Unproductive Weekend

I spent the entire weekend wrapped up in Ryan, blissfully unaware of the passing of time. ^_^ We watched a lot of movies and talked about random stuff, as we tend to do. Haha. Nothing productive really occurred this weekend. Today I need to return some movies we rented on my way to the bus stop when I go to see Ryan. We'll probably end up watching a movie on base or something.

Other than trips to see Ryan, I'll be working on finishing up my dad's logo this week and maybe doing some other artwork now that the art supplies Ryan's mom sent to me have arrived. Right now I'm off to watch last night's episode of Desperate Housewives! Yay for the return of all my favorite shows!

Panda!

Yay for a new layout! This place had the same design for six months. Yeah, this one is still all about pandas, and, yeah, it's still a shade of blue. But I like it. And pandas are a major theme in my life thanks to Ryan so I couldn't resist.

I need to go get a new DDR game for my playstation. My parents sent me the dance mat and the console, but my game is MIA. T-T And DDR is one of the best fat burners in terms of having a good time while you exercise so I'd like to get back to doing it for an hour a day or something.

I really need to stop sleeping until noon...

Apartment Tour

Here it is. A play by play of my newest living space. Enjoy. : )



The front door with bus schedules taped up with Sanrio characters, Chi Chai Mon Chan and Pandapple, decorative tape I got in San Francisco. My suitcase is doubling as a laundry hamper, at the moment. I'm lazy so I just roll my laundry and detergent to the laundromat a few blocks down and back. ^_^;;



The entertainment center and doors to the two bedrooms I don't even use. I keep my DVD's, CD's, DDR mat, etc. hidden away in the entertainment center, and my pillow and top sheet hide in there during the day. It also functions as a makeshift shoe rack and dresser space. I have a lamp exactly like this at home. And the door stop on the back of this bedroom door is my makeshift closet space for dresses that can't be folded. I attempted to hide these chairs away in one of the bedrooms, but they wouldn't fit through the doors. -_-;; I never use them. They're nifty because they're on rollers, though.



The bathroom complete with awesome multi-colored shower curtain and yellow towels I bought when I got here. Amazingly this matching rug was already here. You don't even want to know how much stuff is on this counter including the side not seen in this picture.



The dining area and heater, which I've heard I will need once winter arrives. Bug spray. Definitely necessary when I first moved in, but I haven't had any problems since I doused all the trouble spots a few times. Yay for my awesome laptop sized purse I got at the Sanrio store in San Francisco! All of my jackets and umbrella reside on a chair. I keep mail, coupons, keys, and laundry quarters organized with that thing on the wall.



The kitchen. First gas stove I've ever used. Actually not as intimidating as I thought it would be. I keep this cup out for my silverware. The dishdrainer didn't have a section for it, and it's colorful. I keep the dishes I use on a daily basis in the drainer. I don't use the cabinets. This awesome little rug was already here, too.



The rest of the living room and the places I spend most of my time. I use this coffee table Japan-style. I spend most of my time sitting on the floor playing on my laptop or doing something creative in my journals. I usually eat here, too. I might eat at the dining area more if Ryan were here to eat with me. This rug takes up almost the entire living room. This little table houses the lamp I leave on at night, my printer, the TV remote, and my cell phone when it's charging. I sleep on the couch. The fitted sheet gives the room some color, and I'm less freaked out by all the empty space if I just use this main room and pretend the bedrooms don't exist. I use the tiny fan in the window to keep cool at night instead of running the huge, loud swamp cooler.

Yay for stuff!

I received the rest of my stuff in the mail that my parents shipped to me today. Yay for having my printer, graphics tablet, and more clothing! Much happiness. (By the way, Ryan says to tell you he is very happy about having more of his clothes, Mom and Dad. ^_^ So thanks a lot! And your logo choices should be heading your way next week, Dad, now that I have my tablet and scanner at my disposal to finish up.) I've already put all of my things away. I'm looking forward to receiving some art supplies Ryan's mom said she sent my way so I can put some things up on the walls of this place to add some color. Then I think I'll finally be able to present the apartment here via photographs.

Ryan and I ordered Chinese for dinner which I've been craving forever. Watching Asian dramas does that to me. I see them eating all that yummy food every time the characters sit down for a meal on screen, which seems to be a lot, and I want nothing more than a bowl of steamed rice. Mmmm. Gonna' have to buy another rice cooker and wok, or I shall go insane! Haha. Must have my rice; must.

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Promotional pens, anyone?

Good News!

Ryan called during his lunch break to let me know he's going to pick up classes on October 2nd! Which means we should be finishing up here in February if all goes well. Yay! This also means we'll have a break at Christmas so we'll probably be flying home to Tennessee for the holidays. Now that I have passed on the good news, I must motivate myself to shower and attempt to be productive in some fashion with the rest of my afternoon.

