Adventures in Botulism

I'm in my mid-forties now. Yes, I know - shocking.

I don't really consider myself a vain woman. I've accepted my silvery hair with good grace. I'm working on reducing my extra poundage with the always effective "eat less, move more" strategy, and have accepted that doing so will probably be a life-long endeavor. I've accepted that I can't wear makeup every day due to my rosacea. I've resigned myself to wearing frumpy shoes in the short term to resolve my plantar fasciitis. These things are just the prices I'm currently paying for being middle aged, and since middle age has also brought me happiness, contentment, financial security, confidence and decent relationships, I'm thinking that's a pretty darn good trade.

And yet.

There is one thing I dislike about getting older, that I haven't been able to accept with good grace, and that's my glabellar scowl lines. For those of you who don't know what those are, don't feel bad - I didn't know what they were called either. Here's a photo of them from the Interwebs:

I tend to scowl when I concentrate, and have since I was a child. As a result, I have fairly deep lines between my brows that have become a bit more permanent than I like over the years. In general, wrinkles don't bother me that much. Rosacea notwithstanding, I have fairly decent skin, and while years of smoking has done its share of damage, I'm generally satisfied with how I'm aging. But THESE wrinkles - THESE wrinkles make me look like I'm angry all the time.

Now, I've been told that I'm a bit intimidating in my professional life. I'm sure that part of this is the natural result of working as a woman in a male dominated field my entire adult life, but there's also my natural inclination to beat stupid people with sticks. Either way, I don't need any help from my wrinkles in making people approach me with fear and trembling.

Plus there's the fact that I'm NOT angry all the time. Only when I encounter stupid people who need to be beat with a stick.

So I got a referral from my Hot Cousin (who is the purveyor of such knowledge in our family), and on Friday of last week I went off to visit the RN who is the keeper of the Botulism. She injected my forehead with neurotoxin and now, less than a week later, I no longer have glabellar scowl lines marring my pleasant visage.

I don't feel paralyzed, and I think there's still sufficient elasticity and animation in my face to make it look natural. I just don't look angry anymore.

Better living through Botulism. I'm satisfied, and I can't believe it took me so long to take the plunge.

Ask Hot Chicks Dig Smart Men, Edition the Twelfth

Today's response ends this series of "Ask Hot Chicks Dig Smart Mean." I've enjoyed answering your questions, and I want to thank everyone that participated.

Today's question comes from new commenter yintan, who asks,

What would you NEVER EVER do for money? Even if it were millions?

This question has been preying on my mind. I think the only thing I'd never do for money, even millions, is kill someone. Being an assassin (killing strangers for pay) or killing people you know for gain is just not something I can ever envision myself doing for any reason. That's not to say that I can't envision myself taking someone else's life - as a member of the Armed Forces, this was something I gave a great deal of thought to, and reconciled within the context of my own morality. And there are other circumstances where I might find such an act moral and just - protecting my own life and the lives of those I love against an aggressor, for example, even though the event would probably result in the collapse of my psyche. But for money? Um, no. I just can't see it.

After that biggie, my imagination, being both horrific and prolific, provides all sorts of hideous examples where I might compromise my moral code for money. After all, NEVER EVER is a long, long time, and I have no way of knowing what circumstances I might find myself in. I can't imagine my physically hurting others for money, for example, but if doing so was required to save the life of someone I loved, would I answer the same way? I can't imagine conning innocents out of their life savings, but if doing so would pay for life-saving treatment for one of my kids? Who knows how I'd react in such a scenario? I can think of many HIGHLY IMPROBABLE AND HORRIFYING CIRCUMSTANCES just like that, which makes me hesitate to add to that list.

I'd like to think that I would do the right thing if I was faced with a moral conundrum involving money. I'm fairly confident that I'd never compromise my moral code for personal gain, i.e., do wrong by someone to line my own pockets. Greed really isn't something that motivates me as a general rule (says the privileged upper-middle class white girl), but maintaining the health and well-being of those I care for is a different matter.

Thanks for your question, yintan, and I'll put it to the peanut gallery, as well - what would you NEVER EVER do for money? Even if it were millions?

Ask Hot Chicks Dig Smart Men, Edition the Eleventh

Today's Question comes from LucyinDisguise, who asks,

An Eric inspired question (not for me so much, but for my grandson):

What is the Marine recruiter NOT telling my grandson that is swaying his decision away from the Navy?

And, perhaps more important, could you give your five top reasons why he should choose the Navy over the Marines?

(11 months to final commitment)

I have given him my best shot at why the Marines would not be a good fit, but I am clearly biased (mostly based on my interaction with Marines through my Interservice Honor Guard duties* when I was in the Air Force - not actual day to day exposure).

LucyinDisguise, this is a difficult question to answer, primarily because I don't know your Grandson, and I'm unsure why the Navy might be a better fit for him rather than the Marine Corps. But I'll share my thoughts, and you can take away what you will. Please note that these are my impressions only - I never served in the Marines, and so my thoughts are incomplete, at best.

I would have to say that the differences between the Navy and Marine Corps fall into several categories: mission, culture, and organization. The differences in mission are available all over the Internet, so I'll concentrate on culture and organization. Bear in mind, however, that I don't consider the Navy to be "better" than the Corps - they're just very, very different, in all aspects of their service.

