Welcome to this edition of the P-G this is a special P-G because today. Today is the official end of my 3rd month in country (3-6). I'm officially halfway done on top of that the site passed 5000 views that is so super cool. I'd like to say a special hello to all my new readers. I have found out that my blog is read all over.
This blog and really this job assignment has been good for me personally, I have had an opportunity to connect with people I haven't talked to in years and I have really gotten closer to some family members and friends. I have also met a whole new group of people who I never would have met if not for this experience. This gig has made me feel appreciated something I hadn't felt in a long time so that is pretty cool I guess.
Q:
Saw your picture looks like you gained some weight.
A:
Naw, actually I've lost weight, none of my pants fit me around the waist. The difference is that I'm solid and tone because I've been working and working out. I walk probably a mile a day just doing my job going from one place to another on top of that I'm usually humping at least 20lbs of gear.
People think skinny equals healthy. I was skinny but, not healthy. I had poor health habits back stateside. Now that I am more active I can tell that plus I have a more healthy diet I still eat once a day but, it is a more balanced diet and I drink more water. So all and all I'm doing much better. I hadn't noticed how much my body had changed until it was pointed out to me by my Mom.
Q:
What is one thing that has changed about you?
A:
I don't remember my phone numbers and I've forgotten some driving basics because I don't use either anymore.
Q:
How many times can you go and eat.
A:
I can eat up to 5 times a day we have breakfast, lunch, dinner, MidRats (midnight rations) and take out. The food here is catered and is really good. It ranges from T bone steak, crab legs, shrimp, and veal to hot dogs, hamburgers, and fried chicken.
Q:
Can you tell me what is the wildest thing you have seen or heard?
A:
Nothing I care to talk about, I can tell you that. You'll have to come for yourself.
Q:
What do you do in your spare time.
A:
Currently, I'm reading I'm between a book called ‘Conversations with God’ and ‘Google Hacking’ both good books. Also I'm learning German and Arabic.
Q: Which one is harder?
A:
Arabic, German is English-like so I can make the transition a bit easier. Arabic has sounds that we don't make in English so it's difficult to get my throat to move like it should to recreate the sounds. Right now I'm still working on pronunciation. In German I'm a bit further ahead. I'm learing to write in German, it will take a LONG while before I can read or write in Arabic, figuring most of the people I know won't be able to either it doesn't matter much.
Q:
Okay can you leave base?
A:
I can do anything I want but, why would I want to leave the base? I would be dead in a matter of hours.
Q:
Have you ever been really scared?
A:
There are probably 2 occasions that I have been without a doubt scared out of my mind, pure terror is a bad thing. I am still processing both events. One I have dealt with emotionally another one I have not. I may talk about them or I may not. I haven't decided yet.
Q:
Do you listen to music?
A:
Yeah they have radio stations here and I can tell you this, the urban radio station they have here is probably 2 billion times better than any radio station in Phoenix. Radio stations in Phoenix suck. They would do well come to Iraq and buy a clue. Say what you want about G.W. he knows how to put together a banging urban radio station.
Q:
I saw that picture of you on the road. Man you are rolling in Iraq. I thought you were helo only?
A:
Nope, I fly when I have to go more that a certain distance but other than that I ride in a convoy. Most of the routes I go are secure. Again this is something that I knew when I left but, I couldn't tell anyone who cared about me. Not, for any security reasons but, again I knew my family to worry.
Q:
What channels do you get there and what do you watch on TV if you watch anything?
A:
They have Orbit which is like Direct TV; we get CNN, Fox News, ESPN, HBO, Showtime, F/X stuff like that and they have Arab subtitles. We also get Arab only shows. However, most people here don't watch TV. It is not that they can not but, most people have DVD players, personal laptops, Playstations or Xboxes and they watch movies or DVD season sets of television shows. From what I hear someone, somewhere has set up a torrent site and they get the latest TV shows probably a day after they run stateside. We have a spare projector in the office that we use sometimes and when we are testing the projector after we service it we will run a DVD for stress testing.
In general I'm not a fan of TV if it isn't on F/X or HBO I generally don't watch it.
Q:
What foods have you tried?
A:
Arab foods? None.
Q:
Okay will you try it?
A:
No, it is probably a bad idea to trust any food offered to you from an Iraqi. I would assume that any food offered to an American from an Iraqi would be poisoned.
Q:
What are you doing?
A:
Right now? Picking my hair.
Q:
I've been emailing your Mother I think you are blessed Tommie with awesome parents!
A:
Thanks, I think so too.
Q:
How long is that afro now that you can pick it out????
A:
Probably 3 inches around, if I had a blow out kit I could get it to 9 inches I suspect.
Q:
How are the showers?
A:
Depends on where you are. Where I am the water is pretty good. Other places they use non potable water so you can take a shower in it but, you let it enter your mouth. I mean there are times where there could be a water restriction and you can't take a shower. At that time you would give yourself a baby wipe bath.
Q:
I read your blog you are so astute I printed off your info and tried to use it at work to show people how futile democracy on the march is. Alas to no avail.
A:
Hmmmm...Well that's not really the point. I'm not trying to paint some picture of how ass backwards this affair is. That's not my goal. To me it is my real interpretation of a surreal event. As far as not reaching people, that's how it goes. My goal here is not to reach people; any reaching I have done is a byproduct of me communicating with friends and family. To be honest with you I am shocked that I other people have found the site.
Q:
How close was the latest bombing?
A:
*shrug* I have no idea; it was in Baghdad I know that. Not close enough for me to hear if that's what you are asking.
Q:
So you don't have a close link to the day by day bombings kidnappings etc that goes on?
A:
Yeah, I mean I watch the news and go to www.news.google.com so I know pretty much what is going on at all times. It's just I'm not pressed about it, I mean guess what? I'm in a war zone. I wake up everyday and I don't have to read the news to know that something exploded, someone was killed, and someone was kidnapped. It goes without saying.
Q:
This has been good Tommie I feel like I am actually talking to you because I hear your voice with your words.
A:
No, that's God, we sound alike. I hear that all the time.
Q: How do you keep alert if you are not aware of how close the enemy is to you?
A:
TRUST ME, the enemy won't get close to me AND if they did I would be alerted instantly to the futileness of their plan. I'm not in the open anywhere. I'm on a military base. I keep alert to what I would consider 'suspicious' activity. It's not like the Camp Commandant is coming to my room to give me a heads up on the daily status. They aren't targeting Americans anymore much anymore outside of IED attacks and attacks of opportunities. Americans are too hard to kill and snatch. They are killing each other now-a-days. I mean they attack the Marines and Soldiers as targets of opportunity. I mean if they had the chance they would kill us all but, from what I can tell they are more concerned with disrupting the democratic process.
What I have to say is that in some respects the news at home paints a different picture of what I see here. I'm not going to go all rah-rah and say look at the Soldiers building schools and giving kids ice cream cones. Isn't democracy great? Without security those don’t mean much just ask any kid from South Central LA how easy it is to go to school when hoodlums are shooting it out on your block. But, at the same time I'm not going to say that it's the end of the world either.
PS: Just wanted to let you all know that Toker made it back to the States the other day, congrats on that and in the future keep you ass out of trouble.
