It's Been a Quiet Week in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait - My Hometown - Out on the Edge of the Desert

"Five G-o-l-d-e-n Arches, Four Texting Birds, Three French Fries...." 

Last night, was the Brigade Christmas party. Of course, it was not called a Christmas party to be politically correct and totally secular it was called "Holiday Ball".  This means that everybody wished each other a Merry Christmas, all the decorations were Christmas, and everyone was sharing Christmas memories but because it was called a Holiday Ball,  neither MSNBC nor the ACLU showed up to protest.

Normally, I work in the headquarters building and don't spend a lot of time out at the marshaling yards or in the ports so there were a lot of people at the party who I seldom see or that I have not met at all. There is nothing wrong with that because there is enough esprit de corps that everyone was friendly; it just means a lot of the faces were new and different to me.

There was a nice spread of food, a DJ who was playing a good variety of music, and themed contests. I think everyone was having a good time but maybe it's because of my own age or experience in being in these types of situations that I found myself looking around at the faces of the young troops. It was very obvious to me who was spending their first Christmas away from home. They would spend a lot of time smiling and laughing but when they thought no one was looking their expressions would change and something in their eyes let you know that they were reflecting back on what was going on in their life last year, or maybe the year before. It is never easy being away from family; it is harder this time of year.

A lot of the troops I serve with are Army reservists, and even though they not only volunteered to go into the Army – – because there's no mobilization -- they also volunteered to deploy here. There are many worse places they could be but keep in mind there are a lot better places they could be as well. They are here by choice, and they are serving our nation willingly at a time when less than 5% of the total population of our country has ever put on a uniform.

So, as you go through your Christmas holiday I would ask that you keep these young troops in mind, maybe say a silent prayer for them, and remember to give them your thanks for being here. Whereas the politics of any particular situation is not always immediately visible, in the heart of every one of these men and women is the feeling that they are here to protect America.

This will be my last entry until the New Year. I am taking off for a short vacation and some much-needed family time. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and I can't wait to see what the New Year brings.

That's the news from Camp Arifjan, where all the Soldiers are strong, all the government Civilians are good-looking, and all the TCNs are above average."

Merry Christmas!

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It's 12:12 on 12/12/12

12 Hours, 12 Minutes, 12 Days, 12 Months, 12 Years... ah, ah, Ah!

From Omega Man to ???

When I moved here,  I had a choice in where I lived.  Because of the hours I was going to be working, I chose the place that was closest to work so that my commute would be shorter, even though the apartment was not in the best neighborhood.

The apartment reminded me of the one that Charleton Heston lived in The Omega Man.  The movie was set in a future post- apocalyptic world with Ray Ban wearing mutants running around in monk’s robes and stuff generally destroyed.  In the middle of the mess was this apartment where Heston lived that was very nice on the inside while maintaining a facade on the outside so that the mutants would not know he was there.  Eventually, they found out he was in there and…  well I don’t want to spoil the ending to a 1971 film.  Anyway,  my apartment was like that,  nice on the inside,  slum on the outside but if you didn't know that,  you would not have looked twice – that made me feel safer.  Note:  I do not wear a smoking jacket or have Van Gogh’s on the wall – just a Salvador Dali.

Last week I found out that I was going to have to move because the apartment failed to meet health and safety standards due to the neighborhood.   Now, before I go further I will say that I generally like the people in my neighborhood and I feel safe; some of the people do wear Ray Bans but none wear monk’s robes.  It is filled with mostly Indian Expats who are friendly and generally very nice.  The children in the neighborhood have gone from being scared of Falkor, to running up to pet and greet him by name when we go for walks.  There is a nearby bodega for milk and other odds and ends as well as a Chinese restaurant and easy access to the beach.  Lots to like,  but I will admit it is dirty and due to the garbage issues probably not healthy.

Old Place Outside Views

Old Place Inside Views

The new place is in the same section of Kuwait City,  but about 10 blocks from the old place.   I won't move until after Christmas,  but they gave me the address so I could take a look at the neighborhood.  It is residential versus urban and most of the folks I saw walking around were Kuwaiti.  Only the first floor is mine,  there are other folks on the upper stories.

Speaking of Christmas,  we have the office door decorated now and during our last staff meeting the Commander added some background music of Christmas music.  It was the first I have heard this season.  Some of the stores here have up a few ornaments, but nothing like the US,  but that is to be expected.  I don't recall Macy's having much up for Eid.

