FRIDAY NITE LITES

24MAY07. Friday. What a day! My buddy and I signed-up on Standby for the "Water Sports" event. Again, jumped on a Dhow, put-putted out to the anchor point and splashed around in the water. Only difference, Jets Skis, Bananna Boat Rides, and Water Skis. That was a blast. Un fortunately, with the number of folks, each had about 5 mins per ride. Still, it beats the heck outta work. Midway through, we sat for another BBQ. Then resumed the water sports. All was great until a heavy-set girl broke her ankle on the Jet Ski. Then all Stopped. Ambulance was dispatched, people running around speaking several languages, the army staff freaking out. Apparently, this was the first time somthing like this has occurred. Anyway, all the water events are cancelled as I understand it. Good thing my buddy and I managed to get that out of our system. Still, what a blast. Got back and did some laundry - finally.

Our trips were arranged by these folks. Althought the advertising looks great, in reality the trips were a little rough around the edges. Still, beats work. http://www.qia-qatar.com/

http://www.qit-qatar.com/

3-BEER LIMIT

24MAY07. Thursday. Showed-up for the 0800AM Dhow Trip. That was pretty fun. We drove with abandon to downtown Doha. Boarded the Dhow, and put-putted at 5knots to our destination. The boat anchored. We swam in the ocean for awhile. Had a Shish-kabob lunch. Then headed home. The boat was pretty astounding. All handmade. Took plenty of pictures. The Gulf was Pretty Salty. The Crew were pleasant and helpful. Like a big party-boat without beer. Returned to the base intime to shower and go to the Iranian Restaurant. Had some Lamb, chicken, and beef. Also, smoked one of those water-pipes called a hooka. I had grape tobacco, Tom had apple. That was different. Off to our 3-beers. They track the beers electroncially through your ID Card. So, we chugged them and headed off to bed. Oh, those beers were the best I've had since I've been here. Will update when I can. Doug

TOUCHDOWN & WARDROBES

23MAY07. Thursday. After our in initial debrief, we were given rack assignments for our tents. Our tent is Tent 8, open bay racks. So, it's me and about 50 other guys racked out in this tent. The funny thing, the tent is one of six, each full. And, all tents are pitched inside this great big warehouse. Inside it's nice and cool (with AC), washer & dryer, showers, etc. And, there's nothing we have to do for four whole days. Initially, I was concerned the travel delay was eating into our four days. However, we found the "Clock" did not start until we walked through the door here. Tom and I have "Signed-up" to do this Dhow (boat) trip and eat at a nice restaurant. We'll see how that goes. Oh, the dress code here is civilian attire for off-base venues. Of course, the majority of folks here have only uniforms. So, the mad dash to the Post Exchange begins. Of course, it's not uncommon to see someone wearing the same shirt as you. I counted 5 guys with the same shirt as I. Only counted 2 with the same shirt as Tom. Also, to lounge around, they are pretty strict. The shirt you can wear has to be pretty plain. So, lots of guys are wearing whatever the Post Exchange has that's inexpensive. Also, there's a donation closet. I found two t-shirts that promote the locomotive. Tom's shirt promotes Amtrack. Someone must have dumped lots of LSU shirts. Saw plenty of those shirts yesterday. Well, will keep you posted. Doug

THE TRIP FROM HELL

22May07. Tuesday. What an interesting time to say the least. Got to the Airport at 4:30AM to "Show-up". After roll-call, they dismissed us for another 3 1/2 hours. After that, we waited another 3hrs for a flight on a C-130. Made the hour-long trip south only to have the plane breakdown. Oh, as we approached the airfield, we hit an airpocket. Dropped the aircraft ~400ft of altitude. We literally became airborne for a long 20 sec count. One of the pallets became dislodged (we had to tie it back to the aircraft), one of the aircrewmen and passanger were ejected from their seats. Quite a Ride. Told my buddy this was the second time it has ever occurred to me. And, it was either due to turbulance of evasive maneuvers from a missle. My money was on the weather. After finally landing, we waited, and waited, and waited. The C-130 was hard broke and not going anywhere. Reagrdless, a C-17 Cargo Plane was slated to land within 2hrs. All 50 or so folks decided to get manifested on that aircraft. That place was quite late (by about 3hrs). It landed, we boarded and into the air we went. We successfully landed in Doha, Qatar about 3hrs later. Total Travel time 20hrs. Gotta love the military.....

