That Krazy Korean

Christmas - New Years - Today

2009-01-14T22:29:00.003-06:00

So. I've been out of the blog'n scene as of late. Between work and getting sucked into Facebook, I've lacked the necessary time to devote to updating the blog. However, today is a day worth noting as it marks the 2 year anniversary of when I was recalled into active duty. It's hard to believe that it was two years ago. And only a year ago, I was getting ready to head back to the sandbox

Gobble! Gobble!

2008-11-27T06:30:00.003-06:00

In a few hours a multitude of people will awaken from their slumber and begin a day feasting, the purpose of which is to celebrate thanksgiving for all they are blessed with and to see how many casseroles they can stuff themselves with and still have room for dessert. I for one am thankful that I am home this turkey day, able to sit down and share a meal with my family and relax in the comforts

Thank a Vet

2008-11-11T06:35:00.002-06:00

For those not in the know, today is Veteran's Day. For most it will mean a day off or maybe just reduced traffic for those whose employers require them to work. They might notice the blurbs on the morning news show or maybe even see a few more flags flown than normal, but for the most part they will be oblivious of the significance of this 11th day of the 11th month of the year. They will go

Grackles

2008-11-05T07:01:00.008-06:00

Quiscalus quiscula - Latin for "Pain in the Ass"I hate grackles and they hate me. For those who don’t know, grackles are loud, obnoxious, scavenger birds that destroy local bird habitats and are just a plain nuisance to everyone. Do you want to know why they totally understand my hatred for them? Because I shoot them with my pellet gun in my backyard. Do you want to know why I am fully aware

It is what it is

2008-11-05T06:29:00.002-06:00

The election is over and now everyone can go about their daily lives without being bombarded by the plethora of election propaganda that assaulted our senses this past year. Whether or not your candidate won is at this point beyond your control. If you took the time to exercise your right to vote, good for you. If you decided that your vote didn’t matter, then you gave up your right to complain

Election Day

2008-11-04T07:59:00.004-06:00

Go vote. This means you. If you haven't done so already, do it today. Don't give the same party line of why your vote doesn't count or that you don't like the candidates. Too many people have fought to give you this very important right and to make a lame excuse of why you aren't going to exercise it is a slap in their faces. This is an important election and you don't want to look back on this

Saluting

2008-11-03T08:01:00.001-06:00

With Veteran's Day only a week away, I was given this bit of information that was interesting enough to pass on. The Cliff Note's version is that Vets are now allowed to salute (something that was only reserved for people in uniform before). From the VA website:New Law Authorizes Veterans’ Salutes during National Anthem - October 30, 2008WASHINGTON -- Veterans and active-duty military not in

Iron Ryan

2008-11-02T07:43:00.003-06:00

So Ryan completed his first (and only) full Iron-distance Triathlon. Not much to say but he kicked ass and we are happy to see that not only did he finish in a great time, he was also able to walk away from the event without the aid of a wheelchair or gurney.Congrats! 2.4 Miles of swimming was much better than standing on the cold beach 114 Miles of road biking (102 of it with sunglasses) 26.2

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T19:12:00.002-06:00

While my friends and family are either busy handing out candy, wrangling kids to houses to collect treats, or whoop'n it up at a party with friends or a companion, I am still in North Carolina. It's late on Friday of All Hallows Eve and I'm getting ready to play the role of support wagon for Ryan's first full Iron-distance triathlon. We are getting up early to hike it up to race start so sleep

Where's the beach?

2008-10-30T19:51:00.004-06:00

North Carolina. I’ve never spent any significant time here having only driven through this state on my way from Virginia to Myrtle Beach a few years back. If it wasn’t for the race that my buddy Ryan is doing in Wilmington, I probably would not have a real reason to be here. We are staying at his folk’s beach house about a half hour away from the race and let me say, wow. I kind of like this

NC

2008-10-30T03:59:00.003-06:00

Soon I'll be leaving on a jet plane (don't know when I'll be back again). I am North Carolina bound to help support a buddy doing a full Ironman distance triathlon. Why people do these things is beyond me, but I'll be there to encourage him and to help bring his exhausted carcass home after the event.

Yes...I am the muffin man

2008-10-29T09:06:00.001-06:00

So watching Charlie Brown last night wasn’t as magical as I remember it, but I suspect that you lose something as you get older and become a little more jaded. I too saw how the kids were a little mean to Charlie Brown and I have to say that I don’t remember the whole school election segment that followed the original show. I’m sure it was done to fill in the one hour time gap created by filling

In my head

2008-10-29T01:23:00.000-06:00

I’ve done my best to avoid the radio and most forms of music lately, but somehow there is a tune in my head that feels like the audible equivalent of hammering needles under my finger nails. If I could just get a Ms. O’conner from bellowing out periods of times (7 hours, 15 days), I would be most gracious.

