Pictures

Hey, this is just a message to everyone who wants me to send some pictures. I have some pictures of some places around here and elsewhere that I will send out soon. It'll probably take me a couple days or so to stop being lazy and put them on a CD or a flash drive to take to the internet cafe, so please be patient, the pictures are coming soon.

Appendicitis

Well, a friend of mine got appendicitis a few days ago and had to go the the hospital to get an appendectomy. Now he is in Germany recovering from the operation. Now I'm thinking, "How does one go about getting appendicitis?" I figure it's a win-win situation: I get rid of one of my most useless organs and I get a vacation in Germany. How much can it really hurt?
Aside from my plans for malingering, Iraq is still the same as it was before I went on leave. Actually, I think it is worse. Having been deployed for 9 months with no real break from the routine, I grew accustomed to the drudgery and just dealt with it. When I went on leave, I was reminded what life is really like and how great it can be. Well, now that was all well and good when I was on leave, but when I had to return to Iraq, it made it more difficult because that taste of freedom and vision of a beautiful world were fresh in my mind. I guess I should say that leave served to remind me of everything I am missing over here, which was at least in the very back recesses of my mind, if not completely forgotten, beforehand. However, none of this should give anyone the notion that I would take back those two weeks for anything.
Sorry for contradicting myself, but that's usually how my brain works, always balancing the pros and cons of the situation. Overall, leave was great and I can hardly wait until I'm back in the "States" again.

Back Into the Fray

Well, leave is officially over and I have returned to Iraq. It was great to see everyone, and if I didn't get a chance to see you, I appologize, but I was pretty short on time. I probably tried to get a hold of you. No offense intended.
Anyway, now that I am back to a set routine, I can get back into running, which is good, but I also have to do it in Iraq, which is not good. The few times I did run while I was on leave was much more enjoyable than running in the windy, dusty, hot desert. Running down the "back roads" through the woods in PA was great. The smell of the trees and the colors were amazing. Even running in northern Wyoming was great. There, in the foothills of the Big Horn mountains, there is an awesome sense of natual beauty, especially during one particular occasion that I ran during sunrise.
Well, I promised some pictures to some people, and I'll try to take some to send out, but it might be a week or two. For those of you who didn't specifically ask for pictures, but would like me to send you some, too, just email me or leave a comment on here. (To leave a comment, click the "# Comments" at the bottom of this post, where the # stands for any number)