Training Day - (Germany) Day 220

Just a random sign that I came across while driving in Germany....

I have no idea what it means??? 

PT this morning was on PHV. The regular folks did normal muscle failure PT out on the grass, while those of us on profile headed to the gym. I had a great workout using the machines and working mostly my back and core. If I can keep having a great workout like this inside at the gym, I hope I stay on profile for the rest of my army career. I get such better workouts when I do my own thing vs. the standard army PRT…plus I brought my headphones and was able to rock out a bit :)

At work I was able to send off more correspondence for my clearance. This is one of the things that just drives my crazy about the government and all the various offices. I had previously submitted all my paperwork and after a couple of days I was told that on one of the release forms, that the number "2" that I wrote when writing the date and signing my name didn't look very good. My number "2" did not have a long enough curve at the top and the bottom didn't loop well enough. My first "2" in "2012" was OK, but the second one was not good enough. Now that I've submitted my paperwork, I can't log back into the site and print off a new form to fill out and send in, I have to cross out the date on this paper and initial, then write a new date with a better looking "2". So I do this and send it in, but the problem is that when you make a copy of a copy, the page gets a little darker. So that second submission was rejected because it was too dark. I had to email myself the copy to my house so I could use Photoshop and lighten up the entire PDF, then submit it. I'm still a little in awe of all the crap that I had to do just for a stupid little paper with my signature and date on it. Anyways…it's in now, I'll wait and see if there is anything else they want to return if for.

It's Thursday and that means sergeant's time training…army training. I always hate army training with a passion…most of the time it's just training for the sake of training. To make it worse I was told that I had to give a class at the last second. I was pissed off! When I say training for the sake of training, I mean that they do "training" no matter if it does anyone any good or not…at least we did some "good training". The first class was done by our maintenance department on how to fill out a maintenance form. I have no idea why we did this class…our maintenance department has been shut down for months now and hasn't taken any forms since then, and will not take anymore…ever. So we are learning how to fill out a form that they used to take, back when they used to be an actual working maintenance department. Pretty flippin' stupid if you ask me.

Luckily because of the upcoming CIP inspection, I was pulled out before the class actually ended. This means that I didn't have to sit through anymore worthless training, and I also didn't have to give any stupid class. I then helped my boss and his boss get everything prepared for the inspection.

I had lunch in the food court, listened to music on my iPod and read a book…my escape for an hour and a half. Once back at the office I went through each of our customer's folders with SGT Mex looking for anything that is out of order…also called "scrubbing our folders". Since it was just me and SGT Mex doing this and we are both fairly new at doing it, we both learned quite a bit. Everything has to be perfect, all the paperwork has to be in order, we have to check to make sure people's DEROS has not passed, make sure they are up to date on their briefs, make sure signatures are all in the right places, make sure no memos are out of date, and that memos are signed by commanders that are actually still in command. We've had a couple change of commands, which is going to require some updating.

We had a new guy arrive today. He's an E-2 (PV2) and as tall as a house! The guy is freakishly tall…he sticks out like a sore thumb even standing in the back of the formation! I feel bad for him…just out of AIT as a 25B expecting to apply his new skills fixing computers only to find out that he's stuck in our office, where he will be doing nothing close to that.

Our platoon sergeant then was talking to me and a couple other guys about soldiers in general and about the stuff they can do that is just crazy. He said there were a bunch of soldiers that were in one of his previous units that did some crazy stuff right before they ETS'd (left the army for good). In the barracks they crapped in the microwave and turned it on to 99 minutes, they crapped in the oven and turned it on, and they also pissed in another oven…but didn't turn it on. Needless to say when the NCOs came in the barracks they said it smelled something awful…I can't even imagine. They said they had to throw away the microwave and the oven. The oven that got pissed in was left and when someone finally used it, it started stinking as well…they ended up throwing that one away too. The guys that did it were long gone by the time it was all sorted out…the sergeant major was pissed beyond belief. If there isn't one already, I think there needs to be a book written about all the stupid crazy crap that soldiers do!

