The Three Phases of Contract Work...

Over the last 12+ years, I've noticed something that's pretty universal amongst contract workers: We all go through three, distinct phases during the course of our contract. The phases are almost exactly broken down into thirds. For a one year contract it's 4/4/4 months. For a six month contract it's 2/2/2 months. No value judgements on any of them - just observations...

The First Phase: EXCITEMENT

People work like the devil to get hired to work overseas. There's mountains of paperwork to fill out, some to read, and alot that you'll never see again. By the time you wade through it all you feel like you've really accomplished something. It's a good feeling.

Then there's the excitement of being in a new place. Discovery of things unknown, exploring of the unfamiliar, and adventure worthy of a B movie. It's a grand feeling, and by far my favorite phase.

Not everyone capitalizes on this newness. Some are content with making their way between their home, the DFAC, and work, and seldom stray. They're missing so much. I'd only been in Taji a month before the people who'd been there alot longer than me were asking where places were.

After a while, though, the excitement fades, and slips into the second phase...

FAMILIARITY

Once you're aware of your surrounds and the general area, you enter a spell of comfortableness. It's a nice feeling - you've fallen into a routine, you know your coworkers (and how to exploit them), you know your job, and people start respecting your knowledge base. You're no longer a 'newbie' in their eyes.

Routine does have its downside - it tends to get a little boring and mundane. Nothing wrong with that, it's just not as challenging. The mind starts to take more naps during the day.

Of course, familiarity naturally leads to the last phase...

CONTEMPT

In this phase you tend to become a little more pissy, and people start getting on your nerves. It's natural. You've spent a long time wherever you're at, and start to feel like it's never going to end. The real world feels so far away.

On the ice, everyone hit this phase at the same time and it was easier to work with. Here in Iraq, we're all on different contract lengths, and enter this phase at different times. Work becomes more frustrating because you find YOU'RE the only one that seems pissy.

I admit, I'm there. Only 109 days to go. It'll pass, as all things do.

I really have nothing to complain about. Life in Taji is still the best around. I live in single housing, I'm fed three meals a day, I'm compensated well, and I've only got 109 days to go. :) Life is still very good.

Once again, I apologize for not updating as much as I should. In this contemptuous phase there really isn't anything interesting to write about.

I suppose I could tell you that American-occupied Taji is shrinking. We've given the most northern 20% if the base back to the Iraqis, with more to come. After the first of the year the State Department moves in, and Iraqis will be all over our side. It'll be an interesting time.

It's also cooled off here. Highs are ranging from 70-75* and lows are 40-45*. It's also become more humid, more cloudy, and the rains have started. And yes, we're ALL pissy about the mud.

Next month I'll be taking a small vacation. More like some R&R, really. Plans are to visit Cairo, and the pyramids, for a few days, then onto Dubai to see the wonders of the modern world. While I'm in the area, might as well. And once I set foot in Africa, that leaves me with only one more continent to go!

After that break, only two months remain.

I'll try to write more soon...if anything happens.

Take care. Enjoy life.

The Army...

I deal alot with the Army. All nice folks. But there's something I don't understand about the Army - Everyone wears camoflauge, for obvious reasons. But the Army's camo is a digital print, in light and medium grey-green. They're the ONLY service that doesn't have desert (tan) camo. We're in the middle of a desert. Everything here is tan. The vehicles are tan. The sky is tan (most days). So why is green a good camo color?

Of course, camo is supposed to help you blend-in. That's obvious. But on-base, all military personnel are REQUIRED to wear reflective belts so they can be seen. Doesn't it seem to be counter-intuitive?

Yes, I know it's for safety reasons, but still...

But, I hear the Army is coming up with yet another camo pattern, primarily for use in Afghanstan, called multi-cam. They're also going to improve their uniforms by getting rid of velcro closures (noisy and wears out). Who's great idea was that, anyway?

Just curious...

Good-bye, October...

October has always been my favorite month of the year. It's the month the trees change from green to orange, yellow, red, and brown. It's the month when the first frost appears. It's the month that a myriad of changes take place, and it's the month of my birth.

I arrived back in Taji on October 1st, after having an absolutely perfect vacation back home. October 1st was also the last day for all of our fast food places to close. Yep, no more Subway, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Cinnabon, Popeye's, or even Green Beans coffee shop. All gone. Thanks for cutting the budget to Iraq.

