Crazy Times

I am ashamed that it has taken me over two months to get back on here and share some thoughts with my 0 followers. Well let me be the first to apologize.

It’s been crazy times lately folks.

As most of you know I left GIS, Inc. for what I perceived to be greener pastures. Well, yes, that’s right, the grass is not always greener on the other side. The company was supposed to offer new opportunities and experiences that I felt better aligned with my own personal aspirations, but they have fallen short of those expectations. But perhaps it is still early and time will change things. In the mean time I will continue to work out of Kabul, Afghanistan working with local nationals, or LN’s, as I have for the past month. Oh wait, did I not mention I have been in Afghanistan? Oops my bad..

Let’s see what else…

Oh yeah, was enjoying the few times of the day that I like, talking with the family and my wife brought something to my attention that I can’t help but share. So we have a gardener, hard to go out on Sunday’s and mow you know.. being 6,000 miles away and all. Anyway ole boy has not shown up for two weeks or so. Luckily for him they have phones in Mexico. Turns out that he got deported, ain’t that something. His room mate got into a fight with his girlfriend, she called the cops, they showed up and asked for ID’s and boom.. next thing they know they’re in the back of the bus heading south of the border. Tough break.. the good news is he called and wants to know if he can pick up where he started when he gets back. No problem buddy, our grass is waiting for you… just hurry up and cross that border.

I bought a parrot too. That’s right, a rose-ringed parakeet. Cool little bugger but dang he is loud. Getting him was a bit of an adventure too. One of my LN’s called a cousins who lived on the border of Pakistan; he drove into Pakistan to a breeder, put him, the bird that is, in a taxi who then drove 254 km to my location. All for 200 bucks. Oh did I tell you that they had a flat tire on the way. True story.

We decided on the name Paco. Not really sure, maybe it was just easy or maybe because it fit him well, either way it has stuck.  He does talk, I think, the challenge I have is he speaks Pakistani and a little Dari.. sooo.. that does kind of suck. Who could be telling me off or plotting against me. He has gotten pretty attached which is cool, but also annoying. He thinks the louder he screams the more attention I’ll give him, well I guess he doesn’t think that he knows that. I find myself staring at him sometimes and see him staring back and we’ll sit there for a while until he decides it’s time to crap. He then continues to stare and lifts his tail feathers and drops a juicy one on my table, never blinking, just sitting there staring. Ain’t that something….

On a different front, no more than 2 weeks after getting here my wife calls me hysterical that the dogs had been in a fight. Turns out my dear Pepper (1 year old) went a bit crazy on Roxy (9 year old). Not sure on all the specifics but had to do something with the kids eating and the dogs getting to close. Either way Pepper went to town on Roxy and a spoon had to be shoved into her mouth to help unlock her jaw. Anthony, my oldest (4 years old), went to the kitchen to help his pregnant mom by grabbing a pan to hit her with, while my disabled mother-in-law (fresh out of surgery) struggled to get off the couch, my pregnant wife mean-while trips and falls and low crawls to the dog with a spoon in her hand.. or so I heard… True story… Well needless to say, my dear crazy Pepper is no longer with us, well not in our house that is. The next day they took her to the pound, couldn’t do a shelter because they were booked and the Pit Bull shelters were at capacity. I can’t help but think that it was inevitable with my departure, I just had this feeling that she would do something silly that would have this as the outcome. On the flip side the iguana was given a new larger home and the retarded fish are still alive.. ain’t that something.

Well that about sums it up folks, at least what I care to share. I hope to put a little more energy into getting on here and updating with you with all the great, wonderful, engaging things going on in my life…..