New house, new car, what more could a boy want?

It’s finally happened … I have a home! I am the proud owner of a 24’ x 18’ foot room, complete with inside plumbing! My friend came through as promised and got us into the nice trailers. I spent most of the afternoon and evening putting things away, thus ensuring that someone will come by soon to tell me to move. It’s not much, but it’s better than a tent. Plus I have internet in the room, so I’m actually writing this from my desk (although, I’m having problems sending pictures right now, so Karen and the kids will have to wait to see all the photos I took today – I’ll try to load some to the blog). The room is surprisingly quiet. I’ve been used to being in a 50-man tent for so long, I don’t know what to do with the silence – okay that’s better, I put some music on). Either way, I’m pretty darn happy to have a place of my own … now I just need to find a TV.

But before you think that that’s all that happened today, I got a car too! I went to start my turnover with ‘Kenny,’ and he decided I should have his car. He lives across the street from the office, and I’m pretty far away, so I appreciated the gesture (he told me that it was nothing, since I’m the guy whose arrival means he can go home). He gave me the keys to my very own battle tested Humvee (That’s kind of a joke, the war models don’t have keys … or locks … or a real roof in my case). This beautiful piece of Mishawaka, Indiana engineering (the AMC plant) has a new engine (last one blew up), new tires, and a roof that’s made of plywood … yes plywood. Kenny had me take it out for a test ride to get used to it. The Army has some bizarre rules about driving these things. I have to wear my battle helmet to ride in it. Eventually, I might get it replaced with a leased SUV (The military has decided it’s cheaper to lease new SUV’s than to continually repair these old Hummers), but for now it’s mine. My car is a Fobbit, which means I can’t take it off the FOB (Forward Operating Base), not that I would want to. It has some rudimentary armor, but not enough to drive around this town. The Fobbit part comes from the Lord of the Rings … Hobbits were people who never left the Shire. So, while I’m in Camp Liberty/Victory, this is my ride (thus making me the envy of my friends).

While we were zipping around the FOB, Kenny took me by some sights. First was the Perfume Palace, named that because Saadam kept his concubines there. When the Coalition troops took it, it was the nicest smelling building in Baghdad. Next was the Flintstone Palace across the lake from the Perfume Palace. This is a strange type of palace, as it is designed for kids (Saadam’s grandkids, I assume) and it looks like it was a set from the Flintstones (It kind of looks like the entry to a ride at a Six Flags or Disney).

Behind the Flintstone Palace is a palace that was never completed, and still has the cranes sitting idle next to it. He was building this palace to commemorate the victory over the Americans in 1991 … hmmm, kind of ironic, don’t you think. They have a lot of memorials to events in this country that never happened, go figure. If he were alive today, I’m sure he’d be designing a palace to commemorate his victory in 2003. Well, it’s late, and I have a new bed to break in. Until tomorrow.

-Grease out