So, Sweetie is gone for two weeks. I'm not a wreck, but I do feel kind of pathetic. Directionless. Seriously, though – two weeks is kind of a drop in the bucket for us. So why do I feel so blue?

Because the first two weeks of a deployment are the hardest. He's not deployed, but he's gone for two weeks with limited communication. It's close enough to a deployment, 'cause he's not here. There's really not a whole lot of difference in the feel of it, except that I know he'll be back home in two weeks to resume "normal" life.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out my daily schedule so I can actually start booking some facials. Baby has hit a growth spurt, so he's eating often and for longer, especially in the evening. However, I've found he will go four hours between feedings now and take longer naps in the afternoon. That gives me a chance to do a facial or two a day. I don't get to move as fast as I'd like (doesn't help that I'm afraid of my phone!), but I'll at least get moving! And I'm about to get over my phone fear just so I can get out of the house in the evening!

Baby slept almost eight hours last night. I didn't, because the eight hours were from about 8:45 to 3:45, and I was at my parents' house till almost 11. (Okay, so he slept about seven hours. Math has never been my strong suit – especially when I'm sleep deprived.) I'm hoping he'll do it again tonight, despite having slept much of today away.

In other news, Baby is two months old today! Time is flying by, and he's growing SO FLIPPIN' FAST.

I managed to catch a bit of a smile on camera:



And the obligatory (and totally adorable) two-month photo!:



For more photos, check out the photostream. The newest ones are at the end.

In the future: Videos! I just need to upload them to YouTube so I can share them here, but I'll need to get the login info from my husband.

For now, it's Baby's (and my) bedtime. 'Night!

Orders Extended: Check

ID Card Renewed: Check

Month Portion of Military Access Sticker Replaced: Check

No Change in TriCare Prime Enrollment: Check!


AAAahhh! Life is good. :)


Sweetie got his orders to me yesterday and I took them to the DEERS office on Base. Of course, the DEERS office moved – AGAIN – to a badly-labeled hidden building near Pass & ID (the ID part having nothing to do with Military ID – only DoD badges), just off-base (heh). I swear they do it just to keep everyone on their toes. Can't have them getting comfortable and knowing where things are! That would be crazy! ;)

The guy who's either inputted or helped input our orders every time I go out there was there again, and got me in and out of there in ten minutes or less. I probably waited longer to see him than to get business taken care of. That makes me happy! :) He knew what I was trying to say, which was that the orders needed to be extended rather than renewed, so there's no break in TriCare coverage. He did it in just a minute or two. Then, I got my ID renewed, and the picture doesn't make me look like a troll in a fishbowl. Hooray! :)

My ID was going to expire yesterday, so the arrival of the orders and my handy-dandy POA made it possible for me to continue on an active-duty card (peach-colored) until next September, rather than have a short-term active-reserve card (pink) for a matter of days until the orders might have come in. This is a Good Thing.

Today, Sweetie had the day off, so he came with me to my OB appointment. We went out to lunch after that and then back to the Base to go to Pass & ID, because that's where you get decals for your car (among other things). I'd tried to go right after getting the orders and ID renewed, but they'd closed five minutes before I got there (they have terrible hours!). The month sticker on our car was partially scraped off (happens in the ice and snow), and I'd been notified almost every time I went through the gate (when they weren't busy notifying me that my card was about to expire) that I needed to replace the sticker. We got it done today, so they should stop complaining.

We registered at Target for baby stuff (so much cute clothing!) and then Sweetie got a haircut. One of the guys in my Kiwanis club has a barber shop, and has been cutting hair probably longer than I've been alive. He does an EXCELLENT job on Sweetie's hair, and it always smells so nice afterward. :) Very manly!

I don't remember if there's anything else I was going to write about. I DO need to get this house in order. It's in a pitiful state. :p This is especially important, because I don't want Baby getting sick because I can't keep our room vacuumed or the floors swept – not to mention it would be nice to be at least somewhat organized before having to move again.

ANYway. I need to go post over at tiny_socks. Laterz! ;)

Sweetie stayed home from work yesterday, but got a call from his captain during the day to talk about his impending orders.

These are the same orders for which Sweetie turned in a packet back in July, when we found out we were pregnant, and were hoping to have take effect by September, when his job with the state would have ended. These are the orders that got lost for a month, then found just after a new packet was about to be turned in, then returned for rewording, then had the rewording retracted because it didn't apply to Sweetie, then had to be re-turned in, then took their time wading through the whole approval process. We kept hearing "just another couple months". We should have had approval in September, had they not lost them; then November, after being reworded; then January, since they didn't have to be reworded but still had to go through the approval process, which was taking its sweet time due to the Senate's waffling around on military budgets and funding.

Sweetie's ADSW (Active Duty for State Work) orders were (thankfully) renewed in September – if you recall that huge, stupid Tricare debacle I posted about during the months of September and October – but only through the end of January, which is this month. We've been peering into the gaping void of questionable employment now for a month, and all we've been hearing from the people responsible for approving Sweetie's orders is . . . basically nothing.

Apparently, at Sweetie's last teleconference, they reported that they required a memo of some kind in order to finish processing. That was the same thing they had required the week (month?) before. Sweetie finally found out from his captain that the memo was to come from her as written proof that Sweetie will be ONLY working on the jobs they give him and nothing else. The captain was not entirely impressed with this. Why did they have to question this Soldier's integrity? What made them think he wouldn't do his duty that they required of him once he eventually received orders?

During this time, Sweetie was being told that he would see these orders (which he really didn't want at this point, for several reasons) by February 15th-ish. That is cutting it REALLY close to the Tricare Prime cutoff date for enrollment. While his captain was discussing this memo issue with the person in charge of these orders, she discovered that they were going to be pushing out the orders date to March 10th, which is my due date, and a wholly unacceptable time to be changing orders – especially since the original idea of getting into this program was to provide health care and continued employment at least until after the baby's born. Another issue with this is that Sweetie would have to use up accrued leave or lose it before switching orders, and then he would – by law – be taking leave when the baby's born, meaning he would have started his job with these people (who didn't seem to trust that he would do his job) by taking leave and "going in the hole" (leave time where leave is not accrued), which might have meant extra expense on their part. I'm not really sure how that works. He might not have gotten paid for it, or something.

I'm proud of Sweetie's captain for finally explaining our situation to them and pulling Sweetie's packet from consideration. This program has been a nightmare to work with so far, and Sweetie hasn't even officially worked for them yet!

