Well, It's been a long time since my last entry. Alot has been going on, and to be honest, I have just not taken the time to write anything.
Our location here in Iraq was robbed, and the intruder took off with around 36,000.00 in cash. That was a sad morning to wake up and realize that A. I had not been smarter in securing our money, and B. that someone had actually broken into the one place that I feel safe here in IRaq....here in my office/living quarters. I guess that you can't escape crime, nomatter where you are. My false sense of security was by all means shattered. I guess in my naive mind, I was thinking "we are on the base with all US soldiers, and US civilians, so we have nothing to worry about!" Oh well, you can bet that we now handle things in a much smarter way. Unless the next theives rob us and have a forklift and bulldozer, there is no way that they will take us again!!
I have been making wedding plans online, and even hired a wedding planner to help. There was no way that I was going to be able to get all this stuff organized on my own, and just via the internet. The lady that is helping me has been great, and seems to know her stuff.
So far, everything is reserved. The date is set for April 26th, 2008!!
Weddings are soo expensive huh? It's amazing how much cost goes into a wedding. Until you are going through the motions of planning your own, you never truly realize how much effort goes into one! I have to say that as many weddings that I have attended, and been involved in, I have never stopped to truly notice the flowers and decorations, etc. Maybe that should tell me something huh? Now though, after doing all this myself, I am pretty certain that I will be more observant at the next wedding that I attend!! I will stop to notice the flowers and be sure to remark to the bride how beautiful everything is, etc. Going to someone else's wedding, we rarely stop to think of all the effort that someone has put into making sure that their day is extra special.
Iraq is the same as the last time that I wrote except that the weather is changing. Right now, we are among the 2-3 weeks of really nice weather here. The sun is shining, the birds are singing (Probably because I am feeding them!!), and a cool breeze is still blowing.
Within 2-3 more weeks, it will be scortching heat, dust, and mosquitos galore.
Oh, the mosquitos have already started to rear their nasty little heads. I think that I have killed about 10 already today. I hate them. The Iraqi mosquitos are sneaky!! They like to bite you at night when you are sleeping and not alert so that you can defend youself!!
In just a few more days, I will be coating myself with my signature fragrance of Backwoods OFF. Not very appealing to humans, and thankfully, not too appealing to the mosquitos either.
Will hopefully be off to a short vacation to Dubai within the next few weeks. I can't wait....to have some food that isn't saturated in Lard, and to actually have a choice of what to eat!!! I also look forward to sitting in a bath tub of clear water, and knowing that I will come out cleaner than when I went in!!
I can't think of much to say today, maybe if I wrote more often, I could highlight on some of the wittier things that happen around here. Today the wittiest thing that I noticed was the fact that one of my workers put my block of bird feed into the feeder WITH the plastic on it. Guess the birds just thought that I was decorating their crib! Other than that, it's been all work and no play!
Peace Out!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Just Another Day in Paradise
I just remembered something that I didn't mention in my past blogs. For the time being, I have my mother here in Iraq with me. She is here helping out and visiting while Kenny is here.
It has truly been WONDERFUL having her here. It's like having a piece of home here with me. It's nice to be able to just walk to the office next door and see her sitting there. I know that it is so selfish, but I would like to just keep her here for as long as I am here.
She is somehow able to cook up some of the best meals with the limited resources that we have here as far as food goes. She is my best friend, and my mother, and it has been a blessing having her here with me. I will be very very sad to see her go home.
I think that it will be harder to watch her leave here and go home than it is for me when I leave home to come here. Perhaps it is because now I have been spoiled, and I know what it is like to have her here now, and usually, I know what I am coming back too when I leave home to come here. It just won't be the same without my mama here with me.
She has been a huge huge help to me, and she has never once complained a single time about anything. She would be great working a job like this over here. She is a tough enough woman that this type of place doesn't bother her, and she is simple enough that she doesn't miss the "Luxuries" of home.
Simply put: I will miss my Mama when she is gone home, and I love her very much.
