Time for an update. Instead of using the past format of running through the days of the week I am just going to inform you guys of a couple events that happened this week that are of significance.
At some point this post is going to turn into me on a soap box...just a warning.
At work on Tuesday I started drafting up a US Flag raising program for my unit. I work at the headquarters area and they fly the US flag 24/7, and there used to be a program in place where you could go out and raise your own flag and salute it and then the general would sign off on a certificate saying that the flag was flown on a certain date and was flown on the behalf of fill in the blank. The program has stopped recently because the guy that used to be in charge doesn't want to the responsibility of it anymore, but he said if I want to start the program it's all mine. Well I need things to put on my NCOER (paperwork that says everything I have done...it makes sure NCO's and officers are being responsible) and I think it would be a cool program that people would appreciate.
So, I am going to ask all of you out there reading the blog to please let me know if you would like a US Flag that has been flown over here at the headquarters bldg. I would be more than thrilled to give anyone a flag that wants one. Since I am in charge of the program I can have the flag fly all day if you would like or on a certain date (like a birthday, veterans day may be little full).
On Friday there was an awesome thunderstorm.
We are at the gym working out and when we are done we decide to go to the USO, and when we step outside the ground is wet and huge drops of rain are falling from the sky. This of course makes Cara nervous. Luckily, no choppers fell from the sky. The thunderstorm was insane though. The lighting lit up the whole sky and the thunder was so loud it rattled the buildings. I have experienced some pretty intense storms in Texas, but this one had the most impressive lightning. At one point we were walking home and the whole sky lights up with lightning and Cara literally jumps, screams, and grabs my arm in one fluid motion. I, being the caring and sensitive person that I am, laughed hysterically at her expense and called her a sissy.
The next day we had our first flag football game of the season. We lost. It was sad. I learned that Powder Puff is a version of flag football...and I hate it. It is clearly a more "feminine" version of flag football, and that does not sit well with me. I went from playing flag football and reffing flag football at a University intercollegiate level to playing on a loosely organized volunteer based league. I am learning patience. My intensely competitive nature is struggling to stay in check though. Several of my teammates noticed this, and made comments to me the next day that they did not realize that I had such an intense side, and that they were lucky I was on their team because they wouldn't want to play against me. I like to win.
Apparently in Powder Puff football you can only blitz once every series. This is beyond infuriating to me. The reason for this rule is due to the fact that females struggle with protecting the quater back and generally female quarterbacks struggle under pressure. So they make this rule in order to provide the quarterback enough time to either throw it or run it. I think it is a bogus rule. If the quarterback can't move well under pressure and gets sacked every time then get a new quarterback. The team that I played on at Mizzou managed to run up the scores on teams and avoid the sack because our quarterback was quick and we knew how to block. The rule is insulting.
For all the rugby players out there think if there was a rule in women's rugby that said you can only hit the scrum half once per possesion when she is trying to get the ball out of the scrum, otherwise you have to allow the scrum half time to get the ball out of the scrum and cannot hit her. How ridiculous and insulting of a rule would that be?
I also learned while I was playing that I had CQ...this was news to me. I was under the impression that I had CQ on Monday evening, but apparently they changed the schedule and manage to not disseminate the information properly and so me and my NCOIC (who was playing in the game with me) where unaware of this. I was a little upset because I didn't want people to think I was avoiding duty or something like that. But no one was upset, because they all realized that I never got the updated schedule. So my name has not been tarnished. Sigh of relief. I started watching Band of Brothers while on CQ, which might have been a poor decision. That mini series is very intense and it made me think about life and the meaning of it, my grandparents who fought in WWII, and war and what it does to people. Next time I will stick to watching comedies.
However, they sent out the new CQ roster and my name is not on it. I think someone feels bad that I got the short end of the stick on CQ and took me off the next rotation. Fine by me.
Warning: Soap box follows.
Yesterday I had to go to a class about EO (equal opportunity). It wasn't a class, so much as a informative meeting about what is going on in the unit in regards to EO. We had to fill out a survey awhile ago about morale and EO and this meeting was a follow-up. I managed to keep myself in check during the meeting, because my battle buddy was brought up at one point and I used all the self-control I had to not say anything in retaliation to what was brought up.
The reason for my battle buddy being brought up is due to an incident that happened wayyy back at Ft. Hood. She got caught up in a bad situation, and some individuals decided to take it up the chain of command and punish her and one other person with an Article 15. For background on the story, my battle buddy did nothing wrong and the person that tried to bring charges against her was unable to do so for lack of evidence. The other person involved made a comment that should not have been made and because of it is being punished for her actions.
