Hello all! Had a good Skype chat with Brad Monday evening. It had been a while (since the last posting) since we were able to connect. It was 5:30 a.m. his time – he was about to go on a 3-hour guard duty stint. He came back online briefly after his shift in time to IM a little during the last few minutes of the Redskins/Giants game – he was VERY excited to hear the blow-by-blow of our victory from Mike!
He is doing well, though he looked cold! By the way – I love technology! I feel VERY lucky to be able to get a glimpse of his face from so far away! I will try to capture a screen shot next time and post it.
No more real snow there (other than a dusting), and I think he has been doing more carpentry than he anticipated. He has worked on a few more roofs and done other work to shore up his living area for winter. He says the food is pretty good –better than expected. They have a cook. To date, he has not spent a lot of time in the village, and my sense is that they spend all of their free time in their fenced in “compound”. I hope to ask more about his daily routine (or what he can share of it) the next time we talk.
He reports no mail yet, but I know he will be thrilled when the things you have sent or are packaging up start to arrive. A number of you have asked what he would like sent his way. He says he doesn’t NEED anything specific. In terms of things he would like, treats and things to pass the time would be welcome and appreciated. He has internet, but the connection is VERY slow, so its not possible to download a movie or watch a streaming TV show. He would love physical movies – and I know a few are on the way in Xmas packages being prepared right now. He has his computer that plays DVDs – not sure it will play Blu-Ray… so until confirmed stick to the regular DVD format. Magazines and Su-do-ku or other puzzles would also be good ideas. I know he would also like snacks and sweets. He loves Pringles – regular and sour cream & onion are his favs. He likes chocolate – but not nuts. Chocolate is also tricky b/c though it’s cold where he is, it’s possible that packages can sit in a hot place, and M&Ms can withstand the heat, but other chocolate could melt. Beef Jerky, gum, Swedish fish, other chips/pretzels, drink mixes, would all be great. There are some prohibitions – no pork products, no alcohol, no “lewd” materials (so even the Feb Sports Illustrated might be a problem I have heard…). For you online shoppers, you can ship directly to an APO address from Amazon.com – and they have a category of items called “add-on items” that they won’t sell alone, but will sell if “added on” to another shipment. I sent a 12-pack of gum with a hat – and if you have Amazon Prime, the shipping is free and they do the customs form. I don’t know if they have Pringles as an add-on item – but they might!
Brad asked that I send his love to everyone. More later!
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