28 July 2007 1904 EDT
With some luck, lesson learned, and things will turn out for the better. For me, they almost always do, but I don't like the feeling of second guessing myself. That's almost as bad as making mistakes, which I dislike even more. Good thing is that I rarely make them.
I did get a chance to lead PT this morning though. A couple of the NCOs were out with other missions, so I got to take it. I haven't led a session in a while, but I held back considering that we're still building. We made it a pretty quick one. It only took about 45 minutes in total, but we did push-up ladders up to 15 and back, and we finished with a six-minute ab routine. I'm not sore yet, but I think we'll feel it in the morning when we put on the body armor to go for a little walk. We've got like a 5K starting at 0430h tomorrow.
With the internet down all day, I'm kinda glad that I procrastinated for a bit yesterday. I knocked out those couple of tasks, did my laundry, and even had some time to make up some stuff for me to do too. Oh, plus I got a chance to call the sis during her birthday party at the castle. Happy birthday, sis! That's all.
27 July 2007 2142 EDT
One thing a lot of commanders posted about was leave. It looks like they've locked in leave dates for all the units now. Some are earlier than others, but everyone will get the opportunity to take 4-6 days off. I haven't purchased my ticket home yet, but I started off leaning towards the four-day pass as opposed to the six days of leave because it's not chargeable. Taking off six days would end up costing about $1K on the back end when you look at six days of Captain's pay with entitlements. Of course, now that I've mentioned that I have a choice, the gf would surely kill me if I didn't go home for the whole period.
Anyway, as I close down on the day, I'm looking over at my e-mail reminder that I wrote to myself with four specific tasks that I wanted to accomplish today. I did one...the easy one, too. I should probably go over the rest before I go to bed tonight, but that's what tomorrow's for, right? Seriously, though, I think I've been doing better on correcting my procrastination...though I packed up my copy of the Procrastinator's Handbook in my foot locker to ship out today. I also had to pack up the two pictures of the gf that I had in frames because I was afraid they wouldn't survive the trip in a duffle. *sad face* On the bright side, though, I did get a chance to shower and give myself a haircut after PT this morning.
Tomorrow starts off pretty much the same way, with a 0530h PT formation with the section, and then I'll come into the office and knock the rest of this stuff out. I promise. I've got some laundry to do too. It's amazing how quickly you go through clean PTs when you actually get out and exercise.
26 July 2007 2049 EDT
Like I said, though, today was supposed to be rather average and relaxed...and it was. We started at 0530h with a company run that lasted somewhere between 2-3 miles at a relatively slow pace. Also notable was the vulgarity of the cadences considering the Chaplain was in the middle of the formation. It was all in good fun, though. After that, I rushed off to the S1 meeting with all of the other personnel people here on post. And then I came back to the battalion area and snuck off into the mail room to counsel my lieutenant. It was a pretty good session, I think, and it was about an hour later before we finished. I was kinda proud of myself for how honest I was in my evaluation of him. I didn't pull any punches, but I think I made my expectations clear, and I gave him something to work towards.
That's all for me though. I think I'm going to turn in early today and we'll do it all over again tomorrow.
25 July 2007 2203 EDT
Today was the typical day in the office with lots of paperwork and a handful of meetings. I finished some evaluation reports for two of the sergeants serving in my section, and I kept working on my initial counseling for my LT...which I really need to do tomorrow. We also had a visit with our staff counterparts in our sister unit from the Virginia Beach area. That went relatively well, too. Plus, it's always nice to see some other familiar faces. While I was down in their neck of the woods, I ran into some other soldiers who'd gone over with us to Afghanistan, so that was cool.
I got my first little package today. It came straight from the vendor, but it had a cute little note. The gf got me some pretty cool black sheets for the bed. I'm definitely looking forward to putting those on the bed and sleeping in luxury tonight. Nothing against poncho liners, but they're meant to be somewhat water resistant and don't really breathe so well. Anyway, they're in the dryer right now, so I'll be heading over to take them out in a few minutes. Other than that, it was pretty uneventful today...which is a nice change of pace compared to the usual. Tomorrow promises to be much of the same, but I do have some big meetings lined up and we have a company formation run in the morning. I like those because you get to sing cadences. We don't do that as often when we do PT as a small section. That's all I've got though. Until next time...
