Today in Rocket Science

Dostum, the Hero

2009-08-17T19:24:00.002-05:00

Despite what the news media, the Department of State, and the Obama-Administration are saying right now, General Dostum is a hero and an American Ally.

Did he kill some Taliban? Yes. Did the Taliban kill far more people, with far less cause than he did? You bet. Are American's also actively hunting and killing Taliban? Of course. Do the Taliban continue to maim, rob, kill, harass, and general act like the terrorists they are? Yes.

So why is the Department of State counseling President Karzai against allowing Dostum back into Afghanistan?

Roll Tide

2008-09-20T22:15:00.000-05:00

Roll Tide.

Also, Roll LSU and Moo Aubarn.

Kegerator!

2008-08-14T19:07:00.002-05:00

Beer on tap. In the garage!

CERN Rap!

2008-08-04T19:37:00.001-05:00

Another attempt next year...

2008-06-06T16:43:00.001-05:00

Free the Hops was again unsuccessful this year, but it was more of a legislature issue than anything...

Oh well.

-DK

Freeing the Hops...

2008-03-31T19:44:00.003-06:00

The fight for higher-alcohol-content beer (above 6% abv) continues... We're also pushing for larger container sizes, and legalized homebrewing. We need your help.

Join the fight at Free The Hops.

Some guys I know are fellow homebrewers (which, as stated, is not currently legal in Alabama). A few weeks ago, some of them were interviewed for an article in the LA Times. Well, now it's been reprinted in the Mobile Press-Register and the Boston Globe too.

The higher-alcohol-content beer bill has passed the house, but is not the senate yet...

MalletCon

2008-03-21T15:42:00.003-06:00

Attention all Malleteers or other associates of the Mallet Assembly program at the University of Alabama: MalletCon will be held April 4 thru 6, 2008.

E-mail me for more info, or check the wiki. http://wiki.mallet-assembly.org/

Ani Difranco show Saturday in Birmingham

2008-03-16T21:40:00.002-06:00

Cindy and I went to the Ani show Saturday night in Birmingham, at the WorkPlay Theater. Fourth show I've seen of hers, all in Birmingham, all at different venues. It was probably the second best showing of her's that I've seen; the first show I ever saw her do in Five Points Music Hall about 10 years ago being the best I recall. But this show had a lot of the same positives, though the crowd was probably a bit more mainstream than previous shows.

The opening act was also very good; a local guy who's name I forget played solo acoustic (Jon something from Birmingham). Another band was scheduled to open, but had something come up and couldn't play.

All in all, a great show.

Bruce Springsteen

2008-02-27T21:59:00.004-06:00

I was watching a show where Bruce Springsteen was talking about his songwriting in general and in specific his song "Jesus was an Only Son". And Bruce had this to say about the song, and about life in general:

"Cause I think that, uh, whatever Divinity we can lay claim to is hidden in the core of our humanity. And when we let go--when we let our compassion go--we let go of what little claim we have to the Divine."

There are a lot of things I thought about saying, but I think it says enough.

Andover, MA

2008-01-23T20:31:00.000-06:00

Well, I always like Boston... I was dreading this trip, and now that I'm here, I am again reminded of why I like Boston so much. And I'm not even in Boston, I'm in Andover.

Wish I had time for Boston proper, but that's not going to happen this time...

In the words of Jean-Luc Picard....

2007-12-09T19:47:00.000-06:00

Engage!

Ouch! What the....

2007-12-09T19:46:00.001-06:00

%*$@~#%!!! My head!!!!

Prettiest Engineer

2007-12-03T22:20:00.000-06:00

Prettiest Engineer I ever saw!

Went to California

2007-10-22T21:06:00.001-05:00

Cindy and I at the B.R. Cohn Winery. Site of a wedding of two of her friends this weekend. Very nice time, very nice place. Great trip.

Cool Blog.

2007-10-09T21:10:00.000-05:00

Check this out:

http://blogs.getransportation.com/evolutionblog/

All moved in...

2007-10-09T21:06:00.000-05:00

I'm all moved in to my new house. Of course it maybe another three or four years before I have all the boxes opened and emptied, but I'm making progress...

All in all, it's a great house in a great neighborhood.

New House

2007-09-16T10:16:00.000-05:00

So I'm once again buying a house. This time it's in East Huntsville, a subdivision called Hidden Lake. The house is about 4 years old, but immaculate. And it's got a three car garage; which means I have space to build my brewery!

Closing is at the end of the month, and I'll be moving in a few days later--early October...

Railfanning Versailles, OH

2007-08-16T21:50:00.001-05:00

So, it turns out "good railfanning spots" in Versailles = 1 block off Main Street. The whole length of town.

I'll have to get the pics from Cindy; they're on her camera.

Going to Versailles

2007-08-01T20:09:00.001-05:00

Ohio, not France.

Anyone know of any good railfanning spots in the area?

-DK

Everyone's playing Travian

2007-07-16T20:29:00.000-05:00

A bunch of us Mallet-folk are playing the online game Travian. If you're not already playing, check it out. Mallet is playing on server 3 (s3) and we have a fair-size alliance. Check it out.

Music City Brewer's Fest

2007-07-13T15:43:00.000-05:00

Music City Brewer's Festival: Saturday July 28, 2pm till 8pm, Nashville, TN

Cindy & I have tickets...

Who else?

