The Waiting Game...

Well, we're back here at Fort Dix after enjoying a 4-day pass. We were pleased to discover that, after our training was completed, there was time for us to burn and our leadership worked with 1st Army to let us escape. I went to Atlantic City. I've never been there and it was cheaper than spending time in New York City. So, I made reservations and stayed at the Trump Marina Hotel/Casino...which I found was the old people's choice for winter gambling. I've never seen so many elderly citizens on motorized carts in one place in my life! I can say that I didn't lose money at the casino. I was given 2 casino coupons and used them one night...I made around $80 bucks off that and had to get out of there because I was getting lightheaded from all the dang cigarette smoke.
My stay was nice and relaxing though....perfect thing before being sent somewhere for a year. Lots of relaxation, Starbucks, sleep, and a couple movies. The weather was interesting....snow, fog, lots of rain at one point that turned all the snow into slush and then washed it away.
Now we're playing the waiting game...and the packing ensued. We'll be here for the Super Bowl...we heard that several restaurants are providing food at the gym for a little 'party' if you will during the game. I'll go...nothing else to do. We've been burning time by packing, doing PT at the gym, running to the PX or to Dunkin Donuts, and of course, blogging.
Kuwait will be on the horizon very soon. Ahhhh....sand blowing around that has the consistency of powder. Critters. LOTS of moving and lifting of our gear from place to place. Laying around waiting for a flight to Baghdad Int'l. Transient tents....the things a mobilizing soldier looks forward to.
I don't look forward to being a freakin' fobbit. For those who don't know...a fobbit is a person who remains on the forward operating base (FOB) and never ventures outside the wire. Many fobbits enjoy set schedules, coffee, AC, stuff like that while other soldiers are out doing their jobs and getting dirty. I'll probably remain on base because I'll get stuck working in the MOC (media operations center)....but hey, you never know. I hope to be able to go out to cover something. We'll see what the future brings....very soon this cold weather will be history.

INCOMING! Get Down........Shut Up!

For those who don't know, we have a saying in the Army about our training. "If it ain't rainin' we ain't trainin'..." This is usually mentioned during a pretty crappy day when we're doing some tough training. It peps people up. Well, today, that mantra came to light. When I walked out of our illustrious hotel this morning I stopped short--there was a light layer of sleet on all the cars and it was pretty cold. Starbucks time...
During the day, while we worked inside, it was overcast and windy...no precipitation. Well, when we started changing into our PT clothes it started to snow a bit...just little flurries. By the time we got to the track, the snowfall had increased to where it would sting your eyes as your were running into it. PT today consisted of running up and down the stairs of the stadium twice and running around the track. By the time we had finished our run, it was snowing heavily. We were all freaking out...except for our northerners: Spc. Anderson who is from Wisconsin, Staff Sgt. Burrell who is from Chicago, and Maj. Daneker who is from Minnesota.
After hopping into my trusty tissue box, I drove back to the hotel in a small Texas blizzard! The wind was whipping little swirlies of snow around all the vehicles. It was cool. We had to keep explaining to everyone that this weather is a rarity in Texas. We had a few from Hawaii who have never experienced this much snow.
Once we all got to the hotel, the fight began. I was lying in wait...and the others began to exit their vehicles. Bap! Bap! Snowballs rained down on my fellow Soldiers. Some ran into their rooms while others proceeded to scoop up snow and try to return fire. Of course, their aim sucked and I started call calling, "Come on Chicago boy!" Staff Sgt. Burrell gathered more ammo. "Hey Hawaii girl...bring it!" 2nd Lt. Douglas (from Hawaii) had to move quickly to avoid the barrage of snowballs from the lot of us.
Even Pvt. Snowman took part in our festivities. Not really, but we all had a great time...a nice way to wind down after a hectic day of prepping all kinds of things for mobilization, writing features, and editing video. Of course, this weather will be nothing compared to the weather we will encounter at Fort Dix in January. Brrrr...