Update 23

As much respect as I have for the Roman Legions, I have to say that I
am pretty glad not to have to wear a helmet with a brush on it. I
think that'd look pretty dumb. And, you know, the Update. For more of
the Afghan Updates, or any I failed to send you, please visit:
http://dustintheeverything.blogspot.com/?zx=ee6fac97810abcfc

This week has been more or less uneventful. Everyone knows that their
time here is short and everyone is more and more irritated with being
here and each other. There have been innumerable minor disputes and
the level of hurt feeling and animosity grows steadily. When I talked
to Margaret about it she said that it is all down to the attitude of
taking all the irritants you can without complaint, only to explode
later. She's right, of course. But there is also the whole aspect of
trying to maintain a familial cheerfulness. As the oldest child in a
family of 6 kids I can attest, attempting to remain in a familial mood
when actually irritated is the best way to foster a mutual feeling of
resentment. This feeling is now widespread among our detachment.

I'd love to say that I am exempt and that I am feeling only the milk
of human kindness running through my veins. Instead I am as annoyed as
everyone else. I am only spared in that I work nights and don't really
see anyone. It keeps me seeming pleasant. I woke up tonight to a
frequent irritant, there is a group who smokes cigars behind our tent
in the evenings. It makes the interior smell like a humidor. I wake up
some nights feeling like I smoked pack of Lucky Strikes and smelling
like a 90's trendy party. Since I usually just shower, dress and go to
work, I am not that annoyed by it. But the fellows who have to hang
out in the tent and try to go to sleep in the thickness and the
stench, they are not as cheerful about it. When I woke up tonight my
little sleeping area became an impromptu meeting of the angry about
smoke party. I sat and said little. (I know, it's hard to imagine such
an occurrence, but I did it.) There is a chance that there will be a
good amount of shouting at some point.

At work I received an e-mail from the girl who takes over from me in
the mornings complaining that she doesn't like the things that I don't
do. (I know, it's like proving a negative.) I wrote her back and told
her that any work she chooses to do extra is on her, she can't
complain that other people don't share her desire to do extra work.
She did not take it well.

I haven't been present for any of the many, many other minor disputes
that have popped up all over the hospital, but I hear about them all
the time. Lots of little negative feeling, all over the place.
And we still have to go to Kuwait, for our Warrior Transition
training, and then to our various Navy Mobilization Processing Site
(NMPS) locations. There are weeks left. (Not many, but weeks all the
same.) It's sure to be angry times in there. And we won't have the guy
who, on the way here, kept order. He's staying in Bastion, his orders
are for a full year.

Attached to this e-mail is a pdf from the local Public Affairs
Officers. They encouraged us to send it to everyone. I thought that
included you all. It's the local stories that they want to have
wide-release. They are approved stories, so they are positive to a
fault.

Hey everyone, go here and vote for Facial Hair as a Work of Art:
http://www.boingboing.net/submit/  Just hit the Plus. It's one of my
favorite things that my brothers have done. It's a project by Frank
and Drew, but I think that Rob put it together and posted it.

I can't think of anything else this week. I apologize. I'll try to hit
my word count close next week.