Desert Fire

[Burner02]

Here tis a new journal. Why? that last one...was 20+ pages of me NOT working out.
I'm here in Afghanistan. My gym clothes are enroute. I've got my 'spark' back and am ready to hit the weights again.
I'm also starting a journal ad will post as I write them up.....

 

[Burner02]

Welcome to my new world! I???m going to be here at Camp Phoenix in Kabul, Afghanistan for a while. I???m going to be writing down my adventures a they happen. Something always seems to happen to me???and at least in my mind???its funny.
My new ???World??? has been condensed to about a 3-4 block radius. So, I wont get as much ???material??? to put into my stories. I???ve had some doozies in the past. There was the ???cow strike??? incident. There have been several ???cat incidents??? with my cat. You know???when you start having conversations with your cat, that???s a pretty good sign you need to get out of your house more. Write that down. So hopefully I will be able to experience fun/odd things here as well and pass them on. Events/ thoughts, etc.
Wherever I go, it is by the ???Sneaker Express???, which is fine. I am really beginning to miss driving my convertible???but here, I never have to worry about getting stuck in traffic.
My days here are fairly simple. Right now, I???m on a 6 day a week schedule, working 10 hour shifts.
In the evenings, there is always something going on. There is a Texas Hold ???Em night, twice a week. I???m hoping to get my skill set up???as when I usually play with friends back home, I???m usually out by the 5th round and my 20.00 buy in, to become their drink supplier. ???it???s not like YOU have anything better to do now???now DO you????
I???m also going to take some Salsa lessons. That???s right! Salsa in the desert! Ol Mike here has a case of two-left feet syndrome. I hope there is a cure. AND! Before anybody asks???yes, there are women here! Also met up with some new friends and I???m starting to play darts. That???s right! Mike with sharp, pointy objects! THAT???S got to be worth some good stories alone!
So, stick around!

 

[Burner02]

February 27, 2009

Our ???Commander??? In Chief

What can I say, I???m not impressed. I???m not racist. I could give a hoot of the color of his skin. I, as most of us???want and expect results. I know he took over the helm of a sinking ship., How was to blame? Bush? Clinton? Yes. Congress???without a doubt.
But, back to Osama???er???Obama.
From what I???ve read since he???s taken the helm:
First thing he???s done as President was to work on closing Gitmo (sp) Bay in Cuba.
Really? We have serious problems here???and he???s worried about terrorists???that nice.
I read he???s also donating millions of YOUR and MY hard earned money to give abortions to women in foreign counties.
ALSO! He is donating another 900 MILLION to Palestine to help them rebuild. Um???last time I checked, ISRAEL are our allies???Palestine sides with hams? Isn???t that another Muslim sect that wants to kill everybody NON Muslim? Peace loving, my ass..
???and this is JUST his FIRST 30 days in office???.this should be a FUN 4 years???.

 

[Burner02]

February 28, 2009

There I wuz???

The Mission, The ???List???:
As you most likely know why I???m here: MONEY
I???m sure you can say I???m also on a journey of self discovery and enlightenment. I???m sure that will also come to pass, but when it boils down to it???money.
I have several parts or phases to my Mission. As is, I may be here???.a while.
So, let???s visit my phases.
Phase I: Money
I???m here to pay off all my bad debts, put a fair amount of cash into investments and have a fair amount of cash to purchase items upon my return.

Phase II: Health
In the past few years, I???ve allowed myself to slip and put on a fair amount of weight and lose muscle mass. I vow to return to my once athletic self

Phase III: Education
When I return to the ???States, I will have accumulated several industry certifications and knowledge base to secure a better income than what I left behind.

My LIST:
I was sitting at the terminal in Georgia waiting for my flight towards my ???destiny??? when I thought I???d put my ???list??? on paper.
This isn???t a ???bucket list??????where I will write down things that I want to do before I die; i.e. ???kick the bucket.
This is the list of things I want/need upon my return to the ???States.
This is what is going to keep me here longer.
- Truck
- Household items: electronics, furniture. (I gave all mine away)
- Clothes (I???m pretty much tossing everything I have when I leave here, so will need a new wardrobe)
- A couple months worth of $$ to live on when I get home???thinking I will want some time to just sit back and enjoy being home
- I plan on taking a LONG vacation scuba diving in Mexico when I get back
- Sport bike (been missing the one I used to have)
- Misc.

I may have to write out my Bucket List too some time???

 

[Burner02]

March 1, 2009

The Memorial

Sadly have to report that 5 more of our own won???t be going home to their loved ones.
They were killed in a cowardly IED road side bomb attack the other day. There was a memorial service for them yesterday afternoon. I did not know them, but went to pay respects for fallen fellow Americans.
I hope our men and women in uniform can find a way to expedite an end to this war.
I could not imagine having to tell the children of our fallen that their fathers/mothers won???t be coming home. I hope their deaths are not in vain. Pray that our ???leaders??? have the wisdom to see this thru with victory.