My battle buddy and the other person were not present at this meeting because they are of a lower rank, and this meeting was for SGT and SSG. So, people brought up this Article 15 because they said it has hurt their morale because they speak up when someone is doing the wrong thing and nothing happens to those soldiers. Instead the chain of command has turned on them and now they are being made out to be the bad guys because they were trying to do the right thing. The right thing is understanding that you are innocent until proven guilty. The right thing is knowing how the legal system works in the Army. The right thing is being tolerant of others and not passing judgment because they are different than you. The right thing is letting go of your pride when you may have jumped to conclusions too quickly and were wrong for making assumptions that had no evidence for support.
I realize that my view is completely biased and so of course I am going to stick up for my battle buddy. This is true, but my battle buddy did absolutely nothing wrong in the situation. Seriously. People wanted to make assumptions and false accusations. The other person was in the wrong at one point, and she knows this and is being punished for it. The people that spoke up in our meeting want blood to be shed over the incident, because their pride has been severely hurt in all of this.
After months of this incident not being dropped very few people support these individuals and the accusations they tried to make. They feel like no one likes them. I think very few people do like them, because their true character has been shown and it not pretty. One of the individuals that started the process of the Article 15 is a very devout Christian. She will talk everyday all day about how her Lord Jesus Christ is her savior and has blessed her and He is the one she prays to for guidance. I fear that her bible is lacking chapter 7 of the book of Mark. I figure that is the only way she can praise Jesus with the same mouth that she so easily judges others with.
On to a lighter subject.
Maire re-enlisted. Cara and I went to the re-enlistment ceremony. She had it at the helicopter pad in front of a Blackhawk cause she wants to fly choppers someday. On the way there we passed the Port-A-Pottie farm. It's a very impressive sight. Cara asked a good question: "How do you know which ones are ripe?" This reminded me of Jerry Seinfeld's "I'm Telling You For the Last Time."
At the re-enlistment ceremony Cara told me about the first time she saw a Blackhawk. And how the tail was missing, it was rolled on it's side, and how there was a guy pinned underneath it.
This week I will try and update more than once so you guys don't have to read a novel.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Another one down
Another Sunday has come and gone and that means one week closer to leaving this place. The weeks are going by faster. I think. Since I updated last Sunday, I will start from Monday and work my way through the week.
Monday- Slightly more eventful than a normal day, because I lost my arm band that carries my ID card, credit & debit card, Eagle Cash card (a bad idea), cash, and laundry slip. I have to wear this arm band when I am in my PT (physical training) uniform, and I take it off when I am at the gym. It constricts my bicep...stop laughing I am serious. When we (Cara and I) leave I put it back on and when I get to the CHU I usually put it in my bedside drawer. Every now and then I put it in my hat that hangs on my wall locker, because that is where my reflective belt goes. I think I put it in my hat, and I think I knocked my hat over at some point and it fell out. If it fell out there is a possibility it could have landed in my trash can under my hat, and I took the trash out when we went to the shower that night.
I didn't notice that my arm band was missing until I went to work that night and needed my ID card. I tore the CHU apart looking for the arm band, I looked at the gym, in the shower, the lost and found at the housing complex, even the dumpster where I threw the trash out (the trash had already been emptied). Nothing. The biggest problem with losing your ID is that you need your ID to get in everywhere around here. And apparently my security badge that also has my picture and name on it does not get you into the same places as your ID card. That makes no sense to me. My security badge gets me into a secure building...but not into the DFAC. That makes no sense, so I shouldn't be surprised it is a rule.
Tuesday- I spend another day without my ID, so another day of explaining to Ugandan guards at the DFAC why I don't have my ID and why they should let me in to eat anyway. I still look everywhere for my ID in the hopes of finding it. Nothing. I receive two great packages that almost make me forget about the current situation. One from Hayley (friend from...life?) that includes a Texas bumper sticker, Texas flag, food from Harry and David, two Beatles albums (the digitaly re-mastered ones, they do sound clear), and a DVD from eighth grade when we were at Davis Coffee. This DVD is very embarrassing, and now everyone wants to watch it. Not cool Hayley. Not cool. Second package was from a friend's mom. Sam. Sam is one of my best friends from Mizzou she lives in Michigan (because she graduated and went back home) and her mom is a teacher at a before and after school care center. Her mom's class decided to "adopt" me while I am over here and they are going to send me things throughout my deployment. This package contained candy, Halloween decorations, and homemade Halloween cards from the kids. It was one of the coolest things I have ever received, because these kids don't know me. Sam's mom has meet me once, and yet they have the compassion and kindness to do something like this. I am very thankful and blessed.
