vice restored

whoooooooo-boy, getting up this morning sure was rough. i pity the poor bastards down south at the moment, if it had been winter they'd have thrown me out for tardiness for sure.

i fixed band-aided the backup battery this morning with the cellphone trick i learned at the orange counter: i simply slid a folded up piece of paper underneath the cover. super hi-tech.

i just discovered that my BMI status is "overweight". ha ha. cute.

it occurred to me this morning that it's a fair supposition that i have to drink, because chocolate doesn't count as a vice anymore. no more amusing facebook updates, though - my colleagues really don't need to know that i consume on schoolnights... and of course, i can't drink more than a couple of pints. i don't want the mother of all hangovers to return.

the hairdresser moved. without informing anyone. at first i walked all the way to the other side of the base (wasting a good half an hour), and then when i got to the new place (right next to my office, of course) i was told that my appointment would have to be postponed. i didn't think to report this because they told me off for not paying attention to the instructions when making an appointment.

later on i checked and discovered that there weren't any instructions, and that i wasn't the only person surprised that they'd moved. i sent an email to everyone in the unit, and aside from the usual silly responses from people who don't use the base hairdresser's services i got a number of comments that it would have been useful to have received the mail earlier :S

on sunday the officer at the quarter-master's store assured me that we'd have five of each of the requested items available today. when i got there i discovered that there were only three of each, and that i wasn't authorized to sign off on them. i was in a state afterwards because i made a really stupid (and novice) mistake that pissed her off, but before going home one of the guys spoke to me and told me that it's her overreacting, and that i don't need to worry. apparently lots of people get into the same situation with her... pleasant service, yes.

my haircut is horrible. when an ars chops your fro, he makes you look like one of his kind. the weird bit was getting complimented in spite of my misgivings, and one girl got all gushy when she saw me: "you look so good. how are you? you look so... GOOD."
that was a little awkward for me. i just winked and smiled and turned tail and fled.

i went to the cafeteria to pick up guarana, and learned that it's been banned from all our bases along with the great tinned coffee because they're not kosher. that's a bummer. one of the guys from my team in the desert and his best friend were there when i went in, it was good to see them. i bought a doughnut on my way out, and then internalized a very important lesson: you can't eat jelly-doughnuts in uniform.

the last point of the day was group therapy for the application that i've resumed complaining about. three guys going crazy, and there's me to pick up the pieces and show them how it's done. i impressed myself with my unforgotten skills more than them, but we're all of the same opinion, we need to do something about getting other software in. basically, i'm going to have to write a prototype in my own time, which sucks, so that i have something to propose a solution with.

my pda's been ruling my world, and i'm happy with it! so much better than my cellphone :)
i got home, won a memory card auction on ebay for a 2Gb card ($6.50, $1 for charity and free delivery!) and went out to buy a fuzz-removing roller-thingy for my uniform.

when i got home i chatted with my new flat-mate over dinner (i stood eating in the kitchen, nothing fancy), and tried to convince her that she needs to do some kind of fun physical activity (like sport or dancing) if she wants to retain her sanity and health - you can't work and study all day long, it's depressing and unhealthy. and she's studying to be a physiotherapist, she should know this. the fact that she's the only student in her class who isn't a fitness instructor or champion of something should be an important clue.

i hopped on my blades, sat with egg and learned a bit more about my guitar from him, then bladed back home (with the guitar on my back) to shower and pluck a few more strings before getting ready for bed.