Oh, by the way... Today is the day we caught Saddam... A lot of people walking around with smiles and breathing just a little easier.

Well, our time over here is getting short. Each day that passes is one more day closer to home. Morale is starting to improve somewhat. Yes, I'm very excited to finally see home, but I think I've been over here so long that I will probably miss this place in some way. Perhaps I've just been over here so long I'm just becoming institutionalized. Either way, things are getting better, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter every day.

Wow, I think we're going to have to consider this the great flood of `03. Its been pretty consistent with the rain coming about every other day now. Just enough to make everything muddy as hell and flood our trailer, and last night we almost had water running into the door of our office. December is definately an interesting month out here.

*climbs up on roof and looks out into horizon* yep, I can see home out there, its getting closer...

December is officially here. Its turned cold, rainy, and nasty over here. Which I've found is rather nice compared to what this past summer was like. The end of our stay in the middle-east is growing very near. We all are starting to get very antsy and showing signs of "short-timers" syndrome. I've already started packing a few bags, straightening up a few things, just to make those final couple of days a cinch when it comes time to load up the trucks and get the duck out of fodge!

Another holiday has passed, seemed to be just another day to me over here. Had some decent turkey and ham and mashed potatoes and all the good stuff for dinner last night. I found that after only 4 hours of sleep, a good Thanksgiving dinner just doesn't have the same appeal as it normally would.

*Sigh* So for any of you who may not know, yes, today is my birthday. Over here it's just another day. I will go to bed in a couple hours and sleep away most of my day, then get up and come back to work as I always do. Same-ole routine as any other day, except now I'm apparently one year older. Oh well... I did get a wonderful package from my mother the other day, three big bags of her amazing chocolate chip cookies and one bag of those brownies that disappeared once my co-workers found out about them. I think my mother is also on a mission to make sure I spend as much time crying as possible with every email she sends me anymore. I think I may have to implement some form of email filtering to prevent this.
On a side note, I've determined that burning poo really irritates my eyes. I've almost gotten used to the horrid stench, but my eyes are burning and my nose is irritated almost all the time now.
Anyhoo, its almost 9am now, I've been trying to write this for the past two hours or so, being constantly interrupted by inane chatter from our civilians... I'm going to stop writing now since they are determined to break any form of concentration I ever had.

Wow, so its been a while since I've been back to update this. Weather over here is starting to get brutally cold. Yes it's probably only down in the 40's or so, but when you go from 140 degrees just a month ago, that drastic of a change warrants the use of the term "brutally cold."
No, still no word on when we're coming home, things are getting hopeful though. Just gotta train up a few of these civilian numbnutz's who want to spend more of their time arguing about what shift they're going to work and telling me stupid and inane stories of their previous jobs that I don't care about than actually learning their new jobs, then I can go home. Er, maybe not home, but it will be one step closer to home.
Sleep is starting to become more and more elusive again. I stared at the ceiling for several hours today, still looks the same as it did all the previous times I stared at it. Then got rudely woken up around 5pm (after I finally managed to doze off) by some billeting Nazi who barged on in and started barking commands at me like I actually cared or knew who he was. I promptly ignored this waste of skin and tried to get back to sleep, but no, I then resumed staring at the ceiling until it was time for work. Lovely huh?
Well, I should get this posted before Mr. Southern Church Preacher, and Mr. Thick New York Accent get back from eating to bombard me with stories that I don't care about.

Last night was a beautiful evening for eclipse watching. From what I had read in the news we weren't going to be able to view it over in this part of the world. But I stood outside for a few hours and watched the moon completely disappear, then slowly re-appear. Its not like I've never seen a lunar eclipse before, and I don't know why it is such an awe inspiring event. When you stop and think about what is really occurring, its nothing special, just a shadow, we all have shadows. Granted I was a little drunk at the time, so a dog taking a shit next to a tree would have probably been an awe inspiring and fascinating event.

