The closer I get towards the end of my deployment, the more I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel for blog topics. This one is no exception. I got a chance to skype with my brother and sisters this morning and they were noting my lack of posts. So at their imploring, all I've got is just a few little things that have been happening. Enjoy.
Probably my biggest accomplishment in the last month has been setting my own route on our recently dubbed "Wall-Of-Awesome". I got a little over-zealous a few times as I set the route and quickly found that on a single pitch route, the amount of "official" technical moves, at least those that I'm familiar with, are limited. Not only that, but my eyes were a little bigger than several other people's reach, and I found that being about 5'10" or so was the shortest you could really be to accomplish my route. Not that the route is that hard, it just takes some serious stretching out if one is too short. I ended up naming the route "Game, Set, "Match"", due to my vision of it taking a lot of hand and feet matching throughout. Depending on your ability, the amount of matching ended up being up to the individual climber. In the end, I gave it a V0+ to V1 rating. Hoping it proves a challenge to future climbers passing through. Below are a few shots of myself and our wall mastermind, DOK, rocking it out. On a side note, we were all a little saddened last night as DOK just finished up his final flight out here, so we had one final climbing party to commemorate the good times. We reminisced about the good fortune we had of being able to build our wall, from mine and DOK's first flight together where we figured out we both dig climbing, to remembering that Ace also was an out-doorsy guy and ended up being quite the aficionado and sweet-talker toward bringing our wall to fruition, and lastly to DOK's guess that Brah might be a climber too and inviting him along on our trek to find the legendary wall on the other side of base. It all worked out pretty sweet. And lastly, regarding the wall, I want to give a huge thank you to Rocknasium climbing gym in Davis, CA for their awesome support and 2 large boxes of donated shoes for the newbie climbers, as well as to Rock & Ice magazine for their large shoe donation and efforts at getting us crash pads out here. That's just American.
The Originals
DOK making the leap
The French Flag start to "Game, Set, "Match""
Ace with the chalk for the win
Since I've been out here, I've also had a fair amount of free time to catch up and get some good reading done. My biggest literary accomplishment was probably finally finishing Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. I'm a little ashamed to admit how long it took me to get through it (so I won't), but mostly, I was just happy to finish it. Great book, classic read, tough to follow for myself mainly because of all of the russian named characters, but a worthwhile reading endeavor. If you haven't read it yet and you've got some time to think, I highly recommend it. My most recent finished book that, without a doubt, resulted in the most reflection and thought was a collection of writings by G.K. Chesterton, specifically, Heretics, Orthodoxy, and The Blatchford Controversies. As it was recommended to me, I would also recommend reading those in the above order. Oftentimes over my head, philosophically challenging, theologically stirring, but never failing to always bring the topic back to a sound and succinct conclusion, every chapter unfolded some of the most profound thoughts and ideas related to the Christian faith that I've had the pleasure of reading. I'd put Heretics now in the top with my all-time favorites. It was money. And lastly, my latest read has been Eiger Dreams by Jon Krakauer, famed author of Into The Wild and Into Thin Air. The best thing to say about my current read is that its just straight fun. Awesome stories of some amazing alpinists and some gnarly people pushing themselves to their limits. I'm gonna be a little bummed now when its over. Finally, to finish out, just wanted to give a quick update on the marathon training. I had my final really long "long run" day yesterday. It ended up being my best long run yet. I felt fantastic and cranked out 20 miles on the old treadmill in 2:34, so I've got my fingers crossed now to be able to hold that pace for 6 more miles come marathon time. The big goal is a sub-3:20 marathon. Right now, I'm gonna start slowly throttling back as an old mentor from college, Mike Sanders, helps me out with a good taper plan for the next month. Mike is a fantastic coach, an amazing man of God, a recent finisher of a coast-to-coast bike ride, and an awesomely storied cancer survivor. I'm looking forward to working with him to get under my marathon goal and blessed by his friendship and mentorship. Huge thanks Mike!
So the longer the deployment progresses, the harder it seems to come up with new blog material, hence my lack of updating until now. I've mentioned in previous posts about the groundhog day feeling that seems to define most of deployment time. However, the last month hasn't been so much a feeling of groundhog day, just a lack of really anything significant taking place. None the less, I wanted to at least try to stay somewhat regular with updating since I've had people ask how life is going out here. So I apologize for the potential drollness of what follows and hope that at the very least, a picture or two will keep pique your interest.
