Signals in the Air

Today was a second day of ammo detail, reminding me of one thing- ammo is heavy. Strangely enough, it's machine gun ammo crates that are the heaviest, perhaps because they're more densely packed than others. But all I had to do was load it onto the truck, n0t unload and unpack it. I did have to unpack MK-19 rounds, which look like cartoon shotgun shells. They actually are grenade rounds, meaning the shotgun shell-looking part is basically just that- it contains an explosive charge that is designed to launch the projectile, which looks like a big cartoon bullet. (I'm not making this up, draw a little face on the thing and you'd be all set). At any rate, the big cartoon bullet is usually explosive, though we used inert, powder-filled rounds to mark where an impact was. The MK-19 looks like a huge machine gun, which basically it is. It's designed to fire multiple explosive rounds up to 1000 meters. It's not really an anti-personnel weapon, as it wouldn't make sense to try to knock down a person with one of them. However, I'm told it has considerable advantages in mountainous terrain, and can offer compensation for not holding the high ground. This makes sense, as the range on the weapon is considerable. I dropped more than a few on an old tank, an old truck, and something a little too shot-up to be recognizable- these were the targets we were using. Like much of the weaponry we have at our disposal, it's good fun for people who like it when stuff goes boom. (guilty as charged).
The ammo comes in belts, although the weight of the thing and the time it takes to aim seem to make the M-203 grenade launcher a more practical choice. It's similar in caliber and projectile to the MK-19, the main difference is a single shot, and it's mounted onto an M-16 rifle. And doesn't sound as cool, but again, that's really a secondary concern.
At any rate, now that I've gotten that out of my system, there's not much else to report, except that my lady friend has found herself a new lair- she sent me a little video tour of the place, which is really very nice! No doubt it'll take some time before she gets settled in, and probably has a good deal of unpacking to do, but she seems quite happy there. I'm glad, and I hope it becomes a sanctuary for her. Perhaps a home, too! As I've said before, it is somewhat odd not really having anywhere to call home, but at the same time somewhat liberating. Home, after all, is where the heart is. In my chest cavity? It's a little dark and crowded in there, what with the organs and all, but well, okay.
On a serious note, I do wish her all the best, and no doubt when I finally get the chance to step through the doorway, it'll be like coming home- home is where my lady friend is- so in that case, I guess it is indeed where the heart is.