Gen X in Iraq

Navy Wins

The Navy pulled out a 9th straight win against Army yesterday. I guess the "Beat Army and Beat Navy" segments on AFN will be shelved for another year. The game was close and it was fun to see so many people take an interest in the game.

Go Navy.....(I Guess)

This is the eve of the Army-Navy game. The AFN channels have been full of various Army and Navy personnel exhorting their respective team. The best one involved three goats (the Navy mascot) in a barnyard. One goat asked another one why the Army football team did not have a website. The other goat replied that it was because they could not put three W's together. It is fun to see the rivalry and antics but I don't feel too engaged since I went to Texas Tech and I am follower of Big 12 football. We are having a watching party tomorrow night and it should be fun, especially since Navy is heavily favored.

Good Day, Bad Day

Since my arrival in Iraq I have noticed a pattern of good news that is often followed by a tragedy. The last couple of days have fit this familiar pattern.

A couple of days ago, Iraqi politicians were able to agree on a political compromise regarding the composition of the Council of Representatives. The original election date was set for January 31. However, Iraq's Vice President vetoed the original plan and it was given back to the Council of Representatives. But a compromise was reached and the election is back. An election date is set for sometime in February or March.

Unfortunately, this good news was followed by multiple car bombs in Baghdad today. It is an overcast, rainy day and I first thought the loud boom was thunder. After a couple of seconds I saw the ominous sign that it was more than just thunder as the birds began taking flight. A few minutes later the news came in that there were several explosions in downtown Baghdad.

New Career Opportunity

I believe I have discovered a possible new career opportunity as an Audio-Video Entertainment Consultant. With Christmas around the corner and everyone purchasing Christmas gifts, I have become an expert on all things digital. I have been giving advice on the differences between the XBOX 360 and the PS3, audio-book formats and the merits of the MS Zune. I also find myself troubleshooting iPods, wireless networks as well as answering dozens of work related questions regarding anything which runs on batteries or electricity. I certainly don't mind since anything electronic is my passion. I often find myself going into Best Buy and educating the sales staff, OK I know that is bad but what can I say. All this knowledge makes me a bit of an electronic gift counselor this time of year.   

H1N1 Immunizations Available in Iraq

In case anyone is looking for a H1N1 immunization, I know where you can get one. The only catch is you have to fly to Iraq. I received mine yesterday. The Swine Flu is in Iraq but it is in small numbers, although I suspect that it may be under-reported due to the nature of the medical system.

Thanksgiving in the IZ

It has been a while since I have last posted. I received a new boss in September and two of our staff members left the team. One was transferred to another job and another was sent home early. The Ft. Hood shootings had occurred at the same time we were processing the paperwork to send this soldier home for personality and behavior issues. I guess that I just didn't feel like writing for a while. I am not sure if my muse was involved in an IED incident or I had a case of writers block. Maybe it's because I am the primary writer for our department and I need a break. Also, I don't want to post something excessively negative so I decided to wait for a while. Time has become a factor because I don't have a half day anymore. I am panning to start posting again and I have taken lots of notes and I will write more once I have time to reflect in Kuwait later next month.

Thanksgiving was the first day that really felt like a holiday. We were given the entire day off! I wore my Navy sweats all day long (we can only wear our uniform or PT uniform). In late October, the weather cooled down almost overnight. The lows are in the upper 40's and low 50's. We even had to turn the heater on. KBR put on a fantastic spread for lunch, complete with butter and ice sculptures. After lunch I went to one of our civilian's apartments and played XBOX 360 and a board game called Settlers of Catan. I went back for a light dinner and watched football until 2:00 AM, the Cowboys had a great game BTW. Since football season has started we have started keeping unusual hours. We have pushed back our start time in the morning and most people stay up to midnight or 1:00 AM. It should be interesting to see if this continues after football season is over. I think that another reason for the strange hours is that most of the military works until 9:00 PM everyone needs a little time to wind down.  

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes and the great R&R last month. I plan on writing about my R&R time in a later post.

Football in the IZ

I uploaded a photo of myself and two other officers from Texas Tech. We were watching the Texas Tech - Texas game last week. Watching games live is a real sign of hardcore fans since Saturday evening games are on at 3:00am locally. The DFAC manager allowed us to watch the game on their big screen and out out some near beer and chips. Tech did not win but it was still a good game.

Since football season has kicked off, I have noticed some tired faces in the NEC on Sunday and Monday.

New Boss

It has been really busy for my department over the last couple of weeks. We received a new boss and bid farewell to the old one. This is always a stressful time because and new boss brings new ideas and plans to the Iraq problem. Unfortunately, all of the existing programs and projects do not go away. Instead, new projects are added to the existing workload. The front office also decided to make a few personnel changes during the transition. The end result is that my workload has increased significantly since I am the only experienced member in the department. The good thing is that when I look around, I notice that no one has been here longer than I have. Surely this is one of those signs that I must be getting short!

The end result is that my routine consists of working, working out, making a call home, a little reading and then bedtime. I am hoping it lets up in a couple of weeks as the new arrivals gain experience and we learn to prioritize and balance the new projects and initiatives with the old ones.

Safe and Sound

The VP is in town and the insurgents decided to greet him in their own special way with IDF (indirect Fire). One of the advantages of working late is that I was in a hardened building when the rounds hit somewhere outside.

The Best Time of the Year

 For me, this time of year is sports nirvana. NASCAR is entering the Chase for the Cup, football season starts tonight and the baseball pennant races are running at full speed. Speaking of baseball, my Rangers are in contention for the playoffs....see post concerning the Baseball Gods. I am not the only one who is optimistic about their chances. I received an e-mail offering post-season tickets!!

 

Best of all, if the Rangers make it to the American League Championship Series, I will be home on leave to catch a game!

Football is sport of choice in our office. Since everyone is from all over the US, the office is decorated with team banners, posters, towels, miniature players, etc.I am not sure if it is a working office or a 10 year old's room. Back home in Dallas it is hard to find someone who is not a Cowboy fan. They few Cowboy haters are usually asked to find a new location to set up residence! I feel right at home in Iraq because the Cowboys are the most popular team by a large margin (yes the laws of the universe apply to Iraq as well). I would say the Steelers and Packers have the next largest contingents. Looking around the office I realize just how diverse the work force is; I see the black and gold of the Saints. A Viking helmet hangs on someone's cube next to a terrible towel. It should be a fun football season, and I know that with each passing game I will be one week closer to being home.