Mat just hanging out at the Bizzar. He wasn't sure he wanted to ride the camel though.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
The Bizzar
Every other Friday they have a Bizzar, where the Afganastan people can come and sell their goods. They have alot of jewlery, clothes, rugs, pottery, vases, genie lamps, helmets guns, knives, these are only some of the pictures,
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Where is Matman in Afghanistan?
This will be fun.>
Google: Kabul>
Click on the map that shows Kabul>
Click on the X upper right hand corner, you won't need all that blah blah>
Click on the Satellite, upper right, it's cooler than just a map, you can see stuff>
Right click the mouse to zoom in, or use the zoom bar on the left, and zoom in enough so the zoom indicator (bottom left) reads 2M over 2K (mouse wheel will zoom in too)>
Follow A74 North towards Charikar>
Use the "high five" palm, left click and drag to pull the map down, or us the pan button upper left corner>
When you get close to Charikar, Bagram will be SouthEast of Charikar (right side of A74)>
Pan over to the big strip on the ground, that's Bagram >
Now zoom in slowly until the pixels clear, you can see all sorts of bldgs, planes, choppers etc...> Now where is Matman's Bhut???>
Zoom in to 200ft over 100m, pan to the bottom of the runway, so you can read 03 03, now pan the runway up to the 1st possible left, follow that road to Apache parking, never mind that Apache to your right as you are getting there (I think that was the "Widowmaker's), follow the taxi track to the right to the 3rd Apache, look left and up (see all those light brown bldgs = Bhuts if you look left and up there should be a backwards L shaped bldg in the upper left corner of the map) you will see a road that goes in that direction -- follow it until you get to the end of the Bhuts and the road bends to the right (be careful going past the porta potties on the right...stinky), go to the 5th Bhut on your right (the one with 3 flags on the front wall), go in, 1st room on the left, quiet though crew rest is in effect and someone is sleeping, gotta be rested up before the hunting trips:)>
If you zoom in to 200ft over 50m you can get a better view. The chow hall is the mutli-roof bldg right near the Bhut. Cool huh, hope ya had fun.
This will be fun.>
Google: Kabul>
Click on the map that shows Kabul>
Click on the X upper right hand corner, you won't need all that blah blah>
Click on the Satellite, upper right, it's cooler than just a map, you can see stuff>
Right click the mouse to zoom in, or use the zoom bar on the left, and zoom in enough so the zoom indicator (bottom left) reads 2M over 2K (mouse wheel will zoom in too)>
Follow A74 North towards Charikar>
Use the "high five" palm, left click and drag to pull the map down, or us the pan button upper left corner>
When you get close to Charikar, Bagram will be SouthEast of Charikar (right side of A74)>
Pan over to the big strip on the ground, that's Bagram >
Now zoom in slowly until the pixels clear, you can see all sorts of bldgs, planes, choppers etc...> Now where is Matman's Bhut???>
Zoom in to 200ft over 100m, pan to the bottom of the runway, so you can read 03 03, now pan the runway up to the 1st possible left, follow that road to Apache parking, never mind that Apache to your right as you are getting there (I think that was the "Widowmaker's), follow the taxi track to the right to the 3rd Apache, look left and up (see all those light brown bldgs = Bhuts if you look left and up there should be a backwards L shaped bldg in the upper left corner of the map) you will see a road that goes in that direction -- follow it until you get to the end of the Bhuts and the road bends to the right (be careful going past the porta potties on the right...stinky), go to the 5th Bhut on your right (the one with 3 flags on the front wall), go in, 1st room on the left, quiet though crew rest is in effect and someone is sleeping, gotta be rested up before the hunting trips:)>
If you zoom in to 200ft over 50m you can get a better view. The chow hall is the mutli-roof bldg right near the Bhut. Cool huh, hope ya had fun.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
combat vollyball
And I thought that playing Racket Ball with Mat got violent enough, So all fellow readers beware of the vollyball. Tommy broke both arms in the vollyball match. Now It's off to Germany for some surgery.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Email from Mat 8-7-09
