Pride cometh...

Good Morning Viet Nam! or Thank Allah its Sunday (TAIS)!

This morning is my Saturday/Sunday in the Ground Hog Day Syndrome(to be known in all future posts as "GDHS") and I slept in until 0650, ran 4 miles (I almost did it outside but was afraid - yes, Drew, real men can admit fear despite Eastwood's contrarian modeling), and now am having my "social" time at Green Beans.

Now, by "social" time, I don't want to imply that I am engaging in any substantive conversation with fellow human beings. What I mean is that 1) I'm in my cool, hangin' out clothes (Army PT uniform with reflective belt should a blind taxi driver drive through the recreation center); 2) I am enjoying a manly coffee-based beverage (I can't actually name the drink or Drew has threatened to quit reading); 3) I am not alone in my CHU and 4) other people are actually having conversations. Anyway its quite refreshing.

I received some hate mail for failing to post everyday this week, so let me attempt some expectation management. I expect you to manage your expectations; does that help?

To make up for those missed days:
I spent my "Friday" night (for the Faber College frat boys it was "Sunday" night, so the partying had mellowed) rearranging my CHU. In the new configuration my head is hidden from the ceaseless kicking in of the air conditioner compressor. I was sleeping all night but having trouble hitting REM with the stupid a/c starting up every 3-5 minutes. Combine that with the small refrigerator kicking in its compressor every 10 minutes and it sounded like a steam locomotive engine room in the CHU. I am playing with the auto timers on the a/c and the like to get some decent sleep. The bags under my eyes contracted back to just above my upper lip so I must of had some success with the new "CHU". I'm calling in a feng sui expert next to ensure the CHU's ch'i is centered... it almost has to be, since all walls and the wall locker are all beige. What is more centered than beige?

I was going to watch my $2 DVD of the new Star Trek movie that I bought at the Haji store yesterday. Yes that would be the movie that will be available to you, the American public, in November for $35. Before I see the disapproving look from Jon - the fine gentlemen assured me that this release was legal and a special release for the hard working people of Iraq (or maybe he didn't say that but I'm sure the sign in Arabic behind his dirty white plastic chair did...). But I didn't, so I don't really know if it'll work at all. Instead I had a long talk with Sandy and Coop via Skype, and then through the speaker phone with Mom and Dad. Skype is the coolest thing ever - get it installed, look me up "Christopher Benson" and give me a call.

On the work front - I was a little full of myself after the meeting the other day so I immediately self corrected with a pretty amazing email-based blunder. Most of you have heard of my historic email blunder years ago with my brigade commander (if not it only costs you a beer for me to tell it), so you would think I know better. Anyway, working the $2M issue, I was involved in some minor inner office intrigue in the State Department channels (some people like the solution I'm working, some do not). In an attempt to get the DoS side cleared to go forward, I emailed my DoS co-conspirator. To ascertain her boss' boss' position, I had to look up that person's name; what better way than to look it up in the Global Address list? What better way to short circuit that process than to leave her name in the CC: field after you look it up? It is also an excellent way to also ensure the conversation happens almost immediately - whether your accessory in crime as set the situation up or not... Someday we will all laugh about it but not today. Actually, it wasn't a real big deal (I was actually pretty respectful in my email) to anyone but was pretty stupid. I was kicked off the "DoS covert ops" team though.

Please check out the new pictures on the slide show. I have checked off the two required Baghdad pictures - me sitting in Arafat's gift to Saddam in Al Faw and me standing below the crossed swords of the Hands of Victory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hands_of_Victory). Note the stack of helmets at the base of the statue and also built into the road - they are Iranian helmets and your driving over them intended further Iraqi insult to their memory.

I've also added some links to open source news articles (upper right of the page) that help paint a different picture of Iraq than I had before arriving.

God's blessings on you all...