On my way home soon!

Two weeks from today I will be in Kuwait waiting on the plane home.

I need a break. Burn out is hitting me bad.

Some other things of note. I am back up to around 200 lbs. I was down to 194 but put on about 6 lbs of muscle. I normally skip lunch and go to the gym here. Bet that will change when I get home.

I have tentatively excepted a new job. I say tentative because it is all dependent on the security clearance being processed. I am told this can take quite sometime. I am really excited about the job. It is not only a promotion, but a different field of work in the IT industry. To be honest programming has lost its appeal to me; the challenge just isn't there anymore. On the down side, I will have a long commute for a while, at least until we can sell our house and find a new one.

There is a lot to do while I am at home this time. I have to take my polygraphs, visit people at the Bureau of Public Debt, see some friends, spend time with the wife and kids, and of course Christmas and New Years.

I took time in the evening to play a video game, F.E.A.R - First Encounter Assault Recon. Great game and great story line. I can't wait to be able to try the multiplayer out. I was a little disappointed with the ending though.

Big thanks to my friend, Rick, for the care package he sent. The cookies were great and the jerky was awesome. The cookies did put a dent in my meal plans. I guess I will have to put in an extra few miles this week.

Back to the job. The funny thing is I applied not thinking I would even get an interview. So next thing I knew I got an email asking to arrange a telephone interview. Now you have to understand this was for a networking postion, which is alot of my responsibility here in Iraq and includes the telephone system we use. It just happens that the day I had my interview the network was having problems due to satellite issues and coomunications with the teleport in VA. Not even halfway through I lost the connection to the states. I finally got things under control and was able to finish the interview. Later that day I was offered the job.

So when I am at home on vacation I will be doing alot of running around to finalize when I am going to come on board with my new agency and when to tell my old one goodbye. I don't know much at the moment over here beyond what I just told.

God bless,

Frank

Labor Day Run

On Labor day I did something I have not done in a really long time. I ran in a US Corp of Engineer's 5k run.

My hat off to MAJ Bill Cowling for getting the event started. Bill is a high school principal back in Missouri. He let out one email slip saying he was thinking about getting a 5K run set up on our FOB. Next think he knew is he had a banner and t-shirts. Envy him.

Anyway, I did respectable. Run time was 28:08. We are sponsor the Vetran's Day run and I hope to improve my time.

I have hit a slump in my weight loss. I can't seem to break 200lbs. The Vetrans day event will give me motivation to up my cardio training and back off the weight training.

I had someone take video and I hope to be able to get it editted and up on my website so Bill's students can see there principals and their handy work.

Later and God bless,


Frank

115 Degrees Refreshingly Cool!!!!

This goes down to the subject "You know you have been in Iraq to long when...".

I just walk out of the gym. Usually go at noon instead of lunch. I walked out and thought to myself "It is a rather cool pleasnat day!" Then I heard on Armed Forces Radio, Mosul current temperature was 115.

Yeah, I think I have been in Iraq too long.

Things have been busy for me here. Currently I am the GRN Information Management Officer. I have been busy managing personnel and resources.

Also been busy applying for jobs outside of the Public Debt. Don't get me wrong I love working there, but I think I have out grown the job and there is no chance for me to advance. I really like what I am doing here, but it is beginning to take a toll on my family.

Oh by the way, I am now down 65 pounds, just above 200. I have lost over 6 inches on my waist.

God bless,

Frank

On my way - "Home sweet home"

Time is close. I will be stopping in Las Vegas for CCNA training. I feel your sympathy from here. I will be either flying or in airports for over 28 hours, yet still land on the same day I leave.

Well I made it to one of my goals. I've lost a total of 50 lbs since a have been here. I can bench press my weight and on the Hammer bench press I can do 300+. Still think you will catch up, Rickster! More than welcome to try. I have now become the poster child for going to the gym at the office.

It has been rather exciting here the last few weeks. We have gotten mortarred a few times. Once when I was away traveling, a mortar hit our parking lot and busted the glass and flattened the tires on all four vehicles we had at the time. I will catch hell over this, because I have kept it from my wife and mother so they would not worry as much.

It is starting to get hot here. It is nothing for the temperature to be 100+, but it is a dry heat. Everyday during lunch time a job to the gym and my lips are starting to crack by the time a get there. The moisture just gets sucked out of everything. So when I get back at the end of June things should be really hot.

Hated to heear that my favorite gaming group is now defunct. LanXtreme you will be missed. I plan on holding a small LAN party when I make it home this coming winter. You guys might stand a chance.

Update

Sorry all!

The USACE office here has just finished a move and it kind of put the hammer to me for a while.

You might remember this pic. It is of me on Jan. 16th, 2005.


This is me today. Forty pounds lighter and four inches in waist less.




I am working hard to suprise the inspiration of my life, my B E A Utiful wife Julie. I love you, baby.

So, as I was saying we moved. We orginally occupied a small area on the the second floor of a three story palace. The one below, in fact.




This is our new place. Smaller and nicer is a cozy sort of way. Only one story, but we have it all to ourselves.




Oh yeah, this is me working.

It was hot inside and cool outside. This was me dimantling the server so we could get the steel server rack down the stairs. Took eight grown men to get it down the marble staircase.




You can reach me with comments and questions at frank.wolfe@gmail.com .

Later and god bless,

Frank

Our kids in this?

A school in a small mountain village in Iraq

A friend of mine, John Binford, is a construction representative for the Army Corp of Engineers in the Dahuk province of Iraq. These people are poor, yet they constructed a school house for their children out of the best materials they had available. You may laugh, but they live in mud huts. John says it breaks his heart when he goes to these villages. He, as an American is welcomed with open arms. He is often invited to eat, but delicately refuses. He knows that the children would go hungry, because they would give him more than they could afford to give in food.
John is a jovial sort, always a jokester. He and I have become close friends and enjoy each others company when we have the opportunity. But when he talks about the kids, I've seen his eyes well up with tears.

So here is how you can help, it is not much. The school teachers have to by their own chalk and no supplies are provided to the children. If the parents can't afford pencils and paper the kids don't go, instead help tend the sheep and cattle. Gather up some school supplies and things for children and mail them by US Postal Service to:

USACE Dahuk RO
426 th CA BN
Task Force Olympia
APO AE 09334

Also it would be nice to send a small note thanking the Construction Reps and Engineers representing us all so well.Please pass this link along, the more people that can help the better.

God Bless,

Frank Wolfe

Combat Zone Rainbow

I big thunder storm blew through Mosul on March 3rd. Lightning and thunder like you wouldn't believe. So dark you would have thought it was after midnight. Like all storms it blew over finally and left behind a beatuiful rainbox. The big concrete things are Texas barrier or T-barriers. They surround all the no harden structures.
The white spots are, believe it or not, are white doves.


Was a beatuiful site. Gives one a sense of hope for this region of the world.