Day 103 - 7 December 2012

Let me first start out by saying thank you to those who fought for us 71 years ago today. Many lost their lives in the deliberate attack, which forever changed history and thrust us into World War II. We owe them MORE than anyone could ever imagine!

The day started off a bit slow...I didn't get out of bed until around 0900-0930. So, that said, I didn't make it up to talk to Meagan this morning. We exchanged a few text messages and I told her I would call her later in my day.

Today was a much, much better day. I discussed some things with the guys and realized, there's nothing I can do about what happened, just keep my head up and press on. So, that's exactly what I'll do!

Not much going on at work. Everything has somewhat stabilized. I did notice tonight that they are considering the massive dip in our stuff on the fact that I was here by myself. Ha! I was working my butt off for 12-14 hours a day, trying to get information back. I sent a message to my boss explaining everything and, well, just venting in general. This is definitely something I am going to capture in my report when I return home. Just plain absurd that they think it is because we had a bunch of guys leave.

I did call Meagan and chat for about 35 minutes on the phone. It was SO good to hear her voice. It's always been a comfort when I get to talk to her. Apparently, she made a very nice donation at the post office today! ;) Wow...I can't believe it costs that much to ship stuff. No wonder the postal service is going out of business! And, to think they are raising it another cent...

Ok...not really much else going on. I'm going to call it a night to hopefully get up in the morning. Night all and God bless!

Day 102 - 6 December 2012

So...today ended rather interestingly, to say the least. But, before we get to what a great day I had, let's start with the rest of the week...

It's hard to believe that the first week of December has come and gone. Where in the world did the time go? It seems like November was just beginning yesterday, yet we're almost 1/4 of the way through the last month of the year. As long as it keeps going this fast, I don't mind...the quicker, the better!

Not really much has happened over the past few days. We've been managing to keep things up and running; just a few minor issues we've dealt with. We certainly haven't had any of the issues like we had over Thanksgiving. It just amazes me how one day everything is fine and the next can be complete chaos. Speaking of chaos, that leads me into my wonderful day today...

So, last night we had issues with a couple of sites. We pretty much knew one was a bigger issue, but we felt we had it remedied. The other site lost power...simple fix: turn the stuff back on. The guy on the other end said all of his stuff appeared normal and we called it a night; again, thinking both sites were good. Wrong...

I came in today to discover both sites still having issues. No problem, I tell myself. We'll just get to work on them to figure out what the issue is. The main problem we have is that the guy I needed to talk to about this is on the other side of the world. So, we couldn't do anything until after dinner...and we did start our troubleshooting back up after dinner. Then, came the email...

I received an email from someone else, asking what the status of these sites was, if we knew when they would be back up, and to do certain things. Well...I consider myself pretty competent and become agitated that someone on the other side of the world would try telling me what I need to do, so I replied back. I was professional, stated what was going on, what we were doing, and that we had everything under control...then the machine blew a gasket!

Apparently, I am not at liberty to discuss things like this on my own; even though it was something that simple... So, I was summoned outside of the office to talk to my enlisted manager. He explained to me the position that leadership has in the whole scheme of things and that I have been told before not to do this. Well, that's where there was a disconnect. You see...one of my predecessors sent an email off about a site that was having issues. It was a totally candid email and I'm sure he thought nothing of it. Unfortunately, it came back down and leadership wasn't too happy with us...even though...YES, even though I had stated the issue in my nightly updates for, oh, about 10 days prior to that. From that conversation, I took to the understanding that, in the event we get/send emails to the other organizations, keep them (leadership) in the loop. Hence, last night, I included leadership in my reply...and got reamed for it. Fair enough. I will shut up, color, and only handle things here in theater. Anything else, I will gladly ship over to leadership...even something as simple...SIMPLE...as an email saying, "Thanks, but we got it!" 

This piddly crap is really wearing on me. I was pumped about this job before I came...now, not so much. I'm just biding my time, trying to keep my other ass cheek in check, and watching the days tick off until I'm homeward bound. I'm tired of trying to go above and beyond to keep people off our backs, let us do our job, and provide the best information I can. After all, I can only provide quality feedback to my leadership if I am receiving quality input from the guys at the sites...and, most times, that doesn't happen! So...I will just press on...do only what is expected of me, nothing more...collect a paycheck...and get home. I'm a hard charger. I want success...but, not at my own expense. Ok, rant off...

I've been dealing with a head cold the past several days; since Sunday, I think. Anyhow, I've been taking medicine at night to help me sleep and try to kick it. I think it's working, although it has meant getting up later in the mornings. I've set my alarm about an hour to hour and a half later the past couple of days. So, I'm hoping I can get back to normal soon. I think my body is just telling me I'm running too hard...and the stress doesn't help either. But, I am getting better, so that's good!

Ok...that's all I have for now. What a day... Night all and God bless!

Day 97 - 1 December 2012

So, today is a big day! Today marks my midway point and the downhill slide to home begins! I woke up this morning, wide awake, cheerful, and ready to tackle the next few months! It's probably the best feeling I've had in a while!

The last few days, not really much going on. I'm still just running this show like a boss! :)

Day 93 - 27 November 2012

Well, I am about four days away from half way! I still can't believe it has already been three months, but as long as it keeps going this fast, I won't complain. The quicker the better!

It's been a little slow at work lately. Just working some comm issues, but otherwise have everything running. I assisted with moving a system on Sunday. Looks like we got it moved just in time, as we're expecting to see some weather...possibly snow...tomorrow!

I've been listening to Maroon 5 a lot lately. I've listened to their albums I have off and on, but here it's been quite a bit...and they're growing on me. They will be in Jacksonville April 1st, so I asked Meagan if she likes them; she does too! So, we got tickets to the show and I get to take my girl out for a night of music and fun! It should be awesome!

Ok...that's about all I have for the past couple of days. Not too exciting, I know, but it is a couple of days closer to home! I need to get some sleep so I can get up in the morning. Night all and God bless!

Day 91 - 25 November 2012

Ok, so the daily updates are still a little hard for me to get posted. We've been working some pretty crazy hours working on everything. The weather will change soon enough, so we're trying to stay ahead of the game! But, I can update you on how the past week has gone.

Thanksgiving came and went...one heck of a long day! We were all ready to enjoy some slow days, as we have nearly everything up and running. Then, the night before/morning of Thanksgiving, someone decided to work on some stuff somewhere. I would go into details, but I can't give away a lot of information. Just know that it was a major pain in our rear ends! So, instead of enjoying a nice slow morning, I got pulled into the office around 1000 to begin trying to figure out what happened.

Thanksgiving Lunch

We called all over the place and no one claimed to know what happened. We lost everything at one point, but managed to get most back up. So, more calls to investigate and still no idea what happened. We went to lunch around 1230 and it took us an hour to get through the line. However, we had REAL turkey and all of the fixings, so that was good!

Thanksgiving Dinner

After lunch, it was back to the phones to try figuring out what happened. We were still unable to get any information about our outage and pressed on, call after call. We worked on it until it was time for dinner. We decided, since we had to wait for an hour to get lunch, we would forego the special dinner and get pizza. It was pretty good pizza, but I'm only going to pay $11 for a personal pan once. And they call it a "medium" pizza. Ha!

So, after we finished our pizza, more head scratching and phone calls ensued to try figuring out what happened. Anyhow, this went on and on all night. Finally, around 0030 or 0100 in the morning, we figured out what had happened. Some changes had been made, but we're not sure who made them or where. So, we submitted some information, verified a couple of sites were working, and celebrated the day's accomplishments! We figured we were good to go...

I didn't get up on Friday until late. I think I finally rolled out of bed around 1230 or 1245 and had just enough time to get to the dining facility for lunch before they closed. After lunch, I headed up to the office to see if we had any updates. Apparently, some of the places were still having minor issues, but there wasn't really much we could do about them. So, we just began to wait for updates from the guys who are responsible for them. Things finally went from crazy to more calm and collected!

Well, the weather is turning colder. The mountains are getting covered with more and more snow, which is creeping lower and lower. I think it's only a matter of days before we have our first snow here. We'll see, but it can't be that far off! The past few mornings have been very, very chilly! I've been wearing my long-sleeve undershirt and fleece jacket in the mornings. Today, I actually broke out my beanie cap; something I don't enjoy wearing. I don't know why, but I've just never been a big fan of sock caps. However, when these ears get cold, they get COLD! So, I have to suck it up if I want to stay warm!

That's pretty much the last week in a nutshell. Things are still going well on this end and I'm just ticking off the days until I get to go home...almost half way there! So, I'll sign off for the night. Night all and God bless!

Day 85 - 19 November 2012

It's hard to believe it has been two weeks since my last post. There hasn't been a whole lot of extra stuff going on, just the normal day-to-day operations. I've had a few ups and downs though...

So, I was by myself for a while...explains why my blog fell off the shelf for a bit. I had a large amount of issues to deal with and was trying as hard as I could. However, for reasons beyond my control, things weren't getting fixed; and, it was all placed on my shoulders. My new team arrived, I spun them up, and we got stuff knocked out. Then, another event happened that was blamed on me. I didn't see why and my morale hit an all-time low. I'm a very hard charger. Tell me what you want done and I'll make it happen as quick as I possibly can! So, giving it may all actually got me kicked to the curb...for NO reason. I'll tell you what...it was a pretty dismal night. I felt like total crap; but, that's over! Thank heavens!

