A friend lives in Turnberry Place, a highrise condo at the south end of the Strip. Awesome view, but I don’t think you get what you pay for. The rent is pretty damn high. Three-image stitch.
Iraqi Wind-blown Mud
Nothing too terribly unique about this photo, but I thought it was interesting. The wind-blown mud leftover after a storm looks a bit like dried up leaves. That structure in the background is an Iraqi blast shelter, one I assume the Iraqi Air Force used when they were expecting American fighters and bombers overhead.
Predator with Air Conditioning
This Predator was being prepared for launch. During high temperatures, we cool the components inside the wing to keep them from overheating. This is a two-shot stitch.
Blast Frag
This is blast frag from a rocket that landed about 150 meters from my location. I heard it fly overhead which is scary shit the first time you hear that sound. This attack occurred five days before I was scheduled to leave Iraq.
Three Black Hawks
Three Black Hawk helos, sunset, a light amount of suspended dust and a camera at the right time will net you this image. A little post-processing for fun and voila!
VNV Nation – Perpetual
Aside
One of my favorite songs… figured I’d share: VNV Nation’s Perpetual. Synthpop done with a certain “epic” overtone. VNV likes to call it futurepop.
Another Predator Photo
This place doesn’t offer much for quality photography subjects when you’re on the night shift. You may have noticed the repetitive nature of my photos… Predators, dust storms, keffiyahs. That’s about it. Granted, the photos of those three subjects are improving as I get used to shooting with a little point-and-shoot, but it’s time I get another subject. Agreed? In twenty-some-odd days I should have that opportunity in the back of a C-130. For now, though, enjoy this, my latest rendition of the MQ-1B Predator on the ramp and ready to launch. I can only imagine how good these pictures could have been had I brought my good camera. Stay tuned for info on my pending camera upgrade.
Last Post About Keffiyahs, I Promise
The third (and final) keffiyah I ordered a while ago finally arrived. It’s the white/black one on the right. This color scheme is traditionally worn by Palestinians and has been most prominent on the head of Yasser Arafat. The white/red one is worn by traditional arabs and is sported by the Saudi royal family. As I’ve stated before, these things are sweet… and inexpensive. Hop onto Amazon and order yourself one or two. They’re in the neighborhood of $10 each.
Another Stepping Stone
Aside
Steps to getting rich: 1) Get out of debt. 2) Build a fund for emergencies. 3) Buy assets. I completed step one at the end of January. I completed step two today when my savings account cleared three months-worth of my salary. I could now live quite comfortably for three months without a single paycheck. Now on to step three. I’ll start by fully funding my IRA.
Sandstorms in Iraq Look Like This…
I didn’t take this picture. (I did, however, take liberty to fix it up for the web.) No, I found it on the base’s network drives and thought you guys should know what it is I’ve been breathing when these storms roll in. Known locally as haboobs, these storms typically roll in from the west or northwest carrying dirt and sand from Arabia and Syria. They can last days, the longest one I’ve personally had to endure being two days long. They look menacing, sure, but with the right gear, they aren’t much of a hassle. Of course, you stay inside when these things are rolling through, but when you have to go outside, keffiyahs handle them nicely.