December 30 (Day 81)

Well, Christmas is past, but the new year is right around the corner. Of course, a new year here will not be all that impactful. Days here just blend together, with nothing to really tell them apart. A new start will have to reside in the noggin'.

It has been an interesting week, work-wise. My Commander has decided to revamp/collate all our current reports. The result will be, I believe, a more cumbersome product. I do get what he is trying to do, which is get a handle on all the different operations, but sometimes what happens is the opening of Pandora’s Box. In this case, that means chaos!  Of course, all the other postal personnel at KAF hashed this out without my input or involvement. I am at a distinct disadvantage, not knowing the rationale behind some of the requirements, or the benefit of notes or examples of what the requirements are. 

I was able to coordinate a lender 4K forklift for our operations. Since ours is broke down, it has been an ordeal to get work done in an efficient and timely manner. We are left with a 10K which is not nearly as maneuverable, and is just too large for handling small pallets weighing in the hundreds of pounds. Our 4K is awaiting parts, and is not likely to be fixed until the middle of January at the earliest. That means I need to line up another loaner, since the one I have now is for our use until the 6^th. I am hoping we catch up on our late mail, and the volume decreases, so the impact of not having our small forklift is minimized.

Hope you all noticed the pics I just posted. They are from my helicopter ride last week. A short description of the pictures is found below them.

I have been downloading books and games onto my new Kindle; will actually start reading a book on it today, while I am eating my lunch. I will be sure to pass on my impression. 

Until next time...

December 25 (Day 76)

Well, it is Christmas! Unfortunately, from where I stand, one could hardly tell. It doesn't feel like it. The festiveness is missing I think. Of course, it could be that I will do the same thing today as every other day, with the exception that I will not stay at work all day.

Just got done Skyping my family, who are spending the holidays at my sister's home in Arizona. I had several gifts sent here, so opened them in full view, or at least what they could perceive over the webcam! As usual, there were thoughtful presents. Got a couple pair of lounge wear, Christmas-themed rug and scissors, DVD, chocolate (with "classic wheels" wrappers - cars that is), devotional book, couple of Christmas ornaments (one personalized with my name, the other of a real cool Corvette), a desk calendar of napping kittens (cute!), and a Kindle.

I have been reminded, and I would be remiss if I didn't say something (must have forgotten) about some young people I know. I have a great group of friends from my church who sent me a care package, including some edible goodies and DVDs, as well as a card with notes from them all. These young people (and some parents!) are like my second family, and I am extremely grateful to them for thinking of me. Thank you to the youth group at Laurel Heights! Love you guys!

Well, looks like the weather has cleared, so mail has started to flow into Shindand once again. The APO is likely to be busy for quite some time trying to catch up. If it wasn't for not getting some Christmas mail in time, I would look at it as the Lord giving us a break when we needed it, since our 4K forklift is down. We were able to more or less clear the yard this week.  Stay tuned for gray-hair inducing details about the volume overload we are going to get.

Hope all who read this have a very Merry Christmas, and are able to spend time with family and friends.

December 23 (Day 74)

Well, it is almost Christmas Eve; my how time is flying! It is Friday afternoon here (Thursday in the U.S.), and I am actually bored. Can anyone believe it? Well, there is one “good” reason for that – we have not had any mail come in for three days. That has brought the entire sorting operations to a standstill, relatively speaking. There was still a little work to be done on the yard, dealing with retrograde mail, that is items heading back to the states, but otherwise…yawn! Evidently there was bad weather upstream from us, so a LOT of mail is sitting around. I heard somewhere in the 100K pound range. That is a lot of mail. I heard this morning that the weather broke, so we can expect to be REAL busy through the end of the year, and probably beyond. Time to roll up the sleeves.

Finally went “outside the wire” yesterday, with a trip to FOB Stone. The helicopter flight was fine, and actually pretty short. I had not ridden that far in a helicopter before. The only other time was when I attended SERE school in Washington State. During our “escape” phase, we trainees were hoisted into a helicopter, and we went for a short ride, maybe a couple of minutes. This time around I got a better feel for it. Even took a few pictures. The reason for the trip was to visit a couple of my troops before Christmas, while taking a look at the operations. They have a small APO there with just four personnel. I was in something of a rush (more on that in the next paragraph), so just received a cursory overview. I plan on another, longer, visit next time.

Can’t get into flight details here, but suffice to say, I was told to be back at the flight-line about 45 minutes after I landed. I thought that was a little ridiculous, but if I wanted to get back “home” the same day, I’d better make my visit count. I did arrive on time, and waited for some time, then waited some more. Did I mention I waited for my ride home? Anyways, some activity occurred on the flight-line while I WAITED, and when it was over, I was still, you guessed it, waiting. Almost three hours pass. You must understand that the offices for the flights is not actually located on the tarmac, so I would have to leave my “post” to figure out what was happening. As it happens, I finally got tired of sitting around and went to the office (about a minute’s walk). As I was inquiring to the status of my flight, what doeth my ears hear, but inbound helicopters! I had to rush back to the tarmac, and just barely made it there to get someone’s attention that I needed a ride. I could have spent some quality time with my troops, but instead ended up upset. Needless to say, the set-up there leaves something to be desired.

The weather has taken a turn for the cooler. It hasn’t gotten sub-zero or anything, but for a “southern” boy like me, it is plenty uncomfortable. My understanding is that it will be getting much colder, and I can only hope the heat, that is generators with fuel, continues to run.  Otherwise I will be a cooked goose, or rather whatever the opposite of that would be. 

