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By John, on January 17th, 2008
Like anyone on their day off might do I didn’t go to work (thus the point of having a day off). So, instead of my normal routine of gym immediately after getting up I went to the BX and onwards to the Iraqi Bazaar. The bazaar was quite a bizarre place. It reminded me of all of the trinket shops found off base in Korea. The only exception was that they actually want to bargain with you here. Its part of the culture and they expect you to haggle with them. I didn’t see anything that I really wanted but it was still an interesting place to venture on a day off. *for the sake of the sanity and well being of people that know me – the Bazaar is on base and not in the middle of all of the shenanigans that transpire off base* The did have a bunch of Persian and Turkish rugs but things like that really aren’t my deal. They are the type of rugs you would expect to find in a funeral home… or granny’s house.
The other interesting thing is that only here can you buy Italian gold sold by a Turkish guy in Iraq. To me it all looks like cheap crap so I don’t want anything to do with it – it reminds me of the stuff I saw at the gold souks in Qatar.
By Jessica, on January 15th, 2008
It has been brought to my attention that my readers were growing old of my once in a while posts and need more of me. Well, who doesn’t want more of me? I’m fabulous. Anyway, the reason I have been lack on the writing is that there is not much going on in my little world.
I’ve gotten back onto the whole I’m fat so I need to diet and exercise thing. Meh, it’s doing alright. I have a hard time making myself going to the gym after driving from home to school to Weyerhaeuser and then to Lakewood (where the gym is). I am eating a whole lot better though. It not only makes me less fat but it makes my body feel better too. I am really mostly trying to go in shape for Vegas so I don’t feel like a total cow.
I’m getting things together in school. I’ve started on my Microbiology tests and am getting my media and bug bank worked on too. I’m also taking math this quarter, just pre-algebra but I’m doing real well at it ( so far). I will also be doing Tissue Culture. Ah, Cell Tissue Culture. Let me share a little more with you about this subject.
“Tissue culture is the growth of tissues and/or cells separate from the organism. This is typically facilitated via use of a liquid, semi-solid, or solid growth media, such as broth or agar. Tissue culture commonly refers to the culture of animal cells and tissues, while the more specific term plant tissue culture is used for plants” — Wikipedia
Plant Tissue Culture was neat. I did all that work at Weyerhaeuser and received credit for it at school. I didn’t mind that at all. For Tissue Culture, though, we will being using fertilized and incubated chicken eggs. I get to incubate my little eggies for 10-12 days until they get to the right stage and then I get to open up the shell, pull out my little chicken that I’ve grown for 10 days, decapitate him, cut off his limbs, and rinse and mince him up into a beaker and then play with his cells. Oh yes I just can’t wait, can’t wait to vomit. Doing this will be a BIG challenge for me. 
Other than that, life is pretty simple. I am going to a race this weekend with my parents. I hope to have some pictures to show when I get back.
By John, on January 15th, 2008
Sleep has been a mysterious vixen that I have been unable to catch. She has evaded me at every turn and has thwarted my every attempt to catch her. For the past few weeks I have been unable to sleep through the night.
Two nights ago I finally caught that bitch and tied her ass up. She isn’t going anywhere for the time being and I’m happy as I can be. I’ve been able to sleep through the night (or mid-morning for those day shift people) for two days straight. I forgot how refreshing it is to have full nights of sleep with no interruption. Of course, this sleep does take a little work to catch. First, I am forced to dehydrate myself after 0500 in the morning. Failure to do so will cause me to wake up with a bladder that is screaming in pain. I don’t want to wake up, get dressed, and walk to the cadillac in the cold to go to the bathroom. I shouldn’t feel like an old incontinent man – I should have full control of my bladder at all times. Second, I’ve got to wear myself out at the gym and at work. Both of these are relatively easy to do because I’d rather be swamped and not notice my shift is complete than trying to waste 12 hours. The last thing that helps me sleep is entirely dependent on others. I have one roommate that comes in from work at 1200 (I sleep until ~1400). He normally drops his stuff on the floor with little regard for how much noise it makes. This causes me great frustration and anger when he does this. I want to kill him (not really) when he does this. Sleep is my friend and he is taking her away from me. I have an incredibly hard time falling back asleep once I have been woken.
By John, on January 13th, 2008
I had the chance to upload some photos today. They are the cut down version and they aren’t in the gallery but I’ll upload them later and place them there when I get back (the original files are too big).
I took this pic in my hotel room – check out my new threads
Here is a quick video I took shortly after arriving
The next few are shots of the barrier walls that are all over the place – I live in a trailer in the middle of a concrete jungle. For the first time in my life I am trailer trash.
