I bet some of you are wondering why I haven't posted anything in a while. Well, it isn't because I am lazy, it is because I haven't had much time lately and because I am currently residing in the land of clones. This place is hot, sometimes hitting as high as 125 degrees (luckily we haven't hit that yet, but soon we will), and in the attitude of my favorite apostle J. Golden Kimball, "If I had a home here and one in Hell, I would sell the one here and live in Hell." There is no color here to give any sense of individuality, or just to make the place look a little better. It is beige as far as the eye can see. All the clones walks around in either tan/grey camouflage or grey shirts with blue shorts. Almost every clone has an IPod strapped to their bicep (I assume to give them directions), sunglasses on their face and an over sized backpack on their back. Nobody talks to each other in passing. Not even a "hello" or a "good morning". They stare straight ahead and keep plugging along with only their end destination in mind. There are clones out and about 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Even at two in the morning it is as if there is a carnival (minus the carnival) and clones walking around everywhere. They have buildings for the clones to get in some recreation time with activities such as pool, or weight lifting, or even watching a movie, but for the most part these activities are done by individual clones, and rarely by a group of clones together. Remember, clones don't talk to one another unless it is necessary. Luckily for me I do get to engage in intelligent conversation with human beings in the real world via a small video screen (even though it usually doesn't work). Also to my good fortune, I have twelve hours a day, six days a week that I get to do my job and that helps pass the time away. Clones only eat scrambled eggs or omelets because that is almost the only thing offered at their dinning facilities which are at least 400 yards away from their living quarters. And apparently clones need that exercise because the restrooms are also a good 200 yards away. Oh, and I ate a cricket for $11 (just an FYI). I bet a lot of you are thinking, "man this guy is complaining a lot." This is just a glimpse into the living conditions here which are not the most favorable, but that is to be expected. I do realize why I am here and I know it isn't supposed to be fluffy pillows and bowls of ice cream all the time. I know that I am here to do my job and I am proud to do it for my country. I appreciate all of the lessons I am learning and the experiences I am having, but who really doesn't have anything to complain about when it comes to their job. I have even seen famous athletes that complain about some aspects of their job. So, hopefully the next two months go by as quickly as the last two. Here are some photos of my day:
Flying to the Land of Clones
Taking in the Scenery
Blending in
The Highlight of my day
At least the sun can still provide some color to break up the monotony
You silly, why didn't you have someone take the picture of you, then we could see you blending in better. I would go crazy, you are better than me. Would you get in trouble if you just started whistling or singing as you passed the clones? Or you could try real hard to get them to smile or laugh, that could be fun. Thanks for serving our country! Thank goodness for the sunset, too!!!
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