Christmas traffic makes me all warm and cozy inside

So it took twice as long to get to the boyfriend's house this evening, surprise surprise. It wouldn't be very Christmas-y of me to run your non-driving ass off the road, now would it?

All hail the queen of procrastination...Alternate title "Ooh look at the shiny thing"

I am writing when I should be walking my dog, wrapping presents, vacuuming, or the many other grown-up tasks that await me in my palacial one bedroom apartment surroundings. Bah.

So there I was...

I had a friend.

That's not right, because I'm pretty sure he's still alive, so, I HAVE a friend. Steve Cotton, yes, real name. When we spent a few months in the Middle Eastern paradise, we often had to find creative ways to amuse oursleves. "So there I was"... naked with nothing to claim but a roll of toilet paper, 5 liters of water, and a pack of cigarettes. We'd add new silly stories for hours to help pass the time. I miss the simplicity. I was watching the news earlier, and I realized how frustrating this war is.
I'm a soldier. Not much of one in the traditional sense lately, but nevertheless, I know how to handle an M16. I see my brothers and sisters and I'm envious as well as thankful, sad and pissed. It goes without saying that I'm thankful and fortunate that every evening, early or late, I get to sleep under clean sheets without a flak vest. And that's all there is to it. Some of us made a decision to defend our nation. The decisions our government makes won't always coincide with personal beliefs, and so if you disagree with them, congrats, you have just experienced democracy in action. I just got home after eating some delicious mussels, a glass of sangria, and some decent conversation. Thank you for the opportunity to do that, sisters and brothers in green, If it wasn't for you and me, and everyone who stood in the face of indifference and said "I have the courage to make the wrong decision", I may have never had the opportunity to have a drink and make a new friend.

I didn't want to do that, but you left me no choice.