A Blog Migration

Bryan & Oksana July '05

This is my first post to my new blog. I will be backposting from my former site http://360.yahoo.com/oblivionX I recently realized that 360 is not going to give me the tracking features that I want nor will it allow my blog to be viewed by those that do not have a Yahoo! account. Slowly but surely I will be migrating my blog here to CasperX, please stop by and feel free to comment. I also like the ablility to have some type of customized style and color to the format of the site, let me know your thoughts etc.

All Good Things Come to an End...

Today I finish my packing and move to a new base.

This will be the last time that I work with the IT department that I have grown to love.
Allthough all the packing and shipping will be a hassle, the hardest part will be leaving the team that I depend on. This team can work miracles. Working on this team in Iraq has led me to believe that difficult is done daily and the impossible just takes a little more time!

The new IT team I will be joining is a capable bunch as well, but I will miss the relationships and all the good times that I had with my old team. I hope that I don't loose touch with any of them and who knows, our paths could cross again in Iraq or anywhere in the world. It is a small world!

There will be more to come, but for now I have to pack and get ready for the move!

Google Talk! Secrets

An awsome write up on Google Talk Secrets that I found this morning! See more here...

MediaMan is the Delicious Library(Mac Only) for Windows

Gotta try this out tomorrow myself!

Check it out here!!!

Make XP look like Windows Vista! (now)

No new software like windows blinds or StyleXP... its a shell install... also replaces the Icons with Vista Icons etc. Just download, install and reboot and your system!

Google Talk!

Amaziing Easter Egg! See more!

Sadam's Big Guns

Iraqi Tanks

These are part of the heavy artillery Sadam once possesed!
Now just a photo op and graffiti haven!

Stupid Tired

Have you ever had the feeling when your not just tiered, but you are just flat out Stupid Tired???

Well today was a very long day that I will have to elaborate on later, as of now I have been at it for 17 hours and I almost passed out on my laptop until I was IM'ed by a friend a minute ago.

I have to try to get to my hooch or I will be sleeping in the office tonight!
Take care all and I'll update about my extremely crazy, bussy, long day tomorrow!!!

Stupid Tired (cont.)
I started my day at 5:30am and was met with delays all morning waiting on a chopper. That steatched out the morning quite a bit. I wound up making a mad dash for Taco Bell for some folks at the base of destination, if the bird would ever arrive. I know this sounds funny but this base has a Taco Bell and the one I was headed to doesnt... I picked up $75 worth of Taco Bell... and that is a hell of a lot of Tacos/Barritos!! Loaded it in my backpack and headed back for the flight line.

I sat there for about an hour and a half with six soldiers in the direct sun, 120+ degrees on hot concrete. It seemed like forever! Finally, the birds arrived and things picked up a bit. Once I arrived at Liberty I made my delivery of Taco Bell and was off to pick up a Dell Power Edge Server that I had to take back with me. This 8u beast was a bit heavy and hard to grip on the bubble rap and tape. I took some time to gather some of my personal electonics to fill my pack for the trip back and prepared to return.

So there I was waiting for choppers again wearing 40 lbs of body armor a 40 lb. pack and a 60+ lb. server. Then I had to walk through 50 yards of river rocks, almost the size of footballs, with all this crap out to the helo-pad. When I finally made it to the chopper there was no floor room and I had to lift the server, still standing on the ground, over some seats and down into the chopper. This proved even more difficult to remove upon arrival.

Finally, I made it back but only made it with the server about 80 yards and the strain of pulling out the server etc took its toll. My arms blew out. It was like lifting weights untill you cant even pick up 5 lbs. I had the bus driver come pick up the server and carry it to the bus, after quickly informing him that it weighed about what he did and was probably worth a month om MY pay! I just drug my pack along behind him... I thought I was going to pass out and was probably partially dehydrated at that point.

I made it back to the office and after checking and responding to some emails almost passed out face first on my keyboard. And that's when I posted the beggining of this post...heh

WoW, what a day... All that because DHL screwed up and left the server at the wrong base!!! Who has the number to the Better Business Bureaus of Iraq???

