Weekend Wrap-Up - (Germany) Day 486-487

I love shopping for beer out in Germany...it's like a Disneyland for beer lovers!

This weekend we drove up to Ramstein to visit with our niece who happened to come down from England with her high school's soccer team to play. We watched the game, then took her out to eat and watch a movie. After that we hung out with her at the PX until the rest of her team arrived for dinner. It was fun hanging out with her, it's not too often that we get to see family while being so far away from home.

Sunday we did the usual cleaning and laundry. We also gathered together everything that we're going to ship in what's called "unaccompanied baggage". This used to be the part of your household goods that were delivered via air that you shipped before you PCS. This way they would arrive earlier than the rest of your household goods, so stuff you need earlier can be packed. There are some exceptions and the weight limit is much lower. We've been told they are not shipping via air anymore, but we could still make a shipment much earlier than our normal household goods in order for it to arrive earlier. So this shipment is scheduled on May 2nd, I'll be on leave…but I didn't have anything planned except lounging around. We gathered up the stuff we wanted them to ship and placed it all in our dining room.

I have two more days until I'm off on leave. I've taken 20 days of leave and will have the first few to just relax before my mom and aunt come to visit. I can't wait!

NBC Turn-in - (Germany) Day 476

This morning for PT we formed up at Patton gym in our summer PTs with the winter jacket. The winter jacket was just in case it was a little cold out this morning, the normal folks did various sprints outside, while those of us on profile hit the gym. I had a mediocre workout on the stationary bike. I think I took a muscle relaxer too late last night and was dragging this morning. It was also very hot on the second level where the bikes are located…I just couldn't get going.

I met up with SPC Mac and two other soldiers from the ComSec office this morning outside the ComSec office. SPC Mac and I planned on turning in our NBC (Nuclear Biological Chemical - the stuff we wear in the gas chamber) gear today. The other guys ended up having things they needed to take care of in Landstuhl, so they wanted to tag along in the TMP since we were heading that way. Technically we could have turned in the NBC gear when we out-process, but I figured we might as well take a day to do it just to get it out of the way. It gave us something to do for the day and we also would have the opportunity to eat lunch at Ramstein Air Base.

We headed out at 0900 and drove to the company headquarters in Landstuhl. When we arrived the supply sergeant took our NBC gear. We then headed over to the hospital area and waited while one of the other soldiers had his taxes done. After that we headed to Ramstein and had lunch, then headed to another small post to check on training supplies for the other soldier. When all was said and done, we arrived back at the ComSec office at almost 1500. A good way to pass the time and have pretty much another day over.

I headed to my office, checked email, did my schoolwork and a little studying for the Apple re-certification exam. The chaplain was back, so we got caught up with each other and went over the upcoming schedule. Then before I knew it, the day was over.

Weekend Wrap-Up - (Germany) Day 458 - 459

This weekend we didn't end up doing a whole lot once again. We decided to save our money for our trip next weekend which is a 4-Day. Saturday we did head up to Ramstein air base just to get out of the house for a bit. We watched "Broken City" at their theatre and did a little shopping at the big PX. Sunday was spent at home cleaning and doing laundry…pretty boring, next weekend is going to be much more fun!

SHARP - (Germany) Day 401

An exercise in communication...teams trying to build a lego structure. 

The builders were blindfolded and the supervisors could 

not communicate with their mouths.

This morning I headed out a little early, my wife dropped me off at my office a bit before 0630 where I met up with the chaplain after his formation. We were unable to get a TMP to drive up to Days of Excellence which is being held in Ramstein, so we took his car. He wanted me to drive…the good news is that it's a BMW, the bad news is that I didn't bring my GPS. I get lost easily once I leave our immediate Heidelberg area. We only had to double back once on the drive there. Once we arrived, I took a seat next to SPC Mac and some others that I used to work with back in the ComSec office.

