Up All Night: Decisions Decisions

What have I been doing these last two weeks?  Well I stayed in Boston through Thursday May 26th, and went to New York City to meet up with a friend for a drink.  We ended up having wine and cheese on the balcony of her new place and we talked politics, it was nice.  I've still got to read Obama's Wars  on her recommendation.  I learned that Mexican novelas were really popular in Russia back in the day... and it reminded me of this guy who is sorta teaching me some Russian lately, I could pronounce some but cannot for the life of me spell it and I've not really made any effort to learn that alphabet.  At any rate, I spent that night at a fancy hotel because all my plans were falling through and after being denied a place to stay in the city by one friend who has been a total flake lately... I was too proud to ask anyone else, and felt so sad that I hadn't left for Europe yet and could read about one of my friends and his sleek, cool statuses about the countries he's been in.  I had to block his statuses from my facebook wall because it's just pissing me off.  I really shouldn't be so worked up, I'll be living in Germany next year!  Anyway... moving past May 26th lol

On Friday, May 27th and through Sunday I was around West Point to pick up my car and take care of some stuff.  I ended up having a... well... a date actually, which actually brings a smile to my face.  A guy took me to a golf course and taught me how to swing - no easy feat, since I am particularly difficult to teach when I'm self-conscious and I can think of no situation where I would be more self-conscious than on a golf course with a cute guy who expects me to smoothly learn how to swing and not only swing, but correctly and accurately.  You have no idea how nervous I was when he handed me one of his golf clubs.  I felt like everything could go horribly wrong, that I would somehow damage one of his nice golf clubs (which he'd bragged about) or hit him with it, or worse, get hit because I was standing in the wrong place.  Yet... his calm and patience and encouragement and actually good instruction... was perfect and I can say that beyond not being a disaster... I can actually swing and hit a golf ball with semi-decent accuracy and I've only practiced... on four separate occasions.  Yes, so besides that I finally got to go sun-bathing out by Flirty Walk, a funny thing to consider since I'm no longer a Cadet, and I saw the following movies in theater:  Priest, and The Hangover 2.  After a nice weekend there, I drove up to Albany to meet an old friend who is doing his CTLT-time at Fort Drum, which he says isn't so bad.  I'm not convinced and won't go there unless I'm under orders.  Then I realized I'd left my West Point ring with the guy who was teaching me golf and I had to go back to West Point again, but first I was determined to do a small road trip.  So I chose to drive to Vermont from Albany since it was a State I'd never been to.

Vermont ended up being fun.  I was driving late at night on a two-lane highway there... it was creepy and I was glad to have a full tank of gas as I drove Atticus through the insect-ridden curvy roads.  I hit so many bugs... I also saw a live raccoon shuffle across the road, and didn't have to run him over.  The roads were fun, and creepy enough that it was easy for me to stay awake.  In Vermont, it turned out Lake Champlain was overflowing and the highway my GPS planned to take was washed out, so I had to take the car ferry.  I took pictures, it was another adventure.  In Vermont, I got tail-gated and passed dangerously quite a few times.  My favorite was a tiny silver Honda (not sure the model) with a spoiler who flew by me annoyed I guess by my keeping to the speed limit and then 10 minutes later I saw him pulled over by a cop with the lights flashing.  It made me chuckle.

I took some pictures of Lake Champlain... but there wasn't much to do.  I had an early lunch in a tavern and asked about the area, it was the best beer-battered shrimp I've ever had actually.  So I drove back to West Point area to pick up my ring and hang out some more.  Ended up getting to ride along as my friend played 9 holes of golf one day and due to the popularity of the West Point Golf Course we ended up playing with some other folks who were all different and interesting.  He played 9 holes one day and 18 a different day but these are the people we met.  The first was a man and his son who were from Bohn... they were Germans and novice golfers, and the son, Martin went to Bucknell.  The father, Klaus, was very nice although he apparently didn't have good golf etiquette (I wouldn't know, but my golfing friend informed me in hushed and annoyed tones in between holes.  It amused me when he said, 'Four-year-olds stand behind the hole.' I had to remind him that I would probably be guilty of the same without someone as knowledgeable as him with me, a nice compliment snuck in with essentially a hush up).

