Ways to pass time in Kandahar

Do laudry... (5 - 10 hrs)
You might wonder how you can kill a whole day doing laundry, well, if you are American and have ever had to do your laundry here at KAF then you will know. I am not talking about trying to wash everything you own and wash everything else you find lying around the base. I am talking about one simple load. The first gate you have to pass is finding a washing machine that works and that is not currently in use. Once you have procured a washing machine the next step is to open the single packet of laundry detergent they sell in the PX. I do not know which NASA scientist developed the glue that holds that little bastard to gether but it wasn't the same genius who came up with the compound that holds the heat shields on the shuttle, because you cannot break the seal on the laundry detergent. Of course, it could just be Infantry proof. Next comes the most difficult task... selecting the wash cycle. Is everything that damn hard to understand in Europe? I spent 30 minutes just observing little ninja like europeans and asians flip, dial, push and start their washing machine's just fine. Finally, someone must have seen the confused look on my face and offered some assistance. Maybe they saw the U.S. Army on my uniform and figured out quite correctly that I am used to 4th grade instructions and that I was over my head trying to decipher the Rosetta Stone of symbols present on my washer.

Yet the battle continues because once you get the damn thing started you must wait for it... wait for it... wait for it... Who designed these things? Father Time? Apparently the same helpful person that helped with giving me a knife to open the detergent and helped me start the washer must have also had a sense of humor and had me put the washer on the longest setting. One click past the end of time is the setting I apparently selected.

I have been washing those clothes for close to two hours. I thought I was close to the end about a half hour ago but those washers have a better defense system than Fort Knox. Just when you think it might be done and you make your move to try to open the washer, it starts spinning again. Is there some control room at The Hague that montiors these machines? Do they purposely screw with us Americans?

I can't imagine how much fun drying will be.

Home is Afghanistan

I am on the last few days of my leave and I am getting ready to come home. If home is where the heart is, Afghanistan is my home. I have had a wonderful R&R, I have seen everyone I wanted to see and done everything I wanted to do. The places and people I have visited have not changed much, and that in it's own way is comforting and good. But my heart, my spirit, is in Afghanistan. One question I was asked over and over again was if this would be my last deployment. I usually said it was fifty/fifty. Truthfully, I will keep deploying as long as my body holds up. (My mind went a long time ago) I have always been seeking something that I have never been able to describe. Maybe someday I will be at peace with myself, but until then you will know where to find me. In a few days I will be there, I will be home.