On another note, things around here are OK, although yesterday, there was a large bomb outside the Taji gates. If you look online, I am sure that you can read all about it. There was a bomb on a chemical truck, and they blew it up right outside of the walls. Several people died from the exposure, and many many more are very sick. It was a chlorine truck, and from what I understand, inhalation will blister the lungs. I will remember to keep the people in my prayers that were unlucky enough to be too close. It is really terrible that these people have to worry about things such as this right outside their front yards.
AMERICANS, be GRATEFUL for what we have at home....The security, the liberty, the freedoms. Do not take it for granted......but do not get lazy and let it all be taken away......don't even let me get off on this subject, I could go all night.
Anyway, I hope that everyone reading this....if anyone IS reading this...is doing well, and if you don't mind, go and have an ice cold beer for me right now. Tell me all about how good it was!!
It has truly been WONDERFUL having her here. It's like having a piece of home here with me. It's nice to be able to just walk to the office next door and see her sitting there. I know that it is so selfish, but I would like to just keep her here for as long as I am here.
She is somehow able to cook up some of the best meals with the limited resources that we have here as far as food goes. She is my best friend, and my mother, and it has been a blessing having her here with me. I will be very very sad to see her go home.
I think that it will be harder to watch her leave here and go home than it is for me when I leave home to come here. Perhaps it is because now I have been spoiled, and I know what it is like to have her here now, and usually, I know what I am coming back too when I leave home to come here. It just won't be the same without my mama here with me.
She has been a huge huge help to me, and she has never once complained a single time about anything. She would be great working a job like this over here. She is a tough enough woman that this type of place doesn't bother her, and she is simple enough that she doesn't miss the "Luxuries" of home.
Simply put: I will miss my Mama when she is gone home, and I love her very much.
On another note, things around here are OK, although yesterday, there was a large bomb outside the Taji gates. If you look online, I am sure that you can read all about it. There was a bomb on a chemical truck, and they blew it up right outside of the walls. Several people died from the exposure, and many many more are very sick. It was a chlorine truck, and from what I understand, inhalation will blister the lungs. I will remember to keep the people in my prayers that were unlucky enough to be too close. It is really terrible that these people have to worry about things such as this right outside their front yards.
AMERICANS, be GRATEFUL for what we have at home....The security, the liberty, the freedoms. Do not take it for granted......but do not get lazy and let it all be taken away......don't even let me get off on this subject, I could go all night.
Anyway, I hope that everyone reading this....if anyone IS reading this...is doing well, and if you don't mind, go and have an ice cold beer for me right now. Tell me all about how good it was!!
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Another Day, Another Dollar
Another Day.......Another Dollar........ Good things right~!!! Another day meaning that I survived another day over here, and another dollar meaning that I am ONE step closer to be debt free!! We are starting to save money now for the wedding that we HOPE is going to happen in April of '08 although we DON'T have an exact date set up yet. We are hoping to find a wedding planner since I SPAZZZ out so much when I am under stress, and Brian says that he doesn't want me freaking out over every little detail of the wedding, which he knows that I will.
I think that I have ALREADY spent about 100.00 JUST on magazines. I go through them, rip out about 1-15 pages out of each and throw them away...pretty big waste huh? I go through and find the interesting dresses, gift ideas, and "How toos" and then toss them. Those magazines are VERY expensive too!! I guess that they have to be though, it's not like they get repeat subscribers...that is unless you are a habitual marrier...well, I take that back because I KNOW people like that!! LOL!!
Anyway, the weather here is MUCK MUCK MUCK, the mud here is a LOT like Baby poo in that it is just sticky and mucky and gets all OVER everything. It reminds me of POO or baby powder mixed with water. Even if you do go outside in it, somehow by the end of the day, you end up with mud on you SOMEWHERE. Don't ask me how. I suppose that it is MAGIC mud!! Mmmmm, just another one of the wonders of Iraq, I guess.
