WHERE MY DOGS AT???

I wanted to post some images of the dogs, they are so cute! Most of them are from rescue, but we got Ernie and Samantha from breeders. There is a total of 7 now, in order of appearance (and they do seem to appear out of thin air sometimes!!) the list goes........

JEREMY

The first of the Canine family members, this is definitly a person trapped in a dogs body! He is the eldest of the males and has the market on being"spoiled" cornered! When he wants something he mumbles what sounds like sentences to get your attention. Jeremy turns 13 years old this year, he has been with us since 1999.

SOPHIE

Quite possibly the best dog in the world, Sophie came after Jeremy to be his buddy. Little did the two of them know things would eventually become very crowded. We are not exactly sure of her age since she was a stray but we think she is somewhere around 12 years old at this time. She holds the title of "ALPHA", she gives the orders and everyone listens!

ERNIE

Ernie and I have shared a wonderful bond ever since I found him. He is my little shadow, following me everywhere I go and I am always happy to know he is close behind. He is my cuddle-bear and I always know he is ready for bed when he curls up next to my right side, takes a deep breath and looks at me to turn off the light. I miss him so much.

SAMANTHA

Don't let her size and adorable face fool you! This little bitch (and she can be in every sense of the word) is Sophies #2 Alpha. She bosses around the boys, Ben and myself included! Sammie is almost 7 years old now and as bossy as ever. We call her the little "Hellion" because she is always looking for trouble. I'd be lost with out her, she's really a little Angel!

SPIKE

I drove to Pennsylvania to adopt Spike after I saw him on http://www.petfinder.org/ . I ccouldn't have known what a good boy I was getting until later after he came home with me. Spike was badly abused/neglected and at first tried running away constantly. Once he got comfortable and knew we loved him, he just wants to play all the time.

DINO

Someone passing close to our house found Dino loose on the Street. He brought him to our neighbor, who assumed he was one of ours (logical assumption if you know us), which at the time he wasn't. We tried all the agencies in the area and no one claimed him so we kept him since he fit in so nicely anyway. He's always looking to play and he is the happiest little dog i've met.

HERMAN

Herman, or "Little Monkey Head" as he is called, is the latest addition to the family. He came shortly after I left for Baghdad. I finally got to meet him when I was on my first R&R and it was as if I had always known him. What a little cutie, a tiny guy that likes to play as big as the rest of the pack.

JIM & LORIS EXCELLENT AUSSIE POOL ADVENTURE!!!

Days off from the rigors of the SVFD are rare and valuable! Despite the fact that we were working a 12 hour day, we finished early and decided to take a trip to the pool at the Aussie compound. A well deserved break! The temperature here has been on the high side for this time
of year, probably around 90 this particular day. There is a constant cooling breeze coming off Victory Lake which is always nice when you are laying in the sun. Here are a few pictures of the trip.

Here are a couple of pics of the pool and the compound. It is a really nice set-up and once the weather gets nice it will be swarming with people looking for an escape! Like us!



















It is situated right across from a Heli-Pad, very cool to watch the Blackhawks come and go.




















Finally, a refreshing moment in the Middle East.





















Lori tends to be a little camera shy so I have to trick her into getting pictures.

She has a few alias' around the Firehouse, she's known as Mom, Linda Blair (of "The Exorcist"), Pussy Galore and plain old Ms. Jackson if you're NASTY!



















I don't remember putting this picture of Bo Derek from the movie "10" in my blog??????





















Here are my feet...........wait a minute.......those are Loris feet! Wow, we have the same shade of red toe nail polish and hairy hobbit feet! I never noticed that before!


Thats it for Jim & Loris excellent Aussie pool adventure, I hope you enjoyed it, I know we did! Next up in the near future................... Mikey Jones and Jim invade Camp Slayer, T-Wiggles and his sexploits at the Perfume Palace and Ace Ventura matches wits with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Rat! Don't miss it!

