Shoot the Breeze With the Cooler Crew - Peoplesforum Edition

Dawg and I spent most of Sunday in the Emergency Room she hurt her back on Saturday and woke up in agony. she has a bad disk in her lower back so they admitted her to a temporary care unit in roseville for about a week.

That sounds awful.

very nice Frosti but I will be sure to stay clear of the St Croix room if we ever get the chacne to stay there ;0

DOH! JOE!

Dawg and I spent most of Sunday in the Emergency Room she hurt her back on Saturday and woke up in agony. she has a bad disk in her lower back so they admitted her to a temporary care unit in roseville for about a week.

Oh geez that is just bad......Sorry to hear this....GET BETTER FAST!!

I just gotta post this somewhere!!!

AMERIDEBT Credit Counseling ...just filed for BANKO!!! hahaha

Minnesota is one of the many states that are sueing them!

this is great news..the idiots put sooo many people farther behind and is the main reason I have a good job.

Glad I never had to go for credit counseling. We had some years early in the marriage where we talked about it, but we tightened our belts and worked our way out.

If you do sign up for a "credit counseling service" it goes on your credit bureau report and is rated worse then a Banko...

I know sounds dumb..but true....shows you need outside help to manage your money and you have NO real clue....

Anyone see this in the news today?

http://www.kstp.com/article/view/148166/

Wow, some people really are stupid.

:( thats just sad!!!!!

How in the world can people just not care!!!

I meant stupid for stealing stuff from the squad cars. But sick too, why people would take pictures and not offer any assistance is beyond me.

Thanks all went to see her this morning before I went to school she seems a little better, so far the plan is for her to come home in a week.

Nice avatar ESD.

so far the plan is for her to come home in a week.

Fingers are crossed for her :)

Thanks LL she seems to be doing better every time I talk to her.

Thanks Frosti I could not sleep last night so I made it in Photoshop.

Diggin...glad to see ya coming on weds. nite...
oh sorry...anybody that wants to come...

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=23b632f0-329f-4fcc-a0b0-b57bec8b925a

Hey everyone sorry I haven't been around in a while. Heh where do I start? Well... my grandma died on May 19th.. it was sudden and a total shock to my family so I've been dealing with that. I don't know if VJ or Reg said anything to anyone but I was also pregnant. I didn't find out until like March/April and at that time I was 14 wks along. Due to all of the stress and some other complications I lost the baby a few days ago. The baby had moved so that the umbilical cord was wrapped around it's neck. I hadn't felt any movement in 2 days so I went to the ER.. and that's when I found out about all of the problems. So they had to extract the fetus. For a brief moment.. I was a mother to what was a little baby boy. It hurts a lot to have lost my son.. but there would've been so many other complications had I carried the baby to full term. Right now I'm on about 3 different anti depressants so I'm kind of numb to everything... it's like I have no emotions or anything. Kinda weird. So that's what's been going on in my life lately. Just thought I'd keep y'all updated. Hope everyone's doing well. Take care all.

Thanks THX and Diggin'4_it_Again I will let Dawg know this morning when I go to see her.

Very sorry to hear about your baby Mystical_Muzik:(

oh geez...

I'm sorry to hear all the bad news for you MM :(

holy cow have things gone down hill the past week around here on the cooler news.

I just found out I got MOLD in my basement and they want me to remove it before the house is sold...is nbd compared to LIFE issues.

Very very sorry to hear the bad news. I wish the best for you.

ESD- Same to you and Dawg

Makes my bad news about my wifes brakes on her car acting up not so bad....

Sorry to hear that MM, hope things improve in your life in the near future :)

SAVE SWEETIE-MARY

:(

Oh, I'm so sorry MM. (((MM)))

How everyone in the land of cool temperatures? Its finally starting to get warm here as we move into summer, we have a few days up to 118 degrees and its still climbing. You really can’t describe it or prepare yourself for it, it’s just hot.

