Old Blogs from Iraq

More Money	2005-05-13 23:46:31
I found out yesterday that my raise was approved. Cool! It means another $1000 - $1500 each paycheck, which will go a long way towards paying off those pesky debts. I don't know how it will affect my demob date, but it couldn't hurt. Be Cool -Darve

 

April 11, 2005	2005-04-11 00:46:28
It's been a while since I had a journal entry, but I guess now is as good a time as ever. I've been sore for a couple of weeks now with a muscle sprain in my back. The worst pain is just inside my left shoulder blade, but it extends up to my neck and down to my left hand. The last two fingers on my left hand have been tingling like they are asleep. I visited the medic here in camp and he said it sounds like a sprained muscle is swelling and pressing on a nerve. All I know is that it hurts. I haven't been able to move my neck at all, and it makes it way hard to sleep. The medic gave me motrin and flexeril (a muscle relaxer) and I've been taking them for 3 days now. The pain is almost gone and I can move my neck again, but the muscle must be bruised because when I try to stretch my back with a few simple exercises I still get a sharp pain in my shoulder...bummer. Other than all that things are just groovy here in sunny Iraq. The days are already getting way hot over here. I hope we don't break any heat records this summer. I still don't know when my next R&R will be, but I'm thinking some time in late July. Be Cool -Darve

 

January 10, 2005	2005-01-09 23:07:34
Wow, the days drag by so slowly over here, but it is already January 2005! Every once in a while I actually stop, look up and check what day it is. I think today is Monday, but every day is the same here on Camp Falcon. I'm still working way too much and doing many jobs and wearing many hats/titles that are not mine and I'm not getting paid for, but life goes on and I'm still getting paid so on and on I go. Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone. The new year is here and my daughter is having boy-trouble. (Imagine that) Trevor is winning awards at school and I am missing it all. Bummer. Pictures help. Thanks for sending pictures. I'm glad I have internet access. I finished my college class, and got an "A". I'm not sure when I will take another. I think it is more important for me right now to payy of some bills so I can go home. College classes online cost me about $1500 each. That would be a nice payment on one of my debts. Sometimes I actually find time to stop and breathe, but mostly I am behind my computer, slaving away and trying to stay ahead of all the stupid reports we have to send to Liberty. And speaking of reports, I better get busy on the latest request. A BOE for the month of January. Be Cool... -Darve

 

Long Time No Type...	2004-10-24 22:49:58
It's been a while since I have blessed the cavern with a blog so I thought I'd type a little note for all my adoring fans. The days are getting much cooler over here now, or maybe it is just because I am so used to them being soooo hot! The mornings are actually pretty chilly. Some of the guys have started wearing their flannel to work. I, however, have really enjoyed the change. My work days are getting more and more busy every day, and I'm staying up later every night...bummer. Every once in a while I take off after only 12 hours and sleep sleep sleep...ha. It is currently "Ramadan" over here and we are wearing PPE ALL THE TIME! BUMMER! My back has begun to hurt just by looking at that heavy vest, but I know it is for our protection and I wear it with a smile. It has been really noisy on our FOB this month. We are all rollin' right along and keeping our heads down. Be Cool... -Darve

 

One Tired Soul...	2004-10-16 23:17:14
We are shuffling the shifts over here a little bit and in doing so I took on a little extra time to cover the office in the transition time. I left work at 9pm last night and returned at 2am to start my 18 hour shift. I am one tired soul. Still no idea when Trask will be able to work over here with me, but maybe when Randy gets back from R&R he can make that happen. Be cool... -Darve

 

Just Jammin'	2004-10-16 00:36:22
I haven't blogged in a while, but I haven't really had anything interesting to blog about. I have been really busy since I got back from R&R and now that I've found some free time, I'm just sittin' here jammin' to my mp3s. We are getting new people almost every day now, two of which are working in the office with me and Joe. Donna & Brad are admin assistants and have helped take quite a load of work from us so far. (Thanks for that) I miss everyone back home. See you in four months! Be cool... -Darve

 

Wonderful Weather	2004-10-09 08:17:44
Today was overcast all day. It sprinkled a few times and it didn't quite hit 100 degrees... it was a nice day! How was your day? Be Cool... -Darve

 

Back in Iraq!	2004-10-07 07:03:16
We have all made it back to our sites and our jobs. Fun. Fun. Fun. I had quite a time getting here from Victory, but I am safe and sound and ready for the next R&R.

