How do you travel to and from work - personal vehicle, bus, subway/train, pedal power? What does it cost you per week in gas or fares?
Submitted by Jan.
I drive my personal vehicle to and from work every day. The base is not far from where I live, so it does not take me long to get there. I generally have to refuel every week and a half or every two weeks, depending on how much driving around I do during my off-duty time. Last time I filled up my tank, it cost me nearly forty dollars.
]]>What was the best thing about your weekend?
This particular weekend, I am in Phoenix enjoying my first visit with my parents in more than a year and a half. Up until the middle of last week, I was not sure that I would be able to make this trip. I am very glad I was able to. The only thing that could have made this weekend better is if my youngest brother had been able to make it up from his duty station.
]]>Today, I donated blood for the first time in over six years. This time was actually selfless, too. I did not have anything to gain from doing it.
Last time I donated blood, I was still in tech school, and they told us that anyone who donated blood would not have to do Physical Training the following morning. As one might imagine, that room was fairly packed with young troops looking for a valid reason to take a break.
I was honestly a little surprised that I was eligible to give blood. I was not worried about the time I spent in England. I was more concerned with the fact that I recently got the smallpox and anthrax vaccines. They did not ask about the anthrax vaccine, though. I was told enough time had passed after getting the smallpox vaccine.
I wonder how many people volunteered to give blood. I saw a few colleagues show up as I was waiting my turn. Hopefully, there was enough where it will not be difficult for the Blood Institute to come back out in a couple months.
Tonight, I will be supervising the younger troops. Yay. I just hope I do not have too many problems with my special troop tonight. I am tired of dealing with him. If he continues down this path he is headed down, he will be looking at the end of his military career very shortly. I am tired of it, and I know my supervisor is getting tired of it. I will have his backing if my troop goofs up tonight. Hopefully, he got the hint after another troop got brought in for doing similar stupidity. We shall see.
Another thing I may have to deal with tonight is paperwork on the troops. Specifically, their training records and one troop's evaluation. That is easy stuff, though. Should be an easy night. Should be.
What did you do for fun when you were a kid? How is it different from what you see kids doing now?
Submitted by jaklumen.
When I was a kid, my brothers and I spent a lot of time goofing around in the backyard. This was primarily because our parents told us to, but we still had some interesting times. I also liked to ride my bike, rollerblade, and head to the local recreation center for a couple hours of swimming. When we were inside, I enjoyed reading and needlework.
These days, I see kids outside a lot, but some of the older ones seem more interested in the TV or the computer then anything that might happen outside. Some kids also do not see the value of a good book. It is kind of sad.
]]>Life does not seem to be getting any easier. Things keep happening. I am forced to stay busy. If I do not stay busy, my mind wanders to less than pleasant thoughts. My future is somewhat uncertain, now. I can only foresee a few things in the next few months. Some of them are not good. I brought part of that on myself, though, and I accept responsibility for that. And yet, those same things open up a huge opportunity. I still have not decided what I am going to do with it. I have thought about it, and I have some ideas, but whether those will take place remains to be seen.
One day at a time. That is how I have been doing things. It helps.
How are you spending this Memorial Day? How will it differ from Memorial Days past?
So far, I have spent my Memorial Day relaxing. I went out to lunch with my boyfriend. The two of us talked about scenarios he is working on for a project at work. Then we went our separate ways. He went home to continue working on those scenarios and I came back to my apartment to feed the cats and check in on the first day of my latest online class. Later, we may go see Indiana Jones IV.
It differs from past Memorial Days, because I am actually off duty. I was given the day off in compensation for working my day off Saturday. We had an air show on base and most of my unit was working.
What do you think is too serious to joke around about?
There are a lot of things that one in the military should not joke around about. For example, drugs. A lot of people joke around about drugs and then wonder why they are frequently selected for "random" urinalysis. Also, joking around about this subject has landed a few people in hot water because leadership caught wind of it and took it seriously. I know a few people in my unit who have been under investigation for drug use and/or distributing for months now. It is kind of ridiculous, but that is how things work these days, it would seem.
Another thing people should not joke around about is what they might do if they were to go crazy. I think this is an especially sensitive topic since the shooting we had on base a few weeks ago. Some people think it is all fun and games. But the base is paranoid now. I cannot say I blame them. I did not think anything like that would happen on this base, and I patrol it. One cannot tell if it is an honest, though ill advised, joke, or if the troop is actually considering it and warning of things to come.
There are other things, but I cannot think of them at the moment. I am pretty tired, so I will likely head to bed fairly soon.
I have a new cell phone. I try to replace my phone every couple of years. The main reason is the fact that I wear them down by then. Honestly, I am surprised they last as long as they do. For example, this last phone was dropped at least once a week at work. I do not know how it still functioned properly. The battery was the only thing that was really wrong with the old phone. It was about shot. I am going to try to be more careful with this phone. I hope to not drop it nearly as often as I did the last one, and I am only going to recharge it when it needs to be recharged.
I am quite happy with this phone. I have been able to do more with it than I was able to do with the other phone. I think I will even be able to post to this blog from my phone. That could be interesting.
Anywho, I am off to enjoy the beginning of my weekend.
TTFN
Why do you think it is some people don't get along with you?
There are a variety of reasons why some people do not get along with me. I will say one thing first, though. I believe I get along with most people, whether I like them or despise them, mainly because my job requires me to. There are only a few people I can say I openly dislike. I am fairly certain they know who they are, too.
One of the main reasons some people do not like me is because of their initial perception of me. I do not care much for first judgments because I have been unfairly subjected to them time and time again. People just do not take the time to get to know a person beyond a first judgment. I think if the people that do not like me actually took took the time and sat down and genuinely tried to get to know me, I think they would change their minds about me. I am not saying that they would be my best friend, but they would certainly understand why I do certain things.
Other people do not like me because I return whatever attitudes they give me. I have had to explain myself because of that recently, but I do not care. If a person is going to be rude to me, I will return the favor. If that person does not like it, then they can change their behavior. I am tired of tolerating it, so if I cannot openly tell them what I think, I can at least treat them the same way they are treating me.
What have you tried in life that you just weren't very good at?
Playing violin. I will not say I was not good at it, it was just that I did not put forth as much effort as I should have. I only put forth the effort if I really liked the music we were learning. I could have made the time to practice and stuff, but it just was not as high on my priority list as other things in my life. I regret that now, but perhaps someday I will be able to invest in some music classes and learn to play my violin better.
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