A Pass In Time: The Living End

Even when the days seemed to pass by slowly, the weeks really flew. I don't know why. We would sometimes count the days we'd been there, and if we lost track, we'd count again and be surprised at how much time had passed. Our down time wasn't plentiful, but we made the best of it. After work, I'd go running five or six days a week. The altitude was 180 feet above sea level--much lower than Utah--and despite the fact I'd slacked off on my gym routine before I left, I found it surprisingly easy to run three or four miles. Nick usually went with me, and Ken came sometimes, too. About halfway through the rotation, we saw a sign for an abs class starting up, and decided to give it a try. It wasn't easy by any means, but it was fun and something else to do to help pass the time. I don't have a six-pack or anything, but it definitely helped build up my endurance.

Bingo Night
Originally uploaded by currtdawg.

A new gym facility opened right after our arrival, and it was pretty nice. The only problem, and this seems to be a trend in Air Force fitness facilities, was too few treadmills (not to mention the total lack of consideration for the 30-minute rule). Next to the gym was the equally new (and equally nice) recreation centre featuring a mini-movie theatre, big screen televisions, foosball, air hockey, pool, ping-pong, and several gaming stations. This is where bingo was held every Saturday night. Bingo is one of those things on which one can rely whenever deployed. It's social and fun and, even if you don't win, it helps to let you know that the weeks are actually passing by. There were ten games each night; the first nine were for $50, and the last game was worth $100. I won bingo once nearly four years ago in Qatar, but not again until, in early-November, I won the $100 game. It's not cash, though. Instead, they give you a $100 gift card to the B/X, but I wasn't complaining. Then, in mid-December, the normally unlucky me won a second time on a $50 game. A couple weeks after that, Nick's card won three times in the same night. He didn't want to look like an ass, so he had Ken yell bingo for him the second time, and I yelled for him the third time. The Rec Centre also had DVDs to borrow, and even though there were hundreds from which to choose, I wouldn't exactly call it a good selection. Plus, many of them were scratched beyond repair. I tried to watch "JFK" one evening, but every time a key piece of evidence would come up, the screen would freeze and I'd have to skip to the next chapter. I still don't know who fired the shots from the grassy knoll. About a month before I left, I strolled into the library to find they also loaned out DVDs. The selection wasn't as big, but it was much higher quality. They had tons of independent films and documentaries. I began spending my days off watching lots of great movies.
There were four main dining facilities, or DFACs (Dee-Facks), on base. Also run by KBR, the food they served wasn't half bad. I would have liked to have seen more vegetarian options, but when you're catering to such a large, mostly meat-eating crowd, my dietary needs don't exactly fall in line. Luckily, I could always rely on the salad bar or the pasta bar or, in a pinch, get a grilled cheese sandwich. Breakfast was consistently good, and even if I didn't feel like waiting in line for a ready-made omelette, I could always get a bagel or cereal or waffles. Plus, it was free. The only thing was, after four months, it all started to taste the same.
There were two large B/Xs on base, plus a mini-B/X inside H-6. They were pretty well-stocked with anything one would ever really need during a tour in the desert, plus a hefty supply of out-dated, over-priced electronics. Besides various toiletries and the occasional CD, the only thing I ever really bought was PT gear, which isn't cheap. That's what I used my bingo gift card on. Next to both the large B/Xs were food courts that included Pizza Hut, Burger King, and Popeye's. And in January, they opened a Taco Bell (which was plumbed in by Yours Truly). The only one I ever had anything from was Pizza Hut, and it wasn't too bad. But still, paying $8 for a pizza is kinda silly when the chow hall is free.
There was also a very nice movie theatre on base that played newer movies for free, some of them on the same weekend they were released in the States. It was reportedly used by Saddam Hussein back in the day. All the movies were free, but I went only a few times. The first two, I'm a little ashamed to say, were Jackass Number Two and Employee of the Month--neither of which I'd pay to see, but, like anything else, it was a way to pass the time. On New Years Day, we went to see Casino Royale, which was probably the best Bond movie since anything with Sean Connery.
My intentions before I left were to devote equal amounts of time to studying for promotion and leisure reading. Well, the leisure reading kinda won out, mostly because whenever I tried to study, I always ended up falling asleep. (Have you ever read the PFE? It's amazingly boring!) I brought two books with me, and had made arrangements to get sent the rest of my mini-library, but due to some logistical issues, that didn't happen. Those first two were You Shall Know Our Velocity! by Dave Eggers and Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx. BBM was only 54 pages, and I finished it in one night. At the Rec Centre, there were shelves of books available for anyone who wanted them. I picked up The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen one night after bingo. I was a little hesitant since it was an Oprah's Book Club selection, and who wants to get caught with one of THOSE? But then I read that Mr. Franzen lamented Oprah's selection of his book, and it made me feel a little better. It ended up being a great character study about a family whose matriarch desires one last family Christmas together, and whose children all have their flaws. After I finished that one, I happened upon another novel at the rec centre. This one was The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. What drew me to this one was the fact that Ms. Kingsolver's brother was my biology professor in college. Small world, huh? This one was about a Baptist missionary, his wife, and four daughters who serve in the Belgian Congo in 1960, during their quest for independence. Coincidentally, this was also an Oprah selection. (Am I growing a vagina or what?) It was pretty good, but a little long. Next on the list was The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I ordered this online, and chose it based on what I'd heard about it. It's about a father and his son trying to survive while trekking across a post-apocolyptic America. It was full of desolation and despair, and not normally the type of book that I read; but it was definitely a page-turner that I'll most likely read again. Just before I finished the McCarthy book, I received a Christmas package from my friend MIke. In it was a copy of Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris. (If you haven't ever read anything by David Sedaris, you totally should. He's hysterical. I highly recommend Me Talk Pretty One Day.) I already owned a copy of Holidays on Ice, but it was at home, and I needed something quick to read. Plus, it was nice to have something so light-hearted after reading The Road. I also ordered Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith by Mark Bell, a book Don recommended, which was next on my reading list. I don't read much non-fiction, but I like to throw in a theology book every so often, and this one was really good. A nice thinking-outisde-the-box type of book about what Christianity needs to do to move into the 21st century. The last book I read was The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It caught my eye while I was in the Base Exchange (B/X) one evening, and I like to throw in a classic from time to time. It was small and easily fit in my pocket for the plane ride. There were a few brief references to it in The Poisonwood Bible, so I took it as a sign from God. Plus, it was only three bucks.