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.

OK so we did the holiday gift giving thing a bit early. this was due to work schedules the next few days.

My wife is damn cool though as can be seen in the gift she gave me this holiday season. See above. It says "Don Shula, HOF 97, Herb Eisele was a great coach. I learned a lot from him". Pretty cool huh.

For those not in the know on this my great grandfather gave Don Shula a scholarship to college and was his college coach for football at John Carrol University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Here is a picture of the basement in the new villa we now have. We are co-renting this property with Tera and Devin Noel also from Kwaj.

Devin is getting pretty excited as his wife is moving here in just 2 short days. Then our family here at the villa will be complete. Picric however is going to have to learn to live with another kitty. She is a bit spoiled and is not the greatest fan of anything else that steals peoples attention.

In another week some guests will be visiting us for the New Years. And soon we shall be atop Mt Nebo looking upon the promised land.

Happy holidays to all of you out there and have a great New Year!

If you liked the movie Donnie Darko then may I suggest you check out the newest Richard Kelly film called Southland Tales. This sophomoric release seems to be following it's predecessor by not doing super well at the box office but will more than likely be another cult classic. Donnie Darko opened poorly and most folks never heard of it till DVD. Now it is on the imdb.com all time top 100 list. Not too shabby.

This new film has quite a star studded cast as well. I suggest checking it out if it is still at your local theatre!

I seriously love my new phone. There are few things I would do different or expect on a newer model but all in all it is pretty sweet. The touch screen works well and is super fast. The video quality is crystal clear. Phone clarity is excellent. I have used it to call all over the world and have had no issues with sound at all. Mine is unlocked so all I had to do is throw my chip in from my previous phone here. Everything syncs to Outlook which is nice and pretty cool seeing as the phone is Apple and the sync goes to a Microsoft product. I would definitely recommend this phone to anyone out there.

I really wish we could have made this going away party for Steve, Teresa and Griffen Fuchs (Fox). Best of wishes and luck go out to them on their journey to Texas! Does this mean the end of the Criminals?

Speaking of softball the big Middle East tourney in Dubai is in April if anyone is interested. Our third baseman believe it or not is an old Marine buddy of Steve's.

Freezing cold today. It is definitely jacket weather once again. I even had to turn on the heat in the car today. The mornings come close to zero Celsius during winter here.

This weekend we are having some military folks over for an EOD operations planning meeting as well as to enjoy some food. Should be a good time.

Still working out the kinks but looks like no matter what we are going to Jordan for New Years. they have alcohol there and even make there own beer and wine in country. We will see some desert castles, Petra and many other cool ancient sites. Pictures will be posted here upon our return as well as on my myspace page.

This weekend we should be getting our tree and putting it up. So send me, I mean us, presents to place under the tree.

Merry Christmas all!!!!!!!!

Amman, Jordan is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world and is where we may go for a long weekend if Benjaneer comes to visit us.

Well my apologies for having not posted in a few weeks. We have been knee deep in moving our household. We now reside in a villa with Devin & Tera Noel, also from Kwajalein. Although Tera will be following soon as she takes care of some stuff state side first.

Work has been busy as of late as I am teaching a month long school starting in January. Lots and lots of power point presentations!

Also we are hoping that Benjaneer will be coming to visit for New Year here. If he does we think we will be going for a 4-5 day weekend to Jordan and see Petra. For those not in the know that is the cave temple type place from Indian Jones and the Last Crusade. They also have a collusium and many other neat things to see and experience. The dead sea may be a bit too cold to play in though.

Weather is chilling off fast and they say in the morning next week it could dip to under zero celsius. Thursday we get our first rain in almost 6 months or more.

Well thats all the news thats fit to print for now. Cheers all.

Here is a house we would be interested in if we could buy right now as opposed to next fall. Nice English Tudor built in 1927 on a wooded lot. Price is $497,000.

Today in Kuwait......this morning the radio said it was 56 Farenheit outside. Looks like we are moving into the colder season here. Workwise I spent the day in the desert doing a recon on a piece of ordnance. Tomorrow we go back to dispose of it. Right now it is 5:10 PM and Heather is still at work. I am just about ready to cook dinner so it is hot and on the table once my little princess arrives home.

Well that's it for today. Check back again later for more exciting news.

Anyone who buys me this for X-mas is my new instant favorite! Cars I am looking at for when I get back to the states include the Porsche Carrera, Maserati GT (seen above) and the Project Eagle Lotus, coming next summer to the car shows.

I have sold my Porsche so we can put more money away for the house which we hope to get next fall in Colorado Springs. See below. So now I am back in dream mode.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season!!!!! Cheers.

This is the reason why we are in Kuwait! Above you will see our goal. Built using ICF, concrete, saves at least 50% on heating and cooling. The locale for this grande lodging will be Colorado Springs.

What do you all think????

The weather here is starting to chill off. By New Years it will reach down to 30 degrees farenheit. Very welcome after a hot summer. Although I did expect the heat to be worse than it actually was. Maybe if you flew straight into the heat it would be bad.

My kid sister is going to be having a baby! Congrats to you and Josh. I suggested Lager Larry as a name but I am not sure they are going to go for it. Josh is a big micro brewer and I hear one of the best in all of Lansing.

Looks as if Heather has just gotten home and is begging me to go to dinner with her on the town. Who am I to turn down a free me and a hottie. Guess I must get going. Hasta burrito, thats good bye in Mexican!

This looks so freaking funny. Movie comes out in February and is about an ABA team called the Flint Tropics. I just saw the teaser trailer and holly cow you gotta check it out. Just do a google search as not sure where the best place is to grab it yet. I love anything with Will Ferrell in it!!! cast includes Will Arnet and Woody Harrelson.

Since we have some Kwaj friends that are moving here we are looking to maybe move to a different villa that we could share with separate floors. Devin is here and Tera will follow. Devin and I looked at a couple of nice villas. The one we are leaning on if we can get the right price has an outdoor covered pool and bar. Nice huh! Will let you know if we move and how the search goes. Picts to follow.

