Wednesday, January 23, 2008
MUDDIEST PLACE ON EARTH?
If you're like me, you wouldn't consider Iraq much of a muddy place. I can honestly say I have seen the best mud here. When I say "best" I don't mean that it's a good thing. I mean, in the spectrum of muddy characteristics, mud over here is truly an incredible specimen. It's super thick, deep and slick and it camouflages itself well as stable earth. My tent mate said she woke up at 4 a.m. and the tent was swaying in the wind of the rainstorm. I was glad I slept through that. I stumbled out of bed, gathered my toiletries and towel and headed out I was met by puddles of standing water outside the tent.
Good livin'
So I got the pictures uploaded. My cot is the one on the left with the comforter on it and the blue towel hanging down. It's not very glamorous, nor should it be, I guess, but it's good shelter and I'm thankful for that. There are folks in convoys that end up sleeping in their Humvees, so a tent is good livin' in comparison.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
abnormal DNA
Greetings all,
Unfortunately it wasn't such an exciting day as far as adventure or recounting stories. It was pretty typical: breakfast, meetings, lunch, working, coffee, working, dinner, meetings, midnight chow, talking with my tent mate, blogging. I did snap two pictures of the inside of my tent just so you could get a peek of what transient life is like. It's not so bad, but if it was for months it could get pretty uncomfortable. I've tried to upload the pics, but it's not cooperating with me so I'll see if I can do that tomorrow. I will say this, my Mom taught me how to be tough, how to speak up, and how to be strong, but her idea of camping is Camp Marriott or Camp Sheraton. I really don't know how I have the penchant for lugging around 70+ pounds of luggage and body armor and "roughing it" around Iraq. As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, I'm not sure there are many folks on either side of my family who would ever consider doing that. It must have been a fluke in the my gene sequence.
Oh. I had ketchup flavored potato chips from the DFAC. They are made in the UAE and they were pretty good.
Unfortunately it wasn't such an exciting day as far as adventure or recounting stories. It was pretty typical: breakfast, meetings, lunch, working, coffee, working, dinner, meetings, midnight chow, talking with my tent mate, blogging. I did snap two pictures of the inside of my tent just so you could get a peek of what transient life is like. It's not so bad, but if it was for months it could get pretty uncomfortable. I've tried to upload the pics, but it's not cooperating with me so I'll see if I can do that tomorrow. I will say this, my Mom taught me how to be tough, how to speak up, and how to be strong, but her idea of camping is Camp Marriott or Camp Sheraton. I really don't know how I have the penchant for lugging around 70+ pounds of luggage and body armor and "roughing it" around Iraq. As a matter of fact, now that I think about it, I'm not sure there are many folks on either side of my family who would ever consider doing that. It must have been a fluke in the my gene sequence.
Oh. I had ketchup flavored potato chips from the DFAC. They are made in the UAE and they were pretty good.
Monday, January 21, 2008
"The Juicer"
Sorry. I did not take any pictures today. I thought I would, but we were walking back and forth from meeting to meeting then to the DFAC (dining facility) and I just never got the right time. It was beautiful in Baghdad today. The skies were bright blue. I think the temperature was in the 50s. The Al Faw Palace looked really beautiful on the lake. Once it turned dark the sky was covered in stars. I think I remember writing last February about my amazement at how beautiful the night skies were in Iraq. I think I still feel the same way.
As I mentioned, we spent most of our time indoors, but I was lucky to see some Blackhawks in the sky at one point during the day. I actually really like the sound of helicopters for some reason. I can hear them overhead right now as I am typing this on my cot. Even at work back in Atlanta my cube is by the window so I get to see the traffic-copters whoosh by over the interstate. I always look up at them. They are not nearly as cool as Blackhawks.
I did not end up really sleeping well last night. I tossed and turned and in the end got about 2 to 3 hours of sleep. The good thing is you don't feel jetlag as much because you're too tired to feel it. (That's the "cup is half full" interpretation.) The culprit to this crime of disruption is a large generator about 50 feet away from my tent and it sounds like someone is revving an 8 cylinder SUV too big to drive anywhere other than the mountains, and certainly not the city or suburbs. I thought after a while it would turn into white noise, but it never did. I would try to re-adjust to get comfortable, but I would just end up scrambling up my sleeping bag and when I would try to straighten it up I would just slip and slide in it. You know the kind of sleeping bag I'm talking about, the kind where the material is so slick that it kind of reminds you of the plastic bags they use at the grocery store. It's a great sleeping bag, and especially good if you stay still at night.