Tuscaloosa, AL

2007-06-01T16:51:00.001-05:00

The girlfriend and I will be in Tuscaloosa for a short visit on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

Also, all my pre-Afghanistan phone numbers are invalid, but I do have all new phone numbers. E-mail and I can send em to ya.

-DK

Stripes: EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle

2007-05-24T20:19:00.000-05:00

So, I'm watching Stripes on ActionMAX (a Cinemax channel), and I'm reminded of the fact that at work, we have a whole bunch of vehicles that look almost exactly like the EM-50!

Unfortunately the vehicles at work don't have the same capabilities as the EM-50 has...

Er, and also they look more like the below picture, than the above:

Mallet to move

2007-05-24T20:14:00.000-05:00

Well, it looks like Mallet is moving to Palmer Hall on UA's campus... Not as bad as it could have been, but not great news either.

Mallet Needs Your Help

2007-05-16T19:38:00.000-05:00

If you are at all associated with the Mallet Assembly, right now is the time to act. The program is in terrible danger, worse than ever before, it seems.

Please call a fellow Malleteer, read the websites & e-mail lists, and find out what is going on, then please contact the University & let them know they cannot end the program, nor remove it from University Housing.

Thanks.

Er, PS, I'm back safely from Afghanistan.

Kabul in spring

2007-04-23T07:30:00.000-05:00

Kabul has been fairly peaceful this spring, very calm; there really haven't been very many car bombings, certainly not the level the Taliban had promised/threatened. Kind of nice, really.

Now if it just wasn't so damn dusty...

Recently, I was fortunate...

2007-04-03T11:11:00.000-05:00

...enough to have a chance to visit the Mike Spann Memorial in Fort Kala Jangi where he was killed outside of Mezar-E-Sharif (Mezar-I-Sharif). Unfortunately, I can't put all my photos here--no faces--but I can post a few.

Outside the inner perimeter.

Also outside the inner perimeter of the fort.

Inside the inner perimeter, the small monument stands among mine fields.

The monument.

Text of the monument.

http://www.honormikespann.org/

Afghanistan is not Iraq; I hope we do not lose sight of that, there is still much to be done...

T minus 28

2007-03-26T10:20:00.000-06:00

28 days left. It'll be a few more days after that before I hit Huntsville. Hope to see everyone soon.

-DK

Things here are weird

2007-02-18T12:06:00.000-06:00

I've been back in the 'Stan about a month now...

Things here are weird. I don't mean the country or city, I mean the daytime environment. Unfortunately, I can't say anything more specific right now, because I fear reprisals. Yeah, it's gotten that ridicules.

On ~~two~~ three brighter notes...

-I'm still learning a lot and enjoying my day-to-day activities.

-My work here is almost done. (There is still plenty of work left here, but I've done what I can under the circumstances).

-I might get to see Kazakhstan! Maybe. (Hello Borat).

CSX Track Inspection Train

2007-01-12T17:52:00.000-06:00

A CSX track inspection train sits in the Kayne Avenue Yard in Downtown Nashville, TN.

Another view of the same train. It was raining when I took this, hence the poor sky color.

Home for the Holidays

2007-01-12T17:48:00.000-06:00

Inside Shenandoah National Park.

Cindy & Poobie at Bobby's Party. Notice that Cindy has my new Lego BNSF Locomotive under her arm; it was a gift from Matt & Sarah.

Merry Christmas

2006-12-20T11:24:00.000-06:00

I'll be departing Kabul soon, and be home for a little while shortly after that... in fact, I should make it home before Christmas (knock on wood) so long as nothing comes up to delay my travels.

After having been here 8 months, I can say I am ready to leave for a while. The personal restrictions, while (mostly) tolerable, will be great to get away from. Like being able to have a drink. Of beer. Or whiskey. Or even non-bottled water--water safe to drink straight from the tap!

On another note, why is it that contractors try to save $3 today when I warned them yesterday not to try it, and it's gonna cost them $10 tomorrow to fix it? When if they'd have just done it right the first time, it would have been loads cheaper than doing it wrong once and then having to tear it out and re-do it.

A certain Turkish Contractor, Z, tried to save a couple of thousand dollars by downsizing an electrical neutral line under a condition where doing that is 1) dangerous, 2) prohibited by contract, and 3) prohibited by the National Electrical Code.

Now, the certain contractor, Z, will have to remove the too-small conductor and order the correct wire and re-install the wire.

This isn't the first time, nor is Z the only contractor who tries to do this kind of thing.

On a happier note, Merry Christmas to all.

36 hours of snow

2006-12-03T10:29:00.000-06:00

There's been nearly 36 straight hours of snow here. Not quite 36 straight thru--two or three times it's stopped for maybe an hour or so. But still, it's been snowing a lot. Though very little of it has been sticking. An inch or two on the ground; sidewalks and roads vary between water, slush, and snow-on-top-of-slush, changing as the temperature changes. Colder objects (like the picnic table outside my window--the cold air hits the top and bottom of the table) have 3 inches or so of snow on them, but nothing else has it quite so thick.

But now I see why the Taliban doesn't attack in winter. I mean, I knew it snowed, and I knew that makes transport even more difficult than it normally is, but the fact that it's not stopped for almost two days... well, I can just imagine higher elevations must be hellacious.

It would probably make for some really good skiing, especially to the north, where the mountains are higher.

