DAY 64: 30 MAR 08

Well the weekend flew by as I watched a movie Friday night did homework all day Saturday and then worked today. I called home on Saturday as well and talked to everyone and also got a hold my Dad today. To my surprise he has been reading my blog the whole time. He also says he went and saw Robin yesterday which is good. I think a break on my Mom and Grandma and a more balanced relationship with my Dad will help everyone involved. Robin would probably end up listening to my Dad just to show us all plus he can now see Emma without having to blame my mother. Robin is a grown woman who can take her daughter to see or be seen by her grandfather. Anyway I am doing good. Tuesday is April first and boy does it feel good to say that. I am announcing a promotion ceremony for the Air Force here on base. Also we did some videos for the Pittsburgh Pirates pregame show that we are sending back to the states tomorrow. So if you go to a Pirates game you may see me along with some other Pittsburghers on the jumbo tron before the game. Well anyway I have been playing too much play station 2 Madden football and am now tired. I am going to bed. Thanks everyone for reading and Cher I got your package. Thank you. I will post more this week. O yeah I want to apologize for using the b term concerning Hillary. My grandmother is very upset. So I take it back but am still endorsing Obama… Sorry Dad but I am sick of the republicans…..

DAY 61: 27 MAR 08

Well it’s been another few days since I posted so here I am again. I have to say that I have been feeling sick the last few days. While we all appreciate all of the goodies being sent imagine all 20 people you work with receiving goodies on an almost daily basis. It all just sits there and as you work you eat. I eat relatively healthy at home and also have a nice steady diet of hops on the weekend. Now I am not getting any hops and eating more candy. Anyway I have decided to cut back and only drink water as well. We have a large variety of pop available at the dining facility. I love pop as my Dad always bought when I was growing up. But as I get older I try to drink more water and Gatorade. Anyway the power went out on base yesterday so I came home early and took a nap. I decided the nap was so good I did it again today. I got a couple of boxes today, one from Mom and one from Michelle. That’s always nice. Michelle and I keep reusing the same box to send stuff to each other, it’s kind of funny seeing this same box. As always I appreciate the comments. And YES I have officially endorsed Barack Obama. In fact I got and sent back my absentee ballot just the other day. My vote is in the mail. I see Hillary is campaigning big time in PA. She is such a bitch and phony in my view. While none of them are perfect I see Barack as the most progressive and best fit for the current needs of our country. The current administration, whom I voted for twice, is really not even caring what WE THE PEOPLE THINK. Ok enough on that but I hope Barack wins the democratic primary. I registered democrat a few years ago just so I could vote in this primary so….. Well I guess that’s it for now. Will someone please tell my Dad about this blog. I know if he can reach ebay he can get here. It would be funny to see a comment from him and then my Mom next to each other. I am not sure given their track record that there is even enough room for both of them on a blog comment board!!! You guys need to start talking and getting along. I guess that whole love thing for each other deep down inside has something to do with it!!! Wait did I just say all of that publically? Yes I did because it is the truth and I do not believe in repressing love no matter how much hate or torment the other person has put you through. I am a product of that love and will always believe in it! Anyway I love you all and cannot wait to invite EVERYONE to my wedding. That will be an interesting yet very fun day! Bye for now.

Day 59: 25 MAR 08

Well its really early here but I am watching the Penguins and waiting to talk to Michelle. I wanted to let everyone know I had a fine Easter and hope the same for all of you. I am now good on phone cards and gushers. Thank you all very much. Also I did not end up winning that best new broadcaster award but the guy who won thought I was going to win as we communicated in an email. Also let me make this clear. I am not in the Army! I am in the Air Force and do work with the Army but am not in it and let me tell you there is a huge difference. I am here until mid to late July of this year on a 6 month tour. Now for the pictures. The first one is of me on my most recent trip. it was taken by a photo journalist out of Washington State who I was with for a week. It was a great experience. The snow picture is form when I first got here but I wanted to show all of the snow. The others are from a few weeks ago. I was at a local village. Well I guess thats it. I will post tomorrow night if I get a chance. Enjoy.

