TGIF...?

Well tomorrow I have a long meeting, a ceremony (think security), a short meeting and...other meetings to prep for.  So TGIF not so much.  But later in the afternoon I do have a softball game, against medical and the safety guys.  They're going to get spanked.  Sunday we play the civilian contractors.  There's a rumor an MLB scout will be there.

Meanwhile, most of another week has gone by.  I think that's five.  One of tomorrow's meetings includes me briefing the CG - I've prepared some wicked cool powerpoints (hat tip: EJ.  The day after you shared this with me, it was circulated by our "lessons learned" guy.  Apparently...not.) 

What else happened this week?  Well, we had another comm blackout, which means another Marine is going home the wrong way.  Nothing makes that OK, but I will share with you that I see indicators almost every day that more and more Afghans are coming over to our side.  Those indicators manifest themselves in saved lives, and they result from operations like the one the LCpl was involved in when he was killed.  I can't be more specific than that but it gives me hope that our sacrifices - small in my case and large in his - aren't for nothing.

Wow, didn't mean to get so serious.  I've got some pics, hopefully that will brighten things up.  I try to capture the mundane, to keep giving a sense of what it's like here.  Alas, what seems to pop up is always the slightly absurd.  Enjoy.

Do what?

So we're at the British PX again, and Gunny is trying to find some laundry detergent.  Nothing is labeled - is it detergent?  Fabric softener?  Cake batter? Well finally someone familiar with the brands tells us it's fabric softener.  But take a close look at the instructions.  Apparently step one to use this stuff is "put a feather on some blankets."  Step two: add more feathers.   Step three: dip the whole thing in yeast.  Or maybe a bowl of glue.  We didn't buy the stuff.

Smoking bad.

This one is at the Danish PX. My favorite is the middle one on the left.

Only the best.

This one took me back.  One summer when I was home from college and desperate for money, I did some telemarketing for Buckmasters.  Then the other day I come across this gem in the port-a-john, where I just have to snap a pic.  My favorite part: it's from 2008!  Seriously, they need to clean those things out more often.

Pizza yes.  Hut, not really.

Ok back to the trip to the British side of the base.  Here's Gunny (on the right) with another Gunny (not on the right) and the backsides of two British soldiers.  And that, of course, is the Pizza Hut truck.  We picked up pizzas from there and then went to relax at the Danish compound where it tends to be quieter. 

And that's where I'll leave you, till next time.

  

 Relaxing with Danes