*Rolling Thunder XXII – May 24, 2009*

Dear Friends,

My father (a USAF veteran) will be leading a group of 30 or so members of his Harley Owners Group (HOG) chapter from our home town in NC up to Washington DC on Memorial Day weekend to participate in Rolling Thunder XXII. As they state on their web site, this is not a parade but a demonstration. I'm very proud of my father for his participation and very happy to announce that I just made arrangements to be in attendance!

I have discussed this with some of you in conversation but it has come to my attention that there are many people who are not familiar with the Rolling Thunder organization and what it does. Because their mission is so important, I hope you'll take a few moments to read about them and their valuable efforts so that you can discuss them any time the issue of our American POW/MIA is raised. Rolling Thunder has made significant strides for these heroes... the least we can do is appreciate what they do and support them in words if not deeds or funds. The issue of our POW/MIA is one that is often overlooked and I submit to you that this is unacceptable. What if it was YOUR Marine who didn't come home?

From the Rolling Thunder Web Site- FACT SHEET:

Incorporated in 1995, Rolling Thunder, Inc. is a class 501(c)(4) non-profit organization with over 88 chartered chapters throughout the United States and members abroad. While many members of Rolling Thunder are veterans, and many ride motorcycles, neither qualification is a prerequisite. Rolling Thunder members are old and young, men and women, veterans and non-veterans. All are united in the cause to bring full accountability for POWs and MIAs of all wars, reminding the government, the media and the public by our watchwords: “We Will Not Forget.” The name Rolling Thunder is derived from the constant bombing of North Vietnam in 1965 and was given the name, "Operation Rolling Thunder." No officers or members of Rolling Thunder, Inc. receive compensation; we all donate our time.

Click here for more information about Rolling Thunder.

How Not To Be A Triflin' Hooker at the USMC Birthday Ball

1. Remember that while your Marine is happy to have you on his arm, this function is about the Marines.  It's their birthday.  Happy birthday to THEM. 
2. Try to keep your pre-flight to a minimum, if any, so that at best you will arrive smelling like perfume and at worst you won't smell like Jager bombs.
3. Try to follow the intended dress code.  Google it if necessary.
4. Remember that the laws about indecent exposure apply, even within the closed doors of your ball's venue. 
5. Attempt to wear shoes you can walk in.  There are any number of things which can require you to need them.
6. No corsages.  Refer to number 1 above.
7. Try not to be too judgmental of other ladies.  Some of us don't spend hundreds of dollars on our hair and nails.  We just may not care as much about the packaging.  But we're people, too.
8. Smile from time to time and say Hi to people.  They won't bite and they usually like it.
9. Do not attempt to teach your Marine (or his friends) the correct way to do the Electric Slide.  That ship has sailed.
10. If you are horrified by the tasteless dresses, shoes or accessories of other guests, attempt to refrain from commenting until you have left the function.  It will be both more polite and more fun.
11. Dresses with hoop skirts =  Fail.
12. Forego profanity during the dinner portion of the meal. 
13. Do not talk, whisper, cough, gag or chair dance during the ceremonial portions of the event. 
14. If the fit of your dress prohibits a dance move, you probably shouldn't attempt it.
15. No, the women Marines at the function are not jealous of your dress.  Refer to the latter portion of number 1 above.
16. It's likely you'll do some touching up of your makeup in the bathroom and this is perfectly acceptable.  Try, however, not to hold up the line for those who actually have to pee.  Their bladder issues trump your eyeliner dilemma from a humanitarian standpoint.
17. If you're going to spill your drink on someone, aim for a civilian. 
18. Don't be scared of the CO or his wife, but try to wait until your mouth isn't full before speaking to them.
19. No dancing on the bar until the after party.
20. Behave but don't take yourself too seriously.  Not one person is going to remember your dress, your shoes or your hairdo.  And if they do, you're doing it wrong.

The "Joy" of grandmas.

I wrote this yesterday on the road and am just now getting it posted..... Lol.

So we went on a road trip today to visit with my husband’s grandmother (who, incidentally, is named Joy).  This was the first time that the kids and I had met her. 

She was absolutely delightful.  It was well worth the 8 hours round trip for the only 4 we got to spend visiting.  I look forward to doing it again soon.