I took one more quick video
Thats about it for now
By John, on January 13th, 2008
I’ve been feeling a bit better and have spent some more time at the gym in the past few days. So far, things have been going well and I’m slowly working my way into my program. I spend a lot more time stretching than I did last time because I’ve found that a few parts of my body are prone to repetitive stress injuries (my left shoulder and my ankles). I’m going to be at the gym 7 days a week but I only plan to spend 4 days lifting out of that time. It should allow me adequate time to properly recover so that I can hit it hard again the next day. On weight days I’m going to start at 20 minutes of cardio. On off days I’ve cranked it up to 40 minutes. I’m not sure if I want to increase the cardio times or if I just want to ratchet up the intensity. Only time will tell as I see how my body reacts to it.
The food here is actually quite good – for once I have Dick Cheney to thank – in a roundabout way. KBR, a Haliburton subcontractor, is responsible for the food on base – so far I’ve had beef brisket, chicken curry, crab legs, lobster tail, and steak to name a few. Lets just say that its quite easy for me to eat a high protein diet. I’m starting to sleep a little better and I barely wake up when the other guys come into the room. I’m cramped in a room that is made for two people that has four beds. All of my stuff is in my bags underneath the bed so I’m literally living out of my suitcase.
I’ve got my daily schedule worked out fairly well – I think I’ve got 90-120 minutes of straight study/reading time before I head to work. There are quite a few things wrong with the programs at work and they need some TLC – as soon as I get finished working through them all I should have some additional time to study there.
The hospital on base needs volunteers. I’m going to help out on my day off because it keeps me busy and its a good thing to do. I know they need help carrying litters from the choppers when our guys come but aside from that I could be doing almost anything. I don’t know how I’m going to react to it but time will tell. I took a few more pictures today and I’ll try to edit them so I can upload them tonight. I’m not sure how the firewall is going to react to it so it may have to wait until tomorrow.
By John, on December 31st, 2007
Leaving her behind was one of the hardest things I’ve done in years. We left for the airport early this morning and quickly found out that my original flight plan was not going to work. Instead of flying through Denver to get to Baltimore we flew direct to Dulles and took a cab to Baltimore (where our hotel is). Travel wise it worked out fairly well and we ended up leaving 20 minutes after our originally scheduled flight departed. The other option was to wait around till 2PM – the other guys wanted to get to our destination and waiting to leave can really tug on your heart. Sometimes its just better to get it over with – leaving sucks, being gone still sucks but you can avoid thinking about it.
So – here I am in Baltimore on New Years Eve and I have nothing to do. I could go out and buy beer but I’d end up drinking alone – then again, if I went to a bar I’d still end up drinking alone. Oh well, such is my life.
By John, on December 22nd, 2007
We’ve spent the last two days moving virtually everything that I own and its been quite a task. Jessica now understands why I try to keep as little chaff around and why I retain the wheat (thats todays only farmer analogy). We’ve got some clothes left in the apartment, a bed, and a Christmas tree. We plan on getting the rest of it out of here next Wednesday – we also plan on cleaning the entire place between here and next Friday. It shouldn’t be that bad because we both want to get it done and I’m sure that we can knock it out in a few hours (save for the carpet cleaning) if we really work at it.
I’ve filled most of a 10×16 storage space but there still is al ot of room inside. The boxes are mostly to her height so we could have gone much higher – then again, I don’t think it would have been very safe because we were reusing boxes so the crush strength isn’t as high as it once was. I’m not looking forward to moving into our next place but we’ve already done the hard work. Moving out is a pain in the ass – moving is a much smoother process
By John, on December 21st, 2007
Everything must go – its got to get into a box of some sort – nothing can be left behind. I’ve taken my life with me but I always leave something behind. This time around I’m leaving boxes and furniture but there is something more that I am leaving behind. This time, I’m leaving behind people that I care about.
Today we’re moving almost everything out of my apartment into a storage unit. Its going to be a long day (one that will probably be fraught with frustration). I’ve got to go to work this morning to get the last of my paperwork and to pick up a few extra items. While out, we’ve also got to get our hands on a hand cart, a tarp, some bungees, and Jessica’s paycheck (she has a few last minute gifts to purchase). On top of all of that, we’re moving everything using the worlds smallest and slowest elevators. Luckily, they can lock the elevator down and I know that since I got it all in the apartment that I can probably get it out without much trouble.
I’ve only got 10 days left before I fly out – hardly enough time to get this done and spend some time with the people that matter.
I will be back – its only a 4 months (or so… it is the military) – and I can spend time with the people that matter the most to me.
