bad Friday...and more

Last night I was supposed to join a few coworkers for a poker night, but it never happened. We were supposed to have the poker game at one individual's house, but every time we tried to call that person, we got no response. The group of us (4 in all, myself, another Airman, and the married couple I've been hanging out with since their wedding) decided to go to a local bar to wait for the individual to get home. It was boring. I don't like going to bars anymore, but this is the regular hang out for the rest of the group, so I went. We played "Worst Song Ever," in which we all choose a song and have the bartender play it from the internet. Whomever's song is voed worst is the winner. I won with Tiny Tim's "Tiptoe Through The Tulips." We then got a call from a high-ranking AFNer that he would be at a particular bar near us, so the rest of the gang decided we should go and hang out with him. We kept trying to reach the poker individual, but to no avail. After the upper AFNer showed up, we decided there was no more point in trying to have a poker night. I played darts with everyone, and won, then played solo against the upper AFNer and won again, so he bought a round of drinks.
At this point I have to say, that I haven't been a drinkier for a very long time, but I still went to the bars with the group to be social, and to show them I'm just another "one of the guys." But, when the upper AFNer bought a round for everyone, he included me, so I had a drink. Then he bought another round, so I made it two. Remember, I haven't had a drink for a VERY long time, so two put me into buzz mode. I decided not to drink anymore that night. Soon, we left the bar for another bar, but it was mostly a dance bar, so I played pool. By the time we left there, it was pretty much curfew time, so the upper AFNer told us we had to leave, but then told us - so we wouldn't get in trouble - we should stay out until curfew was over (curfew starts at 1am and ends at 5am). Vanessa called me, but she was upset by something either I or the upper said to her, and she hung up on me. The upper then took us by cab to a series of bars not far from his house. And by this time, I was getting bored and sleepy, but I knew I was stuck until curfew ended. Around 4:30am, the rest of the group decided to leave and get something to eat. I was broke (I had only planned on a night of $20 poker, so I had no cash) and didn't eat. Once eveyone finished eating, the upper took us back to his house to crash.

I got to talk to Vanessa this afternoon, and she says she wasn't upset with me, and didn't hang up on me, but that our communication broke down when she thought I was done talking, but was really trying to tell her I'd call her later once I got home.

- - - -

I miss Vanessa so much! Even though we talk almost every night, I still miss her like crazy. I talk about her to my coworkers, I try to text message her at work when I can, but still, I find myself missing her like crazy. Ah well, another sleepless night without her, but soon, we'll be together. I long for these next two weeks to be over!

- - - -

I got to talk to my friend Tom today. I haven't gotten to talk to him since I left Japan. He seems his same self, though he's become more reclusive in the past couple of months. I tried to get him to hang out with Vanessa a little more, so she wouldn't be so lonely, so he wouldn't be so lonely, and so I'd get the chance to keep in touch with him more. Basically it's like this, Tom became my best friend in Japan, and I want him to be happy. He's a melancholy guy though, and usually puts himself down. So I try to pick him up when I can. He's a really great, nice, and funny guy (he can also sing like the dickens!) and will make some woman very happy someday. He just has to be willing to take the first step - something we're all afraid of sometimes. Hopefully you'll all get to meet him at Vanessa and my wedding. I'd like him to be in the wedding party, and he knows this. That's another reason I want to keep in touch with him.

- - - -

wow, this became a long post afterall.
I'm working very hard to get myself out of debt. I've set up a cash reserve in my savings account for those times that I can't quite make it on my salary. I'm paying my bills, often more than I have to, right from my check, so I can't spend the money. Hopefully, I'll be out of debt by May of 2007. After that, I can finally marry Vanessa with a clear conscience. I know it sometimes seems like I'm stalling, but I'd rather us get married on a clean financial slate, rather than bringing my debt into the marriage and lowering both our incomes. I've told her all along that this is something I want to do for myself and my wife. If not for that, we'd already be preparing for the wedding! Anyone out there with advice or first-hand knowledge about whether I'm doing the right thing by getting out of debt first, please help. Just leave me a comment.

Thank goodness for long weekends

This is the last day of a four-day weekend, and I'm so happy to have had the time to catch up on my sleep. Seriously, getting up every morning at 5am and not getting home from work until 7pm (and sometimes not getting to leave until midnight) was starting to get to me. It's just a different mind set here. In the past, I had a day to shoot, a day to edit, and the next day whatever products I had due were turned in and loaded. Here in Korea, if you shoot something before noon, the powers that be want you to have it completed by 5:00. It's a little hard to adjust to, but I'm sure I can make it work eventually. It's just that the expectations are a little unrealistic. Sometimes people come back from a shoot with great video, but everyone gets writer's block, and that takes up valuable time. Other times, no matter what the shoot was, it's difficult to tell a whole story, or relay what information you have to due to lack of video. It's just difficult to live by this time standard. The only thing that keeps me from going insane sometimes is the fact that I see other people doing it.
Just a little rant.

- - - -

Happy Memorial Day - this little message is brought to you by all those who have come and gone before me in the military. If you see an American Flag today, take time to stop for a few seconds and remember those Soldiers, Sailors, Airman, Marines, and other military personnel who have paid the price for their government's actions. It is truly a sacrifice to live in the military, but it's an even greater one to die for your country. No political statements here, just truth: Some answer a call to serve, some serve to get somewhere better than they came from, some have no other choice, and some just need a job, but any of us, and any of them do what we can. It's YOU, our friends and family, that make serving in the military bearable. So, here is a little advice for anyone out there to help keep today's troops going proudly and strongly:
1. Parents, tell your children you're proud of them (even if it's against your politics). Realize too, that sometimes the mission comes before personal needs, and communication isn't always possible.
2. Husbands/Wives/Boyfriends/Girlfriends, write your significant other and tell him/her you still think about them every day. Don't use the time away from them to play the field, nothing crushes a human being more than getting the "Dear John." Also, see the communication sentence above.
3. Friends, write often. Out of sights does not have to mean out of mind.
4. Americans, no matter what your political view, remember that those who serve are not the ones who make the decisions. If you're anti-war, don't be anti-servicemember. We're just doing the job our boss makes us do. Believe me, if it were up to most service members, we'd rather be home playing with our kids, kissing our S.O. and chatting with our friends and family than mounting up for what could be our last mission.
Remember also, that it may not be your son, daughter, husband, wife, relative, or friend, serving, but tomorrow it very well could be. Even the most anti-war hippie can shave his long hair and join up if the motivation is there. Try to treat everyone how you'd want your own family member to be treated. If you have the opportunity, visit a veteran's or military hospital. You may not like what you see sometimes, but think about Private Smith who just wanted money for college, and now will never be able to walk to class. Just say hello, and thank you, that's not too much to ask.

I don't mean this to be a downer, and I'm not saying any of this happens to me, but after listening to the stories of veterans and current service members, anyone who hears/reads this would do well to remember it.

God Bless America and her fighting force.
Happy Memorial Day.