"Finally Made Forty..."

"...Still Wearing Jeans"

Iraq- 04 JUNE 2010

I wonder if I should count the birthdays that I've spent here, should they really count? They do I suppose as Indiana Jones said, "It's not the years, it's the mileage." Just like the people 'round here who say how quickly the time has gone by, it hasn't and it has. It's all in the mind you know. I say, "But look at the days, does today seem like it will ever end?" Yeah in hindsight (being 20/20 and all) the months maybe have zipped by, but not the days...and those are the ones that grind you. We live in a world were we view time as linear, but its not. The whole days vs. months, hours vs. years should be enough to tell us that its all relative.

"Globywobly timeywhimy"

It's hard though, "very very very very hard" but you just deal with it and move on. You keep doing the best you can, and somethings you just have to get over, I guess. It's hard when you have to keep hearing about the "Year of the Air Force Family" on AFN, how great and important family is, blah, blah, blah. Don't get me wrong, family is important, but its hard to listen to good news stories, and all the good that the AF is doing for families when you are here. For a year (not 4-6 months or whatever, 2 day, whatever) I don't want to complain, I don't want to bring anybody down, what we have is what we have. I signed up for this, I can take it...part of the job...all that. Besides it's not like it is the Year of the Army/National Guard Family, it never is, it always is...does that make sense. We do the best we can, those of us here, you back there...but it is never going to be right. It changes us all...this. Whether we want to see it or not, whether it boils to the surface or rumbles beneath. I guess a lot of people can't or won't acknowledge this, it doesn't fit into their preconceived notions of what Life is, or whatever.

I am rambling, maybe I should have said this at the beginning, but it's my birthday right. "and i can (ramble) if I want to, cry if i want to"

So what did you get for your birthday?
Pain (Actually already had that)
Quarters (For the pain, not the birthday)
Woken up, early by the Incoming Alarm (Cheers)
Some nice stuff from the Missus (Love you)
Lots of well wishers on Facebook (Thanks)
Rafa Benitez got sacked (Mutual agreement my arse)
Watched The Return of the King (Special Edition...still no Scouring of the Shire)
Not even a whisper from my daughter (...)
Yeah, all in all great.
Yeah.

Started this in the morning, finished with it now. Don't worry about me, I'll just have to have a real gasser of a blow-out for 41.

Love, Thanks, &
Cheers
g