Now for my venting... Sleep is about the only part of life I value over here anymore, its the only time I truly get to be alone and I don't have to see any of these people that I'm truly beginning to hate seeing every day. Well Saturday is the one day a week that I get to "sleep in" because my supposed shift doesn't start until midnight. Well, what day do you think my roommate decides to test the hinges on the door to our trailer every five minutes... and YES, they still squeak, horribly... so Saturday I got even less sleep than I normally do, and a half hearted apology. "Oh, did I wake you up?" "No, the constantly slamming door woke me up."
Then today (Sunday), they decided to make it "fall cleanup" so the very same person who decided that I didn't need to sleep yesterday, decided I didn't need to sleep today either. He would find one piece of trash, take it outside (letting the door slam on exit and entrance to the trailer), then he would find one more piece of trash, and this cycle would continue... Today I did not even get the half hearted apology. I got to listen to him whine about some bullshit that I don't care about anymore. I've been listening to this person whine since February from everything about how much of a burden it is to be as smart as him, to how he's been gone for so long, to how his big toe hurts, and I'm sick and fucking tired of listening to his fucking sob stories. I did feel sorry for him at first, but as soon as he opens his mouth anymore, I stop listening, because I don't care. That's all there is to it anymore... I don't care.

I keep getting emails and letters from people asking what I want and or need... I don't know how to respond. The things I want and need can't be provided in a box with a few stamps on it. All the necessities for life are provided over here, granted a few more toilets that actually FLUSH would be nice. But I have a place to sleep, food, and clothes... What more do I need out of life? Some friends would be nice... Don't have any of those over here, nobody to talk to. Oh well, I think I've already covered that topic a month or two ago. No sense in beating that dead horse, wont change anything. Its just difficult to tell people to send all these things that yes I do want to have out here, but I just have no way of transporting home whenever the time comes that I may get to visit the U.S. again.

Quote of the night: "It feels like I just got mauled by Jesus" - Aaron

Okay, after a day of fighting and struggling with my iBook, I emerge victorious. Why all of a sudden she wanted to be a pain in my ass, I do not know. Thankfully I was able to get through this ordeal with only minor data loss, which ended up being birthdays from my calendar, and all my precious bookmarks. Eh, oh well, I'm sure I will find other interesting websites to visit, and as I forget your birthdays you will all yell at me one by one allowing me to put those birthdays back into my calendar where they belong.
Discovered tonight that Zippy our office mouse is still alive and well. We were starting to worry for his safety. We have not seen him darting around the office in several weeks now. We were starting to wonder if Bubba (the office sewer rat) had been dining on Zippy or if other foul play had befallen the trusty Zippy. But never fear, he is still alive and well, hopefully he will stop back and visit again tomorrow night.

Yet another long night ahead of me... I think I woke up around 7:30pm today, then just kinda laid there in bed staring at the ceiling not wanting to get out of bed until about 9pm. Bed was so warm and comfy, I could tell that the world outside of bed was not warm and comfy, but cold and drafty. Then the dreaded urge to pee took over, and forced me out of my warm and comfy bed. After that there was really no point in trying to get comfy back in bed again... I was already "late" for work, but nobody really cared. I don't know if I have a set schedule, all I know is that I work when its dark outside, everyone else works when there is light outside. This system has worked well for quite some time, it minimizes the amount of time I have to spend dealing with stupid people.

Cold weather seems to be here to stay. It's definitely a nice change from the oppressive heat but I don't know if I have enough warm clothes if we're going to be here for a while yet.
Finally got my copy of Goldeneye in the mail last night. Which was good for keeping me occupied for one evening. Now I need to figure out what to do tomorrow night.... Any suggestions?
Oh well, hopefully a chance to sleep will come soon, I think I'm going to sleep in tonight until whenever I feel like getting up.

Day #2 of the great cloud invasion is here. Perhaps my luck will hold out and we will break the two day streak of luck from a couple of weeks ago and go a whole three days with some beautifully overcast skies.
COLD as ever last night too, my feet and hands are freezing again. Hands have returned to their whitish/bluish/purpleish that they are during the winter months back home. Granted I was told it was only down to the upper 50's lower 60's last night, but it sure felt colder than that.
Off to find something to occupy my time for a couple of hours before I decide to sleep again.

