FORMERLY - Marty in Djibouti

Ouch!

2010-02-16T23:25:00.009+09:00

Before my deployment, I had to attend an Army-run Combat Skills Training course. I didn't find much of the training worthwhile and have yet to employ anything I learned there (this is probably a good thing). The training was mandatory because my deployment is a Joint Expeditionary Tasking, or JET; that is a tasking for other branches of military to fill in for shortfalls in the Army. I'm not a soldier, but I've now had some soldier training so I can grunt and hooah with the rest of them around here. Alright, and I did go to a Department of Defense school for Public Affairs technical training so my job really isn't so different than it would be if I were in an Air Force billet.

Now that the background is out of the way, my post is really about what happened at the end of training almost 2 months ago.

At the end of CST, New Jersey was hit with a big snow storm, though not quite the snowpocalypse the East coast is suffering from lately. This storm precluded our field exercise which would have been the summation of our training. But in good ol' Army fashion, we continued to get geared up and trudge through the snow and over ice to show that there really was a point for us having to be there until two days before Christmas.

It was on the return from one of these last outings that I found myself facedown on the ice. I was carrying my rifle in my right hand, unslung so as to not impale myself with it should I fall. And fall I did. I guess I thought more about making sure my rifle didn't crash to the ground as I maintained a hold on it as I fell, thus driving my knuckle into the ice.

I assure you it hurt, but I had to "soldier" on and finish up my training. I wasn't about to get sent home or delay my deployment reporting for a sore finger. I thought I may have just jammed it as I've done on many occasions to several different phalanges. The worst part was to be that I had to pack a couple of days later, and lug baggage around to various locales over the next couple of weeks. Did I mention it hurt? It didn't even show signs of improving aside from a little of the swelling subsiding.

It's been nearly two months since that incident and the pain wasn't really going away, especially on cold days when I feel like an arthritic old man. I decided to go to the small clinic here on camp to inquire if a jammed finger should be feeling better by now. The doc was suspicious, as I had been, that it was a more than a jam. He sent me to another camp with an x-ray machine to have a pic. Turns out I have a chipped bone.

I have pictures of the x-rays to share with you:

See the little guy seceding from the union?

The only thing that can be done now is to work on rehabilitating. Instead of traveling back and forth to the other camp, I've opted to work it out myself (on the doctor's approval) -- I squeeze a stress ball. After only a couple of days, it feels like it's starting to improve.

Since this is such a long post, I won't continue to bore you with insignificant details of my trip to the other camp. Tune in later for my thoughts on what I've seen of Afghan life while here. I assure you it will be less wining about my poor health.

Broken, but now I have 207 bones, right?

Marty

I know when I'm not wanted

2010-01-30T15:29:00.002+09:00

OK, so that isn't completely accurate. Since getting my deployment tasking in October, I was told I would be doing this PA mentoring business. Shortly upon arriving here at Camp Spann, I was informed there was some confusion as to whom I actually belong. The higher headquarters in Kabul (IJC, CSTC-A, NTM-A -- don't ask me what all those acronyms mean or what each organization does 'cause I honestly don't know) have been trying to stake their claims. Yes, it is nice to have everyone want you. Unfortunately, it isn't nearly as appealing as you would think; I now have to endure my most dreaded part of deployment -- transiting.

As much as I enjoy being part of this team here and meeting with the ANA PA shop regularly, it was welcome news to find I'll be heading to a different assignment in Kabul. I've been stuck here in limbo as to my actual job and can't really justify my being here while there is a civilian here for the very reason I came. In other words, I'm underemployed and bored.

And in other news, while I would encourage you to continue reading the referral blogs, I'll likely have to find more opportunities to post my own exploits. I hope you'll stay tuned.

Unless I can find another blog to mooch off of, I'll keep you posted.

Marty

Referral

2010-01-18T21:31:00.004+09:00

I made it to my camp, Camp Mike Spann, and have been here for close to a week. It's a small, army-run camp, with an attached NATO camp, all within the confines of an Afghan National Army camp. I'm pretty sure you could lob one of the millions of rocks covering the ground from one side to the other if you had a stiff tailwind. I probably won't try it so as not to fail in my attempt and knock someone out with said rock when it doesn't clear the camp.

There are few amenities here, but that just means more time for me. I really want to work on studying Japanese and work on my photo editing (PhotoShop) skillz, cause we all know chicks dig guys with skillz. I've also set a goal of a six pack by my thirty-sixth b-day; I shall call it '6 by 36', and hopefully it doesn't end in me drinking a 6-pack on my 36th b-day instead. I probably should have started on that goal sooner, perhaps earlier in life.

As I said, the camp itself isn't too exciting, but my mission sounds promising. Having said that, I must say that we're at the whim of our Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police public affairs units' schedules. What that means so far is only a few hours each week of actual mentoring/advising work.

The good news is I don't have to go into every detail of my day-to-day because I have two high-speed Senior Non-Commissioned Officers who have blogs. You can find links to their blogs below on the right side. I even read them regularly to find out what I've been up to.

I'll try to take some exciting photos to share, but honestly the other two blogs have those covered too.

Marty

I'm back

2010-01-07T05:27:00.000+09:00

From where you might ask. Well I suppose it's not a from where, but to where. I'm back in the AOR, or Area of Responsibility, i.e. combat zone. Coincidently, that's where I started this blog, albeit on another continent. This time I'm heading to Afghanistan. I'm sitting in Kyrgyzstan at the moment awaiting airlift, but shouldn't be here too long (that's what everyone who arrived here a week ago has said too).

My last deployment took me to an undisclosed location, hence not so much blogging from there (gotta lead by example, right?) I've also been keeping updates via Facebook (find me there if you want more frequent updates).

As I said, I'm back in the AOR. To my knowledge, I won't be at an undisclosed location, so I should be able to post some pics and a few updates of my adventure over the next six months. I Hope you follow along.

As always, sorry to leave you teetering on the edge of your seat for, I don't know, about a couple of years. Whoops! I said I'm sorry.

Back in action,

Marty

Mogul Mashers year-end party

2009-04-19T08:50:00.003+09:00

Last night was our end-of-season party for the Misawa Mogul Mashers (ski and snowboard club). It was a good turnout to a less than stellar season of skiing (due to the economy and maybe global warming).

The club treasurer, secretary, president and I (vp) decided on the Oirase Brewery for the venue. I had been there one other time and enjoyed it (perhaps too much). It's another one of those seamingly popular pay-too-much, cook-your-own-food and leave-with-lots-of-grease-burns restraurants. Fortunately this ptm, cyof, and lwlogb restaurant also provides transportation there and back (about 40 minute trip) and all-you-can-drink alcoholic beverages. Surprising how the grease stops burning (as much) after a couple of pitchers of microbrewed ale. The beer (even the soba beer) was good, the food was good (burns and all), and the cameraderie was good.

I'm looking forward to next season and trying out snowboarding more often and getting AX more comfortable on skis.

Grinding more powder than Colombia (credit to Scott S.),
Marty

Impaled

2009-02-03T20:52:00.002+09:00

You know how your mom always told you not to run with something in your mouth or you'll fall and jam it through the roof of your mouth? Me either. My mom always suggested I take a steak knife and go play in the busy street. (I know you meant well, Mom.)

EW has had some instances of biting, however, nowhere near the trouble we had with AX. Fortunately, I don't think consuming flesh was his intent last night. We were all having a nice time reading books during EW's story time, except EW. The little guy wasn't really in the mood for reading and wanted to continue playing. He likes to stand on my chest and, with some assistance, jump up and down (it's not entirely as painful as it sounds). He wasn't ready to stop his game of "up down" when I was done assisting so I left my hands up to catch him if he slipped.

I then diverted my attention to AX as he was about to read a book for EW. (AX by the way is starting to read. This book in particular he has memorized so he reads it that way.) EW tried to stand up and resume his game and did indeed slip. As his face headed down with his mouth agape and laughing, I felt my fingernail click across his tooth and sink into the soft part of the roof of his mouth. (Sorry if that makes you a little squeamish; that's how I felt in the instant I knew what happened.). When he realized something wasn't right (probably from the look of surprise from me), he started crying. I opened his mouth and saw the blood running down the roof of his mouth and down his throat. I took him to the sink and attempted to apply pressure, but couldn't touch so far back without gagging him. We called the Urgent Care clinic and they told me to bring him in.

I don't know what it is about older siblings, but AX felt the overwhelming need try to distress his little brother. He was pretending to cry; even though EW wasn't anymore. Then he was being overanxious about blood. I realize there was potential for a kid to get worked up about the trauma, but this was quite apparent that he was trying to get a rise out of his brother. Finally, he tried to work his way into going to the clinic with us. I know it seems like he was worried, but if you know AX at bedtime, you would know he was looking for a reason to not go to bed.

At almost the same time as I was phoning the clinic (and AX was doing his gig), the bleeding had slowed to a trickle so I didn't think he'd bleed out on the way. By the time we got his shoes on, the bleeding had stopped and I could clearly see the fingernail-shaped gouge.

After a short but apprehensive wait, he and I were able to see the doctor, who assured me that it was just a flesh wound and would heal quickly and without assistance.

EW seems past it all already and really hasn't even showed any discomfort while eating. He's a pretty tough kid.

And for the record, my Mom was very caring and would never send me out into a busy street carrying a sharp object ... It was a spoon and our street wasn't that busy.

Keeping the kids intact for another day,
Marty

Trip Pics - Tokyo

2009-01-28T22:28:00.008+09:00

I'm losing sleep for this post. Here's so my wife will get off my back for posting without pictures:

The Spanish teacher's pet. El perro?

This is what women look like in their natural habitat, a jewelry store. This one specialized in pearls. Notice the male in the background with a bewildered and confused look.

Hey, rickshaw boy! Stop checking out girls and take me to the Sumo tournament.

We're HUGE in Japan ... or at least we would have been in the Edo Period.

Now for a little Sumo.

They already have wedgies, so they just have to battle for lunch money.

Part of the 360 degree view from Tokyo Tower.

This one's for you, Dave. Now will you come visit?

A glimpse of the Giant Panda. Ok it was a cow, but we pretended so the trip to the zoo didn't feel like a waste.

I can only surmise that this is what became of the dear, departed Giant Panda. Or maybe this is just a Hollywood stunt double. Skadoosh!

View from the ginormous Ferris Wheel.

Yeah, I did that. No, I didn't get the lousy t-shirt.

Finally, our ride home - the Shinkansen.

And of course ... the Tooth Fairy's pet.

Sorry for the delay in photos. I hope I didn't force anyone to use their imaginations.

Marty

Sumo in Tokyo

2009-01-23T21:28:00.002+09:00

This post is about a week late, but since I'm sitting here listening to Vanessa sleep and waiting for a utility company in the states to open so I can call and cancel the service that I've not utilized since early August, I thought I'd supply a little fodder for you. (yes, that was a very long sentence. Don't make me do an entire post in one sentence because you felt you needed to point that out.)

Last weekend we loaded up the family and took the Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) to Tokyo. The main purpose for the trip was to attend a Sumo Tournament. Secondarily, we went because, hey, we've never been on the Shinkansen, nor have we been to Tokyo. I suppose that's not entirely true cause we flew in to Tokyo on our way here, but we didn't really see much or get off the bus. And actually I've been on the Shinkansen once for a business trip to Sendai. So as I prattle on with half-truths, let's just say we've never done Tokyo nor all ridden the Shinkansen together.

The idea for the trip came from some of Vanessa's co-workers who have made an annual trip to Tokyo for the Basho (Sumo Tournament). They opened up the invitation, and after a brief discussion, decided to check it off our list. (That list is unofficial, but it does exist in our minds of the things we must do whilst we are exiled here). Needless to say, the Basho was pretty awesome, even if our seats were a bit lofty. Surprisingly, even the boys enjoyed it and seemed to remain captivated by the rotund gents smashing into each other and whose nether regions were covered only by a towel or mawashi (the size needed for those guys could easily be large enough for a family-sized beach towel. And now that I think about comparing a silken cloth that has been firmly set betwixt a 400 pound Japanese guy's sweaty cheeks, perhaps that wasn't the best analogy). I can only imagine that EW was thinking Santa Clause decided to ditch the red leisure suit for something a little less constricting. (See previous post)

In addition to the Basho, we also visited the Edo (that's Tokyo before it became the capital) Museum, and Tokyo Tower at night (great observation deck).

The next day we went to the Ueno Zoo. According to their website they have a giant panda, but according to the sign at the entrance said panda died almost a year ago ... c'mon update your site and stop misleading uninformed tourists ... I mean Vanessa was devastated and almost cried. We also stopped in at a really busy shopping area that had loads of vendors and people. I really didn't see anything that would create such a large crowd, but perhaps it's a place for people to go hang out when they're missing the crowded subway. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped in Akihabara (the electronics district) and Ginza (the 5th Avenue of Tokyo). We didn't buy or need to buy anything, but now we can say we've been there.

On our final day, we ventured out to see the Tokyo Dome (I guess it's a baseball field), but we could really only see the outside of it (mostly uninspiring, but it was on the list of things to do in Tokyo). Across from the Dome was a shopping mall with some amusement rides. There was a roller coaster that circled around the roof, so I had to take a spin (alone of course). The first downhill was exhilarating, but that was about it, then it was over. We all rode the huge Ferris wheel and enjoyed a nice birds-eye view of the city (during the day this time). We then finished our morning with lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Vanessa and I have now eaten at BGSC in San Francisco, Honolulu, Minneapolis, and Tokyo. I know, you're jealous. Finally, we gathered up our things from the hotel and made our way back to the train and home.

