What a Rotation!

Well if you didn't know, I have been in Algeria since September 19th. KBR sent me on a new short term assignment to help troubleshoot some problems at one of our projects. It's not IT work but QA/QC (Quality Assurance/Quality Control) but hey it gets me out of the office for awhile.

So first I'll tell you about the camp. It is a gated camp with double chain link fence and razor wire located right on the Mediterranean Sea in Eastern Algeria. The housing is good and the food is decent. The project is located in what is known as the International Zone which is a protected area where the Refineries and Plants are located. The camp is on the far East edge of the zone. We have about a 10 minute ride everyday by bus. Once inside the Plant, we don't leave again until 5:00 pm lunch is catered every day. This consists of your choice of either the Hot meal, sandwich, salad, vegetarian or Filipino meal. I pretty much stick to salad you can't really go wrong there.

The work is interesting since I haven't done that before, took a little while to get my feet wet but I think things are going quite well. So my first 9 weeks was classified as a Business trip so no project uplifts etc. I left the site by Helicopter on November 18th, had a few hick-ups with Air Algerie. We missed our takeoff window and they took us off the plane and took us back to the Terminal. We sat there for nearly 3 hours waiting for the next opportunity around 4 in the afternoon. They finally brought food off the plane and fed us while we waited and then at 4 loaded up the bus and went back to the plane. We were able to take off and we flew to Paris. I spent the night and caught a plane the next morning to Houston, which landed at 1:30 on the 19th.

So this was supposed to be a short extended trip, since I was going to be home for Kimberly and Cassie to give birth to my new granddaughter and grandson. Kimberly was due on the 7th and Cassie was due on the 17th. Kimberly had contractions on and off for days thinking we were ready to have a baby. They went to the hospital a couple of times only to be sent home. Finally the week of Thanksgiving, the doctor told her that if she didn't have Paiton by that Sunday they would induce on the 5th. Well it didn't happen so Monday the 5th Jason picked her up and headed to the hospital for a scheduled start at 6:30 am. Diane and I followed about 20 minutes later. They finally started her on the drip around 7:30 and it was a waiting game. The day went slowly and Kimberly began having a lot of bad back labor so the doctor started her epidural and things got better for her. The contractions were steady and getting stronger by the hour. Around 11 I think, the doctor checked her and said it was time to break her water. The contractions got stronger and she started making some good progress. Finally around 6'ish they kicked me out of the room. Diane and Jason stayed to help her and I went to the waiting room and sat with David and Ginny Day, Josh and Cassie and Christopher and Karen. Finally about an hour later Paiton was born, 8 lbs and 20 inches long. She is a gorgeous baby.

Well with one down all we had left was for Jack to make his appearance. Mean time I was able to get the office to let me come in and do some work, because I had been off now more than my allotted time and I had run out of PTO. So on the 21st I went into the office and started working on some things. Monday and Tuesday were pretty slow because I was reading through an 80 page summary for an application we are loading at a new project. The information was dry but by the end of Tuesday I had suffered through it and made my comments. Of course during the evening hours, I was able to enjoy rocking and feeding Paiton. She is a joy and I was enjoying her immensely. So on Tuesday Josh and Cassie went for their doctors appointment, and she told them that if Jack hadn't arrived by Thursday they would go ahead and induce her on Friday. So Wednesday I got up and went to work again and started my day. Around 8 Josh called me and asked what I was doing, I told him just work stuff nothing too exciting. I asked what he was doing and he said loading the car. I said oh getting ready for Friday already? He said so is work going to be an issue for you to leave and I said no not at all, I am here just working until Jack gets here. He said well you ought to think about leaving then, and I said ya that won't be an issue, and he said no I mean you probably need to start heading this way. I said huh what do you mean, oh, wow are you telling me Cassie is in labor? He laughed and said ya she started having contractions around midnight. I said oh, wow, ok well not a problem I will pack up and head that way.

SO, I was only about 15 minutes away from his house and 20 minutes from the hospital so i packed up told the girls we are having a baby and left. I tried to call Diane and see what the plan was and Kimberly answered and said she was rushing to get a shower and then they were leaving. I got to the hospital about 20 minutes later and called Josh to see where in the hospital they were at. He said your at the hospital, we haven't even left yet. I said oh wow I beat you to the hospital, he said ya you were supposed to call mom, we probably won't be ready for a couple of hours. So I headed back to the house. When I got there her contractions had slowed down so I say down and watched TV while I waited for Diane and Kimberly. We have been looking for a house close to them since Diane retired from First Baptist Preschool so she can watch Jack while Cassie teaches. We have found some to look at but nothing promising. Josh had driven by two new homes and asked if i wanted to go look at them while we waited. Of course I was concerned that we would be gone and Cassie would go into full labor, but Josh talked to her and they decided we had time. So we went and looked at them and by the time we got back Diane and Kimberly showed up. So around 1:30 Cassie was feeling pretty rough so they called the doctor to see what they needed to do. So they went to her office for an exam and she decided it was tome for them to go to the hospital. So we packed up what was left and headed up to meet them. We got there and waited in the waiting room for things to happen. Slowly but surely things transpired, we decided to go eat dinner since it was moving slow. Diane, Melinda (Cassie's sister) and her mom went down the street to Denny's. We told them whet was going on and they did a great job of getting our food out to us quickly. Josh and Melinda finished up and went back to the hospital while we finished our dinner. We all piled back in the car and headed back. It was about 8'ish now and Cassie was making great progress. Lee (Cassie's step dad), Cindy (Cassie's aunt), Christopher and Karen showed up and we all sat and talked and caught up on things. Finally around 11 Candy went to check on Cassie and by 12:00 midnight November 22nd Jack was born, 6lbs 5 ozs, 16 inches long. He is a beautiful little boy and has the features of both Josh and Cassie.

So with two brand new babies we had a wonderful Christmas and I was able to spend it with the kids and Cassie's parents, sister and aunt Cindy. It was a great time and probably one of the best Christmases we have had in a long time. Well Monday was a holiday for work so Tuesday and Wednesday I went back and did a few things around the office. Thursday I started packing because Friday was my travel day. Today is December 31st and Diane's birthday and I am in Marseilles France. I hope everyone has a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. I am now on my short term assignment which is supposed to be around 4 months. I will try to keep you updated with news as it happens.

Another Rotation and the years “Big Event” Part One…….

Well the rotation is over and it was successful, busy, and just too short as usual.
The flight home was long and could do not be over soon enough. I got to the airport about an hours and a half before my flight left, and luckily I was able to upgrade my seat at the very last minute so I could get some sleep. With that I was able to sit in the lounge while waiting so Diane and I chatted until it was time to go to the gate. Now mind you in other lounges, that is in other countries and the US, you are able to dine on some pretty decent foods and a relaxing
atmosphere. In Saudi it is a little different but very tolerable. The cuisine was tuna sandwiches, donuts, coffee and bottled water. Not what you call a feast but hey it was enough to pass the time and cut the cravings.

At 12:15 the call was made that they were loading the flight, so I bid my farewell to Diane, packed up my Laptop and made my way to the gate. The crowd as usual was lite and the plane which had made its way from Qatar was hardly full. I made my way to my seat, got out my MP3 player, headphones, book etc, and settled in for the long semi long trip to Amsterdam. We took off on time and about 15 minutes into the flight they started serving the meal. I actually can’t tell you what we had because I was tired and ready for them to dim the lights so sleep could begin. About 45 minutes later that is just what happened. Like all other trips I was keyed up so sleep did not come easy but eventually it set in and I was pleasantly refreshed when they turned on the lights for the pre-landing meal. Again it slips my mind but usually consists of some fruit, yogurt, an omelet and some meat. Of course the coffee and juice flows and you can never get enough of that.

As I exited the plane at the gate, I began my long walk back to the concourse where the KLM lounge was. It still amazes me how many people fly through there from so many places. You see all kinds, all ages, and just about from every country you can imagine. As I made my way upstairs, I realized that it was just 6:30 and I was going to have to endure a longer stent than usual. We must have landed early as the flight to Houston was still about 3 and a half hours away. I checked in and made my way to a desk where I could setup my Laptop and see
who was online, check emails and just try and chill. I got settled and then called Diane to let her know I had made the first leg ok. We chatted for a few minutes as it was already past her bedtime by then. The time went by fairly fast and before I knew it, it was time to head to the gate again. The walk to the International gate is quite long, and of course I am carrying a back pack and a carryon so it tends to make the trip seem like forever.

Once on the plane I settled in for some book, movies and music. Again we were off on time and merrily on our way. Continental has finally gotten up with the times and installed On Demand video. So I had quite a few movies to select from. The first I picked was Marley and me which was a really great movie. If you haven’t watched it I recommend it. The second and third escape me but they were both really good if I remember. By the time the third one was winding down, they were serving a snack and we were about 45 minutes outside of Houston making our approach. We landed about 15 minutes early and taxied to the gate. As luck would have it, we actually got to the gate closest to Immigration which rarely happens. The lines were crazy as it looked like we and three other planes had gotten in right after each other. Even though the lines were long, they moved quickly and I was next in line. As I walked up to the booth, the officer eyed me and looked at my entry form, asked his normal questions like, Have you been to any other countries before coming here? Well ya, that’s why I am in International arrivals and getting my passport stamped, duh, but I didn’t say that to him of course. He finally finished his drill and then stamped me and I was headed to Baggage Claims. Amazingly the bags were already coming out on the carousel as I walked down the escalator and I was able to grab my bag in no time. Off to Customs and then out the door to my waiting wife and daughter.

Well of course the first stop was to see the new house the kids had built, and let me tell you the pictures didn’t do it justice. Everything looked so clean and fresh, the color coordination was absolutely amazing, and the yard was landscaped nicely. We toured through the house and I got to look at everything, which wasn’t much because it was still vacant. After, we decided to stop for a quick bite at Chewys’ a really nice Mexican Restaurant, you know I had to get my TEX-MEX fix ☺. Once we finished up the great meal, we headed back to TC and dropped Kimber off at her apartment. Finally getting home, I unloaded my bags and hauled them into the house and began unpacking. Everything was clean so laundry would wait until we returned from San Angelo. For the evening we just hung out watched some TIVO and just chilled. It was nice to be home, of course the dogs were going nuts and were all over me, but hey they missed me so what do you expect.

