CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

How far is too far?

2011-08-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

So, this past Saturday I gave the Leadville 100 a try. The race starts in the old mining town of Leadville, Colorado near the Continental Divide in the middle of the state. Average elevation of the race is over 10,000', includes two summits of Hope Pass at 12,600', and must be completed in 30 hours (4 am Saturday to 10 am Sunday).

I've wanted to try it since reading about the race a decade ago. Every year I wimped out and didn't sign up because I knew I wasn't ready. This year I said, screw it, I'll never finish if I don't start. I put in 9 months of trail training including two trail marathons, two trail ultra marathons, and a double crossing of the Grand Canyon (by far the hardest).

I knew I would need help, so Running Buddy Craig (RBC) from Vegas showed up to be my crew chief and head pacer. He was more prepared than I was and the "pre-mission" briefing the night before at the campsite was classic RBC and harkened back to our days working together. Nephew Noah and newly anointed Niece Heidi also agreed to run with me.

Leadville is simply awesome. Great people, great scenery, and overall great atmosphere for the many endurance events they host all summer. We toed the line at 4am for 13 miles out of town and around Turquoise Lake. RBC met me in the dark at mile 7 about 200 yards from our campsite. I off-loaded a water bottle and gloves. It was warming up from the 39 degree start.

Mile 13 (May Queen) was the first official aid station and a chance to change shoes and restock Gu gels and Larabars. I was 10 minutes ahead of my goal time and 25 minutes ahead of the cut-off. I thought that was great, but more on that later. RBC was there to provide a few shots of sweet tea and anything else I needed. His Grissly Adams beard, which he hasn't shaved since retiring from the Air Force, made him easy to pick out in the crowd. He wins best crew chief award - easily.

We then proceeded onto the Colorado Trail for a climb over 11,000' Sugarloaf Mountain. Slow going, but I felt fine. We scrambled down a steep power line trail to pull into the Fish Hatchery aid station - the most organized, professional aid station I've ever experienced in my years of running. I wanted to stay there the rest of the morning.

By now, it was 9:45, I had gone 23 miles, I was 15 minutes ahead of my goal pace, and 45 minutes ahead of the cut-off. Again, there was the bearded one with my jug of sweet tea. I headed out with a dude from Minnesota and we run-walked the next three miles until we reached the tree line. The next stop was Halfmoon aid station along the Colorado Trail at mile 30.

I lost a little time, but nailed my goal time and was 1 hour ahead of the cut-off. This was a small aid station in the woods, but it had what I needed. I took off for the 10 mile, mostly uphill, slog to Twin Lakes.

This is where the death spiral began. The steady uphill after logging 30 miles was more than I was ready for. I had to walk almost the entire way and I stopped eating as much as I needed. By the time I made it to Twin Lakes, I was 45 BEHIND my goal and only 15 minutes ahead of the cut-off. Things looked bleak, especially since I had yet to climb Hope Pass once, let alone twice.

Noah and Heidi met me at Twin Lakes with RBC to make sure I was still alive. It was 1:45 and H-O-T. Noah tried to shade me with an umbrella while I refueled, but all I remember is him trying to untangle the umbrella from a chain-linked fence. It was good to see my crew after nearly 10 hours of running.

I decided to give Hope Pass a try and loaded myself up with gels and bars plus some trekking poles. I left my cold weather gear behind. After all, it was H-O-T at 9,000'.

We had to cross a marsh and a creek/river with knee/thigh deep mountain run-off. Just what I needed to start a climb. Oh yeah, the climb. My right knee started to lock up at mile 35. Now, I needed the poles just to walk, never mind the climb.

It was brutal. I died a slow death. Other people just ahead of the cut-off kept passing me. I knew I had to be to the pass aid station by 4:30. Worse yet, the leaders already made it to the turn-around, came back over the pass, and now were headed back home and zooming past me in the opposite direction. I could tell I was in bad shape just by the way these fast folks looked at me as we crossed paths.

My crew was planning to meet me on the other side of the pass at the 50-mile aid station. At that point, someone can run with me (pacer). Heidi was ready to go. I wasn't.

I got to about 1/2 mile and about 500' vertical feet from the aid station. It was 4:30 (the cut-off time), raining, and the temperature was dropping. End of race for me. I turned around and began the walk of shame back to Twin Lakes. 5 miles of additional torture and time to reflect. Runners still in the race continued to zoom past me. Humbling, very humbling.

My crew got the word that I never made the pass, so they jumped back in the car and started back around the mountain to collect my sorry carcass. I was showered and had a beer in me by the time the winner crossed the line at about 8:45 PM in Leadville. If you're keeping score, I completed about 50 miles and drove back to town and still almost didn't beat his 100 mile time. Amazing.

I crashed in my tent, then got up the next morning to watch the final cut-off at 10AM in Leadville. It was inspiring watching the last 20-30 folks stagger to the finish. How they made it through the night, I may never know.

In the end, I'm really glad I tried. Not very proud of the dreaded, "Did Not Finish" (DNF) -- it's something I will have to live with. Maybe I'll be back, maybe I won't, but it's an experience I will never forget.

Special thanks to my crew who sacrificed to be there. I wish I could have crossed the line with you guys!

BATTING CAGE, STAGE 1

2009-08-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

The blog is back! I finally found something I want to share -- home improvement. Being a homeowner again after 4 years of renting is a welcome change. First project: batting cage.

The post holes have been dug (4 have been filled with concrete) and the net arrived via FedEx 3 days ago. Brother Tom provided some much needed carpentry advice. Now it's up to me to execute.

I'm taking my time to do it right, but anxiously awaiting first pitch. Come on over and see what you've got . . .

HIATUS

2009-06-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

Finally settled at home just in time to move. I'm taking a break from the blog.

DAY 173, OUTTA' HERE

2009-05-31T10:47:00.000-07:00

Leaving in the morning for Kuwait.

I'll be in Germany on Wednesday, Baltimore on Thursday, LA on Friday!

5 days to go!

DAY 167, LAST RACE

2009-05-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

Today was my last race in Iraq. One of the local camps put on the "Bolder Boulder 10K." The actual Bolder Boulder occurs every Memorial Day in Boulder, CO. They've been doing it since 1979 and it has grown to over 50,000 runners - one of the biggest 10Ks in the country. Nephew Noah ran the real thing this year.

I was resigned to running it here in Iraq. Still cool, though. We had over 500 people participate and we got real race numbers and t-shirts. We did two laps around one of the lakes. It was hot, windy, and dusty, but we finished. It happened to be my fastest 10K ever and a nice why to wrap up my running events while deployed over here.

It's funny, when I first found out I was getting deployed, I thought for sure I'd have to give up any serious running for 6 months. As it turns out, I had the opportunity to complete two 5K's, three 10K's, and two marathons. Running was about the only thing I could do other than work.

One thing I knew I'd have to give up was tasty food. I can't wait to get back to some home cooking.

And, yes, you can still learn how to Salsa dance in Iraq.

11 days to go.

DAY 163

2009-05-21T06:11:00.000-07:00

12 days until I leave Baghdad.
14 days until I leave Kuwait.
15 days until I'm home.

DAY 159

2009-05-17T06:02:00.000-07:00

20 days to go.

DAY 155, EARLY 90's POP CULTURE

2009-05-12T23:22:00.000-07:00

24 days to go.

DAY 147, BEST DAY

2009-05-05T03:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my best day in Iraq to date. Three things happened that sealed the deal.

#1 My replacement's arrival date was moved up to May 20th.

#2 I got a box in the mail. The primary contents were vacuum-sealed homemade brownies from Tiffany. I remember complaining when she bought the vacuum sealer a couple years ago. No complaints ever again. It paid for itself yesterday!

#3 The Navy Petty Officer in charge of my travel locked me into a rotator out of Kuwait on June 4th!

Oh happy day!

32 days to go.

DAY 143, 80%

2009-04-30T22:39:00.000-07:00

That's right - I'm 80% done! I just blew through mile 20 of my 26-mile deployment. Today begins May. I get through this month, then I'm on my way home (after a handful of days in June).

More importantly, today is Taylor's 13th birthday. I can't believe I have a teenager. It doesn't seem like that long ago that Tiffany and I moved to Ohio from California. Taylor turned 1 in Colorado during our drive.

At one point during the move, she was riding with me in northeast Arizona / southwest Colorado. It had been a long day to that point and she was fussy. I sang the entire "99 bottles of beer" song to her. Every bottle. It was the first and last time I have ever done that. At the end of the last lyric ("Zero bottles of beer on the wall"), she looked at me, I looked at her, and she started crying again. It was good while it lasted.

Now she's 13, owns an iTouch, buys dresses for dances, and chats on-line with boys. I'll deal with it (she does get straight-A's), but I kinda' miss singing 99 bottles of beer.

Happy Birthday, Tay!

36 days to go.

DAY 139?

2009-04-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

One quick link before the rant: http://www.ali.afcent.af.mil/news/story_media.asp?id=123145051

Now, on to the topic of the day: GOING HOME . . .

Today is supposed to be Day 139. I say "supposed to" because I have been locked in a colossal struggle with our Operations Officer (Ops-O) since Day 1.

First, a little background. I am currently assigned to the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA). As with most government organizations, DCMA has plenty of personnel stateside. Here in Iraq, DCMA has ~220 positions. Half of those positions are filled by people who belong to DCMA in the states. The other half are filled by military like me who belong to their respective service back home. In a sense, I am an "augmentee" to DCMA.

What that really means is I get treated like a stepchild over here. Regular DCMA people fly commercial airlines in/out of Kuwait and stay at a rented house in Kuwait City with very nice accommodations, eat out at restaurants, and generally have a nice transition in/out of theater (Iraq). Additionally, DCMA personnel can book their own return travel on United Airlines months in advance. They know date/time/and actual seat.

Us augmentees get shafted. We ride a military rotator in/out of Kuwait and stay in tents with many other humans while waiting for transportation into theater. We have no idea how long we will be in the tents.

In reality, the military style transportation and waiting game is normal for 95% of the troops over here. The DCMA people have it really, really nice. Augmentees . . . not so much.

Here's the problem: our Ops-O is regular DCMA. She already has her return date picked and her biggest concern is whether or not to pay for an upgrade to business class and what Kuwaiti restaurant to eat at the night before she leaves. Tough situation. For me, I have to get scheduled on a hop to Kuwait, then sit in a tent until the next rotator goes to Baltimore (about once a week). No upgrade for me. Every seat will be filled by sweaty, smelly GIs (myself included).

Meanwhile, I was supposed to be home on June 6th (Day 179). Our Ops-O informed me a couple months ago that my orders also include an extra 6 days for turnover with my replacement. So, that's 185 days, then I can leave Baghdad, which means I get home a week or so later (about 192 days) - two weeks later than originally planned.

