Hi, my name is Rick.

“The land of gumdrops and lollypops.”  That’s what my roommate Mitch calls Tallil Air Base, which is where I am right now.  Let me tell you something: he’s right.  This place is ridiculous.  Granted, it’s all a matter of perspective but honestly.  I’m about to outline all of the things that make this place better than the FOB I live on.  I live on FOB Hunter.  After everything I mention, I will include either (OH) for On Hunter, or (FUCNO) for Findings Unclear: Currently Not an Option.  Here we go.

Right now, I’m sitting in a CHU, or a Container Housing Unit (FUCNO), which has running water (FUCNO), a shower (OH), and a toilet (FUCNO).  I’m writing this whilst connected to relatively fast internet (FUCNO) and I’m sipping a Cafe Americano which I purchased at the local Green Bean Coffee Shop (FUCNO).  Yesterday I went to the gym (OH) which had loads and loads of dumbbells (FUCNO) and two sets of virtually every weight imaginable (FUCNO).  All the equipment at the gym was American made (FUCNO) and therefore solidly constructed and safe (FUCNO).  After the gym I went to the, for all intents and purposes, full size PX (FUCNO) to get some necessities.  After the PX it was off to the KBR DFAC (FUCNO).  For most readers, here’s a translation: a ‘KBR DFAC’ is a dining facility run by the American contracting company Kellogg, Brown & Root.  KBR DFACs serve cornucopias of delicious food (FUCNO) and have such delicacies as hot and cold sandwich bars (FUCNO), salad bars (FUCNO), ice cream bars (FUCNO), endless amounts of soda (FUCNO), fresh cut fruit (FUCNO), and various other delights.  These are just some of the benefits of Tallil.  There is plenty here I will not miss when I go back to Hunter however.  Such as being a stone’s throw away from Brigade, being around more field grade officers than the world needs, and having to take the bus everywhere because this place is so inconceivably enormous.  What’s even more mind blowing is that this place is tough living compared to some other FOBs in Iraq.  It’s all a matter of perspective.

The photo today is of the famed Opera House in Sydney.  I took this with a point & shoot 20 or so minutes after Eva and I got engaged right outside the Opera House.  From now on, whenever we see the Opera House we’ll be able to say “That’s where we got engaged.”  I think that’s pretty cool.  We got engaged there over two years ago.  I think that’s pretty crazy.

UPDATE: If the photos on my website look stretched out to you, it’s probably because you upgraded your browser to Internet Explorer 8.  There is a coding issue with IE8 and it interprets WordPress CSS theme code incorrectly.  To fix the issue, up near your browser’s address bar, there is a button next to the “Refresh” and “Stop” buttons which looks like a piece of paper torn in half.  This is the “Compatibility View” button and it basically makes the browser read the WordPress code like it did before.

Iraq, Sydney, Australia

Went to Chicago, went to Maryland, went to Vegas.  Twas great.  A lot of fun; a lot of everything.  I took a ton of pictures over the course of our trip, but they all need processed.  I shoot in raw (which is admittedly meaningless to most of you) which means I have to process every shot in order to turn it into an image which you can see here and on Flickr.  Be patient… tomorrow I’ll post a new shot from either Chicago or Vegas.  For now, I need to rest.  Vegas is too much.

This is a shot of a restaurant on a boat in the Sydney Harbor.  The boat is named the “South Steyne” pronounced ‘south stain.’  I think it sounds disgusting.

Check out my Flickr photostream if you’re so inclined.

Point & Shoot, Sydney, Australia

Eva and I are going to Vegas on Friday night for 3 nights with our friends Arch and Tiff.  We’ll be staying at the Venetian and to echo the thought going through your head right now, yes it will be spectacular.  Not ‘spectacular’ like a guy wearing tight jeans, an Armani Exchange shirt a size too small, a thick leather band Diesel watch that snaps AND buckles closed, shiny pointed toe ankle high boots, a solid all over tan with “frosted tips” and a propensity for kissing boys would say it though… more like someone with a vocabulary beyond “sweet” and “awesome” would say without sounding precocious.

We went to the Smithsonian today.  I saw (not in this order) the original Oscar the Grouch, the top hat Abe Lincoln wore to Ford’s Theater, George Washington’s epaulets from the Revolution, the flag Francis Scott Key saw which inspired our national anthem, a Stradivari violin, the scarf Robert E. Lee surrendered with at Appomattox, a Nazi flag, and the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz.  I saw other stuff too but those things stood out in my head in that order at the time I wrote this.  A stream of consciousness of sorts.  Or maybe exactly.

This is the Sydney skyline near the Opera House.  Contrary to what most Americans and Hollywood Australian montages lead you to believe, there is more to see in Australia than the Opera house… namely New Zealand.

Point & Shoot, Sydney, Australia

This photo is from, as is evident from the title, Hyde Park in Sydney, Australia.  There is much dispute in the Cook household as to who actually took this photo.  Eva believes she took it.  I believe I took it.  The mystery remains.

This Hyde Park, contrary to the park in London with the same name, had no visible discarded syringes.  This, I believe, was a plus.

Point & Shoot, Sydney, Australia