Disjointed

I’m feeling a bit "off" today, though I can’t quite place why. I can’t even really describe what’s wrong except that it’s rather like when you’re watching a movie and you realize that the sound is a beat behind or ahead of the picture, so that the characters are talking without their mouths moving. It’s not so off that you even notice it right away, but if it doesn’t right itself pretty quickly, you end up feeling put out and irritated by it.

Apparently I’m not the only one feeling that way today. When I got up I noticed that Alan had left a stack of containers on the counter after packing his lunch. When I went to put them away, I found that he’d put the container full of leftover pasta in the cabinet instead of back in the refrigerator.

I think part of it is that I’m getting sick. I had a headache nearly all day yesterday and it was still there when I woke up this morning, now accompanied by a stuffy nose. I just love getting sick when it’s hot outside. It’s so much worse.

Another big part of it is that something weird is going on with Charlee and Kelby and I have no idea what it is. We were going to do a big dinner with them, Dan and Katie, and Sims. Knowing that Charlee often works weekends, we tried to figure out a day that would be good for her schedule. Unfortunately, Kelby said she was closing both Saturday and Sunday. So we said we’d do it Monday… And then Kelby said that it was too busy a weekend and that they couldn’t come. But he kept trying to make it over at his house. And it turned out that Charlee didn’t close on Sunday. She opened. And Kelby kept trying to get Dan and Katie over there for dinner. And then there was the fact that Charlee wanted to do pedicures last week and was trying to make it a whole thing and then didn’t even invite me. What the hell?

So I have no idea what we did that may have offended them. It’s possible that Kelby, since he has almost no sense of humor, got pissed off about something Alan said last week. Or maybe they were upset that we didn’t go camping with them last weekend (we have no camping equipment and it was pretty last minute). I don’t know, but it just annoys me precisely because I don’t know. I just don’t like lying. It’s pointless. I won’t be offended if you just want to have a quiet weekend at home. I will be offended if you make lame excuses and lie about it instead of being direct and honest.

Sgt. Norbeck told Alan last week that we shouldn’t get too close to Dan and Katie because Dan is a fuck-up and he thinks Katie only married him for the benefits. Well, technically we’re not allowed to socialize with people outside Alan’s rank, or I would happily have Sgt. Schulz and his wife over. They’re nearer our age and experience with life. So that leaves, Sims, Pez, and Faulk. There are other people we could socialize with, obviously, but those are the people Alan works with on a daily basis, so he knows them best.

I just miss my friends… I’m here on my own all day every day. I’m surrounded by people who are younger than me in a completely foreign culture. I miss the benefit of shared experiences, common places. It was so nice to walk around the mall with Erin and Lisette and be able to laugh at the kiddie train that went by and say how lucky it was that they didn’t have that when we were in high school because it would have gotten us banned from the mall.

Katie is a really sweet girl and I like being able to help her out with getting used to the Army and even tricks to use with Claire. It’s not the same though. It was pretty entertaining to watch Claire with the cat though. I managed to lure Karma out from under the bed and brought her out to the living room. She was actually okay with having a toddler poke at her. She hissed a couple times when Claire was toddling towards her, but she was fine once she sat down to pet her. Aladdin was completely freaked out by the tiny feet going by the bed and refused to even think about coming out.

Anyway, I’m downloading "Romeo & Juliet" and it’s almost done. My big plans for the day include watching that and maybe painting. I should probably clean the bathroom, but I gave it a quick wipe-down yesterday before company arrived, so it’s not exactly urgent. The car is still in the shop, which is just as well since we can’t pay for it yet. My dad is sending on a check, but the mail takes time. Oh this thrilling life I lead.

~Liz