PMQ Help

[TN2IC]

Because in few other neighbourhoods would all of the spouses work together, or near one another.  Add to that the perception of rank and its "privileges" by those who should know better (but either don't or refuse to), readiness to allow petty jealousies and rumour to explode into nasty exchanges, etc., etc., and you have a recipe for neighbourhood turmoil.

It's funny in fact all the guys are at sea. So it's more of a 9D's conflict out there right now. I just want to go home and relax. And as for contact with them... kind of hard sharing a drive way with them.

Mortage looks good these days...

 

[fraserdw]

Concur, move out of the PMQs.  After they imposed a "all garbage must be in plastic containers" rule, my neighbour who was famous for loud music and 3 broken down trucks in his backyard, starting burning his garbage in his BBQ up against the my end of his yard.  He is still there, despite having been reported for pouring automotive oil down a storm drain, running and chop shop out of his shed and dismantling cars with air tools until 2AM and along with a string of other complaints.  I took the huge mortage and moved out, PMQs are people on the fast track with lots of postings, people who cannot function in a standard civilian rental agreement and those that cannot afford a mortgage for various reasons.  One way or the other every third neighbour moving in beside you will be a hillbilly, an abuser or a party animal.  AND unless they actually put the PMQ property at risk no one is not going to care!   I propably offended alot of folks right now but that has been my experience in my 6 years living in the same PMQ with 4 different neighbours, the mortgage will build for your future and the military has great assistance to mortgage holders.  

 

[TCBF]

Couple our need to dredge the streets for new recruits with the inability of the CF to release all of the slackers/non-hackers/admin burdens and general whack-jobs (all bad enough) then add the propensity of said baboons to marry/mate/clone/shack-up with anything of the opposite sex (for the most part) that has a heartbeat and is in heat, and you have the huge morality play/mad scientist's dream currently being staged in some of our MQ patches. 

Housing enforce discipline?  No way? As soon as one of the hood's bovine beauties starts whining to the Communist Broadcorping Castration on night time TV (milk stains visible on her Regimental T Shirt), about how it's none of the CF's business how the 'hood is run and how the real issue is that her 43 BMI hubby is injured again and unfortunately can't go to the field for the 12th year in a row and how it isn't fair the other wives get to spend all of the tour money she doesn't get because he can't go on tour because he talked her into threatening suicide if they tried to send him blah blah blah...

 

[BernDawg]

Seen (ROTFL)

 

[krustyrl]

Thanks TCBF, what a "colorful" analogy of PMQ Patch life.  Very entertaining...!!!

 

[ENGINEERS WIFE]

TCBF
WOW!!!! Hey, I think we lived across the street from someone like them in Gagetown.  We used to call them the "Adams Family"  And there's ALWAYS an "Adams Family" in every neighborhood.  Most of the time ignoring it worked best, or if it got really entertaining sitting out with a cool beverage and a lawnchair worked well too!  It could be very entertaining watching from a distance. I have a feeling that you didn"t enjoy the Q's!!!!!  Just a wild guess.  or  m aybe you should take up writing for a sorta PMQ/soap opera kinda thing.  It would surely be able to 'hit' for CBC

 

[fraserdw]

Not that buying a house in Oromocto much better.  This has got to be the worst policed and run town outside the Ozarks!!!!

 

[BinRat55]

... PMQs are people on the fast track with lots of postings, people who cannot function in a standard civilian rental agreement and those that cannot afford a mortgage for various reasons.  ... I propably offended alot of folks right now but that has been my experience in my 6 years living in the same PMQ ...  

Yes, you have.  Sorry, but I do take offence to you assuming MY reason for living in a PMQ.  How about the "fear" of getting almost 1/3 of a million dollars in debt?  How about some people just find it more convenient, regardless of how many postings they have in their career?  How about those who are just not home-savy enough to do their own repairs, upgrades and such, and would rather a "landlord" to be responsible... and I can go on.

No, i'm not financially crippled, socially inept or by no means on a fast track to anywhere. I choose to be in a PMQ just 'cause. And it's my choice.

 

[Armywife_chimo]

You can choose to live in PMQ's or Choose to get a mortgage. Either way you could end up living besides the Adam's family. 

There are no good or bad choice.  We have done both and there are good and bad sides to both.  You can choose to ignore the crap that goes on... You can choose to complain about it, you can choose to do something about it too...

Whatever you choose, it must be for the right reasons.  Don't move out and expose yourself to debts if you can't afford it yet don't stay out of fear of the unknown.....

