Happy Fourth!

I know that I am happy to be back in DC, at least for the weekend (not looking forward to the drive back to GA on Sunday). To see my family, roommates and well, home. Hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th.

Zonk

I learned a new word today. Zonk. Somehow its an Army thing that once in a blue moon the commander of a formation will call "Zonk" and the activity will be cancelled. Today it happened at a Battalion level run that we were supposed to have this morning. (had to wake up 50 minutes early so that I could be there for accountability, stretching, etc)
Come 0530, the BN Commander (a LT COL) called Zonk and it was mass chaos as everyone raced for their cars.. it was awesome. Like a good soldier I went back to my room and went back to sleep, I have a long drive later today to bring me back to DC.

Movie Roundup

Since I had a nice slack weekend and of course I was bored (though here at BOLC III I have way more toys available) I hit the movies (and watched a few from Netflix).

• Get Smart - I actually really enjoyed this movie. The casting seemed right and it had just the right level of campiness.
• Wanted - Pretty pictures. Yeah, thats the best compliment that I will give it. Plot could have been better and it was fairly entertaining as long as you completely shut off your brain and just rolled with it.
• There Will be Blood - Bleh. Long. Boring. Not really sure what people saw in this movie.
• No Country for Old Men - Long. Good. Definitely reminds you of the extremes that people will go through for money.

I have also been downloading Doctor Who (god, I really enjoy this show... still can't believe that I am saying that (I always thought that the fans of Doctor Who were the way too dorky, and this is coming from me so that says a lot)) and have started rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.... It's finally been long enough that I can watch the show and not have perfect memory of how the episode went.

4 ugly words

I don't normally post much on politics, but hey, I am a native Washingtonian and it's in my blood so here are 2 things that have been bouncing around my brain.
As one of my favorite comedians of all time would say, "Now, I don't want to go off on a rant here"

1. "He's not MY President". I remember starting to see/hear these words early in the Bush Presidency (or even the more delusional, "Jeb Bartlett is my President"... way to separate fiction from reality there y'all). I know that you may have voted for the other candidate but here is the harsh reality, (the very necessary reality for the continuation of American democracy). That person is YOUR President. Unless you change citizenship to another country just because you voted for the other guy does not, I repeat, not, make the duly elected leader of your country not your President. That is the beauty of the system, if you don't like the person that was elected in accordance with the laws of the country then be even more active (and vote) for the who you think will do a better job. It burns the very core of the system to understand that while you may not have voted for that person, the majority (or otherwise given our peculiar Electoral College system (and BTW, its the law of the land... want to change it? Elect people who will)) of your fellow citizens have chosen to be OUR leader for the next 4 years. Make fun of him, question his policies, and downright disagree with him all you want (Freedom of Speech, wonderful thing about this country), but you undermine the entire system when you pretend like he isn't your President (it's embarrassing, for you, when you act like a petulant baby). And as a note, if that other guy wins? You are going to find out how whining/babyish it sounds when the Republicans start using it (though this Libertarian will never let those childish-antidemocratic words ever pass his lips).

2. Stop this Impeachment shit (and I am talking to both parties). Both sides in the past 16 years need to fracking grow up. Being President means making decisions. Sometimes they are wrong, sometimes they are right. But if you really can believe that people are so callous with decisions that have such wide-reaching impact then you have never really had Responsibility for much more than a paperclip, let alone the lives of others.

Rant mode off.

Tired

I know that I haven't written much lately on my Army training. I would write if something really interesting were happening, but so much of what I have done here for the past 5 weeks has been the norm for me. i.e., lots of computer stuff that I have already done or that is so trivial at the level that it is taught that I pay attention enough to pass the tests, quizzes, and hands on exams handily but in reality my brain is stuck in low gear and not engaged. I will quickly say that I understand why the Army and the Signal Corp put together this plan of instruction, that for the uninitiated this is an excellent grounding in fundamentals that will prevent those new to the field to not be completely overwhelmed. But for about a 1/3 of the class this is not the case, many of them are in the same mode as I am in. Some of us are able to help the newbies but sometimes our help can be a hindrance, since we are so accustomed to working in this field and on problems of higher organization/complexity that we can make things too complicated. For a bunch of these people this is the first time that they have had a command line interface, dealing with a computer based on memorization and logic as opposed to clicking on the GUI (graphical user interface) that is old hand to a lot of us (I have been dealing with computers and programming them since I was in elementary school, which makes it over 20-25 years).
So instead we listen, maybe try to get a tidbit that we don't know and engage in the longest running game in the Army, trying to stay awake in class (this being a techie school it might as well be sponsored by Red Bull and Monster). I finally understand how the Infantry folks felt during BOLC II, feeling that they were paying penance and just checking another box. I do remain hopeful that the last 3-4 weeks plus the field exercise provide some mental stimulation since they cover material that is not really encountered in the civilian world.