 

The shells are back on.	2004-09-17 03:12:58
Well, we had a little noise here again today and so we are back in our shells...bummer. No injuries, so it's all cool. I go to Victory tomorrow and then it on to Dubai & the States! I will be bringing home my laptop and all the pics I have taken since I have been here. Just in case anyone is interested in all that boring stuff. Remember if you want us to buy you a t-shirt, cap or coin; go to Shop Iraq link. Be cool... -Darve

 

The turtle shells come off!	2004-09-14 22:09:39
Last night at midnight they downgraded our uniform status to Level 1 which basically means we no longer have to wear that heavy turtle disguise around. Glad to hear they did the same for you too Trask. From what Dan said, he should be back at Victory some time today, and I'll be there on the 18th...ready for our R&R! Groovy! Hope everyone is diggin the new graphics every day! Be Cool... -Darve

 

Full Battle Rattle	2004-09-12 09:11:11
As I sit here at the end of my 13 hour shift tonight weighed down with 25lbs of steel plate on my chest and another 25lbs on my back, I am reminded how nice it will be to once again sleep in my own bed snuggled up close to my wifey-poo. I am ready for my 1st R&R. Many more days of full battle rattle and I might get into better shape...ha. Be Cool... -Darve

 

Long Day	2004-09-10 08:55:13
It has been a long day, but a good day too. Tom and I met with the Army at Base Ops. Randy visited Victory. Richie Mayhew made it here. We got a logistics person (which will make the operations department's jobs a little easier). And three of our workers returned from R&R refreshed and ready to go...ha. Be Cool... -Darve

 

Dan is a funny dude...	2004-09-07 21:39:24
Questions and Answers with Dan...by Dan? Ha. That was pretty funny. The real funny part is you probably actually sat there and asked and answered all those things out loud. Life at D4 rolls on. Same ol' stuff every day. Joe and Cody are both working in the office now instead of their rooms. Joe has brought an air of comic relief which makes the days go faster...he is a good guy to work with. Only 11 more days until I am back home. The days pass slowly over here, but the weeks tend to roll by. Did that make any sense at all? I entertain myself daily by organizing and listening to my mp3 collection, but with 12 hour shifts 7 days a week eventually you will hear the same songs over and over...ha. I'll have to expand my collection of music while I am home. Be cool... -Darve

 

Old Body Part II	2004-09-05 09:23:51
The first practice was a bit slow. And not only because we are all old men...ha. We had about 10 people show up, which is pretty good by flag football standards. Pete organized the practice and took the role of quarterback. I chunked a few myself just for the fun of it. Most of the practice was spent listening to Pete describing the pass patterns and the numbering system for them. Most of the players didn't take to the numbers very quickly and this seemed to bother Pete, but we practiced for about an hour and I used muscled that had long been forgotten. Today Pete called another practice so at 6:45 I changed into my shorts and walked to the field...no one was there, so I walked into the gym and checked out 2 footballs and picked up a copy of the rules and went back to the field to wait. About 15 minutes later Cody drove up...alone. We were the only 2 to show up for practice...bummer. I found out that Pete (the one who was organizing the team) decided he didn't like the way that "things" were going so he decided to quit. I don't know why no one else showed up, maybe they heard Pete was quitting and figured we no longer had a team. Anyway...I am now the quarterback, if my old body doesn't quit on me, and I have one person to throw to...ha. Cody and I are going to try and organize the team now and see how much interest we can find. If nothing else I guess I have gotten a little bit of excercise just walking to the field and back...ha. Be cool... -Darve

 

Old Body	2004-09-03 07:49:01
I just found out that the KBR folks here are starting a flag football team to compete with the army teams in a flag football season here at D4...cool. I don't know if this old body of mine can handle it, but I'm gonna try. It will be the only excercise I get. Maybe it will help me lose a little more weight. Who knows I might still be a decent athlete. Be cool... - Darve

 

