Military Rant.

I've been avoiding the Internet lately because I got a horrible virus on my computer that led to many, many hours of trying to de-bug it and wonderful willpower. (meaning I had to keep myself from pulling my hair out in frustration or just throwing the damn thing away). I still think it's on here, but I'm just going to keep on truckin. And I've come to the realization that computer hackers and virus producers should be on the list with pedophiles, child molesters, Osama, and car sales people. Are you reading this computer hacker guys (and gals)? I hope you all die a slow, horrible death. (wow, that was harsh, but oh so true)

There is no news on the occupation front. I start my long term sub position tomorrow. Seems the baby is coming sooner than planned. The part that sucks is that tomorrow is the first day of school. So I am going to be the one to have to do all the introductions, go over rules and procedures, and basically get the classes off to a good start. That sucks!! I was hoping to come in a few weeks after school started so that the teacher already had things in order. I'm hoping she's there tomorrow. My nightmare is that she goes into labor tonight and I show up tomorrow to greet all the eager middle school kids. Ugh... (and just FYI the Mrs, I have not gotten a whistle yet. Damn!)

In other news, I'm starting to really, really hate the Marine Corps. Throughout the time that Gorilla has been in, we have toyed with the idea of going career. There are times when we like the military. After all, it's the only life either one of us has ever known. We like the stability, the benefits, and the importance of the job. And we actually like moving all of the time. (I've never lived in one place longer than 3 years. I start getting a two year itch in every new location)

However, the many cons are definitely starting to outweigh the pros. Gorilla has recently been assigned a very important position for his battalion. However, in true military fashion, it is in addition to his already stressful job that is full of tasks that seem impossible for one human to complete. So he is now responsible for the tasks and responsibilities of two jobs. As if life as a Marine was not stressful enough.

This has translated to ridiculous working hours. He leaves at 5:30 (yes, in the a.m.) and comes home (if I'm lucky) around 7 (in the p.m.) Sometimes later. And before someone retorts with a smart remark like "but they get 2 hour lunch breaks" or some bullshit like that- just shut it. Because he's lucky if he gets time to shovel in the lunch I send with him. Many times it goes uneaten.

I know that many people are in worse situations and I of course am so unbelievably lucky and happy that he's not deployed any longer. But I feel cheated. I feel like the only time I'm spending with my husband is one day a week. By the time he gets home, eats dinner, and changes, it's time to go to bed and start all over again. On Sunday he spends the day getting ready for and dreading the week to come. Or making and receiving phone calls about some idiot Marine who decided it was a great idea to drink (underage) and dance on the roof of the barracks. (Yes, I just love that fact that not only is he a babysitter/mentor/principal/counselor/therapist/police officer/and father, but he gets phone calls in the middle of the night so that he can perform these many jobs on his only day off)

Now, if someone wants to start paying him hourly, or overtime, I'd be completely o.k. with the hours he's putting in. If you break down his salary now, and the hours he's putting in, it's worse than hamburger-flipping wages. I'm not exaggerating. Can you imagine how much the civilian world would pay for the many hats he wears?

There are so many other things about the military that have been really pissing us off lately, but I've already ranted enough for today. I just want to spend time with my husband. I want him to come home, have time to relax, and time to live his life. I want him to enjoy his weekends, instead of thinking of his workload and how much he dreads Monday. I want him to be able to plan a vacation months in advance instead of wondering if and when he'll get time off for the holidays and explaining to his family that three days in advance just isn't enough time to get a plane ticket. (don't get me started on that either, that just pisses me off so much) I want him to get compensated for his hard work. I want him to be appreciated. I want him to love his job.

So, Marine Corps- we've invested our entire lives in the military. Please, please, please start doing your part. Or we may have to sever the ties. And it's looking like it's going to be much easier than we expected.