January 23 (Day 105)

Well, it got COLD this weekend!  Saturday night it rained almost constantly. Got up at 0615 to get ready for my USO duty and it was still raining. When I walked outside at 0630, it was snowing. It was pretty light, so I figured it would just be flurries and not even stick, but I was wrong. Figure we got a couple of inches, and it was more toward the powdery side than slush. It had stopped by the time I left the USO at 0900, the sun had come out, but it was still surprisingly cold. The wind was brisk, so that didn’t help. There was still plenty of moisture left on the ground Sunday night that this morning there was a lot of frozen patches all over the ground. Even in the dark while walking to the USO, I could see the glint from the moonlight and other sporadic lights around the compound.

I brought up an issue to the USO staff this morning. There is a rule on base that bags are not allowed in public use areas like the DFAC, P/X etc… Well, some folks live on the other side of base and the lead USO representative started allowing people using the USO to bring their bags in while using the provided services. The intent of course is to “ease the burden” for these individuals (I think this is nonsense and will explain why in a moment). Now people have started to ask to leave their items in the USO while they go eat breakfast for example. WHAT??? First, (as I alluded to a second ago) it is not like people have just started moving across the base. This has been standard procedure. When the rule was firmly in place for all facilities, taking care of your personal baggage was not an issue, people made their own accommodations. Second, this is a security issue. Of course, those wanting to leave their items are told we are not responsible for them, and they may agree, but that means nothing. Complaints and accusations can still be made, marring the image of the USO and any volunteers working at the time of the incident. Let’s not forget that these items can be left intentionally to harm others. Third, are we a storage locker?

I have a friend who teaches middle school. Her class got together and sent us goodies over the holidays. I am now making some bracelets and keychains for them. Planning on a video as well, but need to find a better place than my room, and of course, time. Not like I can do it right in a few short minutes. It will likely take a few “takes.”

I have had a request for some more pics, so am going to oblige on the next entry, so until next time…