Watermelon	2004-09-01 21:00:24
Yesterday, Sept. 1st, one day after my birthday, at about 9pm, I walked into my office and found a watermelon slice and a lolipop on my desk. The card read...Happy Birthday, good things come to those who wait...ha. We have a "morale crew" here. Two ladies who have decided to brighten everyone's birthdays by giving them a card signed by as many of us as they can track down at the time. Normally they give the card to the birthday-boy (or girl) during the morning meeting. On my birthday...no card...no recognition at all. They must not have checked their list. And I know mine is on the list because I am the one who made the list for them...ha. I mentioned it to Tom on the day after my birthday and he said that he too noticed that I didn't get a card. Without my prompting and against my will, Tom picked up his radio and called for Laundry 2 (one of their call signs) and told her over the radio to check her birthday list. That's all he said and later that night they left the nice, juicy, sweet, cold watermelon for me...cool. Be cool... -Darve

 

Birthday Surprise...	2004-08-28 22:28:42
I've received a few birthday cards already. Thank you to everyone who has sent them. Gena, mom, dad, and especially to Aunt Kathy who not only sent me one of my very first cards when I got here, but has also sent me a stream of birthday cards. I love you too, Aunty! I got a package from Geneva (Gena's mom) yesterday and was the envy of all around. She sent some cool snacks including some delicious cookies which I reluctantly shared with a few of the guys...ha. Thank you thank you thank you for the gifts, the snacks, and the card you picked out. It was hilarious. I went to the BX yesterday and bought myself two shirts. Happy early birthday to me! Be cool... -Darve

 

More Pics	2004-08-26 21:08:22
I posted a few more pics in my August folder. I hope I'm not boring everyone with pictures of only me, but I don't have Trask and Dan around to act like fools for me. Be cool... -Darve

 

New Hooch!	2004-08-22 20:55:44
Last night at about 9pm the property guy got on the radio and informed us that the new hooches were ready and those of us who had been waiting had only to come by his office and sign for the keys. I immediately went and signed for my key. By 9:45 I had all my stuff moved in. I only have two suitcases and 2 foot lockers. By 10:30 I had everything essential unpacked and put away (bed made, closet full, four cans of sprite in the fridge.) I took a hot shower, shaved my face and settled down on a real mattress to read a book. I had a good night's sleep. I took some pictures of my new room and will try to post them some time today. Be cool... -Darve

 

Blogging up a storm!		2004-08-19 07:27:35
Wow, Mark and now Shawn! I like bloggers. Thanks for adding your comments guys. Mark, This place isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Aside from homesickness and an occasional "boom" in the camp, things are pretty decent around here. If you are interested, weigh the $$$$$ offered and see if you think it is worth being away from friends and family. If nothing else, it will look good on your resume for future jobs. Shawn, I think I have lost some weight, but I don't have a scale over here to check it...ha. I'll have to wait until I get home to step on the scales. Iraq might end up being a nice diet for me. Oh well, keep on blogging! Be Good... -Darve
Spider Bite!	2004-08-18 03:42:28
So, Trask has a spider-bite-boil? Bummer. Don't be sleeping with spiders and they won't bite ya! Just kiddin, little brother. Get that thing looked at, I hope it goes away soon. -Darve

 

Howdy good people!	2004-08-07 12:07:27
Hey all you folks out there...How's things in your life? Let us know what you are doing! Blog Blog Blog...We want to hear from all of you! SMILE! Be Cool... -Darve

 

D4, Ferrin - Huggins	2004-08-03 06:04:08
Well, here I am in a new home again. Randy, Tom and I transferred to a new site today and I am typing this blog from my room, which doubles as my office for now. I took a blackhawk helicopter ride here this morning and have been touring the site all day. My address is now: Darve Smith KBR D4, Ferrin - Huggins APO, AE 09310 More news later. Be Cool... -Darve

 

Friday, 7-9-04	2004-07-09 00:19:44
I read Trask's blog about doing the same thing day in and day out and I thought I would report that I am spreading myself thin a bit lately...ha. Not getting thin though. I've been taking some time to work with Ed Bruner, helping him by creating a database to compile and report on all the daily sitreps he receives, and I'm still working for Randy too. Two days ago I started working in North Victory Operations to help out while they have a few guys missing...so I guess I am working three different jobs, too bad I'm not getting three paychecks...ha. Things are still going fine over here. Sleeping on a bed has been so much better than that cot. My back has felt fine since Trask and I moved into our room. Our site is progressing and should keep me busy for quite some time...at least until we hire a few other operations folks to share the load. Be Cool... -Darve

 

Friday, 7-2-04	2004-07-02 10:09:18
We have a hooch! After work today I stopped by billeting just to see if there was any news about when they might open up some new rooms, and she said, "I have some good news for you." Of course she meant that she had assigned me and Trask to a room...groovy. The number is 3099...it is eight rows behind the row Randy lives on. Quite a walk all the way back there, but it doesn't matter...we have a hooch! Be Cool... -Darve

 

Saturday, 6-26-04	2004-06-26 10:29:42
Still no hooch...bummer.

