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10 September, 2003 - 3:44 p.m.

>Dangerous men? Why captain, you have no idea.

>Which Extraordinary Gentleman are you?

Just too perfect!Try to be surprised.

Yes, it is true that I have been trying to get a job in Antarctica. It has been a long standing dream... it looks like it is closer to coming true in that Raytheon has had me jump through all their hoops for hiring.

Let me explain....

Apply for job on line. Wait. Go to job fair. Wait. Finally receive the call that says they are interested. Wait. First package arrives. Go to Drug Screening lab and pee in the jar and express mail it to the companies lab. Receive call confirming offer - point out I have received no offer letter. Give permission for background check. Next box arrives. Another pee jar and 7 blood vials arrive in a box. 2 packages of paperwork arrive. Fill out the 1/2 inch thick package, reading, signing, agreeing to everything. Get into the mail and back to Human Resources before deadline. Open the other package and try to make sense of the paper work which will be filled out and mailed back in 3 separate envelopes for 1)dentist, 2)medical and 3)accounting. All before the various deadlines of course.

Ok - no problem. I can follow directions.

Take package to dentist in NC and ask them to do it ASAP and let me know in the next 48 hours if they actually need me or my mouth for any part of it. They say no problem. Good. Done.

Next package to the clinic. Thankfully the military is use to soldiers deploying and needing to do everything lickety-split. I had an EKG, chest x-ray, immunizations, the 7 large blood draws, prescriptions written and filled, the pee jar filled too, and the physical all in 3 hours.

This is followed by a made dash in the pouring rain with the blood and urine samples to Airborne Express mail them to the lab again. Can't drop blood sample in a drop box - oh no - must be handed to a person. My migraine made this whole process all the more intense.

I returned 48 hours later (No, I didn't drive back to NC, I was there the whole time with my mom doing the court thing) to have the TB test read, get the results of the chest x-ray and finish up the medical paperwork, getting all the signatures and getting it into the mail.

5 days later, 1 day after the deadline, my dentist office in NC calls me in VA to say they need me for up-to-date x-rays. I absolutely flip out. I get off the phone so I don't scream at her. I call NC back and have them express mail the package from there noting that the x-rays are coming under separate cover. I call my old dentist here in VA and get the x-rays done here. I must have new, original x-rays. They were only a little perplexed but admittedly don't deal with folks going to Antarctica everyday. I get the x-rays into the mail and cross my fingers.

Then I relax a bit and head off to go visit friends. Friday morning I get a phone call telling me that the VA dentist only gave me one original and 2 copies and they must have all original x-rays. Thankfully mom was able to get the originals and express mail them that day. Done. Right?

Friday early evening, the medical dept calls to tell me that I need to redo my glucose test. I'm in MD for heaven's sake. The yellow pages coughs up the number for a lab and it turns out they will be open on Sat. Good. But they need a requisition to do the test - like what - people walk off the street to have their blood drawn and a glucose test done just because they have nothing better to do with their time or money??? OK. ok. I call the company back and have them fax off the request. Sat morn I was being stuck bright and early - oh joy! Tues it is confirmed that they have received the test results and all is good with medical.

Of course Wed the dental dept calls to tell me that I have a shadow at contact points 15 and 18 and need a new bite wing done and/or any decay repaired. Back to the VA dentist who is now laughing at me and while shaking his head and saying he sees no decay in the new x-ray starts poking around anyway. Well, my-oh-my, there is a little crack.....hmmmm... well maybe....

AT 4 pm the same day I receive a filling and a new bite wing and 1 each individual x-rays of both teeth in question, all originals mind you. Then I do the mad dash to the post office and get them in express mail before 5pm.

Praying... praying....

Finally I get the email just this Thursday telling me 'Congratulations, that I am physically qualified and have a nice trip." Happy dance all over the place. Happy, happy....

Well, then, there's reality....

Friday I talk to the deployment department... It seems I am what's called an 'Alternate'. That means I am on stand-by indefinitely. I could leave next week. I could leave in January. I must say that after jumping thru all these burning hoops with deadlines this was NOT what I thought was going to happen.

Bummed. You bet! Absolutely sucks!!!!!!!!!!!

But then.... my mom goes in for spinal fusion surgery on Oct 2. Same surgery as Rosine's with more of the spine being replaced. It is better that I am here. And one of my friends is facing another crisis. Yup. It is better that I am right here.... for now.

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