Day of Destruction - (Germany) Day 219

We did not have any PT this morning, since it's the first of the month we had to do all the destruction. So with that and the upcoming CIP inspection, they decided there was no time for PT and had us head straight to the office. I grabbed a ride with my boss, but this time I was a little better prepared than yesterday. I woke up earlier and had cereal before I left…and most important I had the coffee ready to brew last night so I just had to push a button this morning. This way I have my coffee first thing…it's never good to start my day without coffee.

I did some of the beginning of the month paperwork that needed to be done. It may be a good thing that I'm the only clerk in the office right now because I'm actually learning how to do stuff. I tried making a follow up appointment for my knee, but it seems that my doctor does not have a schedule up yet. He told me to book it today and I've been trying all week with no luck. So I sent him an email…we'll see if he responds to that.

Several folks in the company had a PT test today and SGT Mex was weighed in after it finished. Earlier in the morning he had wrapped saran wrap around his waist with preparation h. I guess it temporarily reduces your waist size. So everything SGT Mex put into passing this test…starving himself, the colon cleanser, and the preparation h saran wrap did the trick. He was able to pass and will now be taken off the overweight program. This is a good thing because while on the program you are flagged, which means no leave, no passes, no school, nothing…basically you can't do anything except two PT sessions a day and your job…that's it. Now he just needs to keep the weight off.

I left for my physical therapy at 0930 and after working out various back, neck, and core muscles I enjoyed the IFC (Inferential Current Therapy)…or as I call it "shock treatment". I had bigger pads on me this time and they also turned up the current, so I was twitching all over the place…regardless I still took a bit of a nap. They lay down heat so it's on my back and neck while this whole process is going on, and it lasts about 20 minutes. By the time it's done, my muscles and back are totally relaxed and I usually have no pain. The therapist then comes and does some massaging on my neck (suboccipital release) which feels awesome, and finally the doc comes and manipulates my spine.

By the time I get back to the office, I have about 45 minutes until lunch…not that I'm counting. I spend the time surfing the web and jump out of there as soon as possible. I head to the food court and eat lunch while listening to my iPod and reading a book. It's my little mental escape for a while before I have to head back to the dungeon. Yes my office has no windows…only a small black and white monitor that shows the front door so we can see who is trying to get in. The problem is that the picture looks like it's nuclear winter outside and I can never tell who is at the door. Some folks are better than me and can guess who it is about 50% of the time.

I come back from lunch to help out with the physical destruction. The NCOs have been destroying electronic keys, but now I get to do some physical destruction which involves a lot of shredding. I shred key tapes, I shred tones of paper, and I even shred plastic. One of my tools is actually a sledge hammer that I have to use in order to destroy some other physical items!

We inventoried all the safes and then were let go for the day at 1700. Once home we quickly ate dinner and then headed off to the theatre on post to watch the latest Batman movie…"The Dark Knight Rises". It was pretty good and you can't beat the price here on post….$5.

A Long Day - (Germany) Day 218

This morning's PT was on PHV, but everyone from our office just showed up in ACUs for accountability. After formation I road in to work with my boss where I ate breakfast at the food court. I then surfed the web waiting for the shoppette to open up at 0800 so I could get coffee. Everyone headed in early because of an upcoming CIP inspection next week. They just had me come in early with them because they didn't want me to do PT by myself.

I then spent the time checking emails and then all our customer's account folders. SPC JayZ is on leave, we have two guys out-processing, and another clerk just left on TDY to Italy. I would have gone to Italy, but chose not to because my kids are here…a great opportunity though! Anyways that leaves basically just me to handle all the accounts. I was supposed to go through all the folders and see if there was anything that needs fixing  (i.e. missing signatures, missing memos, correct dates, etc.)

