Friday Five!

PB, yes!  I'm absolutely loving lessons, and guitar in general!  I feel like, since I had my first lesson and my husband has had so much time off lately so we can play together, I've made some kind of breakthrough.  Like, rapid progress just occurred, and I'm feeling very happy with how I'm doing at about 16 months since I first picked up the instrument.

MasterChef!  YAY!  No spoilers, please... we wait 'til the series is down to the final week before we binge the whole thing.

I'm glad your family's health is no longer a worry!


camoscato, my first new car was a 1990 Chevrolet Cavalier in dark grey.  My friends called it the "Cadaver".... between you and me, I think one of us got the wrong end of the stick.   


(Not my actual car, but it looked just like this one...)

Edited to add:  I forgot just how ugly and depressing that car was...  Still, many of my friends didn't have a car, so at least I had it.

Oh yay! Glad the lessons are helping, that's wonderful!

No spoilers from me, that's not my mode of operation!

My first car was a 1986 Cavalier Station Wagon, in dark blue, named "Puffy the Wonderslug, Part II" .  Fuel was cheap though in the mid 90s and I got great fuel economy. Could fill the whole tank for $5 and it would last me a few weeks. 

Oh yay! Glad the lessons are helping, that's wonderful!

No spoilers from me, that's not my mode of operation!

My first car was a 1986 Cavalier Station Wagon, in dark blue, named "Puffy the Wonderslug, Part II" .  Fuel was cheap though in the mid 90s and I got great fuel economy. Could fill the whole tank for $5 and it would last me a few weeks.

Why was your first car "...Part II"?  What happened in Part I?  Oh, man... I remember mid-90s fuel prices!  Good times!

The Cadaver was my first new car.  The car I claim as my first car (I learned to drive in it) was a 1974 Ford Pinto wagon in brown... My parents bought it soon after I was born, and we still owned it when I was old enough to drive.  I was devastated when it died due to my sister's and my neglect (we were not told of things like "timing belts" and their significance).  Anyway, this is what "my first car" looked like:

That Pinto is gorgeous!!!

 

Ahh, Part I,best told over beer and pizza 

That Pinto is gorgeous!!!

 

Ahh, Part I,best told over beer and pizza 

I know, right?!  I had an affinity for that car since I was old enough to know what a car was.  I always claimed my parents bought it for me.

We must have beer and pizza!  One day, when my house is presentable, I'm going to host that pizza party.  There will be beer, there will be pizza, and there will be much rejoicing.  And you can regale us with the story of Puffy the Wonderslug, Part I.

My Friday Five:

1. Starting to get a nice tan here in Ascension, and glad I'm avoiding the cold/flooding/storms/snow in the UK at the moment (though I'm hoping my house is okay!)

2. I am really not sleeping well at the moment... I seem to be in this pattern of getting 1-2 hours of sleep, then waking up about midnight or 1 a.m. and not being able to get back to sleep for 2 or 3 hours, but having to get up for work at 5:30 a.m.! In the last 2 weeks, I've had 5 nights where I've only got between 3 and 5 hours of sleep .

3. My replacement is due to arrive here at the beginning of April, a couple of weeks earlier than expected, so it's likely I will go home a week or two earlier than planned... I can either fly via St. Helena and Johannesburg on April 12th, via Antigua and Orlando, FL on April 15th, or via Cape Verde on April 24th. I'm really hoping to go back on the USAF plane so that I can spend a couple of days in Orlando on the way back, and also stock up on some more stuff from the US. However, there's just one problem with going on the USAF plane, and that is that I think one of the military guys here will be on that flight too, and I've spent the last month trying to avoid being anywhere near him (see number 4).

4. I've been avoiding him because a few weeks ago he started trying to call me and send me unwanted messages on WhatsApp. They weren't inappropriate messages (just weird jokes and things), but he refused to get the hint that me ignoring them and not replying meant I didn't want to talk to him. After 2 weeks, 2 missed calls, 7 unanswered messages (including one that said: "It's been a week now. Anyone would think you were ignoring me.") and a rejected FB friend request, I finally blocked him on WhatsApp, but I'm still really uncomfortable being around him,  because I don't know if he might try something. He almost never talks to me in person, but it still makes me uneasy, especially as there are only 13 of us and we all live, eat, work and socialise together, so no matter what I do to avoid him, he's just always around. And of course, it's not as simple as just being on the same flight as him in April, we'd be essentially travelling together... we'd probably have to share a lift to the terminal together (as check-in is about 3:30am), then I'd be expected to talk to him on the layover in Antigua, and then it's a 60-mile journey between the USAF base and Orlando airport, for which we'd probably have to share a taxi .