I managed to get released from my weekly conference call this week. I guess the Commander wanted to resolve some issues at KAF first, and since I am more or less self-sufficient here, I was not needed. I was kind of dreading it, and not for the reason you might think. I do not actually dislike the actual meeting, but there have been a lot of changes to reports and such, that I am not sure I have the most current revision. I sometimes am not kept in the loop with the happenings at KAF, which still affect me, and things are sprung on me last minute, or even later.

Well, gotta go. Until next time...

December 17 (Day 68)

Woke up really worn out this morning. I realize not having a day off is draining, but didn't think I would get to this point this quickly. I have my evenings to relax, so I figured I could last longer. I guess going strong all day, often working through lunch, is more detrimental than I thought.

Had a slight hiccup with the Chagcharan mail this past week. A smaller plane was provided, so not all the mail went out when it was supposed to. Fortunately, I was able to coordinate for a flight the next day to take the remainder. Speaking of flights, I am trying to coordinate flights for the 24th to get out as much mail as possible before Christmas. Don't know if I'll get it all out, since I can't foretell the volume, but will do my best to support the troops.

I have been volun"told" :) to be the primary postal voting representative. Guess what that means...more training! LOL I need a hatrack!

We had a courtesy inspection a couple of days ago. We would have failed if it had been an official one. Fortunately, the corrections are easy fixes. There is a fine line between military and contractor responsibilities, even though I will ultimately be held responsible for any shortfall. I do have to monitor things more closely now; it is just hard when I am stuck in the office, preparing reports, answering phones, working the upcoming move (as well as other projects), etc...etc...

A new week starts tomorrow, so guess I will try to start fresh - reset.  Until next time...

December 14 (Day 65)

Where does the time go? I wonder if age is getting the better of me? J  I know it has been a few days. However, to my defense I offer the following – monitoring the movement of our ID section (as well as one of my Soldiers), preparing for my PT test, my validation audit as the (assistant) contracting officer representative, dealing with postal voting representative assignments, and of course Christmas shopping.

Got by the ID section, of which I am the OIC, yesterday for a visit. They are not located at the APO, so I have to borrow a vehicle, grab a valet driver, and hit the road. The two personnel working it seem to be doing well. They told me they do not have all the equipment they need, since some went kaput on them. They have put in orders, so I am on the lookout here. I would like to get the section to 100% as soon as I can. They are staying in transient quarters for the time being, but will (hopefully) be put in hard buildings within the next couple of weeks.

Working on my validation audit took some time. It basically is an assessment of how the contractors are doing their job as it relates to their contract and military regulations. The audit is quite long, somewhere in the neighborhood of 180 “questions.”  The validation comes into play in that I will be doing it now, versus the quality assurance rep that did it previously. She basically needed to know I was comfortable doing the audit. I have been nominated as the ACOR, but still need to be designated. This audit was the last step, after all the online training I went through previously.

I am evidently going to be the primary voting representative. Of course, this entails more online training. Sure hope it is not as intensive as the ACOR training, which took WAY too much time out of my harried schedule. I will have one of my Soldiers be the alternate voting representative. I have the same set-up at the two FOBs we support. Rightfully so, the brass at our HQ and beyond are pushing this. No doubt this will be a pivotal year, and personnel will have questions regarding the procedures, timelines, etc…

I wonder how many hats I wear now?

Took my PT test yesterday. Overall I did pretty well. Fell off a little on my pushups (60 out of 73 for max), but was on par for how well I was doing on situps (67 out of 76 max). The run, which I ALWAYS dread, went quite well. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t feeling the after effects! My unadjusted time was 14:36. That is off from my last record test (14:00), but have not run as much recently. The track we use is rocky, and potentially can hurt someone, so speed is affected. To compensate, we adjusted the time, essentially allowing an extra minute for the given age group (or conversely subtracting a minute from their run time). That put me at the max score for my time. I ended up with a 280 (out of 300 possible). Still have some improvement to make to get back to my last score of 295.

Christmas shopping is hard for me under the best circumstances (read – back home), but here it is even harder! Everything is online, and just coming up with a general idea is difficult. It is not like I can just walk past stores, and something would come to mind. Now that time is running short, I am under TOO MUCH PRESSURE! LOL  Seriously though, I need to finish it no later than tomorrow, which would be about 10 days out. My sister earns the distinction of being the hardest to figure out this year. Don’t take offense sis (I still love you, wink, wink). Someone always fits this bill. On the positive side, I look forward to Skyping my family and opening presents. Technology is something! I imagine what previous generations endured during holidays away from home, with no communication with family/friends.

Recently I have been blessed with gifts from “home.” Some of the best ones are from young people in my church, as well as the youth group there. Homemade cards and other graphics are wonderful; I have drawings, paper cut-outs! I am truly blessed to be thought of by my young friends. Many thanks go out to them for their thoughts and prayers. Knowing this is the future of my church makes me feel good.

Did anyone catch the eclipse of the moon the other night? I did, and for the first time that I can recall! It was weird watching the moon disappear and then reappear. Since the sky is typically clear here at night, it was hard to miss.

Broke out the stainless steel (tea) tumbler I bought from Teavana while on block leave in October. I happened to also purchase some Earl Grey White and Gyokuro Imperial Green teas. The weather now stays fairly cold, so it is the perfect time to have my hot tea! The tumbler works excellent! Even after hours, with the lid off, the liquid stays hot. Of course the tea is great (it should be since it is the “good stuff”). I can reuse the tea, it’s loose, 3-4 times without losing much efficacy. I can see having some everyday, which means I will probably try to order some. Hope they ship! What? I am not an addict. I can quit anytime I want. I just choose not to. Ha!

