may i have this dance
Fun, fun, fun in Cairo. Nothing has change really to spite the constant construction that does on. Of course when you are using techniques that are hundreds of years old to do the work, it might seem to be at a stand still. While downtown I actually had a policeman direct me to not cross a certain intersection. What? Is the somewhat graceful art of crossing four to six lanes of heavy traffic coming to a end? Nah. There?s nothing quite like crossing the freeway and taking your time doing. The trick is learning how to work with the traffic instead of against it. A dance, if you will. Today, Alexandria, maybe. I?ll check the train schedule when I get there. If not, maybe I?ll check out some of the old parts of Cairo and do some shopping.

quarter pounder....super-size it
Cairo, again. It?s just the way I left it, busy, dirty, and cutthroat. Not even 5 seconds out of the airport were a swarm of taxi cab drivers, limo drivers and anyone with a vehicle used for transport were fighting gladiator style to get the sixty Egyptian pounds it takes to get to the Ramses Hilton. What I do love is the Nascar style of driving that these taxi drivers use to get you where you are going, coming inches, or less, to other cars to make its way. As scary as it may sound to some, I have never seen an accident. I have seen plenty of taxis break down, but no accidents. I am staying in much better accommodations this time. My suite is on the 18th floor over looking the Nile and through the thick haze I can see the pyramids. My first meal in cairo?McDonald?s.

another video
Now Playing: after the rain
Speaking of videos earlier, I have this one I took about a week agon right after it stopped raining. It rain for a few days which is unusual for March. I can not and will not give information over the internet as to what is on the video at this site because of obvious reasons,and i really don't want to be someones girlfriend in federal prison.

after the rain march05

full circle
I am starting to prepare myself for my second vacation which is coming up in about ten days. Nothing as really happened since the last entry. Just the same old stuff, just a different day that?s all. Not surprising is that they will have a new manager here when I return. Worse certain individuals have managed to advance into positions that they are no where near qualified for. When I first came hear this camp was in dire straits. And I think that is exactly where it will be headed under new management. So much for relaxing for the last few months of my tour. In my free time I have been trying to find a site to host my images so that I will not have to go through the task of having to input hundreds of images and all the information required to make it happen. Videos take forever to upload. I am mailing all of the winter stuff home along with all the souvenirs that I have collected. My weight is back up to where it was when I left. As the heat sneaks up on us I wonder how long I can maintain it. I imagine by the time I get back from vacation it will be pretty hot. We will see.

angels among us
For whatever reason, I feel compelled to write in an entry right this moment. I actually made my bed for the first time since we moved. I had been using it as a work table the whole time. I also packed a couple of footlockers with things I will no longer need like winter clothes. I also packed up all the souvenirs that I have collected for the past year. When I go on R & R I will go to the post office and ship them home. I might even ship three, who knows. I have done a lot in the past week, well, more than normal anyway. I am hoping with a little initiative, and a whole lot of diligence ,I can finish everything and get caught up. I really overloaded myself this month. Bring it on. Great, now I feel like doing a cheer (that?s a joke for those of you who didn?t get that). A couple of days ago I saw another star. Okay, let?s call it what it is, an angel. Yep, an angel. For you regular readers you will remember the first star I saw. I wish I wasn?t using my only brain cell for silly things like breathing. I could have taken a picture or even some video. I got confirmation that it was indeed an angel. Well, a couple of nights ago, and I do this all the time now, I went outside and looked up in the sky. I immediately affixed my eyes on one particular star. Ever feel like someone is watching you? Well, there you go. For a brief moment, no more than a few seconds, I could make out a faint pattern around this star. I don?t know how to explain what it looked like but it was a definite pattern. No, it was not the pattern of an angel. As I was looking at this I thought to myself, as if I had to ask, I wonder if that is an angel too. Just at that moment, a flash of brightness came from the star. Just that quick I got my answer. I was like someone turned a dimmer switch on a 1000w light bulb up and down real fast one time. Praise the Lord. Thank you, Jesus, for your mercy. Without it I am lost. Keep a prayer in my heart and a song of praise upon my lips. In Jesus name, amen.

add one VIP and stir briskly....
Can I please take a break now? I?ve been going at it for a few days now trying to get ready for the ?visit?. The friendly, neighborhood Defense Contract Management Agency Quality Assurance Representative has scheduled a ?visit? to our Forward Operating Base on this coming Monday. And he?s bringing the new Army Contracting Officer with him. He?ll be looking into our Area(s) of Operation. He?ll also be looking into whatever Letter?s of Technical Direction are still outstanding. Okay, enough with all the contract lingo. I will be glad when all this mess is over with. My room is a mess. My bed has become a place to place all the documents that clutter my day. I have a ton of things on my To Do List and little time to do it. Oh well, I wanted something to do and I got it.