The Great Pumpkin

2008-10-28T05:00:00.005-06:00

Brrrr.When the weather gets cold, I am thankful that my truck has seat warmers. It might be a silly option to have, especially living in Texas, but I’m here to say that on mornings like this when the outside temperature gauge reads 38 degrees, it’s nice to hit the switch that will quickly turn my heat robbing leather seats into a toasty bum warmer. I usually keep it in the low setting because it

Two days of fun...not!

2008-10-26T22:04:00.000-06:00

In an effort to occupy my mind and stay busy, I’ve spent the better part of this weekend assaulting my very large “to do” list of projects around the house. Nothing major like tearing down a wall or installing a bidet, but they are things that I’ve wanted to get to but never seemed to have the time for. From sun up to sun down I’ve unpacked straggler boxes that escaped the initial move, I

Friday is here

2008-10-24T07:03:00.007-06:00

Today marks the end of the work week. Most people who work the usual Monday to Friday shift will be patiently waiting for the five o’clock whistle to start their weekend (except for people employed in retail, food service, hospitals and correctional facilities). So what do you do with those two days free with no obligations to that job that pays your bills? Well the possibilities are endless and

Quote

2008-10-23T07:45:00.005-06:00

I found this quote today:"Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness." ~ Max EhrmannIt evoked memories of times in my life when I let fear get the better of me. This in turn motivated me to get a little more information about this quote (thank goodness for the internet).Mr. Ehrmann was a lawyer turned writer and whose most notable achievement was the poem “Desiderata”, Latin for "things

Routine

2008-10-22T09:21:00.006-06:00

I woke up this morning at 5:00am, like I have for as long as I can remember, and I laid there contemplating the day ahead of me. The alarm on my watch is set for 5:20am in case I get too wrapped up in my meandering crack of dawn thoughts, but for the most part, I’m off the couch, turn off my brain, and put my body on autopilot to begin my weekday pre-work custom. I went to the bathroom, shaved,

Time

2008-10-21T09:05:00.004-06:00

I ran my first marathon over 10 years ago when I was but a young lieutenant in the Army. I don’t exactly recall why I made the decision to abuse my body for the 4 months leading up to the event and the race itself. It may have been the pressure exerted on me by my commander at the time who was a hard core runner himself, all 5 feet of him. It may have been a way for me to get in better shape. It

Madi

2008-10-19T21:04:00.005-06:00

Madison the Wonder Mutt has made many an appearance here on the blog. From my battles with her chewing my stuff to her peeing on my leg when she didn’t want to listen, I have spent more time with her than I originally thought I would. I remember sitting in Iraq wondering how I was going to accept this new addition to my life. For starters, I’m allergic to animals and new puppies take a lot of

Fair

2008-10-18T07:35:00.000-06:00

Life is not fair.When you are brought into this world, there is no written guarantee stapled to your birth certificate that states the world will treat you justly. Live your life by helping people and doing good deeds and you are bound to step in dog crap every now and then. Conversely, subside your days doing wicked or evil things and you will become a politician. This is by no means a new

Ride and Wedding

2008-10-01T06:29:00.000-06:00

The weekend was busy. In the span of two days, we not only managed to squeeze in a lot of people into spandex, but we also squeezed in a 75 mile bike ride through less than favorable conditions (thank you Tropical Depression Kyle) and have a backward wedding. I should explain... the wedding itself was not backwards in the sense that the bride wore a tux and the groom wore a dress. In fact, the

MS150 - Go Mary's Mashers!

2008-09-24T06:18:00.002-06:00

I figured it’s time to write something besides my battles with the Wonder Mutt. I’m heading to Delaware this weekend to ride in the Delaware Multiple Sclerosis “Bike to the Bay” 150. I think I wrote about this event last year while I was in the “sandbox” to bring awareness to Team Mary’s Mashers. This year I’ll only be able to ride half of the event due to a wedding that I need to be at on Sunday

Cuddly fur ball or vengeful beast? You decide.

2008-08-25T09:19:00.002-06:00

This is not a dumb animal.So I’m sitting in the apartment on Sunday night, kicking back and watching the closing ceremonies of the Olympics (my crazy Asian brethren really know how to make a visually appealing display) when Madison the Wonder Mutt decides to turn into Devil Dog. This is not an uncommon occurrence for her as she normally gets a burst of energy towards the closing of every evening.

