Aloe, please?

Oy. Not sure even where to start.

Drill weekend. Unexpectedly spent Saturday at the Rodeo Parade street fair working a recruiting booth and a bounce house for kids (since I wasn't in uniform, apparently I wasn't scary and they needed help). Which was really fun, and I got to spend time with some of the guys from the 216th, but would have been a hell of a lot better if I'd known ahead of time and could have brought sunscreen. While I lucked out in the sense that my face and arms didn't get too badly burnt, and I was smart enough to wear light pants and real tennis shoes, so my legs and feet were safe, I did wear a square-collar tshirt, so the top of my chest and the back of my neck are absolutely fried. Like painfully fried. As in, wearing a regular tshirt in class tonight was pretty close to excruciating. And the headache still hasn't completely gone away. Yes, I have aloe. It hurts to apply it, but I have been gritting my teeth and doing it. Sunday was actually spent, gasp, at the 148th. I got to hang out up on the hill and actually spend time with people in my own unit. They turned out to be pretty fun (okay, so I got grilled within an inch of my life, but it was funny), and I can't wait to actually work up there. They are badly understaffed and need people like crazy. In fact, one sergeant asked me to come up and help with basic grunt stuff and PT (she even gave me a pair of wings and told me that now I HAD to pass all my tech school stuff so I could earn them), and my security clearance should actually be finished by the end of the month so I can get my badge soon. All peachy. Except for the fact that I can't pull any extra shifts until I go to Basic and Tech. Oh, and I won't be able to do that until OCTOBER at the very earliest now (when the new fiscal year starts). I'm getting REALLY tired of the "We really need you but you're not allowed to help out" line. Really. I've talked to both my recruiter and my contact sergeant up there, so we'll see if that shakes anything loose, but I doubt it. Sigh.

Knitting: I'm starting a new project. A bag. I'm kind of designing it myself. Well, not really. I'm taking a crochet pattern that I really like and turning it into a knitting pattern. It's not particularly difficult to translate if you understand mitered squares. Which I do. Because it's kind of an experiment, I'm using some Red Heart that a well-meaning Secret Santa gave me for the holidays. I love the colors, but I now remember why I don't buy regular Red Heart anymore. I don't consider myself to be a yarn snob in the slightest - in general, the more machine-washable the better, as appropriate, of course - but man, regular Red Heart is awfully scratchy. It doesn't help that I'm purposely knitting it at a pretty tight gauge. (Mental note to self - new scarves and hats for the parents, since they got crappy Red Heart accessories a couple years ago.)

Life in general: Plans to hang out with friends soon. Randomly back in semi-regular contact with John after getting a phone call from him that started with five minutes of "why haven't you called/emailed/texted me?!" He has me researching some potential theaters for upcoming shows. We talk about music a lot, too. Or rather, we send each other songs and say "I like this one, what do you think?" (He's decided Jars of Clay's "Hero" is pretty good.) I've gotten caught up on Chuck (I'm madly in lust with Bryce and the season 2 finale about made me cry) and was suitably pleased by the season/series premieres of Burn Notice and Royal Pains. Cheering for the Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals. Looking forward to class with the General again next weekend. Also looking forward to a good week of martial arts classes, although I'm trying to figure out why my hands are getting torn up by my kickboxing gloves again. My knuckles are getting bruised and I have chafed skin between my fingers and on my wrist. G suggested that maybe my gloves are starting to wear out. They have seen pretty consistent use for almost two years now. I hope not, though. I already have to pick up a jahng bahng for instructor classes, I don't really want to have to get new gloves, too. Not to mention having to break THEM in as well. I'm really hoping that it's just the change in the kickboxing routine (although I don't know why) and after a week or so it will work itself out. No word on my new jacket, although Mel swears it'll be in by the next testing date (although I don't think I'm midterming this time around, but I might offer to help out, if not watch. At least one of my classmates is testing for his first black belt.) Mr. R was sympathetic to my sunburn tonight - we'll see how sympathetic he is during FIGHT tomorrow night. I think I'm safe from choke holds this week (we did them last week), but center clinches might be a problem. We'll see, I guess.