Here what’s been going on for the past couple of month’s. We are starting to getting used to our patrol and guard routines. The battery is responsible for an area south of BIAP (about 36 sq. km) , one entry control point on to BIAP and numerous small details. The days get long because we keep at least one platoon out in sector at all times and rotate the other platoons through the other details. The guys have been working about 70 hr per week and get 2 days off.

Patrols consist of setting up random vehicle check points and searching cars & people. They also provide a security presence in our sector to keep things safe and keep the peace with the locals. We have spent a lot of time searching for and finding unexploded ordinance in our area. The guys have become very good at it and we are on a first name basis with all the EOD units in BIAP. We take them out 4 days week to remove or blow something up. (most other units use EOD once or twice a month). There used to be a Republican Guard compound in our sector and a lot of the fighting at the beginning of the war took place here and we find shells, bombs, mines, AAA guns and rounds all through the sectors. And I mean by the hundreds! We have learned that be removing these from the countryside that is lowers the numbers of IED attacks in our area. We have not had a single IED set since we have moved in (there were 5 in the two month prior to us taking over). The possibility is always there but we will continue to lower the risk on a daily basis. The platoons have become quite competitive in who can discover the most or find a hidden caches, 2nd platoon is definitely leading the way. The reward is getting the push the button on the detonations that EOD sets up. We have tons of video and photos of it all which I will be posting to the website.

We now have 8 interpreters that work for us. Five of them work at the gate and three that we use on patrols. Most of them are 20 to 25 years olds and are a few of the lucky people over here to have good paying jobs. One of my job is to manage there schedules and pay and get them to work. They can be a real pain some days. I have fired and re-hire each of them at some point or another. Most are nice guys but they just don’t understand that 7am means 7AM! It’s a cultural thing and it gets very frustrating. They use the phase over here “in sha’la ” which means if God wills it or if its meant to be. The interpreters are now learning that CPT Riffe doesn’t buy it and they better be on time or they’re going to lose their jobs... “in sha’la”.

Moral has been as good as could be expected. The main complaints from the joe’s is about the heat and all the self imposed army rules. National guard soldiers do an outstanding job on their missions and duties but really struggle with garrison life. When were back in the billeting area, there are uniform codes and sergeant major rules that, back in the states, these are things they don’t have to deal with. And there is always the impending changes and extra details that come out.

We have really gotten lucky in our duty assignments and locations. They are a lot of units in much more hostile areas and worst living conditions. I ran into a couple of soldier from ND and they were stationed up in Tikrit. They were amazed at how good we had it here, they were still living in tent and eating out of mobile dinning facilities . We now have the largest PX in Iraq within walking distance from our billeting area and Toby Keith and Ted Nugget just played there two days ago. (I didn’t get a chance to go) We don’t have to wear body armor in the BN area, which is something other units like the 81st BDE at Camp Anaconda has to do 24-7. We have one of the best chow halls in the area, I know, I have eaten at 18 different ones from Balad to Arifjahn. Our BN has hired locals to come in and do tailoring and haircuts for free. We have access to a free phone center that our soldiers can use at least once a week. Internet is now set up for a fee in the soldiers trailers and just about everyone has it. We have built or in the process of building 2 gyms, basketball court, volleyball court and a small library. We have even hired one of Saddam’s personally trained painters to come in and do artwork for a commission.

Jeff Mckinney was a WCCO radio report that embedded with us for a week. Most the guys enjoyed having someone from back home along with them on patrol instead of the reporters that are already over here. It was a little difficult to listen to some of his reports, he made everything seem so graphic. Mostly it was because he was only in country for a week and it takes some time to get used to how things operate over here. I thought it was so strange how everything struck him as so dramatic and close. He keep saying things like “you mean Baghdad is RIGHT over there?” or “you don’t wear your body armor all the time?” I think the news does a poor job of reporting all the good we are doing over here and misses the focus of helping the Iraqis in establishing a new government and help rebuilding a poor infrastructure. All were doing is providing them with the security to allow it all to happen and the support they need get things moving.