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Sometimes You Get Waffles, Sometimes You Get Steak, Sometimes You Get Waffles & Steak – But If You're Cute You Get a Rib Bone

Kuwait can seem like the Atlanta Airport of the Middle East as a lot of folks transit through here on their way elsewhere.  In the past week, in fact, we had two major reality stars come through. Kim Kardashian and my second oldest son.  Kim was on her way to Bahrain to market milkshakes and was greeted by protestors, and my son was on his way to Afghanistan to help a nation stand up and defend itself, he will be greeted with open arms by the guy he went there to replace.  Both are realities, but in my mind there is only one star,  the other is a pariah.

Son flew in to catch a connector flight, so I drove out to Ali Al Salem to see him,  at the time we were not sure how much time we would have since his ongoing travel arrangements were not concrete.  In the end he spent two nights here, staying in my guest room instead of a 15 man tent at the base.  Since he had some free time and he arrived on my day off, we took in a few sights.

Before coming here last March, I had been in and out of Kuwait many times and even during the last nine months (yes, nine months), I have never been to their Hard Rock Café.  So we went and had lunch there.  The hamburgers,  were – as usual for Hard Rock – expensive but awesome.  The building has a gorgeous view of the Gulf too, well worth a stop if you are in town.

From there we went down to the Kuwaiti Towers,  the major landmark in the city.  There is a restaurant and observation deck in the Towers, but they are currently closed for renovation.    Note: I didn’t write about it when it happened,  but Kuwait celebrated the  50^th Anniversary of their Constitution a few weeks back and that included a $5 Million fireworks show that was held near the Towers.  I did not go to the show, I can only imagine how bad the traffic was, but it is now in the Guinness Book as the most expensive ever staged.

That evening we went back out to base,  and again my son did not make it on to a flight.  I had to go to work the next day,  so the Son watched TV,  did homework, and gave Falkor a bath – up until then Falkor enjoyed the idea of company –after the bath,  not so much.  I took off from work early and we went to one of my favorite restaurants,  Waffle and Steak.  We took Falkor along with us and sat at one of the outside tables,  since the weather was nice.  The manager was immediately taken with Falkor and brought him out a rib bone,  he then packed up another one for the dog to take home.  The manager even took Falkor  for a short walk while we ate.  Whereas many Arabs seem to have dog phobias,  the Filipinos and Indians working here seem to like dogs a lot;  I think it may be memories of owning dogs of their own at home.    Falkor is welcome inside a few local eateries and stores – which blows me away when you consider a few months ago he was considered a mongrel who was thrown out into the street.

Speaking of being thrown in the street,   I drove my son back out to the base and this time he made a flight out and I have email that he safely made it to the other side where is now sleeping in an unheated tent with no bedding waiting for the final leg of his journey to Leatherneck to begin.

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Wonder If Noe Can Make That Green Jell-O Stuff

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays where my historical realities and traditions are a little different than a lot of folks.  

When I was a kid growing up I ate many Thanksgiving feasts with my parents and brother in an Army Chow Hall or at the Officer's Club.  Once when we lived in Oklahoma,  my Dad was the sponsor for several allied students (from Ethiopia and Thailand) so my Mom prepared a full traditional American meal from scratch so that they could experience it.  To the best of my recollection that was the first time I had cranberry sauce with bits of fruit in it instead of the impression of the seam of  can.

A True Butterball Turkey

I ate one Thanksgiving Day meal while doing a 50 mile hike up the Chisholm Trail with a group of Boy Scouts.  Our troop's meal was provided by the Chow Hall at Ft Sill that sent out a 2 ½ ton truck full of the meal with all the trimmings.  I still remember sitting around the campfire later that night as we passed around a shared turkey leg, told stories,  and sang songs.

  

I have eaten a few meals in Air Force Dining Facilities (they were sensitive about the name).  It was an opportunity for the food service folks to show off and they did.   Several of those Thanksgivings I was on duty too in Germany, Guam and Missouri.

Some meals were family and friend gatherings.  Enjoying the company and all of those dishes that you only saw once a year.  My Grandmother used to make this green Jell-O stuff that had mini marshmallows and walnuts in it that was my favorite.  There were great deserts and trimmings that got snacked on all day.

This year found me in Kuwait and having my dinner at an Army Dining Facility (DFAC) with about half of the folks from my shop.  We all met at the DFAC, and happily it was not too crowded and still had lots of good food.  For a few hours we forgot where we were and shared some memories of Thanksgivings past.  Aside from the standard decorations and food/fruit carvings each place setting included a letter or picture from an American school kid.    Mine was from Noe Rodriguez who is a 6th grader.  Can't tell based on the name if Noe was male or female,  but I was assuming female due to the little hearts above the 'i's .  It was a sweet letter thanking me for my service and wishing me a happy day.

