I don't really know what to say about today. I didn't do much, I was
bored out of my mind, and I napped in my chair. Sometimes the boredom
is the worst part. I did try on my new suit with the shirt I bought,
and I think it looks pretty darned good. But I may have a slightly
biased opinion after all. Well, I'm off to sleep. I'm looking
forward to the sleep-in tomorrow. Good night.
Good night.
Other than that, my day was very average. Average lunch, average
work, average dinner. Very boring, all things considered. But I made
some progress on two trips at the same time, which is good because
they're happening at the same time. Strange how it all worked out.
But by the time my birthday rolls around, I should be free of the
immediate visits, with one more around the corner.
So I'd like to pose a question of anyone that may be reading this:
what color tie goes best with all black?
This morning I got all suited up in my body armor and combat shirt and
went with a volunteer group to bring supplies to an orphanage. It
felt more like we were giving to a charitable organization who then
distribute to the local orphanages, but it was still a good cause. We
loaded and unloaded a rather large box truck, which was a good
workout. When we arrived at the location, we realized that about 50%
of the boxes still had customs forms and addresses on them. Since we
don't give anything like that to the locals, a large group of us took
our knives and cut addresses off the boxes. That was pretty time
consuming. We also didn't take the body armor off at all, so I was
completely soaked in sweat by the time we made it back to Eggers. Not
too much fun. But it was for a good cause.
I also had a video teleconference this afternoon, which wasn't too
productive. My upcoming trip still hasn't resolved their flight
issues, so that'll be interesting. I almost think they won't make it
to Kabul, but we shall see. I feel like I should at least meet one of
them, since they've been such a pain in the butt so far. As far as
the meeting went, I butted heads with an Army Reserve Colonel, and I
was pretty amused. Certainly not my favorite person, but I haven't
been afraid of confrontation lately. So she's probably not too happy
with me.
Another day done. Tomorrow should be a pretty normal day. My suit
might even be ready. Good night.
I did spend some time this morning watching our PSD teams do some
drills with the cars, and that was entertaining to watch. I learned
some interesting tidbits too. For instance, if they have the car
break down with a General and his aide, they'll grab the General and
throw him into a second car, but the aide is really on his own. If he
doesn't keep up, he gets left behind. Kind of crazy!
Hmm, other than that, I surfed the internet, argued with trip
planners, and ate junk food. Nothing too exciting to report. I'm
going on a Volunteer and Community Relations mission tomorrow, so
that'll be interesting. I think we're giving lots of supplies to an
orphanage or something. I'll get the details in the morning.
Well, that's about it for the night. Good night.
But today was just your standard aggravating day dealing with trip
planners. I have been mostly successful shutting down the problem
child of the upcoming visit, but he just continues to push. I'm not
yet to that point when the parents are on the 3rd or 4th child and
they decide which battles are worth fighting though. Oh well.
I think the most exciting news of the day just arrived in my inbox a
few moments ago. I just got my separation orders from the Navy! So I
can, indeed, be a normal person again someday! Very exciting. It's a
little overwhelming with how much paperwork needs to be taken care of,
but it will be worth it I'm sure. Hopefully I can take care of most
of this stuff up in Annapolis instead of Norfolk. I'm sure some will
have to be in Norfolk, but the medical screenings and whatnot can be
done in Annapolis. But in any case, it's very real progress toward my
goals.
I also got an Easter card from Emili's grandmother, which was very
thoughtful. And I got a lovely audio card from Stacey! "Hi, hi,
hello, hello, hi!" Thank you for thinking of me. I know you have a
full plate yourself, so it means a lot to me.
I think that's about it for today. I'm going to catch up on some
sleep now. Good night.
I slept in a bit this morning, then watched In Bruges on my phone
while my Fedora updated. Unfortunately, I think the update changed
some things around with the Gnome3 desktop, which I had grown
accustomed to. So I'll fiddle with it a bit later.
I did go to the tailor shop today and try on the unfinished suit coat.
He marked some the shoulders with a chalk pencil and told me it would
be done and ready on Thursday. Knowing how the Afghans work around
here, that probably means Monday or Tuesday. But in any case, it was
visible progress, which was nice to see.
I went to Eggers tonight for the bananas foster french toast, which is
delicious. I might have to make this when I get home. We also did a
range safety brief and another brief or two. We aren't actually going
to the range tomorrow, because the reservation was never confirmed.
It would probably be a muddy mess tomorrow anyway. But at least now
we can just head out there when we get the chance. Now I've been
thinking about buying a Desert Eagle handgun....
Well, I'm going to try to dry out now. Good night.
