Mustache March - Week One

Progress on the 'stache front.  Comparatively, not too shabby even though it doesn't photograph well.  During a meeting today I was looking around the room at all of the MM growers and every one, I mean every one, was unconsciously brushing and fiddling with their new growth!

Otherwise, a slow news week.  Work continues on, and on, and on...  Oh, I do have a bit of news.  An old friend of mine ("Hildy")  is in town from the Pentagon doing a study and he found me on the Baghdad e-mail address list and wrote.  He is staying right here on VBC for a couple of days so I invited him over to our Sunday cookout yesterday where we caught up on family and work news.  We were in three different commands together in our younger years and it sure was nice getting back together, even if for a short time in less than accommodating surroundings.

Cheers, Pearl

Mustache March

Apparently the Air Force has a tradition of growing "barely within grooming standards" mustaches in March (hence the title of this post).  At the morning brief Feb 29th our Air Liaison Officer on staff gave us all the brief and invited us to participate.  Since few folks in the Army have mustaches I figure there's some sort of bias against mustaches in general around here, so I of course have jumped in with both feet, er, one lip - anything to buck the system. So, as of yesterday (we were to have been clean shaven March 1st) I have quit shaving my upper lip and am growing a mustache for the first time since I was a Lieutenant.

I'm curious how this is going to turn out.  My kids always laughed at my attempts before (I would grow one on det and it would be a surprise when I came home) because it would always come in a little reddish-orangish - quite odd when you consider my hair is dark, dark brown.  The other curious part is when I don't shave sometimes for a weekend back home, the whiskers on my chin are a lot more salt than pepper so I'm wondering if this thing is going to come in like a white caterpillar or worse.

Right now it just looks like a little shadow under my nose, but rest assured, I'll begin posting some pictures to keep you all up to date with Mustache March!  I tell you what, it's some exciting times here in Baghdad these days!

Cheers, Pearl

200 and More

I have a couple of things for today's rarest of posts (it's Feb 29th!)

First, today is my 200th day here.  I'm not sure why 200 is more significant than 1 or 22 or even 199, but I do know 200 days is a long time!

Second, it occurred to me that today is a free day of war.  I get the same pay in a 29 day February as I do on a 28 day February so today is "free" from a salary point of view.  I just found that to be interesting, mildly masochistic, but interesting.  The good part about today though was it was a Friday.  Not that any day is much different from another work-wise, but on Fridays they serve Surf and Turf at the DFAC for dinner.  Fried shrimp and crab legs, mmm mmm good!  (They tend to screw up the Turf part so I usually have Surf and Surf on Fridays.)

Cheers, Pearl

P.S. I'm not sure why I'm on such a number-based posting roll lately.  Perhaps it's that one day is pretty much like another but I'll see if I can find something more interesting for my next post.

Sad Day

Well, it was a good run, but my Tigers lost today to #2 Tennessee 62-66, ending the unbeaten Tiger season as well as the nation's longest home winning streak.  It was a hard fought game, but it sure is difficult as a True Blue Tiger fan to lose to the Big Orange!  While Memphis still has the best record in NCAA basketball this year (26-1), I'm sure they'll drop out of their number #1 ranking - how far is up to the capricious voting of the sportswriters and coaches.

The good thing is, this game, while a tough loss, won't affect the Tigers in the C-USA picture, nor will it affect whether they make the NCAA tourney selection.  March Madness is fast approaching and I know the Tigers will be very hungry.

Cheers, Pearl

90

Speaking of milestones, I hit a new one today.

I have 90 days to go!  Whoo hoo!

Cheers, Pearl