Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Photo of the Day - Tuesday 29 September 2009
Here's something different. When I went out on a bit of a tour, I found that some of the troops had adopted pets - the odd cat and dog was fairly normal. In this particular location, though, the guys had a goat! It would come up behind the troops and butt them in the butt to get their attention. Usually, the troops would grab hold of his horns and tug him around a bit, playing with him. At night, when the guys were relaxing a bit, he would sit down next to them, just like a freakin' dog. Very funny and, apparently, a very good guard.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Friday 25 September 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Monday 21 September 2009
Hi everyone,
It is freakin' warm today here at KAF. Numbers wise, it isn't any different than usual, but it feels like the sun is really beating down today. Thankfully, the nights are still relatively cool (21C).
Went for a long run on Sunday morning with Vance - did 12.5km. I was pretty tired when I was done, but happy - that's the longest I have run for a couple of years. Still going to the gym every day - was working out beside one of my clients this morning. He's a really big Newfie who is a rabid hockey fan. There was a Montreal-Boston game on the TVs in the gym and he'd let out the occasional bellow at a stupid play, scaring the heck out of me.
We're working on the plan to come home. We leave here and have 3 days of "decompression" at a place in Europe. It gives us a chance to relax a bit and get our heads back to normal before we hit Canada. Great idea, as far as I'm concerned. I'll let you know where I'm going later.
Apparently I'm changing jobs when I get home. Since there is a lot going on in the area where I was working before I deployed, the powers that be have decided to put someone into my spot in Canada and find a new spot for me once I get back to work. We'll see where they put me!!!
Other than that, not much going on. We are in the middle of a holiday here in Afghanistan called "Eid", which celebrates the end of Ramadan. Ramadan is a farily long period (3-4 weeks, I think) where Muslims aren't allowed to eat or drink while the sun is up. They do some extra prayers during the day as well. Very tough, especially when it is so hot. Eid is kind of like their Christmas, with feasts and gifts and stuff.
Got a couple of letters - thanks Mom!! I'll try to write you back soon.
It is freakin' warm today here at KAF. Numbers wise, it isn't any different than usual, but it feels like the sun is really beating down today. Thankfully, the nights are still relatively cool (21C).
Went for a long run on Sunday morning with Vance - did 12.5km. I was pretty tired when I was done, but happy - that's the longest I have run for a couple of years. Still going to the gym every day - was working out beside one of my clients this morning. He's a really big Newfie who is a rabid hockey fan. There was a Montreal-Boston game on the TVs in the gym and he'd let out the occasional bellow at a stupid play, scaring the heck out of me.
We're working on the plan to come home. We leave here and have 3 days of "decompression" at a place in Europe. It gives us a chance to relax a bit and get our heads back to normal before we hit Canada. Great idea, as far as I'm concerned. I'll let you know where I'm going later.
Apparently I'm changing jobs when I get home. Since there is a lot going on in the area where I was working before I deployed, the powers that be have decided to put someone into my spot in Canada and find a new spot for me once I get back to work. We'll see where they put me!!!
Other than that, not much going on. We are in the middle of a holiday here in Afghanistan called "Eid", which celebrates the end of Ramadan. Ramadan is a farily long period (3-4 weeks, I think) where Muslims aren't allowed to eat or drink while the sun is up. They do some extra prayers during the day as well. Very tough, especially when it is so hot. Eid is kind of like their Christmas, with feasts and gifts and stuff.
Got a couple of letters - thanks Mom!! I'll try to write you back soon.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Picture of the Day - It's Not Maple Leaf Gardens!!
Here's our Ball Hockey rink - it gets a lot of use and we get the odd Hockey Superstar here - Guy Lafleur in a couple of weeks!!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Thursday 17 September 2009
Hi all,
Sorry I haven't been blogging as much lately. We've been working pretty hard and I'm usually pretty tired by the end of the day.
Life is pretty good. Going to the gym everyday for 1 1/2 hours and the weight is just falling off me (down 13 pounds) - don't worry Mom, I'm eating!!! I am actually pounding back a ton of food - it just happens to be all healthy stuff (except for the odd Oreo. I can't help myself!)
I finally got a roommate. Wouldn't you know, it's someone I know well - Vance!! For those of you who don't know (or remember), I went through RMC with Vance and he was the best man at my wedding - we've known each other for almost 20 years. He's here for a few weeks filling in for someone and he needed a place to stay, so he's staying with me. It'll be good to have him around - we are going to have to take a picture to send to our friends in Kingston when they get together for our RMC 15 Year Reunion at the end of the month. We'll title it "Protecting the World While the Rest of you are Drinking".
I now have internet service in my room, which is great. It costs a few bucks, but its worth it. No more having to line up to get onto a computer and getting booted off once your 30 minutes is up.