Tuesday, well I really can’t even remember what I did on Tuesday, I know there was something going on because literally I did something every single day! Anyway it must not have been too exciting if I can’t remember it ;). So on Wednesday I had errands to run. I definitely went and picked up my Tux and some other odds and ends not a really busy day, but it was almost three quarters of getting stuff ready for the trip to San Angelo. We had taken the dogs to get them groomed and when I got home Diane was picking them up from the groomer. Later the groomer and hubby came over as they were going to watch the dogs for us while we were gone so they wanted to be sure about everything. That also went off without a hitch and we finished off the evening with more TIVO and then much needed sleep. Thursday morning was busy with packing suitcases, going over lists to make sure we had everything and then the chore of packing the car. Always when we go on a trip I feel like we move the house with us, but this time was different. This trip we had tons of stuff to take for the wedding. Diane had been taking care of flowers that were individually potted to be used for the rehearsal dinner. So let me tell you that took some effort to make sure they didn’t get damaged during the trip. Eventually we got them all packed in along with clothes, necessities and of course my golf clubs☺. We were on the road by 10 with a quick stop to pick up donuts and Kimber.

The trip went pretty quick, usually we can count on 8-9 hours but we made into Abilene by 6 that evening. Since we don’t like to put my mom out and wait dinner on us, we headed to the mall for a couple of items we had forgotten and then to Taco Bueno for dinner, yummy my favorite fast food Mexican! This place makes Taco Bell look like, well lets just say that if you haven’t ever tried it, you need to because you will enjoy the food and the experience. We finished up dinner and headed to moms house. After unpacking the car and getting the air mattress blown up, sheets on, we were pretty exhausted but we stayed up and chatted for awhile. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and we enjoyed the evening until it was time to hit the hay. I have to say that with the new technology in air mattresses, it is hard not to get a good night sleep. Of course Diane will argue the point because she says I move too much and bounces her around but I have no idea what she is talking about. So the next morning we got up, had showers and a good breakfast and packed up the car again and got on the road to San
Angelo.

The drive was a quick hour and a half and the scenery was nice. We arrived in San Angelo and called the kids to find out where the Hotel was. We were going to stop by just to see if we could get checked in so we could dump some of the stuff off and lighten the load. Well sure enough we were able to and the room was very nice and the hotel staff was pleasant, thank you Comfort Suites! So we called Cassie and asked her where we needed to go to start getting things setup
for the rehearsal dinner. She directed us in the general area and we finally ended up meeting her at the church parking lot so she could lead us and let us in. We got in and immediately began the preparations. Tables, chairs, table clothes, plants (finally), balloons, ice cream fixin’s etc, etc, etc. The groomsmen, brides maids, and other family showed up to help so it went really quick and we were done within an hour. Kimber left with the others to hang out for the afternoon while Diane and I headed to the airport to pick up the Brother Glass and Lacy the awesome photographer! They were right on time so we all pilled in and headed to Chilies for a quick bite.

Well it ended up being quite a long bite we waited forever for our food, but as usual the quality was excellent when it came. We all just ate and chatted about events, other weddings, some of Lacy’s shoots, etc. The conversation was well worth the wait and we eventually finished up and headed back to the hotel. While Grayson and Lacy checked in, Diane and I headed upstairs to try and relax a little before time to go to the church. By this time other family who was coming to the wedding had checked in so we stopped and chatted for awhile and then just chilled out in the room. Kimber showed back up and around 5’ish we all got dressed and headed to the church. Well the rehearsal went off without a hitch everyone knew pretty much what to do where to stand etc, normal wedding preparation stuff. So we called it a wrap and everyone headed over to the rehearsal dinner. We opened up and the caterer was already setup and waiting for us. The guest started arriving and began to mingle and look at all the decorations and pictures we had set around. There were quite a few and I think the last count was around 40 or so. Everyone started eating and seemed to be enjoying the food. The menu consisted of chicken and beef fajitas, beans, rice, pico, guacamole, chips and salsa. The excitement began as dessert was served, we had setup a “top your own ice cream cup”. We had all kinds of toppings from caramel, chocolate syrup, crushed Butter Finger bars to nuts, sprinkles and even gummy bears (Cassie’s favorite).

Next Lee, Cassie’s step dad, got up and made a toast, then it was my turn. They were both quite good and the new families were enjoying the time together. Then Josh and Cassie gave out their Groomsmen and Brides Maids gifts, along with the flower girls and ring bearer. They all seemed to enjoy what they got and as each one was introduced and a short story to go along with them. It was time for the bride and grooms gifts. Josh gave Cassie and really nice set of designer luggage and Cassie had painted Josh another Bleu Dog painting. If you don’t know, there is an artist in Louisiana that paints a Blue Dog. Josh really likes them and Cassie is so talented that she paints an awesome look alike. Well they both seemed to enjoy each others and the party just continued for another hour or so. I snuck off and took the pastor back to the hotel and by the time I got back they had started cleaning up. Really there wasn’t a whole lot to do and within a short time we had everything cleaned up and was locking the door. All the kids were headed to the ranch where they were staying for some fun and the rest of us headed back to the hotel for some much deserved sleep, it had been a very long and busy day. We changed and read for awhile, watched a little TV and then turned out the lights. Tomorrow would be another busy day and we needed our beauty rest.

Morning came too soon, as the alarm went off it was hard to struggle out of bed. But we managed and as Diane went to get a shower and get dressed for her Brunch with the girls, I headed down stairs for some breakfast and read the paper. When I got back to the room, Diane and Kimber were just finishing up and it was time to take them to the Brunch. The trip was short and after I dropped them off I headed back to the hotel for a little studying and watch some of the US open. The time flew by too quickly because before I knew it Diane was calling and saying they were ready to be picked up. Well let’s leave at there for now, we will pickup in the next edition with the rest of the days events leading up to the Big Event. Hope you are enjoying stand by for more fun and excitement.

Rotation is almost here and sand oil golf….

Well as you probably guessed from the heading, it is almost time to jump into that Airbus 330 and head for the good ole U S of A. So as I prepare the last two days before I leave, let me catch you up with a little fun, well not really fun the first time but the second was great.

As many of you know, I love golf and try to play as often as I can. Well on my next to last trip back here, I brought my clubs back. There is one golf course in Jubail that is a full 18 hole and is quite a challenge it is called an Oil course. What is that you ask, well just wait it gets really good. In the early 1950’s a company called ARAMCO was established by an Oil man from the US that was hoping to strike it rich. He found a Saudi business partner, some money to back and the company was created. His idea was to create an environment that would entice Americans and other Western Expats to the Middle East to help drill, and refine their valuable resource, oil. In doing so he began to tailor a Western style compound that would eventually include a beautiful green golf course, grocery stores, villas, etc. This immediately caught on and others tried to imitate him but did not have all the resources required to build the same quality.

So in certain parts of the Middle East, golf courses were designed utilizing what they had the most of, sand and oil. Basically what you have is a full 18 hole golf course laid out in the sands of the desert areas, greens are built and because there is a lack of water to grow grass, they spray them with oil. After this is done they broom them which mixes the sand and the oil together to keep the sand from blowing and also make a putting surface that is almost like putting on grass. The same is done for the fairways about once a month which they try to lightly maintain to keep the roughness out and your ball has a chance to roll instead of hitting a clod and stopping. So with that little bit of history behind you, I have set the scene of my first experience playing on an Oil course.

So as you know Fridays are our only day off here, and it is usually spent sleeping as late as we can, usually for me about 6:30 in the morning, get up and get a shower, breakfast and then lay around all day trying to relax. This includes reading, watching something on TV, or lay out by the pool in the Hot sun. So the first few went off without a hitch and the afternoon would soon show to be quite interesting. This Friday we had planned on going to the Whispering Sand Golf Course for a little fun with the little white ball and introduce me to Middle East golf. So around 2:15 Steve knocks on my door and asks me if I am ready to go and of course I was. First thing was to put on some sun screen because the desert sun is very hot and you can burn very fast. Next was to grab the two bottles of water I had been chilling and of course my ball cap. We loaded our clubs in the car and headed out, a short 20 minute drive.

We arrived at the course about 2:50 and went in and paid our green and cart fees. Now for you avid golfers out there, this was a pull cart, not and electric or gas one. Yes we were going to walk all 18. The temperature was around 106 and the heat index was around 114. The course was very busy so they started us out on number 17 and then we could just keep on. We were good with that just ready to get started, so the three of us headed off to 17 to start our adventure. Oh I guess I should tell you that it was me, Steve who I have introduced before and Lum who is one of our other Managers around 63 or so. For his age he is in pretty great health if you ask me. We get to the tee box and they are both explaining to me the hold and how it plays. Steve gets up and hits and it is pretty good, Lum hits and it is also good. So my turn and, yah you guessed I flopped it, went about 60 yards and rolled to a stop. Well the game picked up from there and we were all hitting pretty good but not great. After about the fourth or fifth hole I looked at Steve and said, you know it’s not that bad out here, nope wrong thing to say. I neglected the part about only eating breakfast, drinking coffee all morning, and hardly touching water since I had been there.

Well about the 6th hole I was feeling pretty tired. I tried to suck down some water I had brought but it was almost like drinking hot tap water. I choked it down anyway because I needed it and tried to keep going. We finally made it to a hole that had a water jug, so I drank a couple of bottles full and wet my gold towel and put it over my head. The cold water felt great running down the back of my neck and I just sat there for awhile. Steve looked over at me and said hey bud you feeling ok, I just looked at him and said yah I will be fine just need to cool off for a little. So after awhile I felt better and it was my turn to hit anyway. I got up placed my ball and hit. It was pretty good for as drained as I felt. After putting the towel on my head and heading towards my ball, I did start feeling a little energy coming back. So each time we hit a water station I would tank up, fill my bottles back up and head out again.