HOLY SHIT!!!! CLOUDS!!!! AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE!!!!!! I don't know what to do!!!! Now if we could just manage to squeeze a little rain out of these clouds I would be one happy camper!
Oh well, I should shut my mouth and be happy with what I have. Hopefully we can at least keep these clouds around for a few days...

I've been sitting here just staring at the wall for quite a while now, I didn't realize it was almost 5:30am. I can't wait to go to sleep this morning. I've been sleeping pretty well lately, but I find that is the only time I get to be alone anymore.
More rumors are circulating about when we're going to be going home. I learned a long time ago not to listen to, or at least not to get my hopes up, about these "rumors" because the dates will invariably get pushed back because something new will spring up, as ALWAYS happens. I still remember the days when we were supposed to be home in August. I could have caught some of the monsoon season in AZ, which from what I heard was pretty good this year.
I'm not really looking forward to moving back into the barracks either. You can be damned sure that if someone comes pounding on my door after work is over with for the day, I will NOT be answering it. If they think it is that important for me to pick up after some other grown adult, they can call my cell phone (which will remain an Illinois number, so I hope they don't mind the long distance charges, and getting my voicemail.)
Oh well, such is life...

My father's birthday is arriving quickly. Trying to find birthday gifts for parents is never an easy thing to do. Especially now that since my shopping choices are rather limited. But I believe I was able to find something he will like (and hopefully it will arrive before his birthday!)
I received another email today from the documentary folk. It will probably be 2004 before they start production, so I still have some time to think about my "career" and exactly what I want to do before I make up my mind if I want to participate yet. As I've said before, there are so many things running through my head anymore, I need to take some serious time to sit down and try to figure out my life, where I want it to go, what I want to do with it. On the bright side, I think I have managed to decide where I want to go to college and what I want to major in. So hopefully I will be able to find some friends down in the Bloomington/Normal area who would be able to help me out in my weakest of subjects... The dreaded math... Whenever I manage to get there of course.

On a side note, the links to the right have been updated. James now has a fully functioning blog site again!

*Looks around* Yep, you'll all be happy to know that all the little green lights are still busily blinking away. You should see it in here without any of the lights turned on, its like Vegas with all these blinking lights. Another rather uneventful night down, who knows how many more to go. I just hope they stay at least somewhat uneventful.

I actually had trouble staying awake tonight. I could feel myself starting to drift off to sleep as I was trying to watch Goldfinger. Managed to make it through the whole movie without falling asleep, which is of course a good thing. I think I'm going to skip going to the gym this morning again and just try to get some decent sleep today. I haven't been sleeping all too well lately. So many things on my mind I end up tossing and turning all day long. One of these days I'll get some peace and quiet so that I can actually think about things again.
Nothing more to write about today, perhaps tomorrow? We'll see...

There are days that I do get suprises over here. I was walking back from breakfast and strutting along the bank of our little "pond" here was a white long-necked crane. This is definately something I never thought I would see in the middle of the desert. Quite a beautiful bird, just walking along looking at the murky water. I couldn't help but laugh to myself, such a gorgeous creature looking so out of place. Granted I'm sure thats how a lot of the people see us... Looking very out of place over here...

Aaahhh, sleep... Who needs it? This is LAUNDRY DAY! YAH FOR LAUNDRY DAY!! So yea, I'm sitting here fighting off the demons of sleep so that I can retrieve my laundry from the dryer in a little over an hour. I know if I don't stay up, I will have relatively little luck of ever finding my clothes again.
Last night was a night where anything that could possibly go wrong, most definitely did. We were at a dead run fixing everything all night for 12 hours or more, we'd fix one thing, something else would break, it was endless. So right now I'm exhausted as all hell and all I want to do is sleep... But then reality set in... I have no more clean underwear... uh oh...
One good thing last night. I got a package from my parents. Wow, if I thought Mom's cookies were good, these brownies just blew the cookies out of the water. It definitely did not take long for word to spread throughout the company about the brownies. I had to take extra precautions on hiding them this morning before I left the office. If I come back in tonight and find that someone went and found and ate the last few that I have left, I will be royally pissed off, and someone will end up with some broken knee caps.
*sigh* off to check on the laundry...

