I just got a message from a guy I dated a while ago (before I went to Afghanistan) on MySpace. This guy did me wrong. We met on MySpace, but he was at the same base as I was, so we made arrangements to meet. The day we met we went to Savannah and we had a good time. We went out one other time after that and again, we had a good time. I thought I had finally met someone that I got along with, liked, and who liked me, too.
We made arrangements for another date. When it came time to go on it, though, I couldn’t get ahold of him. I called him a ton of times, I texted him, I even went by where he lived and knocked on his door. I felt like one of those crazy women that call you every minute and knock on your door every ten. I never thought I would be like that, like I would be all “whatever” if such a situation arose, but obviously not. (It lasted, like, a day, ok?)
I gave up and figured, if he really liked me, he wouldn’t have avoided me like that. I also tell myself that he’ll call me when he’s ready and when he wants to. …And I’ll tell him where to go, when to go, and how to get there.
Some time passes, I find out I’m going to Afghanistan, and all is well. Like most days I spent before I went to Afghanistan, I went online and I had gotten a message from him. He told me he was going through a divorce, that she was pregnant, and that he didn’t want to tell me because he thought I wouldn’t have anything to do with him if I knew the truth. He begged my forgiveness and for some reason (and somehow) I agreed to see him so he could explain himself to my face.
He comes and he talks to me about it. I mull it over a little and I see where he could be afraid to tell me the truth. I decide to believe him and give him another chance. He is genuinely happy about it. Of course, I tell him that I was going to Afghanistan in a month and he seems ok with it.
Then, he bails on me again. I call him and text him, again, no response. I forgave a person and he does me wrong again – this time, in a 24 hour time span!
So, what brings this up? You ask.
He tried to friend me on MySpace when I was in Afghanistan and I ignored him. But, he is proving to be persistant. He just messaged me explaining things. (This time, meeting is out of the question, at least right away, as he is in Iraq.) He said that he told his ex that he was with me that night and she told him that if he continued to see me, she would go to my command and tell them I was seeing a married man. So, he didn’t contact me anymore because he didn’t want me to get into trouble. That’s understandable, the fact that he didn’t tell me isn’t. He also told me that his marriage was void the whole time, as the idiot he was married to never divorced her first husband. So, he wasn’t even technically married.
He doesn’t seem to expect me to give him another chance. I might put him through the ringer, though, because he deserves it. And now I have to go pack and get ready to drive back down to Georgia.
My leave has been extended until February 1st because of my car registration issues. I am glad that my unit was so understanding about the issue, although, there wasn’t much for them to do, considering I had no other way home otherwise. (I suppose they could have told me to just fly home and deal with it, but that doesn’t resolve my car issue, either.) North Carolina got their asses in gear and sent the title finally, and the dealership got it yesterday and then overnighted it immediately to me. We got it this morning, drove down to the Secretary of State office in Illinois, and we registered it then. There were a few hiccups there, as they didn’t want to accept the tax I already paid in Chicago, but they let that slide. I wasn’t about to pay near a hundred dollars again, that was for damn sure.
Mom and I drove home after that and I drove her around the rest of the day. My tires were extremely low on air, so we got them filled almost immediately. There’s also a funny noise going on near the front passenger wheel. I’m a little concerned. It doesn’t sound too bad and it doesn’t happen that often.
It was so nice being able to drive, though. I could just drive everywhere. I’m getting used to it again, too, after about a year of not driving.
Anyway.
I went on date last night and I had a lot of fun. I met the guy at the party on Saturday night (see this entry for details – and it’s not Guy #1 or #2). Guy #1 tried to tell him that he wasn’t allowed to talk to me, but he did anyway. He gains major “points” for that!
We went to a nice Italian restaurant and then we got dessert at a nice bar/restaurant downtown. We went for a ride at my request, which was nice. I like to drive around aimlessly sometimes. It’s most fun to do with a friend. Then, we stopped at the bar that my mom used to own. We had a drink there and we both agreed that we liked the bar’s enviroment better when my mom owned it. After that, we said our farewells and made plans to go out tomorrow night.
It’s been crazy these past few days. An old friend from high school I also met at the party (not the one I went to the party with) went to lunch and the mall earlier that day (yesterday). I got a pair of really cool razor blade earrings from Hot Topic. I also got my eyes examined at Lenscrafters. The Army had me under the impression that I had a really bad stigmatism, but when I got glasses from them, I looked at the ground and I nearly fell over the prescription was so strong. So, I decided to get a second opinion, even if it cost me out of pocket. It wasn’t nearly as bad as they were saying it was, but I still needed a pair of glasses (I could hardly read the menu on the wall where we went to lunch and had to move closer to read it). I spent a pretty penny on a pair of DKNY glasses. They’re so nice, though, and they make me look really sophisticated and a little older. (Just a bit.)