Thankfully I made it through all 18 but let me tell you, by the time I drug my body back to the clubhouse, got my bag off the cart, and started walking towards the car, my butt was dragging the ground believe you me! When I got to the car Steve already had it turned on and the AC cooling it down. I threw my bag in the back and got in and just soaked up as much of that AC I could. We were pretty quiet on the way back because we both were pretty tired. I felt like I was close to the point of heat exhaustion and dehydration. I couldn’t get enough water in me and it just was feeling miserable like in Iraq. Well we made it back to the complex and I unloaded my clubs and dragged them up the stairs. Steve was talking about dinner and I said all I am going to do is take a cool shower and crash. That’s exactly what I did too, I went in and turned the water on where it was almost cold and got in and just stood there. The cool water felt good and slowly I could feel life coming back. I was in there about 15 or 20 minutes and when I emerged I was feeling about 50% better than when I went in. I was still drained though so I took a couple of Ibuprophen and hopped into bed. It wasn’t long before I was gone and in la la land once again.

The next day I was sore and still not feeling up to par but I was able to get out of bed, once again get a nice shower, dress and be at breakfast in time. It took me three days to get all my energy back and I swore that would never happen again. So the next week we took off because Lum was down in his back, probably from us acting crazy the week before, and decided to just hang out around the complex. I was good with that because there is no way I wanted to experiencing anything remotely close to the Friday before. So this week we decided to try again and this time I was going prepared. Earlier in the week I had obtained some drink mix that was like Gatorade and was supposed to keep your electrolytes in check. The night before, I had filled up three bottles and two liters of water so they would chill down. Once again put on the Sunscreen 50 and was ready to go again. Well needless to say it all worked good. We had a great game, thought we were going to lose Lum towards the end there. He was looking how I had felt the two weeks before. Anyway we did finish and Steve beat me by 2 strokes. All in all though the drink mix and heavy water helped tremendously.

Well that’s about it, I am headed home on Monday morning around 12:45 AM and so so ready! I am anxious to see Josh and Cassie’s new house, get things ready for the wedding, see mom and dad and Steve. I look forward to seeing as many of you as I can while I am home for three weeks. I do have a couple of Dr. appointments a dentist appointment and I am finally taking my PMP exam. So hopefully I will be able to squeeze some other things in there. Take care and have a great weekend. Be sure to check out the pictures.

And the fun continues…..

So as we continue on with the fun, we will start with viruses. No not the kind the human gets the kind the computer gets. It seems that the new Anti-virus software the company installed, Symantec End Point, is not completely up to date on its database. We commenced to getting multiple virus attacks everyday. We did everything we possibly could to keep up with them but they just kept coming. As we would scan and delete they would reappear and start the process all over again. We also had some that didn’t even show up in the scan and they were spreading like wildfire. I got back on the phone with Dubai and told them what was happening and they started looking into the problem. While they were doing this, we downloaded free scan software to see if it would locate and clean the hidden mysteries. Well sure enough it started finding them left and right and seemed to be doing the job. I reported this also to Dubai and they began to look in to the situation. Symantec finally came through with an updated database but we still had issues. It appeared that a virus had attached itself to some system files. It had buried itself so deep that there was no cleaning it.

So while the merry virus technicians played I decided to take a well deserved break and spend a couple of days R&R in Bahrain. I left Thursday morning after spending an hour or so on Skype with my lovely bride, and left the Western Park around 8’ish. I stopped to top of the tank and grab some coffee on the way out of town. The drive was a short hour and I was at the causeway by 9. The first half is a breeze it’s when you get to the entry point where the fun begins. The drive over the first half of the causeway is about 15 minutes so I was in line by 9:15. First you wait in line for your exit and immigration out of Saudi. Next you go through a Police checkpoint to verify you have your papers and vehicle permit. Once through this you wait in line again to go through customs, insurance and immigration on the Bahrain side. There are a lot of frustrated people, honking, yelling, moving in front of each other and sometimes it becomes quite comical as they jockey for position. So as the sun got higher in the sky, it became hotter and the time began to drag by. Slowly we made our way through the line car by car. During this time they are remodeling their lanes so that didn’t help any. Imagine if you will, once you reach the first area on the Saudi side you go from 2 lanes to 6, then once you are through that you go to 4 and then to two. So trying to cram a bunch of cars into two lanes is quite a miracle. Finder benders are not uncommon and then you watch as they haggle over who hit who.

Finally at 10:45 I was through the lines and on my way across the last causeway into Bahrain. I was at the hotel around 11:45 and knew that check-in was after noon so I didn’t bother. There is a restaurant that serves real pork sausage and bacon and some really nice American style food. So I decided to stop by for a nice lunch first and then check-in. Since I had been there before I knew exactly where it was and just breezed right in. The lunch crowd was lite so I had no problem finding a table. I decided on a nice glass of cold iced tea and a Country Fried Steak with all the trimmings. As I sat and waited on my order, I noticed that ESPN was showing an old 1997 Basketball Championship which featured the Rockets. I got engrossed in that and soon enough my meal was there. It was absolutely delectable and I think I finished everything but the big pile of potato’s and cream gravy, it had to of been at least to huge potato’s worth. So I finished up my last bit of tea and paid my bill which was only 6 BD which is equivalent of about $16. So I headed back to the hotel to check-in. The process was painless and I was in my room getting everything unpacked. I sat down and started reading my book just so I could try and relax from the journey and before I knew it I was dozing off. I slept about 30 minutes and decided it was time to start my adventure.

Before I left I had checked the Movies and times and found two that I was definitely going to watch. Bahrain has like 5 malls and only two of which have theaters and the third will be open sometime this summer. So I headed to the Seef Mall to see when the movies would be showing. It was a quick 10 minutes up the road I found a parking space and set out to find the theater. It was on the second level and I found it with no problem. As I walked into the foyer area, I noticed that all the movies and times were posted under their posters. I found the movie and went to pay. Now this part will get you and is something that definitely needs to be done in the US. When you pick the movie, you then get to pick your seat as well, how cool is that? So of course I like to sit in the back so I can get the full view and I picked a spot that was perfect. Ok, ok I know your all wondering what I went to see, it was the new Star Trek movie. Was it ever good and the special effects were definitely awesome and the sound was in the new Digital Dolby Surround and let me tell you it puts standard Surround sound to shame. This has to be one of the best yet and it has some surprises which I was not expecting. If you haven’t seen it yet shame on you get there now! Anyway when the movie was over I found Starbucks and bought a couple of bags and a cup to go and headed back to the parking garage. Well apparently I made a wrong turn and ended up back outside so I sat down and called Diane and we chatted for awhile. She accompanied me while I made my way back into the mall and found my way back the way I had come. Eventually I found the car and headed back to the hotel. Oh one thing I forgot about the theater, I got a large drink and medium popcorn for like $3.75 tell me that isn’t awesome ? Anyway I got back had some chicken wings for dinner and headed off to bed around 8:30. It is hard not to go to bed that early when you do it everyday.

Sleep came very easy and I slept until 7:30 the next morning. My plan was to go back to Rics for a nice American breakfast. I got up showered and dressed and headed to Rics. Again the crowd was lite especially for a Friday because that is when everyone comes from Saudi and other places, our day off. It is worth the drive just to eat and turn around and head back, yes it is that good! So I perused the menu and found a nice Tex-Mex favorite, Huevo Rancheros. If you don’t know it is wonderful, corn tortillas with re fried beans, egg, cheese, and salsa poured all over the top. It was yummy and I had a side biscuit with sausage gravy (did that for you Dath and Bob) and it was just as good. Well after that, a large Grapefruit juice and two cups of coffee, I was plenty full and ready to scout out another day. Before I headed back to the mall, I stopped by the room and stuck the Laptop, MP3 and other electronics in the room safe. So I headed back to the same mall and got there in short time again. I parked and found my way back to the theater but they were not playing the movie I wanted. So I went back to the car and found my way back to the exit. I asked the parking attendant where the other mall was and he gave me instructions. Now you have to realize that nothing has a street sign or address in Bahrain or Saudi so you have to go by landmarks. Well it was pretty simple and the mall was only about 5 minutes away and I found it with no problem. So once again I parked and made my way in. I found the theater and sure enough the movie was playing and it started in about 15 minutes. So I got my ticket, picked my seat which was exactly in the middle of the screen towards the back. I made my way to the concession stand and got my popcorn and drink and headed fro my seat. Well I was the only one in the theater so I just enjoyed the quiet and darkness for a short time.

Once again I am sure you are on the edge of your seat wondering what I was going to watch so….. it was Wolverine which was the new series about the X-Men characters. This was the first of many to come about how each of the characters had grown up and discovered their powers. Once again it was an awesome movie with great effects and sound. If you are a Marvel Comics fan you will want to go see this one and hope the rest are as good. After the movie I decided it was time to do a little sight seeing. I drove around the city and took some shots of interesting Architecture that I know Christopher will like, and some other interests that you hopefully will find as fascinating as I did. After about an hour or so driving around, getting lost a couple of times, and finally had enough and headed back to the hotel. Since I still had a couple of hours, I pulled out the book and was engrossed by it and before I knew it, it was time for dinner. I headed down to get a burger and some fries my last meal in Bahrain. I watched a little golf and read some more while I waited for my dinner. It was good but not like the one you get from Grand Prize. I paid my check and headed back to the room. Some quick packing of things I would not need in the morning and then hit the hay. Again sleep came easy which was great because wake up was at 3 AM.

Let me finish up, it was a quick trip through the menagerie only a few cars making their way back to Saudi that early in the morning. I made it back to the apartment by 5:15 and had time to drop of my bag, grab my work boots and head to the site. Oh and the viruses did not go away while I was gone so I have spent most of the day scanning and cleaning again. Hope you have a great weekend and check out the pictures.

Oh the things we have to do……

Well it has been a few weeks since I have updated you. Not a lot going on that would be of much interest but I will tell you what I have been doing none the least. Since we last spoke, the project has reached a Milestone of 50%. We also reached an unbelievable Safety record of 50 Million, yes I said million man hours without a lost time accident. Woo hoo is that impressive or what? Back in the earlier days of construction, companies would factor in how many deaths they thought would happen and how it would affect the project. These days the drive is to not have any deaths, any major accidents, small accidents etc. So needless to say we are not only the safest project in the company, we are also close to a record as well.