The ceremony started off with some awards and promotions. One specialist got an army achievement medal for saving another's life while in a restaurant. He stated "I want to thank SPC so and so for choking and CSI Miami for teaching me the Heimlich Maneuver" LOL. We then went on to some required army training. The topic of the day was SHARP (Sexual Harassment Assault Response and Prevention). The first module was the same ol' PowerPoint presentation that we usually get along with the same slides we see over and over again. The training itself was actually not that bad all because of the enthusiasm and the motivation the sergeant had while giving it. The second module was unlike any army training I've had before. The topic was on communication and instead of using PowerPoint, the trainer picked five lower enlisted soldiers to head up on stage and five NCOs or officers to join them. The lower enlisted were the "supervisors" and the NCOs and officers were the builders. The supervisors were shown a building (an assortment of large legos put together) and had to tell the builders how to build it. The rules…builders were blindfolded and supervisors could not speak. It was pretty funny to watch. The supervisors were stomping and clapping and the builders didn't have a clue, in the end I think they didn't even get the base put together. The trainer then went on to go over the many aspects and feelings people have when trying to communicate. It was nice to do something a little different and I think everyone got something out of it.

After the event we all had to stand outside in the rain and cold to listen to our commander and first sergeant give us a safety brief for the weekend. It's super bowl weekend and they don't want any issues to arise. Every time we thought it was just about to finish the other would start talking more and more about being safe. This went on for a while and the commander also promised that if the company goes 81 days without any incidents, he and the first sergeant will work some shifts for the soldiers…that would be funny.

I drove the chaplain to the hospital first, so he could get some contact info for the chaplain there. He also bought me lunch at the DFAC there and we had a decent meal. I don't know why, but it always seems as though that the hospital DFACs have the best food. On the drive back the chaplain fell asleep and I ended up taking us through a detour through the middle of Mannheim. I finally found some signs to head towards Heidelberg and we eventually made our way back. I think I may just keep my spare GPS in my office, so I'll always have it no matter what from now on.

When I arrived back I ran some errands for the chaplain here on post, then headed home. I ended up getting a text from my boss later on asking if I wanted to have a few beers with him at the bowling alley…no problem. We had some beers, played some darts and just hung out and talked with a couple other NCOs from the maintenance side of the ComSec office. It was a pretty good night.

Me on the right with some guys from the office watching the communication exercise

A Day Away - (Germany) Day 399

This morning I headed out and met up with SGT Mex and another guy (PFC Ski) from the ComSec office at 0730. We headed out in a TMP to the Landstuhl hospital. PFC Ski had an appointment at 1000 and I had one at 1300. We did head out early which had us arrive early and PFC Ski was able to get his appointment all taken care of shortly after we arrived. We then headed over to Ramstein Air Base which is only about 15 minutes away. We decided to eat lunch at Chili's, but found out that it doesn't open until 1100…and it was only 1020. So we drove around the base and then finally just waited outside until they opened the doors. We had a great lunch. I was a little shocked to receive American style service by the waiter. Eating at restaurants here in Germany is quite a bit different than in the states. It is more of a social experience here in Germany and people tend to stay quite a bit longer. The staff at the restaurants take their time and usually only come to your table if you flag them down. I've found myself waiting trying to get a waiter's attention to pay my bill and leave. This was not the case at Chili's on the base, the waiter was there about every 5 minutes it seemed, just checking on us and refilling our drinks (something that costs each time at a local restaurant).

We then headed back to the hospital where I was going to my appointment. After checking in and going back, I found out that they can't do the procedure because I didn't actually have a headache today. What's ironic is that I've had a killer headache that has lasted the last three days, but just like when you take your car to the mechanic…it was fine today. They schedule about a month out…how am I supposed to know that I'm supposed to have a headache when coming in? I guess if I would have known, I would have done some running or sit-ups the night before. They did give me a special number to call and said that when I have a painful headache, I can give them a call and they can see if they can fit me in. The problem is that the place is an hour away, and I have to coordinate time off. So we left and headed back to Ramstein Air Base. We did some shopping and then headed to Baskin Robbins for some ice cream. Nobody was in a hurry to head back to work.

We did leave a little after 1500 and headed back. Even though I didn't get to actually do anything at my appointment, it was a good day. I had some good conversation with SGT Mex and had a good time hanging out with them both. SGT Mex is wondering why he's still here, they started the paperwork to chapter him out a long time ago. I think they are keeping him around to help while the base is closing, but we'll see. He's a little pissed off, but he's dealing with it.