AROUND THE FOB

I really need to post a lot of pictures on here to give everyone an idea of what everyday life is about. Where we go. What we do. People I work with and meet. Where I live and other interesting tidbits. In case you don't know FOB stands for Forward Operating Base, this means there is always some secret squirrel stuff going on somewhere. A couple of warnings, no last names will be used if I post peoples pictures and there are some places and things we are forbidden to photograph. Mostly it will be a group of photographs under a caption like "A day at Al Faw Palace" or "Around the Firehouse". One section I do want to start with is.......

T-WALL ARTWORK

Since there are so many drab looking T-Walls around some of the units spruce them up with their shield or some other interesting stuff.

More to come....................

WHAT YOU WON'T SEE ON HGTV:

SCENES FROM A PSYCHOTIC DICTATORS HOME

As beautiful as many of the sights are at Al Faw Palace and the surrounding areas, one has to understand that many people were used, and suffered to make this place what it once was.....and what it still may be in the future. Here are some scenes from this magnificent building

A MOVIE JUNKIES' REVIEWS..........

Movie Junkie is a harsh title, but a fitting one for me. Even before coming to Baghdad I could be found at the local cinema on a thursday at midnight catching the early premier of the latest blockbuster to explode onto the big screens! Although I will freely admit I have been to all the early screenings of the Star Wars movies.....special editions included, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and all of my favorite Superheros' leaps to celluloid. I can assure you all I have yet to wield the armor of a Stormtrooper, bare the hairy feet of a Hobbit or don the skin tight latex of my favorite hero while waiting in line at the cinema. Thank God, huh? That latex image got me feeling woozy too, ugh! Speaking of Stormtrooper Armor, this is the funniest..... I'll put the Link in when I can, but go to youtube and search "star wars insult dog" and laugh your ass off.



Anyway, I've been watching a lot of movies lately, mostly on DVD, but I wanted to share some thoughts on them. Mostly I love the Action/Fantasy and SciFi genres, however I do loves me some indie filmmaking so there may be a few titles that are new to you. I will start with what I saw on my first R&R at the theaters.

JUNO

I loved this movie! Ellen Page and Michael Cera will probably be typecast for the rest of their acting careers but thats ok! I love their wit, timing and humor, this is Friends' Phoebe syndrome for these two actors. The magic of it is, whatever Lisa Kudrow is in, I will watch!

The story is simple. An unplanned teen pregnancy forces Juno, with the help of her best friend Leah, to seek out the future parents of her unborn child. Knowing that neither she, nor her boyfriend Bleeker, are ready for parenthood. Great cast, I absolutly love Allison Janney and she delivers as usual. Lots of excellent supporting cast. Great fun, definitly worthy of an Oscar nod

CLOVERFIELD

This must have been one of the most hyped movies I have ever followed on the internet, the viral campaign was very elaborate and, at times, fun to try to follow and figure out clues. It promised to be a ground-breaking cinematic experience. It was very good, done well, and it did take the whole "Blair Witch" thing to a more tolerable level. My only gripe was the monster. Not only was there not enough footage, but when there was it was not "cool" looking for the most part. Now, had this been a new Godzilla sequal like everyone was talking (and praying for) about, I think this movie would have increased it's appeal immensly! Even the newer, americanized, Matthew Broderick Godzilla would have been better. Although I did like the little mini-monsters running around exploding people, Godzilla would have made this a much more successful movie.....and a little bit of background, tension building music would have helped. Good none-the-less!

SUNSHINE

This movie, while visually stunning, is definitly for the more die-hard Sci-Fi fans. It takes place fifty years in the future and the sun is dying, going out. Earths survival hinges on the success of a ship that is built to help re-ignite the sun, the 2nd ship of its kind....the first dissappeared 7 years earlier without a trace. Until now. The crew picks up a SOS beacon from their predecessors and are forced to seek them out to complete their mission. A very somber pace, very similar to 2001: A Space Odessey, incredible visuals and very trance-like soundtrack. Michelle Yeoh, Cillian Murphy and Chris Evans lead the cast. You have got to love Michelle Yeoh, she is a wonderful actress and she can kick ass!

