A few friends and I started a knitting meet-up today. I invited some friends and most said yes. One had to back out last minute because of illness, one didn't respond, and one had previous plans but will be there next week.
We were to meet at the Highlands Ranch Tattered Cover at 10:30a today, Sunday. Somewhere yesterday evening, my brain decided to take a rest. We were discussing Sunday food plans with the inlaws and we decided to meet at Sweet Tomatoes for brunch. On Sunday. At 10:30a.
See, usually when these things happen, there's a little bell that goes off in my brain that says, "Wait... isn't there something else I have to do at that same time?" But, last evening, that brain bell was dead asleep. (I blame being overly excited about my poker playing.) It woke up about an hour later when I was blogging (last night) about my weekend plans. So Dave and I had this disagreement about what to do. I said we should just call his parents and see if we can move it to late lunch/early dinner and he said that would be rude to his parents. I argued that, yes it was totally my gaff but his parents generally don't care what time we eat together and not showing up to the thing that I started/planned would be rude to my friends! So we decided I would take the separate vehicle and leave the brunch a bit early. I was still an hour and 15 minutes late to the knitting. sigh.
But! We ended up staying until almost 2p! I love knitting group! There's some knitting but there's tons of talking and sharing and laughing and I haven't had a regular weekly group since I left Tucson 3 years ago! I'm so excited about having a group again, it's stupid. And, it's only the first week! Hopefully it'll stick and not fall apart in a week or two.
Our tech savvy friend said we should start a Rav group to keep updated on the time/meeting place since it's going to switch off every other week. We assigned it to her but couldn't think of a name. Any suggestions?
Yaaaay, knitting group, Ruth!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Aces High
At the bank yesterday, the cute teller boy asked if I had any big plans for this weekend and I broke it down:
Friday: Pizza night with the inlaws/grandparents.
Saturday: Drop the kids off with the grandparents so the husband and I can go play a free Poker tournament at the Celtic Pub. Then afterwards, pick up the kids and be home by 6p so we can watch the Husker game.
Sunday: Meet some of the girls at the Tattered Cover in Highlands Ranch for some knitting. (We're meeting at 10:30a and you're all invited!) Go back to Parker a third time to have dinner with the inlaws!
The Poker tournament isn't an every week thing (it depends solely whether or not it coincides with a Husker game), but it's damn fun! It's Texas Hold 'em and today I lasted longer then I ever had! I was rollin'! Playing pretty well and getting great cards. It's so much fun! Then I paid big to see a coupla hands and then about 20 minutes later, I was out. But! I was in for almost two hours! I never last that long! We usually meet our friends Donna and Daren there for the tournament and today was no exception. The last two people in the tournament today were Dave and Daren! Daren won.
I'm not a very good player because I know nothing of pot odds or reading people. Generally, I just play the cards in my hand. If you know anything about the game, that's a crappy way to play. Today I had so many chips, I actually got to bully people! That's not as bad as it sounds - it's like bluffing but more fun.
Donna and I bring our knitting so when we're out we can still be entertained. We always seem to raise eyebrows and get questions and comments. It's pretty funny! Today I had a guy ask me to make him a scarf and a woman ask me to make little sweaters for her Yorkies. I told them both that they'd have to pay me but I could certainly do it! Also, this one guy who is tall, lean, usually drinking quite a lot and pretty funny asked me to teach him to knit! He stood there and asked me to slow down so he could watch. I'm working some Malabrigo into a brioche stitch scarf and after watching me work one row, he started telling me what I was doing! It was amazing! He said, "Over, in through the right, next two in through the left." After one row!! Crazy, right?!
Still spreading the obsession, Ruth!
Friday: Pizza night with the inlaws/grandparents.
Saturday: Drop the kids off with the grandparents so the husband and I can go play a free Poker tournament at the Celtic Pub. Then afterwards, pick up the kids and be home by 6p so we can watch the Husker game.