Incidentally, today marks the 64th anniversary of D-Day.  If I had been thinking about it, I might have asked Grandma Joy what, if anything, she could recall from that time.  I’m sure my own grandmother, her senior at the ripe age of 95, would have something to add.  Unfortunately I am drafting this blog on the road and my cell battery is dead so I can’t even call to ask. 

Speaking of being on the road with a dead cell battery and no WiFi connection in sight, I can’t even check my email or get on the forum to see if I’ve missed anything exciting.  This will never do.  We are going on a 3 week vacation soon which will include about 4,000 miles of road navigation.  I simply MUST find some sort of internet access solution before we head out.  I could die from the withdrawals.



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For my GIRLS.

I'm a huge fan of Maya Angelou. You might recognize this poem from the movie "Poetic Justice." For reasons I won't elaborate on, it crossed my mind last night. There's something captivating about it. Speaking for myself, I feel inspired when reading it, even if I'm sitting hunched over my keyboard, unshowered, wearing a t-shirt and sweats. In all of our forms.... we are WOMAN.

PHENOMENAL WOMAN
by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips
The stride of my steps
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please
And to a man
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees
Then they swarm around me
A hive of honey bees.
I say
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth
The swing of my waist
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say
It's in the arch of my back
The sun of my smile
The ride of my breasts
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say
It's in the click of my heels
The bend of my hair
The palm of my hand
The need for my care.
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Undefinable.

Don't you just hate it when your child or anyone asks you what a certain word means.... and you KNOW what it means... but you just can't figure out how to explain it? Can't recall the definition in an articulate manner?  Eeew.  I hate that.

Yesterday my son (who has an extensive vocabulary for a 3rd grader) asked me what "metaphor" meant.  I utterly failed to explain.  It was absurd.  Like I don't know what "metaphor" means?!

• metaphor : (noun): a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in “A mighty fortress is our God.”

 

And here are some of my often-used favorites that I can never precisely define when asked:

 

• pithy: (adjective): brief, forceful, and meaningful in expression; full of vigor, substance, or meaning; terse; forcible: a pithy observation. Of, like, or abounding in pith.

 

• smarmy: (adjective): excessively or unctuously flattering, ingratiating, servile, etc.: the emcee with the smarmy welcome.

• moxy: (noun): courage, balls, intestinal fortitude.  *Had to get this one from UrbanDictionary.com since it wasn't actually listed in the dictionary?  Jeez.

Here's to not being discombobulated! 

What exactly IS a ledbetter?!

It occurred to me yesterday that some of the coolest songs are either unintelligible or end up having meanings that I completely failed to grasp.

My favorite Pearl Jam tune, "Yellow Ledbetter," is completely over my head from an interpretive standpoint. I don't have a friggin' clue what they're talking about. I could, I suppose, research this and try to gain some insight. But that would just spoil it for me. I know he's talking about some people on the porch who aren't waving, etc-- but other than that-- it's greek. What exactly is a ledbetter and why is its color significant??

And how about "Rain King?" I love the Counting Crows. And I get twitchy every time this favorite comes on. I can't allow interruptions because it is IMPERATIVE that I be able to mimic the "Yeeeaaaaaaahhh!" at the very end. And the lyrics are pretty. But I have to be honest: I don't have a clue about what some of them mean.

Don't get me started on "Rock The Casbah." Possibly one of the most overplayed favorites of all time. I wish I could remember what commercial it was that had the misinterpretation of the lyrics by some poor soul..... "Stop the catbox!!" Once in awhile I will send this in a text message to my husband out of the blue. One doesn't want to be boring, right?

Then of course there are those songs which have been often heard and most frequently misunderstood or not analyzed at all. If I had a nickel for every person who thinks Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The USA" is a feel-good patriotic song as opposed to the jaded take on American industry and military that it really is..... I could put my kids through college. I'm not saying it's a bad song. Just that it's not the one you want to play for a military homecoming or the 4th of July, necessarily.

And my favorite unrealized meaning of a song (for me personally) until a couple of years ago: "Rock You Like A Hurricane." OMG. Have you listened to the lyrics? Really listened? I mean this is a classic state fair favorite. Air guitarist's plaything. But at the end of the day there's no getting around the innuendo. "So give her inches and feed her well....?!" I guess I had to be a grown up (technically, anyway) to understand what old boy was talking about!!

