What's up thread

[code monkey]

Today I'm working on the boat and I find myself thinking of Mike.
No particular reason other than sometimes I used to find myself doing something and would pm him just let him know what crazy shit I'm up to. He'd make some smart assed comment that would just crack me up. Usually after I looked up a word or two in the dictionary.
This was one of those days when I remembered I can't pm him after the fact.
Kind of well after.
Still thinking of you mate.
Having a drink for you right now and before anyone asks, no I wasn't drinking prior to this.

No idea what his favorite alcoholic drink was. I'm having pina colada's now.
Stops me being so bitter. lol

'smart assed comment'? michael? *my* michael? that's so hard to believe. witty, yes. incisive, of course. but smart assed?

he didn't drink much but he liked bourbon. gin. various sherrys. we'd pick up a bottle of something that sounded interesting on special occasions and then often forget to drink it. that's why i've had them for my remembrances.

[FZR1KG]

'smart assed comment'? michael? *my* michael? that's so hard to believe. witty, yes. incisive, of course. but smart assed?

That is smart assed in my language.
Usually it would be a witty sarcastic remark that made me just crack up.
He had a gift with words. He really did.
He's had me in tears of laughter on many an occasion.
But I got him back. once. lol

he didn't drink much but he liked bourbon. gin. various sherrys. we'd pick up a bottle of something that sounded interesting on special occasions and then often forget to drink it. that's why i've had them for my remembrances.

I like bourbon, sherry. Never been a fan of gin.
I must get bourbon and sherry for our trip across the Pacific.
We'll drink to him at our furthest point from land.
Should be about 1200 miles from land between Galapagos and French Polynesia. I'll find the spot and we'll do a count down to it, record it. I'll give Rommie the coordinates and let her know what significance it is and to inform everone. Everyone on FWIS remembering Mike at the same point in time.
I never want to forget.

[SciFiFisher]

In the last 6 months I have been notified that the active duty army will no longer require my services as a Kelly Girl of the army.

but they just promoted you! i don't understand it.

Well, technically I will still be in the army reserves. It's just the active duty full time gig that is going away. The mission(s) that are/were being staffed full time by reservists like myself were funded through a presidential order authorizing additional or special funding that did not get deducted from the normal budget the army gets from Congress each year. President Obama decided not renew that presidential order last year so the funding stops on September 30th 2014. Now, these gigs have to be paid for out of the general fund. IOW the special missions are now competing with everyone else for funding. And people several echelons above my reality are deciding that maybe this mission isn't so special after all.

[SciFiFisher]

In the last 6 months I have been notified that the active duty army will no longer require my services as a Kelly Girl of the army.

but they just promoted you! i don't understand it.

It's the army. No one understands it.
Maybe now that he got promoted they can't afford to keep him.
I have heard he is high maintenance.

I actually told someone last week that they were kicking me off active duty to avoid paying me the princely sums a LT Colonel makes.
As for being high maintenance... don't you have an election to vote in?

[brite]

In the last 6 months I have been notified that the active duty army will no longer require my services as a Kelly Girl of the army.

but they just promoted you! i don't understand it.

It's the army. No one understands it.
Maybe now that he got promoted they can't afford to keep him.
I have heard he is high maintenance.

He is high maintenance... you have NO idea how high....

[geonuc]

My father retired right after he made LTC.

[brite]

My father retired right after he made LTC.

He has to do time in grade and he's not old enough to retire yet... Not to mention he's not allowed to retire... EVER! I don't want him home full time, under foot all the time, while I'm trying to be a professional student!

[code monkey]

He has to do time in grade and he's not old enough to retire yet... Not to mention he's not allowed to retire... EVER! I don't want him home full time, under foot all the time, while I'm trying to be a professional student!

but that would make it easier for you to be a professional student. home all day? that means that you can concentrate on your studies while he takes care of the cooking, cleaning, childcare ... everything that would be a distraction for you. a househusband, brite. you'd be the envy of all.

[FZR1KG]

He has to do time in grade and he's not old enough to retire yet... Not to mention he's not allowed to retire... EVER! I don't want him home full time, under foot all the time, while I'm trying to be a professional student!

but that would make it easier for you to be a professional student. home all day? that means that you can concentrate on your studies while he takes care of the cooking, cleaning, childcare ... everything that would be a distraction for you. a househusband, brite. you'd be the envy of all.

rofl

I better get myself a cup of Earl Grey.

[Sigma_Orionis]

Make that two

[Cyborg Girl]

"Tea, Earl Gray, hot."

(Best said while pretending to be a French native with a pronounced British accent.)

[Thumper]

"Tea, Earl Gray, hot."

(Best said while pretending to be a French native with a pronounced British accent.)

[Rommie]

Boss was maybe the happiest I'd seen him ever with my work in our meeting this week, saying he was happy how engaged I was being and even told the project scientist. (Who gave me a heads up of "I don't know what you did to make him so happy, but...")

Booyeah!

[FZR1KG]

Congrats!
Glad to hear you got a win.

[SciFi Chick]

Great news Rommie!

And Fisher - this is the 'What's Up', not the drop a bomb of big news thread.

[brite]

And Fisher - this is the 'What's Up', not the drop a bomb of big news thread.

It's the only way he can do these things...

And now I have a house hunting budget... And I know where I want to house hunt... Life is pretty good...

Now if I can just pass Algebra... My life will be complete...

[pumpkinpi]

Two major accomplishments today.

1. I finally sent a wedding present to a friend whose wedding was last summer. I'd had the gift since the day after the wedding. But I hate going to the post office.

It's a DVD set of Carl Sagan's Cosmos. I figure they ought to have it before the Tyson sequel debuts next week!

