More random verbiage

I forgot a couple of things on the "Things we miss" list:
- real silverware (i.e., not plastic)
- real plates
- commercials -- (Really!) -- Armed Forces Network is commercial-free, but they fill the spaces with horrible public-service announcements, reminders about regulations, and strange little publicity spots for various commands. They are annoying/tacky/poorly produced to the point we would actually like to hear commercials.

Like I said before, the heat is on. A few days over 110 so far. Walking around post takes the energy right out of you. And, as noted before, the dust is ever-present. But, it's better to have the wind blowing -- any relief is helpful. The heat also takes its toll on equipment. One of our sensors has a temperature limit, and we get close to that sometimes. Also, if the air conditioning fails in the aircraft, the temperature inside can exceed 100, even at 9,000 feet. That leads to equipment shutting down unexpectedly -- not a good thing when you are trying to keep eyes on something important.

We are doing OK with our schedule, although we are flying so much we are running into some limits imposed on flight time over a 30-day period. We got a few more people, and more are coming each month, so the workload should diminish. Of course, until then, we will not have much variety in our days. Not that we would anyway, but flying is a stressor and any changes help.

One more note about things -- and I think this situation is illustrative of how things go here. So, we are supposed to get a Morale, Welfare, and recreation facility right in our living area. This would have phones and a bunch of internet stations, nice and close to our living quarters, and would help reduce the wait times to get access. We have been waiting, and hearing it was about to open, and that there was a delay, and so on. Well, they thought it would be able to open up last week. Well, no, they couldn't do it -- because whoever wired the trailer assumed it would have laptop computers, with a lower overall power demand. But, whoever ordered the computers ordered desktops. Whoever inspects these things (Fire Dept.? KBR?) requires re-wiring. But, they want it to be someone certified (probably a KBR employee). This would take weeks to get scheduled and have it happen. Or, we have a soldier who is capable/qualified to re-wire it, and it could happen quickly. Well, the KBR people/inspectors would have to get some kind of waiver . . . and so it goes.

The aggravation for me stems from the fact that the risks they obsess over relative to the risks many folks here face seem downright insignificant and petty. Maybe someone is justifying their high-paying civilian job here, or maybe someone lacks the guts to plunge ahead and take responsibility (which is what leaders should do). The result is that something that could really boost morale is denied to the troops.