My Commentary

Here is the link to my commentary in this week's Bayonet. It's a PDF file, fyi.
http://www.thebayonet.com/e-edition/?haspdf=1

At the top, hit the arrow to go to Page A-2. It's about half way down the page.

Hope you enjoy it.

Sunshine Day

The title is a nod to the best TV show of all time - The Brady Bunch. If you know the song, sing it in your head, and then thank me because it will be stuck in your head the rest of the day.

It's Thursday (Yay!) and I've gotten Adam all of his birthday presents (April 3, next Thursday for those of you who have forgotten) and my new niece some gifts. It's nice to have all the time in the world to get this stuff done.

I've finally learned to love living in the South. It's probably because of days like this, where the temperature will climb into the mid 70s with abundant sunshine and I can lay out and get a tan. I know, bad for me, blah blah blah. Goes in one ear and out the other, so get over it.

For all you up in the North, don't worry, your time will come for this beautiful weather. Hee hee hee. (In about two months)

Still Writing

Update: I will be writing Bench Notes starting next week. It is a weekly column on the front of the sports page that has different tidbits about what's going on in the world of sports. I was the original writer for it starting in 2006 and really enjoyed doing it. I will put the link for it once my name is back on it (I consider it one of my babies) next week.



I worked for The Bayonet, the post newspaper, for almost 10 years before quitting last summer. It's a long story why I quit, and I have no desire to write about it. Needless to say, I missed writing, which is why I started this blog.
Recently, though, a friend's son won the Class AAA Wrestling state title, so I knew an article about him was in order. I am still on very good terms with the editor (She's like a second mom to me) so I told her I would write the article. And I did. Then his brother won his own state title in wrestling, and they asked that I write the article on him. Okay, sure. You can read it at this link: Erin's article.
Yeah, I miss writing but not all that much. I for sure do not miss working there. Miss the people, not the work, though. Every once in awhile writing is fine, but for now, I'm happy with what I'm doing.


Go RED SOX! Great win today!

Back Breaking

I've been what you would call a housewife for the last two weeks or so. I don't like the word housewife. I prefer to be called a homemaker, although that sounds like I actually build homes.

I've found I kind of lose my identity when not gainfully employed. I'm Adam's wife and Addison's mom. But I enjoy this. I like to take care of people, and if having sparkling windows is what we get out of it, so be it.

I have a lot of hours in the day to myself. I try to be productive, and so far so good. Laundry and dishes are up to date and clean. It takes a long time to get a house in tip-top shape.

It's not an easy job. And yes, it is my job, and I try to do it well. Last week I pulled something or strained a muscle or who knows what in my lower back. It's agony! Okay, I get to watch the Game Show Network all day and wonder what it would have been like to date Richard Dawson back in the day, cigarettes and leatherface and all, but I also work hard.

My master plan is to get the entire house cleaned out and organized in preparation for our move next Spring to Savannah. Wish me luck!

Get A Life!

Today is going to be a rant. But I will try to keep it clean.

Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war. And what did the media choose to cover? Anti-war protestors.

I'm all about free speech and the right to assemble, but you gotta ask yourself, why? Do these people really think they will stop the war?

I have a simple and productive idea for these people - instead of protesting the war, how about supporting our troops? Start a letter drive, a get together supplies to send overseas, do anything. Your wasted energy on protesting could be put into something that helps everyone.

My brother constantly asks for small toys to hand out to the children in Iraq. Why not pool together some money and send these to our troops? How about getting together to pray for the troops and their safe return? The power of prayer is amazing, and can do a lot more than protesting that falls on deaf ears.

And let's not forget our troops in Afghanistan and other countries. They need our support and prayers just as much as any other Soldier.

God Bless Our Troops.

Erin Go Bragh!

Or, as my cousins and now my oh-so-creative friends call me, Erin Go Braghless. Ha ha ha. Heard it a million times.

Anyway, since I'm not in the mood for blogging, all I will say today is Happy St. Patrick's Day!

P.S. Erin Go Bragh means "Ireland Forever" for you trivia buffs.

Rest In Peace Big Daddy

I got some sad news today. My grandfather, whom has been affectionately referred to as "Big Daddy" since before I was born, has passed away. I am deeply saddened. He pulled out my first tooth when I was six. He taught me the term "buck tooth bitch" when I was little and he was having a small fit of road rage. He taught me that 99% of the world is ignorant. I remember watching the Red Sox with him on hot Saturday afternoons.



Addison's middle name is Albert, for him. I told Adam when I was pregnant that if it was a boy, his middle name was going to be Albert, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Big Daddy always called him Double A, for Addison Albert.


We got to see Big Daddy not even two weeks ago while we were home visiting. It was a shock to see him so frail. I knew that would be the last time I saw him.


So, if you could, keep him and my family in your prayers. The world has lost yet another World War II veteran. Not only that, the world has lost a great man.

Tonsils - the bane of my existence

I hate my tonsils and always have, since I was little and got regular bouts of tonsilitis. My tonsils are big to begin with, and when they're infected they get huge. I've been able to feel a grain of rice try to slide between them at their largest. Ewwww.



Since Sunday, I have felt like crap. Hot and cold, cold and hot, overall just crappy. I had Adam look in my throat yesterday and he said my right tonsil was swollen. Lovely.


Why don't I go to the doctor? Because it's a military hospital. By the time I get an appointment whatever ails me will be long gone. I've tried to get them to take my tonsils out and they told me I had to have at least six documented cases of tonsilitis a year. Maybe if I could get in to see a doctor I could get them documented.


So I will continue to feel like crap. Even ibuprofen, which usually helps me feel better, isn't working.


And be glad I didn't put up a picture of tonsils, because they were all really gross.

