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.