Probably one of the biggest accomplishments I've been a part of out here now has been the successful completion of our own climbing wall. As I wrote last time, we were waiting on permission from our boss to go ahead and build our own climbing wall on our little compound. With the attitude of "its better to receive forgiveness than permission", we pressed forward initially without the proper blessings, gathering materials and piecing together the frame. Our thoughts were that as long as we could get it started and prove we had a good plan, it'd be much easier to get the official "okay". So our fearless leader DOK, salvaged a bunch of old 2x4s from some old huts that had gotten torn down, Ace went to work contacting climbing companies to see what they would be willing to donate, Brah sweet talked the civil engineering squadron into letting us use their tools and hardware, and I, well...I was strong in keeping morale high among the group. With DOK's plans as our guide, we set to work cutting, screwing, and framing, slowly watching our little masterpiece take shape. What came of it, as evidenced in the pictures below, was a sweet little woody, about 9'-10' high, complete with Brah's genius idea of a built-in crack. And as planned, with the frame assembled and securely fastened to the compound wall, we received the final blessing from the boss to continue with our project. So now with holds generously purchased by the squadron, we've put together a desert masterpiece, complete with about 5 routes so far. We're stoked. Pictures of the full wall to follow eventually. Now its time to get cranking.
Materials Pre-Construction
Our canvas, if you will
Ace in the early phase
DOK and myself putting the frame together
Brah and I getting it stood up
DOK risking life and limb for the cause
The North Wall
The North and East Wall
DOK with his brainchild
So I suppose I should slightly retract my earlier statement of nothing significant taking place, because last week, I had the opportunity to shake the routine up a bit and actually get out of Bagram for a few days. Every once in a while, a few people from the squadron head out on FOB (Forward Operating Base) visits, to talk with the ground guys and educate them on what we can do for them and get feedback on ways we can improve working with them. I was fortunate to get the chance to head out with a few other guys to talk to the ground dudes and gather feedback. I also discovered on the trip the perks that come with being aircrew personnel, as all it took to jump on a flight out of here was a simple "Hey man, you think we can jump on this plane and head out with you?" to the C-130 pilots. So with transportation easily arranged, we hopped our way out to our first base to get the trip underway. Without a doubt, the best thing about heading out to the smaller bases is that, for some reason, the smaller the base got, the better the food served at the chow halls got. Our first stop at FOB Sharana provided us with several days to be able to liaise with the customers and enjoy the scrumptious bounty that was offered. From FOB Sharana, myself and two of my other compatriots, Scott and Thrash, jumped on a helo to another FOB to meet up with several current and potential customers. To our great pleasure, not only was the food better at the next base, but we also got the chance to pal around with some of the JTACs (Joint Terminal Attack Controllers) that we work with on a daily basis. Our friendly Air Force brethren were stoked to have some more of their kind on their little Army outpost, so they made a point to make us feel welcome, not only by showing us around, but also taking us out to their range and letting us unload a few rounds with them. Between the quality customer interactions, high caliber food, and time spent with our JTAC amigos, the trip was well worth the week or so of being out of the airplane. But as the saying goes, all good things come to an end, and by the end of the week, we were back to the noise and the hustle of life at Bagram. Always nice to be back in the air.
Thrash and I waiting to leave BAF
Catching the chopper out of Sharana
Laying it down on the range
Scott, Myself, and Thrash
Hero shot with the JTACs
Catching the chopper out of Orgun-E
As I've said before, its the little accomplishments out here that make the time enjoyable. Probably one of my (hopefully soon-to-be) little accomplishments that has kept me occupied is marathon training...on a treadmill. Its mind-numbingly boring, and sometimes just downright painful to be staring at the same spot on the gym wall for hours on end. But given the poor air quality outside and large amounts of vehicle traffic around base, I felt that training inside on the treadmill was my best option. That, in addition to the fact that I wanted to prove to myself that I could train for my first marathon strictly on a treadmill and still pump out a quality time. So with that flawless reasoning, Mondays and Wednesdays have been mid-distance days, usually 7-8 miles, Tuesdays are about 5-6 miles of intervals, Thursdays are 5-6 miles of hills, and Fridays are an easy 4 miler in preparation for Saturday's long runs, which I'm up to 17 now. So with my personally crafted training plan, I have high hopes to crank out a marathon here in September and the Two-Cities Marathon in Fresno in November. I'm always game for training tips as well, especially since I just made up my own regimen with pretty much zero research. Chastise appropriately. My body will otherwise.
