Fun with inadequate personal space...

So, privacy is one of those things that you probably aren't going to be getting too much of during a deployment. It's apparently pretty close quarters: lots of people all sharing the same living space is just a fact of life. But, there are the occasional opportunities to be alone. For instance, M. can usually find a quiet corner to make a phone call home, and hey, you can always get some time alone in the bathroom, right? Well, maybe...this e-mail received from M. on Sunday morning had me laughing so hard that I almost spit diet Coke all over the keyboard of my computer. Fortunately, I collected myself long enough to e-mail M. back and get permission to share the following anecdote. Here goes: M. writes, "I don’t think I’ve told you about our deaf house cleaner. First off, he’s deaf. Second, his only vocal communication is grunting. Third, he looks like a 1950’s greaser. And fourth, he makes our house smell like a hospital. Oh and fifth, he comes here on Sunday morning when some of us are still sleeping. Sixth, we have to have someone watching him at all times too. Personally, I don’t like him." And to top it off? "He walked in on me this morning when I had my pants down in the bathroom." What? Oh geez: how did that happen? M. says, "I thought I had the door locked but apparently I didn’t. Deaf Guy knocks on the door, I say 'WHAT!' (to let whoever know that someone was in the bathroom), but deaf guy can’t hear that so he opens up the door. So there I am, practically naked because I had my shirt off (I was getting ready for [the] shower) and my shorts down at my ankles. That was a fun moment." Oh geez...better luck next time, M.!