“Closer to fine….”

This is likely to be the last time I type anything up for this while I’m still in Burundi. You see, the other day I finally got feedback regarding my extension, and baring acts of God, plane crashes, the outbreak of war here, or other such significant events, I’ll be home – and staying home – very soon. Less than 7 days kind of soon.

It goes without saying that I’m very happy to be coming home, that I’ll get to spend some time with all the people I’ve missed so much over the last months, and that I’m rather looking forward to being on leave for 2-3 months. There’s also a certain relief to be found in finally knowing what is happening, but it also has to be said that I’m very bitter and disenchanted with army life right now. I can’t – won’t – go into the reasons why here, as there’s a great deal of hearsay & conjecture involved, and very little proof, but suffice it to say that I am not at all happy as to the apparent “why” I won’t be staying an additional 6 months. That I have significant questions regarding whether or not I wish to pursue a further military career in this country.
Overall this last week or so has been very difficult, and I’ve been experiencing some pretty serious spells of depression and intense anger. Mostly it’s to do with the way I feel I have been treated by the military over this extension, but I’ve also been really struggling with comms the last few days, and that really hasn’t helped at all. It’s added a feeling of isolation & being cut off to an already battered emotional state, at a time when I really need the contact with home. Of course, there’s also my old friend mefliam making its contribution to things, but at least I only have to take those for about another month now.

But as the title suggests, things are getting better. I’m still nowhere near a happy camper, but I’m managing, and the positive aspects of not getting the extension are busy jumping up & down, trying to get my attention. For a start it means I don’t have to spend another 6 months in Burundi, surrounded by Burundians. Burundi itself is actually quite pleasant, & is a really beautiful country, but I’ve expressed previously my opinion of the locals, & they’ve made it very hard to develop any genuine affection for the place.
I also have a nice long leave to look forward to when I get home, & I fully intend for it to be a busy one. First off, though I’m really not sure how successful I’ll be with this, I need to get into a gym and do something about my fitness levels. Losing the extra weight will be an added bonus, but my physical condition is appalling and is in dire need of attention. And I call myself a professional soldier….
I’d also like to look into scuba diving when I get home, not only as a physically active hobby, but also with the intention of expanding my skill base for future employment possibilities. Cost here is going to be something of an issue though. I don’t think the initial course is too bad, but the equipment can get very expensive, very quickly. My bank balance won’t look as healthy as I’d hoped it would, given I won’t be staying the extra 6 months, so I have to be careful with how much I spend. I may be able to get away with borrowing some of Rob’s gear at least initially though, as he used to dive at one point & still has a fair bit of the kit lying around the house.
Financially speaking, the largest disappointment I’m experiencing other than not saving as much as I’d hoped, is that I won’t be able to get that zoom lens I’ve wanted for so long. Come to think of it, this is something Ash should be pissed about too, as I’d planned on giving her the 75-300mm of mine she’s been using while I’ve been here when I got the new lens.
Still on the subject of Ash & photography, awhile ago she asked me to join a photography club with her, & that looks like it should be interesting. One thing I’ve not had as much of as I would have liked since I’ve been away is “peer review”, & joining a club would be good way to get that.
It’s not as good as doing a proper course, but joining a club will also be a good learning opportunity & will likely broaden my skill base where photography is concerned. Something else to add to the cv.

