LAST NIGHT
Last night was a good night. After an uneventful shift, I went with a couple of the guys to a neighboring base to shop in the exchange. Their exchange isn't that much better than ours, but they have different stuff. I needed to buy some souveniers to bring home. My wife likes shot glasses, and the other exchange has a better selection than the one on our base. I also needed T-shirts for the kids. Afterwards, we stopped at Pizza Hut for dinner and then brought a guy to the airport.

Once we got back to the base, a few of us went our for drinks. We hung out and drank our three beer limit (three more than you can get in much of this part of the world). A few of the folks were playing cards, a couple guys were smoking cigars, and our supply NCO was playing his guitar (he's pretty damned good, too). I heard several guys who were on R&R from Iraq discussing how good it felt to be outside without helmets on. When midnight came, the MP's came and sent us on our way, as they do every night. Not an exciting night by "back in the world" standards, but pretty good for the Middle East.

I walked back to my room and turned on the TV. One of the news stations was doing a biography of former President Reagan. I had read a report earlier in the day on Drudge's site that his health had taken a turn for the worse. As soon as I saw that report on TV, I knew that President Reagan had died. A sad end to an otherwise happy night.