Happy Birthday!!!

First, and foremost, Happy Birthday!!! to my brother. I will call and it should still be your birthday in your timezone when I do. I'm sure you understand that with the time difference it was difficult for me to call earlier and yet be at a time when you could answer.

Also, Happy Birthday to our Declaration of Independence. It's amazing what a determined group of people who determine that they are tired of being dumped on and will make it on their own can accomplish.

On that note, I ask you to look up the website for the Erbil International Airport. Use "Blackle" instead of Google to search for it to save power, and cause it's funny. Anyway, the Kurds did that. On their own it seems.

Pretty impressive.

Fourth of July here on the red dust planet was actually pretty fun. We get a whole casual weekend for it. T-Shirt and Jeans. Nice.

When I came in to work this morning there were streamers, flags, and baloons all over. Well done, night shift.

At lunch, we had a celebratory Coors Cutter.

There was a cook out by the MWR facilities this evening, but I'm not sure how well attended it was. It's a bit dusty. I actually played the clip from Zoolander where he complains about the Black Lung in place of briefing my forecast. I figured that was explanation enough.

There was an unofficial cook out that one of the guys here found out about. He told a few of us and we all wandered off their for dinner. Some guys actually fabricated a large grill and slowly roasted a whole pig. Everyone said it was delicious.

We ate inside on folding picnic tables. I grabbed some chips and salsa. There was a cooler full of German near-beer in bottles. I sat on a folding camping chair with a little cup holder in it. Leaned back.

It was beautiful.

Some dude even busted out his guitar.

They also had a shooting competition. Also, due to weather, it wasn't so well attended. One guy, who happens to be a national competition shooter, went. He won. His prize was a commander's coin.

Not only did the commander say that this winner was a ringer, but the coin is the same coin that everyone gets when they leave here.

When he looks back on his great victories, this will not be among them.

Though it might be notable for his barely being able to make out the target at 25M due to dust.

And as I learned last time and we all agreed once again, dust does make for great epic boogers. You have a new appreciation for mucus after being here in a dust storm. You are grateful that all the dirt you cough and hack up got caught rather than stuck in your lungs.

We also debated whether men get emotionally stunted at the 5th or 9th grade level. It came up while two senior NCO's wrestled over the grip strength thingies. One put silly puddy in the spring of the gripper and then squeezed it a few times to work it in to the mechanism. The other wanted his silly puddy back and so threatened to put some valued toy of the other guy's down his pants.

Really.

We also have secret knick names for various people.

Really.

That would suggest being stunted at 5th Grade.

I still went with 9th Grade though. Due to language, certain mature interests, and a, um, "worldliness" that no 5th Grader should be aware of and 9th Graders (hopefully only) imagine.

And yes, baloons were popped at random times just to see who would jump.

Quiet Professionals.