Much a due about nothing

DAY 35 27DEC2009:
So a routine has set in:
0600: alarm goes off on my watch (I can’t plug in the alarm clock I bought in the States because i guess the hertz is faster here. So clocks that are not calibrated will run off an hour in about 45 minutes…who knew?)
0610-0615: actually drag my sorry butt out of bed. Im sleeping more here than I did at home. I guess that happens when an 80 pound chocolate lab isn’t licking your face, growling and jumping up onto you to get up and walk her
0630: By this time I have my uniform on, my workout clothes in my Assault Pack (that’s Army for back pack, guess back pack wasnt hooah enough) and I’m out the door. Note: I would like to be headed straight to the DFAC to get some breakfast but there are no packs allowed in the DFAC. M4’s, M16’s, SAWs and M9’s are allowed in the DFAC but bags are not.
0637ish: I get to the clinic drop my gear, grab my shaving kit and head to the bathroom. Here I perform the sacred three S’s prior to going to the DFAC. I also note that the swing shift crew once again did P90X last night and left a complete mess in my clinic. I have not been here long enough to let this kind of thing piss me off too bad so I clean it up (but I did leave a note today for people to pick up after themselves)
0710: I arrive at the DFAC. For whatever reason I like to eat alone in the morning. I try to eat light for breakfast but enough to where Im not eating my hand come 1000. I sit for about 15 min and try to watch CNN or a game that is going on live the night before in the States (still getting used to that).
0745: I get back to the clinic to start the day, and by this I mean I make a pot of coffee if someone hasn’t done so already. My tech is usually trying to find the Soldiers he is responsible for or just getting done with morning PT and therefore will be 5 minutes late to work every day (Doesn’t bother me but I really don’t get why he doesn’t get up five minutes earlier because it seems to bother him more than me). We open at 0800 officially but there are usually Soldiers waiting to start their therapy and usually the docs already have a patient or two for me to evaluate...so we open as soon as coffee is in hand.
0800-1030: We treat the bulk of our patients during this time. SGT Wise is running everyone through their exercises, Im evaluating people and running back and forth between radiology, ortho and my clinic. We have a great stereo system that was left here so the music on and the shades are pulled up. Its actually become a great little clinic. There’s a few guys that are regulars right now, 22 year olds with chronic back pain. Yeah Im working them to death and soon they’ll follow up with me and realize that they are doing harder work in here than at their job so they will be discharged back to full duty – how about that.
1030-1130: During this time we are trying to get the morning patients out the door (although without fail there is always the one that shows up just before you are going to close the door) and finish up our notes. Im trying to still do good notes on these encounters because supposedly the records will be available back home in the states. Im trying, but are my notes meeting the Joint Commision’s standards…..oh hell no.
1130: By this time my stomach is eating itself if I have forgoten to eat something during the morning (always). I round up some people to go eat some lunch. It’s a five minute walk down there and right now the weather here is great. Feels good to get outside and the endless concrete barriers, tan buildings, smog, and brown rocks just make you smile…ahhhhh. The DFAC rarely disappoints and another good tasting free meal is down the hatch. What did you have today Kyle? Well, I chose the grilled Panini, French onion soup and side salad…it was delicious thank you
1230: Back at the clinic and the food coma has set in...I start to read a book in the office for a little while. That’s right Daryl I read. We don’t officially open again till 1400 but it’s only a matter of time till they start coming in again. I may try to sneak in a workout here, go grab my laundry or get a little nap in at this time as well. I know…I have it freaking rough. (okay we also have meetings and other things going on at 1300 but if I can I will do my best to get out of all of those…people in the Army like to have meeting to discuss the work that is not getting done because we are at meetings)
1400-1630: Afternoon clinic is on and this is usually mostly treatments. Mainly putting the hurt on people and then putting them on ice or heat so they feel a little better as they walk out the door. During this block of time we will also pop in the video of today’s group workout. Treatment platoon has decided to do P90X with a mix of Insanity over the next few months. This means after work each day we workout in shifts. 5 or 6 people at a time in the room at once following along to the video. They are tough workouts…meaning the tiny room we are in smells to all hell by the end of the session. Anyway, we watch the video earlier in the day to see what we will need.
1630-1700: Time to get in a game of corn hole. This is basically bean bag horse shoes but you try to get the bean bags in the hole instead of the horse shoe around the pole. It’s a blast but feels off not having a beer in the other hand. Also the NCO’s are completely kicking the officer’s asses but it’s only a matter of time I think until the tides turn!
1700: P90X or Insanity is on and it time for some pain. It’s nice having some workout partners though…makes it harder to punk out.
1830: Shower at the Air force side of the aid station. Air Force always has nice amenities…why is that? Think I was meant for the Air Force.
1900: Its back to the DFAC for some chow. Every Wednesday night is no shit all you can eat crab legs. I mean giant King Crab legs staight from the Deadliest Catch to my plate in Iraq. It’s beautiful and I love it. I’ve never eaten so much crab in my life.
2000: I’m back to my CHU and ready to communicate with the real world and maybe watch a movie. When I say communicate I mean I try to call, make that Skype, my wife who is 10 hours behind or my Mom or Dad who are 12 hours behind. The time difference is mildly annoying. What really annoying is trying to Skype. My call will be dropped maybe 5 or 6 times during a 5 min conversation. When the person is talking to me I can make out maybe 2/3rds of the words and it usually sounds like some witness protection voice over. I already hate talking on the phone so you can imagine that my tolerance for this is very limited. So after getting completely aggravated and annoyed that I cannot carry on a normal conversation I call it quits, send a text from Google voice and pop in a movie to my laptop. This is great because the copy I have (sold to us at the Bazaar on the other side of the FOB) will surely have someone standing up and walking to the bathroom during an important scene. Down in front!
2200: Hopefully I’m tired and falling asleep. But I do have a pager just in case someone needs to learn how to stretch their IT band or put a heel lift in their boot over the next 8 hours, you know for all the PT emergencies….
Wow that was a lot of words to describe an incredibly boring day, sorry about that.