Schedules...{sigh}...why do we have to have schedules?

It's hard to believe that a month has passed since the last time I posted anything...Crazy how time flies when you're NOT having fun! I can't say that it's ALL bad though. There are activities that I enjoy. I have been training with my friend Mike, practicing combatives. I have to admit---it is the most fun I have had while I have been here, and I definitely look forward to tuesdays and thursdays now! However, there are some draw backs. Bruises showing up that you have no idea HOW you got them, you just know WHERE you got them from! And then of course you get confronted by his wife for "beating him up", and I have to explain myself. It's all in good fun though. She understands what we do, and that we both know that we will have marks to show for it.

I keep pretty busy here. I think every day I am doing something active, now that I have mandatory physical training for my soldiers. Every mon, wed, and saturday we are out there running around our make shift track, and doing other exercises to maintain/improve our physical fitness! Gotta love the Army for that! So...if you have been paying attention, I have my mon, tues, wed, thur, and saturday occupied so far, right!? What do I do on Friday and Sunday?

Those are the days that I goto the gym and actually lift weights...sounds boring huh? 7 days a week...exercise! Who does that? Why would someone in their right mind WANT to do that?? Let me ask you...what ELSE is there to do here in Iraq!! Stare at my roommate that I can barely stand due to his disrespect of me! I don't think so. I will opt to venture to my room only to sleep or change clothes thank you.

Some people here say that my tour here is boring. That I should change the way I live, hang out with other people, and not always be alone. No one see what I really do. I don't think it is anyone's business but my own what I do here. My commander knows where I am on tuesday/thursdays...you know why? His name is Mike! :o) And my soldiers are with me on mon, wed, and sat...then I work out on fridays/sundays with SGT Donaldson. So I am never alone, I just don't advertise my activities. My "schedule" is structure. Without structure there is chaos...am I right? Maybe not so much chaos...but definitely uncertainty about what there is to do during a day.