Czech Medals Parade

I was asked by one of the Czech CASA pilots if I would help out during their medals parade yesterday. He said to me, "I need a pretty girl to hold the tray of medals." Being blond secured my employment.

 

I wasn't given a whole lot of direction. I showed up and was told to stand in the shade with the medals until the ceremony narrator announced they would be awarding the medals. Then I'd walk forward with the Force Commander and the Force Sergeant Major. I didn't get a walk through or a rehearsal. I just winged it.

 

But it went off without a hitch. Besides the flies. The flies were absolutely awful while we were pinning the awards on the Czech Airmen. They were all over the tray of medals and my hands. It was hard to hold still with them crawling all over my face. The flies in the Middle East are unlike flies in the rest of the world. They lack all manners.

 

 

 

 

The Czech Air Force has some pretty cool guys, and I'll be sad to see them go. I'm really glad they asked me to help out! And the ceremony was broad casted on Czech TV-- I'm famous in another country! Lucky me to be blond.

Rock And Roll Night

The bar we are allowed to drink beer in on Tuesday night Pizza Night held a Rock and Roll Night this evening. Except, today is Thursday, so we were not allowed to drink. Boo.

 

We went anyway. It was pretty cute. They had a band and a DJ that strictly played 1950's rock and roll. And there was trivia to accompany it. All the waiters had 1950's waiter outfits on complete with little paper boat hats. The menu was basically the same, but everything had new 1950's names. Like the Mr Sandman Ribeye Steak and the Johnny B Goode bacon cheese burger. I had the Red River Rock Chicken Strips and onion rings. It was tasty.

 

I think any other red blooded American and Soldier would agree, this whole Rock and Roll night would have been way more awesome if we were allowed to have 3 beers. But we can't be going crazy getting beer more than once a week.... 

 

 

Our waiter was Australian and he made fun of us for not being allowed to drink.

 

Those few of us Americans that attended made the best of the situation and enjoyed ourselves. Who can pass up good food, friends and a chance to wear a skirt?

Mid-Tour Slump

 

I'm approximately half way through this deployment in Egypt. I couldn't be more ready for this to be over. I'm in the mid-tour slump right now.

 

Everything in the DFAC is repulsive at this point. It's starting to get hot. My job is stressful for no reason other than it can be. The clinic I work in is falling apart around us. I'm burned out at the gym. I'm tired. And on top of it all, I have one hell of a nasty cold.

 

Is it time to go home yet??

Ant Hill

I was woken up early this morning. After I groggily turned on the lights and sat back down on my bed to fully wake up, I saw something weird on my floor that wasn't there when I went to bed.

 

 

An ant hill. An active ant hill with a lot of microscopic ants walking around it. Somehow these little ants managed to create their home in a crack in the tile floor. I decided not to destroy the ant hill just yet and went to work.

 

After work I went to the FX and bought insect killer. Almost everything on the can is written in Arabic except for the name, what it is and the catch phrase: "KILLS FAST, KILLS LONG". That sounds good to me. So what if I can't read the ingredients, the warnings or the directions?

 

 

When I got home, there were 2 ant hills. These guys work fast! And more ants. I got down on their level and I saw an ant dragging a dead spider across the floor. For a second I felt proud of the ant for killing that spider, but there was no way that spider was going to fit in the crack of my floor, so the ant had to die. I swept him and his ant friends and both ant hills up into a dust pan and threw them outside. Then I went on a mini killing spree and smashed the remaining ants with a flip flop. Then I sprayed this Arabic Raid in all the cracks of the tile.

 

I may have over done the poison, because now my tiny room reeks and I don't have very good air circulation. I might get high, but the ants will be dead. For now. I hope I didn't just declare war with the ants. I feel their Army is bigger than mine.

Missing!

My poor kitty is missing. I haven't seen her in 3 days.

 

Normally, JP waits outside my barracks for me and walks me half way to work. She only goes half way because there are very strict cat territories here on North Camp. She knows her AO (area of operation). She fiercely protects her AO and respects all other cat's AO. She trots along side of me with her ears laid backwards, presumably to make herself more aerodynamic. She gets just far enough ahead of me to roll over into the dirt, flirty, so I'll stop to pet her.

 

I love JP, and she's missing! I hope she comes home soon. She doesn't usually stay away this long. I have a whole box of wet food sitting in my closet for her. What if she's hungry wherever she is!? I've seen her hunt-- mostly big insects. That surely won't satisfy.

 

Come home JP! You are missed!

MFO Half Marathon

I did my first (and probably last) half marathon this morning. That's 13.1 miles, in case you weren't tracking. That's a looooong run. Especially since I haven't run long distance like that since being stationed at Ft Bragg-- a decade ago.

I didn't do the run to compete against the other runners. I did the run to complete the run for myself. Check it off my bucket list. It took me 2 hours and 27 minutes of continuous running. Some laps faster than others but it averaged to 11.5 minute miles. Slow. But I don't care. I completed it and didn't die....

I didn't start wanting to die until around mile 10. It started getting hot and my arches in my feet were starting to ache. My hips were getting tight. I really wanted to walk. Really really. But I didn't, mostly because I wasn't sure if I could get my legs going again. I ran the whole time.

 

I'm very proud of myself because I am not a runner. I am not built for speed-- I am built for comfort. Like a luxury sedan, not a sports car. No, no sports edition here. Cruising only.