Anyway, I think I will opt to embrace my naivete' and continue to enjoy that which is over my head or which has meaning I'd rather not know. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.

The Marines have landed [on my house].

Since it's Monday and all, I think I will list some random coolness:

• My better half got our American and Marine Corps flags mounted on the front of our house yesterday. Complete with solar powered lights (which work nicely and look sweet. The icing on the cake was.... I love to watch him work! We're sure to get lots of attention as I think we're the only Marine family within at least a 10 mile radius. Oohrah.

• He also pulled down the putrid awnings from the front and side doors and helped the 9 year old resident plant a nice garden. I can't wait to see if the pumpkin, in particular, grows!

• I've had the nicest, most helpful correspondence from FelineFido on Etsy about some of my products. She ordered some and likes them. She gave me great feedback and even some tips. She's got to be the nicest person I've never met and I'm excited to order Tyler Hansbrough __________'s collar very soon.

• I'm slowly but surely learning to use my MacBook. It's still far more savvy than I'll ever be, but it's good to aim high.

• Spring seems to have finally sprung here and, along with it, my mood. I'm definitely a winter depressed/summer happy kind of girl. So bring on the joy and relaxation. Or.... at least the joy!

• Last but not least: to girlfriend in the Apple Bottom jeans/boots with the fur........ this one's for you, homeslice.

I'm too sexy for my Mac.

As I sit here typing this on my PC, I realize that the exact opposite is true. My old man (clearly on a bid for sainthood) gave me my Mother's Day gift early. A very shiny, very smart, very over-my-head MacBook. He actually gave it to me on Friday and I've been poking around with it ever since. I still haven't figured out how to integrate my hotmail, yahoo and private emails into it yet, although I think I'm a step closer now that I've installed Microsoft Office for Mac which includes the mail application Entourage. I have a vague sense that I will figure this all out eventually but I'm so excited that it's making me impatient.

I have, of course, already installed Firefox. This was one of the top priorities. And I'm sure that eventually I'll get used to using the mouse. On the few occasions that I have used laptops in the past I have struggled with this because it is foreign. I hope that practice will make perfect.

Excuse the Carrie Bradshaw-esque phraseology, but I can't help but wonder: Do we really need 148 GB hard drives? Will I ever actually utilize so much storage space? Still, it's cool to know that I could if I chose. And also nifty that my new laptop has the same amount or more memory than my trusty PC. Good job, baby!

At any rate, we had my daughter's first birthday party today. She had a great time. I feel hungover, though, and I didn't consume any alcohol. Is that normal??

And I've been blogless for a couple of days now as I've been extra busy, but I really wanted to say to all of the military spouses yesterday:

Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

*Yes, this is an actual day. And it's one that should count.

I feel duly appreciated and I hope you all do, too.

Rock on and rock hard, ladies.

Get a job. Really.

When I did my shout outs to military wives recently, of course it was a short and very incomplete list. There are droves more.

Take, for instance, Deb Kloeppel who is responsible for the existence of a great resource, the Military Spouse Corporate Career Network. This wasn't an original concept, certainly. I myself have been wanting to establish something like this for years,as I know, have others. I've spoken with Lori and several other friends about it and job resource sharing is one of the main things that the online military spouse community lacks. It's one of the main focal points that has driven me to start working on usmcwives.com. However, there does exist this nice tool that many of us just aren't (weren't) aware of. So it definitely rates a peek, doesn't it? And, Deb, according to the criteria set forth by my small circle, I think you qualify for "Hottie Biscotti" status.

And although Deb has actually made reality out of an often considered concept, that doesn't alleviate the need for others, including myself -- though I am no more qualified than anyone else-- to keep pushing for better resources. It does us no good to have so many tools if they aren't organized in such a way that we know where they are and how to use them. So if my site ends up being nothing more than a glorified link list, that's FINE. I will have a big smile on my face if I know I contributed in some way. But I want my girls to be able to find good jobs. Without killing themselves in the process. And I want them to be able to exchange information in a relevant and user friendly way. In a way that nullifies competition, misconception and infighting that we too often see in our community when things get stale. In a very Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, it's a beautiful day and we are awesome kind of way. I'm getting good feedback and I'm going to keep at it. In fact, I've been so busy with the details that I haven't even had a chance to update the actual site with relevant content. But it's happening. It is GOING to happen. And I will try, but can't promise that all traces of my own personal nonsense will be absent....