Day 56: 22 MAR 08

Well I am back from what was arguably the most risky thing I have done in my life. Marriage, commitment to God, choice of school, occupation, and military service can all be reneged upon for better or worse. But for the convoy I went on that was not an option. We left FOB Sharana and headed for FOB Kushmond which is close to the Afghanistan/ Pakistan border. That place is a real crap hole. I feel bad for the soldiers and Polish troops who are stationed there. I rode in a MRAP (Wikipedia it) which is about the newest and safest vehicle available. On the way down we had good intel that IEDs were on our route. Sure enough the crew ahead of us hit a small one. In that I mean it was designed to injure or kill a person walking. It did not have enough power to hurt the vehicle. Anyway that was in the convoy ahead of ours. Then we got there spent the night and stopped at a few places on the way back. I will upload pictures tomorrow. Overall this has been the longest and most remote trip so far. I am really getting out and seeing Afghanistan. I have been working and traveling with combat engineers. Basically guys that can both shoot and build in the middle of Afghanistan. They do have to do both to be honest. These guys and gals are out here for 15 months! They leave in May and the next crew comes in right before that. I am sorry but that’s just too long to be in a combat zone! 1 year at the most in my opinion. I have to say that this deployment is truly changing me. As long as I get home safe, which I have faith that I will, it’s a great experience. It just opens your mind and eyes to so many things. I think if our idiot politicians and average American could see this stuff it would change the way they think. I mean if I ever get into politics I know this trip will shape the way I view the world and the privilege it is to be an American. Unfortunately most of our politicians did not serve, so Vietnam and Desert Storm are nowhere on their radar (John McCain is the exception as he spent 5 or 6 years in the Hanoi Hilton so he gets my applause but still will not get my vote). Anyway tomorrow is Easter and yet again I will not be home. I have to say though I am use to it. For me holidays are important based on their cause, and in tomorrow’s case Jesus died! We all know that but I promise you that your holidays are more shaped by the people you spend them with and the traditions you carry out in front of them. Christmas, St. Patty’s Day, Easter, Super bowl, etc. are all for a good reason and some better than others but in the end if you are not with the people you care about then it’s really not a holiday. I will probably go to some service tomorrow and pray and thank God but without my family it is not the same. I am fine with it though as the majority of my good memories concerning holidays are from circa 1990 – 1994!(our years too but those were the best = all of the family were alive and getting long) Thanks for all of the comments and just know I am fine. I should be back to Bagram this Monday. The 2 month mark is coming up this week so time is definitely going by fast. I love all of you and really miss the states. I know I will be ready to leave Europe but still have a few places to see there. Ok well look for pictures tomorrow and a little post. Rob

Day 52: 18 MAR 08

Ok well its been almost a week since I have posted but with good reason. This past weekend on Saturday we had a cook out and volleyball day. It was a ton of fun and really a good break. The sun here can take its toll though as I played about three hours and was beat. I am sure I will return with a good tan this summer. On Sunday I woke up and headed to the terminal to catch a plane for my next trip. I am about 50 miles south of Kabul at a pretty big forward operating base. Yesterday I hooked up with the Air Force firefighters and also the Air Force engineers here. I hung out with them and shot some video. Today we will go with the Army Public Affairs Captain who has a bunch of stories lined up for us. When I say we I mean the civilian reporter and myself. He is from a newspaper in Washington state and also a professor at his local community college. Pretty neat guy. It looks as if I will be going off base here in the next couple days which will be interesting. As far as some of my other comments on here let me go into further detail. All I mean by I wonder what it would be like is if I were bron here. Not for me to actually live like these people. Being here makes me wonder about what determines where we are born and how we live. That’s all I meant. Thanks again for all of the goodies and phone cards. The only thing I need now is canned air as my new computer is getting very dusty and this does not make me happy. Ok well I got to head out. I will post the next chance I get. Rob

Day 46: 12 MAR 08

Well time is flying by and I am doing ok. Yesterday I finally had it out with this guy I work with. He has been bullying people and just being a jerk and we went at it verbally. Then both of our supervisors came and in we talked it out. I do not think he is very happy as I basically admitted he was right about a few things but he basically was told that he has been out of line on many other issues. He is the same rank as me but about to get promoted. Either way it ended well and I am moving forward knowing I can work professionally without having to put up with his petty BS. I am not sure where he stands but I hope it ends well. Anyway today I went off base for a medical aid visit. The village is about 45 minutes from here and very poor. We treated 200 men, 180 women, and 102 animals. Chickens, cows, donkeys, and dogs wander aimlessly throughout the town. I did not get any pictures of them but you can see the town. The other picture is of me chilling out after I got done. I got sunburned slightly on my face and hands today as that was the only skin exposed. On another note I have to say that it is getting hot and smelling like shit. The reason I cuss and am blunt is because on numerous accounts I have been told that 80% of the dust in the air is fecal matter. I have mentioned before that they pee and pooped wherever they like and that is the end result. Shitty dust! As soon as I got back to base today I went and took a shower to clean myself and blow out my nose. It’s getting nasty as the temperature rises. Anyway I saw men treated as the women were hidden in a separate area. These people have nothing in this world. It is unreal. It’s basically like I have gone back in time. I kind of like it in a way but in another way it’s weird. I start having convoluted thoughts of multiple wives and the lifestyle they live!!! Then I realize I am thirsty and grab a bottle of water and realize I am a Christian American and this lifestyle is unaccepted and ultimately unneeded. The example of a bottle of water exemplifies the fact that bottled water is like gold to them which shows how far behind they are. While water is vital to everyone, in 2008 you should be able to gain the system and education to secure and clean itself for yourself. I am sorry but maybe if they were not so worried about keeping their multiple wives’ mouths shut and bellies pregnant they could get some freaking water processes setup. Ok enough on that subject. Anyway the kids hound you all day for food, candy, pens, and water. Water is the only word they can say. It actually gets annoying but I did give them some stuff. The men look super old. Because they grow beards and live in a sunny and dusty environment their skin ages extremely quick. I must say though they all have nice thick hair. It was a good day and I also got my midterm done which is why I have not been posting as I have been working on that. I will try to call everyone this weekend as I am probably heading out on an extended trip next week. That’s it for today and please enjoy the pictures.

