Tweet

If I can’t sleep (which is usually the case), and I have a little spare time (which is rarely the case), I’ll don a pair of sneakers, grab my laptop, and head east first thing in the morning. First stop is the PX/AAFES “mall”, where the ineffective WiFi can be accessed at slightly better speeds than at the end of the day.

After an hour or so of web based frustration, I’ll trek further east to the Dragon Gym – the same name as the gym I would use on Jamaica – and sit on a stationary bike for most of an hour, sort of watching whatever AFN is showing on the big screen, but mostly trying to achieve thought without thought for a time, a Zen like state of vibrating earbuds and frantic pedaling, counting the breaths.
Stolen gym towel in hand, it’s west to the DFAC where, despite our thrill at having meat again after our German experience, Bagram food has lost most of its luster, except for that sheen on the roast beef. Even lowered expectations are no help, and the dread looms larger with each hunger pang. Still, it’s food, and they’ve got iced tea. Really just tepid to cool tea, as there’s no ice. Regardless, it’s better than the coffee, and has the blessed caffeine.

About 17 minutes later, I’ll start the mile trek back to the hooch, passing one of my favorite spots at Bagram. Most of the time, it’s just a small grove of trees. I don’t know the variety. It’s certainly not something that grows in the Midwest. Midsized, small leafed, scraggly-assed. It was blooming when we got here, but that’s mostly finished now. What remains is an immense colony of sparrow sized birds, who appear insanely happy to wake up as a flock and to get together again at the end of the day. There are easily thousands of the small creatures, but they are camouflaged so well in the foliage it sounds like the trees are communicating. If I return from breakfast too late, the birds have already gone to work, and I miss out on the spectacle. It’s too easy to miss in the evening as well, where they reconvene for just a half hour or so towards dusk before they’re settled down for the night.

Seriously, I’m lucky to have noticed anything over the past week, where our increased workload and compressed schedule translated into sub 100 hour week. I expect the same this week, then we fly. I’ll chirp loudly then.