Weekend..or what passes for one around here

This last weekend was a busy one, which may explain why it went so fast. Though when your weekend consists of one day it is pretty easy for it go fast, busy or no. Ah the 2 day weekend, how I miss thee. Anyway, on Saturday night I attended the VMF BBQ. Getting invited to the VMF's non-public events is one of the big perks to being their janitor. They roasted 2 whole pigs (they put the heads out on the safety posts out back), and had potato salad and baked beans. It was the best meal I have had since I got here, but maybe that is because it was made for less than 1,000 people and Claudette (she works the front desk there) is an awesome cook. Fleet Ops was there as well (they have a pretty close relationship with the VMF, they break the machines, VMF fixes them) so I met some new people and learned some stuff about the people I already knew: Like Claudette was a playboy bunny in the late 50's, she was a hostess at the playboy club in London, worked 2 years as a vegas showgirl, and performed water ballet (what a cool resume) and that Jim and Nick, though in different branches of the military, and having served years apart, had to undergo all the same initiation rituals when they crossed certain navigational lines (on a ship) like the prime meridian...the military is weird, who else would think of getting people up at 4am, blind folding them, stripping them down to their underwear, and spraying them with a fire hose to welcome them to the arctic circle? I also saw my first skua that evening. I'm sure that soon a million of them will show up and they won't be exciting anymore but that first one, after not seeing any animals (except the wee fish in the crary aquarium) for the last couple of months it was nice to see some wildlife. I figured a skua would look like a brown seagull but really they are twice the size of a seagull and look like they could really mess you up if they wanted your sandwich bad enough. This one was fairly nice, he just sat out back, hung out outside the door for most of the night...I named him Ruggles...no idea why. After VMF I went to the housing party, which proved not to be my scene with the costumes (there is a costume party at LEAST once a week here...I am so sick of costumes and all who wear them) and the drinking games so I went home early (as I have done pretty much every weekend since mainbody started). I guess the party raged on until about 6am and someone wrote on the refridgerator with Sharpie...uhg, things are so much less civilized during mainbody. On Sunday I worked in the craft room which is leaking so badly there is a large puddle right in front of the door. The snow is melting here and the water is leaking into all the buildings, but mostly the old ones, so there are buckets everywhere. It's kind of nice though, it's almost like it's raining. I also got to help with Katie and Ana Bell's radio show, which was pretty cool because I like to pick the music but I don't like to talk (hence I didn't sign up to be a DJ in the first place). The only crappy part about the radio station here is that all the CDs are the greatest hits of the months stuff, and you can't play your own stuff, so choices are very limited. If I get to help again I am going to check out the record room where a lot of the older stuff exists in full album form. It was a pretty good weekend but of course that meant I had to come crashing down on Monday. I was extremely tired to begin with and then had to go to physical therapy where it was starting to look like my shoulder is not getting better. Honestly I think we just didn't tape it that well during my last visit and I think it was just hurting more because I was tired. Anyway, they basically said I could decide to go to ChCh for an MRI if I want to so I can see if anything is torn or I could continue with the physical therapy. I don't want to go to Chch...For multiple reasons, but mostly I feel like if they were so concerned about it why haven't they sent me home from work for a single day of my injury or at least put me on restricted duty? Why do they keep going back and forth on how it is doing? I really feel like I am not getting a straight answer here. I talked to Patti about it (my PT, she's pretty cool) and she is going to the South Pole for the week so I have three appointments with her the week after she gets back and if she doesn't feel like I am improving by then I will go to Chch for the freaking MRI. Just to warn all of you, if that were to happen and it tuned out something was ripped and I had to get it all sewn up and come home I probably wouldn't leave my room for like a month...or more...I would be so incredibley depressed I canot even describe it. I seriously can't imagine leaving right now. That's not to say I don't miss home, or that I won't be dying to get out of this place in February, but I'm not ready yet and I would be seriously seriously depressed. But I don't think that will happen because we taped it up really really well yesterday and I have someone at the clinic who will tape it while Patti's gone and it is already feeling better again. I already having an easier time with the new exercises she gave me than I did yesterday and I met with my boss to talk about continuing to get help with my work schedule. Besides it has only been 2 weeks (I spent the first week in the sling) and they say to give everything time here so that's what I am doing. I will keep you all posted though...