Motorcycles and Road Rules

Have you seen this sign or saying where you live? It's all over Colorado. I have a serious problem with this sign and the motorcyclists I've almost hit this week. I personally have almost hit two. Joe has come close too. It's getting nice here finally and people are breaking out the bikes. And driving like they have a death wish. They don't obey the speed limits. They swerve in and out of traffic. And they drive down the middle of the road!! Literally!! There will be just enough traffic to slow the cars down and here comes the bike, riding down the dashed yellow line. I'm supposed to watch for these maniacs but they are the ones causing accidents??? I don't think so. I was driving down a 4 lane road just a couple of days ago. I started to pass someone, blinkers on, checked my blink spot, etc. and as I pull into the left lane, here comes a motorcyclist flying at me like a bat out of hell. Joe and I were driving to Denver today to see a Colorado Rockies baseball game. As we neared Denver, the traffic got thicker. And here comes the dumbass, down the center of the road. WTF??? Where are the "Don't be a stupid motorcyclist" signs??

Also something I don't think people know: when you aren't passing someone, you need to be in the right lane. This was a big deal in Arkansas, the state where I took my driving test. The cops would pull you over if you were holding up traffic by staying in the left lane. There are signs here too, but I don't know how strictly it's enforced. While we were driving home from Denver, we encountered this again. Some dumbass held up traffic, going 60mph in a 75mph zone for MILES and NEVER pulled over to the right lane. The cars behind him had to weave in and out of the lanes to get around him. How many people have to pass you on the right before you realize you're a dumbass? Please refrain from being a dumbass. These are the people that cause accidents. As my husband would say --"non-driving mother fuckers."

Well, there ya go, my rant for the evening. :)

Clowns to the left of me, Bigots to the right.

I have to share a story with you all. As many of you know, I work in a computer lab on an Army post. I had a strange experience today.

One gentleman was having problems attaching a document to an email. Nothing was wrong with the document or the email. Completely operator error. Without asking me for help (as I later solved his problem with 3 clicks of the mouse) he goes into this tirade about how a Muslim must have created the email program (that would be Microsoft Outlook by the way) and they do shit like this to piss him off. This took me completely off guard and blurted out "Excuse me?" Him blaming his stupidity on a different religion just blew me away!

Joe says I don't understand because I'm not a Soldier, I've never been to war. Maybe that's true. But I have my own very strong opinions about this war and the people we have invaded.

But this guy wasn't in Iraq. He was being a dumbass in the middle of a computer lab in the middle of Colorado.

This kind of bigotry PISSES ME OFF!! Just like with the ultra moron himself, Terry Jones. How do you get off assuming a Muslim is out to get YOU personally, on a Friday, through an email program?? Some people just amaze me. The stupidity amazes me.

Army wives, Civilians, or both??

Something happened to me at work the other day that has stayed with me. I work on an Army post with Soldiers. We have one clipboard where all of the Soldiers need to sign in. Then we have a clipboard for civilians, which of course in the context of my job are usually spouses, a few teenages, and contractors on post. So when someone comes in normal clothes and doesn't look like an active duty service member, I ask them if they are active duty or civilian. And most people know the answer to this question.

But some... don't. Like the young lady I had in the room the other day.

Me: Are you active duty or civilian?

Her: My husband is active duty.

Me: But you aren't?

Her: No.

Me: Then can you please sign in on this civilian clipboard?

Her: But I'm not a civilian. My husband is a Soldier.

Me: Yes ma'am. But you aren't, correct?

Her: Whatever.

Really? You're going to cop an attitude because you have to sign a different clipboard? Unless you get up and put on a uniform everyday, YOU are a civilian, I dont care who you are married to. You dont go to the field. You dont deploy. You dont do PT every morning, even in the snow.

I think many of us "Army wives" have lost sight of this fact. Not even including wearing your husband's rank, we feel like we are not civilians. Even I have said, "I cant wait until the day that we can be civilians again." That day is about 720 days away actually. But I mean it in as a state of mind, no more chain of command, no more deployments, no more PCSing, no more strange worry about mortar attacks in Iraq. But I tell Soldiers everyday that I am a civilian. "No sir, I have no idea what that training is, I'm a civilian." I will never assume anything else, I am a civilian, because I'm certainly not active duty. I would never, could never, compare myself to a Soldier. I could never train like they do. I could never make it through BCT. I could NEVER deploy.

So if those are your choices, active duty or civilian, what would you pick?

My father is an Army brat, since the day he was born. His father was in the Army for 20 years. He used to say that he was in the Army. It's more of a joke, since he's far too old to say he was an Army brat. And his father used to give him the small metals for doing things, like shinning his black boots. My father even told my husband that he had a AAM for shinning boots. My grandmother says that she was in the Army too. She met her husband in Germany when he was stationed there and then started the Army journey for 20 years, dealing with multiple deployments to Vietnam and 17 PCSs in 20 years - no joke! They were stationed at Fort Riley (where we were for 2 years) for exactly 9 days. My dad and his brother went out to look for a lawn mower to borrow and come home to new PCS orders. And my grandmother will adamantly argue that she too was in the Army, and I just nod and smile. Maybe if I was an Army wife in the 60s, I would feel differently.

What we do isn't normal, I have said that for a year now. We are very unique. We live and breath Army life. We learn the lingo so we can understand our husbands. We move at the drop of a hat. We can make any house a home with just a few pictures and a Scentsy warmer. We sleep alone. And take our phones to the bathroom so we don't miss a call. We know to check the arms of uniforms for pens before washing them. This is our way of life. And perhaps we are kinda special. But we certainly aren't Soldiers.

Why dont they get it??

I LOVE my civilian friends from back home. I know they will always have my back and help keep me grounded when this silly milspouse life gets absurd. It's nice that they don't understand rank and commands and don't have the first clue what my husband does for a living. And these select few people will be my best friends no matter where the Army takes us or what rank my hubby is.

Now, why cant some civilians understand a simple countdown, or I guess I should say the count up?

With the big bang the virtual world has had in recent times, I have connected with people I haven't talked to since high school. It's fun and amusing at times. I have found some great old friends. But if you haven't talked to me in over a year and you don't know me well enough to know that my husband has been deployed to a WAR ZONE for 6 months, why are you commenting on my statuses?

I posted a comment yesterday that said something along the lines of 26 weeks down!! Halfway!! And I had MANY people message me asking me if I was pregnant. Really folks?

1. Joe has been deployed for 6 months!! If you don't know that by now, you need to PAY MORE ATTENTION!

2. Halfway to a baby is NOT 26 weeks. I am not pregnant. I have never been pregnant. And I know that the gestation period for a human is not a year. So someone who HAS been pregnant should at least know that too, right??

I guess I should give the non-milspouses a break right? They don't have deployment countdowns. They are all my age and they have the big baby countdowns now, right? Baby on the brain 24/7 probably.

But the baby question has been asked for about oh... 26 weeks now. And really folks, the fact that they aren't paying attention and asking silly questions annoys me to no end. I am observant to a fault. As Monk would say, it's a blessing and a curse. My aunt has a story she tells at family gatherings about canned chili with beans and at 12, she told me I had the "gripping senses." I like to stay informed. I like to eavesdrop. I will search a Facebook page to make sure there isn't an answer to my question before I ask that person.

So can you see how this situation bothers me since I have been talking about Joe's deployment for 6 months and his R&R for the last 3 weeks?

Sorry, just had to get that rant off my chest. :)