iraqi geese and colin powell

Last night started with a trip to the Chinese restaurant with me, S., C., and our new friend Charlie.  The chickens that run around the yard under the tables had been reduced to one and it lay sick and worn out looking in a black lump of feathers on the ground.  C. nudged it a couple of times with her foot and it finally wobbled to its legs but it didn’t look too pert.  I looked at my General’s Chicken chicken in a whole new light after seeing this sick bird.  But the other chickens had been replaced by two large geese that waddled around the front door of the kitchen.  I wonder if goose dishes will soon be on the menu.
Jo. Came by and we wound sitting at the restaurant what proved to be too long, as evidenced by the pyramid of Warsteiner cans on the table.  Afterwards we came back to the palace and sat at the pool until midnight.
I spent today, my day off under this new system, sleeping in then reading under the date trees by the pool.  The pool has been refilled with water this week which is odd because that very day my camp ran out of water and now the whole compound is on restricted water use.  I guess the desert and ships have something in common afterall.  The book I’m reading right now is really good – The Fool’s Progress by Edward Abbey.  Its been the best thing I’ve read by him so far, even better than Desert Solitaire.  He really was a grumpy old man but contrary to the tone of his work he didn’t hate humanity.  He hated what we’ve let The Man, Materialism, and the pasteurization of life for the past 40 years do to us.  He writes escapism for people who would gag on Danielle Steel or Nicholas Sparks and can’t get into Stephen King.
After a nap this afternoon I walked back over to the pool to read some more.  I ran into Ji. and S. standing with some PSD people.   We talked a few minutes.  I told her she looked really nice in that dress and that hat…she looked like Julia Roberts at the polo match in Pretty Woman.  We stood around some more then walked over to the podium.
Turns out Colin Powell was here for a speech and I stumbled into a second row spot to stand…good timing for once.
I like Colin Powell even though I’m not a big fan on the rest of the administration.  He talked about rebuilding Iraq, etc, what a good job we’re doing, etc etc and made a couple of jokes about the embellished stories we’d eventually tell our friends and families.  I suppose that’s true.  One thing I know, I gripe about the palace being too crowded, the dust, and generally wanting to be somewhere else.  But years down the road I’ll be able to look back and say I was here, and that my Iraq experience is that big thing I once wondered if I’d ever experience.