ROCKET SCIENCE

This was a great underdog movie with some truly off-the-wall characters! Hal, a high schooler, plagued with a severe stutter ( the scenes on the lunch line as he approaches the lunch lady practicing under his breath to say the word pizza over fish, you feel his frustration) suffers everyday in school. He is asked to join the debate team by the schools lead debater and object of his new-found crush, Ginny. Events lead to her stabbing him in the back followed by his master plan to get even with her by bringing her former debate partner out of retirement. I forgot his wierd friends name, when he goes over his house they spy on Ginny with binoculars, but man this kid is a bonified Rick-James-Super-Freak!! He is a riot and worth seeing the movie alone!

THE CELESTINE PROPHECY

Well, I knew of this book from years ago, written by James Redfield, discusses various psychological and Spiritual ideas which are rooted in many ancient Eastern Traditions. The main character of the novel undertakes a journey to find and understand a series of nine spiritual insights on an ancient manuscript in Peru. I have always wanted to read the book, still do actually. As for my review..........AAAAAAAHHHH!!! MY EYES, MY EYES!!!! AAAAHHH, MY EARS TOO!! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SHIT!!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MAKE IT STOP, PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING TO ME, AAAAAHHHH!!!! PLEASE, NO MORE, NO MORE....... Wow, this was one of the worst freakin movies I have ever seen. I got the feeling it was a lame attempt to jump on the coattails of "The Da Vinci Code", but it failed in a big way! Not one good aspect to the film, has to be one of the worst all time films. Sorry to whoever made it. I'm not even including the movie poster because thats what made me buy it! I'm such a sucker!

NO COUNRTY FOR OLD MEN

I really wanted to dislike this movie on some level but I couldn't justify a reason. There were some scenes, mostly in the end I was confused about, however, I was completly drawn into the movie so I got over it. This ultra-violent movie won the Best Picture nod this year which I found very surprising. Definitly worthy, I just always thought the Academy would lean tword less violence for a wider viewing audience. Javier Bardem plays one helluva psycho, this guy is out there with the pressurized tank, whatever that thing was?? I guess people are looking for new, exciting ways to kill on screen. A great movie for sure, but not sure this should have been the best movie pick. I am looking forward to reading the book actually, I have a feeling a lot was missed in translation from page-to-screen. Definitly worth seeing!

MARTIAN CHILD

This is a wonderful film about adoption, acceptance and recognizing family is what you make it. John & Joan Cusack, never to be missed along with Amanda Peete, round out the cast.

Cusak plays a widower that persues an adoption that he and his late wife had planned on prior to her passing. He connects with a boy who claims to be an Alien from Mars, shuns the sunlight and wears a utility belt weighed down with batteries so he will not float away (Mars' gravity is much stronger so on Earth he is very light). Being a Science Fiction writer and filmmaker, Cusack sees himself in this boy and they connect on a level only the two can share. Heart-warming with a message that needs to be told, this movie is a real tear-jerker.

What I'm waiting for?????

IRON MAN

THE INCREDIBLE HULK

SPEED RACER

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

SON OF RAMBOW

YOUNG@HEART

THE DARK KNIGHT

THE CLONE WARS

WALL*E

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL

IF OPRAH CAN HAVE A BOOK CLUB, SO CAN I I!!!! MY SELECTIONS.....

Needless to say there is a lot of downtime here in baghdad. Fires are not burning out of control, we are not under attack constantly, although it seems like we are forever doing inspections! Anyone who knows me absolutly knows I am a movie fanatic! Superhero, fantasy, drama, comedy or sci-fi. I love movies. Now anything with a dance theme (be it urban or whatever style), I have a problem with. Come to think of it, car racing movies too. Not worth the price of admission or a DVD usually. I feel guilty about the dance thing now that I heard Patrick Swayze is ill, best wishes to him in a speedy recovery. I am also a reader, a habit I can attribute to both of my parents who read constantly and amassed a huge library of books. I lean tword the romantic novels, ah, eh.......I mean Science Fiction! Like my Dad. Growing up when he was commuting to NYC for work he always had a book to help pass the time. I started reading heavily when I lived in West Haven, Connecticut and I commuted to Stamford to work with my good friends Carlene, Jill and Angela. Long story short, I read a lot! Probably a book every 2-3 weeks. If it really grabs my attention I will finish it in less than 24 hrs. So I have been doing a lot of reading here and I thought I'd include some reviews. Here ya go!



