I Love the Internet

I am addicted to the internet. I feel safe in admitting that to everyone. I am 100% without a doubt addicted to the internet. We have been stealing someone's wireless signal until we can get internet of our own. Luckily, they are coming by on the 21st so we will have internet. But until then, we are stealing someone's signal. I don't feel bad that we're using someone else's internet because I figure if you are stupid enough to not have it password protected, then you deserve to have it stolen. And... if it's not password protected are they really that technology savvy and are they really using the internet all that often? However. We have been foiled. The internet we were using will no longer let us connect... there isn't a password, but they won't let us connect. Tricky. I discovered this on Tuesday morning. I usually talk with my mom on Skype when it is morning in Montana (afternoon here) and I didn't want her to think something was wrong (because she would if I wasn't there) so I drove onto base to the library to use the computer. I spent awhile doing my usual internet things (check facebook, check the base craigslist, ect) and then came back home. It was when I was at home that I realized how often I look at things online or play around online to amuse myself (especially right now). I really was at a loss. I felt as if I had no human contact whatsoever. In reality, without the internet I didn't have anyway to contact anyone. I wasn't quite sure what to do with this extra time I suddenly had... I have nothing but time right now... but now I felt like I had even more. I had never realized how much time I could waste during the day online, or how much of my communication is through the internet. Lucky for us our neighbor downstairs offered to let us use their password/wireless until we get our internet installed. I am back, connected to the world, and completely indulging in my delicious addiction.

Speaking of my downstairs neighbors... Somehow, 6000 miles from Montana... Josh and I have found down-home people. The first time I officially met our neighbors Brian and Amanda(I say official because it was the first time I was awake, not jet-lagged, and not wearing yoga pants) they were sitting outside in lawn chairs drinking beer as their bulldog Meatloaf played in an inflatable pool. Beautiful. A few days later we were walking inside and Amanda told me the book I had in my hands was a good one, that she had liked it. She also invited me to check out her books and borrow anything I wanted. I have found someone who drinks beer. And reads. Excellent. This past weekend they invited us downstairs to play Monopoly with them. Anyone who knows me knows that I really do not like playing games. I'm not even sure why. I used to love to play games as a kid. However, I think as I got older I just lost any sort of competitiveness... and it is a weird feeling to play a game and not be committed to it in any way... to not care if you win, lose, or even finish the game. I have discovered that the times I do agree to play a game or join a game night that I enjoy myself when I am in the company of great people. This game of Monopoly was one of those times when I enjoyed myself. Our one game lasted four and half hours... after a twelve pack of beer and two bottles of wine, we decided to call it quits at 2 am. Now our neighbor Brian has gotten into the habit whenever he's outside and wants something/has a question that he just yells "JOSH!" We always have our windows opened or cracked, and we always hear him yell. Last night he yelled to ask if we had any root beer because he wanted to make root beer floats. I went grocery shopping today and I bought a two liter bottle of root beer and left on their doorstep. It is exciting to have found some friends... but what is the best part is that they are yell-at-the-window-drink-a-case-of-beer-borrow-internet-give-root-beer kind of people.

Something that may shock those who know me even more than the fact that I went to and enjoyed a game night... was that it has awakened some sort of family game night twitch inside of me. I had a lot of fun playing Monopoly, but more than have fun it reminded me of all the fun times I had playing games with my family as a kid. It really made me miss all the fun board games I'd had/played as a child... Josh agreed. When we had to go shopping on base a few days ago I found an area of clearance toys. We went home with two puzzles and a deck of Uno. We started working on the puzzle that night... and it became a nightly activity until we finished the puzzle last night. We were like an old married couple... sitting around working on a puzzle. But a cute old married couple buzzed on wine.