The Thor Update

Hey, y'all -

It's been an overwhelmingly busy time around here since - oh - Valentine's Day and one of these days I'll get around to catching everyone up on what's been happening on the home front. But it seems like what most people want is an update on how your dad is doing, so here's the story on that:

Because your dad's the kind of guy who can't JUST go to the other side of the planet and work a strategically imperative job around the clock, he's using whatever down time he has to build a Rec Room inside the hangar. Seems there are piles of plywood just laying around, so your dad took it upon himself to launch a new construction project.

He's working on the "It's easier to get forgiveness than permission" principle, and so far no one has come by to tell him to stop. Army bases aren't really known for their building inspectors. 

He's moved in some fitness equipment and a TV and has scrounged up some furniture that should be coming in, too. He's just so damn productive. 

His living conditions are...okay. 

He moved to a slightly bigger side of the divided room, and it may or may not be slightly bigger because when no one was looking, he may have taken it upon himself to use his drill to move the plywood partition allegedly back a few feet. 

We can't complain because I'm sure if he were a young infantry guy vs a Navy officer, he'd be sharing this room with three other dudes. 

So far, his biggest complaint (at least that he shares with us) is about the food. They haven't had fresh produce in a while, and currently the only thing on the salad bar is pudding. Sometimes, they even run out of plates. Lately, they've been serving a lot of hot dogs. I have become the Queen Of The Care Package, because no one is eating suspicious hot dogs on my watch. Granny Jack has been great about starting a little unofficial "Thor fund" so every time your dad thinks of something he needs (like protein that isn't so sketchy) we can send it right off.

He does have wifi in his room (although they make military members purchase their own internet if they want to have it in their room, which I think is despicable). We get to talk to him every day. Your dad's time zone is 11.5 hours ahead of Montana, which means we're always on opposite sides of the clock, and typically tell him "Good Morning!" as we're heading off to bed. 

Speaking of:

HOW TO CONTACT THOR - A GUIDE FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

E-MAIL / TEXT - All of Thor's web-based applications work on his iPhone. You can text him or e-mail him at his normal contact info and it'll go right through. Phone calls don't work. He has Skype. If you're a friend/family member and you don't have any of that contact info, let me know. 

MAIL - Mail seems to be taking 11-14 days to get there, which is pretty great considering how far it has to travel. I sent his address to all the friends and family I could think of as soon as I got it, but in case I missed you and you want to send him a card or something, let me know and I'll send you the address. (Operational security and common sense prohibit me from posting it here.)

If you want to send a letter or card, great - those just require a normal postage stamp and can be dropped in the mail like anything else. 

If there's an item you want to send him, it's usually easiest to order from Amazon Prime or Target. Both ship free to APO addresses, and you don't have to mess with your own customs form. 

If you want to send your own package, it gets a little more tricky. You can pack it in your own packaging and ship via the post office, and they'll charge you normal domestic postage rates (One day, I might run the world and there will be a slashed-rate box for military, but right now, one doesn't exist.) USPS does offer a $2 discount on the Large Flat Rate Box, which comes in two sizes. I am a zen master of cramming more stuff in one of those boxes than ought to be possible...each box I pack is on the Russian nesting doll system because I WILL get the most out of that $17 box, and if I had understood spatial geometry this well in 9th grade, my life would have been way easier. I pack everything in its own Ziploc, partially to avoid spillage but also because no one wants their crackers tasking like their deodorant. 

USPS boxes require you to fill out a customs form which they have available at the post office, or if you want to holler at me, I can fill one out for you online and send it to you to print. 

Right now, we have lots of options in terms of snacks we can send, because it's cold in Montana and equally cold in Afghanistan. Starting around May, it's going to get hot as the devil over there, and we can no longer ship chocolate or anything that could melt. 

We've gotten your dad a mini coffee maker, and an Amazon subscription to nice Italian coffee and those mini half and half cups like you see in diners.  Seems to have turned his life around. 

Let me know if I'm leaving anything out. 

Thanks to everyone who has been checking in with us, or asking how you can help. We're holding up really well, I think, considering, but some days are definitely easier than others. Keeping our eye on the countdown:

 Love,

Mom