A/C no workee

2008-08-05T09:41:00.004-06:00

Returning from vacation is never fun. Returning from vacation to a house that has no air conditioning just plain sucks, especially when you live in Texas.While I was away playing army, a rule went into effect that states new housing have to be more energy efficient and cannot have an A/C unit that is less than 13 SEER. SEER stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio, which means that the higher

Tri this

2008-08-03T09:42:00.002-06:00

Brian, Ryan, Ken and me at the Steelhead TriThis is a picture of 4 men who traveled great distances to compete in a race. You will notice by way they are dressed that not all of them competed in said race. A Half Iron Man is no joke. Just ask anyone who has had to exert themselves for over 6 hours for a cheap looking medal and a T-shirt. If they laugh at you, then that means they just finished a

Lake House

2008-07-30T12:58:00.004-06:00

It doesn’t look like much, but this house is the origin of a lot of good childhood memories. I learned how to jet ski on the lake this house sits on, and I’m talking about a real jet ski, not one of those sissy sit down wave runners that you see people zipping along on with no chance of falling off. We rode it one handed, no handed, backwards and even tried our best to submerge it. Despite

Sliders

2008-07-28T11:46:00.001-06:00

Yes, this is a picture of an empty sack of White Castle hamburgers. It was devoured by yours truly in what one can only call a masochistic feast; not because it is painful to eat them, but the onslaught these tiny burgers impart on one's digestive system can only be described as brutal. There is a reason they are nick-named “sliders”.The nearest White Castles to Texas is in St. Louis, Missouri.

Road Trip

2008-07-26T11:33:00.001-06:00

So what do you do with a pick up truck full of clothes, bikes, Little Debbie snacks, guns and ammunition? You head north. At least that is what I decided to do for a week long vacation away from the whoas of work and unpacking. There are approximately 1200 miles of road between Dallas, Texas and Detroit, Michigan, none of which are particularly exciting to see either. East Texas, Arkansas,

Kick some grass!

2008-07-15T20:39:00.004-06:00

Today I conquered the lawn. When I closed on the house a few weeks ago, the grass needed to be cut. Almost 2 weeks later, the lawn grew to an unruly jungle that needed attention. I got my lawnmower from my folks house last week and I was a little apprehensive if it would work after sitting dormant for a year and a half, but after a tank of fresh fuel and few pushes of primer, it fired up on the

Summer Moving

2008-07-13T22:49:00.004-06:00

With the help of two moving trucks and some dedicated friends, I moved most of my worldly possessions into the new house this weekend. Let me start off by saying that I have some great friends and that I also have a lot of junk. What was I thinking when I packed all this crap away? Hauling gear out of a metal storage shed in 100 temps isn’t my idea of how to spend a summer weekend but I’m glad to

Happy Independence Day

2008-07-05T07:19:00.003-06:00

The last "American Birthday" I spent was in Iraq listening to a very different kind of fireworks, which is why this 4th of July that much more enjoyable. That's an airplane at the local show here in DallasOoooh! Aaaaah!

In the saddle

2008-07-03T07:08:00.003-06:00

I've been back to work for about a month now and I've come to the realization that I don't like to work. Oh I do enjoy the benefits of work - the sense of accomplishment, the contribution to something worthy, the paycheck - but the whole crawling out of bed every morning and dragging my rear into a job where I plop down behind a computer all day isn't what one would consider fun. It does pay the

Work

2008-06-02T20:14:00.002-06:00

Today was the first day back to work at my job...my civilian job that is. Lots of new faces from the 140 folks they've hired since I've been gone, not to mention the absence of a lot of good colleges due to retirement or just moving onto something different. It's amazing how much changes in a year and a half. Speaking of changes, I don't have my old job back like I thought I would. I'm doing

Welcome Back

2008-04-29T06:01:00.004-06:00

I just got word that the last of the Captain Mafia has returned from theater. After a similarly grueling long travel trip, Kevin, Brendan and Tom are now safely in the US and will go through the same 4 day out-processing ordeal that the rest of us went through. This may sound slightly silly, but I'm a lot more relaxed knowing that they are safe. I missed them.When the regular Army deploys, the

Dog

2008-04-18T15:53:00.004-06:00

Since I am homeless, I am staying with Alissa at her "aparment-o-animals". Now, let me start off by saying that I am in fact allergic to both cats and dogs. I love my girlfriend, but I think I love breathing a little more. Thank goodness for Claritin-D, for without it I'd be a weezing, rashy mess. When I left, she had one long haired cat (we'll call her mellow cat for now) that was just getting

