Today I got up earlier than usual. Not by much. I got up at 3:48 a.m. instead of 4:07 a.m. But in the sad world of Zero-Dark-30, every minute counts. Today I was on the duty desk for 4:30 to 6:30 a.m. Some of my classmates were jealous. Being on duty on weekday mornings means you are not doing fitness training.
So while they did pushups, situps, pullups and the other morning exercises, I was checking my email and checking ID cards of everyone who went in and out of the building.
I am way behind on email so the time was kind of nice. We are not allowed to have any personal items on the desk, especially personal electronics, but I can check email on the Army computer.
At 6:30 a.m. I was released to go to class--which starts at 7:55 a.m. I went straight to the chow hall. Although the food here is not as lavish as the food in Iraq, breakfast is by far the best meal. Every morning the cook who makes the eggs, Anna, sees me and makes an omelet with ham, cheese and green peppers. Depending on the day, I get either a biscuit and bacon or a biscuit and sausage gravy. Sometimes home fries, sometimes grits, French toast when they have it, juice and coffee.
And for the environmental folks who read this, like my wife, we eat with metal silverware on plates and trays with cups and mugs. Everything gets washed, not tossed.