Everyone has been asking about the rocket and mortar attacks. Do they happen? Yes. Are they close? Yes. Do we have guys that can sleep through them? Yes. The last attack we had on Camp Blackjack was yesterday and we had a couple of 60mm mortar rounds land in the motor pool, no one was hurt. We have had a number of rounds that have landed in our area but they are random and inaccurate. They don’t always have the right types of fuse to make the rockets work, so a lot what get fired at us doesn’t go off. Like I said earlier, we are doing a good job of removing the munitions from our area which makes it harder and harder for the anti-coalition forces to attack. The most serious incident we had was deliberate ambush against one of our platoons the first week we were here. Five anti-coalition force used RPG’s and small arms to shoot at one of our patrols and only ended up hitting one armored humvee with one bullet. Terribly inaccurate for an ambush. We ended up eliminating two and capturing three. Our soldiers reacted without fear or hesitation and they did an outstanding job doing what they were trained to do. We learned that the guys we captured had lead other ambushed against coalition forces and we have not seen any hostiles of the nature in the area since.

Who is Dakota 4-5? We are. I know it a little confusing but we have been attached to a number of different unit since we deployed in November and our name keep changing. We are still Delta 216th ADA but the unit we are currently attached to is the 4-5 ADA BN and they all ready have a Delta battery so we go by our call sign name. The 4-5 ADA BN is part of the 1st Cav Division and we are now wearing the 1st Cav patch. We still a part of the 81st BDE but only for pay and administrative issues. And even that falls back to our parent unit back in MN. It’s all very confusing and sometimes I can can’t keep it all straight. It really makes it hard to do the property books. We have equipment from 4 different units, some here in Iraq and Kuwait, some still back in WA and MN. Turning everything back in is going to take forever.

Way sorry to hear about the deaths in your life MM. Hang in there as best you can knowing you have a virtual support team here on your side. Also try to keep your wits about you as well. You'll not want to go crazy on the meds for too long as that will be your next life impacting problem to arise. Stay numb if you need to but be careful.

I just went back and read some messages from this week

OMG MM I am soooooo sorry!!!!! :(

ME2 who is sweetie!!!!???????????///

thanks Kitch for asking.

I hope many of you know be by now that this isnt something I do.

Almost ALL of you have family pets and just put yourself in this postion. You love your pets as family members. Whitneys hamster has a tumor. She can live for 2 weeks and be put to sleep or have it surgically removed. We gave these options to Whitney and she absolutely loves Mary and wants to help her but WE do NOT have the money to help her. So, Whitney thought about asking relatives to help save her. She decided to hold a fundraiser to Save Mary. I know this sounds quirky. Whitney had another hamster last year who died from wet tail and stress. Whitney was not close to that hamster. This hamster will eat from your fingers. Has NEVER bit anyone and want to play alot with people. She is well trained and happy all the time.
I wonder if she was almost re-incarnated :)

Whitney is working on a website for people to get to know Mary if they dont know her and she will be keeping a daily log of her progress. We would even do a web cam but we dont have one.

my children don't do fund raisers (havnt in 2 years).
when they did fund raise for school it was only once a year, I didn't allow them to sell the stupid stuff, If I wouldn't buy it then I didn't expect my friends to either. I always feel that most of my friends don't have extra cash for over priced items in school fund raisers. My friends don't see how they have really impacted on a project or cause.

I don't see much progress in the research for deathly causes either and always wondered when I did donate to say, March of Dimes or the Fire Dept, where the money really goes at times-paperwork, eh?

I am calling on all of my friends and family on this one.

Whitney chose this option and I am proud of her for caring soooo much for a life. Her unconditional actions will make her a better child, a wonderful learning experience in fund raising for something you feel so deeply about through unconditional actions.

On this website you will be able to follow Marys progress. Whitney will keep a daily log and photos for everyone. You will see how you helped a child understand how to help others who cannot help themselves.

Whitney loves animals and has planned on working with animals in her future, weather it be a veterinarian or working at a zoo.

Stay tuned for the website where you can donate and follow Whitney and Mary on their journey.

