Green Thumbs!

It's been a long and interesting week in the wasteland.  I nice day of shopping for pirated CDs yesterday led to an enjoyable Saturday night and Sunday afternoon of entertainment.  Still moving my office to a new tent, preparing for some adventures at the FOBs this coming week and more of the Airforce unit we've been working with for the last six months continue to leave - we are now adapting to their replacements. My cold/flu is slowly going away and has left me so far, with no ability to taste my food - I can only sense the texture.  Yummy!  My brother sent me a great link for my fantasy football league which should even the proverbial playing field - one more thing to look forward to on Mondays now - the scores and hopefully my team kicking some booty!  AND - I finally may have some progress in my hunt for a new, more career oriented position. Oh, and I really miss my cats - pictured above enjoying my visit home by not paying any attention to me.

For months, the one constant and continual bitch and complaint I continue to have involves the sad fact that everything here is beige and there is no greenery to be found.  I oddly am now - this close - to hopefully acquiring a new position as a park planner in Kandahar City - kooky and weird, eh?  The new organization and I met yesterday and this is what they want me to do for them as an initial employment project.  Now I just wait to be contacted by corporate, work out the details and get my green thumb a-go-go in the most dangerous place in Afghanistan.  I am beyond excited and hope this happens quickly - Me - large and in charge of all things green!  I will keep you all posted as to the status of this shindig but it's really an unusual and unique project to say the least.  The concept of public space in Afghanistan has major issues in itself but then add the diminished role of women and the dominance of religion and it should be quite interesting in what we're able to create.  I will be working with the local government and community leaders to determine the ultimate objectives and amenities of the parks.  And that everyone, is all I know at this point.  Mom, before you freak out reading this, I think this work happens from smaller outposts and with a military partner - there's no way you would ever be tooling around outside the wire without a military escort.  OK everybody - Who Loves Trees?!  If not parks, then I think casinos and racetracks are warranted here - there's  a huge potential market for gambling and the climate reminds me of Las Vegas anyway.  Ponies!  Burlesque! Gaudiness!  This was a pic of a greenhouse these Afghan guys had on a FOB in Kandahar City - how prolific!

On a more serious note, I have been planning for a unit that hails from Ft. Campbell, Kentucky these past few months.  These poor guys are taking so many causalities that there is concern they won't be able to continue with their mission as a singular unit.  Just a few nights ago, the Taliban blew up a village in Kandahar City that they were passing through on a regular basis and killed and injured quite a large number of them.  These kinds of things are happening on a regular basis.  We meet and casually get to know many of these guys who end up being killed and injured - not the highlight of the day when that happens to say the least.  I have no idea how the US mission will change - if at all - in the near future, but to say I have strong feelings about the waste of life, resources and efforts would be putting it lightly.  I don't think leaving now or later really makes any difference as the end result will most likely be the same.  We won't be here long enough to affect the type of change that needs to happen for Afghanistan to reach a total and healthy independent and democratic state.  Maybe they just need parks, right?  Oh well, I will try to refocus my efforts in luring Quick Paws McGraw to my tent and leave the hard thinkin' to others.

I hope this internet connection situation keeps up.  Before I left I could never get enough bandwidth to post this blog.  Hope everyone had a great weekend and please enjoy an extra cocktail for me - very much missing those again.

Drink of the Night - Diet Coke for the day/ Hot Chai Tea for tonight!