Love design!!! I just came across your blog and wanted to say that Ive really...All Packages, All The Time
Posted by Erik Rupard on May 8th, 2008
I was again the big winner at mail call over the past two days, thanks to my loyal readers out there. God bless each and every one of you. You have kept me plied with sweets, books, magazines, music, and even canned fish, to wit:
Yesterday, my dry-eyed friend Diana Telles came through on her promise via e-mail a couple of weeks back to send me a second package. Her first one, you may remember, was chock full of delicious homemade biscotti. Since that last package, I have discovered that this world is made up of exactly two types of people: those who like biscotti, and those who like double peanut-butter stuffed Oreos. I am proud to announce that, thanks to the valiant and selfless efforts of Diana, I am now firmly a member of Team Biscotti.
This week’s package from Chef Telles was packed to the brim with cookies. What kind, you ask? When I opened the package at about 3:45 PM yesterday, I uttered that single word which strikes such joy and gladness into the hearts of mankind: “Tollhouse.” I was immediately surrounded by people with M16s asking politely if they could have some of my Tollhouse cookies. My answer, of course, was “no.” As I opened one of the packages, I noted that the cookies still had a bit of moisture to them, an extreme rarity in these parts. I’m not saying it’s dry here, but this is a place where I have seen a slice of bread shatter when dropped on the ground; where you can pick your own prunes right off of the trees; where I once soaked a terry cloth towel in water and voila! a poodle appeared (etcetera, etcetera, thank you ladies and gentlemen, goodnight).
But seriously folks, Diana’s cookies were delicious and gone in about three and a half minutes (except for the secret bag that I hid in my file cabinet, which I am counting on washing down the “beef brisket” (read: jerky) which KBR will be feeding us for lunch tomorrow. Thanks, Chef Telles!
A second package came from an Oncologist at Walter Reed (and truly one of the smartest guys in the building), MAJ Brendan Weiss. Brendan was a fellow in the class ahead of me, and was instrumental in making that particular fellowship program a better place; he is now staff at Wally World, along with Dr. Wroblewski who was mentioned in yesterday’s post. The package contained some truly delicious homemade maple cranberry granola, which is incredible fresh and real-tasting, again not a common finding among the institutional foods we are served in the mess hall. Brendan and I both suffer from a bit of intellectual ADHD, and recognizing this, he sent me a few magazines, including the April issue of the Atlantic Monthly, a brilliant magazine to which I subscribe, and which I have not been able to read in print since I got here. And a cover article by Christopher Hitchens to-boot! He also sent me a copy of Seed magazine, which is a great science publication, with big glossy pages of interesting stuff to read. That’ll kill a few hours of “Iraq time.” Thanks to Brendan and family for your thoughtfulness.
Last but not least, over the two-day span, I got four boxes from big sis Melissa (nee “Mit”) Tompkins, who sent cookies, Flips (yogurt-covered pretzels, which made an excellent dinner tonight), and loads of great books for our library. Missy, I opened your boxes right in the hallway with a bunch of people standing by, and you should have seen the looks on their faces as I pulled out books by Roald Dahl, Jane Austen, Ian McEwan, E.B. White, Charles Dickens, and many others. Also, I thought SFC Langer’s head was going to explode when she saw the entire DVD Star Wars set. I’d wager one of those is being watched even as I write this. I saved the twizzlers for our next movie night, and will eat the sardines when nobody is around to make fun of me. Somewhere far, far away from my recently de-kippered bedspread.
So the Al Asad Troop Medical Clinic’s library is getting bigger and better, our collective visceral fat pad is enlarging (no problem—next PT test isn’t until September), and our brains are getting more and more full of wonderful infotainment. Thanks to all of you, for your goods, your services, and your much-availing prayers.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Erik,
I have avoided posting here as I feel it truly belongs to the Rupard “A” listers. But since I’m a fellow Panoptx Goggle wearer and a Tollhouse cookie baker, I figure I’ve finally earned my place.
I’m so glad to know you got the cookies and there were others around to enjoy them. I’ve appreciated the opportunity to send packages your way. My brother-in-law completed a one year tour a couple of years ago, and I’ve missed baking for soldiers since his return. I thank you and the rest for so graciously being on the receiving end.
I’m scraping my jaw off the keyboard after reading that your cookies have arrived already. They left my kitchen exactly a week ago! That’s faster than it takes me to get through the line at my post office during the Christmas season…
It seems an unfair impossibility that we should all be able to throw cookies into a box where they’ll be in your hand in a week, yet there are still months between you and your family. God bless all of you for your sacrifice and patience.
Diana
May 10th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Hello Erik:
This is your long lost brother Barry. Mom and Dad said they would not give me any more money until I wrote you a message. So I am writing…….
