It really has turned into Ground Hog’s Day. There isn’t much that is exciting on a daily basis but each day typically brings a funny or interesting situation.
I was tasked to be the Environmental Compliance Officer for the COB about six weeks ago. When I was told I would be the ECO, I didn’t even know what an ECO was until I looked at the point of contact’s info and he had ‘environmental’ in his title. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out I was going to be doing something with the environment. So John, the POC, is asking me a litany of questions about my background; whether or not I have any experience in this line of work or if I have a biology degree to name a few.
Unfortunately and to his dismay, I didn’t have any such qualifications for this additional duty. He tells me he really needs someone to identify fuel spills and work on having them cleaned up. He directs me to an on-line course and off I go. As good stewards of the environment, it’s important that we clean up any messes we may have made but we are on a floating bed of oil. I would think the fuel spills would just leach back into the ground and become the product we buy. I guess if I had taken biology, I would know how that works.
During my research phase of this job, I needed to speak to personnel from the fire department. The deputy chief and I were talking about their involvement in spills and he had left the room to gather some information for me. The other gentleman in the room mentioned he had only been in Basrah for 3 weeks. I told him he was lucky since it was a real pit when I had arrived and the Brits didn’t seem to care. As the conversation went on, I asked him where he was from and he mentioned that he had lived in Sudan for 7 years. We talked about that and then I asked him, “Where are you from originally?” “The UK”, he stated. FOOT IN MOUTH!!!! Honestly, he didn’t sound like a Brit! I figured it best not to say anything …what was the point? Hopefully, I would never see him again.
I really don’t have anything against the Brits. They are just really easy targets for some humor just as Americans are easy targets on their BBC channel.
The last few days have been incredibly warm, yet there are varying opinions on what the actual temp is. On line, the high for today was 124 degrees. This matches relatively close to the digital thermometer that I have. However, from various co-workers and friends come even higher numbers. All I know is that it is unbelievable hot! The hand sanitizer from the Porta Johns burns your hands in the middle of the day so now it’s more than just your butt getting burnt. Yesterday, I changed my physical training shirt 3 times and I only ran once. And when I finally was going to go shower after my run, the generator had quit working and hence, no water. I knew better too…I should have taken a shower the minute I got back from the run. I waited until 4pm to take a shower. Good thing I had some body splash spray from the neighbors to tide me over.
One of my friends was telling me that his roommate is a great guy but he has bad foot odor. I had a good laugh and had to break it to him that all guys’ rooms smell like a locker room to some degree. Maybe they aren’t receiving all the special lotions and body sprays that us female Soldiers are receiving or they’re holding onto their laundry extra long. Whatever the reason, I’m happy to be a female!
June 29, 2009
June 21, 2009
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!
Dad and Spud: Thanks for your love, support and friendship! Have a great day! Love you with all of my heart!
Hubby: Thanks for taking care of our girl! You're doing such an awesome job I won't have a job when I get back! :) Love you! Red
Hubby: Thanks for taking care of our girl! You're doing such an awesome job I won't have a job when I get back! :) Love you! Red
June 20, 2009
Taking a Trip!
Last Tuesday, I was finally able to take my trip to Kuwait. This time, I called the terminal instead of operations to find out if the flight was a go. It was, but it had been moved up and they wanted us at the terminal immediately. Great, now we’re rushing to get there to make the flight. Once again, we dragged all of our stuff and waited to load the aircraft.
I’ve flown on a C130 numerous times over my career but I have never experienced loading the aircraft in a desert climate. As we waited on the flight line, the pilots rolled the aircraft to a stop, pallets were unloaded, Soldiers disembarked and we got on. We were loading the aircraft from the back and since the engines were still running, all the hot air was being directed at us as we got closer to the aircraft. OMG! I thought I was going to be cooked alive just trying to get to the damn plane. I wanted to run to get out of the convection oven heat but the guy in front of me was walking and we were to approach the aircraft in a single file. Once I got on the plane, I could hardly catch my breath. Is this what burning at the stake feels like?! Thank God I still have my eyebrows!
