Once more, in English...
Things have somewhat settled down, and in addition to my weekly phone calls, Chris also manages to send out a letter now and then. This is good. I have realized however, that the Army may be overlooking a valuable addition to their encryption/decryption department. Let me explain...
From all outward appearances, a letter from Chris seems normal. Then, I open the envelope. Somewhere between "Hey Mom" and "I love you-BYE" my mind goes into "safe mode." (Anyone who's spent a moderate amount of time with a pc has probably cursed their way through "safe mode.") For those who haven't, when your computer isn't thinking right, it reverts to its most basic mode of operation. (Supposedly to help its owner figure out what's wrong and fix it.) When my mind goes into "safe mode," I can still breathe, speak, and read- only I'm not making sense of any of it. (I pretty much spent my entire senior year in high school calculus operating in "safe mode." )
I would wager some of Chris' letters could keep cryptologists busy for hours. Now, in fairness to my son, my confusion doesn't stem from poor spelling or grammar. The words are usually legible. It's more the pace and direction he takes. (Imagine a kitten in a playroom filled with balls of string- kittens love string. Now, imagine 20 kittens in a playroom filled with balls of string....they're all over the place, and they get there with blinding speed!) That's what it feels like reading some of his letters.
The thing is- I absolutely LOVE them! I know that he is spending what little free time he has writing to his mom. He may have 50 things to tell me about and 20 minutes to write them. For the first time in a few years, he wants to tell me stuff!
I love every word he takes the time to write....even if I do need a decoder to read them!
Next entry: Lots of news, decoded and declassified!
From all outward appearances, a letter from Chris seems normal. Then, I open the envelope. Somewhere between "Hey Mom" and "I love you-BYE" my mind goes into "safe mode." (Anyone who's spent a moderate amount of time with a pc has probably cursed their way through "safe mode.") For those who haven't, when your computer isn't thinking right, it reverts to its most basic mode of operation. (Supposedly to help its owner figure out what's wrong and fix it.) When my mind goes into "safe mode," I can still breathe, speak, and read- only I'm not making sense of any of it. (I pretty much spent my entire senior year in high school calculus operating in "safe mode." )
I would wager some of Chris' letters could keep cryptologists busy for hours. Now, in fairness to my son, my confusion doesn't stem from poor spelling or grammar. The words are usually legible. It's more the pace and direction he takes. (Imagine a kitten in a playroom filled with balls of string- kittens love string. Now, imagine 20 kittens in a playroom filled with balls of string....they're all over the place, and they get there with blinding speed!) That's what it feels like reading some of his letters.
The thing is- I absolutely LOVE them! I know that he is spending what little free time he has writing to his mom. He may have 50 things to tell me about and 20 minutes to write them. For the first time in a few years, he wants to tell me stuff!
I love every word he takes the time to write....even if I do need a decoder to read them!
Next entry: Lots of news, decoded and declassified!
powered by performancing firefox
posted by Melissa at 11:51 PM
1 Comments:
I found your site today. I am also a mom of a 17 year old son currently at Basic Training. He's about a month behind your son - scheduled to graduate August 4. I am currently (not so patiently) awaiting the letter he said was coming with his mailing address so we can start sending him letters. Thanks for starting your blog - it's nice to read comments from another mom in a similar situation. The best to you and your family!
Post a Comment
<< Home