Behind the Wall of Sleep
Sunday, 26 October 2008
Addendum III
I'm at the airport sitting in the "snooty" lounge having just eaten some "Devil Chicken." My first thought was, "Interesting name." Then I took a bite and the name took on a whole new meaning.
Remember a while back when I tried to ship PX bought-in-the-bag-with-price-tag-attached magazines? Remember that the post office refused to ship them and told me to put them in my checked baggage? Yeah right. The Kuwaiti Airport had a field day with me. Two magazines, a pistol grip and my knife were all confiscated. Now mind you, this was in my CHECKED baggage and not my carry-on. I'm a bit irate but hey, better than being put in jail...
Posted by Stu
at 3:54 PM CDT
Gotta Go...
Mandy is picking me up in 10 minutes.
I'll be home in time for supper... On Monday.
Posted by Stu
at 1:52 PM CDT
The Lord has a sense of humor...
Saturday morning my alarm goes off. I reach over and slap the snooze bar and return my weary head to the pillow. And then I hear "clink." Then another, "clink." Then another, then another until there is a full blown symphony of "clinks." Rolling over, I open my window only to discover marble and pea sized hail hitting my CHU, the ground and everything else like little frozen meteors of death. I close the window, lie back down and start laughing. I'm talking from-the-gut, laughter. I look up, point and say, "You sure do have a sense of humor."
I am still confident that I will be flying out so, Jim takes me up to the PAX. Within 10 minutes of our arrival, the skies completely open up. Rain drops as big as a fist are hitting the already existing puddles and making them larger. Jim looks at me and laughs his little "fake-evil-elven" laugh. My response is, "I'm flying home on Monday even if I have to convoy down to Ali."
The flight was supposed to leave at 1020hrs. At around 1145hrs the plane shows up. We get on board and spend an hour on the flight line. Then finally, up we go. One hour later we land in a very messy Baghdad. It's even worse down there. We are grounded due to lightening strikes and we are not allowed to leave the plane. An hour passes and finally the get the Baghdad people off the plane while we wait to get refueled. No fuel trucks shows. Lightening = No fuel truck. So, we wait some more. Then they tell us it's gonna be a while and we get off the plane and move into the terminal. An hour passes and then we are told to get back on board. So, off we go. We sit there for an hour then start to move, taxiing down the line. We come to an abrupt stop... And sit for another hour. Suddenly the cargo doors whir into action and I'm thinking, "Uh, that's not right." Off we go again, the navigation system is fried. Now we WALK back to the PAX from the end of the flight line. Two hours later we are boarding a new plane, taking off and landing in Kuwait.
Ali still sucks but I'm at the apartment now. I fly tonight/tomorrow morning. Mandy or Tosca will pick me up around 2100ish.
Daddy's coming home...
Habakkuk 3:2
Posted by Stu
at 8:52 AM CDT
Updated: Sunday, 26 October 2008 8:55 AM CDT
Thursday, 23 October 2008
It seems that...
The Lord has decided that my work here is not quite done. I may not make it out on Saturday.
We are getting thunderstorms followed by dust storms followed by thunderstorms. Fixed wings are not moving currently and may not be moving for the next 3 days.
If I don't fly on Saturday then I won't be home on Monday. So, it may end up being Thursday (or possibly later) before I am back in Texas.
Habakkuk 3:17-18 (very fitting indeed)
Posted by Stu
at 4:08 PM CDT
Tuesday, 21 October 2008
2 Days...
And a wake-up.
Apologies for not writing much but the Regiment has actually needed my services for the past 5 days. Sabre arrived last week and I've been getting them set up as well as training their soldiers to use our system. Tomorrow I'm heading back over there to drop off some more training materials.
After that I'm heading back over to the post office to mail yet another foot locker and then to the PX to get another (I have got too much crap over here)!
I'm a little tired (getting back on a normal schedule, well trying to get back on a normal schedule) due to a lack of sleep, hence the lack of posts.
For those of you that are wondering; God willing and the dust don't rise, I'll be home Monday evening.
Luke 10:21
Posted by Stu
at 4:43 PM CDT
Monday, 20 October 2008
4 Days...
And a wake-up.
More importantly; this time next week I'll be in Amsterdam waiting on my flight to Dallas.
Malachi 3:3
Posted by Stu
at 12:14 AM CDT
Friday, 17 October 2008
6 Days...
And a wake-up.
No cards last night. After going more than 36 hours with no sleep (and many more hours over the last few days) my body finally said enough. I went to sleep last night around 2000hrs.
Today is the Lebowski-Thon. I'm heading up to the CAC aroung 1130hrs to get everything set up. I'll try and get some pictures to post later tonight.
Job 42:5
Posted by Stu
at 11:04 PM CDT
Thursday, 16 October 2008
7 Days...
And a wake-up and MSG Brown is going to make me work tomorrow!!! That's going to ruin my average.
Apologies for not updating the blog in a while but I have been less that motivated.
I had two nice surprises today. I bumped into COL Bills (the Regimental Commander) and in the course of our brief conversation he presented me with a Regimental Coin. Thanks Sir. Then I went down to MAJ (Chaplain) Holland's office, as I usually do, and he presented me with a Task Force Iron Chaplain's Coin. Thanks Sir. Not a bad day.
Joshua 7:13
Posted by Stu
at 5:43 PM CDT
Sunday, 12 October 2008
11 Days...
And a wake-up.
