Day 18

2.5 weeks.  Crazy.  I'm going to try to make a long post today since I had 2 days off. 

Smitty and I were talking about perceptions of Iraq and reality, and we came to the conclusion that there is just simply no possible way to completely convey what life over here is like.  You can describe it at length, and the picture in someone's head will still be WAY off.  Until you get over here and sit in a DFAC surrounded by GI's, Aussie and Romanian soldiers, and TCN workers, until you hear a round make impact less than 60 yards from where you are sleeping, until you stare out into a beautiful dusty desert sunset, until you go to sleep to the sound of deisel generators, until you feel that ungodly heat, until you walk into a military weight room, or watch a movie in a giant tent, or hear the warbling siren, or see tanks, and bradleys, and duece and a halfs all driving by like so many Geo's on their morning commute, until you sit in a bunker straining to comprehend a garbled giant voice telling you whether or not you might make it through this shit and if it's over or not, or wear a ballistic helmet and vest for hours in desert summer heat, until you spend countless hours alone in a 10' X 12' metal container, until you befriend a fucking house fly, until you see soldiers come back from convoy covered in dust, dirty with who knows what scars and memories, until you haggle with an Iraqi over the price of pirated DVDs, until you stare at a computer monitor for 80+ hours a week, or play basketball on a slab of busted up concrete, or play monopoly in a giant sprung structure,... until you do all that, you just won't know what it's like.  But I guess a lot of experiences are like that.  That's what makes each person's life unique and cool.

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My boss will be back on Sunday, which means my holiday is probably over.  For the last 2 weeks, I've probably averaged around 30 minutes of actual work per day.  She has a tendency of creating work, so I figure she'll try to ride me hard these last 2 weeks.  Whatever, no sense in fighting and burning bridges this late in the game.  Sure has been nice having my own office though.

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Little Jerry Wilson is gone.  Last night he was nowhere to be seen.  The previous night, he acted so much like a pet that it was creeping me out.  He came and landed on my knee while I was playing guitar and just sat there.  I got out my camera and put it right up to him to take a few pictures (which came out all fucking blurred--goddam $350 fucking camera), and he didn't flinch.  He landed on my hand and crawled around like a pillbug, which is very unflylike.  Anyway, he's gone now.  Probably dead.  Bummer.  It probably wasn't all that healthy for me to be spending my lonely nights talking to a fly anyway.

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Astros lose 6th in a row.

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Can't wait to see TO's reaction when the Cowboys draft a WR with their first pick.

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In memory of LJW (Little Jerry Wilson; my friend, my fly):

Comments

[Ally]

I'm so glad your time is almost up. While, like you said, I can't imagine what life is like over there, I can imagine that you're going to feel so liberated to be back in America and enjoy home more than you ever have.

p.s. Sorry about your buddy; reason # 27 that a fly doesn't make a good friend.

[kb]

*pouring out some of my coffee for LJ*
I would have gone with Tupac's "Life Goes On" for LJ's theme song.

"How many brothers fell victim to the streets? Rest in peace young nigga there's a heaven for a G."

[tom]

"until you stare at a computer monitor for 80+ hours a week"

This one I can relate to. Several times at several internet startups, I worked couple-month stretches of 100 hour work weeks. I remember going home on Friday at 5 PM, going straight to bed, sleeping until 10 AM, and then going right back to work on Saturday morning.

When living like that, life takes on a surreal quality. It feels like time isn't passing at all, yet suddenly you blink, look around, and realize three months have shot by.

Does that sound a little like your Iraq experience?

[Snake Diggity]

Ally: That's my hope, is that life back home will be all the sweeter.

kb: LJW ain't no thug.

tom: Yeah, I identify with that feeling. On the one hand, sometimes I feel like I blink and hours, days, and months have gone by without me even noticing. But on the other hand, sometimes the minutes take forever. Pretty much hindsight makes it seem like it flew by, but looking forward makes it seem like it's taking forever. As far as that surreal reality you described, it definitely felt like that during my first 8 month stretch over here.

[ambs77]

You crack me up w/ the fly stories. LOL!!! :-D

Hope all is well. Stay real. ;-)