 

[Burner02]

March 2, 2009
There I wuz???.
Today was my first day ???off??? from work here in Afghanistan.
First and foremost I slept in. Until a little bit after noon and it was as good as I had hoped it to be. I did get a headache from sleeping so long, but that was something I was willing to risk.
After making that 60 yard ???trek??? to the latrines to take care of ???business??? and shower, I got dressed and headed to ???town??? for lunch.
Now, when I say ???town??????I don???t mean like it sounds like when you are back in someplace ???normal???, to include malls, restaurants and movie theaters, etc. Mine is more akin to a frontier-like setting: ???get the wagon hitched up and make your way in to the central gathering point. However, there are no horses nor donkeys or even a wagon to ride in, to mention it. I get around by way of the Nike Express. Have I mentioned that my new ???world??? is about the size of about 3-4 block radius? I can get anywhere I want/need to within 5 minutes and that???s in my un-hurried gait.
So, when I arrived into ???town???, I tried the BBQ D-Fac (dining Facility) for a change of pace. Plus I hear the BBQ ribs are good on Mondays. Actually, I wasn???t disappointed.
After fininshing up with lunch, I mosied ( my new gait of I have nothing else pressing to do here) to the PX to do the required daily perusal of the shelves to see if anything new came in that I had to have. I took my new treasures back to my house and grabbed a book and took it back to the ???town??? center to read and enjoy the day.
The weater is nice today: low-mid 70???s with a light overcast???didn???t want to waste it inside???it will get HOT here pretty soon.
Tonight is going to be my 1st Salsa lesson. That???s right! I???m on my way to finding a cure for my two-left feet syndrome. Wish me???and more so my partner(s) luck in the new quest for cure! Its sad t o say that for five years I worked in a dance night club, I really don???t have any more skills than what I picked up at those jr. high school dances n the cafeteria.

 

[Triple Threat]

burner. Good luck with this new journal.

 

[Burner02]

I was assaulted by a frog this am.

ok, not really...but one jumped in my path as I was on my way to a 3am walk down my 60 yard path to the latrines. You know when you are not quite awake but need to go somewhere? The brain isn't fully engaged, nor will your eyes fully open and focus?
Something leapt out in front of me. To say the least, it had my full attention. My eyes were wide open then. I know...a frog. But! Did you know there are some evil creepy crawlies here? I want nothing to do with those.
oh...and if you hear that I screamed like a little girl when that happened....don't believe them. They LIE!

 

[PreMier]

how are you liking it so far?

 

[Burner02]

so far, so good, mi amigo!
My box was shipped monday, so will be in the gym within 2-weeks! Yeah!
How's the S4. You still have yours?
I had at least a dozen offers of people...in the goodness of their hearts to offer to drive my TT while I was gone...

 

[katt]

Boy the first few days of your journal and you've experienced alot!

I guess after your adjustment time, you'll settle in to a routine of sorts..

Obama... uhh .. does it make you feel good that he's helping "middle america" like us,, but now we are paying even more to the people that just want to sit around, collect welfare and pop out babies.. yeah.. don't even get me started on that subject

We still have snow in our part,, but at least it's raining more now than snowing, so maybe some of our 3-4 foot piles of snow by our house will start to melt... send me your addy,, I'll ship some over to you..

 

[Burner02]

3 March 2009

There I Wuz....
Today was a 'mail run'.
Not a very far distance from our help desk to the post office, but we opt to take the 'Gator' over to pick it up in case there's a lot that day. (plus, it's something to drive)
A Gator is a 6-wheeled utility vehicle approximately the size of a golf cart.
So, it rained last night and a bit this am. I made a bad choice of putting on my running shoes. (they are comfy) I paid the price first off, by finding the deepest friggn' puddle on post. That's a great way to start off a day....beyond being assaulted by demon frogs.
I changed my socks and shoes and went back to the office. Our office floor was scuzzy, so I opted to mop it up and try to make it clean. (I'm semi-OCD)
Back to the Gator.
I was bored, so I offered to go with the appointed mail girl in our shop. I asked to drive. "I even mopped the floor!"
(see where that works in?)
So, I now get to drive. WAHOO! (not the same as my Audi, but it was technically a convertable)
the 1/2 mile we drove from the office to the post office, I had to drive thru EVERY puddle I could (without splashing any troops...they're armed, ya know) and every bump I could find. We drew attention...we were probably the only ones there that had the ear to ear grins etched onto our faces.
As I sat in my new...toy...while Crystal was getting the mail, I pondered the following: Are my youthful...<ahem> boy at heart antics an endearing trait or not? I dunno...suppose I could refer to some of my ex's to find out...still thinking of that, I found 6 new puddles, nearly splashed a Afghan local, and nearly got it air borne off a speed bump. I don't argue with it...I am what I am...