Kim is doing fine - just spoke with her last night. She's having some work done on the house, so that's keeping her busy. She doing well in her new job, as well, so that's a relief. She's heading down to New York soon to get her new legs tweaked, so I had better keep working out so I can keep up with her when I get back!!!
Sorry I haven't been blogging as much lately. We've been working pretty hard and I'm usually pretty tired by the end of the day.
Life is pretty good. Going to the gym everyday for 1 1/2 hours and the weight is just falling off me (down 13 pounds) - don't worry Mom, I'm eating!!! I am actually pounding back a ton of food - it just happens to be all healthy stuff (except for the odd Oreo. I can't help myself!)
I finally got a roommate. Wouldn't you know, it's someone I know well - Vance!! For those of you who don't know (or remember), I went through RMC with Vance and he was the best man at my wedding - we've known each other for almost 20 years. He's here for a few weeks filling in for someone and he needed a place to stay, so he's staying with me. It'll be good to have him around - we are going to have to take a picture to send to our friends in Kingston when they get together for our RMC 15 Year Reunion at the end of the month. We'll title it "Protecting the World While the Rest of you are Drinking".
I now have internet service in my room, which is great. It costs a few bucks, but its worth it. No more having to line up to get onto a computer and getting booted off once your 30 minutes is up.
Kim is doing fine - just spoke with her last night. She's having some work done on the house, so that's keeping her busy. She doing well in her new job, as well, so that's a relief. She's heading down to New York soon to get her new legs tweaked, so I had better keep working out so I can keep up with her when I get back!!!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Picture of the Day - Sunset over KAF
Almost pretty... as long as you don't look at the barbed wire!!!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Tuesday 9 September 2009
Hi all,
Been a busy couple of days here at KAF!!
Saw the CANCON show last week. These are Canadian entertainers who do a show tour to all of the deployed CF members around the world. This one consisted mostly of French performers due to the fact that the majority of the Canadians over here are French. The show was pretty good - lots of dancing girls for the benefit of the troops!!
Did the Canada Army Run 5km on Sunday. I haven't been running much in the last couple of years, so this was truly going to be a test of whether my body was going to be able to handle it. Well, I am happy to announce that I finished the run in fine form. I went in expecting to do 5:30/km and that is exactly was I did, finishing the 5km in 27:30. Very happy with that result. I have signed up to do the US Army 10-Miler on 4 Oct - that's 16km for you metric types. I am going to speed up for this race and expect to finish it in around 1hr 20 min. I think that's achievable with another month to train.
Things have cooled off considerably over here in the past few days. I actually had to pull out an extra blanket last night 'cause I felt a bit chilled. On that, my boss just gave me his cold, so I've been sneezing and sniffing like crazy over the past few days. I've been trying to hit the sack a little earlier over the past few nights to sleep the cold off, and it seems to be going away.
Kim seems to be doing well. She's been busy working on our deck and keeping the cats from doing each other in. I get to talk to her about every other day, so I'm updated on what's happening at home!!
OK, time for a picture. On the theme of cats, here's a shot of one of the wild cats that lives here on the base. This one is pretty well fed and has been named "Chloe" by the staff. You can't tell from this shot, but she has differently shaped back legs than your normal Canadian cat. Apparently, these help her run faster, which comes in handy when chasing down mice and rats.
Been a busy couple of days here at KAF!!
Saw the CANCON show last week. These are Canadian entertainers who do a show tour to all of the deployed CF members around the world. This one consisted mostly of French performers due to the fact that the majority of the Canadians over here are French. The show was pretty good - lots of dancing girls for the benefit of the troops!!
Did the Canada Army Run 5km on Sunday. I haven't been running much in the last couple of years, so this was truly going to be a test of whether my body was going to be able to handle it. Well, I am happy to announce that I finished the run in fine form. I went in expecting to do 5:30/km and that is exactly was I did, finishing the 5km in 27:30. Very happy with that result. I have signed up to do the US Army 10-Miler on 4 Oct - that's 16km for you metric types. I am going to speed up for this race and expect to finish it in around 1hr 20 min. I think that's achievable with another month to train.
Things have cooled off considerably over here in the past few days. I actually had to pull out an extra blanket last night 'cause I felt a bit chilled. On that, my boss just gave me his cold, so I've been sneezing and sniffing like crazy over the past few days. I've been trying to hit the sack a little earlier over the past few nights to sleep the cold off, and it seems to be going away.
Kim seems to be doing well. She's been busy working on our deck and keeping the cats from doing each other in. I get to talk to her about every other day, so I'm updated on what's happening at home!!
OK, time for a picture. On the theme of cats, here's a shot of one of the wild cats that lives here on the base. This one is pretty well fed and has been named "Chloe" by the staff. You can't tell from this shot, but she has differently shaped back legs than your normal Canadian cat. Apparently, these help her run faster, which comes in handy when chasing down mice and rats.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Picture of the Day - Home of the Whopper
Haven't had anything from here yet, but I'll probably break down and have a Whopper sooner or later...
