The weather here has cooled off quite a bit. Bonnie sent me a outdoor thermometer, so I look at the temp when I go outside. Of around 11pm it's usually down to the 90s, and often in the early morning it's in the high 80s. As strange as it may seem, that makes me shiver and gives me goosebumps. Why do they call them goosebumps anyway? Why make a refrence to a dead, plucked bird when speaking of someone's skin? I can't help but wonder what kind of morbid person coined that phrase, and what was everyone else thinking that went along with it? I would make a stand for simple decency in the matter, but it seems that the laws of the TULIP are in place and it is simply manifest destiny by this point. Anyway, some mornings when I go out to this little covered area to see if anyone shows up with ailments for "sickcall" it almost feels like a fall day. Maybe it has to do with the air being just a bit clearer of dust, but that doesn't make sense cause there's a crisp breeze blowing usually. I don't know, at least it's a bit more pleasant. A few day ago we took a convoy way up north, and I was amazed at the nice weather. We finally figured out that it was a bit more humid, not enough to make it miserable, but enough to give the air that touch of moisture that we so take for granted on the West Coast. I remember when I used to farm in TN and the weather started to get nice after a long winter I would get this exhilerating feeling that I needed to get outside and start working. They call it spring fever, and I think everyone experiences it, but when you farm you experience it on a whole new level that you didn't know existed before. I kind of got that feeling when I was up there. Speaking of that trip... while we were there the camp got hit by two 170mm rockets. Believe it or not it was exciting. Every bit of action I have heard of or seen over here of the "bad guys" trying to hurt us has only made me realize just how inept they are at their job. It's almost laughable how bad they are at actually wounding soldiers. I imagine that if I ever end up in some sort of firefight where I am treating wounded soldiers I will probably need to dig through my assault pack for an extra pair of underwear, but, as it stands when these things happen it just gives me a thrill. Don't ask me to explain it if you don't understand, cause I would have to think about it for a long time and I don't really care to use my time like that right now. Anyway, the end of the story is that because we were there we all get CABs (combat action badge)... I'm not sure what good that does me other than tell whoever cares that I was either in combat action while I was here or someone wrote up some paperwork that made it look like I was. If I ever have to treat someone medically during something like that I'll be able to get a CFMB (combat something medic badge). That would be cool (I really don't like that word, but I'm using it anyway), it would give me a lot of points if I ever wanted to get on somewhere as a paramedic.

About the most serious thing that has happened to anyone from this company was someone got their head a little squished in a door a few days ago. The MRAP doors weigh around 500lbs and since they are so heavy they have air pressure that opens and closes them. The door closes and opens when you pull or push the handle respectively, and as soon as the pressure is off the handle it is supposed to stop the door. This particular MRAP door malfunctioned in such a way that while the door was open he grabed the handle and after he let go the door continued to close so slowly that he didn't notice. He was mounting something just above the door and once it closed enough for him to feel it he was pinned. Fortunately he was able to find the handle and push it open before anything serious happened. He did go to the hospital to get stiches for his split ear, but other than a bit of a headache he seems to be healing just fine.

I've been doing so many night missions, where we leave around 7pm or so and drive all night, that I have taken to sleeping during the day even while I'm not on a mission. It's not working out all that well because I have some responsibilities here as the companies senior medic that must be dispensed with during daylight hours, usually in the morning. The result is often going to sleep at 5am and waking up at 8am and having a few hours of sleep when I get back from whatever I'm doing usually between 11am and 1pm.

I'm a little bit surprised that I haven't gotten sick yet. A lot of people have gotten the flu and/or stomach problems steming from new microbes in the food and air over here. Speaking of flu, I have to get ready to vaccinate this whole company with the newest flu vaccine. I really don't like doing it because I don't usually get sick unless I get the shot. But it's not my choice, so somehow I have to figure out how to vaccinate the whole company within a really short time period. They will give us the supplies in a couple weeks probably including coolers and all the rest to keep the virus in, and with four different convoy security platforms going all the time and everyone else doing their jobs I think it may be a bit difficult to make this happen. But what fun would the job be if there were never difficulties to surmount?

For those of you who have written me and I have yet to send a letter in response, I'm sorry. I honestly do feel bad and I promise I will write... no more excuses from me. Don't let it deter you from writing again? :-)