 

Friday, 6-25-04	2004-06-25 09:47:02
4:30pm We visited Billeting at lunch and were told to come back later today. I think we have been assigned our hooch, but it wasn't quite ready yet. Maybe tonight! Cool! Hot work today. We spent quite a while working and sweating in hot connexes today; unloading them so that the carpenters can get into them soon and create a false front complete with a door and a hole for A/C. They will also frame them so that we can insulate them and build walls inside. Groovy! I just took the thermometer outside to check the temperature, and it is 127.7 degrees right now...wow, that is hot. Gena, Trask and I are eating the Melted Malted Milk Eggs today...Happy Easter!...Ha. 8:00pm STILL NO HOOCH! But it is likely that we will be moved to a hooch tomorrow. -Darve

 

Thursday, 6-24-04	2004-06-24 10:20:02
11:30pm Trask and Randy met with Scott Booth yesterday about moving Trask into Operations like me. It would mean better pay and better insurance. But, it might move him to a different camp. I'll keep you informed as things develop. We got some of our T-walls into place today and will probably finish it up tomorrow. Walls, walls everywhere...is this a big rat maze? Where is the cheese? We sorted through a stack of paperwork and got it all organized. Resumes, Requisitions, Forms, Forms and more Forms. Hopefully we will be cranking out a few personnel reqs soon. I'm anxious to start work flowing through here. Still no hooch...bummer. -Darve

 

Tuesday, 6-22-04	2004-06-22 10:40:40
12:30pm Dan started working with IT(Information Technology) today. Randy was always planning on moving him to IT as soon as we had need of it in our office, but the folks at the regional office are shorthanded and Dan can get some experience with the KBR network that way. So, Dan will not be working with us for a while. He will be coming back when we have our phones and network installed...hopefully that will not be too far away. 4:00pm We are getting T-walls tomorrow...cool. We will have more protection for our bunker. Of course they are really ugly...oh well our landscape artist can take care of that...ha. 6:15pm Randy is at a meeting, but should be back within the hour to take us to dinner. The Batman will be returning to the Batcave. -Darve

 

Monday, 6-21-04	2004-06-21 09:22:27
4:00pm Happy day after Father's Day! Nothing too exciting to write about today. We worked around the office, picked up trash outside, Randy had to save the Water Point with his expert knowledge of electricity, Trask and Dan visited the airport, and now I'm listening to The Soggy Bottom Boys singing Man of Constant Sorrow. Now that's a full day...ha. Trask & I got a card from Aunt Kathy...thank you very much, we love you. I know we should really write back, but I'm not much on writing letters. Trask is the writer around here. But for now, I try to write these blogs as often as possible and maybe someone could print them out for our family members without internet access. Mom, Dad, we are safe and we love you very much. It was good to talk to everyone yesterday. Grandma, keep on them Astros, maybe you can get them to play a little better. Shawn, we will work on getting that pic for Kelly...ha. For now, Love and Miss you all! -Darve

 

Sunday, 6-20-04	2004-06-20 08:52:19
6:40pm HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! Today Randy took us to the Bob Hope DFAC, the same dining facility that George W. Bush paid a suprise visit. It was a large tent with a lot of flags hanging around. I'll try to get some pics on the site for all to see. It was a bit hot in there and from what I hear it may not be operational much longer, but we got to eat there before it leaves. Tents are being torn down left and right of "F" tent, but still no word when I will have a hooch...bummer. Be cool... -Darve

 

Friday, 6-18-04	2004-06-18 11:18:00
2:30pm Randy is at a meeting and I have been preparing e-mails to send to the site supervisors tonight, when I get to plug in to the network. We are sending a daily progress report to the powers that be, and in order to compile this report I need to get info from all our sites which are, or will be, in the Industrial Zone...pretty cool, huh? We have chemical suit training today at 6pm. That should be loads of fun! Hot Hot Hot! -Darve

 

