Some Thoughts on November 4th’s Entry

I don’t know if I have been as excited as today to post another entry.  Seriously.  Now I know you all are really saying, “This guy is really losing it!”  I had such a good response to yesterday’s post, like an awesome classroom discussion, (you know, where every question and comment brings learning to another level), that I couldn’t wait to get back on here. 

All of your observations on that 5 day forecast were awesome, much more analytical than me.  Rain now is common in the forecast, although the amount we have gotten so far has been minimal.  You really can’t tell unless you look at the vehicles.  Remember, deep down I am a simplistic person.  The one thing about yesterday’s weather here, and it would have been obvious if you had boots on the ground, was that it was cool.  We had people wrapped up, wearing extra layers, shivering (you can definitely tell I am from Wisconsin on days like these).  If you look at the Low/High temperatures, you can see it was pretty low, even in the desert environment.  Least I thought so.  Why this all transpired, well, that is why I pay Jim Lund to be my resident expert.

Why?  Because I don’t know the answer.   I have always been a “why” guy.  Don’t tell me that something happens, it means nothing to me until you tell me why; then I understand.  I need to make connections.  Sometimes in the course of my short life, I will catch people off guard when I ask, “Why?”  My biggest frustration is when there is no “why.”  Chances are you will lose me.  If I am confused, you are going to get the “why” from me, guaranteed.   With that said, based on some of your comments yesterday, I had some “why’s“.  Be forewarned, some of the questions may be simplistic in nature.

November 4th Jeopardy?

1.  Why doesn’t it snow in Kuwait? (scientifically speaking, I know because it is warm here)
2.  Why is a knot used for wind measurement?
3.  Why doesn’t sand turn to mud when it rains?  And how much rain would it take here to create a mud-like affect?
4.  Why is chemical dispersion included in the weather forecast?  Is it important to know?  And does it have any impact on the weather?
5.  Why is there freezing fog?  (Now I know Jim nailed this one and Heather added to it, but where did it come into play on the 5 day weather forecast?) 
6.  Why do we represent chemical dispersion through arrows?
7.  Why is there still a need for DST?  (Daylight Savings Time)
8.  Why have the leaves fallen in greater masses in Wisconsin this year? (not gradually like usual, but in one big wave)  
9.  Why does wind play such an important factor in the weather?  What would it be like if there was no wind?
10.  Where in the world is SSG William Yedinak?

OK, so there is one where question, which just may be the most difficult!  Hope you are all doing well and that you are walking South in a wind coming out of the North.

Whenever there are days where I am unable to think of a post, I somehow get rescued by some great ideas people give me through e-mails.

For reasons unknown, there is no daylight savings time over here.  Someone will have to brief me on that one.  Where in the world is daylight savings time?  Anyway, when I came over here and since Sunday, our time has always been +8 off of Central Standard Time (US).  The easiest way I explain it to everyone is, just add 8 hours to your time and you will have mine.  Of course, this makes communication back home a little tricky.  You have to find that in between time that isn’t too late here or too early back home, and vice versa.  “Our time” has always been noon in Waupun, 2000 (or 8:00 PM for you civilians) here to link up.  Well, now, with “your” time change, we are +9, since they don’t “fall back” over here.  It will be like that until we leave.

The other thing I wanted to mention is the weather.  I know I vowed not to talk about it ever again back in May, but today was extremely unusual.  Look at the Camp Buehring weather forecast for November 4th.  Alright, I know there is a lot of data on there, but can anyone see something on there that jumps out at you?  Maybe it isn’t real obvious, but if you were here, you certainly would notice it.  I will add, this has been the first day since I have been over here that this type of weather has been present.  I will give you a day to think about it!

Hope everyone is well!

Hey, it is November!  To find out what is happening with the 364th Civil Affairs Brigade, check out the November Dispatch.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

RANDOM PICTURE DAY

An age old tradition in the military is mail call.  It has long been the source of a soldier’s motivation, waiting daily for that time to come.  It is around 1500 everyday, and that varies of course depending on if the planes weren’t delayed, and the trucks are on time.  Many of you have been a part of that motivation, either through cards or packages.  But with the technology today, e-mails also have to be considered a part of mail call.  Some soldiers say though, that there is just something about receiving something tangible.  Human nature?