Time is moving incredibly slow right now and it cheeses me to no end.
2 Timothy 3:12
Posted by Stu
at 4:29 PM CDT
Friday, 10 October 2008
13 Days...
Well, we changed it up a bit tonight. We played a little dealer's choice and then settled in on 5 Card Draw (Progressive), Jacks or better to open. It was a blast. So much better than just Texas Hold 'Em. I was starting to get a bit burnt out.
That's about all that has changed.
Matthew 25:10
Posted by Stu
at 7:45 PM CDT
Thursday, 9 October 2008
14 Days...
And that's about all there is to report.
The days are getting cooler as well as the nights. It actually feels good to sit outside with a nice cool breeze when it's in the mid to high 60's at about 2300hrs.
1 Samuel 8:7
Posted by Stu
at 6:10 PM CDT
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
15 Days...
I think I finally hit the turn. I'm at about 85-90% right now. I feel better than I have in days and have managed to stay out of the latrine for most of the day. Yippee!!
I finished the 3rd season of Northern Exposure and I am looking forward to getting 4-7 when I get home. It's a really wonderful show. It appeals to the intellectual side of me as well as the closet romantic. Weird, huh?
If all goes well I will be home on the 27th of October at/around 1836hrs. "Goes well" meaning no dust storms here in Mosul and no passport issues in Kuwait.
So, that's 15 days until I leave here and 17 days until I'm home. The only issue is that my wonderful company decided to book me on lame-@$$ KLM instead of United. I've flown United 4 times around the world and have quite a few frequent flyer miles to cash in for business class. So, what does our lovely travel section do? They book me on KLM where I have no miles. Great. Just friggin' wonderful...
2 Corinthians 12:9
Posted by Stu
at 7:24 PM CDT
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
16 Days...
Let's see... What have yall missed since my last post? Ummmm.... Well, nothing. Except that I've spent the last 4 days in the latrine. Fun, fun, let me tell you.
Jacob left yesterday morning on his return trip home. Vaya con Dios, Amigo.
I inherited his internet for my remaining 2 weeks so now I have somewhat stable access, we'll see.
Mitch, no promises on whether it'll be here once you arrive though. The group of folks that are loaning it to me are a bit odd, to say the least.
Isaiah 38:5
Posted by Stu
at 6:23 PM CDT
Saturday, 4 October 2008
21 Days...
That's 3 weeks. Time is starting to meander a bit. It slows down and then speeds up all in the same day. I wonder what Einstein would think about that... "It's relative."
Just shipped another foot locker as well as another box. Luckily these passed with no issues.
I'm still operating at about 50%. I can't seem to shake the last of this friggin' flu bug.
Isaiah 10:1-2
Posted by Stu
at 5:52 AM CDT
Friday, 3 October 2008
22 Days...
My chest has cleared up a bit but the aches and pains haven't. Neither has my nose.
It was 67 degrees last night... Awesome.
SGT Bell's mom is having open-heart surgery, keep her in your prayers.
I watched the first season of Northern Exposure yesterday. Interesting show. I start season two today.
2 Corinthians 5:1
Posted by Stu
at 2:23 AM CDT
Thursday, 2 October 2008
23 Days...
And I feel like 285lbs of chewed bubblegum. I abhore being sick. Seriously.
The CHU is starting to transform back into a white-walled prison cell. I am packing things up little by little. Soon, it will all be in transit.
I found out the hard way that you cannot ship magazines (clips) in the mail from here. Now I'm not talking loaded magazines, or even issue magazines. I'm talking still-in-the-package-with-price-tag-on-it-bought-from-the-PX magazines. AND you can't ship slings. And I'm not talking slings attached to weapons or even issue slings. I'm talking still-in-the-package-with-price-tag-on-it-bought-from-the-PX slings. Two words; Ig, Nernt. We almost had an international incident but I got my stuff back without having to crush anyones skull, which is always a bonus.
Isaiah 40:8
Posted by Stu
at 3:27 AM CDT
Wednesday, 1 October 2008
24 Days...
It's October!!! I go home this month!!!
It rained quite a bit yesterday and this morning it was in the 60's. The Fall/Winter in Mosul ain't so bad.
I have packed two footlockers full and will try and get them in the mail today (heads up honey).
Psalm 86:17
Posted by Stu
at 1:06 AM CDT
Monday, 29 September 2008
25 Days...
One year over here and not even a little sniffle. Duane comes along and "BOOM", he passes his crappy bugs on to me. If it's not the flu then I don't know what it is.
Derrick got yet another straight flush last night. That's 5 for him alone.
Deuteronomy 30:19
Posted by Stu
at 11:45 PM CDT
Saturday, 27 September 2008
27 Days...
And it's 69 degrees right now (0410hrs). I'm chilled to the bone.
I watched How the West Was Won last night. It's so much better on widescreen DVD than on TV.
In two days I will be at 25 days, which means it will be October. Hard to believe I've already been here for almost one year. Times flies when you're having fun (yeah right).
James 5:16
Posted by Stu
at 8:16 PM CDT
Friday, 26 September 2008
28 Days...
And nothing new to report.
It's still getting down to 72 in the mornings.
Blood Simple is a strange movie.
Lebowski-thon has been postponed and people are unhappy about it.
The new laundry contractors aren't exactly as good as the old ones.
Unless something exciting happens around here soon, I may run out of things to say.
1 Peter 5:7
Posted by Stu
at 5:34 PM CDT
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