Wednesday- I go and get a new ID. It was a long process. I also find out that the Eagle Cash card that the military is so adamant about everyone having (the military wants to limit the amount of cash in theater), is actually more difficult to have than a credit card. Kind of. They want you to have the Eagle Cash card because it isn't directly linked to your bank account, this makes it harder to have your identity stolen. Also, you can use it if the credit card machines go down due to power outages (these happen quite often here) and they don't want soldiers carrying around a lot of cash in case they lose it, like me. Well, they don't tell you that there is no way to track the Eagle Cash card if you do lose it. There is no pin on the card, but they are suppose to check you ID at the store when you use it (they don't). They can't look online and see if there has been charges made to it, all the army can do is cancel and issue you a new one. Then they send an email to the US Treasury asking them to transfer your balance from your old card to your new one. So, moral of the story don't lose your Eagle Cash card with money on it because someone could have used all the money and you won't know until the US Treasury sends you an email saying there is no balance on your card. Ugh. There have been no fraudulent charges on my credit card so I don't think anyone stole it.
Thursday- Flag football practice and bible study. I had a lot of fun at flag football, because I love flag football. I was a referee for a year and a half at Mizzou and played my senior year on two really good teams. One was a co-rec team and the other was an all girls team. Both teams won the championship in their respective leagues. So I am pretty excited to play here. The field we play on is all sand though. So diving, falling, or sliding of any sort is very dangerous. I hope I don't get injured. Bible study was uneventful. If anyone has heard of something called Bible Tails (yes spelled that way) please let me know. It's a musical version of bible stories for kids, apparently a camel is the main character and he sings most of the stories.
Friday- Another flag football practice and the Not So Tough 'Ombre award dinner. We are the Tough 'Ombre's. I am sure you can google it and learn the history of my unit. It dates back to WWII. Well we have created the Not so Tough 'Ombre award and you earn this award by doing, or saying something that is not so smart or "tough." This month's winner was an officer who was talking to the Commanding General and did not know who he was and asked him what his civilian job was. To which he looked at her with a quizzical look and said "I have been active duty for 29 years and am the General of the 13th." She of course felt really embarrassed and claimed that she couldn't see the star on his uniform, and that is why she didn't know. To which he replied, "well shouldn't my picture be hanging up in your brigade so that you would recognize my face." She didn't really have a response to that one.
So we went to her award dinner, where she was given the trophy of a donkey's ass and everyone ragged on her for the duration of dinner. Apparently she almost nominated herself for the next month's award too, because she misspelled her own name in an email that she sent out to the entire brigade. However, she sent this email out on the same day as not recognizing the General so by a technicality that instance cannot be used to nominate her for November (yes, there are strict rules to the nominating process).
Saturday- Cara had CQ so I was without my battle buddy for 24 hours. It was a terrible 24 hours. I was lost without her. Luckily I had college football to keep me occupied. Saddly, Mizzou lost. But, Texas beat OU...barely (I almost had a heart attack). Ohio State and Kansas lost! *Grin* Florida almost lost to Arkansas and Boise State barely beat Tulsa. Nebraska lost to Texas Tech. Sad day. Notre Dame was a huge let down and lost to USC. Michigan took out their frustrations of being pathetic on poor Delaware State and beat them by like 60 points (talk about compensating). Very interesting weekend for college football.
Sunday- Church and gym. The commander gave me a ride home from church and I may have told him that he was illiterate (it was relevant to the situation). Opps. I was being funny and he laughed, so good to know the commander has a sense of humor. On the way to the gym Cara got attacked by a bat. It was hilarious. I think it was a bat. People say they are bats, and I guess I believe them. Either way, be it a bat or a bird it flew right at her face. She screamed like a little girl and freaked out. I laughed hysterically and asked her if she was a vampire. She thinks she is batwoman... Now I am at work and will hopefully get to go home early.
The canned food I have been sent has been great. The cans that are microwaveable are the best, because they require the least amount of work. And I am naturally a lazy person, so less work is better. =) I really miss graham crackers. They have them here, but they taste different. Most of the foods here taste different. Cara agrees that the graham crakers here are a huge let down, which is disappointing because peanut butter and graham crackers makes up about 1/3 of my diet.
Also if people send me their address I will send postcards. Just saying. You can email me at mizzou09@gmail.com with your address and eventually I will stop being lazy and take pictures of this place and send them to people as post cards.
