Summertime And The Living's Easy

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.