it turns out, all lists out there are kind of… inconsistent. It seems that brands are opening their markets to include China, which requires animal testing on everything. So rather than lose the Chinese market, companies are reversing their position on animal testing. HOWEVER, the EU just passed legislation forbidding cosmetic animal testing going forward, regardless of where the testing was done.. so it will be interesting to see how the companies adjust. I guess I need to decide how serious to get about this. Le sigh!

– I went to the doctor yesterday for my annual physical and am happy to report a clean bill of health! I did receive my 10-year tetanus/ whooping cough booster, however… and my arm still aches. Aren’t those diseases obsolete yet?!

– Finally, I need a good book to get hooked on, as I am relying far more than usual on TV to entertain me on lonely nights. Actively taking suggestions!