Take heart: Tomorrow is FRIDAY!

Do Cheaters Always Win?

Have you ever felt like the people who don't play be the rules... rule the world? That you and your good intentions will always be in line behind the people who have the audacity to think they deserve to be in front of you, even if you got there first? Just because they are bolder in their self-centeredness? That's how I feel today.

I have played by the rules at something and lost. I'm not saying I played well or perfectly. Just that I did so with integrity and good intentions. And I lost because I wasn't selfish enough. I wasn't brazen enough and didn't stand up for myself. And that, my dear friends, just sucks. Because as kids we're taught to do unto others as we'd have done to us. The golden rule and manners. Honesty and good character. Well, most of us are taught that even if we do come from dysfunctional families. But I suppose I might be wrong in my assumption that everyone falls into that category. Why am I saying "might?" I most certainly am wrong. Or-- maybe it's not that the selfish winners of the world weren't taught better. Maybe it's that somewhere along the way they learned that nice guys finish last. I've made it through several decades of life without managing to get that through my thick skull.

Actually, I don't think I want to. I think I'd rather pass on any ill-gotten gains. I think I'll stay at the back of the line where I belong. There have been a couple of occasions in my life where I have compromised my value system and it just wasn't the right thing to do. And it's not who I am. So I may be the last one out of the store with my purchases.... but I'd like to think I will enjoy them more in the end because I am who I am. And someone-- if not the person in front of me-- loves me. And I deserve that as much as anyone.

Update at 1:33 PM CST: I was so motivated by my angst earlier that I got off my behind and made the Home Skillet portion of the shop. Take that, meanies!!

McRebound.

So, did you watch Grey's Anatomy last night? So many good quips-- so little time. If you can't find the entertainment value in this show, then I submit that your credibility is seriously in question. Set aside the moral implications of some of its content and the rumors and scandals running rampant among the cast members-- this show is funny. I loved the part last night when Addison (Kate Walsh) asked Miranda (Chandra Wilson) about Derek (Patrick Dempsey)'s new lady friend in a not-so-complimentary way... when she was standing right there. That was almost as good as when Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) more or less referred to herself and her friends as fickle sluts. Can't beat that dialog with a stick!

Speaking of sticks, I wanted to beat myself with one yesterday afternoon. I finally.... as perhaps the last human on the planet to do so.... installed the Mozilla Firefox web browser. Now, I don't know if it's just my finicky PC or if I'm just slow on the uptake: but this bad boy is working WAY FASTER for me than Internet Explorer ever has. I haven't had a chance to play with all of its little gizmos yet, but I realized right off the bat that it needed to be my default browser. I recall an old friend of mine (she's not old-- I've just known her awhile!), Alison, talking about Firefox ages ago. And given how much swifter she is than I am about such things, one wonders why I didn't investigate sooner. And as it happens, I only ended up with this utility as a result of downloading a bundle of stuff from Google. I am, as ever, an accidental success!

And, speaking of success, I am hoping upon hope that today will be the day that I either figure out how to make my camera take decent close-ups or that I will get my hands on a better camera (hint, hint to my dear, beloved, gorgeous hunk of a spouse!) so that I can take pictures and list the dozen or so new things I've made for Etsy. One, in particular, was requested as a trade from another seller. That's fun. See the picture below.... Psych. ;) Maybe later if fortune smiles on me today.

A big, fat, liquored up TGIF!

Signed,

McDufus

Chinglish.

What's that, you say? Well, according to the lively chat crowd at Etsy this morning, that might be a way to refer to the speaking accent of a Chinese American individual. This was not, I assure you, meant to be derogatory. At least no more so than any other accent we discuss (southern American, Canadian and so on).

Another gem I stumbled upon this morning was spidercamp's shop. OMG. This stuff is too funny if you love persnickety stuff as much as I do. You could actually give someone "Herpes." Or tell them to kiss your "Arse." Now, that's funny. Frankly, I wish I had thought of it first!