I have never been fond of flying in C130s since there is a heavy fuel smell while you wait to take off so I’m already nauseated before we even begin. Also, sitting sideways doesn’t help with matters. I want to drink some water but I’m nervous about losing my breakfast and I don’t want to be “That Guy”. Luckily for me, the flight wasn’t too bad and I made it to Kuwait without incident.
We landed in Ali Al Salem and we were bused to the terminal (tent). We were informed our bags would arrive in approximately ½ an hour. Two and ½ hours later, our bags finally were unloaded. I kept thinking that if this had been Brian waiting, he would have had an absolute fit. Chief Mankowski and I went to grab some lunch at McDonald’s; a place I haven't been since Minnesota. It was awesome until about half way through and I realized it didn’t quite taste the same. Maybe they snuck in camel meat!
The reason we were taking this trip is to visit our Soldiers who are stationed at Arifjan. Arifjan is a garrison type post and would be like any other post back home if not for being in the desert. We don’t have to carry our weapon with us but the rules are still abundant on the dos and don’ts of the post. I was absolutely ecstatic to have real milk, bananas, a Starbuck’s coffee shop and PX to visit. Another plus: I was able to wear my IPod on their outdoor track so running wasn’t as boring as it has been in the last few months. It’s also nice not to feel like the mouse in the maze. There are no T-walls here to block your view so you can see what seems like, forever.
Spending time with the Soldiers here has been a nice diversion away from my typical day and the time has flown by. Our return flight was scheduled for today but when we called last night, we were told we needed to be at the terminal by 0500. So much for getting a good night’s sleep, since we needed to depart by 0300 to make it to Ali Al Salem.
Whenever you leave post, there is a requirement to have a memorandum signed by a Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) or above. Lieutenant Meeusen had the memo ready to go and when we got to the gate to depart, the guard stated the memo was wrong. Funny, it’s the same memo that Meeusen has been using for over two months just different names and dates. There was no swaying the guard to let us depart so we had to go back, change the memo, wake up the LTC so he could sign the new memo. Finally, we’re off. We arrived at 0520 and then more bad news; roll call was taken at 0400 and the manifest was already finalized. Honestly! I’m stuck in a land of bad information!
It gets better; we’re told we need to go over to the other counter to secure a Space-R spot. There are other flights to COB Basrah but now we will have to take the long way. Meaning two to three stops prior to our destination and we had to wait with lots of other people that were trying to go to their destinations. We had two flights to pick from to get to Basrah; one at 1155 and one at 1800 (6pm). Where’s my travel agent when I need one? Luckily, Chief and I got a couple of seats and then we played the waiting game. At least one of us had to sit there at any given time since we had all of our stuff.
During the wait, I went to the other tent to make a call and as I’m walking, this Soldier going the same way, turns toward me and starts asking me how long I had been here. I couldn’t believe my bad luck! It was that guy from Starbucks back at Camp Beurhing that wouldn’t leave me alone. Thousands of service members pass through Ali Al Salem and I have to run into him! This time I kept walking and didn’t look back.
After waiting until roll call at 1800 and not getting picked, we took a bus back to Arifjan and we’ll be starting the process all over again. Funny thing, I was actually looking forward to getting back to my trailer; my home away from home in Iraq.
Malm and I just after we got on the plane. Notice our flushed skin after being baked alive!
Ronald sure is a hottie!
Chief holding Ronald hostage!
I was so excited to see green grass. If only I could have taken a nap on it!
I’ve flown on a C130 numerous times over my career but I have never experienced loading the aircraft in a desert climate. As we waited on the flight line, the pilots rolled the aircraft to a stop, pallets were unloaded, Soldiers disembarked and we got on. We were loading the aircraft from the back and since the engines were still running, all the hot air was being directed at us as we got closer to the aircraft. OMG! I thought I was going to be cooked alive just trying to get to the damn plane. I wanted to run to get out of the convection oven heat but the guy in front of me was walking and we were to approach the aircraft in a single file. Once I got on the plane, I could hardly catch my breath. Is this what burning at the stake feels like?! Thank God I still have my eyebrows!
