The Hills Are Alive with ....

They are actually showing The Sound of Music on the military TV station tonight - is that a coincidence or what - and a day and a half before I leave for my imagined Afghani version!  We had a nice little social mixer this afternoon so that everyone from the new change of command, the contractors and the Air Guard could actually meet one another.  It was nice enough and afterwards I ran to the DFAC (dinning facility) to pinch some milk and fruit for my new fridge and related Special K collection - but it was Taco Night so I got caught up in the madness ...Then I fled with milk and fruit.  Now I'm laying here watching a disaster movie while listening to the Sound of Music movie coming from my hut-mate's room - complete with a stomach ache from the tacos.  If I look at my disaster movie closely enough I can make the dialogue from the Sound of Music fit the action and effects of 2012 (horrible movie but great special effects).  From now on, the thought of California falling into the sea will be accompanied by "Edelweiss" playing in my head.   I may be on to something ....

Tonight also marked my first truly amazing taste of what the "120 Days of Wind" will be like - taste being the operative word.  I literally turned a corner in to a wall of dirt blowing at around 25 - 30 mph gusts.  I had been in my hut when it kicked in, so I wasn't aware that it was so bad out there.  You could not see 20 feet and the dust and sand infiltrated every inch of you - it was like taking a big bite of a sand-wich ... hee hee.  No disrespect to the Earl of Sandwich.  I see now that I will be spitting like some ya-hoo but that's an immediate reaction - plus the burning in your eyes and throat.  There was a plethora of information I would like to file under the category of "too much" being shared tonight concerning the wind.  Apparently, the wind contains a lot of unsavory things - including poo, ecoli, etc. - because of the unsanitary conditions of the outside areas surrounding the base.  Animal poo, people poo, Winnie the ... Poo.  It makes people pretty ill here too.  How exciting is that?  NowI can try erasing that image from my brain while I'm living in the windy season for the next few months - how did Stephen King ever miss out on this topic?  Just like the game with fortune cookies you play by adding "in bed" after reading each message, I will just add "in poo" after describing anything I do here for the next 4 months. I need to just get over it because there's no escaping the fecal wind!

I was also informed tonight that the base I am going to for the next two weeks has NOTHING but the Polish there - should be interesting planning that base as I hear they also have no intention of paying for anything.  So I guess they will all be in agreement with whatever comes up ... air tubs and private rooms with private baths - SURE!   I did hear there was no internet there either, but I won't know until I get there - so I may be off-line for a week or so.  One of our construction managers is living up there already - I will have to re-read his messages to me more closely - maybe he wasn't kidding around when he asked me to bring him a pillow (although he requested I break it in for him to which I replied I had already arranged for a large, unbathed Turkish guy to do so).  This guy's a trip though and should be fun to work with - he's full of crap, but in the best way - I get a kick out of him!  I'm certain the Polish women there Do Not walk to the showers topless - no matter what he says.

Drink of the night - cold, stolen milk - in a box, no less!