I have not been a happy camper recently, because my job has been stressing me out...we are shortstaffed and this is my busiest time of the year without having to cover for three people...my favorite part is that I am covering positions that require typing...and currently I am a hand short...so it has been fun...anyhow...I also had to cover an info booth for activities that are going on this month to support military kids...I run all the special events here...As part of the month we are doing a service project that I am coordinating...We are collecting stuff to send downrange, to the wounded at Landstuhl, and also sports equipment down to Africa...It has been kind of slow going, but on Tuesday, after the VT tragedy, we were set up outside the commissary (a military grocery store) with info and a collection box...I had a terrible morning and am not the most social person on a good day, so I was expecting it to be a relatively miserable afternoon...Instead, I am very grateful that I got the chance to do it...I was out there for 5 hours and collected 15 boxes of stuff and some monetary donations...People were really generous...It kind reaffirmed my faith in humanity...I couldn't stop smiling...Sometimes I think we get caught up in our own stuff and lose sight of the bigger picture...It was nice to be reminded...

Random sidenote of the Day: One of the groups we are collecting for are African children. We have a unit here that spends alot of time down there. They have asked us to collect soccer balls and pumps. As a sport that requires only a ball and some space, it is hugely popular...The soldiers have told us in areas where they have left soccer balls and revisted, they have seen a marked decrease in violence and rape...I find it completely believable, but absolutely amazing at the same time...Soccer: Bringing people together...