I have GOT to get out of this place...if its the last thing I EVER do...

W T F

I dont know how many people have said that things happen in life that there is just no explanation for, but I guess I have to add my voice to the chorus. I hope tomorrow makes more sense to me than today did.

At least my son is still wearing his shirts backward...

Fuck I need a bike ride

I don't care what anyone says, the stationary bike is no substitute for honest to goodness wind in your hair, bugs in your teeth spinning of wheels. It probably does a reasonable job of maintaining fitness, however at what cost? There are a thousand things I can do for cardio, I mean the elliptical is a better workout in less time, but its not a bike. I ride the bike back home for fitness to be sure, and there is certainly still competitive spark in me, as I full intend to race the upcoming season when I get back. HOWEVER, the main reason I ride, is mental. Its an escape. Its an immersion into the world, the smells, the sounds, the sights, the dangers. It's not an hour enclosed in a steel and glass cage cruising around the city, its not an hour sitting in one place in the gym listening to women gossip and CNN speak of doom. Its F R E E D O M in its purest. I go where I want, for as long as I want, I go as hard or as easy as I want, I only answer to myself. I am not insulated from the world, my legs get dirty, I smell the good and the bad, I hear the whir of the chain on the cogs, my spokes slicing through the air.

I miss it dearly.

Just life

So it would seem that I have found a way out of the three month rut here, (which they tell you in all the pre deployment briefs happens to everyone) and I'm doing exactly what they say you will, I found a project. The project is me. I've been working out seriously hard, and enjoying the endorphin high. When we first got here, I used the stationary bike to help with the acclimation to the altitude, and now that I am fully acclimated, I have been riding it really hard. I do 90 minutes two or three times a week, with 50 minute days thrown in between. (I get one day off completely every week) and then at night, I hit the gym for an hour or more. I'm doing a simple routine of chest/triceps two days a week, and back and biceps two days a week, with a single leg day thrown in between. It goes in a pattern like Chest/Biceps/Legs/Chest/Biceps/Off that way there are two days between any major muscle group. Seems to be woring like a charm, despite having put on a reasonable amount of muscle, I'm down ten pounds overall in the last two months. Maybe more importantly, my attitude is way better. Endorphins rock.

Our little gym is just that, little, so I go late at night when its not packed, but the Poles are far more interested in getting big than cardio, so there usually isnt a wait for the bike. I plan to mix in more running later in the cycle once I lose all the weight I plan to, and get my joints all functioning right. Its been a while since I maxed a PT run, and thats one of my long term goals from this.

the weather is still completely bearable here. :)

Rock beds

Rock beds, originally uploaded by Dave in Austin.

Driving here is always a challenge

Been too long

So we've settled into the routine here, things are pretty much as you'd expect for Afghanistan.

I've been spending alot of time on ADV Rider lately, and I've been inspired to travel west through Utah when I get back. I promised TL that I'd take her on a road trip when I get back, and she's really wanted to go to the Black Hills and the Grand Canyon. They are geographically very disparate and it would be hard to hit both, but if we go up through Colorado and then West into Utah, we can hit Moab, Zion, the GC, and then back into Texas in about 15 days, which is what I've budgeted for the trip. The big question right now is whether I take Jack and/or Aidan with us. They are both probably big enough to make and enjoy the trip, and I would certainly love to have them, though I promised Tori we would spend some time together when I get back. I still have plenty of time to figure it all out, its about a year away. Check out this forum thread if you need to get your head around the places Im talking about...

I figure while I'd love to buy a GS BMW when I get home, in reality, most of the touring I will do for the next few years will include the kids, so most likely I'm just gng to outfit a nice 4WD, 4DR Toyota for our expeditions, and maybe rig up the Rover too for the bigger ones. Roof rack, Lift, etc.

Big night tonight, so more to follow...

first hit from Afghanistan

We've been here in Ghazni for a few weeks now, and we're still living in tents, out of rucksacks. Our predecessors are having all sorts of problems getting out of the FOB due to the limited amount of air resources that come and go from here. So needless to say, noone is really happy with the situation, and the men are bitching pretty much constantly since we've been basically transient for 2 months. It gets old.

So Im sitting at breakfast this morning listening to some of the men talking about games, Halo, and some other online games, and Im amused that they are such willing killers who are discussing the merits of video games.

So in the middle of this, one of the other E4s comes up and announces to the bunch that his girlfriend has broken up with him. He plays it off that he doesnt care, calls her names and talks about how he took advantage of her, but I can tell by the look on his face that its bravado. He says, well, now, since I have no reason to go home, I can really do some crazy shit. Then he says in fact, I dont even have to go home on mid term, I can go to europe and nail some euro trash. The other guys all chime in, calling him "number 1" but its a dubious honor. It means hes the first to get dumped on this trip.

So another kid starts talking about how on his last deployment, his girlfriend dumped him after a few months, and it gave him freedom. Since he didnt care if he lived or died, he could do so much more. An NCO sitting next to me, also listening to all this, mutters under his breath "all women are whores..."