Found a job

The end result of my ruminations how to keep myself busy for some of these next five weeks till I am officially retired is that I have volunteered to work for 30th MEDBDE for the next couple of weeks. There isn’t a problem with me heading out for appointments when I have them. Just imagine – me in ClinOps on an exercise at Thompkins Barracks. It makes me feel like nothing has changed in the world of exercise plans in 14 years.

This is going to be so much fun! (No, not running things; I will play senior statesperson – guide, mentor and maybe even knit. After all, I have less than 40 days remaining in uniform. I should worry about what other’s think?)

Of course, I was all cheerful when I went out the door this morning. “the road construction is all finished” I was told. Don’t have to drive through the back neighborhoods of Schwetzigen to get there. In a hurry on Friday – I hadn’t paid attention.

This was not a little road construction – this was a complete rebuild of B535. The corner where I expected to turn was gone. All I could see was this endless stretch of road in front of me. GPS doesn’t help – the fun people have taken the military Kasernes off the map. So, if you know where they are you can identify them by the blank spots. If you have grid coordinates – you can also do fine. Failing that – a Street address would work, but who every pays attention to the streets along the way (rather than the destination.

First it is 0800, then 0830 and I am still driving around lost. Finally giving up, I head back to the house just about screaming. Of course, there is no map book in the car…. Google fails me. Yahoo fails me. Finally, on one of the Stadtplan sites I find both the new road system and a note for the Kaserne. Heading back out the door, I managed to get there and have a productive morning and afternoon.

Doing Constraints, Assumptions, and other portions of the MDMP (Military Decision Making Process) are fun, especially since I am playing because I want to, rather than must.

Now I just have to track down manning/capability of a UK Field Hospital.