With facebook I am not sure how much longer I will be using this site as it is hard to keep up everything. But here is another picture this time from When Joy came to visit and we went to Angkor Wat.

Heather was asking for photos of the house. office and what not. Here is our roof top open area. It is covered and has a small bar. We also have a grill up on the roof as well. Kinda nice area to chill, read a book or have a beer.

OK so here is my office/residence here in Phnom Phen. Not to bad really. We have a nice office area downstairs and the rest is living quarters for the guys when they come back on weekends and holidays from the field as well as my room. We also have a nice roof top terrace with nice views. More pictures to follow of the house.

Well tomorrow I head to the corporate office and then late that night I head to Phnom Phen. I have been busy helping to get Heather settled here at her folks house. We had to get some carpet, fridge and what not as she is taking over the game room. She will be finishing her degree. Also she will be coming to visit in January most likely.

I have a had great if not busy time here in the states. I sure cannot wait to get back at some point and buy a house.

Here is the 1978 Fiat Spider a buddy of mine rebuilt for me so that I could give it to my father in law for his birthday. She is so fast and so smooth. Thanks Ben for all the hard work. You too LaJane!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have twins!!! Twin Coopers. They have to be some of the funnest cars I have ever driven. The bonus to this story is the 37 miles to the gallon they get. I can't get enough of driving them. The dealer even drove them 3 hours down from Albuquerque for us at no charge. If you have not had the chance give them a try some time.

Well folks sorry for the time between these but we have been hectic with the move.

So we are currently in New Mexico visiting our dear friends Benjaneer and Linda. We have been eating Mexican food and driving both Ben's and our cars. Currently we have more cars here at his house than does he. We have the 1978 Fiat Spider, 08 Cooper and 08 Cooper S. Picts to folow as well. Ben has the 944 Porsche, 928 Porsche and his Suburban he lovingly calls the "Moose".

We should be off in aboout a week to visit Colorado Springs before heading to the folks house in Nevada.

Picric is doing well and is enjoying the time she has with Aunt Linda and Uncle Ben, not the wild rice mind you.

I think later this week we are going to visit White Sands. We drove through the range up into the mountains earlier this week to see a really cool lodge that over looks the valley below and the sands. The lodge had previously been visited by Clark Gable and Judy Garland and there names are carved in the tower there as well.

Well for those not in the know I have been given the opportunity to work in Cambodia and I am taking it. I had previously had to turn the same position down twice due to bad timing and previous commitments. This time I have nothing in my way and I am off to a new and big challange as the regional manager of a great non-profit organization named GoldenWest.

Heather will be headed back stateside to help her folks out as her father is currently going through some very rough cancer treatments. Also she will take this opportunity to complete her college degree.

We are both very excited about everything. If any of you are travelling through Southeast Asia drop me a line. I may be able to make time to see you. I will be working mostly in Cambodia but also will have work in Vietnam as well.

Cheers to all and keep in touch!!!!

Moving can be difficult especially on a pet. Logistics and what not for moving can be not only a hastle but also quite expensive. For this reason cooking and eating your loved ones may be the answer. Eating your cat can have some great benefits. Firstly the nutrional value. Secondly they will be a part of you forever, be it in your bones, musle and tissue. May I suggest roasting. Also in a stew with carrots, potatoes, thyme, sage, salt, pepper, onions and some garlic. Any way you cook it your animal will always be a part of you.

OK so the other morning there I was laying in bed staring straight in the eyes of my lovely wife when I said, " man you wouldn't beleive the dream I just had. People just couldn't get enough of my nippleless chicken breasts." Thats when Heather almost peed the bed. I said, "yah well I had a restaraunt and was the only one in town that sould nippleless chicken breasts. They are so much juicier and less chewy."

The End.

I was just reading an article where a pro poker player was listing his top 5 favorite steak houses world wide and it got me thinking. What are my top 5 restaurants so far in all my travels period. Here they are. Feel free to comment back with your thoughts. Bon apetite!

Not in any order.

