Don't drive angry

Have you seen Groundhog Day? Baghdad, Iraq is nothing like Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, although there is a large rodent running around here, but I don't think his name is Phil. Next time I see him, I'll ask, but he looks like he might be named Benito.  "Baghdad Benito."  Yeah, that works.

OK, none of that was true. I guess I'm getting a bit loopy from lack of sleep. Those who know me well know I can't just transition from some cognitive activity and go straight to bed. I have to unwind. Watch a little TV, check email, whatever. That's all well and good, but by the time I get back to the CHU, it is often close to 22:00, sometimes later. So, after I unwind, it can be near midnight, and 06:00 comes early (I Got You, Babe!). Tomorrow--Sunday--I'll be able to sleep in...'til 07:30.  Woo hoo! (It's good to woo hoo every once in a while...opens up the pores and forestalls baldness, they say.)

I called my brother today. Nice chat. He was inquiring about all the usual stuff: my job, my accommodations, the heat, entertainment (ha!), etc. While I just see my circumstances here as only mildly inconvenient especially as compared to those warriors in much more austere conditions, it was interesting to hear his reaction to what I was saying. By the way, it's apparently been really hot in Atlanta.

One of the guys in my office is redeploying, and he's selling his bike to me. Glad to have some wheels for a change. The bus is a workable transportation option, but I look forward to the flexibility of coming and going whenever I'm ready, not when the "White Line" timetable dictates.

If there's anything I've learned by being deployed is that I can actually survive without a daily dose of political discourse as presented by the American media. Yes, we have AFN, but, the shows I like aren't on when I'm in my CHU. In the DFAC, they have a bunch of flat screen TVs, and they display closed captioning, but it's difficult to eat while watching the words scroll by. Look away for just a second and you miss a lot. So I've learned to adapt. I think I've finally overcome my withdrawal symptoms, although Keith Olbermann is still a pompous ass. And Wolf Blitzer, well he just sucks.

As Phil Connors told Ned Ryerson, "I would love to stay here and talk with you... but I'm not going to."

Good night.