I also have a fair amount of software and shiny new toys to look forward to playing with, such as the i-Pod, new keyboard and mouse, and also the stylus & pen I bought for the pc. The new notebook should also be waiting for me by the time I get back, & I’m very keen to see if it’s as good as the reviews I’ve read say it is – I bloody hope it is given how much it’s costing me lol
One thing is for certain though, that it’ll run WoW like an utter dream, & I’m quite pleased that I’ll be able to spend some decent time on the game, rather than the odd chance I’d have had if I was only home for two weeks. A secondary reason I’m keen to start playing WoW is that there’s a fair chance I’ll bump into Nicole online pretty quickly that way, as I’ve still not heard from her since December, despite numerous sms’s being sent. I’m sure it’s just this fucked up Burundian cell provider losing messages either coming or going, but I’ve really missed hearing from her & it’ll be good to get in touch with her again.
On the subject of notebooks, the guy who’d been going to buy this one to can’t anymore, as he also got shafted on his extension application. It’s not a problem though, and this should also make Shirley quite happy, as she’d claimed first dibs on it if I didn’t sell it before I got home. I’ve been asking around, trying to get an idea as to what it’s really worth before I give her a figure, as I have a feeling I should be embarrassed by what I’d been asking for it here:p
Speaking of selling things, I’ve also got a 20gb Sony Walkman MP3 player that’s up for grabs for in the region of R1.5k – anyone interested is more than welcome to give me a shout.

Best of all I have to look forward to though, is spending time with my friends again. It’s been a very long 8 months away at times, & the support I’ve received from everyone at home has gone a long way to making this manageable, so I’m looking forward to getting home & spending some decent time with everyone. As soon as I’m physically back in Durban, I’ll get in touch with everyone & arrange to get together for at least coffee or a few drinks ASAP – given that pretty much everyone is working these days I’m not sure that there’ll be chance for any heavy duty catching up the first few days I’ll be home, but there’s a weekend shortly after I get back & I’m sure we can plan something decent for that. A braai the Friday and / or Saturday, followed with breakfast at Joe Cools & a day at the beach for Sunday, perhaps? As always, suggestions for group activities are welcome, so if anyone has ideas for things to do, give me a shout ;)
Actually, here’s another reason everyone should be happy I’m not going to be coming back up here after a 2-3 week break – given how limited time would have been, I put some thought into the most efficient way to use the time I’d have available, & the answer I came up with was multi-tasking, or doing as many things at once as possible.
Thing is, the first 3 items on my “to do” list were “spend time with friends”, “long hot shower”, and “session of hot & nasty sex”…….
I have a feeling that the little shower I have at home would have been a little cramped with everyone in it, & there would likely be a new definition to the term “good friends” by the time the hot water ran out :p

Anyway, I’m going to end this off here. I’m probably being going to be rather out of touch ‘till I get home, as the landline here has gone tits up & I’m pretty much out of airtime. I don’t think I’ll be getting more airtime for the cell when what I have left is finished, as it’s not really worth it given the time remaining. I’ll be seeing everyone in person soon enough though, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
Cheers till then though ;)

A quick update….

February 17^th 2006, 1825B

There’s a chance I’ll get to a net connection tomorrow, & seeing as I’ve had so little contact with everyone at home lately I figured it’d be a pretty good idea to update this. Besides, it’s also been quite awhile since I spent any time on this, & funnily enough I’ve sort of missed sitting down in front of the pc to waffle on about my day.

Actually, it’ll be interesting to see if I carry on with this after I get home. I mean, the whole reason I started this blog was to keep in touch with people while I was away from home, but it has become something of a habit now. Getting home will obviate the need for the blog, as I’ll be in regular contact, face to face for the most part, with all of my friends, but I have an idea that I’ll be carrying on with putting down my “brain farts” – as Noelle once described blogging :p – for at least a little while after I’m back in Durban.

Anyway, to get on with the “brain farting”….

It’s been a fairly busy week since I last updated this, with the breaking down of Palace Base in town, & the move to the new base. Breaking down the old base was a significant amount of work, & it’s the most physical labour I’ve done in a very long time – I’ve not been so tired, or sore, in many years lol Strangely enough I actually enjoyed the work for the most part, though I must admit my enthusiasm for the task had waned significantly by the third day. One thing that really pissed me off though, was the way that basically half of the section worked, while the rest sat and watched. Even one of the guys who was deployed to an outside base came in to help out, & really worked, but the others literally did nothing. It didn’t go unnoticed who worked & who didn’t though, & the major in command of the section effectively banished the slackers to the external bases for the remainder of the deployment. I don’t know that I consider that much of a punishment myself – I mean, I’d far rather be in Mwaro right now lol – but I think they got the message.