Continue to watch “24” and NCIS, alternating every time I change discs. This activity is the norm in the evenings, but will change somewhat when I get some more books in. I do enjoy a good read, and once I start, it is hard to put down a good one. I also just received a XBOX yesterday, including several games. Imagine my surprise! Of course, that means I will probably look for a few games, which should be cheap, since the system is of the original variety. It works for me!

I will leave you with this - Sarcasm, just another service I offer! LOL  Until next time...

December 8 (Day 59) Part 2

I am back. Where was I...oh, yeah. The yard is still a work in progress. Some things have been cleaned up, but there is still a lot of work to do. I have to take the pictures I have on my camera, put them on my computer, email them to myself, then load them here. Then you will see what I mean.

The weather has gotten considerably cooler. It did not help that the generator for our tent was not working properly. The (warm) air was not getting blown/circulated, so it was uncomfortable to say the least. I had my sheets and two wool blankets, and still slept in sweats! Let me tell you, it was no picnic getting out of bed in the morning either. Exposing oneself as needed to actually put on clothes, and mine were cold of course, was not a fun chore. This went on for the last week! Fortunately, the mechanics finally got it fixed, so now it, if not pleasant, is at least warm.

I do not remember if I mentioned it already, but three of my Soldiers were promoted as of the 1st! I was so excited to be a part of the ceremony. I am also proud of them. They all work hard, have great attitudes, and represent the military honorably.

Just finished having my lunch. Today it was beef kabobs, corn, mashed potatoes, and onion rings. Of course, no meal is complete without dessert, so had some chocolate cake. Aside from the food being cold, or getting so rather quickly, it was not bad. My mother sent me some microwave-safe plates and bowls to remedy this problem. I just have to wash them off first.

My skype account went haywire this past week. Tried to open the dialog window, and all I got was a login one. This only allowed me to access the home page, which does not have a link to chat. Even after resetting the password (I think I was given a new login name), it still did not work. Only after finally finding a way to email the company was I able to get it set up again. Along electronic lines - I bought the last Harry Potter movie, which of course came with a digital copy. I like the copies, so I don't have to carry the actual disc along when on the road. Unfortunately, it came in some new format called Ultraviolet and is on Flixster. I was sorely disappointed in it. Not only did the download take forever (I know I am deployed), but even when I was notified it was complete, it wasn't. I think it did set up for streaming, which is not helpful to me right now. I actually could care less about that capability anyway. I emailed the company and actually got a response. In the reply, they mentioned that new technologies have issues. No surprise there! But I figured not actually being able to download would have been an issue resolved before releasing to the public. They are offering me a code to download through iTunes. Will let you know how that goes.

I recently got hooked on Kakuro. Rather than explaining here, it would be easier if you did an internet search. It is quite the addictive number puzzle game. Received a book of them from Operation Gratitude, an organization dedicated to helping deployed servicepeople. My book has 100 of them, four sections of 25, from "easy" to "danger Will Robinson." Okay, I made that up, but you get the drift. I have started the moderate (second) section. If you like Sudoku, you will like this one. Also have started watching the show 24 (again) from the beginning. My NCOIC bought the set, and when she is done with a season, she lets me borrow it. I am into the second season right now. Also purchased the first six seasons of NCIS during the Thanksgiving sellathon. They were about 70% off, so could not pass them up. I am alternating it with 24.

Need to send out some Christmas cards, so will go for now. Until next time...

December 8 (Day 59)

I can't believe how time is getting away from me regarding my blog! Time was passing so slowly when I first arrived, but now, as everyone said it would, it has sped up. Things have been going pretty well this past week. The mail has been getting out on time, so overall that is a mission success.

I did get the extra containers I have been fighting for day before yesterday. I have already incorporated them into the convoy cycle. Not that it was hard decision, since we had more than enough mail to go around. We had several days of double inbound volume, due to the delays I mentioned earlier.  I did have to smooth talk the trans company, since the change  was last minute, and our transportation request paperwork had already been turned in. Fortunately, they are good people, and we made it work.

I am still working on cleaning up the yard; the generator is still the big issue. I really need to get it on someone's property book! My parents just Skyped me, and now I have to get to work. Will pick this up shortly.

December 2 (Day 53)

I can’t believe it has been a week since I posted! Now that I look back, I realize it is mostly because my Company Commander came in Sunday night, and stayed four days. He had a lot of work to do on the computer while he was here, so I did not have continuous access to my office. I fell way behind on my agenda, let me tell you. Of course, I could have done some blogging while at the USO, but I did not take my computer for a while, opting to read a book instead. So, I now have to catch you up on the events of my wild and exciting life. J

As far as work is concerned, post turkey-day brought (apparently) new changes. Mail flights did not make it out this way for several days, due to weather, so there is a backlog of mail sitting at Bahrain. That was supposedly going to be remedied by bringing in two flights a day, instead of the usual one. The result of that, of course, would be significantly more volume between convoys. Extrapolate from there, and I would end up with having to rely on flights to pick up the slack, and if you have been keeping up, that is not ideal. One flight each day (from Bahrain) has been cancelled, which can be good or bad, depending on the point of view. On the negative, there is still a lot of mail waiting for transport to Shindand, and we will eventually have to pay the piper. The plus side is I might be able to finagle a couple of containers to use for the holiday season before the mail flow is forced downstream. I hope to know later today if containers have been delegated for our use. I am crossing my fingers.

