Well, I just gained a bit of free time, after turning on the telly and discovering that the fine people at FOX expect me to sit through two hours of being teased, advertised to, and cliffhung before they will let me know which of the Davids gets the prize. Truth is, though I tried to be careful today, I came across the name of the winner this afternoon (thanks iTunes!), so even the suspense is gone for me now. I had been willing to dedicate an hour to this, but two? Not gonna happen.

So, that gives me time to rant on a pressing Iraq-specific topic, and then we shall make a visit to the Rupard Mailbag.

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There are a few days in the week where I work out in the AM, at lunch, and in the PM after work. This has to do with the vagaries of my schedule here, which mandates that I take the work-out times when I can get them, because I know that on some days I will never get to put on a pair of tennis shoes. The result of all of this (when combined with the 110-plus heat which has settled in) is that I take a lot of showers, often three per day. Just before settling down to write this, I took one of these third showers, and was reminded of just how unsatisfying it is to “clean up” in this place.

First of all, the showers have absolutely NO water pressure. The amount of water that drips over my dust-encrusted skin ranges from a trickle to a drip. The trickle is bad—it is very hard to get soap on (or off) of one’s body without a reasonable amount of water to help out. The drip? Downright unusable. Soldiers have been known to run out of a dripping shower, wearing nothing but a towel and grab a couple of drinking water bottles from the pallet behind the latrine, so that they can get the soap off of their bodies. I have learned that if I wait it out long enough, the trickle will return. This is not always convenient, as often I am trying to grab a quick shower before heading back to work, but it is better than wiping the soap off of my skin with a towel, or turning into an unintentional streaker.

This, however, is not the least-attractive quality of our shower systems here on Al Asad. Not by a long shot. As is the case at home (but to a greater degree), the water temperature here is subject to wide and inexplicable variations. Lorri and the kids at home secretly enjoy it every time I hop in the shower, because they know they will eventually hear the chorus of moans and groans (with the occasional “yelp”) as the temperature changes on me, freezing my pasty white skin one moment and scalding me the next. In fact, I am pretty sure that some of this is instigated by the aforementioned “loved ones,” whom I suspect (but cannot prove), engage in some liberal flushing every time I bathe.

On post here, it is much worse. The water constantly, constantly fluctuates, from boiling to freezing, with nothing in between. At home I yelp intermittently. Here, I have developed a sort of anticipatory shower scaldofreezophobia, and now I just start screaming “aaaaaaaaaugh!” while I am getting undressed. This continues as I walk into the shower, and my scream persists through the burns and frostbite, and then as I am drying off, and while I am getting dressed afterwards. I stop screaming for a moment when I brush my teeth, and then it starts again as I walk back to my room. In fact, it is now an hour after my shower, and I am still screaming (aaaaaaaaugh!) as I write this.

Wish you were here.

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Packages arrived over the past two days from four different senders, each of whom I wish to sincerely thank.

Package #1 was from the “AG Family,” who have so generously sent four or five other previously. This one was a large box filled with many pounds of different varieties of beef jerky, which is one of the soldiers’ staples out here, and not available at the mess hall. This sender has e-mailed me and prefers to remain anonymous, at least for now. Thanks to you, and please allow me to thank you publicly for you continued kindness and support of our clinic. The jerky is being enjoyed by all.

Package #2: From Lorri, included some cinnamon rolls which lasted about 3 minutes (no exaggeration) after I pulled them out of the box. Lorri, they were still fresh, and a very satisfying reminder of home. The package also included some drink mixes to keep my homies hydrated (love those crystal light packages) and some PB M&Ms. Thanks, sweetie!

Package #3, from one Aimee Seamons and family. This one included another bag of PB M&Ms (guess my “subtle” hints got through), a bunch of great books for our library, and a bag of powdered doughnuts, which is currently being preserved in my fridge, and will be broken out during our next “movie night.” I may share some of them. Thanks, Audrey, Gracie, Sulley, Aimee, and Quin.

Last but not least, the fourth package came from my friend and former EQ presidency member, Craig Ainsworth and his family. Some good music (thanks!), a couple of boxes of Entenmann’s treats (one of the few things that can make me stop “aaaugh”-ing at the moment), more drink mixes (woo-hoo!), and a couple of beautiful pieces of artwork for the clinic wall done by the Ainsworth kids. To Kathleen, Craig, Abbey, Owen, and Charlotte: thanks for your kindness. Thanks for thinking of us, and for thinking of me.