We're all missing these outlets. No one ate there everyday, but it was nice to have an option to the DFAC, as well as some 'normalcy' in our little warzone.

Oh well, they're gone for good.

Two weeks later all of the Taji Bazaar shops closed. No more local merchandise (actually, most of it was made in Turkey) to buy. No more rugs, no more saris, no more hand-tailored suits...

So, we're down to only one place to eat, and all shopping is done at the PX. Taji has become kind of a boring place. At least I'm on the downhill side of my contract.

We did have some excitement lastnight - had a *BOOM* happen about 8:20p, with three smaller *booms* right afterwards. No idea what it was, but everyone came out from their rooms, and meandered to the bunkers.

Only the second 'attack' in seven months. Not bad. My friend, Rob, is up at Kirkuk, and they get shelled 3-4 times a WEEK! Guess we're lucky to be where we are.

But October is over, and the winter looms. Changes have happened, and I'm sure more are ahead. Nothing to do but enjoy the ride, and count the days (152 BTW).

Life is (still) good! :)

OH-RE-GUN!!!

Ahhhhhh...vacation!

It was SPECTACULAR, and all too short. I left Taji the morning of Sept. 6th, flying on a door-less Blackhawk helicopter down to Baghdad - about a 15 minute flight. Was in B-Town about four hours before catching a C-130 down to Kuwait. At the Ali Al Salem Airbase I had to turn in my passport for a Kuwaiti visa, then wait for it to be processed. I was there about 24 hours. The military was kind enough to then drop me off at the Kuwait City Airport - a madhouse of people in crisp, white robes, flowing head coverings, and women totally veiled in black. Like the cliche, people were being dropped off at the curb in Bentleys, Rolls, and Astons.

Processing at the airport was unlike any other place I'd been. When you first enter the terminal, that's when you get your bags x-ray'd, both carry-ons and checked bags. The lines are long, and I don't think the screeners are watching for much.

After that you have to find your way to your airline's ticket counter for check-in. Thankfully, there's a whole passel of men in blue uniforms and funny caps to assist you. My guy asked what airline I needed, and I told him, United. He then weaved his way around throngs of people, all the way back to the United desk. I checked-in without incident, and got rid of my checked bag.

From there you re-enter the main terminal so you can say good-bye to the extended family that came to see you off. After milling about there for a while you head to your gate - and through more security. Did I mention the throngs of people?

One funny thing about the airport - it's non-smoking...more/less. There are glass-walled 'smoke rooms' on every concourse, and usually filled with people. However, if there's no room, no problem - you just light-up wherever you are. No one's going to say boo to you. Sheiks wield that much authority.

I ate at the McDonald's there, just to get a taste of American food before I left (and because I knew I probably wouldn't like the food on the plane).

The flight boarded, and I was in heaven - I'd paid the extra $159 for a seat in United's Economy Plus area, where you get an extra 5" of legroom, AND no one was sitting in the two seats next to me! I popped a couple of Benadryl, and was off to sleep for the next 6 1/2 hours, making the 12 hour flight not very bad at all. :)

Connected through Washington-Dulles, then Chicago, and on into Springfield. Jan was there to pick me up, holding a bouquet of daisies. It was SO good to see her again. We kissed long and deep, and held each other like we'd never let go.


It was good to be home.

On the 11th we headed west for our own vacation - to the mountains of Oregon, for a week at a friend's cabin on the McKenzie River. What a great week that was. It started out by meeting friends Tim and Brittany in Portland. Tim worked for me down on the ice one season, and I immediately liked him. I'd heard alot about his newlywed wife, Brittany, so had to meet her. She was as adorable as I'd imagined.


We then headed south to Eugene, where we turned East, and drove for another hour. We found the cabin in the dark with no problem. The next morning we were treated to the sounds of the McKenzie River right out the front door. It didn't take long to establish a ritual of morning tea by the river. What a great way to start the day. :)




Our week was spent exploring and relaxing all over Central Oregon. We hiked a few trails, shopped in Sisters and Bend, enjoyed the snow-capped Cascade Mountains, paid a visit to the Pacific shore in Florence, visited the Ross store in Eugene, and relaxed to our hearts' content. It was a GOOD week!

Nine days passed way too quickly, and we had to head back to MO. We were very impressed with the Portland Airport (PDX). It was designed well, decorated great, had plenty of shopping inside, and even provided a pianist for entertainment.

What a cool town...but we had to leave.



