The Puzzle Palace
Marcus left last Tuesday for his new assignment at the Pentagon a.k.a The Puzzle Palace. He arrived there Wednesday evening and got all settled in with his cousin in Silver Springs, MD. It it is a very good thing that is cousin Eric lives near DC or it would have been a huge struggle financially for us to support two complete households. For the time being (until they get sick of each other) Marcus will live with Eric and split the rent and utilities with him.
Marcus called me Thursday night. I could just hear the excitement in his voice; one would have thought he was 13 and I had just sent him off to space camp--LOL. I think he is really going to enjoy this job despite the fact that it means he will be flying a desk rather than a Buff. Although he was not due into work until tomorrow, Marcus went in on Thursday. Eric was kind enough to show him the ins and outs of riding the Metro to the Pentagon. For the time being Marcus' office is at Rosslyn, which apparently is a twelve story office building just north of the Pentagon. I guess it serves as sort of an annex to the Pentagon. Marcus' offices at the Pentagon are currently under construction, which is why he is at Rosslyn. He said it was very surreal getting off the Metro and walking to 'his' office building. He said that save for the fact that he was in a flight suit and military personnel on the street were saluting him and saying "Good Morning, Sir" he would have felt like a business man going off to some high-powered job at a bank or something. LOL, forgive him--he is accustomed to working in very staid military buildings. He didn't accomplish much that first day in as nearly his entire office was out golfing--go figure.
He went into work again on Friday, but this time to the DOD shuttle bus from Rosslyn to the Pentagon in order to do all his in-processing. Marcus, being the fastidious guy that he is, had bought a book several months back all about having an assignment at the Pentagon. He read that book cover to cover, even highlighting the "important parts." Confident in his preparation, he decided to tackle the Pentagon for his first time all on his own. Someone needs to string that man of his navigator wings because even with a map in hand, he managed to get lost within the many halls of the Pentagon for a period of FOUR hours!!!! I had to chuckle when I heard this because like most men, Marcus considers it a slight to his pride to actually ask for directions. I am sure that if he had asked for directions he could have cut his lost time down to, oh say . . . .THREE HOURS!! They do not call it The Puzzle Palace for nothing! He eventually found his way and in the process stumbled across Donald Rumsfeld's (his boss) office. I think he should have gone in and introduced himself, but then what do I know?
I am very glad to see that Marcus seems to be in his element and I think he will be happy in this job; I was a bit worried because flying has been his life for so long that I wasn't sure how happy he would be not doing it.
As for me, well I am still here in LA trying to sell this darned house. The market is slow right now but expected to pick back up in December when new people start coming into the base. Hopefully it will sell them. I miss Marcus way more than I thought I would. Generally in the evening we are both busy doing our own thing; he is usually working on job related stuff. I've come to realize that even though we were not necessarily doing something together I enjoyed his presence in the house--just knowing he was there brought me comfort. Now, I even miss his snoring--never thought I would say that! LOL
Marcus called me Thursday night. I could just hear the excitement in his voice; one would have thought he was 13 and I had just sent him off to space camp--LOL. I think he is really going to enjoy this job despite the fact that it means he will be flying a desk rather than a Buff. Although he was not due into work until tomorrow, Marcus went in on Thursday. Eric was kind enough to show him the ins and outs of riding the Metro to the Pentagon. For the time being Marcus' office is at Rosslyn, which apparently is a twelve story office building just north of the Pentagon. I guess it serves as sort of an annex to the Pentagon. Marcus' offices at the Pentagon are currently under construction, which is why he is at Rosslyn. He said it was very surreal getting off the Metro and walking to 'his' office building. He said that save for the fact that he was in a flight suit and military personnel on the street were saluting him and saying "Good Morning, Sir" he would have felt like a business man going off to some high-powered job at a bank or something. LOL, forgive him--he is accustomed to working in very staid military buildings. He didn't accomplish much that first day in as nearly his entire office was out golfing--go figure.
He went into work again on Friday, but this time to the DOD shuttle bus from Rosslyn to the Pentagon in order to do all his in-processing. Marcus, being the fastidious guy that he is, had bought a book several months back all about having an assignment at the Pentagon. He read that book cover to cover, even highlighting the "important parts." Confident in his preparation, he decided to tackle the Pentagon for his first time all on his own. Someone needs to string that man of his navigator wings because even with a map in hand, he managed to get lost within the many halls of the Pentagon for a period of FOUR hours!!!! I had to chuckle when I heard this because like most men, Marcus considers it a slight to his pride to actually ask for directions. I am sure that if he had asked for directions he could have cut his lost time down to, oh say . . . .THREE HOURS!! They do not call it The Puzzle Palace for nothing! He eventually found his way and in the process stumbled across Donald Rumsfeld's (his boss) office. I think he should have gone in and introduced himself, but then what do I know?
I am very glad to see that Marcus seems to be in his element and I think he will be happy in this job; I was a bit worried because flying has been his life for so long that I wasn't sure how happy he would be not doing it.
As for me, well I am still here in LA trying to sell this darned house. The market is slow right now but expected to pick back up in December when new people start coming into the base. Hopefully it will sell them. I miss Marcus way more than I thought I would. Generally in the evening we are both busy doing our own thing; he is usually working on job related stuff. I've come to realize that even though we were not necessarily doing something together I enjoyed his presence in the house--just knowing he was there brought me comfort. Now, I even miss his snoring--never thought I would say that! LOL
posted by Dianna | 10:30 PM
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