It's getting better all the time

"I have to admit, it's getting better. A little better all the time."

The car's in the shop, being repaired. Saundra's Med-board gave her a "Return to Duty." My therapy (physical, not mental you guys) has progressed swimmingly. I love days like this, when I can feel as lucky as I am.

Some city-dweller introduced me to Second Life. It's an MMOG in which you, well, just live. Create a person, and do what you want. There's no objective to accomplish, no bad guys to gun down. May sound dull, but you can go to a virtual club and listen to an actual live performance being streamed by a performer in Topeka, immediately followed by one in Wales, who is followed by a duet (one in Tokyo, the other in San Francisco). The concept astounds me, though I have yet to delve into the possibilities.

--Beav (Better, better, be-e-e-etter)

Mama Said, Mama Said!

Well, Tuesday was probably not the worst day of my life, but certainly the worst in recent memory.

Saundra has to go to San Antonio for a week. Her gestational diabetes didn't go away after Tristan was born, so after looking at her records and steadfastly not talking to anyone who might know, a "board" decided that she should separate from the Air Force. None to pleased with that decision, she's going to fight it. But, to do that, she had to fly out to the main AF hospital at Lackland AFB: Home of Basic Training.

So, Tuesday, she flew out. On the way to see her off at the airport, traffic on I-64 came to a sudden stop (as traffic on I-64 does sometimes). I, however, did not come to a stop suddenly enough, so the car in front of me helped, by putting its bumper in my headlight and its tailpipe through my bumper. D'oh! No people are injured (thanks HoTei!). My car has seen better days, but it's still completely drivable. Off to Norfolk Airport!

Did you know that if the flyer is on military orders, you can get a pass to go to the gate with them? I found that out. Unfortunately, I was in my uniform, and had to take off my belt, boots, coat, security badge, and all sorts of hideously inconvenient things to do so. The boots were the tough part since my recovering knee does not much like the twisting wrenching that sometimes occurs when donning/doffing combat boots. So anyway, I sit with her at the gate for a while. We commiserate a bit about the car. I wish her good luck and godspeed, and head on my way to work. I'll have lots of stuff to catch up on.

And I do.

At the end of the day, it's my first time to pick up both the kids with no help from Mommy, and I make it through intact. On the way down I-664, the car decides that it's had it up to here with that right front tire, which storms out in a huff. I sit on the side of the interstate silently listing all the cursewords I know. I call the insurance company to send someone out to give us a tow, and their automatic call back service that tells you who will get there when says it'll be an hour. I review all the cursewords I know, and make up a few.

Luckily, he gets there in 15 minutes instead. I have an infant and a 4 year old with me and they're going to get hungry quickly. We wait at the tire place for an hour or so, get some snacks to handle the oldest while the young one naps, and eventually head home where I proceed to get absolutely no sleep. Guess some days just won't die.

"But I'm feeling much better now."

--Beav