Something else that’s been keeping us surprisingly busy lately is the number of escort missions, & there’s been at least 3 every day this last week. It’s keeping me busy though, & it easily beats sitting around the base with my thumb up my ass, even if sitting in the back of a Land Rover for 5 hours at a time wears a little thin. Another benefit to the number of escort missions I’ve been going on lately is that it’s afforded me chance to dust off the camera, & even though I’ve not actually taken too many photos, I’ve managed to get a few pretty decent shots. I’d have taken a lot more if it wasn’t impossible to take photos from a moving vehicle on these roads though, & once again I find myself hoping my extension comes through, if only so that I can afford that stabilised zoom lens I’ve wanted pretty much since I got here.

Speaking of the extension, there’s no change there since I last typed something up for this – I still don’t know for sure what’s happening. I had a meeting about the extension on Thursday with a visiting staff officer from Pretoria, and I was promised an answer “within a few days”, but I gave up on holding my breath while waiting for feedback a long time ago. One way or the other, I’ll be home within the next few weeks, and it goes without saying just how much I’m looking forward to the break, & to seeing everyone again. I think I’ll carry on with being non-specific with regards to exactly when I’ll be home though – God knows I don’t want to jinx things again – but I’ll keep everyone as updated as possible within that context.

Otherwise there’s not a whole lot of news – all I’ve been doing really is escort missions & counting down the days. One thing I’ve missed since we’ve been at this new base is comms, as cell coverage is unreliable here, & we didn’t have a landline until yesterday. I’ve managed to get in a call to Ash & Rob at least since we’ve had a phone again, & I really enjoyed speaking with both of them, but I’m still having trouble getting through to everyone else.

Rob had some good news for me, in that he was able to confirm a price & availability on that new notebook I’ve mentioned previously, & while he’s not had chance to buy it yet, he should easily be able to manage that by the time I get home. So it looks like I’ll be clubbed like a baby seal at Warcraft on my new machine after all :D

Rob also sent up a few parcels for me this week, which was really appreciated. Mostly it’s stuff like peanuts & those cheddar biscuits, but he also included must be about 3 litres of whiskey and an engraved hip flask, which I’m busy sucking on as I type this up so if my grammar & spelling suddenly go to shit, you know why :p Something else he included in the parcels was a new external hard drive case to replace to one I have here, but it looks like it’s the drive that’s toast rather than the case, as the new one doesn’t work either. Hopefully it’s just a blown fuse in the drive or something, & it will be simple to recover the data on the drive when I get home, but I’m really worried that I’ve lost what was on there. Most of what’s on it is stuff I have backed up already at home, but all my photos from this deployment are also on that drive, & if I’ve lost those I’ll be really disappointed. All I’ll have left are the low-res ones I’ve uploaded to travelgallery, & the photos I’ve taken since the drive crashed. It’s not just the lost memories either, as Shirlz has also suggested I try get some of the photos published, & I’ll need the original high-res files for that. And data recovery is also not a cheap undertaking from what I understand, which is something else I’m concerned about – I’ve managed to save a fair amount while I’ve been here, & I don’t want to eat into that any more than is necessary.

Anyway, I’d best end this off for now as it looks like supper is ready. I’m not sure if I’ll get chance to update this again before I get home, but failing that I’ll keep in touch as best I can by phone & sms. In the meantime, I hope everyone reading this has a great weekend, & I’m looking forward to seeing you all soon :D

Cheers for now though ;)

“Communication Breakdown….”

February 9^th 2006, 1120B

By the look of things this is going to be the last time I’ll be updating this blog, at least for a few weeks. The base I’m staying at right now, the one in town, is closing this weekend, so we’re all going to be moving to the site of the new base that’s been under construction since sometime not too long after Noah parked the Ark. Unfortunately the new base just a little too far out of town to make getting to the net café I use an easy feat to accomplish, and additionally the facilities at the new base are still under construction, so it’ll be awhile before there’s a net connection available there.

