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Wednesday, September 6, 2006 As regular readers know, I'm in the Navy Reserve. It's not just a part-time job, it's an adventure. It's also one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer. But you've got some prep time to include as well. For the monthly drills you've got to work on your uniform. Press and crease two uniforms for the weekend. One hour. Spit shine your shoes. Real spit, not the artificial stuff. Definitely an hour spent on that mirror finish. Oops, out of polish. Half hour to the store and back. Don't get polish on the couch or there's another hour. Don't forget the spiffy haircut. Another hour. You've got to take care of some paperwork during the weekdays. Add another hour or two. Maybe twenty if you're doing coursework. Then, once a year you go for your annual training. Two weeks away takes a lot of work to get ready. You've spent hours locating just the right duty for you. You try to convince the computer system that you really do want to go to a certain base or school and that the codes you're entering really do exist. And then you wait. Finally, your orders are approved and the travel arrangements are booked. Great! Flying to NYC around the anniversary of 9-11. TSA orders anal probes set to eleven. Bonus for your flight: White Knuckle Airlines! A few days before you leave, you go through the monthly process only more of it. Hair, check. Shoes, check. Paperwork, check, check, check. (It's the Navy, there's always more paperwork.) Uniforms, check, check, check, check, check. Hey, I'm going for two weeks. I'm taking five uniforms because I don't want to do laundry every other day. That's a lot of ironing, creasing and starch. Double check the flight and rental car, check and check. I'll go. I'll learn. I'll come back. Oh yeah. Then there's more paperwork. Travel vouchers. Receipts. Personnel file updates. Why do I do it? Actually, I kind of like it. I'm learning a lot and sometimes I feel like I really am serving my country. I'll let you know how I feel after I've been deployed somewhere extremely hot with low humidity and lots of sand. So, because of all of the items I've listed above the Postcard will be on hiatus until I return around the end of the month. I don't want to be too specific about the dates. Loose lips sink ships and all that you know. I can tell you where I'm going to school though. See you later this month. Have a great day. In Rochester. If anyone would like to contribute additional photos, info, comments or suggestions, please contact me at loopbook yahoo.com Previous postcard - - - Return to our home page - - - Next postcard