Day 267

Well, I'm coming home as originally planned. Various factors in my life, and my future, made me re-think remaining in Iraq with the Band. Yes, it would have been great. Yes, it would have been fun. Thing is, I'm fried. Completely numb from the neck up. For those of you who do not know, performing music, at a level people will want to listen to, takes a certain level of concentration. When my brain has been focused on endless days of mind numbing paperwork, my performance skills are not what they should be. It would have been about a month of a paperworkless, or paperworthless, life just be up to par. That's not fair to them. Plus, the fun has gone out of this trip. I need to come home. Word of advice; if you ever deploy to a combat zone, and if they offer leave, take it. Get out of here. See some sense of life outside of the desert, or a German hospital. Even if you don't go home, enjoy Europe.
On the note 'the world is too small', I have a tale. I was speaking to my sister the other day, and she asked me if LTC Kelley was a man or a woman. I told her that LTC Kelley is a woman, and then I asked how she knew the name. Her church collected school supplies and sent them to an organization which ships school supplies to Iraq. A few months after they shipped the supplies, they received a thank you note from LTC Kelley, where she listed her address as 287th SB, Tallil, Iraq. On the obverse was a photograph of the Ziggurat of Ur. My sister then took time out of her busy schedule to let me know she is finally happy to know what the zig looks like, since I haven't yet sent her any pictures. What's the hurry? I've only been here, for, oh yeah, just under 7 months. Ok, pictures it is. I'll try to figure out how to post pictures online and let you all see what I see.