Texas

2008-04-18T15:20:00.003-06:00

“I wasn’t born here, but I got here as soon as I could!”That’s a bumper sticker I use to see all the time while wasting many hours of my life sitting in Dallas traffic. Originally I was bothered by the exorbitant amount of pride this state had in itself, but now I’d gladly put this sticker on the back of my truck declaring my giddiness to be back in the Lone Star State.It has taken me a few days

Home...well...almost

2008-04-07T14:49:00.000-06:00

Kansas. I never thought I’d see her rolling hills or lack of citizens with teeth again, but here I am, freezing my rear off on the tundra of scrub brush and cattle. Everyone is in a tizzy here as it appears that the state has a team in the NCAA basketball tournament. I’m following it much like I follow NASCAR, which is, not at all. There is so much of the current life here that I don't know

Chasing the Sun

2008-04-06T14:35:00.001-06:00

After spending almost a week in purgatory and suffering through countless delays we finally departed Kuwait Sunday afternoon and began our trip home. We are crowded into a DC-10 with two other units which is much different than the almost empty plane we took over here. While we would all prefer the room to spread out, it doesn’t matter, just as long as it gets us home. Flying west we are

Generators

2008-04-04T07:57:00.000-06:00

Apparently, Harley Davidson is branching out from making their world renowned motorcycles and delving into the generator market for lightsets in Kuwait. They have installed a few here at Camp Virginia. While the wheeled contraptions lack the signature chrome or the orange blazing eagle that we've come to signify with Harley's, the generators do posses the patented exhaust that make the Harley

Kuwait

2008-04-01T11:54:00.002-06:00

It is official. I am no longer in Iraq (and it's not an April Fool's joke either). After what was probably the worst C-130 flight in history, our group made it safely to Kuwait the other night. We are now in a staging area waiting for a scheduled plane to take us home. The computer access at the basecamp so distant from the battle is slow at best, but it does allow me to send a note here or

Anticipation

2008-03-30T21:00:00.002-06:00

I’ve been a little restless. It could be the anticipation of going home or the mosquito in my trailer that has kicked my ass for the past 3 nights. Whichever it is, I’m up before they call everyone outside the wire to morning prayer and I’m sitting in the TV trailer listening for tell-tale signs that I should be someplace containing more concrete. Thank God I don’t have much more of this to go.I’

Odd

2008-03-27T20:30:00.003-06:00

We get sent all kinds of crazy things here, from 5 gallon buckets of hand sanitizer, to crates of Slinkies, to bullet proof vests (seriously, somebody sent one of the captains here body armor!). Despite the absurdity of the contents of the countless care packages, they are all great gestures of kindness and thoughtfulness meant to make you smile or brighten your day (or stop a bullet). In light

Daylight Savings

2008-03-26T04:14:00.004-06:00

Just the other day a command decision was made by the Government of Iraq NOT to observe daylight savings time on 30 March. This is significant for three reasons: 1.) Since the coalition works closely with Iraqis, we in turn will not adjust our clocks forward so that we may operate on common time with our Iraqi

Counting down

2008-03-25T10:11:00.001-06:00

For most of the northern hemisphere, March 20th marked the first day of spring (or vernal equinox which means equal parts daylight and darkness). It seems that in the last week the country of Iraq enjoyed only 5 days of spring-like weather, with temps in the 80’s and a

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T21:06:00.000-06:00

I received my deployment award yesterday in what one would call a marathon ceremony. Being the eleventh out of twelve people recognized, it lasted over an hour and was full of your typical banter by folks with inflated awards, punctuated by the occasional moments of sincere gratitude. As I sat there listening to the awardees thank everyone and talk about their experiences, it made me a little

Newbs

2008-03-19T09:34:00.000-06:00

Everywhere I look, I see the doe-like eyes of the new arrivals to our unit looking back at me, eagerly taking in the sights and wondering what in the heck they've gotten themselves into. There is part of me that wants to heckle them and say cruel things like, "Bet your recruiter didn't tell you about this place," but I refrain. All of them will

Fires

2008-03-18T06:50:00.000-06:00

For a few minutes this morning I was sitting on the warm concrete outside the makeshift gym enjoying the mild temps and the gentle breeze. I had just finished a run on the treadmill during my “yard time” and took my stretching out of the building where I could cool off sans Arab-MTV playing on the monitors. I had plopped down on the ground to start stretching my hamstrings when I noticed

Happy St. Pats

2008-03-17T22:59:00.000-06:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Take one good look at me you'll realize that I don't exactly have a plethora of Irish in my blood coursing through my veins, but I must have the luck of the Irish as I am going home earlier than expected. In a little under two weeks from today I will be boarding the first leg of my long journey home. It’s hard to believe, and there’s part of me that doesn’t

Bizzaroland: Part Deux!