Well Ramadan is now over and we are all celebrating Eid. The restaurants are now open during the day and a hungry man can have a meal without having to go all the way home for it. In celebration of Eid all Kuwait businesses have a long weekend which means so do I.

Had a nice meeting with the new incoming EOD folks for the Army and started to say goodbye to the friends we have made over the last 12 months as they ready themselves to demobilize back to Florida.

Well it is just past the one year mark for Heather and I now. We have just started year number two. Best part of the end of year is contract bonus time. Worst part will be taxes in the Spring.

We are looking really hard at property in Colorado Springs as we decide what we are going to do home-wise. We may buy property now and then start to build the house next fall. We are not sure and are taking our time with this so we get it right the first time. Any pearls of wisdom are appreciated here.

Well that's all for now. Miss you all.

The Sweeney Todd trailer is available at yahoo movies. Looks to be pretty good.

Also go to iTunes and download the Southland Tales as this really looks to be a killer flick. From the creator of Donnie Darko!!!!!!!

Well my poor Spartans lost tonight because they had no defense. Lets hope the Lions have better luck against the Redskins tomorrow.

Had a nice gentlemen over the other day from Kurdistan along with a close friend who works here in Kuwait. Saw some great photos of his family up in Kurdistan. Lots of green grass, fir trees and mountains. Not what I expected from the northern portion of Iraq. Kurdistan though is internationally recognized as a federal entity now though. Not quite the same as recognition as a country but is a start for them.

The skies are over cast as of late leading into rains probably in a few short weeks to a month.

Sounds like some jobs are going the way of the dodo on Kwaj as well. I have heard some lay offs in Logistics and at the bakery. They say possibility of more TBD. Lets all hope none more follow as I have many friends there and have not ruled out a second tour!

Well while on my ass I have been working on the plans for next summers vacation with Heather's folks to Ireland. Lining up hotels, doing logistics and budgeting. Setting up time lines so we can make it to everything we want to show them and/or see ourselves. I really get a kick out of doing this kind of thing.

Heather and I take it in turn to each year to have say of where we go on vacation. Next year is Heather's. Then 2009 is mine. I am looking at Croatia, Belgium, Luxembourg and Estonia to name a few for my choice. Anyone interested in coming in 2009 let me know.

Well surgery is over and let me say it has been a real pain in the ass. I am laid up for a week or two more and then it is back to the olde grind stone.

Devin Noel from Kwaj is moving here and will be staying with us till he and Tera get their affairs in order. It will be so nice to have some folks around we know from Kwaj.

Due to paperwork not being done my surgical procedure has been postponed till, hopefully, today. It seems the insurance company and the hospital insurance office do not like to talk to one another very much. Supposedly they only talk via fax and will not chat on the phone so if something does not go through they have no way of knowing. Wish me luck.

One thing I am doing right now is working to acquire my Yellow Belt in Six Sigma. I should finish this cert in the next few weeks and then will move onto my Green Belt and then maybe Black Belt.

For those whom don't know it is a TQM type certification that seems to be the big thing these days in corporate America. Having the cert may not get you a job but it gives you a serious leg up. The Black belt though may just land you a job as on Monster.com there are many places looking for Black Belts.

Well looks like I am outta work for two weeks as I have a small surgical procedure done. Going in tomorrow and will spend one night in the hospital and then two weeks bed rest at the villa. Nothing major. No worries.

The hospital here we are going to is cool as heck. They even have suites where you have several bedrooms for your guests, plasma TVs and even a jacuzzi in one of them. A friend of ours had is child delivered in one of these suites so the family could all stay with for several days.

Well Ramadan is into full swing here in Kuwait. The roads are dead during prayer times and packed just before and after. I think everyone should experience the driving here at one point or another in their life as it compares to nothing else on Earth.

We have a few guests staying with us this week. Ross is here from Afghanistan for a class at Arifjan. He he yet another of the transients we get from ITT in Afghanistan. Also we have with us Devin Noel. Devin is moving here as he has transferred from ITT Afghan to ITT Kuwait. If I remember correctly he and Heather will be working together.

The car is in the shop getting some new shoes and a cleaning and then we are going to put her up for sale. She has been fun but it is time we tried to optimize the money we put away so we do not have to stay here forever. I will buy another Porsche in the states though! They are just so nice and fun to drive.

Kilossi Castle just outside of the city of Limassol in Cyprus.

We had a nice time in Cyprus this past week. Had the opportunity to sip some beer and wine which is something foreign to us here in the dry nation of Kuwait. Some of the many sites included the birth place of Aphrodite, Temple of Apollo and the divided city of Nicosia. Always fun, we drove on the wrong side of the road. The weather was actually very, very humid. Though beer usually made it bearable. Surprising was the number of Russian tourists that were there. As expected almost no Americans as it is quite an out of the way kinda place as well as a distant flight for most from the US.

Well just over a week till we head on vacation. I so could use a beer right about now.

This is the start of our weekend after work today. This is the last one that will be Thurs/Fri. Starting next weekend it will be Fri/Sat. Also next week is Heathers last as a server Admin. When we get back from vacation she starts as Information Assurity. She is pretty stoked about it.

I think tonight we are off to my favorite Italian place here called Ninos. The bread and everything they make is amazing. It is nicely situated along the coast on a sea wall right in the heart of Kuwait City. It is one of the few restaurants that is actually filled to capacity almost every night.

I guess we had a 4.3 magnitude earthquake the other night and Heather and I did not even notice it. Probably cause it was after midnight and we were fast asleep. The newspaper says people went into the streets in case there was a second larger one so they were not in the house when and if it happened.

Weather is the exact same here almost every day for the past 2 months. Not a drop of rain. Sunny and hot. The only difference is the amount of wind we have blowing.

