Back in camp (my employer has a compound inside the green zone).
This place has changed.
The good news is that things have been really quiet for the last week or so (with, uh, one exception today; more on that below), the bad news is that this is understood to be that they're saving it up for X-mas and that the security situation has gotten worse in general.
Mortars have been a problem lately and it's been getting worse, two camps near us were hit since I've been away and some people were killed. The Green Zone isn't so green anymore, there have been car bombings, suicide bombings, shootings, and other violence inside here since I left as well. Not a good sign.
The BIAP trip was uneventful ... for me. However apparently today one of *our* security details was hit with machine gun fire on its way out to the airport -- I think that's a first.
Other good news is that we're going to build the ablative armor I talked about in a previous post (I was talking about our bomb shelter and how it was reinforced everywhere ... except the roof -- a problem during mortar season), the bad news is that it won't be here until after the X-mas mortar shower. The good news is that my trailer is a pretty small target to hit (like, no chance, this place is seven square miles) the bad news is that I'm living in a tiny little trailer. I need to write that down and look at it again. I'm living in a trailer. I think I'll grow a mullet.
That would be so cool. I'm growing the mustache and goatee anyway, the mullet would be the icing on the cake.
Wow, I'm sleep deprived. I'm off to diner then bed. My e-mail isn't really working yet (web interface only) so I'm putting off getting to everyone until it is working and I've had some sleep.
We have a 6-day work week here, and Muslims treat Friday like Christians treat Sunday, so today is our offday. It's 10am local (11pm CA) and I just woke up. My goal on my off day is to find a place to workout.
When I was here over the summer the CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) ran the Baghdad Palace. We had access and could use the pool out back too. Behind the palace, at a military complex, is a huuuuuge weight room as well -- it was great.
Now the US Embassy has taken over the palace, and the pool, and the gym and we *don't* have access. Like they need all that to themselves.
There was another gym by the PX, but they moved it to put in a Burger King. The new location reportedly isn't up yet. My employer is building a gym for our camp, but it's not up yet... I might go nuts. This is not a good time to be denied my usual stress relief.
Anyway, I've got a day to find a way to work out (finding another gym, talking my way into the embassy, finding a loop around the embassy to run...) -- will report back tonight.