At this point in my deployment the days have really started to run together and I am beginning to find myself constantly looking at the calendar to figure out what day it is. There is no distinction between weekdays and weekends, Mondays and Fridays, holidays or birthdays. Of course everyone makes an attempt to make certain days unique or different in some small way but in the end they all feel the same. I had three different people give me the incorrect day of the week this morning ... the first said it was Wednesday, the next Thursday and the last said it was Saturday. It wasn't until I consulted my trusty laptop Google calendar that I figured out it was Friday.
I have been informed by those that have been on previous deployments that this is termed the "Groundhog Day" effect in Army lingo. It references the 1993 classic staring Bill Murray and Andy McDowell, in which the main character finds himself waking up every morning to repeat the previous days events over and over again until he is on the brink of insanity (for those of you that haven't seen it, you are missing out, so go ahead and get the DVD, you won't be disappointed). So the goal of many of us here has become to find a way to combat the Groundhog Day effect, to find some way to fight off the boring, monotonous routines that have temporarily taken over our lives. Some of my most recent endeavors have included learning how to play Cribbage, playing horseshoes (yes I said horseshoes and no I am not a hick, we just happen to have a horseshoe pit behind the hospital), becoming a cigar connoisseur, perfecting my ping pong game, and playing endless games of Spades (that's right Mike and Beth ...you guys don't stand a chance the next time we meet). So to all you civilians back home ... happy TGIF ... enjoy your weekend, and I look forward to joining you when I return in September.
3 comments:
you gotta do what you gotta do to stay busy. thanks for doing what you're doing over there. it takes a lot of balls to do it and we're proud to tell people over here we've got a friend who's serving our country. btw, my favorite line of that movie is..."If you gotta shoot, aim high. I don't want you to hit the groundhog."
mark sanchez? really? i'd almost rather have tim couch as my qb, then again we'll see how the chiefs do this year.
take care of yourself buddy.
I suggest introducing the team to Mille Borne. LOL.
We certainly love cribbage as well...so I look forward to whoopin' you the next time we meet :)
Cigars too? What's your favorite type? i.e. Robusto's vs. lonsdale vs. coronas, etc. Also - any specific brands you're in to?
Glad to hear from you buddy...stay safe...and stay busy. I assume you guys have talked about the movie "Jarhead" as well while you're out there. I know they were Marines, but the premise is similar...these guys get sent out to the middle of nowhere and are board out of their minds for months. Anywho - be well bud...we miss you.
Weird hugs and kisses,
J. Nuetron
Pete--
Just wondering, do other people know how to play spades or did you teach them--I can hear the chants of "Defense" from here. Can't wait till you get back and we can play for real. We were just checking Mike's frequent flyer miles so that we can make a trip to TX when you get back!
Take care of yourself,
Beth
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