Flu Season and the Pooh Pond Song!

We are all hearing about the flu epidemic taking place in the US now.  Well, it looks like we have it here but not in epidemic proportions.  Three of our folks are sick and are staying in their rooms.  It certainly worries many of us and the hand sanitizer, masks and disinfectant wipes are all around.  I am personally thinking about germ transmission every time I touch a door handle, telephone, etc.  Nobody needs to be sick with the flu.  It is especially miserable having to be sick here in Afghanistan away from family and a comfortable environment.  I feel for the guys and we are doing all we can to help them get through it and prevent the spread of the disease.   Terry is getting over a nasty case right now.  The poor thing even had her flu vaccine shot back in November but still came down with it.  I felt bad for her because even though she needed to stay in bed, she still had to take Mikey, the wonder dog, out three times each day.  Thankfully, the worst is over and she is beginning to feel better. 

This week, I had the pleasure to visit with Peter Miller, Chris’ best friend during his time in high school.  Peter and Chris were almost inseparable in Giessen Germany back in the late 1990s.  Peter has been cashing in on the war effort by working over the past ten years in Iraq and Afghanistan for one of the defense contractors.  He currently runs a helicopter shipping operation here at KAF.  While he is located on the other side of the airfield, I usually get over to that side of the airstrip once or twice a week so we’ll be able to see each other and chat occasionally.  My fond memories of Peter in Germany include his ability to hang around wearing just a T shirt, even in the dead of winter!  He and his brother John were often hanging out with Craig and Chris at our home in Butzbach.  They are both fine young men. Here is a picture of Peter and me taken during my visit with him.  Terry says Peter looks a lot like his father who is retired and living in Colorado now.

It is really warm today.  The temperature is in the low 70s.  Humidity is high and we are covered in a dust-fog.  The dust-fog is an unusual experience.  It is like walking in a normal fog but you can feel the dust crunching between your teeth.  I do all I can to try and breath through my nose when I am outside. We are expecting a cold front to move through tonight with thunderstorms and after the rain stops, we’ll experience a good drop in temperature with evening temps in the 20s and daytime highs in the 40s and 50s.

Well it was only a matter of time.  Someone has written a country and western song about the Pooh Pond and placed it on YouTube.  Marissa discovered the song on the internet and sent me the link.  I almost fell out of my chair when I saw it!  Here is the link to the song.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoqc5ZE8L6E  Enjoy!
Until next week…

Happy New Year!

This is a short post because the day got away from me.  Even though it is my day "off," I ended up working all day and it is getting late.  We have a farewell dinner for one of our employees tonight that I have to attend.  The dinner is at our TGI Fridays restaurant on the base's "boardwalk."  I'll do a post on the boardwalk soon but to describe it concisely, it is a large strip-mall like area surrounding a sports field.  The boardwalk has a number of restaurants and other shops that feature souvenirs, electronics, takeout food, coffee, etc.  Even though the inside of TGI Fridays looks like the restaurants in the U.S., the food has a long way to go before it is anything like what you can buy in the U.S. It is also overpriced for what you get. They are often out of a number of the selections on their menu and if it wasn't for this event, I would not eat there normally. 

I am back running regularly now.  I've been hitting the treadmill most every day and knocking out push-ups and crunches.  I don't have any races planned this year (yet?) so I'll run about 20 miles this week and try to maintain that momentum throughout the winter.

Through the internet and social media, I discovered that one of Chris' good high school friends is actually here at KAF working for a defense contractor.  Chris and Peter were classmates and friends at the high school in Giessen, Germany back in the late 1990s.  One thing I remember about Peter is that he didn't seem phased by cold weather.  Even in the middle of winter, he would show up at the house without wearing a coat, only a t-shirt.  I've called and talked to Peter and hope to get over on the other side of the base to visit with him some time soon.

Well, its time to go gnaw on some food!  Until next week...