Animal House

I had chance to get out of the New Embassy Compound today. What I discovered was that the NEC is an island of perfection in a sea of absolute disarray. Kind of sad that the Iraqis either can't, haven't or won't clean up the International Zone - where their government is housed. Maybe over time it'll be something they can resource - of course we helped trash it in the attacks of 2003 so I can't fault those in charge now.

It occured to me today that the NEC is analogous to a private college campus - the Dept of State employees are the college frat and sorority kids and the military/security/local nationals are the townies hoping to get into community college. They can actually drink here (we are under General Order #1 - no alcohol) and I hear their parties as I skulk back to my little CHU. The DOS gang are pretty young, here getting their professional tickets punched.

Everywhere I have ever been, the military guys are the alpha males - not here, the ex-military security details make us (the collective "we") look like 90-pond weaklings. I watched a guy running 7 minute miles on a treadmill yesterday - sideways and backwards. That's nuts...

Maybe we (the military) are Delta House on double secret probation with Dean Wormer - just waiting to get kicked off. They will close Chuville someday.

Here is how I described my day to Andrew in a comment to the 1st blog: "each day I leave my little Chu for work with my backpack filled with PT gear, my empty coffee mug awaiting liquid sunshine and a huge smile just to brighten someone's day. That lasts until the 100 degrees wipes the smile off. I hit breakfast and join in to a video teleconf to find out what the big boys know. Then off to my cube where I have multiple systems that all kick in a password screensaver as soon as I log into the other one - thereby defining my day's objerctive - kinda like a habi-trail for staff officers."

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