And finally as I wrap up this rather long-winded edition, while I'm on the subject of accomplishments, I feel its my American duty to give a mustache update. As I've slowly watched my upper lip bloom over the last few months, I'm slowly coming to the realization that my mustache has probably achieved its full growth potential. Its been a hard conclusion to come to grips with, and as such, I came within mere days of taking it off last week. That is, until I received a package from my old Univ. of Portland friend and now once again, Northern California resident, Jocelyn Sterling. Joc sent me a pickin' sweet package of some tasty treats and most importantly, a few legit CDs by The Lumineers, The Head and the Heart, Of Monsters and Men, and my personal favorite, a mix CD entitled, "Summer Of The 'Stache". Knowing that the homefront was pulling for the 'stache just as much as I had originally been brought me back to reality and now I realize, this 'stache isn't just for me, its for America. So thanks Joc, you are truly an American hero. And in closing, I also want to say a huge thank you to some others on the homefront that have sent some great morale packages recently. To Taylor Vaughn, Cherie France, and Harriet Gray for a truly dominant box of healthy snacks and T-Swift goodness. I felt the love. To the sister up in Seattle for just a little taste of some summer classics. To the Jameson family for a box of home-baked goods and Los Angeles Dodger magic. And of course, thanks Mom and Pops.
Bagram Air Base has officially kicked off its windy season in what is referred to around here as "The 120 Days of Wind". Whether heads down and squinty-eyed, or securely wrapped in a balaclava and bug goggles, everyone learns to make do with the resulting dust and sand flying about. I'd like to say that I'm wise enough to associate with the latter group, not only for my own comfort but also for the potential of keeping my eyes protected. I can't. Sporting my Wayfarers is, without a debt, better for morale. And I enjoy the compliments of, "Sweet shades man". I'm sure my eyes will forgive me later.
I bring up the sunglasses mainly because, although things aren't really bad out here at all, its nice to hold on to little pieces of normalcy from back home. For instance, such was the case a few weeks ago as myself and a few other co-workers were lamenting about missing being able to rock climb. Although the base is real good about offering different fitness activities, it can't cover everything, and we were all bummed about the fact that there wasn't a climbing wall available for use. At least, we thought so. As we wallowed in our self-pity, we were told by a fellow climbing enthusiast that there were rumors of such a wall existing on the other side of the flight line, leftover from some Strike Eagle squadron that had left several months earlier. With spirits raised and hopes high, we secured transportation and set off on the trek to the opposite side of base, in search of this rumored "wall". We eventually found ourselves in the parking lot of the old Eagle squadron, now being occupied by a squadron of A-10s. Armed with nothing but our charm and good looks (and one fighter pilot in case we needed someone to translate for us in "fighter speak"), we went in search of someone to grant us access to their compound and lead us to their "wall" if you will. I wish the story finished with us finding some way around the compound gate or through the use of some eloquent fighter lingo, or at least knowing some secret password. I think the exchange we had with the gentleman on the other side of the fence ended up something like this: "Hey man, we heard you have a climbing wall. Can we come check it out?" "Sure dude, here's the gate code, come hang out whenever". So, bravado-less but none the less victorious, we were able to check out what the previous guys had built up. It was a nice little wall, maybe about 15' high, with enough holds to keep someone happy. Unfortunately, the plywood backing was slowly rotting and several of the holds were coming loose and cracking the wood. It was a great thought, and nice to climb on once, but we decided that it wasn't worth the drive across base all the time. So there are hopes now of constructing a climbing/bouldering wall in our own compound, permission pending. We've got great plans drawn up. Fingers crossed.