Of course I am finding it a bit easier to stay awake now that I am on post finally. The extra 20 minutes of sleep in the morning, the overall more relaxed morning and afternoons (and even the occasional noon nap) are making this a little more tolerable. It has helped me recover from NO, which took quite a while given that my poor body was not used that, both the staying up late (4AM EST) and the drinking (oh the drinking... boy can my family put it back).

To give an idea how ready I am for the 4th holiday (they give us the 3rd as well) I just paid someone $150 to take my CQ (charge quarters) shift on the 4th (its a full day shift on a holiday, but well worth the cost). He was already going to be here and I desperately didn't want to be here in GA, now that is capitalism at its finest. I am so ready to go home, see the improvements to my Condo and just relax away from the Army a bit.

And as a side note... $7000 in damages to my poor Prius. Hopefully I will have her back in another 3 weeks so that I can ditch this dreadful Dodge PT Cruiser. I miss my GPS, cruise control and a vehicle that doesn't turn like a beast.

New Orleans

Hurricanes. Hand Grenades. And a slew of other drinks and miscellanious shots. Walking along the mighty Mississippi while eating a Beniate from Cafe du Monde. Hitting the poker room at Harrah's (did well when I was sober. not so well when I wasn't). Strolling down Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. Staying up too late and sleeping in. Family. Seeing my cousin marry a great girl. So many great highlights to an awesome visit to the Big Easy.
It was too short and I didn't want to leave, in particular when I had to return to Georgia.

Crash

It happened in an instant. Just long enough for me to glance to the left, see the car and exclaim, "You are not about to do this." Then a crash. The damn Private was cited for failure to merge by the MP's (military world is wierd (at least to a reservist like me). Nothing like the police saluting you before begining the investigation), USAA found him at fault and I now have a rental. A quick trip to the ER since my neck was twinging found nothing wrong in t
I hate this town and all the driving around. 9 weeks til I can go home to DC where I drive 3-4 times a week and mostly for short trips, not the 40 some odd miles I have been doing daily lately here in Augusta.

I hope they can fix the damage, I love my Prius.

4 weeks here and a carcrash and witnessing a stabbing. God I hope this trend ends.

Violence

It's funny. I have lived in/near big cities my whole life (DC, Boston, NYC, Houston, SF) and serve in the National Guard but I have never really encountered any violence in my life. Until Saturday night. I decided to get out of my room and check out downtown Augusta. Set up in a bar, listened to music and observed the crowd.

This one group caused me to notice them, as some of their members were admitted to the bar and some were denied. They drifted away.

About half an hour a group (3 or so guys) of that party returned and continued to argue with the bouncer. In a blink the bouncer gets jumped, with them smashing a bottle on him and then shoving him down and were kicking/punching him. In a flash (as I turned to let the bartender know that their security was getting attacked) the Bouncer then stabs one of the assailants. Assailants run away (saw the ambulance down the street as they arrested the bouncer). I am the only witness to the events leading up to the event(it happened so fast I barely had time to notify the bartender).

I am so on the bouncers side... with the original assault and the odds he was completely justified in response. In a poor situation, not defensible nor with anything resembling good odds (and support quite a bit away).

A very odd end to a Saturday night.

God Help me...

but this actually seems like a good idea (even though every Libertarian bone in my body is screaming to say so)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/05/AR2008060503434.html

Announce a schedule of gas tax hikes of 50 cents every six months for the next two years. And put a tax floor under $4 gasoline, so that as high gas prices transform the U.S. auto fleet, change driving habits and thus hugely reduce U.S. demand -- and bring down world crude oil prices -- the American consumer and the American economy reap all of the benefit.Herewith concludes my annual exercise in futility. By the time I write next year's edition, you'll be paying for gas in bullion.