If you made it through this lengthy summation, I feel obligated to inform you that AX finally lost his first tooth today. I'm probably more excited than he is, because now I don't have to check it for him daily and give him my opinion as to how near it is to detaching. And since the Tooth Fairy is asleep, I'm going to stand in and hook the little guy up. I don't know what the going rate for a first tooth is these days. I guess I'll see what I have in my pocket; he may get an inkpen and some lint.

Time to have some mooch's water turned off (honestly, the house was a steal. You'd think he'd have the decency to change the utilities over),

Marty

Gobble, Gobble, Ho, Ho

2008-12-07T17:31:00.008+09:00

Thanksgiving came and went without much ado. We had a traditional dinner with a full bird but minimized fixings; leaving minimal leftovers and the need to relive that day for the next week. Vanessa put the ol' plastic tree up no later than the day after. She actually got our tree up before her Mom had hers up. Of course it helps being 13 hours ahead.

We were mostly finished with our holiday shopping before Black Friday. Fortunately, the Japanese don't suffer from the affliction that Americans seem to when it comes to a need to trample Walmart employees after a day of gluttony and thankfullness. Of course that could be due to the dearth of the ubiquitous retail giant here.

We've sent out our Christmas cards earlier than normal. We got all dressed up in kimonos because, well, we're in Japan. If you didn't get one, you probably haven't given us an updated mailing address. Try to rectify that by next year, will ya!

It's also time to use the threat of Santa not visiting to get the kids in order. While we don't make Santa a huge part of Christmas normally, we have found that Aiden has become more susceptible to the ruse. I know, we're mean parents.

We attended my office holiday party last night. It was held at the club and was open to the whole family. Santa was there and supplied the kiddies with candy canes and gifts (of course pre-provided by parents--what does he use all those elves for anyway if they're not making the presents anymore?).

You may notice a member of the family not present in the above photo. We tried many times, but Ethan didn't want anything to do with the guy with the unruly facial hair and a penchant for red.

As you can see, he would rather use his Jedi abilities to obtain a gift. When those didn't pan out, he ran over for his present and split again before the fat guy could stuff him into that red bag. Ultimately, Ethan did open up a line of communication and said bye; this was probably some innate behavior to get on the jolly fellow's good side before the 25th.

We are now looking forward to our definite white Christmas, and of course hearing from all of you.

Getting ready for the yuki,

Marty

How Bazaar

2008-10-19T21:17:00.002+09:00

This week I celebrated my birthday (never you mind which one). It wasn't anything too exciting, but I was happy to spend time with my family.

We didn't really go anywhere this weekend either; still up to our ears in boxes. Actually, that's not entirely true. We've been working hard and are now down to our knees in boxes, but there's still all the stuff that belongs on the walls on the floor. At least we can navigate from room to room without obstruction. We even found a little room for some added furniture.

Twice each year, the Misawa Officers' Spouses Club hosts the Far East Bazaar. This weekend was the second of the year. We found lots of stuff we wanted, but we don't yet know what kind of space we have available so we mostly restrained ourselves from making impulse purchases. We did, however, find a couple of lamps we couldn't walk away from. They are actually from Hawaii, but that's kind of "Far East-ish." Right?

For now, we're looking forward to the next bazaar. Of course, we have to keep our options open, cause we'll find a lot of stuff we won't be able to live without over the next few years.

Otanjoobi omedetoo gozaimasu (to me),
Marty

Boxes, Boxes, Bed, Bed

2008-10-11T14:53:00.004+09:00

Our stuff was finally delivered Thursday. Ness and I (at this point just Ness, cause I'm typing this) are currently digging ourselves out of stacks of boxes. Some of the boxes are like Christmas presents; they're labeled but it's a big surprise when we actually open it up to see what's inside. Movers have a funny way of grabbing something left over from one room and squeezing it in with a completely random box of wares. They also like to use lots and lots of packing paper. I really shouldn't complain cause all that packing paper keeps my precious pencils, pens, straws, and silverware from getting broken.

Many of you have seen, or heard about the bed I made Aiden a few years ago (loft, complete with slide and "stone" wall). That colossal masterpiece (if I may say so) took up most of his former bedroom. Because we didn't know what kind of space we'd have here, we opted to leave it behind in storage and buy the boys a bunk bed from Ikea. I spent a couple of hours after our household goods delivery putting together their new bed . After two nights, it seems like it's going to work out. Ethan even slept on his big boy bed last night.

When we moved out of the temporary lodging on base to our home in town for the next three years, we borrowed furniture from the base (No, I'm not using "borrowed" liberally. They actually have a Furnishings Management Office that has lots of loaner stuff). These furnishings included large appliances, living room furnishings, dressers, and beds. We quickly discovered a sticking point with the beds.

We live in a Japanese-style home and things are a little more quaint than we're used too. For instance, I have to duck my head to get into the upstairs bathroom (I've only forgotten once!). The movers with the loaner furniture tried to move a queen size bed up the stairs and discovered our dilemma; it wasn't going to happen. Knowing we had our own queen size bed on a voyage across the ocean, we had to look for an alternative solution. We used the two twin beds that we originally borrowed for the boys and pushed them together, while Aiden was able to enjoy the queen size bed downstairs. Of course Ethan didn't sleep on the floor; we kept him hostage in a pack-n-play.

We shopped around some local furniture stores last week and found a couple of twin beds that, when pushed together, will make for some spacious snoozing (and a some nearly wall-to-wall furniture) for the next few years. They delivered and assembled the bed today and, although it's only 3 P.M. here, I'm ready to go try it out. Good bye unpacking, hello mid-afternoon nap!

O-yasumi nasai,
Marty

Won't you take me to Takko town

2008-10-05T20:08:00.004+09:00

Last weekend we decided to take a trip to Takko town (pronounce TACO) for the annual Beef and Garlic Festival. Having lived in the SF Bay area of California, Ness and I have attended the sister-city garlic festival in Gilroy (not that I remember much of it besides the intense, yet delightful smell of garlic permeating the air).

Our trip down was uneventful, with the exception of this being our longest whole-family trip here to date. It was surprisingly quiet.

I purchased our lunch tickets the week before the trip, so we were assured a lunch of vegetables, garlic, and thinly sliced Takko beef. I think I forgot to read the small print, cause we soon discovered that we were afforded the opportunity to prepare our meal to our liking. We searched through the throngs of people for a grill, then hovered over a couple of folks until they "decided" they were finished eating and moved along. One of the volunteers prepared our grilling surface (I need to find one of those people for my grill), and we set to work cooking our lunch. The boys were eager to, um, help. I hesitate, cause we had a toddler meandering around a bunch of half-barrels full of fire, and a kindergartner who wanted to touch a bunch of raw food on the surface of said half-barrels of fire. We got through the hectic lunch prep and, at least Ness and I, enjoyed some wonderful food.

After fighting with Aiden to eat something, then ultimately surrendering, we ventured around the rest of the festivities. There wasn't a whole lot to do, but we did happen upon the Garlic Spitting contest. We enjoyed watching for a while, but Vanessa quickly goaded me into signing up. She's a good sport, so she didn't complain too much that I signed her up too. We ended up being the last two on the list; 79 and 80. There might have been more contestants, but it started raining; making the already cool mountain air even, colder. Fortunately, the rain let up just before it was our turn.

(can you see the clove of garlic?)

Ladies and Gentlemen, the picture above is the wife of the 3rd place world champion garlic spitter (11.678 meters). I plan to attend next year's festival to try to take 1st.

I actually relished in the spotlight with another Airman, who actually works down the hall from me and whom I shall forever refer to as Number Two. I'm not sure what that says about the Airforce.

That was the excitement of the festival. If you see me around, NO autographs!

Setting my sights on being Ichiban next year,
Marty

Ryusendo Caves

2008-09-23T20:47:00.001+09:00

Shortly before we left San Antonio, we visited the Natural Bridge Caverns. Since then, Aiden has been asking about caves in Japan. I assured him we would find some, so I did. Monday (our Monday, not yours), Aiden was out of school, but Ness had to work. We left Ethan in daycare. It was a perfect opportunity for Aiden and I to have a father-son day. I took the two of us on a road trip about 150 Km south. We had some decent directions so it wasn't too hard to find. It just took what seemed like forever. But you know, it was ok because we didn't have the youngest boy screaming (his only efficient way of communicating at this point) in the backseat.

We stopped along the way for a second breakfast at McDonald's. Aiden needed ketchup for his hash brown, so I sent him to the counter. Keep in mind that we were quite a ways from the McD's near our house that sees Americans all the time and where they understand English rather well. Aiden asks me all the time how to say words in Japanese, so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for him to use a word or two. I armed him with his vocab and away he went nervous, but rehearsing his line ... "kechapu o kudasai." Success! He was pretty proud of his accomplishment.

Aiden managed to stay awake all the way to the last 20 minutes of our trip to the caves. He was enjoying the wind on his hand but couldn't resist the call for a catnap.

The Caves were small, but had some interesting features (clear, deep water for one) that we hadn't seen in previous caves in both New Mexico and Texas. They were also quite damp and cold. Aiden was all to happy to get back outside where it was warmer and no possibility for a bat to come swooping down on him (not that that was likely).

After a lot of walking, Aiden wanted to enjoy some of the refreshing spring water from the caves. He is a bit of a germaphobe sometimes, so he refused to use the community cups provided.

Getting Aiden to eat Japanese food isn't going so well ... yet. We did find some ice cream to have for lunch. It wasn't the most nutritious of lunches, but hey, it was a special day.

Since we have GPS coordinates back to our house, we were able to take a faster route home using the handy-dandy Garmin. I knocked off about 30 Km and an hour from my return trip (partly because we didn't stop at McDonald's again). The map software we have is a little old and doesn't have all the finished roads, so I did have to navigate a little on my own. All in all, it was enjoyable, but I think we'll find something closer to home next time.

Living the adventure,
Marty

The Gersts in Nippon, er, Japan

2008-09-20T15:20:00.000+09:00

You read that correctly, we're in Japan. After I returned from my deployment to the not so fabulous desert, we packed our bags and headed east (actually west, but to the Far East). We now reside in Misawa, Japan. My assignment here is supposed to last until August 2011, but as fickle as the Force is, we could leave here in a year or 10. It seems that every assignment I'm at the rules change. Of course I'll keep you posted on any changes.

I know what you're thinking, "Gerst, you're a slacker about keeping us posted." Well you're right, but you'll have to trust me on this one. We're a long way from home and we have a lot of people to keep in the loop. As was the original intent of this blog, this is the best way for us to update everyone with the same info.

As for what you've missed, well, you missed it. Let's stop living in the past, shall we. Let's start fresh (and any other cliches you can think of). And let's do that with the next update.

Hajimemashite,
Marty

Don't fall over

2008-06-03T03:30:00.002+09:00

I know ...

I've been here, I just haven't been much about the blogging. There's lots of news, but I'm sure you've gotten it from other sources by now (CNN, Fox, President Bush). I have most certainly left you hanging.

Most of you know where I am, but if you don't, well, I can't tell you. Due to host nation sensitivities we can't say. Oh, everyone knows we're here, but our gracious hosts don't like to rub it in the faces of their Arabic brothers.

So quick update ... I'm here for another month, I haven't done anything nearly as exciting as my last deployment, I've been to a couple of places around the area that I'm sure I'll fill you in about later (I say that, but don't hold your breath), my kids are growing like weeds (the youngest like a fat weed, but I'm sure he'll grow more vertical soon enough), and we're all moving to Japan in August.

So there it is. More updates later.

Maybe much later,
Marty

I'm here ... Wherever here is

2008-01-27T11:53:00.000+09:00

It was a long trip, but I finally made it here Wednesday afternoon. I'm getting settled into both my living situation (not horrendous) and my job (possibly fun -- we'll see). I'm currently hanging onto a ledge with my laptop at arms length trying to get a wi-fi signal so I can post this before my battery runs out.

There! Done!

I'll try to put something more informative together offline, then I can just post it when I finally get that elusive connection.

Hope everyone is doing well,
Marty

Slight delay; it's for real now

2008-01-16T08:50:00.000+09:00

I was scheduled to leave early on the 6th, but turns out I had strep throat. I spent most of the Saturday before in the the emergency room waiting to be seen by a doctor. As luck would have it, I was placed on 48 hours quarters so I couldn't leave. This wasn't lucky for my gaining station as they're quite irate that I didn't show up.

I've spent the last week recovering and doing some of those things I didn't have a chance to do earlier; I still haven't finished them. It's too late now cause I'm at BWI airport waiting for my late night flight to the wonderful world of sand. Since my sponsorship on that end of my deployment has been quite lacking, I don't have a clue as to when I'll be able to contact anyone. Hopefully, I'll be once again engaged in regular updates of my blog, but as I don't know the finer details of my deployment, I can't make any promises. I know you'll all be on the edge of your seat waiting.

Dangling the carrot,

Marty

Time for Christmas, time for deploying

2007-12-20T13:30:00.000+09:00

Season's greetings,

We're gearing up for an exciting holiday season. We will be celebrating Christmas, New Years, and Ethan's 1st b-day all in the span of a couple of weeks. We'll be visiting friends and family, then promptly return home to prepare for my deployment.

Uncle Sam's little, militant brother, Uncle Air Force, has given me my marching orders. At the beginning of the year, I'll be deploying once again. I'll tell you later where I land, but for now, know that I won't be in immediate danger.

Vanessa will once again be the lone parent in our household. This time around she'll have two boys in tow. I can't say enough how much I admire Vanessa's strength during these times. I know she has friends and family who will be able to lend her a hand or ear when she needs them, and I thank you.

