Superwoman!!!

Hehehe…I’m such a dork…in case you didn’t already know! Our friend Salinas came back from leave and he was hanging out last night for the first time since getting back. He is a total goober and has a complete Superman uniform he likes to put at random and it cracks us up. Well, we wanted to show him how much he was missed and wanted to something with the Superman thing. Yesterday I printed off a bunch of Superman logos that we taped to our shirts so when he walked in it was the first thing he’d see…haha, fun, fun. We had our little laugh and I decided I was hungry and started to head to midnight chow with my buddy Triplett. I almost forgot I had the Superman logo on! I went to take it off and was asked why…they bet me I wouldn’t wear it into the chow hall…dummies! I didn’t care a bit. Trip and I walk in, everyone stares, Trip laughed at himself because he couldn’t understand why they were staring. It was a total Homer Simpson moment, doh! You could see when he remembered the Superman logo. So all through the line the Peruvian guards are giving me crap…”Superwoman…hey Supergirl, what’s up…” The guys at our table had a little laugh and I had to explain it was a joke, just for fun. As we leave one of the Peruvian guards at our table looks up at me with a puppy dog face and say, “Superwoman…save me?!” I busted up laughing! We couldn’t keep a straight face till we got outside! Ah, it was great to be so silly/stupid for a minute! Anyway, here’s a new picture…sorry, I still don’t have a digital camera of my own so I have to wait until other people take pics of me. Mom, you’re checking out cameras for me, right?

I sleep right through this stuff!

Oh!! I almost forgot! Guess what happened this morning? We got freaking mortared! From what people told me we took 5 incoming mortars around 7 am over by the PX...I don't think anyone was hurt, thank goodness. I slept right through it somehow?! I got a phone call and woke up in a daze.
"Hullo?"
"Hey, are you ok?"
"Yup...who IS this?"
"Oh, uh, SGT Lowry."
"Oh, ok, yeah, I'm sleeping. Bye"

And I zonked again until 10am when I had to actually get up for work. It makes me worry a little that if the stuff was really hitting the fan...would I even know it? Or would I sleep right through it until stuff was sooo close I couldn't get away? You know, our roofs on our trailers have already been proven not to stand up to stray bullets crashing through them. Ha! Plus, our roof is falling in! Oh, forgot to mention that too...it rained hardcore the last couple nights and it's caving in my roof. Water is leaking in all over the floor near our bathroom. So I guess I should put in a work order for it huh? Ok, that went way longer than I thought it would so good night all...sweet dreams and all that jazz!

A sweet pic of Baghdad!!

Hey everyone...just wanted to share this amazing picture...it's so impressive! I don't really get to see anything like this in my nice safe life that circles between my hooch and my office. Wow. On a whole other line of thinking: someone had saked me about my belly button ring. I had only gotten it pierced a few months before I got activated. I ended up taking it out about a month ago. The uniform I wear everyday sits at what Mom calls my waist...you know, above the belly button. Ridiculous! But that's where the Army makes the uniform pants sit and it really hurt the new belly button ring so I went ahead and took it out. It's ok, I figure if I can use this year to really get in shape I can come home and get it redone on a washboard flat belly! Heck yes, this deployment will do me some good after all!! hehehe...

Surreal moment

Hey everyone! Like the new pic? SGT Snyder walks around like a sniper with his camera...snapping pics of anyone not paying attention. Thankfully he's kind enough to make me smile and laugh to make up for all the pics he's gotten where I'm talking or doing something equally weird looking in pictures. I hope this shows that I really do have fun at work. I mean, work aside, aren't you supposed to have a good time? hehehe... So I really wanted to mentally show you a snapshot of me this morning on my way to work. It was one of those moments in a person's life you wish someone else could have taken a picture and written a caption. I dunno, it really isn't that big of a deal, but to me it seemed sooo surreal! I was running a little late this morning and instead of getting all the way ready at home I did what any normal girl would do when she's running late to work...grabbed my makeup bag so I could take care of that in the car. But nowadays I don't drive myself to work in my little Mazda 626; I catch a ride to work everyday in a humvee with Kevlar helmet and body armor. So there I was, in total autopilot, getting ready in the humvee. I just undid my chinstrap, pushed the Kevlar off my forehead a little and did a quick makeup job. It was when I was putting on my mascara that it really dawned on me what a bumpy ride it was. About the same time we came to an intersection and I had to stop to make sure the road was clear to cross. Looking down the Baghdad street at other humvees, civilian vehicles driving crazy, and buses, it REALLY hit me that...my goodness! I'm putting on makeup...in a humvee...on my way to work in Baghdad, Iraq! That sort of realization usually slips right past me and it makes life so much easier to deal with. I get away with pretending my life is pretty ordinary and block out stuff that would point to anything other than that. But this morning was too much and I just had to laugh out loud at myself. hehe...just thinking about it seems so weird to me even now! Ah well, whatever. Miss you all bunches! Hey, if you're the praying type, take a moment and think of two of the guys from my unit here, SPC Claffey and SPC Rzepka are doing...uh...something (I don't know how much I can say here so I won't say anything I guess!) and it'd be cool if you kept the guys in your thought! Thanks!!