Well, now that I am done rambling I will post what appears to be the longest post thus far. I guess more happens in a week than I think.
Monday- Slightly more eventful than a normal day, because I lost my arm band that carries my ID card, credit & debit card, Eagle Cash card (a bad idea), cash, and laundry slip. I have to wear this arm band when I am in my PT (physical training) uniform, and I take it off when I am at the gym. It constricts my bicep...stop laughing I am serious. When we (Cara and I) leave I put it back on and when I get to the CHU I usually put it in my bedside drawer. Every now and then I put it in my hat that hangs on my wall locker, because that is where my reflective belt goes. I think I put it in my hat, and I think I knocked my hat over at some point and it fell out. If it fell out there is a possibility it could have landed in my trash can under my hat, and I took the trash out when we went to the shower that night.
I didn't notice that my arm band was missing until I went to work that night and needed my ID card. I tore the CHU apart looking for the arm band, I looked at the gym, in the shower, the lost and found at the housing complex, even the dumpster where I threw the trash out (the trash had already been emptied). Nothing. The biggest problem with losing your ID is that you need your ID to get in everywhere around here. And apparently my security badge that also has my picture and name on it does not get you into the same places as your ID card. That makes no sense to me. My security badge gets me into a secure building...but not into the DFAC. That makes no sense, so I shouldn't be surprised it is a rule.
Tuesday- I spend another day without my ID, so another day of explaining to Ugandan guards at the DFAC why I don't have my ID and why they should let me in to eat anyway. I still look everywhere for my ID in the hopes of finding it. Nothing. I receive two great packages that almost make me forget about the current situation. One from Hayley (friend from...life?) that includes a Texas bumper sticker, Texas flag, food from Harry and David, two Beatles albums (the digitaly re-mastered ones, they do sound clear), and a DVD from eighth grade when we were at Davis Coffee. This DVD is very embarrassing, and now everyone wants to watch it. Not cool Hayley. Not cool. Second package was from a friend's mom. Sam. Sam is one of my best friends from Mizzou she lives in Michigan (because she graduated and went back home) and her mom is a teacher at a before and after school care center. Her mom's class decided to "adopt" me while I am over here and they are going to send me things throughout my deployment. This package contained candy, Halloween decorations, and homemade Halloween cards from the kids. It was one of the coolest things I have ever received, because these kids don't know me. Sam's mom has meet me once, and yet they have the compassion and kindness to do something like this. I am very thankful and blessed.
Wednesday- I go and get a new ID. It was a long process. I also find out that the Eagle Cash card that the military is so adamant about everyone having (the military wants to limit the amount of cash in theater), is actually more difficult to have than a credit card. Kind of. They want you to have the Eagle Cash card because it isn't directly linked to your bank account, this makes it harder to have your identity stolen. Also, you can use it if the credit card machines go down due to power outages (these happen quite often here) and they don't want soldiers carrying around a lot of cash in case they lose it, like me. Well, they don't tell you that there is no way to track the Eagle Cash card if you do lose it. There is no pin on the card, but they are suppose to check you ID at the store when you use it (they don't). They can't look online and see if there has been charges made to it, all the army can do is cancel and issue you a new one. Then they send an email to the US Treasury asking them to transfer your balance from your old card to your new one. So, moral of the story don't lose your Eagle Cash card with money on it because someone could have used all the money and you won't know until the US Treasury sends you an email saying there is no balance on your card. Ugh. There have been no fraudulent charges on my credit card so I don't think anyone stole it.
Thursday- Flag football practice and bible study. I had a lot of fun at flag football, because I love flag football. I was a referee for a year and a half at Mizzou and played my senior year on two really good teams. One was a co-rec team and the other was an all girls team. Both teams won the championship in their respective leagues. So I am pretty excited to play here. The field we play on is all sand though. So diving, falling, or sliding of any sort is very dangerous. I hope I don't get injured. Bible study was uneventful. If anyone has heard of something called Bible Tails (yes spelled that way) please let me know. It's a musical version of bible stories for kids, apparently a camel is the main character and he sings most of the stories.
Friday- Another flag football practice and the Not So Tough 'Ombre award dinner. We are the Tough 'Ombre's. I am sure you can google it and learn the history of my unit. It dates back to WWII. Well we have created the Not so Tough 'Ombre award and you earn this award by doing, or saying something that is not so smart or "tough." This month's winner was an officer who was talking to the Commanding General and did not know who he was and asked him what his civilian job was. To which he looked at her with a quizzical look and said "I have been active duty for 29 years and am the General of the 13th." She of course felt really embarrassed and claimed that she couldn't see the star on his uniform, and that is why she didn't know. To which he replied, "well shouldn't my picture be hanging up in your brigade so that you would recognize my face." She didn't really have a response to that one.
