We are having this conference at work that involves a whole bunch of people from around the country being here for training. Many of these people are former military, especially Marines (don't know why, but it's true). One of the lawyers in my office invited me down to observe part of the training and I eagerly accepted, thinking it would be interesting and also keep me from having to put any major work into the memo I was just assigned, you know, the one I begged to do and am now procrastinating over (after 4 weeks of no legal-think I'm having writer's block).
So today we're standing at our training location, a major touristy area here in D.C., and someone asks me which way the Washington Monument is. Since I can't see it, I just sort of do an all inclusive sweeping motion with my hand...generally indicating the greater D.C. metropolitan area. This prompts head Former Marine Guy to say "Weren't you in the Air Force? Didn't they teach you how to tell direction? Don't you know which way is West?" I in turn answer "In the Air Force they taught me how to make Powerpoint Slides and work an air conditioner." Cue about 5 or 6 former Marines laughing their asses off.
And, in another piece of military related news, a really good Air Force buddy of mine headed out for Iraq this past weekend (we'll call him S., in the interest of his anonymity since he hasn't told me I can use a name). We were next door neighbors at Officer Training School and in the past five or six years he and his wife have become very close friends (close friends of mine...thanks to an astute reader in the comments for keeping me grammatically correct). Anyway, the point is that IF he has time, and IF he has access to his email, he is going to keep track of some stuff (hopefully interesting/funny stuff) that happens so I can post it here once in a while. He's a hilarious guy and I promised him that if he sends me a paragraph here and there I will put it up...he also indicated that if he can get some digital pic's he'll send those as well...we'll just have to see what his internet and time resources end up being. Right now he has told me that the temperature is approximately 12 degrees hotter than the surface of the sun, and that if I want to send a care package I should send chocolate because he can't get it there. So, anyway, hopefully this will work out...he's going to try for a weekly email and we'll just see how it goes.
*Summer School...Mark Harmon and Kirstie Alley at their very best.