I pray each of you will have a wonderful holiday season. I hope to see or hear from you before I depart. If not, you probably know how to contact me. I'll be in touch.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Marty

Tis the season ... for sick kids

2007-12-05T02:51:00.000+09:00

Yep! I'm sitting at home for the rest of the day after receiving a call that AX had an involuntary protein spill at daycare. So I finished up what I was working on at work and made my way to pick him up. As I was approaching, I received yet another call from daycare informing me that EWG had a fever and would also need to be picked up. Oh, the joys of parenthood. By the way, I think they caught whatever is bothering them from their mother. Admit it Vanessa, I know it's all your fault! :)

I put the kids to bed and will await the fury of their illnesses when they waken. Until then ...

Take two of these and call me in the morning,

Dr. Dad

(Note to anyone in the know: my little trip to Ecuador has been nixed, so now I'll be headed to play in the sand.)

Early Turkey Day

2007-11-28T13:26:00.000+09:00

I didn't post last week because at least half of my audience was here for Thanksgiving, or at least the weekend before the holiday. The boys had an awesome time with their grandparents and Auntie Megan and Aiden enjoyed spending time being a terror with his cousin. The women folk went out shopping on a daily basis, so V's dad and I managed to play a couple of rounds of golf. I'm sure V's shopping skills were honed, but I can't say the same for my golf skills. Nonetheless, I enjoyed getting out and playing.

Our company departed before TG, so our immediate family had a nice turkey dinner with a few fixins. Vanessa and Aiden even made a pumpkin pie (if it had been pecan I would have eaten too much of it all by myself, and I certainly don't need that). EWG even enjoyed a taste of his first Thanksgiving dinner. It was actually nice to not be so stuffed after the traditional turkey dinner.

Lately I've been really, really busy after work. I joined a band. Mostly I play the drums, but sometimes I pick up a guitar or vocals. We just usually play to our strengths depending on who shows up to be in the band. I guess I should mention that I'm talking about the video game Rockband ... sorry, I couldn't resist.

So last night I had one of those "in-the-weeds" dreams about playing the video game and slept horribly. Tonight, I've decided that I should do something else before immediately going to bed in order to assuage those kind of dreams. Hopefully updating my blog will do the trick.

Sweet Rock-n-Roll dreams,
Marty

Since my last post...

2007-11-15T13:26:00.000+09:00

We went to our church for their Fall Festival, i.e., Halloween celebration. Aiden dressed as the Red Power Ranger. I don't really understand his infatuation with Power Rangers since, to my knowledge, he's only seen about two episodes. Ethan was dressed in an adorable monkey costume that his Granny made for him. We then came home and Aiden and I walked around the cul-de-sac and did the traditional trick-or-treat gig. Although we hit far fewer houses than we did last year, I think it was just about right.

The first weekend of this month Aiden had his last soccer game. The score was tied, but only because I was trying to be nice to the other team that evidently had a coach who wasn't too knowledgeable about the rules for Under 5 soccer. The Tigers received their participation medals and posed for a few final pics. Unfortunately, some of the player won't be returning to play soccer (hopefully not because they had a bad coach). And, as I'm scheduled to deploy before his next season, Aiden isn't sure he wants to play next season if I'm not his coach. I'm flattered! About half of the team went to Peter Piper Pizza for a team celebration afterwards. It was a nice way to finish off the season.

Aiden had his first sleepover. Aiden and his best buddy in our neighborhood decided they would camp in the backyard. We pitched a tent and made a campfire in the fire pit table. And what campfire would be complete without making s'mores? After playing with the marshmallow forks in the fire for quite some time, the boys decided they'd had enough of "camping." They ultimately opted for the comfort of the great indoors.

The next day, I had to work at the Randolph Air Force Base airshow. Vanessa brought the boys up to the airshow later in the afternoon and I ditched my post and spent time with them (Really, I was done with my shift). Aiden has been to an airshow before, but he's finally at the age when seeing the different aircraft actually peak his interest. I think he tested out every pilot seat he could get to.

Finally, Aiden and I took in our second theatre production. This time it was "The Snow Dragon." It wasn't too bad and conveyed a pretty good message. This will mark the final play in the half-season package we purchased. Since I'll be gone, Vanessa and Aiden will be attending the final two plays.

And what posting would be complete without mentioning what's upcoming in my life? Vanessa's parents are coming for a pre-Thanksgiving visit. As always, we look forward to spending time with them. And I'm sure they're looking forward to spending time with their grandsons.

If you don't hear from me before Thanksgiving, have a great one.

Gobble?

Marty

Slackers Anonymous

2007-10-30T10:09:00.000+09:00

Hi. My name's Marty and I am a slacker. It's been 41 days since my last post. I don't know how I keep getting off track. I can't use the excuse that I haven't had anything new to post, cause I've had lots happen between then and now. Eureka! I've just been far too busy. Yeah, that's it!

So just what has been keeping me so busy lately?

We've had several soccer games. Aiden scored a goal in one. He's doing much better, but still a typical 4-year-old when it comes to distractions. He had team pictures and we took him for additional soccer pictures (really not necessary, but I don't recall making that decision on my own).

Then the following weekend, we went for family pictures. Those turned out okay, but I think I'm tired of the same-old studio pictures. Next time, I think we'll find somewhere more exciting.

I also had another birthday. I'm not sure how old I am at this point, but it feels old. Oddly though, not as old as I felt last b-day. Thanks for those of you who offered your well-wishes. My gift … I will be learning how to play the guitar. Having never played a musical instrument, this is surely going to be quite an adventure.

We (for some reason or another) typically have a party this time of year. This year, much to my delight, it happened to be with a Halloween theme. We had loads of people attend and of course extended our invitation to their children. One guest who had stepped outside commented, "it looks like Chuck E. Cheese exploded in there!" But everyone, with our without children, seemed to have a good time. I know I did!

This weekend we went to a pumpkin patch. There was oodles to do there and the boys really enjoyed themselves. Ethan reveled in the train ride and the hayride; Aiden relished panning for rocks and picking out a couple of pumpkins that we carved tonight.

So that's just some of the highlights. We've had some more trivial matters too, but I won't bore you with those today.

Can't wait to post again soon,
Marty

I'm a pony

2007-09-19T11:08:00.000+09:00

I should have known I would be next...

Ethan got a bit sick with a runny nose and was hoarse last week. Being the affectionate father I am, I went ahead and borrowed his cold from him. At least he's on antibiotics now, so if it's an infection his problems should clear up soon. I'm scheduled to see a doctor tomorrow, but for now I'm without a voice.

Doing my best puberty impression,

Marty

Soccer

2007-09-18T11:25:00.000+09:00

After deciding Aiden was too young to start playing soccer last year, I was eager to get him started this year in a sport I enjoyed as a youth. As luck would have it, I also get to be his coach.

That's right! I'm in charge of leading not one, but six impressionable young minds. The team has had three practices and we played our first game Saturday. Aiden was a little cranky for the first two practices, but actually participated and enjoyed the third. As well, Ethan enjoys watching his big brother (playing soccer or anything else).

Aiden played alright during his first game, but I only have one player who was anywhere near aggressive enough to go take the ball from the other team. That's what we'll be working on this week.

It's really neat to see the different personalities in each of the kids. They definitely keep me on my toes and challenge me to keep them engaged during the practices and games. I've found some pretty decent resources on the web, but it will probably take a little more time to get more out of them.

Go Tigers!

Marty

I'm here...

2007-09-02T12:53:00.000+09:00

Sorry I haven't posted in some time, but we went on a little trip ... and I'm a slacker. I promise I'll get back to the whole blogging thing soon. Hope everyone's having a nice Labor Day holiday.

Good Night,

Marty

Independence Day

2007-07-11T10:55:00.000+09:00

Okay, it's been almost a week since the subject occurred, but I have excuses (I'll spare you the details).

For an update regarding the last post, we had a good time at Schlitterbahn, but not as good as Aiden and Alex. We avoided rain problems, but any of the rides had excruciatingly long lines. V and I waited more than an hour for the one ride we were able to enjoy together. The kid areas, of course, didn't have lines and that was fine by the boys. It was good to see Dave, Audrey and Alex. Thanks for visiting, friends.

To celebrate the holiday, I grabbed an old bag of sparklers that didn't make it out for earlier 4th of July celebrations and led the family to the backyard.

(Aiden isn't the most curious fellow when it comes to fire, so it took some convincing to get a sparkler in his hand. But after he got over his fear, I had to slow him down to keep the errant sparks from igniting the house.)

(Aiden gets the fear of fire--and most things--from his mom!)

Next year, I may get to play with some actual fireworks.

If you know where we live, you're invited to a BBQ this weekend. If I don't see you, I'll let you know how it goes (er, maybe).

That's all for now,

Marty

Rain, rain, go away...

2007-06-30T13:05:00.000+09:00

So we can go to Schlitterbahn to play.

Our friends are coming down from Dallas this weekend to visit. While they're here we're planning to go up to New Braunfels to enjoy the world's best water park. I know I'm looking forward to it. But, oh by the way, there's been some crazy rainfall here for more than a week. I was even released from work early yesterday because of flash flooding. However, it does look like it's beginning to let up and there's only a 40 percent chance for rain tomorrow. I'm okay with that, cause I'm sure that it can't rain all day. I'll keep my fingers crossed (is there any proof that that really works?).

In other news, my friend "Anonymous Mom" is in San Antonio en route to her new home in the DC area. V and I did manage to have dinner with her and her husband, but she's been scarce since (maybe we were bad company). Hopefully, we'll be able to hang out more before she leaves next weekend. (Yes, this is a shameless ploy to guilt her into not thinking up anymore excuses--to include attempting to amputate her foot with a pickle jar and following that up with a sunburn--to not visit more often.)

Hoping for a temporary drought and more company,

Marty

Father's Day

2007-06-20T12:25:00.000+09:00

It was fun, the presents just kept coming. I guess it was like Hanukkah, except I'm not Jewish. I'm grateful that I now have two perfect sons. If I have another, I could have my own sitcom remake...

This was my favorite gift. I actually asked for it last Father's Day, but as I was out of the country, it would have been difficult to enjoy.

Aiden and I had a Father-Son project to build in the garage. He needed a new bookshelf for his library of books that he's been collecting since birth. Conveniently enough, I've had all the wood for said bookshelf for a few months now. Hey, no time like the present.

I hope all the fathers out there were doted upon as much as I.

Celebratin' with "My Two Sons,"

Marty

Water Play at Sea World

2007-06-14T13:21:00.000+09:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, we traded in the season passes to the zoo for the more expensive, but equally (if not more) entertaining Sea World season passes. SW is quite a bit further from our house than the zoo, but we decided that Aiden is getting old enough to start enjoying rides and water play as well as shows, animals, and crazy large crowds. Having season passes affords us the opportunity to spend less time fighting the crowds because we can come back as often as we want. We've been to SW three times together (V and A went a couple of other times while I was deployed) and I'm certain we'll be back several more times before the season ends. Besides, SW is one of those attractions that people drive hundreds of miles to make part of their vacations, but we are fortunate enough to have it right here in our own backyard.

Enough of the background already...

So we took the boys to SW this weekend solely to enjoy the water park.

(V and EWG preparing for the "fun.")

(EWG gets his first dip. He was okay with it until his diaper became saturated -- He hates his diaper being wet. But he does love baths so maybe we should take him skinny dipping.)

(Aiden was surprisingly enjoying the water.)

(We were doing some kind of water dance. Next stop, "So You Think You Can Dance.")

I promise to start working on my summer tan so you won't have to dim your monitors to view future posts.

On a crazy posting spree...for now,

Marty

Catch Up, Part II

2007-06-12T13:20:00.000+09:00

As promised, here's the next installation of my making reparations.

We visited the zoo (the last time with our annual pass) with some friends. Aiden took his camera along, but I somehow managed to erase all of his pictures while downloading them to the computer. Here's one of him feeding the birds. I believe the cost of the small cup of sugar water was considerably more than tuppence.

Ethan had his four month well-baby doctor visit. He's in the upper percentile for his height, but his weight and head circumference were in the lower. He's now trying solid foods and we're reading him Plato, so we expect he'll soon be ahead of the pack in those areas. (Editor's note: I know that we'll have no impact on his brain size and thereby his head circumference--it was a joke, people! Try to keep up.)

After a trip to our new season pass choice, Sea World, we stopped at Cold Stone Creamery for a treat. Aiden prefers chocolate with whatever mix-in tickles his fancy that day.

This has also been a popular time for birthday parties. Here we are enjoying riding bumper boats at the third party in three weeks. Aiden and I are in the red boat. We got drenched. Vanessa, meanwhile, used Ethan as an alibi to abjure getting wet.

I walked into the living room to find Aiden using Ethan's Bumbo seat as a helmet. Aside from the obvious uses as headgear, the seat is very useful for Ethan.

We had our family picture taken to include Ethan. We've had a few various combinations of family members before, but this one is complete...well without the dogs. So, never mind the whole "complete" thing, just enjoy.

Just recently, V's parents came for a visit so we took our first opportunity to get away from the screaming kids overnight (just kidding, they're actually well-behaved, little angels). We went to the coast for a couple of days and let the grandparents enjoy their grandchildren. We stayed in Corpus Christi and visited Padre Island, and Port Aransas as well. While we were there, we took in some night life, the Aquarium, some horseback riding along the beach, and visited the USS Lexington. Vanessa also tried an Appletini.

Upon returning, we took Aiden to start his swimming lessons. It was a rough start, as he wouldn't even get in the pool the first day. He has participated since, although he's still uneasy about the whole water thing.