Soon the roads will be packed as all the Kuwaitis off on vacation for the summer come back home. The roads will almost double in the number of cars on them. The schools start back on the 8th of September and then a few weeks later is the start of Ramadan.

During Ramadan there is no eating, drinking or smoking in public. All restaurants, even fast food, are closed till dusk. Work hours are shortened as well. Each night the roads are busy with people going to family gatherings for dinner and feasting throughout the night. Once the sun starts to rise they again begin the fasting throughout the day until the evening. At work we have a Ramadan free room set up where the Westerners can sit drink coffee and eat out of the eyes of the locals.

Well Heather will be starting her job in the next few weeks and we need to use her vacation days so we are going to go on vacatiuon in the next couple weeks for 5 days to Cyprus. We were looking at Rome but last minute to there is too hard to get set-up and too expensive. Cyprus is a quick cheap flight for us from here. Looking forward to enjoying a beer at the pool bar and seeing some ruins. There looks to be alot to see and do there. Some say wine was first made on the island. Lots of Greek history and mythology is based from Cyprus. Should be pretty cool. We will post some pictures as soo as we get back.

Well today is Ascension day so I am off work. Three days in a row. Gotta love it. Today is the day the prophet Mohammed ascended into heaven.

Just surfing the net and working on a myspace account. More to follow on that. Still trying to figure the whole thing out. I have tried a million times to change it from Port Charlotte, Flevoland to Kuwait. Not sure where they got the Flevoland from. I have contacted them to see if they can fix this for me.

Oh and anyone winning the lottery I would like a new Maserati GT. Go to the website and build your own. She is so damn hot looking.

Official government weekends are changing here in Kuwait. Currently we have Thursdays and fridays off. Come the 1st of September we go to Friday and Saturday off. All other Islamic countries have already changed to this schedule other than Saudi Arabis from what I am being told.

Other than that it is fairly hot here but I seem to be getting use to it as I really do not notice it anymore. Temps average during the day at 130 F.

Here is a picture of me in my dishdasha that I wore at a coworkers wedding party. Weddings here are totally seperate and this was the all guys reception. The woman have a seperate hall and reception with no guys. As soon as you walk in they have staff with large jugs of perfume and everyone gets some on their wrists on the way in and out. Once inside you work your way to the groom and his father to give your congratulations and get a picture with them. After that people mill about saying hello to one another and take advantage of a very large buffet of food. Staff with tea and sweets move around the room and if you need anything you just wave them over. It was a very nice evening.

The first ever EOD movie is starting to film in Jordan and will make it's way over here to Kuwait for a little bit of filming as well. The movie I hope does not turn out to be a disappointment. The cast has changed and now stars the following:

Jeremy Renner, from 28 Days Later, SWAT and North Country plays the EOD team leader.

Ralph Fiennes, cameo, from English Patient, Schindlers List and Quiz Show plays a mercenary.

Brian Geraghty, from We Are Marshall, Bobby and Jarhead plays one of the team members.

Anthony Mackie, from We Are Marshall, Million Dollar Baby and Manchurian Candidate plays another team member.

Guy Pearce, cameo, from Time Machine, Memento and LA Confidential doesnt have anything listed I can find.

The writer Mark Boal was the embedded reporter that did a story for Playboy magazine on EOD.

The director, Kathryn Bigelow, also has directed Point Break, Strange Days and K-19: Widowmaker.

Well thats everything I have for now on the flick. Again I hope it does not suck!

Weather is about 115 degrees each day here now. Actually it is not that bad as it is a dry heat. the biggest pain in the but is if you go shopping you go straight home. If you park anywhere that is not covered for any length of time the car gets so hot inside I do not want to touch the steering wheel until the AC has time to cool things off. So food needs to be driven straight home. It is a good thing we had covered parking installed above our two parking stalls. I also have covered at work as well. Just when we are out and about that it is a big deal.

Not much new other than that. We may be looking at going to Rome, Italy for 4-5 days in September for a weekend break. Ramadan is in Spetember as well this year. Not a bad time to leave for a few days. During Ramadan all restaurants are closed during light time hours and there is no eating drinking (even water) or smoking in public or even at work. You have to be hidden in your home for any of those things.

Next summer we take Heathers folks to Ireland for a couple weeks. Should be a good time as they are pretty cool to hang out with and a good time.

Well thats about it for now. Sorry nothing to exciting but all we do here is work, rest and save money so we can buy a house. :-)

Take care everyone and keep in touch,

Well we have just dropped our friends Tera and Bill at the airport so they can head back home to sunny Afghanistan. It was nice having them by for a visit and glad we could help them out as staying on post means a cot and a tent.

Went and saw the movie Transformers yesterday and I just have to say WOW! One heck of a good movie. I was worried they were going to make a kiddy flick or the CG would be crummy but this was actually really well done. I will definitely see it again while on the big screen.

Heather and I are doing well and so is the cat. Just working and saving cash these days. Also have been planning a big trip with the in-laws to Ireland next summer for about 2 weeks. Should be a heck of a good time.

Well take care all. Drop me a line if I have not heard from you in awhile. Stay safe.

Well all is well here in the great big hot sandbox. Very dusty today outside.

We have 2 house guests from Afghanistan right now, both of which are friends from Kwaj, Bill Weaver and Tera Noel. They are hear for classes with ITT. Had dinner with them and Jim Davis just the other night.

Last night I went to a wedding for a friend whom I work with here in Kuwait. When I get the photos off my cell I will post some of me in my dishdasha.

Had dinner the other night with Jim Davis at Wasabi restaurant. He is in town for a little while for work. Next week we will have two more guests from Kwaj coming over from Afghanistan. It is nice to see old faces and chat about what's going on as well as stories of the past.

Weather lately has become a bit dusty. The winds have been picking up but they say that they should die back down here in the next few days or so. Not too hot yet but that is on it's way.