Sunday: Meet some of the girls at the Tattered Cover in Highlands Ranch for some knitting. (We're meeting at 10:30a and you're all invited!) Go back to Parker a third time to have dinner with the inlaws!
The Poker tournament isn't an every week thing (it depends solely whether or not it coincides with a Husker game), but it's damn fun! It's Texas Hold 'em and today I lasted longer then I ever had! I was rollin'! Playing pretty well and getting great cards. It's so much fun! Then I paid big to see a coupla hands and then about 20 minutes later, I was out. But! I was in for almost two hours! I never last that long! We usually meet our friends Donna and Daren there for the tournament and today was no exception. The last two people in the tournament today were Dave and Daren! Daren won.
I'm not a very good player because I know nothing of pot odds or reading people. Generally, I just play the cards in my hand. If you know anything about the game, that's a crappy way to play. Today I had so many chips, I actually got to bully people! That's not as bad as it sounds - it's like bluffing but more fun.
Donna and I bring our knitting so when we're out we can still be entertained. We always seem to raise eyebrows and get questions and comments. It's pretty funny! Today I had a guy ask me to make him a scarf and a woman ask me to make little sweaters for her Yorkies. I told them both that they'd have to pay me but I could certainly do it! Also, this one guy who is tall, lean, usually drinking quite a lot and pretty funny asked me to teach him to knit! He stood there and asked me to slow down so he could watch. I'm working some Malabrigo into a brioche stitch scarf and after watching me work one row, he started telling me what I was doing! It was amazing! He said, "Over, in through the right, next two in through the left." After one row!! Crazy, right?!
Still spreading the obsession, Ruth!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Adult Security With Pointy Sticks
I had a Dr.'s appt. today, which, of course, means that the following post may likely contain waaaay too much info from time to time.
Nothing fancy, just a full physical. I didn't eat anything after 9:30p last night so I could give blood should they want it. They did. But they didn't take it until 11:30a so that horribly aged granola bar floating around my purse was calling my name all morning. (And once I got to it? It was delicious!)
I made my appt. for a day last month but since they were going to do a Pap, and since I started my period the day before my appt., I rescheduled. It was just as well. I was really leery of seeing the dr. they'd set me up with. While scheduling, the receptionist said, "I know this is going to seem like a strange and overly personal question but are you on birth control?" I said, "No. Well, yes... my husband has a vasectomy." I almost added, "I'm on that occasionally." but stopped myself and had a little private giggle instead. She said they make her ask that question to any female seeing that particular dr. because she doesn't prescribe birth control. "That's odd," I said, "Why not?" The receptionist said, "I have no idea. I've never been brave enough to ask her."
So when I had to reschedule anyway, I rescheduled with the other dr. I thought I was being a bit judgemental so I called my good friend who is a practicing Catholic. Even she said she wouldn't schedule with that dr. We both thought that a person's beliefs were their right but when it starts effecting their job... we just wouldn't be comfortable seeing that particular dr.
Anyway...
I get to my appt. early, as requested, to do the paperwork. One of the forms asks mental health questions and one of the questions was simply "Loss of pleasure". It seemed fairly random and for some reason that made me laugh. I know it's one of the beginning symptoms of depression but I've never seen it worded like that.
There was another patient there who was clearly losing her pleasure as we continued to wait for our respective appointments to start. Three people came in after us and they all were called in ahead of us. Two had on the wear-this-mask-if-you're-coughing things and I overheard the other talk about pain that was getting worse, so I just figured they were being triaged ahead of us - no big deal.
Of course, no big deal since I had my knitting! And yes, I still knit obsessively, though I haven't spoken much about it here. I have it with me everywhere and have even resorted to putting a small bag with a pair of socks for Dave in the glove box of the van in case I forget some.
I just got that color book by Kristen Nicholas from the library. I didn't see anything in the book I'd really tackle (sadly, I'm much more reserved in my color choices) but there was one thing she said in the book that really resonated with me. She talked about having her knitting everywhere she went and that it was really like an adult security blanket. That is exACTly what it is for me! Without it, I start to get twitchy. With it, I can wait all day long.