On Thursday, I was back in the city to see a friend who I may meet up with in Paris, and we had a picnic in Battery Park and afterward I learned a little Italian and we shot some hoops, since you couldn't really say we played a game of basketball.

Finally, I booked tickets online to see X-Men: First Class the most amazing movie of my life.  Nothing will ever top it, and I swear I will learn everything I possibly can about that movie.  I loved it, and wore my vintage style X-Men shirt to it even though it's worn out and I usually wear it for pajamas.  I went with the same friend who taught me to golf, because I was pretty sure he'd be the only one who could appreciate it with me at the time the movie was coming out.  My X-Men knowledge really came out.  I think the thing I really loved about the movie was how it was set against real historical events.  That's how X-Men was truly supposed to be.  It's not X-Men in a vacuum, it's the X-Universe... it was so satisfying.  It was also better than Bryan Singer's perspective in X-Men and X2 because it wasn't so serious, it had the snarky quips and smooth yet almost corny lines that the comics deliver.  The fight scenes were satisfyingly long and the movie flowed like a comic with scenes taking up moments much like a comic where the rich imagery pulls you into one moment and when you get to another moment you feel like it was actually simultaneously occurring elsewhere in the fight.  I absolutely loved the choice who played Erik, or Magneto, because that's my favorite character and he was appropriately athletic and deep and wonderful.  haha Anyway... my only criticisms would be with the death of Sebastian Shaw... in fact the whole portrayal that he was the scientist who brought about Magneto... the line that Magneto delivered when he killed Shaw, didn't sit well with me, and the outfit Magneto had at the end.... ehhh.... it wasn't quite as I'd imagined it would be... I think the red that like Iron Man has would have been better.... but other than those tiny details.... LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!

Then I made my way to Boston.  Yesterday, Saturday was the Craft Beer Festival.  It was a fun event and my first beer fest.  I was happy it was an American Breweries fest although I was partial to the german-style beers.  Still planning the Euro-trip and much more confident now that it's gonna happen.  Now just have to get some sleep.

Turkey Blog

I am pretty amused currently.  A lot of times I am tempted to put smiley faces on this blog... right now one would be fairly reflective of my mood.  Not everything is great, but it's the lull before the inevitable end of semester cram-fest.  I mean there are other things on my mind... things about the car, issues I haven't dealt with.  Snow for example.  I don't even have an ice scraper.  I don't have jumper cables.  I haven't changed the oil and am wondering when I need to do that.  My car, Atticus is his name, seems to be doing well.  I just took a nice four-hour drive through some pretty crazy holiday traffic.  I am still pretty intimidated by traffic in general.  I was happy with how well I performed in the city once I arrived.

Both this evening and yesterday's were well spent playing some Apples to Apples.  Thank goodness for that ice breaker... sometimes I forget what to talk about outside of West Point's walls.  We share so much that is easy to talk about in our little gray fort.  I mean all you have to do is ask someone what they did last summer and everything becomes familiar acronyms and training and complicated systems that have become somewhat intrinsic to me.  I guess this is how people get stuck in the military, forgetting not what, but how to talk about subjects outside of military jargon.  I sometimes want to stop mid-explanation to civilians because as I explain one complicated system I realize it's related to another complicated system and they aren't possibly going to memorize it and no one expects them to... so how about we keep the explanation simple?  And on top of that, the academies are one big fraternity with an overabundance of rules which can all be traced back to an exclusive gentleman's code that was once associated with the place.  And I do mean fraternity because of the dominating male essence of the place.  Delicate, graceful, effeminate?  Nothing at West Point brings these adjectives to mind, except maybe the statue of Fame at the top of the supposedly largest free-standing polished granite column in the Western Hemisphere at Battle Monument.  And even Fame isn't the same, she used to have an exposed breast until some officer thought it was too arousing for the good ol' boys.  At least that's what the description was that I read in the museum, although the Wikipedia article claims it was just because the statue was too large and awkward.  I guess I'll have to go back to the museum to find out for sure...