One of the other small luxuries that I hold onto out here is my daily showers. For quite a while, I was taking my showers in a facility referred to as "The Cadillac". I don't know how it got the name because its present condition certainly doesn't warrant it. In the same facility that the shower is located is also the toilet facilities. So, while not awful but certainly not enjoyable, during the course of a shower, there is at least 2-3 dudes no more than 20 feet away, doing their daily business. I apologize for the crassness but I want to paint a realistic picture. As a result, showers end up being a fairly odoriferous experience. However, as of late, I've discovered a significantly better alternative to "The Cadillac". Enter, "The Spa". "The Spa" as we refer to it, is a slightly smaller facility, slightly longer walk, but significantly more pleasant shower experience. The Spa is a shower-only facility, raised several feet above the ground, never lacking in hot water or water pressure, always pleasantly smelling, and with a floor covered in raised wooden slats in order that one doesn't have to walk through puddles in the facility. Also important to note, The Spa is almost never occupied by more than one person, so there's a whole lot less of that "Excuse me bro"/awkward scoot around the dude changing next to you. Its the little things.
Finally, I brought up the subject of the wind earlier because it brings me to the reason of why I'm actually here in the 'Stan, which is, to be a pilot. And one of the best things about being a pilot and flying around in a crew aircraft is the good times and good laughs and good work one can have while out on a mission. This week, I had the privilege of not just once but twice being able to fly with a friend that I went through Field Training with in ROTC back in '06. We're still baffled as to how that one got signed off, as here we are, just a couple Lieutenants, in charge of a combat mission in the desert. To be straight, it was technically my buddy, Dan Hay, who was in charge of the mission, and I was just the pilot. None the less, it felt pretty sweet to be stepping to the plane in the early morning as the sun peaked, about to go do some quality work alongside an old friend. From years ago, being yelled at alongside each other, wondering if someday we'd ever make it to being an Air Force pilot, to now slippin' some surlies in Afghanistan. It was pretty sweet. With the winds whipping out of the west, pushing our skills up and our crosswind performance to the max, we executed like a well-oiled machine. I will say though that, when put side-by-side for comparison, Dan definitely greased his landing on a bit better than mine. I was impressed. And maybe a little humbled. Happy landings amigo.
The title of this blog just about says it all. I didn't think it'd happen this quickly but I've now come to realize what others before said was true. It's truly groundhog day here everyday. Not that that's a bad thing necessarily, it's just mainly the reason why I haven't blogged in a while. Everyday seems to meld with the day prior and its pretty easy to forget what day of the week it is. On the plus side though, it does make the time pass quicker.
And speaking of time, a highlight to the last few weeks was getting a chance to run into an old friend from way back. Travis Mitchell and I used to mix it up on the baseball field in our former years, usually providing more moral support for the team than actual substantial support by way of runs scored. Its important to note though that that moral support was enough to solicit enough sympathy votes from the rest of our team to get us both elected to the league's all-star team and the chance to play in the all-star game. As was our style, we lost that game in glorious fashion...we weren't invited to join the traveling all-star team. So fast forward 15 years and here we meet up again in the dining facility in Afghanistan, hoping to emerge more victorious from this venture than the last one. TBD.
Even though the days repeat and repeat and repeat, there's great things in all of them. Every morning I find myself blessed to watch the sun rise over the Hindu Kush from either 0 feet or 20,000 feet. Gives the Sierra Nevadas a run for their money to say the least. And thanks to a second mom (Debbie Henderson) who made me memorize Psalm 121, in addition to my own mom who reminds me of the same verses, I'm daily reminded, "I raise my eyes toward the mountains, where will my help come from?..."
Another highlight of the week that keeps the days at least a little distinct from the previous ones is Friday night dinners at the Army chow hall. Every Friday night is surf 'n turf night at the various dining facilities. Its a rough life, I realize. None the less, just because its surf 'n turf being served doesn't mean that its good surf 'n turf being served. The lobster tends to be sub-par and the beef so undercooked that the cow might still be grazing out at pasture, or so overcooked, I wonder if a piece of leather may be slightly more yielding to my palate. But for some reason, the Army chow hall puts a little more TLC into their work and come up with a much better selection of steak, lobster, and crab legs. Combine that with a near-beer and some ice cream and I can't find much to complain about. So a crew of us always roll over there about 45 minutes before the place opens up on Friday nights to ensure good seating and top choice of the night's delicacies. Makes Friday's just that much brighter.
