Billy, Redux

Billy underwent a journey of more than 10 days to arrive in the Centennial State. After spending a snowy day cooped up at home, I decided to take him out on the town.



Billy was excited about seeing the Capitol, whose dome is covered in real gold. It was pretty snowy so I insisted that he borrow my hat, so he didn't catch a chill. It made sitting for his picture more enjoyable.



On the north side of the Capitol, where the main entrance is, there is a point on the stairs that is exactly one mile above sea level. There are a few markers thanks to ever-more-accurate methods of measurement. Who cares: Billy was basically a mile high!



Last but not least: we tried to go to the Mint. We have learned that the Mint doesn't accept visitors on Saturdays. Bummer! But Billy got his picture taken outside the visitor entrance anyway, just to show we gave it a shot. He does look a little bit bummed out, doesn't he?

I had a blast with Billy. I was excited that my friend Ken from Germany has agreed to be Billy's next host. Since Ken is in town this week, Billy can catch the plane with him back to Germany on Thursday. Billy has become quite the globetrotter. I'm jealous!

Billy

A while back, Billy came to vist me here. I was asked to take him around with me and show him the sights as part of a school project for someone we know. Up until recently I was holding off on posting pictures of his trip because he has now gone on to visit Meghann. Now that she has seen him first hand, I felt it would be a good time to share his adventure with everyone.

First, Billy met up with me in my CHU.



After chatting a bit, he asked about some of the gear I had brought over with we so I gladly showed him.



After that, we went outside to just relax and enjoy the area around the CHU.



Finally, he wanted to see something more interesting than rocks (or my CHU) so we went out and looked at some of the vehicles.


All in all, it was a fun trip I think. As I said after visiting me, Billy went to stay with Meghann so look out for pictures from that adventure.

Pogs

Those of you with kids may remember the Pog craze of the past, well the military continues the trend overseas. Rather than transporting a lot of coins, all change from the PX and other stores is given in the form of bills and pogs. There are several different designs, so it can be interesting to get a pog as change.



The exception to this rule is the post office which still uses change. Getting dimes back was actually a wierd experience, I didn't expect to have any coins.

Quick Picture

Ok, so here is a quick picture of myself in my CHU. I think by now, I have taken this picture about 15 times, but very few of you ever get to see the picture. As you can see, it has been a while since I shaved.



My plan is to come back to the states with a beard, but if it gets too hot or scratchy, I may change my mind. Other than growing the beard, life continues as normal. There is still talk about when we will move over to wet CHUs, the food is still plentiful, and I continue to not work out as much as I would like.

Hurt Locker

So a group of us watched the movie "The Hurt Locker" earlier tonight. For those who haven't seen the movie, it is about an EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) team in Iraq. While I have no experience with EOD, we all joked about the lack of reality. For instance, not one soldier wore a reflective belt. Talk about a disconnect from the real world.

Ode to the Reflective Belt

This is my chance to pay homage to the amazing powers of a reflective belt (seen below).



This belt allows the wearer to walk directly in front of a vehicle, be it truck, SUV, or MRAP and not be hurt in any way. In addition, it protects you from angry drivers when walking down the middle of the road.

Reflective belts are required to enter the DFAC, PX, gym, or any MWR facility when it is dark. Originally this was just required of soldiers, but the rule has since been expanded to include everyone. The punishment for not wearing one? Being refused entry and forced to go back to your room (without a reflective belt) to retrieve it. Notable quirks in the rules include that PT uniforms with imbedded reflective material still require a reflective belt, and that reflective vests are also allowed in place of a belt. The proper method of wearing the belt is said to be over your right shoulder, slanting to the left side of your body. For those interested in learning more about the powers provided when wearing a reflective belt, there is a facebook page dedicated to this topic. There are also several webpages with humor and comments available for those not on facebook.

Favorite Signs

Here are pictures of two of my favorite signs, one because of the silliness, the other because it describes the people who work here perfectly.

First, a sign posted in the bathrooms documenting how to leave in case of an emergency.



Now I understand that there is a regulation someplace requiring this sign, and that it makes sense in larger more complex buildings, but the restrooms are inside a single connex, with one door and two very small, very high, downward tilting windows. The showers have another sign that is very similar but with slightly different sketches to reflect the six shower stalls and water heater rather than six toilets and water heater.

The showers are also the location of this second sign. There is one copy outside and another copy inside.



This is enforced by the use of an electronic lock during those hours listed. (There is also a combo restroom/shower that is for women 24 hrs/day) Now doing the math, you would guess it is a ratio of about 5 guys to every girl, but factor in differences in time to take a shower, and not forcing everyone to be there at exactly the same time and I would guess the ratio is closer to 12:1. For some reason, the difference in numbers seems to be even more pronounced with contractors than it is in the military.