Rainy season seems to be in full force this year. TWO, count them TWO whole overcast days, I'm in HEAVEN. I believe that just yesterday morning we might have acculuminated a whole 6 or 7 drops of rain. A torrential downpour like that again could wipe this place clean off the map! I think I'm going to get started on my own Ark just in case. Can anyone send over a few nails? Maybe a little plywood?
Just looked outside, looks like my streak of goodluck with the overcast days has ended, the sun is shining down just as bright as always. Definitely one thing I hate about the desert, whether its in the Middle East or Southern Arizona, way too much sun and not enough cloudcover.
Well, I just might see about going and trying to get some sleep sometime today. I think I'm going to skip the gym this morning, I need a day off. Actually I need a week or four off, but who's counting?

Okay, its been a few days. Nothing has happened in the past few days of any importance. Suprised? Probably not...
Finally have some internet access down in the sleep trailer, so I can spend even more time online than I already do. I used it this morning, it was nice to be able to sit and chat with a couple of friends from bed. Oh how I miss the good ole days. I don't know if being able to have this kind of access to my friends back home is really a good thing or a bad thing. I love them all so much, and love talking to them, but I don't know if it's just going to show me every day what I'm missing out on. The most I can do is try to live vicariously through them, but even thats becoming more and more difficult.
Got bored and went on a slight cleaning rampage tonight. Went so far as to dig out the good ole air compressor. The servers look happier now, wish I could say the same for myself. Perhaps I'll find the mop and give the floor a once over... Maybe not... Don't think I'm that motivated tonight. Plus not like it would make a difference, out here in 5 minutes there would be just as much sand and grime on the floor as when I started. So why needlessly expend energy? I've done enough for one night, someone else can take care of the rest.

Got an email tonight from a friend who I haven't talked to in quite a while. Always nice to get those.
Well, trying to do any meaningful writing now is pointless... Everyone has come into work for the day, and the average IQ in the room has dropped to about that of the floor tile... Witless insults are being thrown around like candy at a parade, and then there is my biggest pet peeve of them all... everyone who walks by me stops looks over my shoulder and starts to read what I have on my screen.
So yea... uuuhhh.... I guess I'll make another attempt at this tomorrow (maybe).

Writers block has me by the throat tonight. I've been sitting here for the past hour staring at this blank screen trying to figure out what to put down here. There is nothing worthy of writing about. I went to sleep, got woken up a couple times, took a shower, then came to work. Its the same dull boring routine I go through almost every day over here.
On the bright side I did somehow manage to make my digital camera work again. It was still acting like it was taking pictures, so I thought I would try connecting it to my computer to see if it actually was. Low and behold the new pictures were in there. I disconnected the camera from the computer and magically the LCD screen was working again just as it's supposed to. This little Apple has some kind of magical powers to cast the demons from small portable electronic devices, that must be it, it's the ONLY explanation! (again, my use of sarcasm for those of you unfamiliar with it).
The music I'm listening to right now (a nice mix of jazz and house) is really making me long for a cigarette and a nice cup of exotic coffee, coupled with the right atmosphere, people, and interesting conversation, I would be set! But I can't get any of those over here. Especially the interesting conversation. I know what these people are going to say before they do anymore, and it's the same mindless dribble over and over again.
Well, another night almost over with, sun should be coming up within the hour.

