Neon Genesis Evangelion

1:45 PM EST - VOTE VOTE VOTE - WE ARE WITHIN 2 VOTES OF THE LEAD! SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS.

I'm going to bed, and when I wake up, voting will be over.  I am amazed by the last-minute surge of support.  We just might pull it off. Thanks, everyone!

- Bear

 

27 Feb 2007

Now in 7^th place of all blogs listed on milblogging.com!

Currently grooving to the soundtrack from Josie and the Pussycats: The Movie

Afghan Traffic Jam; I hate it when we get stuck behind a donkey cart!

     The big news today is the suicide attack on Bagram Air Base, which is about one hour from here, and is the base I went through on R&R leave.  Won’t go into any details, but one of my men was less than 100 yards away from the gate when the bomb went off.  Sadly, there was no Rambo to save the day this time, and many died, though the exact numbers are not known yet.  Here’s a link to the story:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,254823,00.html?sPage=fnc.world/afghanistan

     You know, I’m really ready to go home. Now!

     Suddenly I feel a bit rushed, as our departure approaches.  There is so much to do.  AWAC has been consuming more and more of my free time.  I just may have more anime on hand than I will have time to watch.  I haven’t even tried to edit my writings into book form, as I’ve been so busy working on the blog every day.  I suspect the last two moths will go by quickly, as I try to squeeze everything in.

Maj Hafiz

     One thing I want to do more of is to introduce you to some of the fine Afghans who make CMA the great organization that it is.  Today I’d like to introduce Maj Abdul Hafiz.  He is the S1 (personnel officer).  I’ve been working with him since my arrival here, and I’ve seen him grow into a real dynamo of an officer.  When I first arrived here, he would, as so many ANA officers did, expect me to work all the problems he encountered.  However, it did not take much mentoring before he worked personnel issues on his own, and he’s been on top of things ever since.  He is a competent, hard-working man who is always smiling and always thankful for our help (though we rarely have to help him anymore).  I had a long meeting with him to talk about personnel issues today, and he impressed me as a fine officer.  He knows exactly what to do when a problem comes up, and he actually thinks outside the box.  Men like this are the hope for a strong, free Afghanistan. 

     Hamid is seriously considering moving to Russia to marry the girl he loves.  Yes, I was shocked too.  He is still debating it, but by the end of the week he may have set things in motion.  Stay tuned.

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Afghanime

     And finally, anime fans, I know I’ve been neglecting you, so it’s time for another installment of Afghanime.  Today I review the mind-melting Neon Genesis Evangelion.  I won’t spend too much time on the plot, because I’m not sure I understand it all anyway, plus I don’t want to spoil surprises.  Here’s what I will say.

- This anime is for adults.  No, it’s not obscene, excessively violent, or full of profanity.  It’s just a very challenging show to watch.  Kids will not like it; most teenagers will not like it.  It is meant to make your brain hurt and to wear you out emotionally. It succeeds.

- Three of the main characters are 14-year olds.  They pilot what seem to be giant robots, and this appears to be another teen-oriented show on the surface.  However, their ages are designed to make them more vulnerable, and they are put through the wringer.  The robots aren’t really robots either, but I’ll leave it at that.  They fight against giant monsters, but the monsters are called “angels.”  As one character asks, “If angels are from God, why are we fighting them?” Indeed.

- The show is full of religious symbolism, from explosions that turn into giant crosses and a prophecy supposedly from the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Human spirituality, evolution, psychology, and emotional fragility are dealt with in excruciating detail.  The last two episodes (out of 26) will have many scratching their heads, much as the ending of 2001: A Space Odyssey did.  In fact, there is a movie called The End of Evangelion, which supposedly retells the ending from a different perspective.  I’ll probably watch that at some point, but I’ll wait until I can rent it at a video store. 

     So let’s run it through my six-point checklist

1.  Humor - There is some in the early episodes, but it gets grim quickly

2.  Artwork - I watched the platinum edition, which enhanced all the colors and artwork, so while an older series, it looked bright and sharp, with good character designs

3.  Music - The opening theme is among the best ever, while the closings are many variations of Fly Me to the Moon, a song I don’t care for at all

4.  Plot and Characters - An intricate and difficult plot, with a heavy emphasis on the characters, usually showing how much their lives stink.  This is not a feel-good show. 

5.  Just One More? - Yes, until the last few episodes, where things got so heavy and depressing I could barely go on.  There is hope at the end, however, but prepare to be emotionally drained

6.  Would I Buy More? - I do want to see The End of Evangelion, but I like my anime to be more humorous and more uplifting.  This is a fantastic series for what it is.  If you want to laugh, you don’t watch Macbeth or Hamlet.

