Cosmic Log - What's Happening in Space
Nailz and I's Infamous Picture
Today, I used a half hour during the day to go to go pay a couple of bills. Here in Assabu, things are done in an interesting way when it comes to paying bills. I receive bills for gas (for the two-burner stove top and water heater), oil (for the kerosene stove), water, electric and phone (local calls and international billed separately). Most of my bills I can pay at the bank (which opens at 10am and closes at 3pm). This is pretty convenient as this is where my monthly paycheck is deposited. Some bills, however, I still have to pay at the place that supplies the services/goods. I pay the gas bill at one of the local hardware stores and the oil bill gets paid somewhere I have yet to discover. Once I start using the kerosene stove for heat in the winter, I will find that out.
Anyhow, I usually wait until I have at least 2 bills to pay and then I take a half hour in the afternoon when I am at the office. It's a nice break and it helps me to not feel too tired just sitting.
Today, while I was walking to run these errands, I noticed (as I have so many times before) that I walk with everything in my left hand or over my left shoulder. My right hand remains empty, even if my left side is laden down with many things. I usually don't notice this, but on occasion it becomes really obvious. Those who are, or have been, in the Armed Forces can probably guess why I have this habit: it is so that my right hand is free to salute an officer or warrant officer at any time. Even not having been Active Army, but having been deployed for almost a third of my 8 years of service, I have developed and continued this habit. I wonder if any other fellow servicemen have this same habit?
I don't try to change this habit. There's really no reason to and I like to think that it helps even out the natural strength differential between my right (dominant) and left arms. Of course, that may just be a convenient excuse to cover the strange feeling of nostalgic pride I feel every time I notice it…