The RN who took me back and did my height, weight, pulse oxygen, etc. saw me knitting and said, "Oooh, I just got my pins!" She had an accent (German? Eastern Europe?) and told me how she'd just started to knit. I gave her my card and wrote the Rav site on the back. We were talking knitting and she kept calling the knitting needles "pins". I love that! "I just got my pins" - sounds like a gang initiation or something! She lamented not having any family or friends who knit who could help her out and then mentioned the nearest LYS and said she would have to call them to take a class. So she seems well on her way with the obsession.
When I got home and told Dave about the knitting RN he said, "I swear you can smell a knitter a mile away." It was pure coincidence! Also pure coincidence is the woman who lives around the corner whose son is in the same class as D2. She used to knit but hasn't since she was pregnant with her son (6 years ago?). When the boys play outside together, I'm knittin' away and she keeps saying she's going to have to get back into it. hah!
Our numbers are growing, Ruth!
Nothing fancy, just a full physical. I didn't eat anything after 9:30p last night so I could give blood should they want it. They did. But they didn't take it until 11:30a so that horribly aged granola bar floating around my purse was calling my name all morning. (And once I got to it? It was delicious!)
I made my appt. for a day last month but since they were going to do a Pap, and since I started my period the day before my appt., I rescheduled. It was just as well. I was really leery of seeing the dr. they'd set me up with. While scheduling, the receptionist said, "I know this is going to seem like a strange and overly personal question but are you on birth control?" I said, "No. Well, yes... my husband has a vasectomy." I almost added, "I'm on that occasionally." but stopped myself and had a little private giggle instead. She said they make her ask that question to any female seeing that particular dr. because she doesn't prescribe birth control. "That's odd," I said, "Why not?" The receptionist said, "I have no idea. I've never been brave enough to ask her."
So when I had to reschedule anyway, I rescheduled with the other dr. I thought I was being a bit judgemental so I called my good friend who is a practicing Catholic. Even she said she wouldn't schedule with that dr. We both thought that a person's beliefs were their right but when it starts effecting their job... we just wouldn't be comfortable seeing that particular dr.
Anyway...
I get to my appt. early, as requested, to do the paperwork. One of the forms asks mental health questions and one of the questions was simply "Loss of pleasure". It seemed fairly random and for some reason that made me laugh. I know it's one of the beginning symptoms of depression but I've never seen it worded like that.
There was another patient there who was clearly losing her pleasure as we continued to wait for our respective appointments to start. Three people came in after us and they all were called in ahead of us. Two had on the wear-this-mask-if-you're-coughing things and I overheard the other talk about pain that was getting worse, so I just figured they were being triaged ahead of us - no big deal.
Of course, no big deal since I had my knitting! And yes, I still knit obsessively, though I haven't spoken much about it here. I have it with me everywhere and have even resorted to putting a small bag with a pair of socks for Dave in the glove box of the van in case I forget some.
I just got that color book by Kristen Nicholas from the library. I didn't see anything in the book I'd really tackle (sadly, I'm much more reserved in my color choices) but there was one thing she said in the book that really resonated with me. She talked about having her knitting everywhere she went and that it was really like an adult security blanket. That is exACTly what it is for me! Without it, I start to get twitchy. With it, I can wait all day long.
The RN who took me back and did my height, weight, pulse oxygen, etc. saw me knitting and said, "Oooh, I just got my pins!" She had an accent (German? Eastern Europe?) and told me how she'd just started to knit. I gave her my card and wrote the Rav site on the back. We were talking knitting and she kept calling the knitting needles "pins". I love that! "I just got my pins" - sounds like a gang initiation or something! She lamented not having any family or friends who knit who could help her out and then mentioned the nearest LYS and said she would have to call them to take a class. So she seems well on her way with the obsession.
