Going Stir Crazy

I wish I was doing this right now

Before I left for Iraq I remember telling many family members and friends that I was quite sure I could "do anything for a year." I guess I was wrong. I should have said that I could do anything for a little over eleven months. This last month is killing me. All I can think about is getting home to Irene, Guinness and summer in Milwaukee. If I had six more months to go I don't think I would be all that bothered, but there is something about being so close to freedom that heightens the urgency. For the first eleven months the weeks seemed to fly by, now I'm pretty sure there are about ten extra hours in each day. Lately I have been thinking about how excruciating the last thirty days of a prisoner's sentence must be. When it is a large chunk of time it is easy to not think about the end date. Oh well, at least no one is trying to shank me in the laundry room.

Adding to my frustration was my recent viewing of the movie "The Hangover." If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Of course, now I want to go to Milwaukee and Las Vegas which is more than my brain can handle.

Have Gun Will Travel

This photo would be much more dramatic if I could say that I was taking aim at some insurgents, but I was only at the range re-qualifying on my Glock. I had my worst day at the range ever and have been downgraded from Expert to Sharpshooter. Fortunately, I have plenty of excuses. First of all, I only had forty-five rounds of ammunition to use before dipping into the "good (expensive) stuff." Qualifying requires forty rounds, so I only had five practice shots. Then there was the sweat which was running down my brow and into my eyes every two seconds. There was also quite a bit of dust blowing that morning which blurred my vision even further. I would estimate the temperature at about 120 Degrees which made the black gun a little hot in my hands, not to mention my palm sweaty. I am quite certain that when and if the occasion ever necessitates me shooting a terrorist, it will be under far more favorable conditions. I'm kidding of course, those are favorable conditions for Iraq.

As you can see from the countdown on the right-hand side of this page, time is getting short. I am happy to report that it appears that several projects are going to be completed before I get out of here. Once they are completed I will likely show some photos. My replacement should be here shortly which will help ensure a smooth transition upon departure.

It Has Been A While ...

I just returned from a month in DC and Wisconsin. I was at a conference in DC for ten days and then spent about three weeks in Wisconsin. Being home was great it reminded me of all the things I love about Milwaukee.

Anyway, I am back in Iraq after a rather flawless (compared to previous trips) series of plane and helicopter rides. Once again my best friend Ambien sent me into a smooth and deep sleep that made the thirteen hour flight seem like three. There was slight misunderstanding with the immigration people in Kuwait. I would tell you more, but I would hate to put anything in writing that could be used against me by the Kuwaiti government. Probably won't be stopping there again any time soon.

As you might expect, Iraq is like an oven and the smell of overcooked port-o-johns is once again in the air. It is tough to get back into the work because the two people who took care of things while I was gone both left for R&R before I returned. So I'm not exactly sure what happened for a month while I was gone. I only have about forty days left before I begin my final journey home, so a lot of what I will be doing is wrapping things up and preparing the way for my replacement.