2008-03-06T10:06:00.003-06:00

I think it is only fair to caveat this blog with the fact that I’ve only had one or two hours of sleep in the last two days, and of those brief cat naps, none were near the R.E.M. quality that a body needs to replenish it’s stores. No matter, as I’m not in Iraq, and any time away from Iraq can be considered a good thing.I almost did not get here. On the eve of my transportation out of the IZ, a

Filter

2008-03-01T23:56:00.000-06:00

I'm activating the filter on the blog in an effort to get rid of some of the spam that is posted. Please be patient if you comment and don't see it right away. Thanks

Knick knack transportation

2008-02-28T22:04:00.002-06:00

I’m being moved from my desk to make way for a new inbound person into our section. Unfortunately this isn’t my replacement, but one that will be working on the team to take over Tad’s position. So, in order to consolidate areas of responsibility, they are moving me out of the section to a desk around the corner and out of sight to make room for him. It’s probably a good thing according to that

Count

2008-02-26T04:07:00.000-06:00

For those of you who have noticed, the absence of my countdown timer is no accident. I’ve been given so many different dates of when I’m leaving country that I’ve given up on trying to track anything anymore. Technically, they can’t keep me past 365 days of my “boots on ground” date but I’ve learned that incompetence does not go punished here,

Failure

2008-02-25T11:04:00.000-06:00

To say that I’m pissed would be a gross exaggeration, although I’m not really sure how to express my frustration without sounding like I’m whining. Let’s instead say that my leadership is failing me and the rest of us in their decision making and they lack the professionalism to try and fix the situation in a logical and just manner. To publicly go

Is this the dark side of the moon?

2008-02-21T06:00:00.002-06:00

So I'm sitting here in Iraq, shaking off the chill of the morning, watching a lunar eclipse, when I say to myself, "Self, you're pretty fortunate to be in the middle of a warzone watching this natural phenomenon.” That’s when I realize that I’m talking to myself and stop to make sure no one is looking at me acting crazy. A lunar eclipse is when the earth casts a shadow on the moon from the sun (

Gritty

2008-02-20T07:05:00.001-06:00

I awoke this morning with a hacking cough, a dusty pillow and an ear full of dirt. This isn’t because I’m a stinky kid and didn’t bother to shower before I hit the rack last night. It’s a result of the dust storm that engulfed Baghdad yesterday and somehow found its way into the trailer I sleep in, although this should not be a surprise as a

Stick 'em up!

2008-02-18T21:41:00.003-06:00

No, it's not a rocket launcher or an expended piece of ordinance. It's a barrier they use to stop vehicles from traveling down this area. I just thought the choice of barrier design they used on a military compound, in a war zone, in Iraq was interesting. * Note: No round-eyes were hurt in the making of this picture.

Fan down! Fan down! I’ve got a fan down!

2008-02-18T21:24:00.003-06:00

One of the first packages I got while I was in country contained a small fan. It came in useful when our A/C would crap out on us and I used it almost every night as “white noise” to drown out the sounds of sputtering generators, Iraqi police sirens and gunfire which helped me get some semblance of a good night’s sleep. Imagine my dismay when I returned to the trailer one night and found that it

400 Meters

2008-02-16T05:17:00.001-06:00

Anyone who has ran track can tell you that the 400 meter race is a brutal event. One time around the track in under a minute at full speed is considered a sprint, although most sprinters reason that it is a middle distance race (so they don’t have to run it). There is very little strategy involved in running a 400 meter like there is in say, an 800 meter. A true middle distance race, the 800M is

Fiddy

2008-02-15T05:59:00.001-06:00

This is a fast post to highlight the fact that I’m in the 50 day window of getting out of here! Part of me is afraid to be happy about this because the Army is notorious for changing things at the last minute, but the other optimistic part of me is pleasantly ecstatic at the prospect that I’ll be stateside in 50 more days. Now excuse me while I go dance my happy dance, albeit a cautious happy

Nice weather?

2008-02-10T06:57:00.001-06:00

I haven’t talked much about the weather here lately, but today is the kind of day that I feel like I need to. The reason for this compelling desire is that it’s actually nice outside. It’s not sweltering hot to where your body armor absorbs the radiant heat and slowly cooks you to death and it’s not windy-rainy-cold either. It’s actually quite

If I only had a tactical nuke...

2008-02-09T02:45:00.001-06:00

Disturbing. I try not to pay much attention to the news. Here in the information vacuum of Iraq, it’s nice to catch up on sport scores every once in a while and I’ve tried to stay on top of the debates for the primaries when I can.

