The Growth….

Some of you have made comments about the growth on my face that has taken it over in hopes to one day reach the top of my head where most normal folks have hair. Let me reassure everyone that the picture I posted on facebook a couple of days ago was a picked out version of what my beard really looks like. No I will not be buying a pick to stick on my beard so if I feel the need, I can pick it out. This picture was merely a joke to see how big I could get the beard to stick out….I’m guessing with the response, that I succeeded masterfully in shocking a few folks….ha!

Anyway, nothing new to report other than a bit under 4 weeks until I fly to Dubai for my first R&R…It can’t get here soon enough as I’ve been working really long hours lately trying to track down all the meal counts for the ENTIRE theatre of Afghanistan since we began keeping count last November!! Lucky me?!?! An ardous, yet needed task…..


Anyhow, I hope that everyone is doing well!!

Home…

Throughout the day I’m reminded of home, often in the most obscure ways. I think that most of the time I’ll be listening to music and I’m reminded of a memory and it takes me back! I’ve been fortunate enough to have a ton of memories and good ones at that! I’m so very thankful to have the friends and family I have. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without ya’ll! Here are some of the things that I miss most….

College football
HD TV
Good coffee
Leather chairs
Falling asleep watching golf on a Sunday
Taking a nap on the couch
Hanging out
Beer
Liquor
Loud bars
WOMEN
Sheets
Friends
Family
Choices
Getting up after 7am


I’d say overall just being able to control my environment. For instance, when I go to bed I can’t just turn off the light and go to bed, I have to do the courteous thing and wait or just try and go to sleep with the light on. I can’t control the noise or volume of noise. I have no say in the temperature. I can’t just go for a drive with my windows down, music blasting, not really knowing where I want to drive to at that moment! You now it’s things like this that really make me appreciate my freedoms and all it affords me! I know that there will be things that I have left off this list that will surprise me for a good while. I can’t wait to discover just exactly what those things will be!

For those that don’t know, I’m in Bagram again doing some training in what appears to be another role that I’ve been asked to fill here in country. I’ll be headed back to the south at some point here in the next couple of weeks, then off to Oktoberfest!

I hope that everyone is doing well and counting down those days til college football!!!

It’s Groundhog Day!!

Well, I’m coming up on 2 months and I must say that every day is about the same with its 1 twist or turn which make it unique to all the ones before it. It’s crazy to think that this 3 month stretch will be the longest I’ll go without a break over here and here I am just over a month to go! I truly enjoy this opportunity and what it will do for me mentally. I have never challenged myself like this, and I find myself saying almost everyday…”one day at a time!” I’ve said it many times, if you focus on the whole length of stay here, that it may seem insurmountable. However, if you take it a day at a time you’ll do just fine.

After all, small things pile up and often times become big things, sometimes bigger than those insurmountable obstacles! The more you’re willing to stick with it and keep getting back up, the more prepared you’ll be for that next test of wills, or that next day of work! So with this subject line, even though it is ground hog day, I’ll be sure and see if I have a shadow each and every day! So far, I have seen my shadow every day...got to love sunshine!

Anyway, I hope that each and every one is doing well and looking forward to another great college football season!

And this little PINKY went….ugh!

I’ve been very surprised at how nice and formal all the Middle Eastern dudes are; always calling us Americans, sir. It is all so nice and they’re all so seemingly willing to please. I found out recently what is meant by their niceness and how it goes. Over here it is absolutely necessary that when a man and a woman marry, that each other be their “first”. You see over here men don’t marry until much later because they spend their lives trying to make enough of a dowry to give the family of his potential wife. By the time a man does marry he can be well into his 40s, while the girl may be in her early 20s if not late teens. All this way of life is so back asswards to me! I can’t tell you how screwed up this all seems, but it is just one of the many differences that us American have with the Middle Eastern world!

While men are working toward their dowry, they tend to “experiment” with younger boys or other men as a way to be sexual, and at the same time remaining pure. It is crazy because the women do not have the same type of leeway. If a woman doesn’t bleed on her wedding night then she is deemed to not have been pure, and she can wind up being killed in some cases!

I’ve been told that you can see who is “experimenting” by who is walking and holding pinkys; interlocked of coarse! And to add to this, they like to skip along! When I was told this I was cracking up laughing. It’s funny how when you’re told something such as this, you go back and relive every time some dude was nice to you, and even how they looked at you! I now get it why they’re always smiling when you walk their way. Here I am thinking that they are just happy to be working, making money so that they may send it home! Boy was I wrong!!! And you should see the way they look at women, it’s even more obvious!

I feel lucky that I’m here at Camp Leatherneck and haven’t had to take a shower with a bunch of the Third County Nationals (TCNs), which are mostly Middle Eastern and Indian. We, Americans, are always joking around saying that if we were to be put in that position, the TCNs would be offering to bath you, much like they did in Coming to America, “can I wash your back, sir?”(said in the likeness of 'n stuff n stuf...') My reply would be…NO THANK YOU, I GOT IT!!! As a result, I’ll be showering in our Fluor only shower room well before it opens up every morning to be used as another shower room for the TCNs to shower in.

Anyway, alittle humor to close on what I consider to be another eye opener in the world abroad; one that you may otherwise wouldn’t have known about…..I know I didn’t!!

Before I forget, I haven’t said anything about my workout regiment. I’ve taken it upon myself to keep in shape and possibly lose that little bit of excess that I’ve always meant to lose! Currently, I’ve lost close to 10 lbs, and I’ve got a ways to go to reaching my goal. For me, it was never about how much I weigh, just how I would like to look! Wish me luck!

Also, I’ve included an updated picture of my beard! Phew, this thing is beginning to get thick!!!

I hope that all is going well!!