The entire morning SGT Mex kept heading to the bathroom about every 5 to 10 minutes. The first time out he exclaimed that he just "crapped out 1.5 liters of liquid shit". SGT Mex is currently on the overweight program and is about to get weighed tomorrow. He's gone down a few pounds each month, but really wanted to pass this time. So first thing in the morning he took some sort of colon cleanser or something and was not eating anything all day. He went so often that everyone just started avoiding the bathroom all together. It was pretty funny because some of the times he had to get up and start running towards the toilet!

I headed to the food court for lunch and spent my time reading my book and eating lunch. I waited until the last second to go back into the office. I have mentioned how much I disliked going into the office, but today I realized how much I just really hate going in. When I had to head back a wave of depression washed over me. I'm not sure why even. The job is not difficult and most of the people I work with are good people, but I just hate it. Maybe it's just all the stupid stuff I have to deal with. I hate that I'm doing a job I didn't sign up for. I hate the lack of common sense in almost every aspect of the army. Despite all that…I slowly made my way back to the office.

I sent out a couple more emails and surfed the web. I've ended up using Twitter quite a bit more. Not because I tweet at all, but because I can subscribe to a number of news outlets back home and nationwide. It gives me a lot of stories to read all in one place, and helps pass the time.

I then helped SGT Mex with some paperwork. It was basically just typing up some memos, but at least it was doing something. We got off at 1700 and headed home to eat and quickly get ready for a movie. My girls have been waiting and waiting for Chernobyl Diaries to come out and when it finally had a date here on PHV it turns out they were sent the wrong two reels, so the show was cancelled! So to make it up to the kiddos we bought them ice cream and headed home to watch a movie…."From Dusk 'til Dawn" an interesting classic from Quentin Tarantino. The movie is so out there, it's funny. Everyone was thinking…what the heck is going on here???

Side Note: With the late nights and the kids I've found myself a couple days behind...I'll be catching back up soon!

Back to Work - (Germany) Day 217

The view of Heidelberg from Königstuhl

This morning's PT was on PHV. Everyone came in civilian clothes and went on a run off post. The profiles headed to the gym and we worked out on what we were allowed to. I had a great workout…reminded me of the end of my time in Korea when I headed to the gym and just did my own workout almost every day after work. I hope that I could start doing something like this everyday.

I headed straight to physical therapy instead of work and had a good session. I wasn't in a lot of pain to start with and the shock therapy with the neck message and chiropractic manipulation, I felt pretty good leaving the place...as always.

By the time I got back to work there was about a half hour before lunch time. I checked email and surfed the web a little before heading to my car for the lunch break. As usual I have come to enjoy my lunch break in my car. It's an escape from the office and I get to listen to music, relax, read my book and usually take a little nap.

Back at work I surfed the net for a bit, then spent most of the afternoon placing pages into a binder. These were all pages from past ComSec newsletters…really exciting content that I guess they want to save and store. So now we have newsletters dating back a couple years.

We got off at 1700 and after going home and changing, we all headed off to McDonalds for dinner…LOL. This was our first time actually eating at the local McDonalds here and I have to say the food was pretty good. I had the "Texas Nacho Chicken" burger which was just plain awesome! I'm not sure if they have that back in the states, but if they do…give it a try. I don't eat at McDonalds too much, but I have to say I was very impressed with this sandwich.

The whole reason we went to McDonalds was to get a quick meal and then head up to a place called "Königstuhl" which is about 15 minutes away. It is up at the top of the nearby mountain (hill) and I read that you can get some great views of Heidelberg from the top. Once there and got out, we walked around and explored some nature trails (on accident) while looking for the view point. We found the view point and checked out the nice scenery for a bit…then headed home. The place is great for a little get-a-way, and next time we'll plan a little better and wear some actual shoes instead of flip flops.