Now, Sweetie's ADSW orders are being renewed this week for the end of the fiscal year or until he finds other employment. If he'd received the orders he'd been waiting on and had been locked into accepting them, he would have been locked into the program until the end of the fiscal year. This way, he will be able to work for the unit for a while longer; we'll have healthcare (with no break in coverage, THANK GOD); he will not be losing leave, so he can take it when the baby's born with no penalties; and he can take other employment opportunities as they arise and at his convenience.

So far, he's had two very attractive job offers from Camp Murray, which would keep him in uniform until he's deployed again, and give him valuable skills that might translate into a civilian job later, or a better military job. And, during that time, he will very likely be promoted. Hooray!

Unfortunately, jobs at Camp Murray mean that we will have to move closer. Gas prices are just too expensive, and traffic is nasty during the normal times of the day when he will probably be commuting. Not to mention the commute is another 20 to 30 minutes longer than the one he has now, which is already pretty long.

I spent all day today looking at Tacoma rentals and wondering what it would be like to live out there. We probably wouldn't move right away after he got the job, because we'd have to do some work to the rental house we live in now to make it move-outable (yes, I did just make that up) and save some money for move-in costs. Not to mention Baby will have doctors appointments, and family will want to get time with him before we move farther away.

If Sweetie ended up getting the three-year job, we could even consider buying a house, which sounds immensely appealing. It's not too expensive to rent in University place and Lakewood, but buying a place in quiet, young DuPont sounds very nice . . .

Anyway, I've frittered my time away all day and now I have to take a shower. I'm taking a friend to the Bremerton Symphony Choir practice so she can audition and so I can turn in my score from the Messiah (which I need to go through and erase markings), and Sweetie will be home really soon. Hopefully the weather behaves tonight so I can get back and forth from the practice.

Just had to share the good news! :D It feels so good to have that albatross off our necks and a little freedom of choice for the future. Not to mention continued employment and health care! Hooray! :)

Hasta!

Though the Neti Pot and some decongestants have kept my nose from becoming too clogged, it is runny and my throat is sore. I'm also wiped out. Yuck.

My hubby is still gone. He'll come home tomorrow night, though, and be home all day Wednesday. He'll leave again Thursday morning to take the first half of his test, then stay the rest of the day to clean up the barracks and study some more. The second half of his test is Friday, and then he's done with training! As far as I know, he should be taking some leave in the next couple weeks, so I can be as clingy as I want and he'll be around to be clung to. :) Yay! I really miss him . . .

It's almost 10, but I don't yet want to go to bed. I'm feeling stubborn. I think I need a snack, and then maybe I'll put in another (short) movie till I feel like going to sleep. I need more TV on DVD . . .

That's really all I had to write about. Laterz!

(1:53am, 10/11/07)

I'm still awake. :p

I stayed out kinda late, talkin' to some girls from church until 1am. It's funny, because I was seriously feeling antisocial yesterday and last night (I didn't even charge my dead phone until yesterday evening, and the battery'd been dead since Sunday). Suddenly tonight I'm feeling like a sleepless chatterbug. Hormones are weird.

I got home and turned on the light in the bathroom – and found a SLUG on my floor!!!

I went to the mudroom to get the dustpan, but decided to turn on the lights, just in case – and there were TWO SLUGS in there!!!

I have nightmares about this sort of thing. I've gotten pretty cavalier about spiders, but ... slugs are GROSS!!! How many others have snuck in that I couldn't find?! If one could get to the bathroom, where are others hiding?! I shudder to think about it!

I collected them all in the dustpan and flung them out the back door. Then I laid copious amounts of salt on the front and back doorsteps, because I'm pretty sure that's how they were getting in (these aren't the first slugs to get in the house – just the greatest quantity at one time). UGH! I hope that stops them!

Well, it appears I CAN fall asleep, after all, so I'll stop writing for now. I'm suddenly tired; I guess I just had to sit still for a bit. Now my eyes won't stay open ...

Oh well, I'll talk about my win over Tricare, DEERS, and the Army tomorrow. Now, I gotta sleep before I find myself with a screen full of k's.

(9:09am, 10/11/07)

I didn't get to the "submit" button before falling asleep last night, so I guess I'm finishing this up this morning. :)

There are other critters getting into my house, somehow. I found a BIG squished spider in the toilet this morning. I'll have to ask Sweetie where that came from ... I've had lots of little spiders running around that I've squished, but I'm wondering where these big ones have been hiding. :p

Now, speaking of squishing things ... I'm FINALLY done with my seemingly-neverending battle with paperwork and red tape regarding Sweetie's orders and Tricare. It wasn't pretty at first, but there's a happy ending. :)

I woke up in kind of a nasty mood yesterday, which didn't help the situation, but I tried to be pleasant during my Kiwanis meeting (and succeeded – it's hard to be unpleasant around Kiwanians). I got out of my meeting around 8:30am, and went straight to the Navy Hospital to see if Sweetie's orders had gone through yet so I could enroll in Tricare Prime. Nope, not yet.

I asked them if there was a DEERS (Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System) office at the shipyard, because that was closer than going to the submarine base. They said yes, and managed to dig up some information on their operating hours and give me directions to the building. Great! I found it with no problem, and it definitely was open.

I signed in and waited half an hour to be seen. When I told them my problem, they became concerned and told me that they couldn't do that there. I had to have my husband with me. No, power of attorney could do nothing in this case (liars!), because it's changing a record. He's still showing up as active reserve, not active duty. You have to go to an Army office to get this done. Etc.

I tried to tell them I'd had it done before, on the submarine base, without my husband, but I didn't have enough of an understanding of what had been done so I could explain to them what they needed to do. If I'd been thinking clearly, I probably could have had them call the DEERS office on the submarine base to get the situation cleared up, but I still wasn't sure who was right. And it frustrated me.

They tried to pass me off to the Army – one of the armories in the area. "See, we can't do this, because we're Navy. He's Army. Maybe you can get it done at the Bremerton or Port Orchard Armory, but we can't deal with this, because it's not our area."

NO – you're DEERS. It doesn't flippin' matter what branch of service you're in or what branch of service I'm in. DEERS is DEERS, and it's military-wide. And an armory office cannot help me with this information – I could just as well go to my husband's armory and get turned away there. Again, if I'd been thinking clearly, I could have told them that, as well, but I was annoyed and confused at that time. I could have better spent the last half hour beating my head against the brick walls outside, and come to the same conclusion.