Next up, Ethan's first pool experience.

Marty

Catch Up, Part I

2007-06-11T14:05:00.000+09:00

Okay, okay! Stop with the yelling already. I know I've been a bit of a slacker lately, but the resounding uproar from not keeping this blog up-to-date has been deafening. Yes, there was only one elucidation left by an unhappy reader, but the castigation from my mother makes up for the dearth of protest from the rest of you.

So what’s my excuse? I don’t have one. Yep, I’ve just been a slacker. There have been copious opportunities, as I will exhibit in the next few posts. So now it’s just up to you, my steadfast audience, to continue to behold the exhilaration that is my life. So without further delay, this is what has been happening since my last post…

Birthday
Upon my return (read: the next day), we had a belated birthday party for Aiden's 4th. We let him choose his theme and venue, pirates and bowling. It makes me wonder if pirates ever played games aboard their ships aside from walking the plank and keel hauling.

He had a decent crowd of children, despite the horrible pizza served at the bowling alley and the pirate cake with pink sand frosting, but delicious blue gel water.

Aiden got lots of presents, of course, but I think his favorite was the Fisher Price digital camera that V and I got for him. It's neat to see things from a four-year-old's perspective.

Easter
Easter Sunday was a bust for outdoor egg hunting due to lots of rain, so the Easter Bunny visited our dining room instead. Aiden, unchallenged of course, did pretty well.

I suspect Ethan was a little miffed about not being able to participate.

Fiesta
April in San Antonio also brings Fiesta. Vanessa was off from work so we decided to make a family day of the Battle of Flowers parade. I don't think Ethan got much out of the numerous floats and elaborate dresses worn by the Fiesta queens, but we're counting this as his first parade nonetheless.

Strawberry Festival
April, or maybe early May, was also the annual Poteet Strawberry Festival. We sampled the various carnival foods as well as the obligatory strawberry comestibles, strawberry shortcake, strawberry wine, etc.

And with a carnival comes the various carnival rides. Fortunately, there was a large assortment of kiddy rides that Aiden was able to enjoy.

Well friends, that should whet your appetite for now. I'll go ahead and compose the second part in this post tonight but for now, I'll let you digest this one.

Your humble scribe,

Marty

Stay on Target...Stay on Target...

2007-03-30T12:42:00.000+09:00

It's almost over, Yea!! I just have to wake up and sit through our graduation festivities tomorrow, then I'm hittin' the road for about 820 miles. I should probably start packing instead of blogging, but I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seat waiting for my next post. And who am I to keep my loyal readers waiting? (You better be loyal!)

The end results: our flight in the top 1/3 of the school--we're 9th; we are the top flight academically in the school; and we're the top flight in our squadron, 3-0, for flickerball (it's a made-up leadership game). As far as my individual accomplishments, hey, I passed and wasn't in the bottom of my flight and that's good enough for me.

Making the grade--mostly,

Marty

Wanted: Sudan Briefing

2007-03-26T08:05:00.000+09:00

Sixteen hours from now I have to give a briefing on Sudan. Uh, I haven't started writing it yet...Arghhh!

The last two days I've been hiding in my room trying to get my internet connection reestablished. I've finally given up on that and decided to seek out other means for access. I'm now at Panera Bread pouring caffine into my veins as a preemptive measure for the long night ahead of me. And no this short posting isn't distracting me from my task. To the contrary, it's the only thing keeping my head from exploding.

So if there's anyone out there who wants to give my briefing for me...

Keeping brief so I can work on my briefing,

Marty

Test 2 Down

2007-03-24T02:05:00.000+09:00

I just finished my second and final test with an 89 percent. It was a little more difficult than the first test, but I studied differently this time. I didn't stress out about it and even managed to get a full night's sleep last night. Sure, I gave up a few points, but it was worth it.

One more week left--just one 13 minute briefing, sit-ups, push-ups, and a 3 mile run.

In the home stretch,

Marty

Mustache March

2007-03-14T09:34:00.000+09:00

Here's the exciting picture I promised...

All the guys in my flight decided during the first week of class that we would participate in a little tradition aircrews often have when they deploy. It took me two weeks to get that beauty and about 30 seconds to shave it off last night. My apologies to anyone who thought facial hair is just what I needed.

Smoooooooth,

Marty

My Sons

2007-03-12T04:30:00.000+09:00

Being away from my boys is very distracting. They grow up so fast and I feel when I have to go TDY (temporary duty) I miss so much of their lives. This is what I'm missing right now...

Aiden hiding out in a huge basket in our living room where we normally hide some of his toys.

Ethan finding more than a passing interest in one of his digits and his mom trying to convince him that if he takes a pacifier instead we can take that away from him later.

Three weeks and counting,

Marty

...With Flying Colors

2007-03-10T02:50:00.000+09:00

I just finished my first test and passed with a 91 percent. I have really been stressing about it for the last two weeks. It didn't help that on the first day of SOS they built it up to terrifying proportions. Thankfully it's over and I won't have to stress over another test for at least a couple of weeks. Next up (Monday), Job Briefing...now if I can only orate what exactly it is that I do.

Weekend plans: work on briefing, work on country research project, stress about both.

Getting gray hair one day at a time,

Marty

Intermittent Connectivity

2007-03-08T13:12:00.000+09:00

I'm supposed to have a broadband connection in my room here, but I'm lucky if it ever works. I even went so far as to buy a new laptop computer (sorry Dave, still not a Mac). I admit, some of my connectivity issues were because of the 5 year old computer I was trying to use. It's not that the computer itself is useless, rather there were some other issues that I failed to resolve before I departed for my class. I'm sure it will still do fine for some menial tasks that don't take much processing power. Nonetheless, the computer was old and in need of replacement.

I need to get back to studying for my test Friday. I'll post an exciting picture for you soon...you'll see.

Trying to keep up in the computing world,

Marty

S.O.S.

2007-02-25T16:14:00.000+09:00

No, I'm not in need of rescue--S.O.S. is Squadron Officer School and that's to where I'm en route. S.O.S. is part of my professional military education; one of those blocks that I have to fill. I will be filling it for the next 5 weeks in Montgomery, AL, and that means being away from my family.

As for my family...all is well with the baby; he's cooing and smiling and looks so much like his big brother. Aiden is doing well too, with the exception of the occasional mishap at school. We all went bowling last week and had a fun time. I took pictures, but I'm sure you know me well enough to know that I was again a slacker and didn't post anything. Perhaps I'll make it up to you when I have some spare time in the next several weeks. And may the Lord be with Vanessa as she has to, once again, be a single parent.

I stopped in at Holiday Inn Express for the night and should probably get to sleep so I'm well rested for the remainder of my drive tomorrow.

Feeling smarter already,

Marty

Funerals and Losing Sleep

2007-02-14T13:01:00.000+09:00

…that about sums up my past week. My mom called me at work to tell me the bad news. Then I called my wife who had just spoken to her mom and found out more bad news. All this bad news meant a trip to Oklahoma.

I found out last Monday that my “grandmother” passed away (she was like a grandmother to me). My mom and her daughters grew up together and I called her Grandma Shoemaker for as long as I can remember. I remember most swimming at her house with my quasi-cousins (all extended family) and cleaning the pool at the beginning of summer. Grandma also came to every important event in my life that was feasible for her to attend. And when she wasn’t able, I knew she had wanted to and often sent her love. I was glad I was able to attend her funeral. I find myself regretting not spending more time with this wonderful woman. Rest in Peace Grandma.

My second phone call revealed that my wife’s grandmother, who was 91, was not doing well and would likely pass away within a few days. Vanessa is very close to her family and we thought it important for her to spend time with them during this dark hour. After our initial stop in Oklahoma, we made the trip further north to Kansas so Vanessa and her mother could say good-bye. Vanessa and I returned to OK for a couple of days until her grandmother passed yesterday then she and her dad rejoined her mother for the memorial service this evening. I wish them all safe travels through the increasingly inclement weather. Farewell MaryEllen and thank you for the Chicken Dance at Heather and John’s wedding.

Now it’s off to another night tending to Ethan’s late night feedings alone and losing more sleep. I will try to update with some Aiden and Ethan pictures when we return home Thursday evening.

Sleep tight,

Marty

It's been a long time...

2007-01-29T13:25:00.000+09:00

Um, sorry about that. I really didn't mean to leave you dangling. I've been a bit busy. Please understand. It's not you...really. No really! See my last post.

Well, I'm sitting up watching a movie, 200 Cigarettes, and waiting for the late night feeding. With any luck, we won't have any middle-of-the-night feedings by the time Vanessa goes back to work. I don't really want to go through the "it's your turn to get up" drama. But I guess that's the price of parenthood. I'm not complaining...yet.

And sorry I'm not posting any pictures tonight. I promise there are tons of pics already--thank God for digital cameras. I now need to decide which ones are the most wonderful to share with you, my special friends.

That's all I have for now. I'll write again...really! It's just that I have a lot on my plate right now and I've shifted priorities a bit. Don't give up on me...on us. It will all work out for the best.

BFF,

Marty

Introducing...

2007-01-12T09:03:00.000+09:00

Ethan Wiley Gerst
born: 1/11/07
weight: 7 lbs. 8 0z.
length: 21 inches

After patiently waiting 41 weeks and 2 days, we headed to Willford Hall Medical Center to have Vanessa's labor induced. The events started about 8:00 a.m. and the little guy was born at 2:04 p.m.

We, of course, think he's a beautiful baby.

Proud Daddy of now 2 very handsome lads,

Marty

Six o'clock and all's...well still waiting

2007-01-01T09:00:00.000+09:00

Thought I should post another update before the year ends and I won't be able to claim this on my taxes. Oh, wait...that's something else.

Anyway, it's New Year's Eve, Vanessa's due in two days, my parents will be here tomorrow afternoon, I still haven't opened my PS3, I bought a 32 inch flat panel LCD, we rearranged our house, we've shopped til we dropped, and we're frantically trying to accomplish anything and everything we can think of before Clonky (or whatever his name ends up) is born.

I'm currently avoiding glares from Vanessa as I'm typing, so I'm going to cut short and get back to work. My next post will probably be a birth announcement. Stay tuned.

Happy New Year!

Marty

Playstation 3 and No Waiting

2006-12-25T10:22:00.000+09:00

I was fortunate enough to grow up in the age of video gaming. My family wasn't on the cutting edge of new technology, but we usually had a game console of one type or another. My first was an Atari 2600 my brother and I got for Christmas. And much later, I had an NES. I remember my weekends and school breaks were filled by my brother and me staying up all night trading back and forth until we defeated, or were defeated by, whatever video game we rented. I have a Super NES stowed away in my garage that my brother bought me our last Christmas before he passed away. I haven't been much into video games since then; school, work, whatever has gotten in the way.

Today, I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Cliché, yes, but true. We were doing some last minute shopping at Wal-mart and I ran back to the toy section to grab some stocking stuffers for Aiden. I was perusing the Hot Wheels when I heard a garbled message on the giant voice. What I heard was “…60 gigabyte hard drive. Only two left. First come, first serve.” It took me just a moment to process what was said and another moment to drop what I was doing and race around the corner to electronics. I didn’t see a horde of people, so I assumed I missed out. But then I asked the cashier if I had in fact missed them and he said, surprisingly, that I was first. I said I’d take it and immediately called Vanessa at the front of the store. I made my purchase and they actually escorted me out and to my car. I guess there have been incidents of muggings especially on Christmas Eve.

Needless to say, I now have a PS3. I don’t have any games yet, and in fact don’t have a TV that I want to connect it to (I’m waiting until after the holidays to purchase my flat-panel TV). But, I didn’t buy it strictly for the game system, it’s also a Blu-ray disc player. That’s gonna make some new Blu-ray videos look great on that new TV. Good luck getting me out of the house!

I guess Santa stuffed my stocking early,

Marty

Holiday Cheer

2006-12-18T01:58:00.000+09:00

It’s that time of year again; time to get into the Christmas spirit. I admit we’re gearing up a little late, but we’re getting there nonetheless.

Aiden has been asking for outdoor decorations since we returned from our Thanksgiving trip to Oklahoma. Unfortunately, weather and timing haven’t been so generous here in San Antonio. I know you’re thinking that it hasn’t been that cold here, but it has…for San Antonio (30-40 degrees). And there have been nice days, like yesterday (80’s), that are just too beautiful to not get out and enjoy AWAY from the house. Fortunately, I was released from work a little early Friday afternoon and headed straight home to get to work on a surprise for Aiden. He was more than thrilled to see the house lit up when he arrived.

(I think we're going to add a little more, but at least it's a start)

And because the weather was so beautiful yesterday, we went on another trip to miniature golf. Aiden did an even better job of gripping the club correctly and lining up to hit the ball. Before our golf outing, we ate at a new Mexican food restaurant. Don’t worry; you’ll get to go too when you come for a visit.

When we got home, the dogs got into the holiday spirit and begrudgingly donned their gay apparel.

(That's Aiden's hat, but he wanted to share with Bailey)

(And who do you think will be pulling the Grinch's sleigh this year?)

In the mean time, we’re trying to decide if we should wait until after the baby is born to celebrate Christmas. I suppose it would only be right to wait until his FIRST Christmas to officially let him partake in his “Baby’s First Christmas.” But if we wait, then Aiden will get another present “from his little brother.” I don’t think I’ll ask Aiden for his input, but feel free to let me know what you think.

