Lousy day

I was feeling great earlier this week - got my grades (except for one) and was celebrating that I didn't tank the psych exam that I was sure I blew. Then I got the news that a friend is having some serious medical problems, she's young and I just can't handle that she's going to have to go through this. then found out that a member of our family has just been diagnosed with something else serious - and after what that branch went through at the beginning of the year - it's so NOT FAIR.

Add to these serious problems, then, the asshattery, self serving SHIT that our elected officials in the Senate and Congress are exhibiting, and I'm so done with them all. I can see the meanness, the nasty "fuck you" attitude we are going to be subjected to over the next two years. I see the actual possibility that Palin and her crew may be seen as a real honest to the gods candidate, and I want to beat my head against the wall and truly consider my options to visit a different country for a few years.

Yup. lousy day.

LAW

Veterans Day - we owe a debt. We aren't paying up.

X posted on Left Face

For those of us in the military community, today isn't just an excuse for a day off, or another sale at the local store. It's a day we remember our veterans. In my case, it's to remember and thank my dad, my uncles and aunts, my father in law, my husband, son and daughter in law. There are the veterans I know outside my family as well, Sharon, Kim, Vivian, Steve, Patrick, Nick, Ashley, Charles, Deak, Bill, Shawn, Lyn, Al, Todd, Larry, Paul, Genevieve, Taylor - all of you, thank you.

To those Veterans who are cold and homeless, our country owes a deep debt and we aren't paying up. To those Veterans who are suffering with PTS or TBI and aren't getting the help, our country owes a debt, we aren't paying up. For those Veterans we ignored for years, we tried to shove under the rug, our country owes a debt, we aren't paying up. We need, we must in all good conscience do more, do better.

LAW

What a crappy way to wake up

Bachmann, still in. Tell me, seriously WHY??? the woman is an IDIOT! a screeching, anti choice, anti regulation moron. Why? why are we going so far to the right, with fools who will wave their little flags at us and tell us how much they love the military, as long as it means giving LOTS of $$ to their supporters from the corporations and buying crap we don't need, but cutting family programs left and right.

Deregulation will be back on the agenda - we all saw how well that worked, didn't we? Enron ran hogwild, jacking up the power costs and causing havoc in California, while they racked up huge profits and then imploded. The big guys (other than a few scapegoats) did really well, the little guys are crushed. Wall Street - oh, yeah, that was SUCH a success, wasn't it? and did anyone else read that Bush's biggest downer was he didn't manage to PRIVATIZE SOCIAL SECURITY? That would have been just the cherry on the cake, wouldn't it? Social Security money in wall street... the big companies would have drooled, the ones who did such a wonderful job with bundling all those high risk mortgages - the ones that drove the housing marked into the toilet with their greed and gave people who had no qualifications for mortgages those insane balloon mortgages... YEAH Momma, we just gave the same ones the keys to the safe again!

Damn, how DUMB are some people? Well, look at the results this morning. THATS how dumb.

AUSA

I attended AUSA on Monday - and while it was interesting (more on that on my "other" blog) I was left with a feeling that we've heard it all before. I heard, again, that family support programs aren't going to be cut. Then on Wednesday, I get a call from the Education Center on our post - I am scheduled to take 2 exams there - but they need to reschedule because all the contractors have been let go, and the permanent staff? they are cut to 15 hours a week, down from 40! They can't proctor exams, they can't do the CLEP exams, they can barely do anything for family members and not much for the soldiers either! They have cut all but one of the counselors, and soldiers wait for hours to see him. FORGET getting counseling about future jobs/schools if you are a family member.

Appalling! absolutely Appalling.

What on EARTH has been going on

From the amount of time I spend with a computer, you'd think this poor little blog would get some love, right? But (yeah, making excuses now) between work blogging and Facebooking, school - taking 3 classes and one that is almost over - and a bunch of other stuff... I've neglected my old friend

It's been an interesting few weeks in the military blogosphere. I'm not afraid to say I've protected myself from the nastiness of the elections - the teabaggers are so ridiculous and illogical and in some cases so viciously nasty - I don't need the aggro! I read the news, but refuse to respond to some of the BS from anyone I know. I'll jump in on a Huff Po or Legion post though!