For three weeks we have had some major I.T. or should I say IPS (Information Process Systems) issues. First we were running along just fine and then one day out of no where my file server crashed. Everything else was running but it decided it was tired I guess and decided to shut itself down. When I checked, it was in a state of disarray it had corrupted one of its system files and was unable to boot back up. I worked with the group in Dubai from 5 am that morning until about 9:30 that night. We tried everything we possibly could but to no avail. It looked like we were going to have to rebuild it from scratch which possibly we could lose data. I was shutting other servers down and swapping out CD drives because the one in the file server decided it was tired as well. We tried three different drives and none of them worked. While the team in Dubai worked with Dell to resolve our pickle, I found an old drive from a Laptop and started rebuilding the old one. By the time Dell had finished putting in their two cents, we tried one more time. This time the server booted to the CD and we were able to reload the Operating System, for you novices, that is Windows Server 2003. It is just like Windows but has features built in that allow adding security, routing and other stuff.

Next in our dilemma was that we had been working on trying to free up some space on one of the drives. I had been moving data off to another and as quickly as I moved it someone would put something else on. To also add to our burdens, we have an application server which was also running out of disk space plus needed to be upgraded to a new version. Since we had tried everything possible to fix that solution and nothing worked, we opted to install some additional drives and increase the space. The Dubai team was working to build a new server which we would use to upgrade the old one and then swing that one down to our warehouse when we were completed. Well chance would have it that the new server showed up and we would use it to replace the file server we just repaired. So we made plans to have an outage that Friday and it would encompass a lot of work. We would have to move servers, copy data, uninstall one server, install the new one, then verify that everything would work exactly as the other.

During the next couple of days, we had also planned at lunch to upgrade our Satellite modem software as well. I received all the instruction from the provider and worked on getting things ready. The process was not supposed take more than 30 or 45 minutes so we were comfortable we could get it all done and back online before lunch was over, NOT! As I prepared everything in the server room waiting on the engineers call, I realized that we had no power close to the cabinet so I scrambled to find an outlet. Unfortunately everything was taken so I had to modify an adapter to work. The engineer called and we began the process of taking everything off line and loading the first patch, well it didn’t work. We tried everything possible that either of us could think but we just could not get the patch to load. Finally after an hour and a half we abandoned the process and put everything back the way it was. While I tidied up the engineer said he would get with the manufacturer to see what the problems was. Once I got back in my office, I received a not so very nice email from the Director that said never plan an outage during the day again during working hours. Ok so I was trying to save some money and not have to work over but if that was what he wanted, so be it.

Well as Friday approached, we began moving the data from the old server to the new. Everything got transferred and it was decided that Dubai would make once last update on Friday morning and I could come in around 10 to start the swap. Day to day stuff went on and we had hiccups here and there but no major issues. Thursday came and we made final plans and preparations, Ardie would come in around 9 or so and help with the move and I readied the server room and planned the days’ events. Well the day started pretty good I slept in and grabbed a nice breakfast and just chilled a little. Around 9 Dubai called and said they were almost through copying data so I headed in. Around 9:30 or so, they were ready so we started shutting down servers and moving equipment. We battled the first server getting it out because our tools are limited. It took us about 45 minutes to get the thing out and then we started moving the servers up in the rack to make room for the beast we were installing. After fighting with that for another 45 minutes or so we decided that it could just sit on top and we would have a nice bug hole in the middle. Well this thing weighed around 150 pounds so I was trying to figure out the two of us would be able to do it. Fortunately for us there were folks in the office and borrowed a couple of additional hands. By the time we finally got the thing in the rack, we had 4 people lifting, holding and screwing the bolts back in, and a couple of non technical supervisors ;).

All in all it went pretty smoothly just very bulky and heavy and the guys holding it were under some pressure but they were troopers all the way through and never complained. Once all the cables were back in I called Dubai and told them we were coming up. I had also scheduled for that day the modem upgrade since the engineer was able to find a fix. So Dubai changed all the settings and told us to do what we needed to and they would log back in afterward and finish up. Well back to the modem once again getting everything hooked up and ready. The engineer walked me through all again and this time it worked. After he finished up we tested everything to make sure it worked, he tweaked a few things and bid hi a due. So I called Dubai back and told them we were all finished and they logged back in and went on with their synchronization. The day had been a success and I was able to get out of there by about 2:30. Still had time to chill out in the room, watch a little TIVO and catch an early dinner. So that’s just what I did. The day ended pretty quietly no burps in the new server, so I thought.

Next day back in the office, we started noticing that files we had accessed before were inaccessible, printers that existed before had disappeared just all around not what we had expected. So I got on the phone with Dubai and told them what was happening and they began to work on the issues. By the end of the day they had gotten most of them finished and everyone seemed to have access to what they needed with just a few minor printing issues. So the next morning we continued on and were able to get everything resolved by lunch.

Well I guess that is enough for now but we aren’t finished, not by a long shot. More excitement is yet to come, so stay tuned………

Saudi, family and fun…..?

Well I have now been back to the project for about a month since my adventure. The project was still sound with only a few problems for the I.T. guy to resolve. While I was away they finished most of the projects up that we had been working on some minor issues with equipment, terminations and such. Frank, my replacement who couldn’t leave fast enough, was back in his nice warm bed in the UK and happy to be away from all the sand. He left me a nice turnover list so when I got back I digested what he had done and wrote him a nice email of appreciation. I know it must have been a big culture shock to him, as this was his first trip to the Middle East and really didn’t know what to expect.

My welcome back by the team was low key however they were happy I was back to help them with issues while Ardie took and extended leave to visit his Grandmother in Canada. Of course the rumors started flying that he had left the project to seek employment in Canada. A couple of emails to confirm and he quickly shunned those who had started them and assured me he would be back as promised. The project engineer, Steve, was ecstatic to have me back as John my boss had left a few days after me and wasn’t due back for another couple of weeks. I think I had mentioned in an earlier blog that Steve had come from Jakarta to fill in for John on his first leave, and was mobilizing to the project mid November. At that time we had bonded and built a friendship as he was in love with golf as much as I. Of course I had brought my sticks back with me but his were on a boat from Jakarta and hadn’t expected them to arrive in the US for quite some time.

Things are as usual here, same ole routine, work, eat, sleep….. The days seem to just fly by and it really makes for time to go by quickly with my rotation not too far in sight. This rotation I am staying on an additional 4 weeks so I can attend and be a part of the year’s grand celebration. As most of you know, Josh and Cassie will be tying the knot in June to begin their wedded bliss together. Some of you may read Josh’s blog and know that he and Cassie are building a home in Falls Creek. Their first thought was to buy a home already there but their bid didn’t make it and so they opted to build instead of wasting more time looking. It seems to be coming together quite nicely, the slab was poured last week and they are already ¾ finished with the framing. Another of things that I am missing while over here is getting to watch his house under construction. I too have construction in my blood and miss not being able to spend time with Josh and learning from him things which I don’t know. But he knows that if he has a question about something, which he probably already knows the answer to, he can come to me. One of these days maybe we can work together side by side in our own Home Building business. If we are lucky, we will get the brains of the family involved as well and he can design all of the homes. Well that’s another story hopefully in a few years.

So as I wait for the next rotation, I continue to stay busy, studying feverishly for my PMP exam which I must take in June before I leave to come back, try and stay in shape making myself go to the gym, and try and keep up with all the fun that the family is having without me. Jeremy seems to be doing well in Iraq, he has decided to pursue a career in Safety Engineering and sounds like he has already made some great headway in that. I am trying to help as well trying to understand what he needs to be doing so that everything he works on will apply toward his goals. There is nothing like taking a lot of non-essential courses that will not help your advancement. I have a been down that road and I do have the T-shirt to prove it, well maybe not a T-shirt but I do still have some of the books. Anyway hopefully the Safety manager here will come through and we can assure Jeremy that he is not wasting his time and effort. I believe that his next rotation will be beginning right about the time is ending. We are going to try and get in at least one game of golf before I leave if Kimber will let him out of her sight for a day.

So that’s pretty much it. We trudge along day to day building this refinery, doing what is necessary to make our client happy and look for the end which is still at least 8 months away. Already looking in the weeds for the next adventure and hoping that something comes along. Hope you all have a great week and enjoy the sunshine when it finally appears. We do need the rain so don’t be too angry at the weathermen. Until next time……

Work rest and return….. (The Finale)

After I left the office, I decided Subway sounded good for lunch. The short walk just increased my appetite so I was ready when I walked through the door. I ordered my normal and sat down to feast. It was close to 2:30 by this time and I felt like already the day was coming to a close. The time went by quickly and I was through. I walked a block to the hotel and put my things aside. I pondered what to do for the rest of the day and decided to go down and sit by the pool and read for awhile. It was very pleasant outside somewhere in the mid 70’s and a cool breeze was blowing. As I sat and read I noticed a Saudi swimming and laughing out loud. As I watched him from time to time, he looked like he was swimming and talking to himself and giggling now and then. I tried to concentrate on my book but it became comical as he swirled around making noises so I started watching him a little closer. Slowly he moved to my side of the pool and apparently his friend was sitting close by and he started saying something to him in Arabic. His speech sounded a little slurred so I figured he had been drinking a little too much. Well his friend gets up and brings him a glass of something over and he starts sipping it and laughing again. He was all over the place with his body movement so I knew he was drunk. He paddled away and started swimming in circles again and then he was back for another drink.Over on the other side of the pool the lifeguard had been watching all of this and he finally got up and walked over to the pool edge. He bent down and started talking to the two of them and it looked like he was telling the guy he needed to get out of the pool. This went on for quite some time with no success so he went to the phone and made a call. About 5 minutes later two guys in suits came out headed over to the two of them and started talking. Eventually they pulled him out of the pool and took him to one of the loungers and he passed out, I knew it was time for me to leave.

