Hot Sands

I've been here for three days now and I guess it's not as horrible as I originally thought. That first impression was tainted by a couple of factors:
1) it's still an Arab desert - the same one I remember from '02, damn that's hot!
b) we got here after midnight after 24 hours of "travelling" that consisted of a total of about 2 hours of actual flying time and 22 hours of waiting
III) the very next night another group arrived at about the same time being just as noisy as we probably were - here's an idea, why not put everyone who comes in together in the same tent?!
4) it's still an Arab desert
5) I'm not home
6) I have longer here than I'd like still
G) I miss my family still and there doesn't seem to be any real reason why I'm not moving closer to them
8) did I mention it's an Arab desert?
Anyway, now that I've been able to get to sleep at a reasonable hour, and stay asleep for more than an hour or two, things are looking a little better. The food's not bad and you get a day's worth of sun exposure just walking to get it, so I'll finally get a little bit of a tan! There are some amenities to help pass the time like this CyberCafe I'm typing in, and my days are definitely counting down to something meaningful this time. However, my iMac seems to have lost its monitor... anyone out there know any hotboot/corrective actions at startup for an iMac G3. I didn't bring my manual, and I fear someone used my briefcase as a step in the C130 on the way here, crushing the monitor... sometimes the monitor comes on long enough to show me the little countdown while booting, other times I get the little "on" chime, but no monitor at all. Any help? Anyone? I'll sure miss that little laptop if I can't get her back to life. All this time to watch movies, finish the greatest novel ever written, or dowload pictures to post here and no computer. Just my luck. It worked the day before the C130, then no longer when we got here. Ah well. I'm just sad now.
Oh, the USO put up a nice place here to just hang out out of the sun. They show movies on big screen tvs, have coffee, juice and cookies, games, a couple of computers, and a couple of phones. It's like a little oasis. If they hit you up for contributions, send 'em a couple of bucks.
All right. Nothing new to report from here. I'll probably check in one more time before I head out, but if not, I'll type at ya from the states.
Thanks for reading.
Luth

Ladies and Gentlemen, Elvis has left [unspecified country]

That's right kids, after a late, but uneventful Chinook ride north, and then a really late, but uneventful C130 ride south, I now find myself in the relative safety and relative comfort of [another unspecified country] (not Iraq). The only travelling I have left to do, will very likely be my last travelling out of this part of the world... forever.

Other than the fact that there is absolutely nothing to do here and I have almost a week to do it, life is good. What's really important, is that it's getting better. So why, you ask, would we be sent here if there's nothing for us to do? Good question. I don't care, I'm on my way home. If you come up with possible answer, post it as a comment. Yes, you may remain anonymous.

Type at ya later,
Luth

The New Guy

The New Guy
Yeah... uh, but she's not a guy. She's Kelly, the smiling maintenance analyst/ULLS-G clerk/a whole bunch of other stuff she doesn't know about yet. She's going to love her vacation here in [unspecified location]. For those just joining us and without a program, that's Laurie on the left, then Kelly, then me.

Email from the guys who left ahead of us tells us not to be in any hurry. It's hotter there and living conditions are far more austere. Nice. Nothing says thanks for your service in a war zone like being stuck in a tent in the desert for outprocessing. I guess that couldn't be done here or in a hotel or military building maybe somewhere in Europe or the UAE or at least someplace with a bar for the love of Bob.

I don't care though... it's my last stop before I go home so I'd still rather be there than here right now and I should be getting my wish very soon. Hey, remind me to tell you all about the efforts being taken by the new group to avoid pregnancies during the deployment! They sure have some different ideas about how that works than I do!

Type at ya later,
Chris

New Link: Body Counts

Check out the new links... Body Counts. They say figures lie & liars figure, but these are pretty straightforward. I had planned to announce this addition to my 'blog with another rant, but what's the point?

I will say only this: (and yes, this is far from a rant)

Behind every one of the dead civilians (not insurgents, not coalition or U.S. military) these numbers represent, there is an entire group of family and friends who probably feel the cost of this war is already too high. Relatively low statistics aren't much comfort when you're one of them.

The numbers on this link are rarely touted by our supposedly liberal media. The few reps of the Fourth Estate who bother to report any numbers, report only dead U.S. military members - less than 10% of the total.

They say one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Does the number of dead civilians affect that distinction? How high does the number have to be before it does?

I've been a volunteer (as a mechanic in a civil engineering squadron) for over 18 years... so I'm in it to win it, but no one has been able to say what "winning it" will look like. I know there are costs involved in anything worth doing, but since no one seems to be able to say what, exactly, it is we're doing, it's hard to decide if the cost of this is worth it.

In the mean time WE have no choice but to include the people these counts represent among our "accomplishments" because WE declared this war. Some people are growing more and more comfortable with that. I'm not.