1. Sala Rim Naam, Bangkok, Oriental Hotel

Why? Well this restaurant is in what is widely considered one of the the top three hotels in the entire world. To get to the restaurant one must go through the long beautiful halls heading past some really nice facilities such as the river buffet and the jazz bar until you get to the gardens. Look for the teak barge. The barge looks as if it is hand polished each and every day and gleams i the lights of the city. Once aboard you are boated to the other side where the restaurant awaits you. Once in side you are seated in the floor and served like a king as servants bring you food on their hands and knees. Oh and it has the best show in town. The meal is set and the only thing you have to pick is a cocktail from the beverage menu. Cheers.

2. Metropolitan Grill, Seattle

Why? A true steak house. I love leather booths. Over the top service that makes you feel like a celebrity. Service is not just from the standard college kids but also from the more seasoned older wise gentleman that can help you to pick a fine wine from there vast list. This is the type of see or be seen type establishment I have always dreamed of pulling a fine car up in front of. Steaks served to perfection. If you can dream it they will make it.

3. Chez Hans, Cashel, Ireland

Why? Even the Dubliners that know will drive the several hours to this countryside small town to enjoy the food as well as the local Bru Boru theatre. The restaurant is in an olde church. The service is absolutely perfect. The food...............well all I can say is holy mackerel! Melt in your mouth delicacies. Sweet desert wines. You name it. Some of the food is simple. Yet it is not over done. Just taken to new levels of happiness with a little sophistication on the side.

4. Ruth's Chris Steak House, Anywhere

Why? Well most likely because as we travel every time I get back to the US I look for the nearest one of these restaurants. Best reason is every time and anywhere I go I can guarantee solid service and killer food. I have to admit I live a little high on the hog especially when it comes to food. I enjoy being catered to and pampered. I get all of this and some each and every time. And normally they have a great wine menu to boot. The sign to me of a good wine menu is whether or not they have a good Hungarian desert wine, specifically a Tokai.

5. The Village, Pohnpei, Micronesia

Why? OK close your eyes and picture this. OK close them after you read this. A long house with a woven roof, open sides, high up in the canopy on a steep slope over looking the lagoon of a beautiful island. Now add to this a huge mangrove crab and some beer. This is one hell of a romantic location whether alone or with friends you will feel as if time has stopped and not left you behind. Instead it has allowed you to calm your mind and soul and just breathe and eat. Cheers.

Heather and I saw the movie "Hancock" today. Not a bad movie. A unique take on the superhero crazy world these days. Everything seems to be super hero this or comic book that. But Hancock goes a different way with it all. I do agree though with what many have said in the media that without "Will Smith" this project would not have amounted to much more than a flick like "Sky High". Although not "Batman the Dark Knight" it deserves a look at the local cinema. I have always liked Jason Bateman and he has done well recently in picking good projects to get involved with.

I really look forward though to the next works by Angelina and Brad. Brad's movie is based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story "The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons". Angie stars in the Changeling. Both have Oscar buzz to them. We will just have to wait and see. Brad's movie trailer can currently be viewed on Apple.com trailers section.

Headed out today for lunch and a movie with our good friend Justin. We had lunch at Chili's which had some of the worst service I have ever seen. Oh well. All was made up though by the new Batman movie "The Dark Knight". What a heck of a good movie. Do not wait for video if you have the chance to see it on the big screen. I was very impressed by the last movie which started the series off anew. The job that Heath Ledger did of bringing the Joker to light was amazing. Everything honestly about the flick was amazing. It sure did not feel like a 2.5 hour flick.

The two movies I am really looking forward to next summer are the Star Trek movie and GI Joe. I am not normally into the Star Trek flicks but the darker path they are taking and the story being based while Kirk is in the academy should be cool. The casting looks superb. See the cast list at www.imdb.com and search Star Trek. The character Sylar from Heroes plays young Spock. Also the casting of the GI Joe movie leads me to beleive it should also be a huge blockbuster. Only time will tell.