Hope your holiday is filled with blessings,

Marty

Texas-themed weekend

2006-12-10T15:33:00.000+09:00

I was supposed to be up for a move next summer, but that will most assuredly be delayed for another year. And if the last 24 hours have held any sort of premonition of where I will be for the next year, then Texas is the place. I say this because although I’ve been here for more than two years, I’ve yet to sense the real cowboy persona of Texas deeper than now.

It started with my staff holiday party last night. Someone/s who must have too much excitement for the upcoming San Antonio Rodeo decided the theme would be "Texas" (big buckles and cowboy hats, boots, redneck, or something along those lines). Surprisingly the crowd mostly pulled it off; complete with attire, eating Texas BBQ, and line dancing. The party had a genuine feel of the great state of Texas; even without the smell of manure.

Then today, we drove up to Austin to visit my cousin’s family as they celebrated their daughter’s 3^rd b-day (Happy Birthday, Emma).

(This wasn't the first time the plastic horse entered the birthday cake then Emma's mouth. I would have done the same if it was my party!)

(Aiden wasn't in the partying mood)

Their suburban home isn’t a sprawling ranch, but somehow they did manage to have 4 (yes 1-2-3-4) ponies circumnavigating the backyard. The kids even abused a horse piñata (Tex-Mex).

(Emma and her Mom on a "Harley")

Then to top off our Texas-themed chain of events when we arrived back in San Antonio, we ate dinner at Texas Land and Cattle Company. Continuing the theme certainly wasn’t planned and hadn’t even dawned on us until afterwards.

It may sound like we’re getting a little Texas in our blood, but I’m not going out to buy a rusty star for the outside of my house just yet. If you’ve been here, you know what I’m talking about.

Yee haw, ya’ll,

Marty

Trip to California

2006-12-07T14:23:00.000+09:00

One good thing about the military is all the great people you meet. Some you’re stationed with are reassigned to places like Northern California, others (oddly enough, civilian) you meet when you’re deployed to places like Djibouti, Africa and they’re filming a documentary that is picked up by CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360.

My door is always open to friends, family, alien life forms, etc. who are looking for a place to crash while visiting whatever interesting (or boring) place life happens to take me. Likewise, most people I know often extend the same invitation. It’s often said, but seldom followed up (or expected) that one will ever come to visit those friends.

One friend, we’ll call Sean, so happens to be stationed in Northern California. And conveniently enough, another civilian media-type friend, Aaron, lives in San Francisco. I briefly lived in the Bay area before joining the military, but haven’t been back since. Furthermore, I haven’t been skiing since I left New Mexico a few years ago. So, after some mediocre planning I took the opportunity to visit those friends and knock out some skiing and a reunion with the City by the Bay.

After a meal, some pool (I was beaten relentlessly), a couple of beers, a nap, another meal, and a couple of phone calls, Sean and I headed down to SF and met up with Aaron. Aaron lives with about 14 other people in an artist collective. He has a really cool pad and the few roommates I met were reasonably friendly. We went out to a few bars and had some drinks then called it a night. The next day we visited a little more of the city and then parted company with Aaron.

(This is what I don't miss about California)

Sean and I went back to his apartment and gathered some luggage and some food and headed for Lake Tahoe.

We got to Tahoe a little late but had no problem waking up to hit the slopes the next morning. We crossed the road from our hotel, rented our equipment and headed up the gondola for the few trails that were open so early in the season at Heavenly. The skiing wasn’t great, but was much better than what’s available in San Antonio.

(Check out that view. That's Lake Tahoe in the background, but I guess you had to be there)

After as much skiing as the lift operators would allow, we went back to the room, cleaned up, and went over to the casino (conveniently located 700 feet away). Eight hours later, we called it a night, err, morning and turned in.

(This was par for the course; I had 20, got the match bet--same suit, but lost the hand)

The next day was supposed to be another at least half-day of skiing, but we opted to go back to the casino and donate some more money. Four hours later, we broke even and called it quits.

We headed back down the mountain to Sean’s apartment, stopping only for sushi, and turned in for the night. The next morning at 3:30, Sean dragged my half-dead butt back to the airport and slowed down just enough for me to not injure myself as I leapt and rolled from his truck. This wasn’t out of hostility; I think he was still asleep. I’ll give him a call sometime to see if he made it home okay, but for now it’s back to the daily grind.

Speeding through vacations one day at a time,

Marty

More than the turkey is stuffed

2006-11-24T14:03:00.000+09:00

Ugh! So full! Sleepy! Why did my hand keep shoveling food into my mouth? Why is it that every year I tell myself that I'm not going to overeat at Thanksgiving, yet every year I do just that? I swear my plate wasn't that full, but I feel like I consumed the entire bird and all the fixins by myself.

Perhaps the problem is the dual Thanksgiving meals that I am often confronted with. As much as everyone complains about having to prepare the feast-of-feasts, they sure do relish in getting their hands dirty. And for some unknown reason, I am all too happy to indulge in the fruits of their labor. On the positive side, I will only have to eat the leftovers for the next day or so while our hosts have to continue until the last bit of "mile-high broccoli casserole" is gone.

To those loving families that prepared such Thanksgiving delights, thank you. We'll do it again next year.

Gobble, Gobble,

Marty

Turkey Week

2006-11-18T12:44:00.000+09:00

Good day Gerst Family fans. Just wanted to give you a heads-up that I won't be around for a posting tomorrow. I'm assuming you're expecting to see a third Saturday-related posting in a row, but I really don't want to bore you with the details of our road trip to Oklahoma.

For those of you "lucky" enough to live in Oklahoma, you will hopefully get to see us while we're there for a week. And for those of you lucky enough to be invited, you get to enjoy some yummy Thanksgiving delights prepared by the skillful hands of our Mothers.

If anything exciting happens (food fights, winning the lotto, me getting a hole-in-one while golfing with my father-in-law, etc.), I'll be sure to give you the updates when we get back.

If I don't write before, Happy Turkey Day!

Marty

Sea World Saturday

2006-11-13T06:30:00.000+09:00

After a grueling week of all work and little play I look forward to doing something a bit more exciting on the weekend. Sure we could do fun things during the week, and we do sometimes, but for the most part it's bed for Aiden by 8pm with us following closely behind.

This weekend's entertainment was a trip to Sea World. Aiden and Vanessa went this summer during my "vacation" so I had to play catch-up. I've never been (I'm serious) so I thought I would go see what all this Shamu-fuss is about.

Thanks to our friends to the military who make those great horse commercials during the Super Bowl, Anheuser-Busch, we had free admission. If you're not in the military, I would still recommend going to Sea World. It's reasonably priced for an amusement park but if you plan to go more than a couple of days it would be well worth it to just purchase a season pass (Note: this is not to be taken as a shameless plug, just a frugal recommendation). And if you need a place to stay while you're here, there's a hotel or two in San Antonio that I'm sure would be happy to take your money. Er, I mean, you're more than welcome to stay with us (Note: this offer applies to those who I know personally... sorry if I got your hopes up).

(The end of our adventure)

As soon as we arrived we plotted our course for the day in order to maximize viewing the variety of shows. We intentionally avoided rides as Aiden tends to be apprehensive of... well everything. He usually warms up to new things, but it's always a struggle to get him past his fears.

Our first show was "Believe" with killer whales to include Shamu. I'm not sure which killer whale was Shamu because they all looked alike to me. That's not to say that because they were black or white, cause they were all black and white, but I really didn't get to know them (Enough with the failed attempt at humor already). The show was quite fascinating! The trainers interacting with these killers of the sea made them look more like big puppy dogs. Hey Mom, can I have a killer whale for Christmas?

(I'm fairly certain this one was Shamu--the whale, not the man)

Next was "The Cannery Row Caper," a detective story with the characters played by sea lions, an otter, and a great big walrus. I haven't laughed so hard in quite some time.

(The detective voice over said, "she had lips like...well, she had lips!")

From there we raced over to get a seat for "Pirates 4D." Not a great scripted nor acted film, but of course the effects were there...in four dimensions. This didn't go over so well with Aiden, especially when the bees started flying out of the screen and his seat began buzzing. His last straw was the spider crawling towards him that hissed as a fine mist of water sprayed his face. He began to bawl with the rest of the little kids in the theater. I gathered him onto my lap and calmed him down for the last few minutes of the show. I think he'll do better next time though.

(We stopped for lunch and of course dessert. Aiden reeaaallly enjoyed the chocolate cake!)

Before the next show we went to feed the dolphins. Vanessa waited in line for fish as Aiden and I nudged our way to the edge of the pool. The dolphins swam around eagerly whetting their appetites for their little treats. They would swim up close enough to touch but would knowingly dodge the eager hands reaching out to grab them. Their sense of smell or timing or whatever told them there was no fish available yet so they continued their teasing, whetting the audience's appetite as well. When the fish did arrive the dolphins would allow you to briefly pet them as long as you kept the fish out of their sight. One dolphin didn't want to be petted, so he flipped his nose up, knocking my hand away and beckoned me for the fish. Upon seeing this aggressive behavior, Aiden gave up wanting to touch the dolphins. That was only until we no longer had fish to give. Then he got into his I-haven't-had-my-nap mood and had a meltdown about wanting to pet the dolphins.

(Dolphins teasing Aiden)

After Aiden's mood change, I was ready to go, but Vanessa wanted to see one last show. After a brief and uneventful stopover at a sand box, we went to watch "Viva," a show with acrobats, beluga whales, and dolphins. I think the acrobats took center stage over the animals in this show. Most of their movements were a bit hokey, but the flips and dives were pretty exhilarating. Overall, not bad, but my mood may have been a little put off by the setting sun shining right through the back of the stage into my eyes.

Hopefully, we'll be able to go back and take advantage of some of the other entertainment Sea World has to offer. For now, it made for a rather full day.

Save the Whales,

Marty

Saturday Family Fun

2006-11-05T14:12:00.000+09:00

This morning we decided on a family fun day as opposed to cleaning house or some other menial tasks. We thought we would try Sea World, but because of the ominous looking sky we opted for a shorter outdoor option. We went to play putt-putt golf. Vanessa scoured the internet for about two minutes and found a golf and games center down the road a few miles from our house. I hardly knew there was any civilization southeast of I-10, but turns out there are a few people who live out there. As we followed the directions that took us further out into the boonies it looked as if we might not find said entertainment location, but lo and behold it sprang up right where the map said it would be. (Thank you Yahoo). I was fully expecting to find a run down building with eighties-era games, but surprisingly it was all relatively new. The center has two 18-hole courses, bumper boats, paintball, a small (but decent) arcade, and food. In other words, a hoard of hyperactive children could possibly wear themselves out with all the activities available.

We started off with a game of putt-putt golf. Aiden hasn't actually played golf yet, but he gets practice with his plastic clubs supplied by his Papa (the same Papa who gave me my first set of clubs--not plastic, but I would probably fair better with plastic. If I didn't know better I would think Papa's trying to train and trade up to a better golfing companion).

I was pleasantly surprised that Aiden followed instruction so well. He would get a little excited and hurried, but for the most part he patiently waited his turn and then concentrated well on how to hold the club and hit the ball.

Not surprisingly, he actually beat his Mommy and me on two different holes. (In case you're new to this blog, he's three) I'm not saying he's a prodigy--he had a little help, but he did do well for his first time out (and he's three).

(This was after our first stroke. Aiden-Blue, Daddy-Orange, Mommy-Purple)

(He did this by himself. I think it went all the way down near the hole.)

(Vanessa wasn't the only one who had to fish her ball out of water hazards; she just did it more often than us.)

We finished our 18 holes and headed inside for a few games. Aiden is fond of shooting games because he plays Nintendo Duck Hunt at Nana and Papa's house, so of course he made a B-line for Jurassic Park to shoot up some dinosaurs. We also played a couple of driving games where he would do the steering and I got to work the pedals (three, remember?).

(The aim was way off on the guns, but Aiden didn't notice, or care, he just kept shooting.)

We played some ski ball and he shot some hoops and we had a "friendly" game of air hockey.

(He did make a couple. He's better than me at basketball.)

(He beat me 5-2. Yes, I let him win. What kind of Dad do you think I am?)

After our entertainment, we headed home for lunch and a nap. When we (I needed a nap too!) woke up we went to the theater to watch "Flushed Away." The movie is from the same folks who did "Wallace and Grommit" and "Chicken Run." The difference is that instead of using clay animation, it was all computer animation and software to mimic clay-mation complete with imperfections such as the occasional fingerprint on the "clay." Overall, it was a pretty funny movie. I especially enjoyed the French frogs.

Golfing wherever I can get it,

Marty

Trick-or-Treat

2006-11-01T13:42:00.000+09:00

I hope everyone had a safe holiday. Is Halloween a real holiday? If not, I like to think so anyway. It's always been one of my favorites. Probably because it follows my birthday and I've always felt like it was an extension of my special day.

We took Aiden to our church carnival and got stuffed on hotdogs, nachos and cotton candy. Then we ventured off into a neighborhood for some good ol' fashioned door-to-door beggin'.

(Aiden had two different costumes this year. Last week he went to his school as a fireman. Then a couple of days ago I was meandering through the Base Exchange and found a Spiderman costume complete with muscles for a buck-twenty-seven. I thought it was a pretty sweet deal especially before the actual holiday. And Aiden LOVES Spiderman so I figured he'd wear it a few more times just for play.)

He was a little apprehensive at first about going up to strange doors, but soon overcame his fears after he realized the payoff. I guess it's a good thing he's a little fearful about strangers, but probably not so good that a little candy can sway him. NOTE: If there are any potential kidnappers out there reading this, don't get any bright ideas.

We walked around a few blocks and he collected quite a stash. I'm sure some would think there's no such thing as too much candy, but Vanessa always has candy around the house so I think that and a few additional handfuls from strangers will last him well into his teens.

