Month 5 Day 5

Notebook Entry
Nine reports to Samir one report from the Afghan National Army, worked Excel and PowerPoint and weather, woked on new personnel. Afghan National Army independent class-Communications.

Journal Entry
Had duty in the morning. I worked with Rafi on the same type of database thing that I worked with Qais and Salim on. He picked it up much quicker than Qais and Salim. He said that he couldn’t take too much though, and that he would quickly be overloaded with information. I tried to teach Qais and Salim basic intelligence. Qais seemed attentive and read to learn while Salim was distracted and annoying.

I got Suzan's Valentine’s Day stuff. It was the most marvelous experience. I don’t think that I am actually a good person inside. I have done volunteer work, community service etc. I understand intellectually that this is good, but I have never really taken any gratification from it. For me the gift has always been in the receiving, as fucked up as that is. For the first time in my life I was damn near giddy to do something for someone else. I don’t know if it was just because it was Suzan, and because it has been so long since I have been able to do something for her. If it is something in my head that wants to focus on something other than my immediate situation. I don’t really get it, but it was a fuck ton of fun.

I had a couple of good conversation with Capt Arthur. He is going to get out as soon as this deployment is done. He plans on getting engaged to his girlfriend and finding a job in the civilian world. I sent him all of the job serach stuff that I had. We had a couple of good discussions about how to relate to your spouse. How to deal with money (I think he sees the virtues of our direction). He was a little worried because his girlfriend is a pharmacist who makes a stupid amount of money. Since she makes that much he is worried that things will be weird between them when he is not a Captain pulling in over 100k a year. It may take time to work back up to that level if he gets back up there at all. All in all I was really glad again to have Suzan, to have our marriage, and to not be like poor John and Hannah. I do not understand how some Marines do their relationships. It was good. I’d like to have them over for dinner some time after this is all done, but he probably won’t want to know me because I am still a blood sucker in the Corps.

I got the guide to literary agents and started reading through that. I’m stoked to try something new