Short 2

I have a lot of time to think out here. Some thoughts I've had in the past day:

1. I'm going to write a paper on how to be a good teacher. This is for my benefit. I'm not sure anyone else will gain anything. But my methods of instruction have worked so far, so who knows.
2. I'm going to actively take part in a political party upon my return to the States.
3. Eisenhower smoked four packs of cigarettes per day and became president... while I don't think this would be beneficial to any campaign these days, I find it impressive.
4. I look more respectable with a 1-2 fade than with long(er) hair. Picture to follow.
5. Reading books about military history and overall leadership at work is not only enjoyable, but is accepted by the senior officers... 215 seemingly automated days remaining doesn't seem that long or boring anymore.
6. Note to self - look into career as military historian / public speaker.
7. I need to be more interesting...

1. I've been wondering how I'm so comfortable speaking in front of an audience, and how I get that audience to not only listen, but WANT to listen. How I get in a "groove" with communicating with people. If I ever finish this paper, you'll see one word a lot: friendship. That's all I know so far.
2. Since I'll be leaving the military, I want to help out in some other way. I doubt I'll be heading to any office that's shaped anything other than "cubicle" or "maintenance vehicle", but we'll see. I'm not THAT charismatic or appealing!
3. Nothing more to say about that really. But jeez: 80 cigarettes! At the peak of my smoking career, I could never smoke more than 30 in one day. I guess I'm not even half the man Eisenhower was.
4. I got my hair cut significantly shorter. Immediately after, numerous people at Division HQ were seen smiling at me. Perhaps they were politely not laughing. I think I had my hair this short when I met Jen though, so maybe I'm more handsome this way? Though I remember looking like a malnourished hostage in high school when I shaved my head.
5. This is how I came about with the four packs of cigs information... like I said - enjoyable. It certainly makes the time go by faster. And the O-6 approves, so it can't be wrong.
6. Based off of my recent doorway that opened to the treasure of military literature I have at my disposal, I will probably be well qualified to clean house in any Jeopardy! category that involves war. If my "education paper" and ideas go into syndication, I should probably go on tour. That is, assuming my music career doesn't result in more stardom than "Frankie Goes to Hollywood"(Relax!(Don't Do It!)).
7. I know my wife loves me, but I can make her happier by being a better, more well-rounded, and diverse person. I know my children love me, but I can better support them by being able to take more of an active role in anything they want me to. I'm a pretty basic person right now. The only things I'm really good at, are the military and food(eating a lot of it). I don't have a lot of talents to share with anybody; nothing interesting, nothing exciting.

This certainly wasn't meant to end on a depressing note, and I hope you didn't take it that way. Like I said before - just thoughts I've had in the past day. Goodnight.

-C

at work

There’s kind of a lull at the moment at work, so I’m writing this in the office. I actually DON’T have anything better to do in case you’re wondering. When I’m not doing training, my job pretty much consists of being a “gopher” – “Go for this, go for that”. I do some administrative stuff, some operations stuff, some travel stuff. I just got done checking the box scores for last night’s NBA games. Good job, Celtics once again. It’s kind of scary to see a team as talented as they are only barely squeak by a perennially weak and underachieving team like the Bobcats. I think underachieving is a good term for them. Charlotte has a lot of talent, but just can’t seem to put it together. I think they’re just trying to discover their style; trying to discover the best way for them to play together. On the same token, I see a lot of teams in the NBA that are “underachievers”. As much as I’d like to be, I am not a sports columnist… maybe someday, but not now. So, carrying on with my usual self –

Yesterday at dinner I met my cousin (-in-law?), Rob Crotty. We spoke for a little while. He actually kind of surprised me when he came up to me and asked if my first name was Corey. I didn’t realize it was him at first, all I saw was the silver bar indicating his commission. Of course, I responded appropriately, and then toned down a little once there was some recognition. Rob seems like a good guy. I’m sure I’ll get responses: “Of course he’s a good guy”. I don’t mean it like I’m surprised he’s a good guy, it just makes me happy to meet a good and happy person out here. A lot of the time we only see the sour and begrudgingly happy faces. Rob had an authentic smile, like he was genuinely pleased to meet me. I hope I came across the same way. I hope I don’t have a false attitude that I’m not aware of. One more item of note in our encounter… he’s tall! I slouch quite a bit now, but I take some pride in being one of the taller (if not the tallest) member of our family. I wonder if he’s taller than me. In any case my friend, Jamie, saw Kaeleb not too long ago and said that “he’s going to be the next Paul Bunyon”. He said the kid is absolutely gigantic. So I think we can bank on Kael being tall also – maybe taller than me.

Good things seem to happen in bunches for me. Yesterday I also got a package from my Aunt Julia and Uncle Jim. I’ve already talked about how much of an NBA fan I am, so I’ll go ahead and throw out the fact that the best gift I’ve received yet has been a Golden State Warriors opening night T-shirt. I think these could only have been received at the game itself so it’s really something amazing. Thank you for all the books also; a couple of those are exactly what I’ve been looking for – history that won’t put me to sleep. I also received a Thanksgiving card from my Grandma in Omaha, and it’s very nice to hear what’s happening back in the motherland. I only hear bits and pieces of what’s going on in everybody’s lives through brief conversations with my parents (who I only call about once or twice a month). Does everybody want to live in secrecy?! I’m proud of what I do, so I want to tell you about it. I hope that didn’t come across as arrogance, but you’ll never tell me anyway. I don’t want to keep tabs on everyone, but we’ve all got such large families that updates on the ins-and-outs of daily life are often lost or downplayed in the fray. I guess what I’m getting at is: talk to each other, and let people know how you’re doing. Or just be lazy like me and write a blog so you only have to tell your story once, and everyone can hear it at their own pace. Wow, I am lazy. Or my communication skills have gone down hill faster than I thought.