I have never been fond of flying in C130s since there is a heavy fuel smell while you wait to take off so I’m already nauseated before we even begin. Also, sitting sideways doesn’t help with matters. I want to drink some water but I’m nervous about losing my breakfast and I don’t want to be “That Guy”. Luckily for me, the flight wasn’t too bad and I made it to Kuwait without incident.
We landed in Ali Al Salem and we were bused to the terminal (tent). We were informed our bags would arrive in approximately ½ an hour. Two and ½ hours later, our bags finally were unloaded. I kept thinking that if this had been Brian waiting, he would have had an absolute fit. Chief Mankowski and I went to grab some lunch at McDonald’s; a place I haven't been since Minnesota. It was awesome until about half way through and I realized it didn’t quite taste the same. Maybe they snuck in camel meat!
The reason we were taking this trip is to visit our Soldiers who are stationed at Arifjan. Arifjan is a garrison type post and would be like any other post back home if not for being in the desert. We don’t have to carry our weapon with us but the rules are still abundant on the dos and don’ts of the post. I was absolutely ecstatic to have real milk, bananas, a Starbuck’s coffee shop and PX to visit. Another plus: I was able to wear my IPod on their outdoor track so running wasn’t as boring as it has been in the last few months. It’s also nice not to feel like the mouse in the maze. There are no T-walls here to block your view so you can see what seems like, forever.
Spending time with the Soldiers here has been a nice diversion away from my typical day and the time has flown by. Our return flight was scheduled for today but when we called last night, we were told we needed to be at the terminal by 0500. So much for getting a good night’s sleep, since we needed to depart by 0300 to make it to Ali Al Salem.
Whenever you leave post, there is a requirement to have a memorandum signed by a Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) or above. Lieutenant Meeusen had the memo ready to go and when we got to the gate to depart, the guard stated the memo was wrong. Funny, it’s the same memo that Meeusen has been using for over two months just different names and dates. There was no swaying the guard to let us depart so we had to go back, change the memo, wake up the LTC so he could sign the new memo. Finally, we’re off. We arrived at 0520 and then more bad news; roll call was taken at 0400 and the manifest was already finalized. Honestly! I’m stuck in a land of bad information!
It gets better; we’re told we need to go over to the other counter to secure a Space-R spot. There are other flights to COB Basrah but now we will have to take the long way. Meaning two to three stops prior to our destination and we had to wait with lots of other people that were trying to go to their destinations. We had two flights to pick from to get to Basrah; one at 1155 and one at 1800 (6pm). Where’s my travel agent when I need one? Luckily, Chief and I got a couple of seats and then we played the waiting game. At least one of us had to sit there at any given time since we had all of our stuff.
During the wait, I went to the other tent to make a call and as I’m walking, this Soldier going the same way, turns toward me and starts asking me how long I had been here. I couldn’t believe my bad luck! It was that guy from Starbucks back at Camp Beurhing that wouldn’t leave me alone. Thousands of service members pass through Ali Al Salem and I have to run into him! This time I kept walking and didn’t look back.
After waiting until roll call at 1800 and not getting picked, we took a bus back to Arifjan and we’ll be starting the process all over again. Funny thing, I was actually looking forward to getting back to my trailer; my home away from home in Iraq.
Malm and I just after we got on the plane. Notice our flushed skin after being baked alive!
Ronald sure is a hottie!
Chief holding Ronald hostage!
I was so excited to see green grass. If only I could have taken a nap on it!
June 13, 2009
Pictures!
Since I finally have personal internet thanks to Duggernet, I am now able to upload pictures onto my blog site. A peek into my world!
Initial impressions of my new home. Looking back at this picture, it really doesn't look all that terrible. Either the picture didn't capture what I saw or I'm used to my vacation destination!
One of the many beautiful sunsets.
The contractors that built my deck! Behind them are the ugly cement T-walls that are everywhere on this camp.
Mine and my roommate's deck. The flowers are fake but don't they look nice! The planter on the little table holds my precious Marigolds which are slowly growing.
My home away from home on the end and to the right.
Girl Scout Cookies! Compliments of a troop from MN!