Today is the 18th, just 4 days away from mine and Brian's 5th year anniversary. My MY MY, time flies when you are having fun huh?
You wanna know the truth though, I must say that my time in Iraq has went by pretty fast. I guess because we stay so busy that before you know it, another day has passed, then another month, and so on. I like routine, and this place is NOTHING if it is not routine. Except for the suprise of the mortar rounds coming in on occasion, there is nothing that goes on around here that is truly shocking. That is a blessing though...I thank GOD that I am not one of these guys and gals that has to go and venture outside the protection of the walls here at Camp Taji.
I can't say enough about our soldiers, and how proud that they make me to be American.
Well, it is 7:50PM, and I have rambled about enough for one day. Tomorrow is a BIG day, I have to show one of our staff members, who is Iraqi, how to style his hair WITHOUT using babyoil. He is the SWEETEST guy in the world, and I love him dearly as he is like a little brother to me now. BUT, I MUST, No, I find it MY DUTY to introduce him to hair gel, and to try to break his addiction to baby oil.
Good night for now. More later!
I think that I have ALREADY spent about 100.00 JUST on magazines. I go through them, rip out about 1-15 pages out of each and throw them away...pretty big waste huh? I go through and find the interesting dresses, gift ideas, and "How toos" and then toss them. Those magazines are VERY expensive too!! I guess that they have to be though, it's not like they get repeat subscribers...that is unless you are a habitual marrier...well, I take that back because I KNOW people like that!! LOL!!
Anyway, the weather here is MUCK MUCK MUCK, the mud here is a LOT like Baby poo in that it is just sticky and mucky and gets all OVER everything. It reminds me of POO or baby powder mixed with water. Even if you do go outside in it, somehow by the end of the day, you end up with mud on you SOMEWHERE. Don't ask me how. I suppose that it is MAGIC mud!! Mmmmm, just another one of the wonders of Iraq, I guess.
Today is the 18th, just 4 days away from mine and Brian's 5th year anniversary. My MY MY, time flies when you are having fun huh?
You wanna know the truth though, I must say that my time in Iraq has went by pretty fast. I guess because we stay so busy that before you know it, another day has passed, then another month, and so on. I like routine, and this place is NOTHING if it is not routine. Except for the suprise of the mortar rounds coming in on occasion, there is nothing that goes on around here that is truly shocking. That is a blessing though...I thank GOD that I am not one of these guys and gals that has to go and venture outside the protection of the walls here at Camp Taji.
I can't say enough about our soldiers, and how proud that they make me to be American.
Well, it is 7:50PM, and I have rambled about enough for one day. Tomorrow is a BIG day, I have to show one of our staff members, who is Iraqi, how to style his hair WITHOUT using babyoil. He is the SWEETEST guy in the world, and I love him dearly as he is like a little brother to me now. BUT, I MUST, No, I find it MY DUTY to introduce him to hair gel, and to try to break his addiction to baby oil.
Good night for now. More later!
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Let's Give this a Shot
Well, I have a friend who has one of these blog spots, so I figured, "What the hell," I'll be a copy cat and get one too. It's not as if I have than many original ideas anymore being stuck on a military base for months at a time. Besides the norm of torturing my staff, or drawing on Brian's face when he is in a state of such deep sleep that I am able to get increasingly artistic with the handlebar mustache that I draw on his face with my markers.
I took my fart machine earlier to the One Stop Shop (for those of you that don't hear from me often, that's our little convenience store we set up next to the main building), and I hid it under the counter. I proceeded to walk around the store and look (as if I don't know where everything is in there already), and I waited till the store had about 5 soldiers inside. Wait, I am getting ahead of myself, I forgot to mention that the Store manager is an adorable little Philippino lady named Beverly, who tends to be embarrassed easily. So, anyway, as about 5 soldiers hover around the counter counting their money and balancing their account book in silence, I slide out the small remote and start pressing the buttons. Yes, the fart machine did it's magic!! From all the way across the room, I detonated the most disgusting, wet sounding farts ever. Poor, sweet, (now red in the face) Beverly stood behind the counter in utter disbelief! The redder she got in the face, and the more she laughed, the more it looked like she was making those repulsing tunes of toot Flute!! At first she couldn't figure out where the noises were coming from, but when she spotted the machine, she was scared to pick it up. After a good laugh, and explanation to the soldiers, that it really wasn't her making those noises, I retreated to my little cave-like office to think of the next deviant thing that I could do.