Couple other highlights to the last few weeks. Some of you probably saw the news and saw that the President made a trip out here real quick. Didn't get to see him speak but did get a chance to watch his birds takeoff into the sunrise. That's a pretty lookin' airplane for sure. Also, I got a chance to rub elbows with Toby Keith this last week. He was out visiting and performing at several different bases around the 'Stan and he made a stop here. Someone from my squadron worked some magic and got him to stop by the squadron the next morning after his concert to meet everyone. I didn't get a chance to make it to his show, but I did snag a picture with the guy the next morning. I'll try to post it on my next blog. Don't have access to it right now.
And finally this week, to close things out I wanted to make sure y'all got an update on the mustache. Its still coming in quite nicely if I do say so myself. Even had the pleasure of combing it out the other night. I was real proud of that. And today, I got the biggest compliment of all. I was told that my mustache reminded several people of Clark Gable. So, maybe not quite Tom Selleck status, but I'll take what I can get. Hoping to take it to a whole new level here in the next month or two. Fingers crossed.
I've made it one of my goals while being deployed to make it a point to complain as little as possible, both in my bloggingand in my day to day business. That being said, I'd like to preface the following blog (and hopefully all others to follow) by saying that I attempt to write somewhat tongue-in-cheek if you will, because otherwise I'd be even more bored with my own writing than I already am. So what follows is not meant to be a complaint, but rather more of an observation of the way things are in these parts.
To begin, several people were requesting pictures of the living conditions here. Not finding the outside of a plywood box all that interesting to photograph, I skipped any outdoor pictures and elected instead to just to put up a few of the inside of my little hut. The space is small, about 8'x10' or so, but it holds everything I brought with me, plus a little extra floor space, so I'm pretty darn happy with it. And other than sleeping and maybe reading a book or surfing the net, I don't spend much time here since I share the building with 7 other dudes and it's quiet hours around the clock to accommodate our different schedules. So without further ado, I give you, "El Palacio Del Amor"
The Front Entrance
The decorations were left up by the last occupant, so just in case I'm here until this Christmas, no decorating required.
The South Wall
Reppin' strong for P-Town. Purple Pride.
The West Wall
Not much to say here.
The North Wall
Where I lay my head at night.
So there you have it. Not much to shout about but I'm pretty stoked up on it. Word is we'll be moving into a more permanent type living space pretty soon, but apparently they've been saying that for a long time, so we'll see what comes of that.
I know in my last post I wrote about the horrors of not actually having unlimited soft serve available which was a major morale blow. All in all though, the chow hall has provided a decent selection of food. However, there has been some major slip-ups in recent weeks. In particular my inability to speak the Pashtun or Dari has left me unable to communicate to the omelette/scramble man that he needs to learn how to turn up the heat on the grill. Since I'm a newbie still, I'm flying the early lines in the morning, which means that midnight meal is usually my breakfast. Due to the lack of breakfast options available at midnight meal, I usually elect to get the ham and cheese scramble from the alleged grill-master they've got working here. I've taken to the scramble since the omelette choice was usually left with the inside of the omelette still undercooked. But even with the scramble, there's still always some amount of undercooked egg left in the scramble. Its obvious that the grill isn't hot enough, made evident by the lack of "sizzle" whenever the man lays down more egg batter. So if anyone learns how to say "Please turn your grill up hotter because the eggs are undercooked" in Pashtun or Dari, please let me know. I'd be most grateful. But more than just the egg situation, they attempt to be just downright sneaky in the service of some of their food. Case in point, last week, due to the lack of ice cream, I was in search of some other dessert treat to satisfy my sweet tooth. Lo and behold, what did I see but a nice young server with a platter of what looked to be cupcakes with a bit of whipped frosting on top. Full of joy and happiness at the sight, I snagged one as a finisher to my meal. Now I may be young-ish still, but I've been around the block a few times and I know when someone's trying to pull a fast one with my baked goods. You can imagine my horror as I bit into said cupcake to find that the cake portion of this cupcake was not just your standard cake. Call me crazy, but they can't look me in the eye and tell me that they didn't unwrap the individually plastic wrapped Otis Spunkmeyer muffins from breakfast, smear it with a bit of frosting and pass it off as a cupcake! I was shocked. I know what a chocolate Otis Spunkmeyer muffin looks and tastes like and here they were, trying to pass it off as a cupcake. Sigh......war is hard.