Picture of the Day - Camel Spider
Spotted near my office. One of the reasons we aren't allowed to wear sandals around here!!!
Saturday 5 September 2009
Hi all,
Another sunny day here at KAF (that's Kandahar Air Field for the uninitiated). Things are starting to cool off a bit - it only gets to 41C during the day...
We've got a CANCON show here tonight. They send musicians and other entertainers on a show tour to visit the troops. No one of any real "fame" coming - mostly French performers due to the fact that the majority of the troops here are from Quebec. I saw one of these shows when I was in Bosnia in 1997 - the highlight was Shania Twin. Yes, "Twin" not "Twain". She actually did look a lot like Shania and sounded like her too.
I'm going to participate in the 2nd Annual Canada Army Run here on Sunday morning. There's a 5km and a 15km race - I'm not up to doing the 15km yet, so 5km it is. We should have pretty good participation - 500 runners or so. You get a nice shirt for entering and all money raised goes to Soldier On, the charity that buys sports gear for injured soldiers. I'll let you know how it goes.
Just took a bunch of new pictures. You should see them posted over the next few days. Now, don't get the idea that things are cushy here - it's still burning hot and smells like butt all the time. There are some creature comforts that make up for the long days (considering I'm doing between 14-16 hours a day, comforts are OK) and the troops who are actually in the field really deserve whatever we can provide. I'm just riding on their coattails a bit.
Just a note - I can't give you a lot of details about what is going on or what I'm doing due to OPSEC - that's OPerational SECurity. Bad guys can gather materials from all over the place and put together a pretty accurate picture of what we are doing, so I have to be careful about what I write. I'm not just being vague for the sake of being vague!!!
So, for my first photo, please enjoy the crown jewel of the Boardwalk - the one and only Tim Horton's!!
Another sunny day here at KAF (that's Kandahar Air Field for the uninitiated). Things are starting to cool off a bit - it only gets to 41C during the day...
We've got a CANCON show here tonight. They send musicians and other entertainers on a show tour to visit the troops. No one of any real "fame" coming - mostly French performers due to the fact that the majority of the troops here are from Quebec. I saw one of these shows when I was in Bosnia in 1997 - the highlight was Shania Twin. Yes, "Twin" not "Twain". She actually did look a lot like Shania and sounded like her too.
I'm going to participate in the 2nd Annual Canada Army Run here on Sunday morning. There's a 5km and a 15km race - I'm not up to doing the 15km yet, so 5km it is. We should have pretty good participation - 500 runners or so. You get a nice shirt for entering and all money raised goes to Soldier On, the charity that buys sports gear for injured soldiers. I'll let you know how it goes.
Just took a bunch of new pictures. You should see them posted over the next few days. Now, don't get the idea that things are cushy here - it's still burning hot and smells like butt all the time. There are some creature comforts that make up for the long days (considering I'm doing between 14-16 hours a day, comforts are OK) and the troops who are actually in the field really deserve whatever we can provide. I'm just riding on their coattails a bit.
Just a note - I can't give you a lot of details about what is going on or what I'm doing due to OPSEC - that's OPerational SECurity. Bad guys can gather materials from all over the place and put together a pretty accurate picture of what we are doing, so I have to be careful about what I write. I'm not just being vague for the sake of being vague!!!
So, for my first photo, please enjoy the crown jewel of the Boardwalk - the one and only Tim Horton's!!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Thursday 3 September 2009
Hi all,
Been a busy couple of days. Settling in well - I have my schedule pretty down pat.
Here's a cool idea:
We operate in US$ here, so rather than having to have a whole whack of metal change, we use these little cardboard discs. A lot easier to carry and doesn't cause any problems on the airfield - little metal bits going into an airplane engine is bad I hear...
Here's a shot of my room:
Not too bad!!! There is another set of bunkbeds behind me and to the left. There's a cabinet for clothes and stuff and you can just make out the all-important air conditioner above the head of my bed. We've got showers and a bathroom just down the hall and the gym is right across a small parking lot from me.
Time is just about to run out on my internet time - we get 1/2 hour and then it resets.
Take care!!
Been a busy couple of days. Settling in well - I have my schedule pretty down pat.
Here's a cool idea:
We operate in US$ here, so rather than having to have a whole whack of metal change, we use these little cardboard discs. A lot easier to carry and doesn't cause any problems on the airfield - little metal bits going into an airplane engine is bad I hear...
Here's a shot of my room:
Not too bad!!! There is another set of bunkbeds behind me and to the left. There's a cabinet for clothes and stuff and you can just make out the all-important air conditioner above the head of my bed. We've got showers and a bathroom just down the hall and the gym is right across a small parking lot from me.
Time is just about to run out on my internet time - we get 1/2 hour and then it resets.
Take care!!
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