R&R TIME

21MAY07. Monday. Couple of interesting things happened last night. First, the Boss made us go to work 1 hour early. After reporting, we were forced to watch the movie “Team America.” A movie with puppets. Still, it was a welcome change from the norm. During the movie, I was told to resubmit my R&R Paperwork. Apparently, the forms I was provided were the Army forms. I needed to submit the Navy forms. I forecasted the R&R to start tomorrow. I’ll bet it will be slipped til next month. But you never know. Oh, and to just brighten the day, we were treated to some rockets. Which meant a couple of hours talking in a dark, damp bunker. Getting ready to watch a DVD before I sleep. Will update again tonight. Take Care. Doug
Wait a minute, the door just opened. My buddy has just informed me we depart at 0400Z tomorrow morning. Gotta Pack. Will try to take lots of pics. Doug

WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS

20MAY07. Sunday. Just finished watching “Walking Tall.” A remake of the original with starring The Rock and Johnny Knoxville. The movie was okay. Passed an hour before I crash. Oh, before I forget, thanks for the Package of Goodies Dad. The Crystal Light really goes a long way here. In addition, I was an immediate friend for the Twizzler candies. They were much appreciated. Thinks I’ll savor the Butterfinger for a while. Getting settled in our new “Building”. Made courtesy of the Seabees. It has the only running toilet and shower. Took a shower after PT. It leaked into the downstairs. Made for several hours of hilarity as they tried to figure how much damage the leaky shower caused. Lesson learned, ensure the shower is properly caulked. Well, seems we can no longer take a shower until it’s fixed. Still a nice potty tho. Take Care Will update when I can. Doug

CICAIDA RYTHUM

19MAY07. Saturday. Another fun-filled day in a foreign country. Met up with a friend from Fort Jackson. Was kinda neat to recognize a familiar face from the Army Training. We shot the breeze for a few minutes to catch-up from where we last saw each other – many months ago. Just finished watching the movie Paycheck (with Mel Gibson). Was good for about a hour prior to bedtime. The daily cycle I am currently on is from 9:00PM til 9:00AM Greenwich Mean Time (or from 1:30AM til 1:30PM Local). So, I’m just getting to sleep at about 5:30PM locally. Talk about a messed-up sleeping cycle. The saving grace is the fact everyone I work with is on the same clock. So, not only am I messed-up, but about a couple of hundred of folks are as well. Well, I’m getting sleepy. Will update when I can. Doug

VITAMIN C

18MAY07. Friday. Success. Was finally able to get onto the Internet last night. Was able to update the Blog (finally). Moreover, was able to chat with Terri for sometime. Got caught up on Summer Vacation (and the kids schedules). Was also able to get through my dad. Managed to get a little caught up on the events from his perspective. Oh, before I forget. Thanks for the Bug Spray. Seems to have killed (or deterred) the ants from my bed. Gonna miss my bunkmates tho. On a different topic, the medical staff have supplied us with 1000cc of Vitamin C. Needless to say, it’s a little late. Still, it’s the thought that counts. Obviously, I’m anxiously awaiting the R&R to Qatar. Can’t wait to get out of here for a couple of days. If you’ve been reading this, you know the routing. Gonna sign off for now, will update again. Take care. Doug

MOVING DAY III

17MAY07. Thursday. Will the pain ever end???? Just when I believe we are done moving, another storage shed is found. Feels like a Garage Sale gone bad. But we are finished moving all the tables, folding chairs, MREs, Weapons, Ammo, body armor, etc. Also getting pretty acclimated to the weather extremes. From a Hi of 99 degrees to a low of 40 degrees. Not too bad, yet. Starting to see some pretty interesting bugs come out at night. Most notable are the Big Beetles. Reminds me a little of an Island in the Indian Ocean. Well, it’s late for me. Gonna Cool Down for a little. Then Crash. I’ll try to get to a machine if possible tonight. Take Care Doug