Only caveat would be that every cent collect be sunk either into public transportation or into new energy research (peak oil has me REALLY concerned), maybe in a ratio of 70/30 (since the transportation is a short peg and people like seeing quick results. The other is a longer plan hence while it should be getting as much as it can you must face political realities). I am talking seriously tight oversight to make sure this happens, no pork barrel shit that so often occurs. EVERY SINGLE CENT.

The current American attitude of ignoring it until a crisis is too dangerous with this one (sometimes I think we should have selected the ostrich as our national bird, as we seem stick our head in the sand and ignore the problem as much as we can), we MUST come up with a solution and lessen our dependence on this region of the world (and that doesn't even take into account of not wanting to send any more of my fellow Soldiers (or myself) back to that god-forsaken region).

The current solutions that I have seen all involve a "and then a miracle happens" (as a SF fan I call this the Star Trek technobabble solution... where they face this insurmountable problem and all of a sudden the engineers/science officers whip this technological solution right out of their asses (they even had it inserted in the original scripts, where the writers would make a note for the technology continuity folks to insert a solution)) scenario where we somehow solve our energy problems. They all seem to fall under, "we can defeat any problem put in front of us" and that really scares me, since this problem is so big and affects every aspect of our lives that it scary to think about its impact. This problem is so ginormous that we have to start tackling it now as well as come up with ways to stretch and husband what resources we have. This problem is why I am not really worried about Global Warming (lets ignore that solving this will definitely curb the other "problem"), this problem is far more likely to end with fights over what resources there are remaining, with some of those fights eventually ending with bright flashes and enormous fireballs.

The American Way of Life (TM) (as defined by the silly dream of everyone having a huge house in the suburbs, 2+ cars etc) is dead if we don't start making corrections, though I would argue that its going to change anyway (heck, the overall impact of this dream is what got us to this problem in the first place. 3 (maybe 4) people do not need a 3-4k sq ft houses). But hey, its been well established that I hate the suburbs/exaburbs. My fellow Americans, be they on the far right, the far left, and that so helpless and clueless group in the middle (that the ones on either side feel is their responsibility to shepherd) will drive me batty/be the death of me yet.

Honest to God, I actually have dreams (and fantasy's) where I can solve this energy problem. (though all those seem to involve miracles as well)

hat tip to CDR Salamander

Hot enough?

All I can think is thank god this training is indoors, since its been awfully hot (Cat V days in military terminology, the worst and most dangerous category). My "Flow" (yep, that's how they broke us up, into "flows" (basically 27 per flow, an A-Flow and B-Flow). Not platoons, not squads, not something military sounding, but flows.......) is working on basic electronic foundation stuff. Resistors, capacitors, inductors, AC/DC. I am having flashbacks to end of high school/first year of college, the last time I really thought about this stuff. Luckily its coming back, but you can see that a lot of people struggle with it.



Friday was an "Organization Day". Basically a picnic. In almost 100 degree weather. Lucky us. Though it did allow me to sleep in late (didn't have to show up until 930... a nice switch from the 0530 during a normal day). And we did get out early.



Friday night was definitely interesting. I went to an indoor football game (hey, the tickets were free) then headed a couple of blocks over for the downtown "First Friday." Basically its an event where the businesses downtown stay open, there is street food, different vendors set up and there is music. Very fun (and a very different set of food in my stomach, teriyaki with payaia).

I sampled some more of the local food over the weekend. I hit this place called "Sconyers" and was quite pleased with the BBQ there. They had a big master plate (1/4 chicken, 2 ribs and a healthy scoop of pork and beef BBQ plus sides) that pretty much sent me into a food coma. Good thing I went for a 6 mile run in the morning (wow did that wipe me out as well! 1 liter of water right before and completely drained my camel-back on the run) along the canal here in Augusta. Not as nice as the C&O canal but it is also a more functional canal than that one.

Signal BOLCIII Continues

Tired.... I think that defines me right now. My time is warped to this evil wake-up time (we have to be at the PT field by 0525, which means that I need to be up by 0440 (40 minutes earlier than my 0520 wake-up at BOLC II). PT is trending toward exactly one hour, ending just in time to salute the flag for reveille at 0630. I ran it yesterday (its been almost 18 months since I have led PT... though I did a passable job), a 3.2 mile run around Barnes field. Today was all muscle failure, definitely feeling it later in the day. I passed the PT test on Friday (though I felt really ill taking it... I think I will be refraining from real food the DFAC (Dining Facilities)) with a score of 222 (on a 300 point scale, 180 is passing (60 in each event)) for a while from there, it did not agree with me.

