Delectible Delights and Frozen Nose

Delectible Delights and Frozen Nose

After the Bagram adventure, It was not even a week before we started having issues with the generator at out tent. One night I got several care packages and some of my possessions in the mail to include a new microwave and my xbox. I plugged in the microwave and began to use it but it put too much strain on the transformer and blew a fuse in the transformer. This was the first issue we had with power. From this point we found a replacement transformer that was larger and more powerful. We hooked the microwave into in and the xbox and it worked like a charm. Being over here we have to deal with a lot of 220 power settings because local technology runs off of it. Constantly using adapters and transformers. So that all worked fine. The next night, at some random point in the night, the power started flickering and fading. This went on for a while as we were unplugging different plugs to maintain stable power before the generator finally just died. We went out to inspect the generator to see if we could repair it but there was no obvious damage. With the loss of the generator power also went the loss of all heat in our tent in 20 and 30 degree farenheight weather. We waited a while and hark!, the generator started again. This time we were careful not too plug in too many things. We didn’t have enough power to run the heat pump so we all bundled up in sleeping bags and warm clothes. This went on for the next week as we continually found that the generator was filthy and had not been taken care of at all. The oil was changed and the filters were dumped but this only barely prolonged the life of the generator. Finally after a week of this, the generator finally reached the end of its life when someone went to check the fuel line and it broke off. This further reinforced our supervision’s notion to move us out of the tent into more temporary lodging while we wait on the new buildings to be ready. We were given a 3 day deadline and everyone else moved out stat but I was resistant to move so I stayed in the cold dark tent one more night by myself but I loved it. This was the first time in 6 months of training and deployment I had true privacy. No one was moving around or snoring or waking up and talking and slamming the door. I slept great and it was the first time I dreamed in months. I was plenty warm being in 2 sleeping bags with warm clothes and a beanie on my head. Thank goodness to all that camping experience. Everyone else slept in the other temporary lodging with lots more people in open bays of about 30 or more people with snorers and the whole 9 yards. I was perfectly fine in this solitary abode.

Also during this time, our rations were quickly running out at the chow hall. As it is, we usually have to eat corn dogs, hot dogs, hot wings, with the occasional chicken cordon blue or an excuse for Chinese food. Vegetables? Green stuff? Fruits? What is all that? Every day its fried food or something microwaved. Whatever is easiest for the cooks to prepare. This week our new shipment of food was a week late and our food choices were getting worse and worse. We ran out of regular milk and many other things. You don’t realize how much you miss regular milk until you eat cereal with chocolate milk and strawberry milk for breakfast every morning. We have finally gotten our shipment of new food in but the food choices haven’t changed much. One night we had steaks but that’s about the best. It’s impossible to eat healthy here and I firmly believe it is the goal of the military to give us all high cholesterol and heart attacks. One almost has to live off either the French chow hall or care packages or the pizza place. Those are the only food options.

So that’s an update on the last few weeks here at the wonderful FOB. As for my job, its going really well. I’ve taken on a new position of managing linguists on top of my other responsibilities and it takes up quite a bit of my time. It’s satisfying though. Taking a week off the gym this week as I’ve had hardly a day off from it since I arrived in country. We go to work every single day and get not one day off until R and R. One gets used to it. Watched the new movie Inception the other night and loved it. Great movie if you haven’t seen it. Got my first real coin today from the Command SGT Major(Army E-9) of our parent unit. Never been in an official coin ceremony with such a large coin so I screwed up the proper procedures for receiving the coin. If you don’t know what I mean by coin, no its not like a quarter or a nickel, it’s a large coin with a unit logo and design in color imprinted on it and its an honor to receive one. It’s a military tradition and most people collect them and end up displaying them on their desk or bookshelf. I have moved around so much that I’ve never been anywhere long enough to do anything outstanding so that I might receive one before. The proper procedure is for the individual giving the coin to hold it in his hand and present it in the form of the handshake while the person receiving the coin shakes the hand containing the coin and takes it when the handshake is broken. The coin was heavy and I actually ended up dropping it as I was receving it to a certain amount of embarrassment. Soon to go get a haircut from the French Boutique and enjoy the rest of the day at the lovely as always FOB Morales-Frazier.