Heather and I had a great time on vacation. Got the chance to see the folks. I had the opportunity to play some cards at Foxwoods. I did fair. Nothing special. Cash games I pretty much broke even as I was bored and started drinking. The tourney I finshed just out of the money. The pay out would have been pretty good as over 150 had entered at $340 each. I just couldn't buy rent or lease cards and had to make everything work just right. Caught busted on the river. Oh well thems the breaks. One odd thing though was they would not let me talk to anyone or the pther players left in the hand. I like to chat and see if I can get a reaction and they said that you cannot do that. Kinda odd as I see them all the time on TV do this. I have done this in Vegas before too. Oh well.

Not a whole lot else to say right now. Take care all and keep in touch.

Congrats to Travis and Grace on their new addition!!!!!!!!!!!

DETROIT -vs- TAMPA BAY, 29 May 2007

We will be at this game I think 5 or 10 rows behind the Tigers dugout if I read everything right. So if any of you are watching the game on TV keep an eye out for us. I sure wish I could take in a Pistons ball game but this will work. With the way things are going it looks like Detroit could win the championships in the MLB, NBA and NHL this year. Yes I do not expect much from my Lions.

HOLY MACKERAL! the weather over the past 3 days was absolutley crazy. The dust storm came in and we could not see across the street. Driving was the true adventure as no one likes to put there lights on here and you could not see more than 60 yards out in front of you. It was like living up north in Michigan and having a near white out of swirling sand instead of snow.

Soon we will be back in the states. Boy am I ready for the break. I have been busy as heck as of late.

Due to something having come up I will not be going to Vegas but instead will be headed to Boston. Anyone in the Boston area that would like to meet up for a beer drop me a line. I still will be visiting the folks with Heather for a week first.

Not a whole lot else to say. The weather is slowly warming up. Soon all that is green will be brown or dust. They say we are poised for one of the hottest summers in a long while. The hottest month should be August.

Due to something having come up I will not be going to Vegas but instead will be headed to Boston. Anyone in the Boston area that would like to meet up for a beer drop me a line. I still will be visiting the folks with Heather for a week first.

Not a whole lot else to say. The weather is slowly warming up. Soon all that is green will be brown or dust. They say we are poised for one of the hottest summers in a long while. The hottest month should be August.

The Dubai softball fields. There were two of them with some of the best groomed grass I have ever played on. The fields were adjacent to several bars that you could seriously fall into from the stands. Great venue. Great tourney.

And now for a bit of trivia.

One band that I have been listening to as of late is 30 Seconds to Mars. The music is really cool and the videos are even cooler. They spent some serious time and money on them and they are really worth downloading to watch. Especially the newest one.

Now for the trivia part. When Heather and I were watching the videos we thought the lead singer looked familiar so we looked the band up. It seems that the lead singer is none other than Jared Leto from the TV show My So Called Life. He also was in many movies to include Alexander. See www.imdb.com to find out more about what he has been in. His brother is also the drummer.

Anyways really good band check them out if you have not already.

Injuries to myself, and at least three others, had us limp to a win and end up over all in 4th place. After sliding into 2nd, and being safe, I ended up with a sore as heck thigh. We had no subs so I was to stay in this game and the next one. I ended up batting quite well though. Got a triple and the rest were all singles. Batted about a 650. Took a bit getting used to sliding once again. The tournament was a total blast though. We were in C and had 8 teams. There was an A and B as well as one womens bracket making for about 30 teams in Dubai. Teams came from Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi, Qatar and Bahrain. We also had one team from Europ and the USS Stennis.

VEGAS once again. I will be heading to Vegas to play some poker and maybe enter in the 1st tourney of the World Championship of Poker. Going to try and play my way in as the entry fee is $5000. A bit to high to drop for a tourney. So I will try a satellite tourney that morning to try and get in last minute.

Sounds like I will get one night though to see some old friends while I am there which is pretty cool.

Well the internet is up now at the old casa del Heather, Tom and Picric.

Tonight and for the next few weeks we have a house guest from Kwaj staying with us while he is in country doing a computer course, named John Tompkins. Heather is in the same course with him as well.

Several days from now I head on out to Dubai for the softball tourney.

Weather is starting to rise. We were up to 34 degrees Celsius today. I spent most the day out in the desert for work. Had a good time. Better than being in the office. Although I do have months of work to do writing classes for this falls class I will be teaching.

Still no internet at the house. Hopefully this week. We live in a brand new city/region here in Kuwait. Cross your fingers that we have it by the weekend.

I will be heading to Dubai soon and hope to have some picts up of that trip once I get back. I am heading there for the Dubai International softball tourney. Should be a good time. If you are like my mom and super into stamps then drop me an e-mail to ensure you get a postcard sent to you.

Weather here has been pretty crazy of late. We have had varying temperatures. It even hailed the other day while we were heading home from Kuwait City. It was so heavy that we had to, like all the other cars, pull under an overpass and wait it out. Also it was so dusty the other day that when it rained it rained mud. It is one crazy thing to see if you have never experienced it before. Today it is sunny once again and the temps are just right for running around. Soon it will get extremely warm. Like around 120’s, Fahrenheit, each day or hotter.

Hope to know more on our trip back stateside in the next week or so.

Right now we are just opening all the boxes of the household items we shipped to ourselves. We got them this weekend. We shipped them a bit late from the west coast.

The cat is adjusting well and seems quite happy. She has a much bigger house to run around in and explore.

Well I guess that’s all the news that’s fit to print. Take care all and keep in touch.

Well my apologies for having not posted lately. I am doing this at the office real quick since we do not have internet at the new villa yet.

We are doing well and have moved to our new home. Since this one was unfurnished it cost a few bucks to outfit as we needed everything to include all appliances. It has even more room than the last place though. One thing we do need to get done fairly fast is to get a bed into the guestroom so when folks come through they have a place to stay.

Weather seems to be warming up lately but not too much. It is very comfortable outside right now during the day. It has been about 29 degrees Celsius lately during the day.