Blog Interests In My New Blogworld

There are a few new blogs that I read today and dicided that I want to share!

The first is pretty much an essay bloggist that gives interesting insight to daily life: past, present and future. It makes for an appealing read of new and old experiences...

Drop on by and see what you think: A Goddess' Journey Day 1 - The Adventure Begins

The other new Blog is a friend of mine that has been off and on in a few places with his boggisms. Today I found his blog prior to his creation at Yahoo! 360 and found some rather funny stuff! This guy is quite a character and post some great material, whether its about him or something going on around him.

Give it a glance and leave him some comments, maybe he will be encouraged to update more often! Dan Who? -Dust Away *Import

Linked

Last night I was linked by Dave's Not Here, a very interesting blog from a current resident of Iraq! Also a friend of mine.

To my dismay, I have no way of tracking what type of traffic I have received and have contacted the Yahoo! 360 Team in search of answers. I hope there is a way or that this feature will eventually be added.

I was not aware that my 360 site could not be viewed by those that do not have a Yahoo! ID until Dave mentioned it when Linkin my site. This has caused me to reevaluate the home of my Blog, as I see this as a negative and often a deterrent to those that come by and have to sign into some type of membership or service to view my "Public" blog.

First Time Ever!!

Tonight was the first time ever that I was able to have a clear productive conversation calling the Ukraine!!!

OMG! It was like a whole new form of clear communication... accept for the squeels every now and then. Granted it took calling 5 times to connect and get audibly understandable conversation!

Either way it was the most productive and best sounding conversation!!!

Flaming Phones!!!

This is a "RANT" if this were not a rant it would have be proceeded by a "Testing Disclaimer" and some type of anoying tones or beeps! This is NOT a TEST!

This month I recieved my SBC e-bill notification as I always do. To my surprise I was being notified that this bill is for $200.00+ USD!!! But how can this be, you ask? I am in Iraq. I don't use my home phone! Why do I have ~$170.00 in International phone calls to cell phones in Romania and Nigeria???

Well someone made the calls right? True, my cousin is staying at my house back in the states and I phoned him on this matter last night. He informed me that he called some local chat lines in the Houston area but no long distance. I do know that he is in the habbit of having stupid conversations with women on these freebee chatlines when he gets bored, but I also know that there is NO WAY IN HELL that he successfully dialed an international phone number!!! Let me put it this way, he cant even put in a pin Code on an ATM and know what to press for Checking or Savings, much less dial to the side of the world on which I currently reside!

I am not sure if what he called was some type of a scam that forwards calls or what... but thats Nukin Futs!!! My real RANT agianst phone companies in the US is all the hidden charges and taxes etc. I get better billing and up front charges on my Cell phone bill than I ever have out of SBC!! I am so sick of their crap... this stems from previous issues that I have had with them over the years. Don't these Phone companies of yesteryear understand that we are just not getting any value out of their service for the over inflated prices we pay! Do they not know that they are going the way of the Dinosoar. I myself have been operating on Cellphone since 1997 and only recently set up a Land Line when I bought my house in December. I soon inherited the stupid charges and crap service that I had fought in the past over my mother's phone service.

I tell you what, I for one am tired of companies like SBC... AKA the AOL of phone companies! I will be switchin to VONAGE! I may even do it before I go back to the states! If you already have broadband internet why pay companies like SBC $60 a month for the hassles, just use a VOIP phone! Believe me they work! I have been using one in Iraq for over a year and they are way better than the digital and analog lines that we had before we went VOIP!

Yes, this was a bit of a blab with thoughts all over the place but I feel better! Heck, I'll be great just as soon and I find a way to hose that $170 worth of scam charges and and reduce my monthly phone bill by 3/4's!!!