5. And in random news: my brother messaged me today to say that Peter Andre is going to be doing an "Evening with Peter Andre", talking about his life and doing a performance, at our local leisure centre in my hometown later this year I mean, just, why?!

Ugh, ksand... I know that feeling (re: #4).  I would avoid traveling alone with him, even if it means missing Orlando and stocking up in the US.  Is there any chance there would be others making the same journey with you?  Just one more person there whom you can trust?  At any rate, trust your instincts... if you feel uncomfortable, don't give him an opportunity to prove you right.

You should tell someone about the unwanted messages.  Maybe don't lodge a formal complaint (unless you've asked him to stop but he has persisted), but at the least, tell someone about it casually.  I know it's awkward since it's such a small social circle there, but have you told him you're not interested in receiving messages from him?  He's clearly not getting the hint.

Ugh, ksand... I know that feeling (re: #4).  I would avoid traveling alone with him, even if it means missing Orlando and stocking up in the US.  Is there any chance there would be others making the same journey with you?  Just one more person there whom you can trust?  At any rate, trust your instincts... if you feel uncomfortable, don't give him an opportunity to prove you right.

I'm pretty sure no one else I know will be leaving on that flight (though I will check) - of the 13 of us currently here, 4 are leaving in March, 1 is leaving on the 3rd April, my colleague leaves on the 29th April, and 6 are leaving in May/June... so that only leaves me and this other guy leaving in April... he said he was leaving mid-April, and the Orlando flight is the only one in mid-April (the military guys aren't allowed to fly on the South Africa flight, so their only options are the RAF Cape Verde flight every 3-4 weeks and the USAF Orlando flight every 2 weeks).

You should tell someone about the unwanted messages.  Maybe don't lodge a formal complaint (unless you've asked him to stop but he has persisted), but at the least, tell someone about it casually.  I know it's awkward since it's such a small social circle there, but have you told him you're not interested in receiving messages from him?  He's clearly not getting the hint.

Yeah, I've been meaning to tell someone for weeks, but I just can't seem to find a suitable time to do so.

I haven't responded to his messages at all and haven't said anything to him in person... and I'm not sure if that was the right thing to do or not, but I really hate confrontation and can't stand the thought of actually having to say something to him. The first message was a compliment about how I looked at Burns Night and while I was flattered, I was trying to figure out how to reply while also indicating that I didn't want to talk to him. I was at work that evening, and it slipped my mind, and by the time I remembered, he'd started sending more messages, and that made things weird. It's been 3 weeks since the last message, because I blocked him so he cannot send them to me anymore.

I think I will have to say something to either OC Ops or to my colleague here (or both), because it affects my flight home, and because I've been hoping to be able to go back via Orlando since I got here! Until a couple of days ago, I thought it wouldn't be possible, but now that my replacement is arriving early, my colleague suggested I go on that flight, because I'd already said I wanted to fly via Orlando if possible. There's also the other side of things, where I don't want to give up on what I really want to do and be miserable just because of this guy... I've already been avoiding socialising with the group because of him, and I think the stress of it is also why I haven't been sleeping well.

Yeah, it doesn't seem fair that you would have to deny yourself something you want, and that's perfectly reasonable to expect, because this guy's unwanted attention makes you feel uncomfortable.  Maybe you can have a gentle conversation with him with a third party present for moral support.  I'd do it sooner rather than later, so you can gauge his reaction... if it's more intense than it should be, you can then know to definitely not travel alone with him (a ridiculous way to go about it, but at least it'll be out in the open so you'll know for sure if you should feel safe).

Oh ksand, that’s miserable.  Even if you just vent to one of the other 13, do!  It’ll likely make you feel better.  And which airforce base near Orlando?  I’m guessing MacDill?

1.  We leave tomorrow night.  Bummer.  We finally managed to sneak out just the 4 of us this morning and go bowling.  Now that my parents are retired they want to do everything and I mean EVERYTHING together.  Nice, but, wow.  It’s a lot.  Little boy LOVED bowling.

