The Night Castle

We're rapidly going towards the end of the month, and with that, all the logistical Gordian knots we untied getting our gear, equipment, weaponry and everything else over here we now get to go through again. But well, we did it once, so we can do it again. I'm going to kind of miss Jennifer, the name we unanimously gave the turret-mounted machine gun. Named after my ex-wife, bless her heart, we picked the name without malice, as machine guns are pretty scary things. Well, I suppose that might have some negative connotations, but your weaponry is your best friend, be it rifle or mounted gun. I shipped a big box back to the US recently, which proved to be also a chore. It wasn't anything to do with the military, rather personal effects that have accumulated during my time here in Afghanistan. There were books and a couple old issues of Heavy Metal magazine, which is kind of an odd comic book- described as "mature fantasy", it's composed of very good artwork and bizarre story lines. I had always associated the name with the VHS movie of the same name starring Lita Ford. Fans of '80's heavy metal may recognize the name. Also in this box was a mint-condition copy of The Wizard of Oz, which a Navy friend passed along to me. It's not a first edition or anything like that, so I'm not sure if the term mint condition applies to it. But it was a pretty good read, at any rate, and I hope my family will enjoy it as well! I learned you can't ship herbs or plants, at least not via the carrier I used. I have some incense that the folks at Circle Sanctuary sent me- I'm not sure how to get that home just yet. Plant matter is kind of iffy to send back to the states for safety reasons, though in fact this particular plant matter originated there. Well, I'll figure something out. I also learned you can't ship rocks or stones, but they can be brought through customs, assuming they pose no threat to the local ecosystem. Again, said stones are quartz and various non-precious polished stones that are all native to the US, so I can't imagine them posing any threat. But the people who work at the shipping office sign a form for customs that says they have verified the shipment as containing no hazardous material or anything not allowed, and since they are accountable as well as me for anything like that, it makes sense that they would not want to take chances.
Interestingly there is also some incense, unfortunately I haven't been able to use it, as it requires a charcoal burner, which I don't have. Perhaps someone could use it in a hookah, for a good smell if nothing else. I wouldn't recommend smoking it, I don't think it's designed for that. One issue I can foresee is that the bag says "herbal blend" on it, which, in the state of Oklahoma, has a largely different meaning. A recent trend in 'recreational drugs' is a synthetic marijuana (also identified as incense and/or herbal blend) sold under the name of Spice containing as an ingredient salvia divinorum- also known as Diviner's Mint. It can induce hallucinations and suggestibility when ingested, and is not in common use. The Army declared it illegal for safety reasons after there were incidences of people having 'bad trips' on it. Diviner's Mint has been used by shamans in some cultures since time immemorial, though I don't know much else about its effects. But after thoroughly inventorying the contents of the box, I left a considerable sum lighter and the box is currently in Leipzig, in Germany. Interesting that it's following largely the same route I did on the way over here, and will likely follow on the way back home! I think that it's ok to say where it's going, as it's along a main route back and forth from here. However, revealing specific flight information could get me in trouble, at least on a public medium like this one, that anyone can read. Email should be ok, as it's a good deal harder to get into. But I'll keep that in mind- this is more than likely why that helicopter was shot down last year- such information is not common knowledge, so tragically it would seem that someone knew where and when to be to take that helicopter down. But never fear, dear readers that I know personally, I'll be sure to keep you up to speed by a more secure means! Well, off to dinner, then more than likely sleep and lots of it. I'm still trying to figure out the best workout schedule with this new day shift- I'd like to do it in the early morning, but for one thing, gravity seems to double when I have to get out of bed in the morning. I'll clue in the Department of Defense scientists to this, and see if it has any military applications. Besides that, it's cold as the lowest level of Hell in the morning! Well, that'll wake me up, at any rate. But there's always the afternoon, when I get off shift.
In the meantime, I'll keep looking forwards to that bright future, whatever form it may take, and am very much looking forwards to getting home to my family! Sometimes you have to travel far and wide to realize what you were looking for the whole time was right in front of you.