Tomorrow is going to be non-stop, too. But in the fun way.
Um, yeah. So, I normally don’t go deleting comments in my journals, even if I don’t agree with them. However, when they are utterly, blatantly, and totally bullshit – they’re so getting deleted. You don’t have to agree with me, but do not – do not – come into my journal spewing lies and bullshit. This is a no BS zone.
This, for those who may not know, is about the pro-lifers that responded to my “Blogging For Choice: Why I’m Pro-Choice” entry. I didn’t read their comments in their entirety because, aside from the fact that they weren’t worth the precious minutes of my life to read, I was also setting up a date with a guy for tomorrow night. So, they weren’t too much of interest to me.
I do know that one of them posted a link to a site that supposedly had pictures of aborted babies in the first trimester. I spent about a second looking at it and knew that it was all false pictures that were completely doctored. I mean, do pro-lifers really dig through abortion clinics’ trash and then take pictures of “aborted babies” next to a quarter? (I am being sarcastic here, for those of you who may be taking me literally. Just an important FYI for the readers who lack a sense of humor.) But I am serious, people – the picture I saw had a picture of an “aborted fetus” next to a quarter, with a human finger holding the quarter and “aborted baby” up. Pure hilarity. I was laughing.
THEN, I got a message from someone saying they would “pray” for me. Save your prayers, lady. I don’t consider myself a Christian and I never have. They tried to make me into a “good Catholic” when I was younger, but I was ready to burst from joy when I started going to public school. I was never into having religion forced down my throat, particularly Catholicism. I am in the stages of converting religions, but I am converting to a religion that agrees with my political choices, as well, and the most important thing is, I am converting to a religion I want to practice.
You know, spare me the bullshit. Showing me obviously fake pictures, telling me things that I (and anyone with two brain cells to rub together) know are completely false, and even more insulting, telling me that you’re going to pray for me is even more unnecessary.
The guy was the worst. He had reading problems, it seems, because I said in that entry women should not be forced into providing people who cannot have children with babies. Guess what, pal? There are TONS of children – healthy, Hispanic, black, handicapped, babies, teenagers, toddlers, etc. – waiting for a good home! Why are these children having so much problems finding a good home? Has this guy adopted any children? I seriously doubt it. He could easily reply to this entry and tell me he has, but for some reason it would just scream lies.
Why can’t Christians accept that not everyone believes in God? Why can’t Christians accept that not everyone believes in God the way they do? Some of us believe the power upstairs is a little more compassionate and understanding and open than they think this mysterious power is. Since when did Christians decide how God is, what God is for, what God is against? That’s a subject for another entry, though.
Abortion is…
-A responsible choice.
-A choice a woman should always have.
-A choice that is not selfish.
Women are not…
-Incubators for people who cannot have children.
-A means to provide a state with a tax base.
-Property.
Children are not…
-A punishment.
To put it simply. That’s what I believe, that is what I always will believe. I am not ashamed of my beliefs. I am proud of them. If you think I am going to hell for what I believe, then, I’ll see you there. Don’t like it? Don’t read my journal and don’t respond to my entries. Simple fix.
I’m a day late, technically. It’s like, 2 am here, so, whatever. My will is good, all right?
I’m going to start this off with a little history lesson on Yours Truly. There was a time in my life when I was pro-life. I never felt strong convictions for the pro-life cause. I was in middle school at the time, like 7th grade or something. Beyond the few times I talked about it, I never really thought about it too much. It wasn’t that big of an issue to me at the time – but I was only a young one. (And holy shit – totally off topic – but this was over ten years ago! Ouch.)
Then one day, I had an epiphany. How does another woman having an abortion affect my life? …It doesn’t. No one is forcing me to have an abortion, so why should I want to force another woman into continuing a pregnancy she doesn’t want? The decisions she makes for her life and with her body have no affect on me what-so-ever.
That’s how it all started. To further things…
I believe women should always have the right to choose. Abortion is a very responsible choice. Sometimes, choosing to have a child you aren’t ready for emotionally and/or financially isn’t the responsible choice. However, it’s still a choice a woman has, whether someone else thinks it’s responsible or not. I support a woman’s right to continue with a pregnancy, just as I support a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy. Women should always have these choices, even if other people don’t agree with them.
I believe society needs to start caring more about women than a z/e/f. The “rights” of the unborn should never come before those of a woman who is already born. The woman should always be considered first and foremost, it’s HER body that the z/e/f is in and SHE is the one with the decision to continue or terminate the pregnancy and it always should be.
It is not any woman’s responsibility to have a baby for a couple who can’t have children themselves (there are plenty of children in the United States and the rest of the world waiting to be adopted – what about them?). It’s not the responsibility of women to provide a state with a tax base (as implied by the state of Georgia – and who says that the “tax bases” – aka, the children – will even stay in Georgia?). Pregnancy and children are not – nor should they be – a punishment for women having sex.