hooah abuse

Hey all, I’ve been meaning to blog about this for awhile and keep forgoing it for more important issues. Since it’s been pretty quiet the last couple days I’m going to talk about something sooo meaningless about half of you won’t read this all the way through. I’d like to rant a little about the word “HOOAH” and its uses and abuses in today’s Army. When I went to Basic Training in ’99 we yelled out hooah as a war cry type of thing, a morale booster if you will. (It never really boosted MY morale but that’s not the point here. You know, the Marines say “oorah,” I think the Air Force jokingly says “fly,” maybe the Navy says “swim.” The Army says hooah. And now they say it a lot. It’s no longer a morale boosting battle cry. Now it’s abused to the point of no return. Soldiers use it to say, “Yes.” We use it to say, be right there.” If you really don’t have an answer for a question just holler hooah and everyone will understand the poignant reply and all its deeper meanings. Somehow. I find it’s a very nice subversion tactic. If someone walks up to ask if I’m working hard, all I have to say is hooah. And it’s really nice when someone is telling me what I’m going to be doing, or what rule just changed, or why they think we’re fighting this war it’s totally acceptable to just say hooah. That saves you the time, trouble, and wasted breath trying to diplomatically disagree. Life is so much easier with hooah in our vocabulary. There is a downside to hooah however. First, for all I know, other people are just saying hooah to me instead of giving an honest opinion or answer. Second, it’s so overplayed it become extremely annoying! I hear it everywhere! Sheesh. K, kids that’s all I’ve got. It’s a little disappointing to me to read over what I just wrote because I’ve been thinking about it for like a week. I blame lack of sleep. If I had gotten my full ten hours my brain would be tip top. I’m just glad I got the point across. I miss you all so much. Haha, I just realized that no one will probably make it all the way to the end of this blog to read how much I miss them. Maybe I’ll write a fresh one, just in case.

Sorry so long!

I'm really sorry everyone, it's been over a week since I've blogged anything! But I do have a good excuse-I started a new job in Media Outreach. It's been crazy busy and with my hours from 12-10pm I feel like I never have any time for myself! The job is going to be great; right now it's a little overwhelming though. It's very rewarding; I go home at night feeling like I actually helped each day. The new job pretty much has me browsing all the news coming out of Iraq (I'm sure my dad is sooo happy I'm paying attention to the news for the first time since 2001) and finding the happy stories to market to hometown media. It's cool cause I get to take the stuff that's published in a small military publication, one that maybe only gets read at the camp it's about, and send it to a soldier's hometown. There are some great things going on over here, I really see that now. There are a lot of stories about how much the Iraqi Army is doing for the people of this country; I wish I could market those to the States somehow. Like how many people got running water/electricity/roads/safety precautions just this week. The US is doing a ton, don't get me wrong, I think we hit a point where we aren't teaching this country as much as we've stepped back to let the Iraqi's start helping themselves. I don't really know, I only started reading the news like a week ago, but that's what it seems like.
Omigosh! I still haven't blogged about Iraq's "Army Day" ceremony! Wow, it has been awhile since I've been on here. Well, if you didn't know, Iraq held a ceremony here in Baghdad at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (that place is impressive!) and I got to help escort the media to the event. Oh and by the way, this was the biggest military ceremony they've held since the US has been here. Anyway, it looked amazing. All the Iraq Army soldiers were dressed and pressed and they were really representing! A lot of work went into it, from the set up to the soldiers practicing drills. The day before a guy in my unit, Jeremy, kept talking about how we were going to take incoming rounds the next day for sure...crap like that, being all obnoxious. We all knew the ceremonies would probably be targeted but man, I hate when boys try to cover up a fear by doing this kind of stuff! Well, he was right. We were waiting in the buses during the ceremony and heard like 4 or 5 mortars. The first one was loud but still a way off. The second hit close enough that we could feel it. The last one I heard whistled overhead and I thought, "This is it!" I mean if you hear it cut through the air above you, wouldn't you think the same? Luckily that one never detonated because it landed about 100 yards away!! Thankfully, the ceremony wasn't interrupted and it went really well.
Other than that I've just been working my tail off, watching movies (I'm addicted to Scrubs), and playing Tiger Woods Golf. By the end of this year in Iraq I'm gonna be wicked at video game golf! And maybe real golf too! I found the "Baghdad Winery and Golf Course" and I'm checking it out Saturday. How cool would it be if I get to work on my drive while I'm here? And if I ever get internet in my hooch I want to do some online college classes. Oh, wanna know what else I'm doing Saturday? Something I didn't think I'd get to do in Baghdad, that's for sure! I'm getting a manicure and pedicure!!! It seems soo wrong somehow but I’m excited anyway! Okay, on that note...love, hugs, kisses...you know the deal! I miss you all!

