Pack Mule

The last couple of weeks have been traveling weeks. It was my turn to head out west to Husaybah once again. The path to Husaybah went through Baghdad this time. I needed to go to Baghdad for several reasons. First of all I had a lot of broken stuff to drop off. Secondly I had to pick up some new gear and replacement parts for the broken stuff out in Husaybah. Lastly, and most importantly, I hadn’t been to salsa night in three months. I had a flight scheduled for Friday night which would have given me a full day to rest up for some intense dancing. Alas, my Friday night flight got pushed to Saturday and I arrived in Baghdad too late to dance the night away.

New Helium Filled Skateboard

The sign says welcome to Syria

Baghdad was just like I remembered it. There were a lot of new people, but other than that things were pretty much the same. It did seem a little more relaxed than the last time I was there. The petty bickering and backbiting was still in effect. The use of my time in Ramadi seems a lot more efficient than in Baghdad . In Baghdad you are sort of forced to come into work for 12 hours a day whether or not there is anything to do. The place I was staying in was a good distance from work so that would eat up a lot of time as well. It makes me appreciate what I have in Ramadi. I can see how running a business out of you home can be very appealing. There is nothing like waking up and being able to go to work in your pajamas if you feel like it. That is sort of how it is in Ramadi.

Can you geuss what the little white dots in the middle of the pasture are? Here is a hint: they are not snow cones.

I stayed in Baghdad for a few days and then started my trip out to Husaybah. The trip was a multi-legged one and the first stop was TQ. I finally got to meet Dion, the guy who I had babysat his site for while he was on vacation. It was neat to see all the guys from the bunker again. And yes, I did end up playing Halo and got my butt kicked. I flew out of TQ the next night and eventually made it to Al Qaim and then convoyed from there out to Husaybah. The last time I convoyed out I was in the back of a troop carrier and so couldn’t see any of the ‘scenery’. This time I got to ride in the back seat of a Humvee, and even though it was at night I was able to see a lot of the sights.

This weeks interactive portion. Post what you think and appropriate caption would be.

Sunset over Al Qaim

Thanks to my new folding cart I was able to carry a lot more equipment than usual. Many of our sites don’t have easy access to package delivery services. As a result, sometimes the technicians have to carry extra equipment with them when they travel to these sites. When I arrived in Al Qaim the phone on the flight line wasn’t working so I couldn’t call for a ride up to the barracks. I had to walk with my 150 plus pounds of equipment about a mile or so. Thank goodness I had my cart with me. There is no way I would have been able to carry all that stuff otherwise. I felt like a pack mule, but it could have been worse. On the way home I got to use my cart to help other people who had a lot more bags than they could carry by them selves. It is a blessing and a cursing all at once.

The supper handy dandy collapsable pack mule cart full of my stuff.

Four months down, eight more to go.

Welcome Back

The trip back to Ramadi was very hectic. I had all my gear packed in a big box with a little collapsible dolly cart to help me carry it around. It was very convenient, at first. I was the first in line to board the helicopter. I tried to roll my cart right up to ramp at the back of the helicopter when the wheels got stuck under the ramp. The crew chief helped me get it unstuck and onto the bird. When we arrived in Ramadi I pushed the box off the back of the bird and it popped open spilling my stuff onto the ground. I rushed to get everything back in the box and strapped down to the cart. As I was rolling away the box fell over and popped open again. Eventually I made it off the flight line with all my gear but missing a whole bunch of pride.

The Marines were there waiting to pick me up, which was nice. They took me back to where we work to check in. Upon arrival the first words I heard were “fix my S#&%!”. The equipment knew I was back and decided to start malfunctioning to mess with me. I tried calling the necessary people to get things working and all the numbers were busy. Then, one of my computer account passwords weren't working. I decided to take my gear back to my room. On the way there in the dark I rolled through a huge mud puddle. Welcome back to Ramadi.

Eventually I was able to get the system back up and running. It felt really good to fix something. I went to bed only to be woken up at 3am because another system had broke. Although TQ is a nicer place to live, I will take Ramadi any day of the week. The sense of accomplishment in getting something working is well worth the slightly poorer living conditions.

Yesterday we broke the 100 degree mark. I had no idea hot it actually was. I just knew that is was a little warmer than usual. I thought to myself that it must be finally getting into the upper 80's. Boy was I off. The high yesterday was 103 and the low was in the upper 80's. Now that I know how hot it really is I find myself being more conscious of it. I am sure the people who have lived through this heat for hundreds of years are a lot less concerned about it than I.

My skateboard was waiting for me when I got back. It has been fun messing around on the basketball court behind where we work. Now all I have to do scrounge enough wood to build a half pipe and I will be set.