Day 324

It's been a wild and crazy month at this end of world. We're about a month away from leaving and supply is just a little bit busy. We're on a 12-hour work schedule which I have yet to see. My days have been a bit longer than that by a few hours. On the bright side, I developed a virual thingy and am on quarters for 24 hours. That and a pocketful of pills, and I should feel right as rain. There is an outbreak of swine flu here, so as a precaution I had a Q-Tip swab up my nose (great fun), and luckily the test came back negative. If it had been positive, I'd be living in a tent with those stricken with swine flu, for a week. Can't say I see the downside of that. No phone, no email, no customers. Just sleep. That and all the symptoms that go with the flu. I have discovered a new smell in Iraq. It took me a while to identify its source and came as a bit of a shock when I finally made the discovery. It is a stinky, sweaty, disguisting odor that is offensive to olfactory senses. My helmet has its own odor. Helmets of old had a leather strap which rested on your head to keep it in place. These new ones have multiple pads, like a football helmet, which help to distribute the weight more evenly. The pads are held in place with velcro, and are adjustable so they can be made to be more comfortable for each persons head. They also soak up the sweat that runs off my shaved head. The chin-strap is a cloth material which also soaks up the sweat that runs off my shaved head. Add to that the dirt and sand and dust which has collected in each pore of the fabric in the last 10 months, and you one stinky hunk of kevlar. We all have one set of replacement pads, but there's no point in using them here. They'll just get as stinky before we leave. The pads don't hold up to a washing, so we're stuck with using really stinky helmets.
On a happy note, my replacement arrivs next week. We'll be in tents about the middle of next week, just waiting for our plane ride home. All of our replacements know their job, but we need to spend two weeks training them in on 'what's here and what's there and how to handle this office and who needs coffee and dognuts before they'll help you' type of things. My boss and I figure that about the 10th or so of September we'll be spending most of our time in the tent, playing cards and watching movies. I can't tell you when we're supposed to be leaving this hell-hole, but if you Google "National Talk Like A Pirate Day", that's the day. Three days in Kuwait and then five days in Ft. McCoy, and then surgery for me. For those who don't know, my Dad has had several surgeries in the last month. I'm going to ask for leave to see him before I have them cut into my kneee, so with any luck, they'll give me a week off so I can see him, and hopefully make a round-robin and say hi before they cut into me.
There's no internet in the tenst, but I will do my best to keep on posting from the MWR center. I'll be able to get emails, so don't quit emailing me.
On the bright side, in about a month I'll leave this place and never have to come back.