In a short and concise response to a comment asking what my usual or typical meals are like: Bountiful yet plain. Isn’t that the same slogan as Hooter’s? I know it’s not, but I tried. The variety of food served at every meal, spare breakfast, is terrific. For breakfast we can get eggs scrambled or as an omelet with many different additions such as ham, cheese, mushroom, peppers, and onions. There is always oatmeal or grits. Pancakes or french toast is always served. Finally, the coffee is hardly tasty, but always blistering hot. My mouth has turned into asbestos in an adaptive effort to ignore the pain. Consequently, I think the coffee tastes okay now. Lunch and dinner are always and yet - never the same. Which translates into: the food comes in different shapes and sizes, but the variety is served on a regular rotation, so there’s never any pleasant surprises. I usually nap in lieu of lunch. Every Friday they have steak, shrimp, scallops, and crab legs. I’ve only eaten the steak once. Everybody told me that the food out here was good. It WAS good, and then I got used to it. Now I crave some of Jen’s macaroni and teriyaki tuna steaks more than ever. Whenever you guys come see us when you get a chance, I’ll bribe her to make it for you. I haven’t eaten any chicken yet. I stopped eating chicken for some odd reason some equally odd number of years ago. It wasn’t until I was married that Jen made some chicken that I ate. No reason for me not to like it… probably the same non-reason that I don’t like chocolate. I just don’t. Of course there is free Baskin Robbins ice cream and cookies out here, but I don’t eat ice cream either. I did for about a month when I first got here, but then suddenly realized that it’s too sweet for my tastes.

Alright, that’s enough for now, I should get back to “work”.

-C

Underwhelmed. Maybe?

I experienced my first helicopter ride two days ago. If you can guess from the title of this post, I was a little disappointed. I don't know what I was expecting -excitement, exhiliration, some thrill that I've imagined and thought about for a long time? None of those feelings were there. We lifted off and I looked out the rear right window as we powered over the city of Baghdad. I had no feeling; I wasn't nervous or intoxicated with the least bit of adrenaline. Nothing except a hope vanishing in disappointment.

I went to the International Zone (IZ) with a lieutenant and another first class to conduct training with some army folks. I was finally doing my job. No more Excel spreadsheets. I took about 25 pictures or so. Due to my late arrival back on Victory Base Complex (VBC), I haven't had any time during the "good" hours of internet to upload any photos. I must say that the IZ is amazing. Compared to VBC where we walk on dirt roads and have very little vegitation, the IZ is in the middle of Baghdad where there are asphalt roads, an abundance of palm trees, and breathtaking monuments. One of the people we knew there is a fairly high ranking officer. He let us out on his balcony which is about 400 square feet of absolute astonishment. I took most of my pictures here. The atmosphere was pretty hazy due to the winds, but the view was still admirable. We walked around other parts of the IZ and saw numerous features easily recognizable to anyone who watched the news before the war started. Until this point, there have been only two things in my life that have left me speechless - The Vatican, and the Grand Canyon. These palaces and mosques, and the work put into them were truly amazing. The monstrosity of a mosque on the horizon was unreal. It's a shame it will never be completed. If only I could've seen them before countless Tomohawk missles and JDAM bombs had gotten to them. In the evening before our return flight, a group of other navy personnel doing the same thing as us took us to the US Embassy for dinner. The best dinner I've had in months was eaten here. I had a turkey, ham, and swiss panini. It was delicious. We then smoked cigars and drank coffee (wish it was scotch) by the pool as US and foreign officers mingled with each other, all the while classic swing music was being played. Because of the older modeling of the embassy, and the music with people dancing in different uniforms, I really felt like I was in some sort of time warp. I had a good time for once.

Besides being delayed due to the winds, our flight back was signifcantly better than the originating flight. This time I sat right behind the pilots in the middle. I had a full view of everything they saw. I got to appreciate the attentiveness of the gunners. I think I had a feeling of importance also. Relatively speaking, I don't think many people get the opportunity to ride in a helo. I guess that makes me important in my book.

I'm currently recovering from one of the more unpleasant colds I've had in my life. I call it "Saddam's Revenge". It's going around. Some people are acting like it's the hantavirus. I'd like to think that I've always had a pretty strong immune system and I'm trying to convince myself that I'm no longer feeling the effects of the cold.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Another holiday away from home. Before I was married, missing a holiday stopped meaning anything to me in boot camp. I will get sad now, but not visually. I still have no regrets about joining the military. Not everyone has the opportunity to do what I do - to fight for something they really love. I almost feel like a glory hound. Like I want to always have the ability to do something righteous.

Happy Thanksgiving, all.

-C

anniversary (take some caffeine for this one)

No, this isn't my wedding anniversary in case you were wondering. Nine years ago I arrived in Great Lakes, IL as a Navy "recruit". I showed up with longer hair, no facial hair, no tattoos, no money, no car, no wife, no children, no education, no real knowledge of anything outside of Nebraska, and no credible experience with life. Nine years later, I have a beautiful wife and two loving children, two "luxury" cars (hence, still not much money), about half of a bachelor's degree, five tattoos, I've traveled Europe and now the Middle East, after being arrested twice (including Navy shore patrol once)- I consider myself quite street saavy, and unfortunately, I have to shave twice per day. I'll give you a brief accountance of the last nine years now...

After graduating Recruit Training Command (and getting meritoriously advanced) in January of 1999, I headed to the much more enjoyable climate of San Diego for all of my sonar basic and technical schools. I was overwhelmed here - I have never had to memorize so many numbers in my entire life. Even now, I wish I could forget them and clear my head for some information that I will actually use. Being a sonar technician is a lost art... I think during the Cold War, it would've been the most exciting job ever. It's not that I want an escalation of submarine threats to emerge, but I would surely be a lot busier and more involved if it should. I bought my first car in San Diego as an E-3 from a shady dealership on the "Mile of Cars". I had an 18.99% interest rate (if I recall correctly) on a 1993 Honda del Sol. Yes, it was a "chick car", but since they first appeared on the market in 1992, I believe, I had always wanted one. It was a good car. When it was time to "choose" orders at the end of my training, I remember desperately wanting to go to Japan. Well, "Needs of the Navy" ordered me to the USS Deyo DD-989 out of Norfolk Virginia.