The day we got patched with our "Combat Patch"
The Stillwater 12k Sister Race. Coach and the MN Girls!
Memorial Day with the Commander and the Sergeant Major. When I initially looked at this picture, it almost appeared like it was snowing. No such luck...just a dirty lense. I just can't keep anything clean, here.
Celebrating Coach's surprise birthday party at Echoes Restaurant. He was a good sport wearing the sash around his head!
Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Pieters and me at his retirement party.
A MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) event. Three comedians stopped at lovely COB Basrah to brighten our day.
Wearing my Army Combat Shirt (ACS). We are only allowed to wear this shirt if we're going outside the wire. I was suppose to fly to Kuwait yesterday to visit some of our troops. No such luck. After packing all my stuff (since I can never pack light), checking to make sure the flight was on, loading the truck, driving to the terminal, unloading my stuff, walking to the counter...the flight was canceled. I was so looking forward to getting out of this place and seeing something different. Some other day, I guess.
Initial impressions of my new home. Looking back at this picture, it really doesn't look all that terrible. Either the picture didn't capture what I saw or I'm used to my vacation destination!
One of the many beautiful sunsets.
The contractors that built my deck! Behind them are the ugly cement T-walls that are everywhere on this camp.
Mine and my roommate's deck. The flowers are fake but don't they look nice! The planter on the little table holds my precious Marigolds which are slowly growing.
My home away from home on the end and to the right.
Girl Scout Cookies! Compliments of a troop from MN!
The day we got patched with our "Combat Patch"
The Stillwater 12k Sister Race. Coach and the MN Girls!
Memorial Day with the Commander and the Sergeant Major. When I initially looked at this picture, it almost appeared like it was snowing. No such luck...just a dirty lense. I just can't keep anything clean, here.
Celebrating Coach's surprise birthday party at Echoes Restaurant. He was a good sport wearing the sash around his head!
Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Pieters and me at his retirement party.
A MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) event. Three comedians stopped at lovely COB Basrah to brighten our day.
Wearing my Army Combat Shirt (ACS). We are only allowed to wear this shirt if we're going outside the wire. I was suppose to fly to Kuwait yesterday to visit some of our troops. No such luck. After packing all my stuff (since I can never pack light), checking to make sure the flight was on, loading the truck, driving to the terminal, unloading my stuff, walking to the counter...the flight was canceled. I was so looking forward to getting out of this place and seeing something different. Some other day, I guess.
June 6, 2009
Random Stuff
A lot of Soldiers have been getting sick with intestinal issues or what we call “Iraqi Crud” or Hadji Disease”. One of our admin Soldiers has been on quarters for 6 days. It seems no one is immune to this including myself. Two weeks ago, I had my second bout of this stuff and I was absolutely livid since I’m so careful about washing my hands. Well, I was talking to a gal from another company and the doctor from their company stated that hand washing isn’t good enough since the water isn’t treated like ours back home. We need to use hand sanitizer after washing our hands. Basically, I’ve been washing my hands with poop water…nice. Don’t worry, Mom, I have lots and lots of hand sanitizer.
For all of my followers as to not create a panic, there is differing opinions on the water that we use to brush our teeth and wash our hands. I’d rather play it safe. We were discussing this topic today and there are many opportunities for us to introduce many bugs into our system. If it were feasible and not against the uniform regulation, I could wear rubber gloves the entire time I am here!
It’s really starting to heat up. This past week it was 118 degrees in the shade. Luckily, I don’t have to spend an extraordinary amount of time outside compared to some Soldiers. I’m literally going from one air conditioned facility to another except when I have to use the Porta John. This is where it would be nice to be a guy. You literally burn your butt when you have to use the John in the middle of the day. When I first arrived here and toured the area where we would work, there is quite a large gap between our working conditions and the higher headquarters working conditions. The division headquarters building is like an office building back home with flushing toilets and running water. The building I work in doesn’t have those amenities. Needless to say, I was jealous for a while. Not anymore. I’m not sure what the issue is but every time I go in their building, it smells like poop. My roommate works in that building and I feel bad her. The other day I commented about the smell to another Soldier that works there and he said he didn’t smell anything. I guess it’s a good thing you get used to certain smells, even bad ones, after a while. I’ll take burning my butt on a Porta John seat just so I don’t have to work in a building that smells like poop.