Helmet on fire!

2008-02-08T07:27:00.001-06:00

Things have picked up from a “back from leave blues” crawl to a full out sprint as the higher ups work diligently to get the last bits of work in before they “pop smoke” and re-deploy in a few months (they have to put something in their evaluation, don't they?). It’s a frenzy of activity which we commonly refer to as a “Helmet Fire”.

Acronym

2008-02-05T06:28:00.000-06:00

For those of you who didn't believe me about the name of the internet cable company I posted a few days ago..."SeaMeWe" stands for South East Asia, Middle East, West Europe.

Mr. Tom

2008-02-03T21:14:00.000-06:00

As I’ve said before, mail plays a big part in the condition of morale here. You can always tell the individuals who don't get a lot of packages or snail mail by the frowns that hang on their faces and the overall gloom that follows them into a room. I, for the most part, have been blessed with getting regular packages from my girlfriend and a smattering of boxes from family, friends and the

Still Groundhog's Day

2008-02-02T23:59:00.000-06:00

Today is Groundhog’s Day! Say that to anyone deployed here in Baghdad for close to a year now and they’ll probably tell you that every day is Groundhog’s Day (in reference to the redundancy made famous by Bill Murry’s movie of the same name). The days tend to get pretty repetitive; the schedules are the same, the

Groundhog's Day

2008-02-02T23:18:00.000-06:00

If the IRR soldier sees his shadow, that means 6 more weeks of deployment!

What? No internet?

2008-02-01T02:48:00.000-06:00

So we got an email today telling us that due to an undersea fiber optic cable being cut, our internet access would be limited. Now while most folks just use the web to check their stock quotes or check their AOL mail accounts, we here in the log world actually do a lot of stuff official stuff on the internet. The lack of it doesn’t make us non-mission capable, but it does make it more of a pain

R&R

2008-01-27T21:16:00.000-06:00

So, what did I do on my leave? If I was a good blogger, I would have updated this thing while I was actually on my R&R so that people could keep up with where I was, although I’m not going to apologize for relaxing instead of typing. I spent the first part of my leave in the great state of Texas. I flew into Dallas on New Years Eve day to be greeted by my family and friends, not to mention a slew

Dragging

2008-01-24T08:09:00.000-06:00

I’m tired. I plodded through these past few days like a knuckle dragging ape trying to get into the groove of being back in Iraq. My sleep schedule is all screwed up and I’m coming down with some Ebola-like illness most likely brought on by spending multiple hours crammed in an airframe with 300 other sick people (either that or I’m allergic to Iraq). I am also convinced that my motivation to do

Back in Baghdad

2008-01-21T10:05:00.001-06:00

So, I’m back to the IZ, although there is part of me that feels like I shouldn’t be here due to the myriad of obstacles that attempted to prevent me from being here. Let’s recap:16 Jan: My leave officially ended at noon and I sat in the airport with my girlfriend until the plane took off around 2pm. The flight from Dallas to Atlanta was on time and uneventful, but what was originally scheduled

Divine Intervention

2008-01-19T08:57:00.000-06:00

There are forces acting against us. First there was an ice storm in Atlanta and then there were mechanical plane problems in Ireland. Today, it is something else that has pushed back our departure time by “multiple hours”, the cause of which is still a mystery to the 300+ soldiers lounging around the airport. It’s as if we were not meant to go back to Iraq, which, although its okay by me, it

Ireland...again?

2008-01-18T03:01:00.000-06:00

Yes, I'm writing from Ireland...again. This time its the return trip and again I am delayed from returning to Iraq once more, although it is due to a mechanical problem this time instead of a weather issue. It is raining in Ireland (surprise) and there isn't much to do since we are trapped in the terminal. Not that there is a lot that I desire to do right now as I am travel weary and am hurting

ATL

2008-01-17T13:02:00.000-06:00

So, I'm in the terminal of Atlanta airport waiting for another flight back to the sandbox. A big ice storm kept us on the runway for about 8 hours last night before they gave up and shuttled us to a hotel for the evening. With 6 hours of sleep (not done on the floor of the terminal) we again get to play the waiting game that the Army plays so well. Thank goodness that the delay is on the back

Top o'da morn'n to ya

2007-12-30T21:02:00.000-06:00

It's New Year's Eve day and I'm typing from the airport in Shannon Ireland. First time I've been here, and there's not much to see except darkness and closed duty free shops. It's been a long frew days of travel, but the end is near. I should be back in Texas for a little R&R within the next 12 hours baring any major delays at the airports back home. I'm anxious and I'm tired all at the same