Tomorrow is my mother's birthday...it's also my good friend Melissa's birthday...and it's also my coworker and cohort over here on this trip, Chris', birthday. It's crazy how I know three people with the same birthday. Maybe it's part of a grand scheme for me to keep those memory cells vacant for something else or for remembering someone else's birth date. hmm. Anyway, I declared tomorrow a calorie free day so I can induldge from the dessert bar in honor of these three birthdays. Maybe I'll be wild and crazy and have three desserts. I'll survive, I'm sure it's been done before. To add to the cheer Chris said, "near beer for everyone and all other drinks are on me." They have cans of near beer or non-alcoholic beer in the DFACs here and, of course, no drinks, so Chris' offer was a generous one. I remember spending my birthday in Iraq last year...waking up on a cot with what I thought was appendicitis. It wasn't the greatest birthday by far, but I'll never forget it.
We worked inside a building today that is referred to as "the juicer" because it has a spiral staircase in the foyer to get to the second level. I suppose the spiral shape makes it look like an orange juicer to some people. This isn't just any old spiral staircase, either. The ceilings are very high ceilings covered in intricate cast plaster reliefs that are painted and then dotted with numerous sizes of chandeliers. The walls and floors are white marble slab. The actual stair treads are made out of about 7-foot long planks of inlaid wood. They are quite nice, but not as impressive after you read a sign at the bottom of the stairs that says "385 lbs maximum per tread." I found myself doing some quick math to ensure the stair would hold as we walked up. Like every man I've ever met, and much to my dismay, my coworker decided to stand on one and lightly jump up and down to "see how well it holds." I don't understand why guys need to challenge everything...."Oh yeah, let's see how thick the ice is on this frozen lake...let's see how much of this 32 oz steak I can eat...let's see how long I can wear my jeans before they look dirty to me." Back to the stairs....the stairs led to a circular balcony around the staircase. Apparently the building used to be a villa or small palace to one of Saddam's cronies. Now it has cubicles in every nook and crannie so it just functions as an office space. Needless to say, the cubicle panel walls don't match the ornate brass faucets on the porcelain sinks. What a clash of worlds.
One of the highlights for the day was on my way back to the tent this evening. I was given a tip that there may be some toilet trailers behind the 10-foot tall concrete t-walls near the tent. Sure enough, the tip was reliable and I found a trailer full of women's bathroom stalls. This means I get to go to the bathroom without having to use my flashlight and it's even in a heated trailer. WOO HOO. There are many simple pleasures around here...I'll take them when I can!
Other than that, there wasn't too much to report today. Maybe it's just that this is my third time here so stuff does not stand out as much as it initially did, or maybe it's just that I was tired. We'll see what tomorrow brings; hopefully it will be be birthday celebration dessert for breakfast lunch and dinner. I heard it's calorie free.
As I mentioned, we spent most of our time indoors, but I was lucky to see some Blackhawks in the sky at one point during the day. I actually really like the sound of helicopters for some reason. I can hear them overhead right now as I am typing this on my cot. Even at work back in Atlanta my cube is by the window so I get to see the traffic-copters whoosh by over the interstate. I always look up at them. They are not nearly as cool as Blackhawks.
I did not end up really sleeping well last night. I tossed and turned and in the end got about 2 to 3 hours of sleep. The good thing is you don't feel jetlag as much because you're too tired to feel it. (That's the "cup is half full" interpretation.) The culprit to this crime of disruption is a large generator about 50 feet away from my tent and it sounds like someone is revving an 8 cylinder SUV too big to drive anywhere other than the mountains, and certainly not the city or suburbs. I thought after a while it would turn into white noise, but it never did. I would try to re-adjust to get comfortable, but I would just end up scrambling up my sleeping bag and when I would try to straighten it up I would just slip and slide in it. You know the kind of sleeping bag I'm talking about, the kind where the material is so slick that it kind of reminds you of the plastic bags they use at the grocery store. It's a great sleeping bag, and especially good if you stay still at night.