Weekend Wrap-Up (Paris) - (Germany) Day 215 & 216

Me and my honey in front of the Eiffel Tower

The view from the Eiffel Tower showing "The Palais De Chaillot" 

Saturday: We left early in the morning at 0100 on the USO bus. There is a park and ride lot right outside one of the gates at PHV where we met up, and unlike our last bus tour, this one came right on time. We were able to load up and we were all able to sit next to each other. The ride was long and uncomfortable, but I was able to sleep for a lot of it. We made one pit-stop to use the bathroom and get breakfast. The only problem was that the rest area they were planning on stopping at was closed, so they chose the next available one and it was only a convenience store. So breakfast consisted of some store bought goods and not a normal meal…we dealt with it.

We arrived in Paris at around 0700 and had a local tour guide join us on the bus. We then drove around Paris in the bus with the tour guide giving us information along the way about everything we could see. We made a few stops for everyone to get out and take photos, then we finished up in the "Place de la Concorde" which is a major public square in Paris. From this point we were within easy walking distance to some of the city's most popular attractions.

Of course the first thing my kids wanted to see was the Eiffel Tower, so we started walking towards it checking out the architecture and the scenery along the way. Once we arrived, we got in line and ate the lunch we packed from my backpack. The line wasn't too bad for the stairs…we waited for about a half hour then purchased our tickets to start climbing the over 700 stairs up to the 2nd level. The views were awesome and worth the climb. From the 2nd level you can also purchase a ticket to take an elevator to the very top, but my wife and my oldest daughter were a bit scared…and the line was pretty long. So we enjoyed our time in the tower and then made our decent. The climb down was much easier :)

We then walked around in the general direction of where we were dropped off taking our time checking out the streets and everything else. Once we made it back to the Place de la Concorde, we took a bit of a break. Everyone was a little tired from all the walking. My wife, son, and I had a bicycle cab take us to the "Arc de Triomphe", which is where I wish we would have headed first. There are several major streets heading out like spokes from a wheel. We came up the "Champs-Elysees" street and it had a number of shops and restaurants as well as a couple street performers.

By the time we got back, it was almost time to board the bus and head back. I found out that you really need more than just one day to discover Paris and all it's major sites. We loved our time here and the kids had a blast, but my wife and I will make sure to come back and visit the museums with "The Louvre" on top of that list. We also got to see the outside of the "Cathedral of Notre Dame", but I'd like to go inside and check it out as well. I think my wife and I could spend a weekend there and be satisfied.

The bus ride back was uneventful. I slept for a lot of it until we stopped for dinner. The restaurant at the rest area was a little unique in the fact that it straddled the highway, so as you ate your meal you could watch the cars go by in both directions. We were told to "make sure to exit on the right side". We ended getting back to Heidelberg at around 0100.

The USO put on this "Paris Express" tour. These express tours are a great inexpensive way to get out and see another place. The drive may suck and you may end up sleep deprived, but it's worth checking into if you are stationed in Europe.

Sunday: Sunday turned out to be a day of rest…literally. Everyone was so wiped out from the day trip to Paris we all slept in…well some of us more than others. I couldn't get my kids moving until well past noon. We headed to the shopping center and grabbed lunch along with a pair of shoes on clearance for my son. We headed back and watched some TV for the rest of the night.

On a side note…I've found that having my kids here has really limited my writing time. I try and jump on the computer at the end of the night before bed and type out something real quick. In my head I'd like to write up each day with some quality writing, but I usually end up just typing out everything as fast as I can and then uploading it. I've also taken a ton of photos that I will eventually get up on my flickr account. Until then please bear with me until I have a little more time on my hands…which probably will not be until my kids go back home in a couple weeks.

Technology Fair and Reenlistment - (Germany) Day 214

The reenlistment ceremony for the sergeant in maintenance

This morning's pt was a little strange. We formed up in civilian clothes at PHV and after accountability and some announcements we were released to go back home. We were told we can work out if we want…everyone just split and headed home…LOL.

At work I checked my email and such, then learned how to change the combinations on our safes. It's actually a pretty simple process and has to be done every time someone leaves or if we believe the combination has been compromised…or at least once a year. We have two people getting ready to PCS soon so we went ahead and made the change.