Scare ya later,

Marty

Blog Transition

2006-10-27T23:04:00.000+09:00

I've been home for a few weeks now. Sorry to leave everyone teetering on the edge of their seats waiting for my next update.

Since I'm no longer in Africa, the question of the day is 'what to do with the blog?' Several people have told me they enjoy being able to see what I'm up to and I actually like writing out bits of my life for all you voyeurs to enjoy, so I suppose I should keep blogging. Let me forewarn everyone that it isn't going to have a lot of pictures from Africa. I suppose I could occasionally catch you up with the photos from Tanzania, but if I saw you this past week, you've probably seen the pics by now. Otherwise, future pictures will likely be of my growing family.

We're expecting our +1 on January 2. With any luck he will arrive before the end of the year. We're still working out a name for the boy, but Aiden isn't a very big help. He's going with "Clunker the Clown cause he's a clown." I honestly don't know where he gets these ideas, but it looks like the new guy is going to have quite the ornery big brother.

By the way, I've finished the book on the right ("Axis of Evil"). It took me forever to read. I wouldn't recommend it. I'll update with my current books when I have another minute.

Not getting rid of me that easily,

Marty

Heading Home

2006-10-07T14:09:00.000+09:00

I'm currently sitting at the USO in Naples, Italy awaiting the continuation of my flight home. We checked in at the terminal at camp at 4 o'clock this morning and took off about 8:30. We stopped in Bahrain, Crete, currently Naples, and our next stop Shannon, Ireland. From there we'll fly across the pond and I'll catch my connecting flight to San Antonio. I should arrive in SA in about 25 1/2 hours.

I'm looking forward to my homecoming. And since my "trip" to Djibouti is coming to an end, so is this blog. But don't worry, I think I'm a little addicted to the blogging thing, so I'll just rename my blog and press on. Stick around.

NMP,

Marty

Tanzania trip...mini vacation

2006-10-01T04:20:00.000+09:00

I expect this will be a lengthy posting so if you're rushing off somewhere you'll probably want to start reading it some other time. And since Blogger won't let me post pictures for some reason, you'll just have to use your imagination.

As I was saying, my room (and the rest of the hotel) were very nice. So nice in fact many famous and/or important people have visited the hotel and have had their pictures taken and plastered on the walls throughout the lobby. (This is where I would put a photo of a cluster of pictures to include Angelina Jolie and Jane Goodall). My room had a nice view of the pool and the Indian Ocean past that. (Yep another picture you don't get to see).

After our arrival and night hanging out with the CCE, we made plans to go to a beach Sunday morning. When we woke up Sunday morning, Sarah met me at the stairs and looked miserable. I told her she could just sleep it off on the beach and proceeded to drag her to our awaiting ride. We drove to the ferry and rode it across then proceeded to drive to the beach. When we arrived, Sarah promptly headed to the bathroom for about the first half hour. When she came out she was all splotchy with hives and was shaking. The CCE called the embassy nurse and we promptly raced away to the Embassy. Fortunately it was the weekend so the fact we were all in our beachwear was somewhat acceptable. Sarah went back to see the nurse and the rest of us waited patiently (no pun intended) for a couple of hours while the nurse fixed her up. The rest of the day, we spent lounging around the hotel and not fully enjoying all that Tanzania had to offer. Thanks Sarah!

Monday we (including a slightly healthier Sarah) went back to the Embassy and met the Ambassador, Deputy Commander of Mission, the Defense Attaché, some USAID folks, and my PA counterparts on the Public Diplomacy staff. The embassy had a 9/11 ceremony, I had to do some work, and we did a lot of waiting around, then we left for a late lunch.

After lunch we went to the woodcarver's market to do some shopping. We spent an hour there but I didn't buy anything. Oh I saw lots that I wanted to buy, but I decided I would make mental list of the things that I wanted to include a beautifully carved coffee table and toy chest.

If I hadn't slept since my trip, I would remember what else we did that evening, but it's a little hazy. I know I went home and worked on a press release and did some things for the HOA representative's speech.

The next morning we left early and headed to the embassy to meet up with the rest of the group. We headed to Msata for a clinic dedication and were greeted by a large boisterous crowd dancing and singing. It was quite a spectacle (this is where I would post some more pics). There were Masai men jumping up and down straight-legged and getting some serious air time.

Okay, not to get off topic, but I've been working on this post for a couple of weeks now and am seriously not getting it done. So to make a long story short, everyone made their speeches, we stopped at a restaurant on the way back to Dar, I had a picture with the ambassador (insert pic), I spoke to some reporters on the bus ride back and we finally left the embassy after waiting around forever.

The next day we checked out of our hotel and waited in the lobby forever until the CCE returned from the embassy and some errands several hours after the planned rendezvous time. We raced over to the woodcarvers market and did some power-shopping. I'm not so good at haggling prices, so I got taken a few times. I didn't have time to purchase and arrange shipping for the table that I wanted, so I ended up with a pocket full of Tanzanian Shillings that I have yet to exchange back into "real" money (insert pic of Monopoly-like TZ money).

We arrived at the airport and found out Sarah and I were now seated in first-class for our trip to Addis. It was very comfy and I certainly understand the appeal for those who can afford it. (insert pic of glass of champagne). We arrived in Addis late in the evening and rode via a limo back to the Sheraton. Checked in and went to bed and woke up early to head back to the Airport.

Arrived back to Fabulous Djibouti and stabbed myself in the leg with one of the Masai spears I had packed away in my luggage. Fortunately, it was disassembled and wasn't actually the metal tip, but the sharpened staff that the metal tips would be affixed to. It was just a flesh wound; I'm okay. Thank you for your concern.

When I got back to my office, my work replacement had already taken over my job. I've now been jobless for a couple of weeks with only menial tasks to by my time. More on that later I'm sure. For now, just know I'll be heading home soon and looking forward to getting back to the "New World" (as Omar liked to say--he left a week ago).

I'll try to post again before I leave, but it may not be until I get home.

Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin',

Marty

Stupid Blogger

2006-09-19T12:40:00.000+09:00

I really would like to update my blog to include pictures, but I seem to be having issues with the site. I may migrate elsewhere if this keeps up.

I'll try again tomorrow or later,

Marty

Out of the country

2006-09-10T12:21:00.000+09:00

I left the country a couple of days ago and am now in Tanzania. I'll be here for the next few days in case anyone is looking for me. I had an overnight stop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopa and stayed in the same Sheraton Ja Rule is staying at for an Ethiopian New Years (1999) concert. I didn't actually see him, but there was a crowd of bodies and reporters that entered the lobby while we were lounging. We assumed it was him among them.

I arrived in Dar es Salaam today and am staying at an awesome hotel with an awesome view. Sorry, but I don't have any way to upload pics right now, so I'll again have to play catch up when I return.

I'm at the country coordination element's house here down the road from my hotel right now, so I was able to jump online and post this. Not sure what kind of access I'll have while I'm here so if you see another post between now and my return to DJ, be surprised.

Enjoying the view,

Marty

Senator and me time

2006-09-05T23:30:00.000+09:00

The second day of his visit, Senator Obama took another opportunity to dine with some of the troops. I kind of crashed the party. By that I mean I didn't sign up that I would be attending, but the planners thought I might. Maybe crashed is too strong a word. It also helps to be friends with those planners. Everyone was seated in the dining room and already eating when the senator arrived. There were a couple of empty seats remaining at the U-shaped table setup and an extra 6-top off to the side. I intended to sit at the extra table but it filled up with the senator's traveling companions, protocol and the escort officer. That left me with the seat next to the senator. I fully expected someone to immediately sit by him, but most people were avoiding him. I'm pretty sure he wasn't contagious, so I sat down.

We didn't have an electrifying conversation. He commented on my bowl of oatmeal, as does everyone who eats breakfast with me for the first time (I didn't realize oatmeal was so repulsive or healthy depending on who's making the comment), and I assured him that I was only making up for past indiscretions. When I told him I was Public Affairs he looked at my name tape and recalled we had an interview scheduled for later.

He continued to exchange some small talk with those of us around him for a few minutes and managed to delay his scheduled itinerary by about half an hour. I think the only person who was keeping track was Noel, the protocol officer. After he was finished, he stayed around for some photo ops with the diners who lined up on either side of him. I didn't take advantage of this because I knew I would have a moment in about an hour.

The senator then walked over to another building and sat through a mission brief and a roundtable discussion with Admiral Hunt and his staff. Then it was time for his interview with Public Affairs. Originally, I enthusiastically volunteered to do the interview, but when I found out our chief was an Illinois resident I deferred it to him. He was probably more excited about it than I was. The interview went well. Senator Obama seemed genuinely interested in the CJTF-HOA mission.

Afterwards, those of us in the room had our own photo op. Senator Obama departed the camp shortly after and headed to Chad to round out his Africa visit. I’m glad I had the opportunity to meet this fascinating man. I’m sure he will have a fruitful career in politics.

Voting my conscience,

Marty

First Helo Ride...Oh and I met a Senator

2006-09-04T07:35:00.000+09:00

This past week I was privy to escort media during a visit by Senator Barack Obama, D-Ill, as he toured CJTF-HOA.

Part of the Senator's visit to Camp Lemonier was a trip to a contingency operating location (COL) and the tent city the Seabees established for the flood ravaged city of Dire Dawa in Ethiopia. I had to travel to Addis Ababa with the admiral's chief of staff to pick up and escort an AP reporter that would be returning here to camp. I took my first ride on a C-26, a small turbo prop. It was a comfy ride with plenty of legroom and leather seats. In Addis, we picked up the reporter, the US embassy Charge d'affairs and a couple of other people.

("African Queen")

From there we flew to Dire Dawa where the Senator and Admiral Hunt and the rest of the hangers-on arrived via two CH-53 Sea Stallions (big-ass Marine helicopters). They took a road trip to Dire Dawa and returned shortly then we all boarded the helos.

(Senator Obama and Admiral Hunt meet with Janet Wilgus, Charge d'affairs, and an Ethiopian National Defense Force General)

(This will seat 40+ people)

This was my first ever helo ride. I was a little apprehensive but bucked up and hopped aboard. I have to say, it was a much smoother ride than I expected.

(Sarah was the escort officer for the Senator's visit. She's still recovering from the hassle of it all)

They kept the back open for the duration, so as we ascended I could see the ground fall away. We only traveled a few hundred feet or so off the deck so it was interesting to watch the landscape as we flew to COL Hurso.

We landed in an open field and the rotors whipped up a cloud of dirt all around us. After they shut down the engines we got in vans and drove half a mile to the COL, toured, received briefings, and ate Guamanian BBQ. The force protection guys there are all from Guam and apparently are very good at cooking for large groups or big families I suppose.

(Les Neuhaus, AP, interviews members of C-Company from Guam)

After dinner we departed for Camp Lemonier on the helos. For this leg of the journey I rode with the admiral's and Senator’s party. Glad the helo didn’t crash cause I’m sure my death would have been overshadowed a little...“Oh and that Air Force PAO captain too” (I’m not vain really).

(flying over the mountain range as the sun goes down)

We eventually made it back just as the sun had gone down. I was exhausted so I went back to my CLU, had a shower, and zonked out.

I’ll be posting some more of the visit tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Awaiting my next helo ride,

Marty

Dinner, Bowling, Go-karting

2006-08-30T08:47:00.000+09:00

A few days ago, I went out with a group for a going away. We had dinner at none other than La Terrasse where, if you've been following, you know what I had for dinner. I honestly considered trying something different, but when the time came to order, I just couldn't decide on anything special. Maybe next time...

Dinner was followed by a game of bowling. We split up into teams and of course my team won. I say that like I'm a good bowler--I don't think our cumulative score was much more than 300. What I should have said was that we didn't lose as much as the other teams. Needless to say, I think everyone tired of bowling quickly.

It was still early after we finished bowling so the consensus was to go ride go-karts. Not that a taxi ride in Djibouti isn't a hair-raising enough experience. I was having a great time for about the first 4 minutes. Then my two, yes both, back tires blew out and I had to pit. I don’t think the guy running the track wanted to let me back out, but he finally motioned me to another kart and said something about using the brake instead of sliding around every turn. What fun is that?

For some reason I didn’t take my camera out of my pocket until we were outside in the dark. So my pics for the night consist of some grainy, blurry go-karting pics.

(Giddy up!)

(Don't worry, I didn't run over the guy standing in the middle of the track)

Vroooooooooommm!

Marty

Taking a break

2006-08-28T11:00:00.000+09:00

After a harrowing day of work the aforementioned augmentee (whom we'll call Denise--cause that's her name), Sarah (a constant thorn in my side during business hours), and I (just thought I should have parenthesis too) went out for a pizza.

(Sarah and Denise)

(Our taxi driver. I'll just call him Slim)

(I guess the blue dome light is Slim's way of pimpin' his ride. Or we're on our way somewhere for a special)

Thank you Kmart shopper,

Marty

A little busy

2006-08-21T20:22:00.000+09:00

I haven't been anywhere except my desk for days now. We kicked off a huge multinational exercise after my last post. Everyone was gone from my office but me and the chief. We were doing fine supporting everyone downrange. We got an augmentee from a higher headquarters and were afraid we wouldn't be able to keep her busy. We were wrong!

If you have been watching any news for Africa, you probably saw stuff about the flooding in Ethiopia. If you haven't heard anything about Africa, why are you reading my blog? (For those of you just joining, Djibouti is a country in Africa)

We have had quite a bit of media attention and have done what we could to encourage it. News shouldn't be just about war and Jon Benet Ramsey. Maybe important for the bottom line for that multinational conglomeration that is pandering to the dollar, but perhaps not everyone is as enamored by "if it bleeds, it leads" news.

