Day 33 - Thursdays are Slow

Another Thursday. Things are quite slow on Thursdays. It is a mix between our Friday and our Saturday. Most Afghans, the NMAA folks included, only work until just after lunch (1330 or so) since tomorrow is their day off and 1400 is prayer time. I wrapped up my audit forms in the morning and did a bit of java API "research". Otherwise it was a quiet morning.

I spent a bit of time with the Dean's Executive Officer (Colonel Amin) before lunch as well. We're trying to get laptops for all the NMAA cadets. The normal approval process through MOD (Ministry of Defense) won't happen in time for the new class this fall, so in addition to the official process we're trying to find a non-profit that would be willing to donate 600 mid-range laptops. We have a good lead with "Spirit of America", but as US Military folks, we can't legally solicit donations of this sort. As a result, I'm ghost writing a request from the Superintendent (MGEN Sharif) to go directly to them. Things look promising. My visit with Colonel Amin was nice too. He has relatives coming to town for a picnic tomorrow.

Later in the day we got a short notice request for a meeting on Camp Eggers with an SES (civilian General Officer equivilant), LTG Caldwell's Deputy. Not something we can say no to or postpone, and they needed another driver. On the road again (the link is to the Willie Nelson version...Here's the link to the Canned Heat version. Turns out a bunch of people have recorded songs with this name. Who knew?). I've put in a fair number of miles now around Kabul and am getting the hang of the traffic. The thing that worries me most when I drive (or when we travel at all), is all the small children that dart in and out of the traffic. They don't seem to have the same regard for the lethality of a fast moving vehicle as most other places I've driven. Seoul included.

This was our second trip to Eggers in two days. Yesterday on the way home I was the lead vehicle and we had to get creative since our normal route and Massoud Circle were closed due to a VBIED threat. All went well, but I'm still hoping for that up armored convertible Z06...