I drove the del Sol to Norfolk in May of 2000 only to my surprise that my ship wasn't there. If I had arrived a week earlier, I would have been with the crew as it visited New Orleans for Fleet Week - definitely a good time. Looking back, I'm glad I wasn't there, or else my tally of involvement with the law would probably be three instead of two. In case you haven't figured it out, I was a young, dumb, and stupid sailor just trying to fit in. On the Deyo I completed two six-month Mediterranean deployments and finally decommissioned her in 2003. Honestly, it's sad to think about it. I will never be on a Spruance class destroyer again; no one will. I made the best friends of my life there. For one, Brian Miller, who was my old roommate and got in trouble with me a lot; and two, Jason Farmer, who was only on the ship for a short while. Brian was unique because you know that old saying or whatever where people say: it sucks working with your roommate because you see each other all day and then you see each other all night, and you just get tired of each other. Or even the fact that most people don't get along with their roommates at all. Brian was the exception to that. We were thick as thieves. We did everything together when we were roommates. We'd take turns ordering Denny's take-out while recovering from the night before. He was supposed to be the best man in my wedding, but the "Needs of the Navy" sent him to Iraq. He is still Gabriel's godfather though, and he'll always be a best friend. Jason amazed me more than anything - it could be a number of reasons why. When he got to the ship, I was senior to him and he "worked for me". Not really. We worked in the same workcenter and I was the supervisor. He was the only one I never had to get on about not doing anything. You could always find him doing what needed to be done. He needed no direction. It appeared that he already had planned out the rest of his life. Sure, he complained about things, but it was the same stuff I complained about - usually our boss, Jim. He was a whiz with computers, but wasn't a "nerd". He was actually in the Navy SEALs program until some sand or something scratched his cornea and he got booted. We're still good friends to this day, and he is the godfather of Kaeleb. Always a best friend.

I met my wife, Jennifer, about a week into my course of training that would eventually send me to St. Mawgan, UK. One of the best things about her is that she always wants to be around me. I never thought I had that magnetic of a personality, but hey, who's complaining? Not me. I remember the day Lord of the Rings part 3 came out in the theater. (I'm a huge LotR geek, by the way) I asked her last minute if she would want to go with me to the midnight showing of the film, and without hesitation she made the hour-plus drive from North Carolina to come see me. I still don't think she likes the films, but bares with me as I'm always reminding her of how super badass they are.

I was stationed at Royal Air Force Base St. Mawgan in April of 2004. I can't say a whole lot of good things about this place based on my experience. RAF St. Mawgan is in the "West Virginia" of England. County Cornwall is the very southwest county in England... farmland. Everyone else called it the West Virginia - it kind of reminded me of Nebraska. More than anything, I renewed my interest in soccer, and became an avid supporter of Newcastle United. Newcastle is an unfortunate club who always seems to be lost in "midtable obscurity". To all you non-footballers, that term means that they are traditionally one of the most average clubs in the English Premiership. They never fare any better than 6th or 7th place, but never worse than 14th. I didn't travel nearly as much as I'd liked to. I did make it up to Liverpool a few times to visit some good friends, and then to Gillingham once to go to some big club, which turned out to be a dive. I also appreciate a good lager (warm or cold) more than I ever had before. November of 2004, Gabriel was born and I was extremely happy to be able to make it back to the States for that event.

I left England on May 2nd of 2006, and got married four days later. Thank you to those of you that could make it. I do not fault anyone for not being present. I know it was not a good time to get married and expect people to be there with it being graduation time, and finals, and all of that. Jen and I honeymooned to St. Thomas. We had an amazing time while still getting sunburned to the point of agony. Ensure your bottle of sunscreen says 5 hour protection... NOT SPF 5.

I returned to Great Lakes, IL in June of 2006 to become an instructor. My arriving in Great Lakes was topsy turvy because my original orders got cancelled and shifted to Norfolk again... and then changed again to go to Great Lakes. I honestly did not want to go back to Illinois. I saw that nothing good could come out of it. I noticed I was totally wrong about four months into my tour. I really, really enjoy instructing. I'm not sure if it's because I'm teaching sailors right out of boot camp, or if it's the environment where I can tell sea stories that have meaning behind them, or if I'm just happy because of my good life. I can't figure it out. I was one of the lead instructors for the Navy's brand new school called Surface Common Core. I teach maintenance, linehandling, first aid, and CPR. I think since it's such a diverse curriculum, it never gets boring - I really enjoy it. In March of this year, Jennifer and I had our second boy, Kaeleb.

And that brings us to now... Baghdad. I volunteered at first, but then got turned down, and then my command submitted my name again (involuntarily), and here I am. Nine years in the Navy, and I've gotten a wider range of qualifications than most people will get in an entire career - I'm a Surface Warfare Specialist, Undersea Surveillance Specialist, Master Training Specialist, and if I'm lucky out here, I can get my Fleet Marine Force qualification, and maybe my Expeditionary Warfare qualification. I doubt that will happen, as I'm not that lucky. I'm a relatively smart person, but I can't figure out how I can finagle(sp?) that.

Nine years... wow. Jennifer and I have decided that we are getting out of the Navy when my current enlistment is expired. Yes, I said "we". No, Jen is not active duty. She is in the Navy with me. I don't want to be away from my family any more. I missed Gabe's birthday on the 13th. Yes, I cried of course. He's getting so big and smart - I just don't want to miss that development. Sonar Technicians are seagoers... our job is at sea, not on shore - so I'm guaranteed to go to a ship again, and do more six-month deployments. I figure that if I do 20 years in the military, I will do at least five more sea deployments, and probably another tour over here in the Middle East. That's at least three years of family time I can't get back. I love serving my country, but I love my family too. There's only two ways that I'd talk to Jen about possibly staying in the Navy - either I make Chief in the next two years, or I get selected for an officer program. If I can just change my uniform to khaki, I'll try to make a go of it. As it stands now, Jen and I are currently looking at and pricing homes in the mountain areas. In particular, Colorado, Utah, and (yes, Darby) Idaho. We want to relax and get away from things, and have a yard for the kids and our mastiff. We want to live somewhere that won't break our account, and will provide us with terriffic scenery. I had always thought about going back to the East Coast where Jen is from (North Jersey), but I would like to live closer to my family, and because she loves me so much, she's agreeing (right now). The other problem is finding a job. I've decided to follow my Uncle Tim's advice and get the bachelor's degree that will come easy for me. I need to find an interesting occupation in electronics now while I work on my Master's in something else!

