Kabul again

More roses this time - the grass is green and lush and as I walk to the FSU, it is raining - not heavy but distinct and noticeable rain coming down and getting my wonderful but aging purse wet. I make it to FSU and login and get my danger pay letter and forward it to Sana'a and of course Theresa is there, she is always there, and she tells me there is not sufficient arrival specificity - I sent her comments to Jamie and Tabia and then later go talk to Tabia...this silly thing.

Then, I knew he would be here, I see Mike and he is on the phone with his wife and I yell and he turns and comes and finishes his conversation with her and then talks to me a little - and tells me he will see me later - he knows I am at Virginia house - he is upstairs from me on the third floor. Such a tease in a way but what the hell - i'm quite certain Adil will not be coming to dubai so might as well enjoy a little flirtatious energy, thus is my rationalization.

My roommate - one of them - is tired and is napping so I need to be quiet - my fingers are tapping the keys but I don't think the sound of them is drifting across the room - the air conditioner is turned on very low as she gets very hot when she sleeps - there is a reason. I used to hear Mike's keys tapping hard on the keyboard as he wrote his long and carefully corrected emails with typos sometimes still slipping through. It is a little strange to still be here but not be there and I don't know what will happen but I just get to keep doing whatever and showing up and walking around and drinking coffee and reading books and staying warm and dry and soon I will be in Dubai. It is warm and sunny there - there I will try to swim in the pool and get my eyebrows done and maybe a trim as my hair is dry and brittle and probably very split in the ends. In the end, who knows what will happen - where I will be. what I will do won't change much but merely the location of the work. still, first is vacation and ocean and sitting and breathing it in - hopefully quiet germans and not loud drunken ones but when on vacation, it doesn't matter - I don't have to be up at 630 - or even 7 - though on saturday up at 4:30 or 5. I have my egyptian coffee which isn't great but is better than nothing - I can have a cup before I get picked up by motorpool and taken to CAC by 5:20 and then picked up again for the airport...

Leaving soon

It is now only a few days until I leave for Kabul, then two days there then two days in Dubai and then DC. I'm ambivalent about it as in some ways, I feel like I have just really settled in and feel comfortable with what I am doing. But on the other hand, the lure of indoor plumbing is hard to resist.

I feel like I should print out the Saint Francis prayer for Mike. I think he probably feels that he already does what it suggests, but I detect a vibrant thread of anger and resentment underneath the overly amiable exterior. As I told Alex, the folks here are dysfunctional enough to be interesting, but not so messed up as to be psycho.

Watching again Sherlock - the modern day British take on Sherlock Holmes. He is kinetic and hyper and bored and childish but also very sharp and when engaged, a whirlwind but an attractive one at that.

In the spirit of the day, I am downloading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to watch probably when I'm in Kabul (as it is taking a long time to load). It is a rental, so the only thing is that when I start watching it, I have to watch the whole thing within 24 hours. It is a strange condition but oh well. The joys of Apple.

Given the wind and dryness, I can't really tell when I have washed my hair so just wash it on Fridays (today) and Mondays. The conditioner that Rachel kindly bequeathed to me helps somewhat. And tonight is steak and lobster night. I was thinking I can get some steak and then cut it in half and save it for tomorrow. Ideally I shouldn't eat anything more at all today as I have spent most of the day sitting but as lunch was at 11:30, I probably will succumb to eating something.

Today has been quite hot due to no wind. I haven't minded - I did work out and then showered and then grabbed lunch but aside from periodic strolls to the loo I haven't really been outside. Instead have studied Arabic some, watched cricket a bit, read a bit, and am now watching Sherlock. But tomorrow may be rather hectic, at least the first hour or so (7-8) until everyone for the visit is gone, so no naps today and will go to sleep early (9ish). Last night was a Mad Men screening - l love Dan's chairs and it is so nice to just lounge in it. I apparently am "one of the boys" which is, for a man, the highest possible accolade.

My roommate is leaving in a couple of days. I will be sad to see her go as she is a very intelligent, diligent, hardworking, and energetic woman. I admire her passion and her specificity.

Almost the Fourth of July

Today is July 1, also a Friday - our one day off. I slept in a bit, got up, had coffee, took a nap, worked out, took a shower, grabbed lunch, etc. Nothing terribly significant or important. The wind is howling, and it is hot out so the cool cave of our room is soothing.

yesterday Susanne and I ventured over to another base - Camp Arena - run by the Italians and Spaniards. We had appointments with the massage ladies and so that was nice. Now we know (sort of) how to get there. After that, we had food in the cantina and then walked down through the Italian quarter to get picked up and taken back to Stone. I went back to my room and then went with Jeannette over to Alex and Dan's and sat around and watched pictures, listened to some music (Dan plays guitar and sings a bit), and then rewatched (for me) two episodes of Mad Men, Season 3. It was quite nice. When we left, the stars were out in full force - and it was about 11:30. As those of you who know me, I'm not a late night person - but it was fun to be up and to have had a social evening.

Tomorrow is the holiday for July 4th. Most likely everyone in the office will be there - my goal is to only go for an hour or so - my boss returns from Kabul on Sunday.

It seems strange to think that I'll be leaving in about 3 weeks from now - again there is the feeling that I have been here a long time, yet I have barely scratched the surface. I miss very much seeing animals, children, being able to walk around and go to a store on my own (we do have our own little bazaar here, but it has a certain specific audience in mind (19-25 year old soldiers) and so I don't really want much of what is offered and definitely not at the prices offered. My goal is to buy a prayer rug for Sofia. To this end, I hope that I will be able to go into the old city in Herat on Sunday after lunch and find something and bargain a bit and then send it off to Illinois so that I don't have to carry it back. Seems attainable...

The hormonally induced blues of a couple weeks ago have faded - health has been restored pretty much and I'm eating less, exercising more and feeling pretty chipper. I have also booked most of my vacation in Croatia and Bosnia for the last two weeks and 2 days of August...am definitely looking forward to a nice laidback week in Dubrovnik and then a nice time riding every morning and "surprises" in the afternoon in Bosnia. I'll finish it off with two nights in Zagreb and then back to DC and maybe by then, I'll find out if I get to return to sana'a or not.