Luth,
Out.

Another Porch Pic

Another Porch Pic
Kutchdaddy, Laurie and I waiting for a ride to lunch on the front porch at the office. If you didn't know it was 120 degrees, it might look like a nice vacation, eh?

Quotable

When we got to Ft. Benning, we started writing down quotes of the day. It became so routine, that it actually became almost a required part of the day. It was one of those things that you don't even think about, but just do. As soon as you think about it, send it to committee, it stops happening. As we moved from location to location, and finally got to work, the recording of the daily quotes grew more and more sparse. When we consciously tried to do it, we couldn't recapture the magic. Our own little group was physically separated by the distance between the office and the shop, and, as I may have mentioned, there were myriad frustration factors that pushed fun to the bottom of the list no matter how hard we tried. In any event, here are the collected quotes over the course of the trip. I'm providing context because I want them on here even though the quotes won't mean much to those who weren't there. They were funny (or interesting) at the time and it's my 'blog... don't read 'em if you don't like 'em! (NOTE: not all quotes are appropriate for children... or even some adults)

”...but I don’t have a trap door on my butt.” Laurie re: her rifle butt, and where to keep her bore snake & cleaning kit.

“I have hair on my goofy.” Dewayne re: his new "Goofy" tattoo

“How are we ever gonna survive Iraq when we’re all ate up with the dumbass?” Laurie re: having to wear reflective belts during the day in Georgia

“The top floor of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is proof that God speaks through rock and roll.” me re: solving the world’s problems/proof of God's existence (if you haven't toured the Rock Hall, do so)

“The Army shortens whole words to letters but feels the need to turn letters into whole words.” Todd re: the phonetic alphabet

“Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.” SSgt Clark (land nav/plgr instructor... I guess that clears everything up, eh?)

“Well, you don’t have to.” The 40 or so people crammed into the stinking 8-man latrine (a shed over a hole in the ground covered by a sheet of plywood with eight holes cut in it) in response to Todd’s question: “What, do you have to stand there staring at the guy’s (tool) across from you?” (It should be noted that bathroom facilities in the location where I am now, though not as reliable, are much better than many of those at Ft. Benning)

“You must be that guy who’s always right.” John after debating, with Keith, the fact that “short, blonde-haired girl” is a confusing description of a tall girl with short blonde hair.

“I hope I end up in the same VA home with you guys.” John (out of the blue at bed time... think of the Waltons all saying goodnight to each other and then throw this comment in the mix - we rolled out of our bunks laughing)

“My brother and I against our cousin, the three of us against our neighbor, the four of us against the world.” Arab adage (cultural awareness class) (not funny)

“He’s a punk.” Iraq TTP’s and Culture instructor (who was, otherwise, quite professional) re: Muqtada Al Sadr’s son, who was already a contender in the (then) upcoming Iraqi elections.

“Did you know there’s a thingy hanging down and wrapped around your leg?” Laurie re: someone's gas mask strap

“...probably, probably not. One thing is for certain: you will die.” Major Negron during Ground Assault Convoy Training. Major Negron was a realist... not terribly encouraging, but a realist nonetheless.

“Well ya know... stupid weighs more than muscle.” Chris re: some peoples’ weight loss during this deployment vs. others' weight gain (for the record, my weight, while visibly reduced during the first two months, is pretty much the same now... I'm not sure what that means in light of this quote.)

“Sometimes I see stupid people... (and they don’t even know they’re idiots.”) Bob, whispered ala The Sixth Sense, after witnessing a random act of idiocy

“He knows all about Star Wars Action Figures, especially which ones feel good up your ass.” Greg during a discussion of our personnel’s various areas of expertise. (no, he wasn't talking about Bob)

It should be noted that several of my closest friends have vacated my current location on their way back to greener pastures. I hope the Big Guy watches over them during the remainder of their travels. I'll be joining them soon... but not soon enough.

As we wind down and prepare to hand off, I am, once again, grateful for the amenities and the friends I've made, the strength God has given me, the support of family and friends back home. I fear my remaining time will creep along incredibly slowly... like the last leg of a long car trip... 15 miles you cover without thinking about it in your everday routine, but that make your legs and back and eyes ache when they're the last 15 of a 500 mile trip. I'm still surrounded by friends, but the ones I've worked most closely with for the last 18 years lucked out and got on the first trip out of here. I'm happy for them and saddened by the fact that they're no longer here to entertain me, to keep me sane and to keep my mind off my looming departure.

Part of the present difficulty comes from the fact that every day here just runs together. My first day here is barely distinguishable from yesterday. Events from two hours ago could have been last week or last month. So it's hard to wrap my mind around the day I will leave because the time between now and then has no meaning here... it could be a day, it could be six months. If it's not what I'm concentrating on right now, it doesn't exist to me. It seems like a lifetime.