On a much brighter note, a highlight to my week was connecting with an old buddy/roommate from college out on the flightline. Ol' Ryan Dewey (or Ry-Ry as I prefer) has been in and out of my base multiple times in his 130 and we had been trying to figure out a way to match up. I felt like a clown, walking up to other airplanes out on the ramp that looked like his model, asking the crew if there was a Ryan Dewey flying their plane. Just as I was about to give up and head back to my hut the other day, there I saw that sweet sweet C-130 coming in on final in all its glory. With hopes raised again, I waited on the taxiway for it to roll on by. Sure enough, as it taxied on by, there was my boy Ry-Ry, waving at me from the left seat. They continued to taxi to their parking spot where, once they were shut down, a reunion nothing short of magical commenced. All the way from the Villa Maria 2C days, to the epicness that was the Haggerty 214 team, to hanging down in the dirty Del Rio, and now in the glory of Afghanistan. Epic.
Well that about does it once again. Time to hit the gym before hitting the hay. Until next time...
I arrived safely into country several days ago and have been getting situated and in-processed since then. Unfortunately had to part ways in Kyrgyzstan with my flying partner from training, but still rolling with another great crew of dudes. I was completely heartbroken to find that life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows over here, as my hopes that there would be unlimited free soft serve were quickly shattered. Fortunately, my time in Kyrgyzstan did give me one crack at their free soft serve, so I took advantage of my time there. As evidenced by the picture, it wasn't the highest quality soft serve, so its probably better that there's none here now.
However, as a small reprieve, I was pleased to discover that several days a week in the dining facility (DFAC), there are individually scooped frozen dairy delights, so all is not completely lost. I've heard its more than my compadres in the south have available, so I count my blessings. And while I'm on the topic, its worth noting that the food served thus far has been top notch under the circumstances. Quality fresh fruits and vegetables, a wide selection of entrees, and some coffee labeled "strong coffee" that gives motor oil a run for its money. Its quite the stuff.
Currently, the mustache is still exploring, trying to get a good solid foundation built for itself. Its really got some great potential, it just needs to get its legs underneath it to get some good, full development. I'm convinced that my ability to grow facial hair, although rivaling that of an adolescent, is but a minor speed bump on what will otherwise be a smooth road to seeing this mustache through to full bodied growth. Its kind of more in a "Diego Mustache" phase at the moment. But just like a caterpillar patiently transforms, so will my hard work. So fly away sweet butterfly, fly away...
And finally, speaking of good music, big shout out to Than Neese and Steven Duck for the top notch album recommendations. If you haven't heard it before, give the album "Every Kingdom" by Ben Howard a listen. A tip of the hat to Than Neese for that little gem. Also bringing it strong was Steezen Duck's less well known but none the less impressive recommendation of the album "Simple Man" by San Diego based The Calico Kids, a group of some Point Loma grads. With sounds reminiscent of The Clientele and Mumford and Sons, it was a welcome surprise. Music recommendations are still accepted and appreciated.
I don't really need anything, but if you didn't catch my address the first time around and wanted it, here it is again:
A buddy and I just got back from doing some serious work tonight at a seafood restaurant in Baltimore, and I had a few minutes, so I wanted to get this thing kicked off. (By the way, check out http://gandmrestaurant.com/, recommend the seafood platter cause its just not a Baltimore trip without getting some crabs in your life.) Since a fair amount of people requested a way to stay updated on my deployed life, I decided to start up a blog to keep y'all in the know. Expect an inordinate amount of updates on my mustache (pronounce moo-sta-shey), food (especially the free soft serve), and other equally important subjects. Also, I'll have an address coming soon, so if you really want to feel patriotic, care packages are much loved and appreciated. And I've been told that I'll have access to most modern day luxuries, so if you're a skyper, e-mailer, or facebooker, I can probably be reached on all 3. My skype name is Dodgerfan5000 so get signed up/in and we'll stay in touch. I'm also taking good music recommendations for this trip. I'm currently on a Country kick on Spotify, so new material is appreciated. With that being said, I gotta catch some sleep cause the traveling for the next couple days won't be conducive to it. Time to tie a bow on it and put it to bed.
