4th Day of Exercise - (Korea) Day 262

USAG - Yongsan "The Assignment of Choice in Korea" I probably have to agree with
this statement since we're right in the middle of Seoul. (A photo I snapped on the way
back from my workout to my barracks)

Work call this morning was at 0430 and as usual for the exercise I picked up the augmentees and then got our SUV ready to take off to CP Tango…we left on time at 0530. Surprisingly it was a pretty easy going day today during the exercise. There were no emergencies or "cold coffee incidents", which is always nice. I started the day checking my email…now I have to make a little side note here. Having access to a laptop full time is a special privilege during the exercise. I have it because I'm the daytime IMO for the exercise. There is also nobody from our admin office participating in the exercise, so I don't have to share it with anyone. It's been awesome to have because not only can I check my email and such, but I can also do my schoolwork during any downtime…and there is a lot of downtime.

The graveyard shift had already setup for the first meeting of the day and promised they checked the coffee and it was hot! We only had to call "stand by" when the general arrived to the meeting. A ROK soldier in our sister office asked if he could do it and of course I said sure (I hate doing it…I'm just not a loud person by nature). The great thing is he loved it, so I'll encourage him to do it anytime he wants to…lol.

The day was pretty mellow after that…more schoolwork…cleaned up and setup a couple meetings. The ROK soldier I mentioned earlier that called "stand by" had an accident yesterday. I guess he was cutting paper and somehow almost chopped the top of his thumb off. He is now walking around with 8 stitches in his thumb. His hand is all bandaged up and he looks like a cartoon character with a big thumb in the permanent "thumbs up" position. So of course I had to poke fun at him a little throughout the day.

The ROK soldier, me and our KATUSA took turns playing each other at a Korean game which is very similar to "connect 4", but instead of connecting 4 you have to connect 5. It passed the time and before too long it was time to leave. The second shift was only a few minutes late and after briefing Special K and SPC Mick I headed out to get the SUV ready. We all were loaded, but had to wait again on the navy warrant officer. He was actually not as late as usual and we ended up getting back to the office at 1530 which is the earliest so far.

I received my second package in two days back at the office. The previous package was from my wife and this package was from my mom, sister and nieces. It was full of birthday cards and treats. It's funny, if I wouldn't have received this package I would have totally forgot that it was my birthday tomorrow. Strange how being isolated from your friends and family changes things. My birthday will come and go and it will be just another day, similar to all the holidays that have come and gone this year. When you can't spend them with the ones you love, they seem kind of pointless and even depressing.

I dropped off the augmentees and then headed to my room. I had energy and not wanting to see it fade, I quickly changed clothes and headed to "The Point" to go work out. There were plenty of treadmills available and I put in some much needed cardio. I also weighed myself and I've lost everything I gained during my leave…and then some. During the exercise I seem to eat a number of much smaller snacks throughout the day instead of big meals, so I always lose weight.

After working out I headed back to my room, ate dinner and then watched some TV shows along with completing a couple SkillPorts since I was able to do my schoolwork during the day. Hoping tomorrow goes as smooth.