Thursday, 6-17-04	2004-06-17 11:36:03
7:00pm We have been working on building a deck in our break area today. It is hot work, but it is starting to look pretty good. We spent quite a bit of time leveling the ground and the posts with nothing but a shovel and a rake...ha. Trask and I did a little bit of landscaping this morning but started helping with the deck before we did much. We were trying to prune back a few wild palm trees. Not a fun job. Trask and Dan got moved into hooches this morning. Them dawgs! Randy said I could move in with him until I get a hooch of my own. Billeting claims it should only be a couple more days...we'll see. Be cool... -Darve

 

Wednesday, 6-16-04	2004-06-16 11:09:29
9:00am It's hot and dry today! What a news flash...ha. Janice stopped by to visit this morning before she went to D-5 and we all had an interesting conversation. It started out with just me, Dan and Janice talking about how we should fix up our bunker / break area / patio. We are planning on hanging lights and fans and possibly speakers. Someone mentioned that we should paint murals on the inside connex walls to remind us of home. Dan said...pictures of our families. I don't know how or why but I made a statement that all women are evil...to eachother. And Janice wouldn't let me live it down. After Trask & Randy joined us the conversation turned to writing a book chock full of wisdom from Iraq. It would surely be a best seller. But to sum it all up...All women are evil & All men are jerks. And Janice believes that women are only evil to eachother when there is a man involved, and to prevent the evilness, they should just eliminate the man. Dan and Randy just went on a mission to Wayne's World to find a means of attaching two cut-down steel posts to our Tahoe to make a rack for hauling lumber or ladders. We don't have any trucks so we have to make due.

 

Tuesday, 6-15-04	2004-06-15 10:28:48
1:00pm Oh, the weather outside is frightful, As for dust, I have my lungs full. Ha... Sorry, that's all could come up with right now. We've been picking up trash on the side of the road today. We started about 7:45am when it is only 90 degrees outside. We've moved rock and plywood and had the radios retuned. What fun. Now we are on a lunch break. I am having a coke. Randy is eating an MRE. Trask is downing a bowl of cereal and Dan...well, I'm not sure what Dan is having...maybe sunflower seeds. Well, Dan and I decided to open MREs for us too. I got Beef Ravioli and Dan found Spaghetti with Meatsauce. Ha, we love our MREs. Trask is reading a book about Islam, I think he got it in a package he received yesterday. 2:30pm I am drenched with sweat. I probably smell terrible, I'm glad my nose is stuffed full of dust so I can't smell anything. 7:00pm Randy took me and Dan on another tour today. We saw some pretty cool devastated Iraqi buildings and a helicopter. Check out our pictures in the photos section. We just got back a few minutes ago. Trask was holding down the fort. He volunteered to stay and wait for Kimberly's call. Hi, Kimberly! We took tons of pictures, I'll try to put a good selection on the site when I go in tonight. Still in tents, bummer. Oh, well, it could be worse I guess. Be cool!

 

Saturday, 6-12-04	2004-06-14 10:13:08
Hello, world! Trask and I are sitting in the office waiting for Randy & Dan to get back from the warehouse where they went to pick up the forks for the bobcat. Dan has been using the bobcat for the past two days and is loving it. Hopefully I can upload some pictures tonight and everyone can see his expertise. We have a roof over our bunker now and we have moved some tables and chairs out there to form a nice break area. When the wind is blowing, and you are in the shade, it's not too terrible outside. Unfortunately you still have a layer of dust on you no matter what you do. We are still in the tents...bummer. But tent life isn't all that bad. It's like a really long camping trip. The worst thing is you can't unpack. If you lay anything out of your suitcase for any period of time...it gets covered in dust. So all my clothes are wrinkled every morning and dusty every evening...ha. I think I lost my flashlight, which is a bummer since it is pitch dark by the time I go to my tent at night. We work from 7am to 8pm (12 hours after breaks) and then I go to the operations center (if I'm not too tired) and manage e-mail accounts (6 accounts total), 3 are mine, 2 are Dan's and 1 is Trask's. Then I log onto Dadscavern as Trask and post his blog and any news stories he writes, log on as myself and make any updates needed...including adding pictures, after I edit each one by resizing and renaming them. Then I download columns from one of Trask's favorite web sites, so he can read them later. I usually stay at the operations center for about 2 hours, which makes it 10:30 - 11:00pm when I finally et to shower and go to my pitch dark tent where all my tent buddies are already snoring. Ha. Oh, did I mention that I also answer the phone at the ops center while I am there? It's kinda how I get to sit there and use their network connection. Everything seems to be a trade-off over here. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. You owe favors, you collect on favors. If you actually go through the proper channels to get things done, it could take a bit longer. Randy is cool. He has friends everywhere and although he has a job to do, he knows how to have fun too. I hope we don't corrupt him too much while we are over here.

