A Reasonably Normal Day.
It snowed in Beijing today, about 4 inches out of nowhere, and many folks got out of work early. Since I spent some time this morning at the Marine House watching the Superbowl, and since I don't live that far from the Embassy to need the extra time to get home, I stayed on til the end of the day. I was very sorry that the Seahawks lost, and I have to say, that Roethlisburger touchdown in the 2nd quarter was a completely bunk call! The ball was down BEHIND THE LINE, he stuffed it over after he was all the way down! Whatever, though. You can't change the past. I was disappointed that AFN didn't show the U.S. Commercials, but I'm going to watch them online later on tonight at the Superbowl website.
I took a required class on WMD and Nerve Agents this afternoon, and I got to be the guinea pig and inject a NAAK (Nerve Agent Antidote Kit) through a piece of duct-taped cardboard in order to demonstrate. The guy who gave the training was a real hoot, he had me absolutely convinced that he was actually going to have me shoot myself with the NAAK (Part 1, Atropine; Part 2, 2-PAM Chloride). They look like the samples here: Nerve Agent Antidote Administration. This young ECON officer, about my age, had to leave the room - I swear, she looked like she was going to faint or be sick or both. She came back about 5 minutes later, looking a bit more composed. We also practiced putting on our masks, like these: Quick Mask 2000 Escape Hood. Fortunately, the instructor (a Diplomatic Security Agent) said, no Embassy has ever yet had to put these to the test - but they're basically just like the funny little canisters that the military guys wear, just a little more flexible.
I got a ride home from the Embassy with the Werkers, started the dishes in the dishwasher, and then ate leftover stir fry from last night - little strips of beef (not much at all), yellow peppers, onions, broccoli and snow peas in teriyaki/soy sauce - the snow peas never do that well on the 2nd day, but it was still healthy and tasty. I had a big glass of water, and after dinner, I worked out for 45 minutes while listening to my audio book, "The Memory of Running," by Ron McLarty. This is a great book, and anyone who's ever battled with obesity should really read (or listen) to it. I drank another 2 litres of water while working out. Treadmill, stationary bike, weight training and a bunch of crunches. I think I probably smell, but I feel good, and now I'm going to go take a nice hot, soaking bath.
I took a required class on WMD and Nerve Agents this afternoon, and I got to be the guinea pig and inject a NAAK (Nerve Agent Antidote Kit) through a piece of duct-taped cardboard in order to demonstrate. The guy who gave the training was a real hoot, he had me absolutely convinced that he was actually going to have me shoot myself with the NAAK (Part 1, Atropine; Part 2, 2-PAM Chloride). They look like the samples here: Nerve Agent Antidote Administration. This young ECON officer, about my age, had to leave the room - I swear, she looked like she was going to faint or be sick or both. She came back about 5 minutes later, looking a bit more composed. We also practiced putting on our masks, like these: Quick Mask 2000 Escape Hood. Fortunately, the instructor (a Diplomatic Security Agent) said, no Embassy has ever yet had to put these to the test - but they're basically just like the funny little canisters that the military guys wear, just a little more flexible.
I got a ride home from the Embassy with the Werkers, started the dishes in the dishwasher, and then ate leftover stir fry from last night - little strips of beef (not much at all), yellow peppers, onions, broccoli and snow peas in teriyaki/soy sauce - the snow peas never do that well on the 2nd day, but it was still healthy and tasty. I had a big glass of water, and after dinner, I worked out for 45 minutes while listening to my audio book, "The Memory of Running," by Ron McLarty. This is a great book, and anyone who's ever battled with obesity should really read (or listen) to it. I drank another 2 litres of water while working out. Treadmill, stationary bike, weight training and a bunch of crunches. I think I probably smell, but I feel good, and now I'm going to go take a nice hot, soaking bath.