Tori 09.04.99

real thought provoking entry this is...

Combat Lifesaver class started today--two weeks of no PT, 0800 to oh about 1500-1600 work/class/blonde and other crude jokes by an old retired sergeant major medic instructor.  I'm in there with SPC Beal, the brigade chaplain's asst.  Wednesday we learn how to perform IVs...then stick each other.  That should be rather exciting.

Got an email from Dad today--he scanned a buncha pix for those far flung, and not so flung family members...included was the one above, from the North West airport lounge the day I left...i seem to look really young in this one...could be a good thing.  It's a great picture of all of us smiling.  In the background you can see my father.  The other pix were of Alex and Katrina's first trip to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk...

Can't remember if this picture was before or after I had that really strong cape cod.  I sure remember sucking down those four shots worth of Jack and Coke at O'Hare at the next stopover.  Nothing in the world like an Airport Bar...everyone could give a shit really about anything around them...just wanting to get to wherever they're going...like a lonely galactic outpost.  I don't know why, but I am alwasy fascinated by the clientelle and the atmosphere, by the local bartenders and their local accents, by the "we'll-make-some-incentive-to-get-you-drunk-overpriced-first-shot" because of the single extra dollar for the double...

but you know, with all the airports I've been in since I enlisted...I have yet to see a USO (airport lounge for the military)

Beal and I ate buffet lunch at Pizza Hut today across from the school's outreach location in Spring Lake...we both agreed that the waitress liked me...Heh, kind exciting I suppose.  I didn't have any money to leave for a tip so I asked her when she'd be working again so I could compensate her later...I guess she's a manager, she said M-F.  I'll eat lunch again there at least once more in the next two weeks so we'll see.

Drank a tenth of Jack last night since I didn't have to be functional or hydrated for PT.  Right now I'm downloading all the Earthly Shell files...dumbass me forgot to archvie them to ZIP not this last time I formatted my hard drive but the time before then...grrr...

that's why I have this whole thing here online...cuz lately I've been doin a whole lot of stupid shit, like last nights entry...I overwrote it.  This is funny because of the fact that I figuired updating on a more regular basis would clue me in and keep me from such idiocy...but alas, kick me in the jimmy I am a stupid fuck still.

So a brief recap is in order I suppose...Saturday I drove to Jacksonville to meet this gal I met rhough the match maker service I signed up for.  We drove around (seperate cars, the girl drove like a maniac) dairy queen, a used bookstore (bought a Clavell and an army SF glorification war stories book), the mall, circuit city (bought her a CD w/ my credit...)and joe muggs/books-a-million.  It was good fun day, and she's a cool gal, but I didn't feel any romantic connection.  I told her it would be a while before I could maybe be more than a friend, and she was cool, so...
Driving through Warsaw, NC on the way, I was struck by the poverty line embodied in the train tracks...on one side was the white, upper class, descendents of owners...the other side the poor/lower class descendents of the owned.  Growing up in California such things like slavery and the impact even on modern day escaped me really...pictures and stories and facts aren't the same thing thing as smell or taste or touch....

Dan's here now...apparantly the trial didn't even occur at this time so he had to come back...We're planning on going to Pittsburgh to celebrate Halloween...supposed to be a huge city wide party.