Posts Tagged ‘Deployment’

• Almost done

  Date: 2010.05.08 | Category: Life as we know it, desert, rants, work | Response: 0

  The replacements are here and the pass-on has been completed. The new guy doesn’t have any of his worker bees yet but I can’t do anything about that. If all goes to plan – and there is no plan – I’ll be home within the next 14 days. Isn’t that an overly broad swath of time? Isn’t there an overwhelming lack of preciseness?

  I wish that I was being overly vague because I’m not allowed to write about time lines for redeployment. In reality, they haven’t told me anything. I’ve got to find a way to keep myself busy over the next week (or two) or I’m going to loose it.

  I can’t wait to be home with my woman… anybody got an aircraft that has fuel tanks large enough for international travel? Want to come pick me up (along with a few thousand others)?

  For free?

  Guess not. Oh well.

• The cassette tape effect

  Date: 2010.03.30 | Category: desert, work | Response: 0

  In the first of many instances of dating myself, I’m using a metaphor for cassette tapes as my post title. What in the world is he going to be talking about? Read on intrepid explorer of the internet.

  Years ago I had a cassette player and I would listen to tapes for hours on end. For quite some time I borrowed my parents but one year I received my own – it was an upgraded model and had an auto reverse. I would listen to the same tapes repeatedly until the material started to warp. After a while the batteries would wear down and everything would start to get comically funny as the motors would run out of juice. The tape would slow down until it eventually stopped.

  Time feels like that cassette player on its last bit of juice – it is dragging. We’ve powered through most of our work and I’m digging for something to keep me occupied. Yes, I still have a little bit to go in each of my classes but its hard to study without break throughout the day. I need something to break up the monotony. We joke about it all the time and we’re sure that a bunch of work will be dumped upon us at any moment. I’m waiting for that moment – I’m waiting for those batteries in my cassette player to be replaced…. still waiting….. and waiting…

• Stuck

  Date: 2010.02.12 | Category: desert, rants | Response: 0

  A few days ago I left on another trip and to be the “fixer.” We did what we had to and I put some stuff on a pallet. We thought that we were going to get out today but it wasn’t meant to be. I’m stuck here for yet another day but at least we found a way to get around the base. (I’m at this wonderful place called Al Asad). We were waiting for our flight today and we got about as far as roll call before we were told the bad news. We went up front and they checked us off the list. We were hyped because we were ready to go. Not more than ten minutes later they announced that our flight was canceled. We had to get our rooms and linens back. I don’t have enough clean clothes for another day – I guess I’ll just have to be the smelly guy. Leaving my base is cool and all but trying to get travel around this country sucks.

• The requisite gym update post

  Date: 2010.02.05 | Category: desert | Response: 0

  What would you do without the requisite gym update post? Probably continue through your life without skipping a beat – but, I feel the overwhelming need to write something new and the only thing on top of my head is my progress at the gym.

  First off, I should have done a better job taking care of myself when I was younger. I’m not old, but, some of the self inflicted injuries still come back and haunt me whenever I workout. Shoulders, knees, feet, and ankles seem to be the problem areas (notice the trend, all joints).

  Last time my only goal was to shred weight and I did that to the tune of 25lbs. This time, at the request my significant other, I don’t plan on dropping a ton of weight as I looked “like I hadn’t eaten.” The intensity level isn’t where I would like it but I’ve been pushing myself harder this week and I’m starting to feel the strain. I mix weight days (a variation of the P90x workout) with stationary bike days – I’m not up to full speed on the bike yet (averaging about 13mph). I want to push it to over 18mph by the time that I leave. I’ve got a long way to go but I think I can do it.

• Photos

  Date: 2010.02.01 | Category: desert, photos | Response: 0

  I’ve uploaded some photos to Facebook. Some of you don’t have an account and others are random strangers that browse my website (and thus aren’t on my friends list). Click Here to view em.

• Routine

  Date: 2010.01.31 | Category: desert, rants | Response: 0

  We all have routines that guide us through our day. My routine at home is far different from the one that I have when I deploy. My routine on the weekend is far different than what I have on weekdays. One constant always remains regardless of the situation – I attempt to adhere to my routine all of the time.

