Christine Misses Justin � � � Monday, Mar. 31, 2003 * 22:27

My adoring husband, Justin, is in the army reserves. In January, he got activated in the name of Operation Fuck the Iraqis. We were married on January 23rd. They sent him to Fort Dix (ahem: Dicks?), New Jersey on January 24th. He drove a HumVee all the way up there. He stayed there for two months. I visited him twice with our roommate John. We had a wonderful time. The most recent visit was two weekends ago, when we stayed at the McGuire Inn on McGuire Air Force Base. It was so bittersweet. We didn't know when he was leaving, not by a longshot, but I had a feeling it would be very soon. He left two days later.

He's in Kuwait now. He took a plane there, with a stopover in Ireland. He called me from there. I was sleepy and all I could think to talk about was car insurance and the ever-growing stain on the ceiling of our bedroom (which is now only occupied by me and two very cute guinea pigs, who make hilarious noises all night and keep me from feeling too sad). He called me again this afternoon, from Kuwait. He sounded well. He sleeps in a big room with 200 other people. Some people from his unit, his friends, are there with him. They're sectioning off a little 'room' with their bedsheets so they won't have to look at the 190 some other people in the room all the time. I miss him. When we talked to-day, I told him about the stain some more, about my adventures driving and shopping and seeing movies alone, and he told me about nothing because his job is secretly performed in a secret room. I don't know what goes on but methinks it isn't good for the Iraqis.

What bothers me is that they took him from me, from his life, from his studies, and from his entire family so quickly. With no time to say good-bye properly. With no time to himself. Now he lives with strangers. Bless his heart. He deserves something better. I hope Tommy Franks (why is everything and everyone in the army so phallic?) will hurry up with his little war so we can go on with our lives, along with all the other strangers in the military I don't know. I'm sure they want the same thing. Life is too short to be namby-pambying around in foreign lands so that a strange citizenry can be "liberated". If they want liberty, let them get it themselves, I say.

That's my piece, and I'm sticking to it.