I know it's only two weeks and others have it much worse -- Army guys usually have 365 day tours (or longer). But two weeks for me is pretty significant, especially when our Ops-O decided she can leave 2 weeks EARLY because her replacement will be here and she doesn't need to stick around. Then, she arbitrarily decided to leave two weeks LATE so she can qualify for a different medal. That's a honorable decision, huh?

Here's the bigger problem: my replacement gets here on May 22nd! So, following her logic, I should be able to leave around May 28th or so. Not so. She wants me to stick around until at least June 5th - which happens to be the day of a big event she's responsible for. I have been helping her do her job since I got here. I guess she now has decided I need to be here to continue doing her job. Just a perfect example of NOT taking care of the people who take care of you.

I finally broke down and mentioned the subject to the Colonel. I absolutely HATE taking personal issues to the boss. I much prefer solving them without leadership involvement. No reason to burden them with petty issues. But, I had had (yes, double "had") enough with the Ops-O.

The Colonel's direction to the Ops-O: "Get Bill on the June 4th rotator - we have enough to cover down." For you non-military types out there, "cover down" refers to having enough people to get the job done.

You would think that would be the end of it. The boss has spoken. Again, not so fast. Just yesterday, the Ops-O informed me that I have a special code that precludes me from being assigned to the rotator. I have to get to Kuwait and then the Air Force will assign me to a rotator.

What she should have said was, "I saw what the boss said. We'll get you on the June 4th rotator. Don't worry about it." Instead, it's like pulling freakin' teeth with her.

Does it really need to be this hard?

40 days to go (or not).

DAY 134, I.V.

2009-04-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like requiring medical attention at the end of a race . . .

45 days to go.

DAY 132, PICTURES

2009-04-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a little look at how I spent my last week. Admittedly, we didn't do much work, but it made up for working 125+ days straight without a break.

Waiting for a helo ride.

Three of us had an entire Blackhawk helo to ourselves (well, plus two pilots and two door gunners).

The Euphrates River from the helo (notice the door gun)

The Great Ziggurat of Ur.

Three Air Force Majors on the Ziggurat. Never thought I'd ever type that.

Two Air Force Majors and one Army Major using Abraham's cistern. Never thought I'd type that.

Pre-race, circa 4:45 AM.

Almost post race, circa 8:58 AM.

The end.

47 days to go.

DAY 130, I'M IN

2009-04-18T01:05:00.000-07:00

Slowest marathon time in many years, but fast enough to get me into Boston in 367 days!

Freakin' hot here. I needed two bags of IV solution afterwards, but it was SO worth it.

49 days to go. (13 days until Taylor turns 13)

DAY 128, AT TALLIL

2009-04-16T07:28:00.000-07:00

We made it to Tallil Air Base outside the city of Nasiriyah - really outside. We're in the middle of the desert, about 10 miles from the Euphrates river (and Nasiriyah).

We rode on a small cargo plane called a Sherpa and made stops in Al Kut and Basrah before landing here at 1 AM.

We toured the Ziggurat yesterday. Incredible place. It's a cross between an Egyptian pyramid and a Mayan temple. It was in the largest city of the known world in 2000 BC. For any Old Testament fans out there, we saw the site of Abraham's home (allegedly).

Today we were caught in a sandstorm all day. We couldn't see more than 10-20 yards. I hope it clears - only 36 hours until race time!

51 days to go.

DAY 125, 5 DAYS AWAY

2009-04-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

Leaving on a helo for Nasiriyah in the morning - be back in 5 days with a spot in the 2010 Boston Marathon (hopefully)!

54 days to go.

DAY 120, ZIGGURAT

2009-04-08T06:22:00.000-07:00

In one week I'm headed to Tallil Air Base near Nasiriyah, Iraq. While there, we're going to break away for half a day to tour the ziggurat. Ziggurats were built by the old timers of Mesopotamia as monuments to local religions. The one we're going to see is the "Great Ziggurat of Ur" and was built over 4,000 years ago. That was back when this area of the world kicked butt, instead of getting kicked.

Also while there, we're going to run the "Boston Marathon in Iraq." It will be my first time off this base since late December when I went to the International Zone in downtown Baghdad. I'm really looking forward to getting away for a few days. Of course, we have to do some work while we're down there, but the change will be really good.

In other news, Tiffany went to Albuquerque for a day and a half and put an offer in on a house. I guess she was so worried I'd pick a place in the mountains, she wanted to grab a place while I was in Iraq! It was my fault, though - I talked her into visiting Albuquerque to get familiar with the area. Little did I know . . .

59 days to go.

DAY 118, PLAY BALL!

2009-04-06T04:39:00.000-07:00

Baseball starts today. As with all other live events, I'm stuck with the middle-of-the-night dilemma. Looks like I'll get my baseball fix via box scores and Internet reports for the first two months.

I love the Cubs and all, but I can't see myself staying up all night to listen to one of their games on XM. Speaking of which, of all the businesses I want to survive the economic crunch we're in, XM is at the top of the list. That stuff is great. Plenty of choices, no cheesy commercial breaks, sports, comedy, opinion radio that calls itself news, it's all there - well worth the monthly subscription fee.

BREAK

As I type this, Tiffany is in Albuquerque checking out neighborhoods, schools, etc. I called her yesterday as she was checking out the mountain community I want to live in. I think I'm going to get out-voted (the actual term is "over-ruled"), but I really need a mountain feel, especially after watching my Colorado dream disappear at the hands of some guys in San Antonio who claim to assign jobs based on the "needs of the Air Force." Whatever.

Back to baseball, the Cubs are loaded this year, but not as loaded as the Mets and Phillies. I swear every year in October that I'm through with the Cubs, but every April there I am glued to the TV. This April I'll be glued to the Internet, but you know what I mean.

I wish I knew why I can't let them go. I've lived all over the country and been immersed in the local team wherever we've lived. I was in Colorado when the Rockies were born - very exciting times. I was in Ohio where everyone still talked about the Big Red Machine. I was in Texas Ranger country, and now in Dodger town. For whatever reason, I can't shake the Cubs.

Maybe if they choke in the play-offs AGAIN this year, that will be what it takes.

61 days to go.

DAY 113, BLASPHEMY

2009-03-31T22:16:00.000-07:00

I've been gone for 16 weeks. In some ways that seems like a long time, in some ways it doesn't. I was just beginning to cope with it - especially now that it's April and baseball starts next week! I'm pumped, or so I thought until I found this picture waiting in my inbox this morning:

Nephew Matt, on a recent visit to my house in SoCal, must have thought my kids needed more of a "brauts and beer" influence in their lives. Of all the things I was worried about when I knew I was leaving my children for 6 months, I had not even considered that they would start wearing Brewers gear.

It was bad enough that AJ broke his hand (see PINK cast in picture). He was tagging a kid in the infield during a game. Ironically, the kid that broke it was on our team last season. I remember teaching him to run hard into a tag because the ball might come out. Well, he listened well. AJ's season is over (with the possibility of returning for the play-offs).

He did play for a week with a broken hand before the trip to the doctor. He pitched, caught and even hit one that one-hopped the fence in deep left field (not bad for a 10-year old). I would like to have seen that hit with two good hands! Now, if I can just get him and his sisters to lose the Brewers logos before I get home, we'll all be okay . . .

66 day to go.

DAY 107, WAR CRIMES

2009-03-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

Let me explain. Our thin mints turned up missing this morning and Girl Scout Cookies are like Crack over here. The only personnel in the building overnight were the stuffed animals. None would talk (except Daffy, but we couldn't understand him with that lisp).

So I had them line-up and ordered the Captain to make them give it up. It was obvious to me that Fat Bear ate them, but Li'l Pink has been an issue in the past, so you never know. The Penguin got happy feet, so he took the first round. We let Blue Boy off because he is just so damn cute.

See what happens when you separate people from their families for 6 months or more . . .

72 days to go.

DAY 100, TRUE MARCH MADNESS

2009-03-19T06:37:00.000-07:00

I'm bummed. Every year I get really excited about the college basketball post season tournament. Some of my fondest memories involve the tournament. Ever since I can remember, I've ditched school or work to watch the first round games on Thursday/Friday. I ditched high school classes and classes at the Academy (which I had to march tours for). I then transitioned to 3-4 hour lunches from work over the years.

One year as an adolescent, I put the entire 64 team bracket on my bedroom wall in permanent black ink. It was the real deal: 8 feet wide by 4 feet tall. I kept my door closed all day long to avoid detection (I wonder what mom/dad thought I was doing in there all day?). My dad didn't discover my art work until round 4. By then, 3 of my final four teams had been eliminated so I was pissed, but not as pissed as he was!

The first coat of paint barely took the edge off the ink - it bled right through. Shit. It took 2 more coats to cover the bracket. It was not a happy time, but so worth it. This year, I converted one of our white boards at work into bracket central. I guess I learned my lesson -- it's easily erased.

But here's why I'm bummed. I'm stuck in Baghdad with first tip about 5 hours away. That's 10 PM here. I WON'T GET TO DITCH WORK. How cruel is that? I work 12-14 hours per day and the tournament still occurs after work hours. Even worse, if I want to watch the games, I have to stay up all night. For the first time I can remember in my entire life, I won't be skipping anything (other than sleep) to watch the first round games.

Regardless, I have Louisville over PITT in the Championship game (after beating UCONN and Oklahoma in the Final 4). Doesn't matter - the championship game will tip at 3 AM.

This whole deployment thing sucks.

79 days to go.

DAY 98, ST PAT'S DAY THOUGHTS

2009-03-17T06:42:00.000-07:00

We're not allowed alcohol, so would someone please have a pint of Guinness for me today in honor of St Pat's Day. . .

I've gotten many words of encouragement from friends and family about the New Mexico move - thanks. Running Buddy Craig pointed out some of the cool runs held in the New Mexico mountains. One such run, the Jemez Mountain 50 Mile Run, has an advertised start line at the "North Mesa Posse Shack." That phrase alone makes me want to live in New Mexico. Here's what one of the aid stations looks like at the race:

Brother Jim sent me this cool picture from one of his back packing trips in the four corners area. I can't wait to see it for myself.

Tiffany has been living on realtor.com. Looks like we'll be able to swing a nice place, but not our dream house. Again, we'll just have to deal with it. The Air Force has been good to me over the years, so I shouldn't complain.

Anyway, there's definitely light at the end of the tunnel I'm in. My replacement has been identified and is due here the last week in May. I can't describe what a relief it is to have a real name singled out. That makes my end date much more real.