It just so happened, a God thing that my son-in law was flying in from Iraq that afternoon. I had sent him a message the day before and told him I would like to meet and take him to dinner. He agreed and told me he would call when he got to the hotel. During the day I had chatted with a friend on his project and he told me where he was staying. So I tried calling the hotel two or three times and never got an answer. So the easiest thing to do was jump in a taxi and head over. The first one I caught had no idea where the hotel was, so I got out of his cab and into the next one. He took me and dropped me off supposedly behind the hotel. I paid him and went in the direction he said. Well of course I couldn’t find it so I walked a few blocks and went inside another hotel and asked for directions (yes men do ask for directions). I went the way they said and again I could not find it. I spotted a coffee shop and went in and again asked for directions. This time the guy knew where it was and pointed me in the right direction. I went that way and believe it or not it lead me right back to where I started from 15 blocks or so before. If I had just turned left instead of right I would have been there 30 minutes earlier.

Well frustrated but glad to be there I went inside and found the House phones. I dialed Jeremy’s room and he answered. He said he had been trying to call me but every phone he used would not let him call out of the hotel. I told him not to worry I was in the lobby. He said, "let me put my shoes on and I will be right down." So we went back to the street and found a cab so I could take him to a really good Steakhouse I knew about from previous experience. We chatted on the ride over and then arrived at Billy Blue’s. We went in and ordered and then just got caught up. We had a really good conversation and then I noticed it was getting late so I paid the bill and we left. We drove back to his hotel and I dropped him off, said goodbye and to have a safe flight home and went back to my hotel. It was late by the time I got back so I hit the bed and fell sound asleep. Sunday morning I got up at the usual time, showered, dressed and grabbed breakfast. I still hadn’t heard anything about my Visa so I continued on with work as usual. My backup had already flown back to London so there were definitely things to take care of. The morning flew by and after lunch I called the GRO and asked what the status was of my Visa. He said he was on the way to the office and would call me in an hour. Well as usual I didn’t hear back from him so I was planning on extending my stay. I finished up the day around 4, chatted with Diane for awhile and then headed back to the hotel around 5’ish. When I got back I was deciding on where to go eat when my cell phone rang. It was the GRO and he was at the office looking for me, he had my Visa. Well of course all kinds of alarms and whistles went off because I didn’t want to have to go back to the office so I told him to leave it with one of the guys there. I got off the phone and hooked up my Laptop and stated searching for flights. It was unbelievable the difference in price so I chose the least of which was Saudi Airlines. The flight was scheduled to leave at 11:50 the next day so I knew I would have plenty of time to go to the office, pack up my stuff, and then get to the airport with time to spare…. Ya right. Off to bed.

Monday morning came quickly and the night before I had packed as much as I could and finished packing after my shower. I left everything ready to go so all I would have to do is get my bags, get a taxi and go. So I walked to the office, made coffee, chatted with Diane and the staff started showing up. I retrieved my Passport with my new Visa in it and we chatted awhile about how the trip had gone and how they could help me if I needed anything when I got back. So with plenty or time I headed back to the hotel. I called down and had a bell boy come get my bags while I checked out. He got me a taxi, loaded my bags and we were off. It took about 15 minutes to get to the airport and it was just 9:45 so I knew I was good. When I got in the airport it was a little hard finding where the airline counter was so I walked around and finally found someone who could tell me. I got in the line and waited for about 10 minutes. Finally I got to check in and she said my bags were over the limit. Well no surprise there after the debacle in Amsterdam. So I got my baggage ticket and went in search of the cashier. I finally found it after being re-routed by three other cashiers, and there were 10 people in line. So I got in the “queue” and waited my turn. It was now 10:15 so I was still good. I waited for nearly 30 minutes before they finally got to me, and of course I had no UAE Dirhams left so I asked if they would take Saudi money. He figured out the conversion and said yes so I paid him and headed to the gates. Again I went through Passport control, then through X-ray and once again was on my way. It was now about 11 and I still had about 30 minutes so I thought and started my long walk. I had just gotten on the escalator when I heard a message on the intercom. “Attention, Passenger Mr. Stan Young flying on Saudi Airlines flight 569, please report to gate number 110 immediately for boarding”. Great what in the world, the flight doesn’t leave till 11:50 and it is just now 11. Well I knew I had to move so I got on the moving walkways and ran all the way down the tunnel. When I got to the other end I was out of breath and had to go up two flights of escalators.

I got on the first and then I heard it again, “Attention, Passenger Mr. Stan Young flying on Saudi Airlines flight 569, please report to gate number 110 immediately for boarding, you are holding the flight up. Please make your way to the gate or we will begin unloading your baggage from the plane”. Great I was going as fast as I could and still was about 10 gates away. I hit the floor running once again and got to the gate just as they were getting ready to make the last announcement. I explained about the Extra baggage line and they said no problem please board. So I went down the Jet way and into the plane, found my seat and buckled in. Apparently from when I made my reservation and that morning they had rescheduled the flight and I had no idea. The flight was a short 50 minute flight, they served lunch and were just cleaning up when we made our descent. Well unknown to me the rest of the fun was just about to begin. We landed and parked at the gate. I grabbed my things and headed for Passport Control. Of course the lines were long and I got in the shortest I could find which was about 20 people. An officer came over and said if I had a Residence Visa I could go to the end line where only two people were standing, yes finally something good... NOT! So I moved my things and stood in line and about 5 minutes later I was handing him my Passport. He looked it up in the system and then said something in Arabic to me and I said I don’t understand? He wrote something down and handed it to me and then again said something and pointed. He realized I still didn’t understand so he found someone who could speak English. The guy explained to me that I was missing some number and I needed to go upstairs to the main office and they would help me. So I grabbed my things once again and walked up three flights of stairs. Again out of breath after hauling all of it up, I got to the office. The guy was on the phone so I patiently waited. Another 15 minutes goes by and still on the phone. Finally another guy saw me standing there and asked what I needed and I explained. He took my Passport and walked off. So I waited another 20 minutes and finally he came back and said, "ok". I took my Passport, thanked him and headed back down to baggage claim.

So finally after about an hour or so I was getting my bags off the conveyor and headed to x-ray. As my bags came out he said, "what is in that box"? I told him they were Lanyards for my company. He looked at his x-ray screen and studied it for awhile and then looked at me again. He said, "explain", so I showed him how the Lanyard went around my neck and held a badge. He finally put his stamp on the box and said, "ok". I loaded all my bags on the cart and headed to arrivals. My driver was waiting for me and while I made a pit stop, he headed for the door with my cart. We rode downstairs and he left me standing there to get the car. He pulled around to the walkway, put my things in the trunk, climbed in and once again we were on our way. The ride was 45 minutes where he dropped me off at my room and left. I sent a message to the site to have someone pick me up, so while I waited I unpacked as much as I could. Finally I had made it back to the Sandbox and reality had set in. About 20 minutes later the driver showed up, we loaded up things I need to take to the site, 20 minutes later I was in my office and the door hasn’t darkened since I got here.

So you are all caught up of my wonderful travel experience. Hope you had as much fun as I did and now it is just 13 more weeks and I can do it all over again. Stay tuned for the next update when I have something good to tell you.

Work rest and return….. (Part 3)

Ok so this isn’t quite the end yet but I promise we are very close. So when we left off last time I had arrived at Schipol Airport and was headed back to the Departure hall. When I arrived up top I headed to claim my bags that I had placed in storage. I found everything in tact and gathered the bags up and headed to check-in. The line was fairly short but to my dismay when I finally made it to the front of the line I was told that I was only allowed 20 kilos of baggage to Dubai. When I explained my circumstances to the young lady she got on the phone and called her supervisor. When she arrived I showed her my Passport explained what I had been through but there was nothing she could do. Bottom line I had to pay a lot of Euro’s to get me and my bags to Dubai. I checked everything in paid my fees and headed to Immigration and then to the gate. I had no more than 30 minutes left when I finally made it through and got to the gate in time to go through x-ray and had just enough time to call ahead and get a room reserved. We boarded the plane 5 minutes later and were in the air less than 10 minutes later. The flight was a short 7 hours and 20 minutes. After having a nice lunch of chicken, salad and some kind of custard, I settled in for a good movie. The two hours went by quickly and turned to my book for awhile. Once again they came by with the carts and had a beverage service. I picked up my book and enveloped myself for another 3 hours. I decided to watch another movie and before I knew it we were making our decent into Dubai. We landed a few minutes early and taxied to the gate. If you have never been to Dubai or any other International airport, you have never experienced the long walk to immigration. I think I have mentioned before that they out the gates as far away as possible so you are completely exhausted by the time you get there. This trip was no different and I walked forever and finally reached the hall.

Unbelievably the line was very short and I was through Immigration in less than 5 minutes and at the carousel picking up my bags. I headed through the door, out to the waiting crowds through the exit and towards the taxis. I called Diane to let her know I had made it safely and I would call her when I got to the hotel. The drive was about 10 minutes and was greeted as I got out. As I tried to pay for the ride, the driver explained he couldn’t take credit and all I had was US currency. He obliged by taking my $14 dollars and I headed to check-in. Once I arrived at the desk, they informed me that my reservation was at a hotel across town. I think I forgot to mention that while I was in Amsterdam I had called and made my reservation and realized when I got my confirmation they had made it at the wrong hotel. So I called them back and thought they were booking me in the right one. Well the night manager got on the phone and called the hotel explained my situation and got the cancellation charges dropped, canceled my reservation and gave me a discounted rate for my troubles. I knew it was late but had failed to look at my watch. By the time I reached the room and my bags were delivered I called Diane and we talked for a short while. It was then that I realized that it was 2:30 in the morning and I really needed to get to bed. We said our goodnight and I headed to bed. I tossed and turned for awhile and decided to get up and read a little to see if sleep would finally come. When I finally felt sleep begin to come it was after 4 am. I set my clock for 8 and fell fast asleep. The annoying alarm woke me up so I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower. By the time I had finished and was ready for breakfast it was getting close to 10. I grabbed a quick bite and then headed down to the office just a short walking distance away. When I arrived they were all surprised to see me and I had to go through another rendition of my journey. They set me up with a cubicle so I setup my computer and started to tackle the awaiting emails.