When I got home and told Dave about the knitting RN he said, "I swear you can smell a knitter a mile away." It was pure coincidence! Also pure coincidence is the woman who lives around the corner whose son is in the same class as D2. She used to knit but hasn't since she was pregnant with her son (6 years ago?). When the boys play outside together, I'm knittin' away and she keeps saying she's going to have to get back into it. hah!
Our numbers are growing, Ruth!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Surplus Fowl
I cooked these enormous Double D-sized chicken breasts on Monday. The kind where you think the chicken breasts are big then you open the package and realize you're only seeing half the picture because they are all folded in half! I never feel comfortable refreezing them so I just cook them all and we make different things with the leftovers. (After Monday, all the things use cooked, leftover chicken.)
Monday:
Put 4 TBSP of butter in a 9X13 pan and put it in the oven while it's warming. Then, dredged in flour mixed with a packet of onion soup mix and various seasonings of choice. Cook until done. (I actually had to break out the 8X8 pan halfway through cooking because they were way too crowded in the other pan!)
Tuesday:
Get some nice rolls and make chicken sandwiches for the boys. They LOVE these. It's just the cooked chicken, thinly sliced then put on the rolls with mustard and Miracle Whip. For Dave and I, we chop up some more of the chicken and mix it with our favorite hot wing sauce for Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches. I put the white horseradish cheddar cheese I love and some blue cheese dressing on mine. Dave skips the dressing but likes the fancy cheese.
For lunch, I also discovered that the thinly sliced chicken goes really well on a small toasted bagel with mustard, Miracle Whip and thinly sliced tart green apple! Next time, I'm going to add bacon to this and see if I can stop at 12 of 'em. (Yes, we prefer Miracle Whip, Dave and I can't stand mayonnaise - it's slimy and gross!)
Wednesday:
Go to a birthday party where they are serving pizza
Thursday:
Make chicken enchiladas. I love making these. It's one of the best things I make and Dave requests them every time we have too much chicken. Also, after Thanksgiving, it's great with turkey.
1. Chop 1/2 a white onion and saute until translucent, add a 1/2 (or whole depending on how many enchiladas you're making) chopped chicken breast and a small can of chopped green chilies. Mix until warm, transfer to bowl. (When I was single, I'd add chopped olives and finely chopped radish, but I'm the only one in this house that likes 'em that way.)
2. Open a 28 ounce can of green enchilada sauce (I use Las Palmas). Spread a thin layer on the bottom of a 9X13 pan. Spread a thicker layer in the skillet you just made the chicken mix in. Use tortillas of choice (I like corn and Dave prefers flour so I make some of each), put the tortilla in the warmed green sauce, count to 10, flip, count to 10 again (I use my fingers for this).
3. Transfer the tortilla to the 9X13 pan and down the center of the tortilla put a layer of cheese, a layer of the chicken mix and then roll and push to the side (seam side down).
4. Repeat until your pan is full or you run out of mix.
5. Cover the enchiladas with the remaining sauce (usually 1/3 to 1/2 of the can) and then some more cheese (don't be stingy with it!) and cook at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes.
It's messy to make and delicious to eat.
Still have 3 giant chicken breasts left, Ruth!
Monday:
Put 4 TBSP of butter in a 9X13 pan and put it in the oven while it's warming. Then, dredged in flour mixed with a packet of onion soup mix and various seasonings of choice. Cook until done. (I actually had to break out the 8X8 pan halfway through cooking because they were way too crowded in the other pan!)
Tuesday:
Get some nice rolls and make chicken sandwiches for the boys. They LOVE these. It's just the cooked chicken, thinly sliced then put on the rolls with mustard and Miracle Whip. For Dave and I, we chop up some more of the chicken and mix it with our favorite hot wing sauce for Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches. I put the white horseradish cheddar cheese I love and some blue cheese dressing on mine. Dave skips the dressing but likes the fancy cheese.