I no longer have my one girl friend here, whose name was Misha. She worked at KBR and would occasionally come up and visit, and make me laugh till my stomach hurt, and then would retreat back to her world on the other side of the base. She finally had a belly full of this sandbox called Iraq, and took a one way flight home. Can't say I blame her though, I just miss her a bunch!!
That's one of the hardest things for me here...you meet people, and think, "ok, with this person around, Camp Taji will be lots more fun.", but within the year or sometime thereafter, either their tour of Iraq is done (if they are soldiers) or they get fed up with the politics of their company, etc, and off they go...leaving me all alone again....LOL, poor me.
No, really, I am very very BLESSED to have Brian living and working here with me, and I couldn't be more happy about that.
He has grown use to my overactive imagination, and pranks, so he makes a good laughing partner, or a great victim for my pranks. Thank GOD that he never gets mad at any of them that I pull...well, of course there WAS that laxative prank that he didn't like very much...BUT (in his defense), he did have to fly to another base that day...WHOOPS!!
Ok, so I had to promise not to pull that one again!!
Well, I am going to see how this blog thing goes, it will be good for me to document my time here I suppose.
More later!!
I took my fart machine earlier to the One Stop Shop (for those of you that don't hear from me often, that's our little convenience store we set up next to the main building), and I hid it under the counter. I proceeded to walk around the store and look (as if I don't know where everything is in there already), and I waited till the store had about 5 soldiers inside. Wait, I am getting ahead of myself, I forgot to mention that the Store manager is an adorable little Philippino lady named Beverly, who tends to be embarrassed easily. So, anyway, as about 5 soldiers hover around the counter counting their money and balancing their account book in silence, I slide out the small remote and start pressing the buttons. Yes, the fart machine did it's magic!! From all the way across the room, I detonated the most disgusting, wet sounding farts ever. Poor, sweet, (now red in the face) Beverly stood behind the counter in utter disbelief! The redder she got in the face, and the more she laughed, the more it looked like she was making those repulsing tunes of toot Flute!! At first she couldn't figure out where the noises were coming from, but when she spotted the machine, she was scared to pick it up. After a good laugh, and explanation to the soldiers, that it really wasn't her making those noises, I retreated to my little cave-like office to think of the next deviant thing that I could do.
I no longer have my one girl friend here, whose name was Misha. She worked at KBR and would occasionally come up and visit, and make me laugh till my stomach hurt, and then would retreat back to her world on the other side of the base. She finally had a belly full of this sandbox called Iraq, and took a one way flight home. Can't say I blame her though, I just miss her a bunch!!
That's one of the hardest things for me here...you meet people, and think, "ok, with this person around, Camp Taji will be lots more fun.", but within the year or sometime thereafter, either their tour of Iraq is done (if they are soldiers) or they get fed up with the politics of their company, etc, and off they go...leaving me all alone again....LOL, poor me.
No, really, I am very very BLESSED to have Brian living and working here with me, and I couldn't be more happy about that.
He has grown use to my overactive imagination, and pranks, so he makes a good laughing partner, or a great victim for my pranks. Thank GOD that he never gets mad at any of them that I pull...well, of course there WAS that laxative prank that he didn't like very much...BUT (in his defense), he did have to fly to another base that day...WHOOPS!!
Ok, so I had to promise not to pull that one again!!
Well, I am going to see how this blog thing goes, it will be good for me to document my time here I suppose.
More later!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