We've been working hard over here to get everything up and running and on the verge of being the FIRST team to get EVERYTHING up and running at the same time...with NO issues! That's something I can certainly be proud of. I've got a good team and a can-do attitude. We're rocking it!

Ok...I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I'll get back on the daily normal. I just really need to get to bed. My stomach doesn't like me right now and I don't know how much sleep I'll actually get. That said, night all...God bless!

Day 71 - 5 November 2012

Ah...up and at 'em after an extra hour of sleep! :) I headed over to talk to Meagan and was happy to find out that Jimmie Johnson won the race at Texas, extending his lead in the points. It is reminiscent of my trip to Iraq in 2006, when Jimmie won his first championship. I may just have to sacrifice some sleep here soon to watch the Chase unfold!

Meagan and I talked about a family we know that are going through a rough time right now. I am so thankful that I am not a bad person and we are happy. I know I cannot do the things I do without her support...

Work today...same. I wish I could get a few of these issues resolved, NOW; but, we'll keep working on them... The new DO got under my skin a little today. I felt almost as if he was looking at these ongoing issues as me not doing my job. In fact, I believe I have been going above and beyond, because I can't seem to get some of the guys out there to make phone calls and troubleshoot...so, I took the reins and started doing it myself. However, we did discuss it after dinner and I know why he's pushing to get this stuff taken care of. I'll do whatever I need to in order to assist, but the guys in the field need to step up their game as well! I just don't see how it makes sense to send a guy out to a location, simply to enter a number in a computer, because an Army guy doesn't want to help. To that, I agree with my superintendent: if the Army won't assist us...pull the damn sensor! Done.

Work is done for today and I'm off to bed! More fun tomorrow! Night all...God bless!

Day 70 - 4 November 2012

Got up a little late today...still managed to make it over to talk to Meagan. I was just running a little later than usual. I guess it's one of those days where my body is telling me I needed sleep.

After chatting with Meagan, I headed over to the barber shop. I was in dire need of a haircut. I know it's getting too long when it starts standing up on its own. I am still not brave enough to cut my own...unless it is completely shaved and, well, that's not me!

I usually write about lunch and dinner. Well...it is getting a little old, I suppose. So, I will just write about new/good stuff we have. For lunch today, I did try something new. They had onion rings on the short order line. I picked some of them up, stopped by the sandwich bar for bread, ham, and Swiss, then proceeded to the panini grill. Leadership was quite impressed with my ingenuity! The sandwich was delicious!

Work today was pretty plain again. I am still working to resolve some minor issues with a few sensors. Otherwise, not a whole lot going on.

After dinner, we went over to the tower for a farewell ceremony. The DO who was here when I arrived is on his way home...new one in place. So, we had a nice little presentation for him and then sat outside with cigars. I had a great chat with all of the leadership...great, GREAT group of guys to work for/with!

Ok...work is done, so I will sign off for now. Night all and God bless!

Day 69 - 3 November 2012

Started out the day, just like any other...talked to Meagan. Not really much to talk about, just some chit chat. We talked about the van...Meagan has it back! :) We also talked about some friends of ours who are having problems...otherwise, not much to really talk about. No news is good news, I suppose.

I had a little extra time this morning, so I went back to take a short nap before heading into work.

Work is pretty much the same today...not much going on. I can't believe how quiet it has been! Certainly glad all of our stuff is running really well...but, it does make for some long shifts!

Lunch was good. I had roast beef, corn, peas, and carrots. The roast beef was especially good! I had some gravy on it...complimented it well.

Back at work and still not much going on. Just working on a few odds and ends.

Dinner was not the greatest tonight. It was Mexican night and I am 0 for 3 when I've had it. So, I decided to go for a cheeseburger. Unfortunately, it was the worst cheeseburger I've had since I've been here. It tasted watered down...

Still not much going on at work...continued watching Rome and waiting for the outside world to call me on the phone...pretty quiet still.

Alright, time to head back to the room. It will be an early morning again tomorrow. Night all! God Bless!

Day 68 - 2 November 2012

Got up this morning and talked to Meagan, Taylor, and Emma. They had just gotten home from Scouts at Home Depot. Sounds like they had a lot of fun! I sure am jealous... Taylor told me all about his adventure and he was part of the winning team for the scavenger hunt! Meagan had bird houses for the winning team, so Taylor received that from her and all of the boys got Joey Logano cars to work on from Home Depot. Hmmm...maybe we can turn him away from Kyle Busch?!? I doubt it...

After talking to Meagan, I had a couple of hours before I had to get ready for work. I really wanted to work out this morning, but I'm still trying to adjust to the long days. The good thing, I suppose, about the long work days is that time is going fast. The faster, the better. So, I headed back to the room for a nap before work.

Headed into work to find the same issues I dealt with yesterday. I tried calling a couple of sites, with no luck. So, I studied for my promotion test for a while. Got a call from down south and had a good chat. Good to hear a friendly voice from time to time!

Headed over to the post office to mail some stuff to one of the sites. I forgot to include it yesterday, so I needed to send it off. I believe the post office will be quicker than other means, so we'll see!

We went to lunch...I had an Italian-style sandwich. I think the only thing Italian about it was the salami...if that's even Italian. And, since we are still out of bread...it was on a hot dog bun. Interesting, to say the least; but, good!

Back at work and still not much going on...started watching the series Rome, which is on our morale drive. It's good so far!

Headed to dinner for steak night! One night I look forward to and another way to mark the weeks off!

Watched a couple more episodes of Rome. Still not much going on...time to head "home" for the night. Night all...God bless!

Day 67 - 1 November 2012

So, I was able to sleep in a bit this morning. I woke up about 0700 and sent a text to Meagan to see if she was still up. She was, so I headed over to the terminal to chat for a bit. She shared some pictures of the kids in their Halloween constumes...so cute! Emma had the cutest stinker face ever...with a mouth full of candy!

Finished talking to Meagan and headed into work. Still not much going on today. I see that my comm issues are still ongoing. Frustrated from the guys in the field doing little to assist, I decide it will do me good to start making phone calls.

Time for lunch! We are out of bread, so I made used turkey, ham, and cheese, to make a couple of grilled wraps with tortillas. I had a side salad, some cucumber salad, and corn. Not really too bad of a lunch...

Back at work and still trying to get stuff up and running...that's about all I'm working on today!

Headed to dinner. Tonight, I tried a crab melt...wrong idea. It really wasn't that good. In fact, it was probably the worst dinner I've had since I've been here.

Still not much going on and I can't get ahold of the guys I need to talk to, so time for a couple of movies. I'm watching Phone Booth and Perfect Stranger.

The movies were both really good! Work is done for tonight, so I'm headed off to bed. Early morning tomorrow! Night all...God bless!

Day 66 - 31 October 2012

Happy Halloween!

So, got up a touch later than the last couple of days, but still not bad...0430. Went over the the terminal and chatted with Meagan for a couple of hours. Not really much to talk about. I was sad to hear that Meagan is backing out of dance class. Emma will apparently not listen to her or the teacher and continues to get close to the stairs. Meagan said she was embarrassed to have Emma there...and, that makes me feel bad. She told the teacher she would be back when I get home...I can't say I blame her, but I really wish she could go!

Went back to my room and caught a quick nap...woke up just in time to make it to work. I guess the chat with leadership that I wanted to have will have to wait!

Made it into work and we have a couple of sensors with issues. So, I got the required parts together and readied for shipping...I'm going to send them via helo! Quick, easy, and painless!

For lunch today, I had a monte cristo sandwich. Basically, it was ham, cheese, and what looked like thousand island dressing. It wasn't too bad. I coupled it with a salad. Still eating light and looking to drop a few more pounds.
Back at the office and just waiting until time to deliver my parts to the helo terminal...not much else going on, really. I have some comm issues, but I'm working with the guys out in the field to have them back up and running...we'll see.

Dinner was good. I had a grilled cheese and salad. I also had a helping of macaroni salad, so not too bad.

Headed back to the office and still not much happening, so I'm going to watch 3:10 to Yuma.

A pretty good movie! Not how I expected it to go/end, but was really good!

After work, I sent Meagan a text to see if she wanted to chat. So, I stayed up a little later to talk, but will get to sleep in for a bit in the morning. We didn't really chat about too much, but was good to talk for a bit about everything. The van estimate is for $1680 worth of damage...good thing our deductible is only $500. Still amazed that hitting a tree stump could do all of that...

Ok...headed off to bed. Night all...God bless!

Day 65 - 30 October 2012

Today's a BIG day! I am 1/3 of the way done! The moon was full last night, so only four more to go before I can look to being back with the family!

