Warm today, and batty:

The thermometer said 78 today. I think it was a little high, but it was nice without a doubt. The bugs were out in force. I was wading through clouds of gnats to get to chow this evening. The funny thing was that the bugs were gone and the bats were out in force by the time I was walking back. These bats are without fear. They must have some really bang-up RADAR. They were flying within inches of my face and pulling up at the last second. They get much closer than the bats back home. More importantly, I think that they might know the locations of the WMDs. I'm going to pen one down tomorrow and threaten it with some holy water. We'll learn the truth.
A special thanks goes out to Jeanie Weeks for sending me a quality care package. I have re-gained a few of this months lost pounds due to some fantastic snacks and beef jerky that is worth its weight in pepper which is worth its weight in gold.

Many thanks for chocolate chips and Silly Putty:

This week in Baghdad, it has warmed up to nearly 70 degrees. I walked a few miles this afternoon, and with no jacket on, I was sweating.

This week I got three care packages, one from the Cowdery family, one from Matt & Patty Michael, and one from Sina Murphy. I think that the Cowdery cookies were the best tasting things I've had in Iraq. One of the things that Matt sent me was Silly Putty. I was using it like a stress ball today, and had a thought. If I pressed the Silly Putty on classified information, then I wouldn't be able to take it out of the building until it had been officially declassified. Think about that one. Hearing from Sina was great. I'm making a mental (that's me) note right now to go visit when I get home.

Birthday and such:
Well, since my last post, I've had a birthday. I am now 32 years old, and don't feel a year over 31. It was really a pretty good birthday, in that I had a bunch of people either send cards, send emails, or post via Myspace. Oh, and I can't forget those who posted messages on the Frogtails forum. Speaking of them, I would like to send a special thanks to Diane for the care package that she sent me. The peanut butter Softbatch cookies went over especially well. I would also like to thank Kathy Stone. She has sent a few packages now, and each has been very nice. The last one had some small blankets which will be handy as it is now about 37 degrees out (F). Thanks again to all for the birthday greetings. Oh, I also got a timely birthday present/care package from Andy and Kelly Nichols, thank you very much. The jerky is a Godsend.

October ended with great weather, and November has been nice. I think that the rest of the year is not worth vacationing in Baghdad. Today was cool in the pre-dawn morning and many of the soldiers I saw were wearing jackets. The rainy season will start soon. I'm not looking forward to a 30 minute walk to work in the rain and mud every day.