So we went to her award dinner, where she was given the trophy of a donkey's ass and everyone ragged on her for the duration of dinner. Apparently she almost nominated herself for the next month's award too, because she misspelled her own name in an email that she sent out to the entire brigade. However, she sent this email out on the same day as not recognizing the General so by a technicality that instance cannot be used to nominate her for November (yes, there are strict rules to the nominating process).
Saturday- Cara had CQ so I was without my battle buddy for 24 hours. It was a terrible 24 hours. I was lost without her. Luckily I had college football to keep me occupied. Saddly, Mizzou lost. But, Texas beat OU...barely (I almost had a heart attack). Ohio State and Kansas lost! *Grin* Florida almost lost to Arkansas and Boise State barely beat Tulsa. Nebraska lost to Texas Tech. Sad day. Notre Dame was a huge let down and lost to USC. Michigan took out their frustrations of being pathetic on poor Delaware State and beat them by like 60 points (talk about compensating). Very interesting weekend for college football.
Sunday- Church and gym. The commander gave me a ride home from church and I may have told him that he was illiterate (it was relevant to the situation). Opps. I was being funny and he laughed, so good to know the commander has a sense of humor. On the way to the gym Cara got attacked by a bat. It was hilarious. I think it was a bat. People say they are bats, and I guess I believe them. Either way, be it a bat or a bird it flew right at her face. She screamed like a little girl and freaked out. I laughed hysterically and asked her if she was a vampire. She thinks she is batwoman... Now I am at work and will hopefully get to go home early.
The canned food I have been sent has been great. The cans that are microwaveable are the best, because they require the least amount of work. And I am naturally a lazy person, so less work is better. =) I really miss graham crackers. They have them here, but they taste different. Most of the foods here taste different. Cara agrees that the graham crakers here are a huge let down, which is disappointing because peanut butter and graham crackers makes up about 1/3 of my diet.
Also if people send me their address I will send postcards. Just saying. You can email me at mizzou09@gmail.com with your address and eventually I will stop being lazy and take pictures of this place and send them to people as post cards.
Well, now that I am done rambling I will post what appears to be the longest post thus far. I guess more happens in a week than I think.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Week in Review
Today is Monday for me, which means it is still Sunday evening for everyone back home. This week has been another week of the same stuff that happened last week. My co-worker and I have worked out a schedule that will give us more time off. The job we do is really a one person job because there is only one computer to use, so it has become pointless for us both to sit there and twiddle our thumbs. We both "work" four days a week. You may be wondering how that math works out, well on Tuesday's I work the evening shift so as to allow the swing shift guy a day off. I still come to work on the days that I don't brief (a.k.a. work), but I use the computers in the computer lab to check my facebook and send email's and then I usually leave early.
I think today I might go swimming in the indoor pool. They are closed from 1 to 4 am, which would of course be the ideal time for me to swim on days that I don't brief. However, if I go to sleep early I may wake-up and go swimming in the afternoon.
Let's see what has happened since last post...Cara and I ran in the Army 10 miler. Every year the Army hosts a 10 mile race in Washington D.C. and people from all over the country fly into to run in it. This year they decided to have one out here in the desert for us. It was on Saturday and Cara and I ran it in 98 minutes, which was my goal of 10 minute miles. As someone who is not a fan of running I was pretty happy with keeping that pace. The last mile we ran in like 8 minutes though, because all we could think about is the sweet t-shirt we were going to get, and stopping.
After the race everyone from my unit took a picture in front of the finish line, and I hope to get a copy of that photo. There were quite a few of us that ran in it. I think maybe 30 or so people from my unit, and there were probably close to a thousand participants in total. The fastest male from my unit ran it in 62 minutes and the fastest female ran it in 74 minutes. I don't know what the winning times were, but that is crazy fast.
Cara and I ran the whole thing together, and when we were done we slept all day (she had the day off) and watched college football. We were both in a lot of pain and all I could think was who the heck would want to run another 16.2 miles on top of that. Today my knee has stopped hurting but my hip is still sore. I think I pulled a muscle...which is weird because I wasn't running fast.
