Different country, same routine

1:10PM Central Kyrgyz Time

We got out of Bagram so late on 28 April that it wound up spilling over into the morning of the 29th. We arrived at the transitional base in Kyrgyzstan, were assigned quarters, and then had to wait another ninety minutes for them to bring in our palletized baggage from the airfield. Once we were in quarters (just about time for early breakfast), we immediately sacked out, and I slept until two o’clock in the afternoon.

The base at Manas is an Air Force installation; anybody else is just passing through. Our quarters are crowded (four bunks in an 8'×16' space) but comfortable. There’s very little to do, and most of us are embracing the new opportunity for utter sloth.

For the remainder of 29 April, I rested.

On 30 April, I finished “Learning Curve”, my ninth Buffyfic during this deployment, around 12,000 words. It’ll take me time to key it in and edit it (not least because my laptop has gone on hiatus again, and the only others available are on a pay-by-hour basis), but I met my goal.

Last night (1 May) I sang karaoke for the first time at the on-base servicemembers’ club. “American Pie”, the Don McLean long version. Couldn’t get the microphone to stop shaking in my hand. Loved every second of it.

We were scheduled to fly to Fort Bragg on 4 May. That fell through, and now there’s no telling how long it will take us. I’ll deal.

Different country, same routine

1:10PM Central Kyrgyz Time

We got out of Bagram so late on 28 April that it wound up spilling over into the morning of the 29th. We arrived at the transitional base in Kyrgyzstan, were assigned quarters, and then had to wait another ninety minutes for them to bring in our palletized baggage from the airfield. Once we were in quarters (just about time for early breakfast), we immediately sacked out, and I slept until two o’clock in the afternoon.

The base at Manas is an Air Force installation; anybody else is just passing through. Our quarters are crowded (four bunks in an 8'×16' space) but comfortable. There’s very little to do, and most of us are embracing the new opportunity for utter sloth.

For the remainder of 29 April, I rested.

On 30 April, I finished “Learning Curve”, my ninth Buffyfic during this deployment, around 12,000 words. It’ll take me time to key it in and edit it (not least because my laptop has gone on hiatus again, and the only others available are on a pay-by-hour basis), but I met my goal.

Last night (1 May) I sang karaoke for the first time at the on-base servicemembers’ club. “American Pie”, the Don McLean long version. Couldn’t get the microphone to stop shaking in my hand. Loved every second of it.

We were scheduled to fly to Fort Bragg on 4 May. That fell through, and now there’s no telling how long it will take us. I’ll deal.