Long story short, It's been hectic. Fortunately the exercise has come to a close, the Seabees are wrapping up what they were doing in Ethiopia, and my desk is a mess. I think any sort of filing system I may have utilized before deteriorated rapidly, and here's the result.

Slowing down soon I hope,

Marty

Serious lack of excitement

2006-08-11T08:46:00.001+09:00

To be honest, nothing new and exciting has happened here lately outside of work. And that isn't something I care to ramble on about.

I went to dinner at La Terrasse again last night. I got crazy and had the dinner special...again. I suspect the owner, a Lebanese woman, makes the chateau briande the night's special for all her American guests. I'm not complaining; it was delightful. I would just hope she knows Americans will eat something other than beef.

Tonight, I'm going to begin reading a new book (posted to the right>>) Tomorrow's a half day, so I will probably read until I fall asleep. Then I'll read more when I wake up. I told you, nothing new and exciting.

Bored stiff,

Marty

August 7, 1995

2006-08-08T03:00:00.000+09:00

The Stream

As I walked along through the woods
I came upon a stream,
a stream that seemed so lonely
a stream that seemed so sad.
So I layed down by the stream
and looked up at the sky.
And as I layed there by the stream
I heard it sing its song.
It sang of spring and autumn
and of times now long gone.
It sang of deer that played along its banks,
and birds that played along.
But as I layed there longer,
the stream it changed its song,
now it sang of death and loneliness,
and of memories gone.
And when the song was finished,
a tear came to my eye,
because I just realized,
that the stream I was hearing was really deep inside.

By Shane Kinney

My brother died on this day 11 years ago. He suffered from kidney failure and ultimately succumbed to complications from it. He struggled with it for several years. Although it seemed sudden to our family, he knew he wasn't going to live to a ripe old age. It was tough for me to get past his death and my eyes are tearing as I type this. My children will never know their uncle. And we’ll never know how great he would have become. I can only imagine what he was thinking about as he approached the stream.

Rest in Peace Bro,

Marty

New Link

2006-08-07T10:05:00.000+09:00

In case you didn't notice there's a link to CJTF-HOA on the right side of this page. I only tell you this so I won't have to continue posting links to my stories. There are a couple more stories on that website if you care. Fortunately, we have someone back in the office who is a dedicated writer so you won't see too many more stories from me.

------------------------->

Marty

Still Life

2006-08-06T03:32:00.000+09:00

Since nothing new has been happening lately, I thought I would throw some more pictures up to keep you entertained. I took these in various places in Kenya.

After a long day at the MEDCAP, I decided to take a lounge in a hammock that was hanging from a tree. It was quite high and a little hard to get into, but I finally managed. I thought the view made some interesting lines

Some days, beer was available. These are not puny American-size beers.

This bike was one of hundreds at the Mpeketoni clinic.

These were on the island of Lamu. Looks like the US Embassy made the contribution a few years ago.

About 6 of us ate one of these scrumptious snacks for around 4 bucks total. It included a hot chai tea, several different breads and a skewer of the best seasoned meat I've had since I've been here. I think it was beef, but I could be wrong.

Otoscope one of the docs was using.

Many of the doors on Lamu were intricately carved and/or embellished such as this one. I think I'm going to find a similar door for my own home.

There were also many interesting signs hanging in Lamu.

Trying to stay sane,

Marty

Job change, sort of...

2006-08-02T00:58:00.000+09:00

So my intention with this blog is to keep people apprised of what I'm up to. Well this is what I've been up to lately...

http://www.hoa.centcom.mil/news.asp?storyid=20060801-001

It seems my job has turned into a bit of a writer position. It's not all bad. I do get to meet more interesting people this way. I'm also sending out truthful information to the masses. Isn't this what public affairs is about?

DINFOS Trained Killer,

Marty

MEDCAP part II

2006-08-01T03:00:00.000+09:00

Not to be redundant, but I also did a second story about the MEDCAP. Really! It is a different story.

http://www.hoa.centcom.mil/news.asp?storyid=20060731-001

I'll try to write about something else next time.

S words,

Marty

Pina coladas and...

2006-07-31T04:34:00.000+09:00

Several of us were sitting around the office last night when all of a sudden we heard what sounded like someone opening up a bag of cats on our hot tin roof. We all looked at eachother and barreled outside. Sure enough, we were getting rained on.

To fill you in, Djibouti gets about a 5 inches of rain per year and this ain't the rainy season. In fact, the country has been in a drought for some time.

Without hesitation, Omar and I ran out to stand in the downpour. The rain only lasted a few minutes, but was enough to make puddles and mud all over camp. The smell of dirt permiated the air.

I'm glad I won't be here when the real rainy season comes. I mean rain more than once in a year, who would want to deal with that?

Gettin' caught in the rain,

Marty

MEDCAP

2006-07-30T04:30:00.000+09:00

Here's the link to my Medical Civic Action Program story...

http://www.hoa.centcom.mil/news.asp?storyid=20060729-001

I'm glad I got to be a small part of the project. It will definitely be one of those stories to tell my grandchildren about. "When I was a young whippersnapper and most countries in Africa were still part of the third world..."

The pen is mightier,

Marty

My boss is a rockstar!

2006-07-27T06:01:00.000+09:00

I just found out that my boss was in a band in his youth. Okay, he's not so much a star, but he did have a go at it. He actually even recorded a few tracks. I listened to a few of them today and they weren't bad. I'm not a music critic, so I won't bore you with comparisons to other bands and influences, etc. I can say, sure he made them in the late 80's and early 90's, but they sound pretty much like the alternative you hear today.

Have I mentioned we have karaoke night on camp? Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to get him on stage. I'll let you know how that works out.

(That's my boss in the middle. The stage he will be performing on is in the background)

rockin' out in DJ,

Marty

P.S. This post is not to be construed as "brown-nosing."

~Coming soon... a link to my MEDCAP story~

More as promised

2006-07-25T06:30:00.000+09:00

There are also people in Kenya...really!

The look from this young lady was priceless.

This was on the island of Lamu

School boys waiting outside the clinic at Bargoni

Those shoes definitely give the kid room to grow

This boy was just standing around outside a store we stopped at in Lamu

Doc L during the medical visit

These kids were at one of the clinics. Several people had their arms full of much-needed medicine

If you don't have a donkey...

He was a good boy with the doctor so he got a peppermint candy

I didn't meet a single person who was unfriendly. Of course many of the women didn't want their picture taken and made it clear. The kids always wanted to see the pictures after I took them. That's not so different than kids at home though.

Food for thought when you're a tourist: Would you want random strangers snapping pictures of you when you're just going about your business?

I have a few other pics I'll share later on a slow news day. That could be tomorrow!

Back suffering in the DJ heat,

Marty

Jambo!

2006-07-24T12:35:00.000+09:00

I'm finally back. Sorry 'bout that. I could tell you more about my visit to Kenya, but I don't want to bore you with details. Instead, I'm going to inundate you with flora and fauna photos. Enjoy!

Less camels, more baboons in the road!

This is Mr. Crab's overgrown brother. I wonder if he ever gets to Moucha Island

Yep! More baboons

I didn't see the little bird in the tree until later. Lucky shot!

Maybe this would be a two-point buck

These were outside a rundown clinic. I guess I didn't really capture the juxtaposition

I don't know why I started birdwatching all of a sudden

Lots of these in coastal Kenya. Probably more reliable than cars

Here's some of that juxtaposition I missed before

If demons possessed starfish...

Huge millipede. They were all over the place.

I think I've hit my limit with pictures on this post. I'll be sure to post some more maybe tomorrow.

Tuannane badai,
(see you later in Swahili)

Marty

Out of Office

2006-07-17T11:10:00.000+09:00

I know many of you have been anxiously awaiting my next post, so I'm sorry I've left you in suspense. I've been away from camp for the past several days and will continue to be away for another week or so. I'm currently working public affairs stuff in Kenya with a military medical team doing medical stuff.

This is one of the more fascinating aspects of my job. We're going to several small villages in obscure locations and they're treating hundreds of people that otherwise wouldn't be able to get medical treatment. Some of the people have traveled many kilometers for care. Many are too poor, too ill, or would have to travel much further to purchase the medicines that we often take for granted and pick up at Wal-mart such as pain relievers, cough syrup, and vitamins. Some are coming, seemingly, only to restock their medicine chests for ailments that they suffer at other times. But there have been some astounding cases so far with people afflicted with open wounds caused by parasites or injuries not healing properly because of infection. Others are treated for malaria or worms. There have been a couple of patients who've been previously diagnosed with cancer, etc but they're not getting the proper treatment (again because of limiting factors). It's unfortunate that the team can't treat all of the illnesses they see. However, I've spoken to several locals and overall people have been grateful that the medical team came.

Sorry there are no pics posted yet, but stay tuned for some in future postings.

Have camera. Will travel,

Marty

Trailer Trash

2006-07-10T06:00:00.000+09:00

Hey Ya'll,

I'm movin' up these days. I started out in a tent and had to walk outside and down yonder to go to the outhouse and the shower. Now I gots me a trailer home complete with indoor plumbin'. I also have a perty deck that I can sit on an watch folks walkin' round.

I still need to do some spring cleanin', but it's a sight better than that darn dirty tent. They call it a CLU (Container Living Unit). Some smarty done went and stacked a bunch of trailers on top of eachother. I'm still working on puttin' in a indoor staircase so as I can have myself a right nice two-story home. Shoot, I may even extend my tour so as I can enjoy my new digs (just kidding Ness).

(I moved Aiden's art gallery over too. More room fer displayin' them perty pictures he keeps sendin' to Daddy)

(This here's where I take my weekly, high-pressure warshin' whether I need it or not!)

Livin' the high life in DJ,

Marty

Lac Assal

2006-07-05T10:20:00.000+09:00

I recently had the opportunity to drive down to Lac (lake) Assal. Lac Assal is located 492 feet below sea level. It's the fourth lowest place in the world. It's also consistently one of the hottest places on Earth. The area is surrounded by dormant volcanoes and black lava fields. And the salt-crusted earth surrounding the lake looks like a hail storm passed through. The water is crystal clear and very salty.

The drive out was mostly uneventful. We did have to avoid the typical obstacles of goats and camels walking in the middle of the road. It was an uphill drive as we approached the lake. Towards the top of our ascent we pulled out onto a scenic overlook of Ghoubbel El Kharab which is another body of water connected to the Gulf of Tadjoura (see Mucho Moucha).

At the overlook there was a blind man that came out of nowhere to meet us and sell his wares carved out of pummice. We then continued on down to the lake. It was like driving down into a mining quarry. We passed by a broken tractor on the side of the road that may have once been used to cut the path through the rough terrain. We came around a curve and could finally see what we came for.

We continued down to the end of the road where some vendors had built up two lanes of tables to sell their merchandise.

After a lunch of MREs (meals-ready-to eat), we ventured out among the vendors and down to the lake. The comodities consisted mostly of geodes, crystals, and bags of sea salt mined from the lake. The vendors were more than eager to negotiate and would even trade for water or food. We mostly dealt in money, but when we gave them water or food, they would retrieve a random item from the table and give it to us "free." I managed to come away with a couple of geodes and a gazelle skull crusted in a thick layer of salt. I don't know if I'll be able to bring that home.

(Aaron went down to the lake and stepped into the shallow water. He didn't get far before realizing the bottom was covered in sharp crystal formations. Fortunately, he wore his sandles in and made it out safely)

(Before we headed back, we stopped at a lava flow that we saw from the road)

(We passed by some small pyramids in the middle of nowhere and stopped to get a closer look. Still not sure what the monument was about)

On the trip back, everyone was pretty worn out. The lack of radio reception gave way to a long bout of karaoke. Everyone sang except Omar. Party Pooper! His excuse was that he had to concentrate on driving.

I came, Assal, I went back to camp,

Marty

First Ladies of Football

2006-07-03T10:00:00.000+09:00

So I was planning to go to a movie last night, but I was sidetracked by a live event at the cantina. Those who know me know I don't follow football too much. But I didn't go for me, really. I went in order to rub it in the face of the biggest Redskins fan I know, Steve. Take that Steve!

But I did get something for Steve:

It really was a good show. It certainly was a morale booster for a lot of people. Yes, people. Women were there enjoying the show too.

Between each performance one of the cheerleaders stayed up on stage and told a little about herself. I didn't realize how educated those professional cheerleaders are. A couple of them were finishing their master's programs, one was a kindergarten teacher. And they were all, of course, big fans of the military.

They stayed at the cantina for a couple of hours after their show talking to the troops, signing their autographs, and taking pictures with anyone who wanted one. I found all of them to be very friendly young ladies.

New Washington Redskins Fan,

Marty

World War!

2006-06-24T21:45:00.000+09:00

War is never a pretty sight, as was proven last night at CJTF-HOA.

Many armies were lost, leaving widows and orphans behind. Ultimately, world peace prevailed, but for how long? Will the evil empire of A-ron rise up from the smoldering ashes created by the backlash of fury from the mighty Omar? And will the noble red army of Martog maintain the great military presence it ended the war with?

Let me take you on a journey from the beginning...

The night started off with a little animosity between the three world powers. The armies were dispersed among the others' lands. Small skirmishes broke out here and there as each army vied for power over their continents.

The peace-loving armies of Martog only tried to unite and maintain the continents of Asia and Australia and fend off numerous attacks by the invading A-ron and Omar. The two formed alliances and attacked Martog on multiple fronts, thus awakening the sleeping Dragon of Asia. After invading forces from across the Bering Strait breached the front, Martog lashed out at the two opposing armies and destabilized them greatly.

