enemy terrirory
Scotty Claus suggested to me on the phone tonight that perhaps writing something here for a change might be a good idea. So to placate my innumerable (Scott + Carl = 2) West Coast readers, I figured my newly acquired DSL and I could cooperate to make his dream a reality.

One of my friends, who works for the defense department, is going to Iraq, probably for six months, and I had dinner with him last night to say goodbye. (He is an excellently secretive military employee as ordered, and I have absolutely no idea what he does at his current job, why he is going to Iraq or what he will be doing once he gets there. He soldiers with his brain and not with his brawn, but I don't know more than that. I am also deliberately not using his name or talking much about his reaction or feelings because I know D*nald R*msfeld stays up late every single night reading my blog and I don't want to screw up my friend's career. OK? OK.)

Anyway, I think I was playing the role of pep talker -- despite how much work it will certainly be, and how it's more than a little dangerous, and how far from home it is and how long six months will feel, this is an unbelievably cool opportunity. It's someplace no one from this country will ever get to see otherwise. Way more importantly, he's going to be a part of something so much larger than himself, something that is so important on a global scale. Talk about making a difference. If people as smart and capable as he is are in charge over there, I feel a little better about the whole thing.

But later, he pulled his dogtags out. Then I got it. He's really going away, and those pieces of metal are hanging under his shirt for only one reason.

I'm not sure how I feel about it now. I still think it's incredible and important, but there's an awful lot of dread and worry for him mixed in. And I'm still not that crazy about this whole thing. In case you were in doubt.

My pal Donny R. and I are going to go check the new fun blogs I am now reading, and then I am going to go to bed. Maybe tomorrow someone will explain to me why it seems as though we have traded weather with Iraq, and now it's 85 degrees in November.