I left empty-handed, but was too mad to go to Bangor to try that DEERS office. I was too mad to call my husband, because I had a feeling I wouldn't be nice about it, and there was no reason to ruin two people's day. Instead, I went to Port Orchard, located where my Kiwanis interclub meeting would be two hours later, and went to Fred Meyer to browse and calm down. I talked to a couple people on the phone after that and calmed down further. The interclub went well, too (they even thought I was one of the high-school-aged students-of-the-month, which was flattering). On my way back to my end of the county, I called my husband to see if there was anything he could do on his end to make this whole active-duty orders thing process before the enrollment cutoff for Tricare Prime showed up next Friday, because I'd hit a wall. If I had to, I'd show up in Tacoma and drag him off to Camp Murray or Ft. Lewis to get this straightened out, but I didn't want to have to do that. He also didn't want to storm the gates of any DEERS office in our end of the state if he didn't have to. And he didn't know why DEERS wasn't reporting him as active duty when the orders were clearly in the computer and he was considered active duty by his unit.

Thankfully, a buddy of his was sitting by him who told him that when you get new active-duty orders, you are required to go to a DEERS office to get them processed – something Sweetie didn't know.

A-HA. Vindication!

And his buddy told him to avoid the shipyard, because they're morons.

PROOF! I was right, they were wrong! Note to self: Not all DEERS offices are created equal.

Okay, I said I'd go to the submarine base, since I was on the highway, anyway, and there was lots of time. If I had any trouble with them, there would still be time for Sweetie to come with me after he got off work, because they were open till 6pm.

I got to the DEERS office on Bangor and there was practically no wait. I got my number, almost sat down, and then it was my turn. :) I was happy to see that the guy who helped me before was in the office, though he wasn't the one who was going to help me. He wasn't the one whose desk I was in front of last time, either. He had just taken over when the lady then had looked at me funny and said something involving an acronym I wasn't familiar with. He took the paper from her and did it, himself.

When I explained to the lady this time (not the same lady), she listened politely to my explanation, then smiled and said, "I can do that."

Hoo-RAY!!!

She had trouble with it, so the guy helped her, but it was done in a matter of minutes. I got a printout, too, to prove it. Then, on a whim, I asked her if she could update my ID card, because I had the reserve card, and if my husband was going to be on active duty for months, I wanted the active-duty ID card. She said I couldn't do it without my husband there, unless I wanted to take the paper and have him sign it and get it notarized. I remembered I had my POA with me, so I asked if power of attorney would do it, and she said that was also an option. SO, I got my new ID card (bad picture, had to update my weight – ugh – but the card, itself, is pretty).

I went straight to the Naval Hospital after that, and they were all up to date! I had my enrollment filled out (it had been filled out for a week or so), so I handed that in and got that ball rolling.

I left there feeling much lighter. My war was OVER! I'd WON!!! :D

I bought myself a mocha on the way home to celebrate. Mmmm ... mocha ...

Sweetie is very happy he didn't have to go with me on any of these trips, I'm happy I didn't have to drag him with me on any of these trips, and I'm happy it all came out well instead of more complicated and difficult than it needed to be. Don't get me wrong – it was complicated and difficult, but the end result is clean and smooth, just in time for my next OB appointment. Hooray!

I like it when things work out for the best! :)

eeknight posted a meme recently, to which I commented and in turn was challenged to write about the following:

army life
knitting
martial arts
movies
music
pen-and-paper rpgs
writing

Here are the rules now, in case you don't make it to the end. :)

Comment on this post and I will pick seven of your interests. You then write about them in your journal and re-post.

( Meme behind the cut )

I would have posted about this earlier, but there wasn't any time or wireless connection. SO, I'm posting about it now.

I've pretty much won the war with Tricare and the Navy Hospital, although the win was slightly tarnished by frustration. Lessee . . . where did I leave off last time?

Oh yes . . . So, Monday, Sweetie found out the funds were in for the state orders (not the ones the state lost, but the ones to tide us over until that packet is finally approved — a completely different tale, and getting stupider every day). The new orders are effective this week. This essentially means that we paid for a few days of TRS, rather than a whole month (or two), like we'd thought.

Tuesday, I called TriWest to get some answers. I had been planning to call the Benefits Advisor at the hospital first, but then decided to just go straight to the monster, itself. I went to my parents-in-law's house to borrow their landline, because I didn't know how long I would be on the phone, and I didn't want to waste minutes on hold, only for my call to be dropped because the wind shifted the signal a few degrees to the north (yes, it's that touchy at our house). Turns out, I was on the phone for less than ten minutes, and had all my questions answered to my liking.

I think I hear a seal breaking . . .

The reason we were only charged $81 is a vague one, but she said that they were going to charge us the rest next month. Whether that was going to be in addition to the monthly premium, I don't know, but I do know that we don't have to pay it. We're only paying $81 to be on TRS, and we're both enrolled. Not that it's going to matter when we're back on Standard, but oh well.

I'd asked about my situation with the OB clinic, but the rep said that each Military Treatment Facility made its own policies, and I would have to take that up with them. Fine, that was the next order of business.

I went to the hospital and asked if I could see the Benefits Advisor, or make an appointment to see her the next day. She was already gone for the day, so I confirmed her phone number (which I'd had for a few weeks), asked a couple other questions about Prime coverage (which basically ended with, "Come back and see us when your orders change, and we'll let you know your status"), grabbed a Prime enrollment packet (this is the fourth time I've enrolled in the past three years), and went to the OB clinic to pick up my records.

Wednesday, I called the Benefits Advisor, and she called me back a couple hours later. She said that she didn't actually work for Tricare, so I tried to explain that I was told the hospital made their own policies, and she was the only person I could think of who knew what they were, in relation to Tricare. She said she didn't, but she knew who did. She kept me on hold while she called Someone Else Who Knows. When she came back on the line, she said that I would need to go to Patient Admin and get a letter stating that I could continue to receive care at the hospital until my Prime enrollment kicks in November 1st.

All right! Finally a light at the end of the tunnel!

The light was not exactly an oncoming train. More like a lantern on a railcar that was going back the other direction and was going to take me with it.

I went to the Tricare desk first, in a vain hope that Sweetie's orders had shown up in their DEERS system so that we would be eligible to enroll for Prime. I'd already had my enrollment form filled out and ready to hand in, just in case. True to form, they weren't in there. I will have to take them by hand to the DEERS office on Bangor to demand that someone make the dates match on the paper so I can get my health care. Dang it.