Maybe in 20 years someone will open a ski resort.

A Very Kabul Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T04:33:00.000-06:00

The highest mountains around the city are now snowcapped and will likely stay that way until May or June. They've actually been this way a couple of days, but I just got around to photographing it.

An Afghan asked me if I'd be in a bar this afternoon, had I been in the United States rather than Afghanistan. Heh. I explained to him how it's more of a family day, though there would likely be a football game or two on TV.

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-22T12:10:00.000-06:00

Yeah, the photo has nothing to do with Thanksgiving, but I put it up anyhow.

The bike's just a little big for the kid. The billboard that says Roshan in the background--Roshan is the local cellphone company. People who know me well will be amused to know that I have been forced to acquire a cellphone here. If I can't get away from one by going half-way around the world to a country with little communications infrastructure, I guess I'm not going to get away from them.

The girls in the background with the umbrellas are going to or coming from school. The black dress with white scarf is their uniform.

AFC - 12 Herbs & Spices!

2006-11-10T10:59:00.000-06:00

Made using the General's Secret Recipe!

They deliver!

I'm not brave enough to try it. I work with a guy who likes to eat locally prepared meals. He went home on leave for a few weeks and was feeling ill; went to the doctor, ran some tests... turned out he had no less than 4 parasites. Two weeks of medicine and no drinking of booze*, so after two weeks of medicine he was rid of two of paraistes he had. Took another couple of weeks to get rid of the third.

As far as I know, he's still got the fourth; doctors don't know how to kill it. Some kind of worm in his intestines, IIRC.

I'm not saying he ate at AFC or anything--no reflection on them--just that you don't know what you're getting when you eat some of the local foods.

Prices above are in Afghani; they will also accept US Dollars; simply divide the price by 50 for USD.

*Not being able to drink while on leave is kind of a big deal, because we can't drink while we are in the 'Stan; going on leave is your big chance.

Outskirts of Herat

2006-10-28T11:47:00.000-05:00

Outskirts of Herat, from above. There is significantly more water/greenery here than lots of other places... The little white bit in the corner is the wing of the airplane.

Activate Cloaking Device!

2006-10-19T12:44:00.000-05:00

Awesome.

Another story.

And another.

I need this.

Not Kabul

2006-10-18T11:22:00.000-05:00

I got a chance to leave Kabul a little while ago; first time in a while. It was a nice break.

UXO. (UneXploded Ordnance). Obviously Russian; obviously sitting here a while. Despite the decades, it was clear that the Russians were struggling here; down to the last. Whether any of them made it out alive or not, only Allah knows...

ANA regulars with RPG launchers!

The famous Blue Mosque.

Alley in Herat. (Taylor, the boy is in "Man-Jammas").

New Condos in Herat... compare & contrast with the previous pic. While it is gaudy, it is progress; things have gotten better. This wouldn't have been there 5 years ago.

Stupid Comic Books

2006-10-12T12:28:00.000-05:00

From the site:

Since when did leopard packs include chimpanzees?
Since when did leopards have packs?

Brilliant.

Also: Who knew Superman was such a dick?

Lots of other goofy comics here.

Freedom

2006-10-10T12:26:00.000-05:00

It'll be nice to again one day have the freedom to move around a town or city, at will, and in relative safety & comfort.

In the mean time, I am attempting to grow a beard. It sucks so far, but I'll give it another couple of days.

There is a lot more I'd like to say, but feel obligated to not say. Regarding Kabul, lack of freedom of movement, reasons for growing a beard--they are all related.

Can't wait to get home... Only 6 more months!--I'm halfway done.

Fall - Change in the Air

2006-10-06T01:55:00.000-05:00

The weather is changing. Days are not hot; nights are chilly. The winds--and the dust--have picked up. Sometimes you can't see the mountains for all the dust in the air. When you go outside, your scalp gets filled with sand and dirt; like being at the beach, but without that primal feeling of peace you have at the beach.

It's Ramazzan. That's the local pronunciation of what people in the states call Ramadan. There is no eating or drinking of anything during daylight hours--by the locals; it's not polite for Infidels to eat or drink in front of them, but we can eat & drink; just inside, out of sight.

I've almost been here 6 months. The days stretch on, but the weeks fly by.

The work is good, but the work politics... Not the co-workers; they, the immediate, day-to-day co-workers, are all great--at a higher level though, the politics and the stupidity... The institutional level, ugh.

And Kabul is a different place than it was 3 or 4 months ago. It's more timid, but more on edge. Less hopeful, though still positive. There are still lots of good signs of reconstruction, rebirth; but there certainly is no lessening of police or military or security barriers.

The longer I am here, the more benefits I see in my having decided to do this; everyone in America should have to live in the third world for a few months--even if they live in relative luxury--electricity, running water safe enough to shower in but not drink, clean bottled drinking water, plenty of warm food every meal--while living in the third world.

Generic Update

2006-09-20T12:35:00.000-05:00

Mmm, just a generic update here; I have to be vague. Sorry. OPSEC.

I haven't really gotten out & about much, so no new pics from around the city or the country. I've been busy with office work, but that serves to remind me why I like jobs where I can get out to the field sometimes... Both my "real" job and this one allow me desk time and field time; it is something that I'll have to keep in mind if/when I change my real job. The recent lack of field time isn't likely to be a permanent condition of this job.

