It’s become what the new burners thought it was, a real god damn post office.

Hope I don't piss in your Cheerios, Skipper, because that was what I was hoping it was.

Cheers!
gvi

I reached out to BRC3PO (post office) a few weeks ago. I used to do Postal work in the Army and I liked it.

Helping at the Post Office seems like a harmless and yet rewarding way to say, even if in only a token and insignificant way, that "I contributed."

gvi

Good to "meet" you! I'm glad you're around. When my ex and I were dating (mid-90s), we decided to go see the Rocky Horror Picture Show. We were in our late 20s and EASILY the oldest people there by several years. We felt like chaperones. It's encouraging to know I'm unlikely to feel this way in BRC....

It's a different Army than the one your brother served in - 2017 is a long way from 1967. My first enlistment was in 1987 (kind of dizzying to think that my first enlistment was closer to the height of the Vietnam War than it is to today). The last of the old "lifers" was getting ready to retire - I...

The book is worth your while. If you can find it at your public library, I'd say that's the better route - libraries are underutilized resources anyway. Keep a pad alongside it for taking notes - it's the sort of book that points to the things you really want to know more about. The military is inde...

Is there any point to pilot holes? I use one of these at work for drilling property corner holes into sidewalks (not my image but I have a few that are functionally identical): https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a0/3a/7d/a03a7d047ac5fb05c120e209eb1adc1f.jpg I also own a couple brace-and-bit drills with ...

First of all, thanks so much for the warm welcome and solid advice! It seemed appropriate to add a little bit to "why" I'm going. What follows is a copy-paste, with some editing, of the response I gave to a friend in another online community of which I've been a member for about 12 years, with her q...

I can't figure out where to put this post - this seemed like the best fit. Moderators, please feel free to move it if you think it belongs elsewhere. It's hard to find people who play Go (called Weiqi in Chinese and Baduk in Hangul) in my area. Putting not too fine a point on it, everyone I know who...

Gotta ask yourself whether it's worth the effort to build something to use for only a week... I gather folks build art every year out there - and what happens to it when the event ends? Some of us (which is to say me) are not artists; rather, what creativity I have tends toward engineering. I see B...

You're of course right, but there's always the temptation to approach the question as an engineering problem - and once I go that route, Katie bar the door!

gvi

Buy once, cry once. As to shade, my opinion may be skewed. I've had to make myself comfortable in dark green canvas (now coated nylon) tents for a long time - I suspect a white or khaki tent would be cooler by comparison. As to "dustproofy," I'm not sure such a tent was ever made for someone other t...

I've considered everything from an old canvas pup-tent (for emergency/guests) to a small Sibley tent.... My thoughts always seem to go back to canvas. I've always preferred canvas tents to synthetic ones, for a number of reasons. What are your thoughts? I'm averse to a wall tent where it's really wi...

I'd considered distilling but I'm not sure how to pull it off.
There's still time to crack that nut

Land surveyor by profession here.

Not intending to bring any instruments more complicated than a box sextant, good compass and rangefinder monocular; however, if there was a project someone was interested in pursuing, I might be persuaded to bring a few things or have them shipped forward.

gvi

This discussion helped a LOT. Last year I went to a gun show with my daughter and some friends. It was at the County Expo Center which is a large pole-barn type structure. The crowd was quiet and orderly (as they always are at gun shows) but it was a crowd; combine this with the unavoidable noise (t...

What's the consensus on ground guides?

Are they necessary/required/recommended for vehicle movement to/from gate to campsite or within BRC?

Thanks!
gvi

Only "sewing" I'm going to do is to sew buttons or some sort of attachment to an outer coat/robe thingamajig. It's a lightweight garment which I mean to use with a fleece bathrobe as a liner when the temp. drops in the evening. Beyond that, I'm adding a puggaree to a pith helmet and replacing the fa...

I had a similar experience at NTC this spring. Tried to do tai chi before everyone got up. THAT part went well but the dust, combined with the ankle-turning rocks that seemed to move just enough to get in your way, made doing the empty-hand forms more trouble than the "training value" I got from the...

I've had a couple tricks for what to do with dirty clothes in the field. Bear in mind this is in a military context so your mileage may vary. It's been my experience that using the "field laundry" was NEVER a good idea - it always took MUCH longer than it was forecast, and you had no guarantee of ge...

Two or three years ago I tried my hand at sewing beyond simple repair. I sewed my daughter a traditional Japanese set of clothing - ( hippari jacket and monpei trousers. It was the easiest possible thing I could find. Took for-freakin'-EVER and I promised I'd never do it again if I didn't have to. H...

"Relative bearing grease."

That's a new one - love it!

gvi

EPlaya is full of snark, idioms, allegories, metaphors, BM specific slang lore and legend. You will not get reliable literal comms like they got in the service. You mean I might get sent for a box of grid squares, 100' of flight line, chem-light batteries, canopy-light batteries, a can of prop wash...

So I'm sitting here reading this discussion and thinking to myself... o I'm starting planning now for 2018 o My friend and I have read all the required reading and have spent a couple hours over several days discussing it and our plans o Said friend is doing her own planning which, as a career Soldi...

Would love to meet up in 2018 - I do Yang family tai chi quan, dao and jian (not an instructor).

Cheers!
gvi

There are two kinds of "Combat Lifesavers" in the Army - those who go to the class because they have to, and those who go because they want to. I was in the latter category, which means that I was always the one folks went to when they didn't feel good but didn't want the hassle of going to sick cal...

BBadger, I appreciate your approach; being new, I'd prefer to err on the side of caution and take an active approach rather than a passive one. An example from my history elsewhere may provide perspective. I'm a Freemason, and I don't think I'm giving away any state secrets when I tell you that one ...

2018 will be my first event. I just finished this entire discussion, which I'm glad took place over the course of several years. My concern is somewhat different. Since it's my first event, I want to be a good guest. I've read all about MOOP and how clothing can contribute to it. In this regard, wha...

Others may have different experiences but I swear by UnderArmour and its equivalents. I spent 2005 in Iraq working in an Army Post Office. Winter was chilly and rainy/muddy - Iraq has the damnedest clay you ever saw and rain/snow NEVER drains, it only evaporates. Summer - from about early April to m...

Uh - thanks, I guess.