Whelp, the sun came up a couple hours ago. Sounds like the Cubs won another game. Hopefully their luck will hold up this year. One of these days I'll make it to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. I've never been a huge sports fan, but Wrigley Field and Chicago in general have always had a certian place in my heart. I can't explain it...
Not much is happening in the Middle East as usual (for me anyway, I'm sure there is plenty going on that I am unaware of). From what I've been told we are entering the "rainy" season. Funny, doesn't seem that much different than the blazing sun of summertime. I do remember it raining up here ONCE, and the only thing that happened was some nasty wet mud fell from the sky for about 5 minutes. Still it would be nice to see some rain again. I'm sure by the time I get home, I will be able to play in the snow. Or at least try to remember how to drive my car in the snow, but I think thats like riding a bicycle, you never forget how.
I found a HILARIOUS picture of Vice President Dick Cheney on CNN's website last night. I really want to find a copy of PhotoShop now because it would be PERFECT for lazer beams to be coming out of his eyes, maybe even a little foam dribbling out the side of his mouth. Yes... YES... Lazer beams and foam.... *mind wanders off* oh, HEY, how's it going? Yes, I'm back now.
I read the story on Vice President Cheney's speech about his mythical "singal day of horror." Who does he think he's kidding? Yes some of his ideas are POSSIBLE, it is also POSSIBLE that I will be abducted by aliens and taken to their leader to be the ambasador for Earth. But that is highly unlikely. Needless to say I've been over here for this long and even I am starting to critisize this war. Oh I still think the people of Iraq will be FAR better off now that Sadam is gone, but the justification for the war just isn't there. Is the U.S. going to make it a habbit to brutally "reform" every government on the planet in its own image? Sounds like someone has a God complex if you ask me.
Okay, I promise I'm done rambling now. Going to see about leaving soon, need sleep, need shower, need time to just be alone... so sick of looking at these same people all the time.

Well, the mood for today hasn't improoved much over yesterdays mood. Although I think I'm finding that the influence of certian people around me does make my mood worse. Oh well, not much longer here (said hopefully). I am really looking forward to getting home and just being able to sleep at NIGHT, and get a full nights sleep, uninterrupted, and restful. Maybe even do that a couple of days in a row... *GASP*
Hopefully tonight the addition of caffiene back into my diet will help my bad mood/depression as of late. While I was sick I was drinking nothing but orange juice, so I'm going to throw a little caffiene back into the mix and see if it helps at all.
Another boring night? Yep, looks like it. We'll find out to what extent when the sun come up.

I slept most of the day today, but yet I'm in one of those overly fatigued blah/depressed moods where nothing seems to matter. I've spent about an hour or so already trying to remember the last time over here I was actually happy, and I can't seem to recall. I don't know if there has been a time when I was happy being over here. I am still strugging with the questions of what makes the United States so much different from the rest of the world. One of my friends tried to assure me that corruption and greed transcend international borders and you will find them everywhere, which yes I will agree with to a certian extent. But what is it that makes the US such a violent place? Many other industrialized nations share the same freedoms and rights as the US, they watch the same kinds of television, they are even allowed to carry firearms just as we are. Many of these countries even have a MORE DIVERSE population than the Unitde States. Why are they not killing eachother at the rate that we do in the US? What is it that sets us apart?
Oh well... does it really matter? Would anything really change? Probably not...

Will this damn cold never cease? It is getting better though. I just wish I knew which part of my head and chest it was going to attack from day to day so I could properly prepare for battle. One day I have snot running from my nose as freely as the Mississippi runs, the next I'm coughing so hard I feel like I'm going to pull a muscle (but my nose isn't drippy anymore!), and now I've got a headache that could stop a buffalo in its tracks. I wonder what tomorrow will bring... But hey, looking on the bright side, still no drippy nose (can amost breathe normally), and the coughing is already starting to subside.
Aside from that all is peachy, minus the construction they've decided to do to the roofs of our trailers during the day. I certianly hope that is over with. The past two days I've managed to get a total of 15-20 minutes of consecutive sleep (while the haji were on their group smoke break). All the pounding, and drilling, and sawing above my head all day long is driving me nuts, but I think they have our roof finished. On to the next trailer for them, hopefully there aren't any more night-shift people for them to keep up during the day.
Well, enough of my bitching, time to find something else to keep me occupied for a while.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Oh my, lump in the bed
How I've missed you.
Roses are redder
Bluer am I
Seeing you kissed by that charming French guy.
The dogs and the cat, they missed you too
Barney's still mad you dropped him, he ate your shoe
The distance, my dear, has been such a barrier
Next time you want an adventure, just land on a carrier.

Written for First Lady Laura Bush by President George W Bush
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uuummmm, wow.... I've read poems written by 3rd graders with more depth. This makes me sad. Yes it was a LOVELY gesture for his wife who had been away traveling around the world. But posting this on CNNs website only goes to reaffirm the rest of the worlds knowledge that we are being led by an idiot. After foreign leaders read this triffle of a poem how can we expect them to be able to take our President seriously?

