Update 15- February 9, 2007

TALIBANISHED! [t.m. K-Lamb]

I wanted to start off with just an awesome picture. Someone in the Air Force that Laura knows took this on a flight from… somewhere here to somewhere else here. Do I leave the details out because of information security, or because I don’t know? Yeah, I have no idea.

Remember the A-10 I showed flying over? Well, the noise of that is nothing compared to an F-15 taking off. Someone told me that when they do, and they use their afterburners, apparently their engines are operating at 115%. I told them that this is a mathematical impossibility. If they are going as hard as they can, that is 100%. I am very annoying.

We have suffered a tragedy here on Bagram. The grieving process is still going on. I am stuck somewhere between bargaining and depression. We have lost the Korean restaurant.

Have I mentioned it before? Well, it is Korean food, but the people who work there are actually from Kyrgyzstan (yes, that is a real country) as my coworker found out when he placed his order in Korean and was met with blank stares. But it is the ONE really good place to eat where you could feel confident in the quality of the food. It was not overprocessed or overcooked like most places. (Yes, I am complaining about the lobster. Leave me alone.) So, inevitably, it burned down. I do not know what caused the fire, but from the looks of the place, it will not be bouncing back anytime soon.

I have gotten reports from home that much of America is caught in a bit of a cold snap. Well, I say “Welcome to my world, suckers!” Two more cold weather pictures for you:
Dashboard reads: Out Side: -20C.
It is a double exposure because it is cold and I was shivering. Or maybe because I had just had two cups of very strong coffee. I do not remember.
Awww, a snowman. Even in a war zone, one can keep his inner child entertained. Oh, the innocence… The playfulness... Wait… does that snowman have boobs? Yes. Yes it does. Oh, that is just sick. [shakes head]

In another winter tradition, we did get to watch the Super Bowl! A few other hardy/crazy souls got up at 3am to watch. Most were Bears fans, some were Packers fans who came to root against the Bears. I cheered on the Colts simply so I never have to hear Peyton Manning compared to Dan Marino ever again. It was fun though- we had chips, hot dogs, and all that, making it somewhat like being at home. We even got beer. Admittedly, it was Budweiser Non-Alcoholic beer, and the writing on the can was half in Arabic, but it still tasted as good as Bud usually does.
Oh yeah, and that is my new holster for my pistol. This is the level of self expression that we have in our fashion choices- shoulder holster or belt. Unfortunately, this lack of alcohol has created an opportunity for the Taliban. After a certain amount of time in country, people go into pretty severe withdrawal for beer. So the enemy has created a trap that more than one soldier has fallen for. Maybe the people in charge will change their policies so that no more soldiers are lost in this way. Write your congressman!!!
Until next time, -Pat