So ends B-DAY Fest 2007
Did you note the sarcasm.......I hope so. Not much of a weekend - has some beers, saw Eastern Promises Friday night - kick ass flick by the way - then off to Fort Irwin on Saturday for my nephews B-day. He turned 7 on Oct 5th so we all went out there for him.
It was interesting in that I have never been on a military base before. The part I was on - base housing and stuff - seems normal, like a city but at the same time - different. It is a different world for sure.
We had his party at the base bowling alley which was packed with rotation troops ( i think that is what they are called) and I got this odd feeling I just did not fit in - could have just been me but none of the military guys who were at the party with their kids said anything more than hello... but oh well - not gonna worry much about it and besides -to many of them wear tight jeans and tuck their shirts in....sweet jesus!!!
Nephew had a great party - got his BMX bike and he was in heaven. His Aspberer's has slowed his motor skills but his was riding pretty good and he was even trying to wheelie when we made him go in the dirt!! Boys will always be boys!!!
Played Rainbow Six on XBOX 360 with my bro in law (the one in the Army) and man - real training pays off in the game world..he was kickin ass and I gotta say it was funny as we were playing pretty late into the night and having some brews and he got into the lingo - every time we cleared a room in the game he yelled "Clear" out of habit....
Got my Band of Brothers DVD set - way cool and that is about it - oh except and not only surprising but a sign of maturity,, the in-laws gave me a some cash for my b-day ($200). He got his Army bonus and he said that I have helped them so much over the years and he finally has the chance to pay me back a little and wanted me to have that. It was not even the money that impressed me - the mere fact they wanted to pay back something to us without asking......sign of growing up - I'll take the growing up over the cash any day and I am glad there is hope!! BTW - here come bike shoes for road bike - time to clip in!!!! (they will be mountain bike style shoes not the hard core road guy shoes in case you are wondering)
Peace out for now!!!
posted by birdman @ 9:10 PM
4 Comments:
This was an interesting post from you Birdman in many ways...
First of all, base housing is unique. Before about five years ago it looked more like barracks then actual housing. Very plain and very uniform. Now, at least on Camp Pendleton, it looks more like a housing tract than military housing. It is a city in and of itself - all self-sufficient in many ways. They consider themselves a community inside a community. When the sh*t hits the fan they need each other for support in all aspects of their lives.
Secondly, the military guys probably were not sure what to say to you.. Speaking from experience when they see someone close to their age they wonder what your deal is. Are you supportive of the military? Or are you not? They don't want to start a conversation with you at the risk of you not being supportive and that puts them in a position where they might be not so nice. As for their dress, well, believe it or not it is a regulation for military to tuck in their shirts when in civilian clothes. Sometimes it is enforced. Sometimes not so much. They must come from a unit that does enforce it. Weird, I know.
Kudos to your in-laws on growing up.. That is very cool. I remember you commenting several times about them owing you guys money.
No song?
The ending of b-day fest is always a downer. It sounds as if you had a nice weekend and a good b-day...
Oh god - not the clip on shoes. Those just scream sexy. NOT!
That is cool about your nephew and his bike. I am waiting for N to crack a wheelie on his bike (or at least ask for the training wheels to come off) - got to love the boys.
Thanks Wrider - I knew you would have some insight into that.. It had to be something because I did not see it applied to Ginger so I figured it was "a guy thing" and some of that makes sense. I could not have lasted in the military if I had to tuck my shirt in.... I cant stand doing that... ahahahaha seriosuly though.. it would have killed me...
Many people have a real problem with it. Sometimes you will get one of those guys that makes it a point to go around making sure people are following the rule. We used to harrass them unmercifully. The rule is really an outdated one. It goes back to the times of during WWII when the soldiers, sailors and Marines weren't allowed to wear anything but their uniforms. They always had to be squared away in uniform so when they finally allowed service members to wear civilian attire off duty they tried to keep the same squared away 'look' by making men tuck in their shirts and wear a belt. The belt thing has kind of gone by the way side, but the tucking of the shirt is still a thorn in many sides.
Post a Comment
<< Home