We've been spending a lot of weekends at the Renn Faire - with our favourite group - The Rogues. The fundraiser for Operation Ward57 raised $6,000, which was great. I'm trying to come up with some more ideas for the next one. My friend Britt has designed a great card for me to hand out this weekend to some of the artisans there- who might be interested in Facebook or website stuff from me.

Cats - JJ and Emma are getting along better, although there are days when there is some pissy hissy crankiness. JJ is getting old, and it's hard to think that my buddy is changing, and slowing down. We're watching him carefully, he's losing weight even with the hyperthyroid meds.

Fall is approaching, some trees here are changing, and I'm wearing sweat shirts - time to take out the winter stuff and pack up the shorts. I'm glad, the heat here is punishing - we've had a lot of over 95 degree days, and those just slay me! I'm looking forward to crisp days and cool nights, with a fire in the gas fire and lots of soups and stews.

Take care. Talk to you soon (promise)

LAW

PTS & Domestic Violence

Xposted on LeftFace

Stacy Bannerman has been a guest blogger on LeftFace before. She wrote a piece on The Daily Beast about PTS and Domestic Violence that you really really need to read. She told the story of a friend of hers, who was the target of an incident of domestic abuse from her husband. Stacy has some very sobering statistics and projections -

About 63,000 soldiers will return from combat tours between July and December. According to military statistics, nearly half of active-duty National Guard members, 38 percent of Army soldiers, and 31 percent of Marines report mental health problems upon return from Middle East deployments. If just 20 percent of them have post-combat stress, then it can reasonably be projected that roughly half of those veterans will commit at least one act of severe domestic abuse or interpersonal violence in the coming year. That's approximately 6,300 veterans' wives and kids who are at risk.

As she also says - our community has been hearing much more about PTS and domestic violence from within our own ranks. The hurdles flung in the path of her friend who was trying to find counseling, some help in dealing with her situation with the understanding of military families and deployments, are daunting - as are those that her husband is encountering. He knows he has a problem with PTS, but finding help is difficult.

We've been hearing from the highest echelons that they understand, that they get it.. so why are we not seeing results? We need counselors who understand that very specific world, who have experience with the military family, with deployments and the results, understanding how the military works and how difficult it is to admit to a problem in our own little community. My own worry, with the insistence on reducing costs and savings, are we going to see funding for mental health counseling and treatment reduced?

No solutions, just questions. Lots of questions.

LAW

A nice resource - discount list

I got a lovely email yesterday - from a group called Bradsdeals. They write a blog that has all sorts of useful links and posts. One post lists 175 (so far) groups, stores, chains that give military discounts. Good to use, and if you know any that aren't on the list - go ahead and leave a comment on there!

Now, before anyone decides to have one of those hissy fits that I keep hearing - the ones that say "why do you whiny women demand special treatment" etc... Stuff it. Don't bother leaving that kind of comment - I refuse to put up with that crap.

LAW

Civilian NOT understanding

Ok, this annoys the hell out of me! This is the question from "This Emotional Life" on Facebook.

For those of you who have a loved one in the military right now, what are you doing to prepare for their return home?

Now.. this is so damned typical of the ignorance that civilians show for military life - they mean well, they just don't GET IT! I told them (being the bitch that I am) that they needed to add something - ..... loved one Deployed in the military ..... DEPLOYED being the operative word. Why the hell do they think that everyone in the military is downrange? do they not look around? is the disconnect so complete that someone in the media can ask such a stupid question? GAAAH.

LAW

Oh, F(*^ a Duck

Picture in your mind - lying on an xray table, twisted into what resembles a pretzel and admonished to keep still. Picture in your mind, a person who has a deathly stupid fear of needles used to deliver medications, or vaccines (knitting types are ok) Picture in your mind this person lying in this tortuous position whilst a very pleasant doctor (who might be 30.. might be) sticks 3 needles into the neck, into three facet joints at level C3-4, 4-5, 5-6 and injects steroids into the inflamed nerves and muscles in spasm. Yes, my children, I spent a wonderful afternoon in an exam room yesterday turning into a quivering mass of jello and I will confess to whimpering like a whipped puppy.