Cara and I also finished putting our CHU together. We lofted my bed and that gave us lots of room to store stuff (like all the pointless equipment they give us that we are never going to use). We bought a TV, fridge, Xbox, transformers, power strips, and a DVD player for dirt cheap from some guys that are leaving. They also threw in a couple TV shows like Robot Chicken and movies for free, and they gave us a really nice shelf to put over the TV. So now we have the best CHU to hang out in, and pretty soon we are going to start having movie nights at our place. I will of course post pictures of what the place looks like once I get around to it.
Now that our TV works we get to watch college football and baseball at our place. I was at work during the Mizzou game. I watched the whole thing because I was not briefing that day. It was very very very upsetting. I could have cried. That was the biggest choke I have ever seen Mizzou do, and I hope it is the last time they blow a game like that. Two touchdowns in two minutes?!?! Ugh.
Of course the Cardinals also lost that night on an even bigger choke play by an outfielder. I saw the hightlight, and even I could have caught that ball. I am not a Cards fan...so I don't feel bad, but I imagine that Friday was a very somber day in STL.
The Chaplin took Cara and I out to dinner the other night. Well, Cara wanted to talk with the Chaplin about a book that they had both read and Cara invited me to tag along. It turned out to be one of the better evenings I have had since being here. We ate wwwaayy too much food and entertained ourselves with stories of home and our adventures here.
Of course last night was Sunday, so that means church. Cara and I missed half of church because I left my glasses at the bus stop. Opps. I have prescription sunglasses, so I carry my glasses in the case while I wear my sunglasses. Since I was in my PT uniform I had no pockets, and I left my sunglasses sitting next to me at the bus stop and didn't realize this until we got into church and I went to switch them out. So then I had to go back to the bus stop...and hope they were there (which they were sigh of relief). Cara came with me because she is nice, and by the time we got back we had missed half of church. It's alright though we got the message and we made it in time to hear the lead singer in the choir mess up. She started singing the wrong song, and the guitarist had to correct her. To which she said "oh my god!! You would think I would know this stuff after doing it for three weeks!!" It made us all laugh.
Dinner was the usual large group of people and another great meal. Not because the food is good, but because of the people. The food actual makes me sick here. Or something is making me sick, and not just me Cara and Kerry too. There are many days where after we eat we get this nauseous feeling like we want to throw up...but can't. We think it's the food or maybe all the dust? Anyway, something is making our stomachs act out in pain.
Thanks for all the comments. Aunt Susie and Uncle Dale I saw your comment so you figured it out. It was also very exciting to know that my family in Nebraska is keeping up with my life over here. Hayley, do you work near 30 Rock? I love that TV show by the way, season 3 season finale was TV greatness. Also, you are going to run a half marathon...I clearly remember your disdain for running. Good luck, and keep me posted. Cindy Lee, I do remember you from back in the day. Thanks for reading the blog. Grandma Chris, I am so relieved that you got the posting thing worked out. Can't wait to hear what sorts of things you have to say. I am also following your life via your blog very closely. A-train, hey. Just wanted to throw a shout-out to ya. =)
Finally. I have not made any decisions yet as to the re-enlistment thing.
I think today I might go swimming in the indoor pool. They are closed from 1 to 4 am, which would of course be the ideal time for me to swim on days that I don't brief. However, if I go to sleep early I may wake-up and go swimming in the afternoon.
Let's see what has happened since last post...Cara and I ran in the Army 10 miler. Every year the Army hosts a 10 mile race in Washington D.C. and people from all over the country fly into to run in it. This year they decided to have one out here in the desert for us. It was on Saturday and Cara and I ran it in 98 minutes, which was my goal of 10 minute miles. As someone who is not a fan of running I was pretty happy with keeping that pace. The last mile we ran in like 8 minutes though, because all we could think about is the sweet t-shirt we were going to get, and stopping.
After the race everyone from my unit took a picture in front of the finish line, and I hope to get a copy of that photo. There were quite a few of us that ran in it. I think maybe 30 or so people from my unit, and there were probably close to a thousand participants in total. The fastest male from my unit ran it in 62 minutes and the fastest female ran it in 74 minutes. I don't know what the winning times were, but that is crazy fast.
Cara and I ran the whole thing together, and when we were done we slept all day (she had the day off) and watched college football. We were both in a lot of pain and all I could think was who the heck would want to run another 16.2 miles on top of that. Today my knee has stopped hurting but my hip is still sore. I think I pulled a muscle...which is weird because I wasn't running fast.