 

07 Jun 04, Monday	2004-06-06 22:10:49
9am We just heard a few booms! It was nine mortars hitting Blackjack. (Our next door neighbors) Actually Blackjack is the Army camp just down the road from our KBR camp. I don't think there was any damage or injuries. The last boom was loud enough to make our building shake. Be Cool... -Darve

 

06 Jun 04, Sunday	2004-06-05 22:12:28
9:00 am Yesterday was an eventful day here at North Victory. Toby Keith and Ted Nugent rocked the crowd in front of the PX. We visited the Bazaar and saw a plane dropping flares. Wow I left the operations center a little after 10am for a concert set to start at 10:30. I walked across the road and looked down on an already large crowd forming around the stage. I was able to get pretty close to the stage by moving to the side instead of staying in front. I was on the first row standing. There were about 6 or 7 rows sitting in front of me. About five minutes before the concert started, the crowd started moving toward the stage. I had to move with them or lose my spot. Unfortunately, after the shift, I ended up closer but behind a large speaker...bummer. But I still got to see most of the show, just couldn't see them while they were singing...ha. Check out the pics I took in the photos section. Ted Nugent was hilarious, I tried to remember some of the funny, and often crude things he said, but all I can come up with right now was when he was assuring the troops that everyone back home supported them...everyone that is but the retards and the French. He also made fun of the guy who did the farenheit 9/11 movie. Ted started the rocking with an screaming guitar version of the National Anthem and then he and Toby rotated singing their songs and enciting the crowd. Some of Ted's songs were: Cat Scratch Fever, Route 66, and some song about a white buffalo. Toby sang The Taliban Song, American Soldier, The Angry American, Whiskey For My Men and a song about smoking weed with Willie. When they were done they received gifts from the military and posed for a picture with soldiers, airmen, marines, and sailors. I unfortunately was not in a good place to take that picture...bummer. I caught up with Trask and Dan who were in the back during the concert and we checked out the Bazaar. Wow. Lots of junk for sale in there. Kind of a large garage sale / flea market atmosphere. Rugs, pictures, swords, knives, electronics, tv dishes, cell phones, paintings, watches, etc... We headed back to the office after picking up a few items and saw a plane flying low, near the Industrial Zone and dropping flares or maybe counter measures of some kind. It looked like a small fireworks show. Groovy. After work I killed my body once again and played 3 more games of volleyball. Trask and I watched the first episode of Band of Brothers and plan to watch the second episode and the beach landing from Saving Private Ryan to honor D-Day today. Be cool... -Darve

 

05 Jun 04, Saturday	2004-06-04 21:56:29
Last night we played volleyball, this morning I am sore. Dan gathered some of his tent friends and we played on our beach volleyball court till the sun went down. I might be getting a little old for that...ha. I fell over some sandbags once and skinned my knees...ouch. But all in all we had a good time and it was a nice break from the Groundhog Day syndrome. Of course I am a competitive freak when it comes to volleyball and my team won 3 out of 4 matches, but that is beside the point. ha. We showered and watched X2 wen we got back to the room and then crashed for the night. Trask & Dan left for work early today because they had to meet Janice to go pick up some sub-contractors (Fillipinos) to help them at the office today. I gave them a list of outside tasks to accomplish. Toby Keith concert today. I hope I get to go. If I do, I will take pictures. We are geting our prize ready to ship today, and are thinking of our next contest...be ready!