The culture of the Navy and the culture of the Marine Corps are very different animals. The modern Navy is a technological wonder - almost every rate requires extensive technical training, and hundreds of hours of on-the-job training to achieve levels of proficiency that allow the sailors to fight effectively. Each mission segment is somewhat isolated, and only in rare cases do sailors who specialize in, say, Surface Warfare, learn and become proficient in Construction Battalion (SeaBees) operations. Each mission is carried out at the lower ranks without much regard for the other groups. People tend to identify themselves in terms of their community (such as Submarines, or Aviation) rather than as "Sailors" outside their communities.

While the Marine Corps is also specializing more and more, the bottom line for Marines is that they are, first and foremost, Marines. Whether they work in military intelligence, aviation, or Marine Expeditionary Forces, they're all Marines, and they wouldn't dream of identifying themselves as "MI" rather than as "Marines" to someone not of their community. As a service, the Marine Corps is the smallest, the most disciplined, and in their minds, the most exclusive of the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. And that attitude is reflected in their culture. To them, all that matters is whether or not you're a good Marine.

There are advantages and disadvantages to the different cultural norms, of course. In the Navy, it's sometimes possible to live a life that does not wholly and completely revolve around the Navy, and to maintain an identity that isn't, at its core, being a sailor. That's not true for the Marine Corps. Marines are always Marines, no matter what, and no matter how long they've been out. If you're the kind of person who requires a certain amount of autonomy, of individualism, then the Corps is not going to be a comfortable home for you. However, if you're the kind of person who thrives and blossoms in an environment where there's lots of structure, where your inclusion in the fraternal cohort is the only thing that matters, then the Marines might suit.

One area where all the Armed Forces need work, but the Marine Corps ESPECIALLY needs work, is in the area of gender equality. Of all the services, the Corps is the most dependent on a warrior culture whose cornerstone is a macho, tough guy ethos. It's the reason they're so tight in their brotherhood, so inflexible in their commitment to never leave a Marine behind. I don't know how they can keep the latter without shitcanning the former, but I do know that the Corps is not necessarily a good career choice if you're a woman.

Organizationally, the Marines are also the leanest of the services. The ranks of their support personnel is the smallest on a per capita basis compared to the other services. This allows them to maintain their exclusivity, and their identify as, first and foremost, a fighting force. One of the reasons for this is that they depend on the Navy in large part for some of this support (including their military academy).

There are career choices that allow young service members to be a part of the Marines without actually joining them. The most obvious is that of Navy Hospital Corpsman. The Marines don't have corpsman of their own - they use the Navy's, and corpsmen who are accepted into that program, live, work and fight alongside the Marine units they're assigned to. The Navy SeaBees are also a subculture that more closely resemble the Marine experience than a generic sailor's.

LucyinDisguise, I guess the bottom line is, what does your Grandson hope to achieve by joining the service? Technical training? A sense of accomplishment? Fulfilling a desire to serve?  College benefits? A career? What kind of person is he, and in what environment will he thrive? The answer to those questions will determine what service (if any) is right for him. I suspect the Marine recruiter is downplaying your Grandson's chances of being deployed into a war zone, which (if true), is just bullshit. If your Grandson joins the Marines, it's extremely likely that he'll end up in Iraq, Afghanistan, or some other shithole, trying hard not to get his ass shot off by some insurgent. That's a risk your Grandson has to be willing to accept before he signs up. On the other hand, if he chooses the Navy, it's extremely likely he'll end up on 6-9 month deployments on a Navy warship, living cheek to jowl with 200-5,000 of his closest friends. The military is not an easy life - in any context - and going in with your eyes open is best for everyone.

I know I have a number of former sailors and Marines that visit this space - I hope they'll throw their two cents in, as well. Thanks for your question, LucyinDisguise.

Free Shit Friday Winner...

...of the first edition copy of Larry Niven's Playgrounds of the Mind is WendyB_09, with a random number of 12. Enjoy!

2011 Wild Flower Pr0n

Brown Eyed Susans, growing wild in the open space near the Big Yellow House.

I don't think this is a wildflower, but is probably an orphan that is thriving on its own.

Free Shit Friday - Playgrounds of the Mind

Today's Free Shit Friday offering is a First Edition in Excellent condition of Larry Niven's Playgrounds of the Mind. This is a collection of short stories set in a variety of universes, and is the sequel to N-Space.

Disclaimer: I haven't read this volume (with the exception of The Draco Tavern stories), so I can't in good conscience recommend the volume as a whole. It was another score at my Awesome, Awesome Library's used book area.

Da rules.

Save the JWST, and Increase the Awesome in the World

You know, I love the Hubble Space Telescope. Love, love, love. Its images have stunned me to silence, inspired me, and opened my eyes to the vastness of our universe. The repair missions have awed me with the abilities of our astronauts and those who support them. But it's nearing the end of its life, and its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, is in danger of being defunded.

I'm not going to talk about the loss to the scientific community if the JWST is scrapped. There are plenty of scientists out there that are qualified to discuss that issue. What I will say is that if the government scraps the JWST, they will decrease the Awesome in the world:

 

Please contact your Senator and Representative to encourage them to save the JWST. Because increasing the awesome in the world matters.

__________

Tip of the Heat Shield to Julianne at the Cosmic Variance blog.