I won't miss much, but I will miss kicking butt at Euchre. (Hard to see the bracket in this picture, but my partner and I won the office tournament - a grueling 3 hour event in which there were copious amounts of bottled water guzzled):

I'll also miss having good running partners. Four of us did a marathon 2 days ago. We ran together almost the whole way. Good guys, small race (we took 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th), but really dusty air:

81 days to go.

DAY 97, NEW PLACE TO LIVE

2009-03-16T00:43:00.000-07:00

The Air Force Personnel Center decided my fate this week. They gave away the two jobs in Colorado Springs to other people. There were 21 jobs open in Dayton (my 5th choice). That's where we would have ended up, but there was a job open at my 4th choice . . . ALBUQUERQUE.

I was kinda' surprised. Tiffany said something that rhymed with "truck." We've had a few days to let it sink in. We told the kids this morning (with me on the web cam). Hannah and AJ really didn't care. Taylor seems a little disappointed.

We'll just have to make the best of it. I should be happy to have a job, let alone a job in which I'm 5 years away from collecting retirement (I hope). The bottom line for ABQ is the sun shines all the time, the cost of living is low, we're close to Colorado, the mountains and we're close enough to San Diego to visit once or twice a year.

Had we ended up in Ohio, we would have been stuck with crappy weather and we would have rarely visited Colorado or San Diego. I guess that's why we had ABQ #4 and DAY #5.

My job will be at the Air Force Research Laboratory - most likely working on new satellite technology. The job seems interesting. The best part of a research lab job is if your program fails, no one thought it would work anyway. If your program succeeds, you're responsible for new cutting edge technology.

My brother has lived in ABQ for ~20 years and all three of his boys grew up there, so we have some good intel on where to live and what schools to be near. We'll be moving the first week in August. Kids' school starts on 17 Aug.

Now, if I could just get the hell out of here, we'll be alright.

82 days to go.

DAY 91, BROMANCE

2009-03-09T22:26:00.000-07:00

If you happen to read the few comments attached to these blog entries, you'll see that Nephew Noah has accused me of starting a "bromance" with my boss, the Army Colonel. Initially, I was offended and defensive in the stereotypical manly manner. I felt compelled to fall back on the golden rule of relationships: "admit nothing, deny everything, and make counter-accusations." Alas, poor Nephew Noah has enough going on that he doesn't need accusations from his favorite Uncle.

So, I went back to review previous entries. I have to admit, I do mention the good Colonel quite often - more often than I realized. That led me to begin asking why. Is it a jailhouse mentality and my wife is 7,000 miles away? Is it the fact that we have a few things in common? I think it's because he's the first person in my chain-of-command who has the power to send me home anytime he wants. Hey, who better to schmooze, right? Have you ever been stuck in Iraq?

In my defense, the dude runs all the time and encourages me to run (as if I needed it). Keep in mind, my running habit has created friction with almost every boss I've ever had in the past. This is the first time I've felt guilt free running during work hours, which happens to be totally messed up. I mean, look at the countless studies that link exercise with long, healthy lives. You would think EVERY boss would encourage their employees to exercise.

The dude also lets me hit golf balls into the lake (see picture - that's my "bro"). In exchange, I make sure he's properly prepared to brief the Army 4-star every week. That means hours and hours of PowerPoint chart building and report writing, but what the hell else am I going to do in between runs? He gets what he wants, I get what I want.

On top of all that, he and I are flying down to Tallil, Iraq in 5 weeks to do the Boston Marathon in Iraq. It's a cool deal. The Boston Athletic Association is waving the qualifying standards for anyone who can be in Tallil on race day. Everyone is treated as if they're doing the actual Boston Marathon. The best part is all finishers in Tallil get automatic entry into the 2010 race IN BOSTON! It's a race I've wanted to do for years, but have never been fast enough to qualify nor hooked-up enough to secure an entry. Guess I just needed to go to Iraq to run in Boston - who knew?

So, in the end, is it really a bromance if we're just using each other to get what we want?

88 days to go.

DAY 90, HALFWAY!

2009-03-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

That's right -- I'm over the hump. It's all downhill from here. I marked this momentous day by surviving another sandstorm. Here are some pictures . . .

This is Al Faw Palace - the location of the Army HQ in Iraq. My office is near the shore of this lake.

This is how it looked today in a sandstorm. At midday, everything was orange - like being in a weird sci-fi movie. You could feel the dirt sticking to the inside of your nose with every inhale. Nasty, nasty stuff.

The other way I celebrated being halfway was by sending all my cold weather gear home. One large box stuffed with uniform jackets, long underwear, thermal tops, etc. It's been in the 90's the last two days, so I guess winter is over.

Wish I was over.

89 days to go.

DAY 86, WET CHU!

2009-03-05T05:30:00.000-08:00

Now these pictures may seem lame to you, but they're heaven to me. What you're looking at is a WET CHU. That means a small room with it's own bathroom. I've been upgraded!

It took three months, but it's SO worth it. No more hiking to the shower. No more hiking in the middle of the night to take a leak. No more running out of hot water.

I have to share the bathroom with the Colonel whose room is on the other side, but that's cool. The lawyer from Chicago had the room before me. He went home this week. The replacement lawyer is a female and didn't want to share the bathroom with the Colonel. She got a WET CHU with a private bathroom. I get the lawyer's CHU. I am once again thankful for women.

The best part is my room is about 20 yds from my office. My commute went from 15 minutes to 15 seconds. No more sharing the roads with every Army vehicle known to man. Now, I just stroll out the door and into the next trailer.

Life is good, errrr better.

93 days to go.

DAY 84, $ - $$$ = TROUBLE

2009-03-03T07:03:00.000-08:00

Sorry, but I feel I must delve into the realm of politics for one blog entry. Feel free to head to the next website of your choice. If you decide to read further, understand that this whole financial situation in the country has me perplexed.

Here’s why I have a hard time understanding the Federal Budget problem: it’s just a matter of addition and subtraction. Money in minus money out. We’re not even talking multiplication and division. Just +’s and –‘s. Surely even politicians can add and subtract.

Well, apparently not. Whether you agree with the “stimulus” package or not, can we all agree it’s a hell of a lot of money? It’s money our government does not have. If we ran a business like that, we’d be out of business – but this is exactly the solution the government proposes.

Next, we’re giving BILLIONS of dollars to Israel AND Palestine. I won’t pick sides, but again, it’s a hell of a lot of money. I’m thinking they’re using the money to kill each other, and then ask for more money so they can rebuild what they just blew up. Seems to me if we need money here at home, we shouldn’t be sending it to both sides of an ongoing killing game. I see that as endless subtraction with no addition.

How about a moratorium on ALL overseas spending until we get our own house in order? If somebody knocks on our door, we just simply reply, “Sorry, we need the money here first. We’ll get back to you in a couple years.” As Tom Joad said in The Grapes of Wrath, “Times are tough.” Don’t even get me started on the colossal waste of the last 6 years in Iraq.

I know diplomacy is important and all, but where has 40 years of diplomacy in the Middle East gotten us? How about our Korean peninsula diplomacy? Just an annual price tag and nothing to show for it. Money going out, nothing coming in (more subtraction than addition). Seems like our best diplomacy has been a strong economy (see Japan and China).

The President said recently he will cut the annual deficit in half during his 4 years in office. He’s proud of that? He’s saying, “Even after 4 years, we’ll still be spending more money than we’re taking in.” Again, if we ran a business like that, we would be bankrupt. Yet, the Prez is proud of that plan. What about eliminating the deficit THIS year? Let’s just spend less than we take in. Remember, it’s just addition and subtraction.

Bush is not without fault, either. He pushed a tax rebate and then told us to go spend it. Sage advice. Try again.

Our defense spending is out of control. The Air Force still wants to buy F-22’s when unmanned aerial vehicles are in short supply and proven to be cheaper, safer, and . . . drum roll please. . ., MORE EFFECTIVE. Shows you that fighter pilots still control the Air Force and won’t change despite a mountain of evidence supporting change.

That’s similar to our two main political parties that won’t change despite the obvious need. The democrats still want to tax and spend and spend and spend on every social program known to man. The republicans keep talking about the need to “get power back.” Excuse me, get power back? So, the goal of the Republican Party is to have power? Surprise, surprise, a bunch of politicians worried about maintaining power rather than being PUBLIC SERVANTS. What happened to the days when our forefathers envisioned community leaders leaving their normal lives for a short period of time to serve the greater good as members of congress? That didn’t last long.

[ASIDE] If you’re still reading to this point, thank you. Send an e-mail to schumw@yahoo.com. My bet is I’ll only get one e-mail.

That leads me to my point. When are we, as a society, going to wake up and realize our two powerful political parties have failed us? We’re going down in an eerily similar fashion to Ancient Rome, but yet no one wants to acknowledge it. Political Parties are serving themselves, not the public interest. Why can’t our country see it? Are we that blind or that distracted? Or do we just not care so long as there is a McDonald's on one corner, a Starbucks on the other, and we can watch American Idol one night and the Bachelor the next?

It just doesn’t add (or subtract) up.

95 days to go.

DAY 81, A QUESTION

2009-02-28T02:23:00.000-08:00

I'm now inside of 100 days. I thought I'd be happy to be in double digits, but I keep remembering I'm not even halfway, yet it feels like I've been gone forever.

Anyway, I was typing an e-mail to Tiff and had to type horseback riding. Here's my question: Why do we call it horseBACK riding? Why not just horse riding?

I mean, there's really no other part of the horse we would ride, is there? Is it really necessary to qualify the statement with the word back.

After all, we don't call it bicycle SEAT riding, do we?

Seems like a waste to me.

98 days to go.

DAY 79, YOU'RE FIRED

2009-02-25T21:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick snapshot of more downtime. The Colonel challenged one of our subordinate commands to a basketball game. We came out on top. Everybody had a good time except the guy I was guarding - seems he doesn't like people talking to him during the action. Which, of course, made it that much more fun for me.

Quick random video . . . I've become addicted to wimp.com. Just another distraction to help take my mind off where I'm at. I thought Conan O'Brien was a weak replacement for Leno until I saw this video: http://www.wimp.com/oldbaseball/. He's my guy now. It's 7 minutes long but worth it to see how he works the shy girl.

For those of you who read my earliest blogs from Baghdad, you'll remember the interesting Deputy Commander. For those that need a recap: fat, lazy, incompetent Army Lieutenant Colonel who was in charge for three weeks while the Commander was home on R&R. Unfortunately for me, it coincided with my first three weeks in theater. It was not fun. Dude yelled all the time, sent us e-mails we couldn't understand because his English and grammar were so bad, and kept us late on X-mas eve, X-mas day, new year's eve, and new year's day. It totally sucked.

