Exile From Employment

I'm finally a civilian and I have no unexpected vacations to Iraq looming it's dark head over my shoulders anymore. Now the problem remains that it's the first time in six years I've been without a steady income. Truth be told I haven't really given it too high a priority because I feel I've deserved a break and also because I don't revolve my problems around money which sometimes drives Stacie crazy. Most of my time has been getting back into the groove of old friendships that I've been away from for so long.

To be honest it's been pretty easy due to the fact that two of my best friends are now unemployed as well. So we've had ample time to catch up and all our employed friends know where to come to see us so we're there when they get off work. It's been a lot like picking up where I left off so long ago when I left the Oregon for the last time. It has brought up a number of mild mixed emotions for me mostly because thanks to Iraq all of my emotions are tempered by apathy. Most of all I miss that place and have gone to visit it a couple times or drove past it with Dr. Robinson. It's grown over with neglect and doesn't even have a for sale sign out in front anymore. The other is great relief that my friends have welcomed me back so enthusiastically. You see we have rules and regs that require attendance amungst other things and I've been allowed time for serving my country. Yeah I know it sounds crazy but we all also don't really have a life outside each other so we make life a game and once we're all together it becomes an adventure. Take the other night when we decided to go swimming in the nieghbors pool. Not a bad idea but it was not a nieghbor who we really talk to or knew we were swimming. Dragon had gone to a wedding earlier and drank nothing but Jack and Coke all night. When he got back to the Club he pulls a gallon of Jack out of the freezer and proceeds to drink more like a starved kitten at his mother's teat. I came out later because I didn't know anything was going on so I planned to turn in early. I get there and have a couple brews with the boys before we get ready to leave. Dragon is entertaining us by falling over anything and nothing he can find and I'm laughing like hell because well there are reasons. Anyway, Mysterio sounds the vanguard call to the pool and off we go. Chip and Mysterio were like silent assassins while I was doing good though I couldn't stop laughing at Dragon who was barely able to make it to the pool. Once in we silently swim about for all of five minutes when Dragon almost drowns himself. I promptly almost drown laughing and then it's quite again for a few minutes. Then the cops pull up. We all duck down and then the search lights come on and when they get out of the car one of them says, "Shit it's five grown men." Mysterio proceeds to explain that in the daytime we are allowed to swim there but not right now. He says we live next door and get out. They let us leave and then they leave themselves as Mysterio breaks a pushbroom just for having the audacity for being a pushbroom and we wander back home. Now let me remind you that Mysterio and I should be looking a little harder for jobs then we are but we're not going to let the fire that drives us to have crazy adventures like that die out because there's other things to be done. On that note we're not going to let our own nature get in the way of finding work. All is tempered and balanced if only on a blades edge. For myself I've been vowing a return to physical fitness and have started today in fact and that's something for this shifless layabout to be proud of.

I've been looking to law enforcement for work and have applied at two different places. It takes a while to go through the process to even be seen so it hasn't yet been overflowing with results. However, I'm keeping an eye out for other possibilities. The ex left me with no transportation and Stacie has no license so getting around is a strictly on foot ordeal if I don't have my brothers car. That's all well and good because walking is good for me. I'm going to spend some time photographing the Oregon in it's current state and then finding old pics to show with them. I've got a couple up all ready but they were taken with my phone camera and not my good camera. It's wonderful being home and it's been a great relief to fit back in so quickly in what I thought was going to be a "constant struggle" between the soldier and civilian within me.


See you all further on down the road.


Biff