And HOT.... I was so lucky for my BOLC II class, the weather at Benning was so mild and reasonable. But it caught up to me here.... Its 70 degrees when I head out for PT. Staying in the 90's during the day with high humidity. I break out in a sweat walking from my classroom to my car.

We have already started to take tests. I passed our first one, with a staggering 100% (yah me!). I know that they will get harder but its a good start.

I have also started training for this little thing, the German Proficiency Badge.. I think it will look good on my uniform and lets face it, with a german last name like mine it just sounds like something that I want to try for it.

PS, Energy Drinks are interesting. Since I have been so tired I have tried out a few, and one, Rockstar low carb, honest to god made me jittery (though it may have been the combination of the drink I had a bit earlier). I didn't even want to drive, I had to head over to the gym to burn the caffine out of my system.

Signal OBC (Officer Basic Course)/BOLCIII

A long drive home (13 hours... don't think I will ever do that again, but after a bit the lure of my comfy bed called to me). A wonderful relaxing 4 day weekend (some long walks, good meals and seeing my friends and family (and seeing a pretty girl)) I again set off to Georgia for the next phase of my training on Tuesday. 8.6 hours later I was wandering around Ft. Gordon (Augusta GA), first trying to find housing and then to check in with my training unit.
The worst thing was learning that my housing was going to be off base..... way off base (like 16 miles away from the main gate). Going to make the mornings worse since it means getting up so much earlier. The place is a commercial suite place, not too bad but kind of isolated.

Getting to the base for the 0530 check in time was an interesting rush (since I had never made the trip before estimating the time and the traffic on the base (and the ridiculous low speed limits) made it a narrow arrival. My class is 49 Army soldiers (5 women) and 5 international (2 from Kazakhstan, 1 from Turkey, 1 from Lebanon, and one from somewhere around there). LOTS of paperwork today.

And on another note.... SOOOO HUNGRY... they are weighing and taping us tomorrow so I choose to keep the calories down today.... 600 calories.... definitely a fasting day for me. We have to wake up early to make the 0520 time for tomorrow....

Memorial Day

I think that as a soldier this day means more to me than those who haven't served. For a lot of Americans its just another day. But when you put on that uniform (be it my US Army uniform or any of the other services, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marines or Navy) and then see classmates head off to war it means a bit more. I haven't kept in touch with everyone I trained with and I continue to hope/pray that nothing has happened to any of those brave men and women, the odds are that if not now, then eventually one of them will pass away.

Its always the saddest part, that the military takes the best of America and that sometimes those brave men and women are sometimes not returned in the same shape (or not returned at all).

I hope that everyone takes a little bit of time to pause and to remember those who have paid the highest price to protect this country. They represent the very best and it was only through their actions and their fellow soldiers that we stand where we are today, able to live freely in the best country in the world.

BOLC II - Last Week and Final Thoughts

So the 7 week adventure/endurance expercise draws to an end.


Equipment has been cleaned and turned in, a whole day is allocated to cleaning weapons, goodbyes are exchanged (though in the standard Army tradition of schools very few will keep in touch). Though you will probably run into them later at other schools or at the oddest places. We had our final release run (4 miles at a 8:45 pace) on Wednesday, met the DCG of the base, and then made sure our paperwork is inline.

BOLC II has been an interesting and frustrating experience. I can understand why the Army added this course. It brings people from all commissioning sources, everything from those with extensive enlisted experience to wet behind the ears straight out of college (and the academy). Everyone comes to their branch with different experiences and this also forces the different branches to mingle (we had pretty much every branch here that has to attend except for Legal) and work with each other to build cohesion as well as cross-train each other. I would say that I came out a stronger soldier, but I think that there are things that they could have done differently that would have further enhanced the leadership building that these new leaders require.

A short 12 hour drive home (HAH!) and then I can relax until Tuesday, when Signal BOLC III starts.