Weekend Wrap-Up (Veteran's Day) - (Germany) Day 318 - 321

A view down the Hauptstraße in downtown Heidelberg. A lot of people

out and about for the middle of a Monday!

Friday: I started the 4 day holiday still working. I had to finish up my staff duty shift until 0900. The good news is that I was able to sleep for short periods from time to time. I put in my headphones and listened to music drifting in and out of sleep either in my chair, on a very hard couch, and also on the floor at one point. Staff duty has to be one of the stupidest things we do. Why they can't just assign a cell phone to an NCO for a week or so instead is beyond me. No, two people have to sit and waste time for 24 hours doing nothing. It also takes two people out of the office for that next day's shift when they get staff duty on a weekday. The office is down people and our sleep pattern is all messed up.

After we got off shift, I headed home and slept some more, I didn't get up until a bit after 1400. So with the day pretty much over, I didn't do much. I still felt a little off for the rest of the day. My wife came home from work and we watched some shows together, but that is about it. Hurray for the first day of this holiday weekend.

Saturday: Today we headed off to downtown Heidelberg to grab some Starbucks coffee. Nothing like having some coffee while looking out at the rain, reminds me of being back home in the Seattle area. We also picked up a couple of sweatshirts from the Heidelberg University. This is one thing we wanted to make sure we got for ourselves before we leave. A souvenir we can wear and remember our time here in this cool city.

We then headed off to Ramstein air base to do some shopping at their large PX. We started our Christmas shopping and have to try and get it all done this month so we can ship it all back to everyone. We got a few people crossed off the list. Unfortunately the weather has been kind of wet lately. If it wasn't raining we had planned to check out a city we haven't been to yet, but I think those trips may be few and far between this fall and winter because of the weather.

By the time we got back we were both pooped and just watched some shows on TV.

Sunday: This was a day of cleaning. We cleaned pretty much the entire house most of the day. A good time to catch up on laundry and everything else that seemed to be falling behind. At the end of the day we sat down to eat and watch a show when all of a sudden the fire alarm in our stairwell went off…again. It goes off every now and then and is too loud to keep watching TV, so we paused our show and just ate. There have been so many false alarms, we don't even get up and go outside anymore. Normally the fire truck comes pretty quick and the firemen check out the building and turn off the alarm. Tonight I think they wanted to finish dinner before they came out, because it took over 40 minutes for them to arrive and turn off the alarm…talk about annoying. If there would have been a fire, the entire building would have been only ashes by the time they arrived. I guess that is government efficiency at its best.

Today was also Veteran's Day. It's a little different serving in the military in another country. I think at the best of times the relationships between the U.S. military and the host country it is occupying is cordial. There are always going to be a percentage of the population that thinks of the U.S. presence in their country as everything from a hassle or nuisance to an actual occupying force that is not welcome. Here in Germany the relations are OK, but there are still a lot of people that do not want us here. We are encouraged to not wear our uniform outside of the post. We are also encouraged to blend in as much as possible. With that said, Veteran's Day here in Germany is basically a non-event. We do get a four day weekend out of the deal, but that is about it. There are the posts on Facebook, but that is pretty much the extent of the holiday here. In the states there are parades, free food at participating restaurants, and a grateful nation. I'm not complaining that I'm here in Europe, just noting the differences.

Monday: Today I was going to meet a guy I went to high school with for lunch. It turns out that he lives here in Heidelberg and is not in the military. I was planning on finding out the rest of his story during lunch, but right before he was about to come his wife went into labor…LOL. I guess I'll have to wait on having lunch with him for a while now.

My wife and I instead decided to try a Chinese restaurant called "China Town Restaurant" we heard about downtown. The place was actually pretty decent, which has been hard to find here in Germany. We then spent the rest of the day walking around downtown and doing some Christmas shopping. 

I'm going to miss Heidelberg once we do get moved. The downtown is always fun to visit, the architecture is awesome, there are plenty of stores for all tastes, and there are enough restaurants to keep you busy all day and then some.