We then checked out the technology fair. There was a lot of hype about this event and it was held in the gym nearby. Our office headed over and looked it over. There were a number of vendors offering some pretty cool stuff, but as junior enlisted we really didn't have the power to make any purchase decisions. It was interesting though to see what these vendors are trying to sell to the government. There was everything from physical port security to IA software scanners that will find every vulnerability in your network.

Checking out some of the vendors at the technology fair

After that I headed to lunch. I took my lunch to the food court along with my iPad to read my book. I couldn't sit in my car because the weather has been getting pretty hot! Shortly after lunch we all gathered near the flag poles at the front of the base for a little reenlistment ceremony for a sergeant in our maintenance office. He just re-classed and will be guaranteed staff sergeant after graduating AIT. He signed up for another 5 years! After the ceremony I surfed the internet for a while, then inventoried a safe before cleaning up. We received our safety briefing (don't be stupid) for the weekend and then we were released.

We had a family dinner, then I went to the bowling alley for a little farewell get together for SPC Matrix. I had planned on just buying him a drink and having one myself before leaving, but it turned out to be a 3 hour affair. We ended up playing mini-golf and everyone had a great time…including my kids.

We signed up for a USO day trip to Paris for the weekend. We'll be leaving at midnight and heading to the park and ride near post to catch the bus. Should be a fun filled day tomorrow along with a day of rest on Sunday…more to come….

Survive - (Germany) Day 213

This morning we formed up at the office at 0630. We did not have PT, instead we had to head up to our company headquarters in Landstuhl for sergeant's time training. Everyone had to bring their full battle rattle, my boss told me to bring mine as well just in case. With my updated profile I knew I would not be able to wear that crap for a second, so I decided to leave it all at home. It would have been just a waste of time hauling all that crap everywhere knowing that I will not be wearing it. I figured I would deal with the consequences if anything came up, but there was no way in hell I was going to put on all that gear. My head has been pounding for 3 days now and that would only make it much worse than it already has been.

We headed off in two TMP vans and made the hour trek to Landstuhl. Once there we grabbed some snacks at the shoppette, then waited outside our company for over a half hour wondering what to do. We finally found out we were supposed to march out into the woods for training. This week's training was indeed in the woods and consisted of four stations. We were broke up into four groups and spent about 45 minutes at each station before rotating.

I never really care for sergeant's time training especially because it almost always pertains to stuff I'll never use. Today was a little different…don't get me wrong, I still didn't want to be out there, but we covered some stuff that may be handy if something bad were to ever happen. The first station was preventing shock, the second station about 50 feet away was how to treat a wound, the third was what to do with injured in an active combat situation, and the fourth was on CPR.

We've done all this training at some point before, but it's good to have a refresher on it. It is also stuff that we may come across in our normal life and knowing how to treat for shock or perform CPR could save someone's life. What I don't think is necessary is the full battle rattle for everyone. It just seemed totally retarded that they even required everyone to wear it. As soon as we got to each station everyone would take it off, then we would start the class. It was pointless to make everyone wear it at all. The second thing is forcing everyone to drive out to Landstuhl. We spent over two hours of the day just driving, so we could attend classes that could easily be done in a conference room or even our office.

After we finished the training we drove over to Ramstein air base and had lunch. The base is only about 10 minutes away and has the big food court. By the time we got back to the office it was about 1500. When I went pee it was a dark orange…not a good color. I didn't drink a whole lot during training because we were outside without any bathrooms. Since there were females around we couldn't just "utilize the wood line". So I only ended up taking a few drinks. I could feel myself overheating…outside it was very hot. I headed over to the shoppette and purchased a liter of water and then headed back to the office and took off my top while drinking the water to hydrate myself and cool myself down.

We were let go at 1600 which was a nice surprise…except for 3 random people that had to stay for a piss test. I headed home and was planning to take my kids out for a little trip, but it was just too hot. We all ended up just staying in and watching some TV shows.

A long hot day…but tomorrow's Friday!!