I think I might have mentioned this before, but the room that I sleep in has a bug zapper in it due to the insane amounts of mesquitos that we have flying around. For some reason I seem to taste like a delicatesant to these little flying bastards, so any preventative measures taken to keep them from eating me alive is a good one to me.
Well, back home in AZ mesquitos are not too big of a problem. In fact bugs in general arent, so Im not real used to bug zappers. So I dont know if this is how they normally are or if this is just a special bug zapper, but the one in my room, whenever one of those bastards meets his maker via 100,000 volts of electricity, it makes this awful loud snap/pop as their mesquito carcas turns to smoke. Good one less blood sucker, but everytime it scares the ever living shit out of me! Its really bad at night right as Im getting ready to fall asleep and ZAAP!!! another one bites the dust. I feel like the biggest sissy but I practically jump in the air when it really catches me off guard.
I think it has to do with the night that I was in the alleyway and the guy jumped out and started shooting at us (me being the front point man) from 25/30 meters away. The fierocity of the sound of the bullets coming at me and hitting around me has left me slighty jumpy. Its gotten a lot better, but it used to be bad. Well, its not EXACTLY like that, but the sound of the vampires dying is very very very similar to the snap or pop of rounds as they pass very near to you, and I think that is why I am startled so much.
I probably normally wouldnt write a blog about this, but last night had me really thinking about it. It seemed an armada of mesquitos were flying around in the room last night just as I was trying to go to sleep. The were being drawn to the bug zapper like a fat kid towards cake. It was just like pop, POP! SNAP, pop pop SNAP! all night long. And even though I knew another one would fly in there soon, it still startled me. The craziest thing was I noticed my heart rate accelerate and I got the slight feeling and alertness of a tiny amount of adreneline starting to works its way through my body. I seriously think that my body was reacting to what it though was combat. No matter how hard I tried to not have it happen and just tell myself this is stupid, my body did its own thing. Kind of crazy huh? I dont know how I finally fell asleep but I do know that I only got a few hours of sleep before having to wake up early to go out on patrol.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Thank you Mr. Bug Zapper Inventor guy!!!
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20 comments:
Tucson, here. Just found you.
Janet from Tucson
Yup. Your body does that--under orders from below/outside your conscious control. Brain stem stuff. Determined to keep you alive.
Survey says.... Yup, it finally got to you. Those bug zappers were put there on purpose, you know, to make sure that you continue your training on being more alert and ready for combat. LOL
I'm LMAO with this one. "VAMPIRES?" lol. Yeah, they deserve to die. All bug zappers are like that by the way. Hence the name "zappers".
OMG, I was actually visualizing those damn mosquitoes getting zapped into oblivion. I kept remembering that animated film: "A Bug's Life" I think it was called? The poor bug was like: "Don't look into the light" and the other responded:"I can't help it!" LOL
I feel your pain though, man. In Puerto Rico they really used to tear me up, that's how I found out that I was actually really allergic to mosquito bites. Baby oil helped for me. It kept the mosquitoes away, and I got some pretty nice tans, too.
Darlin', God equipped our bodies with a more than adequate self-protection mechanism. Yours is on overload for obvious reasons. It's too bad you guys can't the kind of bug zapper that is powered by propane and covers over a mile area, and is totally silent! Write a letter to Soldiers' Angels, and ask them if they can get you one like that. We have them in parks here in Texas! go to www.soldiersangels.org and write them a letter! You might be amazed.
lol. bug zappers do normally do that. this coming from experience, since my family (the hillbillies) would sit around a bug zapper with beer and watch the critters fry.
As for adrenaline, you're not the only one. My Dad use to jump at all kinds of little things. Especially if we tried to wake him up (like on Christmas) he woke up about ready ko kill us since when he was in a foxhole in 'Nam he woke up to a knife to his throat.
I'm laughing so hard, it's starting to hurt. Your description of bug zappering is so right on the point! We tried to show Daddy that the instructions said to move the zapper away from the middle of the patio so the mesquitos would be drawn away to their death, but he insisted he just loved the sound of those #%#%#%#%# 'skeeters getting their just reward.
The propane bug zappers work great.
found you via Blackfive... boring is good... boring is good...
eyes up, head & a$$ down... from an AZ (Prescott) Mom.
Hey, LOL... check this out:
http://www.mosquito-zapper.com/
Do you take vitamins? If not, try taking one that is high in anti-oxidant, fat-soluble B vitamins. It makes you "smell" bad to skeeters.
You are on my mind and in my prayers.
Wait 'til a bat or a sparrow flies it. Then you get the light show to go with wicked sound effects. The smell isn't all that pleasant, but...
