When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going!

RJ's rut lasted about 10 days during which time he finished off the Sopranos, watched Season 1 of Prison Break, moped around feeling kind of bummed out, complained a little (which is more than usual since he rarely complains), didn't call home or family, didn't post to the Soldier's Angels website and finally lost sight of the big picture and the importance of things. It pretty much sucked, but the good news is, it's over! Today I woke up and realized that there are only 86 days left and that's not too shabby. I still have some important work to do here and I've done great work so far, so I'm happy. And it's ok that I was in a little rut, everyone goes through them here, and if 10 days of de-motivation is it for me, I'll take it.

Today when I walked into the chow hall something was diferent. Music was playing. I love music, pretty much all kinds but a particular song was playing that is also one of my mom and I's favorite songs. "When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going" by Billy Ocean. It brought back such a great memory of when I was a kid and my mom and my best friend Jan's mom, took me, Jan, her sister Lynn and my sister Kelly to the movies one afternoon by the Lehigh Valley Mall (if memory serves) to see one of my favorite movies, "The Jewel of the Nile". For a brief instant, I remembered the video, where Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas and Danny Devito are all in white tuxes on stage singing the background chorus as Billy Ocean sings the song, and there are clips of the movie that flash in the video too. It was as clear as day. I looked in my IPOD (which has about 7000 random songs, of which I listen to about 20) and lo and behold, it was there, so I listened to it on the way to work. Anyway, as I stood in line for my spaghetti I was lip sinking the words and I suddenly found my rut was replaced with some refreshed mojo. I felt like Michael Douglas in the middle of the Middle East on some adventure. Pretty cheesy, huh? But watching that movie as a child I can still remember thinking to myself, "I bet I'll never make it to the Middle East in my lifetime. I wonder what a place like that is like". Well, 16 years later I finally have the answer, "R.J., it's hot and sandy". Granted, I haven't really "seen" the Middle East and I bet there is a land of culture and treasure here just like in the movie. I regret that I may never see that, but at the very least I can hunt for "Al Johara".

I've been playing this game with some of my Officer colleagues that keeps us going every day. It's stupid, but its been passing the day. I started it 6 months ago. I'd name the title of an 80s song to a friend and they would have to guess the artist. They have 24 hours to think of the answer, and are not allowed to use the internet. They have 2 lifelines, a hint and a phone a friend (which here means tapping your buddy beside you on the shoulder and asking him). I've stumped my guys on such songs as "I Can Dream About You", "Jeopardy", "Let The Music Play", "Perfect Way", and "Voices Carry". Sometimes we ask challenging several part questions like "Hazy Shade of Winter" was sung by what group, was featured in what 80s movie and who was the lead actor? Or in Rockwell's song "Somebody's Watching Me", what male vocalist was singing in the back during the chorus? My questions today was: "In the Eurythmics Greatest Hits Album, an album that almost everyone had, you know, with the dude in the red suit and Annie Lenox and her bleached hair behind him, name 3 songs from the 80s that made it into the top 10 other than 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)', keeping in mind the album was released in 1991.

I guess just passing the midway point here in the deployment, working hard and going to the gym just isn't cutting it anymore, you need to think of creative ways to keep your mind active (Jan - I'm still reading your book) and do things that are fun (I've beat my corpsmen 4 times at Risk and I don't think they want to play with me anymore). So for me that means that I'll listen to a stupid Billy Ocean song once in a while, or think of silly 80s trivia (if you guys know any obscure 80s songs, lemme know), or my personal favorite, sometimes late at night, when I'm the last one to get back to the barracks, I'll stay outside in the dark for 10 minutes blasting my IPOD and dancing to myself in the dark while lip syncing words to cheesy 90s music like The BackStreet Boys. SSShhhhh. That one will be our little secret. "I want it that way....tell me why....ain't nothing but a heart ache...."