09 October 2007

still here... not doing much...

Not much new to report here. It's been pretty uneventful lately - which is a good thing, I guess. I have been keeping busy installing equipment into HMMWVs and other vehicles. If you thought you got dirty working on a car in the US, try working on one that has been caked in dirt and mud. Even though I'm wearing some sort of brown/tan clothing, I come out from under the vehicle completely covered in dirt. On a plus side, the more I breathe in, the less is here... During the day, it may seem like a clear day but at night, when you have your flashlight on, it looks like you're in the middle of a dust storm. It's one of those things you don't want to think about or you'd want to stop breathing. The dust just gets everywhere... Even inside things. I don't know how but you can open up a sealed package and find it in there.

Being right by the Euphrates, you'd think that we would have a lot of water available to us. One thing I learned here is that the Euphrates is not a river of water but a river of a water- based substance. Someone told me that if you go swimming in there, you'll need to get 6 shots into your stomach. Even without hearing that, I had no plans to use it for anything other than a picture background.

In all the other bases I had been so far, there were enough lights that you didn't need a flashlight, no matter where you went. Here, there are very few lights and most are inside. A few nights ago it was so dark, I couldn't see my hand when it was 2 inches from my face, literally. It gives new meaning to the word "dark" here. Despite this, it affords me the opportunity to see a night sky like I have never seen before. Without all the background light like in a lot of populated areas, all the little dim stars shine bright. Occasionally, I'll just sit outside looking at the sky before I go to sleep. In this war zone, in which my area is not very active, it's nice to have something a little different to distract you.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Glad to hear you are doing well (or as well as you could be in iraq). Let us know when you get an address to send you things.

Lori R. said...

Love reading your blog. Remember..we're under the same stars and thinking of you. Will send tupperware and batteries to help with dust and sand inflitration and nightlight.OOXXMOM

rickl138 said...

Hi Rob,

Glad to hear that you are in a safe area. Better to be a little board than to be in harms way.
Interesting info about the Euphrates. It sounds like the Platt river in Colorado where the locals said that it was too thick to drink and too deep to plow :-).
Your blog entries are great, and glad to see how you are doing.