SANTA'S NEAR

20DEC07. Thursday. Well I guess the mail rooms are swampped. I had to weave through a pile of boxes enroute to work today. I'm simply amazed at the amount of packages (and Size) that have already arrived! It's almost silly. But, a testimony at getting the goods around the world in a timely manner. The weather is pretty ugly, so everyone is kinda laying low. The USO Tour is tomorrow. I know I'm looking forward to it. My luck, it will be cancelled due to weather. We'll see. Talked with my buddy jim last night. Guess he's now a member of the Big "V" Club. Good thing we were not able to chat prior to the procedure. I think I could have talked him out of it. Well, gotta get back to the grindstone. All my Love. Doug

SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO

17-18DEC07. Monday-Tuesday. been kinda hectic for the last couple of days. work has been busy and nonstop. at the moment it's raining outside. makes for good sleeping weather. if you can get it. couple of surprises to contend with. found out i will leave around july 2008, a few months later than originally thought. the upside, i don't have to look for a job in feb. also got an email from the navy advancement office. guess there's some errors with my application which "may" make me ineligible for the selection board. i've done my best a fixing the errors from afar. we'll see what happens. either way, believe this will make next year's application a little easier. take care for now. doug
ps the uso has some folks here in the 21st. robin williams, lewis black and some others. hopefully, we will be able to see the show.

DARK & GLOOMY

16DEC07. Sunday. Well, got up today and was welcomed by a Dark and Gloomy day. Weather is really nasty up north. Will probably spend some time here for a few days then transit south. Did however, get caught up on some much needed sleep. There isn't really much going on until I get back to my final destination. So, until then I'm kinda in limbo. With very little laundry to pick and choose from. Will certainly update when time presents itself. Doug

THE FUN"S ALL OVER

15DEC07. Saturday. Well, the fun is all over. Jumped onto a C17 ever so early this morning. Traveled to Kuwait (the wrong direction), then to our duty location. Spent a couple of hours in Kuwait loading some containers and a truck. After reaching cruising alititude, I quickly found a spot on the deck and slept for a couple of hours. So, the flight went by pretty quickly for me. Will try to arrange some further transportation to get downrange where I belong. Still, was kinda nice to say hi to some collegues and get caught-up a little. Also intercepted a Package from Day with Candy inside. Thanks Dad! I'll keep it sealed until I reach my final destination. Goodness knows the vultures here will devour the goodies before I get a chance to spread them around. The Navy Command in New Orleans want me to provide a write-up for a Newsletter. The subject centers on my fellow reservists working here....Great, another opportunity to Excel! Well, that's the latest. I'm just burning time for a few hours. Then, Rack Time. As always, will update when I can. take Care for now. Doug

LAZY DAY

14DEC07. Friday. What a Lazy Day. Was unable to sign-up for any events yesterday. Was hoping the Golf was offered. Unfortunately, it was not. So, I decided to not set my alarm and sleep-in a little. After waking I went to the BX and did some eyecandy shopping. Didn't really get anything except some cigars. Oh, did I say I awoke at 1:00PM! I think that's a personal best for sleeping....Went to bed at 11:00PM. I still can't believe I slept that late. Still, I guess I was a little dragging to say the least. Stopped by the pool for a little while. Read a little of my book, did some power-burning, and generally did nothing but waste the time away. Unfortunately, there were no events for tomorrow as well. Drat! Well, that was my day in Qatar. Hope all is well with you. Will update when I can. Take Care for now. Doug

DHOW CRUISE

13DEC07. Thursday. Well, just got back from another great day on R&R. We got up bright and early, blasted off downtown to the Doha Port. There, we boarded a Dhow and set sail. Okay, we cranked up the engine and puttered around the bay. Sadly, the day went by way too fast. Still, was able to doff the shirt and long pants and enjoy the sun. The wind made for some light chop today. Still however, it beats the hell outta work!! Whereas some folks went into the water for a dip, the wind made for a chilly return. The lunch was Kabobs (again). I believe I'm just about kabobed-out. Qatar isn't that big, and the city of Doha has some very distinctive landmarks. So, it was pretty easy to figure out where you were in relation to the trip yesterday. Doug

CULTURAL SMULTURAL

12DEC07. Wednesday. Signed up for the only venue open today. The Cultural Tour; now renamed to the City Tour. Visited two Malls the Central City Mall and the Velachio. It was a little taste of home....just with burkas. Also stopped by the "old" and "gold" Soukes (read markets) and did lunch at an Iranian Restaurant. The amazing part of the trip is to understand how many folks here are atually from Qatar. Not too many. The remainder (myslef included) are impoprted from other countries under contract. In just about every service capacity there is someone from another country running the place. Case in point. Out Tour Service is manned by a guy from Pakistan driving the Bus, a guy from Sri Lanka as the Tour Guide, and the Iranian guy running the restaurant. The folks at the Malls were from the Phillipines. What a cultural smorgesborg. Qatar is hoping to be the host of the 2016 Olympic Games, so a lot of construction is underway. And, I mean a lot. I've included a few pictures to share as the typical american tourist. Doug