I then went to Patient Admin, like I was told, and tried to get someone there to understand my plight.

Not a single person knew what I was talking about. It was mildly frustrating. At this point, I should have expected the setback.

It turned out not to be a real setback, though, because an older guy in there told me that there should be no reason I couldn't be seen at the hospital if I was going to be back on any form of Tricare, and back on Prime in less than a month. This is when I began to realize that telling people that TRS and Standard are exactly the same thing (as told to me by the TriWest rep and from what I gleaned off their infuriating website) turns on lightbulbs all over the place! OH, yeah, STANDARD! They know what THAT is!

He said that if I had any trouble continuing the care I'd already been receiving, to call the Customer Relations guy (who was, of course, gone at that time) and he would help me get it straightened out. Great!

I went to the OB clinic, hoping to use my new knowledge to wheedle my way into my next appointment so I wouldn't have to go looking for a new practitioner for one month. The lady at the counter didn't recognize me, so she had to confirm that I was A) pregnant and B) a patient in the clinic. I was so used to explaining my plight by prefacing it with Tricare information that I completely forgot to preface my explanation to her with the fact that I was already in their Centering program and hoping to stay. That got things moving. Then, when I mentioned that TRS and Standard are the same, and that we'd be back on Standard within a week (if I had any say in the matter), and Prime by next month, she assured me immediately that they circumvent the Tricare system all the time. They don't have the space issues they used to have, so they override the level of Tricare in the computer and ask for forgiveness later.

They do it all the flippin' time.

If I'd've known from the get-go that the TRS and Standard were the same thing, except we're paying a monthly premium for TRS, I could have avoided this WHOLE. STUPID. MESS.

I feel a bit vindicated for making it through the ordeal, but also a little bitter that I had to jump through so many hoops just to get an "oh sure, that's totally easy and we do it all the time!" But I guess now I have a cautionary tale to tell people, and can pass on information to anyone who has the same troubles.

I do find it amusing that all the Tricare desk workers at the hospital are becoming well-acquainted with my face. :)

SO, now I continue on as if there was no change in health care status, and attend my appointments and get my ultrasound. This is a major comfort, because I was just not looking forward to having to explain this all to a whole new set of people who have no idea what I'm talking about, only to leave them after an appointment or two.

Another month, and I'll know what the sex of the baby is! Baby has been moving a lot, too, letting me know he's there. :) It's a weird feeling, but really cool! :)

Anyway, I'll let you know how the next saga goes. Sweetie's orders are more straightforward, though. Usually.

I'm going to fall asleep soon, so I'll wrap this up. Hasta!

I put off going to the Navy Hospital again today until about an hour before the relevant departments I needed to visit closed. BUT, I got everything I needed to get done today done in less than forty-five minutes! Go me!

I wasn't going to go in today, except that I looked at our bank balance and noticed that there was a pending charge from Tricare for $81.

Um, that's not right. It was supposed to be $253. Not that I'm overly excited to see Tricare steal withdraw $253 from my bank account, but it's not the right amount. $81 means that only my husband is covered, and not me. My husband is already covered, by virtue of working full time for the Guard. I'm not going to pay for this program if I'm not going to get to use it. Period.

SO, I hauled my ever-growing butt to the Tricare desk, signed in at 3:55pm (they close at 4:30pm), and the lady helped me straighten it out in ten minutes. She has a number to call me at if she has problems, and I have her number if I have problems. All good!

I then went to the OB clinic, which, thankfully, is located on the same floor (I'd climbed three flights of stairs, because I decided not to be lazy today. Hah). I tried to find out if, when I'm back on Prime (most likely in December), I can rejoin the class I was already a part of. Again . . . no one knew. The nurse they had talk to me was very nice and helpful, commiserating with me over the stupidity and complication of the whole mess. She still couldn't give me any answers, but she did her best, and gave me someone's number to try.

I went down to Records (on the 1st floor) after that, because they're usually open later (5pm), and tried to request a copy of my records. I found out that to obtain a full copy, I have to wait 20 days. But if I wanted a copy of my OB records, I needed to go back up to the OB clinic (which was closing in ten minutes). *Sigh* Okay, fine. I filled out the full-record request and high-tailed it back up to the 3rd floor (this time using the elevator) and made the request in the last five minutes they were open. Unlike my regular records, I can get a copy of my OB records by Monday, which is MUCH better. I need them sooner than the next 20 days.

The next order of business is to make a direct call to the Benefits Adviser (that "Someone Who Knows" mentioned in the last post) and grill her regarding that little bit in the TRS and Standard descriptions about "space available basis" and how it relates to the fact that I've had a space in the OB clinic since I was five weeks pregnant, and am a member of the Center classes. Why the heck can't I continue? Money? Liability? I'm a dirty Guard spouse taking slots and appointments away from Navy families? I don't GET it!!!

If that doesn't work, I did manage to find a list of "network providers" (had to do a search on the site for it, and only then found it after clicking on a few other links), and one of them is one that I think sweetsusie has recommended to me, and is here in town. There were two others that three people, who have never spoken to each other in their lives, have told me to avoid if at all possible. Unfortunately, they work with the other doctor I want to see. Hopefully, I never have to see them. I should only have to go there for two months.

I've practically had to dig to China, but I'm finally unearthing rather important answers that should have been addressed well before this program was announced. Guard members and their families don't live in Army communities. They are "geographically dispersed". This means that they could live in the middle of nowhere, the middle of somewhere, or some other community that is heavily populated by some other branch of the military. This includes that other branch of the military's Military Treatment Facility. But I guess they can't expect Guardsmen to be working full time for the Guard, and be eligible for Tricare Prime.

Oh, wait, yes they can. The Guard has been deployed almost as much (if not as often) as the regular Army. But I guess that's what TAMP is for. Guard members certainly wouldn't work full time for the state they live in or their unit and have their orders messed up beyond all recognition. That doesn't happen to anyone.

*Eyeroll*

Okay, I'm done venting. This is giving me a headache.

Here's a little levity to break up the negativity:

This is SO my husband! :)

[Backdated to yesterday, but not posted till this morning, 9/28/07, 9:45am — because I fell asleep. ;)]

We finally got the TRS enrollment form to download properly, but I couldn't figure out a quick way to get it sent in. Then I realized that my regional representative was located at the Naval Hospital. THEY could fax it in for me!

