Super Weekend

Currently, I am riding on a train, headed to Wuzburg to visit a buddy. I am also in the middle of "super weekend" which happened to be a combination of the 4 day pass we recieved after "reintegration" (a series of administrative tasks and briefings to reintegrate back into Germany after deployment) and memorial day weekend- a grand total of 8 days off... awsome.

Thus far, I went up to Interlaken, Switzerland and sky dived with one of my buddies and also rented bikes and rode through the beautiful swiss alps. (The route we took was an "advanced" route, so the beauty was inbetween the deep breaths and cramped legs).

14000 Feet, 45 second freefall- pretty awsome, even more awsome was the view from the top- as soon as we broke the ridge, the view of the alps was breathtaking. Interlaken is a nice touristy city, but it did not take away from the fun. The local beer was not too bad either. The town offers an array of outdoor sports- biking, bungy jumping, rock climbing, ice climbing, ski/ snowboard, etc. defintely a place to go back to.

The hostel we stayed was also very inexpensive and clean except for the smell of a gigantic St. Benard

Only downside to the swiss trip was my breif stint at Casino Interlaken. I confidently took out 300 swiss francs and sat down at what I thought was a no limit table... it turned out to be a limit table, and I mistakenly stayed and played... oh well. Win some and lose some...

Did this happen?

Back in Deutchland.

Strange... as of now, it does not seem as though I have been away for the last couple of months... I do not not know if I have yet to "transition" or if I am already "transitioned" back into normalcy. I was thinking earlier that FOB Falcon may have been the point of transition for my mental state: we were out of the fight for about a month with the exception of a few convoys I took part in. During that time, I had time to adjust to a more relaxed atmosphere, and also got fairly decent sleep. I have yet to have any "episodes" since I've been back except for my doorbell scared the fuck out of me a couple of hours ago... Now, I am just planning on what to do with my free time in the next couple of days.

I've kept to myself the 2 days I have been back so far- so maybe I may discover some more things about myself as the rest of the unit redeploys back to Baumholder and there are more people to talk with and hang around with... I am also anticipating going back home, which will show how I may have changed... or if I have changed at all. Maybe it will be a few weeks, months, or years... who knows.

In other news, my Hookah arrived via mail today (I bought one in Kuwait)- It is a very nice looking one in my opinion- and I also tested it out with this awsome Arab tobacco I bought over there... think I may have found another expensive hobby to pass the time. I think I am going to name her Juliet...

I also threw down some Euros on my first original oil painting by a German Artist named Baumgart, primarily a landscape artist. The painting is called "Autum":

The last days

It is amazing to see the change in attitude as soldiers realize that the end is within sight. The atmosphere lightens up, laughter fills the tent, and discussions of leave activities reigns supreme. I share in this happiness, but I have different things on my mind. I begin to think about the soldiers that are planning on leaving the army: do they have a plan? Is their plan feasible? Could the army be a better choice for them??... I also think about who is "at risk" when we come back to Baumholder: recent divorces, cheating wives, family deaths and how we will ensure that they are taken care of... and I am thinking about my incoming platoon Sgt. and incoming "new guys" and how I will train and integrate them into the platoon...

Soon, these thoughts will have to be put into action- and I am waiting- enthusiastically patient.

Well, I take that back, my thoughts wander as well to what I will be doing on leave. I will be home for about 30 days and I was planning on being at my sister's doctoral hooding ceremony/ graduation, should be a great time, she has been in and out of school for a LONG time. Also planning on spending some time with both my sisters up in NorCal and when they are down in LA, and spending time with the Pops while I am down in LA. And a special treat for myself, a trip to VEGAS! Planning is still in the process, but I think it will be a good way to get rid of some steam (and cash...).

So, thoughts of the future of my platoon and thoughts of home fill my mind.

Random thought: I was reading an article in "stars and stripes" (the military overseas newspaper filled with various current events, not necessarily military in origin) about how the new social norm of getting married later rather than earlier may potentially be a misunderstood/problematic idea. It stated that marriage is "formative" in nature, and people cannot go into marriage "ready for marriage" off the bat. The new ideal is to wait until your schooling is finished, maybe get your masters, become financially sound, and then somehow, you are "ready" for marriage... which I realized... dosen't make sense. You learn marriage from being married... and nothing will prepare you otherwise. Some may mock the 20 year old from getting married... but why should we? Some people are ready at a certain age, and some are not... some are never ready to handle a lifelong relationship. The article also stated that it may be easier to "learn" mariage while you are younger, rather than older- being younger means more flexibility, more willingness to learn, etc. The article also talked about differences in male and female maturity, how men get more "marketable" with age (money and maturity) and women tend to "lose value" as they get older (unfourtanetly, the trend in waiting for marrigae is rising in the female population as well). There is definetely a counter argument to which most are familiar... but I thought it was worth the read. ("Marrying young has a nice ring to it," Stars and Stripes, 3 May 2009.)

I realized that I may have unintentionally mocked those people who get married in their early 20s (and especially their teens) and somehow believed it was "silly." The article has given me some new perspective...