-yawns-

so, i walk outside today, at like almost noon (today the military over here is celebrating labor day by having this day off) and i noticed that it smelled like a farm show, like the portion of the farm show that has all the livestock, preferably the cattle and horses. yea weird. i smelled it last night walking home from my chief selects' flat, but i figured it was just bahrain smelling bad, but today, man, its strong. but whatever, i have the day off so i slept till like 1015, then finally walked outside like i said, noon. 

so my week was.... good i guess. sunday and monday, i dont... wait, yea sunday dont remember much, i think i just went to a few meetings about stuff. monday night however i talked to my good friend jordan greenfield. havnt talked to him in like almost months, it was good to talk to a friend that isnt a military member. um... tuesday, uhh..... yea dont remember. wednesday tho, dude wednesday was tight, i got to shoot the M16A3 machine gun. yea it was pretty tight. i got marksman, which if you remember my last post, the three levels you can get is marksman, sharpshooter, and expert. so im thinking, if my M9 was sharp this past time and the previous M9 was just marksman, then hopefully ill get expert next time ... well next time i shoot the M16 i hope to get sharp, and the following ill get expert. third times a charm i guess right.

ok then thursday we had this nice party for all our non-military staff. it was like an appreciation party thing. we had all sorts of filli food, some thai, and an american salad -laughs- we had a raffle for basically a hundred dollars, my LPO got it, lucky bastard. and then we had some door prizes for the staff members, so that was a pretty fun day, oh yea we had a 59 minutes day too, so everyone got to get out of work 59 minutes early. i had duty tho so i stayed in the office till like almost nine o'clock, then finally went to bed. then friday, i had a call at like five in the morning, and i didnt get out to the site till like six b/c i fell back asleep. but when i got there, it was just a simple call, they needed a replacement light bulb. so i went and got one for them, went to replace it, and the bulb blew, so my dumb butt, reached in to see the problem, and try to "wiggle" stuff around, yea, i shocked the shizz outta myself. here in bahrain, everything is run off of 220V, unlike the states where its only like 110 or 120 or something. so here i am, getting shocked, and i thought i could feel my face like wince like in the movies ya know. -laughs, like in home alone 2- and the whole time (which was like maybe 2 seconds) im being shocked im thinking ok kev get away from this pole b/c it hurts and its going to probably kill you. so i pull myself off of it, and i drop the new blown bulb, and kinda stumble to the curb/wall thingy, and two MA's come running out of the little security office like yelling dude are you ok, do you want me to call medical. i tell them no, and im sitting there, stunned as all hell, and im trying to move my left hand (thats what i used to "wiggle" the insides with, and i couldnt, the MA's are still asking me are you ok are you ok, and the guy up in the top gun mount was asking the same from up top. and i still denyed, im shaking my hand trying to get in to move still nothing, so the one MA goes inside, and i start picking up the glass, and he askes again, dude i can call medical, its ok, and i say no again, and this time im laughing, and the MA is kinda laughing with me, i was like, dude, my hand man. and i finally just smack it with my right hand, and i get some movement out of it, and i kept trying to move it, it felt like when your hand goes to sleep, all those "needles" and stuff. but it hurts, and it hurt for a while, but after like twenty minutes i was fine. i just got scared for a minute there. 

anyway, then friday night there was a labor day weekend softball tournement. and the seabees got a spot in the roster, so our game was friday night, i pitched, and i sucked. it was so hard to pitch softball their rules ya know. like it had to go 6 feet up in the air, and you had to hit the plate or this black pad right behind the plate to make it a strike. so i was out there all nervous as hell b/c the other team and other fans were yelling and crap, so we switched out with another player on our team, and they pitched just as bad if not worse than me, and then switched out with another player, who did equally as bad, so we lost the game, but it was still fun, after the game all the other players on the opposing team were like dude we know pitching is hard, i would never get out there and try to do that good props man, and some were giving me pointers and stuff on like pitch release, and one bought me a beer, so it was all fun, but just very competitive when it was game time. 

then yesterday i was proudly representing UGA with my UGA trucker hat, walking around, people asking if i was from georgia... no idiot i just wear the hat b/c its red, of course im from GA. i called mom like one o'clock and she had just left for the game, so i called back like maybe 3 hours later and talked to mom a bit, then to dad, and to liz a bit, -haha lizabit, ha. so yes georgia won, like i figured they would against southern. and then this morning i saw on sportcenter, the question to wether or not georgia can remain #1.... uh... yea they can. 

