Groundhog Day

Lately it's been Groundhog Day here, over and over.  I get up around 6 am and do a Skype chat with Janis.  Then I take a shower and head over to the DFAC for breakfast.  Then I go into work.  Something normally hits the fan about 9 and it takes until about 11 to get it calmed down again.  Then it's back to working on various projects until lunchtime.  There's a group of us that goes over to the Dirtbag DFAC (not its real name) for lunch.  Then back to work.  Something different normally hits the fan about 2 pm and it takes us until about 4 to get it under control.  Then it's back to whatever project has the least time until it's due ... which is often sometime in the past.  Around 6 pm, our group wanders down to a different DFAC for dinner.  Their food is usually better than the Dirtbag's.  Wednesday (today) is their specialty: surf'n'turf.  It's the best shoe leather you'll find in the IZ, at least on Wednesday nights.  After that, I usually head back into work for another hour or two.  It's quieter then and I can finally get around to finishing up all those tasks that were due a few days ago.  Then I head back to my little hooch for some quiet time and hit the rack.  Get up the next morning and do it all over again.

Sounds boring, but there are always surprises.  Today I discovered something new at the Dirtbag.  The main line and short-order choices looked particularly unappetizing, so I decided to try the stir-fry guy.  This is a stand where you pick out what you want stir-fried (mushrooms, cabbage, onions, broccoli, olives, rice, noodles, stuff like that) and give it to the guy who does a Benihana performance on it.  I asked for a tiny bit of curry powder and he dumped in a load that would make your toes curl.  But I gotta tell you, it turned out mighty good.  It's my new favorite thing in the Dirtbag.  (My previous favorite was watching the cheerleaders for the cricket teams on Sky Sports TV ... they do some very energetic and creative dance routines, much more involved than any pro sports cheerleaders in the US).

So if you've been wondering where I've been since my last post ... well, just doing the same thing I did yesterday, and the day before, and the day before ... working, eating, hitting the gym, and watching the cricket cheerleaders on Sky TV.  And you thought Baghdad was exciting.