"Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done."
-Andy RooneyUS news commentator (1919 - )
"Making duplicate copies and computer printouts of things no one wanted even one of in the first place is giving America a new sense of purpose."
-Andy RooneyUS news commentator (1919 - )
Uploading music to my blog is new to me so I am learning as I go. I hope you can turn it off if it annoys you. I actually listened to the song that I posted yesterday and I had to delete it. It was not a very good version. You will probably think the same of my music. My wife can not stand it. I actually am listening to my blongs as I write this blog. Now you have my words, pictures, video, and music to enjoy. This post will be picture less because I lent my camera to one of the interpreters so he can photograph the donations that I gave him to hand out. I can not wait to see what kind of pictures he brings back.
Today it actually started to hail. It was almost like the weather was teasing us before it decides send us the snow that we know will come any day now.
Today at the clinic I worked with a few new doctors. I got to work with the Neurosurgeon. I got a little anxious at one point because I do not really know him very well and he wanted me to come into his office so I could teach him how to use his computer. He escorted me into his small office. His partner also came in and they closed the door behind them. The three of us sat huddled in front of the computer. I was calculating the best way to escape if anything happened.
There was a funny moment that happened right after we booted up the computer. In his broken English the Neurosurgeon said that he desperately wanted me to help him with something on the computer that he was working on. I was very impressed that he had started to work on something and wanted me to help him fix his problem. He opened up a pinball video game and asks me, "How do I make this screen bigger." I had to laugh and shake my head. His big concern was making the screen bigger. After i showed him how to make the screen bigger I was able to get him to practice Microsoft word, excel and power point. His eyes lit up when he saw that you could change the font size and color. He loved it when I took a picture of him and then put it on his computer desktop. You could see that it made him feel very proud. A big hit with most Afghans is to take their picture and then bring them a printed copy. Not many of them own a camera or have a way to develop pictures so whenever they get a picture of themselves they are very appreciative.
The Neurosurgeon wants me to give lectures on some medical topics. I think I will find a review article on stroke. It is really nice because I just load articles onto my thumb drive and then transfer them to his computer. I also will give him a new text book. He was asking for a book on physical exam and I think that I can give him one of mine.
We visited our old stomping ground, Camp Phoenix. We picked up 12 new laptops for some Navy folks and brought a humongous printer to be fixed. I swear, I am going to leave Kabul with a big inguinal hernia. Everyday I tell myself that I am going to stop lifting heavy objects but everyday there just seems to be something heavy that I need to lift or carry.
I received another care package today from Soldiers' Angles. Most of the stuff were Afghan donations. As I previously mentioned, tonight I gave the interpreter about 5 big boxes of donated supplies. I decided that the VCR program had so much stuff that my stuff would just get lost in the shuffle. I hopefully will have some good pictures to share with you tomorrow.
Thanks for reading.
Problog
Hello and welcome to my blog. It is a blog about an Air Force Physician that was reluctantly deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan for 6 months.
I have to admit, I did not exactly volunteer for the deployment, and I was a little anxious about how it would all turn out. I ended up making the best of it, and surprisingly, I actually had a pleasant, life changing, experience.
I decided to keep the blog up and running because I kept on hearing, "Why is it that you only hear the bad news coming from Iraq and Afghanistan." I figured that I was helping spread a positive message about what we are doing over. Even more important, I wanted to continue to spread the word about the plight of the Afghan people, 99.9% of which are the most incredibly friendly people that you will ever meet. The title picture is a great example of that. I have never encountered such genuinely warm and friendly people. It was so strange to see so many people with so little material objects, yet at the same time, filled with so much of the joy that comes with close family ties, abundant friends, and a close knit community. We could definetly learn a lot from them.
You may notice, as you read the blog in its entirety, my arc. I shift from focusing on myself and my personal comforts, to shifting my focus on the Afghan cause. It is very easy to get distracted by the hustle of daily life and the comforts that the U.S. provides. It is really a challenge to awake from that coma and to start to care and think about the welfare of other people unrelated to you. I think it really took me about 4 or 5 months before I really opened my eyes and became personally affected by what I was experiencing. I hope I was able to recreate it.