Today, it all aches. I keep hoping it's going to help, but thinking about doing it again? Jello, whimpering bowl of, one each.

LAW

Fall is here!

Well, almost. The windows are open, the leaves on some of the trees are changing - I'm enjoying this! The stunning heat we've been pummeled with has been horrible, I've been basically stuck inside or other airconditioned areas, since too much heat equals migraine.

Started classes last week. What the HELL was I thinking? 4 online classes and trying to get the business growing... Seriously, y'all, the amount of reading and writing and conferences and trying to make sure I comment enough to get a decent grade for contributing.. shit, I may just spend all day every day in the basement office!

Went to the Defense Forum last week, report on that will be on another blog (If I get the time to write it!) but one thing here - I was talking to a journalist acquaintance - who would have thought that 9 years, NINE YEARS, after we started one of the two wars we are involved in, that we would still be having conferences about what the "new normal" is for the military and our families; that we'd be talking about what we need to do, instead of already having the policies and programs in place.

On the enjoyment front - Renn Faire is in full swing, meeting up with friends there almost every Saturday, listening to The Rogues - Chief taking literally HUNDREDS of pictures (loving digital!) he's rediscovered the joy of taking and manipulating pictures again (thanks Mike). I did find a superb jeweler/master goldsmith and gemologist who is willing to remove the fire opal I love from the ring I don't wear or like and reset it. The stone I bought at Coober Pedy many decades ago, will finally be in something I love to wear.

Cats are getting along well, Emma is improving every day, willing to have someone pick her up and sit on a lap for a few minutes. I wonder what she would have been like if she'd never been abandoned at the shelter.

Take care, everyone

Talk to you later.

LAW

Sailing... sailing... over the ocean blue

We just got back from a fantastic 5 days of vacation on a cruise, with a kilt band that we have followed for years. Now normally, cruising isn't the kind of vacation I go for - the last one I was on, I was a teenager and the next person in age who wasn't a member of the crew must have been in their 50s - can we say bored outa my mind? THIS one, there were kidlets who were teeny tiny babies, and every age inbetween. We found some wonderful people to spend time with, going on a trip like this meant that those of us who were there with the band, were very much of like minds, or at least had one thing in common, and that started a conversation... which evolved into another and another. The private concerts, and marching down to the pub in Bermuda from the ship - the pipes and drums leading us - well, y'all HAD to be there! the Big concert on the ship - the boys were absolutely on fire - they have a fiddler that just has to be heard, and gold medal winning pipers who are stunning, the drummers are stupendous as well.

now, back to work at the new business - got a couple of clients and hoping for a couple more. Also - starting classes for my psych degree, which is going to be interesting, and a few other irons in the fire.

Tomorrow - the Renn Faire - see some of our new friends, and stay as far away from the Beckian/ Palin Grizzlies who are going to be hanging around downtown DC. I swear, I can feel the IQ of DC plummeting as they gather - to listen to a self serving drug addled twerp and the quitter half governor - don't they have another KKK rally to go to? or did they leave their sheets at the cleaners? Hmmm wonder if Beck has enough Vicks Vaporub to induce the weeping he seems to think everyone believes is actually heartfelt... gag.

I am really pissed that he's wrapping his bullshit in the flag - that he's using the military as an excuse for this charade. He's such a jackass.

LAW

Help a Shelter

Guys - I'm asking for your help. I work with Fancy Cats Rescue Team in Virginia - we have a lot of cats that come in from high kill shelters, who are abandoned by their owners (including some who are military PCSing) and their vet bills can be really high! Just for the exam/shots/spay & neuter, it gets expensive. So, could you go HERE, search for Fancy Cats Rescue Team in Virginia and vote? when you get the confirmation email, it'll also give you the chance to ask for a reminder email - sign up and vote for us every day? Please? From Emma - my Fancy Cat and JJ. Thank you.

LAW

Navajo Code Talker Day

Did you know that it's Navajo Code Talker Day today? These men took their native language and as radio operators during WW2 drove the enemy absolutely nuts. Hundreds of men owe their lives to these quiet, unassuming, forgotten heroes. Take a minute, go to their website, tell them thanks.