25 July 2007 0847 EDT
Oh, he also gave me a homework assignment, something he wanted me to have complete by our next formalized counseling session in three months. Strangely enough, it was an enjoyable enough assignment, I stayed up for a while working on it so that I could use it as an example when I counseled my own LT. It made me think a bit when I was working it, trying to balance personal and family goals with civilian education goals and military career gols. Anyway, you can take a look if you're interested. MTF
23 July 2007 2021 EDT
22 July 2007 2330 EDT
I wish I had more to talk about, but that's pretty much it. Just a lot of talking today, and not so much tangible product. I did push Roo's promotion packet up again, and I've got Drew's waiting to push tomorrow. With some luck, I'll have gotten nearly 20% of our OCS class promoted to Captain by fall. Tonight will be pretty relaxing. I'm about to turn in and we'll have a nice long run in the morning when we have my section form up at 0530 for PT. And since I pushed all of my guys through commo training today, we'll actually have some time to get some work done in the office tomorrow. It looks promising for now, at least. MTF
21 July 2007 0905 EDT
Anyway, the reason I bring that up is that I had an opportunity to sleep in until 0700h this morning, shower, shave, and change into a fresh set of ACUs after sweating my butt off during the last few days at combatives and land nav. Let me tell you, I feel like a brand new man. Granted, I slept in too late to catch breakfast this morning, but I did save a pumpkin flavored pound cake package from my MRE yesterday, which I ate at my desk while typing this entry.
It's time to get started though. I've taken enough time off already, and there's plenty of paperwork waiting for me today. Oh, I almost forgot...I got the best letter in the mail yesterday, written during family lunch last Saturday. Everyone took turns writing a paragraph or so to me, and it made me feel like I was back home again when I read it. Thanks, guys.
20 July 2007 2248 EDT
The other thing I was somewhat proud of myself for was when I went to the XO for some advice. I've been having a little trouble working with a couple of commanders the last few days and just needed some help with resolving some issues. It's tough when you're working with your peers and there are so many competing priorities. Sometimes, you just don't get anywhere. There's actually a phrase that some of the lower enlisted use when they talk about captains working together. You see, the rank insignia for a captain resembles train tracks, so the saying usually describes what happens when two train tracks meet...usually not something good. But yeah, he went ahead and intervened where I wasn't making any progress, and I think we did what was best for the welfare of the soldiers in the battalion. In the end, that's what gets me through the day.
The rest of the day was spent with land navigation. Actually, it started with a 0230h wake-up for a 0300h formation for 0315h bus pick-up for a 0330h class which started closer to 0430h after the two hundred+ soldiers went through the line for clearing their weapons and signing in on the class roster. Anyway, some notable periods of instruction (without going into secret stuff) include how to fold a map (no joke) and how to orient a map, which the instructor continued to pronounce "orientate." That aside, we played around with the military GPS and found twelve points on the final course, combination mounted/dismounted in teams of five soldiers. The best part was that our group finished nearly a half hour before anyone else. Yes, we were that good.
That's all I've got though. Tomorrow is almost a day off for the company, which is good considering our tempo this last week. I'll probably sleep in and come in to the office around 0700 or 0800 though. I'll just use it as a bit of a catch-up day since we've got a couple of briefs we need to put together and some other things I haven't been able to address while away at training for most of the week. Sounds like a fun start to the weekend, right? The Chaplain actually pulled me aside for a minute after dinner today to make sure I was gonna get some rest. He said it jokingly but was genuine in intent, I think. I like him a lot, and I even found out that he's an earth science teacher on civilian side, too, so bonus there. Plus, when everyone was picking on me for the movies I hadn't seen, he admitted to missing out on a lot of it too. Enough about that though. It's time for sleep, and one of the E7s mentioned to me that I have a letter waiting on my pillow when I get back to the hooch. MTF
19 July 2007 1953 EDT
That was today. We came back and cleaned up and just tried to relax for the rest of the afternoon. Of course, my idea of relaxing is sitting in front of my computer and doing work. Go figure. Tomorrow morning, we start at 0300h for land navigation. That should take up most of the day, and we will be released just in time for the command and staff meeting tomorrow night. Let me tell you...I'm really looking forward to this weekend. Oh, wait...
