I'm all a-tingle.

The new Harry Potter cover. Is it July yet? Is it? How about now?

Some people really piss me off.

In the wake of the news that some soldiers are not receiving adequate disability ratings on their discharge from the Army, the Army has set up a hotline for those who feel that they did not receive the right care when wounded or the correct rating when ETS'ing from the service.

A former soldier that I know is reapplying for disability. And it's really pissing me off. The soldier in question was in the military for two years. That's it. The soldier managed to opt out of deploying. The soldier then managed to "medical out" of the military. All that training, all the money that the government spent, the unit that needed this soldier -- didn't matter. This was all based on an arthritic condition. Now the soldier is pissed because no disability rating was received and is appealing the decision. If the soldier doesn't get some kind of compensation, the soldier is planning to go to the papers.

What kind of happy crappy is this? Arthritis cannot be compared to severe brain injury or loss of limbs. Don't get me wrong -- I know arthritis can be a serious condition. But not in a 23 year old who is working as a waiter to pay the bills. And there is no way to prove that the soldier did not already have the issue or that the Army exacerbated the problem. But because of all the publicity, the soldier will probably get something, leaving less money for people who really need it.

There's the story and then there's the truth.

A recent Gawker post discusses the fact that Amorita Randall, a servicewoman quoted in last Sunday's NY Times Magazine's article on women in the military and the impact of the war in Iraq on them, did not actually serve in Iraq.

I don't mean to knock Randall. She's obviously mentally ill. And in fairness to Sara Corbett, the author of the piece, she does sound a bit reticent about Randall's remarks. But let's be honest here. There are thousands of women who have served in the military. There are probably a fair amount who would be happy to talk to the NY Times. But people want stories with bite. And Randall's issues and her "rememberances" of the alleged IED attack those issues on definitely have bite.

Something to think about.

Is this really necessary? Seriously?

So they really weren't kidding about Stallone filming "Rambo 4." And here I thought they were just trying to make some shit up about why he was in Thailand with horse steroids.

Still pondering the unknown.

As our friends and compatriots pack up for their next assignments, we are still waiting for news, any news, of our fate. There is none to be had.

And according to my mother-in-law, this is getting on her last nerve, because how can she plan her Christmas when she doesn't know what we're doing?

The beginning of something more sinister?

The recent Iranian stuff has me worried. 15 British sailors taken captive. An emphatic statement that those sailors admitted "invading" Iranian waters. And then, of course, the UN meetings where the Iranian Foreign Minister stated that no way, no how they were going to stop their nuclear program.

Goodbye, Baghdad, next stop, Tehran?

On preparedness.

45 minutes until our company's FRG meeting and the phone rings.

"Hey, did you by chance get the keys to the conference room?"

"No, I did not."

"Why not?"

"Umm, I don't even know if I can get the keys. I never get the keys."

"Not true. It's your job."

"Since when?"

"Since I forgot today and now have to figure out an alternate venue for our meeting."

The Women's War - NY Times take.

The New York Times Sunday Magazine also published an article on the plight of women veterans. Long, but worth a look.

Huh.

In a recent interview, Angelina Jolie is quoted as saying:

"I will stay at home to help Pax adjust to his new life," Jolie told the Ho Chi Minh City Law newspaper. "I have four children and caring for them is the most important thing for me at the moment. I'm very proud and happy to be their mother."

Is it just me, or perhaps, one way to help "Pax" adjust is to let the kid keep his frickin' name? I mean, he's 3 and 1/2 years old. I'm guessing he's gotten used to being called his birth name. What is the point of changing it now except for publicity's sake?

On the wonders of automobile engineering.

"I have to pee."

"But we just stopped for gas."

"That was, like, an hour and a half ago."

"But we stopped. And you could have peed then."

"I didn't have to then."

"Is that my fault?"

"Is it my fault that my bladder is not synced up to the car's odometer?"

"This is a BMW. Everything else is connected to the odometer -- there's got to be a way to get your bladder on board."