Wrecked

I snuggled in last night to the movie “Wreck it Ralph” which turned out to be a really cute movie.  I really like movies that express someone’s imagination so creatively, understandably, and in a way to which I can relate.  When I was very young, I used to take movie titles and create stories around them.  The one that sticks out in my mind is “The Fisher King” which is a 1991 film starring Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams.  This movie is about a suicidal radio DJ that helps a homeless man and in turn helps himself mentally and emotionally.  My version, having never seen the previews, involved a King that liked to fish who was married to a tiny woman, comparable in size to Thumbelina, who disappeared one day accidentally in a bag of groceries.  The King became very sad because he thought his wife had left him, but in the end everyone is happy and the Queen is found.  Taking a lesson from Disney, all my stories had happy endings, just like the movie “Wreck it Ralph” (which is actually a Pixar film). 

I am ahead of the game in my work submissions so today is a rather boring day.   I have to go look for some trouble to get in to so I can write about it for you…give me a minute.

I just had lunch with the most interesting man I have met in the last three months.  I went to lunch alone, enjoying my newfound confidence and independence, and although there were many individuals from my unit satisfying their hunger, I chose to sit nestled between strangers at a long table that did not contain anyone from my unit.  I was enjoying my salad and roast turkey when a gentleman two empty seats down from me asks if I am a part of a medical unit.  We had a nice conversation about Combat Support Hospitals, Multi-Functional Medical Battalions, and previous deployments, but this is not the interesting fellow.  Sitting across from him and catty-corner to me was the fascinating man who originally told me he was from California.  This fantastic human being was actually born in Kabul, Afghanistan.  He moved to California in 1980 when Russia was invading Afghanistan.  This is his third trip back to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.  Are you curious yet as to what he does here?  He is a dam engineer.  He designs and oversees the construction of the dams here in Afghanistan alongside a US Soldier (the guy sitting across from him).  This guy is a genius!  How lucky I am to talk with him and hear about his experiences. 

The movie “Office Space” came on TV today and we are currently comparing their situations to our situations here.  The overbearing amount of bosses to deal with, the cut backs in personnel, and the monotony of the job are all easily comparable components of this movie and life here.  We are still looking for the peppy annoying waiter, but most of the other roles are filled.  Makes me wonder who is going to be the one to burn the building down.