Maybe poker's just not your game, Ike. I know! Let's have a spelling contest!
Today, so far, is a great day compared to this previous (crappy) week. So far today, I've caught up on some missed sleep, as well as managed to do a good bit of studying, and I'm taking a break right now. :)
We had a patrol/mission every day for the past 8 days, and on some days we did more than one. This was on top of the 6 hours of guard duty per day we did on security cycle (the first 6 of those 8 days). We were so short on sleep for a good while. There's no way that's safe.
I've been trying to email some pics from one of the missions, that we did 3x over 3 days, which was to pay the locals who man the SOI (Sons Of Iraq) checkpoints. I've mentioned these guys before; they're like a neighborhood watch with AKs. What makes them even funnier is how you can kind of tell which ones are from which area b/c they all dress fairly similarly, kind of like all the gangs in the movie "The Warriors". One area will have everyone wearing "Poject Brazil" soccer outfits, and another will be "Manchester United" soccer gear. Still another area will be all tan or gray man-dresses. It's funny to observe. Oh, and you can also tell when a bunch of men are from the same area b/c they all kind of look alike too, due to all the inbreeding. :( And no, I'm not saying this to make fun of them; it's real. These people will frequently marry nieces, cousins, etc. It's apparently widespread accross the Middle East.
We actually have to turn in our ID cards to check out chairs for the patrol base's internet cafe/phone center now. Apparently 2 chairs broke in 2 days, with no one owning up to it.
Less than 2 weeks until I come home! I can't wait!
We had a patrol/mission every day for the past 8 days, and on some days we did more than one. This was on top of the 6 hours of guard duty per day we did on security cycle (the first 6 of those 8 days). We were so short on sleep for a good while. There's no way that's safe.
I've been trying to email some pics from one of the missions, that we did 3x over 3 days, which was to pay the locals who man the SOI (Sons Of Iraq) checkpoints. I've mentioned these guys before; they're like a neighborhood watch with AKs. What makes them even funnier is how you can kind of tell which ones are from which area b/c they all dress fairly similarly, kind of like all the gangs in the movie "The Warriors". One area will have everyone wearing "Poject Brazil" soccer outfits, and another will be "Manchester United" soccer gear. Still another area will be all tan or gray man-dresses. It's funny to observe. Oh, and you can also tell when a bunch of men are from the same area b/c they all kind of look alike too, due to all the inbreeding. :( And no, I'm not saying this to make fun of them; it's real. These people will frequently marry nieces, cousins, etc. It's apparently widespread accross the Middle East.
We actually have to turn in our ID cards to check out chairs for the patrol base's internet cafe/phone center now. Apparently 2 chairs broke in 2 days, with no one owning up to it.
Less than 2 weeks until I come home! I can't wait!