On my ninth anniversary (almost sounds like that "Days of Christmas" song), the mailman brought to me a load of packages. Pam and Tim: I received your package. Thank you for all that Fruit by the Foot! I haven't had it in ages, and it's delicious. The puzzle was interesting. I'm going to take it to work and hopefully watch the officers struggle (No offense to the relatives who are officers). I made short work of it, but I noticed it was an "easy" one, so I'm not bragging. I also received two packages from a church group in La Vista, NE. Thank you! I think that group has in their mind that I'm actually living in the desert with no sanitation system in place. I received well over 400 wet wipes to take a "shower" with. Thank you again, but these are not necessary. I have a quality shower facility that allows me to take showers every day (not always hot water). This means a lot to receive things from people I've never met. I can never repay you. Perhaps I'll write a letter back. Finally, I received all of my guitar gear. I took a picture of it, but I can't upload it until tomorrow apparently due to the bandwidth issues. I already have sore fingertips from holding unfamiliar strings in incorrect postions. I'm working on it! I don't have a release date for my debut album, but if I don't stop typing and start practicing, I never will. Thanks for your patience in reading this...errrr..... YOU CAN WAKE UP NOW!!!

-C

Camera

I got my camera a few days ago. The only problem is that I don't get up until about 7:00 now, and by the time I shower and get ready for work, I have no time for pictures. And then when I get off of work, it's already dark... I took some time off today to go down to Camp Slayer to get a haircut and thougt I'd bring my camera while Chapman drove. However, my connection is crap once again, so I can't upload any photos right now. I'll add them as soon as I can.

I bought an electric guitar online yesterday. I'm pretty excited about it. I think I watched Black Snake Moan too much, and that REALLY got me wanting to play the blues. I've got quite a bit of blues now anyway. I figure I have quite a bit of time left out here to learn how to play - I can practice every day. I'm expecting to go on a world tour when I get back, so start saving up some money now to be my groupies. I hear Japan can be kind of expensive.

I think Jen must know how bored I am out here too. I've been reading a lot lately, and I usually start and finish a book in 2-3 days. So she bought me a couple of books that will probably take me a while to read - A couple Steven Hawking books to be more exact. That should be interesting. But I'm actually looking forward to it - it seems to me that Robert Ludlum novels are all the same now - there's an ex-agent who loses his memory, and is trying to find himself; or, there's an ex-agent who must stop a diabolical political scandal.

Thanks for reading.

-C

Jen's photos

With Jen's dotMac account, you can view her photos there. Hopefully a little faster than I can view them. Her address is http://gallery.mac.com/jdavidson085 Check it out. Gabe is a monster, Kael is a monster, Figo is a monster.

Untitled

This was originally created on the night of the 5th. My connection would not allow me to publish this.

If you're reading this, you must really have a good life, or be a really good person to listen to me complain... I know you're all good people. Thanks for reading.

"If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all". To the best of my military abilities, I abided by that famous token of wisdom yesterday. Besides BSing with a fellow disgruntled sailor, I must have said a total of about 25-35 words. It was a test to see if anything changed by me not complaining. As expected, no one noticed. You may ask why I did this experiment. You may have questions about the results. However, you're probably as apathetic as I am about my job. Apathetic isn't the right word. I'm definitely not apathetic about my job. I WANT to not not care about it; but I'm not dumb enough to not care. Throughout the day, very few questions were asked to me, and very few problems were presented. One day of this isn't enough to garner a "complete" experiment, but it was almost entertaining to me. There in lies the reasoning to the attitude: it was entertaining - I had nothing better to do. Which is also wrong in saying, as there ARE plenty of things for me to do. I just know that I complain way too much out here. Most of my conversations with people are held in a negative connotation. I feel bad for laying those feelings on others. They don't need to hear it. But since you're reading this, (like stated above) you must be a really good person, and have genuine interest in me. Thanks again.

I don't believe in karma. Bad things happen to people because they don't think... or because they're unlucky. I DO believe in luck. How can I have these beliefs? I can attribute everything bad that's ever happened to me on ignorance or chance. Why is my credit not as good as it could be? Because when I was younger and dumber, I didn't pay bills on time. Why did I crash our Lexus into a deer? Nothing to do with karma there... pure luck(bad luck). I don't think I do enough (genuinely) bad deeds to merit bad things happening to me. I'm sure some of you are reading this and are thinking that you could change a lot of what I've just said into different categories, and try to explain things to me differently... On the same note, I'm sure my beliefs will change too.

Which leads me to....
Because I was "good" yesterday and didn't complain, I received two items in the mail today. Is that karma? Methinks not. So yes, that whole paragraph above was a lead into this one. I'm so dramatic. The first item I opened was a letter from my cousin, Katie, or Katherine as she apparently goes by now. That really put me in my place. The only thing I can, or should, complain about are the people I deal with. I have it really nice in Baghdad compared to her. So, I hereby apologize for everything negative I've said about my deployment not dealing with people. I don't even know if she can read this, but if you can, Katie/Katherine, I feel for you, and thank you for doing your part. I mean it. Your help in this ordeal/conflict is greatly appreciated. I just want you to know that people serving with you need you as much as people at home. Thanks again. On a side story before I get to the second parcel - I worked at a vehicle shop last week for a few days doing real work. Whenever I'd fix a soldier's gear and get them on their way, I would always tell them thanks, and good luck (because if karma had anything to do with it, we wouldn't have any casualties) out there. That seems to mean a lot to fellow servicemembers when you tell them thanks. I hope it helps. Right, on to the second piece of mail, which I received from my grandma in Omaha. As soon as I opened it, the overwhelming smell of chocolate got me. It seemed like Hershey, PA was in my trailer. I'm not complaining, because the letter and package made my day. They really put a good note to close out my evening/afternoon. The Vic's popcorn was delicious though. I ate the whole bag in one sitting. The highlight of the night though, was reading the letter and enclosed prayer. I'm not really religious anymore, but knowing that I was included in a prayer said in front of a number of people really brings tears to my eyes. Really, tears. But that shouldn't be a surprise to my readers now. I know you are all praying for me - and thank you. I've just never seen my name written in a prayer. It threw me off. I still don't think I'm the guy who deserves it.

In closing, I watched Black Snake Moan for like the fifth time in a couple months today. I totally recommend it, but viewer discretion is advised if you're easily put off by: drug use, use of alcohol, strong language, strong sexual language, violence, and nudity. The music in it is powerful. It can make anyone want to listen to the blues. I swear if my connection was faster than dial up in an Eastern bloc country, I would spend loads of money downloading RL Burnside, Son House, and other "Delta Blues" artists. Samuel L. Jackson even sings in the film with great emotion. It really draws me in everytime I watch it.