My 2012 meal consisted of turkey, fried shrimp, stuffing, mashed potatoes, peas with mushrooms, cornbread, a green salad,  and iced tea. All of this was served up on some fancy china and a place setting of the finest sterling silver.

So now I have a new Thanksgiving memory and someone else to be thankful for;  but I do wish I could have just a little more of that green Jell-O stuff.  

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This Story Has Everything -- A Dog, A Cat, Recycling, and Poop

I took the dog for a walk this AM about 0530 or so.  The air was cool and smelled fresh due to the overnight rain.  When I walk Falkor I clean up after him, not wanting to make the neighborhood any more slummish than it already is.  I recycle my plastic shopping bags by using them to pick up his poop , and when I get to a dumpster I throw it in.  On our walking course there are dumpsters about every 50’ or so.  They are plastic and old, have no lids, and they smell really bad.  Living in and around the dumpsters are semi feral cats, at least two per dumpster. The cats feed off the trash and keep the rats away so they are tolerated.  So I will throw the poop bag into the dumpster, because if you get too close sometimes a cat will jump out at you – not attacking you per se but just out of fear.  The dog did his business, and when we walked past the next dumpster I threw the bag towards the dumpster.

As the bag was in the air, a cat came flying out of the dumpster and because the bag was spinning as it went through the air – somehow the cat managed to jump right into the open end of the bag ending up inside with the poop.  The cat and bag became one and flew away from the dumpster and landed on the street in front of me and the dog.  Falkor went nuts thinking he was being attacked by a lumpy plastic bag, the cat was rolling all over the place inside the bag trying to find an exit, and I was laughing my ass off as I watched the scene.  The cat finally found the bag’s top and jumped out of it, which made Falkor bark even louder that a cat would dare magically appear to challenge him.  As I continued to laugh, the confused and now poop covered cat took off across the alley – probably wondering what it did in life to deserve a morning start like that.  I hope your morning is better and that you manage to jump into it without landing in a bag full of poop.

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In a World Where Don LaFontaine Is Alive To Do The Voiceover For The Movie Trailer

My last post featured some pictures that included some small plastic figures,  and that prompted some questions and comments.  Those particular figures were from a company called Accoutrements, and they manufacture many weird and unusual toys for the child in all of us.

When I discovered their play sets I bought all the sets they had available.  Unfortunately the one set I wanted the most -- "The Angry Mob"  featuring villagers with pitchforks and torches - is no longer made.  So, why do I need little plastic people?  Simple - I was losing characters.

When I was editing my first book, I noticed that I was losing track of people.  In my mind I was having characters continue to move from one scene to another,  but I was forgetting to write it down so the reader would know what was going on.  This type of disconnect is why big time writers have people who check for a book's continuity.  Anyway,  since I can't afford a big time Continuist, even though I can afford to invent words like Continuist, I took the cheap way out and bought a couple of bags of small green plastic Army men and since my story took place primarily in a HMMWV - I got one of those and a plastic Jeep too.  I then went back through my tale moving the little plastic guys around as the story played out.  When I was done,  I put the little guys in a baggie in the closet, while the HMMWV Desert Knight 7 wound up on my desk as a trophy for completing that tale - Desert Knight 6 was destroyed toward the end of the book.

Now, I am writing a very different story - it has humor, romance, action, twists and turns and is set in exotic Kuwait - to add to the mayhem it also deals with cultural and historical reality.  Sounds good, doesn't it?  Anyway,  this time I have 12 main characters and another 20 or so named characters (so far), multiple locations - that will be used several times -, horses, plus four  major story lines -- with three other minor ones, and of course flash backs and vivid dream sequences.  Sounding like a soon to begin filming major motion picture yet?  Maybe.  Antonio Bandaras has played an Arab before.  In short with all that stuff going on and all those people milling about, I knew I was going to need to keep track of a lot of things so the right people and things were in the right places when I needed them there.  But, I needed more than just green plastic Army men.  So, I started my search.

As I mentioned, I came across the Accoutrements Play Sets and ordered those.  I needed Arabs,  but the only ones I could find were fighting figures - so I will make those work.  I am still waiting on an assortment of train set play figures to arrive from Hong Kong that will give me some female figures and children.  It is amazing how many little plastic people you can get for $50.  Because I still have a some Cold War issues, I pulled the green plastic Army men out and I am using a few of those for retired KGB Russians who are the main villains.  Now I can visually see the story in my mind play out on my dining room table.

Falkor does get peeved because he can't see what I am doing on the table.  He is fairly sure it is either something good to eat or something of which he wants to be a part.

 

Of course,  if I can't figure any other way to end the book,  I can always go for the total Zombie Apocalypse!

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