Well, it's a new year.  I figured I better step up my blogging game and start writing more here.  This is all I got.  It's hard to upload decent content when my current internet options are severely limited.  A good way to see more photos from me would be to visit me on Google+.  Go.  Now.

Update to "G" Goes G+:

I have successfully pulled my photos and notes from Facebook using something Facebook provides (but doesn't advertise). I basically requested an archive of my entire Facebook contents. I got an e-mail when it was done compiling. I clicked the link in my inbox, had a new tab opened for me and then was prompted to enter my password. Once the password was entered, a download box popped up and it began downloading my archive as a Zip file. Bottom line, I now have all my photos that I had on Facebook in one folder separated by album in named folders and I have my notes in one consolidated file. There are actually some extras that you get in the Zip that I wasn't even expecting, e.g. a file of previous messages, a file of wall posts, etc. Those were just bonus.

So, I have my stuff, I can see the old Facebook stream (within G+) without all the bullshit Facebook is now providing, I have the ability to +1 ANYTHING (Chrome extension, just got it) and more people are coming to Google+ everyday. I thought I was going to be able to go cold turkey from Facebook like I did with smoking. I guess I have to ween myself away slowly because all the people who still expect me to put shit on there.

Facebook friends: FIND ME ON GOOGLE+ SO I CAN DELETE MY FACEBOOK ACCOUNT. OK? WE'RE STILL COOL, RIGHT? *fist bump*

What I did for my birthday.

My newest creation.

I got the opportunity to travel to Forward Operating Base Shinwar to cover a 9/11 memorial run. Check it out.

Once upon a time in Jalalabad...

      In the short time that I've been in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, it's already left me with a sour taste in my mouth. That's not exactly fair to J-bad. A good portion of my distaste is due to the six days of back-and-forth bag drag fun to the PAX terminal in Bagram. On the first day of said fun, I actually had my name on a manifest.  I thought I was good to go.  Wrong. The pilot or maybe the pilot's boss cancelled the flight due to weather. When I say weather, what I'm really meaning is clouds and mist. Seriously, the flight was cancelled because of mist. I can't really call it mist, let's settle for drippy fog. Because of the cancellation, I was reduced to a "space available" slot and was bumped off every subsequent flight until last night when my name was actually on a manifest again. I don't mind so much carrying my stuff to and fro, it's the mental drama of constantly trying to get something done and not getting anywhere. There's a certain amount of stress that's involved with flying in an Air Force plane. I won't get into it anymore than I already did. I'm here now.
      I suppose I had some crazy preconceived notions on what was going to happen when I arrived. In my mind, only in my mind it seems, I imagined getting off the plane and getting my bags and meeting my point of contact who would show me the initial first-things-first - where to put my stuff, where to work, where to eat, where to poop, where to wash my junk. Reality resumed it's normal course, of course. I get off the plane and am met by the flight line people. No problems yet. I give them my ID card and make my way into the PAX terminal. Getting somewhere now. I'm then told to go to another place to essentially sign-in and get a room.  Cool, but I shouldn't need a room because the people I'm here to support have had all kinds of time to get me someplace to live (my mind doing it's thing again, thinking). I tell the girl at the counter that I need to sign in and contact the unit I'm here to support and she let's me use the phone. I make contact, everything is cool, get told to just get a room because it's late and someone will meet me there in a few. I'm getting a little worried, but things are happening now and I'm going with the flow. I get a room, and when I say room I'm talking about a small space in a tent where I can sleep on a cot surrounded by other guys on cots.  The problem with this set-up right off the bat is it's late, nobody is sleeping because they aren't planning on staying very long (unlike me) and they just want a place to chill/sleep for a very short time while they are waiting to move on. I drop my stuff in my room (it's funny to say that it's a room, now - not so funny then), then I proceed to find my other bags. I find out that I have to go back to the flight line to retrieve my stuff, so I go. Not having a very good time at this point. By this time it's well after 2200 and if you've ever flown in a C-130 you know how I'm feeling by now. I'm waiting for my bags. And waiting. And waiting. After about an hour of that, the civilian flight line people come out with someone to drive the truck that's been sitting there the whole time and tell us that our bags will be there soon. My patience has just about run out and it's not even time to quit the fun. I get my bags, return them to my room and go back to where I'm supposed to meet my contact. Apparently, I took too long and my contact told the girl at the desk to tell me to get to sleep and she would see me in the morning. Great. Up until now I've kept my cool. Even after all that, I felt that it would retarded of me to complain when it wasn't THAT bad. But now I'm a little mad. I have no idea where anything is, it's 2330 at night and I'm admittedly a little tired, I'm sweaty from hauling my stuff all over the place and I'm hungry. I may have taken out some of my anger on the the desk Sgt. but she didn't seem to mind all that much. She told me where some stuff was and I went about my business. I got some midnight chow, found the latrine and made my way back to my room. The light was still on, and it remained on until about 1 a.m. I try to sleep and succeed for a few hours.
      Here I am. I'm somewhat rested. I managed to do the three S's at a decent time. I got some breakfast. I guess I was a little too motivated this morning because after I finally found the Public Affairs office here I also found that it was unmanned. Whatever. I texted my contact, told her to let me know when she wanted to see me and went back to my room. Oddly enough my room is dead quiet and the light is still off. I think I got better sleep while waiting for my contact to call me back than I did all last night.
      Obviously I am back online. I got my Mac set up on a desk and got my little space all figured out. I cleaned my cameras and lenses and now just wasting time until I get settled into a real room. Things shouldn't be too bad here. I'm excited to get out there and do some missions. I just have to keep my hopes up high and my head down low.

Just say no.

      So, I decided to quit smoking when my pack was empty. Had my last one this morning. I don't think I'll have any problems with quitting (again) because it takes me almost 4 days to go through a whole pack. Day 1. The hardest part is the first seven days. Here I go...

Now I lay me down to sleep.

      I snapped some shots of where I do what I do.  This is my cozy little home away from home.  By deployment standards (low, very low) my quaint little room is pretty decent.  I have AC when it's hot and heat when it's cold, most of the time.  My bed isn't so uncomfortable (anymore, fixed it) that I can't sleep when I need to.  I have a nice little rug to put my feet on when my boots come off.  Overall, it's not too shabby.  Now, I just need to decorate a little more.  Before you question the stuffed animals/pillow, my kids wanted me to bring those to remind me of them.  I don't have a weird "thing" for stuffed animals.

Sharing is caring.

      So, the other day I was cleaning my cameras and lenses while one of our interpreters was working at a desk beside mine.  He had asked about my Nikon previously and I didn't think much of it.  I asked him if we wanted a quick crash course and it seemed that he enjoyed my boring, albeit quick, class.  I took a few shots to show him what it all did and he took a few shots of yours truly.  Overall the shots he took came out well and I wanted to share.