Out with Bang

A two month hitch in Iraq was long. Typical fish out of water in a new job at times but should have a better hitch this time.

Violence in Kurdistan is ramping up unfortunately and there were 5 car bombs my first week there and a minibus filled to the gunnels with explosives that would have flattened downtown Erbil if security did not thwart the bad guys. The last I heard they were blaming a Syrian fringe group.

Other than the expected car bombs it was a quiet hitch. Really busy with the drive for first oil and the chaos of a new company. We went from a ordinary hotel to top notch apartments and we will be moving into our new office as soon as I get back.

Very much an international work force with Canadians, Americans, Dutch, Indian, Bolivian, Martian and of course the locals.

I don't have a back to back so I pretty much set my own schedule but need to in for month ends, budgets and special projects so not the 35/35 that I had in Yemen but that is ok.

After a long hitch I was really looking forward to going to Nicaragua but had 5 busy days in Houston with trying to get my house ready for sale. Lots of packing, cleaning and getting rid of shite. I had a sale but I think it will fall through because some of the conditions the buyer wants (one of which is a large portrait of me). So now I need to keep trying. I did sell my SUV to Carmax. They don't offer great prices but you can drive up and sell within an hour. I don't like dealing with people about a lot of things so it was worth the convenience for me.

And then it was Nicaragua. This was great. Lots of sleep, reading and lazing around. Surprisingly little boozing and even less junk so now I have even less soul. Fecks sake.

The second night there we had 14,000 turtles nesting on the beach. I how have a new internet sensation called turtle stacking. I hold the record at 14 and should be back bigger and better next year.

I am currently writing a boring ass blog in the Houston airport and will be in Istanbul tomorrow having nightmares about carpet salesmen and Turkish prisons. Not sure which is worse at this point.

Central America

Denise, Jesse and myself traveled in Honduras and Guatemala together. It was a great trip with amazing scenery and lots to do in both countries. The young handsome lad is me.

The Crew From Yemen

As I was moving stuff from Houston I came across the old crew that I worked with in Yemen. A top notch bunch of guys. 

If you are concerned about Internet privacy and security and you friggin well should be check out this well researched and written document by Jack Burden. Jack and I go back to the early 60's together and at one point we played in a band called the Grass Roots. We actually opened up for the Grateful Dead on two occasions but of course no one really remembers.

Here is the article http://jackburden.ca/web-tracking-no-thanks/

Jack says it is free but what he really means is if you found the guideline interesting please give Frankie a lot of money. If you don't find it interesting well you can go...

Meet Rueben

This is the friendliest stray dog I have ever seen. He hangs around our office and is somewhat skittish but I think he trusts three of us. The Journey Manager feeds him as do the Office Admin Manager and myself. She (Office Admin) has name in Reuben and it seems to have stuck. I think he is less that a year old and has a lot of puppy qualities. He is very docile and loves to petted and scratched. Considering he is feral and can be a risky business but he is really nice and gentle. He will actually and sit and give you his paw now. So I think he speaks English and Kurdish.

And good news for Reuben, Liz is a resident and I think she and her husband are going to take Reuben. I will dog sit when they go on vacation.

 

I don't look for trouble, it finds me or so the cliche goes. Actually I am not in trouble at all but I have Iranians pissed at me. This is their response when I said I would not be paying anything after I inquired about a visa. This is only inquiring.

When the two people that read my blog get wind of this there will be trouble. This is going to harm Iran's we are not an arsehole nation campaign.

Having an open unpaid visa application affects your consular files. Please arrange the payment for the service fee urgently. We need to report the matter to the related authorities in not receiving the service fee and the time is too short, so you will be solely responsible for the corresponding consequences. Hope you can understand carefully.

I think its the Harper Government pissing off the Iranians. I remember years ago when Iran and Iraq were always in the news and one wag said they should combine the two nations and call it Irate. 

Onward,

Maps that explain the world (Thanks Dave)

Maps that Explain the World