2. I just got a VERY good evaluation for two of my staff members. They presented a planetarium show and astronomy activities to a group of homeschoolers, and one of the parents raved about it! I'm so proud, especially because they are new on the staff and haven't done many of these types of presentations before. It's almost as good as the pride I feel when one of my kids does something well.

[SciFi Chick]

And Fisher - this is the 'What's Up', not the drop a bomb of big news thread.

It's the only way he can do these things...

And now I have a house hunting budget... And I know where I want to house hunt... Life is pretty good...

Now if I can just pass Algebra... My life will be complete...

I thought y'all already bought a house? Was that military accommodation?

[brite]

And Fisher - this is the 'What's Up', not the drop a bomb of big news thread.

It's the only way he can do these things...

And now I have a house hunting budget... And I know where I want to house hunt... Life is pretty good...

Now if I can just pass Algebra... My life will be complete...

I thought y'all already bought a house? Was that military accommodation?

No... we were all set to buy that house... I wanted that house... but the appraisal came in something like $25000 under the asking price... and the owner wouldn't do any of the repairs that were needed... (VA required for financing) so we had to walk away. SO... I found us a house to rent... on what used to be the officer housing for McClellan/Mather Air Force Bases... Yes.. I am just that good... 4 bedrooms, 2 baths... just about 1500 square feet, with a small yard, perfect for two Rottweilers (cleverly disguised as Pomeranians).

SO... the house hunt is back on, since we are staying. I've found a house that I really like. The kitchen is very workable, the yard is a bit small, but... it's not like the dogs need a ton of room. We'd need to put up a pergola over the patio, not the end of the world... but the selling point (for me, and I think for Fisher)?? It's partial solar... and paid for (the solar panels)!

[Rommie]

Just had lunch with the neatest guy- an astronomer who was head of the Air and Space Museum in Washington DC for 8 years (and is giving our colloquium this week in an hour or so). Amazing stories just because he was the guy who was in charge (and ultimately resigned due to) the Enola Gay controversy in the 1990s, when they were restoring the airplane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima and a lot of people were wrangling over what should be said about it.

Anyway, dude had stories about what it was like to meet with Paul Tibbets and his crew, discussing the restoration of the Enola Gay- something he said was like talking to Odysseus about what to do to restore the Trojan Horse. This was a student lunch with six fellow PhDs, and we all had wide-eyed stares on the guy the entire time while he was talking about all this- I think we were all just amazed to stumble across someone who'd actually lived such history. I think when reflecting on my PhD it's going to be the stuff like this that has made it worth doing.

[Rommie]

So that was weird...

I'm in Stockholm for a long weekend thanks to a holiday at the university and the fact that I've never been to Stockholm before (and it's quite nice actually!) and met a guy at a Couchsurfing event last night who was nice and cute and offered to walk around the city a bit with me today. Ok, I like company, and yeah guys tend to be thinking a certain way who want to hang out with a girl in town just a few days, but this was even stranger than that. Like he said he was poly-amorous, to the point of describing three "dates" within the past week type thing, and basically contacts people through dating websites while traveling to hook up with them and get a place to sleep. Asked me if I did that, I told him upfront no, I don't feel the need to prostitute out myself for a place to sleep, because that's essentially what this dude was doing!

Anyway, needless to say this "date" did not last long as I got rid of him, though I did learn at some point as a passing by that he hates his parents to the point where he can't be with them longer than a few hours when visiting. Go figure.

And thought I'd share because I guess that was an experience. A really weird one, sure, but an experience... and one I don't care to repeat, because damn, hang out with someone with that much self-loathing and inability to connect even a short while will make you a cynical bastard about relationships even if you're not one.

[brite]

Umm.... that's NOT what polyamorous is... being polyamorous means that you are capable of having many loves... like... I love Fisher, but could potentially find love with another man or woman, that is just as deep and intense, and want to have that relationship in my life. (And why shouldn't I?)

People who don't think or aren't wired this way look at it and think that you will sleep with anything and anyone... (kind of like being bi... it's the same rant... LOL) Pisses me the hell off....

[SciFi Chick]

Umm.... that's NOT what polyamorous is... being polyamorous means that you are capable of having many loves... like... I love Fisher, but could potentially find love with another man or woman, that is just as deep and intense, and want to have that relationship in my life. (And why shouldn't I?)

People who don't think or aren't wired this way look at it and think that you will sleep with anything and anyone... (kind of like being bi... it's the same rant... LOL) Pisses me the hell off....

Indeed - and it sounds like this guy that Rommie met totally plays into the stereotype. Sigh. Like we don't have enough nonsense to overcome.

[brite]

OK... major policy paper finished... history paper due Wednesday bubbling as is the English paper (workshop draft) due Thursday.... I have an in class essay exam tomorrow, and finals start next week.... No summer classess so that I don't have to try and finagle trying to finish up class and try to get to Florida to welcome Claire into the family. (That's the name picked out for Cookie's little one... it's a girl... did I mention that Cookie's having a girl?? She's having a girl!)

So if I get onto the board and begin to sound... off... OK... more off than usual... it's because I'm drinking... or have been studying too long... or I've killed Fisher and Poe and am exhausted from burying them in the backyard....

[Rommie]

Umm.... that's NOT what polyamorous is... being polyamorous means that you are capable of having many loves... like... I love Fisher, but could potentially find love with another man or woman, that is just as deep and intense, and want to have that relationship in my life. (And why shouldn't I?)

People who don't think or aren't wired this way look at it and think that you will sleep with anything and anyone... (kind of like being bi... it's the same rant... LOL) Pisses me the hell off....

Indeed - and it sounds like this guy that Rommie met totally plays into the stereotype. Sigh. Like we don't have enough nonsense to overcome.

Haha thanks guys. As I said, dude was weird, but I confess I'm now going to make a lot of off-color jokes about Swedish people and sex for awhile!