And on top of that, there are as yet no phones installed there either, so I’m likely going to be a little out of touch for awhile. I’ve still got the cell at least, so I’ll be able to maintain comms by sms, but that’s a very poor substitute for a phone call.

But in reality, this isn’t going to have too much of an effect on me, as I’ll be deploying to one of the outside bases within the next week or so, where I’d not have had access to a phone or net café anyway. I had been supposed to deploy this Sunday already, but that’s been pushed back until after we’re settled at the new base, so chances are I’ll head out to the field by around Wednesday or so. Yay, I get to spend longer in Bujumbura….. fucking whoopee!!!

Otherwise there’s no real news. I managed to arrange an extra 2 days off on top of my 7 days leave, so I’m still enjoying the life of leisure right now, which is rather pleasant. I guess I’ll be making up for it on the weekend though, as breaking down the base here in town is going to be a huge job, especially if we have to do it all ourselves. I’ve heard rumblings that all that’ll be required is for us to pack out personal kit & the equipment from the sickbay, & leave the base as it is for subcontractors to break down, but I really don’t know that I’ll be so lucky lol

So far as news regarding the extension & the leave goes…… no change there really. One day I hear one thing, the next something else, so I still have no real idea as to what’s happening. Needless to say I am less than overjoyed about this, but I guess I’ll just have to keep on taking things one day at a time. As frustrating as it is to not know for definite what is happening, ultimately I come out ahead whatever happens – I mean, if I stay for the extra 6 months, then I’ll get all that extra dosh, & will also have opportunity for a break at home soon. And if I don’t stay longer then I get to leave this place behind with nary a back-ward glance, and will be able to spend some decent time with my friends after an absence of far to bloody long.

Anyway, I’d best finish this off as it looks like the chow is going to arrive any moment – I’m busy typing this up at the Chinese place, prior to heading off to the net café. The joys of a notebook & all that lol

As I said earlier, I won’t have the access to comms facilities that I normally enjoy while I’m here in town, but I’ll call as many people as I can while we’re still at this base, & from then on keep in touch as best as possible by sms.

Cheers for now though ;)

No news is good news, right?

February 6^th 2006, 1105B

I seem to be on a funny “up” & “down” cycle at the moment. One day I’ll be in a pretty good positive mood, & the next I’m either maudlin or else inclined towards acts of mass-murder. Chances are it’s just cabin fever & frustration, but it’s starting to wear a little thin, let me tell you. I’ve had about as much of this “swinging in the breeze” shit about my extension & leave as I’m inclined to put up with, and I’ve pretty much made up my mind to laugh it off. Should written authority arrive from Pretoria in the next week or two then I’ll stay on for the extra 6 months, but if it doesn’t arrive by the time I’m scheduled to return to SA then I’m going to flip them the bird and go home.

Verbal assurances that the extension has been granted, that I’ll be permitted to take leave soon, just don’t cut it for me anymore. Like I say, if they get their shit together & give me something on paper I’ll stay – I mean, I did ask to stay after all, & cannot in good conscience withdraw the application at this late stage – but they’re running out of time to get that authority to me, and I am not going to be following up about it anymore. I am tired of being fucked around, & I am not going to kiss anyone’s ass to do them a favour. I am tired of speaking to my friends on the phone – those I can get through to at least – and having to tell them that I still have no fucking clue as to what is going on.

