That damn Hamster wheel in my head!

The hamster wheel is turning again, although I should call it a mouse wheel because I have been playing a game of cat and mouse for the last couple days! This dang thing is pissed I think because I nabbed its offspring last time, and I put some peanut butter on the trap, and went to chow, came back and the peanut butter was GONE! I know he was behind the file cabinet saying "SUCKER", so then I put a lot on it, and 4 days later, it is still sitting there! I WILL get him!
So, today I have a lot! Some opinions, some advice, sum of nothing!
1st off, I was on AOL, and I noticed they had a poll on whether the President should be on vacation. WTF? It must be a slow news month, for them to be asking that! I think the person who wrote that question should go on vacation for asking that question for a poll! I mean, I can tell you what the result is! The Republicans are all gonna say "Of course", and the democrats are gonna say "Absolutley he should not" and whoever votes most will win! DUH!
They article is in my local paper about me, and it is pretty good, I think the writer did a good job a deciphering my phone babble! And the Minneapolis StarTribune, has a story on Iraq heat, and the writer used my oven post I had last week, and also linked my site, so to both of those publications, thanks for the soldier support! The Star Trib gets plenty of heat for being a liberal paper, but they do a DAMN good job of getting the story on local units, and local soldiers and for that they are great! Mark Brunswick does a great job! Thanks Tom Kaiser also at SWC Bulletin!
OK, now I told all the people that are deploying I would give them advice on what to bring, and more notably, I will say, what NOT to bring! For families who worry about the safety of the soldiers, I will say it is not as bad as it is made out to be on a constant basis, and the FOB's and bases are relatively safe, the roads however, are where the damage gets done!
I will also refer you all to the other spouses, and moms on my blogroll as they voice their concerns quite often, and I don't really know what it is like to be a family member with a loved one gone!
As far as the troops go? Ok, I know you are preparing to come over HERE, but keep in mind that you will be going thoruhg lengthy training 1st. Things you will need there you probably won't need here! While you are training in the states it will be EASY to contact home, as it's obvious the phones and internet are good! I would suggest you bring a laptop if you are able to, because you can use that for MANY different things! Bring a good movie collection, before I had a TV in my room, I watched the laptop ALL the time! I was fortunate enough to get a laptop given to me before I left, and it is top notch, but a mid level laptop will work well! Wireless internet SHOULD be availible at the training sites(At least it was at Ft. Bliss!) Yes, sometimes I would have to go into the housing areas and sit on the curb, but whatever for my family and blog! Either way you can save your emails journals pictures and all that!
Bring a good digital camera! You do not want to bypass this picture opportunity in EVERY situation while training and in country!
As far as comfort items, and things of that nature, I will tell you MY opinion! As everyoneis different! I brought an Ipod, which I keep in my room attached to some computer speakers. Sometimes I use it, but now since I have my TV and DVD player, I don't use it that much!
If I listen to music, I plug my headphones into my laptop and listen to Itunes!
You can't run using headphones here! Just a headsup! At least here at Victory!
Toiletries? Well, bring a SMALL supply, because in the US, they have good PX's obviously, but don't stock up there either! If you can't get it here or YOUR brand here, have someone send it to you! I had my wife send me a 24 pack of Irish Spring! I still have about 10 left! Toothpaste, deoderant, shaving cream, those things are availible at the PX, or plenty of care packages have those things in there, you will build a good collection! I am cheap, so if someone tells me they want to send something, I tell them what I need and don't! I thought I would need lotion here, but I haven't needed any since spring! Chicks use it a lot, but they would anyways!
That's too much about toiletries! Don't fill extra space with those things!
As far as TA-50, I HAD to bring ALL of it to Bliss with us, then we went through CUF, and all that, and were taken over to FEDEX to send the excess home! So you are probably going to bring everything from MN, and end up sending it home! You know, you'll get PLENTY of tshirts, and all that crap! You don't need transformer/power converters even when you get here, well you DO, but there are plenty here, and if you NEED one buy it here! They are a heavy little thing, and thought I would be ahead of the game and buy one in Kuwait, and now I have 4 in my room, and use 1! Just bring what would make you happy if you had to lay in bed all day long! Think of what you would do! Sorry, NO Porn over here, except LOTS of Maxims
That is what comfort items you would want here at least initially!
I will tell you what I could go on for days, but leave me questions on my comments and will answer!
Other than that, I am sorry I have been so perverted lately, as my wife said yesterday to me that people are probably getting sick of the sexual inuendos. She's not,(I hope) but I told her that others sit there and do it about their spouses, so why can't I? I told her the moms of soldiers don't, they talk about praying for me! So that is good, but does it means that I am prayed for because sex is evil? Or just because I'm over here?
Hey, I haven't gotten any since last year, what am I suppose to act like?
Well, everyone have a great day, and Curt's wife posts things since we have no idea where the hell he is, or when he is getting in!
Later,
Erik