Identity Crisis

I've almost finished this drama. Haha. I spend way too much time staring at the computer screen, reading subtitles. ^_^;; But it's like a drug; I can't stop at just one episode, and I'm constantly searching for the next drama to watch. And when I'm not wrapped up in one drama or another, I'm playing Sims 2. I don't feel like I've really had the chance to play it to the fullest extent like I did with the original Sims. And Sims 3 comes out next year! I'm going to need a memory upgrade so I can just continue to have the Sims 2, as well, and hopefully play my current families through since I've never gotten very far with all the reinstalling due to computer changes and crashes, etc. Ugh.

I'm attempting to make my apartment more colorful and Erika-like. I've actually stopped using the two bedrooms all together. I just pretend I'm in a studio and make up a little bed on the couch at night. It was just too much space for lonely, little me. I was only using the one bedroom to begin with and only for the few hours of sleep I'd end up getting after tossing and turning for hours every night. So I figured I'll just have less space to short term decorate and less darkness to swallow me and make me feel so much more alone. I sound so dramatic. Haha. But it's true. I originally wanted a studio apartment anyway so it works for me. I should get some pictures up soon. Just hoping for a few more colorful touches to make the place acceptable for me.

I'm probably going to spend the next few evenings at home 'cause Ryan and I just end up bored and frustrated with each sitting around on base every day. Might as well give him some time to play his games and sit around the lounges with his buddies and give myself some time to play Sims 2, do some artwork and writing, work on finishing up my dad's logo once my graphics tablet gets here, and just find myself again. I gave up so many things back when I was dating Aaron, and I feel like I should take this time while I'm not working or in school to rediscover the things that used to make me tick. I feel like I have no identity beyond being Ryan's wife, at the moment, and that's not healthy considering the chunks of time we're going to be separated in this lifestyle. I need to be able to be entertained and content on my own with my own hobbies and interests so I'm not just a miserable, mopey mess when we're apart.

Same as Always

I've been up to the usual. Visit Ryan on base, sleep, watch Asian dramas until time to visit Ryan again, rinse, and repeat. I'm finally getting around to watching the Japanese drama Ichi Rittoru no Namida (1 Litre of Tears) which I've heard about forever. It has Erika Sawajiri from Taiyou no Uta (Song to the Sun) which I loved very, very much. So far this drama hasn't disappointed me.

Tonight Ryan and I watched Tropic Thunder at the base theater. Just as funny the second time for me. But I think Pineapple Express was funnier. That movie was awesome in so many wrong ways.

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Anyone interested in online trading?

I'm Here

Not really anything to update about, at the moment. Spending a lot of time with Ryan and the rest being completely unproductive. Watching a lot of Asian dramas and playing a lot of Sims 2. That's about it. ^_^;; Just thought I'd say I'm alive and hope to get back into the blogging swing of things soon.

Of Asian Dramas and Politics

Today I got lost in the world of Asian dramas. I'm wrapping up the Taiwanese drama Fated to Love You, at the moment, and I have begun the Japanese drama Daisuki! while I'm waiting for the last episodes of the former to be subtitled for those of us that don't speak Mandarin. ^_^;; Otherwise I just lazed around all day.

I went to see Ryan this evening, and we watched Swing Vote at the base theater. Not a great movie, but we didn't expect it to be. It was just something to do, and for $1 each we couldn't really complain too much. But even though we went into it expecting the vast majority of the movie to be full of liberal propaganda, there were still a few cringe worthy moments. The movie attempted to make fun of both sides, but it was obvious which side was less ridiculed. But we can take a joke. We thought parts of it were pretty funny regardless of the political standing the film was obviously taking.

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Anyone on the look-out for logistics jobs? I'm not looking for anything, myself. I'm content to let Ryan be my sugar daddy. : P Haha.

I Have Returned

I finally have internet at the apartment! Yay for being able to blog again! I was losing my mind from the boredom that accompanies not having internet. Sad, but true. Internet is one of my must-haves. Anywho, the past week has been more of the same: spending time on base with Ryan watching movies on the laptop or at the theater there. His liberty ended up being secured again over the weekend due to alcohol problems with some of the other guys. And since those problems only worsened over the weekend, he, and everyone else, has now been sent back to first phase liberty which means he can't leave base for 21 days. Ugh. It sucks, but we'll live. At least I'm here to go on base and spend time with him; I'd be pissed if I had just been visiting for a short time, and this had happened.

Ryan had to take me to the hospital on base on Saturday night because I was having severe abdominal pain and had no idea what it was. Four hours and a Vicodin for the pain later, I was diagnosed with a bladder infection, given two different antibiotics, and sent on my merry way. It's pretty much cleared up at this point. I finished one of the antibiotics and have been drinking as much water as I can get my hands on.

