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It’s quite humorous to now experience the same events as my husband and then read his viewpoint of them.  His first day of commute from his perspective had a few problems…to me, it was a disaster.  Hence the wise advice of always having two or more witnesses.  He had gotten his motorcycle running over the weekend, so I was still in bed when he attempted to leave for work.  There are plenty of dedicated wives who get up in the morning and make their husband’s breakfast and kiss him goodbye.  And then, I am quite sure that there is at least one lazy wife who sleeps in as late as possible and does not get out of bed until she needs to wake the kids and feed them.  So, I came awake to the sound of an engine being turned over and over and over with no hope of starting.  I got up, got dressed, grabbed my purse, and got in the van.  My husband reluctantly put his motorcycle back in the garage.  He had been running late already because the night prior, he had not shaved off his two weeks of beard growth.  In the past, he had always shaved off his beard the night before he went back to work.  However, after being forced to shave every day for an entire year, he wanted to hold onto his beard as long as possible.  I told him to keep the mustache, but he wouldn’t.  He should of joined the Navy.  I think they let you grow a beard in the Navy.  I’ve always wondered why you can’t have a beard in the Army.  I use the “No Beards in the Army” rule as motivation for him to retire from the Army.  “When you get out of the Army, you can grow a beard,” I tell him.  Now, I have to add, “But you might have to dye it.”  A friend I haven’t seen for 10+ years asked me if I had gotten old.  I told him, “I must have because I now have an old husband.”  Anyway, I dropped Dale off to stand in the long slug line approximately 40 minutes later than he had hoped to be standing there.  Afterwards, I dropped the kids off at school.  Later on that day, upon returning from picking Zeke up from preschool, I heard a loud metal on metal screeching sound that made Zeke and I jump.  I had no idea what it was, so I stood in the garage momentarily confused.  I had just opened the sliding door on the van and a large truck was driving by.  When I didn’t see a giant scratch on the van, I assumed the truck was dragging something on the road.  I then went inside.  After 2 hours home, Zeke and I loaded back up in the car to pick up the other kids.  My garage door refused to move and after several futile attempts to lift it myself, I realized I wasn’t going anywhere.  I called the school first and asked a friend to bring the kids home.  I then called the company who had put in the garage door.  “There was a loud screeching noise and now my garage door won’t open,” I told the girl on the phone.  “You probably broke a spring.  Look above the door, ” she replied.  I looked and sure enough a spring was broken.  “Can you please send someone out to fix it?” I asked.  “No. Sorry.  All our repairmen are done for the day.  We’ll send someone tomorrow,” she said.  “It’s 3pm and you advertise 24 hour emergency repair.  My car is stuck in my garage,” I replied.  “Maybe someone can help you lift the door,” she said.  “Thanks for you help,” I said.  I hung up and decided that it was silly of me to think 24 hour emergency service should involve the hours between 3pm and 8am.  I was now seeing visions of Dale arriving at the slug lot and having to walk home to finish off his terrible first day commute.  The kids arrived home and my friend who had experienced a broken garage door spring before informed me of the best way to tackle the problem.  Josiah, Abby, Gabe and I spaced ourselves along the garage door.  With a “Lay Hold…Heave” we got it moving.  I was soon covered in sweat and irritation, but it wouldn’t stay up.  Abby, who had sore arms the next day, and Josiah then stood on a ladder to hold the door in place while I backed out of the garage with Gabe as ground guide.  We all then lowered it back down.  I left to pick up Dale, who inspite of all the days problems was now a firm believer in slugging.  The next morning two guys came to replace the springs.  They lifted the door and hooked it in place like it was the simplest task in the world.  Once again, I observed how to do a task simply and compared it to my effort to accomplish the same task.  I have a great ability to make everything more difficult than it is.  It must be part of the Meloch gene.  I mentioned to the guys how loud it was when the spring broke.  To which one replied, “Yeh, it’s even louder when it breaks in your face.”  I thought it best to keep my 7 hour emergency repair comment to myself.

Although I was hesistant to slug initially, I am now a convert. It’s kind of like riding with Aegis. I don’t have to drive. While I’m in the vehicle, I don’t talk to anyone and usually close my eyes for a little snooze. At the end of the mission, I get dropped off again. It’s very convenient. The key to successful slugging, however, is a flexible schedule. If I had to be at work at a certain time, slugging would not be a good idea because it is so unpredictable. One day I was in line for less than a minute, but another day I was in line for 30 minutes. The average time to slug in from Stafford to the Pentagon appears to be about 45 minutes. Last Thursday, it took me 1 1/2 hours to get to work because of an accident in the HOV lanes. But the next day, it only took 30 minutes. The lady I rode with that day was flying. I said a little prayer, closed my eyes and went to sleep for the trip!