Movies

3 new ones over the weekend and another one on Monday (gotta love getting free from work so early)

• Smart People - I really liked this one. Dark. Smart. Anything that has a book called "You don't know how to read." 4/5
• Leatherheads - Actually more entertaining than I thought it would be. 2.5/5
• 21 - LOTS of fun. I really enjoyed this movie. Though lets not forget that I love Vegas and gambling. And have friends who are gamblers who make a good living.
• Harold and Kumar: Escape from Gitanimo Bay - Entertaining as well. Watched the movie all by myself (no one else in the theater). I love when that happens. I think I enjoyed this more than the first one actually.

Roommates

So as a male (basically 32yo) most of my previous roommates/renters have been women (for the past 3 years). The question to the Internets? Does this hurt me dating-wise? Lets presume that I am pretty indifferent to roommate, as long as the check clears and they are conscientious (clean and not really loud, etc) I can pretty much have anyone. I just tend to go for the first reasonable option and that is just the way that the dice have rolled as of late.

I ask of course since I am in the process of getting a new roomies as the current one is heading toward larger pastures (read NYC).

FOB Living at BOLC II

A more pictorial view post than normal for me. As I have mentioned I attended BOLC II this Spring from April to May 2008. My Company spent 1 week (4 days and 3 nights) at the FOB, while others spent more (the other Company spent 3 weeks out here, heading home on the weekends).

Rows and rows of tents in the admin area. Yes, apparently they actually sprayed something on those first 2 tents (they serve as the TOC, Tactical Operations Centers for the 2 Companies when they are there). There are about 8 tents in a row from this point. As well as a row of "changing tents" (not allowed to change in the sleep tents.... silly rule and not really paid attention to) and shower tents (4 of them, pictures of the insides to follow).

The outside of the Sleeping tents. They are about 50 meters long on the inside and as you can see from the people in the foreground pretty tall as well. There are 3 of them here, 2 for the males of each company and 1 for the females (that is forbidden to men due to some indiscressions in earlier cycles of this course).There are 120 bunk beds in each tent. As you can see its not too bad. It is air conditioned and this is by far the best trip I have ever made to the "field". Everyone is pretty much allowed to set up as they see fit so long as no food is consumed in the area. This too was ignored by a lot of people.
My messy bunk. As you can see I was a smartie and took along a pillow.
This is the MWR/Mess tent. As you can see there are plenty of places to sit as well as a couple of TV's that are hooked up to satellite. AC'd as well.

In addition in the MWR tent we had a bunch of computers along one side.

The shower tent. Plenty of showers (gotta love that during the week). I am a big fan of taking showers in the field. They help me more than sleeping at times. PS those aren't real mirrors, they are polished stainless steel plates.


Not a bad shower. But anything would have been good. This was still better than what I had during OCS (pretty much any phase).

The FOB's parking lot. You can barely make out the guard tower (on of 8 on the FOB) on top of the red CONEX.

Some of the many vehicles that we used during out time at the FOB

BOLC II - Week 6 - Culmination Operations

Monday

A tough PT. For some reason done in ACU's and tennis shoes, not sure why. More Crossfit, I was definitely feeling it later. Then it was prep for movement to the FOB (Forward Operating Base) Victory. We packed our "A" Bags (everything that doesn't go in your rucksack) and loaded them on a LMTV along with the MRE's (34 boxes, 12 per box) and other associated equipment, it made for an impressive pile when we unloaded at the FOB. We also drew our weapons (including the heavier squad and platoon level machine guns). I headed ahead with the equipment (needed to have a supercargo to make sure that it was protected) and then waited, and waited (over 2 hours total) for my platoon to join us at the FOB. After being given a few minutes to settle in to the ginormious "tent" (it had a soft roof and and aluminum siding for the sides) which houses 240 soldiers we were provided our first mission, to man 4 of the towers ringing the base and also staff the ECP (Entry Control Point, the funnel where all vehicles entering and exiting the FOB are inspected while being covered by a tower with a medium MG and several supporting soldiers). Basically had a 2 on, 2 off cycle for the next 12 hours, then at the end everyone had to wake up to conduct an AAR that seemed to go on FOREVER... (Ending around 0115) Pretty much everyone (except for the poor bastards that got the mission for tomorrow morning) just fell into bed.