2.  I’ve had what I thought was allergies, but last night I couldn’t sleep due to coughing.  Sucks.  So either allergies, a very mild cold, or Coronavirus.  Take your pick.

3.  Went to the local fire house yesterday. Attached photo of the happiest little boy in the world.  So cool!  They had a lovely dog that they rescued from a fire last year (both her human parents died).  She was so sweet.  Her name is Ruby.

4.  Two more sleeps until I have my Sobe cat back in my arms.  My husband knows Sunday I’m sitting with the cat all day.

5.  It’s weird. Whenever I’m here, I’m all “I couldn’t live here.”  But I think that’s because I’m under my parents roof?  It’s weird.  I can’t actually get a gauge if I do or don’t want to move back.  We *have* decided this trip we are definitely moving forward with the extension on our house.  The plans are amazing!

Oh ksand, that’s miserable.  Even if you just vent to one of the other 13, do!  It’ll likely make you feel better.

Thanks - it’s been hard to talk to anyone about it, because other people are around all the time.

Last time I was here, our office had a team of 4 girls, all in our 20s and early 30s, so if something like this happened, it would have been easy to talk to them. However, now there are just 2 of us and my only colleague is a 50-year-old man who’s a bit of a geezer, so not exactly the easiest person to talk to about it (though I have known and worked with him on and off for 10 years).

And which airforce base near Orlando?  I’m guessing MacDill?

It’s actually Patrick AFB.


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It’s actually Patrick AFB.

Ooo, near my old work.  We saw a rocket launch last week.  Hopefully there will be another while you are in Orlando.

Eh, the geezer could be great to vent too.  He might even know how to tell the other guy he’s giving you the ick!

Ooo, near my old work.  We saw a rocket launch last week.  Hopefully there will be another while you are in Orlando.

Oh, cool .

Eh, the geezer could be great to vent too.  He might even know how to tell the other guy he’s giving you the ick!

Yeah, he could be. I feel like he might be a good person to mention it to now, because he might be able to help me sort out getting back home via Orlando without having to interact with the other guy (gonna call him Army Guy, since he's Army and everyone else is RAF).

I mentioned the Army Guy is always around, and I mean literally. An hour ago, I went to sit outside my room for a couple of minutes before dinner and 30 seconds later he walked past me with one of the other guys, ready to walk down to dinner as a group of 4 of us. On the way out of the dining hall after eating, it was almost just me and him walking back up to the rooms together, so I walked quickly to join the other two who were a little further ahead (but then he caught us up) .

And it's like, I go to the pool with one of the girls to sunbathe, he shows up a few minutes later (he's the pool manager). I go shopping with some of the others, and he's part of the group that's going. Someone suggests going for a walk that I want to go on, and he shows up too. I arrive at meals at different times in the hope of avoiding him, and he always ends up arriving at the same time and sitting at the same table as me. And it's not even a deliberate thing on his part, it's just the way the timings work out. It's exhausting!

camoscato, my first new car was a 1990 Chevrolet Cavalier in dark grey.  My friends called it the "Cadaver".... between you and me, I think one of us got the wrong end of the stick.   


(Not my actual car, but it looked just like this one...)

Edited to add:  I forgot just how ugly and depressing that car was...  Still, many of my friends didn't have a car, so at least I had it.

jfkimberly, I love the photo; you can practically feel the speed coming off that car.   

You inspired me to go find a couple of pictures of my old Camaro I had in a photo album (!).

Racing in an autocross event:
1582902691536-36eb32ca-4095-4d2e-902c-2d56a1ddde4c_~2 by Carl Amoscato, on Flickr


Parked in front of a house my best friend designed for his parents to retire to:
1582902570540-5142e72b-780b-4a14-b661-b1e0f85466d9_ by Carl Amoscato, on Flickr

jfkimberly, I love the photo; you can practically feel the speed coming off that car.   

You inspired me to go find a couple of pictures of my old Camaro I had in a photo album (!).

Racing in an autocross event:
1582902691536-36eb32ca-4095-4d2e-902c-2d56a1ddde4c_~2 by Carl Amoscato, on Flickr


Parked in front of a house my best friend designed for his parents to retire to:
1582902570540-5142e72b-780b-4a14-b661-b1e0f85466d9_ by Carl Amoscato, on Flickr

Awesome photos!  The second one is like a drone shot!

A picture of my husband in his ride last week.