so now im watchin the villanova and west virginia game, WV dominating right now. and tomorrow is work. so i guess a short week this week, and ill be back up here posting.

i love you gues and i miss you tons.

kev

eehello

so again another week in the books, and another week closer. 

i talked to my good friend jon this week, we met in 'a' school, and he just got attached to a boat security task force team in kuwait. and he leaves in like a few months, so he and i were talking about it, and since kuwait is like an hour flight from here, there might be a couple holidays where i might go and see him for the weekend. it would be kinda cool.

so like i was saying before, this week is over, nothing really exciting happened. i did get a chance to re-qualify for the M9 handgun this wednesday. it was kinda cool. alot more less pressure from the last time i shot back at bootcamp. back then i shot just regular marksman, the third highest you can get. the week i shot sharp shooter, woohoo, the next step up from marksman. so maye next year ill shoot expert which is the highest. there is also another opening to shoot the M16 i think in september, so that would be kinda cool to do.

we had ert this week too. we went out to the firegrounds, and did some hose drills, put out a small fire and then we did this pretty cool search drill that basically taught us the reason for crawling on the floor during a fire. lets just say the room get pretty effin hot. then we also did some actual hose handling under pressure, and the proper way to approach a door and open the door for a building cool/wet down. basically to prevent the fire from coming into the room.

i guess this week was kinda busy after all. i went to church yesterday, and worked on the bike a bit. then my LPO was a part of this filipino club here on the island, and they had this pretty tight masquarade party that had salsa-style dancing there, and all this cool fili food. it was kinda cool. i got out on the floor and was the worst dancer ever. but its ok b/c i had one of the hottest girls teaching me, and i found out that they teach dancing like every friday or saturday there at the club, so im thinking of checking it out. -laughs- i actually had a pretty good time. 

well i guess until next time guys.

i love you all and you know who you are.

hi guys

first let me start out by saying im sorry bill, natalie, and paul, i forgot to put you/them on the list at the end of my thanks from my last post. so... my bad. it is a pretty damn long list to remember too.

anyway. i think the seasons changing out here, b/c back home, when it would go from summer to fall/winter or winter to spring, my hands would literally shed skin, kinda gross, but i always knew that the season was changing back home b/c it happened. and i literally just noticed that my fingers are starting to do it. 

so uhh, this week was great, the typical week, nothing really special, i started working out for a while, but then i got shin splints, so i stopped for a bit, hopefully ill start back up this week. um, mom that camera you gave to me for my birthday, i cant seem to get the photos off the camera. i try to hook it up to the computer, both turned off then turning it on when its hooked, or hooking it up while its turned on, that the screen just goes blank, and after i remove it from the computer, the screen comes on. but ill keep working on it. ive taken alot of pictures too. so i hope i get them off the camera and onto a website soon. 

um, i have a confession too. i missed church yesterday. i completely over slept... kinda. like i was awake at 830. and church starts at 930, so i was like ok ill sleep for like 5 minutes, and next thing i know its 1130. i was bummed. 

i guess other than that, nothing really special has gone down this week. next week tho is ERT week, so im hoping it goes by fast.

i hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and awesome week a head. emily, i miss you lots too, and laughing in front of your kids is something great to do. i do it all the time.

i love all of you guys, and i miss all of you guys tons and tons. 33 or 34 more weeks and im back home. not even half way, but still moving.

love you guys.

kev

see look, im posting... .... .... yay!!!@#

Ha, ive found that laughing at yourself or to yourself is very healthy. even if the people around you make fun of you and think youre going crazy. b/c in all reality, if they arent laughing at themselves, they are taking their job/life/time way too serious. 

i discovered this when our office got this new first class (e6) ea in this week. if you have no idea what im talking about when i say first class or e6, wikipedia it and itll tell you. but anyway. we got this new guy in this past week, and right off the bat he's kind of over compensating (i just spelled that wrong but ill get it right when i do spell check) for something. i mean i get that he is in a new area with new people that he has never met, or people that he hasnt seen in years, but they way he presented himself to me and the other non rates (e1 to e3, again wikipeida that if youre clueless) was very... i dont know. i guess just really cocky, and very overly displaying. like he was trying to set a standard for himself in the first 35 minutes of his existence. i dont know, but anyway, i see him doing this, and i start to smile to myself, and every now and then ill see him doing it again, and ill laugh a little, and my LPO sees this and is asking me whats so funny, and i just tell him something prefabricated like life, or this place, or something i saw on tv. and then he (my LPO) and the new guy will just kind of look at me, and not really say anything. like i am in my own little world, and theyll say something like get back to work, or prioritize my obligations, or something that is leadership like. and i know they are jokingly saying this, but the fact that they cant take just a few moments of the day to laugh or reflect on their simple flaws is simply insane. but whatever, not all people can take a funny, or have a moment of serene quite time.

