Ok, so it's been three days since we learned that I'm being activated. What have we been up to? Well, one of our biggest concerns has been that I'll end up some place dangerous without the proper equipment. Many soldiers, especially reservists, appear to be getting the shaft when it comes to proper gear, prompting some to buy their own armor for Iraq duty. To that end, yesterday I went to a local police uniform and equipment store and discussed options for personal body armor with them. It seems that for less than $1000 I can get a vest that will offer Level III protection (e.g. will stop a 7.62mm AK-47 round). I haven't bought any armor yet -- I want to find out where I'm going and how well I'll be equipped first -- but given my situation the store said they would be able to find me a proper-sized vest within 7-10 days of my placing an order.

I broke my cell phone in Florida last week - the antenna which had been loose finally broke off. We'd been meaning to upgrade our phone plan (which was from like 2000) ever since it became possible to keep your existing numbers last year, so we finally made the jump yesterday. We went with Verizon because they have good coverage and few complaints, and Michelle and I both bought LG VX6000 camera phones, which so far seem pretty nice (though photos cost $.25 each to send-- ouch!).

Other than that, we've been trying desperately to keep up with AspAlliance and DevAdvice business and to take care of a million little loose ends, as well as spending some time visiting family.

Oh yeah, I also uploaded a couple of pictures to a gallery here.