Tuesday

0415, the nightmare of early awareness continues..... Mission briefing at 0440, then prep for the mission with a departure by 0530. We wandered around to 2 points and combated the evil CIF (Columbus Insurgent Forces... these are some bad ass dudes, armed with the latest in American weaponry and the almost sadistic desire to use it against American forces.. they are members of our own platoon that get volunteered to take us out). Another AAR, then it was my turn to play as a leader, serving as a squad leader. Our mission was a joint mission, us and another one of our Company's platoons. We received the mission of pulling security on the area while other platoon cleared a building. We departed by 1300, after taking care of the usual tasks of preparation. Mission was a complete success and we returned by 1430. After conducting yet another AAR (we really love them) then the people who had held leadership positions were counseled (so that we could get our "GO"s in the graduation requirement. Another short nap and then it was time for dinner at 1700. It was our single hot meal of the day (the other two being either MRE's, whatever pogie-bait (ie, field food... small, high calorie snacks) we have or maybe the "gut truck" during lunch). A quick OPORD (Operational Order) brief about what we would be doing tonight and then I slept until my shift at 0200. Shift ran from 0200-0400, then we were held over until 0530 (just napping in our briefing tent... hard plywood floors). Worst thing is that I broke the mount for my night vision walking to my bed. (just means more paperwork in the end)

Wednesday

Slept until 0945. OPORD brief at 1000. Today I get to be a SAW (M249 Machine Gun) gunner since the person who it is normally assigned to is in a leadership position. We do some rehearsals and prep and then roll out at 1300. This was a convoy operation, with me hanging off the back and poking my weapon out to kill any enemies that dare oppose us, which for some reason they do. We have chow at 1500 and then start planning for the next mission. This time I chose wisely and volunteer to be OPFOR, while the team runs their mission.

Basically they had to inspect a suspect mass grave right around dusk. They did and us OPFOR gave them a good run. Then they reset us, sending us to a new location (full of trenches and barbed wire), and gave the team the new direction. And then I waited, and waited, and waited.... turns out they got lost and wandered around quite a bit. We didn't get back until 1145, and our AAR didn't end until 0120.

Thursday

0515 wakeup. Joy, I get to be a Squad Leader again. On the same basic mission that I had run earlier. Went well except for some comm issues (none of my soldiers decided to bring their radios to formation). Then we collected brass on the site (and boy was there a lot of it). Back to the FOB for more police calls, packing up, doing all the little tasks to reset the site and get ready to depart. We then left early on our 10 Mile Ruckmarch due to concerns about the weather (lots of severe storms were not too far away). Long march at a fairly brisk pace (17 minute miles) with 10 minute breaks every 2.5 miles. Even with no sun and all it was hot.... and muddy (since it was raining). Finally completed it in 3:30. So tired. Then after making sure that everything was settled (weapons in a safe place, etc) we were released around 1900. I had a beer and some taco's and fell asleep by 9..

Friday

Recovery. Late formation at 0800. Then we began weapon cleaning. Everyone is pretty eager to get things done and ready to go. Lots of cleaning, of equipment (everything we have been issued needs to be return). Everyone is in the PT uniform, since we are all pretty beat up. Finally got released for the day at 1730. God my hands are dirty.

A rest weekend

After all the excitement of the past week and in anticipation of our packed week coming up I did nothing this weekend.
Of course some of that was due to Friday night. We decided to have a cook-out to celebrate the birthday of one of Platoon at one of the Infantry guy's places here on base (they had to secure their own housing in anticipation of not having anything available during their OBC (Officer Basic Course) as well as their mandatory Ranger and Airborne schools). Much beer was consumed and we also had plans to make sure that we could safely go downtown (thanks to generous DD's). There was much discussion of the Land Nav test earlier as well as some gossip that I cannot mention out of deference to those involved (there are people reading this who know my last name and that's where discretion and decency comes into play).
All I will say abut the evening is that shots are not my friend.
So after the mandatory rest period I woke up and all of a sudden the power goes off in the barracks. This doesn't bother me too much given how I feel so I go back to sleep. Later, still no power. Even later you can see the workers desperately trying to fix it (basically a wire burned out.... one of the big feeder ones). So I went bowling with a buddy (one lousy game and then a great 160 game... consistency is not my thing in bowling). Then off to the movies.