Found out the ID card section at FOB Stone, one of my subordinate APOs, is moving here, along with one of my Soldiers, and an airman. I am working on getting them lodging in my tent, which entails moving postal contractors to another tent, thereby dislodging more contractors (non-postals) to another location. Is your head spinning yet? The non-postal contractors should not be in their current tent anyways, since the tent is supposed to be designated for postal employees. More crossing of fingers.

We had a cold snap in the weather over the (extended) weekend. Moisture was in the air as well, so it was more miserable. Fortunately, it has warmed up, relatively, to the upper 50s or so. At least the sun is back, so the edge is taken off.

We have managed to remove some items off our yard. As I have mentioned, I am trying to do some rearranging, and clean-up is the first step. The 30K forklift sitting back there is my priority on that front. Once that is taken care of, there is a P.O. drop box that has to be disposed of properly, as well as some other larger items. I am thinking there is probably a similar process here, as when houses back in the states get rid of large items to the waste management people.

Well, one of my Soldiers has to use my computer, so I will close this post and pick it up later (hopefully) today.

J Until next time…

November 24 (Day 45)

Happy Thanksgiving! Well, at least it is here already.  I know it has been a couple of days since I posted, but ended up under the weather a few days ago. Ended up with a headache Sunday night through early Monday morning. I felt fine when I woke, so went about my day. Went to run with my platoon at lunch, however, and the headache came back when I was half-way through. I stopped, rested for a short bit, and went to lunch. The headache went away (permanently), but then I got a sore throat overnight Monday. Went to sick call Tuesday morning; figured I would cut the illness off at the pass. Ended up with three meds to take over the next week. My throat is bothering me less, so hopefully the meds are working. Went home a little early on Tuesday to get some rest. Did manage to get dinner to go, but was in bed about 8pm, and slept for 12 hours. I did not get to the USO the next morning. The rollers I received for work have been put to use, although to me, not to their full potential. For that, we need to get some things out of our yard (easier said than done), so we can rearrange it. We are working on it; it is a constant battle for improvement. We broke them out of their crates on Sunday. That was quite a chore, let me tell you. They came in upside down, and so had to be turned. I was surprised at how heavy they were! They are real nice, though; they are quite wide, maybe 2.5 feet, which allows for larger packages. My one-day-a-week mail run to a far-off APO did go out as scheduled, which is going to make this week much more quiet for me. Half the calls I get are because of delays. I am referring to the situation I mentioned in an earlier post about weather problems. Had my weekly conference call with my company yesterday. It is a such a joy to wait on the phone for an hour, waiting for my turn. NOT! Only for me to talk for no more than 5 minutes. There was a "mud run" on Monday. Basically, people payed to play in the mud while running a course. It is a pretty common event in the military. I remember one at Ft. Hood earlier this year. I think today would have been a better day for it, since it rained for at least 4-5 solid hours overnight. As it is, there is a half-marathon going on as I write this. At least the rain is more intermittent right now, so hopefully the runners won't suffer too much. It's much calmer at the USO this morning than usual. I don't know if it is due to weather or turkey-day. It is a nice change of pace from the norm. Speaking of t-day, DFAC has scheduled the full spectrum of foodstuffs. It is even military only from 16-1700. You know where I will be! I am thinking of closing the APO early today. That would allow everyone, not just my Soldiers, to have some more downtime. We will see how it goes. Well, gotta go. Again,  Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Hope you have a great day with family and friends. Until next time...

November 19 (Day 40)

Hello everyone! Hope all who may read this are having a great day. It is Saturday morning here in good 'ol Afghanistan. I am doing my volunteer time at the USO. It is a little slow. Don't know if it is because of the weekend, or the little bit of rain we are getting at the moment. We had a courtesy pre-inspection of the military side of the APO this week. Not too good as it turns out. Our predecessors were not doing all the right things, so we got thrown under the bus. My platoon sergeant was involved with the inspect so knows what needs to be corrected. We will have an "official" one in the next couple of weeks. There is no way all the deficiencies will be corrected, but if we make improvements, I will be satisfied. We will just have to continue to adjust what we do as time goes on. I guess the motto of leaving something better than you find it is our goal. My rollers finally got here! They are packed in crates sitting in the yard behind the APO. I am going to try to locate a prybar this morning to open the crates. I would like to salvage the wood. I am able to see inside a couple of the crates since there are no ends, and they look great. I believe they will be very beneficial to our operations. Would like to get them into operation today. Have to head to the motorpool today to check on a sensitive item inside on of my vehicles. Have to get a memo to my commander today stating I have checked all my items this month (it's due tomorrow).  At the same time, I will talk with the mechanics about my 4K forklift, which needs serious maintenance. The last time I spoke with the mechs, their 2 forklift guys were off at other locations. Hopefully, they are back here. Went for a run on the "track" yesterday, and boy did it NOT feel good. I really don't like running, but since I have to... Anyway, I did fairly well (2 miles/15:00 min.) considering I have not ran consistently for a while. Was feeling a bit of pain afterwards! I received a couple of packages this week. Evidently, I have a long-lost relative named "Mommy" who sent me some goodies, including an HDMI cable. Now I can connect my computer to my TV, which allows me to play movies on the DVD drive and watch it on the larger screen. She also sent me some sweets, which are always welcome, as well as a small Christmas tree stand.  My sister also sent me some goodies - a small (2') Christmas tree with all the accouterments - lights, ornaments, stringed beaded garland and a star for the top. She even put "decoration time" on the outside of the package! Also received a set of sheets. Now I can put one set in the wash and use the other. In addition, I ordered some military items through official channels (we are able to order items every other month with a monetary limit). Got winter PT jacket and pants, tan t-shirts, ballistic sunglasses, and a few smaller items. It has been like Christmas come early! Plan on taking pics of my office area today, and get those posted soon. I wouldn't get too excited though, it is not much to look at. Ha! Had an issue with weather causing mail delay again this week. The powers that be think I need to have a back-up in case that happens. I try to remind them that if the normally scheduled flight cannot go in due to weather, no air asset will (unless perhaps we had a hurricane hunter C-130!).  If weather is not the culprit, then it is another matter, and I have alternatives. Well, my time here is almost up, so until next time...