Okay, remember what I said just the other day about movies that make you think? Well, I just watched one, and yes it most definately did make me think. It was a documentary, I know many of my friends have already seen it and use it as a basis to chastize me for my current career choice. I can understand their viewpoint when based on that movie. I made this career choice on my own, knowing full well what I would most likely have to do and where I would go. This choice is also giving me the opportunities I probably would have never had before. So yes, I have a lot of things weighing on my mind this morning. Perhaps one of these days I will be able to find some peace and quiet to try to sort out all of these thoughts and decide what I want to do with my life, maybe not plan out the rest of my life, but make some adjustments, re-direct some priorities. I don't know, it will take time, perhaps months, maybe years...

Yeah, okay, I haven't been as good about writing on a regular basis as I had hoped I would be. But when there isn't anything going on, its difficult to find things to write about. Any of you who chat with me throughout my night/your day should know that things of any importance rarely happen over here.
I did receive a package from my parents today, filled with junk food and a couple DVD's. Dr. No, and Die Another Day. The two best men to portray James Bond ever. I still am torn as to who was better. Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnin, I think that's a debate that will never be settled. Of course you cannot forget the contributions of Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and yes, even George Lazenby. But none of them have the style, wit, and the sophistication that Sean and Pierce brought to the role of 007. So yea, I'm another one of those crazy 007 fans, so sue me. I watch movies to be entertained, they don't always have to teach me a history lesson, hell they don't even need to make me think. Especially out here I love a good movie that can just make me forget where I'm at for a couple hours and just be completely entertained by what's going on on the screen.
Ok, that's enough of my babbling for tonight, I THINK it's almost time for midnight-chow.

What a boring week. I wish I had something interesting to write about, but there is just nothing worthy. One of my friends burned a stack of music CD's for me and sent them over this week. I am very much looking forward to getting those. Most of the people I work with on a day-to-day basis listen to nothing but rap and R&B which I have learned to deal with, but after a while it gets very old and I unfortunately did not have a lot of room to pack my music collection to bring it with me. Still not sure how I'm going to get all this stuff back with me, but I'll worry about that when the time comes. I'm hoping that time will be before the holidays, but I am not holding my breath on anything at this point. So long as I don't have to spend more than a year over here I guess I will be happy.

This morning was promotion time for yours-truly. I have officially abandoned the world of Privates, and am now a Specialist. I feel taller already (for those of you who do not know my sarcasm, that was a perfect example of it). I was rather disapointed that my promotion did not happen sooner. There are a few people from my team who left within the past few days who I would have liked to have been there. It was also rather hurried this morning, so much so that I forgot to have someone take pictures for me. I know how much my parents and even some of my friends would have liked to see those. Too late now, they'll just have to look through old pictures and compare my collar to see what has changed.

Paperwork concerning the iBook I purchased off ebay that never arrived got here today (the paperwork got here that is, not the iBook itself). I got the forms all filled out and ready to get sent back. I'm still disapointed that the computer never found its way to me, but hopefully I will be able to at least get my money back.

Thats all for now, going to wander off to "midnight chow" and see if they have hamburgers, or hot dogs, or something that looks like Dextor barfed up in the bathtub.

Don't EVER get into the gun-control debate with a close friend. For that matter, don't talk about abortion, religion, homosexuality, race relations, or anything else that might be slightly controversial. It makes life so much easier if you just sit around and stare at one another in complete silence.

Quote of the night: "I like puddin... but not in a sexual way." - Larry

A package arrived for me last night. Low and behold it was the jeans and khaki cargo pants I ordered from American Eagle. I can finally wear some civilian clothes on the weekends and feel at least somewhat human. The one pair of jeans I did have out here, I managed to rip a HUGE hole in the knee. Then... the next time I put them on, I made the hole even bigger.
The past few nights around here have been un-eventful as always. Our virus hunting practice has started to taper off a little. I swear, Microsoft is causing so much havoc for us. Every time we turn around, wham, we're getting hit with another big hole in their OS and more virus' exploiting it. I think we need a team of people over here just to hunt down and kill off all these damn computer virus'.
All in all its a fairly boring routine I've gotten into, which doesn't make for a lot of interesting writing. Its rather sad when a package from AE is the highlight of my day. All in all, I guess a boring routine over here is probably a good thing. I'd rather not have too much excitement, I just want to do my part over here, and then go home.

