Ramadan started... or did it?

I’m not sure whether I should be amused or worried, but apparently there are at least two different schedules being followed for Ramadan now.  I mentioned in my last post that the first sighting of the crescent moon in the evening would signal the start of Ramadan the next day.  Of course, it’s tricky to catch it before it immediately sets.  Apparently the Sunni Muslims had the necessary two clerics see the moon and declare that Ramadan began Saturday.  The Sunni, of course, must not have been watching as carefully, and claim that Ramadan starts Sunday.

 

In other news, Army won their game this weekend and Navy lost, so the deputy commanding officer is going to have a whole week to make fun of me.  At least I can be hopeful that the imminent Bronco game will turn out better.  It hasn’t started yet as of this posting.. .they will be showing it tape delayed tomorrow and I’m debating whether I want to know the results or not.  Guess it could save on a little bit of stress.

 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

All right, I admit there are still 93 shopping days until Christmas, but the subject refers to the fact that I managed to pick up (free) a lovely 24-inch tall tree from someone who’s getting ready to head home.  I’ll be prepared for the holiday season when it arrives!

 

Today’s more important calendar event, immediately following yesterday’s new moon, is the first sighting of the crescent moon marking the beginning of the month of Ramadan.  In previous years, this has had an effect on violence around here, so obviously we are paying close attention to it.

 

It’s been a month since I first found out about shifting bases, and that month has seemed to go by much more quickly than those before.  I guess there’s some truth to the idea that keeping interested and busy helps pass the time.  In that vein I’m getting involved in yet another fun (for me) and useful (for the military) analysis and programming project.  If nothing else, this tour is helping me expand my skills that might be of use later.  Can’t complain too much about that!

 

Out of Phase

The last few nights have been very dark, and tonight’s no exception, as it’s the new moon.  A flashlight is an absolute necessity if you want to avoid stubbing your toe on a misplaced paving tile or smacking into a barrier you forgot was between your room and the latrines.  The good news is that once your eyes are adjusted to the light outside, you can see a whole lot of stars.  Makes you appreciate how pretty the night sky must have been before the industrial age and widespread electricity.

 

Speaking of electricity, I just got my hands on a power converter.  Power here runs 220V and 50 Hz, and can fry electronics meant to run on the US 110V/60Hz system.  Sometimes it doesn’t fry things, but people with electrically powered alarm clocks complain that they lose 10 minutes every hour.  One soldier I talked to had perfected the art of setting the time ahead at night so that it would be exactly right when his alarm clock went off.

 

Oh, and the power converter is to power my new TV and Refrigerator!  A little patience paid off, when I found a bunch of people getting ready to head home, and offering to sell their stuff.  Back to the comfortable life, and I can even watch Bronco games from my own room now!

 

The new moon and astronomical objects in general remind me that tomorrow’s the first day of Autumn.  I can mark another whole season off my calendar.  And that means I’m quite close to the halfway mark.  Of course, I’m not counting down to the end, yet.  I’m just counting down to my R&R leave.  Much closer, and getting closer every day!

At the Battle of Trafalgar (now)

To prove that it's impossible to fight a politically correct war:

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Nelson: "Order the signal, Hardy."

Hardy: "Aye, aye sir."

Nelson: "Hold on, that's not what I dictated to the signal officer. What's the meaning of this?"

Hardy: "Sorry sir?"

Nelson (reading aloud): "England expects every person to do his duty, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious persuasion or disability". "What gobbledygook is this?"

Hardy: "Admiralty policy, I'm afraid, sir. We're an equal opportunities employer now. We had the devil's own job getting 'England' past the censors, lest it be considered racist."

Nelson: "Gadzooks, Hardy. Hand me my pipe and tobacco."

Hardy: "Sorry sir. All naval vessels have been designated smoke-free working environments."

Nelson: "In that case, break open the rum ration. Let us splice the main brace to steel the men before battle."

Hardy: "The rum ration has been abolished, Admiral. Its part of the Government's policy on binge drinking."

Nelson: "Good heavens, Hardy. I suppose we'd better get on with it. Full speed ahead."

Hardy: "I think you'll find that there's a 4 knot speed limit in this stretch of water."

Nelson: "Damn it man! We are on the eve of the greatest sea battle in history. We must advance with all dispatch. Report from the crow's nest, please."

Hardy: "That won't be possible, sir."

Nelson: "What?"

Hardy: "Health and safety have closed the crow's nest, sir. No harness. And they said that rope ladder doesn't meet regulations. They won't let anyone up there until a proper scaffolding can be erected."

