This was one of the most emotional days of the trip. We had to drive about an hour outside of Kabul, into the country. There was a pretty big group of us, because when a general goes out to check up on things, it’s a big deal! Along the way we passed evidence of the difficulties that still face Afghanistan. Vehicles that fell victim to IED’s are everywhere!

When we arrived at the school, the Afghan soldiers were already there, as were the construction supervisors, translators, tribal elders, and a few kids. We took a tour of the construction, and Gen. Hammond pointed out a few ventalation issues that remained in the construction. His concern was that the kids wouldn’t be warm enough during the winter months. They also looked at the new well, and discussed the time table. Then it was time to meet the kids, who had already started to gather outside, as soon as they saw the ‘American trucks’ pull in.

The US soldiers that escorted me, had prepared boxes of toys, pens, chalk, and candy for us to give out. What surprised me, was that the Afghan soldiers, the little boys, and the little girls had to be put into separate groups. First, the soldiers were given some soccer balls to keep them from ‘intervening’ while we played with the kids. Soldiers in Afghanistan have ‘on average’ a 3rd grade education, which is part of the recruiting problem. The more people grow up uneducated in Afghanistan, the longer it is going to take us to get out, and leave the country to stand on it’s own two feet. The most important part, is that we leave them as a ally, because we cannot afford to have Afghanistan raise another generation that is desperate, uneducated, and hating America! We all know what comes from that! So, once the soldiers were taken care of, the male US soldiers, started tending to the little boys, and LT. Sullivan and I were left to handle the 35-40 little girls who had bravely arrived. They are used to being ignored, or worse. So everyone thought that if American women spent some time with them, that they would come out of their shells a little bit. They sat quietly at first, organized in a row, and shy. I started handing out pieces of colored chalk, so they could write and draw. These girls will all be allowed to attend this school when it opens, since that is a requirement of the US military. All schools are open to all students in the community, even the girls! I wore gloves to hide my long fingernails, since my hair was enough for them to adjust to! They thought is was CRAZY! We handed out the pens, and then got to the good stuff… LIFESAVERS! They love them! Everyone got something, and they were so grateful for the smallest gift!

As we finished the line of little girls, the boys started to run over to us, and they were much more aggressive. They grabbed and demanded. At one point I was surrounded by kids, and the girls were starting to back away, giving in to the boys aggression! This made me VERY upset! I saw one boy, about 10 years old, hit a 5 year old girl, so that he could take what I had just given her… I SNAPPED! I grabbed the kid by the shoulder, and screamed at him. Even though he didn’t understand what I was saying, he could tell what my message was. he looked at me, like “who is this woman telling me what to do”? and as you can imagine, that did not go over well with me! I grabbed the chalk, and candy from his hand, and pushed him out of the way so that I could return it to it’s rightful owner. She looked at me with confusion and gratitude in her eyes. I don’t think any woman had ever stood up to a ‘man’ in front of her before, and certainly not FOR her. I rubbed her hair, and face and tried to get her to understand that I cared. She took the candy and chalk, and ran for the safety of the larger group of girls. The boy, still dumbfounded, walked away glaring at me. He learned a valuable lesson that day! DO NOT piss off purple haired bitches from Boston!

As we were getting ready to leave, I approached the US soldiers, and talked to them about the incident. I asked if it could have a negative impact on community relations, and for that I was sorry. They said “Don’t be sorry”! One soldier said “That little girl will never forget the day a woman stood up for her, and that little boy, the tribal elders, and the Afghan soldiers, will never forget seeing a tough woman stand up to a man like that… even if he was only 10″ but, in Afghanistan nothing is easy… They also told me, that it was possible that the little girl will be beaten because of what I did. I cried the entire ride back to the base, thinking of that little girl. Progress is slow in Afghanistan for many reasons, but seeing that school, and those children gives me hope that someday things will get better!

