Before I get going on today’s questions, I’ll just throw in a shameless plug for my latest SpouseBUZZ post. I met my first “deployment gremlins” when they moved into my furnace like half a second after Sampson departed, but it turns out there was an unexpected bright side to a major household system going on the fritz.

Right, now onto the questions!

Do you or your {spouse} ever wish your {spouse} was in a different branch of the military? —submitted by The Turner Family

The only time I have ever witnessed a tinge of service-related “grass is greener” syndrome on Sampson’s part was when he waxed rhapsodic over the deliciousness of Air Force boxed nasty (boxed lunch, for the uninitiated). “They even included a comment card. A comment card!” he marveled.

However, the Air Force wouldn’t let Sampson land airplanes on boats, so I think we’ll stick with the Navy.

What duty station(s) are on your “No Way, Hell No, Not Going, Have Fun Unaccompanied” list and why? –submitted by Every Branch

I can’t think of a duty station to which I absolutely would not move, but there are definitely some that would inspire more of a fuss than others. I would prefer not to spend three years in Meridian, Mississippi. The town appears to have only one synagogue, it is far away from all of our family members, the job my husband would be doing wouldn’t be his first choice, and I haven’t heard stellar things about the job market for me.

I’d still go, though. After all, less-than-ideal living conditions can make for hilarious stories to share on the blog.

If you could be one age forever, what age would you choose and why? –submitted by Three Krakens

My mom has always said she has liked every age she’s been, and I would tend to agree. I would hate to miss out on something wonderful about being thirty because I got it in my head that life peaks at twenty-six.

If you were a breakfast cereal, which one would you be? —submitted by the C.W.

This is a much harder question than “What’s your favorite breakfast cereal?” would have been. Hmm… how about Grape Nuts topped with fresh sliced banana? I’m a little nutty, but that just adds a satisfying crunch to life, interspersed with bites of smooth sweetness for contrast. I’m not sure what the vanilla soymilk would signify.

What is your morning beverage of choice and why? —submitted by NH Girl Displaced

Yes, those are Sampson's flight gloves, and yes, that is my crazy morning hair.

Black tea, hands down. I enjoy coffee, but it’s always been an afternoon beverage for me. What I want when I first stumble into the kitchen is a big mug of “something civilizing,” as Sampson puts it. I don’t sweeten most teas, so I get to enjoy the slightly astringent complexity of the brew unimpeded by a sugar kick. This morning’s cuppa is a darjeeling from Adagio Teas.

Since hitting the fleet, Sampson has developed a morning coffee habit where none previously existed. We started out using a French press, but while it made good coffee, it was a pain to clean out the coffee grounds afterwards. When the carafe finally broke, I had just the excuse I needed to order an AeroPress. As soon as we gave it a test run, I wished we had pitched the French press years sooner. It makes a fantastic cuppa joe, and the clean-up is infinitely easier: just press the plunger and the whole “puck” of grounds flies into the trash with a satisfying thunk. No touching the damp, gritty spent grounds at all!

Are you a military spouse/fiancée/fiancé/girlfriend/boyfriend? Hie thee to ENS Wifey’s blog, snag the questions, and add yourself to the Mr. Linky for this week’s MilSpouse Friday Fill-In!