Time for a change

I enjoy blogging and want to keep writing. However, I feel that this blog is for my trip to Iraq and back. Now that I am back, I am done writing on this site. I started a new blog. If you wish to keep on reading of my adventures in this life, check out http://nomoresand.blogspot.com/. See you there, or not.

Getting settled

As I stated in my previous post, I've made it back, safe and sound.  I have decided to drop the method of titles, Day 1 and so on, and make more appropriate titles.

So, I've just spent a crapload of money.  I needed a new computer (don't ever buy a Dell), and decided on a Mac.  The closest Mac store; The Mall of America in the Twin Cities.  A bit of a drive, especially if you've never been there before and don't really know where you're going.  The good news is that my camper was ready to be picked up, and the store that had it is just a bit north of Minneapolis, so I decided to make it a worthwhile trip.  Yesterday I set out on my grand adventure to spend a crapload of money.  Now, some people call me crazy, but when I take a trip where my time schedule is the only one in mind, I usually don't plan.  I knew the Mall was close the airport, in a town that started with Bloom-something, and I knew that if I got onto I-94, it'd take me to the Cities, so a packed clean underware (fresh from Wal-Mart, as I still haven't found mine), my checkbook and hit the road.  I stopped at a rest area just North of the Cities, by about 10 miles, figuring there'd be a map on the wall.  What do you know, there was.  But I couldn't find a listing for the largest shopping mall in America.  I knew it was by the airport, so I found the picture of the airplane on the map and headed that direction.  I figured there'd be signs.  And what do you know, just about the time I thought I was on the wrong road, there was a sign said that the Mall was at exit 2C.  Now, the placement of that sign and my relative proximity to the exit made for some fairly fast lane changes, but I completed my task without a bump or a scratch or horn-honk.  I found parking right in front of one of the doors, located a Mall map, and found the Apple store.  I checked out what I wanted, walked to the Bose store to browse, back to the Apple store, made my purchase (A 17" MacBook Pro and Apple TV) and headed for the exit.  I stopped to ask a nice lady at the Customer Service if I could get back on 494 the way I got off, and she told me I could.  I left the mall and headed North.  I was in the Mall for just under an hour.  It's a nice place, but it's just a big-ass mall.  Any who, I drove North a ways to Big Lake, Minnesota and spent the night.  This morning I drove back towards the Cities and picked up my new Camper.  It tows behind my PT Cruiser.  The only time I know it is there is when the road is a bit bumpy and it starts bouncing.  I can't wait to use it.

I pushed the camper into the garage and am sitting here, playing with my new Mac.  I think it's going to take some time getting used to it.  Where are the 'end', 'home', and 'backspace' buttons?  I'm so confused.

Day 370

I just read the last post to see where I left off. Where to begin. Well, first off, I'm home. Back in Grand Forks, safe and sound. September in Iraq was a bit hurried; sorry for no posts, but getting out of there was priority one. We flew out of Iraq on Tuesday the 22nd of September, spent almost two days in Kuwait, and then flew to Germany, had a two-hour layover in Germany, then flew to Shannon, Ireland for another two-hour layover, then on to Bangor, Maine for another two-hour layover, and finally to an airfield in Wisconsin. We spent a few days in Ft. McCoy, Wisconsin doing our demobilization process. I flew to Bismarck on Tuesday the 29th of September and was met by friends and family. What a long, strange trip it was. The means do justify the end; the bills are paid and I have the GI Bill, but I hope to never go through this again. Only time will tell. My very good friends Don and Sandy Nagle rented a house for me and moved my stuff into it; I just need to find everything. I know my first priority should have been to find underware and a coat (I think North Dakota moved further north in my absence; it's cold here.) However, the first thing I did after getting here was to hook up the stereo and big-screen TV. I still haven't found any underware.