Christmas Eve 2007

2007-12-24T07:46:00.000-06:00

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the FOBNot a creature was stirring, cuz they were still doing their jobOf making presentations and creating large briefsTo be given to the boss, the CG and chief.The stockings were hung on the file cabinets with twineWhile the new guys were sulking and staring to whineAbout lack of free time, TV and the cold,We told them “Quit whining and do what

Christmas Pumpkin

2007-12-12T22:15:00.000-06:00

It’s Christmas time and you know what that means? It’s time to decorate the Christmas Pumpkin! Yippee! I remember when I was just knee high to a grasshopper anxiously waiting for the month of December so I could break out the knives and scoops and decorate my festive pumpkin. It was always a great tradition and I honored it this year by carving the IRR patch in it. I know I’m not home for

Plans and B2

2007-12-11T07:30:00.000-06:00

My job was not the only one to change back in October. Both Brendan and Kevin were “reorganized” into what we will call the planning section. How ironic that the unit operated for the better part of 7 months with no such segment, which begs the question, what was our plan for all this time? They are now responsible for developing the strategy that will win the war, or at least the war for our

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2007-12-07T22:11:00.000-06:00

Things are looking a lot more festive around here as people decorate their areas with little reminders of the holiday season. There are groves of tinsel clad mini Christmas trees throughout the building and stockings are hung at every empty vertical surface. There is one general officer in our building who has a full on holiday display in his office complete with twinkling lights, cardboard

Shredder

2007-11-30T22:23:00.001-06:00

What you are looking at is probably one of my biggest accomplishments here in Baghdad. It is a project I did a few weeks back that was completed on time, required only a little bit of coalition aid, was not rejected by the Iraqis and did not cost the US government a butt-load of money. It’s a paper shredder. It was broken due to some missing screws that got sucked into the bin. I had put a work

Air Force

2007-11-30T11:57:00.000-06:00

The Air Force has landed. We just received a large batch of new Air Force personnel into our organization. The sad thing is that these individuals were not suppose to come here because the mission they were originally slated to fill was cancelled. The only problem is nobody told the Air Force about this new change. So, 40 individuals, with no jobs, are now being integrated into slots in our

Go Cowboys!

2007-11-30T02:51:00.000-06:00

Wow! I just learned that Dallas beat the Packers! I'm more of a Detroit fan myself, but when you live in the city of Cowboy Football, you can't help but adopt them (even when they battle for last place with the Lions).So props out to the Big D for having a decent season this year.

Work

2007-11-29T22:44:00.000-06:00

“Work” has kept me out of the writing business lately. It has consumed most of the free time I use to get so there really isn’t much to write about, so I’ll write about work.My last team was disbanded a while back and I now fall under a new section. My new larger team deals mainly with logistical issues and, just like my previous job, I haven’t the foggiest as to what I’m doing because I have

Happy Turkey Day!

2007-11-22T08:55:00.000-06:00

Gobble Gobble everyone! Today is Thanksgiving in Iraq. Back home folks are busy...well, busy sleeping right now, but they are dreaming of juicy turkey, pounds of sweet potatoes, gobs of stuffing and plenty-o-pies. Not only is today the big Turkey Day, it also marks the anniversary of when I received my letter to get recalled back into active duty. It's hard to believe that a year ago I was on my

Warm sewer pipes

2007-11-13T22:49:00.000-06:00

It’s November and autumn has arrived, officially. I say that because last night was the first time I actually turned on the heater in my trailer. As I sit in the computer lab with my skull cap on I am reminded how much of a wimp I’ve become to cold weather. I’m sure living in Texas doesn’t help matters much, but when the mercury drops below 50 at night here, I’m one cold Korean. How do you

Haircut

2007-11-11T00:35:00.000-06:00

Back in my normal life, most people know that I was in the military. It could be because I talk about it from time to time or because they notice the military class ring I occasionally wear when I’m feeling particularly nostalgic, but for the most part I think it has to do with my haircut. I keep it pretty short. Folks have tried to convince me to grow it out a little in order to “civilianize” me

Horses

2007-11-09T22:53:00.000-06:00

Let me propose to you a situation. Let’s say that today someone came up to you and said that they were going to give you a horse. “What?” you ask. A horse. It’s a large quadruped herbivore domesticated for various uses such as riding or pulling wagons and farm equipment, but that’s beside the point. Someone wants to give you a horse. Not a race horse to bet on at the track or fancy Clydesdale

Zapper

2007-11-06T21:21:00.000-06:00

Nothing raises morale like combining electricity and pests.Yes, I have lamented about the bugs here, and my cries did not fall on deaf ears for my parents sent me a gift that is worth all the sea monkeys and Slinkies that a soldier could ask for to fill in the slow spots in the deployment day. My new toy is the bug zapper!The new sheriff in townDon’t let it’s toy like appearance fool you. It is a

