Seems like I’m spending a lot of my life doing this! Anyway, I ran all over today and got all my pre-training errands done. All the non-Air Force ones, that is. Technically, I should be traveling today–as it is, I’m going to drive all the way up to New Jersey tomorrow, which will necessitate me leaving at some horrific hour in the morning. Sigh. Too bad I didn’t get things done with more time to drive!
It took me two days of blood, sweat and tears to get all my AF errands done for this training. It didn’t help that it’s all mixed up with my deployment paperwork. I did eventually track down all the critical equipment, got my medical clearance signed (which meant an appointment and an, oh, by the way, you’re overdue on your pap smear so let’s just do it right now–good to get it out of the way for my deployment, but . . . ugh), got my GOV drivers’ license, and lots of other paperwork signed, and I think (fingers crossed) that’s all of it. Anyway, I’ve gotten what I could do done.
Man, when I get back from this training (at the beginning of October), it’s just going to be more of that, times ten. Because then I’ll be getting immunizations (smallpox and anthrax shots, anyone?), doing even more paperwork, and getting all the desert-specific equipment issued to me. What doesn’t help is that the orders that I finally arm-twisted out of the readiness flight now aren’t valid . . . apparently, since it’s October and part of the new fiscal year, the fund cite that’s on them isn’t good. I have to have a new ‘07 funding citation put on them, but oh, by the way, Congress isn’t going to sign the Department of Defense budget into action until sometime in October. “What, October 1st?” asked the airman who was wrestling with Finance about this on my behalf. “Oh, no, it’ll be later than that,” the finance officer said. “Maybe a week or two later . . . ” Which is all well and good except I need those orders to get the stuff done that I need to have in place, and I have to leave here around the 20th in order to be in place in time . . . Arrrrgh! Actually, for all it’s a headache, I figure it’ll all work out. I’ll probably be running around like a crazy person at the last minute, trying to sort things out, but really, since when is that new? 
So, today was a bit of a hassle, but this was all brought on by my own airheadedness. I was doing my shopping for all the supplies that I was going to need for this training (the ones I needed to provide), and I picked up three sets of DVDs: Lost, Desperate Housewives, and Grey’s Anatomy. These are going to be deployment entertainment in the few spare hours that I have, played on my laptop. Anyway, in all the rush to get all my bags, I managed to leave that bag up at the counter . . . and then didn’t realize it until I was sorting out my stuff about two hours later. I ran back to Wal-Mart and the sweet lady who’d been there at the checkout counter was just getting ready to leave and leaving a note for the person after her to give me the stuff that I’d left. Apparently she, the man who was in line after me, and several other people that she’d enlisted had combed the parking lot for me when I left the first time . . . but all to no avail because I left out the back (I’d brought my car in for an oil change).
Anyway, it was a moment of panic but also, on the other side of it, a reminder of how wonderful people can be. I feel so blessed to have had a bunch of people trying to look out for me like that!
OK, I shouldn’t write much more because I really do have to pack, if I’m going to get any sleep at all tonight before heading out at 0-dark-30 tomorrow. (I also need to print out driving directions.)
I’m going to try to keep updating things here, but I have no idea what my Internet connectivity status is likely to be for the next two weeks. If worst comes to worst, I’ll write up a bunch of entries on my laptop and upload them all once I get back. So if you don’t hear from me in a while, this is why. So, wish me luck (or pray for me) as I drive up to NJ tomorrow and embark upon 2 weeks of “contingency skills training”!
Posted by Kjirstin 
