I love Iraq!

So today I am attempting to make a little more of a light hearted entry. I think maybe I am getting a little to edgy and need to continue to focus on the good things. I must admit that I was battling the blahs a little but that is to be expected. I am very lucky that there are some very good people over here and we all look after each other. Furthermore, It actually rained today! It was complete with thunder and lightening and words can not describe how wonderful it was. When you live in a place as hot, dirty and dusty as Mosul….rain is a wonderful thing….not too much though b/c then we will be battling the mud.

Besides the fact that we are not seeing much death, the single most important factor that has benefited our general moral is that we have internet access in our rooms. This is not the norm in theater and we are very fortunate that our command has done us this favor. Everyone, regardless of rank, has a LAN cable in their CHU. It doesn’t work 100% of the time but man; I can not over state how wonderful it is to be able to talk to your family. I just got off a Skype call with Melissa and it was so wonderful to see her and Pancho. We talked for almost an hour and made funny faces at each other. Even Pepi, the technophile, has Skype! Who would have thought!

I want to thank everyone who has sent me care packages even though I have made strict “I don’t need anything” statements. Thomas and Rebecca sent me mementos from their recent Mexico wedding complete with Zaps potato chips and a CD. Melissa sent me a couple bags of pistachio nuts and her famous “Caramelitas”. She also sent me some community coffee which I donated to the Chaplin. It was quickly brewed and consumed in only 2 days! Everyone was much appreciative.

So here are some photos of a few things around base that I find amusing. First off, we have the A/C systems. Good air conditioning is not a joking matter but when the brand name is Arcelik, jokes will be told. The Brits find this a little funnier that us Yanks.

My buddy Tom and I were having a little fun with the Combat Stress Control sign. Although they really do a lot to help the soldiers, I found my own preferred way to combat stress. All I have to do is drink 11 of these delicious beers to equal one light beer purchased in Salt Lake City! Bottoms up!

Here is an old favorite of mine and I am sure many of you agree that Oreos and milk is definitely comfort food. Well, here we have the benefit of “special milk.” Pasteurized and homogenized cow milk is definitely an American standard. Many people outside the US do not like pasteurized and homogenized milk. I can understand that because it is all what you are used to. However, I challenge anyone to discern the difference between goat piss and goat milk. They are virtually indistinguishable! Try it for yourself and Enjoy!

This last photo is of one of our more beautiful sunsets. Well, it actually isn’t sunset because the sun isn’t going to set for at least another 2 hours. This is just an example of how dusty it gets here. Ahhh yes….Mosul is for lovers! Eat your heart out Virginia!

Pedro