I have tried to keep the blog squeaky clean so as to not offend anyone (or get me in trouble-I am still in the military). Even though I am a political junky with very strong personal opinions I have been steadfast in keeping this site free of any politics. I was called to do a job and I tried to do it to the best of my ability regardless of my political stance.
I recreated the blog to read more like a book, or should I say blook (get used to the corniness it only gets worse from here) just to make it an easier read. I have removed some names and pictures just to keep it more anonymous. I hope that it helps in making it less about me and more about the cause.
Lastly, in the spirit of the blog, I decided to include the Chipin Widget that I used to raise money for Nazia. If I get any additional money I will send the funds to The Women of Hope Project and someone over in Kabul will discretely give it to her (unless I hear otherwise). You can also contribute directly to the Women of Hope Project website. They are a wonderful cause. If you enjoy this blog then feel free to contribute. I am sure that once you read her story you will be very moved.
So kick back. Get ready to hopefully laugh and definitely cry.
If you like what you read then post a comment. I will be continuously editing this site in an attempt to improve it. Who knows maybe one day it will become a book!
Enjoy. Thanks for reading.
-Shazdoc
I have to admit, I did not exactly volunteer for the deployment, and I was a little anxious about how it would all turn out. I ended up making the best of it, and surprisingly, I actually had a pleasant, life changing, experience.
I decided to keep the blog up and running because I kept on hearing, "Why is it that you only hear the bad news coming from Iraq and Afghanistan." I figured that I was helping spread a positive message about what we are doing over. Even more important, I wanted to continue to spread the word about the plight of the Afghan people, 99.9% of which are the most incredibly friendly people that you will ever meet. The title picture is a great example of that. I have never encountered such genuinely warm and friendly people. It was so strange to see so many people with so little material objects, yet at the same time, filled with so much of the joy that comes with close family ties, abundant friends, and a close knit community. We could definetly learn a lot from them.
You may notice, as you read the blog in its entirety, my arc. I shift from focusing on myself and my personal comforts, to shifting my focus on the Afghan cause. It is very easy to get distracted by the hustle of daily life and the comforts that the U.S. provides. It is really a challenge to awake from that coma and to start to care and think about the welfare of other people unrelated to you. I think it really took me about 4 or 5 months before I really opened my eyes and became personally affected by what I was experiencing. I hope I was able to recreate it.
I have tried to keep the blog squeaky clean so as to not offend anyone (or get me in trouble-I am still in the military). Even though I am a political junky with very strong personal opinions I have been steadfast in keeping this site free of any politics. I was called to do a job and I tried to do it to the best of my ability regardless of my political stance.
I recreated the blog to read more like a book, or should I say blook (get used to the corniness it only gets worse from here) just to make it an easier read. I have removed some names and pictures just to keep it more anonymous. I hope that it helps in making it less about me and more about the cause.
Lastly, in the spirit of the blog, I decided to include the Chipin Widget that I used to raise money for Nazia. If I get any additional money I will send the funds to The Women of Hope Project and someone over in Kabul will discretely give it to her (unless I hear otherwise). You can also contribute directly to the Women of Hope Project website. They are a wonderful cause. If you enjoy this blog then feel free to contribute. I am sure that once you read her story you will be very moved.
So kick back. Get ready to hopefully laugh and definitely cry.
If you like what you read then post a comment. I will be continuously editing this site in an attempt to improve it. Who knows maybe one day it will become a book!
Enjoy. Thanks for reading.
-Shazdoc
Today Show Clip
Chipin Widget
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2 comments:
I'm in a love-hate relationship with digital memory because of the way prices are always dropping. I absolutely hate buying SD Cards for my R4 / R4i at (seemingly) a bargain price only to see it become ten percent cheaper a few weeks later.
(Posted on NetPost for R4i Nintendo DS.)
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