Some Observations

It's been just over 2 months now. Since my arrival, I have been keeping little observations here and there of strange things that pop into my mind and don't seem to leave until I write them down. Nothing of particular interest, not an update per say, just some random tidbits from the life of a deployed Seabee. As for me - this week has been as hectic as any. I'm not getting much sleep, only on account of my inability to actually fall (and stay) asleep. Work was particularly frustrating with people who have no clue what my job is telling me how to do it or questioning decisions I have made based on only half information. Some people.... It's starting to get quite chilly here at night, although the days still manage to warm to the mid 70s. In any event, time to head to work for my Sunday off, then hit the gym, back to work, then some training and classes. Excitement abounds.

Observations:

• The military is biased against tall people. I see it like the hot dog and bun conundrum - hot dog packages come in quantities different than bun packaging, and hot dogs are inevitably 10% smaller than the bun. In my case, the bed I have to sleep in is 6'4" long exactly, and the mattress is probably 6'1" long. If I lay completely flat, my feet hang off the end of the bed and touch the metal of the bed frame on one end. On the other end, my pillow slowly sinking into the gap between the mattress and the headboard, my head touches metal again. Every bed I have ever slept in that was provided by the military has the exact same dimensions. I'm convinced the military has it out for tall people. Don't even get me started on cots...



• Driving a car becomes a novelty after a few weeks of not having one. Then having to drive a steeringwheel-on-the-right, stick shift with the left hand truck - yeah, that's strange.



• Using a toilet with the ability to flush becomes almost foreign when you primary option for facilities is a port-o-john.



• Drinking in excess of 5 litres of water in a single day, and not exploding at the gills, is a shockingly apt method for showing yourself just how much you sweat out here.



• Humans have the incredible ability to adapt to any situation... You'd think rocket attacks a VBIEDs would keep a guy up at night, but not so much.



• I carry a weapon and ammunition on me 24/7. I'm surrounded by more fire power than I've ever seen in my entire life. My command has access to hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition. All this, yet I shoot more frequently in San Diego than I have here. Turns out I traveled 10,000 miles to the middle of a war zone to not shoot a weapon.



• The mind is a crazy place - I have now convinced myself that some terrorist is going to put pit vipers or camel spiders inside the urinal portion of the port-o-let. Every time I have to use one after dark and I don't have my flashlight on me, I just know something terrible is going to happen. I've been safe, so far... but I'm convinced it's going to happen.



• Not to tie into the previous thought, but I am an overly paranoid person. Perhaps paranoid isn't the best term, but I am cautious and observant of those things which I do and how they could be used against me. Without thinking, I recognize patterns in my daily activities such as always walking home the same path, always using the same bathroom stall, doing certain activities at the same time every day, etc. I notice these things and then intentionally change them to keep me from becoming predictable. To the same extent, whenever I am in any setting where sitting down is required, I try my best to have a chair against a wall or at least sit facing the door - not that I think anyone is going to come busting in guns blazing while I'm eating dinner, but if something were to happen I'd like to already be in a position where I can do something about it. Maybe it makes me strange or a little bit mental, but I look at it as a means of being prepared. Same reason I keep a few MREs and water in my Jeep, same reason I always carry a pocket knife, same reason I do a lot of things I do - it's better to be prepared than surprised.

Well that's all for now - hope all is well back home and with each of you. Halloween is approaching, I hope costumes have been picked and parties planned. This year I will be dressing up a soldier - original, right? Or maybe I'll dress up as a civilian - that'd be a change!