Busy days

Today we were working on slides for the General to present to another General with more stars who would in turn present those slides to another General with even more stars. This essentially means, me and the five other guys I was working with became POWER POINT WARRIORS. We were still changing and adding slides within 15 minutes of the brief. It was fun in a weird sort of way. The general would call his exec and the exec would yell the changes and we'd make the changes and then email them to the general who would call in further adjustments. It's better than sitting around thinking about how boring things are, I think. I haven't experienced the sitting around part, yet.

Tomorrow . . . more insanity, but it's important to embrace and enjoy the pressure, because it doesn't go away. Humor comes in many different forms. We now have a new title for the LtCol that orchestrates the chaos . . . the Director's Action Group or DAG. "Dag" means:
1. a character; eccentric
2. a person who is untidily dressed
3. a person with a good sense of humour
or
1. A lock of matted or dung-coated wool.
2. A hanging end or shred.

We thought the latter was hilarious.

I missed Church this morning and was bummed about it. I really look forward to the worship and singing with fellow believers. Tuesday night I'm participating a Bible study about truth. I need the fellowship. Since turning my life over to Christ I've come to rely fully on him and gathering with fellow Christians is so importatnt.

Night, Night All!

A New Dawn

This morning my boss finished his year and a little plus and flew off to rejoin his family back in Nebraska. The folks that were in my office when I showed up here are now gone and the new blood is all that remains. Work is hectic, but I like it. I like having more to do than I could possibly do. Things are clicking. I feel as though the progress on behalf of the Iraqis has been slight, but there is an air of momentum about. We'll see where it takes us.

I listen to my MP3 when I'm working. Usually, I listen to Christian music. I've been introduced to Pandora.com and listen to that at night, as I fall asleep. Sleep is vital and I try to make sure I get at least 8 hours of sleep per night. I haven't used an alarm clock since I've been here, except when I participate in runs.

This morning I participated in my fourth run. With each run you get a free T-shirt. I'm up to four T-shirts now. We have another run next weekend. Most are 5k's with 10k's mixed with 'em. The 10k's are a little more work. Tomorrow the plan is to start my daily workouts. We'll see how it goes. I'm ready to hit it hard. Sometimes the work load is remarkably heavy, so I've decided . . . instead of veging at the in the dining facility every night for an hour plus, I will go work out and take my dinner to go. This should cut down on my snacking problem as well (I like cake and icecream).

I'm pretty much done with my application to Liberty University. I'm applying for a seminary degree in Intercultural Studies. Basically, it's a degree on how to go out and be a missionary. I'm excited about it. It's been a while since I've been in school, so I'm going to take it a little slow for the first semester and probably ramp it up for the next semester.

Glad to hear the kids are doing well back home. They are a bit homesick, but have had a busy summer and have had the opportunity to do plenty. I miss those little monkeys and can't wait to give them hugs and kisses and hang out with 'em again.

Surf, Turf and Concerts

Every Friday is Surf and Turf. I happily partake of lobster and steak. I'm sure I will have gobbled up more lobster during my stay here than I did previously in my life. One of the guys I work with has now been in the desert for just shy of two years. He's adamant he may no longer eat steak or lobster for the remainder of his life. He's tired of it. He said he got tired of it about 4 months ago. I'm only supposed to be here for one year. Using his tolerance level as a possible barometer for my own (which I know is unscientific)I should be safe by about 8 months. For the sake of diversity and just to prove I can deny myself I may skip the surf and turf occasionally.

Concerts occur here very frequently and there is always a meet and greet afterward. I really appreciate the people coming out here to perform. So far I've been to a "former-lead-singer" of the Spin Doctors concert and an Uncle Kracker concert. The Spin Doctors sang "Little Miss" and "Two Princes". I remember 1993 where these guys were all over cable and you hear cars driving down the road playing their music. Pretty cool. As far as Uncle Kracker goes . . . I'd heard of him, but wasn't sure what he sang. I thought it was awesome he opened with the old John Anderson song "Swinging". I'm an old country fan so, when he sang "The Gambler" I was sold. After the concert we arm wrestled.

In another picture I have the "Victory over the United States and Great Brittain" palace. Originally, this was the "Victory of Iran" palace, but after the first Gulf War the name changed. Saddam Hussein was in the middle of constructing this palace until the U.S. came in, 2003. So the Victory over the United States was never completed. The cranes remain standing as they did in 2003. In Saddam's eyes and the eyes of his "constituants" the fact that he was still alive after the first Gulf War was a victory. Every nook and cranny of this place has a pretty interesting story.