Reflection

Today I have spent some time reflecting upon my trip to Kharkov, Ukraine... I must say that I enjoyed it immensly! As I have told many people lately, it was like going back in time to the 1950's of America. Things were very basic. You could tell that the vast majoriy lived a hard but simple life day to day. It was a whole diffent world from any country I have yet been! I rented a flat (apartment) in Kharkov because it is much nicer and less expensive than the 2 or 3 hotels available there. Flats seem to be where most people live, there were so many more Flat Units than I ever saw individual houses. The language barier was a bit difficult due to the fact that I only know a small handful of phrases and words in Russian, but I hope to resolve that over time.

I have had some Russian language softwar for about a year but I just never had the time with the long hours that we work in Iraq. I hope to somehow find a little time at least 2-3 nights a week to do some learnin'. As for Kharkov, my trip would not have been as special without Oksana (Girl I met last year & went to visit on this trip to the Ukraine), I don't know how I would have found a supermarket or anything there! Unfortuately, we were limited with time due to Oksana not being able to take off work for vacation as originally planned. Luckily for us, it doesn't begin to get dark until about 21:30 (9:30PM) so we spent each evening walking to cafe's or to a park, exploring the city etc.

This situation left me quite a bit of time on my own durring the day, so I tried not to get into to much mischief! I went to a little shop and tried to buy some cookies and things for our evening tea. Well, that turned out interesting... I held up 5 fingers to a lady because I wanted 5 of the cookies there at the shop and the next thing I know she was weighing out a freakin' bag... and not a little one! Lets just say I respectively paid for the week and a half supply of shortbread cookies, said Pasiba(thank you) and went on my way! Thank goodness the USD goes about 5 times further in the Ukraine..heh Now that I think back, it was all fun in the end. Unfortunately for me, I found some useful tips after I returned from my trip that I wish I would have known beforehand.

• Never give someone flowers in an even number -- Dope! (I think I bought her A Dozen Roses three different days! Doomed by the American way!)
• Whistling for just about any reason is very rude (Oksana taught me that one in a Cafe'. I was just kidding around about whistling to get a waitress, and was quickly scolded...lol)
• Be prepared to remove your shoes upon entering a home, even your own apartment and use the slippers provided.
• Always, offer to share snacks etc. (I lucked out on this one I think... I hade Oksana and her brother and I all order some different dishes at a Cafe' so we could all share.)
• Do not shake hands across the threshold of a door. (I think I envited people in first and then shook hands...)
• When shaking hands, take off your gloves. (lucky for me it is in the mid 70-80's in July and there was no need for gloves.)
• Be prepared to accept all food and drink offered you when visiting! (I tried things at least and they let me slide on this one for the most part because we always ate in casual settings at my place or a cafe')
• Don't put your thumb between your first two fingers - this is a very rude gesture! (Not a habbit I have, thank goodness!)
• If you are invited into a family home, it is traditional to bring a gift. Wine, a cake, flowers is customary. If there is a child in the house, it is appropriate to provide him/her with a small gift as well.

All in all I think I did ok, but just knowing a bit more in advance would have been nice! They let me slide on things i'm sure. We were always discussing the different customs of the US and Ukraine. As soon as I can get some things ironed out and set in place I will be making a return trip and if at all possible, my first cruise ever - taking me to Italy, Greece and Croatia -three places I have yet to visit!!!

Complexity

Decisions, as of late, have become a chess game as I attempt to sort out and play all the pieces correctly to result in my end goals. It's strange how one day can be so simple and the next is baffled in complexity! I have had a new realization to how organization, laws and regulations have led the U.S. to be the successful nation that it is. My problem is trivial in comparison, but as it sits and stares back at me demanding my focus I must give it way. Why can't other countries have laws and standards that allow people to plan things and utilize what little freedom they have to enjoy?

I find myself in a difficult situation trying to plan a trip for my girlfriend and I to Europe that will require acquisition of many Visas for her. If that isnt enough, although she may request and be granted a set number of days off for this vacation, her boss could easily change his mind the day prior, as he has done before, and place her job in jepordy over her staying or not! How do you plan around crap like that! Arghhhhh!!!! I am in a fix over this one... it's not like you can wait until the last minute to get plane and cruise tickets and visas etc... Gooooosh!

