Random Musings Friday

It's FRRIIIIIIIIIIIDAY! My whole week, which is regulated by Neal walking out the door promptly at 7:45, firing up the motorcycle and driving away (a trigger that moves me to get out of bed and make my way carefully towards the coffee maker), has been a little off. They shut the water in the Reserves off on Tuesday and the electricity off on Thursday so he's been home at all kinds of odd hours. Tuesday felt like Friday and then yesterday felt like Saturday and the whole thing feels like The Jerk on loop.

Today, I'm linking up with Shana for Random Musings Friday because I have quite a few. And don't forget to check back tomorrow for Small Business Saturday, where I'll be singing the praises of an Etsy designer who created a Christmas ornament out of a recently redeployed Soldier's uniform for me.

1. Instagram finally released a Droid app this week. This was especially exciting for me because I follow tons of people on Twitter who are always tweeting Instagram photos and tweeting back and forth to each other things like "Oh I want to follow you! What's your screen name?" and "It's JennyFromTheBlock! What's yours! Can't wait to see your pictures! Isn't this the greatest ever? Instagram for the win!" And here I sat with my Droid which, when it comes to fancying it all up with filters and filtered filters, was about as useful as a doorstop. But I cling to non iPhone technology because I can burn through a cell phone battery in about 6 hours, depending on how much I have to stand in line that day. I love the idea of just switching a fully charged battery out for a dead one...as opposed to plugging it in every time I'm in the car driving to the next errand.

Anyway, Amanda tweeted a story she found that said, "When Instagram was released on the Droid, it went from being a gated community to section 8 housing"...inferring that Droid owners are second-class citizens and something as elite as the Instagram app did not belong in the hands of peons. When I relayed this nugget of ridiculousness to Neal last night, this is what he had to say:

Well, everyone makes apps for the iPhone because everyone has one. If the Apple technology wasn't EVERYWHERE, there wouldn't be so many apps for it. And since everyone has something Apple, doesn't that make Apple the section 8 housing? There is way more section 8 than gated communities. Actually, the Droid is the gated community. 

Every now and then, he makes absolute sense.

2. Neal asked me to pick up his uniform from the alterations shop in the BX (Base Exchange) yesterday and then drop everything off at the dry cleaners. Between those two places, there was not a fluent English-speaking person around. It's fine, but I could tell they were all getting frustrated with me because I was having a hard time understanding the questions they were asking. I asked Neal about it when I got home. It went like this:

Me: Why are there no Americans working in the BX?

Neal: Because all of these young guys get stationed in Korea and they come home with wives, who need jobs.

Me: I can't understand them. And I can see them getting frustrated. Like the woman at the dry cleaners. She kept saying, "last four...last four?" And I kept asking, "last four WHAT?"

Neal: (giggling) Last four digits of your social.

Me: Yeah I figured that out eventually but she isn't getting that. And I told her so. She told me to make something up.

Neal: Well, that's how we do it in the Army. Last 4 digits.

Uh-huh. That might be the case, but she was not getting the last 4 digits of my social. Although, I am happy to spill the rest of my life onto the Internet on about 8 different social media sites. Because that's how I roll...swathed in irony.

3. When tornado season started, Neal bought us a NOAA weather radio, which sits right next to the microwave in the kitchen. He wanted to make sure I could hear it any time it went off so I went to various spots in our house and shut the door and he gave it a test. The good news: I can hear it all over the house, even with the doors shut. The bad news: it is ear-piercingly loud when you're in the kitchen.

Yesterday, it went off because we had a strong line of thunderstorms sweep in from Alabama. Every time it goes off, I feel like I'm in an episode of Deadliest Catch...because those guys kept their NOAA radios running 24-7. Also, if you are in the market for a NOAA radio, this is the one to get. In addition to your normal tornado, hurricane, severe weather, and tsunami alerts, it will also sound off if there's a disease outbreak, a volcano eruption, anything from space hurtling towards earth, an earthquake, rising water conditions, and everything else just short of announcing the arrival of aliens in your general vicinity. It's awesome.

4. Speaking of Instagram, I'm quietly doing the April Photo-a-Day project and here are the first 3 from the month:

"Reflection"

Taken to show off the new wire "A" I ordered from an Etsy artist. I personally don't have the talent or patience for working with wire for hours on end. And I thought $5 was a steal! 

"Color"

Poppy admires the purple piggies, which are specifically for Shana, who insisted that I break out of the pink/red toenail paint rut and embrace something random. And this is what I ended up with. 

 "Mail"

Minus the credit card offers, billing statements from the townhouse, and coupons from Firestone, this is pretty indicative of what the mail coming into our house looks like. Hooah, I want one foot massager and this sterling silver picture frame with our wedding date engraved on the bottom.

I hope you have a joyous and family-filled Easter/Passover weekend. It will be quiet around here as we prepare for a visit from Mama Virgo and Anna Banana next weekend. But I see your deviled eggs and I raise you a Honeybaked ham with sweet potato pie.

Bunny hop on over and link up with Shana to share your own Random Musings from this week!