Well, guess who went home this week after only 5 months of a 1 year tour? You guessed it, loser boy. Fired and sent home. Wow. From what I understand, several people lodged formal complaints. I wasn't one of them - I put up with far worse from 5 of my 6 older brothers growing up!

Anyway, it all went down in less than a day. The Commander decided it was time, told the NCO in charge to get him on a flight, we drew straws to see who would drive him to the airfield (about 30 minutes away), and next thing you know, he's gone.

So my immediate thought was, "what do I need to do to get sent home early?"

100 days to go.

DAY 77, MOTIVATION

2009-02-24T03:35:00.000-08:00

My days seem to be getting longer. I look for distractions wherever and whenever I can get them (hence this blog). I also need motivation wherever I can get it. Motivation to get out of bed, motivation to work hard, motivation to stay physically fit, etc.

Somebody here at "Victory Base Complex" (VBC) decided to put on a marathon. Normally, I'd be totally ecstatic about it. Problem is we only have 3 weeks to get ready. I know I can finish, but it's going to be ugly. I haven't been training for long runs since I left LA. I need some motivation.

So, my first step was to find someone else to do it with me. That really helps my motivation. All my normal running buddies are 6-7 thousand miles away. As it turns out, my boss, the Army Colonel, is game. His longest run to date is 8 miles. I tried to warn him, but he's set on doing it. We're running 9 miles tomorrow together. (Did I mention how great it is to have a boss that runs?)

Then, to really motivate myself, I went surfing to RunnersWorld.com and found this video:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1431564019/bclid1508311825/bctid1349141442

Holy crap! That's all I needed to motivate me. (For those not interested in watching, it's about a 13-year old girl who finished a 50-mile ultra marathon). Hmmm, Taylor turns 13 in a couple months . . . .

102 days to go.

DAY 75, SPRING TRAINING

2009-02-22T01:23:00.000-08:00

There are a few things I really miss. Obviously, being with my family everyday is #1. After that, I have to rate Little League very high. I really miss watching/coaching my kids. Taylor and Hannah decided not to play softball this season. As you can see from the picture, AJ is playing baseball. That's him as catcher at their first scrimmage.

It's going to be really hard not being there to coach him and see him improve.

104 days to go.

DAY 73, WHERE'S WALDO

2009-02-20T07:52:00.000-08:00

Examine the picture, then let's discuss . . .

Here are all the things wrong in this picture (not necessarily in order of "wrongness"):

1. My haircut

2. The concrete "t-walls" encircling all the buildings

3. My form

4. The crumbling sidewalks

5. My attire

6. The fact that I can go to Salsa Dance classes at a military camp in Baghdad

The one thing right in this picture:

I hand-picked my number before the race started (23 was not available, so I got the next best alternative).

106 days to go.

DAY 70, WEEK 10

2009-02-17T08:12:00.000-08:00

That's right, I have officially completed 10 weeks (miles) of my 26-week (mile) journey. For you non-runners out there, let me explain the importance of finishing mile 10 of a marathon.

10 miles down means double digits. It also means you've hit your stride, you've made significant progress and you're closing in on half way. The weak have fallen back significantly and you have a good feeling of how well (or how not well) you will finish.

Anyway, enough of the running talk. Most of you could care less. Some random thoughts:

Lately, I have had an overwhelming sense of, "Okay, I've seen everything there is to see here. Time to go." I really don't know how the Army dudes can stay for 12-18 months. That has to be absolutely brutal.

I found three guys who like to play Euchre ("you-ker"). I had never played before. I describe it as a much quicker version of Spades. We play every other night or so before we go to bed. We're not allowed to play for money, but bragging rights go a long way around here.

I don't recommend playing basketball in steel-toed boots. I think I'm going to loose both my big toe nails this week.

It took two months, but I am officially tired of facebook.

Many of our drinks are served juice-box style, milk included. We have to have our weapons when we go to chow. Imagine how funny it is to look around at hundreds of soldiers with M-16's and 9mm's sipping 8oz of juice/milk through those tiny little plastic straws. It makes me laugh every day.

Kellogg, Brown, and Root (KBR) is one of the large contractors my unit oversees. They're here to provide logistical support at the bases. KBR has 75,000 employees in Iraq and Afghanistan. You read that correctly: SEVENTY-FIVE THOUSAND.

Hannah (8) sent me an e-mail the other day. She said, "I like my nickname (Hannie). I like yours too, Bill." Best e-mail I've gotten since I left. There's something really funny about having my 8-year old innocently call me by my first name. Guess I'm easily entertained at this point.

109 days to go.

DAY 69

2009-02-15T23:24:00.000-08:00

Nothing worth noting today other than I couldn't let day "69" go by without blogging.

179 (-69) days left.

DAY 64, SANDSTORM

2009-02-10T21:02:00.000-08:00

Well I survived my first sandstorm yesterday. It lasted all day and was quite remarkable. When I woke up, I could hear the wind howling. I looked outside and saw what looked like dense fog. Only problem was, it wasn't moisture in the air, it was sand and dust.

Complete nastiness. Hard to breath, hard to see. I quickly realized that, without goggles (mine were packed away), it is best to walk with eyes shut and only open one for a split second to make sure you're still on your intended path.

Everything became coated with sand including vehicles, buildings, and all parts of the body when going outside. Try to talk to somebody outside - grit in the mouth. Nothing like walking around feeling dirty all day.

It was so bad I ran on a treadmill - something I despise more than anything (except running in a sandstorm).

115 days to go.

DAY 60, SIDEOUT

2009-02-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

We went over to Uday's house today, but he wasn't home. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uday_Hussein

So, we had a volleyball game without him. It wasn't the same as playing at Manhattan Beach, but it was a hell of a lot better than what I've been doing the last 2 months.

Here are some pics:

UDAY'S BOMBED OUT LAKE-FRONT HOME

AIR FORCE, ARMY, NAVY, AND CIVILIANS

WE EVEN HAD A ONE-MAN MARIACHI BAND

INTENSE COMPETITION

SEE WHAT I MEAN

AND LOTS OF STANDING AROUND, TOO

SEE WHAT I MEAN

VERY ATTRACTIVE AIR FORCE FITNESS CLOTHING

A COOLER FILLED WITH . . . BOTTLED WATER!

NO COMMENT

VIEW FROM THE "CROWD"

THE INCOMPLETE "VICTORY OVER AMERICA" PALACE - SERIOUSLY, THAT'S WHAT SADDAM NAMED IT

THAT'S ALL FOLKS

119 days to go.

DAY 58, MONKEES

2009-02-05T00:36:00.000-08:00

I've had plenty of experiences in the last 58+ days that make me ask, "Why?" Whay are we doing this, why are we doing that, why, why, why.

Then, I saw this video and it's all clear to me now. We're just a bunch of monkees.

http://www.wimp.com/ourlife/

121 days to go.

DAY 55, LOUD NOISE

2009-02-02T06:33:00.000-08:00

So, I'm lucky enough to work in a trailer across the street from a Gatling gun like the one you see above. If you'd like to read the details, go to: http://www.raytheon.com/capabilities/rtnwcm/groups/rms/documents/content/rtn_rms_ps_phalanx_datasheet.pdf

The problem with where I sit is they don't tell us when they are going to test fire the gun. I can't really describe the loudness and suddenness of the gun. During the first split second, my heart stops and I jump up out of my chair. Then, my brain catches up and processes what I'm hearing. By then, my heart is racing and everyone in the office lets out a few choice words. The whole event is over in 3-4 seconds, but I feel the effects for at least 10-15 minutes.

Makes life interesting, at least.

124 days to go.

DAY 52, IN THE NEWS

2009-01-30T07:22:00.001-08:00

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/29/kbr.electrical/index.html

127 days to go.

DAY 49, A NEW GOAL

2009-01-27T05:55:00.000-08:00

If there's nothing else I take away from my time in Iraq, it will be a desire to do the things I really want to do and worry about the consequences later. Other than running marathons and ultra-marathons, I rarely do cool things. I've gotten too bogged down in the ritual we can "life" which really isn't living when you think about it. Be honest, getting up early, shaving every day, going to work, doing the same thing day after day - where's the "living" in that?

Last summer, I tried to climb Mt Whitney (and failed miserably). It's the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states, so the challenge seemed admirable. While I was on the mountain, I kept thinking, "Why didn't I try this sooner?" I mean, I was with cool people living a cool experience in a cool place. Cool, right? Cool.

I guess I'm feeling as if I have squandered some of my youth. I had the same epiphany when Tiffany and I ran the Maui half marathon together. It was a blast - we should have done that 15 years ago!

Now that I'm trapped over here and don't have the luxury of doing cool things even if I wanted to, I've decided I'm not going to pass up that opportunity anymore. When I get back, things are going to change (sorry Tiff, we'll talk later . . . )

So, Brother Jim, prepare for a companion on your next October backpacking trip. Brother Tom, get a flask ready for me to take along on your first overnight cross country ski next winter. And to anyone out there who's interested, join me on an ascent of Mt Whitney 27-30 July 2009!

Nephew Noah and I are going to run the San Francisco marathon on 26 July. I can think of no better thing to do on my drive back from San Francisco than to stop off in the Sierra Nevadas and conquer the mountain that kicked my ass last summer.

We'll be in the middle of moving to a new state, for a new job, and new friends. I should be totally anal about executing the move. Instead, I'm going to disappear for 4 days to be in a beautiful place for a wonderful experience.

I'm prepared to go solo, but that's no fun. I'm looking for people to join me. No special experience is necessary - just a willingness to sleep outside and hike a long way. I'll do all the planning - I just need people to show up. Who's in?

130 day to go.

(183 days until I'm standing on top of Mt Whitney)

DAY 46, SOMETHING FUN?

2009-01-24T00:38:00.000-08:00

The local Army transportation company hosted a 5K this morning. About 300 people showed up. I recruited 75% of our office to run around "Z Lake" which happens to be almost exactly 5K (3.1 miles). It was actually fun to blow off work for an hour or so to participate.

The temperature was in the 30's at the start, but still better than Afghanistan. There were too many 18-19 year old Army kids straight from their high school track team. I tried to hang, but couldn't keep the pace.

Regardless, it made me feel like I was back home in a way - doing something I wanted to do rather than something I was forced to do. I'm smiling hard in the picture because some bald Army dude was holding the camera and the steam coming off his head in the cold was hilarious - it looked like some movie special effect.

133 days to go.

DAY 45, TICK-TOCK

2009-01-23T08:07:00.000-08:00

As it says, 134 days to go.

DAY 42, MILE 6

2009-01-20T06:21:00.000-08:00

In keeping with my "deployment as a marathon" analogy, I just blew through Mile 6. Only 20 more to go. The endorphins are just starting to kick in. Not really, I'm just saying . . .

