MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hi Dear & Family & Everyone;

We're off blackout, but my phone reception for texting has been poor...we think that it is due to the weather...really weirdly cold and a bit foggy. Apparently my blog is moving around. One of the Sergeants stopped me and told me her family is following my blogs and laughing a lot. Go figure. MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Just in case we go on blackout again.

We are in the painting phase of the NGO Vocational Center. My team and a crew of LN's put two coats of really crappy primer on the walls and ceiling. I surprised them by working beside them the whole day. The real paint will go on on Saturday...tomorrow is 'Juma' the traditional Muslim day off. We're trying to get the rest of the metal for the arches welded into place soon so we can remove the center posts from the steel arches. The painters are funny...brushes only, no drop cloths and really no regard for drips of brush direction...I did grab 2 rollers and went at a wall and had the 'boss' using my roller by the end of the day. I had the 'terp explain that it really makes the later coats of paint go much faster.

LT Porges (the guy in charge of the LN work teams - nice guy with his heart in the right place for the locals, but not too nice!) grabbed me to talk (again through a 'terp) about finishing a septic tank and leach field on the other side of the bazaar. The guy had had his workers only put in the tank, but no way to drain the 'effluent'. He claimed it wasn't in his contract...I showed him that is was...he had no clue how to design the drainage...his tank supports 6 'squat latrines' with a water flush system...kind of unique here. My experience with the locals is a bit cruder. They simply squat and relieve themselves in a 'slightly out of the way' location. We have to look where we step if we are inspecting stuff off the beaten path...electrical systems, wells, locations for solar and wind stuff. Anyway, I wound up drawing the septic tank, the "T" connectors and access caps and the leach field for the system on one of the concrete "T" walls. I will be the 'inspector' next week. He wanted the US Army to pump his tank...I explained that they were leaving and there would be a big puddle of sh*&^y water all over the soccer field and next to the new Mosque. He tried to get me to say that a smaller system would work (I told him he needed 0.5m x 0.5m x 30m minimum with a perforated drain pipe and fist sized stones and some kind of architectural fabric on top) he wanted to only go 20m. We'll see...

I'm doing well, the DFAC crew is making me laugh...They are from all over the world and have decorated the Dining rooms with sculptures of their concept of an American Christmas. They have decorated for every holiday by carving Styrofoam into their concept of holiday stuff. The water fall with dolphins and Santa scene is a bit over the top, I think. I will try to remember to take my phone/camera to get some shots.

The 'generic' dear soldier letters are appreciated by the military here. We are swimming in candy canes, cookies and other holiday stuff. I think the Jewish contingent from our office is lighting the third candle for Chanukah. Nothing for Kwanza that I have seen yet. We did talk about the relative relief here from constant blaring advertisements and commercialized Christmas songs blaring from everywhere...it is almost peaceful in a war setting. I am going to celebrate with my family when I get home! This is the one time that I will ask Krista to keep the tree up for a while longer!

All for now! Love, -Jim-