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Day 43: 9 MAR 08

Well this weekend was ok. I used my day off yesterday to call home and get most of my mid term exam done. I need to finish the essay part tonight. I guess all you guys switched for day light savings time so now I am only 8.5 hours ahead of you as we do not switch here. There was another fallen comrade ceremony this weekend. They really hit me hard as for all intents and purposes that’s me in the casket. O well you just got to be strong and know that you will be fine. The weather is starting to get kind of hot. I say that because the walk to chow and back causes a little sweat and that’s the first time for that so…. This deployment is quickly becoming the biggest challenge of my life. Between Michelle working and me being here working our finances are awesome. But its like I traded the worry of bills for the mental strain and challenge of being here. I guess the old saying that ‘it is always something’ is true. I am not sure when the trip to Kabul will be so we are both in the same boat. I appreciate all of the packages and cards. We got so much junk food here it is nuts. I usually do not eat that crap either. I guess that’s about it. A pretty boring/ usual weekend from me. Now I get to watch the Penguins as they are paying a noon time game!!!!

DAY 40: 6 MAR 08

Well I know its been a few days since I posted but I have been busy. I decided to write today since I got 4 hours in the radio studio DJing the afternoon show. My masters class only has one month left and right now we have a mid term exam due. On top of this I went and met some NFL players last night along with my favorite Sports Illustrated columnist Peter King. I got my picture with him and hope to talk to him on Saturday when they come to do the radio show. I hope to get some insight into getting a job doing this stuff in the civilian sector. Anyway after that I went and had Polish language night. Those people are so great. I really want to visit Warsaw before I leave Europe. I am helping them out with a few other things as our relationship furthers. I really enjoy those nights as we laugh, learn and really love each other as humans. Anyway work has been pretty good with the Air Force media awards results out tomorrow. I think I have a few pieces up for awards but more importantly I am personally up for the Best new broadcaster award. Its for those who have been working for 2 years or less at their first duty station. We shall see what happens. I am scheduled to go back down to Kabul for a 8 day trip coming up this month. Can’t give details but you’ll know once I am gone. I have not been playing very much basketball as they changed the hours and now on Sundays its packed like a mad house. Anyway I have been lifting at least 2 days a week if not more. I actually opened the Bible the other night as well. I am going to try to read the new testament while I am here. I have read bits and parts but never in its entirety. My spirits have been very good lately. I will say though doing my first fallen comrade ceremony was eye opening. Basically we stand on the main road on base as the flag draped casket(s) rolls by. We salute while at attention and then it moves towards the flight line to go home like the rest of us eventually, only hopefully not in a casket. I know for many reading this is it is very scary but for me its reality. I mean it’s sad but that’s war. If it happens to me then o well. I will have died defending my country doing something I love; highlighting the average service member in the stories I produce. Think of it this way. You could die in a car accident today on your way to work. I walk to work! Just joking but for real death is a daily possibility no matter who you are or where you live. Odds are obviously higher here but that’s just the way it is. Well I guess that’s it for today. I think I may not take another masters class as I want to enjoy my time here and do some things without feeling the nightly pressure of homework. Enjoy the pictures. O and my Mom requested some information about the pictures of me drinking. Its tea. Its honorary to have it with the dignitaries here. So that’s what we were doing. I love tea too. Mom you know how much I hate coffee. My older supervisors drink it like water. I hate coffee; it should be banned! That’s enough for today.

DAY 36: 2 MAR 08

Well today was probably the best day I have had on base so far. I did the radio show for 4 hours today and then had a little shoot. The weather was perfect: 63 degrees with a little wind and tons of birds chirping. It wasn’t very dusty either. According to my calculations I have done 20% of my deployment. I know it’s not a lot but hey I am getting there. I talked to a good bit of people this weekend and it felt good. It looks as if I will be on base most of March. I got a little 2 day trip coming up but that’s about it. I am also going to be anchoring sometime this month maybe. For those who have the Pentagon Channel you will be able to see me in the states. I will be sure to update that scenario. Anyway that’s about it. I will try to post more pictures tomorrow night. Rob

Day 35: 1 March 08

Well I have not posted in a few days. I have to admit I have been a little depressed lately. It’s just like Groundhog Day here. Going off base definitely brings a change in pace but it’s like I am exchanging mundane with anxiety. O well time is going fast as it is March already. I cannot complain about that. My relationship with the Poles is getting better. They lost two soldiers earlier this week so I did the language exchange with them on Thursday instead of Wednesday. I also had lunch with them today. Lets just say all those flea markets I went too with my dad have taught me a very valuable less about bartering. I have off today and will get my homework done. We had a big meeting at work yesterday. Work was tough this week as I have been getting very annoyed with my coworkers. Its not that they are bad people as much as it is that we are around each other all of the time. It just gets old. The weather has been real nice. Sunny and around 60. I hope it stays that way all month before the rain sets in. Well I guess that’s about it. I will try to post more pictures tomorrow.