So on 1 April I finally became an NCO. I was so excited to be sewing on my stripe. I got my first uniform back from alterations about a week before the 1st and I had to take a picture.
So on the 31st I went to work, new uniform in my bag ready for the beating that I knew was going to happen at midnight. Every night at 8:00pm we have a little office meeting to get everyone caught up on what's going on that day. At the end of our meeting the Master Sergeant told me and the other Staff Sergeant to come to his office. When we got back there he proceeded to tell me that the Orderly Room had lost my promotion letter and because of that I wasn't going to be able to sew on Staff until May 1st. I was livid. I'm pretty sure my blood pressure rose to an unhealthy level as I cursed the life of the Airmen that worked there. For the next four hours I basically treated everyone as though they had personally offended me and just kept to myself stewing in my own anger. Well, I go to lunch at midnight so as I was getting ready for lunch the MSgt called me out of my office and asked me why I was out of uniform. They had printed out a bunch of Staff Sergeant stripes and taped them all over my office connex.
Worst April Fool's joke ever! But on the bright side, it was just a joke and I got to sew on my stripe just as I was supposed to. So now I'm a Staff Sergeant, and have been for the past two months, and nothing has really changed...at least here they haven't. I'm sure that when I get home things will be totally different.
With my promotion that allowed me the opportunity to move out of the trailers that I was living in into the new dorm buildings. I didn't have to, but I would have been stupid not to try and get into the dorms...as well...just look at the difference between the trailers and dorms. As you can see there really isn't much room in the trailers. And to make matters worse, you heard every noise that was made by anyone that was walking up or down the hall.
I feel that these trailers are a perfect setting for some B rated horror movie, it's better than the hotel in The Shining. The worst part about living in the trailers was that you had to get dressed in a uniform and walk to the bathroom, so it would take an extra 5 minutes just to go pee in the morning.
Now compare those pictures to where I live now...I'd have to say that it's much better. The grey door next to the sink is actually the door to my walk in closet. On the other side is the door to the kitchen and bathroom.
The bathroom/kitchen is shared with one other person only, unlike the bathrooms back where the trailers are that are shared by a few hundred people. 
Then there's the hall outside of the room. Funny thing, I've never felt like I was going to be jumped from some homicidal serial killer while walking through the hall. As you can clearly see, this is a much nicer place to live, and all because I sewed on a new stripe.Last month I had the chance to go down to the Doha Golf Club for a round of 18. This course is where the European Masters was held in February, so that helped me justify the $150 cost for the round.
Honestly, this course was on par with Moses Pointe, and in some ways I'd have to say Moses Pointe is better, like how the refreshment cart driver at Moses Pointe was hot (at least the day I went with Jeremie last year) unlike the guy that drove the cart here. There were some other reasons that I felt the course in Washington was better. I think they're probably about the same in difficulty, perhaps this course is a bit easier. There were a few holes that I actually was on the green putting for par (not par 3s either) and once was putting for birdie...and I suck.
Of course, because I'm so terrible at golf, I usually ended up 3 putting which leads to a very high scoring game. The course was a nice change of scenery from the brown dirt that I see every day. But unfortunately there was still plenty of dirt everywhere you went. And I spent a lot of time getting my ball out of the dirt, again cause I suck. Well, by the time we were on the 15th hole I had the worst headache and just felt like crap, so I didn't even golf the last 3 holes, which was probably a good thing. Half way down the 18th fairway I puked. It was not a pretty thing (is vomit ever a pretty thing?) but it helped me feel better. When we started driving again I started getting sick again and basically had to bail out of the cart to puke again. Well, we got back to the club house and got ready to go and I was starting to feel much better, except for the horrible headache I had. So our ride picked us up and we were off to get something to eat and one of the million different restaurants in downtown Doha. Well, as we were slowly making our way through all the traffic I started to get sick again...and, well I felt like I was a kid again cause every time the van started going I started getting sick. Fortunately the Master Sergeant I work with had a big "Brandon Bag" (that would be a gallon sized ziplock bag for those not in the know) and I made use of it about 10 more times on the way back to base. (We didn't go out to eat by the way, the MSgt wanted to get me to the hospital.) So we finally get back to base and I proceed to suck down two IVs in about 30-45 minutes. So basically, I suck at golf and the sun hates me. But I had a good time, up until I started puking everywhere.So basically, that's about all that's been going on here in Qatar. I'm heading back downtown in about a week to go hang out at the giant mall they have here and get a good meal. But unlike the last time I'm not going to be spending my time outside in the sun. We're going at night so it'll be cooler, but I'll be in an air conditioned building for the most part, so I'm not thinking that I'll have a repeat of the last time. Check out the video at the bottom of my page, it's a little video that they guy I work with made of his 2nd punch when I sewed on SSgt. I'll admit, it hurt and check out the aftermath.
I think this was taken about a week or two later.
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