Just thought I would share what people are generally thinking...
It has already started...

                                                                                  
                    

    I'm really not believing the whole "it's a dry heat" thing anymore! Yesterday it was 123 degrees. Now, I understand that 95 degrees with 50% humidity is hot, I've got that, I've been there. The kind of heat we experienced yesterday even had the Iraqis that we work with saying, "it's freaking hot!" I was nice and cool in my trailer. I got out of bed, got dressed, I stepped outside, then BAM! I thought I had taken a wrong turn, and ended up in an oven! Humidity is one thing, but 123 degrees is 123 degrees. There is no heat index. What it is, is what it is. I just can't get over how hot it was. I have a half mile walk to work, when I got there, it looked like I just got rained on. I quickly downed a liter of water. On top of the heat, we have another dust storm on the way! As if the heat wasn't bad enough! But hey, I've got a dust mask now. And thanks to some very generous people, everybody will have one soon!
    Other than the heat, everything else is about the same. We had the usual early morning alarm, courtesy of our gracious hosts. Close enough to hear it, but still way off the mark. Every time they do that, it just causes more work for me! Thanks guys! Well, I must get to my room while it's still in the low 100's. Until next time...

                                                                          

    I've outdone myself! I was given some footage and I ran with it. I showed this at our meeting tonight. Some of you may not know that I am in charge of the "Humor" section of the meeting, where normally I edit some stand-up bits from various comedians. But tonight, I showed them this video. I added the audio and edited the video slightly, If you want to see it, click here. I'll post a normal entry later. I just wanted to get this out there. Until next time...

Edit: The video has been removed due to it's potential offensive nature. I sincerely apologize if anyone was offended.

    I still don't know the status of my friend who was injured, but I do know that it is not life threatening. That's good news. The airfield over here was hit by a mortar yesterday. That's the bad news. I don't know if anyone has been keeping with the news lately, but there is a deadline of June 30th for our guys to be out of the cities over here. That doesn't mean we are leaving, but what it does mean, on the other hand, is that things are probably going to get interesting over here pretty soon, even more so than now.
    On the lighter side, I will definitely be putting up some photos that don't involve a webcam! Be patient though, I still have to wait for my camera to get here. You'll finally get to see the *cough, cough* lovely scenery that Iraq has to offer. But, in the meantime, if you want to see another webcam picture, click here!
    Well, that's it for today. Until next time...

                                                                                                            
    I just received word that there was a rocket attack in Afghanistan. Three friends of mine that I was in Ft Jackson with, were involved in it. Two more that I don't know. One of the people I didn't know was killed. The other guy that I didn't know, lost one of his legs. One of my friends was injured, to what extent I don't know. The other two of my friends assisted the wounded, and from what I understand, are pretty traumatized by the ordeal. Please keep all involved and their families in your prayers. Until next time...

    Well, it's Father's Day and I'm stuck here on watch. We got a Father's Day present from the locals. How did they know?! They shouldn't have, no really, they shouldn't have! Other than that, it's been alright. We had to field day the workspace because of all the dust that has gotten in the past few days. It was clear today and yesterday though. Which brings me to something. If someone wants to do something noble and just plain awesome, sending about 50 dust masks here, to hand out to my coworkers, would be incredible! My parents sent me a few for me, but I was thinking, what about them? So, if anyone is up to the challenge, they would be appreciated. I want to take care of my peeps! They don't sell dust masks here, so nobody can get them. The storms are going to happen again and again. I just want us to be prepared.
    I have been asked about the comment section, and how there is a subscibe/ do not subscribe arrow. You don't have to subscribe if you don't want to. But if you do, it's no big deal. All it does is let you know if someone has commented in this blog. They don't distribute email addresses, I promise.
    But anyway, duty calls. I will leave you with this song to listen to. It's been on my mind all day. Click here. Oh, how do you like the song that plays when you load the blog page? Neat huh? Until next time...

Well, it's finally over. At least for now. The worst dust storm since I have been here is gone. Thanks to Nichole, I can show you a video that will show you what we see every other day. If you want to see it, click here. It is really a sight to see. I would also like to share with you a sign that was written by a Navy Seal that was recently wounded pretty seriously over here. It's very inspiring. To see it, click here. It's actually been sort of a quiet day today. We've been needing one of those! As always, thank you for your comments, and I hope you enjoy the new site. There are more things to come! I'm trying to get some new pictures to put up. I think I found a way to do that. Until next time...

    Sorry if this inconvenienced any of you guys, but this site provides a much better site for blogging. You'll find that it is more user friendly for you too. There are so many tools available for me too use. The other site was nice, but I couldn't do near as much, It's much easier with this one.
    Like I said in my last post, it got really dusty here. I don't know if I stressed it enough before, but it was so bad that we were brushing dirt off of our heads when we would come back from the restroom! I am beginning to wonder if I should even take a shower after watch. What would be the point? Tell me what you think! (I wouldn't have been able to underline that on the old site!)
    But anyway, I should prepare for turnover. Until next time...

