Wordless...

Bits and Bobs and Bathing

• Today the boy begins his long-awaited journey. He is sequestered in a hotel room until his flight for basic training. 5000 miles away from where I am now. He's really freaked out about some of the details... like showering with other guys. I'm sure that's not his biggest fear, it's just the one he chooses to talk about. Have you ever tried to reassure someone over the phone when you're scared to death yourself? I think I'm going to be sick.

Mothers of toddlers, you have only begun the great worrying machine that is Mom.

• Showers are dangerous. I have a 6"x31/2" bruise healing slowly on my calf from where I fell. The bad thing is, I could have really been hurt if our shower wasn't the tiny cubicle that it is. Since approximately 300 people die from falling in the shower every year (unconfirmed statistic), I consider my bruise a medal for surviving.

• I hope Son #1 doesn't slip in the shower.

• Husband was stricken with the Man-Flu this week. He wanted me to feel his forehead and see if he was hot (not hawt, I can see that from a distance). I told him, "No way, keep your germs away from me", so he called over the 7 year-old. "A2, come see if I am hot". I told the boy to keep his distance. Miss Ky announces, "I'm not coming over so you can kill me!".   Can you feel the love?

 

• I really appreciate all of the new comments I have somehow attracted. They are so lovely, sincere and very in tune with what I am seeking (sarcasm). 

"Keep up the good works with this very informative post"--Uh, it's a cat video with no words...
They were a great help in confirming that I really do need word verification.
Sorry again to the rest of you "real" people.

 

• There's a woman friend here that has been keeping me posted on the latest news regarding our commissary-- which she fears is in danger of closing down if the budget isn't passed. This isn't a new fear, we're always threatened with losing our commissaries when govt, determines the military has too much and they argue over the budget every year. I'm just wondering when the best time is to tell her that we may not get paid in March?

• Miss Ky passed on some training her father gave her the other day when he walked her around the newly planted sheep in the fields around our house: "There's a rope and you can't touch it because it has gravity and it wraps around you and strangles you. Just a little bit".  That's what she interpreted from learning about electrified fencing.

Dear Son #1,


Be safe. Stay away from gravitatated fences and leg-eating showers. You are entering a career field that will always have you guessing whether or not you'll be getting your benefits and paycheck. It's a wild ride. We love you. We are proud of you. We are praying for you all day every day.

Love Mom.

iFret

My husband owns stock in Apple. Not really, but he lives like he does. He wants the newest, fastest, bestest Apple products available.
I am his voice of reason (disregard previous posts of the encroaching signs indicating I have hoarder tendencies). I am the reason he's got an iPhone 3GS instead of the latest model. His MacBook and iMacs (yes, plural) aren't the newest.

However, when the iPad was about to be released, I lost all reasoning. I devoured the articles in MacFormat, MacLife and iCreate. I bought the Digital FX magazines as well. I wanted to create. I could see the iPad suddenly opening up great windows of time for me to sit and create ART again. I NEEDED an iPad.

Of course, after the frenzy died down and I pushed my unopened magazines back behind my iMac, the addiction symptoms subsided. There was only a slight twinge of envy when friends started sending me emails with the "sent from my iPad" signature.
I've accepted the realization that my ART is on hold-- whether with oil, photography or digital-- until the children are weaned. I live with it.

So yesterday, Hubby threw all of the "this is my life" acceptance out the window when he brought home a gift bag. It was dark blue with gold tissue paper.
I thought maybe there was a Blue and Gold Banquet we were supposed to attend and then remembered we don't have any Scouts in our house.
It's a gift, for no reason (he assures me there's no hidden "price tag" and since he does have the flu, I'm taking his word for it). He bought an iPad for me. With a case.

I have owned said Apple product now for 24 hours and it still sits unwrapped on my counter. When I unwrap it, I can no longer return it.
After  googling "Why do I need an iPad?" I've come to the conclusion that no one knows why anyone has one.

So tell me. Please. You have until Monday because the clock is ticking on the receipt. WHY do I need an iPad? WHAT difference will it make in my life?

Here's my arguments against:

• I like books. I like the way they smell, feel and I love bagging me a great bargain book for 20p at the carboot.

• I like magazines, however, I could pay less and not have recycling to deal with if I just downloaded them onto an iPad.

• All of the ART software available does NOT mean I will have the time to do anything more than what I'm (not) doing now..

• I have an iPhone. What will the iPad offer me that I don't already have?

HELP ME please.  
I'd love to say that the best answer will win a free iPad, but who hasn't been spammed with that one yet?

Great British Advertising CATS

Too Close To Home

As a military spouse, I'm constantly wary of any suspicious behavior. I don't fly an American flag outside my home, I don't call attention to my vehicle, my clothing,  my behavior.
We were warned of things that make us stand out as Americans and it was drilled into us how to behave in International airports-- which passports to use, which luggage to have etc...

48th Fighter Wing RAF LAkenheath

So could someone PLEASE explain to me why airmen from our base were escorted on to an (obvious) U.S. AIR FORCE BUS at the Frankfurt Germany airport?????

Gunman Kills 2 U.S. Airmen

There's two devastated mothers whose fears of an upcoming deployment were justified, only sooner than they expected.

As a mother to a young man preparing to enter Basic Training (and spouse of a man who deploys regularly), I'm angry that it was even possible to target these military members.

My sincerest condolences and prayers go out to our RAF Lakenheath Security Forces; the Airmen involved and their families and to the family of the bus driver.