Barriers

Here in the Sandbox we have the standard Jersey Barriers, just like the ones we have back home (usually strung together with massive heavy-gauge steel wires) to keep things separated and orderly. But the military, in the spirit of "Bigger-is-Better", also has what we call Texas Barriers and Alaska Barriers, too. These concrete monstrosities are a daily part of the landscape here (and pretty much everywhere else in the AOR). The Texas barriers have a flared-out foot at the base that we like to sit on (not sure if that was the original intention, or not, but they are convenient). The Alaska barriers, as you can imagine, are the biggest - they are extremely tall, and they are used to shield areas from view (like from those pesky and annoying forward observers or snipers). Our world is made up of fence lines, concrete, sandbags, pre-fabricated-whatevers, and a lot of wire. The sand, rock, dust and stones make for a bleak landscape - punctuated only by the occasional desert scrub, or some plastic bag blowing in the wind (for some reason, plastic bags are the tumble weeds of this place - I imagine each one has a story...). Today there were clouds in the sky - it was so unusual that we all didn't quite grasp it immediately - that is until there was an actual dimming of the sun (yes, there were that many clouds!) - then, there was a clap of thunder (it was incredibly humid today, and hot, which may have explained the appearance of the clouds), and a few people hit the deck because they thought that something had blown up. That was it, but that boom was like a thing from a past life, and I thought it was a promise of better things to come. This evening the clouds are gone (and the night sky looks clearer than it has in a long while). Usually we see only one star in the bleary night sky (actually, it might be a planet, but we like to quote Madagascar: "Oh look, the star is out..."), but tonight we can see a few stars in the sky. Ramadan should be ending soon - and the coming new moon will light up our desert landscape - but for now, it is nice to see the stars (even if we can only count them on one hand...).

Suck It Up, Drive On!

Well, it is Wednesday, and I still feel crappy, but the big doc at Medical was able to make a diagnosis ("You're phlegm is thick and green? Congratulations, it is gone from viral to bacterial."), so they put me on what they call a "Z-Pack" and it is supposed to kick the stuffing out of whatever I have. In the meantime, I went to work on Monday, and not a moment too soon, as we got crushed (more buried than usual), and they put me in another room, so as not to contaminate the rest of the crew (my boss even printed up a quarantine sign and put it on the door - how nice!). We worked long into the night, but I am happy to say that I was able to contribute and shoulder my share of the load (we got out of there sooner, because everybody was there - the lesson to be learned? We lose one person, and the show gets tougher for everybody else, so we all have to gut it out and perform). Right now I am coughing non-stop (hacking up gobs of the aforementioned green phlegm), but at least I don't feel like I am going to hurl every five seconds. Our boss is leaving this weekend - his tour is up, and he gets to be released - our new OIC arrived, and we have been working with him this week. No big impressions yet - we are all waiting for the turn over (nobody wants to step on the out-going boss's shoes). I imagine that there will be a lot of getting-to-know-you moments in the near-future, but right now everybody is just smiling and nodding and not saying much. I am glad that I came here - I'm glad that I did this job (even though it has been a total grind - and I mean that in every sense of the word), but I am getting totally burned out, and I cannot wait to finish this and get home. My buddy and I have put maximum effort into this job - but it is the kind of job that chews everyone up, and spits them out. We actually had a person from the rear tell us to our face that they love having us here to do this job because they can work us to death, without having to give us a break (evidently, if we were State-side, or further Forward, there would be buffers to limit the work load, but evidently that is not the case here). Awesome! There is nothing to look forward to except getting out of here - so, from now until November we just get up, work, eat, sleep, repeat. HooAh!

Because every day is a Monday

It is actually Monday. For the past few days I have been sick - no big deal, but it has made things just that more unpleasant. The good news is that our doc is really the best (lots of good meds). It started a few days ago - I was finishing work at three in the morning (after an epic day fighting the paperwork monster) when I suddenly got a sore throat and a headache you wouldn't believe (plus nausea). I gutted it out, but the next day it got worse, so I went to see doc, and he gave me some Tylenol and some throat lozenges. Later my throat became very painful, so he gave me a shot. Then the next day I developed a cough, so he gave me some antihistamines, and told me to come back on Monday if it didn't clear up. Well, all day at work on Sunday I was coughing and sneezing up a storm. Finally, my boss ordered me to report to doc Monday morning, and if I hadn't made a miraculous comeback, I was to stand-down and take quarters (which is a big deal, as our boss really doesn't casually order people to take time off). Our shop is small, but we do a lot of time-critical important stuff, and it is a seven-day-a-week operation. Losing one person, especially if it is a heavy op-tempo day, can be devastating. I really feel guilty, and I hope that when I see doc later this morning that he can hook me up so that I can get back to the shop. Right now I am feeling crappy, and I can't sleep because of the coughing. I know it could be worse, and I know that there are people everywhere who have it worse than me, but right now I just feel tired and worn out, and I wish I was healthier again. My buddy has been a real Troop my entire tour here - he has never complained, and has always been supportive. I don't want to leave him and our other people hanging. Come on antibodies, mount-up, and let's do this - Guns Up!