 

04 Jun 04, Friday		2004-06-03 22:12:37
We found out yesterday that we will be having a treat tomorrow outside the PX. Ted Nugent and Toby Keith will be here for a live performance. I hope we can go see them. If I can go, I will be sure to take pictures and post them on the site. I hope everyone is checking out our pictures, we try to take a break everyday and take some pictures to post on our site. If anyone has any requests for pics, let me know, I'll try to take them. MWR is building a recreation tent here on our camp. We now have a horseshoe pit and a beach volleyball court, and they didn't even have to ship in the sand…ha. The tent should have pool tables and other recreational items in it. I've heard that our hooches should be ready in a week or so. I'm not sure how accurate that info is though, you hear lots of rumors around here, and sometimes it seems like nobody knows the right answers. Anyone want to send us packages? Ha. Here are a few suggestions: Magazines or local newspapers, office supplies, snacks (nothing that melts), DVDs, pictures of activities back home (we want to see what is going on in your lives too), anything that can ship that you think will remind us of home or bring a smile to our faces. Be creative, anything will be greatly appreciated. Just receiving a package is a big boost. We aren't begging but quite a few of you have asked and I thought this would be the best way to answer all those questions. Feel free to give this web address to anyone interested. We are discussing ways to keep it interesting for all of you. Let us know if you think of something we can do. We never got around to watching a movie last night. We just looked at pictures of my family that I brought with me on CD. If you have a digital camera…e-mail us a pic from time to time, we may even post it on the site! If you don't mind, I might start a section with pictures of all our website members, but you have to send them to me. Oh well, I guess I am rambling on, so I will sign off for now… Darve
2 Jun 04	2004-06-01 21:29:30
8:00am Good morning everyone. I talked to my family this morning, it's good to hear from them. Of course I miss everyone. Trevor sounds so much older than when I left. I love you son, you make me proud. Jordan, stay away from boys or I'll sic one of your Uncles on them...ha. We watched "The Ladykillers" last night. Gena, don't take Trevor to see that one. It has way too much bad language in it. It was a pretty funny movie. I got it from one of the Haji-Marts. The A/Cs are all trimmed out now, they look a whole lot better than the duct tape we had on them. Now we need to paint the new trim. The carpenter foreman was about 6'7" and his crew of Phillipinos were each about 4'10". It looked like munchkins following him around...ha. Be cool...

 

31 May 04	2004-05-31 20:48:07
Well, here it is another day in good ole Iraq…hot…dry…dusty. Dan was talking to a friend of his yesterday who compared working here in Iraq to the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray. If you haven't seen the movie, check it out, it is one of my favorites. Bill's character wakes up morning after morning and each day is groundhog day…the same day repeating itself over and over and over. Ha. Very much like it is here. We are continuing to work on the office, it is looking better. We burned some trash today, filled up our new dumpster and scraped the paint drips off the floor that we put there the past two days. Did I mention it was hot, dry and dusty? We did drive down to the local Haji Mart (Iraqi merchants). Trask and I bought some old Saddam currency and Dan bought a few movies…cheap DVDs (only $5 for some good titles). They have other things there too, like rugs, watches, knives, silverware, some jewelry and lighters. You can barter with them if you want, but the stuff is already pretty cheap and I'm not one to worry about a few dollars here and there. I went to a meeting today at Mike Upchurch's office, but he wasn't there. I still haven't met him. I didn't know too many of the faces there or where they were from, so most of the info was lost on me, but I am learning. I might go to a construction meeting tonight. We finished the Lord of the Rings movies last night so we will have to decide what to watch next…exciting huh? Be Good… Darve PS We decided on "The Goonies"...ha.

 

30 May 04	2004-05-29 22:59:13
Trask and I waited patiently for phone calls from our wives this morning, but they never came. We had decent signal but I guess something was interfering between here and there...bummer. Gena, Kimberly, we love y'all and we know you were trying to call us. We will have the phone at the office today if you can try again. Bye 4 now!

 

29 May 04	2004-05-28 22:23:29
We finished watching LOTR - (The Two Towers) last night. We figure, with all the movies we brought, we would only have to watch them about twice each before it is time to go on R&R the first time. ha.

 

25 May 04	2004-05-25 22:36:03
Things are starting to move at our office building. The generator is in place, the trench is dug. The electricians are connecting the generator right now. The air conditioners are in place. We have started cleaning up outside & inside. Trask & Dan are making it home sweet home. We have fuel for the generator lined up, trash service, etc... A dumpster should be there soon as well as a water tank. Janice has found some paint and a power washer...cool. We still have a few service orders to complete, but things are rolling right along. On a personal note... I bought "The Return of the King" yesterday and found out today that Gena had gotten it for me too...ha.