Right now Heather and I are sitting in bed watching the HBO series Carnivale on DVD. Not too bad. Heather likes it though.

Well we are keeping busy getting things ready for the big move stateside. Hopefully we will have the biggest thing, Heather's SUV, sold here very shortly and then we will not have anything to big to worry over.

Weather has been real bad here this year due to the lack of rain earlier this year. Dusty as heck almost daily. The heat is no real biggy as we are use to that. The dust though is a pain in the ass and covers everything here almost like a lite snow.

Congrats go out to my sister as she has brought a new baby into the world. I think my mom is beside her self and dancing around all the time till she gets the little bugger into her arms.

Looks like I will get the chance to visit my good friend Ben here shortly when we move back stateside. Picric and I will most likely head straight there and relax a bit before moving on up to Colorado Springs. Also we had to order the cars from Albuquerque as they still had some slots available for order. Denver said it was going to take 90-120 days which we were not ready to wait that long to get our cars.

My apologees for not writing in a little while.

Well here is the deal. I am currently living in Kuwait as a house husband as my wife finishes the final 2 months of her contract. Once completed we are on our way back to the states. Yes our travelling the world is coming to a hault and we are looking for a somewhat normal style of life. You know the kind. A house, jobs, cars, bills and who knows...maybe a kid or two.

We will be moving to Colorado which I am excited about. Supposedly Colorado Springs has more days of sunshine than anywhere else. This means I am going to get back into mountain biking. This is a long time love of mine but due to the places I have lived the past 7 years it has just not been possible. Also if anyone knows of a good beer league softball team in the area let me know.

As for a job/career for me.....well I have no real clue. EOD jobs in the area seem non-existant unless a Bomb Appraisal Officer (BAO) job opens up and I can swing it. I am looking at HRO, recruiting, lower or middle management, Safety, Sales, wine taster or calendar model. We are following Heather's career as it is a much more stable option. I may even just go to school for a year or two.

To combat the gass prices we are getting a couple of new Mini Coopers for our cars. They get 38 miles to the gallon on the highway. I am ordering them tonight hopefully. They will take 2 months to get made and shipped to the dealer.

Also Heather and I just got back from our vacation with her folks to Ireland and London. Had a great time. Heather and I also went to the Louvre in Paris enroute back here to the middle east. Weather was off and on rain but all in all a great time. Heather has more on this and other stuff at her blog. See links this site.

Well I guess thats it for now. Sorry for the lapse and I will try to do a better job of posting.

Well I am now here and am running around like a chicken with my head cut off. So much to do to get this project up and running. I have to get housing established in some villages out in the middle of nowhere. Purchase all the gear and equipment. Set up rosters and leaves for all local and expat staff. This to name just a few things.

Right now I am down at the gold mine where we have work as well shadowing another project to see how things are running. I got the chance to go out and scout the line of the project which is a very long 100Km plus new power line we have to clear of all UXO and frag to a depth of 2 meters. Pretty dense in places, open in others. The biggest concern is we are starting in the middle of the rainy season. We will trudge through as best we can. Should be quite the challenge.

I just wish my wife was here with me. I miss her a great deal. She is my rock. And with all the water here right now I need a rock to climb on so as to not get my boots all muddy.

I got a new watch yesterday. I have been looking at it for some time now. I like the features of this watch where if you touch the button on the side and then you touch the face at various points you access the features of the watch such as altimeter, barimetric, compass, chrono, thermo and alarm. Reviews are hit and miss on amazon.com. I decided I just could not find anything else I liked and picked it up. One warning I will have to look at is that folks say not to send it through the metal detector too many times in the airport, which is fine as normally you have to take it off and put it into a bowl that you get on the other side.

My favorite watch is still the Corum my wife bought me for Christmas/birthday.

Given the cash, the next watch would be either a Panerai or another Corum.

Well things are coming along, albeit slowly. All I am waiting for is some paperwork and then I can book my tickets. Only bad thing is that they are gonna cost a pretty penny being so last minute. Give me another week and I will be taking picks in Laos for you all and will post them at the earliest convenience. Also based on when and if I have internet. :-)

Cheers all!!!

