Rude Awakening
Amanda Hoffer | Staff Writer

I only got four hours of sleep last night and do you know who I blame? The government. Wait! Hear me out and you will understand my mildly convoluted logic. The government funds the military and the military funds the ROTC program and now the bitching can begin.

My roommate is a member of the ROTC program and if you didn't know, they participate in physical training or PT every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This morning, Monday, was weigh in and height day. My roommate decided not to go. I know shirking responsibility blah, blah, blah, but she decided not to go. Now last time I checked not hopping on a scale doesn't affect the stability of the free world. But I guess those in charge felt differently, because at 5:55 AM the phone rang. Since I'm on the bottom bunk I got up to answer it.

"Is Cadet E there?" asked the female voice on the other end.

"Yes, but she's asleep"

"Okay, thank you."

And I thought that was it. Rude, but only mildly so. I should be able to get back to sleep. Not to big a disruption. Back to bed. So I'm all nestled in bed, eyes closed, falling back into my nice little sleep pattern, and just as I've fallen back asleep the damn phone rings again. Needless to say I'm not very happy this time. Again I pick up the phone.

A commanding male voice said, "Let me speak to Cadet E now."

No "sorry to disturb you", "sorry to wake you", "did I wake you". NO! She gets told to come hop on the scale and I never get back to sleep. Now I don't know how most of you were raised but I was taught that calling people before eight o'clock is RUDE. I know that to the military 6 AM is morning but I'll let you know something. If the sun isn't up, then neither am I. Maybe that makes me soft or lazy or NORMAL, but I'd appreciate that little bit of respect afforded to me as a human being. If you don't think I'm entitled to that modicum of respect, then guess what? I'm disconnecting my phone overnight.