Kei: The fact that your mother is/was an expert marksman really impresses me, and totally changes my mental impression of her.
And don’t be scared. =)
Felix: I realize the entire situation has long since blown over, but I’ll still answer you here.
The answer, unfortunately, is yes to all three. The whole rant bit started at my aggravation over the idiots claiming Karmic/Deific retribution, along with the people who were really reporting on anything and everything just so they could get a sensational story out of it. But I never post about anything specific like that.
See, I don’t like pointless ranting. Just saying crap about something irritating you does absolutely nothing for anyone. It doesn’t make you feel better at all (believe me, I’ve tried), it helps absolutely no one else, and the only responses you ever get (if anyone gives enough of a crap to respond) are commiserative whiny things that mimic your little whiny thing and do just as much as yours did. There is absolutely no point to saying “ooooh, I hate this guy in my math class, he’s so stupid and he’s ALWAYS ASKING ME FOR HELP GAH”.
But if I can find a way to turn my rant into something constructive, something other people might actually find useful—such as providing them both an opportunity to go “yeah, I know what you mean” and a method to approach dealing with it effectively—then I can justify ranting about it. And in those cases, like this one, I always turn my thoughts into something broader. Sure, dealing with an idiot who takes advantage of you can be difficult, but if you alter that into how to deal with idiots in general, suddenly you’re no longer having a whiny crapfest, but constructively dealing with the situation, and providing other people with a point about which to go “yeah, that makes sense; good thinking, there!”, and it’s not about you and your irritability any longer.
So yes, it got started by all that ruckus over the aforementioned. But I only posted my feelings because I could do something with it.
Lyn: I can definitely understand the separation angle. Six and a half years of never coming home is gonna be a bit rough. Plus I’m definitely not going to be able to have pets during that time. Yeesh.
It amuses me that I remind you of your brothers. =P
Beth: Yeah, the medical thing was a minor concern to me. I was afraid I was going to get dropped because of my weight. Thank goodness I cleared the Body Mass Index, though, so hooray, I guess.
My second sister has been diagnosed with asthma, and we believe my youngest sister has athletic asthma, so both of them are pretty well barred from ever serving in the military. I’m thankful I’ve had no disqualifying conditions so far in my life…although I probably could have done with a broken bone or two.
Definitely got to put something in my will about posting a notification here in the event something does befall me.
Mimmi: Although no one can ever know the future, I have a small degree of faith that, if I were subjected to anything psychologically traumatizing, I would emerge basically the same as before. Which, admittedly, is a slightly cynical jackass, so what have you.
Wars are made by leaders, and armies are their tools. Personally, I prefer to act in defense of something, unless offensive action is absolutely necessary and warranted, and even then I don’t consider it an attractive option, even as I believe any offensive action should be thorough and complete. And I’m aware that being in the military will always have that negative stigma associated with it, especially in the current times. But I believe this is the right thing to do, and I have faith that even if I am placed in such an ugly situation, I will be given the clarity of mind and the boldness of spirit to act on what I know is right.
Crys: Thank you.
James: I think that's a very good question to ask. Forces one to be a bit more deeply introspective about their prior activities, and not just allow themselves to assume things have remained the same.
But in this case I have to answer yes. I do still enjoy doing these things. I love writing, and I always will. It's not just a form of expression for me, as I know most people view it; writing to me is the only way to share what I see and hear and feel, so that other people can enjoy it as well. The same goes for musical pursuits, and so on.
But in my laziness, I simply haven't done any of them. For almost a year, if not longer, I've looked at what I love doing, and instead of continuing to pursue them, I've exchanged them for sitting on a little futon beside a computer screen and a television and not moving for hours. I didn't hate sitting there, but I didn't enjoy it either. It was just something to do, to occupy the time, to distract me from ... something. I don't know what right now, and I may not know until age brings wisdom and insight. But the point is I allowed myself to dissolve into total apathy, and I refused to let myself see what I was doing.