I did get some tasty Rice Crispy Treats in the mail from a certain Doctor & Sys Admin I know... They are quite good. They also gave me the worlds awesomest red-flashing-light-skull-key-chain! (It's a plastic key chain in the shape of a skull; when you move it, a red light flashes for a number of seconds then stops. It totally rules. You are jealous).

Oh, here's something: last night we made up bags of school supplies, shoes, and clothing that will be handed out to local children in the near future. Our goal was to do about 200 or 300 bags; we exceeded 500. We vet (check out) all the charities before we give to them---to make sure that at least most of the stuff makes it to the people we intend---the people who need it most.

If anyone's got old shoes, clothes, pens, pencils, paper, notebooks, toys, stuffed animals, etc you can send them this way, if you want.... Please bear in mind the sensibilities of the Afghan people---ie, women's swimsuits aren't a good idea. If you have 500 pens that all say the local gas station's name on them or political candidate, those are idea--promotional type things. Old tennis balls are good too, as they are fairly difficult to break.

I'll try to get back to more regular postings.

Out.

London was fun

2006-08-30T12:12:00.000-05:00

London was awesome.

Unfortunately, the Internet has been really, really slow here the past week or so. Weather and maintenance issues.

And now I'm covered up with work, since I was gone a while... and now my coworker is on leave for a while too, so I get to do everything. Which, in some ways, is nice. But in other ways, it is overwhelming.

But I'm fine.

Looking forward to Christmas.

Ho-hum

2006-08-12T13:21:00.000-05:00

I saw an RPG today.

It was not abandoned.

It was in a launcher.

On the side of the road. At the base of a guys feet.

A good guy, thankfully.

Now, I'm no stranger to RPGs. But it was vaguely disturbing to see in the wild.

But not nearly as disturbing as it should have been; in a land where you are surprised when someone in a uniform--any uniform--isn't carrying a gun of some type; where foreigners don't go out without a weapon, body armor, or both; I guess an RPG just isn't that big a deal.

Well, I'm sure I've said enough now to get in trouble with the boss. The real boss. But I didn't even think of it earlier when I chatted with her by phone.

One of those things where, anyone* else, anywhere else, or any other time and the reaction probably would have drastically different.

(*me or him)

Londinium

2006-08-07T01:14:00.000-05:00

I'll be going to London soon, for some much needed R&R. The highlight will be, no doubt, spending time with Cynthia.

Aside from the tower, palaces, museums, what should we see? I'm talking off-the-beaten-path stuff. Neat shops or restaurants; parks or small memorials (like the Paddington Bear statue); that kind of thing.

Also it will be nice to be in a place with beer.

Snakes on your phone

2006-08-07T01:13:00.000-05:00

Via the Standard Deviant.

Jingle Truck

2006-08-04T11:49:00.000-05:00

This is typical of most trucks in Afghanistan. Highly customized, with scenes or patterns painted on them, and metal that hangs down and jingles as the truck drives. You can see the metal-jingly-things hanging down off the front & rear bumpers, and on that thing between the front and rear tires.

The load contents vary, but are always overflowing.

This winter I am hoping to get a picture of one driving by with a FIRE IN THE CAB OF THE TRUCK. They do this for warmth, as the trucks either frequently have broken heaters or do not have heaters--I don't know which.

(Reminds me of college: "The ______ is broken and ON FIRE! Please come fix it.")

Graveyard

2006-08-04T11:44:00.000-05:00

Near the Pol-E-Charki area. (In Pol-E-Charki?--there aren't exactly signs designating municipalities).

No More Brolley

2006-07-18T10:58:00.000-05:00

This appears to be the remenants of a Trolley system--imagine my surprise! Dashing my hopes, a little bit of research reveals that this is not the case.

This is all the evidence of remains of Kabul's former Brolley System that I can find. I hope to locate the former depot and see if it still exists, and if so, if any of the former busses still exist (in whatever condition).

What is a Brolley? Its a combination bus & trolley (more commonly: trolleybus) or, in the case of the city of Tuscaloosa, Al, a Brolley is a bus painted to look like a Trolley and plays really loud (but bad) music out onto the surrounding streets as it passes by, so that drunk people can be made aware of it's presence, so as to hail it, so they don't have to stumble all the way home from the bar.

I actually didn't realize that I had any pictures of the remaining poles and catenarys until I got home and downloaded some images---this was actually in the corner of another subject & I cropped the pic to show this. The ones I noticed, I didn't have a chance to photograph.

This site has more info on the system: http://www.spvd.cz/?p=svet/af/kabul_en.html&m=menu_svet.html

Thanks to Andrew Grantham and his Railways of Afghanistan site for the above link.

Royal Palaces

2006-07-16T12:19:00.000-05:00

Pictured here are the King's (foreground) and Queen's (background) Palace's. My understanding is that both King & Queen actually lived at the Queen's Palace, and the King's Palace was his office. The King's is much larger than the Queen's.

This is the rear of the King's Palace. When the Soviets invaded in the 1970's, they used it for a Ministry of Defense building. Since then, various warlords have used it as fortification until it became too damaged to be of use to anyone. Since then, virtually anything of value (including all scrap metal) has been looted.

You can see a guard fortification--small building--on the right of the picture to prevent further pilfering.

Side shot of the King's Palace, showing the extent of some of the damage to the building.