Let me take you on a tour of what I look at for countless hours every day of the week - MY DESK. Starting from right to left:

White binder, nerf football, whey protein powder, phone, Garmin GPS running watch, picture of me and Tiff in Hawaii, a military bottled water, my laptop (logged into this blog, of course) and headphones to listen to XM radio, some spreadsheet printouts, my "Dad" coffee mug, and my 9mm w/ 2 magazines.

Carrying a weapon everywhere I go is new to me. Before this deployment, I handled a gun for a grand total of 1 day (in basic training). That was it. Now, I'm a regular Dirty Harry. I'm packing day and night. Every once and awhile, I start to chuckle when I think about what I happen to be doing while armed. So, here we go . . .

Top 10 things I never thought I'd do while armed (add "while armed" to the end of each statement for effect):

10. Play catch with a nerf football

9. Lift weights

8. Share a workspace with 10 other armed individuals

7. Talk to my family on a web cam

6. Get pissed at my boss (remember the "while armed" part)

5. Eat cookies and milk

4. Discuss gun control laws with co-workers

3. Blog

2. Sit on a toilet

1. Go to a "war" zone

137 days to go.

DAY 40, NO CHU FOR YOU

2009-01-18T09:19:00.000-08:00

If you saw my last e-mail update, you read about my covert plan to squat in a wet CHU (containerized housing unit / aka a small, crappy trailer). I'm in a dry CHU now, so the thought of having a sink, toilet, and shower to share with just one other person was joyous.

I snuck away for a couple hours this afternoon to secretly relocate my essentials (bedding, laptop, clothes, and shower kit). When I returned to the office, the First Sergeant was waiting for me. The gig was up. He needed to return the room so someone else from another organization could have it. Keep in mind, this guy has a wet CHU with a personal bathroom 20 feet outside our office building. So, he has no commute AND gets his own shower. Bastard.

I would have argued with him, but he did hook me up with the Ranger (see picture). I commiserated my fate by getting the truck washed. It's now the cleanest Ranger in Baghdad, at least until I drive home to my dry CHU tonight. It's probably cleaner than me after 4 days of cold, 30 second showers.

139 days to go.

DAY 39, COLD SHOWER

2009-01-16T22:38:00.000-08:00

3 days in a row of cold showers.

Honeymoon's over. Now, when I wake up and open my eyes, I have something bad to say out loud. Rhymes with truck.

140 days of "truck" to go.

DAY 34, MUD

2009-01-12T03:08:00.000-08:00

An old picture from my trip to the International Zone in downtown Baghdad. It's the only place I have seen grass since I left Germany on my way over here.
------

It rained all day yesterday. Normally, no problem. I am at a dirt camp, however. Worse - the dirt here just absolutely sticks when it gets wet. I grew six inches during my short walk from my hooch to the vehicle this morning.

It's a real mess. The vehicles are trashed, my boots are trashed, and there is mud all over our offices. It's next to impossible to get the mud off our boots. We wait until it dries then it falls off. Not good.

On an unrelated note, the Colonel popped his head in my office this morning and said, "when are you ready to go for a run?" Are you kidding? Ready to run? This guy hasn't seen me in action, I guess.

I reached under my desk, grabbed my black Asics 2140's, held them up and said, "Leave in 10 minutes?" He replied, "HUA!" It's an Army term - long story for another blog entry.

It was our first run together. Great dude. He's lost 40 lbs in 6 months simply by running. During a couple stretches of our 3 miler, he kicked it in gear for 1/4 mile or so. Thanks to my handy dandy GPS watch Tiffany just mailed to me, I could see we were doing 5:45 min/mile pace -- SMOKING!

I was not prepared to run that fast. I have been jogging since coming over here. I couldn't tell if the Colonel does that all the time or if he was pushing it to try and drop me. You never know about these Army guys.

Anyway, I'm going to keep an eye on him the rest of the day to see if he's gimpy or fully recovered. Either way, it's great to see someone totally salvage their fitness level through running and commitment.

HUA! (Did I just type that?)

145 days to go.

DAY 32, PROMOTION

2009-01-10T03:29:00.001-08:00

This is the furniture used during the Dan Rather / Saddam interview in early 2003 just before the 2nd war started.

My boss back in the states called the other night. He let me know that I had been selected for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. I celebrated with a near beer (no alcohol allowed here). In fact, I'll buy a near beer for anyone out there reading this!

My actual promotion date isn't set yet. I'm guessing it will either be July 1st or August 1st. It'll probably be my last promotion and the kids haven't seen a promotion ceremony so, despite my desire to keep it low key, we'll probably make a big deal out of it.

BREAK

I had an interesting thought while running the other day. I'll be here for 26 weeks (give or take a day). There are 26 miles in a marathon (give or take two-tenths). Perfect - a countdown I can relate to.

Let's see, that would mean I'm at mile 4 1/2 . . . damn, bad idea.

147 days to go.

DAY 29, BACK TO "BASE"ICS

2009-01-06T23:40:00.000-08:00

Nephew Noah recently pointed out that I need to change the description of my blog because I no longer make any baseball references. It has been a while, I'll admit. I guess being sent to Iraq will do that to a guy. Either that, or having the Cubs swept out of the play-offs in 3 games by the barely above .500 Dodgers in '08 and D'backs in '07.

I will not be defeated, however. The following is a lame attempt to make a baseball analogy out of my current situation . . .

Call me Mark DeRosa. Derosa played for the Cubs the last two seasons. He was an atypical "utility" man. Most baseball utility men play multiple defensive positions but rarely contribute offensively to any significant degree.

DeRosa was different; he played second base because no one else could. He played third base when Aramis Ramirez's back flared up. He played left field when Alfonso Soriano messed up his calf doing his stupid little hop when he catches fly balls. Mark played right field when Kosuke Fokudome stopped hitting American pitching after May. Hell, Mark even played a game at short and a few games at first. He did all this while hitting .285 with 21 homers and 87 RBI. He got my vote as Cubs MVP last season. On top of all that, he was an Ivy League quarterback at Penn.

I describe Mark's situation because I am in similar position, albeit the military staff version. The boss finally told me my role. I get to be the author of a report describing all the events before and after a tragic electrocution death of a soldier here in Iraq while he was showering. I can't go into details, but it's a big deal regarding who's at fault and what we're doing about it so it doesn't happen again.

That will be my primary job (a la DeRosa playing 2nd base). I also have to fill in for the primary staff members here at HQ when they are away on other duties or need extra help (a la 3B, LF, RF, and even a little first and short). I'm actually kinda' pumped about it. The secondbase job was not what I expected, but it's good work and should keep me busy for half the season. The other half of my time here will be spent in various different positions. I just hope I can hit like DeRosa.

Of course, the Cubs general manager just traded DeRosa to Cleveland. Cleveland!? Not sure how I should feel about that analogy. My next assignment is in the hands of the personnel "specialists" in San Antonio. I asked for Colorado, so we're planning for Ohio. Not Cleveland, but close enough.

There - are you happy, Noah?

150 days to go

DAY 28, DOOR #3

2009-01-06T07:57:00.000-08:00

So, there I was hiking back from the shower in the dark this morning. The water was luke warm, so I wasn't too pissed off. This was the colonel's first morning back in the office after R&R, so I was on a mission to be at work early and make a good impression. I even commandeered an old stick-shift Ford Ranger for the day so I wouldn't have to wait on anybody for a ride.

I get back to my hooch after the shower, step up the wooden stairs, grab the door knob, turn, and pull. The end result was me standing in the dark, with a cold wind blowing, wearing my shower shoes, an Air Force running suit, with a wet head, and holding a shower kit in my left hand and (you guessed it) a lone door knob in my right hand. It came clean out.

It actually took a few seconds for my brain to process what just happened. It wasn't a crisis, but yet it was. I was locked out, cold, wet, and "commando" in my running suit. Not a good position to be in. I looked around, but all I could see in the darkness was concrete walls and dirt. No help in sight.

I tried everything. The doorknob was busted and would merely spin in circles when I replaced it. I tried picking the door catch [credit card, burglar style] with a broken sliver of 2x4, but that didn't work. I even tried my shoulder [cop style], but that just hurt.

After 10 minutes of complete frustration, I slammed home the doorknob with all the "pissed-offness" I could muster. Guess what - it worked. The knob became jammed into it's previously separated siamese twin on the interior. The lock was now busted, but the catch turned. I'm in.

Now, I wish I were out.

151 days to go.

DAY 27, MAS*H

2009-01-04T21:40:00.000-08:00

After my recent post about salvaging a crappy desk, Brother Bob replied that it reminded him of a M*A*S*H episode. I couldn't agree more. My whole life now is like that show. Sure, technology has improved and I can blog everyday, but basic life is really the same 60 years after the setting of the TV show.

For instance, I hike to the showers. It's really cold now, but it will be really hot soon. Kinda' like the episodes when everybody is complaining about the cold or the heat. I can never get the water temperature right when there is hot water. When there is no hot water, I impress myself with how qucikly I go from dirty to clean.

Another similarity: Our deputy commander is loathed by all in the same vein as Frank Burns. Our Colonel returns today from 3 weeks of R&R (coincidentally my first 3 weeks here), and everyone is highly anticipating his return (similar to when Frank Burns would be in charge when Henry Blake was away).

Getting mail is a big deal. Our first sergeant is the only one allowed to pick up mail at the post office. He goes once a day. When he comes back, everyone anxiously awaits to see if they got something. Nephew Matt wins the prize as first piece of mail received (10 days ago). Tiffany's first package finally arrived two days ago. It took two weeks, but Lara Bars never tasted so good!

Remember the episode about the practical jokes? I tried my hand at it the other day. There's an interesting civilian in our office who has a habit of hording food from the chow hall. He's getting ready to go back home and has been mailing large boxes back to his wife every other day. None of us can figure out how he accumulated so much stuff while over here, unless it's packs of gum and other horded food items. He's a strange, idiosyncratic dude.

So, I typed up a fake official memo from "Sergeant First Class Johnson" at the local headquarters. It said something to the effect of "during routine postal package inspection, we noticed some discrepancies in one or more of your packages . . . ." The final instruction was to report to the post office to resolve the matter.

I had our first sergeant deliver it to him during mail call. This guy started freaking. He demanded to see the policies pertaining to sending packages home. He went around asking everyone in the office if their packages had ever been held up. He asked our Ops Officer about the penalties for violating the mail policy.

The best part was talking with him later that night. I played dumb and asked, "What's this I hear about them confiscating your package?" Man, he laid it on thick. He told me he was being "investigated for sending contraband." Of course none of that was in the memo -- it was just his imagination running wild.