Basically, I am pro-choice because I believe women have the right to decide when they are ready to have children – IF they even want to have children.
Dad and I went to Chicago today and shopped. He was a good sport. We stopped at all sorts of stores, but it was really my day, so it was mostly where I wanted to go. We stopped at Burberry, Gucci, H20 Plus, Max Mara, and Louis Vuitton, to name a few, and we also stopped at a ton of stores at the Water Tower shopping mall (or whatever it’s called).
My dad bought me a ton of stuff. I couldn’t believe he was being so liberal, I remember when I would have to beg him to buy me the littlest of things. So, it was a pleasant surprise to get what I wanted today, but I didn’t push it (nor was I a brat about it).
My favorite thing he purchased for me was a one hundred percent cashmere, black scarf from Burberry. It was so cold when we got down there and not a lot of places were open yet, but Burberry was, so it was our first stop. I thought it would be a wise investment and I wore it the entire day. (It’s so soft!)
I also got a really cute outfit from Bebe. I got a pink shirt with a ribbon around the midsection (it’s hard to describe, I’ll try to post pictures of it some other time). I also got a nice pair of black slacks that fit me perfectly, except that they need to be taylored because they’re too long.
I also got a belt from Max Mara and he paid for me to get my eyebrows waxed at a really nice place. So I’m feeling pretty good today.
I found a Sephora store and nearly died of pure joy! I bought myself some really good, light, concealer by Cargo. I resisted the urge to buy anything else. I also got some bath salts and lotion from H20 Plus.
Dad got some (three pairs!) shoes and some bath salt from L’Occitane.
It was a really good day. My dad and I have had some issues in the past and we haven’t always gotten along, but I’m glad that we are getting along better now. I’m not just saying that because he bought me a whole bunch of stuff today, either. I mean it. We hardly ever argue anymore, which is a great thing.
Anyhow, going to a party tomorrow night with an old friend from high school. I haven’t seen her since we graduated. It’s going to be pretty cool.
Let’s talk about bed sheets and comforters, people. Because I am in dire need of a comforter.
The background: my roommate is in the process of buying a house and she asked me if I wanted to move in with her. Rent would be cheap and thinking it over in my head, I decided that yes, I would.
We went out the day after I got back from Afghanistan and went looking at furniture. I got a queen sized bed with a box spring and an antique, Victorian stand with a pink marble top. The stand/drawer thing (hard to explain, once I get it moved in perhaps I will take a picture) has set the theme of my room. The colors have to go along with it now, otherwise it will be horribly out of place.
This has left me at a loss in the bedding department. Do you know how hard it is to find a comforter that matches the damn thing? It’s been a bitch so far. The only place that has a comforter that matches it and that I like is Victoria’s Secret. The problem here is, or so my mother thinks, is that the comforter I’m thinking about is satin. She tells me that it will slip off of my bed and that it’s going to be a real hassle. I’ve never had satin sheets or a satin comforter, for that matter, so I can’t really say.
So, do any of you have any input? I would really like a nice comforter that is comfortable and matches my r[future] room’s decor. The only things I’ve found at Linen ‘N’ Things either looked like it was fit for a teenager’s room or was insanely priced.
I don’t know what has brought this up. Our parting is still fairly fresh, but I’m still thinking about him from time to time – probably more than I want to. Some things have come up in recent conversations that have me thinking about him. This is going to be a fairly vague entry. Specific dates and times won’t be mentioned and the person I speak of will only be referred to as…The Ex (in this entry and any future ones).
Our relationship – “relationship” – has always been hard to define. We never talked about being in a relationship and in a lot of ways, we weren’t. However, we spent a lot of time together and pretty much everyone and their mothers operated under the assumption that we were in one together. So, perhaps “The Ex” isn’t an appropriate term completely for him, BUT, there feelings and all of that sappy stuff.
That being said, he was…on-and-off is the best way to put it – wishy-washy. Some days he was the sweetest guy on earth, others he was the biggest ass (not even asshole, just ass). Excuse the profanity, but “jerk” just doesn’t even come close to how he was when he was in “a mood”. When he was getting some, he was the most understanding, caring man ever.
I should also tell you now – I really cared for this guy. Even with all of his constant mood swings, I cared about him. The situation as it was, I let a lot of things slide. I was pretty bad in return to him, so he took his fair share, too. I don’t want to villainize him too much and pretend that I am some angel.
ANYHOW, onto the point of my entry.