This picture is for Mrs. Pants. This is a picture of Radju, the gentleman that works for us around the house. Radju is from Bangladesh. He is such a great help seeing as the house is so big. He helps also keep the cars clean with all the dust we get swirling around here.

Here are two carpets Heather and I have picked up here for our future home in some state or another.

Well folks the time has come to move back home. Back to Laos. I have been given the opportunity and this time we are not passing it up. We have turned down a few times opportunities in Cambodia due to bad timing or due to commitments. This time we have nothing to stop us.

I have accepted a position as a Project Manager and will be based out of Vientiane. I am off in a matter of weeks and Heather will be a few months behind me. We will have a nice house with a spare room. So anyone interested should take full advantage. Actually the houses, cost to size ratio, are incredible.

Heather will be taking the time to finish off her degree and start on a masters. She also will take some time to get involved with a local group or two and do some volunteering.

Well thats all the news thats fit to print. Cheers all and keep in touch.

Our softball team after bowing out of the Middle East Softball Championships in Dubai.

My management Kung Fu is strong. How strong you may ask. Well Green Belt Six Sigma strong. HAHAHAHAHA

I have been working on my certifications on line for the various levels of Six Sigma. Not a bad course. I always say face to face training is better but I had no other alternative. Luckily my wife is very good at the Six Sigma precesses. What I don't get online I get from her. Her management Kung Fu is top notch.

If you too want to check out what six sigma can do for you go to www.sixsigmaonline.com.

The sand is sure blowing around this morning. Visibility is almost nil. The best part of this is that almost no one is on the road making for a calm and easy drive in to the office.



Just a few short months till we meet the in laws for our much needed rest in Europe.

The video attached here is of a demo shot we performed on a couple submunitions. Another day another dinar. Of course the normal saying is another day another dollar but the dinar is so much stranger right now. Exchange rate is currently at 1 Kuwait Dinar (KD) = 3.77 USD.

Ok so I have a bit of a side job right now that has potential. I deal in bombjammers, counter surveillance and surveillance technologies. One of the really cool items we represent is the microdrone UAV. The UAV is small and easily flown with as little as a day of training. It can fly via waypoints or by the guidance of the operator using video goggles. The system is used worldwide right now by videographers and aerial photographers. The police in Germany are using it to fly over brawls after football matches to help identify the hooligans and later bring them to justice. To learn more visit:

www.microdrones.com

www.bombjammer.com

We have gotten almost no rain this year at all. This means the summer will be very very dusty. We are already seeing the difference from last year. This week temps should go to 40 degrees Celsius.

Not a whole lot new going on here. I have my Yellow Belt and am starting on my Green Belt in Six Sigma. Heather is still putting in time working on her degree program as well as writing her book.

To kill time when I get bored I go online and price Porsches for when we move back to the states. I so love driving them.

Just a picture of me at the SOFEX (Special operations Forces Expo) in Amman, Jordan.

Well the softball tourney went well. In that I mean we drank quite a few bottles of wine and cans of beer. I think we came in at 4th out of 8 teams. Not too shaby. Over the course of 3 days we played something like 7 games. Three of which were seeding games the others were tourney games.

For those of you who have not heard of or seen Dubai all I have to say is wholly crap. The whole city is gorgeous. Skyscrapers everywhere and not standard looking ones either. They all are works of art. And now they have the tallest building in the world which is still growing higher and higher in The Burj. They also have lots of islands being built some in the shape of the world and others in the shape of plam trees. Take a look on google and see what they have going on under images. Also they are building the worlds largest theme park supposedly when finished in 5 or so years will be bigger than Disney Land and World combined and have an entire indoor mountain for skiing.

Well I have passed my yellow belt for Six Sigma and am looking to move on forward to green belt here in the next week or so. I did the whole thing online. For those of you not in the know it is a type of TQM or Total Quality Management course. It is the latest and greatest catch phrase in the corporate realms.