18 July 2007 1953 EDT
I don't know...there's something about events like the gas chamber that brings people together. In the Army, I think there are quite a few events that do this. Aside from your big field exercises, things like PT tests, road marches, waiting in line for six hours...stuff like that. It's strange how experiences like that will pull you together. Speaking of which, I need to wrap up so I can get ready for our first road march since getting down here. We're starting off easy, with practically no extra weight and only going three miles. And then tomorrow morning, we start combatives, the Army's version of grappling. MTF
17 July 2007 1926 EDT
Today, we went through some "warrior" training, and I got a little dirty crawling around in the mud. I practiced probing for mines and throwing fake hand grenades, too...which would have been a lot of fun had I not been thinking about sitting in front of my computer in my air conditioned office and doing paperwork the whole time. Isn't that sad? I think it's about time for me to turn in my cross-rifles and resign myself to the fact that I will be a paper pusher for this next year. In all honesty, I've been a paper pusher for a while now, and I probably have somewhat of a future in this arena. I wouldn't complain if I had one more shot at glory before I settle down behind a desk, but I'm sure my family and gf probably prefer it this way.
15 July 2007 2143 EDT
Other than that, it was a relatively relaxing day. Most of the shop was able to go down for a few hours during our 1230-1530 time, but I was up working a few slides and notes for our BN meeting. It was a little difficult staying up with the medication I was taking, but it didn't hurt that I've actually had over six hours of sleep for two of the last three days. Not bad, huh? I'll try to make it three by going to bed early tonight as well. Tomorrow will be full of classes and meetings. Wish me luck.
14 July 2007 2148 EDT
Anyway, today was relatively uneventful. It started off with a good workout, though, as we went for about 3.5-4 miles as a section. The chaplain and his assistant jumped in with our shop too, so that was cool. Other than that, we drew our chemical suits (or JSLIST for Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology) and my shop spent most of the day working pay issues with the finance team that came down from Virginia this weekend. With some luck, we'll have all of the fixes in place so that our soldiers will have their issues resolved by the end of the month.
It's off to bed, though. Tomorrow, we start at 0530h with some language training. MTF
13 July 2007 2053 EDT
During morning PT, CPT Louie received multiple ant bites to his left arm; he continued PT, but later complained of having numbness in his face and extremities. Soldier left formation to take a shower. Upon return from shower, CPT Louie stated he felt light headed, had facial numbness and tingling. Emergency vehicle responded at 0600 hrs. CPT Louie was transported to Forest General Hosp at 0615 along with 1LT Forrest, his battle buddy.
To add some more detail, it was approximately 50 ant bites to my left arm when I finally got the chance to count on my way home from the hospital. I tried to suck it up to finish PT, but I was going crazy with the scratching because it felt like there were little somethings crawling all over my body. Eventually, I told the first sergeant that I just had to leave. I thought taking a shower would help wash the suckers off; but after about half a minute in the shower, I started getting dizzy. I stopped and dried myself somewhat before trying to put on my shorts. But it took nearly a minute as I was starting to get disoriented. Seriously, I was sitting there on the bench and trying to stick my foot in the hole, but I kept on missing. After I got that done, I made the mistake at looking at myself in the mirror. My mouth and jaw started numbing up like I was at the dentist, and I just wanted to check to see if it looked just as bad. It was. My face was just all distorted like I'd been in a fight, and my LT said later said that he thought I'd been crying or something. Anyway, no pictures to share, but I was looking pretty ugly.
So I rushed out the door as I started to panic a little. I wasn't sure anymore about ant bites, and I'm starting to think I may have been bitten by something worse. My vision started to go, too, as everything started to get snowy, like when you're watching tv and the reception is bad. Anyway, I barely make it back to the barracks without falling over and practically ran into one of the sergeants there, asking him for some assistance. At that point, he sat me down and helped call an ambulance to take me away. They ended up starting an IV and stuck me with some antihistamines and steroids. Within an hour or so, everything started to get better and I even got to take a little bit of a nap...so all in all, not too bad of an experience. At least it gave me something to blog about today.
12 July 2007 2213 EDT
12 July 2007 2151 EDT
I forgot to mention a few interesting developments from yesterday when we completed our mask T/I. Basically, they had us nodding and shaking our heads with our masks on to make sure there was a good seal. It wasn't a difficult task...just a little time-consuming with all of the waiting in line in an open bay without A/C!!! I know. I'm getting soft here. But seriously, it's getting hot. Today was 99 degrees with about 40% humidity. It just started to rain again a few minutes ago too. There must be two or three pop-up rain showers every day.