On the softball front we had a scrimmage against some guys from the US Embassy. Was a fun time. We need to get some work done prior to going to Dubai this month for the tourney.

Well I guess thats all the news thats fit to print for today. Once we get the internet at the house I will get some more pictures onto the site for you all. Cheers. Stay safe!!!!!

My biggest one to date. And maybe ever!

Work has been busy as heck lately as we get things done before the heat rolls in for the summer. Sounds like most folks here leave for the summer for up to 2 months. Many of them go to Thailand it seems. I here come summer that Phuket has a large Arab temporary population.

Found a new villa to stay in and are moving in the next week or so. The Sheihk is assiting us in that operation.

The cat is happy as a clam to be back home with her mother and father. It's like she has been with us the whole time. Surprised she has not went after the small bowl of fish we have in the sitting room rest room. We call them our potty pals.

Well gotta get as work days have been hard and long lately. Drop me an e-mail.

Well things are hectic this weekend for Heather and I. Our landlord has asked us if it is OK that we find another villa/flat since his cousin really wants the villa we are in. Reason being the cousin has the bottom floor and we have the 2nd and 3rd floors. The cousin has a business downstairs and could really use the extra space.

So house hunting is what we are up to again. We have a lease until the end of October, but if we find a nice place we will move. The Sheihk says he will asists us in the endeavor. Will let you all know how it goes and send picts as soon as we figure something out.

Other than that it is starting to warm up here with temps starting to get near 30 Celsius.

Softball is getting into full swing as we get ready for the Dubai tournament the end of April. The team I play for is called the Yard Dawgs. Should be a good time. Gonna be weird playing with a short fence. They limit the amount of home runs a team can have as well. I think it is 5 per game.

Kuwait City with view of fishing boats.

Well this week some friends of delivered there second baby. Congratulations to Heidi and Andrew on their baby daughters arrival. We met Andrew and Heidi as a result of the purchase of my car. Andrew works for Porsche here in Kuwait. Would be super cool if we can get Andrew and Heidi away next year for a dive & fish trip to Kwajalein. They would fit in quite nicely on the island.

While out doing some scouting for a project at work we stumbled upon this fellow. Actually he is quite small and we saw ones about 5 times his size. The only problem is they are fast and all the big ones were near their holes and we just could not manage to get a good picture of them. They have a very cool tail with sharp barb like spikes for use in defense. This little guy was released and slid back into his hole. As we drove we must have seen at least 20-30 of this guys all over the place sunning themselves.

Work is keeping me very busy lately as we try to accomplish as much as possible prior to the heat rolling in this summer and late Spring. Come summer nothing gets done due to the heat. Or at least nearly nothing outdoors.

This picture above is of a communications tower as you come into Kuwait city. Picture taken from the sun roof of the Porsche by Tara, an ex-Kwajer whom was here TDY from Afghanistan where she is stationed with her husband Devon.

Softball tournament is coming up quick. I am 8 weeks out from travelling to play in Dubai. Should be a good time. We have two teams from Kuwait going. Supposedly they are at 30+ teams for the tourney. Guarenteed 4 games. Two games for seeding and then the normal 2 losses and you are out format. Will get pictures and post them after the tourney.

Liberation day is fully upon us. That means it is impossible to go down town Kuwait City without having been involved in at least 20 drive by foamings or attacked with silly string. Tonight will get super crazy. We even saw people get out of the car and surround another car completely covering it in foam and silly string. Flags are up ever where and adorn many cars.

Well it is Liberation day weekend here. While in town the other night with a house guest of ours we had packs of kids surround us and assault us with spray foam and shaving cream. All through out town at night now this is a very common site. There were packs of folks on foot as well as car to car or SUV to SUV battles as a family had kids out each window and several out the sun roof hosing down other cars.

Also this weekend Heather had accompanied me into the desert to hang with some friends of ours. While out there we had to help some folks with a car problem. For the assistance we got to take some picts of their pet falcon and they gave us a water bottle of fresh camel milk which we drank some of with them.

All in all a pretty good weekend. Actually for me it is a pretty long weekend as I have 5 days in a row off to celebrate Liberation day. Flags are everywhere right now covering town.

Heather and I have purchased and now have a gym set up in one of the guest bedrooms. So I beleive that jumps us to a 4 star hotel instead of a 3 star. Continentel breakfast is still not available as of yet.

Liberation day starts here this weekend and already the fireworks can be heard from the villa. There are flags on ever highway post all through out the country. The roads are going to get crazy with people with silly string and shaving cream. I hear traffic gets to a dead slow roll as folks party and spray one another. Pictures to follow.

Here is where I spend alot of time here. Either to and from work or to and from the grocery store for small runs. Thats always fun though. Still not use to the trunk being in the front of the car. With some of my allowance next month I may buy the iPod hookup so the play list will display on the PCM GPS screen. I know what many of you are thinking. SUPER COOL.

Tomorrow we are off to a friends farm where he has chickens, horses, a monkey, ostrich and many other animals. Should be a good time. I am going to ride an ostrich. Picts to follow.

My apologies for having not posted in a few days but the internet service provider here has been down for a few days. Oh well so is life.

Have had a few cool adventures as of late. Heather and I drove into the desert to watch the sunset and look for camels. Had a nice afternoon. The desert is in bloom with blades of green grass and yellow flowers. Not for long though I hear as summer is approaching soon enough and will dry it all up and take it all away from us. Then it will be dust and hot searing heat. Upwards of high 120's at times. Quite the drastic change from freezing cold just a few months ago. Ah yes, life in the desert.

The car is doing well. I drive her every single day and enjoy every single second of it. I just can't see owning anything less ever again after driving this car.

Well keep in touch and stay safe all.

A benefit of living overseas is te ability to purchase and enjoy pure Havana cigars such as Cohiba, Romeo & Julietta, Upmann and Partagas. The Sligo VI Cohiba being the finest in this box followed by the Partagas No. 3 Limited Edition 2006.

