New Bike

As promised, here's a picture of my new baby.  It can also be referred to as a Cannondale CAAD 10 5.  Think I've put about 35-40 miles on in since I got it Wednesday afternoon.  It rides like a dream.  The only thing left is for my shoes to come in, get the clamps installed on them, and then get the final adjustments/fit and finish done so the bike is adjusted to my requirements.  Had to special order the shoes.  It must be hard to believe that they didn't have US size 14/UK 59 in stock.  Let's just say that I don't have the typical bike riding frame... Hopefully they come in Saturday so I can get everything set and start putting some real miles on.  Feels good to be back on a bike.  Wish I wouldn't have gotten out of it for so long.

My new baby leaning against my other baby.  Don't worry Jeep, you're still my favorite.

Other than the new bike, not a lot going on.  I finally start my captain's course this Monday.  It's been nice not working for the last month but it's starting to get old.  Once the class starts, I'll finally have something to fill up most of my day beyond my master's class, bike riding, and TV.

Later.

Settling In...Again

I made it to Virginia (Hopewell, VA to be exact) and am pretty well settled in.  I'll be here until late August and than it's off to a currently unknown duty station.  I'll find that out in a month or two. 

This area of Virginia is...interesting.  A lot different from Clarksville/Hopkinsville which were growing a lot despite the struggling economy in the rest of the country.  Then I get here and it looks like the economy has hit this place like a ton of bricks.  Driven around a lot to try and get familiar with everything that's around here and there's not that much being built.  Lots of areas that are looking pretty run down.  Hopefully, now the economy looks to be recovering, albeit pretty slowly, this place will start to get built back up. 

I started my Masters in Logistics and Supply Chain Management through Embry Riddle Aeronautical University last week.  First class in the chute is Theory and Application of Managerial Communications.  Being a leader in the Army, I should be able to put this class to good use when I get to my next unit and start being in charge of Soldiers again.

Last week I also reported to the school house here at Ft. Lee to start my captain's course.  Signed in on Tuesday, March 20 and they told me to inprocess Ft. Lee and be back at 7 am on April 2.  Although it's nice to get two weeks to inprocess, it took me a total of about five hours spread over three days to do it.  Only reason it took three days was because you could only do certain things on certain days.  Otherwise, I would've been done on Tuesday.  Finished up on Friday so I will be taking advantage of the next week off.  With that said, I'm getting kinda bored and am definitely getting ready for school to start.

To fill in some free time while I'm here (allegedly we're done each day at about 3 pm), I'm trying to get back into biking.  Went to buy a bike last week but the one I wanted wasn't in stock so they had to order it.  Hopefully I will get it by mid week this week and I get a chance to put some miles on it before I start school next week.  It's a really nice bike, a Cannondale CAAD10 5.  Nice, nice, nice bike.  Great for riding roads and capable or being a good triathlon bike if I decide to progress to that.  I'll put up a picture when I get it. 

Time to rock out some school work and than go for a run.

Later.

Soldiers' Memorial

In a sign that fallen Soldiers are never forgotten, the unit that replacement mine downrange constructed a pretty awesome memorial in honor of the five Heroes.  I had a lot of doubts about the unit, but this goes above and beyond anything I ever thought they were possible of doing.  You can check out the stories at the links below.  One is a video, ones an article.

Memorial to Fallen Soldiers Dedicated (Article)

CSSB Memorial (Video)

Really happy they did these Heroes justice.

Later.

Movin' On

To start this update, a couple belated shout outs.  First Happy Bday to my dad and mom.  Their birthdays were February 28th and March 2nd, respectively.  Second, my dad retired from John Deere after 37 years of 'hard' work.  Hard is in quotes because he claims to work hard but than listening to his stories, it seems like he sits around and talks most of the day while.  Congrats and enjoy so very well deserved time off. 

Well, it's time for me to move to my next duty station.  And after a day of loading up the Jeep and a Uhaul trailer, three things are for sure.  1) I love my Jeep.  But that's never been in question.  2) I should've gotten a bigger Uhaul.  Tight squeeze once I got everything packed in both.  3) Starting tomorrow morning, I will be on my way to Ft. Lee, VA to attend the Combined Logistics Captain's Career Course (abbreviated CLC3, said Click-3).  So yes, after four long years I am leaving the Ft. Campbell area for good.  Threw the 'for good' in there since I'm taking a year's vacation to a desert again.  Supposedly upon completion of the course, we are guaranteed not to return to the place you came from.  We'll see.  In four years, I have deployed twice.  This school will hopefully act as a well deserved break.  Recharge the batteries while I'm there and than maybe get one more deployment under the belt.  We'll see where I end up at and where they are in the deployment/training cycle.

I'll be at Ft. Lee for about five months and than move again to a destination yet to be determined.  During the second month we're in school, our branch managers (the people who decide where you get assigned to next) will come down and visit us.  Shortly afterwards, we get our orders for our follow on assignment.  Can't wait to find out.  My top choices are anywhere in Europe (might be kinda hard with downsizing going on over there again), Ft. Lewis, WA, or Ft. Carson, CO.

That's it for now.  I'll send out a mass text or call when I get to Ft. Lee on Friday. 

Later.