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09/11/2009: "The New Adventure..."
So, I've been here for a few days, and they have been busy. I've been inprocessing the installation (letting all of the various agencies know that I am here, and making sure they take care of me), and have poked my head in at my new unit so that they know that I am really here now (they've known I've been coming since January) and talking with them, so that they can decide what exactly they're going to do with me.
In addition to the scheduled stuff, there's the stuff that I have to take care of on my own, like finding a place to live. Not usually terribly difficult, but one of the larger units on base just returned from deployment, so the housing market just got flooded with customers, so there's not much that is open until next month. I just tossed my name in the hat at one place, and am hoping that I get good news tomorrow on that.
Also, I had a little bit of an adventure just getting a temporary place to stay with all of the redeployments, the post temporary lodging facility was pretty much booked up, so for a couple of days I didn't know if I would have a place to stay the next day. Luckily, after a couple of days of that I managed to get booked for the full time that I'm authorized to stay here, and if i do manage to get the apartment that I'm looking at, then I will be authorized to stay here a little longer to cover the time until I can move, and the redeployments (and bookings for this place) will hopefully have slowed down to where I can stay here, not have to find another hotel.
That is the hope, at least.
The other challenge is getting done what needs to be done to make sure my truck doesn't freeze over the winter - getting engine block heater, battery blanket, etc. The place on post is booked up for a couple of months, and places off post charge a lot more... looks like I might just have to pony up the extra bucks to get it done off post. Ugh. But at least it will get done before my truck decides it hates me because I can't plug it in at night.
In other news...
Although it sometimes gets a little confused, my GPS is definitely one of the greatest things I could have ever gotten. Because of it I managed to find the local Wal-Mart (very important) and the local Barnes & Noble (even more important). And, even if I just start driving randomly, I can always find my way back to post. It is so nice to not have to worry about getting lost, and not trying to read a map while driving.
Weather so far has been frosty overnight/early morning, warming up into the 60's by afternoon. I've been told that this is Indian Summer. One of the people inprocessing with me is being very negative about the entire idea of cold. Most of the other ones are at least able to find something that might be good - one guy has a snowboard on the way, another was talking about the joys of snowmobiling, stuff like that.
Although, several people who have spent at least one winter have brought up the fact that since it is such an extreme, dry, cold, one cannot even make a proper snowball unless you use your hands to melt the outside, allowing the snow to actually stick. Which could get kindof annoying, especially for kids - my sponsor was talking about how her daughter was rather upset by the uncooperative nature of the snow. That will definitely be different.
-Amanda