SHD

Today isn't going as planned.

Normally, the leadership in my office is not afforded the luxury of a 4-day pass. However, I was able to convince my boss to let me have 1 day off for each of the next 4 months. Today is the first of those 4 days. It's also Friday...the 13th.

The day started with me being sleepy. I was at work until 22:30 last night, so I didn't get to bed at a decent hour, and I woke up tired. My lethargy was exacerbated by the fact that I promised to participate in PT this morning at 0630. I should have known better: Last night, Julie told me to call her today and tell her how I had injured myself during PT. I assured her nothing would happen, but...

We had just run the right-side option to great effect. I was the tailback, and the toss was perfect. Turn on the juice, first down! OK, success. Run it again. [Actually, the call was "Run it again, but the other way this time." I wish I had heard everything after the comma.] I lined up directly to the left of the quarterback. He was (I thought) going to take the snap, then run up the right side. I would tail behind him, just like before, and take the toss if needed. Well, that's not what happened. He got the snap and ran straight at me. I, clueless, ran straight at him. There was only about 6 feet between us when we started, so there was no time for reaction. I just slammed into him. Unfortunately, my left hand got jammed into his chest. The pain was intense and I was sure I had broken my wrist...maybe I did. Even now--two hours and two Aleve later--my hand is swollen and throbbing.

Alright, nice story, but so what? As I said, today is my day off. Much of what I had planned (besides a nap!) involved riding my bike to get where I wanted to go: BX, magic show, chow, whatever. As it is now, I can't even change my shirt without wincing, much less ride a bike. I seriously considered going to work, just because I didn't want to waste the day without the ability to go anywhere. Then I considered the absurdity of that thought, and decided to follow through with the plan.

Meanwhile, back at the football field...

I leave PT early, go back to the CHU to get my toiletry kit so I can get a shower before the DFAC closes for breakfast. I can barely get my clothes off, and when I get to the shower, it's like a sauna in there: both air conditioning units are broken. When I leave, I notice it's actually cooler outside (where it's already near 100 degrees at 0800). I change into fresh PT gear--no uniform required on my day off--and head to the DFAC.

I thought I'd have trouble with my tray, but I can close my fingers enough to hold the tray steady while supporting it with my right hand. Once I have everything, I see my crew already seated, so I go over to join them. Oh, look, the table is full. Guess I'll sit by myself. (Should I have expected different?)

Now, finally, I'm clean and fed, and I'm back at my CHU. Then, right about the time I was typing "Meanwhile, back at the football field...", the power went out. So now I have the day off, my wrist is killing me, and my CHU is about to become a hot box, with no TV, no internet, not even light by which to read.

Shithelldamn.

Rut chair

Naturally, I miss my wife, my son, and being home near family and friends. But there are many trivial things that I miss.

I miss silverware. We inmates have plasticware in the DFAC. So, if the meat is a little tough, good luck with that flimsy knife. Better to just pick it up with your fingers and gnaw on it because the slightest bit of pressure on the plastic knife will cause it to shatter in your hands.

I miss zippers. More to the point, I miss britches that zip. I would love to spend a day in my Levi 560 blue jeans. No blousing the cuffs, no annoying buttons. Just comfort.

I miss green. No, not Army green (of which there is also a dearth here), but bright, springtime, fresh, cool green. The lush color of grass, and of new leaves on trees.

I miss my truck. We have a few vehicles we can check out an drive as required, but I don't have my own, dedicated vehicle. Not that I need it, really. I just bought a bike, and that's been liberating. But my truck is my truck.

Of the seemingly inconsequential things, the one I really think of the most is my rut chair. For those who may not be familiar with the term "rut chair", it's borne of the fact that I get in a rut sitting in it so much. There's a good reason, though: it's damn comfortable! Way better than the straight chair I have in my CHU. As I sat in that cold, hard, steel, Baptist-church-reception-hall folding chair tonight, I had a vivid recollection of the anticipation that always occurred when my ass was about to land in the soft, foam-filled seat of my rut chair.

I guess the big take-away in all this is not to take anything (or, for that matter, anyone) for granted. I wonder if there's anything I'll miss from here. Gimme a sec...let me think. Uh, no.

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BTW, I've been listening to Satriani to night as I'm writing. He's arguably the best guitarist on the planet. If you don't have Surfing with the Alien and/or Flying in a Blue Dream in your music collection, you're leading a deprived life.