Finally, a day off!!

Yayy!! I got my first real day off yesterday! I say real because I got Christmas off but so did all the E-4 mafia. And I had Saturday off last week but I spent most of it at the range, which is cool but I didn't get to relax really. I made the most of yesterday. Even though it poured rain most of the day. And even though I still had to go to a General's briefing at 6pm. Ok, let me go off on a tangent here...why on Earth would a General give a weekly briefing to a group of 40 or less?? It seems like such a waste. And I really don't think we should have to attend if it's our day off, that's just ridiculous. You end up spending a half hour getting back in uniform, spend an hour at the brief, then it seems like your day is over. It's just silly. Our 1SG told us to ask the General if we have to go on our day off and whatever he says goes. Haha!! Joke's on him, he didn't think we'd do it, I totally will! What have I got to lose? This isn't my career by any means, as soon as this year is up I'm back out of the Army again. It's sweet. Anyway, so yesterday...
It really did rain cats and dogs. No good thunder or lightning like back home but I really like the way the rain sounds coming down on my trailer roof. Everywhere I went I had my pants rolled up into Capri’s. I got so soaked, it was great. I went with my friend Tashina (SPC Venters in my unit) to lunch and to the PX. We met my friend Bill (civilian Blackwater PSD) at the palace then I proceeded to be a lazy ass and watch movies till 6 when I had to go to the brief. After all that and dinner we all went over to Longoria and Tripplett's hooch and played Tiger Woods Golf all night. It was so nice not to have to do anything. Oh, and I about died when I got to Longoria's and saw his holster...he has the same one I do!!! It was awesome, I told him about the contest them made fun of him for having a girl holster. So he called me Huck Finn for having my pants rolled up. Good stuff. That's all for now, see ya'll! (Sorry, I know this one was a bit random!)

A contest...kind of...

I bought a shoulder holster from a little shop at the Al Rasheed Hotel here. It makes me laugh every time I see it because it reminds me of a 3 year old's cowboy Halloween costume. It's black suede with white stitching and I swear when I get back to the States I'm going to Wal-Mart to find boots and a hat to match. I just know they'll have them! So here's the contest with no real prize: Try to come up with a nickname or something I can get embroidered on this thing. I need something I can get stitched on there in old Wild West style cursive...it would totally make this holster the funniest thing ever! So if you have any ideas, please let me know. Oh yeah! As if this holster weren't gaudy enough...my friend Chris was walking with me today and looked at my holster funny. He looked up with this incredulous look and said, "You bought a Phat Farm holster?" Apparently, the little brass snap buttons have the Phat Farm logo on them!! For anyone who's lost right now, Phat Farm is an urban/hip-hop style clothing line, which makes a Phat Farm holster completely ridiculous! I think, just like the stuff you find in Mexico, a lot of things here are counterfeit, my holster being one of those things. Ok, enough info. Now start brainstorming! Please?

Interview on BBC Radio

So the interview that SGT Trevor Snyder and I did the other day on BBC Radio turned out to be alot of fun! I was really excited afterward because my Mom and Dad called as soon as we got off the air and said they had listened to it in Missouri! Just by a stroke of luck my Aunt Lisa heard it on the radio and called my parents to tell them what station. They were driving my sister to the airport after her Christmas visit so they all got to listen to it! My Aunt Cara listened to it online! I'm still so stoked that so many people heard it. You'd think I'd be a little less stoked since I worked in radio for a couple years and my family heard my voice all the time but this is different. Anyway, I really enjoyed doing the show. I did feel a little out of my element because the other two being interviewed actually blog about important stuff like war, rights, and politics while mine is more like a journal. I don't get too deep here, it's not for serious thinkers. But I had a good time and I feel like I got across to Kevin, from the "World Have Your Say" segement we did, that I just do this to keep in touch, stay sane, and have fun. Hope the links work, I'm learning! It took me like 30 minutes to download the actual interview, just a heads up.