As the day progressed I was able to speak with the HR department and they explained what would need to happen. In concert with the Saudi GRO (Government Relations Officer) they were able to get the required documents and begin the process. As afternoon came I began to feel tiredness and wondered if I would be able to last the rest of the day. I got up and walked around for a few minutes and felt refreshed enough to go back to my computer and continue on. The rest of the day went fairly quick and by the time I knew it, it was 6 pm. I shut down my computer, loaded everything up in my backpack and headed back to the hotel. When I arrived I noticed a Friday’s under the hotel and made a mental note to grab some dinner there. I went up to my room and unloaded and headed back down. The meal was pleasant not really very crowded. I meandered for about an hour and decided to head back to the room and call it an early night. I sent Diane a text because I knew she was in class but she had less than an hour left. I told her I would be up for an hour and for her to call me when she got home. So I got changed for bed and waited reading my book for awhile. Well it wasn’t long and my eyelids were heavy and she still hadn’t called. I figured she either didn’t get the message or she was busy with something else so I headed to bed. Sleep came easy and I awoke to the annoying alarm at 5:30. I jumped in the shower got dressed and headed down to breakfast. The breakfast is always good at the hotel, another International style buffet but this one you could order eggs like you wanted. I ordered a green chilies and cheese omelet and gathered the remaining items while I waited. As usual breakfast was good and a short while later I was back on the street headed for the office.

Once back in my cube, I worked on project issues that had cropped up since the day before. I called my boss and talked to him for awhile and assured him I was working diligently and not on the streets of Dubai shopping and sight seeing. He affirmed and as usual told me to stay out of trouble. Needless to stay I never get in trouble except when I am traveling through airports as this re-enactment confirms. I sent an email enquiring about my renewal and received an email from the local GRO asking me to call him. I placed the call and he explained where they were at and that he would be by shortly to pickup my Passport. I continued on with my work and realized that it was getting close to time for some lunch. I walked in to my SLM’s (Service Level Manager) office and asked if he was interested. Earlier the Manager, he and I had made arrangements to meet for dinner that night at my hotel. So David declined and said he would be fine until that evening. So I rode the elevator down and walked next door to my favorite little grocery and picked up a sandwich some chips and a Pepsi Max. I paid for it and headed back up to the office. I sat and ate my lunch and checked the news on the Internet and just chilled for awhile. A little while later I heard someone come through the door and ask where I was at. I heard them say that way and he showed up at my cube and asked for my Passport. We talked for a few minutes at how all of this had transpired and he said he thought it would be a few days and I would probably have it by Monday. So I confirmed that I should go ahead and book my flight but he said Inshalla Monday, which if you remember means Allah’s will. Basically he had no clue so I thanked him and he was on his way. When I travel on rotation I don’t take a lot of clothes with me because I have plenty at home. So I was in a bind because I had two shirts with me and a couple of new jeans I had picked up while I was home. I went in and told David that I was going to have to go somewhere and get a few shirts to tie me over since it would probably be a few days. He offered to take me because he knew of a place not far that had what I was looking for. So we planned to head out around 4 for a few minutes and then come back because he had a conference call.

At 4 he arrived at my cube and said lets go. So we rode down to the ground level and went to his car parked behind in a parking garage. As we drove he told me about the place we were going and for me to be sure to barter with the guy because it was expected. I had been there before and knew quite well what was expected. We arrived a short time later and pointed out the stores I needed to try. I walked into the first one and immediately found what I was looking for. They were knockoffs of a designer label at the stamped price of 215 Dirhams. This calculated was around $59 US dollars. I explained to him I didn’t even pay that for the originals and he said he would give them to me for 165. This was still pretty expensive but the quality was good and I agreed. I walked out of there with what I needed and went in search of David. I called his cell and he was around in a few minutes. We headed back to the office and finished out the day. Later around 8 that evening Martin, David and I we met at the restaurant in the hotel and had a nice dinner of cheese burgers and fries. We enjoyed ourselves in conversation and food and before we knew it, it was nearly 11:30. I told them I needed to get to bed, they agreed and we paid the bill and headed in our separate directions. I headed back to my room once again dressed for bed and crashed only to be awoken again at 5:30 by the annoying alarm. Again I jumped out of bed got ready and headed off to the office. I stopped in Costa for a quick caffeine fix and arrived as normal around 7’ish. I immediately started in on project issues and the day progressed quickly. Around 12 I stopped in to see Martin and asked if he was up for some KFC for lunch so we headed out. It was a short walk and we conversed over chicken and Pepsi. When we returned to the office we planned on meeting that afternoon to discuss some issues at site and I was back at my cube pounding out emails and history to be discussed. We met later that afternoon and before I knew it, it was time to leave the day had flown by very quickly.

Again sleep came very easily and I knew that my body clock was back in sync with the local time and drifted off. Tomorrow was Friday and my day off and I planned to sleep in as long as possible. When the alarm went off around 8, I crawled out of bed and enjoyed a hot long shower and pondered what to do with myself for the day. Lazily I got dressed went down to breakfast and enjoyed a breakfast of fruit, yogurt and cereal. I went back to my room grabbed my book, turned on FOX News and read for an hour or so. I decided that I didn’t want to be cooped up in my room all day so I decided to walk to the office, catch up on emails and work on the Blog. So you are all caught up now with my adventure. It is now Friday close to 2 pm and I am ready to grab some lunch maybe take a nap and just VEG out with some TIVO. Hope you have enjoyed this with me so far and the end is close. I will hopefully complete my journey in a few days and will be sure to bring you up to date and how it all ends.

Work rest and return….. (Part 2)

Well I got to the gate to check-in for my flight, as on most International flights they have to check your Passport and Visa to make sure you are valid for flying. So I hand her my Passport and she asked where my Visa was, I turned to the page and showed her. She said “I can’t read Arabic so where is the English version?” I explained to her that we don’t get that version so she had to figure out who else could look at it and confirm. She made a call and said someone would be there in a few minutes. So I grabbed a seat and pulled out my cell and called Diane. While we are talking, they make an announcement that the Pilot has come down ill and they are getting a replacement and the flight may be delayed for a short time. We talked for a few minutes and they called me back to the desk. When I got there I handed the guy my Passport and he starts reading it. He says he reads Arabic but he doesn’t understand the dates so he pulls up the calendar to try and calculate what remains on the Visa. After going back and forth, checking the dates and verifying what date I started, how many times I have been out since I got it and where, he determined that it looked ok but if I got to Amsterdam and they denied me it wouldn’t be his fault. I told him I understood and sat back down. About 30 minutes later they called the flight and we started boarding. So I had already made up my mind that once I got on the plane and we were in the air, that I would take my Advil PM, eat dinner and then head off to Never-Never land. That’s pretty much how it went and I was pleased that I dozed off fairly quickly as they removed the last plate from my little table.

About an hour out of Amsterdam they woke us up for breakfast. Usually it is pretty good and this time was no exception. We arrived a little late due to the fact they had to get a new Pilot and they had to wait on the Tarmac for something to be loaded. We made pretty good time as he was able to make up some of it with a good tail wind. So I exit the plane head off to relax and get a shower for the next part of the journey. Just to be on the safe side I called the HR Manager at the site and told him about the issues the night before. He said he would go online and check my Visa and call me back. Well time passed really quickly and I hadn’t heard back from him and it was time to head for the gate. The walk was about 8 minutes and while I was heading there he called and confirmed my fears that it was in fact expired. When I got to the gate they also identified that it was expired and they started taking my luggage off the plane. They apologized and told me I needed to go to the transfer desk and re schedule my flight and see what they suggested to get it renewed. So I grabbed my gear off the X-ray machine and found a seat and called my boss to let him know what had happened. He of course was not pleased but he understood and told me to let him know what KLM said. So once again I headed back into the Terminal and found the transfer desk. With all the new technology most of the airlines have gone to self serve Kiosks. As I approached I saw a young lady from KLM and explained my circumstance. She sent me through a gate to talk to her colleagues and see what they suggested.

So once again I explained my problem and they started looking to see what could be done. After about 10 minutes they decided the best thing for me to do was take the train to The Hague and go to the Saudi Embassy the next day. I loaded up my hand carry bags and went through immigration to get my luggage. It was waiting for me when I arrived so I took out what I thought I would need for one night and put the rest in storage. After securing my locker I headed off to find the train station. Unfortunately in Amsterdam most of the signage and Kiosks are in Dutch, which you might now I don’t know how to speak. So after stumbling around for a few minutes, I found the train office and went to purchase a ticket. When I got to the window I explained to the train attendant where I needed to go and what I required and he told me to go see if I could even get a Hotel before he sent me all the way there. So I headed back into the Arrival terminal and found the Hotel desk. She looked for what was available close to where I needed to be and finally identified one. The rate was decent and I had her book it for me. She printed out my confirmation and I took it back to the train office and got my tickets. The train was due to leave around 4:58 which was about thirty minutes. So I walked around for a few minutes and then headed for the ramp. Just as I arrived so did the train. The ride was supposed to be around 30 minutes so I settled in. Now the way I understood, the train was supposed to be non stop but we made two stops and I started getting a little concerned. Everyone around me was speaking Dutch so I was a little doubtful that I could find someone that spoke English to ask. On the Third stop I spoke to a man standing next to me and asked him if the train was non stop and he shrugged. Another guy waiting to get off spoke a little English and said I needed to change trains and just follow him.