     That’s it from me for today.  Tomorrow we’ll see if Hamid has started learning Russian.

- Bear

Both e-mail servers are working normally now. Yay!

traversa@gimail.af.mil

douglas.traversa@arnold.af.mil

   

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Blog Watch

     I have a new post up on The Sandbox

http://gocomics.typepad.com/the_sandbox/

     A small interview appears at

http://www.vajoe.com/blog/2007/02/26/doug-traversa-of-afghanistan-without-a-clue

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Millboggie Contest

     AWAC is closing in on The Mudville Gazette; we were behind by 12, and are now only behind by 6!  What a nail-biter!  This will be the last reminder to vote.  By this time tomorrow, it will be all over.  Go out and get your neighbors to vote!  Voting ends at 8 PM on 27 February. 

Current Standings:

The Mudville Gazette - 48

Afghanistan Without a Clue - 42

OPFOR - 15

Duty in the Desert - 7

      

     To register and vote:

1.  Go to milblogging.com

2.  In the upper right corner is a “Sign In” box.  Click on the link that says “Not a Member? Register Now

3.  Fill out the information. An e-mail will be sent to your e-mail account.  Once you click on the link in the e-mail, your account will be activated

4.  Now go back and sign in

5.  After you are signed in, click on “Manage Favorites.”  It’s just below the sign in box.

6.  Go to “Search Milblogging.com’s Database.”  It’s in the upper left corner.  Type “Traversa”

7.  Click on “Afghanistan Without a Clue.”

8.  Scroll down to the “Actions” section.  Click on “Add to Favorites.”   

9.  Go back to the main page “milbogging.com” and go to “Milbloggie Voting is Now Open.” 

10.  Click on Air Force and vote for AWAC

11.  Rejoice in the knowledge that you have made us very happy! Thanks.

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The William Arkin Obscene Amenity of the Day (named for William Arkin, my favorite blogger filled with an almost pathological hatred for the very people who fight to protect his right to write).

            

     Cris D sent in today’s obscene amenity.  Though not technically an amenity that was sent over to us, it should still be mentioned.  He’s a photo of the barracks at Camp Shelby, the place where most of our guys, as well as her husband, trained for two months before deploying.  Remember, not only do we get a one-year, all-expenses-paid vacation to Afghanistan, we also have to go to training prior to that! So here’s a photo of the luxurious accommodations.  That’s right, Mr. Arkin, they aren’t forced to sleep in the dirt for those two months, they get to sleep in these sinfully decadent barracks.  Such opulence!  What mercenary wouldn’t want to live here?  Hopefully Mr. Arkin can put a stop to such waste! Why should troops be trained at all? Just send them over as-is.  Think of the savings!

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Five Seconds of Fame:

I went from a sure-fire shut-out to a zillion correct answers.  Clearly all of you aren’t reading everyday.  The quote was Rimmer to Cat on the brilliant British science fiction comedy, Red Dwarf.  Today’s famous people include Teri Centner, Lorrie Cramer, Caryl Rose, my daughter Elise, my brother-in-law Peter Fleming, Anna Lyman, Chris Manteuffel, and Gloria and Matthew Gauthier (photo below). 

 

Matthew and Gloria

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Quote of the Day:

Missed it by that much.
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Since we’ve lost men at Bagram, it is a lousy day.  And if you hear that any of the dead were Afghans, remember, they were Afghans supporting us, and we mourn their deaths as we would our own.

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And now over to Rat:

     Today was a day that started out with about 4 inches of snow and ended with puddles everywhere. How does this happen?  It was warm enough today that I didn't even have on a jacket and last night you couldn't see 10 feet in front of you because of how heavy it was snowing.  Another strange day.  I also have more; I had the pleasure of taking a few of the interpreters with us to lunch at the airport.  I noticed they all grabbed their trays, napkins, plates, and silverware to include fork, knife, and spoon.  I will get back to this point later.  We stand in the line for the buffet type service, and we get our helping of gruel.  Ok, the food is actually pretty good, and since the airport is chock full of NATO troops, the fare is usually European style.  I just go for the fresh bread...no where can you get that other than the airport.  As we sit down, the interpreters fill in around us, and as I look over, I am astounded at the amount of food they have on their trays.  It is stacked at least 6 to 7 inches high.  One even had 7 pieces of bread of various kinds.  In all fairness, he did make a sandwich with two of the slices.  The even more amazing part to this is that they cleaned their plates as if it was the same amount we had, and in the same amount of time.  Where do they put it all?  They are maybe 5 foot 5 and 150 pounds soaking wet at best. 