Korn will release their new mutated selves in the form of “The Path Of Totality” on December 6th.  After stripping it down for “Oildale” they head in the opposite direction with collaborative efforts with some of the  pioneers of the Dubstep genre.  Korn have never shied away from experimenting especially with dance and hip hop.  With the recent success of their partnership with Skrillex for “Get Up” they were inspired to pursue the Dubstep path further.  Other producers on the album include Excision, Datsik, Noisia, Kill the Noise. 

I’ve posted the new video for “Get Up” below.  Tickets for their show at the House Of Blues in Boston on 11/3 go on sale tomorrow(9/30)

Got a chance to view “Pearl Jam 20″ yesterday.  Suffice to say I was in Fanboy heaven for 2 hours.  There’s not much here the hardcore PJ fan doesn’t already know but it’s the collection of amazing footage that director Cameron Crowe painstakingly pieced together that makes it worth the price.  The early footage of the band and Mother Love Bone with the late Andy Wood is the most incredible.  I think I was hit with a nostalgic hammer while watching the early interviews and live performances.  The early 90′s were a roller coaster for me and seeing Pearl Jam in their pre-battered by fame days reminded me of a time when it was ok to wear Combat Boots with jean cut-off shorts.  I grew up listening to these guys.  And when I say grew up I mean survived my twenties and made plenty of  life altering decisions.  I was never one to subscribe to the “Kurt Cobain is the spokesperson of my generation”.  I did like Nirvana but I’ve always loved Pearl Jam.

Here are some of my favorite moments(until the next viewing):

• Their 2nd gig ever at the Moore Theater in Seattle playing “Alive”.  To see them so unsure and treading lightly on stage is strange but there is also a chemistry that is coming to life. 
• Their performance at the MTV “Singles” release party that never aired due to large amounts of wine and tequila.  Apparently the band didn’t want to do it and ended up doing a gig that all admit was very embarrassing.  The footage is pretty hilarious and at times a little scary.  Eddie repeatedly screaming “FUCK YOU” as a security guard tries to keep HIM from pouncing on the crowd is especially crazy. 
• The band working out the Who’s “Baba O’reily” backstage at Lollapalooza 92′.  At this point they were surfing the crest for “10″ but were going on third.  I remember Stone saying in an interview at the time that they loved the early spot because it was low pressure.  Eddie doing the scream in this scene is nothing but pure joy.
•  Stone and Eddie first working together on a song that would later become  ”Daughter” on a tour bus.  The interaction between them seems so natural. 
• Mike McCeady saying he didn’t remember playing “Daughter” on Saturday Night Live because he “blacked out”. 
• Jeff Ament and Chris Cornell’s emotional testimony about their love for late Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood and how it affected them.  Ament’s description of seeing Wood in a coma is especially moving.
• Stone Gossard beaming with pride while describing hearing Eddie Vedder’s voice with Chris Cornell’s during the Temple Of The Dog sessions.  My favorite line is “Wow! Our guy can really sing too!”
• The live footage of “Blood” from Auckland, NZ is quite powerful.

I wish they would have spent more time on the recording of “No Code” which I think was a great turning point for the band creatively.  But I’m sure there will be tons of extra footage with the DVD release on 10/25.  There are some heavy moments in the film too, like their reaction to the fan deaths during their set at the Roskilde Festival in 2000 and Eddie talking about the father he barely knew.  By the end you realize it took them 2 decades to figure out how to be in a band that creates on it’s own terms.  20 years is a long time to commit to anything.  Most bands are lucky to last past a couple of years and the average length of a marriage in the U.S. is five years.  A band is much like a marriage.  There’s a lot of compromise, love, sadness, fighting, and happiness.  You have to be as honest as possible to make it work.  Cheers guys, for doing it your way and keeping it “real” for so long. 

What were some of your favorite moments from “Pearl Jam 20″?  Let me know in the comment section below.  Let’s talk a little Pearl Jam.

Since I have been home from ‘The Stan’ as they call it… I’ve had a bunch of people ask me what our guys need over there? Well, my answer is… It depends on where they are! Some of the guys that I met stay on base, and have almost everything that they need, but could use some creature comforts from home. Some guys, go out on missions and are asking for things for the kids that they meet along the way. While other guys, are WAY out, and have limited access to anything. They are the one’s we hear from the least, because they have limited access to the Internet etc.

