turn over complete...can I go home now?

Monday and things are hopping as usual. I like coming in on Mondays because it is sort of like hump days but mostly because it feels like a work day. I’ve never like working on Sundays and I don’t really think we should do it. I don’t have any religious qualms about it, its just Sunday seems like a day people should kick back and do what they feel like doing. On ships we called it holiday routine and adhered to it as much as possible.
But the army is much different from the Navy. So when in Baghdad do as the soldiers do.
Our weekend in Baghdad is Friday mornings. So people usually hang out at the pool listening or singing karaoke on Thursday night then take it easy on Friday mornings when we come in at noon. The Arabic calendar is printed to show this delineation of the work week. In Kuwait the weekend is Thursday and Friday.
That was really unfortunate that someone was killed on the last flight out yesterday. I brief everyone in the days before they leave and preach to them the need to hold onto their flak vests and helmets for the trip to Kuwait. I hope whoever it was wasn’t someone I gave a waiver to to turn in all their gear. Its really sad and bad luck to have Baghdad literally in the rearview mirror and still not make it out.

* * *

Today I walked over to the KBR compound and verified they had plans to distribute MRE’s if we had to go to lock down. They had already made contingency plans. Walking back over to the palace I passed a local woman wearing her hajib and a little girl who was holding hands with a middle-aged white guy. The little girl looked four or five. She had a patch over her nose and screws coming out of her jaws and a rubber hose ran down in front of her throat. But she looked happy and fairly enegetic. I can only imagine what the story was behind her condition.
The kids I’ve seen here have had a rough rode lately. They should be in school but instead ride around on scotters selling pirate DVD’s and the younger ones sell melted chocolate bars. Its like the little kids selling Chiclets in TJ.
When I got back I found out the transfer had already happened a couple of days ahead of schedule. That’s good. I hope that doesn’t translate to fireworks of the bad kind tonight.