All armies subsequently refortified and searched out alternate strategies for global domination. Peace finally arrived with the unification of the Americas under A-ron, Europe and Africa controlled by the Omar, and Asia and Australia unified by Martog. A peace treaty was in the works so all parties could go to bed.

UNTIL...

The evil empire of A-ron struck a blow from Greenland to the Omar in Iceland. A-ron then proceeded to route Europe and into Africa. The Omar were nearly done for, but the desperate armies managed to hold onto the last few territories in Africa and thwart the attack.

Note: After a peace treaty in the Middle East w/Africa and a handshake deal between N. America and Asia, Martog stayed out of the fight and fortified its borders on all fronts with a great influx of armies. National support was of course high because of the unity of Asia and Australia.

Seeing the desperation of their countrymen inspired the Omar to create an army like none seen before. Out of the pit of despair came the light of redemption. The mighty Omar struck out from his remaining territories. He attacked the thinned out armies of A-ron in Europe and Africa. Omar swiftly regained control and crossed the Atlantic to take the continent of South America. He then moved his mighty armies to North America and attacked A-ron's territories on multiple fronts.

Finally, after being pinned down in Alaska, the evil empire of A-ron was defeated.

Knowing the weakened state of the Omar and being the peace-loving citizens they are, Martog extended its hand in truce to the mighty Omar. In a gesture of their new truce Martog quickly extinguished the last remaining insurgent army of A-ron in Ukraine. And the world went to bed in peace.

Puttin' the smack down,

Marty

Mucho Moucha!

2006-06-21T13:20:00.000+09:00

Sunday was a relaxing day. I'm only just recovering from my quasi-vacation. We took a few reporters who were in the area out to Moucha Island with the intention of them reporting what military members do for recreation. Unfortunately, their video camera malfunctioned and they weren't able to get any footage. I guess we'll have to go back!

Moucha Island is a small desert island surrounded by coral reefs and turquoise blue water in the middle of the Gulf of Tadjoura. There is a beach and some small buildings that are the cantina, shower/bathrooms, and an outdoor dining room with a small kitchen attached, and the dive shop. Of course I came prepared with my PADI diver certification card. Other than diving, I spent the day lounging under the thatch-roofed umbrella, cliff diving, snorkeling, and watching the hordes of hermit crabs on the beach.

I was also able to go on two dives. One was a wreck dive. A 100 meter freighter that was layed over on its port side with coral growing on the deck and hull. It was phenomenal. We didn't actually go into it, but it was neat to see an old ship grown over on the bottom of the sea. The second dive was a reef. The water is so warm that it's hardly a relief from the Djiboutian heat, but we went down about 19 meters and it was like someone turned on the air conditioning. Very cool, so to speak.

(This is Najlae with News 21, Omar and me. I was given a matching Berkeley hat...not sure I want to wear it though. Oh, who am I kidding; I'm a closet liberal)

(Approaching Moucha Island. The dive shop is left of the dock. The cantina is to the right)

(Mr. Crab was very fast. I tried to take a picture when he was to the right in the shot, but he sprinted to the other side. The beach was littered with shells and coral. It was like gravel.)

(I followed Mr. Crab to his hideout. All the gang is there trying to avoid being eaten or stepped on)

(Going out on our second dive trip. Yes the glaring white spot near the front of the boat is me. I'm a little better now. Aaron, from News 21 is next to me. He would be white, but his freckles mostly touch)

I'm not exactly sure why I haven't been diving in a while, but I'll be remedying that.

Avoiding the Bends...this time,

Marty

Djibouti City

2006-06-17T06:52:00.000+09:00

A few of you have asked me what Djibouti City is like. Let me just say a picture is worth a thousand words...

(This was probably around "khat time" when everyone closes up shop and chews the khat)

(I think most of the buildings were built by the French, but haven't been maintained since the Djiboutians gained their independence in 1977)

(I don't think Sony actually has a store there anymore. Cafe Mask, from a previous post, is to the left of this building)

(Most of the buildings have some kind of store on the bottom and residences above. Many of the stores are seldom open)

All the buildings aren't as bad as those in the pics. Above, you can see the building to the right that has been maintained or fixed up. I like the architectural style of the entries, terraces and windows of many of the buildings. I would have liked to see Djibouti City in its heyday.

Slummin' in DJ,

Marty

Exciting News!

2006-06-11T00:35:00.000+09:00

Before receiving the small pox vaccination, I had to fill out a questionnaire. One question asks if you or someone you're close to is pregnant. I was somewhat certain I wasn't. But we suspected Vanessa might be, so she had a pregnancy test. An hour before I was to be vaccinated, we got the results. Needless to say, I had to wait until I arrived in country before I could receive the vaccination.

Vanessa had her first ultrasound yesterday and sent me the pictures to let everyone know...

It's a Bean, er, Baby! But it looks like a bean.

(This is what you'd see if Vanessa was standing over you in a skirt and you had ultrasonic vision)

(Look at the melon on that kid)

What do you think, Boy or Girl?

Patiently waiting until January 2nd,

Marty

Learning to Drive

2006-06-09T09:30:00.000+09:00

Because driving in Djibouti is such an ominous task, the guys at the motor pool want to make sure we're up to the challenge before they let us drive one of their vehicles. Without a doubt, it was the most fun I've had since I got here. The classroom portion wasn't exciting, but we finally got through it and on to the practical portion.

The course is a dirt field with cones all around and a big hole, at least 10 ft deep, in the middle. Did I mention the goats? If you hit one, you fail. It's the same as downtown; the locals will try to fleece us if we hit a goat. So the plan is to drive around the course in less than a minute and forty-five seconds. The first leg takes you through a couple of narrow paths marked off by cones, and around a narrow turn. Then you have to slalom through some cones, race up to a parking spot and reverse into another that's 90 degrees from the first. You then come barreling out of the parking spot and head into the hole. If you don't brake before you get to the edge, you're going to crash into the bottom and make some very unhappy people. Finally you climb up the other side and stop on the incline. That's the end of the time, but not the end of the test. You then have to prove you can drive up the hill from a stop. Easy enough for an automatic transmission, but they're not. Fortunately, I have some experience with a standard transmission.

(The beginning!)

(Sliding into the parking spot. The back-in spot is the cones on the left side of the pic)

(This is Brian. The angle is all sideways because I was being tossed about in the backseat!)

In case you were wondering, I passed. 1:38, No cones knocked down.

Drivin' like a maniac,

Marty

My Hooch

2006-06-03T04:54:00.000+09:00

I know I promised this in my first post, but I actually forgot until my son asked to see my bed. It's not much to look at, but it's home for the next several months.

(My tent among many others. Notice the sign beside my head? They need one on the tent next door that seems to be a coed party every night. Not allowed, by the way!)

(Rows of bunks. At least we have walls between us. The large tube down the middle is the air conditioner duct.)

(My little slice of "heaven." My son has helped to decorate the wall. Thank you Aiden.)

I hope you enjoyed the brief tour of my "crib". You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

Marty

Toby Keith

2006-06-01T14:21:00.000+09:00

Tonight was the much-hyped Toby Keith appearance. Admittedly, I was excited for this rare opportunity to see a big star in such a small venue.

We arrived a little early. But the cantina anticipated an early crowd and opened the bar for the 3-beer-limit libations. We got our seats and just hung out discussing the events of the day, etc. Then a few minutes before the concert was to begin, a loud-mouthed jarhead came over to me and "asked" me to move. No other directions or location, just "please move, sir." I repeatedly denied his request and asked him whose idea this was and where should I move in the already packed venue. He said he didn't know where; Gunny said that these seats were reserved and I needed to move. (Note: There were no signs or other indication the seats or any seats were reserved other than someone telling people, seemingly at random, to move) After repeated requests to see his Gunny, he finally appeared and quickly found me a seat (until that time, "reserved") just one row back. I was upset at his underling's rudeness, but enjoyed the concert nonetheless.

(An acoustic performance. One of the best performances I've seen!)

Afterwards, I approached the Gunny and declared my ire about the situation. He apologized for the young man's handling of the situation and promised to make it up to me sometime. I didn't realize he meant tonight.

Everyone was standing around waiting for Toby Keith to come back out to the cantina from the backroom where one of our PA writers was conducting an interview. My boss and I were standing near the door waiting to see how the interview went. Then Gunny came up to me and said, "Come with me, sir." He whisked me back to the room where I got to meet Toby and get a picture with him.

(This is my new favorite Gunny, Oorah!)

It bears repeating; Oorah!

Marty

Illegal Stuff

2006-05-29T15:32:00.000+09:00

So a few of us went downtown tonight and had dinner because we were denied our usual Sunday surf and turf. I won't bore you again with pictures but it was, of course, delicious.

Afterwards, we went to one of the shops on a corner near the restaurant and looked for souvenirs. I saw several things that I plan to buy. I will, however, hold out for serious shopping in Ethiopia or Kenya because that's where the Djiboutians import a lot of their wares. One of the most intriguing items for sale was an ivory tusk. Not a fake tusk, but a true to life, likely poached, tusk (see the picture below). That was a very tempting purchase, but buying poached ivory is like putting a stamp of approval on slaughtering an endangered species. That and the U.S. has laws against that sort of thing, so I'd be out $350 smackers if it was confiscated by customs. www.fws.gov/international/pdf/salaet.pdf

One of the vendors, Abi George, at the shop decided he liked me and wanted to share his khat with me. He insisted it was no different than having a beer. Here's what the Department of State has to say about khat: "Although the narcotic khat is legal and widely chewed in Djibouti, it is considered an illegal substance in many countries, including the United States." Needless to say, it was out of the question. But I took his picture and he asked that I print him a copy and bring it back in one week. I'll try to remember. And maybe if I do that for him, he'll give me a better deal on something...not khat.

(The green leaf in his hand is the khat. I think he pulled it out of a shopping bag, i.e. "dime bag")

Keepin' it legit,

Marty

Edison

2006-05-27T14:23:00.000+09:00

Last night several of us from the office ventured down to the Cantina here on the camp. For the past two nights the band Edison played there. We caught the end of their show last night and decided to go see them again tonight to see what we missed. They had some really great music of their own and did a few cover songs also. They've been touring the bases around Africa and Asia and bringing some much needed entertainment to the troops. They are genuinely a great group of guys! I hope they make it big someday. Go check out their website and listen to some of their music and tell your friends. Maybe word of mouth will help them out. http://www.edison.am/inside/index.htm

Camel Safari

2006-05-24T04:44:00.000+09:00

Last week we went to Dhikil, Djibouti to escort some media to a Navy Seabee project. That's the furthest I've made it away from camp to date. It took about 2 hours to get there. As civilization petered out, we started to see random people seemingly in the middle of nowhere. There were also random groups of animals meandering about the rocky terrain; Camels, goats, and burrows. One group in particular was wondering around the middle of the road.

The project we went to see was a dormitory for boys and girls that come into town from wherever and go to school in Dhikil. The students usually stay with relatives or anyone who will take care of them for the school year putting a burden on the already stretched villagers.

(Here's a picture I took of a local girl who climbed the fence to the school yard next door and was watching the building project. I gave her a much appreciated bottle of water. )

Appreciating the U.S. more every day,

Marty

Bon Apetit

2006-05-23T03:36:00.000+09:00

They feed us well here...maybe too well. We usually have several options to choose from on the chow line.

(Last night was surf and turf at the dining facility.)

We' ve also been to downtown DJ a couple of times. We ate some yummy pizza at a place called Cafe Mask.

(this is Sam and Omar in front of the restaurant)

And last week we had a going away for some people in the office. We ate at a French/Lebanese restaurant called Le Terrase (that's french for "the terrace" because the restaurant is upstairs and overlooks a nice swimming pool). I had the special; Chateau Briande with a burgandy mushroom sauce, Au Gratin potatoes, and green beans. We also had some appetizers; garlic calamari, bruschetta, and tabouli. It was all very good so we'll probably go back sometime.

These will probably be my last food pics from the DJ area. I'm sure I'll be eating something phenomenal downrange somewhere that I'll have to share with you (pictures anyway).

All these food pics reminds me... it's lunchtime. Gotta go.

Bon Apetit,

Marty

Desert Refreshments

2006-05-22T13:36:00.000+09:00

So as I was saying...

It's pretty warm here, but they have cold drinks on camp. We have a Green Bean Coffee here with a tasty iced chai tea.

My First Blog...Enjoy!

2006-05-20T13:27:00.000+09:00

Here it is! The long-promised blog. Please hold your applause till the end, I don't know how it's going to turn out yet.

So after a long, long, long, long (yes that's four layovers spanning two days) trip I finally arrived here in Djibouti, Africa. I arrived in country at about 3:20 a.m local time. Let me just say that it was quite a shock to my system. I've felt hot before, but this was a new level. When I stepped off the plane onto the tarmac I instantly felt the heat radiating up my legs. Did I mention it was three in the morning?

The weather here is hot. Forget what you see on the news about it being "only" 95 degrees. The heat index started at about 108 when I arrived and continues to rise almost daily. Today it was a mere 112 degrees. The humidity is at around 85 percent, but it doesn't really rain here. But it doesn't feel so bad to me anymore.

After about a week of breaking into a dripping sweat upon stepping outside, I've finally become acclimated to the weather (or as much as a non-native to this country could).

The camp isn't so bad, but I'll get into that on my next post. For now I'm going to see if this will post this time. I promise to include some pictures soon also.

Until my next free moment,

Marty

P.S. Happy 10th Anniversary Sweetheart!