I would like to thank my family who spearheaded the sending of packages to me with reinforced contributions from the Heath's, Zimmermen, Rice's, Melanie and Elizabeth and of course the Shannon Crandall Bountiful contingency. The box was great. It had plenty of home cooked goods including orange brownies, cookies and other treats. Everybody wants to be my friend all of a sudden. It may be the cookies but it may also be that they want to gt their hands on that SLC 5 K tee shirt. The cookies, perhaps. That blue piece of Salt Lake athletic Americana, probably.

Nothing says Christmas like orange sticks.

Af-ghan-is-tan. You can say it and now see it thanks to that great map.

Chief and I at the entrance to Camp Leatherneck. Leatherneck is the slums, while we live in a gated community called Camp Bastion. It is cleaner, nicer, friendlier and less dusty (if that is possible). Leatherneck (LNK for short) has only one redeeming quality. Wi FI. But even that is slow.

The heavy equipment is not so impressive but take a look at the dust just floating in the air. Sitting there like the black plague. I am sure I will end up with silicosis one day.