The bedouins here roam across the desert as their camels, sheep and goats graze. They are a kind and gentle people and always offer up tea and camels milk when we chat with them.

Lately the weather has been getting better and the grass is slowly coming up in the desert. I hear that flowers will also bloom forming a carpet of petals for a short time. All in all a nice time to be in the country. Not too hot and not too cold.

Another day another Kuwaiti Dinar. And today I believe that equals $3.5 US. Yes shopping is weird sometimes. McDonalds meals are about 1.2 KD for a meal not super sized. To fill the gas tank on the car is about 3 KD. This is one of the things we have here that is a little different from home.

We watched the movie Blood Diamond last night. Not too bad. I kinda liked it. Another one we watched recently that I though was hilarious was Borat. The movie was a bit over the top at times but comical non-the-less. Also wacthed and really liked the movie Bobby. Believe it or not the movie buffs in us have not been out to see very many movies other than Eragon.

Attached picture is of a herder out by Abraq Range, Kuwait.

This weekend was relatively quiet. Our house guest Devin from Kwaj has departed us for Afghanistan. We have our new car port built to protect our vehicles from rain and in summer the searing sun. We have caught up on all the current Heroes episodes via iTunes downloads. All is semi restful. Heather still has class this week. She is learning more advanced computer stuff.

The weather is slowly starting to go up a little bit. During the day I do not require a jacket unless it is overcast. At night I still have to have a jacket on though to keep warm.

Sounds like the Criminals softball team is off to a good start with a win in their first game according to Steve. Let’s hope they go undefeated. Except maybe against my brothers team. Got to root for my brother.

As always keep in touch and do not be afraid to drop us a line or come and visit. My specialty for the week is slipper lobster risotto with heaps of parmesean cheese. Also desert truffles are appearing in the stores as well.

I now have the keys and she is all mine, and Heathers.

Heathers new wheels. Her other car is a Huffy. Sorry bad Kwaj humor.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

My wife is having her birthday today!!!!! Well actually tomorrow. Tomorrow, Wednesday, is our Friday here as the weekend is Thursday and Friday. For this very special occasion I am taking her to dinner with some of her friends. It should be a good time. Everyone should pester her with birthday e-mails all day long wishing her well.

Well I go in tonight to work out the paperwork on my car. Almost thought I had lost it but the other guy backed out due to personal reasons. Nothing set in stone yet. I have lots of paperwork. Wish me luck. We get Heather’s car on Thursday. Paperwork here to get a car and what not is no laughing matter and will be glad when it is done. Actually all paperwork here is labor intensive. Oh well. So is life.

Any new reports on Kwaj are welcome so drop me an e-mail.

Well the holidays are over and now its time to get back to work.

Over the weekend we watched a lot of TV. One movie we did see was A Night in the Museum with Ben Stiller and Robin Williams. Not an overly great movie but fun. Also we have been downloading, from iTunes, the Heroes TV show episodes. Really, really enjoying them thus far. One hell of a television show. Probably the best I have seen in a long time. Also we are watching on disc the television show Invasion which is pretty good.

Softball starts here fairly soon which I am excited about. I hope my body holds out. My other knee is now bothering me a little. We’ll just have to see how she handles it. Can’t wait to swing the new bat though. Have read so many reviews on it.

Weather here is still cold. Not as bad as a couple of weekends ago though. They say it will start to get real hot again in a month and a half or so. The real pain if you do not have a car cover here is when it sprinkles out and then the dust settles on the car.

One super cool thing here so far is the sunsets. They are just incredible. With the sand in the air it looks red and watching it go down over the dunes is spectacular. The moon is quite impressive here as well. Very very red at times.

The new mall here opens soon. The place is incredible in size and dwarfs any mall I have ever been to anywhere in the world. They say it will have around 30+ restaurants inside as well as every store imaginable. Should be pretty cool. Only store open there thus far is the Ikea, which they say is one of the biggest in the world. Right now they have a large mural ad wall around the whole thing that is like a kilometer in length. They have asked for Guinness World Records to list it as the largest ad wall mural ever.

I have been experimenting with recipes lately now that I have some better stores at my disposal. The latest creation was a breakfast risotto with parmesan cheese, white cheddar cheese, bacon and served with an egg over easy on top. Super rich tasting and very filling. Give it a try.

Well that’s it for now. Take care and keep in touch everyone.

Check the Kuwait pictures site in the links to the right out. It has some extremely great photos in there. Wether you would like to see cars, animals, boats, birds......you name it. For those of you having not been to the region it is a good look at where Heather and I now reside.

COLD! COLD! COLD!

Well obviously being on Kwaj for so long has not helped me in surviving the cold. I thought the desert was suppose to be hot? Lately at night it has been around 1 degree Celsius. So I guess here we deal with the highest highs and some pretty darn low lows.

Holidays went very well. Work is going well. Nothing really to crazy to report. Is nice being able to go out to a restaurant for dinner. So far Wasabi is my favorite with Ninos coming in a close second. Ninos being a really nice Italian place on the Gulf and Wasabi a really good sushi and Japanese cuisine place.

I guess Kid Rock did an impromtu concert here at Camp Arifjan. Unfortunately I do not have my badge for that base yet. Oh well. I here Michael Jackson is coming to do a concert here as well. Oh hell no am I not going to that.

Well guess thats it for now. Happy Holidays.

Well things are still slow towards my getting the car. Paperwork is a tad bit slow here so I am still hoping she is still available when I get my civil ID. Heather has had her ID for sometime and gets her car after the Eid holidays here.

I hope this finds you all doing well and having a very merry hioliday season.

Well we are finalizing everything on our vehicles here. Just awaiting one more piece of paper from the Ministry of Defense for me. To get a loan you need a salary letter from employer stating salary and what not. Loans are based off of this and not previous history here. The bank here is putting both cars into one loan. Short term though, 2 years fixed rate. Was a fairly painless event getting this done. Received great service from the Toyota and Porsche staffs. Didn't hurt having friends like Patti and Eddy though!