Tomorrow is my mother's birthday...it's also my good friend Melissa's birthday...and it's also my coworker and cohort over here on this trip, Chris', birthday. It's crazy how I know three people with the same birthday. Maybe it's part of a grand scheme for me to keep those memory cells vacant for something else or for remembering someone else's birth date. hmm. Anyway, I declared tomorrow a calorie free day so I can induldge from the dessert bar in honor of these three birthdays. Maybe I'll be wild and crazy and have three desserts. I'll survive, I'm sure it's been done before. To add to the cheer Chris said, "near beer for everyone and all other drinks are on me." They have cans of near beer or non-alcoholic beer in the DFACs here and, of course, no drinks, so Chris' offer was a generous one. I remember spending my birthday in Iraq last year...waking up on a cot with what I thought was appendicitis. It wasn't the greatest birthday by far, but I'll never forget it.
We worked inside a building today that is referred to as "the juicer" because it has a spiral staircase in the foyer to get to the second level. I suppose the spiral shape makes it look like an orange juicer to some people. This isn't just any old spiral staircase, either. The ceilings are very high ceilings covered in intricate cast plaster reliefs that are painted and then dotted with numerous sizes of chandeliers. The walls and floors are white marble slab. The actual stair treads are made out of about 7-foot long planks of inlaid wood. They are quite nice, but not as impressive after you read a sign at the bottom of the stairs that says "385 lbs maximum per tread." I found myself doing some quick math to ensure the stair would hold as we walked up. Like every man I've ever met, and much to my dismay, my coworker decided to stand on one and lightly jump up and down to "see how well it holds." I don't understand why guys need to challenge everything...."Oh yeah, let's see how thick the ice is on this frozen lake...let's see how much of this 32 oz steak I can eat...let's see how long I can wear my jeans before they look dirty to me." Back to the stairs....the stairs led to a circular balcony around the staircase. Apparently the building used to be a villa or small palace to one of Saddam's cronies. Now it has cubicles in every nook and crannie so it just functions as an office space. Needless to say, the cubicle panel walls don't match the ornate brass faucets on the porcelain sinks. What a clash of worlds.
One of the highlights for the day was on my way back to the tent this evening. I was given a tip that there may be some toilet trailers behind the 10-foot tall concrete t-walls near the tent. Sure enough, the tip was reliable and I found a trailer full of women's bathroom stalls. This means I get to go to the bathroom without having to use my flashlight and it's even in a heated trailer. WOO HOO. There are many simple pleasures around here...I'll take them when I can!
Other than that, there wasn't too much to report today. Maybe it's just that this is my third time here so stuff does not stand out as much as it initially did, or maybe it's just that I was tired. We'll see what tomorrow brings; hopefully it will be be birthday celebration dessert for breakfast lunch and dinner. I heard it's calorie free.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
I wonder what Iraq will be like in 2008
Well, here I am back in Baghdad almost exactly one year after the first time I was here. My first night here I remember hearing alarms in the middle of the night. Let’s hope tonight isn’t a repeat of that. I’m in a 12-person tent like last year...not the same tent as last year, but pretty much. It’s in the same tent city. The plywood floor tent contains the expected dusty mattresses on top of the cots. I can hear the loud roaring of the generator sitting right next to the tent. It’s not that bad. At least we have heating and air conditioning units inside. We have electricity. We have mattresses on the cots...cots are not that comfortable to sleep on without the mattress. There is wireless connectivity. Think about that one...there is a wireless box hanging from a zip tie at the top of the ceiling of the tent and you are reading this because I wrote it from my cot in my tent. Technology is crazy and apparently cheaper than porcelain thrones...read more below.
The bathrooms are in a different location, though. I went and checked out the shower trailer and it looked pretty nice. It actually looked kind of new, which I figured from the gleaming stainless steel sinks and the bright white shower curtains on the stalls. The rules of engagement (3-5 minute military showers to conserve water) still apply. The toilets...well, that situation is also the same as last year. We have port-a-potties or port-a-johns or port-a-lets. Whatever nomenclature you prefer, that’s what we have sitting in a row right in front of the shower trailers. I decided I couldn’t avoid it so I went ahead and tried it out. It was just like I remember: open the plastic door, close the latch, fumble through the pitch black to turn on the flashlight, don’t dare touch anything with bare skin, complete, exit, then pump the hand sanitizer dispenser a good 3 pumps to completely kill anything that may have come in contact with your hands.
