I CAN SEE THE LIGHT

It's been a few weeks now of status quo. We have dates for departure and although I am one of the last to leave, it's not too far off now. Some of the folks are already talking about what they are going to drink on their stop over back to the States. I do hope we stop in Ireland as I should be guaranteed a good pint of cider (the real stuff).

I still have my Seabee Warfare Qualification Board ahead of me so I'm not quite relaxed yet. This is where the dentist comes in to help me (remember, I helped him layout his presentation in Power Point). He passed his board a few weeks ago (on his 2nd try). It's like having a test on a complete year's worth of studying and having to remember it all. I'm not worried about presenting to the Board (I do stuff like that all the time); it's just remembering all the facts and figures that I will immediately not use and forget afterwards. It is a worthy pursuit, however, and a proud achievement, once accomplished.

There will be a Army unit coming in to occupy our camp facilities. That helps us in not having to de-mil (take apart) certain aspects of the camp. There will probably be a two week period at the end where there is very little to do, so I'll just keep busy with exercise or watching some movies. I am excited to be coming home and don't think I'll have any after-effects. They do send us through a warrier transition class but since I didn't do to much 'warriering', I should be fine. I just crave the simple things in life, like a nice bed, good food, private bathroom, and most of all my family.

I found out that my civilian company is being sued by the Federal Government so I don't know what that means long term. Frankly, I'll just roll with the punches on that one. I am still promised my job but now have another new boss, someone I do know from before I left. He managed the law enforcement side of the business.

I have been making preparations for Rosh Hashanah here at the base. Apparently there is a Conservative Rabbi coming in, with little to no military experience. It should be interesting as I have no idea how many Jews are on the base now and I'm sure almost none of them are Conservative. I think he will adapt to the needs of the soldiers and sailors here. There are two Jewish organizations in the US that really look out for the military. Some send religious supplies, others food and goodies. It's nice that they care that much. One will be sending a lulav and etrog. Hint...I will not be here to enjoy it.

So for now, my days are spent studying. The business end runs itself for the most part. We do have lots of awards, evaluations, and fitness reports to give out, but most of that is written now.
I was laughing about something the other day but can't remember now. Hopefully we'll get a few good laughs in towards the end of this deployment.

In the meantime, be well.