LAW

Counselors - anyone been to one?

Xposted at LeftFace.

I'm interested in hearing from my readers - have you ever used one of the counselors provided by either TriCare, Military OneSource, ACS - any of them? I had a lousy experience, during the Guard deployment, and spent most of my time explaining what the military is like, what deployment is like, translating terms! It drove me nuts, didn't help much either.... I've heard other stories, but I really want to know what YOU guys have experienced.

LAW

Happy Birthday - Coast Guard

As the daughter of a proud Coastie from WW2 - on the best ship in the fleet - USCG Spencer - I have a very soft spot for the Coasties. From the wonderful men on the cutters who were on the Atlantic Convoys, the Aleutians, the Pacific Island Hopping to the superb men and women flying choppers into some of the worst weather in the world to rescue seamen - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Army Wives at Belvoir

X posted from Left Face

I was invited to attend the Army Wives special screening at Fort Belvoir – and this time, I’m press! As a blogger, I’ve never been able to attend anything as “press”. The room was packed with servicemembers and their spouses, cameras and phone cameras at the ready. The announcement came - and to thunderous applause, in came the stars of the evening –Kim Delaney, Brian McNamara (the Holdens from Army Wives,) then General and Mrs Casey, and Vice President and Dr. Biden.

Cameras - GO!

Kim Delaney (Claudia Joy Holden) worked the crowd, greeting everyone with a smile and a handshake, enjoying herself. Brian McNamara, (General Holden) looked very distinguished in his glasses, he and his young son were also having a great time. And yes, he is as good looking in person, with a huge smile and lots of enthusiasm.

The speeches started, with General Casey getting the ball rolling, telling us he was there to introduce his boss – Mrs. Casey! He thanked all of us for our service, that he was impressed by the strength we have shown throughout the past 9 years. General Casey confessed that he had turned into a “groupie” by watching his second episode of “Army Wives”. Mrs. Casey spoke about her connection with Dr. Biden, and the fact that they both have sons in the service. Then she cracked everyone in the room up (you could tell who really watches Army Wives) when she plaintively asked why the nasty one HAD to be a 4 star General’s wife! (From what I know of Sheila Casey, she is the complete antithesis of Lenore!)

The Vice President spoke to us about having just returned from Ft. Drum, greeting families on the return of their servicemembers from deployment Of course, he referred to his son, and his pride in his service in Iraq, how he felt as a Dad of a deployed soldier, and choked up when he told us about meeting a West Point Graduate at BAMC who, being a triple amputee, apologized to the Vice President for not standing and saluting. When he spoke about being the husband of Dr. Biden, he told us about the decision that she reached after the Iowa primary defeat, - wanting to work with military families, that she had been struck by the resilience she had seen when meeting with military groups – and he repeated his firm conviction that the rest of the country needs to get behind the 1%of the population who do the work in these 2 wars. He introduced Dr. Biden who talked about the military families she had met, and how it felt to film the 6 minutes on the show – it took over 16 hours! Her feelings about being a military mom – “I’ll be doing something and a thought just flies through my head – I hope Beau is ok.” and we all understood exactly how she felt. Then she self deprecatingly told us she hoped we’d all forget her 6 minutes in the morning! (No, ma’am, we didn’t!)

The show started and it was great to see that…. no, I’m not going to tell you anything. You’ll have to tune in on August 8^th. I will tell you that Tanya Biank, the author of the book that the show is based on, has a cameo, and was at the event. After years of chatting online with her, or on the phone, I was so glad to finally meet her in person.

After the show, they all stayed, for over two hours. Kim Delaney, Brian McNamara, the Caseys, the Bidens, they made the effort to talk to every person there, posed for hundreds of pictures, smiled and hugged, talked and listened to us. Now if you think the biggest crowd with the loudest noise was around the TV stars – you’d be surprised. Vice President Biden was the man with the most groupies there. If you meet and talk to him, you’ll see that when he’s talking to you, you are the one person in the room he had to speak to, his level of focus is amazing! Dr. Biden – for me it was military mom to military mom, and that’s a connection that is indefinable, it just IS.

