I just ordered a new pair of boots online.  That always makes me nervous.  Manufacturers are so horrible at making shoe sizes all the same actual size.  I ordered the same size I wear now, but it’s a different brand, so here’s hoping.  I’m getting the Altama Exospeed.  It’s supposed to be really lightweight and breathable, and has good arch support.  Here’s hoping it lives up to my expectations. And is a bit more durable than my last pair – they lasted about 6 months.   I’m taking them with me anyway, just because I’m paranoid about getting my decent pair of boots wet or something.  Need something to be able to change into, even if they are crappy.

Got my new, and incredibly cheap, mp3 player loaded and ready.  It doesn’t have a file system, which sucks, ’cause I’ll have to flip through a couple hundred songs to find the one I want, but I’ll deal.  It’s a 2GB Element (no clue who makes it – I think Sears).  It’s small, light, and I don’t give a damn if it gets damaged while deployed.  Perfect!

I’m worried I’m going to have to buy a new laptop while in Iraq.  Arg.  My PC is getting *uber* slow, my web browsers aren’t functioning correctly, and XP keeps telling me I don’t have administrator authority, despite the fact that I only have one log-on for the system.  Yeah, not a good sign.  Going to try a clean-up and defrag and see if that helps any.  *sigh*  Here’s hoping… On the bright side, if my PC dies, it’s just an excuse to get a Mac even earlier!

later

I’m making final preparations for my deployment and grad school.  Mailed my iPhone home today.  I feel at a loss without it.  How sad is that?  I’ve become so used to being able to access the internet, email, and a thousand other things in seconds that being without it seems like a hardship.  I can’t even remember how I used to survive without a cell phone.  Anyone remember those days? 

I finding it amazing how quickly we become dependent upon new technologies.  Not so long ago, having a computer was a huge deal. Now, *not* having a computer is a big deal.  I truly think that our technological leaps of innovation are going to rapidly outpace our society, if they haven’t done so already.  Even now, we’re moving away from the printed word – the USPS is going under, books are being epublished, newspapers are being read online.  How long will it be before a printed piece of paper will be considered archaic?  Or even wasteful? (“What are you doing, trying to kill a tree?”). What kind of massive changes is that going to mean for our society?  Lol, better yet, what are archeologists going to think thousands of years from now (assuming we haven’t caused the Earth to explode by then, erasing all evidence of our existence), when they can’t find any printed materials left, and all the hard drives have crashed and the electronic information decayed into nothingness (and as long as we keep using crappy OS like Windows Vista, that’s exactly what will happen).  Will they think we lost our ability to communicate via the written word?  Obtained a higher form of communication?  Became so sociopathic that human contact was anathema? 

I wish I could fast-forward into the future and find out.

Anyway, I got way off topic, but I guess it’s allowed.  It’s my blog dammit.   My actual intention was to let my friends know that I’ve turned off my phone, so calling me is no longer an option.  You can email me at any of my civilian or military accounts and I’ll get it.  Except hotmail – I don’t really check that account too often.

later

I’m really starting to miss the boy. It’s bad enough that I’m not going to see him again until mid-tour leave, but now I’m about to give up my cell phone and I won’t even be able to talk to him.  This sucks!  It’s making me really think hard about going active duty.  Can I go through this every other year?  I’m not too sure…