• What Happens in Vegas - Pretty fun actually. Naturally pretty predictable (its a RomCom after all) but it had its moments. Cameron Diaz still looks good. 3/5
• Vantage Point - I actually liked this movie. It unfolded like an onion, each presentation showing parts of the previous story and incorporating them and also showing hidden meaning to those events that were shown previously. I got the feeling the audience, not so much... they seemed frustrated, since each retelling ended very dramatically. Great cast and over all very entertaining. 4.5/5

After that I puttered around the completely dark barracks, then chatted with my girl for a while late at night. Just as I was getting into so good sleep of course the power returns.... at 043o in the morning.... that would have been fine, except it tripped the fire alarm. Sigh... I can't wait to get out of this hellacious too early in the morning place....

Another late start, a very light lunch then off to the gym. Lifted then did some laps. Its been a long time since I did laps and I was very rusty (and I forgot how good of a workout it is). Obviously I called my Mom (who I also had remembered to send a card too... gotta stay in the good graces). Went out for a fantastic dinner of BBQ at Country's. Then I went for a 4 mile ruck march to break in some new boots (and also learned that a certain pair of socks should not be used for rucking) as well as prep for the 10 mile ruck march on Thursday. Now I am packing and getting ready for a way too exciting day tomorrow.

BOLC II - Week 5 - Day 3-5

Yep, fell behind. That's the thing that happens when you get busy.
Wednesday
A five mile platoon sized run. At a little less than 9 minute mile pace. Not too bad and definitely had its effect on me. Classes for another couple of hours as we went over what we would be doing at the FOB (Forward Operating Base) next week during our culmination exercise (things like inspecting vehicle, manning the towers, etc).
Then it was off for convoy operations. We distributed 30 members of the platoon between 4 HMMV's and 2 HMET (big trucks, replacements for the 2 1/2 ton and 5 ton trucks) while peeling off the remainder to act as OPFOR (Opposing Force). Then, while civilian drivers went down the road we performed a convoy, dismounting at certain points to handle incidents. It took a while and was hot, and of course I was a simulated kill the first iteration (the second was too horrific to talk about). Pretty good training.
Thursday
More Crossfit. This time it was moving tires (basically squats), medicine ball sit-ups, stretcher lunges and this weird move with a sandbag that appears to be derived from kettle balls. Then we headed out for Land Navigation training. We were paired up, given a map and 6 points and given 4 hours to complete the task. Wow it was hot out there. We found our points after a bit of wandering around and eventually got back in time for lunch.
Friday
Now for the kicker. Woke up at 0250 (yes, a time that normally I consider a late bedtime, not a time to wake up). Apparently they really like waking us up early on Fridays. Formation and then off to the land nav course for the test. The standard is that you are provided 8 points, spread over a 2x4 km grid, and must find 5 of those points (I always shoot for 6, to make sure that I am covered if I pick the wrong one) in 5 hours and then return to the designated end point. All you have is a compass, water, a map, protractor and whatever light you need, since this event starts at 0500 in the morning. I mishot my first one, but luckily I found it in short order. Then I realized I misplotted another one (luckily I didn't waster time looking for it, I was reviewing it as I was walking and of course started cursing.... I never did find that point). But luckily 4 of my points were right off roads or at intersections. In the end I found my 6 points that wanted and was trying to find my 7th when my clock finally showed 1 hour left, so like a smart guy (6 in hand and I was not wasting my chance to finish this event I immediately shot straight north or west (any angle in between was acceptable since it brought me closer to the end). I ran into some of the worst terrain in that final run, like a huge muck filled area that ran for 200 meters, then running in to a stream that was surrounded by really intense underbrush (and then I still had to get over the stream). I must have left a swath of destruction that even I could track as I had pretty much reached the point where I was using my knife to slash at offending vines and was breaking or destroying anything in between me and getting out of the forest (can you figure that I was in a foul mood from being woken up so early and then forced to wander the forrest).

Did I mention that it rained the night before? At first I was wet from from all the wet underbrush and then it was my own sweat. I was dripping, sopping wet by the time I got the F out of the GD Forrest. But I was back with 40 minutes to go. I got there, went over to the bleachers and laid out my gear in the sun (including my top), sat down, removed my completely soaked boots and socks (which only completely dried out by sunday) and watched the other people come in. 7 of our platoon didn't make it in time and will have to retest on Monday.Some of them came so achingly close too, missing the time by just minutes. Scarily, someone managed to do 8 points in 2:30. So tired.Then it was back to the barracks for the standard things, cleaning and whatnot until we were released at 1400.