Day 10

I celebrated the end of Day 10 with a beer. A local beer that I cannot pronounce let alone spell. It has a big #9 on the front of the bottle and it's 8% alcohol. Although it's 11 p.m. here and my body is just exhausted I cannot for the life of me get to sleep. I should have had two beers.

I was able to break way from the office this morning to go to my dorm room to skype with JG. It was only Tuesday for him but a trying week in the office. I left the conversation feeling needed and wanted and appreciated just by being there for him and listening.

13 Hours

It's 1 a.m. here and I think I just screwed up my body getting used to the time change, but it was well worth it. JG and I finally got to talk for more than 10 minutes. My first week here in Kyrgyzstan has been a disappointment to us both - neither one of us feels as if our relationship/communication needs are being met. And I can't tell you how much that hurts.

His issues: trying to establish a routine with the kids while feeling I'm not respecting his time constraints at home and during the duty day, feeling anger and sadness that my first phone call home didn't come until day four and feeling burdened when I ask him to take care of something back home in every instance of communication.

Both of us were miserable this week. My feelings were also hurt, I felt like I had been wronged. When we finally talked today I was of harsh words and harsh tones. Eventually we were able to have a decent conversation. Something the both of us needed.

It was a late night for me and I realized that I had been keeping up my roommate. I feel like the worst roommate in the world right now. Partly because I forgot her name (I did warn her this would happen), partly because when we talk I have the air conditioner right in my ear and she has a really soft voice and I feel embarrassed to ask her to speak up, partly because I've not made my bed the last few days and my stuff has been scattered on the floor, and partly because I should have thought to bring my laptop to work and have the conversation with JG in my empty office.

She's also a wife, she's also a mom and she's a fellow NCO. At one point she got up out of bed and just left during my conversation with JG. About an hour or so later, when JG and I were finished I had turned out the light and started this blog entry. She popped back in to grab her PT jacket and I said "I'm so sorry about that, I didn't mean to keep you up." With the air conditioner and her trying to be considerate by not turing back on the light (not able to lip read) I caught: "no no no ..... it's okay ..... sometimes my husband and I ......." and the only thing I could think to say was "thank you."

Goats Wanted

The Bishkek International Airport and the Transit Center at Manas share a runway. And, long story short, there's birds who thrive on the insects growing in the hodge podge of weeds and some resemblence of grass. As a guest in another country we can't do more than suggest these flightline areas are mowed more often. My solution? Rig an electric fence and stick a couple goats out to pasture. They'll eat anything and in no time the birds will fly off to better pastures.

Heavy Eyes

This is me. Tired. Let's see if I can sleep tonight.

Jennifer's Day One

June 30th last year "The Sergeants Buzz" started with a quick into on Day One of JG's deployment to Southwest Asia. We're 10 days shy of that anniversary and I've reached my own Day One here at the Manas Transit Center, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.  

Yes, that is my electric blanket wrapped around me! I have one roommate - a great change from the dozen I had for the combat skills training at Fort Dix. And because we're in a building our latrine and showers are co-located with us. Even better, I have wifi in my room :)

It was great to finally meet my sponsor in person - we've been Facebook friends for months now, but it's so great to put a face with the name. I did some reading about the country on the way over and was surprised to learn that more than 75% of the country is literally frozen underneath permanent snow and glaciers. The country is relatively small - about the size of South Dakota. And livestock outnumber people 3:1. Now that I'm here, I'm anxious to become aquainted with the headlines more in-depth.

On a lighter note, the rest of the trip from Norfolk to here went smooth. Our entire office came out to greet us after our flight landed. They had already got our dorm rooms assigned and had keys-in-hand for us. The Major told us to get some rest and not worry about reporting for duty until 10 a.m.

Back from the brink; hiatus is over ...

What a difference six months make. I took a hiatus from blogging and Jennifer has done an amazing job of telling our stories the whole time. She entreated me to contribute on a variety of topics, but we've had so much going on. "That's the point," she put so delicately. And what can I say, she's right. Don't tell her I said that though ...

So to recap in a nutshell ... got home December 24th, scrambled to buy presents for Christmas Day since I wasn't supposed to be home until New Years ... Jennifer's Birthday ... reenlisted in the Air Force for another four years ... Jennifer was informed she was heading to NCO Academy ... I found out it was time for me to relocate (apparently five years in DC is a long time) ... my options came down to Mississippi, Idaho or Washington State -- Fairchild Air Force Base, near Spokane, Washington, wanted us most ... remodeled the house -- hardwood floors, painted walls, redid both bathrooms -- all in time for us to pack up and drive cross country from one Washington to the other ... Jennifer found out she had to deploy to Iraq ... started packing ... Jennifer found out she was going to Afghanistan instead ... more packing ... Jennifer found out she was going to Manas, Kyrgyzstan instead -- or as I like to call it, a little slice of deployment heaven (side note: did the math, I have more deployments than I have permanent changes of station since joining the Air Force) ... more packing ... tried to spend as much time with friends as we could ... packed up the truck ... pulled the boys out of school a month early ... found out I won Air Force Print Journalist of the Year as well as a few other writing and photography awards -- all stuff I did while deployed ... made the drive ... driving ... driving ... driving ...

