Reflections

 I really liked using this blog as part of my Composition I class. I really feel that this blog is a great way for my to consolidate my thoughts and feelings in one place from anywhere. I really like that I can take my writing out of a tangible journal and put it here in my blog so that I can read it or add to it from anywhere at anytime. It really makes sharing what's on my mind a whole lot easier. The assignment overall was not at all difficult I found it very simple and I thought overall it was a great success. Unfotunately the hardest part of the assignment was remembering to write in my blog everyday. I was unable to creat a blog post everyday due to my travels throughout Afghanistan for work and also just simply not remembering to post something. Needless to say I think that forgetting and not being able to post everyday was and is my biggest failure with the assignment. I definitely will continue to use this blog even though this semester is finished and I think that in time I will be able to consistantly post in the blog everyday or at least every other day.

Research can be fun!

So I spent a few hours reserching Doling Park in Springfield, MO because it's the place I chose to write about for my COMP 101 essay and I learned so much! I pulled up pictures and read everything I could find about it. I remember it as a semi run down park it seemed no one cared about, but in my research I discovered it used to be the IT place in Springfield, an ammusement park! From the pictures it was beautiful. It had a lake you could swim in, a roller skating rink, boat rentals, and even a roller coaster! I had no idea this place had such a historical significance to the town I grew up it! It's crazy to believe that all that time I spent there as a child I had no idea of it's history until recently. For that reason alone I am so glad my instructor assigned this assignment and that I chose this place of personal significance to me. This is where I got married and it is just astounding to learn that it was such a thriving place! Can you believe the admission price was only $.10! Just getting into Silver Dollar City is about $60 a person now! Wow I'm so glad I learned this!

What is a Place?

So I need to create a list of places that mean something to me but this appears to be slightly difficult as it needs to be a place that's not completely private. My family does not participate in family reunions so that's isn't really a good place considering one doesn't exist. My childhood home in Springfield could be a a qualifying place as many traumatic events took place there. I have a lot of memories at the high school I graduated from, but I really don't want to use that as my location.There really isn't a place of historical or cultural importance to me that I would like to write about. I could write about where I first met my wife, or where we had our first kiss, or our first date but I think the place that is most memorable is the place we were married. Just thinking back on that day makes me happy. Where is that exactly? Well it's the first place I sang to my wife, the DOling Park in Springfield, in front of the cave. I spent a lot of my childhood in that cave and climbing the cave and I married my best friend there and so that makes it the perfect place!

Digging In!

With only a couple weeks left of class this semester I find myself feeling a little overwhelmed with assignments. I know it isn't much longer until I am finished, only another week, but it's rough trying to get all this stuff for class finished and turned in and then trying to get everything ready to go home and still get my work done. It's a lot but today is dedicated to sitting down and getting everything done! I'm going to just "dig in" and get this stuff done, well as much of it I can today. I really think I can get most if not all of these assignments finished today or tomorrow and I will be caught up with class at least. I just really hope that I have a good grade at the end of the semester. I don't want to have to repeat this class again as it will set everything back and that's not at all a good thing. SO I'm going to get to it today and make things happen!

The Norm

It's been really nice here lately, warm, but nice! I can take the heat here becuase being here is a lot like being home in Missouri as the weather here is seasonal like home. During the summer it gets up over 100 degrees and during the winter it snows a lot and gets really cold. I wouldn't trade being here for anywhere else in Afghanistan just because I have been here so long and I know what to expect here. I know this is kind of odd since i just posted a few days ago about people not being willing to accept change but if I'm honest, I'm the same way. Excepting change is so difficult especially here where you never really know what to expect so finding even the tiniest of routines is good enough for me. I love it. I need that little bit of peace. It's not a lot but it is enough for me to hold on to and I think being here for as long as I have been it's necessary for sanity purposes to find a small routine. Just because I have a small daily routine does not in anyway mean that I am not willing to adapt to change, I do it a lot, but it just gives me something constant for personal and mental security. I love what I'm doing and it is very important I feel like I'm doing a great service and I feel like I'm on the right path and I'm there at a young age. What more could anyone ask?

