It's been three decades since you came on the scene
With time passing and the world turning
We have shared so much
We discovered so much of the world together
Before we were ready to step out on our own
We learned to live with one another
With headaches and heartbreaks
Laughter and love
Time moves on
We've each our own lives
We've traveled down paths we never dreamed
Together
Apart
Lost
And found
Today we both stand on solid ground
Half a world away, I want to reach out and say to you
My sister, who knows me like no other
Who has given me the gift of her love
And accepted my love in return
Even when that love came with pain
(Cause I can be a right pain in the ass sometimes)
Thank you for being you
Thank you for being in my life
Today I celebrate you
... Happy Birthday! I love you.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The Care Package
I've gotten some queries on the 'Care Package'. People want to know what to send or what I need. It's really hard actually, because I don't really need much of anything. Necessities are provided here. There are things I may 'want', but I've only a 6x6 foot room in which to store it.
A few of you have sent packages through the mail, some of them I've received, some I haven't. I'd like to take a moment to thank you for your thoughtfulness.
We also get, fairly often it seems, lots of packages for 'any soldier' or a school sending several boxes for our group, etc.
These boxes are filled with candy and cookies and cake and beef jerky and all manner of things that we can eat. It seems that my resolution to become more physically fit is to be tested by the copious amounts of edibles we get in the mail.
I already have my zombie apocalypse survival pouch. Despite all of my better judgment, I'm trying to work it off (I'll be sorry when the walking dead come shambling my way and there's no food to be had).
So, no food, unless it's something that's been discussed as an item that I have a particular fondness for that people won't normally think to include. Like Rooster Sauce, which I believe is already on its way.
Something I could use a bit of is some Sai Baba Nag Champa. I may have mentioned before I live in a plywood shack with 7 other guys. Some incense makes for a happier smell.
Here's an odd request: Cottonelle Brand Toilet Paper. Single rolls are fine. They don't carry the brand here in the PX. I've become somewhat particular about using this brand. I much prefer it to Charmin (which they carry) or no name brand. I'm averse to sandpaper brand which is prevalent here. I'd feel silly shipping toilet paper to a third world country, myself, but...
Music. This is a tough one, because I don't go for CDs anymore. I download individual songs from a site called Beatport. They used to have a Gift Card service, but don't anymore. I suppose you can use MC and Visa gift cards... it's a weird one, on the one hand, music is what will keep me the most sane out here, but something like this takes the fun out of Care Packages.
Which segueways into the next thing... the Big Care Package. I've been saving up and Alicia is going to go to the Apple Store after Christmas and look at a Mac, and the Logic Studio Suite. She's also going to check out the Ableton 8 Suite. These suites are $500 and $700 respectively, the computer is going to run $2K. I already have computer for surfing the internet and what (very) few games I still play. This Mac is going to be my music studio. It's always been my dream to create music and I've always been stymied by not having a computer with the processing power and/or memory to do so.
If anyone wants to help us with this, that would definitely be appreciated. Again it takes some of the fun out of the whole Care Package concept, but it won't keep me from shedding weight.
Something you could box up would be literature on using the Logic and Ableton suites. The software has a very steep learning curve and I'll be purchasing these books so I can get started using them.
Of course, any and all Care Packages will be received with my full gratitude. As well as the gratitude of my office and hut mates, as it's share and share alike, especially when it comes to food.
I'll keep trying to write more regularly here, as well... keeping in touch has always been a difficult concept for me to grasp and I again apologize for that. It doesn't mean I don't spend time thinking of everyone or wondering what's going on with them. I love you all and look forward to seeing you all again.
A few of you have sent packages through the mail, some of them I've received, some I haven't. I'd like to take a moment to thank you for your thoughtfulness.
We also get, fairly often it seems, lots of packages for 'any soldier' or a school sending several boxes for our group, etc.
These boxes are filled with candy and cookies and cake and beef jerky and all manner of things that we can eat. It seems that my resolution to become more physically fit is to be tested by the copious amounts of edibles we get in the mail.
I already have my zombie apocalypse survival pouch. Despite all of my better judgment, I'm trying to work it off (I'll be sorry when the walking dead come shambling my way and there's no food to be had).
So, no food, unless it's something that's been discussed as an item that I have a particular fondness for that people won't normally think to include. Like Rooster Sauce, which I believe is already on its way.
Something I could use a bit of is some Sai Baba Nag Champa. I may have mentioned before I live in a plywood shack with 7 other guys. Some incense makes for a happier smell.
Here's an odd request: Cottonelle Brand Toilet Paper. Single rolls are fine. They don't carry the brand here in the PX. I've become somewhat particular about using this brand. I much prefer it to Charmin (which they carry) or no name brand. I'm averse to sandpaper brand which is prevalent here. I'd feel silly shipping toilet paper to a third world country, myself, but...
Music. This is a tough one, because I don't go for CDs anymore. I download individual songs from a site called Beatport. They used to have a Gift Card service, but don't anymore. I suppose you can use MC and Visa gift cards... it's a weird one, on the one hand, music is what will keep me the most sane out here, but something like this takes the fun out of Care Packages.
Which segueways into the next thing... the Big Care Package. I've been saving up and Alicia is going to go to the Apple Store after Christmas and look at a Mac, and the Logic Studio Suite. She's also going to check out the Ableton 8 Suite. These suites are $500 and $700 respectively, the computer is going to run $2K. I already have computer for surfing the internet and what (very) few games I still play. This Mac is going to be my music studio. It's always been my dream to create music and I've always been stymied by not having a computer with the processing power and/or memory to do so.