MOVING DAY II

16MAY07. Wednesday. Well, finished pretty much the last of the move. Only a few things left. Just prior had some local nationals cook us some food. Pretty tasty stuff. Almost like Fajitas. Luckily, we had the cookout prior to the move. So, we were stuffed (in addition to lifting chairs and tables). Just after we moved indoors, it started to pour. I don’t mean little drops either. So, in the end, we were very lucky. As a side note, lots of people are leaving and packing their gear on pallets (for the airlift back to North Carolina). So, I know they were caught in the open. Well, I’ll have my day soon. Take Care. Will try to upload tonight. Doug

THE MOVERS ARE HERE

15MAY07. Tuesday. Got the word last night to move into a newly made facility. Courtesy of the Navy Seabees. Needless to say, it was a cluster. However, did manage to contribute several hours (after the traditional 12) to move stuff. Found a small hiding hole to put my working documents. I knew it had to be a good spot, because I found all kinds of extra staples, nails, and clamps. Somewhere dark and uninviting….The place is huge on its own, however, they have all of us cramped into a single room. That won’t last long. Well, I’ll update everyone with the progress. Oh, before I forget. Thanks to Kristen for the lovely note. I really appreciated the letter. Touches the Heart. Take Care for now. Doug

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

14MAY07. Monday. Well, Sunday was a blur. Reported to work. They demanded I return to the Hootch and get some Rest! Guess I musta looked like crap. Well, that’s what I felt like. Hit the Rack and slept for 6hrs. Got Up, then crashed again for another 8hrs. Guess the Crud finally found me. So, I’m on the rebound. Finally feel like a human again. Did manage to call Terri last night. Talked with her for a while. Sounded like they had a decent time at her brother’s house. Pool, Fun in the Sun, against the backdrop of a Pool and Cookout. Man, those are the days. Was able to update the Blog last night as well. Finally. Well, you know the routine. Will lay back, watch a flick, then crash. Doug

POSTAL

12MAY07. Saturday. Finally got over to the Post Office and mailed a Package to Ryan. Found a neat T-shirt that might fit him. It was simply too small for me. Also mailed my “Package” (for Advancement) to a friend to review. What a long and drawn-out process. Usually, the package would have taken about 5days or so. This one took a month or two (with my work schedule). Still haven’t heard anything about the R&R Pass. I think I’m almost over this darn bug. Feeling the after effect, runny nose, sneezing, etc. Hopefully, it’s gone by now. Will try to get the blog updated tonight. Well, I’m going to kick back, watch a flick, take some vitamins and crash early again. Will write again soon. Doug

SICK BAY II

11MAY07. Friday. Again felt a little puny. A Bug is definitely running its course at work. For me, it felt like a bad cold that just lingers. Countdown til R&R is still on. Haven’t heard any change to the travel plans yet. Do know that it can change drastically overnight. Regardless, it will be a change for the better. Don’t want to build my self up too much. But, according to the Brief, there’s supposed to be some neat things to do and see. Me, I just want to sip one of my three beers in an Air Conditioned Room. Simple things. Speaking of simple things, the temps here are really soaring. They quickly get very hot in the day, followed by strong breezes in the afternoon, then gets kinda cool. My Buddy is now working days. And, is sporting the Shorts & T-Shirt Look. I’m certainly permitted to match his attire, yet it’s just a little too cool. Well, I’m going to pump-up the intake of Vitamins, catch a flick, then crash. Will update when I can. Doug

SICK BAY

10MAY07. Thursday. Got into work feeling a little weak. Muscles ached and was developing the initial stages of a sore throat. Got to work, only to find 3 people are out for the next two days. One guy is I the hospital. The other was found on the deck of the showers in a fetal position. Needless to say, something is going around. And, is hitting just about everyone. Luckily, I feel okay now (12 hours later). However, did have a couple of hot flashes. Knock on wood. Nothing yet. Will take it easy today and crash a little early again. In hindsight, that explains why I felt a little puny yesterday. Well, same old routine, Will watch a movie then crash. Watched a cheap western yesterday. Wonder what I’ll pick today. Will update as I can. Doug