DANCOM

2007-11-03T11:10:00.000-06:00

There aren’t many things to break the monotony of everyday life here so you tend to gravitate to things that are out of the norm. That’s what I did when I signed up for the DANCOM march back in the middle of October. What is a DANCOM march you ask? Well, it’s a 20km road march put on by the Danish Army (who even knew they had an army?) that is usually done in a deployed area. The briefing before

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T09:59:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween everyone!I have this tradition when I pass out candy at home. I load up the largest bowl I have in my inventory with candy and treats in preparation for the onslaught of trick-or-treaters that would parade through my neighborhood. When the doorbell rang or if there was scurrying outside my door, I would open the door really fast to see the kids in their outfits and give them

Half

2007-10-27T22:31:00.000-06:00

13.1 Miles is half of a marathon2 Quarts is half of a gallon of milkFifty Cents is a rapper, and also half of a dollarWhat's the point? Today is the half-way mark for the deployment, or more specifically, today is the half way mark for what is commonly called "boots on ground". For those of us who have a one year commitment to the cause, this is our midway point. That would be 182.5 days out of

Morale isn't as low as it was, but still low

2007-10-27T01:19:00.000-06:00

As a wee lad growing up in Detroit, I remember my grandmother telling me the old adage, “if you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all.” It’s a wise saying that was probably made up by some poor soul who had a friend in the Army in order to politely tell that soldier that they complained too much. Regardless, it is an attempt to tell the whiners of the world that while we know

Morale

2007-10-22T04:18:00.000-06:00

Morale is low today. Dare I say, it is the lowest. No witty banter, no pictures of stupid crap. Just low morale. Not much else to write besides that.

Boxes and Desk

2007-10-19T07:41:00.000-06:00

I get teased sometimes because of the mail I get. Not so much for the contents, but more for the quantity. Everyone thinks I get a ton of packages and correspondences, but what they don’t realized that I am the mail clerk for our section. This means that when I come schlepping through the building with boxes stacked up to my eyeballs and my cargo pockets stuffed with envelopes, they all aren’t

Maze

2007-10-17T10:39:00.000-06:00

These past few days of chasing my tail at work has tired my resolve to stay positive. Couple that feeling with a comment on my last entry and I am coming to the realization that I feel more like a mouse in a maze than a soldier contributing to the rebuilding of Iraq. The high walls that both close us in and protect us from incoming also keeps me from witnessing the fruit of my daily labor. The

Nemesis

2007-10-16T05:24:00.000-06:00

My arch nemesis is back… …and this time he’s not alone. He’s brought a thousand of his closest relatives and even a few hundred friends he picked up from the garbage heap across the river. All of them are converging on the IZ with one sole purpose to their maggot born life; to fly in my ear and up my nose. Argh!As I’ve noted before, the weather is getting cooler here, which I thought was a good

Walls

2007-10-15T08:04:00.000-06:00

Uncle Sam likes me. Not only did he treat me to an all expenses paid vacation to the sunny Middle East, but he also outfits me with a complete snazzy wardrobe to wear while I’m here and feeds me as much curry chicken, mushy ravioli and rubber lobster that my stomach can handle. Just recently he decided that I’m worthy enough for some protection around my living quarters from the mortars that get

Which is it?

2007-10-11T10:49:00.000-06:00

This is the back of an envelope I received today. Although it contained a wonderful card, I was perplexed by the stickers on the envelope and the image they were trying to portray.So, I ask you, which of the two scenarios do you think is most representative of the picture? Is it:a) Two happy and frolicking frogs hopping around at the excitement of playing with their new friend Mrs. Ladybugorb)

Welcome home Jim Spiri

2007-10-08T07:46:00.000-06:00

I never claimed to be a writer. Just ask my EN302 professor or my AP English teacher from high school. From my ignorance of how to properly punctuate a sentence to my habitual dependence on my computer’s spell checker, I am nothing but a hack at this game of wordsmithing. Just because I type a page or two of words on a computer, it doesn’t give me the credentials to be a writer.This fact does not

Noise

2007-10-05T20:41:00.000-06:00

It's 5 am on a Saturday morning here in Iraq and I'm listening to the sound of rain on the tin roof of the internet trailer. I can't even remember the last time I heard rain. It's amazing. I apologize for not having more to write about it, but I'm just a little giddy about this experience and I want to enjoy it. Okay, so it only lasted for 2 minutes, but it was nice to hear for the short time