on the road again...

i have made it to my second stop...indian head,md. learning some good job specific stuff. met up w/ a few more of our group who flew out from california. since being in md, i've gone grocery shopping, washed landry, and worked out...as it turns out, i didn't get the room on the waterfront w/ a jacuzzi. instead i got a room on the second floor w/ no wifi....but, the hotel's fitness room is inop so they have a contract w/ the local Gold's Gym which is where i was able to go and get some good PT, for free. i am getting to know some of the folks here better. i met up w/ a guy named mike D who i had gotten in touch w/ prior to all of this beginning. as for the briefs, briefs and more briefs...well they didn't refer to fruit of the loom...they are a secret and i can't tell you all the 'stuff' this group has and will continue to do 'down range'. perhaps when i get back i can share some of the good and creative unclassified work our guys are doing to kick the terrorist's butts (for rizzle, no shizzle)....one part about this type of work is that it can't be put on the tv/news since that would tip off the bad guys....so instead the country is stuck w/ cnn's latest version of 'bong hits 4 jesus'....what a joke. some of the media are playing right into the bad guys hands and don't even realize it....well, nuffznuff for tonight folks. got to get up early for a live conferrence w/ troopers down range. so i'll be on the road early, drinking coffee and dodging cars....BE SAFE, sandboxrich

Lets get it started...

i have arrived at my first intermediate stop which is 'in processing'...read: redo much of the paperwork i spent the last 2-3 weeks filling out. ended up getting blood drawn and have an immunization scheduled for friday. so far i have met up w/ several others going to do a similiar job as me. this is a pretty optimistic and motivated group, ready to get on station and do some good. i will get my new uniforms (Army Combat Uniforms aka ACUs for those not in the know) this week. as you have read in my prior posting, i was going to "HAVE" to fly to my follow on training. well, chief logic has trumped navy think and i am now authorized to drive my POV ! it may seem like no big deal but it will allow me to stop at home one last time before i go to 'oz'. so kudos to the change in what i "HAVE" to do. now if i could just go back and change my taxes, i think i'll go ahead and check the box at step 1, giving $ to the federal campaign fund...lol...yeah right. anyway, i believe i have done my fair share at saving the gov't $$ by not having to pay for a plane ticket or rental car!!! i estimate it to be over $1k saved!!! perhaps if everyone did that ~300 million americans, we'd be doing pretty good. anyway, if you would like to read some of what my job will include, here is a good story i found on (***section has been removed by author to maintain integrity***) other insightful stuff...as i sign off, ummm, sign...that reminds me, i better look into signing paperwork for getting my 'tax free' pay and 'extra pays' started, hehehehe.....BE SAFE, sandboxrich

spring ahead...

here i am, tomorrow i'll check into my first intermediate training stop as i head over to the sandbox. it has been about a week since i posted last and i wanted to have some 'substance' to share on here. first, me and my wife work with a youth group out in town and we had a great 'good bye' paaaarrty on thursday night. played some tuneage and got to do what i like best, chat with the youth. the weather here has started to warm up so in the back of my mind i am thinking, hmmm if it is getting 70 degrees here, i can only image how warm it must be starting to get in the sandbox. i was hoping to get there before the temps felt like you were walking on the sun. i guess i'll just have to aclimate quickly. did some great running ~8 miles...love the run, hate the chaffing (that is another story...somewhere else). i stopped by the office that is processessing my travel and training to see what the upcoming week looked like especially since i was hoping to drive my truck to the first couple of training locations. i wanted to drive from norfolk to maryland then to south carolina, stopping on my way to socar to pick up my family in virginia and spend the last night with them in socar before i checked in and headed to the 'box'. welp, not in navy think or logic...instead it seems like i will "HAVE" to fly to maryland and then the navy will pay for me to get a rental car while there. then i will "HAVE" to fly to socar. of course doing it all this way will leave me with a day or two at each stop and nothing to really do, except collect per diem $$. ok, i did my part to cut the budget, tried to save my fair protion of the nation debt but nooo, that was not acceptable. so, i will go ahead and follow the navy logic. hopefully the only rentals available when i get to maryland are CADDYs or VETTEs...hmm that would teach them. i hope the only rooms available are suites w/ a jacuzzi in the room and water front views...yeah,right. enough rambling about that. as if losing an hour of time on the clock wasn't enough 'out of my control' happenings before i leave. i guess when they decided 'they' would switch the clocks ahead, 'they' didn't take into account it would rob me of one more hour with my wonderful wife and kids before i left. errrgghh....i guess i'll go do my taxes and set my watch. ...BE SAFE, sandboxrich.

Tick Tock...

here we are a week out from my first deployment stop (actually right next door, nmps orfolk). last week, i got a storage place for my motorcycles and put the Goldwing in, this week i'll put the VTX in storage. took my daughter to see the play mousetrap at the little theater of norfolk, it was great fun! got to do some good riding on saturday although it was a bit windy. had a great breakfast sunday morning, thank you kim. went to buy some deployment type of stuff from the nex....not sure if i will have navy desert cammies or acu s, that will determine how much 'other' stuff i buy. went to see a movie w/ my son and daughter on sunday evening, wild hogs, it was not too realistic but fairly funny (not a stitch puller though). anyway back to the here and now...Happy Birthday to my mom and sister! born on the say day...well several years apart but the same day none the less. i would like to thank the other JCCS-1 bloggers for providing a sneek peek into life in country and i encourage others to read their blogs as well.....BE SAFE, sandboxrich