Anyway, as we were waiting in line for the mask T/I, we somehow got to talking about a conversation from the previous night when the commander and the XO were making references to a movie, and I had to finally give in and ask what they were referencing. It turned out, they were quoting from the Blues Brothers. I freely admitted that I never saw the movie, and was ribbed for it just a tad. So anyway, the next day, the topic came up while we were in line and CPT K decided that he would survey everyone in the staff to compile a list of about twenty essential movies that I would be required to watch during our deployment. I'm not opposed to the plan; but I honestly don't have the time right now. Interestingly enough, the gf had sat me down to watch a few that would have otherwise been on the list, to include the Goonies and the Lost Boys. Others that made the list were: Animal House, Porky's, Cannonball Run, Risky Business, Silver Streak, Blazing Saddles, and a couple of Monty Python movies. The list itself, I think grew to about 40 movies or so, but I can't remember it all here.
Tomorrow looks to be relatively promising. We'll do some PT as a section to start off the day and then work pay issues for the rest. We've got a few other big pieces moving, so it will definitely be busy. Can't wait.
11 July 2007 2231 EDT
One thing that looks bad is the fact that only two people in my section passed their PT test yesterday, myself and my LT. The rest of the guys missed passing the run by 20 seconds up to a few minutes. I have to take the hit for that. Granted, you have to weigh your priorities; and everything else was sitting a little higher than PT these last few weeks...even for me. But now that we've gotten into a bit of a rhythm, we'll start working out more, even if it means cutting down on the hours we man the shop, as much as I hate to do that.
10 July 2007 2345 EDT
This evening, after the day was about over, the XO mentioned that he had a chance to read my blog today. I forwarded him the address to him yesterday when he inquired about it, but didn't know it he would read it. A few others have mentioned it here and there, but I don't get a lot of comments about it around here. I think most people read it for a few days and then forget about it. There was a point during the last deployment when a few of my soldiers started reading it, but traffic kinda tapered off as the deployment came to a close and I went back to life as a civilian. The same goes with students. I don't know how many of them still keep up with this, but it's nice to get a hello every once in a while.
Anyway, the rest of the day was relatively uneventful except for a pretty big summer lightning storm. The power went out in a couple of buildings...so that meant no A/C!!! I know, life is rough down here in Mississippi. We spent some time in a brief on the Rules of Engagement, and the rest was pretty routine. Tomorrow, we'll probably knock out a few tasks in the morning, and then it'll be back in the shop to take care of our normal issues. I think we've got a pretty good rhythm going now...not too many surprises and not as many huge emergencies. I know I'm jinxing myself by saying that, but oh well. That's it for tonight, though. The boss said that I needed to make sure I called Anna more, so I'd better get going before it gets too late.
10 July 2007 0930 EDT
09 July 2007 2230 EDT
Other than that, my day consisted of a long morning meeting followed by a few, relatively simple, but big payoff tasks to finish off the afternoon. Sadly, the one I was most proud of was refilling the latrines with toilet paper. I feel like I made a few dozen people very happy after dinner tonight. Anyway, I need to get some sleep before the PT test in the morning. My boss just stopped by to remind me to go to bed, so I think I'll follow suit.
08 July 2007 2335 EDT
So we got back into the barracks area and I snuck off to give myself a haircut before getting too involved with the office work. From there, I snuck back to the barracks to get a half hour nap during the Sunday stand-down before lining up for a short class on clearing weapons properly and then jumping on a bus back to the 9mm range.
I was kinda excited since it was my first time firing the pistol, but I was a little worried too. Anyway, the anxiety didn't keep me from napping all the way out to the range. I ended up scoring 18/30 on the day course, 3/4 with the protective mask, and 4/4 on the night fire. It wasn't the best score, but not bad considering I had a couple of jams. During the first five rounds of practice fire, I ended up knocking down six targets though. I was pretty proud of myself for that. But yeah, between day and night fire, I snuck in another half-hour nap while insects crawled all over me, and I had a beef ravioli MRE. Yum.
