"R" and those annoying kids with the loud musics!

First item: For those of you who know this person, "R" arrived safely today, and we had lunch, then we repaired to casa Bouncer for a few minutes. I dropped "R" back at the airport so they could catch the next flight on to where they were going.

Was that obscure enough, or should I have written it in pig latin? Heh.

Anyways, it was good to hear about folks back home, you know who you are.

Second item: Showing "R" my hooch made me realize that you can tell the mental state of someone over here by how they set themselves up. A co-worker dropped by my hooch the other day and seemed annoyed that I had a (my opinion) pretty decent set up. His place by comparison looks pretty much like a tornado hit it.

It's not like the rooms come either nicely set up or tornadoized. I put time and effort and a little bit of money into making it into a solid little cubby hole I could call home. Some of it is just good planning, and some of it is simply taking care to keep the place reasonably clean.

And that brings me to my point. You can (I think) tell the difference between those who hate this place and can't wait to leave (sty) and those who don't have the same issues and are preparred to stay (nesters). I am clearly a nester. I am building a nest, a lair, a sanctuary.

Dust and dirt you have to fight, no doubt, but just a minute or two a day with a wet paper towel can help more than you realize. As can simply making your bed daily. Or putting your clothes in a somewhat neat pile. Then when you walk in there's floor space, and a place to lie down. It's clean and it smells decent. And that just makes it mentally easier to let things go and move on to the next thing. You have a private sanctuary where you can breathe deeply and easily. That makes this place a bit more survivable mentally and emotionally.

And that's how I think of my cubby hole. It's my sanctuary, my lair. My place. It's away from work and others so I can just be alone to read or surf or stare at the TV if I want. It may sound trivial, but out here, it's not.

Plus, when the ladies come by, I turn on the lava lamps and the Barry White... I'm just sayin'!

Third item: One of the things "R" mentioned to me was how back in the states you have so many piddly distractions and uncivil behavior. Over here, there aren't any kids with the booming stereos pulling up next to you at a stop light. People are more courteous, more civil, both because of the large military presence, and, I think, because we all share a certain bond. I'm not saying it's like a family. It's like we are all, to a limited extent, co-workers. We're all part of a larger something trying to move in a certain direction. And that shared purpose creates, I think, a sort of shared experience bond that leads to more courtesy towards people we might not acknowledge back in the states. It's an interesting phenomenon.

Regards,
-Bouncer-