If anyone wants to help us with this, that would definitely be appreciated. Again it takes some of the fun out of the whole Care Package concept, but it won't keep me from shedding weight.
Something you could box up would be literature on using the Logic and Ableton suites. The software has a very steep learning curve and I'll be purchasing these books so I can get started using them.
Of course, any and all Care Packages will be received with my full gratitude. As well as the gratitude of my office and hut mates, as it's share and share alike, especially when it comes to food.
I'll keep trying to write more regularly here, as well... keeping in touch has always been a difficult concept for me to grasp and I again apologize for that. It doesn't mean I don't spend time thinking of everyone or wondering what's going on with them. I love you all and look forward to seeing you all again.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
TEAM Rocket blasting off again!
So, apparently, Afghanistan is a warzone. Part of that paradigm is that from time to time, insurgents and terrorists fire rockets randomly at the base. They don't aim them except just generally so that they land on the base. They shoot them and run away.
So this happened last night. A few of us stayed late at the office to spend some time playing 'Last Night on Earth', a really interesting and fun game about zombies attacking a small town. I'm proud to say that my buxom nurse token was responsible for most of the zombie kills of the game. She worked in tandem with my priest token to keep the zombies from taking over.
More proof that I'm going to be one of the survivors when the zombie apocalypse hits. I always do well at zombie sims (sims, not games). You'll probably want to stick with me.
But I digress, rockets.
So last night after saving the world from zombies, we put everything away and left the building to head back to the housing village about a mile or so away when we heard it. That whistling noise that we associate from the womb as a bomb dropping on the earth, wreaking massive destruction. Shortly after, there was a loud boom as it exploded somewhere near on the base.
Now, in the Army you drill again and again for this sort of thing. When you hear that whistle, you are supposed to yell, "INCOMING!!!!" and dive immediately to the ground and cover your head.
Of course, in training, you always simulate the immediate dive and just kind of get on the ground. What they don't tell you in training is that in Afghanistan, the ground you are on is probably going to be covered in gravel. Have you ever dive onto gravel? No? Neither have I. I bet that would hurt.
You may have deduced that we did not yell incoming and dive immediately to the ground.
No, what we did was this:
"Hey, is that a rocket?"
"I don't know, I think it is."
"Maybe it's the gunnery range."
"I don't know, you think? It sounds like a rocket."
"It's probably a rocket."
"Yeah, definitely a rocket."
"Let's go back inside."
"OK."
Then we did. And since we stayed at the office for another hour, we played a different card game, having to do with infernal technology and wreaking havoc on your buddies.
Later we learned that it landed near the USO. Nobody was hurt.
We were told by some of out office mates who did NOT stay to fend off zombies (they may have survived the rocket, but they are gonna be screwed on the day the dead walk, that's all I have to say about that) that several of them ran into a bunker in varying states of pajama, helmet, and bullet proof vest. That was probably a rather comical sight.
Later I stopped at midnight chow to grab something to eat since I missed dinner (you're going to miss meals often when you are fighting for your life against them brain eaters) and walking back, I thought I heard that whistling noise again, but it was only tinnitus. In my room I had my headset on for music and thougt I heard whistling through the music. I threw them off my head and there was nothing.
I think I may have PTSD. Probably need to take a break.
Kill some more zombies. Need to perfect my technique.
So this happened last night. A few of us stayed late at the office to spend some time playing 'Last Night on Earth', a really interesting and fun game about zombies attacking a small town. I'm proud to say that my buxom nurse token was responsible for most of the zombie kills of the game. She worked in tandem with my priest token to keep the zombies from taking over.
More proof that I'm going to be one of the survivors when the zombie apocalypse hits. I always do well at zombie sims (sims, not games). You'll probably want to stick with me.
But I digress, rockets.
So last night after saving the world from zombies, we put everything away and left the building to head back to the housing village about a mile or so away when we heard it. That whistling noise that we associate from the womb as a bomb dropping on the earth, wreaking massive destruction. Shortly after, there was a loud boom as it exploded somewhere near on the base.
Now, in the Army you drill again and again for this sort of thing. When you hear that whistle, you are supposed to yell, "INCOMING!!!!" and dive immediately to the ground and cover your head.
Of course, in training, you always simulate the immediate dive and just kind of get on the ground. What they don't tell you in training is that in Afghanistan, the ground you are on is probably going to be covered in gravel. Have you ever dive onto gravel? No? Neither have I. I bet that would hurt.
You may have deduced that we did not yell incoming and dive immediately to the ground.
No, what we did was this:
"Hey, is that a rocket?"
"I don't know, I think it is."
"Maybe it's the gunnery range."
"I don't know, you think? It sounds like a rocket."
"It's probably a rocket."
"Yeah, definitely a rocket."
"Let's go back inside."
"OK."
Then we did. And since we stayed at the office for another hour, we played a different card game, having to do with infernal technology and wreaking havoc on your buddies.
Later we learned that it landed near the USO. Nobody was hurt.
We were told by some of out office mates who did NOT stay to fend off zombies (they may have survived the rocket, but they are gonna be screwed on the day the dead walk, that's all I have to say about that) that several of them ran into a bunker in varying states of pajama, helmet, and bullet proof vest. That was probably a rather comical sight.
Later I stopped at midnight chow to grab something to eat since I missed dinner (you're going to miss meals often when you are fighting for your life against them brain eaters) and walking back, I thought I heard that whistling noise again, but it was only tinnitus. In my room I had my headset on for music and thougt I heard whistling through the music. I threw them off my head and there was nothing.
I think I may have PTSD. Probably need to take a break.
Kill some more zombies. Need to perfect my technique.
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