ammogirl

New Mexico. That’s the first place I was stationed, after joining the military. Of course, before that, I had spent six weeks in San Antonio for basic training, and eight weeks in Denver for career training, but those first months are spent in such a vacuum of brand new experiences that where you are doesn’t really register. At least for me, anyway.

But your first base, I think you always remember the most. That’s where you leave the structured world of training and realize that not everything is sir and ma’am and reporting statements and convoluted rules. That’s where you forget how to march, and drill, and learn how to not be scared by someone with only one more stripe than you, and the fact that you really do need to respect the rank, not the person, and that unfortunately, you have to do that wayyyy too often.

Anyway, Cannon AFB near Clovis, NM, was my first base. I was there from 1992 - 1994, and there is not a whole lot to say about that place–except that I hope to never, EVER get stationed there again. The mall was like, Walmart, Claires, and Sears. It was in the middle of nowhere. There was a cow slaughter plant by my work, and on the worst days, you could literally, literally see the smell.

Next was Eielson, dead smack in the interior of Alaska. Cold, dark…cold…dark…and mosquitoes. It was so not the place for me that I spent six years there, from 1994 to 2000. Don’t ask. You know, the one thing that really surprised me about interior Alaska is that it is definitely not coastal Alaska. The Alaskan coast is one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen, with green and ocean and outdoors and just…beauty. But Alaska is a big state and the interior is cold and dark (have I mentioned) and the growing season is short. While there is a lot of green for a little bit, by September it’s a pretty monochromatic brown. And then, white. Or off-white, depending on how dirty the snow is.

Utah was next, and I loved the area. It is so beautiful there. It’s one of the few stateside bases I would want to end up at when we leave here. The mormons are a little culty for me, but I have a tremendous soft spot for the SuperTarget there. I don’t know why, maybe because it was my first, maybe because their produce section was (and still is, I checked when I was there this past June) the best produce section I’ve seen in my life.

After Utah I got out, which I recently told you about, and once again headed to Alaska, which I also told you about. And then in 2002, I ended up at Edwards, smack in the middle of the high desert of Southern California. We liked it there, a lot. We had our own house, we lived far away from the base, there was tons of shopping and food and places to go and family close by (which we took wayyyy too little advantage of, I must say), and Vegas (which I also took too little advantage of). Alas, the downside to all those things was the rising crime rate and the 40 minute commute and the shitty school system and the 120 degree heat, all which led to us actually breathing a sigh of relief when I got orders to South Korea, because when I finished my year there, we were able to move somewhere else, that somewhere else being here in Germany.

There were a few other places in between, but those places were just temporary. But to sum up: Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Alaska, Georgia, Nevada, Kuwait, Utah, California, South Korea, Germany.

One would think I am adventurey.

Tschuss!!

I did absolute zero percent of my Christmas shopping on this, the first day of Christmas shopping. No, I am actually all done with that tedious task, made much less tedious by the fact that I did it all online. Thank god for the innernets.

What I did do today was wrap presents at the BX for a fundraiser. This meant five of us spent between 10 and 11:58am collaborating on one gift, then during those final two minutes, wrapped about 935 of them. It was like a zombie movie, where just when you think you’ve escaped, another creature comes at you, arms outstretched…and hands you tchotkes. Anyway, it wasn’t that bad, I only had to do it for two hours, and at least I was able to go; by last night I thought I’d contracted some death disease and wouldn’t make it to the morning. My stomach sounded like an ocean. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

We just got back from Beowulf. It wasn’t bad, but one of those movies you’re glad you saw at the matinee price, because non-matinee prices are a little too much. But at least it got us out of the house. Of course over the four-day weekend it’s pissing down buckets of rain.

Tomorrow we’re hauling out the Christmas stuff and decorating. I have a fake tree. I love the smell of fresh pine, but hate the hassle of watering and shedding needles and killing a tree for the sole reason of sitting it in my house for 30 days, then hauling it to the curb to be thrown away. Plus, holy crap Christmas trees are expensive! Yup, fake tree and pine candles. It does the trick.

Tschuss!!

Because I have the worst timing ever, today of all days, I’m sick.

Not like, horribly ill or anything, I’m up and about and eating yummy things, but then all of a sudden I’ll be headachey and nauseous. And then it goes away. And I’ll get all hot, like dying hot, and then all of a sudden I’ll be freezing. And then THAT goes away. And I haven’t been sleeping all week.  It’s sort of a lot of nonsense, really, but not a big deal, so.

Anyway, happy day of eating anything you want! We’re doing small, I have a ham and a turkey breast and…did I already say this? I vaguely remember writing about it yesterday…I’d go look but I’m tired. Anyway, ham, and turkey, and mashed potatoes and carrots and corn and stuffing and rolls and homemade cranberry sauce. Yum!

I hope everyone has a great, great day, and that you all have something to be thankful for.

Tschuss!!