12 March 2013
It feels so weird to be in North
Carolina again. I have spent almost as
much time here as I did in Afghanistan, but it doesn't feel right anymore. It used to be a second home to me, but now it
just feels alien.
The 8th Marines returned from
deployment while I was collecting Bastion and hailing a cab. Enough of them saw me that I had to duck out
of the way. I couldn’t face them. The wounds were too fresh.
At least I have my Jeep back. Bastion enjoyed the drive home much better
than he did the flight out. He hates
flying. Can't say I blame him, but I
wanted him with me for the ride home. I
still got stuck inside my own head, but it might have been a lot worse if Bast
hadn't been sitting in the seat next to me.
From the Journal of
Jason Forrester
15 February 2013
Rebecca has fallen asleep, so I
will try to keep this brief. Valentines
was amazing. I still can't believe I was
able to get reservations at the Kill Devil Club for tonight, but I somehow managed
it.
She really is an excellent dancer,
and the jazz band played a number of dance tunes for all the couples who had
ventured out to spend a romantic evening basking in each other's company. And the beef.
Dear God if I never have another burger in my life, I might die happy.
The most amazing part is how the
claddagh ring looks on her finger. Right
hand, heart facing in. Just like the
legends say is supposed to happen. Maybe
some more of the old magic will rub off on me, enough has already that my PTSD
symptoms are almost completely manageable.
I don't even have trouble sleeping anymore. Things are getting better.
From the Journal of
Jason Forrester
28 Mach 2013
Well, either mom is beginning to
take me seriously or she just got tired of my nagging. She gave me a Costco card today. I am going to buy enough iodized salt to preserve
a hundred deer. I read online that a
number of spices would be valuable trade items as well. I think I will get a couple shakers of them
as well.
Bastion is sick, but Sally is
taking care of him at the Vet clinic where she works. The prognosis is good. He's not a purebred Aussie Shepherd, so they
say its prolly not one of the congenital defects found so often among
Aussies. Thank God, I don't want to have
to put my dog down.
From the Journal of
Jason Forrester
31 March 2013
Bastion is home. Turns out it was a stomach infection, he was
fine.
Thank God.
Rebecca and I took him out to the
park to celebrate. I am glad Bast likes
her. That is almost as big a deal
breaker as if she doesn't get along with Arturius and his wife.
Note to self, don't write these
while she is in the room. My arm hurts
from her punch.
Rebecca here, I didn't hit him that
hard. He's just a big baby.
From the Journal of
Jason Forrester
6 April 2013
I never thought this would happen,
but I am now a sales weenie. A new
security startup in the area, Helios Security, hired me as a sales
associate. My job is to go check out the
location, mostly Commercial or Industrial, and report back on any security
lapses. If they decide to pick us up as
a security provider, I supervise the installation to prevent the creation of
blind spots with the cameras, figure out sight-lines for motion sensors, etc.
Rebecca took me out to dinner in
congratulations. When I pointed out that
I make more than she does now, and that I should be paying for it as such, she
just laughed and said it was her gift.
I think she is going to sell her
apartment soon, she spends more time out here than she does in Missouri any more. I owe her a lot. If it wasn't for her, I never would have
started PTSD counseling.
From the Journal of
Jason Forrester
21 April 2013
Somehow, don't ask me how, I have
finally convinced my parents to take my warnings seriously.
It's about time.
Now that I have a Self-Storage
location, including a room with climate control for cold storage, I am storing
the seeds she suggested and bought for me.
The storage space is cold enough that the seeds will be kept ready for
later planting.
I have moved my food stores there
as well, along with air-tight salt and sugar storage and my gold and silver
trade bars. I just need to start buying
some ammo for my rifle. That reminds me,
I need to renew my hunting license as well.
From the Journal of
Jason Forrester
23 May 2013
Omaha won! Art played the whole time - he said it was
the first time the announcer actually pronounced his name correctly - and he
got an un-assisted double-play to close out the fourth inning and an RBI in the
fifth. I swear he is even better than he
was in High School. And he was captain
of our Varsity Baseball team during his Junior year. At the rate he is going, he thinks he will
get called up to KC within a year or so.
Arthur and Jessie invited Rebecca
and I to go to dinner with them. It was
fun. Afterwards, Arturius told me Jessie
thinks Rebecca is perfect for me. He
said it was like when he stopped by Bagram for a USO tour, and the 8th Marines
were passing through. He said it's
almost like I was back to who I was before.
I think he might be exaggerating, but it is good to know Arturius likes
her.
That gives her a triple seal of
approval. My folks, my dog, and my best
friend since High School. I guess that
makes her a keeper.
Were heading to the Omaha zoo
tomorrow. She said she had never been
before. It's been four years since I was
last there, and I hear the remodeled aquarium is fantastic. Why can't Kansas City have a zoo like
Omaha's?
From the Journal of
Jason Forrester
19 June 2013
I ran into an eco nut at work
today. He was protesting the sheer
amount of power our building uses to power our central command center. Apparently he has never been inside.
The idiot is a luddite and an
eco. Makes sense, the two ideologies are
intrinsically linked, even if most don't realize it. He said his name was Ekhardt. I think he made it up, but I wasn't going to
challenge the idiot while wearing a company jacket.
From the Journal of
Jason Forrester
21 June 2013
A pair of Chinese fishing vessel
just rammed into a Japanese Coast Guard vessel, a Hateruma class patrol vessel
- I think it was the Yonakuni - for "violating Chinese coastal
waters. The Yonakuni sent out its
helo and arrested the crew of one of the fishing vessels, but the other one got
away.
The Chinese are demanding the
return of their people, claiming the Yonakuni was illegally in Chinese
waters and rammed both vessels. The
video just got posted online, and it is very obvious who hit who. The Japanese are refusing to do so.
The US Navy announced that a
carrier is sailing to the Senkakus to try and stop a shooting war before it
happens.
I hope to God they are able
to. Any fight with China WILL drag the
Koreas into it, along with the US, Australia, and possibly India. With enough time this could actually turn into
a world war. This could be bad. Very bad.
From the Journal of
Jason Forrester
29 June 2013
The Chinese are backing down. It seems they forgot the Japanese Navy has
enough fire power to take out their navy by itself. With the backing of the US and Australia,
they cannot win and they know it.
Of course, now there is talk of
unrest in Kazakhstan. What better excuse
for China to start bleeding off its excess male population than in a lengthy
police action in which the male population they are "policing" is
being bled white as well.
Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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