So, I went to the Naval Hospital today, after my WIC appointment. They reacted positively to me bringing the enrollment form to them, but they still couldn't answer my questions as to whether I could still be seen at the Naval Hospital, especially since I was already ensconced in the program in the OB clinic. They told me I'd have to ask the people at the OB clinic, but I told them that nobody over there knew anything. No one in the whole hospital knew anything at all; I'd been all over it trying to find answers. SO, the representative lady said that she would call some people and try to get some answers for me — which was the biggest step I'd managed to take yet. Hooray! Someone ELSE gets to ask questions for a while!

She called me back later in the day, and, according to Someone Who Knows, I will not be able to be seen at the OB clinic while on the TRS plan. (Ironically, that "Someone Who Knows" was someone the person at the front desk told me was probably not the person I needed to see. Right. Don't listen to the Army wife. She doesn't know what she's talking about.)

I thought briefly about crying when I heard the news, but then I realized that I was too tired to cry. Tired, and resigned. But I can't give up now — now is the time to pick up the banner and run back into the fray. I can't let them get away with dumping me. Dang it, I'm going to make a nuisance of myself yet!

I did some research on the Tricare website (also known as "clicking on stuff until answers appear" — not as easy as it sounds, because that website SUCKS. You have to change your "profile" every time you want to look at a different plan. That is SO STUPID), and discovered a few things that I had misunderstood, but also a few other things that just didn't make sense.

I was under the impression that Tricare would only pay 20% of fees and costs and a $150 deductible. However, I found that if we see a non-network provider, we would be responsible for paying 20%, but we would only pay 15% to network providers. That's better than I'd thought. The deductible is still pretty lousy, but it's better since Sweetie is E5 or above. There's a $300 deductible (yes, annual) for families of E5 or higher, but only $100 for E4 or lower. That's painful.

I managed to dig up a few cost charts, explanations, and whatnot, but what I still haven't found is a list of network providers. I will probably have to obtain an accurate one from the Tricare desk at the Naval Hospital, anyway. The biggest thing that bothers me, though, is that, as far as I can tell, you can be seen at a military treatment facility (MTF) on a space-available basis (in other words, don't bother — you'd have more luck just paying a civilian). But I'm being dumped by the Naval Hospital, even though I have a space there already!

I'm not even going to get into my earlier misunderstanding of Standard and Prime, because I'm falling asleep as it is, and it's just a confusing mess, anyway. I might make a more coherent post tomorrow.

For now, it's been a long day, and I seriously need some sleep. 'Night.

[A short update on Standard and Prime: I had been led to believe that if you have Standard, you are not allowed to see anyone outside of the MTF. But if you have Prime, you are free to see anyone out in the community, in the Prime network. Apparently, I had it backwards. If you have Prime, you merely pay less to see network providers (actually, network providers are free, if I recall correctly), and are free to have a provider at the hospital (although they wouldn't let me have a provider outside the hospital this last time, because my husband's orders weren't going to be for more than 30 days — go figure). If you have Standard, you can be seen at the hospital on a space-available basis, but are "free" to go out in the community to find a doctor, you just pay out-of-pocket percentages. The 20/15% rules and annual deductibles are the same as the TRS, you just don't have to pay monthly premiums.]

Well, it's looking like the employment crisis may have been averted. At least, it looks that way right now. October's going to be a little thin, but hopefully (Lord willing) November and following will be covered. We'll have to purchase health care for a month or two, and tighten our belts a bit, but it doesn't feel as . . . worrisome as it did before. It's still been impossible to get anyone to tell me what the heck is going to happen once I change plans, but that's because I'm going to a Navy facility. If the program was Trident Reserve Select, and not Tricare Reserve Select, they could probably tell me something. Alas.

I got to hear the baby's heartbeat on Wednesday. That was very exciting. :) And emotional. I think I've felt movement, too, but I can't be entirely sure yet.

I've been pretty emotional lately. I almost cried when I couldn't get any information from the Tricare desk, I cried while reading a book the other day, I cried when I heard the baby's heartbeat, and I almost cried when we went to a concert the other night . . .

Oh yeah, even though we're facing near-brokeness next month, we splurged on a couple of tickets to the Seattle Symphony's "Sci-Fi Favorites". It was SO. VERY. AWESOME!

The opening number was the main theme to Star Wars, and I nearly cried because it was so . . . wonderful. My childhood, in music! They played Star Wars, Superman, Star Trek, and a few others. We sat up in a box on the third level, almost right above the stage, looking down on the symphony. George Takei was slated as the narrator, but he only showed up a couple of times. They "beamed" him in with lasers and smoke at the beginning of the Star Trek montage (I missed this, as it was out of my view in the box, but I think Sweetie saw it). Though we were up in the third storey, we could see the stage clearly, almost like sitting on the main level a few rows back..

Sweetie was most excited about the Duel of the Fates theme from Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace, which is probably the coolest part of that movie, hands down. And the song was awesome. :) But it just couldn't hold a candle to the main Star Wars theme and the march from Superman. In my opinion, that is. ;)

Sitting in a theater chair and clapping a lot didn't do my neck any favors, unfortunately. The pain I've been feeling has been getting steadily worse, until I can barely move when I wake up in the morning. I can't find a comfortable position at night that will support my neck and shoulders, so it doesn't get to heal while I'm sleeping. I had a massage today — only half an hour, but it was helpful — and a chiropractic adjustment. I've been icing and heating off and on today, and it seems to be a little better. I also bought some supportive pillows, which I hope help out in the long run. When we have the money to spare, I'll buy a Snoogle, but for now, the pillows will do just fine.

Ugh, I really need to go to bed. I've been watching movies all evening, and right now I'm in the middle of The NeverEnding Story II. It was one of my favorite movies as a youngster (well after my obsession with Star Wars and Superman). I wish I could find my copy of the book. I think I read it twice in sixth grade. It was way better than both movies, but I had a huge crush on Jonathan Brandis (who played Bastian in the second movie), so I could forgive any badly adapted storylines. ;) Now that I'm watching it again, many years later, it's cheesy as all getout. :) The talking bird, Nimbly, reminds me of Papageno from Mozart's The Magic Flute — probably one of the most annoying operas of all time, although the Night Queen's aria is very cool.

