written on 12 August 2006

Medic: Is Techno eating yogurt?
Techno: Yes I am!
Medic: Ahahaha... Yeast infection!! Yeast infection!!
Techno: From what?
Medic: Yeast!
Techno: Yeah, but from what? All the vigorous sex I'm not having?StuffedShirt: And thank goodness for that!

Silly boys. I just like yogurt. And that was part of my dinner!

*****

Disclaimer: The following is my disgruntled rant specifically about my situation with my chain of command and lack of medical treatment. I cannot attest to how other soldiers are treated at this mobilization station, at other mobilization stations, in theatre or anywhere else. The medication to which I refer to is not very common as it treats very specific conditions (shingles, PHN), is sometimes hard to get, is very expensive ($7 a patch, box of thirty patches, you do the math), and is not carried by all pharmacies -- which I've known and tried to convey to my chain of command. This is me blowing off steam, this is only a rant, I repeat, only a rant.

In the course of a few minutes "I'm running low on patches, I won't have enough for the FOB, and I need to go off post to get them" turns into "Why did you wait until the last minute blablablah, why didn't you go to sick call this morning to get them blablablah, it's a big inconvience to take you off post blablablah"

From my platoon sergeant. Yeah. Way to take care of your troops, Sarge. Way to talk to people, Sarge. What a fuckhead. Dude, you won't even be the one to take me off post -- our UA takes care of that and he's cool with it. Now, if you would even listen to me when I was talking to you, you would understand why I didn't go to sick call and why I have to go off post to get them. If you knew your troops, you would know exactly why it is very important to have a supply of them.

Otherwise you will be taking me to the fucking TMC only for them to tell me that they don't have them for one reason or another and that I have to go off post, where I already have a standing perscription. Go right ahead, waste your time and mine!

Sometimes, I hate the Army sense of logic. This is one of those times.

And despite from all the venting I've done to anyone who will listen, I am still stressed out about it, and as we all know by now: stress = flare.

I'd love to see what would happen out in the FOB if I had a flare and had no patches. Oh yes, I'd love to see what they'd do then. Send me to the TMC to wait in agony for a doctor to tell me something I already knew? Riiiight. Preventive medicine, people!

[/rant]

*****

After the close call yesterday of EnglishProf going to TMC and me sitting out at the FOB wondering whether or not she'll go with us, she's going with us. Her ankle has been healing up well, Hipster has been helping her with her exercises, and she's in better spirits in general. Which is all very good. All signs are pointing to her going with us.

She told me that Hipster was actually doing badly in training because he was so preoccupied with her and her situation. He never says much, but I can tell that he really cares about her.

The boys make fun of him because he's always over here, but none of us care.

*****

I'm still thinking of what to write in reply to my cousin's letter. What am I learning here? How to walk around feeling like some bizarre lab experiment gone wrong -- part turtle, part hamster, part duck? How much I suck at throwing grenades? How to live with other people, with little to no privacy? How to make ranger pudding? How to smile even when my day sucks? How to deal with other people that have no people skills and no consideration for others?

I don't know. I'll find something, I'm sure.

*****

Quero me encontrar, mas não sei onde estou
Vem comigo procurar algum lugar mais calmo
Longe dessa confusão e dessa gente que não se respeita
Tenho quase certeza que eu não sou daqui

I want to find myself, but I don't know where I am
Come with me to find somewhere calmer
Far from this confusion and these people who don't respect each other
I am almost certain that I am not from here
("Meninos e Meninas" - Legião Urbana)

*****

Blondie has been long gone, Sweetheart and the artillary boys are gone, Fifi leaves soon, and I just want out of this place.

The sooner I get out of this place, the sooner I can go to Hong Kong and Japan, the sooner I can go home, and the sooner I can go to Brasil.

I want a hammock, impromptu Portuguese lessons, and a cool glass of guaraná. I want green tea ice cream, a sky full of buildings, girltalk about boys, love, life, everything. I want late nights at the truck stop, pierogi, to chase after little boys.

Validation, please come soon.