Playstation 3 and No Waiting

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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...

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

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!

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

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