Yesterday I went for a run during lunch. Today I hurt! I basically took 3 months off from running (Jun-Aug). It’s time to get back into the groove since all of my civvies are much tighter than they should be. Fortunately, I wear ACUs to work everyday! Anyway, I ran from the Pentagon, across Memorial Bridge to the Lincoln Memorial and back to the Pentagon. The whole run was about 3.5 miles, but today I was walking like I had just run a marathon. I was planning on running again today until I woke up this morning. I guess I’m on a day-on day-off running schedule until I get back into a little better shape. By the way, I had to pay about $200 for an annual membership for the Pentagon Athletic Club to use the showers, unless I wanted to pay a $3 daily fee for each use. Now Mugs has even more reason to remind me to run so that I get my money’s worth.

Today was my much anticipated first day at my new assignment at the Pentagon. This morning was also my first time slugging. The slug lines are informal carpools that form to take advantage of the HOV lanes going into DC. There are two lots about 1/2 mile from our house where drivers pick up extra passengers so that they meet the 3-person minimum for using the HOV lanes. The HOV trip to the Pentagon from Stafford is about 45 minutes. During heavy traffic, in the regular lanes, this can easily take two hours. The driver benefits by the savings of time while the passengers receive a free ride. You can read more about this at http://slug-lines.com.

Last week I cleaned up my motorcycle, put in some gas from the can, charged the battery and tried to get it started after sitting in the garage for the past year. But as Mugs already posted, I couldn’t get it to start. I ended up buying a new battery earlier this week, and the bike started up very easily after that. We planned for Mugs to drop me off at the slug line in the morning and pick me up in the afternoon. I didn’t want to ride my motorcycle to/from the lot because then I would have to lug around my full-face helmet and leather jacket all day. Yesterday I decided that the solution was to buy a half-helmet. Since the lot is so close to the house, I can wear a half-helmet with the ACUs and leave the leather jacket at home. Here’s a picture of me the day before going back to work.

Dale with Bike

I got up at 0500 this morning to walk Blaze, planning on riding over to the slug lot at 0600. By the time I fed and walked Blaze, it was already 0545. Normally after a period of leave, I shave the beard off the night before going back to work. Unfortunately, I didn’t do that this time. I was still shaving at 0600 when Mugs got up to start getting ready for the day. I eventually got out the door around 0620. Then my bike wouldn’t start. I must have drained the little bit of fuel I put in the tank while I was on my test ride yesterday. Anyway, at 0630, Mugs came out and gave me a ride to the slug lot.

There were probably about 20 people standing in the Pentagon line when I arrived. The line moved quickly, and within 10 minutes, I was next in line. A car pulled up to the front of the line, the driver said “Pentagon”, I got in the car with the next guy in line, and we headed to the Pentagon. Fortunately, I had read the rules and etiquette for slugging online and understood that conversation while slugging is not permitted unless the driver initiates it. After a nice, quiet 50 minute drive, I was dropped off at the Pentagon steps at 0730 for my first day of inprocessing. The post is already quite long, so I won’t go into any details on my first day of work. I also won’t talk about the garage door breaking for Mugs (she can post that). After 1 day of inprocessing I have 3 new security badges and 0 computer accounts. At 1600, I walked out to the Pentagon parking lot and stood in the Stafford - Rte 610 line. By 1645, I was back in Stafford and waiting for Mugs to pick me up at the lot.

Tomorrow I might get some computer accounts, but maybe I shouldn’t rush it!

The Army terms the time immediately following a field exercise or deployment: recovery.  First you clean and turn in your gear, then you repair your vehicles, and finally you have time off to rest, relax, and recoup.  Dale turned in most of his gear in Georgia and has received his footlockers that he mailed home to himself.  The footlockers were full of uniforms, military gifts, coffee cups, coins, and sand.  He recently set to work cleaning and fixing his motorcycle.  He washed it, filled it with oil and gas, and charged the battery.  He then spent the rest of the day pushing it backwards and attempting to start it by rolling it down the driveway. He got a good workout, but the motorcycle did not start.  This starting on a hill trick worked in Australia.  Of course, the hill we lived on in Australia had a 30 degree slope.  That location motivated us to buy a house on a level street which is not beneficial for motorcycle starting.