At any rate, I am getting a lot of mileage out of those photos I took of my husband's campaign cover. The latest is my picture for the page I just made on Facebook for usmcwives.com. I'm still tweaking it, of course. What else is new?! And I can't seem to get my other bells and whistles on the page like I want them so I am hoping at some point for there to be content where the blankness is... but we'll see. Also, I don't like that it's listed as a "store" but I can't seem to find any other way to do it....

Speaking of bells and whistles, I'm hooked up on MySpace with a handful of very talented ladies who design graphics. I am really impressed with their work! We're mostly talking military graphics but they do other stuff, too. Check out Combat Medic Designs and A & C's Military Princess Designs for some really cute stuff.

Home Skillet?!

Have you seen "Juno?" OMG. This is good stuff. I knew it was going to be good when we were watching it last night and within the first 2 minutes someone had said "home skillet." Classic. And the aforementioned someone was that guy who plays Dwight on the show "The Office." Granted, he was only in the movie for about a second... but that was OK because the cast included Jennifer Garner, Allison Janney, Jason Bateman (now that's old school! Loved him in "Smokin' Aces" recently, too), J.K. Simmons (who most people recognize from "Law and Order" and "The Closer" but who was brilliant as an evil dude on "Oz") and the star, Ellen Page, who I think is going to do big things and who was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for this performance. I have a new item to add to my long list of obscure and low-priority things that I want to do "one day," and that's to look up the writer and director of this jewel and see what else they've done. This tale takes place in the midwest (Minnesota to be exact) and includes but is not limited to such content as: teenage pregnancy, early mid-life crisis, high school girl crush on teacher (of the "don't stand so close to me" variety), horrible running shorts and a beat up Toyota Previa minivan. The dialog is so funny that I may have to re-watch and take notes. And we really need to put "home skillet" back into play immediately!

It's no wonder that I woke up feeling inspired this morning. I took a moment before the kids were up and I went into one of the chat rooms on Etsy. I'm told by my friend, Jill, that this is priceless networking. Actually, it proved to be a great time. I got to look at some other people's stuff and I even had an item requested. The best, though, was one lady's story about how she exacted revenge on her cheating (now ex) husband. To make a long story short, apparently when he was in an alcohol induced state of unconsciousness, she donned rubber gloves, went out into the woods by their house, gathered up some poison ivy, made a paste out of it, and, well, you can predict the rest. This is classic. I also like the silver lining at the end where the gentleman (term used loosely in this case) didn't want kids but ended up with a pregnant mistress. Karma can really bite you in the nads when you least expect it, huh?

Granted, I only got one side of the story but considering that I don't even know this lady's name-- it doesn't really matter how true the story is or who the man in question was, does it? But for the record, I buy her story! Good stuff.

The icing on the cake this morning was my first two items sold on Etsy. Nice! Oh, and my friend, Lori, said in an email that "I rock her socks." This was in response to something about the web project. I've been waiting until I had (at least some of) my ducks in a row before consulting with her, but it's time to come out of the closet, I suppose. I'm hoping to arrange a mutually beneficial arrangement between usmcwives.com and her two popular forums (Parris Island and USMC support boards). So we're going to chat about that later on. I love it when a plan comes together.

It's going to be a good day!

Foiled!

So, I was none too happy yesterday when, for the first time ever, Mapquest let me down. One of the previously mentioned work functions of my husband's that I had to attend was a retirement ceremony for a Senior Chief that my old man works with. I had to drive out seperately as I didn't want to wait an extra hour while the husband was doing the pre-ceremonial work. It was a relatively good distance from where we live and I allowed plenty of time to get there. I had my trusty Mapquest directions prepared.

Mind you, I pride myself on being an EXCELLENT navigator. I have a good sense of direction, I can find things easily, I know that (aside from the Jersey turnpike and a few other ill-planned highways) exit numbers correspond with mileage. Odd numbered highways generally run north/south while even numbered ones run east/west. I've got game when it comes to navigation.