 

[Burner02]

Boy the first few days of your journal and you've experienced alot!

I guess after your adjustment time, you'll settle in to a routine of sorts..

Obama... uhh .. does it make you feel good that he's helping "middle america" like us,, but now we are paying even more to the people that just want to sit around, collect welfare and pop out babies.. yeah.. don't even get me started on that subject

We still have snow in our part,, but at least it's raining more now than snowing, so maybe some of our 3-4 foot piles of snow by our house will start to melt... send me your addy,, I'll ship some over to you..

I was hoping you'd ship me a goody box....there's still plenty-snow on the mountians and still have rain. But thank you!

 

[PreMier]

yea, still have the s4. its in the garage though, cant hardly afford to drive it heh

 

[Burner02]

that sucks. maintenance?

 

[PreMier]

yea, needs new wheel bearings. so i paay 420 for the payment and 200 insurance a month for it to sit

im driving the explorer for now, but it needs a new clutch!

 

[Burner02]

if it makes you feel better...the TT costs me 680/month wiht 120/ month insurance...hence my being...here...
Do you know any mechanics that you could trade some PT training to get the work completed?

 

[Burner02]

Tuesday Food:
Breakfast, 0630 hours:
- Egg white omelette w/ ham/turkey/cheese/blk olives and tomoatoes

Meal II, 0930hours:
2-scoops of nitro tech

Meal III 1130 Hours:
Chili on corn bread. veggies. gatoraide

Meal IV 1530 hours:
....slid...nothing...handful of chips...I know...

Meal V 1800 Hours:
Steak, steamed brocoli w/ cheese, gator aide

Supps:
1 centrum performance multi
1 vit C

Hopefully at least 2-3 liters of water

 

[PreMier]

dayum.. what year tt do you have?

i wish i knew a mechanic that wanted to workout lol

 

[Burner02]

dayum.. what year tt do you have?

i wish i knew a mechanic that wanted to workout lol

'05...I got a LOT of inequity rolled into it.
But! It will be paid off by...september? Roughly.

 

[the other half]

dam even chili and cornbread sounds good right now. so how is the food?
i know that it isnt the same as your car, but riding around on atvs sure is alot of fun, even if it is only going thru puddles and over bumps.
just dont get crazy and have a few drinks and get a dui at 2 in the morning!!!!

 

[Burner02]

the food...some days are better than others.
had a false hope...a pair of pants wsa wearing, I could 'cinch' down another notch on the belt..thought wa startng to drop weight from just the extra walking around and trying to eat better...nope. The pair of jeans I'm wearing today aren't any looser....dang...

BUT! My box of stuff from home got here yesterday. I got my shifts changed, so starting tuesday, its game time, baby!

 

[Burner02]

...and so it begins...Have gym clothes w/ me. Will go prolly after lunch, before afternoon shake...just a light workout to reintroduce my chest to resistance...

 

[katt]

 

[Burner02]

1st!
was about what I expected for not being in the gym in what...a year?

Chest:
Bench Press:
135*15, 135*10, 135*10, 135*19, 135*10

Decline Bench Press:
135*10, 135*8, 135*10, 135*10

Incline DB Bench Press:
50*10, 50*8, 50*7, 50*6

** Kinda ran outta gas...kinda expected it. Tried to keep hustling thru the exercises. Tried to keep to 2 min RI's or less.

Supps:
Protein X2 per day
Glutamine
Creatine pre-workout

 

[katt]

Dude - you're going to hurt tomorrow..

 

[Burner02]

dude- I KNOW!

Dude, it's bed time...soon.

 

[Triple Threat]

Jumping back into it in a big way!

 

[Burner02]

um....ow...
oddly enough...chest isn't bothering me...its my tris.

 

[Burner02]

11 March, 09

Legs:
Squat:
5 sets of 135*10

Dead Lift:
54 sets of 135*10

***wow...wasn't really heavy, but am gonna pay for that for the next few days...still had that 'ran outta gas' feeling a bit...hope it will pass in another couple weeks and then start ramping up the workouts!
*** Am sore already. Not good.
So...moral of the story: DO NOT STOP LIFTING! There's a hefty price to pay...and the balance is due...

-best of my knowledge-
0630 hrs: Breaky:
scoop of scrambled eggs, 2 slices of bacon, turjey/egg/cheese 'mcmuffin', cantalope, iced coffee. (really digging that iced coffee...but sure the sugar is killing me)

0930 hrs Mid-morning:
protein shake: 130 cals- 30g protein, 4g carb

1230 hrs Lunch:
beef cubes n gravy over rice? Carrots n broccoli, can soda

1530 hrs mid-afternoon:
protein shake

1730 hrs Dinner:
Salsbury steak, little pasta mixed w/ mixed veggies, low sugar cool-aid

- don't know cal count -3X per day

Supps:
Protein X2 per day
Glutamine 3X per day
Creatine pre-workout