Superbowl Monday
Being eight time zones ahead of Eastern time made watching the Superbowl in real time a challenge. A handful of brave souls got up for the 2:15AM kickoff to watch the game together in our recreation room. The Patriots fans here, there are ten of us, were the majority. They brought their coffee pot, no-alcohol beer (Operation Iraqi Freedom General Rule 1a- no alcohol, no pornography, no gambling) and snack food with them and were permitted to take credit time off to sleep in this morning when it was over. We work four extra hours during the week that we can take off on Sunday (usually). I woke up in time for half-time, but decided to stay tucked in bed. Getting to sleep-in once a week is something I really look forward to, and the closest thing we have to a weekend with our 12-hour days, 7 days a week schedule. This week our sleep-in day was permitted to be on Monday, per order of the Commander, on account of the game.
I'm watching the second half of the game replayed on Armed Forces TV, beamed in by satellite. There are no commercials, my favorite part of this annual event, only infomercials, security and safety tips directed at my enlisted coworkers. They promise to play the commercials later in a half hour show.
We've been extremely busy since the elections. Once the travel restrictions were lifted, contractors began to get back to work and we haven't had a break. I talk to many bright young Iraqis who are trying to make their fortune bidding on our rebuilding contracts. Many have a good understanding of English. I wish them luck on the election results, they hold out their finger that was inked blue to ensure nobody voted again, kiss it and touch their forehead. There were very few blue fingers on the laborers erecting the mud brick walls that mark every construction site in Iraq. I meet again and again with contractors fearful of starting construction without the express consent of every government official possible, a holdover from the Saddam regime. We literally show them the property corners before work begins, their equivalent to a groundbreaking ceremony. We're not in Kansas anymore Toto.
I started today with a bike ride out to the perimeter where I've found a man-made irrigation pond that attracts birds. This morning it was extremely windy, but I did see several crested larks, one even "hovered" in the stiff wind as I've read they do. They are slightly smaller than our robins with a cardinal's crest on their heads. At the pond I startled a stork (I think). A huge white bird with long trailing legs, it's black wings forming an M as it flew, it's white neck as long as my arm sticking straight out like a flamingo. I haven't had time to look it up. My usual sleep-in morning chores kept me busy sweeping and mopping the dust in my room, sorting my laundry, eating breakfast and emailing home. I saw a few small bats two nights ago over the pond, two black winged stilts and some kind of plover. I heard what I would have sworn was a killdeer this morning, but I didn't see it. There are birds here that look a lot like the birds at home. There are doves or pigeons that look like larger cousins of our mourning doves that roost in the dead tamarisk trees by the dozens as night falls.
One of the airmen was fly fishing in the irrigation pond within the running track yesterday evening. He hadn't caught anything yet, but his fly was attracting small baitfish. The airman said he had four weeks left on his one year tour and told me there is good fishing here, but not that evening. The fly rod I brought with me (a gift from my coworker Doug) has a fly-swatter fixed to the end. It hangs proudly on the wall over my desk with my hardhat. It will be the envy of everyone here once fly season starts in ernest. Now there are only of few of the slow but persistent houseflies to bother us, but soon, spring will bring them out by the millions. A purplish flower blooms on the other side of the concertina wire, the flower looks like those of crowned vetch, but the shrub has a cedar-like leaf adapted to the dry climate.
I'm watching the second half of the game replayed on Armed Forces TV, beamed in by satellite. There are no commercials, my favorite part of this annual event, only infomercials, security and safety tips directed at my enlisted coworkers. They promise to play the commercials later in a half hour show.
We've been extremely busy since the elections. Once the travel restrictions were lifted, contractors began to get back to work and we haven't had a break. I talk to many bright young Iraqis who are trying to make their fortune bidding on our rebuilding contracts. Many have a good understanding of English. I wish them luck on the election results, they hold out their finger that was inked blue to ensure nobody voted again, kiss it and touch their forehead. There were very few blue fingers on the laborers erecting the mud brick walls that mark every construction site in Iraq. I meet again and again with contractors fearful of starting construction without the express consent of every government official possible, a holdover from the Saddam regime. We literally show them the property corners before work begins, their equivalent to a groundbreaking ceremony. We're not in Kansas anymore Toto.
I started today with a bike ride out to the perimeter where I've found a man-made irrigation pond that attracts birds. This morning it was extremely windy, but I did see several crested larks, one even "hovered" in the stiff wind as I've read they do. They are slightly smaller than our robins with a cardinal's crest on their heads. At the pond I startled a stork (I think). A huge white bird with long trailing legs, it's black wings forming an M as it flew, it's white neck as long as my arm sticking straight out like a flamingo. I haven't had time to look it up. My usual sleep-in morning chores kept me busy sweeping and mopping the dust in my room, sorting my laundry, eating breakfast and emailing home. I saw a few small bats two nights ago over the pond, two black winged stilts and some kind of plover. I heard what I would have sworn was a killdeer this morning, but I didn't see it. There are birds here that look a lot like the birds at home. There are doves or pigeons that look like larger cousins of our mourning doves that roost in the dead tamarisk trees by the dozens as night falls.
One of the airmen was fly fishing in the irrigation pond within the running track yesterday evening. He hadn't caught anything yet, but his fly was attracting small baitfish. The airman said he had four weeks left on his one year tour and told me there is good fishing here, but not that evening. The fly rod I brought with me (a gift from my coworker Doug) has a fly-swatter fixed to the end. It hangs proudly on the wall over my desk with my hardhat. It will be the envy of everyone here once fly season starts in ernest. Now there are only of few of the slow but persistent houseflies to bother us, but soon, spring will bring them out by the millions. A purplish flower blooms on the other side of the concertina wire, the flower looks like those of crowned vetch, but the shrub has a cedar-like leaf adapted to the dry climate.
posted by Bob at 11:28 AM
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