ARRGGGHHH.  At least the Pats game wasn't close in the second half, which makes it easier to deal with.  I am still irked that I had to get up at 2:30am to watch it and I have been tired all day.  In a strange way this makes watching the Super Bowl easier, the family has stories about my yelling and throwing things when the Pats play.   I will now be able to participate in the command's Super Bowl party and not worry about acting like a crazy person.

So I have had a few questions along the lines of "What is it you DO?"  Aside from the fact that I am a people person (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGS2tKQhdhY

) my job is to manage something more than 100 sailors as they clear people, weapons, equipment, vehicles, you name it to go back to the US.  For those of you that have traveled internationally you know that this is normally done right after you arrive in the US.  As a courtesy to those serving here in CENTCOM, we are allowed to preclear anyone heading back so they can walk right off the plane when they get home.  That is the Customs side of things, and it is pretty straightforward - no ammo, counterfeit products, war trophies, that sort of thing.  We also help the US Department of Agriculture with their rules, and that is a little trickier as no foreign dirt, bugs or plants are allowed in the US.  If you think about your car, that thing gets dirt all over it.  Now think about a tank.  Here is a video of one of my guys at what we call the washrack: http://www.dvidshub.net/video/194946/dirt-inspectors

So that is what they do, and my job is to make sure they do it right and that the machine runs smoothly.  What I like is that there is something new popping up every day, I get all sorts of questions about things ranging from getting stuff IN to Kuwait, (not our job, but now I know who in the Army is responsible) to a reasonable penalty for a sailor ticketed for driving around a speed bump (I made him read the regs and train the rest of the company on what not to do).  It makes my day fly by.

There are other things that fill the day; I started playing softball again after taking about a decade off.  The fields here aren't much more than leveled and dragged desert surrounded by generator-fed lights.  Another surprise to me was just how many rocks there are in the desert - shin bruises are a major occupational hazard to anyone playing as the ball takes all sorts of crazy hops off the rocks.  The company has two softball teams and a basketball team, and even if I am not playing I try to get to all the games just to watch.  I am also trying to run more, there are lots of 5K and higher events here at Arifjan and up in Ali.  A group of us are headed up to Ali this weekend to run a half marathon, although I am angry because I just found out they aren't offering a t-shirt to participants.  And on top of it all are the communications – e-mails, texts, phone calls and the weekly handwritten letters home (I am old-school like that).  Add that all up and it makes for a full day/week/month.