I was up and at 'em early again this morning...0415! I made it over to the terminal by 0500 to talk to Meagan and the kiddos. We were having a heck of a time getting the video to work. We tried Yahoo and MSN...both kept shutting off on us. So, I rebooted my computer and that seemed to help...until Meagan's battery died! We did get to chat for a while. She's driving a brand spankin' new KIA Sportage or Sorento...I'm not sure which one. It's a 2013 model with only 44 miles on it! Now...I'm hoping she's willing to part with it at the end of the week! ;) She also told me that cards came from Grandma, Joy, and Sheryl. We and the kids received some money...all I can really say is, thank you to them! It certainly does help us out...especially given the series of "breakdowns" over the last two months. And, I promise, I will NOT jinx Meagan again. You see, when the air conditioner went out in September, followed by the dryer this month, I joked with the guys here that the van would be next... :( So, I'm vowing to keep my mouth shut this time...

Came into work and everything is still quiet...I just have a few things to work on today. I have some phone calls to make, but otherwise will start studying today. I purchased the study software for my promotion test next year. I've always done well when I use it, and I want to be over the top this year! Now that my PME course is done, I'm focusing on that rocker!!!

Went to lunch with leadership again today. I had a "Vietnamese" sandwich. It was pretty much a thin pork chop with grilled onions on a hamburger bun. I topped it with a slice of swiss and coupled it with a salad. I haven't had desert in a while, so I had a bowl of pralines and cream with a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie...YUM! :) After yesterday's workout session, I think I owed myself a treat!

Back at work and still working on a couple of system issues...but, it's looking up! I'd like to get 100% very, very soon! Time will tell...I spent another 45 minutes studying, so I'm up to about an hour and 15 minutes for today. I'm almost done with chapter two. I'm just going to do a chapter at a time and then put it all together when I'm done. Then, depending on how that goes, I need to jump into my CDC volumes. Unfortunately, the company that makes the software doesn't have any current volumes for study guides...so, that will be reading only...ugh!

I'm a sucker for love...I sent Meagan flowers! ;) It will be a complete surprise! <3 She's been having a bad week and I was thinking about her, so what the heck, right?

Dinner was good. I had a salad and an Asian chicken wrap. It was basically chicken and cheese with a very little bit of cabbage. I wouldn't exactly classify it as Asian, but it was good!

Not much going on at work tonight. I've been working on a few small issues...but nothing big; so, that's good! Time to punch the clock and call it a night. Night all...God bless!

Day 64 - 29 October 2012

Well, I surprised Meagan this morning...I was up EARLY! :) I actually managed to crawl out of bed at 0400, take a shower, and was on by around 0500! She had just put the kids in bed, since she didn't think that I would be on that early. We talked for a couple of hours about the camping trip and the van. I'm glad she's having good luck with the insurance. This is our first go-around with Geico and, they certainly have been a great service thus far. Meagan will pick up a rental tomorrow.

After talking to Meagan, I was able to go back to the room and get about an hour nap before I had to get around. I had to get my laundry over to the tent today on the way into the office. With that chore completed, off to work I go!

Again, not much going on today. Just chilling at work and doing some odds and ends. Just a few emails and a phone call today, but nothing pressing.

I had a grilled cheese and a grilled ham and swiss for lunch, along with a salad and yogurt. I grabbed a peach, but it wasn't that pleasant. It was dry and not very sweet...not sure where it came from, but I have certainly had better peaches!

Leadership came over to check some locks and make sure there's room to store a few things. I asked if they needed help bringing stuff over, so I'm going to help do that...gets me out of the office for a bit.

After moving the stuff over, they asked me if I wanted to do the "Disney 3 at 3" with them. When I asked what it was, they said it was just a three-mile run. No problem, right? Well, after completing the run, the boss said, "Well, let's get over to the gym." I asked him if he was really going to the gym, to which he replied, "Yep! We have to do part two!" Part two? "Yeah...300 sit-ups!" Needless to say, I wasn't thrilled, but I obliged. You know, it was an AWESOME workout and I'm hoping to do it again on Wednesday!

Went back to the room to shower, then headed back to the office for dinner...still not much of anything going on...

Dinner was good! I had a salad with a roast beef and swiss sandwich. Real exciting, I know, but I'm trying to eat a bit healthier...

Back at work and still nothing going on...just listening to some music and knocking out more odds and ends...these are the days I dread. The slower they go, the slower my time here goes...I went over to the BX and saw Halloween cards. I guess I haven't been over there in a while, because I don't recall seeing them there before. I grabbed one for the kiddos. I know it will be late, but it's mail from Daddy! :)

Ok...time to head out. I'm beat from getting up so early and ready to hit the sack! Gotta get up early again tomorrow! Night all...God bless!

Day 63 - 28 October 2012

Well...I did NOT get up very early this morning...I woke up about 0830...guess my body needed some sleep. As such, I didn't get up in time to call Meagan this morning like I was hoping to. I really wanted to talk to her last night, but they were just getting ramped up with camp.

Good thing I bought airfare when I did! I was curious to see what it was now, so I looked at the site. Meagan and the kids' tickets would be $1,000 more now...WHEW! The price is now over $1,800!?!

Came into work for my normal shift as of late. The days are long, but I'm working on getting the office cleaned up, get rid of all of the trash, and prep to move in the near future. Not much going on...it's been pretty quiet. So, I've just been working on a few administrative things and rocking to some good ol' country music!

Went to lunch. The main line didn't look appealing to me, so I got some chicken tenders. I then went to the salad bar, got a small salad, and the sadwich bar for bread and cheese. I took some honey mustard dressing, put in on the bread, put chicken tenders and cheese on it, and grilled it in the panini grill. I turned some heads with my leadership...I think they like my ingenuity! ;)

Back to work and just chillin'...working on a few odds and ends...

Dinner was pretty good. I had an Afghan club for dinner...ham, turkey, bacon, and swiss. I was a little disappointed, as they usually have bananas foster french toast on Sunday nights. Oh well...the sandwich was AWESOME! :)

Watched Flyboys...GREAT movie! I did a little research and the main character, Blaine Rawings, was based on Frank Luke, Jr. whom Luke Air Force Base is named after...pretty darn cool!

Alright...time to punch the timeclock and call it a night...another early morning tomorrow! Night all and God bless!

Day 62 - 27 October 2012

So, I managed to get up at a decent time today...0545. I made it over to talk to Meagan. I thought it was odd that she wasn't on messenger waiting for me; then I discovered she had an accident at the camp site. Apparently, there was a tree stump she didn't see and hit it with the van. Luckily, nothing serious...she and the kids are fine. It sounds like our exhaust on the van needs repaired or replaced. I told her not to worry about it...that's why we have insurance and we can cover it. So, she's without the van for who knows how long. Our insurance covers a rental for $50/day, so she can get something for her and the kids to get around in.

Got into work for my second long shift...the guys are leaving today. It's a bit surreal...my family of two months is leaving. I'm ready for my own space in the office, but certainly not looking forward to being here alone.

Went up to lunch with the guys. I had a cheeseburger, fries, and baked beans. It was a pretty good lunch...and my cheeseburger for the week! ;)

After lunch, I came back to finish up some paperwork for my team. One of the guys was going to the BX, so I hitched a ride to get out of the office for a bit. Went and turned in the paperwork for the guys, so that should be squared away by the time they arrive...

Came back to the office and worked some more on my EPR, which is due to my supervisor by Monday. I already sent him one draft this morning, but there were a few things I wanted to rework. The guys bailed on me to go tie up loose ends. It's quiet in here again...

Headed out for dinner...figured I might be by myself, since I lost track of time. I ran into the guys on their way into dinner and we bumped into our leadership. We all had a nice convesation and leadership thanked them for the hard work. We had chicken cordon bleu for dinner. I complimented it with succotash, mixed vegetables, and three bean salad. It was a pretty good meal...I like the chicken cordon bleu here. I wish we had it more!

After dinner, the guys came back to load their stuff up in the truck. I drove it over to their plane, helped them unload it, and wished them safe travels. One of the pilots wanted to go grab dinner, so I took him to the DFAC and back to the plane. When I got back, I wanted to get a picture with my "Air Force family" before they departed. So...here we are! :)

I took the truck back, parked it, turned the keys in, and started walking back to the shop. That's kinda when it hit me...I'm alone for a while...again. Just a really sucky feeling right now...

Sent Meagan some texts after work...sounds like Taylor is having an attitude right now. I was sure hoping they would have more fun at camp. I just told her to remind him that if he wants rewards, he needs to behave...

Alright, it's been a long couple of days. I am exhausted! Good night all...God bless!

Day 61 - 26 October 2012

Well, I turned my alarm off this morning...again! I woke up around 0630 and sent Meagan a message that I was up and getting around. We chatted for a bit and, for the first time since I've been gone, I was madder than all heck...

Apparently, one of the leaders decided to call Meagan out...in front of the ENTIRE Pack at last night's meeting. Meagan is the advancements chair and responsible for getting the awards for the boys. She has told the leaders before that she needs them to have their advancements in by Saturday. This way, there is no question about who got what in on time. That said, one of our leaders decided to update one of her boys' awards on Tuesday...after Meagan had printed out the listing...and our Cubmaster used that list last night for the awards. Needless to say, the one that was updated on Tuesday was not on Meagan's shopping list. So, in front of the ENTIRE Pack, this leader throws her under the bus. If I could wring that leader's neck from Afghanistan, I would. Who lacks common, mutual respect like that?!? I'll tell you what, I have lost any respect I have for that woman...and, I'm tempted to move us and Taylor to a new Pack next year... I was going to send an email, but Meagan said she didn't need me to help her out...I can't help it...that's just me. But, I will let her take care of it; and, I know she can.

