Diversions

So, when the 33rd left, they took the Internet with them. The dish, modem, router, even the wires. Well, not all the wires. I’m back on now, so Hello Everybody. Haven’t been doing much, cause the new teams not ready to roll. So it’s a good thing the building has an extensive DVD collection. About that, how things have changed.

Wavy lines, fade to flashback….
Overview of the woods in North Carolina.
Soldiers, milling around.
Zoom in on a young MP sitting behind the wheel of a Jeep (not HMMV, cause they didn’t exist yet). He’s reading because there’s nothing else to do.
(and no smart ass remarks from any military guys like, why wasn’t he cleaning his weapon, pulling watch, setting up camp or digging a foxhole) it was all done, that’s why.
Point is, there was and still is a lot of down time in the Military. Add to the fact that technically, I’m not in the Military, just attached to them, means I have even more down time.

That’s what I did then, I read. I read a lot. That’s cool, I love to read. Now though its different. I have two computers in my room, mine and the company’s, a TV with cable (only three channels, sports, news and movies, but hey, better than nothing), DVD and more movies than I can watch. Until recently I had an Xbox 360. Yep. Love gaming, most of you know that. Asked the boy if he could send my Xbox from home, but he said “no way”. Basically, “love you Dad, but the Xbox stays home”. So I found one on Ebay and had it sent here. Halo version, so it was all green and military looking. Had Pam, who supports my gaming addiction, send me a bunch of games and got to play a couple weeks until the RED RINGS OF DEATH. When the motherboard gets to hot the system shuts down and freezes and three or four red lights glow around the power button. It’s the worst thing that could happen, especially since there’s no local repair shop. So I had to send it home. By the time it gets fixed, I’ll be home. I’m not the only one either, most guys have games on computers or have systems of their own. One of the guys had a system and put it on a power point projector on the wall. There were four guys playing Call of Duty, life size. It was pretty interesting.
So that’s how things change.
Communications as well. No cell phones back then either. Now, I can call on a computer (with video), Sat phone, IM, or cell. Some can be pricey, but you can't put a price on talking with loved ones.
This is at one of our nightly rituals of sitting around the fire, (till it’s really dark, then its blackout time).