So along this same line of topic, one of my favorite stories that Grandma Dart tells is about the time she gave Sam, the dog, an enema. Grandma Dart was a nurse’s aide for 25 years at Nopeming Nursing Home in Duluth, Minnesota. She hadn’t seen Sam go the bathroom in a few days so naturally she thought he was constipated. She had my Uncle John and a friend of his hold Sam down while she gave him an enema and the dog bolted as soon as he was let go. I’ve never seen Grandma laugh as hard as when she is telling that story.
Recently, I’ve seen a few Iraqi men wearing Capri pants. Is this style something new since I left? Will I come home to Brian wearing Capris? Let’s hope not. I know I shouldn’t talk with all my “Rambo” gear as Brian calls it but, it certainly takes the guessing game out of what to wear when you wear a uniform 24/7.
As mentioned previously, here is the rap I did for Coach’s birthday:
We’re from Minnesota and we know Coach.
He said, “Why don’t ya all come over; I’ll be your host.”
We all replied, “yes”, and so it began
A friendship everlasting with a Mississippi Man
He thought I was Sarah Palin with my rap
The cheerleaders liked him and gave him a cap
He picks us up to dine at the fine chow hall
We dine, we laugh and have a ball
We get to watch movies on some nights, too
Then he plays pool with you know who
Try as he might to win a game
He scratches on the eight ball and starts to complain
“The stick is not straight!”
“Doesn’t your back ache?!”
“It’s hard to play pool with these rules!”
“I’ll read my secret book before the next duel!”
I asked him to run on Memorial Day
He thought it would be fun and he could pave the way
He asked, “How far do I need to run?”
“Very, very, far,” I said, “in the beating sun.”
Near the end he pulled a surprise
He kicked it as if he would win a prize
He quit with the sprinting in the end
Just to cross the finish line with his friend
If you go to church don’t follow him in line
Cause he stuck his fingers in the wine
He probably has told you this before
“If you go to war, go with the Corps”
Coach has made all the difference in this land
A friendship everlasting with a Mississippi Man
The part about the fingers in the wine: Last week we were taking communion at church. Coach was behind me in line and I couldn’t understand why him and Tamara were giggling so hard when we had gotten back to our seats. Well, the truth came out at lunch when he starting telling us about his bread breaking off into the cup and he tried to get it. He ended up having to stick his fingers in there to fish out the chunk of bread. Way to go, Coach!!!!
For all of my followers as to not create a panic, there is differing opinions on the water that we use to brush our teeth and wash our hands. I’d rather play it safe. We were discussing this topic today and there are many opportunities for us to introduce many bugs into our system. If it were feasible and not against the uniform regulation, I could wear rubber gloves the entire time I am here!
It’s really starting to heat up. This past week it was 118 degrees in the shade. Luckily, I don’t have to spend an extraordinary amount of time outside compared to some Soldiers. I’m literally going from one air conditioned facility to another except when I have to use the Porta John. This is where it would be nice to be a guy. You literally burn your butt when you have to use the John in the middle of the day. When I first arrived here and toured the area where we would work, there is quite a large gap between our working conditions and the higher headquarters working conditions. The division headquarters building is like an office building back home with flushing toilets and running water. The building I work in doesn’t have those amenities. Needless to say, I was jealous for a while. Not anymore. I’m not sure what the issue is but every time I go in their building, it smells like poop. My roommate works in that building and I feel bad her. The other day I commented about the smell to another Soldier that works there and he said he didn’t smell anything. I guess it’s a good thing you get used to certain smells, even bad ones, after a while. I’ll take burning my butt on a Porta John seat just so I don’t have to work in a building that smells like poop.
So along this same line of topic, one of my favorite stories that Grandma Dart tells is about the time she gave Sam, the dog, an enema. Grandma Dart was a nurse’s aide for 25 years at Nopeming Nursing Home in Duluth, Minnesota. She hadn’t seen Sam go the bathroom in a few days so naturally she thought he was constipated. She had my Uncle John and a friend of his hold Sam down while she gave him an enema and the dog bolted as soon as he was let go. I’ve never seen Grandma laugh as hard as when she is telling that story.