Cara and I also finished putting our CHU together. We lofted my bed and that gave us lots of room to store stuff (like all the pointless equipment they give us that we are never going to use). We bought a TV, fridge, Xbox, transformers, power strips, and a DVD player for dirt cheap from some guys that are leaving. They also threw in a couple TV shows like Robot Chicken and movies for free, and they gave us a really nice shelf to put over the TV. So now we have the best CHU to hang out in, and pretty soon we are going to start having movie nights at our place. I will of course post pictures of what the place looks like once I get around to it.
Now that our TV works we get to watch college football and baseball at our place. I was at work during the Mizzou game. I watched the whole thing because I was not briefing that day. It was very very very upsetting. I could have cried. That was the biggest choke I have ever seen Mizzou do, and I hope it is the last time they blow a game like that. Two touchdowns in two minutes?!?! Ugh.
Of course the Cardinals also lost that night on an even bigger choke play by an outfielder. I saw the hightlight, and even I could have caught that ball. I am not a Cards fan...so I don't feel bad, but I imagine that Friday was a very somber day in STL.
The Chaplin took Cara and I out to dinner the other night. Well, Cara wanted to talk with the Chaplin about a book that they had both read and Cara invited me to tag along. It turned out to be one of the better evenings I have had since being here. We ate wwwaayy too much food and entertained ourselves with stories of home and our adventures here.
Of course last night was Sunday, so that means church. Cara and I missed half of church because I left my glasses at the bus stop. Opps. I have prescription sunglasses, so I carry my glasses in the case while I wear my sunglasses. Since I was in my PT uniform I had no pockets, and I left my sunglasses sitting next to me at the bus stop and didn't realize this until we got into church and I went to switch them out. So then I had to go back to the bus stop...and hope they were there (which they were sigh of relief). Cara came with me because she is nice, and by the time we got back we had missed half of church. It's alright though we got the message and we made it in time to hear the lead singer in the choir mess up. She started singing the wrong song, and the guitarist had to correct her. To which she said "oh my god!! You would think I would know this stuff after doing it for three weeks!!" It made us all laugh.
Dinner was the usual large group of people and another great meal. Not because the food is good, but because of the people. The food actual makes me sick here. Or something is making me sick, and not just me Cara and Kerry too. There are many days where after we eat we get this nauseous feeling like we want to throw up...but can't. We think it's the food or maybe all the dust? Anyway, something is making our stomachs act out in pain.
Thanks for all the comments. Aunt Susie and Uncle Dale I saw your comment so you figured it out. It was also very exciting to know that my family in Nebraska is keeping up with my life over here. Hayley, do you work near 30 Rock? I love that TV show by the way, season 3 season finale was TV greatness. Also, you are going to run a half marathon...I clearly remember your disdain for running. Good luck, and keep me posted. Cindy Lee, I do remember you from back in the day. Thanks for reading the blog. Grandma Chris, I am so relieved that you got the posting thing worked out. Can't wait to hear what sorts of things you have to say. I am also following your life via your blog very closely. A-train, hey. Just wanted to throw a shout-out to ya. =)
Finally. I have not made any decisions yet as to the re-enlistment thing.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
The Grind
It's been awhile. Maybe a week. The main reason for the delayed blogging is the lack of excitement here. The choppers are staying in the sky, and we are not allowed to leave the wire so there are no great adventures to be told right now.
Cara and I have a pretty set routine. I guess I will explain it to you guys indetail so I have something to write about.
I work the graveyard shift from 0100 to 0800, and by the time I get home it is usually 9 or so. I try to go to bed around that time, but I usually get to sleep around 1030. I bought season 5 of The Office and season 3 of 30 Rock, so I usually watch an episode before I go to bed. I attempt to sleep from 1030 to 1700. Sleeping during the day is terrible though. I wake up a few times and never feel fully rested. I have decided that my brain thinks I am just taking a nap, so I constantly feel like I just woke up from a nap.
I wake up around 1700 and go to chow with Cara, Marie, Shandi, and Kerry. Then Cara and I go to the gym. Sometimes Shandi and Marie come along, but they always leave way earlier than Cara and I...so we have just stopped inviting them. They also have to wake up to do PT at 530 Monday thru Friday (sucks to be them).
After the gym we go home and shower, and then I go to work at 1230ish. Cara then goes to sleep and we start the cycle all over the next day. It's a nice routine. We are both addicted to the gym, so that is helpful. We also don't work together, so there is less chance of us getting sick of each other.
There are days that we deviate from this. Thursday's is bible study night, and that always runs way late. So, we decided that Thursday would be our rest day. Sunday we go to church at 1700, and then everyone goes to chow after that. I mentioned this before, about the "Thanksgiving dinner" after church. This week was no different. That is probably the highlight of my week because it is so entertaining.
