Since last Tuesday I dont think there are too many stories to tell...
We do have a little ottoman that we built at work, we keep it outside in the smoke pit. It was designed as a seat/ coffee table/ ottoman. After a few days a leg or two fell off, when we rebuilt it we put an extra 2x4 on it (it was to set your coffee mug on while sitting on it). The extra piece made it look like a dog and we all commented on it and decided to name it Otto. We gave Otto a tail, and put him on a leash so he doesn't run away (we get bored out here). Also people started moving him around and propping him up so it looks like he is peeing on the building or putting him on top of one of the other benches. Its something to do...
Mary also signed a lease on a new house! We are pretty excited about that. It is a bigger and nicer place than we have now. Also basically everyone that I work with back home has volunteered to help her move.
I almost finished my instructor package. The package is part of the application process to become a technical instructor. If I am selected we will be stationed at Goodfellow AFB, San Angelo, Texas. It isn't the most happening place in America, but it is in America! And the housing market is very good down there.
Wednesday: I woke up around 3 in the morning drenched in sweat. My A/C had gone out and my room was now a kiln. I wasn't able to fall back asleep after that. I got up around 0500 still drenched in sweat, I took a shower and then sat in my room in my underwear not moving and i was still sweating. For the record that is not a good way to start your day! I worked from 0600-1500. When I got to work I filled out a work order to get my A/C fixed, I left it with one of my Sgts who knows a guy. Around noon or so I found out that I had to be back at work at 1AM, mind you I still wasn't done for the day. My plan when I got off of work was to go straight to sleep, hoping that my body would let me sleep in the middle of the day with out any notice. A sandstorm started moving in around lunch time, so that kept the heat down to about 100 or so, and the wind was blowing and it was hard to see. When I got to my room, my A/C wasn't fixed, so it was about a million degrees in my room (and that is not an exaggeration at all). Since I had to sleep, so I could work in a few hours, I decided to change into my PT gear and go to work and sleep in the air conditioned tent we have there. I got to work about 1600 or 1630 and tried to lay down right away. I think I fell asleep around 1700 or so and woke up around 1930ish. When I woke up the tent was blowing around like crazy. The sandstorm had gotten much worse. I tried going back to sleep but it was hopeless. Around 2130 or 2200 I decided to go back to my room, and if my A/C wasn't fixed then I would shower and go back to work. Where I live is about 1.25 miles from where I work, I took one of the work trucks home so that we could all get back to work in a few hours. I have taken this route atleast twice a day for the past two months, it isn't a difficult trip, so, I shouldn't have had any problems... I got in the truck, started it up, turned on the lights and realized that I couldn't see anything. It was pitch black and the sand was blowing like Monica Lewinski (bad analogy?) I drove really slow so that I didn't hit anything or anyone. This drive is about a 1/4 mile through a dirt field and then about 3/4 miles on a straight paved road, a right turn about 1/8 of a mile on a paved road, a left turn and then the final 1/8 mile or so is on a gravel road. The trouble started when I was trying to find the path through the dirt field, I didn't find it and just cut across. Then I got on the paved road, I thought that I would be ok from here on out. I saw headlights of a car approaching me on the road, I couldn't see the headlights until they were about 30 feet in front of me. I kept going straight and traveling slow. I came to a stop sign, (I couldn't see it until I was at the intersection) I couldn't tell which intersection I was at. The turn I needed is about a 100 feet after a stop sign and the area is lit by a set of stadium lights. I couldn't see the lights so I thought that I was at another intersection (I thought that I missed my turn). I turned right to take a different route, well I was way off... I took the turn 100 feet before my turn. I turned around and as I was turning back on the main road I could finally see the stadium lights (I didn't see them until I was about 50 feet from them). I finally made it back to my room. I laughed at the fact that I got lost on that short of a trip.
I got back to my room and to my surprise, my room was cool! I was so happy. I decided that i would wash my face and hands (they were covered in sand) and then try to sleep until about midnight or so. When I got to the bathroom, I noticed that my clothes, hair, and eyebrows were now sand colored. I shook off what I could and then washed my face. I laid down and got about another hour of rest.
I woke up about midnight on Thursday morning. As I walked to the shower I could tell that the sandstorm was starting to clear up, but it was also still really sandy and windy. After I showered, I talked to Mary and Maddox on Skype. Probably the greatest part of my day (that and having A/C again)!! Maddox was as cute as possible! She wanted to sing all the songs that she knew, it was really cute. She started singing 'row row row your boat' and Mary wasn't doing the hand motions, so Maddox stopped and made Mary do them. It was pretty funny. Mary was really happy because it was the eve of her last day of school and then she was going to travel for about a week. Even though I wasn't rested enough for a 12 hour shift, I was lifted by seeing my girls happy and in good moods. I also got kisses from Maddox!
Work was pretty good!
I am drinking about 2 or 3 mugs of coffee a day, between 2 and 3 liters of water while I'm at work (another 1or 1.5 liters after work) and the occasional sugar-free energy drink also.
It is 1500 on Thursday now, I have been home for about two hours. In that time I got a hair cut and tried to stay out of the storm. The sandstorm is still vaguely here. Funny story, since my body is so tired, while I was getting my hair cut I started nodding off a bit... That is dangerous. No worries though, no casualties.
I guess that I had more stories than I thought! Sorry no pictures to show! I did find this article: http://www.snopes.com/photos/military/burghardt.asp
It is kind of a scary story, but the picture is funny. No worries, the Gunny's job is nothing like what I do. I sit at a desk in an air conditioned building. The worst part of my day is when I have to go to the port-a-potty in the middle of the day (those things turn into saunas)!
I miss you all and love each and every one of you. But my two favorite girls get the most love!
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