Anyway, with that said, I will jump into today’s thought.  The tent I work out of has oh about 30 people in it.  As time goes on,  you get to know these people pretty well.  Along the way, some leave, others come in and replace them.   There has been a core of us here though that are on the same rotation, leaving about the same time.  Alright, I know what you are saying right now, would you just get to the point.  Kind of like when my wife tells a story, she insures I know every detail. 

So the running joke here is they have renamed  that age old tradition of  “mail call” to “Yedinak call”.  There isn’t anyone who gets as much as I have.  Honestly, no exaggeration here.  On a regular basis, I hear the phrases, “what did you get today?”  “only one?”  “I put your package on your desk”  “Where’s Yedinak?”  Some even offer to open them up for me.  How nice.  Of course I share, there is no way one human being could consume all of the edible items I have received.  Feel like Robin Hood, though this story is a little different.

So each day I silently thank all of you, not only for thinking of me, but for ultimately thinking of each of my comrades and taking care of us all here.  They thank you also.  And of course for giving me the honor and the privilege of having a military tradition renamed on my behalf.  Even if it is only in my tent!

Hope you are all doing well.

My friend (1LT Pete Woreck, the one who was recently in the Beaver Dam Daily Citizen) in Afghanistan goes about keeping people informed a little bit different.  Instead of a blog, periodically, he will send out an update of what is happening in his deployment.  Of course, you have to be on his e-mail list, which I am fortunate enough to be a part of.  Well, today I received an update from him that I thought was awesome. 

While it is his words, I echo a lot of what he has said.  You can substitute Marcia for Jaime of course!   ha ha   Seriously though, I will add, that it would be impossible to do what I am doing, were it not for someone on the other end who is anchoring down the “frenzy of life” back home.  Thanks Marcia.  It gives great insight on the challenges of being away, of being a soldier, and serving our country.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

A SOLDIER’S THOUGHTS

hippety hopper

Sufferin’ succotash! Hippety Hopper the Kangaroo was introduced on Looney Tunes in the 1948 sketch, “Look, Hop and Listen,” which began a series of Hippety Hopper scenarios that followed the same kind of format: Hippety escaped from a zoo, circus or similar institution and was mistaken for a giant mouse by Sylvester the Cat. Sylvester’s attempts at capturing and eating this giant mouse would result in countless physical scuffles in which Sylvester always got his butt thrown all over the place. Sylvester is repeatedly punched, kicked, juggled, spun and pounced, but being a Looney Tunes character, there’s no way he’s going to let several near-death experiences stop him from trying to catch that rodent. The Hippety/Sylvester cartoons ended in 1964 when Warner Bros. shut down its animation unit, but Hippety Hopper continues to be used in Looney Tunes projects and marketing, including an appearance in the 1996 film, Space Jam.

Thanks Jim!

Alright, I need some help here.  There is a cartoon (not sure which one it is) that has a kangaroo in it.  One of the characters (Tom maybe of Tom & Jerry?  That is the only one that comes to mind) believes the kangaroo is a giant mouse and the story line centers around this.  OK, now you are asking, where is he going with this?  Which leads me into today’s post.

Last night at 0200 as I was taking some personnel to the airport, I saw two forms of wildlife driving through the deserts of Kuwait.  One was a jackal.  Now this was the first time I had seen one of these.  Luckily one of the passengers new exactly what it was, or I would be doing some research today.  If you don’t know what they look like, here is a picture of a JACKAL.

Now, the second form of wildlife I saw was a kangaroo mouse.  Now these I have seen before.  See them all the time.  Which leads me into my LOL of the day and the reason for my opening paragraph. I received an e-mail from a friend who said that there were mice in her garage and that they “freaked” her out.  The first thing that popped into my head was, we look like giant ogres to those small vermins.  But then I thought of that cartoon (that I watched eons ago), where a kangaroo was mistakened for a giant mouse.  The craziest thing popped into my head.  Suppose there was an equal playing field with size, and mice were as large as people.  Would we be more “freaked out”?  Can you tell I have been on this deployment way too long?  Anyway, here is a picture of a kangaroo mouse, named for their larger counterpart because it hops on its back legs and has a long tail.  KANGAROO MOUSE

What kind of excitement are you having in your lives?

Some of you may have read this article, but for those of you who didn’t, it is worth reading.  It was in the printed edition today of the Stars and Stripes, but I could not find the article at the website.  So, I am using the Journal/Sentinel, which by the way, is word for word, the same article found in our daily military publication.  How much is a person willing to sacrifice for his family?

Bill Caudle