Blog Blocking By Big Brother....

I've got just a moment, and don't have the ability at the moment to post what's written elsewhere. Someday I'll be able to do it!

First off, thanks for your continuing prayers. They're helping!

It turns out that the those who run this "summer camp" block access to blogs, so I'm not able to read my own blog, or the comments that folks are leaving. Who knew?

A sober friend Steve C (whom I've known since he was 10 years old -- probably the only time since we've known each other when he was smaller than me) has told me he knows someone at work who might be able to help me get set up with my own domain name as a solution to this problem. I'll let you know!

In the meantime, suffice it to say that it's hot and sticky -- constantly -- and the new flame-resistant ACUs (camouflage uniform) they've issued are even less breathable than the ones I brought with me. How do you spell 'sauna time'?

In the "department of efficiency department" (or is that the department of redundancy department?) get a load of this: The day before I arrived at Summer Camp - South a huge sheaf of documents detailing my participation in training conducted back home under the watchful eye of Big Brother was hand-carried and personally delivered to the people here at Summer Camp - South whose job is to make sure everyone has been trained.

I discovered this past Wednesday (Wednesday being the 14th day I'd been here) that those who took receipt of those documents on 02JUL08 managed to lose track of them almost immediately -- before they'd been processed. So in addition to my not having received any training at all in specifically Chaplain-related tasks up to this point, I've had to repeat (breathtakingly stultifying) training that I'd already been certified as having completed.

I found those documents myself and hand-carried them back to the folks who lost them in the first place. A real confidence-builder, eh??

This past Monday was the first day I was shown an actual *printed* schedule of training, and that was just for the upcoming week. The first time I saw a "horseblanket" (Army-speak for a spreadsheet listing all the training needed, and when it's to be (or has been) done) was Wednesday -- and it didn't show me as having completed ANY prior training at all. Efficiency and competence! Hooray!!!

On an entirely different note: The good people in the Heller lab at Stanford developed an amazing technology for rapidly removing heat from the core of the human body -- completely non-invasively -- and I brought one of those devices along with me. I've used it a number of times out at various ranges, or back in our room, and all but one person have reported remarkable improvements in how they felt as a result of using the CoreControl device.

Now, if I can just convince Dr. Heller and his crew to use *me* as one of their test subjects for their newest iteration of the device, which is worn as a CamelBak and utilizes a much more glove-like heat exchanger.... C'mon guys! (I usually wind up not using the CoreControl myself, because so many others want to try it, and back at the room I let SFC M use it instead -- he really loves it!)

SFC McG and I were told this week that we should be through with training by 01AUG08, but I'll believe it when I see it. So much here at summer camp seems to be "make-it-up-as-we-go-along" -- which was at first surprising, given how many Soldiers they've processed through here.

In any event, 01AUG08 feels as though it's a runaway train careening towards us in the middle of a long tunnel from which there is no escape.... I'll keep you posted.

Blessings and peace to one and all,


Fr. Tim, SJ

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