But I’m just pissing myself off all over again, so it’s perhaps time to change the subject – I’m not so young anymore, & I have to watch my blood pressure :p Other than the iffy sense of humour lately, it’s been going well enough. I’m still on leave so I’m having a nice restful time of it, though it has proved expensive – I’m eating too much Chinese & drinking way too much beer lately. And my waistline seems to be expanding in proportion to my wallet shrinking, so it’s probably a good thing I’ll be deploying again this coming Sunday lol

I don’t know where to as yet, & while I’m inclined to ask to go back to Mwaro again for this last deployment, I’m considering asking to go to one of the other bases instead, maybe Muramvya. I’m still not all that fond of Muramvya, but the climate there is better by far than at Kabezi, & I really don’t want to spend any length of time at the new base that’s being built just outside of town here. This last deployment to the outside bases is likely only going to be a short one, given that things are winding down for this contingent – current planning is that the next contingent will start arriving in the mission area from around the 22^nd February or so, and will assume operational responsibilities right off the bat. But as has been the case all along, the details change on an almost daily basis, so I guess we’ll just have to see what happens.

Contact with home these last few days has been something I’ve really enjoyed, & I’ve managed to get in a few good chats with Ash, Rob, & Shirley lately. I’ve also had chance to chat with Mark on MSN a few times in the last week or so, which I’ve really enjoyed. It’s not hard to tell he’s really chuffed about his new set of wheels, & I’m looking forward to seeing the new car when I get home. I really don’t want to know what his fuel budget was with the Opel, so hopefully the Nissan is a bit lighter on go-go juice.

Actually, that reminds me I’m going to have to make a plan for transport when I get home, regardless for how long I’ll actually be in town. The bike has stood for over 7 months now, & there’s no way it’ going to be in running order when I get home, so getting from A to B could prove a little tricky for awhile. I don’t really know that getting the bike running will be cost effective, especially if I’ll only be home for a few weeks, but I’m also not keen on the idea of relying on lifts & so on to get around.

Anyway, I think that’s about it for now. As soon as my washing is out of the dryer I’ll be tracking down some lunch, & then I’ll probably pop into the net café again so that I can upload this, & also see how the last photo I submitted to GFXArtist was received – the first few garnered some positive remarks, & positive feedback is always good for the happy thoughts :p

Till next time ;)

“And then the morning comes…..”

February 4^th 2006, 0510B

Well, once again I was faced with the choice of tossing and turning for another hour, & then having to get up anyway, or of getting up now already & putting the time to constructive use.

Actually, I’m busy with a sort of a compromise as I’ve climbed back into bed, with the notebook on my lap, after having made a cup of coffee. The coffee is tasting a bit weird though, having been made by boiling water in a pot on the stove, but it’s better that nothing I guess.

Anyway, so what’s new from the last few days? As usual, not very much really, but seeing as I’m on leave at the moment that isn’t really a surprise. It’s been a bit of an up & down week though, & Wednesday in particular was not a pleasant day, even before I found out that my uncle had died. I didn’t get a whole shit load of sleep the night before – which meant I got to watch the early morning repeat of Mythbusters, at least – and the caffeine depravation really didn’t help, but even taking that into account there is no way I should have been so acid. I mean, we’re talking a “boil people in oil for breathing too loud” kind of temper here, & it only got worse as the day went by. I’d managed to recover a few of the happy thoughts by the evening though & was feeling far more serene, until I called the old lady at least…..So yeah, I also spent most of Thursday in what could charitably be described as not being a very cheerful mood.

But this isn’t going to be a “woe is me” post. So far as the shitty mood on Wednesday goes, I’m inclined to attribute that to the mefliam, & also to the fact that I could easily have been on a flight home that afternoon if a certain office at the HQ had proved capable of finding its collective ass without benefit of a map & fucking gps system. Maybe I’m just turning into an intolerant & cranky old bastard, but I find these days that being on the receiving end of incompetence and people not doing their bloody jobs puts me in a foul mood.

My uncle dying I think I’ve pretty much made peace with now. He wasn’t really that old, but he was starting to get on in years and, as I said in the last post, he was also a very unhappy man. I’m certainly not happy that he died, & I’m going to miss him – particularly considering that he was busy packing up his stuff to move to SA to live with my old bat, & I’d have actually been able to spend some time with him from then on – but I’ve been able to maintain a sense of perspective about it at least.