Luckily the train we needed to get on was waiting when we got there so the switch was quick and painless. We rode for another 10 or 15 minutes and we were there. Now I am usually pretty good about finding my way around, but with everything in Dutch I was having a few issues. The girl at the Hotel desk had written down what I needed to do once I got there so I looked for the Tram I was supposed to get on. I found a sign and headed up to the tracks only to realize that I thought I was on the wrong side. So I went back down and up the other side only to realize that I thought it was going in the wrong direction so I walked back down and back up to the same place I had been. Well still not convinced I was in the correct place, I headed back down to look for the Tram office. After stumbling around the Train/Tram station I finally located the office and stood in line for my turn. After about 5 minutes I finally made it to the window and told the gent where I was going and how did I get there. He explained it to me and it was in fact the same place I started out and I could just pay the Tram driver. So I headed back up to the platform and waited with everyone else. The Tram arrived a short while later I got on paid the driver and we were off. The short ride took about 10 minutes and I was back on the street looking for some sign of the direction I was supposed to go to get to the hotel. After a few minutes of looking around I spotted the sign for the hotel and walked that way. A couple of blocks away I found it and checked in. I dropped off my things in the room and went in search of some food. The front desk suggested an Italian place a short walk so I ventured out to find it. He was right it was a short walk, maybe a block away and I went in. He sat me at a table close to the square so I could look out the window while I was eating. It was so quaint and very pleasing to see how the Europeans spend there time. As I looked out I saw small Bistro’s, pubs and restaurants where they were partaking of spirits and food and enjoying conversation. The Italian restaurant was true to nature and very authentic. I ordered probably one of the best pizza’s I have had in my life. I ate and watched for about an hour, paid my bill was very reasonable and walked back to the hotel.

My plan had worked by sleeping the flight to Amsterdam and staying awake the rest of the day as sleep came very quickly after reading a couple of chapters in my book. The next morning I got up around 5:30, showered and headed to breakfast. It was a small buffet of International cuisine, sliced meats, cheeses, eggs, lots of different breads to choose from, yogurt juices coffee and teas. I had a small feast and was pleasantly filled when I had finished. I headed back to my room to call the Embassy and find out exactly where it was located. When I got no answer I headed down stairs to ask the front desk. She looked everything up on the Internet and showed me where to catch the Tram. I thanked her and took the map she had provided and headed out to find my destination. Again I was stricken by non Dutch and I walked in the wrong direction once again and turned around and went the other way. Still unable to find the landmarks that were on the map, I ventured off in the direction I was sure was the way. Well after walking for about 3 blocks, I noticed the Golden Arches and slumbered in to see if I could get some directions. Thankfully a gentlemen standing waiting on his Danish and coffee pointed me in the right direction. I was just across the street from where I needed to be. I thanked him and exited to the street and made across the street in time to catch the number 2 headed toward my destination. I clambered aboard the TRAM paid the driver and we were off. Two stops later I exited the TRAM and walked the block to the Embassy area. I walked along looking for the Saudi flag but could not find it. Luckily I stumbled on it after about 5 minutes. I rang the bell and waited. A tall man in a business suit opened the door and asked if he could help me. I explained my circumstances and he told me to have a seat in the waiting area as the Embassy personnel would not be available until 9:00.

I took a seat and waited for no more than 5 minutes when another man walks in and asks me why I am there. Again I explained and told him and he said I would have to come back in a couple of hours because the Consulate would not be available until then. I thanked him looked at my watch and headed out the door. I pondered whether to head back to the TRAM station or walk the 5 or 6 blocks, I chose the later. It was cool and breezy and the brisk walk soon led to a very warm and getting sweaty feeling. I unzipped my jacket and continued my trek towards the direction of the hotel. The time went quickly and I found myself back in my room in no more than 10 minutes. As I opened my Laptop to see if I had any news, there was an email from one of the guys at the site that new of the Passport agency that could help. I rang their phone once again explained and she said I need to bring my Passport to their office so they could look at it. Amazingly their office was one block from the Embassy where I had just walked from so I threw my jacket back on and headed back. Again the walk was quick and I found the building with no problem. I got off the elevator on the 4th floor and again went through the entire process of why I was there starting with my experience in Houston. They listened intently and then responded with, it will probably impossible to do because my company was not located in Holland and I had to have this and that and there was really no way to get it. My option was to return to Houston or maybe I could go to the U.A.E. and see if they could process it there. I again thanked them and headed back to the hotel to call the site and give them my news.

I reached my boss on the phone as the HR manager was unavailable. We briefly spoke and I explained the options and he was ready for me to just head back to Houston but he wanted to go check with HR before he made the decision. I could already see myself back on the plane headed back, 10 more hours in the plane and arriving to a puzzled Diane. He handed the cell phone to the HR manager and I explained the options. He said give him 30 minutes and he would check with Dubai to see if they could actually do this. By this time I am crossing my fingers because I really wanted to get back at least close to the Saudi time zone so I could work. After 30 minutes he sent me an email and said book your flight Dubai says they can do it. Well that was good enough for me I immediately got KLM on the phone to get my last leg routed to Dubai instead of Saudi. After going through the automated garb I finally spoke to a real person. She informed me that the flight was booked by Continental and they could not change the ticket I would have to call Continental. I hung up and called Continental and began all over again. After 10 or 15 minutes we worked it out and it cost a lot but I had a ticket. I packed my remaining items and headed back to the TRAM station to get back to the Train station to head back to the airport. The walk was short the TRAM arrived about 5 minutes later and we were at the Train station in 5 more. I hopped off, grabbed my stuff and headed to the boards to see what time the Train left. Luckily I was 5 minutes away from pulling out so I jumped on board and we took off. The ride was 25 minutes with one stop and I was back where I started the day before. As I got off the Train and headed back upstairs to the Departure hall, I thought about the last 12 hours and my experience. Not a lot accomplished but a nice side trip to a quaint little city with lots of history and charm. So this is where I am going to stop and you can catch the conclusion in the next edition………

Work, rest and the return…..? (Part One)

Well it was a very busy three weeks, the trip to Cincy was exciting and very busy. We left on Wednesday with all of our luggage, tools, and Kimber in tow. We arrived at the Airport with no excitement, parked the car at the lot and hopped the shuttle. We arrived in plenty of time after going through Security we stopped off at the bookstore to grab a novel so I would have something to read on the plane. When we got to the gate we sat down and waited maybe 15 minutes before they were calling our flight. As we boarded the plane, which was about 1/3 full, we all strapped in watched the safety briefing and we were on our way. The flight was very smooth and uneventful and we arrived in Cincy on time. We got off the plane and headed to get our bags, well at least we thought so. Since we had never been in Cincy before we followed the signs, right, well not really. After we had walked the full length of the runway to Terminal B we realized that Baggage claim was in the opposite direction. So we stopped for a potty break and then headed back the way we came. Since it was such a long walk, we opted to take the Train back. Sure enough we had walked right past the Baggage area. You feel kinda like you were a little foolish but I always follow the Baggage claim signs and must have missed it.

We collected our luggage which was coming off as we arrived and headed for the Avis bus. It was a short 5 minute ride but check-in took a little longer. We finally got our paperwork and waited outside for them to bring the vehicle around. It turned out there were two of the same Grand Prix and the guy in front of us got ours so they figured it all out and we were on our way to see Christopher. I had gotten Diane a GPS for Christmas and she just loves it, so she plugged “Mandy” in and she was instructing us how to get to our destination. Let me tell you if you don’t have a GPS it is well worth the investment. About 15 minutes later we were in downtown Cincy parking across the street from Christopher’s office. As we exited the car he was waiting across the street for us. He took us on the nickel tour of his fine establishment and then we headed to a rendezvous with Karen for lunch. The place was about two blocks from his office so we walked and arrived at a small Sports Bar which was serving Homemade Meatloaf for lunch. Karen arrived about 10 minutes later and the food had just gotten there.

Lunch was delicious and it was time to head out so we walked Karen back back to the car, she had to go back to work but Christopher had taken the rest of the day off and rode with us to his house. Once we arrived he gave us the grand tour of the house and showed us all the opportunities for the week. The house is one hundred and thirteen years old so you can imagine what lay ahead of us. We started planning on what needed to happen first or should I say what we wanted to tackle. We carried our things upstairs to the Penthouse where we would all be staying and unpacked our things and got our living accommodations in order. After we all loaded up in the Grand Prix and headed to the Depot and Meier a Wal-Mart like store. We picked up some necessary supplies and headed back to the house. Once we got there I started looking at the electrical situation and Diane and Kimber started taping the base boards and preparing things to paint. We determined what was what and where some things were going, and it was time for dinner. Tomorrow we would start getting things in order.

So the next day, I started pulling plugs out of the wall to try and figure out why the power to the Penthouse was not working. The first plug I pulled I found the culprit, there were burned wires in the outlet box. As I reviewed Christopher’s electrical map that he and Karen had made for me, I found a lot of plugs and lights on one circuit. Meanwhile Diane and Kimber began painting the Office upstairs. There were a lot of bad places in the plaster that had to be scrapped so that new could be installed before they painted. Three of the walls were doable so they started on those. By lunch time they had two of the three walls painted and I had made some more headway in finding wires. When Christopher and Karen got home we worked till around 9:30 or so and then retired for bed. Christopher took Friday off so we could try and get as much electrical identified and get what was required to replace and repair. We took another drive to the Depot and picked up a new panel, breakers, Romex, and other items we would need.

We worked diligently through the weekend, and after dropping Josh and Cassie off at the Airport on Sunday we accomplished a lot. The Parlor was finished with paint and new curtains, the Office was painted with exception to the outside wall which needed some plaster work, and the Hall was completed with paint. Christopher and I replaced the panel and the rest of the cables and were almost finished by the time we needed to leave for the Airport. Unfortunately not completely finished so I made an executive decision to delay our flight a day and Diane and Karen dropped Kimber off at the Airport for her flight home. Josh and Cassie graciously offered to pick her up so we could have the car when we returned the next day. On the way back from the Airport, the girls stopped by and picked up some great barbecue. When dinner was over we headed back to get as much as we could get completed because we had only about 5 hours on Wednesday before we had to be at the Airport.

So Wednesday was a flurry, we got up early, saw Christopher and Karen off and said our goodbyes once again. Diane set herself to strip the beds, straighten up the house, wash clothes, kept me in coffee, and even baked the kids some cookies, while I struggled to get everything else completed with the electrical. By about 1:00 I was finished had everything packed up and we headed to the Airport. Unfortunately we didn’t make it before the flight was loading so they booked us for the next flight. We decided to check our bags in early and find some food. As we rode the train to Terminal B we discussed the week’s events and were pleased with what we had accomplished. We feasted on Outback burgers and a salad and just relaxed since we had about two hours to kill. Did a little shopping and of course stopped by Starbucks and grabbed a quick coffee and headed to the gate. We waited about 30 minutes and the flight was on time. We boarded the plane and two and a half hours later we were back in Houston.