Today is the first of many long days for me...10 to 12 hour shifts. I really get to set my own schedule, but I would not feel good about myself if I slacked off. We are usually open for 14 hours, but I'll suffice with 12 hour shifts...besides...it keeps me from sleeping all morning, right?

Went to lunch...alone today. I had a bbq beef pocket, buffalo chicken bites, corn, and a side salad. It was a pretty good lunch...and, I love the chicken bites! Sometimes we have ranch!

One of the guys stopped by to finish some stuff up and delivered a care package from my dearest mother-in-law! It was full of goodies and Halloween stuff. The guys LOVE the cereal mix...as do I!

Not much going on today, so I'm finishing up Inglorious Basterds...GREAT movie!

Dinner was good...of course, because it's STEAK day! :) I had steak and shrimp. The shrimp was ok and the steak was excellent. Topped it off with some cake and ice cream!

After dinner, and still NOTHING going on...so, I decided to watch Gran Torino to finish out the night.

Work is done, so I'm headed back to my room. I've gotta get some shut-eye so I can talk to Meagan tomorrow. I won't get to talk to her on Saturday night, since she's camping. :( That said, night all...God bless!

Day 60 - 25 October 2012

Up and around early as usual...although a little later than I usually am. I talked to Meagan and she told me of her adventurous day to the Scout shop...two trips! It's good to see her getting involved...even though I'm sure it felt like she had no choice.

After our chat, I headed off to take my last test for Course 14. I am just happy to be finishing it up so I can focus on my promotion testing. So, I'm hoping this is it.

Well, I did it! I scored an 87% on my last test, which means I am done! I certainly thought I would do much better than that, but 27 out of 31 is not horrible...at least in my opinion.

After my test, I headed over to the exchange for little bit. I picked up a flag for a friend. I plan on having it flown on an A-10, as we love to fly that simulator together. I thought it would be something cool and unique for him. I stopped by the office where I need to drop it off, but the new guy didn't have a clue on who I needed to talk to...so, I'll just have to check back. I went over to the shop to hang out for a bit before lunch. Not much going on this morning...

Lunch was good. I had a salad and sandwich. They had ham on the main line, so I cut up a piece and put it in my salad. It was pretty good!

After lunch, I went back to the room to relax for a bit before work...I know, grand happenings here, right?

Work was pretty uneventful tonight. I'm just prepping to be solo in a while. It's going to be strange to be here by myself, but that's the nature of my rotation here...adios to some and aloha to others!

Dinner was good tonight. I had to break the salad and sandwich thing. Don't get me wrong, the salad and sandwiches are good, but I was ready for a bigger meal. We had a Thanksgiving dinner of sorts tonight...turkey cutlet, mashed potatoes and gravy, carrots, and stuffing. It was all good...stuffing wasn't the greatest though.

Worked a little late tonight...thanks to a network outage. So, with that, I am off to bed. I need to try getting up early in the morning. Night all...God bless!

Day 59 - 24 October 2012

Didn't quite get up too early this morning. It was about 0630, so I sent Meagan a message to see if she still wanted to chat. She was working on Scout awards, so I got around and went into the terminal to chat with her on messenger. Not really a whole lot to talk about, but we talked about Scout stuff, camping, and weather.

After talking with Meagan, I headed back to my room for a bit to relax. I have to go take my airfield driving class/test before work. I need to get it done so I can drive to pick up equipment when it comes in...so, I hope I do well!

I went and took my driving class and test...aced it! :) So, now I am good to drive on the airfield. I missed lunch, so on the way back to work, I stopped and grabbed a sandwich. The sandwich bar is the only thing available at 1400. It's food, right?

I arrived to work and the guys had gone to pick up our latest shipment of parts. I went through them and inventoried everything. They included a small care package with some life savers, a card, and coins for the five of us. It was very, very nice of them to do that for us! The coins are pretty darn cool too!

Not really much going on at work tonight. I worked late last night on the radar issue and all of our sensors are up except one...and, we can't really do anything about that one at the moment. So, we are nearly 100% up and excited! All of the hard work over the last several months has paid off for us!

Ok...I need to get some sleep. I'm getting up early to talk to Meagan and then have a test to take; my last one for Course 14! So, goodnight all and God bless!

Day 58 - 23 October 2012

Started off the day, early as usual, talking to my sweetheart! She had a Scout leader meeting tonight, so she has a LOT of information to process! I'm happy she's involved, but just hope she doesn't get too overwhelmed.

After our chat, I went back to the room for a short nap. I got up for lunch and had a sandwich and salad. I'm just trying to see if I can lean up a little more...get rid of the fats and starches and see if eating healthy will do the trick. I suppose I could make room for steak on Fridays! ;)

After lunch, I decided to head back over to the bazaar and look over the lapis lazuli items in the shop. I did find things to get for Christmas presents, but when the guy tried to run my debit card, it said to call the bank. Come to think of it, I tried getting Afghani cash out of the ATM a week or so ago and my attempt was denied there too. So, I contacted the bank to let them know I am deployed and if there is anything I can or need to do. We'll see...

Went into work and...thanks to our hard work...all of our systems but two are up! The radar we set up is still not sending data, so we are working to get that alleviated.

Dinner was...a sandwich and salad! I really like the sandwich bar and, in my opinion, the turkey and swiss on the panini grill is subperb!

Came back to the shop after dinner, finished a few things, and then began resolving this radar issue. Apparently, the server didn't like our attempts to set the network address. However, after FOUR attempts, I am happy to report that we have the data flowing!!! I only had to work until 2330 to make it happen. That said, I need to get back to my room and get some sleep...early days! Night all and God bless!

Day 57 - 22 October 2012

Got up and around this morning to talk to Meagan and the kiddos. No video chat again today, just chit chat on Messenger. Nothing real exciting going on. We talked about Taylor's popcorn sales and how he's going to have over $1,000 in sales, so we are very happy about that! So glad he reached his goals through his own hard work and drive! Of course, it helps when family orders things as well! But, the little guy made it to a lot of show and sells to earn it!

Went back to the room and got cleaned up, ready to tackle the day. I went into the office to see if the guys wanted/needed anything from the BX. I just wanted to go for a walk to get some exercise. I stopped by the bazaar to look for Christmas ideas. I really didn't see much of anything, so I headed up to the BX to get a Monster and make my way back for lunch.

On the way back, I saw one of the guys leaving the gym. I was talking to him about my day and how I was struggling to find something unique to Afghanistan, as most of the stuff in the bazaar had "Made in China" stamped on it. He told me about the blue stones here; so, I did a little research. It is called lapis lazuli and it has been mined for thousands of years. There is one store at the bazaar that has a LOT of it. So, I am thinking in the next few days, I will venture back up there to check it out. The jewelry really was amazing!

For lunch, I had a cheeseburger, baked beans, and pizza. Not the healthiest, but it was good!

After lunch, I went back to the room for a quick nap to get ready for the day at work. We haven't been really busy, so I have been trying to sneak in some time to work on my last block of Course 14. I'm thinking I will test the end of this week or beginning of next, so that is good!

Work wasn't really too eventful tonight. I was officially placed in charge of the unit here, so that is exciting! I'm hoping I don't disappoint, as this is my first time really being in charge of something...we'll see!

After work, I went over to the MWR to hang out with a couple of guys. I'm trying to download a game to play with them, but it is taking forever and a day! I got pretty tired, so I headed back to the room to get some sleep. Another early morning tomorrow! That said, night all and God bless!

Day 56 - 21 October 2012

Woke up a bit later this morning...0630...and got around to go talk to Meagan. I'm really dragging this morning. Perhaps my body is happy to have a day off for the first time in 56 days! I do plan on resting up quite a bit today and just relaxing...

Meagan is having issues with Taylor and the other boys in Scouts. I feel bad, because I want to be there and help out...run the program...but, I can't. I told her to get the parents more involved if she feels they need to be. I just really wish there was something I could do to help her out. I guess Taylor is losing interest and not listening. He hasn't been doing what he needs to for Scouts or karate, so they are not going to the airshow tomorrow (today). I will need to sit down with him and have a discussion soon!

Came back to my room turned on some tunes and finished up yesterday's post. I've been listening to Eli Young Band and Eric Church. Good tunes...some make me homesick...but, they make me appreciate what I have. I am really fortunate, I suppose, to have friends and family that make me homesick! Without Meagan, the kids, and my friends and family, I would certainly be a lost man...who knows where I would be today without all of them! The more I think of everyone, the more I second-guess doing what I do. It's the first time since I was a brand new Airman that I've had these feelings. However, we're over the hump and it should be downhill from here. Seriously, though. After the 20 year point, it's up to Meagan how long we stick with it. Whenever she's ready for me to hang the boots up after 20 years, I'll gladly do so. She's been my rock and a huge reason I stick to it day in and day out! This career is just as much hers as it is mine...

Decided to take a nap and not set the alarm. I would just get up whenever my body decided it had enough rest. So, I laid down around 0900 and didn't wake up until 1500. I missed lunch, but that's ok, since last night's Mexican dinner is still sitting there making me wonder why I had it in the first place.