More tedious research into the laws preventing women from serving in ground combat.  I began reading War by Sebastian Junger, since we're supposed to discuss this come the end of Thanksgiving Break.  I can't help get absolutely heartbroken when I read.  It isn't so glorious really:  war.  It is a tough job.  It is admirable of these men to take on this burden.  But whose to say women can't do this?  Who the hell has the right?  These men face a hard task it is true.  But I believe they have the potential professionalism to handle women at these isolated outposts.  Why don't they?  Why doesn't Congress?  Is the message that under the stress of combat, men are allowed to lose their ever-living minds and go on a sexist, raping rampage with any women who might have the misfortune to find themselves on a combat outpost with the sex-deprived, mentally and physically exhausted men?  Is the message that under a constant and dreadful threat men would irrationally protect women who chose to serve under the same conditions?  Is the message that the social fabric of a mixed-gender unit under heavy enemy fire and subject to constant assault and ambush would disintegrate and all hell would break loose?  What does a book like this do but show that the complexities and complications of war are as much of an issue for an all-male unit as they are for a mixed-gender unit.  I don't believe this would be much worse if there were women interspersed amongst the men.  I wonder if the psychological strength of a woman would help with issues such as PTSD.  I wonder if anyone would admire that woman, no matter who she was personally, and would anyone hold her as a hero in their hearts.  A woman who goes to war can hardly be seen as seeking glory and fame.  It does less good to a retired female soldier to have been in combat.  What good does that do her when she can never have the honor to be counted a Ranger or an Infantryman or someone whose job it was to go to a place and win the nation's wars by engaging in direct combat with the enemy?  It's an honor.  We honor those who take on this incredible burden.  It isn't the same in all countries.  This has nothing to do with my thoughts on war... but once you're in it, and once you are a soldier, you have a duty and a commitment.  A woman who wants to defend her country in the same manner by directly engaging the enemy ought not be prevented and surely ought not to be persecuted for it.

Fan-Tastic Weekend

This weekend went to NYC and had the best time ever... looking forward to future weekends in the city too. I'm finally getting a better idea of what I want to do in the city and just how much there is to do. Having trouble deciding when during my life I want to live there. I am torn between mid-twenties and late-twenties/early thirties. On one hand I can try to go to grad school after a couple years into the military having them pay for it and go to college at NYU or another progressive city with great nightlife. On the other hand, I can wait till my five years are done and then just move into the city. I don't know yet, but I know it's going to happen. There and elsewhere too. Me and my friend discussed it, we both want to visit the world and travel.

My self esteem was in for a treat this weekend. I am feeling great too, although I'm afraid my wallet might have a hang-over. A random stranger in the street called the boy I was travelling with a "lucky man" and even before that moment I just felt very beautiful this weekend. I felt attractive and fit and desirable and the best part was the clothes I was wearing were all jean bottoms (boot-cut jeans, jean shorts, jean skirt) and cotton t-shirts and I wasn't wearing make-up. A lady also complimented my braids saying they were "so cute".

I enjoyed a lot of tasty food too. Had an amazing creme brulee after dinner on friday and also was surprised by what was called a Hibiscus Jewel, a little coconut custard with hibiscus jello on top. Hibiscus was tasty as expected. The last day I had an amazing brunch at the italian restaurant attached to the hotel.

Shopping was also a very successful venture because I bought a vintage X-Men T-Shirt and a pair of gorgeous gold chandalier earrings with cute green bobbles attached to them. There was also a stop at Barnes and Noble which lasted at least three hours. We also found this awesome 24 hour diner that served all meals all the time. The service was great, the food not terribly expensive. It was a charmed weekend to be sure.

The oddest part was a dream I had. I dreamt of an old family... maybe it was like an 18th century one... they were moving into a new house. The family consisted of a husband and wife with two male servants and one female servant and I'm not sure if they had kids. The wife had a nest of swallows installed in her room. It was a strange dream because I was dreaming that I was reading a novel that was simultaneously being played out in front of me. Then I read that one of the servants had been assigned to be the husband's busom buddy and confidante. The last sentence referred to the female servant: "Oh Mrs. Loft!" It was strange as though I had just finished a chapter in a book.