What to do? To get back to the point about the success of the US. It just takes structure and planning, law and following through etc. to get things done and be successful. Growing up in the US this is natural... but a big headeach to deal with when dealing with other countries. I thnik I will retire for the night and think on this no longer... instead watch a movie at Dave's Movie Corner and then crash into my bed...

Inevitable

If there is one thing that has remained over my past year and a half in Iraq is the inevitability of CHANGE!

Change is good, for the most part, and this time I believe it is good for me!
In the past 24 hours my option for transfer to Taji Iraq has solidified. I have been informed that it is a done deal and I will be returning in a few days to do my packing/shipping etc and begin the migration of my life that was in Baghdad to a somewhat smaller camp and different pace of life.

The good new is that there are some good people here and I am not the only transfer. I am following my manager here along with at least 1 other. Believe me, he is only 1 of 2 managers I have worked for in my life that I would be willing to leave a good thing like my life in Baghdad for.

This will be somewhat of a new start for many of us, but now we have the experiences of the past few years to guide and direct us in helping this base reach its full potential in the least amount of time! There will be challenges, but thanks to the friendships I have made in the past 6 months I think we can handle anything.

It's now well past lunch time in this timezone and I need to go find Dave and grab some grub at the chow hall... happy reading!... for those that drop in.

Given Another Day

I believe this is the first time I have actually woke up on time in the past 2 weeks or more!

The simple fact is I have been worried to death about someone that is very dear to me and have not been able to rest at all due to the fact that I could not get in touch by emai or phone. I am not sure how many people realize how lucky we are to have the communications so readily available to us in the states. Few people probably realize that there are other countries where things as simple as phone lines can go down and be unavailable for connection from long distance for weeks or more!

Finally, I got through on the phone lines! I can finally rest, as my worries have been erased. It just goes to show that when communication with people is abrubtly severed it can have terrible reprocussions. It's hard to know what to do when you are so far away and and the simplest lines of communication fail! I just don't know what I would do if tomorrow I no longer had contact with the outside world.

I don't know how our society would get by without the voice/data communications that we have become so heavily dependant upon. Have we lost the ability to think or function the way our society did only a few centuries ago? It would be sad if there might come a day that we have to seek out undeveloped peoples to solve a problem, due to the fact that we can no longer think on lower levels...

All that aside, I have found new hope and a weight has been lifted from my shoulders upon resumed communications. I can now rest easy and again look forward to my future and where this life may lead me after Iraq. At this point I am on the wire as to what country I could be working within the next year or so. Who knows my path may lead me home to the Good O'l US of A, but only time will tell.

Edit: This page is kept on US time so my early morning posts show up on the day prior -Baghdad time is 9hrs. ahead of US Central Time Zone.

Blogging Beginnings -Entry for August 10, 2005

I have contemplated a Blog for sometime now as I have been very impressed with those of some of my co-workers. I hope that somehow I will manage to entertain or inform people about my experiences.

First off I need to say that I am no English Major, nor am I even a fair speller! I would appreciate not getting flamed for my typos, bad spelling or horrific grammar. Just take it as part of the entertainment factor and laugh at my expense. Believe me I wont mind!

Actually, several years ago I remember I left a sticky note to someone on their office door. It said something about where they were supposed to meet someone. I wrote "MEAT" and the person was so confused they had to come find me for an explanation. Needless to say, we both had a good laugh once we figured out what all the confusion was about!

Regrettably, I can remember late nights writing papers for school and having to ask a friend, "how do you spell "the" again?" ... So, um yeah, I have never been at one with the English language! Learning French several years back has done further irreversible damage to my lacking grasp of my native tongue. I am now studying Russian, if somewhat successful I may never be able to write English comprehensively again. Good luck on that one, Da? (Russian for yes)