So there I am-- 15 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony. Knowing I must be within mere feet of the destination. All the roads have corresponded with my directions. I have driven the appropriate distance. And yet.... there is nothing in the spot where the building should be. It couldn't be Mapquest-- I must have done something wrong?! And, yet, I hadn't. To make a long story less-long: I eventually found the place and was able to partake in the after-ceremony festivities but I did NOT get to see the ceremony itself.

Mapquest had me turn left about half a mile from where the building was sitting-- right on a main road. It had me drive through a neighborhood and end up on another segment of the sidestreet that that place was located on. I only ended up finding it once I gave up and went searching for a service station (to relieve myself of the large cup of coffee I drank on the way!).

Oh, Mapquest....

It hurts. It hurts deeply.

As a sub-topic I think it's worth mentioning that this was my first time hanging out at a VFW. I highly recommend it! Good times, even better people. I do not, however, recommend doing as I did. Try to refrain from engaging in shot-taking and carousing with retired soldiers and sailors at 2:00 in the afternoon. Especially the ones who grew up in Brooklyn! If you are anything like me, I assure you... you CAN'T hang and probably shouldn't try! =)

Hateful little witch!

I've been good to her for 4 years now. I certainly could have been better: her personal hygeine leaves something to be desired and I've uprooted her about 5 times. I've taken away some of her prized possessions and replaced them with newer ones that she's still getting used to.

But right now I'm wondering just who the little snot thinks she is??!

Not my dog. Not my daughter. My computer.

Today she refuses to play on my team. As of yet it is undetermined whether her problem is hardware or software in nature. I don't know if she's come down with something or if she's actually physically injured. The only thing I know for sure is she sure ain't workin'.

So, being the improvisational genius that I am, I've moved over to my husband's side of the office. I suppose I might be able to deal with his annoying trackball mouse (eew!) if it weren't for the fact that his keyboard is broken and the whole top row (numbers and all important symbols like "@") is out of commission. I had a heck of a time signing in here using my email address! Had to copy and paste that bad boy just to get it entered. And, of course, I moved my keyboard over here and now I'm in business. But, like I needed THAT on top of my brokenhearted sense of betrayal?

The above remarks are not intended to make my old man look bad. Not at all. In fact, I'll be getting him a new keyboard right away (not mouse, though: he's freakishly attached to his!). No, my guy is invaluable to me. And no doubt when he gets home today he will comfort me and soothe the pain. He'll most likely even get the computer fixed-- as much as that will irritate me because I can usually handle it myself! But, no. He's the shoo shoo. All day every day.

Check it out- this is a closeup of his campaign cover, or "smokey bear hat" if you don't know better - that I took this morning (the reason why is another topic entirely).

Man. I can just hear him calling cadence. I think he misses it. I will refrain from closing this love fest of remarks with a link to his bio online. He can remain a man of mystery. But a man who has work to do in the office! ;)

No, she (and she and she) didn't!

So I'm only partially making good on my plan to throw out some buzz about hard charging military spouses. This is only due to the fact that as a hard charger, myself, I am pressed for time today! Thanks to my naughty children, the arrival of my new postage scale (yippee!), a list of phone calls to return and two foolish hours spent tweaking the store layout, I have about 10 minutes for blogging today.

This short list of mil-divas was blatantly snatched from MilSpouse.com. They were mentioned among the 2007 Who's Who of Military Spouses. You go, ladies!!

• Tanya Biank: (Army Wife) Author of Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage (basis for the Lifetime TV series “Army Wives”
• Jacey Eckhart: (Navy Wife) Author, The Homefront Club: The Hardheaded Woman’s Guide to Raising a Military Family; narrator of award-winning deployment CD “These Boots”
• Sue Hoppin: (Air Force Wife) Deputy Director for Spouse Outreach Benefits Information Department, Military Officers Association of America
• Roxanne Reed: (Marine Corps Wife) Chief Executive Officer, All Fired Up Candle Company® and Jane Wayne Gear.®
  

Way to go, ladies!

Marine spouses, hear this: Roxanne was the only one listed from our specific ranks. We need to do something about this!!! True, they were mostly army wives and the army is much larger, but hasn't the USMC always done more with less? Why should the Corps' "better half" be any different?

