Three Down . . .
We're nearing the halfway point of my deployment & – as mentioned by my better half – it couldn't come during a better month! Just in case it's slipped your mind, let me recap the May 2010 Causes for Celebration (in chronological order):
As for how the deployment has been going these past months, there's not terribly much to report. When comparing that to a “standard” deployment, though, that's a very good thing! Rather than concerning myself with personal safety, my biggest problem thus far has only been dealing with an inscrutable lodging staff.
(*** Feel free to skip ahead three paragraphs if you're not in the mood for a rambling rant . . . ***)
For the first couple months of my time down here, the weather was decently pleasant, to the point that it didn't much bother me that my room's A/C never seemed to kick on. That changed as the weather began to turn warmer & more humid; ceiling fans work passably well in combating heat, but are rather worthless at drying the air! So one phone call & a visit from a CE sergeant later, I discover that my room's A/C had leaked out all of its refrigerant & I would have to temporarily vacate the room while it gets fixed. Were the situation to have remained that simple. I didn't mind one bit having to stay at the local Hampton Inn for a few days: their beds & bedding are the comfiest The Mrs. & I have yet to find, & I was quite looking forward to having a reliably strong & fast Wi-Fi connection for a change! And if my “inconvenience” was to ensure that my room was comfortable upon my return, so be it!
No, the problem started on the day I was to begin what I thought was my temporary move; the base inn required that I completely vacate the room. I had only packed a simple overnight bag with the few provisions I'd need for the next few days, & now I was being told to pack it all up! I tried reasoning with the woman on duty, but it was quite clear that she didn't feel the need to concern herself with understanding the situation: her system said I was “checking out”, therefore the room must be completely empty. Never mind that I was to return to the exact same room that could not be occupied by another customer in the meantime (as CE repaired the HVAC); no, the room needed to be cleaned out & readied for the next occupant. Me. Or so I thought.
Yes, even that didn't happen as I was led to believe it would. Upon the expiration of my reservation at the Hampton Inn, I called the base inn's front desk to check on my room's progress & was informed that it was indeed ready. Fantastic! I would've preferred to have been contacted when that was the case rather than have had to be proactive myself, but in any case my room was ready for my return. Only it wasn't. Without explanation I was told they had to change my reservation to another room. Were it not an identical room only a few doors down from my original room in the same building, believe me I'd have been talking to supervisors' supervisors doing all I could to be granted permission to live off base. Way off base. (Title line!)
(*** End rant ***)
Wow. I think that's quite enough ranting for one post! Apparently I needed to get that out again, even after having done so right after the fact (thank you, darling, for putting up with me then!). So, back to the point at hand then, shall we?
I'm nearly half-done with the first deployment of my career, my fabulous wife will be joining me shortly for the myriad celebrations before the month's out, &, aside from the deceptively minor problem with lodging, all is going well down here (I even got to see the Thunderbirds last weekend)!
- The Mrs. coming for a visit
- My birthday
- The Mrs. coming for a visit
- Making it halfway through the deployment
- The Mrs. coming for a visit
- Our first anniversary
- The Mrs. coming for a visit
- Promotion to Captain
- The Mrs. coming for a visit
As for how the deployment has been going these past months, there's not terribly much to report. When comparing that to a “standard” deployment, though, that's a very good thing! Rather than concerning myself with personal safety, my biggest problem thus far has only been dealing with an inscrutable lodging staff.
(*** Feel free to skip ahead three paragraphs if you're not in the mood for a rambling rant . . . ***)
For the first couple months of my time down here, the weather was decently pleasant, to the point that it didn't much bother me that my room's A/C never seemed to kick on. That changed as the weather began to turn warmer & more humid; ceiling fans work passably well in combating heat, but are rather worthless at drying the air! So one phone call & a visit from a CE sergeant later, I discover that my room's A/C had leaked out all of its refrigerant & I would have to temporarily vacate the room while it gets fixed. Were the situation to have remained that simple. I didn't mind one bit having to stay at the local Hampton Inn for a few days: their beds & bedding are the comfiest The Mrs. & I have yet to find, & I was quite looking forward to having a reliably strong & fast Wi-Fi connection for a change! And if my “inconvenience” was to ensure that my room was comfortable upon my return, so be it!
No, the problem started on the day I was to begin what I thought was my temporary move; the base inn required that I completely vacate the room. I had only packed a simple overnight bag with the few provisions I'd need for the next few days, & now I was being told to pack it all up! I tried reasoning with the woman on duty, but it was quite clear that she didn't feel the need to concern herself with understanding the situation: her system said I was “checking out”, therefore the room must be completely empty. Never mind that I was to return to the exact same room that could not be occupied by another customer in the meantime (as CE repaired the HVAC); no, the room needed to be cleaned out & readied for the next occupant. Me. Or so I thought.
Yes, even that didn't happen as I was led to believe it would. Upon the expiration of my reservation at the Hampton Inn, I called the base inn's front desk to check on my room's progress & was informed that it was indeed ready. Fantastic! I would've preferred to have been contacted when that was the case rather than have had to be proactive myself, but in any case my room was ready for my return. Only it wasn't. Without explanation I was told they had to change my reservation to another room. Were it not an identical room only a few doors down from my original room in the same building, believe me I'd have been talking to supervisors' supervisors doing all I could to be granted permission to live off base. Way off base. (Title line!)
(*** End rant ***)
Wow. I think that's quite enough ranting for one post! Apparently I needed to get that out again, even after having done so right after the fact (thank you, darling, for putting up with me then!). So, back to the point at hand then, shall we?
I'm nearly half-done with the first deployment of my career, my fabulous wife will be joining me shortly for the myriad celebrations before the month's out, &, aside from the deceptively minor problem with lodging, all is going well down here (I even got to see the Thunderbirds last weekend)!
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