ANYway . . . the movie's almost over, so it's almost bedtime. And I've written a lot already. Good night! :)

*Sigh*

Sweetie and I went to the Tri[andget]care desk yesterday, and the lady could tell me nothing more than, "Eligibility for TAMP depends on your DD-214, and eligibility for TRS depends on your unit. You have to apply through the web portal, but you have to be eligible through your unit." We managed to extrapolate, due to Sweetie's greater knowledge about his orders and their circumstances, that we are very likely ineligible for TAMP, because he has been on state orders, not federal orders, and he was not part of a contingent.

So, today, I showed Sweetie the web portal that I'd already found (nearly impossible to find using the Triwest website, which the lady had pointed me to, but she had to assume ignorance on my part. I ended up having to go into my browser history and follow the link from Military.com I'd clicked on almost a week ago, which linked to Tricare, and then I searched around till I found the web portal link — not easy to find, let me tell you!), and he showed me the way to log in. I thought he was going to have to get an officer in his unit to do it, or some other higher-up, but he pointed out that his login was the one marked "RC" (hey, I didn't know that "RC" meant "Reserve Component" — I'm admittedly not that well-versed in Guard terms). We managed to log in, and the sign-up for TRS is apparently very simple. Because things are changing so that all Guard and Reserve can be eligible, it's open all the time and to anyone who qualifies (which we do).

I got all the way to downloading the printout that I needed to send in so that we can get all signed up, and then hit a snag.

Naturally.

It's supposed to be a PDF. But it's not. It downloaded as a text document. Something so unreadable that it is absolutely unacceptable to send off somewhere — most especially a government agency — for someone to process. The documents are hard enough to process as it is, judging by the treatment of every single document I've ever sent to any government agency anywhere (for example, when I first signed up for Tricare Prime, it was in California in September '04. I didn't get a notice of Primary Care Manager until I moved back to Washington in May of '05. And when I tried to sign up for dental a year ago, I sent my POA as one sheet, double-sided. I got a letter back saying I'd only sent in one half of the POA. Someone in the government — apparently capable of writing a letter about it — is not capable of turning over a piece of paper. So very sad).

We were warned upon logging into the portal that it is best read with Internet Explorer (*gag*) 5.5 or better (I have IE 5.2.3 for Mac) and Adobe Acrobat 8.0 or better (I have 7.0.8, and it doesn't like to accept upgrades). And — AND — when I copy and paste the URL to the home site into IE, it takes me to the host site, which doesn't give me a link to a login at all. I can't even find evidence that the host site hosts this Guard/Reserve web portal! *snort*foam*rage*

I'll have to try to use my husband's computer, or someone else's. If it doesn't work, someone somewhere is getting an angry phone call about how they are not making it possible for people who need this health care to sign up for it. I might even cry. I'm hormonal enough.

[A few minutes pass] Okay, I managed to go back in the history and get the link I needed for the front page of the portal. I copied and pasted the URL into the address bar of Internet ExploderExplorer. The first notice that comes up is that the certificate does not allow for the site to be secure. That's comforting. I tried to log in the same way we logged in before, using Firefox, and . . . I get the same error about information being sent over an unsecure connection, and THEN — the site can't log me in (well, my husband, technically), because — get this — the user cannot be found.

How the heck did we log in before? Huh? The information was all correct, no mistakes. Makes me feel REAL good, that does. >:(

This must be technology making our lives hell easier.

*anger*froth*hate*

*BREATHE*

. . .

Oh well. If all else fails, I'll apply for DSHS (Department of Social and Health Services for the state of Washington) so I can at least be covered if I have to go to the emergency room. If I'm not able to find out the health of my baby till Christmas (or later), so be it. The pioneer women did it all the time, in worse circumstances. I can pick Tricare back up if/when my husband goes back on active duty.

For the record, I'm still opposed to universal (socialized) health care. I don't want the government running my health. Beggars can't be choosers, and I had a good situation for a little while — but if anyone can screw something up hardcore, it's the Bureaucracy of the United States of America. :\ The government will destroy advanced healthcare in this country.

Okay, enough ranting. I'm going to bed now. Gonna read for a little while and calm down.

More later, if I manage to get any farther in this fight . . .

Sweetie also posted about our Army dilemma at his blog. He explained the process better than I did (including who the "processing people" are). And he cleared a few things up for me from my last post.

Apparently, the state never approved the orders, but lost them well before they ever reached approving hands. And didn't say anything till recently, when asked what was going on with said orders. NICE.

Um, actually, that's the only thing I remember him clearing up . . . Read his blog to find out the details. My brain is a sieve lately. :)

* * * *

Sweetie has the day off, so we were going to go to the Naval Hospital to go to the Tricare desk to ask our questions and then go get a doctor's note so I can get a massage. I need to pay the chiropractor, too. I won a free massage there, and could really use it. I don't know what I did to my neck, but it hurts a lot. And not being able to get comfortable at night has made my back even achier, too. Unfortunately, I can't afford another chiropractor appointment, so the massage will have to do.

My brother's girlfriend is in massage school right now, too, and they're practicing on pregnant women, so if I bring my doctor's note to her, I can be a model in class, and get another massage! Hooray! :)

I just need to get off my butt, get cleaned up, and get outta here . . .

* * * *

In other news (HAPPY news!), my blog made it into a list of "other milspouse blogs you should check out" on Spousebuzz.com. I'm so flattered! :D Being geographically separated from routine Army life doesn't lend itself well to regular military blogging, but, as could be seen by my last post, it still affects our lives. But I suppose I can provide something of a day-to-day (when I remember to post) distraction from other people's problems once in a while. :) That's what other people's blogs do for me. I'm happy to do it for others, as well!

* * * *

Lunch today was leftovers from Olive Garden. We went with my parents-in-law on Saturday night, and I had the yummiest meal I've ever had there. If you have an Olive Garden near you, you really should try out their Braised Beef & Tortelloni. It has very tender little pieces of steak, portabello mushrooms, roasted red pepper, and asiago cheese-filled tortelloni. It's like beef stroganoff, but not as creamy. It is SOOOO GOOOOOOD!!!! I can't recommend it enough!

For dessert, I had their Torta di Chocolate, which is basically a little cup-shaped brownie (I want to say Devil's food cake, because it is that rich and sinfully delicious), filled with gooey, warm chocolate, and surrounded by vanilla cream and strawberries. I ate the whole thing. I seriously didn't know if I would explode that night, but I was really full. I'm usually not a huge fan of Olive Garden, though I do like their food, but I would definitely go back for that meal. It was fantastic!

