The roof of 22 Gia Long Street

I am haunted by this image. What will be the iconic image that will represent the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq? Will the image be recorded tomorrow or fifteen years from now? In this age of twitter, perhaps there will not be an image, but a multimedia pastiche. Is that memorable? If there is not one meaningful image to recall, how will people remember?

Have you heard? Michael Jackson died.

The news has featured notable celebrity deaths of late, and the birth of a symbol.

Fellowship with strangers

It is funny how hanging out with some folks whom you have never met can be so much fun. I went to the DFAC (dining facility) on an off time just to have a cup of tea. Met up with two fellows named Bill. I ended up laughing with them as I listened to their stories. It's always great to laugh.

Tonight I sat down with Alabama's own Air Force Master Sargeant McMunn. He's a real fan of the pecan pie here. I asked him what that goo underneath the pecans was. "That's the pie part," he responded. He also shared with me that there is a pinto bean pecan pie recipe (scroll to the bottom if you hit the link) that he says tastes just like pecan pie. Who knew.

Monthiverssary

I am 1/12th done with my time in country. A colleague measures his time as if it were a seven day week, even though he has been here for a number of months. He is leaving in August and considers that he is in the Friday portion of his tour. I am obsessed with any way of marking my time because my sense of time is so warped by a seven day work schedule. Consider this my Monday morning breakfast.

Silent night

There is a certain peace that a sand storm brings, similar to the solitude of freshly fallen snow. With the sand in the air, one has no choice but to slow down. Green beaconing light fixtures posted at the ends of wooden foot bridges suddenly become relevant as you walk to your destination. "Have I passed it?" Slogging on gravel underfoot, flanked by concrete t-walls, and the constancy of the wind, reminiscent of a snow drift. The only sounds you hear are the wind punctuated by the diesel generators that dot the way.

Pink tactical girl bike

For the last few nights when I finish my shift (23:00), I have been riding the pink tactical girl bike out by the flight line. There is a very smooth service road that allows one to get a four mile ride in. Even though the air is particulate, it is stil a pleasure to get out there. This is the only time of day when it is cool enough to exercise.

I made the aquaintance of a Sargeant Major who was kind enough to put air in the fat tires of the pink tactical girl bike, not only that, he showed me the ropes on how to reach the service raod. Frank certainly is a crusty old Sargeant Major. He took his bike out with me and we had a swell time. Frank has been in the Army/Army Reserve for 33 years. This is his fourth tour. Every now and again I think that I will swing by to catch a ride with Frank. He knocks off around midnight.

The knives are out

Why do certain colleagues feel the need to throw others under the bus? It's almost like a tourette syndrome affect with some folks. There is nothing worse than witnessing this when it is shared among a group. It's like a dirty joke that offends a percentage of the audience.

One day bleeds into another

If you were to ask me what days it is, I simply could not tell you. I could tell you the date, but not the day. Microsoft's Outlook Calendar tells me when to go to a meeting, when my folks are taking leave, etc. When you are at it everyday, one day just bleeds into another.

Another necessity is the white board. The white board documents what needs to be remembered but simply cannot be housed in my mind with reliable results. It reminds myself that I have communicated this to all and issues are still outstanding. It keeps me honest. It reminds me what the original message was, without my mind spinning the item into an altered priority.

The ultimate job fair

ULTDUSTA is the ultimate job fair, the ultimate networking opportunity. This may seem a bit odd to some, but this is a joint force environment, including contractors, etc., which provides an opportunity to learn about jobs first hand, jobs that you might have only read about. This is the mixer, the chance to get to know the folks with the "Hello my Name is" badge. You are building a reputation and a possible future with an affiliation started here. This is good news considering the 9.4% unemployment in the U.S.

One of my favorite colleagues here is an Air Force major who is a wonderful story teller and a consumate networker. He has, much like one of my esteemed cyber-warriors, figured out how to creatively harvest opportunites in the military in a manner both beneficial to mission and career sustainability.

Night Rider

Night is when you can actually walk around upright and think about matters other than the weather. Iraqis, I have learned, will sleep on their roofs or in their backyard to escape the heat indoors.

An aspect of military culture is PT (physical training). I enjoy PT as much as the next person, but it does get monotonous. There are some folks who strap on their general issue helmet light (LED) and tool around on a bicycle. So that's my latest aspiration, to pick up a bike at the exchange.