I’m not one to buy all of the horoscope stuff, but I like to read it. Sometimes it rings true, most of the time it doesn’t. I was surfing MySpace, though, and I decided to click on the zodiac link and it brought me to a page where you could see your compatibility with other zodiac signs. I enter his (Aries) and mine (Gemini), and this is what came up…
Airy Gemini makes your fire burn brighter, Aries. In fact, this may seem like a match made in heaven – and it might just be if you can keep your impulsive nature in check. You get bored easily, needing fresh, new experiences often. The problem is, while you’re out there looking for excitement, your Gemini probably isn’t sitting home and waiting around for you. When your search turns up nothing, and you finally return because you’ve realized your Gemini lover is all you need (and you probably will), they might just tell you they’ve found someone else.
This is so true in so many ways.
He would often push me away, and there were two incidents (before The Final One) where he did/said something that pissed me off to the point where I didn’t want to talk to him. The first incident wasn’t so bad and we continued on as if nothing ever happened. The second time, he sent me a really nasty email that I know he regretted later. When we started to talk again he said he “gets weird sometimes”. The third time was it and we haven’t spoken since, something he initiated/wanted and something he regrets.
I say these things because I know him and I would have to decipher his little messages. This doesn’t make sense to you, I’m sure, but that’s ok.
(I wouldn’t say he was my great love, but he was certainly one of the few men I have ever cared deeply about in my love life. The title is from a Smashing Pumpkins song. I forget exactly which one, but it’s on “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” album.)
Also, before I sign off, I will be making a guest appearance (I always wanted to say that – yay!) at Mainly Random next week/sometime in the near future. So keep an eye out for my ranting about whoever has moved me to violence (not literally, folks – cockroaches make me scream, my roommate is the designated cockroach assassin) this week.
I highly recommend this book, particularly for those of you who are into history.
Huey Long was a Depression-era politician from the state of Louisiana. He made his start in politics as a member of the Louisiana Railroad Commission in 1918. He was elected governor in 1928 and then senator in 1930.
Many of the good things Huey did for the state of Louisiana was build more roads and bridges, he implemented a program that would provide free text books for all school children, expanded the public education system, he improved Louisiana State University, established scholarships for poor students, he championed a night school program to teach adults how to read, he doubled the funding for Charity Hospital in New Orleans, and he was the first governor to lift poll taxing off of the voting system in a southern state. (This was self-beneficial, of course. Poll taxing kept poor people from voting, however, wealthy people in Louisiana would pay a poor person’s poll tax so long as they voted for who the wealthy person told them to.) He also did a lot more.
Huey Long was also an important supporter of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was seeking the nomination for President in 1932. He held together key states (namely two southern states) for Roosevelt during the 1932 Democratic National Convention and campaigned for him, as well. Roosevelt’s Vice President, John Garner, was a much stronger candidate for the nomination for President and could have gotten it had it not been for Huey. But their political union was not to be, as Huey and FDR would part after Roosevelt had been elected when FDR failed to embrace his programs.
Huey was a master of the filibuster. He once spoke for 15 hours and 30 minutes straight (he held the record for longest filibuster until J. Strom Thurmond beat him in 1957, speaking for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957). He would often talk about how to eat a dish known as “potlikker”, recipes on how to make it, he would talk about the Constitution, and even recite Shakespeare (he had an amazing memory and only on rare occasions would need any sort of notes for his speeches).
He also helped the first woman ever elected to the US Senate, Hattie Caraway of Arkansas, win her first election. (She had taken over her husband’s seat when he had passed away.) He campaigned for her in seven days and she won by a landslide.
Huey was never able to pass a bill of his own through the Senate, however, many bills that did go through had modifications added by him and were passed with his assitance, often without credit. He also prevented many bills he viewed as harmful from being passed. (He saved your local banks.)
Huey Long died on September 10, 1935 at Our Lady of the Lake hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana as a result of the shooting on September 8, 1935. It is commonly believed that his assassin was Dr. Carl Weiss, the son-in-law of Judge Benjamin Henry Pavy who was gerrymandered out of his seat due to his opposition to Huey. Another theory is that he was accidentally shot by one of his bodyguards (he had a preoccupation with being assassinated).
I could probably type for days. I only talked about the good things Huey did. While I don’t believe he would ever intentionally hurt those he was elected to represent, he did do things that were unorthodox at best. It has been said that Huey Long was the closest the United States ever came to having a dictator. He held a lot of power over Louisiana once he had a strong political machine. Even as Senator, it was commonly believed that his successor, Oscar K. Allen, would sign anything Huey put before him.
That’s what I liked best about this book. It was well researched and it was objective. This book didn’t focus on just the good things he did and it didn’t magnify only the bad. It was a balanced book. Regardless of how much you know about Huey Long, I recommend you read this book. I especially recommend it if you don’t know anything about him but would like to learn more. It’s a large book and at times it can be slow, but ultimately, it’s an interesting read, it’s informative, and it avoids bias.