  I’ve been “out of the pocket” for the past few days and my routine has been absolutely destroyed. I have been waking up two hours later, not working out (don’t have the necessary shoes – At Balad you can walk in and workout in the shoes you are wearing as long as we aren’t in mudcon. At Sather you must carry your gym shoes with you – I only have one pair of tennis shoes with me so I can hardly carry a second pair. Sure, I have my boots and I thought about wearing them in and changing but I also have a transportation issue. Here, unlike Balad, I can’t walk everywhere. In fact, its almost a three mile trip from where we are staying to the rest of the base. ), eating terribly (I don’t have any motivation without working out), and generally accomplishing nothing. We finished our required tasks yesterday and have been waiting ever since to find transportation back “home”. We’ve been all over the “camp victory base complex” and we’ve almost gotten good at the navigation.

  I did get to take a tour of the “Victory over America” Palace. Saddam thought that since he was still in power after the gulf war that he should be a victor – so, he built a new palace for himself. This palace, unlike some of the others, was left unfinished when the war started. Our boys in the sky did a little renovation with a couple of 500lb JDAMs. I took a BUNCH of pictures. I’ll have to upload them at some point in the future.

  I can only hope I can resume my routine tomorrow. Sure, its not exciting but it’s what gets me through my day and makes the time fly by.

• Traveling

  Date: 2010.01.30 | Category: I was too lazy to organize these | Response: 0

  I’ve traveled on a C130 and a C17 and numerous other civilian aircraft. All of them have had one thing in common: fixed wings. Recently I took a trip on a Black-hawk Helo and it was awesome. I had to travel to another base to inspect some stuff and we found it was far easier to arrange transport via chopper over a C130 or anything else. I took a bunch of pictures on the way over – there is no cooler way to see a country than from 1000 feet. Pictures will follow when I get back to Balad.

• This is not the same country

  Date: 2010.01.11 | Category: desert | Response: 0

  For starters I’m not freezing to death. On average, its been about 20 degrees warmer throughout the entire day. Last time I was here we endured temps that hovered in the high teens and low twenties but now the nighttime low is in the 40s. This is simply too odd. I’ve got a bunch of cold weather gear but I don’t know if I will even need it. I’m going to hold onto it just in case irony strikes – it always seems to strike when I’m not prepared.

  We also have some brand new buildings that are nicer than the ones I have back at home station. We may be a little short on supplies mostly due to transportation issues but we can make do with what we have. I’m working at Inspection so this is a welcome change. I’ve done inspections in my building but I haven’t worked in an inspection shop so I have a few things to learn. I shouldn’t have any problems picking it up as I go.

  The food is better and its served in a bigger building. I didn’t think the food could improve but it did.

  The gym has doubled in size since I was last here.

  I haven’t heard a single mortar hit yet (knock on wood). Last time I heard 8-10 hits on the first day.

  I am away from Jessica and my kids (the dogs) – that is, by far, the worst part of the trip. I’m not going to count the days because time seems to slow. I’ll be back home in May and all things considered its not that far away.

• Electronic pushpins on a map

  Date: 2010.01.09 | Category: desert | Response: 0

  I’ve done a little bit of traveling in the past few days and I’ve got one more leg of the trip before its all over and I reach my final destination. Since I was here last, wifi has propogated across almost everywhere that I’ve been. If I’ve turned my laptop on and accessed my google account it keeps track of where I’ve been. If I had my phone on at some point it also tracked my location. I allow it to track my location history and I can choose whether to share it or keep it for personal use. I think this image is interesting – who else can say that they’ve been to all of those points on the map in less than a week?
  

  
  
  

  Where I've been traveling this week

  
  

  I did make a short stop in Ireland but the wifi was down – that would have made one more stop in the middle. Odds are that I won’t be able to get something in my final destination. I don’t know if they have any wifi available.

• Leaving home

  Date: 2010.01.06 | Category: Life as we know it, desert | Response: 0

  It’s that time once again. I’m set to get on a plane and travel half way across the planet away from everyone that I know and love.

  I’m headed to Iraq for another 4 month stint in what should be a relatively easy trip. I’ve got my bags packed and this time my trip will be all about distraction and self improvement. I’ve got textbooks for two classes and some workout gloves so I know what I will be doing with my spare time. I should have lots of it. It’s probably going to take 3-4 days to actually get there so I won’t be able to update this for a bit.

  The dogs, Duke and Havoc, will have to keep Jessica company while I am away – I’m going to miss her greatly. Luckily for Jessica, her family is nearby and she has friends all over the place. Hopefully they’ll keep her distracted enough so that the time passes quickly.