Combat Volleyball
So there we were, playing volleyball today. We had been playing for a bout 30 minutes and everyone was having a good time razzing each other, when Wes pops the ball up high, and Tommy Dickenson goes charging after it. From where I was at, all I remember seeing was a streak then a cloud of dust, I thought oh crap... We all run over and he is laying on the ground (I expected t see more blood because he could have had a head on collision with the AC condenser that was right in his flight path), and trying to hold his elbow. So we give him 1st aid and send someone for a medic, she arrives, checks his arm, then we help him to an awaiting vehicle so he can go to the hospital, and two of my guys go with him.Game over, no one wants to play anymore. What happened was he ran for the ball and tripped over the 18" sandbag wall that surrounds the court. Normally if the ball is that close we just let it go, but he doesn't even know why he went after it, it happened so fast.We didn't think it was too bad, but after a couple of hours go by and he's still not back -- I have to go to the hospital and see what's going on. I walk into the room where he's at, and my jaw hits the floor, he's in casts, both arms bent at right angles. He tells me that he is headed to Germany for the next two months because our hospital doesn't have the equipment to fix his broken arms. And to think it was just a game. Nope, he doesn't get any purple hearts for these wounds. We discussed what he's going to tell other soldiers when he's in Germany, Soldiers that have combat injuries...he's going to tell them "Combat Volleyball."
So there we were, playing volleyball today. We had been playing for a bout 30 minutes and everyone was having a good time razzing each other, when Wes pops the ball up high, and Tommy Dickenson goes charging after it. From where I was at, all I remember seeing was a streak then a cloud of dust, I thought oh crap... We all run over and he is laying on the ground (I expected t see more blood because he could have had a head on collision with the AC condenser that was right in his flight path), and trying to hold his elbow. So we give him 1st aid and send someone for a medic, she arrives, checks his arm, then we help him to an awaiting vehicle so he can go to the hospital, and two of my guys go with him.Game over, no one wants to play anymore. What happened was he ran for the ball and tripped over the 18" sandbag wall that surrounds the court. Normally if the ball is that close we just let it go, but he doesn't even know why he went after it, it happened so fast.We didn't think it was too bad, but after a couple of hours go by and he's still not back -- I have to go to the hospital and see what's going on. I walk into the room where he's at, and my jaw hits the floor, he's in casts, both arms bent at right angles. He tells me that he is headed to Germany for the next two months because our hospital doesn't have the equipment to fix his broken arms. And to think it was just a game. Nope, he doesn't get any purple hearts for these wounds. We discussed what he's going to tell other soldiers when he's in Germany, Soldiers that have combat injuries...he's going to tell them "Combat Volleyball."
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Dinner guests
Tonight at dinner I sat with two guys from Mozambique (SE part of Africa), Afons, and Max. They are here cleaning up the mine fields, yikes, but someone has to do it. They speak Portuguese, I'd never have guessed their language, but it was certainly educational talking with them. I told them to please be careful and they assured me they would. Wow what a job!
Phrases in Dari???? Is that what they speak over there? Yes its one of the languages
Here are some fun phrases in Dari:
Dari Phrases
Salaam ---Hi
Chetor Hasten? --How are you?
Khoob Astam. ---I am well.
Naam-e-shoma cheest?--What is your name?
Khoda Hafiz ---Good Bye
Na faameedum --I don’t understand
Faameedum ----I understand
Lutfan -----Please
Tashakor ----Thank you
Khaahesh Mekonam ---You are welcome
Quabel-e-Tashakor Nayst --Don’t’ mention it.
Dari Phrases
Salaam ---Hi
Chetor Hasten? --How are you?
Khoob Astam. ---I am well.
Naam-e-shoma cheest?--What is your name?
Khoda Hafiz ---Good Bye
Na faameedum --I don’t understand
Faameedum ----I understand
Lutfan -----Please
Tashakor ----Thank you
Khaahesh Mekonam ---You are welcome
Quabel-e-Tashakor Nayst --Don’t’ mention it.
Monday, August 3, 2009
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