Yaknow the worst time is late at night when the house is quiet, there’s nothing distracting on t.v. and all the critters are asleep and I can’t get myself to shut down because I miss him so much.

So, The Hotness has been a reservist for the last couple years. 15 years prior to that he was an active duty soldier and spent time over in Bosnia during the the conflict over there a decade or so ago. He’s able bodied, smart, and one hell of a soldier even after almost 20 years in the service.

Friday night he got official orders to go to Kuwait for a year.

Dear Abraham-

365 days has passed since I last spoke your name here. Surprisingly, I’ve thought about you often during the last year. Today marks the 2,191st day since you left this world…I wonder how your family is doing. I wonder about your wife, I wish I could give her a hug and listen to her story.

I didn’t participate in the Project 2,996 this year…I hope you don’t mind. It’s almost as if I’ve gotten to know you and wouldn’t feel right simply moving on to the next person that was randomly assigned to me.

I hope things are going well for your family, that everyone is healthy and happy. This past year I’ve been contacted by a couple of folks that say they are related to you. I read their comments and couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness…your tragedy affected so many people. I never wrote them back, I couldn’t bring myself to invade into their lives any further than I already have in my own little way here.

Here’s to another trip around the sun…

Peace brother.

Yeah, it’s not a figment of your imagination…it’s really a new post All sorts of things are a’happenin’ around these parts and I figured I’d drop in and dust this place off a bit before I head to work

My grandparents have been moved into a seniors independent living apartment complex so since Saturday I’ve been over there every spare moment after work helping get them settled into their new life and running errands since neither one drives anymore. It’s pretty surreal and kind of depressing because it seems like just yesterday they were babysitting me. It’s funny how the tables turn like that. But it’s a nice place and it’s full of nice old folks so they should be alright.

The Hotness left for A.T. in California on Saturday as well — it’s some sort of training camp for the folks in the Army Reserve. You prolly know their phrase “two weeks a year one weekend a month”…well it’s actually three weeks a year. He’ll be gone for three whole weeks and as of today they are moving into an area where there will be no cell phone service for Sprint users. I now hate Sprint with a passion.

I’m trying pretty hard not to get depressed about all this. Luckily since it’s all started I haven’t really had time to take a breath and really think about any of it. On the flip side once everything settles down I’ll have unlimited time to get this place back into ship-shape.

In the meantime y’all are invited to my house to keep me company — just call before ya get here so I can sweep all the dust bunnies under the rugs

I’ve been told a million times before that I’m just like my father. We both seem like total assholes but we’re really just big squishy teddy bears. This is true (but don’t go spreading it around now *chuckle*), and we’re both not just teddy bears but we’re also bleeding hearts to boot. If we see, hear, or even slightly suspect someone is in trouble or needs something we feel massively obligated to help them out. I literally hurt for them, a deep aching hurt that resides in my chest. I’m talking tears to my eyes hurt. The bleeding heart goes to pumping like mad.

I think Christmas is the worst time for me personally because every time I turn around I’m slapped in the face with a family who’s having a bad-time of it and could do with a little extra cash nudge to get them a decent Christmas they deserve. It hurts me to see people unable to afford presents because all their money goes for paying the heating bill. It hurts me even worse to see a family not even be able to take Christmas into consideration because they don’t even have the money for their regular bills. I’m faced with a massive self-inflicted task of “helping everyone”, because in my mind if I don’t help them then who will?
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