The rest of my time off was spent with Jan and our daughter, Alli. We cooked out, we shopped, we drove around the countryside, and even went to Walmart. Life is good.

But the 28th rolled around, and I had to leave. Leaving isn't nearly as much fun as arriving, let me tell you. The flights back weren't as great, the sleep wasn't as good (only slept 10 hours in four nights), even pulling a 36 hour marathon at the last. By the time I arrived back in Taji I was totally spent and exhausted. Took a few days to get my body back to feeling halfway normal.

So, I'm back at work now, and already counting down the days till my contract ends (171 as of today). I find myself daydreaming about being with Jan in Oregon often. It was simply perfect.


Work calls...

Tales From Taji (aka Iraq>>>hell>>>handbasket)

I see Iraq's been back in the news a bit lately. The last combat brigade has left, the war is over, and the lights have been turned out.

Uh, hold on a minute...

I'm still here.

In fact, a number of us are...Army included.

Things have changed - the population of Taji has plumetted, no real waiting lines for anything, and they just closed one of our DFACs (dining facilities). It's not all puppy dogs and rainbows, though - we watch the news, same as everyone. We know about all the bombings in Baghdad around the country. Seems some of the not-so-nice people were just waiting for the drawdown before stirring the pot again. I doubt they'll bring American combat troops back in again. Instead, everyone's depending on the Iraqi Defense Force to do the protecting within the country.

Okay, so they're not all that efficient, yet. They're getting there.

At least for the next year of our 'occupation' we'll be protected by the U.S. Army, as well as some private security forces. We'll be safe, but there's still some...tension about the situation. No plans to give the civilian contractors guns, but they have done that before. I haven't shot a gun in 25 years, but I'm pretty sure the sequence to follow is still 'aim, pull, BANG.'




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There have been numerous articles lately about the monetary waste in Iraq. Of course, I'm not privvy to the particulars, but can totally believe the stories I've read.

Rather than recount everything, read this article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38903955/ns/world_news-%20mideastn_africa/

Billions of dollars we could have used for our own citizens. We never should have gotten involved over here...

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The Army's bigger than it used to be...literally. Okay, the people IN the Army are bigger.

It used to be that military folk were in the best shape of anyone. Hours of running and working out everyday. Good, healthy food, and plenty of rest.

Something changed. Oh yeah, computers...video games...fast food...more electronic warfare with less hands-on action. It's all added-up to a larger-midriff Army.

The other day I picked-up my laundry, and as I stepped onto the sidewalk I met two sergeants walking the opposite direction. You'd have guessed they just walked out of a Golden Corral after spending a couple of hours at the buffet. They were large. Beer bellies without the beer.

Evidently, the higher-ups have taken notice, too. This article was in today's electrons: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38926368/ns/health-fitness

TAJI RECYCLES!!! (...but we really suck at it)

When I first arrived in Taji, five long months ago, there was no recycling, mainly because there was no recycling program. About three months ago there was a big push to promote recycling. Not everything, mind you, but at least plastic bottles (we go through thousands everyday) and aluminum cans.

Not much, but it's a start. Better late than never.

Posters went up, Powerpoint slides were on the computers, and bins were installed in the DFAC (dining facility). Taji was READY!

And that was it.

Three months later and still the only bins are at the DFAC. Granted, everyone eating there does recycle bottles and cans, but does it even make a dent? Not really. You see, most of the contents in the bottles and cans are consumed in workcenters and our rooms. Did they supply bins at our workcenters? No. Did they provide bins in our pods (section consisting of 36 trailers)? No. Well that's okay, I can fill-up a bag and drop it off at the DFAC. No, you can't. Nothing is allowed into the fenced-off DFAC area (no backpacks or purses, either - but people with guns are okay).

So, where do we stand? I'd guess maybe 20-25% of the used bottles and cans are being recycled. The rest go up with the rest of the trash into the burn pit. I wish I could change it, but the Army is calling the shots. No protests, no appealing. Their word is law. Do I wish we could do more? Of course. But in another year this base will be turned back over to the Iraqis. They'll inherit our renovated buildings, our new facilities, nice living quarters, and our trash.

I could get into a tirade on the money wasted here in Iraq, but that's the stuff for a different post.

Sleep well.

Seeing GREEN in the Iraqi desert...

This is the first of my photographic self-assignments. It's easy to see the bland tan that is everywhere here, but if you train your eyes, and are aware of your surroundings, it becomes a pretty colorful place. Here's a few of my 'green' photos...