In all seriousness, I'm continuing to get up to speed on all the moving parts that make this installation tick. As a Civil Engineer, I am sitting in a dream job...being a part of the construction of a major installation supporting our war fighters. Sure, our days are full of "fire drills" and "drive-bys" (as we call them) that consume far more time than they should. But, my predecessor reminded me that you have to keep in perspective the mission of this installation and the men and women we are supporting. Every day, there are Marines putting their lives on the line and coming back here looking for a hot meal, a hot shower and a place to sleep comfortably at night. My job is to make sure these facilities are in place and operational so that the Marines don't even have to think about creature comforts.
Speaking of creature comforts, Merritt and Campbell have been very curious about the "tent" that daddy is living in. So, here is a picture of my home away from home.
This structure was originally called an "Alaskan Shelter System" but was recently changed to "Small Shelter System". If you are familiar with how the military likes to convert names into acronyms, you will quickly figure out why the name was changed. We have heat and air conditioning (I'm banking on the fact that the A/C will actually work effectively come April/May/June). The interior of the SSS was subdivided into 4 separate living areas with plywood walls, floor and separate entrances. My 3 tent mates are Navy Seabees - all Lieutenant Commanders (same rank as me - O-4). I'm not really sure the history of my position living with the Seabee staff, but it is nice to be around kindred spirits (Seabees are the equivalent of Air Force Civil Engineers - though they would probably say that they are far more capable).
The conditions are a bit spartan right now...my predecessor wasn't really into interior decorating. So, if any of you "closet" interior decorators have any ideas, please pass them along. I am looking for some sort of floor covering to make the space a bit more homey. Not sure what this will be...I did find a nice Afghan carpet at the bazaar this week, but $400 is probably a bit much for this application. I thought about hanging my Clemson and Vandy flags on the walls, but decided to hang them in my office (since I actually spend about 16 hours a day there) and have my office mate salute them every morning. He must not have gotten the memo I left him on the topic as his track record so far is pretty poor in this area.
About 50 feet outside of the entrance to my tent are 2 trailer type structures that were converted into Latrine/Shower/Shave (LSS) units. I believe the contract for these units stated "western construction standards". Unfortunately, this must mean "western Afghani" construction standards as we are having to complete rebuild the plumbing and electrical systems. Needless to say, it is going to be a while before I get the benefit of these. In the meantime, I drive every morning to the closet Life Support Area (LSA) to shower.
I am fortunate enough to have a vehicle to use during my stay here in Afghanistan. I'm sure at some point in its history, it was a fine piece of Japanese craftmanship - aka Toyota. Unfortunately, though, maintenance the Afghani way has not been kind to this truck. I've had a few minor issues with it...headlights randomly stop working (at night), windshield wiper washer actually activates the horn, and the gas gauge is off by about 1/2 a tank (yes, it ran out of gas). We turned it in for a routine 10-day maintenance check on Tuesday with a long laundry list of issues and haven't seen it since. I'm not sure whether to take this as a good sign that things are being fixed or a bad sign that the contractor has no clue how to repair it...we shall see. 
I think I have found someone to donate a Wii to the team here...many thanks! I'm now on the quest for games, extra controllers and other accessories.As always, thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers! Until next time....
CONGRATULATIONS, TODD - You've successfully completed your second week! Your 'um 'um abode is very interesting. Maybe you could get your mom to paint you some scenes that might be reminders for you of the sunny south [we're beginning to forget what it looks like actually] but that would certainly brighten that plywood wall. You mentioned earlier on the dust and how it was impossible to be without. You could do designs in the floor's covering and race matchbox cars! Sorry! I really just wanted to say hello, thank you for the update and it is great to know your sense of humor is in tact and serving you well. Stay safe,,,,, anne
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