Deacon Dr. W. Rock:

is my Pimp Handle today. And since I know the USMC moto stuff will get old if applied too frequently (not that I could ever run short of material!) I am going with some other mood-booster goodies today. The first of which is a suggestion for pimping your aura when the going gets tough. We can't all actually be pimps, but we can try to mack like them. What to do when you need a pimp starter set? Go to one of my favorite sites: PlayerAppreciate.com - For The Elevated Player (but only if you aren't offended by 4 letter words used in good fun). In the interest of keeping things random, I will run through the key points in a disorganized fashion, arranged in order of their importance as judged by yours truly.

First, there is the Pimp Name Generator. You enter your name in the box and "have this b!tch kick out some real s#it for you." And if you don't like the first one, you can keep doing it until you are satisfied ("Don't like it? Try that s#it again!").

Next we have the How To Pimp pictorial. Pimp slapping and hailing a taxi are featured topics. A word to the insecure: this could be bad for your self esteem.

I will forego description of the Pimp of the Month as I fear the same pimp has claimed the distinction for many months running. Oh well, even pimps and their fans aren't perfect.

Last but not least, we have the Pimp Gear from IcedOutGear.com. I think we all know at least one hustla worthy of a pimp cup. I, personally, ordered one as a going away gift for a friend of my husband's awhile back. I think my husband secretly wants his own. I'm waiting for just the right occasion to give him the "pimp cup with mad extra trimming all over...."

Moving right along.....

If pimping your name or icing out your gear doesn't do the trick for you, here is another old standby. This is arguably the most ridiculous and most embarrassing guilty pleasure of mine on the web. I want to say for the record that I don't even like South Park. It gets annoying practically before it begins. However, every rule has an exception and this masterpiece is one. I can't begin to guess how many former co-workers have been subjected to this if I happened to be having a bad day. But, I have to say, I've busted more than one person pulling it up themselves. There are some newer and better quality versions out there, but I'm going to share the original that I discovered first out of respect.

Cartman - Come Sail Away

Cheers! =)

The nostalgia and glamour.

"No finer military organization than the Marine Corps exists in the world." --George Dewey, Admiral of the Navy.

So yesterday I did the unthinkable and went on a scavenger hunt for Marine Corps media and materials. The reason this is a bad plan for a girl like me is that I truly do get so excited and curious when I'm looking around that days or perhaps weeks can go by before I re-surface into the real world. My kids are starving, the garbage overflows and seasons may have changed before I realize how lost I've been. Nonetheless, as always when I go looking for old or obscure or unchartered (by me) USMC memorabilia, I found some dandies.

It's amazing to me how so much has changed over the decades and yet so much has stayed the same. This of course is from the perspective of someone who has only been around the Corps for 15 years, not someone with decades of experience. But anyone with interest in the subject can see certain trends. The focal points of advertising, recruiting and morale-boosting (even those created by family members such as myself) materials are Marines' strength, bravery, distinguished appearance and unique level of dedication. Of course there is much more to the USMC than the aforementioned, but let's face it: those things attract us as Americans, potential recruits, spouses, parents, et al. There are some harsher realities that none of us who support our troops want to focus on (such as low pay for the lower ranks, bad working hours for many, the realities and dangers of combat, etc). But it is my belief that as family members we are selective about what we focus on not based on denial of reality-- as I think living with and through those things makes us even stronger and more proud-- but because some of the shinier, prettier aspects of the Corps are real, are legitimate and are what helps us accept the other components. It's a package deal and it truly is what you make of it. We're not in denial about the hard and the negative, we just try not to let it overshadow the positive. And I truly believe we are right to have this perspective.

Having said all of that, back to how excited-- and, dare I say it-- tickled I was to find some of the prints and photos I came across yesterday. Just good stuff. Of course I had to weed through the contemporary, user generated materials in the process. And I have to say that I am truly impressed with the creativity of Marine wives, girlfriends, family members and Marines themselves in designing Ooh Rah sentiment logos and prints. We can out-moto anyone, baby! But I did find some things of an older and more obscure nature that I really liked. Some of these were just general "support the troops" which are great, too. But, can I get a witness for the nostalgia factor on the below?! OOOOOOH RAHHHHH.

*All of these are from the Library of Congress. And there are so many more. Perhaps tomorrow or another day soon I will think about the more contemporary stuff.