Sitting in Starbucks....

Well, I finally got a wireless card and I'm sitting in Starbucks with a Raspberry Black Currant frapuccino. We've been in Kuwait 5 days now and we're hear for another week. It's almost like vacation... in a twisted world. We have been waking up at 0500 every day, either because we have to or because the rude people at the end of the tent think turning on the lights and being loud is their god-given right. It's hard living in a 40 person tent for more than a few days. We're all part of Task Force 21, but we've been divided into 3 locations. Therefore, we all have different training schedules and different first formation times. Mine this morning was 0845, so when the noise started and the lights turned on, my battle, Kristina, and I got up and went to the gym.

We go to the gym a lot here... at least once a day, if not twice. I'm going to be in the best shape of my life when I come back from this deployment. I have been doing a lot of cardio and some light weights and lots of stretching. I want to look good for my wedding!! I can't wait for a care package with 2010 bridal magazines to look at.

One brief sad note, my 3.5 year old cat, Orsino, died last week when I was flying here. Joe was there, he saw it happen instantly from what was most likely a heart attack, and he was able to take care of him in my absense. I found out only a few days ago and I have been devastated. I cried myself to sleep the first night. I am slowly getting over my grief because I know he's in kitty heaven and he was loved. Many of you already knew, but many probably didn't. It's been hard to tell people without getting sad.

Anyway, we really haven't done a lot of training. We have done a lot of briefs and a lot of walking around. The most common locations you will find us when we are not in the gym are: the BX, the USO on phones, computers, XBOX 360, or PS3, the tent, or the movie theater. Yes, we have a movie theater-it even has popcorn. So far, I have seen Whiteout and Avatar. I actually really enjoyed Avatar, although I'm sure it would have been more fun in 3D!!

Today, we had the MRAP rollover. Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle. They are bigger Humvee's and much more fun to rollover in. There are apparently 5 different kinds of MRAP. We trained on 1 of 2 of them. The one that I was in seated 11 people. We sat forwards and backwards on either side of the vehicle in 2 pods of 4 with a driver, a truck commander, and a gunner. The MRAP seatbelts are 4 point seatbelts that connect into a circle on your belly, 1 on either side of your waist and 1 over each shoulder. We did two rollovers, 1 180 degree rollover, and a 90 degree rollover. The 180 degree you end up doing a sumersault to get out of and the 90 degree depends on if you're on the top or the bottom. I was on the top and you're handing sideways and then you unsnap your seadbelt and you thud to the ground and hope your rotated to get your feet under you.

We are scheduled to leave here next week. This weekend I guess is more training and then Monday we will go to the range and fire our weapons.

If you have any questions, just ask. Sometimes it's hard to know what to say about where I am and what I'm doing because it all seems like the same-old, same-old to me. One the flip side, I like hearing about whatever you guys think is your same-old, same-old. It's hard to be so far away knowing that your lives keep going without me there, because whenever I come back it feels like I never left, but things are different.

Well, i really really really have to pee and so does my battle, it's also cold once the sun goes down and we're in shorts and t-shirts. I will be so thankful for the privacy of a bathroom when I come back!!! It's a pain in the butt going everywhere with someone, even someone you like, and waking up every 2 hours to escort each other to the port-a-potty 100 meters from the tent.