The dark boxes below the big holes in the building are the guard-fortification, made from Hesco Bastions, also visible from a different angle two photos above.

The Queen's Palace is in much better condition than the King's; thats not saying much though.

This is the view of the Queen's Palace from the rear of the King's Palace.

A closer view; you can see how extensive the damage is.

As you can see from the fortification, the Palace is currently under guard by the ANA (Afghanistan National Army) to prevent further looting.

Downtown

2006-07-13T13:37:00.000-05:00

Well, these aren't great pics of downtown, cause there are actually multi-story buildings and such around. But then there is also this.

I think this hill is called TV Hill... Note also the old Soviet-era taxis.

I've seen maybe ... 6 traffic lights in Kabul. I mean 6 lights, not 6 intersections with lights--six devices with 3 colored lights in them. None I have seen have been working, and none have been grouped in more than sets of 2, with some being alone... Traffic circles are very common, as are intersections with no traffic control at all. A few intersections have traffic cops, at least at busy times.

Old Soviet War Museum?

2006-07-13T13:29:00.000-05:00

I'm told that this may be part of an old Soviet war museum or military museum or something. There were stripped out & flipped over BMPs and other armored vehicles around too.

Earthquake

2006-07-12T01:59:00.000-05:00

There was a minor earthquake here today about 9:50am local time, or about 12:20am Central Daylight Time. The desk shook, as did the lights and computer monitors. A few things rattled. That was it.

The "realtime" Earthquake reporting system is not yet reporting the quake.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/10/65_35.php

And try:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/10/70_35.php

The Mighty Kabul River

2006-07-11T11:56:00.000-05:00

The mighty Kabul River. It flows more in spring, during the snow melt from the mountains.

Wear your seatbelt

2006-07-11T11:47:00.000-05:00

Always wear your seatbelt.

We followed this car for maybe a mile or so; I had our driver catch up to them so I could get a good pic. You can't tell, but this kid is hanging off the back because the entirety of the interior is chock full of other folks.

What I do

2006-07-07T04:07:00.000-05:00

People ask me what I do. Some of the things I do are: make sure the design of the power plants is correct, which is where this genset is being used; check the design of the electrical system; make recommendations on what to do when there is a problem; safety analysis; power load analysis; etc... Basically: make sure the electricity works; from a new design thru ongoing use.

The picture above is of a 1 megawatt generator in one of the power plants we have designed. It burns diesel fuel.

Anyone want to rent a Carin?

2006-07-07T01:36:00.000-05:00

Who wants to rent a carin?

Home Depot

2006-07-06T12:46:00.000-05:00

Home Depot.

I think this speaks for itself

2006-07-06T12:39:00.000-05:00

Kabul Museum.

More City Scenes

2006-06-26T11:07:00.000-05:00

A-typical store on an a-typical day. Most stores in Kabul are of similar construction, but 1 story, not 2. Most days, the streets are overrun with people and cars and donkey-carts and horse-carts, but this was taken on a friday, which is the Muslim day of rest.

Also, this street is in much better condition than most. It is recently paved. Many streets are not paved, those that are generally are in much worse condition than this.

Two ladies crossing a street in Kabul. This area is unusual in the number of trees that are present.

This was taken near Massoud Circle. I'll post more about Ahmed Massoud in the future; a hero and martyr of Afghanistan and, indirectly, America too. He was assasinated by Al Qaeda September 9, 2001 with the blessings of the Taliban. He was the only "Warlord" still fighting the Taliban in 2001; the rest had capitulated.

See also: Wikipedia

This is another fairly typical scene; a big group of people riding around in the back of a truck in a way that would appear to be extremely unsafe (and really is).

The lack of trees in this photo is much more typical of the conditions.

You can barely make out the mountains in the background of the picture. They aren't that far away, the air is just that dusty. If you click on the photo so a larger version loads, you can even see a little bit of snow left on the mountain tops; it will likely be gone before summer ends, but Kabul is higher than Denver; just under 6000 feet up.

Kabul City Scenes

2006-06-16T12:14:00.000-05:00

Embassy of Pakistan, Kabul.

Soviet-era Taxi, still hard at work on the streets. Notice the tricked-out ride: extra mirror on front passenger-side fender, jingle-chains hanging from sun-visor, roof-rack, and colored-wipers!

Just so people are aware...

2006-06-16T09:46:00.000-05:00

The fact that I don't cover certain topics on the blog, or tend towards light-hearted or trivial posts is because I can't talk about certain things, because of my job, security, etc.

Busy

2006-06-11T11:24:00.000-05:00

I'm still alive, but busy. And I haven't been out of the compound much, so I don't have any pics to post.

Things here are going just fine, though only having a 1-day weekend (& working for four hours on my "weekend") is starting to wear on me. I have a new found appreciation for the two-day weekend.

Not to be too negative, but the food here could also be much, much better. Variety is lacking, grease is too much, blandness rules the day.

Islamic Banks are cool!

2006-06-03T11:44:00.000-05:00

So I was in need of some cash today, but I've maxed out my check writing for this 2-week period with the Defense Finance Office. Where to go to get cash?

The Afghanistan Internation Bank! The have an ATM Machine that does not charge fees. None. No ATM fees. Zero.

And it spits out dollars.

American dollars.

Of course, it's guarded more heavily than Fort Knox. Take a look at the pics on the website...

Magic Carpet

2006-06-01T11:17:00.000-05:00

This is my new magic carpet.

