1 July 2007 Iraq

Got up this morning, the usual heat was there at 0715am. Took my shower, and went to work. Systems normal. Went to breakfast, ate the usual, bagels, grits, juice, grapefruits, yogurt, milk. Still have some intestinal discomfort. Iraq climate and environmental bacteria will do that. Got on the computer. "Gunfight at the OK corral" is playing on the television in the other room.

Yesterday, got some mail. I ordered a watch from the USA last year, and it worked just fine, except there was a hair wrapped around the stem, under the crystal. (It is an analog watch). I sent it back to the dealer in December 2006, and asked for a replacement. The replacement arrived yesterday, 30 June 2007, six months later.

I also got 4 gallons of syrup for the sno-cone machine. An ice-cold sweet sno-cone is fabulous, when you come in from the 120 degree heat. A masonic lodge sent the syrup here, how about that?

I also got some supplies from drugstore.com including a new toothbrush. My old toothbrush was about disintegrated, so it was time for a new one. I scrubbed my choppers really vigorously this morning, I intend to keep my teeth for a long time. I have spent a bloody fortune on crowns and inlays, and spent more hours is the dentist chair, than I care to. I have been poked and prodded, and shot full of novocaine, and drilled on. My brother did not take care of his teeth, so he was keeping his false teeth in a glass, by the time he was 41.

Yesterday, there were a number of good movies on the TV. I watched "LA Confidential", and at 7pm "Casablanca" for the fortieth time. I always weep, when they play "La Marsellaise". I do not have much affection for the French, but even the French did not deserve to be occupied by the Nazis.

It was after 9:30, before I walked back to the trailer. I have figured out how to set the automatic thermostat, so the air conditioning comes on at 5:30pm, so that the trailer is cool when I get home at 7:00pm. I don't see any reason to run the air conditioning all day, when I am not there.

I am still not sure when I can get vacation. The firm calls it a "vacation mess". I asked for three weeks off, but the firm has to send a man in here, to cover my vacation. If there is no spare man, then there is no way that I can leave. I also found out that my contract has been extended through the end of November 2007. I should get a renewal, and thence be able to stay here until August 2008. In's'hallah.

My cell phone is working properly, at last. I tried to use it yesterday, and the indicator said to "insert card", I knew the card was inserted, so I took the phone apart, and just blew real hard on the contact points, and polished the card on my shirt. Presto- the contact points were clean, and the phone works.

The new people at the LTF (office where my computers are), are very nice. There is a new lieutenant, and a Sergeant First class. These two men seem to be terrific, and they have extended me the courtesy, of letting me store some equipment in a spare shed. 99.9% of the military people here in Iraq, are fabulous, only a few are real a--holes, you just have to learn to deal with it.