Election Day celebrations
Living and working on a federal government compound has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the limitations is the famous Hatch Act. At the core, it is a good law. It says that Federal government employees cannot bring their political party and election activities to the workplace. When one is stationed in the US and there is a definite cut off between personal and professional locations, that is pretty straightforward. But when one lives overseas in a federal government compound, where does "personal" time/location begin and "professional" time/location stop? This topic lead to lots of good discussion. Receiving voting materials through the APO was deemed OK, because it is our only means of mail. But having a coffee cup that advocated for a specific candidate or party in the office was deemed inappropriate. The grey area to me, was the apartment buildings. Ultimately, we were not allowed to post anything in the public areas of our apartments, but we could do whatever we wanted within our own apartment walls. (This I found odd, as apartment occupants are NOT allowed to smoke in their apartments because of the law against smoking in federal government buildings.)
Ultimately, a few of us brave early risers woke up and gathered in the internet cafe area to watch the results come in. It was a non-partisan group, though many of us were more elated by the results coming back than others were. Good thing we were allowed to cheer on election day in a federal building as the results came back.
Wii Revolution
While I was home on my last R&R, I visited Gretchen and famiily in Indiana. I had been pondering buying a Wii, after having heard so many good things about the Wii Fit. Gretchen's hubby, as I mentioned in my previous posting about my R&R, let me test out a Wii and convinced me that it was a worthwhile investment. I managed to buy a Wii on eBay and a Wii Fit on Amazon. I got back to Baghdad and waited for them both to arrive...and waited...and waited. The delay of the Wii was a known issue- Mars and Rob received it at their house and (I am assuming here) played with it a bit before they sent it on to me. (Actually, because it was still pristine in the box it is more likely that they just did not get around to getting to the post office with it, but the first story is better.)
The Wii Fit was more of a mystery. I contacted the Amazon marketplace vendor and found that they had insured it on shipment, and that they could track it entering the APO system, but then it had "vanished." They mentioned that this had happened to them before, and was one of the reasons why many vendors would not ship to APOs. That started me talking to other friends, and finding out that there are a huge number of things that go missing when shipped through the APO. I have to admit that fact really upset me. Why would people think it is ok to steal other people's mail? Especially mail going into the battle field to support all of the men and women out there serving our country. I was able to get a new Wii Fit shipped out- and it made it to me this time- but I am still upset at the loss, and the fact that the insurance company had to pay out on a claim for it, and the fact that someone, somewhere in the APO system thinks he/she is above the law. Karma...that is all I have to say to him/her. Karma will get you.
When it all finally arrived, it took me a while to finally set it up. Not because it was complicated, but mainly because at the end of a 11-12 hour work day I really just did not have the mental horsepower to tackle it. Perhaps it was good that I waited...it is addictive, but in a good way. Warning: if you have a Wii Fit, the next few paragraphs are going to be boring.
The Wii Fit is a white platform, that looks a bit like a workout step, just shorter. The Wii allows you to create a "Mii" which is who you are when you play the various games. In Wii Fit your Mii takes on the shape of your body, and the Wii Fit Platform allows you to work out, test your BMI and track your workout usage of the Wii. You start out with a limited number exercises available to you, but as you work out and master some or just put in time on others you unlock more activities. They are split into 4 categories- strength, yoga, balance and aerobics. I really enjoy all of them. Boxing has become a surprise favorite, because it releases so much stress and really works up a sweat. The balance ones are good, I can already feel my posture improving. I set a first goal to lose 10 lbs, and I am making slow progress towards it.
The best part of it is the fun of working out. On day 2 I had 3 friends over, and we all created Miis and tried different exercises. We were definietly all over the board in talent and skill. Norma was a yoga rock star already. Susan could do pushup planks with the best of them. I was able to perfect the step rhythms. Renee hula hooped like a pro. We laughed until we cried at our attempts in some areas. The male trainer is not terribly motivational, but his voice and encouragement made us chuckle. A definite 2 thumbs up from this new owner.
Too much to do, too little time
I was talking to a friend about a week ago, and he was razzing me about not updating my blog. I tried to explain that at the end of 11-12 hour days at the office in front of a computer that I had little interest in blogging, emailing or doing anything with a computer. But that was not wholly true. What I have been lacking is actually a "creative spark." I can't say there is nothing going on, because there are tons of things happening. But how to write about them in an amusing, entertaining way is my gap. So, here I sit, killing time at a computer, hoping to mine the most interesting nuggets of the past few months.
