It's almost impossible for someone who's never been in this region to truly appreciate how harsh the climate can be here. So far I've talked about the mud and mentioned the heat (though not yet in depth). Well today's Iraqi climate exteme is the dust storm. Balad is north of Baghdad and on the eastern edge of the barren deserts of western Iraq. As the temperatures climb in late spring it spawns the sandstorms. These monsters literally blot out the sun for days and act like convection ovens. They raise the temperature by 15-20 degrees and linger for up to a week at a time. I experienced one back in 2003 on a prior deployment and it sucked. Well fortunately Balad is far enough east of the desert that it doesn't get the full brunt. Instead it gets gale force winds that swirl dust into everything. That was the forecast for today. Unfortunately, the forecasters were correct. Visibility is very reduced, dust is everywhere, and you need eye protection just to walk outside. The dust is a very fine talcum powder-like grit that gets into everything. Since it's also hot and humid it means your body becomes covered with itchy dust. I don't know how long we'll see these conditions but they are certainly set in right now. Outdoor activities are not a good idea.
How did I make the best of the situation? Well the majority of the day was spent in the office. It didn't necessarily mean I was working the whole time though. I'm working on my all-time high score in a game of Bejeweled. I varied up the routine today as well by working out over lunch. That freed me up for the movie. It was "Ghostrider" starring Nicolas Cage. Quite frankly, it was much better than I expected. However, I thought the ending was strangely similar to the original "Blade" with Wesley Snipes. Nicolas Cage was the same character he always plays only different name and profession. Every time I see him in a movie I think of the movie "Valley Girl". Any of you recall that 80's classic? There was a goofy "Army moment" as I entered the theater. At night around here soldiers are required to wear reflective belts. Well when I arrived at the theater it was still daylight (movie began at 2030). A Sergeant Major was standing at the entrance. I figured he was just waiting on someone. I should have known better. Before I could enter he said, "Good evening sir, do you have a reflective belt?" I wanted to say something about it being daylight. Instead I politely said, "good evening SGM, yes I do." "May I see it sir?" he asked. "You sure can" I said, pulling it out of my cargo pocket. Satisfied, SGM said thank you. Meanwhile I'm thinking how ridiculous it is to have a SGM posted at the entrance to the theater making sure Joes have their reflective belts. I mean this guy is a senior NCO, has over twenty years of service, and is stuck with the job of reflective belt nazi. Unbelievable! Well, actually, it is believable. I've seen it countless times before.
Before long everyone will start to think that I'm not really doing much over here. That's actually true at this moment. It should be pretty obvious at this point that being deployed here involves short stretches of intense work followed by long periods of boredom. I can promise you that I'll be busy again real soon. That's why I'm taking advantage of the free time available. It makes for an occassional boring blog entry though.
How did I make the best of the situation? Well the majority of the day was spent in the office. It didn't necessarily mean I was working the whole time though. I'm working on my all-time high score in a game of Bejeweled. I varied up the routine today as well by working out over lunch. That freed me up for the movie. It was "Ghostrider" starring Nicolas Cage. Quite frankly, it was much better than I expected. However, I thought the ending was strangely similar to the original "Blade" with Wesley Snipes. Nicolas Cage was the same character he always plays only different name and profession. Every time I see him in a movie I think of the movie "Valley Girl". Any of you recall that 80's classic? There was a goofy "Army moment" as I entered the theater. At night around here soldiers are required to wear reflective belts. Well when I arrived at the theater it was still daylight (movie began at 2030). A Sergeant Major was standing at the entrance. I figured he was just waiting on someone. I should have known better. Before I could enter he said, "Good evening sir, do you have a reflective belt?" I wanted to say something about it being daylight. Instead I politely said, "good evening SGM, yes I do." "May I see it sir?" he asked. "You sure can" I said, pulling it out of my cargo pocket. Satisfied, SGM said thank you. Meanwhile I'm thinking how ridiculous it is to have a SGM posted at the entrance to the theater making sure Joes have their reflective belts. I mean this guy is a senior NCO, has over twenty years of service, and is stuck with the job of reflective belt nazi. Unbelievable! Well, actually, it is believable. I've seen it countless times before.
Before long everyone will start to think that I'm not really doing much over here. That's actually true at this moment. It should be pretty obvious at this point that being deployed here involves short stretches of intense work followed by long periods of boredom. I can promise you that I'll be busy again real soon. That's why I'm taking advantage of the free time available. It makes for an occassional boring blog entry though.
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