Hello blog. It's been awhile. I apologize. I have had ideas for you, but I also like not talking to you. It's a tricky thing.

It's a busy month. My parents came for a few days and stayed with me for 2 of the 3 nights. They enjoyed themselves. It was good to see them. They checked out a bunch of touristy stuff and were pretty beat when they went to leave. My dad had never flown before. He was not super happy about the lack of smoking on the first layover. These things happen. Oh the good old days.

Work has been going. It is a pretty good gig, but I am not really processing that this is my home for the foreseeable future. I haven't ever been somewhere and expected for it to be a final destination ever. The transience of my life has been comforting. I got to the point where I enjoyed where I was, but I think part of that was because I knew I wouldn't be there beyond some time. The idea of setting down roots is a pretty foreign idea to be honest. If I had wanted to do that, I would not have joined the Army when I was 18. It looked like I was going to after college, but that situation did not work out. I was ready to do it, but I now find myself in California. I am certainly in a good spot and am not complaining. It is a mindset change that is taking some time.

On the plus side of the Army was that interpersonal interactions were pretty straightforward. Everyone had the same background and knew what to expect. There was a system in place that people knew. The civilian world where I am does not have that. Navigating this has been different. Bourdain talked about how he liked working in a kitchen. He knew how to act. He did not have that anywhere else in his life. Kitchen Confidential is an amazing book and I recommend everyone read it. It's full of fun stories and interesting takes on life.

So here I am in the greatest weather in the United States taking it a day at a time. Well, not anymore. You take it a day at a time when you are patrolling Iraq. You have long term plans. You save for a house. You pay off your debt because you plan on being around long enough to need credit. I have an Army reunion at the end of the month, and I am sure plenty of my fellow vets or servicemen feel the same way. It's hard to make the transition and I have been fortunate in many ways to be in the position I am. I am not sure how to explain it to people who do not know, but I think there are plenty of people who feel similar to how I do.

On the lighter side, I have been cleaning up the diet. I juiced some kale which makes me feel like a queer a bit. I do feel better when I juice so whatever. I have been trying to get on a good bjj grind, but this month is tough with people visiting and such. I am trying to take care of myself since I plan on living awhile. Fast food is a valid plan when it is all temporary (more temporary than usual I guess.) I have met some poker friends out in Vegas and that was a lot of fun. I will post something in the Swamp about that when I get around to it. All in all things are good. They are just different. Not bad. Just different. I think that is the motto for the foreseeable future (many many years of it I hope.)