Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Routine of the Quartermaster

It seems like I've been out of my routine for weeks and weeks. We had the trip to my parent's house for Easter. I was on vacation the next week. We had the big garage sale. Then, it was my first week back at work, which is always surreal, ending in a trip to the circus. What a crazy couple of weeks it's been. But, I think it's starting to settle down a bit.

Yesterday and today, I had two $0 days in a row. This makes me very happy and helps things seem calmer. We've gotten a good routine going at home and it's just easier when I'm not spending money. Of course, DH would probably beg to differ. He keeps coming at me with things he wants or, in his words, "needs." Yes, I know he needs things for work. He supplies his own welding gloves, helmet, jacket and tools. I get that. However, I also know he knew he only had a few pairs of gloves left last month. I simply asked him to review his equipment before the end of the month so that I could budget it all into my No Buy exemptions. Is this too hard? He began to refer to me as "Quartermaster." I laughed it off, but there was just a little something I couldn't make out as he walked off and mumbled it again.

In the US Army, the Quartermaster Corp supplies the troops with equipment and provisions. I am sure that this is what he meant. However, a quick Wikipedia search later and I learned a lovely little tidbit I can't wait to share with him:

Pirate quartermasters
Through a historical oddity, pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy elevated the rank of quartermaster to much higher powers and responsibilities than it had aboard any merchant or naval vessel.
Pirate quartermasters, like pirate captains, were usually elected by their crews. The quartermaster ranked higher than any officer aboard the ship except the captain himself, and could veto the captain's decisions whenever the ship was not chasing a prize or engaged in battle. The quartermaster also was chiefly responsible for discipline, assessing punishments for crewmen who transgressed the articles. It was generally also the quartermaster's responsibility to lead the pirate boarding party when coming aboard another ship. Several quartermasters, notably Calico Jack Rackham, succeeded to command and became captains in their own right after the previous captain was killed or deposed.

Yep, I highlighted the lovely part in red. Think I'm gonna print it out and stick it on the fridge, too. Maybe make out a lovely Excel spreadsheet supply requisitions form. Make him submit it in triplicate by the 28th of the month previous to when he'd like supplies.

Honestly, he has made several comments about how much less stress there has been in the house since I started the No Buy routine. But, the man is just a spender at heart.

On the home front:
I am sad to say that I have not seen the opossum in about a month. I am choosing to believe he ran off with the silver opossum and that little babies will be around soon. I am not choosing to believe he was on the side of the road "playing" in traffic.

In the bookstore:
OK, I've had the "Where's your Non-fiction?" question two times in the last week! What's the deal? It happens, we laugh about it, but seriously, twice in the last week?



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