Since getting back from the range, it's been shower and laundry. My guys did a good job of wrapping up loose ends while I was away at the range - one of them even did such a good job, the BC gave him a battalion coin. So I came back, and there was barely anything left for me to do. Tomorrow will be rather light. I'll do some PT on my own in the morning before heading off to some meetings. Other than that, it'll be a normal day at the office. I don't know if it's good or bad, but I'm actually looking forward to that. MTF
08 July 2007 0030 EDT
The class itself was pretty good. I'd never actually fired the M9 before, so I learned a few things in the 2+ hours and I got an expert rating on the simulation...not a big accomplishment. Anyway, I walked back from that class and then hitched a ride back out to the M4 range to catch up with my qualification there. The next few hours were filled with periods of alternating rain and hot while I zeroed my weapon and my M68 optic; then I went over to the qual range after that. Not too bad in the end. I scored 31/40 on the day qual, 20/20 with my protective mask on, and 28/30 on the night fire. It wasn't my best performance, but I still did better than everyone else in my shop...which is a good thing because I'm supposed to be infantry and they're admin guys. If they did better than me, I'm not sure if I would ever have heard the end of it.
Anyway, about a half hour until midnight here and I've got about six hours to clean up and get ready to head out to the M9 qualification range tomorrow. I'm a little sad because my phone battery is pretty much shot from the day; but other than that, it's been a pretty good day. I'm definitely looking forward to my three hours off tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.
06 July 2007 2211 EDT
Anyway, it was a busy day with a couple of congressional inquiries and Red Cross messages flying back and forth for soldiers whose families are going through some emergencies. In the end, all of that falls into our lane...along with the incredible amount of mail that's already flowing through here, finance and pay issues, manning, promotions, evaluation reports, etc.
Our meeting tonight ran a little longer than expected. In fact, the DFAC was closed by the time we were done, but they were nice enough to let us take away all of the leftovers to eat in the TOC. Of course, that led to a staff discussion about why the meeting went so long and what we can do to streamline the process. To be honest, I felt somewhat responsible. My part - which I honestly expected to take about five minutes total - ended up taking closer to twenty when all of the various questions were asked. It was about pay issues though...it was high on the Commander's priority list and it's all about soldier care. So I don't know. We have another big meeting on Sunday, and I'm gonna try my best to clear everything up beforehand so that it runs smoothly. We'll see how it goes.
04 July 2007 0445 EDT
Today was practically Christmas. I mean, besides the 100+ degree heat index due to the 80% humidity, I was fine. Our only training objective today was to stand in line in order to fill a bag and a box full of really cool stuff, including a new helmet, a couple of pairs of boots, hats, four sets of new uniforms, gloves, moisture wicking shirts, etc. A little later, I was even allowed to draw my body armor...which we'll be required to wear along with our weapons starting tomorrow. Actually, I'd probably be asleep right now, if that didn't require me to push a box and a duffle bag off my bed.
Tonight was a late but productive night. Almost my whole shop was up here working various issues intil about 0130 or so. We knocked out a big majority of our to-do list so that we could enjoy the 4th off. I know you probably don't believe that I'll take any time off tomorrow, but I really need to a) do some laundry, b) get a haircut, and c) play with all of my new stuff.
Anyway, I think I'm getting to the point where I can barely stay awake typing. MTF...
01 July 2007 1555 EDT
I didn't update last night as it was near 0100h when I wrapped up and I ended up giving a call to the gf instead. I think she's been a little sad that I'd updated the last few nights and only ended up spending maybe ten minutes on the phone with her over the same period. What can I say?
Anyway, quick recap of yesterday's training was basically nine straight hours of powerpoint presentations for operations in theater. One of the instructors was extremely animated and gave a number of great classes. The funniest moment came when he was talking about the law of war and said how detainees will be treated humanely as if they were one of our own soldiers...to which one of our sergeants major replied, "I guess we won't feed them for two nights," providing commentary on how they ran out of hot chow two nights in a row over at the FOB.
The battalion came out of the FOBs and into the garrison area this morning though. I think that'll help a lot with accountability...or at least connectivity. What it doesn't help with, however, is the inventory at the local P/X. I haven't been there yet, but I've already heard rumors of everything being sold out...which makes sense considering how we had a few hundred people moving in out of the field today. Luckily, my guys squared me away with some toothpaste, shampoo, detergent, and a big fancy yellow surge protector. Now, if only I can get some time to brush, shower, and do my laundry. That'll come next.