The memo instructed him to see "Ms Rhonda Jackson" at the post office. I was really looking forward to seeing him raise hell, but some of our coworkers were concerned he would cause too big of a scene, so they let him off the hook before we left at the end of the day. He was relieved and pissed all at the same time. It was great comedy. Hawkeye would be proud.

152 days to go.

DAY 26, LIVE LONG AND PROSPER

2009-01-04T05:43:00.000-08:00

No cool Iraq picture today, just a generic one I pilfered from the WWW.

Much like my co-workers back home, my co-workers here in Iraq think the amount of running I do is crazy. Yet from my perspective, I am perfectly sane and those who don’t run are crazy. I’ll admit, it has been difficult to get in my miles while here in Iraq, but I think it’s more than worth it. The alternative is to sit on my ass all day, gain weight, and let my muscles (including my heart) atrophy to the point where they’re useless.

I try not to be snobbish about running. I don’t tell people to run. I’ll run with anybody, anytime, no matter how slow. Tiffany and I even ran with Taylor’s 7th grade PE class before I left during their bi-weekly timed mile run.

Most importantly, I try not to bring up running in conversation. There’s nothing worse than listening to people talk about something in which you have no interest. But, if people ask, I’m more than willing to talk about the subject.

When the subject does come up, I’ve heard all kinds of comments over the years. Things like, “I would run, but I have a bad back.” Or, “it’s too hot to be out running – that’s dangerous.” And there’s always the classic, “I don’t have time.”

But the best is, “Your knees are going to pay for it when you’re older.” The presumption is I’m destroying my body by logging miles while everyone else is being smart and preserving their body.

Well, I was very encouraged by the recent release of a Stanford medical study. I hold Stanford in high regard despite the fact that Brother Ken is an alum. The study tracked 538 runners for 20 years. It focused on the health effects of running as people age and those peoples’ abilities as they get very old.

The findings, as reported by James Fries, MD, an emeritus professor of medicine at the medical school:
1. “We did not expect this - the health benefits of exercise are greater than we thought.” - Fries
2. Nineteen years into the study, 34 percent of the nonrunners in the same age group had died, compared to only 15 percent of the runners
3. Runners’ initial physical disability was 16 years later than nonrunners
4. Not only did running delay disability, but the gap between runners’ and nonrunners’ abilities got bigger with time
5. Runners also do not require more total knee replacements than nonrunners

So, who’s the crazy one?

I say long live running! (Get it?)

153 days to go.

DAY 25, SHINING LIGHT

2009-01-02T23:08:00.000-08:00

No, my name is not Jared and I'm not endorsing Subway. There's a much better reason why I posted this picture. This is what I have seen outside my hooch the last couple weeks. There's a little white van that sells subs after dinner. Recently, it has been parking about 100 yards away from where I sleep.

When we leave work between 9-10 PM, it's pitch black out. We drive down some dirty roads, around some lakes, and onto Camp Liberty where all the grunts (and a few of us lucky Air Force guys) sleep. It's about a 4 mile drive and as we near our area, we can see this Subway sign lighting up the sky. It's the only neon for miles. It's like my own private beacon to what I call "home."

I don't know why this struck me as interesting. I guess I just notice certain things.

154 days to go.

DAY 24, EXCITING TIMES

2009-01-02T04:28:00.000-08:00

See the desk above? Here's the story. My hooch (room) doesn't have much; two single beds with nasty mattresses, a metal closet, a cheap metal folding chair, two small 6 dollar rugs, and a 1' x 1' x 2' end table. Our first sergeant felt sorry for me and got me a TV and small fridge. The TV gets 7 stations (all Armed Forces Network). I only have about 30 minutes at night to watch TV if I want to log any decent amount of sleep, so it really doesn't matter how many stations I get.

Anyway, when I was hiking back from another cold shower this morning, I noticed some of the 10th Mountain Division dudes had moved out of their hooches. They threw all kinds of crap out onto the gravel between the concrete walls. This beautifully dingy desk was amongst the crap. You know what they say about "one man's trash" . . .

I was ecstatic! I grabbed that thing and drug it back to my room while wearing shower shoes. It was quite the site. Luckily, it fit through the door and now rests comfortably in the dead center of my hooch until I can figure out the best strategic location for my newest luxury. Who would have ever thought I would be so lucky? I can't wait to get back there tonight, wipe off some of the dust, and place something on it. What, I don't know, but something will go on it!

I know you're jealous, don't bother to leave a comment confirming what I already know.

155 days to go.

DAY 20, ROADTRIP

2008-12-29T04:19:00.000-08:00

Today marked my first time "outside the wire." I rode in a convoy from Camp Victory (on the outskirts of Baghdad) to the "International Zone" (IZ) in the heart of Baghdad. We had to wear full battle gear and load our weapons. We normally bee-bop around base with the clips out of our weapons. So, it immediately became stressful when we loaded, climbed aboard the armored vehicles, and drove out.

The streets were full of normal auto traffic, people walking, bikes, kids playing, etc. Some of the suburban neighborhoods were somewhat nice, but there were definitely slums, too. It was very strange to be driving around city streets in a military convoy.

Once inside the IZ, we unloaded from the armored vehicles, met up with our coworkers based there, and dropped off our battle gear. The IZ is probably 10-20 square miles. We drove around in a suburban amongst the populace. That was weird. We stopped for pictures of the "crossing sabres" near some Iraqi soldiers. They all wanted pictures with us, so we obliged. I was on edge though, as I could see some of them looking at us sideways.

Anyway, we saw the old and new embassies, another of Saddam's palaces, the current Iraqi gov't HQ, and a few other highlights. The IZ is continually getting mortared from across the river. Usually it's just one or two, but enough to get attention. We made it through the day unscathed.

Seeing the young boys playing in the streets on the way back was surreal. It's just like what I had seen on TV. They waved, we waved. If it were only that simple . . .

159 days to go.

DAY 16, LONG RUN

2008-12-25T03:17:00.000-08:00

Today is X-mas. Our cool boss made us show up on time for work this morning. We sat around looking at each other. I had enough of that and left for PT (physical training). I went for a long run (11 miles) around the base. Here's a sample of what I saw . . .

This is an MRAP. The army is trying to use these instead of HumVees when driving "outside the wire." They do much better against mines, roadside bombs, etc. This particular vehicle parks right outside my hooch (room).

An AAV (armored assault vehicle).

All the guards here are from Uganda. They guard the perimeter and all the buildings on base. They're very friendly - much more so than the Iraqis we meet. The Ugandans always smile and greet me with "AIR POWER" even when I'm running.

This guard was on break and more than willing to show his skills.

This is Lost Lake -- one of the many lakes on base. This one is unique because it's stuck off in a quiet corner of the base. It's about 2 miles around and I rarely see any traffic when I run here -- VERY unusual for this base. I can see myself wearing out the dirt path along the water in the upcoming months.

Perimeter Road -- dirty, desolate, but usually quieter than the center of the base.

Here's what I have to dodge when running the roads. These guys driving were born in the late 80's and would just love to run over a clueless Air Force Major out jogging.

Here's a fleet of new vehicles just waiting to be used and abused by any number of organizations over here -- DoD, State Dept, defense contractors, you name it. YOUR tax dollars at work.

163 days to go.

DAY 15, 2 MORE PICTURES

2008-12-24T08:43:00.001-08:00

3 of us at the former Ba'ath Party headquarters. There were private docks, a swimming pool, palacial rooms. Now it's just a bombed out shell of a building.

Santa Claus travels to Baghdad. Who knew?

164 days to go.

DAY 13, PICTURES

2008-12-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

A bunch of grunts waiting to go from Kuwait to Iraq.

My room at Camp Liberty.

A "fancy" Thanksgiving feast at the chow hall.

The outside of my room behind concrete protective walls. When the mortars come in, the walls limit the damage to a confined area.

166 days to go.

DAY 12, TOURISTS

2008-12-21T05:37:00.000-08:00

Today was Sunday, so we didn't have to come in until 11 AM. There's another new Major in the office. She got here the day after me. The boss let us go down to Camp Slayer for the Sunday tour. Slayer was the location of many of Saddam's palaces and included the Ba'ath Party headquarters.

We got to tour all the bombed out buildings that were struck the first night of the second war (2003). The palaces are unbelievable - so much opulence. It's easy to see how Saddam kept the loyalty of his confidants. They lived like kings. All the palaces are surrounded by man made lakes and segregated on the outskirts of Baghdad.

Water is power in the middle east, so Saddam had water diverted from the Tigris River to this area we're in to create all the lakes. The general population of Baghdad never knew of these lakes (the whole compound is walled off). All they knew is that the city would go without fresh water for long periods of time. People were dying of thirst and Saddam was using 8 of the 9 city main water pumps to keep his lakes filled.

Anyway, it was a very interesting tour. Kinda' sad in a way. I got to see first hand one of the ways Saddam abused his power.

167 days to go.

DAY 10, CAMP LIBERTY

2008-12-19T04:13:00.000-08:00

I've been at work for two days. Standard hours are 7 AM - 9 PM everyday except Sunday (11 AM - 9 PM). Civilians get paid for 80 hours per week. Military get a pat on the back.

I work at Camp Victory in a trailer and live at Camp Liberty in a trailer. It's about a 4-5 mile drive to work (I carpool with three civilians). I don't have to share a room, but I have to walk about 100 yds to the bathroom/showers. Having a "dry" room sucks. Lt Colonels and above have "wet" rooms (sinks and showers).

The food is pretty bad -- mass produced, high calorie, and low quality. The air quality is terrible. Things just suck all around. It will take some getting used to, but I need to adapt quickly or I'm going to flip out.

169 days to go.

DAY 8, BAGHDAD BOUND

2008-12-16T22:33:00.000-08:00

3:30 C-17 flight to Baghdad. Gotta' go.

171 days to go.

DAY 5, YEP - KUWAIT STILL

2008-12-14T02:16:00.000-08:00

This is getting ridiculous. I sit around all day with nothing to do waiting until 5:30 PM to see if the schedulers reserved a spot for me the next day. If nothing happens tonight, I'm going to collect my gear, get a ride to the airfield, and just sit there watching each flight load up and verifying there are no open seats (the military version of "stand-by"). I would be willing to bet there have been some open seats at some point in the last 5 days.

Anyway, I decided to do what I normally do for stress relief - I went on a long run. I had had enough of the rat machine, errr treadmill. So, I grabbed a couple bottled waters, my music, and left the secure compound for a jog around the runway service road. The route I chose was approved by the wing commander, but I could tell by the look on the SP's (gate cop) face that not many people go out there running. Exactly the type of run I like.

The weather was pleasant - about 60 degrees, no wind, and a low sun. The service road was new, so the running surface was fine. There were spray painted mile markers and a few "5K turnaround" markers, so there have been at least a couple other crazies like me through this place. It turned out to be about 9 miles by the time I did a loop around the secure compound on the way back in.