Something that “helps” is that I’m at that unfortunate age where the senior members of your family start dying in droves, so you gain a certain experience in dealing with this kind of thing. I’m down to one surviving grandparent – he’s not got much longer to go either – and one aunt & uncle, who are both nudging towards their 60s’ now. After that, it’s just my sister & 5 cousins that are left. The funny thing is, at times like these you start to feel a certain pressure to have kids of your own before you run out of relatives. Or in my case, a certain pressure to convince my sister & cousins to have kids, ‘cause I’m not entirely convinced of my suitability as a parent :p

Then again, perhaps I shouldn’t try too hard to convince my sister to have kids, because I have an idea she’s even less suited to having kids than I am lol

Otherwise, it’s not been a bad week. I’ve managed pretty good comms with home the last few days which I’ve really enjoyed, though once again I’ve not had much joy getting through to G or Shirlz. I’ve bumped into Shirley on MSN a few times now at least, but I think I’m going to have words with her network admin when I get home – the way her connection falls down all the time is annoying enough for me, so I can only imagine what it’s like for her. I’ve been able to get through to Ash fairly often lately, & it’s been great to chat, though I gather that “evil corp” – as Noelle describes iX – is busy trying to give her a “promotion”, only they’re trying to weasel out of giving her an increase while they’re at it. She’s understandably very unhappy about that, as I’m sure you can imagine.

Speaking of Noelle, I seem cursed to never be able to call either her or Paul while I’m here, but at least we manage to sms each other on a regular basis. It’s going to be damned good to see everyone again in a few weeks, though I have a sneaking suspicion that one reason Noelle is keen for me to get home again is so that she can kick my ass at Warcraft – I mean, I suck at RTS games, so it’s probably going to be akin to clubbing a baby seal :p

But with a little luck, said clubbing will be administered to me while I’m using my new laptop, which should take some of the sting out of it lol

I don’t know exactly what it’ll be yet – I know which one I want, but Rob is having a little trouble sourcing it – but I’ll definitely be upgrading for when I get home. This notebook has served me well for the last 18 months or so, but she’s starting to show her age now & the time has definitely come to upgrade. The new one I’m looking at is also an Acer, the Travelmate 8204, & it’s a real beaut – 2gig dual core processor, X1600 graphics card, 2gb ram, & so on – but like I say, Rob is having a little trouble getting hold of one. There’s no real rush though, at least not while I’m still stuck here in Burundi, & I’m sure he’ll be able to get hold of one by the time I get home. If that falls through, then I’ll likely get one of the Ferrari 4000’s instead, and while I’m not crazy about effectively providing free advertising for Ferrari, it’s a nice enough machine, & also well within my budget. I’ll miss the dual core processor on the 8204 in that case though, especially when it comes to Photoshop.

Anyway, that’s about it for now. I’ll be heading off to the net café a little later, & I’ll check mail and upload this then. I’ll get in touch again soon, but in the meantime I hope everyone reading this has a great weekend, & I’m looking forward to seeing you all again soon.

Ciao till then though ;)

Cheers, Dave…..

February 1^st 2006, 1930B

I just got off the phone with my old lady in Howick, first time I’ve spoken to her in probably 3 or 4 weeks. I could really have done with a more cheerful, upbeat phone call in all honesty.

It seems that my uncle, Dave, died in his sleep about two weeks ago. He’d developed an aortic aneurysm over the last few years, and it finally let go. Given the size of the aneurysm, chances are he was dead before he even realised what was happening. I guess that would be the silver lining to the cloud.

He’d also been a desperately unhappy man for quite some time, since his wife – my mothers’ sister – died after a long & bitter fight with cancer about 3 years ago, so this probably came as something of a relief to him. Still, it’s never easy to feel good about it when a family member shuffles off the mortal coil, even when they’re likely far happier for it.

Anyway, I think I’m going to call it quits here. Till next time then.