firsts

well, i brought my new toy to the outdoor track behind the olympic-sized pool to try it out.  when i walked up carrying the shoes i bought in nashville in a kroger sack and wearing a gps watch plus ipod on an arm strap, a couple of army troops 10 years younger than me invited me to join their running club.  i tried not to laugh and told them i was probably not at the level they’re seeking.  when they indicated they were training for the “army ten-miler,” my hunch was confirmed.  i did enjoy myself, though the watch beeped at me angrily when i tried to increase my speed too much for what the heartrate monitor thought i should be doing.  i enjoy running outside much more than on a treadmill but had stayed indoors up until the other night, because we are not allowed to wear headphones outside unless on this particular outdoor track. 

there were a few distractions, however.  the track is not lit, so it was easy to drift off into my moe-gra-la and not think about my location or circumstances at first.  then, i think there was some activity off base.  if you use google earth to find balad and then follow the tigris river to the east a little ways, you’ll see ORBD, the airport code for this base.  on the eastern side of the base, you can easily see the pool and track.  it’s not far from the perimeter.  so, when i saw trip flares light up the sky, followed by loud noises i assume were mortars or bombs, followed by numerous helicopters overhead and then f-16s, i was quickly brought back to iraq.  the icu had several iraqis in it the next day, so i assume the right side had the casualties. 

then another odd distraction.  much of the non-military personnel on this base are TCNs (third country nationals) or KBR workers (kellogg, brown, & root, which used to be part of halliburton).  e.g., i got a haircut from an indian; turkish people work in many of the vendors’ trailers; filipinos are lifeguards at the outdoor pool; the armed guards at many checkpoints and all the DFACs (dining facilities) are ugandans.  well, the ugandans do their pt on the outdoor track at about the same time i like to run.  so, there were at least 100 africans running around me in the night, and they were singing and yelling.  because most were wearing dark clothing, sometimes i would just hear them behind me or in front of me and not be able to see anyone until they were all around me like a school of minnows.  i felt like i was in a national geographic film.  and like i was in their way.  it was still better than the treadmill, and the air is better there, as it’s farther from the burn pit.

today i took my first test for ACSC.  after the first several questions, i realized it was not going well, and the topics on which i was being quizzed were not included in the material i read.  i was sure i’d be taking the test again but went ahead and finished.  when the proctor ran his ID through the computer to grade it and returned to where i was sitting, i told him i must not have read the right materials.  he looked at me with a puzzled expression and waited on the scores to print.  i got an 86; 70 is passing.  i fully expected to miss 25-30 but ended up missing 7.  when i got back to work, i looked again at the website and realized i’d read the first of six sections i was supposed to read (i thought the test only covered the first section).  apparently, i got very lucky while picking whatever answers made sense to me.  it was still a pretty miserable and stressful experience, so i will certainly make sure i read the right articles and materials before the next one.

i’ve had my first of what i’m sure will be several personnel issues–a nurse who got on the plane to deadhead from germany while smelling like a brewery, and a doctor whose roommate (from another flight) has, after a few days of being passive-aggressive, asked her to move.  i think both issues are resolved now.

we’re going to try to have a dress up party for halloween.  we’ve asked our squadron DO if it’s okay (i fully expect a “no” on that one, since we’re required to be in uniform at all times), and he indicated he’d get back to us.  so, we’ll see.

only 2 days til the concert….