modern warfare
Things are getting back to normal here, whatever that is. I have a lot on my plate next month with government oversight representatives on the way, maybe. Somehow this time I think they really will come. I found out we have a NATO representative here also doing observation. Hmmm. Oh well. Our new layout is something to scratch your head at also. With the Iraqi Army taking about a third of the property and the main gate, it is going to be interesting to say the least. For example, how will we get our trash to the burn pit if there is no gate manned by the Army? And let?s not talk about sewer. I think when we start shutting down toilet and shower trailers because we have no place to dump the Army will make something happen. Too bad they aren?t willing to take care of it before the problem starts. I?m waiting on my vacation itinerary to come back. I?ll be leaving this camp around the 22nd of March and returning on the 17th of April. I will wait until I receive this itinerary before I submit the one for July. I don?t want to confuse them. And believe me, it?s not that difficult. I find myself in need of a new stereo. The cassette player drags sometimes the CD player won?t read the disc when you put it in. Not a problem though. The PX carries an assortment of such items. Our new Fiji security force is growing in numbers. Of course it goes to show what I know; they speak better English than we do. The dining hall is still under construction although we do have cookouts every once in a while. This is your opportunity to stock up if you?re smart enough to do so. Enough food is allotted to allow two plates for each and every person. And believe me these 82nd Airborne soldiers can eat. However a lot of people here eat like birds. More for me. Tonight was grilled chicken breast and ribs with fried rice and an assortment of salad items. Been playing around with Photoshop 6.0. I might as well be trying my hand at brain surgery. I catch on pretty fast though. Tonight is the night. More pictures on the web. I think instead of trying to separate them out I will just start dumping them on their as I find them. Of course the biggest problem is keeping big brother happy. Oh well. I just finished another batch of sweet tea. I will be enjoying remains of the previous batch tonight as I watch Domestic Disturbance. Life in the war zone.

got milk?
What a wonderful day of nothingness. I?m getting settled into our new accommodations. Well, not new, just relocated. But hey, I still got internet and, as of , now have my own phone. Oddly enough Time Warner Cable managed to call me at five in the morning trying to sell me cable and internet service. I guess they don?t come out this far. What else? No dining facility. Yep, for those unlucky folks that can?t see two feet in front of them and thus didn?t save up any food are now eating MREs, the militaries own little bag of torture. Looking back now, potato wedges all the sudden don?t sound so bad. But me, I good to go. I got enough food stored away to last at least one Iraqi winter which is just long enough to last until the other dining facility gets built inside the new camp perimeter. The Iraqi army moved in a few troops yesterday. I can imagine there will be a lot more, a whole lot more. And of course there are the folks on the other side of us. There are probably four thousand Iraqi police cadets in training right now just on the other side of the wall. I have just acquired some stale bread for tonight?s dinner. Peanut butter and jelly, I can?t ever remember having it this good any other time in my life. Of course if I had moldy jelly that would be a dream come true. It?s not so bad really. To be honest, it?s not so bad of a change from prime rib and T-bone steak four or five times a week. Also today I have completed another year of my life. I shall pause, for brief moment, as the sound of cheering fanfare and the explosive sound of a massive fireworks display rockets through the air?thank you and, please, no flash photography. Well, I guess tonight I will get around to putting some more pictures on the site and finishing off another disc in my Dark Angel Season Two DVD collection.

not so quick, not so easy
After posting my last entry I took a little time to look at some videos someone gave me. I suppose he got them from a soldier but I don?t know. Included in the bunch was an actual beheading. I can?t remember the guys name but it was prominent on the news when it happened. The people I come in contact with here are seemingly the nicest people you would ever want to meet. I wonder how these same people rejoiced as they took a somewhat small knife and took off his head. It wasn?t a clean cut and, no, it was not quick. Kind of makes my bacon and onion commentary a bit ridiculous and I don?t say that lightheartedly. I have seen and heard a lot here. The sons of Ishmael are not all cave dwellers. They have access to modern technology, weapons, training, and, most importantly, access to a never-ending supply of money. They learn, they train, and they pray. All in the name of a false god and a bogus religion. Thank you, Jesus, for Truth. Keep me, Lord. In Jesus name. Amen.

here kitty, kitty
Finally. Electricity. And internet. After two cold miserable nights, the first on the back of a flat bed truck, of sleeping in a cold trailer they managed to get our power back on. Now if we could only get the water and sewer I?d be doing okay. The ?move? went a lot better than expected. There is still a lot to do but the main part will be over tomorrow, which is the day designated for us and the Army to be out of there. Somehow I don?t see the Army letting the Iraqi Army in here until everything is secure. Everyone is on pins and needles because we are basically going to be surrounded by the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police. I could care less. Besides if someone does overrun this camp they will act as a buffer. Better them than me. I?ll be busy now with a lot construction going on. They are rebuilding our dining facility and laundry. When they finish the laundry I will be able to go in at night and do my own laundry. I don?t know if I can stand not having holes in my clothes. How will I ever survive? Having brought the subject of things I can do without, I have made my peace with potato wedges. They promised not to show up every day on my plate and I promised to stop throwing them away. However, there is a small matter with the unyielding desire to add onions to EVERYTHING, and I do mean EVERYTHING. ?May I please have some onions and finely chopped bacon bits? Yes, I know the sign says BAKED BEANS. But apparently the ratio is one bean per every ten thousand bits of bacon and for every one million pieces of onion.? Oh well. It will take me another day or so to get everything in my room back into its place. Be Quiet died since the last entry. Singing one day and cat food the next. Oh well.