A good read

Here is a good read from Iraq:

http://www.michaelyon.blogspot.com/

Quick preview: Here what it is like to comb the streets of an Iraqi city looking for insurgents.

School days

Back home it is almost time for school to start. I have always looked at the begining of school as an exciting time of the year. A new start, new clothes, new classes and where I teach a new school! It is almost like Christmas ! And for me it is sometimes-I get paid to play with all those new toys! (I teach physics) I use many things in my physics class to get student attentions. Most items come from toy stores or from workshops I attended in the summer. Well....this summer there were no workshops, and there will be no new school days for me. But I look forward to starting a new semester next year!
So to all my returning students and new ones- do your best, study a lot, learn a lot and when you leave our school be prepared to add to our lives. Have a great school year!
Meanwhile, back here in the land of what seems to be eternal hot, hot, hot. I am doing the army style of cafeteria duty-guarding the chow hall. Guess nothing changs in the army.
Fortunately it is too hot to eat a lot, or I would snack my self to and additional 10 pounds!
Here is to a new school year!

A little late

We've been over here for a little bit now, and it is strange that there are new soldiers coming in and reminding us that we were just like them when we got here. Now they ask us the questions, we helpfully give them some answers. The days are passing, hopefully a little more quickly.
The army gave me a new book today, one about Iraq (odd, since we've been here a long time, would have been nice back in January) and upon opening it up, I read that Sadaam Hussein is president of Iraq. Oh, well, i t is the army after all. It also said that last month is when most of dust storms in our AO occur, so what happens in this moonth? The worst storm we've had since we have been there. The shuttle astronauts probably could see it.
Pity our poor LT, he's trying to get home for leave, and the plane isn't taking off due to the storm. I think he has been to the airport five times today. Maybe tomorrow.
The dust (remember it isn't a sand storm, it is a dust storm) is very fine and gets in everywhere. In your room, on your stuff, up your nose and in your lungs. I wore goggles and a "gator neck" over my mouth and nose in an attempt to keep the dust out. Think of the consistency of chalk dust.
The air is orangish and I didn't see the sun today at all.
Open your door and it comes in with you, close the door and it still comes in. These are not the best built trailers you know.
My eyes burn due to the dust and they feel scratchy all day. This life in a dust storm. And we don't get a "dust day" equivalent of a school's snow day. Oh well!