Frowny face : (

I got my flu shot a few days ago. I almost never get sick, so when I do I think it is a big deal. It is the worst to be sick when you're away from home. I remember a long time ago when I was in college and I got a bad case of strep throat. I kept the door to my dorm room open so people could come in and check on me while I layed there burning up with fever. It was my first time really being away from home, and I didn't even know how to go to the doctor on my own! Obviously I survived. And this flu thing didn't have me bedridden or anything, but I was just not feeling well. You know the signs - headache, nausea, chills, sneezing, stuffiness. All I wanted to do last night was take a bath and crawl into bed. But no such luck here - I won't see a bathtub for a long while. No one was here to make me soup, bring me a cool compress for my head, tuck me in... I still had a bit of a headache this morning, but it passed. I am fine enough now. A little melancholy, but fine enough...

Time to get down to business...

I think many of us plan to work out all the time and come home from deployment in amazing shape, but in reality many of us do not. I started out with good intentions, but often I chose sleep over the gym - especially when working late so often. Well, I have re-committed myself to working out... maybe it has something to do with the recent arrival of our division command group and the Command Sergeant Major announcing we will be having weigh-ins and a PT test in the coming months... I am going to start a new workout program. The program also involves a diet plan, which is sometimes challenging here because we have limited selection at the dining facilities here. But I should definitely be able to find a protein and vegetable combination at every meal. Monday will be Day #1... hopefully I will be better at sticking to the workout program than I have been at writing on this blog every day!

Hairy business

My hair is growing. I knew it would. I'm trying to figure out how to manage it as it keeps growing. I wanted to grow it out before I got to Fort Drum, but it wasn't growing fast enough. So I ended up getting it cut really short. I thought about getting hair extensions before I left. Long hair just seems to be easier to manage when deployed.
Then to top it off, I see one of the captains getting ready this morning and she has a great short haircut! I really like it, and she got it trimmed here by the barber. Hmmm... Can't give in.
Where I will really have problems is with my bangs. I have always had bangs. My mom tried to get me to grow them out when I was younger, but I refused to put the long strands of hair back with barrettes. I always had straggles hanging in my face. So my mom finally gave up and had my hair cut back to bangs. Before it always seemed like my bangs grew so quickly - faster than the rest of my hair. Now that I want them to grow fast, they have gone into hibernation. I don't really like seeing my forehead, so dealing with keeping my bangs pulled back as I go through the awkward transition period between sort of long and long enough will be tough.

Sticktoitiveness (Stick-to-it-ive-ness)

So much for my declaration about blogging daily! I have been overcome by events lately and this is the ball I dropped. We have been working some long days and late hours, but tonight we got chased out of the office around 10 pm. I have to say I did have some time to blog a couple nights ago, but instead I decided to watch an episode of Hell's Kitchen I had downloaded from iTunes. No apologies - I enjoyed watching "TV"!
About iTunes and my internet connection... I decided I would buy season passes to my favorite television shows and download them to my computer so I can watch them when I free time (almost NEVER) or when I decide I am willing to trade an hour of sleep for an hour of mindless entertainment. The problem is my download speed here is practically in reverse! It takes a whole day, sometimes longer to download one episode. I have a queue of tv shows waiting to be downloaded now. So my computer is on all day and all night just so I can keep downloading the list. The good thing about the shows when I finally get to watch them is - no commercials.
I will definitely resolve to do better at writing and blogging. Who knows - maybe I'll get back to some poetry after a while.

He ain't heavy... he's my brother

I think of the Army - and the military as a whole - as a big family. Sadly today I had to say goodbye to one of my military brothers, a young Marine. It is an unfortunate but true fact that men and women lose their lives while serving in combat. Here at Kandahar we have ceremonies to bid farewell to many heroes as they are sent off on their final trip home. "Amazing Grace" played on the bagpipe always brings tears to my eyes. Hearing that music as I watch a group of Soldiers shoulder a flag-draped coffin and carry a comrade onto a waiting plane creates a lasting impression. No matter how often it happens, I am always touched, always proud of being part of an institution that honors its fallen heroes in such a way, and always tremendously overwhelmed by the sacrifice of one life, one family, one nation, one coalition.

4 to 1

I got back to my room tonight and had it all to myself for a moment. It's a rarity these days now that I have roommates. I have gone from being one person living in a 4-bedroom to four people living in one room. It takes some adjusting. We are all on different schedules and I think most often I am the last one in at night. So all the other gals are cozily tucked in their bunks reading or computing while I come in and try to get settled. I don't think I'm a great roommate. I'm loud - mostly because I'm naturally clumsy, so I'm always dropping something or knocking something over. And our uniforms don't help - all the Velcro ripping noise from trying to get into a pocket. But tonight I left work early (early being 8 pm) so I could stop at the PX before it closed and look for a little clip-on fan. I didn't find one, by the way. So when I got to my room - YAY! I was the first one back. I had some alone time.
One of my roomies just showed up a few minutes ago. The first thing she said to me was, "Are you alright? You aren't sick, are you?" :) She was surprised to see me home so early. Now I just have to fall asleep early, so I can get up early and go to the gym. If I make it back from the gym by 5:30 am, I will get the showers all to myself! Funny how your perspective changes and the simplest things bring you true joy.