I have been pretty religiously reading your entries which are real cool. Keep up the good work man. A couple thoughts for you: if you have your Ipod go listen to UFO Strangers in the Night again. Reminds me of our youth. Such a great album and Schenker gets it done. My other thought is the Sox are looking pretty good so far. Pitching has been really good for the most part and the hitting has been really solid. This just in: Josh Beckett is good. Another newsflash: Julio Lugo is NOT good. He has 11 errors in about 35 games; the last two of which cost them the game. He is a STIFF.
Anyway, give me a call at home or work when you have a chance. I am usually around and maybe we can figure out a good time to talk that works for us both. There it is man. Take it easy and stay out of trouble.
BR
May 10th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Message to Diana – Anyone who sends Toll House cookies to Erik is a Rupard A lister – welcome to the family! Mom Rupard
May 10th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Ditto.
Lorri-sue
May 11th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Why thank you ladies! It’s great to be formally inducted. Happy Mother’s Day!
Diana
May 11th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Erik,
I hope that you have received your 5th package by now. I sent 5, not 4 and one had a special goodie in it that I assume you didn’t get.
I am sorry as can be for those two men. what a horrible loss.
Bob and I went to Dean’s sister’s memorial service yesterday. It was sad, yet strangely comforting. My Mother’s Day was affected by the fact that 2 little boys have no mother today to celebrate for , as Kris had 2 boys. I feel humbled and saddened. My kids can be hard, but at least I’m around to feel it. They are all precious to me. I hope Lorri had a good day with your girls, even though you weren’t there. Mom was happy to hear from you. It really made her day. thanks for calling her. I Hope the atmosphere cheers up soon there. I am selfishly happy that you are safe and sound and that we receive only good news about you.
My heart goes out to you all at this time that must surely hit home. Love, Mit
May 11th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
I had a really nice Mother’s Day Melissa-thanks for asking. We overslept actually because we were all physically exhausted from too many late nights visiting w. guests. At about 9:15 am the girls came into my room carrying a tray full of breakfast items and the most beautiful 3D card with the sweetest sentiments.
I also rec’d a special FED-EX from one Erik J. Rupard MAJ on Friday at about noon. I was very relieved to hear from him at about 2 pm today because it was unusual to hear nothing (no typical morning email, no call, no skype, no chat) over a 24 hour period and I was starting to stress a bit until I noticed that he’d networked in and was dowloading a book through our home computer (where the signal is faster) so that was a welcome indicator.
This latest entry of his, reminds me that although we joke around and hang out online, he is indeed in a war zone and it’s definitely scary. I appreciated the above comment about your kids and I too feel that I have very little to whine about in life. I just want my husband to come home safely. Life isn’t the same without him.
May 11th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Hey Dad! You will never guess what happened to us today! Mom, Drew, and I all went to Phinizy swamp today for a nice, relaxing stroll, while Maddy was doing homework at home. We saw a copperhead in the water, but we were quite a ways from it, and we also saw what I think, was a Black Racer, which are harmless snakes. Well, the really crazy part was that when we were walking off of one of the boardwalks, I saw a copperhead one yard from us. I can guarantee you that my heart stopped pounding there. We were in single file and I was in the front. It was like dominoes, because I let out a yelp, then mom let out a yelp, and then Drew, while mom was holding out her arms protectively in front of Drew and pushing her onto the bridge. The snake scurried under the boardwalk, and we waited there for two minutes, so we could have time to recover from the shock. The way it all happened (even though I love snakes) made me frightened of them for a few hours after, and gave me the weirdest feeling of isolation. Well, I loved your blog entry and it made me cry on the inside for that mom who had to get that news on mothers Day. I gotta go now to go to bed, but Bye ,Mwah, love you!
May 12th, 2008 at 7:18 am
Maya,
What a neat experience! I am envious. That bad feeling you had afterwards was a reminder that snakes and other animals may be very cool to see, but they don’t have your best interests at heart. Go ahead and love snakes, but remember the lesson of “Grizzly Man”: don’t try to hug them. (At least, not the deadly ones.)
Sorry I am missing out on all of the fun with you guys, but I’ll be back before you know it…
Mwah
Daddio
May 12th, 2008 at 10:08 am
As we walked along the Phinizy swamp boardwalk, Maya pointed out some unidentified animal dung. I told her I was praying she wasn’t about to get down and smell it to see how fresh it was and she started laughing about her deepfelt connection to grizzly man (albeit toward snakes and other critters). I’ve never seen a venomous snake up so close without a plexiglass barrier. It was pretty trippy.
May 12th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Here is the boardwalk jpg Erik. It’s a pretty cool wetland (near Bushfield airport) with several kids clubs. “Creekgeeks” etc. One is an introductory birding club. I’m thinking of enrolling Maya.
http://www.augustaga.org/gallery/index.cfm?action=view&photoID=9