IT FELT GREAT. It reminded me of all the running I did in Las Vegas, well except for the bombed out aircraft shelters and the shot-up lookout towers surrounding the base (the Iraqis stormed through this base in 1990 during the invasion of Kuwait). It was kinda' weird being passed by small pick-up trucks full of Kuwaitis staring at me. I did cross paths with some Japanese Air Force dudes out running. That reminded me of running in Hawaii.

Speaking of the Japanese, after my run I hit the weight room. There were Japanese in there lifting weights with US airman. They were laughing, high-5'ing, and generally having a good time. It was sort of surreal to me. ~70 years ago we were mortal enemies (Bataan Death March, kamikazes, Pearl Harbor, etc). Now, it's as if nothing happened. I actually think that is cool, but I couldn't help but be struck by the fact that this was occurring in Kuwait, where we are here in part because some cultures just can't get along and hold grudges for thousands of years. Anyway, it was strange.

174 days to go.

DAY 4, STILL IN KUWAIT

2008-12-12T22:02:00.000-08:00

Remember my reference to Catch-22? So, I'm all set to leave Kuwait yesterday. I call my new unit and tell the Sergeant my military flight number. 2 hours later, I get a frantic message from the local base ops that says "get to the airfield ASAP." I get a ride and find out along the way that they had me on the wrong flight. The sergeant at my new unit caught the mistake.

So, I get to the airfield and all the flights to Baghdad are full. I collect all my gear and head back to my crappy tent for another night. As of today, I still don't have a seat. It takes a while to get me loaded. Hopefully they'll get the proper location this time.

On the bright side, the sergeant at my new location was sharp enough to look up the flight number and verify the destination, rather than except the info as correct. Too bad the folks here in Kuwait aren't as sharp.

175 days to go.

DAY 3, KUWAIT/IRAQ

2008-12-11T22:19:00.000-08:00

Headed to Baghdad in a couple hours - guess they finally found a seat for me. Kinda' excited, kinda' nervous. I'm ready to get settled in a location, for sure.

I'm going to DCMA (Defense Contract Management Agency) Headquarters for Iraq/Afghanistan at Camp Victory. I'll be the Operations Officer for the region, reporting directly to the commander, an Army O-6 (Colonel). Sounds like I'll be busy.

I did see a flyer today for a marathon they're going to have at Ali Al Salem on Jan 3rd. Obviously I won't be here for it, but I was encouraged to see it and hope they have something like that at Camp Victory.

176 days to go.

DAY 2, KUWAIT

2008-12-11T07:51:00.000-08:00

2 days, 2 blogs. You can tell I'm pretty bored. I keep calling the scheduling folks about my flight to Baghdad and they keep saying "no update." My deployment clock started when I got to Kuwait, so I shouldn't be so anxious to move on. I can stay here and be safe.

Problem is, I'm stuck in an 8-man tent and the power was out all day today. So, the living conditions suck enough that I'm willing to go to Baghdad and start working my 13-14 hour shifts now.

I did manage a 7-mile run today (5 on the treadmill). It was crazy windy today with dust/sand everywhere, so I was forced inside. I even tried a nap, but the tent kept banging on the side of my bunk bed and waking me up.

I've had 3 web cam sessions with the family. I don't know who invented web cam, but I owe the dude a beer, or 12. Greatest invention ever for people separated from their family.

As bad as this deal is, I'll probably learn an incredible amount. I'll definitely learn what's truly important to me and what's worthless. I'll also learn what it's like to be in the military. Over here, I'm around enlisted troops all day, eating crappy food, and living in tough conditions. Throughout my career to date, I was always surrounded by officers, eating great food, and living a pampered life. By the time I leave here, it will have taken 15 years, but I'll finally have spent 6 months in the military.

177 days to go.

DAY 1, KUWAIT

2008-12-10T12:44:00.000-08:00

Well, it took 45 hours, but I made it to Kuwait. I took some pictures, but can't download to the gov't computer I'm stuck with right now. Check back later for pics. For now, here's one from the internet:

Anyway, the 45 hours was divided between 5 airports and 4 different flights. It included a bus convoy and more waiting then you can imagine. It did NOT include a shower or a change of socks. Lesson #1: feet sweating in combat boots for more than a day is nasty. The cool Converse boots I was issued now have a perma-smell to them. Damn.

Right now, I'm at Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait - about 30-40 miles from the Iraq border. I'm waiting for a military flight to Baghdad.

So for now I get to chill out a little. I actually got a run in today. Only three miles (1 of which was on the treadmill). I ran to the gym to check it out, hit the treadmill, then ran back to my tent which I share with other officers coming and going.

The dining hall is okay -- typical large scale cafeteria. Everyone is pounding the free soft drinks and Gatorade. I'm going to try to lay off the caloric drinks and get my calories from food. That will probably last only a day or two. But, day 1 is over and I was successful. The dining hall is on my walk back tonight, so I'm going to check out the midnight meal.

178 days to go.

LATER

2008-12-01T16:25:00.000-08:00

I'm headed to Iraq on Dec 7th (the irony of the date is not lost on me). I'm not sure if the blog will be firewalled or not where I'm going. If it isn't, I'll update my situation via the blog. Otherwise, hasta mi amigos.

TOO MUCH RUNNING

2008-11-12T19:25:00.000-08:00

Thanks to running buddy Craig (RBC) for supplying a picture of how I feel lately trying to chase down some personal goal only I care about.

RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM SOCAL

2008-11-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

With all my alone time lately (see previous blog), I've had ample opportunity to ponder some big issues:

1. Running with your shirt off on November 7th is awesome. What's more awesome is being so hot during that run that you hose down your head every mile in the free-standing surfers' showers along the strand. Did I mention it's NOVEMBER? I love SoCal.

2. Are leaf-blowers really worth it? Let me get this straight - spend 20 minutes creating noise and burning gas to blow dirt and debris across an invisible "property" line only to have the same dirt and debris get re-scattered after you leave (pun intended). I mean come-on, sweep the shit up. Don't blow it onto someone else's swath of land - especially public land like a street! All it really does is prevent late 30 year-olds from taking mid-afternoon naps.

3. Forget beer goggles. Women who are exercising are immediately more attractive.

4. If I were Obama, I'd put a full sized basketball court just off the oval office and have some kick-ass lunchtime games. Think of the trash talking he could do!

4b. I remember about 15 years ago, ESPN did a segment on Cal Ripken during the middle of his iron-man streak. He had a indoor court at his house and held pick-up games all winter. Can you imagine being the chump who undercuts him during a lay-up and breaks Cal's ankle? No 2131 - streak over. Steve Bartman would have nothing on that guy.

5. Dan Dierdorff is the worst NFL "color man."

6. My daughter and I recently watched a Bon Jovi concert together. She is the same age I was when I sang "You give love . . . A BAD NAME" on the school bus home.

7. The president-elect is younger than all my brothers save 1. You dudes are O-L-D.

8. Why does gay marriage scare so many people? I debated a co-worker at lunch the other day. He's concerned legalized gay marriage will lead to legalized beastiality. Really? Wow.

8b. That was almost as strange as what a friend recently told me. We were debating whether or not being gay is a choice. I posed a theoretical question: "What if your brother came out as gay - he'd still be the same person to you, right?" The answer: "Of course not, it would be like finding out he had a dark secret like murdering somebody." Really? Wow.

8 is enough.

MILEAGE

2008-11-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

I had a semi-secret goal to run 2008 miles in the year 2008. I was doing pretty good until I came down with a lame hammy in July. As my running buddy Craig pointed out, "no shit you got hurt, you were trying to run 2,ooo miles" (paraphrased, of course).

Anyway, I was trying to whittle away at the total when the whole "you're going to Iraq" thing came down. My initial reaction was, fuck the 2008 miles now. I won't have time to run and I should relax before I leave. Then, I realized that if I give up on my goal, then I'm allowing this Iraq thing to screw up my life more than it already has.

So, I've recommitted myself to nailing 2008 miles this year. Take a look at these stats then I'll explain my predicament:
DATE ...TOTAL .....PROJECTED MILES
1 Feb .......176 ................ 2008
1 Mar ......309 ................1849
1 Apr .......506 ................2008
1 May ......682 ................2040
1 Jun .......857 .................2044
1 Jul ........990 .................1975
1 Aug .....1136 .................1938
1 Sep .....1280 .................1907
1 Oct .....1446 .................1919
1 Nov ....1602 .................1911

So, here's the problem. I have log 400+ miles the last two months. I have a week of combat training which won't allow me time to run, plus 10-14 days en route to Baghdad without time to run. That leaves me about 40 realistic running days. Do the math - that's 10 miles per run (ON AVERAGE).

This will easily be my biggest running challenge, but I need something like this to keep my mind off what it will be like to leave Tiffany and the kids for 6 months . . .

IRAQ

2008-10-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

I recently sent a mass e-mail to friends and family letting them know I'm headed to Iraq for 6 months. I got many different replies - plenty of support and I appreciate it greatly. My favorite response was from my nephew, Matt, who asked me to share my thoughts on the Iraq sitaution. I love it - someone was willing to listen to MY opinion and not just thier own.

Anyway, I was inspired and wrote back. Below is the main part of my reponse.

I have always been very proud to be in the military, even here in beachtown California where I get some sideways glances now and then. Don’t get me wrong, some people in the military have done terrible things over the years. Despite that, the vast majority of the people I work with are there not for pay or glory but because we’re part of something bigger. There’s a whole public service aspect that keeps me pumped up. People dog lawyers, but I think there’s no worse profession than being a corporate exec making 250 times the pay of some of your own employees. How do they sleep at night? They have employees that work for their own company – THEIR OWN COMPANY – that make shit. This is the company the execs are supposed to embody. Where’s the leadership? How can they have any sense of pride when they’re cruising around on their yacht? Anyway, that’s why I’m proud to be in the military – it’s for the common good. (I know, I know, the whole “mom and apple pie speech.”)

So, 9/11 happens and I’m thinking, “this must have been what it felt like on Dec 7th, 1941.” I was ready to go get the bad guys. Then, all of a sudden we’re invading Iraq. Huh? Fine, I’ll give W the benefit of the doubt. He’s the pres, I gotta’ have some level of trust. He says there are WMD. Still a weak argument (invading just because someone has the ability to do something), but Saddam did gas his own people, so I’ll go along with the logic.

Then, we don’t find any WMD anywhere in Iraq. YGBSM (a common military acronym for You Gotta’ Be Shittin’ Me)! Now, I have never been a fan of politicians of either the Republican or Democrat persuasion, but W’s decision to go into Iraq has killed and maimed tens of thousands of Americans AND Iraqis (and others, too). For what? We have the luxury of hindsight and hindsight is 20/20 in many cases. Things are pretty clear right now.