The weekend in general was pretty laid back. A lot of Christmas shopping was done, but that was about it. We have big plans for the Thanksgiving day holiday and we also plan to visit a lot of the Christmas markets that we have heard so much about. So I'm hoping I have a little more to write about in these upcoming weekends!

Driving Again - (Germany) Day 295

This morning we all had PT in the gym on PHV, but shortly after I got started on the stationary bike, I was told I have to be a driver once again today and leave at 0800. Because of the early time, I had to leave PT right away to get ready for the day.

I met up with our CAM on PHV where we had left the TMP and we headed off to Ramstein. I was selected to drive our CAM to Rammstein for a meeting. I'm not sure how I've unofficially become the platoon driver, I'm horrible at directions and get lost easily. I brought my GPS and hooked it up right away with the address plugged in and ready to go. The drive was not too bad, our CAM and I had a lot of good conversation. I think she now has a good idea of where I stand and what I think about our company. We've gone on a few trips outside the office and have been able to get to know each other a little better over the last few months.

Once we arrived, all we had was a building number to go off of. We drove around the base for a while looking and finally found what we were looking for. I ended up staying in the TMP and read my book while listening to music. I would say we arrived at 0915 and I was in there until about 1130. I ended up taking a nap at some point and was totally passed out by the time our CAM came back out from her meeting…LOL. During the time I was awake, I remember thinking to myself as I sat in the TMP doing nothing, what the heck am I doing here. Am I wasting my life away in the army? I am definitely not learning anything in the I.T. field like I thought I would. I am watching my life just idle on each moment I'm in the army. I have to remind myself of all the other benefits such as being able to see and experience Europe…and I will be getting my bachelors degree…and of course the friends I've made. But still I struggle with this on a daily basis.

We headed to the food court at Ramstein to eat lunch and both ended up having "Johnny Rockets" a classic themed American diner. The food was delicious! We then headed back to the office, where we arrived at about 1330.

This afternoon I actually kept busy with some work. We had a large number of ComSec items that had to be added to our inventory. One of our customers came across a bunch of items while they were getting ready to move. My guess is that as the base is closing and people move, more of this type of stuff will happen. I added everything to our inventory database and then opened our safe so we could manually add each item in order…then of course do a full inventory because the safe was opened. By the time we finished all of this, it was time to clean up and head home. We swung by the new consolidated post office on PHV which was a nightmare. Because of the closings happening around, they merged several (4 I think) post offices into one. I had a package arrive and had to wait in a line that stretched the entire hallway…pretty crazy!

Change of Command - (Germany) Day 294

This morning we did not have PT, instead we formed up for accountability at 0645 (really 0635), then headed up to Landstuhl (our company headquarters) for the change of command ceremony. I brought my headphones so I could relax and listen to some music for the hour drive up there. We made a quick stop once there at the shoppette for some breakfast supplies and coffee. We then arrived at the new location for the ceremony…the gym on post. Evidently it was too cold yesterday outside, and they didn't want the honored guests and other civilians to be cold while watching the ceremony.

We had time to finish our coffee and stand around for a while before anything got started. Then we practiced the whole ceremony several times. I'm not too sure why we had to practice so much. Most of these people were here doing this for half the day yesterday and the only thing all the soldiers in formation do is…well…stand in formation. Well we do go to parade rest when told to, we also go to attention when told to, and we also salute when the national anthems of both Germany and America are played. I guess it didn't matter too much that I missed all that practice yesterday…LOL. Just a lot of standing around doing nothing for almost the entire morning.

Finally we were about to start, but it turned out to be a false start. The new commander's wife and family I guess were having a hard time finding the gym. When they arrived about 15 minutes later we finally started the ceremony. Thankfully it was pretty quick…for an army ceremony. We did our thing…stood in formation and such. There was a lot of reading by the Master of Ceremonies. There was the "passing of the guidon", and a prayer. The company commanders both old and new gave some speeches along with the battalion commander, then we were all released.

Everyone in our TMP formed up and quickly exited the building. We headed over to Ramstein for lunch, where I was severely disappointed that Taco Bell stopped selling their Dorito Tacos. I'm not sure what they are thinking…that was perhaps one of the best things they've thought of since the Volcano Taco!