Goodnight

-C

Short 1

This is entitled "Short 1" because there will most likely be a "Short 2" and a "Short 3" and so forth. Be warned. But by the end of this, it will probably end up being kind of long...

For some reason at work, part of my job includes taking people to Baghdad International Airport. Usually it's guys who are just getting here and are going out to their Forward Operating Base(FOB). Myself, and another guy named Chapman, are the ones who are in charge of setting up their flights, and making sure they make it there on time. (I'm getting frustrated just thinking about this) We go out of our way to hunt people down and make sure they know what time to be ready the next day. As it is, we don't find out flight information for a certain day until 10:00PM the night before the flight. It's ridiculous, really. Most of the other people we know who set up flights wait for the sailors/soldiers/airmen to come to them for the information. We really do go out of our way to make people happy. I don't mind it really. Until last night. I walked into a tent where the transient people are staying until they leave Baghdad. I was wearing my hat and weapon like I'm supposed to (in proper uniform). I notified everyone of their flights (for today) and was about to leave when a Lieutenant Commander stopped me and asked "Hey man, is your head cold or what?" I knew that he was referring to my hat and the fact that I was wearing it inside. I didn't give him a smartass response, I just told him that I was doing my job. He told me to take my hat off. I kind of lost it there. I gave him the specific uniform instruction that says when indoors, carrying a sidearm, and on official duty status, the servicemember SHALL NOT be uncovered. He just kind of looked at me like I was the ass. Then he changed the subject back to his flight and said that he'd call me if he had any problems. I said "alright". Then he corrected me by saying "That's yes, sir. Not alright". Sure, I probably should've said "yes, sir", but everyone was being informal, and he didn't even have his flight suit zipped up! I hate people like that.

We're all out here in this terrible place. No one really WANTS to be here anymore. So why make it worse for someone else by being a jerk? Why are you bringing a bad attitude to someone who's trying to help you out? And believe me, this isn't the first place I've complained about it. So, by my calculations, he has actually made at least nine people upset by his comment. And if you get upset when you read this, it just keeps adding up.

Something else that really grinds my gears: I wanted to do the EWO job. After I found out that I'd be working directly with the Army, I was actually pretty excited. I was kind of excited going through all my schools, and now that I'm NOT doing the EWO job, I'm really upset. I still want to do that job. But I can't, because I get tasked to do stupid stuff like take people to the airport and create pointless excel spreadsheets that other people already have. Some of the stuff I do - someone really does have to do it. I'm not saying I'm better than that. I'm just saying that there are people who don't want to do the EWO job. Take them away from their job, give them mine, and I'll be an EWO. It makes sense to me. I get really steamed when I think about it. Why oh why am I doing this job? I don't know. I hate being a complainer, but it's just so frustrating. I feel like I have so much more to provide but I don't have the opportunity. It's driving me crazy. God, this place sucks.

Have a good night, everyone.

-C

education and other stuff

I spent the last hour or so of work today looking at online/distance schools. It will really hurt my career in the next few years if I don't start actively pursuing a degree. I'm not satisfied with the programs that the majority of people in my field are taking on. It would be easiest to get my degree in something dealing with electronics or engineering, or even electrical engineering. Most of my military courses I've had would be excellent for transferring to that area of study. In fact, Southern Illinois University offers a program that's just over a year long; but you have to attend school every other weekend from like 8:00 until 4:00 Saturday and Sunday. That's a pretty good deal if you'd like to work with electronics. I think I'm "decent" with electrical/electronic systems, but I don't really enjoy it. I've been looking for the "perfect fit". I can't find it.

The last formal education I've had was in high school, nine years ago. From what I remember, I was good at writing and other english-related work. Sure I could use some polishing, but I didn't really struggle with it. I also remember enjoying math, but getting frustrated when I was challenged. Which is ironic, because I'm overly frustrated with my job now because it's not challenging whatsoever. Is that all I need? Something challenging? Life is challenging enough; why would I want more? I hope I figure this out soon.

I think when I look at the options in front of me, the only idea that stands out is that I want to do something with my life that is important. I honestly believe everyone wants to do something important. Something defining. I want both - I want to be defined as an important person. Is that greed? Can I want to much out of life if I don't have a lot now? Perhaps it's just a dream.

To me, there's a certain romance interlaced with being a mathematician or a literary. Maybe it's just because I don't have any friends pursuing those avenues. I always enjoy standing out. Maybe I respect math because I admire my father so much, and he always appeared to be a master with numbers. He passed that on to my brother definitely. I wish it was with me too. I wish I could find my calling. Ahhh... so many wishes, and no genies in my head to help me along.

If anybody has any advice for me, please help. I'm open to ideas and suggestions. It's going to be hard for me to make chief or ensign without getting started.

On a lighter note - I've also been playing my xbox 360. More specifically, NBA Live '08. I'm currently 7-1 with the new Boston Celtics. I hope I get a chance to see them play this year. Also, Jen just bought one of the new iMacs. I guess we're becoming an Apple family. Now if I can just get her to send that camera. We have been talking on iChat the last couple days, and that's been nice. Kael is crawling now. He crawls backwards faster than forwards. Our youngest dog, Figo, is getting to be a monster. He's only about 5 months old and his head is larger than Kael's torso and head combined. I guess we can only expect that kind of growth seeing how he's a mastiff.

I hope you enjoyed reading this, and didn't find it too depressing.

-C

One-upper

If you don't know what "one-upping" is, here's the joke... (Regretfully, I can't remember the comedian who talked about this)

One-upping is when when you tell a story, and there's always that idiot who has to tell a story that is just a little bit better than yours. Like if you're at a party and you're telling people how much it hurt when you had two wisdom teeth pulled. There's always someone that will "one-up" you and tell the story about how they had FOUR wisdom teeth pulled. In turn, you don't look like so much of a badass anymore. One-uppers are out there, and they'll always get you. I wouldn't even suggest telling a story of getting FOUR wisdom teeth pulled because there's bound to be some freak of nature (or liar) out there that had SEVEN wisdom teeth pulled! You know who the ultimate One-upper is? Neil Armstrong. No one can one-up walking on the moon. Picture this: Neil's at some party drinking his cognac like Neil does. He's sitting quietly in the corner while listening to some blatantly obnoxious person talk about how they were going 160 miles per hour in their new Ferrari. Finally, the situation gets out of control and Neil decides to step in...

