I can die happy!

Steve Guttenberg responded to one of my tweets!  I sent him a tweet saying I was reading his book in Afghanistan and that he should stop here on his book tour.  Yup, Steve Guttenberg from Police Academy and Three Men and a Baby fame responded to my tweet. This combined with getting all my stuff, seriously, BEST.DAY.EVER!!!

FOOT LOCKERS ARE HERE!!!!!

I had been told that sending things from germany through military mail to Afghanistan could take more then a month to get.  This morning when I was lying in bed, thinking about putting on the same pants  and shoes that I've been wearing for two week, I was telling myself only 3 more weeks of these pants and shoes and I'll have my stuff.  This morning our admin assistant came into my office and told me that my foot lockers were here.  My eyes bugged out of my head and I did a little dance.  I ran back to my room to put them inside and I quickly changed my pants and shoes.  ahhhhh clean pants and shoes and all my stuff here with my in Afghanistan.  I'm pretty sure this is better then Christmas!

poo ponds

I had heard about "poo ponds" before I arrived in Afghanistan but hearing about them and experiencing them are two very different things.  I worked at The Oakland Zoo for a really long time.  The smell of animal feces usually doesn't bother me, in fact, it usually gives me a comforting feeling, the Afghanistan poo ponds do not.  Luckily, our poo pond is located out of the way.  Some bases they are front and center on the base, letting that smell infiltrate everything.  My roommate and I got up the other morning at 6am and went for a walk and our path took us right past the poo pond.  If I ever start running I will take the same path, nothing motivates you to run up a hill at lightening speed like trying to get away from that smell.  Today, when I left the office to run to the bathroom the wind must have been coming in from a different direction because the poo pond smell was everywhere.  I hope the wind changes before its time to line up for dinner!

I found this article describing poo ponds in the NY times.  http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/the-poo-pond/

embarrassing secret

I never realized how consumed I am with the color of my urine.  I drank a lot of water at home and it was always clear but now that I'm here I have to make an effort to keep it clear.  I wake up and wonder what color its going to be and if I have to drink more water then I did the day before to get it back to being clear.  We have to drink bottled water here and there are stacks of bottled water everywhere, usually out in the sun.  I shutter to think how much BPA I am ingesting before throwing the bottle in the trash since there's no recycling.  

apo address

I have my APO address.  Please send me goodies or letters.  Any connection to life outside the wire would be nice.  My address is:

Army Education Center
Kerry Kurtz
FOB Sharana
APO, AE 09311

I posted the APO rules below.  

I have arrived

I have been at FOB Sharana for 3 days now.  So far its good.  My co-workers all seem nice.  The 12 hour days aren't bad.  The DFAC (dining facility)  isn't terrible.  This is my opinion after 36 hours.  Ask me again in a few weeks and I might be singing a different song.  I'm not posting any pictures yet since I'm not sure what's allowed but as soon as I know I'll put some up.  I sent my clothes out the friday before I left and packed a bag for the three days I'd be traveling.  I forgot to factor in that my stuff was being shipped by military mail.  I'm pretty sure I'll be living in the one pair of jeans I have until my stuff gets here in 3-4 weeks.  My co-workers have all lent me clothes so hopefully it won't be too bad.  It will be a happy day when those boxes get here.  

sorry

i've been without internet for a while at the hotel in Germany.  Sunday I left Germany.  I had a flight from Frankfurt to Istanbul, Istanbul to bishkek, bishkek to bagram and I am now sitting in the bagram airport waiting to leave.  As God as my witness I will never complain about Southwest airlines ever again.  10 minutes before my flight I got bumped from it to make room for soldiers coming back from R & R.  Don't they understand that a test examiner is just as important to the war effort?!  So its been about 32 hours since I started traveling,  I'm exhausted, I smell and I'm a tad bit grumpy.  The army also has a lovely little rule about no bags, purses, luggage allowed in the food places.  So I have been lugging my backpack, my purse that includes all of my electronics, and a 30 pound vest with a helmet around with me.  They don't have lockers just open shelves you can leave your stuff but apparently your bags are safe but your vest isn't.  I can't think these crazy bullet proof army vests are cheap so i'm just hanging out with all my crap until I can get on a flight!  fingers crossed I get on the next one!