GUS, the Iraqi Carp

Finaly my first Iraqi Carp. The day was cold and partly cloudy, with a slight breeze from the south, good thing or I would have scared him away. I was playing ping pong with Travis on the back porch when I looked into the water about five feet from shore, I saw him feasting on his lunch. I ran, I grabbed the pole, I put a date on the hook, I casted, I pulled and hooked a 24", 5.5 pound fish that looks like it belongs on the Simpsons. I don't know what happened but half of his jaw is missing. Scott thinks a turtle bit him. I call him Gus. Don't know why but I do. Dad this is the one you need to take cabining, blow it up, put it in a frame and take me in the canoe with you. Tell Marty not to hook me though. No I am not going to eat it, it was all slimy. Scott took it off the hook for me because I didn't want to touch it, with the jaw thing going on. Course that brings me to another story. Dad took the family to New Hampshire one year in the summer time. I caught my first cat fish there. The problem was that the thing was so ugly, I didn't want to touch it. So Chris, rod, reel, fishing line, hook and catfish ran back from the pier, up the stairs and towards the house yelling for some help. Dad took it off the hook. I don't like slimy things. I won the ping pong game after the pictures were taken. See ya.

The Plaque

This is going to be a little bit of a story since I am being told I do not write enough. Where to begin, it all started in 1977 when Robbie received an end of the year plaque for baseball. Well, it was in our house groiwng up, undisturbed for many a year when my Dad found it remodeling one of our bedrooms. Well Dad hung on to it until the next Christmas. He wrapped it in Christmas paper and put it under the tree for Robbie. Well Robbie opened it up one Christmas morning and to his surprise was his lost baseball plaque. If memory serves me right Robbie did not know what to do, he didn't understand. Dad decided to tell him he found it, held on to it and decided to give it to him as a present. Off the subject a little bit, the first Christmas Dad was present at our house was in 1982. Dad got Dana some gift, don't remember what it was she probably threw it away anyway. Dad got Robbie a a high speed electric pinball game. Remember, anything electric 23-24 years ago was awesome. Well now it was my turn to unwrap my gift. Dad got me a plastic Buddy "L" pick up truck with a car on a trailer. Robbie was always his favorite. Back to the story, so every year or every other year some one will wrap the plaque and send it to each other. It is always good to skip a year in between, so the other person forgets who has it. Well this year Robbie sent me the plaque and I have it over here. I screwed it into my desk (relax it already had two holes in it anyway) right next to my mouse so I can see it everyday. The plaque came in a box by itself and I knew what it was as soon as I shook it. It is an honor to hold the plaque for my part. The bad thing is it has Robbie's name on the bottom of it, so I can't claim it as my own. Of note again, in 1982 was the same year the ice whale was on the front porch, but that is another story. See why I don't write like this, now I am more upset that I am not home than I was before I started this. Rhea this is your fault. Great now I miss her more too. Damn.

Hello

Hello, sorry I have not updated my webpage lately. I am still trying to get settled in and it is not working so well. I have my sleeping area and my work area but I am just not satified. I have been adding shelves and rearranging everyday, sometimes twice a day. I really am thankful for the boxes and letters I have received since my arrival to Iraq. I could not begin to tell you what I have received but I have gotten a lot of candy. I share some things but the things from home are hard to pass out. The tasty cakes and brownies are not even an option. Robbie and Lauren sent me "Strange Brew" what a great movie. Watched it twice already, I can hear Rhea Jo now, "YOU ARE NOT WATCHING THAT AGAIN". I miss her terribly, can't wait to come home in April. Thanks for emailing and letter writing, if I do not send you an email it is not because I am rude it is just hard to think of home and not miss it more. Thanks again, Chris