For lunch, I also discovered that the thinly sliced chicken goes really well on a small toasted bagel with mustard, Miracle Whip and thinly sliced tart green apple! Next time, I'm going to add bacon to this and see if I can stop at 12 of 'em. (Yes, we prefer Miracle Whip, Dave and I can't stand mayonnaise - it's slimy and gross!)
Wednesday:
Go to a birthday party where they are serving pizza
Thursday:
Make chicken enchiladas. I love making these. It's one of the best things I make and Dave requests them every time we have too much chicken. Also, after Thanksgiving, it's great with turkey.
1. Chop 1/2 a white onion and saute until translucent, add a 1/2 (or whole depending on how many enchiladas you're making) chopped chicken breast and a small can of chopped green chilies. Mix until warm, transfer to bowl. (When I was single, I'd add chopped olives and finely chopped radish, but I'm the only one in this house that likes 'em that way.)
2. Open a 28 ounce can of green enchilada sauce (I use Las Palmas). Spread a thin layer on the bottom of a 9X13 pan. Spread a thicker layer in the skillet you just made the chicken mix in. Use tortillas of choice (I like corn and Dave prefers flour so I make some of each), put the tortilla in the warmed green sauce, count to 10, flip, count to 10 again (I use my fingers for this).
3. Transfer the tortilla to the 9X13 pan and down the center of the tortilla put a layer of cheese, a layer of the chicken mix and then roll and push to the side (seam side down).
4. Repeat until your pan is full or you run out of mix.
5. Cover the enchiladas with the remaining sauce (usually 1/3 to 1/2 of the can) and then some more cheese (don't be stingy with it!) and cook at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes.
It's messy to make and delicious to eat.
Still have 3 giant chicken breasts left, Ruth!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Magic Beans
OK, not Magic Beans but a Magical Seed!
About a year ago, T came home with a cooked, salted sunflower seed that another student at school gave him. He wanted to plant it and I told him it probably wouldn't grow as it was cooked and salted. I told him if wanted to plant it to go ahead and give it a shot.
He planted it and watered it and waited and watched.
It didn't grow.
Until about 3 months ago!
Not only did it grow - it grew like mad! Seriously, that's right up there with some of the craziest things I've ever seen.
(Never mind their grimacing mugs, it was terribly sunny that day.)
Wonders never cease, Ruth!
About a year ago, T came home with a cooked, salted sunflower seed that another student at school gave him. He wanted to plant it and I told him it probably wouldn't grow as it was cooked and salted. I told him if wanted to plant it to go ahead and give it a shot.
He planted it and watered it and waited and watched.
It didn't grow.
Until about 3 months ago!
Not only did it grow - it grew like mad! Seriously, that's right up there with some of the craziest things I've ever seen.
(Never mind their grimacing mugs, it was terribly sunny that day.)
Wonders never cease, Ruth!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Quitters
I signed the boys up for two free classes at the library. They are geared for 1st-2nd graders (for D2) and 3rd-6th graders (for T).
One is a creative writing thing and the other is a book club. They both meet for 7 weeks.
With the first meeting of the creative writing class, D2 went to his and was just sitting there. T, of course, met everyone in the room within 30 seconds and was writing up a storm. Dave went and asked why D2 wasn't doing anything and he said he didn't know what to do. Dave came and told me this and when I walked over to the class, the doors were shut.
After the hour was up, Dave asked D2 what he'd written and he said, "Nothing. I didn't know what to do." I asked, "You didn't know what to do or you couldn't think of anything to write?" He just said yes.
Dave asked, "Did you not like the class?" and when D2 said no, Dave blew me away when he told D2 that he didn't have to come back if he didn't like it.
WTF??
I said, "Yes, he does." And I took Davis by the hand and walked back to the class and the teacher and I talked with D2 about how he could ask for help and get a better understanding of what he needed to do next time.
Then Dave and I had this argument about whether or not D2 had to go back. I said, "Absolutely!" and Dave said, "If he's not into it, then it just becomes a chore and he'll start to hate it!" I said, "I don't see how he can tell if he's into it or not when he doesn't even give it a chance. He's been to ONE session! So you're telling me if we signed him up for football and after ONE practice he said he didn't like it, you'd tell him he didn't have to go back?"
