We've been doing well, continuing to wrap up and get ready for our replacements. I'm told they're in Kuwait already. Hopefully we'll finish up the last of the trench today, and that will be the last of our big projects.
The remedial PT group has been working out diligently, but it's definitely not a hard workout. Maybe a couple days a week are really difficult, then after that we play volleyball and go to the pool. We have been running in the 5k races that are held on base. It seems there's a 5k every couple of weeks. I hadn't run in any until I was forced to do it, but they're actually kind of fun. I'm not out for any particular time, so I just run at a nice, easy pace, sweating with the people around me. I've been coming in at just over 31 minutes, so that's not bad, considering I don't enjoy running.
Speaking of sweating, the temperature is definitely rising out here. According to Weather Underground, the average high last week was 105° F. I can definitely feel the difference. All I can say is, thank god for air conditioning. I can't imagine what the first waves of troops out here did to survive.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Home Stretch
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Back to Business
I've been getting back to the grind again here in Iraq. Things around the office are pretty quiet; for most offices, it seems that if any major projects are left, they're either being finished now or being handed over to our replacements. In the coming months, we'll have to focus on packing our equipment and passing the torch. As one of the last big projects for our office, I was out with the guys finishing a trench for a new run of fiber optic cable. I was pretty well sunburned after only a couple of hours. I guess it's time to try and get a tan, if I want to get one. We do have an outdoor pool on base, but I haven't visited it yet.
Just before going on leave, I failed a PT test, so I've been working out every morning this week. It hasn't been horribly heavy, but I'm still sore, mostly because I'm out of practice. I thought about doing push-ups while I was home, and then I'd usually get a little comfier on the couch.
I've been putting more thought into my brilliant return to life, and to that end I've been doing a little job searching. Hopefully I can find an IT help desk job on campus; I have some good contacts that could help. Otherwise, it's back to bus driving. It was actually a really fun job, with great people. I'd go back in a heartbeat. Besides a job, I've also been looking into buying a new car. I have another sedan in mind to replace my 1989 Honda Civic. This time I might set my sights a bit higher with VW Jetta or Honda Accord. Of course, since Ashely's minivan has basically been pronounced deadlined, I may have to adjust my plans.
Just before going on leave, I failed a PT test, so I've been working out every morning this week. It hasn't been horribly heavy, but I'm still sore, mostly because I'm out of practice. I thought about doing push-ups while I was home, and then I'd usually get a little comfier on the couch.
I've been putting more thought into my brilliant return to life, and to that end I've been doing a little job searching. Hopefully I can find an IT help desk job on campus; I have some good contacts that could help. Otherwise, it's back to bus driving. It was actually a really fun job, with great people. I'd go back in a heartbeat. Besides a job, I've also been looking into buying a new car. I have another sedan in mind to replace my 1989 Honda Civic. This time I might set my sights a bit higher with VW Jetta or Honda Accord. Of course, since Ashely's minivan has basically been pronounced deadlined, I may have to adjust my plans.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Back to the Desert
As I write, I'm sitting in Kuwait again, on my way back to Iraq. I had an excellent two weeks of leave; it was nothing short of amazing. It's not like I did anything way beyond normal. What made this visit amazing was the simple pleasures of seeing the people I love, and doing what I wanted to do, and going where I wanted to go. I had very little planned more than a day ahead of time, and that's exactly how I wanted it.
On our first anniversary, Ashley and I went to Mass together, and then joined her aunt Carol and uncle Greg for the tail end of a seminar on the Shroud of Turin. Very interesting. After that, the four of us went to lunch and had a great time catching up. Ashley and I had planned on going to dinner and a movie possibly, but that plan was pushed to the wayside. I started tinkering with my computer, and Ashley curled up on the bed, and after a while I decided to join her for a short nap. When we woke up, it was 6am the next morning! So much for living up our anniversary. But to make up for it, we stretched out the rest of our anniversary plans over the next week.
The next big event was the next weekend, for Kelly's wedding. We picked up Jackie at the airport at 2:30am, after a 3 hour delay, and then then had to wait for a stuck bag on the carousel. The next day (or rather that afternoon), we packed up our overnight bags, dresses, suits, curling irons, snacks, frozen meals, and ourselves into two large vehicles to get up to Allenspark. After the rehearsal, it took the bride's side about an hour of wandering around Estes Park to find the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. But overall, it was a good time. I stayed the night with the bridesmaids in a cabin in Estes Park. On the way down the mountain for a food run, I nearly crashed into an elk, but very luckily avoided an accident. How would that look? I survive eight months in Iraq just to be killed by an elk on leave!
