Indian Country 5/17/07

Indian Country 5/17/07
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Will I be at the pool this weekend or will I be lounging at the internet café sucking down chai lattes? No one will know (although I will probably never do either). They don't like us to talk about our movements here for obvious reasons. That is why I'll likely talk about events that have happened a few days ago instead of outlining my big plans in the future.
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So, a few days ago, I went into the much talked about "red zone", or the area that is NOT under the security of the CF (coalition forces). Tactically, it wasn't a big event, but considering that I wasn't allowed to cross the street by myself until I was 12 (and technically, I have still not gotten proper permission from my parental units to cross the ocean), it was a significant milestone for me. Pictures were taken, but of course nothing that I can post and events happened, of which I cannot talk about, but by golly, I crossed over into "Indian Country" and stared at the landscape of trash and squalor that is the unprotected Iraq. It almost seems silly to even write about it, but the fact that it happened will allow this event to be checked of my Baghdad TO DO list.
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Things are still very busy here. The days are long and are made to feel even longer if your major task for that day consists of sitting behind a computer. I'm hoping to find the battle rhythm, or "groove" where the days start to flow a little faster than they have lately.
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Interesting fact of the day: Cottage cheese in Iraq is not what we as Westerners would technically consider cottage cheese. It's more like curdled goats milk that has a small grainy texture in a slimy cream sauce. I'm staying away from the cottage cheese.