Dave said yes and I called bullshit.
I think one of the biggest problems I've had in life is the ability to quit when things got difficult. Not important things like surviving - I'm great at that! But other important things like school, work, whatever. It may be cowardly and it may be bullshit but I totally blame my parents for this. With very few exceptions, they let my brother and I quit anything we didn't feel like doing (after-school activities-wise). For my parents, it always seemed like one less thing they had to pay for/drive us to.
I don't want that for my boys. I want them to A) get some diversity and B) stick it out. It's once a week for 7 weeks. I don't want to raise quitters.
Last year, when T was doing that cumulative marathon thing, he got bored with it and wanted to quit. Dave and I decided he had to finish. It was one mile, twice a week with the final mile in downtown Denver. And that final mile was so much fun for him! He didn't want to do it again this year but I think it was good for him to finish what he started.
Dave says the difference is that T asked to participate in that activity where I just signed the boys up for the library thing.
I could use some opinions on this. I'm still going to make D2 stick it out but I'm curious to see what y'all think.
Quitters never prosper, Ruth!
One is a creative writing thing and the other is a book club. They both meet for 7 weeks.
With the first meeting of the creative writing class, D2 went to his and was just sitting there. T, of course, met everyone in the room within 30 seconds and was writing up a storm. Dave went and asked why D2 wasn't doing anything and he said he didn't know what to do. Dave came and told me this and when I walked over to the class, the doors were shut.
After the hour was up, Dave asked D2 what he'd written and he said, "Nothing. I didn't know what to do." I asked, "You didn't know what to do or you couldn't think of anything to write?" He just said yes.
Dave asked, "Did you not like the class?" and when D2 said no, Dave blew me away when he told D2 that he didn't have to come back if he didn't like it.
WTF??
I said, "Yes, he does." And I took Davis by the hand and walked back to the class and the teacher and I talked with D2 about how he could ask for help and get a better understanding of what he needed to do next time.
Then Dave and I had this argument about whether or not D2 had to go back. I said, "Absolutely!" and Dave said, "If he's not into it, then it just becomes a chore and he'll start to hate it!" I said, "I don't see how he can tell if he's into it or not when he doesn't even give it a chance. He's been to ONE session! So you're telling me if we signed him up for football and after ONE practice he said he didn't like it, you'd tell him he didn't have to go back?"
Dave said yes and I called bullshit.
I think one of the biggest problems I've had in life is the ability to quit when things got difficult. Not important things like surviving - I'm great at that! But other important things like school, work, whatever. It may be cowardly and it may be bullshit but I totally blame my parents for this. With very few exceptions, they let my brother and I quit anything we didn't feel like doing (after-school activities-wise). For my parents, it always seemed like one less thing they had to pay for/drive us to.
I don't want that for my boys. I want them to A) get some diversity and B) stick it out. It's once a week for 7 weeks. I don't want to raise quitters.
Last year, when T was doing that cumulative marathon thing, he got bored with it and wanted to quit. Dave and I decided he had to finish. It was one mile, twice a week with the final mile in downtown Denver. And that final mile was so much fun for him! He didn't want to do it again this year but I think it was good for him to finish what he started.
Dave says the difference is that T asked to participate in that activity where I just signed the boys up for the library thing.
I could use some opinions on this. I'm still going to make D2 stick it out but I'm curious to see what y'all think.
Quitters never prosper, Ruth!
Monday, November 2, 2009
What's In A Name
It's been a long time since I posted a Military Monday.
If I remember correctly, we're still in Basic Training.
I told y'all about the tricks the Drill Sgt.'s play on us and now I'll tell you about the names they gave us.
Everyone in our platoon had a nickname. Most were given by the DS's but some we acquired on our own.