I have just one roommate in the tent. This is her first time here and she is a bit surprised at how much she will have to “rough it” while here. I kind of felt bad because I get to leave in a few days and she will be here for at least a few weeks. I’ve been giving her advice and pointers all evening. This kind of environment encourages you to share all your lessons learned, your recommendations and tips to make it easier to get through. For instance, I made sure to tell her not to shower without flip flops; to use a blow dryer instead of letting hair air dry to avoid dusty, crunchy hair; to wear boots instead of sneakers, to wear your clothes as much as you can without washing so you don't have to wait for the 3-day laundry turnaround, etc. Now that I read that last bit back about the clothes wearing I realize I must turn into a different being over here because I would never do that back home. Strange, I know, but some of you reading know what I mean.
We went to midnight chow and sampled the variety of foods they serve at that hour of the night. They don’t have the full hot line or the stir fry, but they did have hamburgers, ravioli, mac and cheese, collards, along with the full salad bar, breakfast foods, and dessert bar. It's actually a really weird combination of food. This is clearly evidenced by the chocolate pudding sitting about 1 inch away from the nacho cheese sauce in the salad bar. It’s so easy to gain weight here: it’s all you can eat for 4 meal periods per day. For some reason, the fact that you’re in Iraq somehow makes it almost like you deserve to have dessert every day...even for more than one meal...simple pleasures and comforts of home, I guess.
We’ll see what tomorrow brings. I know it brings only 4.75 hours of sleep if I fall asleep in the next 2 minutes. Hopefully tomorrow will also bring a large double latte from the Green Bean here. (For those of you who are not familiar...the Green Bean can provide sanity and happiness over here. In it's liquid form, sanity and happiness are called lattes, I think.)
The bathrooms are in a different location, though. I went and checked out the shower trailer and it looked pretty nice. It actually looked kind of new, which I figured from the gleaming stainless steel sinks and the bright white shower curtains on the stalls. The rules of engagement (3-5 minute military showers to conserve water) still apply. The toilets...well, that situation is also the same as last year. We have port-a-potties or port-a-johns or port-a-lets. Whatever nomenclature you prefer, that’s what we have sitting in a row right in front of the shower trailers. I decided I couldn’t avoid it so I went ahead and tried it out. It was just like I remember: open the plastic door, close the latch, fumble through the pitch black to turn on the flashlight, don’t dare touch anything with bare skin, complete, exit, then pump the hand sanitizer dispenser a good 3 pumps to completely kill anything that may have come in contact with your hands.
I have just one roommate in the tent. This is her first time here and she is a bit surprised at how much she will have to “rough it” while here. I kind of felt bad because I get to leave in a few days and she will be here for at least a few weeks. I’ve been giving her advice and pointers all evening. This kind of environment encourages you to share all your lessons learned, your recommendations and tips to make it easier to get through. For instance, I made sure to tell her not to shower without flip flops; to use a blow dryer instead of letting hair air dry to avoid dusty, crunchy hair; to wear boots instead of sneakers, to wear your clothes as much as you can without washing so you don't have to wait for the 3-day laundry turnaround, etc. Now that I read that last bit back about the clothes wearing I realize I must turn into a different being over here because I would never do that back home. Strange, I know, but some of you reading know what I mean.
We went to midnight chow and sampled the variety of foods they serve at that hour of the night. They don’t have the full hot line or the stir fry, but they did have hamburgers, ravioli, mac and cheese, collards, along with the full salad bar, breakfast foods, and dessert bar. It's actually a really weird combination of food. This is clearly evidenced by the chocolate pudding sitting about 1 inch away from the nacho cheese sauce in the salad bar. It’s so easy to gain weight here: it’s all you can eat for 4 meal periods per day. For some reason, the fact that you’re in Iraq somehow makes it almost like you deserve to have dessert every day...even for more than one meal...simple pleasures and comforts of home, I guess.
We’ll see what tomorrow brings. I know it brings only 4.75 hours of sleep if I fall asleep in the next 2 minutes. Hopefully tomorrow will also bring a large double latte from the Green Bean here. (For those of you who are not familiar...the Green Bean can provide sanity and happiness over here. In it's liquid form, sanity and happiness are called lattes, I think.)
Friday, November 9, 2007
Early October Adventures
In early October I got to go to Washington D.C and to Virginia. I LOOOVE D.C. There is an incredible energy there and I just love the fact that everyone looks so important. Here's me in front of the State Department...maybe I'll work here one day!
My boss, my coworker and I took an afternoon to 
tour around Williamsburg. 
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