Funny thing about the United States: They say there are a bunch of states West of the Mississippi, but really, it's just one, so don't let them fool you. It's called Nothing. Much like the villain in "The Neverending Story." Except when you get over that one hill, then it's more Nothing. With the exception of a lot of miles on the truck ...

The trip wasn't all bad, though. Talked Jennifer into staying in St. Louis an extra day to catch a Mets game -- my last for a long time (figures, they lost). We also made it to Hannibal, Mo., which was a bit of a pilgrimage for me, it being the birthplace of one of my favorite writers, Mark Twain. Jennifer also indulged me in diverting several hours to Metropolis, Ill., for the Superman Museum. I even played the song on the iPod as we drove through town. That statue is, well, Super ...

We also made it to our last Five Guys burger in Missoula, Mont., for the forseeable future. That was after the three days of driving through the Nothing. Kinda like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow made out of monotony. The only other thing of note in that stretch was seeing Mount Rushmore, so that was pretty cool. You know, for a mountain with four dudes heads carved in it ...

Jennifer's aunt lives in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, so we stopped and visited with them and had one of the better meals of our trip. They're our closest family, so it's really nice to have them. That and the area there is just amazingly beautiful. You know, for a lake ...

Finally it was Spokane. We got our house, we got unpacked (mostly) and we started work. And it's been nonstop busy ever since. There is always something going on, which is why I haven't felt compelled or inspired to write anything. But as Jennifer pointed out: "That's the point."

She's right, of course ...

She recounted these six months in much better detail than did I, however she posted no photos to go with them. So my contribution will be to add a little color to our last six month adventure ...

But mostly it's time to start a new one. Jennifer is on her way to her deployed location and will be working with some great folks. For Zachary, Edward, me and our dog, Judy, it'll be getting by without Jennifer. We'll have to learn to live without her warmth (in her heart, not her iceberg feet), her companionship (even when she's bossy) and her cooking (that'll be the hardest part) ...

Of course we wish her the best of luck on her deployment, as it's her turn to go, as I tell the boys. So far we're all handling it okay, but, of couse, we miss her already (especially her cooking) ...

Philly to Norfolk - Part Two

So, my plane was delayed out of Philly, for maintence by an hour. More and more of my combat skills training classmates were showing up at the gate. Our flight was canx outright - I believe it was because the aircraft wouldn't have been able to carry all of the excess baggage. Me and my gear weigh 426 pounds. I know this because the gentleman at the AMC terminal told me. Yes, I asked. I guessed 500. I'm a better packer than I thought. When they canx my flight, I was put on the same flight as Kim. So we've been hanging out today. Cold Stone is two blocks away from billeting. Coffee ice cream with mini chocolate chips and pecans. That was my dinner. Yum.

There was a screaming baby on the plane. I am usually not annoyed with screaming babies having had the experience of flying with a 10-month old with an ear infection. There was a baby sitting behind me who was not screaming. Both 'babies' were about 14 months old. The difference why one was screaming and not the other? Baby behind me had a mother who was talking to her. "Oh, look at the ocean that's where the fish and sharks live. We are going to be landing soon ..." etc, etc. Baby in front of me had both parents who were holding her, but didn't not talk to her at all. No "what's wrong?" or "look at this" or "when we land we're going to ..." No conversation. No nothing. And just when you thought baby couldn't get any more ear-peircing she did. Again and again. Then the flight attendant rescued us all by bringing the baby the demo oxygen mask. I tried my best to remember her name, but all I can recall was that it started with a "v" and it wasn't a common v name like veronic, victoria, viola or valerie. The baby was quiet and happy, but I'm convinced it wasn't because of the mask - it was a conduit for communication. Flight attendant: "oh, it's a hat! you're so clever! oh, i love your shoe - look you've made a necklace. my son likes those things too." The baby made eye contact, was engaged and knew exactly what was being said. So, to the mom and in dad in row 5 of flight 3287 try talking to your daughter. If you don't start now you're going to have a whole mess of problems by the time she's 15.

Philly to Norfolk - Part One

I had a really good night’s sleep last night. Down comforters, six gushy pillows, thick soft mattress – heaven. I did have to get up early and repack all of my bags. I have five. A hard case for equipment, my suitcase and three A-bags – that’s a lot to lug. Some folks sent their training equipment home. I didn’t.


Kim and I traveled together from Fort Dix to the Hilton Philadelphia Airport hotel. She’s a career photographer who’s now picking up some public affairs slack at her assignment so we had a lot of stories to share. We had dinner on the river at a place called the Chart House. We both wanted steak, but the seafood entrees looked amazing. I got the sea bass with saffron risotto and it was amazing. I had my doubts about the risotto – saffron can very easily overpower a dish but it was perfect. The sea bass was cooked perfectly and they topped it with lobster and crab meat. Maybe today I’ll get myself a steak. Or a really good cheeseburger.

I’ve been sending a lot of cards home to the boys and JG. That was the last thing we learned from JG’s deployment was that cards, letters and care packages meant the most to him. So, I’m trying to do a better job of that during this separation. I desire conversation – whether it’s IMing, webcam or talking on the phone more than anything else.