One girl was disgusting and she said if they treated us like men, we should look and behave like them, too. She stopped shaving (we all did, but she stopped much earlier then the rest of us!), she belched and let gas like nobody's business. Her nickname was Monster.
There were 2 women from Haiti and one had a last name that sounded like "machete". DS McCoy kept getting them mixed up so she just started calling them Mrs. Shitty #1 and Mrs. Shitty #2 (sounds like machete?).
One girl was an enormously talented painter and she ended up doing the mural in our barracks - very cool! But, she was also one of the biggest airheads I've ever met. Her head was always in the clouds and she never seemed to understand what she was told. The Drills named her Van Gogh - talented but slightly crazy.
Wanna know what they called me?
In Basic Training, the Drills named me "Flower Child". I was always asking why the Army couldn't do things more efficiently or earth friendly. Like the Chow Hall. Do you have any concept about how much food the Army throws out? Anything that's cooked, they don't save for the next meal or the next day. If there's anything left over, they throw it in the garbage. Every. Day. Every. Meal. I thought it would be better for them to arrange for some soup kitchen to come by and pick up the leftovers (of which there are many). The Drills laughed and said, "There's no logistical way that could happen."
I asked why not and they said that the soup kitchen would have to have the capacity to transport and stow all that food, they'd have to get fresh clearance every time they came on base and just let one homeless guy looking for a buck claim food poisoning and it'd be all for naught.
They also called me Flower Child because every chance I got, I'd break rank and go pick a flower. I was so sick of green (camo green clothes, green wool blanket to sleep with, green vehicles, green walls, fake green everywhere!) that anytime I saw a spot of color I was drawn to it like a moth to flame no matter the consequences. I'd stick it in my pocket or in the skinny headband that goes around the Kevlar helmet - anywhere I thought I could get away with it and enjoy it when I had a rare moment or two to myself.
Loving green when it's real, Ruth!
If I remember correctly, we're still in Basic Training.
I told y'all about the tricks the Drill Sgt.'s play on us and now I'll tell you about the names they gave us.
Everyone in our platoon had a nickname. Most were given by the DS's but some we acquired on our own.
One girl was disgusting and she said if they treated us like men, we should look and behave like them, too. She stopped shaving (we all did, but she stopped much earlier then the rest of us!), she belched and let gas like nobody's business. Her nickname was Monster.
There were 2 women from Haiti and one had a last name that sounded like "machete". DS McCoy kept getting them mixed up so she just started calling them Mrs. Shitty #1 and Mrs. Shitty #2 (sounds like machete?).
One girl was an enormously talented painter and she ended up doing the mural in our barracks - very cool! But, she was also one of the biggest airheads I've ever met. Her head was always in the clouds and she never seemed to understand what she was told. The Drills named her Van Gogh - talented but slightly crazy.
Wanna know what they called me?
In Basic Training, the Drills named me "Flower Child". I was always asking why the Army couldn't do things more efficiently or earth friendly. Like the Chow Hall. Do you have any concept about how much food the Army throws out? Anything that's cooked, they don't save for the next meal or the next day. If there's anything left over, they throw it in the garbage. Every. Day. Every. Meal. I thought it would be better for them to arrange for some soup kitchen to come by and pick up the leftovers (of which there are many). The Drills laughed and said, "There's no logistical way that could happen."
I asked why not and they said that the soup kitchen would have to have the capacity to transport and stow all that food, they'd have to get fresh clearance every time they came on base and just let one homeless guy looking for a buck claim food poisoning and it'd be all for naught.
They also called me Flower Child because every chance I got, I'd break rank and go pick a flower. I was so sick of green (camo green clothes, green wool blanket to sleep with, green vehicles, green walls, fake green everywhere!) that anytime I saw a spot of color I was drawn to it like a moth to flame no matter the consequences. I'd stick it in my pocket or in the skinny headband that goes around the Kevlar helmet - anywhere I thought I could get away with it and enjoy it when I had a rare moment or two to myself.
Loving green when it's real, Ruth!
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