Thank you Don

I emailed NASCAR driver Brian Vickers, like I said in yesterday's post, to thank him for how he treated my husband and his fellow Soldiers at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday.



This is what I wrote:
Mr. Vickers,I wanted to personally thank you for your kindness towards my husband and his fellow Soldiers Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.My husband was very surprised and thought it was awesome that you went out of your way to thank them and have your picture taken with them at the drivers' meeting.Thank you from one of those Soldier's wives for doing that. They don't often get the recognition they deserve and the fact that you did that is just great. More drivers and people in general should do what you did. You will always be a favorite of ours in our family. Thank you,Erin Nash



This is the e-mail I received back:
Erin
I passed on to Brian. There are a few that get to him through me, you can only imagine the stuff we get- piles of it, but I assure you he saw it. Thanks for your email and your husbands service to our country.
Don

Hey, Don, you rock, whoever you are. Don Johnson? Don Ho? Regardless, thank you Don, and thank you again Brian Vickers. You are upstanding citizens.

You rock NASCAR fans

Adam had a great time at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He described to me how when his unit was announced, the crowd went wild. They did their formation, and after that the announcer went on to tell about the unit and what they do. The crowd loved it. I can just imagine what it was like for Adam to stand down there, representing his unit. I bet he had goosebumps, like he gets in the final fight scene of The Karate Kid.

After that they had to go through the stands and Adam said everyone wanted to shake their hands and thank them for their service. I love that. NASCAR fans are mostly blue-collar, hardworking folk who appreciate our military and what they do for us and our country. And I appreciate that they make it a point to thank our Soldiers for what they do day in and day out.

Thank you, NASCAR fans, for making my husband and his fellow Soldiers feel special. I know they appreciated it. You rock.

Also, I just remembered that Adam told me that the Red Bull car driver Brian Vickers came over to the guys at the drivers' meeting and personally thanked them for their service. I sent Vickers an email thanking him, because Adam thought that was really cool. Vickers even posed for pictures with the guys.

I also sent FoxSports an email lambasting them for not showing the Soldiers in the color guard and formation during the national anthem. I feel much better.

Just A Good Ol' Boy

I've been living vicariously all day through Adam. He's spent the day up at the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the NASCAR race. His unit was asked to provide Soldiers for the color guard at the beginning of the race.

Real quick sidenote: FOX, you suck. You announce the unit then don't show one single Soldier posting the colors during the national anthem. Shame on you. They deserve the recognition and you messed up. I am very angry with you.

First, Adam texted me and told me he was in the drivers' meeting. NOT FAIR! He probably got to stare at the back of Dale Jr.'s head.

Second, some of the actors from The Dukes of Hazzard were up there to promote Hazzardfest or something really cool like that that they are having at AMS in June. Adam got to slide across the hood of the General Lee. Woohoo, he is now a certified member of Redneck Nation. He also said he saw Bo or Luke. Okay, Adam, you can't be a true fan if you don't know if it's Bo or Luke. I wanted to marry Bo when I was six. I'm sure he was more interested in Daisy way back then and her crotch-huggers, but still, it's the Hazzard boys!!!

Third, after the race was done, Adam and his fellow Soldiers were able to hang out in Victory Lane and get a picture with the winner. Unfortunately, Kyle Busch won the race. Ewwwww. Kyle and his brother Kurt are not liked very much by a lot of drivers and fans. But hey, I'd go hang out there too, just to get my mug on TV. We've all seen Adam on TV so many different times but it's still nice to see him in all his handsomeness.

At least my drivers did well. Dale Jr., my main driver, finished third. Tony Stewart, my back-up driver, finished second. God must have felt bad that I had to watch it all on TV, and be sick on top of it. I feel like crap-hot on the outside, cold on the inside, except in my mouth and throat, which are hot. That's the nastiest feeling, having the inside of your mouth feel all hot. Here's to fingers crossed that the sickness finds its way out and not develop into the flu or a cold.

Sunshine and Sox

I quit my job. And I couldn't be happier. I liked it okay, just didn't love and didn't really enjoy it. All I had to do was call the HR office and tell the lady I was resigning. Easy enough. It feels like a weight has been lifted off me. It wasn't terrible, but I would wake up at 5 a.m. waiting to see if I would get called at 6:15 to go work. Not the best job for someone with mild generalized anxiety disorder. So I have a lot of anxiety gone. And it feels great.

Adam is still on leave and we have been enjoying each other's company immensely. It is 70 degrees and sunny outside right now. We sat in the gazebo and read (he read his Ancient Rome textbook for his class, I finished up Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella-very good book btw). We cranked up the volume on the TV and listened to the Red Sox play the Dodgers. I couldn't have been happier. It's the simple things you have to learn to enjoy.

So what now for me? I am going to finish out this week vacationing with Adam then next week go to the Army Learning Center and let them figure out how I can take online classes for little or no money. I am going to focus on my education for the sheer fact that I know that I'm smart, and would like to apply myself towards something other than Jeopardy! and being a pop culture nerd. I am thinking about pursuing a bachelor's degree in Sociology, because that is what interests me most. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up, but I have a couple years until Addison is old enough for me to work full time.

Home Sweet Home

We are back in sunny, warm Georgia! I loved visiting my relatives, but I've got to say 70 degrees is much more favorable to me than 40 degrees and dirty snowpiles.
I missed my dog-children but of course now I have to put everything away and find places for all the stuff I brought back with me. It takes a whole day back just to get back to where you were before you traveled.
So I've been pondering quitting my job. I just don't enjoy it as much as I thought I would and it would give me a good keister kick to sign up for online classes and stop making excuses why I'm not taking said classes.
I feel like I'm rambling, so maybe tomorrow I'll find a track to get on to write something coherent.