Like That One Movie

Anyway, the temperature, according to a weather station near here, just hit 1. That's one degree F. At night, in my imitation wood-panel room, I pretend that I am at a ski-resort and that the heater is a fire-place and I get really happy.

I'm just realized I wish I had my Christmas music CDs, especially since Christmas is becoming more illegal every year. The Evil One must be salivating.

Other than that, everyday seems like Groundhog day. Alarm goes off. Go out in the cold dark and get on the bus. Wait for the guy who is always late. Go to the shop. Wait for the heater to make it possible to work. Work. Go home. That’s it. That’s all there is! Even having some professional wrestlers come here and put on a show failed to generate sufficient variety to break up my perpetual replay every day. I do regret missing Donald Rumsfeld. He drove by the shop one Sunday on his tour of the base, Sunday is when I miss work. But that was about two months ago. I could have told you then but I would have had to ....Just kidding.

But there are changes. The lunch-line is longer! The arriving activated National Guard may double or triple the activity on the base. The resident Army moved out of their places and into tents to make room for the new crew. It feels like we may become noticeable, no longer tucked away in insignificance in Northern Iraq.

Then there is all the media attention about up-armored vehicles. Well, that’s what we do, up-armor the older vehicles to match the new ones, so we may get more work after all. They are recruiting new supervisors already, I’m working under the vehicles trying not to be noticed: I hate paperwork.

Also, we have spent very little time in the bunkers lately, I think I noticed an increase in patrols, especially at night. The military takes very good care of us. All of us.

Also, this is Sunday, a day of revelation. Here’s the one I got: there’s a huge mountain range off to the East! I never saw it before, even on clear days. But I did today, because those huge mountains were….covered in snow!!! It was amazing! I could have been on the Wasatch Front, the view was so similar, albeit much farther away. Along with the Christmas carols today in church, it seems like Christmas is right around the corner…so Merry Christmas!! Also, a young man that came in with the Idaho group is taking the discussions. Merry Christmas! The Lord works in mysterious ways. I say, Have a great Christmas Holiday!

Ernie