As far as interesting weeks go, this one's been a doozie. I do satellite communications out here and one of the birds I shoot a massive amount of data to is having technical issues. Basically there are so many people transmitting so much data at such high power levels, that the thing is having to do a mini shut down every few hours to cool off. This makes the marines I support very irritated that my wonderful multi-million dollar system isn't working. I had to very calmly tell someone with stars on his collar that, yes, the system still works but it only works as long as the bargain bin satellite I'm shooting to continues to function. The issues have been persistent all week and finally things are getting fixed and the issues are farther apart now, but not gone away.
Fast forward to today, and the reason I want my package to arrive desperately. I haven't slept in almost three days now. In fact, in six hours, I will hit 72 hours awake. Between insomnia and installing new servers in some things, sleep has been a luxury that I can't afford. SO! I get off of my normal shift. Thank god, I can finally get some sleep. I look around, there's no one around and I pull out a cigarette and lo and behold as soon as I take that first puff, the mayor of the FOB comes around the corner and locks eyes with me smoking right in front of the tent. This is a big no-no in the first place, but everyone does it simply for the fact that we civvies liver out in the boondocks and its a pain in the rear to walk out there. So, I continue smoking my cigarette as he walks up. I mean hell, he's already seen me and its not like I can hide it. He takes down my info in his little "I'mma screw you over" book. All the while he's saying how he's going to get me kicked off of the FOB, out of Afghanistan if he can. Normally this kinda threat just rolls right off of me, but his smile, the whole time he was threatening to destroy my career over a cigarette told me he was not messing around and hates contractors enough to try. So, I suck down the rest of my cigarette and three more in the Authorized smoke area, which happens to be about 150 meters from my tent and head BACK to work to give my manager a heads up. By the time he takes care of everything and makes sure that I'm not going to be barred from the FOB, its 5pm and I need to be at work at 8pm. Sleep is just a distant wish.
So yeah, been a heck of a week. I'm really looking forward to the 902 getting here so I don't have to hike across the clearing every single time I get a nic fit. Normally I smoke about twice an hour, one or two per time smoking, so that 150 meters both ways starts to get tiring after the first few hours.
I'm praying it arrives today. All this reading has got that little five year old in the back of my head bouncing around like a pinball waiting on presents.
And if auTONYmous doesn't get on it, I may have to start that thread of tips for you.