Born on the 1st of July

This is one of the more interesting places I've been. I've been a lot of places. I've got to write about my interpreter. He was born in Zakho in northern Iraq. Zakho is a beautiful place in the pictures I've seen. You won't hear about Zakho on the news, because there is no fighting. People, including Americans, can walk the streets and not worry about being bombed or shot.
Anyway, my interpreter is indispensable. He understands the Iraqi culture and Iraqi military. He served in the Iraqi Army at one time. He later served in the American Army and rode in our convoys facing fire and bombs from the terrorists to repay a country that's done so much for him. He's now an American citizen and truly a remarkable human being. When I'm speaking with the Iraqis he steers me culturally and makes communication possible. He provides vital insights into the Iraqi culture and people. His name is S###### and I will miss him dearly when he returns to the United States to his family.
One day we were discussing birthdays and S###### mentioned he was born on 1 July, just like his mother, father and brother. I found this amazing. The odds are astronomical. He then explained that a judge assigned his birthday. When he was in third grade he was in court and the judge asked his father how old S###### was. His father looked at S###### and then looked at the judge and said "I don't know, what do you think?" The judge asked S###### what grade he was in and S###### stated 3d grade and the judge told him he was 9 and his birthday was 1 July.
The culture of rural Iraq used events to mark birthdays. S######'s mother told him he was born about the time a well-known Peshmerga warrior died, but couldn't get any closer.
It's amazing how important structure is to our western society. Another advisor mentioned to the Iraqis that today was S######'s birthday and the Iraqis found it funny and childish that he still celebrated his birthday. We accept structure as intuitive, but it's something taught to the west from the day we are born.

Father's Day + 1

Yesterday was Father's Day and I feel so greatful that I had the opportunity to see my babies on Skype. Technology is wonderful! There are a whole bundle of Dad's over here and it seems like the average number of kids is 3 or so. I think we're ahead of the national average. I had a piece of chocolate cake with chocolate icing and chocolate syrup topped with chocolate ice cream to celebrate having such wonderful kids. They would've told me to do it.

Grandpa turns 93 today. I love you Grandpa! Hope you enjoy the cake.

Honoring Heros at the Hunting Palace

It's amazing to me I'm walking where Saddam walked. Last night I went to Saddam's Hunting Palace for Operation Proper Exit. Wounded troops returned to Iraq to visit the locations they were wounded at and get closure for what they experienced. This is an activity organized by the Troops First Foundation. These men are truly amazing. It's one thing to go into battle, but facing the adversity with the can do attitude these gentlemen have is heroic. These young men contributed of their flesh, blood and bone to provide people they'd never met a better life and their friends and comrades gave their last breath. It's amazing to think that back between 2003 and 2007 chaos reigned in Iraq and to see where Iraq is now. Things have really changed here. The environment in Iraq has improved drastically. People are still wary, but the streets are bustling. People stroll to the ice cream shop with their children at night. The 99% of Iraqis desiring peace and stability for their families are optimistic. Here's a link to the story about Operation Proper Exit: http://www.army.mil/-news/2010/06/15/40870-wounded-warriors-return-to-iraq-find-closure/

Touring and travelling

Yesterday I dined with the Iraqis for the first time. We had rice, poultry, beef and fish (carp). There were some other foods I wasn't familiar with, but all was good. The Iraqis are very welcoming and truly try to share the best they have with you.

The Iraqis gave us a tour of their air force base. It was great to look at the work the Iraqis had done. They are moving forward. A portion of the base used to be a prison and they're converting the old prison buildings into facilities for their troops. The Iraqis are very optimistic.

It was hot today, but it didn't feel as hot as it was. The temperature was close to 120, but I think I'm getting somewhat used to it. One thing you must do is travel efficiently in such oppressive heat. Figure out the short routes that hit lots of shade along the way and drink lots of water. The soda or juice may taste better, but they don't alleviate the heat.

Now that I'm down a little further I'll tell the rest of the story for my visit to the Iraqi air base. I went to the restroom and saw two urinals. I chose the urinal on the right. I began to relieve myself and noticed leaking from the urinal. I stopped and stepped back. The urinal wasn't connected to any type of plumbing. I peed on the floor for the first time since I was 32. Afterward I noticed a sign in Arabic clearly stating that urinal was out of order.

Happy 235th B-day to the Army.