Yes, to the ladies in my audience, “General Holden” is as gorgeous as he is on screen. And after getting a picture with the “pretend” general, standing with General Casey – it’s a lot different – that command presence is very very real. It’s palpable, and he’s a gracious gentleman. His “boss” (Mrs. C) was as always, down to earth and ready to talk to any military spouse about anything. Kim Delaney is a lovely lady, and stood on those heels for hours - with a smile for everyone!

Yeah, I’m a fan. Of all of them. Thank you for a wonderful evening!

LAW

in the window

Yes, I'm going to be one of THOSE cat people for a while. JJ and Emma (that seems to be sticking) were having a good day yesterday - and since the weather was so nice and coolish, we had the windows open.

1, 2, 3 awwwwwwww. JJ in the chair, Emma in the window - tired out from all the tumbling, chasing, pouncing earlier!

Monique - now Emma

We were fostering a cat from the shelter group I volunteer with, and after a rocky start, things have progressed well. JJcat, the elder statesman who rules the house, has gradually taken to her, and is playing/chasing with her. There was no way in hell we were returning her to the cages, so decided to finalize her adoption.

Her name WAS Monique - hate the name... we are trying out other names for her. She answers to nothing at all - but what do we feel she looks like. She's a very plain cat, a Domestic Short Hair blue grey tabby - we thought a good simple name would work. I liked either Emily or Emma.. so we'll see.




She's still a little spooked by loud noises, tends to play bite when she gets riled up which is NOT allowed on people and learning that the spray bottle or a loud "ah ah" means stop that NOW. She has her room, with box, tower, scratching pad for nights to separate her from JJcat (we like sleeping, and the herd of elephant running up and down the stairs isn't conducive to snoozing) and for eating. JJ is a snacker, Emma is a vacuum cleaner, so for meal times with wet food, they have to be separated. She needs to lose some weight, after all she was in the cages for 6 months, without a lot of exercise and was pretty depressed - stress eater (like me!)

The newest member of the family!

LAW

Happy birthday trip

Since it's Chief's birthday today, and although he hates to celebrate it, we are going on a little trip. Yeah, on a day it's going to be hotter than the hinges of hell or as he puts it "Baghdad weather", we are setting out for a day in Richmond. Maybe.

It's been a helluva week, hasn't it? The whole MyCAA thing blowing up again, dividing us by rank and wish list for our futures. Some feelings were hurt that those trying to get a different degree said they didn't want a cosmetology or realtor certification, as if we were saying "it's not worthy". That, of course, isn't what we were saying, but that's the general gist of many conversations and denunciations. When I talked to someone on the Hill about it, he asked me which other Fortune 500 company offered this. I told him I didn't give a rip if AT&T or IBM offered it, this was a PROMISE made to us. A promise that was broken in February, and again and again. It would have been far better if they had simply said - those who are already in, will get the $$, the rest of you, sorry, try something else. This cobbled together version - no, not a good compromise at all.

So, heading out, water bottles are filled. wish us luck.

LAW

GI Bill tranferability

Weeeelllll..... there seem to be discussions about ending that transferability which, the last time I looked, is one of those "options" DoD is telling us to use instead of MyCAA! Let's hope like hell the panel doesn't go for this.

One of the more notable options in the bill is transferability. It gives career servicemembers who’ve served on active duty or in the selected reserve on or after Aug. 1, 2009, the option to transfer their education benefits to family members, Clark said. Transferability was approved in the Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Improvement Act of 2008, which became law in June 2008.

Panel members are debating that option for the 2010 bill. Some say transferability shouldn’t be available for every servicemember, because of budget constraints. Rather, the option should be reserved for specific military specialties that are difficult to fill, they said.

“We had concerns about the generous benefit being more of a draw for first-term members to leave [the military] in order to use this benefit,” Clark said. “[But] we were very pleased to see the transferability … to share this benefit that [servicemembers] have earned with their family members.

“We did not believe this benefit for family members was to be limited to any specific targeting,” he continued. “We believe that every soldier, sailor, airmen and Marine who chooses to stay should have the same opportunity to share their earned benefits with their family members.”

Something we'll have to keep an eye on.

LAW