Time goes by…

November 30^th 2005, 0930B

As of this morning I’ve been in Burundi for 21 weeks, or a very few days short of 5 months. I’ve actually been away from home a little longer than that, say another 2 weeks on top of that when you include the time spent in Pretoria on mission readiness training – aka having my time wasted – and the brief mobilisation phase at Snake Valley. On reflection it’s gone by pretty damn quickly, certainly when compared to how time seemed to drag while I was in the Congo last year. I think one thing that’s really helped the time go by has been this two week deployment schedule, as a change in scenery & company every two weeks keeps things from getting stale. Everything is broken down into small, easily manageable chunks which pass really quickly, rather than one long stretch of 6 months. I had considered asking to be stationed permanently in Bujumbura for the next 6 months, assuming the extension is granted – particularly if I can arrange a permanent connection of my own, so as to get the most out of it – but I’m having serious second thoughts about that for this reason. Also, I spend lots of money while I’m in town, mostly on Chinese food & beer, & I could do with cutting down on that lol

Speaking of the extension, unsurprisingly there’s still no news. I should hear before too much longer though, say by the end of December, because we need to take that 2 week break I’ve mentioned and still be back in Burundi before the next contingent arrives in mid to late Feb. To my mind, that means that if the extension has been granted the best time to send us home would be mid to late January so that we’re back well in good time for the new guys coming in. But this is the military we’re talking about here, an organisation which has at best a passing relationship with common sense or efficiency, so whatever might seems like the best way for something to happen is pretty much guaranteed not to happen. I’ll follow up – again – when I get back to the capital on Sunday, & see if I can’t light a fire under a few people to find out what’s going on so that I can let everyone at home know, and so that the planning for how to spend my leave can begin in earnest. I don’t know if there’ll be chance for that weekend down the coast I’m keen on, as I doubt there’ll be enough notice of when I’ll be home for bookings & so on, but I somehow doubt that finding ways to fill the days will be a problem :P

I’m actually not too concerned with what I do with my leave, but rather with who I spend it with, & so long as I get to spend as much time as possible with my friends I’ll be happy. It’s going to be damned good to see everyone again, & I’m also keen on meeting two new people, Denbeigh & Natasha. Denbeigh strikes me as being a very interesting young lady – I’m also eager to see the apparent change she’s wrought in Gareth :P – and Natasha sounds like a regular barrel of laughs, & great fun to be around.

Another reason I’m impatient to find out about the extension – or the increase, for that matter – is so that I can go ahead and order the new laptop I’ve been drooling over. It’s down to a choice between 2, the Eurotek D900T, or the Acer Travelmate 8104. The D900T is a sex-machine of note, & the one I really want, but at R23k there’s no way I can afford it if I’m not going to be staying another 6 months. The Acer is also very nice, going for about R17k, and there’s a good chance I’ll order that one regardless of extensions, as selling this one to offset the cost won’t be difficult – with a little luck, I’ll be able to gouge some poor sap here for a figure I should be ashamed of :P I’d like to sell it to Shirlz actually, as she’s expressed a keen interest, so I’m hoping the extension/increase come through so that I can let her have it for a reasonable figure.

There’s also the long zoom lens I’ve had my eye on for quite some time, a Canon 100-400mm with all the bells & whistles for about R15k, but that’s really going to depend on both the extension and the increase coming through.

That’s pretty much it for now though. I wasn’t able to get onto the net to update this the last I was in Bujumbura, but I should manage easily enough when I’m back in town next week. Cheers till then though ;)

1800B

Seven Things…

I was just reading through Noelles’ blog, which I save to disk whenever I’m online for later perusal, when I came across this & figured it might be fun to complete it myself.

So here we go : Seven Things

7 Things to do before I die

1. Get my ass into gear and actually get fit again.
2. Learn how to cook. I mean, I’m completely hopeless in a kitchen & I live on coffee, cigarettes & bloody sandwiches when left to fend for myself.

3. Acquire fiscal discipline.

4. Read all of “Paradise Lost”, which I got about halfway through when I was in my early 20’s. Heavy going, but bloody good.

5. Learn how to use a pc for more than playing games. I’ve made a start on this one at least, having gained a few Photoshop skills with the photography.

6. Sky and / or scuba diving. I’ve promised myself I’d do both on numerous occasions.

7. Actually get a motorbike license instead of doing the whole “I left it in my other pants officer, honest!” thing…

7 Things I cannot do

1. Sing. I had the voice of an angel when I was a kid – according to my old lady, at least – but now….. just don’t go there.

2. Algebra. I just never got my head around that shit, chemistry either for that matter, though managed calculus well enough (on standard grade :P)

3. Suffer those I consider to be fools with any degree of patience.
4. Put effort into anything I don’t find interesting. Hence my shitty matric….

5. Go more than 4 hours, other than when asleep, without a smoke. I mean, I get twitchy if I don’t get my fix….

6. Stop making my knuckles and my bloody neck go crack. That shit is real bad for you, but still I persist.

7. Let go of a grudge. It takes a lot to piss me off so badly, but those who’ve managed it have earned my undying enmity.

7 Things that attract me to the opposite sex
In terms of physical characteristics I have no particular preference and everything after same species & compatible body parts is subject to negotiation, so this is more what personality traits I find attractive…

1. Down to earth outlook. Real life is not a Mills & Boon novel, though it often does bear a passing resemblance to a soap opera.

2. Lack of neuroses. Some of my ex’s have been certifiable, I swear….

3. The ability to offer a suggestion when I ask “What would you like to do?” That “oh, you decide” shit drives me fucking nuts. Be prepared to drink beer in a titty bar if you ever answer me like that.

4. Sense of humour. Trust me, you’ll need it…

5. The ability to go shopping on her own. This drove Ash almost as nuts as it drove me – 15 seconds inside a shopping mall has me as tense & jumpy as a long-tailed cat in a rocking chair factory. Frustrating for all concerned, & risky for shop attendants, so if you insist on me going with you, leave me in a nearby bar & phone me when you want a hand with the bags.

6. Self worth & -confidence.

7. Honesty.

7 Things I say most often

1. “Fuck!!” in its various permutations. Actually, I swear a lot. I’m a soldier, sue me.

2. “Proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”. Usually in reference to whiskey or coffee, but gets applied to anything that makes me smile.

3. “D’oh!” I don’t say this as much as I used to, but I’ve never shaken the habit

4. “Oops”. Often in conjunction with the above :P

5. “I mean,….”

6. “Toka!” (means…. “go away” *cough cough*), or “No, I DON’T want to buy the bloody thing!”, usually said at volume to assorted Burundians.

7. “Chics dig it”

7 Celebrity Crushes
In addition to women I want, I’m going to include a few men I want to be here…

1. Kate Beckinsale. But then, you already knew that lol

2. Jolene Blalock, from “Enterprise”. Yummy.

3. Leslie Rae Dowling. When I was 14 I fell in utter lust with this woman’s voice. Easy enough on the eye too. Staying local, Michelle Breeze also does it for me, for the same reason.

4. Angelina Jolie. One of the most sensual women around.

5. Harrison Ford. One of my earliest memories is of walking out of the movie theatre, aged about four, having watched Star Wars EP IV, and thinking Han Solo was the hot shit.

6. Christopher Walken. This man has the coolest aura of menace about him.

7. Sir Alec Guiness. Class personified. Actually, that whole generation of senior mostly British actors, such as David Niven, Peter O’Toole (the acceptance speech he did at the Oscars a few years ago was a thing of beauty), Oliver Reed & so on had a quality about them that is lacking today.