The rest of the time home was a flurry of activity. Candy and Griff threw a heck of a couples shower for Josh and Cassie at their house, Diane had to go back to work and on Tuesday we headed to the Moody Gardens Aquarium with the FBC Preschool. I had to get items to take back to Saudi, get fitted for a Tux for Josh and Cassie’s wedding, pay for labor and pad to replace bad carpet, and of course spend time with my lovely wife. As the end of rotation was here, Josh and
Cassie met us at The Deluxe Cafe for dinner with Bob and Dee Dee for her birthday and their anniversary. Afterward they took them back to their hotel and we stopped by Josh’s to pick them up and take them home with us as they were going to the Airport to drop me off. We made it home around 10’ish and all headed off to bed. The next day I got up and took the Passat to Discount to get a slow leak fixed. It took more time than I wanted and ended up with a new tire which was fine because Diane would be driving the VW while her car was being repaired. I made it home around 11 and tried to finish up all that I wanted to get finished and of course finish packing and grab a shower before the trip. By 1:30 we were in the car headed to meet Kimber for lunch at Lupe Tortillas. We all enjoyed the quick lunch and conversation before I had to say goodbye to Kimber. We had decided that on our way to the Airport, we would stop by and see the house that Josh and Cassie had made an offer for. They had found it in a subdivision close to Intercontinental called Falls Creek. It is a lovely house with lots of room and only a couple of years old.

As we hopped in the car to head to the Airport, I called mom and talked with her a little and caught up on the Cincy trip and the happenings in Abilene with the fam. Traffic was light so we made great time getting to the Airport. We unloaded and headed to check-in and the lines were short and we had about an hour and some change to spare. After a few minutes I told them they might as well go there was no point in them waiting I would just go chill and read my book. So we said our tearful goodbyes and they watched as went through security. One last wave and a blown kiss and I headed towards the gate and eventually my final destination? Yeah I don’t think so but that is for the next installment……

Almost time......

Well it’s almost that time, 5 days and counting.

Well today started out with a bang, a major dust storm has blown in and we are all breathing heavy with the powdery stuff hanging in the air. Even when you walk down the halls in the building you can see the haze. It is expected in this part of the world so I guess you have to take the good with the bad, more of the later ;).

I don’t have a lot to report, we are still making progress on our IT projects, we have moved people in both new buildings now, the network is up and running in the new CMT building but the equipment still hasn’t arrived for the 2 Story. I got a call from the vendor yesterday and he told me that it would all be onsite no later than Thursday…. Inshalla. So of course IT is getting blamed for the equipment not being installed and the network not running. Oh well those who really matter know the truth.

So that’s about it for now, my flight departs here on the 16th and I am looking forward to heading home. I always dread the long flight but I will be there soon enough and that is what matters. Oh and a small update to the Cincy trip, Kimber is now going with us and Josh and Cassie are flying up for the weekend to help in all the fun activities. Christopher published a nice LONG list of things for us to do while we are there, looks like instead of 6 days we may be there for 6 months :). Just kidding Christopher I know you had enough of your family while you were growing up, we won’t disturb your adult hood with that much Kayos. Please be in prayer for our wonderful friends Candy and Griff, his mother has been in the hospital and Candy has been juggling the shower for Josh and Cassie while spending many a day and night with Oneita at the hospital. Diane said that they were bringing her home today and will be staying with her at her home while she recovers. These guys are too much they are such giving people and we love and cherish them as friends. Thanks Candy and Griff you are just very special people and very good friends.

Ok that’s all, I will get off and let you get back to whatever you were doing, hope everyone is doing great and that we see as many of you as possible while I am home, check out the new links I added.

Well it's about time......

Hello America this Paul Harvey, stand by for news….

Well it has been awhile since we’ve had a talk so I thought I would fill you in on what’s been happening here in the Sand Box.

About a month ago I decided to leave the quiet yet not so quiet confines of the Rezayat Compound. This was due to both of my rides, literally a vehicle, would be moving to the Western Park Compound. This nice western (as its named) atmosphere has only been open about 6 months. It was built with the Western Expat (Expatriate) in mind. Nice queen size bed, running water, dinning facility, full workout gym, swimming pool….. well you get the idea. Anyway the move was relatively easy, John (my boss) arrived back from his rotation in lovely cold and snowy Montana. He was on the ground two days and said, “if you’re moving we need to do it tomorrow”. Of course I was loathing the idea of packing all the “Stuff” I had brought with me but it was a necessity. So Tuesday night I started packing as much as I could in the three suitcases I had at my disposal.

Well time well spent, I had most of two suitcases packed up and ready to go by 2100 (oh that’s 9:00PM Military time). I neatly crammed them back in my closet so that it was not too apparent to the room boy the next day. Of course if he looked really hard he would see that most of my belongings were gone that had been neatly strewn around the room, doesn’t take a genius to figure out when a chicken is about to fly the coop :). Anyway we had decided that we would leave work the next day exactly at 1700 just to make sure we had plenty of time in case we had to make two trips. Both of us are pack rats and we had brought enough clothes to last us for at least three years and then some.

Well Wednesday came and the day flew by with high expectations of getting everything moved and unpacked before sleep hit. As we loaded up and headed to the Rezayat, we conversed about what to expect from our new abode. John and I were two of the first to check out the facility a few months back, we spent two nights there and ate like kings. Of course you know that always changes, they bait you with classy food, anything you want while you are here, on the house of course, and then it all changes once you really commit. John couldn’t wait for the food again, me I couldn’t wait for a super fast Internet where I could stream my Slingbox and watch my favorite shows….. NOT!!!!!!

We arrived at the Rezayat around 1730’ish and both went to our rooms to finish packing the small stuff loading up and movin’ on out. Well in less than an hour, we had all our stuff in suitcases, Panda (local grocery) bags, water boxes, etc packed, crammed, pushed, squeezed into every nook and cranny of the Trailblazer. I ended up with my hanging clothes and other loose items on my lap for the short 20 KM (12.43 miles) ride. We decided not to stop at the front desk and turn in our keys, mostly because we didn’t want the confrontation that we were leaving their fine facility and we would be missed, plus the fact that if we happened to have left something tucked away we forgot about we could easily go back and get it. We exited the large sliding iron gates, waved our goodbyes to the guards and were off.

The ride was quiet, I’m sure not because we were reminiscing about what we were leaving behind, but that both of us were out of breath, sweating because it was about 35 degrees outside and we were both in jackets. We arrived at our destination about 20 minutes later after we finagled how we were supposed to get there. It had been awhile for both of us and we finally realized where we needed to turn. The facility is off the main Dammam highway about ¼ mile between some old labor camps, truck parking lots, well parking dirt, and more dirt. The ride down what little pavement they had was bumpy, and for one to drive it they needed to be very cautious due to the influx of local India(n) and Filipino folks EVERYWHERE! We arrived safely at the “new” sliding iron gate and waited for them to allow us to enter. Immediately the gates opened and we told them we were there to check in. the Filipino Security Manager remembered us and waived and said “good evening sirs, welcome”. What a nice way to be greeted, we were both pleased with our entrance.

As we walked through the lobby doors, we were greeted again with “good evening sirs” another warm and cozy feeling, we both looked at each other and just grinned. The desk clerk asked how he could help us and John said we were from KBR. His face lit up and said, “oh you must be Mr. Young and Mr. Moorhead, we have been expecting you.” Wow what a welcome, we felt at home with a nice staff to support us as well. We both signed the document handed to us, told them we would bring our Passports back for them to scan later as they were packed away in our garb. He showed us on the map where we would be housed and that we would be met there to help unload our belongings. We piled back in the Trailblazer and drove a short distance to our building. As we got there we were met with smiling faces and open arms. What took John and I an hour to load, took all four of us less than 10 minutes to unload. That night I got mostly everything unpacked and in its place before 2100 and was ready to hit the bed. As I dressed and made my coffee for the next day, I was pleased that I had made the decision to come there, it was going to be a new experience but an enjoyable one. My head hit the pillow and I don’t remember anything until the alarm went off at 3:30 the next morning.

So now you know … the rest of the story.

Ok so my new address if you want to send cards and letters, packages, food, etc....

Mr. Stan Young
Western Park Residential & Business Complex
P.O. Box 448 - Room 5016
Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia 31951

So it’s about time for my next rotation, man time fly’s when you‘re having fun! Just 14 days 7 hours and 18 minutes, who me keep a Countdown clock, never ;). Anyway the plan is to fly home on February 16th, one good day to catch up on some sleep, then back in the air headed for Cincinnati to see Christopher and Karen. They have been having some electrical issues in their new place and he wants ole dad to come up and see if I can help him trace and replace some electrical wiring. So Diane and I are going to take a nice little air trip and see if we can help out. Should be a lot of fun and we are both looking forward to it. After that it is back to Texas City for another week and a half in time for Josh and Cassie’s couples shower/dinner at our amazing friends house Candy and Griff Temple. It should be another Grand event. As you well know from my “wedding” blog, Candy was instrumental in helping put Kimber’s wedding together with all the decorations and extravagance. Have I told you how wonderful Candy and Griff are? They are very special people and you are missing it if you don’t know them. So with the plans set and I am sure more Honey Do’s waiting for me, the three weeks will be very quick but hopefully relaxing and very enjoyable.

Around here, ah not too much to tell, pretty much the same ole same, day to day I.T. stuff. I guess one piece of good news is that we are finally making some headway on our new buildings. We should be able to start moving people in tomorrow to one of them and “if” the equipment gets in hopefully the other building next week. So I hope you are all having a great new year and things are moving ahead for you. Pray that this financial crisis will soon be over and we can rest easy. Hope to see you soon, take care and keep the light on for me.

P.S. for those of you that would like to see the new place, login to