Day 296

Two-hundred and ninety-six days...

I googled that number, just to see if anything came of it, and I have to say - Wikipedia is endlessly useful and interesting.

Zee had a wonderful idea, and I'm interested to see if we can see this idea through to the end.

I've read the blogs and writings of couples going through deployment, veterans of deployments, and couples with pending deployments, and what I hear the most is Communication, Communication, Communication!

For the most part, Zee and I are doing well on that part. We had a rough start (Do NOT Listen to Verizon if they tell you that you can use Skype on Verizon's Global Plan!!), but Zee has hacked her blackberry and is now using an Afghanistan chip. So now I get morning wake-up calls, and I have been her personal alarm clock the past couple days.

We also tried to go a month without internet access - since it costs $70 a month (yeeeesh) - but that was disastrous. I've never felt more depressed, and she felt completely disconnected.

So! We have phone and internet connections! Yay!

But now we're going to go a step further to focus on us - a project.

Zee had the idea that we should do something together, like build or create something.

It will give us something to talk about even when we're worlds apart; it will encourage us to work together; and, if we succeed, we will have the joy and bond of creating something together.

...something that is not a squalling sack of flesh child.

With all that being said, Zee and I are going to begin writing a story together. We're not sure how long or involved it will be, but I'm excited! Two main characters, two point of views, both coming together to tell a story of romance (and maybe a little magic... **wink**).

Should be interesting. And yay for relationships!

Day 305

First I want to say that things are improving with Zee and I. Communication has been a lot better this week - mostly cuz she's bored as hell and has decent access to some office-place-thing-something where she can chat online with me and occasionally call me for 10 minutes at a time.

I have to say, I am at my absolute happiest when I'm talking with her. And not just talking, but debating (arguing?), reasoning, compromising, believing, trusting, daring, and feeling. I walk away feeling full of purpose, and when we talk next, it's always better than the last time.

And maybe it's feeling so much better now because we've gone to unlimited communication to the few minutes here and there. But regardless, I love it. I love her. I love us.

In other news...

Has anybody ever heard of anything like what has been going on in Arkansas???

Thousand of birds fell from the sky. Almost 100,000 fish washed up on the shores.

Now, this trips me up, because only Red-winged Blackbirds fell from the sky - almost all at once - on New Year's Eve/New Year's Day.

And only Drum Fish washed up on the shores on a river in Arkansas.

And HOW does that happen??

Scientists are conjecturing that lightning or New Year Fireworks could have killed the birds.

Ok, sure. Fireworks. Lightning. Fine.

If it were lighting or fireworks, wouldn't that have affected all birds in the area? How did it affect only that one flock that was apparently thousands strong??

And what is the likelihood of not even a week later, a hundred thousand fish died - but only one kind of fish! They're saying it's disease that caused them to die.

Ok, sure. Disease. Fine.

But, again - what is the likelihood of a hundred thousand fish contracting the same fucking disease and dying overnight that no other fish caught.

Now, I'm not worried about God smiting us all. And I'm not worried about some crazy disease or M. Night Shyamalan-like scenario.

I'm just worried about whatever the fuck Arkansas is doing wrong, because they are right next to Tennessee.

If they are fucking shit up, it's likely that we are next.