I haven't mentioned this in other entries, but I have been hitting the gym pretty hard since I have been here. I lift weights quite a bit now and I am showing some pretty good results if I say so myself! At the same time, I'm trying to get rid of the ab flab. I have lost about two inches of my waist. I have to use my waist as a guide and not totally depend on the scale because of the weightlifting. I have to keep telling myself, "muscle weighs more than fat!" so I don't get discouraged! In other news, the dust left us for a day, but then returned in full force, due to thunderstorms to the west and south. That hasn't stopped our "friends" from sending us presents over the wall though. Good thing they can't see either! They were way off this time. They missed us by half a mile today. Sorry for the delay in getting this entry in. It's been interesting here lately. On top of everything, I've decided to try to get my Enlisted Expeditionary Warfare Specialist pin. I'm a glutton for punishment, I guess! Wish me luck! Remember, wherever you go, there you are! Until next time...

I say that because today, one of the hits we took landed in the path where I would have been walking had I not been over at the recreation area checking my Facebook page and writing the last entry. Whew! When I said "Whoa" on the last entry, was when it hit, only about a hundred yards away, if that. One of the people that I work with saw it hit, which is rare. We usually hear them, but don't see them. We all heard it whistle down, then BOOM! Never a dull moment out here, I tell you what! On a side note, I watch the news regularly here and I have to laugh! As much as I don't want us to be here, I think if we leave, it'll go back to the way it was, erasing what we have done. We will have taken two steps back. Just my opinion, and you know what they say about opinions. Until next time...

I just had to put another entry in before I went to bed. I'm actually lucky I found my trailer today! There is so much dust outside now that you can only see about 10 feet in front of you! The sun looks like a little white circle in the sky. If anyone is reading this, please send some dust masks my way! This is crazy. Easily the worst it's been since I got here. Whoa, I just heard another explosion! Man, this day is just getting better and better. They must be trying to use the dust to their advantage, but still can't hit the broad side of a barn! Wouldn't be able to with all of the dust anyway. Well, I better get to sleep while I can still find my trailer. Until next time...

Well, it happened again. This time I was working, and it hit outside of the building, close enough to shake all of the monitors in the center. There were three of them, reportedly all in the same spot. The funny thing was, everybody sort of looked around and then went right back to work like nothing happened! It's amazing what you get used to! It sounded like someone slammed a sledge hammer on the ceiling. It was loud. On the lighter side of things, tomorrow, we (my buddies and I) get to make our weekly journey to the PX! Woo Hoo! It's bad when the most fun you have is to go to the PX and get your hair cut. What's next, Burger King?! Be still my heart! Until next time...

Hey, thank you for your comments you guys. I appreciate it. Well, I know you Facebookers know this already, but for the rest of you that don't, the other day was pretty eventful, to say the least. I was rudely awaken by a mortar. Normally, this would be no big deal, because they hit pretty frequently, but on this day, it came a little too close for comfort. Now, my mother is probably reading this and freaking out, but it's alright Mom, it just goes with the territory. Most of them end up a mile or two away. They are such bad shots and are usually no threat, but as they say, a blind squirrel will find a nut sometimes! But for today, we had some interesting visitors, I can't really say who, but it was an interesting visit. Oh, and to follow up on the computer problem, I used my training and fixed the problem myself. Parts? Who needs stinking parts?! Until next time...

Just so I know that someone is reading this blog, I would really appreciate your comments. Just say "hi" or any other comment you wish. I don't want to be the only one reading this. But anyway, today one of my computers crapped out on me, which makes my job very difficult! I depend on 12, yes 12 computers to do my job, and it just so happens, one of the most important ones graphics card died on me today. So, I'm having to get one shipped from the states. Yeah, that'll be a quick fix! Hopefully I will get it soon. But anyway, today's temp is suppose to be 115 degrees, with dust storms to boot! Yay! Today's entry was brought to you from Camp _____ Internet Cafe! The name has been omitted to protect the innocent! Yeah, I'm goofy, but I just got off of a 12 hour watch! Until next time...

I am finally getting this blog started after a long wait. Today was the usual stuff that I can't really talk too much about, due to the sensitive nature of my job. All I can really say about that is that I am doing a big part in catching the "bad guys". My days seem to run together since I work the night shift, but on the bright side, that is when the most excitement happens. Lucky me, huh? It actually is a very interesting job. I just wish it wasn't so far away, no wait a minute, I am glad it is far away, because I wouldn't want this to be happening on our home soil. I mean, bad things do happen at home in the states, but not like this. I haven't been here long, but I have already experienced the "bad" parts that nobody wants to ever experience, like the memorials for the soldiers that worked here, killed in action defending the freedom of the people here and keeping terrorism away from our home across the ocean. And the wounded who have to live with that memory for the rest of their lives. On the lighter side, the "good" parts that I have experienced are the people I have met while I have been here. I have met some really great people that will bend over backwards to help in any way they can. Everyone works as a team and has each other's back, no matter what. If anyone is looking for a worthy charity to donate to, I found out about The Wounded Warrior Project. Check out the site and decide for yourself. I will close for now. More to come soon...