Coke Light

2006-05-18T11:54:00.000-05:00

Tastes better than Diet Coke. I'm not kidding, there is a difference, and this has less aftertaste, more "Coke" taste, and still has zero calories, just like American Diet Coke.

Notice the old fashioned "beer-style" pull tab. This is on all our soft drinks here, except for A&W Root Beer, which is imported directly from the States and has no Arabic on the can.

I'll try to profile some of the other odd stuff we have here, including some of the flavors of Lays Potato Chips.

Chester

2006-05-18T11:48:00.000-05:00

Chester lives at the Afghan National Army Hospital in Kabul. A Turkish construction worker found him one day, after Chester had hopped the fence around the hospital and has adopted him.

You can't have it, it's all mines.

2006-05-13T12:17:00.000-05:00

Somewhere near Bagram, Afghanistan.

"Don't cross the wire."

---

Along the Ring Road, Middle-of-Nowhere, Afghanistan.

Photos by Dave Kudrav.

More Afghan Bizaareness

2006-05-02T09:21:00.000-05:00

Here's another weird thing I found. Its in a building we are getting ready to renovate.

Something every home needs -- 3-colored pepper lights!

Random things in random places

2006-04-30T12:11:00.000-05:00

I didn't take this photo, but I like it...

(Photo Credit: United States Army Corps of Engineers)

I think it describes the bizaareness of Afghanistan. A country that in some places barely has more than stone-age technologies, and in other places, seems about equal to the 1930s or 40s, and in other places, seems (almost) like the 80s.

1203 Argent Circle -- Sold!

2006-04-28T21:26:00.000-05:00

So I guess I can't vote anymore, cause I'm not longer a land owner. My closing was Friday, about 3pm CDT.

Things went incredibly smoothly, a credit to my agents, Mike & Dee James. If anyone is buying or selling in Madison County, I can't recommend them enough.

I think when I get back, I might custom build. I mean custom build, not go into one of these cookie-cutter subdivisions and pick from one of four house plans and choose paint colors. No, I'm talking find, buy, design, or hire an architect for floor plans, buy a lot, and hire a builder who specializes not in large subdivisions, but building 1 or 2 or 3 homes at a time.

Kabul

2006-04-28T10:56:00.000-05:00

Kabul has a funny smell. I can't always smell (or taste) it, but I often notice it in the bathrooms here and when the wind blows strongly outside... It's unique, and I can't figure out how to describe it. It's not a pleasant smell, but it's not terribly offensive; only mildly so.

I'm alive and well and settling in. I'll put up some pics from around the city or whatnot when my camera's battery charger gets here! The camera arrived alive, but the charger is in another box in the mail. Also unsure if I remembered to pack my memory card reader, but I think I can do a direct camera-USB-computer link.

I'm not sure what to do here...

2006-04-17T20:35:00.000-05:00

So, um, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with this thing anymore.

I'm in Winchester, getting preped, for lack of a better generality.

I think I have to be real vague with what I post here.

Both by policy & out of desire to stay alive.

It's been interesting. And kind of spooky, in a few ways, but not outright scary. Hard to describe, in generalities, but that's the way it has to go.

...

I just think about Cindy a lot.

Boo.

2006-04-05T21:54:00.000-05:00

Greetings to all of Cindy's friends.

She is awesome, how could you keep her to yourselves all these years?

New Laptop!

2006-04-05T21:53:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I got a new Dell Latitude, the D510. I went for the bigger display, and maxed out the RAM & hard drive space (including the second hard drive).

But the folks at Dell are making me cut things close! It's not scheduled to arrive until the 14th or so, and I ship out on the 16th! Egads.

(I tried to post this hours ago, but Blogger seems to have eaten it).

A belated but heart-felt Thank You

2006-04-05T21:47:00.000-05:00

Thank you to Annie & Matthew for hosting the party.

Thank you to all who could attend.

Thank you to all who have called or written to wish me well, to say good-bye, or even to chew me out...

All of it is most appreciated. Really. You guys are great.

"I'll see you on the other side."

(On the other hand, I am in town this weekend, if anyone wants to hang out or drink or whatever... And I'll also be here next weekend, at least thru Saturday night).

-DK

New computer?

2006-04-03T23:00:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking about snagging a new laptop before I head overseas. One for personal use, mostly to store & edit photos on, but also so that I can play some computer games, in order to keep me sane.

Because of the game aspects, I'm leaning towards Windows.

Any comments/recommendations?

Spatula City

2006-03-30T07:08:00.000-06:00

Not the complete bit from UHF, but still funny.

Spatula City

Last day in Huntsvegas

2006-03-23T18:32:00.000-06:00

Looks like it'll be April 15, with me flying to DC-area on the 16th... Easter.

Details can be had off-blog; e-mail me.

d-k-u-d-r-a-v at h-i-w-a-a-y-DOT-n-e-t

Still a million things to do, but most of them are bureaucratic in nature.

Anyone want to buy a house in SE Huntsville? I'll cut you a deal...

Going away party

2006-03-19T09:16:00.000-06:00

This is awkward...

Since everyone is asking, I'll post some info here, and re-direct you to a better source for future updates:

Annie wrote on March 16:

Hey!