Recently, I’ve seen a few Iraqi men wearing Capri pants. Is this style something new since I left? Will I come home to Brian wearing Capris? Let’s hope not. I know I shouldn’t talk with all my “Rambo” gear as Brian calls it but, it certainly takes the guessing game out of what to wear when you wear a uniform 24/7.
As mentioned previously, here is the rap I did for Coach’s birthday:
We’re from Minnesota and we know Coach.
He said, “Why don’t ya all come over; I’ll be your host.”
We all replied, “yes”, and so it began
A friendship everlasting with a Mississippi Man
He thought I was Sarah Palin with my rap
The cheerleaders liked him and gave him a cap
He picks us up to dine at the fine chow hall
We dine, we laugh and have a ball
We get to watch movies on some nights, too
Then he plays pool with you know who
Try as he might to win a game
He scratches on the eight ball and starts to complain
“The stick is not straight!”
“Doesn’t your back ache?!”
“It’s hard to play pool with these rules!”
“I’ll read my secret book before the next duel!”
I asked him to run on Memorial Day
He thought it would be fun and he could pave the way
He asked, “How far do I need to run?”
“Very, very, far,” I said, “in the beating sun.”
Near the end he pulled a surprise
He kicked it as if he would win a prize
He quit with the sprinting in the end
Just to cross the finish line with his friend
If you go to church don’t follow him in line
Cause he stuck his fingers in the wine
He probably has told you this before
“If you go to war, go with the Corps”
Coach has made all the difference in this land
A friendship everlasting with a Mississippi Man
The part about the fingers in the wine: Last week we were taking communion at church. Coach was behind me in line and I couldn’t understand why him and Tamara were giggling so hard when we had gotten back to our seats. Well, the truth came out at lunch when he starting telling us about his bread breaking off into the cup and he tried to get it. He ended up having to stick his fingers in there to fish out the chunk of bread. Way to go, Coach!!!!
June 3, 2009
4 Months Deployed and Counting
Hello June! Another month down! I love flippin' the calendar!
We celebrated Coach's birthday tonight at Echo's restaurant. The DFAC made the cake and the 34th ID country band was there to make the evening extra special. It isn't easy coordinating a surprise birthday party (yes, Hubby, I'm thinking about the coordination you did for my 40th last year). It's challenging when one just can't run to Target or Wahlgreens or any other convenience store to pick items up. No candles for the cake and no gift that is unique. The PX here sucks for lack of a better word. They have a huge shelf full of laundry soap but we have no machines to do our laundry...unbelievable. I would love to meet their store manager.
I do hand wash my underwear and bras since I don't want the laundry guys touching my stuff. Even Brian isn't allowed to wash my clothes at home. The over abundance of laundry soap just isn't necessary. I don't see my fellow male Soldiers worrying about who washes their underwear.
Since Coach likes when I do my Sarah Palin rap, I figured I might as well make one for him. It took me a couple days between doing things on my job but I got one down worth presenting to someone who has made this deployment more bearable. I'll post the rap on my site the next time. Just about every week, we go over to the oasis to have dinner and watch a movie. Last week we made him watch Mama Mia, a good chick flick. This week it's his turn to pick so I'm sure there will be blood and guts. It really helps to have something special to look forward to since it makes the time go by faster.
I finally added up my running miles for April and May. Total is 154.9 so I'm about 50 miles down from where I should be. It's a bit discouraging and I knew this was going to be my most difficult goal. I'm finally running between 4.5 and 5.3 miles 5 times a week. Yesterday, I was running along and there running on the ground in front of me was a baby sandpiper. Its body was the size of a cotton ball and it had these long tiny legs. It was so damn cute and I almost missed it since it was the same color as everything else in this place. It was trying to get over the curb but it wasn't tall enough. I was worried it was going to get squished by some HMMWV so I caught it in my hands and placed it on the dirt.
