I Don't Get It

That used to be my mantra, if that's even a good word for it.

My girlfriends Laine and Dee and I lived together for quite a few years while in our very VERY VERY early twenties...we had so much fun-even the catty cat fights that we'd have on occasion. Looking back, even those were a great deal of fun.

When we first moved in "together," we were watching our money, so we rented a two bedroom apartment up in the Barrington/Hoffman Estates area. Hmmm...just HOW were we going to work out the sleeping arrangements? Simple, whoever was single (which was yours truly) would have the luxury of sleeping in the "dining room." Which wasn't really considered a dining room from apartment standards- one big rectangular room with the front door just off to the left of the dining room. The kitchen not big enough to eat in, not small enough to be considered a galley kitchen, directly off to the right.
My bed? That was what separated the door from the kitchen..

It wasn't always easy at "bedtime," especially if they were still up and I was heading into slumber land for the night, but we always managed.

Perhaps it was the lack of sleep deprivation due to the noises around me, but I had a tendency to utter the words, "I Don't Get it." We could be in the middle of a deep conversation after many glasses of beer, and you could always count on hearing that phrase out of my mouth.
Like I said, maybe it was due to the cramped sleeping quarters, or the amount of alcohol ingested in my system, but I had a tendency to get lost in the topics at hand.

Or so I thought.

12 years have past and I'm struggling to "get something" right now. I can't blame it on sleeping in the dining room, or because I'd be out all night,being the typical 20something year old female dancing the night away with my friends.

Dee's husband Frankie made mention yesterday about how he doesn't support the flag being flown at half-mast. Now to back track a bit, this was after I'd received an email from Dee herself with a link about a professor being fired due to his re-enactment of the Vtech Shootings. He was exercising his right to speak out, to stand up for something, and sure the timing wasn't right, the level of tactfulness was poor, but did it warrant him being terminated? As I told Dee, how come there are employees that are known offenders of some sort of crime and they're working among us, but yet this particular professor gets canned because of his voice?

I just don't get it.

When I asked Frankie, "why,"(regarding the flag) he replied that it's not the element of the flag being flown at half mast honoring the fallen students that he doesn't support, but rather giving the same respect to our soldiers when one loses his life. The flag should be honoring the soldiers, as well, he said.

It's the principle of the matter.

I guess quantity is more important to some. I do feel terrible for the awful massacre at Virginia tech, but why can't we keep everything on an even playing field when it comes to losing life?

There are times that I wonder if the soldiers feel abandoned, or maybe a tad bit hurt, when after losing a fellow comrade, why isn't the Government "ordering" flags to be flown at half mast. Maybe until everyone comes home, we should just keep "our freedom" at half mast, to remind those that may not "get it," that there's still lives being lost.

Whether it's on American Soil, or by potential choice.

I don't get it.

Why then when a soldier is killed out in Iraq we don't do the same for him? I know towns honor our fallen local soldiers, but you don't see California flying the American Flag at Half mast when a soldier from Michigan loses his life.

I just don't get it.

Why are people being fired for standing up for their beliefs? We're constantly being told not to be doormats, to be strong and stand firm, but when we do, we get screwed.

I just don't get it.

Welcome To Crustybeef~
Today is our wedding anniversary and unfortunately it will be spent with me trying to get back to see the doctor because my back is all tied up in knots..locked up and spastic.
I just don't get it.