November 15 (Day 36)

Well, it has been relatively quiet the last couple of days. Yesterday started off well. I had email traffic stating the rollers I requested from KAF had been sent out on Sunday, and due to arrive at 1700. Since we were off, I was unable to follow-up until yesterday morning. I sent my Soldiers to the flight line to track the rollers down, but they were quizzed on what they were referring to. There was not flight the previous evening. So, I called back and forth between the flight line and KAF, trying to determine what was going on. After a few inquiries, I found out my load had been rejected at the KAF terminal, and this information did not get back to those who were trying to send it. The reason for rejection is unknown to me at this time. My 1SG is supposed to update me when they get approved and in the air. We did finally get some lights for our sorting yard last night. It was getting more imperative to get some, since sundown is getting earlier by the day, and we usually don't get our inbound (prograde) mail until mid-afternoon. It typically takes a few hours to break everything down, running into lack of visibility due to nightfall. I was concerned that we would run into a backlog if we had to wait until the following day to sort the previous days mail with more arriving the same day. This could cause a delay in mail delivery, a big no-no! Well, this should be averted now. Believe me when I tell you my site lead was about to "requisition" lights from somewhere, no matter the cost. The mayor cell (liaison for issue resolution) had kept us on a hook for too long, and he was fed up! I completed, and sent up, my new required reports for last week yesterday. It (powerpoint) looks awfully pretty! LOL Hopefully, it has everything they want. Guess which color scheme I used? Ha! One good thing came out of doing the report. I have learned some new abilities PP can do. I am currently working on setting up distribution lists in Outlook. That way I don't have to put in individual names everytime I want to send something to a group. Phones and computers were on the blitz again first thing this morning at the USO, so had about an hour without customers. My Soldier and I just chatted with one of the USO employees. Spent the rest of the time reading Bourne. I am about 4/5 done with it. Should finish it before the weekend, then start another book. Will probably go with David Morrell's "The Shimmer." Then follow it up with Star Wars. Have to change it up, otherwise it might get boring. Went on a short run at lunch today. Was on a faster pace than my last run, so did not go the distance. Did about a mile, but decreased my time to about 7 min. versus 8 on my last run. Followed that up with a couple of shuttle sprints. Also did some push-ups. I am about 10 short of where I need to be. Hope to improve over the next couple of weeks. Heading to the gym after work (in about an hour), and lift some weights. Have to get prepared for my PT test! One last thing, if you are following this blog, feel free to be a "follower." That allows me to see who is keeping tabs on me! LOL Anyways, I guess that is all for now. Until next time...

November 13 (Day 34)

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, won't you be my neighbor! Ha! Who remembers that jingle? I am sitting at my volunteer station at the USO, 2/3 through my shift. I am working the phone bank as usual, but they are on the blink at the moment. People kept getting disconnected, so I shut them down. One person got so frustrated, I thought she might melt down. People tend to forget this is a privilege, not a right. We are deployed after all. Some locations don't have this much. I think the word has gotten around a bit, though, since there are fewer people stopping in than would be expected on a Sunday. Things are going pretty well at work. Got a call from my company commander Friday night. He wanted to get caught up on this whole moving situation. We spoke for a good 20 minutes or so. Fortunately, he didn't fault me for anything, since I assumed he would be in the loop. He figured those who are responsible for this agenda would notify the chains of command for those units being affected.  The gravity rollers I requested are supposed to be flown in today. I was told yesterday that the flight time would be determined by 1700 yesterday. However, I had no email traffic as of 1830. I will be going by the office when done here, to check my email. If it got out of KAF, then I need to coordinate picking the pallet up at the flightline. I am looking forward to implementing the rollers in our operations. My higher has also seen fit to request a scale. Currently, we use the same estimate weight for our pallets. I guess more accurate weights are wanted. I mentioned to KAF that a concrete platform needs to be constructed to set the scale on. I mean, it needs to be on solid ground, and level. We have gravel all over the place. I was told to have a wooden one made while waiting for coordination for concrete. Really!?!? Like we have decking material and the expertise to build one! Anything my guys could construct would not support it properly , and of course would likely warp. It is wood and it is outside exposed to the elements. Hope all of you (like four people, ha!) enjoyed the pics I posted. I know it does not do the environment justice, but it at least gives you a peek into life here. The post office is trying out being open a couple of hours on Sundays, see what the response is. Right now it is just a couple of hours, but regardless will not go more than 4 hours, no matter how much activity we might get. This is contractor-driven, so does not overly affect my personnel.  Some will have to be available in case there are finance issues, but otherwise Sunday's will remain a "day off." Well, my time here is almost up, so I will go for now. Until next time...

