Settling In

100050SEP06

So I’ve been in country about a week now, and the settling-in process has been a bit slow. It took me five days to bother to unpack my computer, which I really only did as a best option for making the most of the limited internet availability here. What I’m doing is writing emails and now these blog entries on my computer and sending them out when I get a chance to jump on one of the staff guys’ computers at battalion.

Naturally, I can’t talk about specific activities, times, locations, or people in this public forum. The Army beats us to death with messages promoting OPSEC. Ambiguity is so much more fun, anyway. Not only that, stupid details are way more interesting than operational ones. If some jerk with an old artillery round and a spool of wire wants to find out that I haven’t showered in a week (though he wouldn’t find that to be by any means unusual), good for him. Like I said, I’m really taking my time getting settled in.

Another administrative reminder: I am in the Army. As I have said before, the American Infantryman cares nothing for your sense of decency, and while I’m willing to filter the extremes in soldier activity and language, a lot of what he says or does is some pretty funny shit. Sometimes ‘ha ha - funny’ and sometimes ‘makes me want to weep for the future of our nation – funny’, but funny nonetheless. What I see is what you get, and I’ll try to make it obvious when I’m lying or exaggerating.

At this point I really ought to be getting to bed because I told the commander I’d get up at 0530 for breakfast. Why? Seemed like a good idea at the time.

I’ll summarize the last week: Kuwait is lovely this time of year. To simulate the afternoon in Kuwait you’re going to need a sauna, an industrial fan, and a bag of sand. Every time someone says “But it’s a dry heat” he moves up on someone else’s “Memorial Services I’d Like To Attend” list. (That one’s not a lie.) I sleep odd hours, take an occasional nap, exercise in one of the two gyms here, make up lists of things I’d like to do but probably won’t – to include yoga, finishing the half-dozen books I’ve started, eating less, getting to sleep at a reasonable hour, and showering. I hit up the DFAC a couple times a day, feel almost as guilty about the amount I eat as I do about the amount of taxpayer money “surf and turf night” probably cost, drink a lot of water, sometimes work, and every now and then shoot at inanimate objects which, I guess, should technically fall under the category of ‘work.’ All of the faucets have ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ options, which is a really cruel joke because all that comes out is ‘really hot.’

I hope everybody is doing well. I am; life here isn’t bad, just different and takes a little getting used to. And not being in Iraq yet has a plus. The Wife and I have established a picture sharing website. I actually got some stuff posted; seek her out for the address and secret password. She can also give you the mailing address here. We don’t know long we’ll be here, but it appears it may be a little while; long enough to get mail, at least.

Good night everybody. Peace in the…er, here.