"You went 160 in your Ferrari? Wow! That's amazing! You know what? You know what?! I walked on the MOON! And I even drove my rover there. I don't know if I was going 160 or not though... because... that's right! I was on the MOON!"

*The guys at work should love that - we always one-up each other*

The whole point of my rant is that I'm going to one-up my story of working so much the other day. Today, I had to get up at 5:30 to take some guys to the airport. It was about an hour drive. When we got back, we had to go back and pick them up because their flight got cancelled. Before you know it, it's lunch time. I don't know if the time stamp on this post is accurate, but I just got home from work and it's midnight. No sleep, only a short lunch and dinner break. I don't think I've ever worked this much. Funny thing is: When I have nothing to look forward to at the end of the day (i.e. family), I don't mind working so late.

I think I'm almost at the point now where my job has some meaning. I should be getting more involved with the EWO training out here shortly. I've been deemed the "Excel Guru" even though I am far from being even considered literate with the same program. Over the last few days I've just been compiling reports and input from guys/girls that are working in the Baghdad area. Nothing exciting at all.

We did have a few rocket/mortar attacks on base yesterday. I was in a meeting when it happened, so I was safe. For some reason, they don't even faze me. Even the first one I heard on the first day I got here, my heart rate was still steady. Apparently they don't bother me like they should (even when my chair shakes when they hit). Maybe I'm too used to the louder 5-inch guns on the ship?

I'm off to call Jen on Skype now. The only time my internet has any bit of haste to it is after 11:00PM and before 7:00AM.

Thanks for the comments everyone! If it wasn't for the comments, I'd probably slow down even more on the posting.
Pam- I'll see if I can find Rob. Pretty sure I don't have the clearance/need-to-know where he works, but I know someone who does. Maybe I'll be able to pull him away for a while.
Darby - I miss you too! I wish I could come back sooner! Do you have any more direction on what you're doing for Christmas? I know you mentioned going to Chicago, but I haven't heard anything else.
Grandpa- I'm going to give a good reply to your email when i get some free time at work!

Baghdad

I typed something up on the plane as we were leaving South Carolina to come to Kuwait... I thought I saved it, but apparently not. For starters - my internet is crap here in Baghdad...

We left SC a couple of weeks ago. I gotta say that SC was pretty damn good training I thought. There were a few people who thought that it was a waste of time. For people who have never been in a combat zone, and haven't fired many rounds from a gun, it's definitely a good introduction. I polished my rifle and pistol skills pretty well.

Our flight to Kuwait left early on a Saturday morning. I think we were all pretty tired and excited at the same time. Sitting at the military terminal in Columbia, SC I remember looking around at everyone. There wasn't much going on, but I found it interesting. Everyone was making their last minute phone calls to their wives/husbands/girlfriends/family, etc. I was one of them. I texted everyone in my cell phone phonebook. I only got through a few by the time I started receiving responses. I gotta say "Thank you" to everyone that responded. It truly means a lot to me. My mom called. She sounded sad... I definitely was sad. I had to put my sunglasses on inside to cover up my tears. I wasn't the only one. Looking around, I saw a lot of sad faces. But I think since we were in the company of so many people joining up from so many backgrounds to accomplish a similar goal, their was an air of confidence around us. Even though I'm not that religious anymore, I felt blessed. We were scared but confident. Kinda weird really.

The plane ride was weird too... in my life, since I've had the capability to think of disaster, the thought of a plane crash always crosses my mind when I board a plane. This was the first time where I truly felt safe. Maybe it was because of all the other servicemen/women. I don't know, but it felt good. So, I guess what I'm saying is: Don't worry about us. When we're together, nothing can stop us... not even a plane crash.

Our plane was supposed to refuel in Reyjkavik, Iceland, and then again in Hahn, Germany. We had a problem with one of the hydraulic systems and ended up pulling in to Gander, Newfoundland. We were only there for a couple hours. We met some British forces there. That was kinda neat. Then we landed in Germany at about 2:00 local time. We were there for a couple hours again. The Germans were nice enough to open the bar for us at about 2:30! I had a couple fine German pilsners and got back on the plane.

Kuwait was alright too. It's hot. As soon as I stepped off the plane (early in the morning) It felt like I was walking into an oven. There was a blast of hot, dry air. Soooo hot. And nothing but desert wasteland around us. Besides the oil, how can people fight over this? When I get my camera I'll show you. We stayed in 12 man tents for a week. Two of those nights we were on the floor. The other nights, we were on cots in sleeping bags. We had some more good training such as shooting in formation (i.e. walking in a line, and doing some reflexive fire in different directions/positions). I was also the lead humvee driver in a simulated convoy. My truck commander was an idiot and kept telling me to do things, and then kept changing his mind two seconds after giving the order. He made me look like a fool, but afterwards, all the officers were cool and knew that it wasn't my fault, and felt sorry for me for having to deal with that guy.

At night in Kuwait, my friend Matt and I sat outside drinking non-alcoholic beer and playing PSP. The first night was creepy. I saw some movement in the sand and immediately jumped up. (For those of you who don't know... my number one fear in life are scorpions. And a close second are bees/wasps/etc.) I thought it was a scorpion coming out of the sand. But no... it was a huge beetle! Bizarre. They were all over the place.

We were supposed to leave Kuwait one week after getting there, so we would've flown out on a Saturday. The command told us before hand that flights in the Middle East are "iffy". My first flight got bumped up. We were at the airport, and then they told us it was cancelled. Alright... fast forward two days. We get on the plane (in full body armor in 98 degree weather inside a cramped C-130 in the middle of the day) for about 30 minutes, and then due to a gauge being bad, we deplane. 45 minutes later, they think they have it fixed, so we get back on. We were on for about 30 minutes again, when they tell us that it's still not working right. WTF. They bus us back to a huge tent where we stay until later that night when we get back on a different C-130 (still hot as hell at 10:00PM). We finally make it to Baghdad at about 1:00AM. I think I sweated more that day than I have ever sweat in my entire life. I broke a hard sweat 3 different times that day! It was nuts.

Iraq has been pretty cool so far too. The food they serve us here is awesome. I can be totally satisfied and full 4 times per day. It's starting to cool down too. Like for instance, today, it only got up to 96 or so. The sun comes up at about 5:00 here, and goes down at about 5:30-6:00. The US military put a "bat tower" here. It's monstrous. All the bats sleep inside during the day, and at night you can see them flying all over eating the bugs that are attracted to the lights. I haven't seen a fly or mosquito yet. It's pretty cool actually.

