Getting Back Into the Swing of Things...

After six accountability formations and two roll call formations (one where we were about to get on the bus to head to the flight line), I was finally able to make it out of the heat of Kuwait and back to the dust in Baghdad.

I guess I can say that the hassle of getting back here wasn't THAT bad...considering one group got on a bird, was in the air...and had to turn around and come BACK to Ali al Salem Air Base. There wasn't an empty seat on my plane...and there are still hundreds who are trying to get back to Baghdad.

Anyhow, I walk into our building and there are two guys in the broadcast studio doing a radio show. They were from a radio station in Waco (that's the biggest city closest to Fort Hood) called WACO 100, My Country. Zack Owen and Jim Cotyk were interviewing Soldiers about what they do here, etc. So my 1SG says, "Burke, get in line, you're next." I looked at him, "Top, I just got back!" I said. "So!" he said. So, I got on the mic and those guys asked me about what I do here and if I enjoyed my time back home. It was cool.

I'm here and when I made it back to my room, I found a nice layer of dust waiting for me. It covered everything!! I was gone for only three weeks!! Now, I'm working on getting back into the swing of things.

A couple of things about leave: I was kinda bummed that I didn't get to see my students when I visited Sam Rayburn HS. TAKS testing (evil!) was going on during that week...I didn't even know. I was able to talk to my principal and the English dept. chair though. Overall, my leave back home was great. Got to spend a lot of time with my family, play with Loren a lot, see former students and friends at school, watch some movies, hit up Starbucks and Diedrich's, and go shopping here and there.