December 14 (Day 65)

Where does the time go? I wonder if age is getting the better of me? J  I know it has been a few days. However, to my defense I offer the following – monitoring the movement of our ID section (as well as one of my Soldiers), preparing for my PT test, my validation audit as the (assistant) contracting officer representative, dealing with postal voting representative assignments, and of course Christmas shopping.

Got by the ID section, of which I am the OIC, yesterday for a visit. They are not located at the APO, so I have to borrow a vehicle, grab a valet driver, and hit the road. The two personnel working it seem to be doing well. They told me they do not have all the equipment they need, since some went kaput on them. They have put in orders, so I am on the lookout here. I would like to get the section to 100% as soon as I can. They are staying in transient quarters for the time being, but will (hopefully) be put in hard buildings within the next couple of weeks.

Working on my validation audit took some time. It basically is an assessment of how the contractors are doing their job as it relates to their contract and military regulations. The audit is quite long, somewhere in the neighborhood of 180 “questions.”  The validation comes into play in that I will be doing it now, versus the quality assurance rep that did it previously. She basically needed to know I was comfortable doing the audit. I have been nominated as the ACOR, but still need to be designated. This audit was the last step, after all the online training I went through previously.

I am evidently going to be the primary voting representative. Of course, this entails more online training. Sure hope it is not as intensive as the ACOR training, which took WAY too much time out of my harried schedule. I will have one of my Soldiers be the alternate voting representative. I have the same set-up at the two FOBs we support. Rightfully so, the brass at our HQ and beyond are pushing this. No doubt this will be a pivotal year, and personnel will have questions regarding the procedures, timelines, etc…

I wonder how many hats I wear now?

Took my PT test yesterday. Overall I did pretty well. Fell off a little on my pushups (60 out of 73 for max), but was on par for how well I was doing on situps (67 out of 76 max). The run, which I ALWAYS dread, went quite well. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t feeling the after effects! My unadjusted time was 14:36. That is off from my last record test (14:00), but have not run as much recently. The track we use is rocky, and potentially can hurt someone, so speed is affected. To compensate, we adjusted the time, essentially allowing an extra minute for the given age group (or conversely subtracting a minute from their run time). That put me at the max score for my time. I ended up with a 280 (out of 300 possible). Still have some improvement to make to get back to my last score of 295.

Christmas shopping is hard for me under the best circumstances (read – back home), but here it is even harder! Everything is online, and just coming up with a general idea is difficult. It is not like I can just walk past stores, and something would come to mind. Now that time is running short, I am under TOO MUCH PRESSURE! LOL  Seriously though, I need to finish it no later than tomorrow, which would be about 10 days out. My sister earns the distinction of being the hardest to figure out this year. Don’t take offense sis (I still love you, wink, wink). Someone always fits this bill. On the positive side, I look forward to Skyping my family and opening presents. Technology is something! I imagine what previous generations endured during holidays away from home, with no communication with family/friends.

Recently I have been blessed with gifts from “home.” Some of the best ones are from young people in my church, as well as the youth group there. Homemade cards and other graphics are wonderful; I have drawings, paper cut-outs! I am truly blessed to be thought of by my young friends. Many thanks go out to them for their thoughts and prayers. Knowing this is the future of my church makes me feel good.

Did anyone catch the eclipse of the moon the other night? I did, and for the first time that I can recall! It was weird watching the moon disappear and then reappear. Since the sky is typically clear here at night, it was hard to miss.

Broke out the stainless steel (tea) tumbler I bought from Teavana while on block leave in October. I happened to also purchase some Earl Grey White and Gyokuro Imperial Green teas. The weather now stays fairly cold, so it is the perfect time to have my hot tea! The tumbler works excellent! Even after hours, with the lid off, the liquid stays hot. Of course the tea is great (it should be since it is the “good stuff”). I can reuse the tea, it’s loose, 3-4 times without losing much efficacy. I can see having some everyday, which means I will probably try to order some. Hope they ship! What? I am not an addict. I can quit anytime I want. I just choose not to. Ha!

Continue to watch “24” and NCIS, alternating every time I change discs. This activity is the norm in the evenings, but will change somewhat when I get some more books in. I do enjoy a good read, and once I start, it is hard to put down a good one. I also just received a XBOX yesterday, including several games. Imagine my surprise! Of course, that means I will probably look for a few games, which should be cheap, since the system is of the original variety. It works for me!

I will leave you with this - Sarcasm, just another service I offer! LOL  Until next time...