     Well another thing I noticed, getting back to the silverware thing, is that they do not use knives. Instead they use the spoon to cut their food.  I have never tried this, but it does look difficult, and what do you do with steak?  Good thing that's not a regular part of their diet.  Anyway, I had to ask why they always picked up a knife when they had no intention of using it.  Shakir just shrugged his shoulders and continued to eat as Wahid thought about it for a second and responded, "Well, everyone takes a knife."

     I said, “But we use them to cut up our food; you just create more dishes to wash.”

     He glances at the kitchen as says, "It gives Afghans a job," then he goes back to eating.  I was too stunned to comment further.

     Well that's all for today.  Afghans are just like the weather here...you never know what will happen next!

Cheers,

Ratman

Matti suggests that Rat add Darkwing Duck to the wall, and it's the first thing he does when he gets off work.  We are nothing if not slavishly devoted to our reader's whims.

Comments

[Kathi]

Woo Hoo! A big congratulations! for the Milbloggie :)
and belated Happy Birthday wishes!

[Leta]

Bear,

I apologize in advance for this since I can't sing worth a darn but...Happy Birthday to YOU! Happy Birthday to YOU! - well, you know the rest. Doubt that I have to tell YOU this but WOW! what a gift you have in Taylor whose words brought me to tears. VERY touching!

Couldn't be more happy for our proud of you for winning the milbloggie award. I read many milblogs and know several of the authors personnally - yours has become one of my favorites for many reasons - all of the great info, the human side of the situations you encounter and the way in which you present the information are just a few of those reasons.

Come on - let us hear it - today is a GREAT DAY, right?

Again - Happy Birthday and Congrats!

[Morgan]

Congradulations Doug - I went to vote, but you already won! BTW - I think the quote is from Maxwell Smart "Get Smart"

[Rosemary]

What an amazing post. You have everything in it here. From entertainment, mystery, sadness and loss, to cartoons and kitchen tales. Wow. You really do cover the whole lot! Great job, and stay safe.

[Sean]

Spooky space aliens Batman, you've won! Congrats, I'm a huge Cowboy Bebop fan too by the way:)

[Rosemary]

You Won! You Won! Congratulations! :)

[Steve]

Dude! I just checked milblogging and you won! I'll get you an email NLT tomorrow. It's hard deadline day for me and the last couple of days have included late nights and loads of caffeine...a lot like college, but in a combat zone with 35-55 year old guys; talk about Old School...

Oh yeah, before I forget, that quote sounds a lot like Maxwell Smart, but I wouldn't quote me on that.

Steve O

[Matti]

Thanks Rat!!! Seriously, you just made my day! :-) He looks great. I think I'll print him up and put him on my own wall. The terror that flaps in the night...

I wonder if you'll be bombarded by a deluge of drawing requests now.

Using a spoon to cut food takes Taco Bell's spork concept to a whole new level. A spife? Get a patent, quickly. Sell it to a major food chain. Make a million bucks. Remember me fondly.

You know, once when I was at Disneyland with my sister, we noticed two other girls at a table across the cafeteria area of the French Market get up to leave. On their table was this massive mess of trays, dishes, napkins, cups, silverware, and left-over food. One of the girls paused. "Should we clear this stuff?" "Why?" The other asked. "Well, the tray collecter and the trash thing is right there..." The second girl rolled her eyes. "It keeps the busboy employed."

They left, but before my sister and I had even finished exchanging looks, this poor mother with a little baby and a heavy stroller runs up to the table, desperate to get a place that was out of the rain. She was the one who cleared the table.

It was really eerie to see so acutely the consequences of one human being's selfishness on another human being...

Good luck with the milblog awards guys!

[Taylor]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! and... CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! I rallied the troops around 630 pm as soon as I got off of work and it looks like we managed to work some magic and get the most amazing dad in the world the award for the most amazing blog. Hopefully this will help your birthday be a little bit brighter, and hopefully my present will get there for you. I am so proud of what you are doing. Each day it seems like I am telling someone new about how my dad is in Afghanistan. Thanks for being such a great Dad and an American. I love you very much. Please continue to stay safe and keep writing, it helps us all seem closer to you.

Love Taylor

[Taylor]

Isnt that quote from get smart?

[Teri Centner]

Quote Guess: Maxwell Smart

I'll e-mail you a photo for posting (if I'm not wrong).

teri :)

[Raging Mom]

I don't think this is right, but it sounds like Maxwell Smart.