STILL WORKING AND WAITING TO PUFO TO HERAT

Today is January 15. Man, has this been a screwed up week. We were going to Herat, then we weren't. Then we were, then we weren't. Now we are...maybe. We have a place to live, which is at our office compound. They turned some of the offices in Herat into bedrooms, like they did, here, in Kabul (which I'll get to since it affected me). We are apparently waiting for the furniture to arrive--beds, dressers, whatever. If we go, I'll believe it when I'm there. Everett, one of the other law enforcement guys, is up there now with one of the interpreters, Mobeen. I don't think they're actually doing anything because Mike told me yesterday the equipment is still not on its way to Zaranj. I guess Everett is so pissed, and totally not wanting to be in Kabul, at all, for any reason, that he is going home on the 29th. Mike has also put in his "retirement" papers and will leave when his contract expires in April. I will be sorry to see him go. But he has a new house and bought a restaurant-pub in Northern Wisconsin. And he's been here for some time, as well as Kosovo before that. Kathy, whom I haven't met, yet, is due back Sunday.

But here's the best news. My friend, Tony, who got me into all this, has been cleared by UN New York, to return and will, hopefully, be leaving the States on Monday (found out today that he is leaving on Saturday the 23rd). They screwed around for 166 days about a medical issue and finally cleared him. Daud, Rashid and Asef, as well as myself, are very happy that he is coming back. When I mention his name to any of the Afghan staff, especially the guys who drive the armored rigs, they all say the same thing, "He is a very good man." I will be so glad to see him. I know that once he gets back, some shit will happen and happen quickly. Everyone says, "He is the guy who gets shit done." I know that if we can just get to the field we will accomplish some good things.

Made my weekly trip to Camp Eggers today. Picked up a great pair of binoculars at the bazaar that are so lightweight, they barely weigh anything. They also have infra-red blocking lenses. Also, found a great scarf for my friend, Greg, and bought another one--black and white (I look like Yasser Arafat)--for myself. Gotta look stylish every day and not wear the same one. I went to the PX to get my new Toshiba laptop, but because I didn't get there by Tuesday, as I had hoped, they sold the one they were holding for me. All because my pay didn't get into my account on time. Hopefully, it will come in this week and before I go to Herat, assuming we actually PUFO Kabul. By the way, you may have noticed that the archived posts from 2009 have been removed from the site. It was taking up too much room, so people will just have to be satisfied with 2010. Loaded up on chow in case we do go to Herat. We cannot eat at local restaurants and Mike says we only eat at the ISAF mess hall a couple of times a week because we don't want to wear out our welcome. I also picked up a nice refillable butane lighter and very cool leather and pewter ashtray at the bazaar. Weirdly enough, they have a dragon inscribed on them that looks very similar to the one on my right arm that will be my Afghanistan tat once I return and have my dates in-country put on.

On Wednesday, the 13th, I was informed that I had to move out of the UNICA1 compound and move into one of the new "hotel" rooms, here, at the work compound. I am, apparently, being considered "Herat Overload," which basically means that I'm not supposed to be here. Well, get me the hell out of here, already. There is such a room shortage in Kabul (and everywhere, apparently), that the hotel rooms are to be used by long-term contractors. So, I had to pack up all my crap and PUFO from UNICA. I was amazed at the fact that, when I came here, I had a suitcase and a duffel bag. By the time I got to my new room, I had them, as well as a plastic footlocker, a box full of food, my backpack was completely loaded and there were two large plastic shopping bags of crap. I'm not crazy about working and living in the same place, because then I tend to work even more than normal since the office is just down four flights of stairs and across the courtyard. We don't have any TV, yet, and the women down the hall have the only refrigerator. If I knew I was going to be here any length of time, I'd buy a fridge. Fortunately, my window sills are marble and the windows leak pretty good, so things stay cold enough. Especially my Red Leicester cheese.

I can watch streaming video on my laptop and have found a great web site with live BBC news. I tried CNN, but their stream download totally sucks. Plus, I have plenty of movies. If you haven't seen the Nicolas Cage movie, "Knowing," you should do so. Very creepy and with a bad/good ending. Also, I am in the middle of "Crank-High Voltage," with Jason Statham. Very, very strange and filmed at extremely high speed in many scenes with very excellent cinematography. If you don't like extreme violence (although hysterical in most places because it is so insanely ridiculous), don't see it. I picked up "Angels and Demons," today, at the PX and will start that when I'm done with the other one.

I have started working on two new training modules. I am teaching myself about "Security Operations," which includes, roadblocks, checkpoints and cordon and search operations. By the time I'm done, here, I'll be an infantryman. I also started putting together my module on IEDs and Ordnance Identification. In both cases, I have found some spectacularly excellent materials on the web. My friend, Gary Huber, just sent me a great video of some Taliban guys blowing themselves up while trying to plant a booby-trapped 155 artillery projectile in a road. They were being watched from the air by a chopper crew, or close air, when the thing went off. You can hear the pilots going, "Holy, crap, dude, did you see that?" I will use this as a training film for the border police since it perfectly illustrates why they should not try to disarm these things, themselves, and to call for an EOD team or Engineer mine-clearing team.

When I was leaving the UNICA compound, I said my goodbyes to the guys I had met with the UN close protection teams. Andy, a South African, who I think is kind of the boss, asked me if I would give them a class on IEDs and Ordnance ID issues, so I said, of course, and told them to arrange this with the head of our security. I hope this transpires because it is always good when UNODC connects with other UN units in a professional, positive way. Plus, I was flattered they asked me. One guy is from Thailand and he is the biggest Thai I have ever met. I cannot remember his name, but he always addressed me as, "Sir." I had to explain to him that I had been a sergeant and he didn't have to call me sir. Then he said, "It is a sign of respect because you are older and you are here." I think it was a compliment. I thought that was pretty cool, but now he does call me "Sergeant."

And now, the weekly report on Andy Panda, the kitty. He comes every day now, at least twice and sometimes three times. He has become, I am afraid, a "Beef Jerky Junky," or a "BJJ," as we counter-jerky people say. If I go outside to smoke, he always comes over and rubs against me and purrs and makes a lot of noise. If I knew I was going to be here awhile, I would take him to the vet for shots and "fixing." He also has a little mange, so he needs some medicine. If I leave, I will worry about him because no one else here really gives a shit about one more feral cat. Plus, he'll probably go into jerky withdrawal. My Afghan colleagues think I'm a little nuts for taking care of him. Daud asked me why I was doing this and I asked him, "Did you know that the ancient Egyptians always buried cats with their Pharaohs?" He asked me why and I said, "Because they believed that cats were the eyes to the soul." Andy has these extreme green eyes and they are piercing. I wonder...

I ended up signing up for Facebook because couple of friends asked me to be their "friends." Then I ended up doing my own Facebook page. Well, it turns out to be pretty cool because, out of the blue, an old friend from law school and further on, saw me on a mutual law school bud's page. It was very cool reconnecting and I hope maybe I'll hear from other folks from the distant past. Katherine and I have yakked back and forth today, exchanged stories about our kids (although she has me outnumbered five-to-one). She really helped me out (along with her then husband, Reggie) when I quit practicing law and ended up in Northern Michigan. Saved my life, in some ways. Unfortunately, Reg passed away soon after they attended my wedding with Mona and we had moved to Oregon. Anyway, if you're reading this, Katherine, thanks for the Facebook jingle.

There's really not much else to say this week. So I'll end by adding a few new pictures of the kitty.