Thank you in advance for your compassion and donations :)

Kitch:

Thanks for your informative and interesting posts. Please keep them coming!

http://journals.aol.com/sarahandbeans/SweetieMary/

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grrrr...I can't look at it at work!!!!

OH..how much is this hamster going to run??!??

Cheaper than I first thought. I was thinking they were gonna tell me $500 but they handed me paperwork for $180 for everything. Whitney got all teary eyed at first and said that she would have the surgery. Ofcourse we explained that we literally would have to take some from our house payment and wait to pay the whole house payment and then add late fees-(WE ARE NEVER LATE ON OUR HOUSE PAYMENT)-that always comes first. Now try explaining that to an 8 year old that her friend is less important than our home. We just keep getting hit with one thing after the next -I know it is called "life". But the more I thought about it the more it bugged me that such a small amount of money was keeping a wonderful animal from living. Whitney started to hand me her $25 (all the money she had) and she said she would start asking friends and family to help and such began a full fledged Save Mary Fundraiser.

What a great experience for Whitney to learn about caring and communications with people and maybe jump start her 'helping animals' career. I dont know. It is a big amount for one person but when everyone drops a $1 or $5 she can be saved. If this were the other hamster or even 2 of my ungrateful bratty cats than I would not want Whitney to do this (even though since she wants to save animals I would probly back her up on it anyhow). This hamster is worth keeping around.

I just gotta ask...how old is MARY now???

she is over a year old- Whitney got her May 13 last year at approx 2 weeks old.
different vets say she can live
for another year or even 2 years with surgery.
2 weeks max without.
life span is 2-3 years for hamsters.

hey I read today that RATS are the NEW HOT pet to have right now!
WOW!

well...if I learned anything after all this time...

I'd set up an PayPal Account...then try selling something on ebay like a "hamster doll" for an "save the hamster fund"

Heck ... if the press picks it up ...would go insane on bidding....

oh wait...you have "the in" with the press.....

(but ya gotta set up an paypal account anyways for online donations)

I was thinking of a Paypal account-I have one already -
I just didnt get that far-this is overwelming for an adult as well as a child. I don't like charity for myself-actually I rarely except help of any kind. But I have to let go and allow Whitney to take charge of this project.

thanks for reminding me about the paypal thing.
I think I will try to figure out how to do it.
you must think like I do...I thought for a split second of the EBay thing and then I forgot about it. I want Whitney to do as much of this on her own as possible though.

it just takes a person or two to send the www address to a news website ;)

I've seen weirder things on national press and david letterman.

Work with her on an EBAY idea..it could would work...

;p

We sold our house!!!

Good news Frosti. Congrats!
My sister just bought one today too. But that's down in Farmington/Lakeville. Weird.

wow-cool Frosti
I thought there was a problem, you fix it?
So when do you move into the new house?

There was a problem. We gave her $1000 off the price and made her sign an "as-is addendum" stating that we don't have to repair a thing.

We close on our new house on the 15th, and close on this one on the 28th. I should be packing!

I wish I would have got an "as-is"...I might have a major issues with some mold....

Dawg update
Looks like she will be home on Saturday, I brought one of our dogs to visit her yesterday that cheered her up a lot.

oh kitch :(

We gave her $1000 off

the bummer is that this is less for you but for them it is really no big deal cause it doesnt really affect their monthly payment over 30 years...what by $1 a month MAYBE!

OK-this is weird...I drive all over town -kids to school in Highland Park from Cherokee Park and Mark to work on Larpentuer Ave daily and downtown to the history center ...so I get around ;P

now over the last week I have seen 3 little childrens shoesjust sitting in the street! weird! busy streets at that. they look like size 7 child.

1 white dress shoe on Kellogg St -West bound -in front of the Excel Energy Center.

1 pink shoe on Cliff Road driving west bound near Smith St.

1 white tennis shoe on St Clair near Linwood Park.

So what happens after she comes home?
does she have to hang out on the sofa ;) I like this idea

or maybe even hang out in the backyard on sunny days ----oh, I so long for some sunshine.

does she have to go back in for a check-up soon?