 

[jonstarks]

So is there a bright side to living in the PMQ's?  and with a family?

 

[RTaylor]

This threads great...but one thing thats missing is the occasional midnight visits by horned up CF members with no morals to skankface wives who are home alone because their hubby is overseas or in the field. That brings up even more entertainment.

 

[PMedMoe]

This threads great...but one thing thats missing is the occasional midnight visits by horned up CF members with no morals to skankface wives who are home alone because their hubby is overseas or in the field. That brings up even more entertainment.

That's pretty presumptuous.  Maybe it's the other way around at times (wife is away and skankface husband is home).  I don't think people do the "Tide Box" thing anymore.

 

[Dolphado]

"Tide Box" thing?  Please do elaborate?  This is something I don't think I'll get outta my mom (lived in PMQ's in Germany way back when)

 

[BernDawg]

"So is there a bright side to living in the PMQ's?  and with a family?"

Don't let us old buggers get ya down.  We had a really good go in Winnipeg when we lived in the Q's there.  We had great neighbours and a good neighbourhood.  Mostly it's hit or miss and will depend greatly on your neighbours and friends.  If your lucky your friends will live close to you.  That makes for a good neighbourhood (of course).  We were lucky cause most of my neighbours were from the same unit so we all got along (it does make a difference)
    Sadly my bad go was in Gagetown but we were only there a year so it was tolerable.  We've purchased ever since and won't go back.

 

[Springroll]

I've had a great time in my PMQ.
I have great neighbours(except for one that is being posted out in JULY...YEAH!!)
Lots of kids around for my kids to play with and their parents are great, close to schools and shopping and it is something I can afford as a single parent.

But, if I could afford to buy a house here on my OS pay, you better believe I would!!
I miss owning my own house!

 

[scoutfinch]

"Tide Box" thing?  Please do elaborate?  This is something I don't think I'll get outta my mom (lived in PMQ's in Germany way back when)

I swear to god that I thought the TideBox was an urban myth until I moved to Petawawa in the late 80s.  At one point in time, my husband was away on exercise while I was pregnant.  I had gone grocery shopping, and at 8 months pregnant, I just didn't have the physical energy to move my box of laundry soap downstairs to the basement when I brought it in the house.  I sat inside the front door while I put the remainder of the groceries away and then promptly forgot about it.  Later that day, as everyone was coming home from work, my neighbours husband popped by to give me the heads up that my laundry soap was visibile through the little window beside my door.  Normally he wouldn't have said anything because he knew the significance of the 'Tide Box' but because I was new to the neighbourhood, he was pretty sure that I didn't have a clue what I was signalling to the world.  He kindly carried my laundry soap to the basement for me forthwith!

Apparently, in Petawawa of the late 80s, a Tidebox visible from the street indicated that your spouse (typically husband) was not home and you were willing and able to play with your 'friends'.  Or perhaps it was a signal to your real friends that you were already 'playing' with someone else and they shouldn't come over.  I can't remember.

Obviously, I never mastered laundry soap box comms before I left Pet.

 

[Blackadder1916]

"Tide Box" thing?  Please do elaborate?  This is something I don't think I'll get outta my mom (lived in PMQ's in Germany way back when)

 
The "Tide" box was the signal in the American housing areas because they shopped exclusively at their commissary and stayed with North American products.  Canadians and Brits, who intergrated with the German economy more, considered "OMO" (a European brand laundry soap) the signal of choice.  However, there was talk that some Canadians used Tide during FALLEX to signal to the increased number of US military who seemed to visit Lahr during that period.

Popular definitions of the laundry box code:

Tide - the tide is out, so is the old man
OMO - old man's out

 

[BinRat55]

I heard a different story ( as did most of us, no doubt) with the emphases on "story".  Without going into too much detail, in my version it began in Halifax.  A young seaman put to port with his ship a tad early and grabbed a cab.  Cabbie asked where to and not wanting to go home to his wife as she was not expecting him yet he promptly told the driver "Somewhere I can have a good time".  Cabbie told him about the Tide box game.  Liking the idea the young seaman jumped on it.  Driver took him to his own house!! 

It's a good story for a few reasons.  I like the irony!

 

[aesop081]

I heard a different story

The stories attached to it vary but the essence remains the same........Soldier/sailor/airman goes away....wife puts soapbox in window.......someone makes a visit......

 

[Springroll]

I heard that with the army types, they would put their regiments sticker on the back of the headboard so that when the chicks hubby came back, he would get to see who was banging his wife...