His rest and relaxation has been interrupted by a few unpleasant tasks.  In the year he was gone, I had drained and cleaned the pond 3 times.  I refused to do it a fourth.  It is a messy and unpleasant job.  The pond had been so neglected over the summer that the algae grew in waves off the walls.  Gabe got ready to help by putting on his work clothes (just like his Grandpa).  He has a pair of blue jean overalls that he wears for all messy tasks.  Gabe loves messy tasks: cleaning the pond, picking up after the dog, cleaning the litter box, taking out the rubbish, cleaning the bathrooms.  Most people avoid these tasks if possible, but not Gabe.  Since the pond was in such bad shape, Dale removed the entire liner from the ground and stood it on end.  Dale, Gabe, and Zeke then scrubbed it clean.  We can once again see the fish.  Josiah’s fish, Napoleon, is the only one to survive from the initial fish purchase.  He is 2 to 3 times bigger than all the other fish and rules the pond.  Mohawk, Atomic, Harja, and Genghis Khan follow his lead.  If names prove true, I imagine Genghis Khan is just biding his time.  Genghis Khan is Josiah’s fish as well.  I’m not certain why he names his fish after war leaders, but he does.  Dale decided that there were too many rocks in the bottom of the pond, so he only put some of them back in.  The rest he left out in a pile in the backyard, much to Blaze’s delight.  Dale was then introduced to Blaze’s fun snatch and swallow game.  Blaze would run over to the pile of algae covered rocks, snatch one out, attempt to break his teeth on it, try to swallow it, and dash away as Dale tried to catch him.  He then repeated this game ad nauseum until Dale gave up and moved the rock pile out of the yard.

Having allowed Dale peace during the majority of his time off, the kids and I decided that it would be great family fun to go to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg for the day.  Many organizations claim to “Support the Troops”, but provide little if any actual support.  Busch Gardens is one place that really does “Support the Troops”.  They allow every active duty service member and their family free admission to one park one time during the year.  If we had paid for park admission, it would have cost us more than $300.  That level of generosity is really amazing to me.  So, here’s to Anheuser Busch!  Karl can drink one of their beers in my honor; if he can stand to drink such a low brow beer.  He should be willing, however, since the company was founded by a good German, after all.

The first roller coaster we went on was called The Griffon.  It was incredibly smooth, had a 90 degree drop that you stopped to admire at the top and was similar to flying.  One woman, upon being asked to go on it by her friend, replied, “Girl, My heart can’t take it!”  We all laughed at that.  Abby, Josiah, and I all agreed that it was awesome, so Dale was forced to go with Abby and Josiah the second time.  He loved it and was now onboard for roller coasters.  He then went on the Alpengeist with Josiah and Abby and declared it very twisty, but he was raring for more.  While they were on the Alpengeist, Gabe was a good sport riding all the small rides with Zeke.  Dale, Josiah, and Abby came back for Gabe and they then rode the Big Bad Wolf.  When they got on the ride, Dale and Gabe sat in front and Abby and Josiah sat in back.  Dale told them that Josiah and Abby could be in front when they rode it the second time.  When the ride finished, Dale decided that there would be no second time for him.  He sent them alone.  When he returned to Zeke and I, he wasn’t looking so good.  The swinging cars were too much for him.  Zeke and I weren’t looking so good either.  I had been climbing with him through a massive tree fort up cargo nets and down slides.  We were so hot, we took off our shoes and walked in the shallow water stream.  That wasn’t cooling Zeke off quick enough, so he decided to lay down.  I was standing there with a dripping child when they returned.  It took most of the day for Zeke to dry out.

We took a break for lunch at a BBQ place and filled our queasy stomachs with ribs, chicken, and brisket.  Abby, Josiah, and I then rode Apollo’s Chariot.  It is a terrific roller coaster that makes you think you will be flung out at any moment and your stomach drops repeatedly.  It won “BEST RIDE” vote from us all.  Gabe and Zeke rode a flying ride where they strapped them flat on the wings.  Abby, Josiah, and I then rode the Loch Ness Monster.  It went upside down and upside down again.  I got off of it slightly green in color and declared my roller coaster riding finished.  Dale was recovered from his earlier motion sickness and rode Escape from Pompeii with Gabe, Josiah, and Abby.  They felt the heat of the fire, avoided the crashing obstacles, and then rode down for the big splash.  Zeke and I watched all the boats coming down.  He informed me, “When I’m 17, I go on all the screaming rides.”

We took a break and watched an animal show.  The cat chased the mouse, the dog chased the cat, the bird did math, and the dog jumped rope.  It was really cute and we all laughed.  Dale, Josiah, Abby, and Gabe then went to see a Pirate 4D movie where they thought they got spit on, stung by a bee, and hit by bird droppings.  Gabe was thrilled.  Zeke flew a plane and it took him a few moments to comprehend that he had to pull back on the stick to get it up in the air.  He looked at me and accurately mimicked the movement I was making with my arms, but didn’t quite understand that the stick had to be in his hands.  We then watched the Oktoberfest celebration and found a future Baritone playing job for Josiah.  Gabe, Zeke, Dale, and I got up to do the chicken dance.  Abby and Josiah are now too cool for such antics.  To their mortification, they realized that their Father is never too cool for the chicken dance.

Throughout the day, we ate some giant pretzels, waffle ice cream cones, and funnel cakes so that we could feel thoroughly ill.  Josiah, Abby, and Gabe rode the spinning swings.  At this point, Dale couldn’t even watch without feeling sick.  We finished it off with the bumper cars that Dale once again proved himself king of.  He even drove a victory lap to rub it in.  A fun day, but I think Dale needs recovery from his recovery.