So two muffins were sitting in the oven.

The first muffin looks over and says "Damn, its getting hot in here."

The second muffin looks over in suprise and yells "Holyshit a talking muffin!"

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod aapepr, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Sopkoy huh?

Will the bad movies never cease??? Tonights feature was Son-in-Law. Which is as much as I'm going to say about the movie. Knowing who stars in it should tell you all you need to know.

Supposedly today we are having a "Cookout" which I will most likely sleep through again. I'm not overly disapointed. Many of you who know me probably know that I'm not a very social creature. Standing around eating hotdogs and hamburgers with the people I work with just does not sound like my idea of a great time.

I generally keep a broad seperation between "work" and "friends." This place is most definately WORK, therefore it's hard for me to relax and have a good time. I'm sure there are other circumstances meddling in that as well, but I wont go into those at this time. But I do have to say I've gotten to the point where I take great joy in the very small amount of time I get alone. I've been seeing these same people, day in and day out since February. These people are my co-workers, my bosses, my peers... Not my friends. Yes I get along with them, laugh and joke around, we even enjoy ourselves from time to time. At the same time, I do not have the connection with them that I have with the people back home. Again, perhaps I'm just letting a bad week at work get to me... Maybe I need to get some better sleep... Maybe I need a good stiff drink... Or maybe it's time to go home... Well, the last one definately wont happen for a while yet.

Anywhoo... No sense in worrying about something that cannot be changed. So up comes the sun on another day in the Middle East.

One bad movie deserves another??

Another review of a movie you should NOT watch. Dracula II. I must say I did like the scene where the large chested blonde bimbo woman tried to fly out of that second story window. Then after her dumbass friends buried her in the back yard she gets up, kills a cop and gets killed by the "priest." Pretty active for a dead blonde.
And of course, if you're going to suffer through the movie, you will laugh your ass off when the vampire bites the "bad guys" face off. I'm still trying to figure out who is the good guy in this movie. You know what? I don't care. I hope I never have to suffer through the punishment of watching that horrid movie again! What did I do to deserve this? Really now?

Another long night not quite over with. Yea, the sun is coming up, or I think it did that a few hours ago. I don't know, I've been locked away inside this building most of the night. As usual nothing of any importance going on around here.
I did receive an email from one of my teachers from High School. She is one of the few I keep in contact with. And I really think that because of her I've been able to accomplish so much of what I have done. I could go into detail in all the ways she's helped me, pushed me along, and helped bring out my talents when it comes to computers. But its been a long night and I don't feel like typing that much. I'm just glad that she's still there, making a difference for someone elses life now, helping them out.

Thats all I'm going to write for tonight... Gonna surf a little more internet, maybe a little more chat, then shower, then sleep (hopefully).

The next president of the United States:
We will have a half black, half mexican jewish lesbian as president. Her name will be Shaniqua Manuel Goldstein. She will wear tight wranger jeans, have a mullet, and lots of dangly kitty earrings. The presedential limousine will be replaced by the presedential pickup truck. She will also have a cute (not-so-petite) blonde, girly girlfriend named Hillary.

As usual, nothing of real interest to write about. I watched an absolutely horrible movie today. I should have listened to my father when he told me that the book was MUCH better than the movie. But did I listen? I just finished reading Starship Troopers, and its been years since I've seen the movie. Yes I remember the movie being horrible at the time, but I couldn't remember WHY it was so horrible. Well, I reminded myself why it was such a horrible movie. I still don't understand how that movie can get away with claiming to be based on the novel. It seems that whoever wrote the screenplay, did so from memory after reading the book in his High School english class 13 years ago.
So for those of you who have been unfortunate enough to see the movie Starship Troopers, please do not let that spoil the book. Take some time, sit down, and read a good book by Heinlien.

