The Midnight Hour

After some prodding from the wife, I thought I would give some insight into my daily routine. The following timeline is only valid for days we are not on an operation. The days prior to and after an operation are also a little different, but I think this is a good approximation of how things flow.

0600- Wake-up
0601- Fumble with sleeping bag zipper until frustration necessitates kicking at it with foot. Hook zipper with big toe and tug on bag vehemently with hands. Hope for the best.
0605- Walk to the shower in the shortest, nut-hugging, olive-drab green PT shorts one can imagine.
0630- Return to trailer. Hit play on iTunes playlist. Get dressed to angry music.
0645- Done getting dressed. Put up gear and clothes left from previous night.
0700- Go to chow at the chow-hall near my trailer. Have eggs, sausage, biscuit, gravy, and hashbrown. Discard 15 ounces of eggs into trash can. Make a mug of coffee using Coffeemate non-refrigerated creamer packets taken from other chow hall.
0730- A. Return to trailer. Hit play on iTunes. Arrange/clean room. Possibly read.
B. Walk to laundry center to drop-off laundry. Return to trailer.
C. Walk to laundry center to pick-up laundry. Return to trailer.
0830- Team meets at work area. Check email. Task team appropriately for the day. Read reports about goings-on in our AO. Liaison with others to plan operations.
1200- Shift-change. Team meets again to listen to information passed during turn-over.
1300- Go to chow at the chow-hall near work with my boss and roommate. Take as many Coffeemate non-refrigerated creamers as I can stuff into my cargo pocket. Take at least 3 Crystal-Light “Peach Tea” powder packets to mix with bottled water.
1400- Return to work. See if anything new has surfaced since I left. Have team PM and otherwise improve on our gear and HMMWV if nothing has come up.
1500- Go to trailer to change into PT clothes. Sleeping roommate wakes up (works midnight to noon) and eyes me with contempt.
1520- Head towards gym.
1521- Return to trailer because I forgot my room key (on my dogtags). Roommate is even unhappier than before.
1522- Head towards gym.
1523- Return to trailer because I forgot to lock the door with my newly reacquired room key. Roommate covers head with blanket in disgust.
1524- Head towards gym, determined to complete the journey, and afraid to return to wrath of sleeping roommate.
1530- Arrive at gym. Work one muscle group.
1550- Depart gym to run.
1551- (back at trailer) Roommate plots my death in his dreams.
1625- Finished running. Walk around the camp until heart rate calms, then return to trailer. Remark at how hot it feels inside my trailer now yet how cold it will feel tonight. Ensure roommate’s pistol is still in its place. Change back into uniform.
1645- Back at work. Check emails, work on upcoming ops, etc.
1700- Send my team home if there is nothing specific to work on.
1830- Boss starts nightly internet voice chat meeting with higher headquarters and sister units. Watch him roll eyes, hang head in disgust, and sometimes remove headphones at sound of annoying voices.
1840- Boss remarks that nightly internet voice chat meeting is killing his inner child.
1855- Boss asks me to shoot him in the temple because nightly internet voice chat meeting is still not over.
1900- Meeting is finally over. Boss, me, and SNCOIC (staff non-commissioned officer in charge) go to chow.
1910- Remark at how dark it is since the moon doesn’t rise until late at night.
1920- Arrive at chow hall. Polite Ugandan soldier checks our ID and ushers us in.
1927- Sit down to eat. Remark how good the food is.
1935- Make decision on whether I have earned a crack cookie (our slang for these chocolate macadamia nut cookies that are addictive as crack).
1935:01 - Decide that I have, indeed, earned a crack cookie.
1936- Cookie, cookie, cookie!!!
1945- Exit chow hall. Remark at how blind we are because of loss of night vision while in the chow hall.
1946- Stumble into sand bag barrier. Swear loudly. Remove flashlight from pocket and use for navigation.
1955- Back at work. Think how much I would enjoy going back to my trailer, but my roommate is still asleep. Surf net, send emails, check blog.
2130- Head back to trailer. Use flashlight to find my way into sleeping bag. Curiously wonder what day of the week tomorrow is. Think of how many days will have to pass until I have been here a month. Recall the time at Rapture’s house that I rotated the jewels left instead of right and collapsed three of my stars in Hexic HD. Shudder.
2200-Asleep.