March 23, 2020
“Ignorance is Bliss” is a series detailing conditions and developments from inside an isolation site at Fort Bliss, Texas, housing US Soldiers returning from overseas deployments.
Big things happening today. Most of the tents/semi-permanent structures outside our little refugee camp cohort appear to be complete. Aside from the grand opening of the previously-described kitchen tent (which cooks the same Army field rations as before), I don’t think it’s going to affect us. At this point, I imagine not. There will be several thousand more inmates servicemembers coming through here, and I’m sure the new tents will be billeting or dining facilities for them. (Alternately, they could sit empty while the Army pays contractors outrageous amounts of money to maintain them. I’ve watched them us do dumber things.)
Speaking of breakfast, I’ve decided this is a golden opportunity to try intermittent fasting. It’s less of a health/weight loss/fitness/cognitive enhancer, and more of an indication that fake eggs and turkey bacon aren’t worth getting up for. So for now, it’s black coffee until lunch, when I ratfuck an MRE for the snacks. We’re running dangerously low on coffee. Mail is supposedly getting delivered tomorrow, so I’ll get a new SIM card for my phone, a hot water kettle, and FIVE FREAKING POUNDS of Black Rifle Coffee’s “Silencer Smooth” blend. Pre-ground, because I am a lazy philistine don’t have a grinder here.
The Army/Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) has set up a program for us to order “necessities” while we’re here. I’ve got some soap and energy drinks on the way, so I can smell good and be productive.
I’ve been doing my best to grind away at school, but the unreliable wifi here adds an additional challenge. (Also why daily updates here be delayed. Sorry.)
Apparently Alaska is falling apart right now, with the state and various boroughs/municipalities/local government entities enacting different measures in an uncoordinated attempt to stop/slow the spread of COVID-19. The latest is a state-mandated two-week quarantine for any travelers entering Alaska. When I’m done here, it appears that I’ll have the opportunity for yet another quarantine when I get back to the Last Frontier. I think I’ll rent a cabin somewhere for that one. Spending two weeks somewhere with reliable wifi and a hot tub sounds much more enjoyable than spending it in an aluminum can with 13 other dudes. (Sorry guys — love you, but you smell horrible).
Dinner tonight was stir fry (Taco Bell-grade beef with vegetables and MSG) with egg rolls (soggy tortillas wrapped around steamed cabbage). It was…fine. I didn’t go back for seconds, mainly due to laziness — they set up the chow line in an empty quonset hut way on the other side of the camp, due to an incoming wind storm.
Today’s weather was, yet again, clear, sunny, and warm, with a bit more than a light breeze. I’m enjoying my time at Sandals El Paso, but I really wish I could be more productive. Given how technology-dependent the military has decided be, we need to do a better job of giving people the resources to be succesful. Not complaining — I can live without wifi. But in a world wholly dependent on the Internet, providing it should be a fairly simple task, especially if you’re asking people to finish tasks on the Internet.
Tomorrow should be an exciting day — mail, AAFES drop-off, and…I don’t know. What else do people in refugee camps get excited about?
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