By Jessica, on December 18th, 2007
“Whatever does not destroy me makes me stronger.” — Friedrich Nietzche
This past year has been a roller coaster ride of events for our family. None of us could have foreseen what was in store for us this year.
and Becky didn’t get the chance to race the dogs much at all last year. About a week before they had planned to leave for the Wyoming race, Jessica had to be taken in for emergency surgery. She was originally scheduled to have her gall bladder taken out in February. Her body didn’t seem to want to wait that long, so after many trips to the E.R., they decided to just get it out of her a.s.a.p. It took her a few months to get back to normal but she is doing much better now.
Then, in March of this year, Joe hit the big one. That’s right, 50. We had the black balloons, black beads, and black cake to celebrate. We took him out mid-night bowling and he had a great time. Although he had received his present about 9 months before his actual birthday, he was still in good spirits. In case you didn’t hear about his big present, Becky bought him a 2007 Firefighter Special Edition Roadking Harley Davidson. I think it’s the best present he has ever received. He loves it and they take it out every chance they get.
In April, Joe took a trip to the Doctor for a sore throat that would not go away. This led to many tests and the eventual prognosis of tonsillar cancer. He had the tonsil removed and was given 8 weeks of Radiation and Chemotherapy. It was hard on his body and he lost quite a bit of weight. It was a chore to try and eat. Unfortunately, the only thing he could eat with out too much pain was chicken noodle soup. The ordeal was hard on us all. This is the strongest man we know, the one who runs into burning buildings to save lives, so it was quite hard for us to see him in pain. A few months after the treatments he went back to the Dr. for another PET/CAT scan where he found the cancer had gone into remission. He is now on an amazing road to recovery – unfortunately for us, as he has begun to recover we have seen his appetite return in full effect – we can barely afford to feed him.
September was a stressful yet exciting month for us all as well. On September 22, 2007 Leanne and Jeff were married. It was the event of the year. The wedding was beautiful and so was bridezilla, I mean the bride. We were all so happy to be part of that magical day. After the wedding they fled to Maui for 10 days. They loved it so much and had such an amazing time; they didn’t want to come home!
All in all the year has been a test for us. It tested our strength as humans and as a family; however, it seemed to be a bit of a blessing in disguise. We had so many people who offered to help us in anyway they could. Thank you everyone for your support through the tough and joyous moments of this past year.
Happy Holidays everyone, and a wonderful New Year to you all.
By John, on December 14th, 2007
Well, as I’ve mentioned, I’m scheduled to depart for my four months in Iraq and I finally have a date when I’m leaving – Jan 1. I still have quite a bit to do so I can take care of all of my personal affairs but I think I’ve got almost everything else wrapped up at work. I’ve got some training records to take care of this evening or tomorrow but I’m not sure when I’ll have a chance to do it. Odds are, I’ll have to give up doing something that I might enjoy so that I can finish my work.
I’m planning on snowboarding tomorrow – pending a check on the snow reports. Jessica is off to attend a wedding so I’m taking advantage of my free time to go while I have a chance.
Leaving here is going to suck but I need a break from my regular job. I tend to last for about a year in a particular location before I need to deploy for a while, take a vacation, or just change work sections. I definitely want to come back to maintenance but some people have been scheming to put me in Munitions Control when I return. I’d rather shoot myself in the face.
Why is it that people that do a good job always tend to get screwed while the worthless ones get nothing. Today, for example, one of our resident idiots wasted an entire day away. We tend to give him menial tasks because he is completely incompetent. Keep in mind that he has the same rank that I do and that he has been in for about five more years. We gave him the task at about 10AM and he told me that I had more work to do at about 1430 when I came back from what I was doing. I started on the rest of the work for the day (knowing full well he would skate out at the earliest opportunity because he was too worthless to even help) at about 1500. I enlisted the help of everyone else in the shop and we all left at about 1645. Who knows what time he left but I don’t think he finished the menial task we gave him. What a worthless piece of shit.
It doesn’t help he tends to fuck up on anything we might give him – I’ve got troops with less than a year on station that I would trust more than I might trust him.
Ok… back from the bunny trail
I’m not sure if I am going to get the uniforms I need on time by the time I am scheduled to deploy. I told my deployment manager that I would show up in my BDU’s (greens) in the desert if all else failed. I’m sure they would see the error in their ways and get me what I needed immediately. Its a shame that we can’t get the stuff on hand before I actually leave. Can you imagine how funny I would look when everyone else is wearing some brand of desert pattern and I am rocking the woodland?
I’m not looking forward to the bag drag – I think I’ll be carrying 4 bags – and after I get the required gear I’ll have to carry two additional bags – for the remainder of the necessities (clothing, towels, boots, etc.) Its a shame I can’t check a hand cart in my luggage and use it on the other end. If I had a few bungee straps it would work like a champ.
Ok… this has been a bit of rant – haven’t had one of those in a while – I guess you can tell how my Friday has been
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