Got around and went over to the terminal for a while to check email and Facebook. Not really much of anything going on.

I was going to head back to the room and found out a couple of guys had worked earlier in the day. I figured they'd be over at the MWR, so I headed over there to see what they were up to. We tried getting a game working on my netbook, but having issues. After a bit, we decided it was time for dinner.

Dinner was good...Sunday breakfast! I had the french toast again with eggs, bacon, and fruit. I do like Sunday breakfast for dinner!

I went back over to the MWR after dinner to try getting this game working better. I uninstalled it and the guy that has the update on his hard drive left for a while. It says it will take several hours to download. That said, I am heading back to the room for more sleep. An early day again tomorrow! Night all and God bless!

Day 55 - 20 October 2012

Got up this morning to talk to Meagan and the kiddos. Actually got up in time to take a shower and shave beforehand! It can get rather tiring getting up early every morning, but it is certainly a great way to start the day, so I can't complain too much!

We really didn't have much to talk about. Emma was in bed, as Meagan said she fell asleep on the way home from their Halloween adventure to the zoo. Taylor showed me his ninja costume, which looks pretty cool! We are also hopeful that our friend, TJ, can get over tomorrow to work on our dryer. I'm certainly hoping that we can get it squared away. I feel bad for Meagan...two kids, maintaining the house, the air conditioner fizzled last month, and now she's dealing with a dryer issue. She's certainly having a rougher time than I am, at this point anyway.

Went back to the room and took my usual nap. I woke up a little later than I wanted to for lunch, but discovered the guys are going a little later anyway; so, no harm done!

Lunch was ok. I had a grilled cheese sandwich and beef "yakisoba" to eat. They call it yakisoba, but I suppose I am just spoiled. I know what REAL yakisoba is and this is certainly far from it! It wasn't horrible, but not the greatest!

After lunch, we headed over to the BX for a few things. I needed a haircut, so I got that knocked out over there too! I broke down and picked up a pack of smokes. It's been a roller coaster for me. I am trying my hardest to kick this plague of smoking. I am doing much better, as I used to smoke 1/2 a pack to a full pack a day. This is the second pack I have bought in a week. Baby steps, I suppose; but, I am trying and that's what counts. I'm trying to kill the habits: smoke first thing in the morning, smoke after lunch, smoke before work, smoke after dinner, etc. So far, I have managed to knock most of them out. I still get monster cravings after lunch and dinner, but I just tell myself I can't. I would likely be done by now, but just when I think the stress level will stay down, it picks right back up. That's why I'm trying to tackle this challenge here. I figure that if I can quit here, I can stay quit! I'm not giving up...I will keep getting back on the wagon until I am successful!

Went into work and it's still somewhat slow. We have a couple of systems down, but not sure how much we can do. I did get a little frustrated today. It seems like the guys here, on the brink of going home, are in a mode where they are done working. They've already said they aren't traveling anymore, since they don't want to get stuck somewhere and not be able to get home as quick as they would like. My take is a bit different, I guess. I am a firm believer that, at least in this environment, service comes before self. It's one of our core values and the main reason I am here. While I do understand they are eager to get home, that is no excuse for just letting the mission slide. Case in point, my "Assistant" NCOIC was working an issue. He got off the phone with the site we were trying to get back up and said another guy needed called. He then proceeded to the post office to mail his stuff home. Upon his return, he pulls out a piece of paper and says, "Someone needs to call this guy." At that point, the job was pushed over to me. Why? I have no idea. He then proceeded to work on his award package for performer of the month. So, the projects I was working on were put on hold so I could finish up the work. I wasn't too happy...

I finished up one project so I could leave after dinner. I'm getting a chance to go play poker tonight. It's the first time I've played live poker in a while, so I'm not sure how it will go. We'll see!

Dinner was good. It was Mexican night...which means I'll pay for it later! I had a beef fajita and an enchilada. So far, I'm 0 for 2 on Mexican night. For some reason, it wreaks havoc on my stomach. I probably shouldn't have had it, but I really didn't want a cheeseburger...

Over dinner, I expressed my concern to my NCOIC. I just told him I wasn't sure why the particular job was handed off to me, especially since I felt it should have been done before a trip to the post office was made. I'm not sure if anything will come of it; and, I certainly don't want to be a "whiner" in anyone's eyes. I just feel strongly that, if you have a job to do and think you are the best damn guy in theater, then you need to get your priorities straight. I don't consider myself a slacker on the job...mission first. That's what I've been trained...that's why I'm here, really. It's ironic, too, because my current block in Course 14 is talking about organizational management and team building. I would say my mindset is still currently in the forming stage...I'm still trying to figure these guys out. Yet, at the same time, I'm very much performing...it's a weird mix of thoughts, really. However, if you're going to say that you're better than anyone else here...show me! Working on bullets and awards is good stuff, but don't push your jobs down on me so you can work on the icing...I've got stuff to do too!

After dinner, I headed over to the MWR for poker. It started out pretty slow, but I won a couple of hands and made it to the first break! After the break, I moved tables and saw my chip stack start to dwindle. On my last hand, I caught a straight on the turn, only to be beat by a flush on the river. I did manage to finish 14th out of about 50 or 60 people, so that is good! It was fun, to say the least!

Once I finished up poker, I went back to the room and grabbed my netbook to hang out with a couple of guys at the MWR. We ended up loading Diablo II and gamed until around midnight. It's a bit late for me, but I was having fun; so, I'll make that sacrifice.

Alright...back at my room, tired, and need to get up early! Night all and God bless!

Day 54 - 19 October 2012

Woke up early this morning and went over to the MWR to talk to Meagan and the kiddos. The only drawback of being here is no good WiFi indoors to talk to them. I would talk in the tent, but I certainly don't want to wake anyone up. The MWR has cameras and headsets, so that's good; and, it's inside out of the COLD! :)

We really didn't talk about too much. Meagan and I finally got some information back on the refinancing and had some questions answered. So, we discussed that and talked about their plans to go to the zoo tomorrow. I certainly hope they have fun!

After talking to the family, I headed off to breakfast. It's cheat day Friday, so we're having cinnamon rolls for breakfast today! Actually, I had a cinnamon roll, hard boiled egg, bacon, and tried the breakfast burrito. The burrito wasn't that great, but the rest was pretty good!

We finished up breakfast and headed back over to the MWR. I worked more on block five of my Course 14. I'm hoping to take the test in the next week or two so I can call it complete! This block is about organizational management. So far...team building. It's not too bad, but certainly is a lot of information.

I decided that, since it was cold today, I would see what soup they had for lunch. Lucky for me, it was tomato! So, I threw in some cheese, crackers, and made a couple of grilled ham and cheese sandwiches to go with it!

Weather is moving through today, so we're hoping to make our flight tonight. I headed back to the room to relax a bit. I really haven't gotten much sleep over the last couple of nights. The temperature in the tent has been better this time, but this dang bed is very, very uncomfortable. The springs in the mattress keep poking me in the side or back, so there's no good way to sleep!

Just found out our flight is delayed about two hours...presumably because of weather. Went back over to the MWR and The Adjustment Bureau was playing. It is a pretty good movie!

Finished up the movie and headed over to the DFAC for dinner. When we came out of the MWR, the sun was going down. With the front moving through and weather in the area, it made for a beautiful sunset! I had steak, shrimp, macaroni and cheese, and green beans. Not a bad dinner at all! It certainly could be worse and it is NOT an MRE...so, that's all good! :)

After dinner, we headed over to catch our flight. It is still on schedule, so we're good to go!

Made it back "home" in time to get my laundry. Picked it up, made it back to the room, and I am ready to crash. That said, night all! God bless!

Day 53 - 18 October 2012

Managed to get up around 0545 this morning and was able to talk to Taylor before he went to bed. He told me what he did at school and proclaimed, "I'm not going to tell you what I had for lunch!" He told me about his day and I told him that I flew again. The other day, when I told him I was going to be flying somewhere again, he said, "You're always flying around all over the place!" Anyhow, I had a good conversation with him and Meagan...always a good way to start the day! :)

After talking to Meagan and Taylor, my stomach was growling...unusual, since I usually skip breakfast...so, I decided to go grab a bite to eat. I had a hard boiled egg, bagel, biscuit and gravy, and some bacon. Not a bad meal to start the day!

I headed into the office where we are working at to hang out for a bit before the action starts. Today, we are replacing a radar system that has been giving us fits since I arrived. The problem? This thing is on a 40 foot tower and we have no lift truck or crane to help us out. So, the two of us devised a way to use our mast ropes to hoist the old one down and the new one up. We're just hoping it goes as smoothly as we are playing it in our minds! Wish us luck!

Job Complete!

So, everything went very smooth today! When we lowered the radome down, it was pretty simple. We just let gravity do its job and used four of us to slow its progress. Now, getting the new one up was a bit more of a struggle. I'm certainly glad we had the muscle power of four guys on the tower to get it to the top! We got it all squared away, just in time for lunch! We're going to go grab a bite to eat and come back to finish hooking everything up.

Lunch was pretty good! I had Stromboli (beef and chicken), beets, three-bean salad, and salad. They basically had a pizza bar today, which was pretty cool. This place does a lot of stuff like that. They'll have an Italian bar, Asian bar, etc. And, I think I ate too much...