The next morning was a rather frantic rush to get everything out of the cabin and to the event lodge. Since I wasn't part of the bridal party, I mostly stayed around the bridesmaids during their prep. I guess you could've called me a "bride's man." I ran to get things out of the car, carried boxes, got the decorations to the event staff, and all manner of small tasks. I also tried my hand at steaming dresses, and did a fair job at that. We had a few tense moments, but in the end things worked out very well. We had the ceremony in the outdoor amphitheater, with the snow falling and the bridesmaids barely containing their shivering. Despite the cold, it was absolutely beautiful. The reception was great, and Ashley gave Kelly a very sentimental and heartwarming toast. Kelly and Will, all the best to you and your new lives together!
The rest of my leave was spent visiting family and friends. We had a gathering of my dad's family at the Blue Parrot, a family favorite, and it was great to see everyone there. I spent several evenings at Holly and Chris' house, and that's always a great time. In the last few days, the weather was nice enough to do some yard work and gardening, which was actually nice to do for a change. I can finally appreciate how nice the soil is in Colorado when I compare it to what I've experienced in the Middle East.
Going back to the airport was hard, but the woman at the ticket counter was nice enough to give Ashley and Marcy concourse passes so they could see me to the gate. It was nice to have them there. Ashley and I were both sad, but we know it's such a short time until I'm finally home. The flights have been fairly painless. I've been waiting here in Kuwait a little longer than I would like, but we're supposed to get a flight out this morning. I had a really excellent leave, and I'll be looking forward to demobilizing in a couple of months!
On our first anniversary, Ashley and I went to Mass together, and then joined her aunt Carol and uncle Greg for the tail end of a seminar on the Shroud of Turin. Very interesting. After that, the four of us went to lunch and had a great time catching up. Ashley and I had planned on going to dinner and a movie possibly, but that plan was pushed to the wayside. I started tinkering with my computer, and Ashley curled up on the bed, and after a while I decided to join her for a short nap. When we woke up, it was 6am the next morning! So much for living up our anniversary. But to make up for it, we stretched out the rest of our anniversary plans over the next week.
The next big event was the next weekend, for Kelly's wedding. We picked up Jackie at the airport at 2:30am, after a 3 hour delay, and then then had to wait for a stuck bag on the carousel. The next day (or rather that afternoon), we packed up our overnight bags, dresses, suits, curling irons, snacks, frozen meals, and ourselves into two large vehicles to get up to Allenspark. After the rehearsal, it took the bride's side about an hour of wandering around Estes Park to find the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. But overall, it was a good time. I stayed the night with the bridesmaids in a cabin in Estes Park. On the way down the mountain for a food run, I nearly crashed into an elk, but very luckily avoided an accident. How would that look? I survive eight months in Iraq just to be killed by an elk on leave!
The next morning was a rather frantic rush to get everything out of the cabin and to the event lodge. Since I wasn't part of the bridal party, I mostly stayed around the bridesmaids during their prep. I guess you could've called me a "bride's man." I ran to get things out of the car, carried boxes, got the decorations to the event staff, and all manner of small tasks. I also tried my hand at steaming dresses, and did a fair job at that. We had a few tense moments, but in the end things worked out very well. We had the ceremony in the outdoor amphitheater, with the snow falling and the bridesmaids barely containing their shivering. Despite the cold, it was absolutely beautiful. The reception was great, and Ashley gave Kelly a very sentimental and heartwarming toast. Kelly and Will, all the best to you and your new lives together!
The rest of my leave was spent visiting family and friends. We had a gathering of my dad's family at the Blue Parrot, a family favorite, and it was great to see everyone there. I spent several evenings at Holly and Chris' house, and that's always a great time. In the last few days, the weather was nice enough to do some yard work and gardening, which was actually nice to do for a change. I can finally appreciate how nice the soil is in Colorado when I compare it to what I've experienced in the Middle East.
Going back to the airport was hard, but the woman at the ticket counter was nice enough to give Ashley and Marcy concourse passes so they could see me to the gate. It was nice to have them there. Ashley and I were both sad, but we know it's such a short time until I'm finally home. The flights have been fairly painless. I've been waiting here in Kuwait a little longer than I would like, but we're supposed to get a flight out this morning. I had a really excellent leave, and I'll be looking forward to demobilizing in a couple of months!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)