Yesterday, was not a good day at all. It started off normal, I walked to work and was sitting at my desk eating my egg whites checking my email at around 0700. Around 0800, it all started to go down hill. At 0800, I was typing up an email and the room went completely black. I had forgotten there was a scheduled power outage that was supposed to last until 1600. I should have just packed it in right there and called it a day, but I had meetings that I had to go to. Meeting at 0830 went fine and lasted about an hour, which is about a half hour longer than that meeting really needs to be. Which unfortunately, is a recurring theme every morning.
Me and the roommate decided to walk down to the PX and the boardwalk, as there is no point in sitting in the office when there was no power. There aren't any windows, so it was like sitting in a dungeon. That's a recipe for depression, so we got out of there. We came back so I could go to Command & Staff (another meeting). I was told by my boss not to brief anything when it was my turn to brief. Of course right before it was my turn to brief, the XO (executive officer) looks at me and asks me if I am prepared to brief the 15-6 (investigations) tracker. I told him no, and that I was told to brief "Nothing Significant to Report." He just looked at me and shook his head in disappointment. I love being set up for success!
The power was scheduled to come back on at 1600, but 1600 came and went in the dark. I then was supposed to attend the CUB (Commander's Update Brief). But when I showed up at the time I was told to be there, it was already half way through. Again, being set up for success...
The chaplain was having a spiritual fitness BBQ outside of the HQ, and it was an actual BBQ. It smelled wonderful, and reminded me of being home when you step outside and smell someone in the neighborhood is grilling. So I ate some BBQ, and sometime while eating, the power finally came back on.
About now, it is 1800 and I decide to go in and check my emails and make sure there aren't any pressing issues since the office was dark all day. Good on that front, so I decided to go get the roommate to walk home. The roomie wasn't ready, so I told her that I would be in my office when she was ready. Looking back, that was the choice that completely screwed my day....
As I was waiting in my office, I got a call from the CHOPS (Chief of Operations) asking if anybody in the legal shop was going to be around that night so a story board from an engagement that just happened could be approved. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem as my boss normally comes in around 1700 and works til around midnight (try not to focus on the fact that is only about 7 hour shift, It will only make you see that some work more than others, and that revelation is a little infuriating...at least to me). Well he is currently at another FOB, so the only lawyer around was me. At this point it was now after 1900 and I told him that I was going on 12 hours of being at work; but, if he really needed me to, I could stick around. He told me he would call me back. About 20 minutes later, one of the LTs (Lieutenant) who works in the TOC (tactical operation cell) came by and said that the DCO (that one guy that I've mentioned before who has an impact on my resiliency) wanted the story board approved ASAP and wanted to make sure that someone from legal would be here. Well that just sealed the deal, it meant I had to stay. I tried to get an ETA on when the story board would come out, she said it probably would be about 3 hours. So, that was going to put me there until 2200.
Around 2100, I called back to the TOC to see if there was an update on the story board. The update was that it was going to be about 3 hours. So, now that was going to keep me at work until around midnight. Around midnight, I'm sure you can guess, no story board actually came out. By midnight, I had now been at work 17 hours. Needless to say, I was really tired. I waited and waited, and then I waited some more. It wasn't until 0230 that the damn thing finally came out. So after 19.5 hours, I finally got to go home. Which means I didn't get home in bed until 0300.
Luckily, this morning was Sunday morning and the meeting that I normally have every morning is not scheduled on Sundays. So I got to sleep in. I came into work at about 1100, and when I got there, my outrage of working 19.5 hours yesterday only got bigger. As I logged into my email account, I saw that I was the only one that had reviewed the story board and the others who were supposed to review it hadn't even got around to doing it yet. So, apparently it was so important that I stay up all hours of the night and review the story board the minute it came out, but everyone else could review it when they got around to doing so. They finally reviewed it around 1130....
Ok, my griping is done. I left promptly at 1800 today, and didn't feel bad at all about the fact that I only worked a 7 hour day. Me and the roomie ventured out around Kandahar and went to the British coffee shop to have a Cappuccino. I noticed that they have a trivia night on Tuesdays, and I love trivia, so we are going to try to go that. On the way home, we stopped by the USO and they actually had phones available so I called home to talk with my parents since Michael is in Guam and I can't call him. Unfortunately, my mom wasn't home, so I didn't get to talk to her; but I did get to talk with my Dad! Don't worry Mom, I'll call back again! That was the first time I was able to talk with him since I left, so that was great. So at least today ended better (and earlier) than yesterday. Again, sorry for complaining, but I think I feel a little better now....
This post was extremely long, but here is something to look at...
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| Roomie and MSG Ryan enjoying the BBQ |
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| Everyone enjoying the BBQ, even MSG Ryan who looks like he isn't |
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| "slot machines" that are outside the British PX |
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| British Coffee shop |
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