I had about 4 days of training with the guys that I've been travelling with over the past month or so. Today we finally got split up. I'm now in a semi-trailer that has been divided into 3 portions. I'm in the center by myself. There's two beds in here, but no one else is here right now. Just how I like it. This is the first time in like a month that I've slept in a real bed with a real pillow all by myself. i've told my parents and Jen about my new assignment. I'm SUPPOSED to be doing Electroning Warfare... but for some reason, I'm working as the Assistant Training Officer for all the EWO's in the Baghdad area. not a bad deal really. Just not doing what I've been training to do for the last month. I could've spent a lot more time with my family. That's what really pisses me off.

A few more notes...

We took a tour of the palace the other day. It was amazing. There was a three story tall chandalier in the middle. That was cool. But the coolest part was meeting General Petraeus(spelling?). The neat part was watching the younger army guys around him. Lots of people don't realize that the General is kind of like a celebrity or even superhero to the soldiers. I felt really lucky to get a picture with him. Of course, it wasn't my camera, so we'll have to wait and see if my friend Matt (who's now up at Camp Warrior) is going to send it anytime soon.

Today at work, I got my first letter. It was from a girl in Texas. I'm going to save it because it means a lot to me that someone who doesn't know who they're writing to, takes time out of their day to give us thanks. I'll never get rid of this.

I've got a cell phone now too. The chief that I relieved gave it to me. The number is 7903607439. I know there's some sort of country code that you need to put in front of it for Iraq, and I'm sure it costs loads to call, but I just thought I'd throw it out there. I'm always happy to hear from you. If I don't answer, I'm either asleep, in a meeting, or can't hear it.

My address is:

STG1(SW) Corey Davidson
1st Cavalry Division
G-7 EWO
Unit 43207
APO, AE 09344

The emblem on the right is the emblem of the Army's 1st Cavalry Division.

If you have any questions.. my best email now is: corey.davidson@MND-B.army.mil
I gotta tell you - it's GREAT hearing from you guys. If you email me, I can probably respond better to specific questions. My internet her is wireless, but speed is worse than dialup was in 1994.

Alright, I need to get some sleep now. Can you believe it? I actually worked from 9:00 AM until about 7:30 PM... what's going on?!?!?! I love you all, and thanks for everything. I couldn't do this without you and I wouldn't do it if it wasn't for you. (that sounded like it made sense in my head).

-C

departure

It's pretty late right now. I'm getting ready for my last full day in South Carolina. I haven't posted on here nearly as often as I'd have liked to. I want to blame it on our days being long and tiresome. The truth is - because we have had free WiFi in the barracks, I've spent most of my time talking to Jen and the boys via Skype. It has been truly great being able to see the family again before heading out.

On the agenda for tomorrow is something the Army calls "Fit to Win". It's a 0.8 mile long obstacle course designed to motivate. If you're not familiar with the military, motivate simply means difficult and tiresome. I anticipate it being quite fun though. It rained today, so the course should be kind of muddy. I got all four of my seabags packed today. Somehow I managed to fit everything from underwear to 60+ pounds of body armor in all of them. We've been issued so much gear, it's ridiculous. Some of the stuff I hope I never have to use, like the 30+ pounds of chemical/biological warfare gear, and all the cold/wet weather gear. I heard it can get pretty cold in Iraq in the winter months though. I have gotten quite a bit of nice stuff out of it.... like 11 cream colored t-shirts. Just kidding. But there is some good cold weather gear in there that I'm sure I'll put to good use when I get back to Chicago for the winter next year... i.e. Goretex boots and nice fleeces. I remember turning my car on this last winter and it displayed -18 degrees! I'm not a fan of that. I know the Germans test their cars in extreme temperatures, but those kind of temps really put a hurting on the old Audi.

To answer some questions that were asked in a couple comments... to really contact me, you should write to me at corey.davidson@comcast.net That will change sometime soon though, and I WILL keep you posted on that. Also, I don't have a clue where I will be stationed in Iraq. There's seven main sites or FOBs (Forward Operating Bases) where I could possibly be stationed, and then there's Baghdad also. For security reasons, I wouldn't be able to tell you anyway right now, but once I'm there, for some reason, it will be okay.

Jen bought me a very very nice digital camera today, so once I get settled in (wherever that may be) I'll be posting some more pictures on here. Right now the only camera I have is embedded in my new MacBook, so it's not very mobile. I also got some new glasses today. They're nothing special, but I'm bored and thought I'd show them off to you. They're a little more trendy than what I'm used to having. CENTCOM (Central Command in Iraq) doesn't authorize contacts to be worn, so that's why I had to go back to the specs.

Another thing I know I'll be missing this year is my beloved Celtics. This is the first year in a while where they actually have a good shot at making some noise in the playoffs, so it'll be disappointing to not be able to see them.

Well, I'm off to bed now. I'll try to update this as soon as I can to tell you how my week in Kuwait has been. So it'll be a little while at least before updating. By the way... Kuwait is supposed to suck. Getting up at 3:00, sleeping in a tent with 7 other guys with no shower. They already told us to not expect to be able to shower for a week, and pretty much wear just one or two uniforms. I'll be showering with baby wipes I think. Have a good one.

-C

South Carolina

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. I just left Maryland this morning where I had another course. I can't really tell you much about it, except that it covered what I'll be doing in Iraq - Electronic Warfare, or EW. Nothing really too special happened in MD. The most exciting thing was that Avis was out of compact cars, so they gave me a mustang. Which was cool, but it sucked on the gas mileage compared to say, a toyato corrola. There were a couple of speakers up there that made me feel a little excited about going to Iraq. And there were a few more who really made me NOT want to go. I was reassured, however, that as EW Officers we will be in a pretty good position to "live the good life" in Iraq. I don't know what the "good life" really entails, but nothing can be as good as home.

Last weekend I went to NC to see my friend Jason. It was pretty sweet. I drank quite a bit of beer (some homebrew) and did a little bit of boating and tubing. The best part was that I wasn't stuck in Maryland for the three day weekend eating fast food. I actually got some good home cooked food. It'll most likely be the last home cooked food I have until I come back for break which should hopefully be around Christmas time.