anyway, just a second ago i mentioned that im in my own little world. and to be quite honest, thats not too far off. b/c lately ive seen that there are two individuals in the navy, or well this base. A) people who will "spotlight" people, basically give out tongue lashing to other people who in turn give back, and 2) people who dont spotlight. who are here to save money, and enjoy the simple things in life. and i have to admit, there are very few type 2 people here, and being someone who can be enjoyed by a simple piece of paper and a pencil, find it hard to hang out with type A individuals. so i constantly find myself in my room, listening to music and enjoying quiet times, reading a book or something, and then come to work the next day and here about someones crazy night of binge drinking or poker playing. and i dont really know how to end this story, but i guess ill have more money when i leave here... ha.

well lets see, this week went by super fast. especially thursday. i had ERT this week too, and let me tell you it was hot. we did a mopp walk in mopp level 4 gear (you have to wikipedia this one b/c i cant explain it in my own words) and then we went to this old building on base and did some smoke and heat ventilation techniques. and outside the building we here able to hook up to a fire hydrant and then a water pump and we shot out some water on the hoses, that was really fun. and then it was the weekend, so yea the week flew by. today i think we (salzman, zarate, calder, martin, and myself) are planning on getting some food and seeing a movie. and then tonight i think there is a poker game going on, so i think if i go ill play DJ or something the whole night, DJ or bartender.

oh yea, melissa, it is ch- with shit. so like ch-it, haha, im laughing to myself again here. like shit but you drop the shhh sound and insert an choochoo minus oochoo. ha

choochoo - oochoo + shit - sh = chit. ha

i love you mom dad emily melissa elizabeth bryan andrew aunt susan uncle tommy mathew abigale and new one to come uncle gary aunt linda john alan eva aunt sally uncle tim sean erin leah uncle dave kerstin nathan grandma and grandpa uncle dale dustin brooke dylan aunt chris uncle tim kaitlyn uncle greg aunt connie jake molly grandma and grandpa

im sorry

so before i get to my opening and explanation as to why i havnt updated in forever, i have to tell you this, there is a grown man, probably late 20's playing, -laughs- some type of mech-warrior meets a strategy game right next to me. he's effin almost 30! wow, if i get like that b/c of the navy, someone slap me.

ok so its been a solid good two...no sorry five weeks since ive last posted. and before i started this post, i read up on the last one i did (june 20 or something) alot has happened since then. so again i apologize, and ill fill on all that has happened.

so i guess ill start by telling you guys i got a counseling chit (it just took me three minutes to spell counseling chit right, and its still spelled wrong) but yea, i got a counseling chit um about two weeks ago. but its not a bad counseling chit, but a good one. basically i guess my LPO notices that i work well, and have a "drive to get things and tasks done" (he actually said that too). so i got a chit for that, which looks good on evals and is a good morale booster. 

um, i also got nominated, but didnt get chosen for junior sailor of the quarter. which is kind of a big thing i guess. if you get that, you receive a NAM as well (Navy Achievement Medal). and a NAM will in turn get you promoted quicker, but i wasnt chosen, but i guess the nomination was rad. again a good morale booster. and then on my evals i got #1 must promote, which isnt the creme-de-la-cream EP (early promote) but its the one right below it. the only reason i didnt get EP was b/c i had not been in the navy and in Bahrain for that matter long enough. instead the EP went to the joke-of-a-sailor salzman. i mean props to him for getting it, but he's a joke. constantly lying to people to make them think about him and think he's cool. always pulling one-ups on people, thinking he's the shit and his shit doesnt stink. just has way too much pride in himself rather others. and he's atheist, so every time religion comes up, and im in the conversation, he always pokes fun at Catholicism. and he knows it annoys me, and yet he still does it. man i just wanna punch him. 