One of the first books I read here was Philip Pullmans, "The Golden Compass". This work is part 1 of a trilogy, "His Dark Materials". They are actually a series of childrens books that contain adult overtones that led to quite a bit of outcry over its anti-religious themes. You'd really have to dig deep to find that message, besides you probably would not care. it is a very enjoyable read and the movie was excellent too, visually stunning! Next up part 2: "The Subtle Knife" and part 3: "The Amber Spyglass, I'm looking forward to both. Book and Movie. I would like to thank Jean from Behnkes, this book-set was a gift from her before I left for Iraq. A perfect fit for me from a wonderful woman and friend!




I'll do some "Star Wars" titles together since I do read a lot of them. There are endless novels written in the SW Universe, so many even I have a hard time keeping up with them. These novels are a hit-or-miss deal. There are spin-offs in every direction possible with many authors writing them. A good "Star Wars" novel reads just like a movie, fast action, whitty humor and a certain flow I can only associate with the SW Universe. The First book, "Darth Bane: Path of Destruction" , by Drew karpyshyn, chronicles the origin and rise of one of the most powerful Sith Lords known to the Lucas Realm. An enjoyable read, many of the books reveal things that explain phrases or history of characters and sects in the movies. Interesting tidbits: Darth Bane (Originally named Dessel), chose his Title because his ultra-abusive father called him "The Bane of my existence." and once Bane rose to power he implemented the Sith "Rule of two", one master, one apprentice. No more, no less. Very cool stuff that makes a uber-nerd like me go"SHA-WING!





In the Trilogy "Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Inferno" by Troy Denning. Follows the future of both the Jedi and Sith conflict with the major players being the Skywalkers and Solos, their grown Jedi children and an array of new Jedi players. Lots of family conflict and saber action! Fun book, I did read it out of out of order but these books blend real easy.



Third for now is Michael Reeves/Steve Perrys "Star Wars: Death Star". This chronicles the construction of..."....THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON IN THE UNIVERSE!!" Oops, sorry, had to do that, LOL. The story follows the rise of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin as he oversees construction of the super-weapon for the Emperor. So-far-so good. I am actually in the early stages of this book but I am enjoying it. You all know the role played so regally played by Peter Cushing.



On the more hard-core science fiction front Alastair Reynolds' "Redemption Ark" really impressed me and confused me at the same time! LOL! The author is a British astrophysicist and gets very in-depth and technical with time travel, space travel and other space related sciences. Difficult reading at times but I couldn't put it down. Another chapter ina trilogy I read out of sequence, but I don't think it will matter when i read the others. The story involves the human race reaching a point in evolution that triggers an attack by an alien race to "send us back to the stone age". Do we stand and fight or do we run with a ship-full of people and start over elsewhere?????????? Loved it and I can't wait to stock up on Reynolds' complete library!



James Pattersons, " Maximum Ride: Saving the World and other extreme sports". This is newest in a line of Maximum Ride novels. The story originates and follows a group of Avian/Human engineered Children that escape from their captors and all the adventures that follow. Very fun, very fast paced and you can expect to see these movies in the theaters soon. Max is the eldest of the six mutant bird-kids that must stop a plot to kill a majority of earths population to re-start a new , better, human race.




"The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God". Carl Sagan, The Cosmos, enough said! I grew up watching him with my Dad every week and now I have started enjoying his books. In "Varieties" Sagan delves into both theories, Evolution and Creation. Without expressing his beliefs, he presents the pros and cons for both sides. This is a crazy ride! He gets into pretty heavy scientific theory at times but in the end you want to believe both sides.



"Horizons" by Mary Rosenblum is a tale of revolution that takes place on man-made platforms(cities) floating above the atmosphere in orbit. The particular platform, called NYUp has resident with their own people, culture and values. Now they want their independence form Earth. The main character, Ahni Huang gets caught in the middle of the reveolution and family politics. Excellent read, a very cool look into the future.