After lunch, we headed back to work to finalize all of the setup for the new radar. We had to hook all of the cables up, update some passwords, and then talk to the network guys to make sure our data gets back to the forecasters. This was a very good trip and, on the positive side, I am getting more and more familiar with this radar! The fact that I am familiar with Linux is a definite PLUS! ;)

I went back to the room to take a short nap before dinner. Today has worn me out a bit and I didn't sleep that great last night; so, a little shut-eye was nice!

Dinner was excellent! BBQ beef brisket, carrots, rice, potatoes, hush puppies, and a salad. I probably could have passed on the rice or potatoes, but they both looked good. The potatoes, however, had a lot of kick to them! I'm guessing they cooked them with jalapenos or something!

I headed over to the MWR for a little bit to see if Meagan was home yet and check email. She said it would be a bit, so I sent her some stuff about the home loan via email, checked Facebook, drooled over cars, and came back to the tent. I'm going to kick back and watch another movie before bed. That said, I will sign out for today. Tomorrow is another early morning, as usual! Night all...God bless!

Day 52 - 17 October 2012

I wish I could say I was up and at 'em early this morning, but not as early as I wanted to. I set FOUR alarms and shut every single one of them off! However, I did manage to wake up around 0630 to get around and talk to Meagan. We talked about the dryer, which has decided to not heat anymore, and her meeting with Taylor's teacher. Sadly, the principal wasn't there for the entire meeting. Sounds like she had "more important" things to worry about. Sheesh...and, this was one of the best, if not THE best, schools in our area.

After talking to Meagan, I had to get around and head back to the room. I still haven't packed for my trip yet. I have about two or three days away to get a new weather radar installed. We're swapping out a system that hasn't been giving us anything but fits since I've been here.

Ok...we're off to catch our flight! Good times! :)

Was rocking on the flight to Eric Church. Absolutely love his music! A lot of great songs and some that touch what seems like every aspect of my life... The song Carolina really made me homesick though. :(

So, here we are. One of the guys I work with and I have known each other for a while. It's nice to get out here and work together. We got here just in time to rush over to the DFAC to grab some lunch. I had some ranch chicken bites, onion rings, and a ham, turkey, roast beef, and swiss sandwich. The sandwich was pretty darn good! Made it myself! ;) I referred to it as the Afghan Club...

After lunch, we pretty much hit the ground running. I stepped aside and let my buddy take the reins as I walked him through the steps we needed to take in prepping for the install tomorrow. He's been out here a while and hasn't had the opportunity to do much radar work. So, was in training mode...what I do best! :)

Finished up our work for the day, so I came over to the MWR center to check email and, to my surprise, Meagan is on Facebook! <3

I got done talking to Meagan and headed to dinner. We had shepherd's pie for dinner. I haven't had it in a while and, though it was different, it wasn't horrible.

After dinner, I headed back to my room. I have Bad Teacher on my netbook, so I'm going to watch a movie and then turn in for the night. Early morning tomorrow and a BUSY day. Night all and God bless!

Day 51 - 16 October 2012

Well, I managed to get up early today! :) Was up at 0445 and got into the shower...helped wake me up a bit. Headed over to the terminal to talk to Meagan and the kids. Emma and I did the night, night stuff...it was cute! Taylor told me about his day and I told him about my uneventful day...

After chatting with the family, I headed back to the room to get a nap in before lunch. It's nice, at least in the morning, to just go relax a bit before the day gets started!

Lunch options weren't that great today, so I settled for the Afghan Rodeo Burger again...baked beans, onion rings, and macaroni salad to compliment...wasn't too bad.

Went into work a bit early to get some paperwork squared away for my driver's training class. I got everything together, sat down with my superintendent, and off to training I go!

So...that was interesting. I showed up for class, looked around, and realized I was the only soul in the room with a stack of paperwork. I went out and talked to the instructor and...he was pretty sure I was supposed to be there...and we would talk about it after class. Sure enough, my leadership thought I was there to get my driver's license for the airfield...instead, I was being trained to train drivers! So...yeah.

I headed into work after training and called my leadership to share the good/bad news about my training. I just told them I'll have to go back next week. Not really much going on at work. We have a couple of telecons tonight...one before dinner, one after.

Dinner was good! We had jerk chicken, rice, and mixed vegetables. The chicken was pretty darn good! I saw pecan pie on the dessert bar, but can't have any...still on the no sugar plan. The good news is, I get to eat a sweet treat on Friday! :)

We finished up our telecon, but not much else going on. Still pretty slow nights at work. I just had a few things to square away to get ready for my trip.

Alright...headed home from work. Have to get up early to talk to the family and then pack for my next outing. Night all and God bless!

Day 50 - 15 October 2012

So, I didn't make it up this morning to talk to the family. Instead, I arose, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, at around 0630. I sent Meagan a message to let her know I was up and got around to talk to her for a bit. We really didn't have much to talk about, but it was great to see her face!

After our chat, I took my stuff back to my room and headed to the testing center for the fourth test in my Course 14 PME. It is the second to last one, so I am trying to get it knocked out. I need to start focusing on studying for MSgt, as I will be testing a month or two after I return from here.

I am super stoked! I just aced my exam...perfect 100%! It's a good feeling, since I have scored 80 and 81 on the last two. This test was on counseling, so at least I know I understand how to handle situations when they arise. That's a good thing! :)

Went back to my room and played SimCity 4 on the netbook for a bit before lunch. I bought it yesterday to give me something out of the ordinary to do if/when I have free time. It's a game I haven't played in years, but it never seems to get old. I'm thinking I may see if Taylor has interest in it at all when I get back. It's a great thinking game!

I went and grabbed lunch. I had bbq ribs, mixed vegetables, and macaroni salad. The ribs were actually pretty darn good and fell right off the bone!

Work was pretty slow today. I did manage to get a bunch of stuff done to finish up my driver's training. I have to go to a class tomorrow. Otherwise, not much going on.

Dinner was good. I went for the grilled pastrami and swiss sandwich, corn dog, corn, and a salad. The sandwich was pretty darn good!

Went back to work and started working on my decoration. I suppose it's not to early to start documenting the things I've done so far. Speaking of decorations, I was looking at the unit awards website and found THREE Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards I have earned, but have not seen show up in my records. So, I sent everything into my MPF for updating. The only one I knew of was the one I earned in Japan. However, my unit at Scott was awarded back-to-back awards and my current unit was awarded the AFOUA in 2010. So, that makes four! They aren't worth any points, but I did earn them!

Alright, I'm done with work. I need to head to bed so I can get around in the morning and talk to the family. Night all and God bless!

Day 49 - 14 October 2012

Today, Meagan and I have been together 15 years! Wow...time has really flown!

Got up EARLY this morning so I could listen to the race and talk to the family. It's a Saturday night race, so really the only one I've had a chance to listen to since I've been here. I tried to watch it, but the stream online was too choppy to really watch.

Meagan put the kiddos in bed, so I didn't get to talk to them, but we had a nice little chat. I sure do feel awful that she's having hard times. Here I thought I was the one in a rough situation. Then again, I'm not maintaining a home and taking care of two kids either...

Went back to the room to crash for a bit before lunch. Getting up at 0330 was pretty tiring...and I thought 0430-0500 was rough!

Lunch was good...the line for Mongolian BBQ was crazy, so I settled for a cheeseburger. I know, I'm awful, but the main line didn't look too appealing. I don't know what it is about the fish here, but none of it has ever looked good to me.

Work was slow...very slow. Not much of anything going on, since all of our systems are working.

Dinner was good, as it is every Sunday. I had bananas foster french toast, eggs, bacon, and a biscuit. Sunday is one of my favorite dinners...of course, nothing can beat steak night! :)

Alright...not much news today, so I'll wrap it up. Have to try getting up early in the morning! Night all...God bless!

Day 48 - 13 October 2012

So, I didn't wake up with the alarm this morning. I snapped to about 0615 and sent Meagan some messages. I tossed and turned for a while last night and had a nice chat with Joy on Facebook. I think I finally got to sleep sometime between 0200 and 0300. I'm not sure why I was so wired, but it was strange...I probably could have pulled an all-nighter. So, I will talk to the family tomorrow morning.

I finally rolled out of bed at 1130 to get around for lunch. Lunch was good today. I love the grilled cheese here! I also had ham, rice, and green beans. Not really a bad combo, but certainly not a combination I would fix together at home!

I'm learnin' who you've been ain't who you've gotta be
It's gonna be an uphill climb, oh honey I won't lie...
I still got a few more dances with the devil
I’m cleaning up my act little by little...
I ain't as good as I'm gonna get, but I'm better than I used to be...
"Better Than I Used to Be" - Tim McGraw

I've been listening to this song a lot today; and, although it isn't exactly about my particular situation, it keeps my mind focused on the act of cutting smoking out of my life. That said, I did have a slight setback today. I did have one cigarette. Baby steps, I suppose. I tried to jump off a cliff and it was tough. I made it three days before I "needed a fix" to keep my sanity. So, I will reset my clock and possibly keep track of what I have smoked. Certainly, one cigarette in three days is MUCH better than a pack in a day...I have to try putting some type of positive reinforcement in there; otherwise, I look at it as failure. Small battles will win the major war...and, I am winning the majority of the small battles!