Weather here is starting to warm up. Funny hearing the Kuwaitis say that as they should be use to it by now. Alot of them leave for the summer as they are not big fans of the summer heat waves. The roads actually are noticeably less congested and open during the summer. Many ex-pat and Kuwaiti alike leave for the summer. Personally, I do not mind the heat so much.

I am off to the special forces and security conference in Jordan next week. Will post picts upon my return. www.sofexjordan.com Should be a good time. I will report on how it went when I get back home.

A few days after I get back to Kuwait I leave yet again but this time with my lovely wife to go and play in the Dubai softball tourney. http://www.dubaisoftballleague.com/ This site shows the field. What a heck of a good field!!!!! Also there is a bar not more than a hop, skip and stumble away. Actually there is a hotel attached to the field with 3+ bars, 5+ restaraunts and a multiplex movie theatre.

The Incredible Hulk 2008

Ok so Marvel has taken back most all their properties so that they may do the films themselves. They supposedly were not that happy with the Hulk movie from several years ago. They are not redoing the movie but the sequel has a whole new cast starring Edward Norton as the Hulk and Liv Tyler as the love interest.

So here is where the cool trivia comes in.

Also this summer Iron Man comes out with Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark/Ironman. In the Hulk movie Robert Downie Jr plays, Tony Stark. So it will be cool to see them inter weave things a bit in hopes that they start some cross over with several stars/heroes in one movie down the road.

Also the Screenplay for the Hulk was not written by Stan Lee but by it's star Edward Norton. The Hulk trailer is due out in a few short days rumor has it. Check youtube for more once it is out to view the trailer.

The Box movie

For those of you that know I am a huge Donnie Darko movie fan. The writer/director is one heck of an artist. I just wanted to let you all know that Southland Tales is being released on DVD here in a few days and if you have not seen it you should think about picking it up. It has a star studded cast including Seann William Scott, The Rock, Sara Michelle Gellar and many more.

Also if you have the chance check out imdb.com and type in The Box. This is a new one by writer/director Richard Kelly staring Cameron Diaz and James Marsden. The basis for this one is this, if some one comes to your door and gives you a box and says you have 24 hours to make a decision if you push the button in the box you will get 1 million dollars but some one some where on Earth will die what do you do?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362478/ The Box

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405336/ The Southland Tales

Last night, at one of the camps/bases here in Kuwait, myspace.com sponsored a concert. Supposedly it was live on myspace.com, which if I had known I would have checked it out. The concert consisted of Jessica Simpson with the Pussycat Dolls, Disturbed and Filter to name a few. We did not go as the camp was a long way for us to drive and Heather would have been the only one to get in as I do not have US base access.

I just wanted to say thank you to myspace.com for doing this for the troops. Also a thank you goes out to the performers for taking the time to fly all the way over here as well.

Well the other day we helped some beduin folks move their camels across the divided highway you see above. Made for a nice photo. We had to help block the road so traffic could not disturb the camels as they made their way from one side to the other.

Sorry it has been awhile since posting here folks. We have been super busy with house hunting and what not. Still deciding whether to buy or build. The market the way it is we could get a bigger home on the cheap. But this would not give us exactly what we want. We have seen over 500 homes thus far. I really would like to get this solved by the summer then we can evaluate where we are cash wise to make a plan on when we will be good to move back home.

Keys to the house we want to have are as follows:

• 3+ bedroom
• large open basement for Irish style bar and poker table
• 2+ car garage
• not cookie cutter but something unique
• eco friendly where ever possible: Solar, in floor heating...........
• 5 piece master bath with walk in closet
• library
• gourmet kitchen

Also keeping me busy lately is getting ready to play in the Dubai Softball Tourney here coming up in April. Heather is accompaning me to the UAE to help root us on to victory.

Setting up the monumental and historic trip to Ireland this summer for Heather, I and the In-Laws is a fun and busy task as well. I actually get a kick out of setting up and doing all the logistics and planning for these kind of trips. Looks like heather and I will have a day in Paris as well to go and see the Louvre.