I mentioned earlier that I just left MD this morning. I am now in South Carolina. I've never been here before, but flying in, it looked really cool. So much greenery. Right now I'm sitting on the top bunk of an iron bed in a room of about 60 bunks. We've got our lockers here, but only the random lockers will actually lock. There's hardly enough room in the lockers to keep all my gear, and from what i hear, they're issuing us another two seabags of gear. Should be interesting. The good thing is that the compartment of bunks isn't at capacity. There's only about 15-20 people here now, but we expect to get more shortly. I don't mind the "open bay" style of bunks, but what I DO mind is the open bay showers. There's six showers, and as soon as you open the door to the bathroom, the showers are right there with no curtains, no nothing. It really brings me back to bootcamp. We shouldn't have any inspections here, so that's cool too. The very very best part is that about 2 weeks ago they installed wireless internet on the entire base, so I will hopefully be updating this more often. It's hot as hell here, but not too humid, so that's good. Still not looking forward to working out in my new Army uniforms - long sleeve.

I've met a few good people in Maryland. There's an OS1 named Matt Thoelke who seems like a pretty good guy that will be doing the same job as me in Iraq, but the chance are not good that we'll be stationed together. Oh well, that's the military for you.

Well, looks like some more sailors are coming in now. I should get going to defend my bunk below me. I'm going to try to keep it as quiet as possible around my area. Matt is going to do the same I imagine. Take it easy all.

-C

Shots

Word of advice for people who are reading this and might be going IA: Ensure that when you receive your shots for preparing to deploy, that they are correctly documented in your record. I had to get three shots today (almost 5) because when I was checking out of Great Lakes, the corpsman put the information on the wrong sheet. I saw her write them in my record, and I thought that was good enough. Don't make the same mistake I did. I hate getting tetanus, typhoid, and... ACK! - anthrax. It burns. Only one more dose of "the thrax" left for me though.

I'm pretty much done here in Norfolk. I still have until Friday to get my uniforms, but I'm done with admin and medical/dental... sooo just time to chillax and watch some videos in my barracks room.

I've met a few good people out here so far. Most of them are supply personnel, so we don't have a lot in common to talk about. There's surprisingly a few submariners out here, but once again, they're all supply people.

-C

If there's anything you want to know about my trip, just let me know, and I'll tell you. Thanks for reading!

Norfolk

I got into Norfolk yesterday at about 5PM. I kept expecting something bizarre to happen on the way there, as my flight was departing at gate F14 and I was seated in 14F. I think I just get kind of paranoid flying for some reason. I love it, but this is pretty much the only thing I'm superstitious about. I even knock twice on the fuselage before setting foot on the aircraft. Who knows why.
I hung out with an old friend from my ship, Brian Miller, shortly after getting to my room at BEQ S-30. We didn't do much as he was recovering from a hangover. Got back to the room around 9ish. I didn't want to stay out too late as I didn't know what was happening today...
This was the first day of NMPS processing for people going IA(individual augmentee) to the Gulf. It wasn't too bad, just filling out a lot of forms, mainly medical and administrative stuff. There's a few of us that are going to be embedded with the army so we had to get fitted for new uniforms not normally worn by Navy people. We're going to be issued the Army ACU uniform. It doesn't seem that bad. A lot better than wearing whites or utilities like up in Great Lakes. The other two guys wearing the ACU's with me are a Fire Controlman Chief and a S-3 Naval Flight Officer Lieutenant. They seem like pretty good people so far. I'll probably be in the same training pipeline with them until we get to Baghdad.
So now I'm back in my room contemplating whether or not to take the invite from the LT and Chief to go to dinner with them at the Applebee's near base. I've been there before when I was stationed up here on the USS Deyo, and was never impressed with it. I like the military a lot, but when there's a bunch of sailors getting faced at Applebee's, it's not a pretty sight. Drinking overseas at some port in Europe with the rest of your crew is one thing because you can't avoid it; but a shady Applebee's is another.
The rest of the week should go pretty smoothly as well. Got PT for my first time in months tomorrow morning - we'll see how my ankle holds up.
I think my wife, Jen, will probably be the second, if not first person to tell you that I'm a crier. I cry at the weirdest things... I cry when there's retirement ceremonies on TV for NBA referees. I cried when they announced on CNN that the US had captured Saddam. I definitely cried when I left Chicago. The floodgates were opened sooner than expected as I held our youngest, Kael, in my arms. I don't know if I'd be happier if our eldest, Gabe, knew and understood that I was leaving. I think ignorance is bliss in this situation. I just don't think he'll miss me like I miss him. I admire and feel for Jen as she goes through this struggle with me. She felt stronger than me at the airport - admiration, definitely. I don't know what I'd do without her. When I spoke to them on the telephone last night I cried again. I hope these beotch emotions won't last much longer. I think once I get in a good routine, it'll be easier.
Alright - think i'm going to try to get my iTunes to start working. I finally downloaded it for my nano on this 5 year old laptop. Take care all.

-C

p.s. Go watch Superbad. It's the best movie I've seen in a long time.

Creation

I just created this blog after getting home from my friend, Jamie's, house. Had a pretty intense night drinking a couple rum and cokes. Gabriel, was being a beast and was constantly saying "no" and actually hit Jen. That instantly got him thrown in bed. We had the pleasure of seeing BOB(Jamie's boxer dog) run through a screen door after peeing on the floor. Now he was a beast. I was an idiot and forgot Kael's pacifier at home - so he was cranky as well. We ended up getting a pacifier from one of Jennifer's(Jamie's wife who is pregnant, not my Jen) gift bags. The pacifier didn't work... but the rum we dipped it in did. I'd like to thank Mount Gay Rum for letting us have a good night.

Human weapon is also a sweet show on the history channel. They did judo tonight. Pretty sure we're going to get the boys enrolled in some form of martial arts when they're old enough. I still want to learn Krav Maga, but I think boxing or judo will suffice for the kids.

Righto - off to being a geek now before I go to sleep. Going to try to play some video games before it gets well too late.

I'd also like to say hey to my friend, Brian, who I last saw at my wedding. I met him in England, and he's now in the navy reserves doing some time up here in Great Lakes. We're letting him stay with us for a while until he's done with his 2 weeks of servitude.

okay - see you later.

-C