Happy Halloween from Afghanistan....

Halloween Part 37 -- Michael Meyers vs. the Taliban "There will be blood...Inshallah". The one time I'd be rooting for Michael Meyers....I wonder if Jamie Lee Curtis would be available - and could be wearing a burka....its a thought...

Ok - so I'm a goof - Happy Halloween

I have an older brother who is retired from the US Postal service, and I've kidded him about "going postal". Today (as you could tell from my entro) - I joined the ranks of the unstable US Postal service.....working as a Postal Clerk for DynCorp at our APO address in Kandahar. The gentleman who normally handles these duties is leaving on Tuesday for R&R, and I volunteered to stand in for him. I should have listened to Dad. Regarding military service or anything like it, he used to say "don't ever volunteer..." Should have listened.

Concurrent with his departure, we needed to find a new place to house our little mail room of sorts, because he'd been handling this out of his billeting room, which; 1) is not a good place for mail 2) I can't go in his room while he's gone, 3) Its about time to bring some organization to the process. So it was up to me locate the new mail room for DynCorp in Kandahar.

Shipping Containers are amazing things....you can live in them (I live in one), you can obviously ship things in them, which we do, you can put offices in them, which I work in, and you can make a mail room in one, which is what I did. With real estate at a premium, you make lemonade when you have a challenge. I've attached some photo's tonight to give you a taste in picture format of my life in Kandahar. I'm only doing it because I got my camera in the mail today. Kind of cool to be the mail guy down at the the post office and get your own packages...(hint, hint....Crystal Light in individual serving packets are a particularly coveted package item).

So on my first day as the Mail Clerk, I make a marvelous discovery - which is that my predecessor didn't like picking up the big packages on a regular basis. I moved 12 footlockers along with all the other regular boxed mail and letters into my new little mail room. Had to make 2 trips, and still didn't get it all. I'll be making multiple trips tomorrow as well, and moving all the mail which is still in his room to the mail room. I must be a wuss, cuz I'm whipped. Glad I got some help from Bob Zook, one of my work compatriots who lent a helping hand.

I also made a discovery about myself today, that few of you who know me will believe. I can be a little "anal retentive" when put to the test. After my training session from the Air Force Mail guys, I kinda took this mail thing seriously, so I set out to organize the mail, and create a "legal mail room" of sorts - which isn't quite there yet, but I'm working on it. So you'll see from the one picture I've loaded - the alphabetical sorting system I put in place on the inside of the CONEX box, to ge the mail organized. Didn't think I had it in me did you?

All of this is in addition to my normal duties, but it is kind of a nice break in the day - of very long days. I've been averaging about 85 hours a week on the clock, so this is a nice diversion for a couple hours a day.

Anyway - I hope this post finds everyone at home enjoying a happy weekend halloween after a big snow storm, and enjoying the freedoms that so many of our young men and women in uniform are sacrificing for over here.