Thank You!!!

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone leaving comments! I know I don't get back to everyone who has left me their email address and for that I'm sory. I started this blog because I don't get much time online and this is the fastest way to communicate. I still don't get much internet time and just don't send all the thanks I wish I could. You've all been so wonderful, letting me know not only are people actually reading my blogs, but also sending me the nicest comments wishing me luck and a safety. I just want everyone to know that even if I don't email you back, I really do appreciate you and the comments you leave. It always brightens my day to see comments in my email inbox and I feel like I have an even bigger family looking out for me. So thank you all again!

Happy New Year! Tracer rounds, machine guns, and mortars.

So Happy New Year everyone!! I hope you all had a great time, I did! I got an email suggesting, “in case of celebratory fire on New Year’s Eve, duck and cover. If you’re in your trailer, pull your mattress over top of you.” Instead I donned full body armor and a Kevlar helmet and went outside to watch the tracer rounds light up the sky at midnight. I know it wasn’t what I was supposed to do, but I did tuck my arms into my body armor vest…doesn’t that count for something? I heard how amazing the night sky looked after the soccer game a couple weeks ago, tracers of every color flying through the sky and wanted to see it. I guess New Year’s isn’t as important as a soccer game because the display wasn’t all that impressive. It was pretty, colored tracers cutting through a black velvet night sky. There just weren't that many. I guess that’s actually a good thing because I heard a bunch of people went to the hospital after the soccer game from rounds falling from the sky. Anyway, I had a good New Year’s Eve. Matter of fact the whole day was a bit exciting for me, both good and bad. The good first, ok? That’s always better. We went to the firing range and it was awesome!!! I finally got to fire my pistol, which I feel much more comfortable with now. I’ve wanted to buy a Beretta since the last time I fired one in the military, back in 2001. I liked it then and I loved it this time! We also got to fire an M16, just to stay familiarized. The best part though was getting to fire a Sterling MK4, a British (I think that’s what they told me) machine gun that’s believed to have been Uday’s and was left in the palace. I don’t know if that’s true but I don’t care…it was freaking awesome!!! It was so damn accurate, I couldn’t believe it. And light, it didn’t weigh hardly anything. I don’t know much about weapons, actually more like nothing. I just don’t see why we don’t use this weapon in the US military…is it not that great? Is it illegal? Does it jam? Too expensive? I would think it’d be awesome to issue to soldiers who could put it to good use, with this accuracy, I know I would love to have one…I just wouldn’t want to have to use it on anyone. I think I’d just want one to take to the range.
Ok, enough about it, I’m sure there’s a good reason we don’t use them. So after the range I got dropped off at home cause it was kind of my day off. As we were walking into the palace I heard a huge boom not that far away. I looked up at my buddy and said, “Let’s go inside.” He looked at me like I was crazy…he didn’t understand why I was worried about it. Since it already hit he didn’t see why hide. From what I’ve heard here, when you hear one always get somewhere safe cause there’s usually more on the way. We went inside just after a 2nd one hit and the duck and cover alarms started going off. This being my first duck and cover I didn’t know what the heck they were saying on the intercom. It was funny, while I was walking in the hallway trying to listen a bunch of Marines came down the stairs mimicking the loudspeaker…they had it down! So I finally heard “move away from all windows…” and everything from the Marines. And since it seemed like they at least knew what was going on I followed them downstairs. I heard a couple more booms, they sounded farther away though, thankfully. I acted like I wasn’t nervous, just sat down and read my book. Really though? I was eying the ceiling; I kept thinking something would crash through. Kinda dorky, huh? Oh well, I don’t care.
Other than that, New Year’s was pretty good. I found out where to go for Midnight Chow (very important), played on the internet at my friend’s trailer (since I still don’t have internet in mine), and got to play Tiger Wood’s Golf 2005…that was awesome!! It’s one of the few video games I’m decent at and I love playing. That about does it for my New Year’s blog…hope you all have a great year, enjoy the hell out of 2006, I know I will. I’m living it up Baghdad style baby!