In my coversation with Joy last night, she asked me if I had been able to decorate my pumpkin yet. I had not, but I told her I would do it at work today, since I had a good feeling it would be pretty slow. So, after getting a couple of things taken care of, I broke out the pumpking and Mr. Potato Head parts.

So, I sent an email to Disney World through their site a few weeks ago. I got a canned email back about the military salute. I want to reply back and ask them if they even read my email. Seriously...there is NOTHING in this email I don't already know...and, I even told them we were there last year! Wow... We'll keep trying!

Dinner tonight was a cheeseburger, baked beans, and cabbage salad. The chicken and fish didn't really look appealing to me.

Went back to work finished cleaning up the office a little bit. Not much going on tonight and I'm the only one in, so I figured I could clean up the place a little. I didn't do a whole lot, but got some stuff organized and swept/swiffered the floor.

Ok...time to head back to the room. The race is on early morning here and I'm going to try watching/listening to it! Night all...God bless!

Day 47 - 12 October 2012

Day three smoke free...Lord, grant me the strength to fight the urge...

Up and at 'em around 0500 this morning. I seem to be getting better at getting up, so that is good. I headed over to talk to Meagan and Taylor. Emma was already in bed, since her "roommate" was going to bed.

Taylor told me about his day and I shared my non-eventful day with him. It's been nice to have some slow time, after running non-stop for the past week or two. Meagan and I talked about travel plans for Christmas. I am so stoked that we were able to finally pull the trigger on airfare! I had checked prices prior to leaving and we were expecting to pay a little more than $1,200 for Southwest tickets. However, a check this morning showed that their fares had gone up to $1,358. I called in reinforcements and checked out Hotwire.com to see what deals were out there; and, was pleasantly surpised to find airfare at $861 through AirTran. After a little more digging, I found that we could push their departure date back a day and get it down to $810; so, that's what we did. After paying to ensure they'll sit together, grand total was $846; a savings of $500 over Southwest!

Went back to the room, changed, and went to the gym. I started out with a 1.5 mile bike ride and then did intervals on the treadmill. I did 2 minutes walking, 3 minutes at 6 mph, 2 minutes at 7 mph, 3 minutes at 6 mph, and then did it all a second time. It was a pretty good workout and my goal is to increase my 7 mph times through my time here. We'll see how that works out.

I took a shower and nap after I got back from the gym. I sure wish breakfast went later, but I'll have to wait for lunch.

Lunch was good. We had Asian food today...General Tso's chicken, fried rice, and a salad. The chicken was good, but not what I would consider General Tso's.

Walked up to the BX to get some fresh air and exercise. It's much warmer here today than it has been the past week or so. Well, at least it feels that way. It could be the hike I went on to the BX. I sat on one of the benches for a while, just relaxing. It was funny to see some of the civilian attire around the area. One guy was wearing shorts, loafers, a polo shirt, and a fedora that matched his blue shorts. It just gave me a kick for some reason.

I went into work and we still have all of our systems online. So, now we just await breakdowns in order to fix them. I'm looking to go out sometime next week to swap a system out, so that will be a fun trip...I think. I got a confirmation that my fourth test is scheduled for Monday. I'm happy about that, as it puts me one test away from finishing this course. I've learned a few better ways to do supervisory things, so it was not all for not...

Dinner was steak and lobster! We have it every Friday and, suprisingly, the steak and lobster are pretty good. One of the guys had a steak that was overdone, but mine have always been tender and juicy. I also had green beans, macaroni and cheese, brocolli, and a salad. A big meal, but my appetite has been pretty big due to all of the walking and working out I've been doing.

Had the biggest craving for a cigarette after dinner. It's been hard to not think about smoking, since it's been a habit in my life for so long. However, I am doing great! I haven't had a cigarette in 61 hours now. So, I am approaching the three-day point. I'm proud of myself and I just have to keep telling myself that...

Ok...time to call it a day and head back to the room. I need to try getting some sleep so I can get up in the morning. Night all...God bless!

Day 46 - 11 October 2012

So, here it is...day two of not smoking...

Well, I managed to wake up around 0500 this morning. I was beat last night, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to get up or not. I went over to the terminal and was able to have a chat with Meagan and Taylor. Taylor was excited to tell me about his day. When he asked me about mine, I really didn't have much of anything to talk about...so, that's about all we said! Meagan and I talked about the closing paperwork.

For some reason, which I don't understand, our escrow payment went up $35/month when we already have about $3,500 in escrow already. So, instead of our payment dropping, like we were told, it actually went up $16/month...even with 0.25% less in interest! I sent an email off, because I don't understand it. In the paperwork, it mentions something about $680 of escrow padding requested by the servicer. I am guessing, based on the extra escrow payments, we will be getting a refund from escrow early next year. We'll see...

After chatting, I headed back to the room to take a nap. I zonked out and actually didn't wake up until 1230 to head to lunch. So, I suppose my body needed a little more rest.

Lunch wasn't too bad. I had a Fitzpatrick sandwich (roast beef, peppers, and Swiss cheese), corn, and mashed potatoes. Not really the best combination, but I wasn't really interested in any of the other food. They had chicken tenders on the short order line and the line waiting for those was pretty long. So, I made do with what I could...still wan't bad!

After lunch today was probably the hardest craving I have had over the past 30 hours of not smoking. Seriously...I really, REALLY wanted to smoke; but, I can't. I just have to keep telling myself that...little steps turn into big miracles, right?

Went back to my room to work on studying for a bit before work. Was going to go check if my laundry was in yet, but lost track of time. So, I will have to do that tomorrow!

Got into work and not much was going on, so I decided to rework one of the spreadsheets we use for inventory. After all, I am an Excel ninja! ;) I got that all squared away and it makes it much easier for the supplier to see what we need...NOW! :) I was also able to go get my laundry, mail letters to Grandma and Joy, and get care packages from Joy and Meagan/kiddos! Lots of good stuff today! Joy's package had Halloween treats for all, so I started handing them out. Some of the guys got a kick out of it and a smile, so that's good! Thanks all around for all of the treats!

Dinner was ok...lasagna, spaghetti, and garlic bread. I had a peach for dessert...still NO sugar. So far, here's the count as of this update:

No sugar: 5 days
No soda: 4 1/2 days
No cigarettes: 39 hours

Now, I just need to get more consistent about gym time and work harder. I need to work on chest and core to lose more weight and trim up. Those two areas are really the only place I have any fat on my body...

Alright...back at the room for work and time for bed. Night all and God bless!

Day 45 - 10 October 2012

Well, I didn't get up with the alarm this morning...I guess I just needed a little more sleep. I sent Meagan a message and we really don't have anything to talk about. It's already 0700 here and Emma's been asleep for a while. It sounds like she ran her steam off at run-walk after school. So, I suppose that's a good thing!

Got around and went down to the smoke pit. I had my last two cigarettes...I hope. I finished the last one at 0744 and asked for a little support. It's time to change something in my life for the better! I kind of looked at sugar and soda the past few days as a trial run of cutting out desires. If I look at smoking the same way, I think I can do this...FINALLY. So, here is day one of quitting. I would say trying, but I've failed so many times at trying that I'm not trying...I AM quitting! I'll update the status of my progress. This IS it! I have determination now! :)

Came back to the room for a bit to go over my study questions for my test this morning. I think I'll do alright on this block. I'm not too worried about it. It is all about behavior, traits, and how they mesh in the organizational aspect. Thank goodness I had Organizational Behavior as a class! I think I will do fine. I'm still pondering the lesson and still glad to see that my style of behavior is not necessarily a bad leadership style. I don't have to be a "bad guy" to be a good leader; and, that's some confidence I need moving forward...especially in this position!

Ok...off to test!

So, the test went...well. I scored an 80% on it, which was 16/20. I sure thought I did better than that, but 80% is a pass and that is all that matters! I went back to my room and jumped right into the fourth module. I'm hoping to take that test this Friday or this coming Monday; the sooner, the better!

After a bit of studying, I decided I would head to the gym. I weighed in and, to my surprise, I am now down 11 pounds since I arrived here! I left Florida at 197 and I am now at 186. So, this guy is getting on the health kick! I haven't had any sugar since Friday evening and I haven't had a soda since Saturday at lunch. I'm doing pretty good!

Lunch today was pretty good. I had Swiss steak, green beans, carrots, and fresh bread. The Swiss steak was a bit strange. It was basically beef roas with a tomato/beef gravy; something I may definitely have to try at home!

Sent a message to mother Carol about picking up Christmas presents for the kiddos. She said as long as they weren't big and heavy, they could do it. So, they should have presents from Daddy under the tree this year! :) Now, I just gotta figure out what to get Mommy for Christmas... ;)

Went into work and had a bit of pep in my step today. I was stoked that I haven't had a cigarette in seven hours! I stopped by the smoking area and talked to one of the folks I'm usually down there hanging out with. It was a great feeling to be able to sit there and, even though I felt the urge to smoke, not feel dependant on one!

