sometimes i am the one with the exciting life

so, as most of the folks who ever read this already know, i recently acquired what is commonly called a boyfriend. i never really liked the term, but can't think of a better one that isn't out-dated.

he prefers to be called Snake, although i call him Noe, as i can't say "Snake" without cracking up, and i'm sure he'd be offended. this new friendship is a journey into totally foreign territory for me. he is both a former and a future Navy boy, with six years' prior service and a recent re-enlistment and pending deployment. he is very proud of his service, and that of his three brothers (all Navy, all Blue Knights of the Navy, whatever that means exactly). perhaps as a result, i am occasionally the audience for short lectures on the validity of the war, the importance of pride in the U.S., the superiority of Ford over imported cars (and any other American-made), and very occasionally, the watchfulness of God the Almighty.

His childhood was split between Evanston and Detroit, but he claims Detroit as his real home. He is devoted to muscle cars, and is the (very) proud owner of 2 1/2 racing Mustangs (he doesn't race them himself, just does all of the wrench work). Today I went on a field trip to his garage (Snake's Chop Shop) to see his babies, and while i didn't understand most of what he was talking about, i can attest to the shininess of the cars, both under the hood and on the outside. while he is not very educated in the academic sense, he is certainly not a dumb guy - he taught himself physics so that he could understand how to make cars go faster, and is just as quick as Dad to point to a piece of a car's engine and begin explaining the laws that make it work. he is also trilingual. people who speak more than one language always make me feel dumber.

what i find to be the most ironic about this new relationship is that i, the feminist, have found myself the ultimately traditional-minded man, who insists and demonstrates that chivalry is not dead. he is scandalized if i ever pull out my wallet to pay for anything in his presence, holds doors open for me, and is solicitous of my every need. he extends this consideration to all females - my co-worker Rachel came out to the session yesterday, and the two of them had dinner while i played, and he insisted on paying for her dinner as well. despite this determination to care for women, he claims (to my roommate, while i was away from the table), that my main attraction is my sass. he likes it that i talk back rather than deferring to him. apparently this doesn't happen to him very often, as he is pretty physically intimidating - barrel-chested and over six feet tall, with a default expression pretty close to a scowl and a penchant for heavy-metal music.

so, at this point, i have no illusions about this relationship. he will be shipping out sometime between October and March, and I am moving away from Illinois sometime between May and August. he and I have very different goals in life - when i told him I was studying for the GRE, he asked what grad school is, and what use it will be for me. we also have very different philosophies on life - he is a firm believer in the value of violence as a conflict-resolution tool, and doesn't really see the value in reading books.
however, at this point, he certainly does break up the monotony, and i am learning a lot. he has many good (and terrifying) stories from his life, including the tale behind the piece of lead still lodged in his sternum - he was shot off his HumVee in Fallujah, and it cured him of his homophobia, as the man who saved his life is gay and they are now bosom buddies.
I am not entirely convinced of the truth of all of his stories, being somewhat of an embellisher myself, but i did get to feel the bullet, and he is certainly nervous enough to have seen combat. i have already learned never to sneak up on him.
additionally, besides stories, he has two brand-new puppies - pitbulls, which according to him, are superior to all other dogs. and God knows i love puppies.