the end is here...

i'm changing it up and stopping with the rants for a few and just talking about what's going on. we've had a lot of stuff going on around here lately. we finally finished the change of command inventory a week ago and signed all of our property over to our replacements. that's a HUGE weight off of your shoulders, because at that moment, they assume responsibility for the equipment. and that means that you're then cleared of all losses or missing equipiment. everything is accounted for or replacements have been ordered. we did our thing where we took our counterparts around and showed them where to go and who to talk to and how we did our jobs. then we loaded all of our stuff and got inspected by customs officials. yesterday we had our awards ceremony and over the course of the last couple of weeks we've been writing ncoers and getting them finalized. those are the evalution reports for the non commissioned officers and their performance downrange. that was a very difficult process. but it's over as well, and nice things were said about me. always nice to know people recognize your efforts. and i appreciate that kind of recognition more than awards. it's more individualized and not everyone gets the positive evaluation. one of the best bullets about me stated that the army would best benefit if i was always be placed in positions where i'm training and influencing junior nco's. that is a huge compliment to me and i can't express how proud i am of that.

on the more personal front, things are getting interesting. i sent out an email to friends asking for help with the job hunt. i got one email from a friend saying that he had a possible in for one of two jobs with a major retail chain. that would be a huge step for my career, to work on the computer infrastructure for a company that big. another friend of mine is recently retired from the military and has opened his own business and is doing well, and has asked me to come on with him. that's the opportunity i really want, but i have some concerns about the position, mainly not wanting to come back to iraq really quickly, and wanting some security. we'll discuss it. i've also got an interview with a company when i get home in denver. so there's alot of possibilities. hopefully one of them pans out.

as you all know, some of the better moments are when people you consider your peers or maybe even your betters in a certain field come to you for help. that's actually happened alot here with me, and that's been very rewarding. i've been asked for commo help and i've also had people ask for help with tactical stuff. i've frequently jumped in on convoys or other missions as an extra gun at the personal request of whoever was running the mission. considering that i was always the gawky, uncoordinated bastard, it's kinda nice. i might still stuck at alot of sports and am the ultimate white man on the dance floor, but some things i do well. what was really good was having an sf guy personally give me a parting thank you gift for the assistance we gave them. then a small group of contractors that pull security over here offered me a position. these types of companies frequently run adverts for former military personnel with certain skill sets, but having a guy come up and try to recruit you for his team or his region personally is a little different. means i must be doing something right and is just another personal compliment. those are the little things that mean so much and get you by.

i've also been pre-approved for a home loan this last week. i'm still not 100% keen on the idea, but i've been thinking about it alot lately and thought it was time to take the plunge. so i've been looking at stuff online and trying to get an idea of what i'm looking for/vs what i can afford. so that's exciting.

so life isn't all bad over here. there's lot of good, exciting stuff going on. and we'll be home. soon.