I finished up my inventory work today. I managed to get almost all of our spare systems full of parts. Just have a few more to get. Otherwise, pretty uneventful at work.

I took a little bit of my free time at work to write a letter to the director of operations for Walt Disney Parks and  Resorts. I sent an email through the website a few weeks ago and haven't heard anything back. I didn't ask for any handouts from Disney, just some advice on how to make a homecoming special for two young children. We'll see what she says, if anything. I would really like to get in touch at Disney to see if there is anything cool and exciting we can do for the kids. My thought is to meet them at the castle. Otherwise, I really don't know. I also need to talk to my leadership to see if I can wear my uniform I am wearing now to at least greet them. We'll see...I'm sure something will work out!

Dinner was good...a hodge podge, really. I had a grilled club sandwich, taco, burrito, and macaroni salad. Whatever works, right?!?

After dinner was the hardest part of quitting smoking on day one. I had a HUGE craving, but I managed to fight it. After work might be the same too. I just keep giving myself small, concious thoughts...you can do it and you don't need one! So far, I'm doing great...15 hours of no smoking! Only nine more to go in the first 24 hours and I'll be sleeping through at least six of them!

I found out I had mail, so I stopped in to see what it was. I was greeted by a very funny Halloween card from Grandma with a nice letter inside. It's good to hear that Joy is able to share my news with her! I wrote her a letter back, so I'll get that in the mail tomorrow.

Alright...work is done and I need to head back for sleep. I am getting up early to catch Meagan and the kiddos, since they are FREE on Wednesday nights! Night all...God bless!

Day 44 - 9 October 2012

Got up with the alarm again today. Perhaps, I am starting to get a schedule set. We'll see! I got to talk to Emma, Taylor, AND Meagan. Emma wanted to do the night, night stuff. So, I started and she said, "You don't start until we say go! Ok. Go!" It was too cute! Taylor didn't have much to talk about, as usual. He told me about his day, asked about mine, and we were done. Meagan and I just chatted for a little bit, but not much to talk about since I called her earlier to check on the closing. There is some family stuff going on, but this isn't the forum to discuss that...no worries, we're all good.

Went back to my room, studied for my test a little while, then took a short nap before lunch. I had a side salad, chicken parmesean, and some green beans. The chicken parmesean was good, but a bit different. It was baked instead of fried and then baked. I also had a piece of fresh bread with garlic butter. You know, it's been hard to pass up the cinnamon butter, but I can't have sugar until next Friday!

After lunch, I decided to head on into work a couple of hours early. I had a whole container full of stuff to inventory. I finished it up after about an hour and a half. Had several phone calls to make on shift to figure things out with some of the equipment, so the day is going by pretty quick!

Dinner wasn't too bad. I had an Asian Wrap: stir fry beef with cabbage. I added onions and sour cream to it and it tasted like a gyro knockoff. It wasn't too bad; cucumber salad and corn for sides. I think I'm going for the cheeseburger of the week tomorrow...we'll see.

Not much happening at work tonight. One of the guys flew out to take care of some equipment. Other than that, nothing too exciting. We did get a nice little thunderstorm. In fact, it's still booming out there.

Alright...shift is over and I'm headed out for the night. I need to get some sleep so I can talk to Meagan in the morning, then study, and, hopefully, ace my test! Night all...God bless!

Day 43 - 8 October 2012

I surprised myself this morning and actually woke up with my alarm! I am still not used to getting up at 0500 in the morning, as our schedule changes; especially with flying. However, I did manage to get around and talk to Meagan and Taylor. Taylor's conversation was the usual, "This is what we did..." Meagan and I didn't really have too much to talk about, but I let her know that I was able to get my final payments set up for this deployment and how much the next check will be. Other than that, it was just good to see her!

Went back to the room, got around, and took a shower. Then, I decided it was time to finish up my third block of Course 14; which, I have my test scheduled for Wednesday morning at 0900! :) I actually liked this block, as it gave me hope...as a leader. You see, I've been told, and I know, that I'm not the roughest, toughest sheriff in town. In fact, it takes quite a bit to get me agitated. So, I was worried. However, through this block, I realize that I have a steady leadership style: I like working as a team and will do what needs to be done with them, no matter how rough it gets. You know, that's really me! However, I do have a sense of cautious leadership style in me: I like following the rules. The blend means that I can interpret "between the lines" if a decision needs made. I think that's me, in a nutshell. So, just because I'm not the yelling and screaming type, doesn't mean I cannot lead effectively. And, for me, that's a good thing!

I took a short nap after studying and got around to go eat lunch with the guys. It was pretty good...yankee pot roast again! Today is day three of NO sugar and day 2 1/2 of no soda. I haven't had anything sweet since Friday evening, as a buddy of mine and I are supporting each other on eating no refined sugar (candy, sugar loaded drinks, etc.) for two weeks. I've done pretty good, but it has been very, very hard to pass up chocolate chip cookies, pecan pie, and the HUGE box of oatmeal cream pies I just received last night. Soda, for me, I think has been easy. I usually drink diet, but I have been drinking fruit juice instead. So, I've cut out any unnatural sugar and a LOT of sodium from my diet. Now, let's see if that changes anything...

Work was good today. I spent a couple of hours working on inventory. Then, my flashlight decided it was tired of working and died. So, I will have to finish it tomorrow. Really thing else going on.

Dinner was pretty good, I suppose. I had a bbq beef pocket and a mini pizza. Something different from the norm. Still no soda! :) I've been drinking a lot of fruit juice!

Stopped by after work to call Meagan about our refinance. I'm proud that she took on the task without me there! I feel bad she had to sign everything TWICE...but, glad she got through it!

Alright...back from work and ready for bed to do it all again tomorrow! Night all...God bless!

Day 42 - 7 October 2012

Well, I managed to get up this morning around 0600 to talk to Meagan and the kiddos. Last night was a crazy night in the tent. I bundled up before bed in my long underwear and sleep shirt, crawled under my sleeping bag, and was sleeping somber...until around 0200. I woke up burning up, as someone decided it was too cold and turned on the heat. Fair enough; so, I stripped down to my t-shirt and shorts. Woke up this morning FREEZING, as someone decided it was too hot...

Taylor was excited to tell me about his popcorn adventures. He has reached enough sales for the Super Soaker AND Day Camp, so he's pretty happy! At the same time, so are we...especially since they raised the amount the boys have to sell for Day Camp. I told Meagan, when I found out how much the goals were, that it seemed crazy. It was hard enough for us to hit $600 last year and they raised it to $750 this year. That's a bit crazy for a kid to sell, but I think they set it higher to encourage the boys. I don't know for sure. What I do know is that Taylor made his goals!

Went into the office today to work on the system I'm here to troubleshoot. It's up on a nice 40 foot tower, so I told the guys back in the States that I was not going to venture up there at night. I thought I'd take a pic to share with them, but figured why not share it here! It's a pretty big drop from the platform this thing is on to the ground below, hence the reason I did not want to go in the dark!

Went to the DFAC for lunch. I had the Mexican food from the main line: burrito, enchilada, rice, chicken empanada, and a chicken quesadilla. I ate with one of the guys from the shop here. He was actually one of my students in Florida earlier this year. We had a nice little chat, so that was good. I felt bad for ditching him for lunch yesterday; but, he wanted to go later and I was hungry THEN!

After lunch, I was just in chill mode. My job here is done and I am just waiting for my flight. I went over to look at the vendors with they guy I had lunch with. The "movie store" was quite impressive, for knock-off movies. Most of the movies are DVD copies and they are dirt cheap...$1 per disc. They have a Disney chest of 130 movies...CRAZINESS!

I did manage to make it over to the MWR and start working on my travel pay stuff, which was finally loaded on Friday. I got everything loaded in and set up my payments, so all of my entitlements should be flowing by the end of the month...we shall see!

Went back to the tent for a while and just chilled for a little while. I finished my post from yesterday, since I finally had a chance to catch up. I got everything packed up, for the most part, except the bottom sheet on the mattress. I'll pack that up after dinner when I'm ready to go catch my flight.

Went into dinner and saw this guy blowing up over the mountains. A nice little fall thunderstorm. I am actually a bit surprised to see it, as it's fairly cool here. However, given the heating over the mountains, it's not impossible. Shortly after the sun goes down, this thing will dissipate rather quickly. I took the picture with all of the colors after dinner, as the sun was going down. It was actually a very cool sight!

Dinner wasn't too bad. I had the Yankee pot roast, which was actually very, very good! The only complaint I had: they only gave me ONE biscuit! Otherwise, it was a very good meal! :)

Made my flight and made it back! I talked to one of the guys at the office for a bit. He and I are supporting each other for the next two weeks, at least. We are not eating any refined sugar. So, that means a lot of my goodies are of limits. I did good the last two days...only one soda (diet, so no sugar) and NO junk food...we'll see how long it lasts!

Speaking of...I heard I had mail waiting for me. It was the next edition of care packages from the 131st Training Flight...taking care of me! Unfortunately, it is chock full of stuff I can't eat until next Friday; including a HUGE box of oatmeal cream pies. So, I have something to look forward to!

Alright...back at the room and ready to crash! I need to get some rest so I can get up and talk to the family in the morning. 0500 comes way to early!!! Night all...God bless!