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!