Saturday, February 19, 2011

Leaving early

I was able to get an earlier flight. Terrific. I can't wait to get back home. I am going to over-dose on Big Macs, and Baskin-Robbins. Maybe I can get a couple of days off, to chill out. I work 7am to 7pm 7 days a week. That is a lot of work. I wish the firm could spread out the work, and let us have some time off.

A big wind, blew down the tree in neighbor's yard (at my home in Alexandria VA). The fence is blown down, and I must get another one.

I am tired of so much work, and I need this time off. Thanks for this job, but there is a limit.

I am going to celebrate the Kentucky Derby, May 7.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Friday morning

Well, the days are passing, until I can fly back home. I finally got my ticketing straightened out. I have a flight from Kandahar to Dubai, and then I will stay in Dubai for about a day, then get a direct flight to Washington DC. I will get into Dulles early in the morning, and get a shuttle out to my house, then climb in the rack. Glad to be rid of Afghanistan.

I went to the Canadian Lodge tonight. It is a regular lodge, recognized by the GL of Kentucky, and I will not get suspended for attending the meeting. I wish that I could attend other lodges, but I can't.

I got back to the office, after the chow hall closed. So I went to TGI Fridays, and I got a chicken caesar salad, and chicken primavera with pasta. I ate the whole meal up, nothing left but grease on the plate. When I get back to the USA, I am going to over-dose on Big Macs, and home made biscuits. My cholesterol is going to shoot up 90points. I can't wait to feast on barbecue, and pasta, and chili, and omelettes. I am going to use the slow cooker and eat fast. Also Wendy',s and I will eat Chinese food, until I pass out. I am so sick of this chow hall food.

It has been fairly dry the last couple of days. I opened the door at the lab, and the wind caught it, and BANG, the door was torn off. There it is, sitting on the floor. I just picked it up, and leaned it against the wall. My co-worker will call in a work order tomorrow, and get it fixed I hope. It has gotten cool, and it just started to rain. What a hassle. I am so glad to be going home.

It is now 5:38. If it was not raining, I would mosey over to the chow hall, and attempt to eat some cold cereal with milk. But I just don't feel like making the trip.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Saturday morning. Ready to go home

The last two days, have been pretty awful. The rains have come, and they have come hard. It has been raining, almost constantly for the last two days. This is a desert, and there is not adequate drainage for the rains. Consequently, there are pools and lakes every where. This is Afghanistan, either a pile of dust, or a lake of mud. I hate this place.

There is a huge lake, in front of the tent. I have to go in/out through the back door. At least the tent is still dry, inside. I hope that the rains will cease, and there will not be a flood in my tent.

The chow hall served some decent food tonight. Boneless chicken in a tomato sauce, and rice. Every day there is rice. The desert was a fruit compote. Still no coca-cola, only sprite and orange pop.

The shower trailer had no hot water, so I went to three other shower trailers, and finally found one with hot water. I got an excellent shower. I have not been to the laundry for a week, and there are two bundles of clean laundry to pick up.

At least the internet is fairly serviceable. I can listen to some streaming audio, and I like the BBC. I have a short-wave radio, but it is almost useless. There are not many English language programs, beamed into this part of the world, on shortwave.

I have been going round and round, with the travel agency, and I finally got a ticket to travel home. I will be leaving around the end of the month. I will fly to Dubai, and then get a direct non-stop flight from Dubai, straight to Dulles field. I am so glad to be going home.

I keep fantasizing about the food I am going to eat. I love Huevos Rancheros! You fry some corn tortillas, and then put them on a plate. Then you fry a couple of eggs. You put some mild salsa on the tortillas, and then you put the eggs on the salsa. Then you put some shredded cheese on the eggs, then you put them under the broiler, until the cheese melts. Delicious.

I may overdose on Mexican food, when I get home. I am going to eat a lot of ice cream as well. The biggest thing I am going to do is SLEEP! I will be in a real bed, that does not jam wires into my back. And there will be no aircraft noise.

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Sunday night

The lodge had a coffee break at the coffee shop. I ate donuts and drank some coffee with the Masons. How terrific it is , to have a lodge here. Fortunately the lodge is Canadian, and it is recognized by the Grand Lodges, which I am member of.

I am ready to go home. I am ready to sleep in a bed, and get a hot bath in a tub. I am ready to cook my own meals. I am getting tired of this chow hall food. Some nights they have spaghetti and burgers. Some nights they have burgers and spaghetti. Two nights ago, they had some decent boneless chicken. They only have that soft-serve machine ice cream. I miss Baskin-Robbins, when I get home, I will probably over-dose on Baskin-Robbins.

I will not go home to rest. I am going to be cleaning and doing yard work, and all kinds of chores. I do not mind, I like to have a clean house. And cleaning the house, is the price of having a clean house.

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Going home

My official orders expire at the end of this month. I will be heading back to the USA around 1 March. I am glad to be going home. I am looking forward to the USA food, and getting a bath (in a tub).

There is a lot of work here in Afghanistan, the work is not over yet. This war is going to go on for a long time. The date of 2014, is tossed around, but that is only an estimate.

I am still on night duty, which I prefer. I have really enjoyed meeting the other Masons here. I enjoy our coffee breaks the best. There are Masons here from Canada, the USA, England, even South Africa.

When I get back to the USA, Larisa is keen to go to Miami. I want to go to Orlando. We will probably do both. Frankly, there is not much in Miami, that I am interested in. I went to Walt Disney World, in 1980. I would like to see it again.