Nelson: "Then get me the ship's carpenter without delay, Hardy."

Hardy: "He's busy knocking up a wheelchair access to the fo'c'sle Admiral."

Nelson: "Wheelchair access? I've never heard anything so absurd."

Hardy: "Health and safety again, sir. We have to provide a barrier-free environment for the differently abled."

Nelson: "Differently abled? I've only one arm and one eye and I refuse even to hear mention of the word. I didn't rise to the rank of admiral by playing the disability card."

Hardy: "Actually, sir, you did. The Royal Navy is under-represented in the areas of visual impairment and limb deficiency."

Nelson: "Whatever next? Give me full sail. The salt spray beckons."

Hardy: "A couple of problems there too, sir. Health and safety won't let the crew up the rigging without crash helmets. And they don't want anyone breathing in too much salt - haven't you seen the adverts?"

Nelson: "I've never heard such infamy. Break out the cannon and tell the men to stand by to engage the enemy."

Hardy: "The men are a bit worried about shooting at anyone, Admiral."

Nelson: "What? This is mutiny."

Hardy: "It's not that, sir. It's just that they're afraid of being charged with murder if they actually kill anyone. There's a couple of legal aid lawyers on board, watching everyone like hawks."

Nelson: "Then how are we to sink the Frenchies and the Spanish?"

Hardy: "Actually, sir, we're not."

Nelson: "We're not?"

Hardy: "No, sir. The Frenchies and the Spanish are our European partners now. According to the Common Fisheries Policy, we shouldn't even be in this stretch of water. We could get hit with a claim for compensation."

Nelson: "But you must hate a Frenchman as you hate the devil."

Hardy: "I wouldn't let the ship's diversity coordinator hear you saying that sir. You'll be up on disciplinary."

Nelson: "You must consider every man an enemy who speaks ill of your King."

Hardy: "Not any more, sir. We must be inclusive in this multicultural age. Now put on your Kevlar vest; it's the rules."

Nelson: "Don't tell me - health and safety. Whatever happened to rum, sodomy and the lash?"

Hardy: "As I explained, sir, rum is off the menu! And there's a ban on corporal punishment."

Nelson: "What about sodomy?"

Hardy: "I believe it's still allowed, sir."

Nelson: "In that case ...kiss me, Hardy."

Manic Monday

After a relaxing day on Sunday, I guess I was ready to get back to work.  A good thing, because the day seemed to bring a never-ending series of little brush fires to put out.  But nothing was big enough that I couldn’t handle it in a few hours and move on, it just delayed my larger scale plans a bit.  Not that I’m complaining.  It’s nice having work to do to pass the time.

 

My lovely computer connectivity from my room seems to have dropped off about an hour ago, one of the disadvantages of sharing a connection, so I’m returning to the back-up email method of making my post.  If things work the way I expect them to, it’ll get sent whenever the connection is finally restored, even if I’ve long since gone to bed.  In the meantime, I do have books to read and movies to watch!  Funny how those go to the wayside when I have the opportunity to chat with my wife.

 

 

 

Game Day

I had a very relaxing Sunday. Other than church in the morning, and a couple of meals, I was able to catch up on a few little projects and still have a lot of time to just kick back.

I didn't get a chance to see Navy whip up on Stanford, but the results were definitely pleasing. And although Army lost a valiant effort to win on the last play, I'm impressed how well they did against Texas A&M. I should be worried about my bet.

I had hoped to watch the Bronco vs. Chiefs game, but unfortunately with the time zones as they are, the game is just now starting and it's after midnight. I'll just have to read about it in the morning. Maybe if I'm not watching, they won't turn the ball over as often as they did last week... one can hope?

Dust in the Wind III

Oops. Things have gotten a little busy the past couple of days, and I forgot to do yesterday's post. Ironic that as soon as I get internet in my room and can easily post daily, I end up not taking the time to post.

Today was the first time in the last few months that I've enjoyed a high temperature below 100 degrees. It only hit 98 in the heat of the day. More importantly, it was a quite comfortable 80-something on my trip to and from work in the morning and evening, respectively. It's getting quite dark at night, with the new moon approaching, but the stars are beautiful to look at.

While walking home today, a whirlwhind of dust swirled up right in front of me... a little mini tornado. Quite the impressive sight to see. It blew along for about 100 yards or so and then dissipated. That prompted me to write about a rather famous dust storm that hit Al Asad back in April, 2005. Some pictures are here, although you can locate a few more using Google.