Edward gave me Yoshi. He’s not made it out of my backpack yet. Zachary gave me a potholder and a mini scarf he weaved “to keep your fingers warm, mom.” The boys are so incredibly sweet. I miss them so much already.

From last weekend

Sunday, June 13 I wrote this as a word document but forgot to post it.


I’m wearing civilian clothes for the first time in six days. About half of my roommates here are trying to sleep in while the other half of us can’t wait to leave the base. Last night I caught JG on webcam – but it was nearly midnight here on the east coast, so it didn’t last too long. Even without the kids around, 6:30 a.m. is sleeping in. JG let me take his headphone and microphone set with me and it took a bit to figure out that the band goes around the back of my neck instead of on top of my head. He he he. We are still on lock down for an hour. FUN. I also have armory duty for an hour this afternoon.

Final Exercise Done

The only thing I have to worry about is getting one last omlete, formation without battle rattle, cleaning my M-16, turning it back into the armory and returning the borrowed linens, magazines (as in ammo, not Newsweek), and keys. Then, it's off to Philly to spend the night to catch a flight to Norfolk where I will do some waiting for my flight out of the country.

So, I had an all-time low in customer service today at the Fort Dix Dunkin Donuts. Now, I love their coffee and when I'm on the East Coast I actually prefer it to Starbucks. But, this morning I was in the mood for a hot chocolate. It was served in a plastic cup complete with a lid with the straw hole. When I said I can't have this cup it's too hot, the guy hands me a cardboard sleeve. I had to ask for a styrofoam cup for my HOT chocolate. Eyeroll.

Zero Weeks

The term "Zero Week" comes from Air Force Basic Military Training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas ... when I went through in 1996 there was two or three days of administrative things that took place before they counted the six full weeks of basic training. I consider my time here at Fort Dix and the subsequent travel time to Manas Transit Center zero weeks. I just want to hurry up and get there so I can count down the time to getting home. It was this time last year that JG was packing for his deployment. We've only had five months together between him coming back at the end of December and my leaving the first week of June. I hope this is not the beginning of a trend.

Compiled at Combat Airman Skills Training, Fort Dix, N.J.

I've just finished day five of 'CAST.' We don't have internet connection in our dorm and this is the first time I've made it to the library to upload the bits of blogs I've done since I left home Monday. Enjoy.

Monday, June 7

I'm at my layover in Minneapolis-St.Paul. I "refuse" to pay for internet. The laptop is new and i can't find "word" so I'm testing out this sticky note program. Wondering how many characters I can type before it locks up. I don't like this scripty font. I get that they want to make it like a 'real' sticky note, but come on. Just figured out you have to launch a program called "microsoft works task launcher" in order to access microsoft word. I had breakfast for lunch here at the airport. Don't even remember the name of the restaurant, but do know that it's sit down. For only a buck or two more than 'fast' food here you don't have to worry about getting your own refills, you have a dedicated table and you can settle your belongings so there's no awkwardness while trying to pay, hold your food and maneuver around people. Well, the sticky note program doesn't not seem to have a character count cap and I've lost interest. How I LOVE copy/paste!

Tuesday, June 8

Well, today was the first day of Combat Airman Skills Training. Mainly it was a day of equipment issue and a two-hour lecture on how to survive, evade, resist and escape if needed. Breakfast was just okay – I got distracted from the omelet bar when I saw a heaping tray of fresh scrambled eggs make its way to the serving line. Those “eggs” will have to take a back seat to veggie and cheese omelets for the rest of my stay. I’ve been here twice before once for a course called Phoenix Readiness back in 2003 and for Advanced Combat Skills Training in 2006. I should have known about the eggs. On a surprising note the red delicious apples were nice and crisp – not mealy. I’ve actually stopped buying that variety at the grocery store. I did some light grocery shopping Saturday and it was so depressing not to be able to buy food for meals that I’d normally be planning for the week. JG took the moment of not rain to try out the weed whacker. We bought an electric one to save on the moving hassle of having to drain the liquid, etc. For the same reason we bought a manual mower.

Saturday, June 12

Thus far I’ve made two trips to the base exchange. The first trip I picked up cards – one for JG, Edward and Zachary. Also bought a lock for the wall locker I’m using. I swore I packed it, but could not find it in my bag. Until five minutes ago. Of course. The second trip I bought a notebook and a stationary set. And toothpaste. I was getting by on SpongeBob Square pants bubble gum flavored toothpaste. Ick. So today was a training day, even though it was a Saturday. Tomorrow is our day off, but I’m pulling a shift to watch weapons. I’m also getting my nails done. I’m shocked I’ve not ripped them apart, so I’ll get them done short to last me another month. I called JG a few minutes ago, but forgot he was running a game today. One of the photographers I’m deploying with is in my flight. It’s nice to meet someone I’m going to be working with for the next six months before actually getting in country. I lost JG’s lcd flashlight my first night here. With the extra time tomorrow I’ll put more effort into looking for it and maybe even find it. Yippe.