INLAND SEA PICNIC

11DEC07. Tuesday. Well, got up bright and early for a 4-wheel Drive over the dunes and picnic. The ride was kinda fun. However, I don't know that I place a lot of trust in the drivers. Blindly crashing over the dunes. I know we passed at least 10 vehicles coming the other way. Still, it was fun. Stopped enroute to see some Camels. Simply Fascinating animals. Okay, they are pretty typical for beasts of burden - Smelly and Loud. After arrival at a desolated beach, we played some volleyball, ate, then vegged-out. There were about 12 folks total. Really nice layout for the Picnic area. Only thing missing was beer and girls. Oh, well. Tomorrow will be a City Tour. We will stop-by a "State-of-the-Art" Post Office. I can hardly wait....... Can you tell this was the only venue open? Still, will see the finer things Doha has to offer. Well, understand the Packers won again. Go Packers! Also understand Pace lost by one point (after 4 overtimes!). Both games sound exciting. Well, will update again when I can. State of the art Post Office...Who-Hoo.

QATAR HERE I AM

10DEC07. Monday. Well, I finally made it to Doha, Qatar. After a grueling 5hr flight, sitting on a canvas seat in the back of a C-130. My arse was numb....Think it still is. This adventure, after leaving a dreary, rainy night in country. God Bless the military. The Hurry-up and wait. Man, we had to report everywhere at least 3hrs in advance to check-in and....wait. Makes me miss First-class travel. Still, made it here safely. Open-bay living with about 100 military all on R&R. What Fun. Signed-up for the In-land Picnic tomorrow. Looking forward to both that as well as my 3-beers tonight. I believe I'm spoiled with this high-speed internet. I almost forgot how nice using the net could be. On a seperate note, got a handful of emails from the unit with Holiday wishes. That was kinda nice of them. Well, I'm actually running outta things to say. Did get in some Driving Practice...just in case. All my best. Will update when I can. Doug

R&R TRAVEL DELAYED

8DEC07. Saturday. So, arrived at the Passenger Terminal at 0400Z only to be told to return at 1330Z. Cruised back to the Hootch and Crashed. Waited around the Passenger Terminal until 1930Z. After finally loading, getting a R&R Brief, and all the other BS that goes along. The Flight was Cancelled due to Weather over Doha. So, we get to do it all over again tomorrow. On the flip-side, it's another day off from work!! I'm taking it all instride. Of course the folks I'm travelling with are a little miffed. Conversely, I anticipate something will go astray, and thus, am not led into a false sense of security. So, I'll try to catch a movie and sych-up with my fellow travellers again....at 0300z. Hope all is well. Will try to write once I get to Doha. All my best. Doug

THE FUN BEGINS......ALMOST

7DEC07. Friday. Well, tonight I'm off to bounce around this beautiful country just to start R&R. Of course I just can't jump on a plane here and start. Noooo. Gotta Go "Check-In", get manifested, weigh baggage, etc. Still, on the upside, it adds another day to travel on either side of the R&R. So, I'm not complaining. Will be departing in a few hours and wanted to get a blog entry out while I had the time. Still busy as usual. Understand the kids High School is doing well in Football. Apparently they only have a few games to go til finals. So, Kristen and Shannon are following the Team around to each game. Looks like they're off to Neice for this weekend's game. If they suceed, off to Miami (I think). GO PATRIOTS! Take Care for Now. Will take lots of pictures for the Yearbook. Doug

1 DAY TIL R&R

6DEC07. Thursday. Well, got another day here until I start the adventre of R&R. will be welcome change to not do anything responsible for a few days. My only hope is the 4hr trip will take only 4hrs or so; Not the 27hrs it took last time. still. can't wait to frolik in the pool and sip on my 3 beers. wheeee. will update when i can. douig

2 DAYS TIL R&R

5DEC07. Wednesday. only 2 days until i go on R&R. but who's counting.....it must be close to christmas, why? I got a box of christmas stuff from my dear sister. I almost can't wait to go on a mission with a red stocking hat...i think i almost overdosed on all the candy. thanks sis. also, thank trev for the letter. we are certainly busy and i'm a bit fatigued. so, i'll close for now and update when i can. take care doug

snow in the forcast

3DEC07. Monday. Another fine overcast navy day. It's snowing just to the north of us. Brrrr. My good friend tom emailed me. was good to hear from him. really not a lot going on today (at the moment). but rest assured, that can (and will) change. I'm so looking forward to R&R in Qatar. goodness knows, just to get away for a little while and do....nothing. I have a few folks leaving soon. so, well get together for pizza and coke. well, got to check a couple of job boards. take care. doug

NAVY BEAT THE HELL OUTTA ARMY

1DEC07. Saturday. I've been beaten up by all the army pukes here. But, who has the last laugh. The score was something like 27-3 . Navy slaughtered the Army Football Team. Still it provided some lighthearted banter. Almost every other AFTRS Commercial had army beat navy. Lot of money and time wasted. Oh, well. The count down til R&R has started. I can't wait....I know I'll be busy. Still, I had to plan this thing months in advance. And, I'm going damn it. Well, I miss you guys. All my best. Go Patriots! - High School Team in Milton Florida...Doug