I realized that I haven't written anything of substance in a while. I started this blog as a way to document my experiences as a contractor in Afghanistan, but after nineteen months I've kinda lost some steam.

I noticed in a few blogs I read that sometimes the authors simply put down a few random thoughts when they don't have anything in particular to discuss. Sometimes that is interesting to read, sometimes not. My favorites are survivalism blogs and some of them are:
Be a Survivor
Total Survivalist Libertarian Rantfest
SHTFblog.com
Getting Started in Emergency Preparedness

I also spend way too much time on the gun forum ar15.com.

So here are a few things, maybe interesting, maybe not.

My driver Sherin told me today that his uncle's wife was bitten by a cobra and had to have her leg amputated. His uncle (I think he uses that term for almost any male relative) lives in Panjshir. Panjshir is a beautiful valley. I wrote about it previously. As far as I can tell, there are wolves, lions, tigers, and apparently cobras in Panjshir.

Jim got back from leave today. Luckily Julio is on leave for a few more days so there is still some relative calm at the depot. Those two fight like a sack of cats.

Over the weekend one of the Afghan National Army (ANA) trucks at the depot was totaled. One of the civilian guards said he "found" a key on the ground, then "found" the Ranger it went to, then used that Ranger to make his rounds. During one of his rounds he accidentally hit a conex. These Ford Rangers are four-door, four-wheel drive, diesel trucks with heavy-duty suspension and bumpers. The bumper was pushed into the tire and it appears the frame was bent. I call BS on his story. Also, there was no apparent damage or scraping on the conex. Right.

I'm still doing crossfit. Today's workout of the day (WOD) was the crossfit total. That means one rep max on the back squat, shoulder press, and deadlift. I didn't do as well as I hoped, but I squatted 335, pressed 155, and deadlifted 315. Hmpf.

My parents' 50th wedding anniversary in a couple weeks. Wow. Fifty years. That's either true love or amazing tolerance. They're planning a trip to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico to celebrate. Good for them.

Last Friday I was walking aroung the house compound looking for a driver to take me to Eggers. I ran into a couple of guys who live in the next house shooting compound bows. They set up a range between the house and the wall. They were eager to tell me all about their sport and let me try one of their bows. Damn. Just what I needed--another hobby. I thinking about buying this one.

I'm also thinking about getting a ham radio license. Having a couple radios and knowing how to use them would come in handy if/when the SHTF (shit hits the fan), also known as TEOTW (the end of the world) or TEOTWAWKI (the end of the world as we know it). See survivalism links above...

That's enough for now.

Out.