Letter From the Front

Of Missouri. They let Chris write to me last Saturday. Well, actually they ordered him to write, to send me his address. The Army encourages them to write often. The letter arrived yesterday so it took a while. You'd think they would have some pull with the Postmaster General.

I spoke to him on the phone for a few brief minutes. He sounded homesick. He hasn't started his basic training yet. They are waiting for more engineer recruits to arrive. He expects to be starting after July 4th. As of right now his graduation is set for September 29th, but that could change due to the late start of basic. I asked him what he was doing and he said basically policing the area (cleaning up). I asked since he hadn't started does that mean they're not yelling at them yet. He said they've been yelling since they came through the front gate.

I hope he's having fun.

Empty Nest

Sean and Scott finished up their school year today. And they headed off to their grandparents for the summer. A summer by the beach and on the golf course. With Chris gone too I came home to an empty house. Quiet. Too damn quiet. This will take some adjustment. Cooking for one. No one to wake up, no one to yell at, no one to laugh with or watch a ball game with. No one.

Summer arrived on Wednesday. And damn, it's been hot and humid here in NYC. Way too early for my liking. Fortunately I had the AC installed yesterday so the living room/dining room are now comfortable.

So to get myself out of the kitchen for the summer (not that you really want me there in the first place) I bought a little charcoal grill. A Weber 18.5", big enough to make a family dinner on. Put it together on Thursday night. Of course it's been raining since then.

Good thing I didn't wash the car.

Update - I heard from Chris. They gave him 4 minutes to make a phone call. He's still in the reception area, won't get to actual basic until Thursday. He said he got all his shots, uniform and equipment, he's just waiting to move on, getting anxious. He won't be able to call again until next Saturday at which time he'll have his mailing address. He sounded good.

I feel better now. :-)

No word from Chris yet. I actually don't expect to hear from him for maybe a few weeks. That's the Army way. But it goes against the "call me when you get there" mentality that's become ingrained in me. So I sit wondering what's going on.

My brother had been in the Army and told me that basic is the toughtest thing he has ever had to go through. It has to be; they're preparing you to save your own life, and your buddies, on a battlefield. Chris is 5'7" and all of 130 lbs so I have mixed feeling about this basic training. One side of me is saying "Ha ha he's getting his butt kicked" (that must be the Dad side) but one is saying "Crap, he's getting his butt kicked" (the Mom side?) I'm hoping they put some muscle on him. This kid has the fastest metabolism, he was devouring anything I brought into the house and never gained weight. They may have to put him on double rations.

And his brothers are completely indifferent about this. They're happy the have their own rooms now that he's gone. At some point it will catch up with them. At least I hope so.

This was the first weekend where I was completely alone. I didn't like it.

Chris left for boot camp yesterday. 16 week in Missouri. He told me not to worry. He doesn't realize I've been wired to do that since the moment he was born.

It's going to be a long day/week/month/year/4 years.

I had to go to the local CVS last night and pick up a new nose hair trimmer. Mine has been misplaced in the move. Rumor has it the ladies don't like seeing the rain forest growing from your nostrils when you talk to them. Go figure. So I find a suitable model but then a little apprehension hits me. You know when you place this on the counter the girl at the register is going to start looking, checking you out a little closer, maybe gag a little (I swear it's not that bad, I looked). And you can't cover up your honker it will just draw more attention. What to do? What to do?



So I bought some condoms too.

Moving.....Still

Well, not really moving but a lot of shifting stuff around, unpacking boxes, putting stuff away, setting up furniture, trying to make it somewhat comfortable, installing blinds and doorknobs, cleaning (ugh) and more cleaning, doing laundry (haven't done that for 4 years). Seems like it will be never-ending but I know it will get there. Patience needed, something that I don't have at times.

And I don't know if the change in location has anything to do with it but I'm feeling some other moves are appropriate at this time. It's time to move on from some things, let some dreams fade away, embrace them for what they were. Look forward to some new adventures, approach them for what they could be. Get back to something that has never let me down in the past, but I have ignored for a while.

Moving....forward

The Day After....Yesterday

Moved. We're in. Although I think I'm applying Federal Disaster Funding. Holy crap, I feel like I'll be digging out of this forever.

And I have to say the kids worked hard. With their help we did the move in 5 hours. Pretty good. Although GI Chris is as weak as shit. A friend of his came over to help and they were moving the sofa bed out of the apartment. They lifted and the strain on his face was what I imagine Cressey looks like DL'ing 600. They were able to move it 10 feet before he had to put it down, he was tired. I went over and picked it up with his friend. turned it to get it through the door, brought it out into the hall, pressed it up to get it over the bannister and make the turn, brought it back down and down the stairs (I had the bottom) out of the house and into the truck. His friend looked at him and said "Your Dad is strong, and he's old. (damn kid) The Army is going to kick your ass. " Needless to say he wasn't much use getting it into the house either.

So now it's on to getting the place presentable. The electricians will be there today to finish their work and then I can start putting the furniture in permanent positions. I have to repaint what I already did, not happy with the color. And paint the bedrooms. And clean the basement. And, crap, there's a yard too. And a garden. What have I done?? :-)