30 June 2007 0249 EDT
Today was interesting to say the least. It started off as innocently as any...going to bed around 0100h only to wake up about four hours later. We've had minor incidents every night requiring us to submit reports because of people being evac'ed to the hospital. Don't worry...nothing serious. I mean, we haven't really started training yet. We've just been doing paperwork and in-processing. But we've already had bites and pains and sprains and whatnot.
Anyway, we get up way early in the morning to get over to the medical processing facility. With about 300 of us needing to go through today, it was not an easy task. What I started at 0600h today ended some time around 1800h. Luckily for me, I was out putting out fires for a majority of the time, and only had to wait in line for about six hours today. The worst part was the end when we waited in line for about three hours in order to get through the last two stations. It was just painful because of the musical chairs and having to get up and down and up and down. It's hard to explain...but I guess waiting in line is one of the biggest staples of the Army.
Highlight of the day probably goes to my first Anthrax shot. It really took me by surprise. The guy said that it wasn't going to feel like anything at first but then it was going to start burning. So I waited a second after he finished the shot and dismissed his warning when I didn't feel a thing...thinking about how hard I was. And then it hit me. It was like a pool of acid just burning my shoulder. Interesting stuff. I can't wait until my 2nd and 3rd and 4th and 5th follow up shots. I'll be ready this time around.
Anyway, it's off to bed for me now. Before I go, I did want to thank the gf and Thuy for the e-mails these last few days. I've barely had time to read them, but it made me smile to see something non-Army in my inbox. I wonder who will send me my first snail mail letter though...hmmm...*hint* *hint*
29 June 2007 0104 EDT
Seriously, though, there were some entertaining moments throughout the day. In one of the first briefs, a major mentioned the fact that it only takes three days to obtain a marriage license in the state of Mississippi. I was seated next to MAJ Z, so we just turned to look at each other and I feigned taking notes as I shook my wrist to show off what the staff has dubbed "the engagement watch." During lunch as well, I think there was some added discussion about the watch and the 85% story. I'm glad I can keep everyone amused.
Then actually, I was able to get out of the last little bit of the briefings because the higher ups back in Virginia seemed not so happy about some things and my colonel requested my immediate presence at the BN CP (Battalion command post). It took about two hours or so after that and a few calls to Virginia before we ironed everything out, and then it was off to meetings and more paperwork.
Anyway, I did tell MAJ Z that I would go to sleep by midnight tonight, so I'd better hurry up. As always, MTF.
28 June 2007 0035 EDT
So let's start with a recap. Yesterday's farewell ceremony ended and we left Shenandoah University escorted by a couple of police cars all the way to the Dulles Toll Road. That was kinda cool, not having to wait at any red lights. I mean, it seemed like it was more dangerous than anything else, but it made you feel important, you know? Oh, and when we got on the bus, it was like Martin Season 1 playing. I don't know if it was on purpose or not, but it definitely made it harder for you to cry with Shenanay screaming in the background. Anyway, from there, we parked in the Dulles cargo lot for a few hours until word of our flight came in. Then it was a two hour flight from there down to Gulfport, and then another hour and a half bus ride to Shelby. During each of those legs of the trip, I probably got an hour or so of broken sleep.
When we hit the ground at Shelby, we went straight into a urinalysis. By that time, it was around 3 or 4 in the morning and we even had to wait another hour or two before we could get in line to pee because of the unit in front of us. I was a little nervous because I was pretty dehydrated and I peed on the bus too. But my tester...or "meat-gazer" like we like to call them...was a sergeant I'd known from the previous deployment and it all worked out for the better. We went from there to waiting for another hour or so as we unpacked the baggage and then it was off to sleep. For me, it must've been around 5 or 6. I took a little bit of time to set up before having to take a shower just because of the sheer nastiness that I was feeling.
I knew I had a meeting at 1000h the next morning, so I went to bed around 0630 with the impression that I would get a solid three hours of sleep before getting started. How wrong I was. One of my sergeants stopped by around 0800 with the first issues from the morning. I had to make a few phone calls with my new issued cell phone (I didn't know how to work the PTT yet). And then I tried to go back to sleep before getting woken up by two more phone calls nearly back-to-back. By the time 0830 hit, I gave up on the whole sleep thing and packed up to head into the office for my first day. About 16 hours later and I'm still here. MTF