Well we are getting ready to celebrate Liberation day here in Kuwait. This means loads of shaving cream and silly string. Cars driving up town will be on the attack from other vehicles as well as packs of kids. Vehicles battle as they drive and stop at red lights. Some cars have every window and the sun roof occupied by persons armed and firing away. Makes it hard to see sometimes as the stuff covers your windshield.

Other than that Heather and I are just getting ready for our 4 day trip to Dubai in April and our 2 week trip to Ireland and London with the in-laws in July.

Weather is almost perfect these dasy as it is neither hot nor cold right now. Had a wicked dust storm this weekend. I wish I would have had the video camera with us as we drove to a friend of Heather's house this weekend for a birthday party. You could barely make out the cars coming at you at 75 yards. The traffic lights blew all over the place dancing about in the air.

I pass the time these days either swimming and watching sports, looking at house plans and looking for lots to build on or playing the XBOX 360. Softball practice has been delayed until March due to the fact the field is being used until then. Then we have to get ready for the tournament.

Some days 13,000 pounds of explosives is enough to make a guy smile. I love my proffession.

DUBAI INTERNATIONAL SOFTBALL TOURNEY

Anyone interested in joining us this April it appears Heather and I may be there for 3 nights and 4 days. Dubai is a heck of a cool place. All the city is clean and impressive. Now boasting the worlds tallest inhabited building. Dubai supposedly has more than 75% of the worlds big cranes. This is due to the ever expanding and building of this incredible city. As you fly in or out you can see the two sets of islands forming a palm. Also you can see the islands forming the world being formed. If interested drop us an e-mail or comment back here. I most likely will be busy with softball the whole time but much beer will be flowing on and around the field. Dubai is not a dry country.

If you have not seen this yet then go right out to amazon.com and order it. It is pretty darn funny stuff. Basically it is a few Arab Americans doing stand up comedy. They have toured all over the Middle East and are going to be in Washington DC this March. They are originally from LA area. If you have seen it post a comment below! Cheers all.

WOW an old one here. This is my class photo from Huntsville after the US Army phase of EOD school back in 1992.

Weather here in Kuwait is getting much better. Slowly but surely we are drifting out of jacket weather. Another 30 days and it will be about perfect out. Been hovering around 15 Celsius lately.

Not much new going on. Work and hanging out at the house. Playing some cards and softball is back in session. We have practice for our international travel squad once a week and pick ups start in two more weeks. That will be twice a week. And I sure need it as I am a bit out of shape.

WOW it is -4 Celsius here this AM in Kuwait. It is so very cold and there are no heaters here in the office or the classroom I use so I pretty much stay in my jacket all day long till I get home.

Charlie Wilsons War

If you have not seen this film then get right out there to your local cinema and see it. Heather and I really liked it alot. Based on a true story about a congressman who got the ball and money rolling into Afghanistan to fight the Soviet threat. Philip Seymour Hoffman is in it as a ballsy and cool CIA guy and Julia Roberts as a rich and powerful lady from Texas.

If you haven't scene the preview for the following movies then go view them on line.

10,000 BC
The Dark Knight
Hancock
Hellboy 2
Semi Pro
Speed Racer

View from the ancient city of Jerash down onto the new city of Jerash. Previous to Jerash this was the ancient site fo the city called Antioch. Yes where according to Monty Python came the Holy Hand grenade of Antioch. If you have no idea what I am talking about go and rent Monty Pythons The Holy Grail.

The treasury of Petra as seen in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is just a small part of the ancient city. To see it all they say takes 5 days. We had only one in Petra. This place was truly amazing.

Besdides Petra we also saw Mt. Nebo, Dead Sea, Jerash Roman ruins and the crusader castle of Kerack(?).

What a trip and what a country. The people are some of the kindest we have met in the region. I highly recommend visiting here. There are just so many sites to see. Ancient cities and old biblical locations abound.

To see more go to Heathers blog, see links this page, for lots of video of the trip.