Ok, this will be my first post using my new iBook which has finally arrived. Some of you may know the saga of my iBook, first one bought off ebay. Never arrived. Most likely stolen in transit. Second one (this one) ordered directly from apple. Shipped, arrived. *yay*
So yea, I finally have something to help keep me occupied at night. So far, with the little time I have spent with my new laptop, I may just abandon the PC field and fall in love with Apple. But I will keep you updated as my time with my Apple progresses

I would like to appologize to any cricket lovers out there. For our friend the cricket.... is now a stain on the bottom of my boot. He was trying to be a sneaky little cricket, but I was able to outwit my opponent. As I entered the back room the cricket chirping ceased, I walked out of the room just past the doorway and he resumed his chriping. I stepped back into the room, and it ceased again. He was trying to hide from me. I had been able to narrow down which portion of the room I believed him to be residing. I grabbed our maglite, flipped it on and quickly started moving boxes out of the way. I located our little friend the cricket trying to escape and run behind even more boxes. I was able to stop him and feel his little exoskeleton give way under the pressure of my size 9 combat boot. Our little friend the cricket... is no more... as the old saying goes... "Silence is golden"

I will find the cricket... I will destroy the cricket... Victory will be mine...

Aaahhh, listening to Tom Sullivan sit in for Rush Limbaugh today. Its been a while since I've gotten to listen to some talk radio. I just wish I could find a site to stream Michael Savage, now that guy is HILARIOUS!

Got myself a full shower today!! *yay* But of course the generator for my trailer shut off again for a good half hour. Oh well, still managed to sleep. I get to take tomorrow off work. Still don't know what I'm going to do. There isn't anything for me to do when I'm AT work, now I have to find something to keep me occupied when I'm not at work. Maybe I'll sleep for 24 hours or so, that could be fun.

So yea, nothing really has happened around here. We had a stupid little meeting with First Sergeant this morning. He was all worried why nobody wants to go on MWR trips. LOL, next time I leave this place, I'm NEVER coming back. I'm not going to go to some nasty little run down country in the middle east, with an army camp on it somewhere just to sit and do NOTHING for four days only to have to come back to this hell hole and still wait around for that grand ole word "redeployment"

Quote of the day: "It doesn't matter if I've eaten Taco bell or not, wearing boxers soaked in rocket fuel is a bad idea." - Unknown

Alright, here goes nothing. I've seen these all over the place, have become addicted to reading about the adventures of many of my friends (and some people I've never heard of) so I figure it's time for me to start my own little publication.

No, my new iBook has not arrived yet. I'm becoming quite anxious. Working night shift over here becomes rather boring after the first 5 minutes or so. There is only so much web surfing to be done in one night until your brain starts to dribble out your ear. So hopefully my new iBook will arive within the next few days and it will a good distraction to keep me occupied for a week or two. Life over here has become so mundane and repetitive, I feel like I am living inside the move Groundhog Day. Staring at the same stacks of servers and routers day in and day out. Only managing to get back to the trailer to catch a few hours of sleep and maybe a shower. I almost completed a full shower today! Not 3 minutes into my shower, my face was covered in soap, and the next thing I hear is the generator shutting off. Not a good sound by any means. So there I am, alone, naked, the soap now starting to run down my face and into my eyes and all the water pressure is gone. So I stand there for about five minutes hoping that someone will just turn the damn generator back on. But no, I think they decided to rebuild the whole thing right there! So needless to say I did not get to have my shower. To make things even better once I dried off, got dressed and back to my trailer, I laid down and picked up my book and started to read. Next thing I hear is the generator for MY trailer shut off. (I was already pretty peeved at this point) So within 5 minutes that little tin can heats up pretty darn good. As usual, it took them a good 30-45 minutes to turn the damn thing back on. So obviously I was more than a little pissed at that point and no sense in me even trying to get to sleep when I'm that angry. So my roommate and I took it upon ourselves to apply fresh cardboard to the door, and re-tape all the cardboard over the windows. Its so much nicer in there now that its dark during the day, it allows me to get a "few" good hours of sleep every now and then.
So I woke up and came back to work... Staring at the same blinking servers as always. Midnight chow was a joke. More un-identifiable meat chunks and rice. But I'm sure breakfast will be here soon enough and now that they're no longer serving that damned "camel-bacon" and we have real turkey-bacon, breakfast is the highlight of my day (sad huh?)