 

22 May 04	2004-05-22 10:03:16
I went to HR today to see if they had info on Trask & Dan yet...and they did. They will definately be here tomorrow. I asked who their supervisors were (trying to make sure they aren't stolen) and I was told they didn't have one assigned yet. I said, "Can you write down Randy Smith as their supervisor?" She said she couldn't. Then she added..."Can you be here tomorrow to get them?" Ha...I said yes, of course...so hopefully I will be able to keep them from being farmed out...cool!

 

Another day...	2004-05-21 11:03:24
Another day, another handful of dollars. I am just rolling along now, learning the roads, learning the ops dept, learning the industrial zone. I hear we will have over a thousand workers there when we are fully operational...cool. If I didn't miss my family so much, and this weren't a war zone, I might actually be able to enjoy myself. Oh well, it's all for the good old dollar.

 

Wednesday 19 May 04	2004-05-19 10:36:04
It has been a long day and I still have an hour to go. We have been sitting at our desks doing pretty much nothing but surfing the internet and typing e-mails, but the network has gone down multiple times today and we have found ourselves staring at our laptops and doing nothing at all. Makes for a really long day. Dan is in Sharjah and Trask leaves Houston tomorrow. Wish I could set them up in a trailer when they get here, but I'm still in a tent myself. Even when we do have internet access it is pretty slow for a LAN connection, but I guess it is better than nothing at all. Went to Burger King tonight...there is one by the new PX. Had a doublemeat cheeseburger. yummyummy

 

To Eat or Not To Eat	2004-05-18 21:14:32
The food is good here, and there is lots of it! I haven't really been hungry since I started processing in Houston, I eat an average of one meal a day...no snacks, and lots of water. Is that good or bad? I'll bet I've lost a few pounds, but there are no scales around to check that out. To Eat or Not To Eat...That is the question. Ha.

 

Mulholland Drive	2004-05-18 04:45:47
I watched a movie with Mark last night (Randy's Suitemate) and just wanted to say that "Mulholland Drive" is possibly the strangest movie I have ever watched. I'm still not sure what it was about. Mark has quite a movie collection and has given me a standing invitation to watch movies at his place. Cool guy.

 

Getting down to business...	2004-05-18 04:42:37
Well, I'm feeling better since I've started doing some work here in the Regional Operations Center. I'm still not close to having my own desk, but it will happen. I miss everyone and hope you are all doing fine. I should continue training here until Randy is back from R&R. Hopefully our office will continue to progress and we can move in there soon. But I've learned that things never seem to move as fast as you hope they will.

 

Baghdad	2004-05-16 11:18:29
Well, I'm here....talk about a shock. I'm in a tent. Phone access is almost non-existent. Internet access...still don't know for sure. Who am i working for, still don't know for sure. Oh my goodness! Hurry up and send me a paycheck so i can remember why I am here.

 

JoJo	2004-05-15 07:39:04
I just read Jordan's latest blog. You made me cry little girl. I love you very much and I know you love me too. I miss everyone back home and hope everyone knows how much I love them. Oh, by the way...I'll be in Baghdad tomorrow.

 

Iraq is just around the corner.	2004-05-05 19:54:36
Randy Burke has been in processing with me for the past week and a half and he got word today that he is shipping out on tuesday. I imagine I will get word very soon when I will be flying the friendly and then not-so-friendly skies myself. Wow, after waiting for what seemed like forever, I am now on the verge of being half a world away from everything I have ever known. I will miss my family so much. Wifey-poo, if you read this, I love you bunches! In our operations briefing today we were informed that out of the 33 KBR deaths in Iraq only 12 of them were the result of hostile attacks and all 12 of those were in transportation (truck drivers). That makes me feel even better than I did before as far as my safety is concerned. So, Mom & Dad...don't worry. At least don't worry as much as you are worried now. Trask and I will be fine, and have more money to show for it too.

 

The Passion	2004-03-01 09:20:24
Saw "The Passion of The Christ"...awesome. What a powerful movie. Adding a visual to the story really made it hit home for lots of people. Sure, we all know that Jesus suffered, but it's one thing to read it and quite another to watch it. Just think...we did that to him. He suffered and died for us. Wow!

 

DimHarvest	2004-02-09 09:26:52
Found a newsletter module and loaded it on the site. Hope it works. ha

 

It's a wonderful day.	2004-02-06 16:23:00
Oh, what a wonderful day it is.