Heather ended up getting the Furtuner V6 Toyota. A pretty cool SUV that is just under the Land Cruiser Prado. The thing is fully outfitted and is a 4 wheel drive. Will be nice as sometimes you need to hop a curb to get around some nucklehead or another. Attached is a picture of the car. We will post either here or on Heather's site, in a week or so, her with her new toy(ota).

Work is going well and I have numerous projects going on all at one time. I also am slowly starting to learn Arabic a bit. The basic grammar is almost exactly like English which makes the whole process that much easier. Just replace the English words with Arabic. A lot of words have religious tone to them such as to say that you are fine is to say “HAMDALA” which means Fine, or Thanks god for health.

Again a very cold day here. We received a deluge of rain the other afternoon and well into the night. The following morning many roads were flooded. Made for quite the driving experience into the office this morning.

Softball will start up after the holidays here once again. A bit too cold out for the new bat as it states not to use it below 60 degrees F. The holidays here for me will be 9 days long. I am under the local holidays where as Heather is under the American holidays. So while I am working on Christmas she will be at the spa getting all massaged and pampered.

The Hilton is just down the road from us and is a great place. It has several restaraunts to include Starbucks. We ended up at Starbucks drinkining coffee and writing our Christmas cards. The attached picture is one Heather took of me on the beach along the Persian Gulf at the Hilton.

Had a really excellent time the other night at the Kuwait Nomads Christmas Cracker. The event was black tie and included an excellent meal and dancing. This was Heathers first time to hang with Rugby folk and she seemed to enjoy it a great deal. Good times were had by all.

Prior to the nights festivities we went to the Hilton for lunch. While there we went and got our hair cut as well. I ended up getting a great facial as well. I always expected a facial to be pampering and what not but this was freaking painful. Yet it provided great results. I guess it is a fairly common guy thing to do here.

Also this night was the baby shower for some friends of ours as well so after the Cracker we headed to the shower. Enroute our cab ended up getting a flat. It didn't ruin the night at all though.

Today we ended up spending a nice quiet restfull day at the house.

The holiday seasons are upon us once again.

I have been asked by several persons what I may like for the holidays or my birthday coming up this February. The answer to this is that I usually just buy what I want. So after thinking I have come up with a brilliant idea. If you would like to do something for me then do the following.

Go to the website for the Shinta Mani located below and donate money to them in my honor. This is an OUTSTANDING organization. It is a hotel and spa located in Siem Reap, Cambodia that is an institute for the learning of the hospitality industry. They take kids off the street or from poor regions and teach them a valuable trade. They give rice to their families. Provide them with a stipend and uniforms. They assist them in finding gainful employment upon successful completion of the course. They also provide for the community in so many other ways. Check out the website to learn more.

I hope that this finds you all doing very well and that your holidays are filled with family and happiness.

www.shintamani.com

Heather and I instead of sitting in front of the television enjoyed many podcasts off of iTunes last night. Some of the ones that were most funny to me were the “Strong Bad E-mail” cartoons. Especially one called Techno. We also enjoyed the daily “Onion” report as well on podcast. One that is right up Patric’s alley is “Ask a Ninja”, which is a video podcast.

For the Strong Bad E-mails you can also go to www.homestarrunner.com. For ask a ninja go to hmmmmmmm guess what…………………http://askaninja.com. Steve there is a great onion post about the Marine Corp out as well right now. You should check it out.

Have a happy holidays.

Kuwait Air Force (KAF) Gazelle helicopter.

Well the winter season is fully upon us. The temperature upon my heading into work today according to the radio was a very cool 10° C and Heather has a tree and we will decorate it this week.

On Thursday, our Saturday here, we have tickets to go to the local rugby chapters annual Christmas Cracker dinner. This is a black tie affair. Heather and I went out with our good friends the Patti and Eddy Cars and purchased appropriate attire for this function. Heather has a stunning new dress and shoes and I have a nice Tuxedo for the gala. Should be a good time to be had by all. Will be fun to see folks normally known for hard hitting on the pitch in their finest singing rugby songs while in black tie.

Also I have just got my new softball bat and glove in and am dieing to get onto the field. I hear Steve after years has now purchased a new glove and bat. Actually we may have the same bat. I have just picked up the 27.5 ounce Mayhem Jeff Hall edition. I was looking at others but the Dubai tourney is very ASA strict so all bats must comply with the 2004 ASA ruling. The glove is a SSK and only has 4 fingers. The pinky and the finger next to it share a finger in the glove. We’ll see how it works after she is broken in.

For those interested and having not seen them please click on the link to Heather’s website and view the pictures of our villa here in Kuwait. Reservations are still available so call now for a real heck of a deal. Spare room has a king size bed and a full bathroom and tub.

Hope this finds all of you, our friends, having an enjoyable time where ever you may be. Happy Holidays!

And now for the new restaraunt review for Mahboulla, Kuwait.

WASABI is now open and I have already been there 3 times. They have a huge menu. The staff is excellent. The food is superb. You have several seating options: normal tables, tepanyaki (cooking in front of you on the grill) and a couple private rooms for you and your friends to take off your shoes and enjoy the food. The ambiance is best at night as the lighting is very nice although should be enjoyed no matter what the time of day.

RUBY TUESDAY is also open next door. After hearing from several folks that the meat is often under cooked and needing to be sent back we ventured there none the less. Yes indeed we had an individual with a steak in dire need of a little more flame. Service though I thought was good. Time from drink order to reception was very good. And the pasta I ordered was enjoyable. Over all not bad just reccomend until you hear further to stay away from red meat.

Down the street it appears a Duncan Donuts is going in. Not a place I am rushing towards nor do I think I will be going there at all as I am just not that big of a donut fan but if it is your cup of tea then looks like you are in luck. Although if donuts are your thing maybe you should try Mr. Baker or one of the many other very nice pastry shops in the area.

