Boxes and Desk

I get teased sometimes because of the mail I get. Not so much for the contents, but more for the quantity. Everyone thinks I get a ton of packages and correspondences, but what they don’t realized that I am the mail clerk for our section. This means that when I come schlepping through the building with boxes stacked up to my eyeballs and my cargo pockets stuffed with envelopes, they all aren’t all for me. However, I will admit that it does give me a boost in the popularity department.

The most recent pile o' goodies

I get a decent amount of mail thanks to some awesome parents, a great girlfriend, and the generosity of many family, friends and church groups that somehow acquired my overseas address. The amount ebbs and flows as the seasons change. The postman delivered a plethora of packages around the 4th of July containing flags and summertime items, but things slowed down a little after that with the lack of a real holiday in August and September. Now with Halloween right around the corner, we are getting the first batches of candy and pumpkin paraphernalia. Amazingly enough, some of the mini chocolate candy bars actually made it intact, although the gummy spiders didn’t fair so well as they look more like gummy blobs than scary, sugary arachnids. No matter. They all taste the same. Also, I have a veritable mountain of popcorn balls. Although I’m positive that their purpose was to bring joy to folks by consuming them, they now bring pain to the bystandards who get pelted with them (not the original intent, I’m sure).

Balls of semi-healthy snacks, or potential projectiles? I'm thinking the latter.

I do get some other cool things that end up as knick knacks on my desk. You’ve seen Gumby and Pokey proudly displayed, but there are other items like my floating basketball hoop set, my arsenal of water guns, a pool table, squish balls, gliders, Mr. Bendy, and some miniature construction equipment. Now there is even a pumpkin patch growing above my computer! All of these trinkets can make the desk seem a little cluttered and untidy, but I don’t care. The stacks of toys and pile o’ gourds are reminders of people back home who haven’t forgotten that I’m still deployed.

One of my coolest knick-knacks pushing a pistachio (send more pistachios!)

So, thank you one and all for the packages of goodies. If it wasn’t for your Costco memberships and mastery of navigating the postal customs form, my team mates would be a little slimmer (and sadder) and the Iraqis that we work with would go home empty handed.

Believe it or not, but there is actual work done at this heap o' stuff