I got to thinking about the time when we lived in the county; I must have been around 7 or 8 and I found my first robin's nest. I took one of the birds, kept it in a box with cotton and fed it ground-up worms. It lived for a day maybe two but then it died. Good thing the folks didn't find out about that when I was younger. :) I'm sure I would have gotten the spoon!
I've been patiently waiting to get personal Internet in my trailer. NOT! We have Internet at work but all sorts of sites are blocked to include any blog sites, Skype and anything else that might take up bandwidth or considered fun. Ever since we arrived, this has been an on-going issue to get some resolution. The frustration level is high. I'm tired of having crappy service provided at the "Internet Cafe" which is not reasonable. One of our Soldiers purchased and brought two commercial Internet dishes to provide some of us service. Duggernet isn't going to make any money but the politics surrounding this is incredible suffice it to say. One of the solutions offered to us was a tiered wireless service. Now this is the good part...to have enough bandwidth to Skype with your family, you would need to pay over $300 a month. CRAZY! Duggernet will only be $70 per month with even better bandwidth. The sad thing is, some Joe will end up paying over $300 a month.
Got to love this place.
We celebrated Coach's birthday tonight at Echo's restaurant. The DFAC made the cake and the 34th ID country band was there to make the evening extra special. It isn't easy coordinating a surprise birthday party (yes, Hubby, I'm thinking about the coordination you did for my 40th last year). It's challenging when one just can't run to Target or Wahlgreens or any other convenience store to pick items up. No candles for the cake and no gift that is unique. The PX here sucks for lack of a better word. They have a huge shelf full of laundry soap but we have no machines to do our laundry...unbelievable. I would love to meet their store manager.
I do hand wash my underwear and bras since I don't want the laundry guys touching my stuff. Even Brian isn't allowed to wash my clothes at home. The over abundance of laundry soap just isn't necessary. I don't see my fellow male Soldiers worrying about who washes their underwear.
Since Coach likes when I do my Sarah Palin rap, I figured I might as well make one for him. It took me a couple days between doing things on my job but I got one down worth presenting to someone who has made this deployment more bearable. I'll post the rap on my site the next time. Just about every week, we go over to the oasis to have dinner and watch a movie. Last week we made him watch Mama Mia, a good chick flick. This week it's his turn to pick so I'm sure there will be blood and guts. It really helps to have something special to look forward to since it makes the time go by faster.
I finally added up my running miles for April and May. Total is 154.9 so I'm about 50 miles down from where I should be. It's a bit discouraging and I knew this was going to be my most difficult goal. I'm finally running between 4.5 and 5.3 miles 5 times a week. Yesterday, I was running along and there running on the ground in front of me was a baby sandpiper. Its body was the size of a cotton ball and it had these long tiny legs. It was so damn cute and I almost missed it since it was the same color as everything else in this place. It was trying to get over the curb but it wasn't tall enough. I was worried it was going to get squished by some HMMWV so I caught it in my hands and placed it on the dirt.
I got to thinking about the time when we lived in the county; I must have been around 7 or 8 and I found my first robin's nest. I took one of the birds, kept it in a box with cotton and fed it ground-up worms. It lived for a day maybe two but then it died. Good thing the folks didn't find out about that when I was younger. :) I'm sure I would have gotten the spoon!
I've been patiently waiting to get personal Internet in my trailer. NOT! We have Internet at work but all sorts of sites are blocked to include any blog sites, Skype and anything else that might take up bandwidth or considered fun. Ever since we arrived, this has been an on-going issue to get some resolution. The frustration level is high. I'm tired of having crappy service provided at the "Internet Cafe" which is not reasonable. One of our Soldiers purchased and brought two commercial Internet dishes to provide some of us service. Duggernet isn't going to make any money but the politics surrounding this is incredible suffice it to say. One of the solutions offered to us was a tiered wireless service. Now this is the good part...to have enough bandwidth to Skype with your family, you would need to pay over $300 a month. CRAZY! Duggernet will only be $70 per month with even better bandwidth. The sad thing is, some Joe will end up paying over $300 a month.
Got to love this place.
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