Keep writing, Airborne. It gives us a deeper appreciation of what you're going through over there.
Eddie,
LOL! You will get use to it.
Keep safe out on your missions!
I'm sorry you have to get used to this. I hope that soon you will be at home and a more peaceful environment will help your body to relax. Thank you for your sacrifices. Stay safe.
Get someone at home to ship you cheap mosquito netting and bunge chords to suspend it. Also find and use ear plugs, the more recent designs are much more comfortable. If the military version isn't, you can have someone buy you them in bulk from Walmart and other vendors.
You're showing signs of acute stress response, in that jumpy response to sharp sounds; not at all unusual. If you smoke and chug a lot of caffeine, its adds to this problem of hyperawareness and sensitivity to sudden noise.
Note that it also increases your chemical signature that attracts biting insects.
Calming music (not head banger stuff favored by troops), meditation and turning off worry while laying quietly using belly breathing will help you to improve your stress response threshold.
Keep as well as you can, sir.
Just like a mom with sleeping kids who have croup, you waken becuz of your need to stay alert, I guess.
Thanks for doing this awful job for us, even tho we would prefer you were home in AZ with fewer mosquito bites. I live in WI with MANY bugs and drink lotsa tonic( quinine) & they don't often bite me as a result.
If you have ever been to Louisiana (Ft.Polk) you know about how many bugs are here! Read the directions on the bug zapper, the one I have says keep it at least 50ft away from site you want protected. The emitting signal has some sort of color/band/etc (I don't know electrical jargon) that draws the bugs TO the unit, and AWAY from you! I realize a tent/room does not have that space, but maybe as far away as you can get it. Many people here put them on their porch, and their porches look like some insect-horror movie set! \. The mosquito net is hotter, but at least it will keep out the biters! Also some people here think putting pure vanilla extract on your skin will ward off mosquitoes, also the skin-so-soft theory, but these Louisiana biters I have do not know those theories! Why just the other day I got away from two big ones. One had me, just about to do me in, when his buddy came up and wanted me, they got to fighting, and I got away!! (So old and so dumb a joke!) Maybe you should start collecting mosquito jokes. Youall keep up the info. I was a Vietnam wife, I enjoy all the personal insights.
Eddie,
What a great parallel - mosquitos & bullets! Your body's been sensitized & is very suspicious of anything that sounds like bullets. It's normal. I would definitely try netting, and Skin-So-Soft. It works for me and for a lot of hunters in the Northeast US in early fall when it's still warm. Rather than vanilla I would try eucalyptus oil as a repelant. Your body really needs a time & place to relax a little. that Zapper should go.
How large are your sleeping quarters? Maybe the space is too small for a Bug-zapper. If it's any consolation I was eaten by mosquitos in November in Belgium three years ago. They are VERY creative critters.
Geez... I don't know what's worse, listening to them die or getting bit by them... I remember one time getting ready to take off in a bass fishing tourney, deep south, sun just coming up and mosquitos everywhere, I remember thinking "if we don't take off soon, I will run screaming blindly into the woods cause they're driving me crazy!! I really feel for you... Hang in there... Hope you find a remedy... God bless...
the good news is, you can't hear them scream :)
see if you can find a mute button on the damn thing...
(asking for comfy earplugs sounds like a great idea.)
If the room is well-ventilated, try a mosquito trap. It attracts them with CO2 and sucks them in with a vacuum. Just a steady hum. Sounds crazy, but I'm told they actually work.
I'd send you one myself, but I'm stuck on a boat offshore for the next two months.
Hang in there.
You might try, in addition to the vitamins, a few supplements like Melatonin and DHEA. The brain hooks up outside events with inside activities (dreams, thoughts) and if you're not through processing something, it can come out pretty wierd. Take a generous supply of legal pain meds, too.
They may take a few days to kick in. They help you sleep and control stress. Not for use while on active operations, but good for unwinding. And getting a good nights sleep. Most of it is stress from danger, fear, and exhaustion. Which, if the body is overloaded with stress (bad sh*t happening now), just makes it all worse.
Lot'sa vets found they can maintain better when they get back using Melatonin. It's a natural supplement, get it at vitamin stores, and for lots of guys, it makes the difference between edgy and over the edge.
Yes, its Lizard Brain stuff. You make a wrong sound and the sunning lizard jumps straight up. It ain't awake, it doesn't care, it just jumps if it's startled. We have lizard brain stems, and we jump too.
'Course we gotta tangle all that other brainiac sh*t into justifying the reaction, the ethnic consciousness, the political correctness, the angst . . . By this time the lizard you startled has moved on, regained his composure, marked his spot and is probably chasing some hot tail while you're still processing the startle event.
Just doesn't seem fair, does it?
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