We did have to head back to Landstuhl before heading home. Our CAM had to pick up a laptop from someone at the company. Our CAM is the head of all things ComSec and is actually the supervisor of my boss. She surprised me today by saying in a casual conversation that she gets sick to her stomach every Sunday because she knows that she has to go to work the next day. Sounds a little like I feel. I swear everyone hates being in the army here. I wonder if having a new company commander will change anyone's feelings on this? The pessimistic side of me says...I don't think so.

We were all given a pleasant surprise when we got back to Heidelberg…we were told that we could have the rest of the day off. So from about 1400 on I was free. I headed home and relaxed a bit, chilled in front of the TV after starting some laundry (a never ending battle). I was supposed to go to the range tomorrow, but found out that I can't because I'm still on profile and can't wear my body armor or helmet. I don't even know why they had me scheduled so early. They are good for a year, and I have plenty of time left on mine. I'm also not too sure why they make such a big deal out of the need to wear the body armor and helmet when at the range. The entire time I was at basic training we never wore any of that and we went every day for weeks it seemed.

Not a big deal though, in fact if that is the case, I can't see me going again. I have been diagnosed with spondylosis and I don't see that getting any better. I guess we'll see. I have an appointment this Friday and may be referred to the large hospital in Landstuhl for further diagnosis. We'll see what they can find out or treat me with.

Weekend Wrap-Up - (Germany) Day 208 & 209

A view down the street of the Speyer Cathedral

Saturday: Today we decided to check out the city of Speyer. SPC Mac recommended it to me and after a little research we were ready to go. Speyer is about 40 minutes from our house via car. We headed out and once there found a parking lot downtown. We walked down the main pedestrian area of Maximilianstrasse. There were a number of vendors and of course some great architecture to look at. The street ends at the Speyer Cathedral, which we checked out. We then walked down to the other end of the street to find the Altportal (old gate) which is actually one of the tallest and most important town gates in Germany (according to the literature). What we liked was the ability to climb the stair to the top to get a great view of the city.

We then headed to the Technik Museum which is housed in a former aircraft hanger. It is full of everything from cars, trains, motorcycles, and of course planes. Outside of the hanger you can go inside the planes, helicopters, boats, and even a submarine. It's a great hands on museum, which the entire family enjoyed.

Inside the Technik Museum

Outside the Technik Museum

Sunday: Today we headed to the Ramstein air base to let the girls do a little shopping at their large PX. We then were finally able to watch "The Avengers". Even after being out for a while the theatre was packed. I'm glad we purchased tickets early and arrived early as well to make sure we got 5 seats together. Everyone enjoyed the flick and then we headed to a place called Big Emma's not too far from the base. It serves outlandishly large portioned dishes. My kids had hamburgers bigger than their heads. It was pretty funny to see the looks on their faces when they brought them out.

My daughter with a piece of her hamburger at Big Emma's

Weekend Wrap-Up - (Germany) Day 187 & 188

Seen while driving in Heidelberg...even being stationed in a "friendly" country, 

there are still plenty of locals around that do not care for a base full of foreign soldiers.

Saturday: We didn't do a whole lot today except clean house and make a shopping run to Ramstein Air Force Base. This particular base has a huge PX and a pretty big movie theatre as well. Unfortunately there wasn't anything good playing.

Sunday: We did even less today than yesterday…just did laundry and made a big grocery shopping run to prepare for my kids coming this week. We watched a lot of TV shows and listened to music. Since it's the beginning of the month I also did my budget and some maintenance on all of our computers. I say all of our computers because I have a main tower desktop, my wife has a laptop, I have a laptop, and we also have an older iMac in the kitchen that we use for recipes or playing music. I also started playing around with my blogs a bit. I'm in the process of importing all the entries from my time in Korea now.

Since not a lot has gone on this weekend I thought I'd spend a little time talking about McLovin. I've mentioned him before and he's a pretty funny guy. He's about to become the guy that people will talk about for a while in our unit because he will have literally eaten his way out of the army. Since arriving in Germany he's gained over 60 pounds. There was an incident (that I won't go into details with) but needless to say it involved alcohol and a loss of rank on his part. A lot of people think the incident was not fair and from the stories I've heard, he really got the shaft. Since that point he stopped caring at all about his army career and decided he wanted out of the army. He gained enough weight to fail the weigh-in twice and is now in the process of getting a general discharge from the army. Right now he's out-processing and will leave Germany in the next couple of weeks. His humor will be missed around the office and especially out on the FTX, he always made me laugh and boosted everyone's moral.