I was reading your blog and saw the party comments. We WANT to do one for you, just give us a date!!! That's what I was trying to get out of you the other day :-)

I know it's going to be tight for you date-wise, but just let me know and who you want to invite that I may not think of, and we'll figure it out. Hope all is well.

Annie

The party'll be at Annie & Matthew's house in Huntsville; looks like it'll be an April Fools Day Party to boot; yeah, Saturday night, April 1. The 25th was too close & too many people already couldn't make it; any later than that, and I may not make it... (don't let my not being there stop you!).

I'm assuming Annie will post more info on her blog: http://nainconnu.blogspot.com/

Even if it doesn't show up on the blog, I'm sure she'll get more info out to everyone.

Update

2006-03-15T20:18:00.000-06:00

Looks like I'm probably at D-31 & counting... I've accepted, and they seem to have accepted my acceptance.

I'll be getting the house painted & then listed in the next few days (week?). Mandi's mother & father will be handling that aspect for me.

"So long, and thanks for all the fish."

2006-03-13T22:28:00.000-06:00

The big news:

I am taking a 1 year temporary assignment overseas.

http://www.aed.usace.army.mil/

Awesome. But I am scared.

(Anyone looking for a great deal on a house in SE Huntsville?)

I should add that it is temporary and (in the words of the Terminator) "I'll be back".

It'll be a few weeks before I leave.

PS - Thanks to all who have been supportive

The times they are a-changin'

2006-03-12T09:31:00.000-06:00

I won't go so far as Drew and password protect certain entries or anything, but I too can't say too much here, for fear of my co-workers reading this... drop me an e-mail if you're curious & don't know WTF I'm talking about.

I'm sure I'll post more later, but for now:

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

Learning my lesson

2006-03-06T22:22:00.000-06:00

So, once again, I did think to get the camera, I just didn't.

You see, Saturday, Cindy & I stopped by for a quick look at Cedar Hills Pet Cemetery Inc. which is located at 2467 Nashville Hwy., Columbia, TN.

And I left my camera in the car.

There was the usual: pet names, species, owners names, years and dates of birth & death of animial... Some even outliving their owners. And there were Obelisks and large tombstones, weather proof photos of the dogs & cats, even a Police Dog section.

But the weirdest part was ... well, the second weirdest part was the "Christian" pets; but the weirdest part was the entire section of Jewish pets. Segregated, by itself.

The Crematorium on the hill added to the ambiance.

Damn. I carry the camera in the car for a reason.

BTW, I can't say that the Pet Cemetery is a big tourist spot (though we enjoyed it), the President James K. Polk Home was worth seeing.

We even saw a snake at the Polk Home Garden.

Spring is here

2006-03-03T20:54:00.000-06:00

I went to the top of the mountain today at work, and, despite the cooler temperatures today, I know spring is here.

How?

I saw a snake sunning itself.

It was extremely lethargic, so much so that after seeing it had startled me, I thought it was plastic. Then it's tongue flickered.

I did think to get the camera, before I went up the mountain, I just didn't do it.

I went up there to survey a new route for some fiber optic cabling, in case you were wondering. Cause everyone needs fiber to the top of their mountain.

Bring Out Your Dead - Monty Python Returns!

2006-02-21T17:53:00.000-06:00

Monty Python will air an ALL NEW 6-episode series on PBS. Called "Monty Python's Personal Best" the series begins this spring.

Public Service Announcement

2006-02-14T22:30:00.000-06:00

"Expect the movement of trains, engines or cars at any time, on any track, in either direction."

Always expect a train.

In case of a tie between a train & a car or truck, the train wins. Kind of like the house advantage at a casino.

Happy BAS day.

2006-02-14T22:26:00.000-06:00

Words of wisdom I first heard from Ryan Langford:

"BASBT&Hs."

Obviously Ryan & Brandi both feel differently now, but for some of us, Valentines Day still holds special meaning in our hearts.

:)

One more of the Angel

2006-02-12T20:21:00.000-06:00

I guess I should have asked her to come watch trains with me after the photo shoot...

Birmingham Weekend

2006-02-12T19:08:00.000-06:00

Spent Saturday & Sunday morning in Birmingham.

I visited Sloss Furnace for the first time this weekend, while waiting to meet up with my friend Doug at 32nd Street to watch trains. But Doug had been delayed by his job--he's a railroad cop--which is why I went into Sloss. Sloss is at one corner of 32nd St & the RR tracks (between 1st Ave N & 1st Ave S on 32nd St), so I was literally a stones-throw from where I was to meet Doug.

I should have gone a long time ago to Sloss as it is an amazing place, but I guess if I had, I wouldn't have seen an Angel.

I dunno, some kind of Motorcycle promo or something... Anyhow, the Angel disappeared as the photoshoot was over, so I went to meet Doug, who had just arrived. Hung out there & saw a few trains over the course of about 3 or 4 hours. If I had more web-storage space, you can bet I'd have the photos up...

Sloss is free, by the way. It's a retired blast furnace; they used to use the Bessemer process to make steel there, but it's been a park for sometime now.

After a while, I met up with Poobie, Sarah, Shane, Will, Luke, Drew, Melissa, Jason, & Celeste at Surin West in 5 Points North, Birmingham for dinner. It was Drew's Birthday--happy day, Drew. We coincidentially saw Jessie there & Sarah invited him to hang out after dinner, but he appeared to be on a first date, and a group of Malleteers who are also old friends probably isn't the best way to impress a first date.