Compound Pics

November 10 (Day 31)

Wow! Finally made it a month. Well, what can I say, the last couple of days have been great, but not for the reasons you might think. My tennis shoes came in on the 8th, so now I can start working out and getting back into shape. It actually felt good just not having to wear my uniform what seemed like 24 hrs. a day. I went to the gym last night, ran for about 25 minutes on the treadmill at about a 8-minute/mile pace. Want to get back to 7 minutes, but need to work into it. It has been several months since I have done any real exercising. All my pre-deployment activities took all my time, plus once we got into a certain window of time before heading overseas, we were not allowed to participate in formal PT with our unit. The powers that be want to ensure noone gets hurt, causing fewer people to be able to deploy, thereby hurting the mission. I also got my new boots yesterday. As I mentioned, they are the Nike Special Field Boot. I got them back to my room and took them out of the box. I was amazed at how light they were, probably as light as my running shoes! That alone would probably sell me, but they are real comfortable (they are based on a running shoe platform) as well, so I am hooked. Just need to break them in a bit. The bad news recently, and it is bad, is the weather took a nasty turn the last two days. It went from the 80s on Sunday to at least the 40s on Tuesday. Once you add the rainstorm we received, it made a potent cocktail. It was so miserable! :'(  Supposedly, it is going to warm back up to the 70s this weekend. Hope it is true. Snow fell north of here at FOB Stone, one of my subordinate APOs. Of course, they are in the lower mountains, so no surprise there. Something of interest - I ran into another Adventist yesterday morning while working at the USO. A SPC (Lee) noticed the back cover of the quarterly on my table, and thought it looked familiar. He is from Korea, and we talked for a few minutes. He let me know that he coordinated to have the chapel made available to him on Saturdays so he can study/worship. Evidently, I am the only other Adventist he has come across, so he has the chapel to himself.  Just received new taskings from my "bosses" at KAF. We already send reports with mail volume and a plethora of other postal information. However, now I have to take the same information they already receive (in a ridiculously complicated excel spreadsheet), and put it in a different format. Basically, I am doing their job for them, that is to say, distilling the information they already receive into a simpler form. I wonder why they just don't make the excel sheet simpler, in other words KISS. Bureaucracy strikes again! Now I will become simply another Power Point simpleton. Now my life is complete. And on that note, until next time...

November 7 (Day 28)

The (work) storm of the last few days seems to have passed, and it is relatively calm. I was able to enjoy my day off yesterday. Worked a few hours at the USO, per my usual routine. Spent three hours instead of the usual two. The people who come in form a Cheers kind of theme, with the majority being the same people. It makes me wonder why the rest of those stationed here don't take advantage of the free offerings of computer and especially the phone. Curious, wouldn't you say? Anyways, afterwards it was off to lunch. It was quite the shock! It was all "mexican" food. That had never happened before. From what I heard, it was due to Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15). That is great and all, but I think those of hispanic culture might have been disappointed in the efforts here. It was edible, as is the usual fare, but of course, hailing from San Antonio, I have been exposed to far greater food of this variety. It was especially disheartening for me. I love that food! Had a meeting with my new (contractor) site lead. He is retired military, so is no non-sense, and is definitely more hands-on. I like him. We discussed the major issues needing attention and ways to correct them. Also looked at the mid-term plan to get us through the holidays. We will surely do our best to get the mission done. We are supposedly moving to a different part of the compound next year, so I have started making plans for what I would like the new APO to look like and operate. Of course, the comms people gave me a short timeframe to get the info they need (this Wednesday), so I have to get them schematics quick! And me not being the Powerpoint guru. :'(  Before I left the office, one of my Soldiers pointed out my TV arrived. I thought surely not. I only ordered it on the 1st, and it had to have come in Saturday. But there it was. Got a small 24" to connect my computer to so I can watch movies on the larger screen. If we get the AFN dish for the tent, we will have TV as well. Today has been pretty even-keeled. Not a lot of phone calls etc..., so able to get a little more of my COR class done. Hope to finish it tomorrow. It is noticeable cooler today and overcast. Even got a few sprinkles. There is talk of more rain and even snow in the forecast, although I think the latter will be farther north in the mountains. I am sure it is only a matter of time before we get it here though. I am enjoying Jason Bourne Legacy, the book I am reading. Some things have been mentioned that shed light on how the movies made based on previous books have altered. Looks like I need to track down the older books and actually read them. They aren't typically in bookstores, so they may be hard to find. Also started playing LEGO Harry Potter on my DS. It is so fun! Watching the video segments between levels are hilarious. They put a quircky spin on the actual movies. It is after 1700 local, and most everyone is gone. Probably should head out myself, stop by the chowhall, then off to my quarters. Hope all who read my blog are enjoying my rants! Have to admit, this blogging is a good way to keep track of daily life here. Until next time...

Days 23-26

What a busy few days! We had some mail that missed its flight, due to a change in departure time. We did not find out about the time until after the flight had already left! Of course, the responsibility still falls to me. In addition, a convoy did not go out as scheduled due to "activity" in the area (wink, wink!). So everyone and their brother/mother/father/uncle/grandparent/child/friend of a friend was calling about how/what I was doing to make up for the backlog. Even after blasting emails to everyone I could think of regarding status, I would still get a phone call! All day, it was like, did you not check the email I sent you with all the answers to the questions you are calling about? Welcome to the Department of Redundancy Department! At the same time, there is the issue of how we (read, I) are going to handle the holiday mail rush. I have been trying to track down containers the last couple of days, just to find out from a friend of mine here (from Ft. Hood), that the brigade at KAF recently did an inspection to make sure there were no empty/unused containers here because they were short at the port! If my highers took all the containers and know it, how do they expect me to locate any? It is mindboggling! Well, at least my backlog from this week has been taken care of. What adventures wait for me today? Tune in and see. Until next time....