So, the point of this blog, is to make one long list of things, so that people looking to help, companies looking to donate, and soldiers who would like to make requests, can all be in one place! Please do not share personal info like APO addresses etc here. We need to protect the identities of our troops, and your personal info back home! If you have specific questions on who to send things to, if you don’t have a soldier in your life, email me directly carrie@waaf.com

This is what I have so far!

1. Dunkin Donuts coffee! Everyone asks for it, especially the seasonal stuff that they miss.

2. Cleaning supplies like Clorox wipes, disinfectant sprays, Swiffers etc. Everything is DIRTY over there, and being able to keep things kinds clean is a HUGE plus.

3. video games and DVD’s because they just can’t get enough of them!

4. small toys, candy, and simple school supplies for the kids that they meet. This goes a long way with the elders in the communities where our guys are working. The more the locals trust our soldiers, the more valuable intel on the Taliban they are willing to share!

5. simple athletic equipmant wiffle ball stuff, soccer balls, basketballs, street hockey gear, playing cards and poker chips… any distraction during your off time, is a good one.

6. Canned air to clean electronics, night vision, and guns!

OK, that should get you started! Comment on this blog to contribute to the list, and thank you to everyone who asked me to do this, and of course… Thank you to our troops! We’re all thinking about you!

When The Rolling Stones Re-Issued “Exile On Main St.” Jimmy Fallon celebrated by dedicating a whole week of his show to having different musical artists cover songs from that seminal album.  Now Fallon is celebrating “Pink Floyd Week” for the massive re-issue project called “Why Pink Floyd”.  All 14 of Floyd’s studio albums re-issued in various deluxe editions with tons of extras.  You can get all the exhaustive details here.  Fallon will have a different artist covering a Pink Floyd song every night this week.  Last night he had Floyd founding member Roger Waters play “In The Flesh” with the omnipresent Foo Fighters, who have been known to whip it out as a cover now and then.  Waters looked like he was having a good time.  Maybe this will lead to some kind of collaboration in the future like Lou Reed and Metallica?  Looks like Dave Grohl can add another name to his Rock Legend Resume.  Check out the video below:

Here’s the line up for the rest of the week:

Wednesday, September 28: MGMT cover ‘Lucifer Sam’ off The Piper At The Gates of Dawn.

Thursday, September 29: Country artist Dierks Bentley will cover ‘Wish You Were Here’.

Friday, September 30: Pearl Jam will play their version of ‘Mother’ from The Wall.

Here is the list of the nominees, for the Class of 2012!

Ballots will be sent to more than 500 voters, who will select the artists to be inducted at the Rock Hall’s 27th annual induction ceremony on April 14th in Cleveland. To be eligible, an artist or band must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination.

• The Beastie Boys, Laura Nyro and Donna Summer are each on the ballot for the third time.
• Donovan, Red Hot Chili Peppers and War are each making their second appearance on the ballot.
• The rest are first-timers — The Cure, Eric B. and Rakim, Guns n’ Roses, Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Freddie King, Rufus with Chaka Khan, The Small Faces/The Faces and The Spinners.

What do you think? Who did they miss? Will the Beastie Boys and RHCP finally get in? Will AXL reunite with Slash if GNR get in?

Here’s the first offering from the Lou Reed/Metallica collaboration called “Lulu”.  Based on German Expressionist writer Frank Wedekind’s “Lulu Plays”.  The official “Lulu” website goes into more detail here.  Both artists have taken many risks with mixed results in their respective careers.  I’ve only listened to “The View” a couple of times, and as a fan of both Reed and Metallica I find it fascinating.  Maybe not their best work but still interesting.  I’m sure there will be purists from both camps crying about this and that will, no doubt, be entertaining in itself.  Give “The View” a listen and let me know what you think in the comment section below.  It’s also available for download here. The full album will be out on November 1st.