* * * *

Okay, it's after noon now, and I need to get showered and get my butt out the door if I want to do anything relevent today (and get home so we can have dinner and watch a movie, or something). Later, gator! :)

In an ideal world, Sweetie would be transitioning smoothly from one set of orders to the next, with little break in stride and a quick trip to the Tricare desk to reenroll in Prime (because you have to do that every time there's a break in orders). We would receive our FLPP (Foreign Language Proficiency Pay) right away, pay a little on the credit cards, and buy Sweetie some new dictionary software.

In an ideal world.

HOWEVER, we live in ARMY LAND, where nary a thing that matters very much (especially involving money) is done right or on time, and there is a black hole in the outbox of every desk. It's a giant, slow-motion train wreck that you can predict for miles, but hope won't happen, although you're sure there's nothing that can be done but watch the chain of events in horror and dismay as it unfolds in spectacular, tragic inevitability.

Sweetie put in his packet for his new orders just after we found out we were pregnant, because I asked him to make the sacrifice so we could stay here just another year. That was about a month and a half ago. A little while after he was asked if he wanted to do it, but not so long that it should have become an issue.

Except that it did. It was okayed by the battalion immediately, but sat on someone's desk at the state level until just recently. Then, we got the word that, FINALLY, it had moved off the state's desk, on its merry way to the processing people. I can't keep track of all the fancy names for these things, so I'm using my non-technical civilian-speak, and you're going to just have to try to keep up.

Anyway, the processing people, we learned then, could take two, maybe three months to process said orders. GREAT. But what happened instead? THEY LOST THEM.

Sweetie's packet, FINALLY approved by the state after waiting so long, just disappeared off the face of the planet. POOF!

Sweetie was then asked to redo the packet, so it could be reprocessed. However, one of his sergeants found a copy, and now it's going back through the battalion.

Let's recap: Packet took a month and a half to get where it is now (that is LOST, but approved by the state), and would have taken a few more months to be processed and fully approved so Sweetie could work again. NOW, packet must be resubmitted, reapproved, sit at state again for a while, then on to processing. How long will this take? ONLY GOD KNOWS.

SO, Sweetie went to his master sergeant and asked her if there was any way he could get on some kind of transitional or ADSW (Active Duty for State Work) orders to fill in the gap, so we'll still have health care and he won't have to elbow his way back into the civilian workforce for a short time. He found out that ADSW money doesn't come in till a month or two after the end of the fiscal year (Sept. 30), BUT he could get on some other orders that would be like his two weeks a year Guard training, which they might be able to stretch into three weeks. Yay! A paycheck!

BUT (and there's always one of those!), we would lose our BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) and health care.

Oh, it gets better, trust me. And I don't mean that in the "it actually gets better, don't worry" sense.

We are fortunate that the new Tricare plan, Tricare Reserve Select, is starting up on the first of October. It's open to all Guard and Reserve members, so they don't have to worry about health care between jobs, or while going back to work for someone who doesn't offer benefits. They're offering it for $81/mo for just the service member, or $253/mo for the service member and his/her family. While this IS cheaper than your average health plan, it is also the very bottom rung of government health care. It also implies you're making enough money to cover that fee, and all other fees incurred under the plan. You're able to go to anyone in the Tricare network (meaning you're not leashed to the Military Treatment Facility nearest you, like you are with Standard), but you will pay higher copays out of pocket, and your deductibles will be higher. Even if I went to the Naval Hospital, I would still be paying a minimum of $25/visit for maternity care. I have a feeling that goes up if you do something expensive like, say, an ultrasound. You are also on a space-available basis, which means that if you thought it was hard to get an appointment at the hospital while on Tricare Prime, good luck getting one this decade with TRS. Maybe it won't be that bad, but I'm not going to be too optimistic.

NOW, there IS a possibility we will be eligible for TAMP (Transitional Assistance Management Program), which means we would not have a break in healthcare for 60 to 180 days, depending on the circumstances of Sweetie's orders. We would basically be back on Tricare Standard, not having to pay anything, for two to six months. Hooray! BUT, I really need to go check with the Tricare people to see whether that's even what's going to happen. Otherwise, we need to get our payment in for TRS ASAP.

Oh, and another fun thing about TRS: If you miss a payment one month, you are locked out of the program for a year.

Without BAH, we will be paying for rent AND health care (if we're not eligible for TAMP), and all other bills, rendering our budget verrryyy tight, indeed. Fun, fun. Sweetie is currently looking for civilian work to fill the gaps, and I might be, too — but only seasonal or short-term/temporary. Moving is not an option, and neither is no health care, so we will make it work, however we have to.

On top of all this, we thought we would be getting five months of unpaid FLPP (after wrangling with them over the fact that they have not, in fact, paid us any of it, and WE should not have to produce the records to prove it), which would pay rent for a month. However, Sweetie said that they are only paying us $46 of it, and would pay the rest "eventually". There is apparently an "amusing" story attached to it, according to Sweetie, but I haven't heard it yet. Despite that, it's REALLY annoying.

SO that's the saga of recently. We don't hate the Army, but they're making it kinda difficult for me to like them right now. (On a side note, can you imagine a government health system run like this? Vote NONONONONO!!!! to universal health care.)

While thinking about what I'd like to do, should I have to reenter the workforce, I've considered seasonal work at our local craft store, or some other retail entity. But I've also been researching data entry online. I'm a very strange person: I totally DIG data entry. My fingers itch to fill in fields with alphanumeric information. I could do it all day long, and even prefer it over other types of secretarial work. It makes me unusually happy. It's really hard, though, to find something short-term or part time, especially in this area, without having to go to a temp agency.

I would love it even more, though, if it was telecommuting, instead of having to go to an office every day to stare at their computer screen and deal with bosses and coworkers and distractions. There are lots and lots and LOTS of online data entry opportunities, but very, very few of them are not scams. It's hard to filter through them, so I'm taking my time researching and deciding if I even want to pursue one of them. I wish I could convince a company somewhere that I would LOVE to do their data entry for them, but I can't do it long-term — unless it's online. I don't know. I expect someday it will be more realistic than it is now (most of the online data entry sites are for advertising, anyway).

This post is long enough, and I need a bit of a nap before we go out tonight. I'm not looking for handouts, or anything, just ranting. This, too, shall pass . . . like a kidney stone, but it'll pass . . .

