The Day Before Tomorrow

I’ve had another largely quiet day today with the highlight being a wasted trip to the shop to stock up on cigars before I go to stay at a camp without anything remotely interesting to buy (if anything at all)

I had my interview with the badging officials and it turns out I am not a terrorist and that when I have to go back at least twice more for other secret things (can’t say to much at this stage) I can have a permanent pass…..this will have taken over 4 weeks, 3 separate interviews and 10s of hours of my time – all of which I have been paid for so I shouldn’t complain really.

If I had a complaint then it revolves around the air-conditioning in the waiting room at the processing centre. It didn’t work and after an hour of sitting in a tin box in 50+deg heat I had lost about a stone in weight and was sitting in dripping wet clothes (you know when you can feel the sweat run all the way down your back and down your builders bum……well it was like that). Trouble was I then came back to the office where I was in severe danger of getting hypothermia because I am then sitting in the freezing bloody cold in wet clothes – some people are never happy !

Changing the subject – last night I was talking to someone about the art of endurance (I have just thought that term up in case he’s reading this and thinking “what the F*** is he talking about”). The art of endurance is any means you use to deflect the pain or misery which comes your way as you strive to achieve a specific goal. In this case I was trying to explain that I’m trying not to look forward to going home yet as it will just make me miserable, likewise, I’m trying not to miss my family etc. for the same reason.

If you are running, for instance, and you have set yourself a particular goal, a distance or a time, it should be a challenge otherwise, to me, there’s not much point in doing it. If it’s a challenge then it’s likely to be boring or painful, and if it’s boring or painful then you need something to take your mind off it. I count my strides up to 60 over and over again or if I’m on a tread mill and there is music on I force myself to not look at the clock for, say, 3 songs. Well, it’s the same principle for this test of endurance.

I have a “Happy Chat” which started life as a calendar to remind me of all the administrative trivia that I have to undergo on this job with visa’s, blood tests, invoices, flights etc. I’ve added to it’s “functionality” on an almost daily basis and yesterday I put in the halfway point. I had intended to have a countdown on here (if you all promise not to shut the country cause you know I’m coming back !) but just not yet, cause it’s a bit like the running, I want to get the worst of it over before I look down and see how much time I have left !

Today’s inventory:

4 cigars

0 units – this is getting boring now, but at least I’ve proved I’m not an alcoholic, cause I don’t have any desire to chase contraband beer across the camp last night or watch any boring football ! I am, however, getting a bit worried about what will happen when I have my first drink after 6+ weeks without any. It’s likely to be a glass of red on the flight home so at least I’ll be sitting down !

$13 dollars not spent Cigars !

Gym - Hard session tonight cause it will be my last for a few days. I will have to content myself with running around the desert with an armed guard and benchpressing body armour in my room at night !

Weather – bloody hot (rumours that it’s up to 57deg today, but I can’t corroborate that as I haven’t seen a thermometer)

Food – I know it’s only been 2 and a half weeks but the craving for a bacon sandwich is growing by the day……it’s developing into a full English with Sausages and Black Pudding…….and a pork chop !

I have had a couple of boringly quiet days so I haven't even had the camera out. Consequentially I have no interesting pictures but I'll try and make it up to you in the next couple of days.

Lastly for tonight, I am moving to site tomorrow (assuming nothing else goes wrong) and although I know there is internet I also know it's a bit up and down so if you don't here from me tomorrow then it's probably because I couldn't get on line rather than anything more sinister.