Having said that, life is good and getting better. I've fired off a draft of my transition instructions for revision and I am starting to see more and more replacements in funny hats with their wide eyes and crazy ideas about accomplishing something. We're actually leaving a little earlier than expected... I certainly can't complain about that!

Type at ya later.
Luth

What's up with all the porches?

For a little explanation of why the porches are all on here, see Grant's 'blog (link to the right)... I can't remember the name of his post about porches, but you'll find it, then see my comment and you'll understand. Nice typin' at ya. And as always, thanks for stoppin' in.

Luth

Mark O's Pleasure Palace

Mark O's Porch (int)
This porch screams "casual." Note the seemingly lax arrangement and understated design of the furnishings and acoutrements. Though it seems laissez faire, this was planned and every measure was taken to align chakras and ensure maximum chi. I can't tell who the guy on the far left is, but he's talking to Mark H. That's big Murph sprawled out looking at them and Mark O presides from the throne at far right. Even the landscaping has been given careful consideration from the aircraft pallets that form the floor to the very Euro looking dumpster just across the street. There's no need for a queer eye in this domain.

My Porch featuring J.O.

J.O. et al
A few of my neighbors enjoy the veranda. You also get an exterior view of Mark O's patio. From this perspective, if you gaze past that patio, there's a refinery way off in the distance. At night, its flares light up that whole part of the sky bright orange. It's pretty cool. Sometimes you can smell the place, which is far preferable to the normal smells around here. Ah, the things you notice from the porch. Oh, that's J.O. in the front, Matt in the middle, and Kenny aka "Gene" to the rear.

South End Hoodlums on the Porch

The Slums Porch
clockwise from left front: Brian, Keith, Ben and Shamoken Mike enjoy a quiet evening on their stoop. This was the scene of the opposite-handed rock throwing for those of you keeping tabs. They are also just three rooms stage-front of Bob and Greg's Hockey Palace. (I don't mean to pick, but just look at how their neighbors have let their places go... sad, really. Nobody has any pride anymore.) (And yes, I know all of the stoops look the same, but it's the people, man, the people that make the porch.)

Bri and Bill Porchin' w/ Parasols

Bri & Bill Porchin' w/ Parasols

What more do I need to say about this shot?! (except maybe: hey Grant, check out the "pepper" decorative lighting) (and maybe: this is probably more like a stoop than a porch, but that wouldn't have worked as well as the alliterative title above)

Overcome by the Porch

Bill and Bri Overcome by Porching
Sometimes, when the porch is really workin... well, who can stop themselves? (Note to Bill's wife: Bill fought against this pose, but we convinced him it was part of the art... vital to the collection and well... he's nothing if not professional. Anything for the team and all. That's a heck of a husband ya got there.)

Mark H's Porch (int)

MarkH's Porch (int)
The interior of this unit demonstrates a commitment to committee work - note the seating for 6 built in as well as the combination beverage side tables/additional seating when the entire staff must be called in. Homey touches like the Arabian-influence carpet and the empty-glue-pail butt can can be varied for personal tastes. This one's a winner no matter how you dress it up or down.

Fire Pit - Not really a porch but...

Fire Pit

Everyone's ol' buddy, Earl, burns some trash in the fire ring between two buildings in the Motel 6 Complex. That building behind Earl is the one I live in although you can't see my door in this picture. It's about three doors to the right. Note Earl's got a winter supply of firewood... it's dwindling now cuz he hasn't agressively stocked it since it's been too hot for fires, but this area and Earl's efforts provided much needed sanity and relaxation during this trip. Though I wouldn't ever consider it the best substitute for a porch, my memories of it are already indelible.

Mark H's Porch (ext)

MarkH's Porch (ext)
On the far end of the Motel 6 Complex is this fine specimen, which has seen better days. We're not sure what the base of this porch is, or where it came from, but it's provided some good porching for a few months even without a high traffic street to monitor from it. Note the addition of the "solar cover" as the green material is referred to. Everybody's got to try to outdo each other.

4th of July

Hello fans and friends. Just a quick post to tell you about our uneventful, and therefore very pleasant 4th of July. Rumor is that last year's 4th of July here came with it's own special brand and unique quantity of fireworks. Something like three incoming per hour. I'm not sure anyone here now knows if that's true or not, but this year's definitely didn't live up to that. A dust storm pretty much kept us indoors, thus cancelling our planned festivities, and it was quiet the entire weekend. We watched a few movies, read a lot, and visited each other's rooms to see who was going to the chow hall - the social event of the weekend. That was pretty much it... and that's just fine with me/us. The fewer events I have to tell you about between now and my return, the better!

Thanks again to commenters to the "Kyle" post. (Hi Krista, have fun at school this Fall) Hang in there.

Luth, out.