Am I being overly harsh on W? Not even close. As the Commander-in-Chief, he has the sole ability to commit troops to battle anywhere he wants anytime (the whole Gulf of Tonkin thing). It’s actually one of the few powers the president actually has. That’s why it makes me puke when I hear Obama and McCain argue over taxes (or abortion, or health care, or any other issue the president has NOTHING to do with). The only role as pres they play in taxes is 1) they pay them (sometimes) and 2) they can veto a proposed tax law. They have absolutely NOTHING to do with setting tax policy (other than being the figurehead of their corrupt political party).

Back to Iraq. In this case, W got congress to go along and pass a resolution, but that meant nothing. Congress doesn’t send troops to battle – the CinC does. One man, one choice. Dude is liable.

So, as a US citizen, I’m pissed we’re in Iraq right now and pissed to be leaving my wife and kids for 6 months. As an Air Force Officer, my job is to do what our CIVILIAN LEADERSHIP tells me to do (the president is ELECTED, then appoints the Sec Def, Sec AF, etc). At some level, we’re putting blind faith in these people to use us righteously. I know, I know, blind faith is naïve.

Anyway, I take pride in my job and this is a unique opportunity to be part of something big (not necessarily good, but definitely big). As a military member, I’m actually looking forward to going. How ironic – worst thing to ever happen to me personally, but one of the best things to happen to me professionally. I say “best” only because I’ve been in 14.5 years and have rarely been involved in “real” work. It doesn’t get any more “real” than Iraq.

Anyway – feel free to fire away and tell me I’m full of shit. I don’t take it personally and like to consider myself open-minded. Trust me, I’ve had brothers tell me I’m full of shit and I still respect them. So many people have made up their minds and aren’t interested in hearing other inputs. Those are the people I feel most sorry for.

DAMN CUBS

2008-10-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

They have now lost 7 straight play-off games. 7 STRAIGHT! Maybe it's because the 3rd base coach (Mike Quade), is looking at Erin Andrews instead of where the ball is at . . .

CUBBIES

2008-09-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

World Series starts on 22 Oct. Games 3-5 are at Wrigley, 25-27 Oct. Anyone else going?

VALUE OF TIME

2008-09-26T16:59:00.001-07:00

So, I'm leaving work today. The building I was at is exactly 1 mile from my house. It makes for a nice commute, but crappy for listening to music.

Anyway, I was walking out of the building with another Air Force Major. She was headed home, too. Her house was 100 miles from our work parking lot. Yes, that's right, 100 miles. I've never been so thankful for my commute as I was today when I saw her headed to her car and thought, "her commute is 100 times longer than mine" without the slightest of exaggeration.

It got me to thinking about the VALUE OF TIME. Time is probably our most precious commodity. We can always make more money, buy more things, make new friends/relationships. But we can never make more time.

So, it really comes down to how we want to spend our time. Do we spend it teaching our kids multiplication, or drinking beer with our buddies, or surfing internet porn, or going to the gym, or talking with friends? I guess it's a way to gauge peoples' personalities - look how they spend their time.

It's also a way to see if people truly care about you. Are they willing to spend some of their precious time for you?

My co-worker spends about 4 hours a day in her car (sometimes more depending on the state of the 405). That's an interesting way to spend time, to say the least.

HAWAI'I

2008-09-17T23:22:00.000-07:00

Tiff and I just got back from Maui. Wow - good stuff! I talked her into doing the Maui Half Marathon. It was her first race, ran the whole way, and finished strong. Results are here: http://www.pacificsportevents.com/Races/Maui%20Marathon/2008/Overall_Half_08.htm

Pretty cool place to run a race. Perfect weather, great scenery, friendly people. We started at 5:30 and were done by 7:45. Walked back to the hotel, showered, and it was like we slept late, but still got a long run completeted.

We spent the rest of our time getting sun burned, drinking "lava flows" (pina colada over strawberry puree - yum), and swimming.

Awesome place, that Maui.

MT WHITNEY

2008-09-10T08:05:00.000-07:00

[please excuse the mistakes - typing fast and not proof-reading today]

I tried climbing Mt Whitney yesterday. It's the tallest peak in the lower 48 states. Thought it would be cool.

I went with 4 other Air Force dudes - all in great shape. Even worse for me, they were all 6-10 years younger. I knew going in it would be tough to keep up.

Things I learned trying to climb Mt Whitney:
1. Living at sea level and doing all my training on flat surfaces was not the way to prepare for an 11 mile climb up to 14,494 feet.
2. Having a fever is a signal to NOT start a climb.
3. Falling behind your co-climbers in the first 2 miles is a signal to turn back.
4. Stumbling on the side of a shear drop at 13,500 feet really gets your adrenaline pumping.
5. Trying to climb Mt Whitney in one day is a bitch.

The fever / head cold thing was dissappointing. Because Mt Whitney climbers are limited to 100 per day and we had to get our permits months in advance, I had to try it even though I was doomed from the start.

We woke up at 4 AM and were hiking in the dark at exactly 5 AM. I felt like shit from the beginning. John, Grant, Dave, and Scott were cool - routinely stopping and waiting for me the first 7 miles. But, when we were at the highest camp (trail camp), it was time to part ways for good. They cruised to the top while I staggered up the "96 switchbacks." My head was pounding and the fever wouldn't go away. When I stumbled just below trail crest, I knew it was time to turn around.

I was about 3 trail miles and 1,000 vertical feet away. It was 11 AM.

The trip down sucked! I was totally under-prepared. If I had any kind of head medicine, I would have been better off. John had the water purifier with him at the top so I had to blow past all the running water on the side of the mountain. "Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink."

Luckily, I stashed some water bottles at 10,000 feet. It felt like an oasis.

My new climbing buddies got down 2.5 hours after me. One of them got real sick at the top and was puking / moving slow most of the way down.

I can't decide if I want to try it again.

NUTRITION

2008-09-07T08:04:00.000-07:00

Recently, I've been trying to study nutrition a little more. The way I figure it, the only way we exist is by putting food in our body. Seems like it should be more important to everybody. Think about how many people have no idea what they put into their system. Think of all the frustrated 50 year-old men with expensive cars who only put the best fuel in their pet Corvette yet eat all kinds of crap themselves. Kinda' ironic.

Anyway, why don't we put more emphasis on teaching nutrition to our kids? Other than that lame food pyramid, I didn't have any nutrition education until I got to college. Even then, is was a quick 10 lesson PE course taught by some dude who could golf, but his only nutrition experience was reading the textbook one lesson ahead of the students.

Here's where we could improve: start teaching nutrition in school. I mean REALLY teaching nutrition. Have qualified nutritionists with real credentials. We require math and science teachers to be qualified and let's face it, I have never used Calculus in my adult life, yet I put food into my body at least 5 -10 times a day. Seems like I would have benefited much more if someone had told me what that daily big gulp from 7-11 was doing to me while I was in high school.

It would be great if our young kids knew why they're obese. Yes, I know some kids have genetic issues that cause the obesity, but I would venture to say the vast majority of obese kids are obese because they eat too much and exercise too little. They have no idea that a soft drink is not good for their system. They've been programmed to think soft drinks are normal sources of hydration.

As I parent, it's ultimately up to me to make sure my kids know what's up. I just would like our society to put as much emphasis on nutrition in schools as we do other subjects that have far less impact on the rest of our lives.

That's it - I'm going to have a piece of cake.

RUNNING TO BOSTON

2008-09-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

I've been running for a while now (20 years, but not continuously). I figure it's an easy way to ensure I can continue to fit into my uniform. I thought I was doing pretty good, running marathons, then moving up to ultra-marathons. I was proud of myself.

Then something very bad happened -- I bought a GPS watch. What I thought was easily a 9:00 min/mile pace was actually 10+. How did I slow down so much? It was a gradual degradation I never noticed. Hell, I might as well have been power walking.

So, instead of succumbing to the usual "getting old" excuse, I decided to see if I could get faster instead of slower. It worked. I ran my fastest marathon in March (Los Angeles, 3:44), then bettered the time in June (San Diego, 3:31).

I was tempted to call it good, but that damn GPS thing kept hounding me. The only thing I could think of was qualifying for the Boston Marathon, probably the most famous marathon in the US.

Problem: for a 36 year-old male, the qualifying time is 3:15. It wasn't that long ago that the thought of qualifying for Boston was as ridiculous as the Cubs winning 4 games in the 3rd week of October.

I'll spare you the math. 3:15 means I have to average 7:26 min/mile FOR 26.2 MILES. Good freakin' luck!

We'll see. I've got the Air Force Marathon on Sep 20th. If I can keep my hamstring in one piece that day, I'm going to give the whole qualifying thing a shot. I think the Olympics got me overly pumped. It's all M Phelps' fault!

The reason for putting this in the blog is the "put up or shut up" I have to live with now. So, here's the plan:

1. 20 Sep: Air Force Marathon

2. 27 Sep: Noble Canyon 50k (31 miles) Trail Ultra-Marathon (I should skip this and recover, but the race is 15 miles from where I grew up - I can't miss it!)

3. 23 Nov: Santa Monica Mtns 30K (there's a 50K version, too, but I'll refrain)
4. 7 Dec: High Desert 50K (a great winter Mojave run)
5. 25 Jan: Carlsbad Marathon (my attempt to run 3:15)
6. 20 Apr: BOSTON, BABY

But no matter what happens with the whole Boston thing, I won't become a Red Sox fan . . .

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

2008-09-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

Today was the kids' first day of school. I took the day off work so I could walk them to their new classrooms with my wife. I'm sure my boss (no kids) was a little confused as to why I thought it was worth one of my vacation days. I didn't try to explain -- you have to live it.

So here's where I see a need for improvement: TEACHERS.

We send our kids off to school and they spend 6+ hours a day with their teacher(s) for 9+ months a year. On a daily basis, our kids spend more time talking with and listening to their teacher(s) than they do their own parents.

Question: why isn't the profession of teacher one of the best paid, hardest to get hired into, and most scrutinized professions in our society? Teachers do more to shape our youngsters development than any other profession I can think of.

We should pay teachers an incredibly high salary. More people will want to become teachers. The competition will be tougher, the hiring process can become more stringent, and we can have better qualified, more motivated teachers. Every year, we can cut the bottom 10% and bring in new hires. The teachers will stay on top of their games.

Instead, we shell out $30 bucks to sit in the upper deck of Dodger Stadium for the chance to eat a $4 Dodger Dog and drink a $7 lite beer. But hey, it's for a good cause: so sub .500 pitchers can make $8M a year and send their kids to private schools.