Thoughts

Figured I would just ramble a minute about generalities. The DFAC (chowhall) is pretty decent. My main complaint is that main course breakfast is the same, I mean exactly, every morning. That means it is like groundhog morning. Sure, the fruits or breads may vary slightly, but it is not enough. I am sure I will overdose on some of these foods!  Lunch and dinner are a bit better, variety wise.  I think there is a rotation; I think I will try to see about that. There is a sandwich bar that is open 24hrs. It is not quite like Subway, but it is tasty. It comes in handy when the regular DFAC has a lot of pork or other items that are not appetizing. What is interesting is that the DFAC encompasses 7-8 tents. There are prep, serving, and sitting tents, plus the sandwich place. It is quite the setup. Volunteering at the USO, like I do most mornings now, is fun. There is the benefit of having a hardline for internet, and we earn hours towards coins, t-shirts and other prizes once certain volunteer-hour thresholds have been met. I think the first is 100 hours. I am going for 15 per week. Time here allows me to catch up on news, or look for things I need to buy, without work getting in the way. :)  For example, I ordered a new pair of boots yesterday. Have had my current pair for two years! Getting the Nike Special Field Boot. Time here also allows me to do some Bible study. I am a bit behind, since I was on the road for a bit, but no matter. As long as I do it, right? Recently ordered a pair of running shoes as well. The ones I already own are in a container in Pakistan, waiting to be released by the government. I really need to get back into shape, so once my shoes come in, I will have to figure out where to fit in a workout. Suppose it will be after work, since I am already busy from 7am on. Learned to make paracord bracelets, at least one type of braiding. I am looking into learning more. It is a fun hobby, although I have to wait for more cord....which I ordered while here at the USO!  Well, got to start packing up for work.  Until next time...

Days 21-22

This post should catch me up through yesterday.  The last couple of days have been relatively quiet at work. Things are starting to settle into a routine, with just minor hiccups. I continued to work on COR classwork; can not wait to finish it! I inquired about obtaining some gravity rollers from Kandahar (KAF) to help with our sorting operations. It looks like we are going to get some. This is how I envision it. Imagine the incoming pallets that need to be broken down/sorted are in the center. To the left and right would be rollers, acting like bridges to the pallets that we build for our two subordinate post offices. The rollers would also act as a staging area, allowing the sorter to continue pushing out packages while the loader builds the pallet. This provides for a more steady sorting flow. Right now, packages have to be dished out one at a time.  There would also (hopefully) be two more angled out from the bottom of the center for packages inbound to Shindand, which are staged in large 20' containers. I am expecting the volume to increase significantly for the holidays, so this setup will help out greatly. The weather is starting to cool just a tad, especially at night. Speaking of nights, they are really clear here, with an awesome view of the stars. I even saw the north star around 1740, when it was still some light! Well, until next time...

Post Office Picture

Day 20

Only two days behind on catching up with my blog. Whew! Today was my day off. Went to the office this morning to complete some of my contracting officer representative courses. There are five on-line courses I have to complete overall. I have finished three of them. Then I have to go to Kandahar to take a two-hour in-person class. The course I am working on right now is worth 32 hours of credit. While I was working on the computer, a couple of my Soldiers were working on a building project in the back of the post office. There was an incomplete section of overhead roofing around the containers in which we store incoming mail. PFC Miller, one of my outstanding troops, put up 2X4 supports and plywood. This project will go a long way to protect the mail (and personnel) from inclement weather. At noon, a volleyball tournament was held. My platoon made a team, and put up a valiant effort. It was of the double-elimination variety, and our "Renegades" did not make it too far. :(  This evening, the two male Soldiers and myself went to the Italian compound at Shindand for dinner. It takes several minutes to get there, since the speed limit is about 20mph. We headed out about 1700. Our intent was to go to the DFAC, but we found out when we arrived that they did not open until 1900! We were not about to wait, so we went for pizza instead. There are two pizza joints, and the one we went to was really great! Of course, I just had cheese (as did the other two). I ate the whole thing, unlike my comrades who just could not keep up! LOL Overall, it was a good day. Got some work done, and still able to take time to relax. Speaking of relaxing, I started a new book, the first in a new series featuring Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne. So far, so good. Also spent a little time on my Nintendo DS playing Star Wars III Lego. What a hoot of a game!  Oh year, last night we had our first rocket attack! It happened while I was in the shower, so did not hear the sirens, which are not all that loud (unlike Kandahar). I ended up walking around like nothing had happened. I should have been in one of the shelters, but no one bothered to correct me! Keep in mind, it was night and very dark, so it was not obvious that people were gathered around the shelters.  I was totally oblivious! On that note, until next time...