So today I need to venture out at some point for food and bring groceries of some sort back with me so I don't wake up starving with nothing even resembling food in the apartment like I have been. ^_^;; I'm not going to visit Ryan tonight because he needs to get some administrative work done for the USMC, and I'm a distraction. So I intend to use my newly acquired cable television and internet to its limits this evening. Not that I have a LCD TV or anything - this furnished apartment is a bit ghetto as far as electronics are concerned. But there is a TV, small as it is, and a VCR! Haha. Otherwise I use my laptop for DVD's or streaming video. Asian dramas, here I come!

I have McDonald's-dar...

So I have no internet at the apartment just yet. My only WiFi option is to pay $3 for 2 hours at McDonald's, my current place of being. I probably won't be online again until next Tuesday when my cable is being installed as a result. Just thought I should throw an update on here real quick.

I did end up seeing Ryan over the weekend, but I had to go on base to do so. It was fun, though. We watched some movies and just spent time together. Once the secured weekend was over he started coming out into town to see me on the evenings. So the past couple of evenings we've been exploring the small strip of civilization that is Twentynine Palms, California, and watching movies from the nearby Hollywood Video rental store on one laptop or the other. Last night we watched Far and Away which is pretty much one of the most awesome movies ever. ^_^ It's a testament to how awesome Ryan is that he was more than willing to watch it and actually enjoyed it.

We can't seem to get enough of each other. Every second he's not in class we are on the phone, I'm on the base with him, or he's at the apartment/out in town with me. We're so disgusting, and I love it. ~♥ We were together last night, but I'm sitting here counting the hours until he makes his way to my apartment this afternoon. Heh. I thought that whole all wrapped up in each other thing was supposed to fade with time? Poo on you pessimists who doubted us or our decision to be together for the rest of our lives. Our mushiness only worsens with time. ^_^;; I feel sorry for innocent bystanders.

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I'm clueless on this whole futures trading thing, but you're welcome to take a look regardless of my ignorance on the subject.

The List

1. I would like to kick whichever idiots in Ryan's platoon didn't clean their room effectively in the face. Translation: Someone screwed up so the entire platoon is restricted from leaving base at all this weekend, has to reclean their rooms in more detail tonight for another inspection, and has fire watch on rotating shifts for the entire weekend.

2. This means I have to take all of my stuff to the apartment on the other side of town by myself.

3. I'm pretty much out of money so I can't afford a taxi to do the above; I have to take the bus with all my luggage.

4. I need more money because we can't go to the bank off base tomorrow to add me to the account so I don't have to keep asking Ryan for allowances.

5. In order to get more money I have to go on base sometime tomorrow and have Ryan pay the cab driver when I arrive before giving me more money for the next week.

6. Everytime I get on base with my civilian ID is a stroke of luck and a nice guard at the gate. I wasn't planning on returning to base until I had a military ID which I have to get during certain hours so Ryan has to make an appointment. Now I get to worry about not even getting onto base and not having the money to pay the cab driver.

7. I don't get to see my husband this weekend, and I'll be lucky to talk to him much on the phone, either.

8. I'm going to break down in tears...now.

I'm no longer homeless!

So after two days of wandering aimlessly around the small town that is 29 Palms (acquiring a sunburn in the process) searching for a roof to put over my head for the next several months, I've found a furnished apartment to call home. The owner is very nice, and the price is reasonable. I can move in right away, but I'll probably spend my last night at the hotel tonight since it's already paid for and stuff. In the meantime I'm going to surf the internet aimlessly until Ryan gets liberty later this afternoon. He can come see me now so we're both excited to get away from the base and be normal people for a bit. Yay for mushiness!

I'm Alive

I spent the past three days blissfully unaware of the rapid passing of time while on base with Ryan. I was only in my hotel long enough to sleep and shower before heading out again. We just walked around talking and being together. We saw a few movies, and I ate at pretty much every restaurant on base at least once. We shopped a little at the PX; we got my laptop which is exactly like Ryan's in every way except it's white instead of black. It's an HP which I'm super happy about, and I was used to Ryan's computer so I was glad to stick with the same general set-up and avoid having to get used to something entirely different yet again.

Now that Ryan's long holiday weekend is over, I'm just sitting around my hotel room calling apartment buildings and attempting to get my bearings as far as bus routes and all that jazz. Right now I'm waiting on one of the apartment managers to call me back while I keep trying a couple others that have yet to answer their phones. Ryan doesn't seem to think I'll have any trouble so I hope he's right. I'm nervous about it. But I think it'll be fine once I can get someone to answer the phone. Haha. Might have to start knocking on doors tomorrow.

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Don't think I'll be worrying about patio furniture covers anytime soon...