Weekend Wrap-Up - (Germany) Day 138 & 139

A street performer in downtown Heidelberg floating...but I'm not sure how

Saturday: This weekend was my wife's birthday weekend, so I let her choose whatever she wanted to do. She chose to go to Ramstein Air Force base because of their big PX and do a little shopping. Before we headed out, we stopped by Patton Barracks to get the oil changed in our car. It's the only place around that is on a US post that does oil changes and such.

We headed to Ramstein shopped in their huge PX, bought tickets to see "The Avengers" ate lunch, then did some more shopping. My wife made out with some clothes and a ring…and I'm a bit poorer now. We headed up to watch the movie about 15 minutes before showtime and we couldn't find a seat. The place was packed and obviously people either snuck in or bought tickets to something else and decided to watch this instead. We took our tickets back and got our money refunded. Lesson learned…go early on opening weekend of a good movie!

On the way back we stopped in Mannheim to visit the Harley dealership, but found out it closes at 1400 on Saturdays…guess we'll head back next weekend. Spent the rest of the night hanging out together, and since it was my wife's birthday weekend I let her pick a movie to rent on AppleTV…so we watched "The Vow" a chick flick.

Sunday: We ate breakfast together and then headed out to old town Heidelberg. We ate lunch at an OK Mexican restaurant. It was decent, but will not get a return visit from us. We then headed over to what is called Philosophenweg (Philosophers' Way) which is a path across the Neckar river that Heidelberg's university professors and philosophers found they would walk, talk, and chat while pondering. It has some great views of the city of Heidelberg. It's a pretty good workout if you decide to head to the top which we did. At the top is a Nazi amphitheater that was built in 1934 and used for propaganda presentations for the Nazi regime. The place was pretty cool and well worth the hike up to it.

We then headed back down and ate some ice cream for desert once back in town. In order to try and get out more we decided we want to try a different place to eat at least a few times a month. There are a ton of restaurants downtown and it will be a lot of fun trying out the various offerings. It will also get us out of the house if we don't have any plans for the weekend.

You can check out the slide show below for some more pictures of Philosopher's Way:

Created with flickr slideshow.

Weekend Wrap-Up - (Germany) Days 26 & 27

Saturday: We woke up early this morning to get ready and head out. My boss picked up my wife and I at 0845 and we headed off to Ramstein Air Base. The drive was about an hour and we were able to view the German countryside while speeding along on the autobahn. I was surprised by how many wind turbines I saw along the way. The Germans are serious about going green, between the clean energy and all the recycling they seem to be far "greener" than the U.S. We heard about the PX at Ramstein and how huge it is, when we arrived we were not disappointed. The PX itself was huge and there is also a small mall of shops as well as a food court connected to it. Our goal was to purchase a bed for our room and the spare room. We didn't ship ours because we didn't know how big these houses were going to be and we weren't sure if our big beds would even fit.

After strolling around the shops we headed into the PX and picked up a few things before checking out the beds. Once we decided what we wanted, we found out that they no longer ship to Heidelberg. We have to go to our Heidelberg PX and make the order there. So we wrote down the item numbers of what we want and headed on our way. Even though we didn't leave knowing our beds were going to be delivered soon, we still enjoyed the trip and seeing this big PX. We had lunch at Chilli's and then headed back to Heidelberg. I'm looking forward to when my car arrives and we can decide to go places without relying on others.

We spent the rest of the day hanging out and watching TV shows as usual. We did start a couple new shows...The Firm and Homeland. Still too early to tell if we will keep watching them though.

Sunday: We slept in which was nice, then my wife made me breakfast :) We didn't do a whole lot today, in fact the highlight of the day was walking to The Strong Hold gym and working out. The rest of the day and night consisted of poking around on the Internet and watching TV shows while hanging out with my wife.