Days 17-19

Well, I have finally taken full possession of the post office. My predecessor left early this morning for Kandahar on her way back to the states.  It is a lot more "quiet" and less crowded now that there are fewer people tripping over each other in our confined spaces. Dealt a lot with my company supervisors back in Kandahar.  They felt some of the reports my Soldiers were sending up were seriously incomplete/wrong.  After much debate and time on the phone, it turned out there were a couple of minor snags, easily corrected. It did not help that the ones we talked to were not the subject matter experts, so there were a lot of redos. I got a call Friday (day 18) that all looked great on the reports, so we should not have any more issues (keeping fingers crossed!). I continue to cultivate a working relationship with my site manager, the individual in charge of the civilians working with us. His replacement is due in the next week or so, as is one for another of the civilians the beginning of December. That means I have to get all the changes I want to implement fully in place so transitions will be smooth. My platoon continues to thrive on learning and working, which is a definite positive. Even with some of the grief they get from our highers, they take it in stride and adjust fire. The weather continues to be nice - 80s during the day and upper 50s-60s at night. Of course, that is not going to last. I am dreading the coming winter. Had some visitors from Kuwait, two LTs and one MSG. They work in the contractor officer representative office; their job is to monitor the postal contracts between the military and  contractors. They wanted to check in with me, since I am the de facto appointee for COR here at Shindand, and see if I had any questions and such. I am not really keen on the additional duty, but there it is.  Once I am done with the training and certified, it will be my responsibility to ensure the contractors are upholding their side of the contract, and to perform audits and such. Until next time...

Days 9-16

This week was all about transitioning. First, of course, was lodging. I, my two male Soldiers, and a couple of civilian postal contractors live in one tent. It has been modified by using plywood and 2X4s to section off individual living areas. For that I am grateful. Normally, it would have been a wide open space. Having no privacy for a year would irritate me. :)  I also started working with the Lieutenant who had been running the post office for the last six months. She basically got it going from scratch this past spring. She was a classmate of mine from OCS, so we already had a working relationship, so the transition was quite a bit easier. There was a lot of paperwork to prepare; assigning my Soldiers their duties and responsibilities, general Army personnel processing paperwork and the like. It was all a bit mundane, but necessary to keep my bosses happy. I was keen on understanding what my role as the OIC would be, and the different duties I would take on. One would think it might be fairly easy - we just sort mail, right?  Well...not so much. I have to ensure that ground transportation assets are available on a routine schedule, and have back-up plans in case of a significant increase in mail flow or vehicle breakdowns etc..., or work with air assets for minor upticks. I had to start building relationships with my superiors in Kandahar, as well as other units here. There is something of a barter system at work here. We all need to help each other out to get things done. I have spent quite a bit of time on the phone or emailing putting out "fires." I am trying very hard to set my Soldiers up for success. I want them to have a good time here, learn something, and go home safe with a feeling of satisfaction. We support three other (smaller) FOBs (forward operating bases). Two of them have some of my Soldiers working there, so I have to maintain accountability of them, and make sure they have things they need. One of the FOBs does not have any sort of PX for goods/services, so I try to get things flown down to them when one of my other Soldiers here at Shindand head out to perform an audit. I am implementing some changes in the way the mail breakdown works here, with the goal of better efficiency, and less stress on the workers. I got the lay of the land, relative to where other units are located in case I have to physically go to them.  Only a couple are within walking distance. It's a fairly large compound here. The Afghans have a section, as well as the Italians. Actually went to the Italian side a few days ago. It is about a 8 minute drive. Went for pizza, but mine was not prepared as I asked, so I did not actually get to eat any. Maybe next time. They evidently have a really good DFAC (i.e. chowhall), where they have Italians cooking Italian food. They even have fresh bread from what I am told! They also have kabobs, which I am bound to try sooner or later. Of course, it was not all work. I volunteer at the USO, helping monitor the morale tent phones/computers use. It is nice. I get to use my own laptop and hardwire to the internet. Have been going from 7-9am during the week, and will probably put in some time on Sundays. The manager, Frank, is a real hoot as well! It is an enjoyable time. There was a dodgeball tournament last weekend. My platoon made a team, but unfortunately did not last long. I did not get to play since I still don't have my tennis shoes, but I cheered them on. I have been setting up my living quarters a little at a time to make it more "homey." It is nice being near my Soldiers as well. It gives us time to bond, knowing what makes them tick, their plans/dreams, any issues.  There are good relationships among the group, and work is enjoyable, though often hectic and physical. Well, I am now only a couple of days behind, but hope to be caught up shortly. Until next time...

Days 1-8

This is my first post on my first blog.  Yikes!  Where to begin?  Fairly nervous at the start.  Heading into the unknown, wondering what life (and work) in the desert would be like.  The first step was getting here.  Spent a lot of time in the air to get to my final destination, with several stops along the way.  I was actually airborne for almost 19 hours, most of it front-loaded at the start of my trip.  The best part was being on a 767, which was fairly comfortable and spacious.  After adding in layovers/way points, I spent a little over a week on the road before getting to Shindand.  Stayed in Kandahar a few days.  Have never been to a more dusty place in my life!  The city is located on really fine dirt.  Given that most of the roads are not paved and there are lots of vehicles, a potent cocktail is produced.  Many people wear masks or clothing over their noses and mouths to protect themselves.  Kandahar Airbase is built up quite a bit.  I was surprised by what was available there.  Prominent among these was a square boardwalk, with a couple dozen shops ran by locals, as well as a couple American establishments like Green Beans, KFC (24 hours), and a full-blown TGIF!  There is also a bazaar on the compound, though I never went.  The days were not too bad, but the nights were rough!  It was not necessarily cold in our transient living quarters (a VERY large tent with 90 bunkbeds occupying half the area), but the ventilation circulated right over me, providing a constant cool breeze.  Add to that the worst bed I have ever slept on, I did not get any real sleep for several days (remember I am still suffering from jetlag).  I could literally feel every spring in this mattress, forming evenly-spaced thin pressure areas down my back.  Brutal!  I was very happy to finally get a flight here to Shindand, my "permanent" assignment for this tour.  Until next time...