reindeer, april fools

Some interesting excerpts from a running series of letters with Sharon:

Her:
I really like your new haircut! You look nice in a military style haircut. I used to get my hair cut on base but stopped going.

So tell me a story about your military experiences. Do you ever go crazy being around so many men?

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I bought some reindeer from him and they pull me to class because there is so much snow and ice that I don't want to drive in the coldest months.

I have a fun idea. Since it is April 1st tomorrow why don't we change our relationship status on fb and pretend we are dating for one week as a joke? Todd will be so baffled, especially because we live so far apart. :) If he asks I can say that I am now pregnant as well. :)

Me:
I'm game on the prank, status changed my end. I'll change it back on 7 Apr. Yes, do tell him the pregnant part, the distance factor will boost my already considerable reputation for virility .

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Hmmm, military experiences. I don't know about "go" crazy, we pretty much "are" crazy about women. I am working on a blog entry about it, but sometimes the best part of my whole day is hearing a woman's voice on the radio.

I had a female pilot friend deployed with me at one point. She was taxiing out one day and making a radio call to tower and in the background as the tower controller was talking to her you could hear someone in the background with a Russian accent say, "I love you!"
(We were in Kyrgystan, a former Soviet Republic, so the Russian accent made sense.)

For a genuinely crazy story, try this one out. I had never heard of this before getting here, but apparently there is a serious problem with male-male rape in the US army over here. Not that surprising when you compare this place to prison, bunch of dudes all crammed together for 15 months, isolated from the rest of the world they knew, with the added pressure of being shot at quite often.

Her:
Todd has now changed his status update-look at the one before.

Please don't tell anyone we both know that this is a joke until a week from now. ...for one, is sure to be surprised if he notices.

So are you also being shot at all the time? :( I wouldn't be able to sleep if that was me.

~
Just to keep you updated this was the message I just sent Todd:

Yep, Dave and I have kept our illicit relations a secret for a while. We don't see each other very often and sometimes we can't talk that regularly because of his schedule and the time zone differences. So we tried being friends but we are just too attracted to each other when we meet up. The pregnancy wasn't planned...I am normally very careful about these things...it was one of those I drank too much New Years surprises. I always wanted to be married first...oh well. We are talking about setting a date soon.

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Oh my gosh! My doctor friend just cooked up this ultrasound picture with our twins! Completely wild! It even has my name on it. I even fooled a bunch of other people without meaning to.

In case you are wondering, I haven't lost my marbles. But I think we have taken April Fools to another level!

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I find the thought of you being shot at quite upsetting and I find it hard to believe that you get used to it. But I will try to believe you...

Me:
It's interesting that you say that about getting shot at. There's a Chili's down the street from my house that I eat at a lot, so I've gotten to know a few of the waitresses. I was walking out a couple days before I left and I mentioned it would probably be awhile before I saw her again because I was going to Iraq, and I think I ruined her day. She got all sad looking...I felt bad, but I was really surprised because we didn't even know each other that well.

Well, you do get used to it. Most of the time I sleep through it now.

Her:
Sure, I will send you a postcard. It might have to wait until after final exams in May though. What is your address? Will you send me a postcard too? I have never gotten one from that part of the world.

My undergrad degree was in Psych and I learned how there is a stronger connection between couples who meet when they are young. The divorce rate goes up by 20-30% I think if you marry a person you meet after you are 25. I read about this a long time ago so my figures might be off. There is some kind of connection that forms when people are young which cannot be replicated later in life.

Me:
Interesting info on relationships. I was considering doing psych for my masters. I wonder if the reason for that is physiological (i.e., the brain is younger so the connections are more enduring), or learned (i.e., when you are older, you've met more people so each relationship is less unique.)

Her:
About your hypothesizing-the first reason is correct.

Jeez, your address looks like it is on the moon or something. There isn't even a country!

And when we call it quits don't try any funny stuff. :) You only get one kid and half the reindeer.