(In a funny turn of events — or something — I just looked for data entry jobs at a government job search site. There were only two hits in the state of Washington, both for Military Pay Technicians at Ft. Lewis. HAHA!!!)

Can you believe it's been six years?

The biggest question being asked today is, "Where were you on 9/11/01?"

Sweetie and I had driven north from Vancouver, WA, to stay with friends in Suquamish, WA, so that Sweetie could go to a job interview on 9/11/01 in Port Ludlow, WA. That morning, after I got out of the shower, Sweetie came into our room and told me what happened. I didn't take him seriously, at first, because it seemed pretty surreal, but I went out to the living room and watched on TV as they looped the events from three hours prior.

I didn't cry. I have to admit to being a little detached, because, well, we are on the complete opposite coast. However, I do remember feeling confused and incredulous. How could something like THAT happen in THIS country??? (This is a year and a half prior to Sweetie joining the military, so my feelings were much different than they would have been had he been on the brink of deployment that day.)

We had to cross the Hood Canal Bridge that morning, which is the gateway between the Trident Submarine Base and the rest of the Puget Sound. Naturally, it was open (not a draw bridge, but opens to let nautical traffic through) to let "something" (which we never saw) go through. Sweetie was late for his interview, but it didn't really matter, as everyone was a little numb and traumatized that day. In fact, the events were something of a boon to us, since the man that would become Sweetie's boss was a big fan of right-wing politics, and Sweetie was only a year out of college, having gradutated with a Political Science degree. They didn't talk computers, really — they talked politics, and the guy instantly liked him.

We were going straight home afterward. The bridge was again open, but this time we saw a large Navy ship going through (too far away to recognize what, but not a carrier). The only time I shed a tear that day was when were were halfway home, and I heard the people of Congress singing "God Bless America" on a radio broadcast. For once — for ONCE — our country was not divided down party lines. For once — and briefly — this country was united about something.

I actually read something recently in an article someone wrote on Gather.com. It was pretty uninformed, but the person did not claim to be politically minded — only pondering something she'd seen on TV and thoughts that were going through her head at the time. I can forgive misinformation if it's not someone touting their great knowledge on the subject and claiming to be an informer. However, she did go on to say that the phrase (often heard from the military community, even from my husband), "Better to have a war on their soil rather than ours," was selfish. She believed that the war should come over here, because we deserve it.

. . .

It makes me wonder how many people follow that same logic, and whether they'd be willing to stand up to that when the war does come to this soil. Like it did six years ago today.

You know, I thought I was through all the seven (five?) stages of grief over the events on that one day six years ago — but things like that keep making me revisit Anger. I can't find the article again (lost in the archives of hundreds of articles on the same subject), and looking for it is about to make me turn this into a rant about respecting the choices of our military men and women, and the decisions of our government. But I won't. That's not what this post is about.

All that said, I was trying to think about whether I would commemorate this day, or not. Should it be a national holiday? Do we need another holiday? Or should we wear a certain color (or colors) and have presentations, concerts, pageants, etc., etc. in order to perpetuate the memory of the act of war performed on our own soil?

I read a post on IMAO.us that sparked an idea. I'm wearing red, white, and blue right now, but not intentionally. I just happen to have a lot of red, white, and blue in my wardrobe. I'm not watching the news. I am writing a blog post. But what is going to be my act of commemoration on this memorial day?

I'm making PORK CHOPS for dinner.

Nummy, yummy, Radical-Islam-be-damned (and I do mean that in the holiest sense) PORK chops.

Whee, I'm such an INFIDEL!!!

:D

I've barely gotten anything done today. That's what I get for picking up the computer! Sheesh. I should start a schedule of negative reinforcement for too much leisure time spent on the computer when there is stuff to do!

Anyway, I did start the day off by washing Maxie's bedding and scrubbing out his stinky crate. I used the rest of a bottle of white vinegar, some warm water, and a scrubby sponge to disinfect and deodorize it. Then I rinsed it out with cold water and a washcloth. I have a couple of "dog towels" sitting by, so I dried it out with one of those, and it smelled like fabric softener afterward. SOOOO much better than stinky dog!!!

( 'ArComs All Around!' or 'Yesterday's Freedom Salute ceremony and picnic I attended with Sweetie.' )

( 'Tony and Tina's Wedding' )

Well, it's now after 3pm, and my sweetie is on his way home. I still have a few things to take care of, so I need to go. Bye for now!

I knew, but rediscovered the other day, that movies about war heroes, especially those who died in battle, make me weep. I'd rented The Majestic from Netflix, and it had been sitting for some time, because I was waiting for a time where Sweetie and I could watch it together. However, the description was "romantic drama", and convincing my husband to watch a romantic drama during a time where he could be watching . . . well, anything else (except romantic comedy), almost requires alcohol and feminine wiles. Or threats. One of those. ;)

However, as I watched this film, I realized that the romance really took a backseat to patriotism and politics. In fact, you don't see many movies that take place during the 1950s Red Scare that have much of a happy ending. Perhaps it's a bit of an idealistic portrayal (okay, REALLY idealistic, but it's a MOVIE), but it yanked on my heartstrings, and I went through several tissues towards the end. Jim Carrey, despite his tired, annoying comedy, turned out a fantastic performance. I'm always a bit stunned by how good-looking he is when he's not contorting his face, and how well he can perform when he's not overacting.

I loved this movie, and might have to buy it someday. I almost had to giggle, though, when Jim Carrey goes up against the board, or panel, or whatever it was, to defend himself. I kept thinking of the version of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington that Homer Simpson helped Mel Gibson recreate. Completely irreverent! Bad me. ;)

However, by the end of that scene, I was pulling another tissue out of the box.

Seriously — good movie!

And, to wrap up (because my own Soldier will be home any minute, and I still need to put makeup on), I'll post this little video that, according to sources, a fifteen-year-old girl put together all by her lonesome. It's heartwrenching, and thought-provoking:

"Remember Me", by Lizzie Palmer.

Because of my Sweetie, I feel a certain kinship with people in uniform. Their homecomings and their funerals make me cry. God bless them all . . .

( My GOSH, I can't believe how lazy I've been today! )

(I refuse to put the following behind a cut.)

ANYway, I was catching up on my RSS feeds this morning, and ran across a letter posted on Blackfive.net, a pro-military blog run by several outspoken individuals. Sweetie's been reading it for some time, and I've been trying to keep up a bit. I don't really trust mainstream news, but I do trust milbloggers my husband