Here is the playlist of songs I listen to on the way to and from work:

1. Remember the Name-- Fort Minor


2. Faint-- Linkin Park


3. Ocean Avenue-- Yellowcard


4. Crazy-- Gnarls Barkley


5. Mr. Brightside-- Killers


6. I Write Sins Not Tragedies-- Panic! At The Disco


7. This is Acid-- Voodoo & Serano


8. Secrets-- 4 Clubbers


9. Mix-- DJ Tabla


10. Lebanese Blonde-- Thievery Corporation

My Commute is about 20-30 minutes depending on the lights. Attached is the photo of the car we are awaiting. They can't neccesarily hold her for us so lets hope she doesn't sell before we buy her. I have a few more weeks left as I am unable to buy anything until I have been here for 90 days according to law here.

Well all is going well. Looks like we are planning on a softball tournament in Dubai in April if anyone is interested in coming. Actually Kwaj guys if you can get enough guys to come you should. Can get you the website. Do as the teams here do and get a sponsor to pay for it. Maybe Space-X Steve????? Just a thought. Put their name on a jersey and come on over.

The fences are a bit short it seems here. Like 240 in right and 290 in left. All I know is most you guys could rock the fields here!!!! But thats the Kuwait field here.

Weather has started to chill a bit as in the AM I have to turn the heat on in the car. Once the sun has a chance it warms it up for the most part.

Well Heather and I had a good weekedend together. She had microsoft exchange class all week so was off her normal schedule and able to share the weekend with me. We ended up at the mall doing some shopping and just hanging around.

The weather is starting to get cold. Soon they say we will need jackets during the day. Very nice weather right now.

Looks like we are going to be getting the Porsche. I am quite excited. When we move back home or where ever from here she is an item that will travel with us. A picture will follow once we have signed the deal and have her in our parking spot here at the villa. Not sure if Heather likes the car more or the ever present shit-eating grin on my face. She is a 2004 Carrera. Heather says I have to name her but we shall see.

Well hope this finds all of you doing well. Feel free to book tickets and come and visit.

Well I must apologize for the lack of posting lately. Things have been hectic here getting things fixed here in the house and getting paperwork taken care of for the civil ID, drivers license and what not here.

Heather and I ahve been car shopping. Looks like Heather is looking at a Rav4 Toyota. They use to be small but the new models are actually quite large. She likes the idea of a SUV with the craziness of traffic here. That way if she gets hit she is in a big SUV and not a small car. I on the other hand am looking at Porsche Cayman, Porsche 911 and Audi Sedans. I like the idea of speed here as it seems to be the way to keep from getting hit on the highway. Again like I have said before driving here is crazy. Ferrari and others send cars here before they are released worldwide as they know how the driving is here and how the folks here like speed and cutting in and outta traffic. Actually I have just about everything on the road here that has ever been made. I am amazed at how many Bentleys I have seen here. They are everywhere and cost over $200,000 each.

Heather and I got a really cool hookah though. It is built into a wooden table and the tubes are hidden with in. The tobacco is a flavored sticky substance. Grape, strawberry and the like flavorwise. If the picture ends up loading then the one on the table is a small seperate hookah.

Things are going well.

Heather should be here on Sunday. May not get a chance to see her for a day or two as she gets picked up by the company and taken to Arifjan, the US military post. I do not have a pass for that base yet.

Still looking at apartments but the ones I am interested in for Heather and I are very swank. 3 bedroom 3 bath over looking the Persian gulf and across the street from the beach or restaurants depending at where on the Gulf Drive here. And fully furnished.

Right now the mosques have sermons/prayers going over the loud speakers and I am listing to them as I type. Every mosque plays them and there is not an inch of ground in town or in your apartment you can not here them. I don't mind and adds to the unique-ness and ambiance of the region.

Every little thing is unique here even down to the Doritos here. I have two bags. One is goat cheese and sesame seed the other is pepper and tomato. Very good too.

Cars are crazy here. Every thing from old 60's mustangs to Ferraris to cheap Japanese cars. I found a mint Ferrai 348 Spider for $15,000 US. Not going to get it but damn tempting. I guess car repair is so painless here. They will even come pick it up. Insurance is flat rate roguhly across the board and covers everything. All you need is a police report. And if you go to the car and find a ding then drive to the police and get a report. The driving is listed as the worst in the world. Everyone drives like it's NASCAR here. Cutting each other off at 80 mph+.

Flights outta here seem cheap. Can go to Dubai for the weekend for aroun $75 US and that is roundtrip flight and two nights hotel.

Not everything is cheap. Apartments if you have to pay and company does not cover are very expensive. Luckily we have an allowance for this.

Generally I am very happy and there is so much to do and keep me busy. Of course once Heather and I are settled I will be even more happy. Should be able to take several vacations a year so keep us informed if you are going to be in the region and we can meet any of you. Also welcome to come and visit here!!!!

Can't wait to move back home to Kwaj at some point though. I feel it is home. Wish I could have taken all of you with me when I left as you are my family. We will never lose touch. Or at least we had better not. Worst case in 20 years we should have a boat shack reunion somewhere and all meet back up. I would be up for that more than a High School reunion.

TOM

Well here I am in Kuwait. Got to love a place that charges more for bottled water than for a tank of gas. Gas costs are about 76 cents a gallon. Work schedule is great during Ramadan. I work 4.5 hours a day. Also looks like I have a week long holiday the end of the month and with weekends at each end that means 9 days off. I love being salaried now. Well drop me a line at rangerat@gmail.com and let me know how you all are doing. More picts to follow. This was just a kwickie out the window of the temp apartment they have me in for the time being. You can see the Persian Gulf in the back ground. Many of the places I have been scouting for Heathen and I are across the street from the water and have a Starbucks close by.