So after dinner, we all (minus Jessie & date) went back to Poobie & Sarah's to chill for a while.

A good time was had by all.

It snowed a wee-bit last night in Hoover and today when I got home it was snowing in Huntsville; even enough to stick to my deck but not enough to measure.

Published! Well, soon...

2006-02-10T20:17:00.000-06:00

I co-authored a paper that has been accepted for publication. Woo-hoo. Put that on my resume...

Paper will be presented at the Spring 2006 SISO Conference, April 2 - 7 in Huntsville, AL. Hoping to have another paper written to present at EuroSISO later this summer. Stockholm, here I come.

SISO is Simulation Interoperability Standard Organization.

Gourmet Beer in Alabama -- Possibly by Year End

2006-02-05T11:10:00.000-06:00

Efforts to raise the maximum alcohol content for beer in Alabama are progressing. The current limit is 6% abv (alcohol by volume). There are proposed bills before the Alabama House & Senate both; either one could pass & become law, raising the legal alcohol limit in Alabama to 14.9% abv---equivalent to the current legal limit on Wine.

Details:

The Steps via Free The Hops.

Alabama Proposed Keg Ban Bill is Dead

2006-02-05T11:01:00.000-06:00

The Mobile Register reported that the proposed-Alabama Keg Ban bill has died in House committee. A version had already passed in the Senate, but now that the House has killed it, it at least won't pass this year.

The bill would have restricted sales of Kegs to private individuals. The "cover story" was that this was being done to curb underage drinking, but in reality, it was an effort by Alabama beer distributors to increase their profits; bottles & cans have a higher profit margin for distributors than kegs do.

Olde Towne Hefe--in a bottle!?

2006-02-05T10:58:00.000-06:00

Olde Towne Brewery here in Huntsville is experimenting with bottling their Hefeweisen. It's still only available in kegs, for now, but they are trying to figure out how to bottle it & how long it will store before going bad...

Also look for Olde Towne Bock Beer in a kegs in a few weeks. Possibly bottles too.

Go Steelers!

2006-01-22T21:01:00.000-06:00

Superbowl bound. Go Steelers.

Master Electrician?

2006-01-19T22:06:00.000-06:00

I am thinking about taking the certification test to become an Alabama Master Electrician. I think it'll cost me about $168, and a few hours to take the test.

Sounds easy, and it'll add something to round-out the resume a bit.

See State of Alabama Electrical Contractors Board for more info.

(Un)Motivational Speaker

2006-01-11T19:30:00.000-06:00

We had to complete a 4-session series of lectures by "motivational" speaker John Evans. It was supposed to be about either "Integrity Based Leadership" or else "Change and Stress"--I'm not sure which, it was called both in different places.

The guy didn't stay on topic very well. He gave lots of anecdotes, lots of pop-psychology (some of it disproven), and a good bit of standard "self-help" BS. I don't think the man had an original thought; he was just really good at quoting sections out of best sellers. I think he has probably read (and quoted from) every leadership, pop-psychology, and self-help book on the best sellers list in the last 10 years.

He also had a bad habit about talking about himself, his love of money, and his rich friends. He would constantly talk about how to become a multi-millionaire by being a motivational speaker. Constantly talk about his "best friend"--except every person and every author he named in his talks was his "best friend". What's creepier, is that he told us that he'd read an authors book, call up the author, chat & get to know the author a bit, and then move in with the book author for a week or two (I guess that made them "best friends").

I got the impression that he was pretty shallow; motivated only by money and material goods (I'd guess that he'd classify his girl-friend/wife/assistant as more of an object than a person--a trophy wife).

The grammar in his handouts was pretty bad; example: ''The following is a list of the top 25 values that have been recognized by me discussing with my class participants and in working one on one with clients. They not expected to necessarily be your top 25 values and they are in no particular order.''

A hand-out on setting goals for a balanced life at home asked ''What's missing I have wanted to add but wouldn't?'' What's missing from my home life that I want to add but wouldn't add?--is he trying to get someone to say "drugs, hookers, and dead babies"? I don't understand that one, and there are plenty of others just like it that I don't understand either.

Oh, and talking to a bunch of government employees about how rich you are, and how rich your friends are will not motivate government employees, just piss us off. We work for the government, we have no delusions of getting rich doing so.

Thank Buddha our last session was today.

Eat the Tiger.

Brewclub

2006-01-11T11:16:00.000-06:00

I went to my first meeting of the Huntsville area Home-brew club, and discovered that the homebrewing hobby is illegal in the extremely progressive state of Alabama. (Why am I not suprised?)

Anyway, the club meeting was very informal, and it was a good opportunity to meet some folks & ask questions.

There was some lukewarm debate at the meeting, I wouldn't say heated, about some internal club issues, but it really wasn't a big deal. The bigger deal was about 9 different people appologized to me about it...

And then there was the sampling.

People who have made beer recently are encouraged to bring some & pass it around for others to try it... Of all the ones I had last night, one was bad (literally: tasted like some kind of cleaning product; everyone poured it out---I am told that this will happen to everyone at least a few times). So, despite it's badness, it was a good lesson. And the other 20+ varieties I tried were all between good and excellent.

All in all, very fun, worthwhile.

Now I just need to buy some supplies & get started.

Turn off virtually any TV...

2006-01-06T16:07:00.000-06:00

This looks handy. I think I'll get one.