GROUNDHOG DAY (AGAIN)
I'm finally into a routine here. I knew I had achieved the establishment of a routine when each day seems pretty much like the last. It's somewhat reminiscent of the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day. Work, eat, exercise, sleep, and an occasional haircut pretty much cover my daily (weekly, monthly, etc.) itinerary. I'll be happy when one of my coworkers gets back from leave. Once that happens, I may get a day off. At the very least, it'll lighten my workload some. I don't hold his absence against him though. He's been here over 10 months. He earned every day of that leave.

Things up in Iraq are still complicated, to say the least. The folks we have up there are still getting the job done in spite of the pressure they are under. I see a lot of them come through here on R & R. They all look so young. Then again, everyone I see around here looks young, with the exception of the more senior ranking folks. Maybe it's just that I'm starting to feel old. At any rate, these young troops appear to be still up to the job of fighting this war, in spite of what the news media says.

My roommate went to Iraq the other day. It looks like he'll be there for a few months. He tried to fly up three previous times. He got bumped each time and had to return with all of his gear. After his third unsuccessful attempt to go, I hung the nickname "Boomerang" on him; we kept throwing him and he kept coming back. Fourth time was the charm though, he finally made it. Like me, he is a reservist who wanted a chance to use the military skills he has learned in a place where it can make a difference. He's a decent guy and a good soldier. Hopefully his tour there isn't too eventful.