More of the horrors of war

 
This morning brought another of the many wonders that accompany life in-theater: the unannounced drug testing. To make it better, it was for almost three dozen people. Better yet, I was one of the designated observers: as in, my duty was to directly monitor the providing of urine samples.

Trust me, the thrill wears off really fast.

For those of you who don’t have the pleasure of going through it on a regular basis: one has to drink copiously for anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes, to ensure that one is capable of providing a sample 1] on demand, 2] of the proper amount, 3] on the first try. (Because something that we do all the time without thinking about it poses a slightly greater difficulty when you’re being watched in-process.) And then, having delivered, you pee more or less non-stop for the rest of the day.

***

I turned almost all of my duties over to my assistant team leader this past week, trying to accustom him to the workload in advance of my mid-tour leave. Went okay at first, and then yesterday it became clear that he was a full day behind schedule. On the day before the week’s work was due. So we’re still behind schedule, and I’m not pleased, because — to prevent us going two days behind schedule — I wound up doing some of the stuff that I wanted him to learn. So it’s the same routine next week.

This is annoyance, not hardship. I’ll have to be sure, though, that he understands where he fell short and what he needs to do about it next time through.

And another day passes.