Preston and I said our vaya con Dios earlier this evening. "Fair winds and following seas" was appropriate for Navy partings. This Army thing seems to always have me stumbling for the right word or acronym or nomenclature. The wait is over.
I'm putting my watch back on at midnight tonight after a year or so hiatus. I will set it to near Afghani time. "Near" in that Afghani time is 10.5 hours faster and I want to at least be able to look at the minute hand in East coast time. So either 10 or 11 hours faster. I'll use it as a reminder to think and pray for PHS and all the troops serving there. I still don't have the 550 cord wrist band, so the watch will do the same in a more personal way.
Today my old friend and fellow bike rider, John Payne called. I had been teaching a class in pediatrics for the FD in the morning but had some time available before I had to be at the Temple doing preps for the Annual Inspection. Anyway, we both had a little time to waste so we watched his DVRecorded "Restrepo"; the National Geograhic's movie following an Army platoon in Southern Afghanistan. The movie revolves around "OutPost Restrepo" in an area between where John's son, J. Sayre, has been since early summer and where Preston will soon be. "Restrepo" is a gutsy, cinema verite´ look at the platoon for a year. I recommend it, though it's not for kids or the faint of heart.
Sayre, Preston and Parker were raised together and are still closer than many brothers. Sayre had the distinction of being the only kid around that could handle both the twins, together. That is, he and they could play, wrestle or just mess around without the situation becoming a two-on-one, in any combination. Pres and Sayre are both married now to beautiful women, serving as Army officers following ROTC at OU and OSU, respectively. Sayre serves as an infantry platoon leader of a heavy weapons crew. Preston as an Engineer in charge of an IED road clearance team. Both are Army Rangers on the tip of the spearhead or in harm's way as we used to say in Navtalk.
Parker was to board a plane in NYC but was held up for a later flight, arriving in C'bus around 1730. The fresh 1" of snow wasn't an issue today, but it may keep him from doing a planned shoot of a falconer chap in Huron near Lake Erie on Saturday. Incidently, he told me of this shoot just a few minutes after I had returned from the cabin and "chicken duty"... 3 eggs today! On the way out I spotted a young adult Bald Eagle in a tree across the creek. I had stopped the car to walk back to get a pic but he spooked when I neared... I snapped a fuzzy shot, maybe next time.
Last night at work was a typical East end tour. Multiple calls after midnight (3-4 ?), spaced out to insure no more than one hour's continuously uninterupted sleep. Still, we had lots of laughs and a couple of life saving calls for the day. That makes it worth the "gomer" runs. Several good people were in the ER and I was able to visit with two old friends; one from Carlisle Hill and one from the Lodge. Breakfast and lunch were eaten in various stages of microwave states. We all pieced around for supper. On the weekends we tend to cook a little more often.
Issues at the Temple today (aside from the preps). Emergent electrical work in the Red Room on the lighting reostat discs, which are OLD style theater lighting models. I had them rebuilt last summer but last night's practice team reported a hot smell emitting from near them. Bad news! NO solution today. I will run them in test mode tomorrow AM well before the Inspection. Tonight, during a 60 year pin presentation at an ALZ facility to Harley Thomas (who I relieved as building manager only four years ago), I got a call from a second floor tenant. She had inadvertantly locked herself out and I had to break in to her apartment as she had the dead bolt on safe when she went out earlier. One hour later, after being on a frozen fire escape, out in the cold, I head home and recuperate with a diet Coke™ (not a single malt). Shortly afterward, SPS and CKS are in bed and I get to retreat to the iMac, my head phones and this blog.
The snow should bring at least a two hour school delay in the AM. SPS will enjoy playing on the organ in the Blue Room as I test the Red Room lights. Evan will get off work for the evening to serve as Steward for the Inspection. Looks like Cabin time will be abbrieviated as well.
Physical state: 179.5 lbs this morning. NO beers in four days. I did an hour of spin class for the first time since 2009. It was nice to spin with friends at OU-C, watching the snow come down. Seven of thetwelve riders were SVRoadies. Bringing home Hook's pizzas for dinner, there were three cars in ditches... all females driving SUVs.
It's midnight.
Two Eagle Scouts, one Bald Eagle. Flying free.
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