Just Another Day

Wednesdays are supposed to be “over-the-hump” days in the modern workweek. After lunch on any given Wednesday, I should be motivated to work, knowing that Friday afternoon is just around the corner. So why is it that today, like the past week or so, has been so “blah” for me? Do I have a case of pre-deployment depression? Am I tired of dealing with people and their problems (which multiply like bunnies the nearer deployment comes)? Am I just plain tired? I suppose that the answer is yes to all of the above. I need a vacation! Fortunately, the US Government is providing me with a relaxing six-month getaway to the desert paradise of Ramadi. I’ve been telling everyone I know that deploying to Iraq is like deploying to the beach, except that there is no pesky ocean full of scary sharks or dangerous riptides.

At any rate, I spent my day slowly packing up my office, sorting through all the papers and random junk that have piled up since my last major cleaning effort (supposing there ever was one). I also spent quality counseling time with some of my favorite Seabees, in an effort to help them make it through the next few days before we deploy. Have I mentioned already that I’m getting tired of people? I have? Well, let me mention it again: people make me tired! There, I said it. I feel so much better now. I think that whenever I leave the Navy I am going to become a professional hermit, as long as the Association of Professional Hermits will allow Melissa to live with me.

At least my life started looking up once I got home. An old friend from high school and church called me up and we updated each other on our lives and little families. Melissa, in her ongoing effort to fatten me up before I leave, purchased a nice juicy steak which I grilled up on our little round charcoal grill. For whatever reason, I always end up having to relight the charcoal, after which it burns perfectly. We also had herb-and-butter red potatoes, asparagus and crescent rolls. Of course, by the time we finished dinner, we were both tired and ended up crashing early, so here I am writing this blog in bed.

Cheers,
Peter