Day 99

Ahhh...the last 2-digit day. It's about time. Halfway point closing in, too. Today was pretty typical for a Sunday. I went in early today like I planned and worked on a point paper to route up the chain of command. I identified some real problems and a point paper pretty much states the problem in detail and offers a solution in no more than 2 pages. I wrote it because my very rough write-up from before got a lot of attention way up the chain and in the States. I decided to refine it, remove personal references from before and to build an accompanying spreadsheet to go with my suggestions. I'll be curious to see where it leads. Perhaps nowhere but the issue is too hot of a topic in this country to be ignored and the system as it is remains broken. The main problem? The folks in the States do not have situational awareness of what's going on out here. Not one of them has deployed so they try to manage the war from their cubicle and that just doesn't work. Never does! Anyway, time will tell.

After lunch, I grabbed the shuttle back to my room via the airfield to drop off a few things for a friend. On Sundays, I usually do some organization in my room. I always try to keep it in a state of being able to be packed and ready to go within 30 minutes if I needed to. That may not make much sense but it does keep the clutter down...Dorothy would be so proud! Once I was happy with it, I jumped in bed and took a two hour nap. Basically, I just wanted to get through the day quick. I could already feel the emotion of missing home growing so keeping distracted...or asleep!...helps. Plus, I wanted to run the 8 mile perimeter around the base again and stop to call home to Dorothy and the girls. I did just that. It was good to talk to Dorothy, Tin Man and Scarecrow again. Tin Man and Scarecrow are heading back to camp again this week. The first week was such a hit, they asked to go back. After talking to everyone, I got back on the road and finished my 8 mile loop. One really cool thing about running at night is that there's a good chance that when I get near the end of the runway, F-15s or F-16s will take off at some point. Tonight, it was the F-15s...the one I sat in. So awesome watching them bullet into the sky under the thrust of their glowing afterburners...and so loud and thunderous I can feel it in my chest.

Back in my room, I grabbed my iPad and zipped on down to the wifi area to try and Facetime with the girls. Yea, I had just talked to them but I really, really wanted to see them...and I did. Mostly, I saw Dorothy whose hair is incredibly blonde right now...she's really looking great! I also got the walking tour around my house, not that I really need that, but it was a visual reminder of home and that all is normal back there. Weird, huh? Yea...but it made me smile ear to ear and I even got to see our two Siamese cats being their typical selves. Then, the wifi signal got really bad and we couldn't maintain the connection. That's OK, though..it was great while it lasted. Afterwards, I watched some TV and even some live NASCAR. Dinner was furnished via care packages! Well...that's pretty much it for double-digit days. I'm getting pretty close to that tipping point to the downhill slide...can...not...wait!!!

Goodnight, everyone.