My journal Friday 13 April, 1984

(Transcribed from a daily journal I kept while in the army 1984-1987 stationed at Ft. Meade)

Up at 7:30, the standard time these days, at work by 8. Most folks here arrive before 7, and by 3PM the place is deserted. There had been a bomb scare at 6AM; no boom - we’re all still alive.

This is a Guhor stick, used to draw network diagrams of organizations using radio comms.

Spent the first half of the day banging my head against a problem, which I solved. Fred’s got to put me on the key list. Often I want to get some work done, but not during office hours when I have a million and one distractions.

Unable to concentrate, I left early, about 2:30. Back at the barracks I was bone tired and it was raining (a nice spring shower as I walked) so decided to nap instead of showing up at softball practice.

Gene came over 2 hours later and we went to the mess hall.

Emma and I made tentative plans for going out with Leo tonight. At 8:30, when I stopped by, Leo had already gone. I called Emma. She was on her way to Jorje’s where the team was having beer and pizza. I’ve got to stop missing out on fun just to spend mediocre nights with Gene. Not being malicious this time, I wish there were someone else to go out with. I get asked out all the time, but can’t get exited about any of them - or they’re verboten – married, asshole, alcohol/drugs, too young, too old, etc. Oh well, summer’s coming and I have great friends to enjoy it with.

I’ll most likely sign up for a summer course at the University of Maryland. They offer compressed schedule classes, twice a week for a little over a month, I can hang.

There’s also this correspondence course I’ve had for months, Order of Battle, that I ought to tackle sometime soon. Then there’s my income tax that I’ve got to send out this weekend. Also haven’t read a book in weeks.

All this and more will I accomplish after the inevitable breakup with Gene. It just gets worse. He’s sitting on my bed raptly watching a stupid show about a talking Trans Am, same as his car, and no doubt identifying with the corny hero and ridiculous plot. I wish he’d break up with me.