oh well whatever. um lets see, yea like two weeks ago, i had been talking to a dear friends of mine. his name is Jonathan rogers, we met back in 'a' school and have been in touch since. and we were talking about religion, alot of our conversations, and he was like, dude, you have got to get off the base and go find a catholic church out in town so you can find a nice religious girl.      -laughs- 

i think he had asked me about how the girls were there, and i told him that most women out in town were prostitutes, and that the girls on base were navahoes (whores). so back to the original story, i was thinking about what jon said, and i decided the hop on my bike and head out to town and find the local catholic church (bahrain has one too). so before i could ride out, i needed to replace my tubes on my bike, they were getting really old and not holding air for long. so i had purchased some tubes online, and they came in about two weeks ago, so i spent that saturday morning replacing them. well im on the street riding away from the gate and i take this turn to the -thinks for a sec- right, and im just cruising, relaxing, having a good time. i pass this american couple and say hi, just minding my own business, and i get up next to this wall, still cruising, and all the sudden, literally the loudest bang i think ive ever heard from a mountain bike tube goes off. well im right next to a wall, so the sound is even more louder b/c of the bounce off. it was so loud and it scared me so bad that i almost fell off the bike, this car coming toward me stopped from the noise, and the nice couple i passed, now probably about 150 behind me, were shocked and holding their ears b/c it was so loud. -laughs- it was very scary and funny all at the same time. the couple kinda look at me for a sec to make sure i was ok, and kept walking, so here i am about 500 yards from the gate i just left, pumped up to go find this catholic church, and im out a rear tire and tube. yea i almost forgot, the blast was so strong it ripped the tire off the wire bead and blew out the tube. man. so i turned around and started walking back to the gate all bummed and stuff. i get to that right turn, this time its a left, ha. and the lady from the couple, was walking back to check on me again, and she offered me a ride to where i needed to go. i declined saying i was only a few blocks away, and she asked what had happened, and i showed her where the tube had too much pressure and the tire had been ripped off, so, we parted ways, and i just started walking back. i was sad, but since then i have ordered and received a new tire and tube, put the new ones on and i have ridden out to the church, but i couldnt find any times that they had mass, so i guess ill try again some other time. 

-sigh- well um, i guess the main thing that happened after that was this mandatory fun day they scheduled for this past thursday. it was pretty tight actually, it only cost 40 bucks which included a boat cruise, catering, and minimal alcohol, but all the other drinks. so i paid and there was about 32 of the seabees from our detachment that went. it was alot of fun. the food was pretty good to. we all rode out to this one certain spot that had this wicked strong current, and we anchored there and stayed out for quite a while actually. id say we boarded the boat at like 1330. and didnt gat back to shore till almost 1800. yea. it was a fun time, jumping for the second deck into the water. drinking a few cold ones with my superiors -laughs- and eating some good food. 

oh yea i almost for got, last weekend i saw batmans the dark knight. AMAZING. it was so good. but i think i need to go see it again b/c i was so caught up in the action, that i kinda missed the plot of the meaning of this film, so, yea, if you get a chance, watch the first batman, and then go see this one. itll make you weep. 

and then this weekend, this friday.... yesterday, we were deciding on wether to go see the new x files, or go see wanted, so we decided on wanted, and again, AMAZING. a very very cool action packed movie, lots of very cool slo-mos. go check it out. and both the dark knight and wanted had morgan freeman, so that dudes definitely been busy.

well i guess thats about it as far as exciting things that went down. i mean the work weeks have been pretty decent. just same old stuff everyday. 

oh yea, ive started this introductory work-out program that basically get you into enough shape to be able to pass the navy diver fitness test. so im about two weeks into it, and i feel great. 

um.... for a few thank yous. emily, i did get the birthday card and the natalie announcement, and thank you ever so much and i love you tons and tons (kiss natalie for me). i love getting things from the family and friends, again its a great morale booster. um mom and dad and liz and bryan and andrew thank you so so much for the gifts, they were so great. ive since then watch all the dvds, thank you so much. i love you guys forever and ever. um, melissa, your e-card was hilarious, i listen to it like three times. and i have yet to try out that list you wrote down, but im working on it. 

i guess thats it guys. ill definitely be posting every week, its just sometimes i get in a hurry or forget to, so im sorry about that (em... -laughs-).

i love you guys and i miss you all the time. i cant wait to come back home.

i love you again.

and again.

and once more.

LOVES