[Redacted because drinking and sifting never looks good after.]

Holy shit. I didn't start drinking until ~ 11:30 last night. I had to report in at 8. Thankfully, since there's only a few of us waiting to fly out (since the rest of the battalion is gone) we don't. do. anything. Seriously. We check in at 8. We're told to do a police call (pick up trash in the area) and then we go back at 1300 (1:00) where we're told to come back at 8:00. Seriously, that's the routine we've had for over a month and will have for another month.

So anyway, we got shit-faced and watched movies until about 4 something in the morning, so when formation came around this morning I was most certainly still drunk. Now that it's 1:30 in the workday, I'm finally waking up (didn't have to check in - we were just told to clean our rooms for some Colonel's inspection) I thought I should post more details.

We were supposed to take a civilian flight, but since there's one more battalion of Marines flying out, they decided to stick us with them later. Which is really fine by me - it's one less month in the hot season and one more in the cold season. As as Farhad can tell you, the heat in that region is no fucking joke.

I'm flying home for pre-deployment leave today. I'm headed to Austin, Texas to see my twin who's in the Army. I have to fly from Jacksonville, NC to Charlotte, NC, to Dallas, then to Austin. My first flight out fo Jville was delayed an hour, so I automatically missed my connecting flight. Now instead of landing in Austin at 12:30, I'll be touching down at close to 8:00. Eight fucking hours. That's a seven hour layover in Charlotte. Thankfully there's a USO here. They have a giant LCD tv, three Playstation 2s, A PS3, and an XBOX360. - As well as seven computers, snacks, drinks, muffins and other goodies. Not to menttion that the facility itself is really nice. When I entered the USO, I was expecting some couches, a tv, and granola bars. Certainly nothing this nice.

I would have shot myself out of misery and boredom by now if it hadn't been for this place. Thank you to the men and women who work there, and even more thanks to all the people that have ever donated to the USO. It's an absolutley wonderful organization that does wonders to help us out.

[UPDATE]
Noon thirty rolls around and I wake from my slumber to hear that they're grilling burgers. Of course I ask for one, and holy shit it was delicious.
The whole thing was more than worth the $10 I dropped in the donation box earlier.


P.S. - I'll be in Iraq before the end of the month. Just an update for y'all.