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This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Well, yesterday I took some time and wrote at length, and my post didn't save. *sigh* Oh well.

Believe it or not, the Marine General over here thought not wearing the black fleece jackets was rediculous as well -- so they changed the uniform standards for us over here (finally, someone in charge has common sense). I was warm walking to work this morning...

I am searching for ways to put pics on here for you. My words aren't nearly as descriptive as a well-taken photo. I'm going to use the program "flikr."

Well, Merry Christmas and enjoy the season!

Another Sunday, another work day. The morale over at my new workspace is better than where I was before, but the bosses back in Victory don't want any of us to be happy over here... so my personal morale isn't that great. The leadership doesn't care about the individual soldiers at all, it seems. Nearly all the soldiers I speak with talk about when they can get out of the military... and I'm one of them. I can't wait until I can make decisions for myself and not get berated (it's interesting getting corrected by a sergeant when you're a Lt, in front of junior enlisted personnel for a silly rule that shouldn't have been made in the first place). I don't mind following rules, but sometimes I feel like I should take a stand against idiocrocy. Such as... it's cold here now, and the Army issued everyone black fleece jackets. BUT.... we can't wear them with our uniform because there isn't a regulation saying so, unless it's under your blouse (which there's no way it'd fit) or under your gore-tex jacket, which I don't have. So there are lots of soldiers walking around cold. It's just stupid. I could go on and on about the rediculous things that happen over here just because some Sergeant Major needs something to do with his time, but it would just depress me as well as you.

At any rate, I'm glad it's nearly Christmas. Some people got decorations sent from home, and we're going to put them up. Someone put some Christmas music on the shared drive, so I can listen at work while I'm reading reports, and that certainly livens the mood. This Christmas, all I want is a day off.

Well, gotta get back to my desk so someone doesn't think all I do is spend my time on the internet!

Life continues over here.... I've been busy, but not in the frantic, irrational way I was over at Camp Victory. Here, work is the same, but I can set my own pace and even accomplish more. I'm happier here. :) dibriad@isg.mil for those of you who used to email me at my other work email address (like my friend in New Hampshire).

There was an article sent out about Fallujah, by Jack Kelly. He makes some very good points, and although I don't agree with all he says, it's nice to see something other than the negative reporting that been out in the news. His article is titled "Victory in Fallujah:Iraq's Iwo Jima gets scant media respect." If you feel like reading something different than what is published by al-Jazeera or NBC, look it up.

Today I went for my first run in weeks. I was actually able to go during working hours, in the daylight (we're not allowed to run in the dark over here for safety reasons). I ran maybe just a mile, over to Saddam's personal Mosque and back. The entire time, there was water on at least one side of me, and in the slight breeze, the light flickered off the tiny little waves. It made me almost feel as if I were back in San Diego, watching the harbor. The buildings, little marble and cement cottages set up for the Ba'ath Party, dotted the rim of the lakes. There is even a houseboat, but it's nearly sunk. The Victory over America Palace (that was never finished being built) was being worked on, and I could hear the hammering across the silent lake. The run itself wasn't fun because I still have some sort of cold and my endurance is at nil, but it was pretty and nice to be out in the sunshine for a change. It shouldn't be too hard to keep that up.

~ amber dawn