May 2006

Today is my 137th day in Korea; only 228 days left to go. It’s June 1st and the last day of a 4-day weekend for me. It’s been very hectic here the last month or so and I sure needed this break!

On Saturday I went to Seoul on the bullet train. I was looking for an adapter for my laptop so I could tap into the power source on the plane when I take my mid-tour later this month. No luck, not even in the Apple Store! I’m hoping I’ll be able to find one in the airport at Incheon before I depart. The flight home will take about 14 hours and it’d be nice to have the use of my laptop for more than 4 hours.

On Sunday I didn’t do much of anything. I went running in the afternoon and watched a couple of movies. I was exhausted and went to bed about 6:00. I didn’t wake up until 3:00 am and even then dozed for another hour.

Yesterday, I wrote the history of my AF Specialty Code (AFSC), a project for the Enlisted Heritage Research Institute. I’ve led a team of 7 who are scattered around the globe. We’ve corresponded via email and have done some pretty thorough research. The result is a 20 page history chronicling the AFSC from conception to where it is today. Just a few more details and it’ll be complete.

Today, I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I need to get a run in, that’s for sure. I think I’ll do a little reading. I’m currently reading the last book in the Ender Quartet, “Children of the Mind,” by Orson Scott Card. I also need to go to “Mike’s,” a Korean store in A-Town to pick up a jersey I had made for my granddaughter. It says “Lil’ Hawk Chief” on it and looks just like my jersey.

The UCI is over. We did okay even with the sluggish triage of casualties in the field. The problem lies with our flight surgeon. He’s a fine doctor, but he’s a liability in the field. He doesn’t have the skill to manage a mass casualty.

Anyway, it’s over and there’s going to be a lull in exercises until the wing starts gearing up for the ‘07 ORI with a peninsula-wide exercise in July. Before that happens, I’ll be taking my mid-tour leave. I’m looking forward to getting home and seeing my wife. I miss her so much.

The time is ticking by. Today ends my 112th day in Korea. Soon I’ll be counting down the days remaining. Sometime after half-way.

I have a terrible headache this evening. It actually started last night and just got worse today. The exercise this morning didn’t help things much. I laid down for a while this afternoon, then went running. It helped a little, but not enough. I’ll take a couple Tylenol PM tonight and hopefully wake up pain-free tomorrow morning.

Dinner tonight was at a very fancy restaurant that served several courses: fish, pork, smoked duck, beef bulgogi and lots of different kimchi. We didn’t have very many for the “Supper Club” tonight (I suppose due to the exercise), but it was still a very pleasant evening. I forgot my camera, but a couple of my colleagues brought theirs. I’ll post a couple of pictures when I get them.

Now I’m going to fix myself a lovely cup of tea and listen to Cecilia Bartoli sing Handel.