Getting that lazy feeling...

As the days creep by and I get closer and closer to to me going home on leave for two weeks I am just getting lazier and lazier by the day. It's hard to say that it's laziness but I'm definitely not wanting to do anything except hurry up and go home! I cannot wait until I'm on that plane out of here and on my way home! I am in desperate need of a vacation and it's really starting to show. At work I'm being more strict and by the book and in my classwork I'm procrastinating a lot. The good news is that unlike last semester where I still had class while home on leave, this time I will actually have a break and won't have class and neither will Kyla. It will be so nice to get to spend time together without our school work getting in the way and being a distraction. Even as I write this I'm ready to be done and off work. I'm not going to go anywhere special or do anything, just sit around or sleep. Why in the world would I look forward to that? Either way I hope this phase passes soon.

Sunday at last!

You guessed it! It is finally Sunday. Why am I so excited about Sundays in Afghanistan? Well it's simple because Sunday is the only day of the week I work a half day and I have nothing to do while at work on Sunday so it's more like a full day with 6 hours of it at work doing whatever needs to be done. This morning, like every Sunday, I did not want to get out of bed and go to work, but I eventually worked up the energy to get out of bed and get my half day over with. After work today I'll be playing Magic: The Gathering, which I always thought was a super nerdy game until I tried it the other night with some people at work, people you NEVER would have guessed played this game, and it was a blast! I lost my very first couple of times playing but won a few last night. Today I'm going for the win again and maybe the cards I ordered on Amazon will arrive. As of right now I have been using a coworker's "shinanigans" deck, as we say a lot out here, that he let me borrow until mine arrive. I have to get my homework finished up for the week and start my day so until next time. ;-)

Procrastinor Mode

There is so much to do to get ready for my leave here in a few weeks and I have no idea why I am procrastinating so much. I really should be more on top of things and trying to get everything ready to go but the last week or so I'm just been procrastinatinng as if some little ready elf is going to come and do everything for me. At first it was from being behind with work that threw me off, but once I finally caught up I was in procrastinator mode and I just haven't found my way out of it yet. I think today will have to be the day I actually start cracking down and getting things done! I just have to get it all done and waiting is getting me no where. So I think today I'm going to get to it and get all my work finished.

Change...Why is it so hard to accept?

Not many people are very willing to accept change. I really thought change would make a lot of things easier and less stressful. So many are worried about everything being more difficult. It’s as if one or two tiny changes will totally consume time and space. It’s almost as if the easier things get the harder it is to accept. There really is no catch. Everything is just as simple as it sounds. I try to simplify not complicate then again who knows what everyone else is really thinking. Maybe, everyone is in agreement mentally, but one person speaks out against something and all are against it. It’s hard to accept when you are right and know that you are doing and teaching the right thing yet the outcast in the mind throws everything off. I can only do so much and help so much. I can only show everyone the right way and hope they do what they are supposed to. After all in the end it’s their own individual actions that will affect their consequences. I am only one person, obviously a very insignificant person, but one single person in myself. There are so many things that could be made better, but things will not change. Needless to say I know that I will only have positive consequences for my actions. I cannot speak for anyone else, nor do I want to. I have tried and done my part and there really can only be so much done.

Backlogged!!

After traveling these last few days to another FOB for a meeting for work I am so super backlogged. Who knew I could be so behind after only three days away! I’m trying to catch up all on my emails, get them all answered and process requests and take care of everything I missed. I feel like I may never catch up! I don’t have too much left to do in order to catch up as of right now, but all morning I have been struggling to get caught up on everything. I really didn’t think I would be this backlogged. It’s like when I’m in the office I have no one who needs or wants anything, but I leave for a few days and the world falls apart! I am glad to be back at work though. I really missed all the people I work with and our odd conversations and crazy issues! Then again the FOB I went to was amazing, everything was within walking distance, the food was amazing, and it wasn’t nearly as crowded. It was really nice. I really wanted to stay, but the trip was over and it was time to come back and catch up on all the work I missed while I was gone. Hopefully today is a good day to catch up!