This week I got to make fun of a certain Major who is a Michigan fan, because they lost to Michigan State in overtime. She did not take it well... but she had to keep the profanity down because the Chaplin was sitting next to her. =)
We are going to start playing flag football in a couple weeks. There is a female league here, and I couldn't say no. The name of the team is the Female Mafia. Apparently this is the nickname some officers gave to my friends and me, and when we discovered this information we all embraced it. Now it's the name of our football team. Don't worry we have a Godmother...but I think it's against mafia rules to tell you who that is. I am not an expert on this stuff, but I rather be safe than sorry.
This coming Saturday is the Army 10 miler. The real deal is in Washington D.C., but they are having one here at JBB. There are quite a few people running in it from the 90th, myself included, and I am pretty excited. One because you get a free t-shirt, and two I get to take off work. Yay. I am suppose to be running it with Kerry, but I have no idea if she has actually been training for it so... I might be running by myself.
They have 5K runs here every week, and they always have a theme. Last week's was put on by the Veterinarians (there are K9's here) and it was the Rabies Awareness Fun Run. For those avid Office fans out there, you can imagine how upset I was that I was not able to participate in it. When I first heard about it I thought it was a joke...but it was for real. Rabies is serious stuff over here. Michael would be so touched.
I think that is all I have for now. Cara and I finally got everything that we need for our room. TV, fridge, DVD player, and some extras. We are still trying to set it all up, and when we do I will post pictures. You guys will be quite impressed at how different the place looks.
Cara and I have a pretty set routine. I guess I will explain it to you guys indetail so I have something to write about.
I work the graveyard shift from 0100 to 0800, and by the time I get home it is usually 9 or so. I try to go to bed around that time, but I usually get to sleep around 1030. I bought season 5 of The Office and season 3 of 30 Rock, so I usually watch an episode before I go to bed. I attempt to sleep from 1030 to 1700. Sleeping during the day is terrible though. I wake up a few times and never feel fully rested. I have decided that my brain thinks I am just taking a nap, so I constantly feel like I just woke up from a nap.
I wake up around 1700 and go to chow with Cara, Marie, Shandi, and Kerry. Then Cara and I go to the gym. Sometimes Shandi and Marie come along, but they always leave way earlier than Cara and I...so we have just stopped inviting them. They also have to wake up to do PT at 530 Monday thru Friday (sucks to be them).
After the gym we go home and shower, and then I go to work at 1230ish. Cara then goes to sleep and we start the cycle all over the next day. It's a nice routine. We are both addicted to the gym, so that is helpful. We also don't work together, so there is less chance of us getting sick of each other.
There are days that we deviate from this. Thursday's is bible study night, and that always runs way late. So, we decided that Thursday would be our rest day. Sunday we go to church at 1700, and then everyone goes to chow after that. I mentioned this before, about the "Thanksgiving dinner" after church. This week was no different. That is probably the highlight of my week because it is so entertaining.
This week I got to make fun of a certain Major who is a Michigan fan, because they lost to Michigan State in overtime. She did not take it well... but she had to keep the profanity down because the Chaplin was sitting next to her. =)
We are going to start playing flag football in a couple weeks. There is a female league here, and I couldn't say no. The name of the team is the Female Mafia. Apparently this is the nickname some officers gave to my friends and me, and when we discovered this information we all embraced it. Now it's the name of our football team. Don't worry we have a Godmother...but I think it's against mafia rules to tell you who that is. I am not an expert on this stuff, but I rather be safe than sorry.
This coming Saturday is the Army 10 miler. The real deal is in Washington D.C., but they are having one here at JBB. There are quite a few people running in it from the 90th, myself included, and I am pretty excited. One because you get a free t-shirt, and two I get to take off work. Yay. I am suppose to be running it with Kerry, but I have no idea if she has actually been training for it so... I might be running by myself.
They have 5K runs here every week, and they always have a theme. Last week's was put on by the Veterinarians (there are K9's here) and it was the Rabies Awareness Fun Run. For those avid Office fans out there, you can imagine how upset I was that I was not able to participate in it. When I first heard about it I thought it was